them to one Husband now to watch over them to take such care of them and pains with them that having escaped the pollutions of the world they may not return any more to them but be kept pure and holy to the Lord and therefore saith the Apostle I am jealous over you with a godly jealousie jealousie is a kinde of fear sorrow and anger It is the rage of a man saith Salem indeed it doth as it were raise a man above himself carry him out of himself therefore saith the Apostle bear with me if by reason of my earnestness I seem to be out of my self it is for your sakes I am jealous for you saith the Apostle And what was the matter they were in danger to be seduced by false Apostles to be corrupted from the simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and this was that the Apostle was jealous over them for and surely brethren it is commendable and imitable I plead not for passion and wild-fire but a holy zeal for the glory of Christ the well-fare of souls we ought not to be cold but zealous jealous for you brethren if in danger of seducing at any time this is a large duty indeed we are apt to sleep especially if sang asleep by the delusions of weakness and mildness and love falsly so called and then the mischief is done but enough of this I hope you see there is cause enough to pray for us 5. Another Vse then shall be tending to the wooing of some poor souls this day to accept of the Son of God the Lord Jesus and of his love and to make up the match with him this is our work indeed And O that it might prosper in the hand of a poor unworthy servant and friend of the Bridegroom this day you have heard Who he is and What he is you have heard already the glorious priviledges which arise from a closure with him yea how often have you heard these things and yet you are coy and hang back I am come this day brethren to tell you the sum of the message is that the Lord Jesus is willing to have you if you be willing to have him How long shall the Lord Jesus follow you with these mercies the price of his most precious blood and yet you slight him What can you desire that is not to be had in Jesus Christ If you would have beauty he is the chief of ten thousand If you would have riches you shall have all things with Christ how shall he not with him give us all things Would you be honourable those are truely honourable that God honours now he will honour them that will honour him and honour his Son And wherein is he and his Son honoured but in this if we believe in his name give him the glory of his mercy and faithfulness 〈…〉 at I were able to speak of him so as that you might some of you fall in love with him this day Shall I a little stir you up to this First If you have him not you are like to live and dye under that cruel husband the Law and Sin the Law as it is the strength of sin which is the cruellest bondage in the world the Law 1. It commands a most absolute obedience and conformity to it self there must not be the least turning aside to the right hand or to the left not a lota be missed all things obeyed and continued in and that upon pain of an eternal curse cursed is every one that continueth not in every thing which is written to do it it is a most rigorous exacter of obedience to its cominands there is no pitying no sparing as there is now in Jesus Christ he pityeth and spaâ—eth as a father his son as a husband his spouse If a man could from his youth up keep all and but miss it in a word in a vain thought all his life time there is no pity no sparing it condemneth to the lowermost â—ell O what a condition are you in sinners upon whom all your breaches of this Law doth lye 2. It is a cruel bondage because it giveth no strength if it did impose never so much if it did give any strength it were something It is true we had strength which God gave us at the first until we wantonly fell and broke our bones so brought weakness upon our selves but now in this condition yet we are under the Law as a husband which will command peremptorily but giveth us no power like the the Egyptians task-masters they would have them make bricks and yet give them no straw and yet the Law is holy just and good Now the Lord Jesus what he commandeth he giveth strength to perform 3. It admitteth of nosurety we must do it our selves obey to the utmost our selves or else be ruined to the utmost perish to the utmost cursed is every one that continueth not in every thing one man cannot be accepted for another the soul that sinneth it shall dye And 4. Yea more then all this It provokes us as we are corrupt to break it as a bank against a strong stream it maketh it swell and rage the motions of sin which were by the Law this is by the Law but not from the Law but from our corrupt hearts but sin takes occasion by the commandment nitimur in vetitum cupimusque negata like wild Asses Colts when the law cometh to yoak us and hamper us we break the yâ—ak and the bands as the Prophet speaks will not endure to be held Now is not this a sad condition to be under such a hus 〈…〉 d as this and yet how many of us are in this case and contented so to be Well remember brethren the end of these things will be bitterness and death that is the wages 2. Another Motive may be this he is ready to close with you if ye be ready to close with him be you what you will never so vile in your own eyes for it may be this is the discouragement of many they would rather then their lives have the Lord Jesus for a husband but alas there is no beauty in them he is the chief of ten thousand and they are the vilest of ten thousand the chief of sinners he altogether lovely they altogether loathsom He is white and ruddy they are black and bloody lying in their blood and filthiness cast out to the loathing of their persons and what hope can they have that he will accept of them very great hopes brethren for this is the tenour of the Gospel to be preached to every Creature without exception or Limitation and every one that believeth in him cometh to him he will in no wise cast out if he would what had become of Paul or Manasseh say not then Alas I am poor and miserable and naked yea Leprous and filthy and therefore it is not for for such a one as I to think on Christ indeed thou canst
dost thou grow in that is thy communication much more seasoned and savoury is it all savoury tending to minister grace to the hearers heretofore thou hadst it may be scarce a thought of God in a day now he is the object of the workings of thy soul the thoughts of him are pleasant to thee this is an high condition it argues thou hast grown thou art in a growing condtition but this is not all Brethren Secondly Is that more fruit you bring forth better then it was before is it more mellow then formerly or if thou bring forth no more in number is it more in weight for God takes not our services by number but by weight and it is a sottishness of the poor blind Papists to think that God is pleased with their much speaking with pattering over so many Avy Maries and Pater Nosters or principles of the Doctrine of Christ I wish our practises be not too like theirs It may be heretofore thou couldest not enlarge thy self in prayer and now thou canst and thou thinkest thou art much grown it may be in bulk but not in goodness are thy prayers now more the breathings of the Spirit of Christ within thee and less of thine own Spirit O how much strange fire mingled with our sacrifices and strange incense strange zeal even our own passions instead of a zeal for God! Now Brethren is our zeal and fire more pure coming down from heaven even from the Spirit of Jesus Christ warming our hearts Look to this do we find that we grow more spiritual in duties in prayer do we act our faith more strongly wrestle with God in spirit more then in words children are apt to be taken with bables and pictures and flowers in the corn and we wâ—th sweet and quaint expressions but now have we learned to worship him more in spirit and in truth to know that the great work of our duties lie in the frame of our hearts toward God in prayer in preaching in hearing of the Word It is childishness Brethren for one never to be well or to place so much in it to be alway upon the lap and dandled do we find that now we would rather be made serviceable to him and do it with more pure hearts more pure ends not for our selves but for his glory we ask not gifts parts grace to spend it upon our lusts as heretofore not â—or our own peace that we might take our ends but that we might be fitter instruments in his hands for his glory not for our own praise and honour among men O look to this I tell you there is nothing sticks closer to us then this now doth this sowrness crabbidness of our fruits wear away by degrees is it better with us in these respects then before this is a sign of growth indeed I will add but one more and that shall be this Dost thou â—ind that thou growest by the opposition thou meetest with in the work of grace either from without or from within or any way whatsoever First I say from opposition without grace will grow and gather strength and this either from men or from the Lood from men when they oppose the way of God wherein we walk we must look to it that we grow so much the stronger for that is the nature of grace Brethren as when Paul preached the faith which once he had destroyed and the people were amazed saith the Text and they spake of him as a changling is not this he that wasted them that called upon his name in Jerusalem but Saul waxed so much the stronger and confounded the Jews that dwelled at Damaseus proving that this was the Christ As the fire they say is hotter by antiperistasis in coldest weather the Palm-trees they grow like as you heard in the proof that raiseth it self up under a weight of opposition Well look to this Brethren I do not mean an Ish 〈…〉 elitish spirit that is against every one and every mans hand against it and that a man should out of a cross crooked disposition do any thing or vex and gall persons that oppose them but grace will then be stirred up as the fire by the wind that bloweth it this way and that way it is in vain to blow it out to offer it for it increaseth the flame there is no resisting that Spirit whereby the Saints a 〈…〉 ted look to it is it thus with us or do we find that opposition from men doth cool us discourage us dishearten us so that we dare not own the Lord Jesus and his truth and way Truly it is to be feared it is not right with us Secondly From the Lord there is some opposition sometimes he wrestleth with us Jacobs wrestling with God implyeth some opposition of God as I may say he wrestled with him let me go saith he this stirreth him up so much the more earnestly to lay hold upon him when the Lord would take his leave of him and you see the poor man in the Gospel when he was rebuked for crying after Jesus Christ he cryed so much the more earnestly and so our Saviour when he was in that great agony or striving under the displeasure of his Father saith the Text he prayed so much the more earnestly So the Lord doth sometimes hang back or hide his face that he might draw out more and more his peoples hearts toward him as a Fisher draweth away his bait to make the fish follow it the more eagerly Well consider this now do we thus grow even by opposition if the Lord say to us we are dogs not fit for childrens bread can we conclude the worst against our selves and yet gather upon him for the crums at the least But then there is opposition from our selves from within and that is from the rebelling of our lusts they rise and swell and many times over-bear us we are foiled do we grow by this this may seem somewhat strange that the acting of sin should tend to the encreasing of grace for that we must know that it is not proper for every act of sin properly doth strengthen the habits of sin and the stronger sin is in the soul the weaker grace is like to be as the more the water cools the less heat there is remaining in it but it is by accident as water cast upon a coal-fire at present it seemeth to put it out but afterward it burns so much the hotter and fiercer So grace takes occasion hereby to stir up it self so much the more to set it self so much the more in opposition to it it maketh a child of God so much the more humble so much the more watchful and full of prayer if it be right with them and neither sin nor Satan gets by this at all So if Peter be tost in that sieve of vanity that temptation and fall O how it humbles him and how afterward it fetcheth him off his own bottom how valiant he
I go Sir but he went not now this is the Learning indeed a man hath never learned a lesson in Musick or learned a Copie until he hath practised it and can do it Ah dear friend do not our hearts blush sometimes when we consider how often we have had this watchfulness pressed upon us and yet how little have we done to bring our hearts to it And so for weanedness from the world for self-denyal for any other duty almost and therefore it is requisite Brethren that the same things should be repeated and inculcated but so much for the Arguments For the Application of the Doctrine It is a plea then for a standing Ministry in the Church of Christ according to that of the Apostle he hath set some Pastors some Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints and also while there are so many necessities upon them as you have heard how are they perfect So saith Peter I will not be negligent to put you alway in remembrance of these things though you know them and be established in the present truth yet I think it meet as long as I live in this Tabernacle to stir you up by putting you in remembrance Alas Brethren suppose you are many of you so well acquainted with the mysteries of faith as that you need not to be further instructed in these things yet it is a Peters duty you see I think it meet or just to put you in remembrance yea and as long as I live to do it though I have nothing now to present you with and though you be established in the present truth yet I must put you in remembrance They that despise prophesyings under that pretence that they have an unction themselves within them which teacheth them all things I doubt they will find by woful experience they quench the spirit of God in themselves and what in them lies also in others by weakning their hands but who is like to pay for that First Remember but that of the Apostle John in that same place you have an unction whereby you are taught all things what need John then to have written this Epistle to them you will say or some may say he might have spared the pains that unction of theirs is a supersedeas to him and all other Ministers whatsoever they have no need of them what saith he I write not these things to you because you know them not but because you know them It is for confirmation for quickning there is need enough of it else sure the spirit of God in him would not have wasted such precious pains upon them The Thessalonians have no need that he write to them touching Brotherly love they were nearer perfection then for ought I see the Churches of Christ now are love is the fulfilling of the Law and therefore had less need of the Apostles pains in writing to them but yet you see he bestoweth it and surely not in vain he exhorts them to abound more and more to continue in well-doing to encourage them and strengthen their hands this is none of the least works of a Messenger of Christ Secondly Here is a pattern for the Teachers of Gods people Let it not be grievous to you brethren sometimes to beat the same things upon the people if that mans wisdom might be heard to speak and carnal reason it would say it becometh not an exquisite Orator for men to insist too much nor too often upon the same things That is implyed in that of the Apostle to me it is not grievous to others haply it might It is not more tedious to a curious ear then it is to a quaint tongue to speak the same things again and again but let us not consult with flesh and blood in these things but tread in the steps of our Saviour Surely there was never such a treasurie of wisdom and knowledge as was in Christ in him were hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge and it had been easie for him still to have brought out of his treasurie things new and not any old But you see what manner of Preaching is his to his own Disciples We are called upon in Timothy to exhort with all long suffering and Doctrine and be instant in season out of season Aug. would rather speak broken La◠then the people should not understand and he would have Preachers press a point upon their hearers until they might even read the print of it in their faces think not a light touch will do it And yet let me not be mistaken here neither for I mean not hereby to make a Cloak for any Ministers idleness or sloathfulness who therefore may dwell longer then is meet upon a thing or often go over with a thing because they will not be at more pains to bring forth new as well as old no far be it from me the Apostle giveth us another rule give attendance to reading to exhortation to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be thou in them that thy profiting may appear to all A Scribe instructed to the Kingdom of heaven brings forth both new and old but if there be need to press things harder or more then ordinary upon people let it not be grievous to us it must not then be a carnal self-love love of our own ends but the love of our poor souls and their profiting that must lead us to it else it is nothing for you saith the Apostle it is safe that I write the same things and what was that even the warning them of false Teachers it was safe for them to hear it again and it was no such pleasing string for the Apostle to harp upon but yet because it was safe for them he denyed himself in that If the Ministers of Christ do sometimes more then ordinary strike upon that vain instruct tenderly it is necessary surely or they think it so else it is no such pleasing thing Again there is much wisdom to be used also by us in pressing the same things making a difference between persons and persons upon whom least we grieve or dull some instead of quickening them therefore the Apostle he doth with a kind of modesty use this freedom with them he acknowledgeth indeed that they did know the things he writ he would not have them think he took them to be so ignorant or to be so fickle and wavering but they were established in the present truth and yet saith he I hold it my duty sometimes to put you in remembrance and to stir you up So John not because you know not but because you know these things therefore I write to you 1 John 2. And so the Apostle you need not that I write to you concerning brotherly love you do love one another but continue in it abound in it more and more See how sweetly doth he insinuate into them if he had to deal with other people he knoweth how to speak after another
manner to come with a rod if there were need Again there is much wisdom to be used in the dressing the same truth again and again for the truths which you are necessarily to know they are not for number infinite and you will easily find if you consider the Scripture how the same truths are proposed to us in the Scripture an 100. waies several waies because the Lord knew our frame that naturally we would have somewhat new and were affected with variety therefore he giveth us the same truths under divers dresses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Apostle the Preacher chose not acceptable words though It would not feed that itching humor that is in some yet I would allow as much as love and prudence examined together would advise because of the weakness and frame of men and if one therefore diversly dress the same truths omne tulit punctum will the Lord seal this instruction to such of us as it concerneth And Brethren pray for us that we may be wise-hearted and know how to fit our selves and bait the hook so as it may be most drawing Thirdly It may serve to humble us for our dulness then and those many other defections which are the rise of this necessity to beat the same things upon us again and again Dear friends we swallow much every Sabboth every opportunity how little doth incorporate with us how little abideth with us what pains is the Lord fain to take with us line upon line and precept upon precept here a little and there a little in season out of season and yet Brethren how little the better are we for it May we not all of us lay our hands upon our hearts is it not matter of humbling we should put the Lord and his Messengers to so much pains with us and be yet little the better for all O let us magnifie the long-suffering of God and bless him for the long-suffering of his servants with us that he is pleased to follow us up and down with this and that necessary truth It may be thou hast heard some things which now thy soul hath the experience of thou wouldst not loose for a world and many a time thou hast heard them but it hath been like water spilt upon the ground and at last the Lord hath fastened the nayl to the head if it had had but one blow it would not have stuck Fourthly It may caution us brethren against nauseating Divine truths because they are so often beaten upon us it may be the same things It is safe for you brethren it is good for you if you know the things belong to your peace say not then occidet misâ—ros crambe repetita Magistros What shall the Disciples say to Christ because he so presseth them to watch for his appearing here is nothing but harping upon one string nothing but watching and watching prest upon us we would have somewhat else we are weary of this No but rather continue O sure it is needful our dulness calls for it and it is much tenderness that he will not give us over until he hath wrought it upon our spirits Should the Philippians cast it in Pauls teeth he had told them often of those unruly masters that they had heard enough of that O no now he tels them with tears with more melting then before the same thing in a more affected manner they had no reason to lothe It was the great sin of the Israelites you know they had manna every morning this was their daily bread at last they grew weary of it nothing but this manna our souls loatheth this light bread for a while it was excellent and delightful but after a while they loathed it It seemeth it had not a taste to suite every mans palate what was most delightful to every one as some thought then they would not have loathed it but they might dress it divers waies and yet they loathed it this was a lust which put their mouthes out of taste and so far as that they prefered Garlick and Onions before it It is nothing to be taken with the word when a Teacher is as one that plaies skilfully upon an instrument toucheth every string and in such a manner as the variety maketh sweet melody but this harping upon one string is not so pleasant here is a tryal of your love to the word as it is the word whether in its nakedness and simplicity you can love it and though you have nothing but the word and the word the sincere milk Another Caution shall be this to take heed of that humour which reigns in abundance among us all affecting novelties O such itching ears would not have suited with our Saviour his manner of Preaching they have the same again and again from him A new light though it be but a Comet draweth more eyes after it then the Sun because he daily runneth his course this is a great vanity in mens minds and truly it is so in spiritual things A new Doctrine Oh how it bewitcheth men as that did the Galathians it is more then ordinarily taking with us else the power of darkness and errour had not been so great in our daies as it hath been and truly when we begin to be weary of the eternal Gospel which never waxeth old and cannot away with the same things after we have once heard them which argues we receive not the love of the truth imbrace it not because of it self but its dress or its novelties or some such accident we are in the very high-way to delusion as the Apostle saith I am sure Antiquity was the commendation of the Apostles Doctrine even to the Romans themselves he brought no new Gospel but what was from the beginning Is it not the same spirit surely that works so mightily among us whereby men would commend any thing for its novelty It is horrible pride both in Preachers and Teachers Lucifer-pride and a strong savour of the old Adam that rather then we will be confined to a course and dwell upon such things as have been received as truths in Jesus we will have somewhat new or else we will to our own inventions for it the Lord deliver us from such a spirit And lastly brethren it is necessary that the same things be thus inculcated upon us then surely we may hence learn that there is somewhat more for us to learn still in every truth we hear it may be often we have heard such a duty pressed such a sin descried there is somewhat in it that God meeteth thee it may be everywhere with the same message they spoke with one mouth the same thing to thee Is there not cause to fear Surely that is one consideration and the Lord in mercy to thee will not let thee alone but one Bell in Aarons ring sounds louder then all the rest in thine ears Surely surely there is somewhat unhealed that every one thou comes near
not think of him until he first think ofâ—hee nor work towards him until his heart hath been working towards thee and is not that demonstrate that he is willing to receive thee to make a match with thee though we be worms and no men have cause to cry out if we were never so holy Lord what is man that thou art so mindful of him as to visit him with such salvation make him so near thy self in thy son Yea surely he is willing he would not have moved towards thee else he doth not use to mock poor Creatures to make them believe his heart is towards them and when their heart echo again and say thy face Lord will we seek then to shut up his bowels and shut out their desires Brethren take heed of too much being alive to the Law for that seemeth to be the savour of our spirit while unworthiness is the obstruction to our coming to Jesus Christ we must be dead brethren to the Law and the righteousness thereof all our performances and best duties else we cannot live to Jesus Christ The Lord Jesus never matched with a Creature because it was worthy of him of so near an union with him for alas what creature being but a creature can be wotthy of such an union with the Lord of life and glory No no he â—akes an Ethiopian and washeth her clean from her filthiness before he hath done with her nothing but that fullers sope will fetch out the spots Yea I will say one thing more that the Lord Jesus never Matched with any that thought themselves worthy of him there is an encouragement to such poor drooping soâ—lâ— did Paul think himself worthy of Christ nothing less nor any of the Saints He that will not have Christ freely is never like to have him I will love them freely saith he No saith many a proud sinner thou shalt not love us freely we hope to approve our selves worthy of thy love I tell you brethren such a soul hath not known what the meaning of grace is to this day Well then remember be you as unworthy as you can in your own apprehension all the mercies of God purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ they are freely offered and tendered to you this day to thee man to thee woman that art viler then the earth in thine own eyes yea to hard hearted sinners that see not themselves they are tendered to melt them down and if this will not do it nothing will do it O that I could speak of these bowels with such bowels as some of your hearts might be stirred and moved this day but so much for this second 3. Motive the Lord Jesus is not only willing thus to communicate himself to poor sinners but it is his delight so to do It is the satisfaction of the soul of Jesus Christ when he beholdeth the precious mercies purchased by his blood accepted of by poor sinners and to work mightily in them and to them He shall see his Seed and shall be satisfied the father is satisfied and the son is satisfied when they behold this this is all that they expect the father for his love such a love as the world cannot paralel a Sic without a Siout God so loved the world It is all he expecteth that those mercies which he hath purchased should be freely be bestowed upon and freely accepted of by poor sinners and it is the satisfaction of Jesus Christ also it is all he expecteth of us I say the continual streaming of that fountain opened for sin and for uncleaness they are as if he had said I have enough for all my pains my sweat my agony my eclipsing for the pangs of hell in my soul for my death and blood and burial all the contempts powred out upon me and the sorrow â—endured though there was never grief like mine yet this is enough saith he he shall be satisfied if he do but see poor sinners to receive him and so become his Seed close with him and so become his spouse for it is the same thing though clothed with a diverse Metaphor Brethren iâ— may be you would satisfie Christ another way you would do this and that for him Labour as abundantly as you can be as holy as you can perform your duties in as lively a manner as you can but when you have done all if you hang your peace and comfort upon this and not in your free acceptance of Christ and with Christ you seem yet to be marryed to the Law and not to Christ or at least you turn aside to your former Husband a Covenant of works this is a dissatisfactiou to Jesus Christ as if there were not riches of grace in him to swallow up all your unworthiness O Brethren that the Lord would perswade your hearts this day what a delight and satisfaction it is to him to see poor sinners come and lye at his foot and willing to receive him to match with him notwithstanding their unworthiness 4. Consider but how little a thing will do the deed and espouse thee to the Lord Jesus Alas you will say you find it a hard thing to believe as hard a thing as to keep the Law It is so in respect of our strength but many they mistake and think except they have such and such a strength of faith they have none at all nor do not close with him nor he with them If they could say with Thomas my Lord and my God or with the spouse my beloved is mine and I am his then there were some encouragement indeed Brethren if it be but as a grain of Mustardseed it will do the deed look upon me all ye ends of the earth and be ye saved A look upon a woman to lust after her is Adultery in heart it is a heart union of two to one flesh for it is yet the heart the mind that seeth more then the eye the eye may look upon many things and discern nothing distinctly if the mind be upon another thing so here why should not a look after Jesus Christ to desire him when the soul hath a sight of him passing by in his Glory O that he were my Husband O that I were Marryed to him that he would accept of me O happy souls that enjoy seeking communion with him This Brethren at the first is enough to make a Match between us As the Lord Jesus is willing to have thee art thou willing poor trembling soul to have him have him thou shalt yea thou hast him already though this saith must grow up to a greater measure happily before thou cast discern it or have the comfort of it Only lest any should be mistaken I will here give a word or Direction or Caution First take heed of thinking thou art willing when thou art not for as there are many poor drooping souls who think they are not willing to have Christ when it is that their souls do ever break for
Rejoyce in the Lord saith the Apostle and again I say rejoyce it is a duty of that moment he cannot leave it he goeth over and over with it do not think I am mistaken when I bid you rejoyce because happily your condition may be afflicted other ways again I say rejoyce I am still of the same mind The Lord Jesus rejoyceth over you as sad thoughts as you have concerning your selves he rejoyceth over you he is glad to communicate his love and shall not we rejoyce then in the receiving of it Can the Children of the Bride-chamber mourn while the bridegroom is with them saith our Saviour it is not sutable to their condition when he shall be taken away then they shall mourn I deny not Brethren but if the Lord do withdraw himself we should lament after him and seek him sorrowing as Mary the Mother of Jesus did and the more love we have received if we grieve him this will be the more grief of heart but if you that have his presence in a sweet manner and yet hang the head and droop as if our joyning to the Lord had been the undoing of our souls So pensively and sadly we many of us walk that indeed we are a shame and dishonour to the Lord Jesus If you should see a Virgin espoused to a man and should from that day forwad never hold up her head but walk heavily what would you think sure she apprehends she hath made an ill choice her expectations are frustrated therefore Brethren look to it that we rejoyce if the Children of the Bride-chamder cannot mourn but rejoyce to hear the voice of the Bridegroom much more then the Bride The Lords takes pleasure in the prosperity of thy soul and why shouldst not thou â—ake pleasure in the prosperity of thy own soul being made one with Jesus Christ 5. Look to it that you be faithful to the Lord Jesus as a Bride when once espoused if she turned aside to another it was death they were looked upon as in a marryed state and condition indeed the truth is when the Lord hath truly espoused his soul to himself he hath done it in faithfulness and maketh the soul faithful to him that in the great Article of the Covenant they never deal falsly with Jesus Christ that is to say they choose not another Saviour another Lord under whose dominion to put themselves constantly yet there may be sometimes to Jesus Christ even in his own people If that once it cometh to this that we imbrace sin and consent to it and take any delight in it this is to play the harlot with Jesus Christ O take heed of this brethren indeed the heart is all that he looks at how we stand affected to those evils which yet remain if Paul have a body of death yet he delights not in it but groans being burtheued this he accounts not unfaithfulness but when a mans heart beginneth to sit loose from the Lord Jesus to be almost indifferent he could sometimes in a fit of wretched carnality be content to have another Lord to rule over him to be free from Christ O! this the Lord looks at and he will search out this will move him to jealousie therefore take heed of this a woman may do as much service and seemingly as readily to her husband as before but yet her heart be gone and she could be contented to be loose this is heart-Adultery this the Lord Jesus in us brethren looks at as such if we serve him and do duties but in such a manner that we could even be contented to be at liberty it is not right take heed of provoking the Lord Jesus lest it prove in the end that he never knew us indeed Labour to be faithful then in this in the main Again In managing all he puts into our hands be faithful The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her It is the commendation of a woman of a thousand in the Proverbs she will be improving It may be you have not so much to turn as others have others have ten times more parts and opportunities to do good let them look to it they have ten times as much to answer for and must do ten times as much but thou mayst be as faithful in a little as they in a great deal One servant is a Steward in the family hath all under his hand and another he is a poor under-servant hath some mean service committed to him why now he may be as faithful in his place as the other in his Moses was faithful in all the house of God he had a great command Caleb might be as faithful for what was committed to him following God fully as the Text hath it say not then If I were a Magistrate a Minister a publike person had such opportunities to do good I might do much but I am an obscure person Well be thy condition what it will be thou mayst do good and be faithful in thy place according to what thou hast received thy lips may drop like a hony-comb and feed many and like choice silver and inrich many though thou be never so mean and so for the Family and up and down where ever thou comest look that thou be faithful to do all from Jesus Christ and to do all to him that thou rob him not of the glory of what he hath done for thee and by thee for then thou art not faithful 6. Another Exhortation shall be then to desire the coming of the Bridegroom the Spirit and the Bride say come the spirit in the bride breathing in her as it is in the Revelation they say come We looke upon the day of death as if it were the day of divorce from the Lord Jesus for the most part truly for them that are out of Christ it is no marvel if it be a King of terrors to them but to the Saints me thinketh who look for the appearing of the Lord Jesus to consummate the marriage between them it should not be so terrible as it seemeth to be to the most of us and to this end take ye here brethren at the marriage feast he turns our water into wine but in heaven our wine into spirits and setteth them a flaming our love flaming to all eternity 7. Exhortation which is to look to our Ornaments to get them ready why do we hang back but because we are not ready we have somewhat or another unready still our work is not done can a maid forget her Ornaments or a Bride her attire yet my people have forgotten me As a Bride adorneth her self with her Jewels so he hath cloathed me with the garments of salvation he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness Eleazer put jewels upon Rebecca before she came to Isaac and therefore the spouse is called Callah in the Original because of her perfect adorning therefore look to this brethren that you be adorned O every
prick and beat her yong ones out of the Nest else they would be lazy and sleep there Well surely brethren If love and sweetness will not do it gall and vinegar must awakened we must be for sure we cannot go to heaven in a sleep and how terrible will it be if we put him to it thus to teach us by terrible things in righteousness and mercy It is faithfulness and mercy to us he will be at the pains with us And then brethren let me but add this only When the Lord Jesus shall deal thus with us we that now are so fast asleep we may sleep then if we could there will come such a day upon us surely if the Lord do not in tender compassions awaken us before hand It is a bitter ironical reproof the Disciples had need of such sharpness in the reproof for milder words would not do sleep on now saith our Saviour it is enough what did our Saviour allow them to sleep surely nothing less specially all this time for that his next words are arise let us go hence behold they are at hand who betray me why then they could have little list or leasure to sleep but our Saviour doth with a holy mocking of them as I may say Well you have been sleeping all this while now take your rest now sleep if you can now you shall have your hearts so full of cares and fears and be sobeset with temptations you shall have little list to sleep A righteous hand upon them for their sluggishness as the young man rejoyce O young man in thy youth c. and let thine heart chear thee but remember for all this God will bring thee to judgement Well brethren as light as you may make of this you that love sleep and give your selves to security when this day cometh upon you it will make your hearts ach The Lord perswade us of it I desire not the woful day to any of you but rather that you may escape Again Another Vse of the Point may be then for such as are kept through the Almighty grace from this sleeping it may be when others are sleeping about thee one in this corner another in that thou art lively thy graces are kept in vigor thy sweet communion with Christ maintained O how much how infinitly art thou engaged to the Lord Jesus magnifie his grace How many considerations here might be heaped up to heigthen your prayses that the high prayses of God might be in your hearts and mouths As 1. To consider It s meerly free mercy that maketh this difference between thee and the most sluggish Professor most slothful sleepy Professor For it is not surely brethren because they have improved the grace which thou hast received better then others have done it may be others have received more grace and walked as diligently as thy self and yet notwithstanding left to some fearful fall to stupifie or deaden them asleep O magnifie his grace that thou art thus far kept again 2. To consider How much misery and sin thou dost hereby avoid the loss of Jesus Christ and his presence c. O it is unspeakable for what sin what temptation will not take with a poor soul when he is in this drousie condition As Lot in his sleep what would he not do the soul asleep and in security what would he not do the things that now the soul abhors the thought of them if thou hadst been left to such a sleep as this is thou wouldst have made nothing of as wel as others as you see in the fearful example of many apostatizing Professors in these days that have walked very strictly before which surely as it should minister matter of holy fear and trembling to us so of great prayses to the Lord. And then the misery to awaken us to put us to those distractions which have been already spoken to Besides 3. To consider What great advantage thou hast now above many others Thou hast the presence of God which others want thou hast the light of his countenance thou hast many a sweet communion with him which others want being left to this sleepy condition they have slept away their harvest thou art kept awake to gather in the Summer O how rich in grace may such a soul grow if he do but know his season and opportunity and are not these great matters of praise Again in the next place then brethren if we be so apt to sleep Let us consider one another to provoke to stir up suffer not one another to sleep Indeed brethren so far as we are defective in this duty of love one to another so far we our selves are asleep O be ye followers of Jesus Christ and be full of love as he was he cometh to his Disciples and findeth them fast asleep what doth he do let them alone or refuse Communion with them no he stirreth them up giveth them a reproof to provoke them and he doth it again and again and again And so in the case of Peter he did you know look upon him otherwise what had become of him so he would not let Jonas or David go in their Conditions but sendeth a Prophet to one and sendeth a storm after the other to awake him and afterward cometh himself And so the Church in the Canticles see how he cals upon her there and afterward cometh nearer O Brethren that I might be counted worthy this day to speak one word home to some poor sleeping soul to awaken you either a word of love or a word of terror I have spoken both but will you remember this as a duty Doubtless we have occasions before us every where do we not know many lazy sleepy Christians do we not judge them to be so where are our bowels towards them why do we not shake them do our endeavour would we not be sorry to see them forsaken of Christ altogether as to their sense and sadly lamenting after him would we not be sorry to see them battered and bruised with the temptations of Satan in this sleepy condition are they not in danger shall we see them lie as a prey just ready for the Devils mouth and not endeavour to stir them up to remove that drowfie frame from them the Lord help us brethren such as are more wakeful among us for I believe some there are that the Lord hath magnified his grace towards exceedingly in this respect O how can you improve your mercy better then thus by stirring up others that they may enjoy the same sweetness in Communion and close fellowship with the Lord as your selves do But thus much for this Use also Vse 7. Then Let us be tender in judging one anothers Condition judge not a mans state by the present frame that is upon him Come into a Garden in Winter and there is no appearance of any flowers the roots are within the ground shall we conclude therefore there are none no so in this case
Jesus knoweth it and he will acknowledge it O he is strict to mark what is good if but a little spark in much smoak or under much ashes when to all mens thinking the life is gone he seeth there is somewhat alive and awake within a Seed of God within and he will take notice of it for the comfort of his poor people If ever in any example we would have thought men had slept will and all we would have thought so of the Disciples that notable example that being so often shakt with such sharp and shameful rebukes yet they should forth with be asleep again as if they had not 〈…〉 heeded Jesus Christ at all yet at last when they came to themselves and could sleep no longer for the enemies were upon them Now sleep if you can lest this should too sorely assail them that they had slept so soundly under such awaking means as they had and be swallowed up of to much grief O saith our Saviour the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak he knew their Consciences would be ready to load them and Satan would help forward their overwhelming grief they wist not what to say to him nor for themselves and therefore our Saviour himself letteth them know that there was some willingness within them the spirit was willing but the flesh was weak and that he took notice of it and accepted according to what they had and not according to what they had not where there is a willing mind O here is comfort indeed to have to do with such a Master such a father such a Bridegroom as both knoweth and that little willingness that is in sincerity in his peoples hearts not to sleep though they themselves could not say so he puts an answer into their mouths to Satans accusing and the smitings of their own hearts and a plea in their mouths to himself to prevail with him for pity and sparing of them Remember this that though sleep and slumber and many woful interruptions are in thy service of God yet remember Jesus Christ he hath served without any such slumbrings and such imperfections and this is thine he will render unto man if he do acknowledge to God he hath sinned that is to say freely feelingly faithfully acknowledge it Ah brethren it was a time of prayer and a duty for the Disciples to pray when our Saviour prayed but they were all asleep if now their righteousness peace and salvation had depended upon themselves where had it been or if Jesus Christ had slept as well as they where had it been but he was wrestling and praying for himself and for them in himself at that time he never was heavy in his prayers he never fell asleep nor slumbred neither with this spiritual slumber he fulfilled all righteousness to a tittle O then remember this brethren this must be the ground of our grace and comfort you must have it in another and not in your selves And magnifie this rich grace of God in Jesus Christ that hath laid up for such poor sleeping sinners such a watchful Ordinance 6. Another word may be this though it be true in thy sleep thou art in great danger as you heard before which indeed is enough to alarm us continually yet if we do strive and stir up our selves aâ—d yet are overcome though sore against our wills and so are in danger of some deadly blow are weak and feeble and the least temptation may smite us to the ground much more then dreadful temptations and without all question Satan never lulls us asleep but he hath a design upon us to take away our life our God our Christ our peace our comfort our strength from us Yea to smite us to the ground at once and smite us no more As Abishai said to David and as he begged he might have leave so doth the Devil even beg O how fain he would have leave to smite us then as he moved the Lord against Job so continually this accuser and enemy whose work it is to devour O when he findeth such a prey how edged is his appetite but remember this for thy comfort and say not surely Satan will smite me to the heart at one time or another poor trembling soul the Lord that keepeth Israel and watcheth them he never slumbreth nor sleepeth Indeed if the Lord had slept as we are apt to think he doth when he with-holds from us his quickening or comforting presence for a time and were apt to cry out as I may say to awake him yet he never sleepeth he watcheth and wards many a secret thrust and blow that when we are asleep poor creatures we cannot be aware of and though thou mayest grieve him by a sloathful spirit and he may make thee smart other ways for it yet surely he wiâ—l not give up the life of dear Saints the price of this life of his dear dear Son to the will of Satan No they were bought at too dear a rate 7. Again O what a comfort it is to a child of God that he hath to do with such a Christ such a Bridegroom the wise Virgins belong to are espoused to as when they do sleep is willing to take so much pains to awaken them This indeed it should grieve us so much the more that we should put him to it yet it is a comfort and no weak one neither that he is willing to be at suh pains with us to awake us How long doth he stand at the door and knock before they will open they lye asleep still he cals them with the sweetest compellations My love my dove my undefiled O thou dear and precious soul it is I thy dear Saviour It is I whom thy soul loveth wilt thou rise and open to me I am wet with the dew of the night canst thou finde in thy heart to put me to stand without and induâ—e the cold and the injuries of the night and weather and keep me out of thy heart the place which I have chosen for my habitation and wherein is all my delight O what workings of his bowels are here one would think this were enough to awaken No yet she shifts and maketh excuses and very frivolous ones as people will when they are not very willing of a thing Well now a man would have thought the Lord Jesus might have been justly grieved so as to depart and leave her sleeping No saith the Text He came nearer and put his hand in at the hole of the door Poor souls he s 〈…〉 eth that the spirit is willing the flesh is weak that is to say So far as carnal we are weak the strength of the flesh maketh us weak and nothing else will do therefore he is fain to come and take her by the heart to touch her heart to begin to unbolt the door himself he cometh in some nearer sweeter powerful breathings of his spirit within that now she is overcome and
Pass-over but they made nothing of the greatest moral pollution that could be of falsly accusing the most innocent person and prosecuting him to the death this they made nothing of and so they scrupled not to give thirtie pieces of Silver as a price for Jesus Christ that they might bring him to death but when they had done they would not cast it into the Treasury The Papists they make much ado it is a grievous offence to violate one of their fasting daies enjoyned by the Pope but to murther Christian Princes under the notion of Hereticks they make nothing of that this is the condition of many a poor creature Mint Annice and Cummin they must tythe these externals and ceremonials a Gnat they strain at but a Camel they can swallow 3. Another thing in their obedience is this an hypocrite he can be contented to take up the easie part of Christianity ordinarily but not the difficult that which is more inward and laborious they can come to heaâ— the word to confer with the people of God to receive c. But the inward part the great duty of self-examination alas they are strangers to it that high duty of spiritual contemplation that of keeping their hearts with all diligence because out of it are the issues of life this they are strangers to they cannot down with these things to forgive injuries from their brethren this is a hard duty to love their enemies yea to love them that think meanly of them despise them as well as those that think more highly of them this is no easie duty here the hypocrite will give others leave to take up this part ordinarily truly Brethren Search and see is it not so with some of us 4. Another consideration is this An hypocrite maketh not Jesus Christ his last end he doth all for self-ends Who do seem to be more Religious then the great Questionists of the times usually yet the Apostle tels us if they consent not to the wholsom words even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Doctrine which is according to godliness he is proud knowing nothing doting about Questions and strife of words whereof cometh envy strife railings evil su 〈…〉 isin 〈…〉 and perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth supposing that gain is godliness there is the root of all this Brethren of all this zeal and contention supposing that gain is godliness was not this the argument whereby the Devil would have proved Job an hypocrite if thou touch all he hath he will curse thee doth he serve thee for nought he hath self-ends in it O surely brethren if our hearts condemn us and tell us We work for our penny in the Vineyard of the Lord we serve for our penny it is not right it may be we may pretend the glory of God and may seem to take a right aim for God and for Christ but like a deceitful bow we turn aside and have somewhat else in our eye that setteth the wheels awork when the glory of Christ will not O this is gross hypocrisie So those in Mat. 7. they prophesied in the name of Christ but not for his name but for themselves and though a child of God may be pestered with such thoughts creeping in upon him yet he suffers them not to lodge with him but whippeth them and giveth them their pass he mourns under them prayeth for pardon of them and healing and subduing of them 5. Another thing is touching the conflict which the soul may have with sin How may we know whether that be right or no An hypocrite may have some regret doubtless in sinning until he hath hardened his conscience so by custom that he is past feeling Do but mind these two things 1. Where the quarrel lies where the battle is fought Is it between the understanding the judgement or the conscience convinced and the will or is it between the will and the will the affections and the affections the former may be in an hypocrite the other is not Peter had this conflict between his will and will he should be carried whether he would not that is to say to be martyred Why then if he were altogether unwilling how could he be a Martyr No he was willing and yet unwilling there is a lusting of the Spirit and a lusting of the flesh it is not for nothing that the Holy-Ghost expresseth it in those terms he doth not say the spirit judgeth one thing and the flesh lusteth after another but there is lusting on both sides the flesh against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and those two are contraries and they are in the will and affections and therefore as contraries they must needs fight until one be subdued the Apostle saith with his mind he served the Law of God and with his flesh the Law of sin but mind there is not meant the understanding as distinct from the will as sometimes it is understood but it is understood of the regenerate part set in opposition to the corrupt part in the soul and the one fighting against the other so that the things we would do we cannot do many times Consider then Is it thus with thee carnal affection carryeth thee out this way but thou hast not only a judgement to the contrary but thy affections and will carryeth thee to the contrary and thou art not alway overcome but ordinarily prevailest O this is a sign of an upright heart 2. Consider in this conflict also another thing Whether you â—e not treacherous alway holding on the side of sin So an hypocrite will be he hath some regret against sin its true but yet he favours it and would willingly excuse for it palliate and plead for it and O how glad such a man is when he hath but any Scripture that will seem to make for it that he may have but liberty for his lust as a covetous man O how he is more then ordinarily pleased with those Scriptures which seem to make for it and such a man holds in with sin and will not come to the light but hates it is willingly ignorant of some things libenter ignorantur ut liberius peccent Is it thus with us brethren believe it if it be we have cause to fear all is not right with us we are unsound at the heart and though we may go far yet the end will be rottenness Again lastly See to it whether we love anything else more then Christ If House or Land or Father or Mother or nearest relations or life it self more then Christ we are hyporcites sure and this is a thing will not be so easily known specially by such as with â—eter denyed him being ashamed of him it may be upon a slight account O happy is he that can afterwards say as Peter Lord thou knowest all things thou knowest I love thee though I dealt so unkindly and unfaithfully with
know not what it is to be almost gone and blown out at the brink of obscure darkness know not what that mercy is but such as have been made to believe that God would cast them into the bottomless pit that he would utterly destroy them and forsake them O how sweet a truth must this needs be that though their flesh and heart fail them yet God will never fail them whatever he may seem to do for a season but so much for this Doctrine The second Doctrine is this When a Believers profession groweth so low and he is declined specially at such a time it is his duty to trim his Lamp to renew his profession to look after a restoring So here they arose and trimmed their Lamps when the Cry came and this did the wise Virgins as well as the foolish Concerning the foolish Virgins I have nothing here to say nor shall I trouble my self or you with what haply might be spoken of the Hypocrites trimming his Lamp wherein it differs from the Believers The wise Virgins trimming I have spoke the last-day to that purpose shewing how far they might go But I will speak here to the wise Virgins because I would not dwell too long upon these things So you find Solomon his declinings were great and that at his latter end but he arose again and repented as appears by his Book of Ecclesiastes and Proverbs c. written after this his backsliding as is generally conceived And so the Church of the Philippians their love and care of the Apostle suffered a nipping a winter and had ceased to flourish as formerly but they renewed it again It hath flourished it again saith the Apostle Eurychus may fall down and almost beat his life out of him but it is still in him and there must be means used to draw it forth as there is pains taken with Trees that have a fit of barreness come upon them Spiritual life runs to the heart and there appears little or nothing without sometimes as conquered men do from their outworks to the Tower but it must be brought forth again we have a command for it to those two Churches in the Revelations Sardis had a name to live and was dead likely the most of them were dead and yet there were some things remaining which were ready to die and these must be strengthened the things which remain which were ready to die for their works were not perfect before God O it was hypocrisie that did eat them out of their life of Godliness it s a consuming thing indeed And so the Church of the Laodiceans their love was waxed Luke-warm neither hot nor cold neither dead altogether nor lively now saith the Lord be zealous therefore and repent But you will ask me here What it is to trim these Lamps that is here required I will speak but to two or three particulars First then In the trimming of the Lamp there is usually a supply of the Oyl if it wanted as when it hath burned long if it be not supplyed the oyl being spent it will not live except it be supplied And it was high time for these Virgins now to be awaked hereunto they might else have slept until all had been spent and the Lamp had gone out as well as the foolish grace being but a Creature it liveth by a continual supply of the Spirit of grace the first cause of it So then in the trimming of the Lamp there must be a fetching in of more grace a recourse to the fulness that is in Jesus Christ for the Lamp is ready to languish or dye else for want of oyl 2. There is a stirring up also of the grace which doth remain some oyl remaineth that must be made ready the ready passage between the Vessel and the Lamp the heart and the conversation it must indeed be cherished for being little haply it is ready to dye like a spark among much ashes stir up the gift that is in thee there is none that stirreth up himself to lay hold upon God The wick in the Lamp must be raised it being burned low so it is in this case It may be in such a declining condition of a poor soul there is more grace lying deep and low lying asleep in the habit more then the soul is aware of this must be stirred up faith stirred up and love to Jesus Christ and his people stirred up 3. In the trimming of the Lamp there is a taking away the filth and the dross that it gathers and snuffing the wick which would hinder the light and burning of it that it would be very dull and dim Now what is this brethren but the putting away those iniquities repenting of those evils whatever they have been that have thus far prevailed against their profession that security that carnality that self-confidence those things which laid them asleep which choaked the Lamp that it could not burn Whenever we are under any declining do but search and see commune with your own hearts and you will find there is some evil which lies close some soil we have gathered and hereby the spirit of grace hath been grieved and he is departed from us Now this snuff must be taken off deal not gently with it this filth and dross must be removed if we would trim up our Lamps For the Application then of this briefly in a word It may serve to stir us up every one to this duty If our Lamps be at present or shall hereafter come under any declining Alas brethren do we not slumber and sleep often and neglect all this while the trimming of our Lamps and will they not quickly burn low and dim and need a serious trimming of them I doubt this duty will be incumbert upon us and required of us oftner then we are aware of Do we know how soon the Bridegroom will come his voice goeth before him we have often heard but have we trimmed our Lamps to this day are our professions more glorious then formerly And for Motives hereunto consider First Such a restoring is a thing feizable hough the duty be thine yet the work is Gods he engageth to help yea to do it indeed he restoreth my soul saith David and it is for his own name sake for the glory of his Grace David had many decays and backslidings witherings and faintings but God restored his soul still and he is as ready to do it for his people now as ever he was therefore do not say alas this is a work too difficult or hard or there is no recovery my Lamp is so near extinct as there is no hope for me he that kindled it at first is able to restore it It is indeed a work of some difficulty and will cost you something but yet it is feizable Peter was at as low an ebb as ever poor Believer was what was become of his profession and yet Peter is recovered and after the recovery
endure every profession will not abide but it overcometh them But haply they may go down quietly and go away with confidence in their conscience a strange confidence have many poor blinded hypocrites whose consciences are seared Yet Thirdly Be sure brethren It will not carry them through the Judgement after the death the Judgement we may make a shift to pass through this world and haply delude our selves and think all is well and through death and yet never dream of our misery but if we be hypocrites be sure that a form will not endure to appear in Judgement before the ever lasting burnings the consuming fire There the Lord will examine mens hands what ever their professions have been and their hearts as it is said of Tiberius when he examined a fellow that pretended to the Crown he was so confident and cunning he could not trap him in his words at last he examined his hands and finding them hard with labour he found him to be but a servile mechanick fellow he was then so startled saith Mr. Caryl that he had no more to say So the Lord will examine mens works then and the principles of their works from which they acted and they shall be forced to confess they are hypocrites and their mouthes shall he everlastingly stopt depart from me ye workers of iniquity you tell me ye have preached in my name or prophesied c. let me see your hands you are workers of iniquity For the Application then What a terrible word to all formal professors who have only a Lamp a form of godliness but deny the power of it in heart and in their conversations Let all such if any such be here present know First Your profession will fail you sooner or later You think when you have done so many duties you have acquired such gifts and such supposed graces of the spirit and 〈…〉 w all is well these are enough to lift you up to heaven a Tower a Ladder that will reach to heaven But alas it is not so it is but a Castle builded in the air they are lying words you trust in who cry The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord are these You are his people and have his Ordinances a fine web a spider weaves takes great pains spins it out of her bowels but alas it never cometh to any thing it will not make a garment to cover their nakedness from the Lord Jesus Hypocrites rest in a formality and some observances of the Law as if it were their hope that should secure them from all storms and injuries whatsoever but alas it will not these things will fail Secondly Is it not worthy observation also that an hypocrite if he go to decay in this life his hypocrisie be discovered he decaies quickly suddenly more suddenly then another man ordinarily therefore he is compared to a Bull-rush that withers before any other plant when they are once blasted cursed as God doth curs them many times alas the next day they are gone and withered as the tree that was dryed up by the root which the Disciples wondered at a sad thing to-have leaves without fruit a form without power the withering curse doth light upon them soonest sooner then prophane persons and how quickly are they withered they are like the grass upon the house top that withereth before it groweth up Thirdly It will be sure to sail a man when he hath most need of it as in the hour of temptation the hour of affliction the hour of death and the hour of judgement in all these usually it fails as a man standing him in no stead◠as the brooks run in the winter when there is no need of them but in Summer when the traveller is ready to perish for thirst then are they dryed up in that place of Job Like the Apples of Sodom if a man come to touch them would be refreshed by them they turn to dust poor creatures think they have faith until an hour of temptation or affliction when they should act it then they have none So they think they have love and bowels but when an opportunity is offered and they have most need of them then they fail like the house there in Matth. 7. It was builded as fair to see to as another as the wise mans house and served him while it shone upon his Tabernacle but when once the storms arose the winds came and the waves beat against it alas it fell and great was the fall thereof Fourthly that which will set an edge upon all the former is the sad disappointment of the hypocrite or formalist in all this for his hope is cut off like a spiders web there are two Pillars he leans upon as Sampson upon the Pillars in the house the Jachin and Boaz What are they but the good things of this world and life eternal and alas both fail him For the good things of this life they many times leave him the mire and the water which made the Bull-rush to grow they are dryed up what is become of his hope then he leans laies hold on his house and is loath to let it go but let him hold it as fast as he can yet down it must go when the Lord cometh to manifest his displeasure against him Secondly For things eternal those he expecteth and is as high until he be discovered to himself in his expectation of heaven as any other but alas he is but in a golden dream all this while as an hungry man dreameth he eateth c. but it is nothing but a fancy when he awakes he is never the fuller but rather vexed so much the more being disappointed for a man to have his hope cut off is the greatest cut in the world nothing breaks the creatures heart more then this O how great hope may a Minister be raised to being an instrument in the hand of God to save others that he also shall be saved they themselves have means to castout the Devil and shall they go to the Devil It is indeed the very emphasis of damnation to be cast down from such a height of hope to be so near to heaven in their hopes and yet miscarry O how should this make us afraid of hypocrisie and formality which is ready to creep upon us how bitter a thing is it in the end to hypocrites yea to the people of God in their way when God opens their eyes to behold it in its colours therefore let us be exhorted every one of us to take heed of it lest it be found in such prevalency among us as to denominate us hypocrites believe it brethren If we be hypocrites our duties will not commend us to God be they never so many never so plausible because our hearts are not changed which is a notable sign of an hypocrite he doth much duty but never reacheth to a better heart is not changed
conform to Gods Ordinances you have some knowledge and there is the light of the Lamp though it may be but little a Glow-worm or the Moon no heat in it no affections to Jesu Christ you never felt your hearts burn within you when he conversed with you never knew what it was to be sâ—ck of love for him to delight in him and yet you are secure and think all is well with you because you hear and read and keep the external part of Sabbaths though you know not what it is to sanctifie it in your hearts you think all is well Alas brethren I pray you consider did not Judas follow Christ up and down and did more then many of us have done yet at last appeared to others and himself to be but an hypocrite though I discommend not but encourage you to do these things and to abound in him yet let me tell you and O that God would speak it to your hearts you may do it and much more and yet be but Hypocrites God looks not so much at the multitude of your sacrifices as he doth at the frame of the heart the truth in the inward parts at the sacrifice of a broken and contrite spirit that is to say a heart made truly sensible of its own vileness and emptiness so that it expecteth nothing for it self but lies at Christs foot for healing and mercy and mourns after him Now I pray you brethren you that are so confident of the goodness of your condition in the midst of all your Sabbaths you keep and duties you perform have you ever found such a heart yea or no O that the Lord would awaken you yea are there not some that ground their confidence upon their own security because they never doubted never suspected themselves they can bless God for it they have alway had a good heart towards God and they never had cause to suspect their hearts and affections towards him and shall they begin now Brethren let me tell you this is a truth in Jesus that a notorious Hypocrite may go on long and never question his condition yea it is rather the sign of an Hypocrite that he never did question his condition Was Judas ever the better for his backwardness to question his condition because he was the last that we read put the question Lord Is it I Surely no he was a Judas the Lord pitty you for you know not the danger you are in poor confident secure Creatures You may take your selves to be sweet Christians and yet be in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity your Lamps may burn long and yet no oyl in the vessel and at last go out and then you will cry out with the foolish Virgins alas our Lamps are gone out our profession is gone it will stand us in no stead now 2. Another word shall be an Exhortation to us all then If it be thus that an Hypocrite may thus long lie hid from himself and yet at last be discovered and that when it is too late O how should this quicken us Brethren to work out our salvation with fear and trembling O be not high-minded but-fear You see these foolish Virgins they had a glorious profession and we may in our dayes come to the like pass and when discovered be made a Magor Missabeb O fear and tremble before the Lord lest this prove our own condition how should we be much in the great duty of self-exanimation and searching whether we have misgiving hearts or no yet let us search if we have misgiving of heart that it is not right with us O how inexcusable shall we be that we were so lazy we would rather venture our immortal precious souls then take a little pains to search and secure their condition Is there any man that suspects his estate that will think much of his pains to spend day after day and time after time to search into it and if it be possible to secure it Why what account do we make of our souls brethren that we can be so wretchedly careless of them do you believe you have souls do you believe they are immortal do you believe it brethren that they shall live for ever in the enjoyment of God or else in unexpressible misery do you believe brethren that hypocrites shall have the deepest damnation And do you suspect your selves to be hypocrites and yet will not be perswaded to be at a little pains with your deceitful hearts yea much pains and often to secure the eternal welfare of your poor and yet precious souls 2. Suppose you do supect your selves to be hypocrites how do you make a shift to quiet your consciences do they not trouble you are your hearts so desperately heardned that you have no disquietness seizing upon you can you enjoy your selves I believe you must needs then sometimes have a terrible apprehension of wrath approaching why will you not search It may be you may find your condition better then you expected and so may live more comfortably and sweetly then now you can while you have such a suspition of your selves your condition may be safe but cannot be comfortable and you cannot be satisfied without this comfort in respect of your outward condition Is that so great in your eyes and this so little O for sin and shame let us set a higher value upon these things be more afraid of losing our souls then of losing the world But then see if thou be confident of thy condition either this confidence is well grounded or groundless and whether soever it be there is great need of searching still If well grounded Brethren yet we must know that the renewed searching and discovery of the soundness of our confidence and the truth of our condition is that which will renew our joy in the Lord our thankfulness to him for the impressions of these things upon our hearts they are apt to wear away with time and therefore if we would keep them fresh upon our hearts the sweetness and safety of our condition that our hearts may be more enlarged toward the Lord then we must be often perusing our evidences and the grounds of our confidence Besides alas Brethren how much doth daily intervene which is enough to darken and cloud all if we do neglect this great work of searching it may be within a while our hearts will be so over-grown with weeds that we shall not discern the root of the matter within us so much ashes that we shall scarce find the fire O therefore keep up this inward difficult differencing duty of a diligent impartial search and trial of our selves And then if we be confident upon no good ground we had most need of all to search yea and how shall we come to know the grounds whereupon we are confident to discern them clearly except we search it may be thou maist upon the search find that thy condition is dangerous thou art but a
to Jesus Christ every weight and the sin which so easily be setteth us as the Apostle saith If we come with the world rooted in our hearts it is five to one but we shall be tryed as the young man in the Gospel was and as that other was the Foxes have holes c. you hear no more of that forward man afterward O but we are young and therefore we may have time enough before us it is time enough for us to look after grace many years hence No my brethren it is your duty to remember your Creator in the daies of your youth while the milk is in your breasts and you have some strength to lay out upon Christ The first-fruits were not to be delayed to be paid Exod. 22. 29. A young Samuel seasoned so young a young Timothy they may be eminent servants of Jesus Christ when others at the same years are but beginning to enter upon the work Besides is not thy life as uncertain as anothers do you not see that young men dye even as the old and young men are like to perish as well as old if they be not found with oyl in their Lamps and young men may enter with the Bridegroom as well as old if they be found ready And therefore I pray you for Christs sake do not so deceive your selves but while it is called to day young and old hearken to this voice of God and put noâ— off this main work any longer Alas but you will say my case is the case of these foolish Virgins I have long made a profession and I have my grace to seek and therefore there is no hope for me a gray-headed sinner who have trifled away my time You know some were called at the 11. hour Brethren and indured not the heat of the day with others and yet miscarried not while the day of grace lasts there is hope and while the Lord knocks by his Spirit and Word there is hope that to us appears to be a day of grace and that thy spirit is moved is yet a further Argument And therefore be of good courage if he have given thee a heart now at last to look after him and though thou lingeredst with Lot until God was even fain to pull thee out of the burning the everlasting burnings thou haste so much the more cause to magnifie the grace of Christ toward thee that he would after so much abuse of the day of grace look upon thee at all and when thou wert as a dry stick no strength nor vigour to serve him at all therefore God could have no eye at thy service nor any thing thou wert like to do but meerly to exalt his grace and therefore for ever thou maist more easily Conquer over-that temptation of resting in any thing in thy self priding thy self in any thing of thine own and give him the glory of all in an humble walking before him The second demonstration of their folly is that they went to the creature for grace They said to the wise give c. It is a note or point of great folly to seek unto the creature when men have neglected to seek to Christ then to go to the creature for grace you see this is the practise of foolish Virgins how far we may urge this I cannot tell but me thinks we do not put it too far if we may stand upon it at all Whether they would now at last being sensible of their want of the oyl in the vessel the grace in the heart they would have some of that oyl which they had in their vessels or whether only somewhat to make their Lamps burn as they did before it appears not nor yet what their highest â—nd was in it appears not if they aimed not at the highest end Gods glory and their own salvation as the ultimate end then they were grosly foolish in that respect for to miss the end is the most fundamental point of errour and folly but if they be supposed to aim right yet there is this Argument of their folly in the very Text which shall be all I will say for the confirmation of it They take not the right means for the accomplishing that end and therefore they are foolish for wherein doth folly consist else but chiefly in this they find not out or use not the right means for the attaining of a right end Now was this a right means to go to the creature to the wise Virgins for oyl Give us of your oyl this argues either desperate ignorance that they knew not whither to go to get oyl that they were ignorant of the Fountain of Israel the fulness that is in Jesus Christ from which fulness his people receive grace for grace and such blindness as this to be in men that profess Christianity it is very strange and argues great stupidity and folly or else if they did know it they had no heart to go to him they would not if they could get it otherwise well and good and bring oyl to him they had hope of acceptance but they would have none from him and this would argue a worse kind of blindness But of these things we will not spend our conjectures nor in such uncertainties Whatever the case is sure it is that they went not to him but to the creature for their oyl from the Sun to the beam from the fountain to the stream and so to the broken Cistern and is not this folly This then will teach us thus much That the Papists are as like these foolish Virgins as they can look poor creatures those merit-mongers and money-changers that fill the Temple of God do not some of them sell and others buy their pardons and indulgences do they not go to the Church-treasure of merit to make up what is wanting of their own and not to Jesus Christ in the hour of their necessity I know not what some of them may do and some others I believe may be wiser in this thing but surely many poor creatures are led away with this wicked error I cannot call it better Surely Brethren If any be the foolish Virgins to the life the Papists are some of them if they be true to their Principles 2. It may serve to reprove many among our selves that put off all the work which concerneth their souls live as if they cared not for God nor regarded him at all the people of God and Ministers of Christ are the object of their scorn or disregard they sleight them above others but when an hour of destruction cometh O then when they are ready to dye the Minister must be sent for and he must speak a word of comfort right or wrong they are ready to think I doubt that as much is in it as in a Popish Absolution according to their conceit then as if it were in their power or they were in Christ's stead to give them grace they hang much of their confidence upon
pledge of that Marriage-feast in heaven but with mouths opened souls enlarged that we may eat and drink abundantly he that cometh hungry will hardly go away without his fill we come with narrow hearts mouths half-opened and therefore go away with little or nothing Fourthly This should much edge our desires after Heaven and the glory that is to be revealed it is a feast who is not willing to go to a Feast if he be hungry and pinching and yet alas how backward are we for heaven how do we hang back it is a sign we have little desire after that fulness of communion with Jesus Christ all is not right with us we are not ready when we can be contented to sit down by the pipe and may go to the fountain to the rivers the ocean of unspeakable delights in the Lord. O therefore brethren eye heaven more and the Glory of it this Marriage-feast the eye affecteth the heart though it is true it doth not appear distinctly what we shall be yet some hints are given whereby we may conceive how transcendent the delights of heaven will be above all we enjoy below What Solomon dehorts men from as an occasion of lusting after wine look not upon the wine when it is red when it giveh his colour in the cup moves it self aright when it sparkles and hath a pure colour if you look you will be enticed by it But here is a feast of wine of new wine more excellent transcendent full of spirits and vigour look upon it brethren with the eye of faith and serious contemplation sometimes behold how it sparkles what a spirit there is in this wine that to all eternity maketh the Spirits of the Saints to exult and triumph in his glorious praise a duty so far above our cold and heavy frames here below O methinks this should somewhat quicken us and raise our desires to heaven to be with Christ drinking this wine new with him in his kingdom that here we drink only sacramentally and these are not deceitful meats your expectations cannot be so high of heaven but you shall find abundantly more to admire Fifth Use shall be a word of comfort and encouragement to the people of God according to the necessities of their various conditions if so be that the Saints shall enter in with Christ unto the Marriage unto this Feast First then Here is matter of encouragement against the troubles and afflictions the Saints meet with in the world and from the world It is true this is a time wherein at present the world smiles upon Religion but they are but like the Crocodiles smiles ready to devour them notwithstanding yea indeed her very embraces are killing But if times should but turn a little the world would be the world still it hates the Saints and it would discover it self what it is more plainly then now it doth the times will not bear hostility against the people of God but suppose such an hour of temptation may come upon us this may encourage us against it brethren What though the world may give you gall and vinegar to drink as they did to Jesus Christ before you are now going ready to enter in with the Bridegroom to the Marriage-feast of new wine and drink with him at his Table in the Fathers kingdom to eternity Indeed brethren there is so much refreshing to a poor creature in this Feast of wine on the lees upon earth in the Church in this poor and dark communion with him that it is enough to allay the bitterest cup which God puts into his peoples hands to drink witness this comfortable Prophesie Though you have the bread of afflictions and water of adversities yet will I not remove your Teachers any more into a corner give wine to him that c. Prov. 31. 6. This will sweeten all one taste of honey and sweetness at the end of the Rod and all wicked men are but Gods rod to chasten his people I say this taste enlightneth the eyes reviveth the poor drooping fainting soul Ah what are the joys of Heaven then Again suppose it be not a persecution for righteousness sake but it is from the hand of God for thy sins that thou smartest yet this brethren methinks if our hearts were more upon it would allay the smart there will be a time when there will be no room for one sigh nor one groan more no interruption will be in your joy Yea suppose it be sin that most troubles thee now and temptation and this is a bitter thing indeed to a gracious heart O remember brethren that in the Marriage-feast there will be a swallowing up of all these things Secondly It may be encouragement to a poor soul that longs and presseth hard after a fuller communion and fellowship with Christ and cannot reach it but still let them attain to what they can their desires are higher and reaching after more and that desire speaks emptiness in part and hunger and that hath pain the soul must needs be restless in such a condition O remember brethren there will be an entrance into the Marriage-feast where you shall ever be with the Lord you shall be ever drinking with him this new wine in his Fathers Kingdom at his Kingdom suppose there be not that to satisfie and fill thee in the pipe though the Conduits run wine and the Ordinances be a feast of fat things still thou wouldst have more there brethren your desires will be swallowed up your enjoyments will be above your desires I know it is a sight of Christ crucified sitting with us at the Table which is the reviving of the poor soul but alas he quickly loseth that poor imperfect glimpse he had of him but there shall thy eye be satisfied with seeing him in his glory and thine ear with hearing his blessed voice there shall thy soul be filled indeed and alway filled because alway swallowed up in this fellowship and communion with the Lord Jesus 3. It is matter of encouragement to such as it may be are not admitted to every dish or every course in this Feast of fat things this Marriage-feast upon earth it may be the people of God may not be satisfied in some to admit them though the Lord have received them it appears not to them it may be their own spirits are not free to enjoy them in such a way as they are to be had in the places where they live some stumbling block or other is in the way which they cannot get over and so they mourn after them but cannot enjoy them O that God would remove all stumbling blocks and help his people so to prize them as not upon every slight matter to be kept from them but suppose thou canst not come poor soul and yet thy soul longs for them and haply more then many that do enjoy them if thou couldst without sin Be of good comfort though it is true thou maist lose
are we to believe Satan and the world when they shuffle us off from this work of casting up the accounts of our souls I think we may all of us or the most of us plead guilty here have we our times Brethren we set apart for this work of self-searching and tryal not an hour in a moneth or many moneths when we come to the Lords Supper an hour in a quarter or a day in a year yea do you ever perform this duty at all truly it is an ill sign when we are so backward to search the Lord perswade you to the duty you heard before how sad a thing it is to be at a stand not to grow and beside how canst thou be thankful if thou take not notice of it he loseth his glory and that will neither be for our advantage nor comfort And here I hope it may not be beside the Text to speak of growth under that other ordinary Simile of growing like trees or plants in Scripture nothing more ordinary then that where Believers are compared to trees of righteousness and branches in Christ the Vine and what is included in this comparison here as to the growth in quantity increase in quality and goodness and swiftness of it I hope I shall meet with in the other First then look whether you grow more into the root you grow downward for if a tree grow not in the root proportionably you know it will be top-heavy and every blast is ready to over-turn it that soul groweth to purpose that groweth then in the root more now what is this root but the Covenant of grace as you have heard when God would cut a people down by the root he would dis-covenant them now the Lord Jesus is the main of the Covenant and therefore called the Covenant he and his Spirit are the great promises of the Covenant Chrisâ— as he is tendered for righteousness for holiness for redemption and all Now there are three graces specially which respect the root Jesus Christ whereby we may be said to grow in the root and therefore let us labour to search and try our selves by them The first is Faith Brethren whereby indeed we are planted into him and as that grows so we are said to grow in the root time was when our faith was but as a grain of Mustard-seed but now hath it deeper rooting faster hold of Christ do we now embrace him more closely then we did time hath been it may be when we have understood little of the Covenant of grace and so consequently could give but an assent to what we understood of it and an answerable consent but dost thou now understand it more to give a firmer assent to the truth of the thing wherein the Lord hath promised to give his Son and with him remission of sins that he will remember them no more and blot out their iniquities thou assentest to this truth now more then thou didst before O the bloodiness of thy guilt was that which dismayed thee the horridness the filthyness the multitude the aggravations of thy sins now thou seest and consentest to the truth of it that God will swallow up all they shall be though scarlet as white as snow though the time was the sight of thy sins did as much amaze thee as the sight of the Egyptians did the Israelites O thou knowest not what to do now thou canst look upon them as swallowed up in the red Sea of the blood of Jesus Christ O a Sea of mercy a red Sea of precious redeeming blood what will it not swallow up dost thou find it O observe Brethren how you grow in your assent to it and so for mortification subduing iniquities because thou hast been prest and pestered with thy lusts thou hast been ready to â—ay all men are lyars in thy haste O notwithstanding this Covenant of grace I find my corruptions strong and lively but now thou dost not upon this account question the Covenant but assentest to it and closest with it consent as well as assent and so waitest upon God for the fulfilling of it until his time he that believeth maketh not haste though he make it not to grow yet this is all thy salvation here thou hangest thy hopes and off this thou wilt not be beaten though heretofore thou hast found alas thou couldst hardly fasten upon it at all do you find this Bretheen see in what degrees if we grow not here we grow not at all to any purpose Secondly And that which is indeed included in the former is that of self-denyal if any man will be my Disciple he must deny himself and take up his Cross Deny himself all that is desirable in himself all that he lookt upon as conducible to salvation whether his works or gifts or duties his priviledges or whatever It is true we had a root of our own in Adam but that worm of sin hath smitten the root and it is withered and it is but rottenness and therefore there is no growth to be expected from it but what will be rotten Now Christ alone in the Covenant of grace is the root and the more we grow off our own root the more we grow into him as the root Now consider this Brethren it may be the time hath been thou hast builded much of thy hopes and comforts upon what thou hast had in thy self O if thou couldst but do this and that thou couldst be quiet and take comfort in thy condition now though thou do more or do less whatever thou art enabled to do through him dost thou find that thou canst bless him for it and yet go out of all and be as though we had never done any thing counting all but as menstruous cloaths and yet not the less but the more encouraged that our own righteousness is not the bottom because then it could not be sure but we have such a root as never withers even Jesus Christ Alas how far short are we in this though we have seen it many times when we would be standing upon our own bottom that we cannot stand upon a thing that stands not under us but sinketh only upon the Rock Jesus Christ yet we have not learned this many of us I doubt this hinders our growth much as if a vessel be indeed afloat yet so shallow keepeth so near the side of the shore as that it ever and anon strikes upon the ground it can make no considerable progress and is in danger of smiting beside so it is in this case well consider then this hath been our case we could not launch out into the deep perfectly trust to that grace revealed in Christ we must have one foot upon the ground we must feel something of our own under us or else we could not be quiet is it thus with thee now that thou arâ— more come off this thou canst now though thou see nothing in thy self yea when there is most appearing in
necessity and distress O be ye merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful take him for oâ—â— pattern and there will be continual room for growth and increase So the Apostle exhorts the Corinthians that as they abounded in other graces so they would labour to abound in this also Ah where are bowels Brethren towards one anothers souls with what tenderness did the Apostle stand over the souls of those poor people warning them day and night with tears And our Saviour over Jerusalem now I tell you again weeping saith the Apostle O that God would give such a heart to us and such a heart to his people indeed there is little tenderness and bowels one towards another little pittying one another while under temptation we can rather raise our hearts one against another stomack one another entertain prejudice one against another upon this account but a spirit of meekness and love and tenderness in restoring setting one another in joint if we be faln is not found among us or very little O labour to grow here and then to abound in works of mercy to give and give much liberally and do it with a tender heart an upright heart out of obedience to God not for ostentation But fifthly Labour to grow in softness of heart to see the stone wasting day by day I do not mean by softness of heart only an aptness to melt into tears for many an one may have a soft heart that cannot weep at all though most dispositions are apt to it and where it is it is a sweet expression of the heart towards Christ often-times though I must tell you there may be much of this and yet much hardness of heart many tears shed and it may be upon the consideration of sin and yet the heart hard to this day the softness of the heart Brethren lies most what in the plyableness and yielding of the spirit to God when we are ready to do all the will of God as David I have found David my servant one that will do all my will that is ready to say speak Lord for thy servant heareth Lord what wouldst thou have me to do Now alas there is many a wretched heart that it may be under a passion weeping at the apprehension of sin and yet go away and return to it again and again the heart is not plyable but stubborn wherein did lie the hardness of Pharaohs heart it lay in this that he would not harken to the Lord nor let Israel go though he had had so many judgements and so many deliverances yet all would not soften his heart no the iron sinews in his stiff neck they remained such still though sometimes he seemed to relent yet alas no sooner the hand was off but the heart was more hard then before he strouted it out and would not yield to let Israel go So when the Lord heapeth mercy upon mercy to melt out the sâ—one in the heart to make it like wax to the fire to the mould to be put into a fashion and it may be sometimes it draweth a few tears from the eyes but the heart is never the more plyable to God And so he cometh with rod upon rod blow after blow and yet doth it gently and all to foften and make the poor creature more plyable to him it affecteth a little sometimes but is not the heart as stubborn as unteachable as far from yielding to God in all things as before O this is the softness as a piece of joyners work it is all glued together one part to another Now then it is dissolved and broken when the glue the soder is melted and one piece falls from another so it is here our hearts and their sinful objects are glued together by carnal affections now then the heart is said to be broken to a softness when these affections are dissolved when our hearts and our objects of sin fall asunder each from the other labour to grow herein Brethren Sixthly To be more spiritual in holy duties more inward in our Communion with God you have heard this spoken to in the tryall O labour then to grow in spiritualness in prayer to pray with more faith with more fervency with more purity of heart not to ask any thing to spend it upon our lusts In meditation to keep closer to it without distraction and so to read to hear to do all these duties in a better manner but enough of this already Seventhly In your holy walking with God and with your selves as the Apostle saith we be seech you Brethren by the Lord Jesus that as you have received of us how ye ought to walk and please God so you abound more and more when a man walks with God alvvay setteth the Lord as before his face as the Psalmist speaks then he vvill be able to vvalk pleasingly to him vvhen by faith he seeth him that is invisible that is to say God to be present vvith him and knovveth him to ponder his vvaies O hovv eareful shall vve be then of our thoughts as vvell as of our vvords and actions and this vve do by faith believing his presence vvith us and his all-seeing eye to be upon us still upon our hearts and all their vvorkings according to the prevailing of these persvvasions and the constancy of them upon our spirits vvill our vvaies be ordered such a man vvill not dare to harbour vain thoughts in his heart though they vvill rudely rush in as a ruffian may rudely offer violence to a chast Matron she vvill not endure it so it is here O no I dare not as Joseph you see and then vvalking vvith our selves by more and more restection upon our selves upon our actions our waies the very truth is the want of this is the great cause we grow so little or if we do that we can take so little comfort in it herein lies the excellency and glory of a man above a beast that he can recoyl upon his own actions therefore labour to improve this O be more in it reproving your selves when you find you have done amiss whip those vain thoughts which pass through your souls and give them their Pass exhort your selves stir up your selves comfort and chear your selves in your God which you cannot do except you be much in this part of an holy walking even reflecting upon your selves and your own state Eighthly and lastly that I shall speak to shall be this To labour to grow more and more in that assurance of your relative grace your adoption the growth and other grace its true is a great help unto it but labour to improve it to that end how chearfully might many a poor soul walk if they did but know the things which are freely given them of God O beg the Spirit to be a witnessing a sealing-spirit to you more and more And do the same diligence saith the Apostle to the full assurance of hope unto the end we do content
lower thoughts of thy self to see the necessity of an high-Priest the more feelingly this humbleth this emptyeth of self more and is not this a growth in grace Yea and no small improvement But thirdly If thou be put to wait for an answer know it is the excellency of faith to wait upon him to hold out as the woman of Canaan And Jacob wrestled all night with God So Daniel his answer cometh not as soon as he began to pray but he must wait a while he must go through with his duty and afterwards the answer cometh if the Lord give thee a heart to wait upon him to hang upon him not to give him over Brethren you are growing and you are not aware of it it is no easie matter to wait upon God Alas a poor sinner in a mood sometimes and in a flash under a stirring Sermon O he will go and pray and if an answer come not presently there is an end it dyeth but a child of God he waiteth upon God he will have no nay if he will not answer at one time he will to it again and again as Paul sought God thrice for the removing the Thorn before he had an answer And so Elias seven times his servant was sent and brought an answer of nothing appearing and at last but a little cloud and his prayer was fervent too as appears by the story Fourthly You must grow upon God knock harder if he come not at the first cry louder cry out so much the more importunity will overcome him at the last yea if by the delay of an answer as thou thinkest thou be kept praying and more and more fervently there is nothing Brethren wherein we more grow then in prayer it self where the Lord exerciseth us with such occasions as put us on to stir up all our strength to wrestle with him Well the Lord perswade our hearts to a diligence in this duty for we are as averse from it as from any O how our hearts do hang back and if the Lord perswade us not and by the invincible bonds of the Spirit bind us close to it we shall see by woful experience how quickly our slippery hearts will either shift themselves out of it or else into a formality in the service Fifthly Observe your answers also take heed of being alway complaining as if we had received nothing or were nothing grown whereby God loseth the glory of what he hath done for us already this is not the way to procure more this is the way indeed to grieve Gods Spirit which is the Spirit of prayer and then if he be grieved we shall find a woful declining in prayer and then our growth will go on but very slowly I beseech you pardon me for standing so much upon this point to press it upon you I know many of you cannot but see the necessity of it and truly observe it since these times of outward prosperity of the people of God mind it in your own cases lookers on may easily observe it and since our hands have been so full of the world if there be not a declining and indeed I think If I am mistaken I should be glad to be mistaken that this is the main thing wherein we are hurt we are so upon hurries and so thronged our hearts and heads and hands so full of the world that we cannot have those times and seasons to work our hearts up in this duty it is sad when our hearts have most need of pains-taking with them as in such cases they have that we should find least time to do it in What can become of this think you Fourthly Another help to this growth in grace will be this Conscientiously and diligently to use the Ordinances all of them as well as that of prayer I speak to that particular because it is of so general concernment running along with all the rest for sanctification of them to us You heard before that knowledge is the great means whereby our grace doth grow it is conveyed through the understanding the consent of the will to close with Christ it is greater or lesser according to the apprehensions which the mind hath of Christ of his goodness his loveliness the necessity of him c. therefore grace and truth came by Jesus Christ and whom beholding as in a glass we are changed into his image this glass what is it but the Ordinances of God O how fat do men grow that fare deliciously every day is there not great difference between feeding upon husks when the kernel is gone and feeding upon the finest of the wheat how quickly will the weakest man grow strong feeding upon the one and the strongest weak when he feedeth upon the other Alas when it came to that the Prodigal was almost beaten off his leggs Why the Ordinances of God they are a feast a feast of fat things marrow and wines upon the less well-refined in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make to all people a feast of fat things a feast of wines on the lees of fat things full of marrow of wines on the lees well-refined What are these but the Ordinances of God these are the green pastures and still waters with these he promiseth to satiate the soul of the Priest with fatness and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness saith the Lord And my soul shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house there it is and in the 63. Psalm the Psalmist longs after the enjoyment of God in his Ordinances in his Sanctuary O saith he my soul shall be satisfied with marrow and fatness What can be said more Brethren Is not this the way to grow fat to increase and did not God give therefore Pastors and Teachers to dispence the Ordinances for the edifying of the body in that place to the Ephesians Well but all this will not do except we make use of these Ordinances mind you they are the fat things of the house of God we must have them in the stall in the coop in the fold in the house of God that is to say the Church of God if we would flourish indeed as the Psalmist speaks they that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the Courts of our God and therefore the Spouse in the Canticles was so earnest Shew me where thou feedest thy flocks where thou makest them rest at noon Alas many poor Believers may be to seek where the Lord Jesus feedeth his flocks specially in these daies wherein there are so many pretences to the way of Christianity which is but one but at least me thinks this will follow from those Scriptures that the house of the Lord the Courts of his house is the Church of God therefore we should inquire where the flocks are fed that we may walk with them and among them it is the way where the Lord Jesus is found
there are in the heart of Jesus Christ towards a poor sinner as a Father that for a time to humble his child will make it strange to him O how full is his heart how much ado hath he to hold as Joseph to his Brethren O it is the rejoycing of Jesus Christ when poor sinners do come to him to see his seed to see his blood that was sowed and his Semen Ecclesiae to come up it is his rejoycing and will any Husband man in the world that sows precious seed when it puts forth beat it down again nip off the buds the tops of it it cannot be he is grieved when poor creatures will not be perswaded to come through hardness of heart and unbelief and waywardness we will not come to the fountain but sit down it may be some of us with Hagar weeping over our empty bottles and making sad moan and complaints for want of righteousness because of sin and yet come not to him this is a grief to him as it was among the Jews O did he ever in the daies of his flesh refuse any poor creature that came to him either for healing of soul or body which is the lesser yea when they came some of them for the healing of the body did he not heal the soul and all out of the abundant riches of his love to poor creatures O surely then now he is in heaven at the right hand of the Father being no less tender of his poor people if any come now he will in no wise cast them out Well the Lord write these arguments upon our hearts it may be some of us may have occasion or have at present need of them to perswade us of this truth We now come to the Application Vse 1. And first in the first Vse It may serve for a lamentation to lament the backwardness of our hearts to come to Jesus Christ for if our hearts were not backward to come to him what need all this ado to make poor creatures willing to come to Jesus Christ O what is the reason what a strange enmity is in our hearts against the Lord Jesus that we run away from him instead of coming yea though he follow with a Pardon in his hand purchased with his blood O I am Jesus who dyed for you turn unto me my heart is toward you turn unto me I delight not in your death turn unto me O why will ye die and yet poor creatures will not be perswaded to come to Jesus Christ O what is it what is it Brethren that can keep us off thus from Jesus Christ in our unwillingness to close with him to come unto him have not many of us many times clearly been convinced that our condition hath been slark naught that we stand guilty before God and he will by no means clear the guilty and convinced that in Jesus Christ there is a doing away of this guilt a bloting out of the hand-writings that are against us and contrary to us if we will but come to him No we are like sullen creatures will rather perish then come to Jesus Christ I do not believe but many of us are convinced and what shift can we make to smother our convictions I know not but it appears we come not to Jesus Christ As long as the Prodigal could have husks to fill his belly with he would not come home to his Father as long as ever the poor woman in the Gospel had any thing to spend upon the Physitians she came not to Jesus Christ as long as ever poor sinners can make a shift to daub over the breaches that sometimes the Word maketh upon their consciences they will not come O the fault lies in the Will Brethren Ye will not come unto me saith our Saviour that ye might have life how often would I have gathered you as a Hen doth her Chickens and ye would not they would rather perish then be healed by such an hand even the hand of Jesus Christ O the deadly enmity that is in every one of us by nature What we are not willing to part with sins and therefore we come not to Jesus Christ we are not willing to be healed wilt thou be made whole we are prophane and we would be so still proud and would be so still unclean and would be so still We know if we come to him put on Christ we must put off the lusts of our former conversation O wretched love to sin that preferreth it before the Lord Jesus before the salvation of our poor souls What are we loth through the pride of our hearts to take the shame of our iniquities Haply something of this nature kept off the Prodigal Is it not more shame to do sin then to acknowledge it when it is done what is it Brethren how strange a thing is it that men should take such pains to hew out broken Cisterns to themselves that will hold no water dig deep into the world to find some rest there exhaust their strength in duties in prayers and tears as many self-Saviours do specially the Papists and I wish there be none among us rather then they will come to Jesus Christ to accept of that righteousness that pardon which shall cost us nothing but acceptance O the pride of our hearts O the enmity of our hearts against the Lord Jesus and is there such an heart in every one of us Brethren Yea even in the best until he overcome us with his loving-kindness and is not this a thing worthy to be bewailed Yea if it were possible with tears of blood being such an aversion from the blood of Jesus Christ and the dearest love of our Saviour to poor creatures Or what is it Brethren is it the more love we find from Jesus Christ are our hearts the more averse from him if he did profess himself an enemy to us to destroy and slay us if we came near him to scatter us with the streams of flaming indignation issuing from his throne and presence we could do no more then run away from him as many of us now do O that we could lay it to heart The second Vse shall be to shew us the grievous nature of the sin of unbelief and haply this may make poor creatures afraid of straining curtesie with Christ and afraid to come to him because of their vileness c. to complement with him First Consider but the unreasonableness of the sin of unbelief above other sins indeed though all sin be unreasonable other sins they have some pretence of profit or pleasure but this hath nothing but wo and misery attending it condemnation But that I shall not insist upon for there is hardly any thing but Satan and a mans carnal reason will put a specious pretence upon it Therefore consider this unreasonableness First in respect of our selves that being plunged into such a depth of distraction and misery of sin and guilt and wrath that