the sins of men and hath he left the World at liberty whether upon any notice hereof they should enquire and concern themselves about him or no being incarnate he could not as such be every where nor was it fit he should be long here or needful and therefore not fit he should dye often It was condescention enough that he vouchsafed once to appear in so mean and self-abasing a form and offered himself to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself And whereas he hath himself founded a Dominion over us in his own blood did dye and revive and rise again that he might be Lord of the living and of the dead And the eternal Father hath hereupon highly exalted him given him a name above every name that at his name every knee should bow and that all should confess that he is Lord to the praise and glory of God And hath required that all should honour the Son as himself is to be honoured hath given him power over all flesh and made him head of all things to the Church Was it ever intended men should generally remain exempt from obligation to observe believe and obey him was it his own intention to wave or not insist upon his own most sacred and so dearly acquired rights to quit his claim to the greatest part of mankind why did he then issue out his commission as soon as he was risen from the dead to teach all nations to proselyte the world to himself to baptize them into his name with that of the Father and the Holy Ghost O the great and venerable names that are named upon professing Christians Could it be his intention to leave it lawful to men to choose this or any or no Religion as their humours or fancies or lusts should prompt them to disregard and deride his holy doctrines violate and trample upon his just and equal Lawes reject and contemn his offered favours and mercy despise and profane his sacred institutions When he actually makes his demand and layâ—s his claim what amazing guilt how swift destruction must they incur that dare adventure to deny the Lord that bought them And they that shall do it among a Christianiâ—ed people upon the pretended insufficiency of the revelation they have of him do but heighten the affront and increase the provocation 'T is to charge the whole Christian Institution with foolery as pretending to oblige men when they cannot know to what how or upon what ground they should be obliged to pronounce the means and methods inept and vain which he hath thought sufficient and only fit for the propagating and continuing Christianity in the world to render the rational reception of it from age to age impossible in his appointed way or unless men should be taught by Angels or voices from Heaven or that Miracles should be so very frequent and common as thereby also to become useless to their end and so would be to make the whole frame of Christian Religion an idle impertinency and in reference to its avowed design a self-repugnant thing and consequently were to impute Folly to him who is the Wisdome of God And how are other things known of common concernment and whereof an immediate knowledge is as little possible Can a man satisfie himself that he hath a title to an estate conveyed down to him by very ancient writings the witnesses whereof are long since dead and gone or that he is obliged by Laws made many an age ago Or could any Records be preserved with more care and concern than those wherein our Religion lies or be more secure from designed or material depravation But this is no place to reason these things Enough is said by others referred to before I only further say if any that have the use of their Understandings living in a Christian Nation think to justify their infidelity and disobedience to the Son of God by pretending they had no sufficient means to know him to be so the excuse will avail them alike as that did him who insolently said Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice I know not the Lord neither will I c. For have not we as good means to know who Christ is as the Egyptians at that time had to know who was the God of Israel thô afterwards he was more known by the judgments which he executed Although the knowledge of the only true God be natural and the obligation thereto common to men yet the indisposition to use their understanding this way is so great and general and the express Revelation that Jesus Christ was the Son of God requires so much less labour to understand it than there is in arguing out the existence and attributes of God by an inhabile sluggish mind that the differenee cannot be great if any on that side This latter only needs the enquiry whence the Revelation comes which as it is not difficult in it self so this occasion viz. of its being proposed doth invite and urge to it whereas the generality of the Pagan World have little of external inducement leading them into enquiries concerning the true God Therefore all circumstances considered I see not how they that live under the Gospel can be thought to have less advantage and obligation to own Jesus of Nazareth to be the Son of God than the rest of the World to own the only living and true God Or that the former should be less liable to the revelation of the wrath of God from heaven for holding supernatural truth in unrighteousness than the other for doing so injurious violence to that which is meerly natural Unto what severities then of the divine wrath and justice even of the highest kind do multitudes ly open in our daies For besides those much fewer mental or notional Infidels that believe not the principles of the Christian Religion against the clearest evidence how vastly greater is the number of them that are so in heart and practice against their professed belief that live in utter estrangement from God as without him in the World or in open enmity against him and contrariety to the known Rules of the Religion they profess How many that understand nothing of its principal and plainest Doctrines as if nothing were requisite to distinguish the Christian from the Pagan World more than an empty name or as if the Redeemer of sinners had dy'd upon the Crosse that men might more securely remain alienated from the life of God not to reconcile and reduce them to him or that they might with safety indulge appetite mind earthly things make the World their God gratifie the flesh and make provision to fulfill the lusts of it defy Heaven affront their Maker live in malice envy hatred to one another not to bless them by turning them from these impieties and iniquities As if it were so obscurely hinted as that it could not be taken notice of that the grace of God which bringeth salvation to all men hath appeared teaching them
not what am I the better when perhaps it is far more likely that I shall perish notwithstanding than be saved In answer to this it must be acknowledg'd that all that live under the Gospel do not obtain life and saving grace by it For then there had been no occasion for this lamentation of our blessed Lord over the perishing inhabitants of Jerusalem as having lost their day and that the things of their peace were now hid from their eyes and by that instance it appears too possible that even the generality of a people living under the Gospel may fall at length into the like forlorn and hopeles condition But art thou a man that thus objectest a reasonable understanding creature or dost thou use the reason and understanding of a man in objecting thus Didst thou expect that when thine own wilful transgression had made thee liable to eternal death and wrath peace and life and salvation should be impos'd upon thee whether thou would'st or no or notwithstanding thy most wilful neglect and contempt of them and all the means of them Could it enter into thy mind that a reasonable soul should be wrought and framed for that high and blessed end whereof it is radically capable as a stock or a stone is for any use it is designed for without designing its own end or way to it Couldst thou think the Gospel was to bring thee to faith and repentance whether thou didst hear it or no or ever apply thy mind to consider the meaning of it and what it did propose and offer to thee or when thou mightest so easily understand that the grace of God was necessary to make it effectual to thee and that it might become his power or the instrument of his power to thy salvation couldst thou think it concern'd thee not to sue and supplicate to him for that grace when thy life lay upon it and thy eternal hope Hast thou lain weltring at the foot-stool of the throne of grace in thine own tears as thou hast been formerly weltring in thy sins and impurities crying for grace to help thee in this time of thy need And if thou thinkest this was above thee and without out thy compas hast thou done all that was within thy compas in order to the obtaining of grace at Gods hands But here perhaps thou wilt enquire Is there any thing then to be done by us whereupon the grace of God may be expected certainly to follow To which I answer 1. That it is out of question nothing can be done by us to deserve it or for which we may expect it to follow It were not grace if we had obliged or brought it by our desert under former preventive bonds to us And 2. What if nothing can be done by us upon which it may be certainly expected to follow Is a certainty of perishing better than an high probability of being saved 3. Such as live under the Gospel have reason to apprehend it highly probable they may obtain that grace which is necessary to their salvation if they be not wanting to themselves For 4. There is generally afforded to such that which is wont to be call'd common grace I speak not of any further extent of it 't is enough to our present purpose that it extends so far as to them that live under the Gospel and have thereby a day allow'd them wherein to provide for their peace Now thô this grace is not yet certainly saving yet it tends to that which is so And none have cause to despair but that being duly improv'd and comply'd with it may end in it And this is that which requires to be insisted on and more fully evinced In order whereto let it be considered That it is expresly said to such they are to work out their salvation with fear and trembling for this reason that God works or is working 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in them i. e. is statedly and continually at work or is alwaies ready to work in them to will and to do of his own good pleasure Phil. 2.12 13. The matter fails not on his part He will work on in order to their salvation if they work in that way of subordinate cooperation which his command and the necessity of their own case oblige them unto And it is further to be considered that where God had formerly afforded the symbols of his gracious presence given his oracles and setled his Church thô yet in it's Hoâ—â—ge and much more imperfect state there he however communicated those influences of his Spirit that it was to be imputed to themselves if they came short of the saving operations of it Of such it was said Thou gavest thy good spirit to instruct them Nehem. 9.20 And to such Turn ye at my reproof I will pour out my spirit to you I will make known my words unto you Because I called and you refused I stretched out my hand and no man regarded but ye set at nought my counsel and despised all my reproof I also will laugh at your calamity c. Prov. 1.23 24. We see whence their destruction came not from Gods first restraint of his Spirit but their refusing despising and setting at nought his counsels and reproofs And when it is said they rebelled and vexed his spirit and he therefore turn'd and fought against them and became their enemy Isa. 63.10 It appears that before his Spirit was not withheld but did variously and often make essayes and attempts upon them And when Stephen immediately before his Martyrdom thus bespeaks the descendents of these Jewes Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised ye do alwayes resist the holy Ghost as your Fathers did so do ye Act. 7. 'T is imply'd the holy Ghost had been alwayes striving from age to age with that stubborn people for where there is no counter-striving there can be no resistence no more than there can be a war on one side only Which also appears to have been the course of Gods dealing with the old world before their so general lapse into Idolatry and sensual wickednes from that passage Gen. 6.3 according to the more common reading and sense of those words Now whereas the Gospel is eminently said to be the ministration of the spirit in contradistinction not only to the natural Religion of other nations but the divinely instituted Religion of the Jewes also as is largely discoursed 2 Cor. 3. and more largely through the Epistle to the Galatians especially chap. 4. and whereas we find that in the Jewish Church the holy Ghost did generally diffuse its influences and not otherwise withhold them than penally and upon great provocation how much more may it be concluded that under the Gospel the same blessed Spirit is very generally at work upon the souls of men till by their resisting grieving and quenching of it they provoke it to retire and withdraw from them And let the Consciences of men living under the Gospel testify in the case Appeal sinner to thine
of your final condition as an exempt case reserv'd to the future judgment and the present determination whereof against your self is without your compass and line and most unsutable to the state of probation wherein you are to reckon God continues you here with the rest of men in this world and therefore any such judgment you should tear and reverse and as such not permit to have any place with you 4. Yet since as hath been said yoâ— are not quite to reject or obliterate any apprehension or thought touching this subject make it your busines to correct and reduce it to that other form i. e. let it only for the present remain with you as a doubt how your case now stands and what issue it may at length have And see that your fear thereupon be answerable to your apprehension so rectify'd While as yet it is not evident you have made your peace with God upon his known terms you are to consider God hath left your case a doubtful case and you are to conceive of it accordingly And are to entertain a fear concerning it not as certainly hopeles but as uncertain And as yours is really a doubtful case 't is a most important one It concerns your Souls and your eternal well-being and is not therefore to be neglected or trifled with You do not know how God will deal with you Whether he will again afford you such help as he hath done or whether ever he will effectually move your heart unto conversion and salvation You therefore are to work out your salvation with fear and trembling because as was told you he works but of his own good pleasure Your fear should not exceed this state of your case so as to exclude hope It is of unspeakable concernment to you that hope do intermingle with your fear That will do much to mollify and soften your hearts that after all the abuse of mercy and imposing upon the patience of God your neglects and slights of a bleeding Saviour your resisting and grieving the Spirit of grace he may yet once for all visit your forlorn Soul with his vital influence and save you from going down to perdition How can your hearts but melt and break upon this apprehension And it is not a groundless one He that came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance will not fail to treat them well whom he sees beginning to listen to his call and entertaining the thoughts that most directly tend to bring them to a compliance with it Your hope insinuating it self and mingling with your fear is highly grateful to the God of all grace He takes pleasure in them that fear him and in them that hope in his mercy Psal. 147.11 5. But see to it also that your fear be not slight and momentary and that it vanish not while as yet it hath so great a work to do in you viz. to engage you to accept Gods own terms of peace and reconciliation with all your heart and soul. It is of continual use even not only in order to conversion but to the converted also Can you think those mentioned words were spoken to none such Phil. 2.12 13 Or those Heb. 4.1 Let us therefore fear lest a promise being left us of entring into his rest any of you should seem to come short c. And do we not find an holy fear is to contribute all along to the whole of progressive sanctification 2 Cor. 7.1 Having therefore these promises dearly beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthines of the flesh and spirit perfecting holines in the fear of God And that by it he preserves his own that they never depart from him Jer. 32.40 Much more do you need it in your present case while matters are yet in treaty between God and you And as it should not exceed the true apprehension of your case so nor should it come short of it 6. You should therefore in order hereto aggravate to your selves the just causes of your fear Why are you afraid your day should be over and the things of your peace be for ever hid from your eyes Is it not that you have sinn'd against much light against many checks of your own consciences against many very serious warnings and exhortations many earnest importunate beseechings and intreaties you have had in the Ministry of the Gospel many motions and strivings of the Spirit of God thereby Let your thoughts dwell upon these things Think what it is for the great God the Lord of glory to have been slighted by a worm Doth not this deserve as ill things at the hands of God as you can â—ear 'T is fit you should Apprehend what your desert is thâ— perhaps mercy may interpose and avert the deserved dreadful event And if he have signify'd his displeasure towards you hereupon by desisting for the present and ceasing to strive with you as he hath formerly done if your heart be grown more cold and dead and hard than sometime it was if you have been left so as to fall into grosser sin 't is highly reasonable you should fear being finally forsaken of the blessed Spirit of God and greatly fear it but with an â—â—ful fear that may awaken you most earnestly to endeavour his return to you not with a despairing fear that will bind you up from any further endeavour for your soul at all And if upon all this by death or otherwise such a Ministry be withdrawn from you as God did work by in some degree upon you and you find not in that kind what is so sutable to your state and case take heed lest your be stupid under such a stroke Think what it imports unto you if God have as it were said concerning any servant of his as Ezek. 2.26 I will make his tongue cleave to the roof of his mouth that he shall not be a reprover to you any more Consider that God may by this be making way that wrath may come upon you to the uttermost and never let you have opportunity to know more the things of your peace Perhaps you may never meet with the man more that shall speak so accommodately to your condition that shall so closely pursue you thorough all the haunts and subterfuges and lurking holes wherein your guilty convinced soul hath wont to hide it self and falsly seek to heal its own wounds One of more value may be less apt possibly to profit you As a more polish't Key doth not therefore alike fit every lock And thy case may be such that thou shalt never hear a sermon or the voice of a preacher more 7. And now in this case recollect your selves what sins you have been formerly convinc'd of under such a Ministry and which you have persisted in notwithstanding Were you never convinc't of your neglecting God and living as without him in the world of your low esteem and disregard of Christ of your worldlines your minding only the things of this earth of
to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present World SO looking for the blessed hope And that Christ gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify us to himself a peculiar people zealous of good Works How many again are Christians they know not why upon the same terms that others are Mahometans because it is the Religion of their Countrey by fate or by accident not by their own choice and judgment the same inconsideration makes them be Christians that makes others be none And now shall our Redeemer be left to weep alone over these perishing souls have we no tears to spend upon this doleful subject Oh that our heads were waters and our eyes fountains Is it nothing to us that multitudes are sinking going down into Perdition under the name of Christian under the seal of Baptism from under the means of life and salvation perishing and we can do nothing to prevent it We know they must perish that do not repent and turn to God and love him above all even with all their hearts and souls and mind and might that do not believe in his Son and pay him homage as their rightful Lord sincerely subjecting themselves to his laws and government But this they will not understand or not consider Our endeavours to bring them to it are ineffectual 't is but faint breath we utter Our Words drop and dye between us and them We speak to them in the name of the eternal God that made them of the great Jesus who bought them with his blood and they regard it not The Spirit of the Lord is in a great degree departed from among us and we take it not to heart We are sensible of lesser grievances are grieved that men will not be more entirely proselyted to our several parties and perswasions rather than that they are so disenclin'd to become proselytes to real CHRISTIANITY and seem more deeply concerned to have Christian Religion so or so modify'd than whether there shall be any such thing or whether men be saved by it or lost This sad case that so many were likely to be lost under the first sound of the Gospel and the most exemplary temper of our blessed Lord in reference to it are represented in the following Treatise with design to excite their care for their own souls who need to be warned and the compassions of others for them who are so little apt to take warning The good Lord grant it may be some way or other useful for good John Howe THE REDEEMERS TEARS Wept over LOST SOULS LUKE XIX 41 42. And when he was come near he beheld the City and wept over it saying If thou hadst known even thou at least in this thy day the things which belong unto thy Peace but now they are hid from thine eyes WE have here a compassionate Lamentation in the midst of a solemn Triumph Our Lords approach unto Jerusalem at this time and his entrance into it as the foregoing History shewes carried with them some face of regal and triumphal pomp but with such allayes as discovered a mind most remote from Ostentation and led by Judgment not Vain-glory to transmit thorough a dark umbrage some glimmerings only of that excellent Majesty which both his Sonship and his Mediatorship entitled him unto A very modest and mean specimen of his true indubious Royalty and Kingly-state Such as might rather intimate than plainly declare it and rather afford an after Instruction to teachable minds than beget a present Conviction and dread in the stupidly obstinate and unteachable And this effect we find it had as is observ'd by another Evangelical Historian who relating the same matter how in his passage to Jerusalem the People met him with Branches of Palm-trees and joyful Hosanna's he riding upon an Asses Colt as Princes or Judges to signifie Meekness as much as State were wont to do Judg. 5.10 tells us These things his Disciples understood not at the first but when Jesus was glorified then remembred they that these things were written of him and that they had done these things unto him Joh. 12.16 For great regard was had in this as in all the other acts of his Life and Ministry to that last and conclusive part his dying a sacrifice upon the Cross for the sins of men to observe all along that Mediocrity and steer that middle course between obscurâ—ty and a terrifying overpow'ring glory that this solemn oblation of himself might neither be prevented nor be disregarded Agreeably to this design and the rest of his Course he doth in this solemnity rather discover his Royal state and dignity by a dark Emblem than by an express representation and shews in it more of Meekness and Humility than of awful Majesty and Magnificence as was formerly predicted Zechar. 9.9 Rejoyce greatly O Daughter of Zion Shout O Daughter of Jerusalem Behold thy King cometh unto thee he is just and having Salvation lowly and riding upon an Ass and upon a Colt the foal of an Ass. And how little he was taken with this piece of state is sufficiently to be seen in this Paragraph of the Chapter His mind is much more taken up in the foresight of Jerusalem's sad case and therefore being come within view of it which he might very commodiously have in the descent of the higher opposite Hill Mount Olivet he beheld the City 't is said and wept over it Two things concur to make up the cause of this sorrow 1. The greatness of the Calamity Jerusalem once so dear to God was to suffer not a Skar but a Ruine The dayes shall come upon thee that thine Enemies shall cast a trench about thee and compass thee round and keep thee in on every side and shall lay thee even with the ground and thy Children within thee and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another 2. The lost opportunity of preventing it If thou hadst known even thou at least in this thy day the things which belong unto thy Peace but now they are hid from thine eyes vers 42. And again Thou knewest not the time of thy visitation First The Calamity was greater in his eyes than if can be in ours His large and comprehensive mind could take the compass of this sad case Our thoughts cannot reach far yet we can apprehend what may make this case very deplorable we can consider Jerusalem as the City of the great King where was the Palace and Throne of the Majesty of Heaven vouchsafing to dwell with men on Earth Here the divine Light and Glory had long shone Here was the the sacred Shechinah the dwelling place of the most High the Symbols of his presence the Seat of Worship the Mercy Seat the place of receiving Addresses and of dispensing favours The House of Prayer for all Nations To his own People this was the City of their Solemnities Whither the Tribes were wont to go up the