The Kingdome of glory 1. We are saved to the state or Kingdome of grace we are brought into Jerusalem the Holy and led through it into Ierusalem the happy we are conducted through holyness into happiness and made to pass through the porch of grace into the palace of glory 1. Salvation bestows upon us the first grace It s therefore called a Creation which we call regeneration and this as well as the first creation is ex nihilo the creating of grace where there was none before If any be in Christ saith the Apostle he is a new creature 2 Cor. 5.17 and David prayes create in me a clean heart O God Psal 51.10 And the promise is A new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart that is your body and I will give you an heart of flesh Ez. 36.26 2. It causes us to increase in grace 1. By Addition adding grace unto grace and proceeding from vertue to vertue observe the Apostles direction 2. Pet. 1.5 giving all diligence adde unto faith vertue and unto vertue knowledge and unto knowledge temperance and unto temperance patience and unto patience godliness and unto godliness brotherly kindness and unto brotherly-kindness love there is no grace that a gracious Soul would want 2. By Multiplication heaping grace upon grace knowledge upon knowledge faith upon faith repentance upon repentance obedience upon obedience indeavouring to advance to higher degrees in grace labouring that grace may not not only be in us but that it may abound in us 2 Pet. 1.8 As there is no grace for kind so there is no degree of grace for measure that a gracious Soul would want 3. And it doth not only prevent us with grace by giving us the first grace and enabling us to will and bestow upon us the second grace by assisting us with grace and enabling us to do as well as to will according to that saying Nolentem praevenit deus ut velit volentem subsequitur ne frustra velit God prevents us with his grace to make willing and God followes us with his grace to make able But it also keepes us in grace Paul gloryed that he had kept the faith which was by being kept in the faith according to that of Peter Yee are kept by the power of God through faith unto Salvation 1. Pet. 1.5 2. By this great Salvation we are saved to the Kingdome of glory as well as to that of grace Christ teacheth us to pray for both at once in that Petition Thy Kingdome come 1 let the Kingdome of sin and Satan be domolished in us and others and let thy Kingdome of grace come in the room of it and let us and others be kept in it and do thou also hasten the Kingdome of glory David mentions both by way of promise Psal 84.11 The Lord will give grace and glory and therefore he makes mention of both in his prayer Lord guide me with thy counsell and after that receive me to glory which is as much as if he had said Lord lead me through thy Kingdome of grace into thy Kingdome of glory Now as David said of the Jerusalem upon Earth we may much more of the Heavenly Jerusalem Many excellent things are spoken of thee thou City of God We may more easily give you a Negative description of it by telling you what is not there than a positive by telling you what is there yet take somwhat though but a touch of both 1 Negatively 1. There shall be no sin no unclean thing can enter into that Kingdome 1 Cor. 6.9 The Angells at the last day shall gather out of Christs mixt Kingdome the Churchmilitant all things that offend and that worke iniquity Mat. 13.41 that nothing but what is pure and undefiled may be gathered into the Church triumphant the Kingdome of glory 2. There shall be no labour that is called the rest that remaines for the people of God Earth was their place of labour and there was nothing else though some be so strong that they live to fourscore years yet is their strength then but labour and sorrow labour and labour labour upon labour labour for the body and labour for the Soul but blessed are the dead that die in the Lord even so saith the spirit that they rest from their labours Heaven is their resting place and there shall be nothing but rest rest upon rest rest from their body labours and rest from their soul-labour only they shall be restles in the prayses of their God but that restlesness is the best part of heavens rest they shall not cease in ascribing praise and glory and honour and power and dominion and thanksgiving unto him that sits upon the throne to the Lamb for ever and ever 3. There shall be no sufferings as they shall cease from their labours and all sweat shall be wiped from their browes so they shall rest from their sufferings and all tears shall be wiped from their eyes there shall be nothing of want and weakness there no corruption nothing of infirme nature that which was sowne in dishonour corruption weakness nature shall be raised in honour incorruption power and spirit 1. Cor. 15.42 43 44. 2 Positively 1. There shall be fullness of joy joy not capable of addition or augmentation Christ told his disciples that their joy should be full Iohn 15.11 2. There shall be pleasures for evermore not only joy uncapable of augmentation but pleasures uncapable of diminution and therefore our Saviour in the same breath that he told them their joy should be full he also promised them that their joy should no man take from them John 16.22 All that the World could present them with were but shells without kernels a few mock-consolations which brought them much labour in geting more care in keeping and most sorrow in losing such things as they could not enjoy themselves with them In a word they were empty and transitory but the joyes of Heaven are commended to us by 2 most lovely and contrary qualities two They are full as opposite to the Worlds emptiness 2. They are lasting everlasting and so opposed to the Worlds transitoriness 3. Gods saved-ones shall not only enjoy a Kingdome of prepared pleasures but they shall enjoy God with them that they shall enjoy a Kingdome of prepared pleasures read Mat. 25.34 Come ye blessed children of my father receive the Kingdome prepared for you must not that be the confluence of all Beatitudes which hath taken up the love and wisedome of God in preparing them And that they shall enjoy God with them read 1 Thes 4.17 so shall we be for ever with the Lord the Apostle desired to be dissolved and to be with Christ Phil. 1.23 It s the misery of unbeleevers upon earth that they are without Christ and without God in the World Eph. 2.12 but it shall be the imcomparable happiness of believers in Heaven that they shall
flaming fire rendering vengance to them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the glery of his power mark the tendencie and full scope of the words you may take them at large thus O all you stubborn and rebellious sinners who are refusers of Gospel-mercy and have long continued neglecters of that great Salvation remember that the Lord Jesus was revealed from Heaven as the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the World and came down from his Fathers Throne to his foot-stool to take our nature upon him to humble himself and become obedient to death even the death of the Cross to be made under the Law to redeem them that were under the Law that we might receive the adoption of sons and he sent abroad his Apostles to propagate to all Nations the knowledge of this Salvation and to perswade the sinfull World that lay under condemnation unto faith and obedience believingly to accept of this Saviour and Salvation and in all thankfulness to return obedience and to take him for their soveraign Lord Redeemer and Saviour Oh know and be it known unto you and to all the World that he shall once more be revealed as a roaring Lyon to tear in pieces such as know not God and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ but this is to argue the greatness of the sin from the greatness of the punishment and the improvement of it may be referred unto the third doctrine as to its most proper place The same course that we took to illustrate the greatness of Gospel-Salvation we may take here to aggravate the sin of Gospel-neglecting or refusing We hinted there that Gospel-Salvation was called 1. Salvation 2. Great Salvation 3. So great Salvation Which we further amplified by alluding to the three degrees of comparison shewing 1. That it was positively great 2. That it was comparativly greater than other 3. That it was superlatively the greatest Conceive in like manner of the sin of setting light by this Salvation 1. That it is positively great 2. That it is comparatively greater than others 3. That it is superlatively the greatest of all except the excepted sin And we may call it 1. Sin 2. Great sin 3. So great sin 1. To discover it to be positively great we need but name it and a little open the nature of it to make men cry shame of it as the unwrapping of a plague sore and opening it to be seen is enough to make the sound to loath it and the stink of an open sepulchre is enough to make the living to abhor it Gospel-refusing O monstrous sin it hath a face more ugly than Belzebub the Prince of devils though it be a sin that is proper to men and so common to all degrees and estates of men that it fills Hell with souls yet it is such a sin that the devils have no temptation to commit they being left without hope of a Redeemer and doamed from their very fall to perish without remedy Salvation is a term that is comprehensive of all that is good and excellent and desirable yea of the highest good of the highest God for they are convertible the Trinity of persons agreeing in one unity of love as well as essence to further our Salvation yea the great God turned all into one great love to affect it God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son c. Joh. 3.16 Christ in the fullnes of time manifesting the fullness of love Gal. 4.4 And the spirit coming down upon Christs Ascention as another Comforter to abide with us to the end of the World and all in order to the bringing about of this great Salvation and if this be not a sin with a witness tell me what is Gospel-refusing is called in Scripture a God refusing a Christ-despising a spirit-resisting and inconsiderate sinners in refusing and setting light by the word and ministery of this Salvation do all this Christ said of the contemners of his messengers he that despiseth you despiseth me and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me Luke 10.16 and Stephen said unto his and the Gospels persecutors ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and eares ye do allwaies resist the holy Ghost as your father did so do ye Acts 7.51 When Gods Embassadors shall go out into the world and doe as the Prophet was commanded lift up their voices like trumpets to tell men and women of their sinns and transgressions when they with Iohn Baptist shall cry prepare ye the way of the Lord make his paths streight when they shall make proclamation Ho every one that thirsteth come come come Isay 55.12 And with the spirit and bride and him that heareth shall say come come come Rev. 22.17 And let whosoever will come and take of the water of life freely When men are so obdurate that like Pharoah they remaine hard and hardned in the midst of meanes neither miracles nor ministry nor misery nor mercy can do them good when all Gods and Christs and the Spirits and the messengers intreaties and beseechings shall be like breath scattered in the aire and like water spilt upon the ground and a labour in vain shall make Gods tired ministers ready in a heart-breaking despondency to turne their backs upon their labours let such as have understandings of the longest reach and witts exercised to to distinguish betwixt good and evill speak whether this must not be concluded to be a great sin for such only are fit to take the dimensions of a sin that is so circumstantiated I le give you but one rule more to help you to conceive of the greatness of this sin in the positive description and then pass to the comparative The Apostle prayed for his Ephesians Eph. 3.16 17 18 19. That God would grant them according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man that Christ may dwell in their hearts by faith that they being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge that they might be filled with the fullness of God This is the well-spring of our Salvation the love of God in Christ which is here measured out unto us by the word and spirit of God in those dimensions of breadth and length and depth and height and said to pass knowledge and to comprehend all the fullness of God must not this have the length and breadth and depth and height of sin in it must it not be a sin passing knowledge must not this be to be filled with all the fullness and sinfullness of sin Those that are eaten up most of the love of God and know most of that love which passeth knowledge will be
the other of righteousness unto life and the sentence passed on them both you shall find very punctually recorded Mat. 25. from 31. to the end Wherefore is the word so exact in all these but to assure us that there is nothing of greater certainty than death and judgement O what should those have to do with sin that must be brought to judgement If they be brought to judgement in their sins that is before they have confessed forsaken their sins before they have accused and condemned themselves they cannot stand in the judgement Can dust stand before a whirlwind or stubble before a consuming fire Solomon throws this judgement as a stumbling block in the way of licentious youth to stop them in their full careere and to be a means to teach the young man how to cleanse his way Eccles. 11.9 Rejoyce O young man in thy youth and let thy heart cheer thee in the daies of thy youth and walk in the waies of thine heart and in the sight of thine eyes but know that for all these things God will bring thee to judgement The former part of that verse looks lovely in the eyes of a libertine and speaks to his very heart but it hath as sad a farewell as ever was heard In the former part the preacher speaks Ironically and in jest but in the last he speaks plainly and in good earnest thou maist if thou wilt do as thy list but do if thou darest for know this take it home with thee take it home to thy heart receive the point of this sword into the very heart of thy beloved sin and if it kill it not or give it a deaths wound tell thy self that thou hast a strong heart a heart that is sermon-proof tell God so desire him day night to take away thy heart of stone and to give thee an heart of flesh 3. Hell and condemnation is commended as the third subject of our Meditation for as after death cometh the judgement so after judgement cometh the death Had not men need to fear double least they dye a double death If men be so scared at the face of the death naturall what should they be at the thoughts of death eternal in comparison whereof the other death is but a shadow of death It was said of Jezebells children Revel 2.23 I will kill her children with death Though all dye yet believers are not kill'd with death as the Spirit directed John to say unto Sardis Thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead Rev. 3.1 We may say the contrary of sound believers they have but a name to dye and are alive that 's the thing which kills the Soul that is but the name which kills the body This death beyond death is that which the Scripture calls the second deathâ— Revel 21.8 The fearfull and unbelieâ—â—ng and abominable and murderers and Whoremonâ—ers and Sorcerers and Idolaters and all Lyars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death and Revel 20.6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first Resurrection on such the second death hath no power O what should men do with sin when if they will have it they must have hell to boote durst a malefactour play his pranks if the Judge lookt on him that must condemne him and the torments were in sight that were prepared for him If sinners did but see God frowning upon them and hell gaping for them if they did but see death before them and Judgement beyond death and hell beyond Judgement they could not surely sin with such a swinge as they do they could not sin so damnably without check and controule Sinners do but go aside once a day and seriously meditate on the great damnation that you have heard of and the Eternity of it but one half hour and if you do not walke the more warily humbly and circumspectly say I am a Lyar. One that writes the life of Mr. Mâ— Fuâ—â—â—r it his Holy State Perkins reports of him that he did pronounce the word Damn with such an emphasis that it left an Echo in the ears of his hearers a long time after Oh that I could make such an impression of this Doctrine upon your Memories that it may stick like a barbed Arrow in your consciences that may never be shaken out untill you break off your sins and unfainedly turn to God who is ready to forgive abundantly and to give liberally 4. Heaven and Salvation is proposed as the fourth matter of meditation and both these last do follow Judgement which sends the Goats on the left hand to hell and the Sheep on the right hand to heaven The Libertines of the age would perswade us that there is neither Hell nor Heaven but what is in the conscience but let us assure our selves if there were no other Hell or Heaven there would be none there if a conscience excusing in well doing did not flow from a Heaven in hope and a conscience accusing for evil doing did not proceed from a hell in fear surely there would be no such consciences let the fancies of these vain men pass for strong delusions and let us mind the true sayings of the everlasting Gospel which tell us that as the wicked go into everlasting punishment so the righteous into life eternall Matth. 25. ult How positively and alluringly doth the Scripture speak of this blessed blessed making place calling it the third Heaven 2 Cor. 12.2 The throne of God I say 66.1 we are directed to prefer our petitions to him as our Father dwelling heaven Mat. 6.9 An house not made with hands eternall in the Heavens 2 Cor. 5.1 the seat of the blessed The kingdom prepared for them from the beginning of the world Matth. 25.34 shadowed out by the Mount Sion Heb. 12.22 23 24. and the new Jerusalem Revel 21.10 to the end wherein many excellent things are spoken of this City of God But I have spoken so largely both of the Prison of Hell and the Paradise of Heaven in the antecedent Doctrines of Salvation Damnation that the less may serve here O what should those do with sin that make it their refuge to lay hold on the hope that is set before them Ther 's no sin in heaven and if unclean sinners should be carryed thither in their uncleanness heaven would not be heaven to them It s the Saints holiness that makes heaven their happiness and the grace they bring thither that prepares them for that Joy unspeakable and glorious When we meet with temptations to sin let us remember Hell with its forerunners death and judgement and that will prompt us to say with Joseph How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God Gen. 39.9 And when we meet with temptations from sufferings let us remember Heaven and that will prompt us to say with Paul I count that the afflictions of this present world are not
worthy the glory which shal be revealed When we are inticed to sin let us sit down and count the cost it may cost our lives it may cost our precious Souls it may loose us Heaven and Salvation for eternity and when we are discouraged in the waies of God in laying out our selves to be wail our sins to treasure up grace to perform duty and not be weary of well doing to suffer patiently whatsoever can befall us for Christ's sake then let us sit down and count our gain It will make us live comfortably it will give us hope in death it will give us boldness in Judgement it will save us from hell it will advance us to Heaven To wind up all let me speak close to you as once Paul did to Agrippa as if he would offer violence to force his belief O Agrippa believest thou the Scriptures I know thou believest you that have read or heard these Lines do you believe these things I know you believe them they are so set out in the demonstration of the Spirit and in power that you cannot gain-say them and if you cannot contradict them will you not believe them 1. Do you believe Gospel-Salvation to be great Salvation The Angels believe it and admire it 1 Pet. 1.12 The Saints believe it and adore it Revel 5.11 13. The number of them that gave glory to God was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands and every creature in Heaven and earth and sea were heard to say Blessing Honour Glory and Power be unto him that sitteth upon the Throne and to the Lambe for ever and ever The Devils believe and envy it The damned believe it and the loss of it is that never-dying worm that renders them restless and whether you will now believe it or no the time is coming when you will believe and confess it with hearts as full of anguish as ever they can hold O believe it now and be happy for ever and the Lord help your unbelief and make you believers by the exceeding greatness of his Omnipotent Power and according to the working of his mighty power Oh that the King of Saints would command those everlasting doors of your understandings and wills to be opened to give entrance to the King of glory that you may imbrace and receive thankfully this great Salvation that you may live and dye upon the faithfulness and truth of that acceptable and accepted saying That Jesus Christ came into the World to save sinners 2. Do you believe Gospel neglecting to be great sin Those that are truely inlightned touched with the fear of God do think so those that are under the convictions and compunctions of the Spirit of bondage for this sin do think so they are ready to depend and give up themselves as lost and utterly undone under the load of it this is still ready at hand to make up the sum totall of their confessions we have added to all our transgressions of thy law this Monster that we have resisted and slighted thy gracious Gospel Against thee thee have we sinned and done this evil O be mercifull to our sin to this of all sins for it is great The infinite mercy of God and merit of Christ and mighty Spirit of grace and adoption revealing offering and applying that mercy and merit as balsome to the wounded Spirit hath much ado to bear it up from sinking under so insupportable a burden Inlightned sinners will believe it at the last when they are under the arrest of death then they will be ready with Cain and Spira to fill all the ears about them with their despairing complaints then they could seek the blessing with tears as Esau did could be content to fill heaven and earth with their roarings if that would help them Believe it Sirs the Devil that tempts you to make light of this Salvation now and presents it as a Molehill will then turn the other end of the prospective and make it as bigg as a Mountain and perswade you it is greater than that it can be forgiven How much better were it that you should now believingly receive in this truth in the power of it that where sin hath abounded grace may super-abound and that you may in time leave and loath this sin before it be your everlasting undoing 3. Do you believe that Great Damnation remains for such as dye in this sin that the wrath of God abides on them here and a sorer punishment and more fiery indignation will abide on them if conversion prevent not world without end Those that are in hell already do believe it yea they know not how to evade the believing it They do curse those Mountebank Preachers that heal mens wound with oyly words that speak Placentia things that may please itching ears rather than things that may profit unbelieving hearts Yea they do charge it heavily upon their deceiv'd own deceitful hearts that when they heard the words of the Curse and threats of Damnation caused them to bless themselves in their cursed practises though they added drunkenness to thirst and Gospel-refusing to Law-transgressing till all curses written and unwritten came in tumbling upon them like mighty waters How much better were it for men to carry about with them a hell in their consciences than to be carryed captive by the Devils into this hell of torments How much easier were it for them to descend every day into hell by meditation than at their dying day to be doom'd unto hell by condemnation Pliny writes of the Lions whelps that he is at first much given to Sleeping but being once awakened scared with the hideous roaring of the old Lion sleeps ever after with his eyes open The application is to our present purpose very pertinent Those that set light by Salvation are much given to sleeping they hear in the Text Damnation thundred out against such sleepers like the roaring of a Lion Rampant I heartily wish that this use may be made of it that our consciences may be so throughly awakened to see our sin and danger and duty that we may alwaies sleep with the eye of conscience open and that we may resolve not to suffer our eyes to sleep nor our eye-lids to slumber nor the temples of our heads to take any rest till we have made this great sin our great Lamentation till we have great and grounded probability of escaping this great Damnation and till we have believed and prayed and lived our selves into some setled and imfalliable perswasions of our obtaining of this great Salvation All which the Lord give grace unto his chosen people effectually to perform for his great names sake for his beloved Sons sake for his gracious Spirits sake And the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the Communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all 2 Cor. 13.14 Amen Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that worketh in us unto him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages world without end Amen FINIS