there stood by me this night the Angel of the Lord whose I am and whom I serve saying Fear not Paul thou must be brought before Cesar and Lo God hath given thee all them that sail with thee Wherefore sirs saies Paul be of good cheer for I believe God that it shall he even as he told me Paul had a promise that none that were in the Ship should be drowned but that all should come safe to shore now did Pauls Faith make him careless in looking after the means for his preservation no for mark now the Mariners and Seamen they thought their case was desperate and they under pretence to make use of the Boat did intend to have gotten away Now Paul knew that the ordinary means for their preservation was to have the Mariners to stay to look after the Ship and when they under colour as though they would have cast Anchors out of the foreship let down the Boat into the Sea and were about to flee out saies Paul to the Centurion and to the Soldiers vers 31. Except these abide in the Ship ye cannot be saved What! had he not a promise that they should be all saved Yes but yet saies Paul if you do not use the means dilligently and carefully you cannot look to have the Mercy Faith puts us upon diligence in the use of means whereas presumption doth take a man off from the use of means and make him careless and slothful about the means but Faith doth make a man diligent in the use of the means to attain the end which is the blessing that God hath promised So in this case God doth require in order to our right participation of this Ordinance that we should prepare our selves before hand for this Ordinance now it is the proper work of Faith to set us to work to be diligent in our preparation for it in those ways and means which God hath appointed and what are those Briefly amongst others this is one Namely self-examination saies the Apostle Let a man examine himself and so let him eat c. Examine himself about what Briefly let a man examine himself if he will partake worthily especially about three or four things First What are the special ends of this Ordinance and this indeed is to discern the Lords Body for if so be we do not understand wherefore we come to this Ordinance we do no discern the Lords Body that is we do put no great difference between the Bread and Wine in this Ordinance and common Bread and Wine and so we do not discern the Lords Body therefore I say this is one thing in the examination of our selves consider and examine what are the special ends for which Christ hath appointed this Ordinance And amongst the rest they are these 1st Christ hath appointed this great Ordinance to have us to keep in remembrance his Death his laying down of his life for us his shedding his Blood for us we are very apt to forget this great kindness of Christ and therefore Christ hath appointed this Ordinance for this great end amongst others that we may remember his death 1 Cor. 11.26 As often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup ye do shew forth the Lords death till he come It is a memorial of the Death of Jesus Christ 2dly Another end of it is this namely that we might have Communion with Jesus Christ in his Death and in the merits of his righteousness It is appointed for that end The Bread which we break saies the Apostle is it not the Communion of the Body of Christ and the cup of Blessing which we bless is it not the Communion of the Blood of Christ Hereby now we profess that we have Communion with Christ and it is appointed for this end we must understand this or else we do not discern the Lords Body we must examine wherefore we come to partake of this Ordinance 3dly Another end is for the sealing up of the Covenant of grace to us it is a Seal of the righteousness of Faith as Baptisme and Circumcision was and it seals up that righteousness to our Faith that is held forth through Christ 4thly Another special end of this Ordinance is to profess our near union with all Believers our love to and our union with all Believers Saies the Apostle We are all but one Bread 1 Cor. 10.17 All moulded up into one Body and Christians should be of one heart and one Soul when they come to partake of this Ordinance Now I say if we would come in Faith we are to prepare for it by examining our selves concerning the ends for which Christ hath appointed this Ordinance 2ly We are to examine our selves not only about the ends of this Ordinance but also concerning our Faith whether we do truly believe in Christ or no or what grounds we have to hope that we do truly believe in Christ or that we have an interest in Christ we are to examine our selves concerning that and also about our acting and exercising Faith on Christ and if so be we find our Faith weak as I said it may be so weak as that there may be nothing sometimes but hungerings and thirstings and desires after Christ therefore we should search and examine what our Faith is the weakness of it and thereby be the more desirous to come to this Ordinance that our weak Faith and weak Graces might be strengthened and confirmed And so 3dly Again We are to examine our selves concerning our repentance Namely concerning our judging of our selves for former failings and miscarriages we should be mourning and humbling of our selves for our turnings aside and warping from the Rule and Law of God and so we should desire and endeavour and resolve through the strength of Christ to walk more closely with God and uprightly for the time to come this is the nature of true repentance as to be humbled for sins past so to resolve through the strength of Christ against sin for the time to come And then 4thly Again We are to examine our selves concerning our charity and love to all to consider wherein our love is defective and whether we can be truly reconciled and at peace with all whether we have no grudgings nor no envyings for private and particular offences against one or another and that we are ready to go and seek peace and reconciliation with them that have offended us we are to consider our Love with the weakness of it wherein we are defective in it these things are required of us before our coming to the Lords Table in a way of preparation Now therefore if you would act and exercise Faith remember this Direction which Faith will put us upon namely to be diligent in the use of those means that are required of us in order to the right participation of it And if we be not diligent to prepare according as the Rule doth require we do not act in a way of Faith in it 5thly and
THE GLORY OF CHRIST Set forth in several SERMONS FROM JOHN III. 34 35 36. and V. 25. AND The necessity of Faith in order to pleasing GOD. FROM HEBREWS XI 6. By that able and faithful Servant of Jesus Christ Mr. Thomas Allen late Pastor of a Church in the City of Norwich LONDON Printed by A. M. and R. R. for Edward Giles Bookseller in Norwich near the Market-place 1683 TO THE READER IT being desired that more might be published of the Works of this Reverend Author Mr. Thomas Allen you have here some more Sermons taken from him in short-hand which have been transcribed with care and diligence The main points of the Gospel are handled in these Sermons so that those that Read them may understand the Authors knowledg in the mystery of Christ And they are delivered with plainness of speech with words easie to be understood so that it will easily appear that his aim was to set â—orth Christ and not to set forth himself in â—is Preaching His speech and his preachâ—ng was plain grave solid weighty and â—owerful like an Ambassador of Christ These Sermons arise naturally from the Texts of Scripture they are upon for it was not the manner of this Author to name a Text only for fashion sake One great cause of ignorance in the people is because there is no more direct opening and applying the Scripture The more Scripture is solidly opened and practically applied in a Sermon the better the Sermon is whatsoever the injudicious and ignorant do think to the contrary Indeed as I never heard any man Pray too long at a time so I never heard any man Preach too long upon a Text. But as many that seem to pray long do oftentimes rather Discourse than Pray and keep so little to the business of Prayer that while they seem to Pray long they Pray very little So it is with some in Preaching that though they name the same Text a great while as if they Preached many Sermons from it yet it may be Preach not one according to the direct scope and tendency of the words they are upon I take notice of this to commend the Author of these Sermons as a pattern to young Preachers not to think it any part of the excellency of their Sermons to take but a few words for their Text or to be long upon the same words but to open and apply as much Scripture as they can at 〈◊〉 time which will not only prevent many impertinences in Preaching But when what is said ariseth immediately and naturally from the portion of Scripture handled the people may take notice that it is not so much the Minister as God himself that speaks these things to them in his word These Sermons also are Orthodox sound according to the truth which is after godliness We have lived in a time of an inundation of errors and heresies and yet the Lord hath continued the truth of the Gospel in the Churches of the Saints And although the Churches of the Congregational way have been looked upon by some as Seminaries of error yet through the presence of Christ in the midst of them the truth of the Gospel hath continued in them as well as in other Churches of Christ that differ from them in some points of order and discipline Blessed be the Father of lights that hath kept the guides and members both of Congregational Churches and other reforming Churches stable and steady in the main truths of the Gospel which have been publickly owned and professed in the Land since the reformation whereas many others have been carried away with diverse and strange Doctrines There seems to be a great conspiracy in these days against the Lord Jesus as the Mediator between God and sinners Men are studying how they may ascribe as little to Christ as may be to whom we are to ascribe all concerning the making atonement for our sins and the bringing in an everlasting righteousness to justifie us before God Indeed Christ hath been so abundantly Preached amongst us and many have such outward advantage by a profession of his name that they cannot well openly renounce him yet they are secretly undermining the very fundamental points of our Religion Many amongst us slight what hath been generally taught concerning our fall in Adam original sin Christs satisfaction for sin and the imputation of his righteousness to them that believe on his name and make a mock of being weary and heavy laden with the sense of the wrath of God due to us for sin and looking to Jesus as the Mediator and resting our weary Souls and perplexed Consciences upon him as our only Saviour Now if these foundations be destroyed if these main Doctrines be denied we are really putting away the Lord Jesus from us though we use never so many external Rites to make shew of honour to his name Yea it is considerable That this opposition to the main points of our Religion is fiercey maintained by persons greatly differing in other things yet in this they agree and are very earnest upon the matter to deny the Gospel I speak of these things to this end to shew what great need there is of Preaching much of our fall in Adam of the corruption of our nature of the sentence of death and condemnation that we are under for sin of the person and offices of Christ the Mediator of the necessity of knowing him and fleeing for refuge unto him as this Author hath excellently shewed in these Sermons and so he did in all his Preaching Indeed this Author was a son of thunder and a son of consolation he took all occasions from the Texts he Preached upon to thunder out the wrath of God against sinners to set them before Mount Sinai and shew them the fiery Law that they might be convinced of their lost and undone condition in themselves and then endeavoured to bring them unto Mount Sion and shew them Jesus the Mediator and the blood of sprinkling that taketh away sin In his Preaching he shewed the people the flaming Sword the curse of the Law shewed them that the avenger of blood was coming and then told them of Christ as the City of refuge and cryed to them to flee unto him And indeed he is a right Preacher of the Gospel that can thus change his voice and readily turn his discourse upon all occasions The blessing of Heaven go along with these Sermons that they may be for the profit of many that they may be saved Martin Finch The Glory of Christ set forth John III. 34 35 36. For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God for God giveth not the spirit by measure unto him The father loveth the son and hath given all things into his hand He that believeth on the son hath everlasting life and he that believeth not on the son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him IN these Words our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is described
and pleasing unto God because it is not done in Faith it must be a Prayer of Faith as the Apostle James calls it so to pray as to be perswaded to believe and rest upon God that so far as my Prayer is according to his Will he will hear and answer in his own time and in his own way And so for hearing of the Word you may make use of this Rule namely to rest and wait upon the Lord and expect something to be given out from the Lord in that very Ordinance for which the Ordinance was appointed namely to hear something spoken from God to me that I may be further acquainted withal In Acts. 10.33 see what Cornelius speaks to Peter Peter was sent from God to speak to him saies he We are all here present before God to hear what God shall speak We are all here present before the Lord expecting to have something spoken from the Lord. It is the Lords Ordinance and we are to wait upon God in it with an expectation to have something from God Alas we come to hear the Word and we may go away as we come if we do not hear in Faith we should come with an expectation to hear something from God I will hearken to hear what God the Lord will speak to me it is his Ordinance and the way and means which God hath appointed to communicate of himself to us and so we must rest and rely upon the Lord by Faith for something to be spoken that may be of concernment to us And so for receiving the Lords-Supper this general Rule will help you in that Come to that Ordinance resting upon God in a way of Faith expecting something from the Lord to be given out in that Ordinance for which the Ordinance especially was appointed And what is that To have communion with Christ and a communication and participation of the Blessings of Christ of the Grace and Spirit of Christ 1 Cor. 10.16 saies the Apostle there The bread which we break is it not the Communion of the Body of Christ It was procured and purchased by Christ's Death and Bloodshed Now then I say here is the Rule When we come to a Duty and Ordinance come in a way of resting and expectation to have something communicated to us from the Lord of the Ordinance something of that which God hath appointed the Ordinance and Duty for So now you see here are five General Rules that may help us in the performance of Spiritual Duties in a way of Faith so as we may please God in them And O Brethren and Friends should any of us be willing to perform Duties and enjoy Ordinances in vain from day to day Why as you have heard if we go on not to act Faith in what we do all will be in vain And are you willing to be the worse for the Duties that you perform and the Ordinances that you enjoy Truly if we do not act Faith in them we shall instead of being the better be the worse for them we cannot please God but shall displease him more and more And so are we willing to meet with disappointments at last when we come to lie down upon our Sick-bed and Death-bed and expect that we have been pleasing God by what we have done and we shall meet with a Disappointment because we have done nothing in Faith and so have not pleased God but displeased him And are you willing to deceive your own Souls as you have heard We may go on in the performance of Duties and Services and steer a wrong Course missing of Christ if our Duties and Services be not touched with the Loadstone of Faith Therefore I say Brethren it is of concernment to us to consider these general Rules that have been given to direct us how to perform Duties and enjoy Ordinances in a way of Faith that so they may be pleasing unto God There are particular Rules that I shall desire if the Lord please to lay down How we may so pray in Faith that our Prayers may be pleasing unto God and then shew you how we may hear the Word in Faith that thereby we may please God and profit our own Souls And so come afterward to some other things as the Lord gives opportunity But thus much for this time SERMON VII Hebrews XI 6. But without Faith it is impossible to please him Doct. THis is the truth and proposition before us That it is impossible for any Soul to please God without Faith The last time we came to enter upon some directions how we might so exercise Faith in the performance of Duties and in the enjoyment of Ordinances that so what we do might please God some general Directions were laid down that may serve for all Duties I shall now go on through the Lords assistance and give you some more particular directions how we may perform particular duties in Faith that so they may be pleasing unto God 1. And in the first place we shall begin with the duty of Prayer and shew you how we may so pray in Faith as we may please God for that is the Prayer that God doth accept That is a prayer of Faith Therefore it is said in James 5.15 That the prayer of faith shall save the sick That is there must be Faith exercised in our prayers or else our prayers are not true prayers such as God accepts Suppose a man be a Believer and have a habit of Faith he prays yet if he do not exercise Faith in his prayer he prays not the prayer of Faith and it will not avail James 1.6 If any man lack wisdom let him ask it of God He must pray to God for it but says he Let him pray in faith for else if he do not pray in faith his prayer will not avail And he speaks to those that are faithful for he writes to the Twelve Tribes amongst whom were many faithful and believers If any of you lack wisdom let him ask it of God but let him ask it in faith nothing wavering for else his prayer is not pleasing to God as the Apostle says in another case 1 Cor. 14.19 I had rather speak five words with my understanding than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue So I may say in this Case a man had better put up five prayers in Faith than Ten thousand prayers without Faith and though we speak but a few Words in prayer if it be mixed with Faith it is more available than if we speak never so many words never so largely without Faith Quest Well you will say How shall we so act faith in prayer that our prayers may be pleasing unto God Answ For Answer Besides what was presupposed before that the person must be a Believer and also passing by those general Rules of direction laid down before I shall give you four or five particular directions how we should so pray in Faith that our prayers may be pleasing unto God Namely First
look at it as a very weighty thing as a matter of very great Concernment and so to be very careful about Preparation for it but now when People look at it as a small light and ordinary thing the taking of a little Bread and Wine c. These things are of ordinary use amongst us and so they come in an ordinary manner to it not acting and exercising Faith about it but now when a Soul comes to look at it as Faith doth help a Soul to look at it as a very great Ordinance of Jesus Christ which he hath appointed and thereupon the Soul comes to be serious about the participation of it now I say Faith doth not only inable the Soul to look at it as an Ordinance and Institution of Jesus Christ but withal it doth enable the Soul to look at it as an Ordinance appointed for Communion with Jesus Christ and Fellowship with him as you know the Apostle speaks 1 Cor. 10.16 The Bread which we break is it not the Communion of the Body of Christ and the Cup of blessing which we bless Is it not the Communion of the Blood of Christ Christ hath appointed it for this very end that we should have Communion and Fellowship with him in his Death in his Merits in his Righteousness in what he hath obtained it is appointed for that very end and purpose and therefore when people do not consider wherefore Christ hath appointed it it is made the lesser account of and people are the more careless in their approaching to it they come and eat a piece of Bread and drink a Cup of Wine c. But they do not look at it as a solemn Ordinance appointed by Jesus Christ for that end and purpose therefore I say remember this if you would partake in Faith it should be our care to look at it as the great Institution and Ordinance of Jesus Christ and appointed for that end and purpose that we might have Communion and Fellowship with Jesus Christ in it This is the first Direction Secondly If you would partake of this Ordinance in Faith then be careful to look to the right administration of it Faith doth cause us to look to the administration of it that it be according to Christs Institution and appointment for otherwise we do not partake of it as an Ordinance and Institution of Jesus Christ if it be not administred according to the appointment of Christ and that we must be perswaded of if we would act in Faith we may look at it as a great Ordinance and Institution of Jesus Christ yet notwithstanding if so be we are not perswaded of that that the administration of it is according to the Will of Christ to the institution and appointment of Christ truly then we cannot exercise Faith in it and therefore there are these two things to be attended to to this end if we would act in Faith about the administration of it that it is administred according to the Institution of Christ Namely First That the person administring it is appointed and called by Christ to do it For now if so be that another should come that Christ hath never called to it to administer it Christ will not own it for his own Ordinance and Institution we cannot then look for the presence of Christ nor for the Blessing of Christ As now for example if there should come one in the Kings name that pretends to be sent and authorised by the King yet if he be not sent if he come and Execute such an Office if he be not authorised by the King all his actings and executions are invaluable and signify nothing So in this case if any come in the Name of Christ to administer the Institution of Christ if Christ have not authorised him and given him commission to do it this is no Ordinance that Christ will own because it is not administred by such a person whom he hath sent and appointed the administration therefore is invaluable and of no effect therefore I say it doth concern us to look to that to be perswaded of that that those that do administer this Ordinance to us are such as are authorised by Christ to the Work Quest But you will say How shall I know that that I may be perswaded of that I know that this hath been little minded in former times and God might please to wink at the former times of Ignorance but now in these times of light he doth require that we should be more exact about his Institutions and appointments How shall we know then you will say that we may be perswaded that such as do administer this Ordinance are appointed by Jesus Christ Answ For Answer Something you may remember was spoken the last time about hearing that we should hear those that were sent by Christ if we would hear in Faith But briefly for our present purpose Consider I pray and understand how Christ doth call and ordain one to administer these Institutions of his briefly and plainly thus When a person is called by a Church of Christ according to the Will of Christ by the directions that Christ hath laid down in his Word according to the Rules of the Gospel and set apart accordingly for that work and business to teach and administer the Holy things of Christ when a person is thus called to Office in the Church by a Church of Christ acting regularly according to the Rules that Christ hath laid down in his Word now such a one is called and authorised by Christ And therefore I say consider that if we would be perswaded about the right administration of this Ordinance we must be satisfied in our spirits that such as are the administrers of it are called and appointed by Jesus Christ to do it in his name otherwise Christ will not own it and therefore truly it is matter of wonderment that women should be allowed to administer any Ordinance as now Baptisme in case of absolute necessity as they call it a Midwife may take Water and Baptise a Child this is a person that Christ did never institute to administer that Ordinance and Christ will never own that as an Ordinance of his so administred So on the other side amongst others that profess higher namely to take and set apart one for this time to administer the Ordinance and another for another time to call out one Brother for to administer the Ordinance one time and another another time is this according to the institution of Christ Doth Christ call out one to be an Officer at one time and another at another time and not to have a standing Officer in the Church Therefore I say let us be careful to keep o the Institution of Christ to observe Christs Institution and to be well perswaded that the Ordinance is administred according to the Institution and Will of Christ otherwise we cannot act in Faith in the partaking of this Ordinance That is one thing about the right