people no doubt have said so in their heart and wondered what it meant Nay but here is the Mystery you go about these commanded Duties not in a commanded way and so the Obedience is but Rebellion You bring Offerings and Incense and think that I am pacified when you bring Alms you judge you have given me a recompense wheras all that is mine and what pleasure have I in these things I never appointed you Sacrifices for this end but to lead you in to the knowledge of my Son which is to be slain in the fulness of time and by one offering to perfect all I commanded you to look on Jesus Christ slain in the slain Lamb and so to expect Remission and Salvation in him But you never looked to more nor the Ceremony and made that your Saviour and Mediator And therefore it is all Abomination When you slay a Lamb and offer Incense it is all one thing as to cut off a Dogs neck or kill a Man So may the Lord say to this Generation I command you to pray to repent and mourn for sin to come and hear the Word but withal you must deny all these and count your selves unprofitable servants you must singly cast your Souls burthen on Christ Jesus But now saith the Lord who commanded your repentance for when you sit down to pray or come in publick to confesse sin before the Congregation you think you are washen When you have said you have sinned and if you come to the length of Tears and Sorrow Oh then sure you are pardoned though in the mean time you have no thought of Jesus Christ and knoweth no use of him Therefore faith the Lord who commanded you to do these things You think you have satisfied for your sin when you pay a penalty but who requireth this I will reckon with you for these al 's well as the sins you pray and mourn for because you do not singly look to Christ Jesus Now if he had never come to the world your ground of confidence would not fail you For you might have prayed al 's much mourned and confessed and promised amendment and so you past by the Son of God in whom only the Father is well pleased Think then upon this whatever you make your righteousnesse there needeth no other thing to make it filthy but to make it your righteousnesse Your confidence in your good heart to God prayer day and night and such like is the most loathsome thing in Gods Eyes Except you come to this to count your prayers as God doth among your oaths to count your solemn Duties among profane scandalous Actions as the Lord doeth Isai 1. and 66. 3. Then certainly you do adorn your selves with them and cover your nakednesse of other faults with such leaves as Adam did but you shall be more discovered Your Garment is al 's filthy as that it hideth even because you make that use of it to hide your sin and cover it Next The Lords Children have no ground of boasting either from their own righteousnesse The holiest Saint on Earth must abhore himself in Dust and Ashes and holy Isaiab joyneth himself in with a pâ—ofane people When he cometh to God to be justified he cometh among the ungodly he bringeth no righteousnesse with him he cometh in among them that work not Now you shall find good ground why it must be so First There are ordinarly many blemishes in our holiest Actions spots on our cleanest Garment often formality eateth up the life of Duties and presenteth a Body without a Soul in it You sit down to pray out of custome morning and evening And if there were no more to prove it this may suffice When pray you but at such times You have an ordinar and goeth noâ— by it no advantage is taken of Providence no necâ—ssity constraineth when occasion offereth and so it is like the worlds appointed houres How great deadnesse and indisposition creepeth in so that it is the ordinary complaint yea all prayers filled with it scarcely any room for other petitions because of the want of frame for prayer it self The word is heard as a discourse and on whom hath it operation to stirr up Affections either of joy or of trembling Christians you come not to hear God speak and so you meet with empty Ordinances God is not in them How often do crooked and sinister ends creep in and byass the Spirit Men ask to spend on their lusts and to satisfy their own ambition Some would have more Grace to be more Eminent or to have a more pleasant Life And this is but the seeking to spend on your lusts If Affection run in the Channel of a Duty it is often muddy and runneth thorow our Corruptions Liberty in Duties is principled with carnal Affection and Self-love Will not often the Wind of Applause in company fill the sails and make your course swifter and freer nor when you are alone And often much love to a partâ—cular maketh more in seeking it And that which is a Moth to eat up and consume all our Duties is conceit and self confidence in going about them and attributing to our self after them It is but very rare that any man both Acteth from Jesus Christ as the principle and also putteth over his work on Christ singly as the end Alas too often do men draw out of Christs Fulnesse and raise up their own glory upon it and adorn themselves with the spoyls of his honour For we use to pray from a habit of it and go to as men acquainted with it and when we get any satisfaction to our own minds O how doth the Soul return on it self and goeth not forward as it goeth It is so well pleased with it self when it getteth liberty to approach that it doth not put all over on Jesus and take shame to it self As long as there is a body of Death within holinesse cannot be pure and unmixed Our Duties run thorow a dirty Channel and cannot choose but contract filth While sin lodgeth under one roof so near Grace Grace must be in its exercise marred and therefore the holy Apostle must cry Rom. 7. 19. The good that I would I do not but the evil which I would not that I do And Verse 24. O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Secondly Though there were not such blemishes and spots in the face of our righteousnesse yet it is here in a state of imperfection and but in its minority and so must be filthy in the Lords sight It was perfect Holâ—nesse according to the perfect Rule of Gods Law that Adam was to be justified by according to the Covenant of works exact obedience not one wanting or else all that can be done came short of righteousness One breach bringeth the curse on All obedience if there be a failing in a little will not bring the blessing on He that doth all liveth and he that doth not
it Zech. 13. 1. We all c. Mark Secondly sin hath gone over us all and made all mankind unclean Rom. 3. 22. and 10. Every one of Adams posterity is born unclean For who can bring an clean thing out of an unclean Job 14. 4 Consider first how sin defaced innocent Adam how one sin made him so vile and spoyled him of the Divine Nature and so the root was made unclean and the branches must follow the root and so are we all born and conceived in sin Plal. 51. 5. We carry in us Original Corruption flowing from the first actual sin of Adam and this maketh poor Children before they do good or evil to be abominably vile in Gods sight even as the Child is set out Ezek. 16. Every one cometh of evil Parents all come of Adam the Rebel What a loathsome sight would a Child be to us so described cast out in the open field to the loathing of its person in the day it is born And what must it all be before God who is of purer eyes then to behold sin Secondly Unto all this we have added innumâ—rable actual transgressions as so many filthy streams flowing out at the menbers from the inward puddle of Original Corruption And so how much more vile are we all nor infants can be or Adam was in the day he was cast out of Paradise And thus Rom. 3. from vers 10. are the Branches set down in Word Thought and Deed so that all the Incliâ—ations and Motions and Actions of the man are only evil continually Every man shall find his Compt past counting One days faults would weary you but what will your whole life do Known sins are innumerable what must unknown be Every mans heart is like the troubled Sea that casteth up mire and dirt dayly and cannot be at rest The heart is dayly flowing and ebbing in this Corruption it cometh out dayly to the borders of all the Members And there are some high spring Tides when sin aboundeth more When in one Member of the Tongue a world of evil is What can be in all the Members And what in the Soul that is more capable then all the world Well then every man hath sinned in Adam and hath sinned also in his own person and sealed Adams first rebellion by so many thousand Actions like it Every man hath approven the sin that first ruined man and made himself much more loathsome nor Adam was Therefore all mankind may say we all are as an unclean thing Now from all this we we would gladly discover unto you what yoâ— condition is by sin If the Lord would shinâ— how vile would you be Always we mâ—st declare this unto you in the Lords name you aâ— all unclean not only born in sin and iniquitâ— not only have you a body of Death Within youâ— that hath all the Members but all these Members have one time or other acted and brougâ— forth fruit unto Death How vile then muâ— you be in Gods sight It is a strange love thâ— you have to your selves that you cannot apprehend how God can hate you But if hâ— find sin in you wonder rather how he can looâ— upon you We would then have you to knoâ— this that there can be no fellowship betweeâ— God and you in your Natural Estaâ—e Amen cannot inhabit a vile persons house â— more can God enter in your Souls There is aâ— absolute necessity of washing before you can â—â— his House and Temple Hath that one sin oâ— Adam made that Glorious Person so deformed that he could not look on himself buâ— cover himself And hath it been of so defiling a Nature that it hath redounded in all thâ— Posterity And as unclean things under thâ— Law defiled all they touched so hath thaâ— sin subjected all the Creatures to Corruption O then imagine what an unspeakeablâ— defilement must be on us all who are noâ— only guilty of Adams sin but of many thousands beside If one sin have so much loathsomnese in it what must so many out â—â— number united in one person even as in uâ— all No unclean thing can enter in Heaven above Know this for a truth you cannot see Godâ— Face in the case you are born into You know nothing of sin who wonder that any should go to Hell No if you knew any thing of sin you would wonder that ever God should look on such cast out in the open Field in their blood Next You must know the insufficiency of all things imaginable to wash away sins filthinesse except the Blood of Christ Since you are unclean do you not ask how shall we be washed Indeed many have an easy answer and passe it lighty The multitude know no way to cleanse in but the Tears of Repentance and Mourning And so many think themselves clean when they run and pour out a Tear as Esaw did for the blessing But what saith the Lord Though thou wash the with Nitre and take thee much Sope yet thine iniquity is marked Can such an ingrained uncleannesse can such an infinite spot in the immortal Soul be so lightly dashed out Many think Baptism cleanseth them but was not this people Circumcised as ye are baptized And Peter tells us it is not the washing of Water 1 Pet. 3 21. Sacrifice and Offering will not do it This people thought sure they had satisfied God when they brought a Lamb c. but all this is abomination Would not many of you think your selves cleansed from sin if you offered all your Substance and the Fruit of your Body for the sin of your Soul Nay but you must see an absolute necessity of the opened Fountain of Christs Blood that cleanseth from all sin Then we would have you abhorre youâ— selves in Dust and Ashes see nothing in all the Creation so vile as you Look oâ— sin in the sight of Gods Face and how unholy will it appear There are many sins little ones that in our practice passe for venial and uncontrolled But look on the filthy loathsome Nature of all sin and hate the least offence for it hath a kind of infinitnesse in it and blotteth the Soul defileth the person How great a necessity is there of continual application to the Fountain of dwelling beside it that you may wash dayly Davids so often repeated and inculcated prayer Wash me cleanse me c. Psal 51. Declareth that he hath apprehended much uncleannesse in sin that it needeth so many applications of the precious Blood And you who have come to Jesus and are clean O how much owe you to free Grace that past by you in your blood and said Live it is a time of love How strange is it that Glorious Majesty cometh to own Deformity and cometh to cloath it with his own Garments Praise the vertue of that Blood that is more precious nor the Blood of Bulls and Goats that can so throughly purge as you shall have no more Conscience of sin Unclean sinners wash you make
Angels could not reach this This Redemption and Cleansing was precious and would have ceased for ever But this Blood is the Ransome this Blood cleanseth and so perfectly that it shall not appear not only to mens eyes but also Gods peircing Eye Sinners quite your own righteousness why defile ye your selves more When your eyes are opened ye will find it so here is washing apply your selves to this Fountain And if ye do indeed so if ye expect cleansing from Jesus Christ I pray you return not to the puddle Ye are not washen from sin to sin more and defile your self more If ye think ye have liberty to do so ye have no part in this Blood SERMON XI Isai 1. 16. Wash ye make you clean put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes cease to do evil c. THere are two evils in sin one is the Nature of it another the Fruit and sad Effect of it In it self it is filthiness and contrair to Gods Holiness and abasing of the immortal soul a spot in the face of the Lord of the Creatures that hath far debased him under them all Though it be so unnatural to us yet it is now in our fallen estate become as it were natural so that men agree with it as if it were sunk and drunk into the very soul of man The other is the guilt and desert of punishment and obligation to it All man hate this but they cannot hold it off They eat the Tree and Fruit of Death they must eat Death also They must have the wages of sin who have wrought for it Now the Gospel hath found a remedy for lost man in Jesus Christ He comes in the Gospel with a twofold blessing a twofold vertue a pardoning vertue and a sanctifying vertue VVater and Blood 1 Jo. 5. 6. He comes to forgive sin and to subdue sin To remove the guilt of it and then the self of it Gods appointment had inseparably joyned them And Christ came not to dissolve the Law but to establish it If he had taken away the punishment and left the sin in its being he had weakened the Law and the Prophets That conjunction of sin and wrath which is both by divine appointment and suitable also unto their own natures must stand that Divine Justice may be intire And therefore he that comes to redeem us from the curse of the Law hath also this Commission to redeem from sin and all transgressions of the Law Rom. 11. 26. and Gal. 3. 13. He that turns away the wrath of God from men turns also ungodliness from them which provoked his wrath And so he is a compleat Redeemer and a compleat Redeemer he had not been otherwayes If he had removed Wrath only and left us under the bondage of sin it had not been half redemption he that commits sin is the servant of sin But this is perfect freedom and liberty to be made free from sin for it was sin that subjected us to wrath and so was the first Tyrant and the greatest The Gospel then comes with a joyful sound unto you but many of you mistake it and apprehends it to be a Doctrine of Liberty and Peace and that unto sin But if it were so it were no joyful sound If there were proclaimed a liberty to all men to do as they list no punishment no wrath to be feared I would think that Doctrine no glade news it were but the perpetuating of the bondage of a reasonable soul But this is glade news a delivery and freedom proclaimed in the Gospel but what Not unto sin but from sin and this is to be free indeed We ought more to Jesus Christ for this then for redemption from Wrath because sin is a greater evil then wrath Yea wrath were not so if sin were not Therefore he exhorts to wash and wash so that they may make clean Take Jesus Christ for Justification and Sanctification imploy both the Water and the Blood that he hath come with But because all men pretend a willingness to have Christ their Saviour and their sins pardoned through his Blood who notwithstanding hate to be reformed and would seek no more of Christ Therefore he branches out that part of the Exhortation in several particulars All men have a general likeing of remission of sins but renouncing of it is to many a hard Doctrine they would be glade that God put their evils out of his sight by passing them by and forgetting them But they will not be at the pains of putting away their evils from his sight And therefore the Gospel which comprehends these two united is not really received by many who pretend to be followers of it This is his Command that ye believe Some pretend to obey this and yet hath no regard of that other part of his Will even their Sanctification And therefore their Faith is dead it is a fancy If ye did indeed believe and receive Christ for pardon of sin it were noâ— possible but your Souls would be ingaged and constrained to indeavour to walk in all well-pleasing But it is an evident token of one that is not washed from his sin and believes not in Christ if he conceive within his heart a greater latitude and liberty to walk after the flesh and be imboldened to continue in sin because of his Grace and Mercy And yet such are the most part of you Upon what ground do ye delay repentance Upon what presumption do ye continue in your sins and puts over the serious study of holiness till a more fit time Is it not from an apprehension of the Grace and Mercy of God that ye think ye may return any time and be accepted and so ye may in the mean time take as much pleasure in sin as ye can seing ye may get leave also for Gods Mercy I pray you consider that you have never apprehended Gods Mercy aright ye are yet in your sins and certainly as yet are not washed from them Put away the evil c. When the Spirit convinces a Soul he convinces a man not only of evil doings but of the evil of his doings Not only of sin but of the sinfulness of sin And not only of those actions which are in themselves sinful but also of the iniquity of Holy things I think no man will come to wash in Christs Blood till this be discovered If he see much wickedness many evil doings yet he will labour to wash away these by his own tears and repentance and well doing As long as he hath any good Actions as Prayers Fasting and such like he will cover his evil doings by them He will spread the skirts of such righteousness over his uncleannesse and when he hath hid it from his own eyes he apprehends that he hath hid it from Gods also He will wash his bloody hands with many Prayers and thinks they may be clean enough We see blasphemers of Gods Name use to joyn a prayer for forgivenesse
is a through and intire change It is like a new Creation that must destroy the first Subject to get place for that which is to come It is a putting off old Garments to put one new The putting off an old form and engraven Image to make place for a new engraving Men do not put a Seal above a Seal but deface the old and so put on the new Men do not put new Cloaths upon the old but put the old off and so they have place for the new Religion must have a naked man Godlinesse is a new Suit that will not go on upon so many Lusts No no it is more meet and more conformed unto the inwards of the Soul then so The cold must go out as the heat comes in Many men do not change their Garments but mends them puts some new pieces into them They retain their old lusts their heart idols and they will add unto these a patch of some External Obedience But alas is this godlinesse Hypocrisie will be content of a mixture sin is the harlot whose heart could endure to see the Child parted It can give God a part to get leave to brook the most part Sin will give God liberty to take some of the outward man if it keep the heart and soul But God will not reckon on these terms he will have all the man or nothing for he is the Righteous Owner True godlinesse cannot mix so but false and counterfeit may do it well Other men again possibly uncloaths themselves of some practices but they put on no new cloathing They reform some passages for fear of censure or shame or such like They are found it may be blamelesse either because so Educated or their Disposition is against particular grosse sins But they are not cloathed upon with Holinesse and well doing and so they are but naked and bare in Gods sight not beautiful They have sweept their house and some Devil put out or kept out but because the good Spirit enters not ordinarily seven worse enter again into-such men There is a great moment of perswasion in this order of the Exhortation Wash you and then put away the evil of your doings and cease to do evil Do not continue in your former customs It is strange how contrary our hearts are to God We use to turn Grace unto wantonnesse We use to take more liberty to sin when we conceive we are pardoned But I do not know any more strong and constraining perswasion to forsake sin then the consideration of the forgiving of it might yeild Oh what an inducement and grand Argument to renouncing of evils is the consideration of the remission of them This is even that ye are now called unto who have fled to Jesus to escape Wrath What should ye be taken up with in all the World but this to live to him henceforth who died for us To forsake our own old way and that from the constraining principle of Love to him 2 Cor. 5. 14 15. Oh that ye would enforce your own hearts with such a thought when there are any solicitations to sin to former lusts Should I that am dead to sin lâ—ve any longer therein Rom. 6. Should I who am washed from such pollutions return again to the pollutions of the World Should I again defile my self who am cleansed by so precious Blood And forget him that washed me Should I return with the dog to the vomit and with the sow to the puddle God forbid I pray you consider if you be Christians indeed give a proof of it What hath Jesus Christ done for you He hath given himself his own precious Blood a Ransom for us will ye not give up your selves to him Will not ye give him your sins and lusts which are not your self but enemies to your self Will not ye put away these ills that he came in this world to destroy Art thou a Christian and are there yet so many sins and works of the Devil raigning in thee and set up in Gods sight VVhat an inconsistency is this If thou be his follower thou must put these away Give them a bill of divorcement never to turn again Many a man parts with his sin because it leaves him he puts it not away Temptation goes and occasion goes away but the root of it abids within him Many men have particular jarrs with their corruptions but they reconcile again as differences between married persons They do not arise to hate their sin in its sinful Nature But if thou hate it then put it away And who would not hate it that Christ so hated that he came to destroy it 1 Jo. 3. 5. What a great indignity must it be to the Gospel to make that the ground of living in sin which is pressed in it as the grand perswasion to forsake it Seing we are washed from the guilt of it Oh let us not love to keep the stain and filth of it Why are we washen Was it not Christs great intendment and purpose to purifie to himself a Holy People We are washen from the guilt of our sins and is it to defile again Is it not rather to keep our selves henceforth clean that we may be presented holy and unblameable in his sight That we may seek to be al 's like Heaven as may be But who ceases to do these evils that he says are pardoned Who puts away the evils of these doings the guilt whereof he thinks God hath put away Could ye find in your hearts to intertain those evils so familiarly to pour out your Souls unto them if that Peace of God were indeed spoken unto you Would not he reflex of his Love prove more constraining on your hears Were it possible that if ye did indeed consider that your lusts cost Christ a dear price to shed his Blood that your pleasures made his Soul heavy to death and that he hath laid down his Life to Ransom you from Hell were it possible I say that ye would live still in these lusts and choose these pleasurs of sin which were so bitter to our Lord Jesus I beseech you be not deceived if ye love the puddle still that ye cannot live out of it do not say that ye are washed Ye may have washen your selves with Sope and Nitre but the Blood of Christ hath not cleansed For if that Blood sprinkled your Conscience once to give you an answer to all challenges it could not but send forth Streams to purifie the heart and so the whole man The Blood and VVater might be joyned the Justifying Saviour and the Sanctifying Spirit For both these are in this Gospel washing 1 Cor. 6. 11. 1 Jo 5. 6. This is be that came by water and blood even Jesus Christ not by water only but by water and blood Not by water only but by blood also and I say not by blood only but by water also The very purpose of forgivenesse is not to lay a foundation for more sin but that men
Soul If he be one and the same in Peace and Trouble Prosperity and Adversity do not lament him in the one more then the other It is the Mind that maketh your Condition good or bad But yet I say the Beleever hath likewise peace with all the Creatures which the world hath not and even in this he is a priviledged man He is in league with the stones of the field and in peace in his tabernacle Job 5. 23. All things are his because he is Christs and all are Christs who is the possessor of Heaven and Earth at least the Righteous Heir of both 1 Cor. 3. 21. The Unbeliever hath no right to the Creature Though there be a Cessation for a time between them and him yet that is no peace for they will at length be armed against him they are witnesses already against him and groan to God for the corruption that mans sin hath subjected them unto His Table is it may be full yet it is a snare unto him He getteth ease and quietnesse outwardly Nay but it slayeth the fool and destroyeth him But the godly man is at peace thorow Christs Blood with all Crosses and Comforts The Sting and Enimity of all evils is taken away by Christ Poverty is made a friend because Chrisâ— was poor Hunger and Thirst is become a friend because Christ was hungry and thirsty Reproach and Contempt is at peace with him because Christ was despised Afflictions and Sorrows are reconciled to him because Christ was a man of sorrows and acquainted with griefs In a word Death it self is become a friend since Christ subdued it by tasting of it I may say the worst things to a Natural man are bâ—come best friends to the Believer The Grave keepeth his Body and dust in Hope Death is a better friend then Life for it ministers an entry into Glory It is the Door of Eternall Life it taketh down the Tabernacle of Mortality that we may be Cloathed upon with immortality In Summe whatever it be Christ hath stamped a new quality on it it cometh through his hand and so if it be not good in it self yet it is good in the use and in his appointment Rom. 8. 21. If it be not good yet it worketh together for our good It contributeth to our good because it is in his Skilfull Hand who can bring good out of evill peace out of trouble Oh that ye were perswaded to be Christians indeed to love his Law and trust in him â—reat peace have all such This were more to you nor peace in the world Your peace should be as a River for abundance and perpetuity no drought could dry it up it should run in time as a large River and when time is done it would embosome it self in Eternity in that Ocean of eternall peace and joy which the Saints are drowned in above Other mens peace is but like a Brook that dries up in Summer SERMON XIII Isai 26. 3. Thou shalt keep him in perfeâ— Peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee CHrist hath left us his peace as the great aâ— comprehensive Legacy My peace I leaâ— you Joh. 14. 27. And this was not peace in thâ— world that he injoyed you know what his liâ— was a continual warfare but a peace above the world that passeth understanding In the world you shall have trouble but in me yâ— shall have peace saith Christ a peace that shaâ— make trouble no trouble You must lay you accompts to have such a life as the Forerunner had But withall as he hath left us hiâ— trouble so hath he left us his peace Thâ— trouble will have an end but the joy can nâ— man take from you We have this sure Promise to rest upon in behalf of the Church peaâ— shall be on Israel A peace that the worlâ— knoweth not and so cannot assault it or takâ— it away Oh that you would hearken to thiâ— word That you would trust in the Lord and staâ— upon your God then should your peace be as a River Isai 48. 18. There is nothing more desired in time of trouble then peace but all peacâ— is not better then warr Some necessary warr is better then evil grounded peace The Kingdomes have been long in pain labouring to bring forth a safe and well-grounded peace But alas we have been in pain and brought forth wind when we looked for peace no good came and for healing behold trouble But how shall we arrive at our desired Haven Certainly if peace be well grounded it must have Truth for its Foundation and Righteousnesse for its Companion Truth must spring out of the earth and righteousness look down from heaven This were the compendious way for publick peace if every man would make his own peace with God There are controversies with God between King Nobles and People and therefore God Fomenteth the warrs in the Kingdoms If you would have these ended make peace with God in Christ by flying in unto him and resting on him more trusting in God would dispatch our warrs Trusting in the arm of flesh continueth them Allways what ever be peace or warr here is the businesse that more concerns you your eternal peace and safty And if ye were more careful of this to save your own Souls you would help the publick more If you could be once perswaded to be Christians indeed we needed not presse many duties in reference to the publick and untill you be once perswaded to save your selves by flying from the wrath to come it is in vain to speak of pub lick Duties to you We do therefore declare unto you the way of obtaining perfect peace peace as a River if you will quite all self-confidences fly from your selves as your greatest enemies and trust your Souls unto the Promise in Jesus Christ and lean all your weight on him we assure you your peace shall run abundantly and perpetually Whoever trusteth in Creatures in uncertain Riches in worldly peace in whatsoever thing beside the only living and glorious Lord we perswade him that his peace shall fail as a Brook All things in this world shall deal deceitfully with you as a Brook which is blackish by reason of Ice what time it waxeth warm it shall evanish you â—hat looked and waited for water in it shall be confounded because you hoped and are ashamed because of your expectation Job 6. 15. c. The Summer shall dry up your peace and what will you do But if you pour ouâ— your Souls on him and trust in the Fountain of Living Waters you shall not be ashamed for your peace shall be as a River The Elephant is said to trust that he can drink out a River but he is deceived for he may drink again it runs and shall run for ever If any thing would essay to take your peace from you it is a vain attempt for it runs like a River it may be shallower and deeper but it cannot run dry because oâ—
needeth not hinder his praise And the discovery of grace in them needeth not marr your shamâ— God hath most glory when we have most shame these two grow in just proportion so much is taken from God as is given to the creature Thirdly we would also press you from this ground to long much to be clothed upon with immortality to put off the filthy raggs of time and earth-righteousness and to be clothed upon with the white robs of the righteousness of the Saints As you would dwell near the fountain here and be still washing your garments and offering all your sacrifices in him who sanctifieth all so would you pant and thirst for this spotless garmeâ—t of glory Glory is nothing but perfect holiness holiness washen and made clean in the Lambs blood your rags are for the prison and for so journing when you come to your fathers house your raiment shall be changed Therefore Christians every one of you aspire higher sit not down in attainments forget what is behind and presse forward let perfect holinesse be in your eye and purpose sit not behind it All our time-duties have much filthinesse long for the pure stream that waters the City above Grace is not in its native place it is corrupted and mixed here Heaven is the own Element of it and there is grace without mixture Undervalue all your performances till you be above where that which is in part shall be done away where no unclean thing entereth Fourthly This likewise holdeth out to you a continual necessity of washing You must take up house beside the fountain opened in the house of David and never look on any piece of inherent righteousnesse but see a necessity of dipping it in the Lambs blood And therefore should you pray alwayes in Christs Name that the prayer which of it self would be cast as dung on our face may have a sweet favour from hiâ— Cover your holinesse with Christs righteousneâ— and make mention of it only SERMON XVII Isaiah 64. 6. And we all do fade us â— leaf and our iniquities like the wind have taken us away HEre they joyn the punishment with the deserving cause their uncleanness and their iniquities and so take it upon them and subscribeth to the righteousnesse of Gods dealing We would say this much in general First No body needeth to quarrel God for his dealing he will alwayes be justified when he is judged If the Lord deal more sharply with you then with others you may judge there is a difference between your condition and theirs as well as in the Lords dispensation even as this people do vers 5. 6. It is a strange saying Lam. 3. 31. The Lord doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men That is as we conceive the Lord hath not such pleasure in trampling on men as he might do on the dust of his feet Though he be absolute soveraign Lord of the Creature and men be but as the dust of his feet and he may do with his own what he pleaseth and none ask What dost thou Yet the Lord useth not to walk according to his own absoluteness he hath another ordinary rule whereby he worketh a rule of justice and equity especially in the punishing of men he useth not to â—fflict men for his pleasure as tyrants use to destroy their people The Lord exerceth his soveraignty another way and if he be absolute and illimited in any thing it is in shewing mercy oâ— men But in judgement there may be still some reason gotten for it in the creature beside the will of God So that to speak with reverence of his Majesty stroaks are often drawn out of his hands he getteth so much provocation ere he strike and holdeth off so long threatneth and giveth warning thus before stroaks as if it were against his will to lay on as if his heart werâ— broken with us Secondly if men knew themselves and their own sinfulness they would not challenge God with unrighteousness but put their mouth iâ— the dust and keep silence And it is from thiâ— ground that this people do not charge God Sin is of such infinit desert and merit because against infinite Majesty that God cannot go beyond it in punishment And therefore Jeremiah when he is wading out of the deep waters of sore temptation and sad discouragement he pitcheth and casteth Anchor at this solid ground It is of the Lords mercy that we are not consumed Lam. 3. 22. What do I mean thus to charge God as if he dealt rigorously No no It is his mercy that a remnant is left our stroaks are not pure justice our cup is mixed mercy is the greatest part what ever is behind utter destruction whatever is below the desert of sin which is hell and damnation all this must be reckoned up to mercy That I am yet alive and so may have hope this is mercy For why should a living man complain vers 39 That a rod is come to awake â— out of security this is mercy for we might haâ— slept to death And this wholsome counsel gâ— Job of his friends to stay his murmuring an grudging at Gods dispensations Job 11. 6. Whâ— dost thou complain Job Know but thy sins an there shall be no room for complaint look bâ— unto Gods secrets of wisdom and his Law aâ— see it is double to what you have known yoâ— obligation is infinit more then you thougâ— upon and then how great and numberless muâ— iniquities be Know therefore saith Zophâ— God exacteth of thee less then thine iniquitiâ— deserve God exacteth not according to Law he craveth not according to the obligation bâ— bids write down fifty in his bill of affliction when an hundred are written in our bill of deserving So then complain not it is merâ— that life is saved Are you men and liviâ— men wonder at this and wonder not thâ— you are not wealthy are not honourable seinâ— you are sinners All that came on Jerusaleâ— maketh not Ezra think God out of boundâ— Chap. 9. 13. As we are less then the least oâ— Gods mercies and all our goodness deserveth none of them so is the least sin greater then the greatest of all his judgements and deserveth still more Nay if there were no more but original corruption common to men and the filthiness that accompanieth mens good actions yeâ— is God righteous in punishing severely and this people acknowledge it so You use to enquire what sin hath such a man done when so terrible judgements come on Nay enquire no more he is a sinner and it is mercy there is not more and it is strange mercy that it is not so with you also You use to speak foolishly when Gods hand is upon you I hope I have my punishment here I hope to suffer here for my sins Poor souls if God make you suffer for sins it will be another matter though now your punishment be above your strength and patience yet it is below your sin As sin