in young persons this is the case Besides these passions they are wonderful unconstant and there is no judgement by them at all they do so strangely ebb and flow some mens natures are more passionate apt to grieve to be affected with every little thing and there a little matter will set their passions afloat others are more stock-like it is much that moveth their affection Now a little thing will not move them But suppose that thou dost not grow in these so much how is thy understanding dost thou grow there abound in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ before thou wast empty knewest very little now thou hast a Treasury of knowledge and thou goest on herein do we grow in our judgements Brethren dost thou not value Christ and grace at a higher rate then before counting all things dross in comparison of him dost thou not cleave to the Lord with more full and strong purpose of heart then before this is growth indeed to the purpose Eighthly If thou grow not in bigness dost thou grow in sweetness this is growth Brethren At first Christians run up to a great height a pace they grow in knowledge but afterwards they grow in the sanctifiedness of that knowledge Alas when they know much they know little as they ought Now thou comest to know it as thou oughtest so as to humble thee so as to endear thee to Christ more Now thou art more peaceable more apt to forgive less censorious hast not so much of that dividing spirit that formerly thou hadst dost thou grow I say in sweetness therefore if thou grow so so much in heat this is the fatness and the sweetness of the growth and there is great comfort in this Ninthly In the last place as David said of the Covenant of God and his family though he make it not to grow yet saith he this is all my hope and all my salvation yet he trusted in him It is God that maketh it to grow Brethren and he is free and rich in his influences and what if he make it not to grow for a time what then wilt thou question all his work in thee No no but rather labour to believe it away Here are many promises trust in him though he make it not to grow hang upon him still for this growth and if he still make it not to grow yet still make this thy salvation his Covenant if he see not such a measure fit for thee be humbled for what thou findest to be the obstruction but cast not away thy confidence though he make it not to grow and thus much for this FINIS Christ his Willingness to accept Humbled Sinners John 6. 37. and he that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out IN this Chapter after the Miracle of the five hundred men fed with five loaves and two fishes ver 9 10 c. which was no small Miracle indeed and argued devine power to multiply so small a quantity into a sufficiency for so many hungry bellies and here if ever was made good that that man liveth not by bread alone but by the Word of God and so it is when he hath never so much much more where he hath but little and inconsiderable hath but Pulse instead of dainty fare a cruse of oyl a little meal I say after this Miracle our Saviour had woon so far upon their affections if not their understandings though very carnal they concluded this was that Prophet which they expected ver 14. that is to say a special Prophet beside John the Baptist or Elias as they thought he should come again be born again misunderstanding that place in Mal. 4. and beside Christ the Messiah they expected another Prophet before him as the Antients Chrysost Theoph. Cyril and Beza also conceive and seemeth very plain in that place of John why dost thou Baptize if thou neither be Elias nor that Prophet nor yet the Christ where he is distinguished from Christ and yet me thinks here they were carried further in their apprehensions of Christ then to take him for such a Prophet for saith the Text Our Saviour seeing that they would come and take him by violence to make him King he withdrew himself into a Mount ver 15. therefore it should seem they had some kind of flash that he was the Messiah according to their carnal conceipt of the Messiah that he should be a temporal King and come in pomp they would needs now make him King Well our Saviour now going to his Disciples upon the Sea and when he came into the ship it was forthwith ashore O how sweetly and swiftly doth any work of Christ or for Christ go on when he himself is with us the multitude they follow him their bellies all this while were their instructers their gods and their guides ye follow me because of the loaves saith our Saviour and therefore he takes this occasion to stir them up to seek for that food that perisheth not they were sensible of the hunger of their bellies and were taken with his power to make such provision for the body even where there was nothing in comparison O but their poor souls were in a starving condition and they were not sensible of this and therefore our Saviour endeavours to raise their apprehensions somewhat higher spending much of the Chapter afterwards in setting forth himself the true the spiritual Shew-bread or bread of faces if they had but stomacks and appetites suitable to the necessities of their poor perishing souls But alas they had not aseeing eye nor a hearing ear nor a believing heart when they heard of bread of which if they did eat they should never hunger Lord give us this bread said they but they knew not well what they said for alas this bread was tendered to them but they had no mind to it as the fountain of water was near to Hagar but she saw it not so the bread of life was now offering himself to them but they knew it not and therefore our Saviour reproveth them you also saith he have seen me and yet believe not this bread is spiritual I am the bread but spiritually understood for it is the Spirit that quickeneth but the flesh profiteth nothing saith he even to his own Disciples who were already stumbled at this Sermon of his concerning eating his flesh and drinking his blood but saith our Saviour ye believe not that is to say ye will not take of this bread eat of it receive and apply the benefit of my death and resurrection and ascention and intercession and all I understand by this bread in a spiritual sense whereby the soul is nourished to eternal life and this was a sad symptom unto them that they were not belonging to Gods purpose of grace they had little ground to conclude it as yet for our Saviour saith all that the Father hath given me shall come as yet ye believe not ye have not
ever is required I will give if I must take flesh an infinite condescention I will do it as if a Prince should say if I must be cloathed with rags yea with clods yea with worms I will rather then I will go without such a poor worm to be my spouse If I must part with my dearest blood and extend it to the last drop I will Ask me any Dowry yea if I must give my self for them who am God and equal with thee as well as afterward man I will do it my kingdom for them my glory for them my blood for them O brethren the Lord Jesus is worth a hundred thousand worlds well he will buy us he hath done it at a dear rate Indeed David bought Michal at a dear rate by the death of the Philistims and afterward two hundred foreskins of the Philistins it pleased him well what is this brethren If David must have parted with his life for her have been so much debased as to have lived a poor despised contemptible life for her a hâ—wer of wood or drawer of water or ground at a Mill or to have been as Job continually a man of sorrows and upon the dunghil this had been somewhat but nothing to this of Jesus Christ Satan was there spouse bought at so low a rate as the Church of Christ was I have read of some that must not marry a woman until they had killed an enemy and other until they had killed or overcome their Corrivals and happily this might be hard But the Lord Jesus he must grapple with his Corrival the Law the former Husband as the Apostle cals it as it is the strength of sin and slay that and take away the Curse break the commanding power the streaming power of the Law before he could take us to be his And so he must grapple with principalities and powers and spoyl them and lead captivity captive scatter him in his temptations break him in his policies undermine him in his depths and methods over-power him in his malice he must destroy all these enemies Yea more then all this the wrath of his father that was against us and against which there was no standing he must interpose and screen us from it and O! How it scorched him though he quenched it As the Passeover was roasted in the fire so the Lord Jesus our Passeover was even roasted alive in the displeasure of his Father 3. Then he cometh a wooing for when all this is done brethren we are unwilling it may be to have him are well contented to continue with our former Husband to be yet under the Law and the commanding power of sin and see no such beauty in him as to desire him nor any such freedom and comfort in being one with him as to desire that Yea if we be convinced a little of this yet happily our wills or hearts are not towards him and therefore he is fain to wâ—o us when all is done himself came in the days of his flesh and what was his work before his suffering but to wooe poor creatures to accept of him How did he wooe the woman of Samaria If thou hadst known saith he the Gift of God thou wouldst have asked him insinuating there was more in him then she yet saw as appeared when he told her her sins what they had been How often would I have gathered thee Jerusalem Jerusalem saith he O I have been ready to spread my Skirts over you but you would not Sometimes intreating sometimes lamenting their condition sometimes displeased at the hardness of their hearts It is much for a King to come a wooing himself a great King They use to send as David to Abigail Abraham to Rebecca but here he cometh himself a long journey from Heaven to Earth and contented to take on him the form of a servant that we might not be dazled with his glory and no pains doth he refuse How did he go up and down on foot until he was weary Blessed Saviour he was weary at the well there by Samaria and all was that he might everywhere wooe and intreat poor creatures to accept of him And 2 not onely by himself but by his Messengers now he is in his glory now he sends by his Messengers to this end You see Abraham his servant went to take a wife for Isaac and David his servants went to Abigail So brethren do the Messengers of Jesus Christ his paranymphs or pronubi They speak now a good word for Jesus Christ so the Apostle I have espoused you saith he to one Husband Such are friends of the Bridegoom as John was that did what he could to bring the people to Jesus Christ even the people of the Jews and would fain have had all the people to close with him But 4. In this espousal to Jesus Christ we are to consider several things what is done 1. By the spirit he is indeed the great wooer He is sent forth to convince of righteousness and of sin the burthen of the work lyes upon the Spirit and happy it is for us that it doth so for how fruitless would our endeavours be to you else brethren we might spend our selves and be spent and when all is done complain We have spent our strength in vain for Israel is not gathered How sad for you How uncomfortable for us No no the great perswader is the Spirit he cometh and he openeth the eyes and then the poor soul seeth O he is aere alieno obrutuâ— so deep indebted to the Justice of God that whatever he can do or suffer to pay it eternity is little enough to pay it in O now for a Husband now how happy a creature should I be if some that were able to bear the debt would discharge it would take it up for her He then insinuates somewhat further and convinceth of Righteousness that there is enough in Christ if we owed a thousand Talents more O then that I had it saith the poor soul O he is willing he is willing saith the Spirit therefore he is Preached to every creature Thus if this Arm of the Lord were not revealed our report of Christ would never be believed But what then do the Ministers do Yea their word the word of Faith which they preach it is the vehiculum Spiritus It is that wherein the Spirit breatheth It is the spirit brethren ordinarily in the Law which convinceth of sin or the Gospel preached legally as the great aggravation of mens sins and it is the spirit in the Gospel preached Evangelically as that which holds forth a ransom a propitiation for sinners whereby the Spirit convinceth of righteousness Where as in a glass the Spirit of Christ doth hold out The beauty excellency love and loveliness of the Lord Jesus which is most transcendent and ravishing to the soul that seeth it but a little more particularly then 1. The Spirit by their word ordinarily not excluding other
to set his love upon his soul he believeth no such things nor the Papists neither Nor many a poor hypocrite Alas they think they have somewhat that deserveth him I some beauty is in us that the Lord saw and so it was meet for him to lay out his love upon us proud wretches that we are it is well we have an infinitely condescending love yea and powerful that can overcome our pride and swallow it up and love not onely poor creatures nothing-creatures but such as falsly suppose themselves somewhat when they are nothing else what would become of many of us Well sure it is because we know not our selves or know not what this love means else we should all of us easily subscribe to this 2. That he would be at such a price for such for alas brethren 〈◊〉 who would lay down his life almost for the cho cest of persons though some in an Agony of Passion and discontent have made themselves away for them they have doated upon yet here was some proportion between the persons loving and loved yea happily the person loved might be the more eminent person and therefore might stand off and a man when he doth this alas he is beloved himself he is wrapt by the violence of his passion out of his choice his understanding and judgement dethroned and then the Affections like wild horses O whither will they not hurry a man but in such a case a man is not a man but now in sobriety of minde consider it and who would lay down their lives and dye for the obtaining the rarest creature in the world for a spouse surely none O no Skin for skin saith the Devil and though a man imagine more to be in what he hath never injoyed then he findeth by experience in what he hath had the flower and cream of yet notwithstanding if a man be himself he will prize his life above all but if he would dye would he dye a most shameful death to have his life taken away by the most violent destructions and convulsions of minde so strongly working upon the body as to moulder it away by degrees surely hardly any man would ever venture in such a case as this Alas What is this to what the Lord Jesus hath willingly undertaken for worms what man would dye for a worm that it might live and he might have it put in his bosom or rather would be contented to â—ay down his body take up the form of a worm and therein dye the most miserable death that he might have worms saved from death and be his nearest relations for ever O doth not this transcend the love of Angels brethren Alas what is this to what Jesus Christ hath paid for poor worms at the best sinful dust and ashes and that we might live and live in union and fellowship with himselfe for ever Ah Brethren if God would but make us sensible what we are at the worst and what the Lord Jesus underwent in some measure for apprehend it fully we cannot but such as have ever tasted what it is to sip of the cup may apprehend more then others what dregs were at the bottom a drop how doth it put the soul into an Agony upon the rack that thou wouldst choose death rather then life O what then was the whole cup brethren that he should undergo this and should with his most precious blood be willing to purchase such poor abjects forlorn Creatures to be a spouse to him yea with his blood drawn from him through the very pores of the body by the very distractions of his soul and wresâ—ling with wrath O was there ever grief like this that the father put him to and was there ever love like this brethren O that we had hearts indeed to admire it 3. That after all this is done he should be at such pains to bring us to himself to wooe us to come himself to send us his messengers to strive with us by his Spirit as you know he strivd long with the old world and strived long with the Israelites in the wilderness and many of our souls can say it by experience he hath striven long with us by his spirit when we have been convinced our ways have been folly and misery and yet we would not yield how hath he followed us up and down with motions of his spirit and waited to be gracious and all but to have our consent to take him for ours Dear friends who are we that the Lord Jesus should thus ambire make so much ado with us to have our consent to take him to accept of him for a Husband O what desperate enmity is in our hearts against him that there must be so much ado to overcome it You would think that poor begger either a very crooked cross piece full of bitter hatred against a Prince or Noble-man that sues to her with all the intreaties that can be sends messenger after messenger cometh himself and beseecheth her to accept of him and yet she will not no is she well where she is desireth not either you will say she believeth not what he saith that it is in reality it will not enter into her heart to think he is real he is so far above her though he tell her he knew that is sensible of it yet maketh love to her meerly because he will and his heart is towards her not for any thing in her self she believeth not or else that she is a desperate enemy and hater of such a Noble-man and would rather perish there or languish in such a condition as an abject then accept of him O this is the condition of many of us brethren some poor deject dunbelieving souls alas their hearts even fail within them to hear that J. Christ should make love to them O it canot be sure to such a worm such a wretch so poor so filthy so full of rags vermin so full of sores and wounds full deeply indebted so deformed and loathsom every way O they know not how to receive this Others they are even stout and proud and care no more for these things then if Jesus Christ had said nothing at all as for them they are well enough if he will let them alone they desire not to mend their conditions by closing with him Now brethren to both these how doth the Lord Jesus apply himself Never were there more powerful Arguments used and never more powerfully prest then he presseth them and that with more diligence and patient waiting upon us and O what love what manner of love is this that all this floweth from A little to touch upou each of them brethren happily the Lord may be pleased to breath in them to some poor soul and as he doth at other times thus so this day brethren Even to you he is pleading with you for this very end that some poor sinners would be perswaded to close with him First then The Arguments are the most
tenderly and freely ministred to a yoke-fellow as afterward by the opening of the parable it appears well now thus doth the Lord Jesus dwell with us as many as believe he cherisheth us and nourisheth us 1. He lay's his people in his bosom The Church is said to lay him between her breasts which only is an expression of her love to him not for that he needed any cherishing from thence as David did from Abishai when he was old he must have a young virgin to keep warmth in him This is the case here if we had not such cherishing from Jesus Christ alas brethren we should quickly be benummed and frozen and stiff and unfit for any service he calls us to where should the spouse in her fainting swouning fits lye but in her Husbands bosome this the Prophet setteth forth in another simile of a shepheard the Lambs that are feeble and are not able to go or drive the pace of others he puts them in his bosom saith the Text thence they may gather heat and so the Chicken from the wings of the Hen there is warmth and cherishing so the son of righteousness when they are spread over a soul there is healing and strength in them 2. But then they eat of his bread and drank of his cup when he was upon Earth you know he did eat and drink with his Disciples he desired to eat that Passover with them O blessed are they that eat bread with him at his Table in his Kingdom he speaks of drinking wine new with them that which is a refreshing to them is a refreshing to him as I may say what is the satisfaction of a soul brethren but when he eats the flesh of Christ and drinketh his blood when he feeds upon those real dainties and what is the satisfaction of Christ but to see this He shall see his Seed and be satisfied to see his mercy and his bowels the precious fruits of his death and resurrection made over to a soul to see them living by Faith upon them and eating and drinking abundantly to their souls satisfaction this is the satisfaction of the soul of the Lord Jesus also well he nourisheth them it is the Saints priviledge a man will not feed strangers continually at his Table nor enemies but when once this relation is made up this is the result O what filling is to the hungry and thirsty soul they shall be satisfied Fifthly which should have been before this he will purify his Church his spouse the more Communion he hath with her the more pure she is what is humbling in other Marriages is advancement in this blessed Marriage It is said that the virgins which were to come to King Ahashur were to purify themselves before they came to him much ado there was to purify them with oyl of Myrrh which they say was to make the skin smooth to clear the beauty to free them from Wrinckles and to keep it from decaying The sweet Odours were to make them delightful in their savour to make them lovely to the eye of a man so curious they were but the case is otherwise here Alas he is fain to put his comeliness upon us else we should not have beauty at all that he should desire us as you have it in Ezek. 16. And therefore the Apostle to the Ephesians he gave himself for his Church that he might purify it Though we were nasty sluttish lothsom creatures before the Lord Jesus will not have us continue so but wash us in that fountain opened for sin and uncleanness that Jordan with us to wash away our Leprosy And therefore he himself came by water as well as by blood Alas what should the Lord Jesus do with us bretbren if we should retain our swinish disposition to wallow in the myre and then think to come and lye down in his bosom No he cannot away with this he must wash away this disposition and hath done it for all that are his that now they shall no more delight in sin but if they miscarry now it shall be their grief as well as it is his he purifieth his people A sad word to such as yet mallow in their uncleanness a sign they have nothing to do with Christ An encouragement to poor Creatures who labour under the lothsomeness of their corruptions he gave himself that he might purifie to himself a Church he can do it he will do it his blood doth lye in pawn he will not lose the price of his blood nor shall his people lose such mercies as this which cost the heart-blood whatever they go without they shall not go without this Sixthly He will make them fruitful Marriage-communion is a fruitful communion This is the general complaint of the people of God of their barren hearts and empty lives but he will make them fruitful he will not have a barren spouse whether we speak collectively or distributively of the Church of Christ Collectively Jerusalem which is above is the mother of us all a way that is barren and God doth not own with bringing in souls to Jesus Christ hath cause to fear whethether in such a constitution they be the Church of Christ yea or no It is true the Gentiles before they were marryed had no children and the Jews that were the marryed wife when God was casting her off grew very barren but now more are children of the unmarryed then of the marryed woman saith the Lord. But it is clearer to us to speak distributively he will make us fruitful When a man is marryed to the Law which is the strength of sin as the Apostle calls it O how fruitful is he in works of darkness and shall not Jesus Christ be as vigorous and fruitful a husband as the Law can be and sin can be Let Sarahs womb be as dead as it may yet he can make her fruitful Let a mans heart be as dead to good works as you can imagine he can renew strength again as he did Abrahams and Sarahs If he speak the word a green tree is withered if he speak the word a barren tree is fruitful the Apostle his expression we are dead to the Law saith he and so free from our former husband that we might be marryed to another even to Jesus Christ that you might bring forth fruit unto God see what riches of fruitfulness or seeds of it are in the womb of that one Text God is able to make all grace abound towards you that ye alway having all-sufficiency in all things may abound to every good work minde you here is good works and abounding in them that is more yea in every good work good works of all kinds and abounding in them all And whence cometh this he is able to make grace abound towards you though if you had but a Cistern you might be drawn dry or the stream yet there is a fountain which continually overfloweth he is able to make grace abound
shortness of our patience alas it is very short the Apostle to the Hebrews doth exhort them to hold out against persecutions to hold fast their confidence which hath recompence of reward Alas but it is tedious thus to run through fire and water to have wave upon wave and billow upon billow why it is true saith the Apostle But you have need of patience that when you have done his will you might receive the promise the promise of his coming the apearing of Christ who is our life Alas but can we endure it O it is long No saith the Apostle for yet a little while and he that shall come will come do not think it long think not he is slack he will not tarry O brethren a man under a hard bondage groaning as the Israelites did in Egypt thinketh every day seven until he be delivered and therefore the Prophet exhorts them to wait for the vision which was for an appointed time it would not tarry by the medicine you may gather the nature of the malady it was impatience under their bondage and trouble and therefore you find so many sad complaints in the Psalmist how long Lord c. how long wilt thou forget me for ever c. and so the souls under the Altar how long Lord holy and true wilt thou not avenge our blood And so under spiritual pressures suppose temptations from without or inward pressures a body of sin and death we are ready to cry out how long Lord how long How did Job long for death he had such wearisom nights and moneths of vanity when God made him possess the iniquities of his youth Well in this respect also he may be said to delay according to our apprehensions 4. In respect of the importunity of our desires as well as impatientcy under afflictions this is an impatiency too and might be a branch of the other but a man that hath not that pressure upon him yet if he be deeply in love with Jesus Christ and with his appearing O how importunate are his desires after it so that as the Apostle calls it there is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a looking out after it with a neck or head stretched out as a man that looks for a thing stirring up himself stretcheth out his neck lifteth up his head that he may see as far as he can looking many a wishly look after the thing he desires or person he desires The proverb is true in this case etiam celeritas in desiderio mora est And in this case now a man is ready to think there is a delay when there is most swiftness when God is a most swift witness for or against such a person our desires run before it usually and so it seemeth to slack and come behind O when shall I come and appear before him in Sion Not only Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart c. but O how long wilt thou thou keep me prisoner in this Tabernacle of clay Now in all these respects he may be said to delay his coming but so much for the opening of the Doctrine Now for the Arguments I shall speak a little to them And the First may be this The time is appointed for his coming he hath appointed a time wherein c. which he will not anticipate so neither will he stay beyond it the Second shall be this it is to excercise his peoples patience to inure them to bear patience works experience and experience hope the richer the patience is the richer the experience is and the nearer we come to a full assurance of hope the riches of it Now the exercise of patience the spirit breathing in it to his people is that whereby it groweth and increaseth with the increases of God the patience of the Saints is one of their greatest exercises and therefore the Lord takes much pains with his people to make this jewel in their Crown shine gloriously Consider the patience of Job c. behold here is the patience and faith of the Saints and in another place it is ushered in with a Behold Now God will have our patience have its perfect work be as long and as broad as the tryals are And therefore he delaies his coming in that sense as you have heard this waiting for the reward after we have done the will of the Lord is harder then the other of bringing forth fruit with patience Another ground shall be 3. That the measure of the sufferings of Christ may be filled up in us the Apostle is said to fill up in his body the measure of the sufferings of Christ that is to say there is a proportion of sufferings for the body of Christ to undergo and he in his body filled up his measure in a great part not as if they were more righteous but his people being so nearly united to the head as that they and he make one Christ therefore the sufferings of his people are called the sufferings of Christ now there is a means to be filled up and this he will have filled because these less afflictions which are but for a moment they work out saith the Apostle not meritoriously a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory he was made perfect through sufferings and so must his sâ—ns which he bringeth to glory be made perfect through sufferings and drink of the brook in the way and so lift up their heads suffer with him and then be glorified with him now if there were not such a time as we count a delaying of his coming there would be no room for this 1. That the fulness of Christ may come in for there is a fulness of Christ as the Apostle cals it both of Jews and Gentiles as the several members of his body make up the fulness of his body and it is not compleat if any of them be wanting there is some of its perfection wanting indeed it is a glorious honour he puts upon the Saints and dear affections he sheweth and a near union that he accounteth himself not perfect without them until they be come in so this is the answer the importunate cry of the souls under the Altar receive how long Lord holy and true dost thou not avenge us and judge our enemies there were white robes given them and it was said to them they should rest yet for a little season until their fellow-servants also and their brethren also which should be killed as they were should be fulfilled If a man bid many guests to a Feast they must stay until they all come to sit down together As Christ is imperfect that is to say without his fulness with his body so is the soul in a sort without its body and as the Lord desires the work of his hands as Job speaks touching the Resurrection thou shalt call and I shall answer c. the soul may desire also that work of his hands to be re-united
Sometimes the Lord sendeth a long and a loud cry a grievous and heavy visitation upon many of us yea upon his own dear children as I have known some the Cry hath been he is coming go forth to meet him make ready Or if it be a stroke that he removeth again before we go hence and we recover strength again yet the Cry of it is Behold he cometh go forth to meet him for we know not whether death be not in the cup of affliction we drink at any time Thirdly Then for the relative consideration of the Cry with respect to his coming whereof it is a warning It is to be considered whether it be so immediate yea or no as there can be no time of preparation after it which seemeth not to suit with the parable here It seemeth by the parable if I may insist so much upon these particulars 1. That there was some time between the cry and his coming as there is some time between the Harbinger and the coming of his Lord whose way he prepareth because the Virgins here seem to have some time to trim their Lamps even the wise virgins and for the foolish it should seem by the parable they had some time to trifle away in buying or going to assay it but this I will not press or urge too much onely sure it is that the wise virgins being found asleep after the warning had time and a heart given them to prepare to trim them And therefore If we understand it of them which shall be found alive at the last day remember this Some it may be will not be so asleep and yet need some preparation too Some may be asleep and therefore will need some preparation Now it is said that at the voice of Christ then coming with his Trumpet those that are alive shall not prevent them that are asleep go to heaven before them But the dead in Christ shall rise first and what time there will be for it or whether in a moment I am not able to determine Or whether they shall in a moment be changed soul and body that are alive and so made ready to enter with him into glory Or whether there shall be time for the working of it I cannot say but if their Lamps want trimming their graces want furbishing they shall have it But if by the cry then you understand the Gospel preached then they may have time enough 2. If there be time between the cry and his coming to take his own to himself it seemeth not to be much but how much or how little we cannot say If the cry be the sickness or messenger of death which is sent to them there is usually some time and not very much given sometimes more sometimes less And so were the word importunately prest an awakening word to rouze the poor secure people of God there may be more or less time between this cry and Christ his taking them to himself but some time it seems there is for their trimming of their Lamps But so much for Explication The Arguments now wherefore there is such a cry before the coming of Jesus Christ The great reason is clear here in the Text It is because men are asleep many of them both real Saints and formalists they are asleep and deep asleep and therefore there cometh a cry to awake them it is not an ordinary voyce will do it but a Cry Some Boanerges a son of thunder to raise poor sleepy sinners that he may not take them in a sleep Let not men think though now they have a stil voyce of the word and they can make a shift to sleep notwithstanding they are Sermon-proof If this will not awaken he vvill have another cry that shall avvaken them he will roar upon them out of heaven thunder upon them but he vvill vvaken them While men are asleep they are not fit to meet the Lord Jesus in his coming to judgement whether it be to acquit them or to condemn them If it be in mercy to take them to himself while they are in a sleep they are not fit to meet him their Ornaments are laid aside their Lamps want trimming as the Text hath it there and therefore they must be awaked Besides they are not fit to take notice of the infinite and unsearchable riches of his grace manifested therein to them in gathering them to himself if we should be called for in some fâ—ame that we are in sometimes truly we should not be able to take comfort in our meeting with him nor would he have any glory in our departure and therefore usually he doth awake his people stir up their graces that they may shine and be active when he cometh to gather them and then if he come in judgement as against these foolish virgins to blow out their Lamps in obscure darkness except they be awake in some measure and their Consciences opened they will not be sensible of it but when the Conscience of an hypocrite is a little rouzed O what fearful pre-apprehensions there will be of the displeasure of Christ they are not fit to receive the sentence of condemnation except their Consciences were rouzed and therefore the Lord doth oftentimes if not alway awaken the Conscience the heart was never awake but alway asleep but the Conscience hath been asleep and now it must be awaked ut sentiat se mori It never troubled the foolish virgins though their Lamps were gone out all the while they slept and if they had dyed in that sleep they had as certainly perished but not so sensibly nor so severely as knowing the terrors of God which belong to them before and the Lord will have them to lie down in the confusion of their souls for their folly in resting themselves contented with a profession without the possession of Jesus Christ without this oyl in their vessels Another ground may be for the Majesty of the coming of Christ that there may be the more reverence and awe of his Majesty therefore he hath a Messenger going before his face as Princes use to do and happily in their Marriages of great persons there might be some such thing surely this is one reason wherefore he cometh at the last day one piece of the glory of his appearing the voice of the Arch-Angel the Trumpet of God so the cry that goeth before it is much for his honour and Majesty that all the Messengers he sends Either Afflictions or Ministers all their Message almost to his people is to prepare for his coming to fit them for that appearing To render hypocrites inexcusable since they have a cry going before them to awaken them out of their sleep to set them awork to get their grace this oyl in their vessels they might have said if they had been taken asleep why if they had had any warning they would have done as others did but now they are awaked rouzed by this cry and yet alas they cannot
to this readiness a making the calling and election sure by adding faith to faith and grace to grace as it is in that place of the Apostle Peter Then when Simeon had gotten Jesus Christ into this arms of his faith as well as of his body and saw his salvation with the eye of faith as well as of the body then he cryeth out Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace Now he was ready to enter into glory And so the Apostle Paul had such a perswasion and therefore he was ready henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of glory c. 2. There goeth many times if not alway to this abundant entrance as a readiness or preparation to it an earnest waiting of the soul for its change a desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ which is far better There is many a poor heart when the body of death weigheth them down and tryeth them groan earnestly and could be contented to dye that sin might dye with them As Sampson said let me even dye with the Philistians if no other way will destroy their lusts But alas when they are to seek in point of assurance they look upon death as a dark passage that leadeth them they cannot tell whither this maketh them fly back this kills those desires nippeth them as soon as they put forth they come to no maturity But now when a man hath the right art of believing notwithstanding his body of death he groans under as the Apostle that yet he is perswaded through Christ it is pardoned and shall be utterly dissolved and not hinder him then he can bless the Lord and desires with Paul to be dissolved So many of the Patriarks it is said of them they dyed full of daies satisfied with daies that is to say they lived as long as they desired they had now a desire to be at home knowing that while they are present in the body they are absent from the Lord from that near and sweet and full Communion with him whereof they have had a little taste and earnest but if they know not that they shall be present with him by departure but for ought they know more separate from them no marvel if they go to death with drawing back Yet I deny not but a child of God may be ready before he desire it And may desire it before he be ready for this entrance I say a child of God may be ready before he desire it as in the case before mentioned and upon other grounds as Hezekiah and David that I may declare thy power to this generation may be ready and not have such an assurance but he is not ready for an abundant entrance until the Lord come with a full sealing of his love to his heart 2. He may desire it before he be ready as in some passionate impatient fit as Elijah 1 King 19. 4. weary of his life the King persecuting him and thinking he should fall by his hand would have God take away his life from him but he had not yet done his work And so Job God had not yet done with him he must pass through more changes and prosper and flourish again and hold forth his name to that generation before he departed he had not done his work But I speak of the serious settled well-grounded frame of a Believers heart upon a sound perswasion of the Love of God in Jesus Christ and a knowledge that he hath finished his course then for such a one to wait for his change when the blessed hour will come is a part of readiness for an entrance an abundant entrance into glory But this is not the portion of every child of God many Suns set in a Cloud c. For the second thing which are the arguments of the point they are such as these First because else Gods work would be in vain he hath prepared an inheritance for the Saints a Kingdom prepared before the world was and his work upon our hearts what is it but to prepare us for this Kingdom as the Apostle speaks he that hath wrought us to this self-same thing is God he hath wrought us to it there is no suitableness between heaven and an ungracious heart a glorious Kingdom and a vile filthy spirit therefore the Lord takes much pains with us to purge us to himself to purifie us to adorn us with the rich graces of his Spirit and all is to work us to heaven to salvation to prepare us for this entrance and therefore when God hath done this shall his work be in vain surely no not a soul that is so wrought up by the Lord to a heavenly frame and temper and nature that shall miss of an entrance when it is thus prepared else Gods work were in vain the greatest work of God 2. Because else the Lord Jesus would fail of his purchase and prayer for his poople who did buy us at so dear a rate as his own most precious blood was it think you to suffer us for ever to be at such distances from him whom he so dearly loved did his love to us draw him out of heaven to us and will it not think you draw us to heaven to him he will not have his Spouse that he hath redeemed with his blood to be absent from him any longer then is needful for his Fathers glory and their good It is a fruit of his death and of his prayer Father I will that where I am there they may be for they are the fulness of Christ and he accounteth himself as I may say imperfect without them and therefore he will have them there Indeed Brethren so dear is the heart of Jesus Christ to his people that he would not suffer so long an absence at so great a distance from them but that there is a necessity in it though at his first pitching his love upon us he looks at nothing but notwithstanding all blackness and deformity and loathsomness his love overcometh all Yet before they come to this Communion and fellowship with him they must be purified with spices and odors as those were for the King of Assyria and for other holy ends 3. Because else the promise of God and hope of the Saints would fail and heaven and earth shall sooner fail then the word of promise Christ hath promised not only to give life but eternal life God hath promised to give not only grace but glory there is a Crown laid up in the purpose and promise of God and if they should miss of this they would be made ashamed of their hope now this cannot be the Psalmist prayeth that he might not be ashamed of his hope which is virtually a promise it shall not be never any yet were disappointed that hoped upon right grounds Indeed if men make Promises to themselves of heaven let them live after the imaginations of their hearts or whether they truly believe or
many a sight of Jesus Christ sitting with his people at the round table and thou knowest not what thou losest yet if it be meer tenderness of Conscience which keepeth thee off and not perverseness thou hast sure much of the inward fellowship and communion with Christ otherwise he can if he please supply it otherwise but however though not admitted among men thou shalt enter in with Christ unto the Marriage-supper for ever and this will make amends for all Though far be it from me to strengthen any mans hands in the neglect of the Ordinances of Christ on earth and take heed that our excuses will speak loud enough for us in Gods ears whatever they do in mans But if thou canst not be admitted to the pipe Is it not a comfort that thou shalt be admitted to the fountain to the sea O methinks this should put on such above others make a vertue of necessity and so much the more long for his appearing to thee that thou mayst enter in with him to the Marriage-feast Fourthly and lastly It may serve to allay the bitterness of death It is a bitter thing not only to the wicked it is bitter it must needs having the sting of sin in it and being a trap-door as I may say to let them sink or drop into the everlasting flames this must needs be bitter But to the Saints it is in some sort bitter also nature is dissolved by it it is the fruit of sin and we find by continual experience of the Saints that there is a hanging back But methinks this consideration that it is an entrance into this Marriage-feast should much sweeten it to a child of God Our Saviours death was the bitterest that ever was endured O it was a deadly cup but this was it that sweetned it the consideration that he should drink this new wine with his people in his fathers kingdom there feast with him for ever for the joy that was set before him he endured the Cross so brethren do but set before you continually this joy this pouring out of this love of Christ upon your souls those immediate sincere full constant and eternal delights of your souls in the light and love of the Father and of the Son and see if it swallow not up the bitterness of death unto you But so much for this Doctrine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Here is the second Consideration of this coming of the Bridegroom a doleful consideration it is to all such as were not ready for the door was shut what is the sence of shutting the door in the Parable I suppose is easily understood that is to say an entrance is denied to them that were without as well as they that were within were shut in by the shutting of the door But I conceive that is the thing meant here the scope of the Verse being to shew the different end of a believer and an hypocrite the one is received into the Marriage-feast the other is shut out the door is clapt against them The Doctrine will be a sad word it is this That the Gate of heaven or the door will be clapt against all formal Professors and foolish Virgins that are not ready to enter with Christ for this is implied in the other part of the words they that were ready entred with Christ into the Marriage and the door was shut upon whom surely upon them that were not ready for that his coming whatever hopes they are big with now they prove abortive There is a door of entrance into Heaven and an outer door as I may say which I may call a door of hope which the Hypocrite hath not when it cometh to a pinch not a well-grounded hope The wicked is driven away in his wickedness but the righteous hath hope in his death There is a door of hope to him but none to the wicked but his hope which he had before many times at death is like the giving up of the Ghost without are dogs c. either filthy persons such as with the Dog returneth to the vomit again after their sorrow and vomiting up their sweet morsels such as with the Dog are sometimes sin-sick and seem to repent to vomit up the bottom of their stomacks but return to it again with delight after their repentance and tears and prayers these are shut out Dogs also who are they but such barking biting foul-mouth'd false Teachers such as the Apostle speaks of Beware of Dogs evil workers of the concision beware of such as would bring in the circumcision as necessary to Salvation beware of these they are Dogs though they may seem never so zealous and holy have a sheep-skin upon them they are Dogs and Woolves and all manner of workers of iniquity as Sorcerers Whoremongers and Idolaters and whosoever loveth and maketh a lye Why you will say these are not Hypocrites sure they are down-right profane persons brethren a man may live in these sins many of them and yet carry a fair shew but the gate shall be shut against them whoever they be As for Adultery or whoring though men be not guilty of the outward act is there not heart-adultery is there not contemplative wickedness against which Job resolveth I made a Govenant with mine eye why should I think upon a maid he that lusteth after her beauty in the heart commits adultery with her in his heart yea brethren by the thoughts the very spirits as I may say and oyl of sin are squeezed out or extracted as in a Limbeck and that is more deadly and dangerous a man may eat a thing and do him no great hurt but the oyl of it is deadly haply So the Murtherer it may be many a man that hath a form of Godliness never imbrued his hands in blood but his heart hath been steeped in blood full of envious and malicious thoughts he can with wishes and desires of revenge and malice murther and bury all his neighbours And so though it may be we make no pictures of Images or fall down before them to give them any absolute or relative worship yet we have Idols in our hearts we love money are covetous it may be and this is idolatry and fall down to our own parts our own gifts and live in this like it well these brethren shall have the door shut against them and such as love and make lyes though officious lyes to help others nothing more ordinary in mens Callings and Shops then to lye and speak falsly for a little advantage and yet it may be have a colour and a shew of Profession and allow themselves in these things They shall be shut out the door shall be clapt against them many shall seek to enter but shall not be able No marvel for the Gate is not only strait but shut against them it is strait when it stands open in mens lives and they will not strive and therefore fall short
Servants or to deliver all such relations no but it is meant here surely of a spiritual Liberty a freedom of the soul from its thraldom nay himself cometh to be a servant did he not rather sanctifie such a condition and relation then abolish it Secondly Then taking it for spiritual Liberty that is to say a freedom from Spiritual evils the subjection whereunto is a bondage to the poor creature we must know yet further that we may take it either in a larger or in a more restrained sense in a more restrained only for that liberty and freedom which the Saints have ever had through the Lord Jesus since the Covenant of Grace was preached to them and they closed with it for we must know that ever before Christ came in the flesh Believers believed in him to come they had a liberty through him as to the main parts of it and necessarily to salvation though haply not in that degree that now ordinarily Believers indeed have that freedom but there were some yoaks upon them then which now we are delivered from they are broken from off the necks of the Saints yea and such as were pinching yoaks indeed but yet less considerable by far then those from which they were delivered and set free so that now we see there is a larger liberty and more glorious which the sons of God have which will better appear when we come to speak to the parts of it only this I thought good to premiâ—e lost any should think that liberty began only when Christ was revealed in the flesh for it was the smallest part that then was added though I say the other liberty from the sore condemning destroying bondage of the soul they had before haply is now heightned to believers and so much by way of premise For the opening of this spiritual Liberty we shall consider 1. It s Subject 2. Its Causes 3. Its Parts extensive and intensive if we may so speak that is to say the degrees of it First then for the subject of this Liberty they are all Christians that are so indeed therefore it is called Christian Liberty not only from Christ the Author but from the Subjects they are Christians Believers both Jews and Gentiles Bond or Free Male or Female Jerusalem saith the Apostle which is above is free which is the Mother of us all all such then as receive the Gospel as the poor are said to do all those upon whom the Sun of righteousness doth arise they are set free they do go forth for the partial subject of this liberty that will better appear when we come to speak of the parts of this liberty some are for the freeing the minde some the will some the conscience some the whole man but of this afterward Secondly Then for the causes of this liberty which is here promised we shall speak to some of them First then The principal efficient cause is the Father Son and Spirit the work of the Trinity ad extra are individed the Father it is that cals us to liberty Ye are called to liberty saith the Apostle use it not as a cloke to the flesh I marvel saith the Apostle that you are so soon removed from him who hath called you into the Grace of Christ unto another Gospel The Apostle meaneth the calling to liberty which he cals the Grace of Christ and that Doctrine of the false teachers that would subject them again to the Law and Ceremonies and to that bondage subvert their liberty he cals it another Gospel And for the Son we have it If the Son make you free you shall be free indeed and stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free false Brethren came to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus that they might bring us into bondage And for the Spirit it is as clear The Law of the Spirit of life in Jesus Christ hath made me free from the Law of Sin and Death the mighty powerful working of the Spirit is called the Law of the Spirit as the powerful operation of Sin is called the Law of Sin and so in that place where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty and so the Spirit of Adoption it is that succedeth the Spirit of Bondage and setteth us free from that Bondage Secondly The impulsive cause is meerly his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his good pleasure yea his tender mercy his bowels So it is in the Original The bowels of our God whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us there is the arising of the Sun of rightousness upon us and the effect of it you have before That we being delivered from the hands of all our enemies might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness c. It is not misery is the motive only else he would do it for all as well as some for we are all of us in the same bondage naturally one as well as another Thirdly The meritorious cause is the blood of Jesus Christ no less then the blood of the Kings son is the price of the liberty of poor Slaves in bondage this must needs be tender mercy indeed rich love indeed so saith the Apostle That through death he might destroy him that hath the power of death that is the Devil no less then a Kings ransom is paid for the liberty of every poor creature that is made free and therefore he took upon him flesh and blood because the children were partakers of the same that he might die for them and to deliver them that for fear of death were in bondage all their life-time of which more afterward we are now speaking to the meritorious cause the price of his pretious mercy even the blood of Jesus Christ Fourthly The means of conferring or conveiging this liberty to poor Sinners is the Gospel of liberty the Covenant of Grace held out in the Gospel is the means and this is plain in many places As in that of Isaiah The Spirit of the Lord is upon me therefore he hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek to bind up the broken-hearted to proclaim liberty to the Captives if ever any preaching was the Gospel Christs preaching was and the Covenant who himself was given to be the Covenant to the people sure he would preach nothing but that or in subordination to that as he doth preach the Law too as would easily appear but we may not digress and so in thaâ— other place of Luke where either that or some of the fore-cited places in Isaiah are quoted Ye shall know the truth saith our Saviour and the truth shall make you free by truth there I take it is not meant indefinitely any truth whatever no nor a scriptural truth but the Gospel of truth which is called the truth Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ it is such a truth so pure and precious For his word is like
this terror and this bondage a means to their inlargement Ah blessed Prison that is only to make poor creatures willing to be at liberty well now this the Lord Jesus when he cometh and revealeth himself to a soul he brings him out of these labyrinths of fears and terrors letteth the poor creature see that himself is the way and the only way he hath undertaken the work for his people only if they will believe though they have no strength in them to do any thing nor to extricate themselves from the difficulties they find themselves in by reason they cannot fulfil the Law yet he is the mighty one upon whom help is laid and withal letteth them understand how his bowels do yern over them and how his heart is open ready to inlarge them and so perswadeth them to close with him and then they go forth when faith cometh so Christ is the end of the Law and the â—aw a School-Master to bring us to Christ But that is but the Sixth Seventhly Another part of this bondage is those after-claps of fears and terrours that after Christ hath been revealed to and in a soul may befall the creature alas you find it so they may be clapt up afterward in the pit of noise the horrible pit and be in the deeps and in darkness and like Jeremiahs dungeon sink in the mire where there is no standing they feel no bottom of their misery their fears are overwhelming or like Jonahs Whales belly they are in the belly of hell and all the waves and billows of God go over them O this is sore bondage however it be true that the Spirit of God is never any more a spirit of bondage to them to witness to them they are children of wrath afterward yet he doth not say but they may have bondage again and all fear hath torment and is bondage to the Spirit it doth fetter it and shut up and contract the spirits exceedingly Now I say the darkness of a mans own heart which doth naturally gender fear and Satan to help and the frowns of Gods displeasure for the present though he do not witness any more that a man is a child of eternal wrath and displeasure these may bring the poor creature into sad perplexities Well yet the Spirit of the Lord Jesus when he cometh brings also liberty with him from this bondage David will tel you so and Heman will tell you so do but consider what conditions they were in how came they to be delivered O lift up the light of thy countena nce upon me Son of God arise upon me shine upon my soul and then I shall be healed O restore to me the joy of thy salvation make me to hear joy and gladness c. Well the Promise doth extend even to this bondage also and to this may we refer the next I will speak of it distinctly Eightly There is another Bondage and that is the fears of death and judgement whereby many a poor creature is kept in Bondage all the days of their lives as the Apostle saith in that to the Hebrews to which I will speak a few words He came saith the Text and took part of flesh and blood that through death be might destroy him that hath the power of death that is to say the Devil and deliver them that through fear of death were all their life-time subject to Bondage Brethren death it self is a terrible thing the Simplex could say but hardly could he tell the reason of it for them that have no fear of God before their eyes but have put out the eye of reason and live like Beasts giving up themselves to commit wickedness with greediness though while they can keep off the apprehensions of death they may go on merrily but when that seizeth upon them it marrs their mirth it maketh a change in their faces and they are not now truly death is not so terrible in it self considered but that the stoutness of a mans spirit specially where there is no other consideration of it he may overcome it and live above the fears of it as the Heathens some of them did but now a man that knoweth indeed what death is not only a dissolution of the union between the soul and body taking down this mouldring Tabernacle but a Serpent with a sting it is where sin and guilt lies upon the soul it is the beginning of sorrows the arrest of the soul to judgement to come to receive its doom for all its bloody evils he hath been guilty of The wordling is not willing to give up his soul O he knoweth he can never answer for his wasting of his spirits and spending his time to lay up treasure here and in the mean time neglecting his soul and Jesus Christ and tenders of Grace he knoweth this well enough and therefore he will not yield up his Spirit they shall take it from him as it is in the Parable This night shall thy soul be taken from thee and so for any other sin and now I say this maketh death terrible and by reason of these fears of death men that have any sight or sense of their condition they are in Bondage all their lives long yea even the people of God themselves are in some measure under this bondage and according to the measure of the discovery of Christ to them and the power of faith in them is this fear and this bondage broken and the Lord Jesus came for this end to deliver them alas before his coming the Saints may be specially meant here who had indeed the knowledge of Christ to be crucified for Sinners and beheld him crucified though darkly in the sacrifices c. and in the promise from the foundation of the world but yet notwithstanding they had not that confidence usually but there was more room for doubtings and fears because they died still without the accomplishing of that promise now though such as had an extraordinary measure of faith and a prophetical spirit might see this clearly and so it might raise them much what above this bondage yet ordinarily I believe it was not so that they had such clear conviction of the freeness of grace and the abundance and riches of it in Jesus Christ and therefore it did not so fâ—lly quiet their Spirits in respect of fears of death and judgement they did not so clearly see the sting pluckt out therefore the Apostle saith those Sacrifices though they did hold out Christ could not make the comers thereunto perfect and therefore they were often repeated But now the Lord Jesus he hath by once offering for ever perfected compleated their salvation and therefore you shall find that the Apostle and others do so triumph over death and the grave and sin as we hardly find any before the coming of Christ and it must needs be so because now the Spirit which is the liberty of the Saints was poured out in a
grow in this Grace may he not say to us O ye of little Faith why do ye doubt why do you walk so pensively and hang the head to the dishonour of my Grace may he not say O ye of little Faith why do you perplex your selves and rack your selves with cares of the World what ye shall eat and drink and how ye shall be prvoided for doth not your heavenly Father take care of you O ye of little Faith why do ye in every perplexity and trouble as men at a loss run to this creature and that creature and not to the Lord wherein your help doth lie O ye of little Faith why do you when means fail then cast away your hope as if there were no help in God as if because the streams were dried up therefore the fountain must needs be dry also therefore Brethren labour to grow in this Grace if ever you would do any eminent service for Christ or honour him set the crown on him in any condition labour to be strong in Faith Thirdly In that Grace of Love labour to grow therein First to the Lord himself to Jesus Christ It may be thou dost love him and according to the measure of Faith and Knowledge of him the soul will love him usually but we must labour to love him much more love we take it kindly if it be from the meanest person and so doth the Lord Jesus O love the Lord ye his Saints you cannot love him too much do you alway err in his love the more you love him the more you may for there is no end of his perfections his love his mercy his bowels towards you there is no searching of them you may go yet deeper and deeper and find a ground for the increase of your love still you love Relations Husband Wife Children and more for relation then for any excellency in them many times fond we are O that we could be so fond of Jesus Christ how sick of love was Rachel yea sick to the death for children and so is many a fond mother O we cannot live without them Ah how few are thus sick of love to Jesus Christ well lobour to love him and to this end First Labour to present the Lord and Jesus Christas most lovely to thee while thou entertainest hard thoughts of Jesus Christ thou canst not love him if thou thinkest thus with thy self I would fain have him but he is not willing to have me if thou look upon him as rigorous and cruel and one that delights in your blood it is impossible that you should love him O no labour to present him to your selves as one whose bowels are continually yearning over poor souls poor sinners one full of compassions full of mercy and tenderness he desires not the death of a sinner the Lord Jesus Brethren is altogether lovely it is true for his holiness his purity as well as his grace and mercy but this is that which most moveth to love at least while we are under weakness it is an high pitch to love him for the beauty of Holiness that is in him Think often then seriously upon it what dear thoughts the Lord Jesus had to poor sinners that rather then they should perish he would interpose between them and the everlasting burnings though be were sorely scorched for it O will not this draw love look upon him with his precious blood trickling down and one drop overtaking another O what haste did love make O how lavish was his love he would not spare any pains any travel of soul that sinners might live and can you but love him then O what an heart must that creature have that can look upon the Lord Jesus wrestling with strongest wrath of his Father so that he needed the Ministry of Angels at that time and yet not love him try see whether such considerations as these will not heighten your love to him we complain of want of love Brethren we cannot love a thing we know not or that we consider not see then if you do not find still some new beauty in him for which you should love him yet the more Secondly Let it be much upon your hearts how much he hath forgiven thee Alas saith the poor soul if I knew that that my sins were forgiven I should love him indeed abundantly It may be thou hast not a full perswasion of it but hast thou not a good hope through Grace and such a lively hope as setteth a working out the scum the pollution of thy heart more and more Is not this cause of great love to him why he hath not left thee to sink in despair and perish O how much did that sinner love him because he had forgiven her much therefore she loved much Dear friends could this be think you without her heart dwelt upon this consideration it was fresh upon her spirit O the more she considered it the more apparent were the riches of Grace towards her O so many Devils cast out of me would the Lord Jesus have such precious thoughts toward such a wretch as I what an Harlot a filthy unclean wretch and would he think upon me and pitch his love upon me and pass by many others that had it may be but one devil and make love to me that had seven O she could not hold her bowels within her were ready to break she must love him she must hang upon him even upon his feet she must wash him with her tears and wipe them with the hairs of her head though before as harlots use to do she had been much in tricking and trimming her head yet now they shall be dishrifled and now they shall be a Towel to wipe the feet of Jesus Christ O here is love kiss his feet if she may not kiss his lips and blessed soul that had such an heart given her Now Brethren consider this have not some of us had seven devils have there not been seven abominations in our hearts O it may be we have been fornicators adulterers filthy unclean wretches as vile wretches as ever breathed now consider this often is it so indeed hath the Lord looked upon such as we have been pitched his love upon the vilest of us and to make us so nigh to himself and shall we not love him O where are such workings of love towards the Lord Jesus as that poor woman manifested our hearts are dead and dry So the Apostle Paul His love of Christ constrained him O he was the chief of Sinners and the Lord did so eminently save him and call him out of darkness when he was in the very height of his wickedness that then mercy should â—eet with him that then a pardon should descend from heaven when he was fighting and rebelling against heaven and he should be conquered by the love of Christ whose heart was full of blood against him O this lying upon his spirit did indear his soul to
there are in the heart of Jesus Christ towards a poor sinner as a Father that for a time to humble his child will make it strange to him O how full is his heart how much ado hath he to hold as Joseph to his Brethren O it is the rejoycing of Jesus Christ when poor sinners do come to him to see his seed to see his blood that was sowed and his Semen Ecclesiae to come up it is his rejoycing and will any Husband man in the world that sows precious seed when it puts forth beat it down again nip off the buds the tops of it it cannot be he is grieved when poor creatures will not be perswaded to come through hardness of heart and unbelief and waywardness we will not come to the fountain but sit down it may be some of us with Hagar weeping over our empty bottles and making sad moan and complaints for want of righteousness because of sin and yet come not to him this is a grief to him as it was among the Jews O did he ever in the daies of his flesh refuse any poor creature that came to him either for healing of soul or body which is the lesser yea when they came some of them for the healing of the body did he not heal the soul and all out of the abundant riches of his love to poor creatures O surely then now he is in heaven at the right hand of the Father being no less tender of his poor people if any come now he will in no wise cast them out Well the Lord write these arguments upon our hearts it may be some of us may have occasion or have at present need of them to perswade us of this truth We now come to the Application Vse 1. And first in the first Vse It may serve for a lamentation to lament the backwardness of our hearts to come to Jesus Christ for if our hearts were not backward to come to him what need all this ado to make poor creatures willing to come to Jesus Christ O what is the reason what a strange enmity is in our hearts against the Lord Jesus that we run away from him instead of coming yea though he follow with a Pardon in his hand purchased with his blood O I am Jesus who dyed for you turn unto me my heart is toward you turn unto me I delight not in your death turn unto me O why will ye die and yet poor creatures will not be perswaded to come to Jesus Christ O what is it what is it Brethren that can keep us off thus from Jesus Christ in our unwillingness to close with him to come unto him have not many of us many times clearly been convinced that our condition hath been slark naught that we stand guilty before God and he will by no means clear the guilty and convinced that in Jesus Christ there is a doing away of this guilt a bloting out of the hand-writings that are against us and contrary to us if we will but come to him No we are like sullen creatures will rather perish then come to Jesus Christ I do not believe but many of us are convinced and what shift can we make to smother our convictions I know not but it appears we come not to Jesus Christ As long as the Prodigal could have husks to fill his belly with he would not come home to his Father as long as ever the poor woman in the Gospel had any thing to spend upon the Physitians she came not to Jesus Christ as long as ever poor sinners can make a shift to daub over the breaches that sometimes the Word maketh upon their consciences they will not come O the fault lies in the Will Brethren Ye will not come unto me saith our Saviour that ye might have life how often would I have gathered you as a Hen doth her Chickens and ye would not they would rather perish then be healed by such an hand even the hand of Jesus Christ O the deadly enmity that is in every one of us by nature What we are not willing to part with sins and therefore we come not to Jesus Christ we are not willing to be healed wilt thou be made whole we are prophane and we would be so still proud and would be so still unclean and would be so still We know if we come to him put on Christ we must put off the lusts of our former conversation O wretched love to sin that preferreth it before the Lord Jesus before the salvation of our poor souls What are we loth through the pride of our hearts to take the shame of our iniquities Haply something of this nature kept off the Prodigal Is it not more shame to do sin then to acknowledge it when it is done what is it Brethren how strange a thing is it that men should take such pains to hew out broken Cisterns to themselves that will hold no water dig deep into the world to find some rest there exhaust their strength in duties in prayers and tears as many self-Saviours do specially the Papists and I wish there be none among us rather then they will come to Jesus Christ to accept of that righteousness that pardon which shall cost us nothing but acceptance O the pride of our hearts O the enmity of our hearts against the Lord Jesus and is there such an heart in every one of us Brethren Yea even in the best until he overcome us with his loving-kindness and is not this a thing worthy to be bewailed Yea if it were possible with tears of blood being such an aversion from the blood of Jesus Christ and the dearest love of our Saviour to poor creatures Or what is it Brethren is it the more love we find from Jesus Christ are our hearts the more averse from him if he did profess himself an enemy to us to destroy and slay us if we came near him to scatter us with the streams of flaming indignation issuing from his throne and presence we could do no more then run away from him as many of us now do O that we could lay it to heart The second Vse shall be to shew us the grievous nature of the sin of unbelief and haply this may make poor creatures afraid of straining curtesie with Christ and afraid to come to him because of their vileness c. to complement with him First Consider but the unreasonableness of the sin of unbelief above other sins indeed though all sin be unreasonable other sins they have some pretence of profit or pleasure but this hath nothing but wo and misery attending it condemnation But that I shall not insist upon for there is hardly any thing but Satan and a mans carnal reason will put a specious pretence upon it Therefore consider this unreasonableness First in respect of our selves that being plunged into such a depth of distraction and misery of sin and guilt and wrath that
when we are sinking and drowning we will not so much as put out the hand to lay hold upon a twig upon something held out to us is not this unreasonable and unnatural it raceth out the principle of self-preservation that is in every man by nature so that I will be bold to say the greatest reason in the world improved to keep off a poor soul from Jesus Christ is unreasonable it is the depravation of our carnal reason had it not been unreasonable if Hagar having a fountain opened her before her eyes and she languishing for thirst and must perish without it and yet would sit still is not this unreasonable Again If we look upon the Lord Jesus who seeks to us beseecheth us to accept of him of mercy of pardon in his blood the Creator cometh down to the creature poor worms who have our being by his Word and might be dissolved with his Word and yet we stand it out and will not accept of him who would bestow himself and his infinite all-sufficiency upon us and we will not is not this unreasonable that a Prince should seek to a worthless rebel to be reconciled and he will not hear of it If he had any need of us and upon that account would have poor sinners to come to him to make a supply of his wants it were something but all the want the indigency is on our part and therefore unbelief is the more unreasonable thing O how might we here break out and say hear ye heavens and give ear O earth for the Lord Jesus the Lord of both heir of all things the offended Majesty seeks to poor rebelling worms to be reconciled but they will not hear of it they come not in they close not with him Secondly As the unreasonableness of the thing so also we may take notice of the injuriousness of this sin of unbelief I would a little insist upon this sin the more because that though I find many a poor heart seemeth to be weary of sin and afraid of sinning against God in other kinds yet seeth not in the mean time how exceedingly he sins against him by his unbelief not closing with Christ and coming to him therefore see in the second place the injuriousness of this sin of unbelief how injurious it is to Jesus Christ Brethren for if the truth were known what is the reason wherefore we need so much ado why we come not in to him We either think he cannot save us our sins are so great O saith one there was never such a wretch as I though he have accepted of great sinners such as Paul and Manasses and Magdalen yet there was never such a wretch as I O surely my wounds are such there is no healing for them What is this but to make Jesus Christ weak and a Physitian of no value Is there any sin higher then the imbrewing their hands in the blood of Jesus Christ himself and suppose thou be such an one and this is that thou cryest out of thou hast come so often to the Lords Supper with a common heart which is to be guilty of his blood accessary to his death and cannot his blood cleanse even from the guilt of them that shed it were not many of the Jews sensible os this how dishonourable is this to Jesus Christ when we will be measuring of him by our selves we are apt to think of pardon and mercy as far as a mans a creatures bowels and thoughts will reach mind there is an end not minding that he is God as well as man this is an high wrong unto our Saviour O he will not saith the poor soul if he can yet he will not sure receive such an one as I O I am so laden and so loathsom a wretch what should he do with such an one as I What is it possible thou shouldest remember how many promises how many invitations how many expostulations he hath made what intreaties to poor creatures to be reconciled to him and yet call in question his willingness why what do you make of Jesus Christ O how doth unbelief in effect dethrone Jesus Christ disgracing the Throne of his Glory robbeth him of his mercy of his power his love his bowels of that which he most glorieth in and is not this injurious then to thy dear Saviour Would not you think it a wrong to you from one of your children that had offended you as highly as you can imagine suppose he had sought your life as Absolom did Davids and now the Father seeks thou suest to thy son O how many promises thou heapest up one upon another backest them with oaths wooest him intreatest him to be reconciled to accept of a pardon No he believeth you not notwithstanding all you can do or say that you are real in the thing is not this injurious doth he not wrong exceedingly in this as well as in the former and is not this the very case Thirdly See how much unkindness there is in this sin of unbelief as it is directly against the love the bowels of Jesus Christ which sound toward poor creatures in the Gospel in every intreaty to be reconciled to him Brethren what could the Lord Jesus do more for us then he did was not his life dear to him even to the death sor poor sinners that there might be a pardon for us and do we thus requite him even to slight it never to mind it or if we do sometimes a little yet to stand out and not to close with him What unkindness was it in the Jews it is so recorded of them he came to his own and his own received him not that is to say his own flesh and blood and so he is ours as well as others but he came of them according to the flesh in a nearer manner and sent to them in the first place they received him not But to come to Us poor Gentiles out-casts that were strangers afar off with a desire to make us near in his blood near to his Father and to himself is this love nothing to be thus slighted for how few among us do believe in the Lord Jesus notwithstanding all this nothing breaks the heart of a creature more then unkindness and surely Brethren me thinks the thoughts of this if our hearts were not stony should be a breaking of our hearts that we have hitherto so many of us dealt so unkindly with Christ as we have done But fourthly see the dangerousness of this sin of unbelief that we may be set a trembling by reason of this sin as well as any other and be weary of this as well as any other 1. Other sins have but their own particular guilt each of them particularly binding over a poor soul to wrath and entayling the curse of the Law upon a poor sinner so every sin doth every oath every lie every unclean thought wanton look adultery fornication of the body the heart or eye but unbelief
is that which binds the guilt of all other sins upon the soul besides its own proper guilt which is not the least as you have heard before I say it binds all upon the soul if Paul had not believed all the guilt of his persecution had yet lain upon his head O saith our Saviour if ye believe not ye shall dye in your sins not only in your unbelief but in all your sins so that this unbelief it is the very edge as I may say of all other guilt whatsoever and therefore how dangerous a sin it is judge ye you are terrified and affrighted with your grievous abominations rebellions filthiness of your waies you never think of it haply but your heart sinketh within you why know this this day that unbelief is that which keepeth all this upon the soul if that thou wouldst but aceept of deliverance in Jesus Christ take him close with him come to him he would not cast you out he would not turn you away without a pardon but the reason of your burthens upon you is because of unbelief Secondly It is dangerous because above other sins it brings a mans blood upon his own head that is a sad word me thinks that of the Apostle I take God to witness that I am pure from the blood of all men if you perish your blood will be upon your head that is to say you are guilty of your own death your own murther your own damnation and everlasting separation from God much more may our blessed Saviour say I am free from the blood of you all sinners I have dyed for you made an All-sufficient satisfaction to the Justice of my Father for all sins laid down a price enough to ransom you and yet you would none of me you cared not for it I have made this known to you else you had had some excuse some cloak but you have no cloak for your sins for your unbelief If I had not wooed you intreated you to be reconciled by my Messengers then it had been something to extâ—nuate at least but alas he hath done all this and more Brethren infinitely then I am able to speak for poor sinners and yet they will not close with him why then Jesus Christ is clear from your blood he hath done what he undertook to do of his Father spared not himself to the least drop of wrath and of his own blood and yet we will not come to him O this must needs bring poor sinners blood upon their own heads Thirdly This unbelief brings the blood of Jesus Christ upon our heads for if after all this that he hath done and said to perswade us to make us willing to close with him we stand it out are we not guilty of his blood as well as of our own If an unworthy receiving of the Lords Supper bring a man under this guilt will not an unbelieving heart in hearing of this Gospel bring a man under the same guilt for is it not the same Jesus that is held forth broken for sinners and the same blood shed for sinners that is held forth in the Lords Supper to the eye and in the Gospel Preached to the ear even so plain as if it were before their faces as the Apostle saith to the Galathians O me thinks this should make us afraid of resting any longer in this condition of unbelief and make us look about us the Jews as hard-hearted as they were could not endure their consciences prickt them I believe and did flie in their faces and therefore would not endure the Apostles to Preach Christ say they ye would bring upon us the blood of this man O me thinks this stirs the stoutest sinners among us I delight not to bring to you Brethren such sad things as these are nor to bring the blood of Jesus upon your heads but let us take heed we do it not our selves for we shall find that this will be the dregs of the cup of wrath if we will not be reclaimed that ever we have so much under-valued the Lord Jesus as to cast his love behind us by our unbelief The third Vse shall be then of Exhortation to every poor soul to come to Jesus Christ for you that are yet in your hardened condition never made sensible of your need of Christ I have the less hopes to prevail with you for this Doctrine is foolishness to such it is foolishness to speak much of the soveraignty of a medicine the readiness of a Physitian to heal to a man that feels not that he is wounded and such is the Doctrine of Christ and of faith to many a poor soul but there are some poor souls that haply are convinced of their lost condition by nature and see that all the water in the bottle is spent and yet cannot see the fountain near them opened haply for grief for weeping they are over-charged with sorrow and yet come not to Jesus Christ O that the Lord Jesus who hath received the tongue of the Learned for this end to speak a word in due season would speak by the mouth of his poor unworthy Messenger to such hearts What is the reason that thou wilt not come to Jesus Christ art thou resolved to sit languishing over an empty bottle and perish when there is refreshing to be had in Jesus Christ O no saith the poor soul I would not sit still and perish if there be healing and mercy to be had why dost thou not believe that he is able to save to the utmost where sin hath most abounded there Grace can superabound yea it is the glory of his Grace so to do If I thought there were any stuck at this I would spend a few words upon it but consider those Scriptures fore-mentioned but the main thing is whether Jesus Christ will accept of such a wretch as I have been saith one O you know not the vileness of my heart the horrid pollutions of my ways else you would have harder thoughts of me therefore thou art ready to conclude that he will not look at thee sure Let me here propound a few Considerations to thee First Consider how injurious it is to Grace to measure it by our thoughts limit not the holy one of Israel it is the Glory of God The Lord the Lord God gracious and merciful and that whereby he infinitely transcendeth all other gods and men Who is like unto thee pardoning iniquity transgression and sin and canst thou comprehend the Glory of God in thy poor narrow thoughts thou it may be thinkest O if any man had so offended me I could not have born it I could never have been reconciled to him again but if thou canst not it may be another can it is much that the Lord enables his people to love to pray for to be ready to embrace those that in the most bloody manner seek their lives if they come and close with Christ as the Disciples
compass of this Covenant of Grace and afterward perish the deeper will they sâ—nk those will burn with a witness that are cut off from the Vine the visible Church of the Olive as unprofitable dead and barren branches Yet it is a priviledge and a great act of grace to be of the Olive Is it nothing to be one of Gods houshold or family to be under his provision his protection and guidance in a special manner to be in the state of separation to God of old and sealed up therein to God by Circumcision It was profitable much every way the Apostle said Yea I will say more That the greater force a thing hath to aggravate the condemnation of poor Creatures the greater the mercy is Shall we say the Preaching of the Gospel is not a mercy because this is the condemnation indeed that light is come into the world The second use may be to help the people of God over a stumbling block which may be an offence to them happily in some Churches of Christ either such as themselves walk with or others It may be there are some in such or such a Church whose spirits thou canst not savour thou hast them in suspition and therefore thou canst not be free to have fellowship with them Or if thou be in Fellowship thou art ready to withdraw upon such an account First be sure to take heed of making breaches in thy love It thinketh no evil hopeth all things that are hopeable And dost thou know how much smoke there may be with some fire how much corruption and ashes there may be and yet some fire Therefore take heed of judging the state and Condition of men where they are not in the course of their lives prophane and scandalous 2. Much more take heed of that dividing and separating upon such an occasion as this for did not our Saviour walk with his disciples though he knew Judas a devil and doubtless it was more a grief to him then it can be to us the less holiness the less evil will grieve and a man is more tender there must needs be all tenderness where there is no sin to harden it O then let us arm our selves with the same minde There were great abuses in the Church of Corinth and yet he stirreth not them up to division but love rather Why but you will say when they become scandalous what should we do then Why then the Church ought to deal with them judiciously to enquire into them admonish them censure and cast them out if the other preparative means with waiting upon God in them will not do it That is clear in the incestuous person and again If any that is called a brother be a drunkard or a rayler c. with such a one no not to eat it is clear whether they might so withdraw from him before the Church had censured him under tryal I think not for then he was to be as a heathen in respect of communion and yet not accounted an enemy but esteemed as a brother now truly if the Church be so over-run with this hem 〈…〉 k for want of weeding like the slothful mans vineyard over-grown with thorns and thistles Through the sloth of the Church and officers the ordinance of excommunication so neglected that now they are grown so corrupt as there is no way lefâ— according to the rule of Christ to purge them what other means is left in such a case but withdrawing I do not understand 3. It may teach us notwithstanding the sad condition of such as continuing members of the visible Church yet remain in an unregenerate state happily we all look upon our selves to be members of the Church of Christ but have we this grace in our hearts this oyl in our Lamps we have a name and profession but can we say that Christ is in us the hope of glory If not brethren our condition is sad indeed we are a people that happily the world can lay nothing to our charge we may put the best side outward like painted sepulchers but what is within what is within but rottenness remember that though men cannot judge your hearts but hope the best of you brethren yet there is one which searcheth the heart and judgeth the heart and of you according to your hearts though his Disciples cannot finde out Judas yet our Saviour would finde him out at last hâ—s eys are like a flaming fire Let your hypocrisie be as deep as it may it shall not be hid from the light nor from the scorching heat thereof Yea consider seriously brethren that those things you glory most in and pillar up your selves with they will be your ruine if you remain in this condition and that is the Ordinances you have the Covenant preached and sealed to you from time to time and communion with the Saints you think this is enough you cannot miscarry the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord you trust in lying words for they will deceive you may you not be children of the Kingdom and yet cast out yet will not this be the thing which will sink you that you have been children of the kingdom and yet fall short of the kingdom You come to the feast for theâ—e is a wedding feast the Gospel and the Ordinances are whereof see pag. 106. which you are to understand all the administrations of the grace in the Kingdom the Gospel-Ordinances this is the feast of fat things the fat things of heaven you may be admitted to this feast to all the Ordinances not a dish upon the table but you may eat of it But alas brethren if you be yet in the gall of bitterâ—â—ss though you go for sweet Christians all turns to gall and poyson to your souls It is impossible for such a man or such a woman ever to come worthily to partake of the Ordinances a child of God hath much ado with his heart to bring it into frame to get the spirit fixed to sing and give praise to prepare his heart and much pains many times and the work done but in a little part yet there is mercy to accept where we do our best there is habitual preparation there are the graces of the spirit and there is Christ put on by faith for righteousness and holiness but the graces are not so lovely so stirred up and much ado to blow away the ashes and they flye about our ears sometimes that we even lose our selves in the work But yet God will be mercifull and cover our shortness if we reach but this the sense of our unpreparation and be â—uâ—bled for it But now thou that art a hypocrite and an unregenerate man thou canst never be prepared to come to hear to receive the Supper and so they prove the savour of death to death thou hast no promise thou canst build upon but that they will be thy bane Alas poor soul how many times hast thou
drunk the cup of the Lord and it hath been a cup of deadly wine to thy soul thou hast eaten and drunken thy judgement and condemnation so often that thou art even stupifyed and past feeling it is to be feared it not onely argues a desperately hard heart to come and look upon Christ crucifyed held out in those Ordinances as our meat and drink to nourish us and not to relent but it hardens us so much the more Thou mayst yet come oft ento receive the Supper of the Lord but as often as thou dost it thou dost but more deeply poyson and fill thy soul O! Brethren that the Lord would let us see this day whether this be our condition and we have rotten hearts covered over with a glorious profession that we might not dare to draw near for we cannot have a Wedding-garment upon us brethren if we have not the habits of grace if we have not Christ for righteousness and holiness how can we act that grace which we have not Thou art fit for any thing else but for the worship of God thou art fit for thine own occasions and fit to serve the Devil to be at his beck but not to worship God in those Ordinances remember remember brethren though you may have somewhat now to answer us when we preach this word and to answer your own consciences and can make a shift to silence them when they tell you though you have a profession and name and are reckoned among the Saints yet you never were born again never did put on Christ indeed you cannot have a wedding garment though you may brethren deceive your selves and us and take this and that for a wedding-garment when the Lord Jesus shall come and ask you how comest thou in hither without a wedding garment thou hadst not a dram of grace thou never puttest me on for righteousness in believing how camest thou hither how durst thou be so bold as to draw nigh to my table to meddle with my precious blood and body broken for sinners when thou haddest not a wedding garment on you shall then be speechless it shall be so evident O take him bind him hand and foot hang these Ordinances and priviledges which he hath so long abused my blood and body which he hath eaten and drunk that is to say Sacramentally the signs of them as those in 1 Cor. 10. they did all eat the same spiritual meat c. and yet most of them perished sink him sink him he hath trampled my blood under his foot counted it an unholy thing else he would never have cared to have come with an unholy heart to it therefore now I will trample his soul in my fury unto the lowermost hell O! how this will sharpen the teeth of the gnawing worm to eternity O how this will inrage the flames of those everlasting burnings therefore consider this your sad condition let it be a terrible word to you the Lord give you hearts to tremble at it And in the last place Let us take heed how we rest and lean upon a profession and a name Methinks there needs no more Arguments to move us then what hath been spoken already What folly is it for a man to hang his weight upon that which he is told will break and then he falls into an irrecoverable gulf O! that we had that alway sounding in our ears in the seventh of Mat. Lord Lord open to us we have done this and that heard thee preach done wonderful works they were visible Saints surely at least and yet he calls them workers of iniquity which they might do in secret acts with pretences for God but intending themselves What if Simon Magus had had that power to give the gift of the Holy Ghost and had done it and replenished his purse by it for likely he that would have bought it would have been as ready to have sold it again he might have past for a Saint but what would his end have been O Brethren consider your latter end the Lord teach you that one point of wisdom that so in time 〈◊〉 may flee from that wrath to come But so much for this Doctrine also Verse 3 and 4. And they that were foolish took their Lamps and took no oyl with them But the wise took oyl in their vessels with their Lamps WE may read a wise man or a fool in his actions and so here the foolish took no oyl with their Lamps and what more foolish then that For the opening of the words I shall not need to say much by the Lamps I understand here a profession of Jesus Christ a name a shew the Apostle speaks of the Saints as light-bearers they should be burning and shining lights as John was Light there is and sometimes appearing heat even in formal professors as you see in the case of John how zealous for God And Judas a man would have thought him zealous when he said Why is this waste but it is like the light of the glow-worm touch it and it hath neither light nor heat they are indeed sparks of our own kindling as it is in that place of Isaiah the sparks there may be the action of Devotion and Duty which may be elicited or educed by the help of nature and of education and custom the conscience being enlightened by the Law of God in some measure and self-love working somewhat in men will put them on to do something to quiet their Consciences but alas these sparks quickly go out and the Lamp is put out in obscure darkness There may be also somewhat of Common-grace some enlightning of the minde and some kinde of affection as the second ground received the word gladly and Herod heard John gladly but a great difference between these and the Disciples who receiveed the word gladly the one rejoyced happily in that which in the word is suitable to a carnal appetite as the Eloquence as those in the Prophet thou art to them as one that plays on an Instrument but the other rejoyced in that of Christ which is therein found So the Bee is pleased with the Flower the Sheep with the Blade the Bird with the Seed and the Swine with the Root But new for the oyl in the vessels what is that The foolish took no oyl in their vessels with their lamps By this I understand brethren the oyl of the Spirit ye have received an anointing the Spirit of grace and the grace of the Spirit of Christ the Spirit dwelling in us there is a Cruse opened that will never be drawn dry like the Fountain of waters or Rivers springing up with eternal life it never sails By this then I understand the true saving work of grace in the heart a receiving of the Spirit of grace the Spirit of Christ by faith as the Apostle speaks by the hearing of faith by the Gospel the word of faith which was blessed to the working of saith in