name For even the Devills themselves have acknowledged Christ and this way is not evill spoken of nay it is magnifyed of them who had rather wallow in the mire then walk in it How is Christ made not onely panis quotidianus our daily Bread but sermo quotidianus the talk of every day and houre In our misery we implore his help In his Name we lie down and in his Name we rise up In his Name we Prophesy if afflictions beat upon us he is called upon to calme the storme If our conscience chide us we have learnt an unhappy art and skill to force him in to make our Peace We love to talke of him we many times leave our necessary callings and trades most unnecessarily but to heare of him but all these may be rather proffers then motions rather pleasing and flattering thoughts then painfull ambulations as St. Augustine speaks of himself in his Confessions Confess l. 8. c. 5. cogitationes similes conatibus expergisci volentium thoughts like to the endeavours of men half asleep who would be awak'd and cannot who move and stirre and lightly lift up the head and then fall down fast asleep I have been too liberall and given them more strength then they have I mean then these Gnostiques give them whom they neither more nor stirr but leave them in their prospect fast asleep Or at the best in the third place this inclination this approbation is but a Dreame visus adesse mihi c. Christ may seem to walk with us when he is not in all our ways and as in Drames we seem to perform many things we do all things and we do nothing Nunc fora nunc lites laeti modo pompa Theatri c. Ausonii Ephemeris We plead we wrestle we fight we Triumph we sayle we fly we see not what is but hath or should be done and all is but a dreame so when we have made a fancifull peregrination through all the pleasant fields and rivers of milk through all the riches and glory of the Gospel and delights which it affords when we have seen our Saviour in his Cratch lead him to mount Calvary beheld him on his Crosse brought him back with Triumph from his grave and placed him at the right hand of God wee may think indeed we have walked all this while with Christ but when our conscience shall recover her light which was darkned with the pleasures and follyes of this present life when she shall dart this light upon us and plainly tell us that we have not fasted with him that we have not watched one houre with him that we have not gone about with him doing good that we have loved those enemies which he came to destroy That we have been so farre from crucifying our flesh that we have crucifyed him again to fulfill the lusts thereof That the world and not Christ hath been the Forme which moved us in the whole course of our life behold then it will appeare that all was but a dreame Foolish men that we are who hath bewitched us we dispute we write books we coine distinctions we study for the truth we are angry for the truth we lose our Peace for the Truth we fight for the truth we die for the truth and when all is done upon due examination nothing is done but we have spun a Spiders webb which the least breath of Gods displeasure will blow a way we have known the way and approved it have subscrib'd that This is the way but have made no more progresse towards our journeys end then our picture we have but dreamt of life and are still in the valley of the shadow of Death Conclus And now what saies the Scripture Awake thou that sleepest that dreamest and stand up from the dead Let us not please our selves with Visions and Dreames with the suborned flattery of our own imaginations Let us not think that if we seek the way and like it and speak well of it we are in heaven already or have that hope that well-grounded never failing Hope which may entitle us to it why should such a thought arise in our heart a thought that makes us worse then fooles or mad-men and will keep us so courting of sinne labouring in iniquity and wit greedinesse working out our own destruction a thought that shuts out God and makes an open entrance for a legion of Devills and then welcomes and attends them For all the sinnes which the Flesh is subject to or the Devill can suggest may well stay and find a place of rest with such a thought Why should we please and loose our selves in such a Though See here is water what doth let me to be baptized said the Eunuch to Philip Act. 8. Here is light what hindereth that we doe not walk in it Behold heaven opens it self and displayes all its beauty and glory why do we run from it Knowledge directs but we will not follow Knowledge perswades but we will not hearken Knowledge commands but we rebell we are Illuminated wee professe we know Christ but wee will not be sanctified For by our Works we deny him Tit. 1.16 Our Knowledge follows and pursues us we cannot shake it off it staies with us whether we will or no it goads it provokes it chides it importunes it triumphs within us but yet not over us because those vanities which we are too familiar with will not suffer us to yeeld we cannot be ignorant of what we know but we are too often unwilling to doe that of which we cannot be ignorant our self-love undoes us and our own will drives us on the rocks whilst the light within us points out to the Haven where we should be and the knowledge within us which did exhort instrust and correct is made a witnesse against us and a Judge to condemne us to more stripes then they shall feele who had not so much as a glance of light but did sit in darknesse and in the shadow of Death Let us them not fly but walk not hover aloft in the contemplation of what is to be done but stoop down and doe it subdue the will to our Knowledge the sense to reason let us learn to walk by walking be more learned then before 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for Practice saith Naz. is to Knowledge Naz. Or. tertia what Knowledge is to it a Foundation as we build our Practice upon Knowledge for we must know before we can walk so we raise our knowledge higher and higher upon practice as Heat helpeth motion and is increast by it and the torch burns brighter being fann'd by that aire which it inlightens Psal 25.14 The secret of the Lord is revealed to them that fear him and his Coveuant to give them more understanding saith David Let us then joyne as St. Peter exhorts with Knowledge Temperance 2 Pet. 1.6 and with Temperance Patience and with Patience Godliness and these will make that we shall neither be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 idle and not walk for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 walk but to nopurpose unfruitfull in the knowledge of Jesus Christ
is a greater penalty and vexation than that which we undertook for its sake How many rise up early to be rich and before their day shuts up are beggers how many climb to the highest place and when they are neer it and ready to fit down fall back into a prison But in this we never faile the Spirit working with us and blessing the work of our hands making our busie and carefull thoughts as his chariot and then filling us with light such is the priviledge and prerogative of Industry such is the nature of Truth that it will be wrought out by it nor did ever any rise up early and in good earnest travell towards it but this spirit took him by the hand and brought him to his journeys end If thou seekest her as silver Prov. 2.4,5 if thou search for her as for had treasure which because it is hid we remove many things turn up much earth and labour hard that we may come to it then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God in which work our industry and the Spirits help are as it were joyned and linked together You will say perhaps that the Spirit is an omnipotent Agent and can fall suddenly upon us as he did upon the Apostles this day that he can lead us in the way of truth though we sit still though our feet be chained though we have no feet at all but the Proverb will answer you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If God will you may sail over the sea in a sieve but we must remember the Spirit leads us according to his own will nad counsel not ours that as he is an Omnipotent so he is a free Agent also and worketh and dispenceth all things according to the pleasure of his will and certainly he will not lead thee if thou wilt not follow he will not teach thee if thou wilt not learn nor can we think that the truth which must make us happy is of so easie purchase that it will be sown in any ground and as the Divels tares grow up in us Nobis dormientibus whilest we sleep The third is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 method or an orderly proceeding in the wayes of truth for as in all other Arts and Sciences so in our spirituall wisdome and in the school of Christ we may not hand over head huddle up matters as we please but must 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 keep an order and set course in our studies and proceedings our Saviour Christ hath a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 6.33 seek first the kingdome of God and in that kingdome every thing in its order there is something first and something next to be observed and every thing is to be ranked in its proper place the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews tells us of principles of Doctrine which must be learned before we can be led forward to perfection Heb. 5.13,14 of milk and of strong meat of plainer Lessons before we reach at higher Mysteries nor can we hope to make a good Christian veluti ex luto statuam as soon as we can make a picture or a statue out of clay Most Christians are perfect too soon which is the reason that they are never perfect they are spirituall in the twinkling of an eye they know not how nor no man else they leap over all their alphabet and are at their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their end before they begin are at the top of the ladder before they have set a foot to the first step or rown they study heaven but not the way to it they study faith but not good works repentance without a change or restitution Religion without order they are as high as Gods closet in heaven when they should be busie at his foot-stool study predestination but not sanctity of life study assurance but not that piety which should work it study heaven and not grace and grace but not their duty and now no marvel if they meet not with that saving truth in this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this so great disorder and confusion no marvel when we have broke the rules and order not observed the method of the Spirit if the Spirit lead us not who is a Spirit that loveth order and in a right method and orderly course leads us into the truth The last is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exercitation and practice of the truths we learn which is so proper and necessary for a Christian that Christian Religion goes under that name and is called an exercise by Clem. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Strom. l. 4. Al. Nyssen Cyril of Ilierusalem and others and though they who lead a Monasticall life have laid claim to it as their own they were called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet it may well belong to every one that is the Spirits Scholar who is as a Monk in the world shut up out of it even while he is in it exercising himself in those lessons which the Spirit teacheth and following as he leads which is to make the world it self his monastery A good Chritian is the true 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epictet Arrian l. 3. c. 5. and by this daily exercise in the doctrines of the Spirit he doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Stoicks speak drive the truth home and make it enter into the soul and spirit for as Auaxagoras said well manus causa sapientiae 't is not the brain but the hand that causeth knowledge Talis quisque est qualibue delectater inter artisicem artificium mira cognatio est and worketh wisdome for true wisdome that which the Spirit teacheth consists not in being a good Critick or in rightly judging of the sense of the words or being a good Logician in drawing out a true and perfect definition of Faith and Charity or discoursing aptly and methodically of the Lessons of the Spirit or in being a good Oratour in setting out the beauty and lustre of Religion to the very eye No saith the son of Syrach He that hath no experience knoweth little Ecclus. 34.10 Ex mandato mandatum cernimus by practising the command we gain a kind of familiarity a more inward and certain knowledge of it If any man will do the will of God he shall know the Doctrine Joh. 7.17 in Divinity and indeed in all knowledge whose end is practice that of Aristotle is true Those things we learn to do we learn by doing them we learn devotion by prayer charity by giving of alms meeknesse by forgiving injuries humility and patience by suffering temperance by every day fighting against our lusts as we know meat by the taste so do we the things of God by practice and experience and at last discover heaven it self in piety and this is that which S. Paul calls knowledge according to godlinesse 1 Tim. 6.3 we taste and see how gracious the Lord is we do as it were see with our
Crucified his death for sinne with our Death to it his Resurrection with our Justification For he bore our sins that he might cast them away He shed his blood to melt our Hearts and he dyed that we might live and turn unto the Lord and he rose againe for our Justification and to gaine Authority to the doctrine of Repentance Our convertimini our Turne is the best Commentary on the consummatum est it is Finished for that his last Breath breathed it into the world we may say It is wrapt up in the Inscription Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jewes for in him even when he hung upon the Crosse were all the Treasuries of Wisdome and Knowledge hid 2 Coloss 3. In him Justice and Mercy are at Peace for to reconcile us unto God he reconciled them one to another The hand of Mercy was lifted up ready to seale our Pardon we were in our Blood and her voice was Live we were miserable and she was ready to relieve us our heart was sick and her bowells yearn'd but then Justice held up the Sword ready to latch in our sides God loves his Creature whom he made but hates the sinner whom he could not make and he must and yet is unwilling to strike If Justice had prevail'd Mercy had been but as the morning Dew and soon vaâ—…sh'd before this raging heat and if Mercy had swallowed up Justice in victory his hatred of sinne and fearfull menaces against it had been but bruta fulmina and had portended nothing Deus purgari homines à peccato maxime cupit ideoque agere poenitentiam jubet Lact. l. 6. c. 24. had been void and of no effect If he had been extreme to marke what is done amisse men had sinned more and more because there could be no hope of Pardon and if his Mercy had seal'd an absolute Pardon men would have walked delicately and sported in their Evill wayes because there could be no feare of punishment And therefore his wisedome drew them together and reconciled them both in Christs propitiatory Sacrifice and our Duty of Repentance the one freeing us from the Guilt the other from the Dominion of sinne and so both are satisfy'd Justice layes downe the sword and Mercy shines in perfection of Beauty God hates sinne but he sees it condemned in the flesh of his Sonne and fought against by every member he hath sees it punisht in him and sees it every day punisht in every repentant sinner that Turnes from his evill wayes beholds the Sacrifice on the Cross and beholds the Sacrifice of a broken Heart and for the sweet savour of the one accepts the other and is at rest his death for sinne procures our Pardon and our death to sinne sues it out Christ suffers for sinne we turne from it his satisfaction at once wipes out the guilt and penalty our Repentance by degrees Tert. de anima c. 1. destroyes sinne it self Haec est sapientia de scholâ caeli This is the method of Heaven this is that Wisedome which is from above Thus it takes away the sinnes of the world And now wisedome is compleat Justice is satisfyed and Mercy triumphs God is glorified man is saved and the Angels rejoyce Tert de poenit c. 8. Heus tu peccator bono animo sis vides ubi de tuo reditu gaudeatur saith Tert. Take comfort sinnner thou seest what joy there is in heaven for thy returne what musick there is in a Turne which begins on earth but reaches up and fills the highest Heavens A repentant sinner is as a glass or rather Gods own renewed Image on which God delights to look for there he beholds his wisedome his Justice his mercy and what wonders they have wrought Behold the shepherd of our souls see what lies upon his shoulders you would think a poor Sheep that was lost nay but he leads sinne and Death and the Devill in Triumph and thou mayst see the very brightnesse of his Glory the fairest and most expresse Image of these Three his most glorious Attributes which are not onely visible but speake unto us to follow this heavenly Method His wisedome instructs us his Iustice calls upon us and Mercy Eloquent mercy bespeaks us a whole Trinity of Attributes are instant and urgent with us To Turne à viis malis from our evill wayes And this is the Authority I may say the Majesty of Repentance for it hath these Three Gods Wisedome and Iustice and Mercy to seale and ratify it to make it Authentique The 2. part Turn ye Turn ye We come now to the dictum it self and it being Gods and it being Gods we must well weigh and ponder it and we shall find it comprehends the Duty of Repentance in its full latitude For as sin is nothing else but aversio à Creatore and conversio ad creaturam and aversion and Turning from God and an inordinate conversion and application of the soul to the Creature so by our Repentance we doe referre pedem start back and alter our course worke and withdraw our selves a viis malis from evill waies and Turne to the Lord by cleaving to his Lawes which are the minde of the Lord and having our feet enlarged run the way of his Commandements We see a streight line drawne out at length is of all lines the weakest and the further and further you draw it the weaker and weaker it is nor can it be strengthened but by being redoubled and bow'd and brought back againe towards its first point Eccles 7.20 The Wise man will tell us That God at first made man upright that is simple and single and syncere bound him as it were to one point but he sought out many Inventions mingled himself and Ingendered with Divers extravagant Conceits and so ran out not in one but many lines now drawne out to that object now to another still running further and further sometimes on the flesh and sometimes on the world now on Idolatry and anon on Oppression and so at a sad Distance from him in whom he should have dwelt and rested as in his Center and therefore God seeing him gone so farr seeing him weak and feeble wound and Turned about by the Activity of the Devill and sway of the Flesh and not willing to loose him ordained Repentance as a remedy as the Instrument to bend and bow him back again that he might recover and gain strength and subsistencie in his former and proper place to draw him back from those Objects in which he was lost and so carry him on forward to the Rock out of which he was hewed whilst he is yet in viis malis in his evill wayes all is out of Tune and Order for the Devil who doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost Hom. de poenitent invert the order of things placeth shame upon repentance and boldness and senlessness upon sinne but Repentance is a perfect Methodist upon our Turne we see the danger we plaid
For to joyne these two Knowledge and Practice and to abound more and more is to walk in Christ Thus much of the first 2 Part. And thus wee see a Christian mans life is not as empty aery speculation a sitting still or standing but a walke Let us now in the second place see wherein this motion or walke principally consists and you may think perhaps That I shall now point out to the Deniall of our selves shew you Christ's Cross to take up and bid you follow him to fight against the World and all that is in the world the lusts of the flesh the lust of the eyes Joh. 1.2.16 and the pride of life that it is To lay hold of Christ to love Christ to be Adopted to be Regenerate to be called and converted for with these Generalities the Religion of too many is carried along and not with the thing it self but the Name and with these names and Notions they play and please themselves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the silly Fly doth with the flame of the Taper till they loose their wings and feet and are but a body a Lump that can neither walk nor move They deny themselves with an Oath and yet are themselves still as greedy as rapacious as before They take up the Crosse but 't is to lay it on other mens shoulders they follow Christ but as Peter did afarr off or rather as the Jews to crucify him They fight against the world that is against one another who shall possesse it for even this we doe not doe not fill our coffers but in the name of Christ and Religion They lay hold on Christ but 't is to carry him along with them to promote and further their designes They love him 't is plaine they doe and yet no give him a cup of cold water when he beggs at their doore They love him as they doe one another til 't is put to the Tryall They are Adopted but not of his family Regenerated but are liker to the Father of lies then him they pretend to They are called and converted For they know the very houre and moment of time when they heard the voice and said Amen to it Lord what a noyse have these Phrases these words made in the World and yet 't is the world still even a world of wickednesse Sen. Centrov As the Orator said of Figures possumus sine his vivere we may live and be saved with less noise for all these signifie but one and the same thing To deny our selves to take up the Crosse to follow Christ to fight against the world to lay hold on Christ to love him to be Adopted Regenerated and Converted all is no more then this to believe in Christ and to be sincere upright just and honest men Yet these words and words of Holy writt the language of the Spirit of God and they all full and significant nor can I give you a fairer Interpretation of my Text He that denies himself walks in Christ he that loves Christ walkes in him hee that is Adopted Regenerate Converted walks in Christ but this is too generall and I see but ill use made of these excellent expressions which should make us better and through our own wilfull solly make us worse for we may shape our selves how we list in our Fancy and be quite the contrary we will therefore interpret this walk in Christ by that of Saint Paul 1 Cor. 7.13 Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called where the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he was called Grot. in loc points out and designes as a Learned man hath observed the time of his Heavenly Calling and so both callings are made compatible and friendly linkt together my condition of life in this world and my calling to a better my being a part of the Common-wealth and my being a member of Christ For Christ came not to breake Relations or to disturb Common-wealths not to shut up the Tradesmans shop or block up the Sea to the Merchant nor to take the Husband-man from the Plough and I may doe all these and yet denie my self and take up the Crosse and fight against the world or rather I cannot do all these unlesse I doe the other not abide in one calling as I should unlessed walk worthy of the other not be a good Merchant unlesse I be a god Christian that we doubt not nay but not walk in Christ unlesse we walke in our Calling The life saith Saint Paul which I now live in the Flesh Gal. 2.20 I live by the Faith of the Son of God That is Those things which I do pertaining to the flesh and which this naturall mortall life requires as to eat drink converse with others and to seek my meat by the sweat of my browes which may seem to have no relation to a Spirituall life I do them in the Faith of the Son of God For in all these things I have alwayes an eye to the rule of Faith I make that my starre my Compasse to steer by and my care is to make every action of my life in my temporary conformable and consonant to my heavenly calling And the reason is plain for even our naturall and civill Actions as farr as they are capable of honestie or dishonesty pertaine or have reference to faith for although Christ and his Religion do not necessitate or compell men to engage in this or that particular Action or calling yet notwithstanding it is a rule sufficient to govern and direct us in any to keep us in a faire correspondency and obedience to reason and the will of God the Faith and Religion of Christ being practicall and having that force and efficacy which may be showne and manifested in all the civill Actions of our life Wisd 16.21 As the Jewish Rabbies report of the Manna which the Children of Israel did eat in the Wildernesse that it had this wonderfull property that it would fit it self to every mans tast and look what Viand what meat it was that any was delighted with it would in tast be like unto it so doth Christianity like this Manna doctâ quadam mobilitate by a certain secret force apply it self to every Tast to every Calling Read the Sermon on the Mount and those Epistles which the holy Apostles sent to severall Churches and what is there delivered the Foundation first laid then an Art of Governing our selves and conversing with men Art thou called to be a Servant 1 Cor. 7.21 Or there it is art thou called being a servant Eph. 6 7. serve as in the sight of Christ Art thou called to be a master Remember thou hast a Master in Heaven Art thou a Husband-man it will hold the Plough with thee Art thou a