13. When the Lord sent Paul to Preach the Gospel among the Gentiles that he might hearten him for that difficult and dangerous work he promised him Protection Act. xxvi 17 18. Delivering thee from the People to whom I now send thee To open their eyes They stand in need of a mighty presence of God with them who have just cause to fear That those people will seek their death to whom they bring the word of Life and Salvation I thought this Scripture so apposite to the matter in hand and so directive to private Christians that it may plead my excuse for this enlargement upon it 2. That Private Christians may be sure to mind it our Saviour hath put it into the Rule of Prayer Matth. 6.10 Thy Kingdom come I have read That it is one of the Jews Maxims touching Prayer Ista Oratio in quâ non est memoria regni Dei non est Oratio That Prayer in which there is no mention made of the Kingdom of God is no Prayer at all when we pray Thy Kingdom come we beg That the Gospel which is the Rod of Christ's Power and the Scepter of his Government may spread all the world over For where the Gospel is believed and obeyed there doth Christ reign over fallen Man as Mediator 3. The Saints under the Old Testament prayed for the Calling and Conversion of the Gentiles under the Gospel-dispensation Psal lxvii 2 3. That thy way may be known upon Earth thy saving health among all Nations Let the people praise thee O God Let all the people praise thee 4. When by the Preaching of the Gospel in any place the people were wrought upon and brought to Believe in Christ They were exhorted to pray That the Word of the Lord might be carried to all other parts of the Gentile-world 2 Thess iii. 1. Finally Brethren Pray for us that the Word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified even as it is with you And such Prayers are not to be thought to be lost or put up to God in vain That Prediction or Promise Rom. xvi 20. And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly did doubtless excite many a Prayer and That Promise was eminently accomplished and those Prayers which were grounded upon it and put up to God in faith took effect when the Kingdom of Satan administred in the Idolatries of the Gentiles was laid waste and the Christian Profession was advanced by Constantine the Great Having now so inviting an occasion offered to me give me leave to present a Request to you and it shall be in the words of the Apostle 1 Thess v. 25. Brethren Pray for us for those who labour among you in the Word and Doctrin And I hope I may without vanity enforce this Request by the same Apostles Argument or Motive Hebr. xiii 18. Pray for us for we trust we have a good conscience in all things willing to live honestly Many reflect upon us with disparagement and we are very sensible of our own many and great infirmities But Help us with your Prayers That we may Be better Live better and Preach better It is no Paradox but a well-weighed Truth That a godly private Christian upon his knees in his Closet may assist the Minister in his Study and in the Pulpit And that I may prevail in my Request I can assure you That whatsoever Gifts or Graces ye obtain of God for your Ministers by your Prayers they will come as Blessings upon your selves like the vapours that rise from the Earth being concocted in the Middle-Region fall down upon it again in fruitful showers 1 Cor. iii. 21 22. For all things are yours whether Paul or Apollo or Cephas If any say This is a Digression from the Case which I was to speak to I would entreat them to consider what is the general scope and design of it and they will find That it comports very well with it Once I am sure That it is as much the Duty and Concernment of private Christians to pray for the Success of the Gospel that it may be blessed to the Conversion and Salvation of Souls in England as that it may be preached entertained believed and obeyed in the uttermost parts of the Earth And so I will return to prosecute my Discourse with two Remarks 1. That From what hath been said touching the Prayers of private Christians for the spreading of the Gospel we may be assured That God hath determined to bestow those Mercies for which he commands his people to pray And more than That He usually bestows them in the disposal of his Providence upon the intervention of his Peoples Prayers as may be collected from Ezek. xxxvi 25. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean from all your filthiness ver 27. I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my Statutes ver 30. I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the increase of the Field compared with ver 37. Thus saith the Lord I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them 2. That no godly private Christian can object against his Duty in praying that the Gospel may be carried to all Nations and be entertained by them nor alledge any excuse or pretence why they should be exempted from it If any hesitate let me expostulate the matter with their Consciences Have ye received the Spirit of Christ as the Spirit of Grace and Supplication and can ye not pray Do ye feel the Love of Christ warming stirring and constraining your hearts and will ye not pray ye dearly value the Glory of God and sincerely desire That the earth may be full of the Knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the Sea And can ye refrain from praying that this may be performed ye tenderly compassionate the miserable condition of Poor Perishing Souls and will ye not afford them so much as your Prayers that they may be relieved Are ye not greatly affected with the distinguishing Grace of God in bringing the Gospel to you and opening your Hearts to receive it How then Can ye offer up your Praises to God for so signal a Mercy without making some reflection on the deplorable state of those who have not as yet obtained the like favour without lifting up a Prayer for them that they may be made partakers of the same Grace Or will ye reply That you do pray indeed That God would visit the heathen World with the Gospel of Salvation But ye cannot think that your Prayers will contribute much toward so great and good a work Suffer me to debate this also a little with you Why will you reproach the Spirit and Grace of Prayer in saying it can avail little or nothing when God himself saith Jam. 5.16 The effectual fervent Prayer of a Righteous man availeth much Those Prayers which can mount as high as Heaven are able also to reach
is but a peradventure we have that which will shut it out of all consideration and eclipse that which otherwise might have had some lustre vers 8. God commends his love to us that when we were yet sinners Christ died for us § 2. If the love of relations will not afford us a just Measure for the Love of Christ let 's see if there be any thing else in the whole scale of Nature that may furnish us with a line commensurate to it And we can no sooner think of making the Inquiry but we propose to our selves the height of Heaven the breadth of the Earth Prov. 25.3 The Heaven for height and the Earth for breadth but we must despair of finding any thing that may measure or circumscribe this love since the Apostle has assured us Ephes 3.8 that the riches of Christ are unsearchable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such as we must expect no footsteps of in the whole Creation The Apostle might Preach it but could not fully reach it The treasures of Gold and Silver which wise providence has hid so deep in the bowels of the Earth yet the vein may be pursued so far till it s worn out but this treasure of Love in the Heart of Christ is so deep and is so rich that we can neither find out nor exhaust the fulness of it when God would give us some shadow of his Love he represents it by the height of the Heavens not that his Love reaches no higher but because there 's nothing in created Nature higher to represent it by Psal 103.11 As the Heaven is high above the Earth so great is his Mercy towards them that fear him The Love of God is only to be measur'd by it self that is by himself for God is Love 1 John 4.8 No Creature no Saint no Angel can fadom the Love of Gods heart Jer. 29.11 I know the thoughts that I think towards you And we must say the same of Christ's Love there 's one Dimension more in the Love of Christ than in the Creation Ephes 3.18 That you may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We are taught to distinguish between the measure of a Man and the measure of God All bodies have but three dimensions Rev. 21.17 He measured the City with a Reed twelve thousand furlongs the length the breadth the height were equal according to the measure of a Man but in the measuring Spiritual Heavenly things such as are the Love of God and of Christ there 's one dimension more So we have it in that sublime discourse of Zophar Job 11.7 8 9. Canst thou by searching find out God canst thou find out the Almighty to perfection It is as high as Heaven what canst thou do Deeper then Hell what canst thou know The measure thereof is longer then the Earth and broader then the Sea And thus we are taught modesty and not to limit God and his purposes of Love by our narrow conceptions Isa 55.8 My thoughts are not your thoughts for as the Heavens are higher then the Earth so are my thoughts then your thoughts saith the Lord. And 1. for the Breadth of the Love of Christ It reaches Jews and Gentiles it extends to all ranks of Men high and low rich and poor it reaches all the cases of Men's Souls the Tempted Deserted the Backslider and Persecutor it reaches the bruised Reed the smoaking Flax it extends to the pardon of all sins truly repented of so that we may say that his promises which are the vehicles of Truth and Love are exceeding broad as well as his Precepts which are the indications of his Authority and Power The Love of Christ is wider than Mans will Rom. 10.21 All the day long I have stretched out my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people It s wider than Mans power for John 6.44 No Man can come unto me except the Father which hath sent me draw him And yet vers 37. All that the Father has given me shall come unto me It is wider than all our wants and necessities there 's more bread in his house than there are hungry Souls to eat more mansions in Heaven than there are Souls to fill it s wider than our capacities and we may sooner enter into our Masters joy Matth. 25. than that joy can enter into us 1 Cor. 2.9 It cannot enter into the heart of Man what things God has prepared for them that love him 2. The length of the Love of Christ An extent of Grace and Love that reaches Souls at the greatest distance It reacht Paul when he was in the heat and height of his desperate fury mad and desperately mad with an inveterate enmity against Christ It reacht Mary Magdalen when she was possest with seven Devils it reacht the Gentiles when they were far off from God estranged from the light and life of God by their Abominable Idolatries Ephes 2.13 Ye who sometimes were a far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ It reacht the Prodigal when he was far off Luke 15.20 And as it finds and reaches Souls at the greatest distance of sin and enmity so it reaches a length which we cannot with consistence of thought conceive of Hebr. 7.25 Able to save to the utmost 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To the uttermost length of Gods Promise and the believers Faith and Hope to the uttermost extent of Gods Purposes and our Prayers to the uttermost duration of this Life and the next through all time beyond all time to eternity 3. The depth of the Love of Christ And here unless we could sound the depth of our Misery we can never fadom the depth of Christs Love unless we could know the power of Gods Anger Psal 90.11 we can never reach the power of Christs Love The Torments of Hell are unknown Torments and those Torments which Christ endured in his Soul to deliver us from thence were unknown Torments The Love of Christ does not only reach the depth of our Misery by reason of Sin but those depths of Sorrow into which sometimes even holy Souls are plunged by Desertion The Psalmist cryed unto God out of the Depth Divine Love heard him and reacht him there Psal 130.1 Jonah cryed unto God out of the belly of Hell Divine Love heard him there and deliver'd him thence Jonah 2.2 Heman was plunged in the lowest pit in darkness in the deeps yet Love reacht him in that sad and dismal condition Psal 88.6 4. The height of the Love of Christ All the measure of the height of Christs Love we can take is to say its unmeasurable It is high we cannot attain unto it Psal 139.6 his Love reaches the Soul on Earth and never leaves it till it has conducted it to Heaven he Loves Grace into the Soul and Loves the Soul into Glory what that Glory is Go and see The taste of it is to be had
Faith and work out thy own Salvation see you neglect it no longer no Man can save another Mans Soul by his Faith his own he may Faith busies it self about our own Salvation shews us what we must do to be saved were there more of this Faith among Professors we should every one have work enough upon our hands and not find it so easie a matter to secure our Souls into eternity General Professors carry it as if they had nothing to do were sure of Heaven already at this rate we may count it an easie matter to believe but when we come to die we shall not find it so any Faith may serve some Mens turns to live by but every Faith will not serve our turns to die by when we are dying in good earnest a feigned Faith signifies little to our comfort we see thorow it and sink under it If your Faith do not often call upon you to look to your own Souls it cannot be saving Faith he that seeks not to save himself let him talk what he will of his Faith it is not saving Faith that is intent upon the salvation of a believer and finds enough to do in carrying on that work with fear and trembling lest it should not go thorow with it You who have been at this work in good earnest don't find it so easie as some would make it new doubts new difficulties new temptations do arise every day that put the Faith of the best Christians to it if Faith do's not bestir it self the Devil may be too hard for you and your Faith too if the righteous are scarcely saved surely 't is no easie matter to get to Heaven you must run wrestle strive fight contend earnestly else you may miss of Heaven and come short of all your expectation of eternal glory I speak not this to discourage you but to awaken you to that diligence and care that so weighty a business calls for Saving Faith is to cast my Self and my own Soul upon Christ for salvation what ever your Faith may be 't is not come to saving Faith till you do this you may carry all your knowledge and all your Faith to Hell with you any Faith that is not saving but remains separate from it will prove a damning Faith to you 't will greatly aggravate your condemnation that you who knew such things believed such things assented to such Truths and Gospel Doctrins should never put forth an act of saving Faith for your own Souls in particular according to the import of those Doctrins 't is strange to see how many Professors do leave themselves quite out of their own Faith they will not be at the pains to act it for themselves but in general they believe as the Church believes but let me tell you 't is not the Church nor all the Churches in the World 't is not all the Angels in Heaven nor all the Saints upon Earth can believe for you you must every one believe for your selves and act your own business cast your own Souls upon Christ for Salvation else they will be eternally lost How many knowing historical Believers are there in Hell who have Prophesied in his Name Prayed in his Name have Written Disputed Argued strongly for the Faith have done every thing that belongs to a common Faith but could never be brought to put forth one act of saving Faith upon Christ for the Salvation of their own Souls Come unto me all ye that are weary c. is this done till you personally come to Christ for the pardon of your sins and for the Justification of your persons by name John Thomas Mary whatever your names are he or she I am sent this day to give you a particular call to come to Christ and I do warn every one of you and exhort every one to go to Christ by a personal act of your own Faith for eternal life he has purchased it for all who come unto him if you neglect it and will not go your blood be upon your own heads I have delivered my own Soul Brethren be perswaded to hearken to the invitation that is given you in the Gospel before it be too late O what a do is there to bring a sinner to Christ O that you would bethink your selves this day and set about saving Faith act that Faith that will save you and say Lord after all my Knowledge and long Profession after all my Praying Hearing Reading I now see these are but means in order to something else the end of all is real believing in Christ and I am now at last come to do that to commit my self wholly to Christ to cast my sinful Soul upon him for Righteousness and Life Lord help me to do this bring me to a through reliance upon Christ and keep me in the frequent exercise and lively actings of this Faith every day that I may see my self safe in him who is faithful and will keep that which I so commit unto him The Just shall live by his own Faith which he acts for himself and for his own Soul if you do not thus commit your selves to Christ every day by a renewed act of Faith you may lose the joy of your Salvation ere you are aware If you say this is done I will not ask you when you did it first that may seem too nice a question to some but I will ask you when you did it last I hope you do it every day if you are at any stand in your thoughts about this your wisest course is to act over this saving Faith more distinctly more particularly more frequently for the Salvation of your own Soul then your Faces will shine and your Hearts will rejoyce we shall know you have been with Jesus 'T is impossible to experience the power and efficacy of saving Faith till we act it in our own case for our own Souls then it comes home indeed to our selves then we feel the comfort of it we may own the general Doctrin of Faith and be little affected with it or concerned about it but when the Grace of Faith comes and makes a particular application of that Doctrin to thy Soul and my Soul then we believe for our selves and are filled with joy unspeakable and full of Glory that we should be received unto mercy have all our sins pardoned our persons accepted and our Souls eternally saved all this Faith makes out to us by name from such undeniable grounds and reasons that we cannot gainsay They count it easie to believe who shut all acts of self-denial quite out of their Faith they live as they did before it may be walk on more securely in their evil courses from a presumptuous perswasion of mercy at last pray God deliver us from such a Faith that gives encouragement to sin If your Faith do not strongly incline you to a holy Life you may be sure 't is not right saving Faith 'T is a sad thing to consider how little
cause that will pass for just and sufficient at the great day before they resolve upon a total separation from their Brethren 8. Christ is to be followed in his great humility and meekness Mat. 11.29 Take my yoak upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your Souls Pride overcame the first man he affected Divinity and would needs be as God but behold the Lord Jesus who is the Eternal God and he humbled himself and became Man Humility was the constant attire and ornament of the Man Christ Jesus Though this great Redeemer be the chief of all the ways of God though more of God is visible in Him than in the whole Creation besides Though he glorifies his Father more than all the Creatures in Heaven and Earth put together and though he is exalted far above all Principalities and Powers and Might and Dominion no◠only in this World but in that which is to come Yet our Lord never was in the least High-minded Humility is one most remarkable feature in the image of Christ therefore resemble him in being humble Be not proud of Habit Hair and Ornaments 1 Pet. 5.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Etymologists derive the word from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies nodus a knot Be cloathed or be knotted with Humility I wish that other knots were less and this which is incomparably most becoming were more in fashion Let not your Estates puff you up Riches are not always to men of understanding and there may be a great deal of Gold in the Purse where there is no true Wisdom in the Head no Grace at all in the Heart Let not your natural parts your acquired endowments your spiritual Gifts though never so excellent make you to look upon others with contempt upon your selves with admiration you owe all Glory to that God from whom you have received all Let Humility look out at your Eyes a proud look is one of the seven things which the Lord hates Prov. 6.16 17. Let Humility express it self at your Lips let it attend you in all your addresses to God and beautifie your whole behaviour and converses with Men. The more humble you are the more of every other Grace will be imparted to you the more Rest and Peace you will have within your selves and since you will be ready to give him all the Praise the Lord is ready to put the more honour upon you in making you useful unto others 9. Christ is to be followed in his love to God great care to please him and fervent zeal for his Name and Glory Joh. 14.31 The World may know says Christ that I love the Father and as the Father gave me Commandment even so I do He obeyed that first and great Commandment and loved the Lord his God with all his Heart and Soul and Mind and Strength Christs love made him do whatever his Father pleased Joh. 8.29 He that sent me is with me the Father hath not left me alone for I always do those things that please him Christs love was stronger than Death no Waters no Flouds could drown it neither could the Baptism of blood quench it Christ was consumed with Divine and Holy zeal and he matters not what befal him so he might but glorifie his Father and finish the work which was given him to do Oh let us bring our cold and careless Hearts hither to the Consideration of this Great Example that the frost may melt care may be awakened and there may be something in us that may deserve the name of Warm zeal for God Let us be importunate in Prayer and restless till we feel the constraints of the Love of God forceable till we find really the greatest delight and pleasure in doing that which pleases him and aiming at his Glory we think not much of labour difficulty and hazzard that this our end may be attained 10. Christ is to be followed in his Sufferings and Death and unto this my Text has a more particular reference Christs Faith was strong though he was under a dismal Desertion The Sun of Righteousness did set in a dark cloud He submitted to his Fathers will and being confident of a joyful Resurrection he endured the Cross and despised the shame When Christians come to die their Faith should be most lively as being near finishing it should by no means fail when there is most need of it Though he slay me says Job yet will I trust in him Job 13.15 Christians should submit when the Lord of time will grant no more time to them and they should gladly enter upon a holy and blessed Eternity When the body is about to be sown in corruption by Faith they should see that its lying there will be to advantage for it will be raised in Incorruption and Glory 1 Cor. 15.42 43. Let Death be more natural or violent it is yours in the Covenant if you are true Believers 1 Cor. 3.22 Fear not to follow our Lord Jesus through that dark passage into the House not made with hands eternal in the Heavens And all the while you remain on Earth study a Conformity to your Lords death by crucifying the Flesh and dying to the World The more dead you are with Christ in this sense you will live to the better purpose and die in the greater Peace In the third place I am to produce some Arguments to perswade to the imitation of our Lord Jesus 1. Consider the greatness of the Person that gives you the Example Christ has this Name written on his Vesture and on his Thigh King of Kings and Lord of Lords Rev. 19.16 A Roman Historian commends a Prince who is maximus imperio Velleius Paterculus l. 2. exemplo major greatest in authority and yet greater by his example Every thing in Heaven and Earth and under the Earth does bow and is subject to the Lord Jesus and yet whose obedience ever was so exact as his was He gives us precepts and he himself is the great Pattern of performance Claudian the Poet has a notable passage concerning the examples of Monarchs and what a mighty influence they have Tunc observantior aequi Fit populus nec ferre vetat cum viderit ipsum Autorein parere sibi componitur Orbis Regis ad exemplum nec sic inflectere sensus Humanos edicta valent quà m vita Regentis Kings have many observers who very much Eye them and their high estate both awes and allures their Subjects to the imitation of them If they keep within the bounds of their own Laws their Subjects will be the more unwilling to transgress them Christ is the universal Soveraign who commands both Heaven and Earth and has the whole Creation at his beck He has kept the Laws he gives his Church 't is duty 't is interest 't is reasonable 't is honourable to resemble him in obedience 2. Remember the Relation wherein you that are Saints do stand unto the Lord