lives that in the end when wee shall come as a shocke of corne to thy barne wee may bee happy in thee thorough Iesus Christ our Lord to whom with thee and the blessed spirit bee all Kingdome Power and Glory now and for ever Amen THE CHRISTIANS THRIFT IN KEEPING OR TWO SERMONS Preached on 1 Tim. 1. 19. Holding faith and a good Conscience THe men of the world are much for keeping the father presseth his sonne the master his servant the friend his friend to keepe They would have them keep their houses keepe their land keepe their stockes keep their credit keepe surely whatsoever 1 Tim. 6. 20. they can get honestly This is among the best The Christian must bee for keeping too Hee knowes whom hee hath trusted and 2 Tim. 1. 12 would faine have him keepe his soule to the day of Christ And because hee keepes not them that do not keep themselves and save their soules Act. 2. 40 from this froward generation wherein they live therefore hee desires to doe it himselfe and to presse every member else within his reach to this golden rule which blessed Paul gives to his beloved Timothy keep or hold faith and a good conscience A brave worke worthy a Christian If there had beene a better Paul would have set it upon Timothies soul Other things hee presseth unto but if hee give him a thousand taskes of divers matters if this doe not give life and forme to them all they may doe others good but they shal doe them none therefore be thou holding faith and a good conscience Timothy was a brave young sparke of grace blowne up to a great blaze in the church of God He had so well approoved himselfe to men and God looked upon him with so right an eye that there went about prophecies of him for the great use the Church should have of him and the manly service hee should doe to God Paul therefore ver 18. puts him in minde of them and provokes him to take such a course as may make them good by holding faith and a good conscience And to raise him up to a greater vigilancy he sets before him some that had made shipwrack of them together with their punishment and ver 20. end of it This is the scope then to provoke Timothy to hold whatsoever may be useful unto him to make his imployment in the church comfortable unto him he must hold If you say hee must onely Object have them for so the word Sol. soundeth I answer so to have as to hold As when Saint Paul saith that wee thorough patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope that is hold it thorough the whole course of life for use If you say it is enough to Object Sol. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 15. 4 hold them for the present I answer no it is in such a part of speech as signifieth a continual act holding today tomorrow and for ever Therefore in Timothies person it commends these two savoury rules of life unto you that when yee have faith ye must hold it and when yee have a good conscience ye must hold it too Yee must hold faith Faith is 1 Yee mâ—st hold faith Gal. 5. 22. 1 Thes 5. 19. Apoc 3. 3 of a flying nature in it selfe It is but a fruit of the spirit and wee are apt to quench it But as Christ saith to the church of Sardis remember how thou hast received and heard and hold fast and to the church of Philadelphia hold that fast Apoc. 3. 11 which thou hast that no man take thy crowne so be you all sure to hold faith I shall labour with Gods 1 How yee must hold faith helpe to cleare these two particulars how ye must hold faith and why ye must doe it First as hee that would hold his possession and inheritance must have a good ground of tenure his right by gift purchase By holding or descent a good object of tenure his deedes and evidences a good act of tenure to say with confidence this is mine and a good power to use it as his owne for his proper benefit So if yee would hold faith yee must hold 1 The ground of faith 2 The object of faith 3 The act of faith and 4 The power of faith The ground of faith is 1 The ground of faith your saving right to it without which you have nothing to doe with faith to save you And what is that it is an humbled soule none have right to faith to save them but such To make a loose and broken ground the foundation of an house is the next way to see the ruine of it but to make a broken heart the ground of faith is the only way to see it hold Come unto me all yee that are weary Math. 11. and heavy laden if ye be such then build upon me for the rest of your soules God carried the Israelites fourty yeares thorough the wildernesse to Deut. 8. 23 humble them prove them and to make them suffer hunger and then hee fed them with Mannah God makes the house of David looke up Zach. 12. 10. 11. to Christ pierced and mourne as a woman mourneth for her onely sonne and then in that day hee opens a Zach. 13. 1 fountaine for the house of David and the inhabitants of Ierusalem for sinne and for uncleannesse The Holy Ghost convinceth the world of sin and then of righteousnesse Ioh. 16. 8. 9 10. 11. that Christ hath fully satisfied because hee is ascended and then of Iudgement to set up a throne and cast out Satan by degrees Even as physicians do first purge to pul downe rebelling humours and then give cordials So God first whips by the Schoolmaster of the law and then Gal. 3. 24. brings us to Christ this is the ground of faith The object of faith is the 2 The object of faith deedes and evidences of it the whole word of God There are no other deedes and evidences of saving faith but there These are the testimonies and records of God hee that beleeveth 1 Ioh. 5. 10 not God and his record which he hath witnessed hath made him a lyar This is that for which God lookes to bee credited A very knave looks to bee credited for his pawne or bond an honest man for his honesty a noble man for his honour a Prince for his word much more God Ye must therefore looke to the Precepts of God like David who when he tooke notice of Psal 119. 4 5. Gods commandements given to be kept hee had an heroicall motion to doe more then hee could hee prayes that hee might be taught them that he might keepe them and bee ver 48. quickned by them and resolves to lift up his hands to Gods commandements which hee had loved to doe them Yee must looke to the Judgments and threatnings of God as the
Ninevites who were presently Ion. 3. 2 Chro. 34. 27. in sackcloth and Iosiah who rent his cloathes with weeping eies and melting heart Thus Davids flesh trembled for fear of God and Psal 119. 120. he was affraid of his judgments yee must looke to the promises of God as David who hid Psal 119. 11 them in his heart that he might not sinne against him Whatsoever is in the word ye must have an eie unto For though they doe not so immediately concerne you in the way of life and death as many Genealogies Chronologies Histories and Prophecies yet you must bee ready to understand Praeparatione animi them and their uses as God shall offer them yet yee must principally hold precepts to direct threatnings to humble and promises to allure and comfort ye must hold them by understanding what the will Eph. 5. 17 of the Lord is till if ye can yee come to all riches of the ful Col. 2. 2. assurance of understanding Yee must hold them by assenting to them yeelding to all the truth of them as Saint Luke to the storie of Christ whereof he was fully perswaded Yee Luâ—e 1. 1. must hold them by bringing your bodies and soules into subjection unto them For in Iesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith working Gal. 5. 6. by love This is the object of faith The act of faith is to say 3 The act of faith this is mine to adjudge and appropriate father sonne and holy Ghost unto your selves without this yee cannot feele any comfort of what you believe Therefore as David and Christ said My God My Psal 22. 1. Ioh. 20. 28 God as Thomas said My Lord and my God and as the Luke 1. 47 Blessed Virgine said my spirit that is the quintessence of my soule acted by the spirit of God rejoyceth in God my Saviour so by way of adherence when most times ye have no evidence yee must take God in Christ as your owne as hee offers himselfe I am the Lord Ex. 20. Ier. 31. thy God I will bee thy God This is the act of faith The power of faith is to make use of the riches of it The power of faith Psal 32. Psal 45. Rom. 4. Act. 15. Mal. 4. Eph. 3. Heb. 6. 2 Cor. 4. 13. for thy owne proper good Great is the power of faith and it prevaileth It covereth our sinnes by the garments of Christ our elder brother and so is imputed to us for righteousnesse It cureth our sinnes bringing Christ who hath healing under his wings to dwell in our hearts by faith It brings forth a world of the labour of love wee having the same spirit of faith believe speak and thinke and doe For by Eph. 2. 10. faith we are Gods workemanship created in Christ to good workes to walke in them And this affirme constantly that they that have believed in Tit. 3. 8. GOD be carefull to maintaine good workes This is the power of faith Now this ground of faith 2 Why yee must hold faith this object of faith this act of faith this power of faith you must hold upon these five Grounds First faith is our life wee live by faith not by sight and 1 Faith our life 2 Cor. 5. Hab. 2. every just man must live by his faith Not efficiently for so in GOD we live move and Act. 17. have our being Nor meritoriously for so saith Christ I am the way the truth and the life Nor by way of immediate Ioh. 14. application for so the holy ghost is a quickening spirit as Adams soule was the 1 Pet. 3 18. Gen. 2. breath of life But as a prime instrument of our life in Christ without this wee cannot have life either before God or in this miserable world This Rom. 1. 17 Heb. 10. 38 unites us to Christ and receives a quickning spirit as the vertue of Christ from the spirit of Christ in the meanes of salvation As men say of their trades and hands under God they are my living take away these and take away my life so say wee of faith it is your life therfore hold it Secondly faith is our power 2 Faith is our power of working of working to doe us our best good In a naturall man his reason is his power Hee is borne naked with abundance of bodily weaknesse a beast hath a great deale of bodily strength and if a lyon rationally knew how to use his pawes a dog his teeth a bullock or buck his hornes or an horse his hoofes how few men would there bee in the world But let man come in with his reason and hee subdues them all But in a believer his faith is his power and what is the power of reason to this As Christ said of miraculous faith it pulls up trees by the rootes and removes mountaines it makes sunne stand still and go backward so much more of this saving christian faith in another kinde It covers more sinnes then heaven and earth can cover Get the heavens to cover them our sinnes are more then the starres and are come up above the heavens Get the sea to cover them the sea can cover the sands at a full tide but our sins are more then the sandes of the sea Get the earth and all the creatures to cover them our sinnes over-top them all and make Rom. 8. the whole creation groane under the burthen But get faith and as love covers a multitude of sinnes in others so faith covers all sinnes in our selves It brings the garments of Christ and then wee cannot Apoc. 16. Phil. 3. Dan. 9. bee naked It brings the righteousnes of God the everlasting righteousnesse to dwel amongst men and then God cannot but be there where his righteousnesse is to give grace and Psal 84 16 glorie and every perfect gift It is your power to doe your best good and therefore hold it Thirdly faith is your workman 3 Faith is our workman Set faith about any work and what can it not doe Art thou at Gods Gen. 12. word to goe a great journey thou knowest not whither Faith did it for Abraham Art thou to fight against lyons Heb. 11. Gen. 22. beares Philistims and other puissant enemies Faith did it for David Sampson Gideon Barach and their fellowes Art thou to doe what nature abhorres Faith did it for Abraham in the sacrifice of his son Art thou to cleanse the uncleane stables of sinne Faith will take Christs spirit and arguments and doe it It cries out shall I that am dead to sinne yet live Rom. 6 therein Shall I sinne that grace may abound God forbid I will mortifie the deedes of the Rom. 8. flesh by the spirit Art thou to suffer persecution Faith will suffer it for thee in goates-skinnes and sheepes-skinnes Heb. 11. in the craggie wildernesse Art thou to overcome Death
drunkards nor revilers nor extortiouers shall inherit the kingdome of God If they love not the nature being and rules of the object of faith this is not to hold faith Doe yee hold the act of 3 Try the act of faith faith Doe yee rest with confidence upon the promises of God in Christ ye pule and crie in the sorrow of your hearts even when your sorrow hath turned you to God and say I know not what to doe This yee doe but yee looke not upon the new and everlasting covenant and say God is mine Christ is mine the holy Ghost is mine and I Object am his Alas say you I am Sol. not worthy Surely there should not have beene a saint in heaven nor out of hell by this argument Though your willfull unworthinesse will discard you yet God tyes not himselfe to you by your worth but his owne Oh therefore hold faith as Iacob did God I will not let thee goe Gen. 32. 26. Ruth 1. except thou blesse mee and as Ruth did Naomi whithersoever thou goest I will go with thee both in life and death Doe yee hold the power of 4 Try the power of faith Rom. 16. Iames 2. faith Say then what doth it make thee to doe Shew the obedience of faith shew me thy faith by thy workes It is as the plummet on the clock-line which makes you strike It will make you looke upon sinne which pierced Christ and Zach. 12. mourne for it and cast it out as Agar the bond-woman with a Get thee hence It is in thee as in the sea there is that Leviathan and creeping things innumerable so there are in Psal 104. 25 26. thee master sinnes and creeping lusts innumerable but let faith loose upon them and then as when God made man after his Image he said let him have dominion over the fish of Gen. 1. 26 the sea and every creeping thing so doth God say to faith bee it unto thee as thou believest even Math. 15. against the whole hoaste of sinne It will make you looke upon Christ and love him above all and delight in all that belong unto him the word of faith the prayer of faith the seales of faith the houshold of faith for it will not let you stroake the head and strike the body yea it will make you desire the appearance of the Lord Iesus that yee may be with him for ever you will stay his leasure but with winged desires O make haste my beloved and bee like the Roe come Lord Cant. 8. 14 Apoc. 22. Iesus come quickly It will make you look upon God the father and depend upon him for all things for faith reasons thus if he have given mee Christ how shall hee not Rom. 8. with him give us all things also yea and submit unto him in all things for the children of Abraham will doe the workes of Abraham Iohn 8 Gal. 3. 7 and they which are of the faith are the children of Abraham yea and goe boldly to the throne Heb. 4. 16 of grace that yee may have his strength to doe all obedience and to trust in him in hardest Iob. 13. 15 times It will make you look to God the holy Ghost and submit to his worke of conviction and conversion yea and to do whatsoever he enableth unto Hee is the great master of faculties who helpeth Rom. 8. your infirmities you take his help by faith and doe it It will make you looke upon your selves and worke the worke of God upon your soules with power The fowles pick-up the good seede so soone as it is Luke 8. sowne because it is not mixed with faith but the word Heb. 4. 2 1 Thes 2 13. workes effectually in you that believe Yea it will make you fight the battels of God insuperably When Paul came to Ephesus there arose no small stirre about that way so when Act 19. 23 Math. 2. faith in Christ comes Herod is troubled and all Ierusalem but faith makes you like the house of David grow stronger and 2 Sam. 3. 1 stronger and sin like the house of Saul grow weaker and weaker It makes you like Rachel Gen. 30. 8 who wrestled with the wrestlings of Christ and prevailed Let the world fight against you this is your victorie 1 Ioh. 15. 4 1 Pet. 5. 8 even your faith Let Satan come resist him stedfast in the faith Let the flesh come as those beasts had their dominion Dan. 7. 12 taken from them yet their lives were prolonged so faith spoiles the flesh of her Kingdome though it must live as a Iebusite Let God himselfe desert and forsake thee yeth faith saith though Iob. 13. 15 thou kill mee I will trust in thee Lastly faith will make you looke upon your brethren and fill you with mercy and T it 3 8. Eph. 2 9 10 good workes When Dorcas believed shee made coates and garments to cloath the naked Act 9. 39 When Tyrus was to believe shee would nor treasure up merchandise but get it for them that dwell before the Lord Es 23. 18. to eate sufficiently and for durable cloathing When the disciples were taught to forgive their brethren they cried out Lord increase our faith as if Luke 17. 4 they should say faith will doe it the more faith the more mercy for if you believe your owne ten thousands forgiven you will forgive others tens yea when you looke upon your brethren faith will move you to draw them to Christ It sets you upon the high mountaines which doe make the vallies fat with the drops that descend from them when Luke 22. thou art converted strengthen thy brethen saith Christ to Peter If Andrew have found Christ hee calls Peter If Philip have met with him he cals Iohn 1 Nathanael If thou thus have the power of faith hold it If thou have it not be humbled in time get faith and hold it It may bee thou wilt say What wee must do to hold it what shall I doe to hold it if then thou wouldst have all in a word stop thine ears against the enemies of faith I was In hac fide natus sum August born in this faith is a lose plea it is the gift of God Heare duely the friend of faith the preaching of the Gospel Pray the praier of faith in the name of Christ Vse the seals of faith the sacraments Keepe experience to nourish and fatten faith Buy faith but sell it not for a thousand worlds part with al domineering sin for it they that set not this price upon precious faith shall never have it nor ever hold it Thus doe and thou shalt give glorie to God and bring comfort to thy own soule for ever and for ever Amen THE SECOND SERMON on 1 Tim. 1. 19. And a good Conscience YOu have seene the holding of faith The second savoury rule which Paul under the person of
conscience ye cannot advance your selves as you would for conscience Oh how it troubles you therefore ye wound it smother it stop the mouth of it and will not heare it though a good man might by it bee satisfied from Pro. 14 14. himselfe Is this to hold the love of conscience Do ye hold the worke of conscience 3 Try the worke of conscience Es 57. A good man will let it perfect its work in the feare of God He propounds fairly he that is broken hearted shall bee comforted he that is weary and pressed down with sinnes shal Math. 11. Apoc. 2. be refreshed he that fights the good fight of faith shall have the crown of life he that adds to his faith knowledge to his knowledge vertue so forth shall make his calling and election 2 Pet. 1. sure because he shal neither be barren nor unfruitfull hee that hath the fruits of the spirit Gal. 5. 22. 23. against him there is no law to condemne Hee applies as truely but I have a broken heart I am weary of sin I fight faithfully according to strēgth received I chaine my graces together in act as occasion is offered as I have them in habit and as I have the fruits of the spirit in me therefore hee concludes as necessarily therfore so long as I continue in this estate I shal have comfort heere and salvation hereafter A wicked man wil sometimes suffer conscience to work too according to light Abimelechs conscience will not let him wrong Abrahams wife which Gen. 20. comes not because the conscience is good out of faith unfained but good out of feare and awe But tell me doe yee suffer conscience to worke in all things Then would yee so powerfully conclude against your selves that yee must say 1 Cor. 6. 9. 10. I must amend or perish No unrighteous person what ever whether fornicator adulterer reviler drunkard covetous person extortioner shal inherit the kingdome of heaven but I am so and so therefore in this estate I shall never get heaven Hee that neglects the call of God shal call upon God and God will not heare but laugh Pro. 1. when his destruction comes but I have done so therefore God will deale so with mee Hee that being often reproved Pro. 29 1. hardneth his necke shall suddenly be destroyed without remedy but I have hardened my necke against all reproofes therfore what may I look for if I amend not but destruction Doe ye thus conclude for your amendment Doe ye not rather conclude quite otherwise Gods word saith so so but I do not so do or if I do otherwise God will save sinners and I shall escape Is this to hold the worke of coscience Lastly doe yee hold the 4 Try the charge of conscience charge of conscience What an universal bishopricke hath conscience over the whole man and all of man There is no inclination imagination power thought word or deed but it is under the power of conscience and do ye hold this Davids conscience looked to his inclinations I was Psal 18. 23 upright before God and kept my selfe from my wickednesse Agurs conscience looked to his understanding thoughts if thou hast done foolishly if Pro. 30. 21 thou have thought evill lay thy hand upon thy mouth Davids conscience looked to his words I will keepe my mouth with a bridle and to his deeds Psal 39. I said I will take heede unto my waies But as Christ did mourn within himselfe when he saw the multitude because they were as sheepe without a shepherd Mat. 9. 36. so may you for the neglect of conscience in all these Yee are inclined to every evil way yet conscience takes no notice How is your understanding overwhelmed with ignorance and stuffed with worldly vanity How are your memories charged with unprofitables and your affections lavished wickedly and yet conscience is silent your thoughts words and deedes are not visited by conscience as they should It neither viewes nor censures nor corrects as is meete Oh why doe you not hold conscience Let it looke to every secret and when it knows the duty let it looke about and apply it as need is to every part power of body and soule This will work amendment for the present and care for the time to come and so shall yee hold conscience It may be you will say how How to help to the holding of conscience shall I helpe my selfe forward to such a glorious work I answer Get a a rich mine of grace and duty into your hearts As a good man hath a good treasure in his heart so must you by laying up the word in your Deut. 16. Pro. 6. hearts and binding it to your hearts by a powerful impression Present this treasure to your consciences that it may make you smite your selves upon your thighes and say what have I done Then walke in the presence of God as David when I awake I Psal 139. am ever before thee and then the servant will worke when hee is before his master Next have a setled watchfulnesse over all your wayes covenanting with heart eyes tongue and hand not wilfully to sinne against God And lastly commit your waeyes to GOD by hearty prayers and hee will rectifie all by the bloud and spirit of your JESVS and so surely shall you hold both faith and a good conscience too to the comfort of your soules and to the Glory of your GOD to whom bee praise power and Glory now and for ever Amen FINIS Imprimatur Sept. 1. 1638. Tho. Wykes