compass of this Covenant of Grace and afterward perish the deeper will they sâ—nk those will burn with a witness that are cut off from the Vine the visible Church of the Olive as unprofitable dead and barren branches Yet it is a priviledge and a great act of grace to be of the Olive Is it nothing to be one of Gods houshold or family to be under his provision his protection and guidance in a special manner to be in the state of separation to God of old and sealed up therein to God by Circumcision It was profitable much every way the Apostle said Yea I will say more That the greater force a thing hath to aggravate the condemnation of poor Creatures the greater the mercy is Shall we say the Preaching of the Gospel is not a mercy because this is the condemnation indeed that light is come into the world The second use may be to help the people of God over a stumbling block which may be an offence to them happily in some Churches of Christ either such as themselves walk with or others It may be there are some in such or such a Church whose spirits thou canst not savour thou hast them in suspition and therefore thou canst not be free to have fellowship with them Or if thou be in Fellowship thou art ready to withdraw upon such an account First be sure to take heed of making breaches in thy love It thinketh no evil hopeth all things that are hopeable And dost thou know how much smoke there may be with some fire how much corruption and ashes there may be and yet some fire Therefore take heed of judging the state and Condition of men where they are not in the course of their lives prophane and scandalous 2. Much more take heed of that dividing and separating upon such an occasion as this for did not our Saviour walk with his disciples though he knew Judas a devil and doubtless it was more a grief to him then it can be to us the less holiness the less evil will grieve and a man is more tender there must needs be all tenderness where there is no sin to harden it O then let us arm our selves with the same minde There were great abuses in the Church of Corinth and yet he stirreth not them up to division but love rather Why but you will say when they become scandalous what should we do then Why then the Church ought to deal with them judiciously to enquire into them admonish them censure and cast them out if the other preparative means with waiting upon God in them will not do it That is clear in the incestuous person and again If any that is called a brother be a drunkard or a rayler c. with such a one no not to eat it is clear whether they might so withdraw from him before the Church had censured him under tryal I think not for then he was to be as a heathen in respect of communion and yet not accounted an enemy but esteemed as a brother now truly if the Church be so over-run with this hem 〈…〉 k for want of weeding like the slothful mans vineyard over-grown with thorns and thistles Through the sloth of the Church and officers the ordinance of excommunication so neglected that now they are grown so corrupt as there is no way lefâ— according to the rule of Christ to purge them what other means is left in such a case but withdrawing I do not understand 3. It may teach us notwithstanding the sad condition of such as continuing members of the visible Church yet remain in an unregenerate state happily we all look upon our selves to be members of the Church of Christ but have we this grace in our hearts this oyl in our Lamps we have a name and profession but can we say that Christ is in us the hope of glory If not brethren our condition is sad indeed we are a people that happily the world can lay nothing to our charge we may put the best side outward like painted sepulchers but what is within what is within but rottenness remember that though men cannot judge your hearts but hope the best of you brethren yet there is one which searcheth the heart and judgeth the heart and of you according to your hearts though his Disciples cannot finde out Judas yet our Saviour would finde him out at last hâ—s eys are like a flaming fire Let your hypocrisie be as deep as it may it shall not be hid from the light nor from the scorching heat thereof Yea consider seriously brethren that those things you glory most in and pillar up your selves with they will be your ruine if you remain in this condition and that is the Ordinances you have the Covenant preached and sealed to you from time to time and communion with the Saints you think this is enough you cannot miscarry the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord you trust in lying words for they will deceive you may you not be children of the Kingdom and yet cast out yet will not this be the thing which will sink you that you have been children of the kingdom and yet fall short of the kingdom You come to the feast for theâ—e is a wedding feast the Gospel and the Ordinances are whereof see pag. 106. which you are to understand all the administrations of the grace in the Kingdom the Gospel-Ordinances this is the feast of fat things the fat things of heaven you may be admitted to this feast to all the Ordinances not a dish upon the table but you may eat of it But alas brethren if you be yet in the gall of bitterâ—â—ss though you go for sweet Christians all turns to gall and poyson to your souls It is impossible for such a man or such a woman ever to come worthily to partake of the Ordinances a child of God hath much ado with his heart to bring it into frame to get the spirit fixed to sing and give praise to prepare his heart and much pains many times and the work done but in a little part yet there is mercy to accept where we do our best there is habitual preparation there are the graces of the spirit and there is Christ put on by faith for righteousness and holiness but the graces are not so lovely so stirred up and much ado to blow away the ashes and they flye about our ears sometimes that we even lose our selves in the work But yet God will be mercifull and cover our shortness if we reach but this the sense of our unpreparation and be â—uâ—bled for it But now thou that art a hypocrite and an unregenerate man thou canst never be prepared to come to hear to receive the Supper and so they prove the savour of death to death thou hast no promise thou canst build upon but that they will be thy bane Alas poor soul how many times hast thou
genera vari he is truth itself as well as being it self and other things are no further true then they have some proportion to him which they also have from him therefore the mind having gotten such an Object as this to dwell upon wherein it may be swallowed up and satisfied with truth it hath its perfection 2. The will that hath for its Object good and it is not content with a partial good here and there a little but it would receive all good now the Lord he is good and there is none good but God he is the supream good the greatest good and the last in genere boni all goodness in the Creature whether honour proportionable or delightful or pleasant good alas what is it but a little reflection of his glory upon the Creature a little spark of his kindling a little drop to the ocean but this is but answerable to the capacity and comprehension of the soul Secondly there is also the everlastingness of the soul it liveth for ever and therefore a short good though never so full is not commensurate unto it there must be certitudo aeternae fruitionis which as well as fruitio incommutabilis boni to make up a blessedness which is the end the soul proposeth to it self So Aug. de Chro. for fuisse selioem miâ—erum It is the depth of our misery we are now cast down so low because we were once seated raised so high in honour so near to God and yet if we might spend but a time in hâ—aven and enjoy God and afterward forsake that habitation this world would be the â—ell of hels unto such a soul but there is an everlastingness in the good itself we enjoy and in our enjoyment of that good We 〈…〉 this then is the great end â—o know and to propound to a mans self to set as his 〈…〉 as his mark is a part of wisdom he that doth great things takes much pains for poor ends is a fool the end speaks a man a wise man or a fool as much as any thiâ—g But 2. Then there are the means to be used for the attaining of that end that is the next thing If a man have never so right an end and yet know not what means to use for that end or use them not aright he is a â—ool not a wise man As now a man would have health and he knoweth not that physick will avail him it is all one to him a cup of poyson or a purging potion is all one to him or if he have the means and use them not or not aright and so in any other thing whatsoever I briefly wrapt up the other two in this place Now to this great end the enjoyment of God the means what are they but more immediately the closing with Jesus Christ by faith in his blood for he is not received but in Jesus Christ nor to be enjoyed but in him and through him Now since we have lost the image and glory of God it would not prove good to us to enjoy him if it were possible for us so to do that is to say it would not be suitable to us as we are corrupted heaven would be hell to a wicked man if he could enter into that holy place a while And therefore there is a necessity that we close with Jesus Christ that in him we may be brought near being reconciled through the blood of his cross and the enmity slain that is in our hearts against God and a new nature put upon us the heart changed and made conformable to God that image and likeness restored which consisted in knowledge righteousness and true holiness that now to enjoy God in the fulness and holiness and joy it is suitable to this new man wrought in us by Jesus Christ suitable to that spiritual Christ which is founded in us and so is good to us therefore this is the great means I say the closing with Jesus Christ for righteousness and reconciliation and holiness that heaven may be suitable unto us that we may also by him be changed and made fit and able to bear the weight of glory which is there to be put upon us More mediately and remotely now the means of grace the Gospel and ordinances thereof wherein God is revealed in Christ therein he is revealed for righteousness for holiness he is preached therein in the Covenant and that sealed up to us in the other ordinances And all the means of grace are helpful for this end Well now before I go any further Let us see the wisdom and folly of a pretender and a real Saint that is a virgin indeed 1. Then for the end though miserable man would be happy yet we miss it in the end and if we miss the end all our endeavours are nothing Now a child of God his end is God as he is a glorious God and as he is a good God and here is wisdom indeed that is to say he aimeth at this to glorine God to exalt him that he may be glorified in him as well knowing that the glory of the Lord is that wherein his own good and salvation is wrapt up for wherein are the riches of his glorious grace manifested but in the pardoning and subduing of iniquity O for thy names sake pardon mine iniquity for it is great for his names sake Who is like unto thee a God pardoning iniquity transgression and sin And then the salvation of his soul he is wise that is wise to salvation that is wise for himself indeed in the main thing You see a man wonderful industrious takes great pains runs and rides is very earnest and what is his end in this to have a flea to catch a butterfly You would judge this man a sool the end will recompence the laborious use of the means Now a formal professer he will keep as much a do as another happily be at as much pains in duty spend as many hours in private happily some may be of Jâ—hu his stamp and strain as long as it will hold but what is it for Alas they seek a poor empty self they would have a name they would have their zeal for God seen they would have their ends satisfied it is the way to flourish What pains did they take to follow Jesus Christ up and down and all was for the loaves a poor end Suppose the end be a little stopping the mouth of a clamarous conscience for the present a poor end Is not this folly to shoot so high and aim so low But happily it will not be so easie to convince hypocrites that they miss it in the end though for my part I think it is that which we ordinarily miss it in did you at all feast to me saith the Lord or fast to me did you not bring forth fruit to your selves which are infinitely too low to be our own end for when we enjoy the most we can in our selves
that had no wedding garment upon him yet came to the Feast Sure he went no further then the externals you see he is cast out into utter darkness Now this may be called the Marriage or the Feast because here below they are necessary for us as signs of that spiritual communion the Lord seeth it good we have these royal dainties thus represented to us by visible sensible things because of our weakness and to magnifie his own condescending Grace to us to make that mysterie of salvation by a crucified Christ which all the reason in the world cannot fathom and that which neither eye hath seen nor ear heard yet in a sort visible to the eye and to be perceived by the ear that we might even in this sacramental sense even touch and taste and handle as I may say the word of life 2. As they are seals and pledges of this spiritual communion being seals of the Covenant of Grace whereof Jesus Christ is the sum and substance it sealeth it up to a believers Faith and so stands us in great stead And 3. It is a means of our spiritual communion the Conduit-pipe that runs wine the dishes that hold the dainties though but gold as Kings and Princes use to be served up in such State yet it is not them we feed upon they are but the means the vehicula and therefore because they have such a respect to our spiritual communion with Jesus Christ they may be so called But secondly the internal communion with Jesus Christ is that indeed which is the Feast the Marriage-feast even here below to eat and drink the flesh and blood of the Son of God which giveth life and maintains life this is the Feast Eat and drink yea drink abundantly saith the Lord I shall be satisfied abundantly with the goodness of thy house abundantly satisfied watered inebriated with the fatness of thy house what is that not meerly with the Ordinances no but with Christin them beholding his might and glory in the Ordinances the mighty prevailing of the Spirit of Christ against our unbelief to quiet all our doubtings O it is this to see the good of the chosen of the Lord those choice inward refreshings which the poor believers have from the presence and powerful workings of Christ in them to the joy of faith and to strengthen against corruption to strengthen for action for suffering his will this is that they cry out after even after the living God to enjoy him And all this is but the Kingdom of God below this is but the first course as I may say of this feast For secondly The Kingdom of glory as well as the Kingdom of grace which is that now I am to speak to this is a feast a Marriage here called that is to say a Marriage-feast for what is the Kingdom of grace here below but a foretaste of heaven as Grotius upon Matth. 22. saith As in the Marriage-feast at Cana of Galilee contrary to the usual manner our Saviour kept his best wine last so it is here as by and by we shall see here the wine the spirits indeed But a little to prove this by a Scripture or two that it may appear plain ye that have continued with me in my temptation I appoint to you a Kingdom as my Father hath appointed unto me that ye may eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom So many shall come from the East and from the West and shall sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of heaven sit down 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their table jesture Joh. 12. 2. they that sit at the Table are Guests But now eating and drinking in Scripture many times do signifie a feasting and so it is here to be taken and let it be noted by way of further proof that the Jews did not ordinarily drink wine except at their feasts and then they did drink abundantly if the observation of some be true as Piscator in his Schol. upon Math. 26. 29. cited by Mr. Brinsly but whether so or no sure we are they did use to drink more liberally then eat the fat and drink the sweet when it was a good day or a merry day to them for his heart was merry his heart was good and the sadness of the heart was called the evil of the heart in the Hebrew often insomuch that the ordinary word in the Hebrew for a feast is a drinking 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So in Ahashuerus his feast is called and Labans feast is called a drinking and it appears by the abundance of wine our Saviour made at the Marriage-feast at Cana of Galilee Therefore you shall find that the feast which Christ maketh is a feast of wines on the Lees well refined come and buy wine and milk without money and without price And so for this Kingdom of heaven this Marriage-feast at the height is called a drinking of new wine with them in the Kindgom of the Father that is to say the Kingdom of glory called his Fathers Kingdom because at that day that is to say at the day of the resurrection he will give up his dispensatory Kingdom to his Father that God may be all in all And for other reasons but I must not stay upon that Well here he will drink new wine with them which is nothing else but a periphrasis of this feast this Marriage-feast in heaven The cup of blessing the cup of consolation the cup of health or salvation is the feast of Christ here below but this now must be drunk new in the Kingdom of his Father there will be a new feast of wine a feast of new wine And so much for the proof of this Now we must understand Brethren that this feast in heaven is not any corporal thing I hope it is needless to tell any of you this the heathens dream of an Elysian-field and the Mahometans of their carnal delights after death those are poor husks that will not satisfie a soul of a child of God here they are sordid and infinitely below a heaven-born spirit no it must be somewhat of as high a nature as the spring from whence they come Why you may judge what it is in the General Brethren though particularly we know not what we shall be What is the Kingdom of heaven here below but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy-Ghost the sweet and spiritual communion with Jesus Christ the fellowship of his death and sufferings life and resurrection whereby we are in part changed into his Image that a man liveth upon will change him ordinarily therefore the King you know would have the children in Dan. fed with a portion of his meat generous-spirited wine will beget more and better spirits then course and cold c. So here by this communion we are changed in part though alas in how little a part But now in heaven Brethren the same communion
not that sinners are blind-folded do you think they would be led by Satan into so many horrid things O if they had known they would not have crucified the Lord of glory Father forgive them they know not what they do Alas the Panther hideth his head when he allureth the beasts the sweetness of his smell or beauty of his skin only the Drag is said to flie from him Isid li. 12. 2. See Mead upon Revel p. 2. p. 52. Alas they see not the head which is ready to affright them and devour them and not only is it the ground of this bondage but of all the rest how cometh it to pass that poor souls are plunged into such desperate gulfs of despairing and such breaking bondage in that kind but because they are held in ignorance they do not come to know the Father and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent he keepeth them in ignorance of the promises the sweet and precious promises of Jesus Christ O dear friends it is impossible were it not for our ignorance of that love of God in Jesus Christ and that riches exceeding riches of grace that is in him and his thoughts that are above our thoughts that there should be so many cloudings such fearful plunges as many poor souls are put unto yea many times even after they are once delivered from them why now I say when the Lord Jesus cometh ariseth upon a soul as the Sun of righteousness he dispels this ignorance discovers sin in its own colours and indeed worse it cannot be set forth in therefore the Apostle saith that sin might appear to be sin and then he opens the treasuries of the Promises of the Covenant of Grace to let a poor sinner see there is enough for him there though his sins be great yet mercy is transcendantly greater if he have mountains to be covered the Lord hath a sea to swallow them up if multitudes of sin there is multitude of mercies there is love which will cover a multitude and so by discovering himself thus and our selves to our selves he by degrees setteth the creature at Liberty from those fearfull apprehensions of God and from that delight in sin which formerly he had taken so that now no longer will he serve it But a little more plainly take a Scripture or two for it in that of Isaiah To proclaim liberty to the captives the opening of the prison to them that are bound the opening of the prison some read it so and so do our Translators though it is acknowledged by the learned among us that the latter is no where else used in this sense for the prison nor for the prey as some others use it and therefore some do take the word to be but one and render it omâ—imâ—do apertionem so that the doubling of the Letters here are Emphatical and by way of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though then Manaph here remaineth as a difficulty for words so doubled use not to be so joyned together so that some would have it here nothing else but a very large opening of their eyes and say that it is used most properly if not constantly of the opening of the eyes and surely this is the way of Gods delivering his Captives and agreeable to the text here the Sun arising in the morning opens the eyes setteth the senses at liberty from that prison of darkness they were in in the night and elsewhere it is manifest in that of Luke 4. 18. To preach deliverance to the captives and recovering of sight to the blinde and again the Psalmist The Lord looseth the Prisoners he openeth the eyes of the blinde therefore Paul was sent to open the eyes of the blinde and turn them from the power of Satan to God and from darkness to light for we must know that this bondage is of the soul the faculties thereof and chiefly the will Now the Lord when he cometh to deliver us dealeth with us as with men and therefore first opens the eyes of the mind and draweth us with the cords of a man with arguments over-powring our reason and then with the cords of love sweetly thereby inclining our hearts and bowing our wills and then the poor creature comeeth forth out of this bondage before we see we are in prison or see the loathsomness of it the darkness of it we are in love with it and will not go forth But Secondly This darkness comprehendeth another and that is Error or rather this ariseth from the other and therefore we shall speak to it apart Ye err not knowing the Scripture nor the power of God he saith not ye err not knowing immediate Revelations but not knowing the Scripture for there the light is in the Lanthorn if we will behold it now this error of what kind it will be it is a snare of the Devil and therefore it is a bondage The Apostle there speaks of Heretical Doctrine held by such as do perversly oppose themselves against the Ministers of Jesus Christ who hold out the truth as it is in Jesus He sheweth how Timothy is to carry himself to them in meekness instructing them that oppose themselves if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledgement of the truth Repentance is a turning from sin to God and to the contrary Grace or Vertue and that is the acknowledgement of the truth therefore their sin was some corruption of the truth and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil who are taken captive by him at his will out of the snare of the devil a sad snare it is if the devil can but get so far within a man as to dazle his eyes to blinde them he may lead them whither he will if he can but corrupt their judgement especially in fundamentals or practicals then they are his own they are fast enough he carryeth them captive takes them alive even at his pleasure Now our liberty from this part of bondage also is by the arising of the Sun of righteousness upon us the Spirit maketh us free as he is a spirit leading his people into the truth not only the notion but the practise of it also we have an anointing whereby we know all things saith the Apostle speaking of Antichrist it is needleâ—s for me to speak to you of him you have an anointing will teach you to avoid thâ—se his errors O happy is that soul that hath such a Guide such a Leader to lead him forth out of prison even as the Angel went before Peter else between sleep and wake hope and fear he might haply have mist his way So the Lord Jesus cometh and giveth his Spirit and bids the soul go forth alas whether should they go they know not the way as Thomas said why saith he â—ollow me I will lead you as he in his word hath therein revealed himself and maketh it out by his Spirit to his
and therefore when natural vigour decaies in old age though there may be as much uprightness there cannot be so much vigour appearing in service alway Now men are apt to have sad thoughts of themselves upon this account and so in other cases when wearied out our Saviour is tender and pittiful he takes notice of every groan under it when thou canst not help thy self but art foyled and he pittyeth and spareth O saith he to his Disciples could ye not watch with me one hour and at such a time as that was when our Saviour had most need of their watching wich him alas they were asleep Well saith he I consider your weakness the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak The Lord is ready to make the best of our conditions and therefore be not altogether discouraged though thou hast a weary hand with thy self with thy own base heart Fifthly But some will say O but they are grievous workings of sin that are in my heart whether they rise from within or from without my heart closeth with them and they are very horrid and I know not what to think concerning it But I say was Paul buffeted and canst thou think to escape truly Brethren I take it the Devil befools himself much in putting a soul upon horrid sins because that is the way to settle the soul so much the more fully when the bit is bigger then will down when Egypt dealt more hardly with the Israelits then before it made them cry out and then the Lord heard so it may be a soul was not so fully delivered from a sin but he doth stick as I may say in the skirts of it but now this maketh him cry out more willing more earnest to be delivered Sixthly Take heed lest anguish of spirit so far prevail as that thy soul refuse to be comforted as the Psalmist saith and the Israelites could not believe by reason of anguish of heart when God had sent them a Saviour to deliver them it may be it is so with thee Seventhly There will come a time when thou shalt be altogether free thou shalt never see the Egyptians more which now pursue thee and trouble thee me thinks that the thoughts of this should refresh us and make us desirous and willing to depart Well then whatever thy condition be in respect of the world it may be afflicted it may be friendless it may be in other kinds Oh me thinks one thought of this that thou art free from guilt and hast a free access to the Throne of grace might exceedingly support thy spirit But thus much for this use of the point also And grow up as Calves of the stall We are now come to the last promise in the bundle and it is not the least considerable That bondage under guilt under sin in its prevailing could not but be a hinderance of growth therefore if we lay so much weight upon the order of the words something seemeth to be held forth of that nature that this growth is a Concomitant of that liberty and enlargement promised before but I will not hang too much upon that though it be an undoubted truth yet whether it may be argued strongly enough from the order of words I will not urge Ye shall grow or increase or be multiplyed as some render it and the same word is read for spreading themselves the horsemen shall spread themselves or they shall be multiplyed as others Sometimes it is taken for springing up Gen. 2. 9. Job 31. 40. Our translation is very suitable some read it exilire to spring and leap and wantonize as Calves use to do when loosed from the stall But I rather much adhere to our translation and the meaning is ye shall increase and grow and come on you shall not stand at a stay and be alway at a pass but grow But what this growth is of what it is meant will be the Question whether of a temporal or spiritual growth a taking root in the world growing up and flourishing which is spoken of the wicked and sometimes the word is thus used for increasing though thy beginning were small said Bildad to Job yet thy latter end should greatly increase that is to say his habitation should be made prosperous at the last if thou wert innocent in his sight So Solomon it is said of him that he was great and increased more then all that went before him And so Rovanellus takes it here for an increase of glory dignity riches and prosperity and so in that place of Jerem when the Prophet first concluding however it were yet God was righteous and good to his people yet he would plead with him concerning his judgements Wherefore doth the way oâ— the wicked prosper Wherefore are all they happy that deal treacherously thou hast planted them yea they have taken root they grow yea they bring forth fruit though this be another Metaphor of a tree the other of a sensitive creature In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow and in the morning thou shalt make thy seed to flourish but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow There it is taken for all manner of outward prosperity but indeed me thinks this though it may not be excluded yet should not be the main thing here intended for alas though it be a great mercy to a people to be richly laden with benefits blessed with the abundance of all things so as that they may wax fat yet if this be abused and they kick against God as Jesurun did there is little comfort in it in comparison It is true it doth not necessarily follow because here is the summe of the Covenant of grace therefore earthly promises are to be excluded for they are a part of the Covenant also so far as good for us and all included in that I will be thy God Godliness hath the promise now as well as then of the things of this life as well as of that which is to come yet I shall rather speak to the other the growth in spirituals that is to say the daily renewing of the inward man the increase of their sanctification and holiness and grace this I take here to be meant and specially meant and therefore thus we shall understand it the promise is amplified by a comparison grow ye shall as Calves of the stall the word for stall signifieth an inclosure a coop any place made for to fat Cattle or other creatures in and we know that usually such do grow exceedingly else there is a great deal of cost bestowed upon them in vain and therefore our translators read that in the Proverbs better is a dinner of herbs where love is then a stalled Ox and hatred therewith There may be three things haply couched in the comparison First that they shall grow in quantity as calves calves shoot up and forth very much when they are
are we to believe Satan and the world when they shuffle us off from this work of casting up the accounts of our souls I think we may all of us or the most of us plead guilty here have we our times Brethren we set apart for this work of self-searching and tryal not an hour in a moneth or many moneths when we come to the Lords Supper an hour in a quarter or a day in a year yea do you ever perform this duty at all truly it is an ill sign when we are so backward to search the Lord perswade you to the duty you heard before how sad a thing it is to be at a stand not to grow and beside how canst thou be thankful if thou take not notice of it he loseth his glory and that will neither be for our advantage nor comfort And here I hope it may not be beside the Text to speak of growth under that other ordinary Simile of growing like trees or plants in Scripture nothing more ordinary then that where Believers are compared to trees of righteousness and branches in Christ the Vine and what is included in this comparison here as to the growth in quantity increase in quality and goodness and swiftness of it I hope I shall meet with in the other First then look whether you grow more into the root you grow downward for if a tree grow not in the root proportionably you know it will be top-heavy and every blast is ready to over-turn it that soul groweth to purpose that groweth then in the root more now what is this root but the Covenant of grace as you have heard when God would cut a people down by the root he would dis-dis-covenant them now the Lord Jesus is the main of the Covenant and therefore called the Covenant he and his Spirit are the great promises of the Covenant Chrisâ— as he is tendered for righteousness for holiness for redemption and all Now there are three graces specially which respect the root Jesus Christ whereby we may be said to grow in the root and therefore let us labour to search and try our selves by them The first is Faith Brethren whereby indeed we are planted into him and as that grows so we are said to grow in the root time was when our faith was but as a grain of Mustard-seed but now hath it deeper rooting faster hold of Christ do we now embrace him more closely then we did time hath been it may be when we have understood little of the Covenant of grace and so consequently could give but an assent to what we understood of it and an answerable consent but dost thou now understand it more to give a firmer assent to the truth of the thing wherein the Lord hath promised to give his Son and with him remission of sins that he will remember them no more and blot out their iniquities thou assentest to this truth now more then thou didst before O the bloodiness of thy guilt was that which dismayed thee the horridness the filthyness the multitude the aggravations of thy sins now thou seest and consentest to the truth of it that God will swallow up all they shall be though scarlet as white as snow though the time was the sight of thy sins did as much amaze thee as the sight of the Egyptians did the Israelites O thou knowest not what to do now thou canst look upon them as swallowed up in the red Sea of the blood of Jesus Christ O a Sea of mercy a red Sea of precious redeeming blood what will it not swallow up dost thou find it O observe Brethren how you grow in your assent to it and so for mortification subduing iniquities because thou hast been prest and pestered with thy lusts thou hast been ready to â—ay all men are lyars in thy haste O notwithstanding this Covenant of grace I find my corruptions strong and lively but now thou dost not upon this account question the Covenant but assentest to it and closest with it consent as well as assent and so waitest upon God for the fulfilling of it until his time he that believeth maketh not haste though he make it not to grow yet this is all thy salvation here thou hangest thy hopes and off this thou wilt not be beaten though heretofore thou hast found alas thou couldst hardly fasten upon it at all do you find this Bretheen see in what degrees if we grow not here we grow not at all to any purpose Secondly And that which is indeed included in the former is that of self-denyal if any man will be my Disciple he must deny himself and take up his Cross Deny himself all that is desirable in himself all that he lookt upon as conducible to salvation whether his works or gifts or duties his priviledges or whatever It is true we had a root of our own in Adam but that worm of sin hath smitten the root and it is withered and it is but rottenness and therefore there is no growth to be expected from it but what will be rotten Now Christ alone in the Covenant of grace is the root and the more we grow off our own root the more we grow into him as the root Now consider this Brethren it may be the time hath been thou hast builded much of thy hopes and comforts upon what thou hast had in thy self O if thou couldst but do this and that thou couldst be quiet and take comfort in thy condition now though thou do more or do less whatever thou art enabled to do through him dost thou find that thou canst bless him for it and yet go out of all and be as though we had never done any thing counting all but as menstruous cloaths and yet not the less but the more encouraged that our own righteousness is not the bottom because then it could not be sure but we have such a root as never withers even Jesus Christ Alas how far short are we in this though we have seen it many times when we would be standing upon our own bottom that we cannot stand upon a thing that stands not under us but sinketh only upon the Rock Jesus Christ yet we have not learned this many of us I doubt this hinders our growth much as if a vessel be indeed afloat yet so shallow keepeth so near the side of the shore as that it ever and anon strikes upon the ground it can make no considerable progress and is in danger of smiting beside so it is in this case well consider then this hath been our case we could not launch out into the deep perfectly trust to that grace revealed in Christ we must have one foot upon the ground we must feel something of our own under us or else we could not be quiet is it thus with thee now that thou arâ— more come off this thou canst now though thou see nothing in thy self yea when there is most appearing in
not think of him until he first think ofâ—hee nor work towards him until his heart hath been working towards thee and is not that demonstrate that he is willing to receive thee to make a match with thee though we be worms and no men have cause to cry out if we were never so holy Lord what is man that thou art so mindful of him as to visit him with such salvation make him so near thy self in thy son Yea surely he is willing he would not have moved towards thee else he doth not use to mock poor Creatures to make them believe his heart is towards them and when their heart echo again and say thy face Lord will we seek then to shut up his bowels and shut out their desires Brethren take heed of too much being alive to the Law for that seemeth to be the savour of our spirit while unworthiness is the obstruction to our coming to Jesus Christ we must be dead brethren to the Law and the righteousness thereof all our performances and best duties else we cannot live to Jesus Christ The Lord Jesus never matched with a Creature because it was worthy of him of so near an union with him for alas what creature being but a creature can be wotthy of such an union with the Lord of life and glory No no he â—akes an Ethiopian and washeth her clean from her filthiness before he hath done with her nothing but that fullers sope will fetch out the spots Yea I will say one thing more that the Lord Jesus never Matched with any that thought themselves worthy of him there is an encouragement to such poor drooping soâ—lâ— did Paul think himself worthy of Christ nothing less nor any of the Saints He that will not have Christ freely is never like to have him I will love them freely saith he No saith many a proud sinner thou shalt not love us freely we hope to approve our selves worthy of thy love I tell you brethren such a soul hath not known what the meaning of grace is to this day Well then remember be you as unworthy as you can in your own apprehension all the mercies of God purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ they are freely offered and tendered to you this day to thee man to thee woman that art viler then the earth in thine own eyes yea to hard hearted sinners that see not themselves they are tendered to melt them down and if this will not do it nothing will do it O that I could speak of these bowels with such bowels as some of your hearts might be stirred and moved this day but so much for this second 3. Motive the Lord Jesus is not only willing thus to communicate himself to poor sinners but it is his delight so to do It is the satisfaction of the soul of Jesus Christ when he beholdeth the precious mercies purchased by his blood accepted of by poor sinners and to work mightily in them and to them He shall see his Seed and shall be satisfied the father is satisfied and the son is satisfied when they behold this this is all that they expect the father for his love such a love as the world cannot paralel a Sic without a Siout God so loved the world It is all he expecteth that those mercies which he hath purchased should be freely be bestowed upon and freely accepted of by poor sinners and it is the satisfaction of Jesus Christ also it is all he expecteth of us I say the continual streaming of that fountain opened for sin and for uncleaness they are as if he had said I have enough for all my pains my sweat my agony my eclipsing for the pangs of hell in my soul for my death and blood and burial all the contempts powred out upon me and the sorrow â—endured though there was never grief like mine yet this is enough saith he he shall be satisfied if he do but see poor sinners to receive him and so become his Seed close with him and so become his spouse for it is the same thing though clothed with a diverse Metaphor Brethren iâ— may be you would satisfie Christ another way you would do this and that for him Labour as abundantly as you can be as holy as you can perform your duties in as lively a manner as you can but when you have done all if you hang your peace and comfort upon this and not in your free acceptance of Christ and with Christ you seem yet to be marryed to the Law and not to Christ or at least you turn aside to your former Husband a Covenant of works this is a dissatisfactiou to Jesus Christ as if there were not riches of grace in him to swallow up all your unworthiness O Brethren that the Lord would perswade your hearts this day what a delight and satisfaction it is to him to see poor sinners come and lye at his foot and willing to receive him to match with him notwithstanding their unworthiness 4. Consider but how little a thing will do the deed and espouse thee to the Lord Jesus Alas you will say you find it a hard thing to believe as hard a thing as to keep the Law It is so in respect of our strength but many they mistake and think except they have such and such a strength of faith they have none at all nor do not close with him nor he with them If they could say with Thomas my Lord and my God or with the spouse my beloved is mine and I am his then there were some encouragement indeed Brethren if it be but as a grain of Mustardseed it will do the deed look upon me all ye ends of the earth and be ye saved A look upon a woman to lust after her is Adultery in heart it is a heart union of two to one flesh for it is yet the heart the mind that seeth more then the eye the eye may look upon many things and discern nothing distinctly if the mind be upon another thing so here why should not a look after Jesus Christ to desire him when the soul hath a sight of him passing by in his Glory O that he were my Husband O that I were Marryed to him that he would accept of me O happy souls that enjoy seeking communion with him This Brethren at the first is enough to make a Match between us As the Lord Jesus is willing to have thee art thou willing poor trembling soul to have him have him thou shalt yea thou hast him already though this saith must grow up to a greater measure happily before thou cast discern it or have the comfort of it Only lest any should be mistaken I will here give a word or Direction or Caution First take heed of thinking thou art willing when thou art not for as there are many poor drooping souls who think they are not willing to have Christ when it is that their souls do ever break for
fervor of affection towards them a Bridegroom rejoyceth exceedingly over his Bride though happily afterward he is not so much affected for it is our natures the imperfection of them that new things affect us more then old now with God there is nothing new nor old but his heart is the same and so is Jesus Christ his heart he rejoyceth over his people continually as a Bridegroom over his Bride not as a man over his wife but as a Bridegroom over his Bride now surely if a man do afterwards cool in his affections towards his wife and could be content to be separated from her yet upon the day of espousal or Marriage he will not be induced to it he rejoyceth over his Bride Why such is Gods heart and Christ his heart continually to his people But so much for this Therefore the Lord help us to conclude from those promises however it be however he may speak against us sometimes and act so as it seemeth to us to be against us as Jacob saith all these things are against me yet he will not part with any soul he hath espoused to himself Ahashuerus may put away the Queen upon a seeming scorn or contempt refusing to come at his command when he was in is cups but brethren though it may be thou hast and thou dost many times slight the call of Jesus Christ thou wilt not come nor follow him when he would have thee thou shalt follow him in darkness and lament after him when he is withdrawn but he will not put away It is said in that of Mal. the Lord hates putting away it is true it is firstly intended there of mens putting away their wives but surely if he hate it in us he will not admit it in himself though it is true he is above all Law given to us yet he hath set forth this mystery of his union with his Church by the Marriage-union I shew you a mystery saith the Apostle but I speak concerning Christ and his Church And as it holds in love and cherishing and nourishing and not hating so why not in this that he hates putting away the Lord cannot admit of such a thought of putting away such a soul if Satan would move for it the Lord hates it and hates him for it Be of good chear therefore thou poor drooping soul that hast received him accepted of his love closed with his wooing and intreating thee to be reconciled and given up thy self to him assure thy self he will never put away any poor soul Ob. Alas but you will say this is little comfort though he be thus unchangeable yet I may change and break the Marriage-Covenant with him or I have done it I fear and therefore in such a case he may put me away and yet not change for the change is in me For this brethren remember It is not the back-slidings of his people that can undo the match made between him and them did not Israel go a whoring after other Gods and is not that the breach of the Marriage-Covenant he speaks there of that Church a man will not receive his wife again likely in such a case yet return again to me saith the Lord and I will receive you If that the Lord had not foreseen those back-slidings in his people it had been somewhat if Christ had not fully satisfyed the father for them as well as for other sins it had been something if upon this account there were not forgiveness laid up in store enough with God for these things it were somwhat indeed And it is very observable brethren I speak the more because I know that poor creatures in this condition they are full of jealousies and fears and all that can be said is little enough to quiet and comfort first observe that the Lord speaks over and over and over again Israel had back-sliden in that Prophesie of Hosea as appears ch 14. 4. I will heal their back-slidings Well now they could hardly believe that God would receive them again they were so confounded they had nothing to say therefore he puts words into their mouths in that chapter teacheth them what to say but observe in the second chapter I will betroth them saith God I will I will you have it no less then three or four times which speaks the certainty and ardency of affection in doing the thing in answer to their doubtings I will do it saith the Lord. Alas saith the poor soul it will not sink with me that after such Apostacy and backslidings he will receive it I will do it saith the Lord again O! I cannot believe it saith the soul I will do it saith he again Yea 2. Observe there that he will do it and espouse them betroth them again as one very well hoteth he saith not he will receive them as a man may recive his Adulterous wife again but I will betroth them saith the Lord as if they were virgins pure and unspotted the Lord will receive them not upbraiding them with their going a whoring from him so the virgin daughter of Sion you have heard they are called upon their repentance as if they never polluted themselves so that if the Lord give thee but a repenting heart thy back-slidings will be as if thou hadst never started from him and from final departing he will keep them I say he will keep them here is the difference between this espousal and those between men and women there if the mans heart continue faithful happily hers may fall off and never close again and there is an end of the matter but here the Lord Jesus his heart is not onely toward his people but he keepeth their hearts with him that they shall not depart It is the very tenor of the Covenant of Grace I will put my fear into their hearts and they shall not depart from me as long as God is faithful and the Covenant of Grace stands they shall not depart let Satan and sophisters say what they will Then in the next place this being made good there is a spring of comfort ariseth from this and that is in respect of troubles and crosses afflictions and losses the fading vanities of the world Thou mayest lose thy dear husband that is as dear as thy life But thy Maker is thy husband if thou believe and thou canst not lose him nor he will not lose thee Thy dear children they are but fading flowers that even wither in the hand and perish in the using as all these outward comforts do but here is a comfort never fades thou mayst be afflicted happily with the cooling of the affections of dear relations to thee why the Lord Jesus his heart is at the same pass alway to thee it is alway a day of espousal with him he rejoyceth continually as a Bridegroom over his Bride Methinketh brethren whatever your troubles are inward or outward here you may relieve your selves by having recourse to your interest in Jesus Christ your Redeemer and
writeth to the Saints in the Church in such a place such as he hath espoused to Christ they were set apart to him so the Congregation of Israel are said to be a holy people to the Lord their God because God had separated them to himself above all other people this is so notably known that it were to waste time to prove it So I have called you out of the world saith our Saviour It is equivalent to that of the Apostle called to be Saints or Saints by calling But if this first be defective and reach not happily every scruple that may arise concerning this Suspend your judgements until you hear the rest which will help to clear it 2 The means of this separation and holiness to God it 's a Covenant of grace it is true there were many things separated to God among the Jews by a Ceremonial institution those Carnal ordinances and commandments as the Apostle cals them and from among them some persons were more specially separated to God as His in a more near special manner for that service he had appointed them to so the first-born you know were separated to God from among all the children of Israel they were holy to him not as if they were really more sanctified then the rest but separated to a nearer service and use and so the Levites instead of them afterward and the Priests they were separated in a special manner to minister before the Lord wherefore Aaron is called the Saint of the Lord not as if there were not men as holy as he as Moses and Caleb and Joshua but he was specially separated to that service of drawing near to God and this is by a kind of Covenant the Covenant of the Priesthood so Nehemiah in his imprecation against those Priests which had married strange wives Manasseh the brother of Jadduah the son of Abjada the son of Elishib Marryed the son in Law of Sanballat Remember thou O my God saith he because they have defiled the Priesthood and the Covenant of the Priesthood which Covenant you have in that of Numbers he shall have it that is to say the Priesthood and his seed after him even-the Covenant of an everlasting Priesthood But this is not that separation we speak of but that Covenant whereby God takes a people to be his a peculiar people to himself which he doth by Covenant he enters into Covenant with them and they become His separated to him And therefore Israel was separated from all the Nations round about by vertue of this Covenant and made to dwell alone you only have I known saith the Lord and abundance of such expressions there are 3. Then as here is a twofold being in Covenant with God so there is a twofold separation to God and a twofold Saint-ship First that which is invisible and saving When the Lord giveth to poor souls really to embrace Jesus Christ in the Covenant of grace that maketh good the absolute part of the Covenant to them the Lord Jesus the great undertaker both on his fathers part and on our part those are such as are sprinkled with the blood of the Covenant from all their guilt and the water mixed with the blood as Christ came by water and blood so they are cleansed from all their uncleanesses else no entring into heaven Nothing that defileth cometh thither Now that such as these are Saints can be no question this is Gods setting apart him that is Godly for himself Psal 4. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or as some read wonderfully set apart him that is Godly for himself for there is no such wonder or mysterie in the world as this now these are the Saints indeed that already have things which accompany their own salvation But secondly there are others that are only externally and visibly in Covenant that is to say they are so far interested in the Covenant of grace as that thereby they are taken by the Lord to belong to his family his house-hold to partake of the priviledges thereof to share in his provision for his family the fat things of his house in his Protection in a special manner and his guidance yea and the life eternal also is conditionally promised to them if they believe and repent if they will but consent and close with Jesus Christ the Mediator of that Covenant Thus every professor though but formal is separated in a sort co-incident for those that are really and invisibly separated to God they are visibly so also but not vice versa universally So grace is distinguished into grace freely given and grace which maketh acceptable which are partly co-incident for all grace which maketh acceptable for common gifts and graces are freely given so it is here Now those are they brethren that I here intend whether grown persons which profess this Covenant or infants of such who are within the compass of the Covenant for this purpose whom I understand by visible Saints or persons visibly holy or visibly separated or set apart to God that is to say such persons concerning whom we have Scripture grounds to Judge according to Charity and to hope that they are Gods because separated to him by vertue of his Covenant That they are thus holy It is plain from many Scriptures Paul in his Epistles to the visible Churches of Corinthians Galatians Ephesians and the rest to the Saints at such a place Saints by casting Saints by a visible separation to God from the world otherwise we cannot believe but there were many of them that were never really sanctified And so that Children of such are Saints in such a sence mind but that one place Else were your Children unclean but now they are holy Not Legitimate for then the Apostle speaks not truth for they are lawfully begotten though the father and mother be not sanctified one to another as if both be unbelievers Nor yet holy to appearance that is to say they might have an holy use of them for I find not holy taken alone without respect to the person to whom they are said to be holy As for instance To the believer all things are pure to say all things are pure without meationing the person to whom they are so is not the Scripture-manner of expression and since it is so many hundred times taken alone not in connexion sometimes with respect to God expresly for persons so separated to him why we should not so understand it here for my part I see not For Application of this First Then they are too blame surely Brethren If the visible Church do consist of visible Saints visibly separated to God that is to say so as there is ground for us to believe and hope well of their eternal state I say they are too blame that so carry the affairs of the Church of Christ wherein they are as to make no difference between the precious and the vile no difference between the Church and the
world between the Sheep of Christ and dogs and swine Is it nothing to have the body and blood of Jesus Christ openly prostituted to such as though indeed they have the name of Christians yet their lives to every one that knoweth them deny that they have any thing to do with Christ No purging out the old Leven and therefore no likelihood to be a new lump O that we were sensible what a guilt is contracted every where by this means Alas Let the people of God take the greatest pains with their hearts to draw near to such an ordinance as the Lords Supper and they shall have cause to pray with Nehemiah The Lord spare us according to the multitude of tender mercies And with Hezekiah The Lord be merciful to every one that hath prepared his heart to seek the Lord though he be not prepared according to the preparation of the Sanctuary but when without any care it shal be promiscuously given to Drunkards Swearers openly prophane wicked wretches to the bane of their souls to the provoking God to bring wasting judgements upon the place and people where such things are done Surely it is time to look about us O! that we who can do no more but mourn for these things had such a sense of the dishonour of the Lord Jesus and abuse of his love and grace upon our hearts as to mourn And O that such of us as have power in our hands to command a Reformation in this kind the Lord would perswade the heart that there is such a power Hezekiah and Jâ—siah not only commanded the true worship to be set up and turned the people from their Idols to the trne God but they commanded the purifying the Temple a type of the Church of Christ and purifying of the Priests and People that they should not pollute the Ordinances of God And this example of theirs is commended and surely it was done as they were types of Christ except they were types of Christ as they were Magistrates and if so it would follow we should have no Magistrates at all For Christ the substance being come the thing typified what should we do with the shadows any more 2. Then on the other hand they are to be blamed also who are stricter then the Lord Jesus would have them in their admissions to Christs fellowship and communion All visible Saints he would have admitted to communion and fellowship with his people in their several societies that is to say they seeking to joyn themselves to them Now here indeed there is a difference of apprehensions and I purpose not to enter into disquisition of such things at this time and in this place Mens charity may do something indeed to moderate them but it s not that which is to be the judge but the Scriptures what rules are there laid down according to which we ought to own persons as belonging to Christ his visible kingdom that is to say such as profess and contradict not their profession But surely it is blame-worthy if that upon niceties and trifles in comparison we shall dis-own such as truly fear the Lord so far as we can judge of them And truly Brethren I desire to speak it with a spirit of tenderness to them they are injurious in this respect who do deny Infants of Believers any room in the bosom of the Church for they are holy they are external Saints and separated to God and it is apparent that once they were members of the Church of Christ aâ—d by vertue of a Covenant of grace I will be thy God and the God of thy seed which he that denyeth any more to be comprehended in then a temporal blessing when God saith he will be their God I would pity them and pray for them that they might come to themselves again for then sure they would judge otherwise Now if they were such once members of that Church with which we are one now for so saith the Apostle plainly the Gentiles are made one with the Commonwealth of Israel we are graffed in among the branches how cometh it to pass they should be all cast off and cut off from the Olive and not a syllable of it mentioning any such thing in Scriptures no account given to the world of it and that it should be in such a time when the fulness of grace was revealed in Jesus Christ for grace came by him and now there should be less grace come by him and narrower priviledges to the Church will hardly be understood I think The third Doctrinal from the words will be this In the visible Church there are some good some bad Ordinarily they were not all wise virgins that the kingdom of heaven is compared to but five wise five foolish All within the visible Church are not wise to salvation Five of them were wise five were foolish The proportion of the wise to the foolish five to five in the Parable is not concluding that there are as many good as bad in the Church there may possibly be a visible Church where there are none bad but I doubt there is none such found there were but twelve Disciples and one was a Devil and all the parables whereour Saviour holdeth out the nature and state of the visible Church to us is we find there is a mixture So in the Parable of the Sower there are four sorts of ground to which the kingdom of heaven is compared and but one of them brought forth fruit to perfection the stony Ground it was quickly scorched from the sandy ground springs up quickly and withers as soon the thorny ground holds out longer and endures happily the scorching of the Sun the Persecution and yet is choakt when all is done And so the Parable of the tares sown in the field they grow up with the Corn and it seemeth by the ancient report even Jerom are so like it while in the blade that they can be hardly discerned from it but there they grow and partake of the juice of the earth and fatness of the soyl and are green and flourish and yet at last are singled out for fire And so the Barn-floor there is wheat and there is Chaff lying together until he whose fan is in his hand shall throughly purge it and then the separation being made Woe to the Chaff but at present c. And so the draw-net though it gather together somewhat naught which is to be cast away yet while under water it is hidden And so the Apostle All are not Israel that are of Israel Some are Israel that are of Israel but all are not Some are of Israel though they be not the Israel of God that shall inherit the heavenly Canaan I hope it is needless to waste more time in heaping up of Scriptures to make it good The ground may be because the Church here below the visible Church which admitteth of members hath not an infallible spirit to discern the
loiâ—â—r nor stay in what he had received but pressed hard forward toward the mark of the priâ—e of the high calling he that aimeth short even at so much as will serve his turn and compass his design when he hath done that there is an end But I aâ—m at perfection saith the Apostle and so should we if we would keep our Lamps alive never rest 8. Be much in prayer pray hard for the supplies of his Spirit he hath promised them if we ask importunity will prevail if we be Strangers much more if Children it is the spirit that keepeth all alive and therefore pray for more and more of this Spirit of Jesus Christ See how Moses followeth the Lord with request upon request when he had been in the Mount and seen him face to face one would think this was enough to have stopped his mouth for a great while no sooner was he come down but he is praying for the guidance of that good Spirit O Lord shew me the way where in thou wouldst have us to go well God grants him this this satisfieth him not but he must have Gods presence with him an Angel would not serve his turn but his presence he must have and when this was granted this would not serve his turn neither but then O Lord shew me thy glory Prayer is the richest trading for heaven Build up your selves praying in the holy Ghost Ah it is the prayer of faith that fetcheâ—h in rich supplies from the Lord continually 9. Take heed of grieving this good Spirit then when we have his presence by any willing transgression this grieveth him our unthankfulness and slighting of him minding the world grieve him not for if he depart be sure our Lamps will be but in a sad taking 10. Then every day we must be trimming the Lamps of the Sanctuary were drest or trimmed every day he made them well as the Original word signifieth they were disordered burning every night there was somewhat wanting oyl and raising the week likely and removal of dross from them which they might contract he drest them and made them ready every morning the morality implied in this Type surely is this that we should daily dress up our Lamps they will need it every day renew our repentance renew our resolutions our walking clos 〈…〉 r with God to love him c. daily endeavour to draw nearer to him neglect your Lamps but a week or so and see what fearful work there will be Again such then as can say with Moses they have lived thus long and their sight fails not nor their strength c. They have great cause to bless the Lord. But though a Child of God is thus apt to decline his profession thus apt to grow dim his Lamp to want trimming yet it never goeth altogether out And what use should we make of this 1. It reproveth that opinion of falling away utterly from justifying and renewing grace the condition of all believers is here set down by the state of the wise virgins their Lamps indeed did decay and suffer an impairing but not altogether dye No this spring of grace once sprung in the heart springs up to eternal life though some interruptions there may be did he pray that Peters faith should not fail him and did he not pray for all believers indeed his faith did as near fail him as ever mans did but yet it revived again and so David and others 2. Yet do not abuse this Doctrine of grace as our hearts are exceeding apt to do If we cannot fall away utterly then if once Be sure we have the root of the matter in us if once we have Oyl in our vessels it will never be altogether spent our Lamps will never be blown out This is dangerous and next to desperate and therefore the Apostle in a like case with a kind of abhorrency at the thought of such a thing speaks thus shall we continue in sin that grace may abound God forbid because he hath made us partakers of the sure mercies of David that will never fail shall we therefore neglect our worthy walking of them it argues a very ungodly frame of heart where this is to be found We should the rather be encouraged our hands strengthened to work out our salvation with so much the more earnestness were it not a very unchild-like and wretched frame of heart for a child to say Well I know my fathers heart towards me let me do what I will he will not cast me out of doors his inheritance is sure he may haply be mistaken and prove himself a Bastard and not a Son And so it is here Gods Children have all of them such child-like dispositions in them as they will hardly dare to make such an use of such a rich treasury of grace Or if they do they are like to smart for it 3. A word of strong Consolation to many a poor drooping soul If once thou have but grace in thy heart the oyl in thy Vessel it is never lost again though in its own nature it be loseable Thou art afraid some temptation or another from Satan the world or thy own heart will blow it out some blast or other will wither thee O thou shalt never be able to keep thy Lamp burning in the midst of so many contrary winds of lust and corruption but though thou canst not keep it alive the Lord can do it and he will do it Indeed while the Virgins slept for any care they took of their Lamp it might have gone out but the Lord kept it burning though it were but low and needed dressing Be of good courage then poor drooping foul and he shall strengthen thy heart didst thou ever know of any that had this oyl in their vessels that had the real work of grace upon them that did quite extinguish and dye surely thou didst not If the Lord do but seal it up to thee that thou art one of the wise Virgins believe it for thy everlasting comfort thy Lamp shall never be put out in obscure darkness 4. What shall we render to the Lord for this unspeakable grace towards us how hath he lifted up our condition above innocency it self in Adam he was made liable to fall away and the Lord did not engage himself to keep him we are made now in the second Adam in a surer Condition we have a better tenure in Jesus Christ which is the root of our stedfastness and standing because he liveth we shall live If Jesus Christ could die any more then might the Saints that are in him dye again altogether when once they are implanted into him O he liveth for ever and that Spirit of Christ which liveth and dwelleth in his people it never dyeth and faileth and he hath made it the very tenure of his Covenant he will put his fear into their hearts that they shall never depart from him We it may be that
just in the very harbour this is the saddest of all the rest many a storm they have ridden out they have indured many a wave and to split themselves in the very harbour within sight of the land as a man miscarrying just at the gate of the City of Refuge O how high must such mens hopes have been and how low will their hearts sink now when so â—adly disappointed hope so disappointed maketh ashamed confoundeth the soul as Esau his hopes were at the highest when he came with his Venison to his â—ather this will kill the heart O Brethren above all others hypocrites will be cloathed with the deepest confusion because they have been men of the fairest hopes for heaven Therefore it is said he went away sorrowful for it must needs be so for he was a man of more light then others and surely had a conviction that Jesus was the Messiah that it would be advantagious to have him and therefore coming so near to him and yet put back he went away sorrowful another man would have made nothing of such a repulse hypocrites have great enlightnings and they have had a taste of the heavenly gift as I may say as Israel had a bunch of grapes to taste the sweetness of Canaan and encourage them to go in to possess it O this when God turned them back into the wilderness for their rebellion that they should perish there was a great aggravation of their misery if they had never come so near it and never tasted of it they had not known what they had lost what they had deprived themselves of So here surely Brethren hypocrites have many a taste they have some glimmerings of heavens light and glory somewhat they have to draw them on to the very borders therefore for them to be turned off here and shut out O sure it will much aggravate their misery Ah wretch that I was to come so near take so much pains for heaven and yet that I should miss it will be the doleful ditty of hypocrites to eternity Thirdly It may teach all young beginners that are now as I may say starting in the race that is set before us that you look to it Brethren you be so furnished as to be able to run so as to obtain you are now launching into the deep O look to it there be not a privy leak somewhere though it be but small yet it may make a shift to sink you even at the very haven of heaven Ah dear friends it will be worth your pains to look into the truth of your condition though it cost you many an hour many a hot and cold fit yet give it not over be sure of this one thing that you be bottomed on Jesus Christ and have his Spirit to dwell in you his fear put in you according to the Covenant of grace and then you shall never depart from him you shall never fall short If once you be but in him you shall enter in with him the reason why these foolish Virgins entred not they were not in Christ they had nothing but their own account their own profession and what they could rap and rend and get from the creature alas this was nothing though it might carry them thus far it would not make way for their entrance into glory therefore let me beg of you to make this one thing necessary sure neglect this and all is nothing Fourthly It may teach all of us even such as have not only begun but gone far taken much pains for heaven to tremble and fear lest for want of a little more we fall short Ah dear friends if we would offer violence to heaven it must be while we are here when the door is shut it is too late therefore now let us press and spare no pains and look to these two things 1. That what we do we do it in Christ and for Christ else what do we differ in our work from the glistering Sinners among the heathens And 2. That our hearts be changed and made better and growing liker heaven every day then other else they will nothing avail us at all we shall be shut out notwithstanding all our prayers preaching gifts performances priviledges nothing but an interest in Christ and an heart sanctified by him will give entrance into heaven but so much for this Doctrine Another Note I will take up from the Virgins crying to God now when they saw the Gate of heaven shut against them That the hearts of sinners are full of self-confidence and presumption That they could have an heart to cry to Jesus Christ to open the door to them when it was shut it is strange presumption and boldness indeed for they had not one word to say for themselves why they should have entrance but only Lord Lord open c. in respect of any pleadings of Faith or the Covenant of Grace they were dumb not a word of this but if they had any thing to say it was such as those in Mat. 7. had to say for themselves he had preached in their streets and they had eat and drunk in his presence so here Lord Lord open to us why we had Lamps burning until a little before thy appearing we walked in fellowship with them that are truly admitted now into thy presence we have endeavoured to get some oyl to renew our Lamps though alas they found none but however they would have heaven this is very strong impudence and confident presumption that is in the hearts of Sinners the Lord Jesus turns them off and they will not be turned oâ—f now they will offer violence to the kingdom of heaven when it is too late Whence ariseth this Haply out of the ignorance whereupon heaven is to be had upon what conditions or else out of the presence of their eternal misery now they see they are sinking to hell they begin to cry out for opening of heaven Gate to them now the Gate is shut upon them they never cried before but I will not insist upon this Only a word or two of Application First then it is no marvel brethren if sinners are so full of boldness and presumption now let us tell them that we will set life and death before them as you have had it set before you many a time every Sabbath every opportunity almost alas they care not for it they hang out a flag of defiance against God they have made a covenant with death and an agreement with hell and this they make account shall stand let the Lord say what he will though he tell them he will break that Covenant he disanulleth it in the day he heareth it for both they and death are under his command and therefore he may disanull their Covenant he is Soveraign over them all yet they believe it not they rage and are confident for when the very overflowing scourge cometh upon them they are so confident to go and cry to God
refuse it the desire accomplished is a tree of life as hope deferred is a sickness of heart but now where a man could scarce act hope as it is the case of some poor creatures O when the Lord shall against their hope own them and that to eternity it will be unspeakably sweet this will fill them with fulness of joy and glory for evermore But so much for this Time and Text. FINIS CHRIST the Sun of Righteousness hath healing in his wings for sinners MAL. 4. 2. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings and ye shall go forth and grow up as Calves of the stall MAlachy is the proper name of this Prophet it signifieth an Angel or Messenger only with the addition of ' as is usual when common names are made proper He is not so called as if he were an Angel incarnate as some have imagined nor yeâ— as if he had his revelation by Angels But haply the name might be put on him without 〈…〉 foreknowledge of what the Lord would call him unto haply 〈…〉 Prophetical Spirit it might appear that God would make h 〈…〉 Messenger But however such an one â—e was and 〈…〉 mporarie with Nehemiah because he exhor 〈…〉 to the building of the Temple as Haggai and 〈…〉 those corruptions among the Jews 〈…〉 the last sheweth to have been among 〈…〉 over the Jews as marriage with 〈…〉 ng the tythes Chap. 3. 8. Depravation of Divine worship Chap. 1. 13. and 2. 8. And that this is the last of the Prophets they themselves acknowledge therefore he admonisheth them that they should take heed to the Law of Moses keep that they might expect no more Prophets until the great Prophet the Lord Jesus come and John his fore-runner God did in Babylon cause Visions to perish from among them in anger There is none to tell when this calamity shall end said they in the Psalmist and now again he causeth it to cease from them that their expectations of the Messiah that great Prophet and of Elias his fore-runner might be raised and that by the want of Prophecy they might be the more ready to receive Christ that great Prophet and to praise him when he should be revealed the Law and Prophets Prophecy until John Zech. and Elizab. and Simeon and the Baptist were so immediately before him that they rather shewed him pointed at him come than prophesied of his coming After he had reproved those corruptions among them as you hear he threatneth spiritual Judgements on them he tells them their expectations would be frustrated they looked for the day of the Lord as if that would heal all their troubles No saith the Prophet it shall be such a day as you dream not of they looked for peace but behold trouble for light but behold darkness they looked for a day of shadowing from the displeasure of the Lord but behold saith he the day of the Lord shall burn like an Oven What day this is is very much questioned some would have it to be the day of the last Judgement only and suitably they understand the rising of the Sun of righteousness to be his last appearing that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 illustrious appearing But this seemeth not to be the All if it be intended here but this seemeth not to be a time for growing up as Calves now is the time of perfection in glory Nor yet secondly do I take it only of the day of their calamiâ—y when they suffered so much under the Grecians Kings of Syria and Egypt the Seleucidae and Lagidae the two leggs of that Image in Dan. as some understand it though this also might partly be meant But this day I understand to be the time of Christ's appearing and manifestation to Israel which to some would be a day of grace and rejoycing indeed to others a day of gloomyness according to that in this third Chapter The Angel of the Covenant shall suddenly come into the Temple but who may abide the day of his coming and who shall stand when he appeareth for he is like the Refiners fire and like Fullers Soap And alas the most of them would be found but dross and stubble which must be purged away they could not abide the fire So when they rejected the Lord Jesus how fearful a day came on them who could abide it At the destruction of Jerusalem 1100000. slain beside near 100000. taken captive This day burned like an Oven O! a devouring fire it was so fearful a thing it s to have a day of grace a day of Christ come on a people and yet they sleight it and reject it Greatest love rejected turns into greatest displeasure flaming love into flaming wrath heat of affection into a burning of an oven a furnace Hear and tremble Brethren at this we who now have a day of Christ and a day of grace lest we find it in the end such a day as this so terrible to us But now lest those mourners in Zion that did wait for the consolation of Israel did fear the name of the Lord were tender and did tremble at this his word should be discouraged he opens here a creek to let them in to hide themselves provideth a shadow a skreen to set between them and this consuming fire in the words of my Text But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness saith the Lord arise with healing in his wings Ye that tremble at my word shall not be scorched nor this smell of the fire pass on you as it was with the three children The day of the Lord shall be a wounding to others but it shall be a healing to you they shall be cast into a burning oven as stubble or hay but ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall So that the words are nothing else as I conceive but a Covenant of grace tempered into a cordial for poor drooping Spirits which might now be ready to faint to hear how terrible a day this day of the Lord would be which they had expected promising themselves so much happiness in it and their expectations should not be frustrated he would not make them ashamed of their hope But unto you that fear my name c. Here is Christ promised who is the Covenant the substance of it the mediator the surety of it and with him all things else Synâ—â—hdochi understood in these few things here implyed and expressed as light and healing and liberty and growth going on from strength to strength growing fat and flourishing prosperping into a Kingdom yea an everlasting Kingdom The Text then you see being the summ of the Covenant of grace must needs be a bundle of promises made to such as fear the Lord. I may not stand to open each of them until I come to speak particularly to them lest I hold you too long in the porch and we not be able to view any
springing in and trembling and the three thousand in Acts 2. To such as these the Promise may be applyable That Christ will arise on them with healing in his wings though I know not that it s to be taken in any equal latitude with this fear for there may be such a conviction and fear and yet haply never any healing for them 3. Such as fear the Lord and his Goodness as the Prophet hath iâ— Such as fear his Name though he himself be in Heaven and they cannot see him face to face as Moses did they seek not 〈…〉 t sâ—gns of his presence though they see him but darkly and through a glass though they see him not being invisible â—et by his 〈◊〉 they know him and the greatest part of his name is Mercy as you have it in Exodus and his name speaks his nature the Lord the Lord God gracious and merciful long-suffering c. O! such as these they shall have the Sun of righteousness arise on them if they have but little yet they shall have more Some they have had else they could not be fearing him in such a manner as this is for this indeed is a part of the Covenant of grace made good to them already that he will put his fear into their hearts and this here is nothing else but the displaying of the same Covenant of grace to his people Alas many times the people of God that fear his name are under cloudings sometimes in respect of temptation to sin they are sore pestered with them Sometime the prevailing of sin over them to the darkning and disquieting of their souls Sometime they are in darkness and see no light and yet fear the name of the Lord. Now to such as these the Sun of righteousness will arise with healing in his wings But secondly what is meant by the Sun of righteousness That Christ the Covenant is meant I told you before but for a reason of this title why a Sun you have heard at large But the Sun of righteousness why so called is a further question and for answer to this let me speak a few words First One reason may be because of his perfection there should nothing be wanting in him he should have all perfections which were just and fit for such a Mediator to have and so some think there is a Hebraism in the words the Sun of righteousness the righteous Sun the absolutely perfect Sun and this is a truth in this Sun there was no spot no wrinkle no darkness no deficiency of glory of light of heat of influences of pains in wheeling about his Church continually for their supply and refreshing but this is not all Secondly Because in him the righteousness of God was eminently conspicuous therefore he may be called the Sun of righteousness Some imperfect footsteps of righteousness there are in the creature of holiness and conformity to God some lineaments of his Image but very naked they want their filling up and garnishing with colours and will do while we are in the body and there are so many blots and blurs and stains that it scarce appears many times witness the choicest examples of the Saints as 〈◊〉 Moses if you look on him at the water of Meriâ—ah you would scarce have thought him so meek a man and so David in the matter of Vriah and his dealing with Mephibosheth These were shadows cast on the beauty of Christ in them that it was not so conspicuous the glass is dimmed and defiled and so not so transparent but now the Lord Jesus is a pure glass of divine attributes and perfections and therefore of this righteousness here spoken of And secondly conspicuous in him was the vindictive righteousness of God it is true his justice is manifested in calling sinners to an account as he did the Angels the Sodomites the old world and us in our times his dealings do speak him to be a just God but never any so much as his dealing with Christ though a Son and equal with him in all essential glory yet if he will be surety for poor sinners he must as it were for a time vail his glory with raggs of flesh because the children partake of the same and though the Son of his incomprehensible love yet if he will so appear under the sins of his people he shall find them like a poisoned garment inflamed with wrath he must drink up the cup to the bottom though he were amazed at it and compassed about with fear surrounded with fear as the Evangelist hath it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though it cost him a bloody sweat put him into an agony A strong potion Brethren that casts the Lord of Life and Glory into such a sweat as this though it lay him under reproach and shame cloud Gods face from him cost him the very blood of his heart and all the joy of his soul for a time though he put up strong cries and tears God will not be intreated to let the cup pass from him not spare him at all O! here the Justice of God is conspicuous in him Brethren never was there such a pattern of righteousness in God as this that he would not spare sin though in his dearest Son of his love O then shall sons by adoption think to make bold with sin and not smart for it in some measure Take heed you watchless careless walkers before God O! what shall become of poor sinners then that are never the better for all this whose sins shall be charged on their own account Did it amaze the Lord Jesus With what hearts do you think sinners you shall be able to look an angry God in the face when his flaming indignation shall stream forth on your souls to all eternity O! think on it sinners and tremble but this by the by Thirdly He may be called the Sun of righteousness as I conceive as he is the fulfilling of all the promises that were made of him The Lord made many promises as the seed of the woman shall break the serpents-head and that in Abraham in his seed all the Nations of the earth should be blessed and that a Virgin should conceive and bear a son whose name should be Immannuel God with us signifying the union of natures in his person Now if Christ had not come according to the promise where had been the truth of God his righteousness and therefore saith the Apostle it was to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God when all the Fathers had believed in him to come and to be revealed they dyed in faith not having received the promises that is not having seen Christ come in the flesh for the accomplishment of their redemption though afar off they beheld them and embraced them Abraham saw his day and was glad Now what had become of the faith of all these grounded on the faithfulness of
God who had promised they without us saith the Apostle were not made perfect though through forbearance as it were their sins were passed over yet they would have returned on them again if Christ had not come according to the promise and therefore herein now Christ may be said to be the Sun of righteousness but this concerneth most his first appearing in the flesh though for these ends and purposes for which he doth arise unto every poor believing soul Now therefore he is the Sun of righteousness in this respect also as well by his arising on any soul that stands in need of him now as by arising on them then for if God should fail in any of them which he hath given to Christ where were his righteousness This is the third Fourthly Another consideration wherefore he may be called the Sun of righteousness is this because he is the meritorious cause of our justification in the sight of God therefore he is called the Lord our righteousness he was set forth saith the Apostle for a propitiation through faith in his blood called the righteousness of God as he accepteth of the satisfaction of Christ as God in Christ paid the price of it even the blood of God as he imputeth it to us or for Christs sake doth not impute our sins on us Enter not into Judgement saith the Psalmist with thy servant for in thy sight shall no flesh be justified not by the works of the Law but by the blood of Jesus in this respect he is called a Sun of righteousness Fifthly in that he doth by his influences on the hearts of his people work on them a similitude a likeness to himself to his Father and so beget an inherent righteousness putting inward principles and seeds into their hearts from whence flow all manner of holy conversation in this also he is the Sun of righteousness the Apostle is clear in this he is made of God to us wisdom righteousness sanctification and redemption which sanctification is sometimes called in Scripture righteousness So he hath chosen us in him to the adoption of Sons that we might be holy and unblamable that by him we might be brought to such a state and condition by beholding him by lying in his beams with our faces towards him with open face Now all shadows and ceremonies and vails such as in the Legal administration of the Covenant of grace were on him being taken away we are changed into his Image from glory to glory In all these respects he may be called the Sun of righteousness and thus much for the second thing The third then What is meant by the arising of this Sun of righteousness on them if we understand it with respect to the people of God of those times that feared his name then it cannot be understood Brethren as if that Christ had never shined on them for how come they then to fear the Lord if he had not yet owned them as his people in Covenant but it must be understood thus that they should behold him in a more glorious manner arising they that should live to see the day Many waited for the consolation of Israel as Zach. and Simeon and many others who could not have done it if they had had no influence from Christ on their hearts therefore we must say that even among the Jews yea and before many of them had a dawning of light had some glimmerings of Christ he did shine through all the darkness and shadows of the Ceremonies Christ was held forth in them all but only as the beauty of the picturre is in the shadow But now we have the very image of the things saith the Apostle So that this rising on them Brethren may be as the rising of the Sun to some height rather then his first appearing for I find that in the Gospel of Matthew so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is rendered When the Sun is risen it withereth that is when it s up and at an height then it withereth So now though before they had the dawning I say some scattering beams fore-running the glory of the Sun yet now they should have it in greatest glory for he came that his people might have light and might have it more abundantly But now to us Brethren on whom he hath shone so long he may be said to rise as he breaks through any clouds of darkness on us as the Martyr at the stake cryed out Son of God shine on me he meant that he should shew him the light of his countenance break in on the heart with more light and warmth whereby he might be armed against that tertible death he was to encounter with and the Sun in the Firmament broke out in a glorious manner through the thick clouds as an Emblem if not an earnest of the other and a visible evidence or testimony to the standers by that it should be so So that now I conceive when on any poor soul in his first agonies the throws that he hath to bring forth the child Jesus his troubles of heart for sin and thick darkness on him the Lord Jesus breaks forth on the soul with a glorious discovery of his love yea with an hint of his love its arising on him and so as the increase of the glory of his people Israel the glory of his people Israel is called his arising on them so where the Lord doth in a more eminent manner appear to his people either after desertion in respect of comfort and peace or after desertion in respect of holiness there he may be said to arise on them And thus much for the third The fourth thing is what is meant by the wings of this Sun of righteousness this is so much the more difficult by how much the more Metaphors it is cloathed with one on another For first the natural Sun is said to have wings And secondly then this Sun of righteousness being compared to the natural Sun is also said to have wings that we may therefore a little unfold it let us first see what are the wings of the Sun the natural Sun and for that we must know it is Metaphorical the raies the beams of the Sun are said to be the wings of the Sun we read of the wings of the morning wherewith the Psalmist would flie away to the ends of the earth what is that but the dawnings of the day the eye-lids of the morning as Job calls it the first breakin gs of light when the Sun peepeth above the Horizon the raies and streamings of light scattered before the appearing os the Sun the Sun is as it were the eye of heaven governing and viewing the earth and the dawning of the day is as it were the eye-lids opening before the eye do appear when it awakeneth So Caryl and Mercer they are called the wings of the Sun as is conceived for several reasons First because as wings
sins pardoned and healed were back-slidings only thou must be content to endure something for the healing of those fearful wounds thou hast made in upon thy soul for there is no wound cured in a moment nor without any anguish and all that he laies upon thee is nothing the smart is nothing though the plaister lie long upon thee before it be healed to draw the sore to a head to break it to draw it to heal it there will be some time but he will heal thee poor sinner if he have made thee weary of this sin desirous of healing indeed And for you that are crying out of broken bones it may be there are some whose condition this is that do fear the Lord and obey the voice of his servants it is the greatest fear of thy soul to displease the Lord to grieve him happy soul with whom it is thus but thou art over-cast thou art clouded thou seest no light thy bones are broken thy spirit is wounded O who can bear a wounded spirit Be of good chear man remember this hath he not promised it that he will arise upon them that fear the Lord with healing in his wings he will heal those broken bones and the flesh wherein there is no soundness by reason of thy sins he will heal it and he is doing of it though thou art not sensible of it he pittyeth thee and knoweth how to pitty thee for himself was ecclipsed though the Son of righteousness that he might know how to pitty them that suffer in the like kind for the time to come he knoweth thy frame what thou canst bear and he will not let thee sink O thou of little faithâ— though he may fright thee as he did his Disciples the cloud will be over again only thou must wait for him he knoweth what it is to be without the light of his Fathers countenance as well as thou and he knoweth what thou canst bear therefore be not discouraged man and beside thou hast his promise for it only look to it that thou fear him that thou put not forth thy hand to iniquity that thou say not with that wicked King Why should I wait for the Lord any longer he that shall come will come in the best season When the mercy will be most sweet and seasonable himself may have most glory by it and thy soul most refreshing O but saith another I am not healed I doubt then for alas I find though haply I break not out as before to uncleanness actually yet I have eyes full of adultery still I find the dispositions and inclinations and yieldings of my heart strong to mine own iniquity still some to one and some to another â—or answer to this Is this thy burthen thy grief that it is so dost thou loath thy â—elf for it dost thou hate it wouldst thou fain have it rooted up thou art healed in the greatest part there is the core fetched up from the bottom though the wound be not altogether healed up it is the work of longer time then haply God hath been dealing with thy soul but be of good chear man lay thy self under the Sun of righteousness labour to improve the Covenant of grace wherein he shines most gloriously he hath promised he will circumcise thine heart and thou shalt be able to love the Lord with all thine heart and that he will subdue all iniquity for thee and see if he be not as good as his word in his own time which is the best time We have already endeavoured to open the main promise in this bundle and apply it with what advantage the Lord and your own hearts can tell you have heard at large that Jesus Christ is a Sun of righteousness and that he will ariâ—e with healing in his wings upon them that fear him So that there is Christ promised light and heat and healing reviving and quickning promised and through him And now we are come to speak to the liberty which is promised with Christ which is none of the least considerable Appendices of our justification through his blood and though you have not long since heard somewhat upon this subject however if you hear but the same things the Spirit of the Lord may breath where and when it pleaseth we may meet with him sometimes in hearing the same things that at another time he hath not been found in And ye shall go forth This is principally as I told you spoken to the Jew to the Jew first but also to the Gentile as all the Gospel promises they were first preached to the children of the Kingdom when the Gentiles were strangers from the Covenant of promises but now the Lord hath made them nigh in the blood of his Son that were afar off in Christ all the promises are Yea and Amen to them as well as to the Jews I told you at the first that we are not to confine promises made to times and persons except by unavoidable neceâ—sity where the matter promised is such and the promise such as can agree to no other time or person no persons or peoples condition can become like to theirs to whom the promise is made or are not capable of the thing promised as the promise of the Messiah to come of David and that in Abrahams seed all the Nations of the earth should be blessed c. therefore this is a promise concerning all the people of God as their conditions become alike yea all that fear the Lord in any of these senses we have already spoken to By going forth here some understand a going forth of this life or a going out of the grave which is a prison indeed to some though not properly so to the Saints but a place of repose until the appearing of Jesus Christ So Alap citing Tert. and Jer. the reason is because they took that which is spoken of the day of the Lord in the foregoing verse of the day of Judgement That day which should burn as an Oven but I do rather conceive that it is not meant of the day of the last Judgement but the day of the fearfull desolations of Jerusalem out of which yet the Lord did deliver and save his own people and the rather I conceive so because of the growing up like Calves of the Stall promised afterward now if that be the day there is no room then to grow any higher to spread any further but as the tree is cut down so it lies there is then in the words a promise of an inlargement from under restraint wherewith their spirits were bound up as I may say and were imprisoned and this we shall see I hope is very great only take here the note of observation from the words The Lord Jesus rising upon a soul brings inlargement to that soul or people ye shall go forth For the prosecution of this I shall propose this Method First give you the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the quod that it
Servants or to deliver all such relations no but it is meant here surely of a spiritual Liberty a freedom of the soul from its thraldom nay himself cometh to be a servant did he not rather sanctifie such a condition and relation then abolish it Secondly Then taking it for spiritual Liberty that is to say a freedom from Spiritual evils the subjection whereunto is a bondage to the poor creature we must know yet further that we may take it either in a larger or in a more restrained sense in a more restrained only for that liberty and freedom which the Saints have ever had through the Lord Jesus since the Covenant of Grace was preached to them and they closed with it for we must know that ever before Christ came in the flesh Believers believed in him to come they had a liberty through him as to the main parts of it and necessarily to salvation though haply not in that degree that now ordinarily Believers indeed have that freedom but there were some yoaks upon them then which now we are delivered from they are broken from off the necks of the Saints yea and such as were pinching yoaks indeed but yet less considerable by far then those from which they were delivered and set free so that now we see there is a larger liberty and more glorious which the sons of God have which will better appear when we come to speak to the parts of it only this I thought good to premiâ—e lost any should think that liberty began only when Christ was revealed in the flesh for it was the smallest part that then was added though I say the other liberty from the sore condemning destroying bondage of the soul they had before haply is now heightned to believers and so much by way of premise For the opening of this spiritual Liberty we shall consider 1. It s Subject 2. Its Causes 3. Its Parts extensive and intensive if we may so speak that is to say the degrees of it First then for the subject of this Liberty they are all Christians that are so indeed therefore it is called Christian Liberty not only from Christ the Author but from the Subjects they are Christians Believers both Jews and Gentiles Bond or Free Male or Female Jerusalem saith the Apostle which is above is free which is the Mother of us all all such then as receive the Gospel as the poor are said to do all those upon whom the Sun of righteousness doth arise they are set free they do go forth for the partial subject of this liberty that will better appear when we come to speak of the parts of this liberty some are for the freeing the minde some the will some the conscience some the whole man but of this afterward Secondly Then for the causes of this liberty which is here promised we shall speak to some of them First then The principal efficient cause is the Father Son and Spirit the work of the Trinity ad extra are individed the Father it is that cals us to liberty Ye are called to liberty saith the Apostle use it not as a cloke to the flesh I marvel saith the Apostle that you are so soon removed from him who hath called you into the Grace of Christ unto another Gospel The Apostle meaneth the calling to liberty which he cals the Grace of Christ and that Doctrine of the false teachers that would subject them again to the Law and Ceremonies and to that bondage subvert their liberty he cals it another Gospel And for the Son we have it If the Son make you free you shall be free indeed and stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free false Brethren came to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus that they might bring us into bondage And for the Spirit it is as clear The Law of the Spirit of life in Jesus Christ hath made me free from the Law of Sin and Death the mighty powerful working of the Spirit is called the Law of the Spirit as the powerful operation of Sin is called the Law of Sin and so in that place where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty and so the Spirit of Adoption it is that succedeth the Spirit of Bondage and setteth us free from that Bondage Secondly The impulsive cause is meerly his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his good pleasure yea his tender mercy his bowels So it is in the Original The bowels of our God whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us there is the arising of the Sun of rightousness upon us and the effect of it you have before That we being delivered from the hands of all our enemies might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness c. It is not misery is the motive only else he would do it for all as well as some for we are all of us in the same bondage naturally one as well as another Thirdly The meritorious cause is the blood of Jesus Christ no less then the blood of the Kings son is the price of the liberty of poor Slaves in bondage this must needs be tender mercy indeed rich love indeed so saith the Apostle That through death he might destroy him that hath the power of death that is the Devil no less then a Kings ransom is paid for the liberty of every poor creature that is made free and therefore he took upon him flesh and blood because the children were partakers of the same that he might die for them and to deliver them that for fear of death were in bondage all their life-time of which more afterward we are now speaking to the meritorious cause the price of his pretious mercy even the blood of Jesus Christ Fourthly The means of conferring or conveiging this liberty to poor Sinners is the Gospel of liberty the Covenant of Grace held out in the Gospel is the means and this is plain in many places As in that of Isaiah The Spirit of the Lord is upon me therefore he hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek to bind up the broken-hearted to proclaim liberty to the Captives if ever any preaching was the Gospel Christs preaching was and the Covenant who himself was given to be the Covenant to the people sure he would preach nothing but that or in subordination to that as he doth preach the Law too as would easily appear but we may not digress and so in thaâ— other place of Luke where either that or some of the fore-cited places in Isaiah are quoted Ye shall know the truth saith our Saviour and the truth shall make you free by truth there I take it is not meant indefinitely any truth whatever no nor a scriptural truth but the Gospel of truth which is called the truth Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ it is such a truth so pure and precious For his word is like
Silver tryed and purified seven times that is to say his Promise therefore he concludeth That the Lord will keep them he will preserve them for ever and so pretious so confirmed by miracles that all other truth scarce deserveth the name of truth in comparison of it either it is not so pure but hath some dross or else not so pretious O they are pretious Promises indeed as the soul knoweth right-well when he cometh to stand in need of a Promise and the sweetness of it he sucks out and it letteth down the sweetness of it upon the soul but take a parallel Scripture to shew that Gospel is called the truth The Apostle speaks plainly For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven whereof you heard before in the word of the truth of the Gospel and again to the Ephesians In whom also ye trusted after that ye heard the word of truth the Gospel of your salvation in whom also after ye believed ye were sealed with the holy Spirit of Promise So that this is the truth then the knowledge whereof shall make us free where the Spirit of Christ is there is liberty that is clear as you heard before Now how is the Spirit given but by the Gospel Received ye the Spirit by the works of the Law or by the hearing of Faith which is that hearing of Faith by the Word of Truth the foregoing Verse even that which held forth a crucified Christ to them hearing of Faith not the rumour of Faith but hearing is such an hearing as whereby a man believeth and Faith by a Metonymie is put for the Word of Faith as the Gospel is called sometimes because Faith thereby is begotten now by this the Spirit is received and therefore liberty cometh and therefore the Gospel is called the ministration of the Spirit in that place of the Apostle because therewith the Spirit is given and ministred to poor creatures whereas the Law works Bondage and Wrath Therefore Jerusalem is free which is above that is to say the Church builded upon the Covenant of Grace is free is the Mother of us all but enough of this The Gospel is the outward instrumental cause Fifthly the inward instrumental cause or Con. as some will have it which I shall not now dispute that is faith whereby we close with this Covenant it is the Word of Faith and hearing of Faith that is to say of the Gospel so as to work Faith whereby the Spirit is given which brings liberty to the soul Alas many hear the Gospel of liberty which we preach and few do receive it few believe it for it appeareth by woful experience we are yet in bondage we have never gone forth to this day many of us though we have had as much preaching of the Gospel as any other Jerusalem that now is as the Apostle cals it was in bondage then though they had the Gospel preached among them a great while they believed not except the Spirit therein be conveyed the Gospel is but a dead letter as well as the Law and a deadly letter also and so much for the causes of this liberty or freedom which cometh by Jesus Christ The third thing under this head is the parts of this liberty or freedom which we shall consider two ways First Extensively in their latitudeâ— And secondly Intensively in the degrees of each of these parts in its latitude But that we may the better understand it we must know that liberty is a relative and respecteth some bondage some imprisoning or shutting up from which this liberty is a deliverance ye shall go forth and therefore to set off the lustre of this glorious liberty it may not be amiss to run a parallel between them That there is such a bondage under which every poor creature without Christ is held we shall at present presuppose though afterward haply I shall come to prove it I would not here too far digress before we come to speak of the parts of the bondage to which the parts of liberty will be opposite and correspondent I shall say in a few words something to the Author of this Bondage and Tenure of it and but a word or two For the Author of this bondage under which poor creatures are without Christ altogether and in part also many times when they are under Christ and under Grace First Some part of it is to be ascribed to the Lord so far forth as it is meerly vindictive or an inflicting of a just penalty upon Sinners for sin so far we may ascribe it to God as will more plainly appear in the following Considerations The Law which genders to Bondage it is his Law and holy and just and good though it gender to Bondage nor will it follow because we are delivered form it therefore it was an evil in it self but only per accidens by reason of our corruption and so the Spirit of Bondage which in some is vindictive when he binds and hampers a Sinner with the cords of his sin haply never intending that he shall see through those terrors to his comfort this is from him and justly or else if it be in order to a settlement to a peace to an Adoption a Sonship through Christ as preparative to the receiving of Christ this is from him and so several other parts of it are from him under this Consideration Secondly But so far forth as any part of it is sinful there it is from Satan and from our own evil hearts for darkness cannot come from the light nor can any thing unclean come from that which is altogether pure no more then a clean thing can proceed from an unclean as the bondage under sin which more at large afterward we shall discuss Secondly For the tenure for being in bondage we are in bondage to some person properly to some thing improperly and by a kind of Prosopopeia we are said to be in such a bondage now there is some Tenure as I may say wherein they do hold us in bondage there are three or four tenures if I may so call them whereby we are thus held under Bondage until Jesus Christ come to set us free First A Sale Secondly By Birth Thirdly By Captivity or Conquest Fourthly By Tyranny and resignation of themselves up to such a vassallage but a word or two to each of them First then There is a Bondage by Captivity when People are taken Captives this is so common there is none can be ignorant of it What are the Turks Gally-slaves but the prey of their piracies all is fish that cometh to the net so it is in this case This is one Part of the Tenure we are taken captive by Satan even at his pleasure Of whom a man is overcome of the same is he brought in bondage this is the military Law the Prisoners were ever the Conquerours slaves we have seen it but too evidently with our own eyes we have
greater measure and therefore we may understand this of a general state of the Saints before the coming of Christ the arising of this Sun of righteousness indeed hath shone into the very chambers of death themselves to let us see thaâ— there is not that real terrour in it that otherwise except himself had gone through it and broken the bars of it and pluckt out the sting and sanctified it as a passage to our Glory as well as to his own we should still have been in as great bondage as they were in this respect and therefore Simeon saith Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word now he had embraced the Lord Christ not only in his bodily arms but had a clearer discovery also of him to his soul doubtless and the sence may help faith also But then secondly According to the measure of the faith of his people is the degree of their liberty from this bondage alas it is terrible to many of us yea such as do believe but their faith is weak and the perswasions of sense are strong and hold down the soul many times but the Lord Jesus came to deliver his people also from this bondage and according to the degrees of his manifesting himselfto the soul will the soul go forth from these fears and though Aristotle died doubtful whither he should go and yet cried out Ens entium causa causarum miserere mei Yet the Apostle and those that attained that pitch to know that when our tabernacles are dissolved we have an house eternal in the heavens to know the sting of death and victory of the grave is swallowed up by Jesus Christ it left its sting in his side to know that when we are dissolved we shall be with Christ and know how much better that will be to the soul that is well studied in these things and grown strong in the faith that is in Jesus he will desire to be dissolved and to be with Jesus O here is a going forth now a liberty and freedom indeed by the arising of the Sun of Righteousness upon us Ninthly A freedom or liberty from the Govenant of works What saith the Law Do this and live continue in every thing that is written now when the soul cometh to see how spirittual the Law is and how earnal he is and sold under sin that it binds not only the thoughts but the desires of the heart that there must not be so much as a vain thought pass through his soul but if there do this Covenant knoweth no mercy alas this keepeth the poor creature under much bondage and trouble and doubting concerning his condition now we must know that this is not a bondage of Gods putting upon us though he gave us the Law but of our own making the Lord gave the Law with Evangelical purposes it was added because of transgression it was added that the Covenant of Grace that it might convince poor creatures of their condition by sâ—n and not to be their Saviour or a Covenant of life to them When the Commandment came sin revived and I died saith the Apostle that is the work of it indeed but now we would needs make it to be a Covenant of works and look upon it so and therefore do what we did in obedience to this Law as for life expecting to be saved by our own works and so the Hebrews the Jews to whom that Law was first given we see how they would not submit they would not stoop to have this yoke taken off from them they would not submit to the righteousness of Ged but would have a righteousness of their own they had two strings to their bow and as long as either of them would hold they would not yield to be righteous by the righteousness of God in Christ the one was their freedom by Birth They were the seed of Abraham and not the seed of the Bond-woman and therefore what need they care for this liberty the other was their own works they made account their own penny was good silver enough though the Lord knoweth it was but reprobate silver they went about to establish their own righteousness they would be justified by a Covenant of works And so there were some that came and endeavoured to turn aside the Galathians to another Gospel by teaching them they should again put their necks under this yoke not only of Ceremonies though that be one thing to the Jews if not to the Gentiles that never were under it but it is the Law the Moral Law as a Covenant of Works else to what end doth he mention the curse therein And if ye be justified by the Law Christ shall not profit you you are fallen from the Doctrine of Grace Well now the Lord Jesus when he is revealed to a soul delivereth him from this though I must tell you it is an harder matter to get clearly off it then many do imagine and even the people of God themselves shall find that too often they are turned aside to the bondwoman from the free from the Covenant of Grace to a Covenant of Works Again from the Law as provoking for that is the Bondage chiefly the Apostle speaks of Rom. 7. But the more clearly and fully the Grace which is in Christ is revealed to us with the greater power he ariseth upon us the more fully are we set free from it Here we might discuss the question how far we are delivered from the Law and how far by Jesus Christ I will rather reserve that to another place and proceed to conclude this part Tenthly There is a kind of bondage the people of God are under even that weakness and straitness and deadness of heart towards God you know that sickness doth weaken a man exceedingly in so much that he can scarce go upon his legs he is a prisoner a great while under that weakness from all action to purpose let but a poor prisoner be under hardship a while in the prison and how feeble will he be and scarce worth the ground he goeth upon a while longer he is a prisoner under that weakness so it is here therefore saith the Psalmist Then will I run the ways of thy commandments when thou shalt enlarge my heart Now the Lord Jesus when he cometh in with pardon speaking peace smiling upon the soul filling the heart with joy unspeakable this joy of the Lord is the strength of the soul he goeth forth even as a man to his labour in the morning when the Sun ariseth that drousiness heaviness deadness under which he was a prisoner before being now removed Eleventhly There is a liberty and freedom also from outward afflictions for these are also an appendix of the Law a part of the execution of it and therefore the Lord doth set his people free from the fear of these before they come which is a kind of bondage upon them Secondly From the presence of
them when they are come Or Thirdly From the evil of them the pinching and wringing and galling of the yoke First In respect of the fear of them They shall go forth he speaks here plainly to the believing Jews they were afraid of the judgments of God in the threatning while they did but hang over their heads and they were in a kind of prison or bondage by reason of this fear Well saith the Lord Fear not you shall go forth the Sun of righteousness shall arise upon you Job was afraid of his sorrows take and compare Job the none-such in the East a most eminent Saint and Paul in the New Testament and the one you find he is afraid of his sorrows Paul he glories in his tribulations you never hear him complaining of his sufferings no nor feared them he knew that bonds and imprisonments did abide him in every City but he cared not for any of these things he had a richer discovrey of the Grace of God in Christ then Job had and clearer it is like and therefore this set him free in a great measure from them and indeed his soul that knoweth the things that are freely given him in Christ knoweth now that he is his Father and what ever shall befall him it shall turn to his good what need he much to fear Secondly They shall go out from the presence of them this the Lord doth many times for his people what though the day of the Lord burn like an oven and burn up the chaff and stubble and devour them root and branch I will be an hiding place to you saith the Lord You that fear my name indeed and tremble at my word O the Sun of righteousness shall arise upon you and by vertue of his death ye shall be delivered as the Jews were in Egypt By the sprinkling of the blood of the Passover upon the Posts of the Doors which did represent and typifie the blood of Jesus Christ and in that place of Zâ—ch Mark you saith the Lord concerning his peoples Deliverance out of Babylon a type of spiritual deliverance and freedom of his people as for thee also by the blood of the Covenant I have sent forth thy Prisoners out of the Pit wherein there is no water this is done by vertue of the Covenant of Grace whereby this freedom and going forth is made out to Believers therefore you may observe when the Lord cometh to deliver Israel out of Egypt he ushers it in thus I remember my Covenant the difference between the deliverances of Israel and other people are the one is a Covenant mercy the other a common mercy meerly Well now saith the Lord ye shall go forth of the burning even as the children in the Furnace it burned but they escaped the Lord Jesus was with them so shall ye go forth and the Lord did provide a little Zoar for his people in the destruction of Jerusalem many of them escaped to Pella as the story goeth a little Town beyond Jordan and so the Lord doth seal the 144000. before he brings those bloody calamities upon the earth the persecuting world and those in the ninth of Ezekiel O who would not be in Covenant with God! they shall go forth Or thirdly They shall be freed from the destroying evil the hardening evil of affliction which is a bondage and a sore one too being bound in affliction and iron and so Job in the 13. ch ver 27. God writeth bitter things against him and puts his feet in the stocks and all his affliction together is called Jobs captivity he was as I may say resigned up to the pleasure of Satan for a while who led him from one affliction to another but the Lord brought him out and brought him off without the evil the Devil expected that he should curse him and dye curse him to his face now I say the Lord maketh his people go forth brings them through and not only so but without any of the hurt seizing upon them Sinners are the harder for being in the fire but they are melted as very a stone as Pharaoh was he began to burn in the fire and be hot and a man would have thought his heart had given but it was a stone still but his people came out melted refined with this Epiphonema to all their afflictions O it was good for me I could not have been without it much of my dross is gone by it and thus the Lord maketh his people go forth â—e shall go forth Twelfthly There is one more and that is the yoak of Ceremonies traditions of men I will put them both together the Ceremonies were a yoak you know circumcision was a hard service to draw blood of their children at eight daies old their journeys to their feasts at Jerusalem their offerings and oblations they were very chargeable insomuch that they grew weary of them and snuffed at them c. And for the Traditions of men they are a grievous burthen where their Doctrines are taught and received the Apostle comprehends both-under that word the rudiments of the world whereunto he would not have them be brought in bondage again the difference of meats and drinks c. the Lord Jesus hath let us loose from those observations and therefore it is a desperate doctrine a doctrine of Devils or at least of them that speak lies in hypocrisie to forbid to marry and commanding to abstain from meats which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving and blessed be his name that by the rising of the Sun of righteousness among us he hath brought us out from this bondage generally and if he would be pleased to shine among the poor ignorant Papists that they might but come to the knowledge of his will doubtless this would be quickly shakt off with them also but you have the parts of this liberty For the degrees of it we must know this that it is not in the same degree to every believer you have already heard how that before Christ's coming it was not in such power as since Ye shall go forth hath been accomplished in many respects since the appearing of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and the more faith and the clearer sight we have of Jesus Christ with the greater power and splendor and glory he shines upon us the more of the riches of his grace we come to apprehend the more fully and perfectly to rest upon that grace the more shall we find that all these bondages shall be broken we have been speaking to but thus much for the two things which is what this liberty is Which are the arguments for the further confirmation of the Doctrine Where the Lord Jesus ariseth upon a soul there is liberty and enlargement First from the very nature of that gift of grace the arising of the Sun of righteousness upon them what is this but the giving of himself unto a soul
not be in the Pallace or a man be in this house and yet not in the City which is much more large and comprehensive But thirdly I conceive that this visible freedom of theirs is to be limited with the time until they come to discover the contrary as an hypocritical professor to us he is visibly a Saint and free until his leaf do fade and fall and that be taken from him which he seemeth to have as it is in that of the Evangelist now the child is upon his Fathers root the Lord owning them with their parents in the same covenant of grace yet if afterward when they come to understanding and by the rule of Christ they are to own the covenant themselves actually if they do disown it they shall be cast out as well as Ismael was and therefore it is I suppose that our Saviour reproveth the Jews when they stood now at age and should have minded what themselves had done now standing upon their own and not upon their Fathers root they should have owned the Covenant themselves and believed that so they might have been free indeed invisibly but though they never wrought the works of Abraham to believe in Christ to come and now in Christ come they should have believed but wrought the works of the Devil yet they bound themselves up with this that they were the children of Abraham they were so indeed and this in their infancy was ground for a believing hopefully of them specially if their Parents were Believers but now the Lord required themselves I say to own the Covenant and walk worthy of it else that would not stand them instead it is just as if a man that maketh a profession of Christ gloriously for a while and in the judgement of all that behold him he is a gracious man but yet he falls off draweth back to perdition the latter end of such a man is worse then his beginning yet he bears up himself O I am a Christian I have professed Christ as well as you and yet at present is thus stubborn and rebellious do you think this would satisfie any mans spirit concerning him is not here as much vanity of hope concerning his condition as in the other case O but some will say what a Doctrine is this can a man be free in any sense and yet come into bondage again and perish afterward are not the gifts and calling of God without repentance therefore that children should be free by vertue of this Covenant and yet afterward become the servants of sin and Satan and be so desperately wicked and prophane this seemeth derogatory to grace and that any that have been in Covenant of God and free should now be bound with everlasting chains of darkness It is no derogation from the truth nor from the grace that came by Jesus Christ that it should be so for mind you it is one thing to be free in the account of God and another thing to be free in the account of the Church and people of God God judgeth not as we judge visibly we judge and he judgeth that which is invisible now it is true one that hath been truly inwardly delivered from the bondage of sin and so gone out of prison he can never be reduced to such a condition cannot perish and so that man that is or ever was invisibly in Covenant with God can never come to that place of darkness but such as only visibly and in appearance did own the Covenant or were in Covenant may miscarry how many glorious professors that made a great shew for a time and sprang up as fast and flourished as much as any that yet now are the fuel for those everlasting flames what could men judge of them but that they were in Covenant with God and so free-men and delivered from the prison from the bondage yet alas were in the hold of sin to that day and why may it not be so and allowed in this case as well as in that may not the children of the Kingdom be cast out into outer darkness I could wish that were well considered the children of the Kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness we will allow professors a communion and fellowship with us as free-men as men in Covenant with God whose profession so oftentimes prove rotten and unsound and think this profession is a sufficient ground to declare to us they are in Covenant with Christ and yet we will not allow Believers children to be in Covenant with God because afterward they come to walk contrary to this Covenant Nor do we think the declaration of God that he doth own them as his as his children his servants as holy to himself to be as sufficient to make it out they are in Covenant with God For my own part I see not the pretended difference but if there be any advantage in the visibility of being in Covenant with God I take it upon this hand for I do and shall make more of a word of God where the Lord hath said it that they are his in a way of grace though it prove to be but visibly not invisibly then I shall make of any mans profession in the world which can amount to no more then a visibility or at least I shall make as much of it Well but then suppose thou wert a child of Abraham of believing parents and so wert free and in Covenant with God visibly yet alas this will not now stand thee in stead to salvation no more then a profession of a temporarie faith will do an hypocrite thou workest the works of the Devil art a very drudge to Satan and the world and thy own hearts lusts and yet will hang thy hopes of salvation upon a being born free we are Abraham's seed if any seed of Believers since the Covenant should have been saved and freed inwardly and savingly by being the seed of such parents when themselves came actually to renounce it in works to deny the Covenant in works they might have it by Abraham but yet you see our Saviour tells them the Son must make them free before they could be free therefore this is a vain conceit the Lord perswade poor sinners against it Secondly some there are that because they feel nothing of such a bondage as hath been spoken of therefore they conclude there is no such thing upon them they do not feel any such thing as fetters and ginns upon them they never were under any such slavishness of obedience under any such terrours nor under the command of their lusts they think they are Masters of themselves and can command their passions and appetites as well as any others and therefore sure they are free This is a deceit also The more undiscerned the bondage is the more sure it is it was the slateliness of some Princes they would not be seen by their subjects nor make their persons too common they should feel the weight of
all the worst when they have gotten a little peace and therefore though before they walked mournfully before God and were diligent in following hard after him now they slack their pace grow remiss they have their consolations the loaves they would have and now they may take their ease O this is a horrible abuse of this liberty for therefore the Lord speaks peace that we might not return to folly and we quite cross because he hath spoken peace to us therefore give up our selves to folly is not this to walk contrary to him and will he not walk contrary to you is not this to make our liberty a cloak an occasion to the flesh a handle for the flesh to take hold of and so to bring you into bondage again and so make more work for Christ to set you at liberty again Brethren can we make our liberty a cloak to the flesh and do you think the Lord will not pluck that cloak over our ears and shew us our nakedness again and make us know how we come by it again before we have it and therefore take heed of this I beseech you lest your liberty degenerate into licentiousness Maxima libertate minima licentia said that Antient. But yet more particularly take heed of abusing of your liberty in the use of things lawful in themselves and indifferent it is a sign of a heart that hath little fear of offending God that dare walk just at the very brink upon the very line of destruction between sin and lawful liberty if it can be assigned You find the Apostle of another Spirit rather then offend his weak Brother he would never eat meat while he lived why how would he live rather upon herbs and fruits and such things then to eat flesh as long as he lived too I tell you Brethren in our daies though there is much discourse of liberty there is little true use of it when a man will offend all the people of God and his Brethren rather then he will part with an excrement and a woman rather then sorbear her spotting and painting and bedlam nakedness If the things be lawful in themselves which I think they are not or a man will rather grieve all the people of God then cross his humor this is sad Again Brethren one man may have a greater liberty then another in this case and another greater then he in another case as for instance now Abraham might look upon Sodom when it was flaming but Lot might not because there he had his desirable things lest it should draw back his heart from the journey now commanded him and so if a man do but observe when temptations and lusts meet together where his corruption lies what is the scum of his heart and what doth use to fire his lusts there he may not give himself such a liberty as another may whose temptation lies in another thing as if a mans temptation lie to excess in eating in drinking it is not lawsul for such a man now to look upon the wine when red c. to come in the danger of such a temptation and so if a man have eyes full of adultery that cannot cease to sin he may not behold an object that another may whose temptation lies not there In a word look to it Brethren that we serve one another in love this is opposed to using our liberty as a Cloak to the flesh to bear one anothers burdens Brethren we are not at liberty one from another we may not say with Cain Am I my Brothers keeper we ought not to despise the infirmities of the weak because they see not as we see and therefore are grieved and offended at many things that we make nothing of here we ought to bear their infirmities to cover them to labour to inform them and forbear them not despise them become all things to them that we may lawfully as the Apostle became all things but a sinner to gain them this is serving one another in love and the labour of love either to God or men is a free service indeed we are rather ready to serve our selves one of another for ought I perceive generally it is so then serve one another in love Brethren I doubt there is little love for Christ sake though there may be some for our own and then all the liberty we talk of it is but bondage the Law of love is a Law of liberty indeed but enough of this Fourthly Then look to it that we being free from sin we become the servants of righteousness that is to say that you give up your selves yield your selves unto God unto Christ as instruments for the holy Spirit to play upon as instruments tools weapons of righteousness for the Lord to make use of even as he pleaseth this is the end of all that liberty held out in the Covenant of grace that we being delivered from the hands of all our enemies might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness all the daies of our lives Now hath the Lord then set thee free brought thee out of the horrible pit broken off the shakles knockt them off set open the prison what can we do less then this spend our selves now in his service O if men would but consider how much of their strength and spirits sin hath had while we were under that bondage Me thinks it should put us on so much the more earnestly specially considering how our service addeth nothing to him it is for our own good as you heard before and it is all he expecteth for delivering of us What poor Gally-slave would not most willingly yield to a Noble-man to be his servant where his service is honourable and pleasant and delightful so be he would redeem him why this is the very case Beside if we consider the fruit here and the reward hereafter the Apostle puts both together and I will not put them asunder the first-fruits and the harvest they have their fruit unto holiness the more we serve the Lord Christ the more easie pleasant and delightful will his service be the more our souls will shine with the beauty of holiness as the bondage groweth by continuance so doth the freedom by this service I dare say the more acquaintance any poor heart hath with a diligent close humble upright walking with God the more pleasant the waies of God are to him yea and the more holy that man groweth it must needs be so because he hath more communion with the Fountain of holiness even God in Jesus Christ and the Spirit also would you be holy Brethren would you be more and more freed from the remainders of bondage which are upon you Believe it the only way is to lay out your selves more in the service of Christ the Spirit of Christ will delight to be where he is entertained where his motions are received every hint is taken and followed and improved and the
is in this case though a mans gifts and grace rise never so high and over-flow at his lips at his actions to make others also fruitful and to grow yet if there be not a continual supply from the Fountain would it subsist would it not languish therefore this is the comfort that he is an Author of it I the Lord hast thou not heard hast thou not known that I the Lord the Creator of the ends of the earth faint not neither am weary and therefore though you faint and languish yet I faint not saith the Lord I will renew your strength therefore and ye shall run and not be weary though now you cannot lift up your heads therefore this is the first reason It must needs be perfect every good and every perfect gift cometh from the Father of lights if any be more perfect then another sure they are the gifts of his grace but this is but the first The second Reason may be an auxiliary to the first The Lord will perfect the work of grace he beginneth and therefore there is such an increase as the Apostle calls it the increase of God now why is this because he hath appointed a measure of a fulness of stature to be attained by us before we be made meet for the inheritance of the Saints in light a child while a child is scarce able to mannage an inheritance he knoweth not what it meaneth and so for a weak Christian and therefore mark you what our Saviour saith ye must be converted and become as little children else you cannot enter into the Kingdom of God he saw some pride and swelling and ambition of their spirits well faith our Saviour this must be fetched out of you one way or other either by love or by the rod or both before you will be fit to enter into glory O how heavenly and sweet do the Saints generally grow before the Lord takes them Brethren if so glorious a building as the temple of God be intended will every rough stone a rough-hewn-Christian be fit to lay in that building O no surely those knotty pieces shall be plained and smoothed and pollished before they be laid in that glorious Temple in heaven remember it I say Brethren there is a meetness for heaven and though haply many of us care not for it we would not be too meet for it lest we be taken to it before we be willing to part with the world never fear that while thou hast such a heart it is well if thou be not so far from it that thou never come thither thou needest not fear coming thither too soon But there are two causes which seem to call for a word here to open them First what will you say then to persons that it may be no sooner are converted but they dye what time have they to grow in grace and to come to this meetness of the inheritance of the Saints Remember what was said before that growth is not alway in all of the same pace What if God will create one Adam in perfect stature the first day and the rest grow to it by degrees why may it not be so what if some grow as the Lâ—â—lies shoot up quickly much in a night and others are longer about it if all must grow and come to this fittness before he take them and so if the Lord be a whole year turning water into wine in his ordinary way of providence which is wonderful and at another time though not so often do it in a moment who shall say to him what dost thou this is as perfect wine as fit to be drunk as rich and full of spirits as the other so the thief upon the Cross he made a large progess in a short time for I tell you to believe in the Lord Jesus and confess him and at such a time as that was was no small power of grace when himself was under the agonies of death and Christ under disgrace and the shame of the Cross and crucifying and dying yea under the displeasure of his Father crying out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me when he was forsaken of his Father in a sort and forsaken of all men yeâ— and of his own Disciples also none of them then durst openly â—cknowledge him and crucifying at that time Peter had denyed him they all fled from him before though some of them stood and looked on yet if they had been put to it at that time it is a question what they would have done therefore our Saviour in tenderness towards them would have them be let go as you have it when himself was taken now at such a time as this when heaven and earth looked black upon our blessed Saviour to own him to despise the shame of the Cross at the first dash and to reprove his fellow that was crucified with him it was a great measure of faith I le tell you Brethren it is like he that wrought that in him had wrought a like measure of love when he told him he should this day be with him in Paradise what such a wretch as I that all my life time have lived so wickedly and now am dying under my guilt and in one day at the last moment to be translated into a glorious Kingdom O this could not but surely much enlarge his heart in love to the Lord Jesus and that is the perfection of the Law and so we see some Christians that grow more in a moneth in a year or two then many do in many years some are foolish children that stick long in the place of breaking forth some make haste and run much in a little time and therefore this hinders not but all should grow to their measure appointed of God before they come to heaven And for the children of Believers how can they come to this pitch you will say how can they grow â—o such a height of growth for answer First It is worth the noting that even they who deny them the priviledges of the Covenant of grace which are visible and outward in the Church of God yet dare not profess whatever they think to the contrary but that they are saved or may be saved and profess tender thoughts of them they are not such duri patres infantum as to exclude them out of the Kingdom it was the Disciples fault you know and so it may be good mens now to hinder them from coming to Christ they thought they were but troublesom guests to him they were capable of little and therefore forbad them but they got a rebuke for their labour what saith our Saviour is it not clear enough even from the old Scripture for there were no other then written and they had means to know that they did belong to Christ and the Kingdom else he would not have reproved them Do you not know to such belongs the Kingdom of God you might have known and ought to
have known and therefore you deserve a rebuke for it and so it may be good mens faults now a daies but yet they dare not exclude them from the Kingdom of glory Secondly It is to be noted that no unclean thing shall ever enter into that place Children by nature are the children of wrath poor leprous polluted creatures and therefore if there be not a pardoning grace and cleansing mercy for them how can they enter into glory and because we cannot apprehend how it should be conveighed shall we therefore deny it are we not all of us pure receptives in the first grace and are not infants as purely receptives as we Yea are they not more purely receptives then we for though it is true they have the same seeds of rebellion the same spawn the same venomous poysonous nature with our selves miserable sinful off-spring of miserable sinful parents yet according to their own principles they cannot put it forth into such actual rebellion as we and do not the acts increase and strengthen the habits and the stronger the habits are the stronger the opposition is against Christ and therefore they are more purely receptive then we are and therefore Thirdly What hinders but they in as short a time as the thief upon the Cross may be brought to as high a degree of grace as he though in an unspeakable manner Was it not more then ordinary that John leaped within the womb at the voice of the mother of the Lord it was more then ordinary else the mother would not have wondered at it though a miracle it were truly Brethren every work of grace is a miracle and the greater miracle it is to work upon a desperate prophane hard-hearted sinner that hath all his life-time been working wickedness with both hands earnestly to make such an one in one day fit for heaven and glory as the thief upon the Cross where there is greater opposition is not this a greater miracle then the other Beside let it be considered I beseech you what our Saviour saith he that receiveth not the Kingdom like as a little child cannot enter into it It may be some will say this is nothing he compareth his Disciples to Doves and Sheep c. and so he doth to a little child this proveth nothing But let it be considered and weighed and then I leave it to the judgement of impartial persons he saith not only you must be like children and like Doves for innocency he saith not you must be like children for humility and want of envy for love no but ye cannot enter except ye receive the Kingdom as a little child the comparison lies in the receiving the Kingdom as well as in the qualities so that except little children did receive the Kingdom how can the Disciples be compared to them in receiving the Kingdom how can they be as I may say made the very standard in receiving the Kingdom of God we must receive it as little children receive it you never find such a like speech of Doves or Sheep that we must receive the Kingdom as Doves or as Sheep because they are not capable to receive the Kingdom it was never appointed nor prepared for them Now if little children be made as I may say the pattern for humility self-denyal which I tell you Brethren goeth far in Christianity O which is the first step humility the second humility the third humility it reacheth to the top of the Ladder and not only so but the very pattern in receiving the Kingdom of God Surely then such children as we allow as we must allow some else the comparison were not true nor rightly framed they must be allowed to be as holy as any others truly Brethren me thinks if we consider how much innocency there is in these little ones which is not in us O how we have rebelled all our daies which they never have done played the hypocrites before the Lord which they never have done dealt falsly in his Covenant which they never have done have such strong lusts in act and vigour and strong habits of sin pride and envy and hatred to oppose the workings of grace in us which they have none of me thinks it might easily be yielded unto that former supposition that many of them are saved and who dare deny it that they have grace and a great measure so as to be made the standard of receiving the Kingdom therefore they may quickly come to a great height but thus much for this reason I am carried further then I had any thought when I first minded it as an Argument Thirdly Another reason may be because the greater our growth is the more honour he hath from us and the more services and we the more comfort this doth much what concern the growth of such as are of years of understanding for to such I speak I give it therefore as a reason only of the growth of persons of understanding though some part of it may reach others First then hereby God hath the more service Alas what service hath a Father or Mother from a little child when it hangs upon the breast many a weary hand she hath with it in its frowardness but no help at all but when grown up it will do something so while a poor Believer is weak and feeble feeble knees and weak hands alas can scarce stand upon their legs every little wind of temptation or doctrine is ready to blow him over and stagger him he stands scrupling and trembling at every step and doubting he cannot set a foot before another but the Father is fain to take him by the hand and teach him to go as he did Ephraim this is the great time of Gods taking pains like a tender-hearted mother with his children and truly if his bowels were not as a mothers bowels yea much more infinitely he would never endure to handle us so tenderly in all our weakness and loathsomness now when we are grown up into Christ are strong in his might and power then we are able to do him some service and he expecteth it of us though the Lord knoweth we often requite him as Ifrael did after all his tenderness he nourisheth and bringeth up children feeding us with the bread of heaven Manna is our daily bread the Lord Jesus he maketh out somethng of him to us continually whereby we grow and presseth the promises by his own Spirit that they may give down their milk and sweetness to us and when all is done we rebell against him even to the breaking of his heart as he speaks after the manner of men but this costs the people of God dear whoever they be though it be true the Lord hath no need of our service we profit not him at all he can work deliverance for his people and Church if there were never a Hester to pray nor mediate to the King some other way he will do it yet he ordinarily useth
heart puts his fear there yea and that Peace of God also placeth he as a pregnable garrison there that they shall never depart from him except the Lord could deny his Covenant for my part I see not how any soul that in truth is come on to Christ can finally apostatize though from some common grace they may withdraw which is true Grace though not of this kind which is saving But what then doth the Lord Jesus hold us to himself whether we will or no No Brethren But he maketh us willing in the day of his power so that we shall not any more be willing to leave him to depart from him nor is it an infringement of our liberty at all to be determined to one party either of the contradiction of contrariety as they use to distinguish them for God himself is determined to one part he cannot will any thing that is evil as evil nor the Angels in heaven established and confirmed and yet their liberty sure is much greater then ours well then the Lord Jesus he will never cast them out therefore they shall persevere when once they are in him in Covenant God hath put that principle into them that they shall never depart themselves he will not let loose any lust any temptation upon them that shall ruin them that were in effect in a moral sense a casting of them out in no wise whatsoever will he do it Vse 6. Sixthly Yet here let me put in a double Caution First Let sinners impenitent sinners that yet stand it out protract the time of their coming to Jesus Christ as Aug. O modo Domine take a warning word this day that is do not so abuse this sweet and pretious truth as to encourage themselves thereby in an evil way tush saith the drunkard the unclean person to morrow shall be as this day and much more abundant it is time enough to repent Jesus Christ is so tender and so merciful to poor sinners that when ever we come to him he will not cast us out and though we do treasure up many bags and fill up the measure of sin fuller then others he hath made no limitation if we come to him he will not cast us out what a lamentable condition is that man in whose stomack turns an honey-comb into poyson to him here is the most precious cordial the very Spirits of the Gospel in this our Doctrine and see how sinners do turn it into a deadly potion to their souls what Spiders are we that can suck venom out of the sweetest flowers but suppose this be true that when ever thou comest to Jesus Christ thou shalt be received and not cast out in any wise is there any truth in the Hypothesis that lies hid which is either this that thou hast power to come of thy self at any time thy will at command if it be proper to say so of that which is the commanding faculty in the soul or else this that God will draw thee hereafter and give thee a will to come to Jesus Christ when thou hast lived a while longer in the pleasures of sin Ah poor soul thou little knowest the deceitfulness of sin and of thy own heart what is the reason that thou art not now willing to receive the Lord Jesus Christ is it not because thou art held so fast in the embraces of thy darling lusts O that sin that kils with its embraces poisons with its kisses and tell me is that the way to get looser from thy lusts and so more ready to come to Jesus Christ to go on in sin to satisfie and fulfill the lusts of the flesh surely no thou knowest not the deceitfulness of sin whereby the heart is more hardened every act then before It may please him out of the abundant riches of his Grace to draw such a presumptuous sinner to Christ but it is to be admired me thinks thou shouldst rather tremble when thou thinkest I now put off my coming to Christ untill a more convenient opportunity and what if this never come what if my soul be taken from me this night now the Arrows of God are scattered among our dwellings and what if I never have a heart nor some time to come and repent but go on still and grow more and more hard and desperate and sinning and so perish O that sinners would consider this that forget God that they abuse not this Grace of Jesus Christ When did Jesus Christ tell thee how long he would wait upon thee to be gracious doth he not say to day if ye will hear his voice harden not your hearts you may possibly out-live your day of grace aâ—d Christ is waiting upon you and striving with you and then it had been better for you you had never been born Secondly Another caution shall be to them that have come to Jesus Christ and are found in him that they take heed they abuse not this grace to wantonness If we shall not in any wise be cast out of Christ what need so much ado O what viperous natures have we that are ready to turn all to poyson this principle is in every heart among us therefore watch over it The Doctrine is Christs a truth in Jesus and therefore in its own nature hath no tendency to such a froward walking before God there is nothing in its own nature doth more tend to kil sin then grace the abundance of grace in Jesus Christ truly if grace love will not do it nothing will do it nothing runs the old man to the heart so home as this unsearchable love of God in Christ that if we come to him he will in no wise cast us out It is a wretched graceless conclusion to say no more of it to continue in sin that grace might abound the Apostle was well taught in Christs School and both by Revelation from Christ and personal experience in his own case he knew the power of the love of God in Christ the exceeding abundance of his grace and how doth he argue from mercy to duty So our Saviour himself who best knoweth the end of his grace of which he is the Author and Finisher come to me c. and I will give you rest And what then may they sit still and take their ease never trouble themselves more concerning their souls never care how to walk in well-pleasing to Christ No the next words are take my yoak upon you for it is easie and it is light It is no great matter he expecteth of us in comparison of what he might expect and in respect of the recompence of reward a Belial is a Monster in the Church of Christ a man without yoak like a wild-Ass snuffing up the wind and doing according to his own hearts lust I will be bold to say let men pretend to what they will that man that hath drunk deepest of the love of God in Christ and is most firmly rooted