forgive Sins This saith St. Paul is a faithful saying and worthy of all Acceptation that Iesus Christ came into the world to save sinners of whom I am the chief 1 Tim. And if the chief be saved others have no cause to fear The blood of Iesus Christ saith St. Iohn cleanseth from all sin 1 Joh. i. This is that Fountain which was opened to the House of David and to the Inhabitants of Ierusalem for Sin and Uncleanness The Reason why Jesus can ease us of the Burden of Sin and take away the Guilt and free us from the Punishment of it is because he hath in his own Person born our Sins and satisfied for them he was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our Iniquities and by his stripes we are healed and God laid on him the Chastisement of us all Isa. liii The Iust died for the Unjust and he who knew no sin was made sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God through him In the next place as Jesus Christ taketh away the guilt and burden of our Sins so he freeth us from the fear and terrour of Death For asmuch saith the Apostle as the Children are partakers of flesh and blood he also himself likewise took part of the same that through Death he might destroy him that had the power of Death that is the Devil and deliver them who through fear of Death were all their life time subject to bondage Heb. ii 14 15. Jesus Christ hath brought Life and Immortality to Light he hath discovered a Life far better than this a State in which there is fulness of Joy and Rivers of Pleasure for evermore a Life which admits neither Hunger Thirst Nakedness Cold nor Heat and where all Tears are wiped away And he hath made Death the necessary Passage to this blessed State so that instead of fearing Death Men desire to Depart And whereas before it was reckoned a loss to die now it is counted gain O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory The sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the law but thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Iesus Christ 1 Cor. XV. 55 c. He hath purchased to himself the Keys as of Hell and Death so of Life and Immortality and has Power to admit whomsoever he pleaseth It is he that hath the key of David that openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openeth Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day saith Christ. And again I am the resurrection and the life he that believeth in me tho' he were dead yet shall he live and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die But Thirdly Jesus Christ not only giveth rest to the Soul and ease to our Minds by begetting in us a lively hope of future Bliss but also he greatly refresheth us at present by settling our Minds in Peace and giving them a secret Pleasure which cannot be uttered The Happiness of a Christian is not all in Reversion he has some in hand that the deferring of his hope may not make him faint he has a present Possession given him which yields abundant Satisfaction to stay the longing of the Soul and to prevent its languishing That Contentment which Men do in vain seek among the Creatures is only to be found in him therefore St. Paul counted all things but loss and dung to the knowledge of Iesus Christ He is a Fountain of living Waters and none but he can quench or satisfie the thirst of the Soul Whosoever shall drink of this water shall thirst again but whosoever shall drink of the water that I shall give shall never thirst but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up to eternal life said he in his Conference with the Woman of Samaria Joh. iv 13. My flesh saith he is meat indeed and my blood is drink indeed that is true Meat and Drink which both nourish and satisfie for it is proper and well suited to our Natures Every Creature has its proper Food nothing but that can satisfie it when that is wanting it languisheth So our Souls which are of a spiritual and heavenly Nature cannot feed upon earthly things nothing can be Food to them but that bread which came down from Heaven The Contemplation of Christ and his Doctrine can only cheer them up These things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full which St. Peter saith is a joy unspeakable and full of glory Lastly Jesus Christ giveth his Disciples rest under Afflictions Indeed he doth not promise them an exemption from Trouble and Affliction nay on the contrary they are forewarned to look for this more than others but he makes them very light and supportable by the Strength and Instruction which he gives He doth not suffer them to be tempted above what they are able and with every temptation sends a way by which they may escape that they may be able to bear it 1 Cor. X. he abates the Grief and Molestation which Troubles and Afflictions were wont to procure by clearing the Divine Oeconomy in disspensing them by shewing the Nature and Use of them and by giving Rules how to improve them to our Perfection and Happiness So that what was wont to fright Men is now become matter of Joy and Gladness Count it all joy saith St. Iames when ye fall into divers temptations Thus you see what a blessed and desirable Rest may be expected by coming to Christ. O fortunatos nimium O happy we if we knew our own Happiness Here is the place where we may put off all that burden which lieth heavy upon us Here is an opportunity of being eased of all the Misery which we are born to Bodily or Spiritual Temporal or Eternal Here we may refresh our wearied Minds and get that perfect rest we would be at there is nothing to let or hinder us there is nothing to obstruct this Happiness but our own carelesness and contempt We are freely invited and shall we refuse Do we sit still unconcernedly Will we delay so great Happiness Shall we be so ungrateful to him who makes the offer as to slight it Shall we be so cruel to our selves as to neglect rest when it may be had Will ye thus requite the Lord O O foolish people and unwise O ye sons of men how long will ye love vanity and seek after leesing How long will ye spend your Labour for that which profiteth not How long will it be e're ye have pity on your own Souls Turn ye turn ye why will ye die Why will ye weary your selves in a vain and dangerous Chace The World where you have been all this while hunting is a dry and barren Wilderness in which you may perish before
of those Sublunary and perishing things How much should we despise and undervalue those empty and fading Vanities seeing we have such infinitely better things prepared for us and waiting upon us Doth he who is called to a Kingdom mind Sticks and Straws Trifles and petty inconsiderable things Remember O Christian what thou art and what thou art called to keep up the Decorum that is suitable to the dignity of thy Person and walk worthy of the Vocation whereunto thou art called Do not creep upon thy Belly and lie groveling upon the Ground lift up thy Head and let thy Heart be where thou seest thy Treasure is Be not like the foolish Indians who sell their Gold and their Pearls and other precious things for Brass and Iron and Glass Beads Do not seek to fill thy Belly with Husks when thou mayst have fulness of Bread in thy Father's House Do not grasp so fast but let go those painted Vanities those mere shadows of Delight and make sure to thy self that fulness of Joy and those Rivers of Pleasure which are at God's Right hand for ever and ever Secondly Consider those things that thou mayst have Comfort in thy Afflictions that thou mayst bear up with a chearful Spirit under all the Crosses that are laid on thee The hopes of Heaven do lighten the burthen of Affliction they take away the heavy pressure thereof How light should we consider our Affliction which is but for a moment seeing it is followed by a far more exceeding and Eternal weight of Glory Look unto Iesus the author and finisher of our Faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the Cross despising the shame and is now set down at the right hand of the throne of God Now if we suffer with him we shall be also glorified together with him And I reckon saith St. Paul that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us Thirdly Consider what a mighty Encouragement this Blessed life is and what a powerful inducement it should be to Prayer Meditation to all Holy Duties and in a word to a hearty compliance with the whole Gospel We are not commanded those things in vain for naught all the pains we are at this way shall be well rewarded Do we toil and sweat for the Bread which perisheth And shall we not labour for that which endureth to Eternal Life Do Men venture upon Merciless Seas Do they throw themselves upon the Points of Swords and before the mouths of Cannons for a little Gain or some small piece of Honour And shall we refuse to walk Circumspectly to live Soberly Righteously and Godly for Heaven and Eternal Life Be ashamed O Christian of thy Sloth and Laziness blush to see some taking more Pains for Earth than thou art for Heaven for Perishing thant hou art for Eternal Riches You see your Labour is not in vain be stedfast therefore and immoveable and always abounding in the Work of the Lord run with Patience the Race that is set before you and run so that you may obtain Do not faint and weary in well-doing but persevere therein to the very End Be thou faithful unto the death saith Christ and I will give thee a Crown of life Finally Let what hath been said raise your Appetite and stir up in you a Holy and Sincere Desire of this Sacrament of the Lord's Supper which strengthens your Faith cherishes your Hope gives you the Encrease of Grace here and is to you a sure Pawn and Pledge of Glory hereafter For this Holy Sacrament is the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus not the Sacred Symbols and Representations thereof only but the conveyance of the Merits of his Death and Sufferings also Now Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood ye have no life in you Eat therefore O Friends Drink yea Drink abundantly O Beloved that your Souls may be satisfied and live for evermore Now unto him who hath loved us and given himself unto the Death for us and who hath opened the Kingdom of Heaven to all Believers even unto Iesus Christ with the Father and Blessed Spirit the Glorious and Incomprehensible Trinity be all Praise Honour and Glory for ever and ever Amen SERMON VIII ON EASTER-DAY 1689. 1 COR. XV. 19. If in this Life only we have Hope in Christ we are of all Men most miserable WHAT the Church Commemorates in this great Festival of Easter solemnly celebrated by all Antiquity St. Paul evidently proves in this Chapter viz. That important Article of our Creed the Resurrection of our Lord Iesus Christ. And from this necessarily he deduceth another most material Point which is the Certainty of our own Resurrection The firm Belief of both these Points are not only absolutely Necessary but also the serious and frequent Consideration of them is most useful that we may be strengthened and encouraged in our Temptations comforted in our Troubles and animated to a chearful Labouring in every work of the Lord. The certainty of an after state as well as the Quality thereof is only known by the Gospel it is Iesus Christ only who hath brought Life and Immortality to Light through the Gospel The Heathens had some knowledge thereof but it was very faint It was only as a Dream and Imagination for when our Apostle taught it at Athens he was counted a Babler and was mocked there even by the Philosophers themselves And among the Iews there was the Sect of the Sadducees who believed neither Resurrection nor Spirit St. Paul attacks these Epicurean and Sadducean Principles in this Chapter for it would seem that some of the Church of Corinth were corrupted with them and said That there is no Resurrection of the Dead though the belief of this point be so essential to a Christian that he ceases to be one who denies it The words of our Text are one of those Arguments St. Paul makes use of for evincing the Truth and certainty of our Resurrection and it is an Argument taken ex absurdo which is accounted a demonstration even in the strictest Science for there be many Propositions of the Mathematicks which cannot be otherwise demonstrated than by shewing the absurd Consequences of their being false I shall endeavour to demonstrate the strength and force of this Argument of St. Paul for another Life But first let us consider the Truth of his Assertion here that we that is Good and Sincere Christians would be of all others the most miserable if there were no more expected than what this Life doth afford St. Paul saith here that if Christians had no hope but in this Life they would be of all Men most miserable He doth not say they would be the only miserable Persons whereby he clearly insinuates that others as well as they are liable to Misery in this World As some Ignorant and Unjust Men charge
was set apart to be the Sacrifice for Sin he bears the Iniquity of Men and that is from the beginning wherefore he is called the Lamb slain from the Foundation of the World that is appointed to be slain And therefore our sins come in among the rest and consequently we have all Reason to deplore his Death and to bewail our own Wretchedness and Sin which was in part the Cause of it O ye Children of Men ye of the sinful Race of Adam come and behold the wretched and deplorable State of your Nature look upon the Cross and let thine Eyes see Jesus bleeding and dying on it and then consider that Blood was shed to wash away thy natural Filthiness and his Life taken to redeem thee from Death O how unreasonable How insolent a thing is Pride in Man Art thou Proud who hast an evil Disease cleaving to thee and inherent to all thy race which cannot be cleansed but by the precious Blood of the Eternal Son of God Art thou vain who art born such a slave that nothing could have ransomed thee except the Death and Sufferings of the Lord of Life and Glory Pride Arrogance and Boasting are no wise suitable to Persons of our Condition but Mourning and Weeping are very proper especially considering the guilt we have contracted since our coming to the World the heinousness of which the Cross of Christ will also shew us for that heavy Cross was laid on him to take away the guilt of those Sins which we daily commit The Son of God was humbled and Crowned with Thorns to make atonement for our Pride and Ambition he was stript naked because of our Covetousness he was unmercifully treated that he might bear the Punishment of our Revenge and Cruelty towards our Brethren The inward agony of his Soul was occasioned by our wanton Mirth and Lasciviousness and that he might be a Propitiation for our Excess and Riot there was nothing left him but Vinegar and Gall to drink His Bowels his Hands and Feet were pierced upon the account of our Oaths and Blasphemies In a word he was mocked had no pity shewed him was Scourged and put to Death contrary to Law Justice and Equity because we are false and treacherous and have no respect to the Commands of God Ye Fools who make a mock of Sin and who think it but a Sport to commit Iniquity come hither be instructed and learn to be Wise. Is the Shame and the Pain Is the Agony and Grief Is the Death and are the unspeakable Sufferings of Jesus the Son of God only a Sport Are these things only matter of Laughter Has any the Impudence either to say it or to think it No sure But then if these be bitter Sport what shall we think of our Sins which produce it for the Sufferings of our Lord are only the Effects of our Sins Doth it not trouble every honest and thinking Man when he is so unfortunate as to be the occasion of any Evil and Mischief to another Casual Murther or Manslaughter by an accidental Rencounter the throwing of a Stone the shooting of a Bow or Gun or the like do not infer guilt the Actors are innocent when they have no design of that Nature in their head and yet no Man who hath not lost Humanity but will be affected when any such Misfortune falls in his hands and his Grief will be so much the greater as the Person whose Death is occasioned is worthy and deserving What cause of Grief then have we who not accidentally but wittingly and willingly by our deliberate Sins and Transgressions have drawn Death on the Innocent and Righteous Jesus and that too the worst of Deaths the most shameful the most painful and the most bitter Death of the Cross Have we not reason to weep for our selves Can we ever bewail enough either our misfortune or wretchedness by Nature or our guilt through our actual Transgressions Certainly we should lament our condition on all occasions should set apart times for it and especially at occasions of this Nature when our guilt and the sad Effects of it is represented to us we should mourn and weep This is the only way to clear our selves to lessen our guilt and to keep innocent Blood from being charged upon us Blessed are they that thus mourn for they shall be comforted They who sow in tears shall reap in joy Jesus shall bear the Iniquities of those who regret his Death and their own guilt which caused it and made it necessary his Blood shall wash away their guilt and his Death shall prevent their Eternal Death for he who knew no sin was made sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God through him 2 Cor. v. But as the Death and Sufferings of Jesus Christ procureth Mercy to the humble and Penitent so his Blood calleth for vengeance upon the hardned and impenitent Which leadeth me to the last thing in the Text for upon this account he added and weep for your Children for behold the days are coming c. by this intimating that the Imprecations of the People were ready to light upon them for as they cried out and wished his blood be upon us and our Children so to revenge it sore and heavy Calamities were impending over the City and the whole Nation Jesus spoke not these words from any Spirit of desire of Revenge nor out of any complacency at those sad Evils which were to befall them for the Injuries done to himself It is a fault which too many are guilty of when they think themselves wronged and cannot at present either revenge or remedy it they delight and please themselves with the thoughts of God's revenging their quarrel But Jesus was far from this temper for we find in the 19th of this Gospel That when he beheld the City he wept over it out of Compassion of those Evils which he saw would come upon it And they who have the same Mind in them which was in him will neither desire the destruction of their Enemies nor rejoice at it but will both pray against it and fear and tremble when they see it unavoidable But our Lord uttered these words to testifie his Divinity and Godhead and his Love and good Will even to those sinful Men his Divinity in that he knew what was to come for none knoweth future things but God alone his Love and good Will in that he forewarned them of their Danger that being forewarned they might if possible either prevent it or obtain a delay and suspension of it When he bids them weep for their Children he doth not mean the Children of these Women only or particularly but the whole Generation of the Iews for he speaks to those Women in the Name of the whole Inhabitants of Ierusalem or rather of all the People of Iudaea therefore they are called Daughters of Ierusalem which is as much as to say Israelites for Ierusalem was the Chief or Mother-city and to
Incorrigible Sinners think to escape the eternal Judgments of the other World The Destruction of Ierusalem was a Type of the Day of Judgment the Calamity of the Iews the Horror and Consternation they were in when the Romans utterly ruin'd them tho' it had no Precedent nor has any thing fallen out since like it yet all was but a faint Shadow of the Day of Judgment but a sorry figure and representation of that Then it is that Men will cry most Pathetically and with the greatest earnestness to the Hills and to the Mountains to fall on them and to cover them from the sight of the Lamb. They had better meet with a Bear rob'd of her Whelps or a Lion roaring than the Lamb of God that Day for then he will be Terrible and nothing can shelter them from him None shall find Mercy then or be acquitted save such as have Jesus for their Advocate and who are sprinkled with his Blood But do incorrigible and impenitent Sinners expect this Or dare they ask it of Him Will they or can they employ Him whom all their life they have affronted and grieved and resisted Or Suppose that they should have such Impudence would it prevail Will He plead for them nay He will plead against them and his Blood will speak no other thing in behalf of them than that of Abel's it will even call for Vengeance Jesus Christ in that Day will only take part with the Penitent Believers All others shall be left to the Wrath of God which as a Consuming Fire shall devour them O consider this ye that forget God lest he tear you in pieces when there shall be none to deliver Turn ye turn ye why will ye die Now is the day now is the acceptable time Seek the Lord while he may be found and call upon him while he is near O know and consider in this your day the things that belong to your Peace lest they be hid from your eyes And may the Merciful God add his Enlightning and Converting Grace to this Exhortation and these Instructions that they may prove Effectual to our Conversion for the magnifying of his Mercy and the Saving of our selves from the Wrath that is to come Amen SERMON VI. ON EASTER-DAY 1 PETER I. 3 4. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Iesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the Resurrection of Iesus Christ from the dead To an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for you THESE Words are a Form of Thanksgiving proper to be used on such Occasions as this which hath now brought us together and a due Consideration of them may be sufficient to excite in us most grateful Sentiments of God's Goodness to us and of our Obligations to him They were first uttered in Behalf of the dispersed Jews but only upon the account of their being Christians and called to the Hope of Glory which Privilege is common to us and therefore the Text is no less applicable to us than it was to them Even upon our account it may be said Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Iesus Christ c. In which words we may take notice of these particulars First the Author of our Happiness viz. God and the Father c. Secondly the Motive which induced him to bless us his abundant mercy Thirdly the special Benefits conferred on us which are the begetting us again unto a lively hope an inheritance c. Fourthly the means by which the same is wrought and assured to us viz. the resurrection of Iesus Christ from the dead All these are important things worthy to be known and therefore God willing I shall speak to each of them And I beseech you to lend an attentive and unprejudiced Ear. To begin with the First As Nature teacheth us to be thankful so that we may acquit our selves of this Duty it is necessary to know whom we are obliged to for if we make an Acknowledgment to any other than to him who bestowed the Benefits we defraud him who bestowed them and act as foolishly and unjustly as he who payeth a Debt to another than the Person to whom it is owing Now we are directed here to pay our Thanks to God and indeed he is the only Author of all the good we have of whatsoever Sort whether Spiritual or Temporal Do not err my beloved Brethren every good and perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of Lights with whom is no variableness neither shadow of turning We have nothing but what we have received from him It is true all things are not given us immediately by the Hand of God himself oftentimes Blessings are dispenced by the means of his Creatures But whatever way or by whomsoever Good comes to us God is and ought to be acknowledged the Author thereof Good comes not to us by chance nor from any other than God if any other thing be used in the bestowing it it is only as an Instrument in his Hand Neither Devils nor Men nor any other Creature can do us hurt unless God give them leave Nor can any do us good but as they are prompted and empowered thereto by God If Medicines cure it is because he blesseth them if our Industry and Diligence enrich it is because his Providence accompanieth it if Friends and Acquaintance are beneficial it is because he putteth it in their Heart and enables them Does the preaching of Paul or Apollo convince thy Conscience work in thee Faith and Repentance It is only because God worketh with them it is his Spirit only which makes their Ministry effectual for what is Paul And what is Apollos The one may plant and the other may water but the Increase is from God Let none therefore sacrifice unto their net or burn incense unto their drag though by them their portion is fat and their meat plenteous Neither let them boast of Men and make all their Acknowledgments to them for either spiritual or temporal good which comes by their means but both for the one and the other let all look up to God who giveth to all liberally let us give Thanks and Praise to him for it is he and he only who maketh us glad by his Work As he made us and not we our selves so from him are all our present Comforts and the Hope of what is to come But as all our Acknowledgments are due to God so that it may appear they are directed aright to the one true God we ought to address them in and by Jesus Christ to God and the Father of Iesus Christ as St. Peter teacheth us here When he saith God and the Father c. He doth not mean distinct Persons the Conjunction and here is explicative and thereby the Apostle points out whom he meant by God viz. the Father of Iesus Christ that is he who sent Jesus Christ
that it answered every Man's Taste that is it relish'd according to each Man 's particular Appetite affording every one that Satisfaction in his Taste which pleased him best So the Joy afforded us upon the gaining this Spiritual Victory shall be most ravishing it shall fully answer all the Desires of our Souls and shall yield us that full Satisfaction they would be at wherefore it is called a Joy unspeakable and full of Glory and our Lord tells us that they who taste thereof shall not hunger or thirst any more Whosoever shall drink of this water shall thirst again but whosoever shall drink of this water that I shall give him shall never thirst Moreover as there was Plenty of Manna so we shall not have this Heavenly Joy in narrow and scanty Measures but it shall flow and abound beyond all Expression Therefore it is said in Scripture to pass all understanding that is the heighth and greatness thereof can never be sufficiently comprehended Finally as Manna was permanent it lasted all the while the Children of Israel were in the Wilderness that is so long as they needed it neither was it possible for their Enemies to hinder it so this Joy shall never cease our Enemies Malice and Power cannot reach it but it abideth for ever All earthly Goods are liable to Rapine and Violence our Enemies may bereave us of them But they cannot take away the Consolations of the Spirit of God here these we may enjoy in the midst of Bonds and Imprisonment and Afflictions and much less can any stay that joy and those Pleasures which shall be bestowed hereafter And as these are the Reasons why the Joy prepared for those who overcome is called Manna so it is called hidden Manna alluding to the Pot of Manna laid up in the Ark or else because the Nature and Quality and Excellency of this Joy is without the reach of Sense Our bodily Sense does not discern it nor can humane Reason scan it Strangers do not intermeddle with this joy None understand it but they who possess it Eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither have entered into the heart of Man the good things which God hath laid up for them that love him But I said by Manna are not only set forth the Nature and Quality of those Delights he who overcometh is to be feasted with but also the particular Entertainment which affords such excellent Joy and Delight is pointed at And therefore by Manna here we are to understand Jesus Christ himself for Manna was a Type and Figure of him and he is expressly called Spiritual Manna 1 Cor. x. 3. And as a Pot of Manna was laid up in the Ark so Jesus Christ is kept and reserved in the Heavens which were figured by the Ark and therefore he is called hidden Manna Now they who overcome shall have Christ to feast upon not after a corporal and carnal manner eating his Flesh and drinking his Blood as some senselesly dream they do in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper nor yet sacramentally as all true Believers do in this World in the Elements of Bread and Wine For hereafter in Heaven which is here pointed at there is neither place for nor need of Types Figures and Symbols which would not be suitable Entertainment for such a pure and perfect State But the meaning is they shall feast on everlasting Bliss the Purchase and Merits of his Blood the Fruits of his Incarnation Birth Life Death Resurrection and Ascension and whatever he did or suffered to purchase Eternal Happiness for us There is no proper Food but this He who wants it is utterly miserable for nothing but the Enjoyment of Christ in Heaven can give Life or Pleasure to the Soul of Man And the Soul that is entertained in his beatifick Presence is entertained in the Fullness of Joy and cannot but be happy for there is no Grief or Sadness in that glorious Place where he is but perfect Delight Joy Pleasure and Satisfaction as will appear by what follows which is the effect of this Entertainment He who gets to eat of this hidden Manna shall also get a white Stone When St. Iohn had this Revelation he was in Patmos an Isle in the Egean or Egarean Sea and here he alludes to a Custom practised or well known there for in Asia and other Eastern Countries they were wont to give their Votes for acquitting or condemning such as were accused by casting white and black Shells or Stones the white as an Emblem of Innocency was for the Persons Absolution and Justification as the black betokened Guilt and declared for their Condemnation which Ovid has thus delivered Mos erat antiquis niveis atrisque lapillis His damnare reos illis absolvere culpa By the white Stone then is meant a Sentence of Absolution and so our Saviour here promiseth to absolve and justifie such as overcome from all that may be laid to their Charge He will take away their Guilt wash them from their Sins and deliver them from the Death that is due to them And O what a Happiness is this What matter of Joy is there in this Promise It is as Health to the sick Ransom to the captive and a Remission to him who is ready to be led forth to Execution If any be not affected herewith it is because they are not sensible of their Guilt and do not consider the heinous Nature of Sin or the Misery which attends it But they who have laid this to Heart will prize it exceedingly What would a troubled Conscience give for the least Assurance or smallest Hope of this Comfort O Who will deliver me from this Body of Death saith St. Paul and David who roared all the day long because of his Sin and on that Account found God's Hand Day and Night heavy upon him cries out Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven whose Sin is covered Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity Despair not because thy Sins are many and great for be they never so numerous or heinous Christ is able to take them away and here he promises to absolve thee Be of good cheer O Sinner thy Sins shall be forgiven thee for there is now no Condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit But there is here promised not only a white Stone the Sign of Absolution and a Deliverance from Death due to us but also something more which we could never deserve and which exceeds all Expression In the Stone there shall be a New Name which is still an Allusion to the Custom of these former times and Eastern Countries where Letters and Words used to be written also upon the Stones they cast into the publick Urn. What is the Importance of this New Name we will know when we have found out whose Name it is whether of him who gives it or of him who receives it
at any time prevail God will not condemn us They are innocent and clean according to the Gospel who inwardly hate and loath Sin and keep a continual War with it and who love Holiness and constantly aim and endeavour after it and he who is so clean inwardly will give an outward Manifestation and therefore it is added that we have In the last place our Bodies washed with pure water The former Clause as we have seen referred to the inner-Man and this relates to the outward Man for both must be made clean in the Sight of God We must cleanse our selves from all filthiness both of the flesh and spirit neither of them singly will do well God has united Spirit and Flesh together to make up one Person and therefore what God hath thus joined together ought not to be put asunder Our Minds and Spirits must ascend to God but the Body must not be left behind wallowing in the mire and filth of Sin and Uncleanness else the other will not speed they will not get Access unto God We ought to glorifie God both in Soul and Body for both are his therefore as under the Law Men were tied to frequent washing of their Body that they might be legally clean and fit to enter the Temple or approach the Altar from which they were debarred if they had any corporal Filthiness upon them or had touched any unclean thing so in Allusion to this the Apostle here exhorts us to purifie our Life and Actions to sanctifie our outward Conversation in the World by breaking off the Course of Sin and conforming our Words and Actions to the Word of God for that is like pure Water to cleanse us from all Spiritual Filthiness By what means saith David shall a young man cleanse his way by taking heed thereto according to thy word Psal. cxix 9. Now until we be thus cleansed both inwardly and outwardly we are not fit to draw near to God nor throughly disposed for Reconciliation with him without holiness saith our Apostle no Man can see God There must be both outward and inward Holiness to render us worthy of Peace with God we must be endued with holy Minds and the Beauty of Holiness must appear in our Lives and Conversations and if the outward Man have not a holy Face and Countenance the inward Man is much to be suspected Scabs and Ulcers in the Skin betoken corrupt and impure blood in the Veins 'T is great Hypocrisie to pretend change of Heart when there is no Change of Life for Persons to say they are regenerate within when no Reformation appears without When Saul pretended a Performance of the Command which the Lord gave against Amalek Samuel said to him what meaneth then this bleating of the Sheep and the lowing of the Oxen which I hear For that was an Evidence against him So I would ask those who say their Heart is right they have a good Conscience towards God and yet walk in Sin what means their evil Speeches their Cursing and Swearing their Reviling and Backbiting their obscene Talk and immodest Behaviour Revellings and Drunkenness Injustice and dishonest Dealing Cruelty and doing Injury to others and the like Crimes For doth not our Saviour tell us that these proceed from the Heart He whose Heart is perfect and upright with God is always careful to do that which is good in his Sight 'T is true the beginnings of Conversion to God do not always visibly appear as the Recovery of the Body from Sickness is not at the first discernable to others But in Process of time a sincere Conversion will certainly manifest it self in the Life and Actions The path of the just is as the shining light which shines more and more unto the perfect day Men and Brethren Sin was the Cause why we were cast out of God's Favour and there is a Necessity of laying aside Sin before we can recover it Indeed Christ died to take away the Guilt of Sin but he has not taken away the intrinsick Evil of it that remains still he by his Death has made Sin pardonable but not allowable and therefore we must not continue the Servants of Sin We must quit a vain and wicked Conversation turn every one from his Iniquity die to Sin and live to God and yield our selves to be Instruments of Righteousness according to his Will and Pleasure and then we shall please him and he will greatly love us Wash ye make you clean put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes cease to do evil learn to do well seek judgment relieve the oppressed judge the fatherless plead for the Widow and then come saith the Lord though your Sins be as Scarlet they shall be as white as Snow though red like Crimson they shall be as Wool Isa. i. 16 c. Thus we have explained the Conditions of obtaining Reconciliation with God and if you please to make Reflections on them you will find them most just and reasonable and as easie as can be required God could not pass these without renversing the Order of Nature and laying aside his Holiness and Honour which was impossible nor could any Terms be more proper for Man nor better accommodated to the State and Condition of all If many expensive Sacrifices rich Gifts or Summs of Money had been required what would become of the poor who make the greatest part of the World But now neither the Rich are received upon the Account of their Riches nor the poor rejected for their Poverty But both the one and the other are accepted according to their Faith Repentance and Obedience Some there are who will not allow us this Privilege whatever we believe or practise because we are not of their Church But as the Italian Proverb is Better be condemned by ten Physicians than one Iudge So certainly it is better to be condemned by any Number or Quality of Men than to be condemn'd by the Word of God the Word of God you see condemns none who has the Qualifications in the Text but encourages them to draw near to God and gives them Assurance of Acceptance If then through the Grace of God we come to be so qualified in the Union and Communion of the Catholick Church we need not fear what they say who themselves are Schismaticks from the Catholick Church We have all the reasonable Assurance we can have of our Salvation we may be more sure of it than if we had the Pope's Bull for it a thousand Indulgences ten thousand Masses daily sung for us and all the Church treasure of Merits bestowed on us And if we lack this that will not cannot be compensated with Pilgrimages Processions Pennances Bowings Prostrations before Altars Crossings and Sprinklings with Holy Water nor yet the Absolution of Priests for as our Apostle saith bodily exercises profit little as to Salvation and by what hath been said you may understand that the Religion which recommends us to God must be
base and treacherous Soldiers who fall to Eating and Drinking when they know the Enemy is close at hand and ready to give Battle we are begirt about with many and subtile Enemies and therefore should be ashamed of Excess and Intemperance in Eating and Drinking which incapacitate us from defending our selves or resisting them Be sober be vigilant saith St. Peter because your adversary the Devil as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour Secondly It is disagreeable with a patient waiting for Christ That Servant has little regard either to his Master or his own Credit and Interest who by debauching away his Sense and Reason putteth himself out of a Condition of coming to his Lord when he is called and of giving that account which is asked of him O the horrour and confusion of being hurried out of this World and carried before the Tribunal of God in a Fit of Drink and Excess And yet this hath often happened unto Drunkards Take heed therefore to your selves saith Christ lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness and the cares of this life and so that day come unawares If the servant say in his heart my Lord delayeth his coming and shall begin to beat the Men-servants and Maidens and to eat and drink and to be drunken the Lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him and at an hour when he is not aware and will cut him in sunder and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers Luk. xxi 34. xii 45. Thirdly It is inconsistent with those Spiritual Exercises our holy Religion calleth for and indisposeth one for receiving that holy Spirit whereby he is to be sealed unto the day of Redemption Be not drunk with Wine saith St. Paul wherein is excess but be filled with the Spirit In which words he establisheth a direct opposition betwixt these two so that the one necessarily thrusteth out the other The Heart which is moved by Wine cannot be sensible of the Motions of the Spirit Nor can the Head be filled with the Spirit which is darkned and overcast with the fumes of Drink The Holy Spirit can only reside in pure and holy Souls upon these accounts and many more that might be alledged there is hardly any thing more unbeseeming Christians than Drunkenness tho' alas it be too too ordinary And that a Clergy-Man should be guilty hereof is not only most unbeseeming but abominable The very Supposition is horrid That he should be given to this who hath not only himself to watch over but many others who ought to wait his Lord 's coming not only to give account of himself but of all under his Charge The burthen of our Holy Calling is too great to be sustained by our own Strength Who saith St. Paul is sufficient for these things None therefore have more need of the Aids of the Holy Spirit than we and therefore also none ought to be more careful to avoid what may grieve this Holy Spirit and provoke it to desert us And consequently Ministers should not be given to too much Wine that they may be in a capacity of receiving the Spirit of God And that when it comes it may reside with them to direct strengthen and comfort them I come now to the Reasons St. Paul gives for prescribing Timothy a little Wine to wit his Stomachs sake and his frequent Infirmities It was not upon the account of Conscience for upon this account Wine and Water are things indifferent Neither the one nor the other is contrary to Piety providing Water be not drank to Superstition nor Wine unto Excess But the Apostle considering Timothy's weak Stomach and the Diseases to which he was subject for correcting the one and preventing the other he prescribed him the use of a little Wine which is certainly a Cordial to be either drank alone or mingled with Water From which we may observe That the Rules of Eating and Drinking either as to the Quantity or Quality should be taken from the Health and Vigour of our Bodies that we may be enabled to discharge either the General Functions of Life or the Particular Duties of our Calling We should not take Pleasure in Eating and Drinking for themselves but out of a regard to the ends for which they were ordained and to which they are subservient nor should the most delicious Meats and Drinks be lusted after but what conduceth best to Health And if God afford wholsome Meat and Drink we ought to be content though our Table be not furnished with Dainties Secondly we may learn hence the Lawfulness of using natural Means for the removing of bodily Distempers and other outward Afflictions Diseases as all other Afflictions are of God it is his Hand which inflicts them and therefore we ought to bear them patiently But yet we may seek the Removal of them and use what is fit and proper in order thereunto without walking contrary to that Submission we owe to God Thirdly it doth hence appear that the Gift of Healing bestowed on the Apostles and others at first was not always used at the Arbitriment of him who had it but upon some special Direction of the Spirit and at some particular Occasions when it tended to the Confirmation of the Gospel or the making way for Mens Faith in it For if St. Paul might have healed every Person and at all times he neither would have suffered his beloved Timothy to be so much troubled with the bodily Distempers here spoken of nor yet Epaphroditus his fellow labourer to be sick nigh unto death as we read Phil. ii 27. Which shews the Vanity of some Popish Doctors who that the healing promised by St. Iames as the Effect of Prayers and anointing with Oil may not be referred to bodily Health as is generally alledged by Protestants say that then it would follow that none died in those Days which is ridiculous Whereas we see clearly here by the Example of St. Paul That those who were endued with the Power of working Miracles did not heal all the Diseases they met with but did only exercise that Power on such Persons and at such times as the Spirit of God directed them to for the Advancement of the Glory of God and Honour of the Gospel which also affords us a Reason why Miracles are ceased for they being given at first only for demonstrating the Truth of the Gospel and evidencing that they who preached it were of God now that this has fully appeared there is no more need of Miracles Lastly The Apostles making mention of Timothy's Sickness and being liable to frequent Infirmities of Body gives us occasion to treat of a very important Question viz. how it can be consistent with the Wisdom and Goodness of God to inflict sore and heavy Diseases and the like Disasters on eminent and useful Persons such as Timothy was whereby they are disabled from the Exercise