Reproach in Renown the double of thy Tears in Triumphs all thy bottled Tears shall be returned in Flagons of Joy yea in Rivers of Eternal Pleasure By this time Christians you see what Glory there is in this good Word All things shall work together for good to them that love God And that none may have the Face to say all this is but conceit I shall in the next place bring in clear and undeniable Evidence that it is certainly and unquestionably so as hath been said And therefore know 5. That all things do and shall certainly work for good to them that love God This besides the Testimony of this Scripture I shall make evident from these three Propositions 1. There is a Divine Providence that governs the World 2. The Design of Providence is the accomplishment of the good purpose and promise of God 3. The Providence of God shall never fail of accomplishing its End 1. There is a Divine Providence which governs the World the Epicurâ—ans who deny Providence and leave all on Chance and Fortune may as well deny that there is a God which yet they are asham'd to stand to Of Epicurus himself it was said Quem nihil pudendum pudet pudet tamen Deum negare It can be no way reconcileable to the infinite Wisdom of God who made this Glorious Fabrick with the various Creatures therein either not to determine them to their Ends or else to take no care for their accomplishing those Ends they are determined to The whole Current of Scripture is so plain in these matters that he that runs may read Let the following Scriptures amongst others be considered Psal 97. 1. The Lord reigneth let the Earth rejoyce let the Isles be glad Psal 67. 15 16. The Eyes of all wait upon thee and thou givest them their Meat in due season Thou openest thy hand and satisfiest the desire of every living thing Psal 36. 6. Thou preserved Man and Beast Psal 75. 6 7. Promotion cometh neither from the East nor from the West nor from the South but God is the Judge he putteth down one and setteth up another Amos 3. 6. Shall there be Evil in a City and the Lord hath not done it Psal 17. 13 14. Deliver my Soul from the wicked which is thy Sword from Men which are thy Hand The confessions of those Infidels Nebuchadnezzar and Darius speak the same Dan. 4. 35. All the Inhabitants of the Earth are reputed as nothing and he doth according to his Will in the Army of Heaven and among the Inhabitants of the Earth and none can stay his Hand or say unto him What doest thou Dan. 6. 26. I make a Decree that in every Domiâ—ion of my Kingdom Men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel for he is the Living God and stedfast for ever and his Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed and his Dominion shall be even unto the End He delivereth and rescueth and he worketh Signs and Wonders in Heaven and Earth who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the Lions But more distinctly the Lord governs all inanimate and sensitive Creatures in their actions he orders the Stars in their courses The Stars in their courses he made to fight against Sisera He governs the Winds and the Flouds he bringeth forth the Winds out of his Treasures he rides upon the wings of the Wind. He maketh the Clouds his Chariots he sitteth on the Flouds the Thunder and the Hail and the Rain and the Frosts are all at his Command He giveth Snow like Wooll and scattereth the hoar frost like ashes He casteth forth the Ice like morsels he sets bounds to the Sea which it shall not passe the Birds of the Air the Beasts of the Field the Fishes of the Sea yea the stones and dust of he Earth are all at his beck More especially he rules an governs the men of this World He sits in all the Counsels of men though they see him nor he orders all their Decrees there 's no Decree can passe unless God gives his Vote He rules in all the actions of men even those things that are acted through our improvidence come not to passe without the Providence of God He rules in all the changes that are in the World he changes the times and the seasons he changes Kingdoms and Governments he removeth Kings and setteth up Kings he make War and creates Peace he bendeth the Bow and he breaketh the Bow and cutteth the Speare in sunder and burneth the Chariots in the fire Peace and War Health and Sickness Plenty and Famine Life and Death are all the disposures of his hand He orders all the events and causalities of the World even from the greatest to the smallest Without him not a Sparrow shall fall nor a hair of the head shall perish though there be to men yet to the Lord there are no causalities or contingencies But all things come to passe according as his Hand and Counsel had before determined 2. The design of Providence as it respects the Elect is the accomplishment of Gods good purpose and promise Providence governs the World and the purpose and promise governs Providence All the works of Providence have rationem mediorum ad finem God doth nothing in vain it is not consistent with the wisdom of God to do any thing for nothing God would have his People look farther than to the things that are before them because all those things have a farther aspect themselve All the works of Providence have a double aspect they look backward to the purpose and promise and they look forward to the end for which they are as they look backward so they have truth in them exactly answering the purpose and promise from which they have their birth As they look forwaâ—d to their end so they have good in them and that good their subservience to their end is the reason of their being Here note 2. things 1. That the subserviency of things to their end is the goodness of them if the end be good the means must as such be good also If what God hath purposed and promised be good then all things that fall in between having the respect of means to their accomplishment must upon that account be good If our crosses and afflictions do subserve the bringing about of Gods good will and good word we must say concerning them Good are the Works of the Lord. It is not how any thing looks or feels at present but what it meanes and to what it tends If the potion be bitter and yet it tends to health if the Messenger be ill-looked and ill-favoured and yet comes upon a good errand you may bid them welcom And thus all the Providences of God are good If you should ask of any Providence wherefore art thou come comest thou peaceably comest thou for good they must all answer yes peaceably for good and no hurr 'T is but to help all that good into thy hand which hath
once hear lest if ye now refuse ye no â—ore be perswaded with oh that they would but be 〈◊〉 ever confounded with oh that they had Lest all our wishes and wooings of you be turned into weepings and mournings over you this once hear oh that you would I heartily thank you for your good wishes and good will towards me for your willing and chearful entertainment of my person and attendance on my Ministry And particularly for your passionate desire of my longer stay among you Which desire if God had not my Soul could not have denyed you Though the Almighty to whose pleasure it 's meet that we all submit hath said Nay to that wish of yours yet let your Souls say Amen to this last of mine that the Lord God would dwell among you and in you both now and for ever And having thus finished my Labours among you I shall now close up with this double account 1. Of my discharge of my Ministry in this place 2. Of my deprivall And shall so commit you to God and to the word of his Grace which is able to build you up and to give you an Inheritance amongst all them that are sanctified 1. Of my discharge of my Ministry what my Doctrine and manner of life hath been is known to you and what my aim and intent hath been is known to God The searcher of hearts knowes that 't is the salvation of Souls that hath been the mark at which I have levelled My way hath been to use all plainness that I might be made manifest in your Consciences Weaknesses and infirmities both natural and sinful the Lord pardon it I have had many I am sensible that much more might have been done both in publick and in private had it not been for a weakly body and a sloathful heart I repent that I have had no more zeal for God no more compassion to Souls I repent that I have been no more constant and importunate with you about the matters of Eternity Oh Eternity Eternity that thou wert no more in the heart and Lips of the Preacher in the hearts and eares of the hearers But while I thus judge my self for my failings Blessed be God for any sincerity to his name and good will to your Souls that he hath seen in me Blessed be God I have a witness in my Conscience and I hope in yours also that I have not shunned to declare to you the whole Counsel of God Brethren I call Heaven and Earth to witness this day that I have set before you life and death good and evil and have not ceased from day to day to warn you to choose life and that good way that leads to it and to escape for your lives from the way of sin and death Oh remember the many instructions I have given you the many Arguments whereby I have striven with you the many Prayers that have been offered up for the guiding and gaining your Souls into the path of life and the turning your feet out of the way of destruction Oh might I be able to give this Testimony concerning you all at my departure they have troden in the right path they have chosen the good part that shall not be taken from them Brethren Beloved with whom I have travelled in birth that Christ might be formed in you I must shortly give up my account in a more solemn Assembly will you help me to give it up with joy by shewing your Souls before the Lord as the Seal of my Ministrie Every sincere Convert among you will be a Crown of rejoycing to me in that day So let me rejoyce and let my joy be the joy of you all What shall I say more If there be any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love any bowels and mercies if the Glorie of the Eternal God the Honour of the everlasting Gospel the safety of your immortal Souls the incorruptible Crown the exceeding eternal weight of glory weigh any thing with you then once more let me beâ—eech you by all this to hearken to that word of the Gospel which God hath spoken to you by me 2. Of my deprivall The most glorious morning hath its Evening the hour is come wherein the Sun is setting upon not a few of the Prophets the shadows of the Evening are stretched forth upon us our day drawes our work seems to be at an end Our Pulpits and our places must know us no more This is the Lords doing let all the Earth keep silence before him It is not a light thing for me Brethren to be laid aside from the work and cast out of the Vineyard of the Lord and it must be something of weight that must support under so severe a doom I know there are not a few that will add to the affliction of the afflicted by telling the World 't is their own fault they might prevent it if they would whether this be so or no God knoweth and let the Lord be Judge Blessed be God whatever be this is not laid to our charge as the reason of our seclusion either insufficiency or scandall You are not ignorant what things there are imposed on us as the condition of our continuing our Ministration which how lawful and expedient soever they seem in the Judgment of many yet have the most specious Arguments that plead for them left me utterly dissatisfied in my Conscience about them I must profess before God Angels and men that my non-submission is not from any disloyalty to Authority nor from pride humour or any factious disposition or design but because I dare not contradict my light nor do any thing concerning which my heart tells me the Lord sayes do it not After all my most impartial Enquiries after all my seeking counsel from the Lord after all my considering and consulting with men of all perswasions about these Matters I find my self so far short of satisfaction that I am plainly put to this choice to part with my Ministry or my Conscience I dare not lie before God and the World nor come and tell you I approve I allow I heartily consent to what I neither do nor can but must choose rather that my Ministry be seal'd up by my Sufferings than lengthned out by a Lie Through the Grace of God though men do yet my heart shall not reproach me while I live If our heart condemn us God is greater than our hearts and knoweth all things But however though I must now no longer act as a Minister I shall through the Grace of God endeavour peaceably and patiently to suffer as a Christian I should to testifie my Obedience to Authority have become all Things to all Men to the uttermost that I could with any clearness of heart But since Matters stand so that I must lose my place or my peace I chearfully suffer my self to be thrust off the Stage And now welcome the Cross of Christ welcome Reproach welcome Poverty Scorn and Contempt or whatever else may befall me on this account This Morning I had a Flock and you had a Pastour but now behold a Pastour without a Flock a Flock without a Shepheard This Morning I had an House but now I have none Thiâ— morning I had an Living but now I have none The Lord hath given and the Lord hath takes away Blessed be the Name of the Lord. Beloved I am sensible of many Weaknesses and Disadvantages I am under which may rendeâ— a suffering state the harder to be born help me by your Prayers and not me onely but all my Brethren also with whom my Lot must fall Pray for us for we trust that we have a good Conscience in all things willing to live honestly Pray 1. That God would make our Silence speak and preach the same Holy Doctrine that we have preached with our Lips 2. That he would give Supports answerable to our Sufferings that he who comforteth those that are cast down will also comfort his Servants that are cast out 3. That according to our earnest expectation and our hope as always so now also Christ may be magnified in us whether it be by Life or by Death And thus Brethren I bid you all farewel in the words of the Apostle 2 Cor. 13. 11. Finally Brethren farewel be perfect be of good comfort be of one mind live in peace and the God of Peace and Love shall be with you And that God of Peace that brought again from the Dead our Lord Jesus that great Shepheard of the Sheep through the Bloud of the Everlasting Covenant make you perfect in every good Work to do his Will working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ To whom be Glory for ever and ever AMEN FINIS
have preached to you and therefore am bold in this sence to exhort you in the words of the Apostle Be ye Followers of me as far forth as you have seen me a Follower of Christ Doct. 4. Godly Ministers when they are parting from their People would fain leave God behind them Though it be not unusual when the Lord sends them away he goes with them God and his Messengers do not seldom take their farewel of People together yet their earnest desire is that though they must away yet the Lord would stay Doct. 5. Faithful Ministers would be Messengers of Peace going as well as coming As the Apostles first words were to be Peace be unto you Matth. 10. so some of this Apostles last words were The God of Peace shall be with you Doct. 6. When ever Ministers part with their People if they can but leave Godlyness in them they shall certainly leave God with them Or Those that obey the Gospel whatsoever or whomsoever they want shall ever be in a peaceful and blessed condition These things do that is live in the practice and power of that Doctrine of Godliness which you have received and heard and then fear not the God of Peace shall be with you This Doctrine I shall fully prove to you after I have premised That the Doctrine which I have preached to you is the Doctrine of Godliness the summe whereof take in these four particulars 1. That Jesus Christ who came into the World to save sinners came also to sanctifie and purge them from their sins 2. That those that believe in Jesus must be careful to maintain good Works or to live a Godly Life 3. That this Godliness is not such a slight and easie and empty thing as the mistaken World imagine but stands in an exact Conformity of the whole Man Heart and Life to the whole Will of God 4. That as whosoever believes not in Jesus so whosoever is short of this true sincere Godliness cannot be saved This is the summe of that Doctrine which I have preached unto you which being the Eternal Truth of God I herein imbarque my own Soul and Life desiring to be found in that same Jesus and to be found walking in that same way of Righteousness which I have declared unto you 2. That my Design and Aim in preaching this Doctrine to you hath been to beget in you and through the influence and assistance of the Eternal Spirit to bring you to this true Godliness I have travailed in Birth with you that Christ might be formed in you that I might leave you possessors and partakers of that Grace which accompanies Salvation that your Faith might stand not in the Wisdom of Men but in the power of God That your Repentance might be Repentance unto Life not to be repented of that you might obey from the heart that Form of Doctrine that hath been deliver'd unto you that you might stand compleat in all the Will of God that you might be holy and harmless the Children of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked Generation amongst whom you must shine as Lights in the World holding forth the Word of Life that being rooted and grounded in love you might comprehend with all Saints what is the height and depth and length and breadth and might know the love of Christ which passeth knowledg and be filled with all the fulness of God To this end have I taught every one and warned every one that I might present you perfect in Christ Jesus 3. That as far forth as the success hath answered my Design and aim upon any of your Souls so far forth stand you intitled to this glorious promise in the Text the God of Peace shall be with you Look how many Souls there are amongst you that live in the power and obedience of those truths you have received to so many can I with confidence give this farewell of the Apostle without Ifs or And 's the God of Peace shall be with you To whomsoever the Lord hath been a God of Grace to them will he be a God of Peace Whoever amongst you have this God of Grace dwelling and ruling in you shall certainly find this God of Peace dwelling and abiding with you As for all others though I can heartily make this my parting Prayer the Lord be with you the God of Peace be with you yet I cannot turn this Prayer into a Promise nor give you any assurance that the God of Peace will be with you These things premised I shall now give you the full proof of the Doctrine in the following Reasons The Doctrine you remember is those that obey the Gospel whatsoever or whomsoever they want shall ever be in a peacefull and blessed Condition The Reasons are 1. The God of Peace shall be with them 2. If God be with them all things whatsoever befâ—ll them shall make for their good Reas 1. The God of Peace shall be with them these things do live in the obedience of the holy Doctrine which you have received and the God of Peace shall be with you This glorious Promise is pregnant with all the blessings that Heaven and Earth can afford If you ask why what is there in it I demanded of you What is there in God God is in the Promise all that is in God is here assured to the Godly The Philosophers of old attained to some glimmerings of the excellencies that are in God by these 3. wayes 1. Per viam Negationis conceiving of him as a Being removed from all things signifying imperfection as ignorance impotence iniquity corruptibility composition alteration or any limits or bounds of this Essence Power and Glory 2. Per viam caâ—salitatis conceiving of him as the Fountain of all other Beings and thence concluding that whatsoever Excellencies or perfections are scattered up and down in the whole Creation are all united in him from whom they had their Original 3. Per viam eminentiae by way of Excellency so that whatever perfections whatever goodness is to be found in any Creature though it be not to be found in God formaliter yet there is that in him he being the first cause of all that doth infinitely superabundantly answer them all Though there be not the same Specifick Excellencies in him nor those very pleasures and delights issuing from him which the creatures yield yet there are such Excellencies such perfections as transcend and surpasse them all The Scriptures tell us more positively and plainly that God is Almighty Omniscient Omnipresent Infinite Eternal Unchangeable All-sufficient Holy Righteous Gracious the Portion the Protection the Rewarder yea the exceeding great Reward of them that diligently seek him And this is he that is in the promise God is in the promise I must not inlarge in this spatious Field I shall keep nearer the Text and shall confine my self to these four particulars 1. God is in the Promise as the God of Peace as the Authour and bestower
12. The Meek will he guide in Judgment the meek will he teach in his way Psal 107. 7. He led them forth by the right way that they might go to a City of habitation Psal 5. 8. Lead me O Lord in thy righteousness because of mine Enemies make thy way strait before my face The Lord leads his people in their way chiefly by his Word which is a light to their feet and a lanthorn to their paths And sometimes also by his Providences hedging up all by-wayes and leaving but one way open to them that hath the least appearance of the way of God So ordering the matter that any other way that is before them look with too foul a face to leave any doubt upon them whether that be the way of God or not It 's never uncomfortable to the people of God while they see their way before them Doubts about their way are more perplexing than dangers in their way When they know what God would have them do they can chearfully trust him for any thing they are like to suffer Dost thou meet with Wolves or Lions in thy way thou mayst bless God 't is there thou meetest them 't would be ill meeting them elsewhere 2. Covering or Protection in their way Psal 31. 20. Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavision from the strife of tongues Thou shalt hide them in thy presence or face thy light shall be their dark place to cover them Thou art my hiding place Psâ—l 32. 7. In the secret of thy presence the Saints hiding place is a secret Such where neither the pride of men can find them nor can they understand whaâ— it is Reproaches shall not find them persecutions shall not find them whose Souls are hid in God they are not found when they are found they are hid when they seem to lye most open and most exposed to mens will and lust Sinners do not understand what refuge the Saints have in God It is a great secret a mystery to them as the joy of the Saints the comforts of the Saints are a secret A stranger shall not meddle with his joy So is their safety or security they do not understand what kind nor how great security what sure nor what sweet repose the Saints find in God The secret of God's presence is a sure and a sweet resting place for all his Saints but how sure and how sweet no man knows but they that enjoy it The secret intimations of the care of God for them of his everlasting kindness to them of his governing hand in all that befalls them working it to their greater good the secret supports and refreshings darted in as the beams of his Countenance their secret sence that their head their main is in safety though they have bruises in their heel will yield such rest in the day of greatest adversity as men can neither see nor take from them The Pillar of the Cloud interposed did both hinder the Egyptians pursuit and hide from their eyes the comfort of that light which shined upon the Camp of Israel Moses knew what the comfort of God's presence meant when he said Exod. 33. 15. If thy presence go not with us carry us not hence 'T is if considered a great word Israel was then in a Wilderness among wild beasts among briars and thorns in a weary pilgrimage but they had God among them The Lord was carrying them to Canaan the Land of their rest a Land flowing wiâ—h milk honey but Moses prayes If thy presence go not with us carry us not hence We had rather be where we are in a Wilderness with God than go to Canaan and leave our God behind us If thy presence go with us we are willing to go when thou wilt whither thou wilt which way thou wilt though by the Tents of Edomites Ishmaelites Moabites Hagarens though through the Armies of Anakims Zamzummims wee 'l go any whither so God go with us The absence of God makes a Canaan worse than a Wilderness the presence of God makes a Wilderness better than a Canaan And this presence of God shall be the Lott of all his Saints Reas 2. If God be with you all shall make for you All Providential Occurrences and Events whatsoever all Difficulties Straits Disasters Disappointments whatsoever that may come upon you shall make for your good Rom. 8. 31. If God be with us who can be against us Who can be against us that is None can be against us Or if any be yet those that are against you shall be for you Gen. 42. 36. Joseph is not and Simeon is not said old Jacob and must Benjamin away too all these things are aginst me but yet as old as he was he lived to see all making for him Rom. 8. 26. We know all things shall work together for good to those that love God This is such a Promise as if it were throughly believed would set our feet on the necks of all our fears and dangers and will prove the truth of Sampson's riddle Out of the eater came meat and out of the strong sweetness Now because there is so great encouragement to godliness in it I shall spend the more time in inlarging upon it and shall shew 1. What those things are which are especially intended in that comprehensive term all things 2. What that good is which these things shall work to 3. To whom these things shall work for good 4. How these things shall work for good 5. That they shall undoubtedly work for good to them that love God 1. What those things are which are especially intended in that comprehensive term All things Some there are as Augustine with others who understand it universally of all things whatsoever whether good or evill extending it even to the Sins of the Saints It 's true God doth often bring good our of these evils making use of former sins to be forces against future as the thorn that did hurt in the Garden will be of use in the hedg sin often becomes its own death which was intended to be the death of the Soul There 's nothing that doth make the Sinner more weary and wary of sin than Sin it self the review of what we have done doth oftenest fright us from doing so any more When you look back on sin and see its face for sin carries its face in its back you 'l fear it the more when ever you meet it again There 's no argument doth more effectually humble and break the heart and make it more fearful and watchful against sin than the shame and the smart of those sins we have fallen by he that hath felt the wound will take heed how he playes with edge-tools This is true God doth often make this use of sin to be its own cure and therefore 't is not seldom seen that the chief of Sinners have come to be the chief
been in the heart and hath proceeded out of the mouth of thy God that loves thee There is not a Messenger of Sathan that comes to buffet thee but is also a Messenger from-God that comes to thee for good They very thorns in thy flesh shall serve thee for Playsters thine eye-sores shall be thine eye-salve and thy very maladies thy Medicines 2. That this relative goodness of all the works of Providence is the reason of their being Therefore God doth what he doth that hereby he may do what he hath said and intended I do not say that the reason of Gods taking this or that meâ—ns is alwayes from any thing in it self or for its natural tendency to such an end above any thing else God hath his choice of means he can chuse here or there at pleasure can make use of what he will to serve his design but the reason why things are is this God in his Wisdom saw their ordinability to this good end and thereupon in his Providence he orders and brings them to passe So that now what ever befalls a Christian he hath this to allay and take off the grievousness and sharpness of it This had never been but for the good will and good word of the Lord to me The Lord God hath said he will bless me and do me good he will heal me and sanctifie and save me and now he is about it by this he is working that Salvation for me Christians you have no reason to say If the Lord be with me why am I thus why so poor why so pained why so persecuted so scorned and trampled upon sure if the Lord had meant my good it would have been better then 't is with me No no 't is because the Lord is with thee and means thee well that he deals in this manner with thee The Design of his Providence towards thee is the accomplishment of his Promise 3. The Providence of God shall never fail of accomplishing its end There is nothing wanting that might give us the fullest assurance hereof For 1. The Providence of God hath power with it He is the Almighty that hath promised he that ruleth in the Earth dwelleth in the Heaven and doth whatsoever he will Our God is in Heaven and doth whatsoever he will I will work and who shall let it Is 43. Who can stay his hand or say unto him What doest thou were it not for our unbelief our case would be still the same in greatest difficulties as when the Coasts are most clear We might say of difficulties as the Psalmist of darkness there is no darkness with thee to the the day and night are both alike Difficulties are no difficulties with thee nor is there difference betwixt hard and easie He can save with many or with few and with none is as well as with some We once read he had too many but never that he had too few to bring about his work Oh how do we disparage the power of God when our difficulties make us doubt Is he God and nor man Is he spirit and not flesh Wherefore then dost thou doubt Whatever God hath said he can do Believe he is a God and thou wilt never say How can these things be 2. The Providence of God hath Wisdom with it he is the onely wise he is the all wise God He knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations 2 Pet. 2. 9. He knoweth what is good for his Saints and when 't will be in season he understandeth what is proper and pertinent to every case What 's proper to every purpose to every people to every person and for every season he knowes when 't is a season to abate and when to exalt when to afflict and when to deliver when to put on the yoak and when to take off the yoak When to pull down and when to build up every thing is beautiful in its season If mercies come out of season mercies would be no mercies and if troubles come in their season troubles should be no troubles He knowes the best method and means to his end the finest means he sees sometimes the unfittest to be the fittest the most unlikely unpromising means do often best serve Gods end Christians if you would receive every dispensation as coming from the hands of the wise God you would never quarrel with your lot nor say of any thing that befalls I might be happy but this stands in my way If you would give God leave to be wiser than you you would say where ever you are its good for me to be here this is my way to my rest 3. The Providence of God hath faithfulness with it Psâ—l 25. 10. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth to them that keep his Covenant and his Testimonies Psal 111. 8. His Works are done in truth Gods Works may be said to be done in truth in a double sence In Reality In Fidelity 1. In Reality not in specie or in shew onely but indeed Gods Comforts are Comforts indeed Gods Salvation is Salvation indeed The Devil will come with his gifts with his comforts and deliverâ—nces but they are for the most part but spectra like himself shews and apparitions quite another thing than what they seem to be sinners comforts deliverances enjoyments wherewith the Devil feeds them do leave them in as poor a case and worse than they found them you will never thank the Devil for his kindness when you have prov'd them what they are If you do not find your selves as fast bound in the midst of all your liberties if you be not warp'd up in as many sorrows after all the joys he hath procured to you if the glittering glories the gloring pleasures he entices you by and entertains you with prove not trash and dirt and meer lies in the end then say the Devil hath forgotten his trade of lying the Devils works will be even like himself false and deceitful But God is true and all his works are done in truth 2. In Fidelity his Work are according to his Word 1 King 8. 24. Thou hast spoken with thy mouth and hast fulfilled with thinâ— hand in thy faithfulness thou hast afflicted me Psal 119. Not onely in thy faithfulness thou hast saved me in thy faithfulness thou hast comforted me in thy faithfulness thou hast succoured me but in thy faithfulness thou hast afflicted me in thy faithfulness thou hast humbled and broken me and cast me down The promise of God is that we shall want nothing we shall neither want his Staffe nor his Rod neither comforts nor crosses neither joys nor sorrows we cannot well want either and we shall want neither because God is faithful You may not onely write down with the Apostle God is faithfull and will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able to bear but you may write also God is faithful and will not suffer you to want a temptation When 't is seasonable
your hearâ—s shall be glad and if need be for a season you shall be in heaviness God is faithfull he will ever be true to himself and therefore to you 2 Tim. 2. 9. He abideth faithfull he cannot deny himself Should he be false to his People he cannot be true to himself to his purpose and promise his Word is not yea and nay God is not as a man that he should lye or the Son of man that he should repent that he should say and unsay that he should say and not do you may write Gods name upon every word he hath spoken you may write his Name I Am upon all that he hath said It shall be Now Christians put these three Particulars together and if you cannot spell out the conclusion out of them the Providence of God will certainly accomplish his good Purpose and Promise concerning you You are of little Understanding as well as of little Faith If God governs the World and nothing comes to pass but by his Providence if Providence governs according to Gods Purpose and Promise if Providence cannot fail of accomplishing both If God be Almighty and can if God be Wise and knowes how if God be Faithfull and true let the Devil if he can with all his Sophistry evade the Conclusion That he will certainly do all that good for you which he hath purposed and promised If God be not able to perform he is not good if he mistake his way if he use impertinent improper means he is not the All-wise God If he do not actually perform what he is able and knows how to do when he hath said it he ceases to be the true God So that the matter is brought plainly to this Issue If God be God if God be the All-wise God if God be the true and faithful God this Word which he hath spoken All things shall work together for good to those that love God shall not fail of its accomplishment in its season Having thus proved the Doctrine I shall after I have added a few words by way of Caution and answered an Objection or two against the Sence I have given of this Promise and subjoyned a few particular Inferences descend to the general Application 1. By way of Caution 1. Limit not the Lord to your time and way God will make good his Word but you must give him leave to take his own season He that believeth shall not make haste believe God but do not prejudge nor precipitate lest you fall into temptation Put no more into the promise neither for matter nor circumstance than God hath put in it put not that into the Promise which God hath not put in it lest you miss and come short of that which God hath put in it Let others mistakes and miscarriages be warnings to you till God hath manifestly said do not you say This is the time build not your confidence on conjectures your Faith on the strongest Presumptions left your Faith prove but a fancy and your confidence your confusion make not the Promise of God of none effect by looking for its effect out of season Believe not your selves into Infidelity Consider Acts 1. 7. It is not for you to know the times and the seasons which God hath put in his own Power Study the Word and it Commentary the Works of God but be sober in your Conclusions This you may safely depend upon and this will be enough if you have no more God will make good his good Word to you sooner or later in one time or other in one way or other in the best time in the best way in the appointed time the Vision shall speak and shall not lye Habak 2. 3. Though it may tarry wait for it because it will surely come and will not tarry At least at the end of the days when you shall stand in your lott when you shall be gotten on the banks of Canaan and shall thence look back on the Promises and Providences of God you shall see and say God is faithful there hath noâ— failed one word of all that he hath promised Now I understand though once I could not how every Wheel was turning every Instrument was moving every event was working towards my good and eveâ—â—â— welfare 2. Let not your expectation cause an abortion Let not your looking for mercy hinder the working of your affliction It is not seldom and the Lord grant it be not too common a case that our door of hope becomes a door of sin Wâ— do not set our selves with that seriousness to humble to puâ—ge our selves from our iniquiâ—ies as we would do did we apprehend ouâ— case more desperate our fears and our â—or owâ— have not their kindly work upon us our hope hinders it We might have been more broken hearted had it not been for our hopes of building up as it is with a person who conceives himself to be dying he then falls â—o praying and repenting and setting his heart in order because he must die but upon a little hope of recovery he layes by his dying thoughts and preparations Christians When ever you are under afflictions take heed that your expectation of deliverance to be near put it not so much the farther off Watch narrowly over your selves and look diâ—igently to it that your hope of redemption do not harden your hearts nor hinder your humiliation and repentance Hope in God and wait for the Promise of his comming But know That till the Rod hath done its work it is not like in mercy to be laid by and it 's better to be continued in the Furnace than to be brought forth with your dross unpurged away Against this blessed Truth there are some Objections as Object 1. Can it ever be said That the removall of the Gospel and the Preaching of it can be for good Sol. This is an hard Truth but yet a Truth That even this shall work for good to those that love God 1. It 's true That the removal of the Gospel and the Ministry of it is a most grievous Judgment and that which carries with it a greater evidence of wrath and Divine displeasure against a People than any thing that ever befalls them in this World How great a Judgment it is we may guess if we observe those Scripture-expressions by which it 's set forth It 's called the famine of the Word Amos 8. 11. The glory departed 1 Sam. 4. The Kingdom of Heaven taken away Matth. 6. 41. The Salvation of God sent away Acts 28. and can there be any thing worse befall a People a Soul-famine an Eclipse of their spiritual glory the shutting up of the Kingdom of Heaven the carrying away of the Salvation of God What worse thing can come unto them It 's a great wonder there should be no deeper Sense of this most dreadful of evils than is mostly found Men little understand what they do who either in a way of merit oâ— instrumentallity procure and bring on
Hearers and if you will needs have it so then let it be forborn Secondly Hath the Devil yet given over Preaching and are the Preachers yet silent Hath the Devil yet given over his Preaching his deceiving Souls his perverting the good ways of the Lord and discouâ—aging persons from walking in them Sure there 's need that Christ be preached while there is a Devil that impeaches him Hath the Devil them that preach him every day and must not Christ have them that preach him at least every Sabbath-day may once a moneth or once a quarter be enough for these when every day and all the day-long doeâ— scarce suffice for those When or where are evill men silent Are they not preaching daily in the House in the Streets in the Taverns on the Stage iâ— the Stews Preaching by their Oaths their Curses by their Lâ—es by their Scoffâ— by their Habits bâ— theiâ— Cups by their Wâ—ores and almost by all their words and workâ— And is there no need that Christ be any longer preached any where when the Devil is preached every where If in such a case the Preachers of Christ should altogether hold their peace might we not expect that the very stones would cry out This is but a seasonable Demand Let Faith and Holiness first have none found that preach against them before those that preach them be concluded such as may well be spared But what need we reason any longer in a case so plain wherein I can have no Adversaries but such as the Apostle had when he fought with Beasts at Ephesus Whosoever is an Adversary to Preaâ—hing is either an Infidel or a Brute I shall onely leave one word for such to â—hew upon and so leave them and their cause to the Judgment of God Act. 13. 46. It was necessary that the Word of God should have been first spoken to you but because you put it from you and judge your selves unworthy of everlasting Life Lo we turn unto the Gentiles Let all back-friends to Preaching pause sâ—dly upon that Word you have prevented the Judgment of God by putting the Word from you you have given your selves your own Sentence you have judged your selves unworthy of Everlasting Life Well by what hath been said notwithstanding all that can be said against it it appears that the removal of the Gospel and the preaching of it is a grievous Judgment 2. This grievous Judgment shall yet work to the good of Saints That which comes in Wrath on some may be in Mercy to others 'T is the ignorant the unconverted the unbelieving part of men on whom the Vengeance of this Judgment falls 'T is those that are weary of the Word that can worse it Sinners you that say to the Seers see not to the Prophets prophecie no more to us let us alone we have enough of this preaching if God once say as you say Let it be according to their word 't is your Souls are like to go for it And 't is not the least aggravation of the Sorrows of the Saints the misery they see hereby coming on you As for themselves that I may answer more distinctly 1. The Gospel shall never be totally removed from them they shall never see days of Famine If they never again hear the joyful Sound from without they shall have it within The Word which they have receiv'd shall be in them a Well of Water springing up unto Eternal Life If the Showers and the Rain fail yet the Spring which is within them shall supply that want If they have no Bible in the House no preaching in the Pulpit yet they have 〈◊〉 Bible in their Hearts a Preacher in their Breasts thâ—â— shall instruct and comfort them Pharaoh's Dream and the Interpretation of it shall be to the Egyptians and not to Israel The lean Kine shall not devour the fat ones there is a Store-house from whence they shall be supply'd Whatever scarcity there be this is certain not one of them shall want a Viaticum to bring them to theâ— Journeys end God will not suffer one of his Eleâ—â— to starve or perish in the way There shall not faâ— means of one kind or another till the whole Bodâ—â—e perfected and built up Till we all come unto pâ—rfect Man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ 2. That Scarcity that does at any time befal theâ— shall happen to them for the better and not for thâ— worse 1. For who knows when ever the Ministry is removed but it may be in ordeâ— to a greater Glory it 's Return Perhaps God's sending away Pastoâ— from a People may be as Paul's absence from the Romans that they may return in the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel Or as Onesimus his departing from Philemon Perhaps they therefore depart for a season that they may be received for ever Or if this should not be the case of any particular Church if they should return no more yet 2. Their want of means shall supply their want of means their want of means shall be their means When they have no Preacher their empty Pulpits shall preach to them this most smarting of Rods will have its voice If they have no longer the Light with them their Darkness shall instruct them if they want their burning Lights the very Cold shall preserve and increase their inward vigour the wickedness of others shall make them more holy the violence of evil men upon sin shall enkindle their zeal for God the darkness that 's here below shall make them to live more above and all this shall make to their fuller Reward 'T is a greater Verâ—ue to keep up the Heart to keep on our way where there is a want than where there are abundance of means and helps and an higher Vertue shall have a greater Reward 3. The failing of the Word will bring back to their Memories and upon their own Hearts that which they have receiv'd and as the emptiness of the Stomach will cause a second and better Concoction and turn it into better nourishment when there are no more Loaves they 'l gather up the Fragments that nothing be lost the less there is more to be hâ—d the more reckoning and the better use they will make of what they hâ—ve their present want will be a rebuke of their former wantonness their want of Remembrancers will help their Mercies and whet their Appetites Every old truth that hath been too much laid by will then be pretious 4. Whenever ordinary means fail God will either find extraordinary means fail God will either find extraordinary or else will feed them more immâ—diately from himself Psal 34. 9. God hath promised that those that fear the Lord shall want no good thing If that be meant of temporal good things yet sure it will yield us an Argument that will reach the present case If God will provide for their Carkases much more for their Souls If God will supply them with less necessaries then
means often prove better than means when I say no means I do not understand simply none means they shall have of one kind or other their understandings their memories their secret duties Prayer Meditation c. but by no means I understand nothing from without no Ordinances Friends Societies Books c. Gods feeding of a Soul more immediately is much sweeter then when he sends Provision by the hand of another the Samaritans hearing Christâ— Words from his own mouth was much more to them than the same words reported by the Woman Dulcius ex ipso fonte Water is the purer the nearer the Fountain the Bread that comes down from Heaven is better Bread than that which grows up out of the Earth though that be originally from Heaven also By how much the more immediately our comforts come from Heâ—ven by so much the more they have of Heaven in them If upon the failing of publick Communion it be made up so much the more in secret sure the Saints have no reason to complain And whether this be not so let the Prisons into which the Saints have been sometimes cast the Wilderness into which they have been sometimes banished let Elihu's Songs in the night Peters Pauls Silaghs Songs in the Prison in the Stocks stand forth and testifie If Prison joyes and exile comforts have not been often both fuller and sweeter to them than when they have rolled in Manna and lived in the fulness and freedom of all helps and means then not a few Christians have either mistaken or mis-reported their experiences To pretend to live above Ordinances whilest God affords them is a wickedness that some men have to repent of but where God denies them he doth he will provide a better subsistence without them Now lay all this together and then you will see that even this also this most grievous of Judgments the famine of the Word when ever it befalls shall work for good to those that love God Christians chear up your hearts whatever drought or dearth may fall upon the World you are provided for you shall have enough If the shoures fail without you have within you that which shall spring up to eternall life If your streams should be dryed up if your Pastures should be trodden down you have a God that will be both your Pastor and Pasture If the Riveâ— fail you the Rock shall supply you what you want in ordinary you may look to be made up in extraordinary means The drying up of the waters shall but drive you up to the Spring-head If ever the Stars fail you God shall but exchange Star-light for Sun-light while there 's light in the Sun you shall not walk in darkness See but to this make sure that this God is yours and he must find out a comfortable feeding for you if you can but say Davids first words after him the Lord is my Shepherd you may then with confidence say the whole Psalm after him I shall not want he will make me to lie down in green Pastures he will lead me by the still Waters though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evill thy Rod and thy Staff shall comfort me Thou shalt prepare me a Table in the presence of mine Enemies Surely Goodness and Mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the House of the Lord for ever 2. There is another Objection that seems to have â—ore difficulty in it Suppose a Saint to fall into Distraction and thereby to be deprived utterly of the use of his Reason and so to live and die How can it be imagined that this can work for his good either in this World or the World to come Can any good arise out of an incapacity of any longer doing or receiving good or patiently suffering Evil Can either his Grace here or his Glory hereafter be increased or advanced by a man's being converted into a mere Bruit 1. There 's no doubt at all but this may make for the Churches good Is there nothing that others may learn out of such a sad Providence If others may reap good by my evil is it nothing to me May it not be said to be good for any particular Saint to bear the sorest Affliction by which the Church may have benefit He hath not much of a Saint to whom if it were afore-hand proposed whether for the benefit of the Church he would be content if God see it good to fall into such a calamity He hath little of a Saint that would deliberately refuse it Doubtless a sincere Christian who would count his usefulness to the good of the whole Body to be his good would say even concerning such a Message were it brought to him Good is the Word of the Lord And that which afore-hand he would judge to be good for him to submit to may it not be good for him to be under 2. It may also be more directly for his particular personal good For 1. It may do him the same good which Death will do for him Concerning which the Apostle says it is yours 1 Cor. 3. that is it is for your advantage It may take him from the evil to come from those Sorrows and that Trouble of Heart which God might fore-see falling upon him by any calamities coming either on the Church in general or himself or Family in particular which being deprived of his Reason and power to reflect on he cannot feel or in the least be afflicted by If you Reply But the Remedy is worse than the Disease To be useless and unserviceable is less eligible than to be sorrowful and afflicted Will any man chuse to fall into a Lethargie or Apoplexie because 't will secure him from the Torment of a Feaver If there be any weight in this Reply I shall adde a farther Answer which if I misjudge not will cut off all Râ—plyes 2. Who knows what Sins and Temptations he might have fallen into and fallen by had not the Lord by this means prevented it he might possibly have been a Back-slider have fallen into gross sin by which he might have been a Terrour to himself and a Scandal to the Gospel and is it not good for him that this is prevented Is not that Affliction 〈◊〉 Mercy which secures from such Iniquity Who can say it is not thus that the Lord foresaw he would have fallen into sin and for prevention brought him into this Affliction Who can say it is not thus If none can then this is no Objection If you Reply you say it may be this is the case and I may as well say it may be not there might be no such thing that God fore-saw as the Reason of this Providence 'T is but a Conjecture and an Uncertainty when you have made the most of it Be it so yet it will fully answer my end I am not now proving that all things work for good to the Saints that 's
sufficiently done already But you are objecting against it and till you prove your Objection which you can never do unless you prove that this is not the case you must give me leave again to tell you your Objection comes to nothing And so at lengâ—h you see this Blessed Glorious Comforâ—able Truth stands it's Ground and Triumphs over whatever hath any Shadow of Contradiction to it By the way learn hence two Things 1. Rejoyce in this Promise of God Hath the Lord put in thy name here let thine Heart say It is enough Be more joyful in this that God hath thus undertaken the Care of thee than if God had wholly put thee to thine own hand giving thee power to help and liberty to chuse for thy self In what wilt thou rejoyce if not in this that the whole Creation are ingaged to do thee a kindness to help thee into the possession of thy God Thou mayst now not onely submit to but thankfully embrace every Providence knowing upon what Errand it comes to thee for good and not for hurt Thou mayst now triumph not onely in the Consternations but in the Triumphs of thine enemies Whether they ride over thy back or thou tread on their neck 't is all one the issue will be the same Thy Troubles and thy Consolations differ only in their Countenance with what ever grim face thy afflictions look there are smiles under learn to see through them and thou mayst see light on the further side Believe this Word thou mayst read it written upon every thing that befalls thee there 's no Messenger that comes but brings this promise in his hand Even this shall work for good Read it and rejoyce 2. Lay thy self down quietly under it No more perplexing or distracting cares what shall become of thee no more unwarrantable shifting for thy self Let God alone Shift not for thy self lest God leave thee to thine own shifts Let not the violence of evil men disturb thy Peace or provoke thee to unpeaceableness What ever provocations thou mayst have avenge not thy self neither give place unto wrath murmuring or fears In thy patience possess thy Soul thy God and his good Word Thy strength is to sit still Stand still and see the Salvation of God thou hast nothing to do but to be Hâ—ly let that be thine only care thy God will see to it thou shalt be happy he is faithful that hath promised Love God and leave thy self and thy whole Interest in this blessed Word All things shall work to thee for good By this time you see something of the Riches of this Promise God is in the promise the God of Peace the God of Power the God of Patience the God of Hope the heart of God the help of God the presence of God by vertue whereof all that ever befalls them shall work for their good Methinks the hearing of this Promise opened should set your Souls and all that is within you a crying out Oh that this were my portion Where ever my Lott do fall as to outward things though in a prison though in a desert though on a dung-hill let the lott of my Soul lye in this Promise The God of Peace shall be with you Wâ—y Brethren will you take up with Godliness you have learned and received and heard the Word of the Lord the Word of Faith the Word of righteousness and holiness will you hearken to will you obey these words These things do and the God of Peace shâ—ll be with you Oh what foolish Creatures are we that ever we should be afraid of Religion afraid of Holiness afraid to own obey and follow God and his holy wayes What unreasonable fears are these to those that believe the Scriptures If the Scriptures be true this is the only way this following God in holiness to put your selves out of all danger to put your selves into the heart arms presence protection of the Almighty God of Heaven and Earth Oh that I could perswade you in thither and there leave you if you are once in the Lords Arms you are safe enough into what ever hands you fall Use By way of Application let me once more speak a few words 1. To the Ungodly 2. To the Godly 1. To the Ungodly my work with them shall be to perswade and direct them how to get into this peacefull and blessed state Amongst the ungodly 1. There are some who are far from the Kingdome of Heaven as 1. Those upon whom the Ministry of the Gospel hath done nothing at all that miserable forlorn multitude of the grosly ignorant who as they were born blind have had all their dayes such a mist of thick darkness abiding upon them that they are uncapable without a miracle of being savingly wrought upon Speak unto them of Faith in Christ of Repentance unto life of obeying the Gospel in the plainest way possible and you will be as a Barbarian to them as one of a strange Language they know not what you say if you should speak Greek or Latine to them they would understand it as well as the plainest truths of the Gospel A poor Minister of Christ may break his heart and rend his bowells in mourning over them may draw forth his Soul in the most melting expressions of his compassions to them may break his brains in studying how to convey a little light into them and yet cannot help them cannot make them to understand so much as that they understand nothing Their Minds are so wholly blinded by the god of this World that the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ though it shine round about them cannot find so much as a cranie into their hearts but being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them they give up themselves to lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness walking in the lusts of their hearts after the course of this World in riot luxury excess of wine revellings banquettings covetousness lying blasphemies and abominable adulteries and Idoâ—atries and yet remain without any conscience of sin or fear of their danger being as natural bâ—uit Beasts as if they were made for slaughter and destruction Are there none such in this place Doth not the Earth every where groan our Land mourn our Congregations travail in pain Is not this Congregation black'd and burthen'd with such miserable creatures who after all the instructions counsells wooings warnings threatnings and Judgments of God which have been in their ears and before their eyes remain to this day a stupid blockish brutish generation without the least sense of their sin or wish to be delivered from it Oh you blind and dark Souls consider and understand if it be possible these two Scripâ—ures 2 Cor. 4. 3 4. If our Gospel be hid it is hid to those that are lost In whom the god of this World hath blinded the minds of those that believe not lest the light of the glorious Gospel should shine unto them This darkness is
content that the first Bargain stand As to my interest I confirm the Bargain As for my Soul being sold to the Devil to the Devil let it go This is the voice of every wilful Refuser of the Terms of the Gospel Oh Wretch does not thy heart tremble does not thy hair stand on end do not thy knees shake and are not the Joints of thy Loins losed to consider what thou hast done and art still a doing Sinners I have but little more to speak to you but shall that little be nothing Hitherto you have stood it out and will not be perswaded by ought that God hath spoken by me But oh must I leave you thus Why may not a word at parting do more than all that hath been spoken Oh that it might Shall neither my first nor last words prevail with you What if my last should be your last If the lâ—st that I must preach be the last that you must must hear There is a day set that will be your last day There is a Sabbath that will be your last Sabbath There is a Sermon that will be your last Sermon There is a Warning that will be your last warning Oh what if this should be it If the Lord should take your this days deniall for your final Answer and never ask your consent again for ever But whether it be your last or no I must be henceforth silent to you And oh will you send me away with so sad an Heart with the sorrow and shame of the disappointed Will you break my Heart by persisting to harden yours Is this all that I shall have to return to the Lord that sent me unto you I have declared thy Name unâ—o them but they did not regard it I have invited them to come to thee but they would not follow me I have warned them to return from their sins but they would not hearken Are you willing that I shall give in this Answer and bear this Witness against you at the Great Day Sinners hearken Is there not one blind person among you that is yet willing to have his Eyes open'd Is there not one Captive to Lust and Vanity that 's willing to be set free from his Bondage Is there not one more that will be perswaded to be wise and to prefer an immortal Soul God Glory Eternity before his bruitish perishing pleasures Is there not one Drunkard more that will yet be perswaded to be sober Not one vain person that will be perswaded to be serious Am I making my last Draught among you and shall I take nothing Not one Soul more If you will not yet be prevailed with then hear the Word of the Lord Ezek. 3. 19. If thou warn the Wicked and he turn not from his wickedness he shall die in his iniquity but thou hast delivered thy Soul But if there be any few relenting Hearts among you who are brought but thus far to cry out Why what must I do I would leave with such these few words of counsel and oh that my counsel might be accepted by them 1. Get a deep sense of thy dreadful state What art thou sinner What is thy state at ease in peace out of fear in pleasure What and yet a sinner in the Bond of Iniquity Captive to the Devil without Christ without the Promise under the Curse Study these Scriptures Joh. 8. 34. He that committeth sin is the servant of sinne ver 44. Ye are of your Father the Devil 2 Tim. 2. 26. Held Captive by him at his will Act. 8. 23. in the galâ— of bitterness and the bond of iniquity 1 Joh. 5. 19. The World lyeth in wickedness Psal 11. 6. Vpon the Wicked he shall rain Snares Fire and Brimstone and an horrible Tempest this shall be the portion of their Cry Psal 49. 15. Like Sheep they are laid in the Grave Death shall feed upon them Rise Sampson the Philistims are upon thee awake sleeper the Devil is upon thee Death is at thy back the Grin is at thy heel the Curse is over thy head thy very next step may be Hell Thou lyest in wickedness to day and mayst be in fire and brimstone before to morrow Sure thou art in a dead sleep that canst take thine ease in such a Lodging Is this the state thou art so loath to change Is this the state thou so boastest of and blessest thy self in When thine heart is merry with thy Wine swell'd with thy pride jolly amongst thy Companions put in such a serious Question But what am I all this while Let this Thought sawce thy sweet Morcel spice thy pleasant Cups and be the Burthen of thy merry Songs After this Hell Snares Fire and Brimstone the Vengeance of Eternal Fire Oh an Heaven a Paradice oh my dear pleasures oh my sweet Daughter oh my merry days what Mortal can part with you I but what comes after What is there at the bottom Look a little before thee and if that sight turn not thy stomach sure thou art sufficiently hardy Study thy case and tremble and when thou tremblest there 's hope thou wilt turn Think not of Repentance or escaping from thy sinful state till thou see and fear it We read Isa 42. 7. that Christ was sent to open the blind eyes and to bring out the prisoners out of Prison If the prisoners eyes be shut 't is to little purpose that the Prison doors be open Their Eyes must be first open'd not onely that they may see their way out but that they may see themselves in Prison Open thine Eyes sinner if ever thou wilt escape open thine Eyes and see where thou art Thy Fools Paradice wherein thou blessest thy self is thy Souls Prison where thou art like to be held under Eternal Bondage 2. Give a present Bill of Divorce to every sinne hug not Death one minute longer in thy Bosom If thou lovest thy Life say not of any one sinne Nothing but Death shall part thee and me No nor so much as this Yet a little while and I will let thee go To day to day if you will hear his voice hearden not your hearts 3. Dread it as Hell that thy hope in Christ should lessen thy fear of sin Let not the hope of a Saviour be thy damnation Make not Christ the Pandor of sin continue not in sin because Grace hath abounded 4. Break off from thy Companions in sin wilt thou love them to the death Christ and thy Soul can never be married till thy Soul and Sinners be parted Escape for thy life get thee up from the Tents of these men linger not Thou art held under the power of the Devil by cords and by knotts by the cords of thy sins and by the knots of thy Companions There 's no hope that the cords of sin will be broken till the knots of evil Companions be loosed Sinner these binding Cords will if thou look not to it become whip-cords to torment thee Oh take heed thou never come to be
lashed with such knotted cords Thy Companions in sin as they now heighten thy pleasures so will they hereafter sharpen thy plagues Sinners comfort their hearts with this thought That if they be damned they shall have store of company but let them know That the fire of Hell will burn just so much the cooler for the multitudes that are there as the fire of their Chimney does for the store of fewell When thou art charmed with the roaring of thy Companions in the Ale-house think what musick their roaring with thee will make when you shall all meet in your eternal Prison Away from evil company you will remember hereafter when 't is too late how much and with how little success I have laboured with you in this thing 5. Bafflle not Conscience once more Awakened Sinner charm not thy Conscience into silence nor dash it out oâ— countenance Thy Conscience is the only Friend that God or thy Soul hath left within thee Thy will and thy affections and thine appetite are all gone the Devil hath stoln them away and hired them all against thee thou hast nothing but poor Conscience left Thy Conscience hath been often upon thee pleading with thee for God and for pity to thy Soul It hath warned thee reproved thee and often whisper'd thee in thine Ear What dost thou mean whither art thou going when wilt thou return Away with thy sins have done with thy Companions no more of this drunkenness this riot this covetousness Thou art a lost man thy Soul is lost if thou go on Thus Conscience hath warned thee and thou hast sometimes hearkned to it and spoken it fair The throbs and the paâ—gs and the wounds thou hast felt and received from it have wrung from thee now and then a promise Well through the Grace of God I 'le hearken to Conscience I 'le be a new man Away from me ye Sinners I will keep the Commandments of my God And yet shortly after when thy Temptations return thy Companion come all 's forgotâ—en and along thou goest as a fool to the Stocks or an Ox to the slaughter and this hath been thy way and thy manner from time to time Now and then Conscience draws a sigh or a tear from thee and by and by receives a kick or a stab Beware Sinner Conscience will not alwayes be thus us'd If ever it speak again say it not Nay Its next word may be its last if ever thou weariest it into perpetual silence then farewell all for ever Conscience is the only Friend thou hast left Convinced Soul How wilt thou bear the revenges of an awakened abused Conscience all thy bafflings of it here will be repeated over in eternity How will all this look when it shall meet thee before thy Judge Save thy self from that hour Baffle not Conscience once more 6. Let not the greatness of thy sins nor the difficulty of Christ's terms hinder or discourage thee from making a present close with Christ Say not his Yoke is too heavy his Cross is too grievous for me to bear or my sins are too great for him to bear Set the Throne against the Yoak the Crown against the Cross infinite Merit and Mercy against mighty sins and go unto Jesus cast thy self on his blood and bowells and put thy self under his Yoke and Scepter If he will give Life to thee be content that he give Laws to thee and as ever thou expectest to live by him be resolved to live to him and no longer to thy self Go to Jesus and when thou goest take with these two Scriptures Matth. 11. 28. Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest Take my yoke upon you and learn of me and you shall find rest unto your Souls Joh. 6. 37. Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out 7. Fall close to Duties and keep close to Ordinances 1. Let secret and Family Prayer be thy daily exercise Count not thy self a Christian till thou give thy self to prayer 2. Let not reading the Word Catechising c. be strangers in thy house 3. Prize improve and sanctifie Sabbaths The Lord on those dayes comes down upon eis Mount to meet thy Soul to commune with thee to bless thee to feed thee and fill thee with whatsoever thy Soul desireth or wanteth Get thee up to meet thy God But remember when thou goest leave thy stuff behind thee 4. View often and take an account of thy self of the in-come and success of all thy Duties What is all my praying reading hearing c. come to What is brought forth Is the work done for which all these are Are my Sins and my Soul parted Are my Companions in sin abandoned Is Christ and my Soul united Beware you never make Praying and Hearing to serve you instead of Believing and Repenting But to help you on to it Remember these Seven Words when I am gone 1. Get a deep Sense of thy dreadful state 2. Abandon presently every sin 3. Let not thy hope in Christ lessen thy fear of sin 4. Shake off every sinful Companion 5. Baffle not Conscience once more 6. Make a present Close with Christ 7. Fall close to Duties and keep close to Ordinances These things do and the God of Peace shall be with you But remember There 's no peace saith my God to the wicked 2. There are others that are near the Kingdome of God Thou art not far from the Kingdom of God There are some that are like Ephraim Hosea 7. 8. cakes half baked like Agrippa almost Christians Acts 26. 29. Almost thou perswadest me to be a Christian 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thou hast brought me within a little of Christianity They are come to the threshold of saving Faith within a step of sincere godliness They have been professing and praying and hoping and wishing themselves in and yet are short of it They have been enlightened in the knowledg of Christ have tasted of the heavenly gift have felt something of the sweetness of Christ have been made partakers of the Holy Ghost of many excellent and useful gifts have tasted of the good Word of God and the powers of the World to come They have set out after Christ have left the blind and prophane World much behind them have escaped much of the pollutions of this world left many sins taken up with many duties have a name among the Saints have suffered many things for the Name of Christ and notwithstanding all this here they stick they cannot give up themselves fully to Christ something or other either the World or their Companions or their pleasures or their ease or their sloth hath such hold on them that they cannot unreservedly resolvedly give themselves up to the dominion of Jesus Christ nay it may be they cannot tell wâ—y yet they cannot do it Though they can say I would be yet they cannot say I will be the Lord's these are near the Kingdom of God but
your God and his Gospel Read over your Priviledges Promises and Hopes feed more on that Bread of Life drink more freely of those Living Springs which are broken forth to you Prove more what Godliness hath in it Get out the sweetness and the pleasure of it none in the World live such a voluptuous Life as he that lives most with God get out the pleasure of Godliness lie more at the Breasts suck harder press the Clusters and the Wine and Milk will come make the most of Religion and you will have enough never blame it for empty or unsatisfactory while there is more to be hâ—d Gad not into other Pastures â—un not from Flower to Flower keep you Home Let not your God find you in another Field If you keep with God the less you have of Creature-vanities the more full will your Contentment be Christian Honour thy God and his Gospel let his Breasts satisfie thee and erre thou always in his Love Let the World read the Gospel-sufficiency in thy Souls pleasure and satisfaction with it alone 5. Let your Conversations answer the supports of the Gospel and its succours Live a patient life Jam. 5. 7. Be patient brethren unto the coming of the Lord. Patience is a Grace suited to our present Gospel state I may call it a Friend that 's born for the day of adversity If you are Christians you have need of Patience and if you have Patience you need no more Jam. 1. 4. Let Patience have her perfect work that you may be entire lacking nothing Patience is a submitting sedate and calm frame of spirit whereby a Christian from Gospel grounds is born up under all his Troubles and born througâ— all his Duties Betwixt Patience and Contentedness there is this difference Contentedness is the quiet of the heart and its satisfaction with its smallest portion of good things Patience is the quiet of the heart under the greatest pressure of evill things A patient spirit is a submitting spirit It 's heartily content that God should have his Will With whatsoever God is pleased it will not be displeased It 's the Lord let him do whatsoever seems good in his Eyes What seems good in God's eyes shall not seem evil in mine It is a Calm and quiet spirit It will not strive nor cry nor lift up its voice in the street it can mourn but it does not murmur it can feel but it will not fret at the hand of God A patient person is ever composmentis has the command and government of his spirit keeps it sober and in due order doth not rave and rage Impatience is a kind of frenzy such persons are besides themselves In our patience we possess and by our impatience we lose our Souls we lose the rule and government of them the peace and the use of them An impatient man is besides himself both as a Man and as a Christian 1. He is besides himself as a Man Impatience turns Reason out of doors and for the Affections they are all in an uproar and will know no command or government 2. He is besides himself as a Christian turned quite out of course Duties Comforts Experiences Hopes all are laid aside Keep you quiet keep the peace in your heart and you keep your heart In this calmness and quietness it bears up under troubles Patience hath Fortitude in it it neither frets nor faints under all its â—urâ—hens Christians must bear and patient Christians can bear any thing that comes on them The proper exercise of patience is enduring he endures not that suffers only but that can bear what he suffers It bears through its Duties The passion of a patient person doth not hinder his action He holds his course keeps on his way whatever load he hath in his back He runs with patience the race which is set before him he is not discouraged nor diverted from his holy course by any suffering it costs him And indeed Christian Patience stands not in a bare forced quiet in a biting in or keeping down our fretting aestuations from venting themselves in word or carriage or in a sullen silence or stupidity but in the maintaining such a tranquillity of spirit under all we suffer as that we can still both enjoy and serve the Lord. He is a patient Christian that is as much a Christian in a storm as in a calm that can pray believe love bless God follow God and keep his way when he smites as when he smiles Lastly in all this a Christian is upheld and carried on from Gospel grounds 'T is not a naturall hardiness apathy 't is not the spirit of a man that does sustain his infirmities 't is upon the everlasting Gospel that he stands There are three Things especially that bear him through His viewing The Hand of the Lord. The End of the Lord. The Help of the Lord. 1. He sees the Hand of the Lord in all that befalls him Whence was Davids patience Psal 39. 9. I was dumb I opened not my mouth because thou Lord didst it Whence was Elie's patience 1 Sam. 3. It is the Lord let him do what seems him good Whence was Job's patience Job 1. 21. The Lord hath given the Lord hath taken away blessed be the Name of the Lord. By the way Note That a godly man is not only patient under his afflictions but thankful He is not only thankful for Mercies but for Chastisements 'T is not only the Lord hath given blessed be his Name the Lord hath built me up the Lord hath filled me the Lord hath hedged me blessed be his Name but also the Lord hath taken away the Lord hath humbled me broken me undone me left me naked left me nothing blessed be the Name of the Lord. This by the way 2. He sees the End of the Lord that God intends his good by all that comes upon him He knowes that all things and therefore this which is upon him whatever it be shall work to him for good 3. He feels the Help of the Lord. When the hand of the Lord is upon him he feels also the hand of the Lord under him underneath the everlasting arms Deut. 32. 27. The Gospel as it hath allotted him many Tribulations so it hath allowed him mighty Supports A mighty God who is the rock of ages Isa 26. a merciful high Priest who being tempted himself is able also to succour those that are tempted Heb. 2. 18. pretious Promises 2 Pet. 1. gracious experiences Rom. 5. 4. patience worketh experience This last support experience hath all the rest in it Experience is the whole Gospel proved A patient experienced Christian hath proved all things what they are hath proved the World and what it is and the worst it can do hath proved the Word and what there is in it hath proved what God is what Christ is what grace and peace and a good Conscience are Tribulation often takes away God and his Gospel and we never so well prove what God
a Shield to yours and a Sword in your Enemies Souls Be patient and you have won the field and gotten the day They will have no hope to drive you to sin where they see you can suffer This was Job's Triumph and shall be yours In all this Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly You may now make your boast in the words of the Apostle Rom. 8. 35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ Shall Tribulation or Distress or Persecution or Famine or Naâ—edness or Perill or Sword In all these things we are more than Conquerours through him that loved us 5. Your patient suffering will be the improvement of your Sanctification Heb. 12. 9 10. We have had Fathers of our flesh which corrected us and we gave them Reverence Shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of Spirits and live For they verily for a few days chasten'd us after their pleasure but he for our profit that we might be partakers of his Holiness The Fathers of our flesh correct us and so doth the Father of Spirits they at their pleasure he for our profit You 'l say it may be for what profit What profit is there in our Blood in our Bonds in our Poverty Why there is this profit we are hereby made partakers of his Holiness There 's seldom any towardliness in a Child till it be whipt into him God's School of Affliction is a Nursery for Heaven Were it not for his House of Correction Sion would quickly become as Sodom Seldom does any come out thence but their Complexion shews where they have been 'T is with them that feel the Hand of the Lord as 't was with him that saw his Face his Face did shine his very spitting in their Faces doth wash them the cleaner Of all Saints there are none raised so high towards the Third Heaven as those that have been in the Deep No Providences give such a lift to the Soul as those that most humble Christians What ever pains you travail under believe it the Births may be such as will make you forget your Sorrow I have heard of an Holy Woman who used to compare her Afflictions to her Children They both put her to great pain in the bearing but as she knew not which of her Children to be without notwithstanding her Trouble in the bringing forth so neither which of her Afflictions she could have wanted notwithstand the Sorrow they put her to in the bearing Heb. 12. 11. No chastning for the present is joyous but grievous but afterwards it yieldeth the peaceable Fruit of Righteousness to them that are exercised thereby Oh when you see the Fruit where then will your Sorrow be Joh. 16. 21. A Woman when she is in Travail hath Sorrow because her hour is come bue as soon as she is deliver'd of the Child she remembreth no more the anguish for joy that a Man-child is born into the World If the Joy of the Birth will make you forget why should not the hope of the Birth make you to bear the pain Beloved Would you bring forth Fruit unto God and will you not bear the Plough and the Harrow Will you expect an Harvest and yet must God let you lye Fallow and still sow among Thorns Let me ask you and answer deliberately Would you be more holy than you are more fruitful than you are or would you not If you would not you are no Christian Si dixeris sufficit defecisti If you would is that Desire conditional You would increase so it coâ—â— you not overmuch labour and pain That desire comes to just so much as no desire at all Or is your desire of an increase absolute Would you be more holy whatever it cost you Do you so prize and love an holy and fruitful life that you are heartily content that God should take his own course with you should take any course that 's needful to bring you on to it Can you freely say Oh Lord I am weary of this Triâ—ling I am weary of this dead and barren life Lord quicken me Lord inlarge me Lord perfect thy work and fulfill in me all thy good pleasure of thy Will So thou wilt but hear me in this thing I freely put it into thy hand to take thine own way and use thine own means Use the Word or the Rod. Command me or chastise me spare not this flesh for all its crying strip me of what thou wilt inflict on me what thon wilt throw me whither thou pleasest let me not want the most bitter Pill that 's needful any thing any thing Lord I hope I can be poor if thou wilt have me so I can be in pain in disgrace if thou wilt have me But I cannot be unholy I cannot bear it to be such a starveling in the staâ—e of my Soul Lord for more holiness Lord for more life and care and zeal and fruit let me have it upon what terms thou pleasest onely let me have it Can you say thus to the Lord I hope you can what and yet be displeased if he take you at your word can you pray thus and yet repine and murmur that the Lord hears your Prayers Christian when the Lord comes to deal roughly with thee entertain his chastisements whatever they be with this thought Now the Lord is about to give me my hearts desire now is my day of hope This distress this sorrow and anguish the Lord hath brought upon me may be come to perform that work which I have long'd to see What the Word hath been so long a doing and yet is not done What Sacraments Prayers Mercies have been so long a doing and yet is not done Now is the time this may be the means to bring it about This bitter Cup hath health in the bottom this Plough and these deep furrows it makes look towards an Harvest The work is doing that I have been so long a begging This froward this senseless this sloathful this earthly barren heart which I feel to day I hope now in a little time I shall be rid of for ever If this be the meaning of my troubles I hope it is I will wait I will wait for this fruit and if this be the fruit oh welcome welcome this blessed Providence 6. Your patient suffering shall be the advance of your glory Remember what I have told you already Your suffering shall go into your reward according to your deep poverty so shall your riches be As 't was said concerning Babylon Rev. 18. 7. How much she hath glorified her self and lived deliciously so much sorrow and torment give her So shall it be said concerning you How much they have been abased and afflicted for me so much Joy and Glory give them As sure as the persecutings of the ungodly shall meet them in hell so certainly shall the Perfecutions of the Righteous meet them before the Throne of God This shall be written on their everlasting Crowns Here is the
went so cross with us 'T was happy we were so poor and brought so low and laid in the dark and stâ—ip'd so naked of all that we either took pleasure or put confidence in Now we see that the Lord had a more glorious design that he was carrying on for us step by stepâ— by every thing that came upon us than we were aware of or could have imagined It 's true the Shimeis have been cursing the Ishmaels have been mocking the Rabshakes have been railing the Ploughers have been ploughing the Hunters have been pursuing and had almost overtaken overcome and swallowed us up quick but blessed be our God that hath not turned our captivity and saved us by a mighty Salvation but hath done us good by all their mocking and cursing and raging against us Now we see there was such light sowing in our dark dayes such a Peace a sowing in those deep furrowes such an Harvest of joy sowing in the days of our tears as hath now sprung up unto this glory and blessedness We are beholding to the Devil and his Instruments our enemies have befriended us though much against their Wills We could never have shined with such beauty on earth had we not been scoured with such unclean wispes we could never have laid up such Treasure in Heaven as by their cursings and cruel persecutions our enemies have laid up for us So our Lord hath told us Great is your reward in heaven Matth. 5. 12. Blessed are you that are persecuted blessed are you that are reviled for my sake for righteousness sake for great is your reward in heaven It had not been so great had it not been for our great tribulations Hell hath given us a lift nearer the Throne of Glory Comfort and encourage your hearts with these words 2. If God be with you you shall shortly be with God Father I will that those whom thou hast given me be with me where I am And if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you to my self that where I am ye may be also If we suffer with him we shall also reign with him Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the World So shall we be ever with the Lord. Brethren you that lie among the potts 't is but a little time and you shall hear that Word Come up hither into the Kingdom the Inheritance prepared for you There are two Comes or Calls of our Lord the first come is Come and work with me come and watch with me come and follow me The second is 〈◊〉 and rest with me your work is done your watch is over your race is run come and enter into my rest The first Come is Come down with me from the pride from the pomps and jollities of this present World come with me into the wilderness into the valley of tears come and suffer with me come and die with me The second Come is Come up with me up out of the wilderness up out of your Prisons up from your bonds your Jubilee is come come up with me Come put off your prison-garments and put on your robes shake off your fetters and take up your palms lay down your Cross and take up your Crown from your prisons to your Palace from the stocks to the Throne You that have descended with me are the same who shall now ascend with me to my Father and your Father to my God and your God The first Come is the come of a Suitor Come grant me your love give me your hearts and accept of mine This is the Errand upon which his Ambassadours are dispatched As Abraham's servant to take you as a Wife for your Lord. This is the meaning of all those Jewels and Bracelets they bring in their hands the Lord sends Servant upon Servant Epistle upon Epistle Token upon Token and all speak the same word Come come come away and accept of your Lord and be married to him The second Come is the Come of the Bridegroom Come home with me into my holy City into my Royal Mansion come into my Chamber come into my Bosome come and lodg between my Breasts live in my presence and rest in my love for ever Christians my business whil'st I have been with you hath been to bring you to God to espouse you 10 Christ and you that have already or will yet at last be perswaded to give your consent and will give me leave to make up the Match I can give you assurance That he will shortly come and make up the Marriage and must say to you as Naomi to Ruth Ruth 3. 10. Sit still my Daughter till thou see how the matter will fall for the Man will not be in rest till he have finished the thing this day Sit still Christians till you see how matters will fall and however they fall know your Lord will not be in rest till he have finished this thing and brought you home to be with him where he is I am now parting from you in this confidence that however after a few dayes I shall see your Faces no more in this World yet I shall shortly meet you in the Bride-Chamber of Glory where we shall ever be with the Lord. Beloved in the Lord I must now leave you but give me leave e're I go to deal freely with you and yet a little further in the close of my day this once more to open my heart to you and to tell you 1. What my parting Fears 2. What my parting Wishes for you are which I carry upon my spirit 1. My parting Fears I go off from you with are especially these 1. I am afraid that there are many of you upon whom I have bestowed my Labour in vain I am afraid that I have Instructed you in vain exhorted perswaded beseeched and reproved you in vain 'T was the Apostle's case and his fear concerning the Galatians Chap. 4. 11. It is my grief that when I would have no more to speak but an healing word a comforting word I must yet drop down a bitter word on some of you That when I would speak onely from Mount Gerizim I must yet again speak to some from Mount Ebal That when I would leave a Blessing behind me upon you all I am like to leave some bound under a Curse It 's grievous to me thus to speak yet for the discharge of my Duty and for your own Necessity bear with me I am afraid that whil'st I have been preaching to you of an incorruptible Crown of an Everlasting Rest a Kingdom of Joy and Glory I am afraid there are many of you That have no part nor lot in this matter but are still in the Gall of Bitterness and Bond of Iniquity If the Gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost And are there none among you from whom this Gospel is hid hid as to the Light of it hid as to the
were rooted in your Hearts and your Souls thereby rooted in the Grace of God if it be to be wished That your Lusts were rooted out your sins dead and dried up your foot gotten out of the Snare your Souls brought into the Fold your Fruits of Righteousness and Holiness abounding and growing up unto Eternal Life If all this to be to be wished then give in your Votes with mine wish and pray pray and press on press on and wait for the accomplishment of this Grace in you all I tell you again I wish you well and not onely I but the Lord God that hath sent me to you The Lord Jesus wishes you well he wishes and wooes wooes and weeps weeps and dies that your Souls might live and be belssed for ever He hath once more sent me to you even to the worst amongst you to tell you from him that he 's unwilling you should perish that he hath a kindness for you in his heart if you will accept it He hath Bloud and Bowels for you Bloud to expiate your guilt to wash away your filth and Bowels to offer you the benefit of his Bloud with this Wish Oh that it were theirs Oh that they would hearken and accept Onely I must add That the Lord hath two sorts of Wishes concerning sinners The first is Oh that they would hearken Oh that they would come in be healed and be saved Deut. 5. 29. This Wish is an Olive Branch that brings good Tidings and gives great hopes of Peace and Mercy His last Wish is Oh that they had hearkned that they had accepted Psal 81. 13. Oh that my people had hearkned to me Luk. 19. 42. Oh that thou hadst known in this thy day the things that concern thy peace This Wish hath nothing but Dread and Death in it it is the Black Flagg hung out that proclaims Eternall Wars The sence is Israel had once a fair time of it a time of Love a time of Grace a time of Peace Oh that they had hearkned then that they had known the Things that concern their peace But woe woe to them 't is now too late the Door is shut the Season is over the Day is past But now they are hid from thine Eyes There are three deadly darts in this Wish oh that thou hadst it includes in it these three cutting words Thou hast not Thou mightest Thou shalt not for ever 1. There is this in it Thou hast not What have I not why thou hast not known the things that belong to thy peace Thou hast had the door of Glory the Gate of Heaven open to thee and hast been call'd for and invited in but thou hast lost the opportunity Thou knewest not when thou wert well offered nor would'st take notice what a day was before thee what a price was in thine hand thy peace the Gospel of peace the Prince of peace a Kingdom of peace was set open offered and brought home to thy doors but thou hadst so many other matters to look after that thou tookest no notice of it but hast let it slip There 's one Dart. Thou hast not known There 's a Gospel gone there 's a Christ gone there 's a Soul a Kingdom lost 2. There is this in it Thou mightest Oh that thou hadst why Might I yes thou might'st if thou wouldst thou mightst Thy God did not mock thee when he preach'd peace to thee he was willing and wish'd it thine if thou wouldst thou mightst have made it thine own but whilest he would thou wouldest not There 's another Dart I might have known I have none to thank but my self for the loss mine undoing was mine own doing There are no such torments as when the Soul flies upon it self and takes revenge on it self oh the gashes that such self-refluctions make Soul how camest thou in hither into all this misery oh 't is of my self my self that my destruction is The door was open and I was told of it and was bid come in but I would not That I am lost and undone was not my Fate which I could not avoid but my Fault and my folly It seems to give some ease of our torment when we can shift off the fault It was not I but the Woman said Adam It was not I but the Serpent said the Woman if that had been true it would have given ease as well as serv for an excuse This thought 'T was mine own doing tears the very caul of the heart Oh I have none to blame but my self mine own foolish and froward heart This is my ignorance this is my unbelief this is my wilfulness my lusts and my pleasures and my Idols that I was running after that have brought me under this dreadful loss 'T was my own doing 3. There is this in it Thou shalt not for ever Oh that thou hadst why may I not yet Is there no hope of recovering the opportunity not one word more not one hour more may not the Sun go one degree backward No no 't is too late too late thou hast had thy day from henceforth no more for ever There 's the last Dart Times past there 's the death the Hell the anguish the Worm that shall gnaw to eternity This one word Time 's past sets all Hell a roaring and when it s once spoken to a sinner on Earth there 's Hell begun Go thy way wretch fill up thy measure and fall into thy place The Gospel hath no more to say to thee but this one word Because I have called and thou refusedst I have stretched out my hand and thou regardedst not but hast set at nought all my Counsels and wouldest none of my reproofs I also will laugh at thy calamities and mock when thy fear cometh when thy fear cometh as desolation and thy destruction cometh as a Whirle-wind when distress and anguish cometh upon thee then shalt thou call but I will not answer thou shalt seek me early but shalt not find me Beloved my hopes are and I am not able to say but that you are yet under the first wish Oh that they would Christ is yet preaching you to faith and sends his Wish along with his Word Oh that they would believe Christ is yet preaching Repentance and Conversion to you and wishes O that they would repent that they would be converted and to this wish of my Lord my Soul and all that is within me sayes Amen Brethren will you yet again say your Lord nay shall Christ have his wish shall your Servant for Jesus sake shall I have my wish will you now at last consent to be sanctified and to be saved let me have this wish and I dare promise you from the Lord you shall have yours even whatever your Soul can desire Bâ—ethren this once hear this once be prevailed upon be content that your lusts be rooted out and your Lord planted into your Souls Be content to be pardoned content to be converted content to be saved This
thou may'st call thine Iniquity Find out what it is and know that there thy main Work lyes In vain wilt thou strive in other duties till that which hinders be removed out of the way Fight neither against small nor great but against the King of Israel Where the Enemy most ordinarily makes his breach upon thee set the stronger Guard Let thy daily conflicts be here and observe diligently with what success 6. Walk on thy course in the Name and strength of the Lord Jesus Live by Faith Depend on Christ for the assistance of his mighty Spirit Forget not this for otherwise thou wilt go but lamely on These things premised I shall now give you the particular Directions 1. Directions for the Evening Every Evening before you sleep withdraw your selves from the World and having set your heatts as in the Presence of God Charge them before God to answer to these following Interrogatories 1. Concerning your Duties Q. 1. Did not God find me on my bed when he expected me on my knees 2. Was there not more of Custome and Fashion than of Conscience and Affection either in my Secret or Family Duties 3. Had I any sensible Communion with God in my duties 4. Have I not neglected or been careless and overly in reading the Word and Holy Meditation 2. Concerning your Sins Q. 1. Do I live in nothing that I know to be a sin 2. Have I kept me from MINE Iniquity What victory have I yet gotten over it 3. Am I a mourner for mine own and the sins of the Land 3. Concerning your Temptations Q. 1. Have I feared watched against and not run into temptation 2. What Temptations have I overcome this day 3. Have I had a care of my Company 4. Concerning your Heart Q. 1. Have I held mine heart in a serious spiritual gracious frame have my calls to Duty ever found me in a preparation to Duty 2. Hath the Lord been ever before mine eyes and Eternity upon mine heart 3. Have I been much in holy Ejaculations 4. Have I not given liberty to the workings of Pride Sinful anger Discontent or Impatience 5. Have I made conscience of evil thoughts 5. Concerning Conscience Q. 1. Hath my Conscience neither been blind nor dumb nor my heart deaf or headstrong against it 2. Have I done nothing against nor with a doubting Conscience 3. Have I neither defiled mine own nor wittingly scandalized my Brother's Conscience 6. Concerning your Tongue Q. 1. Have I bridled my Tongue 2. Have I spoken Evil of no man 3. Hath the Law of the Lord been in my mouth as I sate in mine House or went by the Way as I was lying down and rising up 7. Concerning your Talents Q. 1. Have I not wasted or vainly spent any part of my Estate hath neither my Pride had a share nor my Appetite more than its share 2. Have I not sent Christ away without an Alms when I had it by me 3. Have I redeemed my time from Needless Visiâ—s Idle Imaginations Fruâ—â—leâ—s Discourse and Unnecessary Sleep 4. Have I not lost an opportunity this day of doing or receiving good have I not neglected to exhort or reprove when occasion hath been given and if I have been reproved how have I born it 8. Concerning your Tables Q. 1. Did I not sit down with no higher ends than a Beast only to please my appetite Did I eat and drink to the Glory of God 2. Did I not eat or drink to excess 3. Did I not rise from the Tablewithout letting fall any thing of God there 4. Did I not mock God when I pretended to crave a Blessing or return Thanks 9. Concerning your Calling Q. 1. Have I been serving the Lord this day in my particular Calling 2. Have I not been Idle 3. Have I not over eagerly minded my earthly affairs 4. Have I defrauded no man wronged no man 5. Have I dropped never a Lye no broken promise in all my dealings 10. Concerning your Relations Q. Have I Faithfully discharged and done nothing against my duty to my Relations Have I behaved my self As a Christian Husband Wife Parent Child Master Servant 11. Concerning your carriage to those Within Q. Have I carried my self towards all Saints 1. Lovingly Delighting in them Bearing with them Covering their Infirmities 2. Peaceably not provoking them to Envy 3. Profitably provoking them to love and good works 12. Concerning your carriage to those Without Q. Have I carried my self to those without 1. Wisely that they have not been a snare to me nor I through my fault become a Prey unto them 2. Inoffensively Have I not been a stumbling-block to them 3. Courteously and compassionately that I might the better win upon them 3. Concerning Providences Q. 1. Have I diligently observed all the remarkable Providences of God towards me especially such as have come in as the Returns of Prayer 2. Have I been thankful for my daily Mercies 3. Have I born this dayes crosses 14. Concerning the use of your Liberty Q. Have I kept my self far enough within my bounds In Summe Q. 1. What have I done for God or my Soul this day have I not lost one day more 2. Have I led this day A Diligent Watchful Self-denying Life Directions for the Morning 1. If through necessity or carelesness you have omitted the reading and weighing these Questions in the Evening be sure to do it now 2. Ask thy self Waht Sins have I committed what Duties have I omitted Against which of these Rules have I offended the day foregoing And renew thy Repentance and double thy Watch. 3. Examine whether God were first and last in thy Thoughts Morning and Evening 4. Be careful to set thine Ends right for all the day An Advertisement If you want time to make daily enquiry upon every one of the forementioned Particulars they being so many set a mark upon or write out such of them as most especially concern your Case and let not them be forgotten Think not thy self excused from this course because 't is too long when if need be thou may'st thus make it shorter Better cut short than wholly give out For the help of the weaker I shall gather out these few of the chief Interrogatories which when they are straitned for time they may only use and to which they may add more as they have occasion and opportunity Q. 1. Was I serious and had I any sensible Communion with God this day in my Secret and Family Duties 2. Hath it been my care to keep mine heart in an holy Frame from Duty to Duty 3. Have I been much in holy Ejaculations 4. Have I not given liberty to the working of Pride sinful Anger Discontent or Impatience nor so much as to vain Thoughts 5. Have I not inordinately minded Earthly things 6. Have I kept me from Mine Iniquity and not liv'd in any known sin 7. Have I wronged no man in word nor deed 8. Have I been temperate and self-denying in the use of
the Creatures 9. Hath the Law of the Lord been much in my mouth 10. Have I not sent Christ away without an Alms when I had it by me 11. Have I not lost an opportunity of doing or receiving good 12. Have I not neglected nor done any thing against my duty to my Relations 13. What have I done for God or my Soul this day have I not lost one day more 14. Have I been diligent and watchful Christians here is a course prescribed which by the ordinary assistance which the Lord doth not deny you may take up if you will and which if you conscientiously observe will be without doubt through the blessing of God attended with great sucâ—ess And those that do not take up this course or some other equivalent to it let them never think to ease their hearts by idle complaints I can't attain to such a holy even fruitful heavenly life as I desire I would but I cannot God will abhorr such lazy Complaints and look upon them as they are a meer device to keep you quiet under a sloathful heart Set your whole Duty daily before your eyes charge it upon your hearts take an account of your selves how you discharge it set upon it as that which is no other than you have vowed to thâ— Lord commit your selves and your waies to him for success and if this doth not mightily conduce to advance you in point of holiness and establish you in point of peace then say that both the Precepts and Promises of the Gospel have deceived you And thus I have set before you that holy Conversation which becometh the Gospel Take up this holy Course let this be your Life you mean to lead and let it be carried on In an holy Union In an United Contention In an Holy Boldness 1. In an holy Union So the Apostle there adds Stand fast in one sâ—irit with one mind Never look to thrive in Grace if you do not live in Peace The decayes of Christianity lye much upon the score of the divisions of Christian The Devil hath also taken up that Maxim Divide et Impera Rent them and Ruine them The reason why our love is so cold is because our differences are so hot The reason of so little zeal against sin hath been the great strife among Brethren The Combinations of Sinners have not so much prejudiced the power of holiness as the Contentions of Saints There are not a few who go under the name of Saints that have maintained disputes about Religion so long till they have disputed themselves out of all Religion their searching for Truth hath been the loss of both love and life Christians if ever you would be any thing be one be of one heart of one mind holding the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace It were greatly to be desired that the people of God were both of one heart and of one way But if this may not yet be if there cannot be Vniformity yet let there be Vnity betwixt all that fear the Lord in truth A few words I shall leave with you for your direction herein 1. Divide not from the Head to unite with any pretended Members hold not with them that hold not with the Head Sell not Truth clear fundamental Truth to buy Peace 2. Divide not from real Members lest you hereby prove your division from the Head Christ hath but one body if you be not in union with the body you are divided from the head 3. See the head in every member see Christ in every Saint 4. Prize Christ where ever you see him Love Christ and love his Image if you will not slight Christ slight not any Saint See'st thou an humble meek patient broken-hearted self-denying mortified Christian in whatsoever unpleasing form as to matters circumstantiall he appears despise him noâ— reject him not 5. Prize Peace and Union as the strength and honour of the Body 6. Pursue Peace and Union with the utmost strength of thy Soul And that you may obtain it 1. Let all parties that are named of Christ be humbled under former Divisions What Peace so long as God is angry Oh how have we provoked the Lord by provoking one another Let him only who hath been without sin in this matter be without sorrow and shame Sure they are hard hearts who are not broken under such breaches Let us not mistake our selves nor mis-call that Zeal for God which God will call Pride and peevishness I speak not against our being offended either with errour or iniquity we may not call evil good or darkness light for peace sake but at our unreasonable passions against whom we suppose erring Brethren If the Reproach of the Gospel the hardning of the perverse the stumbling of the weak if the hindring of Ediâ—ication the promoting of Confusion and every evil work which have been the sad Effects of our Divisions if Pride and Haughtiness if Vanity and Wantonness if Envy and Uncharitableness which have been the Womb from which our Contentions have sprung be matter of Humiliation then sure we had need be brought upon our knees We must be melted e're we can be moulded up into one 2. Let all parties unite sincerely in their ends Let the honour of Christ the advancement of practical Godliness the destruction of the interest of the flesh the edification of the whole body in Faith and Holiness be look'd at with a single Eye and pursued with a plain and honest heart Let not the interest of a party the affection of Superiority and Dominion the carrying on of selfish or fleshly Designs let the God or the Christ you are driving for unbyass your Spirits take the right mark and let your motions be sincerely level'd at it If we were once set right in our endsâ— an accommodation of all our differences about the means would be more facile and feisable Prov. 11. 3 5. The integrity of the upright shall guide him the Righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way Humble single honest hearts are most like to hiâ— upon the good and honest way if we had nothing 〈◊〉 do but to please the Lord we should not have much to do to please one another 3. Let all parties unite in this Rule Do as you would be done by that is as being well informed and advised and freed from evil and discomposed Affections for so the Rule is to be understood you would that Men should do unto you Allow to others what you challenge to your selves or would if you were in their Circumstances Deny not what you would demand The same Liberty the same Charity that you would expect from other Christians allow to them 4. No longer tie up Christ to a party Say not Loe here is Christ and not there Say of all Believers though of different Forms As we are Christs so they are Christs Of all the Subdivisions of Protestants that are considerable amongst us there 's no party the union with which makes us