most despised hands 1 Cor. 1.21 25 27. as it is evident in this instance The Apostles did not fret and fume and storm and take on because these Brethren preacht the Lord Jesus without ordination to the work of the Ministry O no but they were glad and rejoyced in their bringing in of souls to Christ and they made it their work to exhort encourage and build up those that were brought in neither did they prohibit these Brethren from preaching because they had not Apostolical hands laid on them By these Lay-mens preaching Christ is revealed and multitudes are converted and truth is advanced and the Apostles are gladded Now by what hath been said it is most evident that persecuting times are truth-advancing times But Seventhly and lastly As persecuting times are truth-advancing times so persecuting times are a Christians rejoycing times A Christians heart is never so full of joy as it is when he is under sufferings Acts. 5.41 Acts 7.55 56. Chap. 16.25 Oh how my heart leapeth for joy said Mr. Philpot that I am so near the apprehension of eternal life Eph. 3.1 Chap. 4.1 2 Tim. 1.8 Phil. 1.9.23 And they departed from the presence of the Council rejoycing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name They counted it an honour to be dishonoured for Christ they took it as a grace to be disgraced for Jesus Stephen found the joyes of heaven in his heart as the stones came clattering about his ears So Paul and Sylas when they were in prison their hearts were so full of joy that they could not hold but at mid-night when others were a sleeping they must fall a singing out the praises of the most High they found more pleasure then pain more joy then sorrow more comfort then torment in their bonds the Rods with which they were whipt Col. 4.10 Rom. 16.7 Paul rattles his chaine which he bears for the Gospels sake and was as proud of it as a woman of her ornaments saith Chrysostom were as Rods made up all of Rosemary branches divine consolations rise so high in their souls that their prison was turn'd into a Pallace yea into a Paradise Paul was a man that took a great deale of pleasure in his sufferings for Christ 2 Cor. 12.10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities in reproaches in necessities in persecutions in distresses for Christs sake He did not only bare his sufferings patiently but chearfully also he often sings it our I Paul a prisoner as you may see by comparing the Scriptures in the margent together of Jesus Christ not I Paul an Apostle nor I Paul wrapt up in the third heaven nor I Paul that have more gifts parts and learning then others but I Paul a prisoner to shew how much he rejoyced in his bonds and sufferings for Christ Chrysostom did not hold Paul so happy for his rapture into Paradise as he did for his imprisonment for Christ So Rom. 5.3 4. And not only so but we glory in tribulations also knowing that tribulation works patience and patience experience and experience hope Old Souldiers could not glory and joy more in their marks and scars of honour then these Saints did in their tribulations and persecutions for Christs sake Rabbi Simeon Ben Jochai liv'd twelve years in a dark Dungeon for feare of the Roman persecution in the Reigne of Trajane the Emperour and he call'd his dark Dungeon Zohar that is splendor because God had turn'd his darkness into light and made up the want of the light of the Sun by the light of his countenance and by the shinings of the Sun of righteousness upon his soul Eusebius tells us of Algerius the Italian martyr how that writing to his friend from a stinking Dungeon he dates his Letter from my delicate Orchard Acts and Mon. fol. 857. And Master Glover the Martyr wept for joy of his imprisonment William Hunters Mother that suffered under Bonner told him that she was glad that ever she was so happy as to beare such a childe as could finde in his heart to die for Christs sake such were his divine consolations that they turn'd his Dungeon into a pleasant Orchard I with my Fellowes saith Mr. Philpot were carried to the Cole-house where we doe rouze together in the straw as chearfully we thank God as others doe in their beds of downe Mr. Bradford put off his Cap and thanked the Lord when his Keepers wife brought him word that he was to be burnt the next day And Mr. Taylor fetcht a frisk when he was come neare to the place where he was to suffer Henry and John two Augustin Monks being the first that were burnt in Germany and Mr. Rogers the first that was burnt in Queen Maries dayes did all sing in the flames If men did but know by experience the sweet that is in suffering for Christ they would desire with Chrysostom if it were put to their choice rather to be Paul a prisoner of Jesus Christ then Paul wrapt up in the third heaven One of the holy Women that suffered Martyrdom in this Nation rejoyced that she might have her foot in the same hole of the Stocks in which Mr. Philpots had been before And Luther Luther Fire sword death prison famine are all pleasures they are all delightfull to me saith Basil Modestus Lieutenant to Julian the Emperour told him that when the Christians suffered they did but deride them and the torments said he with which Christians are tormented are more terrible to the tormentors then they are to the tormented râ—ports of that famous Martyr Saint Agatha that as she went to prisons and tortures she said she went to Banquets and Nuptials Vincentius laughing at his Tormentors said that death and tortures were to Christians Jocularia ludicra matters of sport and pastime and he joyed and gloried when he went upon hot burning Coales as if he had trod upon Roses Philip Lansgrave of Hesse being a long time prisoner under Charles the fifth 't was demanded what upheld him all that time and he answered that he felt the divine consolations of the Martyrs Basil in his Oration for Barlaam that famous Martyr saith that he delighted in the close prison as in a pleasant green meddow and he took pleasure in the severall inventions of tortures as in severall sweet flowers William Tims Martyr in a Letter to a friend of his a little before his death writeth thus Now I take my leave of you till we meet in heaven and hie you after I have tarried a great while for you and seeing you are so long in making ready I will tarry no longer for you you shall finde me merrily singing Holy holy holy Lord God of Sabboth at my journeys end c. And when they kindled the fire at the feete of James Bainkam me-thinks said he you strew roses before me And Hawkes the Martyr lifted up his hands above his head and clapt them together when he was in the fire as
and therefore rather then Daniel shall be hurt God will by a miracle preserve him he will stop the mouthes of the hungry Lyons and he will tame their rage and over-master their cruelty rather then a hair of Daniels head shall perish when Daniel was taken out of the Den there was no hurt no wound no sore no bruise found upon him Daniel was a harmless man and God keeps him from harms in the midst of harms Acts 18.9 10. Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision be not afraid but speak and hold not thy peace For I am with thee and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee for I have much people in this City Paul met with many trials and troubles bonds and prisons oppositions and persecutions Acts 20.23 and yet none of all these hurt him but God miraculously preserved him even to old age All the troubles Phil. 9. afflictions and persecutions that attends holiness can never reach a Christians soul they can never diminish a Christians treasure they reach the shell not the kernel the Case not the Jewel the lumber not the goods the out-house not the Palace the ribbon in the hat not the gold in the purse the most fiery trials and persecutions can never deprive a Christian of the special presence of God nor of the light of his countenance Psal 23.4 2 Cor. 1.8 9 12. nor of the testimony of a good conscience nor of the joys of the spirit nor of the pardon of sin nor of fellowship with Christ nor of the exercise of grace nor of the hopes of glory and therefore certainly they can't hurt a Christian they can't wronge a Christian in his greatest and chiefest concernments O Christian let persecutors do their worst they can't reach thy soul thy God thy comfort thy crown thy Paradise c. and therefore let no man be kept off from pursuing after holiness because of afflictions or persecutions seeing none of these can reach a Christians great concernments When the Emperor Valens threatned to confiscate Basils goods and to torment him and to banish him or kill him Basil makes this noble reply He needs not fear confiscation of goods that hath nothing to loose nor banishment to whom heaven onely is a country nor torments when his body may be dash't with one blow nor death which is the onely way to set him at liberty the Emperor hearing of him thus undantedly to speak told him that he was mad to whom he replyed opte me in aeternum sic delirare I wish that I may be for ever thus mad Basil knew that no torments nor sufferings could hurt him or harm him and therefore he bravely triumphs over them They may kill me said Socrates of his enemies but they cannot hurt me So may a Saint say they may kill my body but they cannot hurt my soul they may take away my natural life but they cannot take away my spiritual life for that is hid with Christ in God Col. 3.3 they may take away this and that outward comfort Heb. 11. but they cannot take away my Christ they may take away my costly ornaments but they cannot take away that Robe of righteousness that Christ has put upon me Isa 61.10 they may take away my earthly crown but they cannot take away that crown of righteousness which Christ the righteous Judge 2 Tim. 4.8 has laid up for all that love his appearing Methinks said one of the Martyrs I tread upon pearls when he trod upon hot burning coals Vincentius and I feel said he no more pain then if I lay in a bed of Doune and yet he lay in flames of fire I have read of Nero that he had a shirt made of a Salamanders skin so that if he walk't through the fire in it it would keep him from burning it would keep him from being hurt or harmed by the fire our Lord Jesus Christ is this Salamanders skin that will keep the Saints from burning yea from being hurt or harmed by the most fiery afflictions and persecutions that can befall them in this world But Fourthly I answer That the condition of persecutors of all conditions under heaven is the most sad and deplorable condition and this will appear by the consideration of these five things First By the prayers and enditements that the Saints have preferred against them in the highest court of Justice I mean in the Parliament of Heaven Psal 35.3 9. Psa 69.22 29. Neh. 4.3 4 5. turn to it Draw out the Spear and stop the way against them that persecute me say unto my soul I am thy salvation Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt Let them be as chaffe before the winde and let the Angel of the Lord chase them Let their way be dark and slippery or darkness and slipperiness and let the Angel of the Lord persecute them For without cause have they hid for me their net Both good and evil Angels are at Gods beck ready to execute vengeance upon his and his peoples enemies and persecutors and therefore the Text may be understood of both in a pit which without cause they have digged for my soule Let destruction come upon him ar unawares and let his net that he hath hid catch himselfe into that very destruction let him fall So in that 83 Psalme David sighs out his sad complaints against his persecutors from ver 2. to ver the 9th and from ver the 9. to ver the 18. he prayes against them turne to it 't is a text that is worthy of your most serious meditation Psal 119.84 How many are the dayes of thy servant when wilt thou execute judgement on them that persecute me Jer. 15.15 O Lord thou knowest remember me and visite me and revenge me of my persecutors take me not away in thy long suffering know that for thy sake I have suffered rebuke Chap. 17.18 Let them be confounded that persecute me but let not me be confounded let them be dismayed but let not me be dismayed bring upon them the day of evill and destroy them with double destruction or break them with a double breach Lam. 3.61 ult Thou hast heard their reproach O Lord and all their imaginations against me The lips of those that rose up against me and their device against me all the day Behold their sitting down and their rising up I am their musick or I am their song Render unto them a recompence O Lord according to the work of their hands Give them sorrow of heart thy curse unto them Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the Lord. 2 Tim. 4.14 Alexander the Copper-smith did me much evill the Lord reward him according to his works Thus you see how the hearts of the Saints have been drawn out against their persecutors Prayers are the Armes that
ever was or that is this day in the world all the seeds of holiness and all the roots of holiness that are to be found in Angels or men Phil. 1.11 are of the Lords sowing and planting All that holiness that the Angels had in Heaven and all that holiness that Adam had in Paradise and all that holiness that Christ had in his humane nature and all that holiness that ever any Saints have had was from God and all that holiness that any Saints now have is from God The Divine Nature is the first root and original fountain of all sanctity and purity James 1.17 Ministers may pray that their people may be holy and Parents may pray that their children may be holy and Masters may pray that their servants may be holy and husbands may pray that their wives may be holy and Wives may pray that their husbands may be holy but none of these can give holinesse none of these can communicate holinesse to their nearest and dearest relations t is only God that is the giver and the Author of all holinesse If holy persons could convey holinesse into others souls they would never suffer them to go to Hell for want of holiness to hand out holiness to others is a work too high for Angels and too hard for all mortals 't is only the Holy One that can cause holiness to flow into sinners hearts 't is only hee that can form and frame and infuse holiness into the souls of men A man shall sooner make a man yea make a world and unmake himself than hee shall make another holy t is only a holy God that can enlighten the mind and bow the will and melt the heart and raise the affections and purge the conscience and reform the life and put the whole man into a holy gracious frame and temper But Sixthly As God is originally radically and fundamentally holy Isa 44.24 Rev. 1.18 so God is independently holy the Holiness of God depends upon nothing below God God is the Alpha the fountain from â—â—ence all holinesse springs and hee is the Omega the Sea to which all glory runs As all our holiness is from God so all our holiness must terminate in the honour and glory of God 'T is God alone that is independently holy All that holiness that is in Angels and men is a dependent holiness it depends upon the Holiness of God as the streams depend upon the Fountain the beams upon the Sun the branches upon the Root and the members upon the Head God is Unum principium ex quo cuncta dependent one beginning upon whom all things depend God hath his Being only of himself and 't is hee alone that gives Being unto all other things God is the first cause and without all causes himself the very Beings that Angels and men have they have by participation from God And 't is the first cause that giveth unto all causes their proper operations Isa 44.6 I am the first and I am the last and besides mee there is no God God never had a cause of his Being as all other creatures have He is a glorious being a holy being without all causes either efficient or formal or material or final and therefore hee must needs be independently holy Look as the power of God is an independent power and the wisdome of God an independent wisdome and the goodness of God an independent goodness and the righteousness of God an independent righteousness so the holiness of God is an independent holiness And as it is the glory of his power that his power is an independent power and the glory of his goodnesse that his goodnesse is an independent goodnesse so 't is the glory of his holinesse that his holinesse is an independent holinesse And look as all that power that Angels and men have depends upon the power of God and as all that wisdome that Angels and men have depends upon the wisdome of God and as all that goodnesse that Angels and men have depends upon the goodnesse of God so all that holinesse that Angels and men have depends upon the holinesse of God c. Philo could say that God is such a fountain that hee breaks forth with the streams of his goodnesse upon all things but receives nothing back again from any to better himself therewith There are none in Heaven nor none on Earth that are absolutely independent but God alone Seventhly As God is independently holy so God is constantly holy hee is unchangeably holy hee was holy yesterday and hee is holy to day and hee will be holy for ever What is natural is constant and lasting Now Gods holinesse is natural to him 't is as natural for God to be holy as 't is for us to breathe yea as 't is for us to bee unholy God can as well and as soon cease to bee as hee can cease to be holy Holinesse is his nature as well as his name and therefore his holinesse cannot decay though ours may whatever wee may lose of our holinesse yet 't is certain that God can never lose one grain of that holinesse that is in him Here our holinesse ebbs and flows but the Holinesse of God never ebbs but is alwaies a flowing and over-flowing there is still a full tyde of Holinesse in God Though the Saints cannot fall from that seed of holinesse that is sown in their hearts 1 Joh. 3.9 yet they may fall from some degrees of holinesse that they have formerly attained to they that have been old men in holinesse may fall from being old men to be but young men in holinesse and they that have been young men in holinesse 1 Joh. 2.12 13 14. 2 Pet. 2.1 2 3. may fall from being young men to be but children in holinesse and they that have been children in holiness may fall from being children to be but babes in holiness but now that holiness that is in God is never subject to any decayings abatings or languishing that spring that Sea of holiness that is in God is no waies capable of diminution nor of Augmentation Plato could say that God is one and the same Pierius and alwaies like himself And it was a custome among the Turks to cry out every morning from a high Tower God alwaies was and alwaies will bee and so salute their Mahomet O Sirs God hath been alwaies holy and God will bee alwaies holy whatever men may lose yet God is resolved that hee will never lose his honour nor his holiness But Eighthly and lastly As God is continually holy so God is exemplarily holy Levit. 20.26 Remember this you and I must answer for examples as well as precepts Hee is the Rule Pattern and Example of holiness 1 Pet. 1.15 Bee yee holy as I am holy Gods Holiness is the great example and pattern of all that holiness which is in the creatures Gods holiness is the Copy that we must alwaies have in our eye and indeavour most
except there be sound repentance on their sides and pardoning mercy on Gods they are so abominable debauched and wicked But Eightly When God hath separated and severed his people from the corrupt and sinful customes and manners of the world and brought them into fellowship with himself and into Gospel-Communion with one another O then in a special manner hee calls aloud upon them to be holy Levit. 20.23 24 26. And yee shall not walk in the manners of the Nation which I cast out before you for they committed all these things and therefore I abhorred them But I have said unto you ye shall inherit their Land and I will give it unto you to possess it a Land that floweth with milk and hony I am the Lord your God which have separated you from other people And yee shall be holy unto mee for I the Lord am holy and have severed you from other people that yee should bee mine Distinguishing mercies should breed and nourish distinguishing qualities O Sirs 't is not for you who are separated and severed from the world by God to be proud and carnal and formal and distrustful and hypocritical and earthly and froward c. as the world is 't is not for you to deny your principles to debauch your consciences to change your notes to turn your coats to defile your souls to blot your names and to scandalize your profession O Sirs if God hath separated you and severed you from the world by a call from Heaven it highly concerns you not to think as the world thinks nor to speak as the world speaks nor to judge as the world judges nor to walk as the world walks nor to worship as the world worships but so to think speak judge walk and worship as may make most for the honour of God the glory of the Gospel and as best becomes those that have had the honour and the happiness of being separated and severed by God from the world But Ninthly When the day of the Lord draws neer and when wee look for the accomplishment of great things O then God calls aloud upon his people to bee holy 2 Pet. 3.10 11 12 13 14. But the day of the Lord will come as a Theif in the night in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the Element shall melt with fervent heat the Earth also and the works that are therein shall bee burnt up Seeing then that all these things shall bee desolved what manner of persons ought yee to bee in all holy conversation and godliness Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God wherein the Heavens being on fire shall bee desolved and the Element shall melt with fervent heat Never-the-less wee according to his promise look for a new Heaven and new Earth wherein dwelleth righteousness Wherefore Beloved seeing that yee look for such things bee diligent that yee may bee found of him in peace without spot and blameless The neerer the day of Christ is to us and the more great and glorious things wee expect from God Isa 65.17 18 19 20. the more holy the more spotless and the more blameless wee must labour to bee I know there are many that look for new heavens and a new earth that is for a glorious Church-state here on earrh wherein shall dwell righteousness 't is certain that the highest Heavens where God keeps his Royal Court was never without righteousness righteousness hath been alwaies the habitation of his Throne righteousness hath alwaies dwelt in the highest Heavens and indeed Heaven would bee no Heaven yea it would rather hee a Hell than a Heaven if righteousness did not alwaies dwell there neither can the highest Heaven ever wax old neither were they ever made of Earth or Brittle mouldering matter the Pallace of the great King will bee alwaies new fresh shining and gloriousness but indeed the Earth in all Ages have been full of injustice unrighteousness wickedness tyranny cruelty and oppression so that righteousness seems to have been banished out of the world ever since Adam fell from his primitive righteousness and holiness O! but there is a glorious day a coming wherein the Earth shall bee full of righteousness and holiness as I have formerly proved at large from other Scriptures Now Christians the more great and glorious things you expect from God as the downfall of Antichrist the conversion of the Jews the conquest of the nations to Christ the breaking off of all yoâ—ks the new Jerusalems coming down from above the extraordinary pouring out of the spirit and a more general union among all Saints the more holy yea the more eminently holy in all your waies and actings it becomes you to bee many there bee that will talke high and speak big words and tell you stories of great things that they expect and look for in these daies which are the last of the last times and yet if you look into their lives you shall finde them loose and vain and what not O! that these would for ever remember that the more great and glorious things wee expect and look for from God the more holiness God expects and looks for from us and therefore as wee would not have God fail our expectation let not us frustrate his and the higher your expectation rises the higher alwaies let your holiness rise Eccle. 12 2 3 4 5. for there is nothing that will hasten that desirable day of glory upon the world like this But Tenthly and lastly When you draw neer your end when there are but a few steps between you and the Grave between you and Eternity when you have but a little time to live when death stands at your backs and treads on your heels and knocks at your doors when the eyes begin to grow dark when the grinders begin to cease when the keepers of the house the hands and the arms begin to tremble and when the strong men the legs and thighs begin to bow and stagger and totter as being too weak to bear the bodies burden O then what a holy people should you bee this very consideration had a very great influence upon that great Apostles spirit in that 2 Pet. 1.12 13 14 15. Wherefore I will not bee negligent to put you alwaies in remembrance of these things though yee know them and bee established in the present truth Yea I think it meet as long as I am in this tabernacle * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To rouse you up The Greek word signifies to awaken rouse and raise such as are a sleep There is a sinful slugishness and drousiness that often hangs upon the best of men and therefore they stand in much need of being awakned and roused up to look after their spiritual and eternal concernments to stir you up by putting you in remembrance knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle even as our Lord Jesus Christ shewed me Moreover I will endeavour that you
that had rather be vessels of wrath then vessels of honour and that had rather be fire-brands of hell then glorious Saints in heaven Ephes 2.12 Rom. 9.22 And so I have done with those reason◠that may satisfie the Reader concerning my Dedication of this Treatise to all sorts ranks and degrees of persons Having premised these things in the general give me leave to say That if this Treatise should fall into the hands of any of the Learned Judges of this Land or into the hands of any of the Justices of this Nation I would then take the humble boldnesse to offer this to their most serious consideration viz. That if they would discharge the duties of their places so as to give up their accounts at last with joy and cheerfulness to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords it highly concerns them to study this doctrine of holinesse yea to fall in love with holinesse and highly to prize it and earnestly to presse after it and to be restlesse in their own spirits till they have experienced the powerful operations of holinesse in their own souls for till then they will never be able so to administer Justice and Judgement as becomes those that have the name of God and the name of profession upon them and that judge themselves to be in a higher Form then those Heathens were who were famous for justice and righteousnesse Cato Fabricius Scipio Cambyses c. and yet never heard of a Christ nor salvation by him and as becomes those that would not stand trembling and quaking in the great and terrible day when Christ the Lord-chief-Iustice of heaven and earth shall passe a righteous and impartial judgement upon all the Judges and Justices that ever were on earth Joel 2.11 31. Acts 17.31 2 Tim. 4.1 2. Where justice is God is and where God is there is no want of men or fortitude said Herod at the head of his Army the better to encourage his souldiers My Lords and Gentlemen you know that the wisest Prince that ever set upon a Throne hath told us that Righteousnesse exalts a Nation Prov. 14.34 It is not valour in war but righteousnesse it is not policie in Government but righteousnesse it is not wittinesse of invention but righteousnesse it is not civility in behaviour but righteousnesse it is not antiquity of forms but righteousnesse it is not largenesse of dominion but righteousnesse nor it is not greatnesse of command Iustice is conservatrix Humanae conjunctionis quae ad beatitudinem via est c. Amos 5.24 The Hebrew word Veiiggalchat is here rendred run down is from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Galal that signifies to roul down f eely plentifully plainly vigorously constantly Where justice thus rouls down all the world shall never make that Nation miserable but righteousnesse that is the honour and the safety that is the renown and the security of a Nation That Nation that exalts righteousnesse that Nation shall be certainly exalted by righteousnesse It is not Achitophels policy it is not Jeroboams calves in Dan and Bethel it is not Jehues pompous zeal it is not Goliahs sword it is not rich Mines of Gold and Silver nor Magazines nor Armies nor Counsels nor Fleets nor Forts but Justice and Righteousnesse that exalts a Nation and that will make a mean people to become a great a glorious and a famous people in the world The world is a Ring and Righteousnesse is the Diamond in that Ring The world is a body and Righteousnesse and Justice is the soul of that body Ah England England so long as judgement runs down as waters in the midst of thee and righteousnesse as a mighty stream thou shalt not die but live and bear up bravely against all gain-sayers and opposers but if injustice shall grow rampant and thou shalt brandish the sword of Justice in the behalf of the friends of Baal Balaam and Bacchus and turn the wheel upon the righteous if the sword of justice shall be a sword of protection to the desperate swearer and to the cruel oppressor and to the roaring drunkard and to the cursing monster and to the Gospel despiser and to the Christ contemner c. and shall be a devouring sword to the upright and peaceable in the Land Divine vengeance will dig thy grave and divine Justice will tumble thee into it though all the Nations of the earth should labour to prevent it It is a base and ignoble spirit to pity Cataline more then to pity Rome to pity any particular sort of men more then to pity the whole It is cruelty to the good to justifie the bad It is wrong to the sheep to animate the Wolves It is danger if not death to the Lambs not to restrain or chain up the Lyons but from all these vanities the Lord deliver all your souls And O that you would for ever remember this that as the constitution of a mans body is best known by his pulse if it stir not at all then we know he is dead if it stir violently then we know him to be in a Fever if it keep an equal stroak then we know he is sound well and whole so the estate and constitution of a Kingdom or Common-weal is best known by the manner of executing justice therein for justice is the pulse of a Kingdom if justice be violent then the Kingdom is in a Fever in a very bad estate if it stir not at all then the Kingdom is dead but if it have an equal stroak if it be justly and duely administred then the Kingdom is in a good a safe and sound condition When Vespasian asked Apollonus What was the cause of Nero 's ruine he answered That Nero could tune the Harps well but in Government he did alwayes wind up the strings too high or let them down too low The Application is easie Now having premised thus much in the general give me leave to tell you that there are eight special Rules that you are carefully and faithfully to observe in the administration of Justice and Righteousnsse And how you will be able to act sutable to those Rules without a Spirit of holinesse without principles of holinesse and without an experience of the powerful influences and operations of holinesse in your own souls I cannot for the present understand Now my Lords and Gentlemen the first Rule that you are to observe in your administring of Judgement and Justice Psalm 82.1 6. Luke 20.21 Mat. 22.16 is this You must do Justice impartially you are called Gods and in this you must be like to God who is no acceptor of persons Audi alteram partem said Lotharius the second Duke of Saxony he accepts not the rich man because of his Robes neither doth he reject the poor man because of his Rags Deut. 1.17 Ye shall not respect persons in judgement but you shall hear the small as well as the great you shall not be afraid of the face of
paper and wrote upon the top of the leaf Moderation and in the middle of the leaf Moderation and at the bottom of the leaf Moderation signifying thereby thus much to the King that the best way in the world to have his Crown set fast and to keep his Kingdom safe was to manage throughout all his affairs with moderation And there is nothing more evident in Scripture and History then this that many by scruing the pegs of Government too high have broke all in pieces about their ears Now my Lords and Gentlemen there are five things or Rules that will be of singular use to help you in this case to steer such a course as may be safe and honourable to you and as may render you a mercy and a blessing to the Nation And the first is this never make those things to be sins which God never made to be sins to make those things to be sins which God hath made to be no sins is to make gods of your selves yea it is to lift up your selves above God himself as if you were more holy more wise more just and more righteous then the holy one of Israel is Indeed the Papists that are will-worshippers and commonly highly conceited of their own wisdom and worth they frequently transgresse this Rule with their Touch not Col. 2.21 23. taste not handle not which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will-worship c. but why should you why should you who have a higher profession upon you and a more clear Gospel-light shining every day more strongly upon you But Secondly Never make those things to be absolute and necessary duties that God hath nowhere declared to be such Isa 33.22 Jam. 4.12 Such things that do neither fall under a general nor a particular command of God may not be imposed upon the consciences of men as absolute and necessary duties to be performed by them a faithful observing of these two Rules would prevent a multitude of sins a sea of sorrows and a world of troubles But Thirdly In all your administrations of justice take the Authority of the Word with you this will yield you most comfort most peace most security and most boldnesse in the great day of your account But Fourthly Never put off your own souls with any such pleas or arguments now that are not pleadable in the Court of conscience when you shall lie upon your dying-beds nor that are not pleadable before the Court of heaven when you shall stand before Christs Judgement-feat But Fifthly and lastly In all your administrations of justice and judgement be sure that you act nothing upon the account of any command commission or authority under heaven that you dare not own plead and stand by before the great authority of heaven when the King of Kings shall make a narrow inspection into all your Judicial proceedings and accordingly passe judgement upon you What though this command and that commission and the other authority may bear you out in this world yet if they are too weak to bear you out in the other world you will curse the day that ever you were born and wish that you had rather been a turning of spits or lying under an hedge or a begging at the rich mans door then that you had ever sate in seats of Judicature to act upon such grounds as are no wayes pleadable before the Lord Jesus Christ when he shall come in the glory of his father with all his holy Angels to judge all the Kings Princes Nobles Judges and Justices of the earth My Lords and Gentlemen if these five things or Rules were but sincerely seriously resolutely and constantly followed no heart can conceive nor no tongue can expresse the hainous sins the sore troubles and the dreadful calamities and woful miseries that thereby would be prevented And thus my Lords and Gentlemen I have done with those special Rules that you are carefully diligently faithfully and constantly to observe in all your Judicial administrations but how you will be able to act suitable and answerable to these Rules without a spirit of holinesse without a principle of holinesse and without an experiment of the powerful operations of holinesse in your own souls I am not able to see If you please to read from page 433. to page 447. you will find many more weighty arguments to move you to labour after holiness and therefore how much it stands you upon that want that holinesse that this Treatise holds forth to study holinesse to love holinesse to prize holinesse to countenance holinesse to encourage holinesse to promote holinesse and to be restlesse till you have experienced the power and life and sweet of holinesse in your own hearts and lives I must leave you to Judge And O that after all this pains that I have taken upon the account of your immortal souls I may not have cause to complain as once Marcus Antonius did Alas saith he those Graces which the Deity sent down as so many pillars to stay up humane Societies viz. Faith and Modesty Justice and Verity they found such cold entertainment in the world that they are fled back to heaven I shall follow these weak endeavours with my best prayers that you may all put on holinesse as a Royal Robe and that all your Judicial administrations may savour of a spirit of holinesse and of the power and prevalency of holinesse that so you may be as high in happinesse above others as you are now in power and place exalted above others If this Treatise should fall into any of their hands who call and account themselves the only Ministers of Jesus Christ I mean such who preach rather to please then to profit to tickle the ear then to awaken the conscience that are better at fleecing of their Flocks then they are at feeding of their Flocks Ezek. 13. read it throughout Mat. 23.23 Mat. 15.1 10. that seek more mens goods then their good that set up mens Traditions above Gods own institutions that prefer humane commands before divine commands that are very zealous and warm for Mint Anise and Cummin but are very cold carelesse and negligent in the great and weighty matters of the Law viz. Judgement Mercy and Faith That can blesse God in the Church and blaspheme him in the Tavern That prefer musick in the Church Gentlemen if you please to turn to page 296 297 298 299. of this book you will find more matter that concerns you before singing of Hallelujahs in heaven That prefer a fat Benefice before an interest in an heavenly inheritance That can kneel devoutly behind a pillar and in their drunken fits rail as stoutly against a post That pretend a greaâ— deal of reverence to the name of Jesus and yet in their lives do daily crucifie the Lord Jesus That with Judas can kisse Christ and betray Christ in a breath That pretend much kindnesse to the head and yet shew nothing but unkindnesse to
good penny worths put into the buyers hands if the buyer hath neither wisdom nor heart to buy Unholy persons are such spiritual fools though they have a price an opportunity put into their hands which if improved might make them for ever yet they have no heart to make an improvement of the means and advantages that might do them good to all eternity Prov 1.20 ult Isa 53.1 Ch. 55.1 2. Mat. 25.3.6.10 Ch 23.37 Luke 19.41 42. c. That great Conqueror vainly feared that his Father Philips Victories would deprive the Son of an opportunity to improve his Magnanimity Ah what opportunities have unsanctified persons to get changed hearts renewed natures purged consciences reformed lives to get an interest in Christ to obtain the favour of God to procure pardon of sin to make provision for their immortal souls But they have no hearts to improve these opportunities and so by neglecting of them they cut the throat of their own souls And this will be the worm that will he gnawing of them to all eternity that they have let slip the opportunities of grace that they have trifled away the seasons of mercy Ah Sirs there is no fool to that fool that hath an opportunity put into his hand to make himself for ever and yet hath no heart to improve it The hottest place in hell will be the portion of such fools Mat. 11.21 22. The little Bee so soon as flowers appear goes abroad views the gay Diapery and the diversity of the flowery fields sucks the sweetest of them fraights her thighs makes a curious comb and so betimes hoards up honey in Summer against Winter And so the little busie Ant in Summer provides food for Winter Prov. 6.6.7 8. The Stork the Crane and the Swallow know their seasons and opportunities Jer. 8.7 All these poor little creatures are not so much below man in nature as they are above sinfull man in worth wisdom and work These improve their Summer seasons their harvest hours and yet such spiritual fools are wicked man that they let slip such seasons of grace and mercy that cannot be redeemed with ten thousand worlds Ah how is man fallen from his primitive nobility and glory that these little busie creatures are propounded as a pattern of diligence and wisdom unto him The Antients painted Opportunity with a hairy forehead but bald behind to signifie that while a man hath it before him he may lay hold on it but if he lets it slip away he cannot pull it back again There is a great truth in what the Rabbi hath long since said Nemo est cui non sit hora sua Every man hath his hour and he who overslips his season may never meet with the like again There are many thousand spiritual fools in hell that find this true by experience and therefore now they bewail their folly but all too late all too late Thirdly Natural fools are very inconstant they are never long in one mind now they are for this Ecclesiasticus 22.11 12 13 14 15. and anon for that now in this mind and anon in that their minds are more changeble then the Moon they turn oftner then the Wether-cock they are only constant in inconstancy and such spiritual fools are all unholy persons For now they are for a righteous cause and anon they are against it now they are for God and anon they are against him now they are for Christ and by and by they are against him now they cry out Hosanna Hosanna in the highest Mat. 21.9 15. but did they hold in this mind long no their mind is presently changed and they cry out crucifie him crucifie him Luke 23.21 Now they are for the Saints and anon they are against them they cry up the Gospel and presently they make opposition against the Gospel like the kingdom of Congo who at first kindly embraced the Gospel but as soon as they found it restrain their lusts and carnal liberties they made fierce opposition against the Gospel this week they are for Ordinances and the next they are against Ordinances this hour they will forsake their sins and the next hour they 're return to their sins as the dog to his vomit and as the Sow to her wallowing in the mire 2 Pet. 2.20 21 22. Now they are for this way and anon for that now they are for this opinion and anon for that now they are for this Religion Beza and to morrow they are for another Religion 2 Kings 17.33 like Baldwin a French Lawyer of whom it is said that he had Religionem Ephemeram every day a new Religion but constant to none This moment you shall hear them bless and the next moment you shall hear them curse James 3.9 10. Out of the same mouth proceeds blessing and cursing Lewis the second would swear and then kiss his Crucifix and then swear again more confidently and kiss his Crucifix again more devoutly Now because this Age is full of such swearing fools and happily this Treatise may fall into some of their hands give me leave to say that it is observable that the word in the Hebrew which the Scripture useth for swearing is alwayes used in the passive voice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nashabange to note say some that a man should not swear but when an oath is laid upon him and he driven to it The word also hath a signification of seven 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as having reference say some to the seven spirits of God before the throne before whom we swear and therefore should never swear but in truth righteousness and Judgemen Jer. 4.2 Rev. 1.4 Ch. 5 6. one day you shall have these spiritual fools these prophane fools crying out O! heaven heaven heaven O! That we may go to heaven and the next day you shall see them live as if there were neither heaven nor hell one day with Balaam you shall have them wish Oh that we might die the death of the righteous and the next day with Saul you shall have them a persecuting of the righteous to death one day you shall have them cry out What shall we do to be saved and the next day you shall see them live as if they were resolved to be damned Thus these spititual fools like natural fools are always fickle and inconstant Mischief is the fools bable the fools fiddle Fools can rejoyce in other mens harms and laugh to see others lament Fourthly Fools delight to sport and play with such things as are most hurtfull pernicious and dangerous to them as you all know that have observed any thing of natural fools Prov. 10.23 It is a sport to a fool to do mischief Fools take as great delight and pleasure in doing mischief as wise men do in their lawfull sports or pastimes Wisdom is not more a joy and delight to a man of understanding then mischief and wickedness is a sport or recreation to a fool It is a great contentment and
strikes the sinner into such a damp as a discourse on the holiness of God it is as the hand-writing upon the wall nothing makes the head and heart of a sinner to ake like a Sermon upon the holy one nothing gaules and gripes nothing stings and terrifies unsanctified ones like a lively setting forth of the holiness of God But now to holy souls there are no discourses that do more suit them and satisfie them that doth more delight and content them that doth more please and profit them then those that do most fully and powerfully discover God to be glorious in holiness Well this is an everlasting truth he that truly affects the holiness of God and affects God for his holiness is certainly made partaker of his holiness if you are really holy you are much affected and taken with the holiness of God Souls what say you to this But Secondly True holiness is diffusive it doth extend diffuse and spread it self all over the soul Psal 119.6 128. Bonum est sui communicativâ—m it spreads it self over head and heart lip and life inside and outside Psal 45.13 The Kings daughter is all glorious within her cloathing is of wrought gold inward holiness is the inward glory of the Kings daughter the Kings daughter is all glorious within her understanding is hang'd with holiness her mind is adornâ—d with holiness her will is bowed to holiness all her affections are sprinkled yea cloathed with holiness her love is holy love her grief is holy grief her joy is holy joy her sorrow is holy sorrow her fear is holy fear her care is holy care her zeal is holy zeal and her cloathing is of wrought gold that is her life and conversation which is as visible to others as the cloathes she weares is very sparkling and shining in grace and holiness True sanctification is throughout it reaches to soul body and spirit 1 Thes 5.23 True holiness is a divine leaven Mat. 13.33 which leavens the whole man Look as leaven diffuses it self through the whole dough so true holiness diffuses it self through the whole man Look as Absoloms beauty was spread all over him even from the crown of his head to the sole of his foot 2 Sam. 14.25 so the beauty of holiness spreads it self over every member of the body and every faculty of the soul Look as Solomons Temple was glorious both within and without so holiness makes all glorious both within and without Look as Adams sin spread it self over the whole man 1 John 16. so that holiness that we have by the second Adam spreads it self over the whole â—â—n so that that man that is not all over holy that is not throughout holy that man was never truly holy Look as that holiness which was in Christ did diffuse and spread it self over all Christ so that his person was holy his natures were holy his heart was holy his language was holy and his life was holy so real holiness spreads it self over head hand 1 Pet. 1.15 heart lip and life The fruit of the spirit is in all goodness Ephes 5.9 he that is truly good is all over good he hath goodness engraven upon his understanding and goodness engraven upon his judgement and goodness engraven upon his will and goodness engraven upon his affections and goodness engraven upon his inclination and goodness engraven upon his disposition and goodness engraven upon his conversation he that is not all over good is not really good there are those that have new heads but old hearts new words but old wills new expressions but old affections new memories but old minds new notions but old conversations and these are as far off from true holiness as the Pope the Turk and the Devil are from real happiness In every holy person there are many divine miracles there is a dead man restored to life a dumb man restored to speech a blind man restored to sight a deaf man restored to hearing a lame man restored to walking a man possest with Devils possest with grace a heart of stone turned into an heart of flesh and a life of wickedness turned into a life of holiness if it be thus with thee I dare write thee and call thee both holy and happy But Thirdly Persons of real holiness do set the highest price and the greatest value and esteem upon those that are holy they do not as the blind world do value persons by their great places names professions arts parts gifts gay cloathes gold chains honours and riches but by their holiness As a holy God Chrysostom called some holy men in his time Aggelous earthy Angels and so Doctor Taylor lookt upon holy Bradford as an Angel so holy souls look not how rational men are but how religious not how notional but how experimental not how great but how gracious not how high but how holy and accordingly they value them Psalm 16.3 But to the Saints that are in the earth and to the excellent in whom is all my delight Prov. 12.26 The righteous is more excellent then his neighbour It is holiness that differences one man from another and that exalts one man above another a holy man is a better man then his neighbour in the eye account and esteem of God Angels and Saints there is no man to the holy man The Sun doth not more excell and out-shine the Stars then a righteous man doth excell and out-shine his unrighteous neighbour Prov. 28.6 Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness then he that is perverse in his ways though he be rich A man of holiness prefers an holy Job though upon the dunghill before a wicked Ahab upon the throne he sets an higher price upon an holy Lazarus though cloathed with rags and full of sores then upon a rich and wretched Dives Luke 16. who is cloathed gloriously and fares sumptuously every day As King Ingo valued poor ragged Christians above his Pagan Nobles saying that when his Pagan Nobles in all their pomp and glory should-be cast down to Hell those poor Christians should be his consorts and fellow-Princes in heaven this blind mad world rates and values men according to their worldly interest greatness glory and grandure but men of holiness rate and value men by their holiness by their inward excellencies and by what they are worth for another world the world judgeth him the best man in the Parish that is most rich but a holy man judgeth him the best man in the Parish that is most righteous the world counts him the best man in the Town that is cloathed most gorgeously but a holy man counts him the best man in the Town whose inside and outside whose heart and life whose body and soul is cloathed with sanctity and purity the world reckons him the best man in the City whose bags are fullest and whose estate is largest but a holy man reckons him the best man in the City whose heart is
upon the soul This a holy heart well understands and therefore it hates and abhors the least sin But Secondly A holy heart knows that little sins have exposed both sinners and Saints to very great punishments A gracious soul remembers the man that was stoned to death for gathering of sticks on the Sabbath day He remembers how Saul lost two kingdoms at once Nu. 15.30.37 1 Sam. 15.23 Mat. 25.25.31 Acts 5.3 4. Gen. 19.26 ch 3. ch 27. his own kingdom and the kingdom of heaven for sparing of Agag and the fat of the Cattel he remembers how the unprofitable servant for the non-improvement of his Talent was cast into outer darkness He remembers how Ananias and Saphira were stricken suddenly dead for telling a lie He remembers how Lots wife for a look of curiosity was turned into a pillar of Salt He remembers how Adam was cast out of Paradise for eating an Apple and the Angels cast out of heaven for not keeping their standings He remembers that Jacob smarted for his lying to his dying day He remembers how God followed him with sorrow upon sorrow and breach upon breach filling up his dayes with grief and trouble He remembers how Moses was shut out of the holy land because he spoke unadvisedly with his lips 1 Kings 13. He remembers the young Prophet who was slain by a Lyon for eating a little bread and drinking a little water contrary to the command of God though he was drawn thereunto by an old Prophet under a pretence of a revelation from heaven Luk. 1.19 20 21 22 23.62 2 Sam. 6.7 8. He remembers how Zacharias was stricken both dumb and deaf because he believed not the report of the Angel Gabriel He remembers how Vzzah was stricken dead for staying up the Ark when it was in danger to have fallen Yea he can never forget the fifty thousand men of Beth-shemesh who were slain for looking into the Ark. 1 Sam. 6.19 20 21. Now ah how doth the remembrance of these things stir up the hatred and indignation of a gracious soul against the least sins A dram of poyson disfuseth it self to all parts till it strangle the vital spirits and separates the soul from the body A little coal of fire hath turned many a stately fabrick into ashes A little prick with a thorn may as well kill a man as a cut with a drawn sword A little fly may spoil all the Alablaster Box of ointment General Norris having received a slight wound in his Arm in the wars of Ireland made light of it but his Arm gangren'd and so he lost both Arm and life together Fabius a Senator of Room and Lord Chief Justice besides was strangled by swallowing a small hair in a draught of milk Three fits of an Ague carried away Tamerlain who was the terror of his time Anacreon the Poet was choaked with the kernel of a grape An Emperour died by the scratch of a comb One of the Kings of France died miserably by the chock of a Hog And his Brother with a blow of a ball at Tennis was struck into his grave And thus you see little things have brought upon many great miseries And so little sins may expose and make persons very liable to great punishments And therefore no wonder if the heart of a holy man rises against them Those sins which are seemingly but small are very provoking to the great God and very hurtfull to the immortal soul And therefore they cannot but be the object of a Christians hatred Thirdly A holy heart knows that a holy God looks and expects that the least sins should be shunned and avoided He looks that the Cockatrice should be crushed in the Egg. Psalm 137.9 God looks that Babylons little ones should be dashed against the stones Not only great sins but little ones must be killed or they will kill the soul The Viper is killed by the little ones that she nourishes in her own bowels So many a man is eternally slain by the little sins that he nourishes in his own bosome as a little stab at the heart kills a man so a little sin without a great deal of mercy will damn a man God expects that his children should abstain from all appearance of evil 1 Thes 5.22 Bernard glosseth Quicquid est male coloratum Whatsoever id of an ill shew or ill report As thou wouldst neither wound thy conscience nor thy credit God nor the Gospel thou must keep off from the very appearances of evil A Christian is to hate not only the flesh but the garment and not only the garment which is besmeared but the very garment that is but bespotted with the flesh Jude 23. Our first Parents were not only forbidden to eat of the forbidden fruit but they were forbidden to touch it Gen. 3.3 And certainly he that would not gape after forbidden fruit must not gaze upon forbidden fruit He that would not long after it must not look upon it he that would not taste it Numb 6.3 4. must not touch it The pious Nazarite was not only commanded to abstain from wine and strong drink but also from eating grapes whether moist or dry yea he was prohibited from eating any thing that was made of the vine-tree from the kernels even to the husk Lest by the sweet and contentment of any of these he should be tempted or enticed to drink wine and so forget the Law Prov. 31.5 Difficile quis venenum bibet vivet Cypr. A man can hardly drink poyson and live and break his vow and make work for hell or repentance or the Physitian of souls Sin is so hatefull a thing that both the remote occasion and the least occasion that might draw the soul to it is to be avoided and shunned as a man would avoid and shun hell it self He that truly hates the nature of sin cannot but hate the least sin yea all appearances of sin A holy heart knows that the very thought of sin if not thought on will break forth into action action into custom custom into habit and then body and soul are undone for ever Look as nothing speaks out more sincerity and real sanctity then shunning the very appearances of vanity so nothing speaks out more indignation against sin then the avoiding the occasions of sin But Fourthly A holy heart knows that the indulging of of the least sin is ground sufficient for any man to question his integrity and ingenuity towards God he hath much reason to suspect himself and to be suspected by others who dares break with God and with his own conscience for a trifle he that will trangress for a morsel of bread Prov. 28.21 will be ready enough to sell his soul for a groat He that will pervert Justice for a few pieces of silver what will he not do for a hatful of gold he that will sell the poor for a pair of Shoos Amos 2.6 will destroy the poor for a brace of
screws up his Consciencee till he makes all crack again Under all his shews of sanctity he had not so much as common honesty in him Counterfeit holiness is often made a stalking horse to the exercise of much unrighteousness Certainly that man is as far from real holiness as the Devil himself is from true happiness who lives not in the exercise of righteousness towards men as well as in a profession of holiness towards God Well Christians remember this it were better with the Philosopher to have honesty without Religion then to have Religion without honesty But Ninthly He that is truly holy will labour and endeavour to make others holy a holy heart loves not to go to heaven alone it loves not to be happy and blessed alone a man that hath experienced the power excellency and sweetness of holiness will strive and study how to make others holy When Sampson had tasted honey Judg. 14.8 9. he gave his father and mother some with him Holiness is so sweet a morsel that a soul cannot taste of it 1 Thes 1.5 6 7 8. but he will be a commending of it to others As you may see in holy Moses in Numb 11.29 And Moses said unto him Enviest thou for my sake Lilmod le lammed we therefore learn that we may teach is a proverb among the Rabbines would God that all the Lords people were Prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them A holy soul will never make a monopoly of holiness the Prophets you know were men of greatest grace and holiness now holy Moses is very importunate and earnest with God that he would not only make the two that prophesied but all the Lords people eminent and excellent in grace and holiness such was Moses his holiness and humbleness that he desires that all others might either equal him or excell him in gifts and grace The Heathen could say I do therefore lay in and lay up that I may draw forth again for the good of many A heart eminently holy is so far from envying of the gracious excellencies of others that it can rejoyce in every Sun that out-shines his own and every light that burns more dim then his he desires that it may be snufft not put out that so it may give a clearer and a greater light to others So holy Paul in Acts 26.29 And Paul said I would to God that not only thou but also all that hear me this day were both almost and altogether such as I am except these bands True holiness is no Churl nothing makes a man more noble in his spiritual desires wishes and actings for others then holiness Real holiness like oyl is of a diffusive nature like light it will spread it self over all like Maries box of ointment it fills all the house with the sweet scent thereof Art thou a holy Father then thou wilt with holy Abraham labour to make thy children holy Gen. 18.17 18 19. A holy heart knows that both by his first birth but especially by his new-birth he stands obliged to promote holiness in all but especially in those that are parts and pieces of himself Art thou a holy Master then thou wilt with holy Joshua labour to make all under thy charge holy Josh 24.15 But as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. True holiness cannot be concealed it will be a stirring and a provoaking of others to be holy as a holy man doth not love to be happy alone so a holy man doth not love to be holy alone A holy master loves to see a Crown of holiness set upon every head in his family Holiness is a very beautiful thing and it makes those beautiful in whom it is in a holy Masters eye there is no servant so lovely and beautiful as he that hath the beauty of holiness upon him George Prince of Aâ—halt his family is said to have been Ecclesia Academia Curia A Church an University and a Court. A holy Magistrate will labour to make both his servants and his subjects holy As holy David holy Asa holy Josiah and holy Ezekiah did he knows that the souls of his servants and subjects are the choicest treasure that God hath committed to his care he knows that every soul is more worth then his Crown and Kingdom he knows that he must one day give up an account for more souls then his own and therefore he improves his power and interest every way for the making of all holy under him As Lewis the ninth King of France took pains to instruct his poor Kitchin-boy in the way to heaven and being asked the reason of it he answered The meanest have a soul to save as precious as mine own and bought by the same blood of Christ It is said of Constantine that in this he was truly great that he would have his whole Court gathered together and cause the Scriptures to be read and opened to them that they might be made holy Courtiers Rev. 21.27 and so fitted for the Court of heaven into which no unclean person or thing can enter It grieved an Emperour that a neighbour of his should die before he had done him any good Ah it is the grief of a holy Magistrate to see others die before they are made holy the great request of a holy Magistrate living and dying is this Lord make this people a holy people O make this people a holy people Art thou a holy kinsman a holy friend then thou wilt labour to make thy kindred holy and thy friends holy As holy Cornelius did So in 1 John 39 49. Chap. 4.28 29 30. as you may see in Acts 10.24 27. And the morrow after they entred into Cesaria and Cornelius waited for them and had called together his kinsmen and near friends And as Peter talked with him he went in and found many that were come together And in ver 33. saith Cornelius to Peter Thou hast well done that thou art come Now therefore we are all here present before God to hear all things that are commanded thee of God Ver. 1 2 3 4. Devout Cornelius gets his kinsmen and near friends together that they also might be partakers of the grace and mercy of God with him he had experienced a work of grace and holiness upon his own heart and he uses his best endeavours that they might experience the same on theirs A holy Christian is like a loadstone that draws to it self first one iron ring and that another and that a third It is a true saying in natural Philosophie that it is Naturalissimum opus viventis generare sibi simile the most natural act or work of every living thing to produce another like unto it self As there is a natural instinct in all creatures to propagate their own kind as in beasts birds and fishes so there is a holy a spiritual instinct in all gracious hearts to propagate grace and holiness in whatever hearts they
lips of the righteous are a free and well furnished table at which many are fed and nourished with the dainties of heaven to eternal life Righteous men keep open house they keep free hospitality for all comers and goers and if they have not alwayes bread in their hands yet they have alwayes grace in their lips to feed many Though they may be outwardly poor yet they have a treasure within to enrich many The tongue is the instrument of a Christians glory and is so interested in the quality it expresseth that in the original it is taken for it Cavod signifying both glory and the tongue by the authority of no less Rabbines then Jacob and David as thereby intimating that the chiefest glory of man is his tongue The Primitive Christians talked so much and so often of high and heavenly things that the Ethnicks began to surmise that they affected the Roman Empire when indeed their ambition was of another a nobler and a higher nature But now men that have only a shew of godliness they do practically say Our tongues are our own and who shall controul us Their speech is so far from administring of grace to their hearers that it administers usually either matter of carnal mirth or of contempt or of scorn or of sorrow and mourning certainly they have no holiness in their hearts who have so much of hell Jam. 1.26 27. chap. 3.8.12 Matth. 26.73 and the Devil and lusts in their mouthes I may say to most You are unholy persons your speech bewrayes you your worldliness your prophaneness your cursing your swearing your lying your slandering your reviling your railing your deriding c. doth plainly evidence that you have no holiness in you Well remember this a tongue that is set on fire from hell is in danger to be set on fire in hell Hell is for that man and that man is for hell that hath so much of hell in his mouth the Devil is for that man and that man is for the Devil that hath so much of the Devil in his mouth Damnation is for that man and that man is for damnation that hath so much of damnation in his mouth the world is for that man and that man is for the world that hath so much of the world in his mouth Whatever is in the heart will break out in the lips if wickedness be in the heart it will break out in the lips Physitians say that the nature of diseases is as well known by the tongue as by the pulse or urine The spiritual diseases that be in the heart will quickly discover themselves by the tongue Whereever holiness is in the heart it will break forth in the lips a holy heart and a holy tongue are married together and it is not in man to put them asunder you shall sooner separate the soul from the body then you shall separate a holy tongue from an holy heart And thus I have done with this use of examination the Lord make you wise to lay these things to heart that so you may know how it is like to go with you in another world Vse 3. THe third Use shall be a Use of Exhortation and that both to unsanctified and sanctified ones First let me speak to unsanctified ones is it so that real holiness is the only way to happiness and that without men are holy on earth they shall never come to the beatifical vision or blessed fruition of God in heaven O then how should this provoke and stir up all unholy persons to strive and labour as for life after this real holiness without which they shall never come to have any thing to do with God in everlasting happiness c Now that I may the better prevail with unsanctified souls I shall First propound some motives to stir and provoke their hearts to look and labour after real holiness c. Secondly I shall propose some means for the obtaining of holiness Thirdly I shall endeavour to answer those objections and remove those impediments that hinder and keep men off from labouring after real holiness For the first I shall propound these following considerations to provoke all unsanctified persons to look after holiness First Consider the necessity of holinesse It is impossible that ever you should be happy except you are holy No holinesse here no happinesse hereafter The Scripture speaks of three bodily inhabitants of heaven Enoch before the Law Elijah under the Law and Jesus Christ under the Gospel all three eminent in holinesse to teach us that even in an ordinary course there is no going to heaven without holinesse There are many thousand thousands now in heaven but not one unholy one among them all There is not one sinner among all those Saints not one Goat among all those Sheep not one weed among all those flowers not one thorn or prickle among all those Roses not one Pibble among all those glistering Diamonds There is not one Cain among all those Abels nor one Ishmael among all those Isaacs nor one Esau among all those Jacobs in heaven Rev. 5.11 Chap 7.9 Heb. 12.22 23. Those that would be immortally happy they must live holily and justly saith Antisthenes the Heathen there is not one Seth among all the Patriarchs not one Saul among all the Prophets nor one Judas among all the Apostles nor one Demas among all the Preachers nor one Simon Magus among all the professors Heaven is only for the holy man and the holy man is only for heaven Heaven is a garment of glory that is only suited to him that is holy God who is truth it self and cannot lie hath said it that without holinesse no man shall see the Lord. Mark that word no man without holinesse the rich man shall not see the Lord nor without holinesse the poor man shall not see the Lord Without holinesse the Noble man shall not see the Lord nor without holinesse the mean man shall not see the Lord. Without holinesse the Prince shall not see the Lord nor without holinesse the Peasant shall not see the Lord. Without holinesse the Ruler shall not see the Lord nor without holinesse the Ruled shall not see the Lord. Without holinesse the learned man shall not see the Lord nor without holinesse the ignorant man shall not see the Lord. Without holinesse the husband shall not see the Lord nor without holinesse the wife shall not see the Lord. Without holinesse the Father shall not see the Lord nor without holinesse the child shall not see the Lord. Without holinesse the Master shall not see the Lord nor without holinesse the servant shall not see the Lord. For faithfull and strong is the Lord of hosts that hath spoken it Josh 23.14 In this day some cry up one form some another some cry up one Church-state some another some cry up one way some another but certainly the way of holinesse is the good old way it is the King of Kings high-way to heaven and
sanctified the same Spirit the same Grace the same Power the same Presence that hath sanctified any of these may sanctifie all of these there is no heart so unholy but a holy God can make it holy there is no spirit so unclean but a holy Spirit can make it clean Well sinners there are many living and standing witnesses of divine grace among you and about you that do sufficiently declare that it is possible that you may be sanctified and saved Again it is possible that you may be sanctified and made holy Witness 7. The Oath of a holy God Ezek. 33.11 Say unto them As I live saith the Lord God Ezek. 18.31 32. I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his way and live Turn ye turn ye from your evil wayes for why will you die O house of Israel As I live is the form of an Oath and is much used in the Scripture by God himself wicked men are very hardly perswaded to believe that God is willing that they should be sanctified and saved and therefore God takes his oath on it that he is infinitely more willing that wicked men should turn from their evil wayes and be sanctified and saved then that they should perish in their sins and be damned for ever As I live is a weighty oath and imports the certainty of that which follows it is absolute without evasion or revocation As sure as I live and am God I have no pleasure in destroying and damning of souls but desire that they would turn from their evil wayes and that they would be sanctified and saved let me not live let me be no longer a God if I would not have the wicked to live and be happy for ever The possibility of your being holy God hath confirmed by an oath and therefore you may no longer question it As Paulus Fagius observeth in his comment on Genesis The Egyptians though Heathens so hated perjury that if any man did but swear by the life of the King and did not perform his oath that man was to die and no gold was to redeem his life And do you think that a holy God doth not stand more upon his oath then Heathens yea then the worst of Heathens Certainly he doth 8. Lastly it is possible that you may be a holy Witness The great designs and undertakings of Jesus Christ to make lost man holy His great design in leaving his fathers bosom and coming into this world 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dissolve unravel the works of the Devil was the destroying the dissolving of the works of the Devil 1 John 3.8 For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the Devil Sin is Satans work and Christ comes to destroy it and break it all in pieces Mens sins are Satans chains by which he links them fast to himself but Christ was therefore manifested that he might loose and knock off these chains Satan had knit many sinful knots in our souls but Christ comes to unty those knots he had laid many snares but Christ comes to discover and to break those snares It was the great design of Christ in the divesting of himself as it were of his divine honour glory and dignity Phil. 2.6 7 8 15. and in his taking on him the nature of man to destroy Satan and to sanctifie the souls of men Heb. 2.11 14 15. It was the great design of Jesus Christ in giving of himself for us in giving his soul his body his life to justice to death to wrath for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity Titus 2.14 and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works The crown of holiness was faln from our heads and Christ freely and willingly uncrowns himself that once more we might be crowned with holiness immortality and glory Christ was resolved that he would lose all that was near and dear unto him but he would recover our lost holiness for us Christ knew that heaven had been but a poor purchase had he not purchased holiness for us As heaven is but a low thing without God so heaven is but a low thing without holiness It is holiness that is the sparkling Diamond in the Ring of happiness a man were better be holy in hell then unholy in heaven and therefore Christ ventures his All for holiness The great design of Christ in redeeming of souls with the choicest the purest the costliest the noblest blood that ever run in veins Luke 1.74 75. was that they should serve him in righteousness and holiness all the daies of their lives In a word Christ had never taken so great a journey from heaven to earth but to make men holy he had never taken upon him the form of a servant but to make us the servants of the most high God He had never lyen in a manger he had never trod the Wine-press of his fathers wrath but to make you holy he prayed he sweat he bled and he hung on the Cross and all to make you holy he was holy in his birth and holy in his life and holy in his death and holy in all his sufferings and all to make you holy The great design of Christ in all he did and in all he suffered was to make man holy And thus you see by all these Arguments that holiness is attainable Thirdly Consider this that real holiness is the honour and the glory of the creature and therefore the Apostle links holiness and honour together 1 Thes 4.3 4. 2 Cor. 3. ult Eph. 5.27 For this is the will of God even your sanctification that ye should abstain from fornication That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour The vessel is mans body which is the great utensil or instrument of the soul and contains it as in a vessel now the sanctity and chastity of this vessel is the honour of a Christian even bodily purity is a Christians glory he that keeps his vessel in holiness keeps it in honour A heathen could say Nobilitas sola est atque unica vertus Vertue is the only true nobility Holiness is the greatest dignity that mortal man is capable of it is mans highest promotion it is his highest exaltation holiness is the true gentility and the true nobility of the soul Deut. 26. ult And to make thee high above all Nations which he hath made in praise and in name and in honour and that thou mayest be an holy people unto the Lord thy God There is nothing that lifts a people so high and that makes them so truly famous and glorious as holiness doth Holiness is the praise the renown the crown and glory of a people Holiness is the diadem the beauty and the excellency of a people Holiness is the strength the honour and the riches of a people Holiness is the image of God
the character of Christ it is a beam of the divine nature a spark of glory it is the life of your lives and the soul of your souls it is only holiness that makes men to excell in honour all other people in the world Look as Gods holiness is his glory Exod. 15.11 Isa 6.2 3. Psalm 93.5 Eph. 5.27 and the Angels holiness is their glory and the Churches holiness is their glory so the holiness of any particular person is the glory of that person Why was Jabez reputed more honourable then his brethren but because he was more holy then his brethren 1 Chron. 4.9 10. And Jabez was more honourable then his brethren And his mother called his name Jabez saying because I bare him with sorrow And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying Oh that thou wouldst bless me indeed and enlarge my coast and that thine hand might be with me and that thou wouldst keep me from evil that it may not grieve me And God granted him that which he requested Holiness is the truest and the greatest nobility and honour in the world It is very observable that among Turks Jews Indians Persians and Papists the strictest and holiest among them are most highly esteemed and honoured Romanus the Martyr who was born of noble parentage intreated his persecutors that they would not favour him for his nobility for it is not said he the blood of my ancestors but my Christian faith that makes me noble David thought it not so happy nor so honourable a thing to be a King in his own house as to be a door-keeper in Gods house Solomon did prefer the title of Ecclesiastes that is a soul reconciled to the Church before the title of the King of Jerusalem Holy Theodosius the Emperour preferred the title of membrum Ecclesiae a member of the Church before that of Caput imperii the head of the Empire professing that he had rather be a Saint and no King then a King and no Saint And holy Constantine rejoyced more in being the servant of Christ then in being the Emperour of the world And Luther had rather be Christianus rusticus then Ethnicus Alexander a Christian clown then a Pagan Emperour These holy men well knew that holiness was the top of all their honour and glory Well sinners remember this that holiness is the high and ready way to the highest honour and therefore as ever you would be truly honourable labour to be truly holy Great swelling titles are but as so many Rattles or as so many Fethers in mens caps without holiness he that can be content to live without holiness must be contented to see his honour intombed whilest he lives Honour without holiness is but a wind that will blow a man the sooner to hell Honour without holiness Acts 25.23 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with great fantasie or vain shew all the honour pomp and state of this world is but a fantasie is but magnum nihil a great nothing a glorious fancy Many a man hath been the worse but where lives that man that hath been ever the better for his worldly honour A man swelled with honour without holiness is like a man in a Dropsie whose bigness is his disease Well let Ambitionists and all others who hunt after the breath of popular applause know that that honour which attends holiness is the truest honour the highest honour the greatest honour the happiest honour the surest honour the purest honour and the most lasting and abiding honour Mollerus upon Psalm 73.20 concludes that wicked mens earthly honours and dignities are but as idle dreams and their splendid braveries but lucid fantasies Adonibezek a mighty Prince is quickly made a fellow-commoner with the dogs Judg. 1.7 And Nebuchadnezzar a mighty conqueror Dan. 4.28 Acts 12.23 turned a grazing among the Oxen. And Herod reduced from a conceited god to be the most loathsom of men a living carrion arrested by the vilest of creatures upon the suit of his affronted Creator And great Haman feasted with the King one day Est 7.10 and made a feast for Crows the next but that honour that waits on holiness is honour that will abide with a man that will to the grave with a man yea that will to heaven with a man Some heathens have been weary of their honours Maximus c. but the honour that attends holiness is no burden to a Christian and others have rejected honours when they have been offered them because of the cumber and danger that attends them High seats are never but uneasie and Crowns are usually stuft with thorns But the honour that attends holiness is a Rose without prickles it is a Crown without thorns that honour that springs from a root of holiness shall be both sanctified and sweetened by God so as that it shall not hurt nor harm a gracious soul Ah sinners sinners if you will be ambitious be ambitious of that honour that comes in upon the foot of holiness for there is no honour to that honour The Romans were insatiable in their desires after worldly honour which is but as a blast a shadow a dream O! how much more insatiable should you be in your desires and endeavours after that honour that is linkt to holiness and that is substantial and lasting Fourthly To stir you up to look after real holiness Consider that holiness is very attractive History tells us of many Infidels that have been woon to the Christian faith by the holy lives of the Saints c. drawing and winning it draws love it draws desire it draws delight Holiness is like a precious perfume whose savour spreads it self and is pleasing and delightful to all that come near it 2 Kings 4.9 10. And she said unto her husband Behold now I perceive that this is a holy man of God which passeth by us continually Let us make a little chamber I pray thee on the wall and let us set for him there a bed a table and a stool and a candlestick and it shall be when he cometh to us that he shall turn in thither The holiness of the Prophets spirit the holiness of his principles the holiness of his behaviour and the holiness of his conversation did so allure and win upon this great Lady that she becomes an importunate suitor to her husband that he might be lovingly freely courteously and commodiously entertained and accommodated as often as he came that way So Acts 2.46 47. And they continued daily with one accord in the Temple and breaking bread from house to house did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart Praising God and having favour with all the people That which did grace and ingratiate these holy Converts into the favour of the people was the exercise of their grace and holiness It was their sweet unity their noble charity their holy familiarity their blessed harmony their singular sincerity and their Christian constancy that brought them into favour with
good a common blessing All fare the better for a holy man all in the family all in the Court all in the City all in the Countrey fare the better for the holy mans sake Gen. 30.27 chap. 19.21 22 23 24. chap. 41 c. All in Labans family did fare the better for Jacobs sake and all in the City of Zoar did fare the better for Lots sake and all Pharoahs Court and the whole Countrey of Egypt did fare the better for Josephs sake Sodom was safe whilest holy Lot was in it 2 Kings 2.12 Psalm 106.23 Holy Elijah was the chariots and horsemen of Israel whilest holy Moses stood in the gap destroying judgements were diverted when holy Phineas took up his Censer and stood between the living and the dead the plague was stayed Numb 26.46 49. Holy persons are publike mercies publike blessings Job 22.30 God will sometimes deliver a whole Countrey for the sake of the inocent c. He shall deliver the Island of the innocent and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands or as some read the words the innocent shall deliver the Island that is the inhabitants of the Island the innocent shall deliver those that are not innocent had there been but ten innocent but ten righteous persons in Sodom Sodom might have been a glorious city to this day had there been but ten righteous souls among them Gen. 18.32 to the end God would never have rained hell out of heaven upon them The guiltless shall deliver the guilty in an Island the guiltless by lifting up pure hands to God in prayer shall stay the hand of God that it destroyes not the guilty It is the holy seed that upholdeth the civil state Isa 6.13 I will seek thy good was holy Davids royal and religious resolution Psalm 122.9 Kings are for Kingdoms not Kingdoms for Kings But yet in it shall be a tenth and it shall return and shall he eaten as a teyl-tree and as an oak whose substance is in them when they cast their leaves so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof The holy seed were the stay and prop of their Land and this the Lord evidences by a very familiar instance or similitude it is as if he should say You see the way or cawsey leading from the Kings house to the Temple spoken of in 1 Kings 10.5 and 2 Kings 12.21 1 Chron. 26.16 17. and 2 Chron. 9.11 how by reason of the oaks and trees on either side thereof the earth between is stayed and held up firm which otherwise would fall to decay and moulder away So saith God it is the holy seed that bears up the whole state and were it not for them desolation and destruction would come in as a flood upon you Prov. 10.25 The righteous is an everlasting foundation the Hebrew Doctors sense it thus The righteous are the foundation of the world which would soon shatter and fall to ruine but for their sakes The whole world fares the better every day for the righteous sake If it were not for this holy seed the chaff of this world would soon be set on fire if the number of the holy seed were but called and converted God would quickly turn the whole world into flames and ashes it is they that bear up the pillars of the earth Psalm 75.3 I bare up the pillars of the earth holy persons are the true Atlasses both of Church and state they are the pillars on whom all do rest the props on whom all do lean do but overturn these pillars and all will fall about your ears as the house did about the Philistines when Sampson shook it let but Kingdoms and Common-wealths wrack these and they shall quickly be ship-wrackt themselves There is not a sinner in the world but enjoyes his estate his relations his outward accommodations yea his very life upon the account of the Saints and therefore they must needs be bewitcht or fools or mad men that are still a lifting and a thrusting at these very pillars that bear them up Look as Sampsons strength did lie in his locks so the strength and safety of the Nation lies in the holy seed they are the Bullwarks and Ammunition of the Nation the safety and felicity of the whole is bound up in them it is not Armies nor Navies nor walled Cities nor fortified Casiles nor golden Mines nor grave Counsells that will secure a Nation if once the people of Gods holinesse be cast by as broken pitchers Lam. 4.1 2. Est 4. and chap. the last compared it is their piety and prayers that keeps off sweeping judgements from a Nation and that brings down variety of mercies upon a Nation Holy persons are the clouds that water the earth as a common blessing and they are the rising Sun that scatters all clouds and darknesse A holy man is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a publke diffusive blessing in the place where he lives look as one sinner destroyes much good Eccles 9.18 so one Saint may save a Land a Countrey Jer. 5.1 Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem and see now and know and seek in the broad places thereof if ye can finde a man if there bee any that executeth judgement If among the rabbâ—â— if among the noble if among the rich if among the fearned a man could have been found that loved holiness that was stout for righteousness and that practised uprightness God would have spared Jerusalem that seeketh the truth and I will pardon it Though Jerusalem was far larger and more populous I say not only then Sodom but then all the other Cities that sinned and perished with it yet God makes so large and noble an offer that if there could be found in it but one man divinely qualified but a man of justice a man of faithfulnesse a man of uprightnesse a man of holinesse the Lord would pardon it that is hee would spare it hee would not destroy it not ruine it God once made an offer to Abraham that if there were but ten righteous souls in Sadome he would save it but here he falls so low as to make an offer that if there could bee but one righteous soul found in Jerusalem hee would not destroy it One Saint may save a City yea a world of sinners from confusion and destruction Luther whilest he lived by Faith and Prayer kept off troubles from Germany but soon after he was gone to his grave in Peace O! the wars the miseries and mischiefs the distractions and confusions that came in like a stood upon them Possidonius in the life of Augustine tells us that the famous City of Hippo could never bee spoyled whilest Augustine lived The flood could not drown the old world till holy Methâ—sâ—lah was laid up in peace O Sirs as ever you would be a publick blessing labour to bee holy But Ninthly Consider the antiquity of holinesse holinesse is of the greatest highest and
as I live saith the Lord God they shall deliver neither son nor daughter they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness Saints may prevail with God for themselves when they cannot prevail with him for others These three Noah Daniel and Job were very holy men they had great interest in God and were very prevalent with God But the Decree being gone forth they could not prevail with God for others yet their righteousness should be their own preservation safety and security in dayes of calamity and misery So in Isa 33.15 16. He that walketh righteously and speaketh uprightly he that despiseth the gain of oppressions that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood and shutteth his eyes from seeing of evil He shall dwell on high his place of defence shall be the munition of rocks bread shall be given him his waters shall be sure Let us dive a little into this admirable promise He shall dwell on high but rather as the Hebrew hath it He shall dwell on hights if the holy man were among his enemies he might be in danger but he shall dwell on hights on many hights and many ascents he shall be out of harms way out of Gun-shot he shall be above the reach of danger O! but his enemies may raise up mounts and so get as high as he is Well grant that but yet they shall not hurt him for he is in a place of defence O! but though he be in a place of defence yet his defence is not so strong but it may be broken down and destroyed No not so for his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks many rocks and many munitions of rocks shall be the place of his defence and therefore his defence is impregnable and invincible O! but though his defence be munitions of rocks yet he may be famished he may be starved out for rocks are barren places and there is no plowing and sowing upon rocks No he shall not be starved nor famished out of his strong place of defence for bread shall be given him God will spread a Table for him O! but though he hath bread yet he may perish for want of water for he hath no faith skill nor power to fetch water out of a Rock Moses had not and he hath not and therefore he may be forced to deliver up his place of defence for water to quench his thirst as King Lysimachus and others have done no not so for he shall have water too O but his water may be spent his water will not alwaies last his Well as well as Hagars bottle may be dry his pipes may be cut off or the water that now supplies him may be turned another way No not so for his water shall be sure O! the safety and security of holy men Plutarch in the life of Alexander tells us that when he came to besiege the Sogdians a people who dwelt upon a Rock or such as had the munition of Rocks for their defence they jeered him and asked him whether his souldiers had wings or not for said they except your souldiers can fly in the air we fear you not Such is the safety of Gods holy ones that they need not to fear There are no ladders long enough to scale their place of defence nor no Artillery or Engine strong enough to batter down their munitions of Rocks There is an Apologue how the Dove made moan to her fellow birds of the tyrannie of the Hawk one counsels her to keep below but saith another The Hawk can stoop for his prey another advised her to soar aloft but saith another the Hawk can mount as high as she another wished her to shroud her self in the woods for there she should be secure but saith another alas there is the Hawks Mannour the place where he keeps Court another bids her keep the Town but saith another that is to become a prey to man but at last one bids her rest her self in the holes of the Rock and there she should certainly be safe for violence it self could not surprize her there and there she was safe Dove-like Saints they have their munitions of Rocks to fly to and there they shall be safe O Sirs there is no breast-plate to that of Righteousness there is no Armour of proof no munitions of Rocks to that of holinesse Heylin Cosm lib. 3. Noahs holinesse was an Ark to save him when Nimrods Tower of Babel which was raised five thousand one hundred forty six paces high could not secure him And therefore as you tender your own safety and security in times of trouble and calamity O labour to be holy Fourthly By holinesse you will gain deliverance from death in death Prov. 11.4 Riches profit not in the day of wrath but righteousness delivereth from death and Chap. 10.2 Treasures of wickedness profit nothing but righteousness delivereth from death Nugas the Scythian King despised the rich presents and ornaments that were sent unto him by the Emperour of Constantinople because they could not ward off sorow sickness diseases death Many Treasuries of the most precious Jewels that be in the world cannot ward off a blow a disease a sicknesse in the day of Gods wrath It is not the Crown of gold that can cure the head-ache nor the golden Scepter that can cure the Palsie hand nor the Neck-lase of Pearl that can cure the Aking teeth nor the Honourable Garter that can ease the Gowt nor the Purple Robe that can chase away the burning Feaver nor the Velvet Slipper that can heal the kibe-heel no more can Treasures of gold or silver deliver from wrath or help in a day of death O but Righteousnesse that delivers from death Look what the Sword the Shield the Helmet the Brest-plate the Coat of Mail is to the Souldier in the heat of battell that all that and more then that is righteousnesse to the righteous in the day of death Righteousnesse or holinesse of affection of action of life and conversation delivers from spiritual death and from eternal death yea it delivers from the evil the hurt the horror the terror the dread and the stinge of temporal death Piety delivers not only from the second death but also from all the evils and miseries of the first death too As the righteousnesse of the righteous will be a royal protection to him both against the day of wrath and the wrath of the day So the righteousnesse of the righteous will be a royal protection to him both against death and against all the evils of death Righteousnesse unstings death it takes away the venome the poyson and bitternesse of death It turns that curse into a blessing that punishment into a benefit that night of darknesse into a day of light that wildernesse into a Paradise that hell into a heaven Prov. 12.28 In the way of righteousnesse is life and in the path thereof there is no death In
the way of righteousnesse is chaiim lives so the Hebrew hath it in the way of righteousnesse there are many lives in that way there is spiritual life and eternal life and natural life and all the comforts and sweets and blessings and happinesse of that life without which mans life would be but a lingering a languishing death yea a hell rather then a heaven unto him And in the path thereof there is no death There is no spiritual death there is no eternal death yea there is no corporal no temporal death to hurt or harm the them Death is not mors hominis but mors peccati not the death of the man but the death of his sin Phil. 1.23 2 Cor. 5.12.4.7 8. Death is a Christians Quietus est it is his discharge from all trouble and misery to sting or terrifie them to dammage or disadvantage them for death is an out-let and an in-let to a holy man it is an out-let to sin to sorrow to shame to suffering to afflictions to temptations to desertions to oppressions to confusions and to vexations and it is an in-let to a more clear full and constant fruition of God and Christ and an in-let to the sweetest pleasures the purest joys the highest delights the strongest comforts and the most satisfying contentments Death is the funeral of all a holy mans sins and miseries and it is the resurrection of all his joyes and the perfection of all his graces and spirituall excellencies Death to a holy man is nothing but the changing of his grace into glory his faith into vision his hope into fruition and his love into perfect comprehension The Persians had a certain day in the year in which they used to kill all Serpents and venemous creatures such a day as that will the day of death be to a holy man Peccatum erat obstetrix mortis mors sepulchrum peccati Sin was the Midwife that brought death into the world and death shall be the bearers that shall carry sin out of the world When Sampson died the Philistines died together with him so when a holy man dies his sins die with him Death came in by sin and sin goeth out by death As the worm kills the worm that bred it so death kills sin that bred it Vltimus morborum medicus mors Acts Mon. fol. 1733. Death cures all diseases the aking head and the unbelieving heart the diseased body and the defiled soul At Stratford Bow were burned in Queen Maries dayes a lame man and a blind man after the lame man was chained casting away his crutch he bade the blind man be of good comfort for saith he Death will cure us both it will cure thee of thy blindnesse and me of my lamenesse Death will cure the holy man of all natural and spiritual distempers Death is the holy mans Jubilee it is his greatest advantage it puts him into a better estate then ever he had before It is Gods Gentleman Usher to conduct us to heaven it will blow the bud of grace into the flower of glory O! Death is but an entrance into life Miseri infideles mortem appellant fideles vero quid nÃsi pascham Bernard Miserable â—nbelievers call it death but to faithfull believers what is it but a Passeover but a Jubilee who would not go through hell to heaven who would not go through a temporary death to an eternal life who would not willingly march through mortality to immortality and glory O Sirs holinesse will make you look upon death as a welcome guest a happy friend a joyfull messenger it will make you kisse it and embrace it as Favinus the Italian Martyr kissed and embraced his executioner it will make you desire it long after it with tears as holy Bradford did By all this you see that holiness will deliver you from death in death and therefore I shall close up this head as that wise witty man Sr. Francis Bakon closed up a paper of verses What then remains but that we still should cry Not to be born or being born to die Fifthly and lastly by holinesse you shall gain the greatest boldnesse in the day of judgement Job 19.25 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies boldness of face a lifting up of the face countenance in the sight or face of many beholders It signifies a freedom and liberty of speech nothing will imbolden a man in that great day like holinesse holinesse will then make the face to shine indeed 1 John 4.17 Herein is our love made perfect that we may have boldnesse in the day of judgement because as he is so are we in this world That which will make Christs last appearance delightfull to Christians will be their likenesse to Christ in holinesse in nature and grace likenesse begets the greatest boldnesse As there is no child so bold with the Father as he that is most like the Father so there is no Christian so bold with Christ as he that is most like to Christ A holy Christ is most famiiar with a holy Christian and a holy Christian is most bold with a holy Christ The more a Christian is like to Christ in holinesse of heart and life in holinesse of affecti-and conversation the more divinely bold and familiar will that man be with Christ both in this world and in the great day of account when he that was a brat of Satans is made a Saint when he that was like hell is made like heaven when he that was most ugly and uncomely is made like him that is the holy of holies this is that which gives boldnesse both here and hereafter O Sirs it is not wit nor wealth but holinesse it is not race nor place but holinesse it is not power nor policy but holinesse it is not honour nor riches but holinesse it is not natural excellencies nor acquired abilities but holinesse that will give boldnesse in the day of Christs appearing 1 Pet. 1.5 6 7. A well-tried faith which is but a branch of holinesse shall be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ At the coming of Christ holiness shall be a mans praise and honour Rev. 6.15 16 17. and glory In that great day when shame and everlasting contempt shall be poured forth upon the great Monarchs of the world who have made the earth to tremble when the Kings of the earth and the great men and the rich men and the chief Captains and the mighty men c. shall cry out to the mountains and rocks to fall upon them and to hide them from the face of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb then I say then shall the righteous shine as the Sun in the firmament Dan. 12.1 2 3. Prov. 28.1 In life and death and in the day of account a righteous man will be as bold as a Lion Real holinesse will make a man death proof and hell proof and
be repented of it is a repentance from sin as well as a repentance for sin Sin hath cast the soul at such a distance from God that though the soul be every day a turning nearer and nearer to God yet it can never in this life get so near him as once it was and as in heaven it shall be And now tell me O soul is this such an easie thing to be every day a turning thy back upon sin and a turning thy face nearer and nearer to God surely no True repentance lies in a daily dying to sin and in a daily living to him who lives for ever The very life of repentance is the repentance of the life and is this easie But Thirdly True repentance is a turning not from some sin but from every sin Ezek. 18.30 Repent and turn your selves from all your transgressions so iniquity shall not he your ruine Ezek. 18.21.31 and chap. 20.43 He that had the spot of Leprosie in any one part of his body was accounted a Leper although all the rest of his body were sound and whole Levit. 13. So he that hath but one spot one sin which he doth not endeavour to wash out in the blood of Christ and in the tears of true repentance he is a Leper in the account of God It was an excellent saying of Luther Optima aptissima poenitentia est nova vita Every sin strikes at the Law of God the honour of God the being of God and the glory of God and therefore the penitent must strike at all Every sin fetcheth blood from the heart of Christ and every sin is a grief and vexation to the Spirit of Christ and therefore the penitent must set upon crucifying of all Every sin is an enemy to a mans peace and to a mans comfort and to a mans confidence and to a mans assurance and to a mans communion with God and therefore he must set upon forsaking of all If ever thou art saved O man thou must repent as well of thy Achans as thy Absaloms of thy Rimmons as of thy Mammons of thy Davids as of thy Goliahs of thy secret as well as thy open sins of thy loved as well as of thy loathed lusts of thy babe-transgressions as well as of thy Giant-like provocations If thy repentance be not universal it will never be effectual If a ship spring three leaks and only two be stopt the third will certainly sink the ship or if a man hath two dangerous wounds in his body and takes only order for the cure of one the other will undoubtedly kill him or if a man hath two grievous diseases upon him and will only deal with the Physitian for remedies against the one he will without all peradventure perish by the prevalency of the other Herod turned from many sins but not from his Dalilah his Herodias which was his ruine Judas you know was a Devil in an Angels habit he seemed to be turned from every sin but he was not he was a secret thief he loved the bag and that golden Devil Covetousness choaked him and hanged him at last Saul for a time turned from several evils but his sparing one Agag cost him his soul and his Kingdom at a clap I have read a story of a devout man who amongst other gifts had the gift of healing and many persons resorted to him for cure Among the rest one Chromatius who being sick sent for him and told him of his sickness and desired that he might have the benefit of cure as others had before him The devout man replyed I cannot do it till thou hast beaten all the Images in thy house to pieces O that shall be done said Chromatius Here take my keyes and where you find any images break them in pieces which accordingly was done upon this the devout man went to prayer but no cure was wrought whereupon the sick man cryed out O I am as sick as ever O I am very weak and sick still It cannot be otherwise replyed the devout person neither can I help it for there is doubtless one Idol yet in your house undiscovered and that must be defaced too True saith Chromatius it is so indeed it is all of beaten gold it cost 200. l. I would fain have saved it but here take my keyes again you shall find it fast lock't up in my chest break it also in pieces which being done the devout man prayed and Chromatius was healed The moral of it is good the sin-sick soul must break not some but all its Idols in pieces before a cure will follow It must deface its golden Idols its most costly Idols its most darling Idols the returning sinner must make head against all his sins and trample upon all his lusts or else he will die and be undone for ever and though this be as difficult as it is noble yet it is no more then what God hath engaged to do and to see done as you may see by comparing Ezek. 36.25 26 27. with Isa 30.21 22. Now is this an easie thing to turn from every sin to loath every sin and to abandon every sin with a Get you hence for what have I more to do with you Hos 14.8 Surely no. As Nehemiah cast out Tobiah and all his houshold-stuff in Nehem. 13.6 7 8. so true repentance it casts out Satan and all his retinue As Moses would not leave so much as a hoof behind him Exod. 10.26 So true repentance will not leave so much as a lust behind a dispensatory conscience is alwayes an evil conscience he that can dispense with one sin will when opportunity presents commit any sin And as the flood made clean work it swept away all Noahs friends and drowned all his servants so the flood of penitent tears makes clean work it sweeps away every lust it drowns every corruption in respect of love and dominion And as some Conquerours would not give so much as one of their enemies Quarter so true repentance will not give one lust quarter it falls heavily upon the bones of every sin and nothing but the blood and death of sin will satisfie the penitent soul the true penitent is for the mortifying of every lust that hath had a hand in crucifying of his dearest Saviour It was worthily and wittily said by one that true repentance strips us stark naked of all the garments of the old Adam and leaves not so much as the shirt behind Well Sirs remember this to repent of sin and yet to live in sin is a contradiction And if thou repentest with a contradiction saith Tertullian God will pardon thee with a contradiction thou repentest and yet continuest in thy sin God will pardon thee and yet send thee to hell there 's a pardon with a contradiction Again fourthly if repentance be such an easie work as you suppose I beseech you tell me why do many men lie under such horrours and terrours of conscience as they do for not repenting when
Traveller mend his pace when he sees the night comes on and shall the Smiâ—â— strike when the Iron is hot and shall not we take the present opportunity of repenting and turning to the Lord Remembring that there will be a time when time shall be no more He. 12.17 Luke 13.24 27. and when there shall be no place found for repentance though it should be sought carefully with tears and remembring that there will be a time when thy glass will be out when the door will be shut and when there will be no entrance at all And remembring that it is a safer course with prudent Prometheus to foresee a danger and shun it then with foolish Epimetheus to go on unadvisedly and be punished Ah friends it is a dangerous thing to make repentance What madness and folly is it for a man that hath many young strong stout horses and a long journey to go to let these pass by and to lay his carriage and get up himself upon an old feeble jade that can hardly bear himself The application is easie Mal. 1.13 14. which should be the practice of all your dayes to be the task of old Age. Doth not common experience tell us that the longer the Ship leaketh the harder it is to be emptied and that the longer the house goes to decay the worse it is to repair and that the further the nail is driven the harder it will be to get out and so certainly the longer any man defers his repentance the more difficult it will be for him to repent his heart will every day grow more and more hard his will more and more perverse and his judgement more and more corrupted and his affections more and more disordered and his conscience more and more benummed or enraged and his whole life more and more defiled and debauched Friends do not deceive your selves old age is but a sad a sandy a tottering and sinking foundation for you to build your hopes and happinesse upon for you to build your everlasting condition your eternal making or marring upon Are the dog dayes of old age are the trembling hands the wrinckled face the dazeled eyes the stinking lungs the fainting heart the feeble knees and the failing leggs are these a sacrifice worthy of God is a body full of sores aches and diseases and a soul full of sin an offering becoming a God surely no. O what madnesse what wickednesse is this to serve Satan your lusts and this world with full dishes and to put off God with scraps to serve these in the flower in the prime and primrose of you days and to put off God with the dregs of old age Certainly repentance is rather a work for youth then old age it is a work rather for strength then weaknesse and for health then sicknesse O do not let Satan deceive you do not let your own hearts delude you but fall upon the work of repentance presently knowing that as you have one day more to repent of so you have one day lesse to repent in What a piece of vanity is it that while the Ship is sound the tackling sure the Pilot well the Sailers strong provisions laid in and the wind favourable that the Mariners and passengers should lie in the Rode carding drinking diceing dancing and idling And when the Ship is leak the Pilot sick the mariners faint provisions spent and the winds boisterous then to weigh Anchors and hoist up sail to make a voyage into a far Countrey And yet such is the vanity of most men who in the dayes of their youth health and strength who when their memories are strong and their fancies quick and their Reason ripe c. do sin away and fool away and trifle away the day of grace the offers of mercy the motions of the Spirit and the intreaties of Christ and when old age comes when their wits are crackt their souls distracted their senses stupified their hearts astonied their minds darkned and their bodies diseased and distempered O then they think to leap into heaven with a Lord have mercy upon me in their mouthes and though they have lived like devils yet they hope they shall die like Saints and though they never took no care of Gods honour yet they hope that God will take care of their souls but when the thred of their lives is cut the next news that ever you shall hear of these is that they are gone to hell I have read of a young man who being admonished of the evil of his way and course and being pressed to leave his wickednesse and to break off his sins by repentance upon the consideration of Judgement Eternity and Death a coming he answered what do you tell me of these things I warrant you I will do well enough for when death comes I will speak but three words and that will help all so he went on in his wickednesse but in the end coming to a Bridge on Horse-back to go over a deep water the Horse stumbling and he labouring to recover his Horse could not but at last he let go the Bridle gave up himself and his Horse to the waters and was heard to say these three words Devil take all Here were three words with a witnesse And ô that all that think to repent at last with a Lord have mercy upon me would lay this instance to heart The light of thy life may be put out before thou canst once say Miserere mei Deus Lord be mercifull to me a sinner Though the Chariot wheels run all the day long very near one another yet they never overtake one another O take heed of delaying thy repentance for the more thou delayest it the more will thy account be increased thy debt augmented Satan strengthned thy body infeebled thy lusts imboldned thy soul endangered and all the difficulties of conversion more and more multiplied by delaying of thy repentance thou goest the way to gratifie Satan to cozen thy self to lose the opportunities of grace and to damn thy soul for ever and ever Well remember this if thou wilt not repent to day God may swear in his wrath to morrow that thou shalt not enter into his rest and then wo to thee that ever thou wert born And thus much for the preventing of these sad mistakes about repentance which mistakes keep off many a man from looking and labouring after that holinesse without which there is no happinesse Secondly If ever you would be holy O then take heed of a Witch take heed of the world the world often swells the heart with pride â—eut 32.15.22 it makes men forget God neglect Christ slight Ordinances and despise holinesse Ah the time the thoughts the strength That Cardinal was wretched as well as rich that would not leave his part in Paris for a part in Paradise the spirits that this enticing world hath made many to spend and consume whilest their souls have lien a bleeding and
immortality to this day death could never have carried man out of the world had not man first let sin into the world Rom. 5.12 ult Secondly If you compare the life of man to the long lives of the Patriarchs before the stood then the life of man is but short threescore years and ten is mans age Psal 90.10 And where one man lives to this age how many thousands die before they come to it But what is this age to the age that men lived to in former times Enoch lived as many yeers as there be days in the year and Adam lived nine hundred and thirty years and Methuselah lived nine hundred sixty and nine years Gen. 5. Now what were Platoes eighty years or Thomas Pars 160. years or Johannes de Temporibus John of the times three hundred threescore and one years to the long lives of the Patriarchs and though in Davids time old age and seventy often shook hands yet 't is otherwise in our times for as mens wickedness do more and more increase so their days do more and more decrease the more wicked any generation is the shorter liv'd that generation shall be God will quickly dispatch them out of the world who make quick dispatches in ways of wickedness Thirdly The life of man is but short if you compare it to what it shall be after the morning of the Resurrection O then mans day shall reach to eternity eternity is that unum perpetuum hodie one perpetual day that shall never have end when men after the resurrection begin to live they shall never dye after that day every man shall live in everlasting bliss or in everlasting wo when the last Trumpet has sounded man shall live for ever and ever Fourthly The life of man is but short if you compare it with the days of God Psal 39.5 Mine age is nothing before him all time is nothing to eternity mans life is but a minute 't is but a point of time to the days of eternity what head what heart can conceive or reckon up the duration of God who ever was who still is and who ever will be every child and every fool can tell you their age but what man on earth or what Angel in heaven can tell you the years of the Most High surely none Fifthly and lastly the life of man is but short if you compare it with the lives of other creatures some say that 't is neither age nor sickness that killeth the Eagle she casteth her feathers yearly and so gets new whereby her youth strength is renewed Pliny August Calvin Psal 103.5 by which means she will live till she be an hundred years old she dies not till her upper Bill be so grown over her under that she cannot take in her meat and so at last she is staryed And some Elephants live three hundred years witness Aelian Solinus and Strabo c. by all which you see the brevity of mans life And why then should man be so weak so vain as to put the day of his death so far from him I have read of the Birds of Norway that they flye faster then the fowls of any other Country they knowing by an instinct that God has put into them that the days in that Climate are very short not above three hours long say some do therefore make the more haste to their nests And O! that all that hear me this day would learn by these birds of Norway to make haste to believe and to make haste to repent and to make haste to love God and to make haste to be holy c. seeing their day of life is so short and their night of death is posting towards them And as the life of man is very short so 't is very considerable that a very small matter a very little thing may quickly put an end to mans life When the Emperor threatned the Philosopher with death he replyed Conrad Ves perg Nancler Jo. Boel in Adrian Paulus Jovius Elog. lib. 2. what is that more then a Spanish flie may do An ordinary flye flying casually into the mouth of the proud Pope Adrian stifled him that made the highest state then in the Christian world stoop even to the holding of his stirrop Tamberlain a Scythian Captain the terror of his time died with three fits of an Ague Anacreon the Poet was choaked with the kernel of a Grape Aeschylus was killed by the shell of a Tortoise which fell from an Eagles Talons who as some conceive took his bald head for a white rock The Lord Mountaigne tells us of a Duke of Britany that was stifled to death in such a throng of people as is in some great congregations on the Lords day An Emperor died by the scratch of a Comb and one of the Kings of France died by the chock of an Hogg and one that was brother to a great Lord playing at Tennis received a blow with a ball a little above the right ear which struck him into his grave There is nothing so small but may be a mans bane The paring of a Toe the cutting off a corn the scratch of a nail the prick of a pin a fish-bone a hair a drop of water a crum of bread a bad air or an evil smell may bring a man to his long home yea a little smoak may soon stifle him or his own spittle let down unwarily may suddenly choak him And O! that all that I have spoken upon this account might be so blest as to work you to take heed of putting the day of your death so far from you The evil servant when he thought his Master was gone afar off Luke 12.45 then he layes about him distempers himself Prov. 7.19 20. and beats his fellow-servants And so the leud woman in the Proverbs when the good man was gone a long journey when he was far from home then she grew wanton vain and secure so when men put afar off the day of their death then they grow more loose prophane and unholy whereas a serious and frequent eying and minding of death as at hand as at a mans elbow would alarm a man to break off his sins by repentance and to labor for holiness as a man would labor for life it self I have read of the women in the Isle of Man that the first Web they make is their winding sheet wherwith they usually gird themselves when they go abroad to shew that they are still mindful of their mortality Ah friends a constant minding of your mortality would contribute very much towards the making of you holy He that daily looks upon death will be daily a looking after holiness the oftener any man looks into the grave the oftener that man will be looking up to heaven and a begging that God would make him holy even as he is holy But Sixthly and lastly Take heed of settling your selves under a leud and scandalous Ministry or of having any inwardness with
nihil a great nothing and who then would spend an houres time to secure it neare and deare relations cannot for the delight of Ezekiels eyes is taken away with a stroake Ezek. 24.16 Job 1.10 and all Jobs children are snatcht away in a day all our nearest and dearest relations are like a Nose-gay which the oftner we smell to it the sooner it withers But now holiness may be made sure witness the spirits of just men made perfect in heaven Heb. 12.23 and witness the many thousands of Christians this day in the world who doe experience the principles of holiness in their hearts and who doe evidence the power of holiness in their lives O Sirs if the serious consideration of the preciousness and worth of your souls will not draw you out to study holiness to love holiness to prize holiness and to press after holiness what will O Sirs 't is only holiness that is the happiness of the soul the safety and security of the soul the prosperity and felicity of the soul and the lustre and glory of the soul and therefore why should you not labour as for life after this inestimable Jewel holiness O let the remembrance of the preciousness of your souls be an effectuall means to draw you to heare that you may be holy and to pray that you may be holy and to reade that you may be holy and to mourne that you may be holy and to sigh and groane after holiness as after that which is the souls only happiness O Sirs there is nothing below heaven so precious and noble as your souls and therefore doe not play the Courtier with your souls now the Courtier do's all things late he rises late and dines late and sups late and repents late O doe not poyson your precious souls by gross enormities O doe not starve your souls by the omission of religious duties O doe not murther and damne your souls by turning your backs upon holy Ordinances I have read of a Woman who when her house was on fire so minded the saving of her goods that she forgot her only childe and left it burning in the fire at last being minded of it she cryes out Oh my childe oh my poore childe but all too late all too late so there are many men now so mad upon the world and so bewitcht with the world that they never mind they never regard their poor souls till they come to fall under everlasting burnings and then they cry out O our souls O our poor souls O that we had been wise for our souls O that we had got holiness for our souls O that we had made sure worke for our souls but all too late all too late the Lord make you wise to prevent soul-burnings at last If he be rather a monster then a man that feasts his slave but starves his wife what shall we say of those that pamper their bodies but starve their souls and that have thred-bare souls under silke and sattin Cloaths and that please themselves with deformed souls under beautifull faces surely it had been good for these that they had never been born I have read of a Scythian Captain who having for a draught of water yeelded up the City cryed out Quid perdidi quid prodidi What have I lost what have I betrayed So all unholy persons will at last cry out we have betrayed our immortall souls we have lost a precious Father we have lost a deare Redeemer we have lost the company of glorious Angels we have lost the society of the spirits of just men made perfect and we have lost all the pleasures and joyes and delights that be at the right hand of the most High We have lost these we have lost all these and we have lost them for ever and ever surely there is no hell to this hell For a close of this direction remember this that as the soul is the life and excellency of the body so holiness is the life and excellency of the soul and as the body without the soul is dead so the soul without holiness is dead This my Son was dead and is alive if you get holiness into your souls your souls shall live for ever but if you die without holiness your souls shall die for ever and ever I have read that there was a time when the Romans did weare Jewels on their shooes oh that in these dayes most men did not doe worse oh that they did not trample under feete that matchless Jewel their precisouls But Seventhly If ever you would be holy then set in good earnest upon reading of the holy Scripture many a man has been made holy by reading of the holy Word Luther com in Gen. cap. 19. The Bible is the book of books 't is the onely book all other books in the world are but waste paper to it Augustin crys out away with our writings that room may be made for the book of God notwithstanding the greatness and multiplicity of the affairs of Princes yet they were diligently to read the word Deut. 17.19 And it shall be with him and he shall read therein all the days of his life that he may learn to fear the Lord his God to keep all the words of this Law and these Statutes to do them God looks that the greatest Princes on earth should make use of this Library Though David was a great Prince and had a multitude of weighty businesses upon his hand yet he was so much in reading meditating on the word that he made it his Counsellors the word was Davids Learned Counsel Psal 119.24 to which he reforted for counsel advice and comfort in all his necessities and miseries Alphonsus King of Arragon hath been highly extolled for reading the Scriptures fourteen times over with glosses and expositions notwithstanding his great publike employments And Alphonsus King of Naples read over the Bible forty times notwithstanding many great affairs were upon his hand Theodosius the Emperor and Constantine the Great were much taken up in reading of the Scriptures So Queen Elizabeth when she passed in triumph through the streets of London after her Coronation and had the Bible presented to her at the little Conduit in Cheap-side she received the same with both her hands and kissing it Speeds Hist laid it to her breasts saying That the same had ever been her chiefest delight and should be the rule whereby she meant to frame her Government And 't is very observable that the Eunuch was reading the Scripture when Philip was commanded Acts 8.26.40 by Commission from the Holy Ghost to joyn himself to his Chariot and to instruct him in the knowledge of Christ which proved his conversion and salvation And Junius was converted by the reading of that first of John In the beginning was the Word c. being amazed with the strange majesty of the stile Lib. 8. conf cap. 12. and the profound misteries therein contained And Augustine was
profusely prodigall of that precious time which is their greatest interest to redeem Time is a precious Talent and the non-improvement of it God will charge upon men at last as he did upon Jezabel Rev. 2.21 especially upon such who trifle away who play away who idle away yea who grossly sin away their precious time how many are there like children who play till their Candle be out and then they goe to bed in the dark so these play and foole away their precious time till the Candle of life be out and then they goe to their beds they goe to their graves in sorrow yea they goe to hell in the dark Drexellius I have read of a young man who living vainly and loosely was very feaâ—ul of being in the dark who after falling sick and could not sleep cry'd out Oh if this darkness be so terrible what is eternall darkness he that makes no conscience of trifling away his precious time shall one day experience the terribleness of eternal darkness The Poets paint time with wings Sophocles Phocilides c. to shew the volubility and swiftness of it O Sirs if the one sense of the brevity shortness and preciousness of time did but lye in its full weight upon your spirits it would certainly put you upon a speedy and earnest pursuit after holiness O then you would never say hereafter hereafter will be time enough to seek after holiness but you would address your selves to a fervent and a constant pressing after holiness as the one thing necessary and be restless in your own spirits till you had experienced the power and sweetness that is in holiness But Fifthly and lastly I answer that 't is the greatest folly and madness in the world for thee to put off the great God and the great concernments of thy soule so as thou darest not put off thy Superiors Where is the subject that dares put off a lawfull duty urg'd upon him by his Prince with a may-be or with an hereafter it may-be I will doe it or hereafter I will doe it or where is that servant that dares put off his Lords present commands with a may-be or with an hereafter it may-be I will doe it or hereafter I will doe it or where is the ingenious child that dares put off a present duty prest upon him by his parents with a may-be or with an hereafter it may-be I will doe it or hereafter I will doe it or where is the affectionate wife that dares put off the just desires and requests of her husband with a may-be or with an hereafter it may-be I will answer your desires or hereafter I will answer your requests O Sirs you dare not put off your Superiors with may-bees or with hereafters and how then doe you dare to put off the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords with may-bees and with hereafters it may-be I will look after holiness it may-be I will study holiness it may-be I will prize holiness or hereafter I will press after holiness I will pursue after holiness hereafter I will follow hard after holiness O remember that as there is nothing that do's more incense inrage and provoke a Prince against his Subjects a Lord against his servants a father against his child and a husband against his wife then the putting off of their services and commands with may-bees or with hereafters so there is nothing that do's more incense inflame and provoke the great God then to put him off with may-bees or with hereafters Psal 95.6 to the end Heb. 3.7 to the end as you may see by comparing the Scriptures in the margent together And O that for time to come you would tremble at the very thoughts of a may-bee and at the very mentioning of an hereafter that so you may never put off the commands of God to pursue after holiness with a maybe or with an hereafter any more And let this susfice for answer to this second Objection Object 3 Thirdly But if we should thus press and pursue after holiness then we must take our farewell of all joy and comfort of all delight and pleasure and never expect to enjoy one merry day more for we observe that there are no persons under heaven that live such a melancholy sad sorrowfull pensive life as those who press most after holiness and who make most stir and noise about holiness and therefore if we should resolve to follow after holiness we must resolve to spend our dayes in sorrow and sadness in sighing and mourning and this we had as leave die as doe c. Now to this grand objection I shall give these eight answers First It may be thou lookest only on the dark side of the cloud and not on the bright thou lookest only on thy left hand where the mourners in Zion stand but didst thou but cast an eye on thy right hand there thou wouldst see many of the precious sons and daughters of Zion rejoycing and triumphing Isa 61.1 2 3 10 11. Chap. 35. ult Now thus to look what is it but to look for a straw to thrust out thine own eyes with O Sirs 't is neither wisdom nor righteousness to look only upon those who mourn and not upon those that rejoyce Isa 52.8 9. Jer. 31.7.12 upon those that sigh but not upon those that sing Before you pass a judgement upon the people of God or the good wayes of God look on both hands I say againe look on both hands and then you will be sure to see some Saints in their wedding attire as well as others in their mourning weeds no man in his wits will argue thus because such and such men of such a Calling or Trade are in their mourning weeds therefore all men of that Calling or Trade are in their mourning weeds and yet so witless are many men as thus to argue against the people of God and the wayes of God But Secondly I answer As there are tears of sorrow so there are tears of Joy Jacob weeps over Joseph Compare these Scriptures together Gen. 43.30 Chap. 45.2 and Ch 46.29.30 1 Sam. 1.13 to the 20. John 4. c. but 't was with tears of exceeding joy the sweetest joy is from the sowrest tears tears are the breeders of spirituall joy A holy mans heart is usually fullest of joy when his eys are fullest of tears when Hannah had wept she went away was no more sad The Bee gathers the best honey of the bitterest herbs Christ made the best wine of water The best the purest the strongest the sweetest joys are made of the destilled waters of Evangelical repentance Gospel mourning is no way inconsistent with holy joy though it must be granted that the love of sin and true joy are inconsistent and that the reign and dominion of sin true joy are inconsistent yet it must be confest that mourning for sin and holy joy are consistent in one and the same heart
up to holy rules and live out holy principles must prepare for sufferings All the Roses of holiness are surrounded with pricking Briers The History of the ten persecutions and that little book of Martyrs the 11. of the Hebrews and Mr. Fox his Acts and Monuments with many other Treatises that are extant do abundantly evidence that from age to age and from one generation to another they that have been born after the flesh Gal. 4.29 Within the first 300. years after Christ all that made a profession of the Apostles doctrine were cruelly murdered have persecuted them that have been born after the spirit and that the seed of the Serpent have been still a multiplying of troubles upon the seed of the woman Would any man take the Churches picture saith Luther then let him paint a poor silly Maid sitting in a wilderness compassed about with hungry Lyons Wolves Bores and Bears and with all manner of other cruel hurtful Beasts and in the midst of a great many furious men assaulting her every moment and minute for this is her condition in the world As certain as the night follows the day so certain will that black angel persecution follow holiness where-ever it goes In the last of the ten persecutions seventeen thousand holy Martyrs were slain in the space of one moneth And in Queen Maries days or if you will in the Marian dayes not of blessed but of most abhorred memory the Popish Prelates in less then four years sacrificed the lives of eight hundred innocents to their Idols and O that that precious innocent blood did not still cry to Heaven for vengeance against this Nation But Secondly Christ and his Apostles hath long since foretold us that afflictions and persecutions will attend us in this world the Lord hath long since forewarned us that we may be fore-armed and not surprised on a sudden when they come Christ hath shot off many a warning piece in his word and sent many a Harbinger that so we may stand upon our guard and not be surprised nor astonished when afflictions and persecutions overtake us Mat. 10.22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my names sake but he that endureth to the end the same shall be saved Chap. 16.24 Then said Jesus unto his Disciples if any man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me Luk. 21.12 But before all these they shall lay their hands on you and persecute you delivering you up to the Synagogues and into prisons being brought before Kings and Rulers for my names sake John 15.20 Remember the word that I said unto you The servant is not greater then the Lord if they have persecuted me Non potest qui pati timet ejus esse qui passus est He that is afraid to suffer cannot be his disciple who suffered so much Tert. they will also persecute you if they have kept my saying they will keep yours also Ah Christians since they have crowned your head with thornes there is no reason why you should expect to be crowned with Rose-buds God-fry of Bullen first King of Jerusalem refused to be crowned with a crown of Gold saying That it became not a Christian there to wear a crown of Gold where Christ for our salvation had sometime worn a crown of thornes Chap. 16. ult These things I have spoken unto you that in me ye might have peace in the world ye shall have tribulation but be of good cheer I have overcome the world Acts 14.21 22. And when they had preached the Gospel to that City and had taught many they returned again to Lystra and to Iconium and Antioch confirming the souls of the disciples and exhorting them to continue in the faith and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God As there was no way to Paradise but by the flaming sword nor no way to Canaan but through a wilderness Loddela Corda computeth fourty four several kinds of torments wherewith the Primitive Christians were tryed Adv. Sacr. cap. 128. so there is no way to heaven but by the Gates of hell there is no way to a glorious exaltation but through a Sea of tribulation They do but dream and deceive their own souls who think to go to heaven upon Beds of Doun or in a soft and delicate way or that think to be attended to glory with mirth and musick or with singing or dancing the way to happiness is not strewed with Roses but full of Thornes and Briers as those of whom this world was not worthy have experienced Ecclesiastical Histories tells us that all the Apostles died violent deaths Peter was crucified with his heels upward Christ was crucified with his head upwards but Peter thought this was to great an honor for him to be crucified as his Lord and therefore he chose to be crucified with his heels upward and Andrew was crucified by Egeus King of Edessa Acts 12.2 James the son of Zebedee was slain by Herod with the sword and Philip was crucified at Hierapolis in Asia and while Bartholomew was preaching the glad-tydings of salvation multitudes fell upon him and beat him down with staves and then crucified him and after all this his skin was fleaed off and he beheaded Thomas was slain with a Dart at Calumina in India and Mathew was slain with a Spear say some others say he was run through with a sword and James the son of Alpheus who was called the Just was thrown down from off a Pinacle of the Temple and yet having some life left in him he was brained with a Fullers club Lebbeus was slain by Agbarus King of Edessa and Paul was beheaded at Rome under Nero and Simon the Canaanite was crucified in Egypt say some others say that he and Jude was slain in a Tumult of the people Matthias was stoned to death Rev. 1.9 and John was banished into Patmos and afterwards as some Histories tells us he was by that cruel Tyrant Domitian cast into a Tun of scalding Lead and yet delivered by a miracle Thus all these precious servants of God except John died violent deaths and so through sufferings entered into glory they found in their own experience the truth of what Christ had foretold concerning their sufferings and persecutions About the year 1626 A book formerly printed and intituled A preparation to the cross of Christ composed by John Frith Martyr was brought in the belly of a Fish to the Market in Cambridge Mr. Jer. Dyke in a Fast Sermon at Westminster and that a little before the Commencement time when there was a confluence of much people from all places of the Land which was construed by them that feared the Lord to be no less then an heavenly warning to all the people of England to prepare for the cross But ah since that year who can recount the heavy crosses that has generally attended the people of this Nation most
have walked cross to God and cross to one another and God has walked as cross to them you have cross't the commands of God and the truths of God and the ways of God and the works of God and the designs of God and God has cros't you in your hopes desires prayers and endeavors and God gave you warning of this before hand by a Fish by a miracle to provide for the cross but you would not and therefore 't is that the cross lies so heavy upon you this day When Mr. Bradford was told that his chain was a buying and that he must be burnt he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said I thank God for it I have looked for this along time it comes not to me suddenly but as a thing waited for every day yea every hour in the day the Lord make me worthy thereof If upon Gods warning you will but prepare for sufferings you will never fear nor faint under sufferings yea then you will be able under the greatest persecutions to bare up bravely and with holy Bradford bless the Lord that has called you to so high an honor as to count you worthy to suffer for his name But Thirdly I answer that all the troubles afflictions and persecutions that do befall you for holiness sake shall never hurt you nor harm you they shall never prejudice you nor wrong you in your main and great concernments Exod. 3.2 The Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies a dry bush a bramble bush and therefore it was the more strange and miraculous that it was not consumed Deut. 4.24 Heb. 12.29 And the Angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a Bush and he looked and behold the bush burned with fire and the bush was not consumed Here you have a bush a dry bush a bramble bush all on a light fire and yet not consumed this burning-bush was an excellent emblem of the Church in the fire of tribulation and persecution though the Church may seem to be all on fire by reason of afflictions and persecutions yet it shall be preserved it shall not be destroyed though God be a consuming fire yet he will never consume the bramble-bush the bush was on fire and yet the fire did not in the least hurt or harm the bush it did not one whit prejudice or wrong the bush So though the Church of God be on fire by the means of fiery trials yet these fiery trials shall never hurt nor harm the Church they shall never prejudice it nor wrong it Psal 105.12 13 14 15. when they were but a few men in number yea very few and strangers in it when they went from one Nation to another from one Kingdom to another people he suffered no man to do them wrong yea he reproved Kings for their sakes saying That is the King of Egypt and the King of Gerar. Gen. 12.17 Ch. 20.3 and Ch. 35.5 Zach. 2.8 Touch not mine anointed nor do my Prophets no harme God would not suffer his anointed ones his sanctified ones so much as to be touch't hurt or harmed by those who had malice enough in their hearts and power enough in their hands not onely to hurt them but even to destroy them Sanctified persons are sacred persons and they that touch them touch the Apple of Gods eye and whosoever shall be so bold to touch the Apple of Gods eye shall dearly smart for it 't was no small affliction to have no settled habitation to flye from place to place from Kingdom to Kingdom and from Nation to Nation was without all peradventure an afflicted condition doubtless many fears and frights many hazards and dangers did attend them when they considered that they were as Lillies among the thornes and as a few Sheep among a multitude of Wolves Deut. 7.1 In the Land of Canaan there were seven mighty Nations now for the people of God who were so few in number that they might easily and quickly be told to sojourn and wander among these As David laid a charge upon his souldiers 2 Sam. 18.5 That by no means they should hurt his son Absolom so God laid a prohibition upon the enemies and persecutors of his people that they should not touch them that they should not in in the least hurt or harm them could not but be very dangerous and perilous and yet such was the love of God to them and the care of God over them that he suffered no man whether he was high or low honorable or base rich or poor civil or prophane to hurt or harm them Dan. 3.25 27. And the King answered and said Lo I see four men loose walking in the midst of the fire and they have no hurt and the form of the fourth is like unto the Son of God And the Princes Governors and Captains and the Kings Councellors being gathered together saw these men upon whose bodies the fire had no power nor was an hair of their head singed neither were their coats changed nor the smell of fire had passed on them Though these holy men were cast into a furnace into a fiery furnace into the midst of a hot fiery furnace yet God will work a miracle yea a glorious miracle rather then the fire shall in the least hurt or harm them God gives a commission to the fire to burn those mighty men that made the fire and that cast his children into the fire and whom the King would have to be spared and saved and he lays a law of restraint upon the fire that it should not hurt nor harm them whom the King would have destroyed Those whom the King of kings will not have hurt shall not be hurt let Kings and Princes do their worst that fire that burnt their bonds had no power to burn no nor to touch their bodies God would not suffer the fire to singe a hair of their heads nor to change the colour of their coats nor to leave so much as an ill smell upon his people that those heathen Princes might see how tender he was of them and how willing he was to put forth his Almighty power rather then he would see them wronged or harmed So Chap. 6.21 22 23. Then said Daniel unto the King O King live for ever My God hath sent his Angels and hath shut the Lyons mouths that they have not hurt me forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me and also before thee O King have I done no hurt Then was the King exceeding glad for him and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the Den so Daniel was taken up out of the Den and no manner of hurt was found upon him because he believed in his God Holiness innocency and integrity will preserve a man even among Lyons Daniel preferred the worship of his God before his life he made no great reckoning of his life when it stood in competition with divine glory
I have thoughts of grace and thoughts of mercy and thoughts of love c. for I will dwell among them and be a little Sanctuary to them and make up the want of all outward ordinances and priviledges to them I have read of the Tyrians that they bound their Gods with chains Josh 1.5 Psal 89.33 34. Jer. 32.38 39 40 41. that they might not leave them in their greatest need but our God has bound himselfe with many Golden chains I meane promises that he will never leave nor forsake his people in their greatest necessity and extremity Theodoret had a precious presence of God with him in his sufferings for he sound so much sweetness when he was on the Rack in the midst of his tortures that he profest he did not find any anguish in his torments but a great deale of pleasure and when they took him down from the Rack he complained that they did him wrong in taking of him down and in ceasing to torment him for said he all the while I was on the Rack and you were venting your malice against me I thought there was a young man in white an Angel that stood by me which wiped off the sweat and I found a great deale of sweetness in my sufferings which now I have lost O! Christians in all your sufferings the Angel of Gods presence will bare you company and he will sweeten the most cruel torments and wipe off all the sweat Isa 63.9 and take away all the paine yea he will turne your paines into pleasure If Joseph be cast into prison Gen. 39.20 21. Jer. 36.6 to the 14. Psal 23.4 5. the Lord will be with him there If Jeremiah be throwne into the Dungeon the Lord will be with him there If David walk through the valley of death Gods Rod and his Staffe shall comfort him If the three Children be cast into a fiery Furnace the presence of the Son of God shall preserve them if Daniel must to the Lyons Den God will keep him company there and chain up the Lyons nature and sow up the Lyons mouths and lay a law of restraint upon the Lyons pawes that they shall not have so much as a disposition to touch him or in the least to hurt him or harme him 2 Tim. 4.16 17 18. If Paul be brought before Nero's Judgement seate God will stand by him though all men forsake him and bring him off with credit and triumph Thus you see that in all the afflictions and persecutions that doe befall the people of God God will not faile to keep them company and therefore let not troubles trouble you let not afflictions afflict you nor let not persecutions discourage you But Sixthly I answer That he shall be sure to suffer from Christ that refuses to suffer or that is afraid to suffer for Christs sake or holiness sake or the Gospels sake no man can suffer so much for Christ as he shall be sure to suffer from Christ if he disdaine and refuse to suffer for Christ Mark 8.35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake That Husbandman that keepes his wheat looses his wheat but he that sowes his wheat renewes his wheat and the Gospels the same shall save it He that shall attempt to save his life by crossing his light by shifting off of truth or by forsaking of Christ shall lose it he that thinks to shun suffering by sinning shall be sure to suffer with a witness 't is a gainfull loss to suffer for the truth 't is a lossfull gaine by time-serving and base complying with the lusts and humors of men to provide for our present safety security plenty peace and ease c. either by denying the truth or by betraying the truth or by exchanging the truth or by forsaking the truth When Henry the fourth of France French History had conquered his enemies he turn'd Papist and gave this reason of it That he might settle himselfe in peace and safety Ravilliak who slew him as he was riding abroad in his Coach to refresh himself confessed that the reason why he stabb'd him was because he was of two Religions and thus by endeavouring to save his life he lost it One Philbert Hamlin in France having converted a Priest to the profession of the truth was together with the Priest apprehended and cast into prison at Burdeaux But after a while the Priest being terrified with the prison and feare of death renounced Christ and was set at liberty whereupon Philbert said to him O unhappy and more then miserable man is it possible that to save your life for a few dayes you should so deny the truth Know therefore that though you have avoided the corporal fire yet your life shall not be prolonged for you shall die before me and you shall not have the honor to die for the cause of Christ but you shall be an example to Apostates And accordingly as he went out of the prison two Gentlemen that had a former quarrel with him met him and slew him And thus he also lost his life by endeavoring sinfully to save it Though life be sweet and every creature makes much of it from the highest Angel to the lowest worm yet wo to him that is set upon saving of it when Christ calls upon him to be divinely prodigal of it no fool to him who thinks to avoid a less danger by running himself into a greater danger who thinks to save his body by losing his soul and to save his temporal life by losing eternal life there is no loser to him who by sinful attempts to saved his life shall lose a better life then ever he can save So ver 38. Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy Angels Ah friends what are prisons and dungeons and racks and flames to Christs being ashamed of a man in the great day when he shall be attended with Troops of Saints and millions of Angels when in the face of the Court of Heaven when all the Princes of glory shall set upon their thrones Christ shall disdain a man and scorn so much as to look upon him or take any notice of him or shew the least respect or favor towards him O what a Sea of sorrow and a hell of horror will this raise in him I have read that when Sapores King of Persia raised a violent persecution against the Christians Sozom. Hist l. 2. c. 8. Vsthazares an old Nobleman and one of King Sapores Eunuches and Courtiers being a Christian was so terrified that he left off his profession and setting at the Court-gate when Simeon an aged holy Bishop was led to prison and rising up to salute him You may see the same story in Mr. Fox his book of
be the Herald of his honor Psal 7.15 16. He made a pit and digged it Histories would furnish us with many hundred instances of this nature and is fallen into the ditch which he hath made His mischief shall return upon his own head and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate The wicked shall be undone by their own doings all the Arrows that they shoot at the righteous shall fall upon their own pates Maxentius built a false bridge to drown Constantine but was drowned himself Henry the third of France was stabbed in the very same Chambe where he had help't to contrive the cruel Massacre of the French Protestants And his brother Charles the ninth who delighted in the blood of the Saints had blood given him to drink for he was worthy Afterwards he was made Lord Cobham Soon after Thomas Arundel Arch-bishop of Canterbury had condemned Sir John Oldcastle a godly Knight it pleased the Lord to strike the Arch-bishop so in his tongue that he could neither swallow down any food nor speak a word before his death and so he was starved to death The Duke of Somerset in King Edward the sixth's days by consenting to his brothers death made way for his own by the same Ax and hand that beheaded his brother 'T is usuall with God to take persecutors in the snares and pits that they have laid for his people as many thousands in this Nation have experienced and though Rome her confederates are this day a laying of snares and traps and a digging of pits for the righteous who will rather burn then bow to their Baal yet do but wait and weep and weep and wait a little and you shall see that the Lord will take them in the very snares and pits that they have laid and digged for his people But Sixthly and Lastly God sometimes preserves his people from persecuting hands by providing Cities of refuge to shelter them and by providing hiding places to hide them in Mat. 10.23 If they persecute you in one city flye to another God has always found one City of refuge or another to shelter his persecuted people in And so when bloody persecuting Jezebel had cut off many of the Lords Prophets God provided an Obadiah to hide an hundred of them by Fifty in a Cave 1 Kin. 18.4.13 The Learned judge that there were several others in Israel that kept other Prophets of the Lord from Jezabels fury besides those that Obadiah hid Three years before Titus Vespasian besieged Jerusalem there was a voice frequently heard go up to Pella go up to Pella which very many of the Jews did and were saved God never wants a Chamber of presence a chamber of providence a chamber of protection a chamber of salvation to hide his people in Isa 26.20 I have read of one that in the time of the Massacre at Paris crept into a hole to hide himself and as soon as he was in there came a spider and weaved a Web before the hole the next morning the murderers came to search for him search in that hole said one and see if he be not there O no said another he can't be there for there is a Cob-web at the holes mouth upon which they did not suspect his being there by which means he was preserved from the rage and fury of those men of blood Constantius the Emperor promised a reward to those Captains or Souldiers that should bring Atharasius head to him but God hid him in a pit and fed him there a long time by the hand of a friend but being at last discovered by a Maid-servant the very night before his adversaries search't for him the providence of God opened away for his escape and sent him into the West by which means he was preserved from the rage and fury of his adversaries I think no men under heaven have had larger experience of this truth then English men Ah what Cities of refuge what hiding places has God provided for them to hide them from the wrath and rage of their persecutors for many years And thus I have given you a brief account of some of those ways which God takes to deliver his people out of persecuting hands But Quisquis volens detrahit famae meae nolens addit mercidi meae saith Augustin Twelfthly and lastly I answer That all the persecutions that you meet with on earth shall advance your glory in heaven the more Saints are persecuted on earth the greater shall be their reward in heaven as persecutions do increase a Christians grace so they do advance a Christians glory Mat. 5.10 11 12. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsly for my sake Rejoyce and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven for so persecuted they the Prophets which were before you Luk. 6.22 23. Blessed are ye when men shall hate you and when they shall separate you from their company and shall reproach you and * Excommunicate and Anathematize you as notorious shameful and abominable offenders cast out your name as evil for the son of mans sake Rejoyce ye in that day and leap for joy for behold your reward is in heaven for in the like manner did their fathers unto the Prophets They that are now opposed and persecuted by men shall at last be owned and crowned by God yea and the more afflictions and persecutions are multiplyed upon them in this world the greater shall be their recompence in another woâ—ld The Original words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Matthew and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Luke signifies exceeding great joy such as men usually express by skipping and dancing let your hearts leap and let your bodies leap for joy for great is your reward in heaven Look as wanton young cattle in the Spring when every thing is in its prime and pride do use to leap and skip for joy so says Christ do you leap and skip under all the afflictions and persecutions that befalls you for righteousness sake for great is your reward in heaven Bernard speaking of persecutors saith That they are but his Fathers Goldsmiths who are working to add Pearls to the Saints Crowns It is to my loss said Gordius the Martyr if you abate me any thing of my present sufferings sufferings for Christ are the Saints greatest glory they are those things wherein they have divinely glorified Crudelitas vestra gloria nostra your cruelty is our glory say they in Tertullian and the harder we are put to it the greater shall be our reward in heaven Chrysostom hit the nail when he said if one man should suffer all the sorrows of all the Saints in the world yet they are not worth one hours glory in heaven By the consent of the Schoolmen all the Martyrs shall appear
Winter is past and the singing of birds is come and anone you say your Winter is like to be longer then ever now you say there is Balm in Gilead and anon you say your wound is incurable now you say all is your own and anon you are ready to give up all as lost c. and thus your hearts rise and fall according to the working of second causes When you have full purses and powerful Armies and subtle Councellors Psal 30.6 7 8. and great Allies then you are ready to say surely our mountain is strong and we shall never be removed but when your bags are empty and your forces broken and your counsels dissipated and your Allies faln off then you are ready to cry out O now there is no hope there is no help O but now were you eminent in holiness then under the saddest and crossest workings of second causes 2 Chron. 14.11 you would say with Asa O Lord it is nothing with thee to help whether with many or with them that have no power 2 Kin. 6.16 17. Exod. 14.13 and with Elisha They that be with us are more then they that be with them and with Moses Stand still Psal 118.6 and see the salvation of God and with David The Lord is on my side I will not fear what man can do unto me Holiness in any considerable heighth will set the power of God in opposition to all the power of the world Psal 65.6 11. and then divinely triumph over them Plutarch in vita Pomp. Pompey once gloried in this that with one stampe of his foot he could raise all Italy up in Arms but the great God with one stampe of his foot or with one word of his mouth can raise not onely Italy but also all the Angels in heaven and all the men on earth in Arms at his pleasure and in the power of this God raised holiness will enable a man to glory all the day long Where holiness is weak there men stand and fall as second causes work but where holiness is eminent there men will live upon the first cause and however second causes may wheel about yet such a man will live upon him and look up to him that hath a wheel within every wheel Ezek. 1.15 22. But Seventhly You have but little holiness witness that soul-leanness Psal 106.15 Isa 24.16 and Chap. 10.16 barrenness and unfruitfulness that is among you at this very day Ah how may most cry out with the Prophet Isaiah O my leanness my leanness O our leanness our leanness our barrenness our barrenness c. though God has waited many three years for fruit yet behold nothing but leaves I have read of the Indian Fig-tree how that its leaves are as broad as a Target Athenaeus de Ipnosoph lib. 3. but its fruit is no bigger then a Bean Ah how many Christians be there in these days whose leaves of profession are very broad but their fruits of righteousness and holiness are very small and as the Indian Fig-tree though it be of fair and goodly dimensions yet it riots out all its sap and juce into leaves and blossoms So many in these days who though they carry it fair and make a goodly shew yet they riot out all that spiritual sap and life that is in them into the mear leaves and blossoms of an empty profession Ah how are many of our hearts like to the Isle of Pathmos which is so barren that nothing that is good will grow on 't all the good things that grow there is from the earth that is brought from other places Look as a company of Ants are very busie about a Mole-hill running to and fro and wearying themselves in their several movings and turnings this way and that and yet never grow great for after all their motions and stiring they are still the same as to the slender proportion of their bodies so many Christians in these days run to and fro they run from one duty to another and from one ordinance to another and from one opinion to another and from one principle to another and from one Minister to another and from one Church to another and from one way to another and from one notion to another and yet they make little progress in holiness 2 Pet. 3.18 2 Tim. 3.6 7. they grow but little in the love the life the likeness and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ they are like those silly women that Timothy speaks of who were ever learning and yet never able to come to the knowledge of the truth and they are like Nazianzens country of Ozizala which abounded with gay flowers but was barren of corn so these abound in gay notions and flourishing parts but are barren of grace and holiness Seneca hath long since observed that as the Philosophers in his time grew more and more learned so they grew less and less moral and is there any thing more evident in these days then this viz. that as men grow more and more in empty airy notions and in a pompous Religion and profession so they grow less and less zealous and religious The reason say some why Christ cursed the Fig-tree though the time of bearing fruit was not come was because it made a glorious shew with leaves and promised much but brought forth nothing What 's a barren tree a barren ground or a barren womb to a barren heart Many in our days are like the Cypress-tree Joh. 15.6 which the more it is watered the more it is withered so the more many are watered with the means of grace the more they wither the more the dews of heaven falls upon them and the more heavenly Manna is daily rained round about them the more lean fruitless and barren they grow Such souls may do well to remember that those trees that are not for fruit are for the fire Heb. 6.8 Augustin For a close let me tell you that I fear with that Father that many grieve more for the barrenness of their lands then they do for the barrenness of their lives and for the barrenness of their trees then they do for the barrenness of their souls and for the loss of their Cattel then they do for the loss of Gods countenance But Eigthly lastly You have but little holiness witness that great indifferency and inconstancy that is to be found among you My Lord Paulet kept both great favor and places under Henry the eighth a Papist and under King Edward the sixth a Protestant and under Queen Mary a Papist and under Queen Elizabeth a Protestant being ask'd how he could do so he answered that he always imitated the willow and not the oak Ah how many Christians are there in these days of Gospel-light who are indifferent who they hear or what they hear who are indifferent whether they pray or not or walk in Gospel-order or not or keep Sabbaths or not or maintain
Moses by a cleare articulate voice even as one man speaks to another when they speak face to face And so when Aaron and Miriam were swell'd with pride and envy and began to bespatter Moses and to pick a hole in his Coat and to cloud eclipse and diminish his glory see at what ahigh and noble rate God speaks of Moses see how God magnifies and exalts and lifts up Moses in that 12 Num. 6 7 8. And he said heare now my words if there be a Prophet among you I the Lord will make my self known unto him in a vision and will speak unto him in a dreame My servant Moses is not so who is faithfull in all my house with him will I speak mouth to mouth even apparently and not in dark speeches and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold Wherefore then were ye not-afraid to speak against my servant Moses Now here you see how God owns Moses and stands up for Moses and pleads for Moses and tells Aaron and Miriam to their faces that Moses was the greatest favourite and that he had far greater respects for Moses then he had for them and that there was not a man in all the world that was so inward with him as Moses and that had so much of his eare and heart as Moses had God did appeare to oâ—her Prophets in Dreames and visions which were transient but with Moses God will speak mouth to mouth God will speak to him without an interpreter he will speak to Moses more familiarly and frequently then he did to others by visions and more clearely plainly and assuredly then he did to others by dreames God here engages himselfe to hold a more close familiar friendly and constant conference and correspondence with Moses then with any others in the world Moses was blest with as cleare and with as full and with as apparent sight of God and communion with God as he was able to bare and comprehend Some of the learned are of opinion that Christ did converse with Moses in a humane shape as he had done with Abraham before Gen. 18. Ch. 32.30 c. they conjecture that the Lord Jesus did very friendly and familiarly shew himselfe to Moses with that very same face and forme of humane nature which he afterwards assumed but this I dare not press upon you as an Article of your faith And whether Moses had one hundred and seventy three familiar conferences with God which none of the Prophets had lyes upon those Rabbies to prove that doe assert it but this is granted on all hands that he was a speciall favourite and a man in high communion with God and one that had very cleare and eminent discoveries and manifestations of God And so Abraham was a man of great holiness and a man eminent in his communion with God God own'd him as a friend Isa 41.8 as an honorable friend as an eminent friend as a bosome friend as a peculiar friend and as a faithful friend and therefore he made him one of his Privy Councell and open'd his heart and his secrets to him And the Lord said shall I hide from Abraham the thing which I doe Gen. 18.17 Abraham is stil'd the friend of God by a specialty though God had many friends yet 't was Abraham that was his singular friend his darling friend his rare friend c. and accordingly God was most free and full and rich in the communications of his favours and secrets to Abraham 't was not enough for Abraham to be of Gods Court but he must be also of his Cabinet Councell 'T was alwayes a principle in morality that sweet and intimate friendship cannot be extended to many Friends usually goe by paires And thus you see that the more holy any man is the more communion that man shall have with God and the more communion any man has with God the more beloved shall that man be of God the highest communion is alwayes attended with the highest love But Fifthly and lastly the more holy any man is the more actually ripe and fit for heaven that man is A Christian at first conversion is but ruâ—â—e cast but as holiness is encreased Job 5.26 so he comes more and more every day to be prepared polished squared and fitted for a full and glorious fruition of God in heaven though the least degree of grace and holiness puts a man into an habitual preparedness and fittedness for heaven yet 't is only an eminency in grace and holiness that puts a man into an actuall preparedness and fittedness for heaven the richer in grace the riper for glory the higher you are in holiness the fitter you are to enter into the joy of your Lord Math. 25.19 to ver 24. though the least drop or dram of holiness is enough to keep a man from dropping into hell yet 't is only growne holiness that actually prepares and fits a man to goe to heaven Now doubtless the more actually ripe and ready any man is for heaven the more pleasure and delight God takes in him the more the vessels of grace are fitted for glory the more complacency God takes in them When God set himselfe upon the creation of the world in the close of every dayes work except the second for which the opinions of the learned are various God set to his Seale that it was good but when he had perfected and compleated the whole Creation and cast an eye upon all together then he concludes Gen. 1. ult that it was very good And God saw all that he had made and behold it was very good or extream good so some or very pleasant and delightfull so others The work of Creation was so curiously and gloriously fram'd and so full of admirable rarities and varieties that it raised delight and complacency in God himselfe Aug. in Gen. 1.31 Whereupon Augustine observes that even to every grace yea of the least degree of grace he saith it is good but when he beholds the graces of his Saints fresh and flourishing your faith acted and strengthened your repentance daily renewed your humility increased c. then he concludes that all is very good O Sirs if the Lord Jesus Christ be so ravished with one of his Spouses eyes Cant. 4.9 and with one chaine of her neck with the least drops or sips of grace or with the least grains and drams of grace and holiness O how much more will great measures of grace and holiness take him and ravish him Well for a close of this Argument remember this that as the Sun shines hotter on some Climates then it doth upon others and as the dew falls more upon one place then another and as the water over-flowes some pastures more then others so Gods love of complacency and delight shines hotter and brighter upon some Christians then it do's upon others and these I have shew'd you to be such who are most eminent and excellent in
truth with his blood Mr. John Hus was a man eminent in holiness he was borne in Prague in Bohemia A Prophesie and was Pastor of the Church of Bethleem his name Hus in the Bohemian language sâ—gnifies a Goose at his Martyrdome he told them that if they rosted him in the fire out of the ashes of the Goose an hundred years after God would raise up a Swan in Germany that should carry the Cause on for which he suffered and whose singings would affright all those Vulters which was exactly fulfilled in Luther whose name in the Bohemian language signifies a Swan for God raised him up as a famous instrument in his hand who carried on that glorious Cause with mighty success and upon his death the Bohemians under Ziska rose in Armes and had most admirable success against the Emperour and the Papists A Prophesie Luther was a man of great holiness and being one time more then ordinarily earnest with God in prayer he came downe to his Friends and told them with a very great confidence that it should goe well with Germany all his dayes he knew what was done in heaven by that which God had done in his own heart accordingly it fell out The Martyr that was burnt last in Smithfield A Prophesie told the people that they should be of good comfort for he was fully perswaded that he was the last that should suffer under Queen Mary and so he was Thus you see that men of greatest holiness have had the clearest and choicest manifestations discoveries of God and of his mind made knowne to them Suitable to that choice promise that you have in that 33 Jer. 3. Call unto me and I will answer thee and shew thee great and mighty or hidden things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hidden as bunches of Grapes are hidden under the leaves of the Vines which thou knowest not God will make knowne to his holy ones the most hidden and abstruse things and the more holy they are the more they shall know of the most secret and mysterious things of God John 7.17 If any man will doe his will he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God or whether I speak of my selfe Christ will be most open to them that are most obedient to him they shall know most of the doctrine of Christ who are most complying with the will of Christ David was a man of great holiness as is evident by that glorious testimony that God has given of him in that 13 Acts 22. And when he had removed him that is Saul v. 21. he raised up unto them David to be their King to whom also he gave testimony and said I have found David the son of Jesse a man after mine own heart which shall fulfill all my will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All my wills to note the eminency transcâ—ndency universality and sincerity of his obedience Now if you will but look into that 2 Sam. 7.27 there you shall see how the Lord declares and makes knowne himselfe and his intentions towards him For thou O Lord of Hosts God of Israel hast revealed to thy servant saying I will build thee an house But the Hebrew is more full and excellent in the Original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it runs thus Lord thou hast revealed this to the eare of thy servant Now the emphasis lyes in those words to the eare of thy servant When God makes knowne himselfe and his intentions to such as are eminent in holiness he do's it in their eare God tells David in his eare that he will build him an house that is that he would continue his kingdome to him and to his posterity after him this was blessed newes and this God tells in his eare Such as are our special friends and favourites we often whisper them in the eare when we would acquaint them with our most secret and weighty purposes intentions and resolutions we give them a whisper in the eare such persons that are eminent in holiness are the great favourits of heaven and God tells them in the eare of many a rare secret which all others are kept ignorant of Well Sirs for a close remember this that there are no persons on earth that are so prepared and fitted for the clearest fullest and highest manifestations of God as those that are eminent in holiness nor none that set so high a price upon the discoveries of God as men that are eminent in holiness nor none that are so able to bare the Revelations of his will as men that are eminent in holiness nor none that will make such an humble faithful constant and through improvement of all that God shall make knowne to them as men that are famous for holiness and therefore as ever you would have God in an eminent way to manifest and discover himselfe and his mind unto you O labour after a greater measure of holiness But Eighthly To provoke you to labour after higher degrees of holiness Consider that the more holy any man is the more singular delight and pleasure God will take in all his religious duties and services Generally 't was the custome of the Eastern countries to wash before worship The very heathen gods would be served in white the very emblem of purity holiness puts a divine savour upon all a mans services there are no duties so sweet as those that have most holiness in them Mal. 3.3 4. And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver and he shall purifie the sons of Levi and purge them as gold and silver that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord as in the dayes of old and as in former years After the Lord Jesus Christ hath been to his people as a refiners fire and as Fullers sope that is after he hath refined scoured and purged his people from their drossiness filthiness earthliness selfishness and sensualness c. then their offerings shall be pleasant to the Lord. Look as light makes all things pleasant and delightful to man so holiness makes all a mans duties and services pleasant and delightful to the Lord. Zach. 13.9 And I will bring the third part through the fire and will refine them as silver is refined and will try them as gold is tryed they shall call on my name and I will heare them I will say it is my people and they shall say the Lord is my God When God has refined his people as silver is refined then he will bow his eare and open his hand and grant them the desires of their hearts O the pleasure and delight that God takes in the prayers tears hearings readings meltings mournings and repentings of such who are eminently purged and sanctified the more holiness any man has the less of the flesh polution and corruption there is in all his duties and services and the less there is of
their recompence and reward bee multiplied in another world 'T is true Christ hath many lovers of his Crown but few bearers of his Cross all would rejoyce with him but few care to suffer for him but yet 't is as true on the one hand viz. that they who bear most of his Cross shall bee greatest sharers in his Crown they that suffer most for him on Earth shall bee most blest and rewarded by him when they come to Heaven 2 Cor. 1.4 5. Look as the consolation of the Saints rises higher and higher in this world even as their sufferings rise higher and higher so the glory of the Saints shall rise higher and higher in the other world as their sufferings has rise higher and higher in this world The persecuted Christians in Tertullian cries out Crudelitas vestra gloria nostra your cruelty is our glory and the harder wee are put to it the greater shall bee our reward in Heaven One speaking of the Martyrs said look how many sufferings they have so many crowns they shall have for every suffering God shall set a crown on their heads By how much mens sufferings have been greater saith Chrysostom by so much the more their crown shall bee bright and splendent The greater conflicts and buffetings any Saint hath endur'd the greater shall bee his reward and the more ample shall bee his glory saith Austin As Christ hath many crowns upon his head sutable to the multitude of his sufferings and victories so Christians at last shall have crowns sutable to the multitude of their sufferings Rev. 19.7 and sutable to those famous victories they have gained over a tempting Devil and a persecuting world certainly it will bee but Justice that they should receive the weightiest Crown 1 Joh. 5.4 chap. 2.13 14. who have bore the heaviest Cross The seventh and last Scripture that I shall produce is that Matth. 10.41 Hee that receiveth a Prophet in the name of a Prophet shall receive a Prophets reward that is say some they shall bee partakers of the same reward that is laid up for the Prophets Without all dispute these two things lyes fair in the Text First that there is some special and eminent degrees of reward due unto a Prophet above other men And Secondly that he that shall entertain a Prophet and perform any offices of love and favour to him under that name and notion hee shall bee partaker of that reward hee that receives a Prophet as hee is Gods messenger and imployed in his service and sent about his arrant and not upon any carnal or worldly respects hee shall receive a Prophets reward that is hee shall receive either such a reward as the Prophet himself shall receive at last or hee shall receive such a large ample and noble recompence as is meet for one to receive that received a Prophet as coming from the Lord and as acted by the Lord Look as sucâ— who give an honourable reception to the Ambassadours of Kings or Princes do highly raise themselves in the favour and esteem of those Kings or Princes that had sent them so those that receive the faithful Prophets of the Lord as the Ambassadours of God they shall bee highly interested in the favour of God and as nobly bee rewarded by God I might produce several other Scriptures As that Mat. 6.20 Joh. 14.2 Mat. 20.20 to the 24. that sound to the same purpose as these Seven do but enough is as good as a feast I shall therefore in the Second place come to the Reasons that may further evidence and confirm this great truth viz. That there shall bee different degrees of glory in Heaven among many other reasons that might bee given I shall only give you these five First there are diversities of degrees of Angels in Heaven There are Cherubims and Seraphims and there are Angels and Archangels now the Cherubims and Seraphims are a lower rank and order of Angels and the Archangels are a higher rank and order of Angels And the Apostle speaks clearly of several ranks and orders of invisible creatures in that Col. 1.16 here you have an enumeration of Thrones Dominions Principalities and Powers and so in that Eph. 1.21 Far above all Principalities and Powers and Might and Dominion These principalities and powers are the blessed Angels that Minister before the Lord and that are subordinate unto one another and here they are reckoned up by assending power is above principality and might above power and dominion above might To define those orders and degrees of Angels with which God is invironed is a work too high and hard for mee and though the Papists and several School-men are so bold as to define their particular offices and orders Dionysius Areopagita Thomas Aquinas Anselm c. yet I dare not be wise above what is written where the Scripture is silent I love to be silent and where the Scripture hath no tongue there I desire to have no ears There is an order in Hell an order among the Devils and therefore you read in * Mat. 9.34 chap. 12.34 Mark 3.22 The very supposition of order supposeth inequality and disproportion three Scriptures of the Prince of Devils and so much also that expression imports that you have in that Mat. 25.41 The Devil and his Angels which intimates a Prince among those unclean and damned spirits Now shall there be order in Hell and confusion in Heaven Shall there be order among the evil Angels and shall there not much more be order among the good Angels Certainly that God that is the God of order and that hath made all things in order and that to this day keeps all things in order here below will never suffer the least disorder and confusion to be among those Princes of glory that stand continually before him Hee that denies order in Heaven denies Heaven to be Heaven and hee that grants order in Heaven grants degrees of glory in Heaven Though there is no difference between the Angels in natura Angelica the Angelical nature being alike in all yet in officio in office there is a great deal of difference in the glory of the Angels for God imploys some of the Heavenly Host in more high noble and excellent services than others and answerable thereunto shall their reward bee Though all Angels shall share alike in the essential and substantial glory of Heaven yet there is an additional glory an accidental glory an over-plus of glory that shall be conferred upon the Angels answerable to the several and various services that they have managed and ingaged in Now the Scripture tells us plainly Matth. 22.30 that in Heaven wee shall be like to the Angels and therefore if there be degrees of Angels and if the Angels in Heaven shall have a different glory and reward according to the work in which they have been employed then the glory of the Saints in respect of degrees shall bee different also But
Secondly There are degrees of Torments in Hell and therefore by the Rule of Contraries there shall bee degrees of Glory in Heaven Now that there are degrees of torments in Hell is most evident from several plain Scriptures as from that 10th of Matth. v. 14 15. And whosoever shall not receive you nor hear your words when yee depart out of that house or City shake off the dust of your feet Verily I say unto you Contempt of Christ and his Gospel is worse than Sodomy it shall be more tollerable for the Land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgement than for that City Sodom and Gomorrah shall have an easier and cooler Hell than such Cities shall have that have contemned the tenders of Grace and the offers of Mercy 'T is very observable that the punishments that God in this life hath inflicted upon the Jews for their contempt of Christ and his everlasting Gospel have been more terrible than his raining Hell out of Heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah for on a sudden and in a moment God consumed them and burnt them up but God hath for above this sixteen hundred years been a raining Hell out of Heaven upon the Jews hee hath for a long time vext them with all manner of adversity and to this very day hee hath made them all the world over a spectacle of his dreadful severity but all those plagues and punishments that the Jews have been and still are under are but flea-bitings and scratches on the hand to those dreadful and amazing judgements that God in the great day of account will inflict upon all Christs refusers and Gospel-despisers And so chap. 11.20 21 22 23. Then began hee to upbraid the Cities wherein most of his mighty works were done because they repented not Woe unto thee Chorazin wee unto thee Bethsaida for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes But I say unto you it shall bee more tollerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of Judgement than for you And thou Capernaum which art exalted up to Heaven shalt bee brought down to Hell for if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodom it would have remained until this day The more mercy hath been upon the bare knee intreating sinners to repent the more earnest the Lord Jesus hath been in wooing sinners to beleeve on him and to resign up themselves wholly and only to him the more clearly and sweetly the everlasting Gospel hath sounded in sinners ears and the more neer and the more often Heaven hath been brought to sinners doors and yet they have bid defiance to all and hardened themselves in their sins with the greater violence and with the more dreadful vengeance shall such be plunged into the lowest Hell And so in that Mat. 23.14 Woe unto you Scribes Pharisees and Hypocrites for yee devour Widdows houses and for a pretence make long prayer therefore yee shall receive the greater damnation Hypocrites shall bee double-damned the hottest and the darkest place in Hell is reserved for them Give him his portion with hypocrites for number and weight there are no torments in Hell to the torments of hypocrites Counterfeit sanctity is double iniquity and therefore 't is but justice that the hypocrite should have double torment And so in that Luke 12.47 48. That servant that knows his Masters will and doth it not shall be beaten with many stripes and hee that knew it not and did commit things worthy of stripes shall bee beaten with few stripes Sins against light and knowledge are sins against the noblest remedy they waste and wound the conscience most they most open sinners mouths to blaspheme God and they most harden sinners hearts in sinning against God and every way they dare God most and provoke God most to strike with an Iron-Rod and to whip the knowing transgressor not with Rods but with Scorpions 'T is very observable that the more light and knowledge men sin against in this world Rom. 1.21 22 23. the greater judgements God gives them up to even in this life take a remarkable instance in the most refined and civil Heathens who are presumed to have most light and knowledge who were given up to the most beastly errours about the nature of God as the Romans and Grecians who worshipped Feavers and humane passions yea every paltry thing c. whereas the Scythians and more barbarous Nations worshipped the Sun and the Thunder c. things terrible in themselves Oh how much more then will God in the great day give them up to the greatest judgements who have given themselves up to the greatest sins Certainly the Professors of this age yea of this City whether they go to Heaven or Hell will be the greatest debtors that shall be in either place the one to the Free-grace of God and the other to his Justice that they that have most of Hell in their mouths and most of Hell in their hearts and most of Hell in their lives should have most of Hell in their souls at last is but justice I shall conclude this second Argument with a saying of one of the Antients Augustin Look saith hee as in Heaven one is more glorious than another so in Hell one shall be more miserable than another Now if there be degrees of torments in Hell which I suppose the Scriptures but now cited doth undeniably prove then doubtless there will be degrees of glory in Heaven Thirdly God in this life dispenses the gifts and graces of his Spirit unequally among his Saints to some hee gives two Talents to others five and to others ten Hence 't is you read both of a weak Faith and of a strong Faith Matth. 25. and ch 8.10 26. ch 15.28 Why are yee afraid O yee of little Faith And O woman great is thy Faith And Verily I have not found so great Faith no not in Israel And hence it is that you read both of weak Christians and of strong Christians Hee that is weak in the Faith receive Rom. 14.1 2. 1 Cor. 9.22 2 Cor. 12.10 Heb. 5.13 14 1 Pet. 2.2 v. 1. Another who is weak eateth herbs And to the weak I became as weak that I might win the weak Wee then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please our selves When I am weak then am I strong And hence 't is that you read of Babes and of Children and of young Men and of old Men in the Scripture Saints are of different growths Some are but babes in gifts and grace others are children others young men and others old men That God that distributes the good things of this world unequally among the Sons of men as to some more to others less to some great things to others little things to some high things to others low things that God unequally distributes
greater shall bee my reward hereafter and therefore O my Soul grow in grace perfect holiness and abound in the work and service of the Lord knowing that thy labour shall not bee in vain in the Lord And thus I have given you the reasons that prove that there shall bee degrees of glory in Heaven Now I have nothing further to do upon this point but to give a few brief Answers to such Objections as are commonly raised against this truth that I have asserted and proved Obj. First Some object and say that one Christ bought us all and that all our portions are bought by the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ and that therefore all beleevers shall share alike in the inheritance of the Saints in light now to this Objection I shall Answer First That all Saints shall bee equal sharers in the substantial and essential glory of Heaven c. but of this I have spoken before and therefore Secondly Though a Father buyes a rich inheritance for all his Children yet this laies no necessity nor obligation at all upon him to alot to every one of his Children an equal portion so though our Lord Jesus Christ hath by his blood purchased a rich inheritance for his Children yet this layes no necessity nor obligation at all upon Jesus Christ to divide this rich inheritance by equal portions among his Children t is true that Christ hath purchased all with his blood and t is as true that hee may divide his purchase among his people as hee pleases if every man may do with his own as hee pleaseth why may not Christ must hee needs bee bound when others are free Thirdly and lastly I answer that as it is true that the merits and satisfaction of Christ is the ground and foundation of our reward and that alone which makes our works capable of a reward so t is as true that our works are the subject of reward and this is most agreeable to the compact that was made between Christ and his Father that everlasting happiness and blessedness that eternal glory and felicity should bee measured out to the Saints according to their different measures of grace and different degrees of service that they have been engaged in in this world and all this upon the credit of Christs blood certainly there is nothing under heaven below the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ that can make differing works capable of a different reward the Papists are most sadly out for they are so blinde and bold as to affirm that the more grace any man hath the more glory hee merits by his grace these men make degrees of grace and not the blood of Jesus Christ to be the meritorious cause of degrees of glory and therefore of all men I think they are furthest from glory certainly this is the beleevers glory and his crown of rejoycing that all recompences and rewards shall flow in upon him not upon the account of his merits but upon the account of Christs blood and thus much shall suffice to have spoken by way of Answer to this Objection Obj. 2. But now in the Second place I shall come to answer their grand and main objection and that is taken from that Parable in the 20 Matth. where the Kingdome of Heaven is compared to a vineyard now in this Parable there is mention made of a Husband-man that call'd several labourers into his vineyard at several hours in the day some hee call'd at the first hour and some hee call'd at the third and some at the ninth and some at the eleventh now when they came all to receive their wages the story tells us that hee gave every man a penny hee gave every man an equal reward they that laboured from the first hour and they that laboured from the third hour and they that laboured from the sixth hour of the day had no greater a recompence than hee that came in at the eleventh hour and so had labour'd but one hour in the vineyard and bore but little if any of the heat of the day from whence the Objectors conclude that there are no degrees of glory in Heaven but that all shall have glory alike happiness and blessedness alike every man shall have his penny every man shall have an equal reward and no mans penny in Heaven shall bee brighter or bigger than anothers Now by way of answer to this objection give mee leave to premise these three things First That this Parable of the housholder in giving to every man a penny hath no reference at all to Heaven nor to the reward nor to the glory that shall bee confer'd upon the Elect and this I shall clearly and fully prove by these four following Arguments First This illative particle for in vers 1. sheweth that this Parable is inserted to expound the former conclusion viz. that the first shall bee last and the last shall bee first and therefore the end of the Parable is concluded with the repetition of the same sentence vers 16. the last shall bee first and the first shall be last Christ by this Parable would teach his hearers that there is no reason under Heaven why they which are first called in respect of time should boast or triumph over others because hee can easily call the uncalled at pleasure and either make them equal with them or else prefer them before them which are first The scope of Christ in this Parable is not to set forth the equality of celestial glory 't is not to prove that the happiness and blessedness of the Saints shall be equal in Heaven but the very drift of the Parable is to shew that they which are first called and converted have no cause at all to despise the uncalled unconverted or to trample upon them with the foot of pride considering that they who are yet in their sins and in their blood and in an unconverted and unsanctified estate may yet be called and either made equal to them or preferred before them But Secondly Interpreters do generally agree in this that by the Husbandman wee are to understand God himself and by the Labourers men upon earth and by the Vineyard the Church of God and several of them say Chrysostom Origen Jerom Gregory Austin that by the five hours in the Parable wee are to understand the five ages of man First By those who were called in the morning See my Apples of Gold and sent into the Vineyard wee are to understand those who in their childhood are called and converted they are such who begin to seek the Lord and to serve the Lord even as soon as they are capable of the use of reason As Samuel did and as Josiah did and as Timothy did Secondly By those who are called at the third hour wee are to understand those who are converted and turned to the Lord in their youth in the prime the spring and morning of their daies Thirdly By those who were called at the
sixth hour wee are to understand those who are turned to the Lord in their strength and in their full and perfect age Fourthly By those who were called at the ninth hour wee are to understand those who are converted and turned to the Lord in their declining age And fifthly By those who were called at the eleventh hour wee are to understand those who are converted and turned to the Lord in their decrepit old age when they have one foot in the grave and there is but a short step between them and eternity when with the Theef upon the crosse they are even ready to bee turned off of the Ladder of life Now the Vineyard being the Church all that this parable proveth is no more but this that whether men are cal'd into the Vineyard of the Church either sooner or later either at the first hour or at the ninth or eleventh hour Yet this shall neither greaten nor lessen their reward for if they are called at the first hour their recompence shall bee never the greater upon that account or if they are called at the eleventh hour their reward shall be never the lesser upon that account the reward shall not bee different according to the different times of mens being called and converted and that this Parable proves but the reward shall bee different according to the diversity of our works and that my former arguments prove But Thirdly If the Penny The Roman penny is the eight part of an ounce which after five shillings the ounce is seven pence half penny that every one had in the Parable be meant of glory then it will roundly follow that murmurers shall be saved and glorified as well as others for the murmurers had their Penny as well as the rest vers 10 11 12. But when the first came they supposed that they should have received more and they likewise received every man a Penny And when they had received it they murmured against the good man of the house saying These last have wrought but one hour and thou hast made them equal unto us which have born the burden and heat of the day The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is here rendred murmured signifies to grunt as Swine grunt they grumbled and grunted and they grunted and grumbled and pray tell mee what should such Swine as murmurers are do grunting and grumbâ—ing in Heaven doubtless the Crown of Glory is too bright too noble too glorious and too weighty a Crown to be set upon murmurers heads Heaven would be no Heaven if there were but one gruntler or murmureâ— there in Heaven all the vessels of Glory shall be full and there shall not be the least shadow of envy or repining there In the streets of that new Jerusalem above none shall ever complain that others have too much or that themselves have too little every glorified Saint shall sit down fully satisfied and contented with his portion there Now should wee by the Penny understand a glorified estate and condition then this would unavoidably follow that many shall be brought to a state of glory which are not elected nor sanctified nor prepared for glory but this can never nor must never be granted and therefore without all peradventure this Parable doth no way hold out that state of glory and felicity which all the called and chosen of God shall have at Christs coming to judge the quick and the dead But Fourthly The Penny that is here mentioned in this Parable cannot nor may not be interpreted so as to signifie an equality of glory or an equality of happiness and blessedness that the Saints shall have in Heaven because such an interpretation such an exposition is cross and contrary to the common and received Rules of interpreting and expounding of Scripture Now among other Rules that are to be observed in the interpreting and expounding of Scripture there are these two First You must so interpret and expound one Text of Scripture that you do not set it at strife and variance with another Text of Scripture for though there is a seeming contradiction between Scripture and Scripture yet there is a blessed harmony and a glorious correspondency between all the parts of Scripture 'T is a very dangerous thing so to interpret Scripture as to raise contests and opposition between Scriptures and Scriptures 't is an evil thing to raise up Scripture against Scripture and so to interpret one as to make it affront another Woe to him that by his interpretations of Scripture proclaims the Scriptures to be at open war amongst themselves Now to interpret the Penny in the Parable so as to make it signifie an equality of glory and happiness among the Saints in Heaven is to set this Scripture at variance and strife withall those Scriptures that I have produced to prove an inequality in the glory and happiness of the Saints in Heaven and therefore such an interpretation is rather to be abhorred than to be received But Secondly Another Rule that is to be observed in the interpreting of Scripture is this wee must alwaies interpret those Scrptures that are more dark and mysterious by those Scriptures that are more plain and clear and not interpret those Scriptures that are plain and clear by those that are dark and mysterious Job 38.2 for this were to darken counsel by words without knowledge Now they that interpret the Penny in the Parable to signifie an equality of glory among the Saints in Heaven they transgress this second Rule for they must then interpret all those clear and plain Scriptures that I have brought to prove degrees of glory in Heaven by this dark and mysterious Parable whereas they should interpret this dark and mysterious Parable if I may so say by those plain and clear Scriptures that I have already cited and therefore their interpretation must be rejected 'T is true of some Parables wee may say as Gregory doth viz. That they rather require a Practicer than an Interpreter And 't is as true Psal 49.4 Psal 78.2 John 16.29 that other Parables are so dark obscure and mysterious that wee shall never understand them without the sweat of our brows and the beating of our brains and such a Parable this seems to be and therefore wee must interpret the parts of it rather by other clear Scriptures than to make clear and plain Scriptures bow to this that seems to have a vail upon it And thus you see by these Arguments that the Penny in the Parable hath no reference at all to Heaven nor to any equality of glory that shall be among the Saints there Secondly Chrysostome's Vide Chrisostom in hunc locum counsel on the Text should be eyed and followed saith hee Wee should not strain every particular of a Parable but only consider the scope of Christ in the propounding of it and accordingly apply it Wee look not on every particular colour in a well drawn picture but on the whole peice
and who are much in the Publick trade of Christianity viz. hearing the word conferences family duties c. but very rarely shall you finde them in their closets as ever you would bee eminent and excellent in holiness keep up your private trade with God maintain your closet communion with the holy one of Israel But Seventhly If ever you would attain to higher degrees of holiness then fall with all your might upon subduing and crucifying your most raging corruptions and your most darling-lusts O do not defer O do not delay the work of spiritual mortification O do not think that you can both fight and overcome fight and triumph in one day O do not think that your golden and your silver Idols will lay down their Arms Isa 2.20 and yeeld the field and lye at your feet and let you trample them to death without striking a blow O remember that bosome-sins will do all they can to keep their ground and therefore you must arise with all your strength against them and bray them in a morter and stamp them to powder and burn them to ashes O deal with them as they dealt with the Leviets Concubine force them to death and cut them to peeces Judg. 19. 2 King 9. O leave not the Palm the skull of this cursed Jezabel undevoured undestroyed O deal by your most inraged lusts as the Philistims did deal by Sampson pluck out their eyes and make them to grinde in the Mill of Mortification till their strength be utterly consumed and wasted Whilst Saul lived and kept the Throne and was in his strength little David was kept exceeding weak and low but when Saul was dethroned and slain little David quickly grew stronger and stronger 2 Sam. 3.1 so all the while a darling sin lives and keeps the Throne in the hearâ—â— grace and holiness will be kept exceeding weak and low but when your darling Rom. 8.10 13. sin is dethroned and slain by the power and the sword of the Spirit grace and holiness will quickly grow stronger and stronger and rise higher and higher When men would have a rough field fitted for the plow and fitted to bring forth fruit will they not first fall with all their strength and with all their might upon grubbing up by the roots the strongest Trees and the sturdiest Oaks knowing that when these are grubbed up weaker trees will easily fall So as ever you would have your hearts and lives full of the fruits of righteousness and holiness fall with all your strength and with all your might upon grubbing up by the very roots your beloved sins your strongest lusts and then the rest of your corruptions will easily fall When Galiah was slain the Philistims fled and were easily brought under when a General in an Army is cut off the common souldiers are quickly routed down but with your darling-sins and then the conquest of other sins will be easie When a man hath eat poison nothing will make him thrive till hee hath vomited up the poison that hee hath eaten 't is not the most wholsome food the choicest dainties nor the richest cordials under Heaven that will increase blood and spirits and strength in such a person hee will throw up all and nothing will stay with him to do him good till his poison be cast up and cast out Beloved-sins they are the poison of the soul and till these are vomited up and cast out by sound repentance and the exercise of Faith in the Blood of Christ the soul will never thrive in grace and holiness all the wholesome food of the Gospel and all the dainties and cordials of Heaven will never beger good blood nor noble spirits nor divine strength in their souls that upon no terms will part with their darling sins and therefore as ever you would be strong in the grace of the Lord draw up all the strength that ever you are able to make and fall on with the greatest courage upon your bosome-sins and never cease till in the strength of Christ you have got a compleat victory and conquest over them In the Law 't was the blood of the Sacrifice and the Oil that cleansed the Leper and that by them was meant the blood of Christ and the Spirit of Grace is agreed by all Ah friends as ever you would be cleansed from your darling-sins which do so exceedingly hinder the increase of holiness be often in looking upon a crucified Christ and in the application of his blood to your own souls I have read of five men that being asked what was the best means to mortifie sin gave these Answers saith the first The best means to mortifie sin is to meditate of death Saith the second The best means is to meditate of the judgement-judgement-day Saith the third The best means is to meditate on the Joyes of Heaven Saith the fourth The best means is to meditate on the torments of Hell But saith the fifth The best means is to meditate on the blood and sufferings of Christâ— and doubtless the last hit it to a hair If any thing under Heaven will subdue and bring under darling-sins it will be the daily sight of a bleeding groaning dying Saviour Phylosophy saith Lactantius may cover vices but it never cuts off vices it may hide a lust but it can never quench a lust As black-patches instead of plaisters may cover some deformities in nature but they can never cure them Ah Sirs if you do not kill your darling-sins they will kill your precious souls Isa 37. When Senacheribs Army was destroyed by an Angel and hee returned home with a hook in his nose and a bridle in his lips hee enquired of one about him what hee thought the reason might be why God so favoured the Jews to which hee replied That there was one Abraham their Father that was willing to sacrifice his beloved Son to death at the command of God and that ever since that time God favoured that people well said Senacherib if that be it I have two beloved Sons and I will sacrifize them both to death if that will procure their God to favour mee which when his two Sons heard they as the story goes slew their Father being more willing to kill Isa 37.38 than be killed Oh friends you must kill or be killed if you are not the death of your beloved sins your beloved sins will prove the death and ruine of your immortal souls and therefore never leave looking up to a crucified Christ till vertue flow from him to the crucifying of those special sins that do most obstruct and hinder the growth and increase of holiness But Eighthly and lastly If ever you would attain to higher degrees of holiness then dwell much upon the holiness of God O be still a musing be still a pondering upon the holiness of God Certainly if there be any means under Heaven to raise you up to higher degrees of holiness 't is this and therefore keep alwaies
love is a holy love and his anger is a holy anger and his hatred is a holy hatred c. His nature is holy his attributes are holy and all his actions are holy hee is holy in punishing and holy in sparing hee is holy in justifying of some and hee is holy condemning of others hee is holy in bringing some to Heaven and holy in throwing others to Hell God is holy in all his sayings and God is holy in all his doings God is holy in what ever hee puts his hand to and hee is holy in what ever hee sets his heart to his frowns are holy and his smiles are holy his liftings up are holy and his castings down are holy when hee gives his givings are holy givings and when hee takes away his takings are holy takings c. But Fourthly As God is universally holy so God is eminently holy hee is transcendently holy hee is superlatively holy Exo. 15.11 and therefore hee is said to bee glorious in holiness there is no fathoming there is no measuring there is no comprehending there is no searching of that infinite Sea of holiness that is in God as neither Men nor Angels can set banks or bounds to Gods holiness so neither Men nor Angels can sound to the bottome of Gods holiness all that holiness that is in Angels and Men is but a spark to Gods flame t is but a drop to his sea t is but a beam to his sun t is but a mite to his millions c. O Sirs you shall as soon stop the Sun in his course and change the day into night and raise the dead and make a world and tell the stars of heaven and empty the sea with a Cockle-shell as you shall bee able either to conceive or express that transcendent holiness that is in God This glorious Name or Title the holy one of Israel is ascribed to God about thirty times in the Old Testament and all to shew that hee is most excellent and transcendent in holiness and the Seraphims which stood before the Throne cryed out three times a row Holy Holy Holy is the Lord of hosts Isa 6.3 to shew that God is most eminently and superlatively holy for so thrice holy in some languages is most holy for holiness God is a none-such there are none to bee compared with him neither are there any among Angels or among Men yea or among the Gods that are like unto him who is like to thee among the Gods glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wonders Gods holiness is infinite t is so super-eminent and so super-excellent that it can neither bee limited nor lessened nor augmented if men should blaspheme or reproach the Lord hee would bee never the worse he would be never the lesse holier then hee is and if men should bless him and worship him hee would bee never the better never the holier unto perfection there can be no addition a drop taken out of the sea can no waies add unto the sea Hee is exalted above all blessing and praise Nehe. 9.5 All the Angels in Heaven and all the men on earth cannot add one Ray one Beam of glory to the essence of God to the holiness of God as God is goodness in the very Abstract and justice in the very abstract and mercy in the very abstract and righteousness in the very abstract and lovingkindness in the very abstract so hee is holiness in the very Abstract so that no man can flatter him or add unto him and hence t is that God glories in the Attribute of his Holiness more than in any other Attribute For Isa 57.15 thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity whose name is holy when God would lift up himself in all his Glory hee doth it by declaring that his name is holy and so when God would swear by himself hee swears by his holiness Psal 89.25 Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lye unto David and so in that Amos 4.2 The Lord God hath sworn by his holiness that lo the daies shall come upon you that hee will take you with hooks and your posterity with fish-hooks Look as the great men of the World are wont to swear upon their honour when they would give us the greatest assurance of what they will do because such Oath are look't upon as most sacred and inviolable so the great God swears by his holiness because his holiness is his greatest Honour and because hee hath no greater nor no better nor no choicer nor no sweeter nor no preciouser things to swear by let mee saith God bee never owned as a God nor honoured as a God nor trusted as a God nor feared as a God nor valued as a God if I do not Inviolably keep my promises and make good my threatings having sworn thereunto by my Holiness Now you know the Scripture saith when God could swear by no greater hee sware by himself Heb. 6.13 so I may say when God could swear by no greater Attribute by no greater Excellency hee swears by his Holiness that being the top and the glory of all Look as all the wisdome of the creatures compar'd with the wisdome of God is but folly and as all the goodness of the creatures compared with the goodness of God is but naughtiness and as all the fulnesse of the creature compared with the fulnesse of God is but emptiness and as all the power of the creature compared with the power of God is but weaknesse and as all the righteousnesse of the creature compared with the righteousnesse of God is but unrighteousnesse So all the holinesse of the creature compared with the holinesse of God is but unholinesse mans highest purity is but impurity when 't is compared to the purity of God yea the very holinesse of Angels compared with the holinesse of God is chargeable with folly Job 4.18 That fulnesse of holinesse that is in Angels or Saints is only the fulnesse of the Vessel but that fulnesse of holinesse that is in God is the fulnesse of the Fountain that fulnesse of holinesse that is in Angels or Saints is but the fulnesse of the Branches but that fulnesse of holinesse that is in God is the fulnesse of the Root that fulnesse of holinesse that is in Angels or Saints is but the fulnesse of Sufficiency but that fulnesse of holinesse that is in God is the fulnesse of redundancy But Fifthly As God is infinitely holy transcendently holy superlatively holy so God is originally radically and fundamentally holy the Divine Nature is the root original and spring of all holinesse and purity all that holinesse that is in Angels and men flows from God as the streams from the Fountain as the beams from the Sun as the branches from the Root and as the effect from the Cause There is no holinesse to be had but from the Holy One hee is the Author and Original of all the holinesse that
that faithful Servant of Jesus Christ John Ball late Minister of the Gospel at Whitmore in Stafford-shire published by M. Simeon Ash Preacher of the Gospel at Austins London Irenicum A Weapon-Salve for the Churches Wounds Or the Divine Right of particular Forms of Church-Government discussed and examined by Edward Stillingfleete Rector of Sutton in Bedford-shire The second Edition corrected An Exposition by way of Supplement on the 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th and 9th Chapters on the Prophecy of Amos where you have the Text fully explained other Texts occasionally cleared many Cases Stated many practical Observations raised and many Polemical Points debated by Tho. Hall B. D. and Pastor of Kings-Norton A Cluster of Grapes taken out of the Basket of the Woman of Canaan or Counsel and Comfort for Beleeving Souls By John Durant late Preacher of the Gospel in Canterbury A Call to the Unconverted By Richard Baxter A Latin and English Grammar By Charls Hool M. A. Books sold by John Sims at the Cross-Keyes in St. Pauls Church-yard CHrist the Pattern of a Christians Practise By Mr. Ralph Robinson Octavo Several Peeces of Mr. Ralph Venning collected into one Volume viz. Orthodox Paradoxes Mysteries and Revelations Canaans Flowings A Warning to Backsliders The Way to True Happiness Mercies memorial 8 to A Practical Discourse of Prayer wherein is handled the Nature the Duty and the Qualifications of Prayer By Tho. Cobbet Minister of the Gospel 8 to Two Treatises of Mr. Brinseley 1. A Groan for Israel 2. The Spiritual Vertigo with two other Treatises viz. Three Sacred Emblems 2. Tears for Jerusalem By the same Author 8 to Irenicum A Weapon-Salve for the Churches Wounds Or the Divine Right of particular Forms of Church-Government discussed and examined By Edward Stilling fleete Rector of Sutton in Bedford-shire The second Edition corrected 4 to FINIS THE TABLE CHristian Reader take notice that the Pages are misfigured for next to page 240. followes page 280. yet doe thou but follow the directionss laid downe in the Table and without any further trouble to thy self thou will find any particular that thou hast a mind to be satisfied in A. OF Adams holiness in innocency Page 5 6 7. The greatness of Adams sin in four particulars Page 52. Of Adoption Reall holiness is a sure evidence of a mans Adoption Page 624 625 626. Of Admiration Holy persons are much taken up in the Admiration of the holiness of God Page 102 103 104 Of being Afflicted Holy persons are much afflicted c. with their own unholyness Page 123 124 125 126. And much affected and afflicted with the unholiness of others Page 139 140 141. Afflictions Of great and heavy afflictions Page 363 364 The more a man can divinely rejoyce under afflictions the greater measures of holiness that man has certainly attained to Page 600 601 602. Of All Things All things shall be sanctified to the holy man Page 629 630. Of Approving a mans self to God The more a man makes it his great business to approve himself to God the greater measure of holiness that man has attained to Page 609 610 611. Of Authors That unholy persons are to be shut out from special Communion with the people of God is made evident by the Judgements of many Learned and approved Authors Page 51 52 53 54. B. Of Beasts Vnholy persons are Beasts yea the worst of Beasts Page 54 55 56. Of Blessings God will certainly bless all a holy mans blessings to him Page 622 623. Of Boldness The more holy any man is the more bold and couragious that man will be for God and Godliness Page 507 508 509. C. Of severall Cannots There is a threefold Cannot 1. A natural Cannot 2. A contracted and habituated cannot 3. A judicial cannot Page 21-25 Of Conformity to Christ True holiness is conformable to the holiness of Christ Page 138 139. Of Civil men Meere civil men shall not go to Heaven Page 77 78 79. Of Company He that will be holy must keep company with those that are holy Page 307 308. And he that will perfect holiness in the feare of the Lord must be most In with them that are most excellent in holiness Page 577 578. Of Communion There is no spiritual communion with God in this world without holiness Page 28 29 30. Vnholy persons are to be shut out from sacred and special communion with the people of God in this world This proved by an induction of ten particulars Page 44-54 The more holy any man is the more communion that man will have with God Page 491 492 493. Of Comparing your selves with others Take heed of comparing your selves with those that are worse then your selves Page 284 285. Of Contrariety Vnholy persons are full of contrariety to God Page 27 28. Of being Condemned Vnholy persons are adjudged and condemned to hell Page 57 58 59 60 61 62. Of Conversion The persecutions of the Saints may issue in the conversion of sinners Page 401 402 403. Many that have been converted later then others do yet in holiness much excell them Page 504 505. D. Of Death Take heed of putting the day of death far from you three arguments to perswade to this Page 288-296 Of Degrees A holy person will be still reaching after higher degrees of holiness Page 107 108 109. Christians must press after the highest degrees of holiness Page 468 469. About degrees of glory in Heaven see Heaven Of Delight The more holy any man is the more he will be the delight of God c. Page 488 489. Tbis is further proved by five Arguments Page 490 491 492 493 494. God takes singular delight both in a holy mans person and in his services to Page 616 617 618 619. Of Self-denyall The more a man can deny himself when he hath power and opportunity to raise himself c. the greater measure of holiness he has attained to Page 612 613 614. 620 621. Of Discord No speciall communion to be held with those that cause discord and division among the Saints Page 46. Of the Doctrine The Doctrine is this That reall holiness is the onely way to happiness All men must be holy on earth or they shall never see the Beatifical Vision they shall never reach to a glorious fruition of God in Heaven Page 5. The Doctrine proved by ten Arguments Page 18-62 Of holy Duties The holy mans duties are most delightfull to God Page 632 633 634. Reall holiness naturaliseth holy duties to the soule Page 126 127 128. The more holy any man is the more singular delight and pleasure God will take in all his Religious duties and services Page 502 503 504. When men in the maine are as holy out of Religious duties as they are in Religious duties t is an evidence of a great measure of holiness that they have attained to Page 600. The more a man is exercised in the most spirituall and internall duties of Religion the more holiness he hath attained to Page 605