all Christians Watch in all things For the better handling of this point I will shew you First What it is to watch Secondly The things we must watch Thirdly The reasons of it First What it is to watch And to watch in Scripture is taken two What it is to watch wayes Literally and Spiritually First Watching sometimes is taken Literally and then it signifies a waking Literally when the time or nature calls not for sleep for there is a difference between watching and waking we are all awake at this time or else ought to be but yet we cannot be said to watch but this is to watch when time or nature calls for sleep When a man awaketh all night or the greatest part of the night as Luke 2. 8. The Shepherds were watching their flocks by night And this is two fold either Ordinary or Extraordinary Ordinary watching is contrary to immoderatenesse in sleeping As when Ordinary a man is sober in eating and drinking and other lawful things so we ought to be sober in our sleep for it is a dangerous thing if we suffer immoderate sleep to fall upon us Now Extraordinary watching is contrary to sleep it self as ordinary Extraordinary watching is contrary to sleepinesse for it takes away our natural sleep which otherwise we are to have And this is for two reasons The first is for a Civil end when we watch with those that are sick as a For a civil end duty of Charity it is fit that those that are well should break their natural sleep and rest to be helpful to those that are sick this is a Civil end Secondly There is a Spiritual end of extraordinary watching and that For a Spiritual end is when a man is not only moderate in sleeping but abates himself of that rest he may lawfully take for a Spiritual end As Saint Peter saith Watch unto prayer 1 Pet. 4. 7. and the Church Lament 2. 19. watched to humble their souls under Gods hand For sometimes we have need to break our very natural rest for the good of our souls Though we be never so careful and conscionable in the day time yet it may so fall out that the day will not be enough but we must entrench upon the night also to seek the Lord extraordinarily but this watching is not here meant though it be sometimes required But a Spiritual watching is specially meant which includes Spiritually Three things in it First It doth note a readinesse of minde to be drowzy for as in natural It implies proneness to be drowzy and literal watching it doth note a natural proneness to be drowzy either through the darknesse of the night or the heat of the weather or the like so this spiritual watching signifieth unto us that we are naturally subject to be secure spiritually and vain and idle and negligent and have need to be rouzed up for indeed all Commandments since the Fall are such as do not agree with our nature as when he commands us to seek the Lord while he may be found that intimates that we are by nature apt to put it off and to be careless of making our peace with God and when the Lord saith pray alwayes it doth imply how backward we are to that duty how apt to neglect it or to shuffle it over and to be luke-warm in it before the Fall when God did bid man do any thing the bidding of him did imply that if he were not careful he was in a possibility of breaking the commandments it did not argue a proneness to break them but since the Fall the commandements of God whatsoever God hath commanded us to do either for matter or manner of it it implyeth how backward to and untoward we are in doing it Secondly Watchfulnesse doth imply a labour and endeavour in our selves to take off this sinful pronenesse to evil that is in us and to be seriously stirred Endeavour to stir up our selves up to look after our Duty whatsoever it is both towards God and towards man we ought to shake off all untowardnesse of Spirit whereby we are unfit to Watch Watchfulnesse implyeth this also Ephes 5. 14. Awake thou that sleepest and stand up from the dead as who should say Shake off thy drowzinesse and labour to break off this folly of heart whereby thou goest dreaming on and rouze up thy spirit and stand upon thy guard The Third and main thing This Watchfulness doth include some further It is an intentive Consideration in all Cases businesse or duty to be done that is not yet performed for watchfulness is an act to help forward some further act As for example We are bound to remember God in all our wayes the want of this is the reason we so often sin against God now if we did remember God if we did remember his Holinesse if we did remember the greatnesse of his Power and the strictnesse of his Justice against Sin if we did remember our Death and what account we are to make before him this would be a great help to keep us from sin now if we would remember this a special way to help us is to watch as Acts 20. 31. Watch and remember saith the Apostle he being desirous that they should remember the admonitions which he had propounded he layes down this as a special means to help them hereunto to watch So we are to be watchful that we may be sober in eating and drinking and all lawful things for how sudduly do distempers break in upon us unlesse a man look to himself now watchfulnesse is an excellent help to Sobriety 1 Thess 5. 6. Let us watch and be sober We had need to watch whatsoever we go about that we may be sober in it whatsoever wordly businesse we go about in our Callings we had need to have this watchfulnesse that we be not overwhelmed and over head and ears in the world that we may not be intemperate in our eating and drinking that we may not give our selves too much liberty and freedom in talking and discoursing of the things here below so we are bound to keep our garments that our nakednesse may not be seen that the sins that are up and down in the world do not defile them that the temptations and allurements and occasions we meet withal and the examples of the times and such like do not take away our righteousnesse from us now watchfulnesse is an help hereunto as we may see Rev. 16. 15. the text saith Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments So that watchfulnesse is an excellent help for a further act to be done when a man hath some duty or other to be done which the Lord requires should be done with care and diligence watchfulnesse is a help thereunto as Hab. 2. 1. the Prophet knowing there was some Prophecy to be bestowed upon them the Prophet laboured to be in a fit case to receive it and that he
disparage the Kings Authority and cause the people to scorn him he began to see that Saul spake with sense honour me before the people and he did stay then now he was not less affected but more judicious Fourthly Presumption may make a man seem to be more affected and 4. Presumption quickned a great deal then indeed he is as Peter he seemed to be so mightily transported and enlarged towards Christ and so full of zeal for him though all men forsake thee yet will not I he thought he was so affected that he could compare with all the Apostles and Disciples of Jesus Christ and go beyond them all but afterwards when Christ asked him Peter lovest thou me see his answer Joh. 21. 15. his answer was nakedly Lord thou knowest that I love thee he would make no more comparisons though Christ put him upon it there yet he would not be brought to compare any more Now was he less affected towards Christ no but he was less presumptuous Fifthly Activeness of natural disposition may make a man seem to be 5. Activeness of natural disposition more affected then indeed he is for a man the more active his nature is and the more spirits he hath the more stirring he hath a man that hath such a disposition will go further then another of a slower spirit there is a great deal more grace required to make an heavy dull natured man to speak a word for God then to make a cholerick man strike a blow for God mens natures differ some men are more active naturally may be one man is full of activity and stirring another man is of a dull dispostion will you say this man is deader then he no this man may have more life of grace then he it is as if one man should swim with the stream and another against the stream he that swims with the stream will more easily swim a mile then he that swims against the stream will swim half a mile will you say that this man cannot swim so well as the other no he may be a better swimmer of the twain for this is the thing we are not to judge of the life of our grace by what we do but by what labour we take in doing as the Apostle saith remembring without ceasing your work of faith and labour of love 1 Thes 1. 3. may be another man is of a more loving nature then this man but the man that is more unkinde naturally and harsh-natured he labours a thousand times more abundantly then the other who hath most grace of love now the other hath most natural love but this man hath more grace of love as Paul proves he had the life of grace in him because he laboured more abundantly then they all it is not what thou doest but what thou laborest to do he that swims down the stream doth not labour if he should do nothing but stir his hands and feet without any labour the stream will carry him so when a man hath nature to help him he need not labour much but when a man must fetch all out of the hard flint how is he fain to labour there thou mayst try the life of thy affections not by what thou prayest but by what thou labourest in prayer not by what thou remembrest at a Sermon but though thou hast a blockish memory how dost thou labour to remember so it is not the not doing of sin but the labouring against sin hereby thou mayst know whither they zeal and affection be abated in thee So again for a mans self may be he was more active heretofore had a more nimble spirit and temper of body now he is grown more sad and melaneholy his head is distempered and grown more weak his memory fails and his understanding decayes that quick disposition of his body is taken down and he cannot do as he did before is the man therefore not so quickned as he was before is he grown more dead may be the man complains certainly he hath cause to suspect himself and he doth not think he is right formerly he could remember a Sermon be fixed in meditation be attentive at the word be fervent in prayer and put forth himself in this fashion now he cannot he was so lively before now he hath not the same activity and therefore begins to call all into question certainly all is not right I answer this doth not follow it is true in many a man it is the deadness of his heart and the decayedness of his spiritual estate that causeth this but it doth not follow that it is so with thee but the cause is this may be thou hast worn out thy tools therefore no marvel thou canst not work so well as formerly take a skilful Musitian whose instrument is crackt and marred he cannot make so good musick upon this instrument as he could when it was sound doth it follow he hath lost his skill no give this man â— sound instrument as he had before and he will play as well as ever all our operations not only external but also internal do much depend upon the disposition of the body as for meditation may be when the body was lively and active a man could fix his meditations upon a thing now it is weakned he cannot may be he hath the same desire and delight as he had before but he cannot do it so may be he hath as great a desire as ever to remember the word but his memory is gone so may be he hath as great a desire to put forth himself in any ordinance of God as ever in all his life but his body will not bear it I say the spirits depend much upon the body you may see this in natural operations let a mans eyes fail will any man say that the soul of that man is less able to see then it was no the soul is as able to see in a blind man as in a seeing man in an old man whose eyes fail him as in a young man that hath the quickest sight if this man had an excellent eye given him he would see as well as any body else the soul is able to do it but it wants a tool so many Saints of God cannot do many duties as they were wont not for want of love and zeal and affections but for want of tools it is said 2 Sam. 21. 16. that when David waxed old they would not let him go out into the field did they look upon David now as less worthy then before no they looked upon him as more worthy then before the text saith they looked upon him as the very light of Israel though he could not fight for Israel so well as he did before so you shall see many a godly man and reverend father upon his death bed shews no great matter in his dying what because he is dead and is not the man he was no but because he hath worn out his tools he is not
life to appear in Gods cause until it pleased God to make a little child take up a weapon and sight against him so our Saviour Christ shews us in the last times which is strange for in the last times knowledge shall abound the love of many shall wax cold Mat. 24. 12. you know what zeal is it is when a man doth not only walk in Gods commandements and do them but useth Gods arguments and useth them with all his heart and stirreth up himself to take hold on God he presseth hard after the mark he is a man that stands upon his guard a man that will be precise and strict in every thing he will eschue every evil if he find any lust rising he is never at quiet till he get it down again if this man be in company he will not stand upon curtesie to see who will begin to speak but if others will not he will and he will not stand upon terms and difficulties but come what can come he will stand for God now 't is strange how this zeal may be taken off in a man that is otherwise a good man Secondly He may lose all his affections which is a strange thing you know what the affections are they are the wings of the soul if the wings be off the bird cannot flie now a child of God may lose all his affections as it was with Sardis they had not only lost all their zeal but their affections Rev. 3. 2. strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die they had lost all and but a little remained and that little was ready to die what a poor heartless lifeless creature was Asa he was grown to 2 Chro. 16. that pass that though God sent his Prophets to him yet his affections were not stirred nay they were stirred the clean contrary way he was angry with him and when God laid afflictions upon him he was so little affected with his sins that he sought not to the Lord but to the Physitians a child of God may lose his sorrow and grief for sin though he be privy to a world of corruption and distempers and dulness and blockishness yet he is not able to relent and grieve for them there is no sorrow in his heart as David when he had committed those horrible sins there were no affections in him when Joab sent him word that Vriah was dead which he had a hand in one would have thought it should have made him cry and roar and made his heart to burst but he was so far from being affected with remorse as that he made nothing of it oh saith he tell Joab the sword kills one as well as another 2 Sam. 11. 25. so a child of God may lose all the affection of shame It is one of the duties we owe to God that all the corruptions and untowardness that is in us we should be ashamed of them now a child of God may lose this shame David when he had committed adultery he was not ashamed of it he did not blush nay he was impudent he durst let his servants know it and be privy to his villany he could say to them go and fetch me the woman 2 Sam. 11. Again he may lose all his delights in good duties and the ordinances of God he may go to them but with poor delight what poor delight do you think David had in good duties for the space of ten months till Nathan came unto him we may well think what a blockish and seared heart he had again he may lose all his desires and yearnings he may pray and have no heart to lift up his soul to God and be earnest for the having of those graces he stands in need of but pray so coldly as if indeed he would teach God to deny him again he may lose all his fear he may grow to be so marvellous venterous and bold he may grow to be familiar with sins he may grow to come neer the occasions of sin and thrust himself upon temptation again he may lose his affections of love and have hardly any love at all to God as Christ complains of Simon who otherwise was a good man he forgave his sins and yet he complains he loved him but a little Luke 7. 44. sc in one word a child of God may lose all his affections Thirdly He may grow to be even senseless of sin and of the grace of God I may shew this in divers examples to instance in the Patriarchs they conspired the death of Joseph afterwards flung him into a ditch which was a most horrible and unnatural thing one would think this should have been as an arrow unto their hearts and they should have been ashamed of themselves but were they sensible of this or moved at it no but they sate down to eat and drink when they had done Gen. 37. so for the children of Israel in the wilderness when they had committed that horrible sin of making a golden calf and the Text shews that many of the children of God were guilty of it when they had done did their hearts smite them were they affected with their sin did it work any impression upon their hearts no they sate down to eat and drink and rose up to play Exod. 32. 6. so David when he had committed those horrible hainous sins of murther and adultery sins which deserved death by the Law his fault was aggravated by many circumstancâ—s he had wives of his own he was not a young man but well grown in years he was no novice he was not ignorant of God but an old disciple and one that had had a great deal of experience of Gods goodness â—â—e that was the most noted man in all Israel for forwardness for God one that as himself confesseth had more understanding then any one in the world more then his teachers these do aggravate his sin but when he had done was he sensible of this no he was so far from it that he laboured to father his bastard upon Vriah Vriah had been a great whiie from his Wife and must have known it to have been a bastard if he had not sent him down to his house now thought he if I can but get him to go down to his house and lye with his Wife the child may be thought to be his child and not mine nay whâ—n Vriah spake words that might have burst his bowels when he bade him go to his house you may see what a gracious answer he gave him 2 Sam. 11. 11. The Ark and Israel c. as who should say I had more need to be at prayer and keep a fast all Israel is in the field against their enemies therefore I had more need to seek God then look after my pleasures and pampering my body now one would think this should have been as a dagger to David heart and made him ashamed yet he was so senseless that he laboured to do it more and more and was
That is the First thing 2. Secondly He that is legally dead made dead only by the law he is deaf to the Gospel but when a man is evangelically dead it boars his ears and makes him hear the voice of the Word and not only so but the voice of Christ in the Word Isa 55. 3. Incline your ears and come unto me hear and your soul shall live He calls those that were evangelically dead Hear and your soul shall live they are made able to hear Let their profits and old courses and old companions come and tempt them to walk as they have done they are deaf of that ear they cannot go that way to work no now their ears are open heaven-wards seek the Lord and you shall live Amos 5. 6. They are made to seek the Lord thus much life they have though they are more dead in regard of their own misery then one that is dead by the law yet thus much life they have put into them that they will go and seek unto God in the use of the means and follow him up and down and nothing will satisfy the heart but Christ they leave no stone unroled they seek up and down every where 3. Thirdly He that is legally dead it is a kind of death to love but he that is evangelically dead it is a death of love when the Church in the Canticles was but sensible of the countenance of Christ she was presently sick of love I charge you O ye daughters of Jerusalem if ye find my welbeloved tell him that I am sick of love Cant. 5. There is a great deal of difference between sicknesse and death death is a total privation of life sicknesse is but a partial privation now when the Gospel hath wrought upon a man that he hath some of Christ and is not deprived of all that privation makes him sick of love but when the Gospel makes a man see he is dead and altogether deprived of Christ now he is dead of love when a man is legally dead this is his death that he is damned and must go to hell this is his death that he hath no mercy not that he hath not grace and holiness and Christ but if a man be evangelically dead this is his death that he hath not Christ The Use is this If there be any that the law hath made dead rest not Vse there but labour that the Gospel may make you dead also when thou art humbled by the law thou mayest think that mercy is prepared for thee but thy lusts may recover again and that damned life that is in thee may recover again therefore labour to be more deaded by the Gospel that thou mayest have a total death begun in thee that thou mayest have thy deaths wound given thee deep not only to be in a swound but to be dead indeed Joh. 11. Christ staid four dayes after Lazarus was dead before he would raise him because he would have him irrecoverably dead before he would raise him Lord saith Martha he stinketh fâ—r he hath been dead four dayes vers 39. If he had raised him sooner his glory had not been so great so thou must labour to be dead in deed and to be buried and to be loathsome and abominable and then Christ will quicken thee It is certain that Gods Children have some of this death wrought in them before they are quickned at all for death is before quickning in order of nature there must be a corruption of one thing before there can be a generation of another there must be a privation of one form before there can be an introduction of another A child of God must be dead before he can be quickned Now then if he will have more life he must labour to be dead more and more now thou must labour to have this death truly begun to be wrought in thee thou must labour to have the love of this world and self-conceitednesse altogether dead in thee Hos 6. 2. After two dayes will he revive us and the third day will he raise us up and we shall live in his sight A man may be alive though he have been seemingly dead twenty four hours therefore it is a good custom among us to keep men near two dayes before we bury them that we may be sure they are throughly dead for there are many have been buried alive so after two dayes he will revive us and the third day he will raise us up when a man is dead indeed and hath his liveliness throughly killed in him then God will revive him if he should revive him before his glory would not be so great if he should revive him before he were quite dead when Ahab humbled himself and put on sackcloth and went softly a man would have thought he had been dead but in the next Chapter 1 King 2â— we may see he is alive again So Ananias and Sapphira one would have thought their covetousnesse had been dead whether they were any Acts 5. of the three thousand that were pricked at Peters Sermon I dispute not but they were pricked and made sensible of their damned estate and pretended to lay down all at the Apostles feet one would have thought their covetousness had been dead but yet it was alive therefore labour that the Gospel may make thee throughly dead THE SPIRITUAL WATCH 2 Tim. 4. 5. Watch thou in all things IN the verses going before we have 1. The charge that the Apostle gives to Timothy ver 1. I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ that shall judge the quick and the dead There are many duties we are loath to come unto and are tempted from so that we have need of all strong cords to draw us to them 2. We have the thing he gives him this charge for and that is ver 2. Preach the Word in season and out of season c. which duty strongly lyeth upon the Ministers of the Gospel to hold forth the Word of God to edifie and convert mens souls 3. Here is the reason why he gives him this charge and that is in the third and fourth verses For the time will come when they will not endure sound Doctrine c. The more danger there is among people the more instant should Ministers be to preach the Word unto the conscience Now in the verse I have read unto you the Apostle perswades Timâ—thy to watchfulnesse as who should say Though others be careless and negligent yet I would have thee to be watchful consider thou art a Watchman Every Christian is to watch over his own wayes and those that are committed to his charge but Ministers are watchmen over their people therefore here is a double reason to move him to watchfulness both in regard of his own soul and the people he was set over Mark 13. 37. our Saviour saith What I say to you I say to all Watch. And what Paul saith here to Timothy I may say to
is Faith and the means of confirming this Faith are the Two Sacraments First The Sacrament of Baptisme we are baptized into the same Body Secondly The Sacrament of the Lords Supper intimated in one part of it namely the Cup which is put for the whole and are made all to drink of the same Cup we are all of one and the self same Body as many as are in Christ are endued with the same Spirit not one endued with one Spirit and another endued with another Spirit but by one Spirit we are Baptized into one Body our Baptisme is one and our Food one it is altogether one though our condition in the world be never so different bond or free though our Countrey and Nation and Parish be never so various one to another one of one and another of another Jews and Gentiles we are all baptized into one Body and this is done by one and the self-same Spirit Now to speak of the putting of a man into the Body of Christ We will shew you these Five things First What this Body of Christ is Secondly What this putting of a man into it is Thirdly That this is done by the Spirit of God Fourthly How the Spirit of God doth it How a man is made part of the Body of Christ Fifthly The Application of the Point For the First What is this Body of Christ which is Spirit of God VVhat this Body is doth ingraft his people into In a word It is the invisible Church of God which is a peculiar company of men and women out of all Nations under heaven predestinated to eternal life gathered together by the Word and made all one in Christ This is the Body of Jesus Christ so that here are Five Things that are to be opened First It is the Church of God as the Apostle saith Col. 1. 18. He is The invisible Church of God the Head of the Body the Church So that the Church is the Body of Christ that same peculiar company of men and women as Saint Peter calls them You are a chosen generation a peculiar people a royal priesthood 1 Pet. 2. 9. The Author to the Hebrews calls them The Assembly of the first born Heb. 12. 23. And Christ himself calls them A little flock in regard of the multitude of other people that is in the world and are not of this brother-hood Now I call this invisible for though their persons and courses and manner of life be seen and known and they may be known who they are yet all of them were never known nor ever will be there may be more then we can tell and fewer then we think of The foundation of God is sure having this seal The Lord knoweth who are his 2 Tim. 2. 19. The Lord had seven thousand in Israel that had not bent their knees to Baal when Eliah could see never a one So that this is the First Thing it is the invisible Church of God Secondly It 's such a company as is gathered out of all Nations under heaven Gathered out of all Nations As Saint John speaks Rev. 7. 9. After this behold and loe I saw a great multitude of all Nations and Countryes and Tongues c. Though it be a little Flock in respect of the Reprobate yet it is a great multitude considered in it self and they stood before the throne and before the Lambe with long white Robes and with Palms in their hands This white Robe is the Righteousnesse of Christ Jesus imputed which begets another Righteousnesse which is inherent in some measure and the Palms in their hands is the sign of Victory over Sin Death and Hell and this is a great multitude and it was out of all Cities and Nations and Kindreds of the world and therefore our Saviour Christ speaking of his own taking of this company home unto himself at the last day see what he speaks Mat. 24. 31. He shall send his Angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather his Elect from the four Winds from the one end of the Earth to the other The Lord gathers here one and there another as a man would gather a Posie in a Garden here a flower and there a flower This is Another Thing in the Body of Christ it is a Company gathered out of all Nations and People and Places at one time or other Thirdly This same godly Company are a Company of Predestinated Predestinated unto life men unto Eternal life For there are none but the chosen of God that are the true Body of Christ this is a company only of Elect men and women and babes therefore they are called Elect Rom. 8. 33. They are such a company as are written in the Lamb's Book of life Rev. 21. 27. Therefore all those that seem to be of God and go a great way with the people of God and yet turn back as Orphah from Naomi Ruth 1. They were never of this number 1 Joh. 2. 19. They were not of us they went out from us if they had been of us they would have continued with us So that it is only the Elect of God that are of this Company that are the Members of this Body Fourthly It is such a godly Company as is gathered by the Word of God Begotten again by the VVord The Word of God gathers them together they as well as other people by nature are of another Body of another Corporation as vile and as wretched and as miserable in themselves if left to themselves but God found them when he passed by them and said to them Live they were defiled as well as others in their bloud but the Lord turned their hearts by the Word and doth beget them again thereby This is that immortal seed whereby God doth beget them again unto eternal life Fifthly They are such a company as are made one knit and combined together in Christ though themselves are never so many and never so remote and distant from one another may be they never saw one another nor ever heard of one another one lives in one Country another in another one in one parish another in another and have little bodily communion and are not known one to another may be some of this company are in heaven already and some upon earth yet they are all one in Christ they all meet together in one heart and soul in Christ Jesus they are all of one minde in him as being all one body as the Apostle speaks 1 Cor. 12. 12. And they are all one seed Gal. 3. 16. Now to Abraham and his seed were the Promises made He saith not To seeds as if they were many but To thy seed as of one that is Christ that is which is Christ and all that are Christs they are one seed the seed of the woman indeed all men come forth of the womans loins the wicked as well as the godly only here is the difference The one is the seed