the Gospel brings tidings that when we receive Christ as wee must leave sin so we must set on the doing of good I must not be my owne Master as the Minister saith one while I must fast and another while I must pray and teach my Children and my Familie and this is a hard task an endlesse work I cannot beare it to pray every morning and evening c. I answer this is good newes Why because in the first place when the Gospel tells you any such thing the Gospel doth not bid you doe them or else you shall be damned as the Law did but the Gospel saith thus thou poore drunkard or thou proud woman here is a gracious God that hath loved thee and out of love hath sent Jesus Christ to die for thee and hath appointed his Ministers to make it known to thee and here is everlasting redemption and salvation by him only because thou art a sinner there is no other reason in the world now thou art safe free from damnation and hell feare not that that is gone Christ hath died to reconcile thee to God and Christ hath loved thee therefore obey him if not thou shalt not be damned that is done away alreadie Indeed the Law saith thou shalt be damned for not doing it but saith Christ in the Gospel I have died and have forgiven thee thy sins and if thou wilt be a Villane not respect my Father that hath loved thee and I that have died for thee so it is but if thou wilt obey me thou shalt be a good childe Thus the Gospel speaks now there is no bad newes for me to heare of my dutie to heare that the Lord Jesus Christ commands me when I see my salvation sure I worke not for life as those under the Law for the Law is a voyce of words it bids me doe this or that or I shal be damned and if I went a little awrie I should lose all my labour no I see my salvation is safe hell and damnation are shut out of doores God is my Father and I am his childe I am in an everlasting Covenant there is nothing in Heaven or Hell shall be able to separate me from the love of God Now I am redeemed from my enemies and without feare as the Scripture saith why should I not serve him and studie to doe what he commands me Besides admit the Gospel bids thee doe many things the Gospel also gives thee power to doe them It is not a voice of words as that on Mount Siuai Heb. 12. that is words that had a voice but no power thou shalt doe this and not that but it gave no strength and the people were not able to heare the word for they were bid not to commit adultery not to sweare not to steale and there was no strength but a voyce But the voyce of the Gospel is a voyce of power it is called The day of Gods power the power of God to salvation The Arme of God the strength of God Therefore whatsoever the Gospel commands it gives a sweet power to the heart to doe the same and then it is no bad newes If a man bid me pay a thousand pounds for my neighbour and give me a thousand pounds in my hand it is easie to doe it The Gospel bids me deny my selfe and subdue my lusts if it did give no power it were a terrible thing but if withall the Gospel carry the Spirit of Christ into the heart and kill sin and make me able to deny my selfe then it is good newes Besides the duties that the Gospel bids me doe they are few for number and easie for nature and for the end of them it is not for life and salvation that is safe there is no danger of that and there is a Spirit to them And also there is a sweetnesse in Gospel obedience that there is nothing on this side glory so Pleasing to the soule that hath believed as obeying of Jesus Christ Ro. 6. You have your reward in holines Godly men say that this is the meaning of it that holiness is a reward to it selfe the doing of good things is a reward to it selfe To say nothing of the reward hereafter that there is a Crowne of glory your labour is not in vaine in the Lord You that work for him but the very doing of Gospel dutie with a Gospel spirit it is no other than meate and drink Our Lord Christ Joh. 4. when he was hungrie and thirstie when hee was wearie one would have thought he might have done many things more pleasing than to be teaching a sillie woman when they came with meate hee would not leave that that he was doing I have meate saith he that you know not off who gave it thee said they Saith he It is my meate and drink to doe the will of him that sent me So when wee have the heart and the nature and the spirit of Christ it will be sweeter than meate and drink out of love to do any thing that Jesus Christ commands us Againe it may be some man will say the Gospel for the most part brings good newes but there is one thing in the Gospel that me thinks is no good newes to poore sinners saith a poore soule the Ministers use to preach and to tell me that the Law saith doe this and live and the Minister tells me that the Gospel saith believe and live he saith that there shall be all happinesse and good to me if I believe and saith the poor soule for my part it is as possible for me to keep the ten Commandments as to believe and the Ministers say that there is no good thing in the Gospel that I can partake of except I believe I would like it well but for that one thing I would but I cannot believe To answer this if the Gospel held forth Christ and salvation upon believing as many oft preach it were little better tidings than the Law for it is as easie for a man of himselfe to keep the ten Comandments by obeying as to believe of himself to have faith to receive Christ Therefore that is a misunderstanding of the Gospel the Gospel saith not bring faith with thee and then here is all grace salvation No for whence should I have faith whatsoever is of the flesh is flesh and what is of me is flesh and abominable to God therefore the Gospel expects not that any sinner should bring faith for he hath it not nay it is a sin to endeavour to have it of himselfe But the Gospel as it brings salvation so it breeds faith in the heart of a sinner The same word that makes known salvation the same word breeds and begets faith in the heart to receive it That God that gives his almes to us gives a purse to carry it that God that gives Physick to a poore soule will give a hand to receive it It were strange if
day or two it vanisheth to nothing But here you shall finde first the feild and then the pearle Professors are grown carelesse they were wont to read Chapters morning and evening that was ordinary but thou must doe more if thou wilt understand the mysteryes of the Gospel compare one Chapter and one Scripture with another search the Scriptures and goe to God to open the meaning of it Sixtly spread these glad tidings as much as you can to others You know when people receive good newes they run and tell it to others The poore shepheards Luke 2. when they heard the newes of the Messiah they left their sheep and ran to the Townes to tell it So when Christ was risen Mary runs to tell the newes to the Disciples Beloved when we understand this good newes we should endeavour to spread it People buy Diurnalls for their friends and fold them in their Letters and send them about the Kingdome let us doe so with these spirituall tidings that we may send them forth O I would to God that wee did see how the poore Countries in the North and West of England in many places in Townes they have not so much as a Service-booke not so much as reading if God settle and compose these times the Lord give you hearts to joyne together to finde out a course to send the Ministers of the Gospel to bring the glad tidings to poore people that lie in the Mountaines of darknesse and in the shadow of death And let us not be so curious or scrupulous as to hinder people that they should not preach the Gospel Suppose people have no degrees in the University or it may be have not the knowledge of the tongues though that were to be wished let us not pick quarrels with them to stop their mouthes and to hinder the preaching of the Gospel And let us not think so hardly in these dayes of those men that God hath raised to preach the Gospel It is strange you shall have your Pulpits ring calling them Tub-preachers and Tinkers and Coblers We should think better of them Why they are filled with good newes and they goo and tell it to others We doe so usually in other things when we have good newes we run to our friends and neighbours and comrade's and make it known This is an age wherein God comes and fills his people with the glorious light of the Gospel and poore wretched they cannot chuse but speak what they have seen and heard therefore be not so captious and furious The Lord hath spoken who can but prophesie Amos 3. 8. When God fills peoples souls with the knowledge of Christ who can keep it in It is as the new wine spoken of in Joh it cannot be kept in And surely the time is comming that young men shall see visions and old men shall dreame dreames and God will poure out his Spirit upon all flesh and they shall prophesie It is prophesied in Joel and this is to be made good in the new Testament And therefore if wee see that the Lord fills young men or tradesmen c. and gives them hearts to goe and tell the good newes to others why should you be so extreamely troubled and spend your spirits in rage at it I use not to tell stories but let me tell you this one thing since I have been from you of late I have observed and seen in the Mountaines of Wales the most glorious work that ever I saw in England unlesse it were in London the Gospel is run over the Mountaines between Brecknockshire and Monmouthshire as the fire in the thatch and who should doe this They have no Ministers but some of the wisest say there are about 800 godly people and they goe from one to another They have no Ministers it is true if they had they would honour them and blesse God for them and shall we raile at such and say they are Tuh-Preachers and they were never at the university Let us fall downe and honour God what if God will honour himself that way They are filled with good newes and they tell it to others and therefore vex not at them and say O what times are these and what will become of us Why what is the businesse O such a man he was never Master of Arts hee was never at the university and he rakes upon him to preach when it may be he hath more of God in him than I and a hundred that have all this Only take two Cautions First I speak not to disparage learning or learned men it were to be wished that there were more godly and learned men also in England and Wales Secondly take this Caution that because God fills many with the Gospel and they doe a great deale of good take heed least any of you run before you be sent that is that a man goe not rashly and believe his owne judgement rather than the judgement of the Saints as divers in this City they think they are fit to preach and other people of God that are better able to judge of their gifts think not so and yet they will run presently Take heed of pride and rashnesse but if God fill a man with the tidings of the Gospel and others of the people of God see it spark le out as a vessel full of new wine who am I that I should resist if with humility hee make known this tidings to others If the Gospel be such a thing as I desire you to spend some thoughts in considering of this truth then this should comfort us and help our patience a little in these trouble some times that though all be out of order and we suffer such losses yet blessed be God wee have the voyce of the turtle still in the Land thou maiest say though I have hard newes at home trading is low and my stock is small yet blessed be God I have the Gospel that is I have abundance of glad tidings made known to my eares and to my soule every day This is some comfort you have lesse of outward things but more of inward I suppose then ever Another thing is this if this be so then it is a caution that is necessary to be observed by us that are Ministers they must take heed of two things First take heed of corrupting and adulterating this blessed Gospel and glad tidings with their owne wisdome it is glorious enough of it selfe every addition of humane wisdome makes it worse take heed of sophisticating the word of God of playing the hucksters as the Apostle saith 2. Cor. 3. wee are not those that play the hucksters hucksters mingle apples and peares they mingle their commodities take heed of that And then take heed of mingling the Law and the Gospel together It is true the Law is necessary and is added to the Gospel but God intends not in the new testament that it should be mixed and mingled
salvation of their soules It is harsh but it is good newes 2 Cor. 5. saith the Apostle In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ when yee are gathered together and my spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ to deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus speaking of the incestuous person If men will be so wretched as to sin grosly the Lord Jesus hath ordered that such a man shal be delivered to Satan for what that he may be damned and to bring him to hell No for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus And truly Beloved I have seen more than one that have blessed God for that Ordinance that have been brought to humble their soules and sweetly and closely to walk with God againe by the blessing of God on that Ordinance Now I have told you the worst in the Gospel either reproofe and that but upon great occasion or else delivering to Satan and that must be upon extraordinary occasion yet both are sweet and profitable and precious for the good of the soule Therefore the truth of the Doctrine holds cleare to you that there is nothing in the Gospel look which way you will but good newes and glad tidings to the worst of sinners There is one objection more and so I proceeed to the Uses Some body may say out of the Prophet Isaiah There is no peace to the wicked saith my God Isa. 57. ult. And Isa. 48. 12. The wicked are like the troubled Sea when it cannot rest whose watters cast out mire and dirt The Prophet seemes to comfort the godly but wicked men have no peace then a man may say how doth this stand with your Doctrine you say that the Gospel holds forth peace and glad tidings and good newes to wicked men even to the worst of sinners The are three wayes to answer it in few words The first is that however Isaiah was in a sort an Evangelicall Prophet and spake many things of Gospel by way of Prophesie he saw things for us and not for himselfe as Peter saith yet these kinde of expressions are more properly Law than Gospel for it is certaine there is no other language in the Law but that there is no peace to the wicked Transgresse once and be damned for ever but the language of the Gospel is contrary it comes and gives peace to the wicked and justifieth the ungodly he preacheth peace to them that are neere and to them that are affar off And who were they The Gentiles that were emphatically sinners are we not Jewes saith the Apostle and not sinners of the Gentiles Therefore this was rather Law than Gospel Secondly there is no peace to the wicked or to sinners saith my God You may understand it also in this sense that the Lord will not make any peace with sin though he send messages of peace and reconciliation to sinners though God be reconciled to a sinner hee will never be reconciled to sin But the third and last and most proper as I take it is this There is no peace to the wicked saith my God that is there is no peace to men that continue in sin after Jesus Christ hath been offered them and they have refused him then there is no peace to them Observe for it is a thing of great concernment it becomes not a Minister of the Gospel by any meanes to pronounce wrath and curse or damnation to a sinner qua a sinner as a sinner he is not a Minister of the Gospel if he doe he is a Minister of the old Testament that saith here comes a drunkard eo nomnie because he is a drunkard God will plague him and damne him this is the language of the old Testament But you will say will you speak peace to drunkards and sinners Wee speak judgment and curses and damnation to them when once wee have first offered Christ and they refuse him And for this reason and no other according to the Ministery of the Gospel I am to pronounce damnation and curse to wicked men because they refuse Jesus Christ because they doe not believe in Jesus Christ You will say is it absolutely evil for a Minister to speak against drunkards and Swearers and whoremongers and to say the curse of God will fall on them c. No Why because I speak against a drunkard not properly because he is a drunkard but his drunkeness is a signe that he continues in unbeliefe and so hath not received Jesus Christ So we are to understand the Scriptures There is a drunkard a Sot a jearer of godliness I say the curse of God will come upon him and the damnation of hell is ready to overtake him why not because he is properly such a one but because those are signes that he is an unbeliever When God shall come to judge the world There are people that he will judge eo nomine because they are drunkards he will throw them to hel as those in the Mountaines of Wales c. Because they have but a little light and they did not follow that they shall be condemned and the heathens shal be condemned for their ignorance c. But under the Gospel all are wrapped up in unbeliefe So that this is the pin of Heaven or Hell the very wards that opens or shuts that you be believers or unbelievers But I will not stand longer on that Now I proceed to shew what profit we may have by this Doctrine by way of Application There be divers speciall Lessons that I would have you learne hence The first is this that this truth that I have now taught you it is the doore of the Gospel the very entrance into Christian Religion the first stone as it were in the Christian building in the Profession of Religion in Gospel Profession There is a kinde of devotion and Profession but it is not built according to the Gospel but if you would walk according to the Gospel learne this lesson first that is that God gives life and salvation through Christ to sinners as sinners though they be hard hearted backsliding and the chiefe of sinners yet as long as they be sinners and but sinners they may alway looke upon Jesus Christ and salvation in his hand to be bestowed on them This is a truth that thou must learne and be taught it of God or else thou canst not goe one step into the Profession of the Gospel for beloved till you know and learne this you will be like men in the dark you will be groping for Christ Jesus but you will never be graffed into him you will never be knit to Christ I say this is the first step to Religion to understand this truth aright that the Gospel brings glad tidings of salvation to be given to the worst of sinners
amiable Saith the man when he had done judge yee will yee not think it just if yee be damned if ye will not receive and obey this Saith he it is so I deserve to be damned without mercy Consider this you will say so too you will be made to confesse how just your damnation will be for refusing it If there were any thing in all this that were harsh and cruell and rough and ridged it were somewhat but when God hath cast the Gospel into such a mold and way that every thing smiles and all is roses and yet a wretch shall go and persecute it and slight it and neglect and despise it I leave such a man let him judge himselfe at the last day worthy of damnation for he shall have judgment without mercy that rejecteth this mercy When men have this mercy without mixture of judgment it is fit that those men should have pure judgment withour mixture of mercy This is the reason that the Lord laughs at mens destruction Pro. 1. when it comes as a whirlwinde Now wee must understand that God doth not laugh at any mans destruction as a transgressor of the Law for he hath cast himself into a necessity of sininng and hath damned himself and he cannot help it And God will not laugh at the destruction of the Gentiles and heathens that have not heard of the Gospel but when God comes by his Ministers and opens and unbowels all the mysteries of the Gospel to people and hath laid all before them clearly yet then for people to love darknesse rather than light and to continue drunkards and whoremongers and swearers and villanes and jearers of Gods people and laugh at his Ordinances this makes the Lord laugh at their destruction I beseech you therefore all you that yet never received the Gospel of Jesus Christ consider what I have said In the fourth place if the Gospel and the Ministery of it be good tidings and glad newes to the worst of sinners Then Beloved you should me thinks imbrace with all affection the true and sincere Ministers of this Gospel these Messengers that bring you these glad tidings we are as the Apostle saith the offscouring of the world a spectacle to men and Angels Truly there are no Ministers in the world that are more persecuted and hated and despised than the humble sincere Ministers of the new Testament of the Gospel of Jesus Christ nor never were This is a sore and a strange thing if we did bring one word that were sad and greivous and harsh to you it were no wonder but if all that wee speake be the voyce of the dove doves language all sweet come to the Gospel Ministery if there come a poore man full of sadnesse the Ministery of the Gospel speaks a word of comfort to him if he be in darkness and he knowes not which way to goe waiting on a Gospel Ministery there is light to finde his way If he be in feare and know not his estate what he is a Gospel Ministery will give him assurance of Gods love so it brings glad tidings to some souls every houre Is not this than madnesse in men that of all creatures in the world they hate that man and those Messengers that bring these blessed glad tidings There is a Prophesie in Isaiah 52. 7. How beautifull upon on the mountaines are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings that publisheth peace that bringeth good tidings of good things that publisheth salvation that saith to the righteous thy God reigneth How beautifull are their feet much more their lips you doe not in this as you doe in naturall things if a man come and bring glad tidings of taking of such a Towne or of such a victory though it may be there is losse and little good in it we all welcome it and he is rewarded presently and hath all wayes of encouragment and yet when people shall come and by the Spirit of God make known all the love of God in Jesus Christ and all the riches of the Gospel in Jesus Christ that your hearts should so rise against it that you should receive and entertain so many prejudices against it it is a strange and wonderous thing Therefore you should doe well me thinks as you read in the booke of God 2 Sam. 18. 27. of two men that did bring tidings to David of the warrs and the watchman said Me thinks the runing of the formost is like the runing of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok and the King said he is a good man and comes with good tidings He would have the watchman open the gate quickly why because he was a good man and did bring good tidings So wee should especially if men be good and holy and humble and feele the power of that they speake and expresse it in their lives say as David that is a good man and bringeth good tidings he will teach me if I be ignorant hee will comfort me if I be sad he will direct me if I have lost my way hee will build me up if I thrive not in grace The consideration of this truth me thinks should bannish all those strange thoughts and prejudices that wee have against the Ministers of the Gospel In the first place another lesson is this if the Gospel be such good newes such glad tidings then you should hearken much after it and inquire much into it We all you know are naturally greedie to heare newes and we know how much time is spent here in the City especially in reading Diurnalls inquiring after tidings and how much money is cast away that way Wee should doe so much more about these glorious tidings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ It is not enough to heare a Sermon or to read a Chapter once or twice a day as it is the manner of some that will not bring us to know the mysteryes of the Gospel but we must search the Scripture and compare spirituall things with spirituall things As in earthly tidings if a man tell of such a victorie one way and another after him another way and a third a third way you compare what they say and their letters and newes to finde out the truth So you should be earnest in seeking God and bego his Spirit compare Scriptures together see what the Scripture saith in such a place and how in another place and this is the way to find out the mystery of the Gospel These tidings are great therefore inquire into them and they are true tidings they are not fables and tidings of common concernment to every Saint therefore let this be the use that thou and I should make of it to desire the Lord to lead us into the depth of those mysteryes and to set our selves to studie it more and more for the further we goe the more wee shall finde as in a myne It is not as in your newes many times you have a great deale of good newes in a