does this Gate brings into this Way of Life whereas no other Gate does None can be careless whether he make Ingress and progress here but he who sets light by Life that Life which for permanency and privileges doe exceedingly transcend this Or 2ly Of the difficulty of going in and going on here A threefold difficulty is here mentioned 1st There is a difficulty in finding this Gate and this difficulty is so great that there are few overcome it Most drop into destruction before they know where the Gate of Salvation lies 2ly There is a difficulty in entring this Gate when it is found it being a strait Gate and so not to be entred with any bulk in any posture a Man must strip himself of all unnecessary lumber and compose his body into the most advantageous posture if he would get in at this strait Gate 3ly There is a difficulty in holding on in the Way which we have entred into through the Gate this Way being a narrow Way such as will not leave us at liberty to do as we list but will confine us within bounds and tye us to good behaviour so that we shall be necessitated to conform our Steps unto our Ways Doct. 1st There is a way which leads unto Life This is so clear a truth and so generall acknowledged that Christ does not think it needfull to prove it no nor so much as to assert it neither he only supposes there is such a way all that he does directly assert is touching the narrowness of this Way and the Straitness of the Gate which admits into it Here we must enquire what this Life is which has a Way to it what this way is which leasts unto this Life how this Way leads unto this Life Quest 1st What is this Life which has a Way leading to it Answer Man has a double Life 1st A Life of the Body in this World 2ly A life of the the Soul which is either inchoat and begun in this World or consummate and perfect in the other Now this Life of the Body consists in the conjunction of the Soul and Body together and exerts its self in natural vital Animal operations whereby we Eat Drink and Grow and Breath See and Hear Smell and Feel and Talk and Walk c. But this is not rhe Life which we have to do with here for we are speaking of a Life which Men generally are without yea are at a great distance from and cannot arrive at but by passing through a long Way but such a Life is not this present bodily life for all on this side the Grave have this Life The life then which we have to Enquire about is the Life of the Soul this men are without unless they be born again to it and they are but few who are born again nay men are at a distance from this life neither prizing this nor desiring it nor knowing the way to it Nay it is not the life of the Soul while it is yet in the body this vile body which we here Enquire after For though these two lives that of the Soul here and that of the Soul hereafter do agree much in their natures and Qualitys they have the same subject the immortall Soul which once was dead in trespasses and Sins Eph. 2. 1. The same principle Christ who saith of himself Job 14. 6. I am the way The truth and the Life whom St. Paul professes to be his Life Gal. 2. 20. I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me Col. 3 4. When Christ who is our Life c. The same effect influencing upon all the faculties of the Soul to raise and enlarge them bettering both mind and heart in all their operations The same excellency putting upon noble designes such as concern the Glory of the great God and the welfare of precious Souls and furnishing with Satisfactory delights such as are the result of Gods presence in the Soul and the Testimony of our Conscience that according to our power we have kept close to God in obedience The same permanency neither of them ever having any end yet these two Lives differ much in degrees more than the life of a man differs from the life of a new born Child yea more than the life of a grown man differs from the life of a Child in the womb It neither has such high operations nor such high comforts it is oft so secret and so hardly discernable either by the man who enjoyes it or by others that Christ rather counts it a tendency to life than life it self it is so exceedingly below that life which shall be in righteousness peace Joy and Glory the great perfections of this life that it scarce deserves to bear the same name the life then which we are here enquiring of is the life of the Soul after it is uncased of the body this is the great life whereunto the life of grace received in regeneration serves but as a way this is that which all Gods People find feel a want yea a need of which they all pant and breath after it makes the Soul happy immediately after death and the body too as well as the Soul soon after the resurrection 2ly What is this way which leads to this life Ans The way it self is obedience and self-denyal complying with Gods will and denying our own It is but going back the same way which man took when he fell from this life we had not been to seek for this life if Adam had continued in the state wherein he was created had he thus done both he himself had been confirmed in holiness and Righteousness and all his posterity after him had probably been born in the same state but he being Tempted by Satan closed with the Temptations and instead of complying with Gods will gratified his own and thereby ruined not only himself but us too Thus we are told by one man Sin entred into the World c. Rom. 5. 12. A double death entred by Adams Sin 1st A death of the Soul as to eternal life this was the immediate result of his Sin for by it he did as it were cut his own throat and thereby utterly stript himself of Spiritual life 2ly A death of the body as to this Temporal life this Followed upon his Sin also yet not so speedily for the seeds of death was only then sown which must have time to ripen Now the way to get out of this death into which we are plunged and to attain again that life which we have through Sin and folly lost is to take a quite contrary Course and whatever Temptations we have to do with either from the World or Satan more to consider what is Gods will then our own and rather to do what God bids us than what our own lusts incline us to This is the way the onely way though Christ when inwardly received into the Soul as a new life is the principle inclining and enabling us
hath all Ruleth all and doth all if by finding him they have attained to be in Favour with him and to have his Presence with them 2ly The Possibility nay Probability of finding god if he be but duly sought Were God not at all to be found or were he at such a vast Distance from us that he could not be found without a very Tedious Inquisition we might hereby somewhat excuse our sloth in neglecting to seek him But when he may be found and that without going very far he being so near us it is a Madness to lose him for want of a little seeking after him I shall comprehend the substance of the Text in this brief but full Proposition It is the Duty and Concern of all to seek the Lord while he may be found to call upon him while he is near I say all are obliged and concerned thus to do for the Precept and Exhortation is Generall extending to all Sexes Ages and Conditions of men that are without God unless we can imagine that there are some without God that need him not but can be well enough without him although the Apostle representeth this as the height of the Misery of an Unregenerate Person that he is without God in the World Ephes. 2. 12. The Foregoing Proposition implieth 1st That men in their Naturall Condition are so without God as not to find him without seeking They are at a Remote distance from God not as to Place that being utterly impossible for he who fills Heaven and Earth with his Immense Essence cannot but be intimately present with every Soul but as to State For the Bent of their Hearts being directly contrary to the Divine nature and Will they are no more capable of admitting the gracious Influences of God than a Lump of Clay can take in the Light of the Sun tho' it shine never so bright round about it But this is not all the Wretchedness of an Unregenerate Condition for men in that Estate are not only without God who is the only Originall of their Life and Comforts the only Foundation of their Hopes but are also Ignorant where to find him If they understood but how to go Directly to God they would not need long to seek him And this is one of the Bitterest Fruits of the Originall Apostacy of our first Parents which has been continued and increased by our Actuall Transgressions It is the Root of all those Extreme Mischiefs which follow Sin either as Naturall Consequences of it or Penall Chastisements for it Whatever we at any time complain of may be justly Imputed to this Isa 59. 2. Your Iniquities of have Separated between you and your God and your sins have hid his face from you that he will not hear 2ly That men while without God and thus at a distance from him do greatly and Extremely stand in need of God and can in no wise be without him Were it not for this we should hear of no Commands issued out from God for the enjoyning men to seek him For the good and wise God although his Supremacy be unquestionable yet he Loves not to Act Arbitrarily merely for the Ostentation of his Power but he is induced to Act by the Consideration of some Holy Righteous and good End which he would Promote Now this End cannot refer to himself for the infinite ever Blessed all sufficient God the Lord of Heaven and Earth is utterly uncapable of any Addition to himself It must therefore be the Conveniences and Necessities of poor Sinfull man that God consults in the giving out of his Commands When God therefore sayes to man Seek me we may assure our selves that we have need so to do God knows we have need Possibly Foolish man may have other Conceits in his head while with Children he pleases himself in Toyes but when once with the Prodigal he comes to himself being awakened out of his pleasing Dream by a sight of Sin fear of Gods wrath and the Law 's curse by a sense of Judgements Especially such as Afflict the Body or affright with black Apprehensions of Death or deprive of those Lower Comforts which are most set by then he clearly descerns and sensibly Experiences the Vanity and Vexation of whatever is besides and below God and thereby Learns that the Satisfaction he so much needs is no where to be expected but in God only 3ly That men notwithstanding the need they stand in of God are very backward to seek him Men will not be induced to seek God by the fairest Invitations and the most earnest Entreaties they must be in a manner compelled to seek God by strict Commands and severe Threatnings God would spare those did he not see that there would be no seeking him without them nay Experience shews that all these will scarce do for men seldome seek God in good earnest till the Incessant Judgements of God do as it were drive them out of their Sins their Earthly Comforts and themselves unto God This is one great piece of the Misery of an Apostate State that men are senseless of it and so do not concern themselves to seek unto him who only can save from it like men in High Feavers who greatly need the Help of a Physician yet being in raging Phrensies they as much despise and reject it as being altogether unapprehensive of their own Danger Men are generally so averse from seeking God that the Apostle observes out of Scripture that there are none that seek after God and he imputes it to this that they understand not Rom. 3. 11. Alass they know not their Want of God they feel not their need of God they understand not the Worth of God they have severall things to make Gods of to themselves to please themselves in The God of this World blinds them that they see not their Godless Condition he hardens them that they feel it not and holds them that they stir not out of it The Lusts of the Flesh the World find them severall other things to seek besides God whom they most need 4ly That God may be Found if duly and Timely fought While one observes what Gross neglect there is of God in the World how few seek him and that men are for the most part wholly intent upon the Pursuit of other things he has Temptations to conceit that surely God is not at all to be found otherwise men would not be so desperately mad as never to concern themselves about seeking him seing without him they cannot but be Utterly and Everlastingly undone without Remedy But this strange Carelessness of God is rather the Result of their Senselessness of the need they stand in of God than of their Despair of finding him For the Gâ—d of Truth would never have commanded and Encouraged men to seek him if in seeking they were likely to lose their Labour No he Never said neither to the Seed of Jacob nor to the Seed of Adam seek ye me in Vain Isa 45. 19.
any controll and he makes every passage to promote the Comfort welfare of those that truely love and fear him and will bring to utter shame and Misery all those who despise him and choose the World for their portion however he may suffer them to flourish for a while 2ly The Knowledge of the world how little there is in it to fill the capacities to supply the needs to satisfie the desires of an Immortall soul how vain and unsavory all the Comforts of it are especially to such an one as is awakened to a due sense of the wretched Misery and extreme danger of a poor soul and the concernments of Eternity How uncertain all the enjoyments Exposed to infinite hazards and running 1000. ways and while possest are oft made wearisome by the Cumber of them vexations by the Crosses interwoven with them dangerous by the snares of them A Minister can do no greater service to God and Souls then by rubbing off the paint from the Face of this Tempting whore stripping her of her Gawdy Ornaments whereby she do's bewitch the Jnhabitants of the Earth 3ly The Knowledge of our selves How nobly Descended from Adam the Son of God the Master-ship of Gods Creation how Richly Accomplished with Wisdome Righteousness and Power how largely Capacitated for higher and more glorious enjoyments how Lamentably Degenerated into a state of shame misery and danger How dark polluted and Distempered our Souls are how frail and crazy our bodies how vain and miserable our Lives how sad and Hopeless our Death How Unconceiveably wretched if we come short of Christ how strangly Senseless of one Need of him how Grosly Ignorant of the way to him how foolishly content to take up short of him How few reall Friends we have to our Souls how many slie Enemies quite out of Favour with God out of Peace with our selves The Curses of the Law we are to Expect the Joyes and Glorys of Heaven we may hear of indeed but cannot hope for Hell with it's Torments and Confusions is our portion 4ly The Knowledge of Christ in him there is merit Enough to Appease a Provoked God to Satisfie violated Justice he has peace Enough to speak to a troubled Conscience ease to give to a burdened spirit he can quicken the dead heart subdue the stubborne strengthen the weak soften the hard enlarge the strait compose the distracted make Fruitfull the barren He can inform the ignorant rectify the mistaken Councell the Foolish Resolve Doubts Discover Wants Distempers Dangers Remedies Supplies helps c. He can give grace to make holy Heavenly meek Lowly Selfdenying obedient resigned patient Dependant upon God every way pious toward God Just and Charitable to brethren 5ly Knowledge of the way to Christ The true the onely way the ready and sure way That this is obedience and self denyall faithfulness to God and their own Souls in these as light and strength is given in For onely this way a man comes to find Really and Experimentally the blindness weakness Poverty Corruption of his nature and heart which else at best he knows but by hearsay untill by putting himself out to the â—utmost he finds that his Soul is little else but a lump of Darkness and Sin duty he knows but very Faintly what he Knows though it be but little he is not able to practise the Law comes in here sayes do this and Lawe he is not able to do it though it cost him his life it sayes refrain such courses or my curse is against you your Souls Bodies as to the concernments of this Life and the other yet though it bring never so much misery he is not able to refrain Notwithstanding all his reasonings with himself his Resolutions endeauours Either put of your Lusts and be Clothed with the graces of the spirit or else no enterance into Heaven he finds he can do neither I say till a man come to follow God faithfully according to that discovery which he makes of himself unto his Conscience he will never come so far as to understand really the Depravedness of his nature the strict requirings of the Law his vtter in ability to help himself and so never finds any need of Christ never is in good Earnest to lay hold of him but Contents himself with a Christ of his own making and so Lives and Dies in his corrupt nature and all his groundless hopes wherewith he flattered himself do not save him from the misery he never thought of 6ly Knowledge of the priviledges which are in Christ God reconciled Conscience quieted the heart at rests the Soul purified and enlightened filled with Peace passing understanding Joy unspeakable and full of Glory the Man himself and his as to all their Concernments here and hereafter under the Charge of that providence which over rules all God continually present to guide him in his wayes to comfort and help in Afflictions and to make People seek after Christ not onely out of necessity but out of Choice as one who has enough in him to Recompence for all the losses and crosses in the way to him 7ly Knowledge of Dutyes what God requires of all to practise for their own good and the good of their Brethren and how to practise it in such a way as the good that God drives at by it may be Attained To shew what the man owes to himself his Soul his Body To keep his body in Chastity Sobriety To get his Soul quickened with the Life of Christ enlightened with the Knowledge of all it 's reall concernments what he owes to others as a Magistrate a Subject a Minister a Parishioner A Master or Servant an Husband a Wife a Father a Child c. And to make people know that their dutyes are their interests too and nor made Necessary by being enjoyned but therefore enjoyned because discerned by the wisdom of God to be vsefull Not burdens laid on People Arbitrarily by God to make a vain ostentation of his Soveraignty but prescriptions Accomodate to the Necessitous and Distempered Condition of apostate nature to direct them what Course to take for their recovery and to do this with that authority which may awe them to make vse of these directions though contrary to their inclinations To shew them the means the Encouragements and to Answer their objections 8ly Knowledge of Liberty That an upright Person may in certain cases Act this way or that way as their shall be occasion without danger of Sinning even in matters of Religion which as to the Externall and Mutable part of it do's admitt of great latitude and may be Modellized this way or that way as it shall be found to serve most for it's main ends the generall good of Souls and the peace of states And where it is thus ordered upon serious Deliberation by those who have authority what before was indifferent in it self now becomes necessary by vertue of Gods Law which requires us to Submit to every
those frightfull Shrinks which are to be discerned in some dying Persons it is very probable are not so much the result of Vehement Pains of Body as of extream Anguish on their Spirit when they are made indeed to see whither they are going Sometimes their Peace and Hope continues untill the very last breath and their Amazement must needs be very Horrible when they feel themselves in Hell before ever they thought of it It is certain all these Advantages must come to nothing at Death For 1. Some of them are of that nature that they are of no use in another world as Credit and Worldly advantages Those in Heaven are so filled with Joy and Glory that these are below them Those in Hell are so filled with anguish and horrour that if they could have these still they could not heed them they would find no Ease by them Even during this Life a man in the Gout Stone or Cholick may have such Vehement pains upon him that it will be but poor Comfort to hear that he has lived in good Credit has scraped together much Wealth or purchased many Friends 2. Some of them are of that Nature that they Continue not after this Life Common Grace is but the working of Gods Spirit upon a man to bring him to Saving Grace in the 〈◊〉 or else to keep him from doing that mischief in the World which otherwise he would do Now there is no use of this after Death Gifts are but the Spirits working on a man to Raise his Parts that he may be more usefull to the Church Now the Spirit makes to further use of a man after he is called out of this Life 3ly Some of them are of that Nature that they cannot continue when the Truth is discovered and when Experience shews the Vanity of them as peace and hope God suffers them sometimes to fall here that those who rest in them may take warning not to Content themselves with that which may fall lest their Condition should be as sad as theirs is who fall away The Fall is Great in it self It is Totall whatever men have Raised to themselves by their Religion all comes down together It is Finall the Ruines of this usually are never raised again If it fall not till Death it is impossible to raise it if it fall before it is difficult Those who have got into a Form and rest there who have had great helps to get further and have been much a wanting to God and their own Souls they have Sinned much against Light and Grace or else they had got further Vsually their Fall is then when God leaves them wholly to themselves as despairing to do any good upon them Now there is no hope of that Soul which has Triffled away its Season of grace and is now left by God unto its self The fall is great as to its Consequences There is great Amazement by reason of the suddenness and unexpectedness of it There is great Horrour when all the false Peace and Hope is gone there is then nothing but a fearfull Looking for of Judgement and fiery Indignation Heb. 10. 27. Use 1. We should be greatly afraid lest what we Build should fall also and thereby we be put to great Shame to Build so Foolishly when we should be Building for Eternity Thereby we come to great loss we lose our Souls we undergo unspeakable unconceivable Mischeif which we can neither bear up under nor run away from The way to avoid this falling is to make use of Common grace in order to the getting of Saving grace to press through the Form of Religion to the power of it to nourish in our selves Apprehensions of the Danger of resting in such Attainments as we may utterly and everlastingly fall away from to be frequently enquiring what we have attained to in Religion which these Temporary Christians came short of to be earnest with God in Prayer that he would not suffer us to rest in such common Attainments as we may wholly lose during this Life or such as we shall never be Advantaged by when we come to die Use 2. The greater the Fall is let us be the more afraid of it and bend our Endeavours and Prayers so that we may escape it The nearer we come to Heaven the deeper shall we be plunged into Hell if we come short of Heaven Isaiah 55. 6. Seek ye the Lord while he may be Found Call ye upon him while he is Near. THese words under a different Aspect may admit of a different Construction View them on one side and they seem to lay before us an Exhortation to a great Duty with a Direction how this may be most advantageously Discharged The Duty Exhorted to is the Doing the utmost that in us lieth for the Finding of God The Rules directing how to manage this Duty aright prescribe that this be set about 1st Diligently Men ordinarily when they find and feel great need of the Guidance and Assistance of some Person of eminent Prudence and Power whom they have high hopes of do not content themselves with Idle Wishes neither do they lazily sit down vainly Expecting that he should designedly come to them or that they should Accidentally meet with him in good time No but they consider with themselves where is the Place of his usual Residence or Resort and thither they forthwith betake themselves to seek him out and if haply they do not find him where they Expected they go about calling and enquiring after him till at last they find him With such Care and Diligence must those seek who desire and hope to find God 2ly Speedily Men if they know that one whole help they greatly need cannot be found at all times let never so much Care and Diligence be used in seeking him will not dare to put oft one moment their seeking and calling upon him considering with themselves that for any thing they know that may be the only Moment wherein the Person needed may be found which Opportunity if they let slip they may be at abundance of Cost and Tâ—il in seeking him and all to no purpose Now these that would find God must set about this great work of seâ—kâ—ng him with as little Procrastination View the Words on the other side and they seem to set forth to us an Exhortation to this Duty with an 〈◊〉 Inducement and Encouragement faithfully to set about it Let a Business be of never so great Importance men will but slackly apply themselves to 〈…〉 they either doubt of the 〈…〉 tho' it should be effected or the Feasableness of it that it ever will be effected Therefore to excite men to do their utmost for finding of God he lets them know 1st The Advantage which will certainly accruâ— â—â— God bâ— but once Found he being THE LORD he having not only a Right of Dominion over all Persons and affairs but a Right of Propriety in them Now what may not men expect from this LORD who