to sinners Bring me no more vain Oblations Incense is an abomination to me Sinners not onely your wickedness but your very prayers will undo you If you make them a shelter for sin your very prayers will be turned into sin 2. Returning Prayers When a Sinner being struck with a sense of his sin and of his necessity of changing his way and of his utter inability to turne of himself under the fears and troubles of his heart goes to God and cryes out Lord what shall I do I see I am in an evil case my soul is running on in sin and they curse and wrath I behold running on upon me Lord save me Lord help me Lord pardon Lord convert me break me off from my sins break me off from my sinful companions I cannot get loose my heart is too hard my lusts are too strong my Temptations are too many for me to overcome of my self Lord help me turn me and I shall be turned pluck my foot out of the snare that I be not utterly destroyed forgive mine iniquity make me a clean heart make me thy childe make me thy servant that I may never again yield up my self a servant to sin Such a prayer as this if it be hearty and and in earnest if there be no promise of audience yet at least there is an half promise Who can tell Or it may be the Lord may hear Though it cannot be properly said the Lord doth accept neither can any man say he will reject it as an abominable thing This being premised 2. I answer to the question That sinners if they have but anâ— heart to it have also a price in their hand God hath put arguments into their mouths also to plead with him for mercy As 1. The grace of God or his gracious Nature his readiness to shew mercy this even strangers may lay hold upon Benhadad's encouragement to beg his life of the King of Israel may be the sinners plea in the begging of his We have heard that the Kings of Israel are merciful Kings Go Sinner to the Lord and speak thus in his ears Lord I have heard that the King of Glory is a merciful King Thy name is the Lord merciful and gracious and thy Nature is according to thy Name It is thy Nature to pity and in thy heart there is plenteous compassion Oh I am a miserable creature a poor undone helpless wretch do for me according to thy Nature do for me according to thy Name will the God of mercy send away such a wretch that comes for mercy will the God of Grace send me away without Grace The God of Mercy hear me the God of Grace grant me to find grace in his eyes 2 Gods Call or gracious Invitation Isa 55. Ho every one that thirsteth come to the Waters and he that hath no Money come ye buy and eat buy Wine and Milk without Money and without â—rice Look unto me and be ye saved all the ends of the Earth Come unto me all that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest Rise sinner he calleth thee Go to the Lord and when thou goest tell him Lord thou hast bid me come and behold here I am I come Lord at thy Word I come for a little Water I come for thy Wine and thy Milk I have brought no price in my hand but thou hast bid me come and buy without Money and without Price Though I have no grace yet behold at thy word I come for Grace though I have no Christ yet I come for Christ though I cannot call thee Father yet being called I come to thee as Fatherless With thee the Fatherless shall finde mercy And is it only those that want the Fathers of their Flesh is it not also those that want the Father of Spirits Shall earthly Orphans find pity and onely Spiritual Orphans be left Orphans If I am not thy child may I not be made thy Child Hast thou not a childs Blessing left yet to bestow upon me Thou hast bid me come come for a Blessing bless me even me also O Lord. Wherefore hast thou sent for me Shall I be sent away as I came I come at thy word do not say again be gone be gone out of my fight I cannot go at thy Word I will not go for Whither shall I go from thee Thou hast the Words of Eternal life Since thou wilt have me speak Lord answer Though I dare not say Be just to me a Saint yet I do say I will say I must say Lord be merciful to me a sinner 3. Christ And there are two things in Christ upon which sinners may plead with God 1. His Sufficiency There is enough in Christ in his obedience and death to save the worst of sinners to save the whole World of Sinners There is a fulnesse in Christ Col. 1. 19. It pleased the Father that in him should all fulnesse dwell There is a fulnesse of Merit to obtain pardon to make reconciliation for whoever comes a fulnesse of the Spirit to Sanctifie and cleanse them from their sins He 's able to save unto the uttermost all those that come unto God by him From this Sinners may reason thus with the Lord. O Lord I do not come to beg that of thee that cannot be had Thou hast enough by thee Look upon Jesus that sits at thy right hand 〈◊〉 there not Righteousnesse enough in him to answer for all my uâ—righteousnesse Are there not riches enough in him to supply my povertie Oh shall I die for want of a pardon when there is such blood continually before thee pleading for pardon Oh shall I lie down in my own vomit and wallow in the mire of my filthie lusts when there is such a Fountain by thee that 's still open for sin and for uncleannesse Oh sprinkle me with this blood O wash me in this Fountain Hear Lord send me not away without an Almes when hast it by thee 2. His Office which is to bring sinners to God to make reconciliation for sinners to make intercession for Transgressors Isa 53. Psal 68. 18. Thou hast received gifts for men yea even for the rebellious also What a strange and mighty Plea is here for poor sinners Oh it is true Lord I am a Transgressor and have been from the Womb I have played the Traytor and been a Rebel against thee all my dayes But is there none in Heaven that will iâ—tercede for a Transgressor Hath the Lord Jesus received no gift for this poor Rebel that falls down before thee Though I am a Rebel Lord yet I am a returning Rebel Though I am a Rebel yet let me recieve a Rebels gift not a Rebels reward Lord that would be dreadful but some of those gifts which Christ received for the Rebellious Doth Christ make intercession for Transgressors and shall not he be heard If thou wilt not hear me who am a sinner yet wilt thou not hear him that speaks for sinners
The Lord calls thee this day calls thee to return and repent that thine iniquities may be blotted out bethink thy self what answer thou wilt return Wilt thou hearken or not III. Head concerning Christ Direct 1. FIrst Consider what the Scriptures speak 1. Concerning the Excellencie of his Person John 1. 14. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth Heb. 1. 3. Who being the brightnesse of his Glory and the expresse Image of his Person 2. Concerning the Glorie of the Mystery of Christ Crucified Isa 53. throughout He is despised and rejected of men a man of Sorrowes and acquainted with grief and we hid as it were our faces from him He was despised and we esteemed him not Surely he hath born our griefs and carried our sorrowes yet we did esteem him stricken smitten of God But he was wounded for our Transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisements of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed All we like Sheep have gone astray and have turned every on to this way and God hath laid on him the iniquities of all He was oppressed and afflicted yet he opened not his mouth Col. 1. 27. To whom God will make known what is the riches of the Glory of this Mystery among the Gentiles which is Christ in you the hope of Glory Phil. 2. 6 7 8. Who being in the Form of God thought it no robbery to be equal with God but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the forme of a Servant and was made in the likenesse of men and being found in fashion as a man he humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the Cross The Gospel is a Mystery full of wonders 1. There is a wonder of Righteousnesse and Severitie That God should not spare but punish Sin though upon his own Son 2. A Wonder of wisdome That God should being Light out of Darknesse Life out of Death that God should bring about the Rising of the World by the Fall of the Lord the Riches of the Word by the Povertie of their Lord the Fulnesse of the Saints by the emptinesse of the King of Saints 3. A Wonder of Mercy That God should harden his Heart against the Crie of his Son and open his Bowels to the cry of Sinners 4. A Wonder of Love Love in the Father in giving his Son Love in the Son in giving himself his blood his life his Soul a Ransom for sin and all this for Worms Traytors Enemies Direct 2. Ask thy heart these Questions Quest 1. Oh what monster is sin What an Hell what a bottomless pit is it of malignity and wickednesse that none but God can expiate or purge it away that God cannot do it but by taking flesh that God manifested in the flesh could not purge away sin but by suffering that no suffering would serve but Death that no death could serve but such a cruel and cursed death Oh what a Monster is Sin that must have such blood the blood of God to take it away Quest 2. What strange Love is the Love of Christ 1. Strange in regard of the fruit and benefit of it All that Holinesse and Beauty that my Spirit is cloathed with all that peace and joy that possesses my heart all my glorious hopes and expectations for hereafter all that difference that is betwixt my state and the state of Cain Judas and the whole reprobate World this is the Love of Christ Where had I now been had it not been for the Love of Christ 2. Strange Love in regard of the fervency and ardency of it and that not onely to the whole generation of the Elect but to my Soul in particular To expresse this ask this one Question farther What if Christ had done and suffered all this for me alone What if there had been but one Sinner in the World and I had been that Sinner and Christ should have come down from Heaven cloathed himself with flesh giving himself to death given such a glorious Gospel sent forth such a multitude of Ambassadours to preach to to convert and save this one Soul this my Soul this had been strange love Such is the love of Christ to every Elect person that if there had been but one Sinner Christ would have done and suffered all this for one sinner rather then he should have perished Quest 3. Is Christ mine Have I a share in the Gospel is my name written in the Lambs Book All are not Israel though Christ died for all yet all are not made alive by him There are many from whom the Gospel is hid there are many that have rejected the Gospel that have put from them the Word of Life Whilest there are such multitudes that are lost and perish for ever is my Soul found found in Christ Hath he that hath died for me drawn me to himself Hath he that hath given me a liberty to lay hold on him given me a heart to lay hold on him Hath he given me his Spirit in my heart to sanctifie and cleanse me from my sins If I have not the Spirit of Christ in me I am none of his Vnless I wash thee thou hast no part with me If he be not mine then Quest 4. What may I doe to get Christ to be mine May I have him without seeking him Can I live by Christ without coming to Christ believing repenting and following of Christ is this ignorance this idleness is this earthly this Carnal course I take is this loose and vain life I live is this the way to get an interest in Christ if Christ be mine then Quest 5. How may I walk worthy of Christ Is it not by being made conformable to him Conformed to his image by being holy humble and meek Conformed to him in his obedience chearfully and readily doing the Will of God Conformed to him in his sufferings by being content to be brought down and laid low and made vile for his Name Conformed to his Resurrection and Ascension that this poor Soul which hath descended with Christ may also ascend with him Ascend in holy desires and affections ascend in holy praises and acknowledgements confessing to him Worthy is the Lamb that waâ— slain to receive power and riches and wisdome and strength and honour and glory and blessing for thou hast redeemed my Life from Death and Crowned me with loving Kindness and tender Mercies IV. Head concerning the vanitie and miserie of a worldlie life BY a Worldly life understand any course or way of life which is short of a godly life That which the Apostle calls Ephes 2. 2. The course of this World Such a life the main business care and delight whereof lies in the managing our Worldly affairs and interests in buying selling working trading to get together this worlds good The main comfort whereof stands in
and he shall have nothing else to feed upon there is meat for him to eat and a place prepared for him such as it is his place shall not be on the Throne but under the Foot-stool Now put all this together and you may see the woful state of Apostate Professors they are Monuments of Vengeance Though they have lost their savour yet they will serve for Pillars of Salt a standing dread and terror and warning to others on whose foreheads is written Let him that thinks be standeth take heed lest be fall They are cloathed with curses must feed upon fire and have their dwelling under the foot-stool in scorn and everlasting contempt Apostates are the worst of men Those that have lost their Religion have lost by their Religion 2 Pet. 2. 21. Better had it been for them not to have known the way of Righteousness than having known to turn from the holy Commandment Religion which is a wing to Saints whereby they rise up into Glory is become a weight to hypocrites to sink them so much the deeper in wrath Apostates are in the worst case of all men 1. They are the worst in Gods account The Lord hath a double quarrel with them not only for being found under the Enemies colours but that ever such varlets should have marched under his colours A quarrel with them for their Profession for their Prayers wherein they have but abused his Name and Gospel God and his waies have suffered from none so much as from Renegado disciples 2. They are the worst in the account of men both good men and evil men there are none that can speak well of Renegado's they are the sorrow of Saints and the sport of sinners good mens shame and evil mens scorn and the hate of all 3. But especially they are the worst and most miserable of men considered in themselves they have not only lost their Religion but they have arm'd it against themselves All the profession and prayers that they have made together with all the hopes and joys and comforts that once seemed to grow up out of them the remembrance of them I mean when ever they come to remember themselves will be as many darts in their livers and stings in their hearts All their hopes and joys and comforts have given up the Ghost and these ghosts do haunt them and torment them with such thoughts as these Wretched creature that I am where am I what an exchange have I made Light for darkness Wisdom or folly Righteousness for wickedness Gain for godliness Conscience for credit Heaven for hell I was once as I thought in the way of Life and I had hopes I should have seen life I made profession of Religion and took pleasure in Religion I walked after the Lord and the thoughts of God were precious to me I found comfort in Christ I took sweet counsel with the Saints and went to the house of God with them in company Sabbaths were a delight Ordinances were a refreshing to me I have tasted of the good Word of God and the powers of the World to come and whilst it was thus with me I had great peace and was full of hopes that I should once see the goodness of the Lord in the Land of the living But wo is me where am I now How hath my treacherous heart that I never suspected turned me aside from God and spoiled me of all my hopes and comforts I must now bid adieu to all farewel â—rofession farewel Religion farewel Conscience farewel Duties Sabbaths Ordinances Saints the sweet delights I took in them farewel Joyes and Hopes for ever Welcome Drunkards Swearers Lyars welcome Turk or Pope or Devil I must now be of your side and take up my lot with you for ever Oh whither am I fallen Study well the misery of such persons and let that be a warning to you IV. Be Circumspect See that you do not unnecessarily pull sufferings on your selves especially look to it that you suffer not as evil doers If your sin lead you into sufferings God may leave you in them and then what is like to become of you There is a suffering for our faults there is a suffering for our righteousness without our fault and there is a suffering for our righteousness through our fault We sometimes run our selves upon trouble when we need not as when by our unwary and imprudent managing and ordering our selves in some duties we lay our selves open to those sufferings which a little prudence might have prevented We must be wise as well as innocent Christians should never ordinarily expose themselves to suffering till God hath so hedg'd up all lawful waies of escape that they must either suffer or sin Be so wary in your course that you may not faultily suffer for the good that is in you but especially see to it that you suffer not as evil-doers and for the evil that is found in you to this end be careful 1. That you speak not nor do any thing in the matters of Religion rashly 'T was good counsel which the Town-Clark gave the Ephesians when they were in a tumult and uproar about their Goddesse Diana Acts 19. 36. Seeing that these things cannot be spoken against ye ought to be quiet and to do nothing rashly Christians should be considerate and well advised in what they speak or do should mark and weigh their words and actions themselves which they know will be so narrowly observed and weighed by others 2. That you speak not nor do nor refuse to do any thing obstinately or out of stomack or animosity Let your wayes be guided not by passion or a spirit of contradiction but by conscience and meekness of spirit be not self-willed let nothing be done through strife c. Phil. 2. 3. Be stedfast but not stubborn be faithful but not wilful be zealous but not contentious 3. That you neither do nor suffer any thing out of pride or vain-glory as the Apostle exhorts Phil. 2. 3. Do nothing so suffer nothing out of strife or vain glory Take heed that an affectation of popular applause of gaining the repute of active Christians of bold and resolved Christians be not it that leads you on Your pride may cost you much but will never bear your charge may bring you into trouble but will never bear you out 4. That you do nothing ignorantly or upon mistake Be clear especially in those things which may be costly Study your duty throughly labour to see your way plain before you to see the pillar of fire and of the cloud going before you Give heed to the word of the Scriptures which is a light to your feet and a Lanthorn to your steps Where you are clear you will be bold but take heed of suffering upon a mistake Your troubles will be like to open your eyes and shew your mistake and thereby put out your lights destroy your supports and comforts 5. Do not suffer unpeaceably Suffer not for
unpeaceableness and suffer not unpeaceably be patient and you will be peaceable Brethren see that you be thus well advised meek humble peaceable and clear in the grounds of your sufferings And then V. Be resolute Be sure you stand on good ground and then resolve to stand your ground against all the world Follow God and fear not men Art thou godly repent not whatsoever thy Religion cost thee let sinners repent but let not Saints repent let Saints repent of their faults but not of their faith of their iniquities but not of their Righteousness The Psalmist as holy a man as he was was almost brought to it his feet were almost gone he began to say when he considered the prosperity of the wicked and his own afflictions Psal 73. Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain and washed mine hands in innocency Look to your selves you that stand and take heed lest you fall You that stand in integrity take heed lest you fall away by your Repentance Repent not of your righteousness lest you afterward repent of your repentance Repent not of your righteousness no nor of your zeal or your forwardness or activity in the holy wayes of the Lord. Your zeal it may be hath put you in the front of the Battel where you receive the first and hottest charge of your enemies reproaches and persecutions when others that have kept them more close and been more remiss or hid in the crowd and more out of gun-shot yet wish not your selves a step farther back or a cubit lower in your stature in the Grace of God Wish not any thing undone concerning which God will say well done Repent not and remit not of your zeal think not of a retreat Do not as the King of Israel hide your selves under a disguise feign not your selves to be worse in hope to escape the better the arrow may find you though you be hid from the eye Let not any of you that have been confessors of Christ return to be only his midnight disciples Forsake not the Lord till you can find a better Captain that is till God cease to be God till the Lord say shift for thy self there is no help for thee in thy God Retreat not from holiness till you are sure you can retreat without loss Be not false to Religion till you find it false to you If ever Godliness leave you in the lurch renounce it and spare not If ever Religion cost you more than it is worth throw it off as you will Christians know when you are well and hold your own be not betrayed out of your refuge If you must suffer suffer for that which will pay you your charges suffer not for your sins but for your Religion suffer not for the shadow or name but for the substance of Religion If any thing in the world will save you harmless in your sufferings and quit the cost of all your expences it is substantial goodness If there be any Stigmata Lâ—udis they are the marks which we bear in our bodies of the Lord Jesus If there be any shame that hath a glory in it it is the reproach of Christ and the shame that you suffer for his Name If there be any Cross that is a Crown it is the Cross of Christ If there be any Cross that can be undoubtedly called the Cross of Christ it is the holy Cross or sufferings for holnesse Those Martyrs that suffered under the Popish tyranny for witnessing against the abomination of the Mass with the rest of their Idolatries and Superstitions had not a more clear and glorious Cause and Crown than thou hast who sufferest for the power of Holinesse If there be any thing in the World which God owns and wherein his honour is nearly concern'd it is holiâ—ess If ever the Divel shewed himself a Devil it is in his opposing holinesse if ever he shewed himself a Devil in print it is in those books of reproaches and scoffs that are written against purity if ever he shewed himself a Devil in grain it is when his hands have been dyed with the blood of Saints Brethren if you will resist the Devil if you will be on the Lords side be on the side of Holiness If you will stand to any thing if you will not be whifling inconsistent shaken reeds tossed up and down with every Wind if you will fix any where fix here upon substantial godlinesse This is the great controversie betwixt Heaven and Hell betwixt the seed of the Woman and the Serpent betwixt the professing and prophane world about the substance and power of godliness some quarrels and contests there are about the shadows and appendants of Religion matter meerly circumstantial but whatever noise there be made about such things as these the bottom of the controversie lyes deeper it is about the body of Religion and not the skirts of its garments it is he that will live godly in Christ Jesus that doth and must suffer persecution Art thou godly Fix here and let this be thy resolution I live in a World of quarrels and contentions contentions about shadows and circumstances but for such things as these though I will not defile my self by complying in my practise with what Conscience complies not yet I list not to be contentious nor to perplex my self or others about them But by the grace of God whilst God is a God of holinesse whilst holinesse is the image and Interest of God whilst these words of the Lord Be ye holy follow holiness live righteously soberly and godly in this present World whilst these and the like words of the Lord stand un-repeal'd by the Grace of God I will be a Friend an Advocate a Confessor a practitioner of Holinesse to the end of my days This is my resolution and in this resolution I commit my self to God and so come on me what will FINIS PHIL. 4. 9. Those things which you have both learned and received and heard and seen in me do the God of Peace shall be with you WHat the particular Reason of my choice of this Scripture this day is if you compare my present station with the intent of the Apostle in these words you will easily understand These words of the Apostle being part of the close of his Epistle to the Philipiant are his Valediction or Farewel to them It is not unknown to you that I must now be parted from you and I have pitched on this Scripture to be the Close of my Twenty Years Ministry among you God hath sent me among you to be a Builder and I have chosen this Text to be an Hammer to fasten and drive home those Nailes of Instruction and Consolation which I have been so long endeavouring to enter into you God hath sent me among you as a Fisherman and I have chosen these words to be as the closing of the Net Behold once more the Net is spread and I am now making my last Draught and oh
hearts desire for you all is that you may be saved and if there be any persons that bear evil will to me my particular wish for them is The Good-will of him that dwelt in the Bush be those Men's Portions for ever These are some of my Wishes for you will you joyn your Wishes with mine will you turn your Wishes into Prayers and let this be your prayer The Lord grant thee thine hearts desire and fulfill all thy Mind Brethren do I wish you any harm in all this If not if it be to be wished that the word of Christ 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 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 only I but the Lord God that hath sent me to you The Lord Jesus wishes you well he wishes and wooes woes and weeps weeps and dyes that your Souls might live and be blessed 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 Blood and Bowels for your Blood to expiate you 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 Only 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 â—idings and gives great hopes of Peace and Mercy His last Wish is Oh that they had hearkened that they had accepted Ps 81. 13. O that my People had hearkened 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 Flag hung out that proclaims External 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 wo wo to them 't is 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 werâ— 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 Kingdome 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 Ye thou mightest 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 whilst 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 reflections 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 it had been true it would have given ease as well as serve 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 willfulness 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 Time 's 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 wouldst 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
Vindiciae Pietatis OR A VINDICATION OF Godliness In the greatest Strictness and Spiritualitâ— of it From the Imputations of FOLLY FANCY Together with Several Directions for the Attaining and Maintaining of a Godly Life By R. A. London Printed in the Year 1665. To my dearly Beloved in Christ the inhabitants of the Parish of B. in the County of S. My dearly beloved Brethren THe ensuing Sermons as they had their Birth for your sakes so are they now offered into your hands and they come unto you upon the same important errand upon which their Authour hath been sent among you viz. to shew you the Path of life and to bring you into and establish you in that holy state and way that leads to everlasting Blessedness The chief hindrances of Sinners eternal Happiness next to that innate enmity against God and Godleness which is rooted in their hearts are their prejudices against and their ignorance of the good wayes of the Lord. Sathan and his Instruments have made it their businesse by those vollies of reproaches and unreasonable calumnies which they are continually discharging against holinesse to render it in the judgement of the World an empty and contemptible thing Two things there are amongst many others which they lay to the reproach of it The one that it is folly whatever there may be in this Godlinesse yet it is attended with so many difficulties dangers and hazards and will be such an unsufferable prejudice to all that will have much to do with it that it is a foolish thing upon such hazards and disadvantages to adventure upon it If this will not do but the consciences of Men whilst they apprehend the real worth and excellency of it stand convinced that it is not Folly but wisdom to adventure on any difficulties to run any hazards for so glorious a prize then comes in the second reproach That it is but a device a specious contrivance to take up eager heads to amuse and divert the busie and keep in awe weak souls when if it be enquired into notwithstanding its glorious pretences it will be found nothing else but imagination meer fancy and no reality at all in the heart of it These impressions I have endeavoured according to my might to wipe away from your hearts and the hearts of such as read what you have heard in the ensuing discourses where I hope you will see both sufficient reason whence to put to silence the ignorance of foolish men to establish your hearts in the firm belief and resolved embracing of it and abundant encouragement to hold on your holy course to the end The other hindrance of a Godly Life is mens ignorance They walk not in the way of the Lord because they know not the way of the Lord some rude and dark notions of Religion possibly they may have but wherein the Spirit and life of Godliness stands and how to set upon an holy and heavenly course they cannot tell This hindrance I have in part prevented in that Description I have given of a godly man and more fully removed in those Directions which I have subjoyned for the obtaining and carrying on a godly Life Brethren my hearts desire and Prayer for you is that what I have done may be successful to your souls that you may be saved as the Apostle speaks that you may be brought into and established in the way of truth and may be found walking in the way of Righteousness And if the Lord shall be pleased so to follow these my endeavours with his Blessing that they may contribute any thing to this end if the Lord shall so animate these otherwise dead words by his quickening Spirit that any souls of them that are without may be added to the Church that any cubits may be added to the stature of those that are within it shall be a Crown to me and exceeding Cause of rejoycing Let the Lord Almighty have the praise for ever as from all such who shall reap any benefit hereby So from the soul of Your Servant in the Gospel R. A. The Contents of the Sermons on Ephes 5. 15. THe Text opened Page 2 The Doctrine propounded Precisians are no fools ibid. The Doctrine explained 1. Precisians are described 1. Negatively to be 1. No Pharisee 3 2. No Phanatick ib. 3. No Phrenetick ib. 2. Positively 1. By their make or constitution They are formed after the image of God 5 2. By their way or conversation Where is considered 1. The end of their conversation Where they are described to be men that are travelling to another world 8 2. Their course I. They take the right way Which is 1. Described to be The Old and Good The New and Living The Strait and Narrow Way ib. 2. Proved to be the most excellent Way It is 1. The way of Truth 14 2. The way of Holiness 15 3. The way of God 16 4. The way of the Kingdom 17 II. They are upright in the way 19 Their uprightnesse is considereed as it hath respect To the Commandement To Conscience 21 Their uprightness as it respects the Commandment stands 1. In their having respect to every Command 23 2. In having respect to the most spiritual and in ward part of every Command 24 3. In the endeavour to observe every Command to the utmost 25 1. They endeavour to get up to the highest pitch of affection care and activity ib. 2. They study and seek out after opportunities for service 26 3. They shun occasions and temptations to sin 27 4. They obstain from all appearance of evil 28 Two things added 1. When they have done all that they can they acknowledge themselves unprofitable servants 30 2. Whatever they have done they dare not trust upon it or be found in their own righteousness 32 Their uprightness as it respects Conscience exprest in two particulars 1. They take great care of Conscience 34 1. About the instructing and informing conscience ib. 2. About keeping Conscience tender 35 2. They give good heed to Conscience hearkning to and following in without turning aside 1. To the right hand either 1. By putting Religion in those things wherein God hath put none 43 2. By putting more Religion in any thing than God hath put in it ibid. 2. To the left hand 45 1. By making sins no sin duties no dutie ib. 2. By making bold with known sins and duties ib. III. From this way they will not be drawn aside by any fears or dangers on the one hand or by any flatteries or advantages on the other 46 1. A Summary description of these Precisians 51 2. Precisians are proved to be no fools from four Reasons Reas 1. God accounts them no fools 54 Reas 2. They will not be accounted fools at last neither by God nor men 55 Reas 3. The properties of wise men are found in them 58 1. They understand themselves aright They understand 1. Their Interest ib. 2. Their way 60 2. They build sure 64 Reas 4.
testimony of their own Consciences This is our rejoycing the testimony of our Consciences 2. A witness in the world Ye are witnesses your eyes have seen what our lâ—fe hath been be but true witnesses and then be you witnesses speak but what you have seen and speak the worst among you that believe the world will be ready to say you are too crafty to let us know what you do in secret when you are amongst your selves I but says he let them that believe speak those that have been with us publickly and privately what our conversation hath been if it be said they are of your own party and will not speak all they know then he appeals to a third witness a Witness in Heaven and God also he that seeth things before whom are all our ways he that seeth all things seeth our integrity and blamelesseness But here that I be not mistaken I must distinguish betwixt their aims or what they are pressing and reaching towards and their attainments or what they have reached to The aims of these cricumspect Christians in their whole course are at perfection Phil. 3. 14. I press towards the mark they would keep their way without the least wandring they would not tread one step awry they would not speak one word amiss they would not think one thought amiss they would not neglect any one duty nor commit any one sin but would be what the Apostle would have them to be Holy and harmless the children of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked generation These are their Aims and as to their Attainments though they fall short of their desires they cannot do as they would The good that I would I do not yet they do their best they follow the Lord with the best of their understanding serve the Lord with the best of their strength and when they have done their best they mourn and grieve that 't is no better That I may more distinctly open this exact and upright walking in the way of the Lord which their hearts are set upon I shall consider it 1. As it hath respect to the Commandment 2. As it hath respect to Conscience 1. Their exact walking as it hath respect to the Commandment stands 1. In having respect to every Commandment to the whole Word of God Psal 119. 6. Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect to all thy Commandments Mat. 28. 20. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have Commanded you The life of a Christian is a busie life the Words of God finds us much work to do we have work for every faculty and member our understandings have their work our wills affections consciences tongues ears eyes hands have all their particulars works assigned them every grace hath its work faith hath its work love hath its work patience hath its work every lust makes us work to restrain deny watch crucifie them these are weights and clogs that will hang on and will hinder us from all other works if we let them alone these are working against us continually and apt to set us on work against our selves a working mischief and ruine to our souls if they be not continually looked to and kept under We havâ— work against us for every condition our prosperity finds us much work to keep our selves humble heavenly watchful in an holy fear and jealousie lest the contentments and pleasures of this life make an invasion and inrode upon our hearts and spoyle us of our graces and comforts Our afflictions find us work to keep our spirits from sinking and fainting from murmuring and envying at those whose way doth prosper We have all the set and solemn duties of Religion to attend upon we have praying work and hearing work and Sacrament work and reading work and heart-searching work and meditating work We have work to be done for others our neighbours and acquaintance our friends and our enemies our families our servants our children we have not only work to do for them as men but work to do for God with them God hath work for us to do among our neighbours God hath work for us to do in our families and for our friends and enemies instructing work reproving work praying work works of mercy and charity c. we have a continual succession of work every day hath its businesse Christians must have no sleeping dayes their very Sabbaths must be working dayes we must be at work for our souls even on those dayes wherein we must do no bodily work There remains a rest for the People of God such a rest wherein they shall work no more nor be weary any more wherein all their work shall be to eat of the fruit of their doings but on this side that rest there is no rest but we must be full of labour You see the Word hath provided much work for Christians now those that are circumspect and upright and in the way will be through pac'd and stick at nothing the Word requires they 〈◊〉 for any service ready for every good work they will not pick and choose they will not halt or baulk with God but as the Apostle Col. 4 10. Endeavour to stand compleat in all the Wills of God Those duties that have most pain in them those duties that have most hazard attending them those duties that have the greatest contrariety to their natural temper and dispositions if they be duties if the word sayes This must be done this is that which the Lord requires an upright heart will yield and stoop to them Brethren if there be any one thing required in the whole Book of God that you cannot consent to but allow your selves in the ordinary neglect of concerning which you say with Naaman The Lord spare me in this one thing whatsoever else you do you can have no comfort that your hearts are upright 2. In having respect to the most spirituall and inward part of the Commandment the Commandment contains fugienda and facienda sins to be avoided and duties to be performed and both these are either outward or spiritual 1. As there are outward sins to be avoided sins of the mouth sins of the eyes ears hands so there are inward sins spiritual wickednesses evil thoughts Jer. 4. 14. unclean lusts Mat. 5. 28. inordinate affections an evil conscience and the like now sincere Christians have an eye to and hold a strict hand upon these spiritual wickednesses 〈◊〉 to have their consciences purged their hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience their affections and lusts mortified Gal. 5. 24 They that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections an lusts their care is not only that they be no drunkards or swearers nor lyars nor railers nor oppressors nor of proud froward fretful impatient carriages and behaviours but they would not covet they would not lust they would not be of proud impatient fretful envious unpeaceable hearts they would not that an evil thought not a vain thought should
by the soul there is the light of the Word shining in every Christian Secondly It is embraced approved consented to there is the love of the Law in the heart of a Christian the heart closes with it and all that it requires as a good word and worthy of all acceptation A Christian doth not only accept the Promises of the Gospel as good words and comfortable words but can heartily write Good is the Word of the Lord upon every precept he likes his Duties as well as his Priviledges his work as well as his reward This cowardliness of heart is set forth in those expressions of a willing mind a ready mind a forward mind And as his heart is towards his works so is it for any work the Lord calls it to he hath respect to all the Commandments he would not be without one leaf no nor one line of the whole Word of God he is ready to every good work he would not have one duty abated to him of all that God hath required he would not have one sin allowed to him of all that God hath forbidden him He that sayes concerning any one word in the whole will of God This I must have struck out or be dispensed within it ere I can be a Christian his heart is not upright He that would have any one sin to be no sin any one duty to be no duty any one sin to be allowed him or any one duty to be abated him is no Christian 4. This inward habitual Holiness is such as beares the sway and hath the perheminence in the heart though sin be there still yet where there is true Grace sin is an underling and brought into captivity it hath lost that power and interest which it had in the Sould before and the heart is now given up to God the stream runs Heavenward the stream of the thoughts the stream of the affections run that way God and the way of Holinesse hath a greater share and greater power in the heart than all the world there is more love to God stronger resolutions for following God than can be ballanced by the highest interest of the flesh God and the World stand as two suâ—tors for the heart but God carries it from the world so that as before it followed the world with the neglect of God now it will follow God with the neglect of the World before it would it may be mind God and godliness as far as it could without prejudice to its worldly interest so far as it could with honour or ease or safety but now it will mind the world and its â—leâ—hly interest so far only as is consistent with godliness and a good conscience this is sincerity and the clearest and most certain evidence of it Can we imagin that we love God sincerely when we love the World better wheâ—â— we love our ease or credit or pleasures or carnaâ—â— friends better When these can do more with us and command farther than God and golry Matth. 10. 37. He that loveth Father or Mother more than me is not worthy of me Luke 14. 33. Whosoever he be of you that forsake not all that he hath he cannot be my Disciple If there be any certain unquestionable Truths in the whole Doctine of the Gospel this is one of them That whosoever hath true saving Grace hath more love to God and holiness than to all things else whatsoever Though it be controverted Whether common grace and saving grace do not differ more than indegree yet this is without controversie That saving grace doth contain in it an higher degree of love to God than to all things else 5. This inward habitual prevailing holiness where ever it is will infallibly bring forth this strict precise and holy life For First That holiness in the heart will bring forth holiness of life is as naturally certain as that he that hath the life and reason of a man will act as a man as that a root will bring forth such branches and fruit as partake of the kind and nature of the root as that a fig-tree will bring forth figs that an olive-tree wil bring forth olives Secondly It is as certain that according to the proportion of holiness in the heart such will be the proportion of it in the life if holiness bear the sway in the heart it will bear the rule in the life if that little good that is in the heart be held as an underling in the Soul thereafter will the â—ife be this is as certain as that the Soul governs â—he Body Thirdly It 's no less certain that the lowest deâ—ree of prevailing holiness in the heart will â—â—ring forth this precise holy life In the sense I â—ave described it that is though there be not â—erfect holiness brought forth though he that â—ath a lower degree of true grace fall much shorâ—er of that perfection than he that hath an highâ—er degree though there be many failings and wandrings and weaknesses and turnings aside to â—niquity through corruption and temptation yet thus far the lowest of Saints have arrived That his â—ims desires endeavours are after a perfectly holy â—ife he hath a respect to every Commandment â—o every Duty he doth not habitually allow himself in any iniquity there is some change in his course actually appearing and this he purposes to himself and sets his heart upon it to grow up dayâ—y to a more thorow and universal conformity to all the principles of godliness laid down before him â—n the Scriptures and made manifest in his consciâ—nce This is as certain as the two former He that is â—incere would be perfect in the true love of holiness is necessarily included a love and longing for it in the perfection of it He that loveth holiness for it self will love it most when it is most it self in its perfection and love and longing will infallibly bring forth labouring and following after Therefore 6. Whosoever is not truely a person of a precise life is certainly in the state of damnation This so clearly follows from the former Propositions that it needs no further proof He that is not inwardly habitually universally sanctified he that loves any thing more than God or godliness that is he that is not converted and new born and so beâ—come a new Creature is actually in the state of damnation and he who is not a precise walker is not thus converted new born or sanctified for whoever is made this new Creature will infallibly make it appear as hath been proved by this newness of life You see Beloved to what issue this matter is brought either you must take up this strict way of holiness or be reprobates from God Whosoever there be amongst you that have the most rooted enmity in your hearts against this holiness of life and have cast the greatest slight and contempt on it and those that thus live and as Michael did David do despise them in your hearts whoever among you are most
peremptorily resolved against hearkening to any farther Treaties about this thing casting them off with the greatest scorn and indignation I must be bold to tell you from God That if you live and die in this mind God must cease to be true the Scriptures must be proved to be a lye the Doctrine of the Gospel a meer forgery or faâ—shood or you will be shut for ever out of the Kingdome of God And do you not yet see enough to perswade you to come in and be of this number Are you not yet convinc'd that 't is your duty that 't will be your wisdome to be such That none but Fools and Brutes will continue to be Libertines Whilst you charge folly on the Saints will you at last prove your selves to be the onely fools And will you verifie that Proverb Bray a fool in a Mortar and yet his folly will not depart from him Shall it be said of you Let them be instructed let them â—e convinced let them be warned yet still all 's â—â—ne fools they are and fools they will be Oh ye â—ools when will ye be wise Search the Scriptures â—nd learn of them come unto Christ and learn of him and if he do not speak the same things which here have been spoken if he do not teach you the same Lesson which here you have been taught then go on and take your liberty still but if Christ sayes Be holy if Christ sayes be circumspect if Christ sayes Be perfect and you still refuse to hearken then carry this inscription upon your foreheads We have rejected the Word of the Lord and what wisdom is there in us John 1. 47. Behold an Israelite indeed in whom there iâ— no guile VVE need not go far back to find ouâ— the sense of these words which they fully enough contain within themselves â—he occasion of them was this Philip calls Nathaniel to come to Christ Nathaniel being called comes and coming to Christ our Lord gives his Judgment of him In the words we have 1. A note of Observation Behold This hints to us two things 1. That a Nathaniel a true Israelite is a worthy Sight worth the observing Behold an Israelite 2. That a Nathaniel is a rare Sight We do not use to put a Behold on that which we see every day 2. A Description of Nathaniel and in him of aâ— sincere godly man 1. He is an Israelite Israel was the first name of Jacob who upon his wrestling and as a Prince prevailing with God in Prayer had this new name given him of God and was thenceforth called Israel from him afterwards the whole generation of the Jewes were called Israel in the new Testament all the People of God were called Israel Gal. 6. 16. Both 〈◊〉 the Old Testament and the New Israelites weâ—â— such as had the account of the People of God whom God hath separated and set apart for himself as his peculiar people out of all the rest of the world so that an Israelite here notes one that belongs to God a good man 2. An Israelite indeed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one that 's truely an Israelite not after the flesh but after the Spirit not in shew and appearance not in conceit or his own or others Opinions but in reality 3. An Israelite without deceit in whom is no guile who is no Jugler or crafty Dissembler that did only personate bear the face and act the part of an Israelite but an honest down-right plain-hearted Israelite In all this we have a full description of a sincere godly man â—e is an Israelite one separated to God an Israelite indeed not in conceit or fancy but in truth not in deceit or guile but in singleness of heart That which I intend for the foundation on which to build my discourse is An Israelite indeed Thence let the Doctrine be Doct. A sincere godly man is no Phanatick or Godliness is no fancy As there is an Israelite in conceit so there is an Israelite indeed as there is Godliness in shew so there is Godliness in truth Godliness is no fancy The great design of Satan and his Instruments is against Godliness to resist it disgrace it and if it were possible to root it out from under Heaven And because whilst Godliness appears to be what indeed it is in its own lustre glory and excellency all such attempts against it are like to be â—â—ain and ineffectual therefore the plot is to cast â—mist before the eyes of this Pur-blinde World and to make them believe that there is no such â—hing or that it is not what it is that 't is a meer fancy there is nothing in it That which Men call Godliness is but a conceit a meer dream of some brain-sick persons who thinking themselves wiser and holier than the rest of the World and being strongly opinionated of their ways aud intoxicated with their own imaginations whilst they would perswade others that they are in the dark and under strong delusions are most of all mistaken and deluded themselves Now because this is such a mischievous Engine to hinder the propagation of the Gospel and to hold men back from that true Godliness which is necessary to salvation and without which they perish everlastingly I shall through the gâ—â—ce of God prove and make as evident as the light the truth of the Doctrine proposed That Godliness is no fancy and that the sincerest and strictest Godly men are most unjustly and unreasonably termed Fanaticks of any persons in the World By Godliness I mean that sincere and strict profession and practice of Religion which is above the size and beyond the measure of the common sort of people who call themselves Christians that which the Scripture calls pure Religion the power of Godliness walking with God walking in Spirit living in all good conscience By a sincere godly man accordingly I understand the same person which I in the foregoing Discourse meant by a precise or circumspect Christian one that will not adventure his soul on that cheap easie outward careless way of Religion which the most do but labours to make sure and thorow work by setting himself to live up to the height and exactness of those principles of Religion which he hath received from the Scriptures When I say That Godliness is no fancy by a Fancy I mean that which hath no being but in the imagination that which hath no foundation in the Scriptures but is a meer conceit or airy Notâ—on a figment of mens owns brains This is the reproach that the prophane world caâ—â— upon strict godliness That it is a meer fiction or a dream of mens own hearts that the inward likeness to God the exact walking with God living in fellowship and communion with God the joy of God the life of faith the Souls exercising it self upon God and the Lord Jesus and the like are meer conceits there are no such things but they are mens own dreams and delusions Now this is that which I
man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart were only evil continually God saw Gods eye cannot be deceived men may think they see what they see not and may not see what is before their eyes But can Gods eyes fail him 2. That sin is the greatest of evils The Apostle to set forth the formidable appearance that sin had by the Law expresses it thus Rom. 7. 13. That sin might appear to be sin He could find out nothing more evil and odious to express it by than it self If he had said that sin might appear to be a snare a Serpent a Viper a Devil an Hell that had been much but yet not enough to set forth this evil of evils Sin never is seen in its perfect odiousness but when it shews its own naked face and looks like it self We can never know how great an evil sin is till we know how good the Lord is how precious Christ is how precious the Soul of man is to all which sin is so contrary and destructive Rom. 8. 7. It is said to be enmity against God God hath no â—nemy in the world but sin and those whom sin hath made him Sin hath set all the earth against the God of glory From this enmity which sin hath filled the hearts of men with arise all their rebellions against his word and government all their unwillingness and averseness from his ways their weariness of his service their frowardness murmurings impatiences frettings and insurrections of heart against his dispensations providence The unruliness and stubbornness of the wills of men the distemper and disorders of their passions and affections the vanity vileness and confusion of their thoughts the defilement and deadness of their consciences the ebulition of so many hellish lusts setting mens hearts upon all mischief Whence is all this but from sin that dwells in them Sin hath made men very Devils set upon all manner of mischief Devils against God hating reproaching blaspheming cursing fighting against God There should quickly be no God nor Heaven nor Being left if the wickedness of mans heart had power answerable to its malice Devils against themselves set upon the destruction and damnation of their own souls there needed not another Devil to attempt and devour them if God should but let them alone they would quickly make their distruction sure of themselves Devils one against another There is not one sinner but if God should pull up the fluces and let his wickedness have its full course would do his utmost to damn all the World enemies friends husbands wives children all should be destroyed And can there now be a greater evil then this imagined I you will say if all this be true it is a great evil indeed But may be for all these great words there may be no such great matter in it Why do but consider what sin hath done and cannot be envied and then you will see reason to believe all that hath been said Go to Mount Calvary and see what it hath done there What was it that slew the Lord of glory that put Châ—â—st to death Was it not those sins that were laid upon him These were his betrayers and murtherers These were the thorns the nails the spear that wounded him the gall and vinegar that was given him to drink Let the sweat the cries the groans the blood the soul that were pressed and poured out by sin let these speak if too much hath been saâ—d Turn aside from Mount Calvary and go down to the Valley of Hinnon lay your ear to the mouth of Tophet and hearken what work sin hath done there What is it that hath filled Hell so full already that hath sent down Cain and Judas Ananias and Saphira with those millions of damned Souls that are already tormented in those flames Did God damn so many Souls for nothing or for a trifle inflict so great a torment for a small offâ—â—nce What is it that hath cast them in thither Was it their righteousness was it not their iniquities If you could step down into those Chambers of Death and ask those wretched creatures Friends How came you in hither What would they answer Oh it is our sins that brought us into this place of torment Oh! it was my covetousness brought me hither would one say Oh! it was my lying brought me hither saies another Oh! it was my pride or my passion or my wantonness or my sloathfuness that brought me hither saies a third Oh sin sin this is it for which we burn we roar we rave we dye we dye eternally Can there be too much said of the evil of sin that hath done all this mischief 3. Spiritual sins are the greatest of sins Soul pollutions are the most foul pollutions By how much the more excellent the soul is above the body in its nature by so much the more vile and mischievous being depraved with sin The soul of man is the prime subject of the image of God in man there was much of God to be seen in the body or externals of man but the face of God the glory of God was stamped upon his soul the soul being corrupted it became the express image of the Devil Satan is rudely limb'd and some darker shadows of him drawn on the outward man but he is drawn out to the life in the soul the very face the heart of Satan his pride malice envy falshood is engraven on the heart A proud heart hath more of the Divel than a proud look a wanton heart is more vile â—â—an a wanton eye a murtherous or adulterous heart is worse than a murtherous or adulterous act It is true when Sin is committed without it is worse than when it sleeps in its causes within and sin in its birth is worse than in its bare conception and the reason is because when sin is committed there are both parts the outward and the spiritual together there is the sin of the hand and the sin of the heart too to make up the murther But then if you should distinctly consider that which the heart hath done towards the murther and that which the hand hath done the hearts part would appear to be incomparably the worst The sins of the heart are the root sins the spring that sets all the wheels a going the fountain that sets all the streams a running the fire that sets the furnace a smoaking Carnal men make little of outward sins nothing of spiritual If they would not be Extortioners or Oppressors oâ— Swearers or Cursers some of them yet evil thoughts may lodge in them Lust may bear the rule in them Pride Envy Ignorance Atheism Heart-blasphemy these are scarcely accounted evils What are Thoughts a little inward discontent anger and the like that we should trouble our selves with these Oh! You do not know what there may be in a Thought or a secret lust there may be a Thousand evil Words and actions in the
my trust in Christ that I shall be saved What trust in Christ and not turn to Christ Hope to be saved by Christ and refuse to be sanctified Will Christ redeem those from the Curse who will not be redeemed from iniquity Jer. 7. 9. Will ye steal and murther and commit Adultery and swear falsly c. And come and stand before me in my House and say we are delivered to do all these abominations Will you do wickedly walk in all manner of wantonnesse lasciviousnesse lust excesses c. and then come and take hold of a Redeemer as if you were delivered to do all this wickednesse Is my House become a Den of Robbers Are the Redeemed of the Lord a generation of Rebels Enemies of all Righteousnesse Lyars Proud Covetous Blasphemers Are these the followers of the Lamb 'T is true the Apostle sayes Such were some of you 1 Cor. 6. 11. Yet he adds But ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the Name of our Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God Christianity without Godliness this is a fancy indeed Let every one that nameth the Lord Jesus depart from iniquity either turn from iniquity or talk no more of Christ a Christian and an Infidel are not more 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 than a Christian and a Libertine Take heed sinners and let not the Gospel undo you let not Mercy damn you put not your Faith to do the sad office of infidelity Beloved let it never be said while the Just live you must die by your Faith this is like to be your case you would never have dared so to have slighted Holiness and persisted in sin had it not been for your trust in Christ You must count Christ to be no Christ no Redeemer or but an half or deceitful Redeemer if you count your selves good Christians while you are yet in your sins You must have another Christ another Gospel ere ever you can be saved in your sinful state Rom. 8. 1. There is no condemnation to them which are in Jesus Christ who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit This is Gospel wherein you have the Redeemeds Charter and the Redeemeds Character His Charter He shall not come into condemnation His Character He walks not after the flesh but after the Spirit that is He is a man of a godly life Whom doth the Gospel secure from condemnation Why those that are in Christ But who are they Why only those who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit those that walk otherwise can have no benefit by the Gospel You all stand as convicted malefactors guilty of death you have sinned and what have you to say why you should not dye and have your sentence of condemnation past upon you May be you will call for a Psalm of mercy my Book Lord my Book the Gospel will I hope secure me No sinner thou canst not have it thou art one that livest after the flesh and canst not have the benefit of the Gospel This is the Law and the Gospel says not one word to reverse it If ye live after the flesh ye shall dye Christ never intended the benefit of his Redemption to any of you whether you would repent or no be holy or no you may as well write for Gospel this He that believeth shall be damned as this He that obeyeth not the Gospel shall be saved And you may as well say that sinning is serving of Christ as that those that live after the flesh obey the Gospel 4. The Doctrine of Regeneration is a real truth There are three things most evident concerning this 1. That there is such a change and that necessary to salvation 2. That this is a great and mighty change 3. That this is an inward and Soul-change 1. That there is such a grace as Regeneration and that necessary to salvation 1 Joh. 3. 3. Verily verily or truly truly or certainly except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God 2. That the change that is wrought by Regeneration is a great and a mighty change it is as great as the making something of nothing Regeneration is a new Creation it is as great as the raising up of persons from death to life Regeneration is a Resurrection You hath he quicked who were dead in trespasses and sins Eph. 2. 1. There is as great a power as much of Divinity manifested in quickning a dead soul as in raising a dead body When God would confirm the faith of the Jews concerning their Conversion and Restauration after their cutting off which the Apostle tells us shall be as life from the dead he evidences that he was able to accomplish it by his making dry bones to live Ezek 37. 3. Can these bones live Son of man prophesie unto â—ese bones say unto them Oh ye dry bones hear the Word of the Lord 'T was a strange service the Prophet was put upon but yet â—e prophesies and behold there was a great shaking and bone came to his bone and they were covered with sinews and with flesh and the breath of life was breathed into them and they stood upon their feet a great Army These bones saith the Lord are the house of Israel and Judah That is as they lay in their state of rejection from God and if the Lord could not have made the bones to live he had failed of his confirmation of their faith touching the Redemption of this dead people When the Ministers of the Gospel are sent forth to preach to sinners it is even as likely a service as if they had been sent among the Tombs and the Graves to prophesie to the Skulls and the Bones and the dust of the dead And if there were not a Divine and Almighty power accompanying their Ministry their successe would be the same as if they had been preaching the beasts of â—he field into Men or of Stones attempting to raise up Children unto Abraham 3. It is an Inward Soul change Regeneration is â—he uniting of dead Souls to Christ Gal. 4. 19. My little Children of whom I travel in birth untill Christ be formed in you Here note three things 1. That the result of this union with Christ is a new Life 1 John 5. 12. He that hath the Son hath Life Generatio unius est corruptio alterius In this Generation there is a Death and a Life 1. A Death Colos 3. 3. Ye are dead that is Your sins are dead your old man is dead Our old man is crucified with him Rom. 6. 2. A Life There is new sense and motion there is a living power communicated to souls united to Christ whereby they are enabled to move and act in such an holy spiritual and heavenly way as was impossible before Grace is a living thing that spirits and animates all the Faculties a new that puts life into all the duties and performances of the Saints which though for the matter of them they might
making they were intended to good works this was Gods minde and meaning he fore-ordained that they should walk in them He did not set up such a light in man to be put under a bushel he bestowed not such a talent on man to be bound up in a Napkin 2. That in their new making they were fitted to good works created to good works that is they were brought forth in such an holy nature indued with such a Divine light such holy principles powers affections dispositions and inclinations as fitted them for an holy active life And this Divine and excellent structure of this new creature do both signifie what life it is intended to and that this life to which it is intended is indeed an excellent life there is something sure in this godly life God did not new make men for nothing and something of worth and real excellency or else he would not have been at such cost in preparing men for it if there were no other godly life than that which the carnal world count godliness there needed no new Creation to fit men for it What is there in the whole frame of the Religion of the vulgar but a carnal man may reach to For the devotional part of it Saying or hearing of a prayer observing of dayes rites and customes c. What great difficulty is there in that May not a Publican do the same Yea may not a Harlot a Drunkard an Idiot do the same Such devotions will neither disturb their lusts nor yet will their lusts distate or disable such devotions and for the righteousness of it to love those that love them to be good neighbours to be no Extortioners no Adulterers c. there is not so very much in that do not even the Pharisees do the same What do you more than others said Christ to his Disciples What singular or excellent thing do you God hath done singularly well by you you are fearfully and wonderfully made as 't is true of the natural so much more of your new birth and curiously wrought not in the lower parts of the earth but in the highest heavens you are born from above God hath done more for you than for others what do you more than others Some it may be would have answered What do you more than others Why there 's no more to be done all that 's done more than others do is meer fancy or conceit But beloved when you look upon that sapless lifeless empty way of Religion which others are content with methinks your reasons should demand What hath God new-made me made me partaker of the Divine Nature of the life of God for no more but this hath God given such a glorious Gospel raised up such a mighty Saviour who hath shed such precious blood sent forth such a glorious spirit given commission to such multitudes of heavenly Ambassadors to Preach perswade beseech exhort to travel in birth with me till Christ hath been formed in me and all this to bring me to no better a life than this Surely there is something farther that the Lord hath been at all this cost and built this structure for Study this new birth study the new Creation more throughly and if you see not the most holy heavenly spiritual conversation that is pleaded for radically and seminally in the bowels of it then let godliness pass for a fancy for ever Let the Regenerate but live according to their new nature and if that be not the very godly life we contend with you about then call us what you will 5. Faith is no fancy Hebr. 11. 1. Faith is the ground or the subsistence of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen It hath a sure foundation on which it 's bottom'd that sure word of promise 2 Pet. 1. 19. To the which saith the Apostle ye do well that ye take heed There is a believing on Christ for Salvation and a believing that we shall be saved by Christ the former is called the direct act of faith and is the Souls accepting of Christ for Lord and Saviour and an adventuring anâ— resting upon him for life this is founded on the Rock of Ages on the veracity and faithfulnesse of that God that cannot lye who hath said John 3. 16. Whâ—soever believeth on his Son shall not perish but have everlasting life The latter in the Saints is called The Râ—flex of Faith and hath its Foundation partly on the Word of God without them partly on the Work of God within them And this Faith or rather this Act of Faith if the former hath been first put forth is such also as will never deceive As those that trust in God because they have the Word and Oath of God in which two immutable things it is impossible for God to lye shall not be confounded but have strong consolation So those that believe they shall be saved because they find their hearts purified who believe that their names are written in Heaven because they find the Law and Image of God written and engraven in their hearts who believe that they shall not come into condemnation because they are in Christ and walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit who believe they shall overcome death because they have overcome the World that they shall reap in mercy because they have sown in righteousnesse that they shall reap in joy because they have sown in tears that they shall receive the inheritance of Sons because they have received the Adoption of Sons who finding themselves firmly knit and joyned to the Lord are perswaded that neither Death nor Life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate them from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus their Lord. Those that on such grounds as these believe they shall be saved it shall certainly be unto them according to their faith if it be thus with them indeed if they be in Christ if they walk not after the flesh but after the Spâ—â—it if their hearts be purified c. The Word of the Lord stands good and sure to them that they shall not come into condemnation and they shall as infallibly be saved as if their particular names had been written in the promises The veracity of God stands as firmly engaged to make good conditional promises where the condition is fulfilled as if the promise had been absolute There is a faith which is a meer fancy The faith of Enthusiastsâ— who believe upon unscriptural Revelation who believe above and besides what is â—ritten the fâ—ith of Ignorants whose belief is according to the Athenians workship on the unknown God the faith of Idlers who believe they shall rest with Christ though they never laboured with him The faith of the profane who believe they shall be saved though they be not sanctified such faith is meer fancy opinion or presumption you may call
may serve the design I am now pursuing viz. To help sinners to understand themselves I shall mention some of the chief of them in number Ten which if you will you may call The Devils Ten Commandements 1 Live to thy self Mind thine own things This is the first and great Commandment on which all the rest hang and to which they serve and is the same as be thine own God thine own Idol 2. Let thy Will be thy Law Thou art thine own thy Tongue is thine own thy Time is thine own thy Estate is thine own mayest thou not do what thou wilt with thine own 3. Make thy best if the time present and of present things Loâ—e not a certainty for uncertainties who knows what shall be hereafter Eat and drink for tomorrow thou diest be merry while thou mayest spend whilst thou hast it make Hay while the Sun shines Death comes and there is an end of all thy mirth 4. Stand fast in the liberties of thy Flesh Come not into boudage be not a voluntary slave to a strict and restrained life when thou mayest if thou wilt use thine own liberty 5. Continue in sin because Grace hath abounded Christ died for sinners God is merciful why shouldest thou then fear to take thy course 6. Do as others do Go along with the multitude fashion thy self to the times be not singular Why shouldest thou think thy self wiser than others 7. Do no more in Roligion than needs Be not Righteous over-much be not over-forward a little Faith a little Repentance will serve thy turn 8. Do not trouble thy self about small offences Thoughts are free Words are but things of course What man man is there that lives and sins not What shouldest thou keap such a do about thy sins Are they not but little ones 9. Be not over-hasty If thou must repent it is time enough yet torment not thy self before thy time repentance will be well enough at last when thou art old thou wilt have little else to do be not old whilst thou art young 10. Trust God with thy soul rather then man with thy body That is choose Iniquity rather then Affliction venture no farther in matters of Religion then thou mayest with safety These are some of those corrupt principles which make up the Law of Sin to which all others may be reduced and living under the power of any of these or any others of the like nature this is obeying Vnrighteousness As the Apostle says He that breaks one of the Commandments of God is guilty of all So he that lives under the power of any one of the Commandments of the Devil is if not under the power of all yet as sure a slave to the Devil as if he were guilty of all he whose foot is entangled in one cord of the Net is as fast as he that hath the whole Net spread over him if a bird be held by a leg or a wing it is as sure as if the whole body were in the Net Here now you may have also the description of the Goats those are contentious resisting the Lord and the word of his grace and who after all the strivings of the Lord with them do overcome and hold their own and persist in their disobeying the truth and obeying unrighteousness or living under the dominion of those corrupt Principles which make up the Law of Sin Let me here demand of you these three things First Are not these Principles I have mentioned every one of them evidently principles of unrighteousness And may they not as well be called the Devils Commandments as the Devil be called a Devil Secondly Are not all those that live under the power of these Principles the very men here meant in the Text by those that obey Vnrighteousness may they not as well be called the Devils Servants as those wicked Laws the Devils Commandments Thirdly Are not all persons that are not precisely godly in the sense I have before described it evidently held under some of these corrupt Principles Is not this it which you in reproach charge upon the Saints that they will not live under these or some of these Rules That they will not take their liberty that they will nor do as others but they must be singular forsooth as if they were wiser then their neighbours that they stand upon every trifle and small matter c. Some of these Anti-Precisians if they be laid to these black lines do touch with them in every point throughout you may well soile them Hells thorough Conformists or the Devils best Subjects Sinners the whole generation of you that are of such a Spirit even every one of you that have a word to speak against the preciseness of godliness and godly men come and look into this glass which is here set before you Do you know your own faces when you see them Are not these Principles the very Pictures and express Images of you If you say they are not it is because you do not know your own faces if they are not let me be rejected for a Lyar and a Slanderer But if you be even all of you these very men then look a little further and you may see your reward will be in the Judgement Why what is it Read on and you have it To them that obey not the Truth but obey Vnrighteousness indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doth evil If you say This is but your opinion but for all that you may be mistaken we hope to fare as well as you the best of you for all your great words but our opinion Why is it never your opinion too Do you never doubt Are you never afraid that this may be that this will be your portion Did your own consciences never preach to you the same things but whether they did or no this is as true that indignation and wrath will be the portion of every soul of you thus living and thus dying this is as truâ— as that God is righteous The Righteousness of God is engaged to render to every man according to his works and so to them that obey not the Truth but obey Unrighteousness indignation and wrath c. And by this time you may see that there is some difference betwixt the rewards of the godly and the rewards of all others in the world as much difference as betwixt Life and Death Mercy and Wrath everlasting Joy and Peace and everlasting Anguish and Tribulation If Heaven and Hell differ onely in conceit and if there be not as great difference betwixt the rewards of these and all others as betwixt Heaven and Hell then once more I tell you we will be content to be the Phanaticks And have you not yet done with talking of our fancies and conceits Is it but a conceit that there shall be a judgement Or is this a conceit that it shall then fare better with the Sheep then with the Goats Or that those are
worship to be the Soul and the Soul to be nothing Be not conceited that the outward part is the worship and the inwaâ—â— but a conceit Brethren the living God will have living services the God of our spirits will have the service of our spirits the worshipping God in spirit this is the true worship God will not be and take heed you be not cheated with shews When all the men of the world with their wits parts and interists have commended garnished and magnified the carcass of Religion and decryed and disgraced its soul and life yet this shall still stand as an irrefragable Truth They are the circumcision who worship God in the spirit and rejoyce in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh 2. Worshipping God through the spirit through the help and assistance of the Spirit of God as to instance in prayer Jude 20. Praying in the Holy Ghost Rom. 8. 26. The Spirit it self helpeth our infirmities The Spirit of God affords a three-fold help in prayer 1. He indites our requests suggests matter of Prayers to us who as the Apostle there tells us Know not what we â—â—â—uld pray for as we ought Carnal mens lusts do often make their Prayers and then no wonder they ask amiss when they should be seeking the death of their lust they ask meat for their lusts we often not knowing what we ought to ask do ask we know not what we ask a stone a Serpent a Scorpion somtimes when we think we ask bread If God should alwaies give his people their prayers their prayers would undo them When we are poor we ask riches and it may be if God should give us them our riches might undo us Somtimes we ask ease or credit or liberty and if we had what we ask it might be our ruine the Spirit of God knows what 's fit for us and accordingly guides our prayers He helps us to understâ—â—â— our sins and so teaches us what confession to make carnal men will confess sins but any sins rather then their own He helps us to understand our wants and so teaches us what to ask He helps us to understand our mercies and so teaches us what to give thanks for carnal men often come before the Lord with mock praises give thanks for their election justification sanctification hope of glory when it may be the power of sin and the wrath of God abides upon them and they remain without Christ and without hope and without God in the world the Spirit of God if they had him would make their devotions more reasonable and regular 2. He excites and quickens and enlarges their hearts in prayer The Spirit of God comes in and influences upon the heart and draws forth the soul and this is the import of the following words The Spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered that is he sets up a groaning and sighing after the Lord. Groaning notes the strentgh and ardency of desire which through the servency of it puts the Soul to paine and an holy impatience till it be heard in which sence it s used verse 21. For we our selves who have received the first fruits of the spirit groan within our selves waiting for the adoption even the redemption of our body It works such groanings as cannot be uttered it sometimes makes the hearts of Christians too big for their mouths their desires more larger then their expressions as much warmth and life and strength of affection as there does appear without there 's more withinâ—t Oh how flat and dead are our hearts oftentimes how much are we straitned in our prayers we stand as men struck dumb when we come before the Lord or if there be words in our mouths there is scare any word in our hearts sometimes we cannot speak and if we can speak we cannot groan the Spirit doth either put words in our mouths or else supply the want of words by kindling and enlarging inward desires helping us to groan out a prayer when we cannot speak it out and silent groans will sound in the ears of the Lord when the loudest cryes may not be heard 3. He encourages and emboldens the heart in prayer enables us to call God Father to pray to him to cry to him to be confident of audience and acceptance with him upon this ground Gal. 4. 6. God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba Father And hereby he furnisheth us with a mighty Argument to plead with God Father hear me Father forgive me Father pity me Father help me Am not I thy childe thy Son or thy Daughter To whom may a childe be bold to go With whom may a child have hope to speed if not with his Father Father hear me The Fathers of our Flesh are full of bowels and full of pity to their Children and know how to give good things to them when we ask them when they ask Bread will they deny them when they ask cloaths or any thing they want will they deny them And is not the Father of Spirits more full of bowels more full of bounty than the Fathers of our Flesh Father hear me This is praying in the Spirit and if this be a fancy with you I must tell you sinners that it is such a fancy as experienced Christians that have most proved it would not lose for all your substance But will you stand to it Is this Fanatical praying indeed then bring your Index expurgatorius and expunge these Textâ— out of the Scriptures or else if you let them stand and look over them again you will next say Their Bible is as Fanatical as themselves But let me add one word to convince you from your own judgement if you understand what you doe that praying in the Spirit is no fancy and this by putting this one Question to you Dare any of you all when you goe to God in Prayer deliberately refuse to begge the assistance of his Spirit Whether you use a Form or Pray without a Form that is not so material The assistance of the Spirit is needed as well of those that use a Form as of those that pray without it Nor dare you I say when you goe to pray deliberately refuse to beg the assistance of the Spirit Dare you say Lord I need not nor desire any such assistance I will not ask it of thee that thy Spirit may be given into me to help mine infirmities If you beg the assistance of the Spirit you hope to have it and if you have it there is that praying in the Spirit which you cry down for a fancy Judge now whether you do not condemn the things which your selves allow and in your Judgement and Practice justifie the reallity of that Duty which with your mouths you decree for Fanatical Will you also be his Disciples Will you also be Fanaticks 2 Walking in 〈◊〉 Spirit this is no fancy Gal. 5. 25. If we live in the Spirit let
born of the Spirit is a spiritual man and those that are led by the Spirit walk on in a spiritual course that is they live a more noble and raised life then the rest of the world Carnal men who are governed and ruled by that evil spirit that is in the world live an evil and carnal life worldly spiritual men a worldly life sensual men a sensual life Ephes 2. 2 3. Wherein in time past ye walked after the course of this World according to the Prince of the power of the Air the spirit that now worketh in the children of Disobedience among whom we also had our conversations in the lusts of the flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind Whilest we were in the common state we took the common road whilest we were in the flesh fleshly men we lived a fleshly life To serve ouâ— bellies to serve our appetites to serve our pride and covetousness and other lusts this was our life And this life was sutable to that Spirit which was within them and that evil Spirit the Prince of this world without them that govern'd and steer'd their course Accordingly the Saints having a new heart within and a new leader without do lead a new life as the flesh and the Devil carry evil men on in a course sutable to their leaders so the Spirit and Grace of God carry on the Saints in a course sutable to theirs an holy spiritual and heavenly lifâ— So that this is to walk in the Spirit to live holily and spiritually this is that life which is called The life of God Ephes 4. 19. The Conversation in Heaven Phil. 3. 20. Our Conversation is in Heaven And a Spiritual and Heavenly Life this may be called upon a three-fold account 1 Their dealings are about Spiritual and Heavenly things 2 Their delights are Spiritual and Heavenly 3 By these Spiritual dealings and delights themselves become daily more Spiritual 1 Their dealings are about Spiritual and Heavenly things God and Heaven and everlasting Glory and those spiritual Exercises whereby God is served and Glory obtained these are the matters about which this life is spent They live with God they hold daily intelligence with Heaven they are much in the contemplating and admiring and adoring the infinite beauty and incomprehensible perfections of God and his unspeakable love and gracâ— and goodness towards them They are searching into the Mysteries of Christ studying out the riches of the glory of the Mystery of the Gospel They live amongst Angels their hearts and their eyes are dayly in that general Assembly and Church of the first-born When they sleep they lay them down under the wings of their Lord no sooner are they awake but they get them up to the top of Pisgah to take a view of the Promised Land When I awake I am ever with thee says the Psalmist When the covetous man awakes he is with his God when the Epicure awakes he is with his God when the Adulterer awakes he is with his Goddess Christians are presently above the clouds above the stars falling down before the Throne of the Almighty Their work is to seek and serve and praise and please the Lord to carry themselves so that they may be accepted to God to be washing their robes and making them white in the bloud of the Lamb to be minding their souls consciences affections thoughts that these may all in their several capacities exalt and enjoy the Lord Their Trading is for the Pearl whilest the Merchants of the Earth are trading for Gold and Silver and Spices whilest the Muck-worms of the world are dealing in Corn and Sheep and Oxen and Asses whilst the vâ—luptuous wantons of the earth are dealing about fashions and feasts and sports trading in Toyes Feathers Apes and Peacocks Christians are trading in Promises and Prayer in Faith and Repentance in Patience and Humility in Mercy and Charity that by these they may make their Calling and Election sure and so an entrance may be administred unto them abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ These are the businesses of Christians lives their dealings are about spiritual things 2 Their delights are in spiritual things The Lord is the delight of their hearts Delight thy self in God sayes the Psalmist Psal 37. 4. And what he bids others do he does himself Psal 16. 8 9. I have set the Lord always before me therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoyceth The thoughts of God are dear and precious to them The Word and Law of God is their delight Psal 1. His delight is in the Law of his God The Courts of the Lord his Ordinances Worship Sabbaths are their delight Psal 84. 1. How amiable are thy Tabernacles O Lord of Hosts Their work is their delight Psal 40. I delight to do thy will Their hardest works Fasting and Watching and Wrestling and Fighting against Sin and Temptations crucifying and mortifying their own flesh denying themselves mourning for sin there is much sweetness they find in their very travels and tears and sorrowings as sorrowing sayes the Apostle yet alwayes rejoycing As Solomon speaks of Carnal Mirth Prov. 14. In the midst of laughter the heart is sad so it may be said of spiritual Mourning in the midst of sorrow the heart is joyful the heart of a Saint is never in so sweet a frame as when it is melted into godly sorrow but especially Christ is their deleght he is the deliciae Christiani orbis Canticleâ— 2. 3. I sate down under â—is shadow with great delight Carnal men are ready to say to them as the Daughters of Jerusalem to the Spouse Cant. 5. 9. What is thy beloved more â—en another beloved What beauty is there in him that thou shouldest thus desire him or take such pleasure in him They see no beauty in him he hath no Form nor comeliness in their eye and therefore they think there is none Oh Sinners you do not know Christ you have had no acquaintance with him you have not tâ—sted of the fruits of this Tree of the clusters of this Vine I sate me down under his shadow with great delight and his fruit was sweeâ— to my taste Saints have tasted of the sweetness of Christ tasted that the Lord is gracious and therefore can take great delight in him The delight they take in Christ is that which puts such a delight into every Ordinance into every Duty therefore Praying and Reading is so pleasant to them because there they meet with their Beloved Christ appears to them in his Word Christ meets his Saints in their Prayings and Fastings and this makes all sweet to their souls Carnal men think the life of Saints to be an heavy a sad and most troublesome life they count that themselves have the onely merry and pleasant lives that their Hawks and Hounds their Carding and Dicing and Drinking and Dancing their Seews and Plays that these are the onely Heaven This
will you hearken to me in this Then I should be bold to bring you forth as Witnesses for God and his Truth However though upon your account it would be the more comfortable though ex abundanti I would bring in as many evidences as possible yet if you should fail me or any other particular congregation of professors yet let the World know I have sufficient proof ready at hand For If this walking in the Spirit be a fancy then these Damnable Absurdities will unavoidably follow 1. That the Spirit of the Lord is unfaithful in his Office 2. That God himself is false in his Promise 3. That the Devil doth more to the Damning of Souls than the Spirit of God to the saving them 4. That God hath no People no peculiar People in the world 1. If walking in the Spirit be a fancy the Spirit is unfaithful in his Office That the Spirit of God is given to the People of God to every one of them is so plainly asserted that he must deny the Scriptures that doth not grant it Rom. 8. 9. Ye are not in the Flesh but in the Spirit if so be that the spirit of God dwell in you Now if any man have not the spirit of Christ he is none of his That there are certain operations of the Spirit which he is by Office to perform is as certain as 1. To Enlighten therefore he is called the Spirit of Wisdome and Revelation Ephes 1. 17 18. 2. To sanctifie therefore Sanctification is called The sanctification of the Spirit 2 Thes 2. 13. 3. To Lead John 16. 13. He shall lead you into all Truth 4. To Assist and help Rom. 8. 26. Exek 36. 27. 5. To Comfort therefore is he called The Comforter If the Spirit of the Lord doth his Office then there are persons that are Enlightned Sanctified Led Assisted Comforted by him If there be none such if the comfort of the Saints be but pretended if their light their help their quicknings their encouragements be all fancies if they be but led in conceit quickned in conceit comforted in conceit then where is the Spirits faithfulness See what Blasphemies men run themselves upon before they are aware Sinners take heed what you do you are bold to reproach the Saints with the Spirit the Spirit but take heed mean while of reproaching the Spirit with unfaithfulness Blasphemy against the Spirit is no small sin though every blaspheming of the Spirit be not that unpardonable sin yet it is a fair step towards it look to your selves 2. If walking in the Spirit be a fancy then God himself is false in his promise Ezek. 36. 27. before-mentioned I will put my Spirit within them and cause them to walk in my Statutes If there be no such thing done then where is the promise of God He that makes walking in the Spirit to be nothing but talks makes the promise of God to be nothing but words 3. If walking in the Spirit be but fancy Then the Devil doth more to the destroying of Souls than the Spirit of the Lord doth to the salvation of Souls Let us consider again that Scripture Ephes 2. 2. Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this World according to the Prince of the power of the Air the Spirit that now worketh in the Children of Disobedience There are two things there observable to our purpose 1. Sinners are led by the Devil 2. They are assisted and excited by the Devil 1. They are led by the Devil that 's noted in that expression They walk on according to the Prince of the Power of the Air according to his guidance according to his minde and will he hath them at his beck When he sayes Go they go and when he sayes Come they come and when he sayes do this they do it But how comes this to pass that the Devil can hold such an hand over them can lead them thus at pleasure VVhy 2. They are assisted and excited by the Devil that evil Spirit works in them suggests evil thoughts into them and thereby excites and provokes and sets them a work The Devil is said Acts 5. to fill the hearts of Ananias and Saphira to lye against the Holy Ghost And when he had once put a lye into their Hearts their Hearts presently put a lye into their Mouths VVhen the Devil hath wrought wickedness into the hearts of sinners then they presently fall to working it out When wicked men lye it is the Devil lies in them when they curse and rage and swell with madness the Devil rages in them VVhen the lusts of men bring forth Adulteries Drunkenness Riot Revellings c. the Devil lies within blowing up the coals Is this but a conceit that wicked men walk in the Spirit That unclean Spirit That the Devil drawes them on and drives them on and helps them on and hardens them on in their wickedness Could men be so wicked as they are could there be such quarrelling and contentions such debaucheries and villanies such cursings and blasphemings such rottenness and ribaldries coming out of mens mouths and abounding in their lives Could there be so much constancy fruitfulness boldness hardness in sinning against all fears warnings reproofs counsels against Conscience and the Dictates of their Reason and common sense were it not for that evil Spirit that works in these Children of disobedience Now if it be no fancy that wicked men walk in the spirit this you must grant or else you must conclude that they are all Devils themselves and if you grant it can you conceive it to be but a fancy that the Saints walk in the spirit If the Devil works lies and oaths and curses into the Hearts of sinners sure you may well allow that the Spirit of God works duties works a prayer or praises c. into the hearts of the Srints Could a poor Christian that hath so many corruptions within so many Temptations without so many weaknesses hindrances discouragements ever follow the Lord in his holy wayes against them all if he had no other Spirit than his own to carry him on The Saints sure have as much need of that help which is from above to carry them on in holiness unto life as Sinners have of that which is from beneath to carry them on in iniquity to destruction and me thinks you should not question but the Spirit of God will be as active to stay as the Devil is busie to destroy 4. If walking in the Spirit be but a fancy then God hath no People in the World Rom. 8. 14. As many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sons of God As many that is just so many and no more God hath no more Children in the VVorld than there are persons that are led by the Spirit to be led by the Spirit and to walk in the Spirit signifie one and the same thing If then there be no such thing nor no such persons in the
said Now Almighty God searcher of hearts thou knowest that I make this Covenant with thee this day without any known guile or reservation beseeching thee that if thou espiest any flaw or falshood therein thou wouldst discover it to me and help me to do it aright And now glory be to thee O God the Father whom I shall be bold from this day forward to look upon as my God and Father That ever thou shouldest find out such a way for the recovery of undone sinners Glory be to thee O God the Son who hast loved me and washed me from my sinnes in thine own blood and art now become my Saviour and Redeemer Glory be to thee O God the Holy Ghost who by the Finger of thine Almighty power hast turned about my heart from sin to God O dreadful Jehovah the Lord God omnipotent Father Son and Holy Ghost thou art now become my Covenant friend and I through thine infinite Grace am become thy Covenant-servant Amen So be it And the Covenant which I have made on earth let it be ratified in Heaven The Authors advice THis Covenant I advise you to make not onely in heart but in word not onely in word but in writing and that you would with possible reverence spread the writing before the Lord as if you would present it to him as your Act and Deed. And when you have done this set your hand to it Keep it as a memorial of the solemn transactions that have passed between God and you that you may have recourse to it in doubts and temptations And now Beloved having shewed you the way the Father give me leave to be instant with you in pressing you to hearken to me herein to come and joyn your selves thus to the Lord. And if you will not be perswaded to this solemn and express way of Covenanting with him which I believe you will find a great advantage and do therefore make it my great request unto you yet if you will not do that take heed you refuse not to engage your hearts to the Lord and make a full closure with Christ upon all the particular terms laid before you till that be done I must be bold to tell you again as I have told you already that you are short of Christianity strangers from the Covenant of Promise and Aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel Brethren the Lord God hath sent me amongst you upon the same Eâ—â—and as Abraham sent his servant Gen. 24. To take a wife for his Son to espouse you to Christ I am not without â—ear as that servant was not that some of you will not follow me but if the Lord see it good to send his Angel before me to make my way prosperous if the Lord give me success in this great thing that I may thus bring you into Covenant with him I shall therein have performed the main part of my Ministerial work among you I shall have espoused you to Christ maâ—ried you to that one Husband I shall have brought you within the strait gate and set your foot safe into that narrow way that leads to life and have laid the foundation of your following the Lord in holiness and comfort here and of living with him in blessedness for ever For 1 When once you are sincerely in Covenant from thenceforth you have a God that you may call your own to whom you may have free access with whom you may be sure to find grace to help in all times of need How blessed is his condition who is able to say I have no friâ—â—â— in the world but I have a God in Heaven I have many enemies but I have a God I have no house nor money nor lands but I have a God I have troubles I have sins that are a daily torment and vexation to me but I have a God a God to feed me a God to succour me God to shelter me a God to pardon me a God to sanctâ—fie me to â—ave me 2 From the time of this your Covenant Union with Christ you have the blessing of communion with him 〈◊〉 Whatsoever is Christs is now become yours the husband gives the wife leave to set heâ— name on all his goods and all that Christ hath you may now write your name upon it say boldly All this is mine his prayers his tears his obedience his blood his spirit all are mine because he is mine 2. Whatsoever is yours is his your sufferings your sins your debts your wants are all upon your husband Christ says to you as the old man Judg. 19. 20. to the Levite Let all thy wants be on me and so all thy debts and straits and fears and troubles let them all be on me 3 Christ and you shall have your lot together God deals with Christ and a Believer as one and the same party who must be absolved and condemned stand or fall live or die together In Christs being justified your justification is secured in Christs Resurrection your Resurrection in Christs Glorification your Glorification is secured for ever Because I live ye shall live also This is the portion this is the Inheritance of all Gods Covenanting-Servants You that are yet in your sins in your old Covenant with Death and agreement with Hell Will you yet be perswaded by what hath been said to say one to another Come let us break these bonds asunder and cast these cords from us come let us go over to Christ let us joyn our selves to the Lord in a perpetual Covenant that never shall be forgotten You that are sincerely come within the bonds of this Covenant of the Lord the Lord is henceforth become your God Christ is henceforth become your Saviour you have shot the Gulf that good work is begun which the Lord will perform to the day of Christ you are gotten within the gate you are entred into the Path of Life 2 In the next place therefore I shall give some advice to the godly or those that are already in Christ whom I shall direct 1 To a right performance of holy duties these four duties especially Prayer holy Meditation Self-examination and renewing their Covenant 2 To a right improvement of holy Duties 3 To the carrying on an holy course In all which though I shall apply my self especially to those that are in Christ yet I shall also give some farther helps to those that are yet out of Christ Before I shall enter upon the Directions for the right performance of holy Duties it will not I hope be lost labour if I prefix a word of encouragement to duty by laying before you the influences which holy duties will have upon the carrying on a holy life which I shall dispatch in these four particulars 1 Duties are the exercise of Grace Grace out of exercise grows quickly out of case Idleness breedâ— ill humours and diseases in the body and no less in the soul stirring keeps us warm and healthful Now Duties are the stirrings and exercises
and laying it open before the Lord our complaining to the Lord of it our â—â—ying to the Lord against it pressing him upon his Promise upon his Covenant to help against it these are the mightiest â—atteries our souls can make to the beating down its strong holds When the Lord hears the groanings of his Israel under their oppressing Egyptians he will arise and relieve them Christians tell one another how sad it is with them what woful work they have with a proud heart or a covetous heart or an hard heart or an hypocritical heart and you mry tell one another such stad stories long enough and find little help Goe tell thy God of thy sins carry them before the Throne of Grace make thy complaints against them there and there thou wilt find compassion and deliverance Now gather up these four particulars together consider them well and then you will see you that intend holiness in earnest whâ—t great reason you have to set close in with Duties and to accept of those Directions which shall now be tendered unto you The first sort of Directions are such as concern the right performance of the Duty of Prayer the advice I shall give you touching this take in these four particulars 1. Bring your selves and hold your selves to a frequent and constant performance of this duty There must be performance or there cannot â—e a right performance Those that pray not or but seldome is a shrewd signe that the root of the matter is not in them they that can live without prayer are dead while they are alive Prayer is the first fruits of Christianity It was said of Saul aâ— a token that he was a Convert Behold he prayeth The living Childe comes crying into the World and as it is a token of life so it is a meanes by which this New Life is nourished Prayer is a Christians Key to unlock the Store-houses and the Treasuries of Souls he that can pray God hath given him a Key to all his Treasuries Prayer will not only unlock the Clouds as Elijahs prayer did and bring down Rain to refresh the dry and parched Earth but it will unlock Heaven too It will unlock the Ark and the Mercy-seat and get downe Spiritual blessinge on the Soul Praying is a Christians knocking at the Gate of Heaven that knocking to which the promise is made Matthew 7. 7. Knock and it shall be opened The word which the Lord speakes to us is Gods knocking at our doores Rev. 3. 20. Behold I stand at the door and knock And praying is our knocking at the Lords door at the Gate of Heaven that this may be opened By the way learn that if you will not hear God knock it is just to hear not yours If Gods voice may not be heard on Earth your voice will not be heard in Heaven fear not you shall be heard if you will hear hear him that speaks to you from Heaven and your cry shall enter into Heaven Our Soules will never thrive or flourish unless the Rain and the Showers of Heavenly Grace descend and fall upon them and we cannot look that those Showers should come down unless we look up Persons that pray not may be written among the Heathens Jer. 10. 25. Pour out thy fury upon the Heathen and the Families that call not on thy Name Among the Prophane ones of the Earth who are described by this Character Psalm 42. 4. They call not upon God they are altogether become filthy and abominable there is none that doth good they call not uâ—on God Where Prayer is not there is usually cursing and swearing and every abomination look upon the non-praying persons look upon the non-praying families among you and see how little good there is to be found see if they be not as so many dead and dry Trees on which no Spiritual fruit appears as so many dark holes into which no Spiritual light doth ever shine as so many filthy sinks in which every vile thing lodges Beloved I have often pressed this Duty on you both personal secret Prayer that there be not one person found among you that prayes not and Family joynt Prayer that there be not one Family found among you among whom God is not thus worshipped I have often pressed this upon you and given you particular helps and Directions about it and have not been negligent to put you in remembrance of it so that if there be prayerless persons or families found among you the guilt of it must lie at your own doors But will you yet hearken to me in this thing Will you give your selves to prayer No word that is spoken to you for the good of your Soules will ever prosper with you if this Word prosper not it is in vain for me to perswade you to live a Godly life if you will not be perswaded to live a praying life Would you ever come to any thing see then that this Exhortation doe not come to nothing be ye therefore serious Be yee therefore sober and watch unto Prayer 1 Pet. 4. 7. Be ye instant be constant in Prayer Set up your resolutions and set your time set your times and keep your time do not put off this Duty by pretending you pray alwayes every day and every hour as the pretence of an every dayes Sabbath comes just to no Sabbath so it is usually in the case of prayer some Carnal wretches praying alwayes is â—ot prayiug at all Get thee into thy Closet saith Christ get thee a place set thee a time wherein thou sayest vacare Deâ— wherein thou mayest make it thy business to seek the Lord. Brethren I say again if you will not suffer me to prevail with you in this thing I may even spare my labour of speaking any other things to you wherein I shall have no hope of success if I speed not here Some among you in some private Conferences I have had with you have given me some good hopes of the work of grace begun upon your hearts I have found that there hath been stil a neglect of daily prayer this hath struck such a damp upon my spirit as hath brought down those hopes to be even almost as low as nothing and by experience I have found that such persons as upon advice and warning would not afterwards be brought to the constant exercise 〈◊〉 this duty if they have retained any favour of Religion at all have yet from year to year been at a stand and not the least sign of any improvement hath been to be seen If ever therefore you will hearken to me in any thing that I tender for your souls good deny me not in this set upon the daily exercise of secret prayer and if you be resolved on the performance I shall then be encouraged in the next place to help you on in the right performance Therefore 2. Come to pray with an actual and great expect 〈◊〉 of obtaining grace and help from God Do not barely impose
whose blood speaks whose bowels speak whose spirit speaks Doth he speak for sinners and yet not for me 4. Their own necessity Sinners are necessitous Creatures they have nothing of value left them In the fulnesse of their sufficiency they are in straits As a sinner of an hundred years is but a child so a sinner of thousands by the year is but a beggar poor miserable blind and naked He can want nothing and yet doth want every thing that is good Sinne hath stript him to the skin stabâ—d him to the heart the iron hath entred into his Soul it hath left him nothing but wounds and bruises and putrifying sores Is this thy case sinner and hast thou nothing to say Spread thy wants and necessities before the Lord and let these speak for thee Learn of Beggars that come to thy door who if they have ever a sore or malady about them a blinde eye a lame leg a burnt hand a broken arm that they will be sure to open to move pity and procure an Alms. Their pinching hunger their parching thirst their naked backs their cold lodging thy door shall be sure to ring of Never a peâ—ny in my purse never a morsel of bread have I had for this long time their necessity will both make them to speak and help them to speak Sinner spread thy necessities before the Lord spread thy wants open thy wounds and thy sores tell him how desperately sad thy case is tell him of the guilt that is upon thy head the curse that is on thy back the plague that is in thy heart God of Bowels look hither behold what a poor blind dead hardned unclean guilty creature what a naked empty helplesse creature I am Look upon my sin and my misery and let thine eye affect thine heart One deep calls to another a deep of Misery cries out to a deep of Mercy Oh my very sins which cry so loud against me speak also for me My misery speaks my curses the woe and the wrath that lies upon me my bones speak my perishing Soul speaks and all cry in thine ears Help Lord God of pity help help and heal me help and save me Come unto me for I am a sinful man O Lord I dare not say as once it was said Depart from me for I am a sinful man Come Lord for I am a sinful man Thou couldst never come where is more need Who have need of the Physitian but the sick Come Lord I have too often said Depart from me but if thou wilt not say Depart to me I hope I shall never again say Depart to thee My misery saith come my wants say come my guilt and my sins say come and my soul saith come Come and pardon come and convert come and teach come and sanctifie come and save me Even so come Lord Jesus Thus you have the sinners plea. Poor Sinner Art thou willing to return from thy sins fear not to go to thy God Take thee some such words as these and go and tell the Lord that one of his poor Ambassadors told thee from him that he expects thee before the Throne of Grace and is ready if it be not thine own fault to grant thee mercy Go and the Lord help thee give thee thy hearts desire and fulfil all thy mind and for thy encouragement take along with thee this Scripture Isa 55. 6. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found call ye upon him while he is near Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for be will abandantly pardon 4. Pray in Faith James 1. 6. But let him ask in Faith You will here enquire What Faith is it that is necessary to our prevailing in prayer I answer Not onely the Faith mentioned by the Apostle Heb. 11. 6. He that cemeth to God must believe that God is Nor onely a perswasion that he is able to performe our petitions or that he is ready to answer those that seek him aright nor onely a perswasion concerning prayer that this is Gods Ordinance appointed by him as a means whereby we may obtain mercy from him Though all this be included in it yet this is not all The same faith is necessary to the acceptance of our prayers which is required to the acceptance of our persons That faith which gives a person interest in Christ will alone procure the acceptance of his prayers Now this faith puts forth in prayer a three-fold Act. 1. It presents and offers up the prayer in the Name of Christ Heb. 11. 4. By faith Abel offered his Sacrifice Faith carries our Prayers to our Mediator the great Master of Requests for his hand to be put to them without which they will not be regarded yea it puts them into his hand it saies unto Christ Lord Jesus take thou this prayer what infirmities there are in it do thou cover what sinnes thou findest in them do thou hide Mingle thy blood with my Sacrifice let thine incense ascend with my offering and thus let it be carried before the Throne of Grace where that it may speak for me let thy blood speak for it 2. It depends and relies upon God through Christ for acceptance and performance It eyes and leans upon the Promise of God which in Christ is Yea and Amen and setting to its seal that God is true upon this it stayes it self 3. It works the heart to a confidence or a confident perswasion that God for Christs sake will hear and answer 1 John 5. 14. This is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us But here consider that this confident perswasion that God doth hear and accept us however it ar gues an higher degree of Faith and brings in much Peace and Comfort to the heart and if it be well grounded is a good Argument that the Lord intends to fulfil our desires yet is it not so necessary to the acceptance of our Prayers but that they may be heard where this is wanting If the former Acts have been put forth if there hath been a presenting them in the hands of our Mediatour joyned with some little staying of our hearts upon the Promise though there be a great fear upon the spirit that God doth not regard them yet for all this they may not be rejected I fear saith a doubting Saint I fear the Lord will not hear me nor regard my prayers there is so much sin in them so many weaknesses wandrings distrâ—sts distractions that I much doubt whether the Holy God will ever have respect to them but such as they are there I leave them in the hands of my Advocate I leave mine Offering on the Altar as poor as it is it is the best I have and though I much question whether it will be accepted yet there I leave it waiting what answer the
he that 's more willing to be freed from sin than to be allowed to live in sin and hereupon is resolved to use all God's means for the conquering of it and accordingly strives prayes watches and wrestles against it especially if he finds his lusts begin to fall before him undoubtedly there is grace in that mans heart As Haman's Wife said to her Husband If this Mordecai be of the seed of the Jâ—ws before whom thou hast begun to fall thou shalt not prevail against him I shall be bold to say to such a person without any ifs or ands this Mordecai is of the seed of the Jews this grace before which thy lusts have begun to fall is the Seed of God and therefore thy sins shall never totally preval against it but shall finally fall and be destroyed by it 2. Mark 2. Wheresoever there is true grace there is a preferring in the esteem and choice of a strict and sincere godly life above any other life in the world A godly man loves all godliness and he loves it above all Psal 19. 9 10. The fear of the Lord is clean and endureth for ever the Judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether more to be desired are they than gold yea than much fine gold sweeter also than the honey and the honey-comb that is than all the world more to be desired are they that is the fear of the Lord and the Judgements of God deserve more respect from men are of more value more worth the desiring and looking after than gold or honey Here are all the advantages of a worldly life put together in two words The profits of it and the pleasures of it and the fear of the Lord preferr'd before them all Than Gold Gold is all things Gold much gold hath greatness following it Gold hath glory all the glory of the world attending it Lands and livings and honours and friends and all things that a carnal heart can desire are hidden in the golden Mines Honey notes all the sweetness pleasures and delights of a worldly life Now saith the Psalmist put all this together all the revenues and incomes of a worldly life together with all it's pleasures and delights and the fear of the Lord will weigh them down all Though this foolish world run a madding after money and pleasure spend their dayes waste their lives prostitute their consciences throw away their souls upon these things yet one dram of godliness one day spent in the fear of the Lord is better than all this this the Psalmist gives as his Judgment Let us next consider what his Choice is Psal 4. 6. There be many that say who will shew us any good Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us thou hast put gladness in mine heart more than in the time when their corn and wine encreased Psal 17. 14 15. The men of the world have their portion in this life their bellies thou fillest with thy hid treasure they are full of Children and leave the rest of their substance to their babes but as for me I will behold thy face in Righteousness The men of this world as they seek so they have their portion in this life they have a glorious and a gallant time of it here great portions great possessions great prosperity their bellies full of pleasure enough to spend upon themselves and to leave to their Children after them this they have and much good may it do them Let me but behold the face of God in Righteousness walk before the Lord in my integrity keep a good conscience live in the obedience of his Will and in the light of his Countenance and then let them take the corn and wine and what else they can get let the Lord be mine and I shall never envy them their portion Psal 84. 10. I had rather be a door-keeper in the House of the Lord than to dwell in the Tents of Wickedness The meanest condition of those that live in the presence and favour of God I more desire and would rather have than the highest condition of others Let me be a door-keeper among the Saints rather than a dweller with the wicked So Moses Heb. 11. 25. Chusing rather to suffer Affliction with the People of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season esteeming the Reproaches of Christ greater Riches than the Treasures of Egypt Psal 119. 30. 111. I have chosen the way of Truth c. Thy testimonies have I taken as mine heritage for ever Where observe 1. How he came into the way of Truth that is not by chance but by choice I have chosen the way of truth There are some that stumble in upon Religion who being cast into such places or societies where Godliness is in fashion and credit joyn in to do as others do and yet their hearts have never chosen Religion but I have chosen the way of truth saith the Psalmist 2. What it is he chose of Religion The way of Truth the Testimonies or Precepts of the Lord. Some there are that have chosen the wages of Righteousness but not the way of Righteousness the Promises but not the Precepts of the Lord as much as you will of the sweet but none of the sweat of Religion But I saith he have chosen the way of Truth 3. What account he hath of what he hath chosen He accounts it as his heritage There be some that choose Religion but it is only for a covering or a cloak to hid their wickedness making the same use of it which a Whore doth of her paint to hide the deformity that is under Others take up Religion for their last Refuge something they must have to which they may have recourse at last but they will not have much to do with it nor take much pleasure in it at present But he chooses it not only as his Refuge bur as his Riches not only to be the ground of his future hopes but to be the matter of his present joy From all these Scriptures observe 1. That a godly mans settled Judgment is That a godly life is the best and happiest life 2. That a godly mans choice is according to his Judgment He esteems the fear of the Lord above Gold and he chooses it before gold He is better pleased and doth rather take up with the meanest and most afflicted condition in a way of holiness than with the most plentiful and prosperous estate in a way of sin he prefers the poverty of Christ before the riches of the World 3. Godly men and worldly men are distinguished and may be known the one from the other by their choice they make for themselves He that makes a worldly choice is a worldly man and he is a godly man that makes a godly choice Take Godliness with all its inconveniencies with all its difficulties and distresses when it is most under a cloud of reproach and contempt and take a worldly life with
Some that are born poor live all their dayes and take up with their poor state and never look after riches For ought thou knowest thy heart might have been in much better case if thou hadst intended riches 'T is the covetous Christian that is the rich Christian As 't is with worldly men the Covetous of the earth these are the rich men of the earth these are the monied men the landed men that have laid house to house field to field and it may be if thou hadst been spiritually covetous thou mightest have laid grace to grace comfort to comfort and have been a man of great possessions before this day but thou hast been a narrow-hearted poor-spirited creature that never hadst any ambition not tookest up any design to grow great and rich towards God and hereupon 't is that thou art as thou art Christian though there be none of the former causes mentioned but may have an hand in bringing poverty upon thee or holding thee under it yet it may be this last a contentedness with a little grace is that to which thow owest most of thy pining disease This is too common a case with Christians We have not large hearts towards God we are not covetous after holiness we are too well contented to be Babes in Christ to be children in the grace and knowledge of God where shall we find a Christian almost that is resolved to be rich to seek great things for himself the great things of Eternity I mean to bring forth much fruit It is no wonder there are so many barren sheep in Christs Fold so many barren fig-trees in Christs Vineyard so many starveling souls among the Professors of Religion when there are so few that do seriously design fruitfulness We might have been as those sheep which Solomon mentions to resemble the Church by Cant. 6. 6. Whereof every one beareth Twins we might have gotten double to what we have done if we had had a mind in earnest to it Brethren Consider how it is with you and if you find this to be your case that your souls are in an unthtiving state search narrowly if some of the fore-mentioned particulars be not those that have kept you back and when you have found out the cause of your disease rest not till it be removed for be ye well assured That that which hath hindered will hinder till it be taken out of the way THe fourth and last Special Duty I shall direct you in is the Renewing of your Covenant Wherein before I give you the Directions I shall premise 1. That every sincere Christian is as hath been before shewed entred into Covenant with God 2. That Christians are guilty of much treachery and false-dealing with God They break Covenant daily The Lord may take up that complaint against many of us which he took up against Israel Psal 78. 36 37. Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth and lyed unto him in their tongue their heart was not right with him neither were they stedfast in the Covenant There is a double falshood in the Covenant which we may be guilty of 1. There is a falshood in our entring into Covenant when we do it not heartily but feignedly when our promises to God are nothing but words when we mean not nor intend any such thing as our mouth speaks this is lying unto God They lyed to him in their Tongues Oh! how many such lyars are there to be found amongst those that are called Christians We have all covenanted to renounce the world and the love of it to renounce the flesh and the lusts of it to renounce the Devil and his works We have all Covenanted to take the Lord to be our God to cleave to him obey and serve him only and all our dayes All this we have done in our Baptism and in our profession that we have since made to stand to our Baptismal Covenant But have we not many of us lyed unto the Lordâ— Hath there ever been any such thing in our hearts Those that are false in this Foundation of their Christianity are but false Christians those that have lyed unto God in their Covenants are but lying Converts 2. There is a falshood in our keeping Covenant when whatever reality there hath been in our intention yet we fail in execution when we do not stand to our word nor are stedfast in our Covenant and every part thereof And thus every Christian is more or less guilty Every sin we commit is in a degree a breaking Covenant a departing and going back from the Lord and a dealing treacherously with the most high Oh! how much falshood of this kind is there to be found in every one of us when some of our hearts are so set upon the world and take so much liberty in pursuing and so much pleasure in the enjoying of these earthly things that the Lord is the less regarded and looked after Is this according to our Covenant When there is such fleshliness and sensuality to be found amongst others when we live such idle easie careless lives when our appetires our passions our tongues are left so much at their liberty when there is so much provision made for the flesh and so little for the soul Is this according to our Covenant Is this all we meant in promising to be Christians Is this our living to God our living to Christ Oh! what falshood have we been guilty of 3. That all our breaches of Covenant do exceedingly weaken the bond and obligation of the Covenant The obligation of the Covenant may be said to be weakened in a double sense 1. Really when the tye of it is relaxed and loosened and we cease to be so strongly bound as before and thus no sin can weaken our Covenant-obligation it doth not become ever the less our duty to cleave unto God for that we have so often departed from him or ever the less our sin to follow the world for that we have followed it so long Our sins in this sense do rather add to the obligation by how much the less we have paid off our debt by so much the more there is behind Our former neglects do oblige us to the more care for the future 2. Sensibly When the bond of the Covenant being so often broken is not now accounted so solemn or so sacred as before by how much the more it hath been broken by so much the less sensible hold hath it upon us It seemeth but a very light thing to persons that have so often and ordinarily broken their Faith with God to break it over and over again It doth not much affect or trouble such hearts which have been accustomed to transgress ro revolt more and more When sin can plead prescription it grows bold If I were to begin again saith the sinner I would take more eare and look better to my wayes but over shoes over boots now I have gone on so long it will not be much
which bringeth Salvation teacheth us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live righteously c. Looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ 2 Cor. 4. 16 18. For the which cause we faint not while we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen Before he had declared how hard 't was with them troubled perplexed persecuted cast down always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus c. Notwithstanding saith he we faint not while we look not at the things that are seen but at the things that are not seen Brethren look on the things not seen and take from them both direction in your way and encouragement to go in it 1. Take Direction from Heaven when you are travelling and see the place before you whither you are going your eye will tell you your way When you are entring upon any Course then look up and consider Is this my way to God When you are eagerly and greedily pursuing the world ask your hearts Is this my way to Heaven Am I now working out my salvation When you are walking in the way of carnal pleasure or liberty then look up to the Lord and look in upon your heart and say if you can Now Lord I am hastening to thee now Soul I am taking care for thee my sports and my pleasures and my lusts are the way to mak God sure and Heaven sure to me Can you say so Will not your own heart tell you that is not the way If Heaven be it that I intend if Salvation be it I mind sure then I am not out of my way 2. Look Heaven-ward and take encouragement thence to go on View the glory that is above and consider what happy men you would be if you were once safely there and let such thoughts press you to hasten on and encourage you against all the labours and difficulties you must first pass through Think with your selves when you are setting upon any duty If I can get well through this duty I shall be one step nearer Heaven When you come to the beginning of every day well I shall this evening be gotten one dayes journey nearer home when you are falling into any trouble or affliction if I can cut my way well through this wave I shall be so much nearer Harbour Every new degree added to your grace is another stone laid up upon the building of glory every holy Duty you have rightly performed you are gotten one round higher in Jacob's Laddeâ— look how many dayes you have walked with God so many dayes journey you are nearer your rest Look how many troubles and temptations you have gotten Christianly through so many gulfs have you shot so many rocks have you passed by towards your harbour Oh! if such thoughts and considerations were continually upon your hearts and before your eyes how strangely would they quicken you and encourage you on your way Consider Christians and thence take courage after a few dayes more a few duties more a few wayes more you will be safely landed in your Countrey Lift up your eyes and see and then lift up your heads and rejoyce to see how by every duty and difficulty your redemption draweth nigh A traveller in his journey that 's almost spent and tired if he once comes within sight of home and be almost there this adds new strength and life and on he goes again amain Let your eye be more on your home and there will be less loytering or weariness in your way II. Walk on your way in the name of Christ Or live by faith Gal. 2. 20. The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the Faith of the Son of God The strength of a Christian is his Faith the strength of Faith is Christ the strength of Christ is put into the Promises If you would live to God live by Faith if you would live by Faith go often to the Promises 1. Study the Promises the freeness of them there 's Grace in the Promise The fulness of them there 's Christ in the Promise and with him all things there 's wisdom righteousness strength there 's bread and cloaths and lands and friends and safety study the sureness of the Promises there 's an Yea and Amen set to them All the Promises of God are Yea and Amen 2. Set thy Seal to them Believe that God is true 3. Clear up thine interest in them and thereby make it out that they are sure to thee 4. Treasure up in thy memory a stock and store of particular promises which may answer every case of thy life that so thou may'st have a word alwaies at hand to rely upon And then 5. Upon the credit of that word venture on after thy Lord in any duty through any sufferings he calls thee to whatsoever difficulty thou seest in thy work whatsoever danger thou seest in thy way whatsoever want or weakness thou seest growing upon thee go on resting upon Christ for success in thy duties and support under thy trouble and supply of thy wants according to his Word It may be when thou lookest before thee upon an holy life thou wilt say This is indeed a beautiful and blessed life if I could attain to it but oh I see there is so much to be done and so much to be born that I am in great doubt how I shall ever be able to go through it The Lord requires me if I will come after him to deny my self This first step puts me to a stand I doubt I shall stumble and fall at the very Threshold of Christianity Deny my self Alas I cannot deny my friend or companion I cannot deny mine Enemy that entices me to sin If Satan do but speak a word to me to draw me aside to iniquity he presently prevails and must I yet deny my self when I see how unable I am to deny mine enemies I cannot I câ—â—not do it Why here thy faith if thou wilt conâ—lit with it will furnish thee with this encouragement Though thou art able to do nothing of thy self yet though may'st be able to do all things through Christ which strengtheneth thee Phil. 4. 13. Again thou sayest The Lord requires me to make me a clean heart to purge my conscience to crucifie my lusts But who am I that ever I should think of doing such great works I could as easily make a new world as a new heart I can as well stop the Sun in its course as stop my lusts in theirs I can as easily dry up the fountains of the great Deep as cleanse the fountain of my corrupt heart and purge my self from an evil conscience I but now thy faith will tell thee He that bids thee cleanse thy heart hath said to thee Ezek. 36. 25. That he will sprinkle clean water upon thee and thou shalt be clean from all thy filthiness Thy faith will carry
thy fountain of sin to that fountain that is opened for sin and for uncleanness Zech. 13. 1. Wherein thou may'st wash and be clean thy faith will tell thee Thy old man is already crucified with Christ Rom. 6. 6. By whom the body of sin is destroyed that is hath received its deaths wound that thou mayest not serve sin and that the same mouth that commands thee Let not sin reign in thy mortal body the same mouth hath promised thee Sin shall not have dominion over thee But yet thou addest The Lord commands me to keep my heart to keep my tongue mine eyes to make strait steps to my feet that I turn aside to no iniquity that I turn aside from all temptations to sin â—â—stain from all appearance of evil and many 〈◊〉 the like words hath he given me in charge requiring me to walk in all his Commandments and to keep all his Statutes and Judgements to do them these are hard sayings who can hear them I but he that said this saith Faith said one word more that will make all this easie Ezek. 36. 37. I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my Statutes and ye shall keep my Judgments and do them Once more thou repliest but Christ commands me to take up my Cross to suffer with him to part with all I have to lay down my life for his Name Can I do so little for his Name and am I ever like to be able to suffer for his Name Am I put so hard to it in every light affliction that befalls me and is it possible I should be able to resist unto blood The Lord pardon me I have found that a little shame or reproach is more than I can well bear a scoff or a scorn for Christ to what impatience hath it often put me Have I run with the foot-men and have these wearied me how then shall I contend with horses But God is faithful 1 Cor. 10. 13. who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able The Lord will lay on thee saith Faith no more than thy load either he will encrease thy strength or not encrease thy burthens He that hath given thee a little strength to go through small trials hath said he will and thou mayest trust him if he lay more load on thee give thee more strength to bear it The Lord will either enable thee to die for his Name or he will not call thee to it Christians believe God to him that believes all things are possible and if you believe they shall be so to you He hath said he will be and therefore you may boldly say The Lord is my helper Trust in the Lord and keep his way trust in the Lord and be doing good and verily you shall be fed verily you shall be assisted verily you shall be supported commit your way to him and whatever difficulty there be in your work he shall bring it to pass commit the keeping of your selves to him and you shall be kept by his power through faith unto salvation Faithful is he that hath called you and will do it Distrust your selves as much as you will but distrust not your Rock you are weak creatures but you have a strong God you have empty hearts but a full Saviour you have but a poor stock in your selves but a rich stock in the Promise whence you shall have such a continual supply that your barrel of meal shall not waste nor your cruse of oyl spend till you have finished your work and your course Hang on your crucified Lord take hold on his Covenant take hold on his Strength go forth in his Strength and Name and then fear not your difficulties shall vanish your way shall prosper your Souls shall flourish you shall have your fruit unto Holiness and your end everlasting Life III. Deny your selves Matth. 16. 24. If any man will come after me let him deny himself Remember your Covenant you have given your selves to the Lord and are now no longer your own you are not debtors to the flesh to live after the flesh you owe your flesh no observance you have already paid it more than its due let him that liveth live to the Lord let them for whom Christ died live no longer to themselves but to him that died for them and rose again Christ and Self are contrary you cannot serve these two Masters If you will not deny your selves you cannot but deny your Lord and if you can deny your selves in any thing you will deny Christ in nothing If you can heartily say Not my will you will easily add but thine be done But what is this Self we must deny I answer as Christ said to the Woman of Samaria He whom thou hast for thy Husband is not thy Husband That which thou holdest for thy self is not thy self thou callest it and countest it thy self and lovest and cherishest it as thy self but it is not thy self That which is here called thy self is elswhere in Scripture called thy flesh thy corrupt or carnal part that corruption that is gotten into thy understanding and sits there giving thee evil counsel That corruption which is gotten into thy will and sits there swaying thee in all things to choose thy hurt that is gotten into thy appetite and makes thee to fall a lusting after all things that are pernicious to thee and a resisting all that would do thee good This is thy self to he denied the corruption of thy nature that hath insinuated it self into all thy parts and powers and governs thee in all thy actions This is it which carries thee from God keeps thee from Christ resists the Word of Life leads thee out of the way of Life leads thee about after thy pleasures and sports and companions holds thee down to this earth and is dragging thee to Hell This is it which makes sinners say concerning the Word of Life The Word that is spoken to us in the Name of the Lord we will not do but will do whatsoever proceeds out of our own mouths That makes them say concerning Christ We will not have this man to Reign over us Let the World reign if it will let the Devil reign if he will let Pride and Envie and Malice reign if they will but whosoever reigns this man shall not reign over me 'T is this that layes so many blocks creates so many difficulties in the way of Holiness makes this way seem too strait and narrow the duties of it impossible the troubles of it intolerable Were it not for this the way of Christ would be easie and his burthen light This is that Self which must be denied if you will follow Christ If you ask what it is to deny self In short it is to shake off its government to resist its reasonings to disobey its commands to refuse to follow its inclinations or satisfie its lustings Brethren whatever Christ counsels you to or commands as I
told you this Self will be reasoning against it and counter-manding it When Christ sayes Be humble be watchful be circumspect be perfect labour run strive suffer Your flesh will contradict this is an hard Master these are hard sayings all this is both needless and intolerable Shake off thy heavy yoke and take thy liberty turn out of this straight way and take thy course pity thy self spare thy self and put not thy self to such hard service when thou mayest be free at least thou mayest abate something of this strictness If thou wilt be holy what need so much care and labour about it Allow thy self some liberty some ease some pleasure And if you yield in a little then it will counsel you to take a little more and a little more and never give over till it hath reasoned you out of all Christianity and commanded you into very Brutes or Devils But what shall we do or how shall we deal with this Self when it is thus set upon us Why return the same Answer to it as Christ did to Peter when he gave him the like counsel Master pity thy self Get thee behind me Satan saies he Hold thy peace Devil Speak no more thus to me Say to this Flesh as the men of Sodom said to Lot Gen. 19. Stand back This fellow came in to sojourn and he will needs be a Judge or a Ruler Thou art stollen in I know not how stollen into my head stollen into my heart and now thou thinkest to be a Counseller to be a Ruler Stand back Flesh hold thy peace for I may not hearken to thee Say to it as the King of Israel said concerning the Prophet I hate him for he never speaks good to me but evil Say to this wicked Flesh as those wicked ones said against the Lord The word which thou hast spoken to me I will not do The liberty thou demandest thou shalt not have the pleasure and the ease which thou cravest I will not allow thee my Lord whom thou counsellest me against shall be my Lord him will I love him will I obey him will I follow in all that he shall say to me I will not pamper this Flesh but pinch it the more I will not humour this fleshly mind but cross it the more I will not feed this fleshly appetite but hold it the shorter for its cravings and lustings I will not Pray the less or Fast the less or Hear the less because this Flesh is against it but will Pray the more and Fast the more and beat down this bodie and bring it into subjection with the more care and diligence I will starve this proud beggar and weary it out of its imperious demands it shall get nothing if I can help it by all this ado it makes but shall rather be held the shorter I will the rather deny my self what I may allow my self because I will not feed or foster such an enemy Oh Christians What an exact life might we live and with what ease might we go on our holy course if this enemy were once well laid What an uncontrouled dominion might our Lord have over us if this Self were pulled down from sitting with him in the Throne And how much might be done to the destroying of it by our constant denying it Keep the Flesh low and by degrees you kill it But woe to us what Friends are we of this Enemy how gently do we deal with this old man What provision do we make for this Flesh What we have a mind to we must have what we have a mind to do we will do whither we have a mind to go we will go and seldome give our Reasons or our Consciences liberty to say to us What dost thou or once to judge whether it be good for us or fit for us or safe to us or no We are just like some fond Parents if their Child cry though it be but for a knife or a handfull of dirt it must have it to still it A wise Parent will rather give his Child a Rod than that which will hurt it and knows that this will be hurt enough that a Child should alwayes have its will Oh check and whip this Brat and let not thy Soul spare for its crying Better the Child cry than the Parent better the Flesh cry than the Soul and Conscience But oh what a sad wonder is it to observe how strangely indulgent too many Christians are this way who suffer their flesh to leave them almost to any thing who in a self-seeking flesh-pleasing life have equalled and even out-gone many of the carnal world What a liberty have many that seem to be Christians even of the highest form often taken in the dayes of their prosperity Some seeking great things for themselves driving so hard after estates honour high places c. as if they meant to return and take their portion with the men of this world Others living in pleasure with Solomon Eccles 2. 10. Whatever their eyes desire they keep not from them they withhold not themselves from any joy VVho as if they hoped to charm their flesh out of its enmity or to kill it bd kindness or if this were the Enemy which when it hungers they must feed when it thirsts they must give it drink and thereby heap devouring coals upon its head will not say it nay whenever it craves Oh what liberty have we seen taken by many such for excessive feastings costly attire vain fashions frothy light and carnal merriments yea and despisings and condemnings of the stricter and more self-denying way of more severe and mortified Christians as if this proceeded out of an affectation of a voluntary humility or an ignorance of their Christian liberty But is this indeed the way to crucifie the flesh Or have you gotten it so much under command already that now you can securely trust it with any thing it would have without fear of its getting head and making war against Christ or your Souls again Look to your selves Christians look back and consider whether your Souls have not suffered whilst your flesh have been thus surfeited whether there have not been some abatements made to Christ for every such allowance granted to the flesh and whether God hath not been provoked whilst self hath been thus pleased Think sadly whether this abuse of our liberty be not something that the Lord is now pleading with us about and scourging us for We have even put the Lord to it to cast us into the house of mourning thereby to repair the breaches that have been made upon our Souls in our Houses of Feasting And our Lord Jesus puts us the harder to the second Lesson Take up your Cross because we did no better learn our first Deny your selves IV. Order your selves aright Beloved if you will observe the former Rules well all that remains will be the more easie and I shall be the shorter in it Order your selves aright iu those things
it If you have wasted away your encouragements and spent out your Sun-shine in a careless unprofitable life how do you think to be ever useful or serviceable in the dark If you cannot now bear the pains of a godly life how do you think you should bear both the pains and the charges of it If you could follow Christ no closer in the plenty of all things how do you think to follow him when it must be in hunger and thirst Dost thou talk of suffering for Christ and suffering for Righteousness and hope thou shalt never forsake him whatever come upon thee when thy heart tells thee how much thou hast slighted Christ neglected thy duty to Christ contented thy self with a cold heartlesse luke-warm Profession without the power of Christianity and that when thou hast had no pretence of damage or danger that was hereby like to come upon thee You that how can keep at distance from Christ for the satisfying of a lust have reason enough to fear that you will utterly forsake him if ye be put to it for the saving of your Life You that in a calm can ordinarily remit your Religion for the pleasing a lazy heart will be like enough to renounce your Religion in a storm to quiet a fearful heart He that can sell his Conscience for a Lust will hardly be perswaded to buy it with the losse of all that ever he is worth Thou sayest it may be with Peter Though I dye with him I will not deny him I but dost thou deny thy self for him now deny thy pleasures and thy ease and thy companions now Hast thou not many a time denyed him a Prayer or an Alms when he hath called for it Canst thou watch with Christ Dost thou walk with Christ as thou oughtest Dost thou live to Christ Art thou faithful in bringing forth fruit unto Christ the fruits of holinesse and righteousnesse If not how dost thou think to be able to suffer for him If the way of Christ be too strait for thee thou wilt find his burthen to be too heavy if thou canst not bear his yoke thou wilt be less able to bear his Cross Christians consider what your wayes and your doings are at present and if you find the Lord helping you to walk in all good conscience now you need not doubt of being enabled to witnesse for a good conscience when called to it If you keep the Word and do the work of the Lord you may expect his help for bearing his burthen If you be faithful in your lives you are the more like to be faithful to the death Because thou hast kept the Word of my patience I also will keep thee in the hour of temptation Rev. 3. 10. 2. What you are in the ordinary and smaller crosses that come daily upon you There is not that man that lives that meets not with his crosses which though they be many of them but light and inconsiderable things below the Spirit of a Christian to take notice of yet how sadly may we observe at what a loss they are presently by them Every little Wind raiseth a storm every little cross puts us out of course What breaches are often made upon our consciences what interruptions of duties what abatements of our comforts to what distance are we put from Christ and our holy communion with him and all meerly for a thing of nought We cannot bear an unkindness from a Friend or an injury from an Enemy the provocation of an evil tongue a scoffe or a slander but presently our spirits are in an uproar and there are such tumults raised up within us that for the time we forget that we are Christians Duties and Comforts Christ and Conscience Souls and the matters of Eternity and all regard to them are laid aside and turned out of doors Faith and Patience and Meekness and Moderation are either made to be silent or at least cannot be heard for the noise of our passions and disquiets and all this sometimes for such trivial things that when we come to our selves we are all quite ashamed of our selves Brethren such fails by these lower temptations I cannot wonder if they make our hearts shake at the fore-fight of greater If every small party which the Adversary sends out against us doth put us to the rout How shall we stand when he comes upon us with his full body If we are overcome of the footmen how shall we contend with the horsemen If a rod or a little finger doth so disturb us how shall we bear the weight of the loyns or the stinging of Scorpions If we cannot bear an unkindnesse or a nod or a scoff or a slander what would become of us should we be brought to resist unto blood Beloved it is of greater import to Christians than they are aware of both to observe themselves daily and their carriages in these lower things and to inure themselves to patience and meeknesse of spirit under them Though it â—e no great vertue to be patient where there is no great provocation yet there may be great benefit by it If we could but shame our selves out of this folly and childishnesse of Spirit whereby we are apt to be moved with every toy if we could reason and pray our selves into such a fixed calm and quietnesse of spirit that we could keep our way with the neglect of such disturbances our lives would be both more comfortable and honourable at present and we should be in the better preparation for any harder things that might come upon us If we know how to be Christians among briars and thorns we shall be the better able to continue such among Spears and Arrows 3. What you are under the temptation of prosperity The World is a Christians Enemy it expresseth its enmity in its temptations the end of all its temptations is to draw us off from God Its temptations are of two sorts either of prosperity or affliction and both driving at the same end though in a different way Prosperity allures entices and flatters us away from God it steals away our hearts from God as Absalom stole the hearts of Israel from David by fair speeches by its fair and smiling face thereby drawing us into a neglect and forgetfulness of God to grow cold and remiss in our duty to God to let fall our love and affection and to lay aside our care of Religion Afflictions fright us from God dealing by us as Rabshakeh by Israel when he sought to get them off from Hezekiah by his threatnings and great words Isa 36. If you will not hearken to me I will make you drink your own piss and eat your own dung Afflictions are apt to weary men out of the ways of God to starve them out of their Religion to persecute them out of their Consciences and to make godlinesse too hot for them The stronger and the more dangerous of these two sorts of temptations are held to be the temptations of
that it might have the same good speed as Peter's last had Luke 5. 6. It would then pay the Charges though the Net break God hath sent me among you as an Husbandman to plow and to sow and I am now come to cover what hath been sown What is my aim in Preaching let be yours in Hearing Oh that both Preacher and Hearers might heartily joyn in this Desire This once more God speed the Plow In this Desire and hope I drive on In the Text observe A Precept A Promise An Entail of the Promise on the Precept In the Precept we have 1. An Act Do. 2. An Object The things that ye have learned received heard and seen The Promise is in these words The God of Peace shall be with you The Entail of the Promise on the Precept you have in the Connective Particle And which knits them up together Do the Work and have the Reward Obey the Precept and enjoy the Promise Do what you have received and heard and the God of Peace shall be with you Be careful of the former and be not careful about the latter If the Precept be performed the Promise shall be made good Doct. 1. Christians must be Learners before they can be Doers What you have learned that do Doct. 2. He hath learned well that hath learned to do well Doct. 3. Christians Eyes as wel as their Ears 〈…〉 Religion Or The Holy Examples 〈…〉 should be living Sermons to peopleâ— What you have seeâ— in me Therefore the Apostle â—xhorts Phil. 3. 17. Mark them which so walk as you have us for an example and 1 Cor. 11. 1. Be ye followers of me as I am of Christ that is either I have been a Follower of Christ be ye therefore Followers of me or else Be ye Followers of me as far â—orth as I have been a follower of Christ Those Ministers may go off the Stage with Honour and Coâ—â—â— who have left behind them the good Seed of â—ouâ—d Doctrine and the good savour of an Holy Example For mine own part what my Doctrine and manner of life hath been among you you are witnesses and God also And however I have great reason to judge and condemn my self before the Lord and to bewail it that my Conversation hath been less exemplary and useful than oh that it had been yet I go off from you with this Testimony upon my heart that I have not been of those who bind heavy Burthens and lay them on other mens shoulders but will not touch them with one of their fingers but my endeavour hath been to press on mine own Soul and to hold out in my own practice that Word of Life which I 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 seldome 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 Math. 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 Godliness 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 sum whereof take in these four particulars 1. That Jesus Christ who came into the VVorld 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 That this Godlinesse is not such a flight and easie and empty thing as the mistaken VVorld imagine but stands in an exact conformity of the whole Man Heâ—â—â— and Life to the whole VVill of God 4. That as whosoever believeâ— 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 travelled 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 VVisdome 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 delivered unto you that you might stand compleat in all the VVill 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 VVorld holding forth the VVord 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 knowledge and be filled with all the fulnesse 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 entitled 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 Farewel of the Apostles without Its 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
lost they were even ready to fall upon him The people spake of stoning him but he encouraged himself in the Lord his God 2. What the event hereupon was why God help'd him to all he had again vers 19. There was nothing lacking to them neither small nor great neither sons nor daughters neither spoyl nor anything they had taken David recovered all Hence note 1. That a Christian when he hath lost all hath yet a God to go to at last 2. Whilest a Christian hath a God to go to his case is never desperate let him but encourage himself in his God and all will be recovered Sinners triumph not over the poor people of God when they are at their worst when they are brought as low as your Pride and malice can lay them though they should be stript naked and left destitute of all their comforts though all the World should ride on their backs and tread on their necks yet rejoyce not against them though they fall they shall arise when they are at their worst there 's still help for them in their God 3. The Presence of the Lord shall be with them Whither soever they may be scattered they shall not be scattered from their God That Promise made to Moses Exod. 33. 14. My presence shall go with thee belongs to all 〈◊〉 Israel of God My presence in the Original 't is my face in the Septuagint my self shall go with thee The presence of God is either General or Special By his general presence he is every where 1. Per Essentiam he fills all things 2. Per Cognitionem he beholds all things 3. Per Sustentationem he upholds all things 4. Per Dominium he governs all things But to let this pass as not so proper to our purpose 2. There is his Special or his gracious Presence whereby he manifests himself to be with his people 1. In some visible and standing tokens of his presence as in those extraordinary the Pillars of the Cloud and of the Fire and in those ordinary the Ark and the Temple of old and the Ordinances of the Gospel now 2. In some inward influences and irradiations upon the hearts of his people 3. In some visible and signall effects of this presence whereof there are very many There are amongst others these two notable effects of Gods gracious presence which his People by vertue of this Promise may with confidence expect Conduction Covering they shall be Led in their way and they shall be Hid in their way 1. Conduction The Lord will be with them to lead them and guide them in the way that they should go Psal 25. 9 12. The Meek will he guide in Judgement 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 looks with too foul a face to leave any doubt upon them whether that be the way of God or nor 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 in him for any thing they are like to suffer Dost thou meet with Wolves or Lions in thy way thou maist blesse God 't is there thou meetest them 't would be ill meeting them else-where 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 shall keep them secretly in a pavilion 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 Psal 32. 7. In the secret of thy presence the Saints hiding place is a secret Such where neither the pride of man can find them nor can they understand what 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 Gods 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 Gods 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 Wildernesse among wild beasts among bryars 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 with 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 to go to Canaan 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 we 'l go any whither so God go with us The absence of God makes a Canaan worse than a Wildernesse the presence of God makes a Wilderness better than a Canaan And this presence of God shall be the Lot of all his Saints Reas 2. If God be with you all shall make for you All Providential Occurrences and Events
Friends and Enemies Heaven and Earth and Hell are already ingaged to work your good 2. They work together that is as some understand it they work together with God all the second causes work together with the first Cause or as others They work together amongst themselves There is such a concatenation and concentring of all these second causes in the same Design that however they seem to thwart and cross and destroy some of them what the others build and advance yet they are all united in their End they jointly contribute in the Weal of the Saints Though if I mistake not this latter be the more sense of the two Yet I know no reason why both may not be understood In the hand and under the conduction of Providence all these lower Things concur and co-operate in the good of the Church By the way observe what an Harmony there is in all the Works of Providence The most cross and thwarting Occurrences do all conspire and go hand in hand to bring about the same end As the differing Vertues of various Drugs do all concur â—o make up the Medicine As the differing sounds of several strings or Instruments do all together make up the Melody As the differing Colours in a Picture the dark as well as the brighter do jointly contribute to the Beauty of the Piece no less do the most contrary and contradictory Actions and Events both make up the Beauty of Providence and jointly subserve that one End to which by an unseen Hand and an all-seeing Eye they are directed and intended 2. The evil things that befal the Saints come upon them to keep out worse things Where-ever the cross comes if it had not come something worse might The Cross may be a means to secure from the Curse The Curse was slain on the Cross of Christ and our Cross also hath its use to the delivering us from it 1 Cor. 11. 32. We are chastened of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the World Periissem nisi periissem I had died if I had not suffer'd 'T is more mens cases besides his that spake it 't is no bad Exchange to have a Cross instead of a Curse 3. The evil things of the Saints prepare them for better things that they may work good for them they are working them to good working out their sin and iniquity wearying them of sin Hosea 2. 6. I will hedge up her way with thorns then shall she say I will return Sin brought in Afflictions into the World and Afflictions help to carry sin out the Cross to which sin was once nail'd is now nail'd to Sin The Saints can seldome be medling with Sin but they find it too heavy for them The Cross that is nail'd at the farther end of it makes it a â—urthen which they cannot bear In some sense not only the Bloud of the Lamb but the Bloud of the Sheep may purge away Sin though only the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 can expiate and take away the guilt yet the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may have their place in purging away the filth of sin By this shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged this is all the fruit to take away his sin Our Lord beats the Devil with his own Weapons by those very means purging his Saints by which he endeavours to pollute them making those very Persecuâ—ons by which he labours to force them from Holiness to fix them in it A fawning World does them more mischief than a fuming Devil By that the Devil hath cast up his Cards he will find himself a Loser by all his Rage Christians comfort your hearts those Flouds that are cast forth against you shall but wash you the whiter and make you more meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in Light your Purgatary prepares you for your Paradise No unclean thing must enter in thither and you are not like to be made so clean as by falling into the hands of the unclean The Saints never look so well like Sheep come from the washing as when they come up from the Pots their very black makes them comely Oh Christians what a comfort would it be if your Experiences might come in and seal to this Truth If you could say Thus it hath been with me Before I was afflicted I went astray I was proud and vain and wanton and slothful and carnal but now have I kept thy word Sinners What-ever your mind be in persecuting the Saints never think to debauch them by it if that be your aim you mistake your course the living Spark which God hath kindled in them will 〈◊〉 be blown out but be blown up by your puffing at it the Dirt you cast upon them doth but scour them the brighter You take the best course you can to keep them closer to the Lord and his way The warm Sun will more hazard the loss of their Garments than the blustring Wind Let them alone the Spirit of the Lord within them will be too hard for Hell with all its black Regiments and will not only secure them but advance them yet higher by all their Assaults These stars shine the brightest when the Night is darkest When you have done your worst 't will be the better with them though they will not thank you yet they will thank God for what they have suffer'd by you If this be your aim to make them like your selves you may set your hearts at rest and give over such a vain attempt Your fury is like to do as little to force them as your vertues are to invite them to a compliance with you Your Faces are too foul to draw them into your love and yet not fierce enough to drive them into your fear Sathan try thy utmost strength and skill and if thou losest not by thine own play at last if thou find'st not the poor people of God gotten nearer Heaven by thy attempts of plucking them down to Hell then let thy Lyes be believed before the everlasting Gospel Christian Make me not ashamed in this same confident boasting of you yea contradict not your God by suffering your selves to be corrupted by evil men The Lord himself hath adventured deep upon your Integrity and stedfastness The honour of his Truth and Faithfulness lyes at stake he hath said They shall not be afraid of any evil Tydings their heart is fixed trusting in the Lord Psal 112. 7. He hath said By this shall their iniquity be purged and this shall be all the fruit to take away their sin God hath said All things shall work together for good to them They shall not be the worse but the better for all that befals them They shall love me and my holy wayes the more they shall cleave unto me the closer they shall be made more pure and more tender by all they suffer for Righteousness sake they shall love Conscience and their Integrity and Faithfulness to it never the worse for that it
setteth up Kings he makes War and creates Peace he bendeth the Bow and breaketh the Bow and cutteth the Spear 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 casualties 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 casualties or contingencies But all things come to pass 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 wisdome of God to do any thing for nothing God would have his People look farther than the things that are before them because all those things have a farther aspect themselves 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 forward 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 means 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 hurt 'T is but to help all that good into thy hand which hath 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 The very thorns in thy flesh shall serve thee for Plaissers 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 means is alwayes from any thing in it self or for his natural tendency to such an end above any thing else God hath his choyce 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 pass So that now whatever befals 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 and sanctiâ—ie 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 so persecuted so scorned and trampled upon sure if the Lord had meant my good it would have been better than '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 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 lett 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 thee 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 wosk Oh how we do desparage the power of God when our difficulties make us doubt Is he God and not man Is he spirit and not flesh Wherefore then dost thou doubt What-ever 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 only 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 knows when 't is a season to abase 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 knows the best method and means to his end the fittest means he sees somtimes 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 befals 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 â—est 3. The Providence of God hath faithfulness with it Psal 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 only but indeed Gods Comforts are Comforts indeed Gods Salvation is Salvation indeed The Devil will come with his gifts with his comforts and deliverances 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 kindnesses 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 wrapp'd up in as many sorrows after all the joys he hath procured to you if the glittering glories the glorying 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 Works are according to his word 1 King 8. 24. Thou hast spoken with thy mouth hast fulfilled with thine hand In thy faithfulness thou hast afflicted me Psal 119. Not only 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 only write down with the Apostle God is faithful 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 hearts 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 faithful 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 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 spel 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 believesh shall not make hast believe God but do nor prejudge nor precipitate least you fall into temptation Put no more into the promise neither for matter nor circumstance then 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 lest 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 its 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 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 ye shall see and say God is faithful there hath not 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 toward my good and everlasting 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
Oh Christians how many poor are there that fit down by their poverty who if they starve yet will not beg their emptiness hath taken away their Appetites These are sad Souls 't is a sad sight to behold a company of hunger-bitten Souls sit weeping and sighing seeking after the Bread and Water of life and finding none but to see empty and yet not hungry fainting and yet not panting Souls to see Souls even dying away for want and yet not desiring or craving a supply this is a much sorer spectacle A starving thirstless Soul is next to a Ghost Well if ever such Souls find who never seek water 't is more than God hath promised 'T is they that seek water to whom God will open a River 6. VVhatever difficulty there be to furnish the hungry Saints with a sufficiency of Provision yet one way or other it shall be done I the Lord will hear I the God of Israel will not forsake them Upon me be all their wants I am God and can I am their God the God of Israel and will provide for them They must and shall be provided for whatever course I be put to take I must not see them starve The Lord will not be wanting to them If his VVord be not heard his VVorks shall speak if Preachers cannot Providence shall preach to them if their friends cannot their enemies their stripes their wounds their rods shall instruct them Thy Rod and thy Staffe comfort me If they have no other the Sun Moon and Staâ—â— the Fouls of the Air the Beasts of the Field shall be their Prophets and Apostles If any should fail yet the Spirit of the Lord shall not fail to be their Teacher and Comforter 2. Extraordinary means have more in them than ordinary and no means more than means 1. Extraordinary means when ordinary cannot be had are sweeter and better feeding to the Saints than ordinary would be The less of the Creature the more of God the less of common Providence the more of special Grace Water out of the Rock was more precious than out of the River the Manna of the Wilderness was to them that understood it better than the Milk of Canaan Elijah never made better meales than what he got out of the Ravens mouth I have heard of a woman in great distress of Soul who received comfort when the Word was brought her by the mouth of a Child which she had failed of receiving from the mouthes of many excellent Ministers 2. No means often prove better than means when I say no means I do not understand simply none meanes they shall have of one kind or other their understandings their memories their secret duties Prayer Meditation c. but by no meanes 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 hands of another the Samaritans hearing of Christs words from his own mouth was much more to them than the same words reported by the woman Duâ—cius 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 Heaven by so much the more they have of Heaven in them If upon the failing of publick Communion it bâ— 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 bin sometimes cast the Wilderness into which they have been sometimes banished let Elihu's Songs in the night Peters Pauls Silahs 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 subsistance without them Now lay all this together and then you will see that even this also this most grievous of Judgements 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 your are provided for you shall have enough If the shours fail without you have within you that which shall spring up to eternal 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 River 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 evil 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 dayes of my life and I will dwell in the House of the Lord for ever 2. There is another Objection that seems to have one 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 in 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 mans being converted into a meer 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 soarest 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 judg 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 Dâ—sease To be useless and unserviceable is less eligible than to be sorrowful and afflicted Will any man chuse to fall into a Lethargy or Apoplexy because 't will secure him from the torment of a Feaver If there be any weight in this Reply I shall add a further Answer which if I mis-judge not will cut off all Replyes 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 a 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 length you see this Blessed Glorious Comfortable Truth stands its 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 maist 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 maist 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 maist see light on the further side Believe this Word thou maist read it written upon every thing that befals 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 maist 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 Holy 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 befals 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 our Oh that this were my portion Where-ever my Lot do fall as to outward things though in a Prison though in a Desert though on a Dunghil let the lot of my Soul lye in this Promise The God of Peace shall be with you Why Brethren will you take up with Godliness you have learned and recâ—ived 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 shall 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 enâ—ugh into whatever hands you fall Vse 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 peaceful and blessed state Amongst the ungodly 1. There are some who are far from the Kingdom of Heaven as 1. Those upon whom the Ministry of
the Palms of thine Hands and in the very prints of thy Feet whose Malice against God and his Holiness may be read in every look in every word in every Line of thy life needest thou any further proof that thou art not of God Thou mayst as well put me to prove that Hell is not Heaven that the Devil is no Saint as that thou art no Christian Dost thou love God art thou under the hope of the Promise Ask thy ways man and let these tell thee 2. Doest thou mean to keep at this distance from God to the Death Doest thou in earnest Is there nothing in those rich Promises that have been laid before thee which thou canst with 't were thine Is there no such word in thine hearâ— Oh that my Lot were here Art thoâ— content thy name should be left out for ever Is there so little in the peace of God that thou canst fell it for the pleasures of sin Art thou content that nothing should prosper with thee but that every thing should be a Gin and a Snare and a Curse to thee Art thou content that the Piâ— should be thy place Eternal Wrath thy Portion and that every Creature every Comfort every Cross that comes should give thee a pluck down from Heaven and a kick towards Hell canst thou think they mean thee any thing else when all does but harden thee in thy sin and make thee kick against thy God Art thou so unwilling to leave thy sins for the hope of the Promise of God that thou art content to give up thy hopes for the love of thy sins Darest thou say Let me have my part in the pleasures and contentments of this life and I am contented to relinquish my part in Christ Let God let me alone in my sins and let him damn my Soul Let me live at my ease and my liberty and let my name be blotted out of the Book of Lifo I am content to take my place and my lot among the damned in another world so I have my pleasure with them in this World And dost thou say less or other than this whilest thou refusest or resolvest against following thy God He that refuses to accept of the Redemption of Christ upon the holy Terms upon which 't is offer'd says in effect I am lost I am sold for a Captive to the Devil my first Father sold me for an Apple Christ would now buy me back again to my self but for my part I am contâ—nt 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 loosed to consideâ— what thou hast done and art still a doing Sinners I have but a little more to speak to you but shall that little be nothing Hither to you have stood it out and will rot 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 last that I must preach be the last that you 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 Sermon that will be your last Sermon There is a VVarning that will be your last warning Oh what if this should be it If the Lord should take your this dayes denial 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 hearden yours Is this all I shall have to return to the Lord that sent me unto you I have declared thy Name unto 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 Wiâ—ness 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 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 Drunkaad 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 dye 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 sin vers 44. Ye are of your Father the Devil 2 Tim. 2. 26. Held captive by him at his will Act. 8. 23. In the gall of bitterness and in the Bond of iniquity 1 Joh. 5. 19. The world lyeth in wickedness Ps 11. 6. Vpon the wicked he shall reign Snares Fire and Brimstone and an horrible Tempest this shall be the portion of their cup. 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 Gin is at thy heel the Curse is over thy head the very next step may be Hell Thou lyest in wickedness to day mayst be in fire and brimstone before to morrow Sure thou art in a dead â—leep 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 swel'd with thy pride jollity amongst thy Companions put in such a
serious Question But what am I all this while Let this thought sawce thy sweet Morsel spice thy pleasant Cups be the Burthen of thy merry Songs After this Hell Snares Fire and Brimstone the Vengeance of Eternal Fire Oh an Heaven a Paradise oh my dear pleasures oh my sweet Laughter oh merry dayes 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 stomack 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 staâ—e 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 only 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 Paradise 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 sin hug not Death one minute longer in thy Bosom If thou lovest thy Life say not of any one sin Nothing but Death shall part thee and me No not so much as this Yet a little while and I will let thee go Today to day if your will hear his voice hearden not your hearts 4. Dread it as Hell that thy hope in Christ should lessen thy fear of sin Let not thy 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 knots by the cords of thy sinnes 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 fewel When thou art charmed with the roaring of thy Companionâ— 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 â—is too late how much and with how little success I have laboured with you in this thing 5. Baffle not Conscience once more Awakened Sinner Charm not thy Conscience into silence nor dash it out of countenance Thy Conscience is the only Friend that God or the 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 the 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 pangs 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 Companions come all 's forgotten and along thou goest as a fool to the Stocks or an Ox to the slaughter and this hath been thy way and thy mannâ—r from time to time Now and then Conscience draws a sigh or a â—ear 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 It 's next word may be it's last if ever thou weariest it into perpetual silence then farewel 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 bâ—fflings 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 nor Conscience once more 6. Let not the gâ—eatness of thy sins nor the difficulty of Christs 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 Yoke the Crown against the Câ—oss infinite Merit and Mercy against mighty sins and go unto Jesus cast thy self on his bloud and bowels 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 thee these two Scriptures Mat. 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 the Sabbaths The Lord on those dayes comes down upon his 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 staff behind thee 4. View often and take an account of thy self of the
things He that hath the son hath not only with him but in himâ— all things Are all things nothing with thee What wouldst thou have more than all Thâ— Heathens acknowledged That vertue is sufficient Iâ— was a Maxime among the ancient Philosophers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vertue is self-sufficient A vertuous Man hath no need to be beholding either tâ— Friends or Fortune He hath enough in himself The Apostle tells us That Godliness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with its self-sufficiency is great gain 1 Tim. 6. 6. Solomon tells us Prov. 14. 14. A good man is satisfied from himself He hath that within him out of which his satisfaction grows A Christian hath the whole Gospel within him He hath Christ the Promise the everlasting God Heaven Glory within him As rich as he is he may truly say Omnia mea mecum porto He carries his All in his heart and can thence get out a living a Sufficiency for all Times Cases and Wants Cast him naked out of his Habitation out of his Countrey yet he carries all with him he leaves not an Hoof behind him Christians leave it to the poor of the Earth to carnal men the Riches of them is poor enough leave it them to be discontent A carnal Man hath so many to be beholding to to parch up his contentment that 't is no wonder he falls short of it the Sun the Clouds his Fields his Folds his Friends his Enemies his Honours his Pleasures his Meat his Drink his House his Mony yea the Devil all his lusts every Creature must come in with their part to contribute to his contentment if but one thing fails him there 's somthing wanting to make it up Nay if none fail but they all do their best to please him yet all will not do in the fulness of his sufficiency he is in straits When he hath all he can have his still hungring Heart cries out of what it hath Vanity of Vaâ—â—ties all is Vanity Leave it to these Christians who â—ave nothing but emptiness to fill their Souls withâ—â— leave it to them to be discontented Will you â—ay the same imputation upon the God of Glory The Discontent of a Christian is a kind of Blasphemy it proclaims concerning God also and all the Glory of the Gospel This also is Vanity Vanity of Vanities all is Vanity Christians study your Riches more count over your Treasures dwell more in 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 mâ—â—t 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 had Gad not into other Pastures run 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 err thou alwayes 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 will call it a Friend that 's born for the day of adversity If you are Christians you have need of Pâ—tience 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 it born up under all his Troubles and born through 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 evil 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 lâ—â— 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 noâ— cry nor lift up its voice in the streets 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 compos mentis 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 burthens 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 on 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 tranquility 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 clam 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
come upon them without taking part with them in their sufferings then lust is conquered Lust no longer lives nor maintains its power and interest in us than whilest in all its afflictions we are afflicted when we feel its sufferings as our sufferings its disappointments and dissatisfactions as our own and flie out against whatsoever falls upon it as it fell upon our Souls When we can say 't is my passion that suffers but not I 't is my Covetousness that suffers my pride that suffers but not I and let them suffer for me let them be pinch'd and pain'd and starv'd and die none of all this shall move me nay herein I do and I will rejoyce There 's Patience Patience is Lust conquered Christians you complain of Corruption you tell one another sad stories what a burden what a bondage 't is you are under whilest Lust hath such power in you whar Briars and Thorns what plagues and stings they are in your hearts You pray and you mourn and groan and sigh in your selves waiting for your redemption from this bondgae and misery Oh for an humble heart Oh for a broken mortified spirit oh this earthliness this envy this peevishness this sloathfulness I am weary of my life because of these Daughters of Heth. Wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death Why would you be delivered Be patient under Afflictions they are the Executioners sent from God to slay your Enemies the Medicines sent from your Physician to cure your Diseases Never quarrel with Affliction unless you resolve to befriend Corruption What will you be so foolish as not to be patient of your Disease nor your Remedy either bear the Cross or else never make your selves believe but you can bear your sins well enough Whatever your complaints are 't is a sign they come not very deep 'T is an Argument that sin sits light where the Cross lies so unsupportably heavy 4. Your patient suffering will be your Triumph over Temptation A patient Christian is a Conqueror over all the World By this alone naked Job overcame the Devil When Sathan and his Instruments have persecuted you into patience they have therein brought their Necks under your Feet This Brazen wall will make their shot recoil on their own heads and hearts Your Patience will be 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 Nakedness or Peril or Sword In all these things we are more than Conquerors 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 dayes chastened us after their pleasure but he for our profit that we might be partakers of his holiness The Fathers of our flesh corrected 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 seldome any towardliness in a child till it be whipt into him Gods 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 travel 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 shew 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 yeeldeth the peaceable Fruit of Righteousness to them that are exercised thereby Oh when you see the Fruit where then will your Sorrow be John 16. 21. A Woman when she is in Travail hath Sorrow because her hour is come but as soon as she is delivered 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 Plow 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 cost you not over-much 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 what-ever 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 bâ—ing you on to it Can you freely say O Lord I am weary of this trifling I am weary of this dead and barren life Lord quicken me Lord enlarge me Lord perfect thy work and fulfil in me all the good pleasure of thy will So thou wilt but hear she 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 thou 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 state 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 only let me have it Can you say thus to the Lord I hope you can what and yet be displeased it 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 furrowes 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 as I hope it is I will wait I will wait for the fruit and if this be the fruit oh welcom welcom 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 persecuâ—ings of the ungodly shall meet them in hell so certainly shall the Persecutions of the Righteous meet them before the Throne of God This shall be written on their everlasting Crowns Here is the Patience of the Saints By this time you see Christians that a suffering state is not so formidable nor patience under it so impossible nor your impatience so excusable as your hearts are so apt to tell you Sufferings you cannot avoid but you may abide them your carnal hearts will cry out I can't endure and therefore whatever shift I make I must avoid them The Gospel tells you You may endure but if you will be Christians you can't avoid them All that will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution Well since it 's thus Gird up the loins of your Minds and follow your Lord. Consider him that endured such contradictions of Sinners and be not weary noâ— faint in your minds The Captain of your salvation was made perfect through sufferings and if you will be patient so shall you his followers Turn to your strong hold ye Prisoners of hope prove to the world that your Faith is no fancy nor your Rock a refuge of lies that your profession of holiness is not a meer talk or vapour Fear not to bear yours and thankfully accept your Lords Testimony when the Lord hath fulfilled his sad Predictions let your faith and patience seal to the fulfilling his promises When-ever the hand of the Lord touches to the quick and you feel in earnest that 't is hot service to be a Christian when your flesh begins to fly in your face and cries out against your Soul either as Zippâ—rah against Moses a bloody Husband hast thou been to me or as Job's Wife to him Curse God and dye chide it into silence Thou speakest like one of the foolish Women If it will still kick and â—ling and groan out to thee dost thou still retain thy integrity hearken not to it leave it to groan alone as the flesh hath left thy Soul to groan alone under sin so let thy Soul leave thy flesh to groan alone under affliction While thy Soul is quiet there 's the glory of patience though extremity of torment make thy flesh to roar nay the more the flesh roars and the Soul yet keeps silence the more patience If your fears affright you and prophecy to you before hand Oh I shall never be patient if the fore-sight be so dreadful what will the encounter be Yet be not discouraged You say you could be content to suffer if you were sure you could be patient that is you would venture into the water if you had first learn'd to swim why when you are in then you will learn and not before Tribulation worketh patience where it findeth none when you are in the fight you 'l find your weapons your very sufferings will learn you to bear 'T is the flesh that flings and frets but by that it hath been tamed in the house of affliction it will be quieter Be jealous of your selves while you will let not fore-hand presumption hinder fore-hand preparation But whilst you suspect your selves distrust not your God follow the Cloud of Witnesses and lean on the Rock of Ages and when you are put hardest to it let your soul take Sanctuary here When my flesh and my heart faileth me God is the strength of mine heart and my portion for ever Lastly As that wherein I shall take in most of these former particulars Let your lives answer that Spirit of holiness which the Gospel hath powred forth upon you Let your lives be gracious and holy lives Particularly 1. Let the Grace of the Gospel be visible and perspicuous in your lives shew forth the vertues of him that hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light Let your lives be the image of thot holy Doctrine or the holding forth of that word of Life which you have received Admire that grace of God which hath appeared to you and let his Grace appear and be admired in you let Grace appear in you in its Purity Power 1. In its Purity represent your God and your Christ and your Religion in its holiness to the world Teach the World to love or at least to reverence holiness by letting them see it before their eyes Holiness hath such a Glory in it that it will command respect and reverence when it is clearly seen Let your paths be pure as God hath separated you to separate your selves from the lusts of men to the Law of your God Keep your selves upright in the sight of God keep your selves unspotted of the world If they will be spotting you let it be only with your beauty spots your Wisdom Truth Holiness Mercy Meekness Patience the Excellencies and Vertues of your God appearing upon you Let this that you are too pure
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 Sum 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 What Sins have I committed What duties have I omitted Against which of these Rules have I offended the day fore-going 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 fore-mentioned 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 mayst 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 lived 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 Relation 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 Christian 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 success 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 abhor such lazy complaints and look upon them as they are a meer device to keep you quiet under a slothful 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 the Lord commit your selves and your wayes 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 spirit with one mind Never look to thrive in Grace if you do not live in peace The decays of Christianityly much upon the score of the divisions of Christians The Devil hath also taken up that Maxim Divide 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 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 direâ—â—on 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 mâ—â—â— patient broken-hearted self-denying mortified Christian in whatsoever unpleasing form as to matters circumstantial he appears despise him not reject him not 5. Prize Peace and Union aâ— 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
worse and worse every spoke of the Wheel every turn of the wheel renders our condition more helpless and hopeless Our adversaries are become rampant our Soul is filled with their scorn and fury our friends are as a broken tooth or a foot out of joynt our hopes are a Spiders Web or as the giving up the Ghost the Almighty causes all his storms and billows to pass over us one day telleth another one night certifieth another and prophesies to us nothing but destruction upon destruction desolation upon desolation and where is the promise of his coming the hope of Israel is asleep her Saviour is a stranger the Ark of God is taken the glory is departed yea and God himself seems to be gone over to the Camp of the Philistines and marching against us we have waited for light but behold obscurity for brightness but we walk in darkness the Harvest is past the Summer is ended and we are not saved neither is there yet any to tell us how long Suppose you should have stood by and have seen or heard any such things any where in the World would you not have said can any good come out of such a dark abyss out of such a concatination of so many dreadful and dismal Providences Why by what hath been already said you might have answered thus Stay but a while till the whole wheel be come about till God hath brought off his work from the wheel and then you shall see Providence and the Promise meeting together and kissing each other and shall be able to say in this case what Solomon did in Israels 1 Kings 8. 56. Blessed be God that hath given rest to his People Israel according to all that he promised there hath not failed one word of all his good promise which he promised by the hand of his Servants Christians whatever may come upon you at any time while you live in this World diâ—trust not your God nor be at all dismayed you shall see the day either here or hereafter and 't will be never the worse if it be not till hereafter take it upon the credit of this word All things shall work together for good You shall see the day when your hearts shall rejoyce and say Oâ— 't was happy for us that matters went so cross with us 'T was happy we were so poor and brought so low and laid in the dark and strip'd so naked of all that we either took pleasure or put confidence in Now we see that the Lord hath a more glorious design that he was carrying on for us step by step by every thing that came upon us than we were aware of or could have imagined It 's true the Shimei's have been cursing the Ishmael's have been mocking the Rabshaka's 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 furrows such an Harvest of joy sowing in the dayes 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 dye 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 Errant upon which his Ambassadors are dispatched As Abraham's servant to take you as a Wife for your Lord. This is the meaning of all those Jewels and the 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 Bosom come and lodge between my Breasts live in my presence and rest in my love for ever Christians my business while I have been with you hath been to bring you to God to espouse you to Christ and you that have already or will yet at last be perswaded to give your consent and wil 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 Daugther 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 farther in the close of my day this once more to open my heart to you and to tell you 1. What my parting Feares 2. What my parting Wishes for you are which I carry upon my spirit 1. My parting Feares 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 Apostles 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 only from Mount Geriziâ— 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
within me says 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 conâ—ent to be â—anctified and to be saved let me have this wish and I dare promise from the Lord you shall have yours even whatever your Soul can desire Brethren 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 once hear lest if ye now refuse ye no more be perswaded with oh that they would but be for 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 denied 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 deprival And shall so commit you to God and to the word of his Grace which is able to huild 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 knows 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 ears 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 trodden in the right path they have chosen the good part that shall not be taken from them Beloved Brethren 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 Ministry 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 Glory 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 beseech you by all this to hearken to that word of the Gospel which God hath spoken to you by me 2. Of my deprival 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 draws 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 such a severe 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 scandal 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 disloyaltie to Authoritie 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 tels me the Lord says 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 sealed 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 hearts 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 Pastor but now behold a Pastor without a Flock a Flock without a Shepherd This Morning I had an House but now I have none This Morning I had a living but now I have none The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken away Blessed be the Name of the Lord. Beloved I am sensible of my Weaknesses and Disadvantages I am under which may render a suffering state the harder to be born help me by your Prayers and not me only 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 Death And thus Brethren I bid you 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 Shepherd of the sheep through the blood 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 The Terms of our Communion are either from which or to which The Terms from which we must turn are sin Satan the World and our own Righteousness which must be thus renounced The Terms to which we must turn are either ultimate or mediate The ultimate is God the Father Son and Holy Ghost who must be thus accepted The mediate terms are ei-Principal or less principal The principal is Christ the Mediator who must thus be embraced The less principles are the Laws of Christ which must be thus observed