thistles Oh no Gal. 6.7 8. Be not deceiv'd mistake not your selves God is not mocked for whatsoever a man soweth that he shall reap he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting And saith the Apostle Rom. 6.16 Know ye not that 's strange Know assuredly that to whom ye yield your selves servants to obey his servants ye are to whom ye obey whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousnesse that is unto life He that is now thy Lord and Master he that is now thy Soveraign and King will then pay thy wages 'T is a short question Whose Will do you do if the will of men verily you have your reward if the will of sin you shall have sins wages which is you may heare it but how will you bear eternal death Surely men that like sins work will never like sins wages But if thou do the Will of God thy wages shall be his gift eternal life Well then try for Gods sake and your soules sake try your selves for you may know whose you are and shall be The third word or head is for exhortation let every one then that names and calls upon the Name of the Lord as he loves his soule depart from iniquity alas if you will not depart from iniquity for Gods sake you must there 's no remedy you must depart from God for iniquities sake and shall iniquity be dearer to you then God and your souls Why call you me Lord Lord Le ts either lay aside the Name of the Lord or our iniquity for what hast thou to do thou bold impudent daring sinner to take Gods Name into thy mouth and hatest to be reformed doest thou think that he will hold thee guiltlesse that takest his Name in vain Oh no he will require his Name and glory at thy hands Because God keepeth silence doest thou think he gives consent thinkest thou that he is such an one as thy self No no he will reprove thee and set thy sins in order before thy face and ask thee how thou durst say Lord Lord by way of Profession Prayer â—nd Appeal and yet wouldest not depart from iniquity what wilt thou answer when he riseth up thou wilt then stand speechlesse as being self-condemned Oh let me then beseech you to do the Will of God be not hearers of the Word but doers also lest you deceive your selves What is it to make a good Profession and not to make good the Profession what is it to be a Christian as farre as if it be no further then a few good words will go what is it to speak Christ fair to say Haile Master and kisse him if thou kick with the heel against him Trust not in lying words which cannot profit you will ye steal murther commit adultery sweare falsely burn incense to Baal and walk after other gods your belly and your covetousnesse and come and stand before me in this house and say The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord are these Is this house which is called by my Name become a den of robbers in your eyes Behold saith God even I have seen it and will require it Good words will never engage God to be a Patron to bad works Think ye to lean upon the Lord and say Is not the Lord among us behold thou art called a Jew and restest in the Law and makest thy boast of God and knowest his Will Behold all this what will it come to if thou through breaking the Law dishonourest God and causest his Name to be blasphemed what wilt thou do in that day when God shall judge thee according to this Gospel My beloved let me beg you for your precious and immortal soules sake not to dally with God not to trifle away these few moments of yours on which eternity depends but up and be doing the Will of God that it may go well with you for ever 'T is said of some 2 Kings 17.33 That they feared the Lord but served their own gods but saith the text v. 34. They feared not God for they do not after the Commandments which God commanded Jacob. Alas my beloved how often must I say it 't is not a forme of Godlinesse 't is not saying Lord Lord 't is not quaint civility nor specious morality much lesse painted hypocrisie that will bear you out opinions will not passe for Religion in the day of judgement nay do not think as I may say to make Christ a pack-horse to lay thy sins on his shoulders and thou in the mean time to keep them in thy bosome to say he hath done the Will of God and thou carest not to do his Will Alas the losse will be your own God will lose nothing as he that is wise is wise for himself so he that sinneth wrongeth his own soul Be exhorted then and suffer the word of exhortation which speaketh on this wise Do the Will of God surrender resign your selves to him as ever you expect to enter into the Kingdome of Heaven There are these two provoking Arguments from the text 1 It is for no lesse then a Kingdome yea for no lesse then the Kingdome of Heaven and is that worth nothing The Gospel is called the Gospel of the Kingdom Matth. 4.23 And the Word of the Kingdome Matth. 13.19 For by it we are called to his Kingdome and glory Shall not a Kingdome shall not of all Kingdomes this Kingdome be glorious in our eyes which is the Kingdome of glory The devil offered Christ as his greatest argument of hope to prevaile by the Kingdomes of this world and their glory but what 's that to this what 's time to eternity what 's earth to Heaven what are visibles to invisibles what the things of sense to things of saith what this glory to that which is to be revealed We all naturally love greatnesse and glory and can there be greater glory or more glorious greatnesse then this to be Kings to God here Kings with God hereafter and to reign with him more then a thousand years You see what a do there is in the world and I wish there be no evil done in the world for Crowns Scepters and Kingdomes do all the Kingdomes of the earth suffer violence and do the violent take them by force and shall not the Kingdome of Heaven suffer seeing 't is willing to suffer violence Oh that the violent would take it by force The nature of this Kingdome is to keepe thee from evil the Kingdomes of the earth are not I feare they are not had without much evil Well will you consider this to engage you to do the Will of God 'T is for a Kingdom 2. Consider this argument too if you neglect to day it may be too late to morrow Now or never now or never for what is your life but as a vapour that passeth away Do not you
Lord Lord by way of appeal yet I professe unto you I never knew you I never approved of you I know the way of the righteous but the way of the wicked shall perish Depart from me ye workers of iniquity So that 't is not Profession nor Prayer nor Appeal that will give a man entrance into the Kingdome of Heaven Not every one that saith Lord Lord c. By the Kingdome of Heaven is to be understood that state of blessednesse after this life called elsewhere salvation glory and eternal life Which indeed is begun in this life for * Joh. 17.3 This is life eternal to know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent and therefore the dispensation of grace by Jesus Christ is often called the Kingdom of Heaven Repent for the Kingdome of Heaven is at hand but I think the future state to be here principally if not only intended For Then shall the righteous shine forth as the Sun in the Kingdome of their Father Matth. 13.43 But I purposing to speak to the latter clause shall wave this first having given you two or three Observations from the text and context 1. From the connexion of this text with the foregoing verse I shall observe That men are better known by what they do then by what they say Even a childe saith Solomon Prov. 20.11 Even a childe is known by his doings whether his work be pure and whether it be right So saith Christ By their fruits ye shall know them Not every one that saith c. Men are better known by their doings then by their sayings If a man speak well and do ill Charity it selfe cannot speak well of that man as to men God indeed judgeth of their words and their works by their hearts * God judgeth the out-side by the in-side but man judgeth the in-side by the out-side but men cannot judge of men but by their works By their fruits ye shall know them Not by their Profession for they may professe like Saints nor by their Prayers for they may pray like Saints nor by their Appeales for they may appeal like Saints they may say Lord Lord but by their fruits ye shall know them 'T is not the words but the works of men that tell us what they are Indeed saith he they come to you in sheepes cloathing but they are ravening wolves They have as one sayes on the place Jacobs smooth tongue but Esaus rough hand Audi nemo meliùs specta nemo pejùs They speak like Angels of light but they act like Angels of darknesse They defie the devil in words but deifie the devil in works they deifie Christ in words but defie him in works God likes not this Court-holy-water of faire Professions and deep Protestations when mens hearts are not with him when there is not the power of Religion and the practice of Godlinesse By their fruits ye shall know them Not every one that faith c. 2. Good words without good works will never turne to a good account holy sayings without holy doings will never admit into the holy place Not every one that saith Lord Lord c. there will little come of that 3. God is a very curious observer of what men say and of what men do in the world Jesus Christ here observes that they say Lord Lord but withal he observes that they do not the Will of his Father but are workers of iniquity Men indeed may but God will not God cannot be put off with complements Shall not he that made the eye see shall not he that made the eare heare shall not he that made the heart know what is therein Surely saith David Psal 139. thou understandest my thoughts and there is not a word in my tongue but lo thou knowest it altogether And as for the works as he saith to the Church of Ephesus I know thy works But I proceed to the second clause He that doth the Will of my Father which is in Heaven Whence I lay down this Conclusion That they and none but they who do the Will of God shall enter into the Kingdome of Heaven For the clearing of this there is this Querie to be made as to the termes What are we to understand by the Will and by the doing of the Will of God which being answered we may more safely proceed to prove the truth of the Proposition But before I can do this 't is requisite to premise these two things 1. That the Will of God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ are one The Father and he are one and agree in one and indeed 't is in him and by him that we know the Will of God No man saith John chap. 1.18 hath seen God at any time the only begotten Son which is in the bosome of the Father he hath declared him And as the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 2.16 Who hath known the minde of God but we have the minde of Christ wherein and whereby we have the minde of God The Father saith of the Son as Pharaoh did of Joseph Gen 41.55 Go unto Joseph what he saith unto you do And as his Mother said to the servants at the wedding Iohn 2.5 Whatsoever he saith unto you do it Just so his Father saith This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased heare ye him So that whatever Christ saith unto you is his Fathers Will and therefore verse 24. he calleth them his sayings and pronounceth them blessed that hear and do them for they are his Fathers Will. 2. As to the termes I premise this also That these phrases the Will of God the Word of God the Work of God the Commands of God c. are all equivalent and signifie the same thing So then I answer that by the Will of God we are to understand 1. The Credenda Faith 2. The Agenda Holinesse Good works or the * Rom. 16 26. obedience of faith not either but each of them not one or the other but both one and the other the doctrine of faith or things to be believ'd and the doctrine of holinesse or things to be done and practised As faith excludes not doing with respect to salvation so doing excludes not faith for as faith without works is dead so works without faith are dead also as 't is impossible that faith without works can please God so no lesse impossible for works without faith to please God and therefore what God hath joyn'd together man should not put asunder Yea you shall finde that believing is expressely called the Will of God John 6.27 c. Labour not saith Christ for the meat which perisheth but for that which endureth unto everlasting life which the Son of man giveth you Whence by the way observe that Gods giving and mans labouring are not inconsistent free grace and full duty may joyne hearts and hands But say they ver 28. What shall we do that we may work the works of God Jesus answered v.
29. and said unto them This is the work that is the Will of God that ye believe on him whom he hath sent Accordingly in the 40. verse This is the Will of him that sent me that every one that believeth on the Son should have everlasting life Now if this be his Will that believing on him we have everlasting life then 't is his Will that we believe on him in relation thereunto so that as well believing on him for everlasting life as everlasting life to believing on him is the Will of God Yea you have it in expresse termes 1 John 3.23 This is his Commandment that we should believe on the Name of his Son Jesus Christ so that you see 't is not barely that which we call good works that is to be understood by the doing of the Will of God but believing in or on the Lord Jesus Christ also this is the Work this is the Will this is the Command of God And beloved I ground it further on this rule which is an undeniable one and for not attending whereunto we have had so many needless groundlesse and unprofitable disputes in the world The rule is this that the Scripture doth often yea very usually put particular duties for all Religion and therefore annexeth salvation to distinct graces Sometime 't is He that believeth shall be saved Elsewhere He that calleth upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved Here 't is He that doth the Will of God Now all these and the like are complex comprehensive Propositions and contain more in them then they make shew of for God spcaks much in a little acts and duties of Religion being as Moralists speak of their vertues inter se connexae linked together in a golden chaine Religion is not this or that piece but the whole which is usually expressed in a word or sometime two * The Apostle comprehends the whole counsel of God under repentance and faith Acts 20.20 21 27. versescompared as in that of Solomon Fear God and keap his Commandments for this is the whole of man Eccl. 12.13 So that if you could suppose a man to be a believer and to be a believer alone it would not save him as the Apostle James saith ch 2.14 What doth it profit my brethren though a man say he hath faith and have not works Can faith save him No no more then saying Be ye warmed will warme any or Be ye filled will fill any for faith without works is dead And what is said of this may be said of the rest so that when the Scripture speaks of salvation as annexed to any one thing it supposeth that to contain the rest The reason is evident for the graces of God as saving are not parted There is no believing to salvation without repentance nor no repentance to salvation without believing there is no calling upon the Name of the Lord will save without departing from iniquity nor can they savingly depart from iniquity that call not on the Name of the Lord. 'T is not any one thing but things that pertain to the Kingdome of God Acts 1.3 'T is not thing but things that accompany or as it may be better read containe salvation Heb. 6.9 and he that takes one for all without all will finde it nothing at all A part is no portion The great fallacy with which Satan deludes many men is that which Logicians call à bene compositis ad malè divisa when he gets them to take Religion into pieces and then takes one piece for Religion One cries up God another cries up Christ another faith another love another good works but what is God without Christ or Christ without faith or faith without love or love without works but now take God in Christ by faith which worketh by love to the keeping of the Commandments of God and this is pure Religion 'T is the whole that is the whole of man Yet again though I have spoken thus much to it let me make it clearer then a demonstration that one is put for all and as containing all by comparing these places of Scripture in 1 Cor. 7.19 you reade that Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing but keeping the Commandments of God What 's that why that is all in all in Gal. 5.6 'T is neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith which worketh by love that 's that which availeth or is all in all Yet in Gal. 6.15 he saith Neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but a new creature that 's all in all and yet for all this as if all this were nothing he tells us in Col. 3.11 that Christ is all and in all cashiering both Circumcision and uncircumcision as formerly Now my beloved if you should take any one of these though each be said to be availing I say if you should take any one and lay the stresse of your salvation upon it you were undone 'T is not keeping the Commandments of God nor faith working by love nor the new creature no nor Christ himself considered alone and apart that availeth any thing but these in conjunction He names one only because whereever one is it is not only one there is more then one whereever one is savingly there are all in their respective places as far as they are to be in relation to salvation Thus you see that faith as well as works and works as well as faith every one in their own order are to be taken in or we shall not be taken into the Kingdome of Heaven And this may suffice for the quid sit as ye call it or the opening of the Point As to the quod sit or proof of the Point that it is so that they and none but they who do the Will of God in the sense explained shall enter into the Kingdome of Heaven though I might say Ipse dixit Christ himself hath said it what need we any further witnesse seeing we know and are assured that his witnesse is true yet we shall give you a whole cloud of witnesses the harmony and consent of Scriptures to clear up this point to evince and evidence the truth thereof to be past a contradiction and without controversie To say nothing of the connexion between the two petitions in the Lords Prayer Matth. 6.10 Thy Kingdom come and thy Will be done Nor of that in Heb. 10.36 For ye have need of Patience that after ye have done the Will of God ye might receive the Promise viz. of the Kingdom of Heaven or eternal life for this is the Promise which he hath made 1 John 2.25 and but to mention that in 1 John 2.17 He that doth the Will of God abideth for ever I say not to insist on these I shall proceed to prove the Point 1. From the testimony that God hath given of the persons already gone to Heaven viz. that they were such I shall instance only in two The first is Enoch
his Will is done Go to now then ye that say as James 4.13 c. To day or to motrow we will go into such a City whereas ye should say for ye ought to say If the Lord will we shall live and do this or that Wo to them that say as Psal 12. With our tongue we will prevail our lips are our own who is Lord over us Alas poor soules you are not your own your soules are not yours your bodies are not yours they are bought with a price and therefore 't is not self-will but Gods Will that you and they are to obey 1 Cor. 6.19 20. Man must not make his own will but Gods Will his Counsellour and his Rule Do nothing but by leave and approbation when therefore they stand in competition we should tell temptations and corruptions 'T is Gods will that I should not do mine own Will The great strife between God and man is about the Will and men are enemies to God because they cannot have their wills but alas we see that if our will be done Gods will not and then wo unto us for we reward evil to our own souls 7. If it be so that they and none but they which do the Will of God shall inher it the Kingdom of Heaven How sad then will it be then with them that die in their sin that go out of the world as having done nothing in it but wrought iniquity Oh the doleful dismal condition of sinners at the last day when they shall hear their doom Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his Angels Oh that the hearing of it now may prevent the hearing of it hereafter Will it not be sad to be turned into hell with loads of wrath and vengeance on your backs for what have you you workers of iniquity treasur'd up but wrath against the day of wrath you shall have your portion with hypocrites and be torne in pieces and none to deliver have your dwelling with everlasting burnings where there will be nothing but weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth Consider this ye workers of iniquity and kisse the Son lest his wrath be kindled and ye perish everlastingly Oh that sinners would but lend their eare and listen at the hole the mouth of the bottomlesse pit * They might hear sinners crying like Cardinal Woolsey Oh if we had but taken as much care to please God as we did to please our own and other mens lusts he would not have left us to this both shame and endlesse misery there they might hear Dives crying out I am tormented in this flame and have not so much as one little drop of water to cool my tongue there they may hear poor damned souls cursing themselves for their madnesse that for the pleasures of sin which are but for a moment they should lose the pleasures of Heaven and be under the torments of hell which are for evermore Alas 't is not for expressions to expresse the unspeakable the unconceivable miseries which the fearful and unbelieving which the workers of iniquity will be in when they shall be cast into and have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone where they shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever This is the second death Rev. 20.10 with 21.8 Oh that men would heare and feare and do no more so wickedly 8. And lastly if it be so how happy shall they be who when their Lord cometh shall be found doing the Will of God Well doing wil meet with a Well-done good and faithful servant enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Saints are called to Gods Kingdome and Glory here and called upon to walk worthy of answerable to or becoming that Kingdome and when they have thus walked with God they shall be called into the Kingdom and glory they shall hear the joyful sound saying Their Masters joy enters into them here and they into their Masters joy hereafter Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you they shall then sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob at the wedding dinner which is yet to be kept in Heaven when all the Saints come together Oh what a glorious and blessed time will that be when they that are now laugh't at and scorned for being so precise for doing the Will of God shall then be crowned with everlasting glory Then shall ye return and discern between the righteous and the wicked between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not now indeed too too many say in works and in their hearts if not in words 'T is in vain to serve God what profit is there that we keep his Ordinances the proud are happy c. But behold the day cometh that shall burn like an Oven and all the proud and all that do wickedly shall be as stubble but a book of remembrance is written before him for them that fear the Lord and think on his Name and to them shall the Sun of righteousnesse arise with healing in his wings and they shall be mine in that day when I make up my Jewels saith the Lord. Yea the beloved of their soules and he that loves their soules will speak and say Rise up my love my faire one and come away for lo the Winter is past and the raine is over and gone the flowers appear on the earth the time of singing is come and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land the fig-tree putteth forth her green figs and the vines with the tender grapes give a good smell Arise my love my faire one and come away Oh my Dove that art in the clefts of the rock in the secret places of the stairs let me see thy countenance and hear thy voice for sweet is thy voice and thy countenance comely Though ye have lain among the pots yet shall ye be as the wings of a Dove covered with silver and her feathers with yellow gold This and much more then this shall be their glory Indeed eye hath not seen nor eare heard nor can it enter into the heart of man to conceive the things which God hath laid up for them that do love him The second word or head is for examination and self-trial and I could wish that this sort of catechizing were more in use hereby we may know whose we are and what will become of us to all eternity whose we are while we live and whose we shall be and whither we shall go when we die This methinks should take up mens thoughts and possesse their reines day and night till they were in some measure assured thereof And oh that men would often ask their soules whose work whose Will they do for hereby they may conclude what will be their eternal state Look as men sowe in the seed-time of their lives they shall reap in the harvest of eternity Can men expect to gather grapes of thornes or figs of
die daily Know ye not that this night you may sleep the sleep of death And truly my beloved if you heare not God in this God will not hear you in that day Many shall say in that day Lord Lord but 't is too late See how Luke enlargeth this ch 13.24 c. Strive do your utmost to enter in at the strait gate for many will lasily with wouldings and wishings seek to enter but shall not be able which he enforceth by the argument now in hand When once the Master of the house is risen up and hath shut to the door and ye standing without begin to knock saying Lord Lord open to us but he shall answer and say unto you I know you not whence you are 'T is too late saith he there was a door of hope open but now it is shut then you would not now you shall not enter in Though you cry and shout he will shut out your cries yea though you cry Lord Lord your answer will be I know you not And if you begin to plead and say How Lord not know us that 's strange not know us why who are you that I should know you as he saith in Matthew I never knew you No Lord we have eaten and drunk in thy presence we have heard thee preach in our streets we were the greatest frequenters of Sermons in all the town or countrey and doest thou not know us No I professe saith Christ I know you not Well in Matthew they have something more to say for themselves we have prophesied in thy Name yea we have fought thy battels and cast out devils and in thy Name have done many wonderful works Is not this enough to be known by surely thou canst not but have taken notice how forward we were in and for thy cause But alas the answer is I never knew you Depart depart I know you not Oh beloved we think that now it may be we are known eminently known but if we be found workers of iniquity 't will be in vain to say when we knock and God fayes Who is there why here are they that have sate at the upper end of the world here are famous Citizens Common-Councel men yea it may be Aldermen of the City of London Alas we shall never be known under these notions upon these termes 't is not riches nor titles of honour by which men are known in the world that will make a man known of God when he comes to stand before the barre of his Tribunal God will invalidate all the pleas that can be made If you say Whenever saw we him an hungred or a thirst or stranger or naked or in prison or sick and did not minister to him He will answer Depart ye cursed for in as much as ye did it not to one of the least of these ye did it not to me If you say Open to us for we are Virgins we took our lamps and went out to meet the Bridegroom the rest slept as well as we we trimm'd our lamps and because we could not borrow we went to buy Lord Lord open to us No veriâ—y saith he I know you not The day of judgement will be a dreadful day upon this account that 't will be dies deceptionis a day of deceit not that it will deceive any but many will finde themselves deceiv'd Oh how will men be frustrated of their expectation 't will be to them as that day was to Esau wherein Jacob was blessed he came in merrily from his hunting and said without doubting of it blesse me my father but 't was too late he sought it yea carefully sought it and that with tears but found no place for repentance his father would not recal the blessing If men will not he are when God calls there is a time coming when men shall call and God will not hear How doth Christ mourn over Jerusalem who so long neglected her peace that at last it was hid from her eyes It s too late it s too late Jerusalem Oh therefore in this day in this your day in this the day of your visitation to day while 't is called to day before the night of death come and that may be this night I say in this day hear his voice or else in that day he will not hear your voice though you cry Lord Lord open unto us For a conclusion there are but three things which I would briefly commend to you in relation to this great work If they and none but they shall enter into heaven who do the Will of God on earth let me intreat you to study 1. The What 2. The How 3. The Why of Gods Will. 1. Study what the Will of God is for the matters to be believed and done Do not rest contented in general termes but study from the Scriptures what the Will of God is in particular There is notable advice given and as notable a promise made Prov. 2. My son if thou wilt receive my words and hide my Commandments with thee so that thou incline thine care unto wisdome and apply thine heart to understanding yea if thou criest after knowledge and liftest up thy voice for understanding if thou seekest her as silver and searchest for her as for hid treasures what then why then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God and that not only in the general but as v. 9. then shalt thou understand righteousnesse and judgement and equity yea * Observe that every good path every good path Can there be a businesse of greater concernment to us then the saving of our soules can we take too much pains for that end is it not a shame that men should be more industrious to be wise for this world then to be wise for heaven Surely God requires diligence and delight in this work Every verse hath a double charge v. 1. receive and hide v. 2. incline thine eare and apply thine heart v. 3. cry and lift up the voice v. 4. seek her and search for her and that as for silver and gold Ah how do we look after silver and gold certainly if we did but look after the Will of God as we do after silver and gold how rich should we be in knowledge what treasures of wisdom would our soules be possessed of We need not doubt it for our Saviour hath said it John 7.17 If any man will do his Will he shall know the doctrine whether it be of God wherefore be not unwise Eph. 5.17 but understanding what the Will of the Lord is 2. Study the How of the Will of God not only what is to be done but how it is to be done 't is not enough that we do what is good but the good we do must be well done his Will according to his Will The Apostle in relation to walking worthy of God to all well-pleasing Col. 1.9 10. prayes that they might be filled with the knowledge of his