then it runneth most freely and plentifully None might approach the King of Persia's Court in sackcloth and mourning Est 4.2 but no wandring sinner may draw near to the King of Heaven without it Aut paenitendum aut pereundum Except ye repent ye shall perish God is resolved to break the sinners heart on earth or his back in hell He will have the wound search'd and the pain of it felt before it be bound up and cured The wicked Prodigal must come to his Father with compunction in his soul as well as confession in his mouth Look therefore O sinner into the book of thy conscience and read over the black lines that still are in thy cursed heart and the bloody leaves of thy wicked life how long thou hast lived to little purpose yea to the killing of thy soul for ever how farre thou hast been from accomplishing the end for which thou wast born and the errand for which thou wast sent into the world Keep a petty Assize in thy heart preferre a large Bill of Indictment against thy self accuse and condemn thy self not only verbally but cordially if ever thou wouldst have Christ to acquit thee Thou hast spent many years in sinning and shouldst thou not spend some hours in sorrowing Thou didst make the soul of Jesus Christ sorrowful unto death shall not therefore thy soul be sorrowful when thy sorrow may be unto life Did the Rocks rent when he died for sin shall not thy rocky heart that thou hast lived 〈◊〉 sin He bled for thee and wilt not thou weep for thy self Thou hast filled Gods a Iob 14.17 Bag with thy fins and hast thou no tears for his b Psal 46.8 Bottle Hast thou so long broken the holy Commandements of God and shall not thy heart now at last be broken The damned feel sin it lyeth heavy on their souls couldst thou lay thy ear to the mouth of that bottomlesse pit thou mightst perceive by their yellowings and howlings that sin is sin in hell how lightly soever it is regarded by men upon earth The Lord Jesus felt sin Hadst thou been in the garden and seen his blessed body all over in a goar blood beheld those drops yea clods of blood that trickled down his face surely thou wouldst have believed that it was some heavy weight indeed which caused such a bloody sweat in a cold winter night And art not thou yet weary and heavy laden Do I speak to a man or a beast to a living creature or to a rock that will never be moved If thou hast a disease in thy body thou canst greive and complain and why not for the diseases of thy soul Are not they farre more deadly more dangerous If thou losest a child O what crying and roaring what wringing of hands and watering of cheeks nay if thou losest a place of profit an house or a beast thou canst mourn and think of it often with sorrow And doth it not greive thee that thou hast lost not thy child or cattel but thy Christ thy Saviour thy Soul thy God to eternity If thou missest a good bargain that was offered thee whereby thou mightst increase thy estate or if thou buyest or hirest at too dear a rate how dost thou beshrew and befool thy self for it Hast thou not ten thousand times more cause to be really and highly displeased with thy self and to abhor thy self in dust and ashes that thou shouldst have all the riches and glory and pleasures of the eternal Kingdom tendered to thee with many intreaties and yet thou hast refused them for the lying vanities of this world and for the pleasures of sin which are but for a season Thou hast denyed Heavens happinesse for a bubble a butterfly all things for nothing Did ever any fool buy so dear and sell so cheap Like Saul busie himself in seeking Asses when a Kingdom sought him Like Shimei seek his servant and thereby lose himself No fool like the sinner that embraceth a shadow which will certainly flee from him and neglecteth the substance which endureth to eternity Honorius the Emperor hearing that Rome was lost cried Alas alas very mournfully fearing it had been his hen so called which he exceedingly loved but hearing it was the famous City of Rome that was become a prey to his cruel enemies he made a tush at it Thus too too many can greive sufficiently for the losse of vanities riches but not at all for the losse of God and Christ and enduring felicities Well Friend repent timely and truly of this thy folly for I must tell thee shortly it will be too late if repentance be hid from thy heart now repentance will be hid from Gods eye then by whose Law thou art now a condemned man already if thy heart be hardened now in sinning the heart of God will ere long be hardened in sentencing thee to an eternity of suffering It is an infinite mercy that God yet alloweth thee liberty for second thoughts that notwithstanding thou hast shipwracked thy soul yet thou mayst swim out safe upon the plank of repentance O therefore think no pains too great to break thy stony heart it is worth the while when free grace hath promised a vast reward to that heaven-born work Hadst thou once offered up to God the sacrifice of a spirit truly sorrowful out of love to God and self-loathing because of fin I could tell thee as good as joyful news as ever thine ears heard The Father of mercies and God of comforts will be reconciled to thee in the Lord Jesus Thy prayers for pardon and life will pierce Gods ears and find acceptance if they proceed from a broken heart from sincere repentance A penitent tear is a messenger that never went away without a satisfactory answer Prayers with such tears are prevalent yea in Luthers phrase omnipotent Musick upon the waters sounds most pleasantly Thou hast heard the voice of my weeping saith David Psal 6.8 Augustus Caesar having promised a great reward to any that could bring him the head of a famous Pirate did yet when the Pirate heard of it and brought it himself and laid it at his feet Suet. in vit not only pardon but teward him for his confidence in his mercy As * Plutarch in vâ—t Alex. Antipater was answered by Alexander Thou hast written a long Letter against my Mother but dost thou not know that one tear of hers will wash out all her faults When the returning sinner weeps the tender-hearted Father smi es As he rejoyceth and laugheth at obstinate sinners destruction and ruine Quodâ— Deus loquiâ—ur cum risu tu legas cum fletu Aug. Proverbs 1.26 so he rejoyceth and smileth at the penitent sinners conversion He will do something for an hypocritical humiliation to assure us that he will do any thing upon a sincere humiliation Seest thou saith God how Ahab humbleth himself this judgement shall not be in his dayes but in his Sons
drinks up his spirits Psal 38 3. Job 6.4 what wil their condition then be against whom God shall stir up all his wrath Psal 78.39 Hell is said to be prepared for the Divel and his Angels Matth. 25.41 as if the Almighty and infinite God had sate down and studied the most exquisite torments that could be to inflict on them As when he would glorifie the riches of his mercy on them that love him and keep his commands he provideth fulnesse of joy and greater pleasures than the heart of man can possibly conceive So when he would glorifie his Justice in the highest degree on them that hate him and wilfully break his Laws he prepareth fulnesse of sorrow and greater pain then any yea then all the men in the world can possibly comprehend A melancholy man may fancy saith one vast and terrible fears fire sword Dr. Reynolds on Hos 14. p. 23. of Sermon 1. tempests wracks furnaces scalding-lead boyling pitch running bell-metal and being kept alive in all these to feel their torment but these come far short of the wrath of God for first there are bounds set to the hurting power of the creature the fire can burn but it cannot drown the serpent can sting but not teare in pieces 2. The fears of the heart are bounded within those narrow apprehensions which it self can frame of the hurts which may be done But the wrath of God proceeds from an infinite justice and is executed by an Omnipotent and unbounded power comprising all the terror of all the creatures as the Sun doth all other light eminently and excessively in it It burns and drowns and tears and stings and can make nature feel much more than reason is able to comprehend A wounded spirit who can beare Prov. 18. 14. The wise man gives a challenge to the whole creation to find out a person that is strong enough to undergo such a burden and certainly none ever dared to accept the challenge How intolerable hath such a weight been to them that are Lyons for strength and courage This caused Davids broken bones and watered couch This made Heman at his wits end Psal 88.15 This made Spira that seven years monument of Gods justice In his sincere convert as Mr. Shepherd calls him to roare so horribly out of anguish of spirit This made Daniel choose rather to be cast to the cruel Lyons then to carry about with him such a ravenous Lyon in his conscience This made some of the Martyrs to feel a very hell in their consciences after their recantation no wolfe in the breast no worm in the bowels no phrensie so out-ragious as a gnawing corroding conscience If the wrath of a King be as the roaring of a Lyon O what is the wrath of God! and if his wrath be so terrible in this world where there is ever some mixture of mercy with it what will it be in the other world when the soul shall have a cup of pure wrath to drink when God shall shew the unconceiveablenesse of his strength in tormenting the creature Primamors animam nolentem pellit á corpore Secunda noâ—entem retinet in corpore Aug. de civit dei lib. 21. cap. 3. and preserving it to feel those torments Who knoweth the power of his anger Psal 90.11 there will be tribulation and anguish indignation and wrath on the soul of every man that doth evil Rom. 2.8 9. There is fire to burn and brimstone to choak Matth 13.40 and chains to bind and serpents to sting and worms to gnaw Mark 9.44 Jude 12. and darknesse to affright there is variety universality and extremity of torments * Aug ibid l. 21. c. 13. Austine admires it and saith that for vehemency of heat it exceeds our fire as much as ours doth fire painted on the wall But the sufferings of thy soul will be the soul of thy sufferings the worme that never dyeth will be the killing death when thou shalt remember all thy former sinful pleasures of which nothing remaineth but thy present shame and pain when thou shalt reflect upon the former offers thou hast had of all the dainties which others feed on in heaven and despair now of ever obtaining the least crumb that falleth from the Masters table when thou shalt fore-see the great and terrible day of the Lord Jesus the re-uniting of thy body to thy soul the easelesse and endlesse torments which soul and body must endure together Memoria praeteritorum sensus prasenaium metus futurorum are the whole of the souls torments thy sins past will horribly perplex thee thy present shame will lamentably confound thee thy future tortures will unspeakably affright thee O it will be a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God! Heb. 12. ult one touch of it made a man at arms to cry out sadly Have pity upon me my friends have pity upon me for the hand of God hath touched me Job 19.21 One blow of it broke the backs of the Angels Jude 6. Alas sinner what wilt thou do under the whole weight of it how will thy heart endure or thy hands be strong in this day that the Lord shall thus deale with thee the Lord hath spoken it and he will do it Ezek. 22.14 Now thou canst hear and read and talk of hell and be no more troubled then Physicians are at the many diseases which affect their Patients nay it may be thou dost jear when thou shouldst fear like Leviathan Credo quae de inferit dicuntur falsa existimas said Cato to Caesar laugh at the shaking of this spear if a Minister come to thee as Lot to his Sons in-law and warn thee to leave the Sodome of thy sinful sensual life and tell thee that otherwise the Lord will destroy thee that fire and brimstone will be thy portion he seemeth to thee as Lot to them Gen. 19.14 as one that mocketh thou thinkest that he is in jest but they feel what they would not feare now they are suffering the vengeance of eternal fire Jude 7. and so wilt thou if God prevent it not by renewing thy heart and reforming thy life And though now thou art so senselesse that the seat thou fittest in and the pillar thou leanest on are as much affected with the threatenings and denunciation of the judgements of God as thou art yet then thou wilt be sensible enough and thine eyes so dry now will weep enough when they come to that place where is nothing but weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth Matth. 24.51 As the love of God is a known unknown love Ephes 3.18 19. none know it fully but they that enjoy it in glory so the anger of God is a known unknown anger Psal 90.11 none can know it perfectly but they that shall feel it eternally 2. It will be full in regard of duration all thy sad losses and all thy sorrowful gains will be for ever there was nothing else wanting to make thee
Christian mourn in some wildernesse till Dooms-day dig thy grave there with thy nails weep buckets full of hourly tears till thou canst weep no more fast and pray till thy skin and bones cleave together promise and purpose with full resolution to be better nay reform thy head heart life and tongue and some nay all fins live like an Angel shine like a Sun walk up and down the world like a distressed pilgrim going to another Countrey so that all Christians commend and admire thee die ten thousand deaths lie at the fire-back in hell so many millions of years as there be piles of grasse upon the earth or sands upon the sea-shore or stars in the firmament or motes in the Sun I tell thee not one spark of the wrath of God against thy sin shall be can be quenched by all these duties nor by any of these sorrowes for these are not the blood of Christ It is both unacceptable and unprofitable for thee to approach God either in himself or in thy self I dare not meddle with an absolute God saith Luther Nolo Deum ab olutum Luth. God in himself is a consuming fire but in his Son a loving father Do thou therefore now thou knowest thy self and sin labour to know Jesus Christ and him crucified 1 Cor. 2.2 And count all things dung and drosse for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus thy Lord Phil. 3.8 Read and pray and weep and pant and thirst that thou maiest be found in him not having thy own righteousness which is according to the law but that which is through the faith of him the righteousnesse which is of God by faith Phil. 3.9 Take a view of him in the Gospel where he is crucified before thine eyes and behold him displayed in both his natures and all his offices and therein his suitablenesse unto and sufficiency for all the wants and necessities of thy dying soul Doest thou see a cloud of judgments gathering apace and ready to pour down on thy head run to him for shelter he is both a shadow from the heat and a shelter from the storm Is thy conscience wounded with thy sins hasten to the wounds of thy Saviour by his stripes thou maiest be healed Isa 53. Do the murdering pieces of the Laws curses threaten to destroy thee flie like the distressed Dove to the clifts of the rock of ages the bored hands and feet the pierced side of the blessed Redeemer there thy soul may be sure of safety He is the onely Ark wherein thou maiest be saved when the whole world that lyeth in wickedness shall be drowned shall be damned He is the little Zoar whither thou mayst retire and thy soul shall live when fire and brimstone yea hell * Gehenna è caelo Salv. shall be rained from heaven on ungodly ones He is the true City of refuge wherein thou mayst assuredly escape the wrath of God which like the avenger of blood pursueth thee An hearty thankful acceptation of Jesus Christ as he is tendered in the Gospel will at the day of judgement be a plea as acceptable unto God and profitable unto thee as perfect subjection to all the commands of the Law Consider how full his merits are he is en horn of salvation Luke 1.69 i. e. strong to save the strength of the noble beasts lying in their horns * 'T is a folly to think that an Emperors Revenues will not pay a beggars debts Christ hath undertook to satisfie and he hath mony enough to pay Free grace can shew you large accounts and a long bâ—ll cancelled by the blood of Christ Mr. Manton on Jam. p. ult There is no sinner so black but the blood of this Saviour can make white Rev. 7.14 There are some diseases which other Physicians cannot cure but he healeth all diseases All are dangerously but none desperately sick whom he undertaketh Thou owest a vast debt to Justice but the Lord Jesus is an able Surety He is able to save to the uttermost those that come unto God by him Heb. 7.25 O what is it that thou wantest which perfect righteousnesse and infinite meritoriousnesse cannot procure Do'st thou want Remission God forgiveth sin for Christs sake Ephes 4. ult The blood of Jesus Christ his Son clenseth form all sin 1 John 1.7 He was a great sinner as Luther observeth by imputation that thou might'st be innocent through condonation and pardon * Themistocles appeased the anger of K. Admetus by holding the Kings young son in his armes so doth the Christian appease the beholding his Son in the arms of faith Dost thou want reconciliation with God He maketh peace through the blood of his Cross Coloss 1.20 God is in Christ reconciling the world to himself 2 Cor. 5.20 He endured his Fathers frowns and fury that thou might'st enjoy his smiles and favour Dost thou want sanctification His blood is sanctifying as well as justifying Heb. 9.14 He did not only buy off thy score of guilt but also purchast a new stock of grace for his bank-rupt creature to set up with again The oyl of grace was abundantly poured on the Churches head that it might fall down on the skirts and members Of his fulnesse thou mayst receive grace for grace Joh. 1.16 Dost thou want salvation He hath the power and gift of eternal life Joh. 10.28 John 17.24 He is the Authour of eternal salvation Heb. 5.9 Thou mayst have boldnesse through the blood of Jesus to enter into the holy of holies Heb. 10.19 20. He paid an infinite summe to purchase the Fathers house for thine everlasting home What ever thy need be he is able to supply it for he is an universal Treasure which can never be spent a Spring that can never be drawn dry In him dwelleth the fulnesse of the God-head bodily Col. 2.9 Consider also how free his mercy is as well as his merits full Thou mayst drink of the water of life freely Rev. 22.17 If thou wilt buy his benefits thou must leave thy mony behind thee His wine and milk is to be had without mony and without price Isa 55.2 Do not hold off thinking to carry worthinesse to Christ but believe on him and thou mayst fetch worthiness from Christ The same free-grace which gave Christ for thee without thy prayer will at thy desire give Christ to thee Do not alwayes lie poring upon thy unworthiness but if thou art sensible of it and sorrowful for it believe it thou art worthy enough to Divine acceptation though not to Divine satisfaction As his Omnipotency answereth thy weakness and his fulness thy wants so doth his free-grace all thy unworthiness The natural Sun doth not inlighten more freely then this Sun of Righteousness doth enliven all that come under the shadow of his wings Ponder how universal his offers of grace are Jesus Christ with all his merits are tendered to all The proposals of Divine mercy and love are general and universal Go preach the
Gospel observe to every creature He that believeth shall be saved Ho every one that thirsteth Isa 55.1 If any man let him be poor or rich high or low thirst let him come to me and drink John 7.37 'T is a great encouragement that in the offers of pardon and life none are excluded why then shouldst thou exclude thy self Come to me all ye that are weary and heavy-laden Matth. 11.28 Mark poor sinner all ye Art not thou one of that all Is not thy wickedness thy weight and thy corruption thy burden then thou art called particularly as well as generally Jesus Christ taketh thee aside from the crowd and whispereth thee in the ear O poor sinner that art weary of the work and heavy laden with the weight of sin be intreated to come to me I will give thee rest Why doth thy heart suggest that he doth not intend thee in that call Doth he not by that qualification as good as name thee Ah 't is an unworthy a base jealousie to mistrust a loving Christ without the least cause Once more meditate how willing he is to heal thy wounded spirit and be not faithless but believing He is willing to accept of thee if thou art willing to accept him What mean his affectionate invitations He seeketh to draw thee with cords of love cords that are woven and spun out of Christs heart and bowels Cant. 4.8 Come away from Lebanon my sister my Spouse from the lyons dens Mr. Mantor on Jude p. 75. from the mountains of Leopards Christs love is hot and burning he thinketh thou tarriest too long from his embraces Open to me my sister my Love my Dove my undefiled Cant. 5.2 Christ stands begging for entrance Lost man do but suffer me to save thee Poor sinner suffer me to love thee These are the charms of Gospel Rhetorick None singeth so sweetly as the Bird of Paradise the Turtle that chirpeth upon the Churches hedges that he may cluck sinners to himself What mean his pathetical expostulations Why will ye die Ezek. 33.11 What reason hast thou thus to run upon thy death and ruine What iniquity have your fathers found in me that they are gone far from me Jer. 2.5 what harm have I ever done them what evil do they know by me that they walk so contrary to me but one place for all Micah 6.3 4. O my people what have I done unto thee and wherein have I wearied thee testifie against me For I brought thee out of the Land of Egypt and redeemed thee out of the house of servants O my people remember now what bowels of love are here sounding in every line what fiery affection is there in such sweet expostulations O admirable condescention What meaneth his sorrow for them that refuse him for their Saviour He is grieved because of the hardness of mens hearts Mark 3.5 He shed tears for them that shed his blood When he came nigh that City which was the slaughter-house of the Prophets of the Lord and of the Lord of the Prophets he wept Luke 19.41 If thou hadst known even thou in this thy day The brokennesse of his speech sheweth the brokennesse of his spirit He is pitiful towards their souls that are so cruel to themselves and weepeth for them that go laughing to hell What meaneth his joy at the birth-day of the new creature when he is received with wel-come into the sinners heart The mother is as much pleased that her full breasts are drawn as the child can be The day of thy cordal acceptation of him will be the day of the gladness of his heart At such an hour he rejoyced in spirit saith the Evangelist Luke 10.22 He wept twice and he bled as some affirm seven times but we never read of his rejoycing if I mistake not but in this place And surely it was something that did extraordinarily take the heart of Christ which could in the time of his humiliation tune his spirit into a merry note and cause this man of sorrows to rejoyce Ah sinner believe it he would never so willingly have died such a cursed painful death if he had not been willing that sinners should live a spiritual and eternal life What mean I say his invitations expostulations grief upon refusal joy upon acceptance his commands intreaties promises threatnings his woing thee by the Ministers of his Word by the motions of his Spirit by his daily nightly hourly mercies by his gracious providence by his unwearied patience but to assure thee that he is heartily willing to accept thee for his servant for his son if thou art heartily willing to accept him for thy Saviour and for thy Soveraign He would never present thee with such costly gifts if his offer of marriage were not in earnest Besides broken-hearted sinner for 't is to thee that all this while I have been speaking how darest thou any longer entertain such a Traytour against the King of Saints in thy breast as a thought that the Lord Jesus can be guilty in any of the fore-mentioned particulars of the least insincerity Do not therefore like the silly Hart go ever up and down moaning and bleeding with the arrow in thy side thy sinnes sticking in thy heart but desire his helping hand to pluck them out and without question thou shalt have it He had a special command and commission from his Father to remember and redeem thee to bind up the broken-hearted Isa 61.1 2 3. to proclaim liberty to the captive and the opening of the prison to them that are bound to comfort them that mourn and dost thou think it possible for him to be unfaithful in his Office or to his Father No certainly he keepeth all his Fathers Commandments and continueth in his love John 15. When he was upon earth like a Physician he was in his Element when among sick and diseased persons so much did he love to heal and cure And now he is in heaven though he be free from passion yet not from compassion his heart pitieth thee most tenderly and his hand will help thee effectually Cheer up at last O drooping soul and look up with an eye of faith to this Lord of life to this brazen Serpent I may say to thee as Martha to Mary The Master is come and he calleth for thee Heark how loudly he proclaimeth his general tender of grace * Vocations and interjections speak very affection are bowels toward the distressed God layes his mouth as it were to the deaf eare of the unbeliever and cryeth aloud Ho every one that thirsteth Ho every one that thirsteth come to the waters Isa 55.1 how lovingly he beseecheth As though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be ye reconciled to God 2 Cor. 5.20 See how chearfully he looks out of hope that thou wilt by believing receive him into thy heart His countenance is as Lebanon excellent as the Cedars His mouth is most sweet yea he is altogether
purchase which cost the blood of God to which all the wealth in the world is as dirt as nothing sit down and consider what an house what an heaven that must be if thou considerest God did infinitely love his Son and was not so prodigal of his blood as to let one drop more be shed then heaven was worth Besides canst thou think that the Lord Jesus would humble himself to such a contemptible birth live such a miserable life dye such a lamentable painful death to purchase low mean things or any thing less then eminent excellent unspeakable unconceivable happiness 3. The titles given to it do abundantly speak the excellency of it The holy men of God do as it were strive for expressions and words to set out the glory richness joy magnificence of this gain To the weary it is rest Isa 2.57 Rev. 14.13 To the hungry it is hidden manna Rev. 2.17 To the thirsty rivers of pleasures Psal 36.8 To the sorrowful the joy of the Lord Mat. 25.21 Fulness of joy Psal 16. ult To the disgraced Glory Rom. 8.18 A crown of glory 1 Pet. 5.4 A far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory 2 Cor. 4.17 To them that walk in darkness and see no light it is the inheritance of the Saints in light Col. 1.12 To them that are dying it is life Colos 3.3 yea eternal life John 10.28 It is a kingdom Luk 12.32 A kingdom that cannot be shaken Heb. 12.28 Where all the inhabitants are Kings and Queens Rev. 1.5 with palms and scepters in their hands Rev. 7.9 crowns on their heads Iam. 2.5 sitting on thrones Rev. 3.21 and shall reign with Christ for ever and ever Rev. 22.5 It is a being in Abrahams bosom Luk. 16.22 A being with Christ Phil. 1.23 A being ever with the Lord 1 Thess 4.17 A seeing God as he is 1 Iohn 3.2 A seeing God face to face a knowing God as we are known of God 1 Cor. 13.12 And many more expressions doth the spirit of God use to describe the excellency of the Saints happiness and why in such variety of phrases but to assure us that whatsoever is requisite or desirable in order â—o happiness it is there the holy Ghost doth gather as it were a posie of the most sweet beautiful pleasant choice flowers that grow in the whole garden of this world and telleth us this is heaven Do but abstract all the imperfections that attend the riches and honor and pleasures of earthly kindoms and they may be dark resemblances that shadow out the glory and excellency of the heavenly kingdom The Philosophers could say That happiness must consist in such a state wherein was an aggregation of all good things So that though a man had all good things and wanted but one he could not be called an happy man therefore in Scripture the Hebrew word for happiness is in the plural number Mâ— Anthony Burges on Ioh. 172. because not twenty or fourty things can make a man happy but there must be all good things and for this reason the holy Ghost useth such variety of resemblances to represent this blessedness to shew that it hath all desireable good things Reader when thou art feeding on all those glorious descriptions of heaven that are set before thee on the table of the Scripture do not swallow them all together but chew them severally and thou maist get much spiritual nourishment out of them As for example It is called the joy of thy Lord or the Masters joy Mat. 25.21 Now what joy must that be What infinite unconceivable joy hath the blessed God the fountain of all joy and the God of all consolations Thou shalt partake of the very same joy according to thy capacity Thou shalt sit at the same table drink of the same cup and feed on the same dainties with his Majesty Can it then enter into thy heart to imagine either the pureness or fulness of thy Lords joy Is not the best joy of the servants on earth sorrow and their greatest mirth mourning to the Masters joy in heaven Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord a joy too big to enter into us we must enter into it A joy more meet for the Lord then the servant yet such a Lord do we serve as will honor his servants with his own joy Again it is called a City whose builder and maker is God Heb. 11.10 Hence thou maist gather That structure must be beautiful indeed which hath such a builder what a glorious fabricke must that be which hath such a workman as he is who hath infinite richness to adorn infinite bounty to bestow and infinite power to erect what a City must that be If poor mortals can set up such stately buildings what a place what a palace must that be whose builder and maker is God Besides it is called the fathers house here I might expatiate and tell thee that great Princes have great seats often for their servants but they have glorious ones indeed for themselves In their own houses they manifest all their wealth and worth their bounty and bravery their honor and magnificence What an house then hath the King of kings for his mansion house If the several excellencies of all the Princes palaces in the world were united in one suppose it had the foundations of marble the floors of pearl the cielings of wrought gold all the varieties of Babel the glory of Solomons house the richness of the temple at Jerusalem suppose it had the stateliest rooms the pleasantest musick the greatest dainties the richest furniture that this inferior world could afford suppose all the choice perfections of the whole creation here below were extracted and the quintessence of them all bestowed upon it yet after all this it would be but like an house of dirt made by children in comparison of the fathers house of that house not made with hands but eternal in the heavens But Christian I leave these titles to be considered and enlarged in thy own meditations Secondly it is comfortable if thou considerest the certainty of it It is not onely excellent but certain though it were never so excellent yet if it were not certain it would be but little comfort but know to the joy of thine heart that as heaven is a place of unspeakable excellency so thy enjoyment of it O new-born creature is of unquestionable certainty It is worthy our admiration how many wayes the most high God out of condescention to our capacities and compassion to our infirmities doth confirm and ensure this gain by death to believers 1. By his promise Luk. 12.22 Fear not little flock it is your fathers pleasure to give you a kingdom So Ioh. 3.16 Now all the promises of God are yea and amen 2 Cor. 1.20 They as good as performances Not one good thing faileth of all the good things which the Lord promiseth Josh 23.14 But mark friend one place for many Tit. 1.2 In hope of eternal life which God
therefore which are copies after which many write had need to be exact You are the looking-glasses by which others dresse themselves the heads of the people Deut. 1.15 now the whole body will go along with the head Qui in excelso a gunt eorum facta cuncti mortales nâ—vere Salust ad Caeâ—arem You are like Beacons upon an hill visible to all The Sun may as soon go unseen as a Justice unobserved A small Star may be darkened and none take notice of it but if the great Luminaries are eclipsed or obscured a thousand eyes will be gazing on them A little spot in silk or scarlet is more looked on than a great one in russet or sackcloth A crack in a pebble is nothing so eyed or prejudicial as a small flaw in a jewel Corruptio optimi pessima Satan doth therefore plant his strongest batteries against the Royal Forts of Magistracy and Ministry whoever are spared David and Peter shall be sifted knowing that he gaineth a double advantage by their miscarriage example and scandal by which two wings it will soar higher and flie much farther An ordinary Tradesmon may prove bankrupt without much noise but if an Alderman or Merchant that had a name for a great estate breaks the the City and Country ring of it The honor of God and credit of the Gospel are much engaged in the carriage of a Magistrate that is a Professor The many eyes that look upon you the many feet that follow after you and the glory of the blessed God which is concerned in you do all call aloud to you to have your eyes in your head as the wise mans phrase is Eccles 2.14 to make straight paths for your feet and to walk nobly exactly worthy of the Lord even unto all well-pleasing Besides your very place is apt to be a snare and temptation and therefore requireth the greater care and circumspection Places of honour and power are like strong meats which being well concocted yeild much good nourishment bring much glorie to God and good to souls but they are of verie hard digestion He must have a strong brain that will bear much wine and he much grace that will walk humbly and closely with God in an high condition Your Office calleth upon you to be zealous for God as well as a pattern of piety to your neighbors * So Mr. Pemble in loc Eccl. 7.16 Be not righteous overmuch is the voice of carnal and corrupt reason which inciteth to an indifferencie in good courses and politick forbearance of forwardness in pietie Such is the judgement of carnal policie that our verie dutie is but overmuch and needless precisenesse Moderation is commendable in all things but Religion because therein there can be no excesse The lukewarm temper is of all others most loathsome to the Divine Nature Rev 3.16 You should not think it below you to be diligent in finding out and strict in punishing those that would debase God by the breach of his Laws prophanation of his day and abuse of his Creatures To serve the Lord is your greatest honour Jesus Christ humbled himself more for you or O how low had you been laid long ere this You have begun well with your honoured * John Beresford Esquire one of the Justice of the Peace for the same Liberty Uncle my loving Friend to beat up those head-quarters of hell Ale-houses I wish you both an happie progress and their ungodly disorders a speedie conclusion Foolish pitie to mens sins is the greatest crueltie to their souls Favour or connivence encourageth them in their rebellions encourageth them in their rebâ—llions and encreaseth their corruptions and thereby furthereth their damnation when the faithful wounds of wholsom severitie if God have any sanctifying or saving mercie for â—hem may reform and heal them You cannot easily do them a greater injurie than to let â—hem alone in their enormities One of the greatest stroaks that ever Israel felt from â—he hand of God was not to be stricken Isai â— 5 Some Magistrates are like Mountains and Cypresse trees high and barren but God hath â—ron hands for Justices that have leaden heels and will shortly strike them home for forswearâ—ng themselves to spare others He will be a â—error to them and make them terrors to themâ—elves who will not at his command be terrors to â—vil doers They are guilty of all the sins which they can and do not hinder They sin in others whilst they suffer them to sin Vitia aliorum si feras facis tua And they that are partakers of others sins if we will believe the God of Truth shall receive of their plagues Rev. 18.4 Some shew at this day that they accept such places to honor not God but themselves and they shall know one day that it were better offending all their neighbors nay all the world than one God I suppose you do not wonder that the cruel Lion roareth when he is disturbed of his rest nor that vicious men rage because they may not without some rubs ruine their souls Our Naturalists observe truly that beasts hate fire And so do men of heastly principles and practices that heavenly fire zeal The Dogs will bark and flie at the Moon not alwayes when she shineth but when by reason of the clouds hurried under by the winds she seemeth to run faster than ordinary The wicked world can well enough endure a cursed neutrality or as they term it a prudential policie Bona â—gere mala pati Regium est but to serve the Lord with fervencie of spirit is not more acceptable to God than abominable to them If they cannot make you wound your conscience Didicit ille maledicere ego contemnere said the Philosopher according to the subtilty of the Serpent they will wound your credit but a godly mans name is like an oyled post on which such dirt will not stick Their good word might be a disgrace to you and give you cause to reflect upon your self as that Heathen did and say What evil have I done that such a gracelesse fellow commends me But their bad wordâ— doth no more now than the treading with dirty feet on figures engraven in brasse which are thereby rendred more bright and glorious And hereafter you shall see a resurrectirn of names as well as of bodies when Christ will make the sinner pay back the stoln repâ—tation â—f his seevants with interest David was the song of the drunkards and the scorn of the gluttons and the Son of David that pattern of patterns Luke 2.34 was set for a sign to be spoken against and endured the contradiction of sinners Hebr. 12.3 I hope you set your watch not by the Parish clock but by the dial of scripture which ever goeth true with the Sun of Righteousness In a word your time is little your work is great your talents are many your account will be weighty your Saviour observeth every moment how tender
unsearchable riches in Christ the endless happiness in Heaven because they know not the vanity and emptiness of the former the excellency and pretiousness of the latter Did men know the gift of God and who it is that speaketh to them Ignoti nulla cuâ—ido and what he offereth they would ask of him and he would give them living waters John 4.10 What is the reason that so many make a mock of sin and dance merrily over the infernal pit and play with the unquenchable fire but ignorance The Child doth not know that the fire will burn him As the Horse they rush into the battel fighting against God and their souls not knowing it will be to their destruction to their damnation These Balaams run greedily after the wages of unrighteousness not seeing the Angel that standeth in the way with a drawn sword in his hand ready to kill them Did they know what they do when they wilfully break Gods Law they would sooner leap into a furnace of scalding lead than provoke so jealous a God But sin goeth in a disguise and thence is welcome like Judas it kisseth and kils like Joab it salutes and slayes The foolish sinner seeth the pleasant streames of Jordan but not the dead Sea into which they will certainly empty themselves to his ruine What is the reason that the Devil carrieth so many captive at his will leadeth them whither he pleaseth but ignorance They are ignorant of his wiles of his devices they know not as drunken Lot of his Daughters when he cometh nor when he goeth The Prince of darkness takes up his throne in dark understandings The god of this world blindeth their minds 2 Cor. 4.4 least the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ should shine unto them How easie is it for him to lead blind men out of the way and then to destroy them as Pliny saith the Eagle deals with the Hart she lights upon his horns and there flutters up and down filling his eyes with dust born in her feathers that at last he may cast himself from the rock and so be made a prey unto her so the wicked one bindeth a muffler before mens eyes and then turneth them off the ladder and executes them What is the cause of mens scandalous practices but ignorance The dark corners of the earth arâ— full of the habitations of cruelty Psal 74.20 The flood-gates of wickednesse are open when the door of knowledge is shut the cause why there was no mercy nor truth in the land but swearing and lying and stealing comitting adultery and blood touching blood was ignorance Hos 4.1 2. This is the root of bitterness on which those cursed fruits grow This is the blind Captain which like Zilpah hath a Gad a troop of enormities following him Paul thanks ignorance for his blasphemy and persecuting the Church 1 Tim. 1.13 The reason why the heathen did not call on God was because they did not know him Psal 79.6 The most ugly and monstruous wickedness which ever was hatched or brought forth calleth ignorance mother Had they known they would never have crucified the Lord of glory 1 Cor. 2.8 Act. 3.15.17 What Augustine saith of Original sin is in some respects true of Ignorance it is peccatum poena peccati causa peccati It is a sin as contrary to the law of God which requireth men to know him 1 Chron. 28.9 Lev. 5.15.18 It is the punishment of sin as the fruit of our apostacy from God It is the cause of sin as toads and serpents grow in dark cellars as blind Alehouses are sinks and sources of all villanies so are dark and blind hearts They are strangers to the life of God through the ignorance that is in them Eph 4.18 Ignorantiae â—uae pessimaefiliae Falsitas Dubietas Aug. de câ—vit dâ—i l. 22. c. 22. What is the cause of mens erroneous principles but ignorance They erre not knowing the Scriptures Mat. 22.29 Impostors like cozening tradesmen when they have men in a dark shop put what rotten deceitful ware they please into their hands they lead captive silly women that are ever learning and never coming to the knowledge of the truth 2 Tim. 3.6 7. Hereticks like nurses may put meat or poison into their mouths who are babes in understanding they that are children in knowledge will be tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine The blind man eates many a flye and the ignorant man swallows many an error Men will easily be brought to deny the truths which they understand not and to speak evil of the things which they know not Jude vers 10. Simul ac desinunt ignorare desinunt odisse saith Tertulliaâ— in apolog of them that condemned the Christian Religion What is the reason that men put God off either with no service or worship at all or else with a few cold superficial lazy duties without either heat or life but their ignorance They know not the Majesty purity jealousie and severity of God they worship they know not whom and therefore they worship him they care not how their Altars are of any slight form or fashion because like the Athenians they are dedicated to the unknown God they that know not their masters will cannot obey it Some cry up their good meanings to excuse their ignorance but ignorant devotion is like feet without eyes which the farther they carry men the greater is their wandring and wo. What is the reason that men take up short of Christ and renewing grace that they please themselves with the shadow instead of the substance of Religion that they cry peace peace to their souls onely upon some outward priviledges or a few inward good meanings as they call them when they are in a most damnable condition and suddain destruction is ready to seise on them as travail on a woman with child which they cannot escape surely it is ignorance of the nature of Christianity and sanctification they know not what regeneration is and what faith and repentance are which are the conditions upon which salvation may be had therefore they rest in forms which will fade when their hearts and lives deny the power of godlinesse This this is not as Papists would perswade their deluded votaries the mother of devotion but the monster which causeth such hideous births of corruption This is the epidemical disease that raigneth all the year long and killeth I fear more souls then any of our new distempers doth bodies For the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ Which shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power 2 Thess 1.6 7 8 9. This this is the sourse of mens sins on earth and eternal sufferings in hell But one would think such truths as these might be seasonable in
Turky or India or in Spain and Italy where the tree of knowledge is forbidden fruit where they may not read their fathers mind in their mother tongue but is it possible that in England where the will and word of God is more powerfully preached more practically applied more clearly discovered than in any nation of the world there should be any ignorant persons Alas alas We finde by woful experience that there are many very many Indians and heathen for ignorance in England Men and women that know as little of God and holiness of Christ his natures offices of true faith and repentance as if they had been born and bred up all their time in Turky or India I am ashamed to write what I know of the sottish stupid hellish ignorance of many and some that are aged too that are going to dye and yet never knew what it was to live either to God or their souls The good Lord affect my heart more with the danger and dreadfulnesse of their eternal conditions O how sad is it that so many precious souls should lie lazing on their beds of security and idleness and though the Sun shine brightly in upon them they will not draw their curtains and open their eyes to behold it That in a valley of vision a Goshen a land of light thousands should live and dye in worse then Egyptian darknesse that the Bible should be a sealed book to them and almost every one have the dark side of that glorious pillar towards him Reader To cure this soul-murdering distemper I have endeavored according to the trust committed to me and the grace bestowed on me to discover in this Treatise the life in Christ or true Christianity with the matchless endless felicity that accompanieth it as also the nature and danger of unregeneracy with the means to come out of it by which thou mayst see that many cozen their souls with counterfeit coin false evidences for heaven instead of true which will not abide the touchstone of Scripture and so like Uriah they carry those letters about them though they know it not which will at last cost them their lives and cause their eternal deaths That there is no fool like the sinner who selleth his soul for a song his Saviour his eternal happiness the unspeakable pleasures at Gods right hand for evermore for the perishing empty profits and base brutish pleasures of sin which are but for a season Though sin be delightful in the act to carnal wretches yet it will be bitterness in the end It will be a bitter-sweet to all its lovers when for their momentany pleasure they shall be recompenced with eternity of intolerable unconceivable pain That it is not for nothing that Ministers call so loudly and earnestly to thee to kill those lusts which would kill thee and to follow after holiness without which no man shall ever see the Lord Heb. 12.14 It will teach thee that God and Christ heaven and hell thy soul and eternity death and judgement are not things to be dallied with believe it thou wilt one day find that it is bad jesting with such edged tools Surely the greatest seriousness that is imaginable is too too little for them O hadst thou but the thousandth part of that seriousness about them which they deserve and call for at thy hands surely thou wouldst have other manner of thoughts of them and carriage towards them then now thou hast Well I have four special things at present from the living God to commend to thee and leave with thee in order to thine eternal good I known not how soon I may be taken from thee If thou lovest thy soul practice them faithfully if not answer the contrary when thou and I shall meet in the other world at the great and terrible day of the Lord Jesus First do thou labor for the knowledge of God and his Son thy self and the duty which thou owest to thy Maker and Redeemer hast thou not read the doleful consequence of ignorance and doth it not nearly concern thee to get out of that damnable condition Without this thou canst never be Religious notwithstanding all thy pretences that thou meanest well and hast as good an heart as the best If thou knowest not the God of thy fathers thou canst never serve him with a perfect heart 1 Chron. 28.9 All thy worship will be but wild and wandering from God all thy services but the sacrifice of a fool The foundation of obedience must be laid in knowledge Mal. 1.8 till then thou offerest up to the Lord the lame and blind which he will not accept God expecteth reasonable services Rom. 12.1 such for which thou canst give a good reason out of his word which must be the warrant of thy worship Be not therefore in shape a man a reasonable creature and as NebuchadneZZar in heart a beast be not as the horse and mule which hath no understanding Psal 32.9 Without knowledge thou canst not be saved If the Gospel be hid it is hid to them that perish 2 Cor. 4.4 Wilful ignorance is a sad sign that thou art in Gods black bill If God will ever have thee to be saved he will bring thee to the knowledge of this truth 1 Tim. 2.4 When Hammans face was covered his execution was near Do not delude and destroy thy soul by presuming that thy ignorance will not damne thee for if thou art without knowledge he that made thee will not save thee and he that formed thee will shew thee no mercy Isa 27.11 Mark Reader but this one place Psal 95.10 11. where the God of truth confirmeth it by an oath that they which do not know his ways shall not enter into his rest One would think that a prisoner should be both earnest and diligent to learn his neck verse who knoweth he must be hanged if he cannot read and dost not thou read in broad Characters in the word of God that thou must be an eternal monument of divine fury in hell if thou dost not learn to know the onely true God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent doth it not then behove thee to be diligent for knowledge 1. How shouldst thou wait on the word of God which enlightneth the mind and maketh wise the simple Auditus est sensus disciplinae Psal 19.7 8. David had more understanding then the ancients because Gods word was his meditation Psa 119.98 99. Watch at wisdoms gate with an humble hungry soul and God may fill thee with good things God maketh manifest the favour of his knowledge by his Mnisters in every place 2 Cor. 2.14 If thou wouldst see go where the Sunne shineth 2. Ply the throne of grace with uncessant prayers Bene or assc est bene studuisse that God would enlighten thy mind in the knowledge of his will If any man lack wisdom or knowledge let him ask it of God who giveth liberally and upbraideth not Jam. 1.5 Intreat him to open thine
pardoning directing preventing mercy every day nay every moment and is not all this worth a prayer Upon no account neglect the offering up of these morning and evening sacrifices let thy prayers and of the rest in the family come up before the Lord in the morning like incense and the lifting up of thine hands at night as an evening sacrifice Do not say as sometimes I have heard of thee that thou canst not spare time for these duties thy family is great and thou canst not get them altogether thy business is great and a little time spent this way may wrong thee I answer thee Canst thou get all thy family together twice a day to set meals for their bodies and canst thou not get them together twice a day for set meals family duties for their souls 2. What greater or weighter business canst thou have then the working out the salvation of thy own and the souls committed to thy charge are not the most important affairs thou canst possibly deal about but toys and trifles to this 3. Was not Davids family greater then thine and his occasions weighter and yet he could find time though a King for family duties Psal 101.9 He and his Queen did both instruct their child in the things of God 1 Chron. 28.9 Pro. 4.3 to 10. Pro. 31. If thou art poor and saist thou art to provide for thy family see an answer to that in this book pag. 187.188.189 Though God will give you both another manner of answer to your foolish pretences when ye appear at the judgement seat of Christ Have a special care also of the sanctification of the Lords day in thy family remember the living God commandeth thee that thou thy son thy daughter thy man-servant and thy maid-servant and all within thy gate keep that day holy Do not make the sins of others thine by thy pattern or permission let not that queen of days be defloured or prophaned by idleness earthly thoughts words or actions spend the whole time which thou sparest from the publike Ordinances in secret and private duties as praying reading singing chatechising taking an account of thy children and servants what they know of the mysteries of Christ and particularly what they have learned that day Esteem it a special priviledge a great mercy that thou and thine may upon that day sequester your selves wholly from worldly imployments and enjoy communion with the blessed God in the means of grace This I shall be bold to tell thee that Religion and the service of the most high God in thy family dependeth much yea very much upon thy observation of the Lords day thou mayst expect its increase or decrease according to thy sanctification or prophanation of it In the Primitive times when the question was Servasti Dominicum the answer was Christianus sum omittere non possum Thou pretendest to be a Christian make conscience of every minute of that day of Christ Be sure that thou and as many of thy family as can possily be spared attend with all diligence and reverence at the publike place of worship there God receiveth the greatest praises and there he bestoweth the choicest mercies O blessed are they that dwell in his house blessed are they that wait at Wisdoms gates that watch at the posts of her doors Prov. 8. In all things shew thy self a pattern to them that are under thy care and charge the peop e committed to thy government will sooner imitate thy doings then obey thy sayings Sin cometh in at first by propagation but is increased exceedingly by imitation thou that hast thy children and servants following thee either to heaven or to hel hast need choose a right path even the narrow way that leadeth to life Weigh thy words considering that they will learn thy language avoid those sinful expressions of Faith and Troth let your yea be yea and your nay nay for whatsoever is more is evil of repeating others oathes of speaking irreverently of the great God and his word of wishing evil on any man for the command is Bless them that curse Mat. 5.44 let no evil communication proceed out of thy lips but let thy speech be seasoned with grace that it may administer good and be exemplary to the hearers Look well to thy works that they be agreeable to the word of God In thy Religious performances especially manifest all reverence fervency seriousness that thy children and servants may see that thou art in earnest about soul-affairs about eternity-concernments thou little knowest how profitable such a pattern may be unto them Do thy utmost use all means commanded thee to save thy self and them that dwell with thee Be confident that shortly Christ will say to thee as Eliah to David With whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness What is become of the children and servants which I intrusted thee with will it be enough thinkest thou for thee then to answer Lord For my children I brought them up without any charge to the Parish or Lord I bred them Gentlemen or I put them out to trades or I left them competent estates And for my servants I paid them their wages gave them their meat and drink according to my agreement with them When Christ shall reply Man what is become of their souls which I created capable of the immediate fruition of my self which I redeemed with my precious blood what shame will then cover thy face and what horror fill thy heart when the blood of their souls shall be required of thee O therefore let Joshuahs practice and resolution be thine That thou and thy house will serve the Lord Josh 24.15 Fourthly Make Religion and the worshipping and glorifying the great God the great business of thy whole life Improve all thy time power estate interests and talents whatsoever to the utmost for the honor of God and thine own everlasting good Look on thy self as created preserved supplyed with nightly daily hourly mercies not for the service of thy flesh no that end were mean and low but that thou mightest be enabled unto and encouraged in the service of the glorious God Surely saith that noble Lord Du Plessiâ— In the epistle before Veritaes Christia Relig. If all the world were made for man then man was made for more then the world All the favors thou enjoyest are but baitslaid by God to catch thy soul as they come all from him so let them be improved all for him It is godliness alone that will hold out when thou comest to the greatest hardships at the day of affliction and the hour of thy dissolution The good man and his godliness are like Saul and Jonathan lovely in their lives and in their deaths they are not divided therefore exercise thy self unto godliness It may be thou art one to whom God hath given much in the world I must tell thee that much will be required of thee the greater thy receipts are the greater thy returns must be
my life though I have many crosses yet I have Christ for my comfort He is the comfort of my life and the life of all my comforts All my joyes come in at this door all my contentments come swimming in this stream Piscator observeth that the consolation of Israel is the Periphrasis of Jesus Christ Luk. 2.25 Because all the consolation of a true Israelite as Jacobs in Benjamin is bound up in Christ if he be gone the soul goeth down to the grave with sorrow As all the candles in a Country cannot make a day no it must be the rising of the Sun that must do it So all the health wealth honours pleasures relations possessions nay the greatest confluence of comforts that the whole Creation affordeth cannot make a day of light and gladnesse in the heart of a believer no it must be the rising of this Sun of Righteousnesse The light of his countenance causeth more joy than all the corn and wine and oyl of this world can He faith as Luther Christ liveth or otherwise I would not desire to live one moment Or as that Noble Marquesse of Vico Their mony perish with them that think all the wealth in the world worth one hours Communion with Jesus Christ His comfort ebbeth and floweth as Christ manifesteth himself to him or with-draweth himself from him like the Mary-gold he openeth and shutteth with the rising and setting of this Sun When the Bridegroom is taken away the children of the Bride-Chamber mourn the voice of the true Dove is ever doleful in the absence of her Mate many a long look hath this gracious soul after its absented Saviour many a time doth it sigh out for lovers hours are full of eternity Why is his Chariot so long a coming why tarry the wheels of his Chariot Make haste my beloved and be thou like the Hart and Roe upon the Mountain of spices It like Zacheus climbs up into the Sycamore-tree of the Ordinances that it may have a sight of its beloved for it heareth that he useth to passe that way and when it spieth him afar off for love is quick-sighted coming towards it hearken how the soul calleth aloud to faith to lift up the gates to lift open the everlasting doors that the King of glory may enter in Desire like Joseph makes ready its Chariot to go forth to meet this God of Jacob and when he draweth nigh it cometh down hastily and receiveth him joyfully it cryeth out with the * Mr. Robert Glover Acts Monum Volum third p. 427. Lond. An. 1641. Martyr in a flame of love He is come He is come Now like Mary it closeth with him cleaveth to him clingeth and claspeth about him and thinketh it can never have enough of him or be near enough to him Who can expresse the wel-come which this pious Soul giveth him what warme affection it hath to him what complacency and delight it hath in him what enlarged egresse of spirit it hath after him if the wise men were so glad when they saw the star that led to him how glad is this soul in seeing this Sun if the babe in the wombe of Elizabeth sprang for joy when the Mother of the Lord came to her how doth the heart of this Christian spring with joy when the Lord of that Mother comes to it and out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh Dearest Jesus why camest thou no sooner why tarriest thou no longer Sweetest Saviour why should this meeting ever ever part Be thou like a bundle of myrrh lodging all night betwixt my breasts yet be not like a wayfaring man to tarry with me but for a night but do thou abide in me and dwell with me for ever Good Lord how good is it to be here O how blessed are they that dwell in thy house they ever and not without infinite cause praise thee Lord grant me this happinesse what ever thou deniest me that my heart may be thine everlasting home Ah what an holy emulation hath this Saint at the spirits above that they should have so much and he so little that they should drink full draughts out of the Rivers of pleasures and he can only taste God to be gracious Ah what an heavenly vexation hath he at the necessities of his body and family here below that they must call him away and hinder his Communion with his beloved O how willingly would this soul be separated from its dearest Wife that it might more nearly be conjoyned to its dearer Husband Surely such a soul would with chearfulnesse die in these embraces of Christ breathing out with Austin Aug. on those words Moriar Domine â—ut te videâ—m Lord since no man can see thee and live O let me die that I may see thee This indeed is the fore-taste of the Saints future happinesse their morning of glory the Suburbs of the new Jerusalem the first fruits of their great and eternal harvest the joy that strangers intermeddle not with â—erba non â—alent exâ—rimere â—xperimenâ— opus est Prov. 14.10 It may better be conceived and felt then described or exprest and therefore is most fitly by the Apostle called joy unspeakable and glorious 1 Pet. 1.8 Thus Christ is the comfort of a Christian Fourthly To me to live is Christ that is Christ is the end of my life Christ is both the Authour and the end of my life as my life is from Christ so my life is for Christ the great care of the Apostle was to magnifie Christ both by his life and death Phil. 1.20 * Large Annot. All the gain I aim at both in life and death is Christ namely to glorifie him by my service According to the principles of a man Opâ—rari sequâ—tur esse such are his ends He that acteth from self acteth for self That obedience which ariseth from the creature will be terminated in the creature Solomon saith Eccles 1.7 All the Rivers run into the Sea unto the place from whence the rivers came thither they return again so the life of a Christian coming from Christ must necessarily tend to Christ A sincere Saint doth not like the hypocrite look asquint at self-applause self-profit and such beggarly ends but his eyes look straight on at the glory of Jesus Christ If Christ be glorified though he be disgraced he is satisfied when Christ hath honoured the soul by giving it grace the soul honoureth Christ by giving him glory Grace is the most curious work and therefore no wonder if it be for the credit of the Workman Trees beare fruit for the owner Cant. 4.16 Of him and through him are all things therefore to him be glory for ever and ever Rom. 11.36 It is confest the flesh will propound other ends but the Spirit carrieth the vote As some write of the heavenly Orbes that they have a proper motion of their own different from the motion of the Primum Mobile yet in obedience to this
first mover they follow its motion thus it is with the unregenerate part of a man it hath proper ends of its own pride and flesh-pleasing and the like contrary to the ends of the spirit but in obedience to the regenerate part the Christian leaveth the former ends and follows the ends of the latter Bonum est mihi si Deus me uti pro clipeo dignetur Bern. The honour of Christ is exceeding dear to a true Christian It is dearer then his name Lord saith a Father use me for thy shield to keep off those wounds of dishonour which would fall on thy majesty Let the reproaches wherewith they would reproach thee fall upon me Prorsus Satan est Lutherus sed vivit regnat Christus Amen And Luther is called a Devil saith Luther in an Epistle to Spalatinus but be it so so long as Christ is magnified I am well apaid nay the honour of Christ is dearer than life to a believer Paul as one saith of him stood a tip-toe to see which way he might glorifie Christ most whether by life or death Neither count I my life dear unto me so I may finish the Ministry I have received of the Lord Jesus Act. 20 and 24. I come now to the second thing promised and that is to manifest wherein the christian that hath Christ for the principle pattern comfort and end of his life shall be a gainer by death And truly Reader in speaking of this gain I shall acknowledge my self at a losse though my tongue were as the pen of a ready writer it could never expresse it and if my pen were as the tongue of a ready speaker it could never describe it The land of Canaan notwithstanding all the helps we have is still for the most part terra incognita an unknown land The sights there are light inaccessible as to mortal eyes 1 Tim. 6.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. quod fando explicari à quopiam homine non potest Beza â—rasm ita eo ponunt and the sounds there are words not audible as to mortal eares 2 Cor. 12.4 words which may not or cannot be uttered or both One being asked what God was answered that he must be God himself before he could know God fully I am sure it is requisite that that Christian should be in heaven first who would know heaven fully Fame which in other things is too free and prodigal in this is too sparing and penurious and that in so great a degree that Reader after thou hast heard it set forth by the holiest heavenliest man alive though of the greatest capacity and oratory yet if ever thou gettest thither thou wilt finde cause to speak as the Queen of Sheba did in another case 1 Kings 10 6 7. It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy glory and thine excellency Howbeit I believed not the words until I came and mine eyes had seen it and behold the half was not told me the delight and happiness exceedeth the same which I heard There it is indeed that God doth more for the believer then he is able to ask or think As the losse of the damned will be beyond the most melancholy mans fear so the gain of the saved will be above the strongest christians faith The eye of a man may see much good the ear of a man may hear more the heart of a man may conceive most of all but yet neither hath eye seen nor ear heard nor can it enter into the heart of man to conceive what God hath prepared for them that love him 1 Cor. 2.9 They which have written most of this subject might have added at the end of their books as in other Treatises some have done Desiderantur nonnulla or plurima desunt More is desired or more is wanting It is as easie saith one to compasse the Heavens with a span to contain the Ocean in a nutshel as to relate heavens happinesse Reader I shall speak to this subject but briefly Set the Holy Land before thee as it is in a Map in a little room yet by what I shall speak in this place and in the the last use as the spies by the clusters of grapes thou maiest gather the land is good it floweth with milk and honey and this is some of the fruit of it Numb 13.27 The christians gain by death will appear in these two particulars He shall gain a freedome from all evil the fruition of all good and is not this man a gainer Ademptio omnium malorum First he shall by death be freed from all evil the immediate and full presence of the chiefest good which the believer shall enjoy after death will cause the absence of all evil The influences of that Sun will scatter every mist and disperse all clouds which now darken the conditions of pious souls The day of a christians dissolution will be the day of his redemption Luke 21.28 this may be the reason why the Apostle placeth redemption last saith an Expositor 1 Cor. 1.30 Now we have Christ made into us wisdome righteousnesse sanctification but then redemption When the Saint is passed through the red Sea of death and landed at the true Canaan he shall then see all his bodily and spiritual enemies dead on the shore In the middle Region there are storms and tempests and so here below but above all is calm and quiet While the christian is upon earth evils like Jobs messengers follow him one upon the heels of another but when he leaveth the earth every evil will take it's eternal leave of him Therere are two evils which are indeed the onely evils though the first is by much the worst the evil of sin or defilement and the evil of suffering or chastisement Now a believer by death shall be freed from both these First from the evil of sin and in this take notice that death will deliver the christian both from the commission of it and from all suggestions tending to it First Death will free the Saint from the commission of sin In hell there is nothing but wickednesse In heaven there is nothing but holiness The unregenerate man is never so wicked as after death now sin is in its minority then it will be in it's maturity now it is but the sinners evening but then iâ— will be a perfect night of blacknesse oâ— darknesse The godly man is never so holy as after death grace is now in its infancy then it will attain to its full age now it is as the morning light then it will attain to its noon-day brightnesse Sin is now by a spiritual life mortified that it doth not raign but then by death it shall be nullified that it shall not so much as remain in a believer The ungodly after death shall be perfectly like the Divel the Indians some write have a conceit that death will transforme them into the ugly shape of the Divel and
therefore in their language they have the same word for a dead man and a Divel and the godly after death shall be perfectly like God They are now partakers of the divine nature and so like him yet how much unlike him but when they shall see him in heaven then they shall be like him indeed 1 Joh. 3.2 a Pet. Martyr tells us of a deformed woman married to an uncomely man that by looking much on beautiful pictures brought forth lovely childâ—en Loc. Com. pars 1. cap. 6. Vision causeth an assimulation in nature Gen. 30.37 38. in grace 2 Cor. 3.18 so here in glory The Schoolmen put the question How the Angels and souls of men in heaven come to be impeccable or without sinne * Visâ—o beatifica impotentes reddit ad peccandum and answer that it is by the beatifical visions The Apostle seemeth to intimate as much in the fore-quoted place When he shall appeare we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is As the Pearl by the often beating of the sun-beams upon it becomes radiant so the Christian being ever beheld by the Lord and alwayes beholding the face of his Father in heaven shall be more like him then ever child was to father on earth then that Profession of Christ will be abundantly verified Behold thou art faire my love behold thou art faire thou art all faire my love there is no spot in thee Cant. 4.1 7. Then the end of Christs passion shall be fully attained when he shall present to himself a glorious Church without spot or wrinckle or any such thing Ephes 5.27 not only in regard of imputed righteousnesse or justification but also in regard of imparted righteousnesse or sanctification Here the heart of a Christian is like Rebeccahs womb it hath twins struggling in it the appearance of the Church is as it were the company of two Armies Cant. 6.13 the old man and the new man flesh and spirit the Law in the members warring against the Law of the mind As there was war betwixt Asa and Baasha all their dayes so there is betwixt the regenerate and unregenerate part all the time of this life but this gracious conflict shall then end in a glorious conquest when the death of the body shall quite destroy this body of death Sin in the heart is like the leprosie in the house which would not out till the house was pulled down Levit. 14.44 45. But when soul and body shall be parted for a time sin and the soul shall be separated to eternity And as the heart so the life of a Christian is like a book which hath many errata's in it and therefore legendus cum veniâ the whitest swan hath her black feet the best gold must have its grains of allowance There is no man that liveth upon earth and sinneth not Eccles 7.20 All of us offend in many things and many of us in all things Jam. 3.2 * Omne opus justi damnabile est si judicio Dei judicetur Luther in Alsert Our righteousness as a filthy rag Isa 64.6 Our graces not without their defects Lord I believe help mine unbelief Mark 9.24 Our duties not without their defaults When I would do good evil is present with me Rom. 7.21 The purest fire hath some smoak the richest Wine some dregs but death will turn sinne out of all its holds and leave it not so much as a being in the Christian The bodies of men have usually a mighty shoot at death but O what a shoot will the soul of a Saint have when it shall be carried by Angels to the place where the spirits of just men are made perfect Heb. 12.23 2. The soul alive in Christ shall be freed at death from all suggestions and temptations to sin Then a Christian shall be above the reach of all Satans batteries then that promise will be performed That the God of peace will tread Satan under the Saints feet Rom. 16.20 Now Peter is winnowed Paul is buffeted David is stirred by the wicked one to number the people If Joshua be ministring unto the Lord Satan will be at his right hand to resist him Zach. 3.1 It 's no small unhappinesse to a Saint that he is here followed with unwearied assaults that the Prince of darknesse is restlesse in casting in his fire-balls to put the soul into an hellish flame though he should never be conquered yet for the Christian to have his quarters beaten up night and day must needs disquiet him To have blasphemous thoughts of a God infinitely great and gracious to have mean and vile apprehensions of a Saviour imcomparably precious cast into him though he close not with them cannot but wound him to the heart As for a chast Matron that loatheth the thoughts of dishonesty to be continually solicited to folly is a sore vexation The temptations of our Lord Jesus were a sad part of his humiliation But death will ease the soul of this trouble As in heaven there shall be no tinder of a corrupt heart to take so no divel like steel and flint to strike fire The crooked serpent could wind himself into the terrestrial but shall never creep into the celestial Paradise his circuit is to go to and fro in the earth he cannot enter the confines of heaven when he fell from his state of integrity he left that place of felicity and cannot possibly recover it again The Saints on earth indeed are militant fighting with him but the Saints in heaven are all Triumphant wholly above him more than conquerours through him that loveth them Rom. 8.37 There the children of God are gathered together and no Satan among them there the son of David delivereth his true Israelites from all their fears of this uncircumcised Philistine When the heavenly Mordecai comes to be a chief favourite in that high and holy Court he shall be freed from all his frights about this enemy and adversary this wicked Haman The Ark and Dagon could not stand together in one house much lesse can light and darknesse Michael and the Dragon God and the Divel dwell together in one heaven If Ireland as some write be so pure a soyle that it will not nourish any venemous creature I am sure heaven is so pure that into it can in no wise enter any thing that defileth Rev. 21. ult it will not harbour those poisnous serpents Heaven once saith an Author spued them out and it will not return to its vomit or lick them up again no such dirty dog shall ever trample on that golden pavement There is such a cursed irreconcileable contrariety in their natures to the blessed company and exercises in heaven that certainly they cannot desire much lesse delight in that place If the Presence of Christ were such a torment to them in his estate of humiliation what a torment would it be in his estate of exaltation it is observable they left their own habitation Jude ver 6.
robes of glory Mr. Thomas Wilson Minister of Maidstone in Kâ—nt an eminent servant of the Lord Jesus I remember I have sometimes heard an able holy Minister now with Christ say that that sight of five hundred Saints and Jesus Christ among them 1 Cor. 15.6 was one of the bravest goodliest sights that ever eyes beheld on earth Sure I am they that are in heaven see a far better beholding Jesus Christ in the midst of many thousands Secondly A Christian shall gain by death the neerest communion with the Lord Jesus Christ and O what happinessâ— is included in this Head The presence of Christ on earth can make a mean cottage a most delightful court to the three children it turned the fiery furnace into a delectable palace what will it do then in Heaven Bernard saith he had rather be in his chimny-corner with Christ Mallem in camino meo cum Christo quam in coelo sine Christo Bern. than in heaven without Christ Luther saith he had rather be in hell with Christ than in heaven without Christ communion with Christ can sweeten the bitterest condition Christ alone is the salt which seasons all the Saints comforts without which nothing is savoury to the spiritual taste A duty without Christ is like a body without a soul which hath neither loveliness nor life in it Communion with Christ is one great motive which inciteth the Saint to and encourageth him in the Ordinances of God He attendeth on Scriptures because they are they that testifie of Christ the pearl of price is hid in that field Cant. 5.1 In them the lips of Christ like lillies drop sweet-smelling myrrhe and O how his heart burneth within him with love to Christ whilst Christ is opening to him the Scriptures He frequenteth prayer because therein Christ and his soul converse together in that Ordinance he enjoyeth much of Ch ists quickning presence he speaketh to Christ by holy supplications and Christ to him by heavenly consolations He mindeth fasting because therein his soul may with Jesus Christ have a spiritual feast or the greatest cause of his weeping is with Mary They have taken away my Lord and I know not where they have laid him The means of grace are therefore so desirable and delightful because rhey are the Galleries wherein he walketh talketh feedeth and feasteth with the Lord of glory The highest duty without Christ is as a dish without meat from which he goeth as empty and unsatisfied as he came to it It is to him as Tullies Hortens to Austine of little worth if the Name of Jesus be not there If he love the Saints with a love of complacency 't is because they are Christs seed if he love the sinner with a love of pity 't is for Christs sake his affections are contracted or enlarged towards any thing as it hath lesse or more relation to Christ and nothing is of true value or worth in his esteem which hath not aliquid Christi something of Christ in it Now consider Reader if the presence of Christ be so precious so pleasant to the Christian here when he can see so little of his excellent beauty and receive so little of his infinite bounty what will it be when he shall appear to the soul in all his royalty and fill the water-pots of the soul up to the brim with the riches of grace and glory Demorrhathus of Corinth saith they lost the chief part of their lives happinesse that did not see Alexander sit on the throne of Darius if that were such an happy sight what a sight shall the Saints have to see Christ on his Fathers Throne O how much is included in those few words To be with Christ which is the description of the Saints gain by death Philip. 1.23 This was the great Legacy and portion which Christ bequeathed his in his last Will and Testament John 17.24 This was the great promise and sweet meats which the tender father provided to comfort his fainting children with at his own Funeral John 16.22 This was the great prayer which Paul maketh for his beloved Timothy 2 Tim. 4.22 This was the enlivening cordial which the good Physician administred to the dying patient Luke 23.43 This is the great reason for which the godly long for death Philip. 1.23 I desire death saith Melancthon that I may enjoy the desirable fight of Christ Ut desiderato fruar conspectu Christi and O when will that blessed hour come when shall I be dissolved when shall I be with Christ said holy Mr. Robert Bolton on his Death-bed Surely then this gain is great which the Saint shall have by death He that hath Christ with him by grace may say with Peter Master it is good to be here but he that is with Christ in glory may say with Paul To be with Christ is far better without doubt best of all They were blessed which saw him in his estate of debasement Luke 10.23 but much more blessed will they be that shall see him in his estate of advancement Thirdly the Saint by death shall gain the full and immediate fruition of God The former were excellent but this as the Sun among the Planets surpasseth them all The other were as Rivers this is the Ocean they were as branches bearing goodly fruit but this is the root upon which they grow they all as lines meet in this center this is the top-stone of the celestial building this is the highest stair the apex of the Saints happinesse This is the greatest gift which the creature can possibly ask or the infinite God bestow The boundlesse God cannot well give a greater mercy than this Is any thing yea are all things in heaven and earth equal to God God alone is the highest object of faith 1 Pet. 1.21 and therefore the greatest ground of joy and satisfaction to the soul Psalm 17. ult The Vision of God is the beatifical vision 1 John 3.3 and therefore the fruition of God will cause perfection in the soul The enjoyment of God is the great desire and delight of the Saints on earth Psalm 42.1 2. nay it is the happinesse of the humane nature of the Lord Jesus Psalm 16.5 6. without question then it will be the Heaven of Heaven That excellent description of Heaven mentioned by the Apostle 1 Cor. 15.28 That God may be all in all 1 Thess 4. ult is a being ever with the Lord. This is all the most fluent tongue must be here silent and the most capacious understanding will be soon at a stand in the consideration of the felicity which floweth from the fruition of God The presence of this King will make the Court indeed For the Lord to be with us is our chiefest security though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death I will feare no evil for thou art with me Psal 23.4 but for us to be with the Lord will be our choicest felicity In his presence is fulnesse of
wiser then some I will take this with me however but alas poor fool he could not be so good as his word The Holy Ghost excellently termeth rich men rich in this world because riches will not make men rich in another world 1 Tim. 6.17 Death will seal a Lease of ejectment and turn thee out of all thy possessions and death will give thee a bil of divorce and separate thee from all thy relations The relations of Husband and Wife Parents and children are calculated only for the Meridian of this world and shall not out-live this life Thy dear husband or thy loving wife and thy most dutiful children wil all serve thee as Orpah did Ruth Ruth 1â—4 follow thee while thou art full but forsake thee when thou shalt be empty cleave to thee in thy health and life but leave thee in thy greatest danger at death and thy birth and breeding honour and respect wil serve thee in the like kind they are but a shadow which wil not be seen when the Sun of thy life is set The great distinctions in the other world wil be holy or unholy not noble or ignoble Be not afraid when one is made rich when the glory of his house is encreased for when he dieth he shall carry nothing away Mors sceptra ligonibus aequat his glory shall not descend after him Psa 49.16 17. Death is the great leveller making Princes and Peasants equal All thy sinful pleasures will also be lost the sweet taste thou foundest in thy mouth wil be gone though they wil rise in thy stomach and after in thy belly be more bitter than gall Thy merry meetings jovial companions witty jests sporting recreations pictures for thine eyes musick for thine ears dainties for thy taste thine eating and drinking and all these delights on earth which thou solacest thy sensual soul with desiring no other heaven will all like leaves in the Autumn of thy death fall off from thee though in the short summer of thy life thou art richly laden with them yet in thy long thine everlasting Winter thou shalt be stript naked of them Thou mayest say to all the fore-mentioned delights of riches relations honours and pleasures and what ever it is which thou foolishly rejoycest in as Charles the fifth Emperor of Germany whom the world counted most happy did to his trophies treasures and things of the like nature A bite hinc A bite longe Be gone get you farre out of my sight Be assured that as a false harlot leaves her lovers wheâ— they are arrested for debt and followeth other customers so this painted strumpeâ— this deceitful world that now layeth opeâ— her fair breasts to allure thee to go a whoâ—ring after her and commit spiritual fornication with her when death shall arreâ— thee by a Writ from heaven will whollâ— forsake thee and follow them that survive now what a losse will this be But it may be thou comfortest thy self against this that all even good as well as bad will joyn with thee in this losse Reader dost thou consider that they who enjoy the stars all night and come in the morning instead thereof to enjoy the glorious Sun are no losers the Sun hath all the light of the stars and far far more Neither can the godly be properly called losers of these comforts because they enjoy them all and infinitely more in the blessed God As mony answereth all things Prov. 10.19 Mony is equivalently sheep oxen corn meat drink cloth whatsoever you want for this life is virtually in mony so God to a gracious soul after death will answer all things he will be eminently and virtually Father Mother wife child wealth honour pleasure and all things though he loseth them here he will find them there and much more but when thou O sinner losest them in this world they shall never be made up to thee in another world thou losest not only the streams but the fountain not only the beams but the Sun and therefore thy portion will be scorching drought and dismal darknessâ— Besides these things are not the portion the all of a good man they are not his estate or inheritance they are but an additional over-plus cast in over and above So much the words of Christ imply Matth. 6.33 And all other things shall be added to you As when a father giveth his son a thousand pounds worth of ware he casteth in paper and packthread or one thousand yards of cloth he doth not stand upon the bredth of the thumb which is to be allowed in measurng so God having given himself and his Son to his Saints out of his vast bounty casteth in the creatures as an over-plus they are not their estate or portion or all no when a godly man at the great and terrible day of the Lord Jesus shall see his house and land and outward good things in that common flame which shall burn up the earth he may then behold it with comfort Omnia mea n eoum portâ— â—ias and say with the Philosopher I have my all still But sinner thy losse of them will be a losse indeed for these things are thy all they are all thy God and all thy Christ and all thy happinesse and all thy heaven they are all the fulnesse of joy and all the rivers of pleasures and all the weight of glory which thou shalt enjoy They are all thy riches all thine inheritance all thy consolation all thy reward all thy portion and all thou shalt be worth for ever look Luk. 16.24 They have received their consolation cold comfort indeed ye have your reward * Mat. 6.2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they receive it as their full pay whence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an acquittance It is one of the saddest speeches in the Book of God whose portion is in this life Psal 17.14 ah poor portion Thou hast no other Paradise but thy garden no other mansion but thy beautiful building no other inheritance but thy Land no other kindred but thy wife and children no other honour but the stinking breath of thy flattering neighbours no other God but thy gold no other heaven but the earth all thy estate is in dust rubbish and lumber surely then it will be a losse with a witnesse to lose all that in a moment and that for ever wherein all thy happinesse consisteth Will it not be a sad sight for thee to stand as it were upon the shoare and to see the vessel in which is imbarqu'd all thy treasures all thy near and dear relations all thy respect and esteem all thy joy and delights sinking before thine eyes and lost for ever or to see that house in which is thy Plate and Jewels thy wife and children and all that ever thou art to be worth in a flame and nothing possible to be recovered would not thine eyes affect thine heart with unspeakable horrour Now this O Reader will be thy case if thou art unsanctified at
the person that had but gained this good and the first could not have been without this The eternal death of the soul consisteth in its farthest separation from that God whose favour is far better than life This is the lowest round in that ladder by which thou shalt descend into the bottomless pit This is the foot of this black bloody account the head of that arrow which pierceth the hearts of the damned This is the worst effect and fruit of sin that it is privative of our union with and fruition of God Vines on James 4.8 pag. 23. Depart from me is as terrible a word as everlasting fire Ah whether do they go that go from him when he alone hath the power of eternal life how dismal how dark must that dungeon be where this Sun will not shine in the least degree with the light of his countenance well may it be called blacknesse of darknesse for ever Jude 15. the hell of the hypocrites which will be hottest of all is set out by this Job 13.16 the hypocrite shall not come before God Couldst thou have all the mercies that the world can give yet in this want of God thou wouldest be compleatly miserable Ten thousand words cannot speak a soul more unhappy than those two words Without God Ephes 2.12 Thou mayest be without riches without friends without health without liberty nay without all outward blessings and yet blessed but if without God thou art cursed with a curse When God would couch all arguments in one to perswade to duty this is instead of all Obey my voice and I will be your God Jer. 7.23 when he would disswade and drive them from iniquity Sicut Sole recedente succedunt densae tene brae sic Deo recedente succedit horribilis maledictio Paraeus in â— Hos this is the stinging whip Be instructed O Jerusalem lest my soul depart from thee Jer. 6.8 When he would strike Israel dead with a blow this is it Wo unto them when I depart from them Hos 9.12 How sad a saying is that of Saul I am sore distressed and well he might the Philistines are upon me and God is departed from me 1 Sam. 28.15 If a partial Eclipse of the Sun cause such a drooping in the whole Creation what will a total Eclipse of this Sun cause how mournfully doth Micah bemoan the losse of of his dunghil deity Ye have taken away my gods and what have I morâ—e and what is this that ye say unto me what aileth thee Judg. 18.24 surely the damned as they will have infinitely more cause so they will with more horrour and anguish bewail the losse of the true God though all the tears in hell are not sufficient to bewail the losse of this heaven If the body from which the soul is parted be such a deformed sad spectacle what shall the condition of that soul be from which God is parted for ever How unable are the children of God to bear the absence of God in this life though it be but in part and for a short time take Heman Psal 88.14 15. Lord why castest thou off my soul why hidest thou thy face from me I am afflicted and ready to die while I suffer thy terrours I am distracted Observe the good man is at deaths door and no wonder when as to his apprehension the life of his soul had left him for though no man can see the essential face of God and live yet no Saint can live unlesse he see the providential face of God Consider Job a man of courage one that had entered the list against Satan and foild him The Sabeans and Chaldeans were too hard for his servants and captivated his cattel but Job was too hard for them he conquered them the winde that blew down the house on his children could not blow down the tower of his confidence his hold on Christ yet when this valiant Warriour comes to encounter with the withdrawings of God how exceedingly is his courage withdrawn Job 13.24 wherefore hidest thou thy face and holdest me for thine enemy Why Lord are all the appearances from heaven so black and lowring Why is it that I see not the former smiles of thy face O what is the cloud that hindereth the light of thy countenance from shining on me What sin is the mist which is gathered about the true Sun impeding my fight of thee Behold our Lord Jesus himself that could bear the spiteful buffetings of some the bloody scourgings of others the scorn and derisions of many that could suffer the treason of one Apostle the denial of another and the unkindnesse of them all without complaining yet when the Deity did but withdraw it self for a time that the humanity might suffer for our sins how mournfully doth he sigh out that expression My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Matth 27.46 It was not his torturing from men nor the terrours of devils not the presence of all the powers of darkness that Christ complained so much of as the absence of God Now meditate O sinner if the departure of God though partial and temporal were so terrible to his Saints to his Son how intolerable will the losse of God be to thee when it shall be total and eternal Do they mourn so bitterly when for a small moment he forsaketh them though with great mercies he gathereth them when in a little wrath he hides his face from them though with everlasting kindnesse he hath mercy on them Isa 54.7 8. How bitterly wilt thou complain when he shall forsake thee to eternity when he shall hide his face from thee for ever and not bestow on thee the least mercy or the smallest kindnesse This will be a woe with a witnesse Suffering may be the portion of Saints but separation from God the punishment of Devils As the face and comfortable presence of God is the greatest felicity of the saved Summa mors animae est alienatio à vita Dei in aeternitate supplicii Aug. de civit Dei lib. 6. so the full withdrawings or absence of God will be the greatest misery of the damned Now thou doest not value the enjoyment of God thou thinkest often that he is too neer thee the coming of God to thee is as to the Devils a torment Matth. 8.29 If he draw nigh to thee sometime in a Sermon in a private Instruction in a motion of his spirit or in a conviction of thy conscience thou wishest him farther off with his precise laws that thou mighst have more liberty for thy fleshly lusts The voice of thine hellish heart unto God is Depart from me I desire not the knowledge of thy wayes Job 21.14 Well thy petition shall be granted to thy destruction and God will take thee at thy word and give thee thy wish to thy woe when thy doom shall be to depart from him Luke 13.27 Matth. 25.41 and then thou shalt know the incomparable worth of him thy understanding shall
be cleared though not changed that thy knowledge may increase thy sorrow Thou art now wilfully ignorant of him and his Will some never look up to the Sun but in an Eclipse but then thou shalt know so much of him to grind thee with tormenting grief for thy losse of him As a prisoner through the grates may see the costly apparel the precious liberty the pleasant and plentiful provision which others enjoy whâ—lest he is vexed with hunger nakednesse cold and bondage So thou shalt see bread enough in the Fathers house and the children sitting round about his table eating bread and feasting in the Kingdom of heaven while thou art perishing with hunger Thou shalt see those Rivers of pleasures wherein the godly bathe their souls those soul-ravishing delights which they enjoy in God the fountain of all good whilest thou art sentenced to an eternal separation from him Now tell me whether the sinful wretch be not a loser by death when he shall lose all his wealth friends and opportunities of grace the company of all the Saints all his false hopes of heaven his precious soul and the ever blessed God tel me whither sin how sweet soever it be in the commission will not be bitter in the conclusion whether in such an hour the Devil will not pay thee thy full wages for all thy wicked works whether it be worth the while to continue in thine unregenerate estate though thou couldst gain never so much when it will certainly end in such inestimable losse In a word answer me whether the greatest pleasure thou canst gain for thy flesh the greatest addition thou canst gain to thy estate by a sinful irreligious life can countervail the everlasting losse of God and thy soul But this is not all sinner I have not done with thee yet I have told thee a little of thy losse for the whole of it no tongue can tell no pen can write I will now tell thee thy gain by death and then do thou cast up the accompt and tell me whether thy wickednesse will not end in woe First By death thou shalt gain a cursed perfection of sin if it may be called a perfection Upon earth the most notorious sinner is a lion chained up and kept in but in hell he will be let loose and then his ravenous nature and cruel disposition will appear to purpose Gurnals Armour Part. 1. p. 257. Thou yet standest in a soil saith that accurate Writer not so proper for the ripening of sin which will not come to its fulnesse til trans-planted unto hel Thou who art here so maidenly and modest as to blush at some sins out of shame and forbear the actings of others out of fear when there thou shalt see thy case as desparate as the Devil doth his then thou wilt spit out thy blasphemies with which thy nature is stufft with the same malice that he doth The vilest man in this world Is like a swine in a fair meadow but in the other world there wil be the wallowing in the mire Thy heart now Is like the Sea which cannot rest but is ever casting up mire and dirt of sin foaming out thy own shame yet still it is shut up with bars and doors of restraining grace hitherto shalt thou come and no further and here shal thy proud waves be stayed but then the doors wil be opened the banks broken down and the flood-gates taken up and ô what a deluge what an overflow of sin will be there Here if God should not put a bridle into the mouth of these unruly beasts and hold them in there would be no living for a Saint among them but then when the good shall be parted from them the reins shall be laid in some respect on their own necks and then they wil run to the same excesse of riot and sin with the very divels Voluntas morientis confirmatur in eo statu in quo moritur All the weeping in hell will not wash thee a whit the cleaner and all the fire there wil not consume the least of thy drosse He that is filthy at death will be filthy still and he that is unjust then shall be unjust for ever Rev. 22.11 Arcem omnium turpitudinum Hell may fitly be called as Tertullian called Pompeys theatre the glory of old Rome a stye of filthinesse Every bottle of wickednesse wil be there filled with those bitter waters thou that now makest a match with mischief shalt then have thy belly full Here sin is thy sin and defilement but there it wil be thy hel thy punishment Here thou sportest with it but there thou shalt smart for it now it is thy pleasure but then it wil be thine everlasting pain Sin is ugly to a Saint on earth notwithstanding all her gaudy attire and painted face but O what a deformed monster wil she be in hel when she shall be stript of all her ornaments of pleasure and profit and when all her paint shall be washt off with Rivers of brimstone I thus preach and thus think saith Chrysostome that it is more bitter to sin against Christ then to suffer the torments of hell And holy Anselm saith that if the evil of sin were proffered to him and the torments of hell he had rather choose hell then sin Thus odious sinne is to a godly man in this world and surely it will not be amiable to a wicked man in the other world but they who now glory in their shame will then be ashamed of their glory and find their lusts more burthensome to them how lightly soever now they go with them then ever Prisoners did their chains and fettets If thy soul be so unhealthy in so pure an air as this comparatively is among the Saints of God how diseased will it be in that misty Region of darknesse in that Pest-house among Divels and infectious spirits 2. Thou shalt gain by death a fulnesse of sorrow when thy sins come to their highest degree then will thy sorrows likewise both in regard of intention and duration 1. In regard of intention and how great this will be I am not able to tell thee When one was desired to paint the Spanish Inquisition he took a Table and besmeared it with blood implying the torments were so cruel and bloody that his pencil could not delineate them Sure I am Phaleris Bull Low-countrey wracks and all out-landish tortures whatsoever are but plays and bug-bears to the sufferings of the damned There are no sorrows like to their sorrows wherewith the Lord afflicteth them in the day of his fierce wrath Unum guttula malae conscientiae totum mare mundani gaudij â—bsorbet Lu If the wrath of God be kindled but a little and a spark thereof light into the conscience of a Saint what a work doth it make there is no rest in his flesh nor quiet in his bones when the arrows of the Almighty stick within him the poison thereof soon
godlinesse Sabbath-breakers and the like upon whom whosoever looketh with Scripture-spectacles may see the Devils mark on their foreheads hell written on them in great letters 1 Cor. Gal. they continuing impenitent would not such a besome sweep away much dust even a great part of the people of the Parish where thou livest but suppose one should come in the second place and purge out your civil and moral yet unsanctified men and women such I mean as are fair and just in their carriage and dealings you cannot say black is their eye they pay to every man his due these are good second-Table men and women their Religion consisteth altogether in their righteousnesse towards men they will not for a world wrong their neighbour of a farthing but they make no conscience of robbing God of the great fear chief love choice delight strong trust which are due to his Majesty they know not what it is to know him and his will to acknowledge him by religious performances of prayer reading and the like in their Families and Closets they can scarce tell you what God is or what Christ is or what the Lord Jesus hath suffered or purchased for sinners As old as many of them are they are more ignorant of the natures offices states of Christ of regeneration justification and sanctification than little children and yet they are too old to learn the Minister cannot perswade them to come to him and be instructed by him in the principles of the Oracles of God nay and they will not believe that ignorance is a damning sin though God hath spoken so peremptorily That Christ shall come in flaming fire to render vengeance on them that know not God 2 Thess 1.8 and he hath told them expresly that men perish for want of knowledge Hosea 4.6 Prov. 1.22 29. Suppose I say one should purge out all these civil righteous yet ignorant and irreligious persons questionlesse he would purge out two parts of three of the remaining ill humours how very many would that blind Captain ignorance lead out of a Congregation But suppose one came in the third place again and take away them that are righteous in their dealings with men and seem teligious in their duties towards God that pray and hear and read and fast and instruct their Families and call upon God in secret and yet are only so good to the eye of man being like some fruit fair in the outside but rotten at coare having self-ends and carnal principles in all they do Matth. 23. and Matth. 6. After three such sweepings how few thinkest thou would be left in a Congregation or in a Parish If Christ should come with his whip of cords and scourge all these out of his Temple whom the Word of God clearly condemneth would not Jesus be left almost quite alone as he was in John 8.9 Besides all those fore-mentioned Totus mundus est Arrianus Hierom. how many are there whose Religion consisteth meerly in opinions or heresies or schisme and separation from the people of God and publick worship and from the good old way of faith and repentance that minde neither Sabbath nor Sacraments nor Family-duties and trust for salvation to the light within them even till they come to utter darknesse 2 Pet. 2.1 2. Jude 11 12. 1 John 2.19 O how few are there that shall be saved If Ulpian complained there were few true Philosophers have not we more cause to complain there are few true belieers for who hath believed our report and to whom is the arme of the Lord revealed Isaiah 53.1 The termes of denying a mans self of crucifying the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof of cutting off right hands and plucking out right eyes of hating father mother wife child name house and lands without which Christ will not save the soul are so irksome and contrary to the sensual brutish man that rather then admit them they will take their leave both of Saviour and salvation Straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth to life and few there be that finde it Matth. 16.24 Galat. 5.24 Mark 9.43 Luke 14.26 Matth. 7 14. Reader I take not delight to number the people of God much lesse to lessen their number The Lord knoweth I have not written this Head without some sorrow of heart 2 Sam. 24.3 my prayer is like that of Joabs The Lord adde unto his people an hundred fold and grant that his sons may come from far and his daughters from the ends of the earth that the dominion of his son may be from Sea to Sea and from one end of the land unto the other but without all controversie they are comparatively very few and why doth the Word of God mention it so much but to make thee more diligent and violent for the Kingdome of heaven Matth. 7.13 14. If there were but few damned and many saved out of the places where we live I think it would behove thee to try upon what ground thou standest lest thou shouldst be one of those few that must suffer the vengeance of eternal fire but when so many when such multitudes go in the broad way that leadeth to destruction when the love of many waxeth cold and t is but an he almost that shall endure to the end and be saved Matth. 24.12 how much how much doth it concern thee to look about thee that all things are right within betwixt God and thy soul Thirdly consider the profitablenesse of a serious faithful examination of thy estate if thou hast this spiritual life thy comfort dependeth upon the knowledge of it He that hath true grace shall go to heaven certainly but he only that knoweth it De non apparentibus non existentibus eadem est ratio shall go to heaven comfortably What the Lawyers say of civil things I may say of spiritual Things that appear not are all one as if they were not at al in being What comfort hath he that is heir to a vast estate till he know of it more than he that hath nothing to do with it What comfort is it to thee that thou art a child of God a member of Christ an heir of heaven unlesse thou knowest it upon Scripture-grounds If twenty or thirty are condemned and one be pardoned this man torments himself with fears and terrours as much as the rest till he knoweth of his pardon Doth not many a Christian like Jacob go down to the grave with sorrow and refuse to be comforted onely upon a false supposition that the Joseph of their soul is dead when indeed he is alive and in favour in the heavenly Court as they upon a true search and enquiry will find vide Galat. 2.20 2 Pet. 1.10 which will shew this to be a duty and attained unto by others 2 Cor. 5.1 and indeed how contented wilt thou be in all conditions when thou hast once attained the knowledge of thy good estate God-ward thou wilt bid
and take him in Gen. 8.9 Then and not till then he crieth out with the Psalmish Return to thy rest O my soul for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee Now Reader what say'st thou how is it with thee Do thy affections as the waters of Jordan overflow their banks at the time of thine earthly harvest Josh 3.15 Or like the bird do'st thou then sing most merrily when thou art mounting up to heaven Art thou willing to be served as the children of Abrams Concubines put off with ordinary gifts or must thou like Isaac have all even Jesus Christ or else thou esteemest thy self to have nothing Gen. 25 5 6. 4. Is Christ the end of thy life Is it thy main scope to live to him that died for thee Doth the compasse of thy soul without trepidation stand right to this pole the glory of Jesus Christ For none of us liveth to himself saith the Apostle and no man dieth to himself but whether we live we live unto the Lord and whether we die we die unto the Lord whether we live therefore or die we are the Lords For to this end Christ both died and rose and revived that he might be Lord both of dead and living Rom. 14.7 8 9. A sincere Christian dedicates his body soul name estate relations interests and his all to the glory of Christ and wisheth he had something better to consecrate to him As the Grecian told the Emperour If I had more more would I give thee so the Saint desireth that he may believe more and repent more and hate sin more and for this end that he may exalt Christ more The Philosopher telleth us that means move by the goodnesse of their ends Media movent bonitate finis not by any absolute goodnesse of their own but by their relative goodnesse the goodnesse of their ends as we take Physick not for Physicks sake but for healths sake So duties and Ordinances move a Christian to mind them not so much for their own sake as for their â—nds sake he prayeth fasteth readeth meditateth that he may thereby and therein please glorifie and enjoy the Lord Jesus Christ But now a Professour without the power of godlinesse hath another end He goeth to Church but it is as the cut-purse not to seek God but his prey He performeth duties but either for self-credit Matth. 6.2 as Pliny observeth of the Nightingale As that Emperor who commanded all golden Idols to be pull'd down out of Churches not out of hatred to the Idols but out of love to the gold that she will sing much longer and louder when men are by then when they are not or else for self-profit Matth. 23.14 Like him in the comedy that cried out O heavens but pointed to the earth Religion is either this mans stirrup by which he hopes to get into the saddle above his Neighbours or else it is his stalking horse which he contentedly followeth all day because it may bring him in some gain at night like Satan he may assume the shape of Samuel but it is only upon some particular errand and for his own ends This man is not holy but crafty and doth not serve God but himself of God Reader search whether thou art not one of these Thou art but an empty vine if thou bringest forth fruit to thy self Hos 10.1 O how many a work materially good being flie-blown with self proves sormally bad and so becomes stinking and unsavoury in the nostrils of God! Self is the pirate which too too often intercepteth the golden fleet of religious performances that they cannot return fraughted with blessings It concerneth thee therefore to observe thy ends what are thy ends in thy eating and drinking and all thy natural and civil actions is thy end to please and gratifie the flesh or is it that thou mayst get health and strength and thereby be the more serviceable to thy Maker and Redeemer what is thy end in thy spiritual undertakings is duty the end of duty or is obedience to the honour of and Communion with Christ the end of thy performances make a pause before thou readest farther and answer the Lord who commandeth thee to examine and know the state of thy soul But because I would willingly find thee out whoever thou art and have thee fully acquainted with thy spiritual condition I shall desire thee to try thy spiritual condition by the efficient cause of it and that is the Spirit of God The holy Ghost is called the Spirit of life Rom. 8.2 and indeed he only hath this spiritual life that hath this Spirit of life As all the members of the natural body are actuated and enlivened by the same humane spirit from the Head So all the Members of the Mystical body are quickened and actuated by the same Divine Spirit from their Head the Lord Jesus Christ Mark therefore that one place in Rom. 8.9 how full it is to this purpose for upon that place the weight of all I have to speak further about this Use of trial will depend The words are these But ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit if so be the Spirit of God dwell in you Mark Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his Observe I beseech thee If any man let him pretend never so much let his priviledges be never so many let his profession be never so great and his performances never so numerous yet if he have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his so that if the Spirit of Christ have not its habitation in thee thou hast no spiritual relation to Jesus Christ Now I shall teach thee to know whether the Spirit be in thee or no by two of its effects or properties the first will be more general the second more special 1. The Spirit of God if it be in thee will purifie thee for it is a purifying Spirit Sanctification is the proper work of the Spirit of Christ It is called the holy Ghost and it is holy not only subjectively but effectively it worketh holinesse and makes men holy 1 Cor. 6.11 It infuseth holy habits and principles into the soul whereby it is enabled to fight with and by degrees to foyl its corruptions It changeth the understanding by illumination the will by renovation and the affections by sanctification it doth not infuse new faculties into the soul but it doth renew the old it turneth the same waters into another Channel they ran before after the world and the flesh but now after God and his wayes It is as it were the same viol only it is new tuned before it could make no musick in praying or singing but now it is so melodious that it delighteth the heart and ravisheth the ear of God himself The old Moon and the new are the same only the new hath a new endowment of light from the Sun which it had not before so it is here the purified person
hear a voice this hour as that wicked Pope did Veâ—i Miser in judicium Come thou wretch unto thy particular and eternal judgement what wouldst thou do where wouldst thou appear and where wouldst thou leave thy glory Isai 10.3 I would not for a world take thy turn How is it possible that thou canst eat or drink or sleep with any quietness of mind that in the day thy meat is not sauced with sorrow and thy drink mingled with weeping that in the night thou art not scared with dreams and terrified with visions when thy whole eternity dependeth upon that little thread of life which is in danger every moment to be cut asunder and thou to drop into hell Art thou a man that hast reason and canst thou be contented one hour in such a condition Art thou a Christian that believest the Word of God to be truth and canst thou continue one moment longer in that Sodom of thy natural estate which will be punished with fire and brimstone I tell thee didst thou and the rest of thy carnal neighbours but give credit to Scripture thou and they too would sooner sleep in a chamber where all the wals round the cieling above and floor below were in a burning light flame then rest quietly one moment in thine estate of sin and wrath But for thy sake thy condition yet not being desperate though very dangerous that thou mightest avoid the easeless misery of the sinner and attain the endlesse felicity of the Saint I have purposely written the next Use which I request thee as thou lovest thy life thy soul thine unchangeable good nay I charge thee as thou wilt answer the contrary at the great and dreadful day of the Lord Jesus that thou read carefully and that thou practice faithfully the means and directions therein propounded out of the Word of God 3. My third Use shall be of exhortation to those that are dead in sins to labour for this spiritual life Whoever thou art that wouldest have gain by thy death then get Christ to be thy life Hast thou read of that fulness of joy of those rivers of pleasures of that exceeding and eternal weight of glory of that Kingdom that cannot be shaken of that enjoyment of Christ of that full immediate fruition of God and in him of all good of that perfect freedom from all evil which they and only they shall be partakers of who have this spiritual life And is not thy heart inflamed with love to it thy soul enlarged in desire after it Extrema Christianorum desiderantur etsi non exâ—r iâ— Hiâ—â— thy will resolved to venture all and undertake any thing for it Surely if thou art a man and hast reason thy will and affections will be carried out after things that are good but if thou hast but a spark of Christianity thou canst not but be exceedingly ravished with things so eminently so superlatively so infinitely good The Historian observeth that the riches of Cyprus invited the Romans to hazard dangerous fights for the conquering it How many storms doth the Merchant sail through for corruptible treasures How often doth the Souldier venture his limbs nay his life for a little perishing plunder Reader I am perswading thee to mind the true treasure durable riches even those which will swim out with thee in the shipwrack of death Stephen Gardiner said of justification by Faith only that it was a good supper doctrine though not so good a break-fast one So the power of godliness this spiritual life though it be not so pleasant to live in as to the flesh yet it is most comfortable to die with When Moses had heard a little of the earthly Canaan how earnestly doth he beg that he might see it Deut. 3.25 I pray thee let me go over and see the good Land that is beyond Jordan that goodly mountain and Lebanon Thou hast read a little of the heavenly Canaan and hast thou not ten thousend times more cause to desire it Plato saith If moral Philosophy could be seen with moral eyes it would draw all mens hearts after it May not I more truly say if the gain of a Saint at death could be seen with spiritual eyes with the eye of faith it would make all men in love with it and eager after it Baalam as bad as he was did desire to die the death of the righteous and surely they that dislike their way cannot but desire their end but God hath joyned them both together and it is not in the power of any man to put them asunder therefore if thou wouldst die their deaths thou must live their spiritual lives Holinesse is the seed out of which that harvest groweth If thou wouldst be safe when thou shalt launch into the vast Ocean of eternity if thou wouldst be received into the celestial habitation when thou shalt be turned out of thy house of clay make sure of this life in Christ If an Heathen Prince would not admit Virgins to his bed before they were purified Est 2.12 canst thou think the King of Kings will take thee into his nearest and dearest embraces before thou art sanctified Believe it heaven must be in thee before thou shalt be in heaven Unless the Spirit of God adorn thy soul as Abrams servant did Rebeckah with the jewels of grace thou art no fit Spouse for the true Isaak the Lord of glory The brutish worldling indeed would willingly live prophanely and yet die comfortably dance with the Devil all day and sup with Christ at night have his portion in this world with the rich man in the other world with Lazarus There is a story of one thaâ— b iâ—g repâ—â—ved for his vicious life and pâ—rswaded to mind godliness would anâ— often Thâ—t it was but sayâ—ng three words at his death â—nd he â—as sure to have eternal life probably his three words were Miâ—erere mei Deus but he riding one day over a bridge his horse stumbled and as boâ—h werâ— falling into the river he cryeth out Capiat omnia diabolus â—o se and mâ—n â—nd all to the Devil As he l ved so he died with three words 〈…〉 such as he hoped to have had As the young swaggerer told his gracelesse companion when they had been with Ambrose and seen him on his death-bed nothing affrighted at the approach of the King of terrors but triumphing over it O that I might live with thee and die with Ambrose But this cannot be an happy death is the conclusion of an holy life The God who giveth heaven hath in great letters written in his Word upon what termes and no other it may be had He chooseth to salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth 2 Thess 2.13 It is as possible for thee to enjoy the benefit of the Sons passion without the Fathers creation as without the Spirits sanctification Believe the word of truth John 3.3 Verily verily I say unto thee except a
and ten thousand times more Besides for what reason dost thou suppose God to have given thee these things Surely thou canst not be so brutish as to think that the great God made thee and serveth thee in daily with such variety of mercies health strength food raiment influences of heaven and fruits of the earth onely or chiefly that thou should eat and drink and follow thy calling and provide for thy family were such low ends the ground of his kindness or is it not that thou mightest ravish that pure and virgin inheritance by an holy and heavenly violence that thou mightest imploy them and improve them to the utmost about his service and thy own salvation Reader I must desire thee to consider and grant me these two or three suppositions in prosecution of this my second request to thee 1. Suppose thou hadst seen the Son of man who now sitteth at his Fathers right hand rising from his place and attended with the thousand thousands that are before him and with the ten thousand times ten thousand that minister to him coming and sparkling so gloriously through the firmament that he dazaleth the very eyes of the Sun and makes him to hide his head for shame and sitting down in the cloudes with the glory of his Father a fire devouring before him and behind him a flame burning Conceive now with me that thou hearest him call to the Archangel Sound the last Trump that the dead may arise and come to judgement Harke to the sound of the Trump how it rendeth rocks melteth mountains breaks in pieces the bands of death and bursts asunder the gates of hell how it pierceth the ocean and fetcheth from the bottom of the sea the dust of Adams seed how it descendeth into the belly of the earth and forceth it to vomit up all the bodies which it had ever taken down how it openeth the marble tombs of Princes and Potentates and makes their Highness and Majesty stoop as low as the meanest to the King of glory Dost thou not see the bodies of the Saints look how they flie upon the wings of the wind to their souls and both to the bosom of their beloved Saviour See how the spirits of unregenerate ones leave for a little while the dark vault of hell and enter though most unwillingly into the stinking carrion of their bodies and both haled by angels to the judgement seat of Christ When the Court is thus set conceive the Commission read wherein Jesus Christ is authorized in his humane nature by his Divine Power to be Judge of the quick and dead the law is produced both of nature and Scripture the books are opened hoth of Gods omniscience and mans conscience by which all men are to be tryed for their everlasting lives and deaths The holy ones are now called their persons through the righteousness of Christ acquitted by publike proclamation before God Angels and men their performances duties graces services sufferings punctually related to their glory and infinitely rewarded in their perfect freedom from all evil and eternal fruition of the chiefest good Behold how the unholy are with violence draged to the bar examined strictly by the covenant of works have all their sins secret open personal relative of nature and practice in thoughts words and deeds revealed publikely and aggravated fully with all their crimson crying bloody circumstances heark how pitifully they plead what poor evidences they had for salvation what sorry excuses for their Atheisme and abominations their conscience instead of a thousand witnesses accuseth them the law casteth them the Judge pronounceth against them a most severe sentence of condemnation the devils feise on them for its speedy execution Now what confusion and shame of face what lamentation and forrow of heart possesseth them what doleful screechings what bitter yellowâ—ngs are heard among them Here is body cursing the soul for being so ungodly a guide and soul cursing the body for being so unready an instrument and both cursing the time that ever they met together and wishing though in vain that they might for ever be parted asunder Now the worldling curseth his flocks and his Farm his gold and his silver that had more of his heart and of his care and time then his precious soul Now the lazy Christian curseth his madness and folly that he should think a little formal preparation were sufficient for such a strict examination A bloody husband hast thou been to me saith the wife thou mindedst provision for me for a little time and never regardedst my instruction about the things of eternity A cruel father hast thou been to me saith the child for generating me a child of wrath an heir of hell and never endeavoring my regeneration whereby I might have been a child of God and an heir of heaven and thus cursing crying roaring raging they are sent to the place where is mourning without mirth sorrow without solace darkness without light death without life pure wrath without mixture perfect pain without measure nothing but weeping and wailing sighing sobbing and gnashing of teeth for ever ever ever Suppose I say that thou hadst heard and seen all this and God should after it try thee in this world fourty years wouldst thou not night and day be strugling and striving with God by prayer watching over thy own heart waiting upon thy Saviour With what earnestness wouldst thou pray with what seriousness wouldst thou read and hear with what exactness and exemplariness wouldst thou live how diligent and laborious wouldst thou be in a faithful improvement of all thy time talents and opportunities that thou mightest find mercy at such a day even the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life Wouldst thou after such a sight think any time too much or any pains too great for thy eternal good Couldst thou give the world and the flesh the choicest place in thy heart and the chiefest part of thy life as now thou dost shouldst thou dare to be nibbling again at the devils baits or to be playing with the eternal fire or to put off God with a few cold formal prayers and that by fits in stead of hearty fiery continual supplication or to put off Jesus Christ with a complement that thou wearest his livery and professest thy self a Christian in stead of a sincere resolved dedication of heart and life to his word and law What saist thou man And why wilt thou not be as diligent and as holy now thou maist in the glass of Scripture see all that I have spoken for the substance of it at least if thou hast but an eye of faith and without question the sight of faith is as sure and true as a sight of sense what reason canst thou have why thou shouldst not work as industriously to escape hell and obtain heaven as if thou hadst known these things experimentally when the word of the living and true God speaketh it so expresly look 2 Cor. 5. 10. Acts
The Spirit indeed is a free Agent and worketh in what manner and measure he pleaseth But this is certain he convinceth all of their sins and miseries conviction doth go before conversion The Physitian of souls will heal none but such as know both their distemper and their danger and thereby how infinitely they are obliged to him for their cure As in the first creation one of the first thing God made was light so in the forming the new creature illumination is before sanctification Every one is able to say in Christ as he in the Gospel This I know whereas I was blind now I see John 9.25 This is absolutely necessary in order to the second direction I have to commend to thee which is the sincere humiliation of thy soul There must be a day-break of light in the understanding before there can be an heart-break of sorrow in the affections till sin and wrath be discerned by knowledge in the mind they will be no burden to the conscience nor grief to the spirit As no good wrapt up in darknesse excites desire so no evil swathed up in ignorance striketh terror We may observe this by the holy Apostles expression I was alive without the law but when the commandement came sin revived and I died Rom. 7.9 i. e. the time was that I was ignorant both of the laws strictnesse and my own sinfulnesse and then I thought my self to be very safe my conscience was very quiet and my heart full of hope or more properly presumption about my future eternal happinesse thus I was alive without the law but when my eyes were inlightned to see how exceeding broad the Commandements of God were and that once I compared my crooked race with that strait rule and took notice how far short I came of that obedience which the law required I was then a dead a lost man I quickly pulled in my plumes and took down my sails with which I was hastening in my conceit to Heaven for I found that I was in very deed in the road to hell When the Commandement came sin revived and I died There was then life enough in my lusts to wound me unto death for I dyed Reader if thou art convinced so farre of the absolute necessity of conversion as to desire it unfeignedly let me request thee for the sake of thy poor soul to set some considerable time apart thy body hath had many years surely thy soul deserveth one day and that speedily to be serious in about its endlesse estate and to compare thy wicked life with the pure Law of God and observe how exceedingly thou hast swerved from the precepts therein commanded consider not only its outward and literal but likewise its inward and spiritual meaning and thou mayst presently discern that thy whole conversation for so many years as thou hast lived hath been a continued aberration and wandring from the Lord and his Laws If thou lookest aright in that glasse it will discover all the spots all the dirt that have been in the face of thy heart and life Jam. 1.23 By the Law is the knowledge of sin Rom. 3.20 Consider also that thy breach of the Law makes thee liable to the curse of the Law which is the infinite eternal wrath of the Law-giver Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the Law to do them Gal. 3.10 The Law must be satisfied since not in its accomplishment it will in thy punishment If God cast the glorious Angels out of heaven and reserved them in chains of darknesse to the judgement of the great day for one sin and that as some think in thought into what an hell may he cast thee whose iniquities for weight are like the sand of the sea and for number like the sparks of a furnace and the stars in the firmament Think of it with all possible seriousnesse thou hangest over the mouth of hell every moment by a small thread of life and if that should be cut asunder the whole world cannot save thee from dropping into it 2. Direction Humiliation 2. In the next place labour to get thy heart deeply and throughly affected with thy sins and misery Humiliation must follow Illumination It is not enough for this knowledge of the transgressions thou hast committed and the wrath thou hast deserved to swim in thy head it may be there as fire in the flint to no profit but it must sink down into thy heart and be beaten out into an application of and lamentation for thy guilt and wickedness Man is so sinfully subtle that he can bear the historical knowledge of these things in his understanding he can hear the name of sin and hell and be no more troubled then at a painted devil or a tale of purgatory but when God brings down sin from being a notion to be an obligation and entereth an action against the soul within it self then it will begin to melt and mourn under the sense of its sins and sufferings Thus after the Spirt of God hath been a spirit of conviction it becometh a spirit of bondage that eye which was before enlightened to see the lewdnesse of his heart and life cometh now to affect his heart with grief and sorrow This we find in those Converts Acts 2.37 when they had heard of their sin and guilt they began to recant and repent When they heard those things they were pricked to the heart The nails which had pierced Christs hands now pierce their hearts It was with them saith one as if the sharp points of daggers had been stuck or fastened in their hearts They wounded themselves with sorrow that ever they had wounded the Lord Jesus with their sins The whole life indeed of a true Christian is in some respects a life of repentance He is often greiving Gods Spirit and therefore he is often greived in his own spirit As long as the ship leaketh the pump must go Though the Christian doth not paddle or wallow in the mire of sin every day as gracelesse ones do yet he findeth that daily his hands contract dirt and his soul guilt therefore he must daily wash with faith and repentance Some report of Mary Magdalen that she spent thirty years in Galba in weeping for her sins And Tertullian saith of himself That he was born for repentance Anselm telleth us That with grief he considered the whole course of his life I found * In lib. meditat writeth he the infancy of sin in the sins of my infancy the youth and growth of sin in the sins of my youth and growth and the ripenesse of all sin in the sins of my ripe and perfect age and then he breaks out into this pathetical expression What remaineth for thee wretched man but that thou spend thy whole life in bewayling thy whole life But especially at the time of a Christians conversion he is to mind contrition when the vessel is newly tapt
thou therefore meditate much on the love of God and Christ to thy unworthy soul Think what love is it that still spareth thee notwithstanding all thy God-daring and soul-damning provocations and that when others probably better than thy self are every day and night sent to that place where God hath large interest for his long patience What love is it not only to forbear thee but also to doe thee good thou his enemy art hungry he feedeth thee thou art thirsty he giveth thee drink If a man find his enemy will he let him goe 1 Sam. 24.19 but lo God findeth thee every moment as all thy sins are within the reach of his eye so thou thy self art continually within the reach of his arm he can as easily turn thee into hell as tell thee of hell And yet he letteth thee goe and more than that doth thee good Thou spendeth every hour upon the stock of mercy God is at great charge and much cost in continuing meat and drink and health and strength and time which thou dost ravel out and wanton away unprofitably What love was that in the Father which sent his own Son to die that thou mightst live Well might the beloved Disciple say God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him might not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 3.16 In this the bowels of divine love are naked as in an Anatomy In other things the love of God is as the beames of the Sun scattered which are warm and comfortable but in this it is as the beames of the Sun united in a burning-glasse hot fiery burning love God so loved the world so dearly so intirely so incomparably so infinitely It is a sic without a sicut as one observeth a pattern which can never be parallel'd In this God commended his love towards us in that when we were sinners Christ died for us Rom. 5.8 when God sent his Son into the world he did as it were say to him My dear Son thou Son of my chiefest love and choicest delight go to the wicked unworthy world commend me to them and tell them that in thee I have sent them such a love-token such an unquestionable testimony of my favour and good-will towards them that hereafter they shall never have the least colour of reason to suspect my love or to say Wherein hast thou loved us Malachi 1.2 What love was that in the Son of God which moved him to become the son of man that thou mightst become the son of God What love was that which made him so willingly undergo the scorns and flouts and derisions of wretched men the rage and malice and assaults of ravenous devils the wrath and fury of a righteous God such pangs and tortures in his body as no mouth can expresse such sorrows and horror in his soul as no minde can conceive and all that thou mightest escape such misery and obtain everlasting mercy Greater love than this hath no man that a man lay down his life for his friend John 15.13 The passion of Christ was the greatest evidence of his affection The laying down of life did abundantly proclaim his love His love before was like wine in a cask hardly seen but O how did it sparkle and cast its colour in the glass of his sufferings This Diamond before hid in the shell doth shine radiantly in the ring of his death If his tears did so much speak his love to Lazarus that the Jews who saw him weeeping cryed out Lo how he loved him surely his heart-blood doth far more demonstrate his love to his members They that beheld him bleeding in the garden had far more reason to say Look lo how he loved his What love is that which did all this for such a worm as thou art such a sinner such a rebel what would God lose if thou wert eternally lost the least tittle of his happinesse would not be diminished this Sun is no loser when men shut their eyes and will not behold its light what gaineth God if he gain thee to himself to his service thou canst not adde the least cubit to the stature of his perfections the refreshment is to men not to the Spring when the weary passengers drink of it He doth not command thee to repent from any need he hath of thee but from the pity he hath to thee He entreateth thee to return not that he may be blessed and happy but that he may be bountiful liberal in bestowing on thee those blessings which accompany salvation Methinks the apprehension of Gods great love and goodnesse should have such an impression on thee as to make thee little and low in thine own thoughts Is it not a wonder that God should vouchsafe a gracious look upon such a clod of earth a piece of clay as thou art but what admiration can answer this love and condescension that God should wait and intreat to lift thee up who wouldst cast him down That an Emperour should sue to a traitour that Majesty should thus stoop to misery that the Lord of life and glory should prepare for thee exceeding rich and precious promises a crown of life a purchased possession and beseech thee to accept of them Were thy heart never such hard metal one would think that such an hot fire of burning love should melt it I hsve in two or three Authors read of five men that met together and asked each other what means they used to abstain from sin The first said The thoughts of the certainty of death and uncertainty of the time moved him to live every day as if it were his last day The second said He meditated of the day of of judgment and the torments of hell and they frighted him from medling with his dangerous enemy sin The third considered of the deformity of sin and beauty of holinesse The fourth of the abundant happinesse provided in heaven for holy ones The last continually thought of the Lord Jesus Christ and his love and this made him ashamed to sin against God Reader if thou hast but any ingenuity the abuse of such love and kindnesse should work upon thee Some say the blood of a goat will soften an Adamant shall not then the blood of this true goat dissolve thy adamantine heart Beasts themselves have been won by kindnesse and wilt thou be worse than a beast that such Philanthrophy and kindnesse of God shall no whit stir thee or humble thee There is a twofold necessity of a deep serious humiliation for which cause I have been the more large upon it though indeed I have added very much more than I first intended in order to the two next directions which I shall prescribe thee First in order to thy hearty acceptation of Jesus Christ Humiliation is like John Baptist to prepare the way of Christ before him Christ will not be a Saviour to them that do not set an high valuation upon him now
an unhumbled sinner is a man conceitedly whole seeing no need of and therefore setting little price upon the Physician of souls Till men see that they are cast by the Law of God and condemn'd men they will never heartily desire and value a psalm of mercy According to a mans sense of misery such is his estimation of mercy When Paul saw himself the chiefest of sinners then that saying That Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners was worthy of all acceptation This sharp sawce of repentance doth commend Christ exceedingly unto the spiritual palat The more bitter and irksome sin is the more sweet and welcome Jesus Christ will be to the soul When the sinner seeth that he is lost in himself then and not till then will he truly request to be found in Christ the prodigal did not prize the bread in his fathers house till he was ready to perish for hunger Ministers preach much of the infinite excellencies that are in Christ of the unspeakable misery of sinners without Christ of the absolute necessity that men and women stand in of Christ and yet preach to little purpose most prize their shops and their lands their relations yea and their sensual lusts above the Lord Jesus notwithstanding all their pretences to the contrary they see no such need of him nor such worth in him as the Preachers and Scriptures speak of What 's the reason of it truly this They were never sensible of the stings of the fiery serpents if they had they would look up to the brazen serpent with an eye of greater respect They were never pricked to the heart and therefore cry not out Men and brethren what shall we do to be saved But when God discovereth his wrath to the soul and shutteth the soul up under it when he commandeth conscience in his Name to arrest the soul for all its debts which it oweth to divine justice and when in pursuance thereof conscience doth in the name of the dreadful God charge on the sinner the guilt of all his sins and hales him to the Judgment-seat of God where he seeth nothing but frowns and fury fire and brimstone and feeleth nothing but tribulation and anguish indignation and wrath now the sinner cryeth out in bitternesse of spirit O wretched miserable man alas alas I am undone What desperate madnesse possessed my soul thus to provoke the Almighty God by my sins Into what a sea of misery have I brought my self by mine iniquities The God whom I see is angry the wrath which I feel is heavy the torments which I fear are infinite The Law which sheweth no mercy is violated the God who will have full satisfaction for the breach of his law is incensed conscience which is his Jailour is commissionated to wound and terrifie me And whether shall I go wrath above me wrath below me wrath without me wrath within me A world mark now for a surety to discharge me of these debts a thousand worlds for that balm which can heal this wounded conscience Ten thousand thousand worlds for a Jesus that can deliver from the wrath to come When sin comes to be sin indeed then and not till then a Saviour will be a Saviour indeed Secondly humiliation is necessary in order to the souls hearty resignation of it self to every Law and Command of Christ According to a mans humiliation such will his subjection to Christ be Humilation is in some sense the foundation of a Christians obedience and the strength of the building dependeth upon the strength of the foundation The reason why the Religious buildings of hundreds of Professors in our dayes though they have been very fair and beautiful to the eye have miscarried is this the want of this foundation their hearts were never throughly humbled The reason why the stony ground did not bring forth good fruit was this the plough had not gon deep enough it did not take deep root Matth. 13.20 21. Men would never dally with God as they do or halt as the Israelites between two opinions be sometimes for God and sometimes for the world holy by fits and girts if they had ever felt the weight of sin Christ when he cometh into the soul as a Saviour will come also as a Soveraign to command and govern the whole man He is the true Sun and he will have the whole heaven the whole heart to himself he will allow no writ of partition his Law forbiddeth inmates as well as mans Now against this Probably therefore fleshly lusts may be called earthly members Col. 3. not only because they flow from the body of death but also because they are as dear to men as their bodily members the natural carnal man riseth and rebelleth exceedingly He hath ever at this time some lust or other which he valueth as his * limbs some right hand that he desireth may not be cut off some right eye which he would not have pluckt out some Herodias that must not be medled with some Absolom that the sinner intreateth Christ to spare and deal gently with for his sake Therefore before the Lord of hosts can make an absolute conquest before he can perswade the besieged soul to surrender it self wholly and altogether to his government he is forc'd by the Granadoes and thundring Cannons of the Laws curse and Gods wrath to fire and fright it out of all its sinful holds Then it will come up to those excellent terms of the Lord which are most honourable for the Saviour and most profitable for the soul Now he seeth most certainly such a sting in sins tail that he dares plead no longer for the beauty of its face Now he feeleth it as a dart in his liver as an arrow sticking in his heart as a coal of fire in his hand he is heartily willing yea thinks himself much beholden to that Redeemer that will pluck out this dart this arrow O how readily doth he throw away this coal of fire fearing to be burnt by it any more We have two famous instances of this in Scripture The one is in Paul Acts 9.6 When Paul that was posting in the road to hell comes to be knockt down and to feel those tremblings and terrors in his spirit he crieth out Lord what wilt thou have me to do He had probably heard much before of God but he regarded it not till now he receiveth a word and a blow a word from without and a wound within to set it home now it is Lord what wilt thou have me to do before it was What will the high Priest the Scribes and Pharisees have me to do and what will the vain imaginations and high thoughts which exalted themselves against God and Christ have me to do but now it is Lord what wilt thou have me to do Before his heart was like hard wax it would take no impression from God but now it is softned by this fire of inward humiliation it is ready for any stamp
God may imprint what he pleaseth Lord what wilt thou have me do The other instance is in the cruel rough hard-hearted Jaylour After the earth-quake and the heart-quake which God had caused he springs trembling in and fell down before Paul and Silas crying out Sirs What shall I do to be saved Acts 16. 29 30. Observe now the man is heart-sick indeed he is willing to take the most bitter pills As if he had said Sirs Do but tell me what I must do for salvation though the terms be never so hard the conditions never so unpleasant the price never so much the pains never so great yet I will submit to any thing to all things for salvation What must I do to be saved When the Israelite first sets out towards Canaan there is a mixt multitude of carnal affections which desire and endeavour to bear him company now because God knoweth that the land is too good for such evil inhabitants and besides that they will cause many mutinies in the way he brings therefore the Israelite into the wildernesse to humble him and to cut them off Before the soul be throughly humbled it dodgeth with Christ it plaies fast and loose off and on this it liketh and that it disliketh this part of the yoke is uneasie this burthen is too heavy and such and such commandments are grievous fain it would have Christ and his precious promises but loth it is to forego its old friends its beloved lusts but when God is pleased to take the sinner by the throat and to shake him out of his security by shewing him sin and wrath in their colours making him sensible of the one and terrifying him with a fearful expectation of the other laying him at the pits brink within the smoak of hell within the smell of that brimstone within the sorchings of that eternal fire which is prepared for the Devil and his Angles now the sinner seeth that God is in earnest and therefore dareth not halt or halve it any longer now he is in a boisterous storm and casteth all those goods his darling-sinnes into the sea perceiving that he must perish if he do not God is necessitated to launce mens wounds and put them to pain because otherwise they cannot be cured When the metal is thus melted God may cast it into what mold he pleaseth O thrice happy is that heart which hath been deeply and truly humbled it shall hold out in those tempests wherein many others shall make shipwrack of faith and a good conscience Thirdly 3 Direction Application of Christ if thou hast been faithful in following my former advice to get thy mind enlightned to see and thy heart throughly humbled for thy sin and misery thy next work is to rest and rely upon the Lord Jesus Christ for pardon grace and salvation To look upon him as one appointed by the father given by himself sanctified by the spirit and revealed in the word of truth the Gospel to be the onely and al-sufficient Saviour of lost souls It is now the proper time for thee to cast thy soul thy sins thine eternal estate upon the infinite meritoriousnesse of the blessed Redeemer Experience sheweth that it is very easie for an unbroken sinner to presume but surely it is very hard for an humbled sinner that hath had all his vilenesse and unworthinesse displayed before his eye and the infinite wrath of God like a mountain of lead oppressing his conscience to believe and therefore I have prepared some choice cordials for such fainting spirits which I shall give thee anon But my work now is to beseech thee broken heart that thou take heed of thinking to lick thy self whole I know the Devil and thy heart will be both busie and diligent to get thee to make a Christ of thy contrition and a Saviour of thy humiliation O how unwilling is man when he hath shipwrack't his soul to commit himself naked to the sea of Christs blood how earnest is he to have the chains and jewels of his earthly affections along with him This spiritual life is a liâ—e of Faith and indeed upon this the whole almost of thy work dependeth Fide regenâ—ramur resipiscontia non solum fidem subsâ—quitur sed ex ea nascitur Calv. and to swim out upon the rotten boards of his own works Reader now therefore especially if thy soul be in a flame be careful out of what well thou drawest thy water to quench it This is one of the chiefest nay the chiefest of all fundamentals in Religion and therefore it behoveth thee to be very tender Now thou art nigh drowning neer sinking in the Ocean of divine fury thou hadst need to make sure that the bough or stake or what ever it be by which thou holdest be strong enough and able to bear thy weight It is likely nay it is certain if thou art humbled as aforesaid thou prayest thou mournest thou sighest thou loathest thy self for thy wickednesse thou admirest God for his forbearance thou longest after help and deliverance be sure that thou do not look on these as so much money wherewith thou maiest purchase thy pardon and buy off thy guilt for believe it if thou doest as white as thy silver is it will draw black lines instead of wiping off thy old score thou wilt thereby run further in debt Evangelical humiliation is required not so much to make thee acceptable to Christ as to make Christ acceptable to thee It is a good evidence of the beginnings of sanctification but it is a bad advocate for thy justification It is as truly dangerous to appear before God in the rags of thy own righteousnesse as in thy sinful nakednesse If ever thou receive the blessing of pardon and love from thy heavenly father it must be by appearing in the garments of thine elder brother He maketh his acceptable but it is in Christ the beloved Eph. 1.6 Nothing but perfect righteousnesse will pacifie Gods anger or satisfie his justice or please those eyes which are purer than to behold the least iniquity And this righteousnesse is onely in Christ who was made sin for thee that thou mightst become the righteousnesse of God in him 2 Corinth 5. ult Do not therefore when thou ceasest to be an Athiest begin to be a Papist in relying upon thy good works for though God will not save thee without them yet he will never save thee for them Shepherds Sincere Convert p. 107. Edit 5. Canst thou saith an eminent Minister now with Christ make thy self a Christ for thy self Canst thou bear and come from under an infinite wrath canst thou bring in perfect righteousnesse into the presence of God This Christ must do else he could not satisfie and redeem And if thou canst not do this and hast no Christ desire and pray till heaven and earth shake till thou hast worn thy tongue to the stumps endeavour as much as thou canst and others commend thee for a diligent
lovely Cant. 5.15 how hastily he runs to meet thee more then half way loves pace is very swift Behold he cometh leaping over the mountains skipping upon the hills Cant. 2.8 Observe how bountifully he provideth for thy entertainment A feast of fat things a feast of wines on the lees of fat things full of marrow of wines on the lees well refined Isa 25.6 Behold he standeth at the door and knocketh if thou hear his voice and open to him he will come in and sup with thee and thou with him Rev. 3.20 4. Direct Dedication to God Fourthly Dedicate thy self soul and body and all thou hast unto the service and glory of Jesus Christ If thou hast been unfaigned in the practice of the former directions I doubt not in the least of thy willingnesse to this If thy sorrow for sin hath been sincere like a burnt child thou wilt dread that fire The Jewel of faith must be laid up in the cabinet of a good conscience Though faith justifie our persons yet good works must justifie our faith The sense of former unkindnesse to Christ is fresh in thy heart and a very glutton in pain under a distemper dares not but forbear such meats as will feed it If thy Marriage to Christ hath been hearty thou hast given an universal bill of divorce to other lovers and hast accepted him for thy head and husband to govern and command thee as well as to protect and provide for thee and instate heaven as a Jointure upon thee If thou expectest an immortal life from him thou must consecrate thy mortal life to him I hope then thou art contented to take Jesus Christ for better for worse with his shameful crosse as well as his crown of glory with his trials as well as triumphs with his gracious precepts as well as his precious promises nay I hope thou seest so much equity in his commands so much beauty in his wayes and worship so much of thy souls felicity wrapt up in holinesse in order to its perfection and happinesse that thou wouldest much rather chuse the easie yoke the light burthen of Christ than the drudgery of the world or the bondage of corruption Truly thus it must be with thee if ever thou art saved and thus I thought to have found thee at least to leave thee One excellently compareth holinesse and happinesse to those two sisters Leah and Rachel Salvation or happinesse like Rachel seems the fairer even a carnal heart may fall in love with that but sanctification or holinesse like Leah is the elder and beautiful also though in this life it appears with some disadvantage her eyes being bleared with tears of repentance and her face furrowed with the works of mortification But this is the law of that heavenly Countrey that the younger sister must not be bestowed before the elder We cannot enjoy fair Rachel heaven and happinesse except first we embrace tender-eyed Leah holinesse mortification self-denial and all those severe duties which the Churches Law-giver enjoineth Friend sit down and consider what it may cost thee to be a Christian It must cost thee the absolute denial of thy sinful carnal self of the body of death and its earthly members which are expresly forbidden in the Word of God and thy main work must be every day to crucifie and mortifie them Sin must die though it may be never so dear to thee or thy Soul cannot live If thou lettest any sin go since every one is appointed by God to destruction thy life must go for its life as the Prophet told Ahab 1 Kings 20.42 When Christ came in the flesh sin crucified him but when Christ comes in the spirit he will crucifie it As Samson an eminent type of Christ pull'd down the house upon the heads of the Lords of the Philistines that he might slay them and so be avenged on them for his two eyes So Jesus Christ if he be thy Saviour is resolved to pull the house in which sin harbours it self down about its ears and by its slaughter to be revenged on it for his two eyes for all the ignominy and shame agony and pain which sin put him to He will teach thee better than to beg the life of those Barrabasses those soul-murderers and robbers of God of his glory And surely ingenuity will learn thee otherwise than to expect such infinite favours from this King and yet to entertain in thy heart any that are rebels against his Majesty Thus it will cost thee the absolute denial of thy sinful self It must cost thee the conditional denial of thy natural self and all that is outwardly dear unto thee nay it may cost thee the actual losse of relations possessions honour pleasure liberty limbs life and all these for Jesus Christ Thou must resolve when ever they come in opposition unto or competition with Christ his glory Kingdome and Command to let them go As when Levies relations came in competition with the glory of God he did not know his father nor would he acknowledge his brethren Deut. 33.9 When Moses his glory and pleasures came in competition with a precept of God he chooseth to suffer affliction with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of the Court Heb. 11.25 When Pauls liberty and life come in competition with the Kingdome of Christ he is ready not only to be bound but to die for the name of the Lord Jesus Acts 20.24 They all willingly left their own comforts to obey Gods call and commands Dr. Reyn. Sermon on self-denyal In conversion as one well observeth the use and the property of all we have is altered All our vessels all our Merchandize must be super-scribed with a new title Holinesse to the Lord. Isa 23.18 Zach. 14.20 21. Then mens chief care will be to honour the Lord with their substance Prov. 3.9 to bring their sons their silver their gold to the name of the Lord the holy One of Israel Isa 60.9 All we are or have we have it on this condition to use it to leave it to lay it out to lay it down unto the honour of our Master from whose bounty we received it It was a notable saying of a Noble Lord of this Land That that person may be deceived L. Brooks who thinks to save any thing by his Religion more than his soul And surely he that saveth his soul saveth all that is worth saving He meant that his Religion might cost him the losse of all other things There is certainly if thou wilt be a Christian indeed a necessity of laying thy health strength time estate name friends interests in the world thy calling and comforts whatsoever at the feet of Christ to be employed wholly in his service and improved altogether for his glory and to be denied or enjoyed in whole or in part according to his call and command This may seem an hard saying to carnal minds that rather than break and leave off all
shew of trading with God to which their stirred consciences will by no means yield would willingly compound and give Christ a part and the world and flesh the other part But as Christ is worthy of so he will have all acceptation The gods of the Heathen are good fellows and share their honour among themselves but this Lord over all who is God blessed for ever will not give his glory to others he will not suffer that superlative esteem trust and love of the soul to be bestowed upon any but himself o◠to be divided betwixt himself and any other He will allow no superiour nay no equal As Alexander answered Darius when Darius sent to him about peace because there were Empires enough in the world to satisfie them both The whole world could endure but one sun but one Alexander So the heart of man must have but one General but one Commander in chief and that must be Jesus Christ Truly Reader I hope that these things will not discourage thee from the wayes of God Do but rationally consider them Is it not most just and equal that since all these things come freely from him that they should be laid out purely for him Thou givest thy servant a little meat and drink and mony or rather God by thee and what service dost thou require of him Thou art instrumental under God to the birth and breeding of thy children and what duty dost thou expect from them Art not thou ten thousand times more engaged to Jesus Christ for every bit of bread and breath of air for every nights sleep and days supply for every mercy that thine enjoy for every moments abode on this side hell for every soul-favour and body-kindness In him thou livest movest and hast thy being the light doth not so much depend on the Sun as thy life and all thy comforts depend on Christ Now be thy own judge what service what obedience may the Lord Jesus look for at thy hands If the world or the flesh could do half so much for thee thou wer't more excuseable then now thou art in doing so much for them Again when the question ariseth Whether Christ or the flesh Christ or the world should have thy greatest esteem or love or trust or the most of thy time and strength and talents One would think thou shouldst be ashamed to put such a question or at least that the very mention of it would be a sufficient answer to it Alas what are all the honours and pleasures riches and relations delicates and diadems of the whole world to Jesus Christ but as pebbles to pearls dirt to Diamonds dross to gold nothing to all things there is surely no comparison The whole world of heaven and earth doth not so far excell a feather as Jesus Christ doth the whole world Besides this request of mine should rather encourage thee in regard this absolute resignation of thy self to Christ tendeth to the perfection and happiness of thy soul Thy misery by thy fall is chiefly in this that thou hast thereby lost the Image of God Thy want of conformity to him is the cause why thou hast not communion with him Beasts do not converse with men nor trees with beasts because they do not live the life of each other Sense must fit trees to converse with beasts and reason must fit beasts to converse with men and grace and holiness must fit thee to converse with God When thou once livest the life of God as this unreserved soul-resignation or sanctification is called Ephes 4.18 thou mayst then bathe thy soul in his love Now this is the way to it The life of Christianity consisteth in an hearty dedication of thy self and all thou hast to Christ When thou hast done this thou art a Christian indeed The excellency of every thing standeth in two things Dr. Reyn. on Hos 14. Sermon 7. first the perfection of beautie in which it was made and the perfection of use for which it was made now the beauty of man consisteth in this that he was made like unto God Gen. 1 26. and his end and use is this that he was made for God first to serve him and after to enjoy him for the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself therefore to recover the Image of God which consisteth in knowledge righteousnesse and true holinesse to work to the service and glory of God to aspire to the possession and fruition of God must needs be mans greatest good By what hath been largely spoken before in this Use thou mayst perceive that there is no going to heaven per saltum by leaping out of a dirty and stinking jakes into the presence of the glorious God There is a being made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light Coloss 1.12 Operatione acceptatione divinâ idonei constituimur ad participandam sortem sanctorum Davenant in loc which is by sanctification As cloaths are by lighter colours fitted to receive a deep Scarlet dye so thou must by this spiritual life of holiness be fitted for the eternal life of glory Observe 2 Cor. 5.5 the Apostle tells us He that hath wrought us for the self-same thing i. e. heaven is God Man is a rugged piece of timber an unhewn stone now the stone must be polished and the timber squared before it can be fit for the heavenly building wrought for it Joseph when he was sent for to Pharaoh out of prison changed his Rayment and trimmed himself and then appeared before the King And as there must be Regeneration or the beginning of grace so there must be a proficiency or growth in grace to prepare the soul for the weight of glory * Mr. Strong Holinesse the way to happiness pag. 45. There is a double right which every child of God hath to heaven 1. Jus haereditarium an hereditary right and that is at regeneration when he is put into Christ and made a Co-heir with him of his Inheritance having grace begun in him which shall be perfected in glory and was given as a principle ordained to such a perfection 2. Jus aptitudinarium and that is a right of fitness whereby we are qualified to receive such a mercy and that as an heir hath a right of inheritance in his non-age but he hath not a right of fitness till he come to years and be able to manage his estate when he hath received it Reader in both these respects there is a necessity that thou presently make a deed of gift of thy self and thy all unto Jesus Christ and that thou never more look upon thy self or any thing thou hast as thine own but as a servant intrusted with them for thy Masters use and advantage Well Reader I suppose thou dost ere this fully understand the conditions upon which thy soul may be contracted unto Christ My work is to treat with thee about this marriage I am commanded by the Lord as Abrahams Steward
by his Lord Gen. 24. to provide a Wife for my Masters son I do here in the presence of the living God by commission from his Majesty tender thee the most honourable profitable delightful match that was ever offered to mortals It is the Lord Jesus Christ the Lord of life and glory the onely begotten of the Father the fairest of ten thousands to be thy head and husband hereby thou shalt have the King of Kings the Lord of heaven and earth for thy Father a Queen the Church for thy Mother the Saints those truly excellent noble illustrious ones higher then the Kings of the earth for thy brethren and sisters the Covenant of Grace in comparison of which all the gold of the Indies is but dirt and dung for thy treasure glorious Angels for thy servants the flesh of the Son of God for thy meat and his precious blood for thy drink perfect Righteousness which is more beautiful then the unspotted innocency of Adam or Angels for thy rayment a palace of pleasures a place of glory a building of God an house not made with hands but eternal in the heavens for thy habitation And all this only upon these termes that thou wilt be a loving faithful and obedient Wife which the poorest beggar in the country expects from his wife that thou wilt heartily give up thy self and all thou hast to his service and glory and this he desireth also for thy good and benefit that he may make thee a more excellent creature and render thee more acceptable to God and more capable of his dearest love and eternal embraces as the rain is sent up from the earth in thick and foggy vapours but the heavens return it in pure and silver showers so though thou givest an unbelieving hard earthly heart unto Christ he will return it unto thee again believing tender heavenly such an heart as shall be more pleasing both to God and thy self and for this he is pleased though ten thousand Suns united into one are but darkness to him so great is his glory to condescend to become a Suiter to thee to beseech thee to accept of him who knoweth thy portion to be misery and beggery who seeth thy person to be full of ugliness and deformity who gaineth no addition to his happiness by thine acceptance of his love nor suffereth the least diminution by thy refusal Well what sayest thou to this match Art thou heartily willing to take Jesus Christ for thy wedded Husband to protect and direct thee to purifie and pardon thee to sanctifie and save thee to guide thee by his counsel and afterwards to receive thee to glory And wilt thou here in the presence of the Lord and before thy conscience which is as ten thousand witnesses promise and covenant to obey him universally to love him unfainedly to resign up thy self and all thou hast to his disposal unreservedly What sayest thou Art thou willing or no Take heed of dallying in a match that is so unquestionably and infinitely for thy advantage Believe it thou shalt not have such offers every day Doe not stick at any of his Precepts for he can require nothing but what is equal excellent and honorable doe not trifle or defer it if thou lovest thy soul for this may be the very last time of asking If thou wilt deal kindly and truly with my Master tell me or if not tell me that I may return an answer to him that sent me Gen. 24.49 These four directions which I have laid down already are without question the whole of Christianity and that soul shall be certainly saved by whom they are uprightly practised yet there are two special means which God hath appointed for the enabling the soul to perform them which I shall speak briefly to and for method sake joyn them altogether Five Directions Attendance on the Word Fifthly If thou wouldst attain this spiritual life be much conversant with the Word of God be often reading it meditating on it but especiall frequent it in publick where it is preached by losing one Sermon for â—ought thou knowest thou mayst lose one soul Death at first entred into the world by the ear Gen. 3. and so doth life Faith comes by hearing Rom. 10.17 thou seest in the Gospel that Faith and Repentance are this spiritual life Mark 16.16 Gal. 2.20 and thou mayest see as clearly that they are both the fruits of the ministery of the Word For Faith that fore quoted place Rom. 10.17 is full and for Repentance that of Acts 2.37 speaketh home When they heard these things they were pricked to the heart mark When they heard these things The Word of God is an hammer with which God is pleased to break the stony heart and a fire wherewith he melteth the hard mettal Jerem. 23.29 In this respect it is that the Minister is called the Father of some Converts namely those whom he begetteth through the Gospel 1 Cor. 4.15 Joâ— Isaac a Jew was converted by reading the 53. of Isaiah Junius by the first of Johns Gospel Augustine by the 13. of Romans I will never forget thy precepts for by them thou hast quickened me David Psal 119.93 There is a resurrection of souls at this day when Ministers lift up their voice like a trumpet Isai 58.1 Acts 2.37 as well as there shall be a resurrection of bodies at the last day by the Trump of the Archangel This is the net which God is pleased to cast into the sea of the world and wherewith he harh caught many a soul three thousand at one draught Acts 2.41 Spiritual life is the gift of God as well as eternal the gift of all grace is of grace but ordinarily of his own will he begetteth souls by the word of truth Jam. 1 18. If thou wilt have Wisdomes dole thou must wait at Wisdomes gate for there it is given Prov. 8.34 Grace is the law written in the heart and usually the ministry of the Word is the pen wherewith the Spirit of God writes it That is the bed wherein the children of God are begotten Cantic 1.16 That is the school wherein the Disciples are taught of God and learn the truth as it is in Jesus The Ministers Commission doth abundantly evince this I send thee saith God to Paul to open the eyes of the blind and to turn men from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to the living God God indeed is a most free Agent and can work when and how he pleaseth but it hath pleased him to make the Gospel of Christ his own power unto salvation Rom. 1.16 and it pleaseth him by the foolishnesse of preaching to save them that believe 1 Cor. 1.21 Abana and Pharpar Rivers of Damascus to the eye of sense may seem better then all the waters of Israel but Jordan can cleanse and heal when those cannot because it hath a divine precept and promise annexed to it Nay observe how God is pleased to dignifie his Word
and to honour his own Ordinance When he hath begun the work of conversion himself immediately he will not perfect it without the ministry of his Word He sendeth Paul to Ananias Acts 9.21 to learn what he should doe and biddeth Cornelius by an Angel for an Angel must not doe that work to send for Peter and from him to hear words whereby he and his house should be saved Acts 10.5 6. David who was wiser then the ancients then his enemies then his teachers lyeth many months asleep on the bed of security in a most filthy pickle till a Prophet is sent to call him up and awake him then and not till then he mindeth cleansing as appeareth plainly by the title and body of the 51. Psalm So Davids heart smote him for numbring the people but mark the means of it For saith the Text when David was up in the morning the word of the Lord came to Gad and commanded him to goe to David 2 Sam. 24.10 11 12. Yea the very honour of saving souls the most High ascribeth to the ministry of his Word 1 Tim. 4.16 Timothy is spoken of as saving himself and them that hear him i. e instrumentally thus highly God doth magnifie his Ordinances though many men vilifie them Doe not thou therefore forsake the assemblies of the Saints as the manner of some is Heb. 10.25 but lie constantly at the pool Some that have come to church to sleep as Mr. Latimer saith have been taken napping praying and waiting for the troubling of the waters of the Sanctuary The Angel of the Covenant may move there and thy diseased soul thereby be healed As thou wouldst learn that lesson whereby thou mayst be wise to salvation do not play the truant but frequent that School where the Prophet of the Church teacheth As thou wouldst not quench the Spirit despise not prophesying 1 Thess 5.19 20. They that came to catch the Preacher have been caught by the Sermon as Austin by Ambrose Aust Confess 5. lib. 14. And they that come to see fashions as Moses came to the Bush maybe called as he was The Souldiers or Officers that went to apprehend Christ were probably apprehended by Christ John 7.46 Wh n Henry Zatphen was Preacher at Breme the Papists sent theâ—r Chaplains to hear that they might intrap him but God converted by his ministry many of them Sleid. Comment If thou wouldst have thy heart throughly humbled make use of the Word you may read of a bad hard cursed heart indeed humbled by this 2 Chron. 33.12 and 18. v. Manasses in his affliction humbled himself greatly for God sent unto him Prophets and Seers that spake unto him in the name of the Lord so 2 Sam. 24.10 11 12. Wouldst thou rest upon Jesus Christ for salvation Mind the Word Every one that hath heard and learned of the Father cometh unto me John 6.45 Wouldst thou have thine inward man renewed and changed This may be done by the blessing of God accompanying his Word therefore it is called the engraffed Word Jam. 1.21 To teach us that as the sciences of a good apple graffed into a crab-tree stock hath vertue to change the nature of it so hath the word preached for of that he speaketh as is manifest v 19 22 23. vertue to change the heart of man Reader let me perswade thee to have a reverent esteem of and to be very familiar with the Word of God reading it constantly and hearing it frequently as the Lord shall give thee opportunities but take heed how thou hearest Luke 8.18 how thou readest Attend on the Word having first laid aside all superfluity of naughtinesse weeds must be rooted up before the ground of mans heart is fit to receive the seed of the Word 1. With meeknesse of spirit Jam. 1.21 The humble sinner is fittest to be Christs Schollar The meek he will teach his way the meek he will guide in judgement Psal 25.8 9. When the heart is tender it is most teachable it is like white paper for any inscription like soft wax for any impression A proud person is too good in his own conceit to be taught he quarrelleth and rageth either at the person that preacheth or at the plainnesse of the sermon but to his own ruine He rejecteth the counsel of God but it is against himself to his own hurt Luke 7.30 The weak corn which yeilds to the wind receiveth no dammage by it but the proud sturdy oak which resisteth it is often broken in pieces 2. Attend on the Word with a resolution to obey whatever the Lord shall in his Word command thee O 't is excellent to sit at Gods feet hearing his voice purposely that thou mightest doe his will like a servant to goe to thy master and know his mind that thou mayst fulfill it when thou canst say I am here present before the Lord to hear and doe the things that are commanded me of God Acts 10.33 like the Romans deliver up thy self wholly to that form of doctrine which God hath delivered down unto thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as mettal for any stamp and mould Rom. 6.17 3. Plato as he walked in the streets if he saw any dissolute or disordered would reflect on himself with Num ego talis Am I such a one as â—his man is Diogen Laert. in vita With self application doe not think this concerneth such a man and now the minister hitteth such a one but consider now God speaketh to my soul and this truth doth nearly concern me If the word be not mixed with faith it will not be profitable to them that hear it Hebr. 4.2 Whilst truths rest in generals little good will be done but when they come to be particularly applied and to sink down into the heart then they work effectually for the souls salvation Truths generally received are like the charging a piece but the particular application of them doth the execution upon sin 4. With supplication before and after reading or hearing begin with God Lord open mine eyes that I may see the wonderful things of thy Law Psal 119.18 Begin duty with duty The preparation of the heart in man is from the Lord Prov. 16.1 And after thou hast heard or read pray as the Disciples after they had heard Lord open to us this parable Matth. 15 15. This Scripture Write thy law in my heart and thy truth in mine inward parts teach me thy way lead me in thy righteousness give me understanding and I shall keep thy law yea I shall observe it with my whole heart Psal 119.34 Urge thy soul with the necessity of this duty that thou must be converted or condemned and it is the law of the Lord that is perfect converting the soul Psal 19.7 That thou must know thy misery or feel it eternally and it is the preiept of the Lord that is pure enlightning the mind Psa 19.8 That thou must repent or be ruined and it is by hearing that
men come to be prickt at the heart Acts 2.37 That thou must believe or perish and how shalt thou believe on him of whom thou hast not heard Rom. 10. As ships will ride a long time in a road-steed when they might be in the haven for this end that they may be in the winds way to take the first opportunity that shall be offered for their intended voyage So do thou ride in the road of Gods Ordinances waiting for the gales of the Spirit thou knowst not how soon that wind may blow on the waters of the Sanctuary and drive the vessel of thy soul swiftly and land it safely at the haven of happinesse of Heaven Direction If thou wouldst attain this spiritual life be frequent and fervent at the throne of grace Prayer that the God of all grace would infuse grace into thee and breath into thy soul the breath of this spiritual life As Abram pleaded for Ishmael Gen. 17.18 O that Ishmael might live before thee so do thou for thy soul O that my soul might live before thee And â—s the Ruler for his son Lord come down quickly ere my soul die yea ere it die eternally Go to God with a sense of thy own unworthiness and iniquities that though thou comest to his Majesty for the greatest favours yet thou art lesse than the least of all his mercies acknowledging that thou hast sinned hainously against heaven and before him and art unworthy to be called his son Confesse thy original actual heart life sins with their bloody aggravations and intreat him to pardon and purifie thee O with what humility reverence and self-abhorrency should such a guilty prisoner approach the Judge of the whole earth Arraign accuse and condemn thy self and thy sins if ever thou wouldst have God to acquit thee Pray also with a sense of thy own impotency and weaknesse That though there be a necessity of humiliation if ever thou wouldst escape damnation yet thou canst as soon fetch water out of a rock as teares from thine eyes or sorrow from thine heart for thy sins till the wind of the Spirit bloweth those waters will never flow It is God that must give to thee a poor Gentile repentance unto life Non minus difficile est nobis velle credere quam cadaveri volare Beza Confess p. 22. Acts 11.18 That thou must believe or thou canst not be saved yet thou canst as easily cause iron to swim as thy soul to believe in the Son of God Faith is the gift of God Phil. 1.29 Zeph. 8. It is as hard a work to believe the Gospel as to keep the Law perfectly Nothing lesse than omnipotency can enable the soul to either As thy first birth and generation so is thy second birth and regeneration from the Lord. Men and meanes may be instrumental and subservient but their efficacy and successe dependeth on God As Protogenes when he saw a line curiously drawn in a Painters shop cried out None but Apelles could draw that line so when thou seest the new Creation thou mayst say None but a God could doe that When thou hast through the strength of Christ wrought thy heart to some sense of thy weakness and unworthiness then look into the Scriptures and fetch arguments from Gods own mouth weapons from his own Armory whereby thou mayst prevail with him and overcome him Beseech him to consult his glorious Name and gracious Nature mind him that he is the Lord the Lord God gracious merciful long-suffering abundant in goodness and truth forgiving iniquity transgression and sin Exod. 34.6 Tell him that he delighteth not in the death of sinners that he taketh more pleasure in unbloody conquests in the chearful services than in the painful sufferings of his Creatures That he had much rather have trees for fruit than for the fire Say Have mercy upon me O God according to thy loving kindness and after the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out mine offences Psal 51.1 O thou that art rich in mercy for the great love wherewith thou lovest souls quicken me in Christ that by grace I may be sanctified and saved Since thou delightest in mercy be pleased Lord to delight both thy self and thy servant by extending thine hand of mercy to pluck me out of this bottomlesse depth of misery Intreat God to consult his own Honor as well as his gracious Nature Mind him that if he condescend to convert and save thee he shall have the glory of his patience in waiting thus long to be gracious the glory of his providence in causing all things to work together for thy good the glory of mercy in pitying and pardoning such a greivous sinner the glory of his justice in that noble satisfaction it shall have from the death of his Son the glory of his power in bringing such a rebellious heart into subjection unto Jesus Christ Intreat his Majesty to consider that he may pardon and cleanse thee through Christ without the least diminution to his glory nay that far more revenues will come to his crown from thy salvation then from thy damnation That the forced confessions of them that perish as of Malefactors upon a wrack do not sound forth his praises so much nor so well as the joyful hearty acclamations of his saved ones Say Lord if thou suffer me to continue in my filth and pollution and never wash me by the blood and spirit of thy Son and suffer me to perish eternally thou art righteous but Lord if I perish I shall not praise thee thy glory will rather be forced out of me with blows as fire out of a flint thou delightest to see poor creatures volunteers in thy service The damned do not celebrate thy praise Psal 30.9 they that go into the infernal pit give thee no thanks The living Psal 88.10 11. Isa 38.19 the living they shall praise thee they that live spiritually and they that live with thee eternally O what Hosanna's and Halelujah's what honor and glory and blessing and praise do they give to the Lord and to the Lamb that sitteth upon the throne for ever O let my soul live and it shall praise thee Thine is the kingdom and power do thou work within me by thy grace and thine shall be the glory Desire God to consider his own promise as well as his praise Urge his own word That they that ask shall receive that seek shall find that knock shall have heaven opened That if men know how to give good gifts to them that ask how much more will the Father in heaven give his holy Spirit to them that ask That he will circumcise the hearts of men and women to love him Deut. 30.6 That he will put his fear into their hearts and they shall never depart away from him Jer. 32.40 That he will write his Law in their hearts Ezek. 31.33 Go in to him when thou art full of heaviness as Bathsheba did to David and say 1
Kings 1â— 17 18. Did not my Lord promise thus thus is it thy mind that thy word should go unfulfilled Lord are not these thy own words thine own hand writing whose staffe and bracelet is this If thou hadst not promised I should not have found in my heart to pray And if thou shouldst not perform where would be the glory of thy truth Thy mercy O Lord is great unto the heavens and thy truth unto the clouds Psal 57.10 My soul cleaveth unto the dust quicken thou me according to thy word Psal 119.25 Remember thy word unto thy servant upon which thou hast caused me to hope Psa 119.49 Beseech him to consider thy misery like a beggar uncover thy nakednesse shew thy sores and wounds to move him to pity Tell him that in regard of thy spiritual condition Rev. 3.17 thou art at present wretched miserable poor blind and naked without God without Christ without hope an alien from the Common-wealth of Israel and a stranger from the Covenants of promise and that thine eternal state is like to be the worm that never dieth the fire that never goeth out amongst devils and damned ones in blacknesse of darknesse for ever Say Lord open thine eyes and see thy poor creature weltring Ezek. 16. wallowing polluted in his own soul blood and now I am in my blood open thy mouth and say unto me Live yea now I am in my blood say unto me Live Since no eye pitieth me to do any good unto me open thine heart let thy bowels yearn towards me Let this time be my time of love spread thy skirt over me and cover all my nakednesse Enter into a covenant with me and enable me to become thine for ever Since thou beholdest all the wants and necessities of my poor soul open thine hand and supply all my spiritual need There is bread enough and to spare in the Fathers house O let not my dying soul perish for hunger Open thine eares and hear the prayers and supplications which thy servant poureth out before thee night and day Thou hast the key of David and openest and no man shutteth Open the iron gate of my heart which will never open of its own accord that the King of glory may enter in Thou didst open the rock and cause it to send forth water Bow the heavens and come down Break open this rockie heart and come in and take an effectual universal eternal possession of my soul Consider thy bottomless mercie Christs infinite merits my unspeakable misery and let thine heart be opened in pitie and thine hand in bounty that my lips may be opened and my mouth may everlastingly shew forth thy praise Only in thy prayers be instant constant and look up to Jesus Christ Beg hard though humbly when thou art begging for heaven Hast thov never heard a Malefactor condemned to be hanged begging for a reprieve or pardon with what tears and prayers what bended knees watered cheeks strained joynts he intreateth for his mortal life Thou hast much more cause to be earnest when thou art begging for spiritual life Think of it thy soul thy eternal condition are engaged and at stake in thy prayer O how should all the parts and faculties of thy body and soul work and unite in prayers that are of such concernment What fervencie shouldst thou use considering that if thou art denied thou art undone if thy prayers be lost thy God is lost thy soul is lost thy happinesse is lost for ever Pray constantlie resolve to give God no rest day nor night till he give thee rest in his Son Besides set times every day for which thou canst not offer so little as two hours a day it being soul-work God-work eternitie-work and in which I would desire thee to be as serious and solemn as is possible thou mayst often in the shop or in the field in thy journying on thy bed thou mayst turn up thy heart to heaven in some ejaculations it is thy great priviledge where ever thou art thou mayst find â—od out such as these O when wilt thou come unto me Psa 101.2 Hear me speedilie O my God make no tarrying Ps 40.17 Shall I never be made clean good Lord when shall it once be Save me Master or I perish But be sure in all thy addresses to God thou look up to Jesus Christ as thine Advocate with the Father as the only Master of requests to present and perfume all thy prayers and thereby make them prevalent Through him we have access with confidence unto the Father Eph. 2.18 It is possible thou mayst have seen a Child going to be scourged for its faults by a stern Mother the tender Father sitting by and how the Child seeing the rod taken down and the Mother in earnest casteth a pitiful lamentable look upon its Father both longing and expecting to be saved by his mediation Go thou and do likewise and know for thy encouragement that if David heard Joah whom he loved but little for rebellious Absalom and if Herod heard Blastus a servant for those of Tyre and Sidon who had offended him then without doubt God will hear the Son of his infinite love for thee And if thou art but sensible of thy soul-sicknesse thou mayst be confident that thy spiritual Physitian who is authorized by his Father to practice and delighteth exceedinglie in the imployment will come and heal thee thy sicknesse shall not be unto death but for the glorie of God and thine eternal good I shall in the next place only annex three properties of this spiritual life as motives to encourage thee to a laborious endeavouring after it Si daretur mihi optio eligerem Christiani rustici agreste opus praeomnibus victoriis Alexandri Magni â—ulii Caesaris Luth. in Gen. 39. and then leave both thee and this exhortation to the blessing of God First This spiritual life is the most honorable life No life hath so much excellencie in it as the life of godlinesse If I had my wish saith Luther I would choose the homely work of a rustical Christian before all the victories of Alexander the great and Julius Caesar The excellencie and dignitie of every life dependeth upon the form which is its principle and its specificating difference Therefore the life of a man is more noble than the life of a beast because it hath a more noble form a rational soul which distinguisheth it specifically from and enableth it to act more nobly and highly than a beast And truly therefore the life of a Christian is more honorable and excellent than the life of any other man because he hath a more noble form which is the principle of it and differenceth it specificallie from the life of gracelesse men Jesus Christ the Lord of life and glory dwelling in his heart by his Spirit as the principle of his spiritual life If there be an excellencie in that body which is united to a soul what
excellencie is there in that soul which is united to a Saviour It is called the life of God Eph. 4.18 Surely no life can be more honorable than the life of God yet in their measure the sanctified ones live the very same life that the glorious God the fountain of all true honor liveth David though a King thought himself honored by being Gods subject and therefore as others before their works mention those titles which belong to them and speak their honor David stileth himself before the six and thirtieth Psalm a servant of God as his most honorable title Constantine and Valentinian two Emperors subscribed themselves Vasallos Christi Socr. A Psalm of David a servant of the Lord. If it be such an honor to serve an Earle a King what is it to serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords Godlinesse is called a walking with God Gen. 5.24 a conversing or having fellowship with the Father and Jesus Christ his Son 1 John 1.3 For God to walk and converse with us is his greatest humiliation but for us to walk or converse with God is our highest exaltation The righteous saith the wise man who had judgement to set a due price upon persons is more excellent then his neighbor Prov. 12.26 Let him live by never so rich or great men yet if they want grace they are not comparable to him Sumus Domini non tantum in Genitivo singulari sed etiam in Nominativo plurali Luth. The godly man hath the most honorable birth he is born of God John 1.13 the most honorable breeding he is brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord the most honorable Tutor and Teacher the good Spirit of God John 14.16 the most honorable Attendants the glorious Angels the most honorable employment his main work is to wait upon God The most honorable Relations A King for his Father 2 Cor. 6. ult A Queen for his Mother Gal. 4.26 The excellent of the earth Psal 16.3 Lords in all Lands Psal 45.16 Higher then the Kings of the earth Psal 89.27 Those Worthies of whom the world is not worthy for his Brethren Hebr. 11. Numa second King in Rome though an Heathen could say That he held it an higher honor to serve God then to rule over men The Jews say That those seventie souls which went down into Egypt were more worth then all the seventie Nations of the world beside If the glorious Angels in heaven are more honorable than the Devils sure I am it is holinesse that maketh the difference The most gaudy and goodly fruits of moralitie springing from the soil of nature manured and improved to the utmost The Heavens bespangled with those glittering Stars and adorned with that illustrious Sun are nothing glorious in comparison of the heart of a poor Christian that is embroidered with grace It is godlinesse alone that addeth worth and value to all our civil and natural things as the Diamond to the Ring Nothing doth really debase and degrade a man but sin and nothing doth truly advance or innoble the soul but holinesse Job scraping himself on the dunghill and Jeremiah sinking in the mire were more honorable and glorious than Ahab and Ahaz on their Thrones with their Crowns If the respect we have from others makes us honorable then they that are most precious in Gods sight are most honorable Isai 43.4 If it be some internal excellencie that makes men honorable then they that have the Image of God must be most honorable It is worthy our observation that sin is so ignoble and base that those wicked ones who love it most are ashamed to own it openly but because of the excellencie of holinesse will set that forth for their colours their banners though indeed they fight Satans battels That forlorn hope for hell 2 Tim. 3.5 of covenant-breakers blasphemers men without natural affection yet they will have a form of godlinesse though they do sins drudgery yet they are ashamed of their base master and therefore wear the Saints livery having a form of godlinesse Nay the Devil himself will appear in Samuel's mantle and transform himself into an Angel of light But holinesse is so excellent that God is pleased to esteem it as his own beauty and glory How often is he called The holy One of Israel The Angels ascribe holinesse to him by way of eminencie Holy Holy Holy Isai 6.3 we read not in Scripture of any of Gods other Attributes thrice repeated to shew that the Dignity of God consisteth in this And so doe the Saints in heaven praise him for it as his Excellencie Rev. 6.10 and the Saints on earth Exod. 15.11 Holinesse is the character of Jesus Christ The Image of the infinitely glorious God nay it is called the divine nature Surely then they that have most of it are most honorable and they which want it how full soever they are of all other excellencies are base and contemptible Secondly As this spiritual life is most honorable so it is most comfortable There is no life so pleasant and delightful as the life of a Saint The merry grigs and jolly gallants of the world whose sinful mirth is worse than madnesse will needs tell us that godlinesse makes men mopish and melancholy that when once we salute Religion we take our leave of all delight and consolation whereas indeed there never was true peace born but it had purity for its parent All other is spurious and illegitimate But the world like the Primitive Persecutors put Christians into the skins of Beares and Buls and then bait them as if they were really such And the hand of the Devil is in all this who like the Indians maketh great fires to fright Mariners from landing at such Coasts as would be most for their comfort and contentment Believe Reader the true and faithful Witnesse His wayes are wayes of pleasantness and all his paths are peace Prov. 3.17 It is not sanctity but their want of it or mistake about it which maketh them sorrowfull It is confest Saints may be sad they doe not cease to be men when they begin to be Christians It was in thy company it may be O sinner No wonder Fish cannot sport themselves when they are out of their element Birds do not sing on the ground but when they are mounting on high towards heaven And probably their hearts were heavy out of compassion to thee whom they observed to be hastening to hell and dancing merrily over the very pit or destruction and easeless misery Thou seest their sorrows sometimes thine eyes may behold their tears but thou dost not see their joys thy heart cannot conceive them Saint Austâ—ne relateth concerning an heathen that shewed the father his idol gods saying Here is my God where is thine and then pointing up to the Sun he said Here is my God but where is thine I shewed him not my God saith Austine not because I had none to shew but because he had no
others will be the comfortable of comfortables to thee Thou needest never fear ill news in thine ears having Christ and grace in thy heart others shall not be such unspeakable loosers by death but thou shalt be as great a gainer When thou liest on thy death bed where all thy friends and riches and earthly comforts will fail thee this spiritual life is the good part which shall never be taken from thee Thou maist look upward and see as it were God smiling on thee in the face of Christ and hear him call to his angels to go and fetch thee his childe who hast been all this while at nurse home to the fathers house Thou mayst look downward on thy relations and with much faith and chearfulness commit thy fatherless children to God and bid thy weeping widdow trust in him who will be infinitely better to them than ten thousand of the richest tenderest fathers and husbands in the world Thou maist look without thee into Scripture and behold it as a garden full of sweet flowers comforting cordials refreshing heart-reviing promises and though it be an inclosure to others its open and free to thee thou maist pick and choose cull and gather where thou pleasest and needst not fear to be chidden In the multitude of those perplexing thoughts which at that time may be within thee thou mayest finde choice comforts there to refresh thy spirit If thou look within thee thou shalt not have thy conscience like an unquiet wife frowning on thee and scolding at thee but thou shalt hear a little bird singing merrily and sweetly in thy breast Lord Now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word for mine eyes have seeen thy salvation How joyful maist thou leave thy dearest wife to go to thine infinitely dearer husband How willingly maist thou forsake thy lovely children to go to thy loving God and Father How freely maist thou part with all thy friends honors and pleasures to go to the Congregation of the first-born those rivers of pleasures and eternal weight of glory How chearfully maist thou bid adieu to nothing for all things to stars and streams at best for a full immediate eternal enjoyment of the Sun himself of an immense Ocean of happiness With what a lively colour in thy face and true comfort in thy heart maist thou behold that pale-faced messenger death the thought of whom though a far off is death to others entering into thy Chamber and coming up to thy bed-side how heartily welcome maist thou bid him as knowing that he cometh purposely to give thee actual possession of fulness of joy unspeakable delights a Kingdom of glory that is eternal in the heavens O the gain of godliness the profit of piety surely the price of this pearl is scarce known in this world A Merchant will in a morning gain five hundred pound by a bargain whereas poor people work hard a whole day for a shilling such a rich trade driveth the godly man godlinesse brings in thousands and millions at a clap when the moral and civil yet unsanctified man may work hard and yet earn but some poor businesse some outward blessing God may give them and his eternal wrath at last Now Reader consider if here be not abundant encouragement for thee presently and diligently to labor for this spiritual life Is it not the gainfullest calling that ever was followed the richest trade ever was driven Why dost thou spend thy strength for what is not bread and thy labor for that which will not satisfie Hearken to me and eat thou that which is good and let thy soul delight it self in fatnesse As Saul said to his servants Hear now ye Benjamites will the son of Jesse give you fields and vineyards and make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds 1 Sam 22.7 So say I to thee hearken O friend will a sensual fleshly life give thee such honor as to be the son of the infinite God such comfort as to drink of the pure rivers of Gods own pleasures and will it make thee bold at death and confident at judgement an heir of heaven and so happy in every condition Can it do this Can it give thee as godliness can so much in hand and infinitely more in hope If it can I will give up my cause and leave thee to thy choice but if it cannot as doubtless thou art convinced so unlesse thou art an Heathen among Christians why dost thou labour so much and so eagerly for the pampering and pleasing thy flesh for the food that perisheth and so little and so lazily for this food which will endure unto everlasting life It was an excellent answer of one of the Martyrs when he was offered riches and honors if he would recant Do but offer me somewhat that is better than my Lord Jesus Christ and you shall see what I will say to you Reader Could the world or the flesh shew thee any thing that were equal nay that were but ten thousand degrees inferior to Christ and godliness thou mightst have some colour for thy gratifying the flesh and unwillingness to walk after the Spirit but when the disproportion is so vast that the one is not worthy in the least to be compared with the other when the difference is as great as between a sea of honey and a spoonful of gall a whole world of pearles and a little heap of dirt an heaven of happiness and an hell of horror Is it not unconceivable madness and inexcusable folly to choose that life which is after the flesh and refuse that which is after the Spirit Reader if thou wouldst be truly honorable in the esteem of God himself who is the fountain of all honor If thou wouldst have those spiritual consolations which can warm the heart in the coldest night of affliction If thou wouldst be profitable to thy dear children to thy own soul be a reall gainer in prosperity in adversity while thou livest when thou dyest If thou wouldst when thy wealth and friends and flesh and heart shall fail thee have God in Christ to be the strength of thy heart and thy portion for ever If thou wouldst in thy greatest extremity when thy soul shall be turned naked of all earthly delights out of thy body escape the fury of roaring Devils and unquenchable burnings If thou wouldst in that hour of thy misery find mercy and be received into the place of endlesse blisse then get this spiritual life this true wisdom to fear God and depart from evil Get wisdom get understanding forget it not above all thy gettings get wisdom Happy is the man that findeth wisdom and the man that getteth understanding For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver and the gain thereof than fine gold She is more precious than rubies and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared to her Length of dayes is in her right hand and in her left hand
glorifying and beatifical vision of God then to mourn that thou hast lost him for a little time It was a memorable speech of William Hunters mother when her son was to dye a violent death for he suffered Martyrdom under Bonner I am glad saith she that ever I was so happy as to bear such a child that can find in his heart to lose his life for Christ and then kneeling down on her knees she said I pray God strengthen thee my son to the end I think thee as well bestowed as any childe that ever I bore Take the counsel of the spirit not to sorrow as others which have no hope and know this for thy comfort that those which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the Archangel and with the trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord wherefore comfort one another with these words 1 Thess 4.13 to the end I shall shew thee farther in what respects it is comfortable and then conclude 1. It is comfortable if thou considerest the excellency of this gain as David said of Goliahs sword so I may of this gain of a Saint by death There is none like it In hist Eccles Nicephorus tells us of one Agbarus a great man that hearing so much of Christs fame by reason of the miracles that he wrought he sent a Painter to take his picture and that the Painter when he came was not able to do it because of the radiancy and divine splendor which sate on Christs face whether this be true or no I leave to the author but without controversie there is such a radiancy on the glorified head and members in heaven that none can conceive it much lesse describe it There are three things which will speak a little how great the gain of every godly man is by death 1. The fore-tastes of it do shew that it is excellent Saints here have the first fruits Rom. 8.23 and they do speak what the harvest will be The Jewish Rabbies report that when Joseph in the years of plenty had gathered much corn in Egypt he threw the chaffe into the river Nilus that so flowing to the neighbor Countries they might know what abundance was laid up for themselves and others So God is pleased that we might know the plenty in heaven to give us some sign some taste of it here upon earth He enableth us to conclude if his wayes are wayes of pleasantness how pleasant will the end be If his people have songs in their pilgrimage in their banishment surely they have Halelujahs in their Country in their fathers house If there be so much goodness laid out upon them in this valley of tears how infinite is that goodness which is laid up for them in the masters joy Christian Didst thou never taste and see that the Lord is gracious Didst thou never in thy closet enjoy fellowship with the father and with Jesus Christ his Son Didst thou never find one day in Gods Courts nay one hour better then a thousand elsewhere Did the Lord Jesus never call thee aside from others and carry thee into his banqueting-house and cause his banner over thee to be love Did he never kiss thee with the kisses of his lips and embrace thee in his dearest arms Hast thou not sometimes seen the smiles of his face and found them better then life And hearing his voice known thy heart-burning towards him with love Dost thou not remember at such a time he took thee up into his Chariot and gave thee a token for good shewing thee a glimpse of thy future glory solacing thy soul with a sense of his favour ravishing thy heart with hopes of thy eternal happiness when thou didst wonder exceedingly at the creatures emptiness and befool thy self for doting so much upon nothing when thou didst see sin in its opposition and contrariety to the divine nature and thy own welfare and didst curse thy lusts with the most bitter curses whereby thou had offended so gracious a Lord when thou didst behold the Lord Jesus in all his embroydery and glory O how lovely was he in thine eyes how sweet was he to thy taste how precious was he in thy esteem how closely was thy soul joyned to him how largely was thy spirit drawn out after him how earnestly didst thou desire to be ever with him when thou thoughtest what joy is there in being with Christ if there be so much in Christs being with me How happy are they that enjoy the fountain if some small streams are so pleasant when thou saidst Master it is good to be here Let us build a tabernacle My soul is filled with marrow and fatness and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips One thing do I desire of the Lord that I may dwell in the house of the Lord for ever ever This is the foretaste of glory by this thou maist conceive what heaven will be As Fulgentius when he beheld the beauty and bravery the glory and gallantry of Rome cryed out If earthly Rome be so glorious how glorious is heavenly Rome Si talis est R ma terrestris quatis est Roma coelestis so thou mayst gather if thou hast so much joy when thou hast heaven onely in hope what joy shalt thou have when thou shalt have it in hand If the seed-time be so joyous how great will the joy of harvest be If the promise can stay one that is ready to die surely the performance will be better then life from from the dead If Jerusalem below be paved with Gold then questionless Jerusalem above is paved with Pearl 2. The price paid for it speaketh the excellency of it where there is honesty and righteousness in the seller and wisdom in the buyer there the price of a thing will speak its worth Now here there was infinite righteousness in God the seller and the treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Christ the purchaser therefore the price laid down for heaven will speak the excellency of it If the price were very great the place must be very glorious Heven is called the purchased possession Eph. 1.14 because it was bought with the blood of the Son of God Reader wonder at this price and at this place We are bold to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus Heb. 10.19 When thou hearest of a purchase on earth that costeth a hundred thousand pound or a million wouldst not thou presently conclude Surely that must be an incomparable seat for delight what pleasant Springs what stately rooms what curious contrivances what unheard of excellencies must be there without question all things imaginable for riches glory and comfort But when thou readest in Scripture of a