once hear lest if ye now refuse ye no â—ore be perswaded with oh that they would but be 〈◊〉 ever confounded with oh that they had Lest all our wishes and wooings of you be turned into weepings and mournings over you this once hear oh that you would I heartily thank you for your good wishes and good will towards me for your willing and chearful entertainment of my person and attendance on my Ministry And particularly for your passionate desire of my longer stay among you Which desire if God had not my Soul could not have denyed you Though the Almighty to whose pleasure it 's meet that we all submit hath said Nay to that wish of yours yet let your Souls say Amen to this last of mine that the Lord God would dwell among you and in you both now and for ever And having thus finished my Labours among you I shall now close up with this double account 1. Of my discharge of my Ministry in this place 2. Of my deprivall And shall so commit you to God and to the word of his Grace which is able to build you up and to give you an Inheritance amongst all them that are sanctified 1. Of my discharge of my Ministry what my Doctrine and manner of life hath been is known to you and what my aim and intent hath been is known to God The searcher of hearts knowes that 't is the salvation of Souls that hath been the mark at which I have levelled My way hath been to use all plainness that I might be made manifest in your Consciences Weaknesses and infirmities both natural and sinful the Lord pardon it I have had many I am sensible that much more might have been done both in publick and in private had it not been for a weakly body and a sloathful heart I repent that I have had no more zeal for God no more compassion to Souls I repent that I have been no more constant and importunate with you about the matters of Eternity Oh Eternity Eternity that thou wert no more in the heart and Lips of the Preacher in the hearts and eares of the hearers But while I thus judge my self for my failings Blessed be God for any sincerity to his name and good will to your Souls that he hath seen in me Blessed be God I have a witness in my Conscience and I hope in yours also that I have not shunned to declare to you the whole Counsel of God Brethren I call Heaven and Earth to witness this day that I have set before you life and death good and evil and have not ceased from day to day to warn you to choose life and that good way that leads to it and to escape for your lives from the way of sin and death Oh remember the many instructions I have given you the many Arguments whereby I have striven with you the many Prayers that have been offered up for the guiding and gaining your Souls into the path of life and the turning your feet out of the way of destruction Oh might I be able to give this Testimony concerning you all at my departure they have troden in the right path they have chosen the good part that shall not be taken from them Brethren Beloved with whom I have travelled in birth that Christ might be formed in you I must shortly give up my account in a more solemn Assembly will you help me to give it up with joy by shewing your Souls before the Lord as the Seal of my Ministrie Every sincere Convert among you will be a Crown of rejoycing to me in that day So let me rejoyce and let my joy be the joy of you all What shall I say more If there be any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love any bowels and mercies if the Glorie of the Eternal God the Honour of the everlasting Gospel the safety of your immortal Souls the incorruptible Crown the exceeding eternal weight of glory weigh any thing with you then once more let me beâ—eech you by all this to hearken to that word of the Gospel which God hath spoken to you by me 2. Of my deprivall The most glorious morning hath its Evening the hour is come wherein the Sun is setting upon not a few of the Prophets the shadows of the Evening are stretched forth upon us our day drawes our work seems to be at an end Our Pulpits and our places must know us no more This is the Lords doing let all the Earth keep silence before him It is not a light thing for me Brethren to be laid aside from the work and cast out of the Vineyard of the Lord and it must be something of weight that must support under so severe a doom I know there are not a few that will add to the affliction of the afflicted by telling the World 't is their own fault they might prevent it if they would whether this be so or no God knoweth and let the Lord be Judge Blessed be God whatever be this is not laid to our charge as the reason of our seclusion either insufficiency or scandall You are not ignorant what things there are imposed on us as the condition of our continuing our Ministration which how lawful and expedient soever they seem in the Judgment of many yet have the most specious Arguments that plead for them left me utterly dissatisfied in my Conscience about them I must profess before God Angels and men that my non-submission is not from any disloyalty to Authority nor from pride humour or any factious disposition or design but because I dare not contradict my light nor do any thing concerning which my heart tells me the Lord sayes do it not After all my most impartial Enquiries after all my seeking counsel from the Lord after all my considering and consulting with men of all perswasions about these Matters I find my self so far short of satisfaction that I am plainly put to this choice to part with my Ministry or my Conscience I dare not lie before God and the World nor come and tell you I approve I allow I heartily consent to what I neither do nor can but must choose rather that my Ministry be seal'd up by my Sufferings than lengthned out by a Lie Through the Grace of God though men do yet my heart shall not reproach me while I live If our heart condemn us God is greater than our hearts and knoweth all things But however though I must now no longer act as a Minister I shall through the Grace of God endeavour peaceably and patiently to suffer as a Christian I should to testifie my Obedience to Authority have become all Things to all Men to the uttermost that I could with any clearness of heart But since Matters stand so that I must lose my place or my peace I chearfully suffer my self to be thrust off the Stage And now welcome the Cross of Christ welcome Reproach welcome Poverty Scorn and Contempt or whatever else may befall me on this account This Morning I had a Flock and you had a Pastour but now behold a Pastour without a Flock a Flock without a Shepheard This Morning I had an House but now I have none Thiâ— morning I had an Living but now I have none The Lord hath given and the Lord hath takes away Blessed be the Name of the Lord. Beloved I am sensible of many Weaknesses and Disadvantages I am under which may rendeâ— a suffering state the harder to be born help me by your Prayers and not me onely but all my Brethren also with whom my Lot must fall Pray for us for we trust that we have a good Conscience in all things willing to live honestly Pray 1. That God would make our Silence speak and preach the same Holy Doctrine that we have preached with our Lips 2. That he would give Supports answerable to our Sufferings that he who comforteth those that are cast down will also comfort his Servants that are cast out 3. That according to our earnest expectation and our hope as always so now also Christ may be magnified in us whether it be by Life or by Death And thus Brethren I bid you all farewel in the words of the Apostle 2 Cor. 13. 11. Finally Brethren farewel be perfect be of good comfort be of one mind live in peace and the God of Peace and Love shall be with you And that God of Peace that brought again from the Dead our Lord Jesus that great Shepheard of the Sheep through the Bloud of the Everlasting Covenant make you perfect in every good Work to do his Will working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ To whom be Glory for ever and ever AMEN FINIS
been in the heart and hath proceeded out of the mouth of thy God that loves thee There is not a Messenger of Sathan that comes to buffet thee but is also a Messenger from-God that comes to thee for good They very thorns in thy flesh shall serve thee for Playsters thine eye-sores shall be thine eye-salve and thy very maladies thy Medicines 2. That this relative goodness of all the works of Providence is the reason of their being Therefore God doth what he doth that hereby he may do what he hath said and intended I do not say that the reason of Gods taking this or that meâ—ns is alwayes from any thing in it self or for its natural tendency to such an end above any thing else God hath his choice of means he can chuse here or there at pleasure can make use of what he will to serve his design but the reason why things are is this God in his Wisdom saw their ordinability to this good end and thereupon in his Providence he orders and brings them to passe So that now what ever befalls a Christian he hath this to allay and take off the grievousness and sharpness of it This had never been but for the good will and good word of the Lord to me The Lord God hath said he will bless me and do me good he will heal me and sanctifie and save me and now he is about it by this he is working that Salvation for me Christians you have no reason to say If the Lord be with me why am I thus why so poor why so pained why so persecuted so scorned and trampled upon sure if the Lord had meant my good it would have been better then 't is with me No no 't is because the Lord is with thee and means thee well that he deals in this manner with thee The Design of his Providence towards thee is the accomplishment of his Promise 3. The Providence of God shall never fail of accomplishing its end There is nothing wanting that might give us the fullest assurance hereof For 1. The Providence of God hath power with it He is the Almighty that hath promised he that ruleth in the Earth dwelleth in the Heaven and doth whatsoever he will Our God is in Heaven and doth whatsoever he will I will work and who shall let it Is 43. Who can stay his hand or say unto him What doest thou were it not for our unbelief our case would be still the same in greatest difficulties as when the Coasts are most clear We might say of difficulties as the Psalmist of darkness there is no darkness with thee to the the day and night are both alike Difficulties are no difficulties with thee nor is there difference betwixt hard and easie He can save with many or with few and with none is as well as with some We once read he had too many but never that he had too few to bring about his work Oh how do we disparage the power of God when our difficulties make us doubt Is he God and nor man Is he spirit and not flesh Wherefore then dost thou doubt Whatever God hath said he can do Believe he is a God and thou wilt never say How can these things be 2. The Providence of God hath Wisdom with it he is the onely wise he is the all wise God He knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations 2 Pet. 2. 9. He knoweth what is good for his Saints and when 't will be in season he understandeth what is proper and pertinent to every case What 's proper to every purpose to every people to every person and for every season he knowes when 't is a season to abate and when to exalt when to afflict and when to deliver when to put on the yoak and when to take off the yoak When to pull down and when to build up every thing is beautiful in its season If mercies come out of season mercies would be no mercies and if troubles come in their season troubles should be no troubles He knowes the best method and means to his end the finest means he sees sometimes the unfittest to be the fittest the most unlikely unpromising means do often best serve Gods end Christians if you would receive every dispensation as coming from the hands of the wise God you would never quarrel with your lot nor say of any thing that befalls I might be happy but this stands in my way If you would give God leave to be wiser than you you would say where ever you are its good for me to be here this is my way to my rest 3. The Providence of God hath faithfulness with it Psâ—l 25. 10. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth to them that keep his Covenant and his Testimonies Psal 111. 8. His Works are done in truth Gods Works may be said to be done in truth in a double sence In Reality In Fidelity 1. In Reality not in specie or in shew onely but indeed Gods Comforts are Comforts indeed Gods Salvation is Salvation indeed The Devil will come with his gifts with his comforts and deliverâ—nces but they are for the most part but spectra like himself shews and apparitions quite another thing than what they seem to be sinners comforts deliverances enjoyments wherewith the Devil feeds them do leave them in as poor a case and worse than they found them you will never thank the Devil for his kindness when you have prov'd them what they are If you do not find your selves as fast bound in the midst of all your liberties if you be not warp'd up in as many sorrows after all the joys he hath procured to you if the glittering glories the gloring pleasures he entices you by and entertains you with prove not trash and dirt and meer lies in the end then say the Devil hath forgotten his trade of lying the Devils works will be even like himself false and deceitful But God is true and all his works are done in truth 2. In Fidelity his Work are according to his Word 1 King 8. 24. Thou hast spoken with thy mouth and hast fulfilled with thinâ— hand in thy faithfulness thou hast afflicted me Psal 119. Not onely in thy faithfulness thou hast saved me in thy faithfulness thou hast comforted me in thy faithfulness thou hast succoured me but in thy faithfulness thou hast afflicted me in thy faithfulness thou hast humbled and broken me and cast me down The promise of God is that we shall want nothing we shall neither want his Staffe nor his Rod neither comforts nor crosses neither joys nor sorrows we cannot well want either and we shall want neither because God is faithful You may not onely write down with the Apostle God is faithfull and will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able to bear but you may write also God is faithful and will not suffer you to want a temptation When 't is seasonable
doubtless he will not be wanting in what 's absolutely necessary Psal 23. 1 2 3. The Lord is my Shâ—pheard I shall not want and so on throughout the Psalm Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the dayes of my life and I shall dwell in the House of the Lord for ever Here we have the Psalmists conclusion and it's foundation or his confidence and it's ground his foundation or ground is the Lord is my Shepheard his conclusion and confidence is I shall not want that is neither for Body nor Soul as appears by the following part of the Psalm If Davids Logick and his Faith too does not fail him the conclusion is firm let the Lord be his Shepheard and he shall not know Famine or want Gods relation to his people is their security for a sufficient provision in all times If the Lord be their Shepheard he must see them fed he must either find them those that shall or do it himself He must either find them Pastors or be their Pastor He must either provide them or be their Pasture If ordinary means fail he must find extraordinary if both fail he must be instead of means to them Here two things 1. That God stands engaged as the Shepheard of his people where ordinary means fail either to provide them extraordinary or to feed them more immediately from himself 2. That extraordinary means or no means when God brings his People to it will be better than their ordinary means 1. That God stands engaged as the Shepheard of his People where ordinary means fail either to provide them extraordinary or to feed them more immediately from himself Feed them he must or he cannot be faithful and if means fail he must supply that want one way or other Now God is faithful and will not see his Sheep to starve Isa 41. 17 18. When the poor and needy seek water and there is none and their Tongue faileth for thirst I the Lord will hear them I the God of Israel will not forsake them I will open Rivers in high places and Fountains in the midst of the Vallies I will make the Wilderness a Poor of Water and the dry Land Springs of Water Oh what a good World is here for the poor Saints to live upon in hard times It is interpreted to have an immediate reference to the outward and yet a special respect also to the spiritual wants and distresses And it will appear if we compare it with the like expressions Chap. 44. 3. I will poure water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground I will poure my Spirit on thy Seed and my Blessing upon thine off-spring From the former Scriptures note 1. That the poor People of God may sometimes be as to the visible Soul-provisions but in a poor case Needy and hungry and thirsty their hearts fainting their tongues failing for thirst and their waters dryed up If they seek water and there be none 2. All the wants and straits of the Saints are before the Lord. I the Lord will hear Christians though those that should will not yet he that can will hear the cryes of your Souls all your faintings and pantings and longings for the water of life are before your eâ—es and come up into the eares of the Loâ—d of Sabbath 3. God hath more wayes than one to relieve the wants and refresh the bowels of his hungry ones He hath extraordinary means for extraordinaâ—y caâ—es If they can find no common Rivers he will open or make new Rivers 〈◊〉 high places the dry places the very Rock wilâ— yield a River when God commands it 4. Gods extraordinary Provisions shall not be scantâ— and penurious but rich and plentifull 'T is not some drops or now and then a draught a little to stay the longing or barely enough to keep them alive he prepares them Rivers Fountains Pools Springs of water I will open Rivers in the high places Fountains in the Vallies c. Whereever they be cast in the high places in the Vallies in the Wilderness in the dry Lands whereever they be cast I will cause Provision enough to meet them though they have neither Bag nor Bottle nor any thing to carry with them they shall not want the River shall meet them Springs shall arise and break forth to them 5. They are not the wanting but the thirsting the seeking Souls whom God will supply When the poor and needy seek water and there is none Oh Christians how many poor are there that sit down by their poverty who if they starve yet will not beg their emptiness hath taken away their Appetites These are sad Souls 't is a sad sight to behold a company of hunger-bitten Souls sit weeping and sighing seeking after the Bread and Water of life and finding none but to see empty and yet not hungry fainting and yet not panting Souls to see Souls even dying away for want and yet not desiring or craving a supply this is a much soreâ— spectacle A starveling thirstless Soul is next to a Ghost Well if ever such Souls find who never seek water 't is more than God hath promised them 'T is they that seek water to whom God will open a River 6. What ever difficulty there be to furnish the hungry Sainâ—s with a sufficiency of Provision yet one way or other it shall be done I the Lord will hear I the God of Israel will not forsaken them Upon me be all their wants I am God and can I am their God the God of Israel and will provide for them They must and shall be provided for whatever course I be put to take I must not see them starve The Lord will not be wanting to them if his Word be not heard his Works shall speak if Preachers cannot Providence shall preach to them if their fâ—iends cannot their enemies their stripes their wounds their rods shall instruct them Thy Rod and thy Staffe comfort me If they have no other the Sun Moon and Stars the Fouls of the Air the Beasts of the Field shall be their Prophets and Apostles If all should fail yet the Spirit of the Lord shall not fail to be their Teacher and Comforter 2. Extraordinary means have more in them than ordinary and no means more than means 1. Extraordinary meâ—ns when ordinary cannot be had are sweeter and better feeding for the Saints then ordinary would be The lâ—ss of the Creature the more of God the less of common Providence the more of special Grace Water out of the Rock was more pretious than out of the River the Manna of the Wilderness was to them that understood it better than the Milk of Canaan Elijah never made better meals than what he got out of the Ravens mouth I have heard of Woman in great distress of Soul who received comfort when the Word was brought her by the mouth of a child which she had failed of receiving from the mouths of many excellent Ministers 2. No
a Shield to yours and a Sword in your Enemies Souls Be patient and you have won the field and gotten the day They will have no hope to drive you to sin where they see you can suffer This was Job's Triumph and shall be yours In all this Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly You may now make your boast in the words of the Apostle Rom. 8. 35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ Shall Tribulation or Distress or Persecution or Famine or Naâ—edness or Perill or Sword In all these things we are more than Conquerours through him that loved us 5. Your patient suffering will be the improvement of your Sanctification Heb. 12. 9 10. We have had Fathers of our flesh which corrected us and we gave them Reverence Shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of Spirits and live For they verily for a few days chasten'd us after their pleasure but he for our profit that we might be partakers of his Holiness The Fathers of our flesh correct us and so doth the Father of Spirits they at their pleasure he for our profit You 'l say it may be for what profit What profit is there in our Blood in our Bonds in our Poverty Why there is this profit we are hereby made partakers of his Holiness There 's seldom any towardliness in a Child till it be whipt into him God's School of Affliction is a Nursery for Heaven Were it not for his House of Correction Sion would quickly become as Sodom Seldom does any come out thence but their Complexion shews where they have been 'T is with them that feel the Hand of the Lord as 't was with him that saw his Face his Face did shine his very spitting in their Faces doth wash them the cleaner Of all Saints there are none raised so high towards the Third Heaven as those that have been in the Deep No Providences give such a lift to the Soul as those that most humble Christians What ever pains you travail under believe it the Births may be such as will make you forget your Sorrow I have heard of an Holy Woman who used to compare her Afflictions to her Children They both put her to great pain in the bearing but as she knew not which of her Children to be without notwithstanding her Trouble in the bringing forth so neither which of her Afflictions she could have wanted notwithstand the Sorrow they put her to in the bearing Heb. 12. 11. No chastning for the present is joyous but grievous but afterwards it yieldeth the peaceable Fruit of Righteousness to them that are exercised thereby Oh when you see the Fruit where then will your Sorrow be Joh. 16. 21. A Woman when she is in Travail hath Sorrow because her hour is come bue as soon as she is deliver'd of the Child she remembreth no more the anguish for joy that a Man-child is born into the World If the Joy of the Birth will make you forget why should not the hope of the Birth make you to bear the pain Beloved Would you bring forth Fruit unto God and will you not bear the Plough and the Harrow Will you expect an Harvest and yet must God let you lye Fallow and still sow among Thorns Let me ask you and answer deliberately Would you be more holy than you are more fruitful than you are or would you not If you would not you are no Christian Si dixeris sufficit defecisti If you would is that Desire conditional You would increase so it coâ—â— you not overmuch labour and pain That desire comes to just so much as no desire at all Or is your desire of an increase absolute Would you be more holy whatever it cost you Do you so prize and love an holy and fruitful life that you are heartily content that God should take his own course with you should take any course that 's needful to bring you on to it Can you freely say Oh Lord I am weary of this Triâ—ling I am weary of this dead and barren life Lord quicken me Lord inlarge me Lord perfect thy work and fulfill in me all thy good pleasure of thy Will So thou wilt but hear me in this thing I freely put it into thy hand to take thine own way and use thine own means Use the Word or the Rod. Command me or chastise me spare not this flesh for all its crying strip me of what thou wilt inflict on me what thon wilt throw me whither thou pleasest let me not want the most bitter Pill that 's needful any thing any thing Lord I hope I can be poor if thou wilt have me so I can be in pain in disgrace if thou wilt have me But I cannot be unholy I cannot bear it to be such a starveling in the staâ—e of my Soul Lord for more holiness Lord for more life and care and zeal and fruit let me have it upon what terms thou pleasest onely let me have it Can you say thus to the Lord I hope you can what and yet be displeased if he take you at your word can you pray thus and yet repine and murmur that the Lord hears your Prayers Christian when the Lord comes to deal roughly with thee entertain his chastisements whatever they be with this thought Now the Lord is about to give me my hearts desire now is my day of hope This distress this sorrow and anguish the Lord hath brought upon me may be come to perform that work which I have long'd to see What the Word hath been so long a doing and yet is not done What Sacraments Prayers Mercies have been so long a doing and yet is not done Now is the time this may be the means to bring it about This bitter Cup hath health in the bottom this Plough and these deep furrows it makes look towards an Harvest The work is doing that I have been so long a begging This froward this senseless this sloathful this earthly barren heart which I feel to day I hope now in a little time I shall be rid of for ever If this be the meaning of my troubles I hope it is I will wait I will wait for this fruit and if this be the fruit oh welcome welcome this blessed Providence 6. Your patient suffering shall be the advance of your glory Remember what I have told you already Your suffering shall go into your reward according to your deep poverty so shall your riches be As 't was said concerning Babylon Rev. 18. 7. How much she hath glorified her self and lived deliciously so much sorrow and torment give her So shall it be said concerning you How much they have been abased and afflicted for me so much Joy and Glory give them As sure as the persecutings of the ungodly shall meet them in hell so certainly shall the Perfecutions of the Righteous meet them before the Throne of God This shall be written on their everlasting Crowns Here is the
thou may'st call thine Iniquity Find out what it is and know that there thy main Work lyes In vain wilt thou strive in other duties till that which hinders be removed out of the way Fight neither against small nor great but against the King of Israel Where the Enemy most ordinarily makes his breach upon thee set the stronger Guard Let thy daily conflicts be here and observe diligently with what success 6. Walk on thy course in the Name and strength of the Lord Jesus Live by Faith Depend on Christ for the assistance of his mighty Spirit Forget not this for otherwise thou wilt go but lamely on These things premised I shall now give you the particular Directions 1. Directions for the Evening Every Evening before you sleep withdraw your selves from the World and having set your heatts as in the Presence of God Charge them before God to answer to these following Interrogatories 1. Concerning your Duties Q. 1. Did not God find me on my bed when he expected me on my knees 2. Was there not more of Custome and Fashion than of Conscience and Affection either in my Secret or Family Duties 3. Had I any sensible Communion with God in my duties 4. Have I not neglected or been careless and overly in reading the Word and Holy Meditation 2. Concerning your Sins Q. 1. Do I live in nothing that I know to be a sin 2. Have I kept me from MINE Iniquity What victory have I yet gotten over it 3. Am I a mourner for mine own and the sins of the Land 3. Concerning your Temptations Q. 1. Have I feared watched against and not run into temptation 2. What Temptations have I overcome this day 3. Have I had a care of my Company 4. Concerning your Heart Q. 1. Have I held mine heart in a serious spiritual gracious frame have my calls to Duty ever found me in a preparation to Duty 2. Hath the Lord been ever before mine eyes and Eternity upon mine heart 3. Have I been much in holy Ejaculations 4. Have I not given liberty to the workings of Pride Sinful anger Discontent or Impatience 5. Have I made conscience of evil thoughts 5. Concerning Conscience Q. 1. Hath my Conscience neither been blind nor dumb nor my heart deaf or headstrong against it 2. Have I done nothing against nor with a doubting Conscience 3. Have I neither defiled mine own nor wittingly scandalized my Brother's Conscience 6. Concerning your Tongue Q. 1. Have I bridled my Tongue 2. Have I spoken Evil of no man 3. Hath the Law of the Lord been in my mouth as I sate in mine House or went by the Way as I was lying down and rising up 7. Concerning your Talents Q. 1. Have I not wasted or vainly spent any part of my Estate hath neither my Pride had a share nor my Appetite more than its share 2. Have I not sent Christ away without an Alms when I had it by me 3. Have I redeemed my time from Needless Visiâ—s Idle Imaginations Fruâ—â—leâ—s Discourse and Unnecessary Sleep 4. Have I not lost an opportunity this day of doing or receiving good have I not neglected to exhort or reprove when occasion hath been given and if I have been reproved how have I born it 8. Concerning your Tables Q. 1. Did I not sit down with no higher ends than a Beast only to please my appetite Did I eat and drink to the Glory of God 2. Did I not eat or drink to excess 3. Did I not rise from the Tablewithout letting fall any thing of God there 4. Did I not mock God when I pretended to crave a Blessing or return Thanks 9. Concerning your Calling Q. 1. Have I been serving the Lord this day in my particular Calling 2. Have I not been Idle 3. Have I not over eagerly minded my earthly affairs 4. Have I defrauded no man wronged no man 5. Have I dropped never a Lye no broken promise in all my dealings 10. Concerning your Relations Q. Have I Faithfully discharged and done nothing against my duty to my Relations Have I behaved my self As a Christian Husband Wife Parent Child Master Servant 11. Concerning your carriage to those Within Q. Have I carried my self towards all Saints 1. Lovingly Delighting in them Bearing with them Covering their Infirmities 2. Peaceably not provoking them to Envy 3. Profitably provoking them to love and good works 12. Concerning your carriage to those Without Q. Have I carried my self to those without 1. Wisely that they have not been a snare to me nor I through my fault become a Prey unto them 2. Inoffensively Have I not been a stumbling-block to them 3. Courteously and compassionately that I might the better win upon them 3. Concerning Providences Q. 1. Have I diligently observed all the remarkable Providences of God towards me especially such as have come in as the Returns of Prayer 2. Have I been thankful for my daily Mercies 3. Have I born this dayes crosses 14. Concerning the use of your Liberty Q. Have I kept my self far enough within my bounds In Summe Q. 1. What have I done for God or my Soul this day have I not lost one day more 2. Have I led this day A Diligent Watchful Self-denying Life Directions for the Morning 1. If through necessity or carelesness you have omitted the reading and weighing these Questions in the Evening be sure to do it now 2. Ask thy self Waht Sins have I committed what Duties have I omitted Against which of these Rules have I offended the day foregoing And renew thy Repentance and double thy Watch. 3. Examine whether God were first and last in thy Thoughts Morning and Evening 4. Be careful to set thine Ends right for all the day An Advertisement If you want time to make daily enquiry upon every one of the forementioned Particulars they being so many set a mark upon or write out such of them as most especially concern your Case and let not them be forgotten Think not thy self excused from this course because 't is too long when if need be thou may'st thus make it shorter Better cut short than wholly give out For the help of the weaker I shall gather out these few of the chief Interrogatories which when they are straitned for time they may only use and to which they may add more as they have occasion and opportunity Q. 1. Was I serious and had I any sensible Communion with God this day in my Secret and Family Duties 2. Hath it been my care to keep mine heart in an holy Frame from Duty to Duty 3. Have I been much in holy Ejaculations 4. Have I not given liberty to the working of Pride sinful Anger Discontent or Impatience nor so much as to vain Thoughts 5. Have I not inordinately minded Earthly things 6. Have I kept me from Mine Iniquity and not liv'd in any known sin 7. Have I wronged no man in word nor deed 8. Have I been temperate and self-denying in the use of
went so cross with us 'T was happy we were so poor and brought so low and laid in the dark and stâ—ip'd so naked of all that we either took pleasure or put confidence in Now we see that the Lord had a more glorious design that he was carrying on for us step by stepâ— by every thing that came upon us than we were aware of or could have imagined It 's true the Shimeis have been cursing the Ishmaels have been mocking the Rabshakes have been railing the Ploughers have been ploughing the Hunters have been pursuing and had almost overtaken overcome and swallowed us up quick but blessed be our God that hath not turned our captivity and saved us by a mighty Salvation but hath done us good by all their mocking and cursing and raging against us Now we see there was such light sowing in our dark dayes such a Peace a sowing in those deep furrowes such an Harvest of joy sowing in the days of our tears as hath now sprung up unto this glory and blessedness We are beholding to the Devil and his Instruments our enemies have befriended us though much against their Wills We could never have shined with such beauty on earth had we not been scoured with such unclean wispes we could never have laid up such Treasure in Heaven as by their cursings and cruel persecutions our enemies have laid up for us So our Lord hath told us Great is your reward in heaven Matth. 5. 12. Blessed are you that are persecuted blessed are you that are reviled for my sake for righteousness sake for great is your reward in heaven It had not been so great had it not been for our great tribulations Hell hath given us a lift nearer the Throne of Glory Comfort and encourage your hearts with these words 2. If God be with you you shall shortly be with God Father I will that those whom thou hast given me be with me where I am And if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you to my self that where I am ye may be also If we suffer with him we shall also reign with him Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the World So shall we be ever with the Lord. Brethren you that lie among the potts 't is but a little time and you shall hear that Word Come up hither into the Kingdom the Inheritance prepared for you There are two Comes or Calls of our Lord the first come is Come and work with me come and watch with me come and follow me The second is 〈◊〉 and rest with me your work is done your watch is over your race is run come and enter into my rest The first Come is Come down with me from the pride from the pomps and jollities of this present World come with me into the wilderness into the valley of tears come and suffer with me come and die with me The second Come is Come up with me up out of the wilderness up out of your Prisons up from your bonds your Jubilee is come come up with me Come put off your prison-garments and put on your robes shake off your fetters and take up your palms lay down your Cross and take up your Crown from your prisons to your Palace from the stocks to the Throne You that have descended with me are the same who shall now ascend with me to my Father and your Father to my God and your God The first Come is the come of a Suitor Come grant me your love give me your hearts and accept of mine This is the Errand upon which his Ambassadours are dispatched As Abraham's servant to take you as a Wife for your Lord. This is the meaning of all those Jewels and Bracelets they bring in their hands the Lord sends Servant upon Servant Epistle upon Epistle Token upon Token and all speak the same word Come come come away and accept of your Lord and be married to him The second Come is the Come of the Bridegroom Come home with me into my holy City into my Royal Mansion come into my Chamber come into my Bosome come and lodg between my Breasts live in my presence and rest in my love for ever Christians my business whil'st I have been with you hath been to bring you to God to espouse you 10 Christ and you that have already or will yet at last be perswaded to give your consent and will give me leave to make up the Match I can give you assurance That he will shortly come and make up the Marriage and must say to you as Naomi to Ruth Ruth 3. 10. Sit still my Daughter till thou see how the matter will fall for the Man will not be in rest till he have finished the thing this day Sit still Christians till you see how matters will fall and however they fall know your Lord will not be in rest till he have finished this thing and brought you home to be with him where he is I am now parting from you in this confidence that however after a few dayes I shall see your Faces no more in this World yet I shall shortly meet you in the Bride-Chamber of Glory where we shall ever be with the Lord. Beloved in the Lord I must now leave you but give me leave e're I go to deal freely with you and yet a little further in the close of my day this once more to open my heart to you and to tell you 1. What my parting Fears 2. What my parting Wishes for you are which I carry upon my spirit 1. My parting Fears I go off from you with are especially these 1. I am afraid that there are many of you upon whom I have bestowed my Labour in vain I am afraid that I have Instructed you in vain exhorted perswaded beseeched and reproved you in vain 'T was the Apostle's case and his fear concerning the Galatians Chap. 4. 11. It is my grief that when I would have no more to speak but an healing word a comforting word I must yet drop down a bitter word on some of you That when I would speak onely from Mount Gerizim I must yet again speak to some from Mount Ebal That when I would leave a Blessing behind me upon you all I am like to leave some bound under a Curse It 's grievous to me thus to speak yet for the discharge of my Duty and for your own Necessity bear with me I am afraid that whil'st I have been preaching to you of an incorruptible Crown of an Everlasting Rest a Kingdom of Joy and Glory I am afraid there are many of you That have no part nor lot in this matter but are still in the Gall of Bitterness and Bond of Iniquity If the Gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost And are there none among you from whom this Gospel is hid hid as to the Light of it hid as to the
a flame Who was it that dwelt in the Bush God was in the Bush And that kept it from consuming though not from burning The good will of this God shall be with thee his love his favour his care I love them that love me Prov. 8. 17. The Lord loveth the Righteous Psal 146. 8. The love of God is the womb of all good Hence sprang the morning Star from the love of God came the Son of God hence came that womb of the morning the blessed Gospel which is so big with glorious grace with light life pardon peace glory immortality from the love of God came the glorious Gospel of God The upper Springs all spiritual and heavenly blessings the nether Springs all earthly and outward blessings do all rise and bubble up out of this Fountain the love of God The pretious things of Heaven the pretious Fruits brought forth by the Sun the pretious Fruits put forth by the Moon the chief things of the antient Mountains the pretious things of the lasting Hills the pretious things of the Earth and the fulness thereof All these flow in with the good will of him that dwelt in the Bush Love is all the Apostle tells us Rom. 13. our love to God is the fulfilling of the Law that is it will bring forth all that to God all that duty and obedience which the Law requires I may tell you that Gods love to us is the fulfilling of the Gospel that is it will powre down all that upon us it will do all that for us which the Gospel promises Look over the whole Gospel read and study every pretious leaf and line of that blessed Book and if there be enough in all that to make thee blessed and to encourage thee on in thy holy course all this is thine Thou hast that love of God with thee which will fulfill the Gospel there shall not one jot or tittle fail thee of all that the Gospel promises The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this Isa 9. 7. 2. The help of God will be with you the Lord will be your helper in the day of your distress Heb. 13. 5 6. He hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee So that we may boldly say The Lord is my helper I will not fear what man can do unto me He hath said I will not leave thee and therefore we may say I will not fear He hath said I will be and therefoâ—e we may boldly say the Lord is my helper He hath said He will not forsake he will helpe and who is he that shall say There is no help for thee in thy God There 's no man whose Case may not be so desperate as to be above all humane help If he should cry out as the Woman to the King of Israel Help O King the King must answer If the Lord do not help thee whence shall I help thee If he should cry out Help O Man of God the Man of God must answer If the Lord do not help thee whence shall I help thee If he cry out Help O my friends my Wit my Policy my Purse all these must answer If the Lord do not help thee whence shall we help thee But what case is there wherein an Help Lord will not do Foolish men count their case desperate when they come to their God help that 's an usuall expression to set forth the extremity and helplesness of any mans case When we see men even lost in any misery and their case even utterly hopeless then to signifie our sense of such mens lost condition we cry out God help that man God help that woman they are lost Creatures I but if men did understand and consider what the help of the Lord is they would see there could be no case so desperate but an Help Lord might recover all 1 Sam. 30. 6. when David was greatly distressed and all was gone he encouraged himself in the Lord his God Consider here two things 1. What his Case then was he was in great distress he had lost all that ever he had his spoils that he had taken were all gone his Corn and his Cattell his Wives and his City were all lost he had not an habitation in all the World he had nothing left him but a poor Army and these were worse than lost they were even ready to fall upon him The people spake of stoning him but he encouraged himself in the Lord his God 2. What the event hereupon was why God help'd him to all he had again vers 19. There was nothing lacking to them neither small nor great neither sons nor daughters neither spoil nor any thing they had taken David recovered all Hence note 1. That a Christian when he hath lost all hath yet a God to go to at last 2. Whilest a Christian hath a God to go to his case is never desperate let him but encourage himself in his God and all will be recovered Sinners triumph not over the poor people of God when they are at their worst when they are brought as low as your Pride and Malice can lay them though they should be stript naked and left destitute of all their comforts though all the World should ride on their backs and tread on their necks yet rejoyce not against them though they fall they shall arise when they are at their worst there 's still help for them in their God 3. The presence of the Lord shall be with them Whither soever they may be scattered they shall not be scattered from their Goâ— That Promise made to Moses Exod. 33. 14. My presence shall go with thee belongs to all the Israel of God My presence in the Original 't is my face in the Septuagint my self shall go with thee The presence of God is either Generall or Speciall By his generall presence he is every where 1. Per essentiam he fills all things 2. Per Cognitionem he beholds all things 3. Per Sustentationem he upholds all things 4. Per Dominium he governs all things But to let this passe as not so proper to our purpose 2. There is his Speciall or gracious Presence whereby he manifests himself to be with his people 1. In some visible and standing tokens of his presence as in those extraordinary the Pillars of the Cloud and of the Fire and in those ordinary the Ark and the Temple of old and the Ordinances of the Gospel now 2. In some inward influences and irradiations upon the hearts of his people 3. In some visible and signall effects of his presence whereof there are very many There are amongst others these two notable effects of Gods gracious presence which his people by vertue of this Promise may with confidence expect Conduction Covering they shall be Led in their way and they shall be Hid in their way 1. Conduction the Lord will be with them to lead them and guide them in the way that they should go Psal 25. 9
means often prove better than means when I say no means I do not understand simply none means they shall have of one kind or other their understandings their memories their secret duties Prayer Meditation c. but by no means I understand nothing from without no Ordinances Friends Societies Books c. Gods feeding of a Soul more immediately is much sweeter then when he sends Provision by the hand of another the Samaritans hearing Christâ— Words from his own mouth was much more to them than the same words reported by the Woman Dulcius ex ipso fonte Water is the purer the nearer the Fountain the Bread that comes down from Heaven is better Bread than that which grows up out of the Earth though that be originally from Heaven also By how much the more immediately our comforts come from Heâ—ven by so much the more they have of Heaven in them If upon the failing of publick Communion it be made up so much the more in secret sure the Saints have no reason to complain And whether this be not so let the Prisons into which the Saints have been sometimes cast the Wilderness into which they have been sometimes banished let Elihu's Songs in the night Peters Pauls Silaghs Songs in the Prison in the Stocks stand forth and testifie If Prison joyes and exile comforts have not been often both fuller and sweeter to them than when they have rolled in Manna and lived in the fulness and freedom of all helps and means then not a few Christians have either mistaken or mis-reported their experiences To pretend to live above Ordinances whilest God affords them is a wickedness that some men have to repent of but where God denies them he doth he will provide a better subsistence without them Now lay all this together and then you will see that even this also this most grievous of Judgments the famine of the Word when ever it befalls shall work for good to those that love God Christians chear up your hearts whatever drought or dearth may fall upon the World you are provided for you shall have enough If the shoures fail without you have within you that which shall spring up to eternall life If your streams should be dryed up if your Pastures should be trodden down you have a God that will be both your Pastor and Pasture If the Riveâ— fail you the Rock shall supply you what you want in ordinary you may look to be made up in extraordinary means The drying up of the waters shall but drive you up to the Spring-head If ever the Stars fail you God shall but exchange Star-light for Sun-light while there 's light in the Sun you shall not walk in darkness See but to this make sure that this God is yours and he must find out a comfortable feeding for you if you can but say Davids first words after him the Lord is my Shepherd you may then with confidence say the whole Psalm after him I shall not want he will make me to lie down in green Pastures he will lead me by the still Waters though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evill thy Rod and thy Staff shall comfort me Thou shalt prepare me a Table in the presence of mine Enemies Surely Goodness and Mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the House of the Lord for ever 2. There is another Objection that seems to have â—ore difficulty in it Suppose a Saint to fall into Distraction and thereby to be deprived utterly of the use of his Reason and so to live and die How can it be imagined that this can work for his good either in this World or the World to come Can any good arise out of an incapacity of any longer doing or receiving good or patiently suffering Evil Can either his Grace here or his Glory hereafter be increased or advanced by a man's being converted into a mere Bruit 1. There 's no doubt at all but this may make for the Churches good Is there nothing that others may learn out of such a sad Providence If others may reap good by my evil is it nothing to me May it not be said to be good for any particular Saint to bear the sorest Affliction by which the Church may have benefit He hath not much of a Saint to whom if it were afore-hand proposed whether for the benefit of the Church he would be content if God see it good to fall into such a calamity He hath little of a Saint that would deliberately refuse it Doubtless a sincere Christian who would count his usefulness to the good of the whole Body to be his good would say even concerning such a Message were it brought to him Good is the Word of the Lord And that which afore-hand he would judge to be good for him to submit to may it not be good for him to be under 2. It may also be more directly for his particular personal good For 1. It may do him the same good which Death will do for him Concerning which the Apostle says it is yours 1 Cor. 3. that is it is for your advantage It may take him from the evil to come from those Sorrows and that Trouble of Heart which God might fore-see falling upon him by any calamities coming either on the Church in general or himself or Family in particular which being deprived of his Reason and power to reflect on he cannot feel or in the least be afflicted by If you Reply But the Remedy is worse than the Disease To be useless and unserviceable is less eligible than to be sorrowful and afflicted Will any man chuse to fall into a Lethargie or Apoplexie because 't will secure him from the Torment of a Feaver If there be any weight in this Reply I shall adde a farther Answer which if I misjudge not will cut off all Râ—plyes 2. Who knows what Sins and Temptations he might have fallen into and fallen by had not the Lord by this means prevented it he might possibly have been a Back-slider have fallen into gross sin by which he might have been a Terrour to himself and a Scandal to the Gospel and is it not good for him that this is prevented Is not that Affliction 〈◊〉 Mercy which secures from such Iniquity Who can say it is not thus that the Lord foresaw he would have fallen into sin and for prevention brought him into this Affliction Who can say it is not thus If none can then this is no Objection If you Reply you say it may be this is the case and I may as well say it may be not there might be no such thing that God fore-saw as the Reason of this Providence 'T is but a Conjecture and an Uncertainty when you have made the most of it Be it so yet it will fully answer my end I am not now proving that all things work for good to the Saints that 's
sufficiently done already But you are objecting against it and till you prove your Objection which you can never do unless you prove that this is not the case you must give me leave again to tell you your Objection comes to nothing And so at lengâ—h you see this Blessed Glorious Comforâ—able Truth stands it's Ground and Triumphs over whatever hath any Shadow of Contradiction to it By the way learn hence two Things 1. Rejoyce in this Promise of God Hath the Lord put in thy name here let thine Heart say It is enough Be more joyful in this that God hath thus undertaken the Care of thee than if God had wholly put thee to thine own hand giving thee power to help and liberty to chuse for thy self In what wilt thou rejoyce if not in this that the whole Creation are ingaged to do thee a kindness to help thee into the possession of thy God Thou mayst now not onely submit to but thankfully embrace every Providence knowing upon what Errand it comes to thee for good and not for hurt Thou mayst now triumph not onely in the Consternations but in the Triumphs of thine enemies Whether they ride over thy back or thou tread on their neck 't is all one the issue will be the same Thy Troubles and thy Consolations differ only in their Countenance with what ever grim face thy afflictions look there are smiles under learn to see through them and thou mayst see light on the further side Believe this Word thou mayst read it written upon every thing that befalls thee there 's no Messenger that comes but brings this promise in his hand Even this shall work for good Read it and rejoyce 2. Lay thy self down quietly under it No more perplexing or distracting cares what shall become of thee no more unwarrantable shifting for thy self Let God alone Shift not for thy self lest God leave thee to thine own shifts Let not the violence of evil men disturb thy Peace or provoke thee to unpeaceableness What ever provocations thou mayst have avenge not thy self neither give place unto wrath murmuring or fears In thy patience possess thy Soul thy God and his good Word Thy strength is to sit still Stand still and see the Salvation of God thou hast nothing to do but to be Hâ—ly let that be thine only care thy God will see to it thou shalt be happy he is faithful that hath promised Love God and leave thy self and thy whole Interest in this blessed Word All things shall work to thee for good By this time you see something of the Riches of this Promise God is in the promise the God of Peace the God of Power the God of Patience the God of Hope the heart of God the help of God the presence of God by vertue whereof all that ever befalls them shall work for their good Methinks the hearing of this Promise opened should set your Souls and all that is within you a crying out Oh that this were my portion Where ever my Lott do fall as to outward things though in a prison though in a desert though on a dung-hill let the lott of my Soul lye in this Promise The God of Peace shall be with you Wâ—y Brethren will you take up with Godliness you have learned and received and heard the Word of the Lord the Word of Faith the Word of righteousness and holiness will you hearken to will you obey these words These things do and the God of Peace shâ—ll be with you Oh what foolish Creatures are we that ever we should be afraid of Religion afraid of Holiness afraid to own obey and follow God and his holy wayes What unreasonable fears are these to those that believe the Scriptures If the Scriptures be true this is the only way this following God in holiness to put your selves out of all danger to put your selves into the heart arms presence protection of the Almighty God of Heaven and Earth Oh that I could perswade you in thither and there leave you if you are once in the Lords Arms you are safe enough into what ever hands you fall Use By way of Application let me once more speak a few words 1. To the Ungodly 2. To the Godly 1. To the Ungodly my work with them shall be to perswade and direct them how to get into this peacefull and blessed state Amongst the ungodly 1. There are some who are far from the Kingdome of Heaven as 1. Those upon whom the Ministry of the Gospel hath done nothing at all that miserable forlorn multitude of the grosly ignorant who as they were born blind have had all their dayes such a mist of thick darkness abiding upon them that they are uncapable without a miracle of being savingly wrought upon Speak unto them of Faith in Christ of Repentance unto life of obeying the Gospel in the plainest way possible and you will be as a Barbarian to them as one of a strange Language they know not what you say if you should speak Greek or Latine to them they would understand it as well as the plainest truths of the Gospel A poor Minister of Christ may break his heart and rend his bowells in mourning over them may draw forth his Soul in the most melting expressions of his compassions to them may break his brains in studying how to convey a little light into them and yet cannot help them cannot make them to understand so much as that they understand nothing Their Minds are so wholly blinded by the god of this World that the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ though it shine round about them cannot find so much as a cranie into their hearts but being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them they give up themselves to lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness walking in the lusts of their hearts after the course of this World in riot luxury excess of wine revellings banquettings covetousness lying blasphemies and abominable adulteries and Idoâ—atries and yet remain without any conscience of sin or fear of their danger being as natural bâ—uit Beasts as if they were made for slaughter and destruction Are there none such in this place Doth not the Earth every where groan our Land mourn our Congregations travail in pain Is not this Congregation black'd and burthen'd with such miserable creatures who after all the instructions counsells wooings warnings threatnings and Judgments of God which have been in their ears and before their eyes remain to this day a stupid blockish brutish generation without the least sense of their sin or wish to be delivered from it Oh you blind and dark Souls consider and understand if it be possible these two Scripâ—ures 2 Cor. 4. 3 4. If our Gospel be hid it is hid to those that are lost In whom the god of this World hath blinded the minds of those that believe not lest the light of the glorious Gospel should shine unto them This darkness is
from Hell the Prince of darkness hath held you under your blindness and this darkness leads to hell to the blackness of darkness for ever You are lost you are lost Souls lost for evâ—r if the Gospel leave you in this state of blindness in which you have so securely continued to this day Isa 27. 11. It is a people of no understanding therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them he that formed them will shew them no favour 2. Those upon whom the Gospel hath seemed to have done its work but it is its strange work There are two works which the Gospel doth some it enlightens others it smites with blindness some it softens others it seals up under hardness some it gains over to Christ others it gives up to the unbelief and impenitence of their hearts Isa 6. 10. Make the heart of this people fat and make their ears heavy and shut their eyes lest they see with their eyes c. Go and preach to this people but preach them into hardness and blindness because they refused to see or hear let the light put out their eyes let the joyful sound strike them deaf and stop their ears never leave hammering them till thou hast hammered them into rocks or anvills Some there are that have so trifled with Convictions baffled Conscience and suffer'd their lusts so to resist and bear down their light that have had so many heats and colds so many thawings and freezings that have taken up so many purposes and made so many promises and yet all comes to nothing that the Gospel hath received a Charge from the Lord to make an end of its work Go sayes God and make an end with these men I 'le be mocked by them no more I 'le be trifled and dallied with by them no longer wound them no more fright them no more perswade them no longer make their hearts fat their ears heavy and shut their eyes and give them up to their hearts lusts that they may walk in their own counsells and fill up the measure of their iniquities you that after all the warnings you have received from the Lord and after some workings of them sometimes upon your Consciences are yet going after your Lusts prostituting your selves to your belluine and sensual pleasures filling up daily the measure of your iniquities Oh tremble and consider sadly whether this be not likely to be your case that the Gospel hath even done with you and given you over unto an impenitent heart and reprobate mind In hope that how near soever you are to this dreadful state you may be yet one step at least short of it I shall this once more adventure a few words upon you together with them that I have already mentioned And first let me reason a little with you 1. Art thou one of them that obey the Gospel or not Art thou one of them that love God one of the called according to his purpose or not Art thou not an Alien an Adversary against God and a Rebel against his Word Let thy Conscience speak let thy ways speak let thine Oaths and thy Drunkenness and thine Adulteries thy scoffing at God and his holy ways thy hating his Instructions and kicking at his Reproofs thy hardnings against his Calls thy treacherous dealings in his Covenant and the Vows of God that are upon thee let these speak what thou art Is this that which God hath chosen and called thee to Are these the Things thou hast learned and received and heard of him Did he ever say These things do and the God of Peace shall be with you Thou needest no other Conviction than that of Israels Jer. 2. 23. How canst thou say I am not polluted See tâ—y way in the Valley and know what thou hast done How canst thou say that thou art not a Wretch With what Face canst thou deny but thou art an Enemy of God and of all Righteousness See thy way in the Valley trace the Footsteps of tby Life behold thy practices and thy course Sure thou art very blind if thou behold thy self in this Glass and doest not see thy Face as the Face of a Devil There are some whom it may be harder work to convince who have the Face of a Christian the Tongue of a Saint but within the Heart of a Beast Hypocrites are as hard to be convinced as Hypocrisie is hard to be detected But thou who carryest thy wicked Heart in thy Forehead upon thy Tongue upon the Palms of thine Hands and in the very prints of thy Feet whose Malice against God and his Holiness may be read in every look in every word in every Line of thy Life needest thou any further proof that thou art not of God Thou mayst as well put me to prove that Hell is not Heaven that the Devil is no Saint as that thou att no Christian Dost thou love God art thou under the hope of the Promise Ask thy Wayes man and let these tell thee 2. Doest thou mean to keep at this distance from God to the Death Doest thou in earnest Is there nothing in those rich Promises that have been laid before thee which thou canst wish 't were thine Is there no such word in thine heart Oh that my Lot were here Art thou content thy name should be left out for ever Is there so little in the peace of God that thou canst sell it for the pleasures of sin Art thou content that nothing should prosper with thee but that every thing should be a Gin and a Snare and a Curse to thee Art thou content that the Pit should be thy place Eternal Wrath thy portion and that every Creature every Comfort every Cross that comes should give thee a pluck down from Heaven and a kick towards Hell Canst thou think they mean thee any thing else when all does but harden thee in thy sin and make thee kick against thy God Art thou so unwilling to leave thy sins for the hope of the Promise of God that thou art content to give up thy hopes for the love of thy sins Darest thou say Let me have my part in the pleasures and contentments of this life and I am cnntent to relinquish my part in Christ Let God let me alone in my sins and let him damn my Soul Let me live at my ease and my liberty and let my name be blotted out of the Book of Life I am content to take my ylace and my lot among the damned in another World so I may have my pleasure with them in this World And doest thou say less or other than this whilest thou refusest or resolvest against following thy God He that refuses to accept of the Redemption of Christ upon the holy Terms upon which 't is offer'd says in effect I am lost I am sold for a Captive to the Devil my first Father sold me for an Apple Christ would now buy me back again to my self but for my part I am
content that the first Bargain stand As to my interest I confirm the Bargain As for my Soul being sold to the Devil to the Devil let it go This is the voice of every wilful Refuser of the Terms of the Gospel Oh Wretch does not thy heart tremble does not thy hair stand on end do not thy knees shake and are not the Joints of thy Loins losed to consider what thou hast done and art still a doing Sinners I have but little more to speak to you but shall that little be nothing Hitherto you have stood it out and will not be perswaded by ought that God hath spoken by me But oh must I leave you thus Why may not a word at parting do more than all that hath been spoken Oh that it might Shall neither my first nor last words prevail with you What if my last should be your last If the lâ—st that I must preach be the last that you must must hear There is a day set that will be your last day There is a Sabbath that will be your last Sabbath There is a Sermon that will be your last Sermon There is a Warning that will be your last warning Oh what if this should be it If the Lord should take your this days deniall for your final Answer and never ask your consent again for ever But whether it be your last or no I must be henceforth silent to you And oh will you send me away with so sad an Heart with the sorrow and shame of the disappointed Will you break my Heart by persisting to harden yours Is this all that I shall have to return to the Lord that sent me unto you I have declared thy Name unâ—o them but they did not regard it I have invited them to come to thee but they would not follow me I have warned them to return from their sins but they would not hearken Are you willing that I shall give in this Answer and bear this Witness against you at the Great Day Sinners hearken Is there not one blind person among you that is yet willing to have his Eyes open'd Is there not one Captive to Lust and Vanity that 's willing to be set free from his Bondage Is there not one more that will be perswaded to be wise and to prefer an immortal Soul God Glory Eternity before his bruitish perishing pleasures Is there not one Drunkard more that will yet be perswaded to be sober Not one vain person that will be perswaded to be serious Am I making my last Draught among you and shall I take nothing Not one Soul more If you will not yet be prevailed with then hear the Word of the Lord Ezek. 3. 19. If thou warn the Wicked and he turn not from his wickedness he shall die in his iniquity but thou hast delivered thy Soul But if there be any few relenting Hearts among you who are brought but thus far to cry out Why what must I do I would leave with such these few words of counsel and oh that my counsel might be accepted by them 1. Get a deep sense of thy dreadful state What art thou sinner What is thy state at ease in peace out of fear in pleasure What and yet a sinner in the Bond of Iniquity Captive to the Devil without Christ without the Promise under the Curse Study these Scriptures Joh. 8. 34. He that committeth sin is the servant of sinne ver 44. Ye are of your Father the Devil 2 Tim. 2. 26. Held Captive by him at his will Act. 8. 23. in the galâ— of bitterness and the bond of iniquity 1 Joh. 5. 19. The World lyeth in wickedness Psal 11. 6. Vpon the Wicked he shall rain Snares Fire and Brimstone and an horrible Tempest this shall be the portion of their Cry Psal 49. 15. Like Sheep they are laid in the Grave Death shall feed upon them Rise Sampson the Philistims are upon thee awake sleeper the Devil is upon thee Death is at thy back the Grin is at thy heel the Curse is over thy head thy very next step may be Hell Thou lyest in wickedness to day and mayst be in fire and brimstone before to morrow Sure thou art in a dead sleep that canst take thine ease in such a Lodging Is this the state thou art so loath to change Is this the state thou so boastest of and blessest thy self in When thine heart is merry with thy Wine swell'd with thy pride jolly amongst thy Companions put in such a serious Question But what am I all this while Let this Thought sawce thy sweet Morcel spice thy pleasant Cups and be the Burthen of thy merry Songs After this Hell Snares Fire and Brimstone the Vengeance of Eternal Fire Oh an Heaven a Paradice oh my dear pleasures oh my sweet Daughter oh my merry days what Mortal can part with you I but what comes after What is there at the bottom Look a little before thee and if that sight turn not thy stomach sure thou art sufficiently hardy Study thy case and tremble and when thou tremblest there 's hope thou wilt turn Think not of Repentance or escaping from thy sinful state till thou see and fear it We read Isa 42. 7. that Christ was sent to open the blind eyes and to bring out the prisoners out of Prison If the prisoners eyes be shut 't is to little purpose that the Prison doors be open Their Eyes must be first open'd not onely that they may see their way out but that they may see themselves in Prison Open thine Eyes sinner if ever thou wilt escape open thine Eyes and see where thou art Thy Fools Paradice wherein thou blessest thy self is thy Souls Prison where thou art like to be held under Eternal Bondage 2. Give a present Bill of Divorce to every sinne hug not Death one minute longer in thy Bosom If thou lovest thy Life say not of any one sinne Nothing but Death shall part thee and me No nor so much as this Yet a little while and I will let thee go To day to day if you will hear his voice hearden not your hearts 3. Dread it as Hell that thy hope in Christ should lessen thy fear of sin Let not the hope of a Saviour be thy damnation Make not Christ the Pandor of sin continue not in sin because Grace hath abounded 4. Break off from thy Companions in sin wilt thou love them to the death Christ and thy Soul can never be married till thy Soul and Sinners be parted Escape for thy life get thee up from the Tents of these men linger not Thou art held under the power of the Devil by cords and by knotts by the cords of thy sins and by the knots of thy Companions There 's no hope that the cords of sin will be broken till the knots of evil Companions be loosed Sinner these binding Cords will if thou look not to it become whip-cords to torment thee Oh take heed thou never come to be
the Creatures 9. Hath the Law of the Lord been much in my mouth 10. Have I not sent Christ away without an Alms when I had it by me 11. Have I not lost an opportunity of doing or receiving good 12. Have I not neglected nor done any thing against my duty to my Relations 13. What have I done for God or my Soul this day have I not lost one day more 14. Have I been diligent and watchful Christians here is a course prescribed which by the ordinary assistance which the Lord doth not deny you may take up if you will and which if you conscientiously observe will be without doubt through the blessing of God attended with great sucâ—ess And those that do not take up this course or some other equivalent to it let them never think to ease their hearts by idle complaints I can't attain to such a holy even fruitful heavenly life as I desire I would but I cannot God will abhorr such lazy Complaints and look upon them as they are a meer device to keep you quiet under a sloathful heart Set your whole Duty daily before your eyes charge it upon your hearts take an account of your selves how you discharge it set upon it as that which is no other than you have vowed to thâ— Lord commit your selves and your waies to him for success and if this doth not mightily conduce to advance you in point of holiness and establish you in point of peace then say that both the Precepts and Promises of the Gospel have deceived you And thus I have set before you that holy Conversation which becometh the Gospel Take up this holy Course let this be your Life you mean to lead and let it be carried on In an holy Union In an United Contention In an Holy Boldness 1. In an holy Union So the Apostle there adds Stand fast in one sâ—irit with one mind Never look to thrive in Grace if you do not live in Peace The decayes of Christianity lye much upon the score of the divisions of Christian The Devil hath also taken up that Maxim Divide et Impera Rent them and Ruine them The reason why our love is so cold is because our differences are so hot The reason of so little zeal against sin hath been the great strife among Brethren The Combinations of Sinners have not so much prejudiced the power of holiness as the Contentions of Saints There are not a few who go under the name of Saints that have maintained disputes about Religion so long till they have disputed themselves out of all Religion their searching for Truth hath been the loss of both love and life Christians if ever you would be any thing be one be of one heart of one mind holding the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace It were greatly to be desired that the people of God were both of one heart and of one way But if this may not yet be if there cannot be Vniformity yet let there be Vnity betwixt all that fear the Lord in truth A few words I shall leave with you for your direction herein 1. Divide not from the Head to unite with any pretended Members hold not with them that hold not with the Head Sell not Truth clear fundamental Truth to buy Peace 2. Divide not from real Members lest you hereby prove your division from the Head Christ hath but one body if you be not in union with the body you are divided from the head 3. See the head in every member see Christ in every Saint 4. Prize Christ where ever you see him Love Christ and love his Image if you will not slight Christ slight not any Saint See'st thou an humble meek patient broken-hearted self-denying mortified Christian in whatsoever unpleasing form as to matters circumstantiall he appears despise him noâ— reject him not 5. Prize Peace and Union as the strength and honour of the Body 6. Pursue Peace and Union with the utmost strength of thy Soul And that you may obtain it 1. Let all parties that are named of Christ be humbled under former Divisions What Peace so long as God is angry Oh how have we provoked the Lord by provoking one another Let him only who hath been without sin in this matter be without sorrow and shame Sure they are hard hearts who are not broken under such breaches Let us not mistake our selves nor mis-call that Zeal for God which God will call Pride and peevishness I speak not against our being offended either with errour or iniquity we may not call evil good or darkness light for peace sake but at our unreasonable passions against whom we suppose erring Brethren If the Reproach of the Gospel the hardning of the perverse the stumbling of the weak if the hindring of Ediâ—ication the promoting of Confusion and every evil work which have been the sad Effects of our Divisions if Pride and Haughtiness if Vanity and Wantonness if Envy and Uncharitableness which have been the Womb from which our Contentions have sprung be matter of Humiliation then sure we had need be brought upon our knees We must be melted e're we can be moulded up into one 2. Let all parties unite sincerely in their ends Let the honour of Christ the advancement of practical Godliness the destruction of the interest of the flesh the edification of the whole body in Faith and Holiness be look'd at with a single Eye and pursued with a plain and honest heart Let not the interest of a party the affection of Superiority and Dominion the carrying on of selfish or fleshly Designs let the God or the Christ you are driving for unbyass your Spirits take the right mark and let your motions be sincerely level'd at it If we were once set right in our endsâ— an accommodation of all our differences about the means would be more facile and feisable Prov. 11. 3 5. The integrity of the upright shall guide him the Righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way Humble single honest hearts are most like to hiâ— upon the good and honest way if we had nothing 〈◊〉 do but to please the Lord we should not have much to do to please one another 3. Let all parties unite in this Rule Do as you would be done by that is as being well informed and advised and freed from evil and discomposed Affections for so the Rule is to be understood you would that Men should do unto you Allow to others what you challenge to your selves or would if you were in their Circumstances Deny not what you would demand The same Liberty the same Charity that you would expect from other Christians allow to them 4. No longer tie up Christ to a party Say not Loe here is Christ and not there Say of all Believers though of different Forms As we are Christs so they are Christs Of all the Subdivisions of Protestants that are considerable amongst us there 's no party the union with which makes us
both keep you faultless and save you harmless and thereby secure you from sinking and fainting in your minds If this be not enough let me add That Faith will yet farther scatter all your fears by this double Act 1. It will put your reward into your hâ—nds 2. It will put all your troubles to a present end 1. It will put your reward into your hand it will set the Crown on your head even whil'st the Cross is on your back Faith makes things to come present Heb. 11. 1. It is the subsistence or being of things hoped for it gives being to the good things promised before they are Hope carries the eye to the object looks on things to come as to come Faith brings the object to the eye looks on things to come as come it looks on distance of time as God looks on it on a thousand years but as one day It looks on God's saying and doing on God's promising and performing as all one It aâ—â—â—dates Glory and gives a kind of present possession of it in hand Rom. 8. In all these things we are more than Conquerours In Tribulation in Persecution in Famine in Nakedness In all these things we are more than Conquerours Not onely afterwards we shall be but in all these things even whil'st we are under them we are more than Conquerours The Conquest is obtained in the very entrance of the Combat This is the Victory that over cometh the World even our Faith Believe Christian and thy Faith will be thy Victory thy Shield will be thy Palm 2. It will put all our Troubles to a present end Faith looks on things to come as present and thereby on things present as past It looks on all things according as they will be in their issue and end It looks on things to come according to what they will be when they are come It looks on things present according to what they will be when they are past It sees all passing and considers it as past already It sees all passing the World upon its Wing the Fashion of it passeth away It sees the Riches of the World upon their Wings the Pride and the Pomp and the Gallantry and the Glory of the World upon their Wings And it sees the Poverty of the World the Troubles of the World all upon the Wing It look on the blackest Clouds as flying Clouds and it considers all as gone already It looks on the clear that is beyond the Clouds it says as God says Babylon is fallen is fallen Not onely it shall fall but it is fallen and shall not be able to rise And what place can there then be left for fear or fainting Was the Red Sea a Terrour to Israel when they saw themselves gotten to the other side Did Sampson's dead Lion fright him Will the Remembrance of what you have suffer'd be a Terrour to you when you have gotten through and are come out of Tribulation Why open the Eye of your Faith and see the Coast already clear You will see the Red Sea behind you the Wilderness behind you Jordan behind you and your selves gotten safe on the Banks of Canaan Come on Soul what should hinder thee May be thou supposest thou hast a great Fight of Affliction to indure grant thou hast yet fear none of those things thou shalt suffer till thou canst fear those things thou hast suffer'd Though thou be now putting on thy Armour believe and thou may'st boast as if thou hadst put it off Death where is thy sting Grave where is thy victory Where is the Fury of the Oppressour Thine Enemies are already under thy feet man Death it self is swallow'd up in Victory Christians Cherish improve increase your Faith and this will clear your way of all your fears Wherfore didst thou doubt oh thou of little Faith Oh 't is a sign our Faith is but low when our fears are so high The day the Lord hears you in this Prayer Lord increase our Faith He delivers you from your fears Wax stâ—ong in Faith and you will wax bold in your God 3. Be humble 't will be your advantage that you stand on the lower Ground He whose Heart hath already laid him in the Dust will not fear how low his Enemies can lay him 4. Be peaceable your Preces lachrymae will be your best Weapons The guilt of your unquiet and unwarrantable Resistance will weaken your hearts more than all your partakers will strengthen your hands Prov. 20. 22. Say not I will recompence evil wait on the Lord and he will save thee Patient and peaceable suffering will be the best way to abash your Persecutors and embolden your Souls Now gather up all these Particulars and you have the Conversation that becometh the Gospel wherein that I may perswade as well as direct you consider these following Arguments 1. This is to them to your Adversaries an evident token of Perdition This united humble peaceable unanimous boldness in your holy course whereby you walk in the Spirit and power of the Gospel and are â—ot frighted or terrified out of it this is and will be to your Persecutors an evident token of Perdition The falls and slaws in the Lives of Saints and their Quarrellings and Divisions amongst themselvs do strengthen the hands and the confidence of sinners against â—hem The Fears and Faintings of Saints are the flushings of sinners when Saints hang the Wing sinners lift up the Head The Majesty and Beauty of an Holy Life joyned with an humble and patient Magnanimity and undantedness will be a Dart in the Liver of the Enemies of it It is an evident tokâ—n to them of Perdition It is not onely a Death-Token upon them Persecution is a black Mark of a Son of Perdition but it is an evident Token unto them It will read them their Doom it will make their own hearts to fall upon themselves and their own Consciences to give them their Sentence 2. This is to you an evident Token of Salvation but to you of Salvation The Word is sure To him that ordereth his Conversation aright will I shew the Salvation of God If we be dead with Christ we shall also live with him if we suffer with him we shall also be glorified together with him To him that overcometh will I give to sit with me on my Throne even as I have overcome and am set down with my Father on his Throne Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer Be thou faithful unto the Death and I will give thee a Crown of Life Salvation and that of God There 's much in that Addition and that of God it notes that the Salvation of the suffering Saints shall be Sure Great 1. It notes That their Salvation shall be sure You shall certainly be saved for God hath undertaken for it that 's the import of the Expression If it be God that justifies who shall condemn If it be God that will save who shall destroy The matter is sure