is the sanctifying of the heart Circumcision Deut. 30.6 And the Lord thy God will circumcise thy heart and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soule that thou maist live Rom. 2.29 He is a Jew which is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God Consider the foregoing verses On the contrary evil and unsactified hearts are called uncircumcised in Scripture Lev. 26.41 If then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled Jer. 9.25 26. Behold the daies come saith the Lord that I will punish them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised Egypt and Iudah and Edom and the children of Ammon and Moab and all that are in the utmost corners that dwell in the wildernesse for all these nations are uncircumcised and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart Acts 7.51 Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and eares ye doe alwaies resist the holy Ghost as your fathers did so doe ye Circumcision then as you see was not onely a seale of the righteousnesse of faith The Passover The Passeover or Paschall Lamb Exod. 12. was a Type of Christ the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world as it hath been explained before The sprinkling of the blood upon the doore-posts signified the sprinkling of the blood of Christ upon the heart and soule for removing of the filth as well as the guilt of sin which was also signified by other sprinklings and washings of the Law as I shall shew you anon Sacraments extraordinary The Baptism in the cloud and in the red Sea figured the same which is now signified by our Baptism under the Gospel of which I shall speak in its due place The Manna in the wildernesse was a type of Christ who is the bread of Life upon whom whosoever feedeth by faith hath a spirituall life in Christ he dwelling in Christ and Christ in him to wit by the graces of his spirit Christ himself thus expounded what the Manna signified as you may read at large Ioh. 6.48 to 59. Types The Brazen serpent Numb 21.9 with Iohn 3.14 15. was a type of Christ restoring spirituall life as well as delivering from the death of condemnation As Moses lifted up the Serpent in the wildernesse even so must the Son of Man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life And this is life eternall that they might know thee the onely true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent John 17.3 The Laver Exod. 30.17 typified our sanctification by the Blood of Jesus Christ Eph. 5 25 26. Even as Christ also loved the Church and gave himselfe for it that he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word We read of the Laver of regeneration Tit. 3.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 According to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renuing of the holy Ghost The blood of the Sacrifices sprinkled signified the blood of Christ in its sanctifying vertue Heb. 9 1◠14. For if the blood of Bulls and of Goats and the ashes of an Heighfer sprinkling the uncleane sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternall spirit offered himselfe without spot to God purge your conscience from dead workes to serve the living God! chap. 10.22 Let us draw neer with a true heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water The Promises 2. Let us consider the Promises even of the covenant of promise Jer. 31.33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those daies saith the Lord I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and will be their God and they shall be my people Ezek. 36.26 27. A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh And will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and ye shall keep my judgements and do them Here you see how large a part of this Covenant consisteth in the promises of sanctifying grace Prophecies 3. Let us consider the Prophesies Zach. 13.1 In that day there shall be a fountaine opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleannesse It is the uncleannesse of sin that is washed away by this Fountain of Grace Isa 61.1 2 3. The spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek he hath sent me to binde up the broken hearted to proclaime liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound c. This freedom here spoken of is from a state of thraldome in sin from the bondage of corruption as well as from the obligation to punishment for it is said ver 3. the latter part That they might be called trees of righteousnes the planting of the Lord that he might be glorified The like we have chap. 42. 6 7. I the Lord have called thee in righteousnesse and will hold thine hand and will keep thee and give thee for a covenant of the people for a light of the Gentiles to open the blind eyes and bring out the prisoners from the prison them that sit in darknes out of the prison-house Here we see that the opening of blinde eyes is spoken of and what is that but the grace of saving knowledge and what the prison is you may gather out of my foregoing words upon the former text Mal. 3.2 3. He to wit Christ is like refiners fire and like fullers sope And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver and he shall purifie the sons of Levi and purge them as gold and silver that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousnesse Sacraments of the N.T. 4. The Sacraments of the New Testament signifie the same sanctifying grace Rom. 6.4 We are buried with him by baptisme into death that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the father even so also we should walk in newnesse of life 1 Cor. 6.11 But ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified Here you see the washing of Baptism signifies the sanctifying as well as the justifying vertue of the blood of Christ John 1.35 He that sent me to baptise with water the same said unto me Vpon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remain on him the same is he which baptiseth with the holy Ghost See also chap. 5.3 Except a man be born of water and of the
That grace and glory in this agree I know will be easily granted but how heavenly peace and joy should depend upon perfect sanctification as I conceive it doth may be more doubted For the clearing of this therefore I shall speak of these two later the more largely Peace which is the second part of glory is three-fold 1. with God 2. with our own Consciences 3. with Saints and Angels 1. Peace with God is two-fold 1. Procured 2. Continued 1. Peace with God procured is I confesse from a work wrought without us to wit the satisfaction of Christ on our behalfe according to what the Law required and depends upon Gods gracious acceptation of us in Christ yet is holinesse a necessary condition or qualification of the person that shall enter into peace as the Prophet phraseth it Isa 57.2 The righteous is taken away from the evil to come he shall enter into peace 1 Cor. 6.9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdome of God 2. Peace with God continued depends upon a work of Christ within us to wit the work of Sanctification for being perfectly Sanctified in Heaven we do the will of God perfectly and displease him no more so that the peace formerly made is no more broken 2. Peace of Conscience must needs be perfect when a man comes to be perfectly holy and to enjoy perfect peace with God yea it were a contradiction to think otherwise For to have Conscience accusing for doing well were a sinfull error of Conscience and contrary to perfect holinesse Conscience is a Judge and to clear the guilty and condemn the innocent is an abomination to the Lord Prov. 17.15 and how can holinesse be perfect unlesse Conscience be perfect also Doth not Conscience belong to the practicall understanding and if this be perfected is not the perfection of Conscience included in it Or if you will make Conscience to be a distinct faculty of the Soul it matters not in this case so that we make it any thing belonging to the Soul for if the Soul in Heaven be perfectly good every power and faculty of it must be perfectly sanctified amongst which Conscience will finde a place m Conscientia humana est judiciū hominis de semetipso prout subjicitur judicio Dei Ames de Cons p. 1. Conscience as Doctor Ames defines it is Mans judgement concerning himselfe as it is subject to the judgement of God Therefore when God speaks peace perfected Conscience as it is in Heaven must needs speak so too and that Conscience cannot be perfectly good which is not quietly good Some distinguish of foure sorts of Consciences 1. A Conscience good but not quiet Such is the Conscience of a child of Light walking in Darknesse Such was the Conscience sometime of David and other of Gods Children Secondly A Conscience quiet but not good Such a Conscience as cryes peace peace to the sinner while he goes on in the stubbornesse of his own heart 3. A Conscience quiet and good Such is the Conscience of a Child of God when he walkes in Gods wayes and in the light of his Countenance 4. A Conscience neither good nor quiet Such is the accusing gnawing Conscience of a wicked Man such was the Conscience of Iudas after he had betrayed Christ But after this life the two first of these will be taken away 1. For when a man is perfectly sanctified as he shall be in Heaven there will be no room for Conscience to be unquiet because it will have no matter for which to accuse but will be perfectly quiet as the state of the Soule is perfectly good 2. The Conscience of the damned in Hell as it is perfectly evill so it is as restlesse and unquiet the worm as it never dyeth so it alwayes worketh 3. Perfect peace with Saints and Angels is but the perfection of the grace of love mutually exercised The third part of Heavens happinesse is perfect joy now joy is an affection of the Soule and the Soule being perfectly sanctified in glory this affection must be perfected as well as Love and the rest of the Affections which must all be taken in to make up the perfect sanctification of the Soule Perfect joy requires two things to its morall as well as its naturall perfection 1. That it be fixed upon God the chiefest good which is the onely satisfactory object And our joy here is therefore sinfully imperfect because we fixe it upon creature-comforts which are not perfect But God who is perfectly good is to be the onely object of our joy and other things are to be rejoyced in onely in subordination to him 2. Perfect joy requires a perfect rejoycing in this perfect object and in this life the joy of the Saints is therefore imperfect because though it be fixed upon God yet it is but imperfectly exercised Thus in both these respects our joy here is sinfully as well as naturally defective But in Heaven we shall perfectly rejoyce in God our perfect good and I hope none will deny but it is our duty to rejoyce in God forever with the most intense degree of joy and it were our sinne to doe any lesse What is this part of our happinesse then but a most necessary part of our perfect holinesse And in all these we see that perfect Holinesse is Heavens happinesse Another argument proving the great work of Christ our Saviour to be the saving of his people from their sins Arg. 4 may be drawn from the main scope and current of Scripture That must needs be the great work of Christ our Saviour which Scripture that is the word of salvation chiefly points out unto us But it is our salvation from sin or sanctification that Scripture chiefly points out unto us Eph. 1.13 Col. 3.16 Therefore this is the great work of Christ c. The Gospel is called the Gospel of our salvation because it shews us the way of salvation And it is called the Word of Christ not onely because it was endited by the Spirit of Christ but also because Christ is the subject whereof Scripture chiefly treats Joh. 5.39 Search the Scriptures for in them ye think to have eternall life and they are they that testifie of me saith Christ Christ is the subject of Moses writings and of all the Prophesies of the holy Prophets and the New Testament is called the Gospel or joyfull message of Jesus Christ because therein is brought unto us news of our salvation by Christ yea the will of Christ revealed in his Word being the instrument or means of our salvation must needs concur with Christ the principall Efficient of our Salvation Now Scripture mainly insists upon the doctrine of Sanctification which is our salvation from sin which will easily appeare if we take a generall view of Scriture thus Scripture contains 1. Precepts or Commands 2. Threatnings 3. Promises 4. Examples First The Precepts of Scripture command Holinesse and teach us how to eschew evill and
saving work of Jesus Christ And they are 1. Such as hinder the salvation of their own soules 2. Such as hinder the salvation of others 1. Such as hinder the salvation of their own soules by resisting the grace of Christ tendred in the Word and the friendly motions of the Spirit How doth the Lord by his Messengers invite intreat perswade and woo sinners for their good and they refuse and hate instruction despise his messengers and harden their hearts against him How do some neglect hearing and but seldome frequent the ordinances of God others are grown carelesse in hearing or Sermon-proof so that the Word takes little or no impression upon them to the grief of our hearts and sadding of our spirits who behold their sottishnesse And how many waies have sinners that are convinced of their evill estate to play the Sophisters with their consciences and delude their own souls that they may retain their beloved sins though to their utter ruine when Israel and Iudah sinned against the Lord he testified against them by his Prophets and Seers saying Turne ye from your evil waies and keep my commandements and my statutes notwithstanding they would not hear but hardned their necks and they rejected his Statutes and his Covenant that he made with their Fathers and his testimonies which he testified against them and they followed vanity and became vaine therefore the Lord was angry with them and rejected all the seed of Israel and delivered them into the hand of spoylers till he had cast them out of his sight 2 Kings 17.13 14 15 18 19 â—0 And is not God still the same may you not expect the Lord to deale with you likewise you have sinned against the Lord and he hath testified against you by his Ministers Notwithstanding you refuse to heare but harden your hearts against the Lord therefore is the Lord very angry and that justly with you yea as sure as you live the Lord will deliver you into the hands of Sathan and your own corruption the worst of spoylers and eternally cast you out of his sight unlesse you embrace his counsell and seek him in due time What the Lord said of Iudah because they refused the good way may you take as spoken of your selves for refusing the message of Christ Heare O Earth behold I will bring evill upon this people even the fruit of their own thoughts because they have not hearkned unto my words nor to my law but rejected it Jerem. 16 19. and you may shortly be called with Jerusalem to take up a lamentation because the Lord hath rejected and forsaken you as the generation of his wrath Jerem. 7.29 Yea know that whereas the Lord is now importunate with you for your good and you set at naught his counsel the time may shortly come when you shall call upon him in the bitternesse of your soul from the depth of your distresse and he slight your cry yea laugh at your calamity as you have made but a mock at his Word O Sinners hear and tremble at what the Lord hath spoken against you Prov. 1.24 to 32. Because I have called and ye refused I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded but ye have set at naught all my counsel and would none of my reproof I also will laugh at your calamity I will mock when your fear cometh when your feare cometh as desolation and your destruction cometh as a whirlewind when distresse and anguish cometh upon you then shall they call upon me but I will not answer they shall seek me early but they shall not finde me For they hated knowledge and did not choose the feare of the Lord They would none of my counsel they despised all my reproof Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their owne way and be filled with their own devices You think it a small matter to reject the Lords Messengers and despise their counsell but herein you reject the Lord Christ himself Luke 10.16 He that despiseth you despiseth me In this as the Lord said to Samuel 1 Sam. 8.7 They have not rejected thee but they have rejected me that I should not reigne ever them So may I truly say you have not rejected us who are Ministers but you have rejected the Lord Christ our Saviour that he should not reigne over you Yea what do you lesse than resist the salvation of your owne soules when with the Pharisees and Lawyers ye reject the counsell of God Luke 7.30 May not I here take up the words of Steph Act. 7.51 say Ye stiff-necked uncircumcised in heart and eares ye doe alwaies resist the holy Ghost If they that resist the lawfull authority of the civill Magistrate shall receive to themselves damnation Rom. 13.2 how just will the condemnation of those be who resist the saving counsell and authority of Jesus Christ Who ever hardned himselfe against God and prospered Job 9.4 Sinner the great work of Christ our Saviour is to save his people from their sinnes and how is it that thou wilt not be saved by him that thou wilt hazard thy soule to save thy sinne thy sinne dishonours God and God will either destroy thy sinne or thee Wilt thou lose thy soule to save thy base lusts hast thou the like passionate affection to thy sinne as David had to his Son Absalom when he cryed out Would God I had died for thee yea though as Absalom it seeks to berave thee both of thy Life and Crown Is filthy abominable corruption so beautifull in thine eyes Surely thy Dalilah hath betrayed thee into the hands of thine enemies who have put out both thine eyes or else thou couldst not be so blindly sottish for thou hardnest thy heart against thy own soule Secondly this reproves those that hinder the salvation of others and they are of divers sorts 1. Such as teach corrupt doctrine If truth be the Lords instrument for the sanctification of the soule as it is said John 17.17 Sanctifie them with thy truth thy word is truth then error is a great meanes whereby soules come to be corrupted and held under Sathans slavery Are not many seduced soules that formerly seemed to be in love with the waies of God now turned to swearing cursing blaspheming and other like abominations yea and to commit these sinnes with greedinesse And are not the duties of Piety as hearing praying singing sanctifying the Sabbath and the like accounted exercises unbeseeming Saints Yea what wickedness is there but some of our late errors will lead a man to in commission of it and what course more effectuall to bring sinners to perpetuall destruction than when men make it their work to turne them from the truth which is the way of salvation The Apostle calls the doctrine of the teachers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 heresies of destruction or as our Translation renders it damnable Heresies 2 Pet. 2.1 Some errors there are that more evidently tend to hinder this work of Christ I shall
of their sin before they be also condemned to the same pit of hellish howling CHAP. V. FIrst let me exhort you in generall to get your hearts deeply possessed with the consideration of this truth 1. Use of Exhortation That the great work of Christ our Saviour is the saving of his people from their sinnes This will be of great concernment to the glory of God and the good of your own and others soules as will more fully appeare in the following discourse The not understanding and want of consideration of this is the cause of great contentednesse in sinne among profane and earnall persons They look onely upon judgement as the great evill they are liable unto as for their sinnes they love and delight in them as if there were no evil in them So little do most consider of the evill of sinne that were it not for fear of the judgement annexed to the Law and denounced against sinners they would have no thoughts of ever-leaving their sins the Language of many poore carnall soules declares as much Tell a profane person of his evill courses so as to convince him of his sinne he will answer he hopes he may repent hereafter and God may have mercy on him at the last The example of the Thief on the Crosse much takes with him but for present reformation he hath no minde to it Tell me plainly thou that livest in known sinnes being convinced in conscience of the evill of them and that yet there is no saving work wrought upon thy heart Tell me I say and let Conscience answer when thou hast had good motions upon thy heart from the Spirit of God in thy solitary seasons or when thou hast been plainly shewed by some powerfull Sermon what thy state is how sinfull and damnable Hath not thy deceitfull heart wedded to corruption silenced the voice and quieted the workings of conscience by telling it this work of turning to God and seeking his grace is indeed necessary to salvation but this is a work that may be done hereafter and so it be done any time t is well enough though in sickness or old age And doth not this plainly shew that thine ey is only upon the evil of suffring for sin not upon sin it self for were sin accounted a greter or as great an evil as suffering yea were it accounted an evil of any moment at all there would be no pleading for a little more slumber a litle more folding of the hands to sleep in sin Were sinners as sensible of the evill of sin as of the pain of scorching flames oh how would they awake and rouze up themselves plead no longer for the flesh to delight it self in sensual pleasures Is it not ignorance in this point that is the cause why so many in these times will not account a Sermon of repentance or holinesse worth the hearing and that the Preacher that spends much time upon such subjects is esteemed no better than ignorant of the mysteries of the Gospel Is not ignorance of this doctrine the cause why so many self-conceited self-sending teachers meddle so little with the propheticall and kingly office of Christ and insist almost wholly upon his Priestly office and handle that but by the halves too They are much upon the satisfaction which Christ hath made to God for sinne by his fulfilling the Law and suffering for us but the purchase of sanctifying grace is little taken notice of Verily every office of Christ is very necessary to the saving of his people His Propheticall office is necessary to their teaching and enlightning in the waies of holinesse his Kingly office is necessary for the subduing of rebellious lusts and affections for the conducting of them and leading them on in the paths of righteousnesse and his purchase as he is our Priest of sanctifying grace is as necessary as his obtaining pardoning grace for us The not laying of this to heart is surely the cause of so much slightnesse and remissnesse even in many of the children of God themselves in their whole spirituall course Tell me truly thou that fearest God and dissemble no longer to thy own injury and Gods dishonour Hast thou not many times said thus in thy heart I am verily perswaded my estate is good before God that I have true grace and an interest in the precious merits of Jesus Christ and though I be not so carefull watchfull and spirituall as I might be though I give way to such and such lesser evils and neglect such and such smaller duties yet having an interest in Christ who is able to save me to the uttermost all these will be pardoned and done away in the day of account and being not under a covenant of works but of free-grace for the remission of sinnes I need not be so very scrupulous Whence now comes such evill and carnall reasonings in thy heart but from hence that thou little considerest that the great work and care of Christ is to save thee from thy sinnes Thou lookest upon suffering as the greatest evil and upon sinne as little in comparison of it thou thinkest free-grace is chiefly yea almost wholly if not onely to be admired in the remission of sinnes and magnified in the justification of Gods Elect diminishing his grace in their sanctification O how exceedingly is God dishonoured not onely by wicked men but even by his own children also for want of rightly considering wherein their salvation lies O learn now if thou hast not hitherto considered it that it is the great work of Christ to save his people from their sinnes And to that end weigh well the arguments confirming the Doctrine And to the end thou maist be further helped in thy understanding of this truth of so great importance study againe and consider better very many Scriptures that speak of the work of salvation by Christ and see whether thou hast not exceedingly straitned the sense and meaning of them by conceiving them to speak of salvation from the fruits of sin onely when they specially intend salvation from sinne onely Did not these words in the text He shall save his people from their sinnes and these words Behold the lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world seem to thee to be meant onely of the guilt and punishment of sinne O learn now more clearly and fully to understand the sense of Scripture concerning Gospel-grace and know that Christs saving his people by sanctifying them as well as justifying them is the very stream both of the old and new Testament And here that I may help your understanding a little I shall instance 1. In the Sacraments and Types 2. In the Promises 3. In the Prophesies of the old Testament 4. In the Sacraments of the new Testament 5. In the Gospel-invitations together with some other texts of Scripture Sacraments ordinary 1. For the Sacraments which were ordinary in the old Testament Circumcision of the flesh signified circumcising that
ashamed when I have respect to all thy commandements I do not say that hatred of sin or love of holinesse is gradually perfect in all or any of the Saints in this life but it is prevalent in all of them Inquire then what is the prevalent or overpoising frame of thy heart Is it against every sin and for the whole service of God I say the prevalent or overpoising frame for a carnall person may and usually hath many grudgings of conscience against sin and some approbation of the wayes of holinesse When the rich young man in the Gospel came to Christ inquiring what he should do to inherit Eternall Life and at his second question asked Christ What lack I yet Christ plainly discovered by his answer that he wanted more love to his spiritual than to his temporall happinesse And in this example is confirmed what Christ told his Disciples to wit that he that loved any thing more than him is unworthy of him and cannot be his Disciple Luke 14.26 Mat. 10.37 Doubtlesse Judas had some kinde of love to his Master upon whom he had waited so long But the thirty pieces of silver weighed Christ down in the ballance of his affection I say also it is the frame of thy heart that thou must inquire after for it is hard judging by some particular inclinations onely A bad man may sometimes be in a good minde as at the hearing of some rouzing Sermon or under some great Affliction or the like but this goodnesse is but as the morning cloud Hosea 6.4 and as the early dew that soon vanisheth away The young man forementioned was in a good minde while he was coming to Christ but it was but of small continuance A good man also may sometimes be in a bad minde as when he is under a prevalent temptation So was David when he fell into the sins of Adultery and Murder and Solomon when he declined to Idolatry Now if a wicked man should judge of himselfe by what his inclination was while he was in a good minde for a little season he may judge himselfe to be godly as I doubt many do and so deceive his own soule Or if a godly man should judge of himselfe by what he hath observed in himselfe while he was under the power of some great temptation he may take himself for a very reprobate I adde against every sin and for the whole service of God Because a wicked man may have a prevalent constant hatred of some sinnes and a constant predominant love to some vertues even very Heathens have been constant haters of injustice intemperance c. and have been great lovers of temperance justice and such like vertues And we see by experience that many meer civil persons are stedfast haters of swearing drunkennesse whoredome and such like open profanesse and lovers of truth honesty and sobriety Inquire then what is the prevalent frame of thy heart against every sin so far as thou knowest And this requires a serious and frequent observation of thy heart and wayes if thou wilt make a clear discovery Let me ask thee then Hast thou well observed the frame of thy heart and dost thou find it to be against every sin so as not to be contented with secret sins heart-sins most pleasing sins common infirmities even such as may and doe ordinarily consist with a state of grace Canst thou say with David Psal 119.113 I hate vain thoughts Psal 18.22 23. All his judgements were before me and I did dot put away his statutes from me I was also upright before him and I have kept my selfe from mine iniquity For whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point to wit habitually willingly and out of indulgence he remaineth guilty as a transgressour of the whole law James 2.10 3. As a further consequent He that is saved from a state of sin feareth sin and followeth after holinesse What a man looks upon as evil he hateth and what he hateth he feareth if he be in danger of it and the greater he apprehendeth the evil to be the greater is his feâ—re of it And what a man accounteth good and so loveth he hopefully seeketh the injoyment of if it may be attained and the better he esteemeth it the more diligently he seeketh after it Thus to our purpose speaketh Solomon Pro. 28.14 Happy is the man that feareth alway but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischiefe To feare judgement with a love to sin is a servile feare but to feare sin as a most sad evill in it selfe is from a true filiall fear of God who hath forbidden sin and in the words we see it is such a feare as is opposed to hardning of the heart And we have Paul's example for earnest pressing after the good he loved and hoped for Phil. 3.12 13 14. I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Jesus Christ Brethren I count not my self to have apprehended but this one thing I do forgetting those things which are behinde and reaching forth to those things which are before I presse towards the mark for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus My soul followeth hard after thee saith David Psal 63.8 Ask thy soul then Art thou bold and adventurous in thy waies without feare of falling into sin or art thou fearfull and carefull in all thy undertakings lest thou transgresse Dost thou say as Joseph did when a temptation ariseth How can I do this wickednesse and sinne against God Gen 39.9 And dost thou in doubtful cases consider and inquire what the will of the Lord is that thou maist keep his way 4. Hence followes care to avoid the evil obtain the good in the use of such means as tend to the accomplishment of it Let me ask thee then What care and diligence dost thou use in hearing reading meditating praying conferring and watching over thy heart A meere Hypocrite may do most of these as to the outward act with some kinde of diligence But dost thou doe all these carefully setting this as the end thou proposest that hereby thou maist the more prevaile against every evil and make a progresse in all good and thereby glorifie God thy Saviour But alas what is it that the most do they sit out a Sermon kneel out a Prayer in publick say over their prayers in private some perhaps doe this and more meerly to get knowledge to obtaine a good esteeme with men or to satisfie the voice of an enlightned naturall Conscience or for some other by-end But if all endeavours do not chiefly refer to this end to wit to glorifie God in eschewing every evill and doing good it is but lost labour 5. Lastly hence also followes a mans joy and delight in that which is good and sorrow when the contrary evil overtakes him What a man loves desires and seeketh after as good he delights in the enjoyment of What a
glorified Saints And if Moses esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt what may we esteem the glory of Christ to be which he hath prepared for his people There is in the heavenly Mansions a removall of all evils and grievances whatsoever and a complication of all good things that may make a soul compleatly blessed 3. Meditate seriously of the nature of eternity which is an endlesse duration whether it be of happinesse or misery If the damned in Hell should be released after as many years as there are hairs on their head starres in the firmament and sands on the Sea shore it would be a large abâ—â—â—ment of their misery And if the blessed in Heaven should after so many years be deprived of their glory it would exceedingly diminish their happinesse But such is the nature of eternity that when so many yeares are expired the torments of the damned and the joyes of the blessed are no nearer ended than at the first beginning And if thou die in thy sins thou wilt fall into those endlesse easeless pains of Hell and lose those eternal unspeakable delights of Heaven 4. Consider how vain uncertain and unsatisfactory all things are that are here below Vanity of vanities saith Solomon all is vanity Eccles 1.2 Solomon who had the greatest wisdome to invent what might be delightfull and the greatest riches to purchase his hearts desire in all carnall pleasures and being King of Israel had power to command what might be further added by his Subjects upon experience of all tells us of one thing this is vanity and of another this is also vanity And when he had tried all he could devise he cries out Vanity of vanities vanity of vanities all is vanity The eye is not satisfied with seeing nor the eare with hearing nor any sence with its Object And what didst thou ever meet wâ—th in the world that fully contented thy heart What sweet without the mixture of some bitter And what assured possession hast thou of any thing O let this weane thy heart from seeking rest in thy present condition 5. Consider how short and uncertain thy present life is It is but a little while but thou must bid adieu to all thy friends here and wordly injoyments and then must thou enter upon thy eternall estate either of joy or sorrow When Jacob was presented before Pharaoh and he asked him How old art thou He answered The dayes of the yeares of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty yeares few and evil have the dayes of the yeares of my life been When he had multiplied his years into dayes he esteemed them but few So saith Job chap. 14.1 Man that is born of a woman is of few daies he doth not say of few years A day is somewhat lesse than the three hundred sixty fifth part of a yeare yet man lives but a few dayes And how uncertaine are thy dayes Hast thou not commonly seen some well and dead within the space of a week or fortnight some die suddenly and are not many younger than thy selfe gone down to the grave before thee And what assurance hast thou that thou shalt live another week day or houre And should thy life be taken from thee in the condition thou art now in what would become of thy immortall soul 6. Having considered these things as arguments to quicken thee in minding thy salvation break off from thy sinfull companions who are the Devils instruments to hold thee in thy sin and misery If thou art given to drinking gaming uncleanesse or the like vice thou hast thy companions to help thee on and keep thee in thy sinfull course or if thou art no open sinner thou hast some that probably help to hold and quiet thee in thy gracelesse sensuall condition as ever thou desirest to escape the snare of the Devil beware of his Instruments fly from them The blessed man is described partly by his departing from the society of sinners Psal 1.1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly nor standeth in the way of sinners nor sitteth in the seat of the scornfull And saith Solomon Prov. 4.14 15. Enter not into the path of the wicked and go not in the way of evil men Avoid it passe not by it turn from it and passe away When Scripture repeats the same thing either in words or sense it intimates either certainty vehemency or earnestnes of speech But here we have no lesse than six expressions in these two short verses forbidding us the way and society of the wicked Here doth the wise man as it were cry aloud to us away away away for your lives 7. Seek acquaintance with those that are godly such have experience of the evil of sin the beauty of holinesse and the comfort of a gracious life and can inform thee in these things and tell thee how they came to be delivered from their spirituall enemies They that have travailed in the same path can best direct thee in the way thou art to goe 8. Hearken diligently to the preaching of the Word Faith comes by hearing Rom 10.17 and the Gospel is called the power of God unto salvation Rom. 1.16 and saith Jam. 1.21 Receive with meeknesse the engrafted word which is able to save your soules Be constant then in attending to the word hear the word of God in season out of season take all opportunities to hear this is the most ordinary means of conversion consider how many were converted by the preaching of the Gospel three thousand in one day Act. 2.41 and very many of them sincere converts And when thou hearest consider seriously whose word thou hearest not the word of Man but of God and weigh well the great concernment of what thou hearest it is the Word by which thou must be justified or condemned in the great day of account 9. Give serious regard to the many friendly convictions and motions of the Spirit of God I know by experience that carnall persons have many such convictions and good motions which they do not cherish but rather quench I believe very many if not most that attend upon the powerfull preaching of the Word have at some time or other some close workings and stirrings upon their hearts however they come to get loose from them again Some have confessed their sins with tears and some have been under some continuance of trouble of mind and yet have returned again to their former folly O take heed of so doing left thy last estate be farre worse than thy first Set in rather with such movings of the Spirirt thou maist probably obtain the saving grace which thy soul needeth 10. Pray earnestly to God for saving grace humbly confessing and bewailing thy sin before him When Peter had told Simon Magus that he was in the gall of bitternesse and bond of iniquity he said to him Repent and pray God if perhaps the thoughts of thy heart may be forgiven thee
This Objection is very satisfactorily answered by Mr. Baxter in his method for peace of conscience Dir. 9. Prov. 21. â— Let not the Devil delude thee with that vain objection The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord therefore thou must not pray If thou art obstinately resolved to go on in thy wickednesse then hearken to his voice and forbear to pray but if thou seest a necessity of salvation and thy heart be by all these or other arguments inclined to seek after it forbear not to cry mightily to thy God for help Suppose I should say unto thee thou must not plough for Solomon saith the ploughing of the wicked is sin thou must not sow or labour in thy calling for being an unbeliever it is impossible for thee to please God in it Thou must not eat or drink because thou dost not do it to the glory of God Wouldst thou not answer I must follow my calling or else I must be a beggar and utterly undone I must eat and drink or else I shall soon be famished no man but he that desperately careth not for his life would refuse his necessary food Is not the case alike as to thy spirituall condition No man but he that is desperately set to lose his soule methinks can be perswaded from praying to the Lord for help When Jonah had preached the destruction of Nineveh if another had come and told them they might save their labour for fasting and praying their prayers would be but an abomination to the Lord and do them no good Would they have hearkned to such counsel Nay did not the Lord give a gracious returne to their prayer Suppose the Lord should smite thee with some violent incurable disease and death should stare thee in the face one of our Novelists should come and tell thee thou hast been hitherto a wicked creature and it is but in vain to pray thy prayer will be but an abomination to the Lord wouldst thou not loath to look upon him that should speak thus to thee and account it devillish counsell wouldst thou hot say I must pray or perish And if a man that hath been wicked may yea concludes he must pray and cannot be at peace unlesse he pray when the judgements of God are upon him or hang over his head why may he not set himself to seek God while he hath health liberty and a free injoyment of the meanes of grace for his help Was it not to the wicked that the Lord said Isa 55.6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found call ye upon him while he is neere See ver 7. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him And is it not charged upon the workers of iniquity as their greater sin that they call not upon the Lord Ps 14.4 How oft did the Lord call upon the wicked Israelites to humble their soules and seek his face and how oft did he heare and deliver them from their distresse Hast thou not read of Ahabs Humiliation and what successe he had Make not thy self worse than a wicked Ahab lest he rise up in judgement against thee and lest the men of Nineveh rise up in judgement against thee for they fasted and prayed and humbled their soules at the preaching of Jonah and behold a greater message than that of Jonah is sent unto thee It is easie to prove by many texts of Scripture and arguments from Scripture that it is a wicked mans duty to pray and unlesse any man will undertake to prove that it is his duty to continue in his wickednesse he will speak but little to the purpose against it Some can say by experience that the first speciall work of God that ever they perceived on their hearts was while they were praying unto him and though they began to pray formally yet they were brought to pray seriously before they ended the same prayer And if by blind guides thou wilt be perswaded to forbeare praying let the character of a wicked sot remain upon thee Psal 14.4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge who call not upon the Lord. And let the portion of the wicked be reserved for thee Psal 9.17 The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the nations that forget God The second branch of the use of exhortation I shall direct to such of you as are spirituall Labour in the use of such means as God affords you to save your souls from sin This is the great work of Christ and this must be your great work also in subordination to him Whosoever thou art that effectually called thou art called to holiness God hath given thee a principle of grace to this end that thou mayst warre against corruption and walk in a holy conformity to his will O remember that sin is thy greatest misery and holinesse thy reall happinesse The godly mans happinesse consisteth in the remission of sins and sanctification of the soul Thus the blessed man is described in Scripture by both these parts of his blessedness 1. Remission of sins Psal 32.1 2. Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity 2. By sanctification Psal 1.1 2. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsell of the ungodly c. Ps 119.1 2. Blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies and that seek him with the whole heart These are not meere qualifications of the persons to whom blessednesse doth belong but are reall and most considerable parts of blessednesse it self Sin as I have shewed you is your great misery therefore holinesse is your great happinesse O how happy is a holy life Well might Solomon say Prov. 12.26 The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour even as much as spiritual liberty is more excellent than Satans slavery O then labour in the feare of God to walk uprightly before him in all holy obedience as thou desirest to be blessed Jam. 1.25 Whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty and continueth therein he being not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work this man shall be blessed in his deed w Signifiâ—cat in ipsa actione sitam esse beaâ—tiud neÌ„ non in auditione frigida Calv. in loc I do not say blessed for his deed meritoriously but blessed in his deed really It is contrary to the glory of Gods grace to make our holinesse and works meritorious of our future happinesse and it is a diminishing of Gods mercy to us and our own happinesse here to make our graces and sincere obedience meere signes and evidences of our good estate here and our title to heaven hereafter They are indeed signes but I say not meere signes for they are the chief part of our happinesse here and a part