MEANES TO PREVENT PERISHING OR THE USEFULNESSE OF The Saving Knowledge OF GOD. Discovered in these Particulars I. The blessed tendency the Knowledg of God hath to bring Men to Salvation II. The One-ness of the Father Son and Spirit III. The excellency of Christs Person IV. The excellent nature of Eternal Life By W S. a Servant of the Lord Jesus Hos 4.6 My people are destroyed for lack of Knowledge LONDON Printed and are to be sold by Fr. Smith in Flying-Horse Court in Fleet-street 1658. To the READER Courteous Reader THese following lines are brought to thy view through the desire of some that heard them Preached and could not be satisfied till others had a taste of them as well as themselves It grieves me for thy sake that a subject of this worth hath not been brought forth by some better abilities but seeing it is my lot to be the instrument of its birth I must present a few requests to thee And the first is this that thou wouldst consider the usefulness of these most precious truths how much they will contribute toward the attainment of thine eternal peace Knowledge in general is justified of all her Sons to be of excellent worth but amongst all Knowledge the knowledg of God in Jesus Christ must be confess'd to be a jewel of the choicest worth it is the Corner Stone of all Religion and piety that tends to set thy judgement right in all other points and an excellent guide to the right interpretation of the holy Scriptures It hath likewise a great command over the Conscience and hath a blessed tendence to keep thee from prophaneness unrighteousness and negligence when once thou comest to know God in Christ thou canst not well through despair want incouragement to serve God nor yet through presumption take the boldness to wander from his Commandements but this Grace is such a help to keep thy heart and life in an upright frame that without very much wilfulness thou canst not well go out of thy way to happiness And likewise the knowledge of the worth of Eternal Life tends much to draw thy mind from Eartly vanities to those things that be above A second desire I have to thee is this That thou wilt lay aside that overliness and formality of Spirit wherewith Books of this nature are oftentimes read as if they were things that concerned us not but be so faithful to thy Souls interest as to read this without prejudice partiality and slightness of spirit lay up these truths in thine heart and bring forth the fruit of them and doubtless they will make thy conversation to shine to the praise of the Grace of God in this life and also make thee a meet heir of that glorious inheritance prepared for all them that love the appearing of our Lord Jesus Thirdly I beseech thee if thou meetest with Edification and Comfort as I trust thou wilt in the reading of this Book when thine heart is warm present a request to the Throne of Grace for the Author thereof that he may never be so unhappy as to carve all these sweet dainties away to others from himself but that he may be through Grace inabled to take his own share of them for his saving advantage So commending my poor yet faithful Labours to thy serious consideration and to the blessing of the great God of Heaven and Earth I remain thine in the Lord Jesus W. S. MEANES TO PREVENT PERISHING THE FIRST EXERCISE John 17.3 And this is life eternal that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent IN the words immediately going before you may observe that our Lord Jesus is a speaking by way of acknowledgment unto his Father of that authority and power that he had given him over all Flesh And in particular to give eternal life to a certain number there specified Which words I shall not speak further to now having opened them the last time I spake unto you In the words now read unto you you are to consider in what sence the knowledg of God and of Christ is Eternal Life I shall apply my self to this only at this time and not stand to shew you what is here meant by Eternal Life having done it so lately nor yet stand to shew you in what sence the Father sent Christ nor what to do nor wherefore he is said to be the only true God But I shall leave all this till another time and come to this particular only at this time to consider how the knowledg of God and of Christ is Eternal Life First then let us consider whether the meaning of the words be this That the persons that know the Father and Jesus Christ do indeed possess Eternal Life Or Secondly Whether they that know God and Christ are thereby assured of Eternal Life Or Thirdly Whether those that know the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ have thereby a very excellent means that hath a very gracious tendency in it to bring the persons in whom this knowledg is to Eternal Life Now I shall not stand to oppose the two former Expositions nor undertake to say that in no sence or degree they might be granted to be true yet the latter I take to be the meaning of the words namely this That the knowledg of God and of Jesus Christ is a means of Eternal Life Beloved I pray you observe it when the Scripture saith the knowledg of God is eternal life less than this cannot be in it that it is a means thereof Now therefore I pray you observe this general Conclusion from the words Doct. 1. That the knowledg of God and of his Son Jesus Christ is a glorious means of Eternal Life that hath a very gracious tendency in it to bring persons in whom this knowledg is to that happy enjoyment I shall name you two or three Texts more that speak the same language the first is in the 9 of Ier. 23 24. verses Let not the wise man glory in his wisdome nor the mighty in his might let not the rich man glory in his riches but let him that gloryeth glory in this that he understandeth and knoweth me Mark it beloved let not the wise man glory in his wisdom and yet wisdom is a most excellent gift that might better be gloried in then riches or strenth or any gift of that like nature and yet the spirit of God grants no liberty to glory in it but in this saith the Lord let him glory that he understandeth and knoweth me Now if in this you may so freely glory by the allowance of the Holy Spirit and yet neither in gifts nor parts surely this knowledg is of a most excellent tendency to bring much advantage and good to the Soul Another text you shall find in the 1 of Cor. the 1.21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that
Redemption as well as undertook it I say if Christ should have left the work in the midst as his poor Disciples through their ignorance would have had him there could never have been so great a mercy extended neither to them not to any others as the coming of the Holy Spirit and therefore our Lord tells them he must go or else the Comforter will not come now the reason wherefore the Spirit is said to be sent to do so many good Offices for the Saints is not to make us think that he is an inferior Messenger but to let us know that all that joy and comfort peace and sanctification and in a word all that Grace that is extended through the Divine operation of the Holy Spirit it all comes unto us through the blood-shedding of our Lord Jesus Christ and truly my Brethren if you do but consider the work of the Spirit in the hearts of Men me thinks it is enough to convince you or any knowing men in the world that he that doth it must needs be God If a man be but an experienced man and doth but mind the great blindness that is in the mind and the hardness that is in the heart and doth but consider how the soul is in slaved under the power of sin and Sathan living in the love and service of Wickedness being alienated from the life of God being far from the fear and love of him having no delight in his Commandements but being ungodly and graceless dead in trespasses and sins and then on the other hand considers what an Estate the soul must be brought unto before it can be fit for eternal communion with God If a person do but thus mind the greatness of the work the Spirit is to do in taking away the filth and pollution of the heart and cleansing the whole man from all filthiness of flesh and spirit and the renuing of the soul in knowledg and holiness and making it meet to be a partaker of the inheritance of the Saints in light Now I say what man that hath Prayed and fasted and watched and used all the means he can and yet finds in what a frame his heart continueth how far from that purity and God-like-ness that one day he hopeth to enjoy but now which way could a man expect it if he that had undertaken the work were not infinite in Power Wisdom and Goodness for my part I look upon this work as the greatest of all those wonderful works that God hath done or hath promised to do and therefore it is not likely that the greatest of all works should be laid upon the shoulders of him that is less than God Again if you look Psalm 139. there you shall find that the Prophet ascribes both Omni-presence and the searching of the heart unto the Holy Spirit which plainly speaks out his being God and Rom. 9 1. you find Paul calling the Holy Ghost to bear witness of the truth of his heart sorrow for his Brethren the Israelites which plainly proves that he is God See two Texts for this 1 King 8.39 For thou even thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men the same words you have in 2 Chron. 6.30 in both which places you see it is the peculiar prerogative of the only true God to know the hearts of the sons of men and I think no man is or at least should be so weak as to think the Apostle would call him to bear witness of the truth of the heart that doth not understand and know the heart I shall name you but one Text more for this and that is Luke 1.35 And the Angel answered and said unto her the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God Here you see that the Holy Spirit is called the highest and I think a title beyond this is not given any where nor cannot be given to the only true God but besides the Angel tells Mary that the Holy Ghost shall come upon her and by the power of him she should conceive and therefore this Son of hers should be called the Son of God Now therefore me thinks this should put the business beyond all dispute for if the Holy Spirit be the Father of our Lord Jesus sure he cannot be less than the only true God But it may be you will say unto me How shall all this that I have said be reconciled Can the Father be God and the Son be God and the Holy Spirit be God and yet there be but one only true God Beloved I pray you do not cast away an Opinion because it is old neither do I perswade you to receive it therefore but measure all Opinions both old and new by the measuring line of Truth the Word of God unto which I shall leave you for the tryal of this great mystery of godliness and shall commend two Texts more unto you for the reconciling of what hath been said the one is in 1 Tim. 3.16 Great is the mysterie of godliness God was manifest in the flesh Here me thinks the Apostle shews you how all this is reconcileable God was manifest in the flesh saith he not the Godhead of Christ without the Father and without the Spirit but God saith He was manifested in the flesh that is the God-head as it is written Iohn 10.30 I and my Father are one not only in communion as some may think but also in union and One-ness as it is plain Iohn 14 9 10 11. another Text you have in Col. 2.3 9. In whom speaking of Christ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledg Mark it I pray you if all the treasures of Wisdom and Knowledg be hid in Christ then are you like to find none of them out of him but all the wisdom of the Father and of the Spirit it will be all found in Christ as it followeth here in verse 9. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the God head bodily I know not how you can have more express and plain words all the fulness of the Father and of the Spirit if that be the fulness of the God-head you see dwells in Christ that is it hath such a real union an One-ness with the humane nature of the Lord Jesus that in Act. 20.28 his Blood is there called the Blood of God I shall leave these Texts of Scriptures to your serious consideration and proceed no further at this time but leave the Application till the Afternoon THE FIFTH EXERCISE John 17.3 This is life eternal that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent I Have in the morning from these words as you know opened the Doctrine of the God-head unto you a work which I have not been forward in nor should I have medled with it being a work of an high nature and requireth the
remissiion of sins and I know I may look to the free grace of God in Christ for grace as well as for glory and also for all other things my soul stands in need of Thus beloved a knowing soul will be able to rest up on the free grace of God in Christ although he see nothing at all but unworthiness in himself I do not say that every one that knows a little can do it but he that knows what may be known with dilligent search and therefore when you see your souls in distress and anguish of spirit and dare not beleeve you may safely conclude that although all that which they say against themselves be never so true and much more yet that is not the cause wherefore they do not beleeve but their ignorance of God is the true cause thereof Now beloved in the next place I shall come to shew you how the knowledge of God will keep men from presumption also and I pray you consider it Where the wisdom and truth of God and his soveraignty is known a person cannot go on in a course of disobedience for he very well knows that God cannot act below himselfe nor contrary to his Nature and Being and that he cannot lie nor alter the word that is gone forth of his mouth but the destruction of him that goes on in his sins wilfully and presumptuously is as unalterable as God himself for he cannot deny himself but he and his Word and all his Decrees are one there is no changing of God Beloved we are apt to mistake the Decrees of God and to take them for some secret things which do not belong to us indeed those decrees that are secret they do not belong to us and therefore let us not meddle with them by no means but his decrees that concern the salvation and damnation of the sons of Adam are revealed in the promises and in the threatnings of the Scriptures and are written for our warning and instruction therefore let us look to it for if we be found in those obstinate and rebellious courses that God hath threatened with destruct on that decree purpose and will of his shall never be altered for the sake of any man no nor for the sakes of all the men in the world now he that knows this dares not neglect his own salvation nor put off repenting and turning to God nor give up himself to work wickedness for he knows the danger thereof So that a knowing person you see is led to the obedience of faith as it were by a straight line that he cannot well go out of his way it is with a man that knows God my beloved as it is with a man that is put in a way that he cannot well go out of if you should say to a man friend keep you in this straight path go not out of it there is an hedge on your right hand all the way to the Town you are going and a River on your left hand now if the man should miss his way every one would wonder because his direction was so good So great an advantage an help hath a man to eternal life that hath the knowledg of God if he go out of the way to it it must be by an act of very great wilfulness Thus I hope I have opened this point plainly to all your understandings I shall now therefore come to the applycation of it Vse 1. And in the first place this Doctrin may serve to condemn and reprove that greivous sin of Ignorance it is lamentable to see the greatest part of men and women a mongst us so utterly void of the knowledg of God O the gracelesness and carelesness of men generally how are they hardened against their own souls I pray you consider the greatness of the sin Beloved it must needs be a great sin first because the Lord hath very plainly manifested himself and his Son in his word beloved those things that concern our salvation most immediately are the most plainly revealed in the Word there be some things hard it is true but these things are not so hard that are spoken of God and of Christ it is plain in the Scriptures that God is a God of Justice Wisdom Power Truth Mercy invisible eternal unchangeable one that knows the heart and the reines and the like and that Jesus Christ hath died for sinners and that we are bound to live to him that died for us and that he came to call sinners to repentance and that those that beleeve and obey the Gospel shall have eternal life these truths are very plain but although they be so yet evident it is that the greatest number among us are ignorant of these things altogether But further this adds to the sin that there is a great deal of means now more then hath been formerly to bring men to knowledge and it is altogether neglected or else hearkened to so carelesly that the Word is preached to the most of men altogether in vaine I am perswaded that if there were never a Word of God written at all nor any other means to know the Lord by left us but only the workes of creation and providence if that these works of his were humbly and wisely considered of they would reveal more of the glory of God then the most part among us do know notwithstanding the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ shining a mongst us O therefore consider you that are ignorant of God how inexcusable and horrible your sin is what mean you to let the love of pleasure and profit sin and vanity eat out the love of God yea and of your own souls to O how will you appear before the Lord one day that have slighted the knowledg of him well let us pitty these men and mourn for them if we cannot perswade them to seek after God I am afraid the saints do not with Jeremiah weep in secret for these men nor with David gush out rivers of tears for the sin they live in and the misery that will come upon them O let us pray for them and be so much the more earnest by how much they are less sensible of there misery Vse 2. Secondly If this be so that the knowledg of God hath so gracious a tendency to bring a person to Eternal life then be sure you make your Children and those that are under your charge know the Lord. Beloved I speak to those that know him themselves I say to you make him known to all you can or to all you have an opportunity to speak to let your Children and Servants know what a God of mercy he is yea of free grace that looks to find no holiness nor repentance no nor one good qualification in those he seeks to save But he will work all these in the hearts of those that come unto him although they be never so bad that will not hinder their acceptation with God if so be they be but willing to be
and mercy of God that shines forth in the works of God Add to this the consideration of the great provocations wherewith he is provoked every day by them he hath done all these great things for how many oaths lies unclean and covetous cruel and abominable evils of all kindes are committed every day by them and yet the Lord is patient and kind for all that Oh be perswaded to mind his dayly compassions that are so clearly manifested that you may learn to love and trust in him and that you may be drawn to repentance remember that the long suffering bounty and goodness of God is extended for that very end therefore abuse it not Again if you would cast your eyes abroad and take notice of the works of God that he is doing dayly it would much help you in the understanding of his justice wisdom mercy al seeing eye over the world Beloved there be evident demonstrations of the Lords warchfull eye and care over the saints when they have been under oppression and have cried to God he hath seen their affliction and heard their cry and hath marvellously delivered them and hath brought down their oppressors when they have been too mighty for men to deal withal and hath given them such a reward of their tyranny sometimes that whosoever did but observe the judgement might wel know from whence the stroke came and for what cause it is not for want of the Lords manifesting of himself that he is no more known in the world but it is our want of taking notice of his works that makes us ignorant of him Next I pray you consider his word for there he hath more plainly revealed himself make therefore the Scriptures your constant study you have there very many descriptions and characters of God and of the Lord Jesus I pray you labour to understand them you have a very notable discription of God in Exod. 3.15 there he cals himself the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob and tels us that this is his name and his memorial unto all generations note it I pray you well that you may know him by it But you will say it may be what is it to us that he is the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob how shall we know him ever the better for this name Yes Beloved you may know the Lord much the better for this name if you consider this that Abraham Isaac and Jacob were true Beleevers it is as much as if he should tell you that he will be the God of all those that walk in the steps of these men so that whosoever beleeves and comes to God with uprightness of heart depending upon him for strength to walk in the steps of Abraham he will be the God of such a one and what is it to have God to be our God that you shall fee is a great blessing it is as much as if he should tell us that all the sufficiency that is in himself his power wisdom mercy truth and all his goodness it shall be exercised and put forth for our good Another Name that God ascribes to himself who best knows his own Name we find in Exod. 63. there the Lord tels Israel that although their fathers knew him not by his Name Jehovah yet they should know him by this Name that is as much as to say I am he that have my Being of my self and I give Being to all things else and I give a Being to my Word and that you shall see for I will make my promises good unto you you shall see the sulfilling of them Oh if this Name of God were known and beleeved in how would it advance godliness in the hearts and lives of men if men did beleeve that he would give a Being to his promisses how would they trust in him and likewise if they did beleeve that he would give Being to his threatenings they would learn to fear him and to give up themselves to holiness Likewise I pray you labour to know Christ and to mind the ends of his coming he hath the name of a Saviour labour to understand the meaning thereof whether he came to Save men from Hell only or to save them from sin likewise or whether he came to take away some sin or all sins and to bring every thought into the obedience of his will and whether he is not a Prince as well as a Saviour and wil reign in the consciences and rule and order the conversation of those that he will save I am not now so much a teaching you the knowledg of God as a endeavouring to perswade you to study the word of God and to make it your business to get the knowledge of God and of his Son Jesus Christ I have laid before your eyes in some measure the preciousness of this jewel I pray you labour to get it with all your gettings get knowledge and increase in it dayly for it is a pearl of great worth But it may be that some of you may say that if knowledg were so excellent a thing as I would make it wherefore then doth Solomon that had so much of it and knew it so well speak of it as he doth Eccles 1.18 For in much wisdom is much grief and he that increaseth knowledg increaseth sorrow The answering of this would take up too much time I shall therefore leave it to the after-noon Let us commend what hath been said to the blessing of the Almighty THE THIRD EXERCISE John 17.3 And this is life eternal that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent THese words have been opened already and in part appiled I will not stand to repeate but begin where I left You know I was come to answer an Objection that might seem to be grounded on the words of the Preacher Now I shall shew you how this Doctrine and that text are fairly reconciled together a man that knows God may easily procure to himself sorrow by his knowledg and yet knowledg is not a tittle the lesse worth for all that A person that knows God and walks up to his knowledg wisely and holily shall never want enemies that either with open force or by secret practises will work him sorrow enough as you may see in the case of David in the 1 of Samuel 18.14 15. And David behaved himself wisely in all his wayes and the Lord was with him And what does this procure to David will not Saul love him and honour him now no saith the text When Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely he was afraid of him and what then why then he must have Sauls elder daughter to ingage him to such a service as might cause him to fall by the hand of the Philistines and then he must have at last his younger daughter that she might be a snare unto him and when al this would not do then Saul becomes his open enemy