an Overseeing as if God should say thus walk ye honestly and holily before the world perhaps they will vail your glory one will say this the other that but go ye on in a constant way and course there will be a time that all things shall be over-seen all things shall be examined and narrowly searched into and when that day comes the wicked men shall be convinced and shal be forced to give glory to God and shal say that whatsoever aspersions there were cast upon you yet certainly you were the servants of the living God in the day of inspection of overseeing therefore be ye careful of your Conversations in respect of wicked men to convince them Secondly In respect of wicked men to stop their mouthes their malice violence and rage 1 Pet. 2. 15. For so is the Will of God that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men The word there translated Put to silence it is to put as it were a bridle into their mouthes or to stop their mouthes you may even stop their mouthes by your holy Conversation Oh Christians look to your Conversations that by them you may stop the mouthes of wicked and ungodly men that they may not be able to say any thing against your holy Conversations so in 1 Pet. 3. 16. Having a good conscience that whereas they speak evil of you as of evil doers they may be ashamed that falsly accuse your good Conversation in Christ Thirdly Yea you may by your good Conversation be a means to convert other men to bring wicked men into the love of the waies of God 1 Pet. 3. 1. 2. the exhortation there is directed to wives that had wicked husbands Likewise ye wives be in subjection to your own husbands that if they obey not the word they also may without the word be won by the Conversation of the wives while they behold your chast Conversation coupled with fear Mark how the Apostle urges upon wives to look to their Conversations to the end that they may be a means to gain their husbands I am verily perswaded that there are many gracious women that would give if they had it a thousand worlds to gain their husbands to those waies of godliness that they have found so much sweetness in but perhaps they cannot get them to come and hear the Word and if they do their hearts rise against it or it may be they little regard it but you by your Conversations may do that which the world will not do you may be converters of them and in this sense indeed there may be women preachers that is preaching in their lives and Conversations and that 's all the preaching that the holy Ghost allows women let them preach that way in their lives and Conversations in their families and preach every day a Sermon and neither God nor man will find fault with any such thing and this is the way for them to do great service for God and so likewise should husbands do to convert their wives you complain one of another but do you labor to convince and convert one another by your holy Conversations I am confident that there are many that are able to say by experience this That the Lord struck upon my heart and conscience by seeing the holy Conversation of my wife since she went to hear the Word by seeing the wisdom humility obedience and carriage of my wife it struck upon my heart There is many have given glory to God and acknowledged this both wives by their husbands and husbands by their wives and sometimes the parent in seeing it in the child or the child in the parent or brother in brother or one servant in another it hath been a means to turn them unto God In the last place If they be not turned to God then your conversation shall serve to condemn them to aggravate their sin and their condemnation in the day of Jesus Christ As it is said of Noah in Heb. 11. 7. that Noah prepared an ark by the which he condemned the world He condemned the world by that course of his in beleeving in God and in making the Ark every nail that he smote into the Ark was as it were a condemnation of the world and so the Saints by walking in their holy conversation shal be the Judges and Condemners of the world Therfore you are to be careful of your Conversations in respect of wicked men Also In respect of the Saints we must be very careful of our Conversations 1. For by your Conversation you will rejoyce the hearts of the Saints Oh those that are godly when they see others that profess godlines to walk in a strict and holy conversation how doth it rejoyce their hearts it is the comfort of their lives 2. Besides they blesse God for it they not only rejoyce in it but bless God for it when they get alone in secret they are blessing God for the gracious and holy and convincing Conversations of such and such kind of men that they converse with 3. And by that means the Saints they have a boldness before men they can lift up their heads wheresoever they go when they know that all such who make profession of Religion in the places where they live they walk unblamably upon that godly men can hold up their heads with boldness whereas otherwise it makes such as are professors of Religion ashamed when they see and hear of such and such that make profession of Religion to walk scandalously and loosly but of them we shall speak presently 4. Then further Your holy Conversation it will establish the hearts of the Saints it will settle young beginners there are many that are giving up their names to Christ when they see the holy and gracious Conversations of these that are Ancient professors Oh how are they stablished in the waies of godlinesse 5. And it wil edifie the Saints they wil edifie and grow up in holiness they will imitate you and will find the graces of God not only strengthened but increased in them by your Conversations Oh the abundance of good that you may do and therfore Christians have a care of your Conversations 6. Then You in respect of your selves by this means you wil have an evidence to your souls of the truth of grace in your hearts which you cannot have if your Conversations be not right In 1 John 1. 6. mark what the Apostle speaks there If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness we lye and do not know the truth And again you have a notable Scripture in the 3. chap. 7. vers Little children let no man deceive you He that doth righteousness is righteous even as He is righteous As if he should say there are a company of deceivers in the world and they think it enough to talk of righteousness they say they beleeve in Jesus Christ and it's Faith that is only required of them
mightily set upon such foolish things as these are But now this text tels you that if you know what it is to be redeemed by the blood of Christ you must know that the blood of Christ was shed for to take you off from your vain conversation received by tradition from your forefathers Christ shed his blood that he might deliver you from all such traditional things that so you might worship God in spirit and in truth this becomes the Gospel And at your leasure do but reade over that second Chapter of the Epistle to the Colossians speaking of men that in a voluntary humility worshiped Angels intruding into those things which they have not seen and vainly puft up by their fleshly mind And then in the 16. verse Let no man therefore judge you in meat or in drink not that you may not eat flesh at such and such times in the year or in respect of an holy day or of the new moon or of the Sabbath daies the Jewish Sabbath day let no man judg you saith the Apostle in regard of these things which are a shadow of things to come Then in the 19. vers And not holding the head Those that stood upon such things as these are they are here charged for not holding the head that is they did not hold Christ as if the Apostle should say If so be that you hold Christ and profess Christ you would not stand upon these things upon these kind of superstitious waies in the worship of God And you shall find in the Epistle to the Galatians the Apostle telling of the GALATIANS about such kind of waies of continuing and holding of the worship of the Law saith he in Gal. 4. 10. Ye observe daies and months and times and years What then I am afraid of you lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain As if the Apostle should say I profess I see you stand upon such old things and worshiping of God in an external way I am afraid of you lest I have bestowed all my labor in vain This is so opposite to the Gospel as makes me think and am afraid that all my preaching of the Gospel to you is in vain and yet mark my Brethren what were these daies and months and times and yeers they were such as God heretofore had appointed but now they were ceased after Christ came out of date and yet they sticking to them after the death of Christ saith the Apostle I profess I am afraid of you that all my preaching in vain to you Now my brethren what shall we say to those that stick upon these things that God had never appointed but were of Popish ordination As keeping one time more holy than another and thinking thereby to tender up service to God Why should we not keep the memory of such and such times Now as to keep them so as to think that they shall sanctifie any time is a dangerous thing a sign that they understand the Gospel but little to think that any men upon any reason whatsoever should be able to sanctifie a time to make that time to be holy I say that 's unbeseeming the Gospel no man can make a holy day under the Gospel Obj. But you will say We keep daies of fasting and thanksgiving Ans But there 's a great deal of difference between them and these times that here the Apostle speaks of Now the keeping of holy daies is this We account the time holy and the very duty is more acceptable because it is performed at that time as now on the Sabbath day there may be a Sermon on the week day but certainly it 's a more holy worship of God to hear upon the Sabbath than on the week day and we sanctifie Gods Name more on the Sabbath than on the week why Because the time doth sanctifie the duty being set apart by God As in the Temple the duty was more acceptable than in any other place why because it was set apart by God but we cannot make any place holy and so no time holy so that our daies of fasting thansgiving are only thus that we wil spend that time in holy duties to humble our selves or to bless God but not to make this time holy so that the duty should be holy because it 's on this day rather than on another day that 's the superstition of it when a duty should be holy rather on this day than on another as now some they think it 's a more holy thing to receive the Lords Supper on an Ester day than on another day this is superstition to think the duty is more holy by any holiness that men put upon a thing that 's unbeseeming the Gospel and we are redeemed from such vain Conversations by the blood of Christ and while men stick upon these things and say let them do what they will me thinks these things are good and right it 's very evil Thus it was with the Galatians they had more seeming reason to think that those things that they stuck upon were according to God than you yet saith the Apostle I am afraid of you lest I have spent all my labor in vain lest I have been a burning and shining lamp to no purpose and truly there 's no people of which there can be less hope that the Ministry of the Word should work sayingly upon than those people that are set upon old customs in the worship of God as wines upon their lees and till the Lord be pleased to take off your hearts from old customs in the service and worship of God there 's a plain demonstration that the preaching of the Gospel hath not prevailed with your hearts for you do not live as becomes the Gospel That which becomes the Gospel it is worshiping God only in a spiritual way the consecrating of your souls and bodies and all you have to the worship of God in making them to be an holy sacrifice to God and that according to the rules of the Gospel which is your reasonable service And that 's another particular that the Gospel teaches And therefore to live as becomes the Gospel is to worship God in spirit and in truth The tenth thing that I shall further add of what the Gospel holds forth to us and that is of such consequence that I shall a little insist upon it that is The near relation that we are in to God and Christ and spiritual union with him This is opened in the Gospel more fully than ever it was before The relation to God First God as a Father and Beleevers as Children yea and as Children of age for though in the Law it 's true we find that God was there a Father and Ephraim was his deer son But you shall find in the 3. of Galatians That now we are as Children of age whereas Beleevers in the time of the Law were under age Now you know any of your children when they come to be of age
GOSPEL-Conversation Wherein is shewed I. How the Conversation of Believers must be above what could be by the Light of Nature II. Beyond those that lived under the Law III. And suitable to what Truths the Gospel holds forth By Jeremiah Burroughs Preacher of the Gospel to Stepney and Criplegate London Being the Third Book published by Thomas Goodwyn William Greenhil Sydrach Simpson Philip Nye William Bridge John Yates William Adderly LONDON Printed by Peter Cole at the Sign of the Printing-Press in Cornhil near the Royal Exchange 1650. To the Reader THe order and method which we propounded to our selves and still pursue in publishing this blessed mans Labors committed to us is the same with his own in Preaching them and in his Preaching stile also we present them that so both for matter and miner they might be every way his own We need not set him up any other Pillar or Monument then what himself erected by his own worth and yet we may as truly say of him as Nazianzen of Athanasius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He was high in worth but humble in heart He dyed in the strength of his Parts and Graces and did not wear with rust but use Amplissimum vitae spatium usque ad sapientiam vivere He did the work of him that sent him whilest it was day because he feared as he would often say a night was coming upon the Kingdom wherein he could not work and so he lived long in a little time It grieved his Soul to see how among Professors of Religion Holiness of Life and circumspect walking is not attended to in this dissolute and dissolved Age we live in What Truths therefore served most to revive and renew that Spirit and vigor of Practical Holiness which was breathing in them before these Times these he most insisted on and pressed upon the Consciences of Believers And he that is conversant in his Writings will readily discern that he judged the power of Godliness not to consist in high-towring-speculation though himself was of excellent-raised-parts but in an holy Conversation which is peculiarly the subject of this Treatise therein following the direction of Paul to Titus exhorting Believers in God to maintain good Works 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to go before others in good works or to set before others good works as the words imply Tit. 3. 8. Which yet whilest a Christian pursues with all zealous fervency and intention he must withal be acquainted with the Root from whence all his Holiness must spring Good Works are dangerous if they be made the Foundation in the great point of Justification by Faith but if they be used in the superstruction then they are very useful We cannot have children from Christ except we be first married to Christ No works of Sanctification before Vnion with Christ Many cry out for Obedience and good Works yet are profane because they go not to Christ for these You will not come to me that you might have life saith our Savior Except we do all for and from Christ our Lusts will not be mortified our Duties not accepted our Consciences not purified we shall not be strengthned against crosses neither shall we go on chearfully nor persevere The foolish proud heart of man is loth to be so much beholding to Iesus Christ as to receive Salvation from him altogether but something it will do and something Christ must do yet it leans much if not most upon it self onely it will take in Christ to make more sure work There is a sturdy stoutness and unyieldingness of Spirit in men against the blessed Truths of the Gospel made known unto them they must have Peace Comfort Assurance their own way or else reject all they would finde a principle of life and power within themselves and not go to Christ for it they would bring something to Christ and not fetch all from Christ not knowing that the way which all true Believers have gone after much wearying of themselves to finde something in themselves hath been at the last to rowl themselves wholly upon the Free-grace of God through Iesus Christ seeing nothing in themselves yet giving glory to God by believing and if they could bring their hearts so disposed and qualified yet they see the danger of resting in what they are have and do And if want of such and such conditions and qualifications had ground enough to keep from Christ it might have hindred any that ever did cast themselves upon the Free-grace of God because they would still have been at a loss finding a defect in them These things we judge not unseasonable to premise in the reading of this and all other Treatises of this nature that Christians may when they abound in much-doing and well-doing be still as much afraid of resting in doing well as of committing ill and be content to have all flowers withered that refresh them without Christ And when after Humiliation and casting down for sin they begin to stand upright as they think upon the legs of their Prayers Performances Inherent Graces and Qualifications and Righteousness and Holiness expressed in their Lives and Conversations they may yet notwithstanding all this be brought not to glory in themselves but in Iesus Christ and willingly come down from the Throne of their own Conceits Sufficiences Abilities and be at the Footstool and Threshold of Iesus Christ that seeing they know nothing are nothing have nothing do nothing they may be nothing in their own eyes that Christ might be all do all their work in them and for them that so they may wholly live upon Christ and to Christ still drawing vertue from him seeing a need of Christ and of nothing else and finding a fulness and help in him and in nothing else This word of direction being given the Reader in his perusing this Treatise about Gospel-Conversation the publishing of which in these perillous Times we conceive exceeding suitable and useful wherein so many are led away after those Doctrines that are not after godliness as the Apostle speaks This holy man would often much bewail that he did not see that holy frame and temper of Spirit in the Professors of our days which was in those God was pleased to take out of this world to himself in the days immediately foregoing these Troubles He would often say We seem to have more light now but we have lost our heat and first love We pray the Lord awaken us that we may do our first works before he come against us quickly and remove the Candlestick out of its place Amen Thomas Goodwyn William Greenhil Sydrach Simpson Philip Nye William Bridge John Yates William Adderly THE CONTENTS SERMON I. THE Words opened Page 2 Doct. 1 Those that profess the Gospel must have a great care of their Conversations 6 1 That God may be honored 7 1 Because the Saints are Gods witnesses 8 2 They hold forth Gods renewed Image 9 3 They further Gods designs Ibid 4 They make up the
and as for the other that 's but a meer legal thing for men to make conscience of duties and of their lives this is but legal but let them trust in Jesus Christ Christ hath done all what can we be saved by our lives hath not Christ done all Is there not righteousness in Him Let no man deceive you saith the Apostle If there be not a doing righteousness there is no righteousness in you He that doth righteousness is righteous You have nothing to do with the righteousness of Christ as your own applied yet unto you except you do righteousness therefore have a care of your Conversations that you may have evidence to your souls of the truth that there is in your hearts Secondly Have a care of your Conversations that you may continue and encrease that which is within you certainlie those that make profession of Religion and have not a care of their conversations they wil never continue in their profession mark that they may be a Comets a while blasing-stars but they will vanish within a little while you shall find that their profession will wear away where there is not a godly life together with profession profession will vanish and come to nothing their very common graces will be taken away from them if they have not a care of their lives but if they have a care of their lives they wil continue in the waies of godliness and grow up and encrease more and more Thirdly Have a care of your Conversations that you may get honor in the very consciences of men Quest Some will say Should we have a care of our Conversations that we may get honor Ans Yes truly a man may desire to have the testimony of the consciences of those that he lives withal it 's no matter for their talking this or that but that you may get into their consciences God gives you liberty for that Fourthly You by this means will be Instruments of a great deal of publick good if you live according to your profession otherwise no body will regard you you are reffuse no man will imploy you you will be contemn'd and slighted but when they see mens Conversations according to their profession everie bodie loves to make use of these men they know they shall find them faithful in whatsoever they are imployed and so they come to the Instruments of much publick good Fifthly You will further a joyful account against the great day for you must be call'd to account not only for your thoughts and the inward workings of your hearts but for whatever you have done in the flesh we must appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ to answer whatsoever is done in the flesh Oh be careful of your Conversations that so you may be able to give a comfortable accompt Sixtly and lastly Be careful of your Conversations in respect of your profession This should be the care of those that make profession that we may keep up the succession of the honor nor of Religion from one generation to another Heretofore there were some godly people that liv'd and they kept up in their generation the honor of the profession of Religion Wel-now we are upon the stage of the world and God looks upon us that we should in our generations keep up the succession of the honor of the profession of Religion and so afterward in another generation as men come upon the stage of the world and live here God expects succeeding ages should keep up the honor of the profession of Religion in their times And this one consideration might go to the very heart of ungodly men if they would mind it that it may be thou art the man or woman among others that keeps up in a continual succession enmity against God in the world do but consider of the difference between these two one mans Conversation is wicked and anothers is holy and gracious thou that livest wickedly this evil is charged upon thee that thou art the man that joynest in this work to keep up a continued succession of enmity against God in the world ever since Cains time there was an enmity against God and Cains posterity kept up the succession of it and so from one generation to another there hath been wicked men keeping up the succession of enmity against God and thou in thy generation art come to it and this it seems is thy work but now on the other side ever since Adams and Abels time there hath bin godly men in the world and in every generation some have kept up the honor of profession and now hath God been pleased to reveal his glorious Gospel to thy soul why now thou being careful of thy life and Conversation God imploys thee in this work to keep up the succession of the honor of profession in the world And this is a comfortable life indeed And thus we have done with the explication or the Point Now I shall only give you some passages for the Application of it Application Only saith the Apostle let your Conversation be as becomes the Gospel of Christ Have a care of this above all things Oh you would fain get more knowledg and be accounted somebody in the place where you live and be an eminent professor where you live Well whatsoever you would fain be accounted of let it be your only care that your Conversation be as becomes the Gospel of Christ Oh! this point speaks bitter things and sharply rebukes the carelesness of the professors of the Gospel in point of their Conversation Oh Lord how have we cause to bewail the loosnesse of the professors of the Gospel at this day and I fear that some may be present whose consciences may tell them that they are very loose in the point of their Conversations Thou professest thou knowest Jesus Christ that the Lord hath made known the glorious Mysteries of the Gospel to thee What is thy life Canst thou say as in the presence of God that thy Conversation is answerable I beseech you as in the presence of God examin but this see whether thou art able to say Lord thou knowest according to what light thou hast given me in the Gospel it hath been my care to look to my Conversation Oh that I might live to thy honor and be a witnesse to thy truth that I might hold forth thy image and further thy designs and make up the dishonor that thou hast from others in the world and that I might convince wicked men and stop the mouthes of those that are opposite and that I might be a means to convert those that I live with or otherwise to judge them Oh that I might rejoyce the hearts of the Saints that they might lift up their heads with boldness because of me that they may and so I might be stablished and edified Go along in the rest of the heads Can thy conscience tell thee that thou hast done so No but it s quite contrary in some The
miscarrying there it is over I blesse God that is over for that now my obedience it is not that I might work out and earn salvation but my obedience to God now is being set safe upon the shore that I might live to the praise of the grace of God that hath delivered me from al danger of miscarrying and hath set me with Jesus Christ in heavenly places I am now already set in heavenly places with Jesus Christ and as sure of Heaven for so a Believer may come to be as if so be that I were there already and so I am now to begin the life of Heaven to be blessing and magnifying God not in word only but in my life therefore am I to hold forth the glory of God in my life and Conversation that I might blesse and magnifie the Name of God that hath delivered me from darkness and hath translated me into the Kingdom of his dear Son and upon these terms do I serve God now I do not serve God as one that is in hazard for ever to miscarry and out of a base and slavish fear lest I should miscarry I do endeavor to work out my salvation but it is as one that is redeemed and delivered from eternal misery yea I now begin to joyn with the Saints and Angels that are in Heaven that are there magnifying God and shal be to al eternity praising of Him for His free grace towards them surely this Conversation should be in a higher degree of holiness than the Conversation of Adam could be even in Paradise Yet still remembring this we cannot in this life attain to such a Conversation as to be without mixture of evil but we should be more spiritual and heavenly in our waies we have more cause to be so than Adam had in his innocency and we do not walk answerable to the Gospel except our hearts do rise in a more spiritual and heavenly way than his heart could rise when it came new out of the hand of his Creator That 's the first consideration of the Law as it was a Covenant of life to him and al man-kind in him Oh that as we go along we would but consider what cause we have of humiliation then Oh how far are our Conversations short of that that becomes the Gospel if it should rise to so high a pitch as this is that hath been mentioned Secondly Consider we the Law as in the administration of it to Moses and so to the people of the Jews The administration of the Law to them it was under another notion it was to bring them to Christ and that they might come to see their inability of keeping of that Covenant and come to understand Christ so much the more and to be driven unto Christ by having the Law presented to them God did never intend by giving of the Law to the people of the Jews that it should be a Covenant of eternal life to them indeed there was this in the administraon of it somewhat different from us some special Covenant about their living in Canaan and about mercies in that promised Land beyond that that we have in the Law as we find in the new Testament they I say had this annexed to it The Law that was first given unto Adam and written in his heart afterwards even obliterated then it was transcribed by the same hand in tables of stone and given unto them chiefly to shew them their misery and their need of Christ to be a preparation for Christs coming into the world and with this one addition beyond what we have in the new Testament that there was a temporal Covenant annexed unto it that concern'd their living prosperously in the Land of Canaan so far we are delivered even from the Law as it was given by Moses that is from the connexion of the Covenant that was added unto the delivering of the Law concerning their happy and comfortable condition in the Land of Canaan upon the keeping of their Law but now how ever it was certainly that Conversation that becomes the Gospel should be beyond what could be even from godly men in the time of the Law As first The Law to them it was given under low Promises their promises were but very low that were under the Law It 's true they had somewhat of the Gospel that we have but extream darkly and very little that they knew of it but the chief Ministration of God towards them was then in a legal way and that had but low promises as their living in Canaan you shall find generally al the promises that are annexed to the Law even by Moses it is but that they shall prolong their daies in the Land the Lord their God shall give them That they should be blest in their basket and store their Promises were under Heaven-Promises Promises of this life only and therefore it could raise them but to a very low degree of holiness Secondly Their Ordinances were but poor and mean and beggerly in comparison of our for so the Gospel cals them Col. 2. They were but beggerly rudiments which stood only in meats and drinks and divers washings and carnal Ordinances imposed on them untill the time of reformation Heb. 9. 10. They had an earthly Tabernacle a worldly Sanctuary Heb. 9. 1. c. Thirdly The burden of them under the Law was very great they were under a heavy yoke burden that did bow them down A man that is under a heavy burden it makes him stoop bend in the back he cannot stand so upright nor fast as others that have no such weight upon them Fourthly The administration of the Law was with Thunder and Lightning very terrible It made even Moses quake and tremble as the Author to the Hebrews speaks Fiftly Their spirits were very servile under the Law they were subject to bondage even all their daies God so ordered things as to carry on his people even in a very servile way they were but mean servants then hewers of wood and drawers of water But now under the Gospel First our Promises are far better and our Covenant better in Heb. 8. 6. there the Apostle compares their Condition and ours Who serve saith he unto the example and shadow of heavenly things There was but the shadow of heavenly things the Gospel hath the Heavenly things themselves and they are but the shadow for so you have it in Heb. 10. 1. For the Law having a shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the things They had but a shadow of good things to come and not the very image it self As Moses was admonish'd of God when he was about to make the Tabernacle For see saith he that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the Mount And then in Heb. 8. 6. But now hath he obtained a more excellent Ministry that 's Christ By how much also he is the Mediator of a better Covenant
which was established upon better promises A better Covenant and stablished upon better promises or a better Testament Their promises I say were but low and mean and our promises are high and precious and we have a better Covenant a Covenant not of living in the Land of Canaan but of Heaven of which that Canaan was but a Type and therefore our Conversations should rise higher in holiness according as our Covenant and Promises are better than theirs Secondly Our Worship is more spiritual than their worship was As that known place in Joh. 4. 23. where Christ saith to the woman of Samaria You serve God in this place But the time shall come that they shall serve him every where for God is a Spirit and will be worshiped in spirit and in truth There is more spiritual worship in the time of the Gospel than was in the time of the Law The Lord carried them on in a carnal and a sensitive way and indeed this hath been a great design of Antichrist to bring men to a carnal way of worship To carnal Ordinances for so they are called in Scripture the Commandements of God by Moses are called carnal Heb. 9. 10. For their worship was in comparison of the worship in the Gospel but carnal I say it hath bin the design of Antichrist to darken the glory of Jesus Christ in the Gospel by bringing the Church to a carnal way of worship and to take away spiritual and therefore they are altogether about carnal Institutions whereas Jesus Christ hath instituted but only two Sacraments wherein there are outward carnal things wherein we worship God through the Creature otherwise His worship is altogether spiritual but now Antichrist he would bring in altogether carnal things he would ad a hundred inventions of his own as building sumptuous Temples railing in of the Communion Tables and then turning them into Altars with such kind of apish gestures foolish garments and Heathenish musick all which was carnal worship the devices of men to please children and fools with exceedingly much against the very life and soul of Godliness and the only rule of worship in the Word of God Besides this rediculous and carnal way of worship made the worshipers twofold more the children of Satan than they were before But now the more spiritual any worship of God is the more spiritual it makes the heart the lesse we stick to the creature while we are worshipping of God the more communion we come to have with Christ and so it doth raise holinesse to a more higher pitch Thirdly Vnder the Gospel our yoke is more easie You know what Christ saith in a Scripture that I have opened to you at large Come take my yoke upon you for my yoke is easie and my burden is light You are delivered from that heavy burden that they were under and therefore you should run the waies of Gods Commandements and follow after holiness more readily and freely than they could do Fourthly We have access with boldness to the Throne of grace as the Scripture speaks God doth not reveal Himself in that terrible way to his Saints now as in the time of the Law but would have them come with boldness and have libertie of speech for that 's the word as in the second of the Ephesians of the boldness that we have to come into the presence of God Through him we have access by one spirit unto the Father Access the word signifies a coming with freedom as it were being led by the hand of God In Ephes 3. 12. In whom we have boldness and access saith the text there with confidence by the faith of Him Three words here are together We have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him The word that is here translated Boldness it is liberty of speech we may come and speak our minds and unbosome our speech freely to God without any such terror and we may come to God without desiring Moses must go into Gods presence for them as he did Oh they durst not go themselves but Moses must go and speak with God We may come into the presence of God and speak our hearts freely with a holy boldness in the Name of Christ Fifthly We have the spirit of adoption more than they Rom. 8. We have not received the spirit of bondage to fear again but the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father There was a spirit of bondage under which even the people of God were in former times and now the spirit of adoption is more spread abroad and cōmunicated in the world to the Churches than it was before and therefore the Lord expects a Conversation sutable to the spirit of adoption As now take one that is a child and hath a servile spirit and is afraid to come into the presence of his father it may be he will do some works in obedience to his father but in a heavy dull way but afterwards when his father is fully reconcil'd to him comes speaks kindly to him there comes a spirit of adoption upon the child Oh then he goes lively on in duty to his father then he rejoyces in the presence of his father to do any thing that may please his father when he is acted by a spirit of adoptiō there 's more service done according to the mind wil of Christ than there was before So my Brethren we should exceed all under the Law with a more fillial obedience than ever there was in that time or else our Conversation it is not such as becomes the Gospel Therefore when you open the old Testament and reade of those excellent gracious spirits that were there especially in the Psalms what holy breathings and pantings after God there are and in the Prophets what exemplary holiness then liv'd and shined in the world Be ashamed of your selves if you do not rise to as high a degree as they and higher too Obj. Why you will say But they were eminent men they were the Prophets of God and so were extraordinary and can ordinary Christians rise as high as they did and be such burning and shining lamps as they were Ans I 'le give you one Scripture about that in Zach. 12. 8. it is a cleer Prophesie of the times of the Gospel In that day shall the Lord defend the Inhabitants of Jerusalem and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David and the house of David shall be as God as the Angel of the Lord before them Mark he that is feeble among them shall be as David who was a man according to Gods own heart Oh reade Davids Psalms particularly the 119. Psalm and see the holy breathings of David and observe that there is a Prophesie that those that are feeble shall be as David and those that are as David that is the eminent Christians the Lords Champions and the house of David shall be as God as the Angels of the Lord.
the world and as Christ saith Wo to the world because of offences so wo to the world because of this great offence Christs Kingdom being so spiritual hence it is that the world receives Him not in 1. John 10. And so in John 14. 17. Even the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive Mark the world cannot receive the spirit of Truth the world receives not Christ and it cannot receive the spirit of Truth If you speak of the world to men then they savor of those things come to a man and tell him of a good bargain on the Exchange he will listen to you and remember what you say but come and speak to him of the great things of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ of the glorious priviledges of that kingdom only there 's a sound in the air and it passeth away and takes no impression at all on the heart of one that is carnal 1 John 4. 5. there you have this exprest fully the very guize and way of a carnal heart They saith the text are of the world therefore speak they of the world and the world heareth them those that are of the world they speak of the world and discourse of the world and savor the things of the world and the world heareth them but now let a man come and tell them of things that are heavenly of a goodly Pearl of Jesus Christ they savor not those things and they hear them not Oh! 't is from hence that men come not into the Kingdom of Jesus Christ because it is not of this world What 's the reason that there are more comes into the Kingdom of Antichrist than into the Kingdom of Christ Revel 13. 3. The whol world wandered after the beast saith the text because they are of the world and Antichrist doth set up a worldly kingdom instead of Christs kingdom and men that are of the world they flock after Antichrist and hence it was that your great rich men in places where the Gospel hath not been they were Papists or Popishly affected so that therefore the Papists make outward prosperity to be one badge or sign of the true Church hence it is that Popery is so sutable to worldly hearts and the holy Ghost prophesied before hand that the whol world should follow Antichrist only here and there a few poor ones Jesus Christ chuses out of this world to follow him for His Kingdom is not of this world One Particular more in a word seeing the Kingdom of Christ is not of the world then a worldly heart is the most unbeseeming thing in one that professeth himself to be a Christian of any thing that can be in the world If Christs Kingdom be not there certainly thy heart should not be there Thou that professest thy self to be of the Kingdom of Christ which is spiritual and heavenly and yet thou a worldly earthly heart I say it is the most unbeseeming thing that possibly can be what for a Professor of Religion to have an earthly covetous worldly heart By that that I have already spoken in shewing the vanity and the evil of the world and the great evil of loving the world were enough to strengthen this use but now that that I intended should have been to speakesp ecially to those that are Christians that have hopes that God hath made them partakers of Jesus Christ and would be loth to lose their hopes in the good things of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ for 10000. worlds yet there doth remain much worldliness in their hearts to this day surely this not beseeming one of the profession that thou makest it is no honor unto thy King the Lord Jesus Christ worldly Professors they are great dishonors to the Kingdom of Jesus Christ when there shall appear no difference between those that we account to be men of the world and such as we hope are chosen out of the world Oh! how is Christ dishonored by this Look but upon the lives of Christians that profess Religion and one would think that the Kingdom of Christ were a Kingdom of this world rather than any thing else for I say to outward appearance though it may be Christ may see some integrity within the heart yet to outward appearance there is even almost no difference between them and the men of the world It doth become Christians to live so in their whol course as to make it appear that they are men and women above the world whose Conversations are in Heaven that they do beleeve the Kingdom of Jesus Christ that is not of this world SERMON III. JOHN 18. 36. Jesus answered and said My Kingdom is not of this world WHAT this Kingdom of Christ was and how different from the kingdoms of this world we have already opened unto you The fourth Use which we are to proceed in is If the kingdom of Christ be not of this world then of all dispositions a worldly spirit is most unsutable to those who profess themselves to be of the Kingdom of Christ Certainly then such as are Beleevers that are come under the Kingdom of Christ they must not be of earthly hearts We find the Apostle in the Epistle of the Ephesians doth rank Covetousness and Uncleanness together and saith of them both in the 5. Chapter 3. Verse Let it not be once named among you as becometh Saints So that a covetous heart after the things of the world it is such a disposition as it should scarce be named among Saints no more than whoredom they should abstain from it as from whordom as it becometh Saints It is the most uncomly thing for a Saint of God one of the Kingdom of Christ to have a covetous heart for the things of the world that possibly can be As it becomes them it doth not become you And Luther that was a great man for the promoting of the Kingdom of Christ he is bold to profess it That of all sins he was scarce ever tempted to that sin he found nothing tending almost that way though it 's true there 's no sin but we have the seeds of it in our hearts but yet he found his spirit most above that worldly sin because he was so much taken up with Jesus Christ And indeed the more any soul is taken up with the excellency of Christ and with the glorious things of His Kingdom the more vile will the things of the world be to them We look not at the things that are seen saith the Apostle they are not things to be looked at But at the things that are not seen And in the 6. of the Gal. 14. ver The Apostle Paul that was the great man for the promoting of Christ in the world and the setting up of His Throne he professes That he was crucified to the world and the world was crucified to him That is he look't upon the world but as a crucified thing What esteem would you have of a man that is hanging upon a
be merciful to them in the world to come now this is a certain truth that man to whom God denies Spiritual mercies in this world God will deny Eternal mercy to him in the world to come this therefore should be thy care Doth God encrease my estate in this world Oh that the Lord would give a proportionable measure of grace too else it is nothing Lord thou givest me here a great estate if thou givest not to me grace with it a proportionable measure of grace to use it to thy glory I had better have been without this Is this thy care I put it to thy conscience As thy estate encreases art thou solicitious at the Throne of grace that the Lord would give thee a proportionable measure of grace to mannage thy estate for His glory then peace be to thee thou art not the man And then further you may examin it 2. By the working of your hearts about your present Portions As first 1. Whether you enjoy what you have for it self and whether your hearts be terminated in what you do enjoy One that is godly and hath his Portion beyond these things he enjoyes the Creature I but it is God in it he enjoyes It is sweet to me that I can see and tast the love of God in it I but a carnal heart enjoys the creatures and runs away and is terminated there looks at the Creature but at little in God as divers of your Hospital Children here look more at the Men that were their friends to bring them into the Hospital when they were Fatherless and Motherless and Sisterless than they look at the Founders of the Hospital they little think of them to thank God for them but if they meet with him that was the next cause to bring them in they will thank him for his kindness So it is with men they look at that Creature that was the first means of bringing them in but a godly heart looks at the root of all I remember it is said of one that came into the Treasuries of Venice he saw tables of Gold and Silver there and he points down and looks at the bottom of the table and one asked him Why is your eye so at the bottom Oh saith he I am looking at the root of all this Oh! alas it is a small matter for a man that hath a great Trade to have a great Portion So many men look not so much at the Root whereas a godly man though he hath but a little yet he looks at the Root at the love of God and the Covenant of grace that is the Root of all and this is the thing that satisfies his heart When a man takes a portion of physick he puts it into the Posset-ale the Posset-ale is not the thing that makes the Physick work though it is that that is the greater part but it is the Physick in it So it is the goodness of God that satisfies a gracious heart and not the Creature that is operative so much upon a gracious heart and then you may examine how your hearts are set upon these things of the world 2. Whether your hearts go out with full strength to them If you make your bellies to be your god then your end will be destruction as the Apostle speaks That man that hath his heart swallowed up in the earth like Corah Dathan and Abiram that were swallowed up in the earth if the things of the earth be a gulf to swallow thy heart up there is another gulf to swallow thee up hereafter 3. How do the loss of the things of the world take thy heart Dost not thou count thy self an undone man when thou hast lost some comforts Dost not thou come home to thy wife and children and say I am an undone man Why what 's the matter I have lost some part of my estate O carnal heart one that is gracious may have some crosses but no losses at all because he enjoyes all in God he hath God to make up all his losses And the truth is if thou wert truly godly whatsoever afflictions thou meetest withal as we say a man may put all in his eye so you may if you be godly put all your crosses in your eyes you are so far from being undone And further examin 4. Whether these things of the world be not the only sutable things to your hearts whether you bless not your selves in these as in your happiness The Ivie will clasp about a rotten tree and cannot be taken off it without tearing And so the heart of a worldling will clasp about these rotten-comforts as the only agreeable thing You may hear them sometimes tell with joy That we were in such a place and we were so merry and had the bravest meeting And what was there Why there was singing and roaring and blaspheming of the Name of God and yet it was the bravest meeting that could be When did you ever come from an Ordinance of God and say Oh! it was a brave day to me the Lord hath spoken to my heart this day Did you never go from the Word with as merry a heart and can rejoyce for it amongst your friends as you did from a merry meeting You may fear you are the man that have your portion here And then this is more cleer for every one to examin his heart in and if I were to give but any one Evidence whether a man hath Grace or no I would give this assoon as any one A man that hath got some estate in the world I put this to him 5. What dost thou account to be the chiefest good of thy estate more than thou hadst before or more than another man hath A man that hath got an estate more than he had or more than his brother there are many good things in his estate that he will think good Now I may live in better fashion than I could before now I may have more freedom than I had before now I may have more credit in the world than I had before now I may have my own mind and satisfie my own lusts more than I had before or than another man can do Is not this the thing thou most rejoycest in yea is not this a truth that some of your hearts if they were ripped up this would be the language of them that you must rejoyce in your estates because by them you have fuel for your lusts A poor man hath not so much fuel for his uncleanness as you have nor so much fuel for his lust of pride and malice as you have and many rich men account the blessing the good and happiness of their estates to consist in this very thing that now they may have a larger scope for their lusts than ever they could before alas a poor man cannot go abroad and drink as you can do a poor man cannot lay out so much money on a Whore an Unclean wretch as you can do and you rejoyce in
this and if this man have not his portion here what man hath the Lord strike such a mans heart But on the other side A gracious heart when God blesses him in this world though there be but a little grace it wil work thus The Lord hath raised my condition above my brother therein the Lord gives me a larger opportunity to do him service than my brother hath or than I had before there is such a poor man he is an honest man but God knows he can do but little in the place where he is he hath but little means but God hath given me means and this means enlarges my opportunity to do God service and for this my soul blesseth God I count my estate happier in this because I now may be of more use and do God more service than otherwise I could do Have you such workings in heart you rich men if you have not never be at quiet til you get your hearts working in this manner this will be a blessed testimony that God gives you a portion here and intends another portion for you in the world hereafter 6. What is that thing that you strive to make most sure That which a man strives to make most sure that he counts his happiness to consist in Oh for thy Land and Debts thou strivest with all thy might to make that sure but as for the matter of thy Salvation and peace in Christ thou hast a good hope in God for but takest no pains to make it sure 7. What dost thou admire most men for O! such a man is happy he hath so much coming in and hath so much a yeer But dost thou call the vile man happy it is a sign that thou hast not thine eye enlightened by the Spirit of God but now Canst thou look upon even those that are poor and mean in this world that have the least portion here yet as most happy Creatures because the Lord gives them the Grace of His Spirit and think well 't is true I have a greater estate than such a poor man that is my neighbor or than such a poor man but God knows he doth God more service than I do he prayes more and more heartily in one day than I do in a whol yeer Oh! the Lord hath other manner of prayers and sighs come from his poor Cottage than ever he had from my brave Pallace I have my City-house and Country-house but they were never so perfum'd with prayers Some that live in poor Cellers send up more prayers and God hath more honor from them than He hath from me in my family perhaps there is cursing and blaspheming of God in such poor Cottages there is perhaps blessing and praising of God Now see if thou lookest upon them as the most happy people in the world 8. What art thou careful to lay up for thy Children That is like to be thy portion If the things of the world take up thy care for thy children most that is an argument thou thinkest thy Children have a good portion if thou canst leave them so many thousands it is like it is thy portion too if thou countest it theirs And then further 9. Examin thy services what they are 1. Dost thou put off God with slight services Then know thy portion is like to be of Gods slight mercies 2. Art thou hypocritical in thy service Dost thou aim at the praise of men in outward duties That is a sign thou hast thy reward here 3. And are thy services forc'd that thou art compel'd Is it meerly conscience compels thee and not an inward agreeableness between the frame of thy heart and holy things Then it 's like a servants portion is thine and not a childs portion 10. Further Hast thou heretofore been a forward Professor in Religion and hast thou forsaken the waies of God I 'le give you a dreadful Scripture for this In Jer. 17. 13. All you that forsake the Lord shall come to be ashamed and they that depart from him shall be written in the earth All that depart from God shall be written in the earth If thou hast been forward heretofore and now thou comest to be more ancient thou art dead and dull and careless here is a Text for thee go home and tremble lest thou be a man whose name is written in the earth 11. Doth not God for the present Curse thy portion thou findest the more thou hast the worse thou growest As if a man should eat meat at ones table and assoon as he hath eaten it begin to swell he will conclude certainly the meat was poysoned So when thy estate rises thy heart riseth with pride surely it was poysoned with the curse of God that was in it 12. Examin thy heart by this whether hath God convinced thee of that which stops the great Current of His mercy I spake of even now that soul that hath its portion in this world looks no further but to Gods general bounty and looks not to what stops the great Current of Gods grace he is not brought to be sensible of his need of Christ and of his satisfaction unto Divine Justice but now the heart of God intends Eternal good too such a heart the Lord causes to understand that there is such an infinite breach between God and it as cannot be made up but only by the Meditation of the Son of God and therefore Lord it is not in any righteousness of mine nor in any thing of any creature in Heaven and Earth can do it that I expect to have my portion from but in the Mediation of the Son of God that I look after and my heart closes with that Mediation and I look upon that as the spring of all my worth He is a man indeed that is not like to have his portion in this world and I 'le only name that one more What saiest thou to this 13. That man that spends his daies without having some fear lest God should put him off with the things of this world there may be some danger of that Jude 12. it is said of some That they did feed themselves without fear You can go now to a merry meeting and can go and feed upon the cheer and you eat without fear you 'l never have such a thought in your heart What if God should put me off with these things I hear indeed there are some men are put off so what if it should prove to be my portion what a miserable creature were I I fear there are some men never had such a thought in their lives What if it should prove so what a miserable creature were I The wicked are described to be men that eat without fear and thus we have done the Fifth Thing There is only the Sixth and that is Sixthly Exhortation to you all and then I have done all And this Exhortation it must be divided First Vnto you that have some Evidences that God hath given you a
2. may prove to be your portion it is spoken of Doeg This is the man saith the Psalmist that did not make God his trust but trusted in his great riches this is the man So you may be pointed out one day This is the man Doeg was a great Courtier and because he was an Officer of King Sauls and because he had his favour he trusted in the favour of the King and in his riches and what did he care for David Yea by the Text it appears he was one that made some shew of Religion too in the 1 of Sam. 21. 7. He was detained before the Lord Tremelius thinks either out of some Religious vow or to keep the Sabbath or somewhat concerning the Law he was detained before the Lord and yet he was a vile Malignant against David and all because he trusted in the great countenance he had at Court Now this is the man that made not God his trust but that trusted in his great riches the Lord forbid this Scripture should be made true of any of you I leave this Text with you that are rich men take heed you trust not in your great riches I leave this Text with you that are in places of dignity and honor take heed you have not your portion in this world I leave this Text to Voluptuous men given up to pleasures take heed you hear not one day this Son remember in thy life-time thou hadst thy pleasure I leave this with those that dare not trust God for a portion to come And above all I leave this with all Hypocrites let them take heed it be not said to them Here is your reward Consider what hath been said and the Lord give you understanding in all things FINIS THE ALPHABETICAL TABLE A ABuse see Body Adam First Adam what he was and what he should have been had he stood Page 43 The state of Adam compared with the state of the Saints 44 Admiration Admiration of Saints and Angels 90 Adrian Adrian the Pope his wofull death 339 Alexanders rebuke 349 Angels Angels are the Saints keepers 155 Angels see Love Honor Anger Anger must be avoided 38 Arbitrary Arbitrary Government and the differences of it 324 Antichrist Antichrists great design 49 Argument see Gospel B Beginning Beginings of sin to be feared 83 Beleevers Beleevers draw strength from Christ 45 Beleevers should manifest Christ in their actions Ibid Beleevers cannot fall away 46 Beleevers are not without mixture of evil ib. Beleevers under the Law were as children under age 100 Beleevers under the Gospel are children of full age ib Beleevers must not be of earthly hearts and why 270 Beleeve The manner how to beleeve 76 Bishops see Prelats Blood The Blood of Christ takes us off from vain conversations 98 Body The body of sin must be mortified 39 The body of sin is unknown to Nature 40 Abuse not your bodies and why 92 Boldness see Saints Boniface Boniface his answer 288 Bowels Bowels of mercy beseem the Gospel 71 Branch see Christ C Canaan The Land of Canaan a type of Heaven 47 Carelesness see Profession Christians Carnal Carnal worship opposeth the soul of godliness 49 Carnal see Weapons Heart Ceremonies Ceremonies condemned and why 97 Chastisement Chastisements for sin what they are 148 Children see Beleevers Christ Christs love known in the Gospel 69 Christ is the mercy of all mercies 70 Christs kept the Law and why 78 Christs self denial 93 Christ is the Root and we are the Branches 103 Christs is a great King 116 Christ God-man governs all things and why 136 Christs Rule 139 Christs Law ibid See Dependance Subjects and Peace Christians Christians must be carefull of their families 19 Christians should eye those whose Conversations are above them 29 Christians subject to grow careless by degrees 31 Church Church of God as a City 3 Circumvent We must not circumvent one another 275 Citizen A Citizen's wretch'd speech 320 Civil Civil mens worship of God 35 Companions see Tribulation Compulsion see Persecution Conscience Liberty of Conscience the way to procure it 22 Contentment Motives to contentment 349 Conversation The meaning of this word CONVERSATION 3 What Conversation becomes the Gospel 5 Our Conversation must be looked to after conversion 7 Conversation becoming the Gospel 57 How our Conversation should be manifested 350 What Conversation becomes the Gospel 115 See Image Wanton Cook Cook his opinion of the Martyrs 308 Covetousness Covetousness unbeseeming a Saint 270 Customs Old Customs an hindrance to spiritual worship 100 D Daies Difference between daies of fasting and thanksgiving and holy daies 99 See Observing Danger see Help Deceivers Self Deceivers how 13 Dependance No dependance between the Kingdom of Christ and this world 284 Design see Gospel Despair The reason of despair 75 Despise Despise not the meanest of men 92 Difference Difference which the Gospel makes 122 Difference betwen Saints and worldly men 312 Divisions Divisions whence they come 105 Duty see Time Dying Dying one for another becomes the Gospel 58 E Elevation Elevation of spirit upon what ground 91 Enmity How enmity against God is kept up 15 Epistle The Saints should be the Epistles of Christ 113 Eternal life Little mention of Eternal life in the Old Testament 110 Excellency The Excellency of a Saints portion wherein it consists 354 Eyes The eyes of all are upon Professors 23 What the eyes of a Christian should be set upon 354 F Faith Faith acts upon Christ as a King aswell as a Savior 135 Necessity of living by faith 285 Fleshly-lusts Fleshly lusts unsutable to the Gospel 102 G Gentils see Partition German The speech of a German Divine 137 God Gods willingnesse to be at peace with man 63 See Hatred Love Glory People Mercy God is full of goodness 64 How the utmost of Gods glory is manifested 90 Godly Why godly men are willing to live 2 Gospel What the Gospel is 3 Gospel-Conversation what it is 38 Gospel Obedience proceeds from love 40 Difference between the Law of Adam and the Gospel 41 Those that live under the Gospel must live in an higher way of holiness than those that lived under the Law 42 The great Design of the Gospel 54 The Gospel cals for love 58 Gospel-arguments are the strongest arguments 69 Difference between the Gospel the light of Nature 73 See Law Mallice Christ Conversation Dying Bowels Wanton Worship Beleevers Power Government see Arbitrary Great ones see Religion H Hard-hearted see Monster Hatred Gods hatred of sin how to know it 81 Heart Carnal hearts will not trust God 351 Help Helps against the danger of the times 24 Holy Ghost The Holy Ghost dwells in our bodies 90 Honor How the honor of Religion is kept up 15 More honor put upon Men than upon Angels 89 I Jewes The error of the Jews about Christs Kingdom 117 See Partition Image How man holds out the Image of God Injustice A remedy against Injustice 77 Institution Whereon institution of Worship depends