is able and this is a great deal better then before and men should labor to be at enmity with him and must pray that the stronger man even Christ would put him out of his possession 5. This should rowze up the servants of God out of security and intemperance Have they need to be drunk with the world or be asleep having such an Enemy ought they not rather to be sober and continually to watch to save themselves from his deadly enmity Against his malice let us have Christian resolution and earnestness to seek after salvation Against his power let us set the power of God and be strong in his might craving his assistance continually for we have no power of our selves he that should trust to himself should speed as this our Apostle we must always have recourse to God saying with David God is my Castle Rock Tower of Defence in him will I trust Against his subtilty let us labor to be wise in the Word of God read hear meditate confer that it may dwell plentifully in our hearts in all wisdom and labor for the wisdom of the Spirit of God that thereby we may spy Satans subtilties and be holpen to avoid them and let us have the fear of God always in our hearts and before our eyes which is true wisdom Through this alone we avoid Satans snares and are not ignorant of his wiles who so Achitophel like think by worldly policy to resist the Devil the Devil will make fools of them and ensnare them at his pleasure Against his diligence let us be as diligent and watchful we must not be weary or give over our watch at any time if we do we must prepare our throats for destruction Satan gives no truce Not a few Christians have no such fear of this enemy as they should neither do they furnish themselves against him as they should but are careless silly and negligent Hereby it comes to pass that the Devil hath his will too much and too often of us and catcheth us here and there as to neglect one duty to do another untowardly and to fall into this or that evil and so makes us to dishonor God to wound our own consciences and to give ill example to others If we had a bodily Enemy thus armed how would we fear If there were a great Lyon in our fields and which did haunt our grounds how afraid would we be but there 's a roaring Lyon a red Dragon an old Serpent lies in wait for us who may do us more mischief then all the Lyons Dragons or Serpents in the world and yet we are careless Here he is not thus fearfully described to discourage us or make us cast away all our weapons as though there were no resisting but to watch and be careful and then though he be as he is we may be preserved from his anger for though he be malicious yet God is most merciful and careful for us Though he be strong yet God is stronger His power is limited he cannot do what he will to the godly as to Job nay not to reprobates as to Saul and Ahab the Devils had leave before they could do their feats nay till they had leave they could not enter into the Swine And though he be so subtile yet the wisdom of God is far beyond his craft to catch him in it as he hath done many a time as in the fall of our first Parents he thought the same should have been to Gods utter dishonor and that he should not have a Creature on earth to serve him which yet turned to Gods greater glory the like might be instanced about the death of Christ So he can turn his temptations to nothing to folly to our greater good And though he be diligent yet have we a God that keepeth Israel who neither slumbers nor sleeps The Devil is a Lyon but we have a Lyon of the tribe Judah to fight against him He is strong but God is stronger then all they be innumerable but God is greater then all together and to help our weakness we have the good Angels to take our part more with us then be against us He is a Spirit but the Spirit of God is in us more active nimble and wise then he we have no cause therefore to be dismaid Let us hold our Faith Hope and Confidence and go on in a godly course and in the end we shall get to Heaven Praised be God praised be God alone To God onely be glory for this Verse 9. Whom resist stedfast in the Faith knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your Brethren that are in the world HEre are the means set down whereby we must oppose the Devil and through the use of which we may prevail against him namely By being stedfast in the faith Whom resist The course to be taken with an Adversary is either to make peace with him to yield to him to flee from him or resist him To flee from Satan we cannot from men we may but not from him as who will be with us whithersoever we go To yield to him we may not then we spoil all that were to be his servants to our destruction to make peace with him we must not for his malice is unquenchable and he will still seek our destruction therefore we must resist him and herein onely is our safety 1. We have a warrant and command for this 2. We promised so to do in our Baptism 3. If we resist not we can never come into Heaven for none come there but such as overcome such as are conquerers who have palms in token of victory See 2 Tim. 4. 8. James 1. 12. Rev. 2. 26. and 3. 10. and 7. 14. 4. If we do not fight and resist we shall surely be destroyed Every coward will fight when he sees there 's no other remedy 5. If we resist we are sure to overcome for we fight not in our own might but under our Captain Christ Jesus who hath bruised and broke the Serpents head in his own person and will do also in us We resisting as he requires it were a disgrace to him if we should be overcome nay most certain it is that no Soldier of Christ Jesus resisting by the armor of his appointing can ever be finally or wholly vanquished 1. This rebuketh all those that resist not Satan at all or as they ought as 1. The prophane sort that live in sin these resist not but rather serve the Devil They resist God his Word the Spirit good Counsel all the means which are used to draw them from their sins but Satans temptations as serving their humor they resist not this is the cause that Hell is so full If the Devil perswade them to any evil they are as ready to yield as he to tempt 2. Civil persons they resist not the Devil as conceiving their case to be good enough for that they are
Angels were unable to help us herein This hath Christ done for us and that fully the dignity of his person being such that he is both God and Mâ—n in one person Of this the blood of the lamb sprinkled on the Israelites houses was a sign all Sacrifices tended hereunto our Sacraments point thereat all Scripture layeth our Salvation in the Cross Blood and Sufferings of Christ. Here see 1. An admirable mixture of Justice and Mercy so that God is not all mercy as the world imagines Therefore for prophane impenitent ones they shall bear the just wrath of God themselves and not by every late forced Lord have mercy have God at command as they imagine For if Christ was feign to suffer and the Father would not be intreated notwithstanding his strong cries but when he stood as our Surety laid on load and spared him not at all shall his prophane enemies think to escape as they list 2. Gods infinite mercy to mankinde to appoint a way to save some of them whereas no Angel that fell shall be saved 3. It sets out the depth of our misery therefore they that are still in it have no small piece of work to bring to pass 4. It teacheth us how to esteem of sin as being of that weight that nothing but the blood of Christ will satisfie for it 5. Its sets out the infinite and unspeakable love of God to give us his Son and of Christ to give himself seeing no less means would serve Who can sufficiently either admire or express the same 6. Here 's matter of endless consolation to all troubled sinners when Satan and the terrors of Conscience shall pursue them to flie to Christ Jesus and his sufferings This is their Castle their quietus est send Satan to thy Surety all is fully discharged in his death But this is only for humble bleeding sinners that turn to God with all their hearts but as for proud persons that live still in their lusts what have these to do to talk of Christs death yet have these it in readiness Christ hath died for us What for such prophane ones as make his death a packhorse and lay on more load which is to crucifie Christ again No let these know they shall bear the burthen of their own sins but let the true penitent be of good comfort and know that all his sins how great soever be done away Neither let such think that their afflictions are any part of the punishment of sin for it is all done away once in Christ and therefore shall not again be demanded of them but they are loving chastisements to humble them for their sins past and prevent others for the time to come both furthering their Salvation 7. For all that know they have their part in Christs death how should this work with them 1. For sin past it should vex and grieve our hearts for we were the Crucifiers of Christ Judas the Soldiers and Jews but our Servants whom our sins set on work It 's our great fault that we can think of our sins without being humbled shall Christ shed tears of blood for our sins and we not be troubled for our own 2. This should make us hate sin for ever being as it were the knife and spear that killed Christ what father could ever love that knife that should kill his childe 3. How should this inflame our hearts with love to him again and carry us on in a zealous care of obedience all our days our woful coldness in Christs cause and service deserves to be rebuked Alas how little will we do for his sake we ought to be ready to leave Goods Liberty and Life for him we should herein but do as he hath done for us yea who began thus to do for us when we were even his enemies How much more any other thing And may not this stop the mouths of all prophane persons which will be talking they hope to be saved by Christ when they shew no love nor thankfulness to him but live yet in their sins to anger him 8. An exclusion of all feigned and false satisfactions of mens own devising whereof the Church of Rome is full which would strike in for a part with the merit of Christs death which makes a great stir about the Cross when in the mean time they make void its efficacy Sprinkling c. By this word he alludeth to the sacrifices of the Law which all pointed at the sacrifice of Christ and to shew that as it had been nothing that a sacrifice had been killed unless the blood thereof had been sprinkled upon the people for so was the maner so it avails us nothing that Christ died unless his blood be sprinkled on us by the hand of a true faith applying Christ Jesus to our Consciences It s not Christ that saves but Christs death apprehended by a true and lively faith for a particular perswasion hereof are we to labor Here also in this verse is an excellent proof of the holy Trinity three persons and one God which is so to be worshipped all that do otherwise worship an Idol and not the true God Again observe That Election is attributed to the Father Redemption to the Son Sanctification to the Holy Ghost It 's not but that they be the common works of the whole Trinity as all the works of God towards the Creatures are in which respect Sanctification is also attributed to the Father but because of their immediate working The Father elected in the Son and by the Holy Ghost Father Son and Holy Ghost elected The Son is the immediate worker of our Redemption he shed his blood as the Holy Ghost the immediate worker of Sanctification Grace unto you and Peace be multiplied The usual salutation of the Jews asking the favor of God as the root and peace that is all happiness as that which flows from thence for so by peace the Jews meant Peace be with you Peace be to this house c. Hence note 1. That we should seek the favor of God as that which draweth on other things yea all things for in love is no lack Men may have other things without this but they will have an ill farewel as they that have possession but no right title to that which they possess 2. What a Minister should chiefly desire for his people even that they may be brought into Gods favor by Christ have their sins forgiven Christ made theirs and they assured thereof with so much prosperity as may stand with happiness So Husbands and Wives each for other So also Parents for their Children The favor and grace of God is the principal and root of all good Men may have abundance of outward things but if they flow not from Gods love they will have a hard farewel This brings sufficiency In his favor is life yea this were sufficient if it came alone but in
of these things but faintly and from the teeth outward and not from the heart as others but for any to boast of great matters done for them and yet shew no whit that they be ravished with love to God neither breaking out into his praises in words nor shewing it in their lives they do certainly lye and deceive their own souls for they that have had experience of the sowre and of the sweet cannot but speak I believed therefore have I spoken saith David Impossible it is for any man to think of his Election Redemption Calling c. And not be ravished therewith It 's our duty then to stir up our selves often and from time to time by the deep meditation of Gods special Mercies which as it will shake off dulness so will it much revive us to duty And Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Mark that he cannot speak of God but with some token of reverence and title of his Thus as he is elswhere stiled The God of Hope the God of Peace the God of Patience and Consolation the King everlasting so is he here the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. His practise must be our patren we must never think or speak of the holy and blessed name of God but with all high reverence his greatness compared with our baseness might induce us hereunto This condemneth as well the Blasphemy of Swearers as the unreverent takers of Gods Name in vain after what maner soever He is termed the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ not only nor so much in respect of his Manhood viz. that he took the lump whereof his humanity was framed which was of the substance of the Virgin and first Sanctified and freed the same from all stain or blemish of Original corruption and actually United it from the first conception thereof to the Godhead and second person and so framed the humanity of Christ of this substance and infused into him a reasonable soul but especially in respect of his Godhead by an unspeakable communicating of the whole essence of the Father to him before all worlds which mystery though we cannot fully understand we must believe and adore Here he is stiled the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ as formerly he was wont to be called and known by the name of the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob to distinguish him from all false gods whereby he sheweth himself more cleerly to us and the way how we should get into his favor namely by his son there being no other way whereby our persons or service can please God If therefore we would obtain any thing at Gods hands we must not come barely to the Father as for forgiveness of sins mercy or any thing else but with respect of his son Jesus Christ by whom only he is and will be merciful unto us Speak we something of his three titles 1. Jesus a Savior so called by an Angel from Heaven ere he was born for that he was to save his people from their sins who is an absolute and sufficient Savior yea the only Savior neither is there was there or shall there be any other 2. Christ anointed to be our King Priest and Prophet through whom we are made Kings Priests and Prophets If so 1. Where be our sacrifices of our selves of Prayer and Praise Morning and Evening in our Families a Priest must not be without sacrifice 2. As Prophets do we teach our Families do we instruct and examine them 3. As Kings do we master our affections If we be led Captive of our frowardness worldliness and the like what Kings are we Look to it 3. Our Lord. He is our Lord every way by purchase and by conquest He bought us with his precious blood He also conquered all the Enemies that held us captive Sin Satan Death and so delivered us If any great man would by money ransom or by his sword rescue out of his Enemies hands any captive he were his Lord so is Christ our Lord either way Whence ariseth 1. Comfort to all that know themselves redeemed by him that he will never lose that which he hath so dearly bought and taken such pains with every way to come into the world to die for us then so to work as we may come to the knowledge of it by his Word and Spirit Whereby Faith and Sanctification are wrought in us 2. Instruction it s our duty to submit our selves to him as our Liege-lord to be his loyal people we must kiss the son take up his yoke He hath paid full dearly for our service and love his we are being now no more our own There are too too many that yet do not so cleave to this Lord and his Word but that they suffer other things other Lords to carry them away Many could be content to have Christ their Savior but they will not have him their Lord and King to rule in them and over them Let us break their bands asunder say they and cast away their cords from us And again Who is Lord over us Let such to their terror consider that fearful sentence passed against them But those mine Enemies that would not that I should reign over them bring hither and slay them before me They are counted Gods Enemies and adjudged to be slain before his face Yea he will break them with a red of iron and dash them in pieces like a potters vessel Others will let him be their Lord as far as they please and in what they list as if they would appoint their work themselves as some coy servants which the Lord will not indure Well let us bring our hearts to yield unto him as our Lord else we shall never have Salvation by him There 's no refreshing by him unless we take up his yoke both must go together they that will not willingly stoop to him he will be their Lord and King in despight of them and that to their confusion Now for the afflicted conscience that travels for mercy and pardon and desires after Christ more then all the world dost thou as earnestly desire him to be thy Lord and King and art thou willing to take up his yoke and that he shall rule and reign in thee and none else and that in all things be of good comfort thou art one of those whom Christ will save Which according to his abundant mercy c. Now we are to observe 1. The benefit bestowed for which he blessed God namely For begetting us again unto a lively hope 2. The moving cause His mercy nay abundant mercy 3. The means whereby The Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead of which as they lie in order Hath begotten us again unto a lively hope This is the benefit God hath begot them again to the hope of Salvation for so he means for by hope is not
need not doubt of glorification Verse 5. Who are kept by the power of God through Faith unto Salvation ready to be revealed in the last time THey might say its a goodly Inheritance indeed and reserved for us but how shall we come at it that are lost on the sea of this world how should a Mariner come to the Haven in a great tempest through the midst of rocks and sands and many Pirats in his way This doubt the Apostle removes by shewing That they are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation God doth as if a King should lay up an infinite treasure in a most safe place and bid his subjects fetch and take it but in the way are many Theeves and also Lyons Wolves and Bears against whom he promises them safe conduct and protection with his gards to go along with them Here then is a further benefit that God bestoweth upon his that he sets them not onely in hope of Salvation and in a good way but so confirms them therein that they continue to the end and that by upholding them through his mighty power against all oppositions whatsoever Kept Therefore we have many enemies and hinderances of our Salvation 1. The Devil whose subtilty malice power and vigilancy is extraordinary his names in Scripture Serpent Dragon Lyon and such like with his continued practises there recorded to hinder our Salvation evidence the same Accordingly doth he daily endeavor to have us in one extreme or another as either to be of no religion or a false religion if of a true then that either we may be carnal and secure or run on to an erroneous and preposterous zeal so as he drives some to presumption he drives others to desperation 2. The world whereof 1. The evil examples therein like a common stream carry us away as sheep or cattel seeing a few go in at a gap will in too whatever come of it 2. Ill counsel and that both to yong men What will you in the prime of your youth give your self to this precise course never merry more no body will care for you Old men What will you now be an hearer of Sermons and of another minde then heretofore what is this but to disgrace all your former life you have ever been counted an honest man do not now discredit your self and to rich men will you go among them a company of poor despised people it will be no small disgrace unto you 3. The profits and pleasures thereof whereby most men are beguiled and enchanted By profits some are kept from professing religion altogether their Oxen and Farms keep them off they have no leasure yea some that have heard with joy and with Demas gone further have been choaked by these thorny cares as others besorted with pleasures to the ruine of their whole man 4. Adversities Persecutions Troubles every where to be found therein All forsook Christ when he was first taken and the Apostle Paul saith That at his first answer all for sook him And 3. which is the worst our own corrupt nature the wisedom whereof is enmity against God and all the thoughts of our hearts are onely evill continually Our fleshly lusts fighting against our souls Oh the abominable corruption that lurketh in us we drink in iniquity like water we hale it to us as with cart ropes naturally we can do nothing else as a traytor its ready to deliver us up to every Enemy therefore Christ had cause to commend us to his Fathers custody These be so mighty as that few can be saved for them These not onely carry down the common sort but even such as have made great profession and have received great gifts many of these with Demas are eaten up of the world as others scared by persecution yea hereby even Gods sanctified ones with David and Peter are shrewdly shaken We should therefore Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might Putting on the whole armor of God that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil and his adherents No marvel then though our Savior still stirs us up to watch and pray By the power of God We cannot keep our selves No alas not for an hour look on David and Peter nay Adam in the state of innocency yea as being left for a while we fall into some one or other sin as into security or the like so we could not but fall quite away if there were no other help but our own This should make us hang down our heads and humble our selves and cling to God If we trust to our selves we shall speed like Peter therefore crave new grace and continual supply And if we be kept we may know to whom to ascribe the glory and praise thereof Though we have many opposites against our Salvation and we cannot keep our selves there is one notwithstanding that both can and will keep us so that we cannot fall from our happy state of grace in despite of all the enemies of our Salvation whatsoever He opposeth to the mighty adversaries of our Salvation mighty defence even the Almighty power of God that is His Almightiness whereby he rules all things in Heaven Earth Sea and all deeps whom neither Angels Men Devils nor Hell can resist Whatsoever disguise we see any Christians to come to we that escape them are so kept by the power of God the Father having elected us the Son hath redeemed us and so committed us over to his Father to be kept so that our Salvation is not in our own keeping as it was in Adams for then woe unto us we should soon lose it but it is in a sure hand which makes our state by Christ much better then our state in Adam This is most comfortable Doctrine against all fear of our own weakness or any other enemies Though they be strong yet the Father is stronger and none can pluck them out of his hands Our adversary is as a roaring Lyon but we have the Lyon of the Tribe of Judah on our side and being made members of Christ will be suffer any to pluck and rend us from him no assuredly we are not now enemies as in time past but Gods sons and daughters therefore not like unnaturally to be forsaken of him in our need For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life being delivered from our greatest fear everlasting condemnation it s most certain that our combats that remain shall not be deadly but onely to exercise our Faith let us believe this firmly God who hath bestowed grace on us will uphold us to the end so that we may say Though we can do nothing of our selves we are able notwithstanding to do all things through Christ that strengtheneth us
And We know whom we have believed and that he is able to keep that which we have committed to him whose love also is unchangeable Why we have known of great professors who have faln finally as Judas and many in our time Yea but not such as were taken into the Divine protection and keeping of God but hypocrites They went out from us saith Saint John but they were not of us Peter was kept by the power of God though shaken by temptation yet was he not overcome Judas was never but the childe of perdition and had common graces and was never justified nor sanctified Let us then look we be found and indeed be such as are taken into Gods keeping and then safe enough then may we triumph with the Apostle If God be on our side who can be against us And who shall seperate us from the love of Christ Shall tribulation or distress or persecution c. Nay in all these things we are more then conquâ—rers through him that loved us So must it needs be except we think the Lords arm to be shortened or his power weakned that he cannot help and that there should be any stronger then the Almighty Indeed if we be but Hypocrites and out of Gods keeping we may fall into any sin and miserably fall away for ever for what have we to stay us For as if God take not the care of a man all creatures are lyable to do him hurt as Cain said murmuringly Thou hast cast me from thy face and every one that findes me shall slay me Noting indeed truly that he lyeth open to a Thousand perils that is not kept by God so is it for spiritual dangers he that is not kept by God may fall into any sin irrecoverably and perish eternally This then confoundeth that hellish Doctrine of Rome that the elect and sanctified may finally fall from grace which is contrary to the whole Scripture Through Faith God keeps us but by no miracle or extraordinary way but by Faith not without us but by working and increasing the grace of Faith and true beleif in us some would understand it through hope because hereby we wait for Salvation and indeed there is great affinity between Faith and Hope so that in Scripture they are sometimes put one for another By Faith we believe the goodness of God towards us by Hope we wait till we finde and feel him so to us by Faith we believe eternal life by Hope we patiently wait for it And as there could be no Hope if there were not Faith before so Hope doth greatly help Faith it keeps it that it makes not too much haste nor break off in the mid way for God oftentimes after his promises deferreth to perform them so that the wicked also come to say Where is the promise of his coming yea ere he come he hides his face and seems as if he would not fulfil the same now therefore here doth Hope her Office and steps in and sustains Faith very well so that a Christian must necessarily have both to go along with him But I see no reason to alter the Apostles words but to take Faith properly for the grace of true Faith and believing though this is true that Hope helps well on but he speaks of Faith which includeth Hope as a necessary companion But how doth faith bring us to Salvation It is said by the Apostle Paul By grace ye are saved through Faith Now as it first apprehends Christ and Salvation so it holds this hold and continues our comfort and still carries us on in the service of God and an holy life This assurance of eternal life makes us contemn profits offered to pull us from a good conscience as Moses did Pharaohs Court and pleasures of Aegypt so to despise the Cross and overcome troubles that would draw us therefrom as the holy Martyrs did from time to time Also Faith apprehending the promise of God for our upholding to the end rests upon the goodness of God which is constant and his power which is infinite Therefore when any shall perswade us we shall never hold out we shall be forsaken Faith then puts up head and saith nay to it because God hath promised to keep us unto Salvation The wicked come and say where is now thy God by reason of troubles which befal the Godly so the Devil and their own unbelief assaults them now Faith helps and saith Why art thou cast down why art thou disquieted trust yet in God he is my present help and my God and Though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no ill and the name of the Lord is a strong Tower the Righteous runneth to it and is safe This is the Victory that overcometh the world called therefore the shield By which we quench the fiery darts of the Devil For this purpose our Saviour when he prayed that Peter might hold out prayed that his Faith might not fail If that fail we are gone if it hold we shall be too hard for all the world so long as our Faith holds all the world with all the Engines it hath to destroy us can never overturn us Contrarily without Faith we can neither begin nor stand against any temptation or danger This teacheth men to labor for this true Faith without it they may fall to any thing as the second and third sort of ground mentioned by our Savior in the parable most people content themselves in being professors but labor not for this grace of Faith and therefore do they fall away and never come to Salvation It teacheth also the Godly still to say with the Apostle Lord increase our Faith using all other means to that purpose A little Faith will go but a little way the least if true shall get to Heaven but with much ado as a poor tattered Vessel may get to shoar especially if there come no storms but if there do it s in great danger and very hardly attains unto it but as a strong Vessel comes safely though it have strong tempests so a strong Faith though it be strongly assaulted and put to it as oft it is both in life and in the end of life yet it conquers We have had none but calm times hitherto but what we may have we know not whether common trials or particular ones accompanied with pain grief vexation c. Labor therefore for good store of Faith Unto Salvation kept not for a while but to the coming of Christ to the enjoying of Salvation and not as Moses who had only a sight of Canaan He keeps us by his power whereto Not that our finger shall not ake in this world but have all peace and prosperity and every bodies good will No but to Salvation in the end of our life for here we must suffer with him if hereafter
always keep a good Conscience Wood is not more necessary and apt to nourish fire then good works and well doing to nourish Faith Also observe the dealings of God and grow by your own experience Many that have believed and were very earnest in their beginning till they got it after growing secure and worldly and withal neglecting the means have with David fallen into some one sin or other thereby losing the peace and comfort they formerly enjoyed A great loss indeed more then if a man were stript of all to his shirt O le ts take heed of this loss as we are to be wise as Serpents so let us shew our Serpentine wisdom in this one thing especially The Serpent will be sure so much as in her lies to save her head so must we our Faith for on this hangs all and if by any means we have fallen therefrom recover we our selves by all means possible 3. That which they are to hope for or trust on is Grace that is Salvation Every benefit is grace but to be delivered out of our lost and undone state and brought again into the favor of God and saved is a most special grace Our Election is of grace so our Redemption so our effectual Calling 1. This condemns the Papists that teach partly Grace partly Works No these cannot be mingled either all or none they be as contrary as light and darkness honey and gall else were grace no more grace To joyn any thing with Christ is to pervert the Gospel They now begin to be ashamed and mince this Opinion saying We be saved most by Grace yet partly by Works and that these Works be died in the Blood of Christ and that it is most safe to rest on his merits alone Well God make them so ashamed as altogether to renounce it and so let us in the mean time 2. Let us serve the Lord with a chearful and constant love and service for his free favor to us all the days of our life 3. Shew we grace and favor to others not to such as have deserved well of us but even to such as have not nay ill as we had of God Grace That is Salvation See he calls their mindes from looking for earthly preferment by Christ whereunto they had a lingring minde and calls them to look for Spiritual riches even Salvation by him What are we then to expect by Christ and by professing the Gospel zealously not Wealth Honor Peace Credit in the world but pardon of our sins freedom from Hell and Gods wrath peace of Conscience joy in the holy Ghost that our persons and works shall please God Angels to be our guard our Prayers to be heard our Souls at death to be carried into heaven both our Bodies Souls to be glorified at the great day Will this satisfie us Hereof we may be assured if we believe in Christ and zealously embrace the Gospel As for other things his Kingdom is not of this world he promiseth not plenty peace ease c. He had them not himself but contrarily troubles as all shall have that live godly in him This teacheth us to lay our hand upon our heart when we go about to profess we know what we shall finde but it may be sorrow withal if we can be content so then may we go forward else not Many having gone on in profession not so advisedly and after having found the wind and tide against profession and reproach trouble and danger for the same have shrunk away and with Demas have forsaken Paul and embraced the present world Others seeing how hardly such be dealt with though in their conscience they think best of such yet keep in their heads thinking that its best sleeping in a whole skin But alas they make but a weak choyce were they not better have these heavenly comforts and priviledges here and be acknowledged of Christ and saved at the great day though with some sorrows here then to make the world their friend and God their enemy and to have him ashamed of them at that day as he will for we cannot have it go on our side now and then too That is to be brought unto you God tarried not till they sought Salvation but he of his goodness brought it them which he useth here as an Argument to perswade them to trust stedfastly to this Salvation and look accordingly for it because God would bring them to the Faith of it when they thought not thereof Note here That Salvation is not of our own procuring or seeking Alas what could Adam and we in him do we could fall but what then towards our Salvation we could run and hide our selves and excuse our sin and encrease our danger but God was fain to bring him the seed of the woman he could not make himself an help a wife for God made and brought her to him much less a Savior So what 's the reason he hath given us the Gospel in this Land and not to our Forefathers not to many other Lands we sought it not but when Idolaters in darkness God brought it So have we not been brought by marriage or by Service into Towns where we have had the Word when we purposed no such thing So to our hearts what were any of us when God called us Did we seek him Alas no we ran from him rather long ere we yielded but he followed us and overcame us See it in Saul did he seek Salvation he was going to Damascus to persecute God brought it him so to Zacheus the Goaler c. so we This teacheth us 1. To be humble 2. To be exceeding thankful all the days of our life 3. To rest confidently on him for the time to come in the experience of that we have had as thus That he that brought us Salvation the Word to us or us to it and gave us to see our misery long after Christ have some taste of his love and some desire to please him that were far from these he will continue this and will never leave us Thus the Apostle reasons But God commendeth his love towards us c. So Jacob in danger of Esau He came over Jordan with his staff and God had given him two bands therefore he was perswaded to relie on God for present deliverance for why might he say I am perswaded thou hast not done all this for me to be lost in an instant as an ox should lick up a flower or a candle be put out at once We use not Gods mercies well when we grow not stronger by them for time to come 4. Comfort to a fearful heart that fears he shall not hold out or that God will cast him away O its impossible did he bring thee Salvation that regarded it not and now hath given thee an heart to prize it above the world and to walk
a good Subject or say he is a mans servant and yet doth nothing that he is bidden but is drunken quarrels with his fellow-servants beats his Master children breaks down his windows rails upon him should this be counted a good servant or the other a good subject so the Lord defies that such should call him Father and counts it a disgrace to him to be call'd Father of such miscreants that live like bastards that have no care to please God no fear of offending him nor delight to be in his presence We should take it as a disgrace to have some base and filthy person come in a market to us and call us father yet this may and doth befal men yea good too who have lewd children and such be like them neither in favor nor condition yea there 's scarce one childe like the Father or one like another but it s nor so with God he hath never a childe but is like him and hath his image in him like hearted and like handed to him innocent hands and a pure heart holy as he is holy hating sin as he he doth loving his Word People Righteousness c. as he doth He that is born of God sinneth not Those are true properties of a childe of God yet even others have a father too Christ hath pointed him out Ye are of your Father the Devil and the lusts of your Father you will do Such as care for no goodness nor for Gods children but are Lyars Deceivers Oppressors and the like they are like the Devil God is not their Father but their Enemy with such all the Angels and Creatures are at defiance and wait for their destruction all the judgements of God hang over their heads their death will be a passage to their endless wo and misery Therefore never call God Father till thou change thy maners nor look for any priviledge of a childe from him as either protection or maintenance no nor so much as good look But shall I thus leave these God forbid for though we finde them children of the Devil yet we would be glad to bring them to be Gods Therefore humble your selves confess your sins as the Publican and the Prodigal entreat and sue for Pardon change thy behaviour and when thou canst feel thy heart effected like a Childe or truly desirous so to be then call him Father In the mean time if thou wouldest mourn for thy sins and labor for a contrite heart and abstain from every unclean thing thou shouldest be received thy sins pardoned and God would be a Father unto thee But if thou goest on in this graceless course as thou workest so shall thy wages be 2. But dost thou unfeignedly desire to fear God 1. In thy general calling as a Christian to walk holily righteously and soberly Fearest thou to offend God thy self or to see him dishonored by others carest thou to please him lovest thou to be in his presence dost thou conscionably hear his Word and patiently bare his Corrections 2. In thy special calling art thou careful to glorifie God as a Parent Childe Master Servant c. not onely in ceasing to do evil but in doing good yea and laboring to do it well Thou mayest comfortably and with good leave call God Father and make account of him so to be which is the greatest priviledge in the world Christ is thy Brother thou art Heir with him of all good things in this world and Salvation in the Kingdom of Glory hereafter Angels guard thee nay are thy Servants Afflictions Corrections Death no Death but a passage to Life O let us be perswaded to increase more and more in this care and every time we call God Father we may be put in minde and provoked to labor for the affections of dutiful Children We can readily look that God should be a Father to us that we want nothing but we for our parts can be content to be wanting in our duties many ways we neglect this and that duty yea in those we perform how cold are we little differing from Hypocrites how often do we break out into gross evils how little grieved when we offend or see others offend for these the Lord is often driven to afflict us As it s between natural Parents and Children we see that love descends but seldom ascends They look for all maintenance from their Parents but care little how small reverence or obedience they give them So we deal with God our head must not ake a little but he must presently give ease but we can be slack enough in the performance of our parts Who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man works Here 's the second Reason He whom we call Father is also a Judge and that a very sharp-fighted one that will not be carried away with shows and false glosses of good works but will look into the inside and judge accordingly If they proceed from an honest heart he will surely reward them if not they shall not onely miss the reward they look for but have for all their gay shows their reward with Hypocrites Therefore it stands us in hand not onely to renounce evil and to do good but to do the same with a right affection Here I might speak how God judgeth and will judge mens actions as 1. In this life he approveth the ways of his Servants by his Word and by his blessings upon them outward and inward and disalloweth the wicked actions of the World and their courses by his Word and by his judgements sometimes 2. In the end of this life by receiving the soul of the one into glory and by casting down the other to confusion 3. And especially at the last day by receiving the one into everlasting glory and throwing the other into endless misery Which may 1. Make us all look to our ways to walk in reverence and fear all our days To this purpose peruse Ecles 12. 13 14. Act. 24. 16. 2 Cor. 5. 9. 2 Pet. 3. 11. 2. Be a strong bit to hold back the wicked from running on nay to bring them on their faces for that which is past that it may be here pardoned that they meet not with all their abominations at that day For we must all appear before the Judgement seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad Even they that have been judges of others they that have ben quit yea they that have had their sentence here too shall appear before a wise Judge that cannot be deceived a Just one that will not be bribed from whom they cannot flee as being Infinite But because this is not the main drift of the Apostle I pass it over the more briefly the chief force lying in this That God judgeth according to mans works without respect of persons The person
bestowed upon us namely Redemption procured by no less price then the precious blood of Christ Were we redeemed at such a rate and by such a great and unspeakable price Then we must pass the time of our sojourning here in fear Here consider 1. The benefit Redemption 2. From what Their vain conversation which is set out by the Original of it The tradition of their fathers 3. The price whereby purchased which is set down first Negatively where 's shewed what it is not no worldly thing such as silver and gold described by the nature and quality Corruptible things then Affirmatively where 's shewed what it is namely Blood precious blood The precious blood of Christ as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot Forasmuch as ye know Here note That A man may know himself to be a redeemed one he may know that there 's no condemnation to him and that he is translated from Death to Life He may know that he serves not sin as he was wont but his heart is to serve the Lord and that he walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit And doth a man know himself redeemed he must pass his time in the fear of God and therefore in vain do such boast that they are redeemed that live yet in their sins That ye were redeemed Here note 1. That as Mercy presupposeth Misery so Redemption Bondage and Slavery neither is the bondage wherein we stand such as of Pharaoh or the Turks but Ten thousand times worse even of Sin and of the Devil God indeed made us free in Adam Sin nor Satan had nothing to do with us but we all sinning in Adam became subject not onely to the Wrath and Curse of God the first and second death and the forerunners of both but to sin also and so by nature we can do nothing but sin we drink sin as a thirsty man doth water It s as natural to us as for the fire to burn So fast is our will bound to the will of the Devil that for our lives we cannot think a good thought Now as all bondage is abhort'd of the nature of man so the baser person one is in bondage too the more odious it is to them that see it and the more tedious to themselves that bear it Now none so base in the world as sin and the Devil the woful enemies of God and our souls This should humble us all being in this woful case and so would it do if we could be brought to believe it But as the Jews we think we were never in bondage to any and finding our bodies at liberty conceive so of our souls whereas both be in a spiritual bondage unto evil Nay such is our woful bondage as we cannot believe we are in it nor can desire to come out of it but naturally we love and desire it thereupon are enemies to the means of our freedom most think that if they may have their lusts satisfied and fetch their flings in all maner of evil some of pleasure some of their unconscionable dealing c. O it s a little Heaven O such Towns and Houses where they may thus have their wills are the onely places but for the Towns and Services where they may not thus lash out but are restrained and must be brought to the Word Prayer Reading Repetition Catechizing and the like O fie upon it say they Here 's a Bondage a Slavery who would be tyed thus If my year be our once I le lay a stone there c. This is a hard saying who can bear it Let us break their bands and cast their coards from us If this Preaching be suffered we shall do nothing shortly we shall not be merry we shall have our hands bound behinde us Thus counting Gods service which is perfect Freedom to be Bondage they hold their woful Slavery to be the onely Liberty and therefore are not onely willing so to continue but are against the means of their Delivery which is a great depth of bondage for let one be a slave to the Turks never so though his body be bound yet his minde is free he retains an earnest desire to be set at liberty well men must see it and feel it else they shall never be delivered and if they dye in this case they must have their wages according to the work 2. That there is a way out of this bondage for our parts we could finde none we could desire none nay God of his infinite mercy having found it out and prepared it we have no desire of it This indeed is a great and wonderful mercy He might have been glorified in our confusion and hath provided no remedy for the evil Angels as he hath for us It followeth hereupon 1. Seeing there is away of Redemption that all that know not themselves delivered must give all diligence that they may have their part in it Believe Gods Word that thou art now in Bondage but abide not in it seeing there 's a way-out will any of the Turks Slaves stay in Prison if the door be set open and liberty offered and proclaimed Christ was sent to proclaim liberty to Captives and so doth Do this the rather for the redeemeth not all most shall bear their own burthen He prayed not for the world All mine are thine saith he to his Father thine by Election mine by Redemption But is not he the propitiation for the sins of the whole world This is to be understood of all Believers of all Nations through the world in this last age since Christ. 2. That they which know themselves delivered from so great Thraldom both of Death and Damnation and of Sin also must now serve God and that under the hope of eternal Life They must study how to shew their thankfulness in all dutiful obedience all the days of their life If any were ransom'd from the Turk doth he not count himself his that hath ransom'd him so should we As we have yielded our members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin so must we now yield them as instruments of righteousness unto God We have taken great pains for the world and vanity forgot our meat and sleep thought the time short feared ever we should come too late have pleaded for Baal O le ts now do so for goodness we have spent our substance on lewd persons to follow our lusts now let us spend it in the service of God and on Gods Children O le ts not serve the Devil and sin in any point more forwardly then God! we must glorifie God in Body and Spirit we must have neither Heart Tongue Wit Will Eye Ear but for the Lord and all to be at his command O that we would often think of our Redemption both from whence and to what This would make us gather up our feet in our Masters service more roundly
hold on In his death he shall not be comfortless but finde enough in Christ to carry him to heaven though through the gates of death He knoweth whom he hath believed At the day of Judgement he shall not be ashamed but lift up his head with great joy when he shall see Christ coming in great glory and power to save all them that have embraced him and to receive them into the glory which he hath prepared for them then shall he be our Judge who hath been our Surety and Savior Contrarily they that believe not in Christ are never in quiet as the Papists that hope to be saved partly by Christ and partly by Works are often even the wisest of them distracted and cannot tell when they have done enough to rest in and so are ever suspitious and doubtful tost to and fro as one upon a ship mast So the wicked among our selves that believe not in Christ though some securely flatter themselves are for the most part doubtful having ever and anon thoughts that all is not well and so not knowing what shall become of them and though they love their lusts so well that they will not part from them for Christ yet often do their thoughts accuse them of their Whoredoms Deceits wicked Courses their hearts misgive them and so indeed their lives be as if one should lie in a bed too strait and the clothes too short and so they cannot sleep whereas he that is assured of his happiness and his heart witnesses his upright care to obey Gods will his bed and clothes be large enough he sleeps quietly and rests on a soft pillow his good conscience In the hour of death they are fearful disquieted and in death they are confounded when they see the Devil ready to carry their souls to hell At the day of Judgement how will the Jews and Turks that altogether reject Christ be ashamed and confounded when they shall finde that their imagined Christ and Mahomet hath deceived them and led them into a false hope O what a case will they be in when they shall see the true Christ whom they have rejected come to judge them O what wailing will there be how will they run up and down and what would they not do if they knew any way to help themselves then shall they finde it too late to sue to him Then will they sue to the hills to fall upon them and the mountains to cover them a poor request which yet shall not be granted them So all wicked men among us that have not kissed the Son but broke his bands and cast his cords from them that have had him offered to them but have not embraced him nor believed in him chusing rather to continue in their lusts then to have their part in him their condition is fearful O that all would embrace Christ whilst they may who else shall have sorrow and shame for their portion This phrase also implyeth That Believers can never fall away wholly nor finally as the Papists teach for then they might come to be ashamed They may be shaken for the tryal and strengthening of their Faith but overcomed they cannot be by all the gates of Hell Verse 7. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious but unto them which be disobedient the stone which the builders disallowed the same is made the head of the corner Verse 8. And a stone of stumbling and rock of offence even to them which stumble at the word being disobedient whereunto also they were appointed NOw that which the Apostle had cited out of the Prophet and was indefinitely spoken of all and every one he comes to apply particularly to the Jews that he wrote unto both believers and unbelievers shewing the happy state of the one and the miserable condition of the other one and the same Christ being to them diverse To Believers precious and fruitful to Salvation and all good but to the unbelievers and disobedient a stone to stumble at c. though not of his own Nature yet through their infidelity so that they should not onely have no benefit by him but destruction stumbling at the word that foretold of him and now testified of him But least any should wonder at this madness in men the cause is set down that as God ordained some to life and so to embrace Christ unto Salvation so some others to stumble against him to their ruine Besides this he also removes a common and great scandal and log out of the weak and common peoples way and that was that whereas he had spoken so much of Christ they could not see him to be such a one and their learned Doctors and Rabbies Scribes and Pharisees High Priests and Elders they could no way think well of him they judged him a deceiver and pursued him also which they would never have done if he had been the Savior and corner stone as you speak c. But for this faith the Apostle If it were a new thing that you never had had warning of it were somewhat but this is no other then was foretold in Davids time so long ago therefore it needs not seem strange to you yet their strugling was in vain for in despite of them he was made the head stone of the corner This had been indeed a great temptation if they had been to consult onely with reason For what should they have thought but as they were taught and learned of their gave Teachers of whom that People had a very great and high opinion But considering Gods decree and that he had foretold it should be thus and that God would save his Church by such a way that worldly wise men thought not of and would effect his purpose not onely without the help but even against the will of the great men of the world it could not much trouble them And in that the Apostle doth apply that which was indifinitely said of all to particular persons we may learn how to use the promises of God laid down in Scripture even to endeavor to apply them to our selves particularly This is the nature of true Faith It s but a cold and dead thing to believe those things in general to be true which Hypocrites yea Devils do but this to make them ours as David My Lord My Castle My Refuge and Job My Redeemer and Thomas My Lord and my God and Paul Who loved me and gave himself for me is that we must labor for This particular Faith is that which is to Salvation signified by eating and drinking and Faith is compared to an hand and in our Creed every one of us is particularly bound from our hearts to say I believe How may we come to this particular perswasion A person humbled and seeking earnestly God sends his Spirit to witness to his of the same wherewith that it may appear that it s no presumption nor deceiveable
ordained most men to destruction then is his justice greater then his mercy We must not measure his justice and mercy by the number of the one or of the other for if there had been but one onely saved it had been as great mercy as his justice in condemning the rest for if but one had been saved it must have cost the death of the Lord Jesus such was our misery Now what a mercy it was that the eternal Son of God equal with the Father and in whom he was well pleased should not onely abase himself to our nature but to our infirmities yea to sorrows and great indignities nay to death yea a cursed death O who can express this love It was a wonder he did not rather suffer us all to perish then his Son to endure the least of these Then he hath ordained the means of their condemnation namely sin and so is the Author of sin True he ordained and decreed that there should be sin in the world as he did of the fall of Adam but not as is sin and evil but as whereby and out of which God draws glory to himself and it was necessary that there should he evil in the world as well as good that a way might be made for setting out Gods mercy in pardoning some and his justice in punishing it in others but so as the Lord is no way faulty He ordained willingly to permit it as it hath respect of good in it but as no actor of it He put no evil in Adam nor any man but onely willingly permitted his fall c. 2. This should and may stay our mindes when we see any great Professors and men of excellent parts fall away It s no other then that an Hypocrite and one that never was sound nor elect of God is now discovered and let none that can prove their election be overmuch troubled onely walk reverently but never be dismaid with deadly fear They fell because they were not elect and you being elect shall be therefore sure to stand and thus our Savior comforts his Disciples That none was lost but Judas who was the son of perdition so did Paul the Christians notwithstanding the revolting of Hymeneus Philetus Alexander c. If it were not for this what a deadly fear might this breed in weak Christians to see those so far their superiors in knowledge and gifts to fall away Thus of the first The second is this That This was of his own will and for no cause out of himself for the Lord infinite in wisdom and holiness needs not as man to fetch the reason of his purposes forth of himself He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardneth He doth all things according to the counsel of his own will Is it not said O Israel thy destruction is of thy self and He that beliveth not is condemned and Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish Cursed be the mouth that saith not so even that every mans destruction is of himself and his own just desert but we must put a difference between the decree of God and the execution of it God condemneth no man upon his bare will but his own just desert Sin comes in between the decree of God and the execution of his Decree as the cause of Damnation If then it be asked Why is any man condemned For his sin But why did God decree to condemn any Because he would As no man is saved but by Faith in Christ and Sanctification of life which yet is not the cause why God appointed him to Salvation but because he would so there 's none condemned but for his sin yet God ordained him not thereto because of sin but because of his own will If any ask further and why would he That a note too high for man or angel to sing but there in humility we must rest and not put the Lord to render a reason of all his decrees or doings which even princes will not do to their subjects he raised up Pharaoh c. even because he would get glory out of him and by his means This condemneth the Opinion of foreseen works good or bad as of this because he foresaw some would be bad and refuse grace he therefore Reprobated them c. but God loved Jacob and hated Esau not onely before the had done good or evil but before there was any thinking of good or ill If foreseen sin be the cause of Reprobation then on the contrary foreseen grace of Election but the Epistle to the Ephesians sheweth the contrary hereof Faith and Sanctification followeth upon Election as fruits thereof therefore go not before as any causes so do Infidelity and impenitency follow after Reprobation If foreseen sin had been the cause of Reprobation then we should all have been refused for he could not see us but all sinners But as the blinde man was not so born for his own or Parents sin but that the work of God in curing him by a Word might be seen so was it in this business Thus of the second The third is this That The Lord hath done this most justly His will is a rule of Righteousness and he can do nothing but most holily and justly Is there unrighteousness with God God forbid Though we cannot see into the justness of it yet we ought to acknowledge it The Sun may shine and that brightly too though a blinde man see it not Man was made holy and having free-will by his willing sin lost his state and still sins willingly It seems cruelty in the Lord to appoint most part of mankinde to Destruction He did it not as ayming at their Damnation but at his own glory which is more to be regarded then all the World And shall the Clay say against the Potter Why hast thou made me thus and thus may not he do as he list So may not the Lord get glory by his own creatures which way he will And do men for their pleasure hunt the Hare and Partridge or kill not onely Flyes and baser creatures but also Fowls with their grins in like maner appointing Sheep Oxen c. for the slaughter and shall not the Lord have as much Soveraignty over men the work of his hands we cannot make a Fly or Flea yea it s more reason that the Lord should be glorified if he would with the Damnation of all mankinde then that the killing of a Hare nay a Fly should serve to the honor or pleasure of the greatest Potentate of the world What if he had ordained none to Salvation who had had cause to complain Besides with what patience bears he with them and their blaspheming of him every day What marvellous benefits and comfortable good things bestows he upon them houses lands wealth health peace who might destroy and send them to
c. on the contrary consider the woful estate of the wicked For what be they be they Kings Priests or Prophets no such matter Believers be so They be Kings Priests and Prophets but the wicked are the slaves of sin and Satan slaves to the flesh to their own lusts to the world What though they be rich yea though they be Emperors and not Believers they are the vassels of Satan and have nothing but their drudgery in sin and Hell for their own place as their desert Neither are they Priests but prophane ones let them stand off for the holy God cannot abide unholy persons they and their Sacrifice are abomination to the Lord They offer no Sacrifices at all of Prayer Praise or Alms or if they do its abominable because they offer not themselves soul and body to God first but they offer themselves to the Devil and him they serve with body and soul might and main Neither are they Prophets but dumb beasts not savoring of the mysteries of Gods Kingdom or if uttering any thing thereof yet their ill lives disgrace it again O that such considering their own base and the others happy estate would have an holy emulation to be as they and indeed nothing in this world is worthy to be envied but a Christian Humble therefore thy self for thy sin past turn to God for thy pardon in Christ and labor to have thy part in him and by him and by Faith in him thou shalt attain to be a Christian and so consequently a King Priest and Prophet and be enabled to the duties of the same An holy nation Here 's a third priviledge not meant of all the Jews but of the elect among them and of all believing Gentiles as Acts 2. 38 39. so called 1. Because they had the Oracles of God the Word and Sacraments which no other had This belonged to all the Jews True but it might be said that they onely had them which had the power of them to the conversion of their souls and Salvation and others had them not which had no fruit and benefit by them 2. Because they were sanctified and set aside by special grace to be holy ones to the Lords use Note then That All that be the Lords are holy persons that is Not onely having Christs holiness imputed to them but in whom God worketh inherent Righteousness and Holiness by his Spirit conveying vertue from Christs death to kill sin and from his Resurrection to raise them to newness of life to alter and change them throughout in soul spirit and body This though not perfect in any yet is sound and upright in them all therefore he gives them his holy Word and holy Spirit to work this and holy Sacraments to encrease it and its requisite that as God is holy so also all his should so be and these be they shall see his face with comfort no other and for these onely is Heaven prepared O let every man examine himself whether he be a sanctified person or not if yea Then 1. To thy comfort know hereby thou art one of the Lords number a greater priviledge then to be written among the Potentates of the earth There 's Consolation to thee thou wert elected and shalt be glorified 2. Seeing thou art set aside for the Lords use and sanctified in body and soul never defile thy self again or put any part of thy body and soul to any common or unholy use of sin or Satan In the Law it was ever most fearful to take any Consecrated thing as the Holy Oyl Shew-bread or Vessels and put them to any common use so is it that we should put Hand Foot or Tongue to any use of sin or corruption for any part of our souls or lives Oh many contrarily can let loose their tongue to impatient proud and most unseemly speeches yea and their bodies and mindes some to excessive following the world as they were wont and as worldlings do and some after their pleasures and vanities O that we would grow and abound in Sanctification that here having our fruit in holiness we may have the end everlasting life If not but contrarily you either live in prophaneness the open breach of some of the Commandments or be only superstitiously holy in some odde devotions and loose in other things as Papists and a number of old Folks or such as have a counterfeit holiness in the first Table and make no conscience of the duties of the second or contrarily civil persons that seem very just in the second Table but savor nothing of the duties of the first Table Know you are yet unsanctified persons and therefore out of Gods number you may be members of the visible Church where good and bad chaff and corn are but not of the invisible who onely are sanctified ones Let such be what they will be having Wit Learning Wealth Wisdom Civility all skill of Languages yea if they could measure the Heavens number the Stars c. and be not sanctified they are of the Devils rabble and shall perish everlastingly O that you would awake out of your courses What fruit have ye had or look ye to have therein The end of these things is death Come to the Word crave the Holy Spirit desire Pardon and Sanctification till this be you are not out of the state of Damnation and all things are impure to you Word Sacraments yea your Meat Drink Apparel c. A peculiar people That is a people proper to the Lord which he himself hath purchased and which he now takes as his own and sets great store by called therefore his secret ones whom he keeps under his protection to whom also he reveals his secrets his Beloved ones his Spouse his Love his undefiled as the Apple of his eye the Signet on his right hand whom he cannot forget In the flood he saved his Church when all others were drowned he saved Lot when Sodom was destroyed he makes more account of one Christian then of thousands of others If one of them pray it s so forcible that he says Let me alone and if thousands of wicked it s but as the howling of Dogs an abomination They are his glory all the world are dross to them vile persons and base The wicked though never so many are but servants to the Church as the seven Nations were to make the Land of Canaan fit for the people of God yea even then when they seem to dominier most over them they are but their drudges They as a wisp scour the Church to make it bright in the eyes of God but the wisp is to be cast into the fire they are Gods rod to bring it to obedience when that 's effected the rod is to be flung into the fire And No marvel though the Lord set such store by his Church seeing he hath been at such cost therewith as
punishment of evil doers and for the praise of them that do well The second Reason of the foregoing Exhortation It s taken from the end of Magistrates appointed for the great benefit of a Commonwealth even to punish evil doers commend and defend the good without which no Kingdom could stand as there could be no garden if all the Hogs in the Town were suffered to root it up no orchard if Cattel were suffered to eat it off the buds and bark of the trees c. so that unless we be vipers and seek the ruine of our Countrey we cannot but acknowledge the benefit we get by Magistrates and accordingly perform our duties towards them As they are to make good Laws both for the worship of God tending to his glory and the Salvation of their peoples Souls and the preservation of Justice and Peace wherein Mercy and Judgement are to meet together and are to justifie the Righteous and condemn the wicked as good gardiners pull up the weeds but cherish good herbs whereby vertue may flourish by due encouragement and vice may be suppressed by due punishment So must we accordingly behave our selves towards them for their encouragement For the punishment of evil doers God is a just God who both hates and punisheth sin so must Magistrates do they have not the Sword for nought It must not be as a childes Dagger never drawn out or rust in the scabberd as those hanged up in our houses in the times of Peace Samuel hewed Agag in pieces Joshua put Achan to death Moses was zealous this way Magistrates must be men of courage and must punish the wicked according to their fault This is the ready way to bring them to repentance as the rod and correction gives life to a childe and keep others from the like faults Thus was the stubborn son to be stoned that all Israel might hear and fear Hereby also they stay the cry of sin and so provide for Gods glory and safety both of Church and Commonwealth If they smite not God will as Elies sons and Agag 1. This rebuketh the wonderful coldness of most Magistrates that care not whether they have any ill doers brought before them if they can shift it off or if they be brought yet handle them so gently that not onely that are not the more reformed but the more emboldened in their wickedness and such as complained of them quite discouraged a fearful thing Thus under colour of mercy sin is encreased God dishonored the Commonwealth marred Thus whereas they might do much good they do much hurt to others they hurt also themselves as Saul in sparing Agag and Ahab in sparing Benhadad How will Magistrates answer this God calls Who is on my side Who he looks who will help him against the mighty assuredly it s now time for him to work O let Magistrates look to this they shall provide well for themselves against the time of need they may look for help from God and say as Nehemiah Remember me O Lord my God in goodness according to all that I have done This is also the sin of Headboroughs and Constables that are not zealous to finde out such and complain of them but rather cold loath to stir for being counted medlers c. so that we may say men have no courage for the Truth and no man calleth for Justice And thus they make themselves work while they shun it for so sin encreaseth and will set them on work whether they will or not 2. This rebuketh also all such as take part with persons and causes There 's no Town but hath vile persons in it there 's none so vile but lightly one rich man or other that should joyn to punish him takes part with him If they cannot scape the curse that help not the Lord against the mighty what shall become of them that help the mighty against the Lord and all that seek to punish them a threefold curse waiteth for them and where shall they appear And for the praise of them that do well God loves and rewards well doing so should Magistrates they must defend and advance such their eyes must be upon the faithful in the Land and with Cornelius they should have such wait on them as fear God 1. This rebukes those that hearten not good persons when they come with complaints to them neither shew any countenance to such 2. Much more them that set themselves against those O it s a sickly time when the best be most afraid and punisht As Micaiah imprisoned by Ahab Eliah feign to flie from Jezabel and Jeremiah put in a Dungeon Mephibosheth deprived of his means Daniel cast into the Lyons Den c. Magistrates should not be feared of them that do well yet it s often so so it was in Queen Maries time the godliest hid their heads in Woods and Dens were Imprisoned put to Death whereas Idolaters were in request In such cases we had great need to pray for redress Verse 15. For so is the will of God that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men A Third Reason of the foregoing Exhortation Its Gods will that we submit our selves that by this means we may stop bad mens mouthes that would if we did not obey speak ill of Professors and of the name of God and the Gospel it self For so is the will of God That Gods will ought to be that which should lead and binde us I have heretofore proved at large on the third Petition of the Lords-Prayer which as it should upon all other particulars so ought to prevail with us in this duty of obedience That with well doing ye may put to silence c. Of good works what they be and how needful they are I have spoken on verse 12. adde we here one end more Namely that Good works or a godly innocent life in obedience to Magistrates and all things else is of necessity to stop up the mouthes of bad minded persons that wait for offences Every one that professeth must know that he hath many eyes on him that watch him narrowly and some very badly minded our duty is to take away all matter of ill talk from them as if the wood be taken away the fire goeth out and if the water run not the Mill goes not By well-doing we stop up their mouthes as David did Sauls and Daniel his accusers Or if we cannot stop their mouthes but that they will needs talk yet that they may have no just cause to speak ill of us but though in general terms they make a railing yet being urged in particular to tell what we have done or with what they can chargeus or what sin we live in or what corruption we yield to which we strive not against they may be driven to silence This rebukes the wonderful
times wherein there are none so bad but others will keep company and joyn with them in all kindes of Societies yea oftentimes even Professors will match their children with such especially if they be wealthy but what a woful yoke is it to have an honest or well minded person or one of good towardness to be yoked with one of an ungodly and vile life one that 's both loose in maners and corrupt in judgement whether Atheist Papist or any other So men care not where they dwell nor with what Neighbors if the ground like them and it be for their profit Our yong Gentlemen are scarce compleat if they go not over to Italy to learn some of Machiavels villany A number of our Merchants care not where they buy or trade so it be for gain though they live amongst all Gods enemies and often defile themselves with bowing their knee to Baal Many care not how vile Servants they have so they do their work which yet proves oftentimes the poysoning of their Children Most are for all companies if good so it is they will frame themselves accordingly if bad they are also for them This is the cause of so much overflowing and overspreading evil in the world for one infects another O how many Youths of good towardness falling into vile company have been spoiled How loath are we that our Children should look asquint or be deformed Ill company will quickly make them look quite awry from God therefore saith David Depart from me ye wicked for I will keep the commandments of the Lord. As we love our selves as we would escape the Judgement of God upon us such as Pain Sickness Poverty and such like here with everlasting Torments hereafter keep we our selves far from the wicked depart we from them in whom we see not the lips of knowledge If we be to choose our dwellings do not we dwell in Mesech as we would not cry with the Psalmist Wo is me c. If already we dwell in such places yet be we watchful over the pollutions there lest we be defiled Haply the wicked will hereupon tax us for pride but better it is that they should speak ill of us falsly then that God should hate and punish us justly If one should wallow himself in a mire and term another in new and clean garments proud for not wallowing as he did or rubbing upon his dirty clothes whereby he might be defiled who would not account him a fool Those I say we must not love neither frequent their company but we must love the Brotherhood frequent the company of Gods people David made choyce of such so Cornelius even of such as did fear the Lord We must love to have fellowship with them both publikely in hearing the Word joyning together in Prayer for a blessing thereon and offering up the sweet perfume of Thanksgiving where thousands have found such comfort and refreshing as they would not give for a world and privately conferring one with another Admonishing Exhorting Edifying Comforting and Encouraging one another Thus we shall strengthen and confirm one another for he that walks with the wise shall be wise Thus stir up and provoke one another to good works whereof considering our dulness and weakness we have great need Thus we may open our temptations one to another and accordingly receive both comfort and counsel The wicked meet to strengthen one another in evil hereby making others twofold more the children of the Devil then themselves and should not we be as wise in our generation Oh! How many have cause to thank God highly for good company by whom upon the discovery of their temptations they have received both comfort and strength by whom being formerly much daunted by Reproaches and other harsh measure used against them for their Profession they have been notably heartened yea even the wicked themselves have been the better for good company as Joash whilest Jehoiada lived and the Sodomites whilest Lâ—t was amongst them Two are better then one and as iron sharpeneth iron so good company proveth beneficial unto such as make use of the same 1. This rebuketh the Brownists that separate and rent themselves from us and our both publike and private Societies as if we were no Church but an Antichristian company having neither Sacraments nor Ministers But we have not onely a true but a worthy Church that maintain all Principles of true Religion as soundly as any Church in the world as in our Articles of Religion appeareth We have also Ministers inwardly called of God with competency of gifts and graced of him by the fruit of their labors in the Conversion of thousands of souls which is a good seal of their Ministery from Heaven and if these have any good in them where had they it but from those Ministers and that Church from which they now separate and on which they most unchristianly rail as Antichristian to whom our Church may say indeed Give me that which you have had of me and then go your ways and see what will become of you What an ungracious part were it in a Son if being grown to some years and able to shift for himself he should turn and miscalling his Father spit on his face calling also his Mother Harlot and Whore and then running away from them when he should shew his thankfulness to them No less ungracious are these men 2. It rebuketh those prophane ones that cannot abide the company of Gods people think an hour there as long as a day elswhere account such a Family a prison wherein there 's reading the Word Catechizing Prayer and the like duties yea when they should be in the house of God they will be at home or in some Alehouse or walking abroad in the Fields or loytering in the Church-yard or if they come it s to no purpose as being against their mindes such straglers are in danger of the Devil out of Gods protection and may fall into any evil What blinde beasts be these that count that a prison that is comfort and joy true and sweet liberty Well if they will not walk with them while they live their end shall not be like theirs sever'd in life sever'd in death But what have they no company then Yes to swagger swill swear game and to all maner of disorder as well on the Lords-day as other times There 's a great deal of such fellowship in this Land falsly called good fellowship indeed hellish fellowship whereof not God but the Devil is the Author and Master of the meeting little brotherly fellowship except it be as Simeon and Levi brethren in evil O the drunken fellowship of these times Some are mad and beastly drunkards others to whom there 's also a wo strong to pour in strong drink glorying in making others drunk but their glory is to their shame and their end will be damnation How few Gentlemens houses can you come to wherein
any thing better becoming us then to please God with all our might Hath he not made us and chosen us to life before the world given his Son to dye for us and save us given us his Gospel and Spirit hath prepared a Kingdom for us and will we not please him yea if a thing stand with our profit though we know it will displease him can we be content to do it O that we should offend so good a God and so merciful a Father as he hath been unto us O do we endeavor to please him whosoever be thereat displeased whatsoever we lose or whatsoever trouble we bring upon us But O the monstrous course of this world that of all things cannot abide what pleaseth God! that so live as if God had nothing to do with them as if they were neither in his debt nor danger as if they were not afraid of them or he could do them no hurt Are you not woful creatures that thus abuse God Are you not in his debt Who gave you these Bodies and Souls who fashioned them whence was it that you were not Toads Monsters mad persons and fools who hath maintained your lives who hath kept you that you have not been ere this consumed or are not now in hell Art thou not in his debt who hath let thee live under the Gospel the means of saving thee denyed to most of the world Should you not then please him Art thou not in his danger Cannot he make the earth to swallow thee the worms to eat thee up Can he not smite thee with an incurable disease in thy bowels Can he not strike thee with madness cast thee upon thy bed and there forsake thee and give thee up to a desperate minde Is he not able to send thee to Hell ere night Can he not make every joynt of thy body every tooth of thy head so to torment thee that thou shalt be weary of thy life Canst thou promise thy meat shall nourish thee or that when thou lyest down thou shalt have one wink of sleep for pain of body or vexation of minde or shalt ever rise again When there is the greatest hope of fruit cannot he in one night by a Frost destroy it all Do we not stand at his courtesie for every shower of Rain for the Bread we eat and every thing else and should we not then please him If he smile on us whose frown need we regard If he frown whose smiles can do us good Who can stand before him when he is angry He rendeth the rocks and maketh the mountains to tremble O that any through fear or to procure the favor of any or for any other by-respects should displease him For this is thank-worthy or acceptable Whence note that The actions of Gods Children done as they ought and may be done are pleasing to God howsoever they are not as the Papists from this and the like places affirm Meritorious They are pleasing to God as being done by such as are justified by Faith in Christ the weaknesses of their actions being covered in his Death and Obedience 1. This is a great comfort unto all such as can prove themselves Gods Children and strive to do their duty in the best maner they can though the same be done weakly yet being done in truth is pleasing to God then which what greater joy comfort and encouragement unto any duty can be wished 2. This may be a terror to all that cannot prove themselves justified persons they never did that thing throughout their whole lives that pleased God A carnal man can no more make a good action then a Painter or Carver can make a living man The actions of unregenerate men want a soul. Till a mans person please God which is not till he be justified through Christ his actions cannot but displease him Even the sacrifice and prayer of the wicked is abomination before him What joy can a man have when being old and full of years he cannot truly approve that ever he spake thought or did that which was good Did men believe this they would endeavor with all speed to come out of their unregenerate condition If a man for conscience towards God endure grief c. Here he shews the maner how servants must do their duty to such unconscionable Masters even for conscience towards God because God so requires the same for if servants should bear quietly with such a Master and do their duty because they know no remedy know not how to help themselves or know that though he be wondrous hasty and boisterous yet to them that can bear with him and let him alone he will be good and bountiful whoso do their duties I say for such respects please not God neither shall have any reward with him what we do for conscience towards God is pleasing to him not otherwise whoso looketh asquint at profit pleasure honor credit favor of this or that man or the like is far from pleasing God whoso doth for conscience sake may with comfort look up to God in life and in death This rebuketh the common sort which do many duties and abstain from many sins but not in a right maner for carnal and sinister respects and not for conscience towards God Such hypocrites shall have their portion with the hypocrites Q. How may we know whether we do our duties for conscience sake or not A. By these Notes 1. If we make most conscience of the greatest things first and then of less in their place and so of the greatest sins for God hates greatest sins most as in Dâ—â—id of whom it s said He walked in uprightness all his days saving in the matter of Uriah He had other faults rashness towards Nabal pride in numbring the people rashness to believe Zibah yet that against Uriah was the worst of all Greatest sins rob God most of his glory do most disgrace the Gospel make greatest wounds in our souls procure most numbness and hardness of heart and greatest outward punishment we must make conscience of all but especially of the greatest Such as seem very earnest against some small things and make no account of greater are Hypocrites like the Scribes and Pharisees which strained at a gâ—at but swallowed a Camel Such were the high Priests they made conscience of putting the thirty pieces of silver into the treasury which Judas returned to them but made no conscience of putting Christ to death They made Conscience of going to the Common-Hall least they should be defiled and made unfit for the Passover who yet made no conscience of shedding innocent blood So the Papists stands altogether upon meats days and such trifles of their own devising making no conscience of Gods great Commandments of the 2 3 4 c. So many among our selves will speak very hardly of some small blemishes in a Professor and Oh! is this agreeable to Gods Word c. who
above all others Oh! it rebukes our cold serving him which will scarce lay down our lusts at his request who yet laid down his life for us our proud lusts revenging lusts covetous and worldly lusts unclean lusts c. O fearful unthankfulness And how hardly are we brought to do duties No forwardness therein negligence every way and when we do them how cold and careless are we O lamentable Is a cold drowsie service suitable to such a love as this we may be even ashamed herein And for suffering alas we have no will no not to endure a mock a frown of a great person we will make friendship with the world rather then to endure the least disgrace we will forbear many duties nay to keep company with Gods servants onely lest we should be counted Puritans How shall we then be able to go to Prison and death for the cause of Christ 3. To all that mourn in Sion to all that are heavy laden hungring after Christ Jesus and willing to take up his yoke and to all other Believers this is matter of most unspeakable consolation Their sins be gone and all the punishment due to them no punishment shall befal them here as on the ungodly no wrath or condemnation hereafter Their afflictions are merciful corrections to further their Salvation To them death is no death but a passage to life that whereupon their Souls are received into Heaven their bodies committed to the earth both which at the Resurrection shall be joyfully reunited O how should we walk worthy of this in all holiness and honesty But to all that shall not have part in Christ there remains unspeakable misery it had been good for them they had never been born they must bear their own burthen and sink to Hell there to be for ever and ever This will be the portion of most because so few receive Christ so few are humbled so many through pride and profaneness refuse to be guided by him O how few will cast away their lusts and yield up themselves to be ruled by him and his Word It will be most woful to the Turks Jews and Pagans that shall perish without Christ but yet of all others their judgement will be most fearful which have had him preached daily and by the Ministers of God have been so often besought to embrace him and yet have despised him would none of him Oh it will encrease their torment to consider that they had offer of Christ and many believed in him and were converted by the same Sermons whereat they themselves were no whit moved O this will fret hearts O le ts consider this we that live in this happy time One would think every man should receive and imbrace Christ Jesus but alas how few do this for them that do not it will be their undoing O give no rest unto your selves till you can get a discharge in and by Christ confess bewail crave pardon cry to God and resolve to turn to him The water is now stirring step into this Pool of Bethesda 4. This condemneth all false ways for Salvation for other then Christ never was any neither is or shall be therefore all that reject him as Jews and Turks or embrace him onely to halves as the Papists are in a fearful case as all among our selves that trust to any thing else besides him That we being dead to sin c. Another main end of Christs death and another great benefit redounding unto us thereby namely That he dyed for us not onely to free us from sins and wrath and damnation deserved thereby but also to kill sins in us to deliver us from the power thereof and to dissolve the works of the Devil in us that being dead unto sin we might live unto righteousness Of the words first in general then in particular In general note we thus much that For whomsoever Christ dyed he dyed to kill sin in them for he dyed not to free us of half our misery and leave us in the other half nor to be at a great deal of cost with us and for us and yet leave us in a case fit to do him no service as if one should ransom a man out of the Turks galleys and leave him in the midway but hath done all this that we might be fit to do him service thereupon giving us his Word and Spirit to humble us and so to change us that sin may be mortified in us and we made live He is not onely made of God unto us Redemption but also our Sanctification as he hath redeemed us so hath he purged us to be a peculiar people unto himself Christ affords both and from him we may as well look for the one as the other yea whosoever hath indeed his part in the one cannot be without the other and in token of our thankfulness we ought to labor by all means to shew forth this latter 1. This confutes that wicked slander of the Church of Rome We talk say they that we must be saved by Christs death and by Faith in him onely and not by any thing we can do and therefore that we set men at liberty to do what they list and open a gap to all licentiousness but as the Gospel is not a Doctrine of liberty so neither do we by preaching give way unto licentiousness The Gospel requires as strict obedience as the Law doth to every of Gods Commandments though not in extremity neither freeth it us from any duty to God or men yea teacheth us That denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world and that none have nor can have part in Christ which give not themselves to good works 2. This setteth forth the wonderful goodness of Christ Jesus that hath not onely freed us from Gods wrath and the punishment of our sins which is unspeakable goodness but hath appointed to give us his Spirit to free us from sin for if we should all our life here have lived after our own lusts or under the power of Satan what a base and woful life had this been that we might both in heart and body serve him in the works of holiness and a godly life 3. This condemneth all those that lay claim to the death of Christ and yet live in their sins and old lusts Numbers in these days have got this by the end They hope to be saved by Jesus Christ They be no Papists that look to be saved by their works but they believe in Jesus Christ with all their hearts and yet they are not washed from their old filthiness but abide still in security in all or some of their lusts But let such know they speak impossible things God hath joyned these two ends of Christs death and they divide them yea blasphemous things that Christ dyed to set men at liberty to live as they list O woful
wretches that can say They hope to be saved by Christ and that he dyed for them and yet can follow every vain pleasure and wicked lust to redeem them from which it cost even the blood of Christ more worth then a thousand worlds what is this but to set light by Christs death which none can do who hath his part therein yea what is it but to crucifie him again and to make a mock of his death what beastly unthankfulness is it for any to say Christ dyed for me and yet to live in sin nay whosoever have faith to believe their pardon in Christ it purifieth their hearts and the assurance of such a love to us must needs work love again in us and that love will constrain us yet who useth not this shift who flyeth not hereunto as Joab unto the horns of the Altar but as there he found no shelter from the Sword of Benaiah so they that flie to Christ as their refuge having nothing to do with him they shall be cut off and cast down into Hell for ever O that the death of Christ which ought to be the greatest corrasive to eat out sin out of our hearts as which cost such a wonderful price should be made a boâ—ster for sin As beggers go with their licences boldly from place to place so do worldlings sin boldly because they can say O they believe in Jesus Christ and he hath dyed for them c. but as most of their licences being found counterfeit and made under a Bush are taken from them and they themselves cast into Prison So when God shall come to examine those this shall not free them or serve their turn but they shall be cast into utter darkness If you live in your lusts or have the love of any one â—in in you as yet ye have no part in Christs death 4. This may be a great comfort to those that can finde and feel sin dying in them and themselves dead to all sin and the love of any one and that they are renewed to live the life of God and yield obedience to all his Commandments Though this be not as they would yet if their hearts can bear witness with them that this in truth let them be assured they have their part in Christs death Having their part in the latter benefit thereof it s an argument of the former For how come they to be now so changed into an hatred of all the sins which before they loved and such a true and earnest care to please God Flesh and blood hath not so taught them but Gods Spirit and that 's an argument we are his even his Spirit that he hath given us But many that would not willingly offend God for any thing and having failed in the least thing are more troubled then most be at great matters yea and study and strive for nothing so much as to please God yet cannot be perswaded that Christ dyed for them Oh! I fear that Christ dyed not for me will such a one say because I feel such a corrupt and rebellious nature within me and I am often overcome of sin and Satan It s not the mark of such as Christ dyed for that they are freed from sin altogether but that they hate all sin that they resist it and often prevail against the same whereof if at any time they be overcome yet they rise again by unfained repentance and stand up upon their watch for in the best of Gods Servants there will some of the Canaanilist brood remain as pricks in our sides but so long as we keep them Tributaries we must not be discouraged though our corruptions salley out upon us sometimes yet if we make war upon them and chase them home and so weaken them they shall not prevail over us The Church is not in this world without spot except it be by imputation of Christs righteousness for in respect of Sanctification it s but begun to be cleansed and shall be perfected in the world to come Thus in general In particular the two clauses here mentioned contain the two parts of Repentance or Sanctification namely Mortification and Vivification or dying unto sin and living unto righteousness Dead unto sin It s the duty of every Christian in token of his thankfulness to God that hath delivered him from this most woful state to set himself to mortifie his lusts and all maner of evil and that every day more and more Though we cannot be dead to sin at once it being a work of our whole life yet must we be dead to the love of all sin open or secret outward or inward and so dye daily as Christ dyed so should we labor and be more and more dead to our lusts as he was crucified so should we crucifie them c. And can we live in sin that cost the price of the blood of Christ Who would not abhor and cast from him the knife that killed his dearest friend Thus did sin to our Savior Christ it was that which brought him to his death 1. The thing then that best beseems a Christian is to mortifie his vile lusts to finde them out to hate and pursue them to the death to apply all means to the weakning and killing thereof ever hacking at the roots thereof by continual Prayer and Meditation applying the Word Mercies Corrections all to the throat of our Corruptions for as nothing is more unbeseeming a Christian then to be carried away of any lust so this should be our continual exercise to be continually weakning our Corruptions This is true Religion it stands not in hearing Sermons but in mortifying our lusts and bringing our rebellious hearts in subjection to the will of God And as we are to labor for the subduing of all so are we especially of our strongest corruptions that have most foiled us most broke our peace most dishonored God and have been of worst example 2. This rebuketh a wonderful fault in most Christians that howsoever they have general purposes to resist sin and to do well yet think that they are not continually to labor for the mortifying thereof wherein failing they do sometimes yield and give way to their lusts to break out into open evils vain speeches slight oathes worldly talking on the Lords day gaming and the like So for their inward lusts of pride covetousness frowardness security dulness to duties unbelief coldness and customariness in the service of God Alas these they look not after but almost lay the reign on the neck of them so that if they reign not in them yet they break out at every turn and are very rank in them and shew forth themselves grosly to Gods dishonor their own discomfort and the continual breach of their peace with much evil example to others As we would prove our selves Christs let us labor to crucifie the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof let us deal
can any thing cover them from the sight of God but the white raiment of Christs Righteousness if we put on this then shall not our filthy nakedness appear then shall we abound in knowledge wisdom zeal humility patience This is Royal apparel this will keep us from the Storms and Tempests of Gods heavy wrath and displeasure that will break out like a whirlwind against the ungodly who will be found naked The more we have of this we shall appear the more comely and beautiful before God his Angels and all good men This is the most costly apparel that can be of Gods own making and which none but his children wear This is apparel for all Sexes ages degrees and callings whatsoever and which doth well become and fit each of them neither are great ones to despise it for that mean ones wear it for this doth not derogate from its worth onely they that are Gods people wearing it This is never out of season as serving both for Summer and Winter never out of fashion It fits in Youth in Age in Life in Death and is to be worn as well by night as by day in sickness as in health yea is then in great account when other apparel is laid aside and not regarded yea this apparel we carry with us out of this world when we leave our gay Robes behinde us and this apparel lasts ever being the better for the wearing 1. This rebuketh those that though they go plain enough outwardly yet have no care of their soul their mindes being altogether led away with covetousness there be moe ways to Hell then one even these shall no less perish then those which are wholly addicted to costly apparel This will not serve their turn Oh we be not proud we go plainly What then if thou beest covetous if thou art not careful for the decking of thy soul what art thou the better It rebuketh also those that are very curious and careful for outward attire but are altogether careless of this inward How many wear brave clothes which have no inward adorning They savour not of this they have no leisure for it it s the inside and so not seen but God seeth it men also see it by the outward and it will be seen and found naked when God shall come to Judgement such though outwardly brave be inwardly base their souls are not onely void of good but filled with all evil and noysom lusts they are like a dead Corps stuck with flowers and like painted Sepulchres yea like the Heathen Temples especially the Egyptians whose Proches were curiously carved painted and engraven with gold and all the bravery that might by but within nothing but the base Picture of a Cat Crocadile or some ugly Serpent How gorgeous soever they are outwardly they have not inwardly in their souls the image of God shining in Spiritual graces but rather Crocadiles and ugly Serpents even noysom and beastly lusts and so are like a dunghil covered over with Snow They wanting the inward beauty of grace to commend them set out themselves as gorgeously as they can in apparel as the Painters servant who being set to make the Picture of a very beautiful woman and wanting skil to make the face beautiful dawbed on a great deal of gold on her clothes Those howsoever they please themselves herewith in their prosperity yet in sickness their deep Ruffs must be laid aside and all their costly toys and then what shall comfort them O their misery at death but especially on the day of Judgement Then shall they for ever be clothed with shame and confusion as not being here clothed with grace 2. Let all therefore be wise and moderate themselves for outward apparel if it be comely and according to our degree it s well Herein le ts be careful even to advance and enrich the soul This becomes us well and will assuredly afford comfort in sickness in trouble in death and on the day of Judgement In that which is not corruptible Grace is of an incorruptible nature and abides for ever and is not taken away from any that is possessed thereof it abides in sickness tarries with us at death and we shall carry it with us into Heaven and wear it there for ever and ever This he lays down by way of opposition to outward apparel that is vain transitory subject to Moths to be stollen lost burnt worn out worn by them that are corruptible who know not whether shall last longer themselves or their clothes so vain a thing is man Such as prefer Grace take hold of the substance as they that prefer costly attire thereunto embrace the shadow take hold of vanity The ornament of a meek and quiet Spirit This is a particular vertue most fit for wives The very proper ornament of a good wife is a meek and quiet Spirit This is the mean to comfort any husband and to draw on those that be backward to a love both of their persons and profession Oh! what a comely thing is it in a wife not onely not to provoke her husband but not to be easily provoked by him winking at small unkindenesses and bearing with their natural infirmities passing by some occasions of grief with silence as others with a soft answer O how pleasing is it for an husband to have such a wise how comely is it also for them to be quiet with their neighbors no meddlers no tale-bearers or talehearers void of contention gentle peaceable so with their family and servants not to be always chiding and complaining to their husbands but governing them in as milde and peaceable a maner as may be and especially to be peaceable and quiet with them in their husbands hearing They that are thus by grace for some are of a soft and still disposition by nature and so slow to wrath are of great wisdom They are endued with that wisdom which is from above and their meekness is out of the fruits of the Spirit Then this nothing becomes them better if they were clothed with beaten gold and pearls it were nothing to this This reproveth those that be curst cruel and vexatious to their husbands through their continual unquietness Such are fit to keep Bridewel or be Dames of some house of correction there were fit objects for their chiding and fighting Some there are who having no children or servants to bait at work their teen upon their husbands and weary them not onely out of their houses but out of their lives Wives were appointed helpers but these help their husbands no way except to their grave These certainly have no goodness in them not refraining their tongue their Religion is vain They are right fools for anger resteth in the bosom of fools Let them therefore fight against this vice mourn under it and endeavor to be of a meak and quiet spirit Which is in the sight of God of
counsel of Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar even that they would break off their sins by repentance O turn ye why will ye dye acknowledge I beseech you all your rebellions and treacheries against God and that you have deserved hereby to be cut off entreating yet for pardon and mercy through Jesus Christ Turn to God with your whole hearts and learn to know that sin is odious bringing dishonor to God and destruction upon your selves O shun all evil little and great shun it at all times in all places how gainful or pleasing so ever and whosoever commands it or whomsoever you see practice it together with all the appurtenances and occasions of the same Means to evil may be these 1. Labor to understand the ten Commandments and so what is good and what is evil 2. Labor for faith which purifieth the heart from evil even the assurance of Gods love to us which may work in us love to his Majesty and so an hatred of all evil 3. A sanctified heart the inseperable companion of true faith 4. Attend on Gods ordinances publikely the Word and Sacraments and in private use meditation conference prayer c. 5. Watch and pray that we enter not neither be led into temptation 6. Make we a Covenant against evil as Job and David 7. Call to minde the fearful wrath of God and the wages of sin and the examples thereof on many both in Scripture and our own experience as also the hour of death when it will trouble us and lie heavy on our conscience and the day of Judgement when and where we would be loath to meet with it 2. This also rebukes them that eschew some evil but not all nor at all times or in all places Being commanded what will they not do What not for profit pleasure preferment The sins of their complexion and trade they will in no wise leave they run upon things because lawful though they cannot use them lawfully If they can sin secretly they make no conscience thereof 3. This may serve for instruction with rebuke to most Christians and to us that be most ancient professors that though we have a general purpose against evil yet we neither hate it so deeply nor shun it so carefully as we ought nor are so much humbled when we have been overtaken and have fallen thereinto as we ought we complain of our crosses but grieve not so much that we have fallen into sin If one should threaten to run at us with a naked sword or shoot at us whensoever he could finde an opportunity we would be wary and watchful upon our going abroad having an eye in every corner c. O do we thus against sin which watcheth but an opportunity to do us mischief If we would thus do we should not be so often overtaken as we are we should see better days scape numbers of crosses have more peace to our consciences more joy in our death and a freer passage to Heaven But alas we judge even that which is a great evil to be but a little one it pleaseth us if we have any colour for the same as that we have but once committed it that others do so and so c. Thus do we prophane the Lords-day despise his Ministers and run upon all sorts of evils 4. This affords consolation to all such as do indeed eschew evil and that out of an unfained hatred thereof rejoycing in nothing more then when they prevail against it grieving at nothing more then when they are overcome thereby such do indeed love God such fear him in truth and so are beloved of God and shall be everlastingly blessed these shall live happily here in joy and bliss hereafter O go on in this Christian course though the world hate you because ye do not as they do though they call you precise fools because ye dare not swallow such goblets as they do yea though hereupon ye pull danger upon your selves yet must ye eschew evil and so let us It s no matter though we have the worlds frown as long as we have Gods favor and what if we shall miss many a sweet morsel of profit pleasure and promotion if we be free from the gripes and vexations of conscience and the wrath of Almighty God they that now have their sweet meat would one day vomit up their morsels if they could as Judas did who though he rid himself of the money yet could not be rid of his wound of Conscience nor of the Judgement of God upon him were they ever the worse or had they any cause to grieve that they had not a share with him in the thirty pieces And do good This necessarily followeth on the other No man can have his heart truly nor aright set to do good whose heart is not first purged of the love of all evil for they cannot stand in one heart and at once and that man that lives and bears himself in the practice one sin never did good aright in his life neither ever pleased he God Who can serve God in one thing that serves the Devil in another This may serve to rouse up some that fain would do well and many good things they do but some one old accustomed sin which they know is a sin they cannot leave Well there 's no hating sin it will not do well the end will not be good it s but to be almost Christians Some will say Such a Preacher hath prevailed much with me and done me much good but as long as one known sin is lived in all is nothing worth to Salvation It s true a childe of God through strong temptations may be overcome of the same evil which he hates but he both covenants against it is careful that he may not fall into it having fallen he is much grieved He that is not grieved but doth again upon the next occasion fall to it is indeed in a grievous condition Thus from the order To do good is sometimes taken in a strict sence for the performance of the works of mercy whether for body or soul or both Here more largely for that good we are to do to our neighbor enemies that do us hurt or yet more largely for whatsoever God hath commanded in his Word Whose will is a perfect rule of Righteousness and makes that good which he requireth Whosoever would see good days here and hereafter must set himself in body and soul to the obedience of Gods will in doing good No other shall be saved good is the way leading to this end To come to this end we must walk in this way Reasons 1. It s good and amiable of it self as the Lord is 2. God commands it who is our Soveraign Lord and King Thou shalt do thus and thus saith he often throughout the Scriptures for I am the Lord thy God 3. All promises in Scripture of good things here or
in their work It will be demanded of us whether Magistrates Ministers Housholders or others what good we have done 4. This condemneth all those that fail in the doing of good or in the maner thereof and so lose their labor and have no comfort of themselves as they that will do some good duties not others as Read not Pray come to the Word not to the Sacraments come to both but omit Family duties They that do not good duties at all times but take liberty to shake them off and banish them so did not David nor in any places haply devout at Church careless elswhere nor in all companies doing good onely as Saul among the Prophets nor to all persons some will seem to give God his due in the mean time dealing unjustly with men as some with civil persons are careful in this careless in that Others also will do well to strangers but not to their Families as others to their friends but cannot away with their enemies and others though submiss to their Superiors yet are harsh to their Inferiors so they that will then onely do good when they finde it easie to be done who yet in the mean time take great pains to do wickedly so they that will not do any good except when they may be commended for it and have good will for their pains so they that still say they will and they will do good but defer the same so long that death takes hold on them so they that think to do good in their end who should do it in their life the present time is indeed the time wherein to do good so they that do good for a while but after break off so they that do good things but in a corrupt maner without Faith and seeking themselves therein or meerly in hypocrisie All these mark me well that make their practice of doing good in this fashion it s as good never awhit as never the better I deny not but a good man may herein at some times fail through weakness or by reason of some temptation but whosoever usually thus doth doth bewray himself to be but an hypocrite and as he thus worketh so accordingly shall he have his reward with hypocrites 5. This serves for consolation to all those whose hearts are unfainedly affected to good and which are ready to every good God requires of them in their general or special callings at all times in all places towards all even in things most difficult and dangerous desiring unfainedly to do them in a right maner they do what 's good in the sight of the Lord hereupon they shall have comfort for the present and hereafter life everlasting Such are indeed of God 6. This is also for instruction to us all that we give our selves with greater diligence to that that is good and to do much good in our general and special callings taking pains thus to do both publikely and privately such as joyn not with us herein shall want their part in our comfort This shall be our Crown and will accompany us to life eternal the more good we do the more joy shall we have in our lives the more comfort in death and the greater glory in the world to come Let him seek peace and ensue it Another duty to be done of all those that would live long and see good days They must seek peace and ensue it Men that seek not peace shall not finde it and without peace what comfort can any have of their life Neither can any enjoy eternal life that seek not after peace for God is that God of peace and all that are his must love peace and therefore hath God given us his Gospel of peace as to reconcile us to himself in Jesus Christ so also to teach us to live in peace one with another We must therefore not onely keep it when we have it and accept it being offered but wanting it seek after the same seek after it as covetous men do after Money the hungry after meat Hunters after their prey if it run or fly from us we must run and fly after it This is again and again both commanded and commended is a fruit of the Spirit and of the wisdom that comes from above Now we must seek after peace 1. By living innocently and harmlesly with our Neighbors such as harm them either in word or deed are enemies to peace 2. By living helpfully and doing good in our places as Magistrates Ministers c. 3. By passing by such small wrongs as are done unto us not so much as taking notice thereof and for others of more moment to compound them of our selves or refer them to indifferent neighbors which notwithstanding if they must needs be determined by Law must not break off peace or occasion the omission of any neighborly duty 4. By parting with some of our right to have peace Herein we must not stand upon terms though haply it were fit our adversary should come to us as being Yonger Inferior in place or who first gave the cause of offence yet rather then contention should continue we must pass by all those and go to him even Abraham yielded to Lot And this we must do nor with some persons onely but even with all not with the rich onely but the poor also as being our fellow servants members of Christ as we are and such of whom we may stand in need both in prosperity and adversity neither with the meaner sort onely and not with the rich and wealthy as if it were of a brave minde to stand out with them and not to regard them but with the one as well as the other yea nor with the good onely though with them chiefly but with the bad also even Abraham maintained peace with Abimelech yet so as that we may keep our peace with God not consenting with them in their evil nor doing evil or neglecting our duty for their good will A just War is better then an unjust Peace A Nation may have with Infidels a League of Peace though not of Amity so we must have peace but not with ill conditions to yield to unlawful things Wo be to that peace that makes partition with God and breaks the peace of our own Conscience our Savior Christ came not to bring such peace but the Sword It will be better by being faithful to have favor with God and peace in our selves though we reap the ill will of our Neighbors then that God should curse us for our unfaithfulness and the wicked also in Hell for following their ways Thus must Husbands and Wives Ministers and People c. keep peace one with another otherwise we must be contented rather to be counted troublesom and breakers of peace This we must seek after 1. Because it s so pleasing to God he is the God of Peace and by the Spirit often
The just He is the just one as God holiness it self as man filled therewith above Men and Angels Just not as Job Zachary and Elizabeth They were Righteous by his Righteousness imputed to them as Abraham also but he by his own they by Sanctification imperfectly Holy and Righteous he most perfectly nor as Adam who though perfectly Holy and Righteous by his own Righteousness yet was mutable therein and lost it not so in Christ but immutably so There was no guile found in him none could accuse him of sin nay he was the light and glory of the world yet suffered he gross things We then though never so just and innocent must not think much if we suffer altogether without cause It s the better it s but as Christ did But alas we are very faulty before God and deserve far greater things then we meet with yea cannot be innocent towards men how much less towards God The meditation of this point will much help us in our sufferings For the unjust That is for us wretched and miserable sinners and his enemies who could do nothing for him to deserve such kindeness How much rather ought we to suffer for him that just one and for his sake especially considering our sufferings are nothing to his The meditation of this also will much help us in suffering For sins that he might bring us unto God Christs sufferings were altogether for our good and if it had not been for them we had been utterly lost But for ours they be nothing to him he is never the better for them neither be they for his benefit but for our own even the purging of our souls the tryal and proof of our faith and patience and the preparing of us to the greater glory in Heaven Let 's think of this also and it will make us suffer the more willingly and patiently Lastly as he after his sufferings and death rose again and entred into glory and sits at the right hand of God So if we shall sow in tears we shall reap in joy having fought the good fight we shall receive an incorruptible crown of glory 1. This reproveth our notable tender daintiness that can endure nothing for Christ but as if we were too good to suffer though in company we should hear never so much spoken against Gods Servants and sincerity of Religion we can be silent and pass by the same and there are many that would be forwarder but for fear of being counted Puritans O cowardly fearfulness No wonder if such be never called to that honor to suffer for Christ What if to please the world we be luke-warm and God vomit us out of his mouth What if for our zeal the world hate us and God approves of us what do we lose Shall we make friendship with the world Know we not that its enmity with God He is praised that is allowed of God 2. Let us take heed of all preposterous zeal and rash unwarrantable causes whereinto some runâ—under colour of zeal and be zealous for God we cannot hate sin too much nor love goodness too much nor the Word too much nor keep the Sabbath too carefully nor govern our families too religiously Let us go on in a zealous godly life and if this offend any let them pardon us we would do no other then God requires and for this we must pray our Landlord or whosoever to give us leave we have served the Devil a great while tell them Its time now to begin to serve God and to look about us for our souls good thus in suffering for wellâ—doing we may be comforted and by these reasons kept from being discouraged Now of Christ sufferings death and resurrection particularly Christ hath once suffered for sins the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God In handling the sufferings of Christ observe 1. The circumstance of time or how often he suffered once 2. Who he was or the quality of the person suffering Christ the just 3. For whom he suffered for the unjust 4. Why he suffered even for sins and 5. To what end that he might bring us to God and hereinto our Apostle is again willing to fall as we should be to hear and often meditate thereof as hath been already shewed in the end of the last Chapter namely from verse 21. to verse 24. Much profit follows on it For 1. It sets out a notable mixture of justice and mercy 2. It shews what a mighty Savior we have in whom we may trust and to whom we may have recourse 3. It may wound our hearts for sins past and make us hate sin for the time to come 4. It sets out Gods infinite love and accordingly of all that have assurance of their part therein requireth unspeakable love 5. It s a comfort to all that mourn in Sion 6. It shews that all that miss of Christ must bear their own burthen 7. It provokes us to labor to know whether Christ hath dyed for us or not and for our assurance thereof to finde that we are truly humbled hunger after Christ and are ready to take up his yoke O that all ignorant persons which do not in any measure know the grounds of Religion that all civil persons which trust to their own righteousness that all worldlings whose hearts are altogether glewed to the things which are here below and do not so much as minde those things which are above the same being out of their element that all prophane persons which go on in open notorious lewd courses and that all Hypocrites not to speak of Turks Jews and Papists which content themselves with shews and common gifts would but duly meditate on Christs sufferings that so they might have part in Christ Assuredly all they that believe not shall be condemned but of all others they that have lived under the Gospel shall have greatest judgement and to make up all it will increase their torment to think that they had offer made of Christ and yet had not the grace to apprehend it that they were so near and yet missed and that some that sate with them were converted and are now in Heaven and they careless or wilful are now in irrecoverable damnation This will make them gnash their teeth gnaw their tongues curse themselves and the day wherein they were born Let such see feel confess and fly to Christ there being no other way of Salvation besides him I come to the particulars propounded The first concerneth the time how often he suffered Once It s true Christ suffered throughout his whole life and that diversly but all make up one perfect suffering and he suffered so as at once he finished al never to suffer again wherein his suffering is opposed to the sacrifices of the Law which were continually renewed because of their imperfection whereas he suffered once for all for being God
as well as man he both endured the infinite wrath of God and besides his person was of such infinite worth as gave such value to his sufferings as fully satisfied the justice of God 1. This confutes the Papists who make Christs sufferings imperfect two ways namely by teaching that we our selves must suffer the punishment of our sins hence are all their masses penances pilgrimages alms-deeds and charitable Works to take away the punishment of their sins after Baptism and by their renewing of Christs Sacrifice in the Mass which is as they say a Propitiatory Sacrifice for the sins of the quick and dead Their distinction of bloody and unbloody is but a shift 2. This is a wonderful comfort to all Gods children that our debt is so fully dischaarged that there 's nothing remaining for us to suffer Thus of the first The second concerneth the quality of the person which suffered He was that just one the Lamb of God which was undefiled and without spot conceived by the Holy Ghost in the womb of the Virgin had he not been such a one he could not have been our Savior Though he was innocent yet were our sins imputed to him and though we have not suffered neither of our selves have Righteousness yet as verily as he had pain and sorrow we shall have mercy and Salvation through him what can be more comfortable Thus of the second The third concerneth the persons for whom he suffered The unjust not the Devil nor Reprobates but for the Elect which yet are by nature unjust and wretched servants of sin and children of wrath as well as others He hath suffered for them that be never so unjust provided they feel their misery and have course unto him for help 1. Then for them that be in great distress for their sins and think they be so many and so great that they cannot or shall not be forgiven let them be comforted Christ came to dye for the unjust to call sinners to repentance to seek and save that which was lost If being weary you will come unto him as he invite you you shall be refreshed Though their sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow though they be red like crimson they shall be as wooll Paul was a great sinner yet forgiven 2. Let such as bad as they be yet come to Christ and be truly humbled He came to save such as thou art as Mary Magdalene Zacheus the Jaylor and such others His mercy on them may put thee in hope and provoke thee to seek unto him Thus of the third The fourth Why he suffered for sins for our sins to take them away for they onely are our wo our sins caused all Christs sorrow and his sorrow is our happiness Thus of the fourth The fifth To what end he suffered that he might bring us to God Ever since Adams fall we are gone from God and born strangers nay enemies to God and therefore further and and further off from God and are gone to the Devil indeed Now Christ by his death reconciles us to God and him to us and makes a blessed peace so as we may look up to him as to our Father and come into his presence with comfort He also gives us grace by his holy Spirit to be renewed sanctified and so to do works pleasing unto God and when we dye brings our souls to God as afterwards possesseth both body and soul of Heaven 1. Then how infinitely are we bound to God how welcome should Christ Jesus be to us all One would think all should flock unto him for as none are with God but such as came by him so neither shall there be All that mourn for their sins come to him believe in him and obey him he will bring them to God such as continue in their enmity against God shall for ever be separated from him Many hope to go to God that were never reconciled to him through Christ nor sought after it but it s as possible for a dog for the Devil to enter into Heaven as for us without being reconciled to God by faith in Christ Is it not lamentable that Christ should have so few that enquire and search after him nay that reject him being offered again and again 2. How welcome faithful Ministers should be to the world The worst hurt we wish you is but to bring you to God we are appointed Christs instruments herein we must Preach him and perswade you to embrace and believe in him by whom you may be brought unto God we have a worthy task and work and so must not either be idle or by false teaching and wicked living drive you from Christ but be faithful that your Salvation may be our Crown yet of all persons and kindes of people the world thinks we may be best spared and are unto most of all others most unwelcome But not alone Ministers but even every private man must help men to God as much as he can They that by vile counsel bad example or otherwise drive men from him are not Christs but the Devils instruments and Factors Thus of Christs sufferings Being put to death in the flesh This clause concerneth his death as the following his resurrection He was put to death concerning his Humane nature for as for his Godhead it could not dye and he was quickned and raised again by his Divinity and Godhead By flesh is meant his whole Humane Nature as in the following By Spirit his Divine Nature Our Savior suffered not onely in body and soul things intollerable but he also dyed gave up the ghost as all the Evangelists set down and other Scriptures testifie as they also that speak of Christs blood of his offering himself a Sacrifice for our sins of his bearing our sins on his Body on the Tree and the like This was prefigured of all the Sacrifices of the Old Law The Prophets also foretold that he should be slain Neither could it have been otherwise or otherwise he been a Savior for us for our sins deserved death and God had pronounced that death should be the reward thereof This his death was voluntary accursed as we had deserved it for our sins and for a common good Which meets with that wicked opinion of the Jews that neither think it voluntary nor that it is a propitiatory Sacrifice for sin as it is indeed and wherein our happiness lyeth and without which we must all have perished for ever The benefits ensuing to us hereby are divers 1. We are delivered hereby from all kindes of evil from the first and second death and all forerunners of both and from our sins the cause of all It s the blood of Christ that cleanseth all our sins So from all Spiritual enemies See Luke 1. 71 74. Col. 2. 15. Heb. 2. 14. 1 John 3. 8. So from the second death Rom.
8. 1. Gal. 3. 13. as from the first so far forth as its a punishment and piece of the curse and the nature of it is changed to believers for whom Christ hath dyed it s become a Serpent without a sting yea a blessing as being hereby freed from sin and not before Hereby the soul is let out of the prison of this body into the liberty of Gods Servants and put into the possession of life Hereby also the body is freed from all toils labors infirmities and pains waiting in the Grave for an happy and glorious resurrection In which respect death is termed a sleep an advantage to the Saints and is better in the day wherein they were born So from all forerunners hereof which are curses plagues and punishments in body minde goods and name all which Christ hath born what crosses we meet withal they are to further our Sanctification and Salvation but not punishments for sin or parts of Gods judgement as they be to the wicked 2. We are hereby made partakers of all good God is reconciled to us which is more then to have our sins and punishments quite removed yea and sheweth us the light of his countenance not as David who though he staid his wrath from Absolom at his return home to Jerusalem yet was not fully reconciled to him of two years The Creatures also are at peace with us The Angels become Servants and ministring Spirits for our good in life to direct us protect us comfort us c. and at death to carry our souls to Heaven so all other Creatures the very Devils and wicked men shall do us no hurt we have also right and title to this life we lost it in Adam but have it restored in Christ. 3. Hereby he conveyeth power into the hearts of all that believe in him to enable them to dye unto sin and to mortifie their lusts more and more This is a singular comfort to all that believe in Christ who onely partake of the benefits of his death we need not fear Hell condemnation nor any enemy of our Salvation nor any curse or punishment in this life all shall be for our good we need not fear the first death but rather have cause to desire it O the happiness of such God is at peace with them all Creatures in Heaven and Earth are their friends they have right to whatsoever they have little or much therefore may they rejoyce O happy that ever we were born what pains soever we have taken to come to the knowledge of Christ Jesus by whom we obtain such unspeakable things whatsoever the world esteemeth of believers they are the onely happy persons in the world yea we shall have power to mortifie our strongest corruptions and lusts fear it not beg it and use the means if all these be put together O how happy is a Christian who can value his riches On the contrary they that have not their part in Christs death are most miserable their sins are not removed they lye under them so under the curse of God in this world and the world to come so in danger of the first death which will rend the soul and body asunder that the soul may be cast out into Hell so also of the second O that such would labor for their part in Christ Christ came into the world Christ is now Preached and offered unto us men be in a woful case and are told of it and yet how few regard to embrace Christ how few customers hath Christ one would think that all that hear of Christ should be heartily glad of him and embrace and flye unto him but alas most men for profits pleasures or love of their vile lusts are content to let go Christ and he lies as a dead commodity and they that bring him to the world be unwelcom and so indeed few have part in Christ. The consideration hereof might make us mourn for our sins the cause of Christs death might be a corrasive to eat our sin and make it odious to us might make us serve God zealously and faithfully all our days yea to suffer for his sake and rather to dye with the Martyrs then any way to dishonor him and besides to labor to finde the vertue of Christs death working mightily in us the death of sin and sinful lusts Thus of his death But quickned by the Spirit Now of his Resurrection His body and soul that had been sundred were by the power of his Godhead reunited and he made alive so continuing with his Disciples until his ascension into Heaven Touching it consider that it was so the Reasons thereof the place maner and time with the benefits flowing from thence and the duties thereupon to be performed That Christ rose again is so plain that none needs doubt thereof The Angels that rolled away the stone the Soldiers that watched the Sepulchre Mary Magdalene and the other Mary that came to see the Sepulchre the two Disciples going to Emmaus the eleven Disciples being together c. all were witnesses hereof So his appearances were many as to Mary Magdalene then to her and that other Mary then to two Disciples going to Emmaus then to them all save Thomas then both to Thomas and the others another time to Cephas another time to seven of them at the Sea of Tiberias as at another to Five hundred Brethren at once so when he was to ascend he was taken up in the sight of all those there present all which are so many evidences of his Resurrection Reasons 1. That it might appear he had fully discharged our debt 2. Because being the Son of God and Author and Lord of life it had been unmeet nay it was impossible he should be held under of Death 3. By reason of the second part of his Priesthood which was yet to fulfil One part was to offer himself a Sacrifice Propitiatory to God for the sins of his people this he did by his death now the other is to make intercession for his Church and to apply the vertue of his death to those for whom he dyed This he could not have done if he had not risen again The maner When they had rolled a great stone to the door of the Sepulchre sealed it set Soldiers to watch yet he rose They could as well have hindered the rising of the Sun in the Firmament as his rising An Angel was sent that caused a great earthquake and rolled away the stone c. No counsel or strength can hinder the work of the Lord. Place The same where he was laid which was by Gods providence to avoid cavils in a new Sepulchre hewen out of a rock wherein never man had been laid Time It was the third day early in the morning on the first day of the week the third day as was foretold by Christ himself for he was buried the evening before the Sabbath and rose
cry for mercy and pardon and if it be possible turn from this base vice renounce hate detest vow covenant swear against it pray also to be kept therefrom avoid all company of lewd ones which will either by flattery allure you or if you yield not to them reproach and mock you But what do I speak to them that have lost their wits Is there any hope of repentance for such Well yet nothing is impossible to God The harder it is labor the more and weep and lament for that is past redeem the time to come give your souls and bodies to please God in all good life and sober conversation you have spent your goods and time hereon do so no more If thou wiltst not be perswaded but go on still and hate to be reformed thou mayest look for some one or other dreadful judgement to be here inflicted on thee and at thy death to be cast into utter darkness who hast wallowed in the works of darkness and for thy drunkenness to drink off the full cup of Gods judgement for ever and ever Neither are common drunkards onely to be rebuked but such also as will now and then drink with their friends and sit so long talking and bibbing or gaming and drinking that they be caught and are scarce wise enough to finde the way home they may count themselves wise men but Solomon saith nay to it they shall not be counted innocent Nor are those only to be condemned that be so drunk as they be like beasts but even such as take delight to quaff and to carouse and spend their time in swilling having yet strong brains to bear it and herein they glory that they can drink others under-board and because they be never so drunk but they can carry it away therefore they think themselves no such persons but they are as bad drunkards and as guilty as the other they waste as much time as much wine or strong drink as the others they waste also their substance and delight in this course nay haply they drink much more then the others for some are so weak brained that a little tâ—rns them over There 's a wo denounced against such their brain was not given them for this end but for the service of God they should prove their strength in good things and strive to exceed others in goodness not in dishonoring God by abusing his Creatures There are also that delight to see others drunk that allure or enforce them so to do to delight herein how horrible is it how ill a sign no childe can delight to hear or see his father misused he is else a bastard not a son Gods Children delight in his Commandments in his Sabbaths in his Saints in the publike performance of his worship contrarily they are grieved and vexed as David and Lot at the dishonor which is done unto him so are not the wicked but God will laugh at their destruction and mock when their fear cometh when judgement cometh those mourners for sin shall scape when as these rejoycers therein shall not go unpunished and who indeed could laugh to see a man running on his own sword or casting himself in the fire To make others drunk enticing them hereto and to this end under colour of kindeness to drink to them often as is usual in Gentlemens Butteries and Cellars in Inns and Taverns c. where men will be at great cost to dishonor God this also is fearful these be zealous Servants of the Devil But if one should allure another to go in such a way where he were sure to fall into a pit or be drowned or be robbed c. would not every one cry out of such a treacher no less treacherous are those which make others drunk We are willed indeed to provoke each other to love and good works to call one another to the house of God to exhort and edifie one another but in no sort to destroy one another as those allurers and enticers do To compel others to drink till they be drunk or to drink more then they can bear is usual to refuse is accounted of sundry ruffians in our days a matter of great disgrace which they will not put up and therefore stab or challenge to the field those that will not drink as many and as big carouses as they that have begun them What inhumanity is this what folly hath nature made all alike can one of low stature reach as high as he that is far taller can a weak man bear as heavy a burthen as a strong man Besides what greater wrong then to force a man to do that which will hinder his health shorten his life wound his conscience and destroy his soul But especially what an outragious wickedness is this against God cannot we our selves be content to do wickedly but as ringleaders we must enforce others whosoever scape such traytors shall not What woful wretches are those have they not sins enough of their own to answer for but they must needs desperately pull other mens sins on their heads whereof they themselves are the principal cause For those they shall answer on that dreadful day Against such shall Ahasuerus his injunction though an Heachen rise up for their condemnation It s the duty of all those which as yet are free from this sin to be truly thankful to God for keeping them therefrom They must also endeavor for the time to come to avoid the same with all the occasions inducing thereto God gives us his benefits to provoke us to well-doing we must not use them to sin like the Mastiffs that flies in his face that gives him meat Wiltst thou so foully dishonor God shall thy body and soul appointed for Gods service be for the service of the Devil in this base sin Wiltst thou thus make thy self unfit for any good in danger to run into any evil Wiltst thou so disguise thy self as to make thy self a scorn so abuse Gods creatures to hazard thy health bring diseases and untimely death on thy self Wiltst thou so wound thy conscience and provoke the Lords judgements against thee here and hereafter O God forbid Be earnest always with God to keep thee see the ugly face of sin think of the judgements denounced and lighted upon many that are past help how pleasant soever it be at the first in the end it will bite like a Serpent Flie from Alehouses and Taverns as from infected houses think it an odious disgrace to be seen in any such house except in travel or for necessity flee the company also of such as are addicted to this vice as infectious and dangerous together with their enticements and provocations follow also your calling diligently whereby both this and other sins may be prevented together with the judgements due thereto 4. It s the duty of all those which are in Authority to set themselves against this sin whether Ministers Magistrates
then more sparingly to us more plentifully then under types to us the body is revealed 1. This confutes those that think that those before the Law were saved one way they under the Law another they under the Gospel another 2. It confutes them that hold That every man is saved by his own devotion and religion whatsoever it is so he be zealous in it and live orderly This they would prove hence namely That the Jews were saved by observing of a few Rites and Ceremonies a false foundation must needs lay the building under foot Do not we see that when they were even most zealous in Ceremonies that yet the Prophets cryed out that God was not content but called both for Faith and Love Besides what a folly is it to think that every man shall be saved by his own Religion Is any thing pleasing to God but that which himself hath appointed in his Word not our conceit but his wil is the rule of his Worship The Word sends us to Christ in whom alone God is well pleased without him there 's no Salvation for any 3. It confutes those among our selves which hope to be saved by their good meaning good prayers civil righteousness by their repenting and crying God mercy c. All these are blinde Sodomites they grope for a door where there 's none wil but hit their heads against the wal to their destruction O how happy are we that there being but one way of salvation known but to a few it should be so clearly made known to us were we so happy as to make it good to our selves That they might be judged according to men in the flesh c. Here note from the end of the Gospel that The Gospel calls for sanctification and all the parts thereof for as the Law hath Commandments so hath the Gospel it cals for faith and repentance and in this latter obedience to all the Commandments of the Law The differences are 1. The Law requires obedience but gives no power the Gospel doth both 2. The Law requires strict obedience to the utmost the Gospel requires an upright endeavor onely and to believe in him who hath performed it perfectly The Sacraments and Sacrifices of the old Testament called for this even for truth of heart for faith repentance God bade them circumcise the foreskin of their hearts and under that Law of purging all leaven out of their houses the people were called to repentance So Baptism and the Supper of the Lord the appurtenances of the Gospel call for Sanctification And doth any thing more cal for mortifying of our lusts living to God then the death of Christ for sin wherein we see how hainous a thing sin is in Gods account as also the unspeakable love of God to us in giving Christ thus to dye for us The death of Christ should be a great corrosive to eat our sin This was the end of Christs suffering for us Will Christ dye for a man and yet have no use of him after but that he may live as he list assuredly God would never cause his Gospel to be preached but to bring men to Sanctification 1. This confutes as well the Papists for affirming that we preaching Justification by Faith onely preach a doctrine of liberty to sin but on the contrary this doctrine doth notably establish good works as those among our selves that cry out upon going to sermons O say they we see none worse then they they will deceive they will cut their neighbors throat but of most this is a lye but if some be so let them know that the Gospel teacheth them not so to do 2. This rebuketh those carnal wretches which live under the Gospel yet abide still in their sins They think the Gospel brings onely tidings of salvation but requireth no amendment or mortification If Paul Tit. 2. had gone no further but stayed at Bring salvation we should have had a number of Christians but his other words teaching us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly c. O this part they cannot away with so they could willingly hear Come unto me â—ll ye that are weary c. but not take up the Cross but God hath joyned them together and they cannot be separated he that hath the one must have the other as he that was to have the inheritance was to marry Ruth Hence it is that multitudes have in their mouthes They hope to be saved by Christ and yet remain in their lusts without mortifying the same or giving up themselves to God in an holy life Thus is it with ignorant persons prophane persons civil persons worldlings and hypocrites What impudent wretches are these They hope to be saved by Christ and yet live in their sins thus making Christs death to be a license to all evil Sundry deceive themselves in these days some content themselves with an outward profession some are haply at some times humbled and thereupon conceive themselves to be converted c. but let every man try himself by his Sanctification If this was required of them that lived before Christs coming who had dimmer light and more sparing means and promises then we then think what 's required of us that have heaven set open to us and all the Fathers minde revealed yea Christ dead risen ascended and all fulfilled 3. For Gods children which do indeed hope for Salvation by Christ and have yielded obedience to the Gospel in some measure there is nothing that can become us better then to labor to profit in mortifying our lusts and to shew the fruits of the Sprit more plentifully and powerfully in our lives Every Sermon and Sacrament should put new life in us For what is the profiting by the Gospel but to dye to sin and live to righteousness daily by an effectual knowledge of Christ Jesus O it s our great fault that we grow so slowly that we get not a full mastery of our lusts that sometimes we shrink at the yoke of Christ as thinking some part of it too strait and desiring more liberty who yet thought we could never do enough for the Lord O that our actions should favor so much of the flesh and so little of the Spirit O that we might encrease in our zealous affection to God for his love in Christ and for the Gospel and that our behavior may be daily more answerable thereto as our Salvation doth more nearly approach Vers. 7. But the end of all things is at hand be ye therefore sober and watch unto prayer THe former part of this verse may be either a reason of the exhortation past and that from the shortness of the time to come or of the Exhortations ensuing unto sobriety watchfulness in prayer charity hospitality c. The end of all things is at hand The end of all things not of men onely or of some creatures not
mercies of others they are cruel It s a sign that those never tasted of Gods mercy which are altogether without the bowels of mercy Obj. O but if I could happen upon Angels in entertaining strangers then would I like well of it Answ. We do after a sort entertain Angels for they attend about those whom we harbor and the House is the stronger that night as Lots was yea we entertain more then Angels For he that receiveth one of these little ones receiveth me saith Christ Who would not be ready to lodge Jesus Christ if he were here If I could obtain a Son having none or being dead to have him raised from death to life as the Shunamite by the means of strangers or have my friends and servants restored to health I could like well to entertain them Gods Servants may obtain for us as great things as these nay greater even such things as may be for the good both of our own souls and theirs And if even those which in likelyhood have done thus onely in civil courtesie have not been unrewarded how much less shall they which do it for Conscience sake 2. For our own poor It s best to maintain them at their own houses with that which their own labor will not attain and not suffer them to go from door to door except when they bring home their work or come out upon occasion of some sickness to make known their necessities But many are forced out as being neglected at home Besides their maintenance at home its meet also for them of ability now and then to bid them home to their houses to warm them at their fires and that not onely at the Festival time of the Nativity of our Lord Christ but upon other occasions as the day of our deliverance from the Powder-Treason c. So its meet that every Lords day we should take home with us a poor body or two who are best minded most diligent in their Callings bring up their Children well c. to encourage them in goodness and that they may bear their burthen the more chearfully This is even in special enjoyned to us and required of us and thus doubtless did both Abraham and Job But how are the poor by most in most places neglected Hereof there are two chief causes 1. Wicked Covetousness which hath so prevailed with some that they are mad for the world and insatiable thinking all lost that goes besides themselves Some rich keep no house some have many Farms and for any good they do it were better they had none some live basely and miserably c. 2. Pride in building apparel sumptuous dyet whereby they are drawn so dry that nothing is to be had of them For the former they covet an ill covetousness to their own house it being the way to pull it down and for the latter their bravery will be turned into rags God blesseth not the Children of either the one or other The Fathers being ill Tenants and not paying their Rent God will turn out the Children O how many by sparing more then is right come to poverty Being merciless they shall have judgement without mercy stopping their ears at the cry of the poor they themselves shall cry and not be heard They send away the poor as Nabal did Davids messengers and bid them Go c. and it shall be said to them at the last day Go ye cursed c. If thou wouldst be merciful to the poor thou mightest be blessed in all thou puttest thine hands unto if thou wouldst sow liberally thou mightst reap liberally thy Children might be blest thou mightst have a good name and be mourned for as Dorcas thou shouldst not partake in the evil to come thou shouldst hear a joyful Sentence on the last day 3. For inviting one another It s a means for watering love much good comes by it and the contrary strangeness doth hurt In many places its neglected and that out of pride for they cannot or will not meet but with so great cost and variety that men be the worse for it a quarter after if Christians would meet like Christians for society and not for meat and be content with one dish or two it were much better and then it might be oftner This duty is required of Ministers and that elsewhere particularly as well as others for they be fittest to counsel and comfort strangers are easily found out and must go before their people in the practice of that they teach and shall thus both provoke others the better and make a way for their Ministery in the hearts of the poor If it be thus then it was doubtless Gods minde That a Minister should have wherewithal even a competent maintenance for himself and his and to do good to others It s the conceit of some That a Minister should live but meanly and as it were from hand to mouth and accordingly they do so pole from him that he can do no good this way But though they should not be pompous nor sumptuous nor rake after farms and wealth yet they must and ought to live in good sort as well as themselves Such as have skill in the Scriptures or have profited by the word or reverence the Calling of the Ministery will not otherwise judge For us if we cannot do as we would we must do as we can nor having ability must we bid set on the great pot in the mean while starving our peoples souls Without grudging The maner This is all in Gods account He will have the work done after his fashion else it s to no purpose though haply it be as costly and painful as he requireth to come to the Word Sacraments Prayer be good duties none better but the heart wherewith they be performed and maner of doing is all in all As the Gallants of our times though the matter of the Garment be never so good or costly regard it not if it be not of the fashion so in duties the Lord looks to the maner how they are performed This of mercy must be done without grudging that is willingly chearfully without murmuring or repining God loves a chearful giver He respects the widows mite thus given The people offered freely to the building of the Tabernacle and Temple and accordingly should we do in these works of mercy It s a great fault not of the world onely but even of Christians that are brought very hardly and heavily to perform these duties we ought to be so far from being grieved at them as we ought to be glad when any occasion is offered this way That we do the same chearfully let us do it in faith even be assured 1. That its pleasing and acceptable to God 2. That he will reward it abundantly were this encreased in us we would be glad of any opportunity to manifest the fruits thereof Verse 10. As every
pass to it at death so shall they have no stop at the day of judgement Among earthly Judges when a cause hath gone current on a mans side a great while yet at last either by corruption of Jury or Judge or by some evidence come to light not seen before all may be dasht and turn'd the other way It shall not be so at Gods judgement seat there will be question made of the damnation of some but no question made of the salvation of any of the godly But the difficulty is in this life it s an hard thing for a man to get to heaven called therefore a Straight gate and Narrow way a hard thing to come to be a Christian a converted person and an hard thing to continue therein and grow forward God hath much ado to bring us to grace and then much ado to hold us therein as he had a great deal ado to get his people out of Egypt and into Canaan sometimes themselves by murmuring lingering c. and sometimes others as Pharaoh the Red-sea c. proving hinderances thereto so hath he to get one of us out of the bondage of the Devil out of the Egypt of sin The Devil holds the world hinders yea our own wretched nature is not willing to come out What a stir hath he how many Sermons Threatnings Promises secret gripes of Conscience Warnings of the Spirit purposes to come out and yet keep in still ere we will yield yea how is God fain almost to pull us out by some crosses or sharp afflictions as the Angels pulled Lot out of Sodom how hardly are we throughly humbled for our sins when cast down how hardly comforted when we have got it how hardly do we keep it what a stir with our hearts to leave our old courses and take new and when we have begun yet what ado to hold out what revolting and backsliding hearts have we ready to wax cold and to linger after our old lusts so hard it is to do any good duty well The Devil like Pharaoh pursueth us and labors by all means possible to hinder us from all good altogether or from the right performance of it so also to draw us to all evil Then the world like Pharaohs Soldiers labors to hinder us by their ill example by ill counsel by vails of profits and pleasures and if these not by reproaches and troubles that it will raise up Our own Nature is worst of all as having a lingering after our old sins as the Israelites after the fleshy pots of Egypt sometimes we think like them we shall never hold out there be such lets in the way high walls and Anakims c. so that we get forward hardly as a man that were to go up a steep hill and had three great weights hung at his back so that we have such continual need of the Word Sacraments Prayer Meditation Conference Watchfulness that unless hereby we wax cold and grow out of order nay notwithstanding all these yet what ado to keep our hearts and lives in order and our selves within compass but we slip and stumble and grieve and up again and down again yea if the Lord to all these means should not adde some one or other affliction it would be yet more hard The Lord is fain to pull us with that strong cord also and this is chiefly meant here they are scarcely saved even because they are forced to be brought through many troubles so that as a man that is to climb such a steep hill as he cannot fasten his feet but is fain to get Daggers in his hands and sticking them into the ground c. may be said hardly to get up and as when two Armies fight for a Town one while one part prevails another while the other at last the better side prevails but notwithout much pains many wounds shrewd blows and continual labor we may say They got the Town hardly the like may be said in this particular Who knoweth not the truth hereof in his own experience how hardly canst thou be humbled how hardly drawn to renounce thy lusts how art thou fain to wrestle before thou canst do any good what continual need hast thou of prayer good company c. yea who knowing any thing seeth not he hath need of his crosses and that it was good for him that he was afflicted 1. This crosseth the most gross and yet most common conceit of the world that its an easie matter to be saved that there 's no need of such preciseness but that if men mean well God will be content and though one have lived badly yet at what time soever they repent for which a quarter of an hour is enough it shall be well with them and hence it is that the Word and our Preaching is of such small account and that so few take any pains to be saved but take pains for the belly and back and to grow rich c. Ignorant persons look not out but content themselves with a blinde good meaning without any part of a good life so prophane persons so worldlings so civil ones Though the Scripture requires us to labor strive give all diligence study seek yet will not they take any pains nay not onely so but they laugh and gibe at them that labor herein as fools or idle persons What art thou woful wretch that darest cross the Lord so directly He saith It s a strait way and few finde it and to this end bids Strive Thou sayest it s no such matter If it were as thou dotest Christ might not onely have spared those speeches but indeed the whole Scriptures for what use of any but to bid people live as they list and at last cry God mercy and all is well No God must make new Scriptures and chalk a new way to Heaven ere ever thou shalt finde that thou lookest for But what art thou that neither wiltst take pains to save thine own soul nor canst be content that others should Dost thou think that they be idle persons that take pains to hear the word O they could follow the world and that too hard but that they know one thing is needful Could they not sit at home in their chairs or keep their beds as well as rise and toil c. but that they know that they cannot so get Heaven but that they have need to use all means and that little enough though thou seest no such thing Indeed to lead a careless life to do good if it come in the way and if ill come in the way to be as fit for that c. a few Sermons and little hearing may serve for such a life but this is not the way to get Heaven If ever thou wouldst be saved thou must change thy minde and practice and believe the Scriptures that its a strait way and accordingly bend thy self to begin to take pains to see and confess thy sins to labor for faith to turn
they should have To flee therefrom they cannot whether should they all being on fire To resist they cannot they have nothing wherewith they are naked of their pomp and retinue Hide themselves they cannot from his all-seeing eye to abide the presence of this Judge is impossible O they will then call to the hills to cover them we think that the Jews Judas Pilate and the Soldiers shall have a fearful appearance but many among our selves shall have a worse then some of them Do not we prefer our lusts before Christ as the Jews did Barrabas Do not many among us pierce him with their sins Crucifie him again persecute him in his Members This will not be the state onely of poor snekes or of the common multitude but of the greatest and mightiest potentates Nimrods Gyants O these shall wail before him beating their knees one against another They that have sit as Judges of Gods Servants in their Velvet coats and Gold Chains shall now stand naked before this Judge Here they dare appear any where yea where Gods Servants oftentimes care not for appearing but we shall one day appear with joy where they shall not shew their faces O that this might strike terror into wicked mens hearts to think of this day and might be a choak to all their ungodly profits and pleasures O this day will pay for all O that they could be perswaded now to kiss the Son now to humble themselves before him now to stoop to him and imbrace him as their Savior yet how many wicked wretches be there that will hope to be saved as well as the best even notorious ones O fearful impudency you saved then who shall be damned The Turks and Heathens that know not God True but not with such a destruction as shall befal you your stripes shall be worse and more then theirs your day is coming you have had the start of Gods Children you have been first in prosperity as they in trouble but ere long their mourning shall be turned into mirth your joy into everlasting misery Verse 19. Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well-doing as unto a faithful Creator THe conclusion containing an Exhortation to commend and commit our selves and our state in all our troubles to God holding on our good course and keeping a good conscience without turning awry one way or other who both can being our Almighty Creator and will being faithful in all his promises whereof he hath many of protecting and defending his Servants who will either deliver them out of their troubles or give them strength to bear them and when their life shall end will take up their souls to Heaven keeping their bodies to a joyful resurrection This also hath the force of another Reason to perswade to the point in hand namely patience and joyfulness in troubles and may be gathered thus If we may in all our troubles as long as we keep a good conscience in them confidently commend our selves to God in assurance to be cared for as shall be best for us then ought we to be joyful in our troubles but the former is true therefore the latter Here 's an Exhortation to commend our selves to God in our troubles those are described by the efficient cause of them they come by the will of God whereunto Reasons are annexed to move us to commend our selves to God in them 1. Because of his omnipotency 2. Because of his faithfulness To all which is added a caution how far forth we may commend our selves to God in our troubles namely in well-doing even so long as we be careful to continue in our uprightness without swerving Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God Here note That Whatsoever troubles befal us in this life either afflictions from the hand of God for chastisement or persecution from the world for our tryal c. that they come not to us by chance or the will of the Devil or man without God but by the determinate purpose and counsel of God But of this before Commit the keeping of their souls to him c. Here note That God hath a care and special regard of his Servants in the time of all their trouble and adversity of what kinde soever He cannot forget them they be as the apple of his eye There are infinite promises of God to this purpose in the Psalms and Prophets He will either deliver them out of their dangers as Let Noah Daniel c. or comfort and provide for them as for Joseph in Prison whom at last he advanced as he did also David and Jeremiah else he will strengthen them to bear their pains give them faith and patience to bear all the malice and torments of their Enemies as he did Steven and the holy Martyrs that had such invincible courage and constancy as they wearied their tormentors even in the middle of their torments singing Psalms And their souls and bodies being parted he takes their souls to himself into Heaven in the mean time reserving their bodies safely to a joyful resurrection Neither is it any wonder For He hath created them redeemed them with his Sons blood sanctified them preserved them and prepared Heaven for them ere the world was This teacheth Gods Children in all their troubles of what kinde or degree soever to commend themselves into his hand with confidence and assured trust that he will take care of them and dispose of them to the best c. Let 's never be dismaid but cast our care and roll our selves upon the Lord be we assured that he will be with us and not fail us He is Almighty and can do it He is also most loving and hath made many promises in his Word so to do Be we faithful unto the death and he will give us a Crown of life Faithful is he that hath promised He loves that we should rely on him If it be poverty sickness pain persecution c. say not I shal never be able to get through it but cast thy self on God who never failed any that put thier trust in him Do not we rely on our selves for this were the way to fail like Peter and Origen who fell shamefully but trust in God Pray use all good means and set thy faith on work to depend on God to be well carried through thy trouble to the end and from death to Heaven Thus did our Savior and after him St. Steven commend their Spirits into the hands of God O our unbelieving hearts that fail as soon as any great tryal comes as the Israelites upon Pharaoh's pursuing them yea are ready to sink to be dismaid to put our hand to some unlawful means If we had faith enough what Victories might we get what Conquerors might we be we shrink and are dismaid as if we had none to trust in or as if
in my minde But I will not spend any time to approve or disapprove the one more then the other but speak something of both as in some such cases is not unusual nor amiss when both may very well stand and it be difficult to say which is the true meaning of the place this or that For the first The duties of people towards their Ministers laid down in the fifth commandment stand in these four things 1. They must reverence them for the dignity highness and excellency of their Calling in which respect they are termed Angels Stars the light of the world Gods Ambassadors 2. They must yield obedience to them in their Ministery 3. They must willingly allow them a sufficient maintenance that they may wholly without distraction attend on their souls 4. They must pray for them both that their Ministery may be fruitful and that they may long continue amongst them of those the second is the principal Namely that People must submit themselves to the Ministery of the Word in the mouths of their Ministers as we stand bound to preach so do you to hear and obey For Blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it that are doers as well as hearers God hath not appointed us to Preach in vain but for the conversion of people The Ministery is ordained to work faith to convert souls it was the peoples request with promise to hear and do God hath yielded and sanctified it to be the onely ordinary means not reading not preaching by an Angel even the foolishness of Preaching by the hand of men to save them that believe If Ministers must be called to an account for Preaching shall not the people how they have profited and if a wo to us if we preach not is there not to them if they repent not For this cause our Savior upbraided those Cities wherein his mighty works were done not because they would not entertain him nor hear him as the Gadarens but because they repented not we have done you no good nor have you heard well till you have repented and be converted till you have obeyed from the heart the form of Doctrine delivered you The Law humbleth the Gospel woâ—â—th Faith both bring to a reformed new and godly life we hear aright when we go away pricked in our hearts Till then there 's no good wrought on us as appears by the Prophets complaints Isaiah 49. 4. and 53. 1. Jer. 6. 10. else no mark of Election faith being a demonstration hereof we make sure our Election by our effectual calling The Apostle also termeth the Thessalonians Elect of God because the preaching was not to them in word onely but in power and they received the word in much affliction and became followers of us c. and that they received his preaching not as the word of man but as it is indeed the Word of God not to hear and obey is rather a mark of reprobation as in Eli's Sons If we be Christs sheep we hear his voyce in the Ministery and follow him O what an excellent harmony would this make if Ministers preach faithfully and the people become converted and then built up in all obedience thereby 1. Then this rebuketh the woful contempt of the world at most hands for how few yield obedience thereto look in all Towns how many ignorant persons that have no knowledge neither will have any give their mindes to none but pul in their heads that they might not see the light that would glister in their faces who so blinde as he that will not see These are far from conversion This is condemnation that light is come into the world and men love darkness rather more then light So how many prophane persons that live in some known sin though some more outragiously then others as in Drunkenness Whoredom Malice c. That hear not though the Charmer charm never so wisely and do even stop their ears God knocks at the door of their hearts but they will not open his Ministers cry out against their sins yet they rush on every one after his own hearts lust and hateth to be reformed having a pardon brought and offered them if they would come in they stand out What will become of these having refused to hear a gracious voyce offering mercy they shall hear a fearful voyce denouncing judgement not hearing a voyce calling them to him they shal hear a voyce commanding them from him and as he called and they refused so shall they call but not be heard or regarded What shall these have to say for themselves Their iniquity shall stop up their mouth How many civil persons are there also that be not converted if they so continue they shall perish unless they be born again truly humbled planted into Christ obey in all things not in the duties of the second Table onely giving men their due but of the first also giving God his they cannot be saved What should I speak of worldlings that are so glued to the world as they savor not at all of Heaven or heavenly things no such thing can enter into their hearts either they hear not the Word at all or the thorny cares of the world quickly choak that seed What of Hypocrites some professing outwardly and yet living in some known sin others not so bad that yet fall far short having gone some steps and hoping that all is well These were never as yet truly humbled and so not converted so had not that that accompanieth Salvation these hear but not aright Every man therefore must examine himself how he hath heard and whether the Word hath been a means of his true conversion and whether he make conscience to submit himself to the precepts thereof They that can prove themselves thereby converted how comfortably may they go on walking in obedience thereto Contrarily the care of others is dangerous for think not that our preaching will go away unregarded or that it s no matter how you have heard Oh! Preachings and Sacraments be dangerous things life or death can do a great deal of good or as much hurt to them that obey its Salvation but to the disobedient it s the savor of death unto death This is a fearful sin in this Land and the cause of all our plagues by reason whereof we may fear worse Remember the wo pronounced against Chorazin and Bethsaida 2. This may be for exhortation to all that as they come and hear so to submit themselves and pray God to make his word effectual by his Spirit So shall God be glorified if of Lyons we become Lambs If won from Satan to God The Ministers shall rejoyce as having the greater Crown The Angels in Heaven will rejoyce having new fellow Servants yea God himself will rejoyce the Father as having a new Son Christ as having another member the Holy Ghost another
put altogether O Lord who shall escape him 1. No marvel that most men go the broad way and perish and so few be saved seeing there is such an enemy and so armed and so followed that hath sworn all mens destruction he so malicious and we so careless of our Salvation he so strong and we so weak he so subtile and we so simple for our souls and in Spiritual things he so diligent and we so retchless and lazy in the great matters of our soul. Every man by nature loveth sin and carrieth along with him as ready a disposition to yield to temptations as Satan is to tempt him Marvel not that so few but that any are saved and if thou hast any hope and assurance wonder and praise If God were not infinite in wisdom power love and care over us we should certainly perish 2. See what wonderful need there is of diligent continual zealous earnest and plain preaching of the Word it s that must cast the strong man out This is the mean to scale his walls batter his Kingdom were it not for this he would do what he list in the world and carry all to destruction Where this is not he may sit and sleep for his work and will goes forward What should let therefore it s no marvel he is such an Enemy to it and the Preachers thereof O what should become of Gods people already pluckt out of his Kingdom if they had not the Word to shew his subtilties what is the will of God what good what evil how to do it what be the advantages that Satan takes and how we may be able to resist them Hence Gods servants are made wise and strengthened against his Temptations they come weak to the Word but go from thence mightily strengthened What do they then that seek the hinderance of the faithful and zealous preaching of the Word but gratifie the Devil in an high degree and work journey-work to him in the best maner it s to learn the Devil to have his will to devour what souls and as many as he lists 3. We may wonder and praise God that seeing there be so many Devils and such as we have spoken of that the Church of God can be upon the face of the earth that it is not rooted out and swallowed up the Devil having so many and such armed instruments in the world A wonder the Church hath any abiding but that God Almighty hath a care of it and will defend and preserve it Christ Jesus the Husband thereof will not suffer his Spouse to be trodden under We may wonder we be yet a people under this peace of the Gospel there being so many Papists within and without the Land and such an infinite number of most subtile and malicious Jesuits that like the Devil go up and down compassing the earth to work mischief That poor weak men and women in themselves sinful and poor creatures should yet be got out of Satans power and then defended from his malice not in body goods and name onely but from his deadly temptations and to escape them and get safe to Heaven O this is Gods Almighty power and goodness so may every poor Christian man say and wonder 4. This rebuketh 1. Such as make a League with the Devil to obtain their purposes It was death by the Law of God and so ought to be still What fools be these They think the Devil serves them and is at their command when indeed he hath got them to serve him and that in an high degree of sin to their destruction 2. Such as seek to such for things lost or for cure from them for them and theirs Those woful Creatures seeking to the sworn Enemy of mankinde for help are like to speed as if a Lamb should run to a roaring Lyon to be kept from harm Think they that he will do them any little pleasure outwardly unless to fasten deadly on their souls to work the ruine of them His help is as the milk which Jael presented unto Sisera 3. All such as live in sin and so serve the Devil These count him not a deadly Enemy if they did they would not be at his beck as the most part be Though they stop their ears against God their Parents Magistrates Friends yet they open them to all his temptations no Servant can serve his Master so diligently as the world doth the Devil even with all the might both of their bodies and mindes speaking and writing and employing both their goods and pains on his behalf and for sin and that both night and day What he bids them do they do Lye Swear Curse break the Sabbath Oppress Cozen Mock c. who yet for that their humor likes it and its agreeable to their own minde observe not Satans policy herein nor suspect him for an Enemy They will say they hate the Devil as much as any and defie him alas he can give them leave so to do as long as they serve him and do his works This is as good as Popish holy Water and crossing themselves 4. All civil persons that say they never found the Devil so troublesom as they hear folks talk They never doubted of their Salvation were ready to make away themselves were never troubled with such wicked and blasphemous or troublesom thoughts were never so troubled but that they could go to Church and serve God quietly c. True the Devil tempts them not to dispair because he hath them fast enough in pride and presumption He tempts them not to foul sins because he sees God hath restrained them and so that there 's no great likelihood he shall prevail neither cares he seeing he hath them fast enough in the main namely in ignorance unbelief or carelesness of the first Table He troubles them not with thoughts it may be when they go to good duties because he knows they are likely not to do any good duty yet he tempts them in things which through blindeness they discern not as being none of the foulest things as they think Though in the hearing of the Word they have many wandring by-thoughts they feel not that the Devil is at their elbow and at work with them because they make no account of such smal things also about worldly idle speeches on the Sabbath they see not Satan going along with them because they count them small whereas a good Christian in these espies Satan and is troubled thereat when the strong man hath and holds his Possession all things are at peace the Devil having these fast enough he cares not for troubling them but let him be about to be cast out and then I le warrant you he will bestir himself and they shall have trouble Let a civil man that lived never so quietly before be smitten in conscience for his sins and begin to be converted he shall finde his case altered and that the Devil will do him all the mischief he
not as they conceive so bad as others though to neglect all duties in their families and towards their souls and to pass the Sabbath in worldly talk and to be little at the Sacrament or without any preparation be frequent with them 3. Hypocrites who though they resist him in some things yet in others yield which is enough to their destruction 4. Backsliders that resisted him a while and seemed to be wel minded to be sorry for time past were fully purposed to take a new course and seemed so to do for a time that yet afterward returned to their old vomit and yielded to his wil and temptations as they did before This resisting was nothing unless they had so continued to the end and until they had overcome for not they that make a flourish and strike a few blows and then flie or yield themselves to the Enemy shall be crowned O let all such repent of their baseness and yielding themselves into the Devils hands and to his temptations as also of their breach of promise in Baptism and for the time to come let them learn to know what is the will of God and which be Satans temptations and resist the same and that constantly and in all things so shall the second death have no power over them but they shall conquer here and be crowned eternally hereafter 2. This reproveth weak Christians yea sometimes even them who have well profited and yet will shew themselves weak in this that if the Devil have any temptations against them telling them they be hypocrites and that they shall not be pardoned their sins being so great and their hearts to sinful what do they but consent and say as he saith against themselves and so yield what a folly is this Is not the Devil adversary enough but that you must also be an enemy to your selves and do you know its the Devil who is a lyar and yet suffer your selves to be carried away by him and say as he saith a murtherer and yet yield to him fie upon it you ought to resist have recourse to your friends for aid even seek unto God by prayer search the promises laid down in the Word listen to good counsel c. yea when a man hath spent a good time in laboring to comfort them by the Word they yet are at the same stay and yield more to a temptation which is a lye then to all that can be said against it also many and most Christians alas how little do they resist how often do they yield If he tempt them to lay aside prayer for trifles or to keep them from the Word there being this or that to do how quickly do they yield Many also are so filly that they see not one of ten of Satans temptations and are so careless that they fear them not Thus sometimes they omit good duties sometimes marre a good duty in the doing are sometimes overcome in small things What if they be not great things The least sins be against God hurt our souls hinder our peace make our comfort the less If Satan come with some great thing we fear and look about us he would wound us at the heart but would we be willing to be hurt in the leg or arm we must not yield at any time in any thing how small soever but manfully and constantly stand in opposition Stedfast in the faith Faith is a principal piece of our Christian Armor Gods Armor is Spiritual not Carnal and though here one part be prescribed yet we must not content our selves therewith But put on the whole armor of God for so we shall overcome The Armor of Gods making shall prevail 1. If none can resist nor overcome but they that have these weapons What shall become of most who have not so much as one of them not Faith nor Hope nor Righteousness nor Truth c They must needs be a prey to the Devil as unarmed Creatures They have been told of this Enemy and that there was a compleat Armor of Proof which they might have if they would take pains they neglecting the same their condemnation will be of themselves 2. It rebukes Christians that put on their Armor to halves leaving off and neglecting this or that piece and so are often overcome we must get it all and buckle it well and close to us every morning yea never lay off any part of it we may do any thing in it work ride lie down sleep do any good c. More particularly faith is a principal piece of this Armor Above all put on the shield of faith that will quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one This is also the Victory that overcomes the world even our Faith This takes hold of the promises laid down in the Scriptures of Providence Provision Preservation Salvation and is found by experience to be a notable means to resist all temptations in any kinde as worldliness fearfulness c. They then that are void of faith cannot resist the Devil and how rare is true faith among men The world imagine that its easie to believe but Gods Servants finde the contrary Stedfast It s not a small or weak faith but a strong and stedfast faith that must resist and overcome the Devils Temptations especially great ones Such Christians then are to be blamed which content themselves almost with a shew of faith so that when they come to lie on their death beds after long profession their hope is so faint and their perswasion so weak as that it s to be wondred at who then might have been triumphing in assurance So in their lives their faith is so weak as that every temptation shakes them as the Disciples at a little Tempest O that Christians can hold the hope of their Salvation so slenderly and have such poor evidence when as they should be able to prove it by many infallible Arguments Obj. But the least measure of true faith will save Answ. True but poorly A weak tattered ship may come safe to Land but with how many dangers and fears whereas a strong and well rigg'd Ship comes with more assurance and content to the Passengers Knowing that the same affliction c. A Reason to perswade us to resist the Devil and not to be discouraged because it s not our case alone to be tempted and molested by Satan and his Instruments but of all the Servants of God every where Satan spiteth not some few though he doth them most which most oppose him but he hateth and seeketh to mischief all the Servants of God whatsoever As Pharaoh pursued not some few of the Israelites but all of them to fetch them back again so doth the Devil set himself against all the Israel of God There 's enmity between the seed of the Woman and the seed of the Serpent He set upon David resisted Jeshua c. tempteth all spares