call upon you and encourage you in the Name and the Words of the Lord Come now and let us reason together saith the Lord. Let your hearts be thus kept and then come come with your prayers come with your praises and I will hear and accept you 8. It is the Temple of the Lord. 2 Cor. 6.16 Ye are the temple of the living God 't is the heart especially that is this Temple There are four things in the Temple of God which are so many reasons why our hearts should be carefully kept and guarded 1. The law of God is in his Temple The law was read in the Temple and kept in the Temple and as in that Temple made with hands so in that living Temple made without hands the Law of God is placed and preserved Christians have the Law of God within them their Bibles in their hearts in the heart of a Christian is the Copy of the Bible God hath not only preach'd it to their hearts but they have laid it up in their hearts Psal 119.11 I have hid thy word within mine heart that I might not sin against thee Mary kept the sayings of Christ and laid them up in her heart Luk. 2.51 God promised Jer. 31.33 I will write my Law in their hearts and he hath done what he promised he that once wrote his Law in Tables of Stone hath also written it in fleshly Tables of Hearts Therefore Psal 40.8 Thy Law is within mine heart The Law written in the heart Notes 1. All those holy Notions of God of Christ of Glory Honour Immortality of the Power Wisdom and Goodness of God and of the Mistery of Christ which are written in the Scriptures are revealed in the heart 2. All those holy Principles or divine Axioms concerning Truth Righteousness Holiness Mercy Temperance Sobriety c. the nature and necessity of them to true Godliness and Blessedness 3. That Law of the Spirit of life which is in Christ Jesus the new Law or Covenant of Grace by which we are freed from the Law of sin and death Rom. 8.2 the Tenour and the Terms of the Covenant the Promises and the Conditions of the Covenant the great Charter of the Saints which gives them Title to and will give them an entrance into the Everlasting Kingdom The writing that Law is the writing the new Covenant in the heart 4. That inward living Law the holy bent inclinations dispositions begotten in the heart by the Word and Spirit of the Lord that renewed Conscience inwardly obliging and holding the heart to the Obedience of the Word A Christian hath not only something without him but something within him binding him to obedience whereby it may be said much more of him then of those Gentiles Rom. 2.14 He is a law to himself His own heart holds him in to Christ his own heart holds him on in Obedience to the Gospel If all our Bibles should be lost or burnt if all our Preachers that urge and press our Obedience were laid aside and trodden under foot a Christian hath that within him that would hold him on in his Christianity That knowledge of God and those Principles of Christianity that love of Christ and that renewed Conscience within him will keep him a Christian still Now all this treasure those holy Notions holy Principles this Law of Grace and this living law of the new Covenant being all kept in the heart the heart being the Temple of God wherein all this is preserved had need be carefully kept Would you not have all the Notions of God and the knowledge of Christ dimm'd and darkned and razed out would you not loose all your holy Principles of Righteousness and Honesty of Temperance and Sobriety would you not have the book of the Covenant stolen away on which all your Hopes and Expectations all your title to Everlasting blessedness depends would you not loose that holy bent and those holy inclinations and that renewed Consciences by all which you are disposed and inwardly bound bound in Spirit to the life of Christianity would you not that all these should be lost would you not return to be dim sighted and dark Souls would you not exchange your holy Principles for carnal Principles your renewed purged Consciences for corrupt Consciences would you not that the Temple of the Lord be robb'd would you not that your heart be robb'd of all these Treasures then set a Guard upon your hearts 2. The name of God is in his Temple Jer. 7.10 12. 't is said often he places his name there And of these living Temples the hearts of Saints 't is said Rev. 3.12 I will write the name of my God and the name of the City of my God upon them And Chap. 2.17 in this heart there is a precious stone put and upon this stone a new name written which no man knows but he that hath it A Christian hath not only the names of Christ call'd upon him he is call'd a Christian after the name of his Lord but he hath this name written upon him written upon his heart Sure that Table should be kept clean in which is written such a precious name What shall the name of God be written on a dunghil wilt thou suffer Sin and the Devil to make a very dunghil of thy heart and in that dunghil write the name of thy God If the heart be not well guarded the Devil will be not only carrying out but carrying in all the precious Treasures that are in your hearts let Satan alone a while and hee 'l carry them all away Whatever thou hast now thou shalt have nothing of God left in thee nothing of Christ lest in thee none of all thy Graces none of all thy comforts Hast thou love for Christ hast thou hope in Christ hast thou peace or joy in God hast thou either the image or the comforts of God in thee Satan stands ready if thou look not to him to carry all away thou wilt quickly be left a very miserable Soul poor and blind and naked if thou take not heed And as the Devil will be carrying out so he will be also carrying in to that heart of thine Thy Gold and thy Jewels he will carry away and he will bring in dirt and filth and trash As he unloads thee he will load thee unload thee of the treasures of light and load thee with the treasures of darkness He will fill those hearts with every unclean thing he will make those Temples to be very Stables or Sties he will make that heart a very Dunghil and Christ must either have no name within thee or that precious name written on a dunghil and will you suffer such an affront and abuse to be put upon your Lord If you do not keep your hearts so it will be 3. The Worship of God is in his Temple Mine house shall be called an house of Prayer Mat. 21.13 In this inward Temple the heart is the inward and spiritual Worship of
in an Army what would an Enemy desire more than to have the Army he was to fight against to be in a Mutiny amongst themselves the Devil will not doubt his Conquest whilst he can but keep all within you in disorder Mens Damnation does frequently begin in Thoughts evil Thoughts corrupt the Affections evil Affections corrupt the Manners and practice and evil works have their end in Destruction Never again make a light thing of Thoughts how many men are there who by giving themselves leave to be thinking of their Pleasures and thinking of their Gains and thinking of their Lascivious lustful Objects do think themselves into very Beasts first and then into Devils Job 31.1 I made a Covenant with mine eyes why then should I think upon a Maid The next to looking is thinking the eyes let in Fuel for the Thoughts the next to thinking is lusting the Thoughts provide Fuel for Lust the next to Lusting is Whoring and the next to Whoring is Death and the like in other Cases For the World the next to thinking is loving the next to loving is lusting and inordinate desiring the next to lusting is seeking and progging the next to seeking is getting and heaping up and loading our selves with thick Clay and the next to this is sinking and drowning our selves in Perdition and Destruction 2. These are the Evidences of what we are in respect to our Eternal State Men may judge themselves and come to know themselves by the Thoughts and Affections Rom. 8.7 To be carnally minded is Death but to be Spiritually minded is Life and Peace Those that are after the Flesh do mind the things of the Flesh and those that are after the Spirit do mind the things of the Spirit Where art thou Friend art thou in the way of Life or the way of Death why how may I tell that why where are your minds what are they running upon where are your Thoughts your most serious and delightful Thoughts are they in Heaven or on Earth on things Spiritual or on things Carnal where are your Affections working upwards or downwards Such as thy Thoughts and Affections are such is the State of thy Soul To be Carnally minded is Death but to be Spiritually minded is Life and Peace It 's true many serious Christians have too many Carnal Thoughts Vain and Wandring Thoughts but 't is their Affliction and 't is their care and endeavour to give check to such Thoughts but when the allowed Stream runs towards Earth and sin 't is a sign thou art an Earthly Fleshly Man and in the State of the Dead 3. There are Idols set up in the Heart after which if it be not well looked to it 's apt to go a Whoring It is true more or less of all men what is said of the Elders of Israel Ezek. 14.3 These men have set up their Idols in their Heart Whatsoever the Heart loves more than God whatever the Heart serves or seeks more than God yea whatever the Heart loves or serves or seeks ultimately for it self without respect to any higher end this is an Idol set up in the Heart those very men that abhor those Idols that are set up in the House or the Church that detest Saint-Worship or Image-Worship the Worshipping of Stocks or Stones or Pictures the work of mens hands yea that call that an Idol or Idolatry which God never called so that cry out Idolatry Idolatry against every thing that is not according to their own Minds even these very men may have set up their Idols in their Hearts The Heart hath multitudes of Idols set up in it there are in the Heart as the Apostle said 1 Cor. 5.8 there are in the world Gods many and Lords many The World is an Idol some men make their Lands and their Money their Gods though Job would not chap. 31.24 yet some mens Hearts will say to their Gold Thou art my God Others there are who make their Belly their God Whose God is their Belly Phil. 3.19 Others make their Honours and their Pleasures their God and these may be said to be as those 2 Tim. 3.4 Lovers of Pleasures more than Lovers of God The Heart hath many Idols set up in it but the great Heart-Idol to which all the rest must stoop and serve is Self the World is served Honours are sought Pleasures are loved but all for the sake of Self Whatever Idol there be the great Idol is Self which is set up in the room of God Mans original Apostacy was his falling from God to Self and mans recovery to Christ is his bringing back from Self to God Therefore he tells the World that whoso will come along with him and be his disciple must deny himself Mat. 16.24 If any man Christ suffered that he might bring us to God 1 Pet. 3.18 And that he cannot do unless he come back from Self he departed from God when he declined to himself and he must deny himself that will return to the Lord. God and Self divide the whole world The most are for Self and there is not a man of all these for God some few are for God and every one of these have denyed and departed from Self Mens recovery by Christ is their returning from Self unto God but this Recovery is but imperfect this Self carnal Self I mean hath a Seat higher or lower in the best hearts There is a sinful Selfishness wherewith we still remain infected and there is still a danger even after our recovery of Apostacy to this Self again The great Idoll set up in the heart is self and the great Idolatry or going a whoring after this Idol the great heart Idolatry stands in these three things 1. Self-conceit 2. Self-will 3. Self-love 1. Self-conceit The magnifying our own Opinions the Idolizing our own apprehensions the growing wise in our own eyes and the resigning up our selves to the conduct and government of our own carnal Reasons or Understandings This Solomon intimates is an encroaching upon God yea denying of God he sets these two as Opposites one to another the acknowledging of God and the leaning to our own understandings Prov. 3.5 6. Lean not to thine own understanding in all thy wayes acknowledge him Intimating that whilest we lean to our own understandings we deny and do not acknowledge God It belongs to God as God to be the Supreme Guide and Dictator to us but when men take upon them to be so wise as that their own Opinions and Conceits must be their Guide they therein deny the God that is above Take heed of being self-conceited The worst of Sinners as blind as they are yet they are wise in their own eyes they think their Way is good and their State is good they have a conceit that their own way is best they have taken up conceits against the ways of God this strictness of Religion this Preciseness of Holiness they have a conceit 't is all but Nicety and Hypocrisie and that
Christ reconciling you to himself 2 Cor. 5.19 You have not had us dealing with you in the name of Christ who are the Ministers of Reconciliation 2 Cor. 5.18 but he who is the great Reconciler Christ himself hath been dealing with you and hath reconciled you to God So sure as the Devil hath been dealing with sinners he hath drawn them away from God drawn them to sin and wickedness against God hath been hardning them against God you could never have been so wicked you could never have been so hardned against God as you are hardned against conversion hardned against repentance if the Devil had not been dealing with you You see what hard hearts you have we cannot humble you we cannot perswade you to repent and turn our words do nothing with you you will not be perswaded to return but you go on your way and remain stupid and sensless of your sin and misery you will not be perswaded 't is so bad with you We cannot for our hearts make you sensible of your wretched cases nor put a stop to you in your sins You may see well enough who hath been dealing with you that you continue so sinful still and so hardned in your sins It is the Devil that hath had to do with you thus to deprave you and to harden you as sure as the Devil hath been dealing with sinners so sure hath Christ been dealing with his Saints 'T is not Ministers that have awakened you that have convinced and humbled you and brought you about to the Lord 't is Christ that hath done these things for you We could never have humbled you we could never have perswaded nor turned nor reconciled you to God if Christ himself had not done it You were once foolish and disobedient led about with diverse lusts you were once Drunkards Liars Covetous and Prophane and you had been amongst this uncircumcised Crew to this day if Christ had not fetched you off 't is with him you have had to do as 't is said Heb. 4.13 All things are naked and open before his eyes with whom we have to do You have to do with Christ Christ hath been dealing with you that are Christians or you had never come to this you had never been these living Souls you had never known what you do of God nor known what you do of Sin nor been washed from your sins your had never been here praying and hearing and praising the Lord and become followers of the Lamb if Christ had not had to do with you Particularly you that are Christians there have been great transactions betwixt God and your Souls 1. In point of Covenant Behold you that are Christians you are in Covenant with the Lord by reason whereof I may say concerning you as Moses concerning Israel Deut. 26.17 18. Thou hast avouched the Lord to be thy God to walk in his ways and keep his statutes And the Lord hath avouched thee to be his peculiar People You have avouched the Lord to be yours and the Lord hath avouched you to be his a solemn and mutual Covenant hath there passed between the Lord and you he is become your Covenant God you are become his Covenant People How came this to pass how is it that you are not still as poor sinners are in Covenant with Death and Agreement with Hell how comes it to pass that when poor sinners are in Covenant with the Devil you are in Covenant with God O you may thank Christ for this he hath been effectually dealing with you in this thing He hath not only procured such a gracious Covenant a Covenant of Mercy a Covenant of Pardons a Covenant of Peace but he hath also 1. Made offer of this Covenant of God to you inviting you to come and joyn your selves to the Lord in a perpetual Covenant that shall never be forgotten 2. He hath made void your Covenant with Death and disanull'd your Agreement with Hell He hath given you an heart to break and make void that wicked Covenant to break with the Devil to break with Sin and the World and to come out from among them 3. He hath effectually perswaded you into this Covenant of God He hath brought you into the bond of the Covenant Ezek. 20.37 He hath sprinkled you with the Blood of the Covenant and hath gained your hearty acceptance of all this You have opened your Mouth to the Lord you have vowed your selves you have sworn your selves his Covenant Servants not with your Mouths only not in profession only but you have engaged your hearts to the Lord. Jer. 30.21 Your Hearts are no longer your own you have given them to the Lord to be his for ever So that you can now say through Grace to the Lord what he said to Israel Is 54.20 The Mountains shall depart and the Hills shall be removed but through the help of God my faithfulness shall not depart nor shall the Covenant of my peace ever be removed His I am and through his Grace I am determined to be the Lords for ever Friends such a solemn and sacred Covenant transaction hath there been in those very Hearts of yours betwixt the Lord and you He hath avouched himself to be yours and you have avouched your selves to be his own and those Hearts of yours are the Records wherein this Transaction is registred and kept Remember and look back and consider if there have not been such mutual engagements passed betwixt the Lord and you Look into your Closets and remember what of this kind hath passed between him and you in secret look back to your Sacraments and remember what Covenanting have been between the Lord and you at his Table and what solemn sealing there hath been God sealing to you and you sealing back to him Your Hearts are the Records wherein these Sacred Transactions have been Registred look into thine Heart doth not this testifie for thee how thou hast bound thy self to be the Lords for ever and hast accepted of his Bond to thee The remembrance of this Covenant Transaction will be of use to you as long as you live will be of use to comfort you in the day of your doubts and fears to confirm you in the day of Temptations to hold you close to the Lord according to the Vows that are upon you to quicken you and hold you on in that way of holy and lively Obedience which you have covenanted for When you grow cold and careless and remiss in your way of Religion then remember Is this the Life I covenanted with God to live When you are tempted to decline to a worldly life or a fleshly life then remember I have promised to the Lord that I will never return to such a life again When you are out of heart and complain of weaknesses and want of strength and so are discouraged and disheartned I shall never be able to hold to such an industrious life then remember the Covenant of the Lord with you who
to be religious but bridle not their tongues they pretend to be of circumcised hearts but are of uncircumcised lips 3. The unbridleness of their tongues is an evidence that their Religion is in vain When is Religion in vain Why when it cannot reach its end when it cannot save the soul and sure that Religion which cannot bridle the tongue cannot save the soul Man in what a case art thou Thou professest Religion and hopest for salvation but if thou art of an unbridled froward tongue thy Religion is vain and cannot save thee III. Frowardness hinders all that little Religion that such men have in the exercise of it it puts them besides Prayer or Reading or Meditation or spending one serious thought upon Eternity all Religion is thrust behind the doors when the froward fit is up Friends pray do not make light of this grievous evil turn every one of your eyes homeward and reflect upon your own spirits and carriages do not presently say I am not guilty or I am not much guilty this way it may be it is for want of observing thy self Look again and again how thou carriedst it at such a time how to such or such persons and you thaâ—â—re guilty do not make light of it do not count it aâ—â—ll fault Is that but a small evil which proves thee an hypocrite Where this evil reigns and is not checked nor controlled by thee is not mourned over nor art thou ashamed of it nor wilt resist it when this evil reigns it is a sign thou art but an hypocrite and thy religion is in vain Christians our Lord Jesus whose Disciples we profess our selves to be and to learn of him was meek and lowly in heart Mat. 11.29 and art thou his Disciple who art of a proud and furious spirit The Apostle tells us that a meek and quiet spirit is an ornament to the Gospel and of great price in the sight of God 1 Pet 3.4 If meekness be an ornament then frowardness is a blot and a blemish and a stain upon our Profession If meekness be pretious then frowardness is odious in the sight of God Wouldst thou make thy self a disgrace to the Gospel an odium and an abomination unto the Lord If thou wouldst not then cease from thy frowardness and study and follow after that gentleness that sweetness and candor and meekness of heart and behaviour which is so grateful both with God and men Friends though I would not say much yet finding it lie in my way I would not pass by this evil without saying something though but thus briefly to it But though I have said but little yet pray let not this little be forgotten especially by any such among you whose Consciences may tell you God hath sent this Word as an Item to me Doctr. from V. 26. Every foot hath his path There are two paths in one of which every one is walking There is the good path or way and there is the evil path These two are distinguished by their ends or term to which they lead that is the good path that leads to Good called the path of life Psalm 16.11 that is the evil path that leads to Evil the way of death and destruction Mat. 7. 2. By their Adjuncts or Qualities The good way is general the way of Holiness in particular the way of Humility Meekness Temperance Patience c. the way of Faith and Love and Prayer The evil way is the way of Sin in general and in particular it is either the way of Lying or the way of Covetousness or the way of Pride or Envy c. But here note â—â—at the good way is made up of all these good Qualities or else it cannot be the good way but any one of the evil Qualities makes the way evil He that is humble and is not temperate he that is temperate and is not patient he that is patient and is not merciful he whose life is not led in universal holiness that hath any one grace wanting is not in the good way one Fly spoils the whole Box. Christians must stand compleat in all the wills of God Col. 4.12 But for the evil way he that walks in any one particular branch of that his way is evil He that is not a Liar if he be a Swearer he that is not a Swearer if he be a Drunkard he that is not a Drunkard if he be Covetous he that is none of all these if he be carnal and walks after the flesh or any one particular Lust thereof he is in the evil way the path of sin if it be but any one sin that is our path or our way wherein we use and allow our selves to walk the path of sin is the way of death Now every one in the World hath his path is either in the good way the way of Holiness or the evil way the way of Sin And of those that are in the way of Sin some are in the way of the Proud others in the way of the Scornful others in the way of Lying others in the way of Covetousness every one hath his way Doctr. 2. Every path must be pondered To ponder our ways is to weigh and consider them the same which is charged Hag. 1.5 Consider your ways spend some deep and serious thoughts upon them Now there is 1. A consideration of the ways that we have hitherto gone on in A bethinking our selves a reviewing our course this is that which the Psalmist did Psal 119.59 I thought on my ways that I had hitherto been walking 〈◊〉 I thought and repented of what I had done I thought and turned And this is that for which Israel was reproved No man said what have I done No man said in his heart no man thought with himself what have I done For the Objects of these thoughts must be 1. The matters that we have done the particular actions of our lives Carnal men never observe or mark what they do they never review or reflect upon their actions How many words do â—â—en speak how many works are men engaged in that they never observe or mark or bestow one thought upon they cannot remember their ways because they do not observe their ways Think what you have been doing all your life long think what you have neglected to do and think what you have done and are doing to this day let your eye be upon the particular actions of your lives 2. The Quality of our ways whether they are good or evil whether they are holy or sinful Thy way hath been the way of Lying the way of Covetousness the way of Pride a carnal careless fleshly way think with thy self Is this a good way or an evil way do these my ways please God or are they contrary to God 3. The end of our ways or whither they tend and to what issue they will come at last Is this my way to God Is this the way of the everlasting Kingdom Is this the path
to be found Reprobates at Judgment and then to have the sentence of reprobation pronounced upon you why sure sinners the very next misery to that is to be in a state of reprobation O take this home to you as your portion from the Lord every unconverted one take this word home to you take it into your own mouths O what shall I do I am a lost child I am a lost soul wo is me I am undone a son of perdition and an heir of damnation What is it to me that I have kept my body in good case that I am in health What is it to me that I have kept my estate and have not been such a prodigal of that that I have my house and my lands and my money what is it that I have kept my credit and my friends O my soul my poor soul is lost and what good shall my estate or my health or my credit or my friends or my life do to me 2. Mens souls are not so lost here but that they are recoverable In a little time if they look not to it they will be past recovery for ever Yet a little while and the Gospel will be a sealed Book to you never again to be opened yet a little while and the door of mercy and grace will be shut against you never again to be unlocked When death hath once sealed up sinners eyes when the grave hath shut her mouth upon them then every one of you that is found in his sins the Gospel is sealed up the door of mercy is shut up and thou wilt be lost forever irrecoverably lost But yet sinners these lost souls may be recovered There is great hazard at present that thou mayest not be recovered but yet there is hope 1. Ther 's great hazard at present that thou mayest not be recovered Do not make light of the hazard that is do not make sure say not such a word I doubt not but by the grace of God I shall have mercy and be saved Ther 's great hazard that that soul of thine which is a lost soul this day may be lost for ever and never be converted and saved How great that hazard is I have formerly told you out of the Pulpit and now you may read the same things from the Press namely in my discourse on Prov. 28.14 read that book carefully once especially from p 171. to page 198 where you may understand how great hazard there is that lost souls may not be recovered 2. Yet there is hope thou mayst be recovered For 1. Your souls are yet every one of them within the reach of the bloud of Christ You are come to that bloud of sprinkling Heb. 12.24 Which speaks better things then the blood of Abel There is not one Sinner among you but at present the bloud of Christ speaks for you and what doth it speak Father if this Sinner turn and repent let him not be rejected let him be pardoned and be saved For Believers it speaks thus Father these my Friends have believed and have repented and therefore I pray thee let them not fail of having the benefit of my bloud let them not fail of their pardon and salvation Thus for Saints and even for every unconverted Sinner it speaks conditionally ut supra if they will believe if they will yet turn let them also have the benefit of my bloud Hitherto every one of you are thus far within the reach of the bloud of Christ it pleads thus with the Father for you and if you will come in will make an attonement for and redeem and recover you from all your sins When once Death hath closed your eyes in your unconverted estate you are gone for ever out of the reach of the bloud of Christ it can now no longer profit you nor plead for you There is nor one drop of that pretious bloud shall ever fall into the Pit nothing of the bloud of Christ shall come into Hell and find you out there but only the guilt of his bloud that shall fall upon Sinners in Hell the guilt of despising his bloud the guilt of trampling on his bloud This is all that shall be said to sinners there in the Pit these are they that would none of me I would have washed them with my bloud but they would not be washed I would have saved them by my bloud but they would not be saved I called upon them to turn from their sins and come unto me but they would not turn they would not come I offered to purge them from their sins to pardon and make reconciliation for their iniquities but they would not be pardoned nor purged they loved their sins and hardened their hearts and threw back my bloud in my face they would none of me and now let the guilt of my bloud be upon them to heighten their flames and burn in their bowels for ever The guilt of his bloud shall reach to Hell but the expiation and attonement of his bloud shall never come there After Death there is nothing but Hell and out of Hell there is no recovery those Sons of Perdition are lost for ever O thank God Sinner that thou art not yet fallen in thither thank God that that soul of thine is not in Hell How many younger sinners than thou are there already roaring under the sense of their madness in neglecting Christ and his Redemption O thank God that thou art here thank God that thou art yet alive that Christ yet calls to thee to come to him that Christ yet offers thee that if thou wilt but turn and repent his bloud shall cleanse thee from all unrighteousness and save thee from coming into condemnation Sinner there is yet hope of thee that thou mayest be saved though there be hazard great hazard that thou wilt yet harden thy heart to thy destruction that thou wilt never be converted and be saved there is great hazard that though thou be yet out of Hell thou wilt be there shortly though thou art yet within the reach of the bloud of Christ thou wilt in a little time be without its reach but though there be such great hazard that thou mayest die for ever and be irrecoverably lost yet there is at present hope concerning thee that thou mayest be recovered and there is this hope concerning thee that thou art yet within the reach of the bloud of Christ O thank God for it and do not go on to harden thy heart till thou art past recovery I say again thank God that thou art here but yet I must add thank God and repent thank God and be converted or else it were even as good that thou wert in Hell this hour as to be here in thy sins nay it were better for thee that that body of thine were now rotting in the Grave and that soul of thine were now roaring in Hell this would be better for thee than to be here hearing the Gospel if after all thou shouldst
my soul is lost You have been told how these lost souls may be recovered but What thought hath there been in thine heart since about taking the course for thy recovery Thou dost not think of these things it is true but canst thou not think of them Thou knowest thou canst 5. Men can stop and make a stand in their evill ways from going on further in them from making their condition worse than it is and their recovery more difficult Canst thou not lay thine Hand upon thy mouth when thou art about to lie or to swear or to scoff and bite in those evil words that are coming out Canst thou not keep thee from thy Companions and thine old drunkenness and riot Canst thou not keep thee out of the Ale-house or the Tavern Thou canst do it such outward acts are in the power of the will to restrain Men may be true if they will and sober if they will If thou wilt be a Drunkard or a Swearer or a Lyar who can help thee But if thou wilt thou mayst help it thy self It is true thy case is miserable enough and thy cure hard enough by thy continuing in thine evil way hitherto but as bad as it is with thee it is growing worse and worse every sin thou goest on to commit is a new gash wherewith thou givest a deeper and more deadly wound to thy poor perishing soul If thou stop thy course that is something towards aâ— recovery Well these things thou canst do towards thine own recovery Thou canst pray thou canst hear thou canst give heed to what thou hearest thou canst think and thou canst stop and make a stand in thy evil ways And if thou wilt but do what thou canst thou mayst have hope that God will do that for thee which thou canst not 3. How we may know whether we are recovered or no. This I shall shew 1. Negatively 1. Those whose understandings are not recovered their soules are not recoverd Those whose understandings are still lost their souls are lost Those that are not come to themselves are not come to Christ Every ignorant soul is a lost soul 2. Cor. 4.3.4 If our Gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost from whom is the Gospel hid see v. 4. From those whom the God of this world hath blinded their minds lest the light of the glorious Gospel should shine unto them Art thou an ignorant soul ignorant of the Gospel Doth not the light of the glorious Gospel shine into thee i. e. dost thou not understand the Gospel So long is the Gospel hid from thee and if the Gospel still be hid to thee thou art a lost soul What multitudes are there to whom the Gospel is preached that yet understand nothing of it Thou hast been an hearer of the Gospel these many years but what dost thou understand of it As Philip said to the Eunuch Acts. 8.30 Vnderstandest thou what thou readest So it may be said to thee understandest thou what thou hearest No thou dost not understand though the light shines round about thee yet not a beam of it hath shined into thy heart It is all dark within thee what ever light be shining round about thee Though the light hath shined into thy darkness yet thy darkness comprehendeth it not Ioh. 1.5 Poor ignorant ones in what a case are you you are every one of you lost souls And what is like to become of you We bring the light among you but we cannot open your eyes we preach Christ to you we instruct you in the knowledg of God we cry unto you get knowledg seek understanding seek for it as silver search for it as for hid treasures But say what we can you will not be perswaded you will not receive instruction The God of this world hath blinded your minds and we cannot heal your blindness There bosome of you that know you are ignorant that will confess it yet not to bemoan your selves but to excuse your selves I am but ignorant I am not book learned What not learned in the book of God What not acquainted with the book of life No God help me I am not what then Why therefore I hope it is not so bad with me as with others that know I hope God will forgive me because I am ignorant This is a wretched principle that is gotten into the hearts of the ignorant that because they are so God will not be extreme to mark what is done amiss by them O remble in pleading your ignorance you therein confess that which will prove you to be lost souls You may as well say I am a damned soul as say I am an ignorant soul 2. These whose consciences are lost Who though they may be recovered to be men of understanding yet are not recovered to be men of conscience We trust we have a good conscienc willing to live honestly in all things Heb. 13.18 Thus it is with recovered souls they are men of a good conscience Where conscience is laid waste the soul still lyes open to the government and dominion of the Devil Conscience is a bar and a bulwark against his assaults and temptations Where conscience is not the soul is as a City that hath neither Gates nor Bars but is left open to the Devil to rule it at his pleasure God hath not recovered the rule of any soul till Conscience be awakened and hath recovered its authority Art thou an unconscionable man or woman Dost thou make no conscience of thy ways Hast thou slighted conscience hast thou wounded conscience so long that now it lets thee alone to thy will and thy lust Or if it checks thee sometimes for thy evils yet thou bearest it down and goest on thy way against its reproofs and contradictions Art thou a man of no conscience Is it not against thy conscience to lie or to defraud or to drink to drunkenness to live without praying or minding God or thy soul Does conscience let thee alone to live thus Or if it doth smite thee yet goest thou still on against it Art thou a man of no more conscience than this what dost thou think of thy self What ever thou thinkest thou art a lost soul while conscience is lost thy soul is lost Till conscience be recovered thy soul is not recovered and conscience is never recovered till it hath recovered its authority and hath gotten the rule and the Government of thee 3. Those who make light of their disease and their misery Men are never recoverd till they are first made sensible of their disease Sin is thy disease and thy death and thou art never recovered from that death till thou art brought to a sense of thy disease Where there is life there will be sense They were dead souls alienated from the life of God who were past feeling Eph. 4.18.19 Those that make light of sin it is a sign they are not recovered Sin is felt as an heavy thing by those souls that have the
life I would do mine utmost to save and recover your lost souls and O let me help you to Christ let me be a means of your recovery But that I have no hope of unless vâ—â—n will so fâ—r heed and believe the word that I prâ— â—nd â—â—vâ—â— so close and so home upon your hearts 〈…〉 no longer be hardned through the deceit◠〈…〉 might be said concerning you up◠〈…〉 â—ords as concerning them Acts 〈…〉 heard this they were pricked at their 〈…〉 Brethren what shall we do 〈…〉 so concerning thee Hath this 〈…〉 heart Dost thou feel thy heart 〈…〉 art thou afraid and in that fear dost thou cry out Men and Brethren what shall I do Wretched man that I am who shall deliver me Hath it made thee so sick that thou art calling after the physitian Is there such a cry in thy soul Help Lord save Lord or I perish Wo is me I am undone what must I do to be saved If the Lord hath made thee thus sick in smiting thee sick of thy covetousness sick of thy wickedness and of that bondage thou art hitherto held under If the word of the Lord hath pricked thee to the heart and put thee to pain so that nothing but a deliverance from thy wretched state can ease thee or satisfie thee if it be thus with thee if thou art thus sick thus pricked at the heart then be of good comfort it is an hopeful sign that thou art upon recovery there is now good hopes concerning thee that though thou art dead thou mayest be made alive 2. Vnderstand what Christ hath done and must do for your recovery Christ is our only Reedemer and Reconciler and Christ redeems 1. By price 2. By power 1. Christ redeemeth by price 1. Cor. 6.20 Ye are bought with a price Christ himself was that price and he laid down his life as a price for us In this respect he is called our ransom Mat. 20.28 He gave his life a ransom for many And his redeemed ones are called his ransomed ones Is 35.10 We by sin are become prisoners and captives Prisoners to the justice of God to whom by sin we had forfeited our lives and Justice took hold of us as a company of Traitors and Malefactors whom it condemned to death Now Christ paid himself to divine justice gave himself to die that he might ransom us from death Let me stand in these Sinners stead let thine hand be upon me and let them escape death is the wages of sin let my death says Christ pay that wages 2. Christ redeemeth by power Sinners were prisoners to divine justice and captives to the Devil 2 Tim. 2 26. By price he redeems them from the revenging justice of God and by power be redeems them from the Devil In the former sense he redeemed us as a purchaser he bought our lives in the latter sense he redeemeth as a Conquerour the Devil held us and Death held us too death reigned over all Christ conquereth both Death and the Devil He overcame death and him that hath the power of death that is the Devil Heb. 2.14 Having spoiled principalities and powers he made a shew of them openly triumphing over them in himself Col. 2.15 He brake the Serpents head as it was promised he should Gen. 3. that he could no longer hold his captives The Devil tempted him to sin but he overcame the temptation and sinned not The Devil set the Jews to slay him but he overcame death by his resurrection from the dead The Devil got him among the dead but he could not hold him he rose from the dead by which it was impossible for him to be holden beyond the time appointed And as Christ conquered the Devil and conquered Death so he conquereth Sin too He conquered the Devil as our Captain so called Heb. 2.10 The Captain of our Salvation he broke the power of the Devil and led out his captives as a Captain doth his recovered prisoners He conquers sin as a Physician healing all those wounds and diseases which the Devil had brought us under he is therefore called a Physician Mat. 9.12 The whole have no need of a Physitian This now is that which Christ hath done and hath to do for our recovery to give himself a price or ransome to the justice of God by laying down his life for sinners to break the power of the Devil and rescue us from his captivity and to heal us of our sins and thereby destroy the works of the Devil 2. Vnderstand what sinners have to do towards their own recovery that they may obtain the benefit of what Christ hath done and performed This I shall sum up in this one word To perform the conditions of their recovery What are those conditions 1. To accept of Christ as your ransom to give off all other hopes of recovery and to take him as our only Redeemer Some sinners reject Christ and will none of him they care not for a ransom nor will mind any such thing as their recovery but are content to be slaves to Sin and the Devil for ever like those slaves under the Law who when they might would not go out from their Masters but would have their ears bored to the threshold that they might not depart for ever How many such desperate wretches are there among sinners Sinners they are and sinners they will be slaves to the Devil they are and they will not accept of deliverance Christ is preached to them a Redeemer and tendered to them as their ransom and liberty is offered to these captives but they will not accept him they say in their hearts as that servant I love my old Master I love my sins I love my lusts those very chains by which the Devil holds them and reject Christ who comes to ransom them How is it sinner that thou art yet a captive to the Devil and a slave to thy sins How is it that thou art left out from among the redeemed ones of the Lord There is a ransom paid there is a price laid down to buy out that soul of thine from the wrath of God and this ransom hath been offered thee and thou hast been persuaded to come out of the prison but yet there thou art yet thou art a bond-slave to the Devil and thy sin Why is it thus with thee Why onely because thou wilt not accept of thy ransom thou wilt not accept of Christ who would redeem and recover thee Thou art such a stupid sensless soul that thou dost not mind any such thing as thy recovery or redemption thou mindest thine ease or thy pleasure thou mindest thy trade and thy gains and thy business in the World but thou never mindest the redemption of thy soul never hast such a thought how shall I escape out of the hands of the Devil How shall my soul be delivered from sin and everlasting wrath When dost thou use to mind seriously any such thing Not being sensible of thy misery thou mindest
come and make a Saint of thee Hath Sin made a very Devil of thee and art not thou willing that Christ should make thee a Saint What wouldst thou do in Heaven if thou wilt not be made a Saint or dost thou think thou mayest continue a Devil whilest thou livest on the earth and yet at last be a Saint in Heaven What say you sinners There be some it may be of you that have made a mock at holiness that have despised the saints that are on earth and made them the objects of your scorn rather than your desire but speaks man art thou yet willing that Christ should come this day and make thee a saint Wilt thou that he should humble thee and bring thee to repentance Wilt thou that he should wash thee and bring thee to holiness Wouldst thou who camest hither an ignorant sinner an hardned sinner an impenitent sinner be glad at thine heart if thou mayst r turn an enlightned a convinced yea a converted sinner a beleiver a sincere christian Wouldst thou carry home another heart than thou broughtst hither a new heart transformed and changed into the image of him that created thee or art thou content to go home as thou camest such an ignorant hardned polluted creature as thou camest hither If thou be heartily willing of such a change as this that is a great part of thy cure Art thou willing to be cured willing to be cleansed Then bring forth that leprous soul of thine lay it at the feet of Christ and speak to him as the leper did Mat. 8.2 Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me clean As vile a state as this soul of mine is in as deadly as my diseases are as very a Leper as my soul is become yet Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me clean Let Christ hear such a word from thee Lord help me Lord heal me if thou wilt thou canst And then there is hope that thou maiest hear the same words from Christ as that poor Leper did I will be thou clean And immediately his Leprosie was cleansed 2. Take Christs medicines To what purpose is it that the physitian comes to a sick man and prescribes to him and adviseth him to what will recover him if he will not take what he prescribeth Christ hath medicines to recover sick souls but his medicines must be taken or they will not recover them Christs medicines are 1. His bloud His bloud is purging and cleansing bloud Heb. 9 14. 1 Joh. 1.7 Therefore he is said to wash us in his bloud By the bloud of Christ is meant the same with the death of Christ There is vertue in the death of Christ to destroy the life of sin Our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed Rom. 6.6 It is the body of sin that must be first laid at The inward pravity of our natures our original corruption Christs physick must be firstly applyed to the root and fountain of our disease those sinful natures those depraved habits and sinful dispositions within you must be changed The inward enmity must be slain and there is nothing will do that but the bloud of a crucified Iesus That is the soveraign medicine that must help and heal you But how must this medicine the bloud of Christ be taken 1. Christ himself must be taken Christ offers himself to you to be yours and you must accept of him for your own Your hearts must by faith consent unto Christ to put your selves into his hands to put your life into his hands expecting and depending upon him trusting your selves with him for your recovery It is Christ alone with whom I lay up all mine hopes upon whose sufficiency and faithfulness I will venture my soul If I die I le die under his hand and if I live I look for life only from him Put your selves thus into the hands of Christ and take Christ into your hearts Take him as your own he gives himself to you to be your own Christ offers to every sinner among you I will be thine own thine own Jesus thine own Saviour if thou be willing to have me Take him at his word Since he says to thee I will be thine own if thou wilt let thy heart lay hold on this blessed word and say content Lord since thou wilt thou shalt be mine own I accept thee with all my heart Now if Christ be once yours his bloud shall be yours his death shall be yours and all the benefits of his death Whereas nothing of Christ can be yours nor any fruit of his death if he be not first yours Let Christ be once imbraced by you and if there be any purging or cleansing or sin-killing ver ue in his bloud your sins shall be purged away If all that the bloud of Christ can do for thee will recover thee thou shalt be recovered 2. You must have frequent recourse to the bloud of Christ by renewed acts of faith Look up to this crucified Jesus Cast thy polluted soul into the fountain of his bloud Zach. 13.1 He is a fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness His bloud is the fountain cast thy soul into it You are come into the bloud of sprinkling Heb. 12.24 Christians are so and they may freely lay hold on it for their cleansing 1. Believe that there is such vertue in him to cleanse thy soul Say with the woman Mat. 9.21 If I may but touch him I shall be made whole 2. Believe that it is free for theâ— Thou mayst come with boldness to him Christ would have thee to be bold with him and to lay thine help upon him Believe that it is free for thee to lay hold on the bloud of Christ and 3. Come and lay hold upon it Lean upon him for his help and trust him for it 4. Lift up a prayer to him Lord here is a polluted dying soul that is even lost and choaked up in the mud and mire of my sins there is no help for me but I must die and perish in them if thou wilt not look upon me and save me In thy bowels I have hope in thy bloud I have hope and that is all the hope I have O sprinkle me with thy bloud wash me in thy bloud and my soul shall live Wherefore Lord didst thou die Wherefore didst thou shed that precious bloud Was it not for the recovery of lost souls for the cleansing of polluted souls Is not my poor soul one of the number of those for whom Christ died Have not I as great need of of thee as any Is it not thou thy self that hast brought this my soul to thy door crying for thine help Lord Jesus hear let some drops of that bloud some of the vertue of thy death be shed abroad upon my sinful heart and it shall live My sins must die Lord or my soul will never recover I must get this lust destroyed this enmity slain this proud and hard and stubborn
to flourish amain when you are come to this once to disrellish your old delights and to feed your thoughts and feed your affections on things above and to forbear and come off from the love and lusts and companions and pleasures of this world then you will live and thrive and flourish in the House of the Lord and grow up before him as his peculiar children whom the Lord hath saved The sum of this direction I shall give you in short in these three particulars If ever you would recover 1. Abstain from that carnal worldly life in which hitherto you have lived 2. Abstain from those carnal companions in whose converse you have delighted 3. Delight your selves in God feed your thoughts and affections upon things above 2. Vse good exercise Stir your selves out of your lazy humours and keep doing Idleness breeds diseases exercise will help to the cure Particularly exercise your selves 1. To prayer 2. To repentance 3. To the keeping a good conscience 1. Exercise your selves to prayer The prayer of the faithful shall save the sick Jam. 5.15 The sick soul as well as the sick body Prayer is a stirring exercise that if performed as it ought sets all the powers of the soul on work it is a striving with God it is a wrestling with God it is the lifting up of the heart and the pouring out the soul to God When thou settest thy self to praying it is both a sign that thy recovery is begun and an hope it will be perfected Set your selves to praying Sinners stir up your selves to prayer There is none that stirreth up himself to take hold on thee Is 64.7 Pray and stir up your selves in prayer It is not sleepy lazy cold formal praying but stirring prayer that must do the cure Stir up your desires in prayer be passionate and affectionate seekers stir up your fears in prayer consider what if I should not prevail What if the cry of my sins should be louder than the cry of my prayers I come for the pardon of my sins I come for power against sin I am begging my life and the saving my soul from going down into the Pit my very life my soul lies at stake if God should not hear me I am lost for ever Awaken oh my soul and pour forth strong cries bow thy self with thy might before the Lord. Plead with God poor sinner for that poor miserable soul of thine plead with him upon his mercies upon his bowels upon his promises upon the bloud of Christ Take unto thee words Lord I am a miserable sinful soul I am a lost creature I am sick unto death I am bound in the chains of my sins and cannot get loose I am a blind hardned defiled creature these eyes must be opened this heart must be broken this filth and pollution must be washed away or I shall be swallowed up of the pit Where are thy bowels O Lord Art thou a God of pity and hast thou no pity for me Where is thy promise Lord Thou hast said Ask and you shall have seek and you shall find knock and it shall be opened unto you To whom hast thou spoken this word Is it not to me as well as to others Where is the bloud of Christ doth it not speak for sinners Doth it not make intercession for transgressors It doth Lord thou hast said it doth And what doth this bloud speak Lord forgive this poor sinner that comes to thee for pardon Lord purge him with thy bloud Lord heal him with thy bloud Lord give him that new heart and life which he comes for O doth this precious bloud speak thus for me and wilt thou not hear Sinners if ever you would be recovered set upon this exercise and keep you to it Go to God this night be with him again to morrow morning and again in the evening and every day as duly as the day comes go alone and retire your selves into the presence of God fall upon your knees and pour forth your souls in your requests to him Beware you neither neglect it and beware you do not trifle at it do not deceive your selves with the shadow or image of Prayer in stead of Prayer Consider thou art upon a matter of life and death when thou goest to prayer and let that awaken and stir up all thy powers in it Friends I doubt either that you do not pray or that it is but mock-praying that too many of you satisfie your selves withal O what pitiful hasty short dead praying is it that thou satisfiest thy self with Trace thy self into thy praying corners consider how seldom thou art there how quickly thou hast done how miserably thou shufflest over thy duties without life or affection what is this but mock-prayer will such praying recover thy lost soul No thou seest it will not thou art the same man of the same spirit running the same course from one week to another from one year to another without any change for the better It may be said of such praying as it was said of the false Prophets preaching Jer. 6.14 They heal the hurt of my people slightly Slight praying is attended but with slight healing something it seems to do it skins over the wound that it smart not for the time it keeps people quiet for the time but it will never work a thorough cure Your wound is deeper your disease is eaten into your flesh and your bone to your heart and your soul and your medicine must go as deep as your disease There must be deep sighs and groans and deep desires that must come up from the bottom of your hearts or they will never reach the bottom of your disease Be ashamed of your slightness be ashamed of your folly that you should ever think that God would help you the sooner for such trifling and mocking prayers Oh pray and exercise your selves in prayer Stir up all within you to this work look to your selves I am afraid that this duty which is a means of recovery may prove the loss of your souls I am afraid lest the Lord the jealous God that will not be mocked I am afraid that he may damn you for your prayers your trifling mocking prayers Dare not to trifle any longer dare not for thy life that the Lord ever again meet thee in thy closet meet thee on thy knees with nothing but the sacrifice of Fools a few heartless words upon thy lips Beloved I can hardly pass over this word thus there being so much weight lying upon it and yet there being so much hardness of heart under this soul-deceiving and soul-damning practice shuffling in prayer What say you Have I said enough yet Are you yet made sensible how much you are many of you concerned in this word Are you yet sensible how greatly guilty you are of this miserable hypocrisie Will all that I have said yet do to bring you to be serious and in good earnest in every prayer you make Are you come
to this well I hope I shall mock God no more I hope I shall trifle in prayer no more Are you resolved to put your hearts to it and to trie what you can do and never leave trying till you are come to it to make every prayer one of the most serious and hearty exercises of your life Then would there be hope of recovery out of all your diseases 2. Exercise your selves to repentance Repentance signifies a change a change of the mind originally so those two words by which it is expressed in Scripture signifie post factum sapere after we have plaid the fools by sin to come to be wise so wise as to see our folly so to see our folly as to grieve for it and so to grieve ut corrigere to amend and do so no more This change is ordinarily brought on by convulsions and troublesome commotions in the heart there is a sorrow that works this repentance 2 Cor. 7.10 Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation This Repentance is not dispatched all at once but is carried on and perfected by degrees Repentance is a grace and it is an exercise A grace it is as it is given us of God through Jesus Christ Acts 5.31 To give repentance unto Israel c. An exercise as it respects our own acts which this grace causeth us to put forth 2 Cor. 7.10 This self-same thing that ye sorrowed after a godly manner what carefulness it wrought in you yea what clearing of your selves what indignation what fear what desire what zeal what revenge Get the grace of repentance and live in the daily exercise of repentance 1. Keep your minds working to maintain that change that is begun Have you seen the folly of sin and the misery of sin and how much better it is to turn and come about from it to holiness Are you come to be of this judgment that you were mad to follow the Devil and your lusts that you could never have lived in such a state and gone on in such a course as you have unless you had been mad men Are you gotten into so good a mind Keep you in it Exercise your thoughts cast an eye back upon your former evils and that which God hath made known to you of the misery of them Think often what it is to be a lost soul a captive to the Devil think what a Fool what a Beast thou wert whilest thou livedst such a proud and covetous and carnal sensual lascivious and sottish life and by such thoughts make thy self as odious to thy self as thou canst get to a loathing and abominating of thy evil ways This is that which is promised Ezek. 6.9 They shall loath themselves for the evils they have committed Get this self loathing by studying and remembring what thou wast and ripping up all thine old sores that foolish filthy heart and life of thine hereby work thy self to this loathing and maintain a constant disgust and dislike of thy former state Art thou now in so good a mind as to hate thy self for thy sin be never reconciled to it so as ever to think good thoughts of thy evil ways as long as thou livest 2. Exercise your affections Your sorrow for sin your fear of sin your indignation or anger against sin your desire after power and victory over it Keep these penitent affections working maintain that godly sorrow and fear and indignation Keep your sorrow alive keep your fears working and your indignation burning against your iniquities Let these zealous passions and affections against sin be so raised as never to be allayed let the fire of your holy jealousie be so kindled as never to be quenched let the thoughts of the evil and odiousness of sin be the fuel to keep that holy fire burning and the Bellows to blow it up into a greater flame 3. Exercise your care and consideration how you may compleat and confirm your recovery The word it may be is but yet begun with you You do but begin to be wise begin to be sober and serious there is many a good and hopeful beginning goes back and comes to nothing live in a dayly care of reforming and amending farther what hath been amiss The top of repentance standeth in amendment if you should see your sins to be foolish and odious never so much if you should be grieved and ashamed of your selves for them if the thoughts of the course you have lived should make you afraid and set you a trembling over your old wonted state and way if you do not amend that is no repentance If you should say I hate sin and hate my self for it I hate my self for this pride I hate my self for this covetousness I hate my self for this frowardness and yet you have not the power to resist it and come off from it you sorrow and sin you fear and sin you are angry with your self for sin and yet go on this is no repentance Is 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his wickedness c. The top of repentance stands in amendment and the amendment of repentance must be compleating every day Jer. 7.5 If ye throughly amend your ways if ye throughly execute Judgment c. Then will I cause you to dwell in the Land It is not an half recovery a partial amendment but a perfect recovery that must be in your eye There is a great difference betwixt these two being upon recovery and being recovered Are you upon recovery it is well you are it is more than the most of sinners are there is not the least sign of recovery there is not the least sign of amendment there are nothing but death tokens upon them Sinners I doubt this may be many of your cases you are not so much as beginning to recover your disease is still in its strength and growing upon you you are not amending but you are hardning dayly in your sins going on to have less sense and so less hope of a cure But art thou O sinner art thou upon recovery It is well thou art but let not that satisfie thee that thou art upon the recovering hand but get thee to be recovered And this is that you are to be exercising your self in to get you to be on the mending hand every day labour to grow better and better not only to get a deeper sense of sin but to get more power over sin more victory over your evil hearts more contempt of the world and its temptations more scorn of your carnal companions and more indignation against a carnal sensual life and more firmness and resolvedness of heart to have done with every evil and vain way and the temptations to it I say the temptations to it for whatever opposition there seems to be of the heart against sin yet if there be a venturing upon temptations if thou thinkest thou hatest drunkenness or a jolly vain life and yet wilt be thrusting in amongst those that are such if thou sayst thou hatest this worldly
to you Be more Zealous for the Salvation of your own Souls be more fearful of their Damnation be more tender of wounding and wronging your Souls Take heed of sin Prov. 8.36 He that sinneth wrongeth his own Soul all they that hate me love Death You that sin against God ye wrong your own Souls Love your Souls better and you will never be such proud Livers or such Worldlings or such Drunkards or Rioters you would be sober and serious and circumspect If you lov'd your Selves better you would take heed of this Lying and these Oaths and this unrighteous Dealing of this hardness of Heart in your sins you would fall upon your Knees you would fall upon your Faces and be ashamed and bewail and repent of your sins and return to the Lord from them all had you more of this true Self-love within you Sinners why come you not in to Christ Why will you not yet be perswaded to repent Why Man hast thou no love to thy Self The Apostle tells us Eph. 5.29 No Man ever yet hated his own Flesh but nourisheth and cherisheth it He useth that word to press Husbands to love their Wives who says he are their own Flesh Dost thou not love thy Self What wouldst thou say of a Man that doth not love his Wife but would play the Tyrant and Tygre brawling and snarling yea fighting and beating her You would say This were a Monster among Men rather than a Christian worse than the very Brutes amongst whom it 's seldom seen that the Male snarleth or biteth or pusheth at the Female What then is he that loveth not his own Soul Lovest thou thy Self Lovest thou thine own Soul Then take heed of going on in thy Sins then take heed of standing it out against Christ You hear what a reward there is for the Righteous you hear what an Inheritance Christ hath laid up for his Saints an Inheritance in Light Life Love Joy everlasting Pleasure and everlasting Glory Christ would make those poor Souls blessed Souls joyful Souls glorious Souls partakers of the everlasting Riches of his Glory and Joy But what wilt thou say My Soul shall have no part in it My Soul shall never come there my Lot shall never be with the Saints but shall be without amongst Unbelievers Impenitents amongst Dogs and Sorcerers and Idolaters In refusing to come to Christ to Repent and be made Holy thou sayest in effect my Soul shall never come to Heaven Let it to Hell amongst Dogs and Devils and that vile and wicked Generation of the Damned But Sinner hast thou forgot that thou art a Man Art thou a Monster of Men Hast thou lost all love to thy Self to thine own Soul Doest thou neither love nor pity thine own Soul Wouldst thou that Christ should ever love thee when thou whilt not love thy Self Wouldst thou that Christ should ever pity thee when thou wilt not pity thy self O Sinners love your own Souls pity your own Souls be not so cruel and hard-hearted to your selves Will you for the love of your Lusts for the love of the World sell your Souls to the Devil sell them to Hell to make Faggots for the everlasting Burnings Where are your Bowels O pity pity that poor blind and miserable Soul of thine and bring it to Christ for pity's sake go on in thy evil ways no longer be a Drunkard no longer a Worldling no longer a Lyar a Scoffer no longer be no longer hardned in your sins but come away to Christ and escape for your Lives if you love your Selves come if you have any pity for your Selves come let the dread of the Cruelties of the Devil bring you back from following him and come you in and cast your Selves upon the Blood upon the Bowels and Compassions of Christ who is such an High Priest as can have compassion upon the Ignorant and those that are out of the way and even on the worst of Sinners that will return to him What shall I say more to you I will speak but the same words let every one of you see that he so love himself as Christ loved the Church washing it and saving it by his Blood Love your Selves and save your Selves love your Selves and bless your Selves in the God of Truth Don't bless your selves in the Earth in your Money in your Lands in your carnal Pleasures in your carnal Friends these things are not nor ever think they will be your Blessedness but bless your Selves in the God of Truth bless your Selves in Jesus whom God hath sent to bless you in turning you from your Iniquities Act. 3.26 Turn to Christ and you shall be blessed be Believers and you shall be Blessed come in this day and let your Names be written among the blessed of the Lord come every one of you and put in your Names among the Disciples of Christ Let me be one Lord let me be another write down my Name for one among thy Disciples I am willing to be thine and do solemnly covenant and this very day give my Self to Thee Who of you are there that will thus come in Will you be perswaded to it or must I lose my labour Are there any of you Is there any one of all the Sinners in this Company that will thus come in Come then in the Name of the Lord come get your Names to be thus written in the Lamb's Book and and he will write it in Heaven there it will be found in the last Day written in the Book of Life this do and then you that have been hitherto the Haters and Wrongers and Cruel will hence-forth appear to be Lovers of your own Souls 2. There is a sinful Self-love this is the great Heart Idolatry and the Root of all Rebellion and Disobedience to God Here I shall shew you 1. What this sinful Self-love is 1. It is a Love of mistaken Self of Carnal-self a love of the Flesh and it's Affections and Lusts a love of that Flesh which Christ would have us to hate and deny Mat. 16.24 Himself that is his Flesh or Carnal-self Men are mistaken in themselves and count that their Self which is not their Self as Christ said to the Woman of Samaria John 4. concerning her Husband He that thou hast for an Husband is not thine Husband so may it be said to Sinners That which thou takest for thy Self is not thy Self this Flesh which thou takest for thy Self and lovest as thy Self is not thy Self You that love your Flesh you love your Enemy you that please your Flesh you are pleasing your Enemy you that are working for your Flesh and providing for your Flesh and pampering your Flesh you are working for and feeding your Enemy you count you are seeking of and working for your Self no 't is for your Enemy this Flesh is your Mortal Enemy Now this is one sort of sinfull Self-love when we love our Flesh or our corruptions when we love our Selves as Fleshly-minded Men when we love to please and
you should not when once you have gotten duely to love the Lord. Well by this you see the Order in the Heart and in special the due Order and Measure of your love that is necessary and how necessary it is Can you therefore except against this Order and Measure of your Love What should be first and chiefly loved Wilt thou not say That God should be he Which should be most in our Love our Bodies or our Souls Will you not every one say O my Soul my Soul is of more worth than my Body and more worthy of my Love Which should be more loved your Bodies or your Estates and the Creatures you enjoy Surely you would all say in this as Christ said Mat. 6.25 The Life is more than Meat and the Body than Raiment what would you think of such a Man that loves his Money more than his own Body that would suffer his Body to Starve and Pine rather than spend his Money upon it you would say This Man is a Monster and is not he as much a Monster who loves his Body more than his Soul or himself more than God as he who loves his Money more than his Body Christians would you not count it well with you if your Love were thus regulated What if you could now feel that which you have so often questioned and doubted whether it be so or no that you can now love God above all that the whole stream of your Love did run into the Ocean If you could feel such strong and such lively and such passionate workings of your Hearts towards God such dearness and such tenderness and such strength and ardency of Affection to the Lord if you could feel your Hearts burning within you with the Divine Love if these Hearts were all flameing Hearts and flaming upwards and that so sensibly and so strongly that there might be a resolving of that doubt and you saâ— it true beyond question and you could say Now I feel who hath mine Heart none but God none but Christ Whom have I in Heaven but thee there 's nothing in the Earth that I love in comparison of thee God is the love of my Heart and my Portion for ever what if you could now feel it thus within you What if from your own sense and experience you could heartily speak out such words Take this Heart to thee O Lord thine it is thou art mine only Love and nothing will I love or regard but in Order to thee would you not bless your selves in such an experience Would it not be Marrow and Fatness to your Souls Would you not rejoyce in the Lord and triumph in Christ and praise his Holy Name that had wrought you to that pass That God should have thus gotten to be the chief in your love and Self and Flesh and the whole World were brought to stoop and stand aside yea and to be trampled on in comparison of him Sure you that are Christians would count it happy with you if it were thus and I dare say concerning you this is it you pray for and hope for and wait and thirst and long after and would count it an infinitely greater matter of joy and praise than if the Corn and the Wine and the Oyl if all the Pomps and Pleasures and Grandeur of the World were increasing unto you and were rolling in upon you and therefore you for your parts have nothing to except against this Order and Measure of your love Qu. 2. But how is it with you If it be an excellent thing if it be a blessed thing to have our Hearts brought into such a Frame and Order what do ye find Are you made partakers of this blessedness O the Lord help me I am far short of it I can feel that I love this World I need no tryal whether I love this Flesh or no whether I love my Credit or no whether I love my Money or my Lands or mine Ease or my Pleasures I feel I love these things but whether I love my Soul as I ought whether I love God as I ought there 's my great doubt and I fear I do not Dost thou fear Dost thou doubt whether thou lovest thy Soul as thou lovest the World Whether thou lovest thy God as thou lovest thy Flesh And is there any thing but need then that thou shouldst be brought to a better pass Canst thou be quiet canst thou be comforted in any thing whilest it is thus with thee Christians would you ever be clearly satisfied concerning your eternal State that you shall hereafter dwell in the eternal Love Would you be comforted touching your present Case that God is your God That Christ is your Jesus That the Covenant and the Promises and the Mercies of God are yours that you are passed from Death to Life that your Names are written in Heaven and that you are Enrolled amongst the Saints and shall have an Inheritance with the Saints in Light Then put hard on for this blessed Frame of Heart let it henceforth be the great thing in your Eye look for it pray for it reach forth towards it down with this World tread upon this Earth and Flesh love nothing but what God would have you love love nothing but in subordination to God Dread the encroachments of the Creatures upon the Right of God despise these carnal Pleasures despise this Money and these Lands or this Credit so far forth as they stand in competition with God set your Foot upon the Necks of them all give your Hearts unto the Lord and let him be your Love and your Delight and your Portion for ever 2. For our Desires in this as in the former we must desire what we should desire and as much as and no more than we should desire it the Object of our desires is the same with the Object of our Love that which is Good Now of all the Good which may or ought to be desired 1. Something is to be desired Absolutely and Vltimately and thus God only is to be desired 2. Other good things are to be desired Absolutely but Subordinately and thus the first Grace is to be desired and the evelasting Happiness of our Souls absolutely but subordinately we are to desire our own blessedness but chiefly that therein God may be glorified 3. Other good things are to be desired in subordination and with submission And thus the higher Degrees of Grace the best and most advantageous Means of Grace Gifts the gift of Prayer gifts for Edification c. these all are to be desired with submission to the will of God the first Grace or saving Grace we are not to desire with submission so as to be content to be deny'd it no not to the will of God for there is no such will of God for us to submit to God would not have any Man to submit to it to be for ever left an Enemy or a Reprobate from God God would not have any Man content to
Rejoyce not so as to forget your own Sins or your Brethrens Afflictions 1. So as not to forget your Sins 1. Rejoyce not so in the Lord as to forget your Sins against God Your Joy must arise from this that God hath forgotten them but though God hath forgotten you must remember them they must still stand written in your own Book though God hath blotted them out of his 1. Forget not in your Joy the Sins that you are guilty of that so you may rejoyce with Mourning we are apt in our rejoycing to forget our sins if we do not remember our sins when we are lifted up in Joy we are too apt to be puffed up with Pride Godly sorrow will be of the same use to us in our rejoycing as Paul's Thorn in the Flesh 2 Cor. 12.7 to prevent our being exalted above Measure That Joy which killeth Godly Sorrow whilest we are here what a Divine Tincture soever it seems to have 't is suspicious that it is not the right Joy the more solid Joy of the Saints hath it's Foundation in Godly Sorrow When we consider what great things the Lord hath done for our Souls how he hath Regenerated reconciled and called us by his Grace pulled us as Brands out of the Burning and raised us as Worms out of the Dunghill and made us sit together with Christ in Heavenly Places cloathed with Garments of Salvation and made us to shine forth in his Image when we remember what the Lord is to us our Rock our Refuge our Father our All-sufficient Portion all Love and Life all Bowels Compassions and everlasting Consolation when we remember this and therein do rejoyce we must then consider But what have I been to him What have I done against him who hath done so great things for me What an unworthy Wretch what a sinful Polluted and unthankful Creature am I God hath loved me God hath saved me the Lord God is become my God and herein I do and I will rejoyce but woe is me I have sinned against the God of my Mercy and therefore I will rejoyce with Mourning whilest I Joy in the Lord I will weep over my sinful unworthy and guilty Soul Whilest you say with the Psalmist Psal 66.16 Come unto me all ye that fear the Lord and I will tell you tell you with Joy tell you with Praise what he hath done for my Soul what a gracious God what a Compassionate Merciful God I have found him to be to me whilest you say thus Come and I will tell you what God hath done for me you must say also Come and I will tell you tell you with shame tell you with sorrow what my Soul hath done against God O how vile have I been How Proud and how false to God How many wayes guilty before him of neglecting of abusing of walking unworthy of his wonderful Love The Lord is my God therein I will rejoyce I have sinned against God and for these things I weep and lament 2. Not so as to forget the sins that have been Conquered by us that we may rejoyce in Triumph the Victories that we have gotten over sin will be both an advance to our Joy in God and the Evidence of the sincerity of that Joy Those that are still in the Chains and Fetters of Lust in whom their Pride or their Covetousness or their Frowardness doth still Lord it over them and can yet rejoyce in God it is to be doubted that their Joy is false and foolish Joy a Light of their own Sparks and no Divine Sun-beam fear that Joy and trample upon it which will consist with a Slavery to Lust as the Apostle sayes concerning Death 1 Cor. 15.57 so should we concerning Sin Thanks be to God that hath given us the Victory this is Matter of Praise this is Matter of Joy When the Israelites saw the Egyptians Dead upon the Sea-Shore Exod. 14.30 then they Sang a Song of Joy and Praise Luke 10.20 Rejoyce not that the Devils are subject to you that is that you have Power to cast the Devils out of Possessed Bodies Rejoyce not that is not so much in this but rather rejoyce that your Names are written in Heaven and that 's the same with this Rejoyce not that the Devils are cast out by you but that your sins are Conquered by you Victory over sin is an Evidence of our Title to Glory next to the Blood of the Lamb the Blood of our mortified sins is the best Ink to write our Names in the Book of Life Rev. 3.12 Him that overcometh will I make a Pillar in the House of my God and I will write upon him the Name of my God and the Name of the City of my God c. Christians what have you done in your War against Sin What work have you made with those Lusts which War in your Members Can you tell of any Conquest you have gotten Where be the Persons among you that can say This Heart was once a Proud Heart but now through the Grace of God 't is more humble this Heart was once a froward Heart but now through Mercy it 's become meek the Lion is become a Lamb this Heart was once a Covetous Heart an Hungry greedy Heart all Earth and Earthy clogged and chained to this World by its Worldly Lusts but now through Grace the Cloggs are knocked off the Chain is broken and my Soul is gotten loose from this Earth and can now despise it in comparison of God and the things above Friends have you any of you experiences of any such Victories Forget them not keep them by you and in the day of your rejoycing in God let your Eye be upon these your Conquests of Sin and this will be a means that your joy will be the more full then will you Triumph in Christ Jesus when with your Conquering Captain you have your Enemies in Chains 3. Not so as to forget the Sins that we are in danger of but to rejoyce with trembling we are still in our Warfare and how far forth soever we have Prospered in it we have Enemies still before us that we are in perpetual danger of therefore as it is said let not him boast so let not him rejoyce that 's putting on his Armour as if he were putting it off The Canaanite is still in the Land sin lies at the Door and will be upon you if you stand not upon your guard Christians must build up themselves in their Holy joy as the Jews built the Wall of Jerusalem Nehem. 4.17 They must have a Trowel in one Hand and a Sword in the other they must Build and Watch Build and Fight there is an evil Worm that is apt to grow out of our Joy which will overthrow and devour it and that is Security or secure Confidence It was this that spoiled the Psalmist's Joy who was a better Man and a Wiser than any of us Psal 30.6 7. I said in my Prosperity I should never be moved
Temptations are to be feared and warily used Riches and outward Prosperity is a Temptation our Money and our Lands and our businesses in the World are Temptations He that will be Rich falleth into Temptation c. and therefore must so be feared as to make us the more wary and circumspect in the seeking and using of them follow your Trades with fear go into your Fields and Markets with fear Eat and Drink with fear fear your fine Houses fear you Plentiful and Prosperous Estates lest by these you be led away to sin and to forget God You are every day among Temptations throughout the whole time of your lives and therefore is the Exhortation of the Apostle 1 Pet. 1.17 Pass the time of your Sojourning here in fear 4. The punishments of sin are to be feared The wrath and the curse of God that Everlasting death which is the wages of sin as I told you before fear him who is able to destroy both body and soul in Hell He is able and he will do it if thou continue in thy sin This fear is planted in the heart as the Sword of the Angel was placed in the way of Balaam to keep him back from his wicked designs This world is a wicked world notwithstanding that God hath placed such a flaming sword in sinners ways notwithstanding all their fears how wilfully wicked are they but what world would this world be if there were no fear upon mens hearts to bridle or restrain them Secondly We are to keep the heart out of fear of what it should not fear to suppress and keep down all unreasonable and sinful fears There are two things especially which men fear but should not fear 1. The Yoke of Christ the difficulties and severities of Religion some men continue to be sinners because they are afraid to be Saints they continue under the power of the Devil because they are afraid of Christ They look on Christ as an hard Master his service as hard service his Yoke as an hard Yoke some desires they have after Religion they could wish themselves Christians but they are afraid to venture The difficulties and the severities of a Godly life keep them off they are afraid of them that they shall never bear them As God placed a flaming sword in Eden Gen. 3. so these fears are a flaming sword of the devils placing to keep the way of the tree of Life to keep sinners back from Christ they dare not come to Christ for fear of him and the heavy yoke that he would put upon their Necks 2. The Cross of Christ that is 1. The sufferings of this Life These are not to be feared Rev. 2.10 Fear none of those things which you shall suffer And this very charge not to fear them is an Evidence that even Christians are too apt to fear Sufferings 2. Death for Christs sake Luke 12.4 Fear not them that kill the body Fear not the worst that men can do You may not only be persecuted by evil men imprisoned spoiled of your Goods but you may be slain put to death by them yet fear them not and as a violent death a being put to death for Christ so neither is a natural death to be feared death is the King of terrours The Apostle tells us Heb. 2.15 That for fear of death men are all their life time subject to bondage There is a natural fear of death implanted in every man even in Christ himself and there is a sinful fear of death and then 't is sinful when 't is excessive when there is so great a fear of death as to distress and distract us in the duties of our lives When there is so great a fear of death that we cannot quietly and patiently submit to its stroke when we cannot comfort and support our selves against the fear of death by the hope we have in our death the righteous hath hope in his death Prov. 14.32 As the Apostle speaks concerning sorrow for the dead 1 Thes 4.13 Sorrow not as men without hope the same may be said concerning the fear of death fear not as men without hope The righteous hath hope in his death he lies down in hope goes to his grave in hope and this hope fortifieth his heart under all its fears Now friends would you keep your hearts under Government learn these two Lessons 1. Keep your hearts in fear and particularly 1. keep you in the fear of God keep up the Aw and Reverence of God in your hearts get you trembling hearts before the Lord behold the severe and jealous eye that is upon you live under such a deep sense of the Greatness Glory and Majesty of the great God as may constantly awe you Sanctifie the Lord God in your hearts and let him be your fear and your dread Those that live not under an awe of God lye open to the Devil and all his Temptations It is this the fear of God that is the bridle to keep us in due order 2 Keep you in fear of sinning against God Psal 4.4 Tremble and sin not Art thou a professor of faith in God and dost thou not yet fear to sin against God dost thou believe that God is the observer of all ungodliness that thine iniquities are all marked before him dost thou believe that God is the avenger of all ungodliness and that all thine iniquities shall be recompensed and returned upon thine own head how is it then that thou art no more afraid of iniquity Art thou an hypocritical professor and doth not thine hypocrisie make thee afraid art thou a proud Professor or a worldly Professor or a luke-warm or froward or carnal or slothful Professour how is it that thy pride thy covetousness that thy coldness or frowardness or carnality or slothfulness doth not make thee afraid are these Evils this Pride and this Hypocrisie this Coveteousness this frowardness rooted and raigning in thy heart where are thy fears all this while call up fear put on fear and let this suppress these lusts which will else be breaking forth into practical iniquity If you would fear a life of Covetousness a life of Pride fear this heart of Pride this worldly carnal heart if you would fear a froward look a froward tongue fear a froward heart crush this Cockatrice Egg before it hatch into practical wickedness 3. Fear Temptation to Sin What does use to foment or heighten the lusts of thine heart What doth use to draw them forth into practice Whatever it be fear it as you would fear the Devil Particularly 1. Fear whatever you over love in the World 1. When you have your pleasant dishes before you and varieties of them when you have your pleasant cups before you fear your being tempted to excess feed not your selves without fear especially feast not without fear put a knife to thy throat if thou be given to appetite when thou seest dainties before thee Prov. 23.2 Look not on the wine when it is red in
who will reply why they were even as good come amongst us as amongst some of your selves and as much they are like to get and as little harm by us as by you Friends I have more than once provoked you to be more Spiritual and more Heavenly in your Converses but what hath been the fruit Is it better then it hath been O that you could tell me it was I thank God it is a little better I have set mine heart upon it I have put my self to it to bring forth something of what I have learned for others benefit I must tell you this unprofitableness is an ill sign as to your selves as well as it may be a snare to others barren lips are a sign of barren hearts 't is to be feared there is not so much of Christ within you when there is so little coming forth that there is but little truth in your hearts when there is so little Grace in your lips O Friends that you would yet check your selves for this neglect that you would yet charge it upon your hearts to be more fruitful this way To what purpose are you preach'd unto to what purpose do I warn you if you will not amend I 'le tell you one way to help it Let your own hearts be more set upon God get more spiritual savour more life and power of holiness in your own spirits and it will find an easier vent More divine Communion will be the best help to more holy Communication But this by the way 5. For our Grief or Sorrow I shall shew here 1. That the Object of our Sorrow is evil The Evils we are to greive for are 1. Sin 2. Misery or Affliction 2. What are the due degrees and just limits of our Grief 1. Sin This is the great and special object of Sorrow and sorrow for Sin is the best and most necessary of sorrows Sin is a grievous evil and it most calls for grief of heart He loves neither God nor himself that grieves not for sin Sin is the abuse of God and the wrong of our own Souls How canst thou say thou lovest God if thou canst abuse him or see him abused without sorrow how canst thou say thou lovest thy self when thou canst wrong thy self and not be grieved what wilt thou grieve for if not for that which is so provoking to God and so distructive to thy self Sin seems good in the eyes of sinners and therefore it seldom troubles them 't is that which pleaseth them and suits with their tempers 't is that which profits them and brings them in all their gains Sinners that must hereafter die for their sins do at present live by their sins they are beholding to their sins for their livelihood Some men live by lying and stealing and defrauding by Coveteousness and oppression 't is that which brings them in their Estates they had been some of them but poor men if their sin had not gotten them Estates Others live by their Pleasures and carnal merriments 't is their mirth and their pleasure that keeps them alive Sorrow and Melancholy they think would kill their hearts Sinners live upon their sins and therefore will not be grieved at them But though thou thinkest thou livest by thy sins thou must die for thy sins thy sins are making a grave for thee and carrying thee to it thy sins are preparing an Hell for thee and leading thee down to the chambers of Death Thy sin spoils thee at present of all that is good and makes thee good for nothing but to be fuel for the fire Holiness prepares the Saints and makes them meet for the inheritance of the Saints in light Col. 1.12 and sin prepares sinners and makes them meet for the inheritance of everlasting darkness fit to serve none but the Devil fit to dwell with none but the Devil Sinners you that go on in your sins you are herein but fitting and preparing you for the Devil This Pride that you live in these Pleasures that you live in this Covetousness that you live in by all these the Devil is preparing you for Hell There is a fire prepared for you Mat. 25.41 Everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels there is an Hell prepared for you and your sin is as fast as it can preparing you for that place of Torment Your going on in your sin is your ripening for wrath thou art almost ripe already and art ripening every day and as soon as thy sin hath but made thee fully ripe thou droppest as ripe fruit uses to do down thou droppest to rottenness into the grave and into the darkness of the pit Thou art grown to that height in sin that thou mayst be ripe before to morrow and as soon as thou art ripe thou wilt be rotting thy Body in the dirt thy Soul in Hell This is the fruit that sinners get and shall get at last by their sins Rom. 6.23 The wages of sin is death But yet because at present they live by their sins their sins make them merry their sins make them Rich they get money by them they get Estates by them therefore they are not troubled though they sin they will not sorrow Thou hast smitten them but they have not grieved Jer. 5.3 'T is said with respect to the punishment of sinners and it might be said concerning them they have smitten themselves and yet have not grieved Sin seems good in the eyes of sinners and therefore it doth not trouble them but sin seems to be sin to Saints Rom. 7. that is the greatest and worst of Evils for so sin when it appears to be sin doth appear to be the worst of Evils and therefore to them its matter of Sorrow When sin appears to be exceeding sinful as the Apostles Expression is before then the heart will be exceeding sorrowful the degrees which by the right Government of the heart this sorrow for sin is held up to and the bounds and limits it is held within are these 1. This sorrow must be so great as to answer the ends and bring forth the proper fruits of it The end of this sorrow and the fruits it must bring forth the Apostle tells us 2 Cor. 7.9 is Repentance I rejoyced that ye sorrowed unto Repentance And ver 11. This self-same thing that ye sorrowed after a godly manner what carefulness it wrought in you yea what clearing of your selves c. What ever trouble for Sin what ever sorrow any of you have in your hearts if it doth not bring forth Repentance a forsaking and turning from sin if this sorrow doth not work a fear of falling back into sin if it doth not work a care of preventing your fall if it do not work to Indignation and Zeal against Sin if it leave you the Friends of sin still the followers of sin still if this be all you can say I am troubled at it but I cannot help it it 's my trouble that I am a Drunkard it
are questioning whether you should go on or forbear why then examine would this be a serving my flesh or a serving the Lord determine that well and then your covenant would guide you whether to do or forbear Once let your hearts stand resolved to pursue the ends of your covenant to live such an holy such an heavenly such a mortified such a self-denying such a diligent life as you have covenanted to live and then your very hearts which are the records of your covenant your very hearts will teach you what you should do When your flesh at any time pleads with you for any abatement of the strictness of Christianity for any Liberty of compliance with the more remiss and loose amongst Christians and suggests to you not too far not too fast not too high in Religion drive on softly deal gently with thy flesh be not over rigid or severe to it be not over busie do not tire thy self at thy work take time take thine ease drive on as thy carnal interest and thy carnal inclinations can bear then read over your covenant and consider Is such a life according to the writeing that hath been agreed upon betwixt my Lord and me Is this cold and indifferent and easie way of Religion all that I have covenanted for well this is one thing if you would keep to your Colours keep to your Covenant 2. Take up your Cross upon your back This is your Lords word Mat. 16.24 Whosoever will come after me let him take up his Cross This will be the proof of what there is of Christ or Christianity in your hearts a sound heart will make a strong back He that loves much will bear any thing he whose heart is not cross-proof is an unsound Christian Your sinful shunning the Cross is your running from your Colours Christians some little Trials we have had some crosses we have met with but for ought I know the Lord may be preparing heavier crosses greater sufferings for you then ever you have been proved withal O be so busie a fortifying your hearts that you may never baulk your Christian course whatever cross may stand in the way I would not that we should needlesly run upon the cross when we may avoid it Sufferings may come fast enough without our pulling them upon our selves But this I would we might every one stand to resolve in the strength of the Lord to be never the less hearty Christians never the less holy never the less precise never the less zealous in the pursuit and practise of a sincere and exemplary Godly Life for any thing you may suffer for it from Men or Devils I do not barely say take up your cross rather then lay down your Christianity but take up your cross rather than lay down your bold Profession of Christianity take up your cross rather than lay down your zeal for Christ or turn aside from the closest and most resolved following of Christ Let the Cross neither make us of Christians to become no Christians no nor to be less Christians than we have seemed to be It hath been so in former ages that Christianity hath never improved nor thrived so much as under the sharpest and severest persecutions and why should it not be so still Look to your selves friends there is hazard that your Souls may suffer that you may be inward loosers by your over solicitousness to escape outward losses the Souls of many Professors may be losers and the Souls of some may be quite lost by the fears of the cross Look to your selves that this be none of your Cases that you be not loosers by persecutions especially take heed that you be not lost your Souls lost by them Be not persecuted from Christ be not persecuted to Hell let not the cross drive you ba k under the curse from which you hoped that you had escaped And that you may not be loosers do what you can to be gainers as other Christians have been before you If it grow to be winter without get you to be warmer within if the winds rise keep your garments the Closer about you Think not to make your peace with evil men by striking sail and following Christ more aloof but make your Peace with God more sure that you may be the more able to bear the reproaches of the World Be as the Stars that are never so bright as when the night is darkest Love one another help one another quicken and comfort and encourage one another so much the more for that the world hateth and goes about to hinder you and never think after all that hath been said about the governing and guarding the sanctifying and keeping your hearts that yet your hearts are right till you can hold fast your integrity and hold on your way in all changes of weather 3. Keep the Crown in your eye and let that word be ever in your ear Rev. 3.11 Hold fast what thou hast that no man take thy Crown Run from your Colours and you loose the Crown He that hath heaven in his eyes will not fear to have holiness in his life The hope of the victory will encourage in the fight the hope of the Crown will make the cross to be easie and make us faithful in the covenant Therefore Remember that word Rev. 2.10 Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a Crown of life Christians if you would not loose the Crown then be faithful be faithful to the death in the covenant of your Lord. Whatever difficulties or discouragements you may meet with in your way what ever hardships or tribulations may befal you if you can yet say with the Church Psal 44.17 18. Though all this be come upon us yet have we not forgotten thee neither have we dealt falsely in thy Covenant our heart is not turned back neither have our steps declined from thy way If you can but say this your Lord will say also to you whatever I have done or brought upon you yet I have not forgotten thee the Covenant of my peace shall never be removed Fight the good fight keep the faith till you have finiâ—hed your course and then know there is laid up for thee a Crown of Righteousness which I will surely give thee at that day 4. Carry up your hearts thither where your enemies can't come Carry them up to heaven whatever treasure you lay up there neither moth nor rust can corrupt nor theives break thorow and steal There 's no safety below the Theif will be every where upon you whilst you are conversant in the world walking after the flesh these are your enemies quarters your hearts are in the midst of them in the midst of those Thieves that seek your life whilst they are conversant about these fleshly things Yea whilst you are where God is in your Duties in Ordinances if your hearts be not above at such times if you feed only on what comes down if you ascend not in your Duties if