Lord command thee to be meeke humble patient and dost thou refuse then heare O heavens and hearken O earth Secondly the groanes of the creatures are witnessing groanes I call heaven and earth to record against you know that you shall shortly perish said Moses to the Isralites Dent. 4. 26. So beloved let me say to you I call heaven and earth to record against you that woe and damnation shall be to that man that obeys not the commandements of God Cursed be that man that goeth on still in his wickednesse The heavens write his curse and the whole earth doe witnesse his vengeance that will not give over his lust at the commandement of the Gospell of the Lord Jesus Christ As Joshuah said unto all the people Josh 24. 27. Behold this stone shall be a witnesse unto us for it hath heard all the words of the Lord which he spake unto us it shall be a witnesse c. so may I say unto you the walls of this house shall cry the timber of the Church shall answer this Sermon that you have heard this doctrine that hath beene preached unto you if you will not repent if you will not humble your selves and obey the voyce of your God all these shall witnes against you another day that you had a time that you had a day to repent in you had the word of God calling you to it but you would not Dost thou commit a sinne and none by but the stonnes in the streets even they see thee like Joshuahs stone with seven eyes and they shall witnes against thee Dost thou pray thy lazie praiers unto God thoughtlesse of God and none by but the walls of thy Clofet or thy bedde or the hangings they shall witnes against thee Dost thou sweare and blaspheme the King of Heaven though none were present but the fowles of the aire they shall carry thy voice and declare the matter Eccles 10. 20. If the creatures groane against thee then they are sensible in some sort to witnesse against thee Beloved mens hearts are so stubborne that we the Ministers of God may doe as the Prophet did 1 King 13. 2. who cryed O Altar Altar thus saith the Lord. What was the Prophet sent unto the Altar had the Altar cares No he was sent unto Jeroboam his message was to him but he knew that he would not heare nor believe nor obey therefore he turned from the King and spake to the sencelesse Altar So may we say for all the hearing some will afford us O walls walls thus saith the Lord cursed is the man that obeyeth not O House of the Lord witnesse against this rebellious generation So Jeremy he cried out O earth earth earth heare the Word of the Lord thus saith the Lord write this man a castaway that shall never prosper Jer. 22. 29. he meant wicked Jeconiah the King but because he was a deaâ—e Adder he preacheth to the dead earth as being more likely to listen then he O fearfull doome When Jeconiah will not heare God he roares so loud that he makes the dead and sencelesse earth to heare Beloved in the feare of God take heed if there be any dead worldly-hearted Professour here if there be any loose prophane sinner here any impenitent wretch that hath not repented if after the Lord hath sent his Ministers to thee his Word and Gospell to thee and thou wilt not heare take heâ—d lest the Lord direct his speech to the dead earth and say O earth earth earth heare the Word of the Lord write these men men that shall never prosper they will still covet and lie they will still fret and chafe they will still content themselves with formes of godlinesse they will still be lukewarme or key-cold they do still pray as they did rub on as they did seven yeares agoe no more holy no more zealous no more heavenly they will not be bettered O earth earth earth heare the Word of the Lord write them a people that shall never prosper a people that shall never be converted write them men damned for ever let them come and heare Sermon after Sermon but write them men that shall never prosper let them pray and let their prayers never prosper let them goe on in their dead-hearted profession but write them men that shall never prosper Beloved God forbid that it should so be written against you but woe be to you if ever it be for if once the earth hath wrote this eternall decree of God upon thy soul it can never be altered I will warrant thee thy damnation sure Thirdly they are accusing groanes they shall accuse thee for casting thine eye upon a creature without taking notice of God They shall accuse thee for thy touching tasting handling using any of the creatures without adoration of God Dost thou thinke of a creature speake of a creature meddle with a creature or take possession of a creature they shall accuse thee if thou dost not live to the glory of God the Creator Fourthly these groanes are judgeing and condemning groanes He shall call the Heavens above and the earth to judge his people Psal 50. 4. The creatures groane why then doest thou not groane the creatures account themselves oppressed and sore afflicted because they are constrained to serve sinne why then dost thou injury them If the King should build him a stately Palace and one should willingly deface it or abuse it or pull it downe would not the very Ravens judge him a Traytor The creatures are Gods Palace and thou demolishest their beauty by making them the instruments or abettors or matter or incentives of sinne thou shalt be adjudged of High-treason against the King of Kings for we know that every creature groaneth with us and travelleth in paine together untill now Now we come to an use Of Exhortation doth the creature Use groane to serve sinne take heed then you doe not abuse the creatures of God There is not any one of them but if it be abused to sinne or by sinne but it will presently make its complaint like a little childe to his Father with groanes unto God Labour to be a true Convert unto God otherwise if thou beest not regenerate and a Convert every creature that thou hast is in bondage under thy hands and it groanes unto God against thee till God recover it out of thy hands againe I will recover my wooll and my flaxe saith God Hosea 2. 9. the creature groaned under thraldome because it was possessed by them that were carnall and therefore God saies he would recover it Secondly labour not to sinne against God for if thou sinnest against God thou canst not meet with a creature but it groaneth against thee When Jonah had sinned against God the Sea roared against Jonah and he at last knew it well enough for when the Marriners askt what he was I am an Hebrew saith he and I feare God the God of Heaven which hath made the Sea and the drie
then I should doe nothing else but pray how then are we to continue our praiers till God heare us and give the grace that we pray for to this I answer A man must give over the words and Answ times of prayer for other duties but a man must not give over the suite of prayer A poore begger comes to a housekeepers gate and begs but none heares him now he being a poore man hath something else to doe and therefore he sits downe or stands and knits or patches and then he begs or knocks and then to his work again though he do not alwaies continue knocking or begging yet he alwaies continues his suite O that my suite might be granted me or that I might have an almes here so when the soul is begging of any grace though it doth not alwaies continue the words of praier yet it alwaies continues the suite of praier David he would dwell in the house of the Lord for ever Psal 23. 6. A wicked man it may be will turne into Gods house and say a prayer c. but the Prophet would and so all godly men must dwell there for ever his soule lyeth alwaies at the throne of grace begging for grace A wicked man he prayeth as the cock croweth the cocke crowes and ceaseth and crowes again and ceaseth again and thinkes not of crowing til he crowes again so a wicked man praies and ceaseth prayes and ceaseth againe his minde is never busied to thinke whether his prayers speede or no he thinkes it is good Religion for him to pray and therefore he takes that for granted that his praiers speede though in very deed God never heares his praiers nor no more respects it then he respects the lowing of Oxen or the gruntling of hoggs he is found in his prayers as the wilde Asse in her months Jer. 2. The wilde Asse in â—egard of her swiftnesse cannot be taken but in her months she hath a sleepy month and all that while she is so sleepy and dumpish that any man may take her in her months you shall finde her so a wicked man hath his prayer monthes his praier fits it may be in the morning or in the evening or day of his affliction and misery you shall have him at his prayers at his prayer fits then you shall finde him at it but otherwise his mind is about other matters But the childe of God what ever he ailes he goes with his petition presently to the throne of grace and there he never removes till he hath it granted him as here we see the prayers of the Church consisting of many yeares yet are counted but one suite try therefore and examin whether thy praiers be unsatiable praiers yea or no and for helpe herein take these markes first if thy prayers be unsatiable praiers then it is a begging praier thou praiest as if thou hadst never praied before as if thou hadst never begun to pray and thou never thinkest that thou hast done any thing till thou hast done the deede As a hâ—ngrie man eates as if he had never eate before so the unsatiable soule praies as if he had never prayed before till he hath obtained that he hath praied for but a wicked man he praies not thus Iob speaking of carnal professors Iob 27. 10. Will he call upon God at all times seest thou a wicked man go to a good duty go to praier do you think that he wil hold out alwaies he will nâ—ver do it for a wicked man he reasons with himself I have called upon God thus thus long I hope I need not pray any more for this thing so he gives over But a godly man he will be alwaies calling upon God Beloved there is a beginning to an action and a beginning of an action thou never beginnest to lift up a weight till thou stirrest it from ground indeede thou mayst begin towards the action by pulling at it by reaching at it but thou never beginnest the lifting up of the weight til thou stir it from its place thou mayst give a pull at prayer and â—ugge at a grace but thou hast not so much as begun that duty till thou seest God begin to hear thee till thou seest the grace a coming therefore the Prophet David when he prayed and had not that he prayed for his prayers returned into his owne bosome Psal 35. 13. there to lie to be a continuall suite unto God A wicked man praies and he leaves his praier behind him in his pew or in his hal or chamber but a godly man praies and his prayer is in his heart his praier is not out til the grace be in Secondly an unsatiable prayer it is evermore a proceeding prayer you would think that these are two contraries and one opposite to the other but they are not only they are two severall things as it is ever a beginning praier because in his own thoughts he reckons or thinkes that he hath nothing till he speedes so the soule that is unsatiable in praier he proceedes he gets neere to God he gaines somthing he windes up his heart higher or somthing or other he gets As a child that seeth the mother have an apple in her hand and it would faine have it it will come and pull at the mothers hand for it now she lets go one finger and yet she holds it and then he pulls againe and then she lets goe another finger and yet she keepes it and then the child pulls againe and will never leave pulling and crying till it hath got it from his mother So a child of God seeing all graces to be in God he drawes neere to the throne of grace begging for it by his earnest faithful praiers he opens the hands of God to him God dealing as parents to their children holds them off for a while not that he is unwilling to give but to make them more earnest with God to draw them the neerer to himselfe a wicked man praies and his praiers tumble downe upon him againe and his heart is as dead as ever it was before as sensuall as ever as carnall and earthly as ever as hard as impenitent and secure as ever A godly man when he praies though he have not gotten the thing totall that he desired yet he is neerer God then he was before his heart growes every day better then other by his praiers he obtaines still something as the Prophet Hoseah speakes of knowledge Hos 6. 3. Then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord so I may say of praier of al other good duties then we pray if we proceed on-wards in praier A man may know and know and yet never know the Lord till he goe on in knowledge so a man may pray and pray yet if he goe not on-wards in his praiers his praiers are nothing A godly man praies as a builder builds now a builder he first layeth a foundation and because he cannot finish in
I believed and therefore did I speake He beleeved Gods promise and then he spake with condition So we believe saith the Apostle and therefore doe we speake First the soule beleeves and then every action of a Christian wherin it moves to the keeping of the condition springs from this root nay beloved a man cannot keep any condition in the Bible without faith he must believe Secondly faith is the inabling cause to keep the condition Dost thou thinke to get weeping mourning and humiliation for thy sinnes and then thereby to get the promise to thy selfe then thou goest in thy owne strength and then in Gods account thou dost just nothing John 15. 5. Without me ye can doe nothing saith Christ therefore first lay hold on me beleeve in me abide in me What! doe you first think to pray to mourne to lament and bewaile your sinnes to do this and that in turning your selves and sanctifying of your selves Indeed you may fumble about these things but you can never do any of them in deed and to the purpose without me ye can doe nothing I had fainted saith the Prophet unlesse I had beleeved to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the living Psal 27. 13. where we may see three things First the Promise that he should see the goodnesse of the Lord otherwise he could not have beleeved Secondly the Condition if he doe not fâ—iâ—â— Thirdly the method the Prophet went by First he beleeved to see the goodnesse of the Lord. As if he had said if he had not first laid hold on the Promise if I had not beleeved to have seen the goodnesse of the Lord in the Land of the living I had fainted Beloved it is true that the keeping of the Condition is before the fruition of the Promise but not before beleeving the Promise because the doing of the Condition is effected by beleeving the Promise This is the cause that many fumble about grace but never get it they are ever repenting but never repent ever learning but never learne the knowledge of the truth everlasting ever striving but never get power over their corruptions c. because they fumble about it in their own strength and take it not in the right method Let the soule come with faith in Christ and believe it shall speed and have grace and power from Christ his grace and from Christs power and then it shall speed Christ hath promised John 16. that whatsoever we aske the Father in his name he will give it us Christ beloved is an excellent Surety Indeed our credit is crackt in Heaven we may thinke to goe and fetch this and that grace in our owne names and misse of it as the servant may goe to the Merchant for wares in his owne name but the Merchant will not deliver them to him in his own name unlesse he come in his Masters name and bring a ticket from him and then when the servant sheweth his Masters ticket the Merchant will deliver him what wares he asketh for in his Masters name So when a soule goeth to the Throne of grace with a ticket from Christ if he can say Lord it is for the honour of Christ I come for grace and holinesse and strength against my corruptions Lord here is a ticket from Christ most certainly he shall speed But men must take heed that they foyst not the name of Christ that they foyst not a ticket to say that Christ sent them when it is their own selfe-love and their owne lust that sends them it is not enough to pray and at the end to say through Christ our Lord Amen No for this may be a meere foysting of the Name of Christ But canst thou pray and shew that Christ sent thee and say as the servant I come from my Master and he sent me Lord it is for Christ that I come it is not to satisfie my owne lust nor to ease and deliver me from the galls of my conscience nor to free me from hell but for Christ Lord I begge grace and holinesse that I may have power to glorifie Christ It is for the honour of my Lord Christ that I come When the soul comes thus in Christs name beleeving it shall speed then his prayer shall prevaile Whatsoever saith Christ ye shall aske the Father in my Name he will give it you We come now to the third and last part of our Text to wit the supplies they had against danger and discouragements The Lord upheld their hearts from being dismayed in prayer thou saidst feare not There be two things that do much hurt in prayer First groundlesse incouragements Secondly needlesse discouragements First I say groundlesse incouragements and these the wicked are most subject to especially who because they pray heare the Word and performe many duties of religion therefore they incourage themselves in the goodnesse of their estates judgeing themselves happy though notwithstanding they go on and continue in the hardnesse of their hearts and rebellions against God We have abundance of sayings amongst us that if they were examined would prove false and unsound As that the vipers die when they bring forth their young for say they the young eate out the old ones bowels that beares shape all their young by licking of them that the Swanne singeth sweetest at her death that the Adamant stone is softned by Goats blood c. These things are not so as may be shewn out of ancient Writers So beloved there are abundance of sayings that goe up and down amongst men concerning Divinity which if they were examined will prove to be rotten sayings as he that made them will save them It is not so saith the Prophet Esal 27. 11. He that made them will not have mercy on them and he that formed them will not pitty them It is commonly beleeved if men come to Church heare the Word and call upon God that then presently they are good Christians Beloved it is not so Matth. 7. 21. Not every one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdome of Heaven Men are ready when they can but call Lord have mercy on me O sweet Saviour pitty me most mercifull Lord Jesus have compassion on me if they can pray in their families and pray at Church c. to think now all is well with them and Christ cannot but save them and give them the Kingdome of Heaven but our Saviour puts a not upon it and saith not every one that saith Lord Lord it is not a Lord a Lording of Christ with the tongne onely it is not a taking up of an outward profession of Christ only that is sufficient for a man that shall inherit the Kingdome of Heaven no saith Christ but he that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven But of this by the by Secondly there are needlesse discouragements which doe much hurt in prayer Needlesse discouragements doe much hurt to many a poore soule that hath forcible wouldings and
wracked desires after grace and holinesse and yet is held by discouragements yea many a Christian heart lieth a long time under it wrastling and striving under its wants and yet kept out from grace and from growing in grace because of discouragements yea the best and strongest of Gods Saints have been kept off and have hung much on discouragements Feare not saith God to Abraham Genes 15. 1. So feare not Joshua saith God to Joshua Josh 1. 9. Intimating that both Abraham and Joshua were afraid of discouragements they were afraid that many evils would befall them that they should meet with many rubs and difficulties that would be too hard for them therefore the Lord calls to them feare not be not dismayed nor discouraged Thou saidst feare not Hence observe That God would not have any Christian Doct. â— soule to be discouraged in praier Thou saidst feare not For our clearer proceeding herein first let me shew you what discouragement is and secondly how it comes to be dangerous and hurtfull in praier What is discouragement Quest Answ It is a base dismayment of spirit below or beneath the strength that is in a man vnder the apprehension of some evill as if it were too hard for him to grapple with it There be foure things in this diffinition First I say it is a base dismayment of spirit and so I call it to distinguish it for there is an humble dismayment which a Christian is commanded A man is bound to be dismayed for his sinnes Isay 32. 11. Tremble ye carelesse women that are at ease be troubled ye carelesse ones these carelesse ones went on in their sinnes and feared not God calls to them and bids them to be dismayed But the dismayment and the discouragement I speake of it is a base dismayment of spirit which is either when he is dismayed that ought not or he is dismayed at that whereat he ought not to feare where no cause of feare is As Vitello his man thought his Master had got skill in Optickes he riding along upon the high way spying a mans shape thought it was some Spirit and thereupon he sickened and died So many a poor soul looking in the perfect Law of God and seeing his owne uglinesse and filthynesse he is discouraged and thinkes himselfe undone his heart waxeth cold within him and he begins to feare that he is but a dead and damned man Secondly it is downe beneath the strength that is in a man that man is properly said to be discouraged not that he hath no strength at all in him nor no courage at all for such a one is an infeebled man not a man discouraged but a discouraged man is a man put besides the courage that is in him when a man hath strength enough to grapple with the evill before him but through dismayment of spirit he cannot put it forth Have not I commanded thee saith God to Joshua Be strong and of a good courage be not afraid neither be thou dismaied Josh 9. God had given Joshua strength enough whereby he was inabled to observe and do according to all that Law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded him God had now doubled his Spirit upon him yet he commands him be not afraid neither dismayed as if he had said Joshua if thou beest dismayed and discouraged though thou hast strength and power to go through the businesse that I have called thee unto yet thou wilt not be able to use it nor to put it forth if thou beest discouraged Thirdly it is at the apprehension of some evill I say not at the sight of some evill for a man may be dismayed at the apparition of good as Mary when she saw nothing but a good Angell Luke 1. 29. she saw nothing but a glorious Angel neverthelesse she was afraid and discouraged Why because she had a secret apprehension of some evill either of some evill proceeded in the salutation or some unworthinesse in her selfe to receive such a gracious salutation it cannot be the apprehension of any good that discourageth a man but the apprehension of some evill Fourthly not of every evill neither for if the evill be but small courage will stand it out but it is of such an evill as he feares he is not able to grapple withall If the evill before him be inferiour to him he scornes it as the barking of a toothlesse Dog If it be but an evill equall to his strength then he makes a tush at it because he knowes or thinkes himselfe able to encounter with it But if it be an evill above his strength then his spirit melts and droops before him See this in Saul 1 Sam. 17. 11. and his people When they saw the Champion of the Philistims comming against them when they saw him so hugely and mervelously armed and heard him speake such bigge words they thought they were not able to stand and to encounter with him and therfore saith the Text when Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistim they were dismayed and greatly afraid Thus you see what discouragement is such discouragements the Lord would not have our hearts to be in when we pray unto him For first God cannot give care to that man that is out of heart in his prayers Thou canst never pray if thou beest dismaied in prayer When the soul begins to feare and reason O I am so unworthy that God will not looke at me I am so sinfull so blockish so dead and dull to all good that God will never regard me thou canst never pray Rom. 10. 14. How shall they call on him in whom they have not beleeved If thou dost not believe that God will heare thee if thou dost not beleeve that thou shalt prevaile that God will deliver thee out of these corruptions and that lust that thou praiest against that God will give thee this grace or that grace if thou dost not beleeve that God will owne thee if thou hast these doubtfull discouragements O he will not grant me I shall never get this or that how canst thou call on him thou mayest call so and so but never canst thou call to any purpose if thou dost not beleeve in him A begger though he be never so well able to begge yet if when he comes to the House-keepers dore he be perswaded that he shall not speed that let him beg as long as he will he shall get nothing this blunts his begging and makes him give over his suite without any great importunity So it is impossible that ever a soule should hold out and pray that is discouraged in prayer Secondly thou canst not pray unlesse thou use all thy strength in prayer If thou be discouraged thou canst not use thy strength A discouraged man his strength melts into feare and whatsoever strength he hath he cannot put it forth How came Jacob to prevaile and to have power with God Why he used all his strength with God and so prevailed
he that is in Christ Jesus that walks not after the flesh but after the Spirit there is none no not one condemnation to him none neither in Heaven nor in earth no word no commandement no threatning condemnes him But if thy conscience condemne thee and tell thee thou lettest sin lie at the dore rapping at thy conscience day after day and month after month telling thee that yet thou art without Christ that yet thou never hadst any true faith in the Lord Jesus that yet thou hast not truely repented and turned from thy sinnes this will at last drive thy soule into heavie discouragements if not into finall despaire O beloved religion and piety and the power of godlinesse goe downe the winde every where What is the reason of it but because of these discouragements that men live and go in Men pray and pray and their prayers profit them not men run up and downe and come to the Church and heare the Word and receive the Sacraments and use the meanes of grace but to no end they are unprofitable to them they remaine in their sinnes still the ordinances of God bring them not out of their lusts and corruptions hereby they disgrace and discredit the ordinances of God in the eyes and account of the men of the world making them thinke as if there were no more power nor force in the Ordinances of God then these men manifest There is no life in many Christians mens spirits are discouraged these secret discouragements in their hearts take away their spirits in the use of the meanes that though they use the meanes yet it drives them to despaire of reaping good or profit by them Beloved I could here tell you enough to make your hearts ake to heare it First all your complaints they are hut winde Job 6. 26. doe you imagine to reprove words and the speeches of one that is desperate which are as winde Jobs friends taking Job to be a man of despaire they accounted all his words but as winde Doest thou nestle any discouragement in thy heart thou maist complaine of sinne as much as thou canst yet all thy complainings are but as winde thou maist cry out against thy corruptions with weeping and teares and pray and fight against them and yet all thy weeping mourning and praying is but as the winde thou maiest beg grace thou maist seeke after God thou maist heare the Word receive the Sacraments and yet all will be to thee as wind all will vanish be unprofitable not regarded Secondly discouragements drive us from the use of the meanes If ever we meane to come out of our sinnes if ever we meane to get grace and faith and assurance and zeale we must constantly use the meanes 1 Sam. 27. 1. David saith there is nothing better for me then that I should speedily escape into the Land of the Philistims and Saul shall despaire of me to seeke me any more David thought in himselfe if I can make him out of hope of finding me certainely he will give over seeking of me So when the soule hath any secret despaire of finding the Lord that soule will quickly be drawne from seeking of the Lord in the use of the meanes What ever you doe then O be not discouraged lest you be driven from the use of the meanes if you be driven from the use of the meanes woe is to you you will never finde God then Be not driven from praier nor driven from holy conference nor driven from the Word nor driven from the Sacrament nor from meditation nor from the diligent and strict examination of thy selfe of thy heart and of all thy waies for these are the waies of finding the Lord. If you nourish any thoughts and feares of despaire in you if you be discouraged you will be driven from the use of the meanes which is a lamentable thing therefore be not discouraged Thirdly discouragements will make you stand poaring on your former courses thus I should have done and that I should have done woe is me that I did it not it will make a man stand poaring on his sinnes but never able to get out of them So it was like to be with them in the Ship with Paul Acts 27. 20. In the tempest at Sea they were utterly discouraged from any hope of safety now indeed Paul told them what they should have done if they had been wise Sirs you should have hearkned to me and not have loosed ver 21. as if he had said you should have done thus and thus but now doe not stand poaring too much on that you should have hearkned to me and not have launched forth c. but that cannot be holpen now therefore I exhort you to be of good cheare c. So beloved when the soule is discouraged upon these thoughts I should have prayed better I should have heard the Word of God better and with more profit I should have repented better I should have performed this and that religious and good dutie better but ah wretch that I am I have sinned thus and thus it is alwaies looking on this sinne and that sinne this imperfection and that failing when now I say the soule is discouraged it will be alwaies poaring upon sinne but it will never come out of its sinne alwaies poaring upon its deadnesse and unprofitablenesse but never able to come out of it O beloved be of good cheare and be not discouraged it is true you should have prayed better you should have heard the Word of God better heretofore you should have been more carefull and circumspect of your wayes then you were but now you cannot helpe it these things and times are gone and cannot be recalled such a one hath been a drunkard a swearer a worldling c. but he cannot helpe it now True he might have helped it and because he did not his heart shall bleed for it if he belong to God but doe not stand poaring too much upon it but consider now what you have to doe now you are to humble your selfe now you are to strive with God in all manner of prayer for more grace and more power of obedience and assurance and be not discouraged Fourthly if the soule be discouraged it will breed nothing but sorrow What is the reason that many Christians are alwaies weeping and mourning and sighing and sobbing from day to day all their life time and will not be comforted because of these discouragements 1 Thes 4. 13. Sorrow not saith the Apostle as those that have no hope as if he had said sorrow if you will but do not sorrow as they that have no hope How is that it is a sorrow with nothing but sorrow from which they have no hope of inlargement or freedome O then my brethren suppose you have dead hearts suppose you want zeale you want assurance suppose it be so yet labour to attaine these graces sorrow and spare not weepe and mourne and powre out whole buckets of
ambitious and carnall thy passions are not christian Christ hath given a law to thy life that thy life may be holy therefore if thy life be not according to the Gospell of Christ thy life is not christian neither will Christ owne thee for his but will slay thee with curses as an enemy of his crosse and not as a follower of his death these mine enemies that will not that I should reigne over them saith Christ Luke 19. 27. Bring them hither and slay them before me Thou canst not looke for a Saviour to have mercy on thee if thou wilt not be ruled as a Disciple of Christ but thou shalt be damned in the presence of Christ Slay them before me saith Christ Christ Jesus which is the Saviour of the world will damme thee and see thee confounded before his face he himselfe will see thee in hell thou mayest cry for mercy and for the bloud of Christ yet if thou wilt not live as Christ lived but wilt rebell and sin against Christ Christ will see thee in hell and though he looke on thee yet he will destroy thee without mercy If ever thou beest in Christ thou must walke as Christ walked thou must be a Christian like to that good Martyr who to all demands answered that he was a Christian When they asked him what his name was he answered it was Christian his thoughts were Christian his words and actions Christian his countrey his hopes his aime all that ever he did they could get nothing out of him but all was Christian and so he gave testimony to the Lord Jesus So I tell thee thou must be a Christian all over a Christian in thy thoughts in thy words a Christian in thy calling and in all thy imployments being swayed by the Gospell of Christ or else thou art not in Christ The third reason is taken from the essentiall Reas 3 or rather from the integrall union that is between Christ and all these that are in Christ they are all members of his most gracious body Ye are the body of Christ and members in particular 1 Cor. 12. 27. now we know that all the members have the same life and are quickened by the same soule the soule is whole in the whole body and whole in every member of the body so if Christ be our head we are his members and the christian life of Christ must be diffused thorough us so that one man cannot be a drunkard another a worldling another an Epicure another a swearer another a whoremaster another a lyar another a lukewarmeling another a mocker another a vaine Jester another a man-pleaser and yet be a member of Christ All the members of Christ must have one life As in a mans body there be veines arteries and nerves that are the channells to convey life and motion and sence to every member that all the members may have the same life dispersed through the body So it is in the body of Christ every member of Christ hath fayth for his veines to convey the same life and the same spirits and the same gratious motions to all the body that it is not now the member that lives but Christ that lives in it Gal. 2. I live not saith the Apostle but Christ liveth in me As in the body it is not the eye that seeth if we speake properly but the man that seeth with the eye so it is not the knife that cuts but the man that cuts with the knife it is not the eare that heareth but the man that heareth with the eare so in the body of Christ it is no more the man that speaketh but the truth of Christ speaking in him We have the minde of Christ saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 2. 16. if we be in Christ Christ thinks in us Christ speaks in us Christ walkes in us Christ doth all in us As in the same body the soule rules and quickens every member The body of Christ cannot be a monster like those Locusts spoken off Revel 9. 7. that had shapes like horses heads as it were like Crownes of gold and their faces like the faces of a man and had haire like women and teeth like Lyons this is a monster and not a simple body such a one cannot the body of Christ be a mocker for one member an ignorant sot for another an hypocrite for another a carnall gospeller for another a covetous worldling for another As in the body of a man every member in this mans body must be this mans member and not the member of another man As for example Peter must have Peters legs and not Simon Magus his legs Peter must have Peters eyes and not Alexanders eyes Peter must have Peters hands and not Judas hands you cannot take the eye of an Horse the leg of a Dog and the paw of a Beare and put them together and say here 's a man no this would be a monster every perfect body must have its own members So it is in the body of Christ every member in Christ his Body must have Christ his Members every member in a mans body acts with reason so every member of Christ acts with direction of Christ it is informed by Christ his minde is quickned by Christ his life so that a man cannot be a member of Christ but he must walke as Christ walked I know the best Christian may fall seven times a day though he be in Christ it doth not therefore follow that every particular action savours of Christ but as every member in the body lives the life of the whole body or else it is a dead member so thou must live the life of Christ or else thou canst never be saved You know that all the actions of a man are guided by reason yet there are some particular actions that he doth and not by reason as it may be he shakes his head or moves his hand and jogs his foote and considers not what he doth they are the actions of a reasonable man though not reasonable actions so there may be many actions that are the actions of Christians though not Christian actions The sinnes of the godly they are the actions of a Christian but they are not Christian actions there may be stoppings in the body though the same life and quickening runnes through the whole body yet through the stopping of the liver and the pipes distempers and ill humours may be raised in the body so it may be in the body of Christ and so many a Christian may fall through infirmity but the course of a Christian the life of a Christian the ordinary trade of a Christian the walke of a Christian is to live with the same spirit that lived in Christ to walke in the same way that Christ walked in The last reason is taken from the neere Reas 4 relation that is to be betweene Christ and every member of Christ They are not onely the Servants and Disciples of Christ but they are the
children of Christ by his begetting of them If all that are in Christ are the children of Christ they must needs walke as Christ walked Like begets the like Indeede a godly man may beget a wicked childe a gracelesse sonne the reason is because he begets his sonne not as he is a godly man but as he is a man corrupt by nature with sinne but Christ begets as he is God and therefore as he is without sinne in himselfe so he never begets any but by an eternall spirit and therefore they cannot but be like him Be ye followers of God as deare Children Ephes 5. 1. The Apostle grounds his exhortation upon a necessity in grace Consider if you be the children of God it can be no otherwise but you must be followers of Christ as deare children The begetter communicates himselfe to the begotten if the begetter be flesh he begetteth flesh so Adam begot a sonne after his owne likenesse that that is borne of the flesh is flesh John 3. and is of a fleshly nature That that is borne of the spirit is spirit If we are begotten again by the Spirit of God then are we spiritualized of God so that a man cannot be in Christ unlesse he be the childe of Christ and walke as Christ walked Christ was perfect Christ was mercifull be you so saith Christ Math. 5. Be you perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect as if he should say you cannot be the children of your Heavenly Father unlesse you be perfect as he is perfect mercifull as he is mercifull holy as he is holy righteous as he is righteous walke as he walked Is it so that all that are in Christ walke Use 1 as Christ walked then all wicked men blaspheme the name of Christ that doe not live the life of the Lord Jesus These blaspheme the holy and sacred name of Christ Oh saith one I hope I am a Christian yet the man is a drunkard or a whoremaster or a gamester or a worldling a proud man a covetous man What was Christ a drunkard was Christ a whoremaster was Christ a gamester a worldling proude covetous it were blasphemy for any to say so of Christ and it is also blasphemy for thee who walkest not after the Gospell to say thou art a Christian As I am a Christian saith another yet the man is a filthy speaker Was Christ such a one a swearer c. Thou blasphemest the name of Christ I hope we are all Christians saith a third and yet they are men that live in security and prophanesse What was there security in Christ was prophanesse in Christ Oh what blasphemie is it for thee to stile thy selfe by the Name of Christ to say thou art in Christ Revel 2. 9. saith Christ I know the blasphemy of them that say they are Jewes and are not that say they are the children of Abraham but doe not the workes of Abraham If a man did blaspheme God to stile himselfe a Jew or a childe of Abraham that did not the workes of Abraham what blasphemy then is it for thee to say thou art a Christian and yet dost not the workes of Christ could not a man take the name of Abraham but he did blaspheme unlesse he did the workes of of Abraham how then durst thou take the name of Christ upon thee and not doe the workes of Christ not walke as Christ walked Beloved is any man a Christian he hath holinesse engraven in his forehead to the Lord in his heart in his thoughts in his words and in all his wayes he is one that gaspeth after holinesse Art thou a Christian of all sinnes under Heaven God cannot endure the sinnes of a Christian that hath the name of Christ put upon him When Gods materiall temple was defiled by buyers and sellers Christ whippes them out and after told them that the days would come wherein there should not be left of it one stone upon another God would not endure the Temple because it was dedicated to his Name called his house when it was made a den of theeves Doth God care so much for stocks and stones that are dedicated to his name will he not endure an unholy stone and will he endure an unholy Christian Thou that art dedicated unto God and unto his service thou that art dedicated to prayer to hearing thou that art dedicated to an holy conversation thou that art called the Temple of God and the House of God wilt thou make it a denne of theeves a denne of vaine thoughts a denne of wicked words of dead and ungodly workes wilt thou defile the Temple of the Lord then know the Lord will not let one stone lie upon another but will cast thee downe and damn thee body and soule in hell for ever Thou saiest thou art a Christian how so thou saiest thou wast christened thy condemnation is the heavier if thou saiest thou hast beene baptized into the Name of Christ and hast not put on Christ Examine thy selfe hast thou put on Christ otherwise it is no matter for thy baptisme Can I say that man hath put on his cloths that hath not a ragge on his backe nor a shoe on his foote nor a hatte to his head nor a ring on his finger so when there is never a Christ in thy thoughts never a Christ in thy speech and conference never a Christ in thy walke never a Christ in thy calling in thy buying and selling never a Christ shining forth in thy life and conversation canst thou say thou hast put on the Lord Christ Can any man say that a beggar hath put on Royall robes when he hath nothing but ragges and patches upon him so if I see a man with ragged thoughts of the world with ragged speeches of the flesh and a ragged course and conversation according to the course and conversation of the world I can never say that such a one hath put on the Lord Jesus Christ Dost thou say thou hast put on Christ why then shew me the signes of Christ in thee Shall I see it by thine apparell it may be that is garish Shall I see it by thy speech and conference it may be that is earthly and carnall Shall I see it by thy thoughts it may be they are vaine sinfull and worldly Shall I see it by thy company it may be they are wicked and gracelesse Shall I see it in thy course and conversation it may be that is loose and prophane How canst thou then demonstrate that thou art a Christian it may be now and then thou wilt give a prayer unto Christ turne up the white of thine eye to Christ it may be thou wilt looke into the Temple of Christ and lend an eare to Christ Is this to be in Christ if thou be in Christ then thou must live the life of Christ in all thy wayes The life of a man is a continued thing A man is not alive at his dinner and dead when he hath done alive
at his worke and dead when his worke is done so it is not enough for thee to prove that thou art in Christ that thou art alive at prayer or at preaching life is a continued thing thou must be alive after prayer as well as before alive after the Sermon as well as whilst thou art at it if thou hast the life of Christ in thee it is a standing life it will not make thee alive at prayer and dead when thou hast done it will not make thee holy and spirituall at a Sermon and leave thee dead and carnall when it is done not holy and heavenly in a discourse and conference and worldly and prophane when it is done not to be holy and lively c. in a good moode and leave thee dead-hearted secure and loose afterwards this is not be in Christ no the life of Christ is a standing and a continuing life it will make thee alive after all thy services after every duty as thou wast before or in the duty He that sayth he abideth in him c. In this word He there are three uses Of Indignation Discrimination Scrutiny First Indignation The Apostle doth as it were point at a certayne man in his congregation as if that there had beene some man that he knew was not in Christ What man soever whether in this pewe or in that pewe whether on this forme or on that forme if he abide in Christ he ought to walke as Christ walked Hence observe That a Minister is bound Deâ—t 1. to preach home in particular so that he may summon this man and that man in the Church as the Apostle doth here he that sayth if there be any one amongst the whole multitude that sayth he abideth in Christ he ought also himself to walk as he walked And this commission God gives unto all his Ministers Marke 16. 15. Goe preach the Gospell to every creature he doth not say preach the Gospell before every creature so they may doe and preach in generall but to every creature that every creature may feele the Gospell beating on his heart that every creature may see his sins that so the Gospell may be applyed to his heart All the names given to Ministers shew thus much They are called Seeds-men now a Seeds-man doth not take a whole coppe or a whole bushell of corne and throw it in a heape in his field but he takes it and scatters it abroade that every place may receive some So they are called Builders now a builder doth not onely frame the whole building but he layes every particular bricke and every particular stone in his building So they are called Shepheards a Shepheard doth not onely looke to his flocke in generall but to every Ram and to every Lambe in his flocke So Preachers must not onely preach the word of God in generall but they must preach in particular The ground of this will appeare if we consider three things in particular First particulars are most operative it is not fire in generall that burnes but is this or that fire so it is not sinne in generall that will humble a man it is not repentance in generall that will turne a man it is not fayth in generall that will save a man but this sinne and that sinne this repentance and that repentance this fayth and that fayth All actions they are of singulars A universall man cannot reason a universall man cannot dispute a universall man cannot see nor heare No it is this man and that man that seeth and heares and disputes Particulars are most operative preaching to men in particular is powerfull preaching that workes upon mens consciences How came the Prophet to preach powerfully to the people He declared to Jacob his sinne and to Jsraell his transgression Micha 3. 8. I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord sayth the Prophet here was the way wherby the Prophet preached powerfully so that the Spirit went and rent mens hearts and consciences and made them tremble how why he made every soule see his sinnes so that Minister that would preach powerfully to the consciences of his people he must make every one of them to see their sinnes against God and his commandements so that they may confesse I see I have beene a greivous sinner and I am in the state of damnation and I must repent or else I shall be damned Secondly particulars are most distinct when the preacher preacheth only in generall it workes a confused knowledge knowledge of sinne in generall a confused repentance a confused humiliation and a confused fayth in the generall it may be it may make a man see he is a sinner in the generall but there are many thousand thousand sinnes in particular that he takes no notice of but swallowes them downe in the generall it may be his sinnes may be discovered in the generall but alas there are many yea multitudes of deceits of turnings and windings of the heart in particular that are never discovered to them All the religion of these men is only generall I love God with all my heart sayth one and yet the man is grossely ignorant of God Aske him any particulars how he can prove his love to God and the man cannot shew any So I serve God with all my heart but goe to particulars and bid him manifest what he speakes so I feare God I worship God but bring them to the particular wâ—orkes of these graces and they are gone presently they are lost and know not what to answer Thus the people in Malachies time they thought they had much knowledge while the Preist preached thus overly to them but when the Prophet came to preach home and to come with particulars to them they thought the Prophet was madde they knew not what he meant You have despised the Lord saith the Prophet wherein say they Malac. 1. 6. You have prophaned the worshippe of God You have polluted the table of the Lord sayth the Prophet ver 7. wherein said they You have wearied the Lord with your words said the Prophet Chapt. 2. ver 17. wherein said they You have robbed God Chapt. 3. ver 8. wherein said they See your words have beene stoute against the Lord said the Prophet yet they said what have we spoken ver 13. they could not tell wherein till the Prophet told them herein have you robbed God herein have you despised the Lord herein you have prophaned the worshippe of God c. So should the Minister of God come to men and tell them in particular thou art an enemy to Gods grace thou hast abused Gods patience wherein sayest thou Thou art one that scornest the word of God and thou defilest all the Ordinances of God Wherein sayest thou Thou art one that putst farre from thee the evill day wherein sayest thou Now when the Minister of God can come to particulars and shew men wherein then they crye out against them and thinke they tell them lies and preach false
the word of God to thy soule as it is preached thou art guilty of thine owne bloud If you apply not the word you put off the word of God and then what sayth the Apostle Acts. 13. 46. It was necessary that the word of God should first have beene spoken to you but seeing you put it farre from you and judge your selves unworthy of everlasting life c. Yoâ— that have heard the word of God apply it to your soules it is a blessed plaister let it lie on your soules goe home and say Lord I have beene told of this and that sinne of my pride hypocrisie deadnes and distraction in thy worshippe and service c. I see they are against thy will and thou commandest mee to come out of them and to leave them Lord I beseech thee inable mee to leave them all so Lord I have beene told this day of such and such graces which thou hast commanded mee for to have of such and such dutyes that thou wouldest have mee to take up and performe Lord subject my heart to the power of grace and to every commandement of thy word Take heede if thou doest put off the word of God or any tittle of the word and wilt not walke according to the same thou puttest off eternall life from thy selfe Doe therefore as Gods people did who when Moses had preached the Law and Will of God to them it is sayd Exod. 12. 50. Thus did all the Children of Israell as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron so did they So doe you goe home and apply the word to your soules it was spoken for your good make use of it and the Lord be with you Thirdly Scrutiny it is not onely an outward word but a word of the heart if any man say that is if any man thinke that he is in Christ he ought to walke as Christ did Hence we might observe That a Minister is bound to preach to mens thoughts But time cuts us off FINIS THE ENMITIE OF The Wicked to the light of the GOSPELL JOHN 3. VER 20. For every man that doth evill hateth the light neither cometh he to the light least his deeds should be reproved THis is part of Christ his parly with Nicodemus concerning regeneration wherein our Saviour doth declare foure main points The first is Mans naturall estate and condition without Christ It is impossible that ever he should be saved that ever he should get grace or come within the list of eternall life Christ sayth it and bindeth it with an oath ver 3. Verely verely I say unto thee except a man be borne againe he cannot see the Kingdome of God much lesse inherit it Secondly here is Gods gracious provision which he hath taken with the world that though man were in a way of damnation invincibly yet now he is put in a way of probability of salvation ver 16. though he were unsalvable by nature yet now he is salvable by Christ Thirdly here is a generall proclamation upon the condition of fayth that this salvability may be attained if a man beleeve In the same verse God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Sonne that whosoever beleeveth in him c. It is a condition of faith put to all none excepted Whosoever he be that beleeveth in Christ he shall be saved Fourthly here is the reprobation of the world he that beleeveth not is condemned already The cause whereof cannot be cast on Christ for God hath not sent his Son to condemne the world but that the world thorough him might be saved It was Christs primary purpose and the first end of his coming to save the world it is an accidentall end or rather an event of his coming that the world is condemned Christ is not the cause of it he is not the efficient cause for he is a Saviour nor the deficient cause for he is a sufficient Saviour That the cause of their condemnation is from themselves and not from Christ is proved by three arguments First from their owne consciences he that beleeveth not is condemned already He cannot here speake of the condemnation of hell for he is not in hell already But he speaks of an apprehensiall condemnation in their owne consciences as Chrysostome observes he meanes the condemnation of their owne consciences he that beleeves not his conscience tells him that it is his fault that he beleeveth not though it be not in his power to beleeve yet God hath gone so farre he hath so farre strugled with mens consciences that there is no default on his part They cannot excuse themselves saying I have no power to beleeve their owne consciences will tell them that God hath knocked at their hearts and offered them power to beleeve but they rejected it They cannot say I know not how to beleeve his owne conscience will tell him that God hath offered instruction to him whereby he might have beene taught but that he refused it so that he that beleeves not is condemned already his own conscience riseth within him and tells him that it is his owne fault that he doth not Secondly it is proved by experience experience shews that men are the cause of their owne condemnation ver 19. This is the condeâ— nation that light is come into the world but men loved darkenesse rather then light the meaning of it is this This is the cause of condemnation to the world not Gods predestination not their fatall destiny not their breach of the first covenant nor any other impiety but this sinne of Infidelity If the world stood guilty of never so many sinnes yet if it did beleeve in the Lord. Jesus it should be saved So that it is not all the other sinnes that a man commits that damnes him but his infidelity that that layes all his former sinnes that ever he committed upon him here is condemnation that though light be come into the world to pull men out of their darkenesse and sinnes yea though Christ though grace come to them yet they will not come out of their sinnes men will not have Christ men will not have grace men love darkenesse rather then light Thirdly It is proved by reason ver 6. the verse now read unto you For every man that doth evill hateth the light neither cometh to the light least his deedes should be reproved It is a strong argument to prove that if men be damned themselves are the cause of it for if light come into the world to instruct men if Christ come into the world to plucke men out of their sinnes if Christ come with his bloud and spirit to cleanse and sanctifie men and men will not be sanctified Then if they perish in their sins they are justly guiltie of their owne condemnation The words comprehend in them two things First the wickeds rejection of the word of grace which is set forth both positively he hates the light and then privatively or rather negatively neither commeth to the
powerfully never so terribly if it give him a reproofe and away so it doth not stand digging in his conscience and galling his heart day by day let the Minister enter a reproofe into his hearâ— againe so it be but once or twice he cares not Why he thinkes he can recover himselfe againe from it bâ—â— let the word of God come into him and galle his conscience continually that every Sabboth he is convicted for a condemned man if he live not otherwise every Sermâ—n the Minister findes him out in his 〈◊〉 and dearest sinnes he can never goe to Church but he hears the Minister reprooving him for some sâ—me or other telling him that he must to hell for them unlesse he repeâ—t and leade a new life thus when the word followes him every Sabboth that he hath no breathing time to recover his lust this makes him to hate the word Amos 7. The Prophet preaching the word of the Lord and denouncing the Judgements of God to the people for their sinnes Amaziah opposeth him ver â—2 and sayth unto Amos O thou Seen goe flye thee away into the Land of Judah and there eate bread and prophesie there but prophesie not againe any more at Bethell for it is the Kings Chappell and it is the Kings Court He could like it well enough that Amoâ— should prophesie once or twice but if he did prophesie any more he should spoile all their mirth he should gall all their consciences go saith he prophesie in Judah eate thy bread there Amos should prophesie where he would so it were not there he might eate his bread where he would so it were not there Lastly as it is an actuall affection of the heart whereby the heart riseth up against an union so in the last place it is against that that is dissonant and repugnant to his lust For as love is the consonancy of the affection to a thing that hath agreement therewith so hatred must needs be dissonancy of affection to a thing that is repugnant and contrary to it So a wicked man he hates the word because it disagrees and jarres with his lust Indeed a wicked man may love the word so long as it opposeth not against his lust Therefore a wicked man may love three kinds of preaching First Quaint preaching that savours more of humanity then of divinity As long as the Minister commeth with dainty phrases acute stories eloquent allusions and fine transitions they will like it well enough it jarres not with their lust and therefore you shall heare them when they come from Church commend him O he was a fine spokes-man a witty schollar what a learned and excellent Sermon did he make to day so farre as the word opposeth not his lust a man may love preaching The people they did love to heare Ezekiell preach they did love to heare his pleasant words The Babylonians they did love to heare Davids songs it was fine melody to them though they hated the sence so the Philistins they did love to heare Sampson speake they knew he was a witty man and could speake fine riddles to them but they hated his religion so the people they did love to heare Christ preach and would flocke after him they did wonder at his authority c. yet they hated his doctrine for they cried crucifie him crucifie him so if a Minister speake onely of witte learning and memory c. a wicked man will love it it opposeth not his lust Secondly they may love Impertinent preaching when though it be never so pertinent to some in the Church yet if it be not pertinent to him he loves that As the drunkard loves to heare the Minister preach against hypocrisie though never so sharply The prodigall person loves to heare the Minister preach against covetousnesse But if the word come to strike him under his fifth ribbe to discover his corruptions and the plagues of God due to him for his sins then he hates it Thirdly he may love preaching in tanto though not in â—oto he mav love so or so much preaching but not preaching altogether A wicked mans conscience tells him that he must have some religion that he must performe some service to God and therefore so long as the Minister onely calls for some preaching some hearing and some serving of God why his conscience calls for so much The vilest drunkard and blasphemer and swearer that is will be content to heare of calling upon the Lord Jesus at his death the vilest whoremaster and prophane person the earthly worldling c. will yeeld to some preaching and to some hearing and to some reading why otherwise their consciences would not be at quiet but would be as the divells band-dogge bawling and houting at him But if the Minister call for more religion then his lust will suffer for more religion then will subsist with his security deadnesse lukewarmenesse hypocrisie worldlinesse that he cannot yeeld to and retaine them then he thinkes there is too much of it then he hates it and cannot endure it Thus you see that wicked men hate the word of God I set it forth by three instances Rom. 1. 30. Haters of God They did not hate his being and essence his goodnes and mercy but they hated him as he was a Lawgiver The devills hate not God as he is God and hath a being but they hate him as he is a Lawgiver and as he is their Judge they cannot endure to be called by this God to be controuled and judged by him Thus was it with the Colossians before they were converted they were enemies to God Col. 1. 21. Our Saviour takes away the whole doubt and speakes it peremptorily and generally of all the world they hated me the whole world so long as they live in their sinnes hate Christ and hate his word First a wicked man hates the word because Reas 1 he hates the truth and the being of the word he is sorry that the word of God is true he would be glad that the Scripture might prove false that things may not be as the word of God saith they are he hates the being of the word A man loves the being of that which he loves and he hates the being of that which he hates and were it in his power he would destroy it Now though a wicked man cannot destory the Bible from being in it selfe yet he will destroy the Bible from being in his life For beloved the word of God should not onely be in the Bible but the Bible should be in a mans life A mans life should be a walking Bible but a wicked man destroyes the Bible from being in his life A civill man would be glad that Aristotles Ethicks were the Bible A worldly man would be glad that the Booke of Statutes were the Bible he is sorry that that is the Bible which indeed is the Bible The young man that came to Christ though he loved eternall life and said that he loved the
he given his bloud for thee that thou shouldest part with thy sinnes with thy drunkennesse with thy oathes thy pride security luke warmenesse earthlinesse prophanesse from thy vaine thoughts thy vaine words and thy vaine lusts and wilt thou not if God had redeemed us with silver and gold that were but drosse no he hath redeemed us with the bloud of his Sonn if now thou wilt part with the bloud of Christ rather then with thy sinnes that the word of God commands thee to part with how great is thy hatred of the word Bloud it is necessary to the life of every living creature I am sure the Bloud of Christ is necessary to the life of a Christian without it a man can never be washed nor never be sanctifyed nor made acceptable to God That man that will rather part with his bloud rather then lay downe his hatred of such a one whom he hates he hates him for ever he hates him to the death Thou that rather then thou wilt part with thy evill courses from those sinnes that Gods word would have thee to give over and forsake wilt part with the bloud of Christ I say thou hatest the word and thou hatest a reformation of thy wayes for ever with an everlasting and damnable hatred That man that had rather be damned then leave his sinnes that had rather goe to hell then be a new creature he hates the parting with his sinnes he hates to be a new creature It is truth man is a reasonable creature and therefore cannot reason so in expresse words as to say I had rather be damned then to give over my drunkennesse my lying my swearing my lust I had rather goe to hell then be so pure and so holy c. But every wicked man is so unreasonable in very deed for the word of God tells that wicked men that live and dye in such sinnes and such sinnes shall be damned yet they will not give over their sinnes Doth not your owne conscience tell you that as long as you pray no better as long as you walke no better in your profession God abhors you and all that you doe and will damne you doth not thy conscience tell thee that yet thou hast no assurance of salvation that as yet Jesus Christ was never given to thee that as yet you never had the Spirit of Christ to kill sinne in you if that thou wilt goe on in thy sinnes and not get Christ and his Spirit into thy heart as the word of God commandeth thee and thy owne conscience perswadeth thee I say if yet thou wilt goe on in thy sinnes then thou choosest to be damned rather then to part with sinne Doe we not say such a rogue will be hanged that such a hasty furious man will undoe himselfe doe we not say of a rebellious child that he will be disinherited not that any man reasons so in words I will doe thus and thus and undoe my selfe I will steale and be hanged I will be a rebellious childe and be disinherited I will goe on in my sinnes let the world say what it will and be damned But when a man knowes that the wages of sinne is death that the end of drunkennesse of swearing of lying of pride security hypocrisie formality in religion c. is death When a man knowes that the end of that sinne which he lives in is damnation and yet will goe on in those sinnes he wills to be damned Ezek. 18. 31. Turne you turne you why will you dye O ye house of Israel why were any so madde as to be willing to dye to perish for ever yet sayth the Prophet why will you dye as if he should say why will you sinne that man that wills to sin he wills to be damned that man that will be damned rather then part with his sinne that man loves sinne for ever and so hates the light Beloved be ashamed to carry so many plague tokens upon your hearts so many sinnes in your soules so many oppositions and rebellions against the word That man that hates and rebells against the word can never be saved by the word You that have had the preaching of the word looke that you give way to it take heed that you withstand not the breath of it I could tell you one thing and I pray God to send it home to your hearts commonly when God sends his word to a people those that are wrought upon for the most part are wrought upon at the beginning generally it is so I will give you a convincing place for it Acts. 13. 48. And when the Gentiles heard this they glorified the word of the Lord and as many as were ordained to eternall life beleeved Paul and Barnabas were come to Antioch and had preached one Sabboth day and now had preached another The Gentiles glorified the word of the Lord and as many as were ordained to eternall life beleeved as if he had said all that were ordained to eternall life beleeved at those Sermons as if he should say againe all that beleeved not at these two Sermons were reprobates Those that did belong to God they did beleeve and hearkened to the preaching of the word to them on those two Sabboths All that were ordained to life they beleeved at these two Sermons the rest that beleeved not are branded and marked out for despisers and wonderers Heare O despisers and wonder and perish c. Agree with thine Adversary whilest thou art in the way Math. 5. Beloved you are now in the way of salvation your Adversary is the Lord himselfe till he be reconciled unto you you are in the way while you are under the preaching of the word you know not how soone God may take you out of the way you know not how soone God may take his word away or if that continue yet he may withdraw his Spirit and then if God once take away his Spirit then you may seeke to be converted but shall never finde it you may seeke for grace but shall never get it you may seeke for Christ but never obtaine him if men stand out against the Word and Spirit of Christ while it is beating upon their hearts and offering them grace then Christ will be a swift witnesse against them Malach. 3. 5. Doth Christ come to thee now obey now beleeve now give over thy sinnes Doth he bid thee now repent c. O give way to the Words of Christ give way to the Spirit of Christ otherwise Christ will come swiftly I will be a swift witnesse I tell you the Covenant of grace will not stay long God is about to put up his wares When no Customers come the Merchant puts up his wares so God will even close up all his graces then Preachers may preach but none shall be converted People may heare but none shall be converted People may heare but never be turned which the Lord deny from ever being amongst us therefore while it is called to
day hearken and the Feare of God be with you FINIS GODS IMPARTIALITY ESAY 42. 24. Who gave Jacob to the spoile and Israel to the Robbers Did not I the Lord. THE Lord in this Chapter by the Prophet Isaiah doth foretell heavy things against the people and by the way marke the Lords dealings he ever gives warning before he sends any plagues he lightens before he thunders that the people might not say they did not heare of it and and that the wicked might be the more inexcusable and that the godly might make an Arke to save themselves in These words containe in them five severall things First the Author of this destruction or judgement Secondly the Causes of it Thirdly the Judgement it selfe Fourthly Who they were on whom this Judgement was inflicted Fifthly The effects of it Now by Gods permission I will open these words in order unto you And for the first the Author of it It is laid downe by question and answer Question Who gave Jacob to the spoyle and Israel to the robbers Answer Did not I the Lord was it not I the mighty God which am able to order every thing according to my owne will But indeed we are ready to ascribe things to chance and fortune and lot to prevent this saies God who did these and these things did not I the Lord Now by Jacob and Israel is meant the people of the Jewes which were called by the name of Jacob. For his peculiar people when they sinned he gave them over God â—ais who gave this people of mine to the enemies did not I the Lord therefore God he is the Author of all punishment Secondly the Cause why the Lord did this for some might say why did the Lord overthrow this people whom he did so tenderly respect for his which were as the apple of his eye and the strength of his right arme because they sinned against the Lord and would not walke in his waies He sets downe the Causes First in generall they have sinned Secondly in particular they would not walke in his way nor be obedient to his Lawes Thirdly here is the Judgement it selfe therefore hath he powred upon them the fiercenesse of his anger the strength of the Battell and fire round about them He calleth it the anger of the Lord not of a King or of a great man but the anger of the Lord the fury of his anger shewing the extremity of it he doth not say that God doth drop downe his anger but he poures out the fury of his indignation Moreover he saith the strength of battell the Lord commeth like an armed man to fight against them and to destroy them as men in warres doe when they sâ—ay both young and old and make no bones of it and are glad when they have done it And as an armed man to slay them so likewise he hath set a fire round about them the Lord hath inclosed them in with indignation so that they could see no way to get out of it or to escape it So then this shews the unavoâ—dablenesse of Gods Judgements Fourthly who were these that were destroyed Jacob and Israel a praying and a professing and a fasting people Fifthly the effect of all this how it did worke upon them Yet saith the Lord they know it not neither lay it to heart Oh Lord what monstrous stupidity is this though God did doe it in his anger too yet this poore Nation saw it not neither regarded it till the plague came and when it came they never laid it to heart neither were they humbled by it but did beare the plague and afterwards went downe into hell and never minded it Even so beloved stands the case with us The Lord plagues us and we see it not his anger burnes round about us and the fiercenesse of his wrath sustaineth to battell and yet we perceive it not From the first of these observe namely That God is the author of all plagues and Doct. judgements that befall a Nation It was he that drowned the old world and delivered the Children of Israel to the spoylers Shall there be any evill in the City and the Lord hath not done it saith Amos in his third chap. and 6 verse From whence observe this That God ordaines all punishments before they come Acts. 4. 28. for to doe whatsoever thy hand and counsell determined before to be done And as God ordaineth all things before they come so he ordereth them and the time when they shall come and they cannot come one moment of time before the Lord would have them The Jewes could not lay hold on our Saviour because his houre was not yet come John 8. 50. The wicked cannot pull downe punishments upon a Nation when they will As it s he ordaineth them and the time when so thirdly he doth appoint them how long they shall lie upon men Revel 2. 10. There the Lord had appointed the Church of Smyrna ten dayes tribulation and there is measured how much God appointes us The devill could goe no further then his commission in afflicting Job As he doth order all so he doth order all for the good of his people and for the confusion of his enemies all things worke for the good of those that feare God and for the hardening and overthrowing of the enemies of the Church that are incorrigible This may stay and comfort the hearts of Use 1 Gods Children in any heavie crosse that befalls them Is God the orderer and disposer of all then this may comfort thy soul O thou poore childe of God I say comfort thy soul with this that the Lord is the temperer of all things and the Physician that stands by and sees how many drammes the Apothecary putteth in The devill indeed may afflict thee and wicked men may punish thee but thou shalt have no more then the Lord sees good for thee Therefore though thine enemies take thee and kill thee and Rabshekah raile on thee and Bonner burne thee yet the Lord is a sweete loving Father and ordereth all things and cannot finde in his heart to hurt thee Though they be the Instruments yet God he is the Author and hath appointed how long and how much and for what they shall afflict thee Therefore though the sword finde thee and faggot come yea though thou beest banished or sawne asunder yet the Lord ordereth all things and though he correct thee yet he cannot finde in his heart to hurt thee Therefore he saith to the sword and to the plague as David said to Jacob have a care of my deare sonne onely subdue the rebell but doe not hurt my sonne So saith God use my servants kindly for my sake onely bring under their proud hearts but doe not hurt them Therefore have an eye to Gods love and let faith in him over-rule thy heart in spite of all that can come against thee This may terrifie the hearts of all wicked Use 2 men that are out of Gods favour Is God
our prayers and all our powers against our sinnes and the sinnes of others When the Philistins saw that the Arke was the cause of the punishments that befell them then they never rested till they had sent it away so let us ship and packe away our sinnes if ever we would have our punishments removed from us Say Oh mine enemie have I found thee thou art the enemie of King and Countrey and Parliament and Gospell and thou art he that brake the last Parliament thou art he that lost the day at the Isle of Ree thou art he that sent so many poore Rochellers to the grave with famine and thou art he that makes division betweene Kings and Commons The Lord give us power and courage for if ever we had neede now we have and let us bestirre our selves and pray that God would be pleased to stirre up the heart of the King and other Magistrates against these sinnes O that Magistrates in their places would set their hearts and hands against all these sinnes but light execution is done and most Magistrates stand for ciphers in their places and onely take up a roome and doe nothing We cannot draw them with all the arguments we can use to punish these sinnes We have cause to mourne for they stand like scare-Crowes with a peice in their hands but never shoote and the birds may picke the straws from their heads so that Magistrates doe nothing But to you I speake that are Chiefe in Townes and chiefe Officers you should all joyne hand in hand and heart in heart to pull downe these alâ—houses hell-houses and nurseries of the devill and to supplant wickednesse We must not be one for them and another against them for in so doing we shall never see good dayes And you Gentlemen where are your hearts and hands against them when did you ever speak or write against them when did you ever set foot in striving to have them supprest men stand with their fingers in their mouthes and their hands in their pockets and dare not stand for God and good causes The Lord be mercifull unto us we doe not joyne our forces prayers and powers that we can make for Gods glory Oh that the Lord would be pleased to put his Spirit into our hearts that we may be all of one minde So you Gentlemen in your places and we Ministers in our places and all of us we are with all the strength and courage and mettle that the Lord hatth put into us to crie and pray and preach downe sinne And all you Masters and Dames you are to reforme your Families for these sinnes bring downe punishments upon the Land Therefore labour to finde out the wickednes of your Families and admonish them and reprove them plainely and shew them from Gods word the punishments that are due to them If you would doe these things then there might be something done and if reproofe and admonishment will not serve the turne then expell them and banish them as Abraham did Hagar and Ismael You Christians mourne for your sinnes and joyne your hearts and prayers against the sinnes of the place where you live If any house be on fire others will come with water to quench it as if it were their owne so here is a flame of fire kindled in this Kingdome of England and the wrath of God is like wild fire comming downe upon us from heaven therefore let every one of us bring some water or other to quench this fire that is round about us in every place and almost upon all hearts Let every man sweepe his owne doore and the streetes will be cleane so if every one would purge his owne heart what reformation would there be in every place then God and Christ and Gospell might be here still and the enemies might be kept out still which if we doe not who knowes how soone the enemie may rush in upon us but alas we harbour these traytors in our bosomes I protest against every man that harbours sinne in his owne house or soule that he is a traytor to the Kingdome whatsoever he be if I knew the man I would fasten mine eyes on him and tell him Oh thou vile Achan doest thou harbour these sinnes and traytors and keepe these sinnes and then crie out of the dangerousnesse of the times If a man did know certainely that the dogge that he keepes in his house would one day pull out his throate would he keep him fatte that he might the better doe it no sure he would rather hang him Or if a man did know that the fire that burnes upon the hearth would burne him would he blow it or if a man did know that the knife which he hath would one day cuâ—â—e his throate would he sharpen it no surely Beloved this is the case of all us poore wretches that live in sinne they will be the cause of all the punishments that God sends upon us all Now therefore I charge you all men and women and every one of you to make a Covenant and enter into an Oath and a curse to search out every sinne and finde them out in your families wife and children and servants and doe what you can to quench them These Townes and Countreys are on fire O that the Lord would be pleased to send his word home to every one of your hearts you I meane that I love as well as mine owne soule my deare people I would spend and be spent for you if God would give me strength and though I speake plaine it is for your everlasting good What are those punishments that he threatned to poure upon them in the furie of his wrath He poureth full battails and the strength of battails all this was upon his owne deare people Israel even those people the Lord so severely threatens Hence observe this Doctrine That the Doct. 2 Lord often times brings fearfull and unavoydable judgements and punishments even upon his owne professing people even they that offer sacrifice and that pray and call him Father and fast and pray even upon these people he doth often times bring these punishments Amos 3. 2. You onely have I knowne among all the Nations of the earth therefore will I punish you for all your iniquities See the whole currant of Gods word did not the Lord punish the Children of Israel in the time of their Judges they had many sore enemies as Eglon and Sisera The ten Tribes they sinned and were carried into captivity and these were Gods professing people And afterward the other two Tribes Iudah and Benjamine were carried away captive into Babylon and there they were seventy yeares Forty yeares after Christ the Romans came against them and burnt all their Cities And these were Gods owne professing people The Churches of Asia were famous Churches but now they are overthrowne with Turkes Now our sinnes give God just cause to make him come against us with punishments and judgements upon this Land If a man
lie sicke and they see death in his face they call it the foretelling signe so the Ministers of God may foresee the death and destruction of a Kingdome I am sure we have better grounds then the Physicians can have And therefore why may not the Ministers which are Gods Physicians doe it The signes of Gods punishments that are comming upon us are these The first is of Gods Ministers which with one voice doe foretell judgements to come Then this is a signe that God hasteneth to battell Amâ—s 3. 7. Surely the Lord will doe nothing but he revealeth his secrets to his servants the Prophets but especially when they agree all in one thing then the Kingdome is dangerously gone Luke 1. 70. The Lord giveth one mouth as he spake by the mouth of all his holy Prophets I will say nothing in this but let me appeale to your owne consciences whether all good Ministers in the Church of England have not declared by Gods word that judgements are comming out against this Land and us for many yeares together And as our Saviour saith Whatsoever ye shall binde on earth shall be bound in heaven Secondly when sinnes of all sorts doe abound frequently and with a bold face and a whorish forehead For when the harvest is ripe then commeth so many sickles to cut it downe so when the sinnes of a Kingdome are ripe then it is time to cut that Kingdome downe Gen. 6. 12. The earth was filled with violence all flesh had corrupted their waies therefore make an Arke for the end of all flesh is come God will wash away their filthienesse Consider whether it be not thus with England or no. Was ever drunkennesse and blasphemie and scoffing at religion and prophaning Gods Sabboths nay liberty given so to do was it ever come to that height that now it is were ever great ones as Bishops and Ministers so defiled as now they are our Land hath often beene overcome when men were growne desperately wicked then they were destroyed Now what sinnes what blasphemies what hating of God lyeth raging in our times I thinke there is none in this Congregation but sees and heares how Citie and Countrey are venomed and benummed and defiled with sinnes of all sorts Thirdly when the devill and wicked men cast bones of dissention that is a signe of ruine When there was a disseâ—tion betweene Rehobâ—am and the people then God pulled away ten Tribes and much bloud was shed So when King and Commons and all are divided Ephraim against Manasses and Manasses against Ephraim but both against Judab then it is a fearefull signe that that Nation shall be destroied I say to apply this if ever a Kingdome were divided then this is if we could all accord then we might expect something but now our best bloud is gone and our hearts are gone the Lord in mercie raise us up from dead ashes O consider this I beseech you and lay it to heart Will God deceive his Ministers and make them all blindefold no no. When God puts his Spirit into his Ministers and makes them all with one mouth to call and crie desolation and when all manner of sinnes so fearefully abound and when there is such divisions in the State then let us looke for desolation Fourthly the fourth signe of Gods anger on a Nation is when all the hearts of men faile then it is a signe that vengeance is at the doore when there is a kinde of Cowardise through the guilt of the conscience Josh 2. 11. It was a certaine signe of destruction when the peoples hearts failed them thus it is with every man almost amongst us every mans heart is faint and sicke Judges 7. 13. When Gideon was to goe against the Midianites being a wonderfull Army one dreamed that a cake of barley bread tumbled into the hoast and overthrew them Then Gideon said be of good courage for I see that the Lord hath given them into our hands because their hearts were fearefull so he tooke three hundred men and put a Trumpet in every mans hand with empty pitchers and lamps and they all cried the Sword of the Lord and of Gideon and in the twelfth verse see what followed All the hoast ran and cried and fledde Even so it is with us we faint upon every occasion Gods Spirit is gone from England While Sampson had the Spirit of God upon him he was too hard for the Philistins but when the Spirit of God was gone from him he had no heart no spirit no courage then every man was too hard for him and then he was taken and had his eyes pulled out So when the Spirit of God was with this Nation we had courage and got the day but now alas every slavish Nation is too hard for us and every bug beare scares us O poore England heavy is thy case therefore we may expect nothing but miserie one way or another Now I might set downe a Comment or Theame with many teares for this cause that every one may reade his owne destruction from this point I am not a Prophet nor the sonne of a Prophet but from the word of the Lord I speake this thing unto you and upon these grounds I can say so That where these signes are destruction and calamities follow at the heeles of them We having all these signes in our State certainely destruction is at our heeles therefore let me give you some directions what to doe in these dangerous times First let every man knocke off the love of the world of houses of lands and corne and flockes they shortly shall leave thee or thou them O therefore cast them quite out of thy heart I would to God I could bring my heart and yours to this pitch that we could give wise and children and all as lost I confesse it is hard so to doe but God will sire us out shortly from these things if we part not from them in these our deepest afflictions Jer. 45. 5. Baruch was so much glued to the world that he began to feather his nest and therefore the Prophet said seekest thou great things for thy selfe seeke them not for behold I will bring evill upon all flesh So let me say to you as the Prophet said to Gehazi is it now a time to build Therefore at night when thou goest to bed take thy leave of thy wife and children and of thy houses and all and say this house may be mine enemies before the morning or may be set on fire this is not my wife these are not my children As Doctor Taylor said when he was going to his execution when he saw his wife and children he embraced them and blessed them in the name of the Lord and set them downe againe and made no bones of them and so doe you plucke away your hearts from all these things here below and give them all for lost let thy heart be contented that God should doe with thee what he will and submit thy selfe
to God in the hardest blows and say good Lord if thou seest no remedy to purge this Land and Church but by desolation and the removing of the Gospell good Lord doe what thou wilt if thou wilt have my liberty take it if thou wilt have my children spoiled by the enemy and pitched upon speares points doe it Lord if there be no remedy to purge a sinfull Land but by taking the Gospell out of it even I Lord submit my selfe unto it good Lord sacrifice us or burne our Cities doe what thou wilt with us onely save our soules at the last I have knowne some could have no quietnesse at all till they came to this pitch and then they had peace in their mindes When Isaac saw that he was to be bound then he yeelded to it and our Lord Christ did this in the garden when he did bear the wrath of God then he said if it be possible let this cuppe passe from me and this he did three times yet not my will but thy will be done if thou wilt have me to drinke of the cuppe I will sucke off the dregges and all Also come and lay thy head upon the blocke and let God doe what he will with thee Ezek. 16. 36. They shall loath themselves for all their abominations and this is the practise of an humble soule and this will beare through all Thirdly pray and crie mightily to God before thou dyest even all the time thoâ— hast to live for mercie and for the peace of the Church of God and for the poore people and posterity Esay 62. 16. I have set watchmen upon the walles of Hierusalem that never hold their peace day nor night You that make profession of the Lord keepe not silence let not God rest till he helpe and shew mercie unto our poore Land wives and children I am perswaded if dumbâ— Zachary were here he would open his mouth to pray and crie for this miserable Land But alas poore soules many of you are so bound in the chaines of your sinnes that you cannot finde any leisure to pray you save your prayers and teares till you come to hell and then they will doe you no good Oh thy Mother lies a dying and wilt thou not mourne for her O dead and drie hearted wretches me thinkes the poore Church of England is like the shippe of Jonas and he fast asleepe in it the Gospell and all are drawing into a sea of troubles and thou poore wretch art asleepe and canst not pray The Church is like a sicke man upon his bed and the Parliament is like a Colledge full of Physicians they cast the State of the Kingdome and then give it over for lost The Lord knowes how soone the bell may ring out and yet thou canst not pray nor weepe Ah the Lord be mercifull to the hardnesse of our hearts Hast thou but one teare in thine eyes but one prayer in thy heart then spend them now for the poore Church of God Make all sound within and get sound faith in the bloud of Jesus Christ that may support and hold you up as the Arke did Noah in the floud O my deare people of this Parish a fearefull floud is come upon this Land therefore make you an Arke of Gopher and pitch it within and without get in it hang not about it but get into your Lord Christ and shut up your selves in him as Noah did in the Arke and never come out This is your safegard if you be in him you shall be supported against all troubles and so shall the case goe well with you For as the Prophet said to Ahab high thee hence for here is a sound of much raine and there came a shower indeed So say I high you away to Christ for it may be you shall not heare many Sermons more there is a sound of many punishments and stormes falling downe upon us Oh thrice happy are we that have got Christ upon good termes and good grounds if a floud come it doth me good to see how safe I am for the higher troubles arise the higher the Arke will arise and the higher your faith and comfort will arise and you shall sit like Noah in the Cabin Isai 26. 20. Come my people and enter into the chamber and shut the doores about thee and hide your selves as it were for a little moment untill the indignation be overpast What would Noah have beene hired to come out of the Arke no by no meanes nothing would have got him out I may even pitty you my people that have no Faith What will you doe and whether will you flie all you that have not gotten into the Arke and have not made sure worke if the flood should come to morrow you must certainly be drowned If you looke to God he is your Enemy if you looke within there your Consciences dogg you and if thou lookest for comfort to the Minister there is none for thee in all Gods word if thou hang on a Minister he must say as Samuell said to Saul since the Lord hath forsaken thee I can doe thee no good Oh thinke on this and get all thy friends into the Arke with thee as Noah did Let â—e begg this at your hands get a poore husband into the Arke with thee with thy poore children and shut them all up into the Arke with thee Would it not grieve thee when thou sittest in the Arke to see a poore husband or a child a drowning in the flood and going to Hell For the Lords sake o my deere Brethren spare no paines to doe them good Fifthly and lastly get a more strong Faith then ordinary deep dangers must have a stronger Faith a man cannot row upon the maine ocean in a paire of scullers but hee must have a good ship well ballaced and a good Pilot so doe you thinke to rowe upon the maine ocean of Gods wrath in a paire of scullers therefore labour to strengthen your Faith and to get a good ship well pitcht and ballasted and substantiall Faith for the winde will trie it whether it be so or not a Summers dublet will not serve the turne in a Winters frost so a little strength and comfort will not serve the turne in the stormes that are comming on us but we must get winter garments the East winde will trie a mans clothes Though a weak Faith may carry thee to Heaven yet not with so much comfort as a stronger especially if it be but a little before the downefall of the Pope for then there will be the greatest combustions that ever was or ever shall be and by all likelihoods the time is now at hand Then thy Faith had need to bee greater then ever it was As the Angell said to the Prophet up and eat for thou hast a great journey to goe so say I to thee thou fainting soule make a good meale of Faith strengthen thy Faith upon the promises for thou hast a great worke to doe and
of vertue Learne then the more you are reviled the more to make your light to shine before men that they may see your good workes and glorifie your Father which is in heaven No man yet ever lived though never so worthy but of some he hath beene despised Fourthly Know this in conclusion that you that are thus despised it is a part of your worth For when all men speake evill of you then blessed are you This speakes terrour to the wicked who wrong Vse 1 the children of God either with tongue or hands either by themselves or by others either by nick-naming them or by circumventing them this I say speakes terrible things against them Will you offer to speake against personages of great worth against the children of a King will the King endure that thou shouldest speake against the bloud royall no no he will be revenged on them that doe so dost thou now wrong a godly man thou shalt one day smart for it for God is able to punish thee yea and he will doe it unlesse thou speedily repent When Saul Acts 8. persecuted the Church of Christ Christ called from heaven and said Saul Saul why persecutest thou me I speake to those that are wicked men and I speake in the bowels of Christ if you did know them you would not doe it for had they knowne the Lord of life they would not have crucifyed him 1 Cor. 2. 8. so if such as doe persecute Gods children did but know their worth and that they were his children they would not doe it Let us esteeme godly men and women as persons Use 2 of great worth the Saints of God have alwaies done so Saint Lawrence being demanded by his persecutors wherein the worth of the Church lay the storie saith he gathered a companie of poore people together and pointed at them and said there lies the worth of the Church so I have read of an ancient King who made a great feast and invited a companie of poore people which were Christians and he bade his Nobles also now when the Christians came he had them up into the Presence-Chamber but when the Nobles came he set them in his hall Being of the Nobles demanded the reason he answered I doe not this as I am their King here for I respect you more then them but as I am a King of another world I must needes honour these because God doth most honour them and then they shall be Kings and Princes with me soe do you esteeme of them according to their worth and shew it If they be persons of such great worth Vse 3 here you may be directed how to get a name of worth in the world to be honoured of God This is the way labour to be beleevers serve God and close with the godly be of one minde and of one heart with them Honour is the thing that all desire according to that of Saul to Samuel Honour me before the Elders of my people so we are all readie to say oh that I could be honoured in the heart of those that I converse with all I say then thou must labour to serve and honour God in thy heart let that be thine honour It is a meere follie for men to think to get honour by swearing by lying by cutting and slashing and drunkennesse c. The sweete ointment of a good name is not compounded of stinking ingredients This should serve to comfort the godly Vse 4 that seeing they are of so great worth what though they be disgraced here let this suffice thee God that knowes the true worth of everie thing he accounts thee worthy what though doggs barke and crie out against thee for thy holinesse let them alone and know thou this that the time will come when never a curre of them all but wil wish oh that mine end might be like his and that they might goe as thy dogge to heaven with thee when they shall see thee sit at his right hand where are pleasures for evermore Lastly you that approve your selves to be Vse 5 of the number of the godly labour to walke worthy of the Lord. Colos 1. 10. Doth God thus advanced you then strive you to honour him with inward and outward worshippe God hath not done these things for you that you may live as you list no you are a chosen generation c. 1 Pet. 2. 19. Ergo you must shew forth the vertue of him that hath called you You that are parents of children the more you doe for them the more you looke they should honour you the more God hath done for you the more you ought to feare him God hath drawn you out of darkenes into a marvellous light and will you yet walk as vassalls of Sathan This was that kept Joseph from committing adulterie even the favour of advancement and how then can I doe this great wickednesse saith he so thou art advanced to honour from a childe of the devill to be the son of God how then canst thou commit wickednesse Consider I say how God hath advanced thee from being a slave of Satan to be his adopted son and shall I now become a covetous person shal I be a companion of Gods enemies when you are enticed by the divell or wicked men to any sinne say what shall such a man as I consent shall I flie from my coulors what a Kings son and flie Consider this THE TIME OF GODS GRACE Is limited GEN. 6. 3. The Lord said my Spirit shall not alway strive with man because he is but flesh and his dayes shall be a hundred and twenty yeares IN this Chapter is continued the History of the decay of the World wherein is described Gods purpose of destroying mankinde in which are these two parts First the meritorious deserving Cause wherein God gives an account what he doth how inexcusable the world is and how just God is unto the 14. vers Secondly a Direction unto Noah to make an Arke where we may see that God in his judgement remembers mercy The meritorious deserving cause is described first from the quantity of those persons in those evill daies a great many vers the first men began to multiply in places populous where there are some good there are many bad Secondly by the quality of those persons the Sons of God when they saw the daughters of men the sonnes of God viz. the posterity of them that maintained Religion they began to be carelesse and carnally confident they did looke after the profits and pleasures of this life and then it was high time for God to enter into Judgement Thirdly by the kind of sinne They lusted after unlawfull Marriages c. and the root of this was originall corruption the Imaginations of mans heart was onely evill and that continually verse 5. These words are a Proclamation of Gods purpose to bring it to an end in which are foure things First the Lords complaint in these words the Lord said Secondly the
Proclamation it selfe in these words my Spirit shall not alwayes strive with man Thirdly the reason because he is but flesh Fourthly the limitation of the time a hundred and twentie yeares in which time if they repent I will repent but if they will not my Spirit shall not alway strive As if the Lord had said I have tried all conclusions and used all meanes partly by Mercies to allure them partly by Judgements to terrifie them partly by my word to recall them and by all meanes possible to bring them to my selfe yet they remaine incorrigible I now am resolved to strive with them no more From the words thus opened there will naturally arise these two points First that the Lord of Heaven and earth Doct. 1 doth strive mightily with a company of poore Rebells and all to bring them unto himselfe but on this I intend not to insist The second is this viz. that there is a time when God will strive with men no more and that in this life The scope of this aimes at the whole world but what is said in generall may also be said in particular well then there is a time in this life and not when we are dead and gone for then it is certaine there is no more comming unto God but in this life there is a time when God will strive with men no more neither for their good here nor for their everlasting happinesse hereafter For unto every thing there is an appointed time Eccles 3. 1. Now the Lord calls lovingly to allure us but there will come a time of goe yee cursed the good Spirit of mine which thou hast abused shall never come to thee more this is a marvailous troublesome truth yet most true for men now will have their wills and God must be at their leisure and come forsooth when they please They will live as they list doe as they list and God must shew mercy on them as they list and when they list c. So there is a time when God will strive but when that time is gone God will will strive no more To make this plaine I will lay downe these six things First I will let you see that it hath been so by Testimonies of Scripture Secondly I will shew in or after what manner God deales with a soule in giving it over Thirdly I will shew who they be that God gives over Fourthly I will shew the grounds of it Fifthly the objections against it And lastly we will come to the uses For the first Testimonies of Scripture you beleeve them and you doe acknowledge that the things delivered there are certaine see it in Saul because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord the Lord hath also rejected thee from being King c. 1 Sam. 15. 23. The Lord had striven with Saul many wayes by giving him profits and Honour in making him King he had given him gifts of the Spirit he was not wanting unto him in any meanes yet he not regarding all this but neglecting that which his Conscience told him should be done hereupon the Lord tooke away that good Spirit from Saul and gave him an evill Spirit as himselfe confessed to the Witch of Endor And as some Divines understand that saying of David Psal 51. 11. Cast me not out of thy sight or presence is not to be understood of Government but of the Church of God Cast me not out of thy presence as thou didst my Predecessor Saul Ergo it is evident that Saul was given over even in this life Secondly that of the Heb. 12. 16 17 18. saith the Text Let there not be a prophane person among you as Esau marke that man is a prophane man that for one morsell of profit or pleasure will cast off the favour of the living God let there not be any such among you saith the Text. The Apostle meanes not the outward inheritance onely but that which is of the Son-ship of God which the Birth-right then was Thirdly Luke 19. 41 42. where our Saviour weepes over Jerusalem Oh Jerusalem c. oh that thou hadst knowne in this thy day of visitation c. but now they are hid from thine eyes Why because thou didst not know thy time God visits us from day to day either in Mercies or Iudgements in mercy when he performes that which he hath promised In Judgements when he brings on men those Judgements which formerly he denounced So our Saviour tells them they had a day oh that thou hadst knowne in this thy day c. But now they are hid from thine eyes and thou shalt see them no more thus you see it is plainly proved by evidence of Scripture Secondly I will shew you how the Lord deals with such rebellious stubborn creatures who after the Lord hath tried al conclusions on them yet cannot bring them to amendment but that still they will goe on in their sins then the Lord changeth his minde and he repents him of the good he hath done unto them And so he repented that he had made Saul King But how can God repent Object I answer there may be a change of the Answ thing though not of the person The Lord repents that ever he set a Minister over a soule to convert it if it despise his Ministery though Moses and Samuel stood before me yet my mind could not be toward them The Lord then had a minde he loved the young man in the Gospell that is he kindly invited him but yet saith the text he went away sorrowfull he would not sell all to follow Christ so the Lord of heaven and earth strives with men he hath a good minde to winne them he sends his Ministers to them and when will it be that that uncleane lust of thine will be reformed The Lord calls the first second and third time and when he sees it will not prevaile at last he gives thee over The Lord gives over that man to the power of that sinne which he never did before when he strove with him we must either lose our sinnes or our soules and ergo if no meanes will serve to bring a man home then the Lord gives him over to commit his old sinne see Psal 82. 11. 12. the Lord tells there what he had done for Israel how he had brought them out of Egypt but my people saith he would not heare Israel would none of me none of my holinesse none of my purenesse none of my waies but their owne waies wills and witts were best ergo saith the Lord I gave them up to their owne hearts lust He doth not say he gave them up unto the Syrians to plague them nor to the enemies of the Church to ride upon them but to their owne lusts The incestuous person received good by his excommunication but when a man is given over unto rebellion it is hard for him to be recalled backe it had beene better for that man if he had never beene borne For as the skinne
to be drunke more never to sweare lie nor steale more c. and yet these come to nought He that hath had many Proclamations as Ezek. 24. 13. Because I have purged thee and thou wast not purged I tried thy wayes what might do thee good and thou seemedst to be good but thou wast not good in earnest ergo thou shalt not be purged Such a man who hath lived under the Gospell and hath had his heart shaken yea and the world hath good hopes of him but the devil sees it tempts him so that on the sudden this man wanders away and his hopes are vain Heb. 10. If any man draw back my soule shall have no pleasure in him verse 38. He speakes of holding out in a Christian course unto the end looke how it was with Lots wife Gen. 19. she looked backe as if she were loth to goe from that pleasant garden fine houses such and such gold in such a corner what thinks she shall I leave all this ergo the Lord turned her into salt viz. He left such a remarkeable note upon her that it remaines unto this day Now if he dealt so with her how will he deale with thee and others some it may be have a good minde to come home but what say they shall we leave all our pleasures and profits will not a little profession of Religion and a great deale of the world goe together for currant Take heede the Lord may justly turne thee into salt Thirdly Those that have much greived the good Spirit of God in bringing in some sinne contrary to the light of conscience and the suggestions of the good Spirit of God as did the children of Israel who resisted the good Spirit of God and ergo he sware c. The Minister bids thee cut off thy long haire and the word saies it is a shame for a man to weare long haire yet for all this saiest thou I will not what will the world say of me then away with these fashions leave off cards and dice c. saies the Spirit of God and whatsoever is of evill report yea but I will not for what will Sir John and my Lady say then Turne you unto me saith the Spirit of God no I will not saith the stubborne walker Put him on in a good course yet he wil not walke therein speake the truth saith the Spirit of God for all liars shall be turned out yea but not yet I have got thus much wealth by lying and I will not yet leave it Fourthly Such as have a common base vile and contemptible esteeme of the Gospell and Ministers thereof They mocked the Ministers till the wrath of God broke out against them and there was no remedy 2 Chron. 36. 16. A Minister cannot be plaine but wicked men will abuse him in their hearts I called and cried saith wisedome but you set at nought all my counsell Prov. 1. 24 25. and going away they make a tush at it I saith one Master Minister you mette with mens hearts to day but I beleeve yours is as bad as anothers else how could you have hitte them so right see what the Spirit of God saith of such Esay 22. 21. In that day did the Lord call to weeping c. the text told them of a judgement and nothing to be expected but miserie but they make a tush of it and say come we shall all die ergo let us eate and drinke and be merrie while we may the Minister tells us we shall all to hell then let us have the other pot and the other pipe if it must needs be so Oh my beloved can the God of heaven indure to be thus disgraced in his Gospell and Ministers Another saies care I what the Minister saith I will goe and drinke at every Ale-house and see whether these judgements will come or no. Now I come to the fourth thing which is the grounds of it viz. Why the Lord in this life doth give men over and strive with them no more This truth is troublesome and cursed hearts cannot abide it The grounds of this point arise from these two Attributes of God his justice and his wisedome First from the justice of God God is a just God and is it not just that those who have rejected him that he should reject them I have called but you answered not Jer. 7. 13. ergo c. Now as it is just with God to fulfill every word that he hath spoken and to fulfill all his promises to the faithfull so is it just with God to bring judgment on them that have slighted him Secondly From the wisedome of God and his long suffering and this is because his compassions faile not else the first day of our sinning had beene the first day of our rejection yea it is his goodnesse that we have any favour but Oh our God is a wise God A man that knocks at the dore if he be wise will not alwaies lie knocking if none answer so the Lord knocks at our hearts by mercies to allure us by judgements to terrifie us yet he can finde no entrance Is it not wisedome then to be gone Why should I smite you any more saith God Esay 1. 5. As if he should say t is to no purpose for my life I know not what to doe with you it is wisedome to give over when there is no good to be done on you What could I have done more for my Vâ—neyard c Esay 5. There is no wise man that will alwayes water a dry stake And doe you thinke that God will always be sending Paul to plant and Appollos to water no our God is a wise God and our mercifull God is a just God you that will have your wayes and wills take them and get you to hell perish everlastingly Now in the fift place we come to the Objections Some say If we shall be damned then we Object 1 must be damned if we shall be saved then we shall be saved why then neede we pray and keepe such a quoile as the Minister speaks off Secret things belong to the Lord but Sol. revealed things to us and to our children Deut. 29. 29. ergo doe thou use the meanes and be thou humbled according to the word of God and thou shalt be exalted according to the word of God see what God hath said to thee in his word for neither I nor thou nor the Angels of heaven can tell what the will of the Lord is concerning thee if not revealed in the word Another saith Why doe you limit God Object 2 you take too much upon you you sons of Levi. The Lord saith at what time soever a sinner doth repent c. yet will you limit God T is true at what time soever a sinner doth Sol. repent but thy heart may be given over as Rom. 2. 4. 5. c. and what if thou then livest twenty yeares or more and have not a heart to repent