best spent time When once you come to know the terrors of the Lord you will not think any labour too great to get news of a crucified Christ Galeacius nor all the wealth in the world to be compared to one Minutes Society with Jesus Christ O my mouth is opened my heart is enlarged O what would a damned Soul in Hell give to come out of his condition I am the more earnest upon mine indignation at the abominable boldness of earthly-minded People T is well t was Christ himself spake and that it was to Martha If we should say but half so much to Christs pretended Disciples now we should hear of it again hot and wholy as our country folks phrase it and they would tell us that if all should be of our minde we should all quickly go a begging and our hair would grow through our hood We should have as good as we bring Such is the boldness of covetous persons Such is the conceit that People have of the harmlesness yea or rather of the commendableness of worldliness whereas indeed it is a vice full of deadly poyson full of ignorance of God of Atheisme of Idolatry Injustjce Oppression and indeed of all iniquity as will be more at large shewed in the uses of the Point which now I come unto Vse 1 And first It serveth for information that there is great danger in affecting worldly things It is saith the Doctine a great occasion to make People set light by the means of Grace holy religious employments and therefore it must needs be a very dangerous thing for a man or woman to let his or her affections to run out after the world 1 Tim. 6.9.10 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtfull lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition For the love of money is the root of all evil which while some coveted after they have erred from the faith and peirced themselves thorrow with many sorows It is the ready way to restrain and keep back our affections from God and good excercises and a sign that men do not savor of religion to let them runn out after the things of the World Now the things of the World are as John saith 1 John 2.16 the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life that is Voluptuousness Covetousness Ambition Let me single out this Goliah to encounter it and draw out the sword of the spirit out of that sheath Prov. 11.4 Riches profit not in the day of wrath And Ezekiel 7.19 They shall cast their silver in the streets and their gold shall be removed their Silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the Lords wrath they shall not satisfie their Souls neither fill their bowels because it is the stumbling block of their iniquity And so we might say of all the pomp of this World Psal 49 6.17 When men die they shall carry nothing away their glory shall not descend after them And the forenamed Ezekiel 7. ver 10.11 Behold the day behold it is come the morning is gone forth the rod hath blossomed Pride hath budded Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness none of them shall remain nor of their multitude nor of any of theirs neither shall there be wailing for them You have seen the danger both of Soul and body too Vse 2 Come we to a second information of the sinfullness of their sin the greatness of their abomination that let their spirits run out after the world They go quite contrary to God that neglect his Sabbaths and Sanctuary Exod. 31 15. Six dayes may work be done but in the seventh is the Sabbath of rest holy to the Lord whosoever doth any work in the Sabbath day he shall surely be put to death And so Jer. 17.27 But God threatens to kindle a fire not to be quenched to devour the places of such as will not hearken to hallow the Sabbath day If men will not hallow Gods Sabbaths nor reverence his Sanctuaries but will be cross to God God will be cross to them They that cannot allow him his own day because they are so drownd in the world that they cannot remember it before it comes much less observ it when it is come God will lay great sin to their charge because it proceeds from undervaluing of him through ignorance this hath much sinfullness in it Therefore Mat. 6.33 Christ wils to seek first the kingdom of God because it is a very sinfull thing to prefer the world before God the things of his Kingdom God and the very quintessence of the world stand in opposition ex diametro The very wisdom of the flesh is enmity to God Rom. 8.7 And thence is it that there is so much sinfulness in the love of the World because the spirit and the soul do runn out excessively after the World and do take great delight in these carnal things And when the Soul and affection runs out to take pleasure and delight in any thing more then in God there is there much sinfullness There is in sin three thing considerable The baseness of it the viciousness of it and the sinfullness of it Now t is true there is not so much baseness in this sin as there is in some others As to instance in Adultery it is a sin that hath much baseness in it it carrieth with it a stain and a blot that shal never be blotted out Yet this sin of worldliness is a far greater sin though it be not majoris infamiae of greater infamie yet it is Majoris culpae of greater fault there is far more irregularity in it Quest Why then is it not so esteemed among men Answ I answer Men do not use to judge of sin according to the rules of the Word but according to the customes of men And among men it is meet that sometimes sins though of lesser fault in themselves yet of more mischievous consequence and more destructive to the peace and comfort of humane society should be more severely punished and so consequently the committers of it more hooted at and had in dishonour And this is the cause that Covetousness passeth so orderly and quietly through the judgements of men untill it come to break out into Robberies and violencies which are prejudicial to the peace of men living together in humane Society Secondly There is in some sins more vitiousness then in othersome Sins that are against Moral Vertues and Natural Conscience do stare more Gastly someties then greater sins against God do Because a man that hath no Grace hath yet a Conscience which is a true rule according to its proportion but is too short to measure sins by that are more immediately committed against God So Paul when he was Saul lived in all good Conscience Acts 23.1 He saw not the greatness of the sin of persecuting the Saints He thought
And I saw the dead small and great stand before God and the books were opened and another book was opened which is the book of life and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works Here are two Books Gods Book of Science or Prescience he knoweth all things long before The other is the book of conscience this is our own book this will stop every mans mouth that is out of Christ He was speechless saith the Text. The Commission or warrant for his execution which also includes the sentence of condemnation follows in the next verses in which we have the sentence ver 13. The ground or reason ver 14. In the Sentence we have Circumstances and the Substance The Circumstances are three 1. The party commissionating the King 2. The party commissionated the servants 3. The time Then For the better handling of these particulars I crave your prayers And so much for this time The end of the 12. verse The ninth Sermon Matth. 22. ver 13.14 Then the King said to the Servants Bind him hand and foot and take him away and cast him into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth for many are called but few are chosen I Have finished as you may remember the examination and conviction of this unworthy Guest and false-hearted Professour out of the foregoing verses I ended my last Sermon with the division of these two verses now again read unto you I will not repeat what hath been delivered but proceed to that which remains to be spoken out of these verses The party that gives the Commission for the execution of this faulty person is said to be the King that is Almighty God who had vouchsafed the means of Grace to the Gentiles But this poor wretch among others abusing it he gives a Commission of another nature There was a time when this King was all white but now he is all red I have shewed you out of the foregoing verses that God woes the world in the preaching of the Gospel Go tell them that were bidden I have prepared my dinner c. You have heard of Tamberlains colours he was wont to display and his behaviour and dealing with places upon refusall of his offer of mercy Friends the Lord holds out to you the white flag of mercy he hath bid me tell you that his Justice is satisfied his vvrath is appeased in Christ if you will not come in if you will not submit he hath you see in this Text other colours to display Xerxes wept over his Army in consideration of their Mortality O that I could compassionate these hundreds that sit here this day Sirs a thousand to one but some of you will be damned or else you will escape better then ever so many people met together did in this World consider seriously what I say But I come to observe some poins of Doctrine The first is Doct. As God hath power and will to bestow and afford the means of Grace so also to punish the abuse thereof any way Any way I say My meaning is whither by a Swinelike carelesness or which is worse by a doglike barking at the Gospel and biting the Messengers or an Hypocritical closing with the Church God will punish the abuse of the offers of Grace I say any way with severity Gen. 6.7 And the Lord said I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the Earth c. God did strive with the old World 120. years it will not be ruled the People were diobedient When the long suffering of God waited in the dayes of Noah 1 Pet. 3.20 Ye know they were drowned and are now Spirits in prison As the Lord had a time to offer Grace and Mercy by Noah so he had a time to plague the refusers of it The Lord suffered Lot to live a while among the Sodomites and surely he was not idle he was a righteous man they vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawfull deeds Then saith the Lord because the cry of Sodom and Gomorra is great 2 Pet. 2.8 Gen. 18.20.21 and because their sin is very grievous I will go down now and see whither they have done altogether according to the cry of it which is come unto me and if not I will know What 's the conclusion the Lord did destroy them He caused fire and brimstone to come down from Heaven and he overthrew those four Cities of the plain Gen. 19.24.25 Sodom Gomorra Admah and Zeboim So for Jerusalem you may read Luke 13. ver 34.35 Prophets were sent to them and Apostles and Christ himself was among them he would have gathered her children together as a Hen doth gather her brood under her wings they would not They killed the prophets and stoned them that were sent among them What followeth Behold your house is left unto you desolate c. And so cap. 19.43.44 Thine Enemies shall cast a trench about thee and compass thee round and keep thee in on every side and shall lay thee even with the ground and thy children within thee and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another because thou knowest not the time of thy visitation He that may and will not when he will he shall not O that you would read sometime even this very day Prov. 1. from the 20. verse unto the 32. I am loth to spend so much time now in reading those verses The summ is Wisdom crieth woeth useth many arguments but cannot be heard is disregarded You shall find there what followeth O sad expression I will saith God laugh at your calamitie and mock when your fear cometh God is just as well as mercifull Vse 1 Is it so that God which said erewhile Go ye out and fetch in all go tell them my son is dead and risen again tell them that if they will come away while my white flag is abroad they shall have mercy is now become so severe upon the abuse of his mercy then foolish if not mad are they that do not consider this that do not believe it that do so set and settle themselves daily to abuse the means of Grace Some by taking no notice at all thereof Others by making profession a cloak for their knavery Others by undervaluing it Others by having the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ in respect of persons Others by biting at and devouring what in them lies the honourable Professors of Religion and Ministers of the Gospel O where shall I begin and when shall I make an end I have much to say it may be you will be angry t is no matter hear me howsoever Let me speak though ye strike me afterward I will labour to pluck you out by the ears from your miserable condition though ye be angry with me for it It is better fear and so also anger a knave then kill him You think God will go in
We have spoken already of his charge and that both of the matter of it that he came into the marriage without a wedding garment and also of the manner of the Lords dealing with him calling him friend by an Irony As iâ— the King should say Friend what make you here I see you pretend to be one of mine but how is it that you come in hither not having a wedding garment We have also spoken Secondly of his Conviction and he was speechless Thirdly We have begun to speak of his execution out of these verses now again read unto you In which we have noted First The Commission it self in the 13. verse Secondly The ground or reason of it ver 14. Again in the Commission we have observed and fully handled the circumstantial part of it And are now the Lord assisting to proceed and to speak of the substance of the Commission out of these words Bind him hand and foot c. Wherein two things are set forth First The manner of his punishment bind him hand and foot and take him away and cast him into outer darkness Secondly The condition of this poor wretch under his punishment sad enough wofull enough in these words There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth We will begin with the manner of his punishment laid forth under a continued Metaphor taken from the manner of dealing used among men with gross and heynous offenders who being found guilty are manacled fettered and separated from the society of men and cast into some dark dungeon there to lie and dye and never to come out thence again Under which words Christ sets forth the future condition of all wicked men and women to wit that they shall be cast into Hell where they shall lie weeping and wayling and gnashing of teeth not only as long as the Sun and the Moon endureth but as long as God shall be God 〈◊〉 three degrees of misery is this punishment of ungodly men here described unto us First Bind him hand and foot that is Tye hiâ— fast chain him up let him not escape by 〈◊〉 means Secondly Take him away that is carry him hence from my gracious presence Let him never see my face more nor come among my servants Let him never sit with my pretious Saints more Separate him from the communion and society of my faithfull ones Depart thou cursed cateiffe saith God thou caredst not for my people or mine Ordinances on Earth and therefore now thou shalt not be troubled with them Take him away and cast him into outer darkness Here is a third degree of misery Let him go like a Castaway as he is as one good for nothing cast him away For men do not use to cast that away which is good for any thing But here is an aggravation of this third degree of misery cast him into outer darkness that is into Hell Into outer darkness that is out from God and out from his Church For with God is light and in his Church is light But out of Gods presence and out of the Church is darkness Note Therefore note by the way That To be cast out of the Church here is a degree of that outer darkness that ungodly men shall be cast into hereafter So some understand 〈◊〉 8.12 Many shall come from the East â—nd from the West Calvin c. But the children oâ— the Kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness that is Gentiles shall become Members of the Church and the Jews called the children of the Kingdom because they were so then shall be exiled and cast into a dark and dead frame of Spirit as usually such are as are justly excommunicated if Gods physick work not with them to their humiliation and repentance Now We will gather some short lessons from these particulars thus opened And the first shall be Doct. That ungodly men shall not escape punishment The Reason is because they are bound as it were hand and foot God hath ordained Bands and Chains to bind wicked men withall They are bound with a threefold Cord which is not quickly broken Besides the Chains and cords which God binds wicked men withal to Hell torments there is a threefold Cord to bind them with in this life First The Cord of Gods Decree Jude's Epistle ver 4. Who were before of old ordained to this condemnation All the men on Earth or Angels in Heaven are not able to break this Cord. There is also a blessed Cord which the Saints are bound with Rom. 8.30 Moreover whom he did predestinate them also he called and whom he called them also he justified and whom he justified them also he glorified The use that we may make of it is to bless God if we sind we are not bound with that chain that the wicked are bound with but with that fore-appointed for the Saints The second Cord to bind men is that Mat. 18.18 Whatsoever ye shall bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven This Church binding is the second with which men are bound And for my part I would not lie under the just censure of a well-ordered Church for the whole World The reason is because the Scriptures being true whom the Church binds on Earth God binds in Heaven There are three acts in this binding God acts first and last and the Church in the middle God acts first in giving rules to his Church to walk by The Church acts by those rules which God hath given and are like Levi which knew not father nor mother And this acting of a Church carrieth more in it then the reproof of one Godly man though a publick Preacher because of the Authority which the Lord hath given to his Church And then thirdly God acts in confirming in Heaven what the Church regularly doth on Earth There is in the Church use of ordinary and common brotherly admonitions and exhortations with this Cord the People of God bind one another to the Lord. So Heb. 3.12 Take heed brethren lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God But exhort one another daily while it called to day lest any of you be hardned through the deceitfullness of sin And therefore all the People of the Lord should look upon this work as a duty and when it is performed it should be looked upon as a mercy from the Lord to tie us closer to him Besides this sometimes the unruly are to be warned and desired to forbear from communicating with the People of God This is as it were the trial of Leprosie We usually call it suspension from the Lords Supper and it hath its use as a cord to bind men to the good behaviour or to discover their Spirits But in the last place Fulk on 1 Cor. 5. Sect. 3. Rhem. Test there is excommunication which is to be done by the officers of thâ— Church as in the name of Christ so in the name of the Church and People to avoid
be damned though he were a man of wax in the eyes of the World Thirdly Methinks we might say something of the blessed and Gracious opportunities God hath given unto you to move you to ply God day and night and to cry Christ Christ Bread bread for the Lords sake bread Object But I said but now Prayers must proceed from the spirit and that is that I need make it plain will some say Sol. Brethren our work is to bid you ask Gods work is to enable you to ask The work of Christs mouth to Lazarus was to bid him to come forth of the Grave It was the secret work of his Allmighty Power to make him alive that he might hear and obey that command Quest How should a man seek Grace at Gods hands aright Answ I answer He must be willing to take all that God hath promised to give to them that ask upon Gods own terms and conditions and limitations too in regard of desired temporal blessings Ye that say ye believe ye must repent c. Acts 2 38. Nay ye shall Rom. 6.1 2 3. What shall we say then shall we continue in sin that Grace may abound God forbid how shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death And so for outward things we are taught by Christs example in his Agony to say not my will but thy will be done In a word to take pleasure in the lovely wayes of holiness and to referr our selves to Gods Love Care Wisdom Power Truth and Faithfulness for outward things But the main thing in hand is to stir you up to keep begging of this Grace that is of the discovery of Gods love to thy poor Soul and that God would lift up upon thee the light of his Countenance So much of the first particular We come to the second to wit to shew you what is meant by the Marriage of the Kings Son Even no other thing no less priviledge then a most neer Union between Christ and the Elect. For even as a man and a woman by the bond of Marriage become one Gen. 2.24 Therefore shall a man leave his Father and his Mother and shall cleave unto his Wife and they twain shall be one flesh and so Mat. 19.4 5 6. it is confirmed by Christ and said to be a Union and a joyning together by God So is it between Christ and his Church Ephes 5. ver 23. and 31. And therefore it is said in my text The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a man that was a King that made a Marriage for his Son Where first God is signified with his free Grace as before And secondly This thing that I have now in hand viz. That it was his pleasure that his Son so fitted to be a husband to lost mankind by his incarnation as it is said A body hast thou given me and by his Death and Passion and glorious Resurrection and Ascension should be offered to all the world of the Jews and Gentiles and that there should be a General invitation to the end that as many as come should be not only Guests but the very Spouse and be married to Christ and assured thereof by the spirit of faith and sanctification So That the Doctrine shall be Doct. That there is a Marriage made and agreed upon for the Son of God by God the King of Kings with every gracious Soul T is ended as we use to say between them This is that which is here called the Kingdom of Heaven the work of Grace and it is therefore compared to a Marriage because there is such a neer union between all the Children of the Kingdom and Christ as there is between the Husband and the Wife I will for your better profiting by this so admirable point go upon some Particulars some Analogies and Resemblances between Marriages among men and this work of Union and Conjunction with Christ And first you know men use to go a woing as we call it they do either by themselves or their spokesmen make motions of Marriage and declare their love to the yong women they are willing to make their wives And this you know is first before there is an actual possessing and uniting Even so we read 2 Cor. 5.20 Now then we are Ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs steed that ye be reconciled to God Now when Christ was in the flesh he went a woing himself in his own person John 3.19 Light is come into the world end men love darkness c. But ver 29. of that chap. he hath a spokesman he goes a woing by his friend He that hath the Bride is the Bridegroom as you shall find there but the friend of the Bridegroom which standeth and heareth him rejoyceth greatly because of the Bridegrooms voice That spokesman there meant was John Baptist And the Bridegroom there meant is Christ now incarnate though the son of God from everlasting He was afterward crucified dead and buried and rose again the third day this is the Husband of the Church this is the yong man that is to be married as we use to say Cursed be they that destroy the History under a pretence of embracing the Mystery as some absurd men have in my hearing whom I therefore questioned but it was not in a time succesfull But I say this Christ went a woing himself but now by his messengers he doth it in Gospel-Preaching Secondly There is a mutual consent after the time of woing This is called a receiving 1 John 12. Vnio animarum est essentia matrimonii But as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name And indeed this is the very union and essence of the Marriage For such are regenerated as it followeth ver 13. Which are born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God T is a match My beloved is mine and I am his saith the Spouse Canticles 2.16 Thirdly There is an enjoying each other in the Married condition Can. 1. ver 2.3.4 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth for thy love is better then Wine Because of the savour of thy good Ointment thy name is as Ointment poured forth therefore the Virgines love thee Draw me we will run after thee the King hath brought me into his chambers We will be glad and rejoyce in thee we will remember thy love more then Wine the upright love thee O who can imagine what this secret enjoying of Christ is that hath not felt it There is a kind of spiritual copulation between Christ and every true believer Yea also between Christ and Congregations which are so many Mothers to bring forth And this puts me upon a fourth likeness Wives blessed of God are like
glory in your remarkable destruction But rather come bow come repent give over There is forgiveness with God He will forgive all that is past he can forgive any sin that is repented of and will I know it is harder to raise up a soul loaden with sin then to load it therefore I am earnest to perswade you not to be discouraged or troubled that you have been so wicked as Joseph comforted his brethren Gen. 45.5 cap. 50.19 20 21. So would I willingly encourage you to come and kiss the Son who is willing to fall on your neck and kiss you As the Jaylor Acts 16.33 washed those stripes which he had made and was a Disciple So come and rejoyce in those ways ye have evil spoken of love those Preachers ye have so basely used and so despightfully handled What shall I say Mot. 1 First God takes notice of this sin Secondly he will be greatly offended for it Thirdly he will severely punish it All which particulars are contained in the verse immediatly following this and shall be spoken of God willing some other time The Sixth Sermon Matth. 22. ver 7. But when the King heard thereof he was wroth and he sent forth his Armies and destroyed those Murtherers and burnt up their City YOu remember I hope how far we have gone in this parable for my purpose is not to repeat but to go on with this 7. ver which contains in it summarily the issue consequent of their cruel dealing towards the Kings Servants of which ye heard out of the foregoing vers Wherein for our more methodical proceeding I will consider First Gods taking notice of this their sin in these words But when the King heard thereof Secondly His displeasure against it in the next words he was wroth Thirdly The effect of his displeasure in their severe punishment in all the other words And he sent forth his Armies and destroyed those Murtherers and burnt up their City In which last particular there are three things contained all worthy observation First The Instrument or means whereby they are punished viz. Armies Secondly the nature or quality of the Offence Murtherers they are arraigned for Murther Thirdly The severity of the punishment they are destroyed and their City is burnt up For the first when the King hearâ—…â—â—ereâ—â— that is when Allmighty God declaâ—â—… himself to take notice of this their wickedness for it is spoken to our capacity by a Metaphor taken from a King that hath sent Messengers in love and hears news that they have been abused We have a notable History in the second book of Samuel chap. 10. David was willing to shew kindness unto Hanun the Son of Nahash and sent his servants to comfort him concerning the death of his Father Which as you shall find in that place were vilainously dealt withall and then ver 5. we have these words when they told it unto David Thus the Lord is made out under these words and when the King heard thereof as taking notice of the cruel usage of his Servants in the World And such expressions we have many in Scripture As for instance Gen. 18. ver 20.21 And the Lord said Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and because their sin is very grievous I will go down now and see whither they have doâ—â— altogether according to the cry of it which is 〈◊〉 unto me and if not I will know I observe this Doctrine Doct. That cruel or unworthy dealing against the Minisâ—â—â—â— of the Gospel is a sin that God takes speciaâ—â—â—…ice of And the reason is because it is a capital sin it is an abuse of Gods Grace in a high degree It is as we may call it God-Murther and Christ-Murther as well as soul-Murther c. of which more shall be said when we come to it But in the mean time consider Wherein can Mortal man do greater despight to the Majesty of God then to oppose his Grace and favour offered in the means of Salvation And therefore we have a remarkable expression Luk. 3.19.20 But Herod the Tetrach being reproved by John for Herodias his brother Philips wife and for all the evils that Herod had done added this above all that he shut up John in Prison Mark I pray many evils are laid to his charge but this is added above all the rest as a more crying sin then all his other sins That he shut up John in Prison It is a sin that cannot be hid a sin that God takes special notice of Learn therefore for the first use that â—…ens wickedness in this kind though 〈◊〉 looked upon as a sin is yet a very great one Vse 1 As first for the sin of depriving them of their livelihood 1 Cor. 9.9.10 To muzzle the mouth of the Oxe that treadeth out the corn This is a crying sin For if the cry of the labourers hire that reapeth down your corn crieth so loud as to enter into the ears of the Lord of Sabboths how much more will this Preacher-starving sin And by the way I must tell you this is shamelesly practised in this very place There is not a penny that comes out of your purses ye are even almesmen in this kind other places must maintain you a Preacher and you intrusted only to gather it up and yet that wickedly blush O Heavens is detained for no other cause but because ye are plainly for your good dealt withall Because you and your Pride Knavery Folly Covetousness are found fault withall which all the Country stinks of therefore you will add this to all your other wickednesses to detain that which ye are only entrusted to receive and pay Is it not enough that ye have embezled the stock of the poor artificers which was given in by your charitable Ancestors and carelesly like fools set out the yeerly revenews of the town to such as either cannot or will not pay the rent wherewith the Schoolmaster should be paid but that ye suffer men very well able to pay rent for houses to dwell in houses of Charity and to suffer some of them to run to ruine that now in your last enfeoffing the town-Land ye have conspired against the Church and all the Members of it that not one of them should be made privy to your proceedings nor the father of any one that Communicates with the Church though every way more sufficient in estate and far greater payers to all paiments then ye your selves That ye nick-name the People of God a rigid faction the like unheard of abominations which a modest man may blush to speak of though you do not to practice them I say is not all this enough but ye must detain that which others have cared for the procuring of and which neither is nor never was yours O consider this ye Monsters lest some monstrous judgement befall you And as this is a sin that God â—ears that is takes notice of So also all your affronts and scoffs and provocations especially
your fitting your tickets and libells of contentioâ—… and strife to be read on Lords days and usually on such of them as the Church use to receive the Lords supper upon that you may fill up the measure of your sin and God pour on you and yours the Vials of his wrath which most certainly he will do if repentance prevent not Vse 2 Here is in the next place a comfort to Gospel-Preachers God who is able to right them takes notice of their wrongs And this should keep up their Spirits in the middest of all their barbarous usages Vse 3 O take heed all of you that hear me this day and this shall be my last use of this point take heed I say of this sin be not injurious to the Ministers of the Gospel God takes notice of it and will severely punish it which is the second thing in the vers and comes next to be handled The 2. particular He was wroth And without any more ado it affords us this Doctrine Doct. That base usage of the Messengers of God c. is a sin that greatly provokes Gods wrath Read the chap. before this the one and twentieth ver 35. to the 42. You have their sin in all the verses except the last which is the one and fortieth and in that the miserable effects of Gods wrath are foretold He will miserably destroy those wicked men Which came to pass sure enough not long after Reason Now the Reason hereof is because God favours no sin All sin is contrary to his holy nature and righteous Laws and tends to the destruction of his creature but this above any other sin whatsoever is displeasing to God for First It is a crushing of Gods grace so far as a man can It is a God-killing sin And if it be a sin to kill a man what is it to go about to kill God The grace of God is the most glorious thing in the world Was there ever such love heard of That God should not spare his own son but give him to death for us admirable love And here is unparalleld justice too the Son though the Son must die that justice may be satisfied And wisdom able to make all the wise men of the World quite mad so much as once to look upon it And much might be said of the glory of the Gospel the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ And therefore to go about to hinder this design of God for his glory is a provoking sin and brings down great wrath And then Secondly Opposing Gospel-Preachers tends to the destruction of thousands eternally If we call them bloody men which spoyl and kill and have no mercy which cast into Prison as many of our poor neighbours were by cursed Cavaliers into Lidford Castle and the Town hall here where they starved divers of them I say how much more are they bloody butchers among you that go about to hinder your Salvation and to keep you in such a condition as will be for the everlasting destruction both of body and soul Friends I fear the blood of those that starv'd in this Town in the late troubles will be laid to the charge of some of you that did not pitty them nor relieve them but rather rejoyced in their misery as many of you did and helped to make it greater O do not add to body-killing soul-killing do not add to man-killing God-killing Christ-killing Vse 1 But be informed that though a few vain men among you are such Grace-enemies and are countenanced by such of you as should have more wit and should improve your eminencies to better purpose and will when ye have tasted the Lord is gracious yet the righteous God likes it not Vse 2 And secondly wo to the guilty It were better to provoke all the men in the World then God to wrath as all abusers of Ministers do Vse 3 And that I may end this point also let me perswade you do so no more good people you provoke the heavenly King to wrath and this will turn to the shame and confusion of your own faces yea to your utter destruction if you go on O if God should once say and swear forasmuch as I have been stifled and strangled by you so long and my rich offer so trampled on in the dirt of your pride and prophaness passion and worldliness you shall be troubled no more it would be sad news And so I come to the severe punishment of this sin and therein first of the instrument which God makes use of and the means whereby he punisheth ungodly men He sent forth his Armies The nature and quality of the offence and the severity of the punishment it self shall be spoken of God willing afterward But first I say of the Instrument or means I am almost out of doubt that thâ— holy-Ghost here hath an eye to the Roman Armies which came and besieged Jerusalem by Gods appointment and sending even to the utter destruction of that City but yet I will enlarge somewhat upon this Doctrine Doct. That God hath armies to execute vengeance upon his ungodly adversaries that set themselves against his Ordinances and the Ministers and observers of them I add that the observers of them because usually wicked men joyn them together in their opposing them as Saul made havock of the Church Acts 8.2 and haled not only Preachers but other men yea and women to Prison I confess through the mighty power of God Curst Kine have short horns among us but yet what may be done and what the times will permit to be done is extended to the very utmost even against all that are of this way both old and young Now seeing it is â—o let us muster up the Lords Forces that they may be terrible to you that by repentance the coming of them may be prevented Reason That God hath many Armies we may easily demonstrate from the variety of his creatures which are many hosts and from whence it cometh to pass that he is sometimes called the Lord of hosts as Psal 84.1 8 â—2 In all which verses he is so called The several sorts of Hosts or Armies we will shew you First Angels some whereof are good some are bad 2 Sam. 24.16 An Angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it to wit by the plague 2 Kings 19.35 An Angel of the Lord smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand These are called a heavenly host Luke 2.13 And suddenly there was with the or that Angel that brought to the shepherds the news of Christs birth a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying c. Acts 12.23 And immediatly the Angel of the Lord smote him that is King Herod because he gave not God the Glory and he was eaten of worms and gave up the Ghost 2. Sometimes the Lord makes use of the Sun Moon and Stars and this is another sort of Army the Lord makes use
of these are called the hoast of heaven Deut. 17.3 Now Hoast is the same with Army We finde the Lord making use of this hoast Joshuah 10.12 13. And he to wit Joshuah said in the sight of Israel Sun stand thou still upon Gibeon and thou Moon in the valley of Ajalon And the Sun stood still and the Moon staid c. Thirdly he hath his Armies of men Exod. 12.51 The Lord did bring the children of Israel out of Egypt by their Armies Yea even evil men wicked men are Armies that God sometimes makes use of Isaiah 10.5.6 7. O Assyrian the rod of mine anger and the staff in their hand is mine indignation I will send him against an hypocritical Nation and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge to take the spoil and to take the prey and to tread them down like the mire of the streets How be it he meaneth not so c. And so Jer. 25.9 Behold I will send and take all the families of the North saith the Lord and Nebuchadnezzar my servant c. Thus ye see the Armies of men good and bad are all the Lords Fourthly The Lord hath his Armies of water Gen. 6.17 The Lord prepares waters to drown the whole World for the wickedness of it And Exod. 14.27 28. The Lordoverthrew the Egyptians in the middst of the Sea And the Waters returned and covered the Charets and horsemen and all the host of Pharaoh c. So Judges 5.21 sings Deborah and Barak The river Kishon swept them away that Ancient River the River Kishon Fifthly The Lord hath an Army of fire Gen. 19.24 Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorra brimstone and fire from the Lord out of Heaven So 2 Kings 1.10 Eliah is sent for but fire comes down from Heaven and consumes that Captaine and his fifty men that were sent to take him and another in like manner and his fifty ver 11. Sometimes the ayr is imployed as Gods Army to let flie its arrows of the pestilence Numb 16.46 Or of hailstones as Joshua 10. ver 11. Seventhly the Lord hath the Farth also to make use of for the destruction of his Enemies Numb 16 3â— The earth opens her mouth to swallow up Korah Dathan and Abiram Yea even the meanest creatures Lice Frogs Worms the Lord hath to fight against Pharaoh and Herod Exod. 8.6.8.16.17 and Acts 12.23 Lastly the Lord doth sometimes make a mans own Conscience a terrible Army against himself O when God shall fight against a man with terrors of Conscience he will be weary of his life as Judas was Mat. 27.3.4.5 These Armies are all at a minutes Call when God doth but say the word they go Vse 1 Now for the first use learn we hence that God wants not power to punish his adversaries Did folk consider Gods Armies they would not dare to go on in sin Men foolishly think earthly powers are above the powers of the Allmighty This is a great sin against the first Commandment Yet is it common that men fear earthly powers and fear not God who is the Lord of Hoasts and in comparison of whom all the Nations are as the drop of a bucket Vse 2 I will declare in the next place in the name of the Lord of Hoasts a woe to all those that are adversaries to this heavenly King God Allmighty He hath Armies to execute vengeance upon his Adversaries Surely they are not like to escape his wrath There is no sleeing from Gods Armies nor from his presence who is himself a consuming fire Whither shall I go saith David from thy presence Psal 139. Vse 3 Thirdly Stand in awe of the Allmighty be carefull not to displease him he is a great General he hath many Armies as you have heard Men of power are feared how much more ought God Quest But how may a man know whither he fear God or no Answ I answer By his diligent departing from evil and constant cleaving to that which is good Psal 34.11.12.13.14 Come ye children hearken unto me I will teach you the fear of the Lord. What man is he that desireth life and loveth many dayes that he may see good Keep thy tongue from evil and thy lips from speaking guile depart from evil and do good seek peace pursue it Pro. 8.13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil pride and arrogancy the evil way the froward mouth do I hate And so I come to shew you the nature of the sin that is here laid to the charge of Gospel opposers and neglectors that you may see the greatness of it and the more abhor it Murder is laid to the charge of the Jews They were guilty of murder many ways First Minister Murther In that they murdered Gods Messengers Now this again is done First By taking away their lives So Stephen was murdered Acts. 7.58.59 So in Queen Maries dayes Cranmer Ridley Latimer Philpot Bradford Saunders Rogers Julius Palmer were cruelly burned because they wit nessed for Christ Secondly Gods Messengers are sometimes Murthered in their good name and in their reputation He that shall say to his brother Raca Mat. 5.22 is in Gods account a Murderer We know our times are in Gods hands and our reputation riseth and falleth even as the Lord will Yet those evil tongues that speak such devouring words of us are murtherous tongues before the Lord. And so also Thirdly When people are causelesly angry with any much more with Ministers and swell in their pride and passion Mat. 5.22 aforenamed the former part of the verse Lastly To detain from them that whereupon they and their families should live It is a sin to withold goods from the owners though there be power in mens hands so to do But blessed be God who hath granted us meat to eat some other way and wherewith to live Yet give me leave to tell you that sit here before me and are guilty of this crying sin that you must answer for it before that God whom we serve The second sort of Murder is Soul-murther Soul murther I mean of their neighbours All that oppose the wayes of God do by consequence make themselves guilty of their blood that perish in their sins They shall perish but their blood shall be required as at the hands of careless Ministers so at your hands that either neglect to do your best to procure Preachers or which is far worse oppose them that God hath sent among you Thirdly Ye are guilty of self-murther Self-murther in regard of your poor souls And for a man to be found in this sence felo de se will procure a sentence not only to be cast out to a dog-like burial in the high way 4. Christ-murder but to be cast into outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth Fourthly Such will be found Murtherers of Christ also Heb. 10.29 They tread underfoot the son of God c. they are guilty of
12. Rev. 2.9 14 15.29 A floor of corn and chaff Matth. 3.12 Tares and wheat cap. 13.24 A draw net 47 48 49. 2. Be not content with an outward Calling But to end from the success we learn Doctr. If all comers may be admitted guests will not be wanting men may be drawn to the outside for by-respects as Balaam Numb 23.10 and so Matth. 7.21 Vse And therefore an outward profession is not sufficient to prove a man a true Christian and it is every mans part to look to the sincerity of his heart Mot. For they are sure to be tried for the King will come in to see his guests which is the third particular in the invitation of the Gentiles But I must here end for this time The Eighth Sermon Matth 22. ver 11. c. And when the King came in to see the Guests he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment And he saith unto him Friend c. WE are upon the second branch of the third thing in the praedicate of this admirable parable to wit the latter Guests that are invited upon the refusal of the Jews first invited and again and again called but refusing and abusing the messengers sent to wit the Gentiles We have finished our discourse of the Kings Commission given for their calling and of the servants diligence in the execution thereof out of the three immediate foregoing verses Now it followeth out of this â—…th vers and the verses following unto the end of the 14. that we speak of the third branch or part formerly noted in the calling of the Gentiles viz. the proof and trial of such as become guests and take upon them the profession of the Christian faith Wherein three things come before us to be taken notice of First The manner of their trial Secondly The issue of the trial both these ver 11. Thirdly The just holy exact and grave proceeding of the Lord against him who upon trial was found unworthy in the verses following of which hereafter by Gods assistance This 11. verse tells us first of the manner of his trial and that by three particulars For. First The King himself viz. God will try him And Secondly He will do it immediately he is said to come in to see the guests And lastly It is implied that the visible Church is the place of Gods walk to and fro to teach us that God takes special notice of such as make profession of religion he will come in to see them From these things put together we have to observe this point Doct. That God will make proof of Professors Professors of Godliness shall be tried and that by God himself Quest Question But in what respect shall they be tried Answ I answer In point of sincerity as touching their truth of Grace Why so Surely it is necessary in regard of Gods glory for first such as are found to be sound do much honour God God hath much glory by them and this is that God expects from those that wear his livery he commands it Psal 50.14 He delivers them from trouble to that end ver 15. He would have our light shine befone men that they might see our good works and glorifie our father which is in heaven Mat. 5.16 And on the other side if upon trial professors be sound saulty God hath much dishonour thereby Rom. 2.14 For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you But we should be to the praise of his glory Ephes 1.12 Quest Quest And why will God do it himself why will the King himself come in to see the Guests Answ I answer Because no instrument can do it sufficiently For the heart is deceitfull Jer. 17.9.10 No man no not of himself can find out the depths of the heart And although the Lord lend man a candle to search the heart with yet it will only a little serve for his own heart It will not serve to find out the heart of another Quest Quest But when will God prove men and try men Answ God trieth daily and he will try at the last day In this life he hath his many wayes of trial sometimes he trieth by afliction Psal 66.10.11 For thou Lord hast proved us thou hast tried us as silver is tried Thou broughtest us into the net thou laidst afflictions upon our loines And sometime again the Lord trieth by prosperity in and by which many are found faulty O the bewitching sun-shines of this world Demas hath forsaken me saith Paul and hath embraced this present world 2 Tim. 4.10 Vse 1 Folly therefore it is and a very vain conceit and practice to care only to make a fair shew among men Such seem to think God regards not such Job speaks of chapter 22.13.14 This is atheistical blindness Let every sincere heart put on a crown of rejoycing upon his head and tread upon reproaches and evil speeches God is judge himself he will try himself The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous Psal 1.6 It is a small thing for Paul to be judged by man it is his comfort that he that judgeth him is the Lord 1 Cor. 4.4.5 It is every mans part to be fitted to approve himself to God and not only to men Mot. 1 For first Gods approbation is better then the approbation of all the World If he justify who shall condemn Rom. 8 34 Secondly The necessity of Gods approbation should move us to fit to have it Nothing will serve if this be wanting All mans commendation if God subscribe it not is worth nothing 2 Cor. 10.18 But not he saith Paul there that commendeth himself is approved but he whom the Lord commendeth Thirdly Let us take notice how God hath prevented us to fit us for this so needfull business We have gratious means to fit our selves for the Lords trial viz the clear light of Gods word this is a lampe for our feet and a light for our paths Psal 119.105 We live under a larger Canon then the Jews did Gods word will teach a yong man to cleanse his way Cereus in vitium flecti monitoribus asper Hor. Psal 119 9. And yet of all Ages they are most untoward Waxy to be shaped unto all evil formâ— stubborn to teachers having their minds upon a thousand vanities Yet Gods word will teach such Let this move us the gracious means we live under So much for that The issue of the trial follows He saw there a man that had not on a wedding garment Upon trial there is a fault found But what is the fault And with whom is it found for both these particulars are here to be taken notice of I shall put off the first from this place because it will fall in to be handled in the next verse where his fault is particularly charged upon him Now of the latter first There is a man found faulty Quest Quest What but one Answ Answ The scope is not to that purpose For doubtless among
so many Gentiles there were many that wanted the wedding garment for there be many hypocrites in every visible Church Many people came in Isaiah 2. ver 2.3 among which there could not but be many unfound ones But it is spoken in the singular Number to shew the strictness of the search He saw a man not one can escape the eyes of the Lord. Hence observe Doct. When the Lord comes to view his Church and to see his Guests he will sind out every unsound one in it Reason And the reason is Deus est totus oculus because he is an al-seeing God none can go from his presence Psal 139. from the 1. to the 6. verse read Jer. 23.23.24 Dan. 2 22 Heb. 4.13 And yet more evidently because in him we live and move and have our being Acts 17.28 I might heap up places of Scripture to shew how God hunteth out sinners * Gen. 3.8.9 Adam †Cap 4 9.10 Cain ‖ Exod. 32.1.6.7 Joshua 7.10.11.20.21 2 Kings 5.20 Mat. 26.14.15.16.21 Acts. 5.1.2.3 the People of Israel when they had worshipped the calfe which Aaron made the Lord knows it And sacrilegious Achan is found out by this al-seeing God And Gehazi And Judas And Annanias and Saphira all these were spied out by the Lord. The darkness is no darkness with him the night is as clear as the day c. But I hasten to the Uses Because I chiefly look upon the next Verse to speak of the fault charged upon him that is here spied out Vse 1 Vse 1. They are fool-deceived that think their wayes and works are hidden from the Lord. Yet this is not only the fault of hard-hearted sinners but even of Jacob and Israel Isai 40.27.28 We think God sees not or regards nor our misery this is our folly But on the other side What a poor thing it is to think to slie from the presence of the Lord yet so foolish was Jonah cap. 1.3.4 He paid the fare of a ship and went into it to go to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord but could he O no it followeth vers 4. God sends after him with a witness Vse 2 And certainly wofull is the case of all sinners yea of the closest and best coloured Hypocrites they shall be seen in their proper colours by the Lord. Isai 29.15.16 Wo unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord and their works are in the dark and they say who seeth us and who knoweth us Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potters clay For shall the work say of him that made it he made me not Or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it he had no understanding It is a notable place Vse 3 And therefore Lastly to end this point and ver Be advised to take heed of sin no corners are darke enough to commit sin in God will see as well at midnight as at noon day Pray to God to unite your hearts that you may fear his name it is a good expression when our hearts are united to God we shall stand in awe and shall not sin Especially take heed of Hypocrisie for the danger is great of that sin as may be gathered out of Mat. 25.41 their portion of misery is none of the least as you may see by the Lords dealing with this poor wretch which is next to be handled Verses 12.13.14 And he saith unto him Friend how camest thou in hither not having a Wedding garment and he was speechless Then said the King unto his servants Binde him hand and foot and take hiw away and cast him into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth For many are called but few are chosen HAving finished out of the foregoing verse the manner and issue of the trial of this unworthy Guest I now come to the third particular noted in the Lords proceeding against him Wherein three other things are observable 1. His examination about his offence Secondly His conviction thereupon both which are in the 12. ver Thirdly His condemnation or the Lords Commission and warrant for his execution with the ground or reason thereof ver 13.14 of which afterward In his Examination we have 1. The matter laid to his charge 2. The manner of Gods dealing How camest thou hither not having a Wedding garment is his charge This man came with others to the marriage of the Kings son but he came unprovided he was without a Wedding garment and this is the summ of his accusation and the fault that is laid to his charge aggravated by his impudency in daring to come in that trim How camest thou in hither c. that is how didst thou dare be so bold to come hither unprepared The great question is what is meant here by the Wedding garment The Papists understand hereby love and good works but they miss the mark By the Wedding garment we are here to understand the righteousness of our Lord Jesus put on by the hand of a true saving and justifying faith and manifested by a holy sincere and upright walking in the wayes of godliness and therefore the Apostle Paul speaking to this purpose and somewhat altering this phrase wills us to put off the works of darkness and to put on the armour of light Rom. 13.12 And in the next two verses he expounds his meaning viz. Not in chambering and wantonness not in strife and envying but putting on Christ c. where Christ and a mans own lusts his sinfull lusts are opposed read ver 13. and 14. and he doth more fully mention this Ephes 4.21 22 23. In these words and phrases To hear him to be taught by him as the truth is in Jesus To put off the old man to be renewed in the spirit of our minds to put on the new man All which is performed by the power of sound and saving faith For ye are all the children of God by faith in Iesus Christ saith Paul Gal. 3.26 And again For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ ver 27. By all which you may see plainly what it is to have or to want the Wedding garment The sum of the Charge brought against this Professor in my Text was that he wanted sincerity he was not that he professed himself to be He drew no vertue from Christ he had not put on Christ by Faith and therefore could not walk in sound and sincere obedience I observe this Doctrine Doctr. It is a shamefull thing for any to make profession of Religion and not to walk in truth and sincerity As on the other side It is most glorious and comfortable to have honest and good hearts and such are comely creatures such have the Wedding garment and shall stand with boldness before God in all Trials You may read for proof of the Doctrine Isaiah 1.1 2 3. and verses 10 11. where the Lord by Isaiah keeps wofull doings
as we use to say with the Jews about this very thing Reason And indeed such persons pollute and defile their holy profession Thoir Sacrifices are an abomination to the Lord Prov. 15.8 Yea their whole way viz. whatsoever they do is an abomination to the Lord ver 9. They bring scandal to the holy Religion which they profess whether Ministers as Elies sons 1 Sam. 2.17 made the offering of the Lord to be abhorred or People Rom. 2.24 by whose carriage the name of God is blasphemed or evil spoken of Vse 1 Then wo to those that do so They shall answer for their uncleanness before the Lord they shall be called to account they shall hear Friend how camest thou in hither as this unworthy guest here But unto the wicked said God What hast thou to do to take my Covenant in thy mouth Psal 50. ver 16. to the 22. verse Wo to you Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites saith Christ Matth. 23.13 Vse 2 The Use in the second place may be to comfort those that walk in the ways of Christianity in sincerity and truth they are most assuredly clad with the Wedding-garment which this poor wretch in the Text wanted they shall be welcom to the Lord at all times come when they will for they smell in his nostrils as a field which he hath blessed Vse 3 And thirdly we should all be carefull to have on the Wedding garment and to try whether we have it or no. Mot. 1 For first the glory of the Garment the excellency of him that hath it may move us to look after this Garment Oh to have our robes washed Rev. 7.14 and made white in the blood of the Lamb will render us glorious creatures Cap. 19.7 8. Such may by the Law as we say rejoyce and be glad as are so made ready as are arrayed in this fine linnen which is clean and white This is the righteousness and beauty of Saints Secondly the necessity for else Friend how camest thou in hither will be heard one day All Sacrifices and Services are odious and abominable without this Wedding Garment Prov. 15.8.9 The prayer of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord c. Read to this purpose Isaiah the first chapter from the tenth verse to the 16. No sound comfort to the soul where this is not sorrow of heart and a curse belongs to deceitfull workers Cursed be he that doth the Work of the Lord deceitfully Jer. 48.10 Cursed in his very prayers and performances of Religious Exercises though holy for the matter It is good counsell therefore Rev. 3.18 to buy this white raiment that nakedness be covered and may not appear which will procure a curse Thirdly the difficulty of having this Garment should move us to be solicitous and industrious about it Naturally we are all liars apt to deceive our selves We must know that all have not faith 2 Thes 3.2 Nay few For when the Son of man cometh shall he finde faith on the earth Eph. 4.16 to 22. Luk. 18.8 And yet none can put on the Lord Jesus without it Such as walk after the course of the Gentiles which know not God have not put on Christ they have but an outside at most of Christianity and not the Wedding Garment here spoken of We are next to speak of the manner of his Examination implyed in the word The Manner of Gods dealing Friend But why doth the Lord call this unworthy guest Friend he knew him to be his Foe and Adversary and a dissembling Friend I answer he doth thus term him by an Irony for his further conviction in that he pretended to be that which he was not and so sinned against his own knowledge and conscience So his seeming holy profession did the more aggravate his wickedness And also it may be that the Lord thus proceeds to take away all exception and to stop up every starting hole Men now pick quarrels at the manner of Ministers reproving them it is a common shift among us in this place so wise are men to their own hurt to put off just reproofs with accusations of passion and bitterness in the Speakers of the Word as Jeremiah was called the raving Propher and accused to have his ears more open then was fit to that tale-telling fellow Baruch the son of Neriah So men instead of sorrowing and making satisfaction for those evils of injustice deceit rejecting of Christ and despising the Church which they are plainly guilty of complain of the Reprovers But God will prevent them he will call them Friends yet and that justly cut their throats as we say They shal have no hole to pick in the manner of Gods dealing with them they shall have no hole to creep out at See how he speaks Ezek. 18.25 Yet ye say The way of the Lord is not equal Hear now O house of Israel c He calls them house of Israel reasons fairly with them And so again Isa 5. ver 1 2 3. where he giveth loving language well beloved and beloved and his vineyard yet the scope of this whole Chapter is to denounce judgments against them for their sins So that we may sum up all in this one observation Doct. That when God shall come to have to do with wicked men and shall call them to an account and bring them to examination he will so speak and demean himself as that they shall not have a word to say against his proceeding nor in defence of themselves Vse They surely are fools that dare continue in their sins under such poor shifts The Preacher is too sharp an angry man but will this make you guiltless Say it be true that we often spoil our work through our indiscretion yet know God will not he hath no passions he will be too hard for you he will call the sinner friend and yet condemn him The question Neighbours will not be Whether we speak in passion but Whether it be not against even a principle of nature to disannul or alter mens wills to embezeel things committed to your trust to convert publick stocks to private uses Read how Paul argues Gal. 3.15 to strengthen the Doctrine of Faith and take the former part of his Discourse and apply it to your selves for false dealing in publick stocks and altering the uses of things contrary to the wills of the dead You will have nothing to say to God though you have to us who yet allow not our selves in any expressions unsutable to the work we have in hand Vse 2 And Secondly let us learn and endeavour to imitate the Lord more and more that we may the more successfully do our business Judges and Magistrates Preachers and Pastors We should do as Joshuah did cap. 7.19 My son saith he to Achan give I pray thee glory to the Lord God of Israel Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evil-speaking be put away from you with all malice and be ye kinde one te
another and tender hearted forgiving one another even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven you Eph. 4 31 32. Mot. 1 And indeed God is our Father and should not children imitate their Father Secondly the contrary practice is a grief to his Spirit by which we are sealed to the day of Redemption This is forbidden Eph. 4.30 Besides it is a snare to sinners and hinders the working of our Physick Vse 3 But thirdly for a third Use If the Lord be courteous to his enemies surely much more to his faithfull Servants yea though there be much weakness and frailty in them So we see in Jonah chap. 4. ver 9.10 11. Jonah is desperatly pettish very much out of frame yet God speaks kindly to him reasons fairly with him He knoweth our frame and considers our infirmities he is God and not man So much of the unworthy guests examination Now follows his conviction And he was speechless 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he was haltered At ille obmutuit vel ad verbum at ille capistratus erat He was dumb'd muzled he had a bit in his jaws he was tongue-tied he could not speak Let this be the Doctrine Doct. A wicked man when God shall have to do with him shall not be able to say a word in his own defence How weak will thy hand and thy heart be when God shall have to do with thee O sinner Reason And the Reason is because conscience will take Gods part and tell him that he is guilty For indeed it is the office of conscience to deal plainly Rom. 2.15 It will bear witness and either accuse or excuse Conscience is always good so far forth as it is conscience We use to say such a man hath little conscience and thou hast no conscience at all Whereby we mean they whom we so accuse have little or none their conscience is as it were laid asleep or made drunk But I say that which is of it left is always good and the judgement which God will give to men shall be upon the testimony of their own conscience a Condēnatio ex propria conscientia Muscul But will some say No man can make defence for himself in Gods presence be he never so good how then do you say wicked men shall not be able as if others could Doth not Job say cap. 9. v. 2 3. But how should man be just with God if he will contend with him he cannot answer him one of a thousand And in Eccles 7.20 For there is not a just man upon earth that doth good and sinneth not And Isa 64.6 But we are all an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags and we do all fade as a leaf and our iniquities like the winde have taken us away Rom. 3.9 10. Jews and Gentiles are all under sin as it is written there is none righteous no not one The refore not only wicked men shall be speechless before God I answer Although no man can justify himself in regard of any perfect obedience of his own because indeed all a mans perfection is to bewail his imperfection and to cleave close to the imputed righteousness of Christ by Faith yet the sincerity of a mans heart in a carefull endeavour to honour God is accepted of God an evidence of Faith whereby he may have comfortable access to God So Hezekiah 2 Kin. 20.3 appeals to the Lord. But a wicked man hath an accusing Conscience but no Christ at all to bear him up Again such as are sincere do cleave to the Lord with full purpose of heart though they are full of failings and therefore they shall not be so convicted and made speechless as wicked men shall Object 2 But may no body at the last day have a word to say Is it not said Matth. 7.22 many shall say unto me in that day c. and cap. 25.44 They that set on the left hand are brought in excusing themselves c. Sol. I answer that place is to be understood of the continuance of the hardness and deceit of some mens hearts even unto death I remember a good note of Mr. Perkins upon that place Matth. 7.22 to this purpose A man may live and die with a conceit of his happy condition c. and that 's the scope of both those places to shew the hardness of of some mens hearts even unto the very last And Secondly If any should be so impudent they will quickly be answered It will be to no purpose for them to plead in their own defence Christ will quickly cut their combs as ver 23. of the seventh chap. and ver 45. of the 25. chap. you may see they are sentenced notwithstanding and are executed accordingly So much for the explanation of the Doctrine The Uses follow Vse 1 And first for Information Wicked men that live in opposition to God and goodnes will one day be as mute as fishes though here they vapour it in their ungodly courses or colour over their wickedness by denying the Fact or else wrest Gods word in the defence of their sinfull courses They are never the clearer of their sins O saith the drunkard who dare say I was drunk I will make thee Sirrah answer it before thy Betters I will make thee answer it in the highest Court in England But Sirrah sith thou art good at that I mean to swagger and vapour let me tell thee for all thy big words thou shalt not have a word to say before God when he shal come to deal with thee Although men think to outface them that shall seek their Reformation yea be ready to take their remedy as in a matter of false accusation especially if they can get some great man to back them yet when the Lord takes them in hand they will be speechless I will tell you a dream of one of quality related to my self by the dreamer himself Said he I dreamd the day of judgement was come and all men appeared before Christ Some were white others spotted Me thought said he I was all white saving that I had one black spot upon my breast which I covered with my hand Upon the separation of these two sorts I got among the white on the right hand glad was I. But at last a narrower search was made and one came and pluckt away my hand from my breast then appeared my spot and I was thrust away among the spotted ones I pray consider what this Gentleman dreamed all of us shall finde one day to be true when such as are now bold sinners have words at will shal be speechless Would ye then not be speechless in that day under a condemning conscience Vse 2 Labour to get and keep a good conscience here 1 Joh. 4.7 Herein is our love made perfect that we may have boldness in the day of judgement c. Let us labour for the Wedding-garment for if our conscience condemn us condemnation will follow that conviction Rev. 20.12
Jesus Christ Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction c. 2 Thes 1.7 8 9. Be ye perswaded therefore before the sealing time before the Lord hath sworn against you to accept of Christ and to take heed of hypocrisie and that ye be not found naked lest this Sentence be heard and Commission given by the King for your execution to his Servants And so we fall upon the second branch of the circumstantial part of this Commission the persons commissionated his Servants Then said the King to his Servants These Servants are certain instruments which God makes use of some in this life some in the life to come The Servants which God makes use of here on earth to binde hand and foot c. are First Ministers these are Gods high Commissioners to binde and to loose Matth. 18.18 Verily I say unto you whatsoever ye shall binde on earth shall be bound in heaven c. It is true it is properly the work of the Church But the Ministers are appointed of God for the doing of the work I will give you the words of Dr. Fulk in his Annotations upon the Rhemists Testament upon 1 Cor. 5.4 in answer to that passage pretended to be taken out of Chrysostom upon those words Tell the Church Matth. 18. Complain to the Church that is to the Prelates and Presidents thereof saith he The authority of Excommunication pertaineth to the whole Church although the judgment and execution thereof is to be referred to the Governors of the Church which exercise that authority as in the name of Christ so in the name of the whole Church to avoid confusion So he It is a sad business to be bound by those Servants of the King of Heaven Secondly Magistrates are executioners too of Gods vengeance They bear not the sword in vain Rom. 13.4 For he is the Minister of God a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doth evil in the same verse VVhen people will not take warning by Gods Ministers words nor by his judgements on others God suffers them to fall into the hands of Magistrates who have places of pain and shame Gaoles Bridewells stocks whipping-Posts and Gallowses These bind neck and heels also in Gods name and as his Servants Thirdly Military men which have the sword of war in their hands are Gods Servants Ashur is the rod of Gods anger and the staff in his hand is Gods indignation God sends such and gives them a charge to take the spoil and to take the prey and to tread down the people of his wrath as the mire of the streets Isa 10.5 6. These are most terrible of all for first they do not usually proceed so regularly as either of the former Ministers have a word to proceed by and Magistrates have Laws but weapons know not laws Arma nesciunt leges Will is the rule if not rage or desperate fury usually Ashur hath not God in his thoughts when he goeth to destroy and cut off nations not a few Isa 10.7 Secondly their Bindings have much cruelty their Language is more terrible they are people of a fierce language Cut their skuls cleave their heads even when I should have thought a reproof had been enough have I heard from these Sons of Mars for so have I heard them stile themselves in a bravado I intend not to dishonour the Imployment we have found much of God in many of them of latter times But yet they are the most dreadfull Servants of the Lord. Fourthly God hath binding Angels both good and bad Herod is smitten by an Angel of the Lord Acts 12.23 And 185 thousand are killed in one night by an Angel of the Lord 2 Kings 19.35 And the souls of ungodly men shall be bound by these binderâ— and tormented Yea Devils are let loose often by God to do mischief and to plague such as will not put their trust in God and others also sometimes for their tryal as Job You see then this Doctrine Doctr. God hath servants everywhere sitted to execute vengeance when he is pleased to give them the word of command This Doctrine is from the second circumstance Then said he to his servants You shall finde when the Lord had a purpose to destroy Ahab the Devil is ready and takes a Commission from the Lord to be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his Prophets 1 Kin. 22.20 21. Reason The Reason is All creatures are the Lords servants and he can command and make them to do his will even the meanest and worst of them Frogs Lice Flies Rivers Fire yea the snuff of a candle the tile of an house a crum of bread God can easily impower to the destruction of man Vse 1 Learn therefore in the first place that God wants not means to punish wicked men He hath servants in every place to speak to a rod in every corner to make use of VVo therefore to all such as either regard not his grace or abuse it with their bold hypocrifie or any other way But next and lastly for this point Be exhorted to dread his power and speedily to turn to him by Repentance Mot. 1 For now the door of Heaven standeth open the means of grace lasteth despise them not We have power more then ye are aware of despise us not The Lord will own what his Servants do for he hath bidden us do what we do Though we walk in the flesh we do not war after the flesh For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds 2 Cor. 10.4 5. And again Having in readiness to revenge all disobedience ver 6. So little account as ye make of our binding by word and Ordinances it is terrible and will be found to be so at last But Secondly for a second Motive Vengeance cometh suddenly unexpectedly if it be not prevented I should insist upon this matter as it is a Motive but it leads me to the third and last branch of the Circumstantial part of my Text The last Circumstance from the word Then Then the King said to his Servants That is presently upon Conviction followeth execution Or then that is when Gods time is come Or then that is suddenly unexpectedly From whence we may learn this most certain Oracle of Truth Doctr. When Gods time is come when the conviction is past suddenly and unexpectedly shall vengeance seize upon hypocrites and ungodly men So the Flood came on the world They were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage untill the day that Noah entred into the Ark and knew not till the Flood came and took them all away Matth. 24.38 39. God seems sometimes to delay to be slow but it is not so The Lord is not slack concerning his Promise nor concerning his Threats neither as some men count slackness 2 Pet. 3.9 Neither is he rash or hasty he useth deliberation he giveth time he calleth he stretcheth out his hand he will
be refused dis-regarded his Counsel must be set at nought before before fear cometh as desolation and destruction as a whirlwinde Read Prov. 1.24 25 26. 27. Yea all the day long he will wait and spread out his hands unto a rebellious People which walketh in a way that is not good after their own thoughts Isaiah 65.2 But when Gods time is come the time set of old then cometh sorrow as upon a woman in travell For when they shall say peace and safety then sudden destruction cometh upon them 1 Thes 5.3 Then out-comes Gods wrath with a vengeance The sword without and terrour within shall destroy both the young men and the virgins the suckling also with the man of gray hairs Then said the King unto his Servants That is when God hath given time When mens sins be ripe And when security seizeth on sinners When it is most for Gods glory and Honor to destroy his Enemies and get him a name by making bare his arm When it will be most for his Churches good then then and not till then will the Lord be seen in the mount of blessings for his People and plagues on his Enemies Thus you see the Lord hath a Then for his works of justice And to digress a little so he hath also a then for his works of mercy and grace truth and faithfulness Yea the very putting off of his plagues is of his goodness and Grace He is long suffering to us ward not willing that any should perish but that all should come to Repentance as in the forenamed 2 Pet. 3.9 But when he seemeth to deferr his mercies he doth it as he doth all things else according to the Counsel of his will His will is a wise will it is guided by Counsell T is true his wayes seem sometimes to be full of contradictions and his promises of delaies But there is a mystery in all Gods workings which we must learn more and more to understand The only way is to delight our selves in him and we shall be sure to have our hearts desire It is vox vere Christianorum a speech fit to proceed out of the heart and mouâ—h of a Christian to say The will of the Lord be done I am as he is and my will as his is and my times when his are And be sure he can as well cease to be God as miss opportunities to do his People good Davids times are in Gods hands and Pharaohs times are in Gods hands The Lord hath a Then a time for every thing even for the very falling of a sparrow to the ground Voluntas dei necessitas rei for actions and circumstances But to the matter when the time is come then most certainly it shall not be well with the wicked Vse 1 Therefore it is not good to be careless of the judgements of the Lord which you hear mention of daily It is good for you to take warning otherwise God may take you napping in your wickedness Then nothing will profit you in that day Riches profit not in the day of wrath Prov. 11.4 There will a time come when all the riches in the world shall not do you one half-pennies worth of good I will read to you Ezek. 7.19 They shall cast their silver in the streets and their gold shall be removed their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord. They had a Proverb in Israel The days are prolonged and every vision faileth But saith the Lord you may finde it Ezek. 12 22.2â— I will make this Proverb to cease and they shalt no more use it as a Proverb in Israel but say unto them The days are at hand and the effect of every vision and ver 24. For there shall be no more any vain vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel T is true we have men of learning that are otherwise minded I would be loth to throw dirt in in any mans face Men of parts that are godly we cannot put a price high enough upon But yet let me tell you there are some men of great learning which are the most mischievous men in the world Take heed of that generation of men which though they have the teachings of men yet not of God These as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses do resist the truth men of corrupt minds reprobate concerning the faith 2 Tim. 3.8 You are much the neer sure to be told fair tales and to be humoured in your vanity and at last unawares to be overtaken with the storm of Gods vengeance while ye are dreaming of sair weather when both you and your priests fall into the Ditch Vse 2 The next use of this point and therewith I end Is it so that the Lord hath a then when he will assuredly punish as indeed he he hath and know by the way when God shall cease to be God then and not before shall wickedness unrepented of go unpunished Is it so I say Why then in the fear of God consider and mark that counsel which is given Isaiah 55.6.7.8.9 c. read the words your selves when you come home I have not time O seek the Lord call upon him O wicked folk forsake your wayes O unrighteous men forsake your imaginations There are in that place great store of Admirable Motives taken from the goodness of God his readiness to be found and to pardon the height of his love and thoughts thereof above mens thoughts of love and pitty But to all that is there let me add what is in my text Take him bind him hand and foot c. Go get the Wedding garment But thou wilt say Where is it to be had I answer Go to Christ behold he looks for thee arise he calleth thee Say I come Christ I come Lo I come give power to do what thou commandest and command what thou wilt comprehend me O Christ that I may apprehend thee Resolve never to give over thou shalt have at last For he that asketh receiveth How can it be otherwise He stands at the door and knocks and if thou have a heart to open it is a sign he is gotten into thy heart Flesh and blood hath not done it So farr of the circumstances of the sentence It remaineth that I should speak of the substance of it But the time is run out The Tenth Sermon Matth. 22.13.14 Then said the King unto his Servants Bind him hand and foot and take him away and cast him into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth For many are called but few are chosen THese verses now read unto you as hath been formerly shewed do contain in them the Commission given by the King for the execution of that unworthy professor that was gotten in among Gods People and had no Grace in his heart which is the third particular first noted to be in this last head viz. The proceeding of the Lord against the unworthy Guest
confusion I had rather call it a binding then a cutting off Because it is an Ordinance of the Lord to be used for the good of an offending brother 1 Cor. 5.5 That the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus And we find that it was so by Gods blessing to the incestuous Corinthian 2 Cor. 2.6 7. Sufficient to this man is this punishment or censure which was inflicted of many 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So that contrary wise ye ought rather to forgive him comfort him lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with over much sorrow This is a strong Medicine by which a fallen brother grosly and that is hardned in his sin may yet be recovered And if it do not then he is thereby bound over to everlasting burnings T is true in some sence they are said to be cut off from the Church namely in a threefold respect First Perk. Cases of Conscience 3. Quest of the 8. c. They are excluded from Communion with the Church by the censure of the Church Secondly From God for what the Church rightly doth on Earth God doth in Heaven If the Church bind on Earth God binds in Heaven and so for Loosing also Thirdly In regard of themselves for a time they are cut off because they want the power and efficacy of the spirit untill they be throughly touched with repentance and begin as it were to live again Take heed ye that are bound with this Cord of God and his Church and labour to be unbound again There is a third Cord wherewith men are bound even in this life and that is the Cord of Conscience As this unworthy Guest here was bound he had not a word to say for himself He was bound hand and foot he was haltered as it were that he could not stirr So Judas was so haltered with the Cord of his Conscience that he could not chuse but halter his neck too For he went away and hanged himself Mat. 27.5 This is a sad Cord when God is pleased to make use of it O when a mans Conscience shall tell him that he hath no part nor portion in this business that his heart is not right in the sight of God as Peter told Simon Magus Acts 8.21 that he is in the Gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity This will be black News to that poor wretch whosoever he be Friends you are crank and merry but look oâ—â—… this cooling carde ye are farr on to the â—…aâ—ing of this sad story told by your consciences to you that ye are the Enemies of God And note hereupon that men come not to be bound with this Cord by and by they usually come to a high degree of sin first They do the same things and commit the same sins for which they judge others They despise the riches of Gods goodness and forbearance and long suffering They have hard and impenitent hearts in a word they sin with a high hand against Conscience and begin to be careless and fearless and desperately secure And then commeth this â—ord of the Lord this whip of Conscience Judas his Cord I may call it Read 1 Thes 5.3 For when they shall say peace and safety then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a woman with child and they shall not escape Such fellows come in sometimes among the People of God to make a faction and to do mischief But though hand joyn in hand the wicked shall not go unpunished Prov. 11.21 But they are bound together to be the Servants of sin shall be bound with Cords which shall not be broken It is storied of Julian the Apostate That after all his wicked behaviour against the Christians he was strock in a battle thorow the left arm into the short ribbs with a 〈◊〉 or Javelin in pulling which out and casting it into the air with his blood he uttered these blasphemous words being bound with this Cord of Conscience I am now speaking of Thou hast overcome me O Galilean Zosimus lib. 6. cap. 2. and Theod. lib 3. cap. 25. The second particular is in these words Take him away Hence observe Doctr. That it is a great punishment to be separated from God and from the comfortable society of Gods People It will be a principal part of the punishment of ungodly men hereafter to be turned out to be bid to depart and get packing from God and his People Mat. 7.23 Depart from me ye that work iniquity Mat. 13 ver 30 aâ—d 41. The tares must be bound in bundles that is as Christ himself expounds it the Angels shall gather out of his Kingdom all things that offend and them that work iniquity They must out of Gods Kingdom there is no place for them they must depart And so ver 49. of that same chap. The Angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from among the justâ—… And Mat. 25.32 And he shall separate them one from another as a shepherd divideth the sheep from the Goats and ver 41. He shall say to them on the left hand depart from me ye cursed c. they must depart upon which place saith one whom I heard many years agone Methinks I hear these Castawayes pleading and begging to this effect O Lord If we shall not sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in thy Kingdom if we shall not sit on thrones yet let us stand in thy sight though but at the door or let us but peep into the presence of thy People No saith God depart ye shall not see my face get out of my sight Ye shall not stand in the congregation of the righteous Ye scorned them once ye shall not be troubled with them now Depart Yet may these poor wretches say if we must needs depart thy presence O God and be thrust out from thy People yet remember we are thy creatures O Lord and bless us before we go No saith God depart ye cursed Away with my curse upon your back Why yet Lord may they say send us to some silent Corner where we may lie only under the paena damni or dissolve us to nothing out of which we were taken No that shall not be granted neither Depart into fire Happy should they be if they might cease to be but they must depart into hell torments Part is this all Heare one imaginary petition more to set forth the truth of the future condition of ungodly men Lord how long Lord how long Let it be but a thousand years may they say or if that cannot be obtained yet but as many years as there be stars in heaven drops in the Sea sands on the shore or under the Seas and let us come out then No It is everlasting fire O rocky heart tremble But yet once more Must we depart and be accursed and be in fire and that eternally Yet Lord may they say let us have a little good company to help wear along that which shall be without end
when there is a working faith and a labouring love and a patient hope and all in sincerity in the sight of God our Father when People become followers of the Lord though much affliction follow and do receive the word with joy of the holy Ghost this is excellent doings and yet much more might be fetch'd out of that Chapter had I not other things to acquaint you with Therefore to stoop to my poor silly unbred yet populous Auditory I will name some particulars First If you be carefull to amend your ways Secondly Marks of men chosen of God To seek knowledge Thirdly To renounce the World Fourthly To feel and resist temptations Fifthly To fight against thy flesh Sixthly To forsake ill Company Seventhly To mourn and pray against special sins Eighthly To love Gods children that are the pretious ones and Gods Jewels Ninthly To hate Rascals and Athiests with a deadly hatred and not only to shun their society for that may be done for by-ends but to hate the very Garment spotted with the fiesh As Psal 15. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned Psal 26. I have not sate with vain persons c. Psal 139 Lord saith David do not I hate them that hate thee And am I not grieved with them that rise up against thee Yea I hate them as though they were mine own enemies And lastly Learn the folly of the mostdo men of our days O say men every body doth it I say it is an Argument that none but stark buzzards in Religion will use Gods People you see plainly out of this Text are of the number not of those many that are called only but of those few that are chosen O simple objection against Godly men yet common they be like no body Why it must be so it is so in the Text. And it behooveth all to try whether they be of the little number sheep of the little flock and a mighty Motive to labour in this search we have next to handle for a Doctrine it is the third and last to wit Doctr. That they which are not partakers of an effectual Vocation from Election must perish notwithstanding their outward calling to the profession of the Gospel This point ariseth from this word For which sheweth the ground of the condemnation that man lay under that yet was partaker of an outward calling he was not chosen he was not elected therefore it was that he was damned Reason And the Reason is because salvation depends upon Gods election as may be seen Rom 8.30 Moreover whom he did predestinate them he also called c. Rom 9 11.12 For the children being not yet born neither having done any good or evil that the purpose of God according to election might stand not of works but of him that calleth it was said to Rebekah the elder shall serve the younger Rom. 11.7 What then Israel hath not obtained that which he seeks for but the election hath obtained it and the rest were blinded Vse 1 Now if it be so as you plainly see it is then miserable may a mans condition be notwithstanding he enjoy the outward means of grace If he have not do not one time or another taste of the power of Gods Spirit it is a sign he is not ordained to life But because there is no good use to be made of this matter but to convince and to stir up to labour for assurance it will be necessary for me to answer an objection which is Object That if God hath not chosen a man in Christ to be his it is but in vain to labour for grace for it will not be had by any means Sol. Now I answer That secret things belong to God whose revealed will is Joh. 3.15 That not one that believeth in Christ shall perish It is my duty therefore knowing this to believe by doing whereof I may safely conclude mine election And therefore labor to believe every one of ye shew your faith by your works But to return whence I did digress They erre that think it enough to live under a good Ministry Judas lived under the best Teacher that ever was And we finde Mat. 7.21 22. that many that shall say Lord Lord shall not enter into the Kingdom of heaven And further many shal say in the last day Lord Lord we have prophesied in thy name and in thy name have cast out Devils and in thy name done many wonderfull works to whom yet it shall be said Depart from me ye that work iniquity Vse 2 Secondly then it must needs be bad with them that disclaim Profession Ordinances and the means of grace he that runneth may read their damnation Vse 3 Lastly let us all in earnest fall to enquiry about our Election and make a search for it Methinks every one should be carefull about a business of this concernment We are carefull to preserve our lives temporal much more should we be careful about our life and to be preserved from erernal destruction Quest But how may a man prove his election of God Answ I Answer I shewed before out of 1 Thes 1.3 to the end of the Chapter And further effectual Vocation is an evident signe of Election Rom. 8.30 And the fruits of holiness and righteousness 2 Pet. 1. ver 5. to the 11. Faith love patience sincerity and adhering to Christ a delighting in the excellent ones Consider whom dost thou love whom wouldst thou preserve if it were in thy power O consider this ye that hate Gods people that exclude thē what you can sometimes shamefully though shamelesly out of your Counsels for no other reason but because they make conscience of their ways and the Ordinances of Christ which ye contemn the time will come when ye shall be excluded The ungodly shall not stand in judgement nor sinners in the Congregation of the righteous And let such as have these forementioned graces rejoyce they shall grow and at last come unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ ERRATA In the Epist to the Parl. pag. 3. in the Margin insert Mr. I. B. blot it out in the next pag. in the 24. l. of the 3. page for while read untill In the 6. pag. of the same lip for where read whence In the Margin of the 7. for Brerewich read Greenwich p. 8. l. 2. for Sermon 1. Sermons In the book Pag. 1. the title for Tavistook r. Tavistock pag. 6. l. 17. for 7. put 2. pag. 51. l. 23. sor word r. world in the 46. p. l. 20. between the two words business and indeed insert the word Which FINIS
to their getting of more acquaintance with God and to the further conquest of the world and their Corruptions shall receive exceeding great comfort here and be at last inhabitors of the New Jerusalem singing Halelujah's to Heavens King and to the Lamb where their unexpressible unconceivable joy and happiness shall run Parallel with the line of Eternity Bolton I can go no further at this time The fifth Sermon Mat. 22. the latter part of the 5. and the 6. v. And went their wayes one to his Farm another to his Merchandise And the remnant took the Servants and intreated them spitefully and slew them WE spake last out of this 5. ver of the frame of spirit that was in the Jews and how they stood affected towards the Doctrine of the Gospel which was begun to be preached among them now the second time after the death and passion of Christ out of those words They made light of it that is they cared not for it as it hath been shewed the word here used in the Original signifieth Time would not give leave to end that verse then Therefore that is our next work To wit to speak of the ground of this their undervaluing of Christ and the preaching of the Gospel which was their overprizing of worldly things From which we will handle this last Doctrine out of this fifth verse Doct. That worldly affairs are a great occasion unto worldly-minded people to make them set light by the Gospel and the means of grace and salvation It is observed of the Jews that even to this day they are a worldly thriving people where ever they come within a little while they grow rich And hence was it that the generality of them thought it not worth their labour to look after matters of Religion Even as to this day we finde our honest Hogs just of that temper which are our best neighbours For we have so many barking yea biting dogs that these grunting Swine seem to be very honest men among us But yet in truth you must pardon me O ye my honest courteous neighbours I must render evil for your good as perhaps you will account it untill your eyes be opened You undervalue opportunities of Worship you attend not the places of worship What 's the Reason Surely because ye think that while ye are attending the affairs of the world ye are imployed in your lawfull Calling and therefore that your absence from the Means of grace may very well be excused And because this is such a plausible evil such a poison of Asps I will speak a little of it by way of digression Know therefore that there is not a man alive that hath not a touch a tang as we say of this evil Yet nevertheless it is as dangerous an evil and as incompatible with Grace when it becomes predominant as any sin whatsoever And it is to be noted that of all Sins seldom are the Saints of God tainted with this in Scripture And also that such as fall into it seldom return to their wonted glory and lustre in the Church VVhereas we find Peter denying his Master and David falling into Adultery and Lot into drunkenness c. yet we finde a returning again a recovery out of their falls But when men give themselves to covetousness we may fitly compare this sin to that deep ditch which Solomon compares a whore unto They that come into it return not again neither take they hold of the paths of life You have an example in Demas how he broke his neck quite in falling into this ditch of the World 2 Tim. 4.10 We never read of his recovery Let me a little declame or if it must be so exclame against these hoggs and Swine Do you think the land you have is yours or the Silver and Gold you have is yours No no You shall know it is Gods and that you are but stewards and shall one day hear that same give an account of thy stewardship for thou maist be no longer steward spoken of Luk. 16.2 O when a wretched man a beast rather shall have an estate thrown into his hands and shall either hugg it as a God or wallow in it as the Swine do in dirty muddy places and shall never regard to use any part of it to Gods Glory nor to the good of the common wealth nor to the comfort of the poor â—ay some will scarce allow what is needfull for their own nourishment like Tantalus up to the chin in water and yet dying for thirst c. I say when such a running out of the Soul is in a man after the World is it likely there will be any great mind upon the things of God of Christ of Salvation Truly no. This sin is like the disease called the hectick feaver at first hard to be discerned but easie to be cured but at last easie to be known sure enough when it is grown incurable When worldliness breaketh out into gross opposition of the wayes of God take heed honest and kind neighbours you will come to it at last if you do not take heed I say when it is come to a hight then the Soul is as it were becrusted seared it will not be discerned easily by such a Soul that covetousness hath any harm in it at all T is good husbandry thriftiness Men grow bold to plead for it and for their neglect of duty to do other things See how bold Martha is Mary was hearkning to Christ preaching Martha was cooking it and dressing meat for Christs dinner Out cries Martha to Christ you shall find it Luk. 10.40 Lord dost not thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone bid her therefore that she help me And if it be so in the green tree how much more in the dry If good People under a temptation be so bold to plead for their neglect of attending upon Christ and to blame them thar are more carefull and strict then themselves how much more will such as are swallowed up as it were of the World be bold But you see in that place of Luke what Christ the King of the Church doth He falls a chiding of Martha not of Mary He tells her Mary had chosen the good part Worldly people say to the Almighty depart from us they hold it good wisdom to labour and save while they be yong that they may not live in want when they be old It cannot be denied but this is good Wisdom in its place But they are penny wise and pound foolish as it is said of the Widdows that live in pleasure 1 Tim. 5.6 they are dead while they live For what is a man profited if he winn the whole World and lose his own Soul or what shall a man give in exchange for his Soul Mat. 16.26 I tell you for every hours coming to Sermons spent in praier thoushalt be rewarded thou shalt have the comfort of it one day Time spent in Gods service is the