even thou in this thy day the things which belong unto thy peace but now they are hid from thine eyes After the expiration of the day of grace no means or mercies shall prove effectual Now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they are hid from thine eyes Which is like the ringing a doleful knell over a dying person therefore put forth all violence for Heaven and do it in this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before it be too late and the decree be gone forth 19. If you neglect the offering violence now there will be no help for you after death When men shall open their eyes in another world and see into what a damned condition they have sinned themselves O now what would they not do what violence would they not use if there were a possibility they might be saved When once the door of mercy is shut if God would make new terms far harder than before they would readily seal to them If God should say to the sinner after death Wouldst thou be content to return to the earth and live there under the harrow of persecution a thousand years for my sake Yes Lord I will subscribe to this and endure the world's fury may I have but thy favour at last But wilt thou be content to serve an Apprentiship in Hell a thousand years where thou shalt feel the worm gnawing and the fire burning Yes Lord even in Hell I submit to be so that after a thousand years I may have a release and that bitter cup may pass away from me But wilt thou for every lye thou hast told endure the rack wilt thou for every Oath that thou hast sworn fill a bottle of tears wilt thou for every sin thou hast committed lye ten thousand years in sackcloth and ashes Yes Lord all this and more if thou requirest I will subscribe to I am content now to use any violence if I may but at last be admitted into thy Kingdom No will God say there shall be no such condition proposed to thee no possibility of favour but thou shalt lye for ever among the damned and who is able to dwell with everlasting burnings Oh therefore be wise in time now while God's terms are more easie embrace Christ and Heaven for after death there will be nothing to be done for your souls The sinner and the furnace shall never be parted 20. How without all Apology will you be left if you neglect this violence for heaven Me-thinks I hear God thus expostulating the case with sinners at the last day Why did you not take pains for Heaven hath not there been a Prophet among you Did not my Ministers list up their voice like a Trumpet did not they warn you did not they perswade you to use this violence teling you that your salvation depended upon it but the most melting Rhetorick of the Gospel would not move you Did not I give you time to look after your souls Rev. 2. 21. I gave her space to repent Did not you promise in your vow in Baptism that you would take Heaven by force Fighting under my banner against world flesh and Devil Why then did you not use violence for the Kingdom it must be either sloth or obstinacy You could be violent for other things for the world for your lusts but not for the Kingdom of Heavâ—…n What can you say for your selves why the sentence of damnation should not pass O how will men be confounded and left speechless at such a time and God's Justice shall be cleared in their condemnation Psal. 51. 4. That thou maiest be clear when thou judgest Though the Sinner shall drink a Sea of wrath yet not one drop of injustice 21. What a vexation it will be at the last to lose the Kingdom of Glory for want of a little violence When one shall think with himself I did something in Religion but I was not violent enough I prayed but I should have brought fire to the sacrifice I heard the word but I should have received the truth in love I humbled my self with fasting but I should with humiliation have joyned reformation I gave Christ's poor good words I did bid them be warmed but I should have clothed and fed them and for want of a little more violence I have lost the Kingdom The Prophet bade the King of Israel smite upon the ground 2 King 13. 18. And he smote thrice and staiâ—… and the man of God was wroth and said thou shouldest have smiten five or six times then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it So a man doth something in Religion he smites thrice and then states whereas had he but put forth a little more violence for Heaven he had been saved What a mischief is this but to half do ones work and by shooting short to lose the Kingdom O how will this cut a man to the heart when he is in Hell to think had I but gone a little further it had been better with me than it is now I had not been thus tormented in the flame 22. The examples of the Saints of old who have taken Heaven by force David broke his sleep for meditation Psal. 119. 148. His violence for Heaven was boiled up to zeal Psal. 119. 139. My zeal hath consumed me And St. Paul did reach forth unto those things which were before The Greek word signifies to stretch out the neck a metaphor taken from Racers that strain every limb and reach forward to â—…ay hold upon the prizâ—… We read of Anna a Prophetess Luke 〈◊〉 37. She departed not from the Temple but served God with fastings and prayers night and day How industrious was Calvin in the Lord's Viâ—…eyard When his friends perswaded him for his health sake to remit a little of his labours saith he Would ye have the Lord find me 〈◊〉 when he comes Luther spent three hours a day in prayer It is said of holy Bradford preaching reading and prayer was his whole life I rejoyce said Bishop Jewel that my body is exhausted in the labours of my holy calling How violent were the blessed Martyrs they wore their fetters as ornaments they snatched up torments as Crowns and embraced the flames as chearfully as Eliah did the fiery Chariot that came to fetch him to Heaven Let racks fires pullies and all manner of torments come so I may win Christ said Ignatius These pious souls resisted unto blood How should this provoke our zeal write after these fair copies 23. If the Saints with all their violence have much ado to get to Heaven how shall they come there who use no violence 1 Pet. 4. 18. If the righteous scarcely be saved where shall the ungodly and sinner appear If they that strive as in an Agony can hardly get in at the strait gate what shall become of them that never strive at all If Saint Paul did keep under his body by prayer watching fasting 1 Cor. 9. 27. how shall
mutable but who meditates upon it The world is resembled to a Sea of glass mingled with fire Rev. 15. 2. Glass is slippery it hath no sure footing and Glass mingled with fire is subject to consume All creatures are fluid and uncertain and cannot be made to fix What is become of the glory of Athens the pomp of Troy 1 John 2. 17. The world passeth away It slides away as a Ship in full sail How quickly doth the Scene alter and a low ebb succeed an high tide There 's no trusting to any thing Health may be turned to sickness friends may die riches may take wings We are ever upon the Tropicks The serious meditation of this would 1. Keep us from being so deceived by the world We are ready to set up our rest here Psal. 49. 11. Their inward thought is that their houses shall continue for ever We are apt to think that our Mountain stands strong We dream of an earthly Eternity Alas did we meditate how casual and uncertain these things are we should not be so often deluded Have not we seen great disappointments and where we have thought to suck honey there we have drunk wormwood 2. The meditation of the uncertainty of all things under the Sun would much moderate our affections to them Why should we so eagerly pursue an uncertainty Many take care to get a great estate it is uncertain whether they shall keep it The fire may break in where the thief cannot or if they do keep it it is a question whether they shall have the comfort of it They lay up for a child that child may die or if he live he may prove a burden This seriously meditated on would cure the dropsie of covetousness and make us sit loose to that which hangs so loose and is ready to drop off from us 3. The meditation of this uncertainty would make us look after a certainty that is the getting of grace This holy anoiâ—…ting abides 1 John 2. 27. Grace is a flower oâ—… Eternity Nonferturâ—…ad umbras inclyta virtus Death doth not destroy grace but transplant it and make it grow in a better soil He that hath true holiness can no more lose it than the Angels can which are fixed Stars in Glory 5. Meditate of Gods severity against sin Every Arrow in Gods Quiver is shot against it* Sin burned Sodom drowned the old world Sin kindles Hell If when a spark of God's wrath flies into a mans Conscience it is so terrible what is it then when God stirs up all his wrath Psal. 78. 39. The meditation of this would fright us out of our sins There cannot be so much sweetness in sin as there is sting How dreadful is God's anger Psal. 90. 11. Who knoweth the power of his wrath All fire compared with the fire of God's wrath is painted imaginary O that every time we meddle with sin we would think with our selves we choose the Bramble and fire will come out of this Bramble to devour us 6. Meditate on eternal life 1 John 2. 25. This is his promise even eternal life Life is sweet and this word Eternal makes it sweeter This lies in the immediate vision and fruition of God 1. This is a spiritual life it is opposite to that animal life which we live now Here we hunger and thirst but there we shall hunger no more Rev. 7. 16. There is the marriage-supper of the Lamb which will not only satisfie hunger but prevent it That blessed life to come doth not consist in sensual delights meat and drink and musick nor in the comfort of Relations but the Soul will be wholly swallowed up in God and acquiesce in him with infinite complacency As when the Sun appears the Stars vanish So when God shall appear in his glory and fill the soul then all earthly sensitive delights shall vanish 2. It is a glorious life The bodies of the Saints shall be enamell'd with Glory they shall be made like Christs glorious body Phil. 3. 21. And if the Cabinet be of such curious needle-work how rich shall the Jewel be that is put into it how bespangled with glory shall the soul be Every Saint shall wear his white Robe and have his Throne to sit upon Then God will put some of his own glory upon the Saints Glory shall not only be revealed to them but in them Rom. 8. 18. And this life of glory shall be crowned with Eternity what Angel can express it O let us often meditate on this 1. The meditation of eternal life would make us labour for a spiritual life The Child must be born before it is crowned We must be born of the Spirit before we are crowned with glory 2. The meditation of Eternal Life would comfort us in regard of the shortness of natural life Our life we live now flies away as a shadow It is called a flower Psal. 103. 15. a vapour Jam. 4. 14. Job sets forth fragil life very elegantly in three of the Elemenâ—…s Land Water Air Job 9. 25 26. Go to the Land and there man's life is like a swift Post. Go to the Water there man's life is like a ship under sail Look to the Air and there man's life is like a Flying Eagle We are hasting to the grave When our years do encrease our life doth decrease Death creeps upon us by degrees When our sight grows dim there death creeps in at the Eye When our hearing is bad there death creeps in at the Ear. When our Legs tremble under us there is death pulling down the main pillars of the House but eternal life comforts us against the shortness of natural life That life to come is subject to no infirmities it knows no period We shall be as the Angels of God capable of no mutation or change Thus you have seen six noble subjects for your thoughts to exspatiate upon But where is the meditating Christian Here I might lament the want of holy meditation Most people live in a hurry they are so distracted with the cares of the world that they can find no time to meditate or scarce ask their Souls 〈◊〉 they do We are not like the Saints in former Ages David did meditate in Gods Precepts Psal. 119. 15. Isaac walked in the evening to meditate Gen. 24. 63. He did take a turn with God What devout meditations do we read in St. Austin and Anselm But it is too much out of date among our modern Christians Terras Astraea reliquit Those Beasts under the Law which did not chew the cud were unclean Such as do not chew the cud by holy meditation are to be reckoned among the unclean But I shall rather turn my lamentation into a perswasion entreating Christians to offer violence to themselves in this so necessary Duty of Meditation Pythagoras sequestred himself from all society and lived in a Cave for a whole year that he might meditate upon Philosophy How then should we retire and
Devil tempted Christ by an Apostle Peter disswades him from suffering Abraham a good man bids his wife equivocate Say Thou art my Sister These are his subtilties in tempting Now here we must offer violence to Satan 1. By faith 1 Pet. 5. 9. Whom resist stedfast in faith Faith is a wise intelligent grace it can see an hook â—…der the bait 2. It is an Heroick â—…ce it is said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 above all to quench the fiery darts of Satan Faith resists the Devil 1. As it doth keep the castle of the heart that it doth not yield It is not the being tempted makes us guilty but giving consent Faith enters its Protest against Satan 2. Faith not only not yields but beats back the temptation Faith holds the promise in one hand and Christ in the other The promise encourageth faith and Christ strengthens it so faith beats the enemy out of the field 2. We must offer violence to Satan by prayer We overcome him upon our knees As Sampson called to Heaven for help so a Christian by prayer fetcheth in auxiliary forces from Heaven In all temptations go to God by prayer Lord teach me to use every piece of the spiritual armour how to hold the shield how to wear the helmet how to use the sword of the Spirit Lord strengthen me in the battel let me rather die a Conquerour than be taken prisoner and led by Satan in Triumph Thus we must offer violence to Satan There is a Lion in the way but we must resolve upon fighting And let this encourage us to offer violence to Satan Our enemy is beaten in part already Christ who is the Captain of our salvation hath given Satan his deaths wound upon the Cross Col. 2. 15. The Serpent is soonest killed in his head Christ hath bruised the head of the old serpent The Devil is a chained enemy and a conquered enemy therefore fear not to give battel to him Resist him and he will fly he knows no march but running away 3. We must offer violence to the world The world shews its Golden Apple it is a part of our vow in Baptism to fight under Christ's banner against the world Take heed of being drowned in the luscious delights of it It must be a strong brain that bears heady wine He had need have a great deal of wisdom and grace that knows how to bear a great estate Riches oft send up their intoxicating fumes which make mens heads giddy with pride Jesurun waxed fat and kicked Deut. 32. 15. It is hard to climb up the hill of God with too many golden weights Those that want the honours of the world want the temptations of it The world is blandus Daemon a flattering enemy It is given to some as Michol to David for a â—…are The world shews its two breasts of pleasure and profit and many fall asleep with the breast in their mouth The world doth never kiss us but with an â—…ntent to betray us It is a sâ—…ken halter The world is no friend to grace it chokes our love to heavenly things the earth puts out the fire Naturally we love the world Job 31. 24. If I have made Gold my hope the Septuagint renders it If I have been married to my Gold Too many are wedded to their money they live together as man and wife Oh let us take heed of being intangled in this pleasing snare Many who have scaped the Rock of scandalous sins yet have sunk in the world 's golden quick-sands The â—…in is not in the using of the world but in the loving 1 John 2. 15. Love not the world If we are Christians we must offer violence to the world Believers are called out of the world they are in the world but not of it John 17. 16. As we say of a dying man he is not a man for this world A true Saint is crucified in his affections to the world Gal. 6. 14. He is dead to the honours and pleasures of it What delight doth a dead man take in pictures or musick Jesus Christ gave himself to redeem us from this present evil word Gal. 1. 4. If we will be saved we must offer violence to the world Living fish swim against the stream We must swim against the world else we shall be carried down the stream and fall into the dead Sea That we may offer violence to the world let us remember 1. It is deceitful our Saviour calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The deceitfulness of Riches Mat. 13. The world promiseth happines but performeth nothing less It promiseth us Rachel but puts us off with blear-ey'd Leah it promiseth to satisfie our desires but it increaseth them it gives poison'd Pills but wraps them in Sugar 2. It is defiling Jam. 1. 17. Pure Religion is to keep himself unspotted from the world As if the Apostle would intimate that the world is good for nothing but to spot it spots first mens consciences and then their names It is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 filthy lucre 1 Pet. 5. 7. because it makes men so filthy They will damn themselves to get the world Ahab would have Naboth's Vineyard though he swum to it in blood 3. It is perishing 1 Joh. 2. 17. The fashion of the world passeth away The world is like a flower which withers while we are smelling to it Fourthly We must offer violence to Heaven The Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence Though Heaven is given us freely yet we must take pains for it Canaan was given Israel freely but they must fight with the Caâ—…aanites It is not a lazy wish or sleepy prayer will bring us to Heaven we must offer violence Therefore in Scripture our earnestness for Heaven is set out by those allegories and metaphors which imply violence 1. Sometimes by striving Luk. 13. 24. Strive to enter in at the strait gate The Greek word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Strive as in an Agony 2. Wrestling which is a violent exercise Ephes. 6. 12. We are to wrestle with a body of sin and with the powers of Hell 3. Running in a Race 1 Cor. 9. 24. So run that ye may obtain We have a long Race from Earth to Heaven and but a little time to run it will soon be sun-set Therefore so run In a Race there 's not only laying aside all weights that hinder but a putting forth all the strength of the body a straining every joynt that men may press on with all swiftness to lay hold on the prize Thus Saint Paul presseth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 towards the mark Phil. 3. 14. Alas where is this holy violence to be found 1. Many have made themselves unfit to run this blessed Race they are drunk with the pleasures of the world A drunken man is unfit to run a Race 2 Others neglect to run this Race all their life and when sickness and death approach now they will begin A sick man is very unfit
so facil can a man be saved per saltum can he leap out of the Devil's arms into Abraham's bosom Oh no there must be offering violence Some think free-grace will save them but it must be in the use of means Watch and Pray Others say the promises will bring them to Heaven but the promises of the Word are not to be separated from the precepts The promise tells us of a Crown but the precept saith So run 1 Cor. 9. 24. The promises are made to encourage faith not to cherish sloth But say others Christ hath died for sinners and so they leave him to do all for them and they will do nothing Then the text is out of date and all the exhortations to striving and fighting the good fight of Faith are in vain Our salvation cost Christ Blood it will cost us Sweat The boat may as well get to shore without rowing as we can to Heaven without offering violence 2. It shews us the great mistake of ignorant people who think the bare doing of duties though in never so slight superficial a manner is enough The text tells us of offering violence 1. In the business of Prayer They think it is enough to mutter over a few words though the heart be asleep all the while what offering of violence is here Christ was in an Agony at prayer Luk. 22. 44. Many when they pray are rather in a Lethargy than in an Agony Jacob wrestled with the Angel in prayer Gen. 32. 24. The Incense was to be laid upon burning coals Levit. 16. 22. Incense was a type of prayer and the Incense upon coals was a type of fervency in prayer Few know what the spirit of prayer means or what it is to have the affections boil over When they are about the world they are all Fire when they are at prayer they are all Ice 2. In Hearing of the Word Many people think it is enough to bring their bodies to the Assembly but they never look to their hearts They satisfie themselves that they have been at Church though they have not been with God there Others go to a Sermon as to the Exchange to hear news new notions that please their phancy but do not attend to the word as about a matter of life and death They do not go to meet with Christ in an Ordinance to have the breathings of his Spirit and the infusions of his Love Alas what little violence for Heaven is to be seen in most peoples worship In all the Sacrifices of the Law there was fire How can those duties be accepted which have no fire in them no offering of violence 3. If there must be this offering of violence to Heaven then it shews us how dangerous moderation in Religion is Violence and moderation are two different things Indeed moderation in the things of the world is commendable We should moderate our desires here and use the world as if we used it not We may as Jonathan dip the end of the Rod in honey but not thrust it in too far in this sense moderation is good but moderation in matters of practical piety is sinful it is contrary to offering violence Moderation in the world's sense is for one not to be too zealous not to be too fierce for Heaven Moderation is not to venture further in Religion than may stand with self-preservation As the King of Navarr told Beza He would launch no further into the Sea than he might be sure to return safe to Land To keep on the warm side of the hedge is a main Article in the Politicians Creed Moderation in the world's sense is neutrality The moderate person hath found out a medium between strictness and prophaneness he is not for debauchery nor yet for purity It was the advice Calvin gave Melâ—…ncthon that he should not so affect the name of moderate that at last he lost all his zeal To be lukewarmin matters of Religion is far from offering violence to Heaven Rev. 3. 19. Be zealous and repent If any shall ask us why we are so violent tell them it is for a Kingdom If they shall ask us why we make such haste in the waies of Religion tell them we are running aâ—… heavenly Race and a softly moderate pace will never win the prize Moderation hath made many lose Heaven they have not made haste enough they have come too late like the foolish Virgins when the door hath been shut Use 2. Reproof Out of this text I may draw forth several arrows of Reproof 1. It reproves slothfull Christians who are settled on their lâ—…es they make a lazy Profession of Religion but use no violence They are like the the Lillies which toil not neither do they spin The Snail by reason of its slow motion was reckoned among the unclean Levit. 11. 30. St. Austin calls idlness the burial of a man alive There are some faint velleities oh that I had Heaven but a man may desire Venison and want it if he doth not hunt for it Prov. 13. 4. The soul of the sluggard wisheth and hath nothing Neque mola neque farina Men could be content to have the Kingdom of Heaven but they are loth to fight for it They chuse rather to go in a feather-bed to Hell than to be carried to Heaven in a fiery Chariot of zeal and violence How many sleep away and play away their time as if they were made like the Leviathan to play in the Sea Psal. 104. 26. It is a speech of Seneca No man is made wise by chance Sure it is no man is savâ—…d by chance but he must know how he came by it namely by offering violence Such as have accustomed themselves to and idle lazy temper will find it hard to shake it off Cant. 5. 3. I have put off my Coat how shall I put it on The Spouse had laid her self upon the bed of sloth an though Christ knocked at the door â—…he was loth to rise and let him in Some pretend to be Believers but are idle in the Vineyard They pretend to make use of faith for seeing but not for working this Faith is phancy O that Christians had a spirit of activity in them 1 Chron. 22. 16. Arise and be doing and the Lord be with thee We may sometimes learn of our enemy The Devil is never idle he walketh about 1 Pet. 5. 8. The world is his Diocess and he is every day going his visitation Is Satan active is the enemy upon his march coming against us and are we asleep upon our guard As Satan himself is not idle â—…o hâ—… will not endure that any of his servants should be idle When the Devil had entred into Judas how active was Judas He goes to the High Priest from thence to the band of Souldiers and with them back to the Garden and never left till he had betrayed Christ. Satan will not endure an idle servant and do we
think God will How will Heathens rise up in Judgement against slothful Christians What pains did they take in the Olympian games they ran but for a Garland of flowers and do we stand still who run for a Crown of Immortality Certainly if only the violent take Heaven the idle person will never come there God puts no difference between these two slothful and wicked Matth. 25. 26. Thou wicked and slothful servant 2. It reproves the Formalist who puts all his Religion in gestures and vestures emblems of devotion and thinks this will entitle him to Heaven Rev. 3. 1. Thou hast a name to live and art dead The form and outside of Christianity is judged necessary 1. It is a means to keep up menâ—… credit in the world Should they be visibly prophane such as are sober would not come near them they would be looked upon no better than baptized Heathens therefore they must make a â—…ew of devotion out of policy to gain some repute and esteem among others 2. A form serves to stop the mouth of conscience had not they some kind of outward devotion their conscience would fly in their face and they would be a terrour to themselves therefore they think it expedient to have a form of Godliness But alas what is all this The Text speaks of offering violence to Heaven What violence is there in a form Here is no taking pains with the heart a form but no power 2. Tim. 3. 5. Formalists are like the Tombs in the Church which have their eyes and hands lift up to Heaven but no soul. The Formalists devotion runs out most in punctilioes and niceties he neglects the weightier matters of the Law Faith and Mercy Matth. 23. 23. He scruples superstitious phancies but makes no reckoning of sin he is more afraid of an Hare crossing his way than of an Harlot in his bed He haâ—…es sanctity Christ had no such bitter enemies as the formal Pharisees The formalist is never violent but in persecuting the power of godliness 3. It reproves such as are violent in a bad sense they are violent for Hell they go thither in the sweat of their brows Jer 8. 6. Every one turned to his course as the horse rusheth into the battel A war-horse rusheth violently among the guns and pikes so did they rush into sin violently Men are violent 1. In opposing Good 2. In pursuing Evil. 1. In opposing Good Several waies 1. They offer violence to the Spirit of God The Spirit knocks at the door of sinners hearts he waits till his head be filled with dew and his locks with the drops of the night but sinners repulse and grieve the Spirit and send away this Dove from the Aâ—…k of their souls Acts 7. 51. Te do alwais resist the Holy Ghost The Spirit offers grace to the sinner and the sinner offers violence to the Spirit Isa 63. 10. They rebelled and vexed his holy Spirit and may not the Lord give over striving God who is willing to come in when we open to him hath not promised to come again if we unkindly repulse him 2. They offer violence to conscience Conscience is God's Preacher in the bosom and this Preacher cannot flatter it tells men of their pride coveâ—…ousness abuse of mercy but they instead of being violent against their sins offer violence to conscience they silence and imprison conscience But as the Prophet Zachary when he was dumb called for a table book and did write Luke 1. 63 So when conscience cannot be permitted to speak it will write it writes down mens sins and when at death they shall be forced to read the hand-writing it will make their hearts tremble and their knees smite This I fear is too common for men to offer violence to their conscience and what will be the issue They who will not hear the voice of conscience shall be sure to feel the worm of conscience 3 They offer violence to God's image The Saints who are God's lively picture are opposed and shot at This is a cursed violence Gal. 4 29 As he that was born after the flesh persecuted him who was born after the Spirit so it is now Christ himself is stricken at through Believers The Church hath been alwaies in the Torrid zone The Plowers have plowed upon her back The earth hath been sown with the bodies of the Saints and watered with their blood Persecutors I grant are of an antient Family The first man that was born in the world was a Persecutor namely Cain and he hath had a numerous off-spring Nero Trajan Domitian Dioclesian Maximinus Chrysostom saith that the apples of his eyes fell out Faelix Earl of Wartemburg being at supper at Auspurg did take an oath that before he died he would ride up to the spurs in the blood of the Lutherans but was afterwards choked in his own blood Persecutors are the curse of the Creation being some of those thorns and briars which the earâ—…h brings forth 2. Men are violent in pursuing Evil. 1. They are violent in their Opinions 2 Pet. 2. 1. Privily they shall bring in damnable heresies denying the Lord that bought them Arrius was such an one and afterwards his bowels gushed out And truly the spirit of Arrius is yet alive at this day while men dare deny the Deity of the blessed Son of God Many of the Hereticks of old were so violent that their Opinion was to them a Bible and some of them died in maintaining their heresies These were the Devil's Martyrs 2. They are violent in their Passions Anger is a short frenzy Jam. 3. 9. The tongue is a fire a world of iniquity In this little member there is a great world viz. a world of sin such as would be counted sober yet are drunk with passion Their prayers are cold but their anger hot They spit fire as the Serpent doth poison Fiery passions without Repentance bring men to the fiery furnace 3. They are violent for their lusts Tit. 3. 3. Serving divers lusts Lust is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an inordinate desire or impulse provoking the soul to the gratifying its carnal desires Aristotle calls them brutish lusts because when lusts are violent they will not let reason or conscience be heard but a man is carried brutishly to the satisfying the flesh 1. Men are violent for their drunken lusts Though death be in the cup they will drink it off One having almost lost his eye-sight the Physitian told him there was no cure for him unless he would leave off his excessive drinking then saith he Farewell sweet light he would rather lose his eye-sight than leave his drinking 2. They are violent for their unclean lusts Men are said to burn in lusts Rom. 1. 27. The Apostle intimateth that lust is a kind of feavour Feavourish heats are not more pernicious to the body than lust is to the soul. O what folly is it for a drop of pleasure to drink
Heaven yet miss it Jer. 8. 12. And they said There is no hope Unbelief destroies hope and if you cut this sinew of Religion all violence for Heaven ceaseth Unbelief raisethâ—… cloud of despondency in the heart Alâ—… you will never be able to go thorow the work of Religion so many precepâ—…s to obey so many temptations to resist so many afflictions to bear that you will succumbere oneri fall under the burden you will tire in your march to Heaven Unbelief raiseth jealous thoughts of God it represents him as an austere Master and that if we fail in never so little a punctilio he will take the extremity of the Law upon us This discourageth the soul in the use of means Unbelief doth as 〈◊〉 and Toâ—…iah did to the Jews Neheâ—… 6. 9. They made us afraid faying Their hands shall be weakned from the work Oh take heed of unbelief it destroies this holy violence We read of Joroboam's arm being withered 1 King 13. 4. Unbelief withers the arm of the soul that it cannot stretch it self forth to any spiritual action Unbelief doth the Devil the greatest kindness it makes way for his temptations to enter which do so incâ—…ant and bewitch us that we cannot work Beware of this sin believe the Promises God is good to the soul that seeks him Lam. 3. 25. Do but seek him with importunity and he will open both his heart and Heaven to thee Take heed of puzling your thoughts about Election A Christian may think thus what should I take pains perhaps I am not elected and then all my violence is to no purpose Thus many are taken off from the use of means and the business of Religion is at a stand Whereas no man can justly say he is not elected It is true some of God's children have said so in temptation But as Peter in a transfiguration said he knew not what so these in a temptation But no man can say on just grounds he is not elected â—…nless he can prove that he hath sinned the â—…n against the Holy Ghost For any one to asseâ—…t nonâ—…ection is a sin for that which keeps him in â—…in must needs be sinful But this opinion keeps him in sin it discourageth him from the use of means and cuts the sinews of all endeavours do not therefore perplex your thoughts about Election this Book is sealed and no Angel can unclasp it The Rule Christians are to go by is God 's Revealed Will not his Secret God's revealed will is that we should pray and repent by this we makâ—… our calling sure and by making our calling sure we make our election sure If I see the beds of spices grow and flourish I know the Sun hath been there And if I find the fruits of obedience in my heart I may conclude Gods electing love hath shined upon me 2. Thes. 2. 12. God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification Take heed of too much violence after the world the world cools good affections The earth puts out the fire The world's silver Trumpet sounds a retreat and calls men off from their pursuit after Heaven The world hindered the young man from following Christ he went away sorrowfull whereupon saith our Saviour How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the Kingdom of God Luke 18. 24. Demos his Religion lay buried in the earth 2 Tim. 4. 10. Demos hath forsakeâ—… me having loved this present world It was a saying of Pius Quintus When I first entred into orders I had some good hope of my salvation when I became a Cardinal I doubted of it but since I came to be Pope I do even despair of it Jonathan pursued the victory till he came at the hony-comb and then he stood still 1 Sam. 14. 27. Many are violent for the Kingdom of God till gain or preferment offers it self when they meet with this hony then they stand still The world blinds mens eyes that they do not see the way and fetters their feet that they do not run in the way of God's Commandments Mithridates King of Pontus being worsted by the Romans and fearing he should not escape them caused a great deal of silver and gold to be scattered in the waies which while the Roman souldiers were busie in gathering he got away from them The like stratagem Satan useth knowing what tempting things Riches are he throws them in mens way that while they are eager in gathering these he may hinder them in their pursuit of happiness I have observed some who did once Jehu-like drive on furiously in the cause of Religion when the world hath come in upon them their Charet-wheels have been pulled off and they have driven on heavily Were a â—…an to climb up a steepy Rock and had weights tied to his legs they would hinder his ascent Mens golden weights hinder them in climbing up this steepy Rock which leads to salvation The world's musick charms men asleep and when they are asleep they are not fit to work A thing cannot be carried violently to two extreams at once The ship cannot go full sail to the East and West at the sametime So a man cannot be violent for Heaven and Earth at once he may have Christ and the world but cannot love Christ and the world 1 Joh. 2. 15. He that is all fire for the world will be all ice for Heaven Take heed of engaging your affections too far in these secular things Use the world as your servant but do not follow it as your Master Take heed of indulging any lust Sin lived in will spoil all violence for Heaven Sin infeebles 't is like the cutting Sampson's hair and then the strength departs Sin is aegritudo animi the soul's sickness Sickness takes a man off his legs and doth so dis-spirit him that he is unfit for any violent exercise A sick man cannot run a Race Sin lived in takes a man quite off from duty or makes him dead in it The more lively the heart is in sin the more dead it is in prayer How can he be earnest with God for mercy whose heart accuseth him of secret sin Guilt breeds fear and that which strengthens fear weakens violence Adam having sinned was afraid and hid himself Gen. 3. 10. When Adam had lost his innocence he lost his violence Therefore lay the Axe to the root let sin be heâ—…vn down not only abstain from sin in the Act but let the love of sin be mortified and let every sin be put to the sword Many will leave ail their sins but one save one sin and lose one soul. One sin is a fetter a man may lose the Race as well by having one fetter on his leg as if he had more I have read of a great Monaroh that flying from his enemy he threw away the Crown of gold on his head that he might run the faster So that sin which thou didst wear as a Crown of gold