the life to come on godliness of life here Quest 4. Can I be too godly Can I have too much likeness to God too much care of my ways too much fear of sin Can I be too sure that God is mine Can I have too much peace too much joy and inward comfort I may be too rich to be happy too great to be good too merry to be wise but I cannot be too gracious too humble too watchful too circumspect Let me ask of dying persons whether they have taken more care then needs whether they have more grace then needs Let me ask of those who when they come at last to be weighed in the ballance are found wanting whether there were any fear of making too sure or being too busie and diligent and painful about the work of their Souls Quest 5. Shall I now without any longer delay set upon a godly Life If it be necessary to take up this holy course When shall I begin Shall I this day resolve upon it Can I begin too soon Can I look after God too soon I may defer too long till it be too late and what if I should What if I should stay so long in Sodome till it be too late to escape to Zoar What if I should dwell in the Tabernacles of Wickedness till it be too late to return into the way of Righteousness Awake O my Soul awake from thy worldiness and sensuality away from thy carelesness To day to day if thou wilt hear his voice give thy self to God give thy self up to the power of his Spirit and government of his Word Hitherto I have been a fool hitherto I have been a Servant of Sin and the World Oh that from henceforth I might yield my self to God as one made alive from the dead VI. Head concerning Death and Judgement Direct 1. THink on what the Scriptures speak concerning The Dread Death of Death 1 Concerning the Dread of Death Rev. 6. 8. It is set forth by a pale Horse an horse for strength there is no resistance of it an horse for its swiftness an horse for its office and use to carry away a pale-Horse for its gaâ—â—â—iness Death hath a grim and gastly countenance that strike terrour into all hearts and paleness into all faces Job 18. 14. It is called the King of terrours the Black Prince the Prince of Clouds and Darkness as some render it Darkness hath its terrour in it and the King of Terrours that notes the highest and most terrible of Terrours The terrour of death arises 1 From its Office or Errand upon which it comes which is 1 To arrest the guilty sinners and commit them to custody to be reserved to Judgment 2 To revenge the quarrel of an angry God By sin death entered Death came into the world not onely as the Per dissequa peccati one of its Retinue or Attendants but as the vindex peccati By sin man provoked God by death God takes vengeance on man 3 To cut off and carry us away to our place Death is the door betwixt the two worlds the parting point where sinners take their leave for ever of their pomps and their pleasures of their Houses and Lands and their Friends so as never to return to them again It is dreadful to be carried away from our habitations and acquaintance we know not whither sad was the death of him who dying said Anxius vixi dubius motior nunc quo vado nescio I have lived in care I die in doubt but whither I am going I cannot tell but to them that understand whither death is carrying them as it is the case of self-condemned sinners into the place of darkness and eternal misery This is it that make Death indeed the King of Terrours 2 From its Armour Death is furnished 1 With a Dart this notes the stroke of Death wheâ—â—by it dissolves this Tabernacle divides betwixt Soul and Body This dart of Death is such against which there is no Armour of Proof can secure us from which no quality or condition can exempt us neither King nor Captive neither Rich nor Poor neither evil Men nor good Men can escape this Dart whomsoever Death strikes it strikes sure and strikes home and never fails of doing Execution 2 With a Sting 1 Cor. 15. 56. The sting of Death is sin A sting doth two things 1 It pierces 2 It poysons Hence follow those rumours and inflamations and that anguish that a sting puts men to But what is the sting of Death 'T is Sin This is the Poyson upon the Dart of Death that makes it so full of torment an evil heart an evil conscience an evil life this is it that makes Death so terrible A guilty Conscience often stings a sinner in his life in his health in the midst of all his prosperity but when Death and a guilty Conscience strike in together then it stings with a witness 2 Concerning the Death of Death or its destruction This Enemy is to be destroyed Hos 13. 14. Yea it is in part destroyed already 2 Tim. 1. 10. Christ by dying and rising again hath overcome Death and this not for himself but for his Members on whose behalf he hath disarmed Death and taken away its sting so that though it strike them yet it cannot sting them Death aâ— an hornet hath stung our Lord and in him hath lost his sting Hereupon the Apostle in the persons of all Believers triumphs over Death 1 Cor. 15. 55 57. O Death where is thy sting Thanks be to God who hath given us the Victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Christians that through Christ have conquered sin by the same Jesus have conquered Death so that now it is possible for thee to live above the fear of Death some natural fears there may be some shrinkings back of the flesh but the great fear is over the bitterness of Death is past 2 Consider what the Scripture speaks concerning Judgement Consider these two Scriptures 2 Cor. 5. 10. For we must all appear before the Judgement-Seâ—â— of Christ Mat. 25. 34. to the end Theâ— shall the King say unto them on the right hand Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you before the foundation of the world c. Direct 2. Ask thy heart these questions Quest 1. Must I not dye Quest 2 Whither will my death carry me In which of the two Regions of the other world is my death like to land me Either in the Region of Everlasting Light or in the Region of Everlasting Darkness To which of those two Regions am I now travelling By this I may guess whither my death will transport me Quest What a strange change will Death make upon me What a change of my Judgment and Opinion With what a different eye shall I look on all things then from what I do now Shall I look on God on Christ on Holinesse on peace of Conscience with such a slighting and undervaluing eye
true Man had a true Body and a true Soul That his sayings were true He was a true Prophet That his sufferings were true He was a true Priest That as he was truly dead so he as truly rose ascended and is the Lord both of the dead and of the living and is a true King That he hath truly and fully accomplished his whole undertaking Am I speaking to Jewes or Pagans that I need prove this Am I not speaking to Christians who must prove themselves lyars their profession a lye and their faith vain if they deny these things But wherefore was all this What came Christ into the world for Wherefore was he born Wherefore did he live dye rise ascend What was the intent of all this Why it was to make a total and blessed change upon the miserable condition of whomsoever of this sinful world shall embrace and give entertainment to him 't was to make this old world new this crooked world strait this miserable world blessed 'T was to bring deliverance to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound Isa 61. 1. To make an end of sin to finish transgression and to bring in everlasting righteousness Dan. 9. 24. 'T was to undo all that mischief which sin and the Devil hath wrought and brought upon this world 1 John 3. 8. For this cause the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the Devil 'T was to abolish death and bring life and immortality to light 'T was to redeem from all iniquity and purifie to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works Tit. 2. 14. 'T was that being delivered from our enemies we might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness all the dayes of our lives Luk. 1. 74 75. That they who live should not henceforth live to themselves but to him that dyed for them and rose again 2 Cor. 5. 15. Hereupon sayes the Apostle Tit. 2. 11 12. The grace of God which bringeth salvation teacheth us that denying all ungodliness and worldly lâ—st we should live righteously soberly and godly in this present world And lastly to redeem us 1 Pet. 1. 4. To an inheritance incorruptible undefiled and that fades not away reserved in heaven for us 1. To an inheritance Christians are not brought out of Egypt and redeemed from their house of bondage and then left to shift for themselves or to perish in the wilderness they are redeemed to an inheritance they are a purchased people and there is for them a purchased possession 2. An incorruptible and undefiled inheritance an enduring possession and an holy habitation Holiness is a great part of the blessedness of the Saints Sinners you that despise holiness despise one of the riche stjewels in the Crown of glory 3. Reserved in heaven there 's the good land where their inheritance lies that 's the Country which Christ hath purchased for his ransomed ones The whole land is theirs theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven This is that Redemption which by the Gospel is preached unto you and if Christ had failed of performing and accomplishing of any of all this he had been but an incompleat and imperfect Redeemer By the way learn what great reason there is that the Gospel should have better entertainment than for the most part it meets withal in the world one would think who considers what entertainment it hath and the Ministry of it that it were some dismal word and a dreadful errand that it came upon if Christ had come to destroy the world could he have had less welcome If the Gospel were as the Law not only a dead but a killing Leter a Ministration of Death and Condemnation If the Ministers of the Gospel had been Messengers sent up from the bottomless Pit to deceive the Nations to destroy Souls to drag them down to everlasting darkness there could hardly have been a greater hate and out-cry then there is against it and them Surely such a message and such messengers deserve better welcome and better usage But to our purpose You have heard what that Redemption is which the Gospel brings us Now doth Christ do his work by haives Deliver out of Prison and leave his ransomed Ones in their vile Prison-garments change their Relations and never change their Conditions redeem them from death and not redeem them from iniquity Was this the intent of Christ in dying for sinners that they might play the beasts and the rebels more securely Did this grace abound that sin might super-abound Doth the law of faith make void the law of righteousness Doth it not establish it What 's the import of those several expressions forementioned That he might redeem from all iniquity and purifie a peculiar people zealous of good works that we might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness that they that live should not live to themselves but to him that dyed for them that denying all ungodliness c. Is not all this included in the redemption which Christ hath wrought And what doth all this import other then that godliness we are pleading for Is this a part of that which Christ hath redeemed us to and is there nothing in it Hath Christ sweat and groaned and laboured and travel'd in pain and all this to bring forth a lye Hath he dyed to purge and purifie and wash and cleanse his people and when all comes to all at this nothing but a cheat Did Christ dye but in conceit and arise and ascend but in conceit As certain as it is that Christ did not barely personate a Redeemer so certain it is that his redeemed do not barely personate Saints Let all the world be Judges what honour those persons have for Christ that have no better opinion of the fruits of his Death Hence it appears 1. That the Redemption of a sinner is the destruction of sin Christ dyed to save men from their sins not in them to redeem from iniquity all as well as from wrath 2. That Redemption and Regeneration are linked together He that is bought from being a â—lave is born a Son he that is not partaker of the renewing of the Holy Ghost is not partaker of the Redemption of Christ The Doctrine of Redemption by Christ is abused by wilful Sinners and made to serve as their great Plea against the necessity of Holinesse Convince them of sin of the necessity of turning of the danger of continuing and going on here they presently take Sanctuary Christ dyed for sinners and here they think themselves sufficiently secured not only against all the threatnings of wrath but against all exhortations to Holinesse Argue with them from the Command of God This is the Will of God even your Sanctification â—ast away your transgressions why will you dye turn and live From the threatnings of God If ye live after the flesh ye shall dye c. Yet this they think will answer all Your Arguments Christ dyed for Sinners I put
First Set apart some time more than once to be spent in secret before the Lord. 1. In seeking earnestly his special assistance and gracious acceptance of you 2. In considering distinctly all the Termes or Conditions of the Covenant as they have been laid before you in the Directions already given you and are also expressed in the form hereafâ—er proposed 3. In searching your bearts whether you either have already or can now freely make such a closure with God in Christ as you have been exhorted to In special Consider what your sins aâ—e and examine whither you can resolve to forgo them all Consider what the Lawes of Christ are how holy strict and spiritual and whether you can upon deliberation make choice of them all even those that do most crosse your worldly interests beloved sins and corrupt inclinations as the rule of your whole life Be sure you be clear in these matters see that you do not lye unto God Consider whether however corruption will play its part and be pulling you back yet the prevailing part of you will be for God and Christ and all his holywayes Secondly Compose your spirits into the most serious frame possible sutable to a transaction of so high importance Thirdly Lay hold on the Covenant of God and rely upon his promise of giving grace and strength whereby you may be enabled to performe your promise Trust not to your own strength to the strength of your own resolutions but take hold on â—â—nstehigâ—s Fourthly resolve to be faithful Having engaged your hearts opened your mouths and subscribed with your hands to the Lord resolve in his strength never to go back Lastly Being thus prepared on some convenient time set apart for the purpose set upon the work and in the most solemn manner possible as if the Lord were visible present before your Eyes fall down on your knees and spreading forth your hands towards Heaven open your hearts to the Lord in these or the like words O Most dreadful God for the passion of thy Son I beseech thee accept of thy poor prodigal now prostrating himself at thy door I have fallen from thee by mine iniquity and am by Nature a Son of Death and a thousand-fold more the Childe of Hell by my wicked practice but of thine infinite Grace thou hast promised Mercy to me in Christ if I will but turn to thee with all my heart Therefore upon the Call of thy Gospel I am now come in and throwing down my Weapons submit my self to thy mercy And because thou requirest as the condition of my peace with thee that I should put away mine Idols and be at defi-ance with all thine enemies which I acknowledge I have wickedly sided with against thee I here from the bottom of my heart renounce them all firmelie covenanting with thee not to allow my self in any known sin but conscientiously to use all the meanes that I know thou hast prescribed for the death and utter destruction of all my corruptions And whereas I have formerly inordinately and idolatrously let out my affections upon the world I do here resigne my heart to thee that madest it humblie protesting before thy glorious Majestie that it is the firm Resolution of my heart and that I doe unfeignedly desire Grace from thee that when thou shalt call me hereunto I may practice this my resolution through thy assistance to forsake all that is dear unto me in this world rather then to turn from thee to the wayes of sin and that I will watch against all its Temptations whether of prosperity or adversiâ—y least they should withdraw my heart from thee beseeching thee also to help me against the Temptations of Satan to whose wicked suggestions I resolve by the Grace never to yield my self a Servant And because my own righteousness is but menstruous rags I renounce all confidence therein and acknowledge that I am of my self a hopeless helpless undone creature without righteousness or strength And forasmuch as thou hast of thy bottomless Mercie offered most Graciouslie to me wretched sinner to be again my God throug Christ if I woul accept of thee I call Heaven and Earth to record this day that I do here solemnly avouch thee for the Lord my God and with all possible veneration bowing the neck of my Soul under the feet of thy most sacred Majestie I do here take thee the Lord Jehovah Father Son and Holie Ghost for my portion and chief good and do give up my self bodie and soul for thy servant promising and vowing to serve thee in holiness and righteousness all the daies of my life And since thou hast appointed the Lord Jesus Christ the onely means of coming unto thee I do here upon the bended knees of my Soul accept of him as the onely new and living way by which sinners may have access to thee and do here solemnly joyn my self in a marriage covenant to him O blessed Jesus I come to thee hungry and hardly bestead poor and wretched and miserable and blinde and naked a most loathsome polluâ—ed wretch a guilty condemned Malefactor unworthy for ever to wash the feet of the servants of my Lord much more to be solemnly married to the King of Glorie But 〈◊〉 such is thine unparallel'd love I do here with all my power accept thee and do take thee for my head and husband for better for worse for richer for poorer for all times and conditions to love and honour and obey thee before all others and this to the death I embrace thee in all thine offices I renounce mine own worthiness and do here avow thee to be the Lord my Righteousness I reâ—ounce mine own wisdome and do here take thee for mine onely Guide I renounce â—ine own will and take thy will for my Law And since thou hast told me that I must â—uffer if I will reign I do here covenant with thee to take my lot as it falls with thee and by thy grace asisting to runne all hazzards with thee verily supposing that neither life nor death shall part between thee and me And because thou hast been pleased to give me thy holy Laws as the rule of my life and the way in which I should walk to thy Kingdome I do here willingly put my neck under thy yoak and let my shoulder to thy burden and subscribing to all thy Laws as holy just and good I solemnly take them as the rule of my words thoughts and actions promising that though my flâ—sh contradict and rebell yet I will endeavour to order and govern my whole life according to thy direction and will not allow my self in the neglect of any thing that I know to be my duty Onely because through the frailty of my flesh 〈◊〉 am subject to many failings I am bold humbly to protest That unallowed miscarriages contrary to the setled bent and resolution of my heart shall not make void this Covenant for so thou hast
it If you have wasted away your encouragements and spent out your Sun-shine in a careless unprofitable life how do you think to be ever useful or serviceable in the dark If you cannot now bear the pains of a godly life how do you think you should bear both the pains and the charges of it If you could follow Christ no closer in the plenty of all things how do you think to follow him when it must be in hunger and thirst Dost thou talk of suffering for Christ and suffering for Righteousness and hope thou shalt never forsake him whatever come upon thee when thy heart tells thee how much thou hast slighted Christ neglected thy duty to Christ contented thy self with a cold heartlesse luke-warm Profession without the power of Christianity and that when thou hast had no pretence of damage or danger that was hereby like to come upon thee You that how can keep at distance from Christ for the satisfying of a lust have reason enough to fear that you will utterly forsake him if ye be put to it for the saving of your Life You that in a calm can ordinarily remit your Religion for the pleasing a lazy heart will be like enough to renounce your Religion in a storm to quiet a fearful heart He that can sell his Conscience for a Lust will hardly be perswaded to buy it with the losse of all that ever he is worth Thou sayest it may be with Peter Though I dye with him I will not deny him I but dost thou deny thy self for him now deny thy pleasures and thy ease and thy companions now Hast thou not many a time denyed him a Prayer or an Alms when he hath called for it Canst thou watch with Christ Dost thou walk with Christ as thou oughtest Dost thou live to Christ Art thou faithful in bringing forth fruit unto Christ the fruits of holinesse and righteousnesse If not how dost thou think to be able to suffer for him If the way of Christ be too strait for thee thou wilt find his burthen to be too heavy if thou canst not bear his yoke thou wilt be less able to bear his Cross Christians consider what your wayes and your doings are at present and if you find the Lord helping you to walk in all good conscience now you need not doubt of being enabled to witnesse for a good conscience when called to it If you keep the Word and do the work of the Lord you may expect his help for bearing his burthen If you be faithful in your lives you are the more like to be faithful to the death Because thou hast kept the Word of my patience I also will keep thee in the hour of temptation Rev. 3. 10. 2. What you are in the ordinary and smaller crosses that come daily upon you There is not that man that lives that meets not with his crosses which though they be many of them but light and inconsiderable things below the Spirit of a Christian to take notice of yet how sadly may we observe at what a loss they are presently by them Every little Wind raiseth a storm every little cross puts us out of course What breaches are often made upon our consciences what interruptions of duties what abatements of our comforts to what distance are we put from Christ and our holy communion with him and all meerly for a thing of nought We cannot bear an unkindness from a Friend or an injury from an Enemy the provocation of an evil tongue a scoffe or a slander but presently our spirits are in an uproar and there are such tumults raised up within us that for the time we forget that we are Christians Duties and Comforts Christ and Conscience Souls and the matters of Eternity and all regard to them are laid aside and turned out of doors Faith and Patience and Meekness and Moderation are either made to be silent or at least cannot be heard for the noise of our passions and disquiets and all this sometimes for such trivial things that when we come to our selves we are all quite ashamed of our selves Brethren such fails by these lower temptations I cannot wonder if they make our hearts shake at the fore-fight of greater If every small party which the Adversary sends out against us doth put us to the rout How shall we stand when he comes upon us with his full body If we are overcome of the footmen how shall we contend with the horsemen If a rod or a little finger doth so disturb us how shall we bear the weight of the loyns or the stinging of Scorpions If we cannot bear an unkindnesse or a nod or a scoff or a slander what would become of us should we be brought to resist unto blood Beloved it is of greater import to Christians than they are aware of both to observe themselves daily and their carriages in these lower things and to inure themselves to patience and meeknesse of spirit under them Though it â—e no great vertue to be patient where there is no great provocation yet there may be great benefit by it If we could but shame our selves out of this folly and childishnesse of Spirit whereby we are apt to be moved with every toy if we could reason and pray our selves into such a fixed calm and quietnesse of spirit that we could keep our way with the neglect of such disturbances our lives would be both more comfortable and honourable at present and we should be in the better preparation for any harder things that might come upon us If we know how to be Christians among briars and thorns we shall be the better able to continue such among Spears and Arrows 3. What you are under the temptation of prosperity The World is a Christians Enemy it expresseth its enmity in its temptations the end of all its temptations is to draw us off from God Its temptations are of two sorts either of prosperity or affliction and both driving at the same end though in a different way Prosperity allures entices and flatters us away from God it steals away our hearts from God as Absalom stole the hearts of Israel from David by fair speeches by its fair and smiling face thereby drawing us into a neglect and forgetfulness of God to grow cold and remiss in our duty to God to let fall our love and affection and to lay aside our care of Religion Afflictions fright us from God dealing by us as Rabshakeh by Israel when he sought to get them off from Hezekiah by his threatnings and great words Isa 36. If you will not hearken to me I will make you drink your own piss and eat your own dung Afflictions are apt to weary men out of the ways of God to starve them out of their Religion to persecute them out of their Consciences and to make godlinesse too hot for them The stronger and the more dangerous of these two sorts of temptations are held to be the temptations of
Oh Christians how many poor are there that fit down by their poverty who if they starve yet will not beg their emptiness hath taken away their Appetites These are sad Souls 't is a sad sight to behold a company of hunger-bitten Souls sit weeping and sighing seeking after the Bread and Water of life and finding none but to see empty and yet not hungry fainting and yet not panting Souls to see Souls even dying away for want and yet not desiring or craving a supply this is a much sorer spectacle A starving thirstless Soul is next to a Ghost Well if ever such Souls find who never seek water 't is more than God hath promised 'T is they that seek water to whom God will open a River 6. VVhatever difficulty there be to furnish the hungry Saints with a sufficiency of Provision yet one way or other it shall be done I the Lord will hear I the God of Israel will not forsake them Upon me be all their wants I am God and can I am their God the God of Israel and will provide for them They must and shall be provided for whatever course I be put to take I must not see them starve The Lord will not be wanting to them If his VVord be not heard his VVorks shall speak if Preachers cannot Providence shall preach to them if their friends cannot their enemies their stripes their wounds their rods shall instruct them Thy Rod and thy Staffe comfort me If they have no other the Sun Moon and Staâ—â— the Fouls of the Air the Beasts of the Field shall be their Prophets and Apostles If any should fail yet the Spirit of the Lord shall not fail to be their Teacher and Comforter 2. Extraordinary means have more in them than ordinary and no means more than means 1. Extraordinary means when ordinary cannot be had are sweeter and better feeding to the Saints than ordinary would be The less of the Creature the more of God the less of common Providence the more of special Grace Water out of the Rock was more precious than out of the River the Manna of the Wilderness was to them that understood it better than the Milk of Canaan Elijah never made better meales than what he got out of the Ravens mouth I have heard of a woman in great distress of Soul who received comfort when the Word was brought her by the mouth of a Child which she had failed of receiving from the mouthes of many excellent Ministers 2. No means often prove better than means when I say no means I do not understand simply none meanes they shall have of one kind or other their understandings their memories their secret duties Prayer Meditation c. but by no meanes I understand nothing from without no Ordinances Friends Societies Books c. Gods feeding of a Soul more immediately is much sweeter then when he sends provision by the hands of another the Samaritans hearing of Christs words from his own mouth was much more to them than the same words reported by the woman Duâ—cius ex ipso fonte Water is the purer the nearer the Fountain the Bread that comes down from Heaven is better Bread than that which grows up out of the Earth though that be originally from Heaven also By how much the more immediately our comforts come from Heaven by so much the more they have of Heaven in them If upon the failing of publick Communion it bâ— made up so much the more in secret sure the Saints have no reason to complain And whether this be not so let the Prisons into which the Saints have bin sometimes cast the Wilderness into which they have been sometimes banished let Elihu's Songs in the night Peters Pauls Silahs Songs in the Prison in the Stocks stand forth and testifie If Prison joyes and exile comforts have not been often both fuller and sweeter to them than when they have rolled in Manna and lived in the fulness and freedom of all helps and means then not a few Christians have either mistaken or mis-reported their experiences To pretend to live above Ordinances whilest God affords them is a wickedness that some men have to repent of but where God denies them he doth he will provide a better subsistance without them Now lay all this together and then you will see that even this also this most grievous of Judgements the famine of the Word when-ever it befalls shall work for good to those that love God Christians chear up your hearts whatever drought or dearth may fall upon the World your are provided for you shall have enough If the shours fail without you have within you that which shall spring up to eternal life If your streams should be dryed up if your Pastures should be trodden down you have a God that will be both your Pastor and Pasture If the River fail you the Rock shall supply you what you want in ordinary you may look to be made up in extraordinary means The drying up of the waters shall but drive you up to the Spring-head If ever the Stars fail you God shall but exchange Star-light for Sun-light while there 's light in the Sun you shall not walk in darkness See but to this make sure that this God is yours and he must find out a comfortable feeding for you if you can but say Davids first words after him The Lord is my Shepherd you may then with confidence say the whole Psalm after him I shall not want he will make me to lie down in green Pastures he will lead me by the still Waters though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil thy Rod and thy Staff shall comfort me Thou shalt prepare me a Table in the presence of mine Enemies Surely Goodness and Mercy shall follow me all the dayes of my life and I will dwell in the House of the Lord for ever 2. There is another Objection that seems to have one difficulty in it Suppose a Saint to fall into Distraction and thereby to be deprived utterly of the use of his Reason and so to live and die How can it be imagined that this can work for his good either in this World or in the World to come Can any good arise out of an incapacity of any longer doing or receiving good or patiently suffering Evil Can either his Grace here or his Glory hereafter be increased or advanced by a mans being converted into a meer Bruit 1. There 's no doubt at all but this may make for the Churches good Is there nothing that others may learn out of such a sad Providence If others may reap good by my evil is it nothing to me May it not be said to be good for any particular Saint to bear the soarest affliction by which the Church may have benefit He hath not much of a Saint to whom if it were afore-hand proposed whether for the benefit of the Church he would be content if
hearts desire for you all is that you may be saved and if there be any persons that bear evil will to me my particular wish for them is The Good-will of him that dwelt in the Bush be those Men's Portions for ever These are some of my Wishes for you will you joyn your Wishes with mine will you turn your Wishes into Prayers and let this be your prayer The Lord grant thee thine hearts desire and fulfill all thy Mind Brethren do I wish you any harm in all this If not if it be to be wished that the word of Christ were rooted in your hearts and your Souls thereby rooted in the Grace of God if it be to be wished that your Lusts were rooted out your sins dead and dried up your foot gotten out of the Snare your Souls brought into the Fold your fruits of righteousness and holiness abounding and growing up unto eternal life If all this be to be wished then give in your votes with mine wish and pray pray and press on press on and wait for the accomplishment of this grace in you all I tell you again I wish you well and not only I but the Lord God that hath sent me to you The Lord Jesus wishes you well he wishes and wooes woes and weeps weeps and dyes that your Souls might live and be blessed for ever He hath once more sent me to you even to the worst amongst you to tell you from him that he 's unwilling you should perish that he hath a kindness for you in his heart if you will accept it He hath Blood and Bowels for your Blood to expiate you guilt to wash away your filth and Bowels to offer you the benefit of his Bloud with this wish Oh that it were theirs Oh that they would hearken and accept Only I must add That the Lord hath two sorts of Wishes concerning sinners The first is Oh that they would hearken Oh that they would come in be healed and be saved Deut. 5. 29. This wish is an Olive Branch that brings good â—idings and gives great hopes of Peace and Mercy His last Wish is Oh that they had hearkened that they had accepted Ps 81. 13. O that my People had hearkened to me Luk. 19. 42. Oh that thou hadst known in this thy day the things that concern thy peace This Wish hath nothing but Dread and death in it it is the Black Flag hung out that proclaims External Wars The sence is Israel had once a fair time of it a time of Love a time of Grace a time of Peace Oh that they had hearkned then that they had known the things that concern their peace But wo wo to them 't is too late the door is shut the Season is over the Day is past But now they are hid from thine Eyes There are three deadly darts in this Wish oh that thou hadst it includes in it these three cutting words Thou hast not Thou mightest Thou shalt not for ever 1. There is this in it Thou hast not What have I not why thou hast not known the things that belong to thy peace Thou hast had the door of Glory the Gate of Heaven open to thee and hast been call'd for and invited in but thou hast lost the opportunity Thou knewest not when thou werâ— well offered nor would'st take notice what a day was before thee what a price was in thine hand thy peace the Gospel of peace the Prince of peace a Kingdome of peace was set open offered and brought home to thy doors but thou hadst so many other matters to look after that thou tookest no notice of it but hast let it slip There 's one Dart. Thou hast not known There 's a Gospel gone there 's a Christ gone there 's a Soul a Kingdom lost 2. There is this in it Thou mightest Oh that thou hadst why Might I Ye thou mightest if thou wouldst thou mightst Thy God did not mock thee when he preach'd peace to thee he was willing and wish'd it thine if thou wouldst thou mightst have made it thine own but whilst he would thou wouldest not There 's another Dart. I might have known I have none to thank but my self for the loss mine undoing was mine own doing There are no such torments as when the Soul flies upon it self and takes revenge on it self oh the gashes that such self reflections make Soul how camest thou in hither into all this misery oh 't is of my self my self that my destruction is The door was open and I was told of it and was bid come in but I would not That I am lost and undone was not my Fate which I could not avoid but my Fault and my folly It seems to give some ease of our torment when we can shift off the fault It was not I but the Woman said Adam It was not I but the Serpent said the Woman if it had been true it would have given ease as well as serve for an excuse This thought 'T was mine own doing tears the very caul of the heart Oh I have none to blame but my self mine own foolish and froward heart This is my ignorance this is my unbelief this is my willfulness my lusts and my pleasures and my Idols that I was running after that have brought me under this dreadful loss 'T was my own doing 3. There is this in it Thou shalt not for ever Oh that thou hadst why may I not yet Is there no hope of recovering the opportunity not one word more not one hour more may not the Sun go one degree backward No no 't is too late too late thou hast had thy day from henceforth no more for ever There 's the last Dart Time 's past there 's the death the Hell the anguish the Worm that shall gnaw to eternity This one word Time 's past sets all Hell a roaring and when it s once spoken to a sinner on Earth there 's Hell begun Go thy way wretch fill up thy measure and fall into thy place The Gospel hath no more to say to thee but this one word Because I have called and thou refusedst I have stretched out my hand and thou regardedst not but hast set at nought all my Counsels and wouldst none of my reproofs I also will laugh at thy calamities and mock when thy fear cometh when thy fear cometh as desolation and thy destruction cometh as a whirle-wind when distress and anguish cometh upon thee then shalt thou call but I will not answer thou shalt seek me early but shalt not find me Beloved my hopes are and I am not able to say but that you are yet under the first wish Oh that they would Christ is yet preaching you to faith and sends his Wish along with his Word Oh that they would believe Christ is yet preaching Repentance and Conversion to you and wishes O that they would repent that they would be converted and to this wish of my Lord my Soul and all that is