are in Christ to them that are called and converted and brought home to Christ to those they are all yea confirmed and amen concluded yea made and amen performed but a man by nature can claime nothing at Gods hands but hell and damnation and therefore all the plagues and punishments that befall wicked men are the fruits of their owne labours they are their owne they have the fruit of their owne tree so Iudas is said to goe to his owne place In the 3. of Esay the 9. there saith the text Woe unto the wicked for they have rewarded evill to their owne soules the reward of their hands shall bee giver them for they shall eate the fruite of their doings They can challenge confusion and everlasting destruction this is their owne Iudas went to his owne hee had his owne share and his owne condemâ—ation they were his owne his owne sinnes procured them but as for the obtaining of Christ and of grace and salvation there is nothing that can doe it it is of the free mercy and goodnesse of God Godlinesse â—s great gaine saith the Apostle it hath the promise of this life and of the life to come but an ungodly man there is no promise at all made unto him hee can challenge nothing from God by way of promise so that by this time wee have the proofe of the point namely That the offer of grace is altogether free for we have nothing can purchase grace wee can do nothing that can procure grace wee have no right whereby wee may challenge grace by way of promise naturally and therefore the case is cleare That we have grace freely from the hand of God We see the point cleared the doctrine confirmed and established The use of it is two fold partly to the Saints of God that have received grace partly to those that want grace First for the Saints of God that have received grace I beseech you thinke of it it is a truth that cannot be denied proved by reason strong and Scripture plaine that whatsoever wee have from the beginning of conversion to the end of salvation is free grace Why mee thinkes your hearts should answer we ought to be stirred up the more to magnifie the mercy of God and so much the more to bee thankefull unto him for this mercy which our poore soules have received at his hands the freer the grace of God is which hee offereth unto us the greater our thanksgiving the greater the acknowledgement of the goodnesse of the Lord ought to bee those whom God hath given any assurance of sound grace that Christ is there that salvation is there they doe not know how much beholding they are to God for the same for this proceedeth altogether of his free mercy looke up therefore unto God and blesse God for it this is that which did drive the Prophet Micah to a stand Mica 7.18 19. there faith he Who is a Godlike unto our God that pardoneth iniquities and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his people he retaineth not his anger for ever because he delighteth in mercy he will turne againe he will have compassion upon us he will â—ubduâ— our iniquities and thou wilt cast all our sinnes into the bottome of the sea as who should say here is a God indeed who is like our God who hath pardoned all our sinnes why because his mercy pleased him because hee delighteth in goodnesse no God like Iehovah no Redeemer like Christ no Comforter like the Spirit all sins pardoned all iniquities cast into the bottome of the Sea but what is the ground of all because his mercy pleased him as if hee had sayd Men will doe no good unto us unlesse they see good in us unlesse they expect some good and profit from us but who is like our God no man is like unto him hee hath passed by our transgressions and subdued our iniquities and given us the graces of his spirit not because wee pleased him or did any thing that could deserve this at his hands but it was his free mercy that moved him all our peevishnesse all our loosenesse all our carelesnesse all our sinnes subdued and thrust into the bottome of the Sea and pardoned and why because wee pleased God no because his mercy pleased him this is God full of grace full of mercy full of goodnesse and compassion no God like our God no mercy like this no grace no goodnesse no compassion like unto this and therefore you poore Saints that have received any grace from the hand of the Lord goe into some secret place and say unto your soules and plead with your owne hearts and provoke your soules to thankesgiving for Gods mercy towards you reason with thy heart and provoke thy spirit to take notice of Gods mercy and say How is it Lord that many that have lived in the same towne in the same family nay the same man that is under the same ministry that I am that heares the same Sermons that I doe and sits in the same seate with me how is it that such a poore man or woman is still in the gall of bitternesse in the bond of iniquity still in the snare of death and under the power of Satan Father how comes it why is it that my mind is enlightned why was my heart humbled why didst thou give me any care to walke with thee and to forsake my sinnes and abandon my former lusts and corruptions why is this Lord it was of thine owne free mercy Lord for I had nothing which could purchase this at thy hands I could doe nothing that might procure it I could claime no promise naturally from thee in this kinde if thou canst thinke thus and say thus goe thy wayes and be as thankefull as thou canst to such a God that hath done this for thee and plead with the Lord as the Prophet David did What is man that thou shouldst be so mindfull of him and what is the sonne of man that thou shouldst regard him why Lord thou mindfull of me when I forgot my selfe when I ranne headlong into all wickednesse as prophane as ever any soule was oh those dayes which I now remember with griefe of soule when my heart rose up against thee and thy ministers and yet thou Lord mindfull of such a sinfull wretch as I am that forgot my selfe and my owne salvation why what am I Lord and what is this poore soule of mine that thou shouldest remember me oh doe thus and thinke of this and remember that our Saviour Christ when the Apostles Preached the Gospell here was a poore man on one side converted and a poore woman on another when the Lord Iesus saw this why I blesse thee Father saith he Lord of heaven and earth that thou hast revealed these things to the poore of the world and denyed them to great ones take this to your hearts the poore receive the Gospell the rich they are so full and so delighted in
in mans heart and resolve with David to waite for the Salvation of the Lord with God is the gate of mercy the fountaine of mercy and this mercy is free therefore use the meanes still though God heare not pray still though he accept not resolve though thy heart fails and thy eyes faile yet to roule in the dust and call for mercy and say Lord thy mercy is free therefore blesse me Lord even me also The 2 conclusion in the text is that not withstanding this mercy of God is free yet a man must have a will to receive grace and mercy before he can have it for saith the text whosoever Will let him take of the water of life freely and heere we have the reasonablenesse of the condition together with the universality of it it is not a great thing that God calleth for but if a man will have mercy and grace and Salvation he shall have it First a man must will mercy before hee can have mercy and whosoever doth will it shall have it and herein is the universality of the condition so that the doctrine which ariseth naturally out of the text and which is the second generall circumstance of preparation is this viz. that the soule must bee willing to receive Christ and grace before it shall have Christ and grace God will not save a man against his will Rev. 3.20 there saith the text Behold I stand at the doore and knocke if any man heare my voyce and open the doore I will come in to him c. the doore is the heart the knocking is the striving of the Lord in the use of the means God stands this day knocks at this and all other the like opportunities the Lord knockes this day and will come and knocke againe the next Sabbath and the next the next Lecture and the next opportunity when the minister comes God comes when he perswades God perswades when hee threatens God threatens when he reprooves God reprooves sometimes the Lord knocketh at the doore sometimes hee pickes the locke thus every way striving to come in stands thus knocking and intreating exhorting perswading he knocks with much patience and long suffering if any man will but open here is all the Lord requires all that he expects and lookes for the opening of the doore that is all the doore is the heart the opening of the doore is the enlarging of the heart to entertaine Christ if any man will but open now here is all the Lord desires hee will come and suppe with that man and he with him and in the 16. Mat. 16.24 of Mat. 24. there saith our Saviour If any man will come after me let him deny himselfe and follow me what a strange phrase is this If he will follow me let him it is a pretty collection of Divines out of that place that a man must will to follow Christ before he can follow him the truth is the will never commeth after the following of God but if a man hath a heart that way a will to the businesse then hee may follow him then all goes forward cheerefully this will is the great wheele that turnes all and the power of the soule that workes all in this case and we may observe when the Lord is pleased to prepare a people for ruine hee then shutts up the doore of their hearts Acts 28.27 in the Acts 28.27 there saith the text The heart of this people is waâ—â—ed gross e and their eares are dull of hearing and their eyes have they closed least they should see with their eyes and heare with their eâ—â—es and understand with their hearts and should be converted and I should heale them in the 24. verse saith the text some beleeved and some beleeved not how comes this to passe now that some beleeved not the reason is â—endred in the 27 verse the heart of this people is waxen fat or gros s e least they should be converted and I should hedle them if a soule will be converted then God will heale it but if the heart of the people be stopped up if the heart be fatted up with sinne and corruption then the Lord will never heale he will never have mercy upon that soule eating and sleeping makes a man naturally to be fat and grosse so it is with the soule when a mans heart feedes upon his corruptions when a man lyes securely in his sinnes this fat 's the soule and this is the fore-runner of confusion some beleeved and some beleeved not why their hearts were fatted up they had no will to receive Christ and Salvation by him and therefore looke as it was with the cure of the Lame man Iohn 5.6 our Saviour saith unto him Iohn 5.6 wilt thou bee made whole so it is in spirituall things the Lord will have a man to will mercy and Salvation by Christ before he will bestow it upon him and therefore in the 5 of Iohn the 40. the text saith Ye will not come to me that you may have life and this is the reason that they had not life and that they were not saved You would not come that you might have life as who should say You must will to come before you can come to have life and when you have once got this will then there is hope that there is life coming but a man must first will life before he can have life so that then the point is cleere and evident namely that a man must will to receive the Lord Iesus and grace before he shall have the Lord Iesus and grace and Salvation by him for the further opening of the point we must observe two passages first what is meant by the will secondly wherein this will discovers it selfe and by that time we shall have somewhat to hold our selves unto And first for the former what is meant by will in this place we must understand that this word will it carryeth a double signification with it And first it discovers that naturall power and faculty wherewith every man is endued to will but this is not meant here viz. the very faculty and power wherby a reasonable man is enabled to will for then every man should have life and salvation for every man hath this naturall will for it is with the soule as with a clocke that runneth the wrong way and striketh false it hath the same wheeles like other clocks but it doth not strike true as other clockes doe and herein lies the difference so it is with the nature of man fallen from God the wheele of his will that is the power of his understanding remaineth still the nature of the soule still existeth but the quality of it is altered this naturall faculty of the will is not meant here for then the devils should be saved for they have a naturall will and therefore in the second place by will in Scripture we must understand the actions and operations which proceed from the
otherwise you never shall you never can receive grace and yet notwithstanding what is that which carryeth away men in the world they are naught and wicked reprove them for it they heale all and make up all presently they beleeve in Christ and they repent them of their sinnes and shall not they bee saved They say indeede that they doe beleeve and they doe repent but the text saith they doe not so and the Lord in his word saith it is not talke it is not wishes but it is the willing of Christ and grace that will obtaine grace In the 15 of Mathew Mat. 15.8 9. and the 8 and 9 verses there saith the text In vaine doe these men worshippe mee for they draw nigh unto mee with their mouth and honour mee with their lippes but their heart is farre from me they draw neere Christ with their lippes that is they speake as good words as can bee they say they are sinners and that the Lord came to save sinners and they are humbled for their sinnes and attend their Church diligently and hurt no body But their hearts are from me saith the text why because that hearts are still upon their sinnes they are as proud as ever as ignorant as ever as vaine as ever their hearts still runne after sinfull courses and wicked practises and therefore away with this talke and such vaine pretences as men make in this case unlesse your hearts goe together with your words all is worth nothing what a fond imagination is this that a man should thinke his words should doe him good when his heart goeth against them when their mouthes professe Christ and their hearts oppose Christ Thou sayest thou prizest Christ above all things and yet thou wilt not lose a base sinne for Christ thou wilt not forsake any wicked lust or corruption for Christ you will say you prize Christ above all and yet many of your prophane drunkards will not lose a cup for Christ nay you will not lose any base custome for Christ you were prophane and you will be so still you were proud and you will bee so still thy heart and thy words doe not goe together and therefore never thinke that thy words will save thee Thou sayest thou beleevest but thy heart saith the contrary thou professest thou hast grace but thy heart denieth it and therefore it is a very sottish conceit to thinke thy words will doe thee any good when thy 〈◊〉 denieth what thy tongue professeth goe home therefore and examine your owne hearts and thinke thus with your selves I have talked much and I have said that I had faith and grace but oh wretch that I am my heart saith the contrary What a wretch am I doe I thinke that God will have mercy on mee because I say and professe that I am a sinner and because I say that I pray unto God for the forgivenesse of my sinnes no no those very words will condemne me because my heart goes not with my words it had beene farre better for these men that they never had spoke these things for these very words will rise up in judgement against them nay these words will keep them from the true willing of grace for they thinke they have it already because they say they have it this is a very dangerous conceit and therefore know that words will not carry all away to say we repent and beleeve and have grace these doe us no good at all wee must will grace before wee shall have grace but this is not a willing but onely a talking of grace The second use is a word of terror to shake the hearts of all wretched sinfull creatures under heaven those whom wee may condemne out of their owne mouthes they professe they will not have grace and therefore wee may conclude they never shall have grace their owne words will witnesse against them for when the Ministers list up their voyces like a Trumpet and cry night and day and cal upon them this is the good and ancient way walke in this way in the way of faith and repentance what answer doe men give they openly professe they will not doe this they will not walke in this way The Lord tendereth grace happinesse and salvation unto us and yet many do professe they will not come they will not attend upon God in his ordinances they will not embrace nor they will not entertaine Christ and grace and salvation they will not come to the meanes of grace and therefore they shall never have grace they never shall bee made partakers of it A man must will grace before he can have grace but you will it not you desire it not and therefore as sure as the Lord liveth you cannot have it Another generation there is that come to the house of God and sit as Gods people do and heare as Gods people doe but their hearts runneth after their covetousnesse when in your soules you can say our bodies are here indeed but our hearts are after our lusts and corruptions after our profits and pleasures if it be thus with you then still you resolve that your hearts shall not will the grace of God and therefore it is cleare and evident that you have not yet received grace Men resolve to doe as they did in the 18 of the Prophecy of Ieremie verse Ier. 18.12 12. They said there is no hope but wee will walke every one after our owne devices and doe the imaginations of our evill heart When the Lord called upon them to walke in the good way oh they would none of that but they would walke after the imaginations of their hearts And did these spirits thinke yee dye in those times are not some such now among us in these times wherein men say wee will not reforme our families nor wee will not pray with them wee will not keepe the Sabbaths nor wee will not leave our swearing and our swaggering our pride and our covetousnesse no all the Ministers under heaven shall not perswade us wee will take up our owne lewd and wicked courses we will bee prophane still and wee will sweare still wee will not amend our lives nor reforme our families in what a miserable accursed damnable estate are those men they will not leave and forsake their lewd practises and therefore they cannot will grace and if they cannot will it then we may certainely conclude they shall never obtaine it But you will say you would leave your wicked courses and reforme your families if you could doe it but you cannot I answer is it nor in your power to plucke your children and your servants into the Lords house on the Sabbath day is it not in your power to use the meanes whereby you may reforme your lives you can doe it but you will not doe it you will take up your owne wayes and your owne practises and therefore the case is plaine you will not take Christ and therefore you shall never have him
Gods love that the Lord should beseech us oh that you would receive pardon for your sinnes and bee blessed for ever why this is wonderfull mercy and admirable goodnesse if this Cord will not draw a man what will do it this makes a poore soule to stand agast and amazed and say good Lord is this possible that the great King of Heaven should come and beseech such a traytor such a rebell as I am to take pardon if the King of England should proclaime a pardon to some notorious Traytor that had plotted some dangerous treason against his person this were much but that the King should lay downe his Crowne and come creeping to him and beseech him upon his knees to take mercy and not to be punished why this is a thing beyond all expectation no man will do this no man should doe this but when the soule shall thinke what a King intreat a Traytor a Rebell a Conquerer intreat a slave to take mercy what shall heaven stoop to earth shall majesty stoope to misery shall the great God of heaven and earth that might have condemned my soule that is a God holy and just and if I had perished and beene damned might have tooke glory by my destruction is it possible is it credible that this God should not only entertayne me when I come and command me for to come but intreat and beseech me to come and receive mercy from him oh the depth of the incomprehensible love of God! imagine you saw God the Father intreating you and God the Sunne beseeching you as he doth this day come now and forsake your sinnes and take mercy which is prepared for you and shall bee bestowed upon you would not this make a soule think thus with it selfe what for a rebell not only to have mercy offered but to bee intreated to receive mercy and pardon why then if I will not take it it were pitty but I should goe to hell and be damned for ever nay I tell you this mercy one day if you refuse it will plunge you into the bottomlesse pit of hell I tell you you were better heare ten Sermons of judgement than one of mercy if you do not take the same when it is offered The Lord hee complaineth why will ye die as I live saith the Lord I desire not the death of a sinner the Lord takes an oath upon it that he desires not the death of a sinner and calls after sinners turne ye turne ye why will ye die ye sinfull sonnes of men Mercy is offered you the Lord Iesus reacheth out his hand to you to pluck the drunkard out of the alehouse and the adulterer out of the company of his whore I tell you you had beene better have beene at the East-Indies where you might never have heard of mercy than slight it when it is offered if you do break this cord I know not what to say unto you this is able to breake a mountaine in peeces shake O mountaines saith the Psalmist why because God hath redeemed Iacob the redemption of Iacob was enough to shake a mountaine when thou hast been a great sinner and heaped up transgression upon transgression and drunk in iniquity like water why yet after all this the Lord offereth mercy unto thee and beseecheth thee to receive it I tell thee if thou wilt not have mercy now it is pitty but thou shouldest goe to the Devill and if thou dost goe to hell then thank thy selfe it was thy owne fault thou mightest have had mercy and wouldest not and this is the third cord of Gods mercy he intreats a poore sinner to come unto him and receive mercy from him but if the soule bee yet awke and untoward and will not come but say if mercy be so free then we will let it alone a while and take it hereafter if God bee so carefull of us then wee will bee a little carelesse our selves why then there remaines but one cord more and if thou breakest this thou art in a miserable condition and that is this The Lord doth wait and stay in long patience suffering Fourth Cord. to see if at any time a sinner will turne unto him our Saviour followes poore sinners from Alehouse to Alehouse and sayes I beseech you you drunkards take mercy and have your sinnes pardoned the Lord tyres himselfe so and wearieth himselfe with waiting one day after another and one weeke after another it may bee this day this weeke this Sabbath this Sermon a sinner will turne unto me what will it never be why are you not ashamed that the Lord Iesus should thus wayt your leisure and follow you from house to house and into the field nay that Christ should every morning appeare unto your understanding and every night come to your bed-side and say let this bee the last night of sinning and the next day the first day of your repenting oh when will you be humbled when will you receive mercy that it may goe well with you and yours for ever why for shame if none of all the other will move you yet let this cord draw you unto the Lord this is the last cord of Gods mercy he stayeth our leisure the Lord will not wait alwaies but hee waiteth a long time for our amendment hee stayed above a hundred yeares for the old world Ier. 13.27 there God taketh upon him the person of a travelling woman oh Ierusalem wilt thou not bee made cleane oh when will it once bee a woman that is in travell and oppressed with paine oh how she expects and longs for her delivery when the throâ— comes then she cryes when will deliverance come and then the throb comes the second time and then she cryes would death would come so deliverance would come and thus her heart breaks almost with waiting in this kind for the birth of the child which is to be delivered God the father doth take upon him the person of a travelling woman he is travelling even unto death untill he can bring forth his first borne untill some soule be converted and brought home unto him oh Ierusalem wilt thou not be cleane oh when will it once be I have wayted one yeare ten yeare twenty yeare forty yeare why when will it once be if a woman should be in travell forty yeares she would be accounted the wonder of the world nay it were impossible she should endure so long but the Lord hath travelled twenty yeares yea forty for the birth of poore sinners and how many throbs think wee hath the Lord endured in this time saying oh yee men of England will you never be cleane when will it once be the Lord thus travels in patience looking when we will receive mercy oh when will it once be will it never be that those proud hearts will be humbled will it never be that those stubborne hearts will be softned will it never be that those unregenerate hearts will be sanctified will it never be that
more could David I have nothing that can purchase favour and mercy at Gods hands no more had Saul and yet God was mercifull to them why hee is as mercifull now as he was then his goodnesse is not diminished nor his mercy abated Lord thou that shewedst mercy to these shew mercy to mee also thou that didst blesse these Lord blesse mee even me also Lord thou bestowest thy mercy freely I beseech thee therefore bestow one drop upon my poore soule Aye but some may cavill now and say Gods mercy is free and therefore hee may as well deny it mee as bestow it upon mee I answer this is true hee may deny it thee as well as give it thee and he may also as well give it thee as deny it thee it is as possible that thou mayest receive mercy and therefore try all meanes possible to obtaine it In the 3. of Ionah the 9. vers there the people of Niniveh say Who can tell if God will turne and repent The Lord there had sent the Prophet Ionah to prophecy against Niniveh That within forty dayes it should be destroyed When the people heard this there was a fast proclaimed and every man was commanded to put on sackcloth and cry mightily to the Lord for who can tell if God will turne and repent and turne away from his feirce anger that we perish not as if they should say We have deserved that this judgement should come upon us and our sinnes have procured it but yet who can tell whither God will turne away from his feirce anger for the Lord is mercifull and freely mercifull and thus doe thou and say I confesse God may confound me for my sinnes but who can tell whither God will have mercy upon me I confesse that God may harden me but who can tell whither he will humble mee I will therefore waite upon him in his ordinances and try if hee will bee mercifull to my poore soule The third use is an use of Exhortation to all poore creatures that are burthened with the burthen of their sinnes and are under the power of them as to bee incouraged to seeke for mercy and to have some hope to obtaine it so also with patience to waite and stay the time of the Lord this should exhort them to come continually into the Congregation of Gods Saints and waite patiently when and what God will bestow upon them according to his good will and pleasure The mercy and grace which God bestoweth upon any is a free gift and therefore if you come into the Assemblies of Gods people to heare Gods word if thou waite upon God in his ordinances one day and have not grace granted unto you nor mercy vouchsafed towards you if you come the next day and yet have it not you must still waite and expect because it is a free gift and therefore as God may give it to whom he will so also when he will and therefore murmure not nor say what shall I come so often and waite so long and pray so much and yet nothing why aye it is a free gift in the 3 of Lament 25.26 the text saith The Lord is good unto them that waite for him it is good that a man should both quietly hope and waite for the salvation of the Lord as it is with the sea when it ebbes the water goeth backe when it flowes and is at the maine it commeth againe now a man that is to take a journey by sea if the comming of the tide be not for his turne and is gone backe hee must waite untill it commeth againe so it is with God in this kinde there is a flow of grace and mercy with him now sometimes God withdraweth his grace from his poore creatures but yet let them cry still and pray still and resolve so to doe still doe not say If God will not succour me and bestow mercy and grace upon me now seeing I have waited so long I will pray no more I will expect no longer will you not so why alas who shal have the worst you will be sure to have the worst of it you that will be so sturdy that because God heares not and helpes not when you will and when you call therefore you will pray no more nor expect no longer you that say you have waited thus long and have not had grace nor mercy vouchsafed unto you and therefore to what end to what purpose should we waite any longer or attend any more why if it be thus with you you may depart if you please who thinke you shall have the worst of itâ— beggers must not be choosers this is not begging of mercy but commanding of mercy at Gods hands this is not to desire that God would give you mercy but that he would follow you with mercy Some man may say What shall I use the meanes so long pray so often and heare Sermons so often and still waite aye and blesse God that thou mayst waite blesse God that thou hast not beene long since confounded that God hath not long before this time sent thee packing to hell but that thou hast still opportunities that thou still hast peace and the meanes of Salvation afforded thee shalt thou waite aye and blesse God that thou mayst waite before thou goest hence and hee no more seene Psal 69.3 Psal 69.3 there saith the Prophet David I am weary of my crying my throat is dryed mine eyes faile while I waite for my God as if he had sayd I have looked this day and heard thy Word this day I have looked up to heaven in prayer and have not â—ound thee I wept this day and mourned this day I have used all meanes my eyes even faile with waiting for my God did David waite thus that was a King and why mayst not thou waite why mayst not thou stay looking for the salvation of the Lord shut downe those proud hearts and lofty spirits of yours which think themselves too good to waite the Lords leisure and reason with your own soules say why is not my heart humbled why are not my corruptions subdued and abated as well as others checke and subdue all those bublings of Spirit in the beginning see what Paul did when his heart began to grapple with God why who art thou O man saith he that thou liftest up thy selfe against God as if hee had sayd Art not thou a damned creature sinfull dust and ashes why who art thou O man that thou shouldest doe thus so when thy heart beginnes to rise against God suppresse those distempers and say who art thou damned sinnefull soule that darst thus stand against God what if I had gone to hell long before this why I had had my portion if I had beene confounded long since and sent roaring to hell my sinnes had merited it and therefore well may I waite for mercy and thanke God that I may waite downe with those proud imaginations and lofty thoughts that arise
and Salvation by him there is also a cursed kinde of Hypocrites which professe saire and much they say they will doe for the Lord Iesus Ier. 24.20 but they are like unto those in the 42. of Ieremy the 20. verse marke what the text saith there Yee dissembled in your hearts wheâ— you sent me to the Lord our God saying Pray for us unto the Lord our God and according unto all that the Lord our God shall say so declare unto us and wee will doe it So there are many that make a faire outside and will take up holy duties and they will be professing and talking of God but there must be more than this there must be a willing of grace besides a professing of grace you pretend faire and promise this and purpose that but when it commeth to you you fly off and you will have your owne liberty your heart is double you say you will reforme your wayes and yet you will be idle still and loose still and therefore you never yet willed Christ you never yet prized him aright you never truely chose him and therefore as sure as the Lord liveth Christ is not yours if the condition bee not performed by you you shall never bee made partakers of that which is promised upon the performance of that condition if you will Christ and grace then indeed you have Christ and grace but you never willed Christ and therefore it is evident you never had Christ Deut. 29.4 In the 29. of Deut. 4. vers there saith the text The Lord hath shewed you great wâ—nders and discovered many mercies unto you and you the Lord hath not given you a heart to perceive and eyes to see and eares to heâ—re unto this very day and therefore go home and mourne for yourselves and reason with your soules and say what after all ouâ— profession bearing praying talking after all the cost and care that God hath bestowed upon us have we not yet a heart to will grace and desire the Lord Iesus many mercies have beene vouchsafed unto us many judgements removed from us there is no nation that God hath dealt so mercifully with as with us we have peace yet and the Gospell yet and prosperity yet and yet for all this to this very day God hath not given us a heart to receive grace and the things belonging to our everlasting peace and therefore wives mourne for your husbands in secret and say oh my husband what hath not God yet given thee a heart to feare him and fathers mourne for your children that are not yet in the state of grace and say oh my sonne not yet a heart that God hath given thee to sanctifie a Sabboth and to leave off thy wickâ—d courses and friends mourne you also one for another and say oh my friend what not yet a heart to humble thy selfe and to feare the name of God thus mourne in secret and say God hath done this and this for thee and hast thou not yet a heart not yet a will to entertaine Christ the world carries al pleasure carries all profit beares all away malice carries away all The promises and Commandements of God are despised and hast thou not yell a heart to beleeve the promises and prize the Lawes of â—od above liberty and peace profit and pleasure there is nothing wanting on Gods part hee gives peace still and the Gospell still and yet not a heart all this while to feare God and keepe his Commandements thou hast a good house and good land and many mercies are vouchsafed unto thee and not yet a good heart what a misery is this not yet a will to embrace Christ and receive grace why what a lamentable condition is this and therefore in the last place it is a word of Exhortation to every soule here present to labour now to begin at the right end and take a right course and follow the path that God hath chalked out unto us in a word we see it is come to this passe that all is grown to an outside every man must be a Christian go to heaven and all the argument is this because a man can talke well of religion but this is not the right way the willing of grace must goe before the receiving of grace and therefore go home and examine your selves whether grace bee truely wrought and fashioned in you or no and reason thus with your owne hearts and say it is not enough to bring my mouth and profession to the Word of the Lord but heart what sayst thou in the meane time I can talke of religion and many good matters but will what sayst thou in the meane time dost thou prize Christ above all things dost thou choose Christ and grace above all other things in the world whatsoever heart what sayst thou dost thou open thy selfe and close with him and dost thou purpose never to forsake him Deut. 32.42 in the 32 of Deut. 42. there saith Moses to the people Set your hearts to all the words which I testifie among you this day for it is not a vaine thing for you because it is your life and through this thing you shall prolong your dayes so say I set your hearts to the word labour to set your soules to the word of God for it is not a vaine word it is your life and length of your daies it is not talking of Christ but it is the willing of Christ from the heart that will obtaine Christ and Salvation by him We have spoken already of the reasonablenesse of the condition whosoever will may receive grace and that freely and now we come to the universality of it the work of the Spirit is tendered to every one whosoever will give way thus unto it grace is set open to all and proclamed to all that will take it upon those tearmes before spoken of therfore saith the Text Whosoever will let him take of the water of life the word in the originall is every willing man there is no man exempted no man debarred no man hindred to take grace upon those tearmes if he will condiscend to Gods conditions be he what he will be naturally either in regard of sins and corruptions or in regard of poverty or infirmities whatsoever his naturall condition be yet if he wil but agree to Gods conditions if he will but choose and prize Christ above all other things â—he shall receive him and grace and salvation by hiâ—â—â— so that the doctrin is this Whosoever in truth doth will to have Christ shall receive him and salvation by him the Text doth not say Whosoever saith Lord Lord shall have Christ and grace but the willing soule he shall have him not the talâ—eing man nor the presuming man nor the glorying man but the willing man so that this is the point Whosoever in good earnest and in truth will have Christ shall receive Christ and salvation by him in the 10. of Luke ver 5 6.
Christ he would direct me if this my wretched damned soule would give entertainement to Christ he would receive me Oh! what wonderfull love mercy and goodnesse is herein discovered there can no better way be devised how God may expresse more love and shew greater mercy toward us it is the Psalmists phrase open thy mouth wide and I will fill thee lie doth not say goe and provide for your selves and feede yourselves no no the provision is made ready and we need only open our mouthes wide and God will fill them marke here the wonderfull riches of Gods bounty what greater care of provision can be expressed or expected than this that a man should onely open his mouth and that wide and it should be filled it is not spoken of the mouth naturally but of the soule spiritually doe but thou open thy soule and empty thy heart of all other things whatsoever doe but get a heart willing to welcome and give entertainement to the Lord Iesus Christ and he will fill thee full of grace here and glory for ever hereafter this is the bounty of the Lord it is the Lords mercy and goodnesse and it should it ought to be mervailous in our eyes as the Psalmist speaketh in another case we ought to admire the goodnesse of the Lord in that he is pleased to offer us Christ and Salvation upon so reasonable conditions and this is the first use Secondly the second use is a word of terrour it shewes in the second place the just and heavie condemnation of all such as perish they are damned and goe to hell and everlasting destruction because they will be damned for if you would have had Christ and grace you might have received Christ and Grace and Salvation by him Every man that will let him take of the water of life freely let him receive mercy and grace and Salvation and therefore if you have not grace it is because you will not have it and therefore if you perish thanke your selves for you would not bee saved there is never a soule this day in hell buâ— received the fruites of his owne labour the reward of their owne workes and the desire of their owne hearts nay they have their owne will if thou wilt not be recovered and receive mercy offered why then thou must be damned and perish forever he that will not receive the Lord Iesus and entertaine grace so that he may goe to heaven t is pitty but he should be damned into the lowermost pit of everlasting ruine and destruction when men come to this passe once that they are not willing to be the treasury of God but are weary to heare the Word of God preached unto them one houre and notwithstanding God hath revealed himselfe in his Word and that with some glimpse yet wicked men would not be under the power of it because they would have their profits and pleasures and enjoy their lusts and coruptions they will not forsake their lusts and abandon their abominations and receive Christ and mercy when the case stands thus with men it is just with God to plunge them into everlasting misery in the 8 of Prov. 36. there saith the text He that sinneth against me wrongeth his owne soule Prov. 8.36 all they that hate me love death they that hate me saith the text that is they that hate wisedome love death by wisedome there is meant the Lord Iesus revealing the wisedome of the Father in the Word now he that hateth this Word of God he that will not be informed by this Word he that will not be directed by it he that will not be humbled by it his soule taketh up armes against Gods ordinances why he loves death both naturally and eternally when the wrath of God ceaseth upon him he hath that which he loveth you loved this you loved death you have it you loved damnation you doe enjoy it and it is merveilous just with God thus to deale with you you cannot blame God for this but your selves wicked men are desirous to be rid of God and freed from the Counsell of God that may chalke them out the way to Salvation and they desire nothing the knowledge of Gods lawes many wicked carnall man doth not desire the good and Salvation of his owne soule he doth not desire the preaching of the Word for the reformation of his life and the humbling of his soule and directing of him in the wayes of Gods Commandements they say to God now depart from us we care not for thy lawes we will not walke after thy Commandements if he at the last day say unto you Depart from me ye workers of iniquity I know you not then you shall have your desire when the heavens shall melt away with fire and the Sunne and the Moone shall be darkned when all flesh shall appeare before the judgement seate of God at that day men and Angels shall heare the dreadfull doome which shall passe upon you by the Lord you contemned my word and ordinances and therefore away from me ye cursed into everlasting destruction prepared for the devill and his Angels you desired not to be informed you would not be humbled you refused to be directed by my word when it was preached unto you but you desired to fulfill your lusts and enjoy your profits and your pleasures you did not desire to be saved and therefore now you shall have your desire you shall be damned and therefore depart from me I know you not You would have your pride when you were upon the earth when you are in hell you may be as proud as you will you would have your malice when you are in hell you may have your desire you may have your fill of maliciousnesse in hell you may have elbow roome enough to satiate your selves in your lusts and sinfull abominations when the soule of a man doth secretly desire that the Word may not worke upon him then it is just with God to grant that desire of his soule it were just with God that the Word should never worke more that the Spirit should never strive more that mercy and Salvation should never be offered any more that man shall then have what he desired and he may blame himselfe for whatsoever judgement falls upon him in the 2 of Thess 2.12 there saith the text 2 Thess 2.12 that they all might be damned which beleeved not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousnesse marke that hee speakes before of those that would not entertaine the truth and the love of it but when God made knowne his will and the way of Salvation they did not love that nicenesse they cared not for that exactnesse and holinesse why what doe you love then saith God upon what is your love placed upon what is the desire of your soule fixed oh saith the text They tooke pleasure in unrighteousnesse in contemning opposing hindring and despising the good Word of God and therefore they shall be damned when a
man is not able to abide an admonition when he cannot endure to be informed or councelled exhorted or reproved when the ministers nor the Word of God can have any power over men when these poore creatures shall come into hell then they shall have elbow roome to fulfill their lusts and corruptions wherein they so much delighted they tooke pleasure in wickednesse they would not they could not abide the meanes of grace and salvation you would have no reproofes you would endure no admonitions it was well with you when you had no ministers to checke and reproove you but alas poore soule when you are gone downe into the bottomelesse pit of everlasting perdition then you may have your full swing then you shall never be reprooved more then you shall never be councelled more you shall never be admonished more you shall then never be prayed for any more but be damned in hell for ever from everlasting to everlasting you shall then have your full pleasure in your sinnes is it not just with God that you who would live in wickednesse and prophanenesse and would not receive grace and mercy when it was offerd that God should give you up to the hardnes of your owne hearts and blindnesse of your owne minds send you into everlasting condemnation for ever First look as it is with a malefactor that is convicted of high treason for plotting some wicked practise against his Prince or for proceeding into rebellion for the overthrow of his Countrey after all the sinnefull passages of his be discovered and made knowne both to himselfe and the world if the King after this make the Proclamation that if hee will leave of his wicked enterprizes hee shall be pardoned nay if the King shall send message after message unto him secretly to tell him that if he now will lay downe armes and take his pardon he shall freely be remitted and graciously received into favour if this Traytor shall rather fling away his pardon then his weapons I appeale to your owne consciences in this case if the King should â—â—ife an army and overcome him and take him and execute him without any pitty or mercy is he not justly rewarded what will the world say they will say execution and death is too good for him so he had a faire offer of pardon if hee had had a heart to receive it hee had pardon proclamed unto him nay the King sent messenger after messenger to tell him that if he would stoope to him he should receive mercy and favour from him and therefore seeing be refused and neglected so kinde an offer he is executed justly it is pitty but condemnation should befall him because hâ— would not take the meanes of consolation this is the condition of every poore soule under Heaven truely we are all Rebels and Traytors against Heaven by our â—â—thes and blasphemies we fet our mouâ—â— against Heaven we have often taken up armes against God and yet after all our pride and stubbornenesse and loosenesse and prophanenesse and contempt of Gods Word and Ordinances and yet the Lord is pleased to proclame mercy still to every one that will receive it all you that have dishonoured my name all you that have prophaned my Sabbaths and contemned my Ordinances all you cursed wretches come come who that will and take pardon let them lay aside all their weapons and receive it and salvation by him when it is offered to them and they shall have their sinnes forgiven and they shall be received to mercy now if any soule will stand out against God and say I will not have Christ and Salvation but will shift for my selfe and try it out to the last I will walke in my owne wayes and take up my owne courses I will be proud still I will breake Gods Sabbaths still and I will be malicious still and breake Gods Commandements still if any man shall be thus disposed if then the great God of Heaven and Earth shall come with tenne thousand thousand of judgements and execute them upon that man if he shall bring a whole legion of devils and say Take him devils and torment him devils in hell forever because he would not have mercy when it was offered he shall not have mercy because he would not have Salvation when it was tendered unto him therefore let him have everlasting condemntion if God should thus deale with that man the Lord should be just in so doing and he justly miserable And this is the second use it is an use of terror to all those that will not receive Christ and grace and salvation by him Thirdly in the third place it is a word of exhortation it should set an edge upon your desires and provoke your soules to give no sleepe to your eyes nor slumber to your eye-lids to give no quiet to your soules nor contentment to your hearts untill you have brought your soules to be willing to receive Christ Iesus you are the Spouse of Iesus Christ it is good for you therefore to consider and thinke of your estate in this kind if you will but have Christ that is all he careth for if he can but get your good wils he lookes for no more and therefore you are to consider of it and lie at your hearts daily you should daily be perswading of your soules and never cease till you have brought your hearts in some measure to be willing to receive the Lord Iesus and bid him welcome and give entertainement unto him and the more to prevaile with you in this case consider of the reasonablenesse of the condition and this may be a motive to provoke your soules hereunto because the offer is marveilous easie as faire as can be the tearmes of agreement are as faire as any heart can desire nay there is very good consideration in the goodnesse which the Lord hath tendred to us and that is thus much If we will but receive Christ Iesus all that he hath shall be ours the treasures of wisdome and grace and salvation they shall be all ours if we will but entertaine the Lord Iesus let us therefore reason with our owne soules and commune with our owne spirits concerning this gratious offer of salvation the soule should say What hath the Lord offered salvation at so easie a rate will hee notwithstanding what ever I have beene heretofore full of corruptions and abhominations though my soule stands guilty of my sinnes and distempers though I bee possessed with many weakenesses and infirmities yet notwithstanding all this will the Lord be pleased to pardon all to supply all to passe by all onely upon this condition if I will welcome and entertaine him may I have Christ for taking of him may I receive grace for carrying it away why good Lord if I will not doe this for Christ and grace I will do nothing doth God require no more why then if grace and mercy and salvation bee not worth this they are worth nothing if I will
not doe this I will doe nothing for eternall life this is that God expects all that he lookes for Every man that will let him take grace and mercy and that freely In the 2 of King 5.13 the text saith of Naaman the â—â—â—irian 2 King 5.13 when hee came to Elisha the man of God to bee healed the Prophet sent a messenger unto him saying Goe and wash seven times in Iordan and thy flesh shall come againe to thee and thou shalt bee cleane Now hee being a man of authority and of some place he tooke this somewhat in disdaine that hee should send a messenger out unto him and bid him wash seven times in Iordan hee was wrath and went away and sayd Behold I thought hee would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God and stroke his hand over the place and remoove the Leper hee did thinke the Prophet would have done some great matter unto him and therefore when hee saw that he bid him goe wash seaven times in Iordan he went away in a kind of indignation but then his servants they came neare to him in the 13. 2 King 5 13. verse and said My father if the Prophet had bid thee c. As who should say if you will not doe so small a matter to be cured you will doe nothing So I say to every soule here present if the Lord had required a great matter of us whereby we might attaine salvation if hee had required a thousand Rams 10. thousand rivers of Oyle if he had required the first borne of our body for the sinne of our soules if the Lord had enjoyned every soule of us to live howling crying all the dayes of our life for mercy if hee had commanded us to goe into a Chamber secretly and there to fall upon our knees and pray unto him continually for mercy untill our eyes had failed with looking up to heaven for mercy untill our hands had beene wearied with holding them up to heaven untill our tongues had beene hoarse with crying for mercy and untill our hearts failed us and fainted within us if at the very last gaspe wee should be crying for mercy and did 〈◊〉 then receive one drop of it it would quit cost it would be worth our labour if the Lord had required all things whatsoever of you for one drop of mercy if you had had your eyes about you yâ—â— would have given them but what a wonderfull goodnesse is this that the Lord should require nothing at our hands for Christ and grace and salvation but a will to receive them let me presse this a little further if God had required a great thing of you would you not have done it to have beene saved how much more when it commeth to this once that it is at a lower rate then wee can desire or expect it should bee onely be willing to take mercy and you shall have it doe but carry away grace and it is your owne for ever I cannot conceive of any easier tearme whereby God might better expresse his wonderfull goodnesse towards us wilt thou receive Christ and salvation by himâ— why then thou mayst have him nay the Lord even forceth his commodities and his favour upon us he doth not onely offer us this but he forces it upon us in this kind he is not onely willing that we should receive Christ if wee be but willing to take him but the Lord himselfe doth beseech us that wee will be reconciled unto him and receive mercy from him and be blessed for ever Take notice of this unmatchable and unconceiveable mercy of the Lord in that he offereth Christ and the meanes of salvation upon so easie conditions and at so low a rate if wee can but will Christ wee shall have Christ and salvation by him nay we shall not onely receive Christ if we will entertaine him but the Lord himselfe doth beseech us to take mercy at his hands aske your owne soules therefore if it bee not equall that you should entertaine the offer of Christ thus pronounced unto you But be â—â—les as a further motive hereunto consider that as the termes are equall and easie so the commodity also in the second place is worth the price and this may also inforce our hearts to forsake all for the getting of the possession of this goodnesse which wee stand so in neede of if the commodity were not good though the condition were caste and the price reasonable it were theâ— indeed something wee could thinke to mend ourselves in another place but here as the termes are most easie so the good is farre better than can bee conceived you cannot mend yourselves goe whither you will use what meanes you will If you will have Christ what then will you have as men use to say when a man hath a commodity offered him a good penny worth and hee knowes not a good bargainâ— when he hath it marke what Chapmen will say Oh say they you will goe further and speed worse just so it is here it is the woefullâ—â—â— thing under heaven for â—en not to know when they have a good bargainâ— and when they are weâ— dealt withall To refuse mercy and salvation when it is offered them and that upon so easie termes and at so low a rate for what will you have if you will not have Christ if you will nor have grace and salvation why what will you have upon what will you bestow your hearts you will have your sinnes and corruptions and not grace and mercy you will have damnation and not salvation you will have hell you will not have heaven you will be like the Iewes who refused Christ and chose Barrabas a murtherer for whensoever a soule refuseth the Lord Iesus it is certaine that he chooseth a Barrabas if you refuse the one you must needes receive the other and then consider which is best you will not have Christ and salvation what will you then have hell damnation confusion and destruction you will not bee happy and therefore you must bee miserable and therefore this is observeable the Lord hath sent from heaven this day and offered salvation and happinesse to men as freely as ever any man had any thing offered I come this day from the Lord to enquire how the case standeth and how the match goeth forward betweene Christ and you Let me therefore goe to your soules and answer you mee unto my question the offer of grace you see is free the condition is easie the price is reasonable whither now will you have mercy and salvation or no you little ones you young ones that have beene married to profits and pleasures to lusts and corruptions the Lord Iesus is become a great suter to you all this day and I am Christs spoksman to speake a good word for him be not oh bee not squeamish and coy and say afterward you will speake with him and tell him how
your minde stands deferre not the time but welcome him and give entertainment unto him now presently do not put him off with delayes but presently embrace his kinde offer and be married unto him for if you will not now take him he will come in a flaming fire hereafter to take vengeance of you all that now refuse and reject him and therefore I beseech you let 〈◊〉 get your good will for this every man that will let him take grace and salvation freely tell mâ—â— then will you have mercy and salvation oh take heed of refusing it for if you do the time will come when you shall never have it though you never so earnestly desire it if you obtaine it you are made for ever if you enjoy it not you are for ever damned returne therefore I beseech you a comfortable answere to the demand which the Lord maketh if you will receive grace and Christ and Salvation from him then speake to the Lord in this case let your soules answere him cheerefully we will Lord the Lord saith come unto me ye sinfull sonnes of men and I will hâ—ale your rebellions answere the Lord and say we come Lord for thou art our God thinke upon this and worke your soules hereunto graâ—nt Christ your good wills in this kind if you will but prize him and choose him above all things in this world if you be resolved to cleave onely to him and forsake all other things in the world for him if your soules be but willing to receive Christ I proclaime mercy and salvation unto you we are as I told you before Christs messengers sent to speake a good word for Christ and to get your good wills for him oh that we may have our errant from you shall I say to the Lord Iesus all the poore soules that have heard the Word this day and received the tender of Salvation this day I have all their hands they have all writ downe their names that they will have Christ and they will have salvation offered unto them is it thus with you if it be so then I may goe and returne a chearefull answer to Christ but doe not doe not I beseech you give me the deniall doe not say I cannot live by grace I must provide for family for wife and children can you not so why I must not take this answer from you let not Gods messengers go drooping to heaven and returne this uncomfortable answer to the Lord in this case let us not say we offered mercy no body would receive it we tendred salvation but no body regarded it shall we returne this answer no no we must have another answer from you and therefore I beseech you worke yet more upon your soules and turne unto us a chearefull answer in this case for God looketh for a comfortable answer he wooeth from heaven and therefore never give her the deniall Deut. 5.29 In the 5. of Deut. 29. Oh that there were such a heart in my people to feare me and keepe my Commandements that it may goe well with them and with their children after them thus hee writeth thus wee speake what answer shall wee have from you that you will not have Christ and you will not have grace and salvation Oh take heede of this wee come for your hearts and wee must have your hearts therefore shut up your doores against all other lovers and come and say cheerefully wee will Lord wee will cleave to thee onely goe home therefore and whatsoever you now resolve this way persevere in it and take heed that no man inveagle you and withdraw your love from the Lord Iesus and when you come at home reason with your owne soules and say Lord I have followed raâ—ties heretofore I have had profits and pleasures do looke after but now I care for nothing but for the Lord Iesus if I may but have him I care for nothing else I â—are not whether I ever see good day againe or no and therefore if pleasures call if profits entise if lusts and corruptions stirre then I will answer I am married to Christ I will have Christ and I will have salvation nothing shall make mee forsake him thus cleave fast unto Christ forever let every soule resolve that hath heard mee this day that they will have Christ and let them take heede that they never start backe from him and say to your soâ—â—es before so many witnesses in the Congregation the Lord called and asked whither I would have him and I answered I was willing and what shall I now breake off my resolutionâ— no never doe it for shame for if you doe for sake Christ and do not keepe close to your resolution at the last day when the Angels of God a whole Congregation shall come and witnesse against you what a miserable estate will you then bee in therefore resolve to hold fâ—st to Christ and keepe this resolution unto the end 1 COR. 2.14 The naturall man receiveth noâ— the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnesse unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned WEE have propounded heretofore five generall circumstances of preparation First a man must know that the offer of grace is free Secondly that a man must will Christ and grace before hee shall have Christ grace Thirdly he that doth will Christ shall have Christ and salvation by him all which we have already handled out of that place Revel 22.17 Whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely And now wee are come to the fourth circumstance which is that no man by nature can will Christ and Grace and for this purpose I have chosen this Text. And a little to make way for our selves if you take your eyes backe to the beginning of the Chapter about the 3 4 and 5. Verses you may see how the holy Apostle doth expresse his earnest desire to preach nothing not know any thing but Christ Iesus and him crucified and therefore hee lookes not after the excellencie of humane eloquence or wisedome of men though hee could have had this too and happily expressed this also yet hee proclaimes it in the eares of the Corinthian Doctours that hee desired nothing in that Vniversity for Corinth was a famous Vniversity as Cambridge and Oxford is but to know the Lord Iesus and him crucified and therefore his speech and preaching was not with entising words of mans wisedome but in demonstration of the spirit and of power the Corinthâ—an Doctors bragged of that humane wisedome and learning wherewith they were endued but hee tells them he desired not this nor never lookâ— after it Now least some might cavill at the Apostles neglecting of this elegance whereby 〈◊〉 might sugar over his doctrine that was to be dâ—â—â—vered by him to the people least by the nor regarding of this he might bring a neglect upon himselfe and upon his doctrine the Apostle therefore to remoove these filly objections and secret
why though you be not able yet here is the comfort of a poore foule the worke is the Lords and he whose worke it is is able to bring it to passe what though thou beest weake yet God is strong and therefore quiet thy soule and content thy heart a man may say I have a hard heart from within and it will receive no good from without the Word prevailes not the Sacraments have no power over me why all the meanes and cost and charges that God hath bestowed upon me is lost and my heart is not yet humbled my corruptions are not yet weakened be yet comforted though meanes cannot doe it which God useth at his pleasure though these cannot doe it yet the Lord can doe it there is nothing hard or difficult to him that hath hardnesse it selfe at command hee is a God which hath all things at command hee can command the devill himselfe and therefore hee hath the hardnesse of thy heart at command also there is nothing hard to him that hath hardnesse at his command nay though all things be impossible to man yet nothing is impossible with God God can doe what man not meanes cannot the Lord hee sheweth mercy upon us why because wee will no because he wills and though we cannot cast away our sinnes yet the Lord will remove them Oh then saith the soule this is somewhat comfortable that the Lords mercie depends not upon my will but upon Gods will And I would tell you somewhat by experience in this kinde for I knew one that was over whelmed with dispaire a whole yeare together because hee thought hee had committed the sinne against the holy Ghost and yet at last was comforted by this meanes he refolved with himselfe if my conversion were in my will onely then I should be damned but it is not because I will but because God will doe good to my poore soule aye but the soule will say I confesse it is not in my will but it is in Gods will that hee sheweth mercy and this is some comfort yet but oh my corruptions are old sinnes of a long time can those be pardoned they are become as another nature in me can those therefore be removed yes the Lord is able to remove those also for saith the Prophet the Lord hath laid salvation upon the mightie so that though thy corruptions be mightie and powerfull yet there is a mighty God that is able to undoe that cursed combination that is betweene thy soule and thy corruptions and therefore quiet thy selfe in the consideration hereof and say I must confesse that I have many corruptions but the mighty Lord of hosts hath promised that hee will take away my stony heart and give me a heart of flesh and hee is able to doe it also be herein quieted and supported and looke up to heaven for comfort In the third place it is a word of exhortation to all those that are in the bond of iniquitie and under the power of Satan to those which carry a stony heart about them it is a word of exhortation to these see your owne wants and be exhorted in the name of the Lord Iesus to have recourse to this great God and intreate him to take away your stony heart from you looke as it is with men if there be a Physition of excellent skill that cures all diseases that are brought unto him why then all men will repaire to him why so it is here God alone is able to doe this cure for us and herefore he should have our custome if a man should set up a bill upon the market post that he would cure all that come to him which were troubled with the stone in the reines or any other grievous disease and if wee should meete with many comming from him that were healed by him why then wee would be ready to say such a one went and hee was healed such a one went and hee was cured and this will stirre up all to repaire unto him and every one would bring those that appertaine unto them and were troubled with this disease unto him that they might be cured by him the Lord hath set up a bill this day that he will cure all those that come unto him of their stony heart and all the Sonnes of God have found proofe hereof to the comfort of their owne soules the Lord is hee that will doe this hee will take away your stony heart you wives therefore that have husbands which have stony hearts and you parents that have children that are troubled with stony hearts goe home with comfort and tell them that you have heard this day of a Phisitian that will undertake to cure them of this disease and exhort them therefore to repaire unto him Our Saviour Christ when hee had healed many of their diseases the Text saith in the third of Matthew That all came unto him and brought their sicke that hee might heale them In the bowells of the Lord Iesus be intreated you that have stony hearts to goe unto the Lord that so you may be cured you were better have a milstone about your neckes then have this stony heart we have all of us this stony heart more or lesse as it is with a man that hath beene cured of a disease perhaps the disease is much mitigated but there will still be much weakenes and some reliques of the disease remaining in him a long time after So the Sonnes of God have the strength of this stony heart somewhat lessened and abated in them but they are not altogether freed from it but those that were never cured of this disease those that never had this stony heart in any measure removed they were better have a milstone about their neckes for it will sinke them into the bottomlesse pit of hell and destruction if death take them away while they carrie this stony heart about them they will be surely damned therefore 〈◊〉 them as they love their owne soules be 〈…〉 and perswaded to come to this Physitian God 〈◊〉 I will take away your stony hearts and I will 〈◊〉 you hearts of flesh come therefore and 〈…〉 selves to the hammer of God that your stony hearts may be taken away when you 〈◊〉 this Ministers teach then say Lord I beseech 〈◊〉 teach thou mee in the meane time when the Minister perswades then say Lord doe thou over rule and perswade this sinnefull heart of mine take thou away this power of corruptions which is in my heart and remove thou the rebellions of my heart goe home and be exhorted to goe to this Physition and importune the Lord in this case put him in minde of all those many savours which he hath vouchsafed to you put the Lord in remembrance of that which he hath desired in his Word Oh that people had such hearts as would feare me and keepe my Commandements alwayes say unto the Lord that it is as easie for him to create such hearts in you as to
doth beseech thee to give way to this exhortation of his all meanes should have beene embraced all opportunities should have beene entertained all Ministers should have beene heard and regarded but principally these things belonging to thy peace especially in this thy day 〈◊〉 not to have beene rejected thy Saviour above all other should not have beene refused and conâ—â—â—ned and then hee falls a weeping and then 〈◊〉 mournes Oh that thou hadst knowne these things in this thy day and then his heart even breakâ—◠〈◊〉 hee weepes againe Oh but now they bee hidden from thine eyes thou shalt never receive the like favour againe the like opportunitie shall never hereafter bee offered Wee will first handle the fir circumstance but before I can come to deliver the poin plainely and nakedly give mee leave a little to open the meaning of this word day knâ—w therefore thus much that this word in phrase of Scripture discovereth unto us that time or that percell of time which God hath set out in his providence for any particular service As it was in the creation of the world when the Lord made all things the Lord turned an houre glasse as it were and set downe the time wherein every thing was made God said let there bee light and there was light and the evening and the morning was the first day then God said let there be a firmament and there was so and the evening and the morning were the second day and here is the stoppe and stay that God maketh to the creature as who should say as every thing hath a day wherein it was made so every thing hath a day wherein it workes and the Lord hath limited a certaine time to every action that every creature is able to performe and which God requires of it so that observe a mans day in generall is nothing but the time of his lifeâ— besides this a day discovereth the passages of Gods providence and that speciall nicke of opportunitie that God hath layd out for every particular act as God hath appointed a day wherein anguish and greefe shall come upon us and that is sayd to bee the day of trouble â—all upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver you saith the Psalmist there is a day of tryall also in the third of Hebr. 8. harden not your hearts as in the day of tryall or temptation in the Wildernesse and there is a day of visitation also as wee may see in this Chapter verse 44. They 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 knewst not the day of thy visitation Ierusalem was like a sicke person as indeede all sinners are sicke men now the Lord Iesus being the great Physition of the world came to visit Ierusalem When he sent his balme from Gilead the glad tidings of grace and salvation then the Lord did visit Ierusalem for the healing comforting and saving of her and this was Ierusalem day So that then the day of a man is the time of his life together with that parcell of time that God hath alotted him for every particular worâ—e and the day of a man which belongs to his visitation is that particular opportunitie wherein grace is offered and salvation tendred unto him as there is a day of trouble and a day of tryall so in the third place there is a day of salvation and a day of visitation which is that particular season wherein God sends his faithfull messengers to dispense the meanes of life and salvation unto a people O that thou hadst knowne as if Christ should have said O yee inhabitants of Ierusalem while the word of life lasteth and the meanes of grace and salvation is continued unto you this is your day and this is the meaning of the word every man hath his day more or lesse as Ierusalem had when the meanes of salvation were discovered unto it The doctrine with which we will grapple is thus much namely That while life is continued the meanes of grace salvation afforded to a people that is the season wherein God meaneth to worke upon their hearts effectually that they may receive life and salvation It is true when Corne failes God can send Manna from heaven God can use extraordinary meanes to bring men to life and salvation and happinesse but men must not looke now for extraordinary conversions they must not expect to be miraculously saved as in former times some were when the meanes of salvation was revealed onely to the people of the Iewes Rahab indeede and Iob that had not the meanes of salvatition so apparently revealed unto them but had onely â—â—inckling of the happinesse that God had wrought for his people this wrought upon them and prevailed with their hearts and by the power of the Almighty God brought them to the knowledge of the things belonging to salvation But in the common course of God if ever soule now be converted it must be by the ministery of the word that is our day that is our time that is the speciall season wherein God will vouchsafe to looke upon poore sinners and convert them unto himselfe if a man were not alive meanes would not profit him and if a man were alive and had no meanes hee could get no good neither but when both these goe together then is the time wherein God offereth life and salvation then is the season wherein God if ever will worke upon the soule of a sinner to make him fit to entertaine things belonging to his peace We must handle two parts in the point first that a mans life is part of this season secondly that the meanes offered in that season is the making up of the point wee will prove both parts severally and then make uses of them both together First wee will proove that the time of a mans life is part of the season wherein God will worke effectually upon him for his everlasting comfort Eccles 9.10 in the in the ninth of Ecclesiastes 10. there saith the wise man Whatsoever thy hand findeth to doe doe it with thy might for there is no worke nor device nor knowledge nor wisedome in the grave whither thou goest as though he had sayd if there be any thing that God requireth of thee If there be any duty that ought to be discharged by the labour whilst thou livest to doe it And now be carefull to performe it for when death shall close thine eyes and thy body returneth to the grave then there is no more teaching no more hearing no more expecting of grace and mercy from God and wee shall finde in course of Scripture that a man shall receive according tot hat he hath done in the flesh while a man lives here he is in the time of trading and the time after this life is the time of enjoying in this life is the time of labouring and the time to come
is the time of rewarding as our trading and labouring is here in this life so shall our injoying and rewarding be hereafter in the life to come A◠〈◊〉 soweth so shall a man reape Gal. 6.8 if hee sow to the flesh he shall reape to the flesh Gal. 6.8 if hee yeeld to the corruptions of his owne nature and gives way thereunto and be carried aside thereby hee shall have the wages of sinne but hee that is willing for to stoope to the Commandements of God he that serves God here and walkes uprightly before him shall receive everlasting life and eternall happinesse hereafter and so much for the proofe of the first Point after this life is once ended there is no hope of life and salvation Secondly together with our lives wee must also have the meanes of grace continued unto us for the making up of that season wherein God will if ever fit us and prepare us for mercy I meane by the meanes of grace the preaching of the Gospell for this was one part of Ierusalems day here spoken of and therefore this is the second part of every mans day namely when we have the glad tidings of the Gospell vouchsafed unto us 2 Cor. 6.2 in 2. Cor. 6.2 the Apostle doth conclude that when the meanes of life and salvation is afforded this is the time of salvation he laieth his finger as it were upon the season of life and happinesse for he saith I have heard thee in a time accepted and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee now some may say when is this time of salvation The Apostle doth particularly make this good in the words following now saith hee behold is the accepted time behold now is the day of salvation Now while the Lord is pleased to vouchsafe the meanes of grace and salvation to you and to send the Doctrine of salvation among you why now is the time accepted now is the day of your salvation Luke 19.9 and therefore Luke 19.9 Zacheus when hee had a strong desire to see Christ and to meete with the Lord Iesus and could not by reason of the prease hee gets him out of the croud and came before into a Sycamore tree that so hee might the better behold him but before Zacheus could see Christ Christ saw him and calleth to him Make haste Zacheus and come downe for to day I must abide at thy house and Zacheus made haste and came downe joyfully and then the Lord Iesus when hee came with him to his house said unto him this day is salvation come unto this house why because this day hee was made the sonne of Abraham as wee may see in the words following this day it pleased Christ to bring that desire of Zacheus unto some perfection this was the day of Zacheus while then the Word is revealed and while the meanes of happinesse is laid open while God makes a tender of grace and salvation to a soule this is the day of every mans salvation so then wee have the proofe of the point plaine out of Scripture namely that while life and the meanes last that is the season that God hath appointed and set apart to doe good to the soules of those whom hee meaneth to convert unto himselfe The next thing to be considered is the reason of this how it commeth to be thus that the time of a mans life and the time wherein God vouchsafeth the meanes that this is the time wherein God offereth salvation to a poore soule and wee will lay downe the reasons of both parts severally First concerning the time of a mans life and the reason of this is because when this crazie frame of ours beginnes to be dissolved then comes Gods definitive sentence Gods definitive verdict then passes upon a man God then passeth a sentence upon a â—an which hee never meaneth to recall a man at the time of his death when death closeth a mans eyes hee is then either everlastingly happy or else everlastingly miserable there is then afterwards no alteration to be expected Heb. 9.27 There saith the Text Heb. 9 27. it is appointed for all men once to die but after that comes judgement as death leaves a man so judgement findes a man hee doth not say after death comes amendment after death comes repentance after death comes Purgatory no no this is a dreame of the Papists they thinke that a man may after death be in trouble a while and be in Purgatorie and then be brought out by the treasure of the Church but alas this is a vaine dreame to inlarge the Popes coffers and to make the Popes Kitchin hot as Divines use to say that so the Pope may have a great deale of money they say if a man have leâ— never so wicked a life if yet he will bestow such a legacie upon the Popes holinesse though hee have beene in Purgatory a great while hee shall yet by the treasure of the Church be released but this is a fond foolish sottish dreame the case is plaine enough after death judgement comes next a man shall either goe into everlasting happinesse or else into everlasting confusion there is no third place for a soule to goe unto but a man must either goe to hell for ever or to heaven for ever every man that is saved is saved by Christ Ioh. 3.36 Ioh. 3.36 He that beleeveth on the Son hath everlasting life and he that beleeveth not the Sonne shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him so then now if a man beleeve in Christ hee is perfectly saved if he beleeve not in Christ hee is pâ—â—fectly damned Ioh. 3.18 Ioh. 3.18 Hee that beleeveth on him is not condemned but hee that beleeveth not is condemned already that is hee hath one foote in hell as it were hee is now in the gall of bitternesse and if hee liveth thus and endeth his dayes in this condition hee shall as surely be damned and goe to hell as if hee were there already All that beleeve in Christ are fully saved and therefore to heaven they must goe 〈◊〉 if they beleeve not in Christ they are as surely damned and therefore to hell they must go so theâ— the case is cleare the sentence of God is firâ—â— and the virdict that God passeth upon a 〈◊〉 sinner at thet time of death is most certaine there is no repealing of the sentence there is no recalling of the verdict and this is the reason why the time of a mans life is the season wherein 〈◊〉 man shall receive grace and salvation if ever hee receive it The second thing to be prooved is this why the meanes of salvation makes up the opportunitie wherein God meaneth to save poore sinners if 〈◊〉 they be converted and wee shall observe that the ground of this lieth in the very nature of a season if wee aske what makes a season of grace I answer that it will appeare that only the revelation of
every Christian man living wee are all travellers here below wee are all bound for heaven though a man finde rough wayes and cold weather though a man have many troubles many disgraces cast upon his person many reproches put upon his name yet this may be his comfort there is day enough before a man it is faire weather above head the preaching of the Word may cheere a man and the meanes of life and happinesse may comfort a man that walkes in the way unto salvation in 1 Pet. 1. â—0 the Teâ—t saith that the antient Prophets enquired and sought diligently when Christ should come when the means of salvation should be revealed of which salvation â— Pet. 1.10 saith the text the Prophets have enquired and searched diligently who prophesied of the grace that should come c. all the antient Fathers before enjoyed onely the Mooneshine and the Starre-light of the Gospell and therfore in the 2 Pet. 1.19 The Apostle saith 2 Pet. 1.19 We have also a more sure Word of prophesie whereunto you doe well that you take heede as unto a light that shineth in a darke place untill the day dawne and the day-starre arise in your hearts as who should say when Christ came when the Gospell was revealed the Sonne of righteousnesse did then clearely appeare if they that expected those things onely were thankefull for them then what should we be that enjoy these helpes for the cheering of us helping of us and comforting of us in the wayes of salvation it is a speech of the Prophet David Give me understanding that I may live it is an observation of holy men out of this place that a man doth not live because he growth a tree doth so a man doth not live because hee feeles and sees and heares and hath the sensible facultie the beasts doe so a man doth not live because hee reasons the devills doe so but give mee understanding that I may live wee live not as holy men unlesse we understand the wayes of God unlesse wee know the things belonging to our peace here 〈◊〉 hereafter we live not because we are wise for the devill is wiser than any man living but give me understanding that I may live that I may understand the things of God this is the wisedome of it Christian whereby hee shall come to 〈◊〉 eternall happinesse many in the East parts of the workâ— worship the devill they never so much as heard 〈◊〉 thing of Christ Iesus and the glad 〈…〉 Gospell and therefore is it not a wonder 〈…〉 that God hath continued us untill this time wherein the meanes of salvation are so fully reâ—â—â—led You that are going on in the roade way 〈◊〉 destruction all you that are in a naturall estate 〈◊〉 God should plucke you out of the land of the living what should become of your poore soules it is a great mercy that God doth yet vouchsafe life unto you but that you may heare the Word and enjoy the meanes of salvation what a comfort is this A Plowman if hee hath but a fit opportunitie of sowing plowing or reaping hee is thankefull for it and hee ought so to be for it is a great goodnesse of God to afford unto him seasonable weather to sow and gather in the fruits of the earth in the time here of late when by reason of unseasonablenesse of weather famine was feared and yet God gave a seasonable time afterwards to ripen gather the fruits of the earth I appeale to your owne consciences did not this coÌ„fort you did not this cheare you Nay could not people come and be thankefull to God for such blessings and say it was a good season God be blessed Gods name be praised for it Was this such a goodly season wherein you might fill your barnes full of corne and your purses full of money Why then had we eyes to see and hearts to conceive what is that season that blessed season of salvation those good dayes that have passed over our heads wherein many have injoyed the opportunitie and meanes of salvation twentie thirtie yea fortie yeares Oh blessed season the Sunne never saw the like nay the whole world wonders at this marvellous mercy that the Lord hath vouchsafed to us in this Land Shall we enjoy all these blessings and yet not be thankefull for them and prise them as we ought and walke worthy of them as we might Oh let it not be so with us but you that can be thankefull for a plentifull harvest when you may gather money into your coffers oh be thankefull be thankefull for the meanes of salvation vouchsafed unto you whereby you may fill your soules full of comfort and therefore goe your wayes in secret and be thankefull to God that you live and if you have received grace blesse God that ever you saw that day if you have not received grace yet blesse God that yet you breathe and that you may seeke unto him and waite upon him in the use of the meanes that so you may receive mercy and salvation from him blesse God that thou hast the Sunne-shine of the Gospell shining in thy face that thou hast the day before thee that thou mayst trade therein and receive comfort thereby Secondly is it so that while life lasts and the meanes of salvation is continued and vouchsafed unto us that this is our day that this is the season wherein God will shew mercy unto us what use then will you make of this for the present what will you say and what will you now perswade your hearts unto why me thinkes every man answers and every mans soule ecchoeth againe surely if this be the time if this be the season let us take it then since the Lord offereth this and continueth this we ought then to be intreated in the name of the Lord Iesus to take this opportunitie and not omit any season wherein the Lord calleth upon us that so wee may obtaine the end of our hopes the desire of our soules even salvation hereafter Redeeme the time because the dayes are evill saith the Apostle that is because the time is now therefore take the opportunitie it is the use that the Apostle makes While yee have time doe good unto all men then much more to our soules if we must doe good to our neighbours then much more to that poore soule of ours that is miserably oppressed with sinne that is in a dainned and cursed estate Oh but there are many arguments whereby Satan laboureth to defeate this truth and many shiftes the soule hath to put off this that hath beene spoken give me leave a little to wipe away those carnall conceits and cavills The first is this the soule will be ready to say I confesse it is true indeede that when the opportunitie is we should take it but that may be hereafter who knoweth whither this be my time or no my opportunitie or no I answer with the Apostle Paul while I am speaking and you are
hearing while we are all living now is the time 2 Cor. 6.2 now is the season it is in 2 Cor. 6.2 the Text saith I have heard thee in a time accepted and in a day of salvation have I succoured thee behold now is the accepted time now is the day of salvation Whilst Ministers are calling upon you and you are living though they cannot give you grace nor you of your selves receive grace yet wee have the promise in the accepted time God will heare us even now while I am speaking and you are hearing this the very day of salvation and therefore let us not turne the deafe eare upon the Lord but while opportunity is affoorded let us make use of it while the Lord is pleased to continue opportunities unto us let us embrace them hee that never heard let him heare now hee that never prayed let him pray now it is now high time to awake out of that cursed securitie wherein wee have a long time lien the Lord is come neare unto us even to the very next doore Christ Iesus is calling and mercie is intreating and wisedome is even hoarse with crying after us there is nothing but a heart wanting mercy is offered we ought therefore to entertaine it the meanes of salvation are revealed therefore we ought for to embrace them Cant. 2.10 Cant. 2.10 there saith the Text My beloved spake and said unto me Rise up my love my faire one and come away for the winter is past and the raine is over and gone the flowers appeare on the earth and the time of the singing of birds is come and the voyce of the turtle is heard in our Land thus God speaketh to you this day those words are made good to every soule that heareth me this day God calleth to every poore sinner the Church was then in misery and so the Lord speaketh to every poore soule thou art in the grave of thy sinnes arise my love my dove the time of persecution is past and the voyce of the turtle is yet heard the Ministers of God are preaching to us and wooing of us and saying the Spring time of grace is now present The Lord saith unto us as to the Church there rise and come out of those sinnefull courses wherein you are he pluckes the adulterer out of his leud practises and hee calls the proud man out of his wicked courses and the covetous man out of his counting house and from the things here below and bids them come unto the house of the Lord that he may speake comfort and consolation to their soules the Lord doth even strive with us and labours every way to plucke us out of our base and sinnefull courses the Lord dealeth with us Ezeck 12.3 as he did with Israel Ezeck 12.3 there saith the Text Prepare thou sonne of man thee stuffe for removing and remove by day in their sight and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place it may be they will consider though they be a rebellious people as if hee had said it may be when all these meanes are used it may be at last they will be perswaded and performe that which I require of them it is a lively patterne of Gods speciall providence over us in this Land God hath not dealt thus with other Nations hee hath passed by other people and hath let the Gospell abide among us the sound of the Gospell an inkeling of it hath beene in other countries but hee hath commanded the Gospell to abide with us twentie thirtie fortie sixtie yeares wee have yet the Gospell among us we are yet in peace and prosperitie we enjoy those liberties that thousands of our poore brethren want and would attaine unto many have had some meanes but wee have had all meanes we have had famine for to affright us the Plague to awaken us and peace to cheere us nay the Gospell and meanes of salvation are still continued to us the Lord saith preach still continue still calling and still crying to the people of England that so if it be possible their proud hearts may be humbled their sturdy hearts may be softned their unregenerate hearts may be converted and their soules may be saved The second cavill is this the soule may say though the opportunity be now present yet there is time enough the day is long enough for the answer hereof I will goe no further then the Text saith O that thou hadst knowne the things belonging to thy peace in this thy day but now they are hidden from thine eyes The day of a mans life is very uncertaine no man knoweth how long he shall live who knoweth not what our lives are bubbles and vapours and flowers how soone are the bubbles downe how soone are the vapours vanisht how soone doe the flowers fade nay many of us are in our middle age nay some of us are in our old age wee have one foote already in the grave and how soone may these flowers wither how soone may these men returne unto the earth and then what will become of all their expectations It is good saith the wise man to injoy the present time while life and strength continue young men will bee ready to say I will take my owne content now and hereafter I will returne unto the Lord I will gather the flower while it is greene and while I am young I will not spend my dayes in mourning I will not breake my heart with sighing and sorrowing for my sinnes but when I grow crooked and aged and sit at home then I will repent and 〈◊〉 unto the Lord and become a new man those young men say unto repentance as Felix did to Paul go thy wayes now I will heare thee another time so say they to repentance hereafter when there comes a convenient time I will repeâ—t I will be holy and obedient and turne over a new leafe and become a new man but now let me make use of the treasurie of my youth and because I am in the strength of my yeares therefore I will follow my pleasures O foole O foole I say unto thee as Christ did to the rich man in the Gospell this night thy soule may be taken from thee and then what will become of thy thoughts plots and plojects thy bed may become thy grave and then what will become of thy poore soule the divells may drag it into hell It was the word of the rich man when he had filled his barnes full of goods and his purse full of money then he saith unto his soule Soule take thy rest thou hast goods layd up for many yeares take thy cups saith the drunkard take thy whore saith the adulterer Oh foole this night the divell may hale thy soule into everlasting confusion how knowest thou but that sentence may bee given upon thee which was given upon him and then there will be no repentance in the grave But bee it so that thy life may continue which is
very uncertaine though thy day continue yet the day of grace happily will not continue that is but a minute of the particular time of thy day if God take away the light of the Gospell thou mayst die so hunger and thirst and never come to the like mercies never receive the like incouragements thou that heretofore hast despised a faithfull Minister it may bee thou shalt never see the face of a good Minister more hereafter and then what shall become of all thy faire hopes and goodly expectations Oh then when the market is done thou wilt come too late to buy salvation thou shalt never receive those benefits and meanes of grace and salvation againe which thou hast neglected Nay consider that this which I have spoken may be the case of any one in this congregation every man hath his day I gave her a time to repent saith the Lord of wicked Iesabel but shee would not the Lord would have plucked her out of her bed of downe and from the armes of her lovers into a bed of sorrow shee hath now paine for her pleasure and sorrow for her jollitie who knoweth but this may be my day and thy day and every particular mans day When the word of God comes home to the soule of a man and the Lord is pleased to knocke at the conscience of a poore sinner he may then breake out into admiration and say is it thus is the Lord so compassionate that notwithstanding all my rebellions hee is still pleased to strive with mee nay to mourne over me as hee did over Ierusalem O that thou hadst knowne at least in this thy day the things belonging to thy peace many mercies hath the Lord let into my soule to allute me many judgements to terrifie me many promises to perswade me and hath used all meanes possible to bring mee to a better life no mercy equalls this no goodnesse is to be compared with this thus take notice of the mercies of God towards you and go aside and make good use of those good motions that God by his Spirit shall suggest into your soules and if the Lord hath almost perswaded thee to be a Christian oh then make much of those blessed motions and beginne to be a new man presently oh goe home and say if God doe thus strive and struggle with me in particular then resolve and say this is my day if there be any soule here present that it hath pleased God thus to move oh know and consider that this is thy particular time thy particular season say and remember that such a time thou hadst a faire offer it may be he that now moves and perswades thee and intreats thee to come to everlasting life and happinesse it may be hee will never looke after thee more And now what remaineth more when a man resolves that this is his day and that now the Lord comes neare unto him but even then presently to breake off all impediments and leape over all blockes that lie in his way and resolve thenceforward to bid adue to all his corruptions hee should consider with himselfe and say seeing the Lord doth even mourningly strive with me for my good then I will never attend more to those lusts I will never yeeld more to those occasions that have gotten the mastery over me I would wish every poore soule to take up this resolution to give a bill of divorcement to his sinnes and never to see the face of his corruptions any more to doe this now will be a very hard thing I know it and experience proves it your lusts will cleave to you and hang about you you would be loath to part with your old corruptions old friends that have beene of old acquaintance for these to be shaken off on a sudden this will be very grievous S. Austin speaking of his conversion confesseth this his sinnes did hang about him and he was loath to leave them and forsake them he was often perswaded by the motions of Gods Spirit to returne from his wicked courses and become a new man but hee was loath to part with his beloved lusts and therefore thought hee might have time enough to repent afterwards but at length hee tooke up this resolution to breake through all impediments and brake out into those words Why not to day Lord why not to day hee had dallied too often and deferred too long and therefore now hee resolved to goe thorough stitch in this case he resolved to doe so and kept his resolution Why do you as he did and say why not to day Lord why not to day you could be content on your death beds to be drunke no more why cannot you as well to day resolve to be sober the adulterer when he lies upon his death bed wil not endure so much as to look upon his Quene why should hee not as well abstaine from this base sinne to day wee know not whether the meanes may be taken from us or wee from the meanes and therefore when the Lord saith My face seeke you answer againe and say thy face Lord will we seeke But there are yet some shifts still behind which must be answered the heart will yet be ready further to reply suppose God call and I refuse may I not heare this call againe hereafter I answer take heede of that for the text saith here they are now hidden from thine eyes yee are not Authours and Patrons of this grace yee are not givers of this mercy it is of Gods free love to offer mercy and salvation unto you and therefore especially take heed of this conceit he that offereth grace unto thee now if thou refusest it may chance never to give it thee hereafter though thou greatly desirest it and earnestly seekest after it he that now holdeth out a golden Scepter to entertaine thee may afterwards have an iron rod to breake thee in pieces if thou dost not accept his kinde offer and come in unto him he that now doth perswade thee to receive mercy at his hands while hee offers it that God hereafter may seale up thy heart in stupidnesse and benummednesse for ever if thou dost not embrace it that Spirit which now strives with thee may never strive more that Spirit may never worke upon thee more and then when the gate is shut you may knocke till your heart ake as the foolish Virgins did and yet never get in you may then howle and crie and call and knocke and yet with Esaâ— you shall not obtaine a blessing though you seeke it even with teares but the Lord will answer Depart from mee yee workers of iniquitie I know you not it will be just with God to take away those holy motions of his blessed Spirit which you have slighted to take away that mercy which you have despised take heede that doe not befall you which shall befall all despisers of grace and salvation Pro. 1.24 there saith the text Because I have called and yee have
refused Pro. 1.24 because I stretched out my hand and none would regard but ye have despised all my counselle and yee would none of my correction I will also laugh at your destruction and mocke when your feare commeth when your feare commeth like sudden desolation and your destruction as a whirlewind There was a time when the Lord called to all despisers of grace and refusers of mercie how long and how often but they that would not heare the time will come when the Lord will say I will laugh at your destruction when a poore sinnefull creature at the day of judgement shall come before the Lord of glory the devill drawing him and then the Lord shall laugh at him and say how often have I sent unto you and called upon you and you would not heare nor regard me Behold men and Angels this is the man this is hee that contemned my Word and slighted the meanes of salvation and therefore laugh at him mocke at his destruction Oh what will become of that man then when the Lord of mercy shall not onely take mercy from him when the God of goodnesse shall not onely take goodnesse from him but shall laugh at his confusion and shall rejoyce when hee executes his judgements upon this man to his everlasting destruction and therefore I beseech you take heede of this dangerous conceit The fourth shift is this if all will not work upon the soule then it falls upon this is it so that grace and mercie being neglected they shall never be obtained why then it takes up this conclusion if I never have grace and mercy then I can live without it oh foole if there were any creature of this distemper in this congregation I may speake terrible things unto that soule when a man is brought to this passe that he cares not what becomes of his soule when hee sayes what matter is it if I have not grace is this such a losse When a soule is come to this oh then he is in a miserable cōdition in a woefull lamentable estate is it no matter to be saved is it no matter to be comforted is it no matter to be glorified eternally what matter is it to lose grace Nay what availeth it to live frolickely here and miserably hereafter What matter is it to neglect grace here and to be deprived of glory hereafter is this no matter Let me say to you as the man of God did to his servant 2 Kings 5.26 2 King 5.26 Is this a time to take money and receive garments and olives and vineyards and sheepe and oxen So say I is this a time to live frolickely and merrily Is this a time for a man to follow cursed companions and embrace sinnefull corruptions is this a time for a man to follow the world and the vanities thereof and in the meane time neglect the meanes of life and salvation No no know it is the day of God the day of grace our soules lie at pawne if these opportunities be omitted woe and griefe and paine and wormewood will be upon that man by whom they be neglected he that despiseth these meanes here shall live miserably hereafter everlasting happinesse and glory depends upon this opportunitie tell not me it is a day of marchandise and you must provide for your families I tell you it is a day of salvation hast thou time to provide for thy house and familie and not for thy soule and for thy ever lasting happinesse So then gather up all briefely and the scope will be this it is now the most opportune time and therefore the fittest it is the day of salvation therefore the shortest it is the day of visitation and therefore the greatest commoditie the opportunity is the fittest the day is the shortest the commoditie the greatest and what remaineth now but that the Lord will worke this upon your soules that he which spake this to Ierusalem whilst he lived on earth may speake the same to you though now in glory and perswade your hearts to entertaine this opportunitie to make use of this day and embrace this commoditie But if all meanes will not perswade men hereunto then the last use is an use of exhortation unto us all to pitty the case of such men and to shew remorse for the desolation of those that neglect the meanes of their salvation If wee cannot perswade you yet give us leave to mourne for you if our perswasions will not take place in your soules yet I hope you will give us leave to goe in secret and let our eyes droppe downe teares for the miserable desolation that will fall upon those that neglect the meanes of life and happinesse you must not thinke to passe thorough Purgatory you must not thinke to goe to heaven whither you will or no me thinks I see a poore creature that slighted mercy salvation when it was offered unto him me thinkes I see that soule lying upon his death bed light is departing from his eyes his soule is departing from his body his body is a burthen to him in regard of his disease and his conscience a hell unto him in regard of his sinnes oh the name of a Minister of a Church they are all as bills of inditements comming against the soule of this man me thinkes I heare such a man say at his last gaspe the day is gone the gate is shut and now it is too late to enter and thus the soule departs from the body the body to the grave and the soule to hell Oh what bitter and wofull lamentations will that soule make when it comes in hell Oh the golden time that I have seene and not regarded oh the gracious opportunities of salvation that my eyes have beheld and yet I neglected Oh the mercy and grace and goodnesse of God that have been offered unto me and I have contemned and trampled under my feet and therfore now must be tormented with the devil his angels from ever lasting to everlasting on the Lord give us hearts to take notice of these things If we cannot doe what good we would to men yet let us lament their miserable conditions wives mourne for your husbands parents mourne for your children and say the Lord hath offered the meanes of salvation both profitable and comfortable yet my husband heares not my child receives not these meanes why then mourne and lament oh my poore husband oh my child thou mightest have had grace but now it is taken from thee thou hadst the offer of salvation and now perhaps it shall never again be tendered to thee but if mercy cannot prevaile with you nor the voyce of the Ministers take place in you yet let the saftie and comfort of your owne soules move you to make much of the opportunities and meanes of grace and salvation Let every master of a family goe home and resolve and say this is my day Lord this very day may be my day and thy day the
last day that ever I shal speak the last day that you shall ever heare If I were now breathing out my last breath I would breath our this legacie to all Christians which I leave behinde me This is the accepted time this is the day of salvation He that hath an eare to heare let him now heare he that never had a heart let him now have a heart to embrace these things whilst grace and salvation is offered unto him let him entertaine this offer It doth mee good to consider if the soule of a man would but receive mercy and grace now while it is offered him this day what comfort he may have for ever both here and hereafter he might then say this day I received comfort I was never humbled before but this day I was humbled I could never before receive any mercy but this day I received it this was a good day to me Oh if men would but be exhorted to take the opportunity while it lasts and entertaine the meanes of grace and salvation while they are offered Oh what comfort might men gaine hereby then at the last day they should receive an everlasting crowne of glory they should then receive the fruits of their labours even the salvation of their soules Let us all therefore as wee love our owne soules be exhorted to entertaine the things of grace here that wee may obtaine the things of glory hereafter MATTH 20.3 4 5 6. And he went out about the third houre and saw others standing idle in the market place and said unto them Go ye also into the vineyard and whatsoever is right I will give you and they went their way Again he went out about the sixt houre ninth houre and did likewise and about the eleventh houre hee went out and saw others standing idle and saith unto them Why stand you here all the day idle They said unto him because no man hath hired us he saith unto them Go ye also into the vineyard and whatsoever is right that shall ye receive WEe have heard heretofore that all men being dead in sinnes and trespasses are so farre from working out their owne salvation from themselves as that they are not able to receive grace and mercy offered unto them from the Lord for the comforting of their hearts here and obtaining of happinesse hereafter and therefore the last generall circumstance of preparation we did handle was this That howsoever a naturall man is not able to understand the things of the Lord yet the Lord will make all those which belong unto him able to receive the Lord Iesus and then he will bestow the Lord Iesus and grace and salvation upon them Now concerning this point there are two circumstances of speciall consideration The first is the circumstance of time in regard of the meanes and that wee have already handled out of Luke 19.42 and the point then delivered was this When God continues life and the meanes of salvation to a people then this is the time when God meanes to bestow mercy and salvation upon them The second circumstance concerning the time of this worke is in respect of the men upon whom God will worke and some he workes upon in their tender age some in their riper yeares and some in their old age at all times God doth call some and this is the circumstance we will now grapple withall and for this purpose I have chosen this part of the Parable and in the Parable as in all other Parables besides the outside and letter of the Parable we must understand the sence and meaning thereof When therefore we heare in the parable of a vineyard and of the master of the vineyard and of the servants that were hired to worke in this vineyard and of the severall houres wherein they are hired these are onely the outsides of the Parable the meaning thereof is this by vineyard is meant the Church of God and by the Master of the vineyard is meant the Lord Iesus the hiring of the servants into the vineyard is nothing else but the powerfull calling of poore sinners by the worke of the Ministery to the knowledge of the truth here and happinesse hereafter and in that he calls some at one houre and some at another the meaning is that God calls some at one time some at another some in their tender yeares some in their middle age and some in their old age some older some younger but that wee may understand the sence of the Spirit in these words The third houre the sixth houre ninth houre and the eleventh houre We must understand that the Iewes and the Romanes used to divide their dayes which consisted of twelve houres into foure parts from sixe to nine was one parcell of the day from nine to twelve was the second from twelve to three was the third part and from three in the afternoone till sixe at night was the last parcell of the day Now therefore the third houre was nine of the clocke the sixt houre was twelve of the clocke the ninth houre was three of the clocke in the afternoone and the eleventh houre was five of the clocke an houre before night Now the Lord doth provide some soules for himselfe at nine a clocke in the morning some at three in the afternoone and some at the last cast at five of the clocke when the Sunne beginns to set in their old decrepit age the Lord meant to convert some unto himselfe Some understand this parable of the calling of Ministers good and bad and in that it is said here They were hired every one for a penny they understand by this that some will be Ministers for this living some for that some for preferment some also come into the Ministery for the salvation of soules but this cannot be the meaning of the Text here and the reason is this This Parable must be understood of those men of whom the last clause in the 19. Chapter is understood in the 30. Verse of the 19. Chapter the Text saith Many that are first shall be last and the last shall be first Now this Parable is set downe here in the beginning of this Chapter and brought in by the Spirit of God meerely for the manifestation of the Scripture going before therefore it is cleare that this Parable is to be understood concerning those persons spoken of before in the former Chapter Of those also this Parable must be understood to whom it is applied afterward in the 16 Verse of this Chapter it is said also The last shall be first and the first shall be last So that the case is cleare this Parable being brought in by the Spirit for the illustration discovery of the former truth therefore who ever they be that were there understood and whoever they be to whō this Parable is afterward applied of the same the Parable here must be understood but it is cleare that that Verse must be understood of those that are gracious for the
Vse III. It is of Exhortation to labour to get out of thy naturall estate p. 119. The meanes p. 121 EZECH 11.19 Doct. THe taking away of the indisposition of the soule to any good duty and the fitting of a soule to performe any spirituall service is the alone worke of God p. 132 The Reasons why the Lord onely can doe it vid. p. 135 Vse I. It is an use of Instruction to shew you that this worke of preparing a sinner to entertaine Christ it is a worke of marvellous difficultie p. 145 Vse II. It is a ground of comfort to support the hearts of those that are hard hearted p. 147 Vse III. It is of exhortation to those that carry a stonie heart about them to have recourse to God p. 149 LVKE 19.42 Doct. THat while life is continued and the meanes of grace afforded to a people is the season wherein God meaneth to worke the heart to receive life and salvation p. 160 Vse I. Instruction to be thankefull to the Lord for the enjoyment of the meanes of salvation p. 168 Vse II. Exhortation to pitty the estate of such men that neglect the meanes of salvation p. 185 MATTH 20.3 4 5 6. Doct. THat God can and doth call in all ages some in their younger some in their riper some in their old age p. 192 FINIS PREPARING FOR CHRIST Iohn 6.44 No man can come unto me except the Father which hath sent me draw him and I will raise him up at the last day FOr the application of the merits and obedience of Christ Iesus to the soule of a poore sinner and for the enjoying of the same there are two things mainly observable First the soule must be prepared for the Lord Iesus and secondly it must be ingrafted and implanted into Christ Iesus before it can be made partaker of the saving grace and salvation in Christ contained and from Christ communicated to those that love and feare his name Now concerning this great work of preparation wherein is the 〈◊〉 of a Christian for if the heart bee but prepared the Lord will then suddenly come into his Temple as the Prophet Malachy speakes Now this preparation consists of two parts First the dispensation of Gods gracious work upon the soule of a poore sinner Secondly the frame and disposition that God works upon the soule in converting it to himselfe Vpon these two hangs the maine work of preparation and herein lyeth the great drift of a Christian for the mercy of God is very free but we cannot make men fit to receive this mercy And therefore in preparation hereunto wee must apprehend two things somewhat must prepare secondly somewhat must be prepared he that doth prepare is the Lord he that doth receive the work and is prepared is the soules of those whom God hath elected to salvation So that as I said before something on Gods part must bee observed something on mans part must be considered on Gods part the dispensation of his work and on mans part the disposition that is wrought in the soule I come â—o the first thing which is the maine thing to be 〈◊〉 out of the Text namely the manner 〈◊〉 God worketh upon the soule when hee prepares 〈…〉 himselfe and this discovereth it selfe in two particulars we will handle them both together 〈◊〉 God doth pluck a poore sinner from his corruptions and darling sinnes to which he was glued and fastned and secondly as he draweth the soule from sinne so he draweth it to himselfe to beleeve in him and to receive mercy from him First God plucks the soule from sinne secondly he drawes it to the Lord Iesus And for this purpose wee have chosen this text that so we may have some footing for that which we speak out of Scripture and my purpose is not to handle all particulars in the Text which are many but to choose those that do concerne our present purpose and best fit us in our proceeding And the two maine points which I meane to discover out of the Text are these First that every man in his naturall condition is fastened and settled in the state of sinne and corruption Secondly that the Lord by a holy kind of violence plucks off the soule from sin and draweth it to himselfe These are the two things which in the Text I aime at but the second is the main thing I look at we must handle them both because the drawing of a thing from another implyeth that the thing which is drawn was fastned to some thing from whence it is to be drawne and therefore when the Lord saith he will draw a poore sinner to himselfe it implyes that wee were stuck fast and glued to our corruptions from whence we must be drawne and when this is once done then the face is towards heaven towards Zion then it is fitted to receive mercy from the Lord Iesus and because this drawing unto God doth imply a fastning of the soule unto sinne from whence it must be drawne the point therefore is this namely that every mans naturall estate and condition is fastned and settled and riveted to his sinnes and corruptions a poore creature by nature is not onely ingrafted into sinne but he is rooted into the rebellions of Adam and is growne strong with sinfull corruptions and distempers of his owne soule nay a man is not able to expresse the strong combination betweene sinne and the soule it is scrued into sinne and riveted into corruptions which have beene convaied thereunto and derived from our first parents and that the soâ—â—le is thus fastned and settled and glued to sinne wee may observe it in two particulars Partly in the dominion that sinne and Satan hath over the soule Partly in the amity that the soule hath to sinne First then consider the dominion that sinne hath over the soule that soveraigne and uncontroulable command which sinne exerciseth over the soule of every poore creature under heaven which is in a naturall estate in the bond of iniquity and under the power of Satan and we shall see that the soule is fastened to sinne Acts 26.18 the text saith that they are under the power of Satan To open their eyes saith the text that they may turne from darknesse to light and from the power of Satan to God If you aske me how the Devill hath power over poore sinners the Apostle telleth you That he catcheth them at his pleasure the proud man must go no further than he will and the covetous man must do nothing but that which he list but this is not all neither though this be sufficient to discover the power that Satan hath over the soule of a sinner but when hee hath thus taken a poore soule and fettered him in this case he then shuts him up in prison Tim. 2.2.26 there the next saith that the divell takes poore sinners prisoners at his will Gal. 3.22 it is said that all men by nature are under the law shut up under sinne it
not to be perswaded not to bee yoaked and then they think they are the bravest men alive they care not what the Minister saies they care not what the word commands oh these men think they are in the greatest liberty of all men under the Sunne let me speak a little to these men didst thou never see a poore prisoner look out of Newgate and cry bread bread for the Lords sake or didst thou never here of a poore man that was fetter'd and cast into a filthy dark dungeon where light never came where Sunne never shined if you have seene these or heard of these do you think these men free and at liberty I appeale to your owne consciences in this case Why truly these men are free men in regard of that bondage that slavery that vassallage that those men are in which break Gods commandements Thy body indeed may be at liberty and may go from alchouse to alehouse but alas thou hast a poore soule that is shut up in sinne and corruption nay it never saw the Sunne the Sunshine of the Gospell never came unto it never any promise tooke place in thy soule never did any counsell do thee any good and yet notwithstanding these base slaves the miserable prisoners those are they that account of the poore servants of God as if they were the basest persons in the world If there be any poore soules that humble themselves and obey his commandements then they count those poore sneaks and base fellows if God commands any thing they obey it if he threatens they tremble and howle and cry and even breake their hearts because of their sinnes they account this as a base thing they count these men of no spirits but when no feare of man terrifieth them when the word of God cannot â—rule them these are royall hearts and the brave spirits of the world brave spirits for the Lord Iesus sake think of it Of all peasants in the world I tell you they are the basest bondslaves the most miserable vassals that ever breathed on the face of the earth to have sinne to be a mans commander and the devill his jaylor and his heart a hell and to have an ill conscience to be his hangman that continually keepeth the roap about his neck when there is not one haire breadth betweene death and him but if it please God by death to tutne the ladder then he is hanged in hell for ever is this freedome are these the brave spirits of the world the Lord deliver his from such liberty Should we see a malefactor arraygned imprisoned condemned and gone to the place of execution and upon the top of the ladder and the Hangman having the roap about his neck ready to turne him off would wee think this man a free man would we think him a man of a brave spirit that is in this condition I tell thee thy condition if thou beest in a naturall estate is farre worse Thou art a poore soule that hast been imprisoned and â—ettered thou art under the bondage of sinne and Satan and thy evill conscience is like a hangman that every day hath the noose about thy neck and if the ladder by death be but once turned then thou art hanged in endlesse and easelesse torments for ever never to be comforted never to be refreshed and yet these brag and say who is Lord over us why I tell you the devill is Lord over you â—and sinne is your commander you are in the greatest slavery of any men under the cope of heaven This is the first use to shew the miserable slavery that all poore creatures are in In the second place it is a word of exhortation 2 Vse Is it so that all sinnefull men are in such a wretched condition then we ought to be perswaded and intreated especially the servants of God that have had their bolts knocked off and have beene freed from the slavery of sinne and Satan these ought to be exhorted to put on the bowells of compassion and to pitty these poore creatures these poore prisoners and to lend them their helping hand to pluck them out of the mire and clay wherein they stuck It is the custome of the world if a poore prisoner be taken and condemned and is going to the place of execution why reason perswades men thus farre to yearne towards him they will be ready to pitty him and say alas poore man he is alive now within this short time he will be dead and what shall become of his soule who knowes unlesse God have mercy upon him he is like to perish for ever Why doe you see a company of proud persons covetous wretches prophane creatures in the world alas they are going to the place of execution there is but one hayres breadth between them and everlasting damnation if God turne the ladder once and a naturall death creep upon them what then shall become of their poore soules take notice therefore of these poore soules and pitty poore prisoners that are in such a wretched condition If a child that had a farher of good abilitie and of some place in the countrey wherein he lived if he should see his father for some offence apprehended by the officers and committed to prison or if he should see him go begging from doore to doore with his fetters and his bolts about his heeles oh how it would grieve him oh how he would weep and howle and say little had I thought my poore father would have come to this misery or if a wife should see her husband going to the gallowes for some haynous crime committed I know shee would have a heart to mourn for her husband in this kind she would be ready to say little thought I that my husband should have come to such an end it is his owne folly that hath brought him to this Can you pitty those that are overtaken with outward bonds with outward misery and can you mourne for that which is fallen upon their bodies why do thus much more for the soule of thy father for the soule of thy wise for the soule of thy child or thy friend and say little did I think that my father or my husband or my child should ever have been shut up in hell and fettered by Satan little did I think that ever sinne or Satan should be his jaylor that the devill should hale him to the place of execution alas he cannot speak a good word nor perform any good duty he cannot pray in his family but is shut up under pride and covetousnesse and drunkennesse and prophanenesse If thou canst pitty and pray for the body of thy father or for the body of thy husband or friend why then pitty and pray much more for the soule of thy father husband or friend It is that which is observable Deut 10.19 there saith the text you shall deale kindly with strangers why because yee your selves were strangers in the land of Aegypt we that have been in prison
ever he meane to come to heaven and this is the first meanes when the soule of a sinner is inlightned and his mind informed that he is in a wrong course and that he must take a better course or else he shall never come at heaven and this the Lord doth suddenly the sinner not perceiving of it the Lord setteth a sudden flash upon his soule and telleth him that he is going unto hell the soule presently wonders at this and marvels how it came to passe Esay 66.1 there saith the text I am sought of them that asked not for mee and I am found of them that sought mee not the Lord putteth a sudden light into soules of men which they never dreamed of Hypocrites if they can but goe to Church and sit in the Church as Gods servants do and leane on their elbowes and heare as Gods people do then all is well with them but as many of them as belong to God God will discover unto them that they are in a wrong way and he will shew and reveale another way unto them which they never dreamed of and therefore this is that we shall observe haply we shall see a man come riding into a town on a Sabboth day and when he comes there hee seeth the people going to Church well perhaps then he sets up his horse at the Inne and goes into the Church for a custome and for company sake and when he is in the Church he goes into a seat and sets down his staffe and sits down and attends the Minister and never thinks of any thing well at last the Lord sends a light into his soule and telleth him thou art now riding about thy own worldly businesse when thoushouldst be in sanctifying of my Sabboth I tell thee my friend thou art in a wrong way thou takest a naughty course thou dost wickedly and if thou continuest and goest on in this course thou wilt never come at heaven And this the Lord doth on a sudden when a man never so much as thought of any such matter And after a man is thus enlightned he will be ready to say the truth is heretofore I went to heare the word but for customes sake but when I least dreamed of any such thing it pleased the Lord blessed be his name to reveale such things unto mee as I before never knew he told mee that which sticketh upon mee to this present houre he discovered that unto mee which I hope I shall carry with me unto my grave this is that we may observe in the 9. of the Acts Paul there was running on in a resolute-course he had gotten letters at Damascus and purposed to make havock of all poore Christians where he came now while he was in his journey the Lord met him from heaven and cryed unto him Saul Saul why persecutest thou mee as he if had said this is not the way to heaven you think to persecute my poore Saints but Saul Saul I tell thee this is not the way thou takest a wrong course he called unto him as a man would call after one that is running out of his right way into some wildernesse or dangerous place And when Saul heard this he presently fell off his horse and humbled himselfe and said Lord what wilt thou that I do and so Luke 15.4 the text saith that the shepherd that had lost his sheep left his ninty and nine and went into the wildernesse to seek that which was lost and if he had not gone to seek the sheep the sheep would never have sought him alas the poore sheep was gone astray and bewilderd and if the shepheard had not followed it and sought after it that would never have found the sheepheard nay to go further many a man goeth to the word and heareth it for nothing else but to carp at the Minister and yet the Lord hath caught many such men also and hath put such a light into their hearts that he hath made them know that they were in a wrong way and mark when the Lord hath let in this light then the soule begins to be at a stand and thinks with himselfe surely if this be the right way I am in the wrong if the Minister saith true then I am not right but then sometimes the heart would put out this light it would not be informed and perswaded if the Minister tels a man that he must sanctifie Gods Sabboths here or else he shall never sanctifie a Sabboth unto him in heaven hereafter when the Minister saith that unlesse God humble us here he will break us in peeces in hell hereafter loath a man is to know this and be informed of this because hee would not be offended by this and provoked to performe this but though a sinner would shift off this yet the Lord will not leave him but will still pursue him and lay reasons upon him unanswerable the soule would fain play tricks with the Lord in this case and put out this light but God will reveale to the soule of a sinner that these things are certainly true God will lay hold upon the understanding of a poore sinner and follow him with reasons that are undeniable untill his reason shall yeeld and his understanding give verdit to that which the Lord reveales untill hee sayes I confesse Lord it is true I yeeld full assent thereto Thus the Lord knocketh at the doore or heart of a poore sinner and not only so but lifts up the latch and opens the doore of a mans heart and letteth in the light and this is the first course that God useth 2 2. The second is this after that the Lord hath thus enlightened the minde and let in the light of his spirit into the heart of a sinner and though a man would defeat the power of it yet God still followeth him with forceable arguments untill the understanding is setled and reason answered after the Lord hath done this then the second cord wherewith God draweth sinners unto himselfe is a cord of mercy whereby the Lord doth compasse a poore sinner about with kindnesse goodnesse and compassion Hos 11.4 there saith the Lord I taught Ephraim to goe taking them by the armes I drew them with the cords of love and with the bonds of a man This same cord of Gods mercy is a cable rope the abundant riches of Gods mercy is a great thick cable and we will tell you of what it is twisted it makes known it selfe in foure particulars if the illumination that God sends into the heart will not bee able to perswade the heart though it answers all objections pursueth it with arguments undeniable why then the Lord will draw us with the cord of his mercy and this great cable of Gods goodnesse is made up of foure cords First First Cord. the Lord revealed himselfe to be ready to receive and willing and easie to entertayne poore sinners when they come unto him Esay 55.7 there saith
wildernesse and with bryers and in the 16. verse after the Lord had delivered those men into his hands he did unto them of Succoth according as he had threatned He took the Elders of the City and thornes of the â—ildernesse and bryers and with them he did teare the men of Sâ—â—coth saith the Text Iust so is it with conscience conscience before only commanded and perswaded men but because he hath beene slighted and despised by them because they have flouted him and said what must be a servant to my conscience must I be a slave and a foole to my conscieâ—e no no I will do what I list for all conscience will you so saith conscience well when God giveth mee authority and gives mee a commission I will teare your flesh for this and rend your hearts in peeces with horror and then conscience he surpriseth a sinner upon every occasion in this case he bursts into the Alâ—house and into the Tavern upon him like a Segeant and arrests him he follow shim to the alehouse he persueth him home he takes him in his bed and arrests him in his sleep and when he is in bed and asleep then conscience awakens him and terrifies him and hales the soule before the Tribunall seat of God and saith loe Lord behold this man this is the drunkard this is the adulterer this is the blasphemer that sweares by thy name prophanes thy Sabboths and contemnes thy word this is he Lord that is an enemy to thy servants and a hater of thy truth and a despiser of thy ordinances this is he Lord this is he that hath done these things and committed these abominations this is he that hath committed many sinnes in secret when no eye saw him this is so Lord at such a time and in such a place in such a chamber with such a company then this man blasphemed thy name and despised thy truth and rayled on good men this this Lord is the man and when conscience hath thus dragged him before God and witnessed against him then take him â—aylor take him divell saith the Lord and imprison him let vexation and horror and trouble and anguish lie upon his soule saith God untill he confesse his sinnes and resolve to forsake them now this this hook sticketh fast in the very heart of this man and all his friends and companions are not able to baile him one commeth and another commeth and all speak and ask him what is the reason what is the cause why are you thus discontented and why thus disquieted oh saith the poore soule you see not you know not you conceive not the horror that conscience hath layed upon mee and what heavy wrath and fearefull vengeance God hath threatned to inflict upon mee for my sinnes now when his companions heare this they cannot all of them bayle him but unlesse he will see his base courses and confesse his sinnes and be humbled for them and resolve to forsake them conscience will not be at quiet but will continually torment and perplex him with horror thus the Lord deals with the Prophet David as we may see Psal 32. when I kept silence sayth he my boneswaxed old through my roaring all the day long for day and night thy hand was heavy upon mâ—e my moysture is turned into the drought of Summer I acknowledged my sinne unto thee and mine iniquitie have I not hid I confessed my transgressions unto the Lord and then forganest the iniquitie of my sinne David he folded up his sinnes at first he would not come of eleverly he would not take them to himselfe and say I have committed adultery and I have murthered Vriâ—â— and therefore his bones were consumed and 〈◊〉 roâ—red continually when the Lord had him upon the rack he made him roare againe and would never leave tormenting of him untill he had confessed his sinnes but after he had confessed them then he forgave his iniquitie the Lord dealeth with the soule in this case as a King doth with a Traytor after his conspiracy is discovered and he attached if he will not confesse his conspiracy and who were his fellow traytors then he is brought upon the rack and then one joynt is broken and then he roares againe by reason of the extremity of the payne why confesse then saith the King and if he will not confesse the whole conspiracy but onely some circumstances of it then he is hoysed upon the rack the second time and then another joynt is broken and then he roars againe why confesse more yet then saith the King and never leaves racking and tormenting of him untill he hath discovered and layed open the whole treason so conscience will bring the foule of a sinner unto the rack and make him confesse his sinnes and come out of it selfe and then the drunkard he cryes out oh the abominations that I have committed which the Sunne never saw in such a place at such a time I rayled upon Gods servants and blasphemed Gods name I prophaned Gods Sabboths and contemned his ordinances but conscience will make him confesse more yet and the refore forceth him to the rack againâ— and then he cryes and râ—ares for anguish of spirit and confesses all and resolves to amend he purpurposes to pray and heare and sanctifie Gods Sabboths and lead a new life and now a conscience upon the confession of his sinnes and purpose of amendment receives some satisfaction and then it begiâ—â—es to be at quiet and give him some rest and this is the second hooke of conscience But when the poore sinner hath gotten some quiet by his confessing of his sinnes and resolving to forsake them when his companions see that he is come out of that horror and vexation wherein he was and that he puts his head out of doores and is creeping abroad then they set upon him againe and labour with might and mayne by wicked perswasions and cursed devices to draw him to his old courses they knew there was no medling with him before but now conscience is a little quieted and he a little eased then all the drunkards in the towne pursue him and all the loose mates hang about him and lay hookes upon him of love and enteâ—tainment and marke how they reply upon him Why refresh say they your soule with some of your ancient dalliance you know wee have beene old friends and of long acquaintance and what contentment have wee had in our times why do not smoak out your dayes in melancholly I dare warrant you the worst is past it was only a fit of melancholly that perplexed you and therefore now it is over refresh yourselfe with your friends and with those that love you Thus the divell by temptations on one side and wicked men by cursed perswasions on the other side be leagure a poore soule and the soule having some quiet he begins to listen to their perswasions and then he beginnes to take up his old course and follow his sinnesmore violently and with
hereafter then it will go marvellous heavily with you you have hindred the worke of conversion for being wrought in them and you have drawne them into wicked courses they shall go to hell they shall perish poore soules but I tell you their blood will God require at your hands at that day they will appeare before the Lord of glory and call for vengeance against you when the heavens shall melt with fire and when the Lord shall have tenne thousand thousand of Angels ministring unto him when all flesh at the dreadfull day of judgement shall appeare before the judgement seat of God and render an account of that they have done here upon earth then here you shall see a cursed drunkard there a wretched adulterer and there a prophane swearer and they shall come and accuse those that have drawne them into the commission of these sinnes and they shall say I confesse Lord I was inlightned my eyes were opened and my heart was touched and my conscience was awakened and I was resolved to walke in a good course but Lord here is the man behold here is the woman that by wicked devises and cursed perswasions never left untill I fell off from this good resolution and turned to my former wicked wayes this is the man Lord that did this and therfore I beseech thee though I perish yet let not my bloud go unrevenged at this mans hands that hath beene the cause of my destruction and then this will lie heavy upon your score at the day of death or the day of judgement when these poore soules shall appeare before God I will tell you what complaints they will make to his Majesty they will say Lord I was in a good way my eyes were opened and my heart was humbled my heart did earne towards Gods truth and holy men I would have turned over a new leafe and led a new life but it was this Land-lord of mine that feared bernard and terrified mee and pluckt mee aside from this good course good Lord revenge my bloud at my Land-lords hand the servant he will say Lord there was a gracious fellow servant lived in the house with me and did me much good I loved to heare thy word and pray and read and performe good duties but good Lord it was the sharp reproofes and bitter taunts of my master that discouraged me and made me forsake my former course and therfore now I must go to hell but Lord though I perish yet I beseech thee revenge my bloud at my masters hands Many of you have wives that lie in your bosomes in whose hearts the word of God hath begun to take place and they have resolved to walk uprightly before God they have gone and mourned in secret and sighed to heaven but it is you that are their husbands which have hindered this gracious disposition and you thought your selves undone because your wives took this course and therefore you never left brawling and bayting and rayling untill your poore wives left all left praying and left reading and left all goodnesse I tell you those wives that now lie in your bosomes though they love you now the time will come when they will curse the day that ever they saw or knew you what a wofull case will it be at the day of judgement when the wife shall come before the Lord and say I confesse Lord I enjoyed thy word and it was brought home to my soule and it wrought upon my conscience and I had a full purpose to become a new creature and take a new course I was comming Lord I was comming but it was this husband of mine that drew mee from my selfe and thy service from a good course and from a good way and therefore require my bloud at his hands though I perish yet good Lord let not my damnation be unrevenged at my husbands hands and many of you wives if your husbands have beene inlightned and wrought upon by the word insomuch that they come home and say wife wee must reforme our families and we must pray with them and wee must bee carefull that both wee and they keep Gods Commandements then you wives are untoward and unreasonable and the house is not able to hold you and your husbands live in a miserable condition untill they have altered their former purpose why these husbands of yours will go downe to hell but their bloud will lie heavie upon your heads and will bee required at your hands they will say Lord I was once in the right way I was comming I was almost perswaded to be a Christian I do think verily if I had had another wife I should have led a good life upon the earth and have beene saved hereafter but this wife of mine Lord never left bayting and hayning at me untill I turned out of the right way they will curse the day that ever they saw you or that ever you met together and they will entreat God not to suffer them to goe to hell without revenging of their bloud upon your heads you that are such I beseech you think of these things you that have heard these things the Lord of heaven perswade your hearts to take heed of drawing away poore sinners from God if it were in my power I would not only perswade you but overcome you in this kind if it were in my power to save you I would give salvation unto you but alas it is not in my power and indeed it is pitty it should it is the Lord that must do it you that have heard this word I beseech you let it not fall to the ground but all you scorners and mockers at Gods Saints you that have drawne men out of the right way and out of a good course for the Lords sake and for mercies sake and for your owne poore soules sake be resolved never againe to draw away poore sinners from that course wherein they walke but when you see them going on well why then goe you along with them and if you see any lay cords upon them to draw them away helpe them you in this kind and labour to draw them backe againe The fourth use is an use of comfort and consolation to all poore soules marke it for the Lord Iesus sake it is a ground of unspeakable comfort to all poore creatures partly unconverted and partly converted all from the former truth they may observe marvellous refreshment of heart if they will but attend thereunto and be ruled thereby you that are in the gall of bitternesse and in a carnall condition you that live in base grosse courses you who are knowne to all the world that you live in common ordinarie sinnes you that are locked up under infidelity under a proud stubborne heart here is a ground of admirable joy and consolation to sustaine the hearts of all such poore creatures in the expectation of mercy and comfort when the flouds of iniquity beset a man on every side when the weight of his
acquaintance together saith the Text and then he saith to Peter we are all here present-before thee to heare all things that are commanded thee of God and it was that passage Ezech. 33.3 there the people speake one to another saying Come let us goe up to the house of the Lord and heare what is the word that commeth from the Lord mark how they call one another together and rap at one anothers doore thus do you counsell men to come unto the Lord and heare his word they will never come under the power of the hammer else that they may bee stricken hale them and draw them to the ministery of the word that so what you cannot do privately that the word may do in publick Ioh. 5.4 there was an Angell went downe at a cortaine time into the poole of Bethesda and troubled the waters then whosoever first stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had now there lay a poore lame man at the brinke of the waters and because he was not able to step in every one stepped in before him and no man would help him mark how hee complaineth in the seventh verse I have no man saith he when the water is troubled to put me into the poole but while I am comming another steppeth downe before me he would faine have got in bâ— could not the word of God is like this poole of Bethesda when the word of God is opened and plainly and familiarly discovered when the spirit moveth upon the waters why put a poore soule into the water fling the soule of your child or your servant or your friend into the poole perswade what you may and compell those that are under you to come unto the word of God wheÌ„ the word of God is soundly revealed delivered why put a poore soule into the waters such a man hath a lame heart hee is lame in his practise and lame in his praying and lame in the performance of holy duties he is a cripple from his cradle why bring such of your neighbours and put them into the water and intreat the Lord to work upon them that the Angell may move from heaven and work conversion and salvation to the soules of them secondly as you must labour to bring them under the power of the word so secondly when God hath made knowne his word to the hearts of them follow you the blow as much as in you lyeth if there bee any exhortation settle it if there be any admonition presse it if there be any reproofe apply it home unto their soules strike thou while the iron is hot if thy child were touched and inlightned by the word when the Lord hath strucken his heart follow thou the blow when the Lord is pleased to smite his soule bring thou the blow home unto the heart of him remember that Deut. 6.7 there saith the Text these words which I command thee shall be in thy heart and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children the word in the originall is thou shalt sharpen them thou shalt teach them that is thou shalt sharpen them upon the soules of thy children and upon the soules of thy servants the Ministers do what they can and you heare reproofes and exhortations and when you go out of the Church leave them in your stooles behind you but you should sharpen them and bring them home to the hearts of your wives and your children and servants and they that belong unto you you should follow the blow home when the Lord is pleased to exhort exhort you when the Lord is pleased to reprove reprove you it is no great matter haply to bring your children or servants under the word but when they are here they play and sport and talk and runne about as though there were no God here and therefore you should tell your children and servants it is the word of the Lord child and it is the word of the Lord servant it is not the word of man as you may think but it is the word of the Lord by which you shall one day be judged the Minister told you that God hateth a proud man and and a drunkard and an adulterer and a swearer why this was the word of the Lord thus bring the word home unto their soules and this is the way to bring them home unto God here that they may receive salvation hereafter we should use all the cords of mercy and love and anger and indignatioÌ„n that so if it were possible we might hale the soules of poore sinners to God oh blessed spirit of Saint Paul in this kind I wonder what is become of that love zeale that was in him as we may see in the 19. of the Acts he travells from place to place froÌ„ countrey to countrey he goes from house to house and rappes at every mans doore perswading men with all patience to be reconciled to God he dealeth as the nurse doth with her child the child cries and shrâ—ikes and wrawles and yet the nurse beares all so doth the Apostle Paul he met with much opposition here mocked there imprisoned there set in the stocks and scourged and yet he beares all with patience and perswades and beseeches men to be reconciled I say this power this zeale this love is gone if wee had hearts and hands and endeavours much more might be done in this case and God might work more mercifully with us powerfully by us for the conversion of poore sinners and this doth not lie only in the Ministers hands but Masters in yours and Officers in yours and so much shall serve for this poynt The next thing considerable in the Text is from the order first drawing then comming you cannot come unto me except my father draweth you the point is that God must first pluck us froÌ„ sin before we will fasten our soules upon the Lord Iesus it is evident Mat. 12.29 no man commeth into a strong mans house saith the Text unlesse he first bind the strong man first there must be binding and casting out before there can be taking of possession the house is the heart and the strong man is Satan the Lord must bind the one before he can take possession of the other the soule must be drawne before it will come to God however for the manner of this drawing it be divers God dealeth with some one way and some another some hee drawes with the cords of his mercy and some with the hookes of conscience yet this is certaine there must be a drawing before there can or will be a comming Gal. 3.22 it is said that all men are shut up under sinne c. Ioh. 1.12 As many as received him to them he gave power to become the sonnes of God now before the Lord Iesus can be received the bonds of sinne must be removed and the lock must bee opened before the Lord Iesus can come in and bee entertained but God doth loose these locks divers wayes as sometimes
we may see a man open some easie lock with some trifle hee slips it haply or opens it with a picklock but if he come to a strong one especially if it bee old and rusty then hee breaks it in pieces and that with much violence before hee can open it so deales the Lord with the soules of sinners he slips every lock before he comes in but sometimes if he meet with a proud sturdy sinner that is rivetted to his corruptions and scrued into wickednesse an old drunkard or an old blasphemer if the lock be rusty then he knocks off al he breaks the lock and lifts the doore off the hinges this is true that all the means of God generally partly mercy alluring and conscience rending the heart both these make the soule see the vilenesse of his sinnes and the necessity of parting with them and thus God doth draw before a sinner will come there must bee a kind of violence offered to the soule before any comming can proceed from the creature the reasons are these I will only touch them first because every man by nature is a despiser of Christ and rebellious to Christ Mat. 21.38 when God sent his Sonne Christ among them they said this is the heire come let us kill him when Christ came to preach the word they did professely labour to slay the Lord Iesus and in the end they did so this is the stone which the builders refused saith the Scripture the stone was Christ they refused Christ and would not build upon him so that thus I reason he that is enemy to the Lord Iesus will never of himselfe come unto him and beleeve in him but all are enemies to the Lord Iesus by nature therefore they will not come unto him and beleeve in him Secondly every man by nature runneth from God and therefore will not come to God Pro. 1.30 there sayth the text they would none of my counsell they desvised my reproofe nay Ier. 2.5 the text saith they are farre from God there saith the text what iniquity have your fathers found in me that they are gone farre from me now if a wicked man hates the word of God and goes post haste in the waies of wickednesse and runnes farre from God hee is like never to come at him unlesse God draw him by a holy kind of violence hee goeth from God and therefore of himselfe will never come to God First Vse The first use is an use of examination is it so that drawing is before comming and that God worketh upon the soule to pluck it from sinne before it will depend upon the Lord Iesus then hereby examine your soules whether you ever went to the Lord Iesus or no and you shall know by this ground that will never â—ayle you namely observe how the Lord hath wrought upon your soules in this kind have the cords of truth convinced you have the cords of mercy perswaded you have the cords of conscience terrified you have these cords prevailed with you if you never found this then know you never set foot forward to salvation dost thou thinke to come to Christ without drawing no no I speake this for two ends to check the folly of some men and reproove the madnesse of other it checks the idle dreame and sottish conceit of those that think they may have Christ at halfe an houres warning that they can cast themselves upon the Lord Iesus when they list they make it a matter of nothing to beleeve in Christ if they can but have a little time upon their death-beds to consider of their sinnes and repent for them then they will rest upon Christ and cast a good heart upon Christ in this case this is a common and an ordinarie delusion but people are deceived that are of this opinion what you come unto the Lord Iesus and fling your hearts upon him without drawing it is all one as if wee should conceive some great tree some mighty oake to pluck it selfe up by the rootes from the place where it groweth and transplant it selfe in another place if this be unconceivable the other is as impossible a tree cannot be plucked up from ground without a great deale of digging and cutting so it is with thy soule thou art rooted into sinne loving of them and living in them and continuing in them and therefore there must be digging and hewing and breaking and cutting off that proud sturdy heart of thine before that day come it will cost thee hot water the Lord must come down from heaven the master of the vineyard must come down and hew downe those trees and cut you off from the rebellions of Adam before you can be implanted into Christ never think of comming to God before you have beene drawne by God besides as this checks the folly of those men so it overthrowes the maddnesse of some men that content themselves because they never were in this condition they were never drawne they count this a matter of comfort they were never no changlings this horrour of conscience they never saw it and they blesse the Lord that they never saw that day oh poore fooles is this the credit you have and the comfort you take that you were never humbled and drawne unto God it is as though a prodigall child should blesse himselfe that his father loved him because his father never cared for him but cast him off you would thinke that that man were quite voyd of all reason and understanding that would blesse himselfe because of this condition if thou never hadst thy eyes opened nor thy conscience awakened thy soule never loosened from corruptions I tell thee it is the sorest argument in the world against thee hee that walketh is his evill waies and is not troubled and disquieted take heed of it for the Lord Iesus sake it is one of the heaviest arguments against thee for the Lord saith to Ierusalem I will not punish your daughters for committing of adultery mark that as if he had said commit adultery if thou wilt and take up thy course if thou wilt I will not plague thee here but I will punish thee for all hereafter and it is observable Hos 4.17 Ephraim is joyned to Idols let him alone as who should say let him take up his own way walk in the imaginations of his heart and let him not be disturbed it is a sore suspicion that God never purposeth to worke upon thee when hee letteth thee lie in ungodly courses without any contradiction thou art proud and thou mayest be so thou art a drunkard and thou mayest continue so still thy conscience gives thee way it never troubles thee when God never terrifieth thee and draweth thee it is an argument that God never meaneth to offer any more good unto thee and dost thou content thy selfe in the greatest curse that ever befell any man under the Sunne you would thinke it were a madde frantick thing if a man were in a deep pitt where