said of John likewise that hee was a burning and a shining light Anso It is granted Saints are Stars and Angels are Stars and they may bee morning Stars too and yet this doth not at all disadvantage Christs being here a bright and morning Star for 1 These Stars their light is Derivative it is derived from Christ and derived from God both what Angels have and what the Saints have it is borrowed the Angels are the Creatures of God and of Christ they made the Angels and so they had their light whatsoever it is from them And the Saints Ephes 5.8 Yee were darkness but now are yee light in the Lord they have their light from the Lord from Christ and from God so that this is no disadvantage unto Christ Christs light it is essential unto him it is no derived light 2 Their light is diminutive a little light it is Candle light they do understand little to what Christ doth In him are all the treasures of wisdome and knowledge in him is all the fulness of God which is not so in any of these these Stars the Brethren of Joseph had but a little light and Angels have but little light to God and Christ What is the light of a Torch to the light of the Sun such is the light of these to the light of God and Christ 3 The light of these is dependent light If God and Christ with-draw their influences a little how dark are they Psal 103.20 The Angels stand hearkening what God will say to them they do not know what to do but God must give them out a word of command and give them light and they depend upon him for light and so all the Saints depend upon God and Christ for light and if God do but with-draw his influences how dark are Saints and Angels so that you see the light of these is no way derogatory to the light of Christ hee is a bright and a morning Star Quest But now a Question here If Christ be a bright and a morning Star why do so few follow the light of this Star and so many follow Sathan who is the Prince of darkness and Antichrist who is darkness it self Ans The only and great Answer to this is because men are darkness themselves and love darkness Joh. 3.20 Every one that doth evil hateth the light neither cometh to the light lesh his deeds should be reproved And in vers 19. Men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil they love darkness they hate light and love darkness if men hate light they care not for the light of Christ that is convincing light reproving light condemning light now they hate the light and they love darkness and if the Devil and Antichrist turn themselves into Angels of Light sometimes yet that light is but darkness and they love that darkness they love Delusions love Errors love Heresies and Lyes 2 Thes 2.10 because men receive not the truth with the love of it therefore God sends them strong delusions and gives them up to beleeve the lyes of Sathan and the lyes of Antichrist that pretend light but they are lyes and they are darkness no marvel then that they follow the Beast and follow Sathan and follow the World and run the contrary way Thus you see the Point opened 1 If Christ be a bright and morning Star Application then surely it is evil and their end will be fearful and dreadful that will not follow after light but go on in sin and works of darkness whereas the very rising of this Star and shining of this Star was to dispel darkness and to shew unto men the way they should walk in Tit. 2.11 12. The grace of God that bringeth Salvation hath appeared to all men this Star is risen hath appeared to the whole World full of grace And to what end hath it appeared To bring Salvation and to teach men to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world Now if men will not see this light but will live ungodly unrighteously unjustly wickedly If men will follow the courses of the World then they refuse this light and what will be the issue of it 2 Cor. 4.4 If our Gospel be hid saith he it is hid to them that are lost If they will not see this light now that is so bright the Gospel is hid and Christ is hid and the Star is in a Cloud and the Devil hath cast a mist before their eyes and before their mindes and they are lost and undone Creatures and in Joh. 3.19 This is the Condemnation this will be the Condemnation That light is come into the world the morning Star is up the glorious Gospel is gotten out but men love darkness rather than light they love Sin they love Antichrist they love Sathan they love their Lusts and is it not a grievous thing that this Star should shine among us which the Jews have not and we should be worse than Jews that Heathens have not we should be worse than Heathens for Drunkenness for Swearing for deceiving and for defrauding one another and for all manner of wickedness O this will be the Condemnation It will be easier for Jews and Turks that have not the Gospel neither own it han for Christians that have this light this bright morning Star shining among them and walk not after it 2 If Christ be a bright and a morning Star then let us all look unto this Star for light for direction It is not good to be in the dark if you have but a little light in the dark you account it a great matter this World is full of darkness now let us look to this Star and the light of this Star You that are Mariners when you are at Sea if you can see but a Star especially the Pole-Star you think it a great priviledge and know where you are and how to steer your course and to avoyd Sands and Rocks and dangers this World is a sea of trouble a sea of sin and of affliction and wil you not look to this Pole-Star If you will look to this Star this bright and morning Star you will sayl safely you will avoyd Shipwrack you will avoyd the losing of your Souls which is the greatest loss of all O look to this Star to direct you and to guide you over the sea of this World that you may go safely to the Haven of Happiness if you sayl not by this Star you will never get to Heaven It is not sayling by your own Lusts your own Wills Humours and fancies and to live as you please If you will not live according to the light that hee hath given you out you are undone Creatures look to it wee are all sailing either down to Hell or towards Heaven well let us take our directions from this bright and morning Star and wee shall never sail the wrong way 3 If Christ bee the bright
gave him Grace and would give him Glory Hence it is that he saith in Psal 84.11 Grace and Glory will he give and no good thing will hee withhold Well I have grace and I shall have more grace and I have a humane glory I am a King and a Prophet and shall have greater glory I shall have glory in the highest heavens So that you see its true of David Christ is the root of his Nature the root of his Grace and the root of his Glory Now this will appear for the general That hee is the root of Nature and Grace and Glory First It will appear that Christ is the root of Nature How it appears that Christ is the root of Nature from the Creation and making of all things He that makes all things must needs bee the Lord and the Root and the author and fountain of Nature Heb. 1.2 By whom also he made the worlds why the world was made by Christ Christs right hand Christs arm was at work in the making of all the creatures The world was made by him therefore he is the Lord of Nature that hath made all Secondly It appears he is the root of Nature because he can blast nature at his pleasure what saith Christ to the Fig-tree Never fruit grow more upon this tree did it not presently wither away Christ dryed up all the moysture dried up the sap dried up the very root of the tree why he is the very Root and the Lord of Nature Thirdly Farther it appears in regard that he hath the command of all Diseases he cured and healed them What Disease was there ever presented to Christ that he could not cure He cast out Devils cured Leprosies and all manner of diseases the woman that had spent all her estate with Physitians and could do no good the man that lay at the Pool of Bethesday and could not be cured yet Christ cures all Diseases He is the root of Nature Fourthly So likewise it appears from his raising of the dead when men are upon dissolution and nature going downward the breaths gone the soul is gone the body putrified it matters not saith Christ to Martha Thou shalt see the glory of God thou shalt see that I am the root of Nature that I am the root of all that I can call both the soul and breathe breath into him and raise him up These are evidences that hee is the Root and Lord of Nature Secondly Christ hee is the root of Grace Christ the root of Grace all Grace is from him Luke 4.18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel To preach it to the poor he hath sent me to heal the broken hearted to preach deliverance to the Captives and recovering of sight to the blind to set at liberty them that are bruised to preach the acceptable year of the Lord Is not here Grace in all these Yes and all comes from Christ Hee was annointed with the Spirit of the Lord to do these things And more fully in Joh. 1.14 16 17. The word was made flesh and dwelt among us full of Grace and Truth but for whom was this Grace and for whom was the Truth saith John And of his fulness have all we received and Grace for Grace Hee had a fulness of Grace hee was the Author the Root of Grace the Fountain of Grace the God of Grace and this Grace was to be communicated and derived unto others Of his fulness have we all received Grace for Grace For the Law was given by Moses but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ The Lord Christ is the root of Grace Rom. 5.20 21. Where sin abounded Grace did much more abound That as sin hath reigned unto death even so might Grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord Sin abounded I but Grace doth superabound how comes it to superabound by Jesus Christ our Lord Grace must reign as sin hath reigned and it must reign by Christ this Grace will send out so much Grace that Grace will reign and out-reign sin bring under sin So then Christ he is the root of Grace Lastly Christ the rooâ— of Glory Christ he is the root of Glory there is none let into heaven but by Christ none made glorious but by Christ 1 Cor. 2.8 he is called the Lord of Glory They crucified the Lord of Glory The Lord of Glory because he was a glorious Lord in himself The Lord of Glory because he hath all Glory to dispose of The Lord of Glory because he advances whom he pleases to Glory he will advance his Church unto Glory all beleevers unto Glory So that you see now Christ he is the root of Nature the root of Grace and the root of Glory Now what remains but that we should make some use of this point and there are several things which will be observable Use First If Christ be the Root of Nature of Grace and Glory then we may all make use of that which David doth upon this account in Ps 138.8 Thy mercy O Lord indures for ever forsake not the works of thine own hand why may not every one say Lord I am the work of thy hands thou hast made me a creature Thou art the root of my nature Lord do not forsake me but Lord make me gracious as well as to have nature bee the root not only of a natural life to mee but the root of a spriritual life unto me and be the root of Glory unto me why thy hand hath made me Thou hast made me a man given me an immortal soul indued me with understanding and some wisdome and knowledge Lord do not forsake me leave mee not to the Devil to the world to my self But Lord seeing thy hand hath made me a man so Lord let it make me a new man as I have a Natural life so let me have another life a Spiritual life so every one when they are in straights and troubles in darkness and afflictions and think they are left of God and Christ let them use this Argument in Prayer I am the work of thine hands what wilt thou leave the work of thy own hands why men will not desert the work of their own hands thou hast not deserted the Creation the Sun Moon and Stars Night and day Summer and Winter why Lord I am the work of thine own hands do not leave me nor forsake me 2 Is Christ the root of Nature of Grace and of Glory then whatsoever difference you see in men as men in men as Christians what difference soever you read of men in glory it is all from the Lord Jesus Christ it is from the root You know that one Tree is higher than another it is from the root that one tree or branch is higher or bigger than another it is from the root of the Tree that the differences are in the branches and arms and boughes of the tree
themselves withall their own good natures their own parts their own righteousness and performances they are full of these but now when they come to this Spiritual thirst they are emptied of all these there is a breach made between Sin and their Souls and so all is let out of this nature This new Wine must not be put in full Bottles the Bottles must be empty When a man therefore thirsts after Christ this man now sees that hee hath nothing to releeve him but Christ and this man is fit for Christ he is empty A Vessel that hath a fulness before cannot receive Wine or Milk or Water or any Liquor whatsoever but when a Vessel is emptied of all was in it then it is capable of something else 2 This thirsting is required because men wil not come to Christ else if men be not thirsty they wil not come to Christ If any man thirsts let him come The full stomack loathes the Honey-combe If the sweetest Honey-comb be presented to a full â—tomack it loathes it In Luke 14. there are many invited to come to the great Supper the Supper that Christ had made the Dainties of the Gospel but because they were not thirsty not one of them would come saith one I have a yoke of Oxen to go and try Another I have a Farm to go and see saith a third I have married a Wife and I cannot come But had they been athirst they would have come to Christ the Water of Life but where there is no thrist there will be no coming Tell a Drunkard that is full of Beer Wine or Hot Waters tell him of the best Wine of the most excellent Drink that is he hath no minde to it he is full and will not come to it and therefore without thirsting men will not come to Christ A man that is not sick hee will not come to the Physician but a man that is sick and full of pain that man will come to the Physician 3 It is required because if men do come to Christ yet they will not drink when they come unless they bee thirsty you may bring a Beast unto the Water but unless he be athirst he will not drink so many men may be prest by Arguments to come to Christ to come to the Gospel and the means of Grace but unless they be thirsty they will not drink VVhen men come to a Feast and there are variety of VVines and Drinks there if not thirsty they will fault the drink though VVine and speak evil of it and say It is too new too tart too flat some expressions or other they will have against it why they are not thirsty whereas if they were thirsty they would drink so is it with men and women that come to Christ not being thirsty they fault the Doctrin of Christ which is the Drink hee gives them why you must deny your selves you must part with things that are dearest to you you must take up a Cross and follow Christ O this is drink that is full of Lees this is drink that hath no savour in it and will not down with men and women therefore unless men be thirsty they will not drink the drink that Christ hath prepared for them this Water of Life they will not see any life in it but they will reject it and lay it aside this Doctrin will not down with them therefore saith Christ Let him that is athirst come When Christ shall tell you of Reproaches Persecutions Temptations loss of Liberty and loss of Lives for his sake and the Gospels this will not down with men and women As Christ is refreshing drink so Christ is purging drink and the ingredients in the one are pleasing things the Promises and the Loves of God and Christ but in the other are very haâ—sh things Afflictions Sword Death Fire and things of that nature these are in the purging drink 4 Let him that is at hirst come saith Christ because though men do come and do drink yet unless they be athirst they will not stay with Christ stay at this Fountain and be content with this drink long but they will give it over As many have come and entred upon the profession of the Gospel and have taken upon them the Livery of Christ but they have not long stayed in Christs Family they have not liked his Diet his Drink they have gone away again Men think it a hard thing to be tied to drink one kinde of drink always yet those that have the Gravel the Stone they will bee content to drink such drink as will advantage them so those thaâ— are truly thirsty after Christ they will be content to drink such drink as Christ will give them therefore unless men be thirsty they will not stay with Christ not abide in his Family 5 Lastly Christ saith Let him that is athirst come because such have a suitableness in them to what Christ hath for them Christ in the Scripture is set out to bee a Phisitian to bee a Saviour to be a Fountain of Living Water and to be at a Throne of Grace now those that are athirst have something suitable to this A thirsty man he would fain have his Wounds healed he that hath this Spiritual thirst hath Wounds and I say he would fain have them healed and so he will come to Christ and Christ is a Phisitian and he will heal his VVounds A thirsty man is a lost man and he would fain be saved Christ is a Saviour and he will come to him for Salvation A thirsty man is dry Christ is a Fountain and he will come to Christ for the VVater of Life to have the heat of sin quenched and to have the VVrath of God which is apprehended pacified and so this man he would have the guilt taken out of his Conscience he would have his sins pardoned Christ is at a Throne of Grace and holds out a golden Scepter this man will come to Christ to have his sins pardoned therefore Christ saith Let him that is athirst come Secondly For the nature and property of this Spiritual thirst 1 This thirst The reason of Spiritual thirst it is an afflictive thirst a thirst that doth afflict and trouble the Soul where it is when men are athirst indeed O how doth that thirst afflict men are more afflicted with thirst than with hunger because there is a greater desire of humidum then siccum as the Philosophers do observe men are more desirous of moysture than of that which is dry and therefore where there is a true thirst there is affliction of spirit It is said of Sampson in the fifteenth of Judges that he was sore a thirst he did greatly sorely thirst his thirst was a pain unto him a trouble unto him a perplexity unto him so where there is this Spiritual thirst it is very troublesome and afflictive unto the Soul when once the guilt of sin stirs the Fire of Hell is kindled in the Soul the VVrath
presents to the Sons of Men would bee drunk off by them To the hungry Soul every bitter thing is sweet so to the thirsty Soul every bitter thing is sweet for a man to love his enemies to bless them that curse him to pray for them that persecute him to do good to them that hate him this is very hard to flesh and bloud but a Soul that is athirst after Christ drinks down these truthes and findes sweetness in them 5 Another effect of this Spiritual thirst is this That it doth extinguish in a great measure if not wholly the thirst after other things it doth extinguish all sinful thirst and doth correct and moderate all other thirsts thirsting after the Creature you know the light and heat of the Sun puts out the light and heat of the fire and doth abate it in a great measure when the Sun shines upon it so where this thirst comes after Spiritual things and is in truth it doth abate and extinguish the thirst after unlawful things and doth abate very much your desires after other things saith Christ unto the Woman in John 4.14 Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst shall never thirst as he had done before shall never have such strong desires after Creatures saith Paul in the Philippians those things which before seemed goodly and excellent and were great priviledges and prerogatives to him saith he I account all loss and dung now for the excellencie of the knowledge of Christ Jesus I have another thirst begotten in me now and this thirst hath abated my thirst to the World my desires after Creatures and delights in them I have a thirst that carries me after more high and excellent things than they are so in Gal. 6.14 God forbid that I should glory save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world I thirst no more after the world saith he it is Crucified to me and I am Crucified to it it is Christ I thirst after to know the power of his Death and Resurrection to know Christ more this did abate and cool his desire and affections towards all externals and the glory of the world 6 Again where this Spiritual thirst is the more you drink the more it is increased and this seems strange where this thirst is other thirsts are abated but this increases the more you drink still the more you thirst the more Grace any man retains the more eager after Grace still the more thirsty after Christ this day the more the next this thirst begets thirst it makes a man to see his need of Christ more and of Grace and God and of Spiritual things more and more and inlarges his desire As Lime when you throw water upon it it makes the Lime burn the more so when the Soul thirsts and God gives it water of life it thirsts more therefore saith God Open your mouth wide and I will fill it In time God will fill it but Grace doth stretch our desires and makes men more vigorous in pursuit of heavenly things than over before that man or woman that can sit down content with a little knowledge with a little measure of Grace with a little degree of Faith with a little portion of the Spirit that man in truth hath none for it is the nature of Grace to make more hungry more thirsty more desirous it will draw out the Soul more strongly after Christ the Spouse was never so affected with Christ as after she had tasted of the love of Christ 7 Again Where this thirst is in truth it breeds in the Soul a conformity to the thirst that is in God and in Christ Quest Why are they thirsty Ans Yes God himself is thirsty and Christ is thirsty Psal 81.13 O that my people had harkened unto me and Israel had walked in my way Here is Gods thirst O that there were such a heart in this people saith God where there is a true Spiritual thirst there is a conformity in the heart unto God Psal 119.5 saith David there who had this thirst O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes Lord this is thy desire that men should keep thy Statutes Lord this is my desire O that I could keep thy statutes Here is a conformity now between God and the Soul that is athirst saith God in Psal 27. Seek yee my face my heart answered saith David thy face Lord will I seek Here is a conformity between Gods desire and mans desire so in the Canticles saith the Spouse there My beloved is mine and his desire is towards me And in another place I am my Beloveds and my Beloved is mine Doth Christ desire me why I desire Christ saith the Spouse so that this Spiritual thirst breeds a conformity between the heart and God that look what God desires it desires 8 Again This Spiritual thirst doth cause men to thirst after God for himself and Christ for himself many do thirst after God not for himself but for themselves they thirst after the Loaves they thirst after the Gifts of God as many seek to be in great Services to bee in great mens Houses and Courts that they may have their Livery that they may eat and drink of the best that they may live at ease and not out of love to the Person Shimei comes to David and to Solomon but not out of love to David or Solomon but to save his life so many come to God that they may be saved from Hell and Damnation but they would live in their lusts have their wills have their ease and bear Gods Livery some outward profession but they come not to God for love of God for love of Holiness for love of Truth for love of Jesus Christ it is for themselves but not for Gods Self but this Soul that is truly athirst must have God himself and for himself he knows all other things will come in after If I have God I have all if I have not God I have nothing will do me good 9 Lastly Where this true Spiritual thirst is it is that a man may be satisfied and that a man may be fruitful as the earth why is the Earth dry and thirsteth after the Rain and gapes sometimes as if it would swallow up the very Heavens that it may bee satisfied with the Rain and bee much fruitful so a Soul that hath this Spiritual thirst desires to receive from God that so it may be fruitful O it cannot bring forth good fruit and that is a burthen to it and it longs to bee fruitful and thirsts to receive some influences of Grace some dews from Heaven that so being watered and moystned it may grow and yeeld good fruit and thus you see some effects and fruits of this Spiritual thirst and so to know the truth of it whether you have this thirst or no. Quest Here now a Question may arise may some say I
do not finde this thirst in my Soul I do not finde such a thirst as here is mentioned in my Soul and what shall I think of my self others it may be they have strong thirstings and such desires but as for my self I do not finde the same Ans To this I answer that there is a difference in men in regard of this Spiritual thirst as well as in men in regard of Natural thirst some bodies are more thirsty than others your Cholerick bodies are more thirsty than Flegmatick so some Christians are more thirsty than others some have lived very profane lives in scandalous courses and run out into exorbitant ways and greatly have dishonoured God and if God ever stir in their hearts and bring them to thirst their thirst will be vehement their thirst will be afflictive their thirst will bee stronger than other mens some they are trained up from the Cradle in the ways of God they have more ingenuous Natures and breaks not out into such ill ways and their thirst is more moderate and less discernable it is not the degree of the thirst but the truth of the thirst that is required though you have not a strong thirst yet you have a true thirst as it is not a strong faith but a true faith that is required to Salvation Now the degree of thirst which will bring you to Christ which will make you come and drink and stay with Christ that is sufficient Vse of Exhortation But to come to another use and that is an use of Exhortation Let him that is athirst come Men and women O labour to be true thirsters after Christ we can thirst after other things one thirsts after this another after that and another after another thing and all the things in the World are thirsted after by one or other but who thirsts after Christ All seek their own and none seek the things of Christ they neither thirst after Christ nor any thing belongs to Christ Now here I shall do two or three things 1 Shew you grounds why you should thirst after Christ 2 Give some directions to those that never thirsted and directions to those that do thirst that they may thirst more First for some grounds 1 Consider Why wâ—â— should thirst after Christ Blessedness is fixed unto Thirsting would you not be blessed all of you would you not have a blessing from the mouth of our dear Saviour Matth. 5. Blessed are those that hunger and thirst after Righteousness it may be you have not Righteousness yet but do you hunger and thirst after righteousness saith Truth it self the Lord Jesus Blessed is the man blessed is the woman and is there nothing in a blessing pronounced by him This word is a comprehensive word Blessed there is all good wrapt up in it all good for Soul all good for Body all good for present all good for future Blessed is the man that hungers and thirsts if you would therefore have such a blessedness as this is O hunger and thirst after Christ and the excellencies of Christ 2 Many great and precious Promises are made out to Thirsters and will bee made good to Thirsters In Isa 44. I will pour water upon him that is thirsty and flouds upon the dry ground I will pour my Spirit upon thy Seed and my blessing upon thine Off spring and they shall spring up as among the Grass as Willows by the water-courses I will pour water upon him that is thirsty that is I will pour my Spirit upon him that is meant by water if thou bee thirsty God will not only give his Spirit but pour his Spirit it notes abundance it notes vehemency such a measure of the Spirit as shall bear down your corruptions and your sins God wil pour out his Spirit upon you so in the one and forty of Isaiah When the poor and the needy seek water and there be none and their Tongue faileth for thirst I the Lord will hear them I the God of Israel will not forsake them I will open rivers in high places c. If you be thirsty if you bee even fainting if you bee brought low now in your longings and desires after Grace and Holiness and the things of Heaven the Lord saith I will hear you mine ear shall be open mine hand shall be stretched out I will not forsake you I will not leave you in that condition I will releeve you so that sweet and choyse Promises are made to Souls that hunger and thirst they shall be satisfied 3 Again we should labour for this thirst because the invitation here is unto thirsters If any man thirst let him come so in Joh. 7.38 If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink The Lord invites such persons you know when he made a great Feast in the fourteenth of Luke he invited all sorts but those were not athirst they would not come the Yoke of Oxen the Wife the Farm drew them away but those that were athirst came If any man thirst let him come You would take it ill if Christ should not invite you to the dainties of the Gospel well do you thirst Christ invites you Are you a hungery will you eat will you drink Christ invites you the invitation is to Thirsters therefore get this thirst Quest But the Question is What directions will you give us to attain unto this thirst Ans First Some directions to them that have it not Secondly To them that have 1 For those that have it not Directions to those that have not this thirst and 1 Let such consider something of God something of the Law something of Sin something of their Lives something of Eternity God 1 Something of God Let them consider the Purity the Justice and Power of God 1 The Purity of God God is a holy God so pure that his eyes cannot behold iniquity to approve of it see what is said in Psal 5. Thou art not a God that hast pleasure in wickedness neither shall evil dwell with thee no unclean thing shall ever enter into his presence God is a holy God and who can stand before him 1 Sam. 6.20 He is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity Hab. 1.13 Well if God be holy and pure what wilt thou do then that art unholy unpure wicked carnal and corrupt he is an holy God whom thou hast to do withall 2 He is a just God a God that hath said The soul that sins shall dye Bee hee great or small rich or poor young or old learned or unlearned The soul that sins shall dye Psal 143. saith David there Enter not into judgement O Lord with thy Servant for no flesh living shall be justified in thy sight The Lord is so just so righteous so exact that no flesh living can be justified in his fight why flesh is guilty guilty before God and sinners must dye God is righteous 3 Consider as God is Pure Holy and hates all sin the appearance of
evil the thoughts of the heart As God is just and will punish sin so God is powerful to do it God he hath a strong Arm and when he comes to punish he can do it to purpose See what Job saith in chap. 16.12 I was at ease but he hath broken me asunder he hath also taken me by my neck and shaken me to peeces and set mee up for his mark c. Did God deal thus with holy Job what will hee do with sinners Is not God a consuming fire Is not God terrible in righteousness Can any escape the hands of God Yee sinners in Sion can yee escape the hands of God What will yee do in the day of Visitation when God comes Can yee stand it out against the Almighty can yee plead with God and bring forth your Arguments to justifie your selves God will Condemn you he will shake you to peeces God will break your bonâ—s hee will make your reâ—es speak bitter things unto you Now the consideration of Gods Purity of Gods Justice of Gods Power sould make you thirst after Christ who may make you holy and free you from his Justice and from his Power that he might not destroy you The Law Secondly Consider the Law of God the Law of God is in few words in the Ten Commandements there is much forbidden and many things commanded he that is angry without cause he that saith unto his Brother Racha or thou fool is in danger of Hell fire Hee that looks upon a Woman and lusts after her hath committed Adultery and Adulterers shall be shut out of the Kingdom of Heaven you think Thoughts are free and lust free but what saith Paul When the Commandement came sin revived and I dyed the Commandement slew me and if the Law once enter and seize upon your heart it will drink up the moysture of your spirit it will make you restless night and day it will be as an Arrow in your Liver as a hot burning Iron Paul thought himself once that he was righteous blameless civil just and that no man should be saved sooner than himself but he was deceived when the Law came he saw what a sinner he was what vild thoughts vild lusts and practices he had been guilty of and the Law slew him The Law pronounces a Curse over your heads and James tells you He that breaks one is guilty of all therefore do not you see a need of Christ now Have you no thirsting desires after Christ who shall deliver you from the Law who shall free you from the Curse if you have not Christ to do it you will stand and fall by the Law and you cannot be justified the Jews would be saved as it were by the Law but they perished seeking righteousness by the Law and so will all that go that way Sin Again consider something of Sin are you not sinners If there be any here that saith he is not a sinner let him depart but if we be all sinners let us consider the nature of Sin O how doth sin defile us how doth sin black us what ugly loathsome Creatures doth sin make us what Black-a-mores are wee and those that are in their bloud in their filth those that dye in their sin wo bee to them well let us then lay to heart the evil of our sin and I am perswaded there is not one here that hath any understanding about it but sees a great deal of evil at one time or other in sin it is the offence of God it is the death of the Soul it is the breach of the Command Sin is that that separates between God men now what you have in the notion bring it down and reallize it in your hearts follow it with meditation and let meditation bring in the evil of sin bring in the Indictment I am guilty of this and that and the other sin and let Conscience now sit as Judge in you and speak out Conscience will Condemn you and say O thou hast sinned against my Lord and Master I am his Deputy and I sit as a petty god in thy Soul and I tell thee Thou art a Damned lost Creature now when things are brought home thus then will yee thirst after a Pardon then will you look out for Salvation then will you see Christs Bloud Christs Intercession and Christs Merits to bee precious Stout-hearted Sinners and High-way Men when the Sentence of death hath been pronounced over their heads and they have seen that they are Condemned men then they have fallen down upon their knees and have begged mercy so many stout-hearted Sinners if they would but follow home their sin by Meditation and bring the Notion home to their hearts they would see themselves to have need of Christ and to have Mercy and Grace through him Our own Lives Again Consider your own Lives have you any Lease of your Lives as Hezekiah had Do you know you shall live another week another year another night or day Are not your Lives uncertain your breath in your Nostrils Do we not finde in Scripture and in daily experience how suddenly men and women are pulled away by some hand of God or other Senacheribs Army smitten all in a night one hundred fourscore and five thousand men fifty thousand Bethshemites smitten for peeping into the Ark Herod eaten up with Worms the Tower of Shilo fell upon eighteen two Bears out of the Wood tare forty two Children And have we not examples in our days How many are blown up with Powder how many are burnt with fire how many drop down in the streets as they go Why do not you thirst after Christ and his Righteousness There is no way for you but by Christ it is Christ alone that will secure your Souls therefore can you be too early hie forward upon this account If Christ be not yours and you dye wo to you you shall dye in your sins saith Christ This were a sad Sentence to be pronounced over your head to be written upon your doors or hearts Man Woman thou shalt dye in thy sins it had been better thou hadst never been born now unless you get interest in Christ you must dye in your sins Eternity Lastly consider Eternity here you have a being but for a little time but what comes after there is an eternal condition of bliss or wo and the most go the wrong way there is a possibility for thee for eternal Happiness and the way is to thirst after Christ sit down and consider with thy self whosoever thou art that art in the gall of bitterness and hast deluded thy Soul hitherto with an out-side or form of godliness Consider ere long I must go hence and there are thousands go to Hell for one that goes to Heaven well it is time for me now to look to my self I may be gone before next day before next year and is Christ mine what a Swearer a Drunkard a Worldling a Whore-master one that doth rail slander and
have none of it he doth it out of love and aymes at your good and the saving of your soules and yet you will have none of this water what Ingratitude is this Christ may say I brought water to your doore and such water as was water of life it would have quickned you maintain'd life in you brought you to Eternall life and you would none of it heare ô Heavens and hearken ô Earth was there ever such Ingratitude Fifthly Consider that this water of life is the onely remedy can doe your soules good It 's the mercy of God in Christ its Christs merits the Spirit and the Graces thereof must doe sinners good if any thing in heaven and earth can doe them good There is nothing in Heaven and Earth besides free Grace and mercy this water of Life which can doe your soules good If you will not drinke of this water you must die you must die and perish for ever as in Jonah They imbrace lying vanities and forsake their owne mercies so all men and women in the world imbrace lying vanities who forsake these waters they will drinke the muddie waters of the world the filthy waters of sin of the ditches of Rome of the puddles of Egypt and Babylon but of these waters which would save their soules they will not drinke this is an evill against the Remedy Sixthly Consider that the refusall of these waters provokes God and Christ greatly to wrath you cannot provoke God more then by refusing his kindnesse you greive you vex the Spirit you resist the Spirit and so provoke God bitterly Psal 81.11 12. saith he My people would not hearken to my voyce and Israel would none of me so I gave them up to their owne hearts lusts I will scourge them no more but give them over to the saddest Judgements in the world they shall be left to their owne lusts their own wills and humours I will leave them now to drinke waters will poyson them waters will ripen them for hell So in the 14 of Luke those that were Invited to the Supper they made excuses all and would not come saith Christ not one of them shall tast of my Supper The meaning is they shall not onely not tast of the dainties I have prepared but they shall tast of the severitie of my wrath In stead of cups of vvine they shall have cups of Brimstone fire The vengeance written they shall have executed upon them When God offered Canaan to the Jewes and they resused it and would goe back to Egypt God was so mooved that he sware in his wrath If they shall enter into my Rest If they enter into my Rest let me be thrust out of heaven And the siercenesse of Gods anger never came upon the Jewes till they had refused Christ and these vvaters of life But then the wrath of God came upon them to the uttermost to perfection it came upon them Seventhly Lastly Those that refuse the vvaters of life The Lord Christ and God doth keepe account of all such passages and will bring them in against them and urge them as aggravations of their misery at last The Lord keepes account I have stretched out my hands all the day long saith God A whole day the day of their lives I waited upon them Fortie yeares long was I greived with this Generation Revel 3.20 Christ saith Behold I stand at the doore and knock Christ keeps account how long he stood there how many knocks he hath made there how many tenders of Grace have been presented to you how often you refused and turned them away He will come at last and say At such a place I stood and knockt twenty or thirtie yeares And in such a place I tendered Grace to them a thousand times and my Spirit presented good motions to them ten thousand times and yet they refused All these vvill be brought in at last and then vvhen you shall see this black bill this will sinke you into the bottome of hell Grace offered peace offered heaven offered Christ and his righteousnesse offered to be your portion and you would none of all these and what did you choose chaffe earth puddle water your misery will be exceeding great The Water of Life Reve 22.17 And whosoever will let him come and take of the water of life freely WEE come now to a use of Exhortation If the waters of life be freely offered then here 's an Invitation to all sinners to come and accept of these waters Come ye sinners whosoever ye be ye that are in the chambers of Death ye that are in the broad way ye that are enemies to God through wicked workes in your minde ye that have liv'd basely to the dishonour of God and man to your owne prejudice and damnation If you will come here are waters and waters of life waters will give life to the dead here are waters to increase life here are waters to be had freely Come to these waters these waters are held forth upon such tearmes that ye may all come and receive them whosoever will let him come and take of the waters of life In the 55 of Isa 7. It 's said Let the wicked forsake his wayes and the unrighteous his thoughts and turne unto the Lord and he shall have mercy Pro 28. It 's said He that confesses his sins and forsakes them shall finde mercy There the termes are somewhat hard who can forsake his wayes and turne from his evill thoughts and the like it 's a hard thing to doe But here it 's upon other termes Whosoever will let him come and take of the waters of life freely You may have them freely whatsoever your sins have been crimsen sins scarlet sins crying sins sins against light of nature against Law against heaven against earth sins against State against Church against soule or body sins against Gospel whatsoever your sins have been here are waters of life freely for you Abraham was an Idolater and yet he had water of life freely Saul was a persecuter and he had water of life freely and why may not you have waters of life freely A man may goe and take water at any Well in a Towne he may goe to the Thames and take water what he will when the Raine falls who may not have a share of it here 's water here 's raine from heaven and who will may come and take water of life Sometimes money is given in a place for poore people and it is made knowne for them to come and fetch it but they must first get Petitions Justices Ministers and other mens hands of their honesty of their faithfullnesse of their service of their sufferings of their losses and a great deale of dooe there is before they can have the money but it is not so here Christ doth not say Let him that is righteous come let him that is so qualified take it let him that hath suffered such hard things let him that hath been tempted