upon him ibid. Five Motives to walke worthy of God 1. If we do walke worthy of God then we shall answer all the labour and cost that God hath been at 193. 2. Then we shall walk with God in white 194. 3. Then we doe not disappoint Gods account ibid. 4. Then we shall be importunate beggers and so worthy of mercy ibid. 5. Then we shall adde humiliation to every duty we do performe ibid. 2. If we do not walke worthy of God then 1. We walke worthie of destruction 195. 2. Then we are guiltie of the death of Christ ibid. 3. Then we shall be condemned ibid. Use We must be as it were even of the very nature of God 192. The Contents of the fourteenth SERMON on Col. 1. 10. IT is possible to walk in all manner of pleasing unto the Lord 200. Reas 1. Because God is not a rigorous God ibid. 2. There is a way wherein if we walk we shall please God ibid. 3. The Lord hath shewed us this way ibid. 4. Many have walked in this way before us ibid. Doct. It is a fit duty to please God ibid. Reason 1. Because God is a great King 201. 2. His pleasure is a good pleasure ibid. 3. Christ who is our better did thâ—se things that pleased God ibid. 4. If we do not please God our consciences will condem us ibid. 5. It is a duty most sutable to humane society ibid. Doctr. Pleasing of God is a large duty 202. Reason 1. It is the end of all our duties ibid. 2. It is the most acceptable of all duties ibid. 3. It is unconfinable to place or time ibid. 4. It is in all things without limitation ibid. 5. It is an everlasting duty 203. 6. It is the whole duty of the new man ibid. Doctr. It is a necessary duty to please God ibid. Reas 1. Because we have no saving grace unlesse we labour to please God ib. 2. We are in a woful case if we do not please God ibid. 3. If we doe not please God we are continually in danger of the wrath of God Use To condemn 1. Those that please not God ibid. 2. Those that please men ibid. 3. Those that please themselves 205. The Contents of the fifteenth SERMON on Luke 23. 42. EXtraordinary cases never make a common rule 209. That a wicked life will have a cursed end this is the ordinary rule ibid. Yet in some extrtardinary cases it may be otherwise 1. When God is pleased to shew his prerogative royall ibid. 2. When a sinner hath not had means of salvation in his life but only at his death 210. 3. When a sinner shall be made exemplary ibid. 4. When the Lord may be as much honoured by a mans death as he hath been dishonoured by his life This repentance of the thief was extraordinary as is proved by five arguments 1. Because it was one of the wonders of Christs passion ibid. 2. We read not of any other that was converted at the last hour as the thief was 211. 3. Because of the suddennesse of it ibid. 4. In regard of the Evangelicall perfection of it Containing 212. 1. His penitentiall confession ibid. 2 His penitential profession ibid. 3. His penitentiall satisfaction ibid. 4. His penitentiall self-deniall ibid. 5. His penitentiall faith ibid. 6. His penitentiall resolution 213. 7. His penitentiall prayer ibid. 5. This repentance was extraordinary in regard of the incomparablenesse of it ibid. Use To condemn those that rely upon this example 214. This example is once recorded that none might despaire and but once that none might presume 215. None because of this example should defer their repentance 1. Because this thief had not the means of life and grace before 216. 2. Because we never read that this thief put off his repentance till the last ibid. 3. Because at that time God was in a way of working miracles 218. The Contents of the seventeenth SERMON on Psal 147. 3. THe words of the Text opened 223. What is meant by wholenesse of heart ibid. What is meant by brokennesse of heart 224. Doctr. Christ justifies and sanctifies Or heals the broken-hearted 226. Four Reasons 1. Because God hath given grace unto Christ to heale the broken-hearted ibid. 2. Christ hath undertaken to do it ibid. 3. Christ hath this in charge to bind up the broken-hearted ibid. 4. None but the broken hearted will accept of Christ ibid. Severall objections are answered 227. 228 229. Three Reasons why Christ will heale the broken-hearted 1. This is the most seasonable time to be healed when the heart is broken 232. 2. It is the most profitablest time ibid. 3. It is the very nick of time the heart can never be healed untill it be broken ibid. Three signes of a broken heart 1. A breaking from sin 234. 2. A breaking in it self with sorrow ibid. The history of Zacheus conversion is opened in seven particulars ibid. 3. When the heart is broken then it will stoop to Gods word in all things 237. The Contents of the eighteenth SERMON on Isaiah 57. 1. The words of the Text explained Doct. ALl men must die 241. Reason 1. Because God hath so appointed it 242. 2. Because all men and women are of the dust ibid. 3. Because all have sinned ibid. 4. Because as death came into the World by sin so sin might go out of the world by death ibid. Two Objections against this are answered ibid. Use 1. Let no man look to be exempted from death for his righteousnese 243. 2. Hence we should learn to draw our hearts from this present world ibid. 3. To teach us to prepare our selves for a better life ibid. Doct. The death and losse of good men must be laied to heart as an especiall cause of grief and sorrow 244 Reason 1. Because the instruments of Gods glory are taken away ibid. 2. Because of the great losse that others have by their death ibid. 3. Because of the evill to come for while they live they are as a wall to keep off the wrath of God ibid. Use 1. To reprove those that rejoyce at the death of the righteous 245 2. To informe us what a losse it is when the righteous are taken away ibid. Doct. When God will bring any great judgement upon a people or Nation ordinarily he takes away his faithfull servants from amongst them 146. Use 1. To inform us of Gods extraordinary love to his Children ibid. 2. To inform us that when the righteous are taken away we are certainly to expect some great judgement from God to fall upon us ibid. The Contents of the nineteenth SERMON on Jeremiah 14. 9. THe opening of the context in many particulars 251. Doctr. God many times doth cast off a people 252. Four Signes of Gods casting off a people 1. When he takes away his love and respect from a people 253. 2. When he takes away his providence from them ibid. 3. When he breaks down the wals of Magistracy and Ministry ibid. 4.
mock at preaching c. Tush thou wilt not be so precise If ever thou be one of his thou wilt not only obey him but also be circumspect in all thy obedience nay if thou be broken in heart thou wilt not only stoop to every commandment of God but also count it thine honour and glory though it be the meanest office in his service Thou art my glory sayes David David that was broken from his pride counted it his glory to obey God his glory to serve God yea his glory to be reproched for his sake Thou art not broken in heart till thou count it thine excellency to serve God We use to say such a ones excellency is in his learning or wit c. but he is too precise and too holy as if it were not a mans excellency to be pure and zealous and to serve God But I tell thee if thou count it not thine honour to be forward for God and to be nicknamed for Christ thine excellency to lie in this that thou art godly and heavenly thou art a proud fool when John Husse was to write upon the Epistle of Saint James he counted it such an high office of dignity that he was confounded at his own indignity saying unto God Hei mihi laudare te contremisco he counted it such an honour to doe any thing for God that he was ashamed at his own vilenesse O my brethren God is called the excellency of Jacob it was not their valour nor wisedome but this was their excellency that God was their God thy riches are proud riches if thy excellency lie in them more than in God if thou dost not go about every commandment as thine excellency thy obedience is proud This is a third signe of a heart broken from sin if it be broken from its pride A Funerall SERMON Preached By that laborious and faithful Messenger of CHRIST WILLIAM FENNER Sometimes Fellow of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge and late Minister of Rochford in Essex London Printed by E. T. for John Stafford A Funerall SERMON ISAI 57. 1. The righteous perish and no man layeth it to heart mercifull men are taken away none considering that the righteous are taken away from the evill to come IN the end of the former chapter the Prophet reproveth the speciall sin of Idol-shepheards who followed their own pleasures and profits not regarding their flock Now he reproves the generall sin of security in the people and namely in this that whereas the righteous perish yet no man layeth it to heart and mercifull men are taken away none considering c. This verse is a complaint of the Prophet touching the people in generall for that they considered not the Iudgements of God upon them in taking away the righteous from among them In the words themselves we are to consider First the work of the Lord viz. the righteous perisheth and mercifull men are taken away Secondly the peoples sin in not considering it not regarding this work of the Lord which is that the righteous may be delivered from the evill to come By righteous is here meant not such as are legally righteous by the works of the law for so no man is righteous but by righteous is here meant such as are Evangelically righteous by the righteousnesse of faith in the Gospell Perisheth that is from the earth for otherwise the righteous perish not No man considering that is no man lamenting mourning or grieving for the loss of them The first thing then to bee considered is from the first part and it is plain out of the words of the text That all men must dye even the most holy and most righteous for they are all subject to the stroak of bodily death as well as the wicked There is no remembrance saith Solomon of the wise more than of the fool and how dyeth the wise man even as the fool Eccles 2. 16. so zachar 1. 5. Your fathers where are they and the Prophets â—o they live for ever so that we sce Prophets and fathers dye as well as other men yea those Worthies recorded in the Scripture Noah Abraham David c. they are all gone the same way they are all dead The first reason is because it is appointed unto all men once to dye and after that comes the judgement Heb. 9. 27. God hath thus decreed it and therefore it must be so Secondly because all men and women are of the dust and therefore must return to the dust again dust thou art saith God and unto dust thou shalt return Gen. 3. 19. Thirdly because all have sinned even the most righteous man now the wages of sin is death Rom. 6. 23. The most righteous man must dye Fourthly because as death came into the world by sinne Romans 5. 12. so sinne must goe out of the world by death and therefore it is needfull that the righteous dye that so they may be freed from sin But some may object and say Hath not Christ abolished death why then do the righteous dy I answer he hath abolished death as he hath abolished sin now he hath not taken sin quite away from us for we see it doth still remain in us neither hath he quite abolished death from the righteous for we see they all dye but he abolished the dominion of sin so that it doth no longer reign in us and so he hath taken away the dominion of death so that it doth not rage as a Tyrant over us so that it is not hurtfull unto us as a punishment but as a means to convey us into a better life Christ hath taken away the sting both of sin and death though not the things themselves away from us yet he will one day free us from them both so then the righteous must suffer death as well as the wicked though not in the same kind Let no man then look to be exempted from death for his righteousnesse nor from any outward miseries that may befall the sons of Adam nay if we are the servants of Christ we must look for a greater share in these than other men greater crosses greater afflictions greater sicknesse and harder pangs of death do oft befall the righteous as â—â— did unto this our brother who though he were old and stricken 〈◊〉 yeers yet the pangs of death were strong upon him Those whom 〈◊〉 will make heirs of Eternall life he suffers them to have a greater poâ—â—â—on in these afflictions But the wicked are fat and full and die with â—â—eir bones full of marrow as Job speaks they commonly have little sicknesse and an easie death but the godly do ordinarily undergo greater pangs let none therefore think that for his righteousnesse he shall be free Secondly consider we here how few amongst us have learned this Arithmetique namely to number our dayes and they are but short even a span long who is there almost that thinks on death who prepares himself for it and yet all even the most righteous must die for
gaâ—ling his heart day by day let the minister enâ—er a reproof into his heart againe so it be but once or twice he cares not Why he thinks he can recover himself again from it but let the word of God come into him and gall his conscience continually that every Sabbath he is convicted for a condemned man if he live not otherwise every Sermon the Minister finds him out in his closest and dearest sinnes he can never goe to Church but he heares the Minister reprooving him for some sinne or other telling him that he must to hell for them unlesse he repent and leade a new life thus when the word followes him every Sabbath that he hath no breathing time to recover his lust this makes him to hate the word Amos 7. The Prophet preaching the word of the Lord and denouncing the Judgements of God to the people for their sins Amaziah opposeth him ver 12. and saith unto Amos O thou Seer goe flye thee away into the Land of Judah and there eate bread and prophesie there but prophesie not again any more at Bethell for it is the Kings Chappel and it is the Kings Court He could like it well enough that Amos should prophesie once or twice but if he did prophesie any more he should spoile all theiâ—â—â—â—th he should gall all their consciences go saith he prophesie in Judah and eate thy bread there Amos should prophesie where he would so it were not there he might eat his bread where he would so it were not there Lastly as it is an actuall affection of the heart whereby the heart riseth up against an union so in the last place it is against that that is dissonant and repugnant to his lust For as love is the consonancy of the affection to a thing that hath agreement therewith so hatred must needs be dissonancy of affection to a thing that is repugnant and contrary to it So a wicked man he hates the word because it disagrees and jarres with his lust Indeed a wicked man may love the word so long as it opposeth not against his lust Therefore a wicked man may love three kinds of preaching First Quaint preaching that savours more of humanity then of divinity As long as the Minister commeth with dainty phrases acute stories eloquent allusions and fine transitions they will like it well enough it jarres not with their lust and therefore you shall heare them when they come from Church commend him O he was a fine spokes man a wirty scholar what a learned and excellent Sermon did he make to day so farre as the word opposeth not his lust a man may love preaching The people they did love to hear Ezeki l preach they did love to hear his pleasant words The Babylonians they did love to hear Davids songs it was fine melody to them though they hated the sense so the Phylistins they did love to hear Sampson speak they knew he was a witty man and could speake fine riddles to them but they hated his religion so the people they did love to hear Christ preach and would flock after him they did wonder at his authority c. yet they hated his doctrine for they cried crucifie him crucifie him so if a Minister speake onely of witte learning and memory c. a wicked man will love it it opposeth not his lust Secondly they may love Impertinent preaching when though it be never so pertinent to some in the Church yet if it be not pertineut to him he loves that As the drunkard loves to hear the Minister preach against hypocrisie though never so sharply The prodigall person loves to hear the Minister preach against covetousnesse But if the word come to strike him under his fifth ribbe to discover his corruptions and the plagues of God due to him for his sinnes then he hates it Thirdly he may love preaching in â—anto though not in toto he may love so or so much preaching but not preaching altogether A wicked mans conscience tells him that he must have some religion that he must performe some service to God and therefore so long as the Minister onely calls for some preaching some hearing and some serving of God why his conscience calls for so much The vilest drunkard and blasphemer and swearer that is will be content to hear of calling upon the Lord Jesus at his death the vilest whoremaster and prophane person the earthly worlding c. will yeeld to some preaching and to some hearing and to some reading why otherwise their consciences would not be at quiet but would be as the divells band-dogge bawling and houting at him But if the Minister call for more religion then his lust will suffer for more religion then will subsist with his security deadnesse lukewarmnesse hypocrisie worldlinesse that he cannot yeeld to and â—eâ—aine them then he thinks there is too much of it then he hates it and cannot endure it Thus you see that wicked men hate the word of God I set it forth by three instances Rom. 1. 30. Haters of God They did not hate his being and essence his goodnesse and mercy but they hated him as he was a Lawgiver The devils hate not God as he is God and hath a being but they hate him as he is a Lawgiver and as he is their Judge they cannot endure to be called by this God to be controuled and judged by him Thus was it with the Colossians before they were converted they were enemies to God Col. 1. 21. Our Saviour takes away the whole doubt and speakes it peremptorily and generally of all the world they hated me the whole world so long as they live in their sins hate Christ and hate his word First a wicked man hates the word because he hates the truth and the being of the word he is sorry that the word of God is true he would be glad that the Scripture might prove false that things may not be as the word of God saith they are he hates the being of the word A man loves the being of that which he loves and he hates the being of that which he hates and were it in his power he would destroy it Now though a wicked man cannot destroy the Bible from being in it self yet he will destroy the Bible from being in his life For beloved the word of God should not onely be in the Bible but the Bible should be in a mans life A mans life should he a walking Bible but a wicked man destroyes the Bible from being in his life A civill man would be glad that Aristotles Ethicks were the Bible A worldly man would be glad that the Book of Statutes were the Bible he is sorry that that is the Bible which indeed is the Bible The young man that came to Christ though he loved eternall life and said that he loved the Commandements of God yet when our Saviour told him one thing is wanting goe and sell all that thou hast and give it to