haunted with the Devil What terror do they live in whose dwelling is in haunted Houses How are they scar'd and frighted to see the face of that Dragon though shap'd into the most beautiful form Those that tremble so to see the Devil in their own Houses what will it be to them to be carried with him into his House where he will be unclothed of all his Vizors and no longer appear in the snape of a Man no nor of a Lion or Bear but will shew himself a Devil And his Angels All the Legions of those unclean and damned Spirits together with all those damned Souls their fellow-Sinners All the filth and garbage of the Earth must lie rotting and stinking together in that dismal Hole All the Atheists and Blasphemers all the Adulterers and their Whores all the Rioters and Drunkards that have spent so many Days and sat up so many Nights at the Wine and the strong Drink shall now be filled with the Company they loved and shall have an everlasting Night to lie drinking up the Wine of the Wrath of the Almighty and of the Lamb and suck up the dregs and bottom of that deadly Cup which the Fury of the Most High hath mingled and appointed for them This is their Sentence 4. The Curse is executed in full in the World to come Mat. 25.46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment Of this Sentence there will be 1. no Repeal or Reversing 't is the final Sentence and must be executed 2. Nor will there be any Reprieve but as the doom is past away they immediately go into the place of Execution Esther 7.8 As the Word went out of the King's Mouth they covered Haman 's Face and away presently they carried him to the Gallows and hang'd him up As soon as ever this Word is spoken Depart from me ye Cursed c. Down they are tumbled into that Fire prepared for them which the Breath of the Lord as a River of Brimstone doth kindle and make to burn for ever Lay all this together and then you will know what the Curse to be feared is 2. Vnconverted Sinners are under the Curse We are all by Nature Children of Wrath cursed Children Ephes 2.3 All the World is become guilty before God Rom. 3.19 The whole World lyeth in wickedness 1 Joh. 5.19 and he that lyeth in wickedness abideth in Death and the Wrath of God abideth on him This wicked and cursed state is naturally the state of every Man and whosoever is not Converted he is under this Curse to this day Not only the first-born of Sinners the worst and most monstrous among them whose Iniquities have mark'd them with a Curse in their Foreheads but every Sinner the most harmless amongst the whole Rout every one of them the Wrath of God abideth on him and if he should die and go out of the World in such a case there 's no hope of him but he must perish everlastingly How unsuitable are the jocund and merry Hearts of Sinners to their state and condition These Sons of Death are most of them Sons of Laughter the jolly ones of the Earth When you pass by the Tents of evil Men and behold them drinking and dancing singing and sporting and rufling it out in their gallantry as some of them do or find them sleeping at their ease and out of fear as 't is with others of them would you not say Is this the noise is this the guise of Men appointed to Death Is this the sound of the Vessels of Wrath Are these the Guilty Ones and the Cursed Ones whose Souls are in Chains dragging down to the horrible Pit One would think by their Faces and Carriages by their merry Dayes and quiet Nights that the Sinners of the Earth were fairest for Heaven that they had shot the Gulf and were past danger of miscarrying for ever But what art thou O Sinner To whom dost thou belong Whither art thou falling What is thine Inheritance or thy Portion from the Lord Consider the Scriptures Psal 11.6 Vpon the Wicked he shall rain Snares Fire and Brimstone and an horrible Tempest this is the Portion of their Cup. This shall be their Portion hereafter but what is their Portion here John 3.18 He that believeth not is condemned already And Joh. 3.6 The Wrath of God abideth on him Every unconverted Sinner is under the Curse 3. There is great danger he may never escape or be delivered from it If he never be Converted he can never escape The Devil shall as soon break Prison and make an escape from Hell to Heaven as thou who diest an Impenitent canst escape falling into that Prison Mat. 18.3 Except ye be converted ye cannot enter into the Kingdom of God Continue Unconverted till thou diest and 't is impossible thou shouldst escape And there is very great danger that thou that art yet an Unbeliever and an Impenitent to this day mayst never be a Convert to thy dying day This is the last hope thou hast that however it be with thee at present yet hereafter thou mayest be brought in But know that what-ever hope thou hast of that there is a very great hazard that it may never be which will appear if thou consider these three things 1. The multitudes of those that miscarry that die in final Impenitency and so perish everlastingly to a very few that are Converted and Saved 2. The constant miscarriage and succeslesness of all the means that have been hitherto used for thy Conversion 3. The potent Adversaries and the mighty opposition they make and will make against thy Conversion 1. Consider the multitudes of those that miscarry and die Impenitents to a very few that are Converted and Saved The Scriptures tell us That there are but few that shall be saved The real Converts are but a little Flock Luk. 12.32 Mat. 7.13 14. Strait is the Gate and narrow is the way that leadeth to Life and few there be that find it But wide is the Gate and broad is the way that leadeth to Destruction and many there be which go in thereat Shall we believe our own Experiences How many poor Souls do we see in the World who walk on in the courses and after the Lusts of this World some in a blind and ignorant State some in Lewdness and Luxury some in Covetousness and Sensuality in Carelesness and Carnal-security who after a long course that they have thus run at length drop into the Grave and go out of the World without the least token of sound Repentance How many such Instances have we of Men going Unbelievers and Impenitents out of the World to here and there one that gives any hopeful testimony of real Conversion The number of Converts to them that die in Impenitence even in the judgment of the greatest Charity is but a very small number Now if any of you were sick of some dangerous Disease as suppose the Pestilence which were so generally mortal that it swept
mens misery and it may be said with respect to these Happy is the Man that never feareth But what is the Blessed Fear or what is there in it In short it is this It is such on aversation of the Heart from all manner of future Evils whether of Sin or of Misery which we apprehend our selves in danger of as puts the Soul upon making the best Provision it can for its security against them The Matter or Object of this Fear is Sin together with all the Fruits of it The Form or proper Nature of it is an aversion or starting back or shrinking in from it The Effect of it is to put the Soul to its shifts for its own security against it There are implyed or included in it these following Particulars 1. There is Vnderstanding in it Psal 111.10 The fear of God is the beginning of Wisdom a good Vnderstanding have they that do it They are wise and understanding Men that Fear As we Love not so neither do we Fear but whom or what we have some apprehension of our Affections follow our Apprehensions as our Love we cannot love but what we apprehend to be good so our Fear we cannot fear but what we apprehend to be evil Our mistakes are the ground of the inordinate workings of our Affections when we apprehend that to be good which is not good we love what we should not love when we apprehend that to be evil which is not evil we fear what we should not fear when we apprehend that to be good which is evil we love what we should fear and when we apprehend that to be evil which is good we fear what we should love The reason of our sinful Fear is our Ignorance Ignorance both causes us to fear when we should not and leaves us without fear of what we should fear 1. Ignorance is the reason why we fear what we should not How is it that there is so much Fear of Men in the World Why it is because we understand them not what a vain thing what a weak thing they are how short their power is and how little 't is that Man can do Did we know more how great the Power of God is how terrible the Wrath of God is sure there would be more fear of God in the World And did we know how little there is in the Power of Man and in the Wrath of Man we should ease our selves of much of that Carnal Fear which now torments our Spirits Isa 2.22 Cease ye from Man whose Breath is in his Nostrils for wherein is he to be accounted of Cease ye from Man as from trusting in him so from fearing him for wherein is he to be accounted of How little is it that he can do for or against you There 's little help in him and there 's little hurt that he can do Men pretend to be great and make great boasts of their Power So did Pilate to Christ John 19.10 Knowest thou not that I have power to Crucifie thee and I have power to Release thee What art thou so sullen and so stubborn that thou wilt not speak to me Consider Man the Power of Liberty and Bonds the Power of Life and Death are in my hands Dost thou not know me Yes I know thee well enough sayes Christ Thou hast no Power but what is given thee and therefore limited thee from Above It 's for those that know thee not to fear thee I know thee well enough 2. Mens Ignorance is the reason why they fear not what they should fear Why is it that the ungodly fear not S n O it 's because they know it not Psal 14.4 Have the workers of Iniquity no knowledg Sure enough they have none for they eat up my People as they eat Bread such Morsels would scald their Mouths they would not dare to be such Persecutors and Destroyers of the People of God they would be afraid to touch them if they did but know what they did How bold are Sinners upon Sin How venturously do they run on They Lie they Swear they commit Adultery they Covet they Defraud they Oppress they Persecute But how is it that they are not afraid to do thus O! they know not what they do They are the Men of Understanding that Fear to transgress Christians those whose Minds are enlightned dare not do as others do they see what Sin is they see it to be an unclean thing odious and abominable in the sight of God they see it to be a dangerous and deadly thing They know God and thereby understand Sin which is contrary to him They know the kindness of God and the terrors of the Lord and see that Sin is an unworthiness and abusing of kindness and disobliging of goodness that makes a forfeit of the Divine Love and exposes to his Wrath and Indignation They know the worth of a Soul they have learn'd from their Lord Matth. 16.26 that the whole World is not a price for it neither sufficient to be its Ransom nor to recompence its loss They live in the Invisible World and have taken a view both of that life which is the reward of the Righteous and of that Death which is the recompence of the Sinners They see that Sin is the loss and the death of the Soul the only poison that can kill that immortal part by this alone Immortality is swallowed up of Death They understand that sin as it is the Worm that gnaweth at the root of all their hopes for hereafter so it is the Wormwood which imbitters all their Comforts here this is the Rust that cats out all their Treasures the Moth that frets out all their Garments the Stain that marrs all their Beauty In fine this is it that hath fill'd the World with vanity and vexation of Spirit and Hell with torment And hence it is that they fear it and fly from it Dost thou not fear Sin Sure thou dost not know it O what a light thing doth the World make of it to sin against God! how open do our hearts lie to it how easily doth it beset us we are surpriz'd by it every day and hour Sin lies at the door lies in wait for us in our Fields in our Houses at our Tables in our Closets and how often doth it take us and carry us away for Captives and still we make nothing of it neither feeling the mischief it has done us nor fearing those ruines which it is further bringing upon us We can talk of the evil of Sin of the folly of it of the filthiness of it but we cannot tremble at it sure we do not know it whatever we talk The World would be all up in Arms against this Enemy or else betake themselves to their heels running away from it were it throughly understood 2. There is Faith in this Fear It is but little that we can see of the evil of Sin our understandings at the best have much dimness upon them the
weakness of our sight is helped out by Faith Faith helps us to see with God's Eyes it looks on all things as God looks on them The Lord hath told us what he sees in Sin what a Snare it is what a Serpent it is what a Plague it is and what a Womb it is big with all manner of Miseries and Mischiefs which it's bringing forth upon us God's Mouth is Eyes to Faith by Faith we understand that it is even as it hath been told us of the Lord. Faith helps us to a present view of Sin and to a foresight of all that is behind of all those Floods that this Serpent is casting out of his Mouth to devour the Soul that Woe and that Wrath it's bringing upon Sinners both here and hereafter Future Evils that depend not necessarily on certain Causes are no otherwise clearly to be discerned but by the Eye of Faith And from this Faith this Fear arises as the Apostle 2 Cor. 4.13 We have believed and therefore have we spoken so may it also be said We have believed and therefore fear Heb. 11.7 By Faith Noah being warned of God of things not seen as yet was moved with Fear Sinner art thou yet secure is the Evil of Sin yet unseen by thee and thereupon is it but a light thing to thee Canst thou make a mock of Sin Canst thou make a sport of Sin canst thou take thy rest in Sin and make a Tush at that Wrath that Sin is bringing upon thee Believe God What is it that the Lord hath spoken of it God sayes It is an evil and bitter thing Jer. 2.19 A Root bearing Gall and Wormwood Deut. 29.18 Like that Star which fell from Heaven Rev. 8.11 whose Name was Wormwood and which turned the Waters into Wormwood of which Men died because they were so bitter God says It is an heavy thing which hath brought the whole Creation into Bondage under which it groaneth and travelleth in pain Rom. 8.22 God sayes The Soul that sinneth shall die Ezek. 18.20 Though the Devil sayes He shall not die though Mens hearts say It is a matter of nothing and because it is a common thing count it but a very small thing and can flout at others Fears Yet God sayes They are Fools that make a mock of Sin Prov. 14 19. And God sayes thus not only concerning some particular Sins the most notorious and those of the deepest die Murthers Adulteries Blasphemies the World will say the same of these He that doth such things is worthy of death But God speaks it of Sin in Specie the whole kind of it little or great the least sinful words even vain words the least sinful thoughts yea even of Sin in semine the inward brood and spawn of Sin that lies in the heart the evil dispositions and inclinations of the Soul which have not broken forth into Act the word is general Rom. 6.23 The wages of Sin is Death Believe God believe and tremble 3. There is Love in it This Fear hath love lying in the bottom of it from whence it arises both the love of God and goodness and that natural and innocent self-love which God hath planted in us and it is not our Sin but our Duty to maintain There is a Fear concerning which the Apostle saith 1 John 4.18 Perfect Love casteth out Fear but of this it may be said sincere Love worketh Fear Fear is Love's Servant whose Office it is to preserve what and whom we love from being offended hurt or lost He that loves will fear to lose or grieve what and whom he loves Dost thou love God thou wilt fear how thou displease or offend God Dost thou love thy Soul thou wilt fear to lose it As in good things temporal Dost thou love thy Friend thou wilt fear to disoblige him Dost thou love thine Estate or thy Name or thy Health thou wilt fear what-ever may prejudice thee in them So in good things Spiritual our Love will set our Fear to be a guard about them It cannot be but where there 's Love and an hazard of losing what we love there will be Fear Sinners are without Fear about the Matters of God and of their Souls Tell them of losing God they fear it not Why so Why if they do they love not God so well but they can spare him well enough Tell them of the danger of displeasing and offending God It moves them not they bear him no such good will as to fear to grieve him An upright and honest Heart and a good Conscience they have no such regard to it as thence to be withdrawn from any course that may hinder or deprive them of it 'T is to little purpose to reason thus with them Take heed of Sin 't will rob thee of thy God 't will defile thy Conscience 't will disgrace thy Profession 't will break thy Peace This hath little weight with them nor ever will till they have more love for Spiritual Things 'T will hardly move them to tell them your Souls will be lost farewel to all your hopes of everlasting Life if you take not heed of Sin they love their Lusts better than their Souls They love this World they love their Money and their Ease and their Carnal Liberty and hereby it appears they do they are afraid of whatever may prejudice them in these things In times of Persecution for Righteousness-sake they Fear Religion as the Devil they Fear Holiness more than Hell they dare not be Godly for fear their Righteousness should be their ruine Our Love sets all our Affections on work What we love if it be absent we desire it if it be possible to be had we hope for it if we have it we joy if we lose it we grieve if we be in danger of losing it we Fear Friend Thou sayest thou lovest God thy Soul a good Conscience what and in such daily danger of losing all and yet art not afraid Thou sayest thou lovest not the World thou hast an Estate in the World and art eagerly hunting after more and wilt make any shift thou canst to secure and increase it but yet thou hopest thou dost not set thy heart upon it But why then art thou so often in Fears Thou art afraid of Christ afraid of Conscience thou dar'st not be an open Disciple a bold Professor because thou knowest not what it may cost thee and dost thou yet say thou lovest not the World Thy fear Man of what thou thinkest will prejudice thy worldly Interest this Fear is a sign thou lovest The Saints Fear Sin yea and all temptations to it Why so O 't is because they love their God and their Souls 4. There is in it an aversation from evil both from Sin and all the Fruits of Sin The three former Particulars are the causes of this Fear but this is in the Nature of it The Understanding discovers sin 1. To be an Evil a corruptive Evil that will defile and pollute
34.10 He is provided for for Soul and for Body for this Life and that to come The Promise is his Portion and in the Promise there is all things There 's Bread in the Promise and Cloaths and Houses and Lands and Friends there 's Grace and Glory in the Promise And to have an Inheritance in the Promise is to him as good as to have it in hand and in some respects better Thou art a Fool Soul who sayest with the Prodigal Give me my Portion 't is better where 't is God will look better to thee than thou to thy self 2. He hath Security All that he hath is in safety He that hath most and is in danger of losing all as I said before is in greater perplexity than he that hath nothing to lose The Poor Man sleeps in more quiet than he that hath his House full of Treasure if he be in danger of the Robber Enough is not enough 't will never content whilst there is hazard of losing all The Man that feareth hath enough and all he hath is in safety Prov. 1.33 Whoso hearkneth to me shall dwell safely he shall be quiet from fear of evil He that feareth shall be most free from fear the Fear of God will fortifie him against the Fears of the World Particularly consider these two things 1. The Matters wherein his Happiness lies are sure The Mercies of God are sure Mercies that will neither fade away nor can be taken away If there be uncertainty in what a Christian hath of this World he is well enough notwithstanding these are not his Happiness he may be as happy in his greatest penury as in his greatest plenty This is easily said O that it were but soundly believed What a calm and serene state might Christians then live in in the greatest tempests The Matters of a Christians happiness are sure and certain Things The portion of the World is not capable of being made sure As one sayes well The World flies Mr. Gouge sometimes it pitches upon one Family and then how happy do they account themselves shortly after it takes its flight thence and away to another and thence to another and another and who knows whither Come to a Family this year and behold as Job 21.10 Their Bull gendereth and faileth not their Cow calveth and casteth not her Calf Their Fig-Tree blossoms their Vine flourisheth there are Flocks in the Fold there are Herds in the Stall and then they are all merry and at rest They send forth their little Ones as a Flock and their Children dance they are cloathed with Purple and Scarlet and fare sumptuously every day they take the Timbrel and the Harp and rejoyce at the sound of the Organ Come to the very same Family a few years after and all 's gone and then their Purple is turned into Sack-cloth their Musick into Mourning and their Mirth into Heaviness The World runs upon Wheels The Wheel of Providence is ever turning now one 's at the top of the Wheel and then another comes up and he that was just now at the top by and by tumbles and the Wheel runs over him How often do Rich Men break and Poor Men get up for a while in their rooms and then tumble down after them To day then hast an Estate and dwellest at ease in thine own cieled House but who can tell where he may find thou to morrow To day thou livest and art in health and nothing ails thee to morrow thou mayest die the Grave may cover thee and Worms may be feeding upon thee Such an uncertain World this is and at such uncertainties are the things thereof and there 's no preventing of it It cannot be otherwise the wisest the wariest the most provident and industrious Man in the World do what he can can never be at a certainty for two dayes together The Thief the Moth the Fire Sickness and Death may quickly divide betwixt him and his portion and take away either him from it or it from him But the Treasure of the Man that fears God is a Treasure that faileth not an enduring Substance 2. His very Fear is a means to keep what he hath in safety Jer. 32.40 I will put my Fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me Though when God hath hold of us he will never lose his hold yet he holds us by certain Cords which should they break or give off we should certainly be gone and be lost One of these Cords is Faith 1 Pet. 1.5 We are kept by the mighty Power of God through Faith unto Salvation Another of these Cords is this of Fear I will put my Fear into their hearts that they shall not depart from me Whereupon we may say also We are kept by the mighty Power of God through Fear unto Salvation God makes use of our Fear of losing all to prevent our loss As if we should cease to believe so if we should cease to Fear we should be undone at last Upon a little loosening of this Cord how often do we suffer great loss When we take head and grow bold and venturous when we do forget our danger and so lay by our Armour how much mischief do we run our selves into Hast thou never lost thy Peace and all sense of the love of God Hast thou never lost thy Affections and all thy delight in God Hast thou never fallen by thy folly into Sin into a vain and carnal frame into a dead and barren state and thereby provoked the Lord to withdraw and hide his Face from thee and been cast back in the state of thy Soul Dost thou not often see this to be thy case thou winkest if thou dost not why thou shouldst not have been so venturous thou should'st have feared in time and all this mischief might have been prevented Whilst Fear stands Centinel the Enemy hath the less hope of making an Invasion upon thee But where this Fear is not that Soul dwells like the wealthy Nation Jer. 49.31 without care and having neither Gates nor Bars and so becomes a booty and a spoil to the Enemy Where Care is the Gate and Fear hath bolted the Gate there all is in safety This Fear may expose and make more obnoxious to temporal Evils How much do Christians often lose by their Fear They lose their Friends and lose their Estates and their Liberties and sometimes their Lives upon this very account that they are afraid to sin against God And yet all this while they are in safety and when they have cast up their Accounts they find they are no losers though they have lost all that ever they had their Souls are in safety and that 's enough to save them harmless under all their Sufferings He whose Face is filled with the contempt of the Proud whose back is bowed down that the ungodly may go over it whose Name is made a scorn and derision whose Goods become a booty and a spoil and his very
Life becomes a Sacrifice to the rage of the cruel if he does but come off with the safety of his Soul that 's enough to make him abundant recompence for all As Christ saith Matth. 16.26 What shall it profit a Man to win the whole World and lose his own Soul So may it not be said What shall it prejudice a Man to lose all the World if he save his own Soul Thou knowest not what a Soul is what the Salvation of a Soul is thou knowest not what Eternity what that Life and Death means who canst not say Let me escape that Death let me obtain that Life and it is enough O study the World to come more secure to thy self the eternal Inheritance and then thou wilt say with the Psalmist what-ever thy condition be here I will lay me down in peace and take my rest for thou Lord makest me dwell in safety But more of this hereafter By what hath been said it appeareth that the Man that feareth is an happy Man and wherein his happiness lies It 's true that in this World he is but inchoatively and incompleatly happy but an happy Man he is As he that 's Heir to a great Estate even whilst he is under Age and hath little in possession may be said to be a Rich Man especially if he be under the care of a faithful Guardian no less may a Christian even in his non-age be said to be an happy Man There 's no happy Man in the World if this be not he When he is at lowest it 's better with him than with the best of Sinners Some Sinners will grant their Conscience tells them so that he that fears God will have the best of it in the other World but yet they conclude that themselves have the better of it here But they are mistaken even in this Life a Godly Man hath the better of Sinners He knows little of God he hath little understood the Joy of Faith the Pleasure of Love the Ease of Sincerity the Peace of Conscience the Gain of Godliness that would exchange lives with the best of Sinners here in this World The very hopes of the Saints fill them with more joy than the greatest possessions of the ungodly I had rather take my lot with Job on the Dunghil than with Nebuchadnezzar on his Throne with Lazarus in his Sores and Beggary than with Dives in his Purple and delicate Fare with Paul in his Bonds than with Agrippa and Bernice in their Pomp with that Prisoner at the Bar than his Judges at the Bench. He that is otherwise minded is guilty of one of these absurdities either to think that God is not better than Creatures or that the ungodly enjoy as much of God as those that are Godly If God be better than the World if God be the present Portion of the Godly and of them alone then he that feareth God is the happiest Man even in this Life But O what will his blessedness hereafter be What advantage will he have of Sinners in the other World When the comparison shall no longer be betwixt God and the Creatures betwixt the fulness of Heaven and the fatness of the Earth when the Question shall no longer be which is best peace of Conscience or the prosperity of the World the hopes of Glory or the pleasures of Sin the worst of Saints or the Sinners best But the question will then be Which is the best the Pleasures of the Saints or the Plagues of Sinners the Fruition of God or Reprobation from God the Joyes Above or the Pangs Beneath Then let it be considered then shall it be discerned who are the happy Persons those that Fear God or those that fear him not Vse The Application is that which I chiefly intend and this shall be by way of Information Exhortation and Direction I shall put them all together For the more effectual carrying on whereof I shall inform and warn you 1. Of the Opposites of this Fear 2. Of the Grounds or Reasons why men Fear not 3. Of the Reasons why you should Fear 4. What you should Fear 5. How you should improve this Holy Fear I. The Opposites of this Fear are 1. Rashness 2. Audacity 3. Security 1. Rashness Hastiness or Headiness in our way Fear will make Men consider 'T was good Counsel which the Town-Clerk gave in the Tumult Acts 19.36 that they did nothing rashly Eccles 5.2 Be not rash with thy Mouth neither let thy heart be hasty to utter any thing before God The Apostle reckons hasty ones among the dangerous Persons 2 Tim. 3.4 Men shall be heady precipites running headlong on their course acting not upon Counsel but their suddain apprehensions or any strong impulses of their hearts at all adventures whether it be right or wrong Fear will make Men wary and advised what they do Christians if you would walk safely look before you speak nothing rashly do nothing rashly weigh your Thoughts and Intentions before you let them pass into action How many Evils doth rashness and headiness run us upon Those words which in an heat we have let fly some of our hasty Carriages and Actions have sometimes cost us many dayes sorrow and repentance which had we been cautelous and a little better advised might have been prevented Sometimes a sudden passion arises and out it goes in angry and froward words setting all in an uproar and combustion by and by our hearts recur upon us and then we wish O that I had bit my Tongue and not given it such an unbridled liberty Sometimes we break out into rash censures of those that it may be are better than our selves whereupon when we reflect we are ashamed that the Fool 's Bolt was so soon shot and wish we had been judging our selves when we were censuring our Brethren Take heed you mistake not rashness and headiness for Zeal I would not cool Godly Zeal there 's too little of it in the World We need the Spur more than the Bridle the Bellows nor the Bucket We may not quench true Zeal the Lord be merciful to us there is not so much of it to be found we had more need cast on Oil than Water upon that Holy Fire Zeal for Truth Zeal for Righteousness and Holiness how happy were it if there were more such Flames if all our shining were also burning Lights But Zeal must be regular as for the Matter of it it must be alwayes in a good thing Gal. 4.18 So it must be managed with good Counsel and Caution mistaken Zeal is a Fire that devours that good that it pretends to promote But as you may not run headlong upon that which hath the face of Good much less upon that which is apparently evil It 's dangerous to be heady in the Matters of God wherein in case we are right we can never over-do but much more mischievous to run headlong upon Sin Jer. 8.6 Every one turned to his course as the Horse rusheth into
doth Lust lead but to Sin and whither doth Sin lead but to Death and to Hell Be not mistaken that 's the Lake that this whole Herd of Swine being driven by the Devil are running headlong into Friends this is the very case that the World is brought into it lyeth in Wickedness and runneth upon Vengeance And yet behold all at quiet all secure no news nor noise nor fear of danger but all in peace Dost thou not find Sinner that none of these things move thee or put thee to any trouble or care And is this sleepy Evil the Disease only of the World Are there none to be found in the Churches of God sick of the same Disease Is there that watchfulness that jealousie that should be upon those that profess themselves Christians and to have escaped the pollutions of the World through the knowledg of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Do these Virgins alwayes stand with their Loins girded and their Lights burning Do not our Souls also lie open to the temptation is not our foot often taken in the snare What means the dimness of our Light the damp that is upon our Love the spots upon our Faces the clouds that we sometimes find upon all our Comforts What means our poverty and leanness our frequent decayes and backsliding How hath this World crowded in with so much of its Cares and Lusts and hath seated it self so near the Throne of God Are there no worldly Professors no covetous greedy Professors Is it a sign thou hast stood upon thy Guard that there are so many Thorns sprung up so many Thieves stollen in before thou wert aware Dost thou not see how thou art surprized daily and met with at every turn Dost thou not often confess this to the Lord and complain against thy self what an uneven unstable Soul thou art and how many and how great thy Falls and Corruptions are and hast thou not still abundant matter of the same Complaints to make Who would think 't were possible that such a soul should yet be secure and careless Hast thou catch'd so many a Fall for want of fear of falling how then canst thou but Fear And yet after all this after this sinning and falling and confessing and complaining how quickly is all forgotten and about the World again we go to our Businesses to our Recreations to this Company to that any whither whither our Hearts or Occasions lead us leaving our selves as open to every Temptation that meets us as if we had never suffered by it This Evil as 't is a common so it is a dreadful Evil there 's a Woe denounced against it Amos 6.1 Wo to them that are at ease in Zion To them that are at ease that is to th m that are secure as you have it in the Margin In Zion in the Church of God Woe to the secure Israelites to secure Professors there 's no Priviledg there 's no Profession that will secure the Secure from the Woe and Wrath of God 'T is a wretched thing to behold a secure Worldling secure Aliens and Strangers from God who know not the Judgments of God but to see a company of secure Israelites of secure Christians to whom it hath been said Awaken thou that sleepest stand up from the Dead save thy self from that misery that is coming upon the World this is indeed a woful and a wonderful thing Thou that hast been warned so often that hast been preached to and prayed over and hast been as a Brand pull'd out of the Burning and yet no more to dread the Fire thou that hast tasted of the bitterness of Sin and felt the smart of it and hast had thine Eyes opened to see what it is preparing for thee thou that canst talk sometimes of tenderness of watchfulness of care and heedfulness and of the constant necessity thereof art thou a secure careless Soul Wo be unto thee Vers 3. We have a particular Instance of one piece of this Security that put far away the evil day which because it hath an influence upon the maintaining of this whole Disease I shall enlarge a little upon it By the Evil Day understand the day of retribution or recompence whether it be the day of tribulation in this World or the day of Death and of Judgment There is a double putting this evil day afar off There is a putting it 1. Far from our Reins 2. Far from our Loyns 1. Far from our Reins That is from our Thoughts and Consideration as Jer. 12.2 Thou art near in their Mouth and far from their Reins Thou art much spoken of but little thought on Thus Men put the Evil Day far off when they do not think of such a day it 's out of sight and out of mind with them 't is the least of all their Thoughts that there is an evil day coming The thoughts of such a day would have the same effect as that cry that was made at the coming of the Bridegroom Matth. 25.6 At midnight there was a Cry made Behold the Bridegroom cometh and this cry turn'd Midnight into Morning all the Sleepers awakned and arose and trimmed their Lamps How is it Friends that there is not such a Cry made every Day and every Night How is it that your Hearts do not still cry in your Ears The Day of the Lord is near the Judg is at the Door the Avenger is at the Heels Behold the Bridegroom cometh O this seldom enters into our Hearts this Day of the Lord is far from our Reins If the Evil Day were kept nearer us 't would make Evil Works keep farther off If when Men are jolly and merry and mad after their Lusts and drunken into a dead sleep in their Sins If whilst others are idle and slothful are retchless and supine in their Spirits and Ways laying by all care and circumspection over themselves giving themselves up to the heedlesness of their sluggish hearts and hereby led out into those sins vanities which are the Fruits of such Security if such Thoughts should arise in their Minds and sit close upon their Hearts How shall I answer for this in the Day of the Lord Is not the Day of the Lord coming Is it not near May not the very next day be the Evil Day And if it should prove to be so indeed what a case am I in if my Judg should find me thus How would such Thoughts scatter away Iniquity and scare such drowsie Souls out of all their ease and slothfulness Friend consider thou knowest what a life 't is thou ordinarily livest Art not thou one of those that art at ease in Zion art not thou the Man that dwellest careless that art quiet and secure hast not thou left thy Soul like that City that hath neither Gates nor Bars is not that heart of thine left open Night and Day let the Tempter come when he will he may find easie entrance Is not thine heart open to Temptations yea and open
same course That which hath hindred doth hinder thee that which hath deceived doth deceive and will deceive thou canst never be secure from it whilst thou continuest in this World Wherefore O my Soul since I cannot be out of danger let me never be out of fear Let Fools be secure and at rest but as for me Let me pass the time of my Sojouring here in Fear 3. Another reason why we should Fear is because of the weight and importance of that work which we have to do in the World What is our Work here wherefore are we born and live upon this Earth 'T is to serve the Lord in the saving of our Souls The Lord that made us may and does require our whole Service as there is none besides him to whom we owe our Being so is there none other to whom we owe our Service Him only shalt thou serve Mat. 4.10 And God hath so ordered the matter that we cannot better serve our selves than by serving of him this is the Work of God which he requires of us to work out our own Salvation Phil. 2.12 The best Men are the greatest self-seekers 'T is a piece of self-denyal which God never requires of any Man To neglect his own Soul God would have all Men to be saved 1 Tim. 2.4 There are two Lords that are served in the World God and the Devil The great Service that the Devil hath to be done is to destroy Souls his Name is the Destroyer Rev. 9.11 and his work is to destroy and this is it which he imposes upon all his Servants to destroy every Man his own Soul God is the Saviour so call'd Isa 45.15 and his whole work that he has to be done by his is Salvation-work Friends the first and great Service that God hath for every one of you to do is to look well to those Souls of yours to recover your selves out of the Snares of the Devil that you may obtain everlasting Salvation if you can but acquit your selves so in this World that you get safe to Heaven when you die God will say to you Well done good and faithful Servant 'T is true we have every one of us more Souls than our own to look too I not only Ministers whose special work it is but every one should do what he can to save the Souls of others but our first Service is to look to our own Souls Our Charity and so our whole care must begin at home Deut. 4.9 Take heed to thy self and keep thy Soul thine own Soul diligently As Christ sayes Luk. 16.12 He that will not be faithful in that which is anothers who shall trust him with that which is his own May we not much more say here he that is not faithful in that which is his own will be much less faithtul in that which is anothers He that serves the Devil in destroying his own Soul is not like to serve God in the saving of others Souls Well this is your work you have to do in the World To serve the Lord And this is the Service that God expects That you save your own Souls What-ever you are faithfully doing this way you are therein serving God You may be saving your Estates and therein serve the Devil you may save your Names and save your Lives and therein serve the Devil but when you are saving your Souls you are still serving the Lord. The working out of our Salvation is not only the business of our Religious Duties but of all the Actions of our whole course We are not only to Believe and Repent and Hear and Fast and Pray for our Lives but to be carrying on our Salvation-Work in every thing we do As we may say whether you Believe or Repent or Pray or Hear so also whether you Eat or Drink or whatsoever else you do do all to the Glory of God and your own Salvation Our future state whether we are for Life or for Death is not to be determined by some few of our better Deeds but by the tenour of our whole course look what thy Life is in this World so shall thy Judgment be We are here in this World upon our good behaviour for the other World and the short time we have here is all we have for Eternity our Everlasting Life or Death will be determined by this little inch of time Do in your day the Work you were sent into the World for and you live and are blessed for ever spend your time in idleness or impertinencies live in the neglect of God or your Souls let your great Work be left undone or but half-done and done deceitfully and you die without remedy die eternally And do you not yet see what cause you have to Fear If you were doing any thing of this World's Business and knew your Life lay upon it 't would make your hand shake Psal 2.11 Serve the Lord with Fear Phil. 2.12 Work out your Salvation with fear and trembling Why should we Fear why should we Trembie Why because there is so great a Work lying upon our hands What if this Work be done and well done Then you are made for ever What if you neglect or miscarry in this Work Then you are lost irrecoverably 'T is a matter of Life and Death that you are every day and hour upon how can you think such a thought without a trembling Heart What a mighty influence would this consideration have upon your Duties When you go to Pray whether in the Closet or in the Family or in the Congregation were you perswaded that your eternal state were so much concern'd in it would you not fear how you trifled in so great a Duty and would not this Fear command in all your Powers to joyn in so important a Service how would it stand at the door and keep out all those stragling thoughts that at such times use to be thrusting in Would such hasty and cursory Praying such a flat and formal Devotion which you ordinarily take up with then suffice you you would sooner sweat than sleep at Prayer your Hearts would burn within you and not freeze as they too often do Tongue-Prayers and Knee-Prayers and Eye-Prayers would be of as little account with you as they are with God all the Males in your Flock would be brought in you would not dare to offer to the Lord a corrupt thing You would take your best time and time enough you would put forth the utmost of your strength you would not make your Souls to wait the leisure of your Flesh or to take its leavings It must not then be what you can spare from the World what you can spare from your business or your pleasures that will do the turn your eating time your sleeping time your working time must be taken up this way rather than want time for God and your Souls Dost thou complain of sleepiness in Prayer of wandrings in Prayer of want of time for Prayer Think Man
that feelest it but would'st thou therefore fear to have thy Wound cured Christian wouldst thou have thy Lusts live Dost thou not pray for their Destruction Dost thou not sigh and groan under them Dost thou not wish and wait and hope and long for thy Redemption from them Dost thou count them as Enemies and art thou afraid of that Weapon that 's now put into thine hand to avenge thee of thine Enemies Objection I would be glad this Flesh might die but O may it not be put to an easier death 'T is not their death that I fear but those Instruments of death that are so tormenting Answer 1. Then save thy self that torment by laying thine own hand upon them Prevent thy need of the Cross by doing its Work thy self Let it be thy daily Work by Faith by Prayer by Watchfulness by Self-denyal by Temperance by Meditation by Resolution and such other gentle means by degrees to destroy thy Lusts thy self save the Cross its labour by doing its Work to its hands 2. Must they die an easie death What or else wilt thou not that they die at all Will it be so easie for thy Soul to die by their hand that thou wilt rather venture on that than a little present trouble Shall thy right hand or thy right foot cast thee and carry thee to Hell because it would be painful to cut them off and cast them from thee Is it become so easie to thee to be in bondage to these Egyptians that thou wilt rather serve at the Brick-kilns than venture for thy Redemption on the hazards of the Red-Sea or the hardships of the Wilderness Fear this Flesh more than thou dost and that Servitude it holds thee under and that future Misery it's dragging thee to Fear this more and then thou wilt not fear thy Redemption by what means soever it be brought about Thou wilt not say Deal gently with mine Enemy deal tenderly with this Flesh Let it die Lord let it die let me be delivered from the Body of this Death and I will not prescribe to thee for the way and means 2. Fear not the Cross out of faintness of Spirit-Faint not when thou art chastned saith the Apostle Heb. 12.5 much less before-hand before the chastning comes I shall put in a word or two as Cordials to preserve from fainting Let these two things be considered 1. The Lord is his Peoples God This is his Covenant with them Jer. 30.22 I will be your God and you shall be my People Let us consider a little what great support this Promise yields I will be your God What 's the meaning of that What is there in this more than every one may lay claim to Is he not the God of all the Earth Is he not the Sinner's God Is he not the Drunkard's God the Atheist's God the God of them that say in their Hearts there is no God He is so The God that made them the God that rules them the God that Judges and will Condemn them This is a word of terror to the ungodly World I am their God that is I am above them as high as any of them are I am higher than they and will bring them down to the Dust of Death But what is there in this word as to Believers What meaneth the most High when he speaks this word I will be your God to them The meaning is this I will be your God in Covenant I will be your Friend and your Father your Portion and Heritage your Rock and your Refuge for ever I am the Almighty God and able to save you from all your distresses I am the All-sufficient God and able to supply all your Wants and Necessities and whatsoever I am all is yours Now Friend when God sayes I am thine what matters it who or what can say I am none of thine Suppose the gods of the Earth should say to thee Away we are none of thine Suppose thine old Friends and Acquaintance should say Stand back we are none of thine Suppose thy nearest Relations thy Father or thy Brother or thine Husband or thy Wife should say We are none of thine Suppose thine House and thy Countrey should cast thee out and say neither are we thine Yet this one word from the Lord but I am thine how would it support and abundantly satisfie thy Soul 2. None so well know this ordinarily that the Lord is their God as his suffering People It may be thou wilt say Ah this word this word I am thine what a good word is here O were I but sure it were spoken to me what then should I fear Let the Lord but speak thus to my Soul I will be thy God and then let the World and the Devil too speak what they can we 'l be thine Enemies if God be thy Friend we 'l curse thee if God bless thee we 'l hunt thee if God harbour thee we 'l stick in thy sides if God be in thine heart we 'l lay thee low enough if God exalt thee we 'l be thy death if he be thy life Well even do your worst were I but sure the Lord hath said this word to me I will be thy God I will not fear though ye all be Devils unto me But O here 's my great trouble 't is this which sinks my Soul and makes mine Heart to faint within me I see the World running against me I see Troubles running upon me and I am in great doubt whether God hath spoken this word to me I will be thine Dost thou doubt Dost thou not know whether God be thine Why the day of Adversity that 's the time when thou mayest be most like to know it There are none ordinarily that so well know that the Lord is theirs as his suffering People For 1. God doth often shew himself in a Storm who hid himself in the Sun-shine 2. The Sufferings of the Saints will be the Proof of their Sonship 1. God doth often reveal himself in a Storm who hid himself from us in our Sunshine Our dayes of Darkness are often the times of Light and Love Light from Above is most needed and will be better accepted when 't is darkest below The hatred of the World doth usually usher in the tydings of Divine Love When thou art led into a Wilderness to be tempted and tryed there thou mayest expect he will speak comfortably to thee Hos 2.14 Why art thou afraid of Affliction Wouldst thou not be glad to know the Lord is thine Follow him into the Wilderness and that may be the Vineyard where he will shew thee his Loves 2. The Sufferings of the Saints will be a Proof of their Sonship Heb. 12.7 If ye endure chastening God dealeth with you as with Sons Our Sufferings for Christ will be the evidence of our Sincerity to him Prove that thou lovest Christ above all and thou therein provest that God is thine and what greater evidence that we love Christ above all than this
that we can part with all things for him But then indeed it is necessary that we be well assured that 't is from Love to Christ we suffer there are Carnal Motives that may carry Men far into a suffering State Pride may do much this way or we may take up our Crosses for company Some that are engaged with a suffering Party the fear of the reproach of deserting them may make them ashamed to desert them they may expose themselves to suffer reproach for fear of reproach That Idol their own Names may be the God for whose sake they suffer Such Suffering only as will prove thee to be Godly will prove that God is thine If you should suffer the loss of all things and be utterly ruined and undone in the World and all this upon the account of Christianity If you should suffer Death for the Name of Christ and yet not have the Love of Christ in you as 't is clear from 1 Cor. 13.3 Men may do though you should be thus persecuted and rejected of and troden under-foot of Men yet at last you may be reprobated of God and perish everlastingly This would be a dreadful thing in all your Sufferings to have such a thought upon your Hearts That you that profess Christ and those that persecute you for it you that come together to Pray and Hear and Fast and those that Curse and Swear against you for it may fall into the same Condemnation and yet doubtless so it will prove in the end If you love not the Lord Jesus in sincerity what-ever you suffer for him you and they must dwell in the same Fire together may be theirs may be the hotter but the same Hell must hold Persecutors and Hypocrites Bare suffering therefore will not be your evidence for Heaven But yet Christians that are sincere and knew it not before the Cross may prove their sincerity Grace is never so well known as when it is put to the tryal Your Sufferings will be your tryals the tryal of your Faith the tryal of your Love 1 Pet. 1.6 7. that so what lay in the dark before may now be found unto Praise and Glory What sayest thou now how canst thou faint under such Expectations Wilt thou fear to be comforted What greater comfort than to have it proved to thee that thou art of God And when will that proof be made with the greatest evidence but when thou art tryed in the Fire 'T is the Wind that discovers the Wheat and the Fire that proves the Gold 2. How we should fear the Cross To this I shall answer in these two particulars 1. Fear a surprisal by the Cross 2. Fear the temptations of the Cross 1. Fear a surprisal by the Cross Fear lest it should overtake you unawares The coming of the Lord to visit us is never so terrible as it is when 't is as the coming of the Lord of that evil Servant to reckon with him Luke 12.46 In a day that he looked not for him in an hour that he is not aware Luke 21.34 Take heed lest at any time your hearts be overcharged and so that day come upon you unawares God sometimes summons before he smites Amos 4.12 Thus will I do unto you and because I will do thus prepare to meet thy God O Israel But sometimes he comes as he said he would to the Church in Sardis Rev. 3.3 I will come on thee as a Thief and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee This coming of the Lord finds some as the coming of the Bridgroom Mat. 25. found the foolish Virgins all asleep Others it overtakes as David and his Armies did the Amalekites 1 Sam. 30.16 it finds them eating and drinking and dancing and making merry On others it comes as the news of Sisera's death came to his Mother and her Ladies finding them full of expectations of prosperity and triumph Judg. 5.28 The Mother of Sisera looked out at a Window and cryed through the Lattess why is his Chariot so long a coming Why tarry the Wheels of his Chariot They answered Have they not sped Have they not divided the Prey To every Man a Damosel or two c. They were full of expectations of his return in triumph but the next news they heard of was of the Nail and the Hammer wherewith he was smitten dead to the ground O what confusion and astonishment did this bring upon them How few of us are there Friends that can say of the troubles that befal us as Job did of his Job 3.25 The evil that I feared is come upon me But how very few of us can say The Evil that I am prepared for is come upon me it found me on my Watch-Tower and standing upon the Guard I am ready I am ready ready for Sickness ready for Poverty ready for Bonds and Imprisonment or any thing else that may befal me O how unready do we mostly stand And what sad work do Afflictions make with us when they find us unready Then we take on and fret and murmur and despond and are at our wits end We can neither believe nor pray nor hope nor submit We that were just now full and at ease and at quiet basking our selves in that Sunshine that was upon our Tabernacle promising our selves that our Mountain is made so strong that it shall never be moved On a sudden we are all Earthquakes and Clouds and like the troubled Sea that cannot be at rest but casts forth Mire and Dirt. Every Wind that blows upon us from without raises such a tempest within that we forget that we are Christians or Men suffering our Hearts to boil up into Passions or Impatiencies or to sink into such Despondencies as if our hope were utterly cut off and perished from the Lord. These and such like are the Fruits of our Surprisals by the Cross Hath this never been thy case Fear lest it be 2. Fear the Temptations of the Cross There 's a double Temptation chiefly to be feared In our Troubles especially such as befal us for the Name of Christ we are in danger 1. Of Pride 2. Of a Fall 1. Of Pride As Men may be proud of their Grandeur in the World so also of their Poverty and Contempt As we may be proud of our Vertues and Services so also of our Sufferings The Souldiers Wounds and Scars are his Glory and Boasting It is an honour to suffer for Christ and some of us cannot bear this honour without being exalted above measure we cannot be cast down but we are apt to be puffed up Some of the Heathens have sacrificed their Lives for their Countreys good and yet not so much for their Countreys as for themselves to purchase to themselves a Name and Renown And is there no such vanity to be found amongst Christians Fear this wickedness which will both spoil you of the comforts of your Sufferings and lose you your reward 2. Of a Fall Afflictions such I mean as
the Lord that thou hast a standing infallible and uninterrupted evidence of thy Sincerity and an undoubted Security for thy perseverance to the end Is there not room for such a question What if I should fall short Art thou gotten beyond all possibility of miscarrying for ever Friends know that a possibility of falling into the Wrath to come were that Wrath throughly understood would work more fear than a certain expectation of all the Torments and Miseries of this Life O Fear Hast thou Faith Believe and Fear Hast thou Hope Hope and Fear Hast thou Joy Rejoyce with trembling Rejoyce in hope of the Glory of God and tremble and fear his Wrath and Vengeance There will be this double use and advantage besides others of this fear of the Curse 1. 'T will quicken our necessary fear of Sin 2. 'T will quench our sinful fear of the Cross 1. This fear of the Curse will quicken our necessary fear of Sin Yea and of all the temptations to it Sin is the sting of Death and this Death is the sting of Sin How bitter would Sin taste how gastly would it look were this Gall that lies in its Belly this sting it carries in its Tail discovered and heeded Thou wouldst quickly be filled with thine own wayes didst thou but see what stands at their further end That Bed of Scorpions whither Sin is dragging thee would make every Sin as a Snake or Adder And of all Sins 't would strike the Heart with the greatest fear of its beloved Sins These are they especially under which Hell lies in ambush for us these are Hell's strongest Ropes by which it pulls in Souls Hath any Sin cast a Cord of Love about thee That 's it that 's like to be the Rope to draw thee to the Slaughter Thou canst get loose from many Sins at pleasure but take heed that foolish Heart of thine will die for it s Beloved If thou ask What wouldst thou have O my my beloved Sin What comest thou to me so often for Why takest thou up thy dwelling so near mine Heart It will answer O 't is to please thee that I am so often with thee I know thou lovest me I am the delight of thine Heart and the pleasure of thine Eyes thou canst not be content without me I am that Ease or that Wealth or that Credit that thou lovest Is there not a league betwixt me and thee Am not I the nearest Friend thou hast Thy Health and thy Welfare and thy Soul are not so dear as I am to thee thou lovest me and therefore 't is I come that thou mayest have what thou lovest But what hast thou now to say to it No no Traitor 't is my Life thou seekest 't is my Soul thou comest to steal away and devour O I dread thy fawning Face thy smiles are Darts in mine Heart I tremble at thy wooings and embraces Get thee gone Harlot thy kindnesses are deadly kindnesses What means that Dagger in thine Hand whilst thou thus kissest me with the kisses of thy Mouth 'T is my Death thou art designing I must die if I will any longer love thee and what Death must I die Is it a short and easie Death that thou art betraying me to No no 't is a bitter Death and 't is a lingring Death an eternal Death that thou art preparing for me This Heart hath been under-ground in the dark Cavern of Pitch and Brimstone I have been in the Deep and viewed those Chambers of Death where thou lodgest thy Lovers I have sent down my Spies my thoughts have been below in the Belly of Hell I have beheld how they lie in that Pit roaring and yelling and blaspheming raving mad with the anguish of their burning Souls I have seen the very Smoke and Fire that devours them the burning Teeth of that everlasting Worm that gnaws their Hearts and the fury and rage of that Serpent that deceived them in O my Soul quakes my Bones tremble terror and astonishment have taken hold of me at the Description my thoughts have brought me up of that place of torment And thou O my beloved Sin even thou art it that art most like to carry me down and bury me there If I die that Death 't will be by thy hand if I run my self into that Fire 't will be for thy sake Away from me thou proud Heart get thee gone Covetousness or Sensuality or Slothfulness or whatever the Name of my Beloved be I dare not have any more to do with thee I fear thee more than ever I loved thee I fear where thou mayest lay me before tomorrow if I should suffer thee to lodg but one night more with me Such dread of thy beloved Sin would a fear of the Curse work in thee Friends consider Are there yet any Sins that have such power over your Hearts are your Spirits so chained by them that you cannot get loose O look to those Chains of Fire into which by this Chain of Love your Sins are dragging you Are you afraid of the Curse of God Are you afraid to burn Are you afraid to be rack'd and torn and gnawn and groun'd under the Milstones of eternal Vengeance then be afraid of Sin Let Hell be your Fear and Sin will be your Fear let Sin be your Fear and it will be no longer your Love If you will not fear this Fear if you will laugh at Hell you will sport at Sin If you fear not to be Cursed you will less fear to be Wicked if you fear not Hell you will hardly fear to be Devils on Earth O Sinners steep all your pleasant Morsels in that Vinegar and Gall spice all your stollen Waters with that Pitch and Brimstone strow all your pleasant wayes with those Serpents and Adders which will bite and sting your Souls for ever Mingle all your Carnal Delights with some such deep thoughts of what they are betraying you to and then go on after them without fear if you can And as this fear of Wrath will work a fear of Sin so will it also work the same fear of temptations to Sin Sin and Temptation lead the same way though Temptation be one remove farther back Temptation leads to Sin and Sin to Death He that fears the Fowler will fear the snare of the Fowler he that fears the Hunter will fear his Dogs and his Toyls Get a fear of the Land of Darkness and you will fear to be Companions of such as are travelling thitherward fear the Plague and thou wilt be no company for them whose dwelling is in the Pesthouse Afraid of Hell and yet never well but when thou art amongst those Decoys that are enticing thee thither What are the Allurements of Sinners to the Ear of him that hath Death and Wrath in his Eye Let them entice thee Come Let 's be merry let 's to the Alehouse or the Tavern or to a Play Let 's feed to the full let 's cloth our selves with the best let
the irradiations of his Holy Spirit and the light of his countenance whilest they are walking in the Law of the Lord the prospering of their Souls in the grace of God and the comforts of the Holy Ghost this is the sunshine of their lives Their countenance is fallen their heart is sick they reckon themselves among the dead when God and their Souls are parted He hath no part in God that can live comfortably without him It 's true the pleasure that the Saints take in God is more or less according to the different degrees of their love to God and accordingly will the sense of his absence be more or less There is a desiring love which is the highest attainment of some weaker Christians and there is a delighting love which is the attainment of the more grown Christians The purer and stronger the love the greater pleasures comes in from the object of it and the more impatience follows from its distance and estrangement from it The love of weaker Christians puts forth in thirstings after the Lord but they taste but little of the sweetness but the more grown can sit down under his shadow with great delight yet neither the one nor the other can be at ease or contented without him Again there is a difference in the Natural temper and constitutions of Christians some are naturally of lively and warm affections and of a chearful and serene Spirit others are of more flat and dull and heavy spirits and this will make a difference upon their sence of things Spiritual Yea and the same persons at several times may be differing from themselves by reason of bodily distempers or occasional discomposures which may have such an influence upon their Spirits that they may at such seasons not only have lost the sweetness of Divine communion but the sence also of its want and those very duties wherein they were wont to have delightful converse with God may seem the most uneasie and wearisome work of their time But yet whoever he be that in ordinary can be satisfied at ease and be merry whilst he is a stranger from God and neither finds pleasure in him nor takes comfort in pleasing of him this man can never conclude that God is his portion He that is least in the Kingdom of God will doubtless be able to say Lord whom have I in Heaven yea or in Earth besides thee Sinner thou sayest that thou also hast chosen the Lord but how is it that he is no more look'd after or regarded by thee How is it that thou canst live so much without God in the world and find no miss of his presence Art thou content to be miserable whil'st thou livest here or hast thou chosen two portions this world to be thy portion here and God only for hereafter I that 's the truth of the case thou foreseest that this world will not last alwayes but thou must after a while be gone and leave all behind thee whil'st these things will last thou wilt take up with them but when they fail thee thou countest upon God at last and so he must only stand by as thy last refuge when all else is gone then God must be thy happiness Is this thy choice of God when thou canst only say Rather God than nothing So I may be sure of thee hereafter I care not for thee now He that hath not chosen God for his happiness in both worlds hath sincerely chosen him for neither Canst thou say thou hast chosen him for thy happiness in this world also when thou canst count thy self happy without him canst thou want communion with him and yet be at hearts ease canst thou take the prosperities of this world to supply the want of a God the smiles of fortune instead of smiles from Heaven will thy twilight or candle-light serve thee instead of Sun-light Canst thou quiet and comfort thy self thus God is none of my acquaintance but I have good acquaintance enough in the world God is angry with me but I have many good friends about me that bear me good will My work for Heaven goes but sadly on but yet I prosper and thrive in the Earth I have none of the best hearts I confess but yet I have a good House and a good Estate 't would be sad indeed if I had nothing either above or below either within or without me if both Heaven and Earth had cast me out but whil'st one of them holds 't is well mine own Cisterne is full and so long I can spare the Fountain Canst thou comfort thy self thus Deceive not thy self God is not the portion thine heart hath chosen thou wilt never find rest in any thing else who hast pitch'd on him as thine only happiness and till thou hast made him alone thou hast not made him at all the portion of thy Soul 5. If you are willing and resolved to forsake all things for his sake God and this world are proposed to our choice and this is included in the very nature of choosing that one be taken and the other left 't is not choosing to take both one of the two must be parted with or neither can be said to be chosen and so the word tells us Luk. 14.33 Whoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath he cannot be my Disciple This seems to be an hard word but is it so indeed Is it hard to part with all our Brass and to receive it in Gold to exchange our rags for better clothing our husks for better seeding What is Earth to Heaven Is all thou hast in the world too great a price to redeem thy Soul from Death and to instate it in everlasting blessedness If these things could redeem thee would'st thou say 't is too much to give this Earth is more than Heaven is worth But farther consider It is not so hard as it seems to be for what is it to forsake all that we have God would not have us to throw away our Estates and make our selves voluntary Beggars to give away our Houses and take up our Habitation in Dens or Caves to give away all our bread and our clothes and leave our selves to hunger and nakedness God would not have us to break the peace with the world to disoblige and fall out with all our friends and to become strangers to our own flesh God would not have us studiously to offend Father and Mother to despise Brethren and Sisters to be undutiful or unnatural to be surly and rude and uncivil to any and thereby create our selves enemies and trouble 't is for the honour of Christianity that we behave our selves sweetly and courteously and dutifully towards all and 't is the Interest of Christianity that those that fear God be good Husbands and provident and have Estates to serve him withall in their generations This is not the meaning of our forsaking of all to cast our selves into voluntary poverty or studiously to make our selves
overcome Flee all sin but especially your beloved and accustomed sins remember what I have said of these already Be not the men you have been us'd to be do not the evils you have lov'd to do I do not yet mean that you should only change your sins forbear covetousness and turn prodigals give off your drudgery for this world and give your selves to idleness forbear prophaneness and turn hypocrites but put away all iniquity especially your accustomed and beloved sins Friends whenever you see your old sins that have gotten your hearts coming upon you and assaulting you as suppose pride suppose covetousness or sinful anger or the like which you have been us'd to be overcome by whenever you find your selves tempted to any of these again let your hearts startle at it Here comes my deadly enemy I know you of old what a snare you have been to me what a meer slave you have made of me I remember how it hath been with me all the time that I have been governed by this covetousness led by these companions commanded by these passions or this fleshly appetite these are they that kept me back from Christ that thrust out every good thought quench'd every good motion resisted every good word that was spoken to me When the Word of God the Ministers of Christ and mine own Conscience call'd upon me Go foolish Soul joyn thy self to Christ make thy peace with God accept of Grace submit to Mercy turn at his reproofs such was their power over me and I was so bewitched to them that I could not bring mine heart to hearken to the Lord. And are you come to me again tempting me and enticeing me again after you what shall I be a Drunkard again an Earth-worm an Epicure and flesh-pleaser again Away away I have done with all iniquity but especially I must have an eye to you I dare not touch with you for my life and therefore come my soul put on thine armour stand upon thy guard and resist them And in special call up fear to thine help and set that for thy Sentinel against them Fear will quickly espy and will give the alarm to the Soul Rise Sampson the Philistines are upon thee Rise Soul the Devil is at thy back sin lyes at the door Fear will espy and will not slight the danger we are in The flesh counts sin a friend that comes to do it a kindness or if it be apprehended as an enemy that 's like to do the Soul a mischief presumption will tell you the mischief may not be great if it make a breach upon thy peace 't is but repenting afterwards and that will make it up whatever wound it makes upon thy heart it may soon be healed the best that is may be drawn aside and yet do well enough Or if Conscience say it is not to be made light of it is a dangerous and deadly enemy yet security will tell you the enemy is yet afar off take thine ease and trouble not thy self before the time When the tempter is come 't will be time enough to look about thee But now fear will hold sin in constant suspition and it will ever suspect the worst look to thy self he is at hand that betrayes thee sin lyes at the door watching for entrance and if it get in once God knows what mischief it may do thee e're ever thou get clear of it Whatever mischief sin hath done to any person in the world thy fear will suspect it may do as bad by thee How many Souls has this pride made to fall into the condemnation of the Devil How many Souls hath this covetousness drown'd in perdition and destruction How many Souls has this evil company led down into the deep What did Nebuchadnezzar's pride do by him why it drove him from men amongst the beasts of the field How did lust and luxurie serve the prodigal It fetch'd him out from his fathers house and left him at the Pigs trough Whether did the rich man's gluttony carry him from the pleasures of his Table to the torments of Hell What kindness did Gehazi's bribes do for him they smote him a leper What advantage did Achan's Gold Judas his Silver Ananias his lye bring to them was not death all their wages yea it will put it to be consider'd what sin hath done not only to particular persons but to Kingdoms and Nations to Countreys and Cities what brought it on the whole world A flood of waters to destroy them What on Sodom It burnt it to ashes What on Shiloh Destruction and Devastation Look to thy self Soul this same enemy that hath made such woful work every where in the world this very enemy stands watching at thy door every little sin that comes thou knowest not who or what may be at its heels Dost thou not see Sword and Famine and Pestilence following after it behold the Devil leading on the Van and Death and Hell bringing up the Rear O what easie admission and entertainment notwithstanding all this mischief sin hath done do fearless Souls ordinarily give unto it It 's suffered to come upon them as it will to lodge with them and dwell with them and walk with them It meets them at every turn at their Tables their Beds in their Shops in their Fields and yet it is with them as if there were no enemy near If your houses were haunted with the Devil you would flee out of them if you saw Death in every cup of excess if you saw a toad in every gluttonous dish would you not be startled at it if you saw Robbers and Murtherers at your heels would you not run for it How is it that you are not running for your lives Fear and you will run How is it that you are no more carefully enquiring which way may I take to escape there 's such a sin or such a sin that is upon me every day how may I get rid of it Fear and that will both put you upon asking and help you to find out your way to escape But oh how is it that there should be yet any pleading for or excusing sin in the world such fools there are every where found who are only afraid of their friends who are watching and fighting against their Remedy who fall foul with a friendly admonisher with a faithfull reprover so far from taking heed of sin that they can hardly take it well to be bid to take heed of it Let any one come and say to them Friend dost thou well to be angry dost thou well to be idle and vain to be thus heady and wilfull in thy way And it may be instead of an I thank you for your friendly warning this shall be all What 's that to you look to your self and meddle not with me Shame upon this folly and madness Fear Sin as you ought and you will never fly in the face of a faithfull reprover To conclude this direction if you wil but hearken to