exercisâ— of Humility and Watchfulness as becomeâ— Christians for there is now as much Danger and Peril in this time of Liberty and Tranquility as there was before If any one in the time of Persecution and Suffering hath said within himself I had better give over and part with the Truth and forsake the ways of the Lord and give over my Testimony for his Name for I shall be undone and ruined in the World this Man by his carnal Fears hath lost his Testimony So likewise if a Man in this time of liberty and freedom of serving the Lord and bearing Testimony to his Name if he shall not intirely trust in the Lord to carry him on in his Work and Service and continue his dependance upon him and wait for the Assistance of the holy Spirit of God to work in him to will and to do of his good Pleasure this Man shall lose his Testimony as well as the other Therefore let every one of you keep up a dependance upon Gods holy Spirit for carrying on the Work which he hath begun in your Souls consider what Work it is that Christ is now at in every one of you I know what his Work was when I was first Convinced he was burning up and hewing down every thing that hindered his carrying on the Work of Sanctification and Redemption and Settledness and Stability in the Covenant of Life and Peace So that our meeting together ought to be â—n the Name of Christ I hope it is so with most of you I hope it is not to see and hear what this or that Man saith but to know within your selves what part of the Work of Redemption the Lord Jesus Christ is carrying on that you may join with him and be a willing People in the Day of his Power and say as Paul Lord what wilt thou have me to do If thou wilt have me part with my all Lord here it is I offer it up and if thou wilt have any Service done Lord here I am Speak for thy Servant heareth let there be in every one of you an attentiveness and an humble waiting upon the Lord and say as the Psalmist Behold as the Eyes of Servants look unto the hands of their Masters and as the Eyes of a Maiden unto the hands of her Mistress so our Eyes wait upon the Lord our God until he have mercy upon us When ever a Christian hath his dependance upon God's Wisdom and Power such a one shall never want Wisdom the Lord will give him Wisdom to preserve him against all the Wiles of Satan and he shall never want Power for the Lord will enable him to fulfil and perform what he requireth of him he shall be replenished with Judgment and Understanding Ability and Power to direct him into the good ways of God and to enable him to walk in them It is the earnest desire of my Soul that every one of you may be exercised in those things which are profitable for you and which may be comfortable to your Friends and Brethren that you may all grow up into a stability and stedfastness in the good ways of the Lord that you may not be shaken and tossed with every Storm and Tempest that when there comes a time for the trial of your Patience and Fortitude and Courage you may not be tossed to and fro like Children but be stedfast and unmoveable always abounding in the Work of the Lord that so living in all holy Obedience and patient continuing in well-doâ—ng you may have a constant Supply of Strength and Power from God ministred unto you by his Holy Spirit SERMON VIII No true Worship without the right Knowledg of God Preached at Grace-church-street May 24. 1688. My Friends THere is no Man can truly worship God till he comes to a measure of certain Knowledge of him for all the Worship in the World where the Vail of Ignorance still prevails upon the Mind is all abominable there is no acceptance with God There must be a knowledge of God before there can be a true Worshipping of him for they that worship before they know God they worship they know not what they worship a God they have heard of but do not know so every one that would be a true Worshipper must first come to that which giveth a true knowledge that raiseth up a certainty in the Mind This is the Lord we will trust in him this is our God and we will serve him And that all People might come to this certainty of Knowledge therefore it is that God hath sent forth his Spirit that the things of God might be communicated by the Spirit of God for without the Assistance of this Spirit Men seek after the Knowledge of God in vain If they seek after the Knowledge of God they cannot find it and if they seek after the Worship of God and after Acceptance with God they cannot find it so that all Religion and religious Performances that People are exercised in where the Spirit of Truth hath not the beginning they will all prove fruitless in the end There be wise Men in the world and they have imployed their wisdom to find out the true God but God in wisdom hath ordained that the world by all their wisdom shall not know him so there is an end of all their Labour How shall they know him then As none can know the things of a man save the spirit of a man that is in him so none can know the things of God but the spirit of God so that they that resist the Guidance Direction and Counsel of the Spirit of God are like unto those that would enter into a House or Pallace and remember not the Door that leads into it People would fain come into the Divine Knowledge and into the understanding of Divine Mysteries but they would come by it another way they would study for it they would learn it by Arts and Sciences they would attain it by their own Industry and herein they labour to excel one another If there comes a Man among them that tellâ— them Friends you are all out of the way then they are angry and instead of enquiring what is the way they are angry that their way must be rejected Friends you will never come to the Knowledge of God but by the Spirit of God then they mock and then they scoff and scorn the Doctrin of the Spirit for the Teaching of the Spirit hath been the common Scorn and Derision of our Age. It is so in our Day with many if they cannot come to the Knowledge of God any other way but by the Spirit they would deny to make use of that to be subject to that and these put their Trust in their own Power and Industry to find out the Mystery of the Knowledge of God so they are ever learning but are never able to come to the knowledge of the Truth How should they How can a People come to the Knowledge of the
in the World but letting her Ear hearken to this Old Serpent she was beguiled there grew up a Consultation in her reasoning part It may be so as he saith I will try So I say to you that are come to a state of Sanctification and in some measure to know the cleansing Power of God and that you have not believed in it in vain but it hath effectually wrought some Change and Alteration in you and is still carrying on the Work of your Salvation Many Temptations will attend you and many Snares will be laid in your way but God hath preserved you to this Day I know the Devil 's Wiles and Temptations are manifold they are fitted to every one's Inclinations fitted to every Opportunity and to every occasion in this World Men are tryed every way by the Tempter to see which way he may ensnare them he tries every way to ensnare and entangle the simple that he may turn them to the right-Hand or to the left that their Souls may be destroyed and perish I cannot speak to you by a more emphatical word by a more familiar Exhortation than this Take heed you be not beguiled as Eve was many will be tempted as she was but I would not have you do as she did and yield to the Temptation Take heed that you do not defile your selves but keep your garments white you that have been washed and cleansed labour to keep your selves unspotted from the world this is pure religion and undefiled that which hath enlightned many a Nation and shall enlighten many of those whose Religion is to be undefiled and to keep themselves unspotted from the world I pray God increase the number of them that so the blessed Work of Sanctification that hath begun in this way may be carried on to his Praise and the Salvation of our Souls to the spreading forth of his Glory and the exalting of his Name that the Strangers which are scattered and desolate may be brought into his holy Way and walk in it that we all in a Fellowship together walking in that holy way may through the Eternal Spirit offer Praise and Tanksgiving to God who is worthy to receive Glory and Honour Power and Dominion for ever and ever Amen SERMON IV. Baptism and the Lord's Supper Asserted Preached at Grace Church-street April 15th 1688. If any man hath not the spirit of Christ he is none of his IF I should say no more there is that in every ones Conscience that will make Application If he that hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his you may say Whose is he then If they be none of Christ's that have not his Spirit whose are they They are all his whose Spirit rules them every one of us doth belong to him whose Spirit ruleth over us unto whose Power we are subjected You know this distinguisheth People in the World One King knoweth his Subjects from another King's Subjects they are under the Obedience of this that and the other King or Prince his Law is over them they are subject to it so here is a Decision of all the People in the World who they belong to We all of us I hope do expect there will be a Decision at the Day of Judgment and believe the things we read concerning that That there will be a Decision and some will be placed on the right-Hand and some on the left-Hand some will have the Sentence of Come ye blessed and others the Sentence of Go ye cursed but now there is a way of finding out the Decision of the Matter before we go out of the World before the Day of Judgment when there will be no Remedy that is then it must be and abide so now there is no need it should continue so if it be amiss it may be mended if I do not belong to the right Prince if I be not under the right Power and Spirit I may be for now it is a day of Grace a day of Mercy I have been a Rebel to the right Prince I may be pardoned and taken into Favor it is far better for People to know their state now than to know it then because then there will be no Remedy The Apostle in laying down Fundamental Apostolical Doctrines that were to be belived and taken notice of and are in our Age so that we may say Things written of old time were written for our learning he makes this Affirmation and Position of Doctrine He that hath not the spirit of Christ is none of his he doth not belong to him if he be called a Christian he is not a Christian if he hath not the Spirit of Christ It is but a Name he hath got he hath not that which makes him essentially so for nothing can make a Christian but having the Spirit of Christ therefore when they would vindicate their being Christians they prove it thus For he speaking of God hath sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts and we know the mind of Christ we know him that is true or we are in him that is true These things if they were right if they were true were evident Demonstrations that they were a sort of Men who depended more upon thâ— Spirit and spiritual Teachings and Spiritual Guidance than upon Rules and Methods of Teaching that were in the World I speak of this Friends because you know as well as I how averse this Age of ours hath been to have any thing spoken of Spiritual Dispensations or about spiritual Teachings though a Man hath been counted formerly a wise Man a learned Man a Man of parts if once he come to smatter out a little about inward Teaching it is enough to spot him and make him ridicul'd of his Acquaintance as if there were no such thing in the World We have a Book called the Bible it is from one end to the other full of such Expressions of being led by the Spirit you have an anointing which teacheth you all things The whole Tenor of the New Testament is about Spiritual Teaching and Divine Operarations and of Faith being the operation of God and the Old Testament hath abundance of Expressions by way of Prophecy that in the New Testament Dayes if People would look for the Law of God they must look for it in their Hearts and if they would know God they must look to the mediator the Lord Jesus Christ The New Testament seems to go that way Christians should be the most Spiritual People in the World that is the Guide the Rule But say they the Scripture is the Foundation of Faith and Manners Belief and Practice this is but Dissimulation I am afraid that is to be found in some What is the Scripture the Rule of Faith and may People believe what they find in Scripture Yes but say some it is best be aware for fear of Error What is in the Scripture is serious sound and orthodox and did Quakers think you never find in Scripture that People
bâ—â—â—â—ed to the Day of Redemption I will never do this though I hazard my chief Interest 〈…〉 World This is the Tempâ—â— of a true 〈…〉 â—nd I pray God make all of you of th◠〈…〉 And now my Friends you that 〈◊〉 to see this great Work wrought in your selves commit the whole Work to God and trouble not your selves about it 〈◊〉 sure God will carry on his own Work and bring down the Devils Kingdom and rebuke that â—â—clean Spirit that is gone forth over the 〈◊〉 Nation and pour out abundantly of his hâ—ly Spirit to carry on a glorious Reformation This I believe God will certainly do from what he hath wrought 〈◊〉 my own Soul 〈◊〉 I know not what Instruments are to be emâ—â—oyed in the Work I leave that to the Lord but the Kingdoâ— of Christ shall be advanced and it shalâ— be outwardly and a 〈◊〉 Deâ—truction â—â—ll sweep away all his Enemies from the Earth and the Wrath of God shall burn against â—â—em only there is an obduration hath 〈◊〉 â—pon the Nations of the World and â—thing hath stood in the way in all-Generaâ— But howe◠〈…〉 I am sure wicked Men 〈◊〉 En◠〈…〉 may well say That Chrisâ— is the S◠〈…〉 Men but especially of theâ— that believe He hath saved this City and Nation from the Plagues and Vengâ—â—â—ce thaâ— hang over us Many Years the Lord hath spared us and waited to be gracious for a long-time to see if we will at last turn to him 〈◊〉 long the Mediator will intercede on 〈◊〉 beha◠〈…〉 â—l there is a time whoâ— the 〈◊〉 â—iffering of God will come to an end God hath brought a Scourge upon the Nations round about us and the Flames of his Wrath â—â—ve kindled upon them and Destruction hath overtaken them how soon iâ— may be our Lot we know not all our Mony our Silver and Gold and Valour and Courage will not be able to stave it off if the Lord but blow upon us It is even at the Door there is but one way to save us and that is turning to the Lord and crying to the Lord for the continuance of his Mercies and Long-suffering and Patience towards us In this Cry let us all cry to the Lord that are Lovers of the Nation and let us join our earnest Supplications in this Work seeing the Lord hath made us the Monuments of his Mercy and preserving Goodness This Island hath been continually surrounded with War and Blood and Flames and Destruction and the Cry of the Orphans hath been heard from other Nations And while they have been consumed with Flames â—nd deluged in Streams of 〈◊〉 we haâ—â— sat under our own Vines and 〈…〉 but Judgments hang over the Nation and whether they will fall or not the Lord knows But shall we do for the good of our Nation and Cities and Families but labour every one in the Fear of God to reform your Lives and to take heed that we sin not against the Light lest we die and perish in the midst of those terrible Judgments that hang-over us Let us turn from our evil Ways and depart from all Iniquity that the Kingdom of Christ may be set up in our selves It is the Righteous in the Nation that the Lord looks at and for their sakes he will spare a Nation If there be a People among us that walk in Humility and lament and mourn for the Abominations committed in the midst of us God will have regard to them and he will hear the Cries and the Supplications of a praying People Friends You that cannot make use of Sword and Spear for the saving of a Nation you may do good by your Prayers and turning to the Lord with an unfeigned Heart and let your Sincerity appear before him if I would take a Common-Prayer-Book in my Hands and pray never so devoutly and solemnly if I be not sincere what will that do Or if I pray without Book or if I pray without a Form or reject the Forms that others have made for me what will this avail But the Cry of the Poor and the Sighing of the Needy and the effectual fervent Prayer of thâ— Righteous hath availed much for the saving oâ— this Nation many Years Therefore I exhort you all as you love the Nation and as you love your selv◠〈…〉 â—our Families and Relations sin not aâ—â—â—nt the Lord for he is now setting up Righteousnâ— Equity and Justice and it shall prevaâ—â— in thâ— Nation God hath been please â—o gather in many that have been Enemies in it that are now turned from sin to God and led Captive by the Truth and it is their greatest Joy that now they are no longer Servants of Sin but are now become the Servants of God Now Truth will prevail and Righteousness go forth as the Morning Sun and 〈◊〉 hope the Lord will shew Mercy to us for thâ— glory of his own Name tho' we are an unworthy People It will be matter of joy and gladness to us if the Kingdom of God be come then we may say our Prayer is answered We have often prayed Thy Kingdom come and thy Will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven If the Will of God be done then I can do mine own Will no longer then I can be led away by Satan no longer the Devil will have little Power if I do Gods Will on Earth as it is done in Heaven then Praises will arise in the Hearts of every one that delight to do the Will of God and God will carry on his Work for the glory of his own Name and for the Redemption of his People that Christ may be Preached for Soâ—â—tion to the Ends of the â—â—rth SERMON XI The Acceptable Sacrifice Preached â—t Grace-Church-street July 3. 1692. ALl People that would worship God and meet together for that purpose they had need have a great Reverence upon their Minds and a holy Fear upon their Spirits that when they enter into the House of the Lord and draw nigh to the living God they might not offer the Sacrifice of Fools but may offer to God that which may be acceptable to him For all Worship and all Religion and all Offerings and Oblations that ever were offered to God by any People they have had a return upon the Offerers and Worshippers either of acceptance or rejection Many you know have been rejected tho' they have offered and many have been accepted of God and their Offerings have been a sweet smelling Savour in his Nostrils and I hope we are all of that Mind that we would be glad to have our Worship and Service and Offerings to God accepted in his sight and that our present assembling together might be for the better and that every one might have an Answer of Peace and of acceptance in their Bosoms but that can never be unless Men be qualified and prepared in their drawing nigh to God and that in all our Offerings and Worship that we perform our Hearts be prepared