pressing that we are capable of indeed For he setteth before us Life and Death life if we close with him death if we refuse him reject him It is not a thing wherein we may choose or refuse and no wrong to our souls no brethren but he tells us let our condition be what it will be we as dead as we may if we close with him we shall be quickned there is warmth enough in his bosom to revive us there are spirits enough in his love to fetch us again O we shall live condemnation shall be taken away for there is no condemnation to them that are in Jesus Christ our bolts and shakles shall be removed the obligations of our souls to the Justice of God it shall cease O brethren here is the case now a poor condemned woman ready to perish the Prince hath so much compassion on her that he intreats her but to accept of him to be espoused to him promise him marriage if so he will pardon all that is past she shall have her life Is not this a pressing Argument 〈…〉 doubtless it is to such a one as this when death is even present to her before her face is ready to be turned off the Ladder and now an offer cometh O if you will but Marry the Prince you shall be saved though before she refused and the Argument had not such force in it because the thing was at a distance yet now you would think her desperate indeed that should refuse it So brethren the Lord Jesus he doth at other times yea and when the soul is as it were on the wrack upon the Ladder under strong convictions the Sentence is received and it is even going forth to execution O now here is life and death before thee wilt thou now marry me be a spouse to me saith the Prince the Lord Jesus the King of Kings Are not these pressing Arguments 2. Again another he useth is his precious blood that he hath not thought too dear for us O brethren when he beseecheth us by such an Argument as this is by the Mercies of God as the Apostle hath it will it not turn all that is within us to him If a man though but inferior to a woman should shew so much love as to expose his life to hazard for her would it not be strong a Argument when he cometh to wooe her O remember my life my blood is not dear to me that it may go well with you will not this move her there 's a heart of stone it must needs be so Why truly brother this is the Argument every time that you have Jesus Christ held out Crucified before your faces O do you not hear how every wound speaks to you as well as for you to the Father O sinners why are your hearts no more towards me have I not dyed for you my blood my life was not dear to me for your sakes If you will not believe me Behold my hands and my feet yea my sides and my heart look upon me in the Garden trace me there where it trickled down my weary body and see how I have loved you and will you still refuse me will you still think that my heart is not towards you or shall your hearts not yet be towards me Yea have I not been willing to lose the light of my fathers countenance to be under a defection to be eclipsed for you which was so much the purer though nothing so dear to me as his love and it were upon me in the greatest heat and glory and my heart most affected with it yet to suffer an eclipse for you and will you not close with me will you not be perswaded 3. Again once more in the most pressing manner and powerful he followeth us up and down with these Arguments O with what bowels how do they yâ—rn over us every step he followeth us O why will you dye why will you endure the everlasting chains to pay the uttermost further when I offer you my merits my satisfaction for all your debts Look upon him weeping over Jerusalem O Jerusalem Jerusalem O with what affection that is the edge indeed of an invitation O if he were now Preaching to you I believe brethren he would do it with bowels And so did Paul that Saint in whom grace did so abound and to him O he warned them day and night with tears O why will ye dye will ye not believe will you not close with me can you find in your hearts to slight me set light by my love that is so drawn out towards you O what love is here brethren And then with what diligence and patience often he would have done this and wayts long How many years have some of us been thus besought to close with a Crucified Christ Again secondly This may serve for ever to keep us low if love work kindly so it works it melteth down the heart the very mountains high and towring thoughts and imaginations flow at his presence you see how it humbled Abigail when David sent to woo her she bowed her self with her face to the earth and said behold let thine hand mayd be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my Lord. A Spouse to David Gods Anointed I am not worthy let me be a servant not worthy to wash his feet yea the meanest servant a servant to his servants to do the meanest offices for them to wash their feet So Ruth when Boaz took but notice of her and spake kindly of her Whence is it saith she that my Lord should take knowledge of me who am but a stranger yea thou hast spoke comfortably to me or to my heart though I be not like one of thy hand-mayds It is true the Lord would not upbraid his people with what they have been nor doth he ever do it yet they should keep it before them continually to keep them low So he saith he will betroth his people after their going a whering from him there is much in that expression and one thing among the rest is conceived to be this by Mr. Burroughs upon Hos That he would forget her former unkindness and unfaithfulness and she should be now not onely as an unfaithful wife received again but Marryed as a virgin as if she never had departed But though the Lord will not upbraid us as James saith yet we should keep upon our hearts the sense of our former vileness when the Lord first met with us in the way of his love so Paul doth I am sure God never tells them after the first time Why persecutest thou me he never told him afterward he had been a persecuter and what a blasphemous wretch he had lived But Paul by the spirit of grace and power in him he often looks upon his feet upon what he had been and that kept him in so sweet an humble frame O I am less then the least Saint Shall the thoughts of love from David
longing after so on the other hand there are many will say If this be all it is an easie matter we are all willing to have Christ O that you were brethren if you were willing to have him sure you would make more after him then you do many of you he may go whither he will you never miss him never troubled for want of him Believe it you are not willing to have him there goeth more to a willingness in sincerity then you are aware of And then on the other hand those which are willing are ready to think Alas they cannot finde their hearts willing they are afraid they may deceive themselves But what is it man that maketh thee walk so heavily so carefully so droopingly is it not the want of Jesus Christ what is it that thy soul cryeth out for to God early and late so that heaven and earth is full of thy sighs and groans and tears is it noâ— for Jesus Christ What is the reason that thy soul followeth so hard after God if thou be not willing to have him What is the reason else that all comforts wherewith thou aboundest yield thee no satisfaction they are nothing to thee No thou must have Christ or else thou dyest and yet thinkest thou are not willing to have him O surely brethren here is a willingness take him take him then poor soul Behold his arms are open to embrace thee his heart is open to receive thee O embrace him close with him and take the comfort of it that thou maist walk cheerfully before him for ever 2. Again Be sure Brethren that you choose Christ and not somewhat else instead of him Choice is an act of the reason and judgement and so must we proceed upon judgement mature consideration of things else it will never hold we shall mistake the object take somewhat else for Christ Or else if we pitch upon the Object it will be so slightly as not to make a Marriageclosure The Apostle saith the Love of Christ constraineth us because we thus Judge if Christ dyed for all then were all dead there is an object of Judgement going before the constraining of that love of Christ so some understand that I will espouse or betroth thee to my self in Judgement not only on his part but on our part it shall be in Judgement usually the Affections or passions these are violent like a Land-flood yet having not a spring to feed them they are quickly dryed up 1. Then Be sure you choose not the prosperity you expect to accompany Christ instead of him How many followed him for the loaâ—es they were not in love with Christ but the loaves they loved their own bellies and not the Lord Jesus as the Apostle speaks And therefore our Saviour deals plainly with men At the first you dream of outward felicity if you have me you are deceived saith our Saviour the Foxes have holes the birds of the Air nests c. If that men did certainly know they must suffer persecution for the name of God the name of Christ as all that will live godly in this world must do it more or less I doubt this would quench those wishes and velleities that sometimes they have towards Jesus Christ Do not mistake if you have him you must expect trouble with him troubles within and troubles without such as you never likely met with before and if you cannot be willing to take him with his reproaches his poverty his nakedness his imprisonments you are not worthy of him 2. Be sure you choose not his graces or any thing but himself primarily many would have him but what is it they mind or eye that they might have peace and comfort and pardon of sin and this and that priviledge but they do not pitch upon Christ himself primarily as the fountain Well then labour to fall in love with his person to see some excellency in Christ that you apprehend not before O! when the soul hath his beauty loveliness to know him that the fulness of the Godhead is in him that he is the express image or Character of his Fathers Person then to chuse him upon such grounds and deliberates is likely to hold This is the rooting Brethren which the word of grace hath in the heart the depth of earth whereupon a well poysed judgement we choose the Lhrd Jesus that we see so much in him of worth that we are now satisfied come life come death come poverty come persecution come what can come there is enough in him to make up all until we come to this Brethren explicitly or implicitly it will hardly hold O therefore Brethren labour to study Christ and his excellency whereby he is the chief of ten thousand Beg of him to manifest himself to you that you may judiciously choose him Use 6. Shall be for exhortation to the people of God such as the Lord hath given â—ower to believe in the Lord Jesus and close with him he hath made you willing to have him and upon his own terms you should be exhorted in that 1. To labour to make itâ— sure that you have the match made up between Christ and your souls for he loseth much of his honour and your souls the comfort of your condition in a great part because you are not sure it is so Surely he is willing to seal it up to you with the privy seal the seal of his Spirit witnessing to your spirits that you are his Yea and he hath promised too in that place where he betrotheth his people to himself I will say to them you are my people and ye shall say thou art my God Thou canst not say he is thy beloved or thy beloved is thine and thou art his but observe he hath promised that he will speak first to thy soul and say thou art mine and then the soul shall say thou art mine my husband my God for the thing expressed by both is the same There are many othe promises of the like kiâ—d why do not we let them lye dormant and do not put them in suit more earnestly in the Court of heaven were we not much wanting to our selves herein it would be much more comfortable for us then it is 2. Yea though thou hast not thus far assurance that it is so and the match made up between thee and the Lord Jesus yet take heed of a iealous heart of him as if he were unwilling to match with thee or as if he were off and on and did but mock thee because thou findest it not in so full a measure as thou wouldest what will more grieve him then this what could he have done more then he hath done to manifest his willingness to receive all that come to him that are made willing through grace to receive him You have his promise which usually among honest men is as good as their Bond and we build upon it And what do you make of Jesus Christ
is wonderful ready to help in such a case above what we can conceive for it is he indeed in case of such backslidings that puts words into his peoples mouths when they have nothing to say and cannot look up nor hold up the head for shame nor look their God and Father in the sace they have so grieved him and shamed their profession yet then the Lord puts words into their mouths in that fourteenth of Hosea It is the very case of the Prodigal for he was a Son and therefore calls God Father in his return denyeth not the relation nor calls it in question notwithstanding his unworthy carriage towards him but he had mispent all as sadly as thou hast done likely and yet when he came and returned his Eather giveth him the meeting and runs and falls upon his neck and kiseth him and was ready to make up all again therefore go to him be earnest with him and see if he make not your Lamps to shine again gloriously and swallow up that glory in his greater glory his presence for ever Verse 8. And the foolish said unto the wise give us of your Oyl for our Lamps are gone out IN this Verse we have another part of the Parable wherein we have upon the awakening of the conscience of these hypocrites and formal professors and the discovery of their condition their request to the godly their Application of themselves to them and the reason of that request The request Give us of your oyl the reason of it for our Lamps are gone out The reason being first in order of nature as the cause of the other the root from whence the request doth spring we will begin to speak a little to that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They are extinct or they are going out and yet we have not a supply to keep them alive they are gone and for their own part they had no oyl in their vessel to do it with the Note from this Clause is An hypocrites profession will not carry him through all Conditions These foolish Virgins made a shift to satisfie themselves and blind the world with their Lamps which they carryed and went as far with them a great while as the wise did but the end is that which differenceth persons conditions as the Holy-Ghost speaks by the Psalmist Mark the perfect man behold the upright the end of that man is peace he doth not say mark the perfect man for in his life time he hath such a distinguishing Character his life is peace and the other is trouble No but the end whatever his life hath been before his end is peace This is a clear case his profession will not carry him through all conditions and that for these two reasons One of them will be sure to meet with them all for either 1. Their profession fails them before the day of death and so carries them not through or else 2. At death First then ordinarily I think it is a truth that a formality or profession of Christianity if there be no more doth fail a man and is discovered to others and to himself so that though he hath rested upon it and made it his hope heretofore yet now it fails him Here you see it is the very case when the cry came to prepare them to awake them that they might fit themselves for his appearing which is infinite mercy that he did not rather surprise them while they were in this sleep and security Now I say before the Bridegroom himself came actually to fetch them that were ready it is discovered to themselves and they see they are hypocrites And it is discovered to others that their Lamps are gone out they are themselves made the Publishers of their own shame therein You know Judas was discovered unmasked before his death and laid open to be what he was indeed a thief a wretch a traytor And so those many Disciples that followed Jesus Christ he knowing their hearts not to be right delivered such a trying word as gave them offence and they went backward and walked with him no more And the Reason of this is very plain Because they have not a spring within to feed their profession As far as the spring they have or the wet or mire they move by little as far as that will carry them they will go but then not a step further A beast and a servant or a child follow a man the one followeth him for a bottle of hay so soon as he laies that down before him he goeth no further after him but the son followeth him home and will not be shut out by any means As haply now while Religion thrives he will be on the Sun-side of the hedge where it is warmest he is a Summer-bird suppose now a time of tribulation come for the word sake will he abide No he withers as the sandy ground in the 13. Matth. Will he delight himself in the Almighty and alway call upon God No their profession are like Jobs friends deceive him in the day of trouble as a brook and as the stream of a brook they pass away like a loud flood make a great shew run very fiercely carry all before it for a time but it is presently dryed up because it hath no spring to feed it as some note that in Peru there is a diurnal-River which runs in the day with a great stream but in the night the channel is dry because in the day the Sun melteth down the Snow upon the Mountains and that maketh a great stream but in the night it ceaseth In grace now it is otherwise there is a principle within there is the Spirit of grace dwelling in the hearts of Believers and this supplyeth them continually there is a new nature and that is a thing durable But Secondly If it fail not before death as here it doth yet some passions being longer then some Joas◠held out long yet he was discovered before death but suppose they continue longer yet usually they will not carry them through death men may make a shift to live by a form but they cannot dye by a form indeed affliction opens many mens eyes to see that they were but rotten counterfeit gold will not endure the fire or not the seventh fire at least fire is of a searching nature and yet notwithstanding some they pass this tryal and are not discovered until death and then it fails them If Balaam dye his own death and not the death of the righteous what a miserable creature will he be And death doth open many mens eyes O what labouring is there then many times to be spared a little that they may recover strength before we go hence and be no more seen All the life time they thought all was well but now they find they are deceived their Lamps are gone out O brethren the valley of the shadow of death is full of such damps as every Lamp will not
excuse your selves with them in the Gospel I have bought this and that and I cannot come I have so many Custodiums I cannot mind these things I have so much to do in the world and it is to be minded A poor ditch-water that is preferred before this Wine of the Kingdom will dross and dung meat and husks which is Swines meat nourish your souls to eternal life make as much account brethren of these things as you will to slight now the matters of eternity time will come when you would give all the fruit of your labours if it were a thousand times more for one sight of Jesus Christ one taste of his love one hours communion withhim before you go hence and be no more Alas But some will say I am a poor sinner the vilest filthy creature lame and blind and have all my life time been feeding with Swine upon husks and swill and trash these delights of sin and pleasures of the world O my days are consumed in sin and doth he invite such as I and may I come Yea brethren you find the poor lame and blind from the hedges and high-ways side were invited to his feast if you come but to Jesus Christ he will open the eys of the blind he hath eyeâ—alve for you and he will be legs to the lame and cloathing to the naked if you do but come to him put on Christ It is not any other infirmities which will abide upon the best of Gods people in part that can exclude us or cast us out but only the want of the wedding Garment if a man be never so well furnished otherwise as he thinketh O therefore come Brethren the Feast is made for such as you you are invited to it the simple the man void of understanding that is to say the sinner for sin is folly in Scripture-phrase you are invited to turn in this day to the Feast the Marriage-feast which is begun here upon earth but will end in heaven therefore be not discouraged Ah but you will say I have no such appetite to the Feast to hunger and thirst and is there any invited to come to it but such as have an appetite what shall they do there I answer no marvel thou hast no great appetite until thou hast more communion with him if thou hast had any And no marvel if thou hast no appetite if thov hast never been with Jesus for thou hast so long lived upon trash that it takes away the stomack to the sweetest and wholsomest food in the world But withal remember this who ever will is invited to come brethren and take freely It may be thou dost not find poor sinner such a strong desire such a breaking of soul for longing but hast thou a Will wouldst thou have Christ wouldst thou have his body this meat indeed this blood this drink indeed this wine of the Kingdom and begin this Feast this Marriage-feast upon earth why dost thou not take him then come and take it freely O that this might be the day of his power to many of your poor souls that you might become a willing people that you might have a heart to close with him to take him upon his own terms that you might begin your heaven upon earth your communion with Jesus Christ I will but add one word more and that is this It is no indifferent thing whether you close with this invitation or no there is a necessity lies upon you to come to the Marriage-feast except you resolve upon it to perish for ever God he was wroth and sent forth his armies to destroy c. Ah what gnashing of teeth will there be to poor sinners in hell when they shall see their neighbours who heard this Gospel with them sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob at the table of Christ in his kingdom and themselves cast out Ah brethren I beg for you a believing heart you must either feast with Christ or starve for ever with Satan and his Angels and then not a drop will be had to cool your tongues now flagons are tendered you now wine and milk without money and price now rivers of pleasures at Gods right hand and fulness of joy is promised you is held out to you cometh a begging to you Ah then then brethren shall you beg for a drop and shall not have it rivers of burning brimstone will be your bathing when the Saints are swallowed up of those rivers of pleasures at his right hand then will you be chewing upon your gall and wormwood then will you be breaking your teeth upon your gravel when the Saints are drinking this new wine in the kingdom of their Father with Jesus Christ Ah think of it brethren think of it you have now your good things many of your eyes stand out with fatness you spend a world upon your lusts live like Epicures wantonizing in the abundance of your enjoyments how woful will that sentence be Son remember thou in thy life time hadst thy good things and now thou art tormented hadst thy wine and drinking unto drunkenness now the stings of it abide upon thee the Saints have their worst first and the best kept until the last but you have your consolation in this world and the wine of astonishment will be your portion for ever if you will not be perswaded Therefore take your choice brethren I set life and death before you and consider of it How will you escape if you neglect this great salvation you may now be received to the Feast the door stands open it will not alway be so it will be shut against you O how will you answer it another day before the Lord Jesus if you now trample under foot his blood and precious offers of his Grace though by the hand and mouth of a poor worm like your selves Thirdly Then Brethren let as many as have received power to believe in the Lord Jesus and so are admitted to the beginning of this Marriage-supper upon earth to inward fellowship with Jesus Christ in the Graces of his Spirit and merits of his death and resurrection labour brethren to prepare your selves for this Feast in heaven by feeding heartily upon these dainties upon earth the more men eat and drink the more their stomacks are extended usually and the more they will receive surely it is so in spirituals the more a soul feeds upon Christ and the more abundantly he drinketh the more he may it enlargeth the desires Hitherto saith our Saviour you have asked nothing little or nothing Ask and ye shall receive that your joy may be full the more abundantly the soul is satisfied with the goodness of the house of God the more will the mouth be opened to receive now as our capacities do enlarge so much the more fitter are we for this Marriage-feast O therefore let us not come to the table of the Lord brethren this sign and
just in the very harbour this is the saddest of all the rest many a storm they have ridden out they have indured many a wave and to split themselves in the very harbour within sight of the land as a man miscarrying just at the gate of the City of Refuge O how high must such mens hopes have been and how low will their hearts sink now when so â—adly disappointed hope so disappointed maketh ashamed confoundeth the soul as Esau his hopes were at the highest when he came with his Venison to his â—ather this will kill the heart O Brethren above all others hypocrites will be cloathed with the deepest confusion because they have been men of the fairest hopes for heaven Therefore it is said he went away sorrowful for it must needs be so for he was a man of more light then others and surely had a conviction that Jesus was the Messiah that it would be advantagious to have him and therefore coming so near to him and yet put back he went away sorrowful another man would have made nothing of such a repulse hypocrites have great enlightnings and they have had a taste of the heavenly gift as I may say as Israel had a bunch of grapes to taste the sweetness of Canaan and encourage them to go in to possess it O this when God turned them back into the wilderness for their rebellion that they should perish there was a great aggravation of their misery if they had never come so near it and never tasted of it they had not known what they had lost what they had deprived themselves of So here surely Brethren hypocrites have many a taste they have some glimmerings of heavens light and glory somewhat they have to draw them on to the very borders therefore for them to be turned off here and shut out O sure it will much aggravate their misery Ah wretch that I was to come so near take so much pains for heaven and yet that I should miss it will be the doleful ditty of hypocrites to eternity Thirdly It may teach all young beginners that are now as I may say starting in the race that is set before us that you look to it Brethren you be so furnished as to be able to run so as to obtain you are now launching into the deep O look to it there be not a privy leak somewhere though it be but small yet it may make a shift to sink you even at the very haven of heaven Ah dear friends it will be worth your pains to look into the truth of your condition though it cost you many an hour many a hot and cold fit yet give it not over be sure of this one thing that you be bottomed on Jesus Christ and have his Spirit to dwell in you his fear put in you according to the Covenant of grace and then you shall never depart from him you shall never fall short If once you be but in him you shall enter in with him the reason why these foolish Virgins entred not they were not in Christ they had nothing but their own account their own profession and what they could rap and rend and get from the creature alas this was nothing though it might carry them thus far it would not make way for their entrance into glory therefore let me beg of you to make this one thing necessary sure neglect this and all is nothing Fourthly It may teach all of us even such as have not only begun but gone far taken much pains for heaven to tremble and fear lest for want of a little more we fall short Ah dear friends if we would offer violence to heaven it must be while we are here when the door is shut it is too late therefore now let us press and spare no pains and look to these two things 1. That what we do we do it in Christ and for Christ else what do we differ in our work from the glistering Sinners among the heathens And 2. That our hearts be changed and made better and growing liker heaven every day then other else they will nothing avail us at all we shall be shut out notwithstanding all our prayers preaching gifts performances priviledges nothing but an interest in Christ and an heart sanctified by him will give entrance into heaven but so much for this Doctrine Another Note I will take up from the Virgins crying to God now when they saw the Gate of heaven shut against them That the hearts of sinners are full of self-confidence and presumption That they could have an heart to cry to Jesus Christ to open the door to them when it was shut it is strange presumption and boldness indeed for they had not one word to say for themselves why they should have entrance but only Lord Lord open c. in respect of any pleadings of Faith or the Covenant of Grace they were dumb not a word of this but if they had any thing to say it was such as those in Mat. 7. had to say for themselves he had preached in their streets and they had eat and drunk in his presence so here Lord Lord open to us why we had Lamps burning until a little before thy appearing we walked in fellowship with them that are truly admitted now into thy presence we have endeavoured to get some oyl to renew our Lamps though alas they found none but however they would have heaven this is very strong impudence and confident presumption that is in the hearts of Sinners the Lord Jesus turns them off and they will not be turned oâ—f now they will offer violence to the kingdom of heaven when it is too late Whence ariseth this Haply out of the ignorance whereupon heaven is to be had upon what conditions or else out of the presence of their eternal misery now they see they are sinking to hell they begin to cry out for opening of heaven Gate to them now the Gate is shut upon them they never cried before but I will not insist upon this Only a word or two of Application First then it is no marvel brethren if sinners are so full of boldness and presumption now let us tell them that we will set life and death before them as you have had it set before you many a time every Sabbath every opportunity almost alas they care not for it they hang out a flag of defiance against God they have made a covenant with death and an agreement with hell and this they make account shall stand let the Lord say what he will though he tell them he will break that Covenant he disanulleth it in the day he heareth it for both they and death are under his command and therefore he may disanull their Covenant he is Soveraign over them all yet they believe it not they rage and are confident for when the very overflowing scourge cometh upon them they are so confident to go and cry to God
Servants or to deliver all such relations no but it is meant here surely of a spiritual Liberty a freedom of the soul from its thraldom nay himself cometh to be a servant did he not rather sanctifie such a condition and relation then abolish it Secondly Then taking it for spiritual Liberty that is to say a freedom from Spiritual evils the subjection whereunto is a bondage to the poor creature we must know yet further that we may take it either in a larger or in a more restrained sense in a more restrained only for that liberty and freedom which the Saints have ever had through the Lord Jesus since the Covenant of Grace was preached to them and they closed with it for we must know that ever before Christ came in the flesh Believers believed in him to come they had a liberty through him as to the main parts of it and necessarily to salvation though haply not in that degree that now ordinarily Believers indeed have that freedom but there were some yoaks upon them then which now we are delivered from they are broken from off the necks of the Saints yea and such as were pinching yoaks indeed but yet less considerable by far then those from which they were delivered and set free so that now we see there is a larger liberty and more glorious which the sons of God have which will better appear when we come to speak to the parts of it only this I thought good to premiâ—e lost any should think that liberty began only when Christ was revealed in the flesh for it was the smallest part that then was added though I say the other liberty from the sore condemning destroying bondage of the soul they had before haply is now heightned to believers and so much by way of premise For the opening of this spiritual Liberty we shall consider 1. It s Subject 2. Its Causes 3. Its Parts extensive and intensive if we may so speak that is to say the degrees of it First then for the subject of this Liberty they are all Christians that are so indeed therefore it is called Christian Liberty not only from Christ the Author but from the Subjects they are Christians Believers both Jews and Gentiles Bond or Free Male or Female Jerusalem saith the Apostle which is above is free which is the Mother of us all all such then as receive the Gospel as the poor are said to do all those upon whom the Sun of righteousness doth arise they are set free they do go forth for the partial subject of this liberty that will better appear when we come to speak of the parts of this liberty some are for the freeing the minde some the will some the conscience some the whole man but of this afterward Secondly Then for the causes of this liberty which is here promised we shall speak to some of them First then The principal efficient cause is the Father Son and Spirit the work of the Trinity ad extra are individed the Father it is that cals us to liberty Ye are called to liberty saith the Apostle use it not as a cloke to the flesh I marvel saith the Apostle that you are so soon removed from him who hath called you into the Grace of Christ unto another Gospel The Apostle meaneth the calling to liberty which he cals the Grace of Christ and that Doctrine of the false teachers that would subject them again to the Law and Ceremonies and to that bondage subvert their liberty he cals it another Gospel And for the Son we have it If the Son make you free you shall be free indeed and stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free false Brethren came to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus that they might bring us into bondage And for the Spirit it is as clear The Law of the Spirit of life in Jesus Christ hath made me free from the Law of Sin and Death the mighty powerful working of the Spirit is called the Law of the Spirit as the powerful operation of Sin is called the Law of Sin and so in that place where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty and so the Spirit of Adoption it is that succedeth the Spirit of Bondage and setteth us free from that Bondage Secondly The impulsive cause is meerly his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his good pleasure yea his tender mercy his bowels So it is in the Original The bowels of our God whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us there is the arising of the Sun of rightousness upon us and the effect of it you have before That we being delivered from the hands of all our enemies might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness c. It is not misery is the motive only else he would do it for all as well as some for we are all of us in the same bondage naturally one as well as another Thirdly The meritorious cause is the blood of Jesus Christ no less then the blood of the Kings son is the price of the liberty of poor Slaves in bondage this must needs be tender mercy indeed rich love indeed so saith the Apostle That through death he might destroy him that hath the power of death that is the Devil no less then a Kings ransom is paid for the liberty of every poor creature that is made free and therefore he took upon him flesh and blood because the children were partakers of the same that he might die for them and to deliver them that for fear of death were in bondage all their life-time of which more afterward we are now speaking to the meritorious cause the price of his pretious mercy even the blood of Jesus Christ Fourthly The means of conferring or conveiging this liberty to poor Sinners is the Gospel of liberty the Covenant of Grace held out in the Gospel is the means and this is plain in many places As in that of Isaiah The Spirit of the Lord is upon me therefore he hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek to bind up the broken-hearted to proclaim liberty to the Captives if ever any preaching was the Gospel Christs preaching was and the Covenant who himself was given to be the Covenant to the people sure he would preach nothing but that or in subordination to that as he doth preach the Law too as would easily appear but we may not digress and so in thaâ— other place of Luke where either that or some of the fore-cited places in Isaiah are quoted Ye shall know the truth saith our Saviour and the truth shall make you free by truth there I take it is not meant indefinitely any truth whatever no nor a scriptural truth but the Gospel of truth which is called the truth Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ it is such a truth so pure and precious For his word is like
when we are sinking and drowning we will not so much as put out the hand to lay hold upon a twig upon something held out to us is not this unreasonable and unnatural it raceth out the principle of self-preservation that is in every man by nature so that I will be bold to say the greatest reason in the world improved to keep off a poor soul from Jesus Christ is unreasonable it is the depravation of our carnal reason had it not been unreasonable if Hagar having a fountain opened her before her eyes and she languishing for thirst and must perish without it and yet would sit still is not this unreasonable Again If we look upon the Lord Jesus who seeks to us beseecheth us to accept of him of mercy of pardon in his blood the Creator cometh down to the creature poor worms who have our being by his Word and might be dissolved with his Word and yet we stand it out and will not accept of him who would bestow himself and his infinite all-sufficiency upon us and we will not is not this unreasonable that a Prince should seek to a worthless rebel to be reconciled and he will not hear of it If he had any need of us and upon that account would have poor sinners to come to him to make a supply of his wants it were something but all the want the indigency is on our part and therefore unbelief is the more unreasonable thing O how might we here break out and say hear ye heavens and give ear O earth for the Lord Jesus the Lord of both heir of all things the offended Majesty seeks to poor rebelling worms to be reconciled but they will not hear of it they come not in they close not with him Secondly As the unreasonableness of the thing so also we may take notice of the injuriousness of this sin of unbelief I would a little insist upon this sin the more because that though I find many a poor heart seemeth to be weary of sin and afraid of sinning against God in other kinds yet seeth not in the mean time how exceedingly he sins against him by his unbelief not closing with Christ and coming to him therefore see in the second place the injuriousness of this sin of unbelief how injurious it is to Jesus Christ Brethren for if the truth were known what is the reason wherefore we need so much ado why we come not in to him We either think he cannot save us our sins are so great O saith one there was never such a wretch as I though he have accepted of great sinners such as Paul and Manasses and Magdalen yet there was never such a wretch as I O surely my wounds are such there is no healing for them What is this but to make Jesus Christ weak and a Physitian of no value Is there any sin higher then the imbrewing their hands in the blood of Jesus Christ himself and suppose thou be such an one and this is that thou cryest out of thou hast come so often to the Lords Supper with a common heart which is to be guilty of his blood accessary to his death and cannot his blood cleanse even from the guilt of them that shed it were not many of the Jews sensible os this how dishonourable is this to Jesus Christ when we will be measuring of him by our selves we are apt to think of pardon and mercy as far as a mans a creatures bowels and thoughts will reach mind there is an end not minding that he is God as well as man this is an high wrong unto our Saviour O he will not saith the poor soul if he can yet he will not sure receive such an one as I O I am so laden and so loathsom a wretch what should he do with such an one as I What is it possible thou shouldest remember how many promises how many invitations how many expostulations he hath made what intreaties to poor creatures to be reconciled to him and yet call in question his willingness why what do you make of Jesus Christ O how doth unbelief in effect dethrone Jesus Christ disgracing the Throne of his Glory robbeth him of his mercy of his power his love his bowels of that which he most glorieth in and is not this injurious then to thy dear Saviour Would not you think it a wrong to you from one of your children that had offended you as highly as you can imagine suppose he had sought your life as Absolom did Davids and now the Father seeks thou suest to thy son O how many promises thou heapest up one upon another backest them with oaths wooest him intreatest him to be reconciled to accept of a pardon No he believeth you not notwithstanding all you can do or say that you are real in the thing is not this injurious doth he not wrong exceedingly in this as well as in the former and is not this the very case Thirdly See how much unkindness there is in this sin of unbelief as it is directly against the love the bowels of Jesus Christ which sound toward poor creatures in the Gospel in every intreaty to be reconciled to him Brethren what could the Lord Jesus do more for us then he did was not his life dear to him even to the death sor poor sinners that there might be a pardon for us and do we thus requite him even to slight it never to mind it or if we do sometimes a little yet to stand out and not to close with him What unkindness was it in the Jews it is so recorded of them he came to his own and his own received him not that is to say his own flesh and blood and so he is ours as well as others but he came of them according to the flesh in a nearer manner and sent to them in the first place they received him not But to come to Us poor Gentiles out-casts that were strangers afar off with a desire to make us near in his blood near to his Father and to himself is this love nothing to be thus slighted for how few among us do believe in the Lord Jesus notwithstanding all this nothing breaks the heart of a creature more then unkindness and surely Brethren me thinks the thoughts of this if our hearts were not stony should be a breaking of our hearts that we have hitherto so many of us dealt so unkindly with Christ as we have done But fourthly see the dangerousness of this sin of unbelief that we may be set a trembling by reason of this sin as well as any other and be weary of this as well as any other 1. Other sins have but their own particular guilt each of them particularly binding over a poor soul to wrath and entayling the curse of the Law upon a poor sinner so every sin doth every oath every lie every unclean thought wanton look adultery fornication of the body the heart or eye but unbelief
transmit unto Posterity the Names Memories Gracious Conversations of eminenter Saints especially Ministers who in their several Sphears and Generations have shined like stars of the first magnitude streaming and issuing forth a more then ordinary and illustrious Light 2. The lives of morally honest Heathens are both recorded and read with profit not only by fellow pagans but by us Christians Who knows not that Plutarchâ— lives have in them many things serving for Caution and Imitation More advantage doubtless will redound by reading the lives of the Evangelically spiritually and really religious 3 We have the warrant of sacred Writ which being not only Doctrinal but in a great part Historical doth much incourage to a Practise of this Nature The 11. Chap. of the Epistle to the Hebrews you will find to be an Epitome of the lives of the Fathers Now where we have the Spirit of God going before we may well follow after 4. The extraordinary strictness exemplary severity unwearied industry and activity of this man of God in the waies and work of the Lord do exceedingly excite and strongly provoke to make him thus publike and to propose the holiness of his life and comforts in death for the direction and consolation of those whose faces are set towards Sion and to whom this account of him shall come 5. That God may have the glory of what he had done in him in a way of gracious discoveries and manifestations of what he had done for him in a way of clear providences and encouraging dispensations of what he had done by him in giving success unto his labours and letting him see the travel of his soul to his no small solace and satisfaction 6. That the Name of such a Pleasant Plant and fruitful Bough might be preserved fresh green and verdant in the memories of Gods people eâ—ough himself be witheâ—ed lopt off by the hand of death and foâ— a while laid in the dust As Abel so other Saints though dead may yet speak and be made known And O what a glorious thing is it when departed souls are lodged in Abrahams blissful bosom and dead bodies intombed in living Sepulchres sending forth a sweet and refreshing savour into the nostrils of surviving friends A flower may smell sweet after it is cropt and a way made for the Sun to shine after it is set Mr. John Murcot the History of whose life is now to be related was born in the antient Town of Warwick of Parents considerable for their Extraction more for their shining and pious conversation His Fathers name Job Murcot who applyed himself to the study of the Law which brought him in a competent and comfortable subsistence though since humbled by the calamitous inconveniences of these distracted times whose various revolutions have occasioned a wasting and undoing unto many His mothers name before her marriage with his Father was Joan Townsend of raised parts and eminent piety the happy mother of an hopeful son the renowned Root from whence apppeared and sprouted up this fair and flourishing Branch planted by the Rivers of water who brought forth his fruit in his â—eason his leaves did not wither and whatsoever he did the Lord made it to prosper His Parents were conscientiously careful of his education made it their business to season him with sound and solid Principles in his young and tender years which he greedily suckt in as having an early thirst after God and he who erst while hung on his Mothers breast for milk now hangs on her lips for instruction His Parents perceiving in this their young Timothy an ardent desire to be intimately acquainted with the Scriptures and in order thereunto with Academical learning were very prone to contribute their endeavours towards the ripening of these hopeful Buddings and promising Beginnings and therefore in the first place committed him to the care and tuition of an able and godly School-master Mr. Dugard who instilled instruction both with his lips and life desirous to make him not only a Scholar but a Christian It s hard to say 〈◊〉 which was more diligent and industrious the Master in teaching or the Scholar in learning Time was not mispent and prodigally expended in the eager pursuite of childish vanities he ran at his first seting out and did not lazily loiter when he should be minding his work yea when other boyes would be sporting and playing he would be studiously retired solitariness and meditation being unto him instead of recreation Being competently furnished for the University his Father sent him to Oxford where he continued his former diligence in his studies under the conduct and oversight of Mr. Button his faithful and religious Tutor in Merton Colledge About two years after his thriving abode there the Kings Forces possessed themselves of Oxford put all things into an hurry and ingaged the students in such perplexing snares that Mr. Murcot to disintangle himself out of these uncouth inconveniences fled from Oxford disguised and repaired to the House of Mr. Leigh of Budworth an antient grave able and learned man and Minister of that place and there studied hard both day and night allowing himself but four hours for sleep so intent was he upon his Book and so wholly taken up with religious Exercises The cloud being blown over he repaired the second time to the University and his former diligence which caused the eyes of many to fix and fasten on him as perceiving something more then ordinary in him and expecting more than ordinary from him Though means and maintenance were now very short yet it did not discourage and cause him to deâ—ist he did not unbend the Bow and slacken the string he still stood an end to his Oar and with wonted diligence prosecuted his studies it being his meat and his drink to do his Fathers will Having taken his degree he returned to his old friend Mr. Leigh and was several waies useful to him who now called upon him to appear in publike which he did not without much fear and trembling as being conscious to himself of his own inabilities for so ponderous an employment and loth to put to his shoulders lest he should sink under the burden But being pressed and egged on by his friends and a Call from the Inhabitants of Ashbury he entred into the Lords Vineyard put his hand unto the Plough and was ordained a Minister at Manchestâ—â— He professed to use his own words that he was drawn as a Bear to the stake complaining and often bewailing his want of a sufficient stock of University learning The Lord was pleased to own him in his first attempts and endeavours giving him a seal unto his Ministry by the conversion of two especially who being awakened by his sound Doctrine smart expression and powerful delivery sadly bemoaned themselves and mourned over their lost condition even in publike From Ashbury a call being cleared up he removed to Eastham in Woral and gained mightily upon the affections of many especially the godly
indeed Christ is said to have a thousand and they two hundred Sheckels the Keepers of the Vineyard that is to say a fifth part of what he hath Indeed in other goods we have less good in them and a mixture of snares specially in our time of flesh and weakness to weild them aright they are not so desirable in the highest degree David was loth to be the Kings Son in-Law Seemeth it to you a light thing to be 〈◊〉 Son in-Law to a King it is a greater burthen then yo 〈…〉 are aware of to carry it answerably to such a condition Favourites places are slippery and dangerous many envious eyes are upon them to watch their halting much ado to keep the heart humble in such a case but now this good the chief good there is no snare in the fulness of enjoyment of him but the more fully the more happy the more Grace the more Glory and therefore for a man to take up with less here is not Wisdom but folly and great weakness therefore the Apostle puts them on That they should not lose any thing of what they had wrought that they might have a full reward and so neglect not slubber not over your services be exact in them lose not so many Prayers so many Sermons so many Sacraments as you do when you do them so carelesly for want of a litle acurateness you lose them and lose of your reward for there is fruit redounding to your account in the day of Christ Eighthly It is a piece of Wisdom also for a man to make sure his title to an inheritance if worth the having who would be so fooled as to neglect this among men where the good is scarce worth the looking after now here is an inheritance incorruptible that fadeth not away an inheritance of the Saints in light and glory and is it not wisdom to make it sure not to be at uncertainties sure you will all conclude it is now this is the way and no other circumspect exact and diligent walking do all diligence it is not an idle loose profession Brethren that is accompanied with assurance no but a diligence there must be a working and working out and with fear and trembling there must be an adding to Faith Vertue c. for if you do these things ye shall not fall and an entrance abundantly shall be ministred into the everlasting Kingdom Now what wise Master of a Ship would come into his harbour tattered and torn full of leaks and ready to sink if he might come in with the sails filled in a gallant manner which he may do by an acurateness of stearing a right course to avoid the rocks and sands who would chuse to go through a narrow wicket as it were hard and sharp when he might have a wide door opened to him O brethren it is wisdom to make your calling sure every man in distrust will tell you so and when you come to die and look death in the face your souls will say that it is wisdom indeed then to have assurance well an exact walking with God is that way to procure it let men say what they will of peace and assurance while they walk loosly they must give me leave to suspect all that I know that sin will undo our peace if we carelesly fall into it For the Application of this then In the first place it may serve to wipe off that slanderoâ—s imputation of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the false accuser of the Brethren and of the wayes of God and of God to us that he casts upon Religion as if it were a thing that were besotting it made men fools this is a slander the Devil hath gotten much by and therefore he useth it much men are loth to be accounted fools and think that to take upon them the strict course of Religion is the next way to it they could never have the liberty nor the free use of their wits and wisdom and policy nor the free use of the Creature nor the good that is in them any more Brethren this is false it is the greatest wisdom in the world â—ure you will say to be wise to Salvation to be wise to a little Popularity and Fame by ostentation of Science falsly so called to be wise to get a good Estate in the World to grow rich this is a poor thing Brethren but to be wise to Salvation is that will stand a man in most stead when for all his other wisdom and the effects of it he shall be at his wits end Beside indeed this is the way to be wise for a mans name for a mans Estate for his Posterity also for who is it that giveth power to get wealth is it not the Lord and is not circumspect walking before him to all wel-pleasing the way to be blessed blessed in basket blessed in store and if he blow upon it and curse it you may sow much and it will come to nothing you may put it into a bag but there are many holes out of which it will run so many lusts unhealed so many holes and for his name you are mistaken it is to be righteous their name shall be had in everlasting remembrance it shall be embalmed the name of the wicked rotteth and stinketh the remembrance of them is loathsom Wisdom it self is folly to a fool and so is the Wisdom of God to Salvation foolishness to the wise men of the World but this their way and judgement is their folly and no greater evidence of folly then to judge the ways of God foolishness Well the foolishness of God as you count it is wiser then men you think it is foolishness to spend so much time in the service of God less ado would serve the turn as the Heathen Seneca derided the Christians that they lost the seventh part of their time that is to say the Sabbath because they spent it not in the service of the world and vanity as they did and so do you when a man is diligent and exact in his times and hours spends so much time in waiting upon God you think he is a fool he will be a beggar but when you and he come to lye upon a death-bed together then tell me who is the fool as very a fool as he was thou wilt then wish thou hadst been such a fool and oh that thou mightest die his death So if some be tender and scruple at the taking an unjust gain in his trading that which others can easily swallow they think this man is a fool he will never do any good with his Trade he will be a beggar Alas they know not that a little with Righteousness with a good Conscience is better then great Revenues without Right a little with Gods Blessing which maketh rich giving contentation and giving the sweet of Mercy making them give down their sweet to them is better then much without it and
fore-runner or harbinger of death that cry from the Rod hath a voice and that voice is Gods voice he speaks in it and it is not an ordinary voice but a crying voice the word it whispers the loud crying of the word is but a whispering in comparison of the voice of God in the Rod it cryeth hear the Rod and who hath appointed it Mind it if a Judgement be upon a City is there any evil in a City and he hath not wrought it it cryeth to the whole City louder then Jonah did repent repent for you may perish and come to the tribunal within less then 40. daies or hours So every disease in a family cryeth to the family cryeth to the person prepare make ready that we need not such a message as the Prophet Isaiah brought to Hezek the voice of God in the Rod cryeth prepare make ready for he is coming here is a blow that the Tabernacle of Clay is ready to tumble and then soul where wilt thou appear if thou be not ready Or else Thirdly by cry it may be meant as Chrysost Theophyl Jer. Hilary Aret. and others understand it of the last trump of the arch-Angel Arise ye dead and come to Judgement this will be such a cry Brethren as will make all the world ring of it indeed that will pierce to the bottom of the deep to make it give up its dead to the bowels of the earth to make it give up its dead Then shall all arise the dead in Christ shall rise first Well this cry goeth before or accompanyeth this coming of the Bride-groom Fourthly Then he cometh For the heavens now must contain him until the Consummation of all things and then he will come to judge quick and dead he that shall come will come though he seem long to the people of God he that shall come will come then mockers shall know where the promise of his coming is they shall know their Judgement lingers not nor damnation slumbereth not He will come soon enough for all too soon for many poor creatures the Lord grant none of us be found in our sinful condition Fifthly The time is at midnight The Jews have a tradition that the coming of Christ to Judgement will be at midnight and hereupon the Primitive Christians it should seem did use to watch all night the Eve of the Pass-over expecting his coming as Jerom reports saith Beza but to be wise above what is reason you see whether it leads men in the dark for what is more directly against our Saviour his own words Of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the Angels in heaven but my father only At midnight with respect to the solemnity of the marriage that is to say later then usually and therefore unexpected when all was silent nocte intempestâ when deep sleep useth to seize upon men The man of the house at midnight his eyes are sealed up with sleep and when he least dreameth of the thief then he cometh and surprizeth him So the Lord Jesus like a thief in the night when men usually are least aware most uncomposed and unfit for his coming for the most part The rest of his actions in this Parable will come in under the other part which is the Church for you have in the general First the subject of this comparison the Kingdom of heaven and what that is I shall not need here to speak much of it hath various expressions in Scripture It is not I conceive here taken for the Kingdom of glory for there are no foolish Virgins members of that Kingdom No nor the Kingdom of grace which is within the Saints for the same reason Nor yet for the Administrations of the Kingdom as sometimes it is taken But it is taken here for the visible Church of Jesus Christ wherein some are wise some are foolish Some hold out some fall short of heaven and the glory of God and some are crowned enduring to the end and thus much for the opening of that expression Second thing in general to be noted is the time Then shall the Kingdom of heaven be likened compared or shall be like then when even when the Son of man shall come Brethren to solemnize the marriage with such as he hath here espoused to himself then when we come to appear before him all together it shall most evidently appear to be so But in a sort it is so in every mans particular Judgement at his death or dissolution there is a Specimen given to the truth of this parable and this appears from the connexion of this Chapter with the former the last ver of the former Chapter he speaks of cutting in sunder that evil servant that presuming upon the Masters delay should beat his fellow-servants and eat and drink with the drunken he shall cut him in sunder and give him his portion with hypocrites where is weeping and gnashing of teeth for ever Then shall the Kingdom of heaven be likened to ten Virgins And though then the spirits of many just men be already made perfect and many hypocrites already in the everlasting chains of darkness yet because they have been members of the visible Church in a sort all such may come under such a consideration at the great and terrible day of his appearing when the sheep shall be set upon his right hand and the goates on his left hand as you have it in the latter end of this 25. Chapter Now for the Church visible compared to ten Virgins There are two sorts brethren in a visible Church such as are Saints indeed and do enjoy the Lord Jesus and have that Kingdom of God even righteousness peace and joy in the Holy-Ghost within them and such as are only so nomine tenus they go for such with men who cannot search the heart ought not to judge the heart immediately but tenderly and alway with the greatest favour to judge of men Now such is this Kingdom of heaven here mentioned And therefore we will consider what is said of them two waies cast it two waies haply it may appear the more clearly and distinctly to our understanding First We will consider what in the parable is common to them both to Hypocrites and Formal Professors with real Saints who possess and enjoy Jesus Christ Secondly We will consider what is peculiar to either of them and set contraria juxta se they wil give light each to other and this briefly First then for the things wherein they agree or which are common to Saints indeed with Saints in appearance only or seeming and real Saints They are all of them called Virgins not in commendation of virginity as Jerom did childishly conceive as Calvin noteth But to Virgins they are compared either only because in the marriage solemnity the Virgins used to go forth to meet the Bridegroom and bring him to his Chamber So here they must go forth to meet the Lord Jesus Or else
ever is required I will give if I must take flesh an infinite condescention I will do it as if a Prince should say if I must be cloathed with rags yea with clods yea with worms I will rather then I will go without such a poor worm to be my spouse If I must part with my dearest blood and extend it to the last drop I will Ask me any Dowry yea if I must give my self for them who am God and equal with thee as well as afterward man I will do it my kingdom for them my glory for them my blood for them O brethren the Lord Jesus is worth a hundred thousand worlds well he will buy us he hath done it at a dear rate Indeed David bought Michal at a dear rate by the death of the Philistims and afterward two hundred foreskins of the Philistins it pleased him well what is this brethren If David must have parted with his life for her have been so much debased as to have lived a poor despised contemptible life for her a hâ—wer of wood or drawer of water or ground at a Mill or to have been as Job continually a man of sorrows and upon the dunghil this had been somewhat but nothing to this of Jesus Christ Satan was there spouse bought at so low a rate as the Church of Christ was I have read of some that must not marry a woman until they had killed an enemy and other until they had killed or overcome their Corrivals and happily this might be hard But the Lord Jesus he must grapple with his Corrival the Law the former Husband as the Apostle cals it as it is the strength of sin and slay that and take away the Curse break the commanding power the streaming power of the Law before he could take us to be his And so he must grapple with principalities and powers and spoyl them and lead captivity captive scatter him in his temptations break him in his policies undermine him in his depths and methods over-power him in his malice he must destroy all these enemies Yea more then all this the wrath of his father that was against us and against which there was no standing he must interpose and screen us from it and O! How it scorched him though he quenched it As the Passeover was roasted in the fire so the Lord Jesus our Passeover was even roasted alive in the displeasure of his Father 3. Then he cometh a wooing for when all this is done brethren we are unwilling it may be to have him are well contented to continue with our former Husband to be yet under the Law and the commanding power of sin and see no such beauty in him as to desire him nor any such freedom and comfort in being one with him as to desire that Yea if we be convinced a little of this yet happily our wills or hearts are not towards him and therefore he is fain to wâ—o us when all is done himself came in the days of his flesh and what was his work before his suffering but to wooe poor creatures to accept of him How did he wooe the woman of Samaria If thou hadst known saith he the Gift of God thou wouldst have asked him insinuating there was more in him then she yet saw as appeared when he told her her sins what they had been How often would I have gathered thee Jerusalem Jerusalem saith he O I have been ready to spread my Skirts over you but you would not Sometimes intreating sometimes lamenting their condition sometimes displeased at the hardness of their hearts It is much for a King to come a wooing himself a great King They use to send as David to Abigail Abraham to Rebecca but here he cometh himself a long journey from Heaven to Earth and contented to take on him the form of a servant that we might not be dazled with his glory and no pains doth he refuse How did he go up and down on foot until he was weary Blessed Saviour he was weary at the well there by Samaria and all was that he might everywhere wooe and intreat poor creatures to accept of him And 2 not onely by himself but by his Messengers now he is in his glory now he sends by his Messengers to this end You see Abraham his servant went to take a wife for Isaac and David his servants went to Abigail So brethren do the Messengers of Jesus Christ his paranymphs or pronubi They speak now a good word for Jesus Christ so the Apostle I have espoused you saith he to one Husband Such are friends of the Bridegoom as John was that did what he could to bring the people to Jesus Christ even the people of the Jews and would fain have had all the people to close with him But 4. In this espousal to Jesus Christ we are to consider several things what is done 1. By the spirit he is indeed the great wooer He is sent forth to convince of righteousness and of sin the burthen of the work lyes upon the Spirit and happy it is for us that it doth so for how fruitless would our endeavours be to you else brethren we might spend our selves and be spent and when all is done complain We have spent our strength in vain for Israel is not gathered How sad for you How uncomfortable for us No no the great perswader is the Spirit he cometh and he openeth the eyes and then the poor soul seeth O he is aere alieno obrutuâ— so deep indebted to the Justice of God that whatever he can do or suffer to pay it eternity is little enough to pay it in O now for a Husband now how happy a creature should I be if some that were able to bear the debt would discharge it would take it up for her He then insinuates somewhat further and convinceth of Righteousness that there is enough in Christ if we owed a thousand Talents more O then that I had it saith the poor soul O he is willing he is willing saith the Spirit therefore he is Preached to every creature Thus if this Arm of the Lord were not revealed our report of Christ would never be believed But what then do the Ministers do Yea their word the word of Faith which they preach it is the vehiculum Spiritus It is that wherein the Spirit breatheth It is the spirit brethren ordinarily in the Law which convinceth of sin or the Gospel preached legally as the great aggravation of mens sins and it is the spirit in the Gospel preached Evangelically as that which holds forth a ransom a propitiation for sinners whereby the Spirit convinceth of righteousness Where as in a glass the Spirit of Christ doth hold out The beauty excellency love and loveliness of the Lord Jesus which is most transcendent and ravishing to the soul that seeth it but a little more particularly then 1. The Spirit by their word ordinarily not excluding other
tenderly and freely ministred to a yoke-fellow as afterward by the opening of the parable it appears well now thus doth the Lord Jesus dwell with us as many as believe he cherisheth us and nourisheth us 1. He lay's his people in his bosom The Church is said to lay him between her breasts which only is an expression of her love to him not for that he needed any cherishing from thence as David did from Abishai when he was old he must have a young virgin to keep warmth in him This is the case here if we had not such cherishing from Jesus Christ alas brethren we should quickly be benummed and frozen and stiff and unfit for any service he calls us to where should the spouse in her fainting swouning fits lye but in her Husbands bosome this the Prophet setteth forth in another simile of a shepheard the Lambs that are feeble and are not able to go or drive the pace of others he puts them in his bosom saith the Text thence they may gather heat and so the Chicken from the wings of the Hen there is warmth and cherishing so the son of righteousness when they are spread over a soul there is healing and strength in them 2. But then they eat of his bread and drank of his cup when he was upon Earth you know he did eat and drink with his Disciples he desired to eat that Passover with them O blessed are they that eat bread with him at his Table in his Kingdom he speaks of drinking wine new with them that which is a refreshing to them is a refreshing to him as I may say what is the satisfaction of a soul brethren but when he eats the flesh of Christ and drinketh his blood when he feeds upon those real dainties and what is the satisfaction of Christ but to see this He shall see his Seed and be satisfied to see his mercy and his bowels the precious fruits of his death and resurrection made over to a soul to see them living by Faith upon them and eating and drinking abundantly to their souls satisfaction this is the satisfaction of the soul of the Lord Jesus also well he nourisheth them it is the Saints priviledge a man will not feed strangers continually at his Table nor enemies but when once this relation is made up this is the result O what filling is to the hungry and thirsty soul they shall be satisfied Fifthly which should have been before this he will purify his Church his spouse the more Communion he hath with her the more pure she is what is humbling in other Marriages is advancement in this blessed Marriage It is said that the virgins which were to come to King Ahashur were to purify themselves before they came to him much ado there was to purify them with oyl of Myrrh which they say was to make the skin smooth to clear the beauty to free them from Wrinckles and to keep it from decaying The sweet Odours were to make them delightful in their savour to make them lovely to the eye of a man so curious they were but the case is otherwise here Alas he is fain to put his comeliness upon us else we should not have beauty at all that he should desire us as you have it in Ezek. 16. And therefore the Apostle to the Ephesians he gave himself for his Church that he might purify it Though we were nasty sluttish lothsom creatures before the Lord Jesus will not have us continue so but wash us in that fountain opened for sin and uncleanness that Jordan with us to wash away our Leprosy And therefore he himself came by water as well as by blood Alas what should the Lord Jesus do with us bretbren if we should retain our swinish disposition to wallow in the myre and then think to come and lye down in his bosom No he cannot away with this he must wash away this disposition and hath done it for all that are his that now they shall no more delight in sin but if they miscarry now it shall be their grief as well as it is his he purifieth his people A sad word to such as yet mallow in their uncleanness a sign they have nothing to do with Christ An encouragement to poor Creatures who labour under the lothsomeness of their corruptions he gave himself that he might purifie to himself a Church he can do it he will do it his blood doth lye in pawn he will not lose the price of his blood nor shall his people lose such mercies as this which cost the heart-blood whatever they go without they shall not go without this Sixthly He will make them fruitful Marriage-communion is a fruitful communion This is the general complaint of the people of God of their barren hearts and empty lives but he will make them fruitful he will not have a barren spouse whether we speak collectively or distributively of the Church of Christ Collectively Jerusalem which is above is the mother of us all a way that is barren and God doth not own with bringing in souls to Jesus Christ hath cause to fear whethether in such a constitution they be the Church of Christ yea or no It is true the Gentiles before they were marryed had no children and the Jews that were the marryed wife when God was casting her off grew very barren but now more are children of the unmarryed then of the marryed woman saith the Lord. But it is clearer to us to speak distributively he will make us fruitful When a man is marryed to the Law which is the strength of sin as the Apostle calls it O how fruitful is he in works of darkness and shall not Jesus Christ be as vigorous and fruitful a husband as the Law can be and sin can be Let Sarahs womb be as dead as it may yet he can make her fruitful Let a mans heart be as dead to good works as you can imagine he can renew strength again as he did Abrahams and Sarahs If he speak the word a green tree is withered if he speak the word a barren tree is fruitful the Apostle his expression we are dead to the Law saith he and so free from our former husband that we might be marryed to another even to Jesus Christ that you might bring forth fruit unto God see what riches of fruitfulness or seeds of it are in the womb of that one Text God is able to make all grace abound towards you that ye alway having all-sufficiency in all things may abound to every good work minde you here is good works and abounding in them that is more yea in every good work good works of all kinds and abounding in them all And whence cometh this he is able to make grace abound towards you though if you had but a Cistern you might be drawn dry or the stream yet there is a fountain which continually overfloweth he is able to make grace abound
them to one Husband now to watch over them to take such care of them and pains with them that having escaped the pollutions of the world they may not return any more to them but be kept pure and holy to the Lord and therefore saith the Apostle I am jealous over you with a godly jealousie jealousie is a kinde of fear sorrow and anger It is the rage of a man saith Salem indeed it doth as it were raise a man above himself carry him out of himself therefore saith the Apostle bear with me if by reason of my earnestness I seem to be out of my self it is for your sakes I am jealous for you saith the Apostle And what was the matter they were in danger to be seduced by false Apostles to be corrupted from the simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and this was that the Apostle was jealous over them for and surely brethren it is commendable and imitable I plead not for passion and wild-fire but a holy zeal for the glory of Christ the well-fare of souls we ought not to be cold but zealous jealous for you brethren if in danger of seducing at any time this is a large duty indeed we are apt to sleep especially if sang asleep by the delusions of weakness and mildness and love falsly so called and then the mischief is done but enough of this I hope you see there is cause enough to pray for us 5. Another Vse then shall be tending to the wooing of some poor souls this day to accept of the Son of God the Lord Jesus and of his love and to make up the match with him this is our work indeed And O that it might prosper in the hand of a poor unworthy servant and friend of the Bridegroom this day you have heard Who he is and What he is you have heard already the glorious priviledges which arise from a closure with him yea how often have you heard these things and yet you are coy and hang back I am come this day brethren to tell you the sum of the message is that the Lord Jesus is willing to have you if you be willing to have him How long shall the Lord Jesus follow you with these mercies the price of his most precious blood and yet you slight him What can you desire that is not to be had in Jesus Christ If you would have beauty he is the chief of ten thousand If you would have riches you shall have all things with Christ how shall he not with him give us all things Would you be honourable those are truely honourable that God honours now he will honour them that will honour him and honour his Son And wherein is he and his Son honoured but in this if we believe in his name give him the glory of his mercy and faithfulness 〈…〉 at I were able to speak of him so as that you might some of you fall in love with him this day Shall I a little stir you up to this First If you have him not you are like to live and dye under that cruel husband the Law and Sin the Law as it is the strength of sin which is the cruellest bondage in the world the Law 1. It commands a most absolute obedience and conformity to it self there must not be the least turning aside to the right hand or to the left not a lota be missed all things obeyed and continued in and that upon pain of an eternal curse cursed is every one that continueth not in every thing which is written to do it it is a most rigorous exacter of obedience to its cominands there is no pitying no sparing as there is now in Jesus Christ he pityeth and spaâ—eth as a father his son as a husband his spouse If a man could from his youth up keep all and but miss it in a word in a vain thought all his life time there is no pity no sparing it condemneth to the lowermost â—ell O what a condition are you in sinners upon whom all your breaches of this Law doth lye 2. It is a cruel bondage because it giveth no strength if it did impose never so much if it did give any strength it were something It is true we had strength which God gave us at the first until we wantonly fell and broke our bones so brought weakness upon our selves but now in this condition yet we are under the Law as a husband which will command peremptorily but giveth us no power like the the Egyptians task-masters they would have them make bricks and yet give them no straw and yet the Law is holy just and good Now the Lord Jesus what he commandeth he giveth strength to perform 3. It admitteth of nosurety we must do it our selves obey to the utmost our selves or else be ruined to the utmost perish to the utmost cursed is every one that continueth not in every thing one man cannot be accepted for another the soul that sinneth it shall dye And 4. Yea more then all this It provokes us as we are corrupt to break it as a bank against a strong stream it maketh it swell and rage the motions of sin which were by the Law this is by the Law but not from the Law but from our corrupt hearts but sin takes occasion by the commandment nitimur in vetitum cupimusque negata like wild Asses Colts when the law cometh to yoak us and hamper us we break the yâ—ak and the bands as the Prophet speaks will not endure to be held Now is not this a sad condition to be under such a hus 〈…〉 d as this and yet how many of us are in this case and contented so to be Well remember brethren the end of these things will be bitterness and death that is the wages 2. Another Motive may be this he is ready to close with you if ye be ready to close with him be you what you will never so vile in your own eyes for it may be this is the discouragement of many they would rather then their lives have the Lord Jesus for a husband but alas there is no beauty in them he is the chief of ten thousand and they are the vilest of ten thousand the chief of sinners he altogether lovely they altogether loathsom He is white and ruddy they are black and bloody lying in their blood and filthiness cast out to the loathing of their persons and what hope can they have that he will accept of them very great hopes brethren for this is the tenour of the Gospel to be preached to every Creature without exception or Limitation and every one that believeth in him cometh to him he will in no wise cast out if he would what had become of Paul or Manasseh say not then Alas I am poor and miserable and naked yea Leprous and filthy and therefore it is not for for such a one as I to think on Christ indeed thou canst
Rejoyce in the Lord saith the Apostle and again I say rejoyce it is a duty of that moment he cannot leave it he goeth over and over with it do not think I am mistaken when I bid you rejoyce because happily your condition may be afflicted other ways again I say rejoyce I am still of the same mind The Lord Jesus rejoyceth over you as sad thoughts as you have concerning your selves he rejoyceth over you he is glad to communicate his love and shall not we rejoyce then in the receiving of it Can the Children of the Bride-chamber mourn while the bridegroom is with them saith our Saviour it is not sutable to their condition when he shall be taken away then they shall mourn I deny not Brethren but if the Lord do withdraw himself we should lament after him and seek him sorrowing as Mary the Mother of Jesus did and the more love we have received if we grieve him this will be the more grief of heart but if you that have his presence in a sweet manner and yet hang the head and droop as if our joyning to the Lord had been the undoing of our souls So pensively and sadly we many of us walk that indeed we are a shame and dishonour to the Lord Jesus If you should see a Virgin espoused to a man and should from that day forwad never hold up her head but walk heavily what would you think sure she apprehends she hath made an ill choice her expectations are frustrated therefore Brethren look to it that we rejoyce if the Children of the Bride-chamder cannot mourn but rejoyce to hear the voice of the Bridegroom much more then the Bride The Lords takes pleasure in the prosperity of thy soul and why shouldst not thou â—ake pleasure in the prosperity of thy own soul being made one with Jesus Christ 5. Look to it that you be faithful to the Lord Jesus as a Bride when once espoused if she turned aside to another it was death they were looked upon as in a marryed state and condition indeed the truth is when the Lord hath truly espoused his soul to himself he hath done it in faithfulness and maketh the soul faithful to him that in the great Article of the Covenant they never deal falsly with Jesus Christ that is to say they choose not another Saviour another Lord under whose dominion to put themselves constantly yet there may be sometimes to Jesus Christ even in his own people If that once it cometh to this that we imbrace sin and consent to it and take any delight in it this is to play the harlot with Jesus Christ O take heed of this brethren indeed the heart is all that he looks at how we stand affected to those evils which yet remain if Paul have a body of death yet he delights not in it but groans being burtheued this he accounts not unfaithfulness but when a mans heart beginneth to sit loose from the Lord Jesus to be almost indifferent he could sometimes in a fit of wretched carnality be content to have another Lord to rule over him to be free from Christ O! this the Lord looks at and he will search out this will move him to jealousie therefore take heed of this a woman may do as much service and seemingly as readily to her husband as before but yet her heart be gone and she could be contented to be loose this is heart-Adultery this the Lord Jesus in us brethren looks at as such if we serve him and do duties but in such a manner that we could even be contented to be at liberty it is not right take heed of provoking the Lord Jesus lest it prove in the end that he never knew us indeed Labour to be faithful then in this in the main Again In managing all he puts into our hands be faithful The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her It is the commendation of a woman of a thousand in the Proverbs she will be improving It may be you have not so much to turn as others have others have ten times more parts and opportunities to do good let them look to it they have ten times as much to answer for and must do ten times as much but thou mayst be as faithful in a little as they in a great deal One servant is a Steward in the family hath all under his hand and another he is a poor under-servant hath some mean service committed to him why now he may be as faithful in his place as the other in his Moses was faithful in all the house of God he had a great command Caleb might be as faithful for what was committed to him following God fully as the Text hath it say not then If I were a Magistrate a Minister a publike person had such opportunities to do good I might do much but I am an obscure person Well be thy condition what it will be thou mayst do good and be faithful in thy place according to what thou hast received thy lips may drop like a hony-comb and feed many and like choice silver and inrich many though thou be never so mean and so for the Family and up and down where ever thou comest look that thou be faithful to do all from Jesus Christ and to do all to him that thou rob him not of the glory of what he hath done for thee and by thee for then thou art not faithful 6. Another Exhortation shall be then to desire the coming of the Bridegroom the Spirit and the Bride say come the spirit in the bride breathing in her as it is in the Revelation they say come We looke upon the day of death as if it were the day of divorce from the Lord Jesus for the most part truly for them that are out of Christ it is no marvel if it be a King of terrors to them but to the Saints me thinketh who look for the appearing of the Lord Jesus to consummate the marriage between them it should not be so terrible as it seemeth to be to the most of us and to this end take ye here brethren at the marriage feast he turns our water into wine but in heaven our wine into spirits and setteth them a flaming our love flaming to all eternity 7. Exhortation which is to look to our Ornaments to get them ready why do we hang back but because we are not ready we have somewhat or another unready still our work is not done can a maid forget her Ornaments or a Bride her attire yet my people have forgotten me As a Bride adorneth her self with her Jewels so he hath cloathed me with the garments of salvation he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness Eleazer put jewels upon Rebecca before she came to Isaac and therefore the spouse is called Callah in the Original because of her perfect adorning therefore look to this brethren that you be adorned O every
in the Gospel who put off the day of death so long thou hast goods laid up for many years Eat drink and be merry I but what was there laid up for eternity was there any Grace laid up to carry him through death no not a jot thou fool this night shall thy soul be taken from thee and then whose shall these things be these are things which in themselves are not either they take wings and are gone as a flock of Birds in a mans ground or else they are taken from them and leave them to they know not whom for naked must they return thither to the grave which Job had in his mind and happily pointed at it in that speech he was a fool that put off the thoughts of death for many days upon the greatness of his riches which could not profit him in the day of wrath nor day of death neither but now this wisdom if the heart be applyed to it will provide somewhat that will carry them through they will provide some oyl in the vessel that shall not fail somewhat to follow them when they are dead to enter with them into the Marriage of the Lamb A man may number his days and think of his death and wish it much yet if God teach him not to make this use of it it will not be O therefore beg of him such a heart so to number them as that you may apply your hearts to this wisdom if death be so near eternity at hand there is entering with him into the Marriage or being shut out for ever O what need had we then to bestir our selves get this oyl this grace in the heart for indeed we shall find brethren though we may live by a form we cannot dye by a form of Godliness but it must be the Power of it that must carry us through death It may be a further Instruction to us then surely there must be a great change in us to this true wisdom for alas we are born like wild Asses Colts none more stupid An Ass a wild Ass a wilde Asses Colt what more brutish now this must be a wonderful change to make such a man wise to salvation but what is too hard for the grace of the Almighty we are fools by nature and yet we have a conceit we are wise affect wisdom and because we would be wise we easily believe we are so self-love bribing our judgements also but now when God cometh to work in us he emptieth us of our own wisdom first and our conceit of wisdom rather for indeed the wisdom of the flesh and the world is foolishness with God but the conceit of wisdom is much this must be captivated those high thoughts and we must become fools that we may be wise there must he a great change indeed which alas many a Professor never had experience of Be not satisfied nor contented then to use the Ordinances of God which are the means more remote from the end until you find and feel that the Lord Jesus doth in them embrace your souls and your souls embrace him until you feel this oyl poured into your hearts until you find your selves changed into his image your hearts coming in to a better frame thereby and kept in a holy frame thereby in some measure is it not better to try now then he tried by his hand at death when there is no place to get it c Alas you will say how shall we know we have this oyl of grace in our hearts It is a notable way Brethren to know it by the overflowing of it when it abounds you shall see it as it is set forth the presses burst out with new wine then it discovers it self the reason why we see it not nor cannot see it is because we have yet so little of it thought it be a Well springing up to eternal life yet while it is low and much mud it is hard to discern it but doth it spring up when the vessel is filled with oyl you shall see it is there and have the comfort of it O but this is little comfort to them that are weak you will say Why press forward forget the things which are behind Slothfulness and Ease are not the way of comfort and peace but the diligent hand which maketh rich Again ye know grace is set forth by oyl as it softens and sweetens so we shall find that operation of it in the soul doth it change thy nature from harsh and crooked and perverse to sweet and gentle this is a fruit of this spirit a consequent of this annointing And so it will be uppermost what it is that lies highest in thy soul which thou liftest up Is it this Hast thou ever been upon serious examination and dost thou make God thine end thy happiness Canst thou say Whom have I in heaven but thee c the world is not thy end And then for Jesus Christ dost thou close with him hast thou ever believed rouled thy self upon him by faith receiving him and the spirit by faith this is the oyl here is a fountain a cruse that will never fail a spring springing up to eternal life Verse 5. While the Bridegroom tarryed they all slumbered and slept THe Coming of Christ is compared to the coming of a Bride-groom to take his Bride who cometh with the Virgins her Companions to meet him Now these solemnities used to be performed at the beginning of the night but here in the Prothesis of the similitude it seemeth which was more then usuall he delayed until midnight he came not at the time expected and they were ready for his coming and going out to meet him but he came at a time they looked not for him when their waiting was at an end they fell asleep and then the Cry goeth before him behold he cometh You have heard already who is the Bridegroom Jesus Christ Here we have his coming the delay of it and the occasion which the wickedness of some and the weakness of others took from hence to fall asleep It was abused for an occasion to the flesh A double Note from the words but of the first only at this time The Lord Jesus doth delay his coming 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I shall a little prove it by some Scriptures parallel and then open the terms confirm it by Arguments and apply it by use to our selves 1. Then for the Scripture-proof take that place where our Saviour stirreth up his disciples to watch they knew not what hour their Lord cometh of which hereafter if the Lord will Blessed is that servant which being set over the houshold to give meat in due season shall be found so doing but now if the wicked servant say in his heart my Lord delayeth his coming 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and begin to beat his Fellow-servants and eat and drink with the drunken here you see there is a delay and from hence this wicked servant
a Mariner near his port rowleth up his sails or as a piece of cloth rowled up one turn more and we are turned into the grave What then It remaineth that they that buy be as if they possessed not and they that have inheritances by Lot also be as if they enjoyed them not they that have wives as if they had none for the fashion of this world the Scheme the Mathematick figure of this world passeth away Was it not this which cast Solomon into such a sleep He offended by women though the wisest King So Mat. 24. 37. They eat they they drank 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as some observe It is a word used most properly of beasts living sensually in the delights of the slesh they feed themselves without fear as the Apostle Jude hath it out of measure and so in time there is a season for all things c. make not provision for the slesh c. O that there were more sobriety brethren and moderation among us appearing among us there would not be so much sleeping 6. Take heed of any sin unrepented of of continuing in it for surely that will damp the soul and cast it into a sleepe as you see in the cafe of Jonas David the brethren of Joseph O specially of such sins as stupifie and seal and harden sins of a high hand and against light against mercy with a high hand these are dangerous 7. Be often stirring up your selves as the Apostle speaks to Timothy stir up the grace of God that is in thee the gift in thee as fire under the ashes A man that is drousie had need to shake himself as Sampson did Ah brethren there is a carnal mind in us all which is death it deadens all that is good within us And except we do often stir up our selves labour to keep upon our hearts some quickning Considerations to press them home to hold them to the soul we shall do what we can we shall sleep or at least slumber And beg with David O quicken me according to thy word Alas life is his and all quickning and renewing grace is his therefore we should lye much before him for this mercy if we would not sleep indeed So much for this Use The next Vse of the Doctrine shall be an awakening word It may be brethren many of us that have this word alas are asleep and had need to be shaken and O that the Lord would even do it for us Alas It is not our word will do it it dyeth in the Ear and goeth no further as a bullet whose force is spent dyeth reacheth not the mark except the Lord add an Almighty force to it it will do nothing But I shall endeavour alittle this work by offering some considerations to you You that lye upon your beds 1. Remember in the first place that if Jesus Christ come while you are in this sleep you will be found unready what do you think that a sleeping will put your hearts into frame to meet the Lord Jesus with Surely no One of these two things will befal you either your works will be quite undone you will have your grace to get when you should enter into glory or never Or else if you have it not to get you will not have it in its brightness and lustre as Ornaments upon you ready to open to him to enter with him either your Lamps will be out or else they will be to trim when you should enter O that the Lord would inforce this Argument and his own exhortation Luke 12. 35. Stand ready therefore with your loyns girded and your Lamps burning wayting for his coming that you may be ready Do you think this can be comfortable to you 2. Do but consider seriously what danger we are in when we sleep when we give sleep to our eys and settle our selves to it when we strive not against it First The Philistims will be upon us as they were upon poor Sampson If Satan and our hearts can but sing us asleep then the Philistims are upon us as they were upon him and at last you see how sadly they destroyed him you see what danger Saul was in when he was asleep David might have taken his life from him And Sisera by a poor woman perished when asleep And so Ishboshâ—th when asleep Surely brethren the devil never lulls us asleep believe it but he hath some desperate design upon us which he cannot do when we are awake What danger were the Disciples in when they were sleeping when they should have prayed they were just entring upon the pikes and they were asleep and see what fearful work there was they were all scattered from him and Peter how fearfully he denyed him Could Satan think you ever have brought Lot to that wickedness if he had not been fast in a deep sleep It was strange sleepiness in him to drink so much of the wine Excess overthrew him Surely brethren if ever there were an hour of temptation this is one If it might be tolerable at any other time yet not at this for hell is broke loose the devil is come down and hath great wrath because his time is short O how he hunts after poor souls and who are so like to be drowned as poor creatures asleep Secondly Then God usually doth for sake a soul if he fall asleep As you see in the Canticles her beloved was gone he wayted upon her a great while she would not awake when she got up he was gone O what a sad case was Saul in When God had forsaken him answered him not by Vrim or Thummim and the Philistims were upon him it made him out of his wits almost Ah dear friends If the Lord being provoked by our unkindness giving our selves to sleep do let loose sin this or that lust upon us to worry us And himself depart and stand and see what the latter end will be this will be sad thou cryest to him he will not hear but is as one asleep to thee because thou wast as one asleep to him O what will you do in this day Thirdly Then he is least able to act grace when he hath most need of it because the spirit is withdrawn from him Jesus Christ is departed from him he cannot resist a sleeping he hath no strength A weak woman may drive a nayl through the Temples of a most valiant General then O what advantage hath Satan against us and sin against us The least temptation then 〈◊〉 too hard for us we have no strength to resist come what will come we are naked to receive the thrust And but that the Lord stays the hand of Satan that it shall not reach the heart how quickly would he give such sleeping souls their deadly wound 3 Consider yet further how we put the Lord Jesus to it to prick us and stir us up lest we should lye sleeping and sleep the sleep of death They say the Eagle will
there may be a sleeping habit of grace though it be not in act the soul is not able to act it for the present As the wise Virgins though it was a part of folly for the wise Virgins to sleep yet we may not without great wrong to them and the grace of Christ in them call them foolish Virgins there is a vast difference between them If a man should have made a judgment of David in his backsliding what would he have thought of him or of the Disciples when they were so heavy at such a time as that was and that after they had been reproved for it and stirred up again and again we would have judged likely O sure it would prove a deadly Lethargy or there were scarce any hope concerning them O no saith our Saviour though he reproved them sharply yet some sugar he mixed with the vinegar the Spirit indeed is willing but the Flesh is weak he did not unsaint them because of their sleepiness no more should we And indeed brethren the difficulty is so great to distinguish between a sleep and death in sin sometimes that we had need to suspend and be exceeding tender in judging Physicians themselves have much ado sometimes to discern whether there be life in the body they are much put to it and yet it appears there is life therefore let us be tender in judging leave it to him who can discern whether the life be within them yea or no. Lastly A word of Comfort to the poor people of God that alas find themselves very apt to fall asleep and shake themselves with Sampson again and again and yet are apt to lie down upon the lap of a Dalilah again they know not what to think of themselves whether they can be alive to God having hearts so desperately sleepy Yea it may be though they have lost the sweet smelling presence of Jesus Christ many times by their sleeping yet they have slept again and cannot keep themselves awake his smiles have been many times turned into sharp rebukes their honey into gall and sometimes by terrible things in righteousness they have been awaked and yet they are sleeping again sometimes they have been confounded and ashamed and have had nothing to say when the Lord hath rebuked them and yet they are asleep again O what can I think of such a Condition as this I do believe the Closets of some poor Creatures can bear witness to many a sad complaint of this kind Well I answer to this Far be it from me brethren to sow pillows under any mans Arm-holes or to make a bed for any to sleep upon the Lord forbid there should be a heart so wicked as to make such an use of what is to be said to such poor discouraged souls We are in a strait indeed we cannot give a Saint their portion but the wicked are snatching at that nor the wicked their portion but the Saints are catching at that specially discouraged hearts and many times applying all to themselves that never was intended for them But if any dare abuse it be it upon them I must speak a word of refreshing to poor souls that are even wearâ—ed with a lazy sleepy heart 1. Then remember this That it is possible for a man or woman that is truly in the state of grace yet to be overtaken with sleep therefore it is a Conclusion without any good premises that sure thou art no Child of God no wise Virgin because thou art so often slumbering and sometimes fast asleep As carnally secure Creatures do deceive themselves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 concluding because the wise Virgins slept therefore they are wise Virgins though they sleep so on the other hand do the people of God deceive themselves by a like false reasoning concluding they are foolish Virgins certainly because they sleep All are not wise that were asleep for some were foolish and therefore the carnal creature may sleep the sleep of the foolish all were not foolish that were asleep and therefore thou mayst be a wise Virgin and yet overtaken with sleep they both agree in sleeping or slumbering it is common both to wise and foolish therefore thou canst not make it a distinguishing or differencing note of thy Condition which is common to both sorts Only the degrees and circumstances the antecedents and concomitants of this sleep are those which distinguish as you have heard and I hope remember the wise if they sleep usually get oyl into their vessels first they sleep but they sleep by candle-light they suffer not their Lamps to go out they sleep but their hearts weak c. Well it is possible though thou sleep thou maist be a wise virgin 2. How knowest thou thou sleepest and how cometh it to pass that it is a burthen to thee Thou complainest of it and to such onely we speak brethren I must tell you such as yield not up to it such as love not sleep but it is tedious to them but whence is this Surely it is because thy heart is awake as the spouse saith this is not a total sleep O thou hast cause to bless the Lord that he hath kept so much as thy heart awake that sleep hath not seized upon all If once the heart be asleep all is gone therefore be thankful for that that there is any thing kept awake thy Will thy Affections 3. I you will say if I could see my heart is awake it were something but my hear sure is asleep my confidence doth not much trouble me for it my will hath been to blame for I have even setled my self to sleep thrown my self upon my bed of security shut the windows winked with my eys put off my cloaths I have slighted and neglected those acts of holiness from time to time of worship or which should have been as my garments upon me therefore sure I am willing to sleep yea more he hath often stirred and moved by his spirit to awake me and I have drowsed and turned like a door upon the hinges with the sluggard ready to cry a little sleep a little slumber a little folding of the hands to sleep O sure my heart is asleep as well as my self I I cannot say with the Church I sleep but my heart waketh O what shall I say or what shall I do I answer however it may be thy Will hath been in fault and asleep in part if it be not awaken in a good part how comest thou to be thus sensible of thy sleeping and slugg shness of it what mean all those sad and lamentable moanes thou makest to the Lord in secret if thou be not sensible of it I hope it is so with some of us Are we not then sensible O sure the Will is not altogether asleep yea the prevailing part is awake 4. Remember this for thy comfort If thou canst not see clearly as happily under distemper thou canst not neither thy heart be asleep or awake yet the Lord
endure every profession will not abide but it overcometh them But haply they may go down quietly and go away with confidence in their conscience a strange confidence have many poor blinded hypocrites whose consciences are seared Yet Thirdly Be sure brethren It will not carry them through the Judgement after the death the Judgement we may make a shift to pass through this world and haply delude our selves and think all is well and through death and yet never dream of our misery but if we be hypocrites be sure that a form will not endure to appear in Judgement before the ever lasting burnings the consuming fire There the Lord will examine mens hands what ever their professions have been and their hearts as it is said of Tiberius when he examined a fellow that pretended to the Crown he was so confident and cunning he could not trap him in his words at last he examined his hands and finding them hard with labour he found him to be but a servile mechanick fellow he was then so startled saith Mr. Caryl that he had no more to say So the Lord will examine mens works then and the principles of their works from which they acted and they shall be forced to confess they are hypocrites and their mouthes shall he everlastingly stopt depart from me ye workers of iniquity you tell me ye have preached in my name or prophesied c. let me see your hands you are workers of iniquity For the Application then What a terrible word to all formal professors who have only a Lamp a form of godliness but deny the power of it in heart and in their conversations Let all such if any such be here present know First Your profession will fail you sooner or later You think when you have done so many duties you have acquired such gifts and such supposed graces of the spirit and 〈…〉 w all is well these are enough to lift you up to heaven a Tower a Ladder that will reach to heaven But alas it is not so it is but a Castle builded in the air they are lying words you trust in who cry The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord are these You are his people and have his Ordinances a fine web a spider weaves takes great pains spins it out of her bowels but alas it never cometh to any thing it will not make a garment to cover their nakedness from the Lord Jesus Hypocrites rest in a formality and some observances of the Law as if it were their hope that should secure them from all storms and injuries whatsoever but alas it will not these things will fail Secondly Is it not worthy observation also that an hypocrite if he go to decay in this life his hypocrisie be discovered he decaies quickly suddenly more suddenly then another man ordinarily therefore he is compared to a Bull-rush that withers before any other plant when they are once blasted cursed as God doth curs them many times alas the next day they are gone and withered as the tree that was dryed up by the root which the Disciples wondered at a sad thing to-have leaves without fruit a form without power the withering curse doth light upon them soonest sooner then prophane persons and how quickly are they withered they are like the grass upon the house top that withereth before it groweth up Thirdly It will be sure to sail a man when he hath most need of it as in the hour of temptation the hour of affliction the hour of death and the hour of judgement in all these usually it fails as a man standing him in no stead◠as the brooks run in the winter when there is no need of them but in Summer when the traveller is ready to perish for thirst then are they dryed up in that place of Job Like the Apples of Sodom if a man come to touch them would be refreshed by them they turn to dust poor creatures think they have faith until an hour of temptation or affliction when they should act it then they have none So they think they have love and bowels but when an opportunity is offered and they have most need of them then they fail like the house there in Matth. 7. It was builded as fair to see to as another as the wise mans house and served him while it shone upon his Tabernacle but when once the storms arose the winds came and the waves beat against it alas it fell and great was the fall thereof Fourthly that which will set an edge upon all the former is the sad disappointment of the hypocrite or formalist in all this for his hope is cut off like a spiders web there are two Pillars he leans upon as Sampson upon the Pillars in the house the Jachin and Boaz What are they but the good things of this world and life eternal and alas both fail him For the good things of this life they many times leave him the mire and the water which made the Bull-rush to grow they are dryed up what is become of his hope then he leans laies hold on his house and is loath to let it go but let him hold it as fast as he can yet down it must go when the Lord cometh to manifest his displeasure against him Secondly For things eternal those he expecteth and is as high until he be discovered to himself in his expectation of heaven as any other but alas he is but in a golden dream all this while as an hungry man dreameth he eateth c. but it is nothing but a fancy when he awakes he is never the fuller but rather vexed so much the more being disappointed for a man to have his hope cut off is the greatest cut in the world nothing breaks the creatures heart more then this O how great hope may a Minister be raised to being an instrument in the hand of God to save others that he also shall be saved they themselves have means to castout the Devil and shall they go to the Devil It is indeed the very emphasis of damnation to be cast down from such a height of hope to be so near to heaven in their hopes and yet miscarry O how should this make us afraid of hypocrisie and formality which is ready to creep upon us how bitter a thing is it in the end to hypocrites yea to the people of God in their way when God opens their eyes to behold it in its colours therefore let us be exhorted every one of us to take heed of it lest it be found in such prevalency among us as to denominate us hypocrites believe it brethren If we be hypocrites our duties will not commend us to God be they never so many never so plausible because our hearts are not changed which is a notable sign of an hypocrite he doth much duty but never reacheth to a better heart is not changed
from glory to glory but he prayeth and sinneth and weepeth and sinneth getteth no strength against corruption Again an hypocrite he will rest and lean to his duties he leans to his house which is of his own building Now truly Brethren true grace where it is if we should lean to it instead of Christ it would not stand much less a counterfeit the believer he rests upon God alone his presence in the Valley of the shadow of death not upon his house upon the web of his own weaving but would be found in Christ And lastly how much comfort is here to a poor child of God though it may be he flourish not so and have not such a glorious shew and formality such a compleat form of godliness as another yea his own conscience beareth him witness before the Lord that his heart is right before him and he hath a power of grace upon his heart to subdue that to the Lord. Surely brethren it is much rather to be chose a little spring then a great swelling torrent for there is a living principle it will continue and hold out it will not dry up in the day of drought and disappoint our hopes but as great Rivers in their heads are small streams many times so here it will increase and grow from one degree to another to a place of broad Rivers until it empty it self into that fulness and so of glory to all eternity Look to the truth of it Brethren if there be oyl in the vessels you see the wise Virgins though they had their Lamps to trim yet they were not gone out but so much shall serve for this Doctrine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Having considered already that a form of godliness without the power will not carry the hypocrite through all conditions it will fail him sooner or later I am now to consider of their reflection upon this failing of their Lamps They were out and they saw that they were out and thence it is that they go a begging for oyl the note I will raise from hence shall be as comprehensive as may be we will hasten It is this Though an hypocrite may long be hiding himself yet at last when it is too late he shall be discovered to himself this is the very case of the foolish Virgins in this place There will be two or three things considerable if we take the Observation asunder As first That an hypocrite may long lie hid from himself 2. That at last he shall be discovered to himself 3. That ordinarily this is when it is too late For the first That they may long lie hid from themselves this is plain from the Parable for how long did the foolish Virgins walk with the wise and thought their penny as good silver as theirs all this while but they were asleep they had good thoughts of their condition else they would have had little lift to sleep the wise Virgins would hardly have slept if they had not had some assurance their mountain had not been made strong by the favour of God and the foolish as foolish as they are would hardly have slept if they had not had a good opinion of their conditions If their consciences had been awaked and their worm gnawing could they have slept if they had seen their danger now to have their portions with hypocrites being such themselves In that place formerly mentioned you have seen the hypocrite hath a hope until it be cut off and his confidence is great he leans upon his house as the foolish builder in the Gospel he thought his house a good security against all storms whatsoever And so doth many a poor Formalist think his form of godliness the green gourd shaddow enough from the everlasting burnings Did Judas suspect himself he was not so jealous of himself as it should appear by the story as the rest of the Disciples were but was last in the enquiry And it is likely enough Jehu when he proclaimed his zeal for God spake as he thought poor man what was under those broad leaves of that profession yet appeared not As Hazael Is thy servant a dog It may be if one had told Jehu how afterward he would play the wretch and the carnal Polititian and build the things he now destroyed or do Gods work to the halves no farther then his own interest led him he would have thought as strange as Hazael did Now the grounds of this may be such as these in a word or two 1. The depth of our own hearts hypocrisie of all other works of darkness hateth the light and therefore if there be any more deep and remote corner of the heart then another there it lurks O saith the Holy-Ghost the heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it the most sharp and strong sight the most eagle-eyed creature in the world cannot find it out to the bottom indeed Brethren there is darkness and depth enough in every one of our hearts to deceive all the world the most piercing discerning spirits are blinded and deluded as Juglers they say can cast mists and make a man believe strange things when it is nothing so but that is not so much but the depth of the cunning of the heart is such that they can deceive themselves It is great cunning to deceive others but if that cunning be yet out-witted and be deceived by it self this is more Yea I will say it Brethren with a holy reverence that if any thing in the world could lie hid from God himself it would be the cunning heart of a sinner If there be more difficulty or could be in Gods discerning one thing then another here it would be and therefore his knowledge of the heart is set forth by a searching of it indeed he knoweth all things but after the manner of men he speaks if men cannot easily find a thing it lies hid in the darkness in some corner then they must search as searching for the lost groat or else if they would find out any thing to perfection then they search So here it noteth the perfection of Gods knowledge of the heart and withall the difficulty of the finding out the heart though not to himself yet after the manner of men if any thing were difficult to God this would be If any man seem to be religious and bridleth not his tongue his Religion is in vain he deceiveth his own heart he is a cunning Jugler indeed that can juggle himself into a belief of his own juglings c. 2. From the subtilty of Satan All his care is to keep a poor soul in ignorance of its condition and how doth he be 〈…〉 ir himself he knoweth if once the disease be discovered it is in a way to be healed and therefore it is said of sinners altogether in darkness that they are under the power of Satan to turn them from darkness to light
no their own promises may fail but Gods promises never fail nor a lively hope founded upon them 4. That the poor weary tossed afflicted people of God may have rest in the bosom of the Father and the Son and holy Spirit there remaineth a rest to the people of God they have not their rest here expect it not but either from within or without or both we have our troubles the world casteth them out as the off-scouring of all things they are the despised hated mocked people the song of the drunkard the laughing-stock of the world and therefore because they cast them out the Lord will receive them If we have not persecution without we shall have our exercises what between corruption and temptation and sometimes the terrors of God and sense of his wrath sometimes breaking bones hiding his face from us there is no rest until we come to enter with him now we lie among the pots but then we shall indeed be made glorious like the wings of a Dove in sulness Now this is agreeable not only to the truth but the goodness tenderness bowels of the Lord to his people that his poor afflicted People should rest with himself when he hath by these filings and scourings and siftings and turnings up and down made them meet for the inheritance of the Saints in light So much for the Arguments For the Application of this that they that are ready do enter into Glory First it serveth to shew the blessed condition that the diligent lively prepared soul is in heaven Gate is ready to receive such a soul the bosom of Abraham of Christ opened ready to receive him he shall enter they have this priviledge that many that profess Jesus Christ have not many shall seek to enter but shall not be able that strive not as he doth Blessed is that servant saith our Saviour that his master shall find watching shall find ready for his coming why he will not leave any such soul behind they shall all enter into glory how blessed a condition this is may appear by many considerations more 2. Such a soul as this cannot be surprized so far as he is ready he is never surprized surprizals are terrible if Jesus Christ had come without any warning upon the wiâ—e Virgins while sleeping it had been terrible to them though they might have entred with him also but if we be ready that day will not take us at unawares indeed if a child of God be once ready he cannot be altogether surprized more though in part he may if he carry it not the better he will be still habitually ready if not actually so the foolish Virgins were not They still have the root of the matter though it may be under ground and hid from their eys and is not this a blessed thing as often as you think of the coming of Christ to think now let my Saviour come when he pleaseth I am through rich grace ready for him A servant when his work is done a Spouse when her ornaments are put on and the house trimmed and all ready for her Bridegroom now come when he will I am ready for him before the thoughts of his coming are troublesom and painful now they are pleasant and delightful 3. When death comes how shall they lift up their heads with comfort because their Redemption draweth near O how will they be able to welcome death welcome Jesus Christ welcome the kingdom of heaven it is their entrance into a kingdom though it be bitter indeed and terrible to the wicked and though there be some reluctancy in nature against death and a Paul would rather be cloathed upon then dissolved and since it is the birth of sin that brought it into the world no marvel if Grace it self have no delight in it yet considering that it is an entrance though narrow and pinching into Heaven into Glory the Saints that are ready for it they can bid it welcom As a poor weary tossed Marriner can bid his Port welcome though there may be some fear of Rocks or the like in his landing 4. Are they not blessed souls that shall enter that now all their distances between them and Jesus Christ shall be done away now he whom your souls loved and longed for yea your souls have many times broken within you for the longing for him now he cometh to take you to himself that you may be with him near him alway in his bosom Is not this a blessed Condition what tends all your striving and running and fighting your wrestling praying and weeping to but this now the end of your hope the salvation of your souls cometh upon you blessed yea for ever blessed is such a soul if Christ and heaven the Father Son and Spirit enjoyed in an unspeakable bosom-communion will not speak a man blessed nothing will but thus much for this first 2. Then methinks brethren now we should be putting the question to our own hearts now whether we be ready or no O here is blessedness indeed you cannot but judge that man or woman though a man of sorrow while in the world haply through temptations and a heavy body of death yet that shall enter in Glory when all is done sure you cannot but judge this man a blessed man that is ready for it for he and he only shall enter And can it be but you should reflect now and enquire of the Lord and of your own hearts Lord am I ready for this coming of Jesus Christ or am I not for one of the two I am Dear friends I shall not use any more arguments to you but these two or three considerations 1. How uncertain this coming of Christ to you to call for you is do you know when he will appear do you know brethren whether you shall be warned again called upon again to prepare for his coming this may be the Cry it may be the Cry is past with many of you already is it not high time to awake to look about you to consider whether you be ready or no 2. To consider That there will be then no time given to prepare If you be ready well and good you enter if not you are shut out as afterward we shall speak O then how can we satisfie our selves and quiet our Consciences with an ignorance how it is with us It is high time surely brethren to enquire 3. Except we do enquire we are not likely to take a course to make ready he that thinketh he is ready or careth not whether he be ready or no if he be unready now he is like to be unready for such a man will not set about the work O that the Lord would therefore perswade you this day to consider with your selves are you ready or are you not 4. There is very great need of this enquiry because alas many are ready and think they are unready and then cannot have the comfort of their Condition except
that had no wedding garment upon him yet came to the Feast Sure he went no further then the externals you see he is cast out into utter darkness Now this may be called the Marriage or the Feast because here below they are necessary for us as signs of that spiritual communion the Lord seeth it good we have these royal dainties thus represented to us by visible sensible things because of our weakness and to magnifie his own condescending Grace to us to make that mysterie of salvation by a crucified Christ which all the reason in the world cannot fathom and that which neither eye hath seen nor ear heard yet in a sort visible to the eye and to be perceived by the ear that we might even in this sacramental sense even touch and taste and handle as I may say the word of life 2. As they are seals and pledges of this spiritual communion being seals of the Covenant of Grace whereof Jesus Christ is the sum and substance it sealeth it up to a believers Faith and so stands us in great stead And 3. It is a means of our spiritual communion the Conduit-pipe that runs wine the dishes that hold the dainties though but gold as Kings and Princes use to be served up in such State yet it is not them we feed upon they are but the means the vehicula and therefore because they have such a respect to our spiritual communion with Jesus Christ they may be so called But secondly the internal communion with Jesus Christ is that indeed which is the Feast the Marriage-feast even here below to eat and drink the flesh and blood of the Son of God which giveth life and maintains life this is the Feast Eat and drink yea drink abundantly saith the Lord I shall be satisfied abundantly with the goodness of thy house abundantly satisfied watered inebriated with the fatness of thy house what is that not meerly with the Ordinances no but with Christin them beholding his might and glory in the Ordinances the mighty prevailing of the Spirit of Christ against our unbelief to quiet all our doubtings O it is this to see the good of the chosen of the Lord those choice inward refreshings which the poor believers have from the presence and powerful workings of Christ in them to the joy of faith and to strengthen against corruption to strengthen for action for suffering his will this is that they cry out after even after the living God to enjoy him And all this is but the Kingdom of God below this is but the first course as I may say of this feast For secondly The Kingdom of glory as well as the Kingdom of grace which is that now I am to speak to this is a feast a Marriage here called that is to say a Marriage-feast for what is the Kingdom of grace here below but a foretaste of heaven as Grotius upon Matth. 22. saith As in the Marriage-feast at Cana of Galilee contrary to the usual manner our Saviour kept his best wine last so it is here as by and by we shall see here the wine the spirits indeed But a little to prove this by a Scripture or two that it may appear plain ye that have continued with me in my temptation I appoint to you a Kingdom as my Father hath appointed unto me that ye may eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom So many shall come from the East and from the West and shall sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of heaven sit down 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their table jesture Joh. 12. 2. they that sit at the Table are Guests But now eating and drinking in Scripture many times do signifie a feasting and so it is here to be taken and let it be noted by way of further proof that the Jews did not ordinarily drink wine except at their feasts and then they did drink abundantly if the observation of some be true as Piscator in his Schol. upon Math. 26. 29. cited by Mr. Brinsly but whether so or no sure we are they did use to drink more liberally then eat the fat and drink the sweet when it was a good day or a merry day to them for his heart was merry his heart was good and the sadness of the heart was called the evil of the heart in the Hebrew often insomuch that the ordinary word in the Hebrew for a feast is a drinking 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So in Ahashuerus his feast is called and Labans feast is called a drinking and it appears by the abundance of wine our Saviour made at the Marriage-feast at Cana of Galilee Therefore you shall find that the feast which Christ maketh is a feast of wines on the Lees well refined come and buy wine and milk without money and without price And so for this Kingdom of heaven this Marriage-feast at the height is called a drinking of new wine with them in the Kindgom of the Father that is to say the Kingdom of glory called his Fathers Kingdom because at that day that is to say at the day of the resurrection he will give up his dispensatory Kingdom to his Father that God may be all in all And for other reasons but I must not stay upon that Well here he will drink new wine with them which is nothing else but a periphrasis of this feast this Marriage-feast in heaven The cup of blessing the cup of consolation the cup of health or salvation is the feast of Christ here below but this now must be drunk new in the Kingdom of his Father there will be a new feast of wine a feast of new wine And so much for the proof of this Now we must understand Brethren that this feast in heaven is not any corporal thing I hope it is needless to tell any of you this the heathens dream of an Elysian-field and the Mahometans of their carnal delights after death those are poor husks that will not satisfie a soul of a child of God here they are sordid and infinitely below a heaven-born spirit no it must be somewhat of as high a nature as the spring from whence they come Why you may judge what it is in the General Brethren though particularly we know not what we shall be What is the Kingdom of heaven here below but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy-Ghost the sweet and spiritual communion with Jesus Christ the fellowship of his death and sufferings life and resurrection whereby we are in part changed into his Image that a man liveth upon will change him ordinarily therefore the King you know would have the children in Dan. fed with a portion of his meat generous-spirited wine will beget more and better spirits then course and cold c. So here by this communion we are changed in part though alas in how little a part But now in heaven Brethren the same communion
the evil savour of their sins upon them such as have their prison cloaths their rags by the exactest righteousness that ever creature performed upon them no no you must first come to Jesus Christ have these bolts knockt off He it is that looseth the prisoners you must first have your â—ilthy garments taken away from you and be robed with the royal apparrel such as is put upon them whom the King of Heaven delights to honour with so near an aporoach to himself for ever you must have the savour of his Oyntments anointing â—our head his Spirit poured out upon you first brethren as they used to annoint their heads with sweet oyl at their seasts before you can come to that feast sinners do not think you shall croud into heaven in the condition you are in but be perswaded in the Name of Jesus Christ first to come to him to get your hands and hearts and all washed in innocency it self in the blood of the spotless Lamb else believe it there will be no entrance for you 2. There is an external communion also which men that have no more but a profession may have eating the spiritual bread and drinking the Sacramental feast brethren which the Saints ought to come to have communion with the Lord Jesus and his people will until he come again it is not an indifferent thing Do this in remembrance of me and as often as you do it ye keep in remembrance the Lord his death until he come Now brethren we do immediatly invite you to come to Jesus Christ to close with him that you may be washed and cleansed through faith in his blood and have your hearts purified by faith in him and then to this Sacramental Communion with Jesus Christ which is a sign and pledge of this Marriage-feast in heaven as plainly our Saviour tels his Disciples I wâ—ll henceâ—oâ—th drink no more of this fruit of the Vine until I drink it new with you in my Fathers Kingdom Well this is but the first Secondly brethren that by your now coming in to Jesus Christ you do as I may say take up your room in your places before hand at his Table in his heavenly Kingdom In which respect the Saints now are said to sit together in heavenly places and hereby you will come to have fellowship with the Lord Jesus in his Resurrection and Ascention and his Work in heaven which is to prepare a place for his people and as I may say to keep it for them and as one sweetly expresseth it wriâ—ing as I may say every ones name over his Mansion over his Place even with his own blood that none shall take it from them over their heads If Jesus Christ prepared not a place for you in heaven now brethren you will find no room at his Table Therefore now brethren Let me press this Exhortation upon you that you would come to him now even now while it â—s called to day it is his voyce brethren that speaks to you O that your ears were bored to hear the fatted Calf is killed the Lord Jesus is Crucified for sinners the Wine is mingled all is ready there wants nothing now but your coming to Dine and Sup with Jesus Christ yea indeed but your opening to him he knocks he will come to you to feast with you bring his royal dainties with him and his wine of the Kingdom his Royal Wine with him O his love which is better then wine if you will but open to him O do not nectere moras now can the Lord Jesus brethren find in his heart to have his blood poured out to become royal Wine indeed full of spirits sweet and cordial to a poor fainting soul to give his own flesh to eat which is bread indeed it is virtually all dainties therefore the Scripture setteth it forth by Wine and Milk and Honey and Bread and Marrow and Fatness the fat of the Kidniâ—s of the Wheat by Apples and Flagons Is he willing brethren to be the Feast to be fed upon and shall we not come O therefore come where the Carkass is follow not your Carrion any more the stirâ—king loathsome delights and pleasures of sin for a season Be ye no more drunk with wine but be ye filled with the Spirit of Christ saith the Apostle be Inebriated as some read it abundantly satisfied with the goodness of his House and with the flowings of his heart towards you poor sinners But me thinketh now I hear the returns that sinners make to Jesus Christ to this invitation say some I have a feast already Stoln waters are sweet and bread eaten in secret is pleasant and shall we forsake these delights we have in the world for we know not what Ah poor souls you know not what you say if this be the language of your hearts If you mouths were not much out of taste you would never judge sin a sweet thing a poor child of God that hath his taste healed though but in part he drinketh nothing in the world so bitter to him as sin that which goeth down so merrâ—ly with many Were not the Israelites mouths much out of taste when they preferred their Onions and Garlick stinking things of Egypt before their sweet their heavenly Manna their Angels bread fit for them to eat or which came by their Ministry 2. Remember this brethren though it be sweet to the taste it turns to bitterest gall as the Wise man speaks of wine that moveth it self aright it sparkles is lovely sweet to the taste at last it biteth like a Serpent and stingeth like an Adâ—er Behold such are all the delights of sin and whether you believe it or no now you shall be sure to feel it after a little season for your pleasures are but for a season So that you know not what you say if any thus excuse himself for coming Again Shall you change for you know not what Indeed you do not know for eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither can it enter into the heart of man to conceive before he hath had experience of it himself O that I might but perswade you brethren to make a tryal and if you do not find one days communion of Jesus Christ be not worth a thousand with your companions in sin then believe not this Gospel any more there is much sweetness indeed in the breasts of the world to a wordly Pallate O what drink golden drink do poor Earth-worms drink and this is their Nectar Believe it brethren if the Lord do but bring you and set your mouths to the wounds of Jesus Christ set your mouths to the sweet promises of pardoning grace and purging mercy to draw from them strong consolation you will find the other but Gall and Wormwood to you O let them perish saith Galeac and his money with him that preferreth all the world before an hours communion with Jesus Christ I pray you therefore do not
may serve then to humble us brethren all of us before the Lord for this is the frame of all our hearts by nature though the Lord Jesus so loved sinners that nothing was too dear for them even to his very life and blood and yet we are all of us so unkind to him again that we would never come to him we would not be beholding to him through the pride of our hearts until we cannot subsist without him and then we will come though it be too late so that upon the matter Brethren we do but make Jesus Christ our sinning stock all the dayes of our lives and yet when we can sin no more we would serve our own turns upon him meerly we would have entrance into heaven by him we desire him not for any loveliness that is in him or in the Grace which is revealed by him Is not this great cause of humbling As suppose a Prince that deperit virginem a poor ragged filthy creature and he even dies for love of her so be that she will but come and take him she shall have all the priviledges of a wife his honour shall be hers his crown hers his beauty hers she shall be like him also be she as uncomely as she may he will put off his comliness upon her no she will not hear of coming to him at all until at last she is even perishing and then cometh and would have his Glory but not himself meerly to serve her self upon him O this is great unkindness do you thus requite the Lord ye foolish people and unwise And thus it is with all us until the Lord mightily change us Thirdly It may serve to convince us of our folly herein folly is a thing we cannot endure the imputation of But what greater folly is it then brethren to dis-joyn the end from the means specially where the end is so necessary to be had to happiness and the means so absolutely necessary to that end surely then this is gross folly he is a fool that would have health and strength and yet will not eat nor drink nor sleep nor recreate will not use the means well brethren you would have heaven every one of you you would have this blessed slate after death we are carried to it with a natural impetus the end is necessary we must enter or perish for ever 2. This means is as absolutely necessary to come to Jesus Christ when the door stands open while his bowels and bosom are open and ready to receive us for when the door is shut there is no remedy we may enter if we come while the door is open afterward we cannot Now is not he a fool in grain that will trifle when the door stands open and even goeth a begging to poor sinners and yet think to enter when the door is shut Ah Brethren this folly fils every sinners heart What is the reason else so few are perswaded while it is called to day to come to seek him early that they may find him You are wise for the world and men will speak well of you if you do well to your selves but you are fools in Gods account in the account of Saints and Angels they speak not well of you witness the Fool in the Gospel that spent himself for vanity and neglected his soul which that night was to be taken from him O that the Lord would so convince us that we might not dare to linger and trifle away our day of Grace lest when we come to cry the door be shut against us 4. Hath the Lord so far shewed us this our folly as now while the Gate stands open to make ready to get our oyl not to put it off until it be too late O bless his name magnifie that Grace of Jesus Christ towards us when others are mourning ye may rejoyce when others howl for sorrow of heart you may sing for joy of heart when others are crying Lord Lord you shall be singing everlasting Haleluâ—ahs Thou wouldst have Grace as well as Glory thou wouldst have Christ and none but Christ with him all things else shall be given in and thou wouldst have him poor soul thou thinkest it long before thou have him why whence isit that thou art not trifling away thy time going to them that sell whence is this but from the free mercy of the Lord towards thee magnifie him give him the glory of it for ever and ever Verse 12. But he answered and said verily I say unto you I know you not HEre is the sad Catastrophe of all the hopes of the Hypocrite in the Parable and that wherewith I shall conclude my thoughts upon this Text they would not be beaten off though the door was shut against them they come and bounce against it with a Lord Lord open to us to you who are you that I should open the Gate now it is shut upon you upon what acquaintance shall I do this for you you are strangers to me verily I say unto you I know you not In this similitude is held out to us the doom of Hypocrites and such as are not found ready for the coming of Christ Or if you will rather the reason of the doom the door was shut upon them before they are excluded heaven there is no entrance there is a repulse and here the reason of it is given as there in Mat. 7. Depart from me saith he which is equivalent it is as much as the shutting the door at least if not more the same reason is there given for it I know you not So that here seems to be two or three things note-worthy in these words I will speak briefly to them and dismiss all winding it up in one application First That many that profess to know Jesus Christ and to be his people yet are not known of him he knoweth them not Secondly Such as he doth not know shall not enter the door is shut against them and when they plead to have it opened they have a denial which is presupposed and as I may say included in the exceptive particle but Lord Lord open to us But he answered I know you not therefore I will not open the door to you Thirdly Whatever formal Professors may delude themselves with as if known of God then it shall be declared to them that he knoweth them not For the First That many that profess Jesus Christ and to know him yet are never known of Christ That this is so I think the Text is as clear as the noon-day as for these foolish Virgins they did go forth to meet the Bridegroom had their Lamps took pains to trim them when they were out and you see they have a Lord Lord in their mouths at the very last and yet saith our Saviour saith the Bridegroom I know you not do but add that other Text and there will need no more proof and that is in Mat. 7. Many shall say unto me at that day Lord Lord open
be stirred because that maketh him sensible of his condition O! such a mans condition is very dangerous and is not this the case of our souls Brethren O! what malignity is in sin the poyson and filthyness and hurt of all diseases and wounds are little enough to set it forth by and how sensible are we of a wound of a disease of the body how insensible of the diseases of the soul Well in order to a healing the Lord give us a feeling But this is but the first But a little further to open the nature of sin on this occasion which our Doctrine administers to us that which is to be healed you have heard is sin and that which needeth healing is either a disease or wound they are correlatives that you have heard already it is therefore compared to many sorts of diseases wounds and putrifying sores and bruises But now I will speak a little Brethren to the ill qualities and consequences of sin considered as such which may tend to turn our hearts against it for the time to come First then there is pain and anguish in most diseases and in every wound and bruise and especially in cankerings festered sores this is a proper passion of a disease to have pain and truly Brethren so hath every sin a pain with it first or last it is true the cup of pleasures goeth down merily with Sinners but when it s down it is a cup of trembling to them do but look on Gain when he had sinned in pouring out his Brothers blood he quenched his bloody thirst but kindled a fire in his bowels which did consume him Oh every one that meeteth me will kill me fear hath torment as John saith and see how full of fears a poor sinner is The wicked flee when none pursueth the very stones and beasts being at enmity with them they fear they shall be murthered by each of them And how did Foelix tremble when Paul disputed of righteousness temperance and judgement to come as long as they can keep out the sight of God as they think they are well But bring a Sinner and set him as it were in the face of God let him but look on him as a righteous Judge of all the world and most mighty to execute his pleasure on Sinners and then tell me whether the stoutest hearted-sinner do not quail as usually at the hour of death for truly for the most part men seldom seriously eye their condition before then How did the Jaylour spring in trembling in the Acts Ah the Sinners in Sion are afraid Fearfulness hath surprized the Hypocrites who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire who shall dwell with everlasting burnings Alas the stubble will not endure before the fire no more can sinners endure to look on God as a consuming fire it maketh the very heart ach except altogether hardened from his fear to behold him because they know themselves guilty and lyable to those burnings There is saith the Apostle a certain fearful looking for of judgement and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries Can a poor condemned Prisoner look on the Iudge think on the Tree on which he must be hanged on the fire but with fear and trembling Can Belshazzar read his sentence on the wall the hand-writing but with terrour his knees knocking one against another Ah Brethren methinks Sinners that are yet in their sins should not read a leaf in the Bible each leaf concerneth him is 〈◊〉 doom but he should even smite his thighs together there is so much terrour and fear accompanying sin Memoria testis ratio index timor carnifex saith Bern. As the Saints have some antipasts of Heaven a bunch of Grapes before they come to Cannan an earnest of that joy unspeakable and full of Glory so doubtless Sinners they have some hours of darkness coming on them some wrings and gripes of a guilty conscience that sometimes made some of them run to an halter to a sword for ease none knoweth the hell of a guilty conscience but such as have felt it Oh the wrackings the distortions of the Soul The pulling of the very heart in pieces and the rending of the very Bowels in pieces with these imprisoned passions in the Soul But secondly Even in sinners that repent Brethren though the wound be then healing there is pain also you know Now the Lord Jesus cometh in mercy to rouze the soul to shame it out of its evil courses and is shame nothing a man cannot hold up his head he is confounded ye are now ashamed saith the Apostle of the things which ye have done before can you look back on your former vain and filthy conversation and your hearts not be ashamed your consciences not be ashamed there is inward shame and confusion though it appear not outwardly So in that place of Ezekiel Thou shalt remember thy ways and be ashamed that thou mayst remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame when I am pacified toward thee There will be a godly sorrow which works repentance and never was there any repentance without sorrow there 's a pricking of the heart and pricking in the reins Acts 2. 37. There is no rest in the flesh by reason of the sin and broken bones That the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce Is it not sin that turns away the face of God and what then can arise to the soul but trouble Thou didst hide thy face and I was troubled This is the first thing there is pain in sin and trouble it troubles our hearts and troubles our houses as it did Cains troubles the City and Country troubleth Israel Secondly In sin Brethren or accompanying it there is weakness and indisposedness when it s but growing on us it seizeth on the spirits the vigour first So how lazie and listless are we for divers days befâ—â—e it do appear and much more afterward Morbus is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 How wonderfully doth sin unbefit us for duty we even move to it as an arm or foot out of joynt when a man endeavours to bow it one way it falls quite another way 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lust where they are in prevalency they are like to wens in a mans body which suck up the strength nourishment that which should supply the rest of the members it turns to its own swelling So doth pride turn that which should humble us that which would inflame our hearts and melt us to it self and so weakens us keepeth our love at an under that we cannot so livelily vigorously serve the Lord. We complain of our weak hands and feeble knees our indisposedness to the service of God believe it this is the reason of it sin unmortified this makes men reprobate to every good work men of no judgement no dexterity at all to
his blood our services healed as well as our souls before they be worth any thing therefore I say he himself freely prepareth the Lances to open the wounds convinceth the poor creature of his condition he himself takes the pains to open the vein to empty the creature of himself to cure him of that Plethory He it is tempereth the Physick is at the charge of it O the richest Cordials in the world tempered of his own blood and water by his own Spirit to support the poor creature when ready to faint he sitteth over his people even as a tender Father over a weak wounded childe and with what a heart you may imagine he provideth Messengers of his own to be with them to minister to them to watch over them and himself is alway at hand Ah dear Friends that ever the Lord Jesus should set so high esteem upon poor sinners when we were in such a loathsom condition as that he would dwell in flesh and take part of flesh and blood that so he might have somewhat to make a restorative of a healing medicine of that we might not perish one drop every drop of his most precious blood with respect to the value which the God-head put upon it is more then if a world of pearl could be decocted into a cordial and yet he spared it not that he should visit sinners with this salvation with his corrosives his cordials with his healing vertue and power and his heart so ready to put it forth from time to time this is unsearchable riches of grace to do all this freely Yea Eighthly and lastly it will appear in this that the Lord Jesus brings his heart full and his hands full of reward with him to a poor sinner so that he will be but healed you see foolish children when they have fallen and wounded themselves they must be hired to let the Father or the Chyrurgion heal it put a plaister upon it but cryeth out as undone had rather do any thing then be healed but alas who would do it to a stranger it may be thou seest a poor leprous creature lie languishing at thy gates and thou canst heal him but he is not willing either he is in love with his disease or distrusts your good will or faithfulness or something but he is not willing to be healed now where is there a heart so full of tenderness as to be willing to offer him a reward I will give thee thus much or thus much if thou wilt but let me heal thee for I pitty thy condition Brethren a King and his subjects fall out they rebel against the King in the war the subject is wounded even to the death except there be more then ordinary care taken of him now the King his heart relents he cometh to him in the prison and doth not upbraid him with his unkindness nor pride nor stubbornness but intreateth him he will give him leave to heal him that he will but suffer his wounds to be searched to be healed to be closed so that he may not perish he will pardon all that he hath done amiss begs of him to accept of him he will make him the second man in the Kingdom he shall be near to him if he will but suffer himself to be healed Is not this rich mercy indeed is there any such Paragon to be found Surely no but lo this is in Jesus Christ and more for he not only promiseth a reward upon our healing but maketh the poor creature willing also willing to part with his lusts and to speak the truth I take this to be the greatest part of our healing when a poor sinner that was in love with sin before loved his lusts as much as his life O his merry companions were as dear to him as his very eye or his right hand he could no more part with one then the other and so his gain of unrighteousness Now when the Lord by proposing of objects which have a great force but that is not all but by a sweet and yet powerful bowing of the heart maketh the poor creature willing to be healed so that now he cryeth out with Augustine How long Lord how long this man is in a great measure healed and this is the work and yet he rewardeth for this promiseth a Crown giveth grace and glory glory with himself fellowship with him to lye in his bosom to all eternity O here is unsearchable riches of grace Brethren I have only if so much brought you to the vein where these riches lie O that you would dig a little by serious contemplating upon it You will find more then I am able to speak Sixthly Another Use shall be this to warn us that we do not upon this score because that Jesus Christ will arise with healing under his wings upon poor sinners therefore to make bold with sin it is no great matter the healing vertue of Christ will be so much the more magnified O how desperate is this would you not think that man were out of his wits that upon presumption upon the skill and tenderness of the Physitian should without any care how or where wound himself and gash himself he hath a Physitian that will heal him you that dare be so bold to sin that grace may abound and make work for Jesus Christ know this this day you know not what the grace of Christ meaneth that make such a use of it how did this stir the Apostles spirit God forbid he doth as I may say recoil as a man startled at some horrid sight O the Lord forbid you should suck such poyson out of so sweet a flower This concerneth two sorts of persons First such as yet never knew what this healing vertue of Christ is only by the hearing of the ear they hear the Lord Jesus is able to heal the most desperate wounds and that he is willing and therefore they make bold to continue in sin they may go on to inflame the reckoning a little higher yet it is all one with Christ to pardon millions as mites to swallow up mountains as mole 〈…〉 it is true if thou respect his power but how dost thou know that he will do it for thee sinner or what hope hast thou or canst thou have while it is thus with thoe It s true if sinners do not sin away the day of grace he is willing but did ever Jesus Christ tell thee that thou shouldest be healed particularly though thou go on rebelling against him wound upon wound upon thy poor soul Surely no be not deceived sinners these are the insinuations of the wicked one this is such Gospel as the Devil preacheth when he preacheth Christ as an Angel of light but in the close you will find the Law instead of the Gospel such presumption and security usually endeth in dispair the time may come that you that make so little a matter of it may cry out and roar O your wounds you refused to be
healed what if the Lord then say to you your iniquities shall never be healed you shall dye in your sins what will become of your presumption then Secondly it concerneth the people of God that have had it may be some experience of this healing vertue of Jesus Christ that have a long time been groaning under the loathsomness and anguish of their wounds and now at the last are healed through abundant grace O take heed of returning to folly any more will you make bold with sin that have known what it cost our blessed Saviour and what it cost your selves what it cost him when as he would himself purge our iniquities he took the Physick and thou enjoyâ—st the cure but is it no more to us Brethren the heaviness of his soul to the death must he bleed to death that we might not bleed to death that our bloody issues might be stopt did it cost him an ecclipse of the light of the countenance of his Father and wilt thou make so light a matter of it walk so watchlesly as we do to go on to grieve him as we do some of us O it is the want of keeping that fresh upon our hearts what the cure of it cost that is the great cause of our so often relapsing And so we forget what it cost our selves it is strange that the burnt child doth not dread the fire dost thou not remember when the Lord came to search thy wounds what it cost thee when he went to the bottom of them O dost thou not remember the stench of them when he came to pluck off the hard crust grown upon them and let thee see and be sensible of the filthiness in them is this forgotten that thou makest no more of sin O dost thou not remember the time when thou wast even weary of thy self a burthen to thy self thou couldst not rest many a weary day and night it cost thee many an aking heart and yet now so soon art making wounds again making work again for Christ Surely this is very ill requital of all that riches of grace Or what can we heal the breaches we make upon our peace by our recidivations when we please It is true if a man had his panacea in his pocket that whatever disease he fell into whatever wound he should make upon himself he could cure it again when he pleased it were somewhat like there were some colour but have you the treasuries of grace in your own keeping have you or hath any man a pardon in a box as the poor deceived Papists are grievously mocked Surely no Alas we can make wounds but we cannot heal them we can make a shift to break our faces and bones but we cannot heal them again it is in his hand and will it be for our comfort then to grieve him by such careless walking what if he resolve to grieve thee and give thee enough of thy back-slidings Will it not be bitterness in the latter end though he may heal it it may cost thee many a throb and much smart for this wantonness Brethren take heed of this O sickness is chargeable it may cost thee mourning all thy daies Seventhly Then let it be for Exhortation to us all that we get under the influence of this Sun of righteousness Sinners we have all of us need of the Physitian for there is never a whole soul among us though to our own apprehension some of us think it is well with us yet it is not we are full of wounds the whole head is sick the whole heart is faint the Lord Jesus hath sent me to tell you where you-may have healing and to perswade you to come to him but alas I am a child and cannot speak Where is there healing to be had you will say you know that as well as you can be told why then how cometh it to pass that you come not to Jesus Christ he hath set open the Store-house the Treasuries of pardoning-mercy and healing-mercy inviteth all that will to come and yet you come not Surely either you do not believe this report or else you do not believe your need of Jesus Christ O consider what hath been said to that part and the Lord help you to believe and perswade you to come to him for indeed it is he that must draw and make poor sinners willing to come or else they will never come to him only he doth draw one way is by proposing the object by holding out a crucified Christ for them And therefore let me a little propose something to you to perswade you to come to Jesus Christ 1. Your need of Christ you have seen for we are all wounded yea even to the death bitten with fiery Serpents the venom whereof inflames our souls and therefore a Physitian we must have or else dye Now there is no healing in any other but through his stripes if you know of any other Saviour that can deliver can heal you take him follow after him but I must tell you when you have spent all you must be fain to come to Jesus Christ for healing and is it not better to come before you have spent all upon other Physitians that cannot cure when all is done O that sinners could but believe this I tell you truth Brethren a Plaister of any thing else made of our own sorrow or tears or righteousness or good works or whatsoever it is so far from being a healing that it will venom the wound more and maketh yet further work for Jesus Christ if rested in as a cure I say you may make a shift to stop the Orifice of the wound with a balm of your own procuring but all the while the sore eats into the soul so much the deeper wrankles within O now the Lord Jesus he beginneth at the bottom and so heals it up say not then Are not Abana and Pharpar Rivers of Damascus better then all the waters of Israel when we must go and wash in Jordan if we be healed 2. Consider this the longer you conceal your wounds and hold off the worse will it go with you for either the Lord will let you go on and never heal you but let you languish away in these waies of sin you please your selves so much in or else if he do the longer the wound is wrankling the worse it will be the harder it will go when it cometh to be searched when David had turned his back upon Christ for so long in the matter of Vriah it cost him somewhat it made him roar when the Physick came to work the Lord withdrawing from him haply as long O that while you are called to day sinners now while healing is tendered you would accept of it the Lord make you willing 3. Do but consider what thronging there was to Christ for healing of their bodily distempers they brought them from all parts to him such as could not come themselves and would there not be the
this terror and this bondage a means to their inlargement Ah blessed Prison that is only to make poor creatures willing to be at liberty well now this the Lord Jesus when he cometh and revealeth himself to a soul he brings him out of these labyrinths of fears and terrors letteth the poor creature see that himself is the way and the only way he hath undertaken the work for his people only if they will believe though they have no strength in them to do any thing nor to extricate themselves from the difficulties they find themselves in by reason they cannot fulfil the Law yet he is the mighty one upon whom help is laid and withal letteth them understand how his bowels do yern over them and how his heart is open ready to inlarge them and so perswadeth them to close with him and then they go forth when faith cometh so Christ is the end of the Law and the â—aw a School-Master to bring us to Christ But that is but the Sixth Seventhly Another part of this bondage is those after-claps of fears and terrours that after Christ hath been revealed to and in a soul may befall the creature alas you find it so they may be clapt up afterward in the pit of noise the horrible pit and be in the deeps and in darkness and like Jeremiahs dungeon sink in the mire where there is no standing they feel no bottom of their misery their fears are overwhelming or like Jonahs Whales belly they are in the belly of hell and all the waves and billows of God go over them O this is sore bondage however it be true that the Spirit of God is never any more a spirit of bondage to them to witness to them they are children of wrath afterward yet he doth not say but they may have bondage again and all fear hath torment and is bondage to the Spirit it doth fetter it and shut up and contract the spirits exceedingly Now I say the darkness of a mans own heart which doth naturally gender fear and Satan to help and the frowns of Gods displeasure for the present though he do not witness any more that a man is a child of eternal wrath and displeasure these may bring the poor creature into sad perplexities Well yet the Spirit of the Lord Jesus when he cometh brings also liberty with him from this bondage David will tel you so and Heman will tell you so do but consider what conditions they were in how came they to be delivered O lift up the light of thy countena nce upon me Son of God arise upon me shine upon my soul and then I shall be healed O restore to me the joy of thy salvation make me to hear joy and gladness c. Well the Promise doth extend even to this bondage also and to this may we refer the next I will speak of it distinctly Eightly There is another Bondage and that is the fears of death and judgement whereby many a poor creature is kept in Bondage all the days of their lives as the Apostle saith in that to the Hebrews to which I will speak a few words He came saith the Text and took part of flesh and blood that through death be might destroy him that hath the power of death that is to say the Devil and deliver them that through fear of death were all their life-time subject to Bondage Brethren death it self is a terrible thing the Simplex could say but hardly could he tell the reason of it for them that have no fear of God before their eyes but have put out the eye of reason and live like Beasts giving up themselves to commit wickedness with greediness though while they can keep off the apprehensions of death they may go on merrily but when that seizeth upon them it marrs their mirth it maketh a change in their faces and they are not now truly death is not so terrible in it self considered but that the stoutness of a mans spirit specially where there is no other consideration of it he may overcome it and live above the fears of it as the Heathens some of them did but now a man that knoweth indeed what death is not only a dissolution of the union between the soul and body taking down this mouldring Tabernacle but a Serpent with a sting it is where sin and guilt lies upon the soul it is the beginning of sorrows the arrest of the soul to judgement to come to receive its doom for all its bloody evils he hath been guilty of The wordling is not willing to give up his soul O he knoweth he can never answer for his wasting of his spirits and spending his time to lay up treasure here and in the mean time neglecting his soul and Jesus Christ and tenders of Grace he knoweth this well enough and therefore he will not yield up his Spirit they shall take it from him as it is in the Parable This night shall thy soul be taken from thee and so for any other sin and now I say this maketh death terrible and by reason of these fears of death men that have any sight or sense of their condition they are in Bondage all their lives long yea even the people of God themselves are in some measure under this bondage and according to the measure of the discovery of Christ to them and the power of faith in them is this fear and this bondage broken and the Lord Jesus came for this end to deliver them alas before his coming the Saints may be specially meant here who had indeed the knowledge of Christ to be crucified for Sinners and beheld him crucified though darkly in the sacrifices c. and in the promise from the foundation of the world but yet notwithstanding they had not that confidence usually but there was more room for doubtings and fears because they died still without the accomplishing of that promise now though such as had an extraordinary measure of faith and a prophetical spirit might see this clearly and so it might raise them much what above this bondage yet ordinarily I believe it was not so that they had such clear conviction of the freeness of grace and the abundance and riches of it in Jesus Christ and therefore it did not so fâ—lly quiet their Spirits in respect of fears of death and judgement they did not so clearly see the sting pluckt out therefore the Apostle saith those Sacrifices though they did hold out Christ could not make the comers thereunto perfect and therefore they were often repeated But now the Lord Jesus he hath by once offering for ever perfected compleated their salvation and therefore you shall find that the Apostle and others do so triumph over death and the grave and sin as we hardly find any before the coming of Christ and it must needs be so because now the Spirit which is the liberty of the Saints was poured out in a
worse as the Apostle saith evil men and seducers grow worse and indeed we must know this Brethren we do grow either better or worse as haply afterward we shall have occasion to speak to at large either the house of David groweth stronger or the house of Saul either the flesh or the spirit prevails in the hearts of the people of God there are two sorts of persons whose condition is under this consideration First Such as have profest the name of Jesus Christ and yet alas though they were green for a while now their leaf is fallen their light is gone out they are fallen from their place of standing among the Saints in appearance never was there an age more fruitful in such barrenness then this is alas like a Fir-tree shaken with the wind they lose their fruit yea are turned up by the roots and now are become as a dry stick fit for nothing but to burn the latter end of such men is worse then their beginning they are trees twice dead not only dead by nature but have lost their profession which was a visible life whereby they did appear to men to be alive and is there any hope of such a tree living again truly Brethren very little I have oberved it and I wish I could look upon it with a more trembling heart that such men as these grow worse fall off and decline they are the saddest hard-hearted desperate prophane wretches afterward or the most besotted worldlings and seldom are they recovered I know not whether I may speak to any such at this time I hope the best things of you if there be any such let me tell thee thou art in a more dangerous condition then those that never knew God to this day Secondly Such as never yet had appearance of being planted into Jesus Christ and so no growth in them but are yet in their naturals know this day you are growing worse and worse the Gospel doth not return in vain you are worse every day then other every Sermon then other the Gospel is a savour of death to death to you as there is nothing doth condemn sinners like to the Gospel rejected so nothing doth harden sinners more then the Gospel and those precious promises which men give the hearing to day by day but alas that is all Isaiah the most Evangelical Prophet he cometh with a make you the ears of this people heavy that hearing they might hear and not perceive If the Son be not kissed when he is offered to sinners but they turn their backs upon him he will be angry if the more worthy person be suitor and be denyed and slighted and the heel lift up against him will not this provoke him think you surely it will therefore God doth usually give up such to a reprobate mind yea even for despising the light of nature much more the Gospel and giveth them up to hardness of heart you shall ordinarily see where the Gospel cometh at the first among a people it works more mightily then afterward at first though men are prophane yet they have not had the Sun-shine to harden the Clay into a Brick the Word of God this Gospel and means of growth it is as fire the coals of love and either they do melt or else burn sinners into stones and bricks and sear their consciences that they are even past feeling hence it is we have so many desperately wicked persons among us O how sad a condition is this Brethren to be growing worse and worse under the greatest mercy and love that the Lord manifesteth to any Sinners in good earnest do you think it is the way to heaven to grow worse and worse or the way to the Chambers of death Thou knowest thy self to be a more desperate prophane wretch then formerly making no conscience of that which heretofore thy soul it may be hath trembled at now it goeth down without regret or else if not in open prophaneness if thou meltest away in secret wickedness that no eye takes notice of and art worse and worse what will the end of these things be the Saints that grow they grow up into the likeness and image and glory of Christ they grow up into him and thou growest up into the likeness of the Devil up in t 〈…〉 im What will become of you O that sinners would but lay these things to heart if heretofore thou wast overtaken with a sin it may be it was some trouble to thee now thou wilt work the works of the Devil thy will is ingaged and so much the more haynous the sin is what can you expect Brethren O that God would open sinners eyes that they might but see whether they are going what they are doing and they could but consider what bitterness this will be in the latter end to grow worse and worse The next Vse shall be then Brethren to take an account of our selves whether we grow or go backward yea or no this is not the work of every day Brethren for it will hardly be discernable if we daily should put our selves to the tryal we should do nothing else it would eat up that time and those endeavours to grow which ought to be laid out upon it that so it may afterward appear a man that should spend every day in casting up his whole Books to see how he groweth in his estate would hâ—nder himself of those endeavours to thrive that must be used else he cannot thrive besides this growth is not the work of a day usually though sometimes it may be so but of moneths or a year or so if a man should sit by his tree or set his eye upon his child to behold his motion or growth he would lose his labour it is better seen afterward as in another place afterward shall be spoken besides if we should daily judge of our growth and try it alas what inconstant judgements should we make of our condition for some daies we are up and some daies down it may be some daies under the power of a temptation and other daies set at liberty from them sometimes the Merchant maketh a losing bargain sometimes a winning sometimes his cash cometh in and sometimes he is all in disbursments therefore he must not he cannot judge of his estate whether he prosper or thrive by this or that day but after a while he should look to it cast up his Books see how it standeth Brethren it is impossible to perswade a Merchant except he be Bankrupt and knoweth it is so and therefore hath no mind to look upon his misery else I say you cannot perswade a Merchant but he will take his set times for perusing his Books casting up his accounts and not let it run too long neither for fear of the worst and if any should advise him to the contrary he would take him to be his enemy suspect him for one that would undo him and yet alas how easie
to set his love upon his soul he believeth no such things nor the Papists neither Nor many a poor hypocrite Alas they think they have somewhat that deserveth him I some beauty is in us that the Lord saw and so it was meet for him to lay out his love upon us proud wretches that we are it is well we have an infinitely condescending love yea and powerful that can overcome our pride and swallow it up and love not onely poor creatures nothing-creatures but such as falsly suppose themselves somewhat when they are nothing else what would become of many of us Well sure it is because we know not our selves or know not what this love means else we should all of us easily subscribe to this 2. That he would be at such a price for such for alas brethren 〈◊〉 who would lay down his life almost for the cho cest of persons though some in an Agony of Passion and discontent have made themselves away for them they have doated upon yet here was some proportion between the persons loving and loved yea happily the person loved might be the more eminent person and therefore might stand off and a man when he doth this alas he is beloved himself he is wrapt by the violence of his passion out of his choice his understanding and judgement dethroned and then the Affections like wild horses O whither will they not hurry a man but in such a case a man is not a man but now in sobriety of minde consider it and who would lay down their lives and dye for the obtaining the rarest creature in the world for a spouse surely none O no Skin for skin saith the Devil and though a man imagine more to be in what he hath never injoyed then he findeth by experience in what he hath had the flower and cream of yet notwithstanding if a man be himself he will prize his life above all but if he would dye would he dye a most shameful death to have his life taken away by the most violent destructions and convulsions of minde so strongly working upon the body as to moulder it away by degrees surely hardly any man would ever venture in such a case as this Alas What is this to what the Lord Jesus hath willingly undertaken for worms what man would dye for a worm that it might live and he might have it put in his bosom or rather would be contented to â—ay down his body take up the form of a worm and therein dye the most miserable death that he might have worms saved from death and be his nearest relations for ever O doth not this transcend the love of Angels brethren Alas what is this to what Jesus Christ hath paid for poor worms at the best sinful dust and ashes and that we might live and live in union and fellowship with himselfe for ever Ah Brethren if God would but make us sensible what we are at the worst and what the Lord Jesus underwent in some measure for apprehend it fully we cannot but such as have ever tasted what it is to sip of the cup may apprehend more then others what dregs were at the bottom a drop how doth it put the soul into an Agony upon the rack that thou wouldst choose death rather then life O what then was the whole cup brethren that he should undergo this and should with his most precious blood be willing to purchase such poor abjects forlorn Creatures to be a spouse to him yea with his blood drawn from him through the very pores of the body by the very distractions of his soul and wresâ—ling with wrath O was there ever grief like this that the father put him to and was there ever love like this brethren O that we had hearts indeed to admire it 3. That after all this is done he should be at such pains to bring us to himself to wooe us to come himself to send us his messengers to strive with us by his Spirit as you know he strivd long with the old world and strived long with the Israelites in the wilderness and many of our souls can say it by experience he hath striven long with us by his spirit when we have been convinced our ways have been folly and misery and yet we would not yield how hath he followed us up and down with motions of his spirit and waited to be gracious and all but to have our consent to take him for ours Dear friends who are we that the Lord Jesus should thus ambire make so much ado with us to have our consent to take him to accept of him for a Husband O what desperate enmity is in our hearts against him that there must be so much ado to overcome it You would think that poor begger either a very crooked cross piece full of bitter hatred against a Prince or Noble-man that sues to her with all the intreaties that can be sends messenger after messenger cometh himself and beseecheth her to accept of him and yet she will not no is she well where she is desireth not either you will say she believeth not what he saith that it is in reality it will not enter into her heart to think he is real he is so far above her though he tell her he knew that is sensible of it yet maketh love to her meerly because he will and his heart is towards her not for any thing in her self she believeth not or else that she is a desperate enemy and hater of such a Noble-man and would rather perish there or languish in such a condition as an abject then accept of him O this is the condition of many of us brethren some poor deject dunbelieving souls alas their hearts even fail within them to hear that J. Christ should make love to them O it canot be sure to such a worm such a wretch so poor so filthy so full of rags vermin so full of sores and wounds full deeply indebted so deformed and loathsom every way O they know not how to receive this Others they are even stout and proud and care no more for these things then if Jesus Christ had said nothing at all as for them they are well enough if he will let them alone they desire not to mend their conditions by closing with him Now brethren to both these how doth the Lord Jesus apply himself Never were there more powerful Arguments used and never more powerfully prest then he presseth them and that with more diligence and patient waiting upon us and O what love what manner of love is this that all this floweth from A little to touch upou each of them brethren happily the Lord may be pleased to breath in them to some poor soul and as he doth at other times thus so this day brethren Even to you he is pleading with you for this very end that some poor sinners would be perswaded to close with him First then The Arguments are the most
by poor Sinners that he cometh to heal and yet he doth endure it and for all this healeth them Is not all this unkindness what can move him to give us over surely many of us are able to say it that if his bowels had not been unsearchable we have so often grieved him and kicked against him even since he had to do with our souls in a way of healing mercy that we had been undone for ever Oh here is unsearchable mercy we wound him and grieve him and yet he heals us we sleightly esteem of him of his blood of his mercy of his love even while he is pouring it out upon us and he so dearly loveth us that his blood is not too dear for us no nor his Spirit nor his bowels nor any thing O here is rich Grace indeed to poor froward-hearted Sinners 5. Herein the riches of Grace doth appear to poor Sinners that it is not the multitude nor the depth nor the loathsomness of our wounds or deadliness of our diseases that discourageth him to make him turn his back upon the work and let us alone O saith the Physitian when he cometh to such a Patient he hath the plague it is seized upon his heart upon his vitals it is past my ski 〈…〉 it is but labour in vain if the spots appear there is no hope no healing but now the Lord Jesus he never mâ—dleth with a Sinner but he hath the plague in his very heart not only the sores running upon their tongues and upon their hands but in their very hearts and all the blood and spirits poysoned and yet he is not discouraged he takes it in hand truly some of us if we consider how deeply rooted our â—nsts were in our very hearts it is matter of admiration that ever we were healed and though for the present there are it may be grudgings of the old disease whereby we are a grief to him and a grief to our selves yet that the plague is cured at the heart or curing rather alas do you think the Lord Jesus did not know what a weary hand he should have with us before he began with us he knew what ulcerations would be continually breaking out that must be lanced and searched and yet never turned his back upon his work upon this account when the Chyrurgion meeteth with a poor creature that is full of wounds and bruises and putrifying sores that have never been opened nor mollified but a long time have festered and rotted O saith he I am not able to endure to have to do with such a Patient the very stench of his wounds and â—ores is such I am not able to bear it Brethren this is nothing to sin the most loathsom running sores are nothing to the rottenness of sin O it is the superfluity of naughtiness it is the very scum of scums the very excrement of the Devil now how can we think that Jesus Christ should endure the stench of our loathsom souls full of running sores and yet he doth it when he cometh to heal us he never yet gave over any that he undertook to heal because of the greatness the multitude the loathsomness of his diseases I know poor misgiving hearts will be ready to sit down and mourn as poor creatures without hope when they consider how many their sores are their diseases are O what loathsom running sores bloody issues and they are loathsom to our selves that see little or nothing of them and that have a stinking nostril their minds whereby they conceive of things are impure themselves and so cannot apprehend them as so loathsom but the Lord Jesus that seeth them to the bottom knoweth the venom of them the loathsomness of them to the full O sure they are much more to him sure he will never have to do with such a rotten soul as mine saith one such a rotten heart such a wretch so besotted with the world as I have been so unclean a wretch as I have been this is a mistake the riches of Grace in Jesus Christ would never be so made manifest the exceeding abundance of Grace if he had not to do with such sinners as thou art in thine own apprehension with a Paul a Manasses a Magdalen with the chief of Sinners O say not your cases are desperate there is no healing for your wounds nothing maketh a Sinners case desperate but his own despairing his final unbelief his despair of the mercy of Christ the faithfulness of Christ in this great undertaking of poor Sinners Sixthly O what tenderness is manifested in the manner of the cure and it must needs be so when bowels themselves are the constitution of the Physitian where love it self and compassion it â—elf setteth the Physitian awork Brethren can you imagine when a Father is a Physitian and hath a poor diseased child or wounded cryeth out for healing can you imagine with what an heart he goeth about it if it would do the cure he could be content to endure all the lancings take down all bitter potions O every grone and out-cry of his Patient goes to his heart he is so tender by these affections the Lord is pleased darkly to shadow out to us his heart toward us Even as a Father pittieth his children so the Lord Jesus pittieth them that fear him that are wonnded in any kind either in their peace or in their holiness But this will appear if we consider but a few particulars First In that he himself hath taken the bitterest part of the physick O the wormwood and the gall they went into his bowels the Lord Jesus doth not delight to cure by lancings by searings and canterizings no but he took down himself the purge that set him upon such a sweat as you know alas it would have drunk up every drop of our blood and moysture and marrow that we should never have seen through it this he takes himself himself is lanced you know by the Soldiers and from thence came water and blood the ingredients of the healing medicine for poor Sinners for ever being rightly tempered like a tender Mother if the child be sick it must be purged she her self takes the purge endures the wrings of it in its working that the effect may be suckt by the child who lies at the breast this is but a resemblance of this rich Grace in Jesus Christ Brethren we see if men were our Physitians what they would prescribe us their purgations and pilgrims whippings macerating our flesh until they bleed and die but the Lord Jesus doth not so if either the Physitian or the Patient must die in this case rather then the poor diseased wounded Patient shall die the Physit 〈…〉 himself dieth that we might live that his blood might be our cordial his flesh our dyet and his blood our dyet-drink that continually by little and little might heal us O what manner of love is this Brethren who would do so let a Father but examine his
heart and see could he do so for his child though a Mother may take down much bitterness for her child yet would she be content to open a vein to bleed to death to redeem its life when ready to perish I know David in his passion said Would God I had dyed for thee but if Absalom had been alive and in cold bood he had been put to it I question though his affections were strong to his Son but they would have been as strong to himself Self is a mans nearest friend but now the Lord Jesus you see did it for his poor sinful people yea for strangers for enemies Brethren consider of it If any of us were Physitians here is a poor wounded creature lies in the way as the poor man in the Gospel fell among thieves left wounded and half-dead which of us now could find in our hearts to open our own veins and be emptied of all our blood and liâ—e that such a poor wretch might be supplied now this the Lord Jesus doth for such Sinners as we are Brethren if there must be pouncing and pricking he endures it lancing he endures it contusion he endures it For he was wounded for our transgressions bruised for our iniquites the chastisement of our peace was upon him and through his stripes we are healed his stripes are not the bodily buffetings his crown of thorns and such things were nothing in comparison no it is the lashing of his spirit the wounding of his soul the travel of his soul the agonies wrestlings with his Fathers displeasure to an agony when God laid on him so heavily that he was ready to faint and sink and his soul almost fetched at every blow O dear Saviour that ever the cure of such sinfull dust and ashes should cost thee so dear and we so little prize it But 2. That which he prescribes to us though there be some bitterness in it yet no more then must needs it may be a sprinkling from the top of the cup of trembling which may put us into a fear and trembling so much as he seeth needfull to imbitter sin to us it is true if love were perfect here below while graces are imperfect and our ingenuity perfect the looking upon a crucified Christ for us would be the greatest imbittering of sin to us in the world but we are very dull an 〈…〉 ow of heart and therefore a little taste we must our selves that we may gather from thence what the Lord Jesus indured for us we that never felt what a wounded Spirit meant and what the clouding of the face of God from us meant though we may hear of the sufferings of Christ we are not able to be sensible of them and so not to prize that love as strong as death but when a poor creature hath had a drop or two of scalding wrath fall upon his conscience a lash or two though gently upon his spirit that maketh him roar in the disquietness of his â—oul O thinketh he then if a drop or two be so full of terror and amazement what then was the whole Cup what was the dregs how should I have born that if my blessed Saviour had not taken it off for me That which did so parch him who was the Green Tree that he said he thirsted surely would have consumed the dry If he were as a Bottle dryed in the smoak it would have consumed us to ashes If it made Him sweat in such a manner it would have altogether dissolved our frame that we should have perished for ever O if a little wrath when God hideth his face be such a Hell in many souls What a Hell then had Jesus Christ in his soul when wrath was poured out to the utmost for he was not spared a jot And then to make us out of love with sin wherein doth lie the very heart of the core and of the cure surely such are the bowels of God in Christ that as he delighteth not in the death of a sinner so neither doth he delight in bringing the creature to life through so much bitterness and grief if any other means would so effectually work us out of love with sin as this for the Wise God surely would take the most effectual course it is all needfull else he would never do it Why but you will say that hatred of sin is never kindly except the love to Jesus Christ be the ground of it ye that love the Lord hate evil this takes the ingenuous spirit off from Omissions and Commissions It is true but yet consider brethren wherefore do we love Him but because he loved us when his love is revealed and manifested this warmeth melteth the heart indeareth the soul to him until the Lord Jesus be pleased to open and unfold his bowels of love to a sinner he will never love him now whereby should we estimate the love of Jesus Christ to poor sinners but by the unsearchably rich 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he paid for them O the price of every drop of that blessed blood that run trickling down to the earth especially if it be considered by what means it was squeezed out of him this setteth a rate upon his love it is not love in word but in deed and in truth if nothing else will be a price to redeem them but his blood it shall go he is not dear of it to the last drop yea not to part with it by opening a vein but to have it extract out of the veins by the pores of his body O by the unspeakable weight of wrath upon his Spirit Now how can we judge of this except we have had a little taste of it our selves when we are put into a little sweat in our own wrestlings with the displeasure of God O then we see what our Saviour indured for us If a man would set the highest estimate upon love among men this should be the rate of it would they willingly have the face of God in Christ hidden from them for a year or two for the dearest friend they have in the world you that have felt what this lashing of your Spirit is that your breath was even gone at every blow and you were ready to perish and you had fainted except you had believed some secret undiscerned support Tell me would you redeem the life yea the souls of your dearest friends that you had in this world by lying under a wounded Spirit having a Hell kindled in your souls that should burn all your days I cannot tell I know dear Friends will do much one for another O saith one I could lay my hands under their feet to do them good O I could redeem their lives with my own Would God I had died for thee and haply because he saw he was in such a sad condition for his soul but David wouldst thou have been content to roar all thy days in the disquietness of thy soul to have his waves and billows to