false grounds may be as secure as another that hath peace on the best grounds and this imitates true faith So a man that is naturally meeke may carry it better than one that hath true meeknesse therefore it is hard to finde the difference But if you looke to the principles whence they come the masters whom they serve you shall finde they may be good all the way but not at the journeyes end they have an ill scope they ayme at a wrong marke Let them have what they will Circumcision nor Vncircumcision availes nothing unlesse they be New Creatures else God regards them not And so much shall serve for Excuses Now adde this to the rest labour to aggravate your sin by removing the Excuses which the nature of man is witty to invent use the ordinance of God which hee hath appointed to humble you and to worke these things on your hearts and that is his Word Ier. 23.29 Is not my Word as fire and as the hammer that breaketh the stones The scope of the place is to shew the power of preaching the Word purely what is the chaffe to the Wheat you shall know my Word and distinguish it from the word of men my Word when it is right is as a fire which melts and thawes the hearts of men and as an hammer to break their strong and stony hearts Come to the Word powerfully preached as it is in its owne nature delivered in the Evidence of the Spirit as it should bee and it will bee a meanes to soften the heart and breake thy stubborne spirit as an hammer and fire not suffering thee to be at rest untill thou commest under the power of it And if with this thou art not satisfied goe one step further to the Spirit of God thou must have a spirit of Bondage else thou canst expect no power All that we have said in drawing this mappe of sin in adding these aggravations and removing these excuses is nothing if God give not a spirit of Bondage to cause you to feare for it is that that makes the Law effectuall as the Spirit of Adoption makes the Gospel no man without it can see sin with a saving and feeling sight But how doth it worke this effect in a mans heart Not by making him feare God as a slave for that the Holy Ghost will not doe therefore that is not an Act we can attribute to him but my meaning is The Holy Ghost by the spirit of bondage enlightens a man to see his sin and the sentence of the Law against it and to judge of his estate with a righteous Iudgement and when he sees things as they are hee knowes and feeles the bondage he was in before though before he felt it not I say the Holy Ghost enlightens us which enlightning discovers to us and convinceth us of sin and then we looke on the Law and there finde Cursed is hee that continues not in all these Commandements to doe them Then observing our hearts and seeing how farre wee are from that rectitude the Law requires our spirits begin to feare like a man in bondage that is shut up in prison and in danger of his life therefore as for the Word so labour for this Spirit the Word is a sharp sword but how can it wound us without an Arme to handle it And when you have done that you will easily doe the thing I have exhorted you to do that is you will then come to Christ you will not stand to cheapen the Kingdome of God but you will buy it though you give all you have for it and yet will thinke you have a good bargaine you will not seeke the Kingdome of God in such a lazie and laxe and remisse manner as you were wont to doe but will take it violently And if you come to God after this manner if you be driven out of your selves and see what your owne righteousnesse is that it will not serve your turne and therefore seeke for a righteousnesse at his hands you may be sure he will not deny you You may see what Paul saith Galat. 3.8 That you may be assured that seeking you shall obtaine saith he If an Angell from heaven preach another Gospell or if I my selfe should doe it beleeve not the Angell and let me accurst As if he had said I have made this Truth knowne that you shall be justified by meere Grace without workes that you are to come to Christ with an empty hand bringing nothing with you If any man now should question this Gospell and thinke to bring something of his owne and will not sticke to this cleare promise nay if an Angell come from heaven and contradict it let him be accursed This is the true Gospell and you may beleeve it If you can therefore doe as Paul did Philip. 3.9 That reckoned all as drosse and dung that he might be found in Christ not having his own righteousnesse of the Law but that which is through faith in Christ. That when you came to see your condition you desire the righteousnesse of Christ with that earnestnesse that he did when he reckoned all as drosse and dung even his own righteousnesse which he knew would not serve the turne If I say thou canst thus goe to Christ knowing that no antecedent condition is required but onely thirsting for him being fully perswaded that thine owne righteousnesse is unsufficient and having a saving and firme knowledge That mans nature is full of all unrighteousnesse and ungodlinesse Christ cannot deny thee he will receive the to mercy We will now briefly come to the next point and that is this There is a revelation of wrath against all unrighteousnesse of men And that is another thing that will humble us for there must be two things to doe it one is to see our sins to know that there is no worth no excellencie no worthinesse at all in us And the second is to have an apprehension of wrath due for sin and so his misery under the same Though a man be never so miserable yet if he have a bottome to stand on he will not goe to Christ but when hee sees his owne nothingnesse and withall that the wrath of God hangs over him so that he must sinke utterly and that there is no way to helpe him when both these concurre a man is humbled Men may have one without the other As the Scribes and Pharisees O yee Generation of vipers who hath warned you to flie from the wrath to come they were sensible of wrath and had so much to humble them but they did not see that viperous serpentine evill disposition that was in themselves Againe many men may see their sins and acknowledge the insufficiencie of all they have but they are not sensible of wrath God hath not charged sin upon their consciences nor revealed his wrath and therefore they goe on in a senselesse manner and are no more moved with the other
light in a darke Lanthorne that rake these sparkes in the ashes that as they would not have others see what they doe so neither would they have their own Consciences take notice of it that will sinne let men say what they will that live loosely that either heare not or regard not what they heare let them consider it for they doe in a speciall manner imprison the Truth they with-hold it in unrighteousnesse labour to know the sinne your miserable condition and learne to be humbled under it A second use we may make of this is from hence to discerne the condition of those men which are miserable but see not their miserie that are neare the kingdome of God but not in it Men that are meerly civill that heare much and doe much and goe far keeping their lights burning till the very point of the Bridegroomes comming and for want of a little more oyle are excluded as Ananias for a little reservation lost all and the young man in the Gospel that kept all the Commandements of the Lord from his youth up that came within a step but never into the mountaine of the Lord. This is a race many misse of as the Apostle 1 Cor. 9 speaking of many running in a race sayes Many run but all obtaine not that is there is a company of men run in the wayes of God as well as the Saints both run both doe very much if you looke on the wayes they goe you shall scarce finde difference in any outward action that they do yet many obtaine not and why they either runne not as they ought or else they hold not out to the end Amaziah and Ioash ran long almost to the end of the race but because they continued not faithfull to the death they received not the Crowne of life these bee the men that come neare the kingdome of heaven but never enter into it And the scope of the Text serves to discover these men when we heare therefore that there is such a Generation it concernes every man to desire to know his Condition lest hee should be of that number for that cause we will spend this use in discovering these three things First that the good things that these men have in them doe them no good Secondly that they doe them much hurt Thirdly I will set downe how far they goe and yet how far short they be of that which is proper to the godly First I say the good things in them do them no good for they are the gifts of the Holy Ghost and shall be found to the praise of the Holy Ghost and not to their owne advantage at all they are not their owne but the workes of the Spirit within them Hebr. 6. the Apostle speakes of men enlightned and that have tasted of the gift of the Holy Ghost that is there be gifts that the Holy Ghost puts into their heart as we lay flowers in the window which doe not grow there or as some Out-landish fruit which is brought over but it will not grow in our Countrey except the soile be altered and changed it will not thrive there nor bring forth fruit to any purpose So though these things be in them yet they are not theirs neither shall they be to their owne praise and advantage Againe they cannot doe them good because they doe not make them good they doe not as Divines say redundare in personam they make not any mans person better though a man not yet truly regenerate have never so many excellent things in him yet his person is never the better for them As we say of godly and regenerate men though they commit evill yet their persons are good in Gods sight God sees their evill but he scowres them by affliction and he hates the evill but loves the person which shewes that the person is not accounted evill for if the person were evill he must needs hate it On the other side they that have received common Graces though they have gone farre yet their persons are not the better but the same And there is good reason for it for it is not the person that doth the good thing But as Paul sayes of â—in It is no more I that doe it but sin that dwels in me so they may say It is not I that doe it but the good that is in me therefore it is reason it should not doe them good when it makes not their persons good but leaves them the same notwithstanding So that it may be said of the good things in them as is said of beauty in an evill woman or as of a pearle in a swines snout the things be good and precious the pearle is a pearle indeed yet notwithstanding they may be evill women in whom beauty and swine in whom the pearle is found So you see the first that though a man have excellent things in him before regeneration yet they shall doe him no good Secondly which may make every man look about him and to consider with feare and trembling if it be not his owne case If a man shall have these Truths revealed but he shall either let them lye still and rust or if he bring them to action shall checke and curbe them and not use them as he should they shall increase his Condemnation And that may be made evident from hence the sinnes such men commit are augmented and aggravated from hence they are committed against more light and the more their light is than others the greater their sin is than others Therefore that is to be marked Rom. 2.9 Tribulation and anguish on every soule that doth evill to whom To the Iew first and then to the Grecian Marke it They that doe evill are of two sorts Iewes or Grecians Iewes were they that knew and were acquainted with the Law and the Grecians were ignorant of it therefore Tribulation shall be first and in greatest measure on the Iew so that their knowledge aggravates their sin it had beene better for them that they had not had the Truth that they had never heard of the Gospell of Christ nor beene acquainted with the wayes of God because when they have light and sin against it the more light they have the more resistance there is and so the more inexcusable they are and the more inexcusable they be the greater is their sin Againe these men of all other are most apt to resist God to resist Christ and his righteousnesse and that doth exceedingly encrease their sin because they crosse God in his chiefest end and that must needs make their sin great and that they doe more than others for Gods chiefe end is to have Christs righteousnesse revealed but these men having a Conceit of their owne righteousnesse regard it not and so resist God What else is the reason of that in Luke 15.1 There resorted to him saith the Evangelist Publicans and sinners but the Pharisees murmure at him What is the meaning of
abound The Apostle saith It is impossible that those that are dead to sinne should live any longer therein as if he should say Set aside all your carnall reasonings it is impossible for him that is dead to sinne to live yet therein how can he as if he should say Whosoever is in Christ the Spirit of Christ is sent into his heart that mortifies sin so that he cannot live any more in it there is such a change wrought in him hee is a new Creature if hee be once in Christ that is the first rise as soone as we are justified the Spirit of Christ is sent into our hearts But is not the Spirit sent into our hearts before when he workes faith It is true but the meaning is when wee are once in Christ the Spirit of Sanctification is shed more plentifully and in a greater degree than before for there is a certaine work of the Spirit that begetteth faith and the same worke of the Spirit in its time begetteth the degrees of Sanctification But now that this may not be in notion only we will shew you how the Spirit workes this that you may not think these to be things carried in clouds and to have place only in our understandings but that you may know it in the experience that every man finds in himselfe that after hee hath taken Christ there is indeed such a Spirit shed into his heart that changeth him For the understanding of this know that when wee come to invite men to come into Christ as it is all our businesse to invite men to the marriage all the world stands out and every man gives that answer that they did in the Gospell they have bought farmes and married wives every man is so set on these outward things that his carnall heart carrieth him to that they will not hearken to us so that we may preach in vaine you see to how many Christ himselfe preached in vaine and the Apostles had preached in vaine if there had been no more than their owne preaching So likewise now the Spirit is sent into the hearts of men that when wee come and invite men to come into Christ the Spirit also secretly compels them to come in Wee are indeed bidden to compell men to come in but unlesse there bee another compeller that is except there be the Spirit within to doe it the worke is not done unlesse there be two compellers at the same time the Holy Ghost within preaching to your hearts when we preach to your eares except there be two callers that when wee call men the Lord send his Spirit to call you too it is in vaine And that you may understand this you must know that it is as hard a thing to move a man to leave his pleasures and divers lusts and his vaine conversation as to turne the whole course of nature which I call the instinct that God hath put into every creature to move that way that it goeth as the water to move downward and the fire to goe upward Thinke with your selves now whether there must not be an Almighty Power to turne the course of nature because the heart of man naturally goes downward to sinne it descends downward with the same propensity it hath the same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as we call it the same forwardnesse and pronenesse to evill that any naturall thing hath to goe the course that is naturall to it Now unlesse there be an Almighty Power to turne this course of Nature no man will ever come to Christ. As for example That rectitude of Gods Image that is expressed in the Word come to experience and looke upon every mans heart living and see whether it be not quite contrary to it in all things even as contrary as the motion of the stone is from ascending towards the heavens but when the Spirit commeth he turneth this course of Nature Now when wee come to doe this doe you thinke that any man in the world is able to worke it in the hearts of men It is true a man may goe thus farre It is possible for a King or for a man in authority to set preferments on the one side and punishments on the other to make a man to doe much or to suffer much but all this while here is but a turning of the actions of men but to turne the inclinations of mans heart it is proper only to God man is not able to doe it in any particular If a mans heart be set upon covetousnesse Christ saith it is impossible all the men in the world can change his heart But put the case a man could doe it as no man can if he could turne a mans heart it would be but in a particular or two but to turne the whole frame of the heart to make a generall change to make him another man another Creature It is impossible for any man in the world to doe it Or put the case he could doe so it must be after long reasoning but to do it upon the sudden and at one Sermon as the Spirit sometimes doth to take one word and by it to change the heart of man it must needs be the worke of an Almighty Power Therefore in the 2 Cor. 3. Chap. and the last verse when the Apostle speakes of this great change he saith when we reade or heare the Word we see there the Image of God as one seeth his face in a glasse and are changed into it from glory to glory that is from one glorious degree to another But how is this done It is done saith he by the Spirit of the Lord. As if he should say It is impossible for a man to be turned into the glorious Image of God and not by the Spirit of God A man may as well say I will make a clod of earth a shining Starre as to say he can make the carnall and dead heart of man to be like the Image of God It must be the Spirit of God himselfe that must doe it it is a work above Nature It is therefore done by the Spirit which doth so enlighten the understanding and so bow the will that whereas before there was in man such a strong appetite such a strong propensity to ill such a strong inclination that would over-weigh all the reasons that could be brought to the contrary when the Spirit hath wrought this work there is such a contrary inclination such a propensnesse to God and to that which is good that it over-ballanceth all the temptations that the world the flesh and the Devill can lay against it Is not this a mighty Power that must doe this that whereas there was in a man before such a strong inclination to sin there is a disposition so contrary now such a desire wrought in him such a strong impression that carries him to God to Christ and to holinesse that let all the reasons in the world be brought to the contrary they cannot keepe
this may make you feare and tremble So you may see there is an end of this doctrine now we will make a little use of it and so end First if it be Christs worke if it be he that must begin it for it is a creature then you see what businesse we have in hand that are Preachers of the Gospell our businesse is to make men other Creatures which is a transcendent worke it is the worke of God and not of man this is the errand we are sent about and the work we are taught to doe every Sabbath and every Sermon which we preach to you to turne Lions into Lambes to transforme the heart of man and to make you New Creatures This I speake of not for our sakes but for yours that you may make use of it you must learne to know when you heare the Word what action you have in hand and whom you have to doe with that is with the Almighty God and not with man for alas my Brethren what are we able to doe Ephes. 2.10 You are Gods workmanship in Iesus Christ created to good workes that you should walke in them It is true we are the Instruments but ye are Gods workmanship Take the best Instrument wherewith we make any artificiall thing an Axe or a Chisell or whatsoever it is you know if there be not an influence from the Artificer it will make no artificiall thing it will strike when you use it but it will not make any artificiall thing if there be not an influence from the Artificer So we are Instruments and the Word is an Instrument but if there be not an influence from God the worke will not be done you will never be made New Creatures Therefore you are Gods workmanship created to good workes he doth it and remember you have to doe with him You have an elegant expression of it in 2 Cor. 3.2 You are Christs Epistle administred by us and written not with Inke but with the Spirit of the living God That is the Law of God is written in your hearts You know Regeneration is in many other places of Scripture A writing the Law of God in their hearts then there is a writing and in this sense the Saints are called an Epistle but they are Christs Epistle we are the pen and he is the Writer he handles the pen and what shal the pen do when there is paper and no Inke will there be any Epistle written Now what is that you are Christs Epistle not written with Inke but by the Spirit of God We doe but apply the pen to the paper but if God put not Inke into the pen that is the Spirit of the living God nothing will be written in your hearts Therefore remember what you have to doe and with whom not with us for we are able to doe nothing not Paul or Apollo mighty in Scriptures We are the Ministers by whom you beleeve It is God that doth it we are but those by whom you beleeve Peter if that ever any man was able so to doe it he was that had his tongue set on fire by the Holy Ghost yet he was not able to doe it Galath 2.8 He that was mightie by Peter over the Circumcision God was mighty by Peter but the work was none of his we are the Rams hornes but who throwes downe the walls of Iericho Are we able to doe it No my Brethren no more than Peter was able to open the Iron-gates It is true when Peter came to them they opened and not before but it was the Angell that did it So when we preach the Gospell there be everlasting doores can we open the Iron-gates No more than any man can open Iron-doores Therefore Lidia's heart was opened else Paul might have preached long enough in vaine in Luke the last Chapter He opened their understandings that they might understand the Scriptures If he had not opened their understandings as he was God he had done them no good when he preached to them as man Therefore it is God that doth it But you will say of what use is this to us that God doth it It is of much use therefore when you come to this place every Sabbath day to heare the Word when you see you have to doe with the mighty God we are the Pen it is God that doth it learne to come with reverence and feare learne to say of this place as Iacob did when he saw God when he saw the Ladder and Angels ascending and descending Surely this is a fearefull place and no other than the gate of Heaven and the House of God it may be you thought of it before You come to heare Sermons as Lectures and Declamations to have your understanding bettered but you doe not remember that it is the gate of Heaven and the House of God you see not God standing over us you should over-looke us it is the gate of Heaven that is you shall never come to Heaven ordinarily if you goe not thorow this gate it is the House of God And indeed when you come hither your eye must be upon him more than upon us expect and wait what God will doe on you hearts in such a time if you come and heare and God hath done nothing observe that and say it is because God hath with-holden his hand therefore my heart is not quickned at this Sermon if any thing hath been done know it is a Sparkle kindled from Heaven therefore cherish it looke well to it for it is a sparke kindled from heaven therefore doe as they did in the Law see what David did on the Altar which he built on Mount Moriah when the Altar was built they laid the wood and Sacrifice and looked to God when hee would send fire from heaven So we are the wood looke to God for fire if you can get a Sparke be sure to maintaine it for that was the manner of the Priests when they had a little fire from heaven they alway gave fewell they never let it goe out againe Looke to it diligently if you have got a sparke from heaven let it not goe out againe as it is the case of many thousands to doe there may be sparkes and you may heat your selves by them and it may be but fire from earht When a Sacrifice was kindled by common fire God accepted it not though it burnt as other fire yet it was no sacrifice to God Morall reason and naturall wisdome may kindle a fire that may be very like true fire but it is not from heaven Therefore come with much feare to this place like men that have your eyes on GOD seeke him not for fashion and know it is to no purpose if God send not his Spirit from heaven Againe you will say what use is there of this that it is God that doth it and not man I say therefore give the praise and glory of it to God give it not to us but to him
you shall want that beauty which God only accepts Againe if you be out of Christ you shall be hungry you shall be wretched and miserable for I pitch on that generall one because that is one of the outward miseries when a man is hungry when he is starved when he wants that which should strengthen him and refresh him and maintaine his life This is the case of every man out of Christ he wants that which should feed him that which should strengthen him for you must know that the soule hath a meat as well as the body otherwise why doth Christ say I have a meat to eat that you know not of They wondred to see him neglect his dinner when hee stood talking with the woman of Samaria Iohn 4. Why saith he I have another meat to eat And why doth David say Thy Law is sweeter to mee than the honey if there were not somewhat that his soule did feed on And so why is it said that Manna was Angels food You know Manna was a materiall thing such as a spirituall substance cannot feed on but because by that Manna Christ was represented You know he is said to be the true Manna The true Bread that came down from heaven the Angels they feed on this and in that respect it is called Angels food they feed on the same spirituall meat 1 Cor. 10. Your Fathers did eat that spirituall meat that is the corporall meat did typifie the spiritual meat which is Angels food therefore there is a food thâ—t the soule feeds on out of Christ there is none of this but your soules are starved are miserable and wretched For what is it that food doth It maintains life in a man take away food and you die for it Now it is Christ that gives that His flesh is meat indeed and his bloud is drinke indeed that is Whosoever beleeves not in him whosoever partakes not of him he dies for ever Againe meat strengthneth and so doth the Lord when we come to him he gives spirituall strength Without him we are able to doe nothing As you have it Ioh. 15. Without me you are able to bring forth no fruit But as the Apostle speakes Phil. 4. Through Christ I am able to do every thing It is the Lord that giveth strength If you will come in you shall have strength given you which is the property of meat Againe meat refresheth and revives the spirits so doth the Lord by his graces by the joy of the Holy Ghost by peace of conscience by those things that he puts into the heart of every beleever I say they refresh the soule more than flaggons of wine and there is as evident refreshing and therefore you know that metaphor is used often in Esay 26. I will make a feast of fined wines and of fat things And in Mat. 22. he cals them to come in for his fatlings were prepared and all things were ready What is the reason that the Lord resembleth spirituall things by a Feast because they doe the same things as a Feast doth a Feast is a refreshing to a man a continuall feast is a continuall comfort and this you shall have if you will come in to the Lord if you will not come in you shall be starved you shall be wretched and miserable This you shall have by the Lord Iesus Let this move you to come in But now a man will be ready to object you tell us of these things and indeed these are goodly things if they were present if they were reall if they were not Imaginary things onely that consisted in notion and in speculation if they were things that were sensible but they are not so these things are future things they are remote things they are things but in Imagination they are things that we have no feeling of they are things that if we looke after them we shall lose other things in this life This objection all the world makes against such motives as these and therefore I will answer these briefly and proceed First whereas men say they are things that are farre off and indeed such things move not much I say they are already present they are a great part present we have the first fruits present though the harvest be deferred and wee may boldly say to you that those very gleanings for the present are beyond the vintage that the children of this world enjoy the peace of conscience the joy of the Spirit boldnesse in death security and freedome from all deaths and dangers familiarity and acquaintance with God to enjoy his favour with all that hee can doe the grace the prevent us the blessing that followes us in all our actions the comforts of the Saints whose hearts are made glad with the light of Gods countenance these things I say are beyond the wine and oile beyond the dainties and honours which they have who have their portion in this life therefore you have something for the present indeed the outside of these things are but base but the inside is precious This is the difference betweene heavenly things and earthly in heavenly the worst is first the best is last In outward things it is true the beginning is sweet but the latter end is bitterest but let that be one answer to it that you have much of it for the present And besides this remember though you have it not present yet you shall have it after and what great matter is it to want a little to enjoy more for the future Are we not content to buy great reversions with the losse of a little money for the present for we say it will come in Are we not content to endure an Apprentiship of seven or eight yeares for our greater advantage Doe not men willingly serve a Master or a Mistresse a long time for hopes hereafter Now what folly yea what Atheisme and unbeliefe is it for a man in things that concerne salvation not to be content to want a little for the present to enjoy happinesse for ever If a man should be put to his choise whether he would have five shillings to day or many thousands to morrow a man no question would have it to morrow You know this life is not so much to eternitie as to day is to the next day why should we not be content to want a little that we may have the more afterwards And besides if you consider what men are men are reasonable and to what end is reason given you but to looke on things past and future That is the part of a Beast only to look on present things you should doe more than the Beasts doe you should looke to things that are future and should order your lives according to that And what have you faith for For faith is that which distinguisheth a Christian from another man as reason distinguisheth a man from a beast surely this should teach you to goe beyond reason reason teacheth you to goe
insensiblenesse of wrath Answ. Containing in it the proofes of the Doctrine Gods wrath is a Treasure 1 Because our sinnes adde to his wrath 2 Because it lies still for a time 3 Because in time it is expended Sinne is like a stormie cloud Simile Object 2. From the generality of sin Answ. Yet all sin not alike And therefore are differently punished Vse 1. Of the Point To see sinne in its effects Which is urged from the Terrour of Gods wrath Object From the not present feeling of Wrath. Answ. It is not felt because it is not apprehended 2 Sinne remains on Record 3 And at length God will strike once for all Object The remedy prescribed is to meet the Lord. Answ. Which consists first in Humiliation In Reformation Object The smalnesse of sinne Answ. The least sinne is disobedience against God Instance of the example of Saul The example of Adam Every sinne is the setting up of another God A difference betwixt a godly and a wicked man in regard of sinnes No sinne is small for it is committed against an exact Law Mat. 5.18 The third generall point Zeale turnes away wrath 1 Proved by Scripture and instances 1 Elijah The truth of it appeares from the danger of luke-warmenesse Coldnesse provokes as much sinne Which is a stirring up of affection 2 For the Lord. 3 There must be with it intention of action Vse 1. Not to discourage those that be zealous The frequency of such discouragements The ill effects Zeale and Religion the pillars of Church and Common-wealth They are Gods Pearls though cast out in the world Vse 1. Containing many Convictions of our want of Zeale 1. From the formality of the Times 2 Conviction From our want of affection for the Lord. 2 Against sin Differences betwixt Hatred and Anger 1 Hatred is constant 2 It sets against the whole Species 3 It â—ests not but in uttâ—r deâ—tâ—uction Iudge of our Anger by these â—arkes 3 Conviction From our want of courage for the truth Object From the danger of too much boldnesse Answ. Danger of Excesse must be prevented by a well regularâ—â—g our boldnesse The Objection is prosecuted And more fully answered 4 Conviction From our want of Zeale for the Church Zeâ—le for the Church is acceptable to God even when he is angry with her It is dangerous to wrong the Church Direction what wee must doe for the Church Abroad At home Concerning the Church at home three things are â—â—mmended to â—onsideration Execution of Iudgement Specially against three things 1 Whoredome 2 Idolatry 3 Injustice 2 Contention for the Faith To which we should be provoked by the practise of her enemies Advancement of the Ministery By setting a Candle in every candlesticke By keeping out dogs that will devoure 4 Generall point If we be not zealous Gods jealousie grows hotter And his messenger must have an answer Meanes to stop his wrath is to stand in the gap Which consists in faithfull prayer 5 Generall point Iealousie for the most part shall proceed to utter destruction Two great deliverances we have had Beware the third time The story of Ahab is considerable to this purpose There is a double feare 1 A feare that puts us upon indirect means 2 A feare that sets us to work on good meanes 2 Chro. 15.2 Doct. Iustification and Sanctification are inseparable 1 How Sanctification ariseth from Iustification 1 By the worke of the Spirit Objects Answ. Quest. Answ. 2 By certaine actions in the minde and heart which are the effects of the Spirit in him 1 Vpon the understanding 2 Vpon the affections 3 Selfe-love is sanctified 4 Ingenuitie is wrought 5 Noblenesse of Spirit 6 A strong inclination 2 Sanctification and Iustification are inseâ—â— Reason 1. Reason 2. Reason 3. Reason 4. Reason 5. Vse 1. Pray that seeing God hath justified us he would also sanctifie us Encouragements to pray for Sanctification 1 Gods promise in the Covenant 2 The Covenant sealed in the Sacrament 1 Cor. 11.25 opened 3 The Covenant confirmed with an oath 4 The end whereunto the Sâ—crament is appointed 5 The successe that others have had by Prayer 6 The great importance of it to us Esay 25.6 opened Ephes. 5.18 opened Vse 2. Set Sanctification as high in our esteeme as Iustifiâ—aâ—â—on The excellencie of the New Creature 1 Above old Lusts. 2 Above all worldly excellencies Object Answ. Two conditions of Adam Object Answ. 1 Iohn 3.2 Eccles. 10.5 Prov. 22.4 Vse 3. Take heed of challenging Iustification without Sanctification Iohn 3.18 Matth. 3.8 Object Answ. Signos of a new Creature 1 A Sense of it â—â—ct 26.18 2 The Vniversalitie of it 1 Cor. 5.7 Object Answ. 3 Looking upon every thing with a new eye 2 Cor. 5.16 4 New workes 2 Cor. 4.20 A New Creature what Three things in it 1 The heart must be new moulded or cast into a new frame 1 Principally his inclination is changed Quest. Answ. How this alteration of the inclination may bee knowne 2 This change is in his whole Conversation Vse Answ. 〈…〉 new 〈◊〉 itie of â—odlinesse The new quaâ—â—tie what 2 It must be done by infusion of a new qualitie of godlinesse The new qualitie what Object Answ. Vse 3 There must be a mortification of the old man Vse 2 Vse or Consectary 1 There must be something lesâ—e than corrupt nature Where â—â—od forgiveth hee healeth where he pardoneth he purifieth Reason 1. Reason 2. Reason 3. Caution Note 2 As there must be lesse than corrupt Nature so there must be more than meere Nature Observ. 2. Observ. 3. Observ. 4. Observ. 5. Observ. 1. Those that are in Christ have another Nature When a thing is said to be Naturall Caution Vse 1. Not to deferre comming to God Vse 2. Content not your selves with any thing if this be wanting All the desires that come from Nature are nothing 2 Morall Vertues 3 Transient acts of Holinesse 4 Good Intentions and Purposes Vse 3. Looke that good performances be naturall to you Quest. Answ. Simile Object Answ. Simile Vse 4. To abhor the old nature and to â—â—â—ke to have it chanâ—ed Rom. â— Quest. Answ. Vse 5. Feare not falling away Object Answ. Vse 6. Be not discouraged with the difficultie of any duty Vse 7. A change of nature is a ground of comfort Quest. Answ. Observ. 3. It must be a new Creature Consectaries thence 1 That we are redeemed from old Customes Custome hath many advantages against us 1 It gaines upon our judgements 2 It is troublesome to alter it 3 We plead for it 4 It breeds Senselesnesse Consect 2. Wonder not that the world wonders at thee Consect 3. Pull downe all that is old Object Answ. Quest. Answ. Consect 4. Wonder not at the unevennâ—sse which is found in the lives of the bâ—st men Object Answ. Difference between unevennesse in the Saints and in the wicked Object Answ. Object Answ. Object Answ. Consect 5. Expect a
grosse sins Peccata vastantia Conscientiam crying sinnes and smaller sinnes too sinnes of lesse moment the Law discovers all Now by the Law you must not only understand the ten Commandements but that rectitude which runnes thorow the whole Booke of God expressed in the whole Scriptures As in the Scripture the Law and the Prophets are put together as if the Prophets were but a Commentary on the Law looke on the Scriptures looke upon the straitnesse the rectitude in the whole Booke of God Then when that is done look on your owne Natures your owne Errours the secret windings and turnings of the heart your owne thoughts and affections and see what a disproportion a dislikenesse there is see how far you are from that holinesse that purity and rectitude described in this Booke of God for that I say you are to understand by the Law And when you have done that you shall finde your sins to be exceeding great for their quantity and exceeding many for their number and that will amaze you This amazed Paul when hee once understood the Law when he looked on all the parts of it not only on grosser sins forbidden but on the rectitude the holinesse which is required that amazed him Rom. 7.9 That made sin alive he was alive before and sin was dead but when the Law discovered Lust to be sin then Sin was alive and he died So if wee could see the Law the strictnesse of it it would doe thus with us And marke what is said of the Law for we may presse the Law long enough but many are remisse in attending to it Therefore to stirre you up as I know it is but a small matter I will name but one place and let that stay in your memories Matth. 5.11 Heaven and earth shall passe away but one tittle one jot of this Law shall not passe away Marke that not one jot of the Law shall perish That is looke thorow the whole Law of God take all the Commandements there you shall give account of every idle word you must keepe the Sabbath exactly you must not speake your owne words Take any Commandement that you thinke the Nature of man is most ready to breake and consider that saying of Christ Not one jot of the Law shall perish heaven and earth shall passe away but the Law of God in the least part of it shall not perish That is there shall not be one of these small things that the Law commands but if you neglect it by disobeying it God will surely require it there is not the least thing wherein you have gone aside this rectitude and disobeyed this Law but it shall be required of you And that is the meaning of that phrase Thou shalt pay the uttermost farthing Though we reckon them trifles the uttermost farthing shall be paid For this is our fault though we presse the Law and tell you of your sins yet you thinke this is a small thing and God may beare with me in this for we be apt to judge of God as of our selves A small fault I can beare with in my servant therefore God may in this dispense with me We thinke of the Law of God as of mans law but we must not judge of God so we must judge of him according to his owne rule his Thoughts are not as our thoughts he hath given a rule and hath said The least jot of it shall not passe but be fulfilled not the least breach of it but it shall be requried Consider this and it will amaze us and make us to tremble when you know that the sins you have forgotten and the least breach of this Law shall be surely required to the uttermost But you will say you talke of Impossibilities which no man is able to performe It is true it is a thing we are not able to performe But therein is seene the Terrour of the Law and that should humble you the more for I cannot compare the Law to any thing better than to the Taske-masters in Aegypt the people had enough to doe indeed more than they could performe complaining of their sore bondage what releefe had they they are told they shall give in the same number of Brickes that they did before and yet shall have no straw Now how should they do this So it is with the Law it commands Doe this you complaine Alas I know not how to doe it I have no ability you bid me make Bricke but allow mee no straw that is all one the same Tale of Bricke shall be required of you that is the same measure of obedience that was required of Adam as if you had the same abilities remaining in you And yet God is not unjust he doth not reape where he did not sow before he sowed it once in Adam and consequently in his Posterity And that no man may thinke this hard looke to the first sin that Adam committed and if wee be guilty of that sin there is equity that the Law be required of us though we have not ability to performe it Now why should it seeme unreasonable that I should be liable to Adams account Even to the same exactnesse though I want ability to performe it It is true Adam ran in debt but doe not we pay many debts of our Grand-fathers and Fathers which wee never drunke for though we run not into them yet we stand liable to the payment In the Law if a man had committed an offence and was adjudged to be a bond-slave it was his particular offence but were not al his children bond-slaves after him and yet it was not their offence So Adam forfeited his liberty became a Bond-slave to sin and Satan and the same is the condition of all his Posterity And besides the common reason which is a true one and a good one that if in equity we should haue stood with him therefore in equity we should fall with him I will adde two considerations and then you shall finde it very reasonable that we should fall with him and that the same should be required of us which was of him though we have not the same ability One is that the Angels though we did not sin as they did for they sinned every one in his owne person are justly condemned because every Angell sinned himselfe he committed the sinne he was the Author of it and therefore it is reason they should be punished But come to Adams Posterity consider that they had a meanes given them and that they that are condemned except children of Adams Posterity they are condemned for their owne sinnes they might doe much more than they doe they sin against the Law they have and so they are not only condemned for Adams sin but for the sins committed in their owne persons For God intended to give them a second Board after the great shipwrack in Adam on which they might save themselves if they would if the fault were not in themselves for it is
therefore since the wrath of God shall in such a manner be revealed against such as with-hold the Truth in unrighteousnesse You need no other Argument to shew that the sin is great Againe One Evidence more is in this very Chapter that is from the kinde of punishment for punishments you know where the Iudge is just are according to the measure of the sinne Now marke God punishes this with giving them up to a reprobate sense For this cause saith the Apostle Rom. 1.26 God gave them up unto vile affections And afterwards in the eight and twentieth verse As they regarded not to know God even so or therefore God delivered them up to a reprobate minde that is a minde without knowledge an injudicious minde that cannot judge of things And looke in all the booke of God among all the Armies of sorrow there is not any like this to be given up to vile affections to lusts to an injudicious mind in matters of God and things belonging to their Salvation This punishment shewes the greatnesse of the sin but men slight this as it is the greatest judgement so it is the least felt men lye at rest they are cast into a dead sleepe but it is like the sleepe of them that have crazie braines they wake in a frenzie so these shall wake in an horrible astonishment their sleepe is such a calme as will end in a tempest and such a tempest as shall never be blowne over Therefore let no man blesse himselfe in this I feele none of these things for thou hast the greatest judgement on thee when thou feelest it least And so much for the three things I propounded to you what this Truth is how it is with-holden and the greatnesse of the sin now wee will come to make use of it And the first use we are to make of it is that which is the maine scope of the Apostle here and that for which we pitched on these words and that is to humble us to learne to know our selves to know in what Condition we are for the Truth is revealed to us but we with-hold it in unrighteousnesse This Truth that should rule in the hearts of men that should be as the supreme governour in the soule of which it may be said as it is said of the Peace of God let it rule in your soules that where by men should be acted is by men imprisoned Therefore Rom. 2.9 the Apostle denounceth Tribulation and anguish upon every one that disobeyes the Truth Intimating that Truth is our King that should governe and rule in our hearts now when men disobey it nay goe further imprison this Truth it is as when men imprison their lawfull King or servants their Master and they run riot and at liberty in the meane time And this is our case we doe with it as children doe with their Masters we desire to be rid of it because it watches over us and so we grow enemies to it And this is no small sinne for if we consider whence this comes who puts it into our hearts it will appeare hainous by the Law of man it is death to kill children that are begot by man but this Truth is begot by the Holy Ghost it is put in by the Spirit of God and to extinguish this Truth not to suffer it to live not to nourish it not to bring it forth is the great sin of all Even the Heathen shall rise in judgement against Christians for this who maintained the Vestall fire because they conceived it to come from heaven they for that cause never suffered it to go out But this Truth is a fire which came from heaven a sparke put into the brests of men to guide their feet into the way of Peace when men shall extinguish this Truth let it goe out and not maintaine it the Heathen shall rise against them in judgement as the men of Niniveh should rise up against the men of that Generation among whom Christ lived We were wont to take care of precious things consider the preciousnesse of this Truth what is precious we wil not be willing to destroy as the Prophet said of the bunch of Grapes Destroy it not for there is a blessing in it And what doe you thinke of this Truth is it not a precious thing Yea it is the chiefe thing in a man In a ship a wise man will have an eye to the rudder for that turnes all the rest of the body of the ship Of all things in our selves wee looke to our eye the guide of the body so we should learne to watch and be tender over this Truth as over our eye for the one is the light but of this life the other is the light of the soule to eternall life In Micah 3.5 It is threatned as a great Iudgement when God shal turne their Visions into night and their Divinations into darknesse when the Sunne shall goe downe on their Prophets and the day shall be darke on them and will you bring this Iudgement on your selves They that are guilty of this that have not used this Truth but imprisoned it and laboured as much as they can to cause the Sun to goe downe and rise no more to turne the day into night let them consider what the sin is when you reade the story of the Kings and heare them saying to the Prophets prophesie not imprisoning them as Ahab did Micaiah and slaying them as Ioash did Zecharial you will little thinke you are guilty of the same sinne but when this Truth comes as a Prophet from God and tels you such and such things ought to be done and such and such evils ought to be abstained from and you shall desire it to be silent and shall say Prophesie not when you shall not suffer it to speake freely I say your sins shall be as great as theirs therefore learne to consider of it and be humbled for it men are wont to thinke their Condition better because they know more than others but it is quite contrary for nothing aggravates sin more than that It is an extreme folly in men when they cannot deny the fact they slight the fault and will not acknowledge it It was Adams fault when God came towards him he fled and hides his sinne and it is the fault of all Adams posterity But let men know that the quite contrary way is the way to Salvation It is not with God as it is with men among whom confession makes way for condemnation for with God confession is the way to salvation Therefore be not unwilling to examine your selves consider how much you have knowne what truths have been revealed to you Do this with one eye with another eye looke on your lives and see how short your practise hath beene of your knowledge come willingly and if you confesse you shal be forgiven This wil drive you out of your selves it will be your Schoole-master to bring you to Christ. They that carry this
may goe and yet how farre they fall short And now have I done with those three things that the good things that carnall men have doe them no good Secondly that they doe them hurt Thirdly that they may goe farre and yet that you may not be deceived in apprehending what men they are and what Condition we speake of that they fall short of that which is proper to the Saints and so much for the second use Thirdly if this be the Condition of men to with-hold the Truth in unrighteousnesse then this will likewise follow that commonly men sin not out of mistake not out of want of Information and conviction but out of the very love of unrighteousnesse And this serves to take away the Common excuse whereby men doe usually mitigate and extenuate their sins as if they were committed by accident out of incogitation or want of due consideration you see it is not so but that is the case of every man out of the state of Regeneration to commit sin out of love to unrighteousnesse And this is a point that needs much to bee urged because men are not humbled you know the scope of this Text is to humble men to convince them of their sins to shew them the Circumstances by which their sins are justly to be aggravated now because men will pretend they sin out of Infirmity and their meaning is good and they intend not to doe such and such evils or if they doe them it is not with an ill minde I advise you take heed you deceive not your selves you know it was Ionas his case when he had no minde to goe to Niniveh he pretends faire reasons God that searches the heart knowes your hearts howsoever you defend and dispute for your sins and there is a Truth within that tels you such and such things ought not to be done Therefore learne from hence to know your sins and the quality of them And if you object we doe not resist this Truth we obey it in many things Let me aske you Doe you obey it in those things that crosse that particular unrighteousnesse wherein you are delighted for there is the proofe there be some personall sins to which a mans nature is most enclined examine if out of love to them you doe not withhold the Truth for it fares commonly with Truth in this case as it did with Iohn Baptist all the while he preached Herod heard him willingly yea gladly but when he came to touch upon Herodias then he tooke away his head and as he dealt with Iohn so doe we with Truth so long as it suggests nothing to us that crosses our desires we are willing to obey it in all things that it shall dictate to us but when it tels us of sins that we are unwilling to heare of we first imprison it and then extinguish it as there be degrees in restraining of it first in one degree then in a greater degree and at last we put it quite out Therefore take heed to it labour to know your sins to see those which are most naturall to you whether in these you doe not with-hold the Truth in unrighteousnesse which is done after this manner When a man shall have his heart set upon any particular thing which he is not willing to part with and the Truth shal tell him something that is contrary thereto now let him trie himselfe Pilate the Text saith knew that the Pharisees had delivered CHRIST for Envie this he knew but yet to content the people sayes one Evangelist and out of feare of Caesar sayes the other he delivered him to them Out of those two respects because he would not part with his love of the people nor with the good-will of Caesar he would part with CHRIST Now here is the Triall Suppose thou esteemest credit and applause with men the Truth comes and tels thee thou art to doe a thing that crosses this marke what thou art ready to doe in this case you shall see an instance in Iohn 12.42 There were many among the chiefe Rulers which beleeved on CHRIST but for feare lest the Pharisees should cast them out of the Synagogue they durst not confesse him for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God They beleeved on him the Truth did its part they were thereby informed well enough what they were to doe but because they loved the praise of men they resisted this Truth out of love to unrighteousnesse So put case thy minde be set upon wealth and in that thou wilt not be crost This truth tels thee thou must doe one thing but it will crosse thee in matter of thy estate as the Young-man had that Triall put on him Goe and sell all thou hast and thou shalt have Treasure in heaven Compare thine owne with the Young-mans behaviour hee went away sorrowfull Whence we may gather that he was enlightned to see the Truth he knew it was best to follow CHRIST the Truth was thus farre revealed to him for otherwise why should he goe away sorrowfull If he had not beleeved him to be the Messiah he needed not to have sorrowed but in that sorrow was left in his heart it manifested what his minde was set upon Is it thus with thee Learne hence to humble your selves to judge aright of your sins and of your Condition by them And if all this will not perswade you take this one instance which I will give you Take a view of thy selfe as thou art affected at some apprehension of Death in some dangerous sicknesse in some good mood after some quickning of the Spirit in thee after some great trouble into which thou art cast and see what thou wilt doe in such a case See what libertie this Truth hath at such a time how ready thou art to obey it in all things how ready will the Truth be to informe thee these and these things thou oughtest not to doe and thou hast neglected these and these duties how imminent this Truth is to dictate to thee what thou oughtest to doe Consider againe what thy behaviour is in time of health and strength in time of Peace when thou livest in abundance of all things See how farre short thou art of performing what in those times thou wouldest doe and in the same measure thou with-holdest the Truth in unrighteousnesse in such measure thou imprisonest it for that declares what light is in thee Take a survey of one or two dayes goe through the actions that passe by thee in the same see what evill thou hast done and what good thou hast omitted and say thus Might not I have forborne this evill if I would have set my selfe to doe it Might not I have performed this duty if I would have gone about it and let this humble thee For this cause I have chosen this Text that you might be driven out of your selves and why should you be backward in it seeing it is the first
step to Salvation And so much shall serve for this third use Fourthly if this be the case and miserable Condition wherein every man is before Regeneration to with-hold the Truth in unrighteousnesse Then take heed of putting thy selfe into that Condition consider the danger of disobeying this Truth of offending it of doing any thing contrary to it of restraining and curbing it for it is of that nature that if thou offendest it it will offend thee It is a Truth that God hath set in thy heart and appointed it to rule there if thou oppose it and set up usurpers he will doe as Iehojada did that set up the right King he will even set up this Truth at the day of death to accuse thee and to raigne over thee as a Tyrant It sits in thy Conscience it markes what is done amisse and will be assuredly revenged for every rebellion and offence committed against it as it is said of Truth in generall Magna est veritas praevalet if thou be for the Truth it will be for thee and if thou be against it it will be against thee and it hath God on its side it is attended with the wrath of the Almighty who will be ready to execute upon thee whatsoever this Truth shall alleage against thee though he doth it not presently yet all the while thou art in the way to Damnation as it was with Iudas and Achitophel Therefore be sure to keepe this Truth well that thou offend it not as thou art tender over thy weake stomacke to give what contents it to avoid what may offend it and then it shall be as a continuall feast to thee otherwise it shall be as a sicke stomacke to thee that doe what thou wilt yet whether walking or sitting still it will trouble thee So this Truth thou wilt not be able to deceive it will see what is amisse whether thou wilt or no 2 Cor. 4.2 saith the Apostle Wee commend our selves to every mans Conscience in the sight of God by manifestation of the Truth That is the Conscience within will see thee thorow doe what thou canst there will be an agreement betweene it and the Truth that is presented to it it cannot but observe all the obliquities of thy life all thy errours thou canst not deceive it nor long shake it off But it may be objected May not a man observe this Truth too much may he not be too scrupulous too carefull in regarding it I answer the Conscience may mistake and give that charge that it ought not but as wee say of Thistles they are a bad weed but it is a signe of a good ground where they grow so though scrupulousnesse be not good yet it is a signe of a good heart where it is If a man be to goe thorow a narrow passage or over a narrow bridge it is good to goe in the midst so it is good not to be scrupulous and yet not to give it offence for if thou dost with-hold it imprison it or restraine it thou shalt finde it will be revenged on thee for it is attended with the wrath of God Fifthly if this be the miserable Condition of all unregenerate men thus to with-hold the Truth in unrighteousnesse As there have beene words of Humiliation and reproofe so let mee shut up with a word of exhortation Be exhorted therefore from hence to give this Truth leave to rule and governe in thy heart and life doe not make a bancke against it or an hedge about it restraine it not fetter it not but suffer it to walke freely in every part of thy conversation to rectifie and reforme every facultie speech and action for so it ought to doe and as I said before thou shalt finde it a dangerous thing to restraine it Among men he that imprisons one whom he should not runs into a Praemunire and forfeits all he hath Commonly we faile both these wayes we give Lusts liberty which should be restrained and imprison Truth which should be at liberty therefore our judgement shall be accordingly For letting thy lusts goe at liberty take heed lest God say to thee as he did to Ahab for letting King Benhadad goe Thy life shall be for his life lest on the other side by imprisoning the Truth you forfeit all things and God take advantage of your forfeiture Since the fall of Adam man doth turne all things upside downe according to that which is complained of those Prophets They did slay the soules of them that should live and gave life to the soules that should die So doe men the Truth that should live they slay and the lust that should die they give life unto But you know what Gods judgement was on them Ezek. 13. He would destroy both the dawber and the wall of untempered morter God requires at thy hands that thou give account of the Authority committed to thee and take heed of abusing it If the King send a Privie Councellour or a great man about him to reveale his will to expresse his commandement in this or that particular that so men may know it and be free from the danger of the Law if a man in stead of obeying it imprison him how will the King take it at his hands What then will God doe in this case He hath put his Truth into the hearts of men he hath sent his messengers to shew his will that this he will have done If thou imprison this Truth be assured God will not hold thee guiltlesse therefore let it have liberty let it rule and raigne in thy heart let it doe what it will This benefit thou shalt have Thou sets it at liberty and it shall set thee at liberty Ioh. 8.32 If you continue in my words c. the Truth shall make you free From what or what great benefit hath a man by this freedome a benefit unspeakable thou shalt be free from the feare of Death from the hands of all thine Enemies to serve God in holinesse and righteousnesse from the feare of Iudgement from the feare of hell from the guilt and punishment of sin from the rule and tyranny of sin and is not this to be desired Againe if thou set this at liberty if thou wilt practice and use it thou shalt finde more benefit and sweetnesse from it than from the meere contemplation of it we are deceived in thinking that the knowledge of it is pleasant but the practice hard Indeed that that keeps the world from practice is because it is accompanied with persecution whereas bare knowledge crosses not at all and therefore most men are willing to heare and know but in practice they fall short But in this they are deceived for this Truth brings more pleasure in the practice and use of it than in the knowledge and contemplation of it Instance in Faith suppose thou know all the doctrine of Faith the knowledge is pleasant much more the practise if thou wilt
to that of Iustification which we promised to handle These words doe second the former which we have gone thorow The wrath of God is revealed from heaven c. The Apostle having set this downe hath two things to prove First that there is such a Truth revealed Secondly That they with-hold it in unrighteousnesse Both which he proves in the sequele of this Chapter First there is such a Truth revealed to men for saith he That that may be knowne of God is manifest in them that is there is a certaine portion of Truth a certaine measure of knowledge which God hath made-knowne to every man indeed there be different measures but to every one some measure is given set forth by the Author thereof God saith he hath shewed it to them Secondly it is set forth more particularly by the thing that is revealed And thirdly by the meanes whereby it is revealed Fourthly by the end Secondly the thing that is reavealed as if he had said if you will know more particularly what this knowledge is it is the knowledge of Gods eternall Power and God-head Thirdly will you know the meanes how it is revealed It is revealed by his workes and chiefly by the creation of the world But you will object his eternall power and God-head are invisible shut up from the view of men how shall men doe to see and understand these things seeing they are so remote Saith he They are knowne by the things that are seene You may see the world you may see the workes of his providence these things run into the senses and by these they are knowne As the soule of a man is a thing in it selfe invisible but yet you may see it by the motions of the body the effects of the soule in the bodie this the senses are capable of so the invisible things of God are knowne by the things that are seene Last of all this is set out by the end wherefore GOD hath done this the end is that they may be without excuse And so far he proves the first part that there is a Truth revealed to men In the next words he comes to prove That they with-hold the Truth in unrighteousnesse For they knew God but they glorified him not as God and not negatively only but affirmatively also Their foolish hearts are full of darknesse they became vaine in their imaginations But they were wise men Grecians Athenians men excelling in wisdome all other how did they detaine it one would thinke they did enlarge it It is true they were wise in their owne conceit but thinking themselves wise they became fooles how doth that appeare They turned the glory of the incorruptible God into the image of corruptible man c. So much for the scope of the words Wee will not runne to every particular because this is a place of Scripture on which wee meane not to dwell but these three points we intend to handle out of these two verses In the handling of which you shall see all these particulars will be brought in The first is That that Law or Truth or Knowledge by which every man shall be judged is made manifest by God himselfe Secondly The workes of God or the Creation are the meanes by which he hath made it knowne Thirdly They are so much made knowne to every man as will make him inexcusable To begin with the first I say That truth or that Law or that knowledge by which every man shall be judged at the last day is made evident to him by God himselfe In this proportion you must marke three things First what it is that is made knowne It is that Law or Truth by which every man shall be judged the word in the original◠is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That which may be knowne of God that is there is a certaine measure and portion of Truth which God disposes and reveales to men to some one measure to some another measure and according to the measure of Truth he must conforme himselfe and for breaking that rule onely hee shall be condemned at the last day The Gentiles have one measure of Truth the Iewes have a greater measure but Christians to whom the Gospell is revealed have the greatest measure of Truth given them Againe some Christians that live under better Ministeries they whose education is better they have more Truth than others Now seeing he saith it is made manifest the meaning is every man hath a measure and that is to be made manifest as light when it comes into a roome it showes all the glory all the beauty and deformity round about it showes the right way and the wrong way if you come to the light all things are made manifest now which were covered when you were in darknesse thus God enlightens men he kindles a certaine light in their minde for so the word signifies he puts a light into their hearts by which they are able to judge of that which is good and evill of that which is agreeable to his will and contrary to his will of that which is the way to happinesse and that which is not and this is made knowne The second thing to be marked in this proposition is to shew how it is made knowne you see that the thing is made knowne to us Not it is made knowne to us these foure wayes First it is made knowne to us by the light of Nature God hath written the Law in their hearts Rom. 2.15 They show the effects of the Law which Law is written in their hearts that is God hath implanted it there God hath written it there he hath fastned it there he hath revealed to men some Truths but the question will be how it shall be knowne that God hath done so why saith he you shall know it by the effects every man even Heathens though they have not come to the knowledge of the Scripture ye◠they have the Law written in their hearts fo◠they doe the things contained in the Law their actions show it they could not doe these things if they had not the Law written in their hearts Againe their consciences accuse and excuse Againe it is seene by their judging of others for in judging of others they judge themselves and make it evident that they doe know though they doe not practice and so it is revealed by the Law of Nature Secondly God makes it knowne by his works specially by the creation of the world by his workes of Providence which be ordinary and extraordinary as miracles that is when a man lookes on the great volume of the world there those things which God will have known are written in capitall letters and such letters as every one may understand and reade so as that which the Papists say of Images they are Lay-mens bookes and ignorant mens bookes so and in a much better sense this Booke of the world is the Heathen mans booke wherein
there is a remedy if you will but see this sinne of yours and mourne for it for all that mourne in Sion and are broken hearted shall be comforted Therefore you must know there is a passive sorrow for sin when God shall affright a man with the Terrour of his wrath and that is a flash of hell fire if our end were only to kindle these sparks it were indeed to breed Torture in the soule but there is an active humiliation when a man labours to be convinced of his sin to know all hee can against himselfe and this is it which leads to life for this is the end of our preaching the end of our discovering of sin And this use you may make of the hainousnesse of sinne and so much shall serve for the first use Secondly if there be such a truth such a knowledge made evident by God himselfe then men should learne hence to be thankful to God for it for whereas all men might have perished as the Devils did as the Angels that fell did yet God hath shewed this mercy to mankinde he hath given them Secundam Tabulam post naufragium and that is this light which is the thing which you have cause to be thankfull for for this light is worth all the world beside nothing is so precious because it shewes the way to escape Hell and damnation therfore you ought to be thankfull to God for it You specially that live under the Sun-shine of the Gospell you must thinke you might have beene borne in other ages when darknesse covered the world or in another Nation and not in Goshen where the light shines and if in the Church you might have been ignorant as many of our Countrey people are even almost as ignorant as Turkes and Iewes but when God hath discovered light in great measure and hath given a great portion thereof to you you must know all this is not come to passe by accident but by Gods providence you are to take notice of it and learne to be thankfull not in show only but indeed and in truth that is by practising according to the knowledge you have for it is a thing most precious Mat. 7.6 An Admonition is compared to a pearle whereas the admonition is but one part of this light and what is said of a part may be said of the whole Salomon could not finde a fit thing to compare this Wisdome to It is more precious than pearles nay all that can be named or desired cannot be compared with it Therefore seeing it is a precious thing trample not these pearles under your feet know that God hath put a price into thine hand and that is thy light and it is a price that will buy heaven it will bring thee to salvation but if thou wantest an heart as the foole hath a price but he wants an heart it will do thee no good take heed thou doe not neglect it doe not abuse it take not the grace of God in vain but see thou use this light When the great promise of Christ his comming was made what was it but this that they should have a new light that the people that sate in darknesse and in the shadow of death should see a light they never saw before you that live in this light that enjoy that which was so many yeares ago promised to the Gentiles and is now fulfilled take heed of abusing it use it to the purpose for which it is given that is to guide your feet into the way of peace Againe thirdly to joyne that with it As you must be thankful so in the third place you must take heed of doing any thing contrary to this Truth it is a very dangerous thing to neglect it There is not a sparke of it not a beame of this light which is conveyed to you by the ministery of the Gospell which shall be in vaine Though you doe not prize it it shall set you a steppe nearer heaven or hell even every sparke and beame of this and this is it which may make men afraid and looke about them seeing that when this light is made knowne it is so dangerous to neglect it Therefore thinke this when God hath sent a right Ministery Consider who hath sent this light God hath done it and will GOD send a vaine mâ—ssage A wise man will not doe so if then God send it not in vaine it is to some purpose to doe either good or hurt Now suppose that this light have done you no good that you have lived long under this light but have attained no good you have knowne much but practised little then know this shall exceedingly encrease your condemnation Paul saith We thanke God that he hath caused us to triumph in IESUS CHRIST in making manifest the savour of his knowledge in every place What is the reason he should rejoyce that this was made manifest seeing to some it did no good Yes saith he it shall encrease their condemnation it shall be the sweet savour of God in them that are saved and in them that perish So when wee preach if the light doe you no good it doth you hurt As Isaiah his Commission was Goe preach to this people and shut their eyes lest they should see with their eyes and heare with their eares If we are not sent to enlighten men we are sent to make their hearts fat and their eares heavie Thou shalt doe no good by thy ministery yet I have sent thee that they may know there was a Prophet among them Therefore take heed you to whom this is sent that it be not sent onely to this end that it may be knowne there hath beene a Prophet among you Those to whom God hath revealed much let them know it shall not be in vaine If the King send a Message and men will obey it so it is if not if they make his authority worth nothing he will elevate his Authority and will inflict a Penalty So God sends not in vaine if you will not obey him God will not suffer any to sleight his Authority but he will be surely revenged Therefore take heed how you detaine this Truth in unrighteousnesse that when GOD hath discovered this knowledge you doe not practice it But every man will be apt to say and indeed they that are most guilty but I hope we doe practise it and not detaine it Therefore I will set downe though not all yet many of the Cases wherein they detaine this Truth and with-hold it in unrighteousnesse wherein they doe not practise according to this knowledge and these are seven in number First in the Commission of all knowne sins there you detaine this Truth there you imprison it whensoever you finde this to be your Case that you commit any knowne sinne therein you are a detainer of the Truth an imprisoner of it As for example when a man shall know that these duties ought to bee done I
the Prophets prophecie not but is willing to be informed to the full yet when he hath it he acts it not he doth not exercise nor practice this Truth That is another degree of with-holding it And this is a frequent Case for a man may know and be informed in all Truths yet they may lye there unused and unacted they may lye there idle Now when a man is not willing to practice the meanes by which these Truths are used he doth properly with-hold the Truth in unrighteousnesse As for example the way to act the Truths we have to stirre them up to blow up these coales to bring them to present memory so as they may be brought to present practise is the Communion of Saints the company of holy men that when a man hath forgot godly company may bring to minde againe so frequent reading and hearing these doe act the Truth for the end of our ministery is not onely to make you to know these things but to bring those things to minde which you have forgot if we will not use but neglect the meanes of acting the Truth then we with-hold it So for private prayer whereas a man should bring his heart to God every day should doe it throughly should call himselfe to a reckoning for every sin for all sorts of Omissions or of Commissions this is a meanes to act this Truth this good purpose and inclination this sparke which God hath kindled were it not for this they would be raked up in the ashes againe now performing prayer in a devout and fervent manner doth liven them whereas to doe things for fashion or to satisfie naturall conscience and not throughly is to neglect them so that when a man doth not practice not exercise the Truths hee hath as the very exercise quickens them againe when he doth neglect any of the means by which these coales are blowne up by which these Truths are to be stirred up he properly imprisons the Truth Let no man say But when a man imprisons a thing he barres the doore but to let the Truth lye is a matter of negligence how is it then an imprisoning Yes it is an imprisoning a surprising of it as it is with fire if it have not a vent though you cast no water upon it yet you put it out as on the contrary side if you give it vent you encrease it so you are guilty in this Case of murdering the Truth of putting it out As in any Art that a man learnes if he let his Art or Trade lye still and unused he forgets it so these Truths are extinguished when a man is not diligent in using all meanes of grace The receiving of the Sacrament is a meanes to quicken and Act these Truths fasting and prayer when God cals for it is a meanes to quicken them goe through all meanes which God hath ordained to put us in minde of these Truths and so farre as you neglect the meanes so farre you detaine these Truths in unrighteousnesse The end of the Seventh Sermon CERTAINE SERMONS VPON HVMILIATION The Eighth SERMON ROMANS 1.19 20. Forasmuch as that which may be knowne of God is manifest in them for God hath shewed it unto them For the invisible things of him that is his eternall power and God-head are clearly seene by the creation of the world being considered in his workes to the intent that they should be without excuse THe fourth Case wherein we withhold this truth in unrighteousnesse and imprison it is when we directly suppresse it when we doe indeed suffocate it when we doe this of purpose this is an evident Case when a man not only withdrawes fewell when he doth not only not act it neglecting the meanes but doth purposely suppresse it As for example when God shall kindle a good sparke in any mans heart and put in a good motion not only reveales but stirres up some Truths which concerne his salvation and hee doth endeavour to put it out to quench it and labours to lay that truth asleepe and is glad when by any meanes he can forget it lest it should trouble him this is a great suppessing of the Truth and by this we not only suppresse this Truth but we doe harden our owne hearts exceedingly as in iron when we quench it we doe not only put out the fire but harden the Iron so when God stirs up many Truths as it is in hearing the Word in apprehension of death in suffering some calamity in a good mood the putting out of these doth harden the heart Therefore when a man shall have good purposes and thinke with himselfe I will now begin to be another man and to change my courses and yet shall goe into ill company such as it may be he hath kept before this is an evident suffocating of the Truth a thing often spoken of and blame me not that I speake of it againe for it is the great quench-coale of Religion a man cannot prosper therein if he looke not to his company because it is as a continuall dropping on a fire-brand which will be sure to put out the light and life and grace which one hath Chrysostome compares ill company to putting in of swine when a man hath planted an Orchard with tender Plants when he hath sowed it and the corne or whatsoever it is appeares leave the hedge open and let the swine come in and they will overturne all by the roots So when we Ministers have sowed the Seed and it begins to grow a little to put forth when ill company come in they spoile all they marre all they pull up all by the roots so that we have lost our labour it is indeed so effectuall to keepe downe the Seed and to make us imprison the Truth Againe custome in sin giving your selves liberty in any sin that keepes downe the Truth and nothing more Therefore of all other things you must know nothing suppresses that Truth that knowledge those beginnings of Grace those good motions in us so much as actuall sin because it is quite contrary to it Fire is not quenched so much with any thing as with water being quite contrary thereto and light is not hid so much in any thing as in darknesse Take heed then that you be not led away with the deceitfulnesse of sin you may thinke you shall be able to leave this sin afterwards but it is not in your power to do so for sin takes away the sense and a great sinne weakens the faculty that should resist it puts out the Truth because it is so directly contrary unto it And herein you must observe a notable difference betweene men that live godly and others the godly when they fall into sin it is so farre from putting out this Truth that it helps it forward for their fals doe but discover such sins and so it causes them to search themselves by which meanes they finde out that to be in them which they never
performe not their duties diligently for this Truth As it is committed to us Ministers to preach it so it is committed to you that are Governours to bring men into the obedience of it you are to goe your way by the Sword and by your Authority for it is committed to your keeping as it is said of the great Magistrate he is Custos utriusque tabulae you must looke that Truth have his progresse as well as that the Common-wealth suffers no detriment Therefore let not your Authority lye as a Sword in a scabbard but let it be kept sharpe to cut downe Popery and whatsoever is an Impediment to this Truth and thinke it no small thing to neglect it for whatsoever sinnes are committed which you have Authority to restraine these sinnes are put on your reckoning Looke on the first Epistle of Timothy the fifth Chapter and the two and twentieth verse Lay hands on no man suddenly saith the Apostle and be not partakers of another mans sinnes If any be under thee whom thou hast to doe with if thou doest not bring him in and restraine him thou art partaker of his sinnes you know what was said to Ahab Thy life shall goe for his life and you know that not to strike the Nocent is as abominable in Gods sight as to strike the Innocent Therefore take heed of neglecting it whether it be out of feare as that is one Impediment or out of negligence Rom. 12.8 Let them that rule doe it diligently let them that give Almes doe it cheerefully As if that were a thing wherein givers are too blame that they doe it not cheerefully and diligently Therefore be you diligent in your places to set the Truth at liberty to bring men into subjection to it so farre as may be And so much shall serve for this being the sixth Case Now the seventh and last case is when we know these Truths of God and doe not professe them when God kindled a light and you put it under a bushell When God worketh Grace in any mans heart his Intent is it should shine forth to the eyes of others you must not shut up the windowes that no body may see if you doe whatsoever your respects be you with-hold the Truth in unrighteousnesse He that shall know the Truth and out of feare shall not professe it openly this feare is a sinne and hee that with-holds it out of that respect with-holds it in unrighteousnesse It is that which GOD requires of necessity With the heart wee beleeve and with the mouth we confesse to Salvation GOD requires the one as well as the other this is that that shut out the Pharisees the chiefe men among the Rulers that beleeved they durst not confesse him for feare of the Pharisees you shall see a brand set on them they lost their soules for it Therefore doe not say a man may keepe Religion to himselfe may have a good minde and bee devout in secret and that to bring it to view is hypocrisie it is not so it is a false opinion In doing so you robbe GOD of his glory and your selves of salvation It it the bearing witnesse to the Truth which you are bound unto and you cannot have this Truth in you but it will appeare Grace cannot bee concealed it cannot be hidde and if it could yet you must know that the very concealing of this Truth puts an imputation on it for wee conceale nothing but what wee are ashamed of and shame implyes you know that there is something amisse so that though you little thinke of it this concealing of the Truth this hiding of it is a degree to blasphemie it layes an imputation on the HOLY GHOST for it doth on the Light and Truth which is an effect of the HOLY GHOST Therefore know GOD desires both hee will have the inside cleane and the outside too Indeed if the inside be cleane the outside will bee so also but it is not true on the contrary A man may have a cleane outside as in Matthew the three and twentieth Chapter Make the inside cleane that the outside may bee cleane also The meaning is If a man have a cleane inside it is not possible but a cleane outside will follow It is true there may bee leaves and no fruit but there can bee no fruit but there will beleaves many counterfeit peeces may looke yellow but there is no Gold but it lookes yellow Doe not say then it is hypocrisie in them that professe Religion for they would not take the profession of these things to themselves but that they see a beauty and excellencie in them Therefore consider it and know there lyes a necessity on you do you think it unequall that God should be ashamed of you and will you be ashamed of him Is he such a Father that his children should bee ashamed of him or such a Master as we should be ashamed to weare his Livery Doe this to earthly Masters and see how they will take it Indeed if there were not some losse to men in undertaking this profession wee need not spend so much time to presse men to it but there is a losse in professing the Truth you may lose many friends and procure many enemies undergoe many crosses lose many benefits and preferments which you might have had this CHRIST tells you before-hand but if you love him you must deny your selves in these They breed an emnity in men instance that place of Ahab Hast thou found mee Oh mine enemie And am I your enemie because I tell you the Truth All men shall hate you for my Names sake And the more the Truth appeares the greater is the hatred because the object of hatred is greater But if you object what is the reason Peter saith 1 Pet. 3.13 Will any man deny to follow that which is good I answer There is a double good and that is profitable to man as to be Iust Meeke Gentle Patient ready to doe good in a word all goodnesse of this kinde men will love you for but there is another thing in Religion and that is practice of true Righteousnesse and Holinesse and that crosses men Therefore Saint Peter addes Blessed are yee if yee suffer for righteousnesse sake As if he had said though for your goodnesse men love you yet for your righteousnesse you must suffer persecution therefore that must be made account of before-hand and you must be ready to beare it So much shall serve to set downe the Cases Wherewith men with-hold this Truth in unrighteousnesse Fourthly if there bee such a Truth made knowne to us by God himselfe then in the observing of this Truth looke for happinesse in the transgressing of it expect misery ruine and destruction If God that is the Governour the Summum bonum shall appoint the Truth and set man a Law whatsoever that Law is in observing of that Law there is happinesse It is so with every creature he hath given every
sinne by frequencie in any actuall sin As Varnish intends colours it puts on no new colours but intends it makes it more bright if there was a glimmering light before addition of light makes the former light greater so frequencie of sin makes sinne more active more efficacious more vigorous as humours being accustomed to a place are ready to breake forth there so a sin wherein you have had an issue wherin you have given your selves liberty there sin gets greater victory over you therefore consider if you be not guilty of the power of sin of the impetuity of your lusts Lastly consider if you have not deserved that God should give you up to these lusts many are taken in sin as the fish on the hooke which cannot get off it seizes as an Apoplexie on a man that cannot be cured When the sinne gets ground it is like the sea getting ground on the land which cannot be recovered I confesse this is the Case of many hundred men but consider if you have not made way for this for as the lower stayres lead up to the higher so there be lesser sins which make way for greater not by way of efficacie as Acts beget an habite but by way of merit God may Iustly give them over to this strength of sin Therefore though their lusts bee strong and impetuous yet this doth not make them inexcusable Fifthly when none of this will serve the turne then they are readie to lay it on their temptations How can a man doe otherwise when it stands in such circumstances that is subject to such company to such occasions such businesses and so many things to draw him away When that within will not excuse him he comes to that without To this I answer when a man is drawne to any thing without it is the concupiscence within that doth it put fire to that which is not combustible it will not burne it is the corruption within that doth all Therefore observe that in Act. 5. It is Peters speech to Ananias and Saphira Why hath Satan filled thy heart As if he had said It is true Satan hath put this into thy heart he hath tempted thee to the sin to lye to the Holy Ghost but know thou wast the cause of it thou hadst the keyes of thy heart if thou hadst not suffered Satan to have entred he could not have done it And besides consider if thou hast not put thy selfe into this Temptation It is one thing for God to lead into temptation and another thing to lead our selves into it You know what is said of Ahaziah 2 King 8.27 He walked in the wayes of the Kings of Israel and did as the house of Ahab had done because he had the daughter of Ahab to wife As if he had said It is true it was Ahabs daughter that led him into those sins but he led himselfe into the temptation he should not have married Ahabs daughters Consider whether thou hast not put thy selfe into this circumstance and led thy selfe into this temptation Last of all another Pretence and Excuse is as I have the temptation that others want so I want the means others have If I had the means others have I should doe well enough I answer first consider if thou hadst not meanes and didst not profit by them consider how many meanes God affoorded thee from whence thou receivedst not that fruit and profit which thou mightest have done And if thou didst not and God deprived thee of the meanes know thou art the cause of it thy selfe for when men neglect the meanes when God shall set up a light and men will not worke by that light he doth as Masters doe with their servants when they set them a candle and they play by it and will not use it as they should they take it away in anger so God removes away the light he takes away the Gospell he sends a famine of the Word when we neglect it or as parents doe when their children play with their meat they take it from them When men will not use their Talents God takes them away and this Talent of the Word above all other when it shall be abused and not used to Gods glory If all this will not serve to excuse them in generall then are they ready to excuse themselves in particular First by denying the fact or Secondly by slighting the fault First by denying the Fact they deny that they are guilty of a thousand sins of which they are guilty this disposition you shall finde in them in Malach. 1. You have despised me and you say Wherein have we despised thee And you have robbed me and spoiled me and you say Wherein have we robbed thee And you reckon it a wearinesse to serve the Lord and you say wherein are we weary So it is the nature of man to deny the Fact if it be possible See Gods answer when they have asked these questions You have offered the lame and blinde in sacrifice Consider what you doe doe you not despise God in the prayers that you make doe not you performe them in a sleight and perfunctory manner Doe you not offer to God of the worst There be men that Salomon speakes of that despise their way that is some things they neglect which they thinke are not worth looking after some things they reckon as trifles which they will not care for this is to despise God Secondly If they cannot deny the Fact they sleight the Fault and one of these they say either the sinne is small which they commit and hope that will excuse them or if they be greater sins they fall into them by humane frailty and infirmity and are sorry for what they have done so extenuating what they doe and making it a matter of nothing But to answer first for small sins sins are not to be measured by the bulke but by the circumstances with which they are committed though thou thinkest it a small sin in it selfe yet considering it with the circumstances it may bee great A sin committed against light of conscience and with deliberation is a great sin as the Prophet that turned another way it was a small thing for him to doe it yet having the sure Word of God for a rule not to doe it you see God punished him not as for a small sinne and he being just we may argue from the greatnesse of the punishment that the sin was great so Adams eating of the forbidden fruit to eat an Apple was a small matter but there being the Almighty God's Command to the contrary the punishment shews what the sin was So men thinke that to sweare a small oath is no great matter but Christ saith Let your yea be yea and your nay nay and when God hath commanded a thing though it be never so smal yet that makes it great so it was a small thing for Saul to sacrifice before Samuel came
God doth lead along but men doe Ponere obices lay blocks in his way God deales not only in Iustice but in much mercy with any vessell of wrath Indeed he loves the godly in a speciall manner but mercy he shewes to every man and the reason why he is not brought to more light is because he layes blockes and when God reveales still he layes more till at length there be an end of his patience and long-suffering To give an instance in Saul and David God led Saul along but he sins still God leads him on till at length hee went his way and God leaves him quite but in David you shall finde as many frailties as in Saul if you looke on Davids nature the strong temptations to which he was subject he was ready to lay blockes too but because God had a peculiar love to David he removed them all yet God dealt with Saul in much mercy he shewed much patience and long-suffering but David he loved with a peculiar love therefore he carried him thorow all So it is with all the faithfull I will put my feare in thine heart that thou shalt never depart from me saith God But you will say this is to preach Free-will and if men have free-will and be condemned for not doing what they might doe what is the difference betweene the Doctrine of the Papists and this I answer Though there be a free-wil to doe that for the not doing of which they shall be condemned so as you cannot come to any particular that these men cannot doe yet God hath kept it in his power to draw whom he will to sanctifie whom he will for God keepes these two together he keepes men within compasse of common grace so that they may doe much of themselves and the changing of mens hearts the enabling of them to beleeve effectually or repent the drawing of them to God that is proper to God So that these may well stand together this freedome they have yet it is not in any mans power to beleeve to repent effectually The second use we should make of it is for practice learne hence then to justifie God and to condemne our selves to thinke well of him and ill of our selves to give him the glory of his mercy and patience and long-suffering and to take shame to our selves lay the blame where the blame ought to be laid for let a man have committed never so great never so many sins if he hath something to say for himselfe he will never be humble labour to come to this to see that thou hast nothing to say for thy selfe to see that thy sin is out of measure sinfull as indeed it is and this will put a necessity on thee and teach thee to love much because much is forgiven thee and till this thou canst not be a man fit to come to Christ Therefore you shall finde these two expressions Rom. 3. All are under sinne And the like is in Galath 3.22 He hath shut up all under sin that the promise by the faith of IESUS CHRIST might be given to them that beleeve that every mouth may be stopped That is before God will shew mercy he will bring them to see that they are inexcusable that their mouths may be every way stopped that they may have nothing to say for themselves that they may have no excuse no Postica no back-doore when a man is shut up in sin when there is no evasion nothing to extenuate sin withall then his soule is humble and begins to sinâ—e before God then he sees the necessity of comming to Christ and is brought into the case they were in in the second Chapter of the Acts Men and brethren what shall we doe to be saved As if they should say before we thought we were in a good condition at least we had something to hold by in our apprehension but when Peter shewes them their guiltinesse then men and brethren what shall we doe to be saved This is it the Scripture cals Afflict your selves Iam. 3. Now the Greek word for Affliction is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is when sorrow stands round about a man when there is no way to get out when one is hedged in on every side for when there is any scape it is not properly an Affliction because there is an evasion a way to helpe out but that makes it an Affliction when it compasses us round when we have nothing to say when all objections are removed so that we are througly convinced of sin this stirres up present apprehension of danger present sorrow for sin and when any Affliction is present it will have present ease There be many excuses but when the Holy Ghost removes all these then men are driven to Christ indeed before they clave to sinne as to their Center still departing and loath to depart for men come out of the state of unregeneration as Lot did come out of Sodome who was so loath to come out that the Angell was faine to draw him out so till we be all nothing till there be no twigge to hang by till there be no Fibrae to nourish us on our owne bottome we will never come to Christ as Ioab if he could have escaped Salomon he would not have flowne to the hornes of the Altar but when he saw no hopes then he laid hold on them and said If he will kill me he shall kill me here So if we can subsist in our naturall condition wherein we are we will love it we will cleave to it but when God hath ferited us out of all our turnings that there is no hope left then we goe to Christ then we take hold on the hornes of the Altar as when a man hath a cord let downe to him into the sea you need not bid him hold fast So when God takes away all excuses takes a man quite from his owne bottome cuts him from the root of Nature on which hee grew this makes him come to Christ. When we tell men of their sins that they are accursed that doe not keepe every part of the Law they deale with us as the Aegyptians did when it was told them that in every house the first borne should die except the destroying Angell saw their doore-posts sprinkled with bloud they regarded it not they minded it not till the very day and then where the bloud was not found they died for it So we may tell you of sin of the danger you are in we may tell you that you shall die yet you beleeve it not only a few whose hearts are sprinkled with the bloud of the Lambe they indeed defer it not for they doe not know how soone the destroying Angell may come Therefore labour to be convinced this is to know what a Mediatour is and not to have it in speculation only And here it were good to consider what that is that holds men on their roots there is an Anchor under water though
men see it not that keepes them in their old condition if we could hit on it And it is either Inconsideration men consider not what they have to doe they look not about them according to that in Deut. 29. You have seene all what the Lord did to Pharaoh but the Lord hath not given you hearts to consider it to this day Now if you aske what Consideration is I answer Consideration is nothing else but an Act superadded to Knowledge when a man not only knowes but returnes and reflects on what he knowes when he stayes and abides on it when he lookes round about a businesse not on a corner of it but fully and weighes every circumstance Therefore we are said to ponder our wayes when wee doe not onely looke to that which is present but to the time past and to come when all things are taken in Now when a man shall lay all together when he shall consider that is thinke seriously and remember that he hath but a little time to live here and that there is another place where he shall live for all eternity that he hath an immortall soule and that his state is dangerous that his sins are great and the wrath of God is as a consuming fire when these are laid together when he considers them and stayes on them by these means he comes to see with his eyes and understand with his heart and to be converted and healed but because men doe consider thence it is that they grow on their roote still and are not brought to this inexcusablenesse nor have all Arguments taken away Or another reason is some Lust there is world credit riches pleasures or something which they are loath to part with the rich man will not part with his possessions they in the twelfth of Iohn will not part with their credit with the Pharisees Ieroboam will not part with his Kingdome till these Arguments shall be answered and God shall cut off those snares for so they are termed 2 Tim. 2.25 Waiting if God will give them repentance to know the truth and to come out of the snare of the Devill who taketh them at his will The meaning is every man before he be regenerate is holden by some snare the snare is some lust the root of it is some false reasoning now when men come to know the truth and to be delivered out of the snare of the Devill when God convinceth a man and opens that truth undoes that false reasoning on which that lust is founded he cuts the snare asunder and then they are set at liberty Every man saith I cannot live without credit without my state without my kingdome as every man hath a kingdom of his owne when God teacheth that this is vanity and if we will be happy the best way is to serve God with a perfect heart when God teacheth the contrary Truth then he is out of the snare of the Devill when he hath awaked his conscience that he is sicke of sin that he feeles his rebellions then the thing he magnified before is nothing now As when a man is sicke the houses and orchards he magnified before are now not regarded his dainty fare and gorgeous apparell he hath no pleasure in them for he is sicke So it is with the Soule when God chargeth sin on the Conscience Againe when God shewes better things than these as Heb. 10.34 They had in heaven a better and an enduring substance and therefore cared for nothing They cared not for parting with their goods when they had another righteousnesse to trust to So when God opened the heavens and shewed himselfe to Paul He reckons all as dung and drosse he doth not magnifie what he did before And thus are men freed from the snare of the Devill Therefore when a man shall deferre and thinke I am ready to come but I will not yet I say these must be taken away for they are false reasonings by which we are built on our root Now when a man shall be perswaded of the danger of putting the evill day farre from him when the Holy Ghost shall give him wisdome to number his dayes then he will take to himselfe new thoughts Every man naturally feares death but because it is farre off no man regards it and so because we put the evill day farre from us we turne not to God now when God shall convince a man of the Truth and teach him to number his dayes Wel thou art now in healtâ— and strength but when thou commest to numâ—ber the dayes that remain they are very small Put case a man had an hundred dishes of meat before him if one come and sayes Take heed what you doe for one of these dishes is poison he will not taste of any of them except he have taken an Antidote before So when the Holy Ghost teacheth it is true In one of these dayes is death thou shalt finde poison that shall take away thy life whether first or last it is uncertaine if thou were wise to consider thy latter end that is if thou hadst the wisdome which God must teach thou wouldst see little reason why to venture thy soule on one of these daies if thou hast not made thy Election sure for this is as to eat of one of those dishes when there is poison in it Therefore consider beloved what uncertainty of life there is what it is to venture the soule and what eternity is When God shall each this and stirre up present affections of feare and apprehension of wrath it will teach a man not to deferre but to come home speedily Againe when this place of Scripture and the like shall be seriously considered That if the Good-man of the house knew at what time the Theefe would come he would have an eye to him That Christ hath threatned all before hand that doe not watch And I will come at a time thou thinkest not of me If thou didst consider this when thou art most secure and furthest off from God in the midst of thy jollity and fast asleepe I will come at a time when thou lookest not for me And didst thou thinke this threatning in vaine Didst thou beleeve this Scripture and lay it to heart thou wouldest not deferre thy Turning to God Againe consider put case thou hast liberty if sicknesse come and give thee warning alas how farre art thou from being able to repent Are the times in thine hand Must not the Holy Ghost change thine heart If thou dost now take resolution to amend hast not thou cause to suspect that it proceeds from selfe-love For if it had beene not of love to God wouldest thou not have turned sooner And if it be out of selfe-love God accepts it not All this while wee have spent in shewing the Disease and now wee must shew the Remedy FINIS A SERMON PREACHED AT A GENERALL FAST BEFORE THE COMmons-House of Parliament the second of Iuly 1625. In the time of
but think with your selves doe you thinke he lesse pities the diseases of the Soule than he did the diseases of the Body Doe you thinke that he hath lesse compassion now he is in Heaven than hee had when he was on Earth Or doe you think that His Arme is shortned that he cannot doe as much now to heale the running sores that are on thy soule as he did on earth to heale bodily diseases My Brethren if you doe but seeke to him if you can get but a word from him if he say but to you Be whole if hee doe but rebuke thy sinfull lusts as he rebuked the Feaver it shall presently obey him Hee that was able to calme the sea and that hath the strong winds in his power is he not able to dissolve a strong inordinate apprehension a strong lust a strong unruly affection and so set them at liberty certainly he is able You know the woman that had spent so many yeares and all that she had upon Physitians and could doe her selfe no good by all yet when shee comes to Christ once you see it was done in an instant So I say a strong lust an old lust which is contrary to this New Creature which it may be thou hast been contending with many yeares and cannot get the victory over it yet if thou canst come in this manner to him and contend with him and knocke at the doore and never give over till thou hast awaked him certainly hee will give thee the holy Ghost he will change and renue thy heart he will set thee at full libertie This he hath confirmed with an oath and whatsoever God hath sworn he will performe it without all reservation where hee is said to doe a thing without an oath there may be a reservation left therefore we never finde an oath to the old Covenant but he hath sworne to performe the new Covenant and you know this is a great part of the new Covenant to give a new heart to make a man a new Creature therefore where the new Covenant is made there this is repeated in Ier. 31. and Heb. 8. I will make a covenant with my people and what is that I will put my Law into their minds and in their hearts will I write them that is I will make them New Creatures Therefore I say this is a matter of much use to you If you goe to Christ and labour to have this done My Brethren there is nothing left for us to be assured nor any other experiment that wee need have that there is another life that Iesus Christ hath done these great things for us and that the Gospel is true I say there is nothing else left for us no other experiment in comparison of this that we see wee are made New Creatures This is all the miracles that we have nay I dare be bold to say more It was the greatest miracle that they had in that time when all the miracles were wrought And therefore you shall find that Paul gives this as the maine argument among the rest That they shall be raised againe at the last day that they were in Christ that the Gospel is real and true For saith he We have received the Spirit we have had the Spirit which is the earnest the pledge the annointing you shall finde it every where scattered in his Epistles the receiving of the Spirit is the maine ground that hee builds on as in the 2 Cor. 1.23 Hee hath established us together with you and hath annointed us and sealed us by giving the Spirit as an earnest into our hearts As if he should say this is the Argument we have that we shall be saved not for all the miracles so much as this that we have received the Spirit for that is the true annointing wee feele it in our selves that sealeth and confirmeth us wee cannot doubt having had experience of such a mighty worke in us that is the earnest and the pledge we have and therefore Ephes. 1.19 He prayes that they might see the exceeding greatnesse of his power working in those that beleeve as if that would bee a great confirmation to them if once they should finde an experiment of the greatnesse of his power And so Phil. 3.10 I care not for all the world on this condition that I might know him and the vertue of his resurrection that is that I might know him by the power of his Spirit changing my heart killing my sinnes raising me againe and in a word making me a New Creature that I might know this experiment I looke upon all the world as drosse and dung as things not to be named So I say seeing there is nothing else left in comparison of this and when miracles were wrought there was nothing like this that wee might have this experiment in our selves we should goe to God and not give him over till the worke be wrought in us that we might be made New Creatures That which keepes men off from religious courses for the most part is discouragement they think they shall not be able to go thorow it when they heare they must bee made new men in all things that there must be nothing that is old left but all the old leaven must bee purged out it discourageth men because they thinke they shall never bee able to reach it whereas this is an assurance to thee that if you go about it you shall not faile of your purpose but you shall certainly bring it to passe because if you seeke it at Gods hands he cannot deny you only I told you you must pray It may be for this purpose God will not heale thee altogether but suffer many lusts to grapple and to contend with thee that thou mayest be taught to doe this duty and therefore wee should learne to goe to Christ wee should feed on him every day and by that meanes we shall be renewed we shall get new strength otherwise what is the meaning of that In this mount hee will make a feast of fined wines and of fatlings of fat things full of marrow of wines fined and purified Esay 25.6 The meaning is this when you come to Christ to renue your Communion and your Covenant with him which is done through faith and prayer you draw neerer to him and that strengthneth the soule as Mannah strengthned them in the wildernesse that you live by it for every day there growes new distances betweene Christ and us we let goe our hold as it were in some measure and begin to fall off from him a little therefore every day we should renue this Covenant especially when we come to the Sacrament As Ionathan and David they renued the Covenant of God againe that was between them as if there were a new Solemnity of marriage if it were often to be renued to make the parties joyned more united make no question of it we should renue our match with Christ we should come neerer to him
that we may strengthen our soules because we recover our Communion with him For what is Sanctification but a drawing neere to the Lord And then we draw neere when we renue our Communion and our Covenant with him when the match is renewed between us and if we doe so we shall goe from him every day as men refreshed at a banquet like men that have fed on fat things full of marrow as men full of wine Be you filled not with wine wherein is excesse but with the Spirit What is the meaning of that Antithesis but to shew that the Spirit is like wine it strengthens and how receive we the Spirit Is there not the same meanes of renuing of it from day to day Is not the same meanes of renuing it as there is of receiving of it at the first Didst not thou get it first by going to Christ and shall not thou still regaine and repaire thy strength by that meanes I cannot stand to presse this farther Secondly in that they are put together thus Iustification and Sanctification hence wee should be stirred up to prise it to set it at the same rate as wee doe Remission of sinnes because we see the Holy Ghost doth so For seeing this thing is promised seeing it is chosen out among the great benefits wee have by CHRIST that we shall be renued we should learne so to judge of it to set it at an high rate in our conceits to conforme our Iudgement to the Iudgement of the Scriptures Every man would bee content to be saved but to be made a New Creature men are so farre from reckoning it a priviledge that they reckon it a bondage you would fain be free from Hell you would faine goe to Heaven without such a necessity put upon you this is the common fashion of men but marke the Holy Ghost puts this among the great benefits wee have by Christ. You know the comming of the Messias how it was magnified by the Iewes what great things they should have when Christ should come What were those great things One of the chiefe was to make them New Creatures to set them at libertie from their spirituall enemies That they should be taught of God that they should have his law written in their hearts and have their hearts circumcised to love him that they should have new hearts and new Spirits given them this is that great benefit that hath beene so much magnified so many yeares before the comming of Christ. It is that which the Apostles when they came to preach the Gospell set out as so great a Priviledge learne we to prise it for certainly there is nothing in the world so precious a grace whereby we are made New Creatures It is a true saying because indeed there is no excellencie that is like it if you would rectifie your judgments and teach them to apprehend things as they are therefore let us reason with you a little for that old man those lusts that you prise so much that you will not part with that you cherish and nourish in your selves and you are Enemies to those that are Enemies to them I say consider what you doe this old man is it not the sicknesse of the soule is it not the filth and the foulenesse of the soule is it not the slavery and bondage of the soule And the new man is it not the contrary doth it not excell it Therefore as much as health exceeds sicknesse as much as cleanenesse exceeds impuritie foulenesse and filthinesse as much as liliberty exceeds slavery and bondage so much and more doth the New man excell the Old man Besides if you looke to other things take all other things which the world hath all the profits all the pleasures all the learning and knowledge whatsoever it is that in the world is precious yet to be made a New Creature goes beyond all because indeed it puts you into the same condition that Adam had in innocencie you will say to be made like Adam againe to be restored to that happinesse it is beyond all that the world can afford Now to be made a New Creature it puts you into that estate But you will say that is not so Adam was in Paradice he had outward contentments in abundance but to be made a New Creature is not so It is true there were two Conditions that Adam had one was his outward Condition being placed in Paradice the other was his happinesse to be a New Creature this was incomparably beyond the other as wee shall easily make that plaine to you Put case there were a man that had faire Pallaces and Gardens and Orchards and all things that his heart could desire to have but all this while he hath not health would he regard all this On the other side suppose he had health put him into a Cottage if he have strength would hee not beare it well enough That is our case When Adam had all that yet when he had lost Gods Image when hee had lost being a New Creature he was like a man that was fallen into a great sicknesse he was fallen into terrour and horrour of conscience what good could all that doe A man that is out of Paradise that lives as wee doe among men that hath Gods Image renued on him which hee lost that is made a New Creature he is happie when Adam was miserable Let us consider a little What was it thinke you that made Adam happy in Paradise Was it the being in a Garden full of pleasant things No it was not that but his Communion with God that made him happy Therefore you see wherein his misery consisted it consisted not in the losse of Paradise for there he was still he had all that he had before for outward things but he felt shame and horrour of conscience he felt inward trouble and anguish of spirit when he heard the voice of God walking in the Garden therefore it stands not in that but to be made a New Creature is to be put into the inward condition that Adam was in and therefore you have reason to seeke it If any thing in the world be worth the seeking it is this to be made a New Creature All other things are not the proper excellencie of a man you know the Angels and the Saints want them and the Beasts enjoy them but the excellencie of man is to be made according to the first Rule to be squared according to the Image of God after which he was first created and hee is never well till he come to that As no Creature is well till it have that excellencie belonging to the kinde of it this is an excellencie peculiar to man therefore seeke happinesse as long as you will in other things you shall never finde it but in being made New Creatures in having Gods Image repaired in being sanctified in Body and Soule and Spirit this puts you into an happy
condition But you will say these are but Notions imaginary Assertions we feele not such things give me that man that hath the sense of this that feeles more sweetnesse in this than Adam did in all his outward Paradise which he had To this we answer First that there is a sense of it though spirituall Grace be a thing that is not exposed to the senses yet there is as true and as quicke a sense as there is of outward and corporall delights because when you are made New Creatures you have a new life and that hath new senses in it It hath a taste hunger and thirst it hath as quicke a sight it hath every thing that the other hath you know the apprehension of all the comforts wee have is not that which stands in the outward senses that is not worthy the name but the apprehension that the will and understanding hath of things it is every mans minde that makes a man to live happie or miserable that is his apprehension of things when thou livest a new life and thy apprehension is altered and changed thou hast as quicke a sense of those spirituall priviledges in Christ of peace of Conscience of joy in the Holy Ghost of all the benefits that rise from his Passion thou wilt have as quicke a sense as ever thou hadst of outward delights Againe if thou wouldest have such a sense let me say this to thee the time is not yet come thou shalt have it and have it in abundance but as yet as it is said We are the sonnes of God but it appeares not what wee shall bee It is true on both sides those worldly men that bragge so much of their present sense that they have and that others want it appeares not yet what either shall be but you are mingled together and there is one common condition to all because this is the time of trial Mark the wise General he doth not like of a Souldier at the first but when he hath tried him and hath suffered both to runne out their course the valiant man and those that are cowards when their course is finished and when the battell is done that is the time of conferring of honours The wise Master doth not reward his servants at the first but hee lets them alone the good servant and the bad till their time be out till the time of their wages come that is the time when hee makes the difference So doth the Lord for this time the Battell is not to the strong that is men have not their reward here for the present time Even as it is upon a Stage both are let alone till they have acted their part there is no alteration but when they come off from the Stage that is the time when the one is commended and the other is discommended So it is with the Sonnes of God and the Sonnes of men God lets you both alone for the time till you be gone off the Stage that is the time that you must looke for the difference therefore be not preposterous in your expectation be not discouraged because you have not such outward contentments because you are not above but below for the present life the time is not yet come for God doth not yet rule the world as he will do he hath as it were left the world to be ruled by others he hath left men to rule now errour comes from the face of the Ruler as the Wise-man saith that is there is that obliquity in the hearts of men those that are in place of government generally That Servants ride on Horse-backe and Princes and Wise-men goe as Servants on foot The Reason is because men rule the world For errour saith Salomon is from the face of the Ruler But now when God shall take all the government into his owne hands when he shall be absolute King in the exercise of his dominion then he will set all straight and not before then Servants shall goe on foot and Princes and Wise-men shall ride on Horse-backe therefore expect not thou it yet the time is not yet come that thou shouldest be on Horse-backe thou must be content to goe on foot yet And therefore though you have not the present sense goe on notwithstanding hold out thy expectation a while though it appeare not yet what thou shalt be yet it will come when thou shalt have the sense of it in abundance Thirdly and lastly though thou have it not fully though the time be deferred till the day of the declaration of the wrath of God on the one hand and of his favour to the Saints on the other yet by being New Creatures you shall have outward comforts in great abundance you shall not fare the worse but much the better for it for the Promise is sure to those that feare the Lord To humility and the feare of God to them is promised Riches and Honour and Life And God performes it in this life though the full harvest bee kept for afterwards though you have but the first fruits of the reward as well as you have but the first fruits of the Spirit yet in this life as you walke more perfectly with him so he will with you and the lesse you walke with him the lesse hee will walke with you that is such an evennesse you shall finde in the wayes of God to you such a measure of Iudgement and mercy as there is evennesse or unevennesse of your hearts as there is so much new or so much old Let us labour to make our wayes more perfect and we shall be more perfect in our outward estate we shall be better in our wealth we shall be blessed better in our name thou shalt bee more cheerefull in thy Spirit thou shalt be blessed in thy wife and in thy children at thy going out and at thy comming in in every thing so that the present wages that you shall have set aside that which is deferred for the future it is exceeding large to the New Creature there is comfort enough in the thing holinesse is reward enough to it selfe if you should have no more If a man be in strength and in health what if you put him into a Cottage what if he be put into prison he can beare it well enough If there were no more but to be made a New Creature it were enough to make your hearts to desire that condition but besides that it brings outward comforts in abundance or if you have not abundance it will make a little instead to you of a great deale So much for this because I have other things to deliver Thirdly are they inseparable Then take heed of challenging the one without the other doe not thinke that you are in Christ if you finde not that New Creature And this Doctrine is of much moment for this is that that we shall all be tried by at the last day and it is that peremptory Sentence
will briefely shew you how you shall discerne it First you must know you shall have a present Sense of it you shall feele it in your selves you shall know that such a change is wrought in you for this is the difference betweene the Soule of a Man and the soule of a Beast a Beast cannot returne upon his action to know whether he have done such a thing or no but the Soule of a Man is able to doe it it is capable of reflect Acts as we say it can recoile and returne upon it selfe and can consider what is done with it therefore examine thy selfe by this thou mayest know whether such a change be wrought in thy heart or no. See it in other things thou canst tell what thou delightest in thou canst tell what thine inclination is for a mans inclination is of a quick sense it puts him forward it carries him to that which he desires therefore thou mayest see the scope of this thou mayest deceive another thou canst not deceive thine owne heart especially in judging this whether thou be a New Creature If thou judge strictly of thy selfe if thou have a right rule to examine it by the present sense of it may be an assurance that thou art made a New Creature for to be a New Creature is nothing else but to be turned upside downe when a man changeth his course as it were from East to West when hee sailes to a quite contrary point of the Compasse when the Rudder of his life is turned therefore Paul saith he came to preach To turne men from darknesse to light from the power of Satan of God Therefore there is a contrary course it is a turning it is true if the New Creature were but a buckling but a bowing of the course it would be hardly discerned but when it is from contrary to contrary such a thing is easily found I know such a thing as I hated now I love it I know such a duty that was tedious now it is delightfull such a thing I could not doe now I can performe it go thorow all the parts of thy life thou mayest have â— present sense Wonder not at this Doctrine for if it were not thus no man could have assurance at the first conversion of his heart to God if it were not that you might judge your selves by a present sense you have by that alteration by that reflect act of the Soule for when I say sense I meane that inclination of thy Soule If wee could not judge our selves by that no man at his first comming to CHRIST could judge of himselfe till he had staied some time and then at what time shall we set limits shall we stay at a day or a weeke or at a moneth or a yeare or seven yeare therefore a man may have assurance from the inclination of his Soule that there is a change in him or else we should never be able to comfort men in an exigent For except they had had triall except they had a long time to live except they might come to converse and be put upon it by temptation and triall no man could comfort himselfe therefore that is one thing to try it you shall finde a change wrought you shall finde the inclination of the Soule turned another way Goe thorow all the particulars looke thorow the whole rectitude of the Image of God expressed in all the graces of that whole line and look to your heart what it was before and thou shalt finde in every thing an alteration that is one thing to judge it by Secondly you shall judge something by the universality of it Whosoever is in Christ is a New Creature The meaning is not that the substance of a man is changed but the order and frame of his Soule is altered there are the same strings as it were but there is a new tune put to them there is the same Soule the same faculties but there is a new order there Marke as it is in all things that consist in order there you must have the whole or none at all the harmony that hath not every string set right in some measure it is no harmony but the harmony is dissolved Beauty that consists in a conformity of all the parts except there bee a concurrence of all the Beauty is dissolved it is nothing so in all things else therefore consider with thy selfe art thou made all new for thou must know that God workes not by halves no man ever had an heart halfe new and old in the worke of Redemption and re-creating and repairing of mankind there is not a worke of the Lord but it is perfect It is true it is not ripe yet there is a time for the maturity of it it shall grow to full ripenesse but yet the Lord lookes on it and it must be very good that is there must be all of it therefore consider with thy selfe Art thou all new Is there not some exempted place in thy heart and life that is yet old as old as it was If there be certainely thou art not yet made a New Creature Take Iudas for example you shall finde this he had old still his covetousnes yet remained in him that was not renued thence it was that in the Passeover there was such a strait charge that all the leaven should be purged out you see how it is repeated not a jot of leaven shall be left So saith the Apostle All must be new and unleavened because Christ our Passeover is offered for us But the naturall man will say this is impossible for then wee shall have no sinne My Brethren that is not the meaning of it the meaning is that thou must be purged from all the old leaven that is thou must allow none thou must strive against all thou must hate all thou must doe thy best to cleanse it out and not suffer any to be there willingly as to take possession in thy heart it may be there as a theefe as it were as a Creeper in but otherwise it is not to be there therefore consider that Let them looke to this that thinke stoppage is paiment that take liberty in some things and think to recompence it by a more strict care in other things for when a man comes to this to super-errogate in some things and to be negligent in others It is an evill signe it is a signe thou art not a New Creature for then all would bee new I say it is an ill signe that there is no life there it is a signe that all that thou doest otherwise is but counterfeit therefore it is worth your observation that when any man serves the Lord when he doth it not with his whole heart it is reckoned as counterfeit if there bee but one old place in the heart if there bee but one old lust living there God takes all as fained Ier. 3.10 You did not turne to me with your whole
such change wrought in him doth delight in nothing but to doe evill to doe well he hath no pleasure Gods Commandements are burthensome to him therfore the Laws of God are too strait for him that he cannot march in them as David could not march in Sauls Armour for it was too heavie for him A man that is a New Creature doth things with facility and delight But this is not all If thy Soule be fashioned and cast into a new mould thou wilt not onely doe good things readily but well and handsomely to use our common terme when as other men bungle at good workes and know not how to turne their hand unto them They doe them indeed but as the Wiseman saith Prov. 26.7 As the legs of the lame are not equall so is a Parable in a fooles mouth When they come to doe any good Actions it is like a Parable in a fooles mouth the Parable is not fit for his mouth as when a man hath one legge longer than another he is lame so a Parable in a fools mouth is not equall to his mouth the action may be good yet he doâ—h it but lamely it is beyond his reach hee doth not doe actions as hee should but an holy man doth them as a workeman I speake not of doing of them before men but before God who judgeth righteously when he comes to performe an holy duty hee doth it as it is meet hee prayes fervently and consecrates himselfe unto the Lord with delight Hee shewes mercy with cheerefulnesse and every grace hath his peculiar property wherein the goodnesse of it consists as Faith Love and Hope are the concomitants of his actions wherein their excellencie consists whereas other men doe the same duties but not with that affection that they should and they doe it but with a dead heart they are workes of vertue and have the lineaments of true ones but they are dead workes because life is not in them Therefore consider how thou doest things the matter is not so much what thou doest as how thou doest them Againe if thou bee a New Creature thou shalt know it by thy doing of good constantly as a man that doth it naturally In Nature you know the habites and inclinations are close and neere unto us and growing in us therefore if thou doe good in thy constant practice it is a signe thy heart is changed This is the first thing there is a new frame all the bent of the faculties are changed and by this you may know it if you doe good readily with facillity and delight and constantly One thing more observe in this new Frame there is not onely a bending of the Soule to a contrary point as it were but moreover all must be changed as for example Cast any thing into a new mould there is not only one part altered but all so if you be New Creatures you must finde this in your selves that you doe not make choice in the duties of godlinesse but take all and omit nothing You must bee holy in all manner of conversation those words are added in all manner of conversation and they are much to be observed that is in all the turnings of a mans life As if he be a Magistrate hee must be exact in hearing of Causes neither to feare any mans face nor to be moved by any mans favour if hee be an husband his speeches and actions must be holy his speeches must be gratious If thou be a Subject in reverence to the King and respective to others thou must bee holy in all manner of conversation otherwise the frame is not altered this must be of necessity for that which God requires of us is the keepâ—ng of the whole Law as Iames saith Iam. 2.20 where hee speakes of keeping the Law Evangelically For whosoever shall keepe the whole Law and yet faile in one point he is guilty of all Goe thorow the whole Latitude of our obedience if in one part thou wilt favour thy selfe thou art guilty of all In the same Epistle Iam. 1.26 If any man among you seemeth to be religious and bridleth not his tongue but deceives his owne heart that mans Religion is in vaine That which is here said of the tongue may be said of any thing else Doest thou doe thus and thus doest thou sanctifie the Sabbath doest thou goe to God in prayer goe to all particular duties I know not what to name unto you and yet in any of these dost faile consider that the Apostle might as well have said unto thee for that thy Religion is in vaine hee speakes of keeping the Law in an Evangelicall manner a man must set himselfe to keepe every Commandement and if he doe but take liberty in any he is guilty of the whole Take this for a sure rule what God requires of us in the Gospell he gives us strength to performe but if our hearâ—s were not altogether new moulded the worke would be more than our strength therefore of necessity the heart must be altogether new moulded Therefore the Apostle saith and what he saith is common to all the Saints I can doe all things through Christ that strengthneth mee Every man that hath this new frame wrought in him may say so If thou be in Christ thou hast a new frame in thy heart which makes thee able to doe all things through Christ. Consider of this and apply it to your selves for it is a matter of much moment as the Apostle saith We are not ashamed to write unto you of these things againe and againe So it is a point we have touched before yet we will speake of it againe and again Consider with thy selfe whether there be such a generall change in thee or no for the goodnesse of a thing consists in the order else the whole is dissolved as in beauty there are two things wherein it consists the frame and order of it that we say is beautifull when the frame is good and no part is to bee admired above the rest so it is the frame and order of the Soule wherein its beauty consists when the whole frame is right and thou art inabled to doe the whole duties of new obedience Observe Gods dealing in this case when Saul had failed in one thing God cast him off But you will say this was an heard judgement did not David faile many times as well as he It is true but here is the difference Saul had a naturall heart to doe evill although his profession was good yet when he was put to the triall whether he would take the fat sheepe and the oxen he did it yet you must know it was not for that that God cast him off but because the frame of his heart was not good for hee would have done it againe and againe an hundred times over I say the disposition of his heart was evill Balaams eye unto the wages of iniquitie marred all though he kept himselfe aloft and
is none shines into the house so when men thinke they understand most yet they want this light to shine into the house Luke 24.45 Then opened he their understandings that they might understand the Scriptures They had heard Christ before but they understood not his Word like those which sowed seed on ill ground and therefore received not the fruit of it but when the Holy Ghost comes into thy heart that will convince thee of evill it will expell darknesse and set right thy Iudgement otherwise though you heard Paul preach yea Christ himselfe were your Iudgements never so good yet it would not be done till the Holy Ghost teacheth you you will never know him never see him aright in his glory never see him so as to delight and long after him so as to desire nothing in the world so much as communion with him Thus it is when his Image is renewed in Knowledge and Truth and where this Knowledge and Truth is Holinesse instantly followes There are many that know and practice not and there are many which neither know nor practice but where this Image is what ever they know they practice Well let us apply this unto our selves briefly If to bee a New Creature there is required of us this Faith and Love Truth and Holinesse Knowledge and Righteousnesse then let us learne not to bee deceived to regard nothing else in comparison of this Doe as the Apostle Gal. 6.15 For in CHRIST IESVS neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor Vncircumcision but a New Creature that is it is no matter for any thing in a man Circumcision is no better than Vncircumcision Goe thorow all the duties of Religion you shall finde them nothing till you bee made a New Creature I know many doe many things they come to Church and give almes well saith the Apostle Circumcision and Vncircumcision is all one so say I Prayer and no Prayer is all one doing justly and unjustly it is all one untill a man bee a New Creature Therefore saith Paul 1 Cor. 13.3 Though I give all my goods to the poore which is a glorious action nay though I could be content to bee a Martyr though I give my body to bee burned and have not love it profiteth nothing So except you be New Creatures your labour is lost for Nature may doe much with the knowledge of the Gospel As the Earth brings forth grasse of it selfe and some flowers of the lowest sort but to bring forth a crop and flowers of the finest sort it must be tilled and there must bee seed put in Nature I say may doe much but this New Creature must come from an Immortall seed sowen in the heart by God himselfe Therefore looke whether thou hast that wrought in thee or no. For this is all the comfort we have when the body is decayed and waxen old yet let us not be discouraged though this outward man decay and perish there is a new youth springing up This is all the comfort we have that when the old house is going downe we have a new house setting up in stead of it Every man is glad to see an old house pulled downe and a new set up in stead of it but to see an old house going downe and no new one to bee set up the ruine of it is a most miserable Spectacle Take an Husband-man who hath taken great pains in plowing and sowing his ground when he sees his corne is rotten he is glad of it because he knowes new will come up in stead of it so when we see the body decaying and our day drawing towards evening when the Sunne of life is ready to bee set upon us when we shall grow no more this presents nothing but confusion yet here is hope for us There is light Sowen unto the righteous All the consolation and all the comfort wee have in these dayes of our vanity is that we have a New Creature that is not subject to vanitie The end of the Third Sermon THE FOVRTH SERMON VPON THE NEW CREATVRE 2 COR. 5.17 Therefore if any man be in Christ let him be a new Creature NOw we come to the last thing to be observed in the New Creature which is that there is not only an infusion of a new Quality but a weakning of the old Therefore we put that into the description A man is a New Creature when his heart is cast into another mould by the infusion of a new quality of grace and by a destroying of the old And this is specially to be observed because there bee two parts of the New Creature a mortification of sinne as well as a vivification For Common Nature is like a Bowle between two byasses Corruption is the wrong byas carrying us out of the way and Grace the good byas carrying us into the way So you must knocke off the old byas as well as put on a new one that is Common Nature lyes as an indifferent thing betweene Grace and Sin the Flesh and the Spirit Corruption and Holinesse so that as the body is betweene health and sicknesse so is Common Nature between originall sinne which is as the sicknesse or death of the Soule and Holinesse which is the health of it Now it is not only required that there be an infusion of the new Quality but likewise a weakning of this old both cannot stand together so farre as you strengthen one the other is weakned it is alwayes so where is contrariety where there is no contrariety two may stand together but when things be opposite the comming in of the one is the weakning of the other the comming of heat is a weakning of cold this is of speciall use And this use we are to make of it that hence then you see this will follow that if you finde much newnesse in your selves according to your owne opinion you finde you can doe many things you could never doe before you are able to doe these and these duties of new obedience well suppose it yet except there be a mortification of the old lusts if thou find that there be any lusts continue in thee in strength that in that regard thou art the same man still whatsoever addition there be it is no matter it is certaine thou art not yet a New Creature for a New Creature consists not in superinduction of the new Quality the old remaining but in a weakning of the old too It is not only a superaddition of the new but the death of the old also Therefore if thou findest any corruptions continuing in the fulnesse of their first strength not weakned at all though thou hast all signes of grace all parts of a New Creature to thy seeming yet thou art deceived because if thou wert new there would be a mortification of the old lusts So againe it is true on the other side Put case thou finde a great change in thy selfe such lusts as have been vigorous and lively thou findest to be
mee so that you shall be my people and I will be your God For you shall turne to mee with all your heart In a word they are never disjoyned take it for a sure rule as Ezek. 26. I will wash thee from thy Idols that is from thy lusts and idolatry and will give thee a new heart and a new Spirit he never doth one without the other therefore apply it It may be there be many particular sins which thou thinkest are forgiven Sabbath-breaking Swearing Vncleannesse goe thorow any particular sin if they be not healed they be not forgiven and so thou art in a miserable condition Therefore doe not say though I sinne againe and againe yet God is mercifull and I hope ready to forgive It is very true but thou must know that he is never merciful to forgive but he is as ready to heale and cure thy sins likewise therefore deceive not yourselves in that Only before I passe from this point mistake me not my meaning is not that it is so healed that there is not the least vigour left in it that it is so dead and buried that thou shalt never heare of it againe that the Spring of originall corruption is dried up that none of it is left but the meaning is it is healed that is Sinne is pulled downe from his Regency it may assault thee as a Rebell but it comes no more as a Lord as a King it is put out of possession it may creepe in as a Theefe but it comes no more as the owner of the house for that is resigned up to grace and the New Creature Sin creepes in as it were but there is another Master of the house so that now thou mayest say I doe it not but sinne that dwelleth in me that is that creepes in thy denomination is from that that beares rule in thy heart for that is all that is done in Regeneration Sin is put out of possession and Grace is now the Ruler the Lord of the heart therefore we may say it is healed that is it is so shut out that thou hast dominion over it it may assault thee now and then it may overcome thee now and then but it dwels not in thee thou never entertainest as a guest thou never biddest it welcome thou never makest peace with it thou hast perpetuall warre with it as there was with the Amalekites Againe corrupt nature must bee lessened weakned and mortified so there must be more than nature in thee that is thou must be able to doe more than any natural man in the world can doe or then thou wast ever able to doe before this change was wrought in thee for you must know Grace doth not onely mortifie and heale Sin but it goes beyond the power of Nature as we say Physicke helpes where Nature failes and Art helpes where Nature fals short Such a thing is Grace where Nature failes there is use of Grace indeed else what were the efficacie of the Word and the vertue of the Spirit and the power of Christ If they did not enable a man to do more than Nature doth Grace comes from an higher Well-head than Nature therefore it raiseth a man to an higher pitch than Nature can ascend to Therefore consider if thou hast that which goes beyond Nature Sampson had a strength beyond Nature he could doe what a common man could not doe but God being with him he had more than the strength of Nature How do we know that He was able to carry away the gates of the Citie c. which none else could do therefore there was in him strength above Nature Now examine canst thou doe that which no man else can doe that is a meere naturall man Thou must have a strength put into thee which none can reach to that hath nothing but Nature in him that is canst thou love the Lord Iesus and the Saints An Hypocrite can counterfeit many things but not love Againe canst thou delight in the Law of God in the Inner man I aske not if thou canst approve of it but canst thou delight in it counting it as meat and drinke to doe the will of thy Father This is a thing which cannot be counterfeit So canst thou deny thy selfe I aske not if thou canst deny this or that particular sinne but the whole body of sin if thou favourest the things of the Spirit if thou canst mortifie the deeds of the Body and walke according to that Spirit In a word whatsoever it is if thou art a New Creature thou must find thy selfe able to doe that which no naturall man can doe and which thy selfe could'st never doe before for otherwise what wilt thou have to answer for thy selfe when the Destroying Angell shall come if hee finde not in thee more than Nature the Destruction shall passe on thee as it was in the Passeover except there was found bloud on the door-posts they died for it Now the bloud that this Destroying Angell must see when hee shall passe over the world is that which is more than Nature You must know the bloud of Christ leaves an impression Their garments were made white in the bloud of the Lambe that is not onely the guilt of sin is taken away but a new vertue is put on them a new efficacie is put into them and if thou hast not the vertue of the bloud of Christ as well to purge thy conscience from dead workes as to take away the guilt of sin all is nothing you must know all the old world shall be destroyed and the workes of it and whatsoever is in it whatsoever is old shall be destroyed the Lord will spare nothing but what is new he makes a new Heaven and a new Earth and what is new shall be spared when he comes to take an examination of men and findes nothing but old in thee thou art sure to be destroyed if thou be new he will spare thee there is a blessing there this is the marke in the forhead this is that new Name this is that certain watch-word which if a man know not hee is counted as an enemie you have a fashion sometimes to give markes if they have that marke that token in their hand they are knowne to be of them that are allowed So there is a certaine sealing of men to life God gives a new name a white stâ—ne with a new name written on it which none can reade but God and thy selfe I say except thou art a New Creature for that is the new name the Destroying Angell shall not spare thee but thy sinnes shall be cast on thy conscience as usually hee doth when thou are on thy death-bed he never binds the burthen till then you have it before but you never feele it till then but when God shall charge it on thy conscience what wilt thou say if thou findest not these two things a weakning of this old nature an healing of sin and something morethan
Nature thou canst not apply the comfort of Iustification thou art not in Christ for thou art not a New Creature which consists of these two parts Vivification and Mortification So much for this point So we have done with this that Iustification and Sanctification are inseparable all this is drawne from the conjuction Whosoever is in Christ is a New Creature they are not disjoyned if you have one you have the other Now this is further to be observed If hee must be a New Creature then hee must have a new Nature He must have another Nature for he is made another man that is he is so altered as if he were another man as if another Soule came to dwell in that body therefore there must be another Nature Againe it must be a New Creatures therefore wee must observe something from that word New And fourthly wee will observe something from this that it is a Creature and so is created by God no man is able to doe it And last of all the order first in Christ and then a New Creature These be the foure things we have to doe First there must be in thee another Nature that is it is not enough to be altered in this and that particular but thou must have another Nature for you shall finde that when any man is in Christ the whole nature is changed Lions be turned into Lambes that is the very Nature is altered A Lion doth not carry himselfe like a Lambe and remaines a Lion still nor a Serpent like a Dove and remaine a Serpent still but the Lion is turned into a Lambe that is there is another Nature given 2 Pet. 1.4 Wee are made partakers of the Divine Nature there is the very word used that is we have another nature given like the Nature of God and it hath in it all the properties of Nature As how will you know when a thing is naturall You may know it by this that is naturall not which is begotten by precedent action but when the faculty is infused and then we exercise the operations of it So it is in all the faculties of Nature you have first a sense of seeing given you before you see In the things that are not naturall there the actions goe before the thing before the faculty or habite as when a man learnes any thing that is not naturall as to play on a Lute or any other Art hee doth many actions and then hee hath got the habit and when he hath got it he doth it easily for what is naturall is planted in a man so is this it is planted in the heart as the senses are it is infused into the Soule and then we exercise the operations of it so that it is another nature it is just as the thing that is naturall Againe Nature is that which wee receive from our Parents and whereby we are made like to our Parents As the Sonne is taken from the Father and is made like him so this New Creature is wrought by God and by it wee are made like him Therefore Christ is said to be formed in us I travell in birth till Christ bee formed in you that is till the Holy Ghost doe change the whole Soule into another Creature so as it is made like Christ in every thing as the Son is like the Father only the difference is in the degrees as the Sonne differeth from the Father in degrees yet he hath all the lineaments of the Father so you are borne of Christ and are like him Borne not of the will of man nor of the will of the flesh but of the will of God if you be New Creatures Againe that is Nature which is common to the whole Species to the whole kinde what is not naturall one man hath and another man wants and this we find in the New Creature the whole kinde that is all the Saints that are living in all places they have the same Nature in them that is they have the same Spirit in them though they be a thousand miles asunder though they never saw one another yet they may know one anothers minds for one minde dwels in them when one mind dwels in divers they be of the same disposition so this Nature is common to them all Againe what is Nature it cannot be altered againe for that is the property of Nature it still stickes by us and will not be changed but as Aristotle observes throw a stone up a thousand times it will returne againe because it is the nature of it to returne so what is the nature of a man put him from it an hundred times and an hundred times againe over yet he returnes to it againe because it is naturall to him So it is with this New Creature when the heart is once framed aright though the Saints are sometimes transported though sometimes they are not like themselves though sometimes strong lusts lead them captives yet they returne againe though it were an hundred times done for Nature will not be put off you cannot lay it aside againe Last of all Nature is a thing that cannot be taught no more can this New Creature no man can teach you to be New Creatures Arts may be taught and things not naturall may be taught but this no man can teach you Wee may shew what it is to be a New Creature we may declare it to you but God must doe it Indeed he calls it Teaching but it is such a teaching as I told you he teacheth Bees and Ants to doe after their kinde he teacheth the Storke and other creatures to doe thus and thus that is he puts into them an instinct to doe so In this sense he teacheth thee to be a New Creature he puts an instinct into thee All these properties are in Nature therefore wee may conclude whosoever is in Christ must have another Nature We will now make use of it There bee many things profitable arising from this that there must be another Nature First then learne hence not to deferre comming to God because if Repentance were nothing else but an abstinence from the acts of sin a resolution to change your courses and a seconding of it with some sutable endevours you might goe farre and it may be come in hereafter when you will your selves But if it be another Nature that is required take heed of refusing when God will come and make an offer to thee because another nature is required What wilt thou doe Put case thou hadst never so much warning before thou diest if thou hadst Ezekiahs warning if thou hadst fifteene yeeres given thee art thou able to change thy nature why then art thou bold on why dost thou defer to turne to God When ever God calls for thee there must be beauty in thee thou must have as I may say a countenance well favoured in some degree now if thy face bee but besmeared with dirt thou mayest wash it
is another Nature as well as other purposes then the purposes live there as Creatures live in their owne Element and as branches live and grow on their owne roots but when purposes are holy and good and the nature bad they are as Plants planted in a soile not proper to them where they will not grow nor prosper because the soile is not sutable to them therefore let us not content our selves with these good Purposes and Transient Acts there must bee another Nature For these good purposes what are they but as blossomes nipt with untimely frosts they may make a faire shew and come to nothing as a tree that promiseth largely hath blossomes very faire but you shall finde no fruit on it so it is when Nature is not good There is so much in Nature that is in a man not sanctified that hee hath thefe two things First hee may approve of the Law of GOD. And secondly have a desire to be saved Put these two together Approbation of the Law of GOD and Desire to bee saved they will bring forth a purpose of change of life they are able to doe that but now the heart is not changed As in Deutronomie the fifth chapter and the nine and twentieth verse you shall finde an expression of it there when Moses told the people that GOD would speake to them by a man like themselves they made a faire promise that they would doe all that the LORD commanded them Moses answered them You have said well But O that there were an heart in this people to keepe GODS Commandements and to doe them that it may goe well with them and their children As if he had said I know you speake no more than you thinke I know that you are resolved to doe what the LORD will appoint but you have your old hearts still O that there were an heart there So they that take new Purposes to themselves it is well but wee may say Oh that there were in them an heart For it fares with men in this case as with them spoken of in Scripture One said hee would goe into the Vineyard and did not It is a frequent case when men say they will goe into GODS Vineyard they doe not because they are not able till they have another Nature It is an intent above their strength therefore content not your selves with Purposes The end of the Fourth Sermon THE FIFTH SERMON VPON THE NEW CREATVRE 2 COR. 5.17 Therefore if any man be in Christ let him be a new Creature THirdly if this be required of every man that he have another Nature then we must lead you a step further than we did before you must not only not content your selves with good purposes and desires buâ— more than that with good and holy actâ—ons It is not enough that you doe the actions that are holy and good that your lives bee holy and good in great measure or for a fit but the Nature must bee altered that is it is not enough that thou exercisest meeknesse and temperance gentlenesse and humility but thou must be an humble man and a meeke man a man lowly in spirit of a sober and temperate disposition thy very nature must be turned into this that is these Graces must be so incorporated into thee as if they were con-naturall to thee therefore it is said of David not onely that hee did what was good and Gods will but he had an heart after Gods heart so it must be true of all the Saints for God delights not but in the heart Therefore in Psal. 51.6 Thou lovest truth in the inner parts therefore hast thou taught me wisdome in the secret of my heart that is though the outward performances be good in themselves yet thou delightest not in them that which thou delightest in is to have another Nature to have truth in the inward parts that is when the inward frame of the heart is altered when that is set right therefore thou hast taught me wisdome in my hidden parts in my heart thou hast not only given me wisdome to behave my selfe well abroad in my actions and carriage but thou hast made mee wise in the secret of my heart It is said of Ioshua he had another Spirit else he had not come into that Land therefore see if thou hast such a change in thy heart that thou doest not only doe good things but that thou doest them in that manner that thou doest naturall actions that is in such a manner that thou canst not but doe them as 1 Iohn 3.9 They cannot sinne for they are borne of God They have another Nature what followes on that therefore they cannot sin as a man cannot do against Nature they cannot doe any thing against the truth Againe on the other side they cannot chuse but doe good as a man cannot chuse but doe that which is naturall to him Doe not say This Rule is strict who can heare it Do we make it straiter than the Holy Ghost doth What else is the meaning of it Whosoever is in Christ is a New Creature that is hath another Nature all wee doe must come from another Principle which is the same to thee now which Nature was before all must be altered as wee say of Creatures that which is dogs-meat is a sheepes poyson so it is true of men when the Nature is changed there is not onely an alteration of acts but what was his meat before is now his poyson and what was poyson to him before is now his delight it is that he feeds on But you will say How shall I know when my Nature is altered It is a matter of great moment no man can be saved without it and it is nothing to have holy purposes desires and actions but the Nature must be altered therefore it stands us in hand to know it You shall know it briefly by this First what you doe naturally you doe it constantly you do it ordinarily for Nature is a constant thing In things not naturall there may bee much inequality they may continue for a time and be laid aside againe as a peece gilded over long wearing will weare off the gilt but what if the lead or silver be turned into gold then it will be still the same so it is with the man whose nature is changed he will be constant the same nature will hold out and continue A Wolfe that puts on a Sheepes cloathing may be like a Sheepe but is not turned into a Sheepe wee are turned into Sheepe as Christ turned Lions into Lambes Serpents into doves that is hee alters the very Nature when that is done then a man is alway like himselfe indeed he doth it by degrees as you shall heare hereafter but he is still the same Therefore consider what constancy what evennesse what equality is in your Nature for if there be another Nature given you if you be other men you doe not act another person for then you
we should draw nearer to him Therefore labour to strengthen your faith So did Moses it was the strengh of his faith that made him cleave so fast to GOD as he did Fourthly get experience of him for it was Pauls experience that united him nearer to Christ the experience that he had of Christ in the mortification of his lusts in all the courses of his ministery in all the distresses and troubles that he passed thorow he still had experience of him and the more experience you have of the Lord Iesus the nearer you come to converse with him and the more you will love him and joyne to him Strangenesse disjoynes affections we say there is strangenesse when men salute not when there is not a neare conversing Strangenesse doth dis-joyne the heart Againe nearenesse of conversing and walking with him from day to day drawes us nearer to him and intends the will of desiring him to be our Husband Last of all there is a certain impression made in the spirit of man by the Holy Ghost which causeth him to draw neare to Christ that makes him prize him more As there is in the Iron a certaine naturall quality to follow the Load-stone so there is in the Saints towards Christ And if we seeke a reason why Paul and the rest of the Saints that excelled so were able to prize Christ above all things and to count all things losse in respect of him the true reason is it was the impression made upon their spirits by the Holy Ghost there is a certaine attractive vertue put into them enabling them to prize Christ above all and to draw neare to him therefore you must know it is the gift of the Holy Ghost to inable us to prize him Therefore to all the rest adde that seeke to the Lord that he would worke it in your hearts that you may learne to magnifie him Thus you must seeke to encrease the union to adde degrees to the will by which you are content and resolve to match with Christ and to be made one with him And this is the thing that you are to be exhorted to not only to know this but to exercise it when Paul had once tasted the sweetnesse in Christ he could relish nothing else he counts all other things as drosse So should we if we had once experience of it Therefore we should learne to renue this union from day to day and as I said before Wee should eat his flesh and drinke his bloud every day that is every time we renue the covenant with God we renue the match as it were betweene us we eat Christs flesh and drinke his bloud He is that Bread that came downe from heaven they ate Mannah in the wildernesse and died but hee that feedeth on me shall have life everlasting Therefore eat my flesh and drinke my bloud that is take me come to me for eating of his flesh is nothing but to come to him to take him to receive him Now saith he the very act of taking me is your duty as you renue that every day so you take me anew as it were and so there will come new strength to you as from bread or Manna when you eat it or from flesh and wine when you eat and drinke it so doth there from from me when you renue your eating of my flesh and drinking of my bloud that is when you renue your act of taking and receiving me there comes new strength to you that is you shall have new comforts and consolations you shall be encouraged the more herein you draw nearer to me than before For as your union with Christ at the first doth make way for the Spirit and causeth it to be shed in your hearts so the more this union is encreased the more you are filled with the Holy Ghost So you get new strength from day to day as this union is more confirmed It is like a new eating and drinking your Peace is more abundant and your strength is more enlarged you are more full of joy in the Holy Ghost every grace is more encreased and strengthned in you therefore exercise this union eat his flesh and drinke his bloud every day But you will say what needs that when we have once done is it not enough No it is not enough for there growes a distance betweene Christ and you from day to day a little neglect the very omission of duties yea though it were no sinfull omission may cause it As the body is subject to waste and needs eating and drinking that it may be repaired So doth the soule and inner man there is a continuall wasting of strength and you must eat his flesh and drinke his bloud every day to repaire it that is you must renue the union that grace may be strengthned and renued in your hearts that those spirits may be repaired that you spend every day that your very strength may be renued you shall find this true by experience the more you doe this more neare you get to Christ the more you renue that match and make a new marriage with him you shall and new strength comming to you you shall find your hearts draw nearer to him and further from sinne you shall finde your selves made more spirituall more heavenly minded you shal find your selves more strengthned you wil be ashamed to sinne when you stand in such neare termes with him there will be a secret influence of the Spirit in your hearts Therefore exercise this union and as you must exercise it from day to day so know the comfort of it and improve and husband it well If I have Christ for my husband shall he be my husband in vaine Shall I have him and not make use of him No you must learne to make use of him learne to use him as he is a Prophet a Priest and a King If you would be more enlightned goe to him as a Prophet beseech him to enlighten thee to give thee wisdome to give thee the Spirit of Revelation and he cannot deny thee If thou hast committed a sinne use him as a Mediatour as a Priest for he is thy Husband thou hast him for that purpose forget not that Christ is a Mediatour We fall into sinne from day to day but if we knew really what it is to have Christ an Intercessour to have him our Priest to make an attonement for our sinnes every day we should learne to prize him more we should be full of comfort we should doe in another manner than we doe If there be any strong lust which thou canst not subdue know that it must be done by him as a King he must bring it into subjection he must circumcise thy heart Therefore know what is in Christ for all that is in him is thine and he is full of treasure When thou hast the field what shouldest thou doe but digge the treasure to know what is there when thou knowest thou hast such a
because that moves not so much being generall you will aske wherein this wrath of GOD is seene and wherein more particularly is this misery in being out of Christ I will name but these three particulars First you shall be subject to Death subject to Him that hath the power of Death You will say this is no such misery for are not holy men subject to death as well as evil men I but there is great difference the evill shall be subject to death as an enemie the last enemie that shall be destroyed is Death which shewes that Death is an enemie I say they are subject to Death as an enemie Death may come to two men and be a friend to the one and an enemie to the other that which he saith Death is the rich mans enemie and the poore mans friend we may better apply it to the godly man and to the evill man And surely it is true Death is the Godly mans friend and the wicked mans enemy the same Death as you know the same messenger comes to call Pharaohs Butler and his Baker he came as an enemie to the one and as a friend to the other he came to call the one to promotion and the other to execution so doth Death Now Death when that comes as an enemie is terrible when that comes with a sting Death indeed without a sting is nothing but Death when it comes with a sting and the sting of Death is sinne this we consider not that Death hath a sting it is a Serpent that often stings without hissing without warning it comes suddenly it comes certainly we see continually how men fall from the tree of life as leaves in Autumne we consider not this but this is among the miseries that we are subject to death and this is a great misery Those that can looke upon other miseries and dangers and out-face them without being daunted when Death comes that appales them that looses the joints that makes them tremble that makes their knees knocke together You know it is said of Saul David professeth that he was valiant as a Lion in his Songs of him when the newes of Death comes he fals to the ground there was no strength in him All are petty miseries to this this is the great Giant that makes the stoutest heart to tremble at his approach But is this all that we are subject to death when we are out of Christ No we are subject to the feare of death likewise which is an hundred times worse that death it selfe Heb. 2.14 He hath delivered us from him that had the power of death he hath delivered us that for feare of death were all our lives subject to bondage I say the feare of death is worse than death it selfe because death continues but a moment it is soone gone but the feare of death continues alwayes a long time like the hand-writing which kept Belshazzer in feare so this feare of death keepes us in a continuall trembling this is that that imbitters all our comforts that sowres all our joy this feare of death they were all their life-time subject to bondage through the feare of death Therefore it is not said that death is bitter to him that lives in pleasure but the remembrance of death all the joyes and comforts that we have in this life what are they when they are accompanied with this I say ther is nothing terrible but so farre as it is mingled with this feare All evill and dangers are so farre terrible as they are harbengers of death as they are crackes to give warning of the fall of the whole house that shall never be repaired againe Whatsoever pleasure we enjoy this is the gall that takes away the sweetnesse of all though the pottage were otherwise good when the Colloquintida was in them there is death in the pot so I may say when death is joyned what sweetnesse is in them That is the condition of every man living out of Christ he is not only subject to death but to the feare of death continually But is this all No there is yet more there is Hell Death hath a Page that comes behinde him that is ten times worse than himselfe Rev. 6.7 8. I looked saw a pale horse and the name of him that rode on him was Death and behinde him followed Hell That is Hell is the hooke that is hid in Death when we are once taken with that hooke we are kept there for ever If Death should come without Hell it were another matter Death is but the lightning it is Hell that is the crack of thunder and shall we like children be afraid of the lightning and not be afraid of the bolt It is hell that is the gate that keeps us for ever Death is but the arrest that carries us thither Therefore consider what it is to be subject to Hell as our Saviour saith What will that availe a man to win the whole world and lose his soule Consider well of that speech What will that availe you to save all things else if you lose your soules as if a man should save the paring of his nailes and lose his finger as if he should save his shooe and lose his foot as if he should save the ship and lose the fraught as if he should save the house and destroy the man that dwels in it so it is to save other things and to lose the soule No it is the terrible thing Hell that followes Death In all other miseries yet this is our comfort that Death will come in the end and put a full point and period to them but this second death Hell is such a death as hath no other death to end it Therefore as wee say But for hope the heart would breake surely there is no hope and therefore there is a breaking of the soule aswell as torment of the body Therefore consider what Hell is what eternity is this is the misery we are in out of Christ you are subject to the feare of death you are subject to Death and to Hell too Death is but the Stalking-horse it is Hell that is the Fowler that hath the peece and the shot to destroy us utterly And therefore consider what case you are in out of Christ what misery you are in out of him that when Hell and Death come as she said Vp Sampson for the Philistims are on thee so when we shall say Hell and Death is on you and your haires are cut off that is Christ is gone from you for the cutting off his lockes was but an embleme that God was departed from him I say when they are on us If Christ be away what a case are we in Shall they not take us and carry us to that prison there to lye for ever Therefore consider this it is certaine the destroying Angell will come and commonly he comes in the night Death commeth when thou least lookest for him as a theefe I say the destroying Angell