Soul An evil Man brings forth evil things out of the evil treasure of his heart Mat. 12.35 God accuses the Jews by Jeremiah That that they had done nothing of all that God commanded them That the Children of Judah had only done evil before the Lord That the Children of Israel had only provoked him to anger Jer. 32.23 30. 4. They persist continue and go on in this work Ezek. 23.43 I said unto her that was old in adulteries Wâ—â— they now commit adulteries with her and she with them Yet in ver 44. it is said She continued in her whoredom and did not give off Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the Leopard his spots then may they that are accustomed to do evil learn to do well Jer. 13.2 The Hearts of Sinners are bent to backslide Hos 11.7 They have loved Strangers and after them they will go Jer. 2.25 They are of their Father the Devil and his lusts they will do Joh. 8.44 This they are sixed in this they are resolved on and thoâ— it be the Duty of Men to receive the Law from God's Mouth Job 22.22 yet they declare they will doe whatsoever proceeds out of their own mouth Jer. 44.17 and so they oppose their own mouth to the mouth of God 5. They rejoyce to doe Evil Jer. 11.17 When thou dost evil then thou rejoycest Sinners chuse their own ways and their Soul delights in their Abominations Isa 66.3 They count it pleasure to riot in the day-time 2 Pet. 2.13 Thus deceived Sinners imagin and conceit a Heaven in that which indeed fits them for Hell and prepareth them for everlasting Torments The day is coming when they that shall review all their sensual Delights and draw their greatest bitterness out of that which hath been most sweet to them Oh how terrible will it be to draw a Real Hell of Misery out of their Imaginary and Momentary Heaven of Felicity Their present Pleasures will be a seed of Pain and of eternal Torments 2dly I shall shew you what a hainous and provoking thing it is to work Iniquity in the Kingdom of Christ For 1. They that are of the Church they do profess and avow the Lord to be their God Hos 8.2 Israel shall cry unto me My God we know thee Yet in ver 3. it is said Israel hath cast off the thing that is good And Aholah saith God played the harlot when she was mine Ezek. 23.5 How treacherous are they that say God is their Father Joh. 8.41 We have one Father even God yet they partake of Satan's corrupt Nature bear his Image and do his Lusts John 8.44 Ye are of your Father the devil and the lusts of your Father ye will do How abominable is this to wear God's Livery and yet do Satan's drudgery How doth God complain and call Heaven and Earth to witness against Israel I have nourished and brought up Children yet they have rebelled against me Isaiah 1.2 The Heaven and the Earth and all the Creatures serve Man yet he denies Obedience to his Maker Those that are in the Church are under more Ties and Obligations than others Amos 3.2 You only have I known of all the families of the earth When it is said of the Gentiles That they were a People that Christ did not know Isa 55.5 Yet Christ came to his own and his own received him 〈◊〉 John 1.11 Who should welcome him 〈◊〉 open their Hearts and receive him if not his own Yet Christ's own rejected him Not only they shut the Door against hiâ— but also poured out their Fury on him and cut him off from the Land of the Liviâ—â— God complains Psal 81.11 But my peâ—â— would not hearken to my voice Israel would bâ—â— none of me And indeed would be none oâ— his 2. Those that are in Christ's Kingdâ—â— they are near to God and in his special Pâ—â—sence and it is therefore more heinous 〈◊〉 such to work Iniquity 1. They are near 〈◊〉 God Jer. 13.2 God bids Jeremiah to â—e him a Linnen Girdle and put it on his Loâ—â—â— and God expounds the meaning of this Sigâ— ver 11. For as the girdle cleaveth to the 〈◊〉 a man so have I caused to cleave unto me 〈◊〉 whole house of Israel that they might be 〈◊〉 me for a people and for a name and for a praâ—e and for a glory but they would not hear God speaks here of Israel as his visible Church And by the Covenant that was between God and them they were as a Girdle put on bound to him and were to cleave to him both for God's Honour and Glory As a Girdle is an Ornament to a Man so those that are truly God's People are his Glory Isa 46.13 I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my Glory 2 Cor. 8.23 The Apostle speaks of the Messengers of the Churches that they were the Glory of Christ such Church-Members ought to be Yet those that work Iniquity in the Kingdom of Christ are a Dishonour a Disgrace a Reproach to Christ 2. A Girdle is put on and worn about the Loins of a Man and this is an Honour to the Girdle it self that it is so near to a Man and is worn as an Ornament by him So God is the Glory of Men Isa 60.13 Thy God shall be thy Glory For Men to be brought under a Covenant with God and by this means to be joined to God this is the Glory of Men Psal 50.5 Gather my Saints together that have made a Covenant with me by Sacrifice To be God's Confederates is the Honour of Men but those that work â—niquity in Christ's Kingdom do turn this Glory into Shame This is their Infamy To break the Marriage-Covenant Hos 4.12 to go a whoring from under their God to doat on Creatures and prostitute themselves to Idols Such shall bear the Reproach saith God Micah 6.16 of my People They shall be exposed to everlasting Infamy for mocking of God and lying to him Psal 50.16 17. What best thou to do to take my covenant into thy mouth Seeing thou hatest instruction and casteth my words behind thee Though they were callâ—â— Saints by reason of their profession and coligation to be such yet Psal 50.16 they are called wicked by reason of their hating Instruction and casting God's Words behâ—â—d their Backs 2. Those that are in Christs Kingdom they are in God's special Presence For God dwelleth in Zion Joel 3.21 The Name of Spiritual Jerusalem is Jeboâ—â— Shammah The Lord is there Ezek. 48 3â— And this is a great Affront to provoke God to his Face to sin under his Eye and in 〈◊〉 special Presence Isa 65.3 A People that 〈◊〉 voketh me to anger continually to my face Goâ— Temple and Habitation was among the and thereby their Guilt was exceeding heightned and aggravated they did dâ— God and Affront him to his Face whâ— as the Gentiles might be said comparatiâ—ly to sin behind God's Back because 〈◊〉 special Presence was not among them 〈◊〉 Judah was his
restrained from Sin by an outward Prohibition but we hate it our Nature is averse from it and abhors it We are not meerly constrain'd by an imperious and urgent Command enforced with terrible Threatnings but sweetly and powerfully enclined by an inward Disposition and vital Principle Do you love your Heavenly Master and would not go free from him but be more subjected to him when others do break the Yoke of God and do burst his Bonds Psal 2.3 Jer. 5.5 Do you put your Necks into Christ's Yoke Matth. 11.29 and bend your selves with his Laws as pleasant light and ornamental Chains Isa 45.14 They shall come after thee in Chains Kings and Nobles are willingly bound with these Chains Psal 149.8 As the desire of Israel was to Saul and to have him to rule over theâ— 1 Sam. 9.20 so the Nations did run to Christ Isa 55.5 and desire him to rule over them Isa 11.10 The Gentiles are said to seek to him And also the converted Jews Hos 3.5 should seek to him as a King that he might give Law to them and rule over them Christ's Kingdom is not forced and obtruded on his People but voluntarily chosen and freely submitted to 5thly Examin how are your Hearts and Lives ordered 1. How are your Minds Wills Affections ordered Isa 9.7 Jesus sits on a spiritual Throne to order it The Soul is Christ's Throne and till he sits and rules in it all is disorderly The Thoughts are â—ain the Will rebellious the Assections vile and inordinate as at first the Water overwhelmed and covered all Gen. 1.2 till God said Let the waters be gathered into one place Gen. 1.9 and then dry land appeared and a Place was prepared for Mens Habitationâ— So while there is nothing but a spiritual Chaos Self-love as a Sea covers all swallows up all true Love to God and Man But when God by his Grace doth gather the Affections into their proper Chanels and unto their right Objects When God bounds banks and limits them then dry Land in a spiritual sence appears for God's Habitation in the Soul then room and place is made for him Are your Hearts directed into the Love of God 2 Thes 8.5 And are you taught of God to love your Brethren 1 Thes 4.9 Then Self love is ordered and is confined within its due and proper Bounds 2. Are your Conversations ordered aright Do you set God's Laws before you Psalm 119.30 as the Rule of your Hearts Words Actions Is it your true and greatest design to please God 1 Thes 4.1 and to be accepted with him 2 Cor. 5.9 When Christ comes into the Soul he Judges Isa 2.4 he Reproves Isa 11.3 Jesus Christ censures what is contrary and displeasing to God He rebukes Mens Lusts he puts a new Byass on the Will and enclines the Soul to a new way and walk Jer. 3.17 They shall call Jerusalem that is the Church that 〈◊〉 Spiritual Jerusalem the Throne of the Lord and all the nations shall be gathered unto it to the name of the Lord to Jerusalem they shall walk no more after the Imaginations of their evil hearts But they that walk in the light of the Lord Isa 2.5 and in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of his holy Spirit Acts 9.31 If thou dost still walk in thy own Counsels and in the Lusts of thine own Heart Psal 51.12 and in the common way of the World Isa 8.11 and as other Gentiles do in the Vanity of thy Mind Ephes 4.17 besure thou hast had no Experience of the Kingdom of Christ come into and set up in thy Heart If thy Heart be cast into a new Mould Rom. 6.7 and brought under a new Lord and Law thy Soul must needs steeâ—â— new course As Heaven and Hell do vastly differ so do the narrow and broad way exceedingly differ that lead to a blessed and miserable Eternity You reproach and disgrace the Kingdom of Christ if your Hearts are not leavened with Faith and Love and if your Conversations are not ordered better than others Christ's Sheep come and go at the Direction and Command of the great Shepherd but others out of Christs Kingdom are as wild Beasts that run to and fro move here and there at their own Pleasure they are turned up and down by the dictates of a vain Mind and wicked Will but yet if you are Christ's true Subjects you will not be brought under the power of tempting Objects without or reigning Lusts within 1 Cor. 6.12 3. Use Shall the workers of iniquity be gathered out of Christ's Kingdom then I would Exhort you sincerely to subject your selves to the Lord Jesus Christ as your King Let not your Lips slatter and your Tongue lye to Jesus Christ but indeed take Christ's Yoke come under his pastoral Rod enter into his Fold and into the Bond of the Covenant Matth. 11.29 Ezek. 20.37 John 10.9 1. Consider Jesus Christ is not sond of or sets a value on neither is he pleased and delighted with empty Names and Titles Matth. 7.21 It is not every one that saith Lord Lord that shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Christ will not own approve admit such in the Great Day a form of Godliness will yield but a vain Image of Happiness Would an earthly King be satisfied if Rebels did call him their Lord and would receive his Picture into their City but did shut out his Person And will the King of Glory be appeased and quieted with a Picture of Piety or with a cold and dead form of Religion We are bid not only to give the Hand to the Lord 2 Chron. 30.8 so it is in the Original and so in the Margin with allusion to those that did make Bargains and to conclude them did strike or give their Hands to each other but we are also required to give our Hearts to the Lord Prov. 23.26 The Life of the natural Man is but a vain shew of Life Psal 39.6 Surely every man walketh in a vain shew And will it advantage us to add a vain shew of Religion to a vain Shew of Life Can Men make up a Summ to enrich them by multiplying Cyphers And Hypocrite is styled a vain Man James 2.20 But wilt thou know O vain man that faith without works is dead And the formal Prayers of Hypocrites are called Vanity Job 35.12 13. Men cry but none giveth answer But why are Prayers this fruitless and ineffectual the next Words toll us the Cause Surely God will not hear vanity neither will the Almighty regard it Both natural and instituted Worship is to be a Wine-press Matth. 21.33 and so to squeeze and draw out the Juice and Quintessence of Grace that is in the Soul else Christ will not regard Lip-labour and bodily Service The Heart is Christ's House and Throne the Mind and Will are the Tables he writes his Laws in 2 Cor. 3.3 He requires the best Room the Guest Chamber It is an Affront and an Indignity to Christ to be
a Scandal is this when the Heathâ—â— are ashamed of and reflect on the Sins of those that call themselves of the Church Ezek. 16.27 The daughters of the Philistines are ashamed of thy lewd way I have heard from one that lived at Smyrna That the Turks will laugh and make Tricks at the Grecian Christians there when they are drunk These blind Mahometans do dislike and are ashamed of Drunkenness 5. Such Scandals or scandalous Persons cause the Name of God to be profaned and blasphemed among the Heathen Ezek. 36.20 When they entred in to the Heathen whither they went they profaned my holy name when they said to them These are the people of the Lord and are gone forth out of his land that they committed such Wickednesses and were for this cast out of their Land This caused the Heathen to think basely of God that he was like them and did approve of their Wickednesses or that he was weak and could not preserve his pretended People in their own Land but the Heathen prevailed against them and led them captive Rom. 2.23 24. Thou that makest thy boast of the law through breaking the law dishonourest thou God For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you as it is written Salvian tells us how much the Vandals reflected on Christ's beholding the wicked Life of Christians Si Christus Sancta docuisset Christiani Sanctè vixissent That Father saith The Christians were Drunkards Whoremasters Unjust when the Vandals were Temperate Chast and more Just in their Dealings It is ordinary if you question a Turk in his Dealings Whether what he saith of the price or value of Goods be true to break out into a Reproach of Christianity thus Dost thou think I am a Christian and that I will lye and couzen in my dealings How much were the Indians in the West-Indies prejudiced against Christianity by the barbarous and cruel dealings of the Spaniards with them An Indian asked a Spaniard Whither the Spaniards did go after Death and the Spaniard answering that they went to Heaven the poor Indian Heathen replied He would not go to Heaven to meet such a cruel and bloody People there but would rather 〈◊〉 to Hell where his Ancestors and Fathâ—â— were Yea these poor Heathen Idolater justified themselves and said Their Gods were better than the Spaniard's God Fee the Indians worshipped Gods of Gold and Silver when the Spaniards worshipped twâ— Sticks across that is they adored a woodeâ— Cross 6. These Scandals do foment Atheism eâ—crease and spread it in the World 1. 〈◊〉 their teaching pernicious and Heretical Doctrines contrary to the Truth of Christ 〈◊〉 so divide Christians crumble them into little Parties and Factions cause them so to clash and interfere one with another to oppose decry contradict judge and censâ—â—â— each other Grotius takes in this as part of the sence of the Words That there are Scandals in Doctrine in Locum as well as in Manners The Apostle Paul speaks of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 16.17 Scandals other than the Doctrines he and others had preach'd Mat. 18.7 Christ faith It must needs be that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Offences come Which Paul expresses thus 1 Cor. 11.19 For there must be also Heresies among you Gretius doth paralel these two Texts and thinks they intend the same thing Certainly variety of Opinions rotten and corrupt Doctrines do much contribute and conduce to Atheism How many resolve only to stick to Morality and just Dealing with Men accounting that all Religion is but a Fable or Fiction because Men have such contrary Notions such contradictory Sentiments about it 2. Scandals in Action A lewd and wicked Life doth exceedingly advance Atheism I have heard of a Woman that fell off from all Religion and turned a profess'd Atheist and when the Minister of her Parish went to discourse with her and rebuke and reprove her for her Atheism she smartly replied That he was the cause of it when she heard what he preached in the Pulpit and observ'd how contrary he practised out of it what a loose and wicked Life he led she was tempted to conclude that all Religion was but a Cheat a meer politick Contrivance for if he himself believed what he spake in the Pulpit to be true he would never lead such a scandalous and bad Life out of it he would restrain himself from vice and order his Conversation aright How many would incline to Atheism and think the Christian Doctrine but a Fable if it brought forth no better Fruits in the Lives of others than these And that Heaveâ— were but a Fiction if none were more fitted and prepared for it than these carnal and profane Christians are How righteous and requisite is it then that Persons that so offend others dishonour God and reproach Christianity should be gathered out of the Kingdom of Christ 2dly Those that work iniquity shall be pluck'd out and for ever separated from the Kingdom of Christ First there are some that pretend to be Members of the Church that do work iniquity 2. I shall shew what a heinous Evil what a crying Provocation it is to work iniquity in the Church that is the visible Kingdom of God and Christ 1. There are some that are got into the Visible Church and are call'd God's People that yet work Iniquity 1. They early begin this Employment Zeph. 3.7 They rise up early and corrupted all their doings How cross and contrary are Men to God He did rise up early and send his Prophets to instruct them in their Duty to dissuade them from Sin and to exhort them to Righteousness the Prophets came early in the Morning to teach the Jews in the Temple yet all was in vain no Damms would stop no Banks would bound in the Torrent of their Sins The Imaginations of Man's Heart are evil from his Youth or Childhood Jer. 3.25 We and our fathers have sinned against the Lord our God from our youth unto this day Jer. 22.21 This hath been thy manner from thy youth that that thou obeyedst not my voice 2. They do this work diligently Mich. 7.3 They do evil with both hands earnestly Jer. 9.5 They weary themselves to commit Iniquity They drink in iniquity like water Job 15.16 Like as a thirsty Man drinks in Water and can hardly satisfie himself they draw iniquity to them with cords of vanity that is with sinful corrupt unbelieving Reasons and Suggestions those indeed are false and very weak and therefore may well be called Cords of Vanity yet on wicked Men they have the force of a strong Cart-rope Isa 5.18 19. They think God will not draw near to them in Judgment or shew his work of Vengeance and Severity on them 3. They only follow this work and no other A corrupt Tree can bring forth no other but corrupt Fruit Mat. 7.17 18. An unclean Fountain night and day vents no other but polluted Streams Jer. 6.17 Satan's Mint is still going in the