Four Profitable TREATISES Very Useful FOR CHRISTIAN PRACTISE Viz. I. The Killing Power of the Law II. The Spiritual Watch. III. The New Birth IV. Of the Sabbath All which are printed in Folio but these Small Pieces are intended for those that cannot go to the Price of the greater Volume By the Reverend Mr WILLIAM FENNER Late Minister of Rochford in Essex LONDON Printed by A. Maxey for J. Rothwel at the Fountaine in Cheapside and Tho. Parkhurst at the Three Crowns against the great Conduit in Cheapside 1657. Christian Reader THe good acceptance which other Tracts of this worthy author have found with thee hath drawne these peices to the Press Pieces which are indeed minima mole but maxima virture little in bulk great in efficacy and usefulnesse Foure subjects here are every one of great concernment to Christians First Here 's the use of the law in a sinners conversion which is much every way And that is the best argument to overthrow that soul-destroying Doctrine of Antinomianisme 2. Here is the Doctrine of watchfulness which of how great importance it is the many and wofull Instances of back sliding and misearrying Christians occasioned principally by the neglect of this great duty are convincing demonstrations 3. Here is that foundation doctrine of regeneration which is none other but the gate of heaven without the knowledge and experience whereof no salvation is to be had If thou hast it here thou maist read the discoveries of it to thy consolation If thou want it hence thou maist be committed to thy caution and excitation Lastly here is the Doctrine of the Sabbath that great commandment the custos utriusque tabulae the keeper of both the tables which therefore God hath made a frontire commandment bordering upon them both In a word all of them deserved such a writer and he such subjects and both the writer and subject call out for thy profiting thereby both in knowledge and in grace which is the intent of the publisher Farewell Imprimatur Ed. Calamy Simeon Ashe Matthew Pool THE KILLING POWER OF THE LAW Rom. 7. 9. For I was once alive without the Law but when the Commandment came sin revived and I died IN these words the Apostle shewes Two things First What a jolly man he thought himself to be whilst he was a Pharisee before the Lord wrought upon him by the Law Secondly What a miserable wretched creature he saw himself to be when the Lord took him in hand and discovered his sins unto him before the Law came home unto him and convinced his Conscience he thought himself to be alive but when the commandment came sin revived and he died 1. In the former we may observe Two things First The jolliness of the Apostle he thought himself to be alive I was alive without the Law I was a Pharisee and thought my self to be alive I fasted twice a week and prayed every day and made long prayers each day when he considered how he walked thus in all the Ordinances of God he thought if this was not to be alive he knew not what it was to be alive I was alive once without the Law Secondly We have here the cause why he had this good conceit of himself it was because he was without the law the law of God had not convinced him it had not discovered his miserable and wretched estate unto him though he had some understanding in the literal sense of the Law yet the Law was not yet come home unto him he was as yet without the law and that was the reason of that good conceit he had of himself he did esteem himself to be alive And then again in the latter part When the commandment came sin revived but I died There we may also observe Two things First The law shewed him what a wretched estate and condition he was in for all his self conceitednesse sin revived and I died though I thought before I was alive yet when the commandement came sin revived and I died I saw I was a dead man when the Lord took me in hand to deal with me and let me see how my case stood before him Howsoever I thought my self to be in a good case before now I saw I was but a dead man I did not see such evil and such a masse of corruption before but when the Lord discovered my self unto my self and when I saw the Spiritualnesse of the law then I saw that sin was alive in me and I died when I saw how I ought to behave my self in my affections and in my inward man then sin revived and I for my part was a dead man I was fain to come down from those high conceits and imaginations I had before Secondly We have here the cause why he was thus brought down it was because of the commandment of God which came home unto him the law of God came home unto his conscience and discovered unto him how it was with him and it made him to shake in the apprehension of his own estate that he was but a dead man and that he had gone to hell and perished everlastingly if he had continued in that estate and condition I intend at this time to treat of the former part Without the law I was once alive and here Two things must be opened First what doth the Apostle mean by without the Law Secondly What doth he mean when he saith I was once alive 1. For the first When the Apostle saith he was without the law he doth not mean simply that he did think himself without the Law that is without the binding Authority of the Law for so no reasonable creature is yea indeed no creature at all is without the law of God for there is a Law of Obedience imposed upon all the creatures and the unreasonable creatures do keep the Law that is imposed upon them by God and howsoever reasonable creatures depart from this law and break it yet they are under the binding power of this Law therefore the Apostle doth not thus mean that he was without the Law therefore we must know that to be without the law is taken Four wayes First To be without the Law is meant to be without the promulgation and publishing of the Law and so the Heathen only are said to be without the Law as we may see Rom. 2. 12. there the Heathen are said to be without the Law that is without the promulgation of the Law it was published only to the Jewes upon Mount Sinai and so Paul was not without the law Secondly It is taken in regard of the literal knowledge of the Law and so ignorant people are said to be without the law of God they know not the Law of God and in this sense Paul was not without the law he was trained up in the law he was learned in the law for he was brought up at the feet of Gamaliel Acts 22. 3. so that he had the logical meaning of the
thought we cannot renew our thoughts we cannot renew our inclinations or our wills or our affections we can do nothing of our selves it is only his work therefore seeing it is such a special work it must be only the Spirit of God that must work it it is a glorious work a supernatural work this new Birth is such a Birth as comes from above Psal 110. 3. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power c. saith the text that is all that are born of God they are brought forth in the day of Gods power in the day wherein God is pleased to put forth his power in them therefore they are called the seed of Christ Isa 53. 10. They are his seed but unless he begets them by his Spirit they can never be so Therefore if we consider the greatness of the work it sheweth plainly it must needs be the effect of the Will of God and his good Pleasure towards man and therefore must be wrought by the Spirit Secondly Another Reason is Because it is not a work of this world It is a work of another world it is none of the creatures of this life it is beyond the sphere of the activity of any natural agent they cannot reach it Joh. 1. 13. Which were born not of the will of the flesh nor of bloud c. It is not of mans Will he cannot so much as Will it or Desire it effectually he cannot wish it truly nay his heart had rather have the world nay saith he It is not of the Will of the Flesh that is a man may go and beget another Child in the world because it is of the Will of the Flesh it is in the power of the Will of the Flesh Gods power going along with him but this is not so whatsoever a man be though he hath never so many excellent parts it is not in the Will of the Flesh to do it Then again it is not of Bloud it is no terrene or earthly thing this new creature is otherwise made than any new creature in the world besides therefore he concludes it is only born of God it is God only that is the great Author of this great work it descends down meerly from above Thirdly Because it is so far from being wrought by any power in man or any counsel in man or any endeavours in man it is so far from that as that a man is totally against it A man is an enemy unto it a man hath reluctancy and repugnancy against it he would not be regenerate when a man doth think he desires heaven and to be regenerated of God he doth apprehend Regeneration in a wrong way and heaven in a wrong way so as he apprehends it he doth Will it he thinks of heaven as of a fine place and a place full of pleasure and therefore desires it but that he should alwayes be with God that he should alwayes be praysing and thinking of God and minding of God and have his heart weaned from all other things and set it on God this is heaven but he hates these things and so hates heaven so he Wills that which he apprehends to be Regeneration but Regeneration is when a man hath a new heart and when he is a new man he was wordly before but he is now brought to be spiritual he was proud before but he is now come to be humble but the heart cannot abide this therefore let the Lord fling in abundance of throws into a natural mans heart to begin some preparatory work this way to make a man begin to look out towards heaven he flings all away he is weary of them quickly as a man at a Sermon perhaps may have throws concerning the new Birth but the corruption of his heart will throw all way he cannot endure them they are contrary to the corruption of a mans nature nay when God comes to work upon his own people what a deal of pleading is there with the world the flesh and the Divel that they may not be cast out Therefore when Peter saw that through the grace and power of God this work was wrought in those he wrote unto 1 Pet. 1. 3. Mark how he speaks Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead He lifts up his hands to heaven and blesseth God that ever this work was wrought he saw so much adoe and such a stir and such a deal of opposition this is a plain sign that it is not of man it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God which sheweth mercy Rom. 9. 16. Neither can man Will neither can he run neither go nor stir towards it nay though God make him go how apt is he to laggar in the way and draw back again So you see the Fourth Thing Why it must needs be the Spirits Work The Fifth Thing is How the Spirit of God works this Work It is after an unspeakable manner Who can declare the noble acts of the Lord The works of God in Nature are marvellous David himself when he looked upon his natural Birth the Conception of him in the Womb of his Mother he wondered at it Psal 139. 14. That was a wonderful work how much more is this unspeakable and unutterable as it is said of our Saviour Christ Who can declare his generations So may I say in a lower sense of this Work Who can declare this Regeneration of his people But yet thus far the Scripture doth authorize and warrant us to go First That he doth it by the word of Life By the Gospel of Salvation by the Preaching of it or otherwise according as he pleaseth that is the immortal seed 1 Pet. 1. 23. Being born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word of God c. And as Paul saith to the Corinthians Though you have ten thousand instructers yet you have not many Fathers for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel 1 Cor. 4. 15. As who should say You are begotten and born again and you are born again by the Word and I was an instrument under God of your new Birth by the Word which I have Preached among you and therefore 1 Tim. 1. 2. he calls Timothy His own Son So Tit. 1. 4. he calls him His Son in the Faith that is he was an instrumental Father under God by the Doctrine of Faith to bring him to be a Child of God so that I say it is done by the Word Of his own Will hath he begotten us by the Word of truth Jam. 1. 18. The Spirit of the Lord sanctifies the Word when he is pleased to convert a man the Word shall shew him what a miserable creature he is by nature it sheweth him that flesh and bloud cannot enter into the
nation that did righteously and had not forsaken the statutes of their God they ask of me the ordinances of Justice they draw near to me saying We have fasted and thou regardest it not We see here they take delight in approaching unto God they take delight in Gods Ordinances and seek God early they can do thus and thus and are alive in all performances but that man whose spirit the law hath pulled down and the Lord hath convinced him of his infinite inability to perform the law he cannot see any livelinesse in him unto any performance Let any duty come it kills his heart I should now hear the Word of God but my heart is unprepared and my ear uncircumcised and I cannot hear aright Let an opportunity be offered to pray it kills his heart I should now call upon the Name of the Lord but I have such a cursed heart I cannot pray I cannot speak one right word before God Let an occasion be offered of holy conference it kills his heart alas saith he I want pure language my tongue was never touched with a coal from the Altar my lips have not ability to drop forth savoury speeches I am not able to speak one syllable aright to Gods glory it kills his heart he sees no life at all in him unlesse he can have life from without and ability from without he is dead all is nothing to him the law hath taken away the livelinesse that was in him But he that is not humbled by the law he is alive he hath life in himself it is nothing with him to Pray and go to Church and hear Gods Word it is nothing but thrusting to do the duty he hath life in him to do duties and wait upon God in his ordinances but when the law comes home to him it plainly lets him see that he hath no life in himself to do any good he must seek for life and ability from without else he is a dead man he can do nothing in this case David in this case cannot lookup Mine iniquities are gone over my head I cannot look up Psal 40. Moses he is a man of uncircumcised lips and cannot speak unto Pharaoh Paul cannot do any thing that is good In me dwelleth no good thing Rom. 7. And so for the rest of Gods people when the law hath killed them and laid them dead in regard of any performance they must have life from without there is no life at home no grace at home no understanding at home they must go out for all but a carnal man he is alive unto all performances Many a man is like unsavoury salt good for nothing but to throw upon the dung-hill He never received the Holy Ghost and yet he will be inducted into a living and take Pastoral Charge upon him as if he were able to performe the Duty of a Minister and take the Charge of Souls upon him So Ananias will be a husband and Saphira a wife Athalia will be a Queen and Nimrod a King and Abimelech a Judge they are alive to discharge all these duties thus men are alive the Law of God hath not killed their hearts pulled down their spirits it hath not made it appear unto them what wretched cursed creatures they are This is the second thing wherein this livelynesse consists Thirdly This livelynesse consists in a presumptuous hope he conceives that he is justified before God and that God will not damn him but forgive him his sins There is nothing can make a mans heart more full of life then to think that he is righteous before God and that God will not impute his sins unto him there is nothing can make a man more alive then this If they think they are justified before God they have then a lively hope 1 Pet. 1. 3. blessed be God saith the Apostle even the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again to a lively hope by the Resurrection of Christ from the dead So these men have a hope that makes them lively and full of life as a poor man that hath some grounded hope of an Earthly inheritance it makes the heart lively Poverty deads the heart he that hath nothing to maintain himself and those that belongs unto him it deads his heart but if he hath some hopes of an hundred pound a year and his hope is grounded if he hath sure hope of it and he makes no doubt of it it makes his heart full of life so when a man doth believe that he is in a good case that he is delivered from death that he is in the estate of grace when he hath some probability that God hath justified him from sin this breeds an hope in him of an eternal Inheritance and this hope the consideration of it makes the soul full of life There is nothing can make a man more lively then a hope that he is justified before God and that God will not impute his sins unto him Now when a carnal man conceives he is righteous before God and that God will forgive him his iniquities that God will not damn him nor count him a dead a damned man so long as a man doth imagin this he must needs be a lively man he is alive in his own apprehension nay all the delights in the world cannot make a man so ful of life as this hope It is not mens following their pleasure that makes their hearts so full of life as to have hope that the Lord doth not account them dead men that they are justified men and righteous men that they have salvation to shew for heaven and Eternall happinesse to shew for that they shall go to heaven But if now the Law were charged upon a man if he knew that he were a dead man a damned man it would pluck down his spirits and make his spirits dead for all his pleasures It is the conceit that men are justified that makes them so full of life so long as the Law doth not come home to a man and point him out in his colours and make it appear to him that he lyeth under the wrath of Almighty God that the Lord doth account him an abominable wretched creature so long as he doth not apprehend this especially if he have any good gifts and parts and qualities and moral obedience to the Law doing good duties and a general laying hold upon the promises and a hope they belong to him this makes him alive Phil. 3. 9. Paul when he was a Pharisee and did Moral Duties and performed Moral Obedience to the Law of God he thought he had righteousnesse of his own he calls it there his own righteousnesse he so apprehended of himself now this is that which makes men alive when they conceive that they have some Religion and some Grace You shall have many men and women that hate the Servants of God and yet think they are godly men and have Grace and
Law and Commandment of God as those to whom the Law comes it eggs a man forward and maks him itch unto Rebellion If a man had asked Paul before whether he had such a devillish heart against God he saw no such matter he never meant God any hurt when he went on in his course he thought not that he was so stubborn and rebellious he did not feel this stubbornnesse and rebellion But when the Law came once it shewed him the venome and cursed nature of his sins 3. The Third life of sin is the worst of all and that is the life of Imputation for here sin is so full of life that it is not only able to discover unto him that he is a sinful wretch and an abominable creature but to bind him over to wrath and send him to hell and everlasting destruction Now it is the Law of God that discovers this life of sinne before the Law comes a man hath many vain hopes that God is merciful and Christ dyed for sinners and that God will forgive him his sins he doth not see the imputation of sin the imputation of sin lying upon the Soul is not clearly discovered before the Law come for where there is no Law there is no imputation of sin Rom. 5. 13. there saith the Apostle unto the time of the Law was sin in the world but sin is not imputed while there is no Law Before the Law is charged upon the heart the heart never dreams of the imputation of sin as if he should answer for sin and be damned for sin for ever He thought the contrary before but now the Law discovers the life of sin unto him and sin revives and appears to have life to damn him for evermore Sin now appears to have life to cast him off from God and to bind him over to Everlasting vengeance Thus it was with Paul when the Commandment came sin revived I saw sin was alive indeed and I saw the life of aggravation I saw the hellish nature of sin it was painted out to the full I saw the life of irritation I saw the infinite egging and itching of sin how it did work in me I saw the life of imputation how all my sins were imputed unto me and did all lye upon my conscience and so sin revived that is the meaning Now for the meaning of the Second word I dyed that is I saw I was a dead man I saw plainly and clearly that I was but a dead man I thought I was alive before because I did good duties and walked in the Ordinances of God and I thought that I might goe for a Christian and servant of God as well as another I did not think I was a dead man I thought I had some goodnesse in me some hope of eternal life in me I did not conclude that I was a dead man But when the Law of God humbled me and discovered my estate plainly unto me then I saw I was a dead man indeed my heart failed me and the livelynesse that was in me before departed from me I saw I was a dead man and had not the Spirit of Christ come and quickned me I had been a dead man to all eternity I now saw that sin began to revive in me and I began to be a dead man Thus we see the meaning of the words Now the Theame I propounded to you was this namely how the Lord converts the will and the first work that prepares a man hereunto is the work of pulling down the will and the pulling down of a mans heart for the will of man is full of obstinacy full of livelynesse against the truth and Commandment of God full of livelynesse in sin and conceives it self to be in a better estate and condition and so the will is obstinate still Now when it pleaseth God to convert a man first he pulls down the will of a man and pulls down his Spirit now here is a Doctrine to make way for this Namely that when the Lord takes a man in hand to pull him down to pull down his will he doth shew him what a dead Creature he is The Lord by pronouncing a man in his own Bosom a dead man a damned man one that can no way help himself he is dead absolutely dead in his own estate and in Gods account all his hopes are rotten he is meerly a dead damned man hereby the Lord pulls down his will We may see this in Paul before his Conversion his will was full of obstinacy and rebellion against God he would go and make havock of the Church he would not submit to the will of God but when the Lord came to work upon him Saul Saul why persecutest thou me it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks What wilt thou that I shall do Lord saith he Act. 9. 6 Now his will is come down but mark how the Lord puts him off go to such a place saith he and there it shall be told thee what thou shalt do The Lord puts him off and would not give him an answer presently what he should do as who should say thou hast as yet an obstinate will thou wilt not do as I command thee I will not tell thee as yet what I will have thee to do but go to such a place and I will Arrest thee there and charge my Law upon thy Conscience and shew thee thy dead and damned estate And now his will is come down he bids him be Baptized and he was so he bids him go and Preach the Gospel and he did so now his will is come down So the prodigal his heart was marvellous obstinate against his Fathers commandement he would be gone from his father he could not abide to stay in a house where there were such strict courses he would have his goods and patrimony in his own hand as it is the property of every carnal man he would have his Inheritance in his own hand he would have power and strength and ability and these gifts and parts in his own hand But when he is humbled by the Law he is content to have all in Gods hand he is content to have all his wisdom there that he may come thither for it he is content to have all his righteousnesse there and all his ability strength and sufficiency there that he may come thither for it all is there and he sees himself a beggar if he comes not to God and keeps close to God and keeps fast to his Covenant he is a very beggar But this man would have all in his own hands and goe and squander away all upon his lusts and pleasures and he would not stay at home with his father Now when the Law of God came home to him to shew this man to himself when he came to himself as the Text saith his father did esteem him a dead man before But when he came to himself and saw he was a dead man for going
discovered to a man that he is a dead and a damned man It makes it now appear unto him that he is utterly unable to do any thing he is in the depth of misery and he is unable to cry mercy aright he is not able to make a prayer no more then a dead man he seeth he can no more keep a Sabboth as he ought than a dead man So for any duty of Religion he seeth he hath no more life to do it then a dead man hath to do the actions of the living as the Apostle speaks Gal. 2. 19. I am dead to the Law that I might live unto God God made St. Paul alive unto him but first he charged his Law upon his Conscience and made him seem to be a dead man to the Law That he had no life or activity to do any thing pleasing to God but when the Lord made him alive to himself then he could do something nay he was able to do all things through the Lord Jesus Christ that strengthned him But in himself both still and before he was altogether dead to the Law of God so that when the Law comes and shews a mans estate unto him it shews him his utter inability to the performance of any good duty The Pharisee will to the Temple as well as the Publican Saul will sacrifice as well as Samuel Prophane people will take up the Ordinances of God as if they had life to go through them as well as the people of God But when the Law comes it plainly convinceth a man it makes him feel and understand that he hath no activity or life to performe any thing pleasing to Almighty God a dead man can do nothing he is cut off from all the actions of the living dead men they cannot devise ought they cannot purpose ought they cannot work ought So when the Law of God is charged upon a man and shews him that he is but a dead man and a damned man now he seeth he can as well create a world as make a prayer he can as well remove a Mountain as do any thing acceptable to God Such a man will say I am a dry tree and cannot grow I am lost in the wildernesse of sinne and cannot get out again Thus we see wherein this deadness consists 2. Now I come to shew you the Effects of this Deadnesse how it pulls down the heart this will pull down the heart of a man marvellously when the Law chargeth this upon him that he is but a dead man though the will of man be infinitely unruly it is wild it is like the mad man in the Gospel that the Divil was in no man was able to bind him no Chains were able to hold him no Creature could tame him Mark 5. 34. So it is with the will of an unregenerate man his will is marvellous wild he breaks all bonds and snaps all cords in pieces and casts off the yoak from him Let God bid him do this he will not do it let him be in a good mood he is presently out of it again let him be convinced of his vain hopes and let him see what a wretched creature he is he will have vain hopes again his will is infinitely unruly and desperately wild the very Divel in hell hath the rule of it it is full of life against God and his Commandments and will never yield while the world stands till now the Lord comes with his Law and shews a man that he is a dead man and a damned man and shews him that he is under the wrath of God the Law is able to do this as the Apostle speaks Rom. 4. 15. The Law causeth wrath It makes a man appear to lie under the wrath of God under Gods everlasting displeasure and in the mouth of hell and damnation and if God be not merciful to him and more merciful then to a world of men he seeth he is a dead man utterly lost and undone for ever now this will make his spirit yield and make his heart begin to come in as the Psalmist speaks concerning Princes He shall cut off the spirit of Prince he is terrible to the Kings of the earth Psal 76. 12. Kings and Princes have stout Spirits now when the Lord sends but a little terrour into their hearts he is able to snib their spirits for all their security and for all the height of their magnanimity he is able to cut off all by sending his terrour into their hearts so the Law sends terrour into the heart Can there be a greater terrour then to have the Law denounce a man to be a dead man and that the wrath of God is gone out against him and that he lyeth in the very mouth of all the Canons of the fury of the most High This will break the heart of a man if his heart were made of brass this would break it Look as it was with the Moabites 2 Sam. 8. 2. They were stout against David and would not yield and submit unto him but when David smote them and measured them with a cord and cast them down to the ground when he measured them with two cords to put them to death and with one full cord to keep them alive then saith the Text the Moabites became Davids servants and brought him gifts So it is with a prophane creature whilest God lets him goe on he is stout and will not serve God but his will is altogether crosse and contrary to Gods will and Commandements he will not take up those courses that God commands he will not submit himself to the precisenesse of the Gospel his will is infinitely crosse in this kind and marvellous obstinate But if the Lord takes him in hand and charge his Law upon his conscience he puts such terrours into his heart that he is willing to submit unto God upon any tearms I confesse the Law cannot do this of it self it cannot thus bring down the will of a man and mortifie a mans sins For if the damned in hell were let loose again to live here upon earth they would forget all their former Plagues and Torments and sin would revive again in them The Law of it self can only lay some in a swound it will up again if it be loose the law cannot do this of it self but I speak now of the law as it is Gods Instrument Hereby he pulls down the heart of a man and pulls down his Spirit labour will pull down any mans spirit when a man is in labour and pain and affliction it will make a mans Stomack come down as we may see Psal 107. 11 12. Because they rebelled against the words of the Lord therefore he humbled their heart with labour and heavinesse then they fell down but there was no helper Before they were stout against the Lord and would not hearken unto him and obey his Commandments now the Lord brought down their heart But how did he bring them down he pulld
is no promise in the Word that God will quicken him and raise him up Christ is free from any promise in this kind he may quicken him if he will and not quicken him if he please I may say in this sense as Christ himself saith Joh. 5. The Son of man quickens whom he will He is free to quicken whom he will though a man be made a dead man by the law and cry out he is a dead man and a damned man though he hath the works of the law and be terrified and gastered and humbled by the law yet Christ is free from any promise he hath made to these people there is never a promise in all the Word that Christ hath bound himself by to these people to quicken them they cannot say there is such a promise in the Word that Christ will quicken them There are plain places in the Scripture wherein the Lord invites such people upon condition they will come and believe and submit to the Gospel there is a conditional invitation upon these terms But that these people shall be quickned and shall have eternal life given them there is no such promise the Lord is free the Lord hath not bound himself to it but when a man is dead according as the Gospel makes a man dead before it quickens him and when a man is poor according as the Gospel makes him poor and when a man is blind according as the Gospel makes him blind now a man is within the compass of Gods promises he is one that is the formal object of Mercy he is one that shall have Mercy and shall have Salvation and Redemption by Jesus Christ these dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and shall live the tongue of these stammerers shall speak plain the eyes of these blind shall see these out-casts shall be gathered these naked shall be cloathed these lost shall be found these poor shall be enriched when a man is dead so as the Gospel deads a man before it quickens a man for the Lord damns a man before he saves a man and kills a man before he quickens him like a good Surgeon that cuts before he cures or like a good Physician that kills a man almost with Physick so the Lord doth bring a man to deaths door before he quickens him it is the Gospel that truly humbles him and works these privations and now he is within the compasse of the promise now he hath a promise that he shall be quickned and have supply in regard of all these Privations but so long as these Privations are only legal he hath no promise that he shall be quickned for many are humbled and made dead as it were by the law and yet shake it off again and go to their proâ—â—ts and pleasures and delights and hardnesse of heart again many a man hath been gastered by the law and cryed out of his damned estate and condition and yet hath got up again and recovered himself by the world and the things of the world and it was ever so of old as we may see in Cain the law had discovered him to himself to be a dead man and a damned man I see my sins are greater then can be forgiven or are forgiven or shall be forgiven he saw his punishment was intolerable his condemnation was more then he was able to bear From thy presence am I cast out and a Vagabond shall I be upon the face of the earth Gen. 4. 14. Yet he was not the formal Object of mercy the Gospel did not quicken him nor convert him he was not the formal Object of mercy for he shook off these terrours again as we may see in the very same Chapter and went to building of Cities and inventing of musick and other arts and sciences and this quickned and revived him again but he never came to true life So it is with many men though they be terrified and gastered and humbled and cast down by the law yet they get up again and run after the world and after security and hardnesse of heart again so that such a man is not the formal Object of mercy 2. Again we see that many though they be wrought upon thus by the law and their eyes be enlightned and their Consciences awaked and they see that they are in a wretched and damned estate yet they scrape together a company of vain hopes and so heal themselves again When they have been terrified by the law they seek presently for promises and how they may get up again and they would fain get up and they lye at catch at every Sermon and at every Chapter and at every Word which a good man speaks and if they can get any hold they catch at it and so get up a gain and go on And when they have got a little comfort and think they shall do well they are as carelesse and as stubborn and as secure as ever they were they may go on in the profession of Religion but yet their latter end is worse then their beginning The unclean Divel may be cast out but the Divel transforms himself into an angel of light and enters into them and they go on in doing good duties but they never have the power of Religion Again Thirdly Many that are humbled by the law they run away and never come to Christ as Judas when he saw he was condemned he went and hanged himself Matth. 27. 3 5. Some expound it of Christ when he saw Christ was condemned but others expound it of himself when Judas saw himself was condemned and that seems to be the meaning of the place for Christ was not condemned nor so much as accused there came not any witnesse against him till Judas had hanged himself as we may see if we read that Chapter But whether that be the meaning or no this is true and certain he saw he was a dead man he saw he lay under the guilt of his sins and he despaired of mercy and went and hanged himself Again Lastly If such a man were the Object of mercy then all the damned in hell were the formal Objects of mercy for there is never a man in hell but the law hath its work to the uttermost upon him it can work a man no lower it can sink a man no deeper it can make a man no more miserable then those that are in hell Now if a dead man by the law should be the formal Object of mercy then the damned in hell should be the formal Object of mercy which cannot be for from thence there is no Redemption Go ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Divel and his angels there is no quenching of that fire So that we see the legal killing of the law doth not make a man the formal Object of mercy But yet such a man hath a great deal of advantage he is before a world of other men that live secure if men were in this estate
his Power and the strictnesse of his Justice against Sin if we did remember our Death and what account we are to make before him this would be a great help to keep us from sin now if we would remember this a special way to help us is to watch as Acts 20. 31. Watch and remember saith the Apostle he being desirous that they should remember the admonitions and exhortations which he had propounded he layes down this as a special means to help them hereunto to watch So we are to be watchful that we may be sober in eating and drinking and all lawful things for how suddenly do distempers break in upon us unlesse a man look to himself now watchfulnesse is an excellent help to Sobriety 1 Thess 5. 6. Let us watch and be sober We had need to watch whatsoever we go about that we may be sober in it whatsoever wordly businesse we go about in our Callings we had need to have this watchfulnesse that we be not over-whelmed and over head and ears in the world that we may not be intemperate in our eating and drinking that we may not give our selves too much liberty and freedom in talking and discoursing of the things here below so we are bound to keep our garments that our nakednesse may not be seen that the sins that are up and down in the world do not defile them that the temptations and alurements and occasions we meet withal and the examples of the times and such like do not take away our righteousnesse from us now watchfulnesse is an help hereunto as we may see Rev. 16. 15. the text saith Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments So that watchfulnesse is an excellent help for a further act to be done when a man hath some duty or other to be done which the Lord requires should be done with care and diligence watchfulnesse is a help thereunto as Hab. 2. 1. the Prophet knowing there was some Prophecy to be bestowed upon them the Prophet laboured to be in a fit case to receive it and that he might so be I will watch saith he in a word watchfulnesse is an intentive consideratenesse of the heart when a man doth consider how he is to do every thing lest he be surprised either by Satan or the world or by his own subtil flesh when a man is considerative and takes heed to himself to his thoughts and his words and all his actions as our Saviour saith Take heed Watch and Pray Mark 13. 33. When he would describe watchfulnesse what it is he sets another phrase by it to open it to us take heed watch and pray There is a kind of heedlessenesse that is apt to cleave to the heart whereby the heart is carelesse what snares are before it now watchfulnesse doth take off this and maketh a man to take more heed in whatsoever he doth so that there can be no opportunity of doing good but he takes it no good motion is suggested but he lyeth at catch to receive it for this is watchfulnesse Prov. 8. 33. Blessed is the man that heareth me watching daily at my gates here you may see watchfulness is expressed when a man comes into the presence of Christ waiting to hear whatsoever shall come from Christ and there is nothing that drops from the Minister that concerns him but he is ready to receive it when a man waits to be ready to obey whatsoever commandment the Lord delivers and to take heed to avoid whatsoever the Lord forbids This is watchfulness Now the second thing is what we must watch I Answer We must watch our selves and all the duties of Religion and time First we must watch over our selves Ponder thy pathes saith the Wise man Prov. 4. 26. as who should say Look to thy self take heed to every step that it be ordered aright How soon may a man be turned out of the way How soon was David carried away into those two great sins of Murther and Adultery How soon was Peter put besids his Resolution in the high Priests Hall for want of watchfulness If he had watched and remembred our Saviours item he had never denied his Master A man is marvellous ready to be carried away therefore we must watch our selves First And in particular we must watch our own thoughts naturally all our thoughts are idle and unprofitable our minds are apt to spend themselves upon that which will do us no good we had need therefore to watch over our thoughts Deut. 15. 9. Beware saith the text that there be not an evil thought in thy heart Take heed that vain thoughts come not into thy mind idle thoughts or wordly thoughts will dead us and dull us to the service of God and poyson the heart and no good thing can dwell in us if we do not look unto our thoughts the eyes of the Lord are upon our thoughts therefore watch over thy thoughts Secondly We should watch over the Heart it self The heart is the very spring there be the very issues of Life and Death the actions flow from thence therefore Prov. 4. 23. the wiseman saith Keep thy heart with all keeping as who should say Thy heart is deceitful and desperate it will make thee believe thou art going to heaven when it leads thee to hell if thou be never so well affected for a time this heart will fly off it is naturally so naught and reprobate to what is good Therefore keep thy heart with all diligence Thirdly Watch over thy Words Psal 141. 3. Set a watch O Lord before the door of my lips We must watch our lips and have a care that our words be agreeable to Gods Word and seasoned with salt and that we shun all manner of communication that doth not minister grace to the hearers we must take heed lest idle words proceed out of our mouths for which we must give an account at the day of Judgement how many times do such words proceed out of our mouths that we would give a world to recal again only because we do not watch over our words that they may be such as may tend to edifying and expresse the grace that is within Fourthly Again we should watch over our Senses we should make a covenant with our eyes as Job speaks chap. 31. 1. not to look upon a maid when our eyes are looking up and down though they be not caught with adultery or such grosssins yet there is danger to be caught one vvay or other for when a man looks upon the objects of the world as good and the like how ready is his mind to be carryed after it men are led by their eyes they carry the mind and heart with them therefore we should have a care that whatsoever comes to our eyes we make a good use of Fiftly Again we should set a watch before our Ears we should take heed what we hear when we come in company left we
you the Rules that are to be observed in watching and the Rules are these If you would watch over your selves First Count watchfulnesse your very life and think if you let watchfulnesse go you let your life go for if once watchfulness go hovv dead are you in Prayer and hearing the Word of God So that the security of the heart vvill be the death of the heart vvherefore if vve vvould go on in vvatching let us labour to keep this Holy disposition count it your very lives and think vvith your selves I let Life go if I let Watchfulnesse go We use to say of Sleep that it is the brother of Death and 1 Thes 5. 6. vve may see the Phrase used by the Apostle vvhere vvaking is put for living and sleeping for dying that is the meaning of the vvords So that as sleep natural sleep doth lively represent death so it is vvith Spiritual sleep vvhich is the death of the soul Therefore dost thou find thy self to be out of frame and not vvatch over thy vvayes then think vvith thy self that thou art a dead man and take up thy vvatch as fast as thou canst again Secondly Thou must let thy watch stand Catholically universally in all duties and all times vvatch thereunto and persevere therein vve must not only watch but Persevere Be careful in the morning how vve may begin our vvatch in the day hovv vve may spend it at night hovv vve may end it So vve must vvatch in all duties vvhen vve go to Prayer vve must vvatch in prayer vvhen you go about your Callings vvatch about them vvhen vve are alone vve should be vvatchful and vvhen vve are in Company vve should be vvatchful for the Divel and our ovvn souls plot a great deal of mischief against us vve must vvatch in all places in our houses and vvithout doors and in the fields vve are still in danger vvheresoever vve are Thirdly We should proportion our watch according as the duty is we take in hand so our vvatching may bee there is one kind of vvatching for one kind of duty another for another If vve be to go about our callings then our vvatching must be against distrustfulnesse and covetousness and distracting cares that so vve may not be over head and ears in the vvorld If our duty be prayer vve must have an eye to the promises and take hold on the Lord Jesus Christ and come in his mediation and his onely So vvhatsoever duty it be if it be hearing of the Word of God there is a vvatchfulness to be proportionable to it A man should think the vvord vvill do me no good unlesse the Lord meet vvith my lusts I have an unmortified heart and unlesse the Lord vvork upon me I shall never lie dovvn under him Therefore vve should be vvatchful that vve may practice and be able to apply vvhatsoever is spoken to us vve are to keep a due vvatchfulness for that vvhich is due to one thing is not due to another that vvhich is sufficient for one is not for another Fourthly Take heed of all things that may hinder Watchfulnesse And first Take heed of vain Company If vve will be watchful we must exercise our selves vvith those that are godly To be vvith secure Christians is the vvay to be secure this vvill hinder a man A man had better be alone then be in bad Company as the Prophet David saith Psal 102. 7. I watch and am alone as a Sparrow on the house top he was alone and yet he was watching A man when he is alone may be watching rather then when he is in such Company a man can never look to himself well unlesse he prize the Communion of Saints Secondly A man should be sober Take heed of Spiritual Drunkenness Take heed of the cares of this life and that you be not immoderate in any lawful thing we should stand upon our guard and keep our hearts with all manner of keeping if our hearts grow drowzy and idle and if we neglect Sobriety then we are gone therefore in Scripture these are put together be sober and watch 1 Thess 5. 6. 1 Pet. 5. 8. I do not mean Drunkennesse with Wine for there is a Drunkennesse and not with Wine as the Prophet speaks a man may be drunk with the love of the Creature if thou lovest thy ease too well or any thing in the world too well thou art drunk with it thy heart is giddy thou art no more able to Pray or do any thing that 's good then a drunken man is Fifthly If thou wilt Watch then set the Lord alwayes before thy eyes Set the watchman of Israel before thy face God is called a watcher Dan. 4. 23. Now if thou wilt watch over thy self set God before thy face as David did Psal 16. 8. I have set God before mine eyes so alwayes set the Lord before thine eyes Now I come to the last thing which is an Vse of Exhortation To exhort us to be careful of this Duty and there is great need of it First We all desire to do well Now how can we do well at last unless we watch well all our life time VVhat is the reason that many are without comfort not like the Servants of God full of horrour and fear and quaking it is because they do not watch as it was with the Five wise Virgins they were something wise not like the foolish but they slumbred too Now when the bridegroom came there was a cry they made an out-cry and a skrieking and an howling they were undone the bridegroom was come one would have thought they should have rejoyced that the bridegroom was come What godly Christians and Religious People when the bridegroom comes to fall a howling and a crying This was because they slumbred whereas if a man be watchful over his life and careful to keep an humble heart and to honour God and study how to die comfortably at last he may rejoyce at the coming of the bridegroom but because they were in a slumber there was a cry therefore as the Apostle Peter saith 1 Pet. 4. 7. The end of all things is at hand therefore be sober and watch unto prayer the Apostle brings this as an Argument so I may say the eâ—â— of all things is at hand therefore be sober and watch as a Traveller when the day is almost spent and he hath a great way to go he puts spurs to his Horse and rides the faster so the end of all things is at hand therefore we had need to be the more diligent and watchful that we may have all things ready the end comes upon us We have had the Gospel a long time and God knows how soon we shall have an end thereof therefore how ought we to be careful as a man that is to write a Letter may be at first he is something carelesse and writes his lines something broad but when he comes
kingdom of God it sheweth him that he is utterly forlorn in himself and past all recovery and shews him where life is to be had namely in Jesus Christ discovering his worth and excellency and necessity and that all Grace and good is in him and shews him the freedom of this gracious offer Thus the Spirit of God when he propounds the Word to the soul holds it before the eyes and conscience and sanctifies it and puts a power into it to enter deep into the soul that it may Conceive in the soul Secondly The Lord doth it by an unspeakable working There is a Divine work which the Lord worketh The spirit comes into the soul after the manner of water as Christ saith Joh. 3. Except a man be born again of water and the holy Ghost c. that is unless he be born of the spirit which worketh in the spirit of a man as water doth in working upon a foul thing Now what this working is we cannot tell but we can tell you the effects of it whereas the soul was rotten and naught before and impotent to all good now it begins to have a better disposition and a new power and whereas it did savour of the things of this life before now it savours of the things that are above but this is a secret kind of working in the soul therefore it is called the washing and the laver of it And the Apostle speaking of the Corinthians what miserable creatures they were before Regeneration he named Drunkards Idolaters Adulterers c. and all manner of filthy persons Such were some of you saith he before your Regeneration but now you are washed and justified and sanctified in the Name of Christ 1 Cor. 6. 11. That same washing there he means by that you are Regenerated so that Regeneration it is a supernatural an unspeakable kind of washing of the soul by the holy Ghost whereby the soul hath its Corruption washed from it in part and made clean in part and way made for all the Graces of Gods spirit to come in now and all the fruits of the spirit to be brought forth Thus the Spirit of God works this work he works it in an ineffable manner by the word of Life and by a secret kind of washing I come now to the Application of this Point And first of all If the Spirit of God be the Regenerater of Gods people then we may here see the errour of the Papists Pelagians and others That set up the Will of man and put any activity in the Reason and Judgement and Wisdom and Election of man This Doctrine of theirs is unsound and contrary to the working of Gods holy spirit If it be such a work as God sends his own Spirit to do it What man can do it It is called Regeneration and this shews it is not of man who is able to beget himself and shape himself in the womb and dispose of his own body in the belly Nay more Can any man beget himself again The very name of again shews that it is a work only of God none but he can do it and we see it plainly it is wrought no where but where God himself doth it and they that have it are able to speak it that they did not chuse God but God chose them I was found of them that sought me not all the souls of his people will subscribe That it was not in them that willed or in them that ran but in God that shewed mercy It is God only that is the Author of this thing and none but he Secondly Again This should teach us to consider that we have alwayes need of the Spirit of God If the Spirit of God hath begotten us again then we have alwayes need of him it is not in this as in the first Birth when the Child is born though the Father be gone the Child may subsist but it is not so here but the Spirit of God as he begets a man so he is fain alwayes to stand by him and bear him up and give him supplies of Grace from day to day as it is with the Air the Sun doth not only enlighten it but it doth every moment give light to it for suppose the Sun should shine four or five hours in the day yet if the Sun should with-hold its light the Air would be dark presently it is not as it is with Fire let a man heat the water though he take away the Fire the water will keep its heat a while after but do but with-hold the light of the Sun and all is gone in the same moment so it is with this new Creature and the Spirit of God he doth dwell in the soul as the Sun in the Air his presence warms the soul and quickens the soul and inables a man to good and gives a principle of life and enables to all actions that are good therefore how should all Gods people carry themselves towards this Spirit They should have a care that they quench him not nor go against him in any particular The Third Vse is for all Gods people in whom God hath wrought this blessed work the Spirit of God hath regenerated and begotten them again I say to all such persons Let them endear this Spirit of God let them not grieve or offend or displease him seeing he is such a gracious worker in them Ephes 1. 13. The Apostle makes this very Inference in whom after ye believed ye were sealed by the holy Spirit of Promise that is whereby you were Regenerated Regeneration is the first seal of the Spirit whereby he seals Gods good will to a man Now hath the Spirit of God sealed you Then do not grieve him nor cause him to take any indignation against you for though he will never depart from them whom he hath made new Creatures yet notwithstanding he may hide his face for a time if we displease him Yea Consider Will any natural Child willingly displease his loving Father The Spirit of God is thy Father therefore we should have respect to him Again This should be a Motive to Gods people to be willing to do any thing for God because he hath made them as David saith Psal 100. 3. This very Consideration That God hath made us and re-made us he hath done that for us that all our own wits could never have done that the whole world hath not the like the Lord generally lets the whole World sink in ruine and damnation should be a Motive to you to be willing to serve him gladly and to call upon his Name to be ready prest to execute any of his Commands to enter into his presence upon all occasions seeing it is he that hath made us and not we our selves To them that are Vnregenerated Here we see where to have Regeneration it is only in God and in the Spirit of God to renew a man and make a man up again as David prayed when he
peace having all our reckoning made even and all scores cancelled The Third Proposition is this As there must be some time for Gods immediate Service and there must be every day some set time at least morning and evening so likewise every whole day all the dayes of our lives should be in some manner a Sabbath day to the Lord we should be holy every day The Apostle finds fault Gal. 4. 10 That they observed times and seasons and dayes and months and years we must not be earthly-minded one day and heavenly-minded another but we must be every day holy to the Lord. The First Reason is The Covenant which God hath made with us doth require it that is the end why God saves a man from his sins and brings him into the kingom of Christ he takes a solemn Oath from him That being delivered from the hands of his enemies he shall serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness all the dayes of his life Every day must be a Sabbath day whensoever a man gives himself up to God there is an Oath hangs upon him and he breaks this Oath if he set not upon it with all his might that every day may be a Sabbath day he is to be careful to live godly and religiously in all places and at all times and in every action he puts his hand unto a man is not only to make conscience on the seventh day but every day of his life The Second Reason is Because not to make every day an holy day is the brand of an Hypocrite it is hypocrisie Job 27. 10. Will he alwayes call upon God To be holy sometimes and not at another time is the trick of an hypocrite will he alwayes call upon God will that man alwayes obey God and worship him will he alwayes set himself to keep close with God No an hypocrite will not do so You may know an hypocrite he hath his fits and his pangs and his moods but a godly man a sincere hearted man is one that doth compose himself to keep a constant course in Gods worship as Act. 24. 16. There saith Paul Herein do I exercise my self to keep a good conscience alwayes both towards God and towards man And as it was the practise of Paul so of all the Elect people of God of all sincere Christians in the world Act. 26. 7. all the Elect of God all the beloved of God they did instantly serve God day and night Thirdly Because blessednesse doth consist in this In keeping every day in some kind as a Sabbath day as the Holy Ghost doth pronounce him blessed that feareth the Lord alwayes Prov. 28. 14. and that doth righteousness at all times Psa 106. 3. It is true the Servants of God are sometimes out of the way they have their swervings and failings but their resolution is to keep a constant course in Gods Worship and they do strive to humble themselves under the hand of God for their failings and to be the more wary because of them Lastly This is the Sum and Scope of all the Law of Righteousness it is the very drift and end of all the Ten Commandements the Lord hath set down in the Decalogue his whole Will and Pleasure what we are to do all the dayes of our lives this day and that day as long as we live and there is no set time but that we should alwayes obey it and this is the practise of the godly alwayes to keep his Commandments as David Psal 16. 8. He set the Lord alwayes before him that is every day he did make it an holy day that he might walk as in Gods presence and live as in Gods Courts that he might do all his worldly businesse as in the presence of God The Fourth Proposition is this As there must be a set time every day and we are to keep every day as a Sabbath day in some sense so there must be a particular special day set apart for Gods immediate Worship and Service This is the next Proposition I will prove unto you for though every day is to be a Sabbath day yet we have particular callings and we have businesse in the world to employ our selves about so that we cannot be every day hearing of the Word and employing our selves in Prayer and spiritual exercises though every day we are to keep it holy yet we cannot be vacant wholly and totally every day Now therefore I say That there is a set day that the Lord hath called for to be devoted unto him the very School-men themselves do acknowledge this and the very Heathen have found it out They have set a day apart for the Service of their Gods which they call their holy day wherein they lay aside all other businesse and set themselves a part to honor and worship their Images and Idols according to their manner Now I will make this good by many Arguments that God will have a set day besides the every day Sabbath he will have a set particular Sabbath for his Worship and Service The First Reason is Because he will have a little emblem and picture of the kingdom of heaven among his Saints and Children in this life in the kingdom of heaven there is no buying and selling no eating and drinking no worldly businesse there is nothing but praysing and glorifying of God and speaking of God and singing of Halelujah unto his holy Name there is nothing but enjoying communion with the Lord and feeding upon him continually there is nothing but this in the kingdom of heaven Now God will have a little picture of this among his Saints here upon earth You know there remains a rest for the people of God Heb. 4. 9. It is an express place the word in the Original is There remains a Sabbath for the people of God As who should say There is a glorious Sabbath that all the Elect of God shall have and they are preserved for it and that is reserved for them and they shall enter into it when this body of death is laid down and they shall enjoy God face to face to all eternity they shall behold him as he is and have communion with him now the Lord will have a little picture of this here in this life we cannot have it altogether in this life for we have mortal bodies that must be fed and cloathed and stand in need of the creature for mans sin is not yet purged away but there is a great deal of rubbish still left therefore this cannot be complete here but yet God will have a little picture ot this even in this life and that is the Sabbath day wherein they are to lay aside all the works of their ordinary callings and rest from all servil labours this is Gods day and we must now call upon him and hear what he saith and wholly employ and occupy our selves about him as neer as we possibly can but now this
this doth aggravate our sins exceedingly if we give not this day to God Did not this aggravate the sin of Adam in eating of the forbidden fruit in that God gave him liberty to eat freely of all other trees in the garden and for bad him only the eating of that one Now what excuse could Adam have for not abstaining from that one So here God having given us divers dayes for the good of our bodies and for means and maintenance of the things of this life equity requires that we should not touch Gods day nor set our foot upon it nor turn our eyes away from it we ought to remember it as Joseph said in regard of his Mistris when she enticed him to folly mark how he answers the temptation My Master hath put all things into my hands that are in the house he hath with-held nothing from me but only thee his Wife and that is equal and reasonable how therefore shall I do this great wickedness and sin against God Gen. 3. 9. So should we say when we are tempted to break the Lords day we should say The Lord hath not imposed any day besides the Lord hath given us all the six dayes for our use how therefore shall I do this great wickednesse and sin against God with worldly thoughts and speeches and actions upon that day It stands with very good equity that it should be so 2. Secondly It stands with equity in regard of our Souls if our bodies which are the worser part have several dayes for their use then how much more should the soul have one day which is a thousand times more worth then the body You know what Christ saith What will it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul Matth. 16 26. Our souls are more worth then our bodies and we have more need to seek out for Holinesse and Grace for them and to be well provided for in regard of them then for any thing in this present world if we want meat we can but starve if we want cloaths we can but famish if we want outward things we can but temporally perish but if we want Grace and the Favour of God we perish for ever Now if there be six dayes allowed for the good of our bodies how much more should we be willing to have one day for the good of our souls specially considering what need we have thereof This Argument our Saviour Christ useth to prove the Sabbath Mark 2. 27. The Sabbath was made for man not man for the Sabbath The Sabbath was made for man as meat was made for the body and a man cannot be without food no more can the soul be without the Sabbath so that we see there must be a solemn day set a part for Gods Worship and Service The Fifth Proposition is this That as there must be a set day for Gods Worship and Service so this day must be one of seven not one of eight or nine or five or four but one of seven and this though it be not naturally moral yet it is positively moral though it be not natural written in the heart of man as a man if he had no teaching his conscience would find out that he should not be idle and steal and commit murther the Conscience will grope out these Ordinances and Statutes of God and the Conscience will find out that there must be a set day for Gods Worship and Service the light of nature will find out that but that it must be one day of seven that it cannot find out but I say that it is the positive law of God that it must be one of seven Now Because it is not written in the heart of man but in the Commandment of God positively delivered to us and required of us I can give no other Reason for it but only the reason taken out of the Scripture there can be no reason taken from the judgment of man as other Lawes the very law of Reason will enforce them but there can be no other reason for this but only out of the Word of God The Lord hath commanded six dayes thou shalt labour and being his Will it must be performed for God might require six dayes for himself and leave us but one day God might have ordained it so but God intending we should live by the sweat of our brows the Lord was pleased to allow us six dayes now he giving us six dayes doth reserve unto himself one of seven Secondly Another Reason is this As the Lord hath commanded this seventh day so he saith it is his day The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God Now then if the seventh day be the Sabbath of the Lord our God then we must not divert any of the hours or any part of the day away when our minds run into the world we must curbe them and remember that the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord our God Thirdly Another Reason is That our Cattel and Servants and Children may rest as well as our selves they are to labour six dayes and one of seven they are to rest Another Reason is Because he hath sanctified it therefore the Lord blessed the seventh day and hallowed it Now then if the Lord hath sanctified the seventh day and appointed it if he hath set it a part for that purpose for spiritual employments and not to be filled up with any thing else we are guilty of Sacriledge if we do not give him this as Levit. 27. 28. the Lord saith Whatsoever is devoted unto the Lord that is most holy unto him now God saith he hath devoted the seventh day to himself therefore we are to keep it holy Nebuchadnezzar a very heathen when he knew that the Vessels came out of the Temple of the Lord he would not employ them to a common use Dan. 1. 2. He put them into the house of his god which was the holiest place he had Fifthly This is necessary because we are apt to be worldly and carnal and non-resident from Prayer and from the Word and serious humbling of our selves before God if we be never so little taken off how suddenly do our minds cleave unto the world and grow vain and unfit and distempered Now if God should not once in seven dayes have a day to take us off from the world as six dayes are employed in worldly affairs so if there were not a seventh day to take us off there would be no hoe with us therefore there must be a whole day to accustom us and habituate us to the Service of God otherwise we should drown our selves in the world The Sixth Proposition is this That as it must be one of seven so it is not indifferent which of the seven dayes we keep holy but it must be that day whereupon God rested therefore it hath the name of a Sabbath Sabbath is nothing but rest The reason of the name is
Two-fold First Because God rested upon that day And Secondly Because we are to rest upon that day The Seventh Proposition is this That all that is in the fourth Commandment is not essential to the Commandment the fourth Commandment delivers only these Two things First That God will have a seventh day Secondly That this seventh day is to be the day of Gods rest This is the whole meaning of the fourth Commandment now all other particulars in the fourth Commandment are not essential to the fourth Commandment as that God made Heaven and Earth in six dayes and rested the seventh day c. It is not essential to the fourth Commandment but because at that time when God delivered the Decalogue there was no greater work then the Creation and the rest from that work was the rest from the greatest work in the world therefore it was kept upon the last day of the week upon which God rested from the Creation Now the meaning of the fourth Commandment is in the eighth Verse all the other particulars are but Commentaries to open it to the Jewes Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy this is the fourth Commandment The Sabbath that is the day that God rested on and the day that we are to rest upon this is the holy day that is devoted to the Lord now it was kept upon the last day of the week because God created heaven and earth and rested upon that day and the Creation of heaven and earth was the greatest work that God then had done But then you will say Why doth the Commandment say That in six dayes God created Heaven and Earth and rested the seventh day I Answer It is no strange thing to see some things in the Commandments which are not essential to them because the Commandments were delivered to the Jewes though they concern the whole world yet the persons that actually stood before God when the Decalogue was delivered were only the Jewes Deut. 5. 22. God spake to the Jewes now no wonder God speaking to the Jewes did speak divers particulars according to them and in their phrase which if we had been alive and they to succeed us God would have spoken according to us as he did according to them 2. Secondly We see plainly there are some things in the Commandments which do not concern the whole world but only the Nation of the Jewes as in the first Commandment I have brought thee out of the Land of Egypt out of the house of Bondage Thou shalt have no other gods but me That is the Commandment but though they together with the other were put into the Tables of Stone yet it concerns only the Jewes 'T is true indeed it is a type of our deliverance that we are delivered from Hell and Sin and Satan as they were delivered out of Egypt and the house of Bondage but literally these words belong only to the Jews and the Commandment is this Thou shalt have no other gods but me So it is for the fourth Commandment Again There is something in the Fifth Commandment that doth not concern us but only them Honour thy Father and thy Mother c. That thy dayes may be long in the Land which the thy God giveth thee that belongs only to the Jews it is meant particularly of the Land of Canaan This then is the effect of the Commandment Honour thy Father and thy Mother that thy dayes may be long in the Land of Canaan So that the first words are the Commandment and the latter part belongs only to the Jewes So Deut. 5. 14. the Fourth Commandment it was put into the Tables of Stone thus Remember the seventh day to keep it holy for the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God in it thou shalt do no manner of work thou nor thy Son nor thy Daughter c. that thy man-servant and thy maid-servant may rest as well as thou that belongs to us as well as to them but then it follows Remember thou wert a servant in the Land of Egypt Here you see the Jewes have another Argument besides the Arguments that we have but though we have not that Argument yet the Commandment stands still and the Commandment is only thus much namely That there must be a Seventh day and that seventh day God rested upon now whereas the Jewes kept the last day of the week that was only by a temporary Commandment because the making of heaven and earth was the greatest thing that God had then done and God rested from that upon that day but now if God work a greater work then the Creating of heaven and earth and rest from that then by vertue of the fourth Commandment we are to keep that day holy upon which he rested from that work Now I come to the Eighth Proposition That this Fourth Commandment concerning a Sabbath day concerning the keeping of a Seventh day holy it is a continual Commandment alwayes to abide in the Church of God I will prove it by divers Arguments that it was not to continue only in the time of the Jewes but it is to abide alwayes in the Church to the coming of the Son of man there is not a jot of Ceremony in the fourth Commandment The First Reason is Because God did institute the Sabbath before there was any room for Ceremonies it was commanded to Adam in his Innocency Now all Ceremonies did prefigure Christ and before Adam fell there was no Promise of the Seed of the Woman nor no need of it and so no need of a Figure to represent it but before Adam fell the Sabbath was prescribed Gen. 2. 2 3. On the seventh day God rested from all that he had made so that God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it So that you see God having rested upon this day he sanctified it and put holiness upon it therefore we are not to name that Common which he hath named Holy now though we do not read of Adams keeping this day nor Abels nor Enochs nor Noahs nor Abrahams nor Isaacs nor Jacobs yet it doth not follow it was not kept for Moses doth not take in hand to set down the actions of the Fathers but only generally for you see what a short story we have of Methushelah a good man though he lived a thousand years almost yet we have scarce Three Syllables concerning him Now sith Moses did not undertake to set down all that they did therefore they might keep the Sabbath though he did not set it down neither afterwards doth he set it down for 319. years and 111. years which 430. years to the time of the Judges we have nothing spoken of concerning the Sabbath therefore seeing God did Institute it to Adam in his Innocency that is enough but what though the Fathers had not kept it holy doth it therefore follow that we must not keep it holy They had many wives doth it therefore follow that we must have
his Wife brought forth a child with a head just like a dog I could relate abundance of Stories beyond sea but we have enough here at home the Town of Stratford in Warwick shire as it is related in the Practice of Piety was Burnt three times upon this day And the Story of the Parris Garden 1683. they were gathered together this day to see the sport of the Beasts fighting together and the Scaffold fell down and eight were slain and abundance hurt So there are many more such Examples I remember my self above a dozen within this half year the Lord hath revealed his displeasure from heaven for the breach of this day Secondly Again the Lord hath sealed this in the conscience of his people For who are they that break this day but loose and vain and prophane men And who make conscience of it but those that most fear God those that God hath most crowned with Righteousnesse and sanctification they delight in this and Sanctifie it and count it Holy to the Lord and the more a man fears God the more careful he is of the keeping of this day and the more he is grieved to see it prophaned either by himself or others because he hath experience of the blessings of God upon the keeping of this day no man doth Sanctifie this day conscionably but he shall find a blessing therefore it is surely from the Lord. The First Vse is this Is the first day of the week the Sabbath by Divine Institution then here we see that we are to keep a whole day The Divel if he cannot make men keep no day then it is his policy to make them keep it by halves Oh say they Do we not keep the Sabbath Do we not come to Church and hear the word and Divine Service Morning and Evening Is not this to keep the Sabbath But if the Lord hath Instituted this day then certainly he hath Instituted a whole day It is madnesse and want of reason for a man to think the contrary Suppose I hire a man to labour with me for a day do I not make account he should work one whole day Suppose I hire a Servant for a year do I not mean an whole year though I put not in the word Whole yet I suppose he must dwell an whole year with me And if I hire a man for a day it is for an whole day so that in Grammatical sense when the Scripture saith Thou shalt Sanctifie the Sabbath day it is meant a whole day It is not in this as in other words any piece of a stone is stone but in things that signifie the whole it is not the same as a day a part of a day is not a day the least part of water is water or of fire is fire but a part of a day is not a day Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath day and I was in the Spirit on the Lords day and they met together on the first day of the week it is a day therefore the meaning of the scripture is that it should be a whole day and it is so in reason and therefore we are to keep an whole day therefore we should not curtail the Lords day as the servants of Hanun did the garments of Davids servants You know what became of Ananias and Saphira that brought but part when they should have brought the whole they should have brought the whole price of their inheritance but they brought but part therefore the Lord smote them with death so when the Lord requires a whole day and we give him but a part we shall bring vengeance upon our own heads There are divers arguments for it First the weeke consists of seven dayes and he hath given six to us and reserves one day to himself now we wil grant that we have not part of six dayes but six whole dayes If you aske a man what do you work all day Why yea the Lord hath given us six dayes therefore six whole dayes Now by the same reason God must have an whole day if we take any part of the seventh day then we have more then six dayes which is contrary to the scripture Another reason is this God rested the seventh day now looke what time God rested that time we must sanctifie now God rested the seventh day all of it he left none of the creation to do upon the seventh day he had finished the creation in six dayes and rested all the seventh day therefore we must keep the whole day Thirdly because this is the nature of a Sabbath to be 24 houres not to be an artificiall day but to be a naturall day 24 houres together as you may see Lev. 23. 32. you shall keep the Sabbath from evening to evening then the dayes were reckoned from evening to evening from the creation though now under the gospel because Christ arose in the morning they are reckoned from morning to morning Fourthly another argument is this God never ordained dayes half-holy in his Church indeed the Church of Rome have halfe holy dayes as Saint Blacâ—es day which is to be kept in the fore noon so they have other dayes that are to be kept in the after-noone but in the fore-noone they may do what they list so heathens did as Ovid saith the former part of the day is holy the latter part of the day is not holy the Lord hath no such days as these but all holy dayes in scripture if God ever appointed a fast or new moon or feast of Tabernacles whatsoever holy day he did institute it was an whole day and not a part of a day therefore much more this solemn day Again the judgment of all Divines in all ages hath been concerning an whole day I could instance in the fathers as in Irenaeus who saith we are to continue in the Sabbath all the day long for the Lord hath required all the day to be kept holy unto him and the saints of God have alwayes kept an whole day so Saint Austin saith It is not enough that wee keep three or four houres of the day but that we rest the whole day And what rest not only to rest from our bodily labours for the beasts keep this Sabbath nor the rest of sport and pastime for that is the Sabbath of the golden calfe they ate and drink and rose up to play No but that thou mayest be vacant to God all the day in prayer and serving of him So in the Councell of Mexicon there was an assembly of ministers out of all nations in Christendome and they ordained a canon concerning the Lords day We ordain that people keep the whole Lords day holy and that they set themselves the whole day to pray to God and delight in God and heare his word and if a countreyman's servant breake this day his punishment shall be to be beaten with severe blowes ictubus gravioribus are the very words of the Councell and if