callings make visits read or hear the word be sure you think on the rules that you are to read by or discourse by or hear by c. You cannot think of God in every motion but with a little pains watchfullness and prayer you may come to this to mind your rule and your end at the entrance of every solemn action And this I desire you to enjoyn upon your selves and take a daily account of your selves how t is performed This would be indeed to keep up the power of Christianity Oh be at the pains to put to this and you will know what it is to walk with God and to be in the fear of the Lord all the day long and will have learnt that happy â—…sson To walk up and down in the name of the Lord Prov. 23. 17. Zech. 10. 12. Rule 9. Be sure every morning to set out to a right point of the Compass If a Man takes a wrong turning and misseth his way at setting forth he goes miserably out it may be a great part of the day cut out your business in the moning and let your aym be well Set the hand of your watch to a right point and wind it up carefully and that will be a means to keep it right â—…oughout the day Never rise from your beds but with some such thoughts as these I will set sorth this day in the name of God Religion shall be my business this day I will surely spend this day for Eternity David would begin with God Psâ—…l 139. ver 18. 5. 3. Rule 10. Let the present days practice be still the meâ—…ding of the past daies errors If you would go through with the work of Religion you must take this course Every evening strictly to examine your selves about your whole carriage that day with reference to your Duties Sins Hearts Tongues Tables Callings as I have otherwhere directed you and when you find your selves tardy in any thing this day be sure to amend it the next day Was the Appetite too much indulged when you sit at meat the next day remember the error and hold the reins faster then Do you find that you were not heavenly in your discourse be sure that you be not caught in the same fault again the next day Have you let loose your Passions or given your tongues the reins be humbled and be sure that you be not caught again the next day in the same fault else to what purpose are all your self-examinations Psal. 119. 59. In vain doe we think on our waies except we turn our feet to Gods Testimonies Rule 11. You must deny your selves and keep under your carnal lusts and affections Where self bears the sway that will set you on work and you shall have enough to doe to follow its carnal designs If you 〈◊〉 your lusts and earnal assections to command you to be sure they will find you work enough you then will have little room and little leisure but these will be all the day long calling upon you to gratifie One while the appetite will be calling and there must be time to give to that what it craves another while revenge will be calling and employing you to contrive how to vent it and give it satisfaction another while pride will set you on work to satisfie that and then lust will be calling that you must gratifie and then covetousness will be chiding that you have neglected it and be putting you on satisfying that Thus your lusts will find you business night and day and your employment will be to make provision for the flesh Rom. 13. 14. Get these therefore under or else the business of Râ—…ligion will never can never go on Psalm 144. 3. Lord what is man that thou takest knowledge of him or the son of man that thou makest account of him THe Psalmist in the foregoing words had eminently set forth the strange goodness and Grace of God towards him upon which he breaks out into admiratâ—…n of him that ever God should look upon him What is man c. Hence observe Doct. That it is a wonder above all wonders that ever the great God should make such account of such a thing as man This I shall open to you in these three generals 1. It will appear if you consider what a great God the Lord is 2. What a poor thing Man is 3. What a great account the great God hath of this poor thing Man First If you consider what a great God the Lord is And here I may be confounded to think that I can speak no more of his greatness When I am studying to speak to you of his greatness that comes to my mind canst thou by searching find out God Alas we may all complain as Jobs friends did Job 8. 9. We are but of yesterday and know nothing yet notwithstanding though we are not able to comprehend much less to express the greatness of God yet some thing we may see and accordingly should conceive of it and should labour to set it out to others It is seen in his Works and Word 1. In his Works Herein God doth discover to us his wonderful greatness Job 36. 24. 25. Remember that thou Magnisie his work which men behold Every man may see it man may behold it afar off Man may see afar off if he dâ—… but cast his eye as he runs what a great God that is that made all the world If we doe but cast our eyes upon the Fabrick of the world that he hath made if we look down-ward and see how every creature serveth its end that it was made for if we see how the earth hangs upon nothing if we are in our wits what should we do but praise whatever we are doing whether plowing or eating c. this Hymn is to be sung to him It was he that gave me strength to work and appetite to eat Psal. 19. 1 2. The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handy work day unto day uttereth speech c. Every day cloth preach to us this Doctrine what a great wise good glorious God he is who doth order every season and their occurrences Rom. 1. 20. Dost thou find thy heart begin to be listed up with pride Doâ—…t thou begin to forget thy maker Do but behold his Works see if thou canst do any such thing say let there be light and see whether there will be light Try whether thou canst bring sorth such a thing as this This doth God demand of Iob Chap. 38. But if man cannot come near any of these works of God then let him adore his power and greatness and subject himself to him 2. In his word What glorious descriptions doe we find made of him in the Scriptures Psal. 104. 1. O Lord thou art very great c. Iob. 25. 4 5 6. Man in comparison of God is but a worm a vile worm as the word signifies such a thing is man A worm that is bred
we are careless in this duty what can we expect but tribulation and anguish and wrath Thirdly Resolution A setled fixed purpose of heart to do what God commands When God tells us this is my command thus and thus you must do our hearts should answer the will of God we will obey thus and thus we will do Thus did David The Lord said seek my face and my heart answered thy face Lordwill I seek Beloved we hear our duties and read our duties many a time and we are apt to acknowledge that this should be done and to pray too that it might be done but for want of adding of resolution many a time our convictions and prayers come to nothing Concerning this duty let us not dispute but determine let us not stand reasoning shall I shall I but resolve upon it Fourthly Love to the duty Christians should not only receive the truths of God but receive them in love The commands of God like meat that pleaseth the pallat must go down sweetly duties must not be so much our task as our choyce that which we would rather do than neglect were we left to our liberty Beloved let us not only take up this course as necessary onely but let us love it as an excellent course Let us not go to this work as a sick man goes to take down a loathsome potion but as a sound healthy man goes to his ordinary meal Fisthly Life That which a man sets his heart upon he will be lively in and do it to purpose Rom. 12. 11. Not slothful in business but fervent in spirit serving the Lord. Standing water is not wholsome and wine that hath lost its spirit is not pleasant God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit He is a most pure act and he will be served with activity God would not accept a blind torn lame sacrifice under the law and will he accept of a dead sacrifice under the Gospel He would not have the Asse offered to him because it was a dull sluggish creature Nor the Snail because a slow lingring creature We must not come to duties with dead hearts with dull drowsie sleepy souls When we are going to our work of communing with our hearts we should stir up our hearts call in our thoughts compose our affections rub our memories and consciences till we have fetched life into them Every faculty of the soul should act its part in this work And here let me tell you that 't is no fit time to set about this work when we are between sleeping and waking when the spirits are so far spent and the senses tired that we can scare see the question or to hear the answer that conscience gives It will be good for every one to observe the temper of his body for this work that so drowsiness may not detain him from it or make him slight and overâ—…ly in it Sixthly Labor we must take pains in duty Eccl. 9. 10. What soever thy hand findeth to do do it with all thy might There must be labor before the duty to break thorough difficulties and to bring the heart to it There must be labor in the duty to keep the heart close to it The heart will be unwilling to come to it and therefore must be compelled It is apt to wander and therefore must be restrained and held in We must not onely do well but be patient in wel-doing The flesh must be crossed carnal ease and contentment must be denyed when they stand in the way of our duty or would steal away the heart from God God required that the Male should be offered up to him in sacrifice because that was stronger than the other to signifie to us that we must take pains and lay out our strength in duty Beloved wheresoever you are when you should seâ—… about this work say to your souls as Christ to the disciples Arise let us go hence If the heart be backward lay the cord of Gods command upon it and by this cord hale it to the duty Tell it that the work must be done and shall be done When thou art come to the work bind thy heart to the good behavior When thou art in it often call upon thy heart to mind the work that it is about When it would give thee the slip hold it fast When it would run from any question before it hath given any determination to it pull it back adjure it before the living God in whose presence thou art and whose honor is concerned in it to speak out the truth concerning this matter whether thou art guilty or not guilty Seventhly Care That duty is well done that is carefully done Eighthly Constancy That which a mans heart is set upon he will be hardly taken off from it We must be constant in duties as well as fervent in them Rev. 2. 3. Beloved the work that I am now pressing you to is not to be done once a week or a month or every other day but every day Every evening conscience being mounted upon its tribunal you are to give accompt of all the things that have passed that day And remember this that you never take any excuse for the omitting of this duty at any time but what you dare plead before God in the great day of accompt It is to be performed every day as sure as the night follows the day Neither is this the work of a week or a month or a year or of an evil time onely while the rod of God is upon your backs no it is the work of your life it is a duty that you must live and dye in We should not take up this course as the traveller takes up his cloak which he wears in a storm but throws off when the Sun shines This is a duty as well in prosperity as in adversity It is Summer-fruit as well as winter-fruit And I pray God that neither summers heat may be able to blast nor winters cold be able to kill those good beginnings os reformation that are now to be found among us I am afraid that when God hath broken off one yoak from our necks we shall cast away another When God shall break off the cords of the wicked from us we shall cast away the cord of duty from us I pray God that when we come into Canaan we may not forget nor cast osf what we promised in the wilderness Remember it is for your life I shall press this upon you in the words of the Apostle 1 Cor. 15. 58. Therefore my beloved brethren be ye stedfast unmoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord c. Objection It is a hard work a painful duty a heavy yoak Now there are several things that I shall speak to answer this very briefly First This complaint doth argue a very careless loose heart Ah Christian didst thou keep a strict hand over thy self in the day thou wouldst not find thy evening work so
it with such tenderness to them as may make this bitter pill to go down How do many souls miscarry to all eternity for want of professors faithful dealing with them Oh is it not enough that we have the guilt of our own sins upon us but must we needs have the guilt of our Neighbours sin upon us too Ah Brethren this is enough to convince us that we have little Love to our Brethrens souls in that we have so little care to reprove their sins Fifthly By your convincing conversations Live before all thou dost converse with in the convincing power of a holy Life This is the way to convince them 1 Pet. 3. 1 2. Likewise you wives be in subjection to your own husband that if any obey not the word they also may without the word be won by the conversations of the wives while thy behold your chast conversation coupled with fear Observe here First That even those that be weakest and seemingly out of a capacity to win souls may by their Godly conversations win souls Women who more weak than they Do not you think that this belongs onely to Ministers to win souls this belongs to all Secondly Observe that a careful and tender walking in the duties of our Relations towards men with a conjunction with the duties of piety towards God is a most powerful means to convert souls When wives shall be strict in their profession and yet not be in subjection to their husbands this will offend the men and not work upon them Your profession and practice must one answer the other and then you are like to gain others I beseech you take this course to gain souls to Christ let there be a suteableness in all the parts of your conversation be the same at home that you are abroad and bring forth your Religion into your Shops and Trades and Fields That whosoever converse with you may see the power of Godliness in you Sixthly By your frequent exhortations Hebrews 3. 13. But exhort one another dayly while 't is called to day lest any be hardned through the deceitfulness of sin Observe it 't is not the duty of Ministers onely to abound in exhortations but 't is the work of you all Every one must look to his Neighbours Soul and that daily There must be instancy and frequency in this work and the reason is lest he be hardned Dost thou see such a Neighbour fall into sin go to him It may be thou wilt do it hereafter why it may be the man may be hardned It may be the man may dye or thou mayest not have the opportunity or you may be removed from one another and the work may be for ever cut off if thou Neglect it Seventhly By your careful observation of all those advantages that God hath put into your hands for the dealing with your Brothers Soul Consider and study with thy self what advantages thou hast upon him First Take the advantage of affliction It may be he is taken down by affliction Now go and warn him of his sin It may be now he will hearken to thee Job 36. 8. 9. 10. Secondly Make use of thy Relation It may be thou art some near Relation in the flesh to him take that advantage to be dealing with him for his eternal good Thirdly Make use of his dependance upon thee It may be he is such a one as is concerned in thy good-will to him it may be he works for thee or depends upon thy Charity for his livelyhood take this advantage upon him it may be he will hearken to thee Fourthly Make use of thy interest in him It may be he hath some affection for thee make use of it for God And this may be a means to win him to Christ. Rev. 3. 1. I know thy works that thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead THese words are part of Christs Epistle from heaven to the Church of Sardis wherein he shrewdly checks her hypocrisie and formality and throughout gives counsels and directions for her recovery out of that sad estate from the words we have given you this observation Doct. That the Lord Jesus Christ doth take special notice of and makes strict observation upon the works and ways of his professed people He takes notice of their works for the matter of them for the quantity for the quality of them as hath been shewed We gave you the Reasons for confirmation and made entrance into the Application and have applyed it as to the two first branches to wit the matter and the quantity of our works To come now to the Application of the third thing namely the quality of them Use. Is it so that the Lord Jesus Christ doth take such notice of our works for the quality of them then this may be usefull by way of Reprehension and Exhortation First For Reprehension this reproves us that we rest so much in the work done and do so little enquire into the quality of our works as to the sincerity and soundness of them O my Brethren how often do we pray and never examine how we have prayed and hear and never enquire how we have carried it while we have been hearing O how many a mans bosome am I now in Brethren this is a great evil among men Yea I fear among Gods own people that there is not that care to look into their duties how they are performed Brethren if the Lord Jesus Christ did as you look no farther than the outside of your duties and the work done then you may rest in that O but Jesus Christ he looks into the inside of them and he labours to see what there is of soundness and sincerity in them And seeing the Lord Jesus Christ looks so narrowly into them should not you This is the cause of many sins and mischiefs among Prosessors First This is the cause of much undoing Self-deceit when persons rest in the work done and do not carefully examine what principles they did act by and ends they did act for this doth cause many souls to be undone to their destruction This was the reason why Sardis was so miserably out and Laodicea that she was so much mistaken they kept on the trade of Religious duties and because the thing was done and the duty performed with conâ—…tancy they thought they were in a good state You know the speech of that Church I am rich c. you are to understand it of spiritual Riches she thought her self upon the growing hand O but when Jesus Christ comes and sees how little sincerity there was in them he disrellisheth them and shews them that their works were not perfect before him And thus it is with many Professors in these days that because they keep on in Family-prayer and good duties they think all is well and for want of looking into the Spring of their duties and their ends in them they are undone by them O what a miserable deceit is this when a poor creature
them that are contentious and obey not the truth indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish unto every soul that doth evil Art thou yet in thy Natural unconverted state unrenewed thou mayst go away with sadness thou goest up and down with Cain with certain marks of Gods displeasure upon thee for we are by Nature Children of wrath If thou art in the estate thou wert in by Nature thou art surely under the wrath of God If thou remainest in thy old unbeleef thou needest no more dispute about this matter the wrath of God abideth on thee The whole book of God and the threatnings of God do rise up with open mouth to condemn thee that livest in any unmortified sin Now sin is unmortified when persons go on in a purpose of sinning and in a willingness to practise sin Rom. 6. 16. Know ye not that to whom you yield your selves servants to obey his servants you are to whom you obey whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto Righteousness To whom you yield your selves servants to obey The servant of God is taken captive by his sin under a temptation but if you yield your selves servants to them you are the servants of sin Yield your selves servants to obey whom do you ordinarily obey If the devil can do more with you to draw you from God than God can to keep you to him if he can do more with you to make you neglect prayer than God can to keep you to it or if he can prevail with you to commit any sin more then God can to keep you from it you are under the wrath of God There is a two fold anger a stated anger and occasional anger or temporal anger Occasional and temporal anger and so the Children of God may fall under his anger but by their application to him in Christ that anger may be taken off again But there is a â—…ate of anger and that is with the wicked And this thou art under who dost live in unmortified sin Thou art in a state of anger in a state of wrath Second Con When the threats and menaces of Gods Word are against men this is a sure evidence of his anger You know we may discern the anger of men by their Rebukes and threats and the like If the word of God be against thee be sure the anger of God is against thee Therefore consult the Scripture If the Scripture do speak sadly of thy state that is an undeniable evidence of Gods anger Zeph. 2. 5. Wo to the inhabitants of the Sea coast the word of the Lord is against you O wo to them that the word of the Lord is against There is wrath from the Lord against that man Therefore if the Lord do speak against thee Make thy peace with speed Do as Haman when he saw the King rise up in hast he stood up to make request for his life to the Queen Est. 7 7 So if thou dost find that there is evil intended against thee by thy sins O fall down upon thy knees and make up thy peace Third Con. Publick calamities except when they come upon a people for Righteousness sake are the evident tokens of Gods anger When God doth strike a nation or a people with war or with pestilence or with famine or the like this is a manifest token of Gods anger with such a nation or people This you may see throughout the book of Judges Still it was when the people had sinned and God was angry that these publick calamities were brought upon them Judg. 2. 13 14 19 20 21. and 3. 7 8. and 10. 6. There you may see that publick calamities did proceed from the sins that were among them And if sin be a sign of Gods anger you may easily make application Should not we fear and tremble should not we humble our selves in the dust and cloath our selves with sackcloth God hath sent all his three greatplagues togetherupon our nation Famine Sword and War O apply this and see that you be sadly affected with Gods displeasure against our Nation But here I put in an exception When they come upon a people for Righteousness sake then though the calamities be common and publick Yet it is not a sign of Gods anger In the primitive times the Christians were fearfully persecuted every where and were killed by the thousands and therefore this was rather Martyrdome then signs of Gods anger Here two things must be considered whether these afflictions did find them cleaving to the Lord in their duty Or going off from him and declining their duty Now if they do find them decaying and remitting their zeal and diligence then those evils though they do come upon them for Righteousness sake yet they come for Gods anger too And so though they should rejoyce in them as coming from wicked men yet they should be humbled and take notice too of the hand of Godagainst them in correcting their vices Fourth Con. When God doth suffer men to prosper in an evil way this is a fearful sign of Gods anger Prosperity is so far from being a sign of Gods favor that when prosperity doth attend men and follow them in an evil way it is one of the most dreadfullest marks in the world against a person or people Whom the Lord loves he rebukes and chastens that is if they wander and go out of his way And we are judged of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the world Cor. 11. 32. So when the Lord lets men go on in their evil ways unpunished it is a sign he intends they shall be condemned with the world Brethren be jealous of your selves if God let a person go on in a way of wickedness it is a fearful sign Hos. 4. 14. I will not punish your daughters when they commit whordome c. Therefore the people that doth not understand shall fall It is a sign that he intends higher displeasure against a person when he lets them go on in a way of sin and will not stop them but let them take their swinge in sin Those whom he intends love to shall be corrected here and stopped but others shall have the gibbet kept for them at last Fifth Con. Spiritual judgements are ever to be taken as sore evidence of Gods anger Many times God doth inflict temporal judgements with an intention to reform them and amend a people but when he gives up a person or people to Spiritual judgments this is a token of his highest displeasure God doth threaten as one of the sorest evidences of his displeasure a Famine of the word So Psal. 78. 59 60. When God heard this he was wrath and greatly abhorred Israel so that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh the tent which he had placed among men When God forsook the tabernacle and deprived them of the former tokens of his presence in their ordinances this was a sign that he abhorred Israel So our Saviour as his tokens of his displeasure
lest I should not be the man Now lest this should damp thy Joy let me give thee two Characters by which thou mayst come to know whether this be thy case Thou mayst know it by the Transactions that have passed between Christ and thy Soul and by the Treasure that hath been made choyce of by thee First By the Transactions that have passed between Christ and thee Hast thou passed under the Bond of his Covenant as Christ hath offered himself to thee hast thou again delivered up thy self to him hast thou renounced all thy known sins And took the Lord Jesus Christ for â—…hy Head and Husband to love honor obey him above all hast thou considered the conditions of Christ and accepted of them all and sayest as my Lord saith so I will do Doth thy heart close with the self-denying laws of Christ and art resolved not to allow thy self in any known sin but to rise again by repentance If so thou art the man I am speaking of Secondly Thou mayst know it by the Treasure that hath been made choise of by thee Every man is known by what he pitcheth his heart upon for his Treasure What is it man that carryeth thy heart The things seen or the things unseen Who hath most of thy heart God or the world Which way stands the bent of thy heart a godly manmust not judg of himself by what he is at worst under a prevalent Temptation Nor others by what they are at best in a fit but where is thy constant bent What is thy chiefest care and delight Is it to converse with God And be like to God VVhat doth please thee best when thou art contriving thy happiness Doth this that God is thine Or is it something here below VVhat is thy care Is it to please God If it be thus thou art the man that I am speaking to And now you that are thus that have passed under the bond of Gods Covenant and have made choice of him for your happiness know and understand First That you are the election of Grace The election hâ—…th obtained it saith the Apostle but the rest were blinded You are the handful that God hath taken out but the heap are left Oh Christians the great Transaction of God from all eternity hath been about you And the great transactions of God in time have been about you The Lord did from all eternity enter into a league with his Son for you and did give him to you God was laying the foundation of your happiness before he laid the foundation of the world God was making provision for you from all eternity Our Saviour is often speaking of this gift in John 17. so John 10. 29. My father which gave them me is greater then all John 6. 39. And this is the Fathers will that of all that he hath given me I should loose nothing And so All that the Father hath given me shall come unto me Oh Christian doth not this assect thy heart that the eternal Counsel of the great God should be taken up about thee that God should be bargaining and agreeing with his Son about thee that thou shouldst be mentioned by name from all eternity Christ knows his sheep by name And he bids such rejoice because their names are written in heaven O man did God design thee from all eternity by name How should this affect thy heart what did God build all this world for It was that Christ might have a seed And why do he continue the world 't is because Christ might have the elect sinished when the elect are numbred the Trumpet shall sound and away he comes togather his elect Christs coming what was it for that he might ransom his sheep And his second comming what is it sor but that he might receive his elect John 14. 3. I will come again and receive you to my self that wher I am ye may be also Math. 24 31. He shall send his angels with a great sound of a Trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of the heavens to the other What was the end of Christs low Humiliation even to death but to save his people from their sins Math. 1. 21. And what is the end of Christs glorious exaltation to all power and greatness it was all for the elect John 17. 2. Christ hath all power in heaven and earth delivered to him for your sakes for the elect That he might give eternal life to the elect Oh man what a heart hast thou if all this cannot move thee if thou hadst stood by when he laid the foundation of the fabrick of this world wouldst thou not have said surely 't is for some great end if thou hadst stood by when Christ was Crucisied and known the mistery wouldst thou not have said surely this is for some great end why all this was for thee Secondly You are the first born of God Heb. 12. 23. you are come to the general Assembly the Church of the first born which are written in heaven The Apostle speaks of our priviledges as if we were come to heaven already You are come c. you are Gods Israel and beside you areadmitted to have fellow ship with Jesus Christ and by faith are made one with him Now Christ is Gods first born and we being joyned to him are made one with him We are joynt heirs with Christ. Now the first born had many priviledges As. First The sirst-born had the dearest affestion Zach. 12. 10. They shall be in bitterness as one for his sirst born There is the great sorrow because there run out the great stream of affection in this respect you are the first-born of God you are they that have his dearaffection Eph. 5. 1. You are called the dear children of God O the dear expressions that he useth to you and the dear affections that he hath for you you are called the dearly beloved of his soul. O what drops of love doth God drop in these sacred leaves of this book how full is the book of the Canticles My love My dove My undesiled God doth out bid the love of all the parents in the world Can a woman forget her sucking child sho may but I will not forget thee saith the Lord. The dearest mother when she lets her child out of her hands may forget it but you are never out of my hands you are engraven there O what rouling bowels are there in those words Jer. 31. 20. Is Ephraim my Son is he a pleasant child For since I spake against him I do earnestly remember him still therefore My bowels are troubled for him I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. Oh man dost thou consider that all this is spoken to thee All this love God hath in his heart for thee yea beyond all expression dear art thou to God Secondly The first-born do carry the inheritance This is your case the inheritance is for you Though a
other beside Christ Act. 4. 12. Heaven nor earth could not find out a way to deliver man till God found out a way And because heaven and earth could not find out a way God and man must come together and as he was God he must satisfie and as he was man he must suffer and so we must come out He found us stinking in our grave as he did Lazarus The stinking carrion doth not stink more than we did when Christ found us Secondly If you consider what a great salvation he hath wrought for us This will appear if you consider from what he hath saved us and how he hath saved us First From what he hath saved us First From the Roaring-Lion Secondly From our raging-lusts Thirdly From the â—…ming furnace Fourthly From the King of terrors First From the roaring Lion So is our adversary the Devil called 1 Pet. 5. 8. This is he that Christ hath delivered us from We were all in the Paw of this lion and Christ came and delivered us from him This is the Dâ—…vid that slew the lion and the bear and saved us when we were like to be destroyed When Satan did think to triumph over Christ then did Christ triumph over him Col. 2. 15. All the powers of hell did combine together and labored to give Christ the overthrow they had brought him to the cross and there triumph over him and thought that then they had done all and yet then did he overthrow them Oh! what a mercy is this to be delivered not onely from the bondage of Egypt but from the spiritual Egypt Col. 1. 13. Who hath deliveed us from the power of darkness c. My Brethren we were fast shut up in prison in the prison of which Satan was the Jaylor and there was no possibility of getting loose from him We were laid up as slaves under him and were led captive by him at his will Now what praise do we owe to him that hath delivered us from such a Tyrant as this this is our deliverance Act. 26. 18. to be turned from the power of Satan unto God This hath Christ done for us he hath delivered us from the power of Satan We were once in his family and did his work Eph. 2. 2 3. Eph. 6. 12. They are called the rulers of the darkness of this world That is poor ignorant souls that were lying in our ignorance And that not some of us onely but all of us Secondly From our raging lusts As from the slavery of Satan so from the dominion of sin Rom. 6. 14. By Christ we are freed from the dominion of sin My brethren Christ doth not onely free us from the damnation but from the dominion of sin To be the servant of sin is a most miserable slavery What a mercy is it to be delivered from a master whose work is drudgery and whose wages is destruction such a one is Satan Would it not have pittied us to have seen the poor man in the Gospel going up and down among the tombs and doing nothing but cutting and wounding himself such a one is every unsanctified person they go up and down wounding of themselves And though they feel not their wounds that sin gives them yet there is a day coming when conscience being awakened they will seel it Do you know my brethren what the work is that sin sets us upon it is to destroy our selves John 8. the Jews they plead that they were free and what did our Savior tell them of making them sree Oh! but they were servants to their lusts which was the greatest slavery my brethren to be under the power of a mans lusts is a most perfect slavery Do but look upon a sinner that hath an enlightned conscience and see how he rends and tears and is in a worse condition than the most woofull galley-slave that is in the world And then he vows and covenants against his sin and then his sin eggs him on again and then to his conscience fals upon him Oh this is a sad condition now this Christ hath delivered us from Sin will be in us but Christ hath promised that it shall not raign in us And this is the blessed deliverance he hath wrought in us and this he will perfect at the last day And by the way you may see and try whether you have any part in Christ or no. Why how may we know it are you delivered from your sins though sin be in you is it there against your consent if so you are they whom Christ dyed for But if it be in you in its dominion you have no part nor portion in this matter A man were better be the most perfect galley-slave in the world than to be under the power of sin Now this Christ hath delivered you from Thirdly From the slaming furnace This is another thing that Christ hath delivered you from If the furnace heated to shew the terribleness of Nebuchadnezzars rage was so hot that it burnt up those that cast in the three children how hot is the surnace of the Almighty God that is kindled by him great rivers of brimstone running out into it and the breath of the Lord doth kindle it Oh you know not what 't is to be damned you may know what 't is to be sick or the like but you know not what this word DAMNATION means 2 Thes. 1. 8 9. In 〈◊〉 fire taking vengeance on them that know not God c. Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power When we see wicked men under the Terrors of conscience how do they wish for death that they might know what their torment is as Spira and William Rogers Oh can you tell what this terrible furnace is this is that which Christ hath delivered us from When I consider what this gulâ—… is I câ—…not but wonder at my own and others stupidity that we are not ever ever praising the Lord if the terror of the Lord be so great that when he doth let out but a drop of it upon a poor creature how terrible is all that wrath the treasure of that wrath that is laid up for the ungodly Rom. 2. 5. 8. 9. Jam. 5. 3. Those wicked rich men there they had as they thought heaped up treasures of riches by oppressing the poor but the Apostle tels them they heaped up treasures of wrath And this we were all born to had not Christ cut off the entail O man woman canst think of burning for ever in the fire of the Lords wrath and not be praising the Lord that thou art yet out of hell O bless the Lord that delivered thee from so great a death and hath endured such torments that thou mayst be set free He did bear the rod of Gods wrath that thou mayst be saved to all eternity If Christ had not been where had we been as the Son of God coming among the three children saved them from
you and walk in you this is the honor that God doth put upon you The Apostle tels you that you are Gods houâ—…e Heb. 3. And God sayes of you his spiritual house as he did of the Typical house for the sence belongs more to the thing typified then to the house 1 Kings 9. 3. God says of every believer as of that house I have hallowed this house to put my name there for ever And mine eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually Thus doth God for thâ—…e believer that art his house Or as it is in 2 Kings 21. 7. In this house and in Jerusalem which I have chosen out of all the Tribes of Israel will I put my name for ever That was but a typical Temple you are the real Temples of the holy Ghost 1 Cor. 6. 19. What know you not that your body is the Temple of the holy Ghost which is in you which ye have of God and ye are not your own every believer is a real Temple wherein God is especially present so 1 Cor. 3. 16. Know you not that you are the Temple of God and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you Brethren if you indeed believe methinks this priviledge should be matter of unspeakable Joy to you What! art thou of no meaner use then this to be a habitation of God through the spirit What! art thou a Temple for God to dwell in will God make of this Soul a Temple where all manner of lusts have dwelt and say of thy soul here will I dwell for ever this is my rest for I have desired it Oh adore the riches of Gods condescending grace others are the vessels of uncleanness the coffins of rottenness in whom Satan hath set up his throne 't is true of every wicked man what God sayes of Coniah Jer. 22. 28. He is a vessel wherein is no pleasure He is a vessel of the most noisome filthyness in the world Fifthly You are the trumpets of his praise when others are the instruments of unrighteousness O what base use are the others put too in their bonds of wickedness to the worst of drudgery They are the vessels of sin and slaves of Satan Rom. 6. 16. a miserable service this is a miserable Master indeed none have such miserable lives as those who have the work of sin to doâ—… Why would it not pity ones heart to see a company of poor Creatures laboring and toyling for their own ruine to see them tugging and sweating hard at it were to carry together faggots for their own burning This is that the wicked are doing they are but treasuring up the wrath of God against themselves at the last day they are but carrying together faggots and fewel for their own burning They labor and sweat all their days to pile up faggots and fewel pile upon pile to fill Tophet for their own burning But you are not of this use you are to be the Trumpets of Gods praise Oh blessed employment your work is the work of Angels whiles others are doing the work of Devils Isaiah 61. 3. That they might be called trees of renown the planting of the Lord that he might be glorified And so in another place this people have I formed for myself that they may be for my praise Isa. 43. 7. I have created him for my glory I have formed him yea I have made him When others shall be venting their malice and blasphemy against God you shall be the silver Trumpets that shall be ever sounding forth the praises of the Lord. Sixthly You are the men of his Counsel when others are strangers and aliens You are no more foreigners and strangers but fellow Citizens and of the houshold of God You are the attendants of his person you are of his privy Counsel You are the friends of God This was Abrahams priviledge Jam. 2. That he was called the friend of God Brethren all the long and magnificent titles of all the Monarchs of the Earth do not signifie half so much as this that I am speaking to you Now this is your prerogative Henceforth I call you not servants but friends and why so because you are the men of his Counsel The servant knoweth not what his Lord doth but whatsoever I have heard of the Father that have I declared unto you Herein Christ hath put a marvellous distinction between you and the men of the world I may say of you as Christ of them blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him So Psa. 147. He sheweth his word unto Jacob his statutes unto Israel He hath not dealt so with any Nation Seventhly You are the Jewels of his Crown when others are but the drosse and lumber And they shall be mine saith the Lord of hosts in the day when I make up my Jewels Mal. 3. 17. Beloved you that are beleivers you are the very glory of Christ. Every believer is as a pearl put into the Crown of Jesus Christ. The Apostle speaks of beleevers of his converts that they were a great Crown to him He calls them his Joy and Crown of rejoycing Phil. 4. 1. But this is but little that you should be your Ministers Crown I tell you you are Christ's Crown and glory Isa. 62. 3. Thou shalt also be a Crown of glory in the hand of the Lord and a Royal diadem in the hand of thy God Eightly You are the inheritors of the Kingdome when others are the sons of perdition Luk. 12. 32. Fear not little flock 't is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the Kingdom So come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you Who can utter the sweetness of that promise 't is our Saviors parting promise to his disciples at his last supper Luke 22. 28. 29 30. You are they which have continued with me in my Temptations and I appoint unto you a Kingdome as my Father hath appointed unto me that you may eat and drink at my Table in my Kingdom and sit upon thrones judging the twelve Tribes of Israel Oh how sweet are these words Lay the mouth of Faith at these promises and suck the sweetness of them Look upon it as a reality that God prepared for you a Kingdome 't is so why should God go to deceive you and you may lay your claim to it boldly God delights to see your humble boldness The spirit beareth witness with our spirits that we are the sons of God and if Sons then heirs joynt heirs with Christ Heirs of his Kingdom Fourthly If you look upon your selves as prisoners and so God hath done more for you then he hath for others Ah Christians this is the meaning of this day that you might celebrate the kindness of God to you in prison O remember and forget not how signally God hath owned you Brethren 't is your priviledge and mercy that God hath given you hearts to own him in times
me up I am a Bankrupt do thou pay my debt Lord my rigâ—…ousness is but rags my beauâ—…y is but rottenness my pedigree is but baseness my portion meer poverty my power meer infirmity Lord here is work for thee help Lord This is the language of faith and therefore it is that Christ and faith do fit so well together Faith hath need of every thing that Christ hath and Christ hath a supply for every want that Faith hath As for unbelievers they make light of Christ they are rich and need not his gold they are well and have no need of his salve But now faith that empties and humbles the man and makes him to sue out to Christ faith will fetch out all that is in Christ. Lord here is a beggar for thy bounty Here is a Lazarus for thy cure Here is a palsie hand a blind eye here is a wound for thy salve Christ he comes as an open fountain and faith brings an empty vessel Christ comes with a full purse and faith with an empty hand Christ comes with an open hand and faith with an open mouâ—… Christ comes giving and faith comes gaping Faith comes Lord here is a belly for thee to fill here is a back for thee to cover I am poor and am robbed of all I have not a penny left and none can help me but thee I starve unlesse thou help Thus faith comes as a hungry child fixes his ey upon the eye of his Father earnestly looking upon him when some relief will come to him so doth faith upon Christ looking when somewhat will come to him Secondly By way of acceptation receiving of Christ To as many as received him to them gave he power to become the Sons â—…od even to them that believe on his name John 1. 12. Faith sits like the cripple at the beautiful gate of the Temple to receive an alms Beloved the Gospel is the great Mart and your Souls are the ship and faith is the receiver to take in the lading O let your faith be active that you may go away greatly loaden As Christ said receive you the holy Ghost so do you receive Christ accept of Christ while he tenders himself to you While he is tendering himself to you let your Souls answer Lord with my whole heart do I accept thee I take thee at thy word to all intents and purposes I take thee not onely to receive thy pay but to fight under thy banner not onely to be justified by thy righteousness but to be governed by thy laws This is the great and vital act of faith that is of absolute necessity to salvation The Lord Jesus Christ is offered to you In the name of the eternal God I offer him to you all see that you take him by faith O saith faith Lord I accept thee you will all say we will have Christ we must perish else but consider it be not rash know the manner of your husband if you will have Christ you must not live as you list you must be under government and strict government you must not have him and the world too you must cast your worldly hopes over board You must take him upon his own conditions His condition is very low sometimes in the world sometimes he hath a bed and sometimes he hath none you must run all hazards with him you must suffer with him if you 〈◊〉 reign with him Now what saith your faith to this O saith faith I will take him with all my heart Faith saith as Ruth to Naomi Ruth 1. 16. whither thou goest I will go and where thou lodgest I will lodge thy people shall be my people and thy God my God But how must your faith accept of Christ First Accept the person of Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is offered in a marriage covenant to you in the Gospel and a marriage is not between a person and patrimony but person and person true faith is not onely for the benefits of Christ but the person of Christ. There is great difference between the sick man and the sick spouses taking the physician the sick man takes him for his skill but the spouse for his person The sick man taks him till the cure be done and than values not the physician but the spouse for hers in all conditions for ever she takes his person Thus must your faith do you must chuse the Lord Jesus Christ not for the salvation onely that he brings but the excellency that is in him As Christ will not be contented with any thing of yours but you so should you do be contented with nothing of Christ but himself Secondly You must accept the pardon of Christ. Christ with his person doth offer you all his 〈◊〉 And as 't is in marriage that then and then onely and not otherwise shall the wife have the State So take Christ and you have all the benefits that come by him He comes with his pardon in his hand and if you will accept him you shall have his pardon by him Thirdly The promises of Christ. All the promises are in him yea and in him Amen Take Christ and you may lay hold of all the promises as yours Fourthly The purchase of Christ. 't is a Kingdome that is offered to you all in the Gospel take Christ and you shall be heirs of a Kingdom Lay hold of Christ and you do at the same time lay hold of ettrnal life Thirdly By way of exultation rejoycing in Christ triumphing in Christ 2 Cor. 2. 14. Thanks be to God that giveth us always cause to triumph in Christ. Your faith should be triumphing you should triumph in the victory mercy merit promises riches kingdom of Christ. O you that are believers you have cause indeed always to triumph in Christ. what have you received the Lord Jesus Christ are you married to such a Husband O how shoâ—…ld you boast of him O how should you please him how should you glory in the booty that you have got you have got a prize indeed Thou that hast got Christ hast a husband indeed let your hearts rejoyce in him Thou art a believer thou are really espoused to Jesus Christ thou mayst make as real a claim to the Lord Jesus Christ as a wife to her Husband And thou mayest make as real a claim to the purchase of Jesus Christ as a wife to the state and goods of her Husband These are not vain and empty words no no there is the greatest reallity in the world in this 't is as true as any thing in the world can be true Thou hast a real interest in the Lord Jesus Christ and may'st boldly make thy claim to him as thine own Husband do I speak any thing but what the Lord hath spoken you are maried unto Christ that was raised from the dead that you might bring fruit unto God Rom. 7. 4. mark 't is not my word 't is Gods word Take heed thou dost not blaspheme dost thou think that
God doth go to deceive thee far be it from thy thoughts Believer 't is so of a truth Christ is thine thy husband and thou mayst boldly lay claim to him Consider what a husband Christ is is not he the King of the Kings of the earth This is he unto whom Angels and authorities and powers are made subject This is he whom all the Angels of God do worship Heaven and earth are at his beck he is exalted above all heavens and hath a name above every name that is named this is thy beloved and friend O should not thy faith triumph in him Fourthly By way of resignation in giving up your selves to Jesus Christ. Faith as it takes Christ so it delivers up the soul to Christ. Faith makes a happy exchange for us giving away the man to Christ and receiving Christ for us Thus between Christ and a believer there is a mutual delivery of themselves over to one another As faith receives Christ so it gives up the soul to Christ and all that it hath Lord saith faith I here resign to thee I quit all claim to my self I am not my own and will own it henceforth that I have no right to my self I give up soul and body to thee I will hold back no part of the price And as faith takes first the person of Christ and then the benefits of Christ so it gives away the person of the man to Christ and then with the person it gives all the rest the estate interest and all to Jesus Christ thus you should be exercising your faith Fifthly By way of Adoration thus saith should put forth its self upon Christ casting our Crowns before him setting up the Lord Jesus Christ in the throne of his own excellency and we should admire nothing but him breaking in pieces all our Idols and pulling them down that Christ alone may be exalted Sixthly By way of Appreciation prizing and esteeming of Christ debasing self and all other excellencies in comparison of Christ accounting all things but dung for Christ such was Pauls faith Seventhly By way of Appropriation so your faith should put forth it self It should not only put forth it self in a way of Affiance onely leaning upon Christ but in a way of assurance You should labor to come up to this not only to believe that Christ dyed for his people in general but to believe his death was intended for you in particular to appropriate him to your self Thus faith acts upon Christ. This was Thomas his faith when once it was stirred up My Lord and my God Applying Christ to himself as his Lord saith faith I am weak but thou art my strength I am a sinner but thou art my righteousnesse I am unclean but thou art my sanctisication I am miserable but thou art my redemption A SACRAMENTAL Speech grounded on Mark 1. 15. Repent ye and beleive the Gospel MY dearly beloved brethren you have often heard our Savior preaching to you by his Ambassadors but now he is come to preach to you as it were in his own person What was said of Abel is true of Christ he being dead yet speaketh Christ being dead yet preacheth to you But what doth Christ preach to you now he is dead Why he preacheth no other thing to you now he is dead than he did in his life Repent and believe the Gospel That Christ preacheth to you faith and repentance repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. First Repentance towards God see here Christian what thy sins hath done Now is a time to have your hearts filled with sorrow and your faces with shame to see what you â—…ave brought upon Jesus Christ. Look upon him every wound in his body and thorn in his head calls upon the to repent The wounds in his side and the blood that flowed from thence calls upon thee to repent Now let thy repentance by stirring seeing he calls thee to repentance what shall stir thee up to repent if this shall not here you may see the Lords severe wrath against sin See it here in the beloved Son of God who is slain before your eyes for your sins Ah Christian if thou hadst stood with Abraham and seen the fire of Sodom Or with Adam and seen God commanding and then thrusting them out of the garden If thou hadst been in heaven and seen what the wrath of God did there what work it made when the Angels sinned Or if thou hadst been in hell and seen and heard the damned there how wouldst thou look upon thy sin O see here more than all this Gods wrath burning against his own Son for thy sin O see here the love of Christ in vain were all thy tears and sorrow had not Christ made way for thee O see him and hear him speaking from the crosse my wounds shall heal thy soul if thou wilt but repent These hands shall work out thy salvation if thou wilt but return and repent Ah sinner what is not thy soul melted yet methinks I should hear thee making thy submission and return to the Lord as one that melteth at the word of his Lord. Lord is thy mind thus shall I have all this if I will but repent behold I cover my head with sackcloth I am the offender as for this lamb what hath he done O Lord it repenteth me of my rebellions I lay down my w pons I swear I will be a resolved enemy against sin as long as I live Secondly Another thing that Christ in his costly death preacheth to you is faith Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ he calls upon you to believe now he is upon his crosse Methin 〈◊〉 hear him calling upon you from the crosse Believe the reality and greatness of my love Believe the infiniteness of my power The full expiation of all thy sins The truth of all Gods threatnings The certainty of all my promises Thy unquestionable right and title to the Kingdom of glory First Believe the reality and greatness of my love Methinks he speaks thus to thee O man what should I have done more to testisic my love to thee than I have done read all the Antiquities and see whether there was any love like mine thou canst not believe but that thy parents love thee when they take eare of thee but whose love is like mine did these ever suffer for thee or do for thee what I have done what are all these sufferings that I have suffered for thee did I despise my fathers glory and leave it for thâ—… did not love 〈◊〉 O slow of heart to believe all that I have done and suffered for thee if I did not love thee what should move me to dye for thee did any thing in thee no did any profit from thee move me no I knew that man is not profitable to God Was it any returns from thee no I knew how thou wouldst be how unkind thou wouldst be to me O Christian doubt not of my love
necessarily diverted from writing to you the week foregoing The Lord teach you to live upon these cordials in these sorrowful dayes Fare you well dear brethren farewell in the Lord. I am yours in the bonds of the Lord Jesus Christ. To the much beloved the flock of Christ in Taunton grace and peace Most Loving and beloved YOur prisoner in the Lord hath sent these lines to salute you and to call upon you or rather to beseech you to walk worthy of the high calling in which you re called in Jesus Christ. Beloved our word with you hath not been yea and nay uncertain and unstedfast The prison sounds sorth to you the same doctrine that the pulpit ever did the Lord give you to hear and recieve from the prisoner that which was not so thorowly embraced from the preacher But what doth the prison preach it preaches repentance to you God hath called to you from the pulpit often and now he sendeth to you from the prison that you should repent Who is so deaf as not to hear the louds cals of the living God to England that they should repent you have long had Moses and the Prophets but now the Lord hath sent you as it were what Dives asked that one should come to you from the dead and testifie to you that you should repent From the dead I say for you know that in the sence of the Law your Ministers are dead But being dead we yet speak yea our death our removal our silence doth speak and all speaks the same thing that you should repent O that I could lift up my voyce to you that your streets your houses your ears your hearts might be fil'd with this cry repent O Taunton repent and turn Repent O profane or else your iniquities will be your ruine Repent O professors or else the Lord will not repent of the evil that he is about to bring upon us The Lord now ringeth that thundring peal in your ears Cleanse your hands ye sinners purifie your hearts ye double-minded Draw nigh unto God and he will draw nigh unto you Be afflicted and mourn and weep let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into heaviness Humble your selves in the sight os the Lord and he shall list you up O hear the voyce of the Lord. He that hath an ear to hear let him hear Repent O back sliding Children or else the Lord will fill you with your own wayes Speedily make up the breach and endeavor to repair your decayes to regain your ground and recover your first love O at last bethink your selves from whence you are fallen and repent and do your first works Repent O sluggard when wilt thou awake out of thy sleep what hath God kindled a fire in his Church ready to devour us all and wilt thou sleep with the house on fire about thine ears What wilt thou not ply thy bucket and settle to thy work to purpose wilt thou lye still and see the Tide coming in upon the whatâ—…ot pluck thy handout of thy Bosom nor rise out of thy bed-sloth when the Almighty thunders from heaven and scaters his lightning and and sends abroad the tokens of his displeasure repent O Laodicean The Lord calleth to thee to be zealous and repent Away with this lukewarm profession Away with this heartlesse listlesse livelesse Religion The Lord hates this halting and halving in Religion As good not at all as not to purpose Never dream that lazie wishes and idle complaints and key cold prayers will carry it Judge in your own selves is this the seeking knocking striving fighting running wrestling that the Scripture every where requires as necessary to all that would be saved but especially necessary at such a day of rebuke as this is O quicken your selves call up all your powers and put you every man his strength to the rope Cry mightily as Nineveh did Humble your selves greatly before the Lord as Manasseh did Let prayer be made without ceasing night and day if ever you mean to pray open the prisons and recover your spiritual priviledges Repent O thou of Sardis that hast a name to live but arâ—… dead The name may serve to deceive thy self and to deceive others but God will not be 〈◊〉 ed he searcheth the heart O prepare for â—…is search and for his scrutiny Wo unto thâ—… is he pronounce of thee and write against thee as against â—…elshazzar thou art weighed in the balance and sound wanting Hear the voyce of the living God hear and live Remember what you have received and heard and hold fast and repent and be watchful and strengthen the things that remain and are ready to dye lest the Lord come upon you as an enemy at unawares Repent O worldly professor that hast Christ in thy mouth and Mammon in thy heart Ah what a Demas wilt thou quickly shew thy self except thou repent howsadly will the fears of loosing thy estate betray thee How surely will the cares of this world choak thee how surely will the prevailing love of earthly things undo thee except thou repent O study the vanity and vexation of the Creatures the emptinesse insufficiency transitorinesse of present enjoyments the superlative excellency of Jesus Christ and his exceeding great reward till thy very heart do breath with the Martyr none but Christ and with Paul doubtless I account all things but losse c. O sinner pray over and study over these things till thy heart be brought to a low esteem of perishing things Walk so osten with death till thou art dead to the world and canst look upon it as a man would that should peep out of his grave Repent O sleeper that livest in carnal security and layest not to heart the asflictions of Joseph Doth the whole world ring of Gods Judgments upon England and dost not thou awake yet and call upon thy God is the Church afflicted and tossed with tempests and not comforted and yet art not thou rouzed up is the ship even filled with water and the disciples crying Master save us we perish and all in jeopardy and yet art thou unasfected is our Lord ready to be betrayed into the hands of Sinners and wilt thou sleep on now art thou not yet come to thy sences Alass that there should be such a disease as security going now at such a time as this now methinks the dumb should speak and the dead should wake VVas the tongue of King Craesus his son dumb from his birth loosed when he saw his Father about to be murdered and shall the Children of Zion see the knife even at the throat or heart of their mother and yet be silent and unmoved but what do I dwell on particulars the Lord calleth on all men every where to repent Repent O ossicers that you have not been so vigilant in the ossices which you have born and in fulfilling the oaths that you have taken in repressing of abounding sins as you should have been This guilt
Riches too I counsel thee to buy of me gold that thou mayest be Rich Rev. 3. 18. 'T is the true Riches And so it is Health and Soundness too Prov. 3. 8. It shall be health to thy Navel and marrow to thy bones Secondly From a state of darkness to a Land of Light You know the grave is a place of darkness and death a state of darkness Thus is it in the Spiritual death Dead souls are all in darkness under the power of darkness Act. 26. 18. The grave for our dead bodies is a place of darkness but the grave for dead souls is a place of utter darkness of everlasting darkness The grave is Formidable and deep You know when a body is dead it must be buried that it may not annoy us God hath provided a grave to bury dead souls in out of his sight and where do you think that this grave is Why Hell is the grave for dead souls The rich man was dead and was buried but where was he buried His soul was in Hell so some translate this place And being buried in Hell he lift up his eyes Luke 16. 22 23. Hell is a place of darkness and thick darkness O that is horrible indeed that is reserved for poor impenitent sinners the blackness of darkness for ever Jude 13. He doth not onely say darkness but blackness of darkness for ever Ah brethren this is that which Christ hath recovered you from from death to life If you go down into the grave and see how the dead do lye in darkness and silence how formidable is that But oh how will it be to see the grave of hell where dead souls are buried This was your place before you were sanctified Ah brethren what manner of praise what 〈◊〉 of deliverance should you compass the throne of Gods grace withal who have such a change wrought upon you Thirdly From a 〈◊〉 of Impotence to a state of power A natural state is an impotent state Rom. 5. 6. When we were yet without strength in due time Christ dyed for the ungodly As a dead man is not able to move a finger to put off the worms that crawl upon his body and face So a dead soul cannot get the victory over his flesh and lusts He is under an impossibility of doing any thing acceptable before God But now God hath given you strength that you should leap and walk 〈◊〉 praise God God did put strength into thy feet when he recovered thee from death to life that thoâ—… shouldâ—… be able to go thorow dissiculties for his names sake Brethren those that are altogether without strength were certainly never brought to a true and spiritual life If thou art brought from death to life thou hast some strength it may be it is but a little strength But every Saint hath a little strength so that he doth not live in the wilsul practice of any sin If thou hast not thus much thou art dead in thy sins Fourthly From a state of Insensibleness to a state of Sense A Dead man is without sense He hath Eyes but he seeth not and Ears but he heareth not And thus it is with a dead soul. But now you that are believers you are raised from this miserable state I may say to you Blessed are your Eyes for you see and your Ears for you hear O what a change hath he wrought upon you 1. He hath opened your eyes when others are in blindness Brethren what a change is this How many do you see that live where the Gospel is Preached and yet remain ignorant O! what thankfulness should this provoke you to You are restor'd to your spiritual sense Before you thought it the smallest matter in the world to sin against God Now you look upon it after another manner O how should you bless God in those words of our Saviour I thank thee O Father Lord of Heaven and Earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes O! How many be there of the wise men great men of the world that have their eyes closed God hath hid these things from them that they cannot see them But your eyes see give God the glory 2. He hath bored your Ears when others are in deafness When others are like the deaf Adder he hath given you the hearing Ear the obedient Ear O! consider this and be thankful Thou hast of thy self a heart as obstinate as any other heart iâ—… the world Now if God hath given thee ears to hear O bless his Name How often may we call upon a Dead man and he never hear so we may call upon dead souls and they hear not with their souls at least though they hear with their ears 3. God hath loosed your Tongues when others are dumb and silent O what mercy is this Beloved you could not breath before God your Prayers and Requests with lise and fervour as you do unless God did unlose your tongues and open your mouths Man's lips are locked up and his tongue tyed up that he cannot utter himself beâ—…ore God or at least not with that fervency that others can O bless the Lord that he hath loosed your tongues 4. He hath given you Appetites when others rellish not the things of God Dost thou find any hungrings and thirstings after Christ and his Righteousness Is this that which thou dost pant after to be made more conformable to the Lord Dost thou pant after Christ as others pant after the world O bless God that hath put such a difference between thee and others When others relish not the things of God they arâ—… sapless things yea many times they seem burdenfome things to them God hath given thee such an appetite that thou findest a relish in them that nothing goes down so sweetly as the service of God 5. He hath given you your feeling when some others are past feeling We read of some that were past feeling Eph. 4. 19. You know a dead man hath no sense or feeling if you lay a Mountain upon him he feels it not So it is with a dead soul he feels not the burthen of his siâ—…s he complains not for his sins Now canst thou say that thy sins be the greatest trouble to thee in all the world O bless the Lord for this It is a great priviledge you that are Believers do groan under this burthen and 't is your duty so to do yet under this there is some life or else you would not feel your corruptions as you do And now to close all let me renew the Exhortation Rejoyce and be Thankful that though you were lost you are found again O remember what a condition you were in when you were lost Do you not remember what bitterness did seize upon you How many times did you give up your souls and did believe that you should never be found or restored And did God find you when you were lost O consider who it