rather because of Christs comeing among them and they refusing Him But this is the Scope of my Fathers sending of Me into the World that by Me the World may be Saved and so do I send you I send you to Places not to Condemn them not to Aggravate their Sin and their Condemnation That is not my primary Intention though this may fall out but I send you to a place that through your Ministry Souls in that place may come to be Saved Reas 2. A second Reason is from the Promise of Christ unto His Ministers when they go to any place to Preach In the last words of the Gospel by Saint Matthew Christ sends them to Preach and saith He Lo I am with you alwayes even unto the end of the World I am with you to Assist you and to Bless you whithersoever you go even to the end of the World That is with you and with all that shall succeed you to Preach this Gospel in any place unto the end of the World Reas 3. Further We know that the Gospel it is the Arm of God Isa 53. 1. Who hath believed our Report and to whom is the Arm of the Lord revealed And Rom. 1. 16. It is the Power of God unto Salvation And if God Arm and Gods Power unto Salvation come among a People there is hopes that there is an Intention of some Good unto some of them Reas 4. The Preaching of the Gospel It brings the Day of Grace and of Salvation to any place wheresoever it comes and so long as that doth continue to any place so long the day of Grace and Salvation continues to the place This you have clearly 2 Cor. 6. beginning We then as Workers together with Him beseech you also that ye receive not the Grace of God in vain For He saith I have heard thee in a time accepted and in the day of Salvation have I succoured thee Behold NOW is the accepted time behold NOW is the day of Salvation Now When was that Now That was when the Apostles came and Preached among them the Doctrine of Reconciliation Now is the accepted time Now is the day of Salvation Now if you come in you may be accepted Now is the time that if you be appointed to be Sav'd you must come in now Reas 5. And this Scripture doth put me upon a Fifth Reason of the Point and that is That when the Gospel comes to be Preached to a place it doth not only make an Accepted time and a day of Salvation But it is the Fruit of the Prayer of Jesus Christ even of that Prayer that Christ hath made to God the Father that He would in such a time send the Ministry of the Gospel to be clearly and powerfully Taught in that place And if you ask me where the place is that doth prove it it is in Isa 49. 8. You have there almost the very some words that you have here Thus saith the Lord In an acceptable time have I heard thee and in a day of Salvation have I helped thee Now this is clearly meant of Christ if you look both unto the Coherence of the words with what hath been before and that which follows after For saith He I will preserve thee and give thee for a Covenant of the People to Establish the Earth to cause to Inherit the desolate Heritages Now saith God concerning Christ Thus saith the Lord In an acceptable time have I heard thee What is that acceptable time It is that which the Apostle doth Interpret to be A day of Salvation The Apostle speaks of an acceptable Time and of a day of Salvation and saith he Now it is Now while we are Preaching the glad Tidings of the Gospel unto you And here saith the Holy Ghost The Lord hath heard thee in an acceptable time and in a day of Salvation That is When as Jesus Christ did Pray to God the Father for His Church that should be that God would send the Ministry of the Gospel unto those whom the Father had given unto Him from all Eternity I say Jesus Christ did Pray unto the Father for them Now saith God I have heard thy Prayer and I have granted what thou Prayest for And this hearing of thy Prayer it is an acceptable Time and it is a day of Salvation Thou hast a day of Salvation according to thy prayer and this very day the Apostle doth Interpret of sending the Gospel unto any place So that where the Gospel comes it is not to be lookt upon as a thing that comes meerly by Accident or by an ordinary Providence of God as other things but it is that that comes unto a place by Virtue of the Prayer of Jesus Christ of the Intercession of Jesus Christ unto the Father for that particular Place or Town or Parish And this is the Reason why the Lord leaves some places destitute of Help in Ignorance and Darkness that they scarce ever come to hear of Jesus Christ And others that it may be are in themselves as unworthy as the other they come to have the great things of the Gospel opened to them The reason of the difference is Jesus Christ hath Interceeded before the Father for the one and not for the other and one is the Fruit of the Prayer of Jesus Christ and the other Christ hath let go because they do not so belong unto Him He hath not those among them that are to be made the Sons of Peace Reas 6. Yet further When the Gospel comes to a place there is hope of Good because that the Gospel hath in it self so much power I say it is not only as an Ordinance to convey the Word of God But though Mans Words and Ministry hath little in it yet the Truths of the Gospel they have in them a mighty Strength there are such wonderful things that the Gospel doth Reveal wheresoever it comes that one would wonder that the Hearts of all People should not be taken with it Yea there are such things that are made known in the Gospel that one would think might break the Heart of any Devil in Hell That if God should send the Gospel unto the Devils if they were not gone Irrecoverably one would think that what is made known in the Gospel might break the heart of a Devil O that God should be Reconcil'd to Man To send His own Son to Die for base Worms upon whom the Lord might have Glorified His Infinite Justice upon to all Eternity There is that in the Gospel that it is to Admiration that all People do not come in unto it What doth Christ say If the Son of Peace It is a wonder that all do not come in to Imbrace the Blessed Gospel The Patience of God doth Lead to Repentance Then what might the Grace of God do that is held out in the Gospel The Lord doth reveal such Arguments to draw People that to speak after the manner of Men we may conceive That if the
Lord hath God made thy condition more comfortable than anothers Another he wants Bread and fares hardly lies hard and is in the cold and lives in a poor condition and thou hast all things full about thee and yet art thou worse Do'st thou thus requite the Lord O foolish heart And so you know it was the aggravation of the sin of David in 2. Sam. 12. after David had committed that great sin the Lord sends the Prophet to him to convince him of his sin and mark how he aggravates it ver 7. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel I annointed thee King over Israel and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul and I gave thee thy Masters House and thy Masters Wives into thy bosome and gave thee the House of Israel and of Judah and if that had been too little I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things Wherefore hast thou despised the commandement of the Lord O this was that that struck the heart of David I have sinned saith David And in Nehem. 9. 25 26. you have a remarkable Scripture for that setting out there the mercy of God So they did eat and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in thy great goodness nevertheless they were disobedient and rebelled against thee and cast thy Law behind their backs and slew thy Prophets c. Here 's the aggravation they were filled with good things nevertheless they were disobedient O may not this Scripture be made good upon many of you The Lord hath filled your houses with abundance of mercy you cannot look into any of your Families but you see mercy yet nevertheless a carnal heart for all this nevertheless a Swearer a Company-keeper a Prophaner of Sabboths a Neglecter of the Worship of God in thy Family Notwithstanding an unclean wretch for all those mercies that the Lord would wooe thee to obedience by That 's the second thing that shews the necessity of learning to be full otherwise we shall be guilty of sinning against much mercy and likewise the mercy of God will serve for no other end but to aggravate our sin And Thirdly If men do not learn to be full they will grow extream wicked How our fulness doth afford fewel for lusts that we spoke to I onely now speak to it as to shew the necessity that we learn to be full lest we come to grow most abominably wicked Sin will come to be out of measure sinful if so be we learn not to be full As a man that hath a weak distempered body and lives at a full Table and hath a strong appetite and yet if he doth not learn how to order his diet he will grow full of Diseases so when thy heart is weak at least and thou comest to a full Diet and knowest not how to order thy self thou art like to grow extreamly diseased and therefore you find in Scripture that those that were in a full condition and yet had not grace to know how to be full they are described to be the most wicked people that are in the world Job 21. 14. Therefore they say unto God depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes And in Psal 73. there you may read at large of the prosperity of the wicked from the beginning and so on and in Isa 2. 7 8. Their land also is full of silver and gold neither is there any end of their treasures their land is also full of horses neither is there any end of their chariots then mark in the 8th verse Their land also is full of Idols These two are joyned together O so it is in many Families this Family is full of all outward good things and it 's a Family full of sin and here 's a man that hath a full Estate and a man that is full of sin as he is full of his Estate If thou do'st not learn to abound thou wilt certainly abound in sin and therefore it is an absolute necessary lesson for us to learn to abound And then Thirdly If thou dost not learn to abound thy portion will be in this life if there doth not go together with thy abundance the grace of God to teach thee how to abound this will prove to be thy condition to be a man or woman that God hath said shall have no other portion from him then in this world If the Lord gives a man an estate and doth not withal give him some proportionable measure of grace to know how to use it and abound in it that 's a man that God saith his portion shall be in this world it is as much as if God should say from heaven concerning this man Here 's one whose portion is in this world In the 17th Psalm at the latter end there the Psalmist speaks of men who have their portion in this world here 's their consolation Thou hast a full estate and doth God give thee nothing with thy full estate it is like to be thy All. You will say Is this so great a matter I a thousand thousand times better thou hadst never been born though thou hadst a thousand times more in the world then thou hast if this should prove to be thy portion thy All for thou art made for eternity and those creatures were not and therefore if thou should'st onely have hopes in this world thou art a wretched creature Shall St. Paul say if we have onely hopes in this life we were most miserable of all men O may I say concerning thee if thou hast onely hope in this life thou art most miserable of all creatures except the Devils themselves O it 's a dreadfull thing for a man or woman to have their portion in this world But now those have it that have a great deal in this world and yet know not how to use it for God O consider of this you that God hath given more portion to than others do you think thus in the night Lord thou hast indeed made my condition more comfortable then others I am full handed and have means coming in but Lord what if it should prove that my portion should be here I remember it 's reported of Gregory that was the Pope he did profess that there was no Scripture that did strike to his heart so much as that Scripture Wo to you here is your consolation fearing least his portion should be here And the truth is that Scripture and that other in the 17th Psalm should go to the hearts of rich men and of those that have a full estate in this world except their consciences tell them that through the grace of God they have learned in some measure to know how to use it for the glory of God as for their own comfort You account it an ill thing for a man to have an estate and knows not how to use it for himself As now If a man should be born to a great inheritance and should be a fool you
his life And then he seeks to get riches by communicating of his riches That Scripture you have for this in 1 Tim. 6. 17. Charge them that are rich in this world that they be not high-minded nor trust in uncertain riches but in the living God who giveth us richly all things to enjoy That they do good that they be rich in good works ready to distribute The more good works he doth the richer he makes account himself is Now ordinarily a carnal heart when he is call'd to do good works he cannot for shame but do something I but he thinks he is the poorer by it What will you get away all my estate and make me a begger Why these often Contributions draws away my estate and they think they have so much of their heart-blood drawn away and so they grow poorer and poorer But a godly man he makes account that the more good works he doth the richer man he grows Why God himself accounts his riches to be in the works of mercy In Eph. 2. there you shall find that the riches of God are in the works of his mercy That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards us Why God is not said to be rich in power so much as in grace in the works of his mercy in the works of kindness And so a godly man that hath learned by the grace of God to be full doth account himself made rich in the communicating what fulness God hath given him for the glory of his Name and the good of others This is a second mysterious way of a godly mans learning how to be full And then the Third way of a Godly mans learning how to be full is this He doth learn how to have comfort in his estate by mortifying of his affections to his estate and by moderating of his spirit in the joy that he hath in his estate he comes to receive the greater joy in what he hath given to him This you will say is a riddle for a man to have greater joy in outward things by moderating of his joy and to have a greater fulness in his abundance by keeping himself within bounds This is the way of a godly man the more he keeps himself within bounds the more comfort he hath in his abundance and the more he can mortifie his affections to the comforts of the world the more comfort hath he in these comforts of the world Now because this may seem to be a great riddle and mystery for so it is I will give you one Scripture that will make it out fully and it is in Phil. 4. 4 5. Rejoyce in the Lord alway and again I say rejoyce Here the Apostle puts people to rejoyce to rejoyce in the Lord that is not onely in spiritual things but rejoyce in all Gods blessings in a spiritual way Now the men of the world when they are put upon it to rejoyce and again to rejoyce they think they know nor how to reioyce but by letting out their hearts without any bounds they know not how to keep any bounds But mark the words that follow Let your moderation be known unto all men As if the Apostle should say And would you rejoyce indeed truly and graciously and fully I exhort you to rejoyce and again to rejoyce Well then This is pleasing to the heart of a man we will give our selves liberty to rejoyce we will enlarge our selves in our joy I but saith the Apostle Let your moderation be known to all men though So that in that he adds this exhortation Let your moderation be known to all men it 's apparent that he means the joy in outward things as well as in spiritual things Let your moderation be known to all so that he doth not envy your rejoycing in your estate You may rejoyce in the comforts of this world that God hath given you But would you have true joy that that should glad your hearts indeed let your moderation be known to all men and do so bound your selves in your joy and let your hearts be so mortified to the world as that you may rejoyce in God even while you rejoyce in the outward blessings that God hath given to you And although many men may think this to be a mystery and scarce to be believed yet those who are truly godly find this by experience I appeal to you when have you had the greatest comfort and joy in your estates and comings in but at that time when you have found your hearts mortified to the world and that you could keep your selves in bounds If a man goes abroad and among company if he can keep his appetite in bounds and eat moderately he hath more comfort in his meat and drink than another man hath that eats excessively A man that eats and drinks moderately he preserves his health and by preserving his health he hath more sweetness in his meat and drink in a constant way than those that eat and drink immoderately and when a man hath been abroad among company and let out his heart profusely in way of laughter and merriment and all upon the merry pin why in the midst of this laughter his heart is even sad and when he comes home he comes home with a dead spirit He is like Nabal you know that when he was feasting his heart was merry but as soon as his drunkenness was gone from him his heart died like a stone Many Company-keepers that give liberty to themselves in jollity and mirth why the next day their hearts are even as dead as a stone and there 's a great deal of guilt upon their spirits and their consciences fly in their faces so that they have not so much joy in their spirits as those that can keep within bounds Those that can go in a sober way and meet with their neighbours and rejoyce one with another they when they come home can bless God for this their refreshing that they have had and the next morning their hearts are in a sweet and joyful frame The more we keep our selves in bounds in the use of the Creature the more comfort have we in the use of the Creature That 's the third way of a gracious hearts learning how to abound He learns how to enjoy the world by mortifying his heart to it and by keeping himself within bounds in the use of the Creature And then the Fourth way of mystery of the Godlies learning how to abound it is this He learns how to abound by getting all that he hath to be sanctified by the Word and Prayer It was one way of knowing how to want by having our afflictions sanctified to us and so it is the way to know how to abound Now this is a way that carnal hearts have little skill in they think they know how to abound by their natural wisdom I but the way that a gracious heart hath for abounding is this God
Delights he knows not how to deny himself in them but now a Man that hath another Life beyond this he can deny himself in these things 2 Cor. 14. 11. See what the Apostle saith there concerning himself For we saith he who live are alwayes delivered unto Death for Jesus sake that the Life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our Mortal Flesh Even this Mortal Flesh that must Die ere long in suffering for Christ here it doth manifest the Life of Christ And is it not a greater good to us to have our Mortal Flesh to manifest the Life of Christ than to have our Mortal Flesh to live here a Natural life We would be loath to have this flesh of our Bodies to be dead flesh While we are willing to suffer for Christ this flesh of ours doth manifest the very Life of Jesus Christ Therefore the Saints are dead to the World but they are alive to Jesus Christ But thus much for this first Part To me to live is Christ And to die is Gain To whom Christ is to live to them Death is gain The more we enjoy Christ and live to Christ here the more gainful will death be to us and the more shall we be able to look upon death as Gain And here we have a Scripture if we had no other sufficient to prove the Immortallity of the Soul How could death be Gain unto the Apostle if so be that the Soul should die together with the Body Indeed Christ would be Gain for another Life hereafter that is at the Day of Judgment there Christ would be Gain And those that do deny the Immortallity of the Soul yet they are not so vile as some take them To think that Man should Die like a Beast and there 's an end of him and that there shall be no Resurrection No But those that do deny the Immortallity of the Soul they say That though the Soul dies with the Body yet at the Day of Judgment both Soul and Body shall rise again and live for ever But all they deny is this That the Soul between Death and the Day of Judgment shall live They think that the Soul between Death and the Day of Judgment shall die and then by the Almighty Power of God they shall be both raised again That 's their Opinion But though it be not so bad as some would make it yet an Opinion false For this Text shews that Paul was in a straight he knew not whether to live or die but that was the conclusion that it was better for him to die for then he should be with Christ He could not mean that when he was dead he should be with Christ when the general Resurrection comes but he must needs mean that he should be with Christ immediately after his death and enjoy another manner of communion with Jesus Christ than he did here while he was living And it is upon this account that he saith It is gain for him to die Why Paul enjoyed much communion with Jesus Christ here and though he had some sin in him yet considering the Grace he had and the Service he did for Christ certainly it were better for him to live than to be in a condition where he should enjoy nothing of Christ and do no Service for Christ But the Apostle lookt upon the State of death before the day of Judgment to be a better Estate than that he had while he lived Though saith he I have the Grace of Christ and I do Service for Him yet there is a better condition between Death and Judgment If my Soul were gone from my Body it would be in a better Estate than now it is To me to die is gain and so you have it in 2 Cor. where the Apostle speaks of his departing out of the Body in Chap. 5. Therefore we are alwayes confident knowing that whilst we are at Home in the Body we are absent from the Lord. We are confident in verse 8. I say and willing rather to be absent from the Body and to be present with the Lord. So that 't is apparent that upon the Souls absence from the Body it is present with the Lord. Now if the Soul did die as the Body doth it were not present with the Lord no not so much as when it is in the Body But now the Apostle saith That when it is out of the Body then it 's present with the Lord and when it is in the Body it is absent from the Lord. And so it is upon this Ground especially that the Apostle saith That to him to die was Gain Because he should be absent from the Body but present with Christ which is best of all To be with Christ it is more than to have Christ with us The difference lies here For us to be with Christ it is for us to be brought to Christ where He is like Himself in all His Glory and Excellency and for us to enjoy Him in a proportionable way But now for Christ to be Immanuel God with us it is for Christ to come down as it were to us and to manifest so much of Himself as is sutable to our condition Therefore Christ humbles Himself to come to be with us For there He is a Man of Sorrows He is with us sutable to our Mean and Low condition but when we come to be with Him we are there sutable to His High and Glorious condition There lies the difference Mark The Apostle doth not here say To me to die is Gain Upon this Ground Because I shall be delivered from my Troubles As a great many are ready to think it were well for me to be Dead If they be but a little discountented their outward Trouble makes them willing to go out of the World Yea and if their Bodies be weakly and their Stomachs gone and cannot Eat as others do or Sleep as others do or are very Poor and Live in a mean Condition they are weary of this World Now to think death Gain upon such a poor Ground as these is not according to the Spirit of Paul Paul suffered as much as many of you do for outward things in this World and yet he did not desire to die O then I shall be Afflicted no more be Persecuted no more in the World no but when I die I shall be with Jesus Christ and shall enjoy Communion with Him and it 's this that makes me look upon Death with comfort and in this respect it's Gain Though Paul had enjoyed all the World at will yet he would have accounted Death to have been Gain to him And though Paul was a Man of great Esteem among the Saints though Persecuted by others yet death was Gain to him Yea though Paul enjoyed all Ordinances yet Christ was Gain to him And though he did a great deal of Service for Christ as I verily believe there was never any Man since the World was made did more Service for Jesus Christ
Conscience he lies beholding the Wrath of the Infinite God ready to swallow him up and his Conscience tearing and rending of him and so the black dismal bottomless Gulf ready to swallow him see the fiery Serpent sent from an Angry God twisting himself about his Middle with a Sting at his Heart ready to take away his Life that he might not Live any longer to Dishonour his God he lies cursing himself for his Wickedness and Folly and the Company that he hath Liv'd in and wishing that he had never been Born Now the Godly Man he lies blessing of the Name of God for His Goodness and in that God did shew to him in the time of his Life the things that concern his Eternal Peace He blesses God that ever he knew Him that ever he knew His Wayes He blesses God that the time of his departure is so near and he sees Jesus Christ ready to receive him and the Angels attending about him O the blessed day when I shall go to Enjoy an Immediate Full and Eternal Communion with Jesus Christ that is best of all And there he lies Encouraging all that comes to see him to know Christ and God betimes O here 's the difference between the death of the Godly and the death of the Wicked One is the greatest Terror and the other is the greatest Gain And my Brethren let these Things that I have now Spoken to you let them prepare you for Death and welcome Death whensoever it comes Do not think of what you must Leave in the World but what you are going to It is to go to Christ that is best of all And manifest the Power of those Things lay them up against such a time And let all that hath been said Teach you to be Godly to Prize Christ and the Gospel Here 's that will Recompence all Troubles and Afflictions you meet withal in the Wayes of God to be able upon your Death-Bed to say with Paul To me to Die is Gain It will Recompence whatever Pains you take in the Wayes of Religion And I appeal to you Do you think that there was ever any since the World began that was Sorry upon their Death-Bed that they had taken too much Pains in the Wayes of God There have been Thousands that have Cursed themselves for the neglecting of the day of Grace and Salvation but never sorry for taking so much Pains O no! When thou comest upon thy Death-Bed thou wilt have need of all and thou wilt bless God for any pains that thou hast taken for Christ Lay then this Sentence unto thy Heart it will Teach thee to Live and to Die And Certainly he must needs Live Joyfully whose Life is Christ And he must needs Die comfortably whose Death is Gain A Sermon Luke 10. 5 6. And into whatsoever House ye Enter first say Peace be to this House And if the Son of Peace be there your Peace shall Rest upon it If not it shall turn to you again THese Words are part of Christs Direction unto the Seventy Disciples that He sent forth to Preach the Gospel As Exod. 15. last We Read of Twelve Wells of Water and Threescore and Ten Palm Trees where Israel Encamped after their coming through the Red-Sea for their Refreshing So Christ sends forth His Twelve Apostles and Seventy Disciples for the Refreshing of the World with the glad Tidings of the Gospel There were Seventy I find many Interpreters keep much ado about the Number Austin and Jerom with others They say this Number hath Reference unto the Seventy several Languages of the World For they say That at the Confusion of Languages at Babel there were Seventy and so according in Proportion unto them Christ sends forth these Seventy These are but Surmises and many other such Guesses there are but particular Reason for the Number we have not Exprest in Scripture neither have we their Names We have the Apostles Names the Twelve but not these Seventy Some God is Pleased to make Men of Names Honourable in the World and leave their Names as Honourable Others the Lord Imploys in great Works and Services but their Names are Buried It is enough for these that Christ tells them in the 20th verse of this Chapter That their Names are Written in the Book of Life Let God Imploy us in His Work and Write our Names in the Book of Life it is no matter for to Name us in this World There are many remarkable things in Christs sending out of these Seventy As First He sends them forth by two and two so you have it in ver 1. of the Chap. to the end that they might be a mutual Support Comfort Encouragement Assistance one to another which is the Duty of all Ministers that God by His Providence shall Joyn together in any Service Secondly Christ tells them the great Work that they were sent about The Harvest truly is great saith He and the Labourers are but few I send you out into a Harvest which is a great Labour a useful Labour a joyful Work Isa 9. 3. Joy in the time of Harvest is the greatest Joy in the World It is a Harvest that you are sent into and it is a very great one and therefore you have Encouragement because there is so much Work to do In Mat. 9. latter end There it is said that Christ look'd upon the Multitude with Compassion and said The Harvest is great but the Labourers but few When Ministers look upon great Congregations Multitudes of People and especially such as come readily and willingly to hear the Word of God he should not look upon them without compassion as looking upon them as a great Harvest as much Work to be done there Yea in John 4. 34. After the Woman of Samaria and others were Converted as the first Fruits Christ tells the Disciples of the Regions that they were white unto Harvest As if He should say There are Multitudes here in this Place that are very ready to Entertain the Gospel A great Encouragement indeed it is when the Ministers of God shall see People so readily to attend upon the Word as they shall look upon the Regions as white unto Harvest that they are in a Preparation to receive the Word The Harvest is great saith Christ the Labourers are but few pray ye therefore the Lord of the Harvest that he will send forth Labourers into his Harvest There were Threescore and Ten sent out together and yet they were few and they must Pray for more It is the Duty of all People especially of Ministers to Pray to God that He will send forth more Painful Labourers And then Thirdly Christ tells them what Difficulties they are like to meet withal in their Work Go your wayes saith He in ver 3. Behold I send you forth as Lambs among Wolves you are to be as I am of Lamb-like Dispositions Innocent among People where you Live But know before-hand lest you be Discouraged with those Difficulties you
them They shall be exceeding Gainers Your Peace shall abide upon them But If not If there be any that are not appointed to it or that attend not upon it that are not Obedient unto it Then your Peace shall turn to you again What 's that That is First This is by way of Encouragement unto the Disciples And Secondly By way of Threatning unto those that shall Reject the Offers of the Gospel First To the Disciples Two wayes First Though their Ministry should not do good to Souls yet they should not be Losers but the Blessing of the Peace shall return into their own Bosoms Look what Good they endeavoured to do to the People they Preached unto if they did not receive it then this Good should return upon their own Hearts they should get by it themselves Secondly Which I think to be as much intended as the former and that 's this Your Ministry the Ministry of your Peace For so this Peace is It shall return to you That is It shall be of as much Vigour Strength Power and Efficacy to be carried to others as it was at the first They may think thus If we do go and Preach to a People and shall be Rejected then our Ministry is like to be vile For if one shall Reject us it 's like another will It is so indeed in matters of the World if a worldly Business receive any Foil in one it 's more like to receive a Foil in another But saith Christ be not you troubled about this but if you should Preach to any People where you should have any to Reject your Ministry it should return to you again it shall have as much Efficacy and Power as if it never had been rejected when you go to carry it to another People Whatsoever Disrespect is cast upon the Ministers or upon their Ministry yet as the Apostle saith The Word of God is not bound Though we are bound though the Ministry prevails not in one People yet it retains the power of it as much as if it had never been Rejected And as for those that do Reject it let them know First That they shall have no Blessing of that Peace Secondly Let them know that it shall not continue long among them No not in the Ministry of it but that God will deal very quick with them for if they will not receive it it shall return to you again And thus you have both the Scope and the Dependance and the meaning of these words read unto you Now then there are many Observations of Excellent Note unto us As from Ver. 5. Into whatsoever House ye enter first say Peace be to this House Observ 1. First That the Ministers of the Gospel ought to be Men of Gentle and Fair Loving Dispositions First say Peace be to this House Observ 2. That Ministers of the Gospel ought to Bless the People among whom they come say Peace be to them Observ 3. The great Errand and Business a Minister comes about to a People it is to bring Peace to them Observ 4. That a Minister hath Warrant and Commission to offer peace to any place wheresoever he comes let them be what they will be he hath a Commission from Christ to offer peace to them Observ 5. That the first thing a Minister is to do in his Preaching it is to offer Peace first say Peace before any thing else And these are the Five Notes of Observation from Ver. 5. Now then from Ver. 6. And if the Son of Peace be there From hence there 's this Observ 1. First Note That when God sends the Ministers of the Gospel unto a place it is very probable that there are some appointed for the good of it that there will be some Sons of Peace there Observ 2. That those that do entertain the Gospel they are The Sons of Peace Obser 3. Whosoever are Sons of Peace shall certainly have all the Blessing of the Peace of the Gospel to rest upon them Obser 4. Yet sometimes where God sends the Ministry of the Word it is rejected If not and Gods Ministers must expect it Obser 5. Wheresoever it is Rejected those certainly are Deprived of the Benefit of the Gospel If not it shall return to you again Observ 6. That those that are Faithful Ministers shall not lose their Labour though they should not Convert Souls to God It shall return Observ 7. And then lastly Those that shall reject the Gospel are not like to enjoy it long God will deal with them very quick If not your Peace shall return to you again and there 's an end of them saith God These are the several Notes of Observation out of this Direction of Christ to the Disciples for their Preaching And into whatsoever House ye enter first say Peace be to that House First You see how Ministers of the Gospel should come to a place with gentleness and chearfulness and manifest a sweetness of Spirit in coming to any place and so to gaine upon people that way In Lev. 24 2. The Lamps in the Temple were to be of pure Oyle Olive beaten to note that the Lights that God sets up in his Church should be of peaceable and gentle Spirits of sweet Spirits You know that the Olive it is the emblem of peace and sweetness So in Rev. 12. 4. The Two Witnesses there which especially are the Ministers of the Gospel they are said to be the Two Olive Branches Those who Christ sends especially to witness to himself and unto his Truth they are to be Olive Branches Men of peaceable and gentle and loving dispositions So we find that the Apostle St. Paul saith concerning himself 1 Thes 2. 7. But we were gentle among you even as a nurse cherisheth her children So in 2 Tim. 2. 24. The servant of the Lord must not strive but be gentle unto all men apt to teach patient in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves if God peradventure will give a general repentance to the acknowledging of the truth And this must be first Because that God in whose Name they come is the God of Peace Secondly Christ whose Embassadors they are is the Prince of Peace And Thirdly The Spirit of God by whose assistance they Preach is set out by the Dove that they say hath no Gall it was wont to be said of Beza that he was a man without any Gall. And the Gospel that is their Message that 's a Gospel of Peace and the end that they are to aime at in their Ministry it is to bring peace to mens Souls And besides sometimes there is a necessity for Ministers to preach things that are hard unto people things that they think to be very hard and grievous unto them though their main scope be the Gospel of Peace yet there are many things that belong to their Commission that seem to be very hard to people As the opening of their lost and miserable condition by Nature and the like and to
at the Goodness of God whereas He might have Curst thee and sent thee long since down to thine own place yet He doth give His Ministers charge to offer peace to thy Soul Think thus The Lord in this hath done more to me than He hath done to all those Thousand Millions of Angels that sinn'd against Him Those that were once glorious Angels and did sin against God the Lord took Advantage against them for their first sin and upon that cast them down into Chains of eternal Darkness and did resolve that He would never so much as enter into a Plea about any Condition of Peace with them to all Eternity This was the Way of God towards the Angels that did sin against Him that are now Devils O you that think the Lord to be a God of Mercy altogether do but consider of this and consider to Tremble before Him that God should take Advantage against Millions of Angels for so they were For we read in Scripture that Legions of Devils were in one man and they were once Angels and they did but commit one sin against God and the Lord would not Plea with them about Terms of Peace But mark now The same God that was so severe against Angels that were His own Creatures as well as thou and were more glorious Creatures and committed but one sin yet would never enter into any Terms of peace with them this God is not only willing to Treat with thy Soul to be at peace with thee but He sends forth His Messengers unto thee to Treat in His Name and doth give them command that when they come to thee they should offer Terms of peace to thy Soul Admire at this thou that hast not been guilty of one sin but of Thousands thou that hast Liv'd like a Monster in the place where thou hast Liv'd and hast liv'd in Rebellion against the Lord yet He doth give Command to His Ministers to offer peace to thee I say stand and admire at this when thou goest Home lay it to thy Heart O that the Great God should so Condescend to me rather than to Angels He doth so this day and in His Name I say according to the Text Peace be to every Soul that shall yet come in and return yet come and repent whatsoever they have been whether thou mayst live to have any further offer of peace or no the Lord knows It is an Offer that thou hast this day Look to thy self come in for there are many things in the Text that might put you on For if there be not a Son of Peace this Peace will turn back again Observ 5. But the last Point of all is this That Ministers of the Gospel are when they come to a place to say First Peace be to this place It should be the first Message that they should declare they should begin with this And there is a great deal of Emphasis in this word First say First So we read of John Baptist his first Sermon was this Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand And likewise the First Sermon of Christ in Mat. 4. 16 17. And again the Apostles you shall read of them Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand The First Sermon of John Baptist of Christ and of the Apostles was this Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand And the First Sermon that the Seventy Disciples was to Preach was Peace And in this the Lord deals with sinners according to the Order He gave in Deut. 20. 10. The Lord required that the First thing the Children of Israel should do when they came against a City it was to proclaim peace And we read of Alexander the First thing that he did was to set up a Lamp and his White Colours and to Proclaim That whosoever did come in before that Lamp was out should have his Life and Peace So when the Lord sends Ministers of the Gospel to any place he sets up a Lamp in that place and the First thing that He would have done it is to Proclaim to all People to come in that so they might have Peace And it is to be done in the First place First Because the Bowels of Gods Compassions are very strong and Gods Mercy lies at His Heart uppermost and therefore that is most ready and He is most ready to vent it That 's the most proper Work of God that He doth delight to Vent His Mercy Jer. 9. 24. Secondly Because that when the Offer of Peace is that hath a great deal of power to work upon the hearts of People Now the Lord therefore would have that done at First that is like most to prevail We know that People at First when a Minister comes amongst them they are set upon Novelties now it is good to take advantage of that their Humour and when they are hearkning after Novelty that they should come to have some principal Doctrine of Salvation to be secretly Instill'd into them that they should Drink in that before they are aware So the Lord uses to work upon Mens Self-love Every Creature loves it self and therefore the Lord sees that it is a good advantage to work upon Mens self-love to offer terms of Peace And the truth is that is it that gains the Heart of a Sinner And God will out-bid the World and Devil and Flesh What do they offer any thing that may delight you saith God I will out-bid them all Christ out-bids the World and Devil in offering unto sinners a greater Good than World or Devil can possibly bring unto them And indeed this offer of Peace doth out-bid the World that is doth proffer a greater Good to a sinner than World or Devil can possibly proffer to them Nay then saith the Soul if I see that I may have a greater good by Repenting and Believing than by going on in my sin I will go that way I will rather attend upon the Word for I hear of great things that are there about Reconciliation between God and man Now this is the way to take the Hearts of men and it is the way to break them of their stoutness and stubbornness For certainly every man naturally hath a very stout and stubborn Heart against God Therefore if First he be opposed he will be ready to rise against God and against His Truths and against His Servants Therefore it is good to come First with those things that their Hearts may close with all that so they may be in a more preparation that they may hearken to what the Lord shall reveal after as necessary unto them But you will say If it be thus Why is it then that Ministers do Preach so much of our miserable Condition in which we are The answer is It 's true at First there should be a tender of peace and I make no question but you have had it so here But now it 's true before the full Doctrine of Reconciliation with God is to be opened
there was a certain Woman one poor Woman called Lydia and it pleased God to open her Heart Certainly If God had opened the Hearts of any other they would have been mentioned as well And you shall find that Paul had very ill Entertainment among the rest of the Multitude ver 22. And the Multitude rose up together against them see what Entertainment he had and the Magistrates Rent off their Clothes and Commanded to Beat them And when they had laid many Stripes upon them they cast them into Prison charging the Jayler to keep them safely Who having received such a charge thrust them into the Inner Prison and made their Feet fast in the Stocks Here 's the Man that had such a mighty Call of God by a Vision from Heaven and yet you see how his Ministry doth prevail Thus you see that the Gospel may be sent to Places and that by a strange Work of Gods Providence and yet a very few Imbrace it yea it may be Rejected by the greatest part I might shew unto you Examples of the same kind And just as it was with the Apostles so it was with the Prophets As those Three Famous Prophets Isaiah Jeremiah and Ezekiel See the working of Isaiah's Ministry in Isa 53. Who hath believed our Report and to whom is the Arm of the Lord Revealed We come and Preach things to the People and they come and hear us and think they are very strange things that they hear the Minister say but they do not believe it Who doth believe it Yea you know that the Lord doth Complain that He did streach out His Hands even all the Day Isa 65. 2. I have spread out my Hands all the Day unto a Rebellious People which Walketh in a Way that is not good after their own Thoughts I spread out my Hands That is I come in my Ministry saith God by His Prophet and I there open the Arms of my Mercy and open the Riches of my Grace to their Souls but they Walk in Wayes that are not good And what Wayes were they According to their own Thoughts Look what their own Thoughts are and what is most pleasing to them They more regard their own Thoughts than all those Blessed and Glorious Truths that are made known unto them in the Ministry of the Word And as for Jeremiah you have it in Chap. 20. ver 8. you have very strange kind of Expressions about him Since I spake I cried out I cried Violence and Spoil because the Word of the Lord was made a Reproach unto me and a Derision daily O the Word of the Lord was made a Reproach and a Derision to Jeremiah And for Ezekiel do but read Chap. 2. of that Prophesie and there you shall find that God tells him before-hand that He did send him to a Rebellious House yea God told him that he should Live among Bryars and Thorns And yet it is observable That this Prophet Ezekiel did Prophesie in the time of their Captivity was sent unto the People of Israel when they were in Captivity One would have thought that in the time of their Affliction that if ever they would have attended to the Word of the Lord then they would No But in the time when they were in Captivity when God had fulfilled the words that were Threatned by the former Prophets though they saw how God had made good His Words by the former Prophets yet they continued a Rebellious People O this was an extream thing It was not so much for them to reject Jeremiah that did Prophesie of their Captivity I he tells us of nothing but Judgments but we hope God is a more Merciful God and upon that perhaps they rejected Him I but surely when they were in Captivity now they should one would have thought acknowledged that to the Lord belongs Glory but to us nothing but Shame and Confusion No But yet their Hearts continued hard as a Brick in the Fire it is harder for the Fire and so were their Hearts in the time of their Affliction I shall not need to Instance in any further particulars it is clear that God sends the Ministry of the Gospel to places sometimes where it may be it will be rejected Now for the Opening of the Point there are these Two things I intended First How it comes to pass that it is Rejected or why Men do Reject the Gospel Secondly What 's the Reason that God will send it to those places that He knows before-hand that it will not be Entertain'd The Lord sends the Ministry of Peace the Offer of Peace by Jesus Christ to Souls and yet they do not regard it but cast it off Because indeed First The generallity of People they do not know God they do not know that they have to deal with an Infinite and Glorious God in all their wayes they do not know whom it is that they have sinned against and therefore do not understand their danger and upon this the Ministry of the Gospel is but a dry thing unto them Whereas did but the Souls of Men and Women understand what an Infinite and a Glorious Majesty they had to deal withal and thereby what a dreadful thing it is to have the Wrath of God to be revealed to their Souls they would hearken to the Ministry of the Word That this is the Reason it appears in John 15. 20 21. Saith Christ to his Disciples Remember the Word that I said unto you The Servant is not greater than the Lord If they have Persecuted me they will also Pesecute you If they have kept my saying they will keep yours also But now Mark ver 21. But all these things will they do unto you for my Names sake because they know not Him that sent me Here 's the Reason why they will do thus unto you they will be far from entertaining of you but will rather oppose you Why Because they know not Him that sent me As if He should say Did they but know Him that sent me did they but know what a God the Lord is what the Father is what an Infinite Majesty and dreadful Deity they have to deal withal did they but understand that certainly they would not cast you out But they will not entertain you Because they know not Him that sent me Secondly There is nothing that doth discover more the Vileness of sin than the Gospel O the Gospel being Preached aright I say nothing in the World can discover the hainousness of sin the Vileness the Abominable Nature of sin more than the Gospel All the Terrors of the Law and the Curses of the Law cannot discover so much of the dreadfulness of the Evil of sin as the Gospel And we know that Men that love their sin cannot endure that which doth discover the Evil of it But you will say How doth the Gospel discover so much of the Evil of sin Certainly You may see more of the evil of sin by the Ministry of the Gospel
an Offer to them of the Blessed things of Christ to enter into his Rest for so it is apparent that the Apostle doth apply it to the Blessed things of the Gospel If I say when the Lord shall discover these things unto them they shall not Enter into this Rest but they shall pretend a great many difficulties O the Way is so strict and hard and they shall suffer so much and upon this do refuse the Land of Canaan the Blessed things of Jesus Christ then is the time if ever to Swear against a Soul that it shall never be made partaker of Jesus Christ Now then I had thought to have opened the Point further in three Particulars First to shew what the dealings of God doth use to be with such in what way he deals so quick with them Secondly the Reasons of it and Thirdly to have Answered some Objections about this but I shall give you but a Word or two of each and so come to the Application For the First The way of Gods dealing with such it is either as you heard the last Day to take away the Ministry from them that he doth sometimes or if not so the Lord passes a sentence against them They shall not taste of my Supper and so a man may live a long time under the Ministry of the Word under a Sentence Or further That sometimes the Lord gives him up to himself to his own hearts lusts for this the Gospel is the Counsel of God for so it is called in one of the Evangelists Now mark what Gods dealings was with those that rejected but his Counsels in Psalm 81. I gave them up to their own hearts lusts and they walked in their own counsels And that famous place in Rom. 1. from the middle of it there the Apostle shews that those that did reject but the very light of Nature God gave them up to a Reprobate sense much more those that shall reject the light of the Gospel that 's the way of God to give them up sometimes to the power of their sin as if God should say they will have none of Christ nor of my Grace and Mercy their Hearts are set upon their Lusts Lust take them such a lust of uncleanness take them such an earthly Lust take full possession of them The Lord gives them up to their own Hearts Lusts the Lord saith of them He that will be filthy let him be filthy still as you have it in Revelations the last he that will be filthy let him be filthy and let him have the satisfying of his Lusts to the uttermost And sometimes it is to cut them off by some extraordinary and fearful Judgment the Lord many times appears most dreadfully against them The Reasons that should have spent me a great part of the time and it might very well require a whole Exercise to have Opened to you why the Lord is so provok'd against this Sin rather than another Sin whatsoever it be For the Opening of the great Evil that there is in the Sin of Unbelief and Rejection of the Gospel you that understand any thing must needs know that it must require a very large time to open it all But in a very few Particulars take them thus You that reject the Gospel you sin against the greatest Mercy that ever God tendred to Creatures he never tendred such a Mercy to the Angels that sinned against him as to you Indeed here are the bowels of Gods mercy as the Scripture calls them the tender bowels of Gods mercy Now to sin against the Gospel it is to spurn at the very Bowels of God Many men speak of Mercy and desire to hear much of Mercy O but you had need look to your selves when you hear much of Mercy for when you hear of Mercy your Souls lye at the stake one way or other God deals more quick with those that hear much of Mercy than he doth with others One Sermon of Mercy rejected may send a man nearer to Hell by far than ten Sermons of Judgment Though you should not reform after many Sermons of Judgment yet they do not make your condition so dangerous as one Sermon of Mercy and therefore you had need at any time when you hear Mercy Opened to you you had need have your Hearts shake the more and tremble to think thus Lord here 's a Sermon upon which my Soul doth more lye than it may be Ten Sermons before yea perhaps than any that ever I heard in all my life Thou comest to hear a Sermon of Mercy and goest away and sayest O what an Excellent Sermon is this it was a Sermon of the most Mercy that ever I heard in my life I say Was it so then thy Soul lay more upon that Sermon than upon any that ever thou heardest in thy life Mercy is such an Attribute which God doth put such a price upon that it is resolved he will revenge the Wrong done to his Mercy Whatsoever God doth bear with he is resolved he will not bear the Abuse of his Mercy and therefore you had need look to it when you come to hear of Mercy especially the Mercy of the Gospel There is a great deal of Mercy in Gods Works I but when he comes to Preach Jesus Christ to thee there 's Mercy of another Nature there look to thy self If thou dost dally and trifle with Gods Mercy then thy condition will be most Dreadful I 'll name these one or two Arguments to thee because when thou sinnest against the Offer of the Gospel then thou sinnest against the help of thy Soul the means to do thee good The preaching of the Gospel it is as a Board after Shipwrack for every poor Soul is as a man that hath suffered Shipwrack and he is in the midst of the Sea upon a Board of the Ship and there 's all his help Now were it not a mad thing for this man to put off this Plank from him when he hath no other help Now we are ready to be swallowed up of the Sea of Gods Wrath and now God casts in a Plank to waft us to the Shore if possibly may be Or rather thus The Offer of the Gospel it is like the casting of a Rope into a River unto a man that is in danger of Drowning There is a man that is fallen into the Thames and you cannot get him up but you will get a line and throw it into the place where he sunk and there is no way for him to be Sav'd but only that Now if such a man put off the time from him what help can there be of that man Thus it is all Men and Women naturally they are even ready to sink into the Bottomless Gulf of Eternal Misery this is thy condition Now the Lord in Mercy sends his Ministers to come and make an Offer of the Gospel and cast a line to Congregations and make this Proclamation In the Name of God every Soul that will