Seneca though a Heathen I am greater saith he and I am born to greater things than to be a slave to my body A Heathen could say so Oh but when we hear of humane nature so advanced and enthroned in Christ we should think with our selves that any one that hath humanity in them is born to higher things than to make provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof What wilt thou be a slave to the Devil now Thou hearest how God hath dignified the nature of man into so neer a union with himself Oh doth not this mysterie of the Gospel call to all the children of men Oh all you children of men Behold what God hath done for man kind surely the thoughts of God for man-kind are great and glorious there be higher things you may attain unto and will you yet perish and chuse your portion here in this world and be groveling on the ground as if there were no higher thoughts that God had for your good than meerly to live as brute beasts to eat and drink and then rise up to play Oh if God hath advanced mans nature so do not despise it in the meanest of the children of men the lowest servant or poorest boy that lies begging at your door for a piece of bread for it is of the same kind that is united in a personal union with the second Person in Trinity of the same nature which this poor boy that lies begging at your door for broken bread and meat therefore honor humane nature in every one and do not vilifie it in thy self those men that live under the Gospel and vilifie humane nature they put a dishonour upon Jesus Christ And even reverence thy self in private when thou art alone I say reverence thy self do not abuse thy body it is the Temple of the holy Ghost Oh remember this all you that are professors of Religion that these bodies of yours this flesh of yours if you be godly and walk answerable to your profession I say this flesh of yours it is the very Temple of the holy Ghost do not abuse it it 's the Apostles argument Therefore fly fornication and be not joyned to whores for your bodies are the temples of the holy Ghost Oh it makes the sin of uncleanness to one that professes the Gospel of Christ a cursed sin the sin of uncleaness in a professor of the Gospel it 's a thousand thousand times more abominable than the sin of uncleanness in another why Because they know how God hath advanced humane nature into a personal union with himself and how their bodies are the Temples of the holy Ghost What shal I make the Temple of God a â—â—y for the unclean spirit a cage of unclean birds God forbid There hath been a great deal of do about stony Churches and Temples and you should have a great many base whoremasters plead for the Whore of Rome the Mistris of all fornications in bowing and cringing with Cap and knee as soon as they set their foot in some of our meeting places and in the mean time abuse the Saints which are the Temples of the holy Ghost and abuse their own bodies and yet they profess themselves Christians Oh now either deny thy Christianity or do not abuse thy body to any filthy lust for it is the Temple of the holy Ghost This the Gospel holds forth And let thy Conversation be now as becomes the Gospel of Jesus Christ not abusing thy body so For we see that the Gospel cals for bodily cleanness as well as spiritual cleanness and truly I do not know stronger arguments to godliness than these that we have mentioned here in the Gospel We have gone through three Gods infinit hatred of sin The price of souls And the honor that the Gospel shews that God hath put upon humane nature Conversations but becoming these three would be other manner of Conversations than you have I shall only speak of a fourth and that 's this 4. The Gospel holds forth the greatest example of self-denial that ever was in the world by all waies that ever God hath made known his mind he never hath revealed his will in an example of self-denial so as he hath done in the Gospel and that is in the example of the Lord Jesus Christ God evidenceth there such a work of self-denial as never was and 't is impossible to apprehend a greater example of self-denial than that is though Christ thought it no robbery to be equal with God reade but the second of the Philippians vers 7 8. and there you may see what Christ was and yet how he emptied himself how he denied himself in his honor how vile he was made in the world though he was the brightness of his fathers glory yet he was made of no reputation how he denied himself in riches Christ that was the Heir of all things though he were rich yet he was made poor for us how he denied himself in his pleasures he was the delight of the Father from all eternity and yet he was made a man of sorrows he denied himself in his life for he was the Lord of life and yet he subjected himself to death to a cursed death for us Oh the example of Christ in self-denial is the greatest that ever was and this seems to be one great end of the humiliation of Jesus Christ to hold forth a preaching pattern of self-denial to the world And there 's a great deal more power in the pattern and example of self-denial then in the commands of self-denial I only present this to shew you that it is the most unbeseeming the Gospel for any one that professes the Gospel to be selvish altogether scraping for themselves and whatsoever service they are put upon except self may have an oare in it they have no mind to it Oh 't is becoming the Gospel of Jesus Christ for men and women to be emprtied of themselves no matter what becomes of our selves but be willing to give up our selves for publick good to venture your estates and lives and all your comforts yea to be swallowed up in the glory of God to be nothing that Christ may be all In the Gospel of Christ we find that Christ he was swallowed up with the glory of his Father and he came not to do his own will but the will of his father that sent him and though he was one that had infinitely more excellency than all men and Angels in Heaven and Earth yet he was content for the honor of his Father to be made as a worm and no man to be trampled under foot to endure the greatest extremities of all sorts this holds out an example to us that while we live in this world we should be taken off from our selves Oh this self-love sticks much in the hearts of men and women now upon the example of Christs self-denial we are required to deny our selves and it is the proper lesson of the Gospel
honored by your Conversations Oh! you that have ever heard from God the glorious glad tydings of Salvation in the Gospel Is it not in your hearts to do what you can to honor him now let your Conversation be such have a care of your Conversations that God may be honored the Name of God will be blasphemed except you have a care of your Conversations in Matth. 5. 16. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorifie your Father which is in Heaven As if Christ should say What hath God brought the light of the Gospel to you hath it shined into your hearts and hath He revealed unto you those glorious Mysteries of Salvation in Him O then let this light break forth and shine in your Conversations before men that others seeing your good works may glorifie your Father which is in Heaven Some men and women are ready to say what do they care what others observe in them so that God knows their hearts I but that 's not enough if it could be so that you could have good hearts unto God without good Conversations but we shall see that there cannot be any such thing and it is required of you your works should shine forth before men that they may see your good works and glorifie your Father which is in Heaven 'T is one thing to do a good work that may be seen and another thing to do a good work that it may be seen to do a good work that may be seen that is lawful though we should not do them principally aiming that they may be seen but our works should be such that of their own nature they may be seen but not to make that to be our main end that they may be seen so as aiming not so much that they may may be seen but that being seen men may glorifie our Father which is in Heaven that God may be honoured Now God is honoured by the Conversations of His Saints many waies and therefore they should be very careful of their Conversations As in the first place The people of God Saints Beleevers they are the great Witnesses that God hath in the world to witness for Him against the corruptions of the world If so be that you are not careful of your Conversations God will lose witnesses to His Truth Now a witnesse is not a thing that is kept within a man cannot be a witness by keeping things within his own thoughts and heart he must manifest something to witness The Lord makes use of the lives of His Saints to be His Witnesses in the world to stand and witness for His Truth whereas others they will think when the Gospel is preached that it is but a meer notion or imagination and that there is no reallity in what is preached No saith God look here upon the Conversations of these that have beleeved the Gospel do you not see they witnesse that there it a reallity in those things of the Gospel look what a change my Gospel hath made upon them in their lives and conversations those that were before proud how humble they are that were before froward how meek they are and the like these are my witnesses Many Scriptures might be given especially that in Revel 11. 3. where the Saints in general are called witnesses And that 's the first thing You are to look to your Conversations that you may be Gods witnesses Secondly That you may hold forth the Image of God in the world that Image that God made man in at first by the sin of man was lost but now through the Gospel it comes to be renewed and God delights to have His Image held forth in the world that men may behold somewhat of the glory of His Image But how can the world see the Image of God They cannot see it in your hearts but now God would have it conspicuous therefore have you a care of your Conversations that in your Conversations you may hold forth the Image of God in the world It 's much to the glory of God to have His Image held forth in the world As men that would honor their parents and other dear friends if they have a curious Picture of them when their image is drawn they will not see it abused and sullyed but they will keep it fair a man that hath the image of his father or dear friend will not hang it in a smokey hole behind a chimney or door but in some conspicuous place so we should hold forth the Image of God conspicuously it should appear in our lives and Conversations Thirdly By your Conversations God may be honored for you will further the great designs that God hath in the world the holy and gracious lives of the Saints serve to further the great designs that God hath in the world to do And lastly They may serve to make up the great dishonor that God hath from others the Lord hath abundance of dishonor from most in the world but now there are some that God cals out of the world and He gives his Grace unto them to the end that He might have some of the great dishonor that He hath in the world from others made up now such as are carefull of their Conversations as walk exactly and closely with God I say they are made use of by God for the making up in some part of the great dishonor that God hath in the world What honor should God have in the world were it not for the holy and gracious Conversations of some of His Saints and therefore you who profess the Gospel look to your Conversations that God may be honored by you Secondly Have a care of your Conversations look to them in respect of wicked men among whom you live As first That you may convince evil and ungodly men among whom you live in the world 1 Pet. 2. 12. Having your Conversation honest among the Gentiles that whereas they speak against you as evil doers they may by your good works which they shall behold glorifie God in the day of visitation This likewise doth confirm what was said before for the glory of God and the conviction of wicked men That they beholding may glorifie God in the day of visitation There are many interpretations upon this place In the day of visitation the day wherein God shall visit them Though now they rail against you yet when God shall visit them either in His stroke upon them by sickness then they will acknowledg you to be righteous and holy men and wish that their conditions were like yours or in the day of visitation if God shall visit their spirits to turn them or in the day of visitatiō as some think in the day of Jesus Christ But I find others looking narrowly into the words In the day of Over seeing the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from whence the word Bishop comes it is an Over-seer now this word visitation signifies nothing else but
Lord speaks now to the consciences of those that this point concerns that have been negligent in the point of their Conversation thou art the man or woman that God hath as great dishonor from as from most in the world yea certainly there is no men upon the face of the earth that darkens the glory of the blessed God so much as professors of Religion who live loosly al the prophane ones all your drunkards that reel up and down in the streets and your blasphemers yea name what sinners you will there is non that do darken the glorie of God so much as thou doest who art loose in thy Conversation and yet a professor of the Gospel thou castest dirt upon the blessed Image of God thou doest as much hinder the designe that God hath in the world as any men whatsoever thou standest against the great works that God hath to do in the world Oh wretch that thou art what is this a time to be loose and wicked in There was never a time that the Conversations of the professors of Religion were so pried into as now and never a time since Christian Religion was professed upon the earth that the loose Conversation of Professors have done more hurt and I verily beleeve never a time wherein there were more loose Professors If so be that our fore-fathers that were godly and holie and kept strict with God were now alive again they would spit in the faces of manie that would think themselves eminent Professors of Religion because of the looseness of their Conversations And this is the worst that they can all put it upon Christ and the Doctrine of Christ but of that we shall speak more when we come to shew how our Conversation must be as becomes the Gospel of Christ Certainly it is that that is quite opposite to the Gospel of Jesus Christ The Lord rebuke thee this day and let this point be as a dart in thy liver thou art the man that livest in this generation as if thou wert born to do mischief no men live so as if they were born to do mischief as the Professors of the Gospel that live looslie in their Conversations If I should give a mark of a man that were born on purpose to do mischief it 's that man that lives in these times and walks looslie What doest thou convince wicked men and stop the mouthes of wicked men Oh no thou hardenest them and openest their mouthes nay all the scorns of Religion thou art charged with and shalt be brought to an account for it I say such as live looslie in their Conversations they shall be one day charged for all the scorn that is cast upon the profession of Religion and for all the opposition of it and for all the persecution of it and for all the dishonor of it it is because of you you harden the hearts of wicked men that they think they do God good service in following and persecuting such and such men so forward in Religion for they think they are all like to you what care they for mens talking and profession when they see your Conversation loose and wicked therefore they be hardened by you and the Saints they fare the worse for you they are ashamed of it when they go in the streets and meet with some of their acquaintance Oh say they Do you not know such a one what he did such a week in his house how false he was and how he plaid the knave What! one that would go in a morning to hear and rise early in the winter time and take so much pains and yet do such and such things it casts a mighty scorn upon all professors of Religion and upon the Ministers of the Gospel and the waies of the Gospel all I say is scorn'd and contemn'd and men be hardned against it meerly for thy Conversation and it may be some that were coming on and began to think that the profession of Religion was the way to Heaven and for them to be more strict than they were and to enquire after the waies of God more than before and to attend upon the Ministry of the Word but since they heard of such a miscarriage such loosness in such a ones Conversation their hearts rise against it and they blesse themselves from such a way God blesse me say they from such waies If this be the fruit of their profession and of their talking of Religion to do thus and thus So that thou provest to be a stumbling block that others stumble at and perish by and dost thou think that they stumbling and perishing at thy sins that thou shalt go scot-free Canst thou think that thou that art a means to send so many to Hell that thou shalt not go thither thy self Certainly there 's no men in the world that are the causes of sending so many to Hell as such as live loosly in their Conversations when they make profession of Religion Canst thou have any evidence to thy soul that there is any work of grace in thee and yet live looslie Oh! Christ and His Gospel will scorn such as thou art such wicked loose ones thou art a dishonor to Jesus Christ a dishonor to the Gospel and I may say of thee that dost so as it was said of Judas It had been happy if thou hadst never been born especially to be born in these times But we shall meet with these again when we come to the point in the particulars how we should walk as becomes the Gospel this is but only in the general for such as are loose in their Conversations for certainly this must be granted as an everlasting rule That that man or woman which makes not conscience of every thing in their Conversations makes conscience of nothing if there be anie that upon deliberation and knowing this or that to be sin beforehand and yet for by and base ends will sin to get monie or the like and so think to gain or free themselves from some trouble by going against their light and that upon deliberation let that man or woman know that they can have no evidence that they ever made conscience of anie one thing He that breaks one Commandement breaks all and there is such a bond in the Commandements and conscience doth knit the bond so uniformlie that where there is one bond thus broken the truth is all is broken Knowest thou not saith Saint James Oh vain man what doest thou talk of faith if there be no works thou art a vain man and thou doest deceive thy self Certainlie those men that are loose in their Conversations if God doth not humble them and bring down their hearts they will grow in time not onlie to lose their profession as I said but to be enemies to those that are stricter than themselves that is when men have corrupt hearts and cannot get up to that height of strictness that others do they fall to persecute that way which is above
which was established upon better promises A better Covenant and stablished upon better promises or a better Testament Their promises I say were but low and mean and our promises are high and precious and we have a better Covenant a Covenant not of living in the Land of Canaan but of Heaven of which that Canaan was but a Type and therefore our Conversations should rise higher in holiness according as our Covenant and Promises are better than theirs Secondly Our Worship is more spiritual than their worship was As that known place in Joh. 4. 23. where Christ saith to the woman of Samaria You serve God in this place But the time shall come that they shall serve him every where for God is a Spirit and will be worshiped in spirit and in truth There is more spiritual worship in the time of the Gospel than was in the time of the Law The Lord carried them on in a carnal and a sensitive way and indeed this hath been a great design of Antichrist to bring men to a carnal way of worship To carnal Ordinances for so they are called in Scripture the Commandements of God by Moses are called carnal Heb. 9. 10. For their worship was in comparison of the worship in the Gospel but carnal I say it hath bin the design of Antichrist to darken the glory of Jesus Christ in the Gospel by bringing the Church to a carnal way of worship and to take away spiritual and therefore they are altogether about carnal Institutions whereas Jesus Christ hath instituted but only two Sacraments wherein there are outward carnal things wherein we worship God through the Creature otherwise His worship is altogether spiritual but now Antichrist he would bring in altogether carnal things he would ad a hundred inventions of his own as building sumptuous Temples railing in of the Communion Tables and then turning them into Altars with such kind of apish gestures foolish garments and Heathenish musick all which was carnal worship the devices of men to please children and fools with exceedingly much against the very life and soul of Godliness and the only rule of worship in the Word of God Besides this rediculous and carnal way of worship made the worshipers twofold more the children of Satan than they were before But now the more spiritual any worship of God is the more spiritual it makes the heart the lesse we stick to the creature while we are worshipping of God the more communion we come to have with Christ and so it doth raise holinesse to a more higher pitch Thirdly Vnder the Gospel our yoke is more easie You know what Christ saith in a Scripture that I have opened to you at large Come take my yoke upon you for my yoke is easie and my burden is light You are delivered from that heavy burden that they were under and therefore you should run the waies of Gods Commandements and follow after holiness more readily and freely than they could do Fourthly We have access with boldness to the Throne of grace as the Scripture speaks God doth not reveal Himself in that terrible way to his Saints now as in the time of the Law but would have them come with boldness and have libertie of speech for that 's the word as in the second of the Ephesians of the boldness that we have to come into the presence of God Through him we have access by one spirit unto the Father Access the word signifies a coming with freedom as it were being led by the hand of God In Ephes 3. 12. In whom we have boldness and access saith the text there with confidence by the faith of Him Three words here are together We have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him The word that is here translated Boldness it is liberty of speech we may come and speak our minds and unbosome our speech freely to God without any such terror and we may come to God without desiring Moses must go into Gods presence for them as he did Oh they durst not go themselves but Moses must go and speak with God We may come into the presence of God and speak our hearts freely with a holy boldness in the Name of Christ Fifthly We have the spirit of adoption more than they Rom. 8. We have not received the spirit of bondage to fear again but the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father There was a spirit of bondage under which even the people of God were in former times and now the spirit of adoption is more spread abroad and cōmunicated in the world to the Churches than it was before and therefore the Lord expects a Conversation sutable to the spirit of adoption As now take one that is a child and hath a servile spirit and is afraid to come into the presence of his father it may be he will do some works in obedience to his father but in a heavy dull way but afterwards when his father is fully reconcil'd to him comes speaks kindly to him there comes a spirit of adoption upon the child Oh then he goes lively on in duty to his father then he rejoyces in the presence of his father to do any thing that may please his father when he is acted by a spirit of adoptiō there 's more service done according to the mind wil of Christ than there was before So my Brethren we should exceed all under the Law with a more fillial obedience than ever there was in that time or else our Conversation it is not such as becomes the Gospel Therefore when you open the old Testament and reade of those excellent gracious spirits that were there especially in the Psalms what holy breathings and pantings after God there are and in the Prophets what exemplary holiness then liv'd and shined in the world Be ashamed of your selves if you do not rise to as high a degree as they and higher too Obj. Why you will say But they were eminent men they were the Prophets of God and so were extraordinary and can ordinary Christians rise as high as they did and be such burning and shining lamps as they were Ans I 'le give you one Scripture about that in Zach. 12. 8. it is a cleer Prophesie of the times of the Gospel In that day shall the Lord defend the Inhabitants of Jerusalem and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David and the house of David shall be as God as the Angel of the Lord before them Mark he that is feeble among them shall be as David who was a man according to Gods own heart Oh reade Davids Psalms particularly the 119. Psalm and see the holy breathings of David and observe that there is a Prophesie that those that are feeble shall be as David and those that are as David that is the eminent Christians the Lords Champions and the house of David shall be as God as the Angels of the Lord.
scope of the Gospel a principal scope I say God would in the Gospel make known to all the world his infinite willingness to be reconcil'd to such as have offended him Indeed without the Gospel we might apprehend this that the Lord is a God that is full of goodness that He is good and doth good that all good is in him but to apprehend God to be such a God of peace so infinitely set upon it as I may so say to be reconciled to such as are enemies could never have been known but by this Gospel of Christ herein we find that though there was an infinite difference between God and man between Heaven and Earth through our sinning sin yet the Lord was willing to be reconciled yea though the offence of man was exceeding great so that it cried for vengance yet he was pleased wonderfully to condescend to make a peace with him Yea though the Lord had man under his power and could do what He pleased with him He had His enemy under His feet and might have broken him all to pieces with His iron-rod as a Potters vessel which when it is broken can never be made whol again yet He was willing to be reconciled Thirdly Though God had no need at all of us He was infinitly blessed in himself who is perfection and blessedness it self Sometimes we are willing to be reconcil'd to our enemies either because we have them not under our power or because we have some need of them but God that had us under his hand and might easily have destroyed us and had no need at all of us yet was desirous to spare us as a father spareth his only son whom he loveth Fourthly The Gospel holds this out to us That the Lord He begins the work of reconciliation He first loving us the infinit God seeketh to us his creatures to come in to be reconciled therefore he sends his Ambassadors of peace to beseech us in Christs stead to come in to be reconciled to him to accept of His Propositions of Peace which make so much for our everlasting salvation Fiftly Though reconciliation must cost God very dear that God must be at a great deal of costs and charges to reconcile His creatures to himself it cost no less than the blood of his only begotten Son and yet he is willing to be reconcil'd saith God my heart is set upon this work and let it cost what it will if it were ten thousand worlds yet my heart iâ— so upon it that I will bring them in that they may be reconciled to me and made one with me Sixthly and lastly The Gospel reveals this That God is so set upon reconciliation and is so reconcil'd to such as do imbrace the Gospel as he will never be at enmity with them again Being once reconcil'd he wil never suffer such a breach to be made between Man-kind and Himself any more He wil be their Father in Christ and ye shall be his Sons and Daughters through Him to all eternity in Christ Jesus our Lord. Who shall separate us from the love of God Thus the Gospel holds forth not only reconciliation but such reconciliation as this is which men and Angels can never sufficiently admire and bless God for This is a Second beam as I may so say of the Gospel Then what manner of persons ought we to be our conversations must be as becomes this Gospel of Christ in this great thing that the Gospel holds forth unto us Surely then this cals to us al aloud to love peace O love peace Is God so set upon peace as he is and is he willing to be at so great cost for peace Oh let us love peace let us follow peace le ts pursue peace let 's seek peace let us do what we can possibly for peace If it be possible as much as lieth in you live peaceably with all men Let us account peace never bought too dear with any thing but sin The Lord Christ would not sin to purchase peace if it could possibly have been conceived that any sin should have bin committed Christ would never have purchased peace that way but if it be by any way of suffering by his being willing to leave the Heavens for a while to take upon him the form of a servant yea to have the sence of the influences of the love of his Father ecclipsed for a time he was willing to endure yea to be made a curse whatsoever he suffered in his Name he was willing to endure any thing to make peace between God and man to reconcile the World to Heaven Oh! let us love peace that 's becoming the Gospel of Christ for our hearts to be set upon peace And the exhortation that you have in the Ephesians before mentioned it is likewise built upon the consideration of Christs working so for our peace Ephes 2. 14. For He is our peace who hath made both one and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us having abolished in Hiâ— flesh the enmity And then in the 16. verse That He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the Cross having slain the enmity thereby So that this Scripture holds forth not only that Christ is our peace in respect of God and he died for that end to make peace between God and us but likewise that Jesus Christ did die to make peace between man and man it was one fruit of His death to break down the middle wall of partition between us and to slay the enmity he doth not say to kill our enemies but to kill the enmity it 's self the meaning is this that Christ died to take down the partition wall between Jew and Gentile there was an enmity between the Jew and Gentile that they might not one converse with the other now it was a fruit of the death of Christ to take down the partition wall and to slay the enmity between them that so there might be but one sheep fold that He might reconcile both unto God in one body Now was this the end of the death of Christ not only to reconcile us to God but one unto another in one body Jew and Gentile Certainly there cannot be such a distance between one Christian and another as there was between Jew and Gentile and Christ did so love unity and peace in the world especially among those that made any profession of his Name that he would die to that end He would lose His life that He might procure peace between Jews and Gentiles and bring them into one body And truly so it should be with us we should be willing and those whose hearts are right I say cannot but be so sensible of the breaches that are among us and the unpeaceableness of mens spirits as if they could by the laying down of their lives procure peace they should be willing to do it every Christian should make it appear that he is so set upon peace that if
living under one roof yea the Zeal of Christ did break forth like thunder and lightning against such a servant as takes his fellow by the throat therefore saith the text ver 31. His Lord was wrath and delivered him to the tormentors til he should pay al that was due to him The Lord Christ delivered that cruel servant that hard hearted wretch to the tormentors that did a thing so unbeseeming the mercy he himself had received from Christ Oh saith Christ art thou cruel and unmerciful when thou hast received so much favour from me as a full discharge of thy many great debts get thee to the tormentors let the most cruel executioners of my sierce wrath torment thee without any mercy and compassion Oh those that have hard hearts walk unsutable to the Gospel of Jesus Christ which is full of the riches of Gods grace to all Oh you that have received any pardoning mercies from Jesus Christ take heed of cruelty to your servants to your children It 's very sad to see how some Professors cast the Gospel of Christ behind their backs if their passions are but moved what will ye bite and devour one another when ye receive the least offront either by tongue or hand Oh where is you bearing and forbearing with one another for shame do not fly in the faces of any as a Bear bereaved of her whelps when ye are buffetted by men Oh remember Jesus Christ Oh remember you that stand in so much need of mercy every day from God for you to be cruel towards other Oh here 's a Conversation infinitly unbeseeming the Gospel of Christ and it is unbeseeming the grace that is offered to have a sullen a despairing and an unbeleeving disposition when as we see those that are Disciples and yet every little thing causeth them to despair and to be sullen and their hearts to snk within them Oh friends is this an Evangelical frame of spirit let me speak plainly to you when you come to hear the glorious riches of the grace of the Gospel set before you in the Word ye seem to be somewhat taken with it but when you go home to your family are ye not ready under the least cross then to bury a thousand mercies Oh what a dishonor is this to the Gospel of Jesus Christ that reveals so much mercy of God in it that it doth call for Christians that do profess it to go through troubles and through discouragements with cheerful hearts and although there be many things that might daunt the spirits of others that do not understand what the mercies of God in Christ are yet those that profess the Gospel should shew undaunted spirits for why It is infinite free rich glorious grace that is made known to them by the word of Christs lips Obj. You will say I if I knew that this mercy were mine Ans I but dost thou hear in the Gospel that it is free and there is no soul hath any right to this mercy but by casting its self upon this mercy and therefore it is as free for thee to cast thy self upon it as another indeed the mercy that is revealed by the light of Nature Is such mercy of God that is more conditional that is if I do such and such things then God will be merciful unto me the light of Nature goes no further than this if I obey and leave my sin then I may hope that God will be merciful to me It 's true the Scripture tells us if I do not leave my sin God will not have mercy I but the Gospel holds forth mercy thus There is mercy in God first to pardon thy sin and then to take away thy sin now the Gospel reveals Gods mercy in justifying the ungodly though I am poor and blind and miserable and naked and have not power to leave my sin yet I have free leave to cast my soul upon Gods mercy both for pardon and for power together against my sin for so it must be indeed I have no power I may not stay till I have power against my sin and then I will venture all that I have upon Jesus Christ this is the mercy of the Gospel I speak of this despairing and sullenness of heart as it 's manifested in the Conversations of men and women by which they do dishonor the Gospel of Christ when they live in their families and their hearts sink in such a sullen way as if there were nothing in the Gospel of Christ for encouraging of poor troubled souls no more than men might understand by the light of Nature Indeed if I did live better and honor God I might have encouragement that God would shew me mercy but the mercy of the Gospel it is such that there is mercy to pardon and to heal my soul too and therefore though I be sinful I must not stay from believing in Gods mercy till I be heal'd but I must believe in Gods mercy that I may be heal'd That 's the third particular that the Gospel holds forth unto us Now the Fourth thing that the Gospel reveals is this That though God be infinitly merciful yet He is merciful in such a way that justice shall not be wronged and this is proper to the Gospel too It 's impossible for Men or Angels to come to understand this Mystery but by this Gospel-light how God should be infinitly merciful and yet that He should be infinitly just too this is held forth in Rom. 3. 25 26. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God To declare I say at this time his righteousness that he might be just and the justifier of him which beleeveth in Jesus Now this is a great mystery of the Gospel a Scripture that Luther fasted and prayed that he might understand and he was a great while before he could know the mind of God therein Now the Gospel saith this I will manifest infinit riches of my mercy but yet so as my infinite justice shall be no loser and therefore though I le save Man-kind yet I 'le save them by such a way as I 'le have as much glory of my justice as if all the men in the world had bin damned to all eternity this is the mysterie of the Gospel and 't is cleer that though God manifest infinit mercy yet God hath a way for the manifestation of his mercy in the Gospel by which the justice of God is as much honored and satisfied as if all the men in the world had been cast into everlasting burnings that is through his Sons dying for mans sin being made a curse for us this is the great point of the Gospel which unlesse we understand we know nothing of Christ and his Gospel as we ought to know it Most men and women in the world they seek to God for mercy Lord be merciful
in all their dealings in their dealing with God in their dealings between man and man To see one that professeth the Gospel sometimes accounts the feet of those beautiful that bring glad tydings of salvation yet unjust in his dealings so as do but follow him in his course between man and man there he makes no conscience of justice there he will rather break the rule of justice than it may be he will lose six pence or a shilling what if it were the losing of thirty or fourty pounds is it such a thing that the rule of justice must rather be broken than the loss of a little mony Is this as becomes the Gospel when as thou hearest the Gospel say that rather than the glory of justice shall be darkned the Blood of his Son must go for it and God expects that Christians should be so in love with justice that they should rather be content to be undone in their estates to beg their bread from door to door than be unjust in any of their actions Oh 't is an exceeding ecclipsing of the glory of the Word when Professors of it shall be false in their dealings Oh remember thou Christian who holdest up the Gospel with thy right hand that when thou hearest of the death of Christ there the love that God bears to justice is held forth and God is set upon the honor of justice and he wil have it thy justice in thy trading this must be made up one way or other either thou must pay eternally for it and so justice made up or else it must cost the Blood of Jesus Christ God is set upon justice in another manner than you think of Oh let your Conversations be as becometh this truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ Fifthly That the Lord in the Gospel shews how he is set upon satisfying the Law and what a high price he puts upon the Law The excellency of the Law doth more cleerly appear in the Gospel than in the Doctrine of the Law its self as thus Christ came to fulfil all righteousness surely God set a high price of his Law that he would not save any soul living that had broken it but by his Son that must come to fulfil it first He must have all righteousness kept to the end that he might manifest his love unto his Law I say therefore it was that Christ must come and subject himself to the Law he must be under the Law It was from thence that Christ saith It becomes us to fulfil all righteousness So was God set upon his Law that when Christ did undertake for man-kind if Christ had not satisfied every part of the Law that was required if there had been one jot of the Law unfilfilled all man-kind must have perished in everlasting burnings God sets an high rate on his Royal Law therefore learn to prize the Law of God It 's true you cannot keep it for justification that was Christs task so to keep the Law that he might justifie sinners God by this teaches us to esteem highly of it and not to slight it and contemn it the Law of God it is a precious Cristal glass it is the very glass of the holiness and righteousness of God and you must prize it as you do prize your great glasses that your Marriners have from other parts you bring home your great Cristals of 20. or 40. or threescore pounds according to the largenesse of them Now would not you take it extream ill when you have bestowed so much upon it that a child or servant should come and break it al to pieces Now my brethren consider The Law of God here resembles the Cristal glasse and as in your glasses you may see your faces so in that Cristal glasse of the Law the holiness of God is transparent 't is such a glass that God prizes it more worth than all the world this is visible for the Lord stands much upon the observing of the Law and upon obedience unto it and therfore take heed of breaking it meerly to satisfie your lusts to accommodate and befriend your own base ends this is unbeseeming the Gospel of Christ There are many that make a great noise about Evangelical truths so that they cry up the Gospel of Christ the Gospel of Christ as they once did the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord and they think that this doth wholly take away their obedience to the Law of God and that it must not be so much as a rule of life Certainly there 's nothing holde forth the excellency of the Law more than the knowledge of Jesus Christ the only Law-giver being subjected to the Law and his subjection it was to take away our guiltinesse to cancel the bond of the Law binding us to eternal death But we never reade that this subjection to the Law was to make void our obedience to it so that it should not be any rule of life unto us for indeed what is the Law of God but the pure Will of God and do you think that Christ came to take us away from obeying the Will of God which was Christs meat and drink to do I stand not so much upon that term Whether as given by Moses but upon those things that are therein contained therein revealed as part of the will of God God stands much upon that that we should make the revealing of these things in the Word to be the rule of our life and this is manifested by Christs ready and full subjection unto it And that is the first particular what it is that we come to know by the Gospel according to which we should sute our Conversations SERMON V. PHIL. 1. 27. Only let your Conversation be as becomes the Gospel of Christ IN the sixt place Would you know what Conversation becomes the Gospel Consider what it is that the Gospel holds out to you It holds forth Gods infinit hatred of sin more than any other thing whatsoever 1. A man may come to know the evil of sin partly by Reason he may understand that sin it is against a right rule yea by the light of reason he may conceive it is but reasonable for a rational creature to live by rule and to transgress against the rule of justice and equity is evil 2. A man may come to know the evil of sin by Gods Command the Law of God forbids sin and therefore it is evil certainly to transgress the Law of God to go against the Will of God must needs be a great transgression 3. A man may come to know the evil of sin by the Dreadful Threatnings that are added to the Law Cursed is he that abideth not in every thing that is written in the Book of the Law to do it This discovers a dreadful evil in sin when a soul comes to have a real sight of the dreadful threats that are in the Law it doth exceedingly terrifie conscience and raise up that sleepy Lyon
out of his den 4. A man may come to know the evil of sin by some dreadful judgments that God hath executed upon sinners here in this world and by the terrors of conscience that there are upon the wicked as on Cain Saul and Judas c. men many times here for their sins by the wrath of God that is reveal'd from Heaven against sin in the execution of it but take all those together yea did we see the woful execution of the wrath of God in Hell its self did the Lord open unto us a door into the chambers of death to discover the torments that are there and to hear all the shreeks and cries of the damned in everlasting burnings yet all this the threats of the Law the terrors of it the agonies of Conscience the torments of the damned in Hell I say put all together and they would not so much nor so cleerly discover Gods infinit hatred of sin as what we find in the Gospel the red Glasse of the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed for sin doth discover more of Gods hatred against it than all the torments of Hell can do or all the threats of the Law can do God doth in inflicting his wrath upon his Son for mans sin thus preach unto the world Wel I see that you cannot be brought to understand how I hate sin with a perfect hatred but I 'le have one way of argument to convince you that it is impossible you should stand against I will therefore send my Son to take your nature upon him and to stand charged with your debt and you shall see how I 'le deal with him who is your Surety I 'le not spare him I 'le powr out the vials of my wrath upon him to the last drop I 'le make him a curse for sin though he be infinitly blessed and equal with my self yet I 'le make him cry out in the anguish and trouble of his soul My God my God why hast thou forsaken me He shal tread the winepress of my wrath I 'le make the burden of sin heavy to Him that shall make Him fall groveling upon His face and sweat great clodders of blood in a winter season that shall run down from His body upon the cold ground I 'le do this to that end that all the world to whom the preaching of the Gospel shall come may see how infinitely I hate sin This is one of Gods ends though it 's true that the principal end of the death of Christ it was to satisfie Divine Justice But there is another end that God aims at in the death of his Son To declare to all the world to men and Angels how infinitly the Lord doth abominate all sin Now this is held forth in the Gospel more than in all the execution of the Law if the Law were executed to the full upon all the world it would not hold forth Gods hatred of sin so much as this doth Do you beleeve this Gospel Hath God let you live under this Gospel that you hear it it your ears And do you profess that the Lord hath enlightened you by his holy Spirit to understand the certainty and reality of this Oh then let your Conversation be as becomes this Evangelical truth Quest What Conversation doth become this Answ Hence then your own reason cannot but make a consequence from this that the Gospel holds forth Hence then Cast away al sin as an abominable thing from you What have I to do any more with Idols Hence then Call no sin little which so much provokes the Lord. Indeed if you were only acted by the light of reason reason perhaps will tell you that such things are but little and smal and you need make no such great matter about them But now Art not thou a Christian A follower of Christ A friend to the Gospel For shame call no sin little for in the Gospel you see the infinit hatred of God against all sin yea there is more evil in the least sin than in the greatest affliction whatsoever that 's a point that hath been long since opened to you at large and this will shew it cleerly there is more evil in any sin than in the greatest affliction by the dealing of God the Father with his Son and therefore if you will be willing to live as becomes the Gospel of Christ rather be willing to bear any affliction in the world than wilfully to commit the least sin Are these two in the ballance Here is a great and a sore cross you think how shall I endure that On the other side Here 's a sin to be committed if I venture upon this sin it may be I shall be delivered from this affliction Now would this become the Gospel of Christ for one that professes that he doth beleeve that God the Father dealt thus with His Son that had sin but by imputation upon Him that He let out the vials of His wrath upon Him and made Him a curse for sin and if Christ had but undertaken for to have satisfied for one sin though the least sin He must have died for it For the wages of sin is death of sin indefinitly it 's death And do I beleeve this and yet shall I rather chuse the commission of a sin than the bearing of any affliction Oh this is infinitly unbeseeming the Gospel of Jesus Christ do I beleeve this and is it real unto my soul Oh let me then manifest in my whol course and life that I tremble at the very thought of a sin at the appearance of evil and am as much afraid of the least spark of lusts as of the fire of Hell let me discover the temptation to sin that I may endeavour to avoid all temptations to sin because God hath given such a testimony from Heaven against sin Oh it is a loud testimony indeed that God hath given from heaven against sin in the death of his Son Oh then let my Conversation be such as I may make it appear that I am afraid of the beginnings of sin of the first whispering and motions to sin Oh set me not stand dandling of sin in my thoughts and roul it as a sweet morsel under my tongue let me not entertain it in my affections in the least degree as to love it to approve it to delight in it but as soon as ever it enters into thy heart cast it out presently let it not lodge within thy doors one moment raise up all the power of thy soul against it follow it with Hue and Cry till thou hast overtaken it and then do justice and judgment upon it what though it may be a Delilah yet cut it off Oh let me take heed of lying in any sin have I bin overtaken in my sin Oh let me be willing rather to shame and condemn my self to deny any thing in the world rather than to continue in that sin the Lord forbid that if I have been once drawn
The Gospel discovers unto us the great honor that God hath put upon humane Nature above the Angels This could never have been known but by the Gospel this is as proper a thing to the Gospel as any I have spoken of And one special design that God had in the Gospel was To reveal those thoughts and counsels that he had from al eternity to put mighty and great Excellencies upon our humane Nature in these two particulars First In the Personal Vnion of Mans Nature to the second Person in Trinity That 's the first and great way of honor that God hath crowned human Nature with Hence the Apostle in 1 Tim. 1. 6. Without controversie great is the mysterie of godliness What is it God was manifested in the flesh God manifested in the flesh that 's a great mystery of godliness Now it could not be such a mystery if God had only taken an humane shape upon Him for so it was in the time of the Law Jesus Christ often took humane shape as when He strove with Jacob it was Jesus Christ as might easily appear But great is the mysterie of godliness without controversie it 's great God manifested in the flesh that is God taking flesh of man into a personal union which is more fully exprest in John 1. 4. The Word was made flesh This was a strange speech but proper to the Gospel An Heathen would have thought this a strange speech and especially if he knew that by the Word was meant He that was true and eternal God And then in Heb. 2. 16. it is said That Christ did not take the Nature of Angels upon him but the seed of Abraham So that it appears by the personal union of our Natures to the Son of God God hath advanced human Nature above Angels above all creatures Truly my Brethren in Christs taking our Nature upon Him which the Gospel holds forth to us me thinks we may see God as it were resolving to do a work from Himself to the uttermost to manifest the uttermost of his glory in a work out of Himself the work of God within Himself it is His eternal generation and the possession of the holy Ghost but now God would work out of Himself and work out of Himself to the uttermost extent I 'le make a world saith God Heavens and Earth by my Word But this is not such a glorious work as I am able to do I could make ten thousand worlds and when I have made them I could make as many more and more glorious But I would do some work wherein I might manifest even the uttermost of my glory What work is that that is The work that God pitcht upon He would do one work from without to manifest the uttermost of his glory and the Lord rather pitches upon this To take the nature of Man into a personal union with His Son that 's the uttermost And it is impossible that Men or Angels if they were left to all eternity to imagin could think of a work that it were possible for God to express more of His power wisdom and glory in but we know but little of it now but we shall know more in Heaven Now Oh how hath God honored humane Nature in this That when He would do a work to the utmost of His Excellency that He would pitch upon Mans Nature to take it into Personal Union with Himself here 's the mystery of the Gospel now this is indeed the marrow of the mysterie of the Gospel The Word made flesh the second Person in Trinity taking Mans Nature upon Him This is the mystery of the Gospel that Angels and Saints admire at and shall be taken up to all eternity in admiring and praising and magnifying God for That 's the first way of Gods honoring Mans Nature And then there is a second thing which the Gospel reveals and that 's this In putting honor not only upon the Nature of Man as having soul and body but putting a mighty honor upon the very Body of Man the meanest and the very lowest part of Man the very shel outside rine and case of Man that you have in 1 Cor. 6. 19. What know ye not that your bodie is the temple of the holy Ghost which is in you Your body is the Temple of the holy Ghost You have no such thing revealed in the old Testament this comes by the light of the Gospel that the Lord hath made the bodies of the Saints to be Temples to the holy Ghost that the holy Ghost dwels in their very Bodies as in a Temple as the King in his Pallace so the holy Ghost in His Temple Now these two are great things revealed in the Gospel and had we but a cleer understanding of these two things Oh! it would mightily elevate our spirits And Conversations sutable to these two particulars surely must needs be a high raised Conversation As now for instance 3. In the personal union of our natures with the second Person in Trinity Oh how should this raise up our hearts and we should manifest the elevation of our spirits in our Conversation so as it becomes those that may expect great things from God surely that God that hath honoured our natures so as to be personally united to his Son he doth intend great things to some of the children of men as now Suppose you that are the poorest and meanest here in this Congregation you had a Sister that were married to the greatest Emperor in the world yea to one that were Emperor of all the whol Earth now you would think to live another kind of life than you did before were it beseeming such a man to live now upon scraping of Chanels or wiping of horse heels or any mean imployment when his Sister is married to the only Monarch of all the whol earth surely he may think now I must live at a higher rate for I may expect something by this So should every one of the children of men think thus indeed I have liv'd in a mean base way the humane nature of mine hath been basely subject to filthy lusts all my daies I have been a bondslave to sin and Satan but when I come to hear of the Gospel I hear that the second Person in Trinity God blessed for ever equal with the Father that is the Heir of all things that he hath not married my humane nature but hath taken it into a personal union with himself and is become my kinsman my neer kinsman hath taken this into the neerest union as is possible for a creature to be taken into with God Oh let us be raised then in our thoughts to think surely God intends higher things for some of the children of men than to eat and drink and satisfie the flesh and be brutish here in the world there are higher things that God will do for mankind and why not for me I am not excluded no more than others It was a speech I remember of
enough here and there to have a leaf and a grape or two but full ripe clusters of grapes becomes those that grow upon such a fruitful Root And then you know Christ is the Head and we the Members Then do not dishonor your Head When there is a temptation comes to any sin but will not this be a dishonor to my Head do I receive such a spirit from the Head to act after such a sinful course Oh be not a crown of thorns to your Head Jesus Christ Yea and the Union is very great for it is not only that we are Members of Christ and so we are in Christ but Christ in us the Root is not in the Branch though the Branches be in the Root and the Head is not in the Members though the Head be joyned with the members But Christ is in us as we are in Him and so the union is very glorious and mysterious You complain of weakness But is there not strength in Christ are you not joyned to Christ thus and a member of Him and a branch in Him what ever infirmities you have which bows you down yet there is power enough in Jesus Christ to convay to any to enable them to walk in an holy Conversation before the Lord to renew their strength as the Eagle Manifest then the vertue of your Head from whence all the sinnews of every members strength doth arise And then you know the relation we have to Christ As He is the Husband we the Spouse Oh do not discredit your Husband Any wise vertuous Wife would make it a mighty argument against any evil way It will disgrace my Husband especially if her Husband be a publick man in place and authority Oh let this be an argument against every sin even the appearence of evil it will be dishonorable to the Lord Jesus who is my Husband How can I do this wickedness against my Lord and my God who hath betrothed me to Himself so that I am bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh That 's the second thing And then a Third thing that the Gospel holds forth to us that we should labor to sute our Conversations according is this The near Vnion that the Saints have one with another It 's not so revealed any where as in the Gospel Rom. 12. 5. we are said there to be members one of another as we are members of Christ I beseech you observe it so we are members one of another That Scripture may be in stead of all for this in Ephes 4. 4. the exhortation there to unity We must endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace Why For there is one body and one spirit even as ye are called in one hope of your calling One Lord one Faith one Baptism one God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all See here 's some seven ones to be an argument of unity One body and one spirit and called in the hope of one calling and one Lord and one Faith and one Baptism and one God Where have you such a unity demonstrated but in the Gospel of peace and love And I do not know in all the Book of God where any one duty is more pressed than unity Somewhat we hinted in speaking of the love of God which is a great design of the Gospel to hold forth and there we spake somewhat of Love But here of the unity of the Saints being so neer united into one thing the Saints should be one and certainly it 's the most unbeseeming thing in the world that can be for Saints to be divided in their affections upon some little differences in judgment Let me argue with you What was the Coat of Christ without any seam and shall the body of Christ be rent all to pieces Fy for shame the Gospel of Christ is in your hands which teacheth another lesson Next to our salvation the Gospel intends the union of Saints there 's nothing prest more strongly in every leaf of it and it 's here in my very text that makes me to speak to this for mark the very words that follow in this of my text Phil. 1. 27. Only let your Conversation be as becomes the Gospel of Christ Now if you should say Wherein should we walk so The Apostle doth answer then That ye stand fast in one spirit with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel Mark striving together he would have the Saints to be strivers I but strivers for what Not for their own will and humors and opinions and fancies and customs and traditions which are out of date But strivers for the faith for the faith of the Gospel for the Doctrine of faith and they should labor to joyn all their strength together both shoulders and hearts There 's a great deal of striving now Professors of the Gospel they strive asunder but the holy Ghost would have us strive together and this is as becomes the Gospel saith the text The Apostle here doth instance in this particular above all others that to live as it becomes the Gospel it is to stand fast with one Spirit with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel Oh how unbecoming the Gospel is the waies and lives of most Christians now Q. You will say From whence are these sad divisions and risings up of hearts amongst the Tribes so that one thinks that he hath the truth and another judgeth that he alone is in the right way A. I beseech you therefore because it 's so fully instanced in the very words of the Text that the Apostle instances in this particular give me leave to speak of it in a few words certainly his meaning is not when he saith that you shall be of one spirit and of one mind that men should give up their judgements and consciences to the opinions of other men that others according to their power may again lord it over us and so enslave our selves to draw in their yokes to grind in their mills and plow with their asses yea that were against other Scriptures No but the meaning is this That we should labor to find out what is truth search for it as for silver and go according to what light we have but yet so though we should differ to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace and joyn in al things that we can and walk so lovingly that it may appear that if there be difference it is meerly that which conscience makes because we dare not deny what we are perswaded in conscience is a truth We cannot put out the convincing light of the candle of the Lord which is set up within us yet we can live in unity and peace and be useful one to another communicating our gifts and graces comforts and experiences one to another as it becomes Christians And indeed it is a greater honor to the Gospel for men though
lives there should be shining the glorious Attributes of God that all that behold our Conversations may admire the Attributes of God shining in our lives and glorifie our Heavenly Father Certainly a child of God that keeps close to God and lives holily in his life doth let out more of the glory of God shining before the world than the Sun in the Firmament A Christian that professes the Gospel and doth walk answerably to the Gospel I say he is a more glorious creature in this world than the Sun in the Firmament certainly if we do but consider this that we are appointed here in this world while we live to hold forth the glory of the Gospel to make it to be a glorious Gospel before all that we live among it would cause another manner of Conversation than as yet we have But to wind up all in a few words of Application more particularly though all the way as I have gone I have labored to apply it all that I shall say may be refer'd unto these two particulars Application And the first is For the rebuking of those whose Conversations are not as becomes the Gospel I appeal to your consciences Do not your consciences in hearing these things condemn you If this be a Conversation becoming the Gospel O Lord how far are we from honoring the Gospel in our lives for how do many of your Conversations disgrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ you put Jesue Christ even to open shame by your Conversations and such as you are are blots to profession stains to Religion and the truth is it had been better you had never bin born if God doth not work upon your hearts in some measure before you die to recover the honor that you have taken away from this glorious Gospel Gal. 2. compare the 11. vers and the 14. together and in the. 11. ver you shall find Paul when he did but see Peter to walk not as he ought to do saith he I withstood Peter to his face What 's the matter You shall see the cause in the 14. verse for saith he He did not walk uprightly according to the truth of the Gospel In that one particular it seems Peter was blame-worthy O how was Pauls spirit stir'd I resisted him to his face saith he Though Peter was a glorious Apostle yet because in that thing he did not walk according to the truth of the Gospel Paul resisted him to his face And are there any that make profession and do you see that they walk not according to the truth of the Gospel Resist them to their faces though they be never so eminent either in Church or Common-wealth to be head and shoulders above others yet these are to be resisted to their face Oh the Gospel was precious to the heart of Paul and therfore he could not bear no not a Peter not to walk according to the truth of the Gospel Oh how many how many are there among you that do not walk according to the truth of the Gospel Now the Lord cause your consciences this day to resist you to your faces and to speak in secret to you and to convince you of the dreadful evil that you are guilty of is such a Conversation as you walk in such as become the Gospel I remember I have read a story you shal find it in Richard the first when he prevailed in warr and took a Bishop the Bishop of Bevoice the Pope was angry and sends and expostulates with him that he would presume to meddle with one of his Sons and imprison him The King sent this answer again to the Pope He takes the Habergion and other warlike instruments that the Bishop had and sends them to the Pope with these words See Is this thy Sons Coat is it fit for him to wear such things as these So I may say concerning many professors look upon their Conversations and what is this the Coat this the Conversation of the son of God As that Richard the first thought it such an unbeseeming thing for a Bishop to have warlike instruments about him and to be taken clad in armor On 't is an unbeseeming thing for such as profess the Gospel of Christ to have instruments of death about them to have wicked Conversations to live in wicked and ungodly waies Oh! 't is not Christs Livery not the Coat of one that professes godliness Certainly there must be another manner of Conversation than this EXHORTATION And therefore to close all in a word or two of Exhortation Oh that God would move our hearts now by what we have heard to labor to honor the glorious Gospel that we do profess O that that worthy Name in Jam. 2. 7. may not be blasphemed by wicked men Oh let not that worthy Name of God and Christ which you profess be blasphemed for your sakes but walk worthy of that worthy Name of the Lord and of his Christ and of his Gospel My brethren know that when you undertake the profession of the Gospel you undertake a great matter do not come to the profession of the Gospel and look upon it as if it were a slight matter 't is a great matter the profession of the Gospel In 1 Tim. 2. 10. it is a good Scripture for women he speaks of women that they should walk as those that do profess godliness such should preach the contents of the Gospel in an Evangelical behavior before others they should therefore bring forth fruits worthy of repentance or meet for repentance Hath the Lord wrought upon your hearts to chang your minds and turn your hearts to him O then bring forth fruits worthy of repentance that is your Conversations must be worthy of the Gospel and that is fruit worthy of repentance and in Acts 26. 20. Works meet for repentance Oh you say you have repented you of your sins the word that is translated there repentance it is change of mind Oh hath God changed your mind Then let there be works worthy of this change of mind And divers motives there should have been named for the stirring up of your hearts to walk worthy of the Gospel O consider what 's this Gospel you profess the Scripture cals it as here the Gospel of Christ So the Gospel of the grace of God Act. 20. 24. It 's a Gospel by which you are begotten 1 Cor. 4. 15. Thirdly It 's the Gospel of your salvation Ephes 1. 13. And fourthly It 's an everlasting Gospel Revel 14. 6. And then as you had it before a glorious Gospel Oh walk worthy of this Gospel that you have got so much good by I appeal to you any that have had the Gospel working upon your hearts Have not you got so much good by the Gospel that you would not part withal for ten thousand worlds Oh then walk worthy of that Gospel seeing you have got so much good by it And I beseech you consider that motive in the text Only let your Conversation
Christ they may be under penalties You think that those that are beleevers cannot be chastised for their sin as if there were no penalties in Christs kingdom I confess they are delivered from the penalties of the Law But Christs inflicts penalties as he is King there may be penalties in Christs kingdom And the right understanding of this would much help us in that point Whether Beleevers may be chastised for sin or no though they be Beleevers Oh they will say No. Why Because Christ hath satisfied the Lawfully and how can God require it in them I confess the Law cannot I but Jesus Christ in His administration as He is King not as He is the Judge of the Law but as He is the King over them He may inflict chastisements upon them they may in Christs kingdom have some chastisements they cannot be carried out of that kingdom to have the chastisements of the Law but in Christs kingdom Jesus Christ many times inflicts spiritual chastisements upon them by hiding his face from them for sin and by many spiritual discertions and such men as are but by outward profession under the kingdom of Christ and do seem to be His Subjects and are not so indeed the Lord inflicts spiritual judgments upon them as hardness of heart blindness of mind reprobate sences and I beseech you observe it The Lord Christ doth not so much observe the way of outward judgements upon wicked men that are in the bosom of the Church as He doth observe to inflict outward judgments upon the Heathens and others that are out of the bosom of the Church no Christ hath other manner of punishments for those that are in the Church though now and then Christ doth inflict outward judgments upon them but the main thing that Christ looks at in His Church is To reward with spiritual rewards as righteousness and peace and joy in the holy Ghost and the like so He doth inflict spiritual punishments Those that are professors in the Church naught and vile it may be God may prosper them for a while as well as others outwardly Oh but the punishments of Christ in His kingdom they are spiritual your souls are bound over to eternal death your hearts are hardned your consciences are benum'd and that 's more dreadful wrath a great deal than if the Lord Christ should punish your bodies or take away your estates those are punishments in Christs providential Kingdom but the penalties as Christ is the King of the Church they are ever spiritual punishments which we should more fear and tremble at a great deal Thus the kingdom of Christ is not of this world Now I should have shewed you how this kingdom of Jesus Christ will certainly prevail in the world let the world do what they can In the 2 d Psal Yet have I set My King upon My holy Hill It will at length prevail over all the world and bring under all the kingdoms of the world to it but when it hath done so then there shall be a new world Certainly there is a time that Christ shall have the kingdoms of this world to reign over them in another manner than now He hath and that is at the end of the world I will give you a Scripture or two about that Revel 11. 15. The seventh Angel sounded and there were great voices in Heaven saying The Kingdoms of this world are become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ and He shall reign for ever and ever That is He shall subdue the kingdoms that were of this world and then He shall reign He shall reign for ever and ever Now they are the kingdoms of this world but when He reigns it is in this manner that is here spoken of it is in another world as appears in Heb. 2. 5. For unto the Angels hath He not put in subjection the world to come whereof we speak Here the Apostle shews that Christ is above the Angels for he hath not put in subjection the world to come unto the Angels therefore there is a world to come wherein Christ shall have a further dominion than yet he hath and Adam was a type of Jesus Christ in this Adam he had the command of this present world Now in this world Christ doth rule but in the midest of his Adversaries but there is a time coming that Christ shall have all under him as Adam in his innocency had the whol world under his feet And Christ doth promise unto his people in the 3. of Revel 21. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my Throne even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his Throne Mark it seems there is a Throne of Christ yet that hath not been for here 's a promise that he will set them upon his Throne as he sits upon his Fathers Throne Now Christ rules together with his Father but saith he You that are my Saints and my Subjects now you shall sit upon my Throne I but you will say That is in Heaven in Heaven indeed the Saints shall reign Nay It connot be meant of a kingdom wherein the Saints shall sit eternally with Christ in Heaven I might give you many Scriptures for that but I will only give you one Scripture 1 Cor 15. 28. And when all things shall be subdued unto Him then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things under Him that God may be All in All. Here he tells us that there is a time that God shall be All in All both unto Christ and unto His Saints yea and you shall find in this chapter that Jesus Christ shall give up the kingdom unto the Father speaking of the time of the resurrection When all shall rise again and when that shall come the kingdom shall be delivered up unto the Father so that this is a time before the general resurrection that Christ shall sit upon the Throne there is yet a time between this and the Saints being in Heaven when the Saints shall sit upon Christs Throne as he upon his Fathers in another manner than now they do Therefore surely Christ shall have the kingdoms of this world subdued unto him in another manner than yet he hath and for the proof of it do but reade the 7 th chapter of the book of Daniel and you shall find abundant of proof there shall be abundant deal of glory in that kingdom of his there he shall have attendants to purpose thousand thousands administred unto him and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Christ and though there was a Judgment and the Books were brought yet its apparant afterwards that the Scripture speaks of a time that should be before the Saints should come to Heaven for he saith this That as concerning the rest of the Beasts they had their Dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season Therefore it is not meant at that time when the
the joy of the holy Ghost means till it comes under the kingdom of Jesus Christ it 's the priviledge of the kingdom of Christ to bring spiritual peace which passeth all understanding and joy in the holy Ghost Ninthly This is a priviledg in the kingdom of Christ That all that are in His Kingdom have right to all the gifts and graces of all the Saints in the world Whether Paul or Apollos or Cephus or Life or Death all is yours for you are Christs and Christ is Gods They have I say right to all all the gifts of all the Ministers of the world and the graces of all the Saints they work for good unto them Tenthly and lastly They are all Heirs of Christ with an immortal Crown of glory that is laid upon Heaven for them Thus Christs Kingdom is not of this world the priviledges of it are beyond the worlds which can only be seen by the eye of faith for they are spiritual and glorious priviledges Quest If you ask me why it is that God the Father would not have His Son to have his kingdom in this world Certainly God might have given to Christ all the Government of this world might have made Him the great Emperor to have rul'd in an external way and all His Subjects to have been in pomp and glory here below but God would not have the kingdom of His Son here in this world for these reasons Ans First Because that hereby He would confound the wisdom of the world and shew the vanity of all the things of this present world and the folly of the hearts of men that are set upon the things of this world we look upon these things as great things but God hath shewed that he doth not look upon them as great matters but as things that have little value and excellency in them and therfore He would not have His Son to have His kingdom here of this world surely if there were such excellent things here as men dream of then undoubtedly Christ should have had His Kingdom of this world but that God might confound all the glory and non-plus the wisdom of this world therefore he would go another way to work God would so order things that He would fetch about the glory of his Name and those great things that he did intend from all eternity He would fetch them about in a way that should be hidden from the eyes of the world in a way that should appear contemptible in the eyes of the world and he would by this rebuke and shame all the pride folly and vanity of the world there is no greater rebuke of the pride folly and vanity of the world than in my Text here that saith The Kingdom of Jesus Christ is not of this world Secondly Because the Lord delights so much in the exercise of the graces of His Spirit the spiritual workings of the hearts of His Saints there 's nothing that is ab extra from God that is more delightful to Him than the exercises of the graces of His Spirit in the hearts of His Saints excepting what is in the Person of Christ himself nothing more pleasing in all the works that ever God made in which He takes more pleasure than in the exercise of faith and of humility and of patience and the like and the holiness of His Saints Now the less the Kingdom of Christ is of the world the more bright and glorious do the graces of the Saints appear the more do they come to be exercised had the Saints a worldly glory and pomp here their graces would not shine forth so eminent there would not be such a spiritual lustre and shine upon them but now that God may exercise especially the grace of faith and humility and patience and self-denial and brotherly love which are so precious to Him therefore God hath so ordered things that the Kingdom of His Son should not be of this world but it should be spiritual it may be you think it a sad affliction that you have not those comforts that you see others have in the world you have not such estates and bravery as others have brave dwellings costly furnitures and fine cloaths as others have and you cannot provide for your children as they do I but is there the exercise of faith in God in the want of these things the exercise of humility self-denial of patience know that these are more glorious things than if thou didst sit upon a Throne with a Crown of gold upon thy head and a Scepter in thy hand and al the people prostrating themselves before thee this were all but a childish vanity in comparison of the exercise of the graces of Gods Spirit thou hast that that is more excellent in the eyes of God and of His Son and in the eyes of the blessed Angels far more excel lent than these outward pompous glorious glittering vanities that are here when thou findest by experience that the Kingdom of Christ is not of this world Oh then think that surely God delights much in the exercise of the graces of His Spirit in His Saints And this is the reason why he would not have the kingdom of Christ to be of this world Thirdly and lastly Therefore He would not have it to be of this world that hereafter when the Lord shall come to fetch out all his glory from those things that seem to be the most contrary that his power and wisdom may be more glorious and appear more evidently that his glory may be more conspicuous as certainly it will hereafter at the great Day when the issue of all the great designs that God had in sending of Christ into the world when the issue of all shall come and be accomplisht then the Name of God will be so much the more honorable to all eternity because He hath wrought out such glorious things from that which did seem to the eye of flesh to be so mean and contemptible APPLICATION But by way of Application and that shall be built upon the consideration of the point more generally and upon the Reasons that are named why the Kingdom of Christ is not of this world From hence follow thus much in the first place That if the Kingdom of Christ be not of this world then there is a happiness beyond the things of this world to be had that we must certainly conclude and determin If we beleeve this point That Christ Kingdom is not of this world we must lay down this for a certain and infalible ground that we may build upon That there is a happiness to be attained unto that is beyond this world for surely there is a good in the of Christ there is somewhat beyond this world for the souls of the children of men to look after as their cheef good as their happiness that 's a confectory that follows from it The Kingdom of Christ whatsoever it be it 's a glorious Kingdom it is the Kingdom of
the world and as Christ saith Wo to the world because of offences so wo to the world because of this great offence Christs Kingdom being so spiritual hence it is that the world receives Him not in 1. John 10. And so in John 14. 17. Even the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive Mark the world cannot receive the spirit of Truth the world receives not Christ and it cannot receive the spirit of Truth If you speak of the world to men then they savor of those things come to a man and tell him of a good bargain on the Exchange he will listen to you and remember what you say but come and speak to him of the great things of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ of the glorious priviledges of that kingdom only there 's a sound in the air and it passeth away and takes no impression at all on the heart of one that is carnal 1 John 4. 5. there you have this exprest fully the very guize and way of a carnal heart They saith the text are of the world therefore speak they of the world and the world heareth them those that are of the world they speak of the world and discourse of the world and savor the things of the world and the world heareth them but now let a man come and tell them of things that are heavenly of a goodly Pearl of Jesus Christ they savor not those things and they hear them not Oh! 't is from hence that men come not into the Kingdom of Jesus Christ because it is not of this world What 's the reason that there are more comes into the Kingdom of Antichrist than into the Kingdom of Christ Revel 13. 3. The whol world wandered after the beast saith the text because they are of the world and Antichrist doth set up a worldly kingdom instead of Christs kingdom and men that are of the world they flock after Antichrist and hence it was that your great rich men in places where the Gospel hath not been they were Papists or Popishly affected so that therefore the Papists make outward prosperity to be one badge or sign of the true Church hence it is that Popery is so sutable to worldly hearts and the holy Ghost prophesied before hand that the whol world should follow Antichrist only here and there a few poor ones Jesus Christ chuses out of this world to follow him for His Kingdom is not of this world One Particular more in a word seeing the Kingdom of Christ is not of the world then a worldly heart is the most unbeseeming thing in one that professeth himself to be a Christian of any thing that can be in the world If Christs Kingdom be not there certainly thy heart should not be there Thou that professest thy self to be of the Kingdom of Christ which is spiritual and heavenly and yet thou a worldly earthly heart I say it is the most unbeseeming thing that possibly can be what for a Professor of Religion to have an earthly covetous worldly heart By that that I have already spoken in shewing the vanity and the evil of the world and the great evil of loving the world were enough to strengthen this use but now that that I intended should have been to speakesp ecially to those that are Christians that have hopes that God hath made them partakers of Jesus Christ and would be loth to lose their hopes in the good things of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ for 10000. worlds yet there doth remain much worldliness in their hearts to this day surely this not beseeming one of the profession that thou makest it is no honor unto thy King the Lord Jesus Christ worldly Professors they are great dishonors to the Kingdom of Jesus Christ when there shall appear no difference between those that we account to be men of the world and such as we hope are chosen out of the world Oh! how is Christ dishonored by this Look but upon the lives of Christians that profess Religion and one would think that the Kingdom of Christ were a Kingdom of this world rather than any thing else for I say to outward appearance though it may be Christ may see some integrity within the heart yet to outward appearance there is even almost no difference between them and the men of the world It doth become Christians to live so in their whol course as to make it appear that they are men and women above the world whose Conversations are in Heaven that they do beleeve the Kingdom of Jesus Christ that is not of this world SERMON III. JOHN 18. 36. Jesus answered and said My Kingdom is not of this world WHAT this Kingdom of Christ was and how different from the kingdoms of this world we have already opened unto you The fourth Use which we are to proceed in is If the kingdom of Christ be not of this world then of all dispositions a worldly spirit is most unsutable to those who profess themselves to be of the Kingdom of Christ Certainly then such as are Beleevers that are come under the Kingdom of Christ they must not be of earthly hearts We find the Apostle in the Epistle of the Ephesians doth rank Covetousness and Uncleanness together and saith of them both in the 5. Chapter 3. Verse Let it not be once named among you as becometh Saints So that a covetous heart after the things of the world it is such a disposition as it should scarce be named among Saints no more than whoredom they should abstain from it as from whordom as it becometh Saints It is the most uncomly thing for a Saint of God one of the Kingdom of Christ to have a covetous heart for the things of the world that possibly can be As it becomes them it doth not become you And Luther that was a great man for the promoting of the Kingdom of Christ he is bold to profess it That of all sins he was scarce ever tempted to that sin he found nothing tending almost that way though it 's true there 's no sin but we have the seeds of it in our hearts but yet he found his spirit most above that worldly sin because he was so much taken up with Jesus Christ And indeed the more any soul is taken up with the excellency of Christ and with the glorious things of His Kingdom the more vile will the things of the world be to them We look not at the things that are seen saith the Apostle they are not things to be looked at But at the things that are not seen And in the 6. of the Gal. 14. ver The Apostle Paul that was the great man for the promoting of Christ in the world and the setting up of His Throne he professes That he was crucified to the world and the world was crucified to him That is he look't upon the world but as a crucified thing What esteem would you have of a man that is hanging upon a
dishonor upon him yet this Saul had mighty power over his Spirit he was very meek and a quiet man in the first of Samuel 10. 27. the text saith He held his peace when the Children of Belial said What have we to do with him 4. Though he were quiet in his own cause yet he shewed himself to have an excellent spirit of Government in him in a publick cause he was full of anger when it was for the good of the people that he was a Governor over though quiet in his own in the first of Samuel 11. 6. When he heard of a dishonor done to the people of Israel the Text saith that his anger did rise within him an excellent pattern for all Governors for all in publique places to be very silent and quiet self denying putting up wrongs in their own cause but to be full of zeal for the publick cause to reserve their spirits for a publick good Many there are in publick places that when they are anger'd in their private cause how full of Spirit they are and they spend their Spirit there so much that they have no spirit at all when it comes to a publick cause Saul went beyond them in this 5. Saul was one who was much troubled at the sin of the people against God not only had a spirit to vindicate a publick wrong but when he saw the people sin against God his heart was much troubled at their very sin and seemed to be grieved for it and mighty solicitous and careful about it to prevent sin in the people this you shall have in 1 Sam. 14. 33. they told Saul there That the people had sinned in eating with blood upon that Saul shews himself displeased Come saith he and do not sin against the Lord roul a stone to me hither and so he would see with his own eyes that they did slay the Cattel and they did powr forth the blood that they might not sin against God in eating blood this was his care 6. Saul he was very careful to enquire of God what he should do in businesses of great consequence in the 37. ver of that 14. chap. of the 1 of Samuel there he would not go out till he had first enquired of God Yea more than all this 7. He was a man that had a very reverend esteem of the Prophets of God when Samuel came to him in the 1 of Samuel 15. 13. O thou blessed of the Lord saith Saul to Samuel Yea yet further than this 8. When Samuel shewed unto him what his sin was in the 30. ver of that 15. chap. he comes and confesses it before the people and saith I have sinned I have sinned against the Lord meerly at the conviction of one Prophet Yea yet more than this 9. God seemed to be with Saul very much and to shew great respect unto him to make him an Instrument of much good to Israel He granted unto him as glorious a victory as ever man had in this world for so we may cal it and if there be any outward thing in the world might be gathered as an argument of Gods love then such a remarkable victory as he had over his enemies the victory you shall find in the 1 of Samuel 13. 5. and so reade on afterwards in that Chapter and the next you shall find there that the Philistims were risen up against him and Israel and there were thirty thousand Chariots of his Adversaries of the Philistims and six thousand horsmen and people as the sand of the Sea for multitude besides all this Wel here was a mighty Enemy What had Saul to oppose these You shall find in the 2. verse of that 14. chapter that there were but six hundred men with Saul here was of one side thirty thousand Chariots here was six thousand horsmen here was people as the sand of the Sea without number and Saul had but six hundred with him at this time yea and of those six hundred there was not any one of them that had a sword but only Saul and Jonathan for the Philistims were wise enough to disarm all the Malignants that they accounted so and would not let so much as a Smith be amongst them they would not only take away their Arms but they would look to them to see that they had no arms supplied unto them that was the wisdom of the Philistims yet we find if you reade afterwards in the Scripture that God was so far with Saul that he blessed him and gave him victory over all these Besides all this 10. God blessed Saul with a very gracious Child a godly son of a sweet nature Jonathan which indeed if any outward argument in the world might be an argument of Gods love that might be But now put all these things together and yet here is the man that hath his Portion in this world I now challenge the man especially one I challenge him that hath certain evidence of a mighty work of God upon him in Christ let him shew me greater arguments of Gods love to him than Saul might have done and yet it proved to be Sauls Portion that he should have only his portion in this world God herein shews that His mercy is His own and that He will let out His mercy as He pleaseth It is your Fathers pleasure to give you a Kingdom The Father doles out the Portion as He pleaseth unto His Children God will let the Line of His mercy to go thus far to one and there stop and so far to another and there stop and then come in a cross line again unto them God so disposes of his mercy that there are some that shall have Heaven and Earth to be their portion and their portion is blessed indeed There are some that shall have Earth but not Heaven and their portion is poor and mean and sad there are others that shall have Heaven but not earth and their portion is good And there are others that shall neither have Heaven nor Earth and their portion you 'l say is miserable indeed Gods mercy is His own to dispose of as He will We reade that Abraham in Gen. 21. 14. He cals for Ishmael and Hagar and he gives them a piece of bread a bottle of water and sends them away there 's an end of them So Jehoshaphat in the 2 of Chron. 21. 3. He gave his other son saith the text gifts but the Kingdom he gave to Jehoram So God hath people to whom he gives pieces of bread bottles of water yea some to whom he gives great gifts in this world but he keeps his inheritance for his Isaac He keeps the Kingdom for Jehoram Esau he had his portion in this world and such a portion as he thought to be a very good portion in Gen. 33. 9. Brother saith he I have enough Most rich men are complaining they go not so far as Esau they have their portion and yet complain of it Esau hath his portion and
venture them Indeed when God comes unto His choice Mercies in Christ there he looks to have glory from them and he doth never give them to any but first he prepares them that they may give him the glory of those mercies but it is otherwise with others As suppose you see a man gathering of Crabs although Swine be under the Tree he cares not much to drive them away they are but Crabs let them have them but if he were gathering any choice and precious fruit if any Swine should come under he drives them away As for outward things Crabs the Lord suffers the Swine of the world to come grunting and take them up but when he comes to his choice Mercies in his Christ there he makes a distinction Oh! that is precious fruit A Black-smith that is working upon Iron though a great many Cinders and little bits of Iron fly up and down he regards them not but a Goldsmith that is working upon Gold he preserves every ray and every dust of Gold and a Lapidarie that is working upon precious Stones every little bit he will be sure to preserve a Carpenter that is only hewing of Timber he regards it not much if Chips fly up and down but it is not so with a Lapidary So these outward things are but as the Chips and Cinders and such kind of thing as those are and therefore God even gives a Portion to wicked men out of them Sixthly God knows that He hath time enough to manifest His Justice upon them hereafter He hath an Eternity hereafter for the Declaration of His Justice and therefore saith God Let them have somewhat for a while As you know it is natural in all when they see a man going to execution that is not like to live above an hour or two every one is ready to pity him and to be any way officious to him Oh! saith every one the man shall not have comfort long we cannot do much for him he shall have pain enough ere long and misery enough ere long and so every one pities him It is observable let a man go to execution for wickedness and then he is pitied by all but if a man should suffer for godliiness then perhaps they will not be so full of pity towards him As I remember in the Book of Martyrs there is a story of Mr. In o Frith a learned godly Minister and Andrew Hewit that were Martyrs and were to suffer for their conscience and the Story tells us that one Dr. Cook a Parson in London he openly admonishes the people that they should pray for them no more than they would do for a Dog that Charity of theirs that they talked so much of is such towards them that suffer out of conscience and as amongst Papists so amongst ungodly men let a man suffer out of conscience they will rather rail at him and when he is in his sufferings they will rather give him gall and vinegar to drink as they once did Christ upon the Cross though in other sufferings they pity men Seventhly By this that God gives to the wicked the Lord shews what great things he hath reserved for his own Children what a portion there is for them Surely if the dogs have so much the Father keeps a good house if the hang-byes may have such doles certainly there is good provision for the Children within As by the afflictions of the Saints God doth declare to wicked men and would have them draw such an argument from it that there are fearful things that are like to befal them If judgment begin at the House of God where shall the wicked and ungodly appear So by the prosperity that wicked men have in this world God doth declare to his Children and he would have them argue from thence what then hath he reserved for his beloved Ones for his Saints for his Children that are so dear unto him Eighthly God fetches a great deal of Glory from hence He fetches about His own ends very much from the portion that wicked men have as sometimes He doth it that they might stumble and harden their hearts and break their necks at it and to ripen their sins hence He lets them go on a long time and have their wills in Isa 33. 1. Wo to thee who spoilest and wert not spoiled and dealest treacherously and wert not dealt treacherously withal when thou shalt cease to spoil thou shalt be spoiled I 'le let thee go on thou shalt spoil as much as thou wilt and when thou hast done spoiling thou shalt be spoiled And sometimes God doth it to fetch about this end Namely to chastise His own people with the prosperity of the wicked And as an Ancient writer hath this Story of one that he saith by an extraordinary way from being a Monk was advanced into an Episcopal Seat and being a lewd wicked man he began to be proud of this his Advancement and being proud he heard these words in the story Ab angelo audivit Cur superbus ô infaelix non es creatus Episcopus quia tu dignus sed quia Civitas haec digna fuit tali Episcopi it was a wicked place and this was the answer Why art thou so proud Oh unhappy man for thou art not advanced because thou art worthy of this advancement but because this City is so ill it is worthy of such a Prelate to be over it In way of judgment to that place God advanced such a man And so many are advanced that they may be heavy judgments unto others God gives them such a portion not out of His love to them though they are ready to gather the Argument but out of His displeasure unto others And then He gives a plentiful portion to many to teach us all to do good unto our enemies not only humanitati as they say but homini not only to human nature but to men to men that are wicked some good must be done unto them Ninthly The Lord would shew hereby that He would have no argument of love or hatred to be drawn from these outward things and also because He would not have them to expect any more It may be many men that are ungodly prospering in this world they gather this argument That therefore God loves them and intends mercy to them Cujus contrarium verum nay you may rather gather an argument quite th' other way because God intends no further good unto you hereafter therfore it is you have so much now We use to answer men that come for their dole who have had out a dole and they will come again Why do you come again you have had your dole already So God will answer to many men when they shall cry to him for mercy at that day Why come you to me for more you have had your dole already Have you not had already more than your work comes to more than you have done you have had your part and portion already indeed men speak much
glory and a Kingdom and a Crown of eternal life now they expect not to have it done presently they are content to stay Oh these are the best Traders the best Merchants that will trade with God for great things and be content to stay you will chuse that you have here for the present and therefore you have your portion Fourthly These things that are here they are the only sutable things to your hearts and what will you do with any more hereafter these things do exceedingly please you and give you content as agreeable to you and the things that are to come are disagreeable what would men do that are carnal and wicked now what would they do in Heaven Certainly if you hate Gods Saints now that have but a little Grace for their Grace sake you would hate them infinitly more afterwards when they are perfect in Grace when they shall be perfect and then when all your common gifts shall be taken away for so it shall be Now the things of God are unsutable to you though you have now many common 〈◊〉 and you now abhor the Grace of God though it be imperfect what then when all common gifts shall be taken from you and Grace made perfect how unsutable will it be then to you Therefore expect nothing hereafter Fifthly You abuse your portion you have now what will you do with more Who will trust you with the true riches You abuse that you have Indeed men of the world that are wicked and very rich are presently in places of honor and power Oh! what a deal mischief they do in the world what dreadful evils are they unto the earth Such men how do they abuse their portions Why now as it is with the Tooth in a mans head a Tooth indeed is prefer'd to have an eminent place in the Head but when the Tooth comes to be rotten and put us to pain what do we but pull it out and throw it away So when God prefers men to eminent places when through their wickedness they grow rotten and so do a great deal of hurt the Lord plucks them out in His anger and throws them away they abuse their portion and do a great deal of hurt and therefore must expect no more But above all the argument is Sixthly Because they have no interest in Jesus Christ The rich Treasures of the infinite grace of God they are let out in Jesus Christ God hath divers Conduit-pipes as I may so say of His Grace to let out unto His Creatures there are some lesser Conduit-pipes and those Conduit-pipes may be open'd through the general bounty of God but now the Lord hath the great Current of His eternal mercies for some that He doth intend eternal good unto and this great Current of His it is stop't by justice the infinite justice of God doth stop this great Current so as it cannot be open'd to have any drop of the mercy let out until Divine Justice comes to be satisfied In the mean time the other smaller pipes they run the general bounty of God Now then this is the very work of Jesus Christ Christ the Second Person in Trinity and it is the very mystery of the Gospel The Second Person in the Trinity sees that the children of men are capable of eternal happiness eternal glory and that there are glorious treasures with God to be communicated to the children of men but through mans sin this great Current is stop't in the mean time Gods general bounty lets out a great many outward comforts Christ therefore out of pity to man-kind that man-king may not be put off with these general outward comforts He comes and satisfies Gods infinite justice that He might open the Current the sluice of His infinite and eternal Grace to others Now happy are those Creatures who have interest in the Lord Christ for this is His work to satisfie the Justice of the Father that so the great pipe may be opened and then flows in all Grace infinit eternal Grace when that comes once to be opened No mervail though we hear of such glorious things that the Saints of God have in the life to come no mervail for Christ doth come and open the great sluice of Gods infinite Grace and Mercie to them as for the men of the world they have but a little of the drizling of Gods general bounty through some crannies but the Floudgates of Gods grace are opened in Christ therefore til Divine Justice be satisfied there can be no further good for a Creature here but the fruits of Gods general bounty patience There are some Creatures whom the Lord hath left to the Course of justice they shall have what they earn and no more this is the difference between Gods dealings with some Creatures and others I say some there are that shall have what they earn and no more others there are whom God hath set His Heart upon and whether they earn or no God intends eternal mercies unto them and will bring them unto eternal mercies Here 's the difference of the Covenant of works and the Covenant of Grace and therefore the one is left to Himself and the other Christ the Head of the Covenant comes to undertake for him that that he cannot do and here is the very Cut between the condition of some men other men that some have their portion in this world and others have another higher portion in the world to come Those have no interest in Christ these have Seventhly They are no Sons no Children and therefore they must not expect childrens portions As many of you rich men when you die you will leave your servants some Legacie perhaps you 'l give every servant in the house five pounds or so but when you come to your children to write in your Will what such a Son such a Daughter shall have that is another manner of business than 4. or 5 l. great things you leave to them Now the truth is the world may be divided between Children and Servants for though the truth is all men are at defiance with God yet God makes them servants one way or other and there is some little Legacy that servants shall have but they must not expect the Childrens portion therefore they have it here but must not have it hereafter In Ezek. 46. 16. Thus saith the Lord If the Prince give a gift unto any of his sons the inheritance shall be his sons but if to his servants then it shall be but till Jubile This was Gods Law that if a Prince gave a gift to his son the son should inherit it for ever but if he give it but to a servant it should continue with him but for a while So here is the difference of Gods administration of all His gifts He gives some to servants and these shall continue but for a while within a little while all will be called for again all the good and all the comfort thou hast God
will call for it all again but that which he gives to His Sons to His Children they shall have mercy for ever though not to enjoy it in the same way they shall enjoy the same good and comfort Eternally And then further Eighthly The portion that the world hath here you heard before it comes from Gods patience now there will be an end of the manifestation of the glory of patience in this world as thus As there are some graces of the Spirit of God in the Saints that shall have an end in regard of their exercise here in this world so there are some attributes of God that shall have an end in regard of the manifestation of them in that way that God doth now manifest them here in this world and that is the patience of God towards ungodly ones Now if they hold all upon patience when the time of the glory of that in this world shall come to be at an end then all their good is at an end Further Ninthly Ungodly men they shal have to deal with God immediately in the world to come I beseech you observe but this answer I 'le hasten they must have to deal immediatly with God in the world to come Now they have to deal with God through Creatures and while they have to deal with God through Creatures they may get a great deal and may make shift for much but when they shall come to deal with God immediatly then it will be otherwise with them As for example There are a great many hang-bies at great mens houses perhaps when they come to have to deal with the servants they get some bits and scraps and many things from the servants but if they know they can have nothing but from the very hand of the Knight or Lord of the house himself then they will expect no great matter So wicked men of this world they are as hang-bies that all that they have are but as scraps from the servants they have to deal only with creatures they look no further but hereafter things shall be setled another way and all things shall be weighed by God Himself in a ballance of Justice and distributed by the hands of God Himself immediately and now things will be carried after another manner the Lord Himself will come to dispose of things It was a speech of a German Divine though he were a good man and lived very innocently when he lay upon his sick bed and apprehended Death he was in great terrors of spirit mightily troubled and some of his friends came to him and asked him Why should you be so troubled that have lived so good a life as you have done This was his answer The Judgments of God are one and the judgments of men are another I am now to deal with God it is true I lived thus before Men and Men gave their Verdict of me as good and thought I was in a good condition but O I am now to go to God and to deal immediately with Him and Gods judgment and Mans judgements are different things when God shall come to weigh all mens portions out as it will be then So much Righteousness so much portion so much happinesse you will say then Lord what shall become of us all All our righteousness is as the menstruous cloath I but for the Saints the Righteousness of Christ will be put into one Scale and their Portion into the other and their Portion will be weighed by the Righteousness of Christ Now when thou comest to God thou must come to the Scale and thou wilt put in thy good servings of God and thy comming to Church and some good Civil actions and Natural and Moral things thou hast done thou wilt put them in the Scale saith God That which thou hast had already weighs down all those Hast thou nothing to put into the Scales but this thou hast had thy reward already for all this and much more than this then if there be nothing to but into the Scale but this thou art undone and there is nothing for thee for Eternity And here is the ground of the confinement of the Portions of wicked men These are the Two first things Thirdly I will give you some CORRALLARIES only from hence Is it so that wicked men have a portion here and here is all First Here we may see the Reason why the men of the world are so cunning in the things of the world why they can make so good shift for themselves in the world rather than other men can Why here 's their Portion their very happiness and good is here no mervail though they make such shift as they do here the Apostle in 1 Cor. 2. 12. We have not received the spirit of the world saith the Apostle we cannot tell how to shift in the world so as other men do for indeed we look further than these things and so cannot shift as other men can They that have the spirit of the world and have their portion in the world they can shift but we have not received the spirit of the world You know a Swine though it goes abroad all day wandring up and down it knows the way to the trough at night but a Sheep if it go a wandring a little way out of his place a Sheep doth not know how to come back again but wanders up and down till it be even lost and is as a lost sheep when it is once wandring up and down but Swine are not so So ungodly men though they go up and down wandring they know how to come to their trough at night they have better skil in the world they are more artificial in the things of the world they have better understanding as the Scripture speaks The children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light Why is it Their Portion is in this world That 's the first Corrallarie 2. Corr. Here we see the Reason Why there are so many great ones in the world that regard Religion so little as they do and the waies of God and the Church of God why 't is not their portion those things that concern another life is not any part of their portion they mind what it is that concerns the present life because this is their portion When many come into places of dignity and power What are their thoughts Now they think of gratifying their friends now they think of respect and honor that they shall have abroad in the world and be accounted some-body now they think of revenging al their wrongs of making up of all their broken titles c. This hath been heretofore I suppose very ordinary in men advanced amongst you these are all their thoughts as for doing service for God and for His Church and vindicating the Truth of God and Honor of God that is scarce in all their thoughts for they do not look upon that as part of their Portion Here is the reason
are fading when thou comest to enter in upon thy eternal estate if thou should'st then ask what shall I have now I have now thus much and thus much in my whol life but what shall I have now I come to enter in upon my eternal estate truly nothing at all If a man were to go a great Voyage to the Indies and all the provision he makes is this he gets a Vessel that can make shift to carry him as far as Gravesend that he will do and what need he hath of provision to Gravesrnd or perhaps to the Downs he provides for he goes on and should go on now to the Downs and begins his Voyage to go to the Indies and is gotten into the Ocean alas the Vessel is a rotten Vessel Were not this an unwise man Truly this is the condition of thousands in the world Man Woman thou art â—â—ade for an eternal condition God intends Eternity to every Mothers Child that is here this day God expects that thy life should be spent in making provision for this Eternal estate of thine and thou thinkest of nothing but that thou maiest provide for a few years here and live in some fashion and be some body in the world here Oh! when thou comest to enter upon the Ocean of Eternity thou wilt give a dreadful shreek and cry out I am undone I am undone I have provided nothing for Eternal life these things are very uncertain Oh what a deal of difference there is between the same men in two or three years I might tell you but the time so hastens that great difference two or three years have made between man and man but I forbear it because I see the time will not give leave And yet further for the meanness of the Portion 5. What ever thou hast in this world it is no other but what may stand with the Eternal hatred of an infinite God towards thee it may be the portion of a Reprobate and will this serve thy turn will this satisfie thee will that satisfie thy soul that may be the portion of a Reprobate There are many now that are sweltring under the wrath of the infinite God that have had twenty times as much as any of you have that are here before the Lord this day they have had greater estates than you and lived merrier lives than you and yet are now under the wrath of God Wil a Reprobates portion serve thy turn Therfore surely it is but a mean thing that will stand with Gods Eternal hatred Consider it To enjoy the Dominion of all the world may stand with Gods Eternal hatred but to have but the least dram of saving grace cannot stand with Gods Eternal hatred What a difference is there between the having the least dram of grace and the enjoyment of al the world what a goodly portion is there here that thou so much rejoycest in It is certainly because thy heart is so straight that thou thinkest these things to be so big As in a narrow Vessel a thing will appear big but in a mighty wide Vessel it appears little So when the Lord by grace shall widen and enlarge thy heart then all the things of the world will be little to thee Grace hath the Image of God in it now what saith God of Himself in Isa 40. All the world is but as the drop of the bucket and the dust of the ballance Now grace hath Gods likeness and through the Image of God in a gracious heart the Soul saith thus of the world as God saith of the world that all the world is but as the drop of the bucket and the dust of the ballance to me When the Lord promised to perswade Japhet to dwell in the tents of Shem the word that is translated perswade it signifies to enlarge that He would enlarge the heart of Japhet and indeed when God doth convert a soul the Lord doth enlarge that soul doth enlarge the heart and therefore all the things of the world are now but little Indeed if a man be below here and looks upon that which is next to him that hath any bigness in it it shews somewhat great but if a man were advanced on high upon the top of a Pinnacle then that which seemed great appears but little to him so the men of the world that here lie groveling below and the curse of the Serpent is upon them Vpon thy belly shalt thou go and dust shalt thou eat they think the things of the world great matters but grace lifts up the heart on high to God and Christ mounts it up to Eternity and then they can look upon all these things here below as mean things and this was the reason that Luther when he had great gifts sent in to him by many of the great men of Saxony he began to be afraid lest the Lord should reject him here in this world and he hath this expression I did vehemently protest God should not put me off so that is his word according to the manner of the man you know the man and his language according to the manner of his language thus he speaks when there came in things of the world and he began to be tickled with honor and great men did respect him Oh thought he I shall be somebody now in the world thus corruption began to work but grace did prevail and he breaks out with this expression I did professe God should not put me off so the Lord shall not put me off so there are other things which I look for things which are better and higher these are poor pittances for this soul of mine to be put off withal there are other things I must have from the Lord or else I cannot be satisfied That 's the First thing the poor things of the world which is the Portion of wicked men Secondly Consider the Tenure by which they hold it All you have in the world you hold it not by a good Tenure it is not held in Capite that is not the tenure you hold it by I confesse this I think not the men of the world to be Usurpers for what they lawfully get in the world I do not think they shall answer meerly for their using what they do meerly for their right to use that they have but they shall answer for their not right-using they shall not answer I say for their right to use but for their not right-using they have some right but what right is it they hold it upon what tenure There is a Threefold right 1. A right from Justice that we may claim a thing by One can claim by Justice such a thing is his due That 's not your right you cannot claim any thing 2. There is a right from Creation that God gave to man at first Creation you have lost that too 3. There is a right from Promise God hath now promised all good things to his people you have not that right neither You
have neither the right of Justice to claim nor the right from your Creation nor the right from Promise What right then There is a Fourth right and that right I confess you have and that is 4. A right from Donation God is pleased to give to you but just thus You hold all your Honors and Estates that are ungodly men just thus Even as a man that is condemned to die and there being a little reprieving for two or three daies before his execution the Prince out of his indulgence gives order to have provision made for him according to his Quality that if he be a Gentleman he shal have such provision if a Knight a Nobleman a Peer of the Realm he shall have provision according to his Quality till his Execution now no man can say this man usurps though he hath forfeited all his right to his Land and Estate yet if the King will give him this refreshment he is no usurper but it is a poor right he hath it 's a right from Donation and thus God gives the ungodly men in this world they have a right to outward comforts you have your Portion but you see how you hold it That 's the Second thing I have but one or two things more to dispatch of this particular and two things further and I shall wind up all as briefly as I can I am told I may take some liberty at such a time as this is and seeing it is only the preaching oportunity we meddle withal give me leave a little the more to transgresse upon your patience in that I hope it will not be very much The next thing to be considered it is That this Portion here as it 's poor in regard of the mean things and the Tenure So Thirdly There is a great deal of Mixture here in this you have 1. There is a manifold Mixture of Cumber of Trouble and the truth is All the good things that wicked men enjoy in this world will scarce bear charges that is there is so much trouble they meet withal here in this world with their Portion that all they have will scarce bear charges And if a man goes a Voyage we use not to count any thing he spends by the way to be part of his Treasury Now all we have here in this world is but Spending-money to bear our Charges in regard God knows we shall be at a great deal of Charges and afflictions we shall meet with here But besides 2. There is a Mixture of Curse in every Portion of an Ungodly man If any of you think you get such a rich Match you get an Heir that is a very rich Match and you get her portion and there you go and fetch away the bags of God that are her portion but if it should prove that every bag of Gold you have of your Wives portion had the Plague in it it were but a poor portion Certainly it is thus with all ungodly ones in the world that all the while they live whatsoever they enjoy so long as continuing wicked they have a Curse of God that goes along with it and makes way unto Eternal misery for them As those that are godly have the blessing of God in outward things that makes way for their Eternal good So thou hast the Curse of the Lord mingled with all thy outward things that makes way for Eternal evil unto thee And then Consider 3. What portion thou losest thou hast gotten one but thou losest a great deal more If a man had been at the Exchange and made some bargain about some petty thing and afterwards when he comes home knows that by not buying such a thing he hath lost a bargain that would have made him and his posteritie he hath little cause of rejoycing in that bargain he hath made So though thou hast got a portion that may seem to satisfie thee somwhat know thou hast lost a portion of infinit worth and value and it 's impossible to shew you what this portion is for the Devil could shew Christ all the glory of the world in the twinkling of an eye but if I should come to shew you the glory of Heaven I had need have Eternity to shew you what the portion of the Saints is but though I cannot shew it you all I will only give you a hint or two that you may know somewhat what it is 1. It is such a portion as is fit for the Spouse of the Lamb as is fit for the Spouse of one that is to marry the Son of God the second Person in Trinity 2. It is such a portion which is fit and sutable to an Heir of Life and Glory an Heir of Heaven and Earth 3. It is such a portion as God doth give it unto them to this very end As to declare what the infinite Power of God is able to do to raise a poor creature to the height of happiness What think you this must be that I say it must therefore be done that it might declare to Angels and all creatures what the infinit power of God is able to do to raise a poor creature to happiness and glory This must be somewhat 4. It must be such a one as in which God must attain unto the great design that he had from all eternity in making the Heaven and Earth the special design that God had in making Heaven and Earth from all Eternity it was to magnifie the Riches of His Grace to a Company that He had set apart to glory it must be such a portion and guess you what this must needs be 5. It is such a portion as must require the infinite power of God to support a Creature to be able to bear the weight of that glory it 's such a portion And do you but think what kind of portion that must needs be 6. All this must needs be now to all Eternity I remember when Esau did but hear Isaac his father tel what a blessing he had given unto Jacob the Text saith that Esau fell a weeping Oh! that God would strike upon the hearts of men that have so little minded any thing but the present things of the world thou hearest but a few words of what the Lord hath reserved to all eternity for his Saints and compare but that with what is thy portion and what is like to be thy portion and thou hast cause to weep I but more cause you will have to weep if so be you consider the last thing Fifthly What is like to be thy End thy Portion is in this world if indeed thou couldst ruffle it out in this world and enjoy thy hearts desire and there an end it were somewhat Oh but there is somewhat else remains afterwards As first 1. Oh the perplexity of Spirit that any worldly man will have when Death comes when he shall see an end of all the comforts of this world now farewell house and lands and friends and acquaintance and all
be merciful to them in the world to come now this is a certain truth that man to whom God denies Spiritual mercies in this world God will deny Eternal mercy to him in the world to come this therefore should be thy care Doth God encrease my estate in this world Oh that the Lord would give a proportionable measure of grace too else it is nothing Lord thou givest me here a great estate if thou givest not to me grace with it a proportionable measure of grace to use it to thy glory I had better have been without this Is this thy care I put it to thy conscience As thy estate encreases art thou solicitious at the Throne of grace that the Lord would give thee a proportionable measure of grace to mannage thy estate for His glory then peace be to thee thou art not the man And then further you may examin it 2. By the working of your hearts about your present Portions As first 1. Whether you enjoy what you have for it self and whether your hearts be terminated in what you do enjoy One that is godly and hath his Portion beyond these things he enjoyes the Creature I but it is God in it he enjoyes It is sweet to me that I can see and tast the love of God in it I but a carnal heart enjoys the creatures and runs away and is terminated there looks at the Creature but at little in God as divers of your Hospital Children here look more at the Men that were their friends to bring them into the Hospital when they were Fatherless and Motherless and Sisterless than they look at the Founders of the Hospital they little think of them to thank God for them but if they meet with him that was the next cause to bring them in they will thank him for his kindness So it is with men they look at that Creature that was the first means of bringing them in but a godly heart looks at the root of all I remember it is said of one that came into the Treasuries of Venice he saw tables of Gold and Silver there and he points down and looks at the bottom of the table and one asked him Why is your eye so at the bottom Oh saith he I am looking at the root of all this Oh! alas it is a small matter for a man that hath a great Trade to have a great Portion So many men look not so much at the Root whereas a godly man though he hath but a little yet he looks at the Root at the love of God and the Covenant of grace that is the Root of all and this is the thing that satisfies his heart When a man takes a portion of physick he puts it into the Posset-ale the Posset-ale is not the thing that makes the Physick work though it is that that is the greater part but it is the Physick in it So it is the goodness of God that satisfies a gracious heart and not the Creature that is operative so much upon a gracious heart and then you may examine how your hearts are set upon these things of the world 2. Whether your hearts go out with full strength to them If you make your bellies to be your god then your end will be destruction as the Apostle speaks That man that hath his heart swallowed up in the earth like Corah Dathan and Abiram that were swallowed up in the earth if the things of the earth be a gulf to swallow thy heart up there is another gulf to swallow thee up hereafter 3. How do the loss of the things of the world take thy heart Dost not thou count thy self an undone man when thou hast lost some comforts Dost not thou come home to thy wife and children and say I am an undone man Why what 's the matter I have lost some part of my estate O carnal heart one that is gracious may have some crosses but no losses at all because he enjoyes all in God he hath God to make up all his losses And the truth is if thou wert truly godly whatsoever afflictions thou meetest withal as we say a man may put all in his eye so you may if you be godly put all your crosses in your eyes you are so far from being undone And further examin 4. Whether these things of the world be not the only sutable things to your hearts whether you bless not your selves in these as in your happiness The Ivie will clasp about a rotten tree and cannot be taken off it without tearing And so the heart of a worldling will clasp about these rotten-comforts as the only agreeable thing You may hear them sometimes tell with joy That we were in such a place and we were so merry and had the bravest meeting And what was there Why there was singing and roaring and blaspheming of the Name of God and yet it was the bravest meeting that could be When did you ever come from an Ordinance of God and say Oh! it was a brave day to me the Lord hath spoken to my heart this day Did you never go from the Word with as merry a heart and can rejoyce for it amongst your friends as you did from a merry meeting You may fear you are the man that have your portion here And then this is more cleer for every one to examin his heart in and if I were to give but any one Evidence whether a man hath Grace or no I would give this assoon as any one A man that hath got some estate in the world I put this to him 5. What dost thou account to be the chiefest good of thy estate more than thou hadst before or more than another man hath A man that hath got an estate more than he had or more than his brother there are many good things in his estate that he will think good Now I may live in better fashion than I could before now I may have more freedom than I had before now I may have more credit in the world than I had before now I may have my own mind and satisfie my own lusts more than I had before or than another man can do Is not this the thing thou most rejoycest in yea is not this a truth that some of your hearts if they were ripped up this would be the language of them that you must rejoyce in your estates because by them you have fuel for your lusts A poor man hath not so much fuel for his uncleanness as you have nor so much fuel for his lust of pride and malice as you have and many rich men account the blessing the good and happiness of their estates to consist in this very thing that now they may have a larger scope for their lusts than ever they could before alas a poor man cannot go abroad and drink as you can do a poor man cannot lay out so much money on a Whore an Unclean wretch as you can do and you rejoyce in
this and if this man have not his portion here what man hath the Lord strike such a mans heart But on the other side A gracious heart when God blesses him in this world though there be but a little grace it wil work thus The Lord hath raised my condition above my brother therein the Lord gives me a larger opportunity to do him service than my brother hath or than I had before there is such a poor man he is an honest man but God knows he can do but little in the place where he is he hath but little means but God hath given me means and this means enlarges my opportunity to do God service and for this my soul blesseth God I count my estate happier in this because I now may be of more use and do God more service than otherwise I could do Have you such workings in heart you rich men if you have not never be at quiet til you get your hearts working in this manner this will be a blessed testimony that God gives you a portion here and intends another portion for you in the world hereafter 6. What is that thing that you strive to make most sure That which a man strives to make most sure that he counts his happiness to consist in Oh for thy Land and Debts thou strivest with all thy might to make that sure but as for the matter of thy Salvation and peace in Christ thou hast a good hope in God for but takest no pains to make it sure 7. What dost thou admire most men for O! such a man is happy he hath so much coming in and hath so much a yeer But dost thou call the vile man happy it is a sign that thou hast not thine eye enlightened by the Spirit of God but now Canst thou look upon even those that are poor and mean in this world that have the least portion here yet as most happy Creatures because the Lord gives them the Grace of His Spirit and think well 't is true I have a greater estate than such a poor man that is my neighbor or than such a poor man but God knows he doth God more service than I do he prayes more and more heartily in one day than I do in a whol yeer Oh! the Lord hath other manner of prayers and sighs come from his poor Cottage than ever he had from my brave Pallace I have my City-house and Country-house but they were never so perfum'd with prayers Some that live in poor Cellers send up more prayers and God hath more honor from them than He hath from me in my family perhaps there is cursing and blaspheming of God in such poor Cottages there is perhaps blessing and praising of God Now see if thou lookest upon them as the most happy people in the world 8. What art thou careful to lay up for thy Children That is like to be thy portion If the things of the world take up thy care for thy children most that is an argument thou thinkest thy Children have a good portion if thou canst leave them so many thousands it is like it is thy portion too if thou countest it theirs And then further 9. Examin thy services what they are 1. Dost thou put off God with slight services Then know thy portion is like to be of Gods slight mercies 2. Art thou hypocritical in thy service Dost thou aim at the praise of men in outward duties That is a sign thou hast thy reward here 3. And are thy services forc'd that thou art compel'd Is it meerly conscience compels thee and not an inward agreeableness between the frame of thy heart and holy things Then it 's like a servants portion is thine and not a childs portion 10. Further Hast thou heretofore been a forward Professor in Religion and hast thou forsaken the waies of God I 'le give you a dreadful Scripture for this In Jer. 17. 13. All you that forsake the Lord shall come to be ashamed and they that depart from him shall be written in the earth All that depart from God shall be written in the earth If thou hast been forward heretofore and now thou comest to be more ancient thou art dead and dull and careless here is a Text for thee go home and tremble lest thou be a man whose name is written in the earth 11. Doth not God for the present Curse thy portion thou findest the more thou hast the worse thou growest As if a man should eat meat at ones table and assoon as he hath eaten it begin to swell he will conclude certainly the meat was poysoned So when thy estate rises thy heart riseth with pride surely it was poysoned with the curse of God that was in it 12. Examin thy heart by this whether hath God convinced thee of that which stops the great Current of His mercy I spake of even now that soul that hath its portion in this world looks no further but to Gods general bounty and looks not to what stops the great Current of Gods grace he is not brought to be sensible of his need of Christ and of his satisfaction unto Divine Justice but now the heart of God intends Eternal good too such a heart the Lord causes to understand that there is such an infinite breach between God and it as cannot be made up but only by the Meditation of the Son of God and therefore Lord it is not in any righteousness of mine nor in any thing of any creature in Heaven and Earth can do it that I expect to have my portion from but in the Mediation of the Son of God that I look after and my heart closes with that Mediation and I look upon that as the spring of all my worth He is a man indeed that is not like to have his portion in this world and I 'le only name that one more What saiest thou to this 13. That man that spends his daies without having some fear lest God should put him off with the things of this world there may be some danger of that Jude 12. it is said of some That they did feed themselves without fear You can go now to a merry meeting and can go and feed upon the cheer and you eat without fear you 'l never have such a thought in your heart What if God should put me off with these things I hear indeed there are some men are put off so what if it should prove to be my portion what a miserable creature were I I fear there are some men never had such a thought in their lives What if it should prove so what a miserable creature were I The wicked are described to be men that eat without fear and thus we have done the Fifth Thing There is only the Sixth and that is Sixthly Exhortation to you all and then I have done all And this Exhortation it must be divided First Vnto you that have some Evidences that God hath given you a
2. may prove to be your portion it is spoken of Doeg This is the man saith the Psalmist that did not make God his trust but trusted in his great riches this is the man So you may be pointed out one day This is the man Doeg was a great Courtier and because he was an Officer of King Sauls and because he had his favour he trusted in the favour of the King and in his riches and what did he care for David Yea by the Text it appears he was one that made some shew of Religion too in the 1 of Sam. 21. 7. He was detained before the Lord Tremelius thinks either out of some Religious vow or to keep the Sabbath or somewhat concerning the Law he was detained before the Lord and yet he was a vile Malignant against David and all because he trusted in the great countenance he had at Court Now this is the man that made not God his trust but that trusted in his great riches the Lord forbid this Scripture should be made true of any of you I leave this Text with you that are rich men take heed you trust not in your great riches I leave this Text with you that are in places of dignity and honor take heed you have not your portion in this world I leave this Text to Voluptuous men given up to pleasures take heed you hear not one day this Son remember in thy life-time thou hadst thy pleasure I leave this with those that dare not trust God for a portion to come And above all I leave this with all Hypocrites let them take heed it be not said to them Here is your reward Consider what hath been said and the Lord give you understanding in all things FINIS THE ALPHABETICAL TABLE A ABuse see Body Adam First Adam what he was and what he should have been had he stood Page 43 The state of Adam compared with the state of the Saints 44 Admiration Admiration of Saints and Angels 90 Adrian Adrian the Pope his wofull death 339 Alexanders rebuke 349 Angels Angels are the Saints keepers 155 Angels see Love Honor Anger Anger must be avoided 38 Arbitrary Arbitrary Government and the differences of it 324 Antichrist Antichrists great design 49 Argument see Gospel B Beginning Beginings of sin to be feared 83 Beleevers Beleevers draw strength from Christ 45 Beleevers should manifest Christ in their actions Ibid Beleevers cannot fall away 46 Beleevers are not without mixture of evil ib. Beleevers under the Law were as children under age 100 Beleevers under the Gospel are children of full age ib Beleevers must not be of earthly hearts and why 270 Beleeve The manner how to beleeve 76 Bishops see Prelats Blood The Blood of Christ takes us off from vain conversations 98 Body The body of sin must be mortified 39 The body of sin is unknown to Nature 40 Abuse not your bodies and why 92 Boldness see Saints Boniface Boniface his answer 288 Bowels Bowels of mercy beseem the Gospel 71 Branch see Christ C Canaan The Land of Canaan a type of Heaven 47 Carelesness see Profession Christians Carnal Carnal worship opposeth the soul of godliness 49 Carnal see Weapons Heart Ceremonies Ceremonies condemned and why 97 Chastisement Chastisements for sin what they are 148 Children see Beleevers Christ Christs love known in the Gospel 69 Christ is the mercy of all mercies 70 Christs kept the Law and why 78 Christs self denial 93 Christ is the Root and we are the Branches 103 Christs is a great King 116 Christ God-man governs all things and why 136 Christs Rule 139 Christs Law ibid See Dependance Subjects and Peace Christians Christians must be carefull of their families 19 Christians should eye those whose Conversations are above them 29 Christians subject to grow careless by degrees 31 Church Church of God as a City 3 Circumvent We must not circumvent one another 275 Citizen A Citizen's wretch'd speech 320 Civil Civil mens worship of God 35 Companions see Tribulation Compulsion see Persecution Conscience Liberty of Conscience the way to procure it 22 Contentment Motives to contentment 349 Conversation The meaning of this word CONVERSATION 3 What Conversation becomes the Gospel 5 Our Conversation must be looked to after conversion 7 Conversation becoming the Gospel 57 How our Conversation should be manifested 350 What Conversation becomes the Gospel 115 See Image Wanton Cook Cook his opinion of the Martyrs 308 Covetousness Covetousness unbeseeming a Saint 270 Customs Old Customs an hindrance to spiritual worship 100 D Daies Difference between daies of fasting and thanksgiving and holy daies 99 See Observing Danger see Help Deceivers Self Deceivers how 13 Dependance No dependance between the Kingdom of Christ and this world 284 Design see Gospel Despair The reason of despair 75 Despise Despise not the meanest of men 92 Difference Difference which the Gospel makes 122 Difference betwen Saints and worldly men 312 Divisions Divisions whence they come 105 Duty see Time Dying Dying one for another becomes the Gospel 58 E Elevation Elevation of spirit upon what ground 91 Enmity How enmity against God is kept up 15 Epistle The Saints should be the Epistles of Christ 113 Eternal life Little mention of Eternal life in the Old Testament 110 Excellency The Excellency of a Saints portion wherein it consists 354 Eyes The eyes of all are upon Professors 23 What the eyes of a Christian should be set upon 354 F Faith Faith acts upon Christ as a King aswell as a Savior 135 Necessity of living by faith 285 Fleshly-lusts Fleshly lusts unsutable to the Gospel 102 G Gentils see Partition German The speech of a German Divine 137 God Gods willingnesse to be at peace with man 63 See Hatred Love Glory People Mercy God is full of goodness 64 How the utmost of Gods glory is manifested 90 Godly Why godly men are willing to live 2 Gospel What the Gospel is 3 Gospel-Conversation what it is 38 Gospel Obedience proceeds from love 40 Difference between the Law of Adam and the Gospel 41 Those that live under the Gospel must live in an higher way of holiness than those that lived under the Law 42 The great Design of the Gospel 54 The Gospel cals for love 58 Gospel-arguments are the strongest arguments 69 Difference between the Gospel the light of Nature 73 See Law Mallice Christ Conversation Dying Bowels Wanton Worship Beleevers Power Government see Arbitrary Great ones see Religion H Hard-hearted see Monster Hatred Gods hatred of sin how to know it 81 Heart Carnal hearts will not trust God 351 Help Helps against the danger of the times 24 Holy Ghost The Holy Ghost dwells in our bodies 90 Honor How the honor of Religion is kept up 15 More honor put upon Men than upon Angels 89 I Jewes The error of the Jews about Christs Kingdom 117 See Partition Image How man holds out the Image of God Injustice A remedy against Injustice 77 Institution Whereon institution of Worship depends