Temptations are to be feared and warily used Riches and outward Prosperity is a Temptation our Money and our Lands and our businesses in the World are Temptations He that will be Rich falleth into Temptation c. and therefore must so be feared as to make us the more wary and circumspect in the seeking and using of them follow your Trades with fear go into your Fields and Markets with fear Eat and Drink with fear fear your fine Houses fear you Plentiful and Prosperous Estates lest by these you be led away to sin and to forget God You are every day among Temptations throughout the whole time of your lives and therefore is the Exhortation of the Apostle 1 Pet. 1.17 Pass the time of your Sojourning here in fear 4. The punishments of sin are to be feared The wrath and the curse of God that Everlasting death which is the wages of sin as I told you before fear him who is able to destroy both body and soul in Hell He is able and he will do it if thou continue in thy sin This fear is planted in the heart as the Sword of the Angel was placed in the way of Balaam to keep him back from his wicked designs This world is a wicked world notwithstanding that God hath placed such a flaming sword in sinners ways notwithstanding all their fears how wilfully wicked are they but what world would this world be if there were no fear upon mens hearts to bridle or restrain them Secondly We are to keep the heart out of fear of what it should not fear to suppress and keep down all unreasonable and sinful fears There are two things especially which men fear but should not fear 1. The Yoke of Christ the difficulties and severities of Religion some men continue to be sinners because they are afraid to be Saints they continue under the power of the Devil because they are afraid of Christ They look on Christ as an hard Master his service as hard service his Yoke as an hard Yoke some desires they have after Religion they could wish themselves Christians but they are afraid to venture The difficulties and the severities of a Godly life keep them off they are afraid of them that they shall never bear them As God placed a flaming sword in Eden Gen. 3. so these fears are a flaming sword of the devils placing to keep the way of the tree of Life to keep sinners back from Christ they dare not come to Christ for fear of him and the heavy yoke that he would put upon their Necks 2. The Cross of Christ that is 1. The sufferings of this Life These are not to be feared Rev. 2.10 Fear none of those things which you shall suffer And this very charge not to fear them is an Evidence that even Christians are too apt to fear Sufferings 2. Death for Christs sake Luke 12.4 Fear not them that kill the body Fear not the worst that men can do You may not only be persecuted by evil men imprisoned spoiled of your Goods but you may be slain put to death by them yet fear them not and as a violent death a being put to death for Christ so neither is a natural death to be feared death is the King of terrours The Apostle tells us Heb. 2.15 That for fear of death men are all their life time subject to bondage There is a natural fear of death implanted in every man even in Christ himself and there is a sinful fear of death and then 't is sinful when 't is excessive when there is so great a fear of death as to distress and distract us in the duties of our lives When there is so great a fear of death that we cannot quietly and patiently submit to its stroke when we cannot comfort and support our selves against the fear of death by the hope we have in our death the righteous hath hope in his death Prov. 14.32 As the Apostle speaks concerning sorrow for the dead 1 Thes 4.13 Sorrow not as men without hope the same may be said concerning the fear of death fear not as men without hope The righteous hath hope in his death he lies down in hope goes to his grave in hope and this hope fortifieth his heart under all its fears Now friends would you keep your hearts under Government learn these two Lessons 1. Keep your hearts in fear and particularly 1. keep you in the fear of God keep up the Aw and Reverence of God in your hearts get you trembling hearts before the Lord behold the severe and jealous eye that is upon you live under such a deep sense of the Greatness Glory and Majesty of the great God as may constantly awe you Sanctifie the Lord God in your hearts and let him be your fear and your dread Those that live not under an awe of God lye open to the Devil and all his Temptations It is this the fear of God that is the bridle to keep us in due order 2 Keep you in fear of sinning against God Psal 4.4 Tremble and sin not Art thou a professor of faith in God and dost thou not yet fear to sin against God dost thou believe that God is the observer of all ungodliness that thine iniquities are all marked before him dost thou believe that God is the avenger of all ungodliness and that all thine iniquities shall be recompensed and returned upon thine own head how is it then that thou art no more afraid of iniquity Art thou an hypocritical professor and doth not thine hypocrisie make thee afraid art thou a proud Professor or a worldly Professor or a luke-warm or froward or carnal or slothful Professour how is it that thy pride thy covetousness that thy coldness or frowardness or carnality or slothfulness doth not make thee afraid are these Evils this Pride and this Hypocrisie this Coveteousness this frowardness rooted and raigning in thy heart where are thy fears all this while call up fear put on fear and let this suppress these lusts which will else be breaking forth into practical iniquity If you would fear a life of Covetousness a life of Pride fear this heart of Pride this worldly carnal heart if you would fear a froward look a froward tongue fear a froward heart crush this Cockatrice Egg before it hatch into practical wickedness 3. Fear Temptation to Sin What does use to foment or heighten the lusts of thine heart What doth use to draw them forth into practice Whatever it be fear it as you would fear the Devil Particularly 1. Fear whatever you over love in the World 1. When you have your pleasant dishes before you and varieties of them when you have your pleasant cups before you fear your being tempted to excess feed not your selves without fear especially feast not without fear put a knife to thy throat if thou be given to appetite when thou seest dainties before thee Prov. 23.2 Look not on the wine when it is red in
who will reply why they were even as good come amongst us as amongst some of your selves and as much they are like to get and as little harm by us as by you Friends I have more than once provoked you to be more Spiritual and more Heavenly in your Converses but what hath been the fruit Is it better then it hath been O that you could tell me it was I thank God it is a little better I have set mine heart upon it I have put my self to it to bring forth something of what I have learned for others benefit I must tell you this unprofitableness is an ill sign as to your selves as well as it may be a snare to others barren lips are a sign of barren hearts 't is to be feared there is not so much of Christ within you when there is so little coming forth that there is but little truth in your hearts when there is so little Grace in your lips O Friends that you would yet check your selves for this neglect that you would yet charge it upon your hearts to be more fruitful this way To what purpose are you preach'd unto to what purpose do I warn you if you will not amend I 'le tell you one way to help it Let your own hearts be more set upon God get more spiritual savour more life and power of holiness in your own spirits and it will find an easier vent More divine Communion will be the best help to more holy Communication But this by the way 5. For our Grief or Sorrow I shall shew here 1. That the Object of our Sorrow is evil The Evils we are to greive for are 1. Sin 2. Misery or Affliction 2. What are the due degrees and just limits of our Grief 1. Sin This is the great and special object of Sorrow and sorrow for Sin is the best and most necessary of sorrows Sin is a grievous evil and it most calls for grief of heart He loves neither God nor himself that grieves not for sin Sin is the abuse of God and the wrong of our own Souls How canst thou say thou lovest God if thou canst abuse him or see him abused without sorrow how canst thou say thou lovest thy self when thou canst wrong thy self and not be grieved what wilt thou grieve for if not for that which is so provoking to God and so distructive to thy self Sin seems good in the eyes of sinners and therefore it seldom troubles them 't is that which pleaseth them and suits with their tempers 't is that which profits them and brings them in all their gains Sinners that must hereafter die for their sins do at present live by their sins they are beholding to their sins for their livelihood Some men live by lying and stealing and defrauding by Coveteousness and oppression 't is that which brings them in their Estates they had been some of them but poor men if their sin had not gotten them Estates Others live by their Pleasures and carnal merriments 't is their mirth and their pleasure that keeps them alive Sorrow and Melancholy they think would kill their hearts Sinners live upon their sins and therefore will not be grieved at them But though thou thinkest thou livest by thy sins thou must die for thy sins thy sins are making a grave for thee and carrying thee to it thy sins are preparing an Hell for thee and leading thee down to the chambers of Death Thy sin spoils thee at present of all that is good and makes thee good for nothing but to be fuel for the fire Holiness prepares the Saints and makes them meet for the inheritance of the Saints in light Col. 1.12 and sin prepares sinners and makes them meet for the inheritance of everlasting darkness fit to serve none but the Devil fit to dwell with none but the Devil Sinners you that go on in your sins you are herein but fitting and preparing you for the Devil This Pride that you live in these Pleasures that you live in this Covetousness that you live in by all these the Devil is preparing you for Hell There is a fire prepared for you Mat. 25.41 Everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels there is an Hell prepared for you and your sin is as fast as it can preparing you for that place of Torment Your going on in your sin is your ripening for wrath thou art almost ripe already and art ripening every day and as soon as thy sin hath but made thee fully ripe thou droppest as ripe fruit uses to do down thou droppest to rottenness into the grave and into the darkness of the pit Thou art grown to that height in sin that thou mayst be ripe before to morrow and as soon as thou art ripe thou wilt be rotting thy Body in the dirt thy Soul in Hell This is the fruit that sinners get and shall get at last by their sins Rom. 6.23 The wages of sin is death But yet because at present they live by their sins their sins make them merry their sins make them Rich they get money by them they get Estates by them therefore they are not troubled though they sin they will not sorrow Thou hast smitten them but they have not grieved Jer. 5.3 'T is said with respect to the punishment of sinners and it might be said concerning them they have smitten themselves and yet have not grieved Sin seems good in the eyes of sinners and therefore it doth not trouble them but sin seems to be sin to Saints Rom. 7. that is the greatest and worst of Evils for so sin when it appears to be sin doth appear to be the worst of Evils and therefore to them its matter of Sorrow When sin appears to be exceeding sinful as the Apostles Expression is before then the heart will be exceeding sorrowful the degrees which by the right Government of the heart this sorrow for sin is held up to and the bounds and limits it is held within are these 1. This sorrow must be so great as to answer the ends and bring forth the proper fruits of it The end of this sorrow and the fruits it must bring forth the Apostle tells us 2 Cor. 7.9 is Repentance I rejoyced that ye sorrowed unto Repentance And ver 11. This self-same thing that ye sorrowed after a godly manner what carefulness it wrought in you yea what clearing of your selves c. What ever trouble for Sin what ever sorrow any of you have in your hearts if it doth not bring forth Repentance a forsaking and turning from sin if this sorrow doth not work a fear of falling back into sin if it doth not work a care of preventing your fall if it do not work to Indignation and Zeal against Sin if it leave you the Friends of sin still the followers of sin still if this be all you can say I am troubled at it but I cannot help it it 's my trouble that I am a Drunkard it
Families are destroyed Our houses are become Sepulchres places of the dead But why should we mourn over lost souls 1. Because there are such multitudes of them Come where you will into what Country into what Family into what Congregation you will and you may see almost as many dead men as you may see men It is but here and there one living soul is to be found such a great slaughter as sin hath made calls for great lamentation 2. Because they are in such a pitiful and lamentable case What is it to be a dead and lost soul where shall we have them a little while hence Those that are under the power of death are under the power of the Devil and those that are under the power of the Devil you may look to find them shortly in the place of the Devil At present they seem to be in a paradise they live at ease and in plenty and in peace there are none seem to be so much alive as the sinners of the earth as Mal. 3.15 We call the proud happy and the prophane and flesh-pleasers and the covetous these are counted happy ones They are far they shine they glitter who but sinners These are the only men the only happy men as the world counts them but what ever there be upon their backs or in their bellies their poor hearts are dead and where shall we find these flourishing and prospering ones a few days hence It would pity ones heart to think where What if you should see all these dead buryed buryed in Flames cast into the Pit of everlasting darkness and everlasting burning You cannot but foresee that there they will be shortly thither they are travelling their way is the way of death and their steps lead down to hell and how suddenly may they be swallowed up of the Pit O pity these lost souls have you any bowels Parents have you any bowels for your sinning children Friends have you any bowels for your sinning Friends Draw forth your bowels in sighs and lamentations pour forth your hearts at your eyes and fall a weeping over them look upon the ignorant and sottish ones look upon the loose and prophane ones the lying children the swearing and cursing and drinking and unruly children among you and let your eye affect your heart Yea weep not for them only but as Luke 23.28 Weep for your selves and for your children 3. Because they will not mourn for themselves They are not sensible of their own misery nor will lay it to heart These lost souls are men besides themselves distracted ones out of their wits ut supra The prodigal was out of his wits whilst he was running his wild course he was not himself What sense have mad men of their misery They count themselves to be wise and happy men and all others to be fools but themselves How shall we hear distracted souls talking of their lands and inheritances boasting some of them that they are Kings and Lords and Gentlemen though they be even stark naked half starved bound with Thongs and chains yet still they have high thoughts and make great boastings of themselves Such mad souls are the miserable souls of sinners Job 11.12 Vain man would be wise though he be as a wild Asses colt These wild men that run a wild course that have lost their reasons it their lusts they would be taken for wise men and they will not be perswaded out of their vain conceits of themselves Bray a fool in a mortar Prov. 27.22 Yet will not his foolishness depart from him Now this is cause of great lamentation that these lost souls are such stupid and sensless souls that will not mourn for themselves nor be brought to understand that they are objects of pity and lamentation they think they are wiser than their teachers that they have more wit than to become sober and serious Christians that they have no need of the Physiâ—ian no need of counsel and instruction and thereupon are ready to fall a laughing at those that mourn over them and mock at repentance and conversion Surely those that are in such a miserable case and have not the heart to mourn for themselves or to count themselves mournful and pitiful spectacles there is the more reason we should take up a lamentation over them Let us lament therefore that there are such multitudes of miserable souls that there are so few amongst those multitudes of lost ones that we ever see to be recovered O how few are the Converts to Christ How seldom do we hear of any lost sheep brought into the Fold You that are brought in pity those that are left without mourn for them let fall a tear over them lift up a prayer for them that though they have gone astray like lost sheep yet at length they may return to the Shepherd and B shop of their souls And you that are these lost souls how is it that you are noâ— yet come so far to your selves as to see what pitiful case you are in Sinners will you yet go away conceited that it is well enough with you Is it better with you than if you were Converts Are the Bâ—ick-kilns of Egypt as long as you can eat of the Leeks and On ons and Melons better than the freedom of Canaan Do the pleasures of sin make your chains pleasant to you Is it better to go on to serve the Devil and your Lusts than to come about and be the servants of the Lord Or whether it be better or worse wisdom or folly discretion or madness are you resolved however to continue as you are Have you not the sense in you as to be able to say it is a sorry case I am in Or do you see it is bad enough with you and yet have not the power to make out after a recovery Hast thou not pity upon that poor soul of thine but thou wilt give it up to be racked and torn and burned forever rather than for its sake thou wilt deny thy will or thy lust or thine appetite Art thou still so mad as to say live or die heaven or hell what ever be the issue I will not turn out of my course I will not come unto God and be his servant If there be a God I will venture his wrath if there be an Hell I will venture on its flames rather than not enjoy my will or mine ease or my pleasure Is this thy case Judge then if thou be not a pitiful and lamentable thing and an object of mourning and if thou canst get so much of a man in thee so much of the reason and understanding of a man so much of the heart and compassion of a man O pity thy self pity thy poor soul pity and mourn over it mourn and repent repent and pray that if it be possible thou mayest recover thy self out of the snare of the Devil who art thus held captive by him at his will 2. Let us take up a
an increase to set you a running and striving and fighting against all that hinders Oh what might be said to get those creeping souls upon the wing to quicken your motions heaven-ward O how might I help you off with those weights that hâ—ng on those weights of earth and flesh of cares and lusts and sins that you might run with patience and run with alacrity and joyfulness the race that is set before you O consider the imperfect state you are in consider and lament it lament and make on forgetâ—ing the things that are behind reach forth unto those things which are before 2. Are sinners yet recoverable Oh lose not the present season but seek your recovery as Is 55.6 Seek the Lord whilst he may be found So seek your souls whilst they may be found seek recovery while it may be had But what shall I do to recover 1. Get you to be heart-sick of the misery that is upon you If ever God recover you he will first smite you he will wound you that he may heal you Micah 6.13 I will make thee sick in smiting thee said God in another case The Devil smites with a deadly wound but Gods wounds are healing wounds Hos 6.1 Come let us return to the Lord for he hath smitten and he will heal us The Devil smites with blindness the Devil smites with hardness and insensibleness of heart What is the reason thou art such a blind and hardned and sensless soul O the Devil hath smitten thee into this blindness and hardness Gods smiting of the heart is like Moses his smiting of the rock Exod. 17.6 He smote the rock and water issued out God will so smite these rocks as to fetch a stream of tears and sighs and groans out of the hard heart he will make those stones to feel The Devils work is to put sinners past feeling and O how successful hath he been at this work Poor sinners the Devil hath been at work with you smiting you into insensibleness and what sensless souls hath he made you Though the word of the Lord which is shâ—rper than a two edged sword and pierceth to the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit of the j ints and marrow hath been driven home upon you yet you feel it not The Devil hath made thâ—e such a stupid sensless soul that thou canst feel nothing but God smites to recover your feeling he will make you sick in smiting you He will â—o so if ever he means to heal you O sinner do not resist bur help forward this work of God upon you Do what you can to recover your own sense do not harden your hearts against the word do not harden your hearts in your sins pray that God would make you sick at the heart under all your misery It would be some encouragment to Ministers to bring an healing word unto you if we could once find you to be sick If we could but recover your sense we should have hope to save your lives but here it is that our work sticks we cannoâ— by all that we can say recover you to sense to a sense of your lost estate Wo is me for I am undone said the Prophet in another case Is 6.5 O might we hear such a word from sinners mouths Wo is me for I am undone I am an undone soul I am a lost soul You are undone you are lost souls and before ever you be soundly recovered you will by the sense and sickness of your hearts be forced to acknowledge it Wo is me for I am undone Sinner dost thou think thy self well art thou whole and ailest nothing This is thy senslessness and this senslessness is the most deadly part of thy disease a sick man that is grown sensless is the next step to a dead man if his sense be recovered there is more hope of his life What a word of hope would it be might we hear this word running through all the company of hardned sinners here wo is me for I am undone what shall I do what will become of me I am a lost soul dead in trespasses and sins held under the power of the Devil dragging on to destruction I am well enough as to my body and my outward condition but O my poor soul my poor blind soul my poor hardned soul my poor guilty soul in what a woful case is it Could we perceive such a sense of your case could we hear such bemoanings and complainings of your misery this were hopeful we should then hope you were upon recovery if we could by any means work you to such a sense of your estates But how is it with you sinners Is there any such good token to be found upon you Sinners here be God knows enough of you but where be the smitten sinners Where be the sensible sinners the broken sinners the fearing sinners where be the men that the word of God hath made them sick in smiting As it is with some Physick for the body so it is with Gods Physick for souls it never worketh kindly but it makes men sick in the working Where be the sick sinners In one sense you are all deadly sick but were be the sinners whom Gods Physick hath made sick Whom the word hath made sick whom conscience hath made sick that is hath made them feel their sickness No no the Lord be merciful to you your Soul-physick will not work it leaves you at your ease under the hardness and senslesness of your hearts as if you were indeed sound men and needed nothing But sinners know that till you are wrought to a sense of the misery you are in there is no hope of your recovery Do but â—enture on a while longer in this stupid hardened state and you will be past recovery You are at present without feeling but if you once be past feeling you are past recovery for ever O get you broken hearts O cry unto the Lord that he would smite you and make you sick in smiting you That he would set you a trembling that he would affright you and afflict you for your sins O stir up and awaken those sleepy souls O study and consider and get a little understanding what a woful case you are in Believe God he tells sinners that they are sons of death sons of perdition under condemnation Beheve God before the Devil and your own hearts these have agreed together to tell you a lie to tell you your case is not so bad you shall do well enough you shall escape well enough believe not the Devil believe not your deceitful hearts believe God believe the scriptures read over that word and see how dreadfully it speaks of the case of sinners and know that all this it speaks to thee all the plagues and terrours of the Lord which you read or hear out of the Scriptures these words belong to you who are yet in your sins Sinners I would fain preach you to Christ and preach you to
life I would do mine utmost to save and recover your lost souls and O let me help you to Christ let me be a means of your recovery But that I have no hope of unless vâ—â—n will so fâ—r heed and believe the word that I prâ— â—nd â—â—vâ—â— so close and so home upon your hearts 〈…〉 no longer be hardned through the deceit◠〈…〉 might be said concerning you up◠〈…〉 â—ords as concerning them Acts 〈…〉 heard this they were pricked at their 〈…〉 Brethren what shall we do 〈…〉 so concerning thee Hath this 〈…〉 heart Dost thou feel thy heart 〈…〉 art thou afraid and in that fear dost thou cry out Men and Brethren what shall I do Wretched man that I am who shall deliver me Hath it made thee so sick that thou art calling after the physitian Is there such a cry in thy soul Help Lord save Lord or I perish Wo is me I am undone what must I do to be saved If the Lord hath made thee thus sick in smiting thee sick of thy covetousness sick of thy wickedness and of that bondage thou art hitherto held under If the word of the Lord hath pricked thee to the heart and put thee to pain so that nothing but a deliverance from thy wretched state can ease thee or satisfie thee if it be thus with thee if thou art thus sick thus pricked at the heart then be of good comfort it is an hopeful sign that thou art upon recovery there is now good hopes concerning thee that though thou art dead thou mayest be made alive 2. Vnderstand what Christ hath done and must do for your recovery Christ is our only Reedemer and Reconciler and Christ redeems 1. By price 2. By power 1. Christ redeemeth by price 1. Cor. 6.20 Ye are bought with a price Christ himself was that price and he laid down his life as a price for us In this respect he is called our ransom Mat. 20.28 He gave his life a ransom for many And his redeemed ones are called his ransomed ones Is 35.10 We by sin are become prisoners and captives Prisoners to the justice of God to whom by sin we had forfeited our lives and Justice took hold of us as a company of Traitors and Malefactors whom it condemned to death Now Christ paid himself to divine justice gave himself to die that he might ransom us from death Let me stand in these Sinners stead let thine hand be upon me and let them escape death is the wages of sin let my death says Christ pay that wages 2. Christ redeemeth by power Sinners were prisoners to divine justice and captives to the Devil 2 Tim. 2 26. By price he redeems them from the revenging justice of God and by power be redeems them from the Devil In the former sense he redeemed us as a purchaser he bought our lives in the latter sense he redeemeth as a Conquerour the Devil held us and Death held us too death reigned over all Christ conquereth both Death and the Devil He overcame death and him that hath the power of death that is the Devil Heb. 2.14 Having spoiled principalities and powers he made a shew of them openly triumphing over them in himself Col. 2.15 He brake the Serpents head as it was promised he should Gen. 3. that he could no longer hold his captives The Devil tempted him to sin but he overcame the temptation and sinned not The Devil set the Jews to slay him but he overcame death by his resurrection from the dead The Devil got him among the dead but he could not hold him he rose from the dead by which it was impossible for him to be holden beyond the time appointed And as Christ conquered the Devil and conquered Death so he conquereth Sin too He conquered the Devil as our Captain so called Heb. 2.10 The Captain of our Salvation he broke the power of the Devil and led out his captives as a Captain doth his recovered prisoners He conquers sin as a Physician healing all those wounds and diseases which the Devil had brought us under he is therefore called a Physician Mat. 9.12 The whole have no need of a Physitian This now is that which Christ hath done and hath to do for our recovery to give himself a price or ransome to the justice of God by laying down his life for sinners to break the power of the Devil and rescue us from his captivity and to heal us of our sins and thereby destroy the works of the Devil 2. Vnderstand what sinners have to do towards their own recovery that they may obtain the benefit of what Christ hath done and performed This I shall sum up in this one word To perform the conditions of their recovery What are those conditions 1. To accept of Christ as your ransom to give off all other hopes of recovery and to take him as our only Redeemer Some sinners reject Christ and will none of him they care not for a ransom nor will mind any such thing as their recovery but are content to be slaves to Sin and the Devil for ever like those slaves under the Law who when they might would not go out from their Masters but would have their ears bored to the threshold that they might not depart for ever How many such desperate wretches are there among sinners Sinners they are and sinners they will be slaves to the Devil they are and they will not accept of deliverance Christ is preached to them a Redeemer and tendered to them as their ransom and liberty is offered to these captives but they will not accept him they say in their hearts as that servant I love my old Master I love my sins I love my lusts those very chains by which the Devil holds them and reject Christ who comes to ransom them How is it sinner that thou art yet a captive to the Devil and a slave to thy sins How is it that thou art left out from among the redeemed ones of the Lord There is a ransom paid there is a price laid down to buy out that soul of thine from the wrath of God and this ransom hath been offered thee and thou hast been persuaded to come out of the prison but yet there thou art yet thou art a bond-slave to the Devil and thy sin Why is it thus with thee Why onely because thou wilt not accept of thy ransom thou wilt not accept of Christ who would redeem and recover thee Thou art such a stupid sensless soul that thou dost not mind any such thing as thy recovery or redemption thou mindest thine ease or thy pleasure thou mindest thy trade and thy gains and thy business in the World but thou never mindest the redemption of thy soul never hast such a thought how shall I escape out of the hands of the Devil How shall my soul be delivered from sin and everlasting wrath When dost thou use to mind seriously any such thing Not being sensible of thy misery thou mindest
to you Be more Zealous for the Salvation of your own Souls be more fearful of their Damnation be more tender of wounding and wronging your Souls Take heed of sin Prov. 8.36 He that sinneth wrongeth his own Soul all they that hate me love Death You that sin against God ye wrong your own Souls Love your Souls better and you will never be such proud Livers or such Worldlings or such Drunkards or Rioters you would be sober and serious and circumspect If you lov'd your Selves better you would take heed of this Lying and these Oaths and this unrighteous Dealing of this hardness of Heart in your sins you would fall upon your Knees you would fall upon your Faces and be ashamed and bewail and repent of your sins and return to the Lord from them all had you more of this true Self-love within you Sinners why come you not in to Christ Why will you not yet be perswaded to repent Why Man hast thou no love to thy Self The Apostle tells us Eph. 5.29 No Man ever yet hated his own Flesh but nourisheth and cherisheth it He useth that word to press Husbands to love their Wives who says he are their own Flesh Dost thou not love thy Self What wouldst thou say of a Man that doth not love his Wife but would play the Tyrant and Tygre brawling and snarling yea fighting and beating her You would say This were a Monster among Men rather than a Christian worse than the very Brutes amongst whom it 's seldom seen that the Male snarleth or biteth or pusheth at the Female What then is he that loveth not his own Soul Lovest thou thy Self Lovest thou thine own Soul Then take heed of going on in thy Sins then take heed of standing it out against Christ You hear what a reward there is for the Righteous you hear what an Inheritance Christ hath laid up for his Saints an Inheritance in Light Life Love Joy everlasting Pleasure and everlasting Glory Christ would make those poor Souls blessed Souls joyful Souls glorious Souls partakers of the everlasting Riches of his Glory and Joy But what wilt thou say My Soul shall have no part in it My Soul shall never come there my Lot shall never be with the Saints but shall be without amongst Unbelievers Impenitents amongst Dogs and Sorcerers and Idolaters In refusing to come to Christ to Repent and be made Holy thou sayest in effect my Soul shall never come to Heaven Let it to Hell amongst Dogs and Devils and that vile and wicked Generation of the Damned But Sinner hast thou forgot that thou art a Man Art thou a Monster of Men Hast thou lost all love to thy Self to thine own Soul Doest thou neither love nor pity thine own Soul Wouldst thou that Christ should ever love thee when thou whilt not love thy Self Wouldst thou that Christ should ever pity thee when thou wilt not pity thy self O Sinners love your own Souls pity your own Souls be not so cruel and hard-hearted to your selves Will you for the love of your Lusts for the love of the World sell your Souls to the Devil sell them to Hell to make Faggots for the everlasting Burnings Where are your Bowels O pity pity that poor blind and miserable Soul of thine and bring it to Christ for pity's sake go on in thy evil ways no longer be a Drunkard no longer a Worldling no longer a Lyar a Scoffer no longer be no longer hardned in your sins but come away to Christ and escape for your Lives if you love your Selves come if you have any pity for your Selves come let the dread of the Cruelties of the Devil bring you back from following him and come you in and cast your Selves upon the Blood upon the Bowels and Compassions of Christ who is such an High Priest as can have compassion upon the Ignorant and those that are out of the way and even on the worst of Sinners that will return to him What shall I say more to you I will speak but the same words let every one of you see that he so love himself as Christ loved the Church washing it and saving it by his Blood Love your Selves and save your Selves love your Selves and bless your Selves in the God of Truth Don't bless your selves in the Earth in your Money in your Lands in your carnal Pleasures in your carnal Friends these things are not nor ever think they will be your Blessedness but bless your Selves in the God of Truth bless your Selves in Jesus whom God hath sent to bless you in turning you from your Iniquities Act. 3.26 Turn to Christ and you shall be blessed be Believers and you shall be Blessed come in this day and let your Names be written among the blessed of the Lord come every one of you and put in your Names among the Disciples of Christ Let me be one Lord let me be another write down my Name for one among thy Disciples I am willing to be thine and do solemnly covenant and this very day give my Self to Thee Who of you are there that will thus come in Will you be perswaded to it or must I lose my labour Are there any of you Is there any one of all the Sinners in this Company that will thus come in Come then in the Name of the Lord come get your Names to be thus written in the Lamb's Book and and he will write it in Heaven there it will be found in the last Day written in the Book of Life this do and then you that have been hitherto the Haters and Wrongers and Cruel will hence-forth appear to be Lovers of your own Souls 2. There is a sinful Self-love this is the great Heart Idolatry and the Root of all Rebellion and Disobedience to God Here I shall shew you 1. What this sinful Self-love is 1. It is a Love of mistaken Self of Carnal-self a love of the Flesh and it's Affections and Lusts a love of that Flesh which Christ would have us to hate and deny Mat. 16.24 Himself that is his Flesh or Carnal-self Men are mistaken in themselves and count that their Self which is not their Self as Christ said to the Woman of Samaria John 4. concerning her Husband He that thou hast for an Husband is not thine Husband so may it be said to Sinners That which thou takest for thy Self is not thy Self this Flesh which thou takest for thy Self and lovest as thy Self is not thy Self You that love your Flesh you love your Enemy you that please your Flesh you are pleasing your Enemy you that are working for your Flesh and providing for your Flesh and pampering your Flesh you are working for and feeding your Enemy you count you are seeking of and working for your Self no 't is for your Enemy this Flesh is your Mortal Enemy Now this is one sort of sinfull Self-love when we love our Flesh or our corruptions when we love our Selves as Fleshly-minded Men when we love to please and
to be religious but bridle not their tongues they pretend to be of circumcised hearts but are of uncircumcised lips 3. The unbridleness of their tongues is an evidence that their Religion is in vain When is Religion in vain Why when it cannot reach its end when it cannot save the soul and sure that Religion which cannot bridle the tongue cannot save the soul Man in what a case art thou Thou professest Religion and hopest for salvation but if thou art of an unbridled froward tongue thy Religion is vain and cannot save thee III. Frowardness hinders all that little Religion that such men have in the exercise of it it puts them besides Prayer or Reading or Meditation or spending one serious thought upon Eternity all Religion is thrust behind the doors when the froward fit is up Friends pray do not make light of this grievous evil turn every one of your eyes homeward and reflect upon your own spirits and carriages do not presently say I am not guilty or I am not much guilty this way it may be it is for want of observing thy self Look again and again how thou carriedst it at such a time how to such or such persons and you thaâ—â—re guilty do not make light of it do not count it aâ—â—ll fault Is that but a small evil which proves thee an hypocrite Where this evil reigns and is not checked nor controlled by thee is not mourned over nor art thou ashamed of it nor wilt resist it when this evil reigns it is a sign thou art but an hypocrite and thy religion is in vain Christians our Lord Jesus whose Disciples we profess our selves to be and to learn of him was meek and lowly in heart Mat. 11.29 and art thou his Disciple who art of a proud and furious spirit The Apostle tells us that a meek and quiet spirit is an ornament to the Gospel and of great price in the sight of God 1 Pet 3.4 If meekness be an ornament then frowardness is a blot and a blemish and a stain upon our Profession If meekness be pretious then frowardness is odious in the sight of God Wouldst thou make thy self a disgrace to the Gospel an odium and an abomination unto the Lord If thou wouldst not then cease from thy frowardness and study and follow after that gentleness that sweetness and candor and meekness of heart and behaviour which is so grateful both with God and men Friends though I would not say much yet finding it lie in my way I would not pass by this evil without saying something though but thus briefly to it But though I have said but little yet pray let not this little be forgotten especially by any such among you whose Consciences may tell you God hath sent this Word as an Item to me Doctr. from V. 26. Every foot hath his path There are two paths in one of which every one is walking There is the good path or way and there is the evil path These two are distinguished by their ends or term to which they lead that is the good path that leads to Good called the path of life Psalm 16.11 that is the evil path that leads to Evil the way of death and destruction Mat. 7. 2. By their Adjuncts or Qualities The good way is general the way of Holiness in particular the way of Humility Meekness Temperance Patience c. the way of Faith and Love and Prayer The evil way is the way of Sin in general and in particular it is either the way of Lying or the way of Covetousness or the way of Pride or Envy c. But here note â—â—at the good way is made up of all these good Qualities or else it cannot be the good way but any one of the evil Qualities makes the way evil He that is humble and is not temperate he that is temperate and is not patient he that is patient and is not merciful he whose life is not led in universal holiness that hath any one grace wanting is not in the good way one Fly spoils the whole Box. Christians must stand compleat in all the wills of God Col. 4.12 But for the evil way he that walks in any one particular branch of that his way is evil He that is not a Liar if he be a Swearer he that is not a Swearer if he be a Drunkard he that is not a Drunkard if he be Covetous he that is none of all these if he be carnal and walks after the flesh or any one particular Lust thereof he is in the evil way the path of sin if it be but any one sin that is our path or our way wherein we use and allow our selves to walk the path of sin is the way of death Now every one in the World hath his path is either in the good way the way of Holiness or the evil way the way of Sin And of those that are in the way of Sin some are in the way of the Proud others in the way of the Scornful others in the way of Lying others in the way of Covetousness every one hath his way Doctr. 2. Every path must be pondered To ponder our ways is to weigh and consider them the same which is charged Hag. 1.5 Consider your ways spend some deep and serious thoughts upon them Now there is 1. A consideration of the ways that we have hitherto gone on in A bethinking our selves a reviewing our course this is that which the Psalmist did Psal 119.59 I thought on my ways that I had hitherto been walking 〈◊〉 I thought and repented of what I had done I thought and turned And this is that for which Israel was reproved No man said what have I done No man said in his heart no man thought with himself what have I done For the Objects of these thoughts must be 1. The matters that we have done the particular actions of our lives Carnal men never observe or mark what they do they never review or reflect upon their actions How many words do â—â—en speak how many works are men engaged in that they never observe or mark or bestow one thought upon they cannot remember their ways because they do not observe their ways Think what you have been doing all your life long think what you have neglected to do and think what you have done and are doing to this day let your eye be upon the particular actions of your lives 2. The Quality of our ways whether they are good or evil whether they are holy or sinful Thy way hath been the way of Lying the way of Covetousness the way of Pride a carnal careless fleshly way think with thy self Is this a good way or an evil way do these my ways please God or are they contrary to God 3. The end of our ways or whither they tend and to what issue they will come at last Is this my way to God Is this the way of the everlasting Kingdom Is this the path
vanity will this a running on upon mine own death and a shutting up the door of mercy forever against me and yet shall I continue as I am Is there a way of life yet before me is there a door of mercy yet open to me and shall I not get into the Way and be making towards the door Consider sinners what is the best the wisest and the only safe course to take from henceforth and do accordingly 2. Why must we ponder our paths 1. God pondereth them Is 26.7 Thou weighest the path of the just 2. The devil pondereth them Luke 22.31 That he may sift you as wheat 3. Wicked men our enemies ponder them 4. Our way may be right in our own eyes for want of consideration when yet upon consideration it may appear to be the way of death Prov. 14.12 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man but the end thereof are the ways of death 1. There is a way of some men that is not so much as right in their own eyes who as little as they do consider it do see their way to be the way of death and not of life the way of the openly Prophane the way of the Drunkard and Adulterer the way of the Swearer and Blasphemer Prophanness doth not pretend to be the way of life Drunkards and Adulterers know they are out of the way their consciences tell them this is not the way of God this is not the way to heaven their conscience tells them I must turn I must repent and take up a better way ere I die I must not die a Drunkard I must not die a Blasphemer or a Scoffer I must repent or I am lost and hopes they have that they shall repent and this their hope hardens them The consideration that such men should take up is not to convince them that they are out of this way of life that they know already but to convince them of the necessity of a present turning and changing their way Darest thou not to die a Drunkard or a Libertine or a Licentious Liver how then darest thou to live so a day longer Art thou sure but that death may meet thee before thy turning day comes And how if it should thou knowest that then there is no hope of thee but Everlasting wrath must be thy portion Thou countest upon turning and repenting but consider what is the reason thou dost not repent at present that thou dost not this day give a divorce to all thy wickedness shake hands with all thy companions and forthwith become a new man Why not now O I cannot bring mine heart to it And dost thou in good earnest think that it will be easier hereafter Hath the Lord been perswading thee to a change all thy life long and thou seest his word cannot prevail thou seest it doth not after all thy convictions and fears and threatnings of the Word and checks of thy conscience hitherto thou goest on thy lust is too hard for thy conscience or convictions and dost thou think in thy heart that this is the way to make it easy to repent to continue longer in thy sin A course of sin hardens thee sinner Thine heart is not so hardned against repentance this year but look for it thou art like to find it harder the next year The farther thou goest on in sin the farther off art thou from repentance 2. There are others whose ways are right in their own eyes which consideration would make appear to be the way of death and not of Life I shall instance in two sorts 1. The ways of moral unbelievers These are they that are sober and temperate and harmless and just in their dealings with men and courteous and good natured this is their way and this way seems right unto them in this way they hope to come to heaven though whatsoever they have of morality they have nothing of Christianity in them Conversion or Regeneration are as strange things to them as they were to Nicodemus Jo. 3.3 who when Christ told him except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God he answered how can these things be And they have need to ask as Pilate did what is truth So they what is this new birth what is this new creature what is this conversion Consider man what dost thou think of this plea at last when this is all thou canst say I am an honest man but God help me no good Christian I am no drunkard but yet an unbeliever I am no Lyar nor Swearer but yet no convert to Christ Consider those scriptures Jo. 3.3 except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God â—â—d Mat. 18.3 Except a man be converted he cannot enter into the kingdom of God And dost thou bless thy self in thy harmless and less vitious way when thou hast never felt any such thing as Regeneration upon thee This thy way is thy folly and though it be right in thine own eyes yet it is and thou will find it to be the way of death 2. The way of hypocritical professors some hypocrites know themselves hypocrites and the way seems not right to them others are hypocrites and yet take themselves to be sincere and the deceit of their hearts may be so deep that there is need of deep consideration to discover it They pray and they hear and have some face of Religion upon their ways they will speak of God and the things of God with some affection and live in the visible communion of the church with good approbation they are it may be well reputed and well reported among all men and yet for all that the root of the matter may not be in them they may be unsound and rotten at heart and neither themselves know it and others suspect it there may be some secret reigning lust in their hearts they may be lovers of the world lovers of their ease or their pleasures more than lovers of God Whatever they have there may be one thing lacking as it was the case of the young man Mar. 10.21 whose life was commendable in many things yet says Christ one thing lackest thou and that one lack was loss of heaven And have we not all need to consider our selves and to consider deeply how it is with us A sincere Christian is an entire christian psal 119.1 Blessed are the undefiled that is the entire in their way that labour to be entire lacking nothing and sure we had need consider whether we are or no. Some Professors are so lame and halting in their way that they lack many things almost all things of serious Christianity Thou hast the profession of christianity but is not the power of it lacking Thou dost some of the works of righteousness but may not the Lord complain of thee as of Sardis Rev. 3.2 I have not found thy works perfect before me thou dost some of the works of Christians but are not the inward graces lacking Some of
to be found Reprobates at Judgment and then to have the sentence of reprobation pronounced upon you why sure sinners the very next misery to that is to be in a state of reprobation O take this home to you as your portion from the Lord every unconverted one take this word home to you take it into your own mouths O what shall I do I am a lost child I am a lost soul wo is me I am undone a son of perdition and an heir of damnation What is it to me that I have kept my body in good case that I am in health What is it to me that I have kept my estate and have not been such a prodigal of that that I have my house and my lands and my money what is it that I have kept my credit and my friends O my soul my poor soul is lost and what good shall my estate or my health or my credit or my friends or my life do to me 2. Mens souls are not so lost here but that they are recoverable In a little time if they look not to it they will be past recovery for ever Yet a little while and the Gospel will be a sealed Book to you never again to be opened yet a little while and the door of mercy and grace will be shut against you never again to be unlocked When death hath once sealed up sinners eyes when the grave hath shut her mouth upon them then every one of you that is found in his sins the Gospel is sealed up the door of mercy is shut up and thou wilt be lost forever irrecoverably lost But yet sinners these lost souls may be recovered There is great hazard at present that thou mayest not be recovered but yet there is hope 1. Ther 's great hazard at present that thou mayest not be recovered Do not make light of the hazard that is do not make sure say not such a word I doubt not but by the grace of God I shall have mercy and be saved Ther 's great hazard that that soul of thine which is a lost soul this day may be lost for ever and never be converted and saved How great that hazard is I have formerly told you out of the Pulpit and now you may read the same things from the Press namely in my discourse on Prov. 28.14 read that book carefully once especially from p 171. to page 198 where you may understand how great hazard there is that lost souls may not be recovered 2. Yet there is hope thou mayst be recovered For 1. Your souls are yet every one of them within the reach of the bloud of Christ You are come to that bloud of sprinkling Heb. 12.24 Which speaks better things then the blood of Abel There is not one Sinner among you but at present the bloud of Christ speaks for you and what doth it speak Father if this Sinner turn and repent let him not be rejected let him be pardoned and be saved For Believers it speaks thus Father these my Friends have believed and have repented and therefore I pray thee let them not fail of having the benefit of my bloud let them not fail of their pardon and salvation Thus for Saints and even for every unconverted Sinner it speaks conditionally ut supra if they will believe if they will yet turn let them also have the benefit of my bloud Hitherto every one of you are thus far within the reach of the bloud of Christ it pleads thus with the Father for you and if you will come in will make an attonement for and redeem and recover you from all your sins When once Death hath closed your eyes in your unconverted estate you are gone for ever out of the reach of the bloud of Christ it can now no longer profit you nor plead for you There is nor one drop of that pretious bloud shall ever fall into the Pit nothing of the bloud of Christ shall come into Hell and find you out there but only the guilt of his bloud that shall fall upon Sinners in Hell the guilt of despising his bloud the guilt of trampling on his bloud This is all that shall be said to sinners there in the Pit these are they that would none of me I would have washed them with my bloud but they would not be washed I would have saved them by my bloud but they would not be saved I called upon them to turn from their sins and come unto me but they would not turn they would not come I offered to purge them from their sins to pardon and make reconciliation for their iniquities but they would not be pardoned nor purged they loved their sins and hardened their hearts and threw back my bloud in my face they would none of me and now let the guilt of my bloud be upon them to heighten their flames and burn in their bowels for ever The guilt of his bloud shall reach to Hell but the expiation and attonement of his bloud shall never come there After Death there is nothing but Hell and out of Hell there is no recovery those Sons of Perdition are lost for ever O thank God Sinner that thou art not yet fallen in thither thank God that that soul of thine is not in Hell How many younger sinners than thou are there already roaring under the sense of their madness in neglecting Christ and his Redemption O thank God that thou art here thank God that thou art yet alive that Christ yet calls to thee to come to him that Christ yet offers thee that if thou wilt but turn and repent his bloud shall cleanse thee from all unrighteousness and save thee from coming into condemnation Sinner there is yet hope of thee that thou mayest be saved though there be hazard great hazard that thou wilt yet harden thy heart to thy destruction that thou wilt never be converted and be saved there is great hazard that though thou be yet out of Hell thou wilt be there shortly though thou art yet within the reach of the bloud of Christ thou wilt in a little time be without its reach but though there be such great hazard that thou mayest die for ever and be irrecoverably lost yet there is at present hope concerning thee that thou mayest be recovered and there is this hope concerning thee that thou art yet within the reach of the bloud of Christ O thank God for it and do not go on to harden thy heart till thou art past recovery I say again thank God that thou art here but yet I must add thank God and repent thank God and be converted or else it were even as good that thou wert in Hell this hour as to be here in thy sins nay it were better for thee that that body of thine were now rotting in the Grave and that soul of thine were now roaring in Hell this would be better for thee than to be here hearing the Gospel if after all thou shouldst
my soul is lost You have been told how these lost souls may be recovered but What thought hath there been in thine heart since about taking the course for thy recovery Thou dost not think of these things it is true but canst thou not think of them Thou knowest thou canst 5. Men can stop and make a stand in their evill ways from going on further in them from making their condition worse than it is and their recovery more difficult Canst thou not lay thine Hand upon thy mouth when thou art about to lie or to swear or to scoff and bite in those evil words that are coming out Canst thou not keep thee from thy Companions and thine old drunkenness and riot Canst thou not keep thee out of the Ale-house or the Tavern Thou canst do it such outward acts are in the power of the will to restrain Men may be true if they will and sober if they will If thou wilt be a Drunkard or a Swearer or a Lyar who can help thee But if thou wilt thou mayst help it thy self It is true thy case is miserable enough and thy cure hard enough by thy continuing in thine evil way hitherto but as bad as it is with thee it is growing worse and worse every sin thou goest on to commit is a new gash wherewith thou givest a deeper and more deadly wound to thy poor perishing soul If thou stop thy course that is something towards aâ— recovery Well these things thou canst do towards thine own recovery Thou canst pray thou canst hear thou canst give heed to what thou hearest thou canst think and thou canst stop and make a stand in thy evil ways And if thou wilt but do what thou canst thou mayst have hope that God will do that for thee which thou canst not 3. How we may know whether we are recovered or no. This I shall shew 1. Negatively 1. Those whose understandings are not recovered their soules are not recoverd Those whose understandings are still lost their souls are lost Those that are not come to themselves are not come to Christ Every ignorant soul is a lost soul 2. Cor. 4.3.4 If our Gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost from whom is the Gospel hid see v. 4. From those whom the God of this world hath blinded their minds lest the light of the glorious Gospel should shine unto them Art thou an ignorant soul ignorant of the Gospel Doth not the light of the glorious Gospel shine into thee i. e. dost thou not understand the Gospel So long is the Gospel hid from thee and if the Gospel still be hid to thee thou art a lost soul What multitudes are there to whom the Gospel is preached that yet understand nothing of it Thou hast been an hearer of the Gospel these many years but what dost thou understand of it As Philip said to the Eunuch Acts. 8.30 Vnderstandest thou what thou readest So it may be said to thee understandest thou what thou hearest No thou dost not understand though the light shines round about thee yet not a beam of it hath shined into thy heart It is all dark within thee what ever light be shining round about thee Though the light hath shined into thy darkness yet thy darkness comprehendeth it not Ioh. 1.5 Poor ignorant ones in what a case are you you are every one of you lost souls And what is like to become of you We bring the light among you but we cannot open your eyes we preach Christ to you we instruct you in the knowledg of God we cry unto you get knowledg seek understanding seek for it as silver search for it as for hid treasures But say what we can you will not be perswaded you will not receive instruction The God of this world hath blinded your minds and we cannot heal your blindness There bosome of you that know you are ignorant that will confess it yet not to bemoan your selves but to excuse your selves I am but ignorant I am not book learned What not learned in the book of God What not acquainted with the book of life No God help me I am not what then Why therefore I hope it is not so bad with me as with others that know I hope God will forgive me because I am ignorant This is a wretched principle that is gotten into the hearts of the ignorant that because they are so God will not be extreme to mark what is done amiss by them O remble in pleading your ignorance you therein confess that which will prove you to be lost souls You may as well say I am a damned soul as say I am an ignorant soul 2. These whose consciences are lost Who though they may be recovered to be men of understanding yet are not recovered to be men of conscience We trust we have a good conscienc willing to live honestly in all things Heb. 13.18 Thus it is with recovered souls they are men of a good conscience Where conscience is laid waste the soul still lyes open to the government and dominion of the Devil Conscience is a bar and a bulwark against his assaults and temptations Where conscience is not the soul is as a City that hath neither Gates nor Bars but is left open to the Devil to rule it at his pleasure God hath not recovered the rule of any soul till Conscience be awakened and hath recovered its authority Art thou an unconscionable man or woman Dost thou make no conscience of thy ways Hast thou slighted conscience hast thou wounded conscience so long that now it lets thee alone to thy will and thy lust Or if it checks thee sometimes for thy evils yet thou bearest it down and goest on thy way against its reproofs and contradictions Art thou a man of no conscience Is it not against thy conscience to lie or to defraud or to drink to drunkenness to live without praying or minding God or thy soul Does conscience let thee alone to live thus Or if it doth smite thee yet goest thou still on against it Art thou a man of no more conscience than this what dost thou think of thy self What ever thou thinkest thou art a lost soul while conscience is lost thy soul is lost Till conscience be recovered thy soul is not recovered and conscience is never recovered till it hath recovered its authority and hath gotten the rule and the Government of thee 3. Those who make light of their disease and their misery Men are never recoverd till they are first made sensible of their disease Sin is thy disease and thy death and thou art never recovered from that death till thou art brought to a sense of thy disease Where there is life there will be sense They were dead souls alienated from the life of God who were past feeling Eph. 4.18.19 Those that make light of sin it is a sign they are not recovered Sin is felt as an heavy thing by those souls that have the
censure those that fear God as fools and to charge Religion with folly Proud Fool get thee a little more understanding and then thou wilt see what an ignorant poor mistaken soul thou art The convert looks upon the Gospel and the goodness of God and the grace of Christ and the holiness of the Spirit as marvellous things excellent things he sees an excellency in Religion a beauty and desirableness in all the ways of God he sees the folly of Sin and the wisdom of Religion the baseness and unworthiness and the filthiness of Sin and the worth and the purity of Religion he sees himself to have been a very beast and a fool whilst he continued and went on in his sins and can never have a good thought of himself but as far forth as he is changed from his sins he looks upon that little change that is begun as a blessed change and a comfortable change Now I have something of the understanding of a man returned into me Now I thank God I begin to live and stand up from among the dead O I thank God for this little wisdom that is begotten in me I was a very fool till now I have been told I was a fool I have been told I was a beast many a time but I could never see it till now until the Lord hath thus opened mine eyes this is some degree of the sinners recovery such an opening of his eies though it is possible he may be very much recovered in this respect and yet be a sinner still 2. The man whose heart is opened Thus Lydia's conversion is expressed Acts. 16.14 Whose heart the Lord opened There is a double opening of the heart 1. An opening of the heart to the Lord so as to receive and embrace him when offered The hearts of natural men are shut against the Lord they are not only void of grace and without Christ but bolted and bar'd up against Christ and his grace they are unwilling of conversion unwilling of sanctification Jer. 13.27 O Jerusalem wilt thou not be made clean No they will not O sinner wilt thou not have the Lord to be thy God wilt thou not have Jesus to be thy Lord Wilt thou not that he should come into that soul of thine and wash thee with his bloud and govern thee by his spirit make thee a new soul and of another spirit than thou hast been No thou wilt not thine heart is shut against Christ To the Devil thou wilt open to the world and its lusts and its pleasures thou wilt open thine heart nay it stands open night and day to these but it is shut against Christ and his grace thou art not willing that Christ should come in Sinners if your hearts would but open Christ would come in this very hour and bring in his salvation to thee There is not one man amongst you all that shall go home this day without Christ without the sanctifying grace of Christ that is but unfeignedly willing to give entertainment to him Art thou willing of Christ willing to have grace Wilt thou so receive Christ as to resign up thy self to his guidance and government art thou really willing this is the very opening of thine heart to the Lord wherein thy conversion stands Thou art the man whose heart the Lord hath opened 2. An opening the heart to godliness or christianity The former opening notes a readiness of the heart to receive Christ in and his Grace in This opening of the heart notes the souls letting it self out after Christ and his holy ways a letting its self out in holy desires in love and holy affections in resolutions and holy purposes to serve and cleave to the Lord. When the heart is open to Christ it is open to Christianity When it hath received Christ Jesus the Lord it will be for walking in him The heart of the Hypocrite though it professeth to be open to Christ yet it is shut against Christianity Hypocrites are willing of a part in Christ in the priviledges and hopes and comforts of the Gospel and so will trust in Christ and boast of Christ and glory and rejoice in Christ Jesus but as to the exercise of Christianity especially in those harder and severer parts of it the mortifying the flesh the denying themselves the being crucified to the World the close and downright and industrious following the Lord in holiness of this they are not willing their hearts are shut against it That heart that is sincerely opened to the Lord and hath indeed taken Christ in doth freely open it self to all the ways of the Lord and hath a propension and disposiâ—ion and resolution for powerful and practical Christianity He is a resolved Disciple of Christ a resolved follower of Christ Now this is the recovered soul the man whose eyes are opened who hath the knowledge of God of the beauty and excellency and goodness of all the ways of God and the man whose heart is opened who hath both received Christ Jesus the Lord and who is resolved to walk in him this is the soul that was dead and is alive Vse Are sinners lost souls then let us take up a lamentation over them What a lamentation did the Prophet take up over the sinful Jews Jer. 9.1 O that my head were waters and mine eyes a fountain of tears that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughters of my people O what a slaughter hath sin made amongst us our Houses our Streets our Congregations how full are they of the dead dead souls whom sin hath slain Behold the dead that are in every place so many sinners so many dead and lost souls Here be the dead but where are the mourners Verse 17. Consider ye and call for the mourning women that they may come and send for cunning women skilful at mourning and let them make hast and take up a wailing for us that our eyes may run down with tears and our eye-lids gush out with water Women are more pityful than men and more apt to mourn Call says he for the pityful among women let them take up a wailing for us and let them set us a mourning let the women set the men a mourning that our eyes may run down with tears and v. 20. let the Mothers teach the daughters wailing and every one her neighbour lamentation Why what is the matter v. 21. O Death is come up into our windows and is entered into our palaces our houses are houses of the dead It is not onely with us as with Egypt when their first-born were slain when there was not an house in the Land wherein was not one dead there are but few houses in our Land where there is one alive they are almost all dead dead Fathers dead Children dead Husbands dead Wives dead in trespasses and sins Death hath not onely entered in at our windows and slain here and there one but the doors have been set open to it whole
day Am not I concerned in it Was not this word spoken to me Am not I one that committeth sin Do not I live after the flesh Was I ever regenerated or born again What then Why then think farther Is it nothing to be of the Devil Is everlasting death nothing Is it nothing to be shut out of the kingdom of God Awaken O my sleepy soul yet break and melt and tremble oh mine hardned heart awaken escape for thy Life there is but a step betwixt thee and everlasting death Consider this now whilst the day of adversity comes nor but if thou shouldst be so unwise as not to consider at present yet at least in the day of thy distress consider Then think how little the word hath done to the breaking and awakening of thee What a stock what a senseless stone hath it left thee Then think now God is using one means more to cure me of this sleepy hardned heart God hath laid this sickness upon me or this poverty upon me to humble me and awaken me And now I am come to my last remedy if affliction if distress if sickness if the sight of death and the grave do not work upon me nor cause the word which I have heard to work yet upon me what then Why then I am undone forever I am within a step of the Pit just dropping in and then this lost soul of mine will be past recovery forever O sinners how does this word sit upon your hearts Are not you greatly concerned in it Does not thy life lie at stake thy soul lie at stake upon thy considering or slighting thy warning O consider let present consideration prevent the great necessity of sickness consideration of death-bed consideration At least when any of you shall come to be in distress when pains shall come upon you or poverty come upon you or death make its approach to you then remember the warning of this day In the day of adversity consider 3. Take your physitians counsel and follow his rules Physitians besides their medicins do usually give rules to their Patients for their well ordering themselves and these rules they must observe or they are never like to recover and there are these three rules which ordinarily Physitians give which our great Physitian of souls gives also to them that will be recovered by him 1. Keep a good diet 2. Vse good exercise 3. Take heed of taking cold 1. Keep a good diet Abstain from all such things as will nourish and feed your diseases What is it that hath brought thee to this wretched pass That hath made thee this sick and miserable soul Thou hast been with the prodigal Luk. 15. Feeding upon husks Thou hast been with Israel Is 44 20. Feeding upon ashes Thou hast been with Ephraim Hos 12.1 Feeding upon wind These husks and these ashes and this wind have been all thy poor soul hath been feeding upon the vanities of this world the lust and the pleasures the carnal delights and the profits of this world these are but windy food for thy soul these are the very ashes and husks that have filled thee with such sore diseases thou hast fed thine heart so long with these carnal things thy soul hath been eating these ashes and drinking this wind so long that it is even turned into ashes and wind it is becom an earthly soul a fleshly soul a vain frothy soul and never think to be recovered to a better case till thou feed upon better food Wouldest thou be recovered and get thee a new heart and a new soul Then abstain from thy old feeding Abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul 1. Pet. 2.11 Make no provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof Rom. 13. ult Deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts Tit. 2.12 My meaning plainly is this If ever you would recover allow not your fleshly appetites the liberty as formerly Come off from your carnal pleasures which have been such a band to you Come off from your carnal companions drink no more with the drunken run not with them to their excess of Riot No more such vain sportings and revellings Not in chambring and wantonness not in Riot and Drunkenness Come off from this greedy worldly life feed not your souls upon your lands or your monies or your trades Though you must have something of these for your bodies yet feed not your hearts with them Set not your hearts upon them that is the advice of the Psalmist Psal 62.10 If riches increase or whether they do increase or no set not your hearts upon them Let not your souls be drudges to your flesh to gather in provision for it nor let them feed with your flesh at the same trough You have better things for your souls to feed upon you have God to feed on you have the bloud of Christ the Covenant of grace the hope of Salvation the joys of the spirit the pleasures of Eternity the bread that comes down from Heaven the wine that makes glad the city of God Let these be the food of your souls feed your thoughts upon them Think often of God of his infinite goodness and grace of his eternal treasures and everlasting pleasures Think of Christ what he hath done for you what he hath purchased for you how he hath loved you and washed you in his bloud and saved you by his death Feed your affections on God and his Glory to come feed your desires upon him let this be your voice Js 26.8.9 The desire of my soul is to thy name Enlarge your desires here you cannot be too greedy and of too eager an appetite Delight your selves in the Lord get the savour and relish of things spiritual taste the pleasures of religion taste the sweetness of Christianity Do not onely spend now and then a sudden thought upon God and the things above but live in such frequent and serious meditation that you may get down something of the sweetness and fatness of heaven and digest holy meditations into holy affections Never count you have thought of God to any purpose till you can love and taste and get out good nourishment for your souls by which you may thrive and flourish and with which you may be so delighted as to wean you from the Love and Lusts of this world Believe it friends as loth as you are to let go your pleasant morsels the stolen waters of your own Cisterns as hard as you find it to diet your souls so as to deny your selves the pleasures and contentments of a worldly fleshly life as strongly as your hearts lust after ease and lust after the world and the contentments thereof get but once to be so inwardly acquainted with religion as to taste the pleasure thereof and you will be able to despise this carnal life and all its advantages and wonder at your selves that ever you should find out contentment in such a life as you have lived And now your souls are like
Counsel be well advised and run not thus headlong upon thine own ruin O hold up such Government in your Spirits that your Hearts may be tractable and flexible plyable Hearts let them be stiff and fast to the concernments of God but loose and easily withdrawn from the interest of Self Stiff against sin stiff against Temptation resolute for Holiness Is thy will brought about for God for Religion for Conscience Stand to it to the Death never be perswaded out of your Religion never be perswaded out of your Consciences or Consciencious walking let your Hearts be resolved for the greatest strictness of Religion and be strict and stiff in such Holy resolutions but never again be so set upon your own wills your Carnal wills here get a pliable Heart never to be perswaded off from God easily to be perswaded back from Self and Flesh It 's Prophesied Isa 11.6 There shall be such a change wrought upon the rough and furious and ravenous Spirits of Sinners by the power of Christ that the Wolf and the Leopard and the Lyon shall be so tamed that a little Child may lead them They shall be so flexible and pliable that they may be easily lead that the least Items or Intimations from God or from Conscience may bring them to any thing that when Lust puts hardest upon them for sin when Self presses most impetuously upon them for minding or pursuing it's Interest or will a Word from God an Item from Conscience may bring them about after the Lord that Self may never be able to fortifie them against Conscience but that Conscience may with ease break the Bands and loose the Cords of Self and command them after their God It was said of Caesar's Souldiers that where his Interest was concerned they were more than Men in their own concernments they were less than Women Let the Servants of Christ learn so much of the Souldiers of Caesar let them be so true so fast to the Interest of Christ and Religion of Holiness that they may be above the Spirit of a Man and so the Spirit of a Christian is above the Spirit of a Man but let them sit so loose from the Interest or the Commands of Self that a Woman or a little Child may bring them back from the pursuance of it that such a word from whatever Mouth it comes what is this Self or this Flesh to thee that thou so hearkenest to it or insistest so upon it Wilt thou obey thine adversary Wilt thou cleave to thy Mortal Enemy Self is no better 't is the worst Enemy thou hast and wilt thou feed thine Enemy Strengthen thine Enemy Fight for thy Enemy That such a word may be enough to countermand the will of the Flesh and to bring the Heart back from obeying it's strongest motions and Lusts This will be the blessed Fruit of a due Heart-government the defeating and subduing of Self-will and the sweet and easie compliance of the Heart with and it's complacency in the will of God and it will be no hard thing for such a Soul to say Not my will but the will of the Lord be done 3. Self-love 1. There is a Self-love which is our Duty there is an innate Principle of Love planted by God himself in the Nature of Man in his State of Innocency God hath made all Men living lovers of themselves and he would have them so That word Thou shalt love thy Neighour as thy Self evidenceth that we must love our selves The fruits of this Self-love are 1. Self-preservation 2. Self-blessing 1. Self-preservation the securing our selves from Mischief the saving our selves from danger Acts 2.40 Save your selves this generation He that said Save your selves from this evil generation hath therein said much more save your selves from Condemnation To save our selves from sin to save our selves from Wrath to save our Souls this is a great Duty lying on every man in this World and this Self-saving or Self-preservation our Self-love will prompt and press us to He that loveth himself will save himself he that duly loveth his Soul will do what he can to save his Soul That men destroy and Damn themselves that men neglect Christ the Author of Salvation that men neglect Religion and Godliness the way of Salvation is for want of a true love to themselves Sinners Christ is Preached unto you and tendred to you and if you lov'd your selves better you would love Christ and accept of him You are exhorted to Repentance to Godliness and if you loved your own Souls you would repent and be holy Thou art an hater of thy Self an Enemy a Murderer of thine own Soul who art not a lover of Christ and of Religion and godliness What a Brute art thou O sinner yea worse than a Brute thou canst love thy Friends thou canst love thy Wife and thy Child thou canst love thy Companions yea thou canst love thy sins and thy lusts only thou hast no love to thy Soul 'T is laid down as a mark of wicked Persons among many others 2 Tim. 3.3 Without natural Affection For a Child to be without natural Affection to the Parents for Parents to be without natural affection to the Child for men to be strangers to their own flesh without natural Affection to their Friends or Relations this is a mark of a wicked man What is it then for men to be without natural affection to their own Souls wilt thou say thou lovest thy Soul when thou so sadly neglectest thy Soul when thou takest no care for thy Soul when for the love of thy Lusts and thy Pleasures and thy Companions thou wilt Damn thy Soul Sinners what have you done for your Souls ever since you were born You have done something for your Flesh you have fed it and cloathed it and wrought hard for it to get a provision and maintenance for it but what have you done for your Souls what pains didst thou ever take that it might be well with thy Soul what knowledge hast thou gotten what Grace hast thou gotten what Peace for thy Soul hast thou gotten Peace with God hast thou done any thing toward the reconciling thy Soul to God thou knowest how little thou hast done thou hast loaden sin upon thy Soul thou hast loaded guilt upon thy Soul thou hast left it like the Soul of a Laodicean Rev. 3.17 Poor and miserable and Blind and Naked that Soul within thee is a miserable Soul a guilty Soul a blinded hardned Soul a polluted naked Soul it would make your hearts ake if you consider'd it in what woful wretched case you have left your Souls to this day If you have so much sense in you think of it and lay it sadly to Heart what a miserable case you have left your Souls in the reason of this is because you are without love to your Souls hence is it that you have had so little care of your Self-preservation 2. Self-blessing Isa 65.16 There is a Self-blessing that is
call upon you and encourage you in the Name and the Words of the Lord Come now and let us reason together saith the Lord. Let your hearts be thus kept and then come come with your prayers come with your praises and I will hear and accept you 8. It is the Temple of the Lord. 2 Cor. 6.16 Ye are the temple of the living God 't is the heart especially that is this Temple There are four things in the Temple of God which are so many reasons why our hearts should be carefully kept and guarded 1. The law of God is in his Temple The law was read in the Temple and kept in the Temple and as in that Temple made with hands so in that living Temple made without hands the Law of God is placed and preserved Christians have the Law of God within them their Bibles in their hearts in the heart of a Christian is the Copy of the Bible God hath not only preach'd it to their hearts but they have laid it up in their hearts Psal 119.11 I have hid thy word within mine heart that I might not sin against thee Mary kept the sayings of Christ and laid them up in her heart Luk. 2.51 God promised Jer. 31.33 I will write my Law in their hearts and he hath done what he promised he that once wrote his Law in Tables of Stone hath also written it in fleshly Tables of Hearts Therefore Psal 40.8 Thy Law is within mine heart The Law written in the heart Notes 1. All those holy Notions of God of Christ of Glory Honour Immortality of the Power Wisdom and Goodness of God and of the Mistery of Christ which are written in the Scriptures are revealed in the heart 2. All those holy Principles or divine Axioms concerning Truth Righteousness Holiness Mercy Temperance Sobriety c. the nature and necessity of them to true Godliness and Blessedness 3. That Law of the Spirit of life which is in Christ Jesus the new Law or Covenant of Grace by which we are freed from the Law of sin and death Rom. 8.2 the Tenour and the Terms of the Covenant the Promises and the Conditions of the Covenant the great Charter of the Saints which gives them Title to and will give them an entrance into the Everlasting Kingdom The writing that Law is the writing the new Covenant in the heart 4. That inward living Law the holy bent inclinations dispositions begotten in the heart by the Word and Spirit of the Lord that renewed Conscience inwardly obliging and holding the heart to the Obedience of the Word A Christian hath not only something without him but something within him binding him to obedience whereby it may be said much more of him then of those Gentiles Rom. 2.14 He is a law to himself His own heart holds him in to Christ his own heart holds him on in Obedience to the Gospel If all our Bibles should be lost or burnt if all our Preachers that urge and press our Obedience were laid aside and trodden under foot a Christian hath that within him that would hold him on in his Christianity That knowledge of God and those Principles of Christianity that love of Christ and that renewed Conscience within him will keep him a Christian still Now all this treasure those holy Notions holy Principles this Law of Grace and this living law of the new Covenant being all kept in the heart the heart being the Temple of God wherein all this is preserved had need be carefully kept Would you not have all the Notions of God and the knowledge of Christ dimm'd and darkned and razed out would you not loose all your holy Principles of Righteousness and Honesty of Temperance and Sobriety would you not have the book of the Covenant stolen away on which all your Hopes and Expectations all your title to Everlasting blessedness depends would you not loose that holy bent and those holy inclinations and that renewed Consciences by all which you are disposed and inwardly bound bound in Spirit to the life of Christianity would you not that all these should be lost would you not return to be dim sighted and dark Souls would you not exchange your holy Principles for carnal Principles your renewed purged Consciences for corrupt Consciences would you not that the Temple of the Lord be robb'd would you not that your heart be robb'd of all these Treasures then set a Guard upon your hearts 2. The name of God is in his Temple Jer. 7.10 12. 't is said often he places his name there And of these living Temples the hearts of Saints 't is said Rev. 3.12 I will write the name of my God and the name of the City of my God upon them And Chap. 2.17 in this heart there is a precious stone put and upon this stone a new name written which no man knows but he that hath it A Christian hath not only the names of Christ call'd upon him he is call'd a Christian after the name of his Lord but he hath this name written upon him written upon his heart Sure that Table should be kept clean in which is written such a precious name What shall the name of God be written on a dunghil wilt thou suffer Sin and the Devil to make a very dunghil of thy heart and in that dunghil write the name of thy God If the heart be not well guarded the Devil will be not only carrying out but carrying in all the precious Treasures that are in your hearts let Satan alone a while and hee 'l carry them all away Whatever thou hast now thou shalt have nothing of God left in thee nothing of Christ lest in thee none of all thy Graces none of all thy comforts Hast thou love for Christ hast thou hope in Christ hast thou peace or joy in God hast thou either the image or the comforts of God in thee Satan stands ready if thou look not to him to carry all away thou wilt quickly be left a very miserable Soul poor and blind and naked if thou take not heed And as the Devil will be carrying out so he will be also carrying in to that heart of thine Thy Gold and thy Jewels he will carry away and he will bring in dirt and filth and trash As he unloads thee he will load thee unload thee of the treasures of light and load thee with the treasures of darkness He will fill those hearts with every unclean thing he will make those Temples to be very Stables or Sties he will make that heart a very Dunghil and Christ must either have no name within thee or that precious name written on a dunghil and will you suffer such an affront and abuse to be put upon your Lord If you do not keep your hearts so it will be 3. The Worship of God is in his Temple Mine house shall be called an house of Prayer Mat. 21.13 In this inward Temple the heart is the inward and spiritual Worship of
of life Have I been all this while in the strait and narrow way that leads to life or have I not hitherto been travelling in the broad way that leads to destruction This worldly way this fleshly way it is that which hath pleased me at present but whether will it bring me at last Sinners bethink your selves thus Whither is it that I am going What is like to be the end of this course I am taking Either to God or the Devil either to Heaven or Hell every one of you have been going and which of the two have you been making towards Is lying the way to God Is Drunkenness and carnal mirth and pleasure is this the way to Heaven Is hardness of heart in your way Is impenitence in your sin is this the way to blessedness Do not your own hearts tell you I must turn out of these evil paths I must take a new course ere ever I can be saved Be so wise as to spend some such thoughts This is sinners great folly and their great misery that they run on in their ways and we cannot perswade them to think whither they are going But what is it of so little weight with you whether you are saved or damned that it is not worth a few serious thoughts Sure you could never go on at that sensless rate you do if you did think whither you were going We come and preach Christ and righteousness and holiness to you as the only way of life you have been often told that Christ is the way and that no man cometh to the Father but by him Jo. 14.6 And you have been told that there is no coming to God by Christ to Heaven by Christ unless there be a coming to Christ a joyning your selves to him as his disciples and followers Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out Jo. 6.37 but will bring him to Life you have been often told that without holiness no man shall see God Heb. 12.14 That this way of Faith in Christ and this way of holiness is the only way of life this hath been told you this hath been preached to you over and over again and yet we cannot perswade you into this way The reason is because you will not consider what we preach you will not consider what it is to be damned and perish for ever you will not consider whether you can think of any other way by which it is possible to escape damnation but this way of faith and holiness If you did consider and understand what an Hell it is whither your neglect of Christ and running on in your ways is leading you how hot that furnace is into which you are like to fall within a few days how dreadful it will be when you are in once and shall feel the scorching of those flames What think you would not such scalding and burning thoughts make you weary of your sins and willing of Christ Would they not awaken you would they not affright you out of this secure and vain course that you are now going on in Where do you think your fellow-Swearers and fellow-Drunkards and fellow-Worldlings that have been cut off in their sins and carried away into the other world in there impenitence that were laughing with you and mocking and scoffing with you a few years ago where do you think they are now What do ye think they are doing at this hour O it would make an heart of stone to tremble and quake to think what their companions that are dead in their sins do now see and feel Think with thy self man those that were a while agone drinking with me and laughing with me making a mock of Christ and of sin as I do O where are they now It would make thine eyes stare and thine hair stand on end and thy bones shiver to think where they are O consider this ye that forget God lest he tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver you from that place of the dead that place of Pitch and burning Brimstone where you have reason to fear your companions in sin are frying at this hour Whilst Christ is preaching to you whilst God is yet a warning you to fly from the wrath to come Oh how are they tearing their hair and biting their tongue and wringing their hands to consider that preaching of Christ to them shall be no more that all their warnings are over that they must for ever feel and faint and perish under that wrath which is now too late for them to fly from or escape Bestow some thoughts upon your companions that are dead and gone and then consider your self whether if you keep on the ways you are walking in you must not shortly be with them in the same condemnation and if yet you will not consider it presently as Jer. 23.20 in your latter end you shall consider it perfectly Therefore yet again I say to you and charge you from the Lord consider your present evil ways and to what a fearful end they will certainly bring you if you speedily turn not out of them 2. Considering the ways that are before us that we should for the future go on in God hath given sinners there choice whether to continue as they are in the same way or to take up a new and a better way of life Think what you have done and how you have lived and think what you have now to do for the future let thine eyes look straight on c. What course do you think it is best for you to take for the future Dost thou think it is best to continue as at present to hold on your worldliness in your drunkeness in your lying in your carnal careless course or is it not best for you to hearken to Christ and to turn from your sins and to betake your self to a serious godly and holy life Which of the two is best May be it never came into your thoughts to put the question to your self but you have run on from one day to another without asking What were I best to do Why now here is that I would perswade you to to look before you and consider What is best for you from henceforth to resolve upon What would a wise man do in this case what choice would a wise man make Sure methinks a little consideration should bring you to this If I be wise I should turn and knock off from my wonted ways I shall be a fool and a mad man if I go on thus What doth God offer to pardon my neglects of Christ my neglects of my soul and all my sins if I will yet but turn to him What doth Christ yet offer to bring me to God and to save me from the Eternal Dungeon if I will yet come unto him and become a new creature What will my going on as I have hitherto done my spending the remainder of my life as I have spent that which is past in sin and
our Duty Let him that Blesseth himself in the Earth bless himself in the God of Truth He that loveth himself will bless himself There 's a double Self-blessing 1. A seeking our own blessedness Self-love will prompt us to seek an happiness for our selves not only to save our selves from Misery but to bring our selves to Blessedness The blessedness which true Self-love wisheth and seeketh for Self is in God in the God of Truth He that truly loveth his own Soul can be content with nothing less than God for the blessedness of of it No State no Inheritance no Treasure can satisfie him below Heaven and everlasting glory There 's not a man of you that loves his Soul but he is seeking Glory and Honour and Immortality for it he is taking care and taking pains to get a place in Heaven for his Soul to lay up Treasure in Heaven for it Dost thou love thy self who dost not bless thy Self or seek a Blessing in God for thy Self Dost thou bless thy Self in God who slightest God who carest not for God and who refusest the blessing of God and this for the sake of thy Lusts and Pleasures Sinner lovest thou thy Self lovest thou thine own Soul O seek a Blessing for it a blessing in God a blessing in Heaven for it 2. An enjoying and rejoycing in your own Blessedness Loving our selves aright is part of the fruition and enjoying our selves as loving God is of the fruition of God No man that loves himself but he would enjoy himself and bless himself in the reflection on his own Happiness And this is the self-blessing mentioned let him bless himself in the God of Truth that is let him satisfy himself let him comfort himself let him enjoy and rejoyce over himself upon this account that the God of Truth is his God and his Happness Let him not bless himself in the Earth that Riches are his that Pleasures and Honours are his that he hath the World at will but that the Lord God is his let him not chear himself with the Rich Man's Song Luke 12. Soul take thine ease thou mayest enjoy thy Self for thou hast goods laid up for many Years but let him take up the Psalmist's Song Psal 116.7 Return unto thy rest O my Soul herein thou mayest bless thy Self herein thou mayest comfort thy Self the Lord hath dealt graciously with thee Friends you whose God is the Lord you are the Men that may bless your Selves you are the Men that may enjoy your Selves you may look into your Hearts with comfort you may look upon your States with Joy you may bless your Selves that God hath given you such an Heart you may bless your Selves that God hath given you such a Portion You that have an Interest in God and this witnessed by the Image of God upon your Hearts you may enjoy your Selves and take comfort as often as you look inward and see the Marks and the Prints of Divine Grace stamped upon you your very love to your Selves will make you to rejoice over your Selves as often as you view the blessed Frame into which the Goodness and Grace of God hath brought you Well this Self-love with it's Fruits Self-preservation and Self-blessing is our Duty and the Lord hath planted it in our Hearts on purpose to bring us on upon all our other Duties God makes great use of this innocent Self-love in his Government of the World God Governs by Laws and Laws Govern by their Rewards and Punishments and Rewards and Punishments have their Efficacy by vertue of this love of our selves what would Laws signifie were there no Rewards to the Obedient nor Penalties to the Disobedient These are the Sinews and Strength of Laws and what would Rewards and Penalties signifie to us were we not lovers of our Selves Our Self-love prompts us to seek our good and to prevent our misery As far as we love our Selves we desire our own Happiness 'T was Self-love that made those many Psal 4.6 to say Who will shew us any good 'T was the Psalmist's Love to the Church Psal 122.9 that made him say I will seek thy good and hence 't is that we endeavour the prevention of our ruin Self-preservation is the Fruit of Self-love Self-love is the first spring and motive to Religion 't is true when we come to be Religious indeed there are higher motives the love of God the Love of Christ is the great Argument to carry us on in sound Religion when we come to be Christians then the main Motive to Christianity is that which Christ used to Peter John 21.15 to faithfulness in his Ministry Lovest thou me Feed my Sheep Lovest thou me Feed my Lambs If ye love me keep my Commandments Joh. 14.15 But the first Motive to bring us to be Christians is this Self-love Lovest thou thy Self Then give thy Self to Christ Lovest thou thy Soul Then be a Christian Christ is the only way to blessedness He that hath the Son hath Life 1 Joh. 5.12 And he that not the Son hath not Life Christ is the only way to blessedness and the only security against misery against Everlasting misery There is no Condemnation to those that are in Christ Rom. 8.1 There is no Name under Heaven by which we must be saved saved from Death from Eternal Death but by the Name of Jesus Acts 4.12 Now when Christ says Come unto me and ye shall have rest Mat. 11. Follow me and ye shall have Treasure in Heaven Mark 10. He that is ashamed of me of him will I be ashamed before my Father that is in Heaven the intent and meaning of all this is if you love your Selves come to me if you love your Souls keep my Commandments if ever you would that those Souls of yours should be happy Souls if you would not that they should be Lost and Burned and Drowned in everlasting Destruction if you love your Souls and wish their good and happiness if you would not be your Destroyers and Murtherers if you have so much love to your Souls that you would they should be Saved and would not that they be Damned then come unto Christ then be followers of Christ then believe then repent and obey the Gospel If you love your Selves be Holy if you love your Selves be Heavenly minded if you love your Selves be humble be painfull be circumspect and walk in all things as becometh the Gospel By the way I exhort you to improve and maintain your true Self-love I say not to you only Husbands love your Wives Parents love your Children Christians love one another but every one of you love your Selves If you love your Selves you will love God if you love your Selves you will love Christ if you love your Selves you will love Godliness if you love your Selves you will be the followers of God the Disciples of Christ and will give your selves to live godly in Christ Jesus See therefore that you love your Selves that your poor Souls may grow more dear