the Gospel by the Cunning Craftiness of Men being ready to receive any strange Notion or close in with a New Scheem of Religion some turning to Judaism and add Moses to Christ or joyn to the Gospel their own Works they are commonly corrupt either in Principles or Practices or in both making a stir about the Mint Annis and Commin i. e. about the smaller matters of Religion as concerning Meats and Observation of Days as if in such things lay the great stress of Christianity how many are there who like those false Teachers and deluded People in the Primitive Times plead for Justification some other way than by Faith only and bring in their own inherent Holiness and sincere Obedience and add that to the Merits of Christ in point of Justification before God or exalt the Power and Will of the Creature to the Eclipsing the Doctrine of Free-Grace Sirs tho' I will not deny but many sincere Christians may be shaken by the wind of false and corrupt Doctrine or drawn away through the subtilty of men yet no doubt chiefly they are the Light Formal and Chassy Professors which are carried away and Tossed too and fro with every wind of Doctrine and this because of the want of Grace a sound Judgment and a good Understanding in the Mysteries of the Gospel A good understanding saith David have all they that do his Commandments Moreover such who seem unsetled in their places in Gods House or particular Churches where they are Members being uneasie and every little difference that may arise in a Congregation is ready to turn them away or seem to be moved and disturbed at the Charges the Interest of Christ or which the House of God calls for these I say give cause to fear they are but Chaff or under great Temptation if Sincere Secondly By Chaff may also be meant Sin Filth and Corruption which cleaveth to the Hearts and Lives of true believers which Christ by the Fan of his Word Spirit and Afflictions as you have heard purges out He shall purify the Sons of Levi and purge them as Gold and Silver that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness This is spoken of Jesus Christ whose Fan is in his hand It shews his Work and Office namely to refine and fan his People not only Members but Ministers also signified by the Sons of Levi that they all may offer acceptable Service unto God Besides our Lord Jesus sometimes makes use of wicked Men as a Fan in his hand to purge his People and thus he did of old fan Israel by the Babylonians and by the Assyrians I will send unto Babylon Fanners as I have sometime fanned and scattered my people by them so will I fan them by the Medes and Persians who shall empty the Land of them After Christ hath fanned or purged away the Chaff and Filth of the Daughter of Zion he will fan their Enemies and they being all Chaff the wind of his Indignation will drive them away Let this be noted that Christ hath many ways to fan and purge his People yet still it is for their good and they shall lose nothing but their chaff their Sin and Corruptions thereby Quest Fourthly Why are the Saints compared to Wheat Answ I answer for many Reasons 1. Wheat is a choice Grain the best Grain so true Believers are a choice People in Christ's sight The righteous is more excellent than his Neighbour they are called the excellent in all the Earth God calls his People his Jewels or choice Treasure they are men of a high and heavenly Birth of a high sublime and excellent Spirit they are espoused by an excellent person act and are influenced by excellent principles and have glorious Ends and Aims in all they do and from hence may be compared to Wheat 2. Wheat hath much pains used with it the ground must be made good it must be well plow'd and manured before the Wheat is sown so the hearts of poor sinners must be first made good and by spiritual Convictions be plowed up before the seed of Grace is sown for like as Believers are compared to Wheat so is also the Grace of God Wheat must be weeded as well as gathered into the Barn and also Threshed fanned and well Purged Believers may be compared to Wheat upon this respect Christ takes much pains to speak after the manner of men with his own Elect not only by Plowing Manuring but by sowing watering weeding fanning and Purging them like Wheat 3. Wheat will endure cold Frosts and Snow and all manner of bitter and sharp Weather better than any other Grain Sow Barly before Winter and you will find but little of it will live but Wheat will live in the sharpest Winter that can come what a good Harvest had we here in England after the last great Frost alas the Wheat was not destroyed thereby but was made better the Weeds and Worms being killed which is found to hurt and annoy it oft-times Even so sincere Christians who are Christs Spiritual Wheat abide faithful under the greatest Trials Persecutions and Afflictions they can meet withal they endure the Frosts and bitter North-Winds of Tribulation and furious Storms of the Wrath of wicked men which kills the false-hearted Professor they die and wither away they can't live and maintain their seeming hope and Confidence when true Believes can a Hypocrite is but Summer Corn or rather Weeds or Tares that spring up with the Wheat tho' they look like it yet are only the product of Natural Conscience or the common Influences of the Sun or Gospel of Jesus Christ 4. An Ear of Wheat when it is near ripe doth hang down its head the Corn being full and weighty when light and empty Ears hold up theirs commonly a light and chaffy Ear stands strait upright in a lofty manner So a true gracious Christian is of an humble Spirit he hangs down his head as it were and is ashamed of his best Duties and Services seeing so great weaknesses and Infirmities to attend him he abhors himself yea loaths himself he knows he hath nothing to glory in but in the Cross of Jesus Christ he sees himself nothing Unto me who am less than the least of all Saints is this Grace given saith Paul what an humble Person was he what a full and weighty Ear of choice Wheat was this Apostle If you see a Man or Woman proud or of an haughty and conceited Spirit being lifted up you may conclude they are but empty Ears no true Grace being in their hearts 5. Wheat hath its Chaff cleaving oft-times close to it yea it will stick and cleave so to it that it is not easily separated So it is with Christs Spiritual Wheat the filth or Chaff of internal Corruption is very subject to cleave to them and hard it is for them to get rid of it When I would do good Sin is present with me for the good I would I do not but the evil which I would not do that do I. Oh! wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of Death I am as if he should say even wearied with continual Combating I cannot get rid of this dead Body this inward Filth and Corruption the remainders of Sin in
ears So Gods Wrath like a dreadful and an unexpected fire breaks out sometimes suddenly upon the ungodly How surprizing were the flames of Sodom and the amazing hand-writing on Belshazars wall when he was drinking Wine in Bowls immediately the Kings countenance was changed and he was troubled in his thoughts so that the joynts of his Loins were loosed and his Knees smote one against the other When they cry peace and safety then sudden destruction cometh as travail upon a woman with child and they shall not escape 3. A fire sometimes breaks forth in the Night when men are asleep So God comes upon men many times in the night of ignorance and unbelief while they lye on their Beds of Ease and carnal Security by amazing Judgments or by sudden Death How secure was the old World and the rich man in the Gospel to whom God said this night thy soul shall be required of thee 4. A consuming Fire destroys wasts and devours exceedingly as Sodom found and London also by woful experience So God when he breaks forth in his Wrath and Fury he makes most lamentable desolation The Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath and the fire shall devour them The Wrath of God is compared to a consuming fire For our God is a consuming Fire 5. A Consuming and raging fire spares none the Palace of the Prince no more than the Cottage of the Peasant the mighty Oaks as well as the lowest Shrubs are devoured by it so the wrath of God seizeth and will seize on all wicked men on the mighty and honourable of the Earth as well as the poor and contemptible ones the King on his Throne as well as the Beggar on the Dunghill His wrath shall be on every one that is lofty and upon every one that is proud and lifted up and he shall be brought down upon all the Cedars of Lebanon and upon all the Oaks of Bashan He will come upon Princes as upon morter the whole earth shall be devoured by the fire of his Jealousy neither their Gold nor Silver shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lords wrath 6. Wood Hay and Stubble are fit fuel for the fire to seize upon and such things that are combustible make it to burn the more vehemently And if high strong Towers cannot stand before a consuming fire how is it possible for Briars and Thorns Some Sinners are like stubble fully dry They are fit Fuel for the Wrath of God like fire to take hold of O what horrid Guilt lies upon some mens Consciences just like a great heap or pile of wood well dried or Cart loads of straw or dry stubble What if God will to shew his wrath and to make his power known endured with much long suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction A long Course in sin Custom in sin resisting the Grace of God slighting Convictions hardening the Heart against Reproof stifling the Accusations of Conscience and abusing the Patience and long Suffering of God sits men for the fire of his Wrath Whilst they are folden together as Thorns and whilst they are drunken as Drunkards they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry Such that are drunk with Pride drunk with Pleasures or whose Souls are surfited with the Riches and Cares of the World the fire of Gods Wrath as fit matter or combustable stuff will seize upon 7. A dreadful fire when it breaks out turns all joy into sorrow and makes a day of mirth a day of Mourning So the consuming wrath of God whether it seizes on the consciences of Men only whilst alive in the body or on Body and Soul both here or on the Soul at Death it turns all joy into sorrow O what extremity of misery do such feel ask Judas or Spira they could tell you 8. Fire is a most cruel and dreadful tormentor if a man be cast into a fire what intollerable pain and anguish doth it put him to but alas alas that 's nothing to the Wrath of God when God kindles it in the Consciences of men nor to Hell fire You will say O 't is a fearful thing to fall into a furious fire into a burning Furnace but O Sirs how much more dreadful is it to fall under the Wrath of God! It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God For our God is a consuming fire If it be terrible to have a finger a foot or a hand to be burned off or to have the whole body cast into a Furnace of boyling Oil as some of the holy Martyrs were how then can sinners who are as chaff bear the Thoughts of Gods wrath and vindictive Vengance which is far more intollerable than any fire into which any Mortal was ever cast For 1. Other fire burns only the external part or temporal or corporal matter but the fire of Gods wrath burns and torments the Spirit the Soul the invisible part 2. Elementary fire is seen but internal Wrath is only felt inwardly it cannot be seen 3. The fiercest fire that ever was kindled hath been overcome and by Engines or Instruments put out but the fire of Gods Wrath when kindled and the Soul thrown into Hell cannot be put out nor be extinguished 't is unquenchable fire Tho' the burning of Mount Aetna and other burning Mountains are impossible for man to extinguish yet doubless they shall not burn always they will be put out but wrath shall burn for ever So much as to the Explanation of our Text. From hence we may observe divers Propositions or Points of Doctrine 1. Doct. The old floor is gone 't is removed viz. The old Jewish Church or national Church of Israel the wheat that was in it being taken into Christs Gospel-Garner and the chaff or all graceless persons or unbelievers are fann'd away Now Christ hath removed the partition-wall that was between Jew and Gentile and hath reconciled both unto God in one body Now there is no knowing men after the flesh fleshly Priviledges i. e. being the Seed of Abraham or being the Seed of Believers as such gives no right to Spiritual saving and eternal Blessings Both those two People Jews and Gentiles that believe of twain are made one i. e. one now man or one Christian or Gospel-Church And this is done by Jesus Christ who by his Fan or Dispensation of the New Testament hath abolished the old Covenant-right of Church-Membership not the fleshly Seed but the spiritual Seed of Abraham are to be received into Christs Gospel Garner Ye as lively stones are built up a spiritual House c. But this I shall not prosecute 2. Doct. Jesus Christ would have none but pure Wheat be gathered into his Garner not the fleshly and spiritual Seed not the Believer and the Unbeliever not godly ones and ungodly ones not the Chaff and the Wheat as it was under the Law in the National Church of the Jews Not
as it were to Ashes and thus he will pour out his Wrath on Babylon and she shall be burned with fire 6. The Wrath of God also Seizâ—th on the Souls of some men whilest they are in this World as when they are left or given up unto hardness of Heart Unbelief and blindness of Mind indeed this is most dreadful of all What can be a greater Token of Gods Divine Wrath it is the begining of that Future Vengeance that shall be poured forth upon them to Eternity Thus the Almighty dealt by the Jews for their Sin in rejecting of Jesus Christ and putting him to death by wicked hands for this he gave them up to an hard unbelieving and an impenitent heart and then let in the Romans upon them who utterly destroyed their City and Temple and so scattered them on all the face of the Earth and hence the Apostle saith that Wrath was come upon them to the uttermost 7. The Wrath of God like Fire sometimes also seizeth on the Consciences of men by which means they are fearfully tormented for their horrid Blasphemy Prophaness Atheism Apostacy c. We have had two Examples of this sort viz. Mr. Francis Spira in the last Century and Mr. John Child in this It is enough to make all who read those Naratives to Tremble at the very thoughts of the incensed Wrath and Anger of an offended God Who can stand before his indignation when his wrath is poured out like fire on the Souls and Consciences of Men O how doth he seem to Tear them into peices even to such a degree as they seem to be in the very torments of Hell while in the Body And not knowing but that a faithful reciting of some Passages concerning the inward Horror of the said Spira and Child may be of some use to Caution all to take heed of such like sins which they fell under I shall tho' more briefly then I intended compare their States Circumstatces inward Anguish and Horror of their Spirits together SOME PASSAGES Of the Fearful Estate of Francis Spira SPira having received the Light of the Gospel became a Teacher of the Blessed Truths thereof amongst his Friends and familiar Acquaintance and says the Narrative in comparison seemed to neglect all other Affairs much pressing this main point of Doctrine viz. That we must wholly and only depend on the free and unchangable Love of God in the Death of Christ as the only way to Salvation As to his natural and corrupt Inclination I was saith he excessively Covetous of Money and accordinly applyed my self to get it by Injustice corrupting Justice by doing it c. As touching Spira's Sin and his grand fall it was thus viz. The Popes Legate Resident at Venice was stirred by the malice of the Papists to accuse Spira to him and by the Craft and Policy of the Legate and through slavish Fear Spira first fled and afterwards renounced his Testimony to the Truth before which it appears he reasoned thus within himself thro' the Suggestion of the Devil viz. Be well advised fond Man consider Reasons on both sides and then judge how canst thou thus overwean thine own sufficiency as thou neither regardest the Examples of thy Progenitors nor the Judgment of the whole Church dost thou not consider what misery this thy Rashness will bring thee into thou shalt lose thy Substance gotten with so great Care and Travel thou shalt undergo the most exquisite Torments that Malice can devise thou shalt be counted an Heretick of all and to close up all thou shalt die shamefully What thinkest thou of the lothsom stinking Dungeon the Bloudy Ax the Burning Faggot are they delightful be wise at length and keep thy Life and Honour Go to the Legate Weak Man and freely Confess thy Fault c. And upon these thoughts he goes to the Legate and salutes him with this News viz. Having for these divers years entertained an Opinion concerning some Articles of Faith contrary to the Orthodox and received Judgment of the Church and uttered many things against the Authority of the Church of Rome and the universal Bishop I humbly acknowledge my Fault and Error and my Folly in my misleading others I therefore yeild my self in all Obedience to the supream Bishop of Rome into the Bosom of the Church of Rome never to depart again from the Traditions and Decrees of the Holy See I am heartily sorry for what is past and I humbly beg Pardon for so great an Offence The Legate at this commanded him to return to his own Town and there to confess and acknowledge the whole Doctrine of the Church of Rome to be holy and true and to abjure the Opinions of Luther c. After this he signed an Instrument of Abjuration and then fell under horrid Despairation And he thought he heard a direful Voice saying Thou wicked Wretch thou hast renounced the Covenant of thy Obedience thou hast broke thy Vow henc Apostate bear with thee the Sentene of thy Eternal Damnation He trembling in Body and Mind fellinto a Swound Now began some of his Friends to repent too late of their Rash Council not looking so high as to the Judgment of God laid all the blame on his Melancholly Constitution that over-shaddowing his Judgment wrought in him a kind of Madness and directed him to the use of Physicians c. To which Spira replyed Alas poor men how far wide are you do you think that this Disease is to be Cured by Potions believe me there must be another manner of Medicine it is neither Plaister nor Drugs that can help a fainting Soul cast down with the sence of sin and the Wrath of God 't is only Christ that must be the Pysician and the Gospel the Souls Antidote Amongst others that come to visit him was Paniâ—â— Vergerius and Mattheus Gribauldus principal Labourers for his Comfort they found him about 50 Years of Age. Neither affected with Doteage nor with the unconstant head-strong Passion of Youth but in the strength of his Experience and Judgment in a burning heat calling for drink yet his Understanding active quick of Apprehension Witty in Discourse above his ordinary manner they forcibly infused some liquid Sustenance into his Month most of which he spit out again and in a fretting mood said As it is true that all things work for the better to those that Love God so to the wicked all to the contrary for whereas a plentiful Off-spring is the Blessing of God and his Reward being a stay to the weak Estate of their Aged Parents to me they are a cause of bitterness and vexation they do strive to make me tire out this misery I would fain be at an end I deserve not this dealing at their hands Oh that I were gone from hence that some body would let out this weary Soul My sin said Spira is greater than the Mercy of God nay answered his Visitors the Mercy of God is above all sin God
Sense of their Minds or Principles I have said he made this World my God I have been guilty of Idolatry I have been guilty of Pride endeavouring to run every Man down in Dispute I have endeavoured to shake the Cross off my Shoulders how deplorable a thing is this that I that have preached so much of the glory of another World should now be deprived of it all You will as surely see me damned as you now see me stand here To others he said I have trifled in Religion trifled trifled I am lost there is no Hope no Hope At another time he said The black Tokens of Reprobation are upon me He said to Mr. Plant smiting on his Breast Sir I am Damn'd I am Damn'd it is so most certainly My day is over O that it was with me as in days past but it is too late the Decree is gone forth it is Sealed in Heaven and it is irreversible Jesus Christ cannot save me he will not he cannot Mediate for me I have so much offended him in maliciously abusing of his People O what a Wretch was I what a Spirit was I led by I have guilt enough said he to sink seventeen Kingdoms and I know the Earth would open its mouth and swallow me alive like Corah Dathan and Abiram were it not that God hath reserved me to be a more publick Spectacle of his Anger and Displeasure both to Angels and Men. I can neither Pray nor desire others to pray for me my Heart is perfectly hardened how should I when I cannot desire Jesus Christ to pray for me flouds of Tears flowing from him Dear bought Experience saith he hath taught me that it is no small thing to trifle with him in the great things of Religion and Eternity c. In one of his Letters sent to Mr. James Jones are these Expressions viz. Being possessed with Doubts Fears and Tremblings night and day the sad savour of Gall and Wormwood an horrible Relish of Gravel-stones the sad Apprehensions of Curses Blastings and Mildew the dismal sound of the mad Prophets words I shall see him but not now I shall behold him but not nigh had I been a Backslider of an ordinary size I have a Voice behind me or dire Texts to love and make a Lye is a qualification for the Lake His poor Wife as I remember intimated to me that the very Ends of the Halr of his Head in the Night-season did stand in Drops thro' the Anguish of his Soul Thus he continued for several Months under most dreadful horror and fearful desparation until the 13th of Octob. 1684. when to put an end to his miserable Life he hanged himself in his own hired house in Brick-lane near Spitlefields London leaving a sorrowful Widdow and several Children But she poor Woman lived not long after 'T is to be noted that there was a strange blast upon his Estate for tho' I understood by a Friend that was intimate with him he was little before his fall worth near a thousand pounds yet I can hear but of a little left to his Chidren his Eldest Son being but in a low and mean Condition I take not upon me to pass Judgment upon this miserable Man not knowing how God might deal with him whose Mercy is Infinite for I do not believe Self-murther is an unpardonable sin for if so there is more Sins unto Death than one certainly it is a Sin against the Father and the Son and not against the Holy Ghost and therefore may be forgiven unto men who may before their Life is quite gone have Repentance given to them But I am of the Opinion with a worthy Minister that visited him that if any Atheist in the World who had formerly known this man and had conversed with him in his bitter Agonies he would have seen sufficient Demonstrations to have convinced him that there is a dreadful God or a Power besides and above Nature who can touch shake and disorder and turn into Confusion the strongest constitution of body by ministring and fastning terrible things upon the Soul and as he saith let this Pillar of Salt tend to warn and season the People of this present and future Ages of the danger of sinning against the light of their understanding Moreover it doth I am sure serve with a witness to prove and fully to demonstrate the truth of that Proposition I am upon viz. That God doth sometimes let out his Wrath on the Consciences of some men for their horrid evil in this World which seems intollerable and hard to be born or undergone by any Mortal But Secondly To proceed by buring up the Chaff with unquenebable fire or by the Wrath of God in this place our Blessed Saviour doth intend casting the wicked into Hell it self Remarkable it is that no less than four or five times the Lord Christ positively affirms in Mark 9. that the fire of Hell into which Body and Soul of wicked men shall be cast cannot be quenched where the worm dies not and the fire is not quenched c. Why repeated so often is it not to assure all ungodly persons of the certainty of it Men are not willing to believe this great truth they are too ready to think that it is inconsistent with infinite goodness to inflict such Punishment on his Creatures but alas they forget that there is an infinite perfection in every one of the Divine Attributes and that as Gods mercy is infinite unsearchable and unconceivable so is his wrath and fury none are able to conceive much less to declare what pain and anguish the damned undergo What torments like fire and what fire is so hot and so tormenting as Hell-fire sad it is to burn half an hour in an Elementary fire yet the Martyrs have endured that for Christs sake God made it easie to some of them But alas who can bear the burnings of Hell-fire when wrath shall be let out upon the Soul to the utterermost O Sirs what a fearful thing will it be to be found chaff and false hypocritical Reasons such cannot escape the damnation of Hell No nor can any sinner whatsoever except they believe repent or are born again there is no avoiding being cast into unquenchable fire Thirdly I shall now endeavour to prove the point viz. That the Wrath of God in Hell is intollerable and far greater than any Wrath let out here either on the Bodies or Souls of men which will appear if we consider these particulars following First The extremity of their Torment will appear upon the Consideration that it is inconceivable beyond all mens understanding who knoweth the power of thy Anger who can apprehend it or is rightly and duely affected therewith we can conceive of all bodily pain or external Torment but cannot comprehend the Nature of infinite Wrath no more than we can conceive or apprehend the Nature of infinite Love and Goodness Secondly It is and will be intollerable because