fellowship friendship and acquaintance with God desire so to continue like some of the Israelites who began to be in love with their bondage and slavery in Egypt And how many thousands and millions have we cause to fear there be who are dead while they live or at the best but luke-warm such as Christ threatens to spue them out of his mouth Rev. 3.16 serving of God in such a sleight perfunctory negligent and careless manner only for fashions sake and by fits sometimes perhaps pray when the night comes hear when the Sabbath comes fast when Lent comes and think to repent when death comes And alas all this while they are under the wrath and Curse of God liable to all the miseries of this life to Death it self and those pains that are endless easeless and remediless And yet men are in a golden Dream and bless themselves in their evil ways until the very flames of Hell take hold on them The Lord threatens he will not spare them but his jealousie and anger shall smoke against them blot out their name from under heaven Deut. 22 20. separate them unto evil what can be more miserable and dreadful then and desolation Let me then in the name of God Exhort you all to seek the Lord in good earnest while he may be found Know in this your day the things of your eternal peace without which you had better never to have come upon the Stage of the World O what will become of men at that great Day that have all thâ—ir time here been found fighters against God treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath Acts 5.39 Rom. 2 5. every day carrying a Faggot to that Pile which shall burn them for ever a Brand to that Hell which Sin and the Wrath of God hath made so hot already O for men to be in the very gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity Acts 8.23 possessed with most wicked malice slaves to the Devil to do all manner of wickedness to be given up to blindness of mind utterly destitute of the true knowledge of God and of his Son Jesus Christ under strong delusions to take pleasure in believing lies 2 Thes 2.11,12 This is the greatest judgment that can befal you unless the earth should open and swallow you up like Korah Dathan and Abiram Numb 16.32,33 when Husbands and Wives Parents and Children Masters and Servants went all quick to hell together Yet for ought we know while God in justice killed their bodies he might in mercy save some of their souls He that repenteth not to day will have one day more to account for and one day less to repent in And who knows what may depend upon one day Yet Prayers and Tears may do you good But stay a while and though streams of blood should flow from you and you should cry and howl to God to all Eternity it would never do it therefore know your time It is a happy thing for a man to do a business in such a time wherein he may have the comfort of it the benefit of it God proclaims and says to every one of you this day Friend poor soul as ever you expect to receive mercy look to it now for now the golden Scepter is stretched forth now is the acceptable time and the day of grace and salvation come in and accept of the offers and tenders of grace and mercy now or else you may be lost and gone for ever qui jam non credit imposterum sentiet he that will not now believe shall hereafter feel sooner or later The sinner an hundred years old shall be accursed Isa 65.20 Tua res agitur non Dei thou art the person concerned this business concerns thy life thy Eternal estate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys in Loc. It is not said Reconcile God to your selves for God doth not make the breach but reconcile your selves to God Certainly it concerns men that have not made their peace with God to spend their days in bewailing their sinful and miserable condition to exchange all their carnal joy for some godly sorrow that God may give them that in tears which they could never find in sensual pleasures that God may give them salvation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Naz. Orat. 17. God hath joyned salvation with sorrow and sighing godly sorrow and sighing is the souls food and the minds refection Therefore do not ruffle it out in the world taking your fill of Pleasure as if this world were made on purpose for you to sport in Remember what the Prophet Isaiah saith And what will ye do in the day of visitation in the great Day whom will ye flye for help to Isa 10.3 when the Earth shall burn and the Heavens shall flame and the Elements shall melt with fervent heat and all the Tribes of the Earth shall mourn before the Lord. Although the Lord keep many terrible privy Sessions and sharp and severe Visitations for to keep this world in order yet he hath reserved the great Assise the great Visitation until the last Day And therefore is this a time to be carnal and secure and sleeping when you should be running for the Crown of glory to be an Athiest in the world The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God God is not in all his thoughts Psal 10.4 or all his thoughts are there is no God non esse Deum sunt omnes cogitationes ejus Junius This is that fool that hath said in heart there is no God Psal 14.1 it is rather an Option then an Opinion faith S. Austin He could be content there was none Ita tacitus loquntus est impius non est Deus vel utinam non esset Deus God is not the object of his joy his thoughts and meditationsu either is he careful and solicitous aboutheavenly and divine things being intentive about prophane The best things are shut out of his heart Intus existens prohibet alienum he lives as if there were no God with no due sense awe or reverence of the most Holy and glorious God These men are most truly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Without God in the World Eph. 2 12. hic labor hoc opus And therefore to get men to be reconciled to God this is a work indeed a very difficult work Well might Paul say Who is sufficient for these things Herein consists the great work of Reconciliation when Parties between whom hath been friendship and afterward breaches made then they are brought into favour again as S. Bernard tells us in his 32. Sermon super Cantica Quidest reconciliatio nisi iterata animorum dissidentium conciliatio And the same Father tells us that there are three to whom we ought to be reconciled To God Angels and Men. Unto Men by manifest deeds clear and shining which are to be wrought before men Joh. 3.21 Let your light so shine on earth to the glory of your Father in heaven Matt 5.16 There
house too bad for him 2 Kings 4.9,10 How much did the Galatians make of St. Paul that he saith They would have plucked out their own eyes if it had been possible to have done him good Gal. 4.15 How beautiful are the feet of them that Preach the Gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things Rom. 10.15 So it is evident and manifest that once a Minister was esteemed like a Minister And hath God bidden you despise them now which bad you honour them before 1 Tim. 5.17 Let the Elders that Rule well be accounted worthy of double honour especially they who Labour in Word and Doctrine Such as apply their spirits most to the glory of God and the Publick good especially such as are Timothies in their houses Chrysostoms in their Pulpits S. Chrysostom was such a golden mouth'd Preacher Mellitissimus Christi Concionator he was so admired for his sweet winning Eloquence as that all the people cryed out when he was like to be silenced Satius est ut sol non luceat quam ut non doceat Chrysostomus We had better want the Sun then the Preaching of St. Chrysostom And S. Austin studied to make his language sweet and harmonious and acceptable to Gods people Some degree of Eloquence seems to be meet for a Minister for Moses saith to God I am not Eloquent Exod. 2.10 3. Vse Thirdly Hence we may see who are the best Ministers not they that can plot most for Preferment or can Preach most for Applause ambitious of a little popular breath but he that setteth himself with all his might to do good He that winneth souls is wise Prov. 11.30 because of the great difficulty of this work he is wise to himself he lays up a good foundation against the time to come They are the best Ministers that carry people to heaven though I know a Converting work is not for us but for the Holy Ghost rostra habet in Coelis qui corda docet Yet sometimes the Lord is wonderful powerful and efficacious by that word which we preach piercing through the very hearts and souls of men and leaving impressions of an immortal nature upon their spirits How fain would Christ have saved the people of Jerusalem the name is doubled to express the truth and certainty of his great affection How often would I have gathered c. Matt. 23.37 God offered them mercy while they had the dispensation of the means of grace And good Ministers like a Hen which clocketh her Chickens together from the Kite so they clock you together from the Serpent They would fain do so Knowing therefore the terrour of the Lord we perswade men 2 Cor. 5.11 the wrath of God is an unsupportable burthen Who is able to dwell with devouring fires and everlasting burnings therefore would we perswade men all men When Agrippa was almost perswaded to be a Christian saith Paul I would to God that not onely thou but also all that hear me were both almost and altogether Acts 26.28.29 A good Minister would carry all his people to heaven with him How deeply is Moses affected that the sin of Israel might be forgiven Exod. 32.32 what extraordinary zeal and love for the salvation of men and as if his joy would have been utterly drowned in the destruction of the Church or had no part in the Election of Grace Tertullian understandeth it typically and figuratively of Christ the good Shepherd who was to be exhibited and to Dye for the Sheep Certe quidem bonus Pastor animam pro pecoribus ponit ut Moses non homini adhuc Christo revelato etiam in se figurato ait si perdis hunc populum inquit me pariter cum eo disperde Tertull. de fuga in Persecutione Cap. 11. And it is true that Moses was a typical Mediator and did atone for them Exod. 32.30 With what a bleeding heart doth St. Paul speak for the salvation of the Jews Rom. 9.1,2,3 servent appearing in the degree of it with this unexpressable adjunct great heaviness Secondly Continuance of it Continual sorrow in my heart for I could wish that I my self were accursed from Christ And truely we that are the Ministers of the Church of England might speak this even with tears of blood if we were able when we consider how many people in England seem to loose the hope of a good beginning who have suck'd their first sincere milk of the word that they might grow thereby 1 Pet. 2.2 in waiting upon God in his publick ordinances and blessed God that they might wait seemed to be in a good forwardness in the of way of Life and Salvation confessed that they have received comfort and will still to this day acknowledge it yet by reason of some who never we have cause to fear were converted unto Christ but unto an opinion Fantastical spirits which in Corners pour out their Poison and come not at the Congregations as Luther speaks and so they fall off and turn either unto Athiesm or Quakerism c. And there is no doubt but that this hath been no little grief and trouble unto our godly and dissenting brethren themselves when they see such sad effects of that doctrine which they have preached It is one good argnment of piety to love the place where God speaks the house of his presence Psal 26.8 Lord I have loved the habitation of thy house and the place where thine honour dwelleth As the Sun shines gloriously though no eye behold it and pure waters flow from the fountain though none drink of them so Ministers are the light of the world though few be enlightned by them and the salt of the earth though few be seasoned by them 4. Vse Let me then Exhort you all unto this happy Reconciliation with God Reconciliation presupposeth a breach and indeed this was the greatest that ever was made by reason of the sins of man There was a heavy war denounced in the inimicitias ponam when God raised a war between the Devil and us Gen. 3.15 Gods wrath provoked man thrown out of Paradise Cursed in his name nature body soul senses friends and whatsoever he takes in hand Adams Posterity as well as himself became bondmen to Hell the Earth made barren for his sake and all the days of his life he was to eat his bread in the sweat of his face Man an enemy to God God and man at a very great distance I mean a distance of state and condition and so unhappy man desireth to continue never to have to do with God for ever And how sad and dreadful is it to consider how averse men are unto all means that can be used to reduce them and bring them back again to God They think not of him they speak not of him desire not the knowledge of him nor any of his ways Job 21.14 And some they can never be far enough from God and therefore the Prodigal went into a far Countrey Men having lost their Communion
denounce Gods Judgments against them We would be glad at every Sermon to say nothing but Peace to this Audience but our God saith There is no Peace to the wicked We would sing with the Angels Peace on Earth and good will towards men but how shall we sing the Lords Song in a strange Land Ps 137.4 We have Preached Glory Honour and Peace and Salvation and an incorruptible Crown and the choycest delights that heart could wish and were not regarded What remains then but to Preach Indignation and Wrath tribulation and angnish upon every Soul of man that doth evil Rom. 2.8,9 Fire from Heaven Plague Sword and Famine Captivity Emptied from vessel to vessel hurried from place to place Mists and Clouds and Darkness and Torments for days and nights and eternal generations of Years We have Piped unto you and ye have not Danced Matt. 11.7 we have sung With thee O Lord is mercy that thou mayest be feared Psal 130.4 But now we must change our note With thee is Vengeance that thou mayest be feared If the Spirit of Gentleness can do no good a Rod must come if the Songs of Sion cannot Mollifie the Thunders of mount Sinai must Terrifie Eli though a good man yet his Reproof wanted life and indignation against sin Nay my Sons for it is no good report that I hear 1 Sam. 2.24 In the matter of Preaching O what weighty things doth the Word contain Truths that should make the very bowels of the Minister to yern and pour out his affections in the Pulpit to rouze up the Peoples thoughts and awaken them from the sleep of sin and security wherein they have lain so long a time Otherwise when they hear of matters of Life and Death Salvation and Damnation they sit like blocks in their Seats as though it were no great matter Thus the golden Bells of Aaron must be rung in several tunes A Minister must labour to be like John Baptist to be a burning and a shining Light more then a Voice there must be life and heat in his Ministry Job 5.35 A Minister had need of many rare and excellent gifts to open the Scriptures to deduce from them to convince of sin to lay a good foundation to move the affections which the holy Scripture is so full of And most certain it is that they which are of the most prodigious wonderful and incomparable parts are most sensible of their own inabilities When God told Moses he would send him to deliver Israel saith Moses to God Who am I that I should go unto Pharaoh Exod. 3.10 When none in all Israel or Midian was comparably fit for this Embassage Which of the Israelites had been brought up a Courtier 1 Schollar an Israelite by Blood by Education an Egyptian Learned in all the Wisdom of the Egyptians and was mighty in words and is deeds Acts 7.22 So that he was Learned Wise Valiant Experienced Yet he saith Who am I 'T is to be feared there is few amongst us look Moses his way first upon himself his own insufficiencies How few amongst us that are named to any place begins at Moses What am I where have I Studied and Practiced sufficiently before that I should fill such or such a place of Judicature where have I served and laboured and Preached in inferiour places of the Church that I should fill such or such a place of Dignity or Prelacy there How few like Abram left to say in all humility I am but Dust and Ashes or Jacob Non sum dignus I am not worthy of the least of these Preferments But every man is vapour'd up into Air and as the Air can he thinks he can fill any place Many run into the Magistracy many into the Ministry but who is sufficient for any one Who is sufficient for these things saith that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Master of Speech 2 Cor. 2.16 This is spoken in the high Commendation of Apollos that he was an Eloquent man and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 powerful and mighty in the Scriptures Acts 18.24 fervent in the Spirit teaching diligently the things of the Lord. Therefore a Minister must have his senses exercised in the holy Scripture even beyond the common sort of believers so that he may be said with Apollos Mighty in the Scriptures And though he may and ought to make use of Councils Schoolmen and Fathers with reverence yet Apostolical Writings are onely to be appealed to as the last Rule of Faith Thus having spoken something of the Ministers Duty though in this Grave Worthy and Learned Audience not to be Your Instructor but so as to bring things to your remembrance Now it remains that I should speak something of the Ministers Dignity and for that you see it falls in my Text. There is no Duty but the Lord crowneth it with some Priviledge Blessing and Dignity and that duty and service of the Ministry is not excluded but expressed more eminently and emphatically Now then We are Ambassadours for Christ This is the great Honour and Dignity of the Ministers of the Gospel to be the Ambassadours of Jesus Christ Therefore we magnifie our Office and this heightens our Calling from the preciousness of the Truth which is to be manifested by us The greatest Mystery in Heaven and Earth that upon which depends the great weight of Salvation a glorious and great dispensation is committed unto us First Ministers are called Watchmen Son of man I have made thee a Watchman unto the house of Israel Ezek. 3.17 a Minister hath relation and is debter unto the whole Church of God This shews the Churches danger and the Ministers duty carefully to watch and to warn to foresee and foretell danger this is the Watchmans duty as not to be blind watchmen given to sleep and slumber Isa 16.10 And upon this very ground the Apostle exhorts the Hebrews that they should give Honour and Obedience unto the Guides Leaders Governours and publick Officers of the Church because they watch for your souls as they that must give account Heb. 13.17 therefore Honour Reverence Obedience and high Estimation is due unto them as the Servants of the most High God which shew unto men the way of Salvation Acts 16.17 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nomen quaesivit ab omni ambitione prorsus remotum tamen authoritat is maximae si quis suo munere sanctè fungatur Beza in loc Non dubito quin de Pastoribus loquatur reliquis Ecclesiae gubernatoribus Nam neque tunc Christiani Magistratus erant quod vigilare cos dicit pro animabus ad spirituale regimen propriè pertinet Primo obedientiam deinde honorem illis deferre jubet Haec duo necessario requiruntur ut plebs fidem ao simul reverentiam Pastoribus habeat Nam quo quisque plus laboris suscipit nostra causa quo majori difficultate vel periculo se nobis impendit eo sumus illi magis obstricti Cal. in Loc. Secondly Because this obedience