so much the Fire that the Romans burnt their City and Temple with as that dreadful Fire and Fury of God's Indignation that consumed all But the Day of the Lord will come as a Thief in the Night in the which the Heavens shall pass away with a great Noise and the Elements shall melt with fervent Heat the Earth also and the Works that are therein shall be burnt up Ver. 10. And in that dreadful Passage concerning the Damned Their Worm never dieth and their FIRE never goeth out We need not dispute what kind of Fire the Fire of Hell is whether Material Fire whether it gives Light whether it is of our Fire-colour With such Disputes some needlesly trouble themselves and others God's Indignation is Fire enough and Hot enough to devour those wretched Souls and we need look no further VI. Some Description of the Death and Doom of an Ungodly Man I. IF any ask what it is an Ungodly Man Dies of it may very well be answered of the Lord's Indignation It was the Threatning of God to Adam Moriendo morieris Thou shalt Die the Death The Ungodly Dies and Dies the Death Natural and Eternal And in his Natural Death he Pays two Debts a Debt to Nature because of the Sin of Adam and a Debt to God's Anger because of his own Sins The Chaldee Paraphrast renders those Words Deut. xxxiv 5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 At the Kiss of the Lord which we read At the Word of the Lord And the Jews speak much of Dying at the Kiss of God thereby not only expressing a Person 's Dying in his Favour but to shew how sweet the Death of God's Saints are to them They are at the Kisses in the Embraces of God as they are Dying They reap Sweetness Comfort Happiness from him even in Dying But where are the Ungodly at that Time Under the Flaming of his Fire and the Scorching of his Wrath. As it is Psal. lxxxviii 31. The Wrath of God comes upon them and slays the Fattest of them It is the Wrath of God that tears the Soul from the Body and devours the Life like a Lion and there is none to deliver It is Wrath that cuts him off to make an end of his Sinning You oft meet with Cutting off threatned to such as commit such and such Sins as that in Numb xv 30 That Soul shall be Cut off from among the People Some conceive it means nothing but Cutting off from the Congregation by Excommunication but it means God's Cutting them off by his Wrath and Vengeance And the Expression is Emphatical to shew their Thread is cut which they would have drawn out in Sinning ever if they might have been let alone Thus every Ungodly Man even in his Death carries God Tokens Dies of God's Anger II. As we have considered the Wretch Dying and having given up the Ghost now let us consider the Soul Departed out of the Body Ah! VVretched Soul where art thou Come into another VVorld into a strange VVorld and such an one as he never Dreamed of and is now confoundded to see Into what a World he is fallen A World where there is neither VVine nor VVomen nor Sport nor Pleasure nor use of any Creature And what a case is that Carnal and Voluptuous Soul in then A worse Place than that that Israel complains of Numb xx 5 How are we come into this evil Place It is no Place of Seed nor Figs nor Olives nor Pomgranates nor any Water to Drink Nay this is a Place where is no Sun nor Moon nor Light a Place where there is no Friend to Comfort no Creature to Refresh no use of any Thing that is Earthly and Bodily This must needs be a sad Change to that Soul that never took any Delight that never thought it lived but in the use of such But this is the least part of Indignation that such a wretched Soul meets withal The Holy Souls of the Saints of God meet with the like Deprivation of the Use of Earthly Creatures and if they had always made them their Life and Delight and had nothing else to feed upon but Meat and Drink and Money and Pleasure the Case would be much the same But there is the Indignation from the Creator meets the Cursed Soul as well as the Deprivation of the Creature and that we shall consider in these several Particulars First Think of that Luke xvi 22 And it came to pass that the Beggar Died and was carried by the Angels into Abraham 's Bosom the Rich Man also Died and was Buried And do you not think the Devils carried the Soul of the Rich Man to Hell In the Text indeed is not exprest so much but that left it to be gathered by the Rule of Contrary if Angels carry good Souls to Heaven Devils carry bad Ones to Hell Acts i. 18 Falling headlong he burst asunder and all his Bowels gushed out The Devil had been two or three Days Bodily in Judas and when he burst in sunder the Devil broke out of him having torn him And do you not think he carried his Soul with him as well as took away his Life It is true indeed that the Devil is not in the Ungodly so Bodily as he was in Judas yet he is said Eph. ii 2 To work in the Children of Disobedience Their Souls are under his Acting and Power to carry them into all Evil. He is the Mover and Actor of their Souls to do his Will VVell when they are Dying is not the Devil busie there waiting for his Prey and for what he hath looked for all along Is he not busie to keep that Soul for his own and that it be not taken out of his Hand Psal. xlviii 14 For God is our God for ever and ever he will be our Guide unto Death He that hath made God his God for ever he may be sure to have God his Guide even to and in his Dying And on the contrary he that hath made the Devil his God and Ruler and Guide all his Time he must expect that he will be with him at his Death As the terrible Apparition to Brutus in Italy told him he would be sure to meet him at Philippi where he was to Die VVell the Ungodly VVretch Dies The Devil hath Led and Ruled and Acted him to the last Gasp And now the last Gasp hath slipt the Soul out of the Body is not the Devil there still looking after his Prey Do you think the Devil hath done and looks after that Soul no more No then is the time that he hath got his Prey and now is seized on the Game that he had been ever hunting after The Dragon Rev. xii 4 stood waiting before the VVoman to devour her Child as soon as it was Born And when the Child was delivered he was frustrate of his Prey because God took care of the Child and Mother for both Child and Mother were his Beloved But in this Case this great Red
Dead shall hear c. and he speaks distinctly of the General Resurrection at ver 28. But the raising of the Dead that he means here is the raising of the Heathen from the Death of Sin to the Life of Righteousness The Heathen that had lyen 2200 Years in Darkness and the Shadow of Death that had been dead in Trespasses and Sins Eph. ii 1 Buried in all Idolatry Ignorance Darkness Wickedness and Abhomination from the Confusion at Babel When Christ came and sent his Voice among them by the Gospel these dead Souls lived as it were come out of Death and the Graves to the Life of Grace Holiness and the Obedience of the Gospel And this is that first Resurrection mentioned Rev. xx 5 when the old Serpent the Devil was bound up by the Chain of the Gospel So that he could no more deceive the Nations as ver 3. That he should no more delude the poor Heathen with Idols and Oracles and Miracles and such Delusions as he had done This is the first Resurrection Here is a Resurrection the great Work of Christ and a great End of his Coming But it is a Resurrection of Souls vile Souls to make them Glorious like his Soul Souls changed with a great and blessed Change from Death to Life This is the mighty Work of a Resurrection Observe how the Apostle sets it out Eph. i. 19 What is the exceeding Greatness of his Power to usward that believe according to the working of his mighty Power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the Dead God's bringing Men to believe his changing them from the State of Nature and Unbelief into the State of Grace and Faith is the great exceeding great Work of God's Power Such a mighty Working as that was when God raised Christ from the Dead A first Resurrection And take that withal Rev. xx 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the First Resurrection On such the Second Death hath no Power Either we must have a Part in the First Resurrection the raising of the Soul from the Death of Sin and Unbelief or never Blessed never Holy never escape the Power of the Second Death VII An Examination into the Reason of that Eruption of the Apostle O! the Depth of the Riches both of the Wisdom and Knowledge of God! Rom. xi 33 THE Cause of which Admiration lyes in the Verse before For God hath concluded them all in Unbelief that he might have Mercy upon all A strange Conclusion Doth it not almost speak to this Sense they all became Unbelievers that they might become Believers He hath concluded all under Darkness that he might bring them to Light Like Elias pouring Water where he meant to fetch out Fire The 25th Verse of that Chapter will help to clear this Matter very pregnantly Brethren I would not that ye should be ignorant of this Mystery that Blindness in part is happened unto Israel until the Fulness of the Gentiles be come in Blindness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In Parts is happened unto Israel for that is his meaning And for the Observation of it take notice of these two Things I. That the Apostle throughout the whole Chapter never names the Jews but Israel Because he is treating of the whole Seed of Israel Not the Jews only of the two Tribes but the Israelites of the ten Tribes also II. The Seed of Israel then considered in general had Blindness happened to them In Parts First The ten Tribes were blinded by Jeroboam's Idolatry and that was their Ruin and Casting off Then the two Tribes were blinded by their Traditions And that was their Ruin also and Casting off Now this is the Mystery which he would not have them ignorant of that whereas the Gentiles were blinded also as well as Israel and before and longer than Israel and that there were many Prophesies and Predictions that they should be at last unblinded and come to the Light it pleased God to conclude Israel under Blindness too first the ten Tribes and then the two till the Gentiles should be unblinded by the coming in of the Light of the Gospel and then Israel is unblinded also Viz. That Remnant of them that belonged to the Election of Grace as he speaks ver 5. Thus God concluded all under Blindness all under Unbelief that he might have Mercy upon all the Gentiles under Unbelief the ten Tribes under Unbelief and the two Tribes under Unbelief that at length he might as he did at the bringing in of the Gospel shew Mercy unto all in bringing Jew Gentile and Israelite to believe And observe what he saith in the next Verses before As ye O Romans who are Gentiles in time past have not believed yet now have obtained Mercy through their Unbelief So these Israelites also now have not believed that through your Mercy they might obtain Mercy Their Unbelief hath caused God to hearken unto you O Gentiles for his Church and to bring you to believe hereby was great Mercy to you And through this Mercy to you the Gospel rising and shining to you thus bringing you to believe Mercy also ariseth to them in the same shining of the Gospel that they also may believe Here is Mercy to Gentile Mercy to Jew Mercy to Israelite God hath concluded all under Unbelief that he might have Mercy upon all And therefore O! the Depth of the Riches of the Wisdom and Knowledge of God VIII Asa's perfect Heart how reconcileable with his Sufferance of the High Places IT is said concerning Asa King of Judah Nevertheless Asa his Heart was perfect with the Lord all his Days 1 Kin. xv 14 A Humane Chronicler is not able to say Such an one's HEART was perfect 〈…〉 because he is not able to discern what the Heart 〈◊〉 He writes the Story of a Man's Actions he cannot write the Story of his Heart because he cannot know it But he that held the Pen and wrote these sacred Chronicles the Holy Ghost saw the Carriage of all Actions saw the secret Frame and Temper of all Hearts and he was able to give Judgment of them whether they were good or evil and he could not but give right Judgment How happy then is this good Man of whom he gives this true and most noble Testimony Asa his Heart was perfect with the Lord all his Days A more renowned Memorial than what all your Chroniclers can say concerning Alexander the Great Julius Cesar Tamerlane or the great Conquerors of the World Their Story is like that Appearance of Elias at Mount Horeb a dreadful Earthquake a tearing Wind a devouring Fire In their Story nothing but blustering in the World and blundering of Nations Sword and Blood and Fire and Plunder This is all the Noise and Sound of their Fame But happy is he that comes off with such a soft sweet still Voice as this Nevertheless Asa 's Heart c. The first Word Nevertheless doth bring in an Excuse or Pleading for Asa in
Sept. 28. It appeared at Sun-rise and said Thou told'st Mr. Crompton the Town where Anne Harrison lived was Redstone but I told thee Barnstone Sept. 29. At Eight a Clock it appear'd and the Woman said In the Name of the Father c. How camest thou to be so long down and not to appear It answered she said certain Prayers over me when they struck down the Stake that I could not appear Upon Thursday about Sun-rise it appeared Isabel asked what became of his Horse It answered My Horse was sold on Midsummer-day at Beverly to one Mr. Weldbread that liveth in the South for 5 l. Octob. 4. It appeared to several of the Town of Driffield But Isabel was not at home and did not see it It appear'd in White all the time like one of Eighteen Years old Some Gentlemen bade Isabel ask it where he should abide after Seven Years were expired It said I must enjoy the happy Eternity and in the mean time the Lord is my Governour Signed Thomas Blackwell It is pity the Relation went no further For one would have been glad to have known to what Issue this Business came and whether this Woman accused by the Spirit ever came to her Trial. The Credit of this Story depended not upon Isabel alone for it appears the Spectre was seen also by others and the Circumstances were such as did mightily confirm Evidence of her to whom it chiefly reveal'd it self and its Cause And it appears that Crompton the Justice a Person as it seems of Sobriety and good Judgment slighted her not but advised her to put divers material Demands to it And the Story seems also to have found good Credit with our Divine as well as others in that he thought fit to transcribe the whole Relation which I have here exemplified And so I leave it I have one Demonstration more of his Piety to God that he continued as long as he lived constant and painful in the Word and Doctrine And as he was an assiduous and excellent Preacher so his Sermons ran very much upon a Strain of urging Holiness and a pure and good Life upon his Auditors in a plain but nervous Stile teaching them substantial Virtue and Goodness seldom meddling with Controversies unless they were such as tended to obstruct the Necessity of a Holy Life or to undermine the Purity and Humility required in the Gospel or enticed to a Revolt from the Protestant Religion Thus he shewed them that it was no such easie Matter to be a Christian but that it required long Pains and Diligence A Change from Sin to God is a continued Act and requires Space and Time to accomplish it Our Fall was in a Moment that Change from our Happiness to our Sinfulness and Misery was in an Instant but our changing back again requires time A Man may fall off from an high Tower in a Moment but to recover his Bruise and to climb up thither again is not so soon done And because many were apt to defer their Repentance by the Example of the good Thief hoping to have their great Work done in an Instant and to find such Success as he did therefore Dr. Lightfoot added That in all the Bible we have but one Example of a short Change and that was the Thief on the Cross who had his Work of renewing done in an Hour or thereabouts But it was at such a time as never was before and never will be again When the Son of God was undergoing his great CHANGE from Life to Death and was purchasing the CHANGE of his People from Death to Life If thou canst light on such a nick of Time which is impossible then thou mightest expect it possible that this Change should be wrought suddenly Otherwise expect it will take up no little time We must distinguish of the first working of Grace and of the Growth and Encreasing from thenceforward That first Work of Grace doth indeed translate the Person from one Condition to another but Succession of Time and Growing in Grace is required to transform him thorowly from one Temper to another Again the first Work of Grace doth indeed make a Man capable of Heaven but more is required to make him fit for Heaven He puzzled not his People with propounding to them nice and critical Signs to know whether they were in a State of Grace but shewed the plain way to be satisfied therein Who is there but if he will well examine himself may easily tell whether he be in the Ways of God or no Let him but try his Heart and Actions whether God in his Word hath commanded or allowed such an Heart and such Actions as he carries and acts or whether he hath forbade and cried out against them Who but his own Heart will easily tell him that God never commanded or allowed him to Lye and Deceive to be Cross and Contentious to be Proud and Scornful to be Wanton and Luxurious to be Envious and Revengeful to be Worldly and Covetous And therefore if he carry such an Heart and if he practice such Practices as these he must needs conclude that he is under God's Blaming and Complaint He checked those that tho' they were none of the best yet entertained a Confidence that they should do well and bolstered out themselves with good Hopes of their own Condition using these Words to such That Man that hath ever gone in a sinful worldly Way never minding any thing but to satisfie his own Mind and Lust and yet will not be driven out of Hope that he shall be saved as well as the best This is not Hope but Drunkenness As you may perswade a drunken Man to very strange Hopes This is Raving rather than solid Hoping For true and right Hope wheresoever it comes creeps out of Fear as poor Israel did out of their Caves and Dens when the Fear and Danger of the Enemy was past and over And again Hope never comes but where Fear hath been before As the still Voice to Elias came not but after Fire Earthquake and Tempest The Soul that will breed and bring forth a lively Hope must like Rebecca bring forth the rough rugged Esau of Fear before it bring forth the smooth Jacob of Hope There is first the Spirit of Bondage unto Fear before there comes the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father A Conscience that was never troubled startled or molested but blith debonair and fearless is not Peace of Conscience the Gift of God but Deadness and Stupidity of Conscience the Spirit of Slumber He gave Men this wholsome Admonition concerning the Exercises of Religious Worship Prayer confessing of Sin attending upon God's Service these are Sacrifices that God requires and they are Sacrifices with which God is well pleased if they be well done But there is one thing more that God requires and without which these are nothing and that is that which the Apostle speaks of Rom. xii at the beginning for a Man to
xvi 31 from Esay viii 19 20. Upon [i] Luke ix Mount Tabor a place once of Offence Hos. v. 1 the Cloud of Glory that departed at Moses Death is restored and out of that Cloud a Voice proclaimeth him that great Prophet to whom all must hearken Deut. xviii When he had lived Thirty-two Years and an half the time that David reigned in Jerusalem 2 Sam. v. 5 and had preached and opened the Kingdom of Heaven Three Years and Six Months the time that Elias shut Heaven by Prayer Luke iv 25 he is sold by his Disciple Judas as Joseph was by his Brother Judah Gen. xxxvii for Thirty Pieces of Silver the Price of a Servant Exod. xxi 32 Is apprehended among †Gethsemani in Hebrew signifies A Press for Olives to press out the Oil. the Oil-presses under Mount Olivet And from thence begins to tread the Wine-press alone Esa. lxiii 3 He is condemned by the Policy of Rome Num. xxiv 24 Rev. xi 8 Is delivered up to be crucified at the time of Adam's Creation and setting in Eden Is nailed to his Cross at the time of Adam's Fall Dieth at the time of Adam's Censure Is Six and Thirty Hours under Death the length of the first Day of the World to one part of it His Grave is as the Ark with an Angel at either end He riseth the third Day after the Passover and is as the first Fruits of the Dead Liveth Forty Days after on Earth and breatheth on his Disciples the Holy Spirit as he had done upon Adam the Spirit of Life Is taken up visibly as Elias and now offers up our Prayers to God as the Priest did incense after Sacrifice c. These things raptim But a deliberate sad Eye with Leisure might bring all the New Testament or the most both for Words and Sense from the Old And this I ever held the surest way to expound both SECT XIV The Order of the Evangelists THE proper Order of the Evangelists as they should be laid to make an entire continued Story I have laid before you till you come within a Twelvemonth of Christ's Death That last Years Story you will find to be like Moses his last Months Work a Deuteronomy or a Rehearsal of divers things that went before Ingenuity needeth not always to be led by the Hand For the search of the last Year of Christ's Life I have left to your self By this you will conclude what it cost to lay the rest But when you have done the Work it self will pay you for your Pains Among other things as you go have a special Eye to the Thirteenth of John about the Supper there mentioned Which not well marked hath lost Men themselves while they have gone about to find what is not there to be found Great Doctors having ex professo undertaken to write of that Chapter have missed the first Verse and so spoiled all Concluding the Supper there spoken of to be the Passover Supper when the first Verse plainly tells it was before the Passover and two Days as St. Matthew explains The Popish Tenet of Judas his real receiving of Christ had been choaked here had Men but had Eyes and Minds to see and embrace Truth SECTION I. Luke CHAP. I. from the beginning of the Chapter to ver 5. Section 1. Seeing that none of the Evangelists use a Preface but St. Luke his may fitly be a general Preface to them all SECT II. John CHAP. i. from the beginning to ver 15. Sect. 2. The Preface being made the Story is to begin And most properly Christ's Divine Nature is first to be handled SECT III. Luke CHAP. i. from ver 5 to ver 57. Sect. 3. The Order here shews it self SECT IV. Matth. CHAP. i. all the Chapter Sect. 4. The reason of the Order is to be seen by the Texture of the Story Mary upon the Words of the Angel presently conceives with Child She goes to her Cosin Elizabeth to see the Truth of the Angel's Words Thy Cousin Elizabeth hath conceived She stays with her Three Months Luke i. 56 Then returning to Joseph from whom she had been so long absent he perceiveth her great Belly as Gen. xxxviii 24 So that it is plain to see how properly the 18th Versâ— of Mat. i. follows in order of time the 56th Verse of Luke i. The â—vangelist lays the Genealogy before that every Reader might be his own Expositor upon those Words of the Angel ver 20. Joseph thou Son of David The last Verse He knew her not c. is all that this Evangelist speaks about the Birth of Christ. This may be as a brief Relation upon which suppose the two next Sections to be as Expositions SECT V. Luke CHAP. i. from ver 57 to the end of the Chapter Sect. 5. When Mary departs to her own House her Cosin Elizabeth hath but one Month to go with Child This makes this Dependance necessary SECT VI. Luke CHAP. ii from the beginning to ver 40. Sect. 6. The Coherence here is apparent of it self SECT VII Mat. CHAP. ii all the Chapter Sect. 7. Observe that Christ was Two Years old when the wise Men come to him ver 16. and your own Eye will shew and justifie the Order What St. Luke saith Ch. ii 39 They returned to Nazareth mean the same time that that of Matthew doth Ch. ii 23 But Luke speaks briefly because he hath no more to say of Christ till at Twelve Years old he bring him from Nazareth to dispute in the Temple SECT VIII Luke CHAP. ii from ver 40 to the end of the Chapter Sect. 8. From Christ's Return from Egypt to Nazareth till he was Twelve Years old the Gospel mentioneth nothing of him This makes the Dependance plain SECT IX Mat. iii. all Mark i. from the beginning to ver 12. Luke iii. from the beginning to ver 23. Only the 18 19 and 20. Verses about John's Imprisonment are to be reserved to another place Sect. 9. Compare the three Evangelists together One will help to explain another You see the Gospel it self doth inforce this Order by relating nothing since Christ's Twelfth Year old till his Baptism when he was Nine and Twenty complete or Thirty current All the time of his Youth till now Christ was a Carpenter But did now and then some Miracles privately in the House for enlarging their Commons when they were short He is now Baptized in Tisri SECT X. Luke iii. from v. 23 to the end of the Chapter Sect. 10. How divinely S. Luke placeth this Genealogy at Christ's Baptism is to be seen by looking on the Promise Gen. iii. 15 Upon which this and that which follows in the next Chapter is a Glorious Exposition The Seed of the Woman shall break the Head of the Serpent by the Power of the Gospel Which Gospel when Christ beginneth to preach as from his Baptism he doth the Evangelist shews thro' Seventy-five Descents even from Adam that he was that Seed promised to
against an evil VVork VVhy the Egyptians perish'd in the Sea the murmuring Israelites in the VVilderness the Samaritans by Lions Bethel's Children by Bears Because there is a Sentence against an evil VVork But where is this Sentence since Thousands and Thousands have abused the Holy Things of God a Thousand times whereas Belshazzar did but once and yet their Finger never aked for so doing Many and many a Thousand have told a Thousand and a Thousand Lies whereas Ananias told but one and yet have escaped in a whole Skin And there have been Thousands as proud in Heart as Herod could be and yet not met with his Fate It was these Men's hard Luck to speed as they did but Millions speed better that do the same Things Therefore where is this Sentence I answer There where it is sure enough And let God himself tell you where Deut. xxxii 34 Is not this laid up in store with me and sealed up among my Treasures And what is it Look before and it is Vengeance ver 23 c. and look at the very next Verse after it and it is Vengeance ver 35. To me belongeth Vengeance and Recompence their Feet shall slide in due time If you ask then where is the Sentence of God against evil Works when wicked VVorkers go on and flourish and prosper and no Hurt comes to them It is laid up in his Treasures He hath writ it out ready and laid it up in his Desk till he see Time to take it out and put it in Execution In Job Ch. xxxviii 22 there is mention of Treasures of Snow Hast thou entred into the Treasures of the Snow or hast thou seen the Treasures of the Hail And Chap. xxxvii 6 He saith to the Snow be thou on the Earth Now if one ask in the parching Heat of Summer and Harvest where is the Snow you say that God commands to be on Earth VVhere is any Figure or Token of Snow now But it is in his Treasures He hath it in his Shop and VVarehouse to fetch out when he sees his Time So is the Sentence against an evil VVork laid up with him If you will yet have a narrower Answer to the â—â—estion wherâ— is this Sentence whilst the wicked prospâ—â— It is in his VVord it is in his Will in his Book in his Bosom First It is written and laid up sure in his VVord Esay xxxiv from ver 8. forward speaking of the Desolations of the Cities and Habitations of the wicked Enemies of God and Zion it is said that the Corâ—â—rant and Bittern should possess them the Owl and the Raâ—en and Satyre c. at ver 16. he comes on thus Seek ye out of the Book of the Lord and read Not one of these shall â—ail none shall want her Mate for my Mouth hath commanded it Whilst these Habitations flourished and their wicked Inhâ—bitants prospered and jovialized in them they were ready to think in Heart I shall never be moved and this Prosperity shall never have end But Seek in the Book of the Lord and read and there you find a Sentence of Desolation and Destruction of the Habitations of Wickedness Is there not a Doom and Sentence in Scripture against every Transgression and Disobedience in Thought Word and Deed And unless you will make God a Lyar and false of his Word as Men are false the Sentence is sure It is said Tit. i. 2 In hope of Eternal Life which God that cannot lie promised Is it not true on the other Part about the Certainty of God's Threatnings that God that cannot lye Threatned God threatned Adam In the Day thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the Death But where was any sign of Death when God so threatned Adam was well and immortal then and no Sign of Death or Disease upon him But Death was in that Tree if he meddled with it and so it proved What that Tree was to Adam God's Commands are to us It might be wondered at what did that Tree in the Garden It was as a Rule of his Obedience a Tryal of his Obedience But if he made bold with it it would prove his Death God's Commands are the same to Men A Rule a Trial of their Obedience But if they make bold with God's Commandments and meddle with them otherwise than God alloweth there is nothing but Death and Judgment And the Apostle finds it Rom. vii 10 The Commandment which was ordained for Life I â—ound to be unto Death But many and many an evil Work is committed and no Sign of Judgment or Death And then where is the Sentence The Preacher saith that Sentence is not speedily executed But in so saying it tells us not that there is no Sentence but rather the contrary that there is a Sentence in time to be executed tho' not done speedily Men mistake and deceive themselves because they willingly will misjudge concerning God's Judgments and his Sentence of Judgment and construe it only of some Visible Bodily or Temporal Judgment And many a time the Wickedest meet with no such thing from the Womb to the Grave As Experience shews abundantly and the Holy Ghost tells us Psal. lxxiii 5 6. They are not in Trouble as other Men neither are they plagued as other Men. Therefore Pride compasseth them about as a Chain Violence covereth them aâ— a Garment And they think that Bravery and Joviality shall never be changed Whereas the Sentence of God against their Evil Works standeth if they would but observe it Many things are wont here to be urged That that I shall observe shall be only this that sinning it self is a Judgment The Sinners sinning is their present Punishment And so the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Hebrew Tongue signifies both Sin and Punishment For indeed sinning is no less than a Penalty What else means that Passage Ps. lxxxi 11 12. My People would not hearken to my Voice and Israel would none of me So I gave them up to their own Hearts Lusts and they walked in their own Councils What is the plain English of this but this because they would not hearken unto my Voice therefore I punish'd them by giving them up to Sin according to their own Lusts and Wills to sin and spare not God is the only Choice Excellent Infinite Good VVhat shall we set opposite for the only desperate deep-dy'd Evil VVhat is the direct contrary to God as Black is to VVhite as Darkness to Light Nothing but Sin The Devil indeed is desperately contrary to God as he is his Enemy and the Devil is most deeply dyed Evil. But it is Sin that makes him so and that made him a Devil Hell is a dreadful horrible deep Evil but it is Sin that hath made it so For if there had been no 〈◊〉 there had been no Hell Now if Sin be so great 〈◊〉 Evil so deep so desperate as that it caused the Devil to be a Devil Hell to be Hell then certainly Sin it self is
not a small Punishment to the Soul that sinneth Not to speak of the Punishment that follows Sin hereafter II. SIN as it exposeth to Punishment hereafter so it is a present Punishment in the Act. FOR it deprives of God and brings under a Curse First It deprives of God It loses God it sets at a distance from God The Scripture stiles sinning a Departing from the Living God Heb. iii. 12 Take heed Brethren lest there be in any of you an evil Heart of Unbelief in DEPARTING from the Living God That is in sinning against God And it stiles sinning also a Coming short of the Glory of God Rom. iii. 23 which means not only coming short of the Glory of Heaven but short of the Glory of God that rested upon Man before he Sinned It was God's Threatning Gen. ii 17 In the Day thou Eatest thereof thou shalt surely Die. And yet when they had Eaten they did not Die Nay they did not so much as Swoon were not so much as Sick toward Dying So that the Devil might vaunt and perswade them You see I told you true when I told you you should not Die Lo you see it is no danger to follow my Counsel For you see no sign of Death at all upon you I but Adam look into thy Soul and there God which was the Life of thy Soul is departed from thee So the Secure Profane Wretched Heart may reason with it self There is talk of Sentence against Sin of Punishment of Sin and I know not what I feel no such thing though I take mine own Courses But I am Fat and Flourish and grow Rich and Prosper and to Day is as Yesterday and to Morrow shall be as to Day and much more abundant But look O wretched Man at thy State within Is God there Is the Presence of the Life of God in thy Soul No Every Sin committed sets thee and him still at more and more Distance looseth him and Interest in him more and more And if this be nothing with thee to lose God what will be any thing This is the very Preface and Porch of Hell the Loosing of God here as the Preface and Porch of Heaven to the Saints of God here is their enjoying and partaking of God here Does any ask or question about the State and Torment of the Damned in Hell This may be a full and adequate Answer They have lost God What is their Damnation They have lost God What their Torment They have lost God Whence their Howling Because they have lost God Whence their Hopelesness Because they have lost God Alas How did they lose him Ask them and they may tell you that their Sins have separated betwixt God and them As Esa. lix 2 That every Sin they committed set God and them further and further asunder and deprived them more and more of God Some Intimation of this you have in Ezekiel Ch. x. 18 The Glory and Presence of God departing from the Temple and flitting away And where is Israel when God is gone from them It is Saul's sad Complaint 1 Sam. xxviii 15 God is departed from me And you see what became of Saul God and Sin cannot dwell together in one Soul As the Bondwoman and her Son must have no abiding with the Freewoman and hers in the same House Now if it be a Punishment a sad Thing to lose God to have God depart away from the Soul then the very Sinning of a Sinner is a Punishment to him because it strips him of God and deprives him of that that should be the very Life of his Soul Secondly Sin is a Punishment because it brings the Sinner under a Curse It is not only a Privative mischief depriving him of God though that is enough but it is a Positive Mischief bringing a Curse upon the Sinner Read Deut. xxvii ult And Chap. xxviii from ver 15. and forward and it needeth not more Proof He saith not only as before in Chap. xxvii Cursed is he that maketh an Idol and setteth light by Father and Mother that removeth his Neighbours Land-mark c. But Cursed is he that confirmeth not all the words of this Law And Chap. xxviii 15 If thou wilt not hearken unto the Voice of the Lord thy God to do all his Commandments and his Statutes Then Cursed shalt thou be in the City and in the Field c. He that did not all the Commandments was Cursed and all the People must say Amen And was not that a hard Task to say Amen to their own Cursing For who of them had observed all God's Commandments to do them Durst we do the like And yet God requires the same thing from us in the Sence he did it from them And that was in a twofold Regard 1. To acknowledge their own Guilt and Deserving of a Curse for what was past in that they had not observed God's Commandments And 2. An engaging of their Hearts for the Time to come to Obedience of his Commandments or let them be Accursed And so the Word Amen signifies in a twofold Sense Both an Assertion of a Thing or Averring that it is true And so they and we are to acknowledge that he that continues not in God's Commandments deserves a Curse And Secondly An Imprecation upon themselves if they willingly did so transgress again Now what was this Curse Or what is the Curse that Hangs over the Head of Sinners 'T is true sometimes the Curse falls upon ungodly Men in Visible and Temporal Judgments as upon the Old World Sodom the Egyptians and Ten Thousand more such Direful Monuments But this is not the Curse that he intends for the Ungodly For many and many a Thousand live and die in Prosperity and such horrid apparent Judgments never come nigh them The Jews for their Rebellion had all these Curses against them Deut. xxviii and yet Thousands of them Prospered in the World grew Rich and Great and yet the Curse of God remained upon them for all that Therefore the Curse of God is twofold either to be inflicted in Temporal Judgments or to be inflicted by turning all Things that seem Mercies to a Curse The former lights not on all wicked Men the latter does III. A Meditation explanatory on the Book of Ecclesiastes IN this Book methinks we may see Solomon setting down in deep Study After all the Contents and Delights that he had or could find in Earthly Things he is here set down with his Pen in Hand casting up what all came to And the Summa Totalis â—f all at the Foot of all comes but to thâ—s All is Vanity and Vexation of Spirit Brave Buildings Ortyards Gardens Pomp Wealth Pleasure Enjoying One's self in this World in the fullest Delight possible Solomon what comes all to in the Total Sum Vanity of Vanities all is Vanity Care to provide great Matters here Rule Dominion Maintaining a brave Port and Retinue Study and Prying into the Things of Nature and Men's Actions What comes this
away God and the Soul Their best Office now is to shed Tears III. There is the Wantonness of the Ears As there be Itching Ears so there be Wanton Ears Ears that delight in Filthy Talk Eph. v. 3 Let it not be once Named amongst you as becometh Saints neither Filthiness nor Foolish talking c. That is 't is not fit to be spoken of among Christians Not fit for Christians to hearken to any such thing Auribus Vestris medendum Mens Ears do want a Cure How many are there that endure not Serious Grave Conference But he that speaks Lasciviously he is a Prophet to this People Let these sayings sink into your Hearts saith our Saviour So do these wanton Discourses too much they sink and drain down from the Ear into the Heart And therefore as it is reported of Ulysses that he stopped his Ears against the Syrens that they might not by their inchanting Voices insnare him So should we decline such dangerous Discourses It is a needful Lesson Take heed how ye hear See Prov. ii 16 The strange Woman flattereth with her words And Ch. v. 3 The Lips of a strange Woman drop as a Honey-comb and her Mouth is smoother than Oyl Satan by such talk is an Agent in the business Evil words corrupt good Manners IV. There is a wanton Tongue This is a Relative a Husband to the other This is a Broker to a wicked Heart that vents from an Evil Heart to an Evil Heart Some there are that have Tongues tipt from Hell that delight in no other Language than Ribaldry The Tongue and the Heart are created for Noble Ends. The Heart to be a Present for God his Habitation his Delight And does the Heart become the Sink and Jakes of all Filthiness The Tongue that was created to be Man's Glory Namely to praise God that was created to be the Interpreter 'twixt Men for Love and Friendship this to be so much degenerate as to be a World of Iniquity set on Fire from Hell To Curse Blaspheme Lie Swear Flatter Boast Talk filthily Ah! what Mouths do too many carry They that speak the Language of Ashdod were but Bastards So they that with their Tongues say they are Christians and yet let their Tongues be wanton and unclean they are but Bastards no true Christians How shall the tune of wanton Tongues be once changed V. There is a wanton Gesture Courting Dalliance mixt Dancing what are these but Tinder to Lust Avoid all appearance of Evil. And these are the several kinds of VVantonness To conclude Consider these two or three things First VVhat proportion is there betwixt VVantonness and the Purity of the Gospel Secondly VVhat is the Fruit of VVantonning but Guilt and Sin and Shame Thirdly How unlike is this to the Divine Purity that is in Heaven VIII The Fear which Seized our Saviour at his Passion Innocent FEAR to Die may be so circumstantiated as it may be Sinful with a VVitness But simply in it self considered it is not sinful at all For Peter to be afraid to Die so as that Fear put him upon denying his Master this was sinful and sinful again But for his Master who had no Sin who could not Sin to be afraid to Die could that be Sinful Let us take up the Case of Christ as to this Matter which will help to clear his Case the better Consider that in Heb. v. 7 Who in the Days of his Flesh when he had offered up Prayers and Supplications with strong Crying and Tears unto him that was able to save him from Death and was heard in that he Feared The last Clause in the Original is short and doubtful and by some read as you have it in the English Text He was heard in that he feared and by some as you have it in the Margent He was heard for his Piety This latter is undoubtedly true that Christ's Piety and Devotion was such as that his Prayers could not but be heard But certainly the other is the Apostles Meaning and more pertinent to his Discourse The Greek is short he was heard 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from his Fear Like that Expression Psal. xxii 21 Thou hast heard me FROM the Horns of the Unicorns That is thou hast heard me when I was upon the Horns of the Unicorns Or thou hast heard me so as to deliver me from them So Christ was heard when in his Fear or heard so as to be delivered from it But the Question is in fear of what Of what but Death That some will not allow because it might seem to speak some Diffidence or Distrust in Christ. But as there is a Fear of Distrust so there is a Fear in Nature A Sinful Fear and a Natural Fear without Sin Adam in Innocency though Death was not then in Being as the Wages of Sin yet it was Natutural to him to fear every thing that might be destructive to his Body or Person or injurious to it The Saints in Glory 't is true are past any such Fear because they are beyond the possibility of any such Danger But wheresoever there is such a Possibility 't is Natural to have such a Fear The Brute Beasts that are free enough of Sin yet will they never be without such Fear because Nature hath put into all Living Creatures a Natural and Essential Instinct to seek and serve their own Preservation And Christ had not been a true Man had he not had such a Natural Fear of Death as is Essential to Man as he is Man and was Essential to Man befor he was a Sinner So that to fear to Die simply considered is not sinful and answerably to desire to have a Man's Life prolonged simply considered is not sinful neither It was not Sin at all for David to beg of God O spare me a little Psal. xxxix 13 Nor for the poor Afflicted in Psal. cii 24 to Pray Oh my God take me not away in the midst of my Days But the Warrant upon which a Man comes with such a Request had need to be right and current and indeed such as amount to a consideration above meer Living still IX The Case of JACOB when he Wrestled with the Angel explained IT was the Angel CHRIST that wrestled with Jacob Gen. xxxii 24 That he was then in danger of being killed by this Angel is apparent enough by this that his best come off was that he was Lam'd by him to his Grave And it is apparent also by what Hosea saith of his Demeanour at that time that he Wept and made Supplication Hos. xii 4 Jacob why weepest thou Thou art in the Arms of Christ himself But he wrestleth with me seeking to kill me As it was in the case of Moses Exod. iv 24 where the Lord is said to meet him and to have sought to kill him And what is it that thou makest Supplication for That he would yet spare me and not take me away And what is the matter thou art so unwilling
Particulars I. There is a Communion of Converse and Communion of Affection There may be the former where there is not the latter English Merchants have Communion of Converse with Outland Merchants when they come among them Buy Sell Eat Drink together When the Communion 'twixt them is meerly of Civil Converse rather than of near Affection And there may be Communion of Affection where there is no Converse Nay there is as it were planted in Morality an Affection of one Excellent Person to another A Valiant Man loves a Valiant Man though he never came near him A Scholar loves a Scholar that he hath only heard of Much more is such an Affection planted in true Christianity in an Heart truly Religious be he who he will where he will though he never saw him As Psal. xvi 3 My delight is in the Saints and Excellent on the Earth be they far off or near II. There is Communion in Common Interest where it may be there is not Communion in Common Converse Those that never saw or heard of one another to Converse together yet may have Communion in Common Interest Englishmen meeting beyond Sea that never saw each other before yet will take parts and side together as in the Common Interest of being Countrymen There is a Common Interest of all the Saints in the World though at their never so great Distance and Separation viz. Glorifying God and Loving the Lord Jesus As the Apostle saith 1 John i. 3 Our Fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. So the Fellowship of the Saints among themselves meets in this Centre of Loving the Father and his Son Jesus Christ. And ask the same Apostle the Exposition of his Words in the same Epistle Cap. ii 14 We know that we have passed from Death to Life because we love the Brethren He would tell you It is a sign we Love God and so are passed from Death to Life because we Love the Brethren that Love God This is the special Centre in which Saints meet be they never so far asunder And in this Sense Their Gathering together is to be understood of which there is so frequent mention not into one place but into this one Circle of Loving Fearing Serving God Zeph. iii. 9 That they may call upon the Name of the Lord and serve him with one Consent In the Hebrew it is With one Shoulder As if many were together shouldring up the same weight or burden All in their places jointly putting to their endeavour to bear up the Name Glory and Honour of God East West North South every Saint joyning in this great Work and Meeting in this Holy Point As the Twelve Oxen under the Brazen Sea their Faces to the Four Quarters of Heaven but their Bodies all Meeting to bear up the Weight Now III. They that are all of the same mind all meet in this Common Interest toward God cannot but love one another though they knew not one another Judg. v. 9 My Heart saith Deborah is toward the Governors of Israel that offered themselves willingly among the People Did she know all their Faces and Persons Could she call them by their Names No but she could not but Love them be they whom they would that put to their Hands and Shoulders to that Common Cause We see how Men are ready to Affect any that they hear to be of their Opinion Humour and Mind though they never saw them Much more does a Saint love a Saint that is Partner with him in this Holy Work Though he knew not where to find him or Name him yet if he be for God he must have his Heart and loving God he cannot but love whosoever loves him IV. Accordingly they sympathize one with another 1 Cor. xii 26 Whether one Member suffer all the Members suffer with it or one Member be Honoured all the Members rejoice with it They weep with those that weep and rejoice with those that rejoice They bear one another's burdens It grieves a Saint if it be ill with any Saint in the World and he rejoiceth if it go well with him His Heart is touched with his Case as with his own As we are affected with the well or ill doing of any Englishman in any part of the World for Common Interest of Country sake Neh. i. 4 And it came to pass when I heard these words that I sat down and wept and mourned certain Days and fasted and prayed before the God of Heaven Why Nehemiah thou art well enough thou art in place of Honour Pleasure Preferment Oh! but it is ill with the People of God And Psal. cxxxvii 5 6. saith the Psalmist If I forget thee O Jerusalem let my Right Hand forget her cunning If I do not remember thee let my Tongue cleave to the Roof of my Mouth if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy I can never forget Jerusalem V. Answerably they have one another's Prayers There is not a Saint in the World but hath the Prayers of all the Saints in the World Any Child of God makes it Conscience to Pray for every Child of God on Earth One Member cannot but do its best for another Gal. vi 16 And as many as walk according to this Rule Peace be on them and Mercy and upon the Israel of God Pray for thy self Paul and for thine own Churches Nay but every Saint where-ever is a Member of the same Body that I am of and therefore I must Pray for them also So Ephes. vi 24 Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in Sincerity Why pray so for them Because of that Common Interest that is betwixt all Saints I love Christ and cannot but love and pray for all that love him We may say as Psal. cxxxiii 1 Behold how good and how pleasant it is for Brethren to dwell together in Unity So how blessed how happy to be thus joyned together in this Common Union If thy Prayers be weak all the Saints in the World pray thee if thy Estate be miserable if thou beest tempted still thou hast the Prayers of all good Men through out the World Oh! happy condition of a true Saint Christ mediating for him in Heaven and all the Saints on Earth Praying for him as Acts xii 5 Peter was kept in Prison but Prayer was made without ceasing of the Church of God for him Chear up poor Child of God why walkest thou so heavily Why The Children of Belial curse me revile me Oh! but all the Saints of God pray for thee And this is the true Communicating of Saints one to another And so much for the Communion of Saints with God and one with another FINIS Advertisement There are in the Press and will all be Published about Midsummer EXpository Notes with Practical Observations upon the Four Holy Evangelists wherein the Sacred Text is at large Recited the Sense Explained Doubts Resolved seeming Contradictions Reconcile and the Instructive Example of the Holy Jesus to our Imitation Recommended Designed for the Instruction of Private Families By William Burkitt M. A. Vicar of Dedham in Essex Folio A Catechetical Course of Sermons for the whole Year Being an Explanation of the Church-Catechism in 52 distinct Discourses on so many several Texts of Scripture wherein are Briefly Contained the most necessary Points of Christian Doctrine Recommended especially for the use of Famimilies By Peter Newcome M. A· Vicar of Aldenham in Hertfordshire In 2 Volumes in Octavo As also the Works of William Bates D. D. in a large Folio and good Paper containing all he Printed in his Life-time To which are now added two Discourses never before Published viz. 1. On Divine Meditation and 2. On the Fear of God Price 25 s. a single Book Unbound They that will Buy Six shall have a Seventh Gratis provided they send in the first Payment some time before Midsummer next