then this place shall be an heap of witnesses against you for it hath heard all the words of the law which he hath spoken unto you John 24. Oh cast your eyes upon these pillars of the house and stones in the walls I take them as so many witnesses that they may speak and testifie against you in the great day of the Lord if ye neglect this great salvation to day Therefore as ye go away be thinking upon it and whether or not ye mind to embrace it now while ye may have it This day I have set life and death before you I have set before you both the great salvation and the great damnation And O that ye had understanding in all these things that ye being wise might be provoked at last to embrace this great salvation the which we do yet again entreat you to think upon Is not heaven looking upon you at this time to see what ye will do with this great offer of salvation which I have this day from the Lord presented unto you Now to him that can perswade you to embrace this great salvation this gospel redemption this blessed mystery into which the Angels desire to pray to him who can bring you back from the pit and can enlighten you with the light of the living To him who hath the keys of your prison Who can open and none can shut and can shut and none can open To him Who hath all power in Heaven and in Earth communicate to him who can deliver you from the power of the Grave and can set you free from all your enemies we desire to give praise Amen SERMON II. Heb. 2. 3. How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him THere are two great and most ordinary complaints in these dayes 1. There are many who complain that their estates and persons are in bondage and that they are sold for Slaves to the hands of strangers But O that we could also turn over the complaint to this that our souls are in bondange and that we are yet in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity that so we might be provoked to long for the great salvation that is in our offer 2. There are many complaining and not without much cause that there is now such a toleration of errours But O wilt thou complain also of this that within thy heart there is a toleration of lusts is there not an act of toleration concluded in thy breast that the devil and all his company may reign in thee at pleasure Oh haâ—e ye not need of great salvation Shall I tell you that Christ is courting you to embrace it and that he putteth on all his most glorious robes and manifesteth himself unto you a a suitor making offer of himself and of his great salvation O tell me have ye seen him Or do you think to see him this day What robes hath he on There are five glorious robes wherewith he clothes himself when he condescendeth to manifest himself to his people First He cometh to his own with the garments of salvation according to that word Zach. 9. verse 9. Kejoyce O dauhter of Sion greatly shout O daughter of Jerusalem for behold thy King cometh unto thee he is just and having salvation Ay your King is come here to day and will ye not fall in love with him when he is cloathed with the garments of salvation Can ye ever have a more conquering sight of Christ than when he is cloathed with such an excellent robe and offering you salvation Secondly He appeareth to his own sometimes in garments dyed in blood according to that word Isa. 63. verse 1. 2. Who is this that cometh up from Edom with dyed garments in blood as one that treadeth the Wine Fat And now I say to you that will not look to Christ when he appears in the garments of salvation have ye a heart to refuse him that hath fought such a combat for you who hath trode the wine press alone and hath stained all his garments with the blood of thy enemies or is there any here who dare refuse his salvation when they see how he treadeth his enemies in anger and trampleth them in his fury and thus sprinkleth their blood upon his garments O tremble at this sight and seek quarter from him in time or he shall dye his garments with the blood of thy mortal soul. Thirdly Christ appeareth unto his own being cloathed with these humble robes of condescendency when he came in the similitude of sinful flesh O what a sight was that to behold the Prince of Heaven cloathed with our nature What a sight was that to behold him that was cloathed with light as with a garment to be cloathed with our infirmities yet he condescended to cloath himself thus that we might have access unto him and be partakers of his gifts O can we refuse him when love hath thus pressed him to put on the beggars weed that he might say to worms ye are my brethren and my sisters Fourthly Christ sometimes manifesteth himself being cloathed with the garments of beauty and ravishing majesty such was the sight that the Spouse got of Christ Song 2. verse 3. As the Apple-tree among the Trees of the Wood so is my beloved among the Sons and Song 5. when she saw him white and ruddy and the Standard-bearer of ten thousand And such was that joyful sight of him when his garment was as the light and white as the Snow which he had at the transfiguration when these glorified ones did come as it were Ambassadours from that higher house to make him a visit And fifthly Christ he sometimes appeareth to his own in robes of dreadful majesty and terrible highness and loftiness when the soul upon the first sight of him remains dead and there remains no more life in them such was the sight Daniel got in his tenth Chapter and such was the sight that Iohn got of Christ Revel 1. verse 17. And I would ask of all that are here what a sight have ye gotten of Christ to day in which of all these robes have ye seen him It is true we are not to look for the extraordinary sights of him but yet if ever thou hast seen him in any of his wooing robes sure he hath appeared matchless and how then shall ye then refuse him But now to come to the words I was speaking unto you of The first thing in the words to wit That there are many who live under the offer of this great salvation that do slight it and do not embrace it And now I shall only add a few things further unto you 1. Let me propose a few considerations to perswade you to embrace this great salvation God forbid we go away before we embrace this gospel salvation and therefore I charge you in his name go not away
THE Great Salvation Offered and Tendered First by Christ himself and then by his Holy Apostles with the inevitable Destruction of all that neglect it In two Sermons Reprinted By that eminent Servant of Christ Mr. Andrew Gray formerly Minister of the Gospel in Glasgow Isaiah 52. 7. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings that publisheth peace that bringeth good tidings of good that publisheth Salvation London Printed for H. Barnard in the Poultrey 1694. TO THE READER Christian Reader BLessed were those days when Christians whether frown'd or smil'd upon by the World lived by Faith and walked in Holiness and Love and Ministers sought the things of their Lord and Master Iesus Christ and not their own When Gospel-Truth was plainly declared by the Preachers and Reverendly received and not wantonly debated by Hearers When Gospel Ordinances were prised and used for the Enjoyment of God in them When Iesus Christ was all in all in Mens Religion And when the Holy Ghost went forth sensibly in Calling Furnishing and Countenancing Ministers in their Work A great measure of this Blessedness did the Western Parts of Scotland Enjoy especially from the Year 1651 to 1660. Amongst the many bright and shining Stars in Christs Right Hand which he set upon his Candlesticks in that part of Brittain two Youths deserve everlasting Remembrance in the Church Mr. Hugh Binning and Mr. Andrew Gray The former Lived but to the twenty sixth year of his Age of whose Labours though several excellent things are Published his Discourses of some of the Principles of Christian Religion deserve Special Regard They have been often Printed and their Depth Gravity and Excellency deserves a larger Commendation than I can give them Mr. Andrew Gray his Contemporary dyed in the twenty second year of his Age. He was Born of a Noble Family bred up at the Vniversity where he profited signularly in Learning and Polished the excellent Parts God had given him The Saving Grace of God reacht him about the nineteenth year of his Age and at twenty he was called and setled in the Ministry of the Gospel at Glasgow a bright Candlestick in that day with Mr. James Durham and Mr. John Carstairs Ministers of the New Testament of singular Worth After two years painful and successful Labours there the Lord called him to his Rest. His singular Gifts for Preaching his charming way of Delivery both in Voice and Action the power he was endowed with and the great success on Mens Hearts that commonly attended his Labours were so Eminent that he was followed by Multitudes wherever he Preached more than any other Minister in that Land in his Day and became the blessed Instrument of the Converting of many to the Faith of Christ. What is Printed of his Sermons was principally by the Notes taken by some of his Hearers sometimes compared with what he Wrote himself which render them but lean Sceletons of the Discourses of a Minister under such singular Influences and Assistance of the Holy Ghost as he usually was in his Work It is well known what Imperfections attend such posthumous writings and what allowances judicious persons read them with How these two came forth alone thou shalt know A worthy Christian in Lancashire being much taken with Mr. Gray's Sermons he design'd to reprint these two concerning The Great Salvation and to give some hundreds of them to his poor Neighbours for their Souls good This Gentleman finding that the first Publishers of them were two Ministers in Edinburgh one of them being my honoured Father and I also bearing his Name he did not know but that I was one of the persons that first sent them to the Press and therefore he desired me to Preface to them I told him his mistake and that I being very young when Mr. Gray dyed could Testify no more of my own Knowledg but that I had seen him in my Fathers House and Pulpit and that I do well remember the high Character be had from all the godly Ministers and Christians that knew him and that his Death was lamented bitterly as a publick Calamity and a Prognostick of evil to come Although another might be more fit than I to Commend them to the Publick and if it had been put to my cheice I might have pitched on something else of this Author or of another for that Chritable end driven at yet seeing every one is to be left to their own Liberty in good works of this nature I would neither divert his design nor deny his request These two Sermons now again published contain no matters or point of Controversy except the main things of the Gospel be so accounted in this Age wherein angry contention is more minded by many than solid Believing and Holy walking They hold forth the greatest of Truths and best of Tidings The great Salvation wrought out compleatly by the Son of God our Saviour They warn gravely of the greatest commonest and most Damning of all Sins the neglecting thereof They earnestly call to the most important of all Gospel-Duties the believing acceptance of this Saviour with his great Salvation May some of the same Power from on High accompany thy Reading of them that did attend the Preaching of them is the desire of Thy Servant in the Gospel Ro. Trail A SERMON Concerning the GREAT SALVATION Heb. 2. 3. How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him THis everlasting Gospel which is preached unto you is that glorious Star which must lead us to the place where blessed Christ doth lye This Gospel and glad tidings of the great salvation is come near unto you And Christ is standing at the everlasting doors of your hearts desiring that ye would open unto him There is that one great request which Heaven this day hath to present unto you and it is that ye would at last embrace this great salvation freely offered by him It is the thing for which ye are called to mourn this day that since the dayes of your fathers and since the beginning of your own dayes ye have stopped your ears from the sweet and chaunting voice of this blessed Chamber Ye would never dance to Christ when he piped Neither would ye weep to him when he lamented But to come to the words which we have read unto you The Apostle in the former Chapter had been discoursing most Divinely of the matchless and incomparable excellencies which are in our Lord Jesus And in the first verse of this second Chapter he draweth forth an Exhortation from his former Doctrine which in short is this That they would take heed to the Blessed Doctrine of the Gospel and not at any time to let it slip out of their minds and that they would keep this Gospel as a jewel of great price and would not sell it but that they would be induced to buy
you will give ear to them viz. there is a great person come here to day and that is the Mighty Author of this great salvation who hath brought everlasting righteousness with him desiring you to make use thereof it is his desire that you would take his excellent gifts at his hand These I say are the tydings that I have to preach unto you and I hope never to be declared a lyar for what I preach unto you I say yet unto you that Christ the Author of the great salvation desireth to give it freely unto you if you will but take it But O will you not take it I think if you did see an hundred men lying in prison or dungeon without all light bread or water and a great Prince coming to them saying I desire you all to come forth and partake of this great liberty which I bring unto you and every one of them should answer I scorne to come forth at this time would you not think them exceeding great fools And yet I fear this act of great folly falls out in many of your hands to day that when Christ hath given us the keys of your prison doors and they are opened you will not come forth But I must intreat you yet to come forth and shew your selves For who knoweth but we may be commanded to shut your prison-doors again and to seal them with seven seals with an unalterable decree from heaven never to be recalled Wherefore O ye prisoners Go forth go forth from your prison house 2. Secondly I would say this to you that it is not without much ground that this salvation offered to yon is called a great salvation I know a little paper of two or three sheets might contain all the salvations that ever any man obtained but the world would not be able to contain all the books which might be written to the commendation of this great salvation yea unto any who will embrace it I say First if thou find not this salvation above thy faith then go thy way when thou art come But I know thou wilt finde it both above thy faith and hope Secondly if thou find it not above thy desires when thou art come unto it then go thy way again but were thy desires as the sand upon the Sea shoar thou shalt always find more in this salvation than ever thou couldst desire Thirdly if this salvation be not above what thou canst conceive then go thy way when thou art come to it but think of it as thou canst it shall always be above thy thoughts of it Fourthly if this salvation be not above thy opinion of it then go thy way when thou art come unto it but I know thou wilt find it far above thy opinion of it Therefore seeing it is so great a salvation as that all the world could not contain all the books that might be written in the commendation of it O will you embrace it even to day while it is in your offer 3. Thirdly I would say this unto you Be perswaded that there is no sin that will more provoke the Majesty of God to punish you than the sin of slighting this great salvation Bring forth these murderers saith the Lord of the slighters of this invitation and slay them before me I entreat you inquire at your own hearts what you will answer when you are reproved for slighting of it Old men will you ask at your own hearts what you will answer to Christ when he shall propose that question to you Why slighted you the great salvation Old women what will you answer when he shall say to you Why slighted you the great salvation Young Men and young women inquire at your own hearts what you will answer when Christ shall say to you why slighted ye the great salvation Can ye imagine any answer to that question O dreadful shall that wrath of God be that shall be executed upon the slighters of this great salvation 4. Fourthly I would say this unto you that Heaven is waiting to hear what exhortation the offer of this great salvation doth get among you Here is the great salvation here is the offer of it and here is the commendation of it what say you to it Is it not an excellent salvation is it not a free salvation is it not a great salvation is it not an eternal salvation Why then do ye not welcome it Can any of you say any thing to the discommendation of it I know you cannot Yea I dare say your own hearts are admiring it as most excellent and therefore O will ye accept it Alas shall there be none here who will be found accepters of this great salvation so freely offered to day 5. Fithly I would say this to you let all the Angels praise him who is the author of this great salvation All the Saints round about the throne praise him who is the author of this great salvation All those who are expectants of heaven praise him who is the author of this great salvation All ye to whom this offer is made praise him who is the author of this great salvation O heaven praise him who is the author of this great salvation O all ye fowls of the air praise him who is the author of this great salvation O fire hail snow vapours stormy winds and tempests praise him who is the author of this great salvation All the tribes of the earth praise him who is the author of this great salvation our own soul praise him who is the author of this great salvation and all that is within us bless him who is the author of this great salvation O who would not praise him who is the author of this great salvation Are there any here that will refuse to commend him O think upon him and let not this be a day of slighting him Now where are your hearts at this time I will tell you where many of your hearts are they are thinking upon the World But I am sure there are not many of them thinking upon this great salvation Now what resolution mind ye to go away with to day Oh have ye no resolution beyond what ye had when ye came hither to day Are there any here who have this resolution To whom shall we go but to him who is the author of this great salvation who alone hath the Words of eternal life Even the Lord breath it upon you Or is this your resolution that through Christs strength forsake him who will ye will never forsake him Or have ye this resolution That ye will esteem more highly of this great salvation then ever ye did O that the Lord would keep these in the in the imaginations of the thoughts of your hearts for ever But as for you who have no resolutions to embrace this great salvation O wherewith shall I commend it unto you Do not your own necessities commend it But if nothing can perswade you to come away and embrace it
Christ carry back but this Now is the cord of this great salvation let down unto you is there none of you that will take a gripe of it will ye flighter after it will ye make this a rejoycing day in heaven that is a fasting day unto you and the way to make it so is to embrace the great salvation Now what say ye to it old men let me speak to you and ask your thoughts of the great salvation Gray Hairs should be a crown of glory if it be found in the way of righteousness old men speak your minds that young men may not have your bad example What say ye of this salvation Is it not a most glorious salvation is it not a most excellent salvation that is in your offer I intreat you speak your minds tell Christ ye are content to take the great salvation otherwise whoever he be that will not partake of this gospel salvation I in the name and authority of Christ our Master denounce eternal and irrevocable war against him put on your harness ye shall not boast when ye put it off again the wrath and fury of God shall come upon you to the uttermost if ye embrace not this great salvation Other wars are but for a time the greatest Captains that ever the earth did carry are now laid down in the sides of the Pit and their swords broken under their head Armies of ten hundred thousand a hundred years time have laid them all in their graves and ended all their contests but there is no discharge of this war that shall be concluded betwixt Christ and you it shall become an eternal and most terrible war which shall be but beginning when time is ended Now peace or war which of them will ye choose Dare ye send a charge to Christ and say ye will defie him I am afraid there will be two things that many of us shall report to day First I am afraid there will be many that will give Pharaohs repot to the offer of the great salvation and say Who is the Lord that I should obey him I tell you who he is He is glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wonders O embrace him before he go hence and give not Pharaohs report lest ye be drowned in the Sea of his wrath whence there shall be no recovery Secondly I fear there will be many here to day that will give Demas report to this precious offer I will go and forsake Christ and embrace this present world O bad exchange Cursed be he that shall make it Will ye be of Demas humour I fear there hath been many of that humour of a long time but I entreat you once be wise before ye die I confess that proverb Old fools are twice fools I think old men that will not embrace the great salvation I think ye are triple fools What wait ye for is there any thing can afford you any satisfaction but this great salvation Now are ye convinced old men that Christ is waiting for your answer I intreat you before ye go hence speak your minds what ye think of the great salvation is it not a lovely salvation is it not lovely now What say ye to it I am to go away and the offer is to be taken up at this time and it is hard to say if ever ye shall have an offer again I would only say this to you and be sure of it though I should never be a partaker of this great salvation yet I shall be a witness against you that are not partakers of it I tell and declare unto you I shall be a witness against you if ye embrace not the great salvation Now old men are ye perswaded to embrace it let me obtest you by the beauty of Christ come and partake of the great salvation ye that are travelling upon the borders of eternity Now if ye will give no more give this will ye go home and think upon it I shall not be uncharitable nor enter to judge your thoughts I fear there shall be many declared and found guilty amongst us that we have declared unto heaven we will not embrace the great salvation but have troden the blood of the Son of God under foot Now I entreat you every one of you ask of your selves if ye be the persons that will presume in your hearts to do so Now I shall leave it with you let it not be a witness against you I shall leave it with this O come away old men young men old women and maids come and embrace this precious gospel salvation Ye may say ye bid us come but we cannot come I desire no more of you but to come with this Lord I am content to come but I cannot come Come once to that for if once ye be content to receive it it will not be long before ye be able to receive it Now shall Christ depart and will none of you say ye are content to take him will ye charge your own consciences with this 〈◊〉 I content to take Chrst and the great salvation O blest blest blest be he that is the author of this great salvation and blest be he that gets any of the ends of the cord of the great salvation that we sink not under the wrath and fury of the Lord Come and embrace this great salvation and again I say come and embrace it for what can ye have if ye want it and what can ye want if ye have it I shall say no more but close with that word Isa. 62. vers 21. Behold the Lord hath proclaimed to the ends of the World to those that are far off What hath he proclaimed Say ye to the Daughter of Sion Behold thy salvation cometh behold it cometh I say to you that are the ends of the World Salvation is brought hear unto you Stout-Hearted and far from Righteousness the great salvation is brought near unto you and will ye send it away Oh consider what ye are doing And to him that can perswade you to embrace the great salvation we desire to give praise FINIS