the way of righteousnesse is chaiim lives so the Hebrew hath it in the way of righteousnesse there are many lives in that way there is spiritual life and eternal life and natural life and all the comforts and sweets and blessings and happinesse of that life without which mans life would be but a lingering a languishing death yea a hell rather then a heaven unto him And in the path thereof there is no death There is no spiritual death there is no eternal death yea there is no corporal no temporal death to hurt or harm the them Death is not mors hominis but mors peccati not the death of the man but the death of his sin Phil. 1.23 2 Cor. 5.12.4.7 8. Death is a Christians Quietus est it is his discharge from all trouble and misery to sting or terrifie them to dammage or disadvantage them for death is an out-let and an in-let to a holy man it is an out-let to sin to sorrow to shame to suffering to afflictions to temptations to desertions to oppressions to confusions and to vexations and it is an in-let to a more clear full and constant fruition of God and Christ and an in-let to the sweetest pleasures the purest joys the highest delights the strongest comforts and the most satisfying contentments Death is the funeral of all a holy mans sins and miseries and it is the resurrection of all his joyes and the perfection of all his graces and spirituall excellencies Death to a holy man is nothing but the changing of his grace into glory his faith into vision his hope into fruition and his love into perfect comprehension The Persians had a certain day in the year in which they used to kill all Serpents and venemous creatures such a day as that will the day of death be to a holy man Peccatum erat obstetrix mortis mors sepulchrum peccati Sin was the Midwife that brought death into the world and death shall be the bearers that shall carry sin out of the world When Sampson died the Philistines died together with him so when a holy man dies his sins die with him Death came in by sin and sin goeth out by death As the worm kills the worm that bred it so death kills sin that bred it Vltimus morborum medicus mors Acts Mon. fol. 1733. Death cures all diseases the aking head and the unbelieving heart the diseased body and the defiled soul At Stratford Bow were burned in Queen Maries dayes a lame man and a blind man after the lame man was chained casting away his crutch he bade the blind man be of good comfort for saith he Death will cure us both it will cure thee of thy blindnesse and me of my lamenesse Death will cure the holy man of all natural and spiritual distempers Death is the holy mans Jubilee it is his greatest advantage it puts him into a better estate then ever he had before It is Gods Gentleman Usher to conduct us to heaven it will blow the bud of grace into the flower of glory O! Death is but an entrance into life Miseri infideles mortem appellant fideles vero quid nÃsi pascham Bernard Miserable â—nbelievers call it death but to faithfull believers what is it but a Passeover but a Jubilee who would not go through hell to heaven who would not go through a temporary death to an eternal life who would not willingly march through mortality to immortality and glory O Sirs holinesse will make you look upon death as a welcome guest a happy friend a joyfull messenger it will make you kisse it and embrace it as Favinus the Italian Martyr kissed and embraced his executioner it will make you desire it long after it with tears as holy Bradford did By all this you see that holiness will deliver you from death in death and therefore I shall close up this head as that wise witty man Sr. Francis Bakon closed up a paper of verses What then remains but that we still should cry Not to be born or being born to die Fifthly and lastly by holinesse you shall gain the greatest boldnesse in the day of judgement Job 19.25 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies boldness of face a lifting up of the face countenance in the sight or face of many beholders It signifies a freedom and liberty of speech nothing will imbolden a man in that great day like holinesse holinesse will then make the face to shine indeed 1 John 4.17 Herein is our love made perfect that we may have boldnesse in the day of judgement because as he is so are we in this world That which will make Christs last appearance delightfull to Christians will be their likenesse to Christ in holinesse in nature and grace likenesse begets the greatest boldnesse As there is no child so bold with the Father as he that is most like the Father so there is no Christian so bold with Christ as he that is most like to Christ A holy Christ is most famiiar with a holy Christian and a holy Christian is most bold with a holy Christ The more a Christian is like to Christ in holinesse of heart and life in holinesse of affecti-and conversation the more divinely bold and familiar will that man be with Christ both in this world and in the great day of account when he that was a brat of Satans is made a Saint when he that was like hell is made like heaven when he that was most ugly and uncomely is made like him that is the holy of holies this is that which gives boldnesse both here and hereafter O Sirs it is not wit nor wealth but holinesse it is not race nor place but holinesse it is not power nor policy but holinesse it is not honour nor riches but holinesse it is not natural excellencies nor acquired abilities but holinesse that will give boldnesse in the day of Christs appearing 1 Pet. 1.5 6 7. A well-tried faith which is but a branch of holinesse shall be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ At the coming of Christ holiness shall be a mans praise and honour Rev. 6.15 16 17. and glory In that great day when shame and everlasting contempt shall be poured forth upon the great Monarchs of the world who have made the earth to tremble when the Kings of the earth and the great men and the rich men and the chief Captains and the mighty men c. shall cry out to the mountains and rocks to fall upon them and to hide them from the face of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb then I say then shall the righteous shine as the Sun in the firmament Dan. 12.1 2 3. Prov. 28.1 In life and death and in the day of account a righteous man will be as bold as a Lion Real holinesse will make a man death proof and hell proof and
be meer strangers to union and communion with Christ and to the more secret and inward operations and workings of the spirit of Christ and to the most spiritual duties and services that are commanded by Christ Civility is very often the nurse of impiety Mat. 5.19 20 Acts 7.54 Chap. 13.50 Ch. 17.17 18. Romans 8.7 the mother of flattery and an enemy to real sanctity a high conceit of civility keeps many a man from looking after inward and outward purity moral honesty proves to many men a bond of iniquity There are those who are so blinded with the fair shews of civility that they can neither see the necessity nor beauty of sanctity there are those that now bless themselves in their common honesty whom at last God will scorn and cast off for want of real holiness and purity Matth. 25.3.11 12. As Aristides so Socrates Plato Titus Vespatian Tully with multitudes of others amongst the Lacedemonians Grecians Romans c. Many of the Heathens were so famous for justice and righteousness for equity fidelity and sobriety for civility and moral honesty that it would put many professors to the blush to read what is written of them and yet there was such a tincture of popular applause of pride and vain glory of hypocrisie and self-flattery upon their civility and moral honesty that for any thing we can find in Scripture to the contrary there is cause to fear that they shall be miserable to all eternity for all their civility and moral honesty they were left in a damnable I will not say in a damned condition he that rises to no higher pitch then civility and moral honesty shall never have communion with God in glory Naaman was a great man but a Leper 2 Kings 5.1 Naaman was an honourable man but a Leper Naaman was a mighty man but a Leper Naaman was a victorious man but a Leper Naaman was in high favour and esteem with his Prince but a Leper This but he was a Leper stained all his honour and was a blot upon all his greatness and glory both at Court and in the field both in the City and in the Countrey So it is a stain a blot upon the most moral honest man in the world to say he is a very civil honest man but Christless he is a very just man but graceless he is a man of much moral righteousness but he hath not a dram of real holiness c. This but is a fly in the box of ointment that spoils all Well Sirs remember this though the moral honest man be good for many things yet he is not good enough to go to heaven he is not good enough to be made glorious Mat. 5.20 Certainly there is nothing in all the world below real sanctity that will ever bring a man to the possession of glory And though it may grieve us to speak after the manner of men to see sweet natures to see many moral honest men take many a weary step towards heaven and to come near to heaven and to bid fair for heaven and yet after all to fall short of heaven yet it will be no way grievous to a holy God to turn such sweet natures into hell Psal 9.17 moral honesty is not sufficient to keep a man out of eternal misery all it can do is to help a man to one of the best rooms and easiest beds that hell affords For look as the moral mans sins are not so great as others so his punishments shall not be so great as others This is all the comfort that can be afforded to a moral man that he shall have a cooler hell then others have but this is but cold comfort Moral honesty without piety is as a body without a soul and will ever God accept of such a stinking sacrifice Surely no. Fifthly If real holiness be the only way to happiness if men must be holy on earth or else they shall never come to a fruition of God in heaven then this truth by way of conviction looks sowerly and sadly upon all Neuters who divide their hearts between God and Mammon Matth 6.29 who halt between God and Baal 1 Kings 18.21 Zeph. 1.5 2 Kings 17.32 33. Chap. 18.11 James 1.8 A double-soul'd man Matth. 19.16.26 who divide their souls between heaven and earth between Religion and their lusts Like the Samaritans who both worshipped the Lord and the Assyrians Idols too A Neuter is a monster he hath two tongues two minds and two souls he hath a tongue for God and a tongue for the world too he looks up to God and saith Certainly thou art mine he looks down upon the world and saith Surely I am thine He hath a mind to be religious and a mind to save his own stake in the world too He hath a soul reaching after the happiness of another world Numb 23.10 Let me die the death of the righteous and let my last end be like his saith Balaam and he hath a soul strongly reaching after this evil world too 1 Pet. 2.15 Jude 11. Callenuceus tells us of a Noble man of Naples that was wont prophanely to say that he had two souls in his body one for God and another for whosoever would buy it as if heaven and happiness were wrapt up in it As you may see in the same person he loved the wages of unrighteousness he loved it as his portion he loved it as his life he loved it as his happiness he loved it as his all he loved it as his soul yea he loved it above his own soul for he damned his soul to gain it It is true when he was under a divine restraint he professed that he would not curse the people of God for a house full of Gold but when he was from under that restraint his heart was so set upon the unrighteous reward that he would have curst them for a handfull of gold The Neuter as the Romans paint Erasmus hangs between heaven and earth He is neither fit to go to heaven nor yet worthy to live on earth If Meroz was to be certainly curst to be bitterly curst to be universally curst as the Hebrew phrase cursing curse ye Meroz imports in Judges 5.23 for standing Neuter when they should have come forth to the help of the Lord Do you think that Neuters in religion shall be blest Do you think that ever such shall go to heaven who are indifferent whether they go to heaven or no or that ever such shall be happy who are indifferent whether they be holy or no or that ever such shall see the face of Christ with joy who are indifferent whether they have an interest in Christ or no or that ever such shall be admitted into the kingdom of glory who are indifferent where ever they have any entrance into the kingdom of grace or no. Certainly heaven is too holy to hold any such indifferent irresolute Neutral souls In the University not long since
everlasting strength that it may go well with them for ever I have read of a chaste Virgin who being strongly tempted and soliticed by a lewd Russian to uncleannesse after some disscourse she called for a pan of burning coals requesting him for her sake to hold his finger in them but one hour he answered it is an unkind and unreasonable request it is truth saith she it is so but you ask me a more unkind and unreasonable request viz. to satisfie you in a thing for which I shall not only burn an hour but burn both body and soul in hell fire for ever and ever And so overcame the temptation But Lord if I must go into fire into everlasting fire Oh let me have some good company in my misery No the Devil and his Angels shall be your companions Ah who can conceive or express the misery of cohabitation with Devils and damned Spirits Many unholy souls would not live in a house haunted with evil spirits one night for all the world and yet they live as if it were nothing to be billetted with hellish Fiends and furies for ever If the sight of a seeming ghost for a moment be such a terror and torment to thee what will the horrible sight of devils and the gastly sight of the damned be Job 30.29 If it was so great an affliction to Job to be a companion to Owls what will it be to thee to be a companion to devils Psalm 120.5 If it was so great a grief and wo to David to sojourn in Mesech and to dwell in the tents of Kedar for a time what a wo will it be to unholy souls to dwell with Devils and reprobates for ever Ah how will Satans deformity antipathy and cruelty amaze thee and torment thee How will the damneds wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth abash thee and confound thee How will thine old companions cursing of thee the sight of thy near relations in misery with thee and devils scornfully insulting over thee and the never dying worm feeding perpetually upon thee be many hells of horror to thee Had an unholy soul as many worlds in his hand to give as there be stars in heaven he would give them all for a license alwayes to sleep under those pains and torments that will admit of no intermission or mitigation In Rev. 21.8 As the Antients fain of Endymion that he got leave of Jupiter alwayes to sleep you have a catalogue of that damned crue of that rout of Reprobates which shall be your companions for ever But the fearfull and unbelieving and the abominable and murderers and whoremongers and sorcerers and Idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death These companions are the devils lime-twigs they are his scorpions with which he will torment and whip poor souls for ever Such companions will make many hells to meet in one they will be the top of the souls torments Thus I have done with those arguments that prove the point Viz. That without holiness there is no happiness c. I come now to the Reasons of the Point Why is it that Without holiness there is no happiness that without holiness on earth no man shall ever come to a blessed vision or fruition of God in heaven Among other Reasons that might be rendered you may please to take these Reason 1 First Because God hath said it who is truth and faithfulnesse it self and cannot lye That he hath said it witnesse the very Text and the proofs that are produced to make good the doctrine and hath he said it and shall it not come to pass Hath he spoken it and will he not accomplish the word that is gone out of his mouth Isaiah 46.11 Chap. 48.15 Jerem. 32.24 Isaiah 55.11 Zech. 1.6 Dan. 9.12 Psal 119.138 God is not a man that he should lye Numb 23 19. Also the strength of Israel will not lye 1 Sam. 15.29 God will make good every word that is gone out of his mouth Men sometimes eat their words as soon as they have spoken them they often say and unsay but so will not the holy One of Israel that first and supream being that gives being to all others will certainly give being to all his promises and threatnings God himself shall sooner cease to be then the word that is gone out of his mouth shall be frustrated He that is the faithful witnesse hath said it that without holiness no man shall see the Lord. And verily heaven and earth shall pass away before one jot or one tittle that is before the least letter or particle of a letter of Gods blessed word shall pass unfulfilled Matth. 5.18 Gods faithfulnesse is great Lam. 3.23 It reaches unto the clouds Psalm 36.5 He will not suffer his faithfulnesse to fail Psalm 89.33 His faithfulnesse endures through all Generations Psalm 119.90 God will never suffer his faithfulnesse to be stained or blotted and therefore he will undoubtedly make good the word that is gone out of his mouth I had rather said Plutarch that men should say there was never any such person in the world as Plutarch then that they should say Plutarch is unfaithfull A man were better say there is no God then say that God is unfaithful a noble spirit can better bear any charge then that of being unfaithfull and so can a faithfull God Secondly Because real holinesse is that great principle Reason 2 that fits and capacitates souls for communion with God The glory of glory consists in seeing of God 1 Cor. 13 12. 1 John 3.2 as the hell of hell lyes in the souls everlasting separation from God and for a blessed sight and fruition of God Matth. 5.8 Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Without a principle of purity of sanctity there is no vision of God in glory If a man be never so poor yet if his heart be pure God will make a house of his heart wherein his honour will delight to dwell let a mans outside be never so homely yet if his inside be but cleanly God will make it his own habitation God is for that man and that man is for God that carries about with him a pure heart Heart-purity makes a man a darling of heaven Many affect pure language pure houses pure habits pure hands pure air pure meat pure drink pure gestures c. who yet for want of heart-purity shall never see the face of God in glory Heart-purity speaks a man eternally happy Holinesse is that noble principle that fits a man for the happiest sight of God it makes a man a meet companion for God both here and herafter without this principle no man can have communion with God in this world much lesse can he have communion with God in heaven if this precious principle of holinesse be not seated in his heart it will not stand with the holinesse of God
to have any thing to do with those that have no principles of holiness in them It is a principle of holinesse that fits a man for the service of God that fits a man for fellowship with God that fits a man for walking with God that fits a man for correspondency with God and that fits a man for the delight of God and that fits a man for an everlasting fruition of God And therefore certainly without holinesse there is no happinesse without a principle of purity there can be no seeing of the face of God in glory Reason 3 A third Reason why Without real holiness there is no happinesse c. is this because heaven is a holy place and therefore no unholy souls can enter there it is called the high and holy place Isa 57.15 the inheritance of the Saints in heaven is an inheritance that is incorruptible and undefiled 1 Pet. 1.4 Holinesse dwells in heaven 2 Pet. 3.13 as a man dwells in his house Heaven is the house of Gods holinesse and therefore certainly without holinesse there is no entring into that house Exod. 26.34 Psalm 78.69 Hebrews 9.8 Chap. 12.24 Rev. 21.27 The Holy of Holies in the Temple was a Type of heaven And as none might enter into the Holy of holies that were unholy so none can enter into heaven which is the true Holy of holies but those that are holy Heaven was so holy that it cast out the Angels when they fell from their holinesse Paradise was a Type of heaven and no sooner did Adam lose his holinesse but he was shut out of Paradise Heaven is a City of holinesse and none can enter into that City but such as are holy Rev. 22.14 Heaven is so holy that it would groan to bare one unholy soul Well heaven is a holy place and the inhabitants are all holy and the work of heaven is holy and what then should unholy souls do there Reason 4 A fourth Reason why Without real holiness there is no happinesse Coelum est altera gehenna damnatorum Heaven is another hell to the damned said One. Isa 66.3 4. c. is this Because unholy persons have no hearts to go to heaven though now and then they may talk of heaven and now and then lift up their eyes and hands to heaven and now and then expresse a few cold wishes and lazy desires after heaven it is no difficult thing to demonstrate that in good earnest they have no heart to go to heaven For First How often hath God set life and death heaven and hell before them and they have chosen death rather then life and hell rather then heaven 2. Do you â—hink that that man hath any heart to heaven that will not so much as part with a lust for heaven Luke 13.33 34. 3. Will you say that that man hath a heart to go to heaven that hath not so much as a hand to lay hold on the opportunities of grace that might bring him to heaven 4. Will you say that that man hath a heart to go to heaven that daily hardens his heart against him who is the way to heaven 5. John 14.6 Isa 63.10 Will you say that that man hath a heart to go to heaven who is still a grieving vexing and quenching that spirit of holinesse that can only fit frame and form him for heaven 6. Will you say that that man hath a heart to go to heaven that rarely spends a serious thought of heaven and that lives in this world as if there were no heaven 7. Will you say that that man hath a heart to go to heaven whose sinfull courses speak him out to be one of those who have made a covenant with death Isa 18.15 18. and an agreement with hell 8. Do you think that that man hath a heart to go to heaven Rom. 3.8 1 Cor. 4.9 10. that detests those most that are the best woers for heaven 9. Do you think that that man hath any heart to go to heaven who can take no pleasure nor delight in those that are travailing towards heaven 10. Will you say that that man hath a heart to go to heaven that will do nothing affectionately for heaven that will not hear for heaven nor pray for heaven nor trade for heaven nor look for heaven nor long for heaven nor strive for heaven No man ever went to heaven sleeping nor wait for heaven The heart commands all it carries all if the heart were bent for heaven the head would contrive for heaven the eye would look out for heaven and the ear would hear for heaven and the tongue would speak for heaven and the foot would walk towards heaven and the hand would do for heaven By all which it is most evident that unholy persons are not cordially willing to go to heaven it is most certain that unholy persons have no such great mind to go to heaven as some imagine when Dives was in hell his desire was not to be with Abraham in heaven Luke 16.24 27 28 29. but that Lazarus might come and give him a little ease in hell he preferred a little ease in hell before his being with Abraham in heaven Neither did he desire that his five brethren might go to heaven but that they might be kept out of hell and that not out of love to them but out of love to himself he knowing that their company would be no small increase of his own torments Heauen would be a very hell to an unholy heart If now the presence of God in his servants and the presence of God in his Ordinances be such a hell to unholy souls Ah what a hell would the presence of God in heaven be to unholy hearts It is true an unholy heart may desire heaven as it is a place of freedom from troubles afflictions oppressions vexations c. and as it is a place of peace rest ease safety c. but this is the least and lowest part of heaven but to desire it as it is a place of purity of grace of holinesse of enjoying of God c. is above the reach of an unholy heart The company of heaven are all holy the imployments of heaven are all holy and the enjoyments of heaven are all holy and therefore heaven cannot but be an undesireable thing to unholy hearts An unholy heart is no ways desirous nor ambitious of such a heaven as will rid him of his darling sins as will make him conformable to a holy God as will everlastingly divorce him from his old companions and link him for ever to those gratious souls that he hath scorned despised and persecuted in this world Ergo c. Reason 5 Fifthly and Lastly Because without real holinesse men are good for nothing they are fit for nothing without holinesse men are neither good for Church nor State they are neither fit to Rule nor to be ruled to command nor to be commanded to guide nor to be guided
and make a great shew for a time but their lustre will soon wear off Nil fictum est diuturnum nothing counterfeit will last long Maud mother to King Henry the second being besieged in Winchester-castle counterfeited her self to be dead Anno 1141. and so was carried out in a Coffin whereby she escaped at another time being besieged at Oxford in a cold Winter by wearing white apparrel she got away in the snow undiscovered but at last vengeance did over-take her So though hypocrites may for a time seem to be dead to sin Job 17.8 chap. 36.13 and dead to the world though they may cloath themselves with a snow-like purity and with the white sattin of seeming sanctity yet God at last will unmask and unmuffle them and vengeance will with a witness overtake them Isa 33.14 Hypocrites are like blazing Stars which so long as they are fed with vapours Job 20.5 Hosea 6.4 shine as if they were fixed Stars but let the vapours dry up and presently they vanish and disappear As the joy of the hypocrite so the goodness of the hypocrite is but for a moment it is as a morning cloud and as the early dew an hypocrite is a meer comet a flaunt a flash principles of holiness are lasting but hypocrisie makes a man only constant in inconstancy Seventhly If real holiness be the only way to happiness if men must be holy on earth or they shall never come to a fruition of God in heaven Then this truth by way of conviction looks sowerly and sadly upon such who please and bless themselves with common gifts and common grace 1 Cor. 12.4 Matth. 7.22 with a gift of knowledge a gift of faith a gift of prayer a gift of utterance a gift of memory c. when they have nothing of real holiness in them Like chose in Mat. 22.23 who had great gifts but were so far from real sanctity that they were workers of iniquity they had a flood of gifts but not a drop of grace they had many gifts but not one saving grace they could work miracles but that miracle of holiness being not wrote in them Christ takes an everlasting farewell of them Depart from me ye workers of iniquity So they in Heb. 6. had enlightened heads but where was their humbleness and holiness of heart they had silver tongues but where was their sanctified souls they had some smack some tastes and relishes of heavens glory but where was their inward and outward purity Notwithstanding all their extraordinary gifts of speaking with tongues casting out of Devils and opening of prophesies yet were they not renewed regenerated and sanctified by the Holy Ghost As Nurses milk is of use to others but of none to themselves Their gifts might be of singular use to the enlightening quickening edifying comforting and encouraging of others and yet never have any influence upon their own hearts to the changing renewing and sanctifying of them Men of greatest gifts are not alwaies men of greatest holiness The Scribes and Pharisees Judas Dâ—mas Tertullus and Simon Magus were men of great gifts and yet they had no real holiness they had the ninety nine of gifts whâ—ch Christ looks not after but wanted the one viz. real holiness Matth. 23.15 which with Christ is all in all Augustine trembled when he considered the extraordinary gifts and parts that were in his base child to think what God meant in infusing so precious a soul and in giving such rare gifts to such an impure creature The Devil hath greater gifts then any man on earth and yet he is a Devil still gifts without holiness will but make a man twice told the child of hell The more of gifts here the more without holiness of hell hereafter The greatest Schollars have often proved the greatest sinners the stoutest opposers and the worst of persecutors There are none so wicked as he that is wittily wicked The highest gifts many times prove but the fairest pathes to the chambers of death As the richer the Ship is laden with barrs of silver and gold the deeper it sinks so the richer the soul is laden with silver parts and golden gifts and yet not ballanced with real holiness the deeper it sinks under wrath and misery And no wonder for 1. Gifts do but tickle the ear they do not cleanse heart 2. They do but stir the affections they do not kill corruptions 3. They are but ornaments to a mans profession they have no saving influence upon a mans conversation They tempt a man to take up with the world but they never help a man to overcome the world 4. They make a man wise to deceive and wise to delude both â—imself and others rare accomplishments are many times turned into beautiful ornaments to adorn the Devil and errour withall 5. The gifted man cares not who is most holy so he may be most honoured who is highest in favour with God so he may be highest in favour with men who is most serviceable so he may be most acceptable who gets most of another world so he may have most of this world and what should such an one do in heaven Gifts differ as much from real holiness as an Angel in heaven differs from a Devil in Hell Zach. 7.5 6. Rom. 14.6 7 8. 6. Gifts makes a man work for life but holiness makes a man work from life 7. Gifts work a man to set up for himself and to deal and trade for himself but holiness works a man to deal for God and to trade for God and his glory 8. Gifts takes up in ingenuous civilities and outward formalities but holiness takes up only in that holy one Hab. 1.12 1 Cor. 8.7 9. Gifts only restrains the soul but grace renews and changes the soul 10. Gifts puffs the soul but holiness humbles the soul 11. Gifts makes a man beautiful like Rachel but holiness makes a man fruitful like Leah 12. Gifts makes a man most studious and laborious about mending and reforming other mens hearts and lives but holiness makes a man most studious and industrious in mending and reforming his own heart and life Psalm 45.13 13. Gifts makes all glorious without but holiness makes all glorious within 14. Gifts makes a good head but holiness makes a good heart 15. Gifts envies lessens darkens obscures and disparages with buts and ifs and ands the excellencies of others but holiness makes a man rejoyce in every Sun that out-shines its own John 4.14 1 John 3.9 16. Gifts are fading and withering but holiness is an everlasting spring that can never be drawn dry 1 Cor. 13.1 6. 17. Gifts draws from God but holiness draws to God though men of gifts may bid fair for heaven yea come so near as to hear the musick of heaven yet without holiness they shall never enter into heaven When night comes the Father will only take in his own child into his house and though another child which
happiness Jerem. 6.16 Isa 35.8 And a high-way shall be there and a way and it shall be called the way of holinesse the unclean shall not passe over it but it shall be for those the way-faring men though fools shall not err therein Some men say lo here is the way Other men say lo there is the way but certainly the way of holinesse is the surest the safest the easiest the noblest and the shortest way to happinesse Among the Heathens no man could enter into the Temple of Honour but must first enter into the Temple of Vertue There is no entring into the Temple of happinesse except you enter into the Temple of holinesse Holinesse must first enter into you before you can enter into Gods holy hill As Sampson cried out Give me water or I die or as Rachel cried out Give me children or I die so all unsanctified souls may well cry out Lord give me holinesse or I die Psalm 15. throughout give me holinesse or I eternally die If the Angels those Princes of glory fall once from their holinesse they shall be for ever excluded from everlasting happinesse and blessednesse If Adam in Paradise fall from his purity he shall quickly be driven out from the presence of divine glory Austin would not be a wicked man an unholy man one hour for all the world because he did not know but that he might die that hour and should he die in an unholy estate he knew he should be for ever separated from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power O Sirs do not deceive your own souls holinesse is of absolute necessity 2 Thess 1.8 9 10. without it you shall never see the Lord it is not absolutely necessary that you should be great or rich in the world but it is absolutely necessary that you should be holy it is not absolutely necessary that you should enjoy health strength friends liberty life but it is absolutely necessary that you should be holy A man may see the Lord without worldly prosperity but he can never see the Lord except he be holy A man may to heaven to happinesse without honour or worldly glory but he can never to heaven to happiness without holiness without holinesse here no heaven hereafter Rev. 21.27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth God will at last shut the gates of glory against every person that is without heart purity Ah Sirs holinesse is a flower that grows not in natures garden Men are not born with holinesse in their hearts as they are born with tongues in their mouths holinesse is of a divine off-spring it is a pearl of price that is to be found in no nature but a renewed nature in no bosome but a sanctified bosome There is not the least beam or spark of holinesse in any natural man in the world I have read that the Isle of Arren in Ireland hath such a pure Air that it was never yet infected with the Plague but such is not the nature of man Gen. 6.5 Every imagination of the thoughts of mans heart is only evil continually Job 25.4 How can man be clean that is born of a woman The interrogation carries in it a strong negation How can man be clean that is man cannot be clean that is born of a woman man that is born of a woman is born in sin and born both under wrath and under the curse And who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean Job 14.4 Isa 64.6 But we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags Rom. 3.10 11. There is none righteous no not one there is none that understandeth there is none thot seeketh after God Every man by nature is a stranger yea an enemy to holinesse Rom. 8.7 Every man that comes into this world comes with his face towards sin and hell and with his back upon God and holinesse Such is the corruption of our nature that propound any divine good to it it is entertained as fire by water or wet wood with hissing Propound any evil then it is like a fire to straw it is like the foolish Satyr that made haste to kisse the fire it is like that unctious matter which the Naturalists say sucks and snatches the fire to it with which it is consumed All men are born sinners and there is nothing but an infinite power that can make them Saints All men would be happy and yet they naturally loath to be holy By all which you may clearly see that food is not more necessary for the preservation of natural life then holiness is necessary for the preservation and salvation of the soul If a man had the wisdom of Solomon the strength of Sampson the courage of Joshua the policy of Ahitophell the dignities of Haman the power of Ahashueros and the eloquence of Apollos yet all these without holinesse would never save him Secondly Consider there is a possibility of obtaining holiness Prov. 2.2 3 4 5 6 7. Holiness is a golden mine that may be come at if you will but digg and sweat and take pains for it it is a flower of Paradise that may be gathered it is a crown that may be put on Rom. 13.12 13 14. it is a pearl of price that may be obtained if you will but part with the wicked mans Trinity the world the flesh and the devil to enjoy it Though some of the Attributes of God be incommunicable yet holinesse is a communicable attribute and this should mightily encourage you to look after holiness Well sinners remember this it is possible that those proud hearts of yours may be humbled it is possible that those hard hearts of yours may be softned it is possible that those unclean hearts of yours may be sanctified it is possible that those blind minds of yours may be enlightened it is possible that those stubborn wills of yours may be tamed it is possible that those disordered affections of yours may be regulated it is possible that those drowsie and defiled consciences of yours may be awakened and purged it is possible that those vile and polluted natures of yours may be changed and purified There are several things that do witness that holiness is attainable As 1. Witness Gods promise to give his holy Spirit to them that ask it Luke 11.13 If ye then being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children how much more shall your heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to them that ask him The holy Spirit is a gift more worth then a world yea then heaven it self and yet to make men holy God is willing to give his holy spirit upon very easie terms They shall have it for asking John 3.6 Titus 3.5 1 Cor. 6.11 the Spirit is a spirit of holiness he is holy in himself and the Author of all that holiness that is in man it is he that most powerfully
holiness 'T was a good saying of One Da quod Jubes Augustine jube quod vis Give what thou commandest and command what thou wilt O goe to God and tell him that what he has commanded in some Scriptures he has promised to give in other Scriptures and therefore press him to make good his promises that so you may obey his precepts O tell him that if he will but sprinkle clean water upon thee and put his Spirit within thee Ezek. 36.25 26 27 28. and give a new heart unto thee according to his promise that then thou wilt walke in his Statutes and keep his Judgments and doe them O tell him that if he will but put his feare into thy heart according to his promise Jer. 32.40 that then thou wilt never depart from him O tell him Phil. 1.29 James 5.17 that he has commanded thee to believe and that he has also promised to give thee faith and therefore if he will but make good his promise thou shalt be sure to obey his precepts O tell him that he has frequently commanded thee to repent Acts 5.31 2 Tim. 2.25 and that he has also graciously promised to give repentance and therefore if he will but performe his promise thou shalt not faile to obey his precepts c. O tell him that thou hast no mind to be damn'd tell him that thou tremblest at the thoughts of hell tell him that thou canst not without much horror think of dwelling with a devouring fire of dwelling with everlasting burnings O tell him Isa 33.14 2 Thes 1.7 8 9 10. that thou dreadest an eternall separation from him and therefore earnestly beseech him for his Sons sake and for his glory sake and his promise sake and thy souls sake that he would renew thy nature and sanctifie thy soul that so thou mayest not perish to all eternity But Sixthly and lastly What dis-ingenuity yea what injustice and unrighteousness is this that thou shouldest lye complaining of the want of power when thou doest not use and improve the power thou hast without the power and assistance of special grace thou hast power to attend religious duties and services thou hast power to turne thy back upon the infectious and dangerous society of wicked and ungodly men thou hast power to keep at a distance from the Harlots door Prov. 7. thou hast power to keep thy mouth of blasphemy shut thou hast power to keep thy hands from stealing James 3.10 Ephe. 4.28 Rom. 3.15 and thy feete from being swift to shed innocent blood thou hast power to bring thy body to an Ordinance though thou hast not power to bring thy soul to the Ordinance the Noble Bereans brought their bodies to the Ordinance Acts 17.11 12. and they took the heads of the Apostles Sermon and compared them with the Scripture and yet they were in an unrenewed and unsanctified estate O Sirs you have power to come to publick Ordinances and to set your selves under the droppings of a Gospel powerful Ministry you have power to lie at the poole of Bethesda and there to waite till the cure be wrought but where is the unsanctified soul that improves the power he has Tell me O vaine man why should God trust thee with a greater power when thou makest no conscience of improving that power thou hast Why should God trust thee with Ten Tallents when thou hast no heart to improve the two that he has already trusted thee withall What wise Father or Master will trust that child or servant with hundreds or thousands who makes no conscience of improving far lesser sums to the honour and advantage of the Father or the Master how doest thou know O man but that upon the faithfull improvement of that power thou hast God may adde a greater power to thee if thou wilt but goe that two miles thou canst God may strike in with thee and inable thee to goe Ten. 'T is a dangerous thing to neglect the doing of that which thou canst doe because that thou canst not doe every thing that thou shouldest doe Suppose a Father or a Master should say to his Son or servant take such and such wares and commodities and carry them to such and such places for such and such Chapmen and the Son or servant should say well though there be some small light burthens that I can well enough carry yet there are many heavie burthens that I cannot carry and therefore I will carry none at all may not the Father of such a Son or the Master of such a servant in much Justice and righteousness severely punish such a Son or servant doubtless yes Why this is the very case of all unsanctified souls God commands them to believe and repent and to love him with all their hearts and to set him up as the object of their feare and to give him the preheminence in all things c. But these are supernaturall acts beyond their power And he commands them to attend on the meanes of grace and to waire at Wisdoms door he commands them to apply themselves to publike ordinances and to keep close to family duties and to turne their backs upon such and such vicious societies c. and these are things they can doe and yet because they cannot doe the former they wilfully and wickedly refuse to doe the latter because they cannot bare the heaviest burthen they are resolved they will bare none at all and because they cannot doe every thing they should they will doe nothing at all except it be to complaine that God is a hard Master and expects to reape where he do's not sowe now how just and righteous a thing it is with God to deale severely with such I will leave you to judge And let this suffice for answer to the first objection Object Object 2 But hereafter may be time enough to look after holiness I may yet pursue after the pleasures and profits of the world I may yet spend some years in gratifying mine own lusts and in walking after the course of the world I have time enough before me and therefore some years hence may be time enough to look after holiness Now to this objection I shall give these Answers First Thou wilt not say that thou canst be saved too soon nor happie too soon nor blessed too soon nor pardoned too soon nor in the favour of God too soon nor out of the danger of wrath hell and everlasting burnings too soon and if so then certainly thou canst not be holy too soon for thou canst never be truly happie till thou art truly holy No man will be so foolish and mad as to say he may be rich too soon and great too soon and high and honorable in the world too soon and in faâ—â—â—r and esteeme with men especially with great men too soon and why then shouldest thou be so mad and foolish as practically to say that thou canst be holy too soon
had all your dayes laine under a hedge then that you have sit so long upon seats of honor and that you had begg'd your bread from dore to dore then that you have had your full Cups and full Tables and that you had been cloth'd with Raggs then that you have put on costly Robes and that you had rather been a turning of Spits then a tossing of Pots or Pipes for the great things of this world do's but lay men the more open to great Temptations and to great provocations even to commit the greatest abominations O! Sirs Suppose a criminous person who is led to execution should ingrave his Coat of Armes upon the Prison-Gate would he not be accounted vaine and mad and yet such is the madness and vanity of the great ones of this world that they endeavour with the greatest industry to leave monuments of their dignity in the prison of this world Psal 49.10 15. but take no care to make provision for another world and all this is out of the horrid pride and loftiness of their spirits Psal 10.4 The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God God is not in all his thoughts There is nothing that hinders a man from seeking after a holy God and from pursuing after holiness like pride A proud heart is too stout to thinke of holiness or to mind holiness or to prize holiness or to press after holiness Exod. 5.2 Who is the Lord says proud Pharoah that I should serve him so says the proud heart who is holiness and what is holiness that I should seek it and press so hard after it As there is no sin that fortifies the heart against holiness like pride so there is no sin that weakens dis-inables the heart to pursue after holiness like pride O! you proud and lofty ones of the world who look upon holiness as a poor low contemptible thing tell me what are all your noble births and great estates c. but trisles that God bestowes upon the worst and basest of men The whole Turkish Empire says Luther is but a Crust that God casts to a Dogge Tell me whether the Fly and the Worme yea the most contemptible creature if there be any such was not mans elder Brother at his first creation and if so why then should vaine man be proud O tell me whether thou hast ever laid to heart that soul-abasing and soul-humbling text Psal 39.5 The originall runs elegantly Verily every man at his best estate is altogether vanity Selah Verily lets that in and Selah shuts that up verily every man not some man but every man Col Adam Col Hebel all Adam is all vanity or every man is every vanity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 every man is a comprehensive vanity every rich man is every vanity and every great man is every vanity and every mighty man is every vanity and every Noble man is every vanity yea and that which is yet more every man at his best estate not in his childhood or decrepit age but in his best estate when he is best constituted and under-laid when he is most firmly fixed and setled on his best bottom yet even then he is vanity The Original runs thus every man standing that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as some carry it standing a Tip-toe in all his Gallantry and bravery in all his beauty and glory and in all his pomp and majesty is vanity yea every vanity Well Sirs remember this that as rotten wood and Glow-worms make a glorious shew in the night but when the day appeares they appeare to be poore despicable base creatures so though now the high the great and mighty ones of the earth shine and gloriously sparkle in the darkness of this world yet in that day when the Sun of righteousness shall arise and manifest the secrets of all hearts to the world and strip the great ones of all their Titles of honor and their noble parentage and their rich and royal Robes and their Troopes and Traines and their crowns and chains then they will appeare to be but base and despicable creatures then their poverty and misery their nakedness and vileness will appeare to all the world then the world shall see that riches without righteousness power without piety and greatness without holiness will doe the Gods of this world no good O that thou hadst now a heart to weep over that pride of heart that keeps thee from pursuing after holiness that so thou mayest not weep to all eternity in utter darkness But Fifthly and lastly I answer That there are no persons under heaven that stand so much obliged to look after holiness and to press with all their might to obtaine holiness as the rich the great the mighty and the honorable of the earth For first why has God made them greater then others but that they should labour to be better then others they are therefore higher then others that they may be holier then others the greatness of their outward glory calls aloud upon them to excell in sanctity and woe to them that are resolv'd to be worse then others because God has done more for them then he has for others Secondly They of all men have more time leasure and advantages to heare much that they be holy and to reade much that they may be holy and to pray much that they may be holy and to confer much with all sorts and ranks of men that they may be holy and therefore it concerns them above all other men in the world to be holy Other men have neither the time nor the advantages to gaine holiness as these men have The poor people in Sweden say that 't is only for Gentlemen to keep the Sabbath But Thirdly Their examples are most powerfull and prevalent with the people either for much good Pro. 29.12 or for much evill If the mountains overflow with waters the vallies are the better and if the head be full of ill humors the whole body fares the worse The Actions of Rulers are most commonly rules for the peoples actions and their examples passeth as currant as their Coine Esth 1.10 11 15 16 17 18. Vide. It s noted in King Alphonsus sayings that a great man cannot commit a small sin If their examples are evill there are none so dangerous as theirs Jeroboam the Son of Nebat is never mentioned in the Scripture nor never read of in the Chronicles of Israel but he draws a Tayle after him like a blazing Star who made Israel to sin A sick head disordereth all the other parts and a dark eye benights the whole body The evill examples of great men corrupts the Aire round about The common people are like tempered wax easily receiving impressions from the Seals of great mens vices If a Peasant meet with Luxury in a scarlet Robe he dares be such having so faire a cloake for it If the vulgar people meet with drunkenness
and large Tophet is the name of a place in the valley lying on the South side of Jerusalem Josh 18.16 Now in this vale stood Tophet wherein the Idolatrous Jews used to burne their children in sacrifice to the Idol Moloc and it had that name from the Drums or Tabrets that their Idolatrous Priests used to beat upon at the time of their detestable services to drowne the hideous shrieks and lamentable cryes of the poore sacrificed children the pile thereof is fire and much wood the breath of the Lord like a streame of Brimstone doth kindle it Alas the Brick-kilns of Egypt and the Furnace of Babel were but as a blaze of straw to this Tormenting Tophet that has been prepared of old for the great and mighty ones of the earth Oh how dreadfull must that fire be that is prepared by God himselfe and that is kindled by the breath of the Lord and that shall never be quenched and yet such is the fire that is prepared for the great and mighty ones of the world O! the easeless the endless the remediless the unsufferable and yet the inevitable Torments that are prepared for those that are great and graceless in hell their wanton eyes shall be tormented with ugly and fearefull sights of ghastly Spirits and their ears that us'd to be delighted with all delightfull musick shall now be filled with the hideous cryes howlings and yellings of Devills and damned Spirits and their tongues of blasphemy shall now be tormented with drought and thirst and though with the Glutton they cry out for a drop to coole their tongues yet Justice will deny them drops who have denyed others crums and their hands of bribery cruelty and tyranny shall now be bound with everlasting chaines and so shall their feete which were once swift to shed innocent blood In a word their torments shall be universall they shall extend to every member of the body and to every faculty of the soul Ah Sirs fire sword famine prisons Racks and all other torments that men can invent are but as flea-bitings to those Scorpions but as drops to those vials of wrath and but as sparks to those eternal flames that all unsanctified persons shall lye under Look as the least joy in heaven infinitely surpasseth the greatest comforts on earth so the least torments in hell doe infinitely exceed the greatest that can be devised here on earth for a close remember this as there are degrees of glory in heaven so there are degrees of torment in hell and as those that are most eminent in grace and holiness Math. 10.15 Chap. 11.22 Luke 12.47 48. shall have the greatest degrees of glory in heaven so those that are most vile and wicked on earth shall have the greatest degrees of torments and punishments in hell Now common experience tells us that the rich the great the high the honorable and the mighty ones of the world are usually the most excelling in all wickedness and ungodliness and therefore their condemnation will be the greater they shall have a hotter and a darker hell then others except they labour after this holiness which will be their only fence against hell and their sure path to heaven But Sixthly and lastly of all men on earth the rich the great and the honorable will be found most inexcusable The poore and the mean ones of the earth will plead their want of time and want of means and want of opportunities they will be ready to say Psal 127.1 2. Lord we have rise earely and gon to bed late we have labour'd and sweate and droyl'd and all little enough to get bread to eate and cloaths to weare As the poore people on the Northerne borders when to suppress their Theeveries some prest upon them the eighth Commandement they to excuse themselves replied that that Commandement was none of Gods making but thrust into the Decalogue by King Henry the eighth and to keep the Sargeant from the doore and to pay every man his own had we had but the time the meanes the advantages that such and such Gentlemen have had and that such and such Nobles have had and that such and such Princes have had c. O how would we have minded holiness and studied holiness and prest after holiness but seeing it has been otherwise with us we hope Lord we may be excused but what excuse will you be able to make O ye great ones of the earth who have had time and opportunities and all advantages imaginable to make your selves holy and happy for ever and yet you have trifled away your golden seasons and forgotten the one thing necessary and given your selves up to the lusts and vanities of this world as if you were resolv'd to be damn'd Let me a little allude to that John 15.22 If I had not come and spoken unto them they had not had sin but now they have no cloak or excuse for their sin So will God one day say to the great ones of the woâ—ld Had I not given you riches and greatness and honor c. to have encouraged you to look after holiness and that you might have time and leasure and opportunity to seek holiness and pursue it you might have had some â—loak some excuse for your neglecting so great so glorious so noble and so necessary a work O but now you have no cloak no excuse at all for your sin now you can shew no reason under heaven why an eternal doom should not be past upon you and ah how silent how mute how speechless Titus 3.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Self-condemned or self damned and how self-condemned will all the great ones of the world be when God shall thus expostulate with them O! that such would seriously lay to heart that Math. 22.11 12. And when the King came in to see the Guests he saw there a man which had not on a wedding Garment And he saith unto him Friend how camest thou in hither not having a wedding Garment and he was speechless By the wedding Garment the Learned understand holiness of heart and life now when the King questions him about the want of this wedding Garment he is speechless or as the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imports He was muzzled or haltered up that is he held his peace as though he had a bridle or a halter in his mouth he was not able to speak a word for himselfe his own conscience had past a secret sentence of condemnation upon him and he sat silent under that sentence as having nothing under heaven to say why he should not be cast into utter darkness And this will be the very case of all the rich the great and the mighty ones of the world who shall be found without the garment of holiness when the Lord shall enter into Judgement with them And thus you see by these six Arguments that there are no persons under heaven that are so eminently engaged to look after
holy man proceeds from grace to grace from vertue to vertue he goes from faith to faith and from strength to strength till at length he shines as the Sun in his strength So in that Hosea 14.5 6 7. I will be as the due unto Israel he shall grow as the Lilly and cast forth his root as Lebanon His branches shall spread and his beauty shall be as the Olive-tree and his smell as Lebanon They that dwell under his shaddow shall return they shall revive as the corn and grow as the vine the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon The growth the fruitfulness and the flourishing estate of the Saints in grace and holiness is set forth by a seven-fold Metaphor in these words the Similes are all plain and easie and you may easily dilate upon them in your own thoughts and therefore I shall pass them I shall conclude with that precious promise John 4.14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life The Spirit in its gracious operations shall be a constant spring in believers hearts and it shall every day rise higher and higher like the water in Ezekiel Ezek. 47.1 7. till grace be swallowed up in glory And thus you see by these choice promises that 't is possible for you to attain to a greater measure of holiness But Secondly The prayers that have been put up upon this very account do clearly evidence the same Certainly the people of God would never have prayed for higher degrees of grace and holiness if they had not been attainable Now 't is very observable that the spirits of the Saints have run out much this way as is evident in these instances Phil. 1.9 10 11. And this I pray 〈◊〉 brevis penetrat Coelum that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgement That ye may approve things that are excellent that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ Being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God Col. 1.9 For this cause we also since the day we heard it do not cease to pray for you and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding Chap. 4.12 Epaphras who is one of you a servant of Christ saluteth you always laboring fervently for you in prayers that ye may stand perfect and compleat in all the will of God The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a Metaphor from a Ship whose Sails are filled with wind Epaphras was an humble petitioner that the souls of the Colossians might be filled with the highest degrees of grace and holiness as the Sails of a Ship are filled with winde 1 Thes 3.12 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one towards another and towards all men even as we do towards you The Apostle by doubling his word encrease and abound discovers himself to be an importunate suitor that a double portion of grace and holiness might be given out to the Thessalonians So in that Heb. 13.20 21. Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus that great Shepherd of the Sheep through the blood of the everlasting Covenant Make you perfect in every good work to do his will working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory for ever and ever Amen The Apostle can't beg any thing for these believing Hebrews below perfection And the Apostle Peter puts up the same requests for those blessed converts that were scattered throughouâ— Pontius Galatia Cappadocia Asia and Bithynia In that 1 Pet. 5.10 But the God of all grace who hath called us into his eternal glory by Christ Jesus after that ye have suffered a while make you perfect stablish strengthen settle you God is called the God of all grace because he is the giver of all kinds of grace and of all degrees of grace Now nothing will satisfie this great Apostle when he comes to plead for these Saints below perfection though they had as much grace as would bring them to heaven yet he begs such a perfection of grace as might raise them high in heaven And thus it appeareth by the prayers of these holy men that Saints may still be rising in grace and holiness But Thirdly The experience of other Saints does clearly evidence this that you may attain unto higher degrees of grace and holiness then those that yet you have attained unto Psal 37.37 Phil. 3.11 16. Can. 4.7 Eph. 5.26 27. Rev. 14.4 5. Prov. 2.21 Chap. 11.5 2 Tim. 3.16 17. Gen. 6.9 Noah was a just man and perfect in his generation and Noah walked with God Noah was not only perfect with a perfection of parts nor onely perfect in respect of desires endeavors and aims nor onely perfect â—n respect of his justification before God by imputed righteousness nor onely perfect in respect of Gods approbation acceptation and delight nor onely perfect in respect of Gods designe and intentions to make him so in another world nor onely perfect in respect of those gifts and graces with which he was adorned and furnished for the discharge of his place office work to which the Lord had called him nor onely comparatively perfect in regard of that prophane ungodly and debauched generation among whom he lived but also he is said to be perfect in respect of an eminent progress that he had made in grace and holiness he had attained to considerable degrees and measures of grace and holiness and though his proficiency in the exercise of grace and practice of piety fell short of compleat perfection yet it rise to such a height that God could not but crown him and and Chronicle him for a perfect man 1 Pet. 2.2 1 Joh. 2.12 13 14. Heb. 5.12 13 14 In all Ages of the world there has been four several Ages of Christians viz. Babes children young men and old men Noah was not a babe nor a child nor a young man but an old man in grace and holiness and therefore he is said to be perfect There are several forms in Christs School some higher some lower now he that is in the highest form may be said to be perfect in regard of those that are in a lower or in the lowest form now Noah was in the highest form of grace and godliness therefore he is said to be perfect and in this sense I suppose Job is said to be a perfect man Job 1.1.8 There was a man in the Land of Vz whose name was Job and that man was perfect and upright and one that feared God and eschewed evil And the Lord said unto Satan hast thou considered my servant Job that there is none like him
Colonus the Dutch Martyr called to the Judge that had sentenced him to death and desired him to lay his hand upon his heart and then asked him whose heart did most beate his or the Judges here was a man of an heroick spirit indeed Basil was a man of great holiness and a man of a most masculine and couragious spirit when the Emperour sent to him to subscribe to the Aarian heresie to engage him Hist Tripart lib. 7. cap 36. promised him great preferment to which he replyed Alas these speeches are fit to catch little children withall that look after such things but we that are nourished and taught by the holy Scriptures are readier to suffer a thousand deaths then to suffer one syllable or tittle of the Scripture to be altered And when the Emperour threatned him with imprisonment banishment death he answered Let him threaten boyes with such Fraybugs as for my part I am resolved that neither menaces nor flatteries shall silence me or draw me to betray a good Cause or a good Conscience Charles the ninth king of France The History of France in the yeare 1572. who had a deep hand in that barbarous and bloody Massacre of many thousands of the Saints in France soone after that horrid tragical and perfidious slaughter was over he called the Prince of Conde proposed to him these three things Either to go to Mass or to die presently or to suffer perpetual imprisonment To which he returned this noble bold and heroick answer viz. That by Gods help he would never chuse the first and for either of the other two he left to the kings pleasure and Gods providence John Duke of Saxony was eminent in Christianity and he did heroically assert and maintaine the cause of God against all opposition in three Imperial Assemblies And when it was told him that he should lose the favour of the Pope and the Emperour and all the world besides if he stuck so fast to the Lutheran cause to which he gave this noble answer Here are two ways said he I must serve God or the world which of these do you think is the better and so put them off with this pleasant indignation and when the States of the Empire forbid all Lutheran Sermons he presently prepared to be gone and professed boldly that he would not stay there where he might not have liberty to serve God And thus you see by all these famous instances that the more eminent any persons are in holiness the more bold resolute couragious and heroical they will be for God for the things of God and therefore as ever you would be men of high courage and resolution for God labour to be high in holiness Such men who in all Ages have been eminent in holiness have been like Shammah one of Davids Worthies who stood and defended the field when all the rest fled But Twelfthly To provoke you to labour after higher degrees of holiness Consider that the more holiness any man attains to the more serviceable and usefull he will be in his Generation David was a man eminent in holiness and as eminently serviceable in his Generation Acts 13.36 For David after he had served his own Generation by the will of God fell on sleep and was laid unto his fathers and saw corruption Men that have but a little Stock of holiness will be but a little serviceable in their Generation but men that have a great Stock of holiness will be greatly serviceable in their Generation men that have but little Farms little Stocks are but a little serviceable to their Countrey but men that have great Farmes and large Stocks and rich revenues are greatly serviceable to their Countrey What a world of good sometimes do's one Rich man doe in a Towne a City a Countrey So one Saint that is rich in grace and holiness O what a world of good do's he do to all that are round about him Merchants that have great Stocks trade to the East and West Indies and so inrich their Countrey when as those that have but weak estates can only Barter with their neighbours at home and so are instruments but of little publike good A Candle inlightens the Roome but the Sun inlightens the whole world the more holiness any man has the more meete for publike use that man will be As there was none so holy as Christ 2 Tim. 2.21 Acts 10.38 so there was none of so publike a spirit as Christ he went up and downe doing good he laid out himselfe and he laid downe himselfe for publike good he healed others but was hurt himselfe he filled others but was hungry himself A man that is eminent in holiness will be of his minde who was rather willing to beautifie Italy then his own house Num. 14.11 12 13 14 19 20. Moses was a man of great holiness and of famous use in his Generation ah how often did he turne away the fierce anger and indignation of God from sinful Israel Deut. 9.14 Psal 106.23 and O the famous deliverances and glorious salvations that God brought about by his hand Nehemiah Nehe. 5.14 ult was a very holy man and he laid out himselfe and his great estate for publike service Mordecai was a very pious man Esth 4. vide a man famously serviceable in his Generation Esth 10.3 For Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus and great among the Jews accepted of the multitude of his brethren seeking the wealth of his people and speaking peace to all his seed King Jehosaphat and Joshuah were men of eminent holiness and of singular use and service in their Generation men that have no holiness others that have but a little holiness will be still a carrying on a private interest of honor or profit or friends or Relations and this we have seen evident amongst us in these latter dayes therefore as ever you would be eminently serviceable in your Generation labor after an eminency in holiness But Thirteenthly To provoke you to labor after higher degrees of holiness consider that the greatest degrees of holiness are usually attended wirh the highest degrees of honor 2 Cor. 3.18 Grace is called glory and the greatest measures of Grace are commonly crowned with the greatest degrees of glory Eph. 5.27 Abraham was a man eminent in Grace and holiness and he was highly in honor among the people Gen. 23.6 Hear us my Lord thou art a mighty Prince amongst us Or as the Hebrew has it thou art a Prince of God amongst us that is thou art a notable Prince thou art an excellent Prince for so the Hebrews speak of all things that are notable and excellent Job Job 1.1 2. was a man that had attained to a very high degree of holiness and he was highly honored among the people Job 29.25 I chose out their way and sat chief and dwelt as a king in the Army in all weighty
have in heaven shall not be given out to them upon the account of their merits or the dignity of their persons or the worthiness of their works but upon the account of Gods meere mercy and grace who in the day of retribution will delight to crowne his own gifts not our merits and where he shall finde the greatest measures of grace holiness Deus nihil coronat nisi dona sua Aug. When God crowneth us he doth but crowne his own gifts in us c. there he will of his own free mercy bestow the greatest measure of glory Well friends remember this you must alwayes carefully distinguish between the essence and substance of glory and between degrees and measures of glory Now the essence and substance of glory which consists in the Saints full communion with God and in their perfect conformity to God and in their universal subjection to God and in their everlasting fruition of God be common to all the Saints so that no one Saint shall have more of the essence and substance of glory then another has yet the degrees and measures of glory shall be distributed to some more to some less Now that there shall be different degrees of glory in heaven answerable to the different degrees of grace and holiness that the Saints reach to here on earth and that God will at last proportion his Rewards according to the different degrees of labour seâ—â—ice and sufferings of his people in this world may be made evident 1. By cleare Scriptures 2. By Arguments Now there are severall Scriptures that speaks out this truth take these for a taste First that 1 Cor. 3.8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour The Apostle having compared his own and Apollo's work together adds That both should receive their reward according to their work that is as their work differed so should their reward differ though they both preacht one and the same doctrine and had both one and the same designe and purpose viz. to bring in souls to Christ and to build up souls to Christ yet according to their different degrees of labour so should be their different degrees of reward Though no man should work in Gods vineyard for nought yet he that was most faithful diligent and laborious in planting or in watering Gods Husbandry should have the greatest reward Paul and Apollo shall at last receive their different reward according to their different labour or neerer the Original they shall each of them receive 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their proper reward according to their proper work A second Scripture is that 1 Cor. â—5 41 42. There is one glory of the Sun and another glory of the Moone and another glory of the Stars for one Star differeth from another in glory so also is the resurrection of the dead Mark here is the full stop and these words are not to be referr'd to those following words viz. That the body is sown in corruption and riseth againe in incorruption For the Apostle speaks not here of the difference between glorious and inglorious corruptible and incorruptible things but he speaks here of the difference that is between heavenly and glorious things for faith he one Star differs from another in glory 'T is very observable that the comparison runs between the glorified condition of some Saints that shall rise and other some that shall rise in the great day So that look as one Star differs from another Star in glory so one Saint shall differ from another Saint in glory at the resurrection of the dead Though every Star is bright shining and glorious yet some Stars are more bright shining and glâ—rious then others are so though every Saint still shine gloriously in heaven yet some Saints shall have a greater lustre glory and shine upon them then others shall Look as some heavenly bodies are more glorious then others so in the morning of the resurrection some Saints shall be more glorious then others c. A third Scripture is that 2 Cor. 9.6 But this I say He which soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly and he which soweth bountifully shall reap bountifully A sparing liberality shall be attended with a sparing reward and a bounteous liberality shall be attended with a bounteous reward Look as the harvest answers the measure of seed that is sown so that he that sows but little reaps but little and he that sows much reaps much so Saints reaping at last will be answerable to their sowing here All mens charities shall at last be rewarded proportionable to the severall degrees of it he that gives a pound shall have a greater reward then he that gives a penny he that sows thousands shall reap more then he that sows hundreds he shall have the most plentifull crop in heaven who has sow'd most seed here on earth c. They shall have interest upon interest in heaven who sow much on this side heaven A fourth Scripture is that Luk 19.12 20. Now in this Parable you have a great Lord going into a far Country Mina here translated a pound is twelve ounces and a halfe which pound according to five shillings an ounce is three pound two shillings and six pence starling money Math. 2.2 Rev. 17.14 and ch 1.5 but before he goes he gives ten pounds to ten of his servants to trade with till his returne Now upon his returne he that had increased his pound to ten pounds was made ruler over ten Cities v. 17. And he that made five of one was made ruler over five Cities v. 19. Here he that gained most received the greatest reward The Nobleman in this Parable is our Lord Jesus Christ who is truly and highly noble he being coeternall and coequall with his Father in respect of his Deity he was borne a king and is now King of kings and Lord of lords and Prince of the Kings of the earth The far Countrey that he is gone to is heaven for thither he went at his ascension now when he shall returne from heaven to judge the quick the dead he will then bring men to an account to a reckoning about their improvement of all the gifts and graces that he has intrusted them with and according to the different improvement that men shall make of their Talents so shall be their reward he that makes the greatest improvement of his pound he shall have the greatest reward he shall be Ruler over ten Cities that is he shall be very highly honored and exalted and he that makes a lesser improvement he shall have a lesser reward he shall be Ruler over five Cities he that makes a great improvement of a little he shall if I may so speak sit at Christs right hand but he that makes a lesser improvement he must be contented to sit at Christs left hand God will proportion out mens reward at last answerable to their improvement of
spiritual blessings among his dearest children to some hee gives more light to others less to some a greater measure of love to others a less to some a greater degree of joy to others a less c. Some Saints shine in grace and holiness as the Firmament and others shine in grace and holiness as the Stars some shine in grace and holiness as the Moon and others shine in grace and holiness as the Sun and all this springs from those different measures of grace and holiness that God bestows upon his people Now doubtless men may as well plead for equal degrees of grace as they may for equal degrees of glory they may as well plead for an equal share in the good things of this world as they may plead for an equal share in the happiness and blessedness of that other world Doubtless as God dispenses his gifts and graces unequally in this life so hee will dispense his Rewards unequally in the other life As mens gifts and graces are different here on earth so their glory shall be different when they come to Heaven without all peradventure they shall have the whitest and the largest Robes of Honour and the heaviest and the brightest Crowns of Glory whose souls are most richly adorned with grace and whose lives are most eminently bespangled with holiness The more grace and holiness any Saint hath here the more hee is prepared and fitted for glory and the more any Saint is fitted for glory the more that Saint shall at last be filled with glory The greatest measures of grace holiness do most inlarge the soul and widen the soul and capacitate the soul to take in the greatest measures of glory and therefore the more grace the more glory the more holiness the more happiness a Saint shall have at last Certainly God will crown his own gracious works in his children proportionable to what they are but they are different and unequally in all his children in respect of measures and degrees and therefore God will set different Crowns of glory upon the heads of his children at last But Fourthly They that have more grace and holiness than others they are more like to God than others They bear his glorious Image in a greater print they have a brighter character of God upon them and they are the most lively picture of God in all the world Now wee know though Parents love their children well and wish all their children well and do for all their Children well yet commonly they love them most and provide for them best that resemble them most Parents cannot but love those children most and lay up for them most who have most of themselves in them and I cannot see how God can do otherwise than love them most and provide for them best who most resembled him to the life the nature of God is a holy nature and so there lies a holy necessity on his nature to love them most who have most grace and holiness in them look as t is natural to God to hate wickedness Psal 45.7 so t is natural to God to love holiness and as the higher men rise in wickedness the more a holy God hates them so the higher men rise in holiness the more a holy God loves them now the more any are like to God and the more they are beloved of God the higher doubtless in glory shall they bee advanced by God The best and the largest Portion is laid up for that Childe that is most like his Father the more any man in holiness resembles God on Earâ—h the greater and the larger Portion of glory that man shall have when hee comes to Heaven But Fiftly and lastly to deny degrees of glory in Heaven and to say that God won't sute mens wages to their works nor their rewards to their services nor crown the highest improvements of grace with the highest degrees of glory is to render useless many glorious exhortations that are scattered up and down in the Scripture as that in the 1 Cor. 15.58 Therefore my beloved Brethren bee yee stedfast unmoveable alwaies abounding in the work of the Lord for asmuch as you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. If this were not a truth that I have been all this while asserting why then when men meet with this exhortation they may say why t is no great matter whether we are stedfast unmoveable and alwaies abounding in the work of the Lord or no for if wee are wee shall never advance our reward in Heaven wee shall never add Pearls to our glorious Crown wee shall never add one mite to our happiness and blessedness and if wee are not wee shall bee as high in Heaven and our reward as great and our crown as weighty as theirs shall bee who are stedfast unmoveable alwaies abounding in the work of the Lord. And so the denyal of degrees of glory in Heaven will take off also the edge of all those other exhortations of perfecting holiness of sowing liberally 2 Cor. 7 1. cap. 9.6 2 Pet. 3. ult Joh. 15.8 2 Pet 1.5 6 7. of growing in grace of bringing forth much fruit and of adding vertue to vertue c. yea this will cut the throat of all divine endeavours for who will labour to bee rich in grace and to bee much in service and to abound in all the fruits of righteousness and holiness when none of all this will turn to a mans advantage in another world If hee that sows little shall have as great a Harvest as hee that sows much if hee that is dull and negligent in the work of the Lord shall have as great a reward as hee that is active and abundant in the work of the Lord. If those trees of righteousness which bring forth much fruit shall have no greater a recompence than those trees of righteousness which bring forth many leaves of profession but little fruit c. who would sow much and who would bee active and abundant in the work of the Lord and who would bring forth much fruit verily but few if any But now the opinion or rather the truth that I have been labouring to make good viz. that there shall bee different degrees of glory in Heaven and that God will proportion mens reward to their work and that he will measure out happiness and blessedness to them at last according to the different measures of grace bestowed upon his people and according to the work service and faithfulness of his people in this world This truth I say held forth in its luster and glory is a marvellous incouragement and a mighty provocation to all sincere Christians to labour after the highest pitches in Christianity and to bee very eminent in grace and holiness for what man is there that will not reason thus the more grace the more glory the more holiness the more happiness the more work the more wages and the greater my service shall bee here the
greater shall bee my reward hereafter and therefore O my Soul grow in grace perfect holiness and abound in the work and service of the Lord knowing that thy labour shall not bee in vain in the Lord And thus I have given you the reasons that prove that there shall bee degrees of glory in Heaven Now I have nothing further to do upon this point but to give a few brief Answers to such Objections as are commonly raised against this truth that I have asserted and proved Obj. First Some object and say that one Christ bought us all and that all our portions are bought by the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ and that therefore all beleevers shall share alike in the inheritance of the Saints in light now to this Objection I shall Answer First That all Saints shall bee equal sharers in the substantial and essential glory of Heaven c. but of this I have spoken before and therefore Secondly Though a Father buyes a rich inheritance for all his Children yet this laies no necessity nor obligation at all upon him to alot to every one of his Children an equal portion so though our Lord Jesus Christ hath by his blood purchased a rich inheritance for his Children yet this layes no necessity nor obligation at all upon Jesus Christ to divide this rich inheritance by equal portions among his Children t is true that Christ hath purchased all with his blood and t is as true that hee may divide his purchase among his people as hee pleases if every man may do with his own as hee pleaseth why may not Christ must hee needs bee bound when others are free Thirdly and lastly I answer that as it is true that the merits and satisfaction of Christ is the ground and foundation of our reward and that alone which makes our works capable of a reward so t is as true that our works are the subject of reward and this is most agreeable to the compact that was made between Christ and his Father that everlasting happiness and blessedness that eternal glory and felicity should bee measured out to the Saints according to their different measures of grace and different degrees of service that they have been engaged in in this world and all this upon the credit of Christs blood certainly there is nothing under heaven below the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ that can make differing works capable of a different reward the Papists are most sadly out for they are so blinde and bold as to affirm that the more grace any man hath the more glory hee merits by his grace these men make degrees of grace and not the blood of Jesus Christ to be the meritorious cause of degrees of glory and therefore of all men I think they are furthest from glory certainly this is the beleevers glory and his crown of rejoycing that all recompences and rewards shall flow in upon him not upon the account of his merits but upon the account of Christs blood and thus much shall suffice to have spoken by way of Answer to this Objection Obj. 2. But now in the Second place I shall come to answer their grand and main objection and that is taken from that Parable in the 20 Matth. where the Kingdome of Heaven is compared to a vineyard now in this Parable there is mention made of a Husband-man that call'd several labourers into his vineyard at several hours in the day some hee call'd at the first hour and some hee call'd at the third and some at the ninth and some at the eleventh now when they came all to receive their wages the story tells us that hee gave every man a penny hee gave every man an equal reward they that laboured from the first hour and they that laboured from the third hour and they that laboured from the sixth hour of the day had no greater a recompence than hee that came in at the eleventh hour and so had labour'd but one hour in the vineyard and bore but little if any of the heat of the day from whence the Objectors conclude that there are no degrees of glory in Heaven but that all shall have glory alike happiness and blessedness alike every man shall have his penny every man shall have an equal reward and no mans penny in Heaven shall bee brighter or bigger than anothers Now by way of answer to this objection give mee leave to premise these three things First That this Parable of the housholder in giving to every man a penny hath no reference at all to Heaven nor to the reward nor to the glory that shall bee confer'd upon the Elect and this I shall clearly and fully prove by these four following Arguments First This illative particle for in vers 1. sheweth that this Parable is inserted to expound the former conclusion viz. that the first shall bee last and the last shall bee first and therefore the end of the Parable is concluded with the repetition of the same sentence vers 16. the last shall bee first and the first shall be last Christ by this Parable would teach his hearers that there is no reason under Heaven why they which are first called in respect of time should boast or triumph over others because hee can easily call the uncalled at pleasure and either make them equal with them or else prefer them before them which are first The scope of Christ in this Parable is not to set forth the equality of celestial glory 't is not to prove that the happiness and blessedness of the Saints shall be equal in Heaven but the very drift of the Parable is to shew that they which are first called and converted have no cause at all to despise the uncalled unconverted or to trample upon them with the foot of pride considering that they who are yet in their sins and in their blood and in an unconverted and unsanctified estate may yet be called and either made equal to them or preferred before them But Secondly Interpreters do generally agree in this that by the Husbandman wee are to understand God himself and by the Labourers men upon earth and by the Vineyard the Church of God and several of them say Chrysostom Origen Jerom Gregory Austin that by the five hours in the Parable wee are to understand the five ages of man First By those who were called in the morning See my Apples of Gold and sent into the Vineyard wee are to understand those who in their childhood are called and converted they are such who begin to seek the Lord and to serve the Lord even as soon as they are capable of the use of reason As Samuel did and as Josiah did and as Timothy did Secondly By those who are called at the third hour wee are to understand those who are converted and turned to the Lord in their youth in the prime the spring and morning of their daies Thirdly By those who were called at the
Lawfulnesse For a man to be often a looking over his Natural actions his Moral actions and his Religious actions and to be still a putting this question to himself O my soul dost thou eye what is expedient dost thou eye as well what is expedient as what is lawful such a frame and temper of spirit speaks out much of Christ and Holinesse within O the sins O the sorrows O the shame O the reproach O the troubles O the travels O the trials c. that might have been prevented had the Law had the Rule of Expediency been more minded and followed by Christians in these daies c But Twelfthly and lastly The more a man can deny himself when hee hath an opportunity power and authority to raise himself to greaten himself to seek himself and to lift up himself the greater measure of Holiness that man hath attained to Providence often puts many a rare and fair opportunity into Moses his hand Exod. 32.9 15. Deut. 9.13 14 18 19 20. Heb. 12.24 25. Nehem. 5.14 ult whereby hee might have raised himself and have greatned himself in the world and yet then even then hee denies himself And Nehemiah was a man of the same mind and metal hee stood upon the advantage ground to have greatned himself and to have lifted up himself as others had done before him but instead of this hee lessens himself hee denies himself hee degrades himself and being of a very noble generous publick spirit hee turns his back upon his own worldly interest and keeps a very free and bountiful Table upon the account of his own particular Revenue and not upon the account of a publick purse And so Daniel was one in Spirit with the former when God had brought him into high favour with the Prince of the Eunuchs Dan. 1.8 9 10 11. and given him a great deal of heart-room there yet upon no terms would hee defile himself with the Kings meat or comply with the requests of the Prince of the Eunuchs it argues a great deal of holiness for a man to deny his temporal self Rev. 4.10 11. to dethrone his temporal self when hee stands upon the advantage ground to advance his temporal self and to throne his temporal self in the world I have read of Trojane the Emperour how hee sent Eustochius one of his chiefest Captains against the Barbarians who having vanquished them returned home The Emperour being very joyful at this good news goes to meet him and brings him gloriously into the City Now Eustochius being high in the Emperours favour 't was but ask and have speak and speed but on this very day of Pomp Triumph and Glory hee chose rather to suffer the Martyrdome of himself his wife and children than with the Emperour to offer sacrifice to Apollo and so denies himself and all his present Pomp and Glory when hee might greatly have inriched himself and advanced himself Nothing speaks out greater measures of holiness than for a man to deny himself when hee may seek himself and exalt himself if hee pleases I have read of a godly man who being sorely tempted by Satan was much in duty to whom Satan said why takest thou this pains thou dost watch and fast and pray and abstainest from the sins of the times But O man what dost thou more than I do art thou no Drunkard no more am I art thou no Adulterer no more am I dost thou watch why let mee tell thee I never slept dost thou fast why I never ate nor drank what dost thou more than I do why I will tell thee Satan said the holy man I pray I serve the Lord nay more than all this I deny my self nay then saith Satan thou goest beyond mee for I am proud and I exalt my self and so vanished O the excellency of self-denial and O the holiness and the happiness of that man that can deny himself that can debase himself that can even trample upon himself when hee hath power and authority in his own hand to greaten himself and to exalt himself Power and authority will try what metal men are made of Ah how many have there been among us of late years who when they have had no power nor authority in their hands to help themselves have seemed to be great deniers of themselves but no sooner had they power and authority in their hands but ah what self-love what self-interest what self-seeking and what self-exalting was to be found amongst them O how have many among them instead of loving God to the contempt of themselves loved themselves to the contempt of God and who instead of debasing themselves that they might exalt God have debased God that they might exalt themselves and who instead of losing themselves that they might finde God have lost God that they might finde themselves These put mee in minde of the Abbot in Melancthon who lived strictly and lookt demurely and walkt humbly so long as hee was but a Monk but when by his seeming sanctity and humility hee had got to be Abbot hee grew most intollerable proud and insolent c. and being asked the reason of it hee confessed that his former lowly looks was but to see if hee could finde the keyes of the Abby how many such Abbots wee have had amongst us you all know Ah how rare is it to finde a man to deny himself when hee is advantaged to seek himself such a man is worth gold but this Iron-age affords few such golden-men Where this frame of spirit is there the streams of holiness runs deep And thus much for this Use of Trial and Examination And so I come now to the last Use of this Doctrine and that is for Comfort and Consolation to all those that have this real holiness without which there is no happiness O Sirs open wide the everlasting doors of your souls that not a River but a Sea of joy and comfort may flow in upon you For First Know for your comfort That real holiness is the seal of your eternal Election Some are elected to glorious offices in this world others are elected to eternal glory in the other world Joh. 6.70 Judas was chosen to be an Apostle on Earth but not to be a Saint in Heaven but the Thessalonians were elected to eternal glory in Heaven 1 Thes 1.4 though they were not chosen to any glorious offices here on Earth It may be thou art a poor creature that never wast nor never art like to be elected to any noble or honourable imployments either in Church or State O but if thou art a holy person then know for thy everlasting comfort that thy real holiness is a real seal of thine Eternal Election 't is the counterpane as it were of all that gracious love good will and eternal favour that God bears unto thee Ephes 1.4 Hee hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that wee should be holy God did not chuse us either
Sons and stand by them as Sons and lay up for them as Sons and lay out himself for them as Sons that they that have not deserved a smile from God a good word from God a bit of bread from God or a good look from God should be made the Sons of God What manner of love is this that they that have so highly provoked God that they that have walkt so cross and contrary to God that they that were so exceeding unlike to God that they that have preferred every lust and every toy and vanity before God that they that have fought many years under Satans Banner against God that they that have refused all the offers of mercy that hath been made by God that they that have deserved to be reprobated by God to be damned by God and to be thrown to Hell by God that these should be made the Sons of God O stand and wonder O stand and admire at the freeness of Grace and at the riches of Grace But Seventhly If thou art a holy person if thou art one that hast that real holiness without which there is no happiness then know for thy comfort that thou art an undoubted heir of everlasting Glory Rom. 8.16 17 18. James 2.5 2 Tim. 4.7 8. Rom. 8.29 30. For whom hee did foreknow hee also did predestinate to be conformed to the Image of his Son that is in holinesse that hee might bee the first born among many Brethren Moreover whom hee did predestinate them hee also called and whom hee called them hee also justified and whom hee justified them hee also glorified Holiness is a most sure earnest and pawn of glory 2 Thes 2.13 God hath chosen you to Salvation through Sanctification of the Spirit Mat. 5.8 Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God 1 Joh. 3.2 3. When hee shall appear wee shall be like him that is in glory for wee shall see him as hee is And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as hee is pure Hee that hath a real hope a lively hope of being like to Christ in Glory and of reigning with Christ in Heaven will set roundly upon the work of self-purifying there is no hope to that hope that runs out into holiness and that leads the soul on to the highest degrees of purification and that inables a man to set up Christs purity as the most perfect Pattern and exact Coppy for his Imitation Titus 3.4 5 6 7. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared not by works of Righteousness which wee have done but according to his mercy hee saved us by the washing of Regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost which hee shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour That being justified by his Grace wee should bee made heirs according to the hope of eternal Life Holiness is an infallible forerunner of glory 't is the first-fruits of that eternal happiness and blessedness that God hath laid up for his children in the highest Heavens And O what cause of joy and gladness should this be to every holy heart what though thou shouldest never have a good day more on Earth what though all the springs of comfort should be dried upon thy right hand and on thy left hand what though God should never smile on thee more in this world what though the remaining part of thy life should bee filled up with crosses losses troubles and trials what though God should let Satan loose to tempt thee and wicked men grow strong to oppress thee and friends turn enemies to grieve thee Yea what if thou shouldest go to thy grave with tears in thy eyes and with sorrow in thy heart yet as long as thou art sure that thou art an heir of Glory and that all the happiness of Heaven is thine and that thy Crown is safe Psal 16. ult and that thou shalt be for ever filled and satisfied with those everlasting pleasures and delights that be at Gods right hand thou hast cause to joy and rejoyce in the midst of all thy sorrows and sufferings Heb. 12.28 1 Pet. 1.3 4. See my String of Pearls on that very Text. yea to glory and triumph in the hopes and expectations of a Kingdome that shakes not of a Crown that withers not of Riches that corrupt not and of an Inheritance that fadeth not away O Sirs 't is not all the Silks of Persia nor all the Spices of Egypt nor all the Gold of Ophir nor all the Treasures of both Indies nor all the Crowns and Scepters in the world no nor yet the worth of ten thousand worlds that are to be compared with that Glory that is treasured up for all Gods holy ones they have an Inheritance reserved in Heaven for them that cannot be moth-eaten nor spoiled by hostile invasion nor wrung from them by power nor won from them by Law nor mortgaged for debt nor impaired by publick calamity nor plundered by Theeves and Robbers nor changed by Kings or Parliaments no nor violated by death it self and therefore what infinite cause of joy and rejoycing have all such that are interested in such an Inheritance and in such a perfect happiness and compleat blessedness that is reserved in Heaven for all Gods holy ones O what a singular comfort must this be to a Christian in the midst of all his miseries and distresses Psal 73.24 when hee is able to look upon God and say This God is my God for ever and ever and hee shall be my Guide to Glory and when hee is able to look up to Heaven and say This is my Inheritance yea when hee is able to look upon all the Glory and Happiness of another world and to say All this Glory and Happiness is mine for I have that Holiness that is the earnest of it Qui spirituali exultationis oleo uncti sunt c. Macar Hom. 17. the pawn of it and the first-fruits of it in my own soul 'T was an observable saying of Macarius They that are anointed with the spiritual Oil of gladness saith hee have received a sign of that incorruptible Kingdome to wit Gods Spirit for an earnest they are the Secretaries of the Heavenly King and relying confidently upon the Almighty they enter into his Palace where the Angels and the Spirits of holy men are although they be yet in this world for although they be not yet come to the intire Inheritance which is prepared for them in that world yet they are most sure of it by that pledge which they have newly received as sure as if they were already crowned and had the key of the Kingdome in their own possession 'T was a very sweet and comfortable speech which the Emperour used to Galba in his childehood and minority when hee took him by the chin and said Tu Galba c. Thou Galba shalt one day sit upon a Throne so 't is very sweet and