natural faculty of this will which God hath wrought in us it implyeth any act issuing from this faculty upon any object by object is meant any thing that is presented to the soule and this discovers it selfe generally thus when the face of the soule turnes it selfe to a thing and openeth it selfe to receive a thing to close with and to catch up a thing as it is with the hand of the body so it is with the will which is the hand of the soule every man hath hands but if these hands of his be bound together he is not able to lay hold on any thing but as a man hath a hand that he may lay hold of a thing so he must have his hands at liberty and he must open them that so he may take hold of it or else he cannot lay hold upon it so it is with the hand of the soule this will is the hand of the soule a man must therefore turne his will towards a thing and open it selfe the hand of the soule must be open before it can close with and fasten upon a thing and this is meant here when the heart which is turned towards grace and when the soule opens the hand thereof to catch at grace and lay hold thereupon then it wils to receive grace when as wee are unwilling to receive a thing wee then turne away our hearts from the thing as children use to speake if you presse any thing upon them which they doe not like but is displeasing unto them they say they will not have it they will not the soule shuts it selfe against that thing it turnes away from that thing and caâ—teth out that thing which is displeasing unto it so it is with that will of the soule when the soule is unwilling to receive any thing it shuts it selfe against that thing and will by no meanes receive it Exodus the 7. Chapter 13 14. verses Exo. 7.13 14. There the Text saith The Lord hardened Pharaohs heart that he harkened not unto them as the Lord had said and the Lord said unto Moses Pharaohs heart is hardned he refuseth to let the people goe he hardned his heart that is he shut his soule against the commandment of the Lord and against the advice of Moseâ— and he would not let the people goe hee would not take hold of the Command of God to performe it hee clasped his heart together as it were that his heart might not fasten upon Gods Commandment so that by will here is meant not onely the bare power and faculty of the naturall will but also the act of this power when the soule is towards grace when the hand of the soule is turned towards God when it opens it selfe to entertaine grace this is meant by will in phrase of Scripture The second thing considerable is how this act of the Will how this opening of the soule doth discover it selfe how a man shall come to know when he wills grace I answere that this same turning of the Soule to grace discovers it selfe in three particular passages the first is this A man is then sayd to will a thing when he apprehends the price of a thing and hath a high esteeme of a thing according to the price of the thing and the excellency which is in the thing for it is a rule in naturall Philosophy and reason telleth us thus much that no man wills a thing unlesse he apprehends the thing which he willeth to be good either good indeed or else seemingly good for no man willeth his own hurt for if he did nature would destroy it selfe every thing therefore desires the preservation of it selfe and therefore whatsoever is suggested as evill unto the soule of man it will not close with that evill but turneth from this evill if it apprehend it as an evill hence it is that a proud heart loveth proud courses a covetous heart covetous courses a malicious heart malicious courses and practises namely because the soule apprehends these as good though in themselves they be evill yet the soule takes them to be best for it now as the soule must apprehend some good in a thing before it can will and desire it so it must apprehend the excellency of it before it can will it truely this is that which carryeth the will of a man unto a thing the will will never otherwise entertaine a thing The 2d. thing wherein the act of the will is seene and wherein it makes knowne it self is this when the soule seeth the good which is in a thing and apprehends the excellency thereof so the second thing wherein this act of the will is discovered is this the soule chooseth that good which before it hath seene and the excellency of the thing which it hath apprehended answerable to the nature of the good and the excellency thereof the soule it chooseth that good which before it hath esteemed it takes it to it selfe as who should say I wil have this thing not another mark when the soule chooseth any good it maketh such choyse of it as may be answerable to the nature of the good which it esteemeth as things of greater worth a man chooseth with greater affectioÌ„ things of lesser worth with lesser affection he will choose the best things in the first place and those of lesse value in the second as suppose a man choose a woman to be his wife if he doth not choose her for her grace for her goodnes so much as for beauty or wealth he doth not now choose the woman upon the point but her beauty and wealth because he chooseth them in the first place and with greater affection so that a man is then sayd to will a thing when he doth not onely see and apprehend a thing to be good and excellent but also makes choyse of that thing according to the goodnesse and excellency thereof Thirdly he that truely willeth a thing doth not onely apprehend the goodnesse and the price of the thing which he willeth and chooseth it according to the price and excellency thereof but in the third place the heart giveth up it selfe unto that thing which it hath chosen A man chooseth a wife a right he will have the woman whom hee hath chosen take that possession of his heart as becommeth a wife in that case otherwise if a man say be choose such a man to be king over him and will not give up his obedience unto him nor suffer him to exercise authority over him this man doth not choose him as a king but rather as a servant so that to gather up all a man is then sayd to will a thing when he apprehends the goodnesse and excellency of the thing when hee chooseth that thing answerable to the goodnesse and excellency of it Thirdly when the heart giveth up it selfe to that thing now to applyth particulars when is am an sayd to Will Christ and grace and Salvation by him a man must will grace before
these earthly things here below that they have no roome for any spirituall grace but you that are Saints of God that have received any grace thinke of this let your soules blesse God even extraordinarily and say I thanke thee Father that that thou hast hid these things from the wise and from the rich and from the noble and hast revealed them unto babes that thou hast taught me a poore silly creature that thou hast wrought upon my heart and shewed me Christ Iesus when as most in the world have not seene him nor salvation many great ones and mighty ones thou hast sent packing to hell but me a blind creature out of a poore cottage out of a corner of hell thou hast plucked and given me salvation Father I blesse thee for this for it was of thy free mercy I beseech thee to give me a free hearâ— to blesse thee for this thy wonderfull mercy vouchsafed unto me and to walke worthy of thee What shalt thou give thy selfe freely for my poore souleâ— and shall not I give thee a good action freely thus stirre up your owne hearts to blesse God for this his great mercy the greater the grace is which he vouchsafeth unto you the greater your thankfulnesse ought to be and so much for this use it should stirre up every poore soule that hath received any grace to go into a comer and looke up to heaven and be amazed at Gods great mercy and say Father I have received grace and why Iâ— there is no reason Lord for it but because thy mercy pleased thee The second use is to the wicked themselves those that yet want this mercy to those that are yet in the gall of bitternesse is it so that Gods grace and mercy is altogether free then this may bee a ground of incouragement unto them to seeke after this mercy they may thinke with themselves thus why the offer of grace is free and therefore why may not I come to have some of this mercy as well as another though they are yet in the snare of Satan under the power of sinne and in the bond of iniquitie yet the freenesse of Gods mercy may incourage them to seeke to God for this grace and to sustaine their hearts in some hope that they may obtaine it Why it is a free mercy and therefore why mayst not thou have it as well as another it is freely given and why mayst not thou receive it as well as another it is worth the while to seeke after grace and mercy for there is some hope and expectation to attaine it This was the ground why the Prophet Esay did perswade all people to come unto the Lord Iesus Esay 55.1 Why saith he Every one that thirsteth come yee to the waters and he that hath no money come yee buy and eate yea come buy wine and milke without money and without price Come you that have no money saith the text the people might make a cavill and say Why wee want money to buy to what end therefore should we come the text answers this and saith Come you that have no money and buy without money What is the meaning of this that is you that have no sufficiency to procure grace and salvation though you have no ability of your selves to purchase this yet come and come freely and buy without money as if he should say If you will but come and take grace this is all God lookes for all that the Lord expects and desires you may have it for the taking you may receive grace for the carrying of it away though your weaknesse be great and your infirmities many yet if you have but ability to take grace and carry it away this is enough this is all that God requires at your hands and this is that which makes the Saints of God in the 14. of Hos 3. to goe unto God and renounce all others there saith the text A shur shall not save us wee will not ride upon horses neither will we say any more to the workes of our hands Ye are our gods and what is the ground of all this for with thee the fatherlesse findeth mercy so that hast thou a desolate soule why bee of good comfort and be incouraged to go to God for helpe for hee doth not succour men because they have strength but hee helpeth those that are succourlesse Art thou fatherlesse and cast off of the world hast thou a fatherlesse soule a motherlesse soule that is a hopelesse and a helpelesse soule that hath no ability to procure mercy or to purchase grace why with God the fatherlesse findeth mercy and therefore say Lord with thee the fatherlesse findeth mercy I am such a one therefore Lord I expect mercy from thee If a great rich man should proclaime that at such a time every one that will come may receive dole from him if this dole now were to bee purchased with money none but the rich could receive it but when he saith he will give to every one that comes a dole freely then the poore may have it as well as the rich when the dole commeth not to be purchased but onely to be received then the begger may have it as well as he that hath money for the dole is not to bee bought but to bee received and therefore every one that hath but a bagge to put it in and ability to carry it away may have it consider this ye that God hath not called home there is a dole of mercy to be given you from God and God doth not intend to sell his mercy to you but to bestow it freely upon you and therefore if you will but come receive it and carry it away you may have it God requirs nothing else of you and therefore comfort your selves and say Why this mercy of God is free others have it and why not I Lord. Come therefore and waite upon God in his ordinances thinke with thy selfe that the dole of mercy is to be given at such a place at such a sermon and therefore resolve to goe thither and say If wisedome or goodnesse or understanding would purchase any thing at Gods hand then miserable creature that I were for I have none of those but the mercy of God is free there is a dole of mercy freely to be given and such and such have had it bestowed upon them and therefore why may not I have it as well as others And therefore naturall men that are burthened with abhominations and full of sinne and corruptions let them reason with their soules and say Why did God convert Saul call Abraham and humble Manasses why God did this freely of his free mercy and goodnesse did hee and why then may not I receive this mercy from the hand of the Lord also and when your owne weakenesses trouble you and your sinnes and infirmities lye sore upon you why then helpe your owne soules in this kinde and say I can doe nothing that can procure grace no
in mans heart and resolve with David to waite for the Salvation of the Lord with God is the gate of mercy the fountaine of mercy and this mercy is free therefore use the meanes still though God heare not pray still though he accept not resolve though thy heart fails and thy eyes faile yet to roule in the dust and call for mercy and say Lord thy mercy is free therefore blesse me Lord even me also The 2 conclusion in the text is that not withstanding this mercy of God is free yet a man must have a will to receive grace and mercy before he can have it for saith the text whosoever Will let him take of the water of life freely and heere we have the reasonablenesse of the condition together with the universality of it it is not a great thing that God calleth for but if a man will have mercy and grace and Salvation he shall have it First a man must will mercy before hee can have mercy and whosoever doth will it shall have it and herein is the universality of the condition so that the doctrine which ariseth naturally out of the text and which is the second generall circumstance of preparation is this viz. that the soule must bee willing to receive Christ and grace before it shall have Christ and grace God will not save a man against his will Rev. 3.20 there saith the text Behold I stand at the doore and knocke if any man heare my voyce and open the doore I will come in to him c. the doore is the heart the knocking is the striving of the Lord in the use of the means God stands this day knocks at this and all other the like opportunities the Lord knockes this day and will come and knocke againe the next Sabbath and the next the next Lecture and the next opportunity when the minister comes God comes when he perswades God perswades when hee threatens God threatens when he reprooves God reprooves sometimes the Lord knocketh at the doore sometimes hee pickes the locke thus every way striving to come in stands thus knocking and intreating exhorting perswading he knocks with much patience and long suffering if any man will but open here is all the Lord requires all that he expects and lookes for the opening of the doore that is all the doore is the heart the opening of the doore is the enlarging of the heart to entertaine Christ if any man will but open now here is all the Lord desires hee will come and suppe with that man and he with him and in the 16. Mat. 16.24 of Mat. 24. there saith our Saviour If any man will come after me let him deny himselfe and follow me what a strange phrase is this If he will follow me let him it is a pretty collection of Divines out of that place that a man must will to follow Christ before he can follow him the truth is the will never commeth after the following of God but if a man hath a heart that way a will to the businesse then hee may follow him then all goes forward cheerefully this will is the great wheele that turnes all and the power of the soule that workes all in this case and we may observe when the Lord is pleased to prepare a people for ruine hee then shutts up the doore of their hearts Acts 28.27 in the Acts 28.27 there saith the text The heart of this people is waâ—â—ed gross e and their eares are dull of hearing and their eyes have they closed least they should see with their eyes and heare with their eâ—â—es and understand with their hearts and should be converted and I should heale them in the 24. verse saith the text some beleeved and some beleeved not how comes this to passe now that some beleeved not the reason is â—endred in the 27 verse the heart of this people is waxen fat or gros s e least they should be converted and I should hedle them if a soule will be converted then God will heale it but if the heart of the people be stopped up if the heart be fatted up with sinne and corruption then the Lord will never heale he will never have mercy upon that soule eating and sleeping makes a man naturally to be fat and grosse so it is with the soule when a mans heart feedes upon his corruptions when a man lyes securely in his sinnes this fat 's the soule and this is the fore-runner of confusion some beleeved and some beleeved not why their hearts were fatted up they had no will to receive Christ and Salvation by him and therefore looke as it was with the cure of the Lame man Iohn 5.6 our Saviour saith unto him Iohn 5.6 wilt thou bee made whole so it is in spirituall things the Lord will have a man to will mercy and Salvation by Christ before he will bestow it upon him and therefore in the 5 of Iohn the 40. the text saith Ye will not come to me that you may have life and this is the reason that they had not life and that they were not saved You would not come that you might have life as who should say You must will to come before you can come to have life and when you have once got this will then there is hope that there is life coming but a man must first will life before he can have life so that then the point is cleere and evident namely that a man must will to receive the Lord Iesus and grace before he shall have the Lord Iesus and grace and Salvation by him for the further opening of the point we must observe two passages first what is meant by the will secondly wherein this will discovers it selfe and by that time we shall have somewhat to hold our selves unto And first for the former what is meant by will in this place we must understand that this word will it carryeth a double signification with it And first it discovers that naturall power and faculty wherewith every man is endued to will but this is not meant here viz. the very faculty and power wherby a reasonable man is enabled to will for then every man should have life and salvation for every man hath this naturall will for it is with the soule as with a clocke that runneth the wrong way and striketh false it hath the same wheeles like other clocks but it doth not strike true as other clockes doe and herein lies the difference so it is with the nature of man fallen from God the wheele of his will that is the power of his understanding remaineth still the nature of the soule still existeth but the quality of it is altered this naturall faculty of the will is not meant here for then the devils should be saved for they have a naturall will and therefore in the second place by will in Scripture we must understand the actions and operations which proceed from the
Luke 10. 〈…〉 when our Saviour Christ sent out his Disciples to prepare way for himselfe he saith into what house soever ye enter say first peace be unto this house and if the sonne of peace be there your peace shall rest upon it if not it shall turne to you againe By peace is meant here all prosperity whatsoever all good temporall and eternall it was the manner of the â—â—lutation of the Hebrews to say Peace be unto you therin including all good things whatsoever now saith the Text if the house be worthy that is if the house be truely disposed if the son of peace be there that is he which hath a soule so disposed towards peace as a Son is towards his Father that is he that desires peace upon that Soule peace shall rest a blessing shall be upon that soule but if the house be not worthy that is if the heart will not receive the Gospell of Salvation if the Sonne of peace be not there if he be a rebell against God and against peace in this kind then let your peace returne to you againe there is no footing for Salvation in the soule of that man that refuseth the Gospell and the meanes of Salvation which God hath tendered and as our Saviour Christ before he comes in doth knocke at the doore that he may come in so whensoever the doore is opened Reve. 3.20 he will come in Reve. 3.20 there saith the Text Behold I stand at the doore and knocke if any man will heare my voice and open the doore I wil come in to him and suppe with him and he with me The doore is the heart if the doore be opened if the will be opened to prize and entertaine Christ then Christ and his Father will come into that soule and dwell with it for ever and refresh it with all spirituall comfort and in the 15. of Luke Luk. 15.17.18 the 17 and 18 verses when the Prodigall sonne was returning to his Father when hee saw that hee was in misery and how the case stood with him no body succoured nor releeved him he returned to himselfe saith the text and reasoneth thus with himselfe How many hired servants in my fathers house have bread enough and to spare but I perish with hunger as who should say Now I know what it is to be â—n a fathers family here no man considers meeâ— no man regards me or respects me and though I bee 〈◊〉 sonne yet there are many in my fathers house which are but servants which have bread enough â—ut I though a sonne have want of all things and â—m ready to famish here is the prize now that hee â—utteth upon a fathers house hee thinkes now it is good to be in a fathers house hee thinks now oh â—he provision and love of a father happy are they that have it blessed are they that doe enjoy it and when hee had set this prize upon his fathers house Then he ariseth and saith I will go to my Father and say Father I have sinned against heaven and against thee and am no more worthy to be called thy sonne make me as one of thy hyred servants Then the soule doth put a prize upon Christ and returneth to him when it seeth the excellency that is in him The father of the Prodigall sonne when he saw this that his sonne returned unto him and humbled himselfe and confessed his fault he made much of him The Prodigall had a purpose a will a desire to come to his father And assoone as his father saw him afarre off he went out to meete him and fell on his necke and kissed him and made much of him and commanded to bring forth the bestrâ—be put it on him put a ringâ— on his hand and shooes on his feete The Prodigall is a sinner and hee that is enlightned so farre forth as to see his wretchednesse and is able to set a prize upon the mercy of Christ hee that hath runne away from God the base sinfull wretch that never made any account of the word if the Lord hath awakned his hâ—â—rt so farre forth as that heâ— can set a high prize upon the word and say I wondered heretofore 〈◊〉 see men runne to sermons so fast and make such hast to the house of God when the bels rnuge woe is me I could never doe so but oh happy are they 〈◊〉 and blessed are they that did so 〈◊〉 oh one promise now is worth a world now the assurance of the forgivenesse of sinnes is worth all the world besides when the soule of a poore sinner begiâ— thus to prize Christ and resolves to go to Christ and expects mercy from him then the Lord seeth this soule a farre off and is resolved to give entertainement to it to afford comfort thereunto But you will say what is the reason of it that if a maâ— wils Christ and salvation he shall have it I answer the reasons hereof are three The first is this because the Lord requires no more at the hands of a poore sinner nay the Lord Iesus is fully contented when the soule commeth to give entertainment to him this alone will give contentment wholy to the Lord Iesus Christ It is the meaning of that speech of the Wiseman in the Prov. My sonne give me thy heart by heart in that place is not meant the substance of the soule as it was created of God this is not that which God looketh for but My sonne give me thy heart that is let the actions of thy heart bee set upon mee prize mee and choose me this is that with which the Lord is contented nay it is the maine thing with which the Lord is fully pleased In the 5. of Deut. 29. Deut. 5.29 when the people heard the voyce of Moses and were â—esolved to yeeld obedience to Gods Commandements they sayd Whatsoever the Lord hath spoken by thee that will we doe when the Lord heard that â—hey would attend and obey his word which hee â—oke by his servant Moses these are very good words saith the Lord But oh that there were such a â—eart in them to feare mee and keepe my Commandements alwayes that it might bee well with them and with their children for ever God hee tooke their outward profession and appearance in good part but oh that there were such a heart this strikes all dead this gives God full content and therefore we shall observe that when all other things are weake in us though there be many failings and many distempers in a poore soule yet when the heart is sound and sincere that is that which giveth the Lord full contentment hee goeth away fully satisfied with that In the 2. of Chron. 15.17 2 Chron. 15.17 there the text saith of Asa that hee did not take away the high places out of Israel neverthelesse the heart of Asa was perfect all his dâ—yes though he failed in many things yet his heart was perfect and upright and
Argument is this a dead man hath no power to procure life unto himselfe but all men by nature are dead in trespasses and sinnes and therefore no naturall man is able to procure spirituall life unto himselfe for the understanding of this argument know thus much that the nature of man since his fall is stripped of all that holinesse and righteousnesse whereby he might bee enabled to the performance of any spirituall worke and not onely so hee is not onely deprived of the image of God but is altogether overspread with wickednesse and unrighteousnesse which take the possession of every poore soule under heaven Ioâ— 3.6 Whatsoever is borne of the flesh is flesh Iohn 3.6 now every man naturally is altogether flesh the will of man and the heart of man is altogether fleshy and therefore in the heart of man there is no good 〈◊〉 all And consider the reason of this why the whole soule is thus defiled with sinne wee must conceive that Adam was not onely a particular person but he took the whole nature of mankind upon him so that the nature of man in Adam while heâ— was in his innocencie might either bee carried to the obedience of the will of God or else wholly against the will of God and therefore by Adams fall man was altogether deprived of his righteousnesse and caried against the will of God Now to presse the Argument if it be so that all mens hearts are possessed with rebellions by nature and turned away from God then men naturally cannot turne unto God but all men naturally are wholly possessed with sinne and by rebellion are turned from God and therefore they cannot naturally turne unto God Againe consider there must bee some spirituall power some spirituall life put into a man before hee can performe any good therefore a naturall man cannot doe any good but is a dead man in respect of grace because be hath lost that same soule of righteousnes whereby he should performe that good which God requireth and so that holinesse being gone the soule of the will is gone and the power to doe any good or receive any good is gone So then the case is cleare and the point evident by force of argument and Scripture that a naturall man hath no power to receive the Lord Iesus and grace and salvation from him If this be true as hath beene prooved by reason plaine and undeniable arguments that a naturall man cannot receive the things of God then every soule may take notice of and condemne that sottish and foolish conceit that harbours in the minde of many silly poore ignorant soules if any of you know such take notice of them there are many thinke that they brought grace into the world with them and that they had grace 〈◊〉 their mothers belly aske them when did you receive grace when did you receive faith they will answer they beleeved ever since they were borne they had faith ever since they can remember a great many poore ignorant soules thâ— that grace came into the world with them No no be not deceived faith commeth by hearing faith is the gift of God and repentance is the 〈◊〉 of God narrow is the way and straight is the 〈◊〉 that leadeth unto life and few there be that finde 〈◊〉 therefore alas if thou think'st thou broughtest 〈◊〉 with thee into the world it is an argument that thou never hadst â—aith it is an evidence that thâ—â— never hadst grace for if every man should bring faith and grace into the world then all should got to heaven and what is hell made for then No no narrow is the way and exceeding straight is the gate wee must not thinke to goe to heaven 〈◊〉 our hands by our sides No no it is a very narrow way and few there be that finde it But then they will pleade though they had not grace by nature yet grace is within a haires breadth of them they have grace at command and as it is with a man that leaves a commoditie at a mans house upon â—â—king if he like it if it be for his turne he may buy it if hee like it not hee may refuse it now after 〈◊〉 hath lien by him a while if it doth not please him he may returne it into the owners hand againe 〈◊〉 many say I tooke your commoditie upon liking and if it would have beene for my turne I would have bought it but it will not serve for the use I thought to put it to and therefore I returne it to you againe So it is here most men thinke that grace is left with them upon liking and they may let it lie by them and after they have lived in sinne and tired themselves in their owne imaginations and in following the sinfull desires of their owne wretched hearts if after this when they become old or lie upon their death beds if then they like grace they may take it if not they may let it alone and refuse it O poore creatures you will perish and goe to hell hoodwinkt in this kind you thinke you may have grace for calling for hereafter when I am old then I will repent and when I lie upon my death bed then I will beginne to pray and humble my selfe before God then you thinke to have grace at your owne liking if you like the course of grace then you will take it if you like it not you will refuse it must I pray with my family you will say Well if I like the course happily I will doe it if not I will neglect it Alas alas I tell thee thou canst as well make a soule as convert a soule thou canst as well create thy selfe as repent is it in thy power to say now I will have grace now I will not now I will repent and now I will not Oh thinke of it you shall finde it a harder taske then you are aware of and if God bee pleased to open your eyes you will then say Oh what shall I doe to be saved then you will see that something must bee done before you can bee saved then you will finde it to be a hard matter to repent Doe not think when you lie upon your death beds then you may repent if you will is it in your power to repent and goe to heaven no no all naturall men are under the power of Sathan he ruleth them he commandeth the hearts of the children of disobedience according to his will and then for sinne and the power thereof looke Rom. 6.16 Rom. 6.16 know yee not saith the Apostle that to whom yee yeeld your selves servants to obey his servants yee are whether of sinne unto death or of obedience unto righteousnesse every naturall man is a servant to sinne and a slave to his lusts hee can doe nothing but that sinne will have him to doe Take a proud man whether art thou able to confesse thy pride to see thy sinne and humble thy selfe and renounce thy folly art
to inâ—â—rict many judgements upon the people of Israel because they had not walked in his statutes after the Lord had done this yet 〈◊〉 tells them in the 16. Verse if they would walke in his wayes he would be a Sanctuary unto them he would make them better than ever they were and hee would doe better for them than ever hee did but how will hee doe this Why saith he I will take away that stony sturdy heart which is in them and will give them a frameable heart and a teachable heart which shall yeeld to whatsoever I cammand and then they will be able to cast away all those evills which they have embraced and performe all those holy duties which they have neglected the heart which God takes away from them cannot be meant the heart it selfe the naturall facultie of willing and the heart which hee gives them cannot be meant the bare faculty it selfe but the rebellious disposition that was in the faculty the Lord removeth and that same teachable frameable disposition he putteth into the facultie whereby their hearts should be carried to that which was pleasing to God comfortable to themselves I intend to speake of two things concerning Gods taking away of this same stony heart and giving a heart of flesh unto his people first that God doth this that hee is the Author of it secondly I will speake of the circumstance of time when God doth this when he thus workes upon the hearts of his chosen sometimes sooner sometimes later and this same circumstance of time when the Lord doth this is double first in regard of the meanes the Lord doth thus worke upon the hearts of those which belong to the election of grace when hee gives them the meanes of salvation when they have the Sunne-shine of the Gospell shining in their faces The second circumstance of this time is in regard of the men whom the Lord will thus worke upon some sooner some later some in all ages some in their young and tenderage some in their middle age and some though very few in their old age First I will speake of the Authour of this and that is God hee takes away the stony heart and gives a heart of flesh to his servants The Doctrine out of the words is The taking away of the indisposition of the soule to any good dutie and the fitting framing and disposing of a soule to performe any spirituall service is the alone worke of God hee removes the indisposition of the soule and hee puts the disposition to any good into the soules of his the case is cleare if we reason after this manner what is a stony heart A stony heart is a sturdy unteachable heart uncapeable and indisposed to any good what is a heart of flesh it is a lowly teachable pliable heart wiling to receive any impression that God stampes upon it who takes away the one The Lord who gives the other The Lord. So that both the remooving of the stony heart is the Lords worke and the giving of the fleshy heart is the Lords worke also I will take away their stony heart and I will give them a heart of flesh Nay the Lord doth make it his chiefest prerogative to doe this worke for a poore sinner Ezek. 36.25 Ezeck 36.25 I will powre cleane water upon you saith the Lord and yee shall be cleane from all your â—ilâ—hinesse and your Idols I will cleanse you A new heart also will I give you and put a new spirit within you I will take away the stony heart and I will give you a heart of flesh and therefore wee shall take notice of it this great worke of conversion is compared with the worke of creation God onely created man and God onely converteth a man how was it when darkenesse was over the face of the earth Let there bee light said the Lord and there was light the same God that created light the same God doth shine in our hearts nay this worke of conversion is sayd to be one of the greatest workes of God as if God did the best he could doe for a poore sinner when hee converts him To whom is the arme of the Lord revealed saith the Prophet Esay that is to whom is the utmost power of the Almighty God revealed the Lord putteth forth his whole strength upon poore sinners when he converts them unto himselfe The power of Gods strength the depth of Gods wisedome and the riches of Gods mercy is discovered in this worke of conversion here is power against all power and strength above all strength for the Lord doth not meete with the soule of a sinner in the worke of conversion as hee did in the worke of creation with the world for when he made the world hee met with nothing to resist him but he onely spoke the word hee commanded and it was made but when the Lord commeth to meete with the soule of a poore sinner to open his eyes and convert him unto himselfe and bring him home hee meeteth with the whole frame of all creatures opposing and resisting him the divell and the world without and sinne and corruption within when the Lord comes to convert a firmer hee meetes with all these with sinne Sathan and the world resisting him and therefore here must needs be power against all strength that opposeth him here must needs bee wisedome against all pollicie that resists him and here must needes be wonderfull mercy against all weakenesse and miserie 1 Cor. 14.24 and therefore 1 Cor. 14.24 there saith the Text If all prophesie and there come in 〈◊〉 that beleeveth not or unlearned he is rebuked of all and judged of all and so are the secrets of his heart made manifest and so he will fall downe on his face and worship God and say plainely God is in you indeede here the Text faith when the Lord commeth to speake home to a poore sinner a poore soule he comes into the Congregation though he be simple the word is wise and powerfull and that discovereth what is in his heart man is not able to doe this but God can doe this and then the soule will say God is in you in deede as who should say Here is God or else I had never beene humbled or else my sinnes had never beene subdued or else my soule had never beene wrought upon the sinner that is strucken with this worke he professeth plainely that here is the stroake of God and power of God and wisedome of God which was able to discover all things that were in my heart and take 〈◊〉 this stubborne heart of mine Oh this is 〈◊〉 â—orle of God indeede The grounds of the point why it is necessary that God should be the Author both of taking away the stony heart and giving the heart of flesh are these if we doe but consider the nature of the stoninesse and the fleshinesse of the heart it will appeare that God onely can take away
last day that ever I shal speak the last day that you shall ever heare If I were now breathing out my last breath I would breath our this legacie to all Christians which I leave behinde me This is the accepted time this is the day of salvation He that hath an eare to heare let him now heare he that never had a heart let him now have a heart to embrace these things whilst grace and salvation is offered unto him let him entertaine this offer It doth mee good to consider if the soule of a man would but receive mercy and grace now while it is offered him this day what comfort he may have for ever both here and hereafter he might then say this day I received comfort I was never humbled before but this day I was humbled I could never before receive any mercy but this day I received it this was a good day to me Oh if men would but be exhorted to take the opportunity while it lasts and entertaine the meanes of grace and salvation while they are offered Oh what comfort might men gaine hereby then at the last day they should receive an everlasting crowne of glory they should then receive the fruits of their labours even the salvation of their soules Let us all therefore as wee love our owne soules be exhorted to entertaine the things of grace here that wee may obtaine the things of glory hereafter MATTH 20.3 4 5 6. And he went out about the third houre and saw others standing idle in the market place and said unto them Go ye also into the vineyard and whatsoever is right I will give you and they went their way Again he went out about the sixt houre ninth houre and did likewise and about the eleventh houre hee went out and saw others standing idle and saith unto them Why stand you here all the day idle They said unto him because no man hath hired us he saith unto them Go ye also into the vineyard and whatsoever is right that shall ye receive WEe have heard heretofore that all men being dead in sinnes and trespasses are so farre from working out their owne salvation from themselves as that they are not able to receive grace and mercy offered unto them from the Lord for the comforting of their hearts here and obtaining of happinesse hereafter and therefore the last generall circumstance of preparation we did handle was this That howsoever a naturall man is not able to understand the things of the Lord yet the Lord will make all those which belong unto him able to receive the Lord Iesus and then he will bestow the Lord Iesus and grace and salvation upon them Now concerning this point there are two circumstances of speciall consideration The first is the circumstance of time in regard of the meanes and that wee have already handled out of Luke 19.42 and the point then delivered was this When God continues life and the meanes of salvation to a people then this is the time when God meanes to bestow mercy and salvation upon them The second circumstance concerning the time of this worke is in respect of the men upon whom God will worke and some he workes upon in their tender age some in their riper yeares and some in their old age at all times God doth call some and this is the circumstance we will now grapple withall and for this purpose I have chosen this part of the Parable and in the Parable as in all other Parables besides the outside and letter of the Parable we must understand the sence and meaning thereof When therefore we heare in the parable of a vineyard and of the master of the vineyard and of the servants that were hired to worke in this vineyard and of the severall houres wherein they are hired these are onely the outsides of the Parable the meaning thereof is this by vineyard is meant the Church of God and by the Master of the vineyard is meant the Lord Iesus the hiring of the servants into the vineyard is nothing else but the powerfull calling of poore sinners by the worke of the Ministery to the knowledge of the truth here and happinesse hereafter and in that he calls some at one houre and some at another the meaning is that God calls some at one time some at another some in their tender yeares some in their middle age and some in their old age some older some younger but that wee may understand the sence of the Spirit in these words The third houre the sixth houre ninth houre and the eleventh houre We must understand that the Iewes and the Romanes used to divide their dayes which consisted of twelve houres into foure parts from sixe to nine was one parcell of the day from nine to twelve was the second from twelve to three was the third part and from three in the afternoone till sixe at night was the last parcell of the day Now therefore the third houre was nine of the clocke the sixt houre was twelve of the clocke the ninth houre was three of the clocke in the afternoone and the eleventh houre was five of the clocke an houre before night Now the Lord doth provide some soules for himselfe at nine a clocke in the morning some at three in the afternoone and some at the last cast at five of the clocke when the Sunne beginns to set in their old decrepit age the Lord meant to convert some unto himselfe Some understand this parable of the calling of Ministers good and bad and in that it is said here They were hired every one for a penny they understand by this that some will be Ministers for this living some for that some for preferment some also come into the Ministery for the salvation of soules but this cannot be the meaning of the Text here and the reason is this This Parable must be understood of those men of whom the last clause in the 19. Chapter is understood in the 30. Verse of the 19. Chapter the Text saith Many that are first shall be last and the last shall be first Now this Parable is set downe here in the beginning of this Chapter and brought in by the Spirit of God meerely for the manifestation of the Scripture going before therefore it is cleare that this Parable is to be understood concerning those persons spoken of before in the former Chapter Of those also this Parable must be understood to whom it is applied afterward in the 16 Verse of this Chapter it is said also The last shall be first and the first shall be last So that the case is cleare this Parable being brought in by the Spirit for the illustration discovery of the former truth therefore who ever they be that were there understood and whoever they be to whō this Parable is afterward applied of the same the Parable here must be understood but it is cleare that that Verse must be understood of those that are gracious for the
under sinne and Satan and have beene in the same condition our selves we know what it is to be shut up under a hard heart and a blind mind and distempered affections we know what it is to be prentise to the devill and therefore this should move us to deale pittifully with poore miserable captived creatures we our selves were in the same condition we our selves lived without God in the world heretofore as those do now Nay this is that which the Apostle presseth Tit 3 1 2 3. there saith the text Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers and to speak evill of no man to be no brawlers but gentle shewing all meeknesse unto all men for we our selves also were sometimes disobedient foolish deceiving serving divers lusts and pleasures living in malice hatefull and hating one another you that have beene prisoners and have had your soules pierced with bolts and fetters why remember your own estate and pitty poore prisoners that are now in that estate that you have formerly been in Hath the Lord opened thy eyes and humbled thy heart hath the Lord broke thy bonds and knocked off thy bolts and let thee out of prison why then pitty poore prisoners you were such once your selves hating God and hatefull one to another and that you are not so blesse God for it You know what it is to be in such a condition to be troubled with a hard heart you that have beene in prison and know what it is to have hard hearts and dead soules and blind minds why pitty poore prisoners that are in the same case and cry to heaven for help for them intreat God to free and deliver them from the bondage of sinne and Satan in the 12. of Matth. 9.10 it is that our Saviour presses upon the Pharisees there saith the text what man shall there be among you that shall have one sheep fall into a pit on the Sabbath day and will not lift it out how much then is a man better than a sheep so say I if any of you should have a child or a father or a husband fall into a Well would you not use all meanes possible to lift him out oh here one would be breathing and would scarce speake there another would be hoarse with crying help help for the Lords sake my child my father my husband is drowning thus you would do and you do well and mercifully but have you care of oxen and of the bodies of your sonnes and your fathers and husbands and have you no pitty no compassion upon their soules you that see the soules of your husbands sunk down into a durty pitt into a filthy dungeon into a drunken â—rophane course thou that seest thy wife fallen into a course of chambering and wantonnesse if thou seest this why then call and cry for succour and reliefe and pray for help and labour by all meanes possible to pluck out these soules out of the gall of bitternesse and out of the bond of iniquite labour to pluck them out of sinne here and damnation hereafter Look as a man deales with carriage if a Cart be at a stay or at a sett in the high way why then the Carter that drives it doth what he can himselfe he sets his shoulder to the wheele and labours as much as in him lyeth to lift the Cart out but if this will not doe then he craves the help of some others especially if there go two or three teames together then he gets all the other teames set to this load to draw it out and especially if the load be going then they cry it is comming it is comming and labour by all meanes possible to lift it out altogether Dost thou see the heart of thy father or the heart of thy child at a stand under pride covetousnes and prophanenesse why then pray thou what thou canst and do what thou mayst put thy shoulder to the wheele and use all meanes to pluck them out but if this will not do use all helps that can be by the supply of others and crave their help in this case intreat them to help thy father or thy child or thy husband at a dead lift say my father or my husband is sunk forty fadam deep into the earth he is buried in the world and in his corruptions especially if thâ— load be comming if he be almost perswaded to become a Christian then labour earnestly and cry one pluck for my poore husband one pluck for my poore father he is comming he is comming therefore pull pull for the Lords sake and go further and cry mightily unto the Lord that it would please him to pluck him out of the ground look up to heaven and intreat the Lord to lend his helping hand if man cannot nor neighbours will not why then look up higher unto heaven for succour and say good Lord my father is a prisoner and a bondslave to sinne and Satan therefore good Lord I beseech thee break those bonds and knock off those bolts of pride and infidelity and the like in the 12. of the Acts when Peter was taken prisoner it is said that prayer was made without ceasing of the Church unto God for him and the same night when Herod would have brought him forth Peter was sleeping between two souldiers bound in two chaynes and the Keepers before the doore kept the prison and the Angell of the Lord appeared unto him and a light shined in the prison and he raysed him up and said Peter arise and the chaines fell off from him afterwards he came unto an iron gate that lead unto the City and that opened of its own accord Why that God that was able to knock off the bonds of Peter and was able to make the iron gate open of it selfe unto him that God is able to break the bonds of sinne and Satan wherewith thy father husband or friend are fetter'd he is able to break the brasen doore of their hearts which hinders the light of the Gospell from shining in and therefore cry to this God for help and succour and mercy and say good Lord thou that wert able to break off the fetters wherewith Peter was bound and to make the iron doore to open good Lord I beseech thee do thou work upon my father my husband or my child especially that he may never be so hardened slip the lock and break in upon him and humble him here that he may be saved hereafter especially when you see the load is comming then draw oh then draw with all your power when you see their minds are inlightned and their judgements informed why then the load is comming pray therefore then to God especially for help who knowes but God may humble them and convert them to himselfe and therefore strive amayne with God use all meanes both ordinary and extraordinary for the benefit of them and this shall suffice for the first passage namely that the soule of a man by nature is
ever he meane to come to heaven and this is the first meanes when the soule of a sinner is inlightned and his mind informed that he is in a wrong course and that he must take a better course or else he shall never come at heaven and this the Lord doth suddenly the sinner not perceiving of it the Lord setteth a sudden flash upon his soule and telleth him that he is going unto hell the soule presently wonders at this and marvels how it came to passe Esay 66.1 there saith the text I am sought of them that asked not for mee and I am found of them that sought mee not the Lord putteth a sudden light into soules of men which they never dreamed of Hypocrites if they can but goe to Church and sit in the Church as Gods servants do and leane on their elbowes and heare as Gods people do then all is well with them but as many of them as belong to God God will discover unto them that they are in a wrong way and he will shew and reveale another way unto them which they never dreamed of and therefore this is that we shall observe haply we shall see a man come riding into a town on a Sabboth day and when he comes there hee seeth the people going to Church well perhaps then he sets up his horse at the Inne and goes into the Church for a custome and for company sake and when he is in the Church he goes into a seat and sets down his staffe and sits down and attends the Minister and never thinks of any thing well at last the Lord sends a light into his soule and telleth him thou art now riding about thy own worldly businesse when thoushouldst be in sanctifying of my Sabboth I tell thee my friend thou art in a wrong way thou takest a naughty course thou dost wickedly and if thou continuest and goest on in this course thou wilt never come at heaven And this the Lord doth on a sudden when a man never so much as thought of any such matter And after a man is thus enlightned he will be ready to say the truth is heretofore I went to heare the word but for customes sake but when I least dreamed of any such thing it pleased the Lord blessed be his name to reveale such things unto mee as I before never knew he told mee that which sticketh upon mee to this present houre he discovered that unto mee which I hope I shall carry with me unto my grave this is that we may observe in the 9. of the Acts Paul there was running on in a resolute-course he had gotten letters at Damascus and purposed to make havock of all poore Christians where he came now while he was in his journey the Lord met him from heaven and cryed unto him Saul Saul why persecutest thou mee as he if had said this is not the way to heaven you think to persecute my poore Saints but Saul Saul I tell thee this is not the way thou takest a wrong course he called unto him as a man would call after one that is running out of his right way into some wildernesse or dangerous place And when Saul heard this he presently fell off his horse and humbled himselfe and said Lord what wilt thou that I do and so Luke 15.4 the text saith that the shepherd that had lost his sheep left his ninty and nine and went into the wildernesse to seek that which was lost and if he had not gone to seek the sheep the sheep would never have sought him alas the poore sheep was gone astray and bewilderd and if the shepheard had not followed it and sought after it that would never have found the sheepheard nay to go further many a man goeth to the word and heareth it for nothing else but to carp at the Minister and yet the Lord hath caught many such men also and hath put such a light into their hearts that he hath made them know that they were in a wrong way and mark when the Lord hath let in this light then the soule begins to be at a stand and thinks with himselfe surely if this be the right way I am in the wrong if the Minister saith true then I am not right but then sometimes the heart would put out this light it would not be informed and perswaded if the Minister tels a man that he must sanctifie Gods Sabboths here or else he shall never sanctifie a Sabboth unto him in heaven hereafter when the Minister saith that unlesse God humble us here he will break us in peeces in hell hereafter loath a man is to know this and be informed of this because hee would not be offended by this and provoked to performe this but though a sinner would shift off this yet the Lord will not leave him but will still pursue him and lay reasons upon him unanswerable the soule would fain play tricks with the Lord in this case and put out this light but God will reveale to the soule of a sinner that these things are certainly true God will lay hold upon the understanding of a poore sinner and follow him with reasons that are undeniable untill his reason shall yeeld and his understanding give verdit to that which the Lord reveales untill hee sayes I confesse Lord it is true I yeeld full assent thereto Thus the Lord knocketh at the doore or heart of a poore sinner and not only so but lifts up the latch and opens the doore of a mans heart and letteth in the light and this is the first course that God useth 2 2. The second is this after that the Lord hath thus enlightened the minde and let in the light of his spirit into the heart of a sinner and though a man would defeat the power of it yet God still followeth him with forceable arguments untill the understanding is setled and reason answered after the Lord hath done this then the second cord wherewith God draweth sinners unto himselfe is a cord of mercy whereby the Lord doth compasse a poore sinner about with kindnesse goodnesse and compassion Hos 11.4 there saith the Lord I taught Ephraim to goe taking them by the armes I drew them with the cords of love and with the bonds of a man This same cord of Gods mercy is a cable rope the abundant riches of Gods mercy is a great thick cable and we will tell you of what it is twisted it makes known it selfe in foure particulars if the illumination that God sends into the heart will not bee able to perswade the heart though it answers all objections pursueth it with arguments undeniable why then the Lord will draw us with the cord of his mercy and this great cable of Gods goodnesse is made up of foure cords First First Cord. the Lord revealed himselfe to be ready to receive and willing and easie to entertayne poore sinners when they come unto him Esay 55.7 there saith
those prophane hearts will be pure and holy why when will it once be thus Christ wayteth still and expecteth still if not this day then the next week if not the next week then the next moneth if not the next moneth then the next quarter if not the next quarter then the next yeare if not the next yeare then the next score of yeares you old sinners that are grayheaded in wickednesse how long hath the Lord waited upon you for shame let him wayt no longer but turn unto him that you may receive mercy from him and have your sinnes pardoned by him This is the last cord of Gods mercy first the Lord will entertaine poore sinners if they come secondly he doth command them to come thirdly he doth intreat and beseech them to come and lastly if all this will not do then he wayts in parience for their amendment and thus the Lord makes up his great cable roap of mercy and this one would think should melt the hardest heart under the Sunne but if this will not do if God by these cords of mercy cannot draw a sinner then he takes himselfe unto another course and as he justly may he lets in other cords in the heart you will not come with mercy will you very well I tell you the Lord will lay hooks upon you that shall bring you with a witnesse if these bonds of love will not prevayle with you the Lord hath iron cords that will pluck you in peeces and therefore the third meanes whereby God draweth a sinner from corruption to himselfe is the cord of conscience which God lets down into the soule and this same yron cord this yron chayne of conscience hath three hookes at the end of it which are able to rend the heart of a sinner and pluck it in peeces and draw the soule unto God if the cords of Gods mercy will not draw you then these yron hookes of conscience will pull you to the Lord for this same cord of conscience hath three maine hookes that is there are three great works of conscience which God useth to work upon men to draw them from sinne to himselfe First conscience is a warner of the soule and admonisheth the sinner of his waies this conscience gives a sinner an uncontrouleable command to come from sinne conscience gives him a peremptory charge upon paine of the heaviest judgement that can bee inflicted upon him not to meddle with corruption it is conscience that doth this the Lord stirreth up conscience and armes him with authority as a Vicegerent under him that he may stifle those sinfull lusts and over-power those sinfull distempers that harbour in the soule and overcome the soule it is true that wicked men by reason that they live in sinne have their consciences either blinded or asleep their consciences oftentimes come to be seared and hardened wicked men have their consciences some times under them they stifle their conscience and stop the mouth of conscience if conscience offer to reproove them they presently take him on the mouth and make him quiet they bind the hands of conscience in this kind but if a wicked man belong to God then hee will awaken conscience in this life but if they do not belong unto him then they may be sure when they are in hell to have their consciences awakened they carry a black dogge in their bosome that will teare them with a witnesse but if God purpose good unto a man then he will awaken his conscience in this life hee will arme conscience with authority and put a new commission into the hand of conscience insomuch that now conscience stands upon termes and conscience will not put it up as he hath done howsoever it hath heretofore beene stifled yet now it gives men a peremptory command upon paine of their everlasting torment as they love their own soules to take heed that they meddle not with sin for if they do it will cost them everlasting life now when conscience hath such a commanding power then the command is marvellous awfull terrible and fearefull and it maks a sinner start aside and withdraw himselfe from his former courses it makes him hang downe his head and he dares not looke out of doores he dares not runne with that courage into wicked practises as he did before it is with conscience in this case as it is with a Lievetenant or a Shreife of a countrey happily in the Kings absence a company of rebels joyne together in a conspiracy and rend the commission out of the Lievetenants hand and beset the Shreifes house the officers because the rebels are more in number dare doe little or nothing unto them they may say as David did to the sonnes of Serviah ye are too strong for me ye sonnes of Serviah and therefore he would not meddle with them and so in some unruly towne wee shall see a company of ryotous fellowes because they are more in number than the officers they set the Constable in stockes when as they are more worthy to goe to the gallowes than he to the stocks just so it is with conscience haply wicked men in former times have stifled conscience and tooke the comission out of the hands of conscience but when the King comes into the countrey and the officers shall complaine unto the King of this conspiracy then he gives them a larger command and gives them more power hee puts a new commission into their hands and furnisheth them with greater ayd and commandeth upon paine of death that there be no more such uproares made and when this is proclaymed upon the Market-post then this makes those resolute fellowes to pull in their heads and they dare not shew themselves So it is with conscience sometimes the Lord letts wicked men blind conscience and feare it wicked men oftentimes make a mock at conscience if a man reprooves them for some sin and admonisheth them for conscience sake not to cōmit wicked practises then they flout at the person that speakes unto them and say what your conscience will not suffer you to do as we do you will not drink will you why oh your conscience will not suffer you you will not commit adultery will you your conscience will not suffer you what you are a man of conscience are you and you will suffer your conscience to make a foole of you what care we for your conscience or you either thus many sinners keep conscience under but howsoever conscience be thus slighted and dispised the time will come when God will awaken conscience and put a new commission into his hands and sends him help from heaven and sayes goe to such a man and tell him you have blasphemed and you have spoken against Gods Saints you have broken Gods Sabbaths and slighted Gods word and contemned Gods ordinances and neglected the meanes of salvation be it known therefore unto thee that I have a command from heaven and from God I charge you as you will
wildernesse and with bryers and in the 16. verse after the Lord had delivered those men into his hands he did unto them of Succoth according as he had threatned He took the Elders of the City and thornes of the â—ildernesse and bryers and with them he did teare the men of Sâ—â—coth saith the Text Iust so is it with conscience conscience before only commanded and perswaded men but because he hath beene slighted and despised by them because they have flouted him and said what must be a servant to my conscience must I be a slave and a foole to my conscieâ—e no no I will do what I list for all conscience will you so saith conscience well when God giveth mee authority and gives mee a commission I will teare your flesh for this and rend your hearts in peeces with horror and then conscience he surpriseth a sinner upon every occasion in this case he bursts into the Alâ—house and into the Tavern upon him like a Segeant and arrests him he follow shim to the alehouse he persueth him home he takes him in his bed and arrests him in his sleep and when he is in bed and asleep then conscience awakens him and terrifies him and hales the soule before the Tribunall seat of God and saith loe Lord behold this man this is the drunkard this is the adulterer this is the blasphemer that sweares by thy name prophanes thy Sabboths and contemnes thy word this is he Lord that is an enemy to thy servants and a hater of thy truth and a despiser of thy ordinances this is he Lord this is he that hath done these things and committed these abominations this is he that hath committed many sinnes in secret when no eye saw him this is so Lord at such a time and in such a place in such a chamber with such a company then this man blasphemed thy name and despised thy truth and rayled on good men this this Lord is the man and when conscience hath thus dragged him before God and witnessed against him then take him â—aylor take him divell saith the Lord and imprison him let vexation and horror and trouble and anguish lie upon his soule saith God untill he confesse his sinnes and resolve to forsake them now this this hook sticketh fast in the very heart of this man and all his friends and companions are not able to baile him one commeth and another commeth and all speak and ask him what is the reason what is the cause why are you thus discontented and why thus disquieted oh saith the poore soule you see not you know not you conceive not the horror that conscience hath layed upon mee and what heavy wrath and fearefull vengeance God hath threatned to inflict upon mee for my sinnes now when his companions heare this they cannot all of them bayle him but unlesse he will see his base courses and confesse his sinnes and be humbled for them and resolve to forsake them conscience will not be at quiet but will continually torment and perplex him with horror thus the Lord deals with the Prophet David as we may see Psal 32. when I kept silence sayth he my boneswaxed old through my roaring all the day long for day and night thy hand was heavy upon mâ—e my moysture is turned into the drought of Summer I acknowledged my sinne unto thee and mine iniquitie have I not hid I confessed my transgressions unto the Lord and then forganest the iniquitie of my sinne David he folded up his sinnes at first he would not come of eleverly he would not take them to himselfe and say I have committed adultery and I have murthered Vriâ—â— and therefore his bones were consumed and 〈◊〉 roâ—red continually when the Lord had him upon the rack he made him roare againe and would never leave tormenting of him untill he had confessed his sinnes but after he had confessed them then he forgave his iniquitie the Lord dealeth with the soule in this case as a King doth with a Traytor after his conspiracy is discovered and he attached if he will not confesse his conspiracy and who were his fellow traytors then he is brought upon the rack and then one joynt is broken and then he roares againe by reason of the extremity of the payne why confesse then saith the King and if he will not confesse the whole conspiracy but onely some circumstances of it then he is hoysed upon the rack the second time and then another joynt is broken and then he roars againe why confesse more yet then saith the King and never leaves racking and tormenting of him untill he hath discovered and layed open the whole treason so conscience will bring the foule of a sinner unto the rack and make him confesse his sinnes and come out of it selfe and then the drunkard he cryes out oh the abominations that I have committed which the Sunne never saw in such a place at such a time I rayled upon Gods servants and blasphemed Gods name I prophaned Gods Sabboths and contemned his ordinances but conscience will make him confesse more yet and the refore forceth him to the rack againâ— and then he cryes and râ—ares for anguish of spirit and confesses all and resolves to amend he purpurposes to pray and heare and sanctifie Gods Sabboths and lead a new life and now a conscience upon the confession of his sinnes and purpose of amendment receives some satisfaction and then it begiâ—â—es to be at quiet and give him some rest and this is the second hooke of conscience But when the poore sinner hath gotten some quiet by his confessing of his sinnes and resolving to forsake them when his companions see that he is come out of that horror and vexation wherein he was and that he puts his head out of doores and is creeping abroad then they set upon him againe and labour with might and mayne by wicked perswasions and cursed devices to draw him to his old courses they knew there was no medling with him before but now conscience is a little quieted and he a little eased then all the drunkards in the towne pursue him and all the loose mates hang about him and lay hookes upon him of love and enteâ—tainment and marke how they reply upon him Why refresh say they your soule with some of your ancient dalliance you know wee have beene old friends and of long acquaintance and what contentment have wee had in our times why do not smoak out your dayes in melancholly I dare warrant you the worst is past it was only a fit of melancholly that perplexed you and therefore now it is over refresh yourselfe with your friends and with those that love you Thus the divell by temptations on one side and wicked men by cursed perswasions on the other side be leagure a poore soule and the soule having some quiet he begins to listen to their perswasions and then he beginnes to take up his old course and follow his sinnesmore violently and with
greater eagernesse than ever he did all his life time before For mark that alwayes if after God hath inlightned a mans mind and awakned his conscience he falls into his old wayes again then he is a divell he is twice as bad as he was before he followes his corruptions with such outragiousnesse as if hell were broken loose Very well he hath now broken two hooks the third hook is that which will rend him in peeces before it will let him passe when conscience seeth that the other two hooks are broken when he seeth that commands prevaile not that accusations terrifie not then the Lord exerciseth another work of conscience upon the heart of a poore sinner and that is this As conscience did before command him and peremptorily charge him upon the hazzard of everlasting life not commit sinne and secondly as it before did accuse him before God for the commission of that sinne whereby God was dishonourted and his soule polluted so in the third place conscience becomes his executioner it takes the office of an executioner upon him conscience will beare with him no longer but now draggs him down to the very place of execution he was convicted before conscience sayes unto him thy sinnes were discovered and I charged thee not to meddle with sinne any more upon paine of Gods displeasure and as thou wouldst answer it before God afterward I became an accuser of thee before God and then thou didst confesse thy sinnes and didst purpose amendment but now since thou hast slighted my commands and not regarded my accusations there is therefore no remedy but thou must go to the place of execution now there is no way but one with thee now conscience begins to condemne the soule as Divines expresse these three works of conscience by a practicall kind of reasoning and conscience reasons thus with the soule He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck he shall perish there is no remedic there is the command of conscience but thou hast often been reproved and admonished and yet hast hardoned thy heart and hast not been bettered by it there is the work of accusation and therefore thou shalt perish there is no remedy and this is the condemning work Suppose conscience should come thus unto the heart of a man he that being often reproved hardeneth his heart he shall perish saith the Lord there is no remedy but now let conscience go into every mans bosome and reason thus with him thou art the man woman or child whom counsells in private and reproofes exhortations and admonitions in publque would do no good nothing would convince thee nothing would informe thee therefore thou shalt perish man woman or child there is no remedic These are the three works of conscience and when conscience hath done this last work and performed his office of execution when he hath condemned a soule and delivered a sinner into the hand of the executioner then it is thus with this sinner after all mercies and cords of love will do no good after the commands and accusations will not prevaile then conscience sayes come damned ghosts take away this drunkard this blasphemer this adulterer this contemner of my word and throw him headlong into the pit of everlasting destruction he would not be amended let him be condemned he would not be humbled let him therefore be damned Thus conscience delivers a sinner into the hands of the jaylor into the hands of the divell and then he is amazed and thinks himselfe past hope past help past cure This is that we shall observe in conscience look as it with a debter that liveth in prison he was haply put in at first for some trifle when he is once there then all his creditors come in and one layeth a hundred pound to him and another a thousand pound and then his case is irrecoverable he is never like to come out againe so when conscience hath arrested a man and cast him into prison for his pride or for his covetousnesse or for his drunkennesse or for his adulterie and the like then mark Mercy and Goodnesse and Patience and Long-suffering come all in and arrest him and Mercy saith at my sute soe many hundreds Grace that saith at my sute soe many thousands then Patience and Long-suffering comes and sayes at my sute soe many millions and this is the wofullest plight of all When conscience is thus tormenting a sinner then patience comes and pleads against him and mercy that sueth a bond against him Mercy saith Lord I have beene wronged then commeth grace and saith Lord I have beene refused then commeth patience and saith Lord I have beene contemned I have besought him saith mercy to be reconciled but I was slighted I have waited for his amendment sayth patience but I have not beene regarded I have beene offered saith grace but yet have beene neglected Lord all thy cost and care hath beene despised they all come before the Lord and plead against the soule of a sinner justice Lord saith mercy justice Lord saith grace justice Lord saith patience wee have all beene slighted neglected and contemned and then the Lord he condemnes him and saith take him divell and execute vengeance upon him mercy was offered but he refused he would none of it and therefore mercy shall never be shewed unto him let him for ever be damned And by this time the soule perceives it selfe to be in the divells hands as it were and in the divells possession and that Satan may torment him as he please and then the soule being thus perplexed he cryeth out the divell is there do you not see him he is come for mee and I shall go and must go with him why since I must go to the divell why let mee go then nay if the soule that is thus in the jawes of the divell lie upon his death bed as soone as ever he takes a little rest the Lord terrifieth and affrighteth him in his dreames and then he riseth out of his bed and the first word hee speaks is this I must go and I will go then his friends that attend about him ask him whither he will go they tell him he is among his friends then he saith I am damned and I am going to hell and therefore let mee go the divell is comming to fetch mee and therefore I must be gone I beseech you consider this you that make nothing of conscience if it once lay hold on you with this hook it will hold you sure enough and reare your very hearts in peeces Now when the Minister in sent for to come unto apoore soule in this miserable condition when he comes haply he tells him there is a great deale of mercy and comfort with the Lord there is a great deale of grace and salvation with Christ but then the sinner when he heares of mercy is distracted and besides himselfe and sayes that is my plague that is my bane and that in the end will be my damnation if
I had never heard of mercy if I had not lived under the Gospell and the meanes of salvation oh then I had been a happy man in comparison alas it is mercy that I have neglected it is the glad tidings of salvation which I have contemned how shall I then be saved if the meanes of salvation have thus been slighted by mee if I had never opposed grace grace might now have helped mee if I had not despised mercy mercy might now have succourd mee but this is my plague this is my woe all the kindnesse that God shewed to mee and all the mercy that God hath revealed and offered I have despised and refused many a knock hath God given at my heart and many a rap at my soule the Lord hath even wept over mee as he did over Ierusalem oh that thou hadst known the things belonging to thy peace the Lord came kindly and wooed mee lovingly oh the perswasions of the Lord and commands of conscience that I have had and yet after all perswasions and horror and commands what yet proud still what yet covetous still and prophane still why then surely there is no mercy to be looked for no grace to be expected and therefore certainly to hell I must go and then he riseth and will be gone to hell all that are about him cannot hold him but then the Minister haply further replyes the truth of it is you have done thus but do you think so still would you do so still if you were out of this perplexity is it good now to be drunk is it good now to commit adultery is it good now to blaspheme is it good now to contemne Gods ordinances would you now rayle on Gods Saints and despise Gods truth prophane Gods Sabbaths would you now do these things oh no no saith he I now find what the end of those wretched courses will be the word of God could not prevayle with me the Minister could not perswade me therefore now I shal perish I shall be damned for these abominations which I have committed there is no remedy if ever man shall be danmed it is I if ever man go downe to hell surely it is I nay hell is too good for mee oh the good Sermons that I have heard the Minister hath spoken home oftentimes to my conscience the very flames of hell have been flashed in my face the Minister would often have spent his bloud that he might doe good to my poore soule and yet I despised the word and scorned the Minister and mocked those whom conscience vexed saying What you are a man of conscience are you you dare not sinne your conscience will not suffer you what are you such a foole to be ruled by your conscience and therefore God hath justly let my conscience loose upon me now I know to my woe that I have a conscience the worme that never dieth gnaweth my heart and rends and plucks my soule in peeces woe woe be unto mee that ever I snufled my conscience that ever I put out the light of conscience for therefore is it that my conscience is now thus tearing of my heart and terrifying of my soule here and therefore it is that I shall for ever perish hereafter But then the Minister he replyes yet further aye the truth is you have done thus but you will not yet forsake your sinnes and abandon your corruptions will you still be drunk and riotous will you still be proud will you still sweare and curse and blaspheme if you will part with these sins and take mercy in stead of these why yet there is hope Then the poore soule cryes out now the Lord for his mercyes sake remove these sinnes from mee oh I never had so much delight in my sinnes heretofore as now I have woe and misery and vexation for them Why here is a cup for a drunkard indeed here is a cup for a whore indeed here is a cup for a blasphemer indeed if every sinners cup were filled thus brim full of Gods wrath never any man would take any joy in be ing drunk more never would any man take any deligt in chambring and wantonnesse more but then the poore soule sayes further oh but it is not in my power to help my soule but if it will but please the Lord to do good unto my poore soule let him do what he will with it What faith the Minister you are then willing and content to part with your sinnes a yes yes saith the poore soule I will rather offend all the world than God I had as leiffe go to hell as to the committing of any sinnefull practise well saith the Minister if it be so it is well but do you speak this from your heart yes faith the poore soule if it would please God to help me I would forsake my sins with all my heart Why now the poore soule is comming againe and God is haling of him aside againe from his corruptions and sinfull distempers This is that we shall observe Hos 2.6 there saith the text behold I will hedge up the way with thorns and make a wall that she shall not find her pathes and she shall follow after her lovers but she shall not overtake them she shall seek them but she shall not find them then shall she say I will go and return to my first husband for it was better with mee then than it is now The Lord at last teares the soule and rends the heart from sinfull distempers and then the soule thinketh oh there is not that pleasure in sinne as I have formerly thought there was the soule then hateth drunkennesse as death he is not able to look upon his adulteresse queane he is not able to abide the house where he committed the folly his heart beginnes to tremble at it And therefore mark the next and last cord I should have added more to the former poynt out of Psal 88.16 there saith David thy fierce wrath is gone over mee and thy terrours have cut mee off thine arrowes stick fast in mee how ever David before had shook off the commands and accusations of conscience though these would not draw him to God yet now the Lords arrowes stuck fast in him he could not pluck them out nor cast them off for his life The last cord is the cord of the Spirit the Lord by the almighty power of his spirit when the soule is thus loosened he then fully plucks it to himselfe never againe to be sodered and closed unto corruptions with an almighty hand he cuts the soule off from sinne and takes it into his own hand that it may never be mustered by sinne and Satan any more as it was formerly Look as it is with a graft a man must pluck it by force from one stock before he can plant it upon another so the Lord by the spirit of power doth rend the soule from sinne and ingrafteth it into Christ and now the soule purposeth never
we may see a man open some easie lock with some trifle hee slips it haply or opens it with a picklock but if he come to a strong one especially if it bee old and rusty then hee breaks it in pieces and that with much violence before hee can open it so deales the Lord with the soules of sinners he slips every lock before he comes in but sometimes if he meet with a proud sturdy sinner that is rivetted to his corruptions and scrued into wickednesse an old drunkard or an old blasphemer if the lock be rusty then he knocks off al he breaks the lock and lifts the doore off the hinges this is true that all the means of God generally partly mercy alluring and conscience rending the heart both these make the soule see the vilenesse of his sinnes and the necessity of parting with them and thus God doth draw before a sinner will come there must bee a kind of violence offered to the soule before any comming can proceed from the creature the reasons are these I will only touch them first because every man by nature is a despiser of Christ and rebellious to Christ Mat. 21.38 when God sent his Sonne Christ among them they said this is the heire come let us kill him when Christ came to preach the word they did professely labour to slay the Lord Iesus and in the end they did so this is the stone which the builders refused saith the Scripture the stone was Christ they refused Christ and would not build upon him so that thus I reason he that is enemy to the Lord Iesus will never of himselfe come unto him and beleeve in him but all are enemies to the Lord Iesus by nature therefore they will not come unto him and beleeve in him Secondly every man by nature runneth from God and therefore will not come to God Pro. 1.30 there sayth the text they would none of my counsell they desvised my reproofe nay Ier. 2.5 the text saith they are farre from God there saith the text what iniquity have your fathers found in me that they are gone farre from me now if a wicked man hates the word of God and goes post haste in the waies of wickednesse and runnes farre from God hee is like never to come at him unlesse God draw him by a holy kind of violence hee goeth from God and therefore of himselfe will never come to God First Vse The first use is an use of examination is it so that drawing is before comming and that God worketh upon the soule to pluck it from sinne before it will depend upon the Lord Iesus then hereby examine your soules whether you ever went to the Lord Iesus or no and you shall know by this ground that will never â—ayle you namely observe how the Lord hath wrought upon your soules in this kind have the cords of truth convinced you have the cords of mercy perswaded you have the cords of conscience terrified you have these cords prevailed with you if you never found this then know you never set foot forward to salvation dost thou thinke to come to Christ without drawing no no I speake this for two ends to check the folly of some men and reproove the madnesse of other it checks the idle dreame and sottish conceit of those that think they may have Christ at halfe an houres warning that they can cast themselves upon the Lord Iesus when they list they make it a matter of nothing to beleeve in Christ if they can but have a little time upon their death-beds to consider of their sinnes and repent for them then they will rest upon Christ and cast a good heart upon Christ in this case this is a common and an ordinarie delusion but people are deceived that are of this opinion what you come unto the Lord Iesus and fling your hearts upon him without drawing it is all one as if wee should conceive some great tree some mighty oake to pluck it selfe up by the rootes from the place where it groweth and transplant it selfe in another place if this be unconceivable the other is as impossible a tree cannot be plucked up from ground without a great deale of digging and cutting so it is with thy soule thou art rooted into sinne loving of them and living in them and continuing in them and therefore there must be digging and hewing and breaking and cutting off that proud sturdy heart of thine before that day come it will cost thee hot water the Lord must come down from heaven the master of the vineyard must come down and hew downe those trees and cut you off from the rebellions of Adam before you can be implanted into Christ never think of comming to God before you have beene drawne by God besides as this checks the folly of those men so it overthrowes the maddnesse of some men that content themselves because they never were in this condition they were never drawne they count this a matter of comfort they were never no changlings this horrour of conscience they never saw it and they blesse the Lord that they never saw that day oh poore fooles is this the credit you have and the comfort you take that you were never humbled and drawne unto God it is as though a prodigall child should blesse himselfe that his father loved him because his father never cared for him but cast him off you would thinke that that man were quite voyd of all reason and understanding that would blesse himselfe because of this condition if thou never hadst thy eyes opened nor thy conscience awakened thy soule never loosened from corruptions I tell thee it is the sorest argument in the world against thee hee that walketh is his evill waies and is not troubled and disquieted take heed of it for the Lord Iesus sake it is one of the heaviest arguments against thee for the Lord saith to Ierusalem I will not punish your daughters for committing of adultery mark that as if he had said commit adultery if thou wilt and take up thy course if thou wilt I will not plague thee here but I will punish thee for all hereafter and it is observable Hos 4.17 Ephraim is joyned to Idols let him alone as who should say let him take up his own way walk in the imaginations of his heart and let him not be disturbed it is a sore suspicion that God never purposeth to worke upon thee when hee letteth thee lie in ungodly courses without any contradiction thou art proud and thou mayest be so thou art a drunkard and thou mayest continue so still thy conscience gives thee way it never troubles thee when God never terrifieth thee and draweth thee it is an argument that God never meaneth to offer any more good unto thee and dost thou content thy selfe in the greatest curse that ever befell any man under the Sunne you would thinke it were a madde frantick thing if a man were in a deep pitt where