of the spirit whereby the vnderstanding is inlightned the heart mollified and our affections inflamed with the loue of Christ and heauenly things it profiteth not but becommeth the sauour of death vnto death vnto vs the more he so knocketh the more excuseles shall we be at the last day Again thogh the Lord take neuer so great a delight to do vs good euen emptie as it were the treasure of his blessings vpon vs yet without his spirite they doe but puffe vs vp vnto wantonnesse and presumption as we haue an example in Israel for whom the Lord doing so much as we haue heard Yea so much as hee could doe as himselfe witnesseth yet complaineth he that should haue beene vpright when he waxed fatte spurned with his heele and forsooke God that made him and regarded not the strong God of his saluation Oh the cause of this Moses elsewhere plainely layeth downe saying Ye haue seene all that the Lord did in Egypt vnto Pharaoh and al his seruants and al his land the great temptations miracles and wonders yet the Lord hath not giuen you an heart to perceiue and eyes to see and eares to heare vnto this day Lastly though the Lord adde strype vnto strype and one iudgement to follow in the necke of another as the waues of the Sea yet without the inward working of his spirit the more he so knocketh the more doe we harden our hearts against him as Pharaoh did Oh Lord knocke by thy word and teach vs knock by thy mercies and allure vs knocke by thy iudgements and feare vs but aboue all other knocke by thy spirit and perswade vs that when thou knockest we may open vnto thee Amen And now to make some generall Application of these things to our selues First I demaund with the Apostle Hath not England heard No doubt the sound of the Gospell hath gone throughout all our Land the Lord hath not sent a few as seuentie by paires two and two but so many thousands that as Dauid saith in another sense Great is the Company of Preachers the word of the Lord is not precious amongst vs as in Elies dayes neither need we with the Sunamite saddle our Horses or Asses to ride farre to heare it it is neere vnto vs and of our plentie wee can supply others lacke and herein the Lord blesse the intended Voyage and all them that aduenture Liues or Goods therein that it may bee for Gods glory the enlarging of Christs Kingdome the Honor of our Nation and Good of Church and Common-wealth Yea England is as Gods Temple where euery man speaketh of his Prayse and a Sanctuarie to such as loue the sound of the Gospel God hauing not yet so farre entered into iudgement with our sinnes as to remoue our Candlesticke take away his Kingdome and call our Ionahs to goe preach vnto Niniuie But hath not London heard Oh herein hath God exalted her to Heauen with Capernaum who beside her owne Ordinary with store hath her solemne Assemblies furnished with the choise of Vniuersitie and Countrie to speake vnto her so as if England be the Temple she is the very Arke of the presence of God aboue all other places of this Land Secondly hath not God beene mercifull vnto this Land Oh London London let me speake to thine heart to whom I am sent with the Message of God this day How great are Gods mercies that hath exalted thee to become the Princesse of the thousands the Chamber of our famous Kings and Queenes the Ioy of our Land the Empresse of Cities the renowmed Mart of Nations of whom I may say as sometimes God sayd of Tyrus thy Marchants are Princes thy Chapmen the Nobles of the world Oh so many and great they are that I cannot sayle in the huge Ocean of them I will thrust but into an Arme or Creeke Consider his mercies of Donation how aboundantly hee hath enriched thee with Peace Plentie Honor and Prosperitie yea taken such a Delight to doe thee good and euen to empty the Treasure of his Mercies vpon thee that most doe thinke it a great Happinesse to shrowde themselues within thy Borders It was once sayde of Rome but may now more truely bee said of thee that thou art an Epitome of all Gods mercies elsewhere bestowed vpon all the Churches and Common-wealths in the World Pindarus reporteth that there was an opinion of the Citie of Rhodes that Gold rained vpon it but if euer Citie receiued golden Showres it is this of London And therefore as Athens was called Greece of Greece so may London be called the England of England The Lord grant that his Gospell and thine obedience may meet together his Mercies and thy thankfulnesse may kisse each other Consider his mercies of Preseruation that whereas other goodly Cities haue beene ransacked and destroyed by Fire and Sword of cruell Souldier grasse brambles and nettles growing in their streetes houses and temples for want of passengers inhabitants and worshippers mens hearts fayling for feare of the continuall thundring of Drums sounding of Trumpets neighing of Horses ratling of Armor roaring of Cannons so neere our Borders that some of our houses haue trembled with the reporte thereof c. He hath alwaies watched ouer thee to preserue thee from the like desolation Yea giue me leaue to Gods glory and our owne comfort to instance in a few particuler examples First therefore it is not so ancient and superannate but rather kept in recent and fresh memorie how those who now we hope are our friends and God make them so to vs and the Trueth but then we know were our proud and cruell Enemies who came with an vnquenchable furie and as they thought with an inuincible Nauie with Ensignes of victorie and instruments of crueltie but the Lord strong in Battell was our refuge the God of Iacob was our defence who armed out all his Creatures in the day of Battell for our defence their offence that we might be deliuered and they destroied the Windes fought against them and their Ships as it did against Ahazias the Sea against them and their Hoast as against Pharaceâ— yea the Starres in their courses as against the horses and chariots of Siserah that wee and our posterities may confesse with the Israelites The Lord hath triumphed gloriously ouer his enemies the Horse and his Rider the Ship and his Sailer hath he ouerthrowen in the midst of the Sea Secondly the day is now come and gone which our enemies so longed for and wee so feared would haue beene the Bane of the Gospell the Shipwrack of our Peace and Breake-necke of our Prosperitie a day of mourning and lamentation yea when all the Orders and Companies of this Realme fom the honorable Counsellor to him that draweth water from the reuerent Iudge that sitteth vpon the Bench
punished Oh let vs beware Thus with Noahs Doue I haue long houered but now I haue recouered the Arke yea with the Arke I haue long floted but now am arriued on the mountaine of Armeniah and I hope not vnprofitably made way to the Scripture that I purpose to insist vpon for the more orderly handling whereof these partes are to be considered Viz. first a proposition in these words Behold I stand as the doore and knocke secondly promises in these words If any man heare my voyce and open the doore I wil come in vnto him and will suppe with him and he with me The proposition sheweth the great willingnes of Christ to a sinners conuersion the promises shew the endlesse happines of the sinner conuerted In the proposition two things are to be considered Viz. First the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 preamble or note of regard wherewith it is fronted Behold Secondly the proposition it selfe and therein these two things are remarkable Viz. first the subiect which is Christ expressed by this pronoune I secondly the praedicate or what is pronounced of him and that is threefolde Viz. first his gesture how he behaueth himselfe I stand secondly the place where hee standeth at the doore thirdly what he doth standing at the doore and knocke In the promises two things are to be considered viz. first the conditions whereon and secondly the promises themselues what they are in the conditions two things are to be considered viz. first the generalitie and largenesse of them in these words of Proclamation if any man secondly the Conditions themselues which are two viz. first to heare his voyce secondly to open the doore The promises made vpon these conditions are two viz. first perpetuall abode I will come in vnto him secondly perpetuall reioycing together expressed by the Metaphor of feasting or banquetting which is twofold viz. first the Sinners feasting of Christ I will suppe with him and secondly Christs feasting of the Sinner and he with me The note of attention set at the doore of my Text doth knocke at the doores of your hearts for reuerent and christian attention to the handling of all these Partes And first let vs salute the Porter Behold This word hath principally a double vse First it is as a Demonstration vsed for the greater certaintie and assurance of a thing as a man is most certaine of that which he seeth therefore said the Disciples vnto Thomas We haue seene the Lord and he said Except I see in his hands the print of the nayles I will not beleeue Thus for greater certaintie and assurance of the Lords neere comming to Iudgement Saint Iude vseth this phrase of speech Behold he commeth with thousands of his Saints to giue iudgement against all men And Saint Iohn to like purpose hath the like phrase Behold hee commeth with cloudes viz. he commeth so certainely and is so neere that if you will but looke vp vnto the cloudes you may see him So to assure vs that this is no fable he saith here Behold I stand c. yea if we had but the eyes of Balaams Asse we might see him but if we had a true faith we would make no doubt of it for the assurance therof is greater then of sight or knowledge The second vse of this word is to procure attention to a thing spoken and to that purpose most familiar with the Prophets Christ and his Apostles Yea sildome doth this worde goe before to prepare the way but there followeth matter of exceeding weight and importance in the heele and that specially in a double Case First in matters of wonder the more to prouoke men to maruell this word is vsed So the Prophet Isay intreating of the rare and extraordinary strange and wonderfull maner of Christs Conception thus expresseth it Behold a Virgine shall conceaue and beare a Sonne Secondly in Case of gladnesse the more to prouoke men to reioycing this word is vsed as when Christ the Prince of peace and eternall glory should come into the Citie of Ierusalem to the great ioy of all such as receiued him the Euangelist cyting the words of the Prophet Zacharie sayeth Goe tell the daughter of Sion Behold thy King commeth vnto thee meeke and sitting on an Asse therefore reioyce greatly yea showt for ioy So here to assure vs that the matter here deliuered is no trifle but both cases concurring the more to prouoke vs both to wonder and reioyce he thus deliuereth it Behold I stand at the doore and knocke Yea there is not one word in this sentence but deserueth the stampe and impression of this Character vpon it Behold not a Seruant or Minister not a Prophet or an Apostle not a Saint or an Angell but Christ Iesus the Lord of life and glory himselfe If I had not come and spoken they had had no sinne Behold he neither sitteth nor walketh nor runneth but standeth as most desirous to enter and patiently expecteth the sinners leisure Behold hee standeth not in the Hall Parlour or Chamber places and roomes for friends and of comfort entertainement and content but at the doore in the open ayre a place for strangers and enemies where the head is filled with dew and the lockes defiled with the drops of the night Behold he standeth at the doore not mute still and silent but most friendly and louingly calleth and knocketh Yea behold all these together and as the Prophet saith it will make you euen showt for wonder and ioy Oh behold and consider what a matter of certaintie and importance to cause both wonder and ioy But I will not stand any longer at the doore of my Text. Entering in the first thing I meete withall is the subiect of this Proposition which in English is expressed and in the Greeke and Latine verbs implicitly included I stand viz. I that am all one with my Father I that am full of grace and trueth I that am the Lord of glory I that haue made all things I in whom the fulnesse of the Godhead dwelleth bodily I that for thee and thy saluation came downe from heauen tooke vpon mee the forme of a seruant and was obedient to the death of the Crosse I that haue all sufficiency in and of my selfe and desire to enter not for mine owne but thy good Oh open vnto me for I doe stand and knocke From whence two things are chiefly to be considered viz. First his great and incomprehensible louing kindnesse towards vs who will vouchsafe to come to our doore but much more to stand and knocke there which most fully appeareth from these three considerations viz. First his owne al-sufficiency in himselfe in that he standeth not in need of vs or any thing that we haue being the heire of all things equall with his Father and infinite with
preparest their hearts and thou bendest thine eare vnto them Yea harken what God himselfe saith While they speake I will heare yea before they call I will answere here am I Will you see examples of this no sooner did Dauid open the doore of his heart by repentance and confest I haue sinned against the Lord but by and by the Lord entred with remission of sinnes and absolution pronounced by Nathan the Lord hath put away thy sinnes thou shalt not die Yea hearken what Dauid himselfe confesseth I thought I will confesse against my selfe my wickednesse vnto the Lord and thou forgauest the punishment of my sinne Selah Aremarkeable sentence indeede The prodigall sonne but resoluing in himselfe I will rise and goe to my father and say vnto him father I haue sinned against heauen and before thee he was preuented for his father seeing him a farre off had compassion and being impatient of delayes ran fell on his necke kissed him So willing the Lord is to entertaine a Conuert that as Dauid saieth Hee neuer failed them that seeke him Secondly this gesture doth signifie the great patience of Christ towards poore sinners who because he would not his death but rather that hee might come to repentance and be saued finding the doore shut giueth not a call a rappe and away as a Poast that runneth by but standeth and tarrieth long waiting his leasure when to open vnto him It was Gods lawe When thou commest neare vnto a Citie to fight against it thou shalt offer it peace and if it offer thee againe peaceably and open vnto thee then let all the people that is found therein be tributaries vnto thee serue thee but if it wil make no peace with thee but make war against thee then shalt thou besieg it which law the wise woman of Abel obiected vnto Ioab They spake in the old time saying they should aske of Abel and so haue they continued That is first they should call a Parle and open their griefes before they vsed Hostility against it the law giuer is the law-keeper for though his sword bee alwayes drawne and burnished his bow bent his arrowes prepared and the instruments of death alwaies ready yet seldome doth he poure dovvne his plagues but there goeth a shovver of mercy before them Peace be vnto this house vvas sounded to euery doore vvhere the Apostles entred it is Gods manner first to discharge a warning Peece before he batter and the Lion of Iudahs tribe wil first roare before he deuoure Yea by threatning of plagues and of hell fire he teacheth vs hovv to auoid both them and it Will you see a fevv examples of this vvonderfull patience of God tovvards sinners vve reade that God gaue the old world an hundred and twenty yeares to repent in and so long stood at the doore of their hearts knocking by Noahs Preaching and the Arkes building whereof Saint Peter speaketh with wonder when once the long suffering of God abode in the daies of Noah great was his patience towards his people Israel to whom he sent all his Prophets rising early euery day and of whom he complained saying All the day long haue I spred out mine hands to a rebellious people which thing was shadowed out by our Sauiour Christ both in the Parable of the planted Vineyard let out vnto Husbandmen to whom the Owner sent his Seruants againe and againe and lastly his owne Sonne and Heire for to receiue the fruit thereof and the Fig-tree keeping for three yeeres the ground barren and yet at the intercession of the Dresser spared also another yeere Great was his patience towards Niniuie that as it were wincking at the losse and profusion of so many hundreds of yeeres yet gaue them fortie dayes to repent in but yet herein did his Mercy and Bountie shine much more in that hee not onely gaue them fortie dayes for repentance but threatned them with destruction that so they might bee preserued from destruction for the Message of their Ouerthrow was the Ouerthrow of the Message the Prophecie fell and the Citie fell not because her Fall was prophecied Oh new and admirable thing But what neede wee moe examples for proofe of Gods Patience seeing the worst Seruant in the house hath confessed it My Master is gone into a farre Countrie and doth deferre his comming and will not returne in haste yea the Atheist calleth it Slackenesse and abuseth that to Presumption which should leade him to repentance Thirdly and lastly that he saith I stand or as the Greeke verbe beareth I haue stood it signifieth that he doth well obserue the time of his standing So hee told the people of Israel that fortie yeeres long they had contended with him and grieued him and let vs bee assured hee that could tell them how many yeeres they had sinned against him can tell vs how many houres dayes moneths and yeeres wee haue sinned and hee hath stood waiting our repentance yea and knoweth all the meanes which he hath vsed for our good how many Sermons Reproofes and Exhortations wee haue heard and according to the greatnesse of his Patience and Mercies towards vs so shall be our Iudgements if wee repent not Now if wee make Application here of vnto our selues wee shall find that God hath not onely opened but euen exhaust and spent and emptied the rich Treasures of his Bountifulnes Patience long Suffering vpon this Church of England wherein we liue he hath giuen vs not onely fortie dayes as he did to Niniuie or added 15. yeeres to our liues when wee were all appointed for the slaughter as he did to Ezechiah nor onely fortie yeeres as he did to Israel But as long as all these times being put together come vnto hath the Lord stood at our doores knocking by his word mercies iudgments euery way seeking and waiting our couuersion Oh that wee had grace at the last to consider the Season redeeme the Oportunitie and make good vse of the day of our Visitation And the rather let me exhort you hereunto for that neuer was Gods Patience abused but it was seuerely punished as all the Examples formerly mentioned and many others doe witnesse When the old World would take no warning but gaue themselues to eating drinking buying and selling building and planting marrying and giuing in marriage euen vntill the time that Noah entered into the Arke then came the Flood and drowned them all When Sodome and Gomorhe would not bee reclaimed but grieued righteous Lots soule from day to day with their vncleane conuersation at the last fire and brimstone falleth and consumeth them all When Pharaoh and Egypt would not bee infourmed by all the Myracles and Wonders to let Gods People goe at the last the
me wherein two things are to be considered Viz. first the conditions If any man heare my voice and open the doore secondly the promises vpon the performance of these conditions which are two Viz. I will come in vnto him and I will suppe with him and he with me In the conditions we are to obserue first the generality of them If any man secondly the conditions themselues which are two Viz. first to heare his voice secondly to open the doore For the first it is to be noted what a generall Proclamation Christ maketh including all excluding none but seeking to winne euery one if any man Howsoeuer the Inuisible Church of God an Article and obiect of our faith hath bin is and shall be Catholicke that is generall extended to all places all times and all kinds of persons yet the visible Church which is discerned by the Ministry of the word and Sacraments was for a long time within the Tents of Shem and amongst the posteritie of Heber called Hebrewes for in Iurie was God well knowen and his Name was great in Israel whereas hee dealt not so with other nations The Iewes onely his inclosure from the Commons of the world impaled with the Law of commandements rites and ceremonies as with a partition wall and therefore a long time God sent all his Prophets vnto them Christ said He was not sent but to the lost sheepe of the house of Israel and bad his Apostles goe to the lost sheepe of the house of Israel and forbad them to goe into the way of the Gentiles or to enter into the Cities of the Samaritanes and answered the poore woman of Canaan It is not good to take the childrens bread and cast it vnto dogges But now the partition wal being broken downe we poore Gentiles that sate in darknesse and in the shadow of death haue seene a great light we that were farre off are made neere we that are Iaphets posteritie are allured by the sweete sound of the Gospel to come and dwell in the tents of Shem The Apostles haue their Commission enlarged You shall be my witnesses both in Iudeah and Ierusalem and in Samaria and to the ends of the world Yea Goe yee saith Christ into all the world and Preach the Gospel to all creatures I perceiue saith Saint Peter there is no respect of persons with God but in euery nation Hee that feareth God and worketh righteousnesse is accepted with him The Iew may not bragge because of his kinred according to the flesh Nor the Gentile despaire because of his Pedegree For whosoeuer beleeueth is the child of faithfull Abraham and there is neither Iew nor Grecian bond nor free male nor female difference of nation condition or sexe is not regarded all are one in Christ Iesus he maketh his Proclamation generally without any restriction limitation or exception if any man whosoeuer is hungrie may come to this feast Whosoeuer is thirstie may come to these waters of life and drinke freely Whosoeuer is sicke may seeke helpe of this Phisition Whosoeuer is blind naked poore may come to this market and for nothing buy eye-salue clothing and gold enough Whosoeuer is a lost sinner may come to this seeking Sauiour and whosoeuer commeth vnto mee saith Christ himselfe I cast not away The conditions thus generally propounded are two First to heare his voice Secondly to open the doore for the first there is no one duetie oftner commanded throughout the whole Booke of God then this of hearing his word a place or twaine shall serue for instance Moses in sundry places doeth thus admonish and exhort the people Heare O Israel the ordinances lawes and statutes which I teach you The Prophet Esay biddeth Incline your eares heare and your soules shall liue The Prophet Dauid calleth Heare O my people incline your eares to the words of my mouth God the Father once yea twise commanded vs from heauen to heare his Sonne Our Sauiour Christ often in the Gospel chargeth them that haue eares to heare Saint Iames biddeth vs bee swift to heare And the conclusion of euery Epistle to those seuen Churches is this Let him that hath an heare heare what the spirit saith to the Churches And surely no maruaile that we are thus often earnestly called vpon for seing hearing is the appointed and sanctified means to beget wisdom as Salomon saith yea to beget faith the excellentest point of heauenly wisedome as Saint Paul saith There is nothing in the world that Sathan more laboureth to hinder then Preaching and hearing As Saint Paul found by experience saying I Paul would at least once or twise haue come vnto you but Sathan hindred me Wherefore men and women had neede to strengthen themselues to the performance of this duetie which that they may profitably doe Three things are principally requisite viz. First Preparation before Secondly Attention during the time Thirdly Meditation afterwards For the first Hee that will profitably heare must prepare himselfe thereunto by priuate Prayer reading conference and meditation For the Israelites when they were summoned to appeare before the Lord in Sinai were first commaunded to sanctifie themselues and wash their clothes and Moses might not come neere the Lord before hee had put off his shooes because the ground was holy whereon hee stood Why did God bid him put off his shooes saith one Euen that hee might make him thereby more religiously affected which though hee was no doubt in great measure yet euen the best haue neede to haue it more and more increased in them Take heede therefore saith Salomon to thy foote when thou enterest into the house of God Secondly there is required Attention often doth God by his Prophets bidde men heare and hearken heare and incline their eares Yea thus to heareis rather an office of the minde then of the care which the Grammarians doe well call Animaduersion such â—earers the Gospel mencioneth who are said to lay vp all those things which they heard in their hearts men then must be specially carefull when they come to heare Gods word that they bring their hearts with them least the Lord complaine as sometimes he did This people drawetâ— neare vnto me with their lippes and eares but their hearts are farre from me God gaue a charge in his law that none should appeare before him emptie But when men and women so soone as they come to their Pewes fall into drowsinesse vpon their elbowes or chatting with their neighbours oâ— their minds wandring afarre off as senselesse as the Pictures in the windowes these bring their bodies without their harts and are guiltie of the sinne and seldome goe away vnpunished for appearing before the Lord emptie