such a change as from being lost to be found A sinner in his Natural state is a lost man in a lost condition but when he is recovered by conversion he is found again The Son of man is come to seek and save that which was lost And so in this Luke 15. What was this lost sheep and lost groat and lost Son What was the meaning of all this but the recovering of lost Souls So that its a great change a coming from death to life from being lost to be found If our gospel be hid 't is hid to those that are lost that is for the present they are lost but when they are converted then of lost they are found Use. Is it so blessed and glorious a change that God doth work in the condition of a believer when he bringeth him to himself no less than from being dead to be alive from being lost to be found Then you that are believers rejoyce in and be thankfull for that blessed and happy condition that God hath translated you into Ah brethren how may you look one upon another and consider what God hath done for you 1. How that you were dead and are alive again You were diseased yea dead creatures diseased full of all that may render you miserable all diseases are met together in a poor sinner Now that God hath recovered thy diseased soul yea thy dead soul and brought thee to life again Oh what matter of joy is this How should you wonder at so great a change as this We read that at the Miracles that our Saviour did upon the diseased there was great astonishment among the people they were amazed at this but here are more miraculous cures than those the cure of dead souls is more than the cure of dead bodies O Brethren if all the diseased that Christ had cured should have confer'd together what strange stories would they have told One would have said I was born deaf and he said Ephatha and my ears were opened Another I was born blind and he anointed mine eyes I washed and received my sight Another I was thirty eight years under a disease and by a word of his mouth I was healed Another I was eighteen years in a sad condition and by a touch of his garment I was cured And so of the rest Ah brethren you were not onely diseased but dead and Christ hath recovered you O! what matter of thankfulness is here You that are believers should not look one upon another without wondering What should move you to wonder if not this It will be a strange change when we shall see all the sons of Adam come forth at last out of their graves when we shall see those that were buried in the great deep brought forth by the power of Christ and made all appear together this will be a strange change But the change of dead bodies is not so great as the change of dead souls O how should you praise God that hath raised you from so great a death as this How is it that we are taken up no more with wonderment for this that he hath done for our souls God doth rejoyce over it it is heavens joy when a lost sinner is found And doth God and Angels take notice of it and rejoyce and do you not take notice of it O what ingratitude is this This should excite sinners to â—…eed their return to God for this will rejoyce heaven and earth Shall I leave my wine saith the Vine whereby I make glad the heart of God and man I may say truly the recovery of a sinner makes glad the heart of God and man not onely will Christians and Ministers rejoyce over thee when thou turnest to God but God himself will rejoyce over thee when thou returnest he will call for the fatted Calf c. O the Mirror of unthankfulness that is upon our hearts that we should be no more moved with any work that God hath done upon our souls You that are converted and wrought upon by Sanctification one would think that you should be able to enter upon no other talk than this to tell what God hath done for your Souls My brethren if while we are here together we should see our dead friends that have been dead ten or twenty or thirty years agoe to eat and drink and walk and talk and converse with us how should we be astonished at it And how would they wonder one at another One that dyed at such a time and another that dyed at such a time and here they live again and talk again But now here is a greater wonder than this here are dead souls and they are brought together and live again and talk again O! me thinks you should wonder to see one another restored from so great a death Obj. But you will say how shall I know that I am recovered from death to life Ans. I shall give together the Characters and the priviledges of you that are recovered from death to life that so your evidence and comfort may be promoted together And there are these four that belong to you First He hath raised you from a state of corruption and rottenness to a state of health and holiness You know a state of death is a state of corruption the grave is a place of rottenness and putrifaction You that lye in your old lusts still certainly you have no portion or part in this matter But you that are changed are brought from this state a state of sin is a state of corruption The Scripture every where speaks of sin by the Metaphor that carries in it the highest pitch of filthiness Psal. 14. 3. They are altogether become silthy or stinking And so in Job 15. 16. How much more abominable and silthy is man which drinketh in iniquity like water Man in his natural state is a most silthy creature no comparison is 〈◊〉 to set forth the odiousness of his condition before he is sanctified by grace and the reason is because he drinketh in iniquity like water As the fish doth swim in and take in water naturally so sin is his very element wherein he doth naturally live as it were Thus the Apostle Rom. 3. 13. Their throat is an open Sepulchre And so our Saviour compares the Pharisees to to whited Sepulchres But now you that are believers God hath raised you from a state of Rottenness to a state of health and holiness Grace is the health of the soul Holiness is the soundness of the soul. An upright heart is a sound heart O beloved what a priviledge is this to be translated from a state of corruption to a state of holiness O what cause have you of thankfulness that can find the stamp of God again upon your souls you are highly favoured indeed whom God hath priviledged with this There is all that is desirable in grace and holiness Riches Wealth beauty all How often do we read of the beauty of Holiness And so of its
burning so 't is here 't is Christs coming hath sayed us from burning in this 〈◊〉 surnace How terrible this furnace is you may see Rev. 14. 10. The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God which is poured out without mixture into the cup of hâ—… indignation and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the lamb and the smoak of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever And they have no rest day nor night O methinks the very sight of this surnace at a distance should startle our Souls and make us list up our hands and eyes and souls and praise the Lord. O methinks we that are the redeemed of the Lord we should stand together about the pit and look down and list up our hearts and praise the Lord. Fourthly From the King of terrors He hath saved you as from the Devil so from Death You know death is the mortal enemy of man 't is his great and last enemy and now this enemy hath Christ destroyed and delivered us from And that both from the sting and victory of it First From the sting of death He hath not delivered us from the stroke of death but he hath from the sting of death When the sting is out the serpent may hisse but he cannot sting Death will put you into the possession of that which Christ hath provided for you so that death now is become desirable now there is beauty in it There is no friend can do that for you that death can do It will at once deliver you from sin and Satan and give you a possession in heaven The Apostle looking upon death through Christ longs for death having a desire to depart c. Phil. 1. 23. This great robber through Christ is become our greatest gain That which would have marr'd us for ever will now make us for ever O that this King of terrors should become desirable what a mercy is this O my beloved did you know what the terrors of death be to an enlightned sinner you would account it a great priviledge to be sree from the sting of death When all his comforts are taking their everlasting farewell of him you would account it a great salvation then When he shall feel death putting in his cold hands and pulling out his heart when he sâ—…ail see his house of his body falling down about his ears and he cannot stay there any longer and he sees the hell-hounds stand about him and waiting upon him to carry him to Hell O what horror doth this work upon his heart this hath Christ delivered us from Death hath lest its sting in Christ it can hurt us no longer Secondly From the victory of death It is true we must lye in the grave for some time yet Christ will fetch us thence in John 6. He promiseth no lesse than four times I will raise them up at the last day And this is the fruit of his purchase 1 Thes. 4. 14. Christs resurrection is a certain pledge of ours so 1 Cor. 15. Therefore let us not fear death but embrace it with comfort for death cannot touch our souls it cannot deliver us over into the second death He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death Therefore let us not fear death but let our slesh rest in hope When we dye we may commit our bodies to the dust with comfort it cannot hurt our souls and it shall keep our bodies but a little while neither God will receive our souls immediately our bodies after a little while How doth Job comfort himself in this I know that my redeemer liveth and though after my skin worms destroy this body yet in my slesh shall I see God c. Thus may we triumph over death that in this flesh we shall see God And though death for the present do make such work upon us and cast us into the grave yet the earth will be but the mould wherein we shall receive a glorious body so that death shall conduce to our great advantage This is no little victory to be able to triumph with the Apostle O death where is thy victory This is no small priviledge Bless your redeemer for this priviledge VVhat a priviledge well this be when all the Sons and daughters of God shall be brought sorth and made to stand up before him then it shall appear that the grave was not able to hold them Then will they triumph and sing songs of salvation when they shall set their feet upon their last enemy death Secondly It will appear what blessed news this is if you consider how he hath saved you He hath saved you two ways by might and by merit â—…irst By merit Brethren your salvation cost your redeemer dear no less a price than his own invaluable blood O believer look upon thy self art not thou a worthless thing to be redeemed with the price of Christs blood O how should we admire the goodness of Christ here we are not worthy that Christ 〈◊〉 sâ—…end one of his thoughts upon us much less that he should spend his blood for us Seconly By might my brethren it was absolutely requisite for our salvation that our redeemer as he should be of infinite merit so of infinite might If he had not been of infinite merit he could never have been purchaser of heaven for us The soul of one man is more worth than a whole world and then what worth or value must that be of that is able to buy a world of souls and yet this purchaser must be able to buy heaven too and this hath Christ done for us Could heaven and earth have done this no no it would have broken them all if they had done it But now Christ hath done all for us and therefore he must be of insinite merit And not infinite in merit onely but might too for he was to bear all the wrath of God and to bring us off with victory If the wrath of Gods finger be so intolerable that it makes poor creatures to cry out under it what is the wrath of his loins and if the wrath of God against one man is so great what is his wrath against so many men VVhen the price was laid down the devil would not yield up his hold till Christ must come and cast him down and pluck us from him And therefore it was necessary that our redeemer should be of infinite power He hath destroyed him that had the power of death that is the devil Ah brethren we may behold the Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross bowing himself as Sampson did and pulling down the house about his enemies and carrying away the posts and all and setting us free This is our Sampson that hath carryed all away and destroyed our enemies for us The price was sufficient to satisfie the justice of God for us but when the price was paid and paid to God then
to thee Doubt not of my help dost thou think that I would give my self for thee and will not give my hand for thee do not doubt that I will cast thee off dost thou think that I have suâ—…ered all this for thee and that I will cast thee off at last no no. Secondly Believe the infiniteness of my power This is the language of Christ from his crosse believe the exceeding greatnesse of my power He speaks thus O man what if thou shouldst have no friend but I cannot I uphold thee These shoulders that did bear up under all that Hell could invent against me shal not they uphold thee fear not to commit thy self with considence to me See I am able to keep what thou committest to my trust Thirdly Believe the full expiation of all thy sins I am here a satisfaction for thy sin Fear not I am thy atonement thy peace thy propitiation of thy sins what though thou art empty behold the fulness of my satisfaction what am I here for I am cut off but not for my self 't is for thee This is my meaning in my death this is the end why I am upon the crosse to make expiation for sin and bring in everlasting righteousness All you like sheep are gonâ—… astray and God hath laid on me the iniquities os you all Believe it God will not require the debt of the principal and surety too Doth 〈◊〉 trouble thee at any time sprinkâ—… it but with this blood and it will be at peace Art thou afraid to come into the preâ—… of God do but carry me with thee and thou shalt be safe Fourthly Believe the truth of all Gods threatnings here thou seest all the threatnings of God executed upon me See here and believe what God will do to those that go on in their trespasses If he laid so much on me what will he do to them believe also his threatnings of correcting you 〈◊〉 you sin for he will punish your sins with rods and your iniquities with chastisements Fifthly Believe the certainty os all my promises this is another word that Christs crosse and death speaks to you what 〈◊〉 the meaning of this death of mine and of this blood and satisfaction of mine but that the covenant might be ratified and all the promises sealed and nothing diminished but all my Testament and covenant might he ratified for ever Behold this blood that flows from my wounds is sprinkled upon the people for the purifying of them All is as sure as my death and blood can make them Here thou seest all ratisied in my blood Man thinkest thou that I would dye with a lye in my mouth dost thou think that I would suffer all this for thee is I meant not to do thee good Sixthly Believe thy unquestionable right and title to the Kingdom of glory Why here thou dost see the price and ransome the money paid down and what meaneth all this thinkest thou but to buy in thy name into the inheritance Now Christians where is your faith O methinks your sails should be up Methinks you should be triumphing though you are here in the world As Paul Who is he that condemns it is Christ that died Why what objections can be made what can unbelief say that cannot be answered here in the death of Christ shall I muster up all its force tell you what the death of Christ doth speak to it give me leave to touch upon some of them First methinks I hear unbelief objecting from the terribleness of Gods threatnings O sayes the soul my heart melteth within me while I hear the wrath of God threatned against sin methinks I come lately from Mount Sinai wher I heard the Law given withthe Trumpet a shout and a curse pronounced upon all that kept not the words of this Law O how can my soul bear up against all these curses But now how sweetly doth the crosse of Christ and death of Christ answer thy fears Hear thy Saviors language O soul be not afraid do not thou fear and flag all these threatnings were intended against me all wer fulsilled upon me Justice hath nothing to say to thee all the curses are met together upon me That is the meaning of it that thou mayst be free though I take in the wrath of the Lord into my own body Oh! behold me behold me see how full I am of the wrath of God in body and soul my soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death Methinks I should hear thee say now Lord I see my liberty in thy bonds My salvation in thy torment and pain I have seen thy sorrow and out-cry and understood the meaning and intent of all that it was to remove the curse from me Now arise O my soul and inherit the blessing Therefore was Christ made a curse that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles What was the blessing of Abraham I will bless thee and make thee a blessing I will bless them that bless thee and curse them that curse thee And again I establish my Covenant between me and thee Rejoyce O my soul rejoyce and let my soul rejoyce in God my Saviour O my soul God hath blessed thee and shall bless thee Feâ—…r not now the mouth of the Law is for ever stopt thou shalt never hear one curse more of the flaming mouth of the Law O soul what canst thou wish for that is not laid up in the everlasting covenant he hath said he will be a God to thee Canst thou be able to know the immensity of his covenant all is made over to thee Second Object But sin begins to rise up The soul begins to cry out of his sins O the multitude multitude of my sins they are gone over my head and I am sore afraid I have nothing to pay my debt But hear now what Christ speaks to thee This is the language of his death and wounds fear not sin Have I been so long with thee and dost thou not know me Philip so saith he to thy soul what been here so long with me and conversed with me so long and dost thou not know me yet are thy sins infinite and are not my merciâ—…s infinite are thy sins great and am not I God above all equal with the father O look unto me and rest in the fulness of my satisfaction I am thy surety All thy debts be upon me all thy wants are upon me what if thou hast nothing to pay I have enough for me and thee I am the Scape-goat that have carried away thy sin into a land of forgetfulness I have slain the enmity of sin upon the crosse and have reconciled you to my Father Here is redemption full redemption plentiful redemption behold my blood speaketh peace to you Wilt thou not believe the voyce of my death and blood to thee thus Christ's death can speak sufficiently to all that thy sins can say ' against thee Now doth not thy faith stand upright yet
long Reckonings but let Conscience bring you in the accounts every day before you sleep Keep a Day book in your own hearts speedily make up any controversies that may fall out between God and your Souls 't wil be sad to find old things to reckon for when you come to dye you cannot imagine the torment that one sin unrepented of or unhumbled for may cost you study to keep all clear and even daily within This made dying Oecolampadias clap his hand upon his Breast saying hic sat est Lucis 't is all light within daily self-examination will make you to live holily and dye comfortably but if you let things run long you will be all at a loss 11. Set your houses in order that you may not have your estates in the world to settle when God requires your Souls Make your wills in your health and vigour and therein be sure so to settle your estates as that God and good uses be not shut out nor forgotten Wretched men that have so many hundreds to settle upon their Children can scarce find in their hearts to settle one in the hundred upon Gods special Service 12. Look often into your Coffins and behold your bones and dust as shortly others shall when turned out of your Graves Be not strà ngers to the thoughts of death expect it wait all the dayes of your appointed time when your change shall come familiarize the thoughts of Death to your selves that you may be alwayes safe you must never be secure you must pray and set a watch and be alwayes upon your guard walk every day some serious turns with Death let it never come unlook'd for God forbid Death should come upon you and you say I did not think of it You must daily think of it and look for it How holy and happy a man was he that could say I have not known what to morrow meant this twenty years Consider your latter end learn to number your dayes God doth number them why should not you if the man of the house had known what hour of the night the Thief would have come he would have watched and not have suffered his House to be broken up but it is too late to think of it when the House is risled Be not of them that put far off the evil day he that remembers not his end remembers nothing as he should It is the remembrance of Death puts life into our Prayers into our Graces and all our motions He that puts off the thoughts of Death gives his enemy unspeakable advantages Death comes upon the sleeping and secure sinner as Jael upon Sisera and strikes the fatal nail through his temples and fastens him to the earth or as David upon the Amalckites when he and his mighty men came upon them chafed in their minds as a Bear robbed of her Whelps when they found them spread abroad upon the earth eating drinking dancing and smote them from the twilight to the evening of the day 13. Above all speed to the City of refuge First Get into it close soundly with Jesus Christ. O dreadful work that Death makes with those that are not found in him it tears the body and soul asunder it drags the soul to Hell and locks up the dust in Prison till the terrible Judgment it puts an eternal end to all comforts and enters the sinner upon unchangeable misery and delivers over the Prisoners to the tormentors but if you give up your selves entirely before-hand and accept Christ by believing on his own terms this will secure you in him then the danger of this is over Look to this whatsoever you neglect once in Christ and you have the victory you may send a chalenge to Death and with Paul triumph before the Battel and make the Bonfires and ring out the Bells as sure of the conquest and go with shouts of joy and palms of victory and garments of salvation to encounter with or rather to make spoil upon your already conquered enemy 2. Keep you in it when you have received Christ Jesus the Lord you must walk in him wander from him and you betray your safety O look to it that death find you not venturing out of your refuge by loose walking God bespeaks you here as Solomon did Shimei 1 Kings 2. 36 37. And the King sent for Shimei and said unto him build thee an house in Jerusalem and dwell there and go not forth thence any whither for on the day thou goest out thou shalt know for certain thou shalt surely dye 14. Lay in a stock of promises now in time against the assaults of Death that come when it will thou mayst have a Cordial ready and be provided with an Antidote Delight thy soul in meditating on the 6th of John and 1 Cor. Chap. 15. and the fifth Chapter of the second Epistle of the Corinthians 15. My last but not my least advice is that you suffer not the state of your immortal souls to lye any longer at uncertainties Put to it with all your might for assurance try an hundred times and make diligent search into the state of your hearts What blessed helps have you in Mr. Baxter's Works Mr. Richard Alleines and others to put all out of doubt there you have sure marks ply your hearts with them be diligent observers of the workings of your souls lye at God's door night and day and put your selves on Gods tryal if all this will not do it apply your selves to some faithful and experienced Minister and above all close with Christ anew solemnly ingage your selves in Covenant with him according to the Directions in Mr. Richard Alleine's Book Vindication of Godliness to this purpose how can you live one day or dye without some evidence that it shall be well with you for ever Ah the woful case that the poor trembling Soul must needs be in when it thrusts out into the Ocean of Eternity not knowing whither it is going whether it shall be landed in the Region on of eternal darkness or the Land of light when it must go forth it knows not whether into the Arms of Angels or the teeth and talons of cursed Fiends and Harpies my soul hath often relented at the thoughts of that pathetick moan of dying Adrian who thus bespeaks his anxious soul when ready to be delivered up I cannot but spoil it by Englishing it ah my poor little trembling wandring Soul whether art thou going into I know not what rough and horrid places and it is a heart piercing complaint of poor Beringarius who was one of the first lights in the time of the thickest AntiChristian darkness who having often dallyed with Conscience recanting over and over to avoid Death though he did afterwards still return to the Preaching Proâ—…ssion and Practice of the truth has bemoaned himself on his death bed Now I am going to appear before my Judge not knowing whether I shall be saved as I hope or damned as I fear Brethren if you would
others Secondly He is more skilful than others First He is more useful than others The fruit of the Righteous is a tree of life The Righteous is not a barren tree but he is a fruitful bough as Joseph was And he doth not bring forth his fruit unto himself His fruit is a tree of life As the tree of life would give life to them that should eat thereof so the fruit of the Righteous is such that those thâ—…t will hearken to his Counsel shall partake with him of eternal life When others are as thorns and brambles fruitless unuseful of no value in Gods world the Righteous is a fruitful tree and as a tree of life in the midst of the world Secondly He is more skilful and â—…wise than others And would you know wherin his wisedome lyes It is in winning of Souls Doct. That it is a chief part of a Believers duty and the chief point of a Believers wisdom to gain Souls unto God First 'T is the duty of a Believer to gain Souls Though he must begin at home with his own soul yet he must not Terminate there but he must look abroad after others Souls He must not be as a tree that bringeth forth fruit to himself alone but he must be a tree of life that whosoever plucketh of his fruit to make use thereof shall live And then Secondly 't is his wisedom As in the text so Daniel 12. 3. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever They be the wisemen that turn others to Righteousnesse Here I shall shew you First That 't is 〈◊〉 chief part of his duty Secondly That 〈◊〉 a chief point of his wisedome to gain Souls Firstly That 't is a chief part of his duty and this appears First Because this is one chief point of 〈◊〉 love to Jesus Christ. Wherein did Paul discover his love to Jesus Christ in any thing as 〈◊〉 this in his zeal and industry to save Souls Rom. 9. 1 2 3. And thus doth Moses evidence his love Exo. 32. 31 32. If you would shew your Love to Jesus Christ this is the best way in all the world to evidence it Math. 25. You may see how carefully Christ takes notice of any kindness done to the bodies of his elect but O how much more will he take notice of the love to the Souls of his Elect Secondly Because this is the chief point of our love to our Brethren You know that Christ tels us that all the Law and the â—…phets hang upon this thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart c. And thy Neighbor as thy self If the Law doth bind thee to preserve the Chastity and estate of thy Neighbor how much more doth God require of thee that thou preserve the Soul of thy Neighbour This is the principal point of love Jam. 5. 20. He that converteth a sinner from the error of his wayes shall save a Soul from death and shall hide a multitude of sins If God requires that thou help thy Neighbours Ox and his Ass how much more must thou help thy Neighbors Soul from hell Thirdly Because this is the principal means of bringing glory to Christ. Every soul that is brought in to Christ is a Jewel put into the Crown of Christ. And wouldest thou not be ambitious of such a service as this Every soul thou bringest into Christ is an eternal Monument set up by thee to the name of Jesus Christ. Wouldest thou have much service done for Jesus Christ O then labor to bring in Souls to him that may do his work here in the world Wouldest thou have much praise to the name of Christ O then labor to bring in Souls to Jesus Christ. Every Soul brought in to Jesus Christ is a Trumpet of his praise The glory of a King is in the multitude of his subjects And so 't is of Christ. This is the great way wherein we are capable to further the glory of Christ in the world to bring in many Souls to Jesus Christ. Fourthly Because this is a principal subject of our prayers This is one grand petition Thy Kingdome come In which petition we pray that the Kingdom of grace may be advanced our selves and others brought into it and kept in it Now 't is a great part of a Christians business to live sutable to his prayers Secondly That 't is the chief point of a Christians wisdome to gain Souls unto Christ. This appears First Because Souls are the goodly pearls that are of great price with Christ. O there is no Merchandise like to that of Souls No gain like to the gain of Souls One Soul is of more worth than all the world You may see of how great price Souls are with Jesus Christ by the great price that he laid down for Souls Did Christ spend his blood for Souls and wilt thou not spend thy breath for Souls This is a principal part of wisdome to deal like wise Merchants in goodly pearls A wise man will not spend his time for trifles that is Childish but his wisdome doth appear in the weight of those things that he layes out his time and pains upon Oh if you would appear to be wise lay out your time and strength for Souls If thou couldest gain but one Soul what a happy gain would that be Secondly Because Souls will be the most glorious Crown in the day of Christ. No Crown like to this the Crown of Souls The time is coming when a Crown of Soulâ—… will be found to be of another manner of value than a Crown of gold What was the Crown that Paul wishes for It was for the Souls that he had converted 1 Thes. 1. 19. What is our hope or joy or Crown of rejoycing are not even ye in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ at his coming Why were these Pauls Crown because he had converted them by his Ministry upon the same account he cals the Phillipians Phil. 4. 1. My joy and Crown of rejoycing Thirdly Because we shall most effectually promote the good of our own Souls by endeavoring to gain others Souls By teaching of others thou shalt teach thy self By exhorting others thou shalt excite and stir up thy self And nothing will redound to thy advantage so much as thy laboring to gain Souls though Israel be not gathered yet shall I bé glorified Fourthly Because this will be an evidence of our own sound conversion if we lay out our strength and time to convert others In John 1. 41. We shall see those young converts when they were but touched they labor to bring in others presently So that if thou wouldest evidence thine own sincerity to thy Soul thou shouldest lay out thy endeavor for the good of others Souls First Use Is it so that 't is a chief part of a Christians duty anda chief point of a Christians Wisedom to gain Souls to
Christ Then here is matter of Reproof to reprove those that profess the name of Christ that lay out their zeal no more this way That lay not out their strength to gain Souls Yea that do not long for nor endeavor after the conversion of Souls Surely this speaks sadly to those that wholy neglect this duty But how exceedingly are many of the people of God themselves to be blamed for their Negligence in this doth not thy heart know that there is a brother of thine doth live in such a sin and yet thou never tel him of it What a great evil is this and unsutable to the pattern of the Lord Jesus Christ How did he go up and down doing good and so taken up with Souls that he could scarce spare time to eat his bread insomuch that his carnal friends began to take hold of him and thought that he had been beside himself O how far art thou from this that thy friends may live in their sins and dye in their sins before thou wilt labor to save their Souls The devil he laboreth to destroy Souls and how few be there that do labor to save Souls He may carry away the poor soul and none labours to take the soul from him We should be watchful and vigilant for souls for our own souls and others souls because this enemy is always taking opportunities to destroy souls Sure it argues that you have very little Lovâ—… to Jesus Christ that you do no more for souls That you have little zeal for Jesus Christ and that you have little Love for your Brethren that you take no more care for their souls It may be you are careful for the bodies of those that are under your charge but how little do you for their souls How many live without the worshi of God in their Families Without Catechizing their Children or instructing them And think they have done well if they provide for their bodies Oh but man God will find out thy neglects it was their souls that was thy charge also If you look onely after their bodies this you will do for your swine And will you do no more for your Childrens souls than for your swine many are ready to say as Cain am I my Brothers keeper If this be not the language of thy tongue is not this the language of thy Life What dost thou do for thy brother to save his soul from death Second Use is of exhortation To stir you up to perform this duty to labor to be skilful in this duty to win souls to Christ. Brethren if you would be wise indeed and if you will gain indeed labour to gain souls Oh look upon the woful condition of perishing souls How few of thy friends and acquaintance hast thou good grouâ—…ds to think they have a share in Jesus Christ What wilt thou have no compassion of thy Brothers soul Thou wouldst have compassion on the body of thy Neighbor If thou sawest the house on fire about them and they asleep wouldest thou not be stirred up and with zeal forget thy self and labor to call upon them and awake them O how many of our carnal friends do remain in a carnal state and we sit stilland let them alone I beseech you stir up your souls to relieve the souls of others This is the best Charity and best pleasing to Christ. It may be many of you have not wherewith to shew your Charity to the bodies of your brethren but this way thou mayst shew it in shewing kindnesse to their souls Exhort them and strengthen them in their duty comfort them support them If thou canst not give them an alms give them an exhortation But you will say what should we do or what means must we make use of to do good to to souls I answer you must do it First By Scripture demonstration When thou goest to deal with souls be sure to make use of Gods weapons Bring the word of God with thee Go forth in the name of God Pour out thy supplication to God to prosper the work And then shew thy brother the Scripture to convince him out of the Scripture as Apollos did Thou canst never throw down the devils strong holds but by the use of Gods own weapons No Cannon but this will batter down the strong holds of sin and Satan Therefore bring the Scripture with thee to him Secondly By earnest supplication This was Pauls course who did so earnestly thirst for the salvation of his brethren He strove mightily with God in prayer for them Rom. 10. 1. My hearts desire and prayer is that Israel may be saved Carry thy friends to God and go to God by prayer and weep over their carnal and unsanctified state Bring thy dead Husband and child c. to God and put up thy Request to God for them as Abraham did Ishmael O That they might live before thee How did the prophet prevail l y his prayers for the restoring the dead child As the prophet did pray in life into the dead child so thou shouldest strive with God in prayer for dead souls If thou didst but wrestle with God for thy dead wife or child or neighbor What dost thou know what God might do for them What knowest thou O man but thou mayest save thy Wife c. Thus we are taught by our Lord in that great petition Thy Kingdom come Thus if thou strive by the word of God and prayer then thou mayest be like to prevail mightily for the good of souls thou dost converse with 3. By kind Obligation This is another way by which thou shouldest labor to gain souls Observe that great rule of the Apostle be pittiful be courteous t is the Rule that he gives Labor by kindness and courtesie to gain upon all thou dost converse with that thou mayst get within him that thou mayst be in a capacity to do good to his soul. Shâ—…wing all meekness to all men And when thou art thuâ—… kind to all men this will be a means to do good to them by what thou dost If they be such as stand in need of thy Charity open thy hand to relieve their necessity and that will be a way to open their hearts to thee to receive in thy counsel Fourthly By faithful reprehensions Lev. 19. 17. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy Neighbor and not suffer sin to rest upon him Observe that 't is quite contrary to Christian Lovo to suffer sin to lye upon him for 't is câ—…lled hating of him Oh Brethren shew your Love to the souls that you are among by this by the faithful rebuking of their sins that they fall into Manifest it not as a token of your displeasure but as an ordinance of God Deal with him in all gentleness and meekness Not gentle with their sins you must be plain and saithful with their souls You must shew them the danger of such a way but you must do
not I am a liar and where then is the honor of my truth but mercy pleaded if he dye where is the honor of my Grace and mercy Why now wisdome puts in a surety and that â—…oes for the principal Righteousness and peace have kissed each other How can this be Gods justice and righteousness did require that man should give satisfaction but this is all reconciled in Christ he reconciled God and man together Fourthly The greatest good coming out of the womb of the greatest evil Sin is the mother of all evil You will say can any good come out of such a womb as this It is true it cannot naturally come but God did so order it that it should be the occasion of it Were it not a wonder to see grapes come of thorns and Olives of thistles such a wonder you may see in Christ. You may see out of the sin of man comes great glory to God and good to man First Great glory to God for had not man sinned neither Gods justice nor mercy had been so magnified His justice had not been seen at all in a manner in punishing the offenders but 't is eminently seen in punishing of Christ who dyed for sinners This is a louder demon stration of the Justice of God than if God had turned all heaven and earth into confusion upon the sin of man Again hereby is way made for magnifying Gods mercy The sin of man as God hath ordered it hath given way to God in the demonstration of his mercy in forgiving and his justice in punishing It could not have bin thought that God had been of so gracious a nature able to put up such great affronts as man had given him had not sin given him occasion to magniâ—… his mercy Secondly Again as the sin of man hath given occasion to the advancing of Gods glory so for the promoting of mans good By this man is raised to a higher state of happiness and felicity than ever he should have been Now there is a nearer conjunction between God and man than ever was before the fall or ever should have been had it not been for the sin and fall of man Before it was said that man was made a little lower than the angels but now it may be truely said that he is so much higher than the Angels more nearly joyned to God Had man continued in innocence he had had onely a lengthening out of his temporal life in paradise but now by his sin Christ hath opened the door of heaven to him O then wonder at the power of Christ Fifthly Perfect justice raging against perfect innocence You know that God is perfect in his Righteousness and justice A God of truth and without iniquity just and right is he And yet notwithstanding his perfect Justice was set against his own son in whom there was nothing but perfect innocence He was the Lamb of God a lamb without spot and blemish full of grace and truth No guile was sound in his mouth and yet you know how the wrath of God brake out upon him It brake out upon him to the very uttermost that if he would but put himself into the room of man he must dye for it tho Justice it self said I find no fault in him yet he must dy all could not save him but if he will stand between God offending man and take our sins upon himself though he had none of his own yet justice takes hold of him Let me say as the Apostle behold the goodness severity of God Goodness to thee but severity unto Christ. O what had come upon you if you had been to bear the blow you see how Justice runs upon the Son of God and fals upon him and tears him to the ground and le ts out his blood and would not spare him though he were the only belovedSon of God O consider how fearful a thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God! You read how when Daniels enemies were cast into the Lions den that they brake all their bones before they came to the bottome of the den O how wouldst thou have been torn had the Justice of God taken hold of thee Sixthly Insinite wisdome at cost upon meer worthlessenesse God expects the blood of his own Son which was of insinite value to redeem worthless man Would you not wonder to see a wise man to be changing Pearls for pebbles yet here it is a greater wonder the wise God redeeming by the death of his own Son sinful man out of the hands of his own justice Why what is man are not all the nations of the world as nothing before him and yet upon this nothing this vanity is Gods insinite wisdome at this cost that he might save us from eternal death Seventhly The Son of the Blessing made to be a curse Gal. 3. 13. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us Observe it 't is not said he was ACCURSED for us but a CURSE for us Christ hath delivered us from the curse but how by taking the curse upon himself You know the curses of the Law that were denounced against sinners all these curses met together upon one Jesus Christ. How is the book of Gods word full from one end to the other with Curses against sinners what a load then was there upon the back of Christ when all these curses met together upon him what a wonder is it that God should be cursing of his own Son to hear God say all my curses shall meet upon thee cursed shalt thou be in thy body and cursed shalt thou be in thy soul. To hear the great God speaking thus to his own Son go thou Cursed I will engage my Justice and wrath against thee to torment thee and put thee to death O what a sight was this yet thus it was with Jesus Christ. He had as many torments as members and all the torments that he endured had the curse of God in them Eighthly The Father of mercy forgetting his Bowels to his own Son VVe read of a very strange thing that was done by the King of Moab 2 Kings 3. 27. When he saw that the Battel was too sore for him c. he took his own Son that should have reigned in his stead and osfered him for a burnt offering what a strange sight was this yet there is a greater wonder than this to be seen in Christ to see God sacrificing his own Son and offering him up for a burnt-offering to appease his wrath against sinful man O shall not your hearts stand a wondering at this to see he that was a God of mercy to have no mercy for his own son he that had bowels of pity for you to have no pity for his Son O behold and wonder By this time I hope you are convinced that Christ is wonderful A SACRAMENTAL Speech grounded on Eph. 3. 19. And to know the love of Christ which
Christian methinks I should hear thee say Lord 't is enough thou hast laid down thy life for a ransome I see my cure in thy wounds I doubt not butthy blood is sufficient to cleanse me from all my sins And who now shall appear-against me Ah Justice once a terrible word now I can see thy face with comfort Once Justice was so terrible as never was the face of a judge more terrible to the prisoner at the bar than that to me but now 't is pleasing to me Once I had rather have fallen into the lions mouth than to come to it O how did my soul grow pale and my heart ready to dye like Nabals within me when I saw the ballance held up in one hand and the sword in the other but now I see that the death of Christ and his blood shall be put into the ballance with me I am not afraid Here now see a great wonder the pure holyness of God taking pleasure in a sinner and the strictest justice shaking hands with the offâ—…nder now the justice of God is become my friend Third Object O but unbelief seems yet to object from the multitude and strength and policy of the enemy Methinks I see the trembling soul in the posture of the prophets man who beheld the mountain beset with Charriots and Horses and crying out O Master what shall we do If it were but flesh and blood it were not altogether so much but 't is principalities and powers who can break thorow the host of these Philistines But Christian look to this crosse look to a dying Christ look what his death speaks to thee wherefore art thou ready to fall with these fears and ready to sink under them methinks I see him taking thee by the hand as he did Peter O thou of little faith why didst thou doubt look here by my cross and see all thine enemies lye slain by my death and what wilt thou be afraid that thy slain-enemies will rise again and pursue thee methinks soul I should hear thee triumphing and crying out what can you do O my enemies I have seen captivity led Captive and for whom did he overcome but for me as for me now I will throw out the gantlet and bid defiance to my enemies Who is he that condemns It is Christ that dyed who shall seperate us from the love or death of Christ shall tribulation or distresse c. Nay in all these things we are more than conquerors c. For I am perswaded that neither death nor life c. shall be able to seperate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. I see now all overcome in the death of Christ. Devils I fear you not I behold all your legions in chains and made captives by Christ. Death I fear thee not for I know that thou art slain by him that had the power of death and devils I know that thy commission is altered and thou comest not with authority to arrest me but with an invitation to invite me to feast with the Lord. And thanks be to God who hath given us the victory To the most beloved people the flock of Christ in Taunton Salvation Loving and most dearly beloved I have lately received your affectionate letter and though I never question your affections to me and need no verbal testimony yet I cannot but take it thankfully and read it delightfully when I see it attested under your own hands And I cannot but tell you you are the people of my cares the desire of my eyes the people of my delights of my prayers My labors with you for many years though some time attended with difficulty and danger yet were not tedious but my time passed like Jacobs when he served for Rachel and my sufferings for you are not irksome through grace because I trust they are for your edisication and are a seal of my love to you and more especially of the doctrine of our Lord Jesus Christ which I have long preached among you The Lord God teach me with humility and thankfulness to bear such honor that I should be set for the defence and consirmation of the Gospel And now my dearly beloved though you should not be insensible of Gods great visitation upon you yet I would not have you inordinately disquieted that I am removed from you to a prison for a season but rather imitate the Heroick vertue of that most gracious mother in the Martyrologie who when the Son of her bowels came not to a prison but to a stake to be sacrificed in the flames for Christ fell down on her knees and blessed the Lord that ever she should be so happy as to have a Son to suffer for Jesus Christ. Ah my dear flock how glad should 〈◊〉 be if God would send me forthwith among you again to feed you as in the dayes of old and to go in and out before you that you might find pasture yet be not dismayed fear not little flock though you are little and despised and hated of all men for Christs name sake Christs relation to you and tenderness of you is such that you cannot miscarry He liveth and his care liveth The Godly wife of that worthy Cornish Divine Mr. Vincent being left in great want with many little Children would often answer them when tâ—…y came crying about her for bread and she had none to give with this gracious expression be quiet children our God 〈◊〉 And surely that my brethren may be a quieting comforting consideration both for you and me though the bread do 〈◊〉 fail But at length this gracious woâ—… being left quite destitute and her children calling upon her when she had neither bread nor money breaks out into a bitter weeping which one of the littleones observing he comes and puls his mother by the Apron saying Mother why do you weep thus Is God dead now such a rebuke did the Lord send her by the mouth of a poor babe Brethren be not dismayed Christ liveth and therefore let your hopes live let your courage live let your faith live also Christ liveth ever therefore let your hearts live for ever Psal. 22. 26. He liveth to make intercession sor you and from his living you may be assured of life John 14. 19. of your Jastification Rom. 8. 34. Of your Salvation Rom. 5. 10. Beloved do but seriously think of Christ's relation to you and you cannot want comfort Why he is not ashamed to call you Brethren Even when he was entred upon his state of exaltation risen from the dead far above the state of mortals he own'd poor weak believers for his brethren John 20. 17. Go to my Brethren Math. 28. 10. Go tell my Brethren Yea when he cometh with all his holy Angels with him and sits upon the throne of his glory he will own the very least and lowest among poor believers before all the world for his Brethren Math. 25. 31. with ver 40. keep this my
Riches too I counsel thee to buy of me gold that thou mayest be Rich Rev. 3. 18. 'T is the true Riches And so it is Health and Soundness too Prov. 3. 8. It shall be health to thy Navel and marrow to thy bones Secondly From a state of darkness to a Land of Light You know the grave is a place of darkness and death a state of darkness Thus is it in the Spiritual death Dead souls are all in darkness under the power of darkness Act. 26. 18. The grave for our dead bodies is a place of darkness but the grave for dead souls is a place of utter darkness of everlasting darkness The grave is Formidable and deep You know when a body is dead it must be buried that it may not annoy us God hath provided a grave to bury dead souls in out of his sight and where do you think that this grave is Why Hell is the grave for dead souls The rich man was dead and was buried but where was he buried His soul was in Hell so some translate this place And being buried in Hell he lift up his eyes Luke 16. 22 23. Hell is a place of darkness and thick darkness O that is horrible indeed that is reserved for poor impenitent sinners the blackness of darkness for ever Jude 13. He doth not onely say darkness but blackness of darkness for ever Ah brethren this is that which Christ hath recovered you from from death to life If you go down into the grave and see how the dead do lye in darkness and silence how formidable is that But oh how will it be to see the grave of hell where dead souls are buried This was your place before you were sanctified Ah brethren what manner of praise what 〈◊〉 of deliverance should you compass the throne of Gods grace withal who have such a change wrought upon you Thirdly From a 〈◊〉 of Impotence to a state of power A natural state is an impotent state Rom. 5. 6. When we were yet without strength in due time Christ dyed for the ungodly As a dead man is not able to move a finger to put off the worms that crawl upon his body and face So a dead soul cannot get the victory over his flesh and lusts He is under an impossibility of doing any thing acceptable before God But now God hath given you strength that you should leap and walk 〈◊〉 praise God God did put strength into thy feet when he recovered thee from death to life that thoâ—… shouldâ—… be able to go thorow dissiculties for his names sake Brethren those that are altogether without strength were certainly never brought to a true and spiritual life If thou art brought from death to life thou hast some strength it may be it is but a little strength But every Saint hath a little strength so that he doth not live in the wilsul practice of any sin If thou hast not thus much thou art dead in thy sins Fourthly From a state of Insensibleness to a state of Sense A Dead man is without sense He hath Eyes but he seeth not and Ears but he heareth not And thus it is with a dead soul. But now you that are believers you are raised from this miserable state I may say to you Blessed are your Eyes for you see and your Ears for you hear O what a change hath he wrought upon you 1. He hath opened your eyes when others are in blindness Brethren what a change is this How many do you see that live where the Gospel is Preached and yet remain ignorant O! what thankfulness should this provoke you to You are restor'd to your spiritual sense Before you thought it the smallest matter in the world to sin against God Now you look upon it after another manner O how should you bless God in those words of our Saviour I thank thee O Father Lord of Heaven and Earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes O! How many be there of the wise men great men of the world that have their eyes closed God hath hid these things from them that they cannot see them But your eyes see give God the glory 2. He hath bored your Ears when others are in deafness When others are like the deaf Adder he hath given you the hearing Ear the obedient Ear O! consider this and be thankful Thou hast of thy self a heart as obstinate as any other heart iâ—… the world Now if God hath given thee ears to hear O bless his Name How often may we call upon a Dead man and he never hear so we may call upon dead souls and they hear not with their souls at least though they hear with their ears 3. God hath loosed your Tongues when others are dumb and silent O what mercy is this Beloved you could not breath before God your Prayers and Requests with lise and fervour as you do unless God did unlose your tongues and open your mouths Man's lips are locked up and his tongue tyed up that he cannot utter himself beâ—…ore God or at least not with that fervency that others can O bless the Lord that he hath loosed your tongues 4. He hath given you Appetites when others rellish not the things of God Dost thou find any hungrings and thirstings after Christ and his Righteousness Is this that which thou dost pant after to be made more conformable to the Lord Dost thou pant after Christ as others pant after the world O bless God that hath put such a difference between thee and others When others relish not the things of God they arâ—… sapless things yea many times they seem burdenfome things to them God hath given thee such an appetite that thou findest a relish in them that nothing goes down so sweetly as the service of God 5. He hath given you your feeling when some others are past feeling We read of some that were past feeling Eph. 4. 19. You know a dead man hath no sense or feeling if you lay a Mountain upon him he feels it not So it is with a dead soul he feels not the burthen of his siâ—…s he complains not for his sins Now canst thou say that thy sins be the greatest trouble to thee in all the world O bless the Lord for this It is a great priviledge you that are Believers do groan under this burthen and 't is your duty so to do yet under this there is some life or else you would not feel your corruptions as you do And now to close all let me renew the Exhortation Rejoyce and be Thankful that though you were lost you are found again O remember what a condition you were in when you were lost Do you not remember what bitterness did seize upon you How many times did you give up your souls and did believe that you should never be found or restored And did God find you when you were lost O consider who it