wrapt up with God and taken up with spiritual things yet you are not so spiritual but if you will hearken to the counsel of your own hearts you may be carnal and brutish look upon thy self as a poor miserable creature though thou hast never so much grace thou canst not keep it unlesse thou hast a better keeper then thy self Secondly Because the people of God are bound to fear themselves I bring the very arguments that they bring that hold a child of God may fall away totally therefore I grant them that the arguments are good that in themselves they may fall away and I say a child of God is commanded to fear be not high-minded but fear that is though thou hast an excellent faith and standest by faith yet be not high-minded do not think thou art higher then thou art and remoter from the power of the flesh then thou art be not proud and conceited for all the faith thou hast thou mayst distrust God and if God leave thee to thy self thou mayst be an unbeliever and as vile an infidel as ever breathed upon the face of the earth in thy self thou hast as vile a wretched heart as any man which if thou wert left to thy self would quickly shew what it is Phil. 2. 12. 13. work out your salvation with fear and trembling for God worketh both the will and the deed As who should say I do not deny but a child of God doth depend upon the good pleasure of God and is built upon his eternal counsel he is not built upon his own pleasure he doth not stand upon the hap hazard of his own will but upon the good pleasure of Gods will but saith he it is our part to fear for we for our part may fall we can do nothing no more then we are holpen no more then God doth stand by us and keep us from falling it is our part to fear and tremble from day to day as the Apostle saith Heb. 4. 1. let us fear lest having the promises of entring into his rest any of us should fall short Let us fear as who should say we are in danger of coming short we are in danger to fall and not to reach the Kingdom of Heaven how many temptations are there what a vile flesh do we carry about with us therefore let us fear Thirdly The children of God are commanded to take heed lest they fall totally away where note they may for all that is in themselves for any grace that is received therefore God calls upon them to cling to him and â—o cleave to him that he may not be provoked to withhold himself from them as we may see Heb. 12. 15. take heed lest any man fail of the grace of God c. Take heed look diligently to your selves lest any man fail of the grace of God if you mean to go to heaven I can tell you you must have care and diligence and look to your selves take heed you be not proud and worldly take heed you suffer not security nor any other corruption to steal upon you and hinder you from going on in a godly course take heed lest any of you fail of the grace of God what do these words import but that a man in himself is in greiveous danger in regard of falling totally away so 1 Cor. 10. 12. he that stands let him take heed lest he falls though he stand never so firm for the present though he be never so stout and couragious no man ever went so far in the wayes of God but he might turn back if he lookt not to himself no man was ever so zealous but he might be lukewarm if he lookt not to it no man was ever so quickned but he may be deaded if he look not to it therefore he that stands let him take heed lest he fall Fourthly Because the children of God are commanded still to grow in grace because there is no grace yet received or that can be received in this world is enough to keep them from falling totally away if a man think with himself this grace I have is enough I need no more if he do stand at a stay and limit himself and think this will suffice he is mistaken there is no grace if it were a thousand times greater then that which the best Saint in the world hath that can secure a man from falling away therefore when the Apostle would perswade Christians to take heed that they did not fall away 2 Pet. 3. 17. he bids them grow in grace would you not fall but stand stedfast would you not be led away with the errours of the wicked know assuredly that all the graces you have received are not sufficient but grow in grace labour to be more humble and meek and patient and zealous labour to make more conscience of your wayes to have a more tender heart to be more taken up with God and more careful to please him to be more earnest and frequent in prayer to mark his word and look to your steps every day labour to stand firmer and stronger yet for all that you have attained to it is not so much but it may be weakned and born down Therefore grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Sixthly Because the examples of Apostates and backsliders are propounded to the very Saints for them to take warning by as the Apostle propounds the example of the Jewish Apostates to the Romans if God spared not the natural branches c. Look upon them see how they are fallen away Rom. 11. 21 how that Church is Apostatized therefore look thou to thy self lest that which befell them befall thee lest thou sin against God as they did and so that light upon thee which did light upon them so the Apostle doth propound tâ—â— example of Alexander and Hymeneus and Philetus even to Timothy though Timothy was elect of God yet he knew Timothy was of a flexible nature and might change and fall and fall totally in himself if he did not look to it O saith he hold faith and a good conscience c. 1 Tim. 1. 19 20. He propounds it even to Timothy that the falls of Apostates might make him wary and careful to stand upon his guard Seventhly Bee use the children of God are fain to pray that God would keep them from falling away finally totally which is a sign that they may fall away totally in themselves notwithstanding whatsoever acquaintance they have with God or whatsoever vertue they have gotten from Christs death yet they are to go to God to keep them from falling away as Psal 119. 43. 44. take not away the word of thy truth c. As who should say Lord for ever keep me do thou never forsake me utterly though I may provoke thee to forsake me very much yet never take away the word of thy truth utterly out of my mouth then I shall never be able to hold
receive strength as it is said of Moses Heb. 11. 28. By faith he received the Passeover so if by faith we would receive the Lords Supper and beat down all doubts and fears of flesh and blood and resolve to cast our selves upon Christ and his promises and let him have the disposing of us if we would truly cast our selves upon Christ and believe in his name and so come to the Sacrament we should have strength how can we get strength without this Eph. 3. 17. When we come to the Sacrament we come to partake of Christ and receive Christ that we may dwell in Christ and he in us Now he will not doe thus without faith faith is the wedding garment if we come without it we shall be bound hand and foot and cast into utter darkness may be thou wert fettered before but now thou shalt be more bound even bound hand and foot that thou canst not stir as the Apostle saith Above all things take the shield of faith so I may say if you will come to the Sacrament to your Eph. 6. own peace and comfort above all things take the shield of faith When men come to the Sacrament only with bodily eyes and bodily hands what do they get nothing but a piece of bread and a drop of wine but if they had faith they should have the evidence of things not seen Christ and heaven and the covenant of grace are not seen with bodily eyes faith would help them to the evidence of these things not seen as St. Austin speaks of a worthy Martyr when he was to suffer Martyrdome he took the Sacrament to strengthen him to suffer Martyrdom and the Martyrs in the Primitive Church every day expecting Martyrdom they every day received the Sacrament to help them with strength but when we come to the Sacrament without faith we deprive our selves of this benefit Now as long as we give way to our sins doubting will reign and faith cannot be in our soules Fourthly Because they do not seek earnestly to God to blesse the Sacrament to them they do not make themselves strong in heaven before they come they do not go with strong cries and groans to the Throne of grace that God would quicken them that they may get the good they ought to do at it If we would come to the Sacrament of Lords Supper as we ought to do we should be earnest with God and wrestle with him that he would make us sensible of our wants and that he would pluck up our hearts to come with faith that he would strengthen us that we may behave our selves well when we are there and when we come away every Ordinance of God is sanctified by the word and prayer 1 Tim. 4. 5. Now because either people do not pray at all or if they do they are not earnest with God therefore it is that they return home little the better Fifthly Because they do not behave themselves â—ell when they are at it they are not well occupied when they sit at the Lords Table they know not how to employ themselves as the duty requires this is that would help us to true strength by the Sacrament if we were well employed when we were at it Cant. 1. 12. While the King sitteth at his table c. saith the Church that is while the King was enjoying communion with me and I with him I was just at the same time very well employed I laboured in some measure to stir up all the graces that were in me that my Spikenard might send up a sweet perfume into his nostrils that my faith might work and my love might work so while we are sitting at the Lords Table and the King sitteth down to bid us welcome we should labour to be well employed to keep vanities out of our minds and employ them well that we may have a good meal before we go Sixthly Because people when they have been at the Sacrament they do not examine themselves diligently whither they have got any good by the Sacrament I have received the Sacrament have I got any good by it is my faith strengthned am I yet backward to Gods will untoward in his worship dead in his service am I still hovering and doubting in my conscience have I no care of God have I got no good by the Sacrament if people would but call themselves to account whither they have got any good by the Sacrament this would do them a great deal of good it would make them bewail and lament and cry out if they got no good people let things râ—n on at six and sevens if they get good so it is if they get none so it is but lay it not to heart whereas a godly heart when he hath been at an Ordinance calls himself to account and takes it marvellous heavily if he see he hath got no good as the Church when she prayed and saw her prayers did not prevail it was a bitter thing to her Thou hast covered thy self with a cloud that our prayer should not pass thorow Lam. 3. 44. when she saw she prayed and strived and tugged with God and there was no comfort O how she took it to heart she made it the burthen of her complaint so if Christians would do thus The Sacrament doth not take the Lord covers himself with clouds and hides himself from me he will not own me we should go crying and yelling up and down to see that we do not get good by the Sacrament if we would do thus we might get good by it Seventhly If people do get good by the Sacrament afterwards yet they do not interpret this to be by the goodness of God in the Sacrament may be they meet with some comfort and assistance now and then which might do them a world of good and strengthen their hearts wonderfully if they did look to it when they have gotten many good blessings now they do not construe this to be by reason of Gods Sacrament and Covenant if they did look upon it O this came by vertue of Gods Covenant and the seal of his Covenant to my soul this would make them strong in Gods Covenant and help them exceedingly thus David did if he got any mercy at any time still he laid it upon going to Gods Ordinances this I had because I kept thy precepts This I had because I prayed unto thee and sought thee Psal 119. earnestly I followed God earnestly and now I see his infinite goodnesse and mercy towards me how he hath rewarded me I confess it was a poor thing I did God might even have slung it as dung in my face but see how he hath rewarded me So if Christians would say this I had because I was careful though I had formerly neglected Gods Ordinances yet at last I came to seek him earnestly with my whole heart and to come more preparedly and diligently to the Lords Supper and now this I find I had by it
creature in the eyes of the world yet he hopes for great matters he hopes for a glorious resurrection and for an excellent triumph over sinne and death and hell and to have his body and soul for ever in the Kingdome of Christ Jesus you will say he seeth none of these things he hopes that God will blesse him in all his wayes and be with him in sicknesse and in health in misery and prosperity and in all estates and that he will do him good while he lives and when he dyes he seeth none of these things No saith the Apostle Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen though many think there is no substance in these things yet faith doth deliver the substance of them unto him and it is an evidence that he shall certainly have them and it is as it were a Sacrament therefore the Fathers call it the Sacrament of faith and the Sacrament of hopes and the Sacrament of repentance because they are certaine and sure tokens and pledges of those things that a Christian looks for Secondly the Apostle commends faith by a long Catalogue of believers of Holy Fathers and Patriarchs and Prophets and Judges and Worthies from the beginning of the world and he shewes there was no worth in them but it did proceed from faith and this he doth First generally in the second verse By it the Elders obtained a good report he speaks of them all ingeneral he calls them Elders a reverend grave company and he amplifies this by giving a general ground and reason why faith can build upon nothing as it were to see to and yet is able to gather great matters though it see little or nothing â—â—rse 3. You may see this saith he by Historical faith For through saith we understand that the worlds were made by the Word of God so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appeare though nothing was before a mans eyes yet through this faith he might see an whole world out of nothing so though the world and flesh and blood see nothing yet he that believes in God he is able to raise a world out of nothing he may look for these things at the hands of God though for the present he sees nothing Secondly he doth divide these believers into foure several rankes The first is the Holy Fathers before the Flood and he instanceth onely in three for all the rest as Abâ—l Enâ—ch Nâ—ah Verse 4 5 6 7. Secondly the Holy Patriarchs from the Flood to the time of Moses and he instanceth in five not as though there were no more but he contents himself with these Abraham Sarah Isaac Jacob Joseph from ver 8. to the 22. And then in the third place he takes all those Worthies from Moses to the time of the entrance into the Land of Câ—naan and he doth instance in Moses's Parents and then in Moses then in the children of Israel then in Rahab from Ver. 23. to 31. In the fourth place he reckons up all those Heroes from that time to the time of the Maccabees and Names Gideon and Barach and Sampsâ—n and Jophtah and David and Samuel and then he reckons them up only in generall the Prophets and Martyrs and Confessors under the persecutions of cursed Anticchus Now in all this Catalogue he shewes the admirable effects of true justifying faith what faith is able to do when a man is a true believer in God what great matters he is able to atchieve it gives a man the testimony of a good conscience and makes him able to do the things acceptable to God it makes a man believe things incredible to sense and reason it makes a man forsake all and follow God it makes a man do or suffer any thing for Christ it makes a man so precious that the world is not worthy that he should dwell among them that there should be any such person in such a base place as the world is it is an excellent thing and it is set out most admirably what glorious things faith doth enable a man in the strength of God to do and his scope in all this is to exhort them to abound in faith and they that have it not to use all meanes for the obtaining of it and come by it and lye at God and to be trading in the meanes of Grace and never be at quiet till they have it and when they have it to endeare it and labour to abound in it and persevere in it to their dying day now among all this grave and venerable and revâ—rend society of believers that he here reckons and summes up he calls out Abraham in this text to speak of him and that he speaks of him in this place is this that when God called him to leave his Countrey and Kindred and Fathers house to leave his inheritance and all his friends and acquaintance by faith he was able to obey this call By saith saith he Abraham being called out to go into a place which he should afterwards receive for an inheritance obeyed and he went out not knowing whether he went Doct. So that the Doctrine which I observe from hence is this that Doct. It is saith that makes a man obey the call of God it is faith that makes a man obey the call of God the command of God whether it be the first call and command for the coming out of sinne or all after commands whatsoever it is faith that makes a man obey them if a man have faith though he had never so stubborne and perverse an heart before though he were never so set upon his lusts and sinfull courses before faith is that which will make a man lay it downe and disavow it and oppose himself against it and he shall no longer live in it as soone as ever faith comes into the soul it makes a man obey God it brings a man home to God to do his will and to walk according to his directions and to be at his dispose and to commit and commend and resigne himself wholly to God in all his wayes this is the onely thing that heales a mans backslidings this is the onely thing that drawes a man home to God this is the onely instrument whereby a man is tyed to God himself whereby a man doth fetch downe all the graces from above so long as a man is stubborne and perverse and walks after the flesh and goeth on in any evil way he hath no faith as the Psalmist speaks Psal 78. 32. For all this they sinned yet still and believed not his wendrous works that is they were disobedient therefore certainly they had no faith for if faith once looked into their hearts it would have made them to discard their sinnes and it would have made them obedient to God it would have pared them from the flesh and weaned them from their owne desires and would have made them to give up themselves to
sick souls nay many are even dead to all manner of good even for this cause the not receiving the Lords Supper in a right manner for if the Sacrament were duely come unto as it doth require it is to strengthen us in grace and against Satan but when people come hand over head when they prâ—pare themselves slightly pray slightly before they come and come carelesle and negligently and take not pains to come in due fashion they rather strengthen themselves in sinne and Satan against them as it is said of Judas after he had received the sop the Devil entred into him John 13. 27. you see he went away with more hardness of heart from the Lords Supper then he came to it he went away with more wrath and discontent against Christ and his blessed company then before the Devil had more strength then he had before A true Christian that comes to the Sacrament as he ought gets more strength to his faith more strength to his lively hope more patience and meekness he strengthens all the graces of Gods spirit and strengthens himselfe against Satan and his own flesh and against his lâ—sts and corruptions but when a man comes otherwise he doth not only not get strength against corruption but corruption gets strength rather he goes away with more corruption of heart and more guiltiness of sinne then before and is more heartless to prayer and good duties The Devil deals with men as the Monk did with Henry the 7th Emperour it is reported that he was poysoned by coming to the Sacrament for he had poysoned it so the Devil poysons the Sacrament to most men they eat and drink their own damnation when they goe away from the Lords Supper they are worse then when they came more weak and unable to put off Satan and more exposed to his fiery darts whereas if the Sacrament were approached unto according to the due order that God hath set down in his Word we should gather strength from it This may serve to shew the reason why people get no more good by the Vse 3 Sacrament and doe not meet with this strength that the Sacrament administers to every worthy Communicant in general because they doe not come in â— right manner to the partaking of it and when they doe not regard the manner God doth not regard the matter when they doe not come faithfully and readily and preparedly to the Table of the Lord the Lord regards not their coming and they shall get no good by it as Solomon saith When a man is not ready to heare he offers the sacrifice of fâ—ls Eccles 5. 1. So when a man receives the Sacrament and is not ready to receive he receives the Sacrament of fools he doth not consider what a sacred thing it is and what great matters are required of him and what care and conscience is requisite thereunto we should examine our selves as the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 11. 28. We must not only eat of that bread and drink of that cup for so even wretches and carnal people do and never partake of any strength but we must partake of it after a right manner as Christ saith Luke 12. 47. He that knew his Lords will and prepared not himselfe to doe it shall be beaten with many stripes so when we know it is Gods will we should come preparedly and we will not prepare our selves God will not strengthen us and help us against our lusts but our lusts shal get head against us This is in general Now I come to speak of some particular reasons that hinder men from partaking aright of the Sacrament First Because people come not to the Sacrament with a sense and feeling of their own wants if we would partake of strength by the Sacrament before we come we must feel our wants how we want hope and patience and faith and strength we want spiritual understanding in the wayes of God we should not only see this but feel it people may be see this that they want this or that but there is no sound feeling of their wants they are without faith and do not feel it without hope and patience and doe not feel it they do not find the want of these things Now Prov. 9. 4 5. Wisedome saith to him that wanteth understanding Come eat of my bread c. When a man doth want understanding is not onely without it but feels the want of it he is not only without strength and faith but feels the want of it he sees the want of wisedom and discretion and Gods helping of him more and more if it be so eat of my bread c. Secondly Because people come without true repentance to the Lords Table they do not repent of their sins they do not break the league between them and their own wayes they come to the Sacrament and mean to think as they have done and speak as they have done and keep company as they have done and behave themselves in their places and callings as they have done and no otherwise then they have done and though they cry God mercy and make some prayers yet the covenant between them and their wicked courses was never broken and therefore it can do them no good People come to the Sacrament as Judas did he came fresh from the Pharisees conspiring the betraying his Master and as soon as he had done he meant to go to them again and so got no good by it whereas if we would get good by the Sacrament that it may build us up in knowledge and believing in having a care to please God and making conscience of all our wayes we ought to root out our sins and corruptions and fling away our lusts and vile affections we should throw sin out of doors as the Israelites were to throw leaven out of doors and not to have any in their houses nay we should deal with sin as Ammon did with Thamar he hated her now more then he loved her before nay he put her out and bolted the doore after her so though we loved vanity and worldliness and passion before yet now we should hate them and put them out of doors yea bolt the door after them that they may come in no more This is the way to come to the Sacrament so as to get strength thereby and the want of this is the cause that people go away so weak Thirdly Because they come without faith they come doubting to the Sacrament Rom. 14. 23. He that doubteth is damned if he eat I may apply it to this he that doubts is damned if he receive the Sacrament his own conscience will reprove him his own soul will say I have not done well I have not pleased God in comming his own conscience will condemn him and damn him when he looks upon the Covenant of grace he cannot apply it conscience puts him off This is for want of true faith if people would come to the Lords Table with faith they would
thou mayst be sincere therefore believe not conscience when thou hast the Word of God on thy side nay may be God himselfe will seem to accuse thee and to be thine enemy and discountenance thee and will not own thee for one of his children when thou commest before him he will seem to dash thee under his feet and give thee no countenance but look upon thee as an enemy yet be not dismayed if thou hast these things in thee in any measure the Lord doth this that he may doe thee good in thy latter end he doth it that he may humble thee and try thee whether thou wilt live by faith or by sense and whether thou darest trust him but if thou hast not these signs of uprightness thou art in the gall of bitternesse and bond of iniquity and thou canst have no true comfort to thine own soul The next point is That as we must be perfect so we must be perfect before Doctrine We must labour to be perfect before God God I have not found thy works perfect before God As who should say I lookt thou shouldst be perfect before him and I have not found it so Well then for the meaning of the word perfect before God that is so as God may approve and allow of them Now a mans works may be perfect so as God may approve of them two wayes First So as God may approve of them in his strict Justice and so no mans works can be perfect Psal 143. 2. Enter not into judgement c. No man living can be justified before God So Rom. 3. 20. By the deeds of the Law shall no man be justified before him This therefore is not the meaning Secondly To be perfect before God so as God shall approve of â—s in his mercy in Jesus Christ for his owne faithful people as it is said of Zachary and Elizabeth Luke 1. 5. This is the meaning of the place Now if you would know what it is to be perfect before God it is this in one word when a man is for matter and for manner right in the eyes of God not only right in the eyes of men to be a 〈…〉 ed of men but right in the eyes of God to be approved of God for matt 〈…〉 n a man doth those things that God commands him and for manner 〈◊〉 he doth them as God commands him out of faith in God and love to God and fear of God when a man doth it with all his heart soule and strength when a man doth it constantly and frequently and livelily in some measure this is to be upright before God you may see both these set down in one verse Deut. 6. 25. Here is the matter If ye observe to doe his commandements and then here is the manner right in the eyes of the Lord as he hath commanded If we doe thus then we are upright before God Now if either of these be wanting we are not upright before God if we doe not for matter what God hath commanded if we lye or swear or be covetous or proud or worldly these things are of the Devil and not of God we doe the thingâ— of the Devil and not the things of God Again If a man should bow the knee to Baal and doe the inventions of men this is not to be unright before God but if we doe the things that God doth not bid us God will say as he did Matth. 15. 9. If we doe for the matter the things that God hath commanded yet if the manner be wanting if we doe them not as God hath commanded if we doe them not with faith and love to God with conscience and fervency and quickning all is nothing as it is said of Amaziah he did those things that were right in the eyes of the Lord but the Lord cared not for it 2 Chron. 25. 2. it was not with an upright heart Therefore when both these concur this is to be upright before God First Because God hath so commanded thou shalt have no other gods Reason 2 before me that is I will have thee sincere before me As who should say thou mayst vow and swear and protest thou dost love God and fear God but if it be not so indeed thou hast a false heart if thou hast carnal ends if thou lovest the world more then God and thou lovest thy lusts more then him if it be so woe unto thee God will have thee upright before him As God saith to Abraham Gen. 17. 1. Walke before me and be upright As who should say Abraham if there be any way of wickedness in thee thou art not for me look thou be perfect before me if thou dost acknowledge that I am God Almighty and I am able to help thee and succour thee in all estates then be upright before me when a man sins it is for something he sins now what is there that is good but we may have it in God God is Almighty and therefore he would have us upright before him and if we be not upright he is Almighty and can crush us and destroy us for ever so that we should not only be upright before men but before God Secondly As the Law is so so is the Gospel if a man hath not faith in Christ Jesus that man is no true Christian howsoever he may hope to be saved by Christ yet if he be not upright before God in all his wayes and commandements in some measure in studying and endeavouring to keep himself unspotted of the world in all things he hath not faith he doth not believe in Jesus Christ Psal 116. 9 10. as David saith I will walke before the Lord in â—â—e land of the living how comes David to speak that O I believed therefore I have spoken if a man believe in God it will make him walke well not only before men but before God who is privy to all his thoughts and affections privy to what he doth both at home and abroad privy to what he doth alone and in company in his shop and in the market unless he be upright before him that knows all things he is not a believer though Simon Magus were baptized and did partake of Christian Religion and had some kinde of faith and joyned himselfe to Philip and the Church as a member of the Church and gave over his witchcraft and wicked courses yet when Peter saw his heart was not right before God marke what he saith Acts 8. 21. God hath sworne an oath that whomsoever he delivers from sin from Satan from Hell from the wrath to come they shall be holy and righteous before him Luke 1. 73. God will not be forsworne if thou dost hope to be saved by Jesus Christ and prayest and howlest and criest in thy afflictions from the bottom of thy heart with all thy eagerness to be saved by Jesus Christ God hath sworne an oath thou shalt not be saved by him unless thou wilt walk in holiness and
righteousness before him all the dayes of thy life and be conformable to his will in all things so that you see the Gospel requires it that we should be thus Again This is the end of the redemption of the world by Christ that they should not only be upright but upright before God as Paul tells the Collâ—ssians chap. 1. To present you holy and unblameable in his sight not only to present you holy and unblameable before men for if a man in his outward carriage be civil and honest and faire this is to be holy and unblamable before men but if a man be holy and unblamable before God he must have a pure conscience and his ends must be right this is the end why Christ redeemed his people to purchase to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works And as it is in the end of redemption so it is the end of election whomsoever God doth elect to eternal life he doth elect to this end not only to be holy before men but before God As the Apostle saith Eph. 1. 4. he hath chosen us to be holy before him not only to be holy before men though those that are not holy before men cannot be holy before God but it is not enough for us to be holy before men but before the piercing eye of the all-seeing God that he may see who knoweth our hearts that we do unfeignedly desire to serve his name and walk before him in the shunning of all sin and in the practicing of all good things so that we have not an argument of our election unlesse we be upright before him Fourthly Because the Lord will search us out certainly though we be upright before men if we be not upright before God he will search us out it is not our profession shall bear us out if we have an unbelieving heart to depart from the living God if we have a minde to live in any one sin and to allow our selves in any one wicked way God will finde us out Neh. 9. 8. he speaks there of Abraham what a comfort was it to Abrahams heart that God sound his heart upright before him God will search us and put us upon the trial and bring something or other that if we be not upright though we be affected and pray and be Protestants and seem to be godly and seem to hold our godliness and uprightness yet if we be not sound at the core God will have something or other that shall discover us and it shall appear what we are nay God doth of purpose bring in heresies that those that are approved may be manifest 1 Cor. 11. 19. Lastly It is God only that doth esteem of the worth of things holinesse is nothing but that which is holiness in Gods esteem and Religion is nothing but that which is Religion in Gods esteem Religion is a divine thing and no man hath the judgement of it but God it is God only that hath invented Religion and framed it to us and it is he only that can tell the worth of it and approve of it and unless we fear his name and hate all sin and be upright before him all is nothing As the Apostle saith 1 Pet. 3. 4. concerning meekness in women in the esteem of God it is of high price may be a beautiful woman of rare parts and great gifts this woman is of high esteem with some men but a woman of an humble and meek spirit she is a mockery in the eyes of the world but in Gods sight it is of great price so far a man to be outwardly Religious this man is very devout and religious in the sight of men but it is the broken heart and the coâ—â—ite spirit one that is holy inwardly as well as outwardly that is upright as Paul saith 2 Cor. 5. 9. all our care and labour is that we may be accepted of him it is no matter what the world say of a religious man and a devout man all our care is to be accepted of him that he may account us upright for we must appear before him This condemns the ceremonious devotion that many content themselves Vse 1 with especially the Church of Rome they are so religious and whatsoever they do they think it is with such devotion therefore they have ceremonies for every thing they have ceremonies to shew that we must be strangers and Pilgrims upon earth therefore they have Pilgrimages to such and such places other ceremonies they have to shew that we must take up the Crosse of Christ and follow him they will have a ceremony to shew that they believe that Christ was offered for a sacrifice and a ceremony to shew that they believe he was God and man and so mixe Wine and water together the one shall signifie that they believe he was God and the other that he was man again they will have other ceremonies to shew that they believe the departure of the Saints therefore they bring in a catalogue of the Virgin Mary and of the Saints again they have another ceremony to shew that they honour the Lords prayer another ceremony they have to shew that they believe the resurrection of the dead another ceremony to shew that they should not be ashamed of the Christian faith and they are so devout and think themselves the only Saints in the world so that they account a man that is godly indeed according as God would have a man to be that makes conscience of the word that is careful to please God and fearful to offend him and scruples every thing that is not according to the word this man is worse then a drunkard or an hell-hound in their account they are counted the vilest hypocrites and dissemblâ—rs that can be what an horrible thing is this men love a life such a Religion as this this shakes no Corn this breaks no bones what care men for this Mat. 15. 8. there is an excellent place for this you know we are bound to be pure and alwayes pure now the Jews to shew this they would never eat nor drink but they would wash their hands to shew that they must be pure which was as good and as clean and as handsome a ceremony as ever was in the Church of Rome and would you think that Christ should ever finde fault with such ceremonies they took on because they neglected this Why do thy Disciples transgress the tradition of the Elders by eating with unwashed hands now Christ was so far from bidding his Disciples yield to this that he calls the Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites for it and tells them they made the commandment of God of no effect through their traditions if this were to be devout and religious the vilest drunkard may be religious for they may perform this as well as any other therefore this is nothing Again This may serve to condemn carnal Protestants who give God now and then the hearing of a Sermon and frequent the
but have eternal life As who should say I bring an indifferent doctrine I propound it to all creatures and thou maist have a part in it as well as any other Whosoever believes shall not perish if thou hast a heart to believe and come unto me thou shalt not perish but have salvation So when our Saviour sent his Disciples to call his Elect throughout the world mark what directions he gave them he calls people with a general call Whosoever will let him take of the water life whosoever hath a mind to be saved to know God and have Communion with him and be united to him whosoever hath a minde to these things tell him I am for him he proclaimes it over the whole world tell every creature in the whole world He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved here is no exception put in but preach the Gospel to every creature tell every creature what I have done for the sins of the world and how I have opened the Kingdome to whomsoever will enter thus God calls his people his Ministers go up and down and tell them they may have pardon and grace and righteousnesse for nothing come and buy without money though you cannot give a farthing token for it but be poor and miserable and cursed creatures Come here it is wine and milk and bread and all without money you shall have it for taking and carrying away so Rev. 22. 7. Whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely it is a quicunquae vult thereis none exempted if any man will he may be saved if he have a will a minde a heart to it he may have salvation Now here be three things I would shew unto you first what this general tender is whereby God effectually calls his people Secondly why it is by a general tender Thirdly the uses First what is this general tender of Christ and grace to every creature that What is this general tender of Christ hath a minde to it and it is this that Christ is the only alsufficient meanes to make a man happy that whereas he is out with his Maker he alone can set him in again though he be under a thousand miseries in this life and under a thousand eternal miseries in the life to come there is in Christ an alsufficiency to make a man happy God is the fountaine of all goodnesse and till his goodnesse is opened in Christ Jesus this is that same general thing as Paul saith 1 Cor. 1. 23 24. We preach Christ crucified unto thâ—se that are called the power and wisdome of God as who should say this is the thing we go up and down every where preaching that Christ was crucified for the sinnes of the world and hath power to save any man that comes to him it was the wisdome of God he found out this meanes it was an impossibility in the wisdome of men and Angels how man should be saved the Wisdome of God hath found out the Lord Jesus Christ to be the meanes and he is the power of God to save any man that believes and wheresoever we come we preach this Doctrine So again you may see Heb. 7. 24 25. This man hath an unchâ—ngable Priesthood for he is able to save to the utmost all those that come unto him c. As who should say he is a publick Saviour he is not onely able to save these and these but all that come unto him he is able to save them to the utmost whosoever you are though you be never so wretched and reprobate to every good work though never so foule and all the nitre in the world cannot cleanse you never so stubborne and all the meanes and Ordinances you have enjoyed have not tamed you why yet here is a Saviour for you he is able to save you to the utmost though you be never so out with God and though God be never so much displeased with your sinful courses and all the Angels and all the world cannot take away Gods wrath from you yet he is able to save you to the utmost if you will come unto him This is the tender of the Gospel delivered to every man Now in the next place I will shew you the reasons why God calls people home by a general tender in this fashion First because this is the surest ground of faith suppose a soul that is effectually Reas 1. This the surest ground of faith called shall afterwards feare and question and by what warrant do I hope to be saved by Christ and by what warrant do I look to be heard for Christs sake and how is it that I â—ay hold upon such promises and cast my self upon such things in the Gospel upon what acquaintance do I presume that the Lord Jesus will see you assisted in all my wayes and helped in all estates and conditions and save my soul when I die Why saith he I have a good warrant for I see in Scripture that Christ is tendered to all and whâ—soâ—ver believes shall noâ— perish but have everlasting life and whosoever will have him may I could not tell indeed I was elected before I heard the Sermon but I heard that any man might have Christ that would and I am sure I would have him and I finde in Scripture that he came to save that which is lost and I am sure I am a lost creature and if he came to save that which is lost I have warrant to believe This is that which grounded Saint Paul this generall offer This saith he is a faithful saying worthy to be received of all men that Christ died for sinners whereof I am chief 1 Tim. 1. 15. As who should say here is the thing this is that which comforts me and staies my soul I see that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners and I see it is a faithful saying and worthy of all men to be received all men whosoever have a heart may receive it and I am sure then he came to save me and this is my hold I have no other hold but this But now if a man were called by any other call but this a man could have no ground for his calling if the Scripture should say they only are called that are elected he would have no ground for his call Secondly because this is the best answer to Satan many times a man will be 2. This is the best answer to Satan put to heavy straits and will have much ado to answer Satan sometimes a man will be under uncertainty sometimes under want of feeling and sense sometimes under horror of conscience and a mans sins may come to a mans view and feares may step up in the soul then Satan comes how look you to be saved you are a wretch you have a stiffe faith indeed What believe and no sense and feeling such a horrible wretch and such a guilty conscience and you believe What have you to shew Is
casts himself upon this and this draws him to Christ and if he love God and labour to please him and obey him and throw away all whatsoever displeaseth him if this makes him heavenly minded and long after the knowledge of God and the revelation of it this deads his heart to worldly things and makes him spiritual if it be thus this is true and saving faith and not dead faith This is encouragement to those that are without How many are there Vse 3. For encouragement to all that are without among you that are yet in your sinnes and were never yet brought home to Christ Consider what an excellent invitation here for you the Gospel is sent to every Creature under Heaven as you may see Col. 1. 23. You may have Christ if you have a will you may have righteousnesse if you have a will to it you may have redemption if you have a wil to it you may be delivered from sin and Satan if you have a will to it you may have the favour of God if you have a will to it you may have Christ if you will have all Christ he will come to you and will receive you as you may see an excellent place for this 1 Cor. 6. 11. The Apostle there saith that drunkards and adulterers and covetous persons shall never inherit the Kingdome of God such were some of you but you are justified in the Name of Christ as who should say there is no limitation in the Gospel of God as none in the tender of it so none in the execution of it for all you were drunkards and prophane and covetous yet you have found mercy with God by entertaining of this this methinks should envite people and draw people to come to Christ whosoever hath a minde not to perish not to go in a hard heart not to be worldly and without God in the world here Christ doth envite them all to come Matthew 22. 9. Go into the high-wayes saith Christ and whomsoever you finde bid them to the Marriage God knows who we may finde here at Church to day may be some of you are drunkards some enemies to God some hardned in your lusts some relapsed and fallen back into your carnal courses after profession of Religion some mockers and despisers God knows whom we finde we are bid to go into the high-wayes and bid all we finde therefore in the Name of Christ let me speak to you come to Christ will you let your sinnes damne you rather then receive Christ to save you think of this and if you will but follow Christ in all his Ordinances He hath shewed thee O man what the Lord requires of thee that thou shouldest be humbled and see what a wretched creature thou art that thou shouldest see what is amisse in thy soule and use all courses to reforme thy selfe he hath shewed thee how he would have thee pray what company he would have thee keep what kinde of carriage he would have thee use he hath shewed thee O man what he hath required hast thou a heart now to come to Christ he can help thee to all this and though thou hast not power to do all this yet if thou hast but a heart to do it to walk aright and live aright and spend thy dayes well in this world Though thou canst do none of all these things if though hast but an heart to do them and dost beleeve that eternal life is in Christ and this draws thee to Christ if thou doest but beleeve that in him is acceptance with God and he can bring thee to God for pardon and peace and hope and glory if thou doest beleeve this and the faith of this doth draw thee to come unto God I tell thee all thy sinnes shall not damne thee never a one of thy sinnes shall rise up in judgement against thee whatsoever thy conscience whatsoever the devil hath against thee whatsoever feares terrours discouragements are upon thee they shall never withhold thee from eternal life do but come to Christ and lay hold upon him and here he offers himself unto thee thou art not excepted or excluded unlesse thou exclude thy selfe If thou beleeve not thou shalt be damned but whosoever beleeves shall not perish but have everlasting life Use 4. For terrour to the obstinate Vse 4. In the last place this is for use to those that are obstinate namely to be as hell fire and the flames of Tophet in their soules and consciences You have heard the tender of Christ that salvation is in Christ and none other What a miserable taking are you then in that will not have him if we should carry the Gospel up and down into any place would not every one make it welcome If we should carry it into Innes and Taverns and amongst the basest wretches in the Countrey would they not say we will have Christ a man would think so as God saith Matthew 21. 37. Certainly they will reverence my Sonne not as if God were deceived in his expectation but he speaks of the probability of the thing in all reason one would think if they may have eternal life and Gods good will and pleasure toward them that they may have acquittance from all damnation that they may be happy for ever certainly they will receive my Sonne gladly they will take him and receive him in all reason one would think it were so but we see it is otherwise they will not take up Christ and abandon their own courses they will be vaine they will be company keepers they will be worldly and will neglect the best things they will have their pleasures and they will have their fopperies and fooleries they will not have Christ there be many things in Christ that every man would have the very devils in hell would have it namely to be redeemed from hell to have some peace in their consciences but the Regiment of Christ the dominion of Christ to have all Christ this they will not this therefore is no comfort to stubborne sinners but hell and damnation is the portion of all that refuse him Ezechiel 34. 16. See what the Lord there saith I will destroy the fat and the strong and feed them with judgement you that have fat hearts and strong your hearts are strong and your consciences are strong and all our Sermons are not able to make you shake those that are fat and strong saith the Lord I will feed them with judgements none of the mercies and comforts of the Gospel belong to such And assure your selves if you care not for Christ Christ cares as little for you as the Prophet speaks Esay 49. 5. Though Israel be 〈◊〉 gathered I shall have glory in his eyes so though you be not called and brought home though you be not saved I shall have glory saith Christ I shall be known to all eternity to be a Saviour to be a Prince to be the glory of the world I shall be glorious
in heaven and in earth and in hell to all the world to all eternity Though Israel be not gathered if you be obstinate and will have your sinnes take them and perish with them I shall never â—e your absence in heaven therefore Christ is at a point if you will have him here he is if you will not assure your selves you shall die in your sinnes except you beleeve in him you shall die in your sins COL 1. 23. If ye continue in the faith grounded and setled and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel which ye have heard and which was preached to every creature under heaven whereof I Paul am made a Minister WE have spoken of a Christians call by the general indifferent propounding of the Gospel to every creature without exception now the effectualnesse of this call lieth here that the Lord doth put in a little hope into the soul though the man be one of Gods chosen he doth not presently give him faith but doth open a little door of hope to the soul First the Lord brings his Law to a man and layeth him dead in Law utterly undone past all hope of recovery in himself he is a lost creature a miserable wretched creature having no hold to stay upon but a fearful looking for of vengeance he seeth nothing but wrath now when God hath a minde to call a man home at the hearing of the Gospel of peace the Lord lets in a little hope into the soul whereby he doth draw the soul to seek out unto him and makes it look out with hope of salvation the soul seeth now that there is mercy in Christ and grace in Christ and eternal life in Christ and he seeth this is generally and freely tendred to all that will have it and out of these two branches of general faith spirings this hope now thinks the soul I may have it as well as another the dole is free the mercy is free and why may not I be saved why may not I finde mercy and forgiveness and be ingraffed into the Lord Jesus Christ before this the soul was groaping for hope if it could have told where to have had it as Acts 2. 37. they were there groaping where to have it Men and brethren say they what shall we do they do not say there is nothing to be done there is no hope but what shall we do as who should say there is something to be done some course to be taken you that are Ministers of God is there no way whereby we may be pardoned whereby we may be saved whereby we may have a new heart and the favour of God and be delivered from the wrath to come but when the Gospel comes they see now a possibility and this breeds this hope so that this is the next point That when God doth effectually call a soul by his Gospel at the hearing Doct. The general tender of mercy workes some hope in the soul of this gracious tender of eternal life and grace in Jesus Christ the Lord doth let in a possibility of mercy and every grace into the soule and this doth help the soul with hope and this doth make the soul to trace God in all his wayes and he hath some encouragement that God will be found of him and that he may attaine salvation this the first thing the Lord pâ—ts in hope attaining of it the Lord deales with his people in this kinde as he dealt with his people in delivering them out of Babylon Zech. 9. 12. they were prisoners in Babylon now when God would deliver them out of Babylon he did first put in hope into their souls he made them prisoners of hope there was first a pouring of hope into their souls and then he opened the prison doors So the Lord makes his people prisoners of hope that though they be in the captivity of sinne and Satan yet they are prisoners of hope and the Lord gives some hope that the prison doores shall be opened and this we have here in the text for though the Apostle means here by hope the things hoped for yet we call it hope because as soone as ever they dawn in the soul they breed hope if they be the servants of God so that this Gospel breeds hope in a mans bosom Now here be five things I would shew unto you First what this hope is Secondly how iâ— agreeth with that hope that follows justifying faith Thirdly how it disagrees with it Fourthly the Reasons of the point And fifthly the Uses For the first what this hope is and it is an hope that ariseth out of the 1. What is this hope faith of possibility when the Lord lets in a possibility of faith and makes the soul believe that his sinnes may be forgiven and he may attaine everlasting life and he may come to be a Saint and one of Gods dear and faithful children he lets in such a possibility into the heart and this hope slows out of this faith of possibility and this faith of possibility is another-gesse thing then people take it for every drunkard will say he beleeves that it is possible to be saved and to finde mercy with God but you will finde it is a greater matter then so it is spoken as a great commendation of Abraham that he did beleeve that God was able to raise up his sonne Isaac Heb. 11. 19. so our Saviour Christ speaking to the blinde man asks him this question do you believe that I am able to do this for you Mat. 9. 23. it was a great matter for him to believe that he was able to do this for him Sarah though an excellent woman for faith otherwise yet she stuck mightily here and thought it was impossible for her to have a childe nay Moses as faithful a man as he was he could not believe that all the people could be fed in the wildernesse it is a greater matter then you think for for every sinful wretch thinks it is an easie matter to believe that Christ died for sinners and that they may be saved it is an easie matter for the faith of presumption but if a mans eyes be opened and his conscience awakened and he comes to have a sight of his sins now Cain will say his sinnes are greater then can be forgiven and Jâ—das is not able to flie unto Christ to believe a possibility of pardon but goes and hangs himself and despairs totally of the businesse this faith of possibility it comes within the compasse of a definition of faith it is the evidence of thiâ—gs not seen it is far above our nature and flesh blood cannot reveal it that there is salvation in Christ and that there is such a thing as a pardon to be had at Gods hands let a man have his understanding enlightned to see what a wretch he is and how fearfully he hath provoked Gods wrath against him and â—t is not in his power to beleeve that
for Gods Kingdome but when a man is made poor in spirit when he hath a Privation of those things wherewith his soule was filled now there is room for the Kingdom of God the reason is because a man can never be brought to Christ till he is pinched with these Privations before he can never come to Christ his heart can never be brought to bid so much and stake down so much for Christ as he must do if ever he come to attain him unlesse his heart be pinched with poverty unlesse his heart be void of all these high imaginations he had of himself he will never come to Christ It is plenty that brings down the market and scarcity that makes it rise plentiful years will make Corn of no price almost but if there be famine and scarcity and no bread almost to be had but men are ready to dye for hunger then they wil give any thing they will give ten shillings a bushel twenty nay fourty shillings hath been given for a bushel of Corn as I have read in Chronicles it is poverty that makes men come to a price So must the heart be pinched with Spiritual poverty else it will not come to Christ men will give nothing for the Kingdom of God they will not part with a single groat for Christ the prophane Gallant will not part with a look for Christ the proud vain fool will not part with a foolish lace a foolish fashion for Christ the drunkard will not foregoe a pot for Christ men will not part with any thing for Christ they will not part with a paultry lust or base affection for Christ People will not stir they will not open their purses they will not open their hearts to give any thing for Christ the reason is their hearts are full already People count their profits and pleasures and lusts and vanities and delights their Jewels a man must be poor before he will part with his Jewels but if a man be throughly pinched with poverty he will part with his old Gold and Rings and Jewels and all but he will never part with his Jewels till he be forced to it by extremity So all the lusts of the heart all the things of the world that the mind and affections run upon men account them their Jewels and they will not part with them till they be pinched with poverty Thus it was with the Jaylor Acts 16. 30. when he was pinched with this poverty he cryes out Men and brethren what shall I do to be saved when his heart was pinched with this poverty he was content to part with any thing he was willing to do any thing to hearken to any terms that he might have mercy So that it is necessary for a man to have all these Privations wrought in his heart and be made poor else he will never take Christ upon those terms whereupon he is offered Secondly Suppose a man should conceive worth to be in Christ suppose he should put a great price upon him yet if a man be not under these Privations if he be not pinched with poverty with Spiritual need and want he will never use all means for the attaining of the Kingdom of God He will never betake himself to all those courses that God hath commanded himselfe to be sought in It was need that made Ahab send up and down all Countries and Soiles for water it was need that made the rich Women of Shunem to hazard her life and her family and houshold in a forraign Country she would not have gone a mile of that Journey but for her poverty as Divines use to speak Let two men go to the market the one hath need the other hath not he that hath need will go whatsoever the weather be though the weather be never so foul he will go bread he wants and bread he must have and bread he will have and if he cannot have it at an easie rate he will part with any thing he will pawn his very cloaths from his back for it Why Because he and his Wife and his Children want it But the other he will go according as he likes the weather if the weather be answerable to his mind it may be he will go and it may be not and when he is there it may be he will buy and it may be not according as the price goeth because he hath no need of it So it is in Grace let two men be called upon to seek out for Grace one doth not feel any great need he is not pinched with the want of Faith and Repentance and Pardon and Peace of Conscience though he want these yet he is not pinched with the want his heart is yet full he is not yet come to this Spiritual poverty It may be he will come to a Sermon it may be not it may be he will part with a Lust and it may be not it is according as the bargain pleaseth him he will never use all means nor take up all courses that are prescribed But a man that is ready to starve for want of Christ as Sisera said Give me drink or else I perish so give me Christ or else I perish This man will take any course use any means he must have Christ and will have him when he comes to the Word Christ he wants and Christ he will have and must have all Sermons and all hearing are but as Oile to the fire they do but pinch his Soul so much the more till Christ comes he must have Christ in his Ordinances because he is sensible of his Spiritual poverty So that it is he which is lost that will be found it is he which is a captive that will be freed it is he that is blind that must have his sight and it is he that is naked that must be cloathed he that lies under these woful Privations he must have the form he looks after it he cannot be without it Thus we see that Privation is necessary for Religion the true life of Religion can never come into a man till he be layed under all these woful Privations we read of in Scripture But now here is a Question which will arise which those that are godly Quest would be glad to have resolved and that is this Whether these Privations that the Apostle here speaks of makes a man the formal Object of mercy Saint Paul was alive once before the Law came but when the Law came and was charged upon his Conscience it deprived him of his livelynesse and made him a dead man I dyed saith he Now the Question is this Whether is such a man the formal Object of mercy When the Law hath deprived a man of his conceited riches and made him a poor man and hath proclaimed him a bank-rupt and a begger and made him a captive that he is not able to stir one foot he is not able so much as to think a good thought but he lyeth under wrath and is