give all the respect that may bee to him because hee is the onely Saviour of souls And for the blood of the Covenant take heed you sin not against that let it not bee accounted as a common thing Oh do not prize the satisfying of your own lusts rather than the blood of the Covenant and all the good that was purchased by that blood when any wretched sinner shall hear the Gospel preached to him and yet shall prize the living in any base wicked way of sin I say such a one doth trample the blood of the everlasting Covenant under his feet and the language of his heart and actions is nothing but this whatsoever is spoken concerning the blood of the everlasting Covenant revealed in the Gospel I do prize the satisfying the lusts of mine own heart more than all the good that is in the Covenant now do you think can such a soul as this bee saved now you sin against the blood of the Covenant when you come hand over head to the Sacrament and thereby you come to bee guilty of the body and blood of Jesus Christ People are mighty earnest about coming to Sacraments now do but read 1 Cor. 11. It is a Scripture which I know you that are acquainted with Scripture are not unacquainted with vers 27. Whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily shall bee guilty of the body and blood of the Lord And what then vers 29. Hee eateth and drinketh his own damnation When you would have the Sacrament as the seal of the blood of Christ and yet come in your sin and filthiness and do not discern the Lords body you come to bee guilty of the blood of Christ and so to bee guilty of your own damnation and so many think to seal their souls by eating and drinking the damnation of their souls for there is nothing set out in Scripture that furthers more the damnation of a soul than to sin against the blood of the Covenant I know some make that Scripture their damnation to themselves that is that they are onely to bee reproved and condemned for doing so but wee are to inlarge Scripture to the uttermost that may bee and seeing the Scripture hath made the sin against the blood of Christ in other places so dreadful wee may very well understand that place in the most dreadful sense that may bee Now if in case you come unworthily you hear what the Scripture speaks it is guiltiness of the blood of Christ and eating and drinking your own souls damnation And then take heed of sinning against the mercy of God let not mercy harden you but let it soften your hearts Oh that soul is in a good forwardness to bee saved that every time it thinks of the mercy of God it findes it self to melt before the Lord and mourn bitterly for sin when as it applies the mercy of God to it self I that is a good evidence but now when you think or speak of Gods mercy you finde your hearts the more hardened in sin Oh this is dreadful for how can such a soul be saved that sins against the mercy and love of Jesus Christ for who shall hear and plead for thy soul before God when as thou art guilty of the blood of Jesus Christ and what is it that shall bee thine attonement before the Father It must bee blood Without shedding of blood there is no remission of sin And what blood must bee for the remission of thy sin when as thou tramplest the blood of the Covenant under thy feet and when thou sinnest against mercy what is it that must recover thee but the mercy of God when thou comest to God in the anguish of thy soul Now if thy case bee thus that Jesus Christ shall plead against thee and say Oh Father Father avenge thy self upon this wretch that hath not onely sinned against thy work of Creation but against the work of Redemption that I went into the world to work Father let this soul perish eternally that hath rejected mee and received every base wretched lust before mee now shall that soul bee saved that shall have the blood of the Covenant cry against it and mercy it self cry to the Lord against it Lord avenge my cause for I have been most abominably and cursedly abused by this wretch when not onely the Law of Gods Justice and Satan accuses thee but Christ and his blood and the Gospel it self how shall such a soul bee saved now then if you would have your souls saved take heed of sinning against Jesus Christ against the Gospel and against the blood of God and against the mercy of God Eleventhly If thou wouldest have thy soul saved take heed of sinning against the Spirit of Grace the good Spirit of God that must draw thee to Christ and guide thee in the way of salvation if ever thou beest saved Now take heed of sleighting the motions of Gods Spirit oh do not sleight any motion of the Spirit of God how dost thou know but when there comes in any motion of Gods Spirit it comes in to save thee at this time thou canst not tell but that at any time when Gods Spirit doth assist his Word thy soul may depend upon that time so as God may say had this soul followed on the work at this time it might have been saved but upon it s not following it on it shall not bee saved doth Gods Spirit begin to move thy soul when thou art hearing the Word Oh do not go into wicked company and so lose all again but get alone in thy closet and fall down even upon thy face and cry to God that hee would follow on the work of his Spirit that hee hath begun in thee Oh Lord I lived a long time in a dead-hearted condition never minding the good of my soul but thou hast begun to stir mee and Lord I hope it is the beginning of thy saving work upon my soul Oh that thou wouldest go on with it How many upon their sick-beds and death-beds would give a thousand worlds if they had them that they could have such stirrings of the Spirit of God as sometimes they have felt Oh now when the Spirit stirs and temptation stirs take heed of listening to temptation and rejecting the motions of Gods Spirit but think of that that wee read on of the people of Israel when they were going to Canaan they were very near Canaan and when they were upon the borders of it they refused to go into the Land when God would have them and upon that The Lord did swear in his wrath Psal 95.10 that they should never enter into his rest So when the Spirit of God begins to bring thee near to salvation that it may bee said of thee as Christ to the young man Thou art not far from the Kingdome of Heaven O take heed of hearkening to temptation lest the Lord swear that thou shalt never enter into
world that knew him not that had no interest in him and the like and then was promised Therefore seeing there are so many poor wretched creatures so many Families that live without a God in the world that know nothing of him and live as if they expected nothing from him and fear no evil to come from him at all therefore wee promised to labour to set forth before you somewhat of God that might help you to know him to shew you what hee is And to that end turn to that Scripture Psal 148. part of the 13. verse For his Name alone is excellent Text. THis Psalm is a Psalm of praise praising of God for all the glorious manifestations of himself in his great Works and calling upon all creatures to praise him because hee is glorious in every creature but the Psalmist rests not in this in praising God for the glory of him that appears in the creatures but hee riseâ— higher and takes indeed the rise from thence to praise and bless God for what there is in himself above that which doth appear in any creature For so it is clear that to this the Psalmist doth arise in my Text Let them praise the name of the Lord for his name alone is excellent his glory is above the Earth and Heaven The Earth and Heaven and all creatures therein are called to praise Gods name and David praises the name of God for what appeared there but saith hee Praise the Lord for his Name alone is excellent and his glory is above the Earth and Heaven His Name the Name of God is either taken for God himself or for the manifestation of God often in Scripture for God himself Prov. 18.10 as The Name of the Lord is a strong Tower the righteous run unto it and are safe that is God himself Hee is the strength and Tower hee is the object of the trust of his people and so other Scriptures or otherwise that whereby God may bee known Psal 76.1 His Name is great in Israel And here we are to understand both for his Name alone is excellent that is God himself is excellent alone the Name of him of him alone is high is lifted up is excellent and that wee are to understand by the Name of God here God himself as well as his Manifestations appears in the words at the end of the verse His glory is above the earth and heaven Now Gods manifestation is either in heaven or earth But there is a further glory of God that is in himself that is beyond all that is or can bee manifested in or to any creature so that from the words thus opened there are these two doctrinal Points one I wil but only touch it is raised from the connexion of the words with the former and the other that is the substance of the Text that wee shall abide a while upon The first is this That a gracious heart is not satisfied with praising God onely for his works but rises higher to praise him and especially to praise him for himself for that that it sees in himself I say a gracious heart doth not stick in the Works of God nor is it onely inlarged to praise God for what it sees in Gods works but it will rise higher than all the works of God and praise him especially for that it sees in himself Thy self O Lord is excellent the glory that is in thy self it is above the earth and above the heaven While wee praise God for what wee see in his works our thoughts and hearts are limited for Gods manifestations of himself are finite and so there is not that spaciousness that a gracious heart desires to let our its self in but when it can rise up to God himself and look at the infinite excellency that there is in himself above all that doth appear in his works then the heart inlarged with grace can expatiate it self to the uttermost and that is that which doth delight him then is a gracious heart indeed in its own element when it is expatiating it self even in God himself And further God in setting himself before the soul in way of Covenant Jer. 31.33.32.39.24.7 Ezek. 11 2â— Gen. 15.1 hee doth not onely tell those that hee takes into Covenant that hee will do such and such things for them but hee would have them to close with himself I will bee your God The Lord told Abraham that hee would bee his exceeding great reward but that would not satisfie Abraham What wilt thou give mee Vers 2. having an eye to Christ and the enjoyment of God in him so let God say that hee will do never such things for a gracious heart that is not enough except God himself bee the portion of the soul the soul cannot bee satisfied with any thing that God doth if God should say to one whose heart he hath inlarged with grace I will give thee all the world to possess thou shalt have all the glory all the pomp all the sweetness all the comforts in the world nay more than that I will make ten thousand worlds more and give thee them all and they shall have all of them more excellency than this present world hath why all this would not satisfie a heart inlarged with grace for the portion of it though such a one sees its self unworthy of the least crum of bread yet it cannot bee satisfied with all the world what then will satisfie him onely God himself for so God propounds himse f unto his people in way of Covenant Psal 16.5 I will bee thy God I will bee your portion And upon this those that are in Covenant with him though they do rejoyce to see God manifesting himself in all his Names they bless God for the beholding so much as they do of him in his works but the thing that their hearts are most upon is God himself the excellency that there is in God above all his works And as it is in praising God so also it is in other workings of the heart towards God as now grace doth not love God so much for what God gives to it as for what God is himself that is the difference between true sanctifying grace and common grace common grace may make mee love God for what I receive from him oâ— for what I hope to receive from him but sanctifying grace makes mee to love God for what is in himself more than for what I receive from him or expect to receive and so there may bee the fear of God for some works of God when God doth manifest his power and dreadfulness in his works in thundring or lightening then the heart of a sinner may fear God though there bee no grace but now where there is grace such a one fears God more because of that excellency hee sees in God himself than from any dreadful works of God and this would bee a good rule to try your selves by You say you
other creature in this or the other manner So God is the fountain of all good to all creatures whatsoever they are to look upon him as having all coming from him And therefore hee alone is excellent and his glory is above the Heavens and Earth 14 Further As all things are from him so they depend upon him all excellencies that are in the creature as they come from God so they have their absolute dependency upon God so as God need do nothing to destroy a creature if hee doth but withdraw himself from it it falls to nothing presently take the most glorious Angels and the highest Heavens Sun Moon Stars Sea and Earth if God should but withdraw his hand from these creatures they would presently fall down to nothing they do depend upon God as the light upon the Sun there is no more light if the beams of the Sun bee withdrawn so if God withdraw his influence from the creature it can do nothing and it s nothing presently so that the influence that there is from God to the creature it is to maintain the creature in his being every moment the Lord must put forth as infinite a power to maintain thee and mee and every creature as hee did at the first for the making of the world Heb. 1.3 And this is Gods excellency to uphold all things they do so depend upon him If a work-man make a house hee goes away the house can stand without him but when God built the world the world could not stand one moment without him And not onely God must have an influence into the creature to preserve the being but likewise to inable the creature to act the creature cannot act one moment without God no creature can stir in the least degree Act. 17.28 except the Lord concur with it Therefore the Name of God alone is excellent By him saith the Scripture wee live wee move wee have our being not onely wee are upheld in our being and lives but wee move wee cannot stir one moment but God must concur with his creature for the motion and action of it 15 Further God alone is excellent in his operation in his power in the manner of his working though God give a power to other creatures to work yet God works in a different way from all other creatures First God hee doth whatsoever hee pleases either in heaven or earth The will of God as I shewed you before it cannot bee beyond Gods power God cannot will to do more than hee hath power to do Psal 115.3 Psal 135.6 Eccles 8.3 Therefore the Lord hee doth whatsoever hee pleases in heaven and earth The power of every creature can but work within the sphere so far as the causes give a vertue and efficacy so far it is able to work and no further Secondly The power of God appears in this that the Lord doth the greatest and the most difficult things as easily as hee doth the least and the easiest as thus God makes the whole world as easily as hee can make a crum of dirt God can make the Heavens Sun Moon and Stars and all the Seas and Earth with as much ease as hee can make a flye God can make ten thousand Angels as soon as hee can make one worm And therefore God hee can as soon speak the word to the soul of a man that is dead Joh. 5.25 to live hee can as soon raise aâ—l the dead out of their graves as hee can give them a peece of bread to eat while they are alive such is the infiniteness of Gods operation 3 Further God is excellent in all that hee doth There is nothing that God doth in any time but was decreed to bee done from eternity that is the excellency of Gods working the creature works something but perhaps a man did not think of what hee doth a few dayes ago but God doth nothing nor never will do any thing but it is that that was decreed from all eternity that hee would do and God will never do any thing to all eternity but what hee had decreed from all eternity before yet it is for us creatures to observe according to his revealed will but this is the excellency of God above all creatures whatever 4 And then there is a further thing that is as considerable as any of the other God is so far from needing any matter to work upon or instrument to work by when he doth do anything as there is no more required for any creature to bee or work at any time when God would have it but the alone act of Gods will that was from eternity As now the world it was not made six thousand years ago Now God willed from all eternity that there should bee a world in time and there was nothing required to make this world but that act of Gods will that was from all eternity that it should bee at that time Man hee doth will and decree to do such a thing now when the time comes then hee bestirs himself and takes this tool or instrument and puts forth a power that hee did not put forth before But the act of Gods will from all eternity was sufficient to make all creatures that ever since have been made and to provide for all creatures that ever since have been provided for one act of Gods will hath done all this and that act of the will of God that hath been from all eternity hath done it there are not several acts of Gods will but Gods act is himself Divers other things might bee shewed as this 5 Where God hath done any work all his works adde nothing to him The creature hath somewhat added to him by his works as thus A man that is a work-man hee can make a house and so hee hath the benefit of it to dwell in to keep off the weather and so hee makes cloath and hath the benefit of it But all the works of God adde nothing to him A man can do something by the work that hee hath made that hee could not do without his work but God can do nothing by any work that hee hath made but hee can do the same without that work when hee hath made all his works they are not helpful to him but this was a branch of the All-sufficiency of God 16 In the next place God alone is excellent in the manner of his communication of himself God doth so communicate himself to his creatures as one creature cannot to another First God can let out as much of himself as hee will to any creature now one creature cannot let out as much as hee pleases to another for instance A man that hath learning hee cannot make another as learned as hee will a man that hath holiness and goodness cannot make another as holy and as good as hee will but God can this is Gods propriety hee can let out of himself as much as hee pleases as much holiness as much
bee lost And here for the present every man and womans soul in the world by nature is a lost soul First Every man and woman as they come into the world are deprived of the glory and excellency that God did indow the souls of men withall in their first creation wee are all deprived of the glory of God saith the Scripture And secondly All our souls do now naturally wander away from God continually depart and wander from the infinite glorious first-being of all things Thou that art an old man or woman that hast lived many years and God hath not revealed himself in working the true work of conversion in thee to change thy estate know that thy soul hath been departing and wandring from the Lord all the dayes of thy life to this very present thou art like a lost sheep wandring up and down in the wilderness and in danger to bee destroyed every minute of an hour by some wilde beast or other though it is true thy soul is not made a prey to the Devil so as to destroy thee utterly yet thou hast been in danger all the while thou hast been wandring from the Lord to bee made a prey upon by the Devil and utterly to have been cast away Yea and thirdly There is a great deal of misery upon thy soul if thou knewest it as contrary to that light that hee hath set up in thy understanding there is blindness in thee there is errour in thee contrary to that holiness that was at first in thy heart and soul there is nothing but sin and wickedness all the spauns and seeds of all kinde of sin is in thy heart there is a great deal of that evil that is contrary to what thy soul was made withall at first there is enmity in thy soul against God himself Yea and fourthly Thy soul is in a succourless helpless shiftless condition in respect of what thou art able to do or what all the creatures in heaven or earth are able to do for thee let all the Angels in heaven and men in the world joyn together to seek to do good to thy soul they are not able to deliver thy soul from that evil that now it is in and that it is in further danger of And this is the reason of that phrase that you have in Luke 19.10 The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost Wee are all lost sheep going astray and Jesus Christ came to seek and to save lost souls Souls deprived of the glory of God Souls wandring away from God Souls filled with evil Souls succourless and helpless in regard of any power in any creature in heaven and earth to save them Christ beholding how such precious souls were every one of them lost if hee had not come to save them hee was pleased to come from heaven to seek and to save souls thus lost Now though souls bee for the present in a lost condition yet there is a further loss of the soul than this for if the soul be neglected here it will bee lost forever there are many that are lost now for the present and yet afterwards Christ findes them and there is joy in heaven at the finding of them but there is a loss that shall bee eternal and that loss is more dreadful than the former yet the former hath the degree of it but that the perfection of the former Now the loss of the soul in hell consists in these three particulars First The full and perfect eternal rejection of the soul from God and from all good in him together with the fulness of all kinde of evil that the soul is capable of this is the condition of a lost soul that perishes Secondly And then in the next place it consists in the making of this soul to bee perfectly sensible of the loss of that good and of all the evil it is possest withall making of it perfectly sensible of it Here men and women are in lost conditions but they know it not they are not sensible of it But God will bring the soul into such a condition as it shall bee made perfectly sensible of the loss of all the good that it might have had and of all the evil that is upon it Thirdly And then lastly It shall bee in such a condition so succourless so helpless as is not onely beyond the power of Angels and all men to help it but I say so succourless so lost as that Gods mercy and all the good there is in Christ shall never save it and as God hath set and ordered things can never save it Now then these things being opened to you you will understand what this Text means When you read this Text you think there may bee truth in it and in general you will â—ssent unto it but if you come to understand but these things then indeed you cannot but all subscribe to it and acknowledge Oh it is indeed a dreadful thing the loss of the soul But now because it is a point of so great moment I will not satisfie my self meerly in telling you these things but endeavour to open them unto you what the evil of this loss is that if it might bee by presenting this before the souls of men they may see more the danger that they are in and how the Devil hath gulled and deceived them all this while It may make many souls to bee at a stand if they come to know what this loss indeed doth mean Now I shall endeavour the opening of this in the three last particulars that I named First For the rejection of the soul from God so as to bee deprived of all the good there is in God and that it is capable of Now for the understanding of the evil of this wee must inquire what is that good that the souls of men are capable of or else wee cannot come to understand what an evil thing it is to lose it Now for the good that the soul is capable of I will but onely name some heads unto you for in a Treatise that some of you have in your hands of Moses looking to the recompense of reward there are the principal heads of the good and excellency that the soul is capable of and shall bee blessed in heaven eternally with And the apprehending the loss of these things will discover much The first part of the evil of the loss of the soul I will but in a very brief way present them unto you Why the Glory of God upon the soul the Image of God the Life of God the Divine nature that the soul is capable of Now for the soul never to live the Life of God nor to have his Image nor any of the Glory of Gold upon it this is a fearful evil to those that know the excellency of these things of the blessed vision of God in heaven to see him that is the infinite first-being of all things to see him as hee
himself from you I appeal to you suppose you did so depend upon any one man in the world that your life lay at his mercy and if hee should but speak a word you were a dead man or woman would you not when you come into his presence come with fear lest you should displease him would you say what do I care for him let him bee pleased or not pleased what is that to mee you would not dare to do it Now shall wee have less fear because hee with whom wee have to do is the Lord if wee had dependence upon any man in the world as wee have upon God wee would fear him Now I say shall God have the less fear because hee is a God hee should have the more fear Fear him saith Christ that when hee hath killed the body can likewise kill the soul Yea I say unto you fear him Christ puts an I say upon that and truly that soul begins to bee in a way of salvation that begins to have the fear of the great God to fall upon him Most people in the world they walk boldly and presumptuously in the presence of God as if God had nothing to do with them and as if they had nothing to do with God Alas these go on in the waies of death and destruction but that soul that God hath a purpose to save hee begins to reveal his glory to it and to shine upon it as hee did upon Saul when hee did shine from Heaven in a glorious manner and stopt him in his way when hee was riding post unto Hell and destruction hee cries to him I am hee that thou hast sinned against I am hee that thou persecutest then Saul falls down trembling and saith Lord What wiâ—t thou have mee to do as if Saul should say Lord I did not know thee but I see thee now to bee a great and a dreadful God I see that I am in thy hands to save or destroy as thou pleasest and therefore Saul comes with a trembling heart and cries to God Lord What wilt thou have mee to do I hee was in a good way of salvation and so when a vile sinner that hath gone on without the fear of God upon him shall now come in trembling beholding the dreadfulness of the Infinite God that eternal first-beeing that it hath to deal withall and now shall have his fear strike into it this soul is in a good way of salvation it is stopt in the way of destruction and it is in a good way of salvation and that is very observable further in the Text Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God that works in you That is a place that many people grosly abuse they think they need do nothing but mark how boldly do these people cross the Spirit of God in the Text for the Spirit of God makes this Argument do you work out your salvation because God works and say they It must bee God that works and therefore I will do nothing Oh! if you should wilfully go on in waies of provocation to God and upon your sick-bed and death-bed cry Oh Lord that now thou wouldest bee pleased to work upon my soul as thou usest to work upon those that thou intendest to save If God should make this answer Thou a bold wretch that hast provok'd the eyes of my glory all thy daies and dost thou now cry to mee to do it If any of you do think that there will ever bee a time when you will stand in need of Gods mercy to save your souls you had need walk with fear and trembling before this God Now I put this to the soul of every one here dost thou not think O thou sinful soul that there will bee a time that thou shalt stand in need of the mercy of God and what course dost thou take now before-hand is that course that thou takest before-hand a continual provocation of God is that a good preparation to that time if there were a man that you lived neer though for the present you care not for him but slighted him yet if you knew that there would bee a time that you must stand in need of that man so as if hee should forsake you you would bee a lost man would you dare to provoke that man wee all know what need wee shall have of the mercy of God and therefore wee had need walk with fear and trembling before him Sixthly Further If thou wouldest have thy soul saved attend upon those means that â—od hath appointed to save souls wait at wisdomes posts Now this one direction being clearly shewn out of Scripture will be enough to confute all that talk against doing If God hath appointed means to save then surely hee hath appointed that wee must attend upon those means Now in Rom. 1.16 The preaching of the Gospel there is called The power of God to salvation Now if you would bee saved you must bring your souls under that which is the power of God to salvation Because the Lord in the Ministry of the Gospel doth use to put forth his Almighty Power for the saving of souls therefore it is that the Gospel is called the power of God to salvation you cannot be saved without the Almighty Power of God and where is that put forth but in the preaching of the Gospel To whom is the Arm of the Lord revealed That is the Arm of God in the preaching of the Gospel so you know what the Apostle saith in Rom. 10. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God You will say can wee do any thing towards our salvation yes you may hear it is the duty of us as creatures to come and hear the Word and Faith comes by hearing so then Faith comes by somewhat that wee do but not so that God hath tied himself to give Faith to every one that hears I would not bee understood so But thus God hath appointed that hearing should bee a means for the working of Faith It is true it is the blessing of God in hearing but hearing is the way that God hath set God indeed can convey Faith from Heaven to any soul immediately I but where there is the preaching of the Gospel there do I expect that these creatures that do intend that I should work Faith in them should come and attend upon the preaching of the Gospel Christ could have opened the blind mans eyes without spitting upon the clay and anointing his face but hee would have that done and that must bee the means by which hee will open his eyes So if God will have hearing the Word of the Gospel to bee the means by which hee will work Faith in the soul take heed how this bee neglected Act. 20.18 Paul was sent to preach to what end To open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God that they may receive forgiveness of sins and
Gospel-Revelation IN THREE TREATISES Viz 1 The Nature of God 2 The Excellencies of Christ And 3 The Excellency of Mans Immortal Soul By JEREMIAH BURROUGHS late Preacher of the Gospel at Stepney and Giles-Cripple-gate London Published by William Greenhill William Bridge Philip Nye John Yates Matthew Mead. William Adderly Let them praise the Name of the Lord for his Name alone is Excellent Psal 148.13 My Beloved is white and ruddy the chiefest of ten thousand Cant. 5.10 Fear not them which kill the Body but are not able to kill the Soul Matth. 10.28 LONDON Printed for Nath. Brook at the Angel in Cornhill and Thomas Parkhurst at the three Crowns over against the Great Conduit at the lower end of Cheapside 1660. Burroughs Gospel-Revelation A Testimony to the world concerning these Three Treatises contained in this Book of Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs Reader THese may assure thee that whatever thou findest here spoken either of God of Christ or the Soul was taken from the mouth of that Reverend Author Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs as hee preached them and by the same ready hand that took most of the former Treatises as Gospel-worship Contentment c. Now in Print William Bridge William Greenhill Philip Nye John Yates Matthew Mead. William Adderly THere is now published that much-desired Discourse of Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs on the fifth of Matthew being many Sermons preached at Cripple-gate upon all the Beatitudes taken by the same ready hand and published by the same Testimony viz. VVilliam Bridge VVil. Greenhill Philip Nye John Yates Matthew Mead. VVil. Adderly To the Reader THou art here presented with the living Sermons of one who is faln asleep in Jesus whose memory is sweet and fragrant unto the Saints Hee was famous for the Work of God and Christ in his Generation and Instrumental for the begetting of many spiritual Children unto the Lord Jesus The Author of these Sermons Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs like Abel being dead yet speaketh And of that which is not only our Duty to hear but our Priviledge to be made acquainted with for he Treats of God of Christ and Mans Soul three choice subjects Knowledge is Pleasant Prov. 2.20 but none more pleasant than that is Divine The knowledge of the holy God is Vnderstanding Pro. 9.10 the knowledge of Christ is Excellent Phil. 3.8 the knowledge of both is Life eternal John 17.3 And for the Soul it is that piece of Immortality which is of greater value than the whole world Mat. 16.26 It is that which God challengeth to be his Ezek 18.4 and that which the Lord Christ accounted not his precious blood too much to give for 1 Pet. 1.18 19. I shall not hold thee longer from the Work it self But desire the blessing of God to go along with it and those that are exercised in it R. W. The CONTENTS of the Treatise Of the NATVRE of GOD. NAme of God what meant by it p. 2 A gracious heart pâ—aises God for himself p. 3 And loves God for himself p. 4 Which is the difference between sanctifying and Common Grace ib. God is a most excellent Beeing above all things p. 5 Impossible it is to set forth the excellency of Gods Beeing ib. 1 God is and there is none else besides him p. 6 Other beeings are but a shadow to Gods Beeing ib. 2 God is a present Beeing p. 7 This Beeing of God is in all places God is in all places p. 8 3 God is as much beyond every place as hee is in every place p. 9 4 God is a Beeing that is all-sufficient in himself 5 All the excellencies in the creature are in God virtually and eminently p. 10 11 6 All the scattered excellencies in the creatures are united into one excellency in him p. 13 7 All possible good and excellency is in God p. 14 8 All good and excellency in God is eternal in him p. 15 9 And not onely eternally but also immutably ib. 10 All these are essentially in God p. 16 11 All excellencies are in God purely and unmixtly God hath nothing but excellency in him 12 All excellencies are in God originally p. 20 13 God is the fountain of all excellency to all creatures ib. 14 All things depend upon him ib. 15 God alone is excellent in his operation hee doth whatsoever hee will in Heaven and Earth p. 21 Hee doth the greatest things as easily as hee doth the least ib. What is done in time was decreed to bee done from eternity p. 22 Act of Gods will that was from eternity is matter enough to work by ib. All Gods works add nothing to God p. 23 16 God alone is excellent in the manner of communication of himself ib. God can let out as much of himself as hee will to any creature ib. God hath never the less for what hee lets out to the creature p. 23 17 There is no comparison to bee made between God and any thing else p. 24 18 God hee is the highest end of all things p. 25 Use What cause wee have to bee ashamed of those low thoughts wee have had of God p. 27 2 It shews the dreadful evil that is in sin it being against such an infinite God p. 28 29 30 3 Wee see cause to bee vile in our own eyes p. 34 4 Hence wee may learn to know the vanity of the creature p. 36 5 Let us labour to know God to search into his excellency p. 39 6 Wee are taught from hence to labour to keep the sense of the infinite distance there is between God and the creature alwaies in our hearts p. 40 Grace doth cause this the heart hath a kinde of infiniteness towards God p. 41 7 If God bee so excellent then Gods people are the most excellent ones p. 43 8 See what caâ—se wee have to fear this great God from p. 45 to the end THE CONTENTS OF THE EXCELLENCY of CHRIST COherence of the words 49 50 Clearest Prophecies of Christ when the Church was in the greatest distress 50 Four Reasons of it 50 51 Five notable and famous Titles of Christ 52 Doct. Christ is the great wonder of the world proved 52 53 54 Thirteen things in and concerning Christ that are wonderful 55 1 Hee is wonderful in his Natures God and Man 56 57 58 2 Wonderful in his Natures 59 Two wonders in Christian Religion 59 The Lord of man-kinde the Son of man 60 The knowledge of the union of the two Natures how a help to Faith 61 3 Christ is wonderful in the manner of his Incarnation 63 4 Christ is wonderful in his works 65 What the work was Christ came about ib. Use of it 67 Christ wonderful in his Offices hee was the Anointed 69 71. Wonderful in his Kingly Office 69 Hee is King over all Kings 71. His power is universal ib. Hee makes his subjects his subjects do not make him ib. Subjects of this King are for him 70 It is this King alone that makes Laws ib. Quâ—st Can there bee no Laws
fear God why if you fear God if it bee the right fear of God you will fear God more for what you see in God himself than for any works of God than for any works of his judgements or threatnings and the like And so in the desires of the heart after God why where the heart is gracious it works after God for himself and not for his gifts It is an argument of a false love a whorish love for the wife to love her husband for that shee shall have by him and not to love his person more And so it is a sign of a base slavish spirit for a childe to love his fatheâ— because hee gives him meat and drink and cloaths and will leave him an inheritance and not rather to love the very person of his Father so the heart is but false with God that loves God and that desires after God more for any thing that God doth than for what God is and as these workings of heart love and fear and desire are more in respect of God himself than of his works so praises of God and delighting in God where it is from true grace it is more from what the soul sees in God than from the manifestation of all the glory of God in all his works for Praise the Name of the Lord For his Name is excellent his glory is above the earth and heaven but wee shall let this pass The main Point in the Text which wee are to pitch on is this That God is a most excellent being above all things Doct. 2 This is the work that now I have to do to endeavour to present God in the excellency of his being to you onely you must by way of caution know before wee do begin That God dwells in that light that is unapproachable 1 Tim. 6.16 That it is but little that wee do or can know of God And before wee begin to set forth the excellency of Gods being to you you must know that there is infinitely more than either the tongue of Man or Angel can express when wee have done all wee can there is more in God that is beyond what wee can say or Angels could preach unto you I say more than the glorious light of the Sun is more than a little glittering of a gloe-worm in the night more than all the Sea is beyond and above a spoonful a drop of water And further by way of Caution you must know this that it is impossible to set before you the excellency of Gods being and yet to speak so as every thing should bee plain to every one Many things in the opening of Gods Nature to you must needs have some difficulty in them because the subject that wee are speaking of is so high above us especially it must needs bee difficult to unclean spirits to spirits that have alwayes been groveling below in the dirt to drousie spirits that think nothing to bee excellent but onely to eat and drink and satisfie their flesh when they hear the excellency of Gods Being set out unto them it must needs bee an argument above their reach it cannot bee expected that it is possible to speak so as their hearts should close with what is said to apprehend it But howsoever wee do not know what God may do in going along with his word how hee may come by his Spirit even to those that are of the weakest capacity therefore I shall endeavour to do that that is my work that is to shew you somewhat of God what an excellent being hee is and so leave the work of the Spirit of God to himself to make known those things that shall bee propounded and to settle them upon your hearts Wherefore then God is an excellent being above all things First Hee is and there is none else besides him The truth is wee can scarce say that any thing is but God Exod. 3.14 When God came to Moses to send him to Pharaoh and Moses would know the Name of God hee bid him say I am that I am I am hath sent mee and God only describes himself thus unto Moses I am I am a being and so the name Jehovah is a name proper to God that signifies Gods being Now might Moses say Lord is this a name that will distinguish thee from any thing else to say I am cannot any man say so I am but yet God gives this name of his as his proper name meerly I am a being and I am that being that I am and that is all the name God would tell Moses when Moses did desire to know so much of him and how hee might express him that did send him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I am that I am Vt haereditare faciam id quod 〈◊〉 est from thence comes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 essentia substantia For indeed Gods being it is that that is proper and all other creatures in comparison of this God have but a shadow of being therefore in Prov. 8.21 saith Wisdome there that is Godliness I cause to inherit substance the words are translated by the Learned that which is Grace carries to God and so by Grace being carried to God wee come to inherit that which is as if all the while wee inherited any thing in the world wee did not inherit that which is God himself properly is So in Isa 45.5 6. I am Jehovah and there is none else besides mee There is nothing that hath a being besides mee that is not such a being as we shaâ—l further open yea and in comparison no being therefore in Isa 40.15 17. Wee have a most excellent expression of the excellency of Gods being in comparison of all other things All the Nations of the world they are as the drop of the bucket and as the small dust of the ballance in comparison of God Yea they are all nothing less than nothing What an expression is here take all the Nations of the world put them all together they are all but as the drop of the bucket that you shall see hang a little at the bottome but as a little dust of the ballance how soon may you take your finger and wipe off the drop of the bucket why so even all Nations of the world may as soon perish in respect of God yea as if the Holy Ghost had said too much when hee compared the Nations of the world to God as if hee should say what did I say they were as the drop of the bucket and as the small dust in the ballance nay they are nothing at all nay and I must go lower they are less than nothing And thus you see the Name of God is alone excellent because indeed hee is such a being as in comparison of him there is nothing that is worthy of the name of a being That 40. of the Prophecie of Isaiah when you come home it will bee a good Chapter to read in your Families to set out the greatness of God
drop of excellency in it and so a third a third every creature hath its particular excellency in it but God is an universal good all excellencies in all creatures are in God all beauty all comfort all goodness whatsoever hath any loveliness or desireableness in it I say it is all in God and I know not any one consideration that will help us more to understand God while wee are here in the flesh than this for in regard of our weakness wee can know little or nothing of God but by looking into the creature and so rising from them Now then when wee come to look upon the creatures and wee see an excellency in one creature and another in another Now if wee can conceive as it were the quintessence of all these excellencies drawn out and conceive a being that hath all these together in him this being is an excellent being indeed this would make us to look upon God above the creature when wee look upon every thing that is good in the creature to bee in God himself why then what ever the creature hath to draw the heart why that the soul saith is in God and indeed this one consideration of God and the presenting of God to the soul in this manner is a special work of Gods converting a soul to himself when I say the Lord intends to draw a soul to himself to have the heart that was let out after creature-comforts now to close with himself and choose himself for his portion the Lord doth shew this to the soul Soul what wouldest thou have thou wouldest have this comfort and the other comfort to delight and content thee Know there can bee nothing in any creature that thou seest but thou mayest have it in mee Now this indeed wee cannot by sense see the comforts of the creature are sensibly before us and wee see them by our senses but now God is above our sense God hee is above our reason and there must bee faith to close with him but now when God would convert a soul to himself hee doth shew himself in such a way to the soul as the soul doth see that there is all good in him that there is in the creature and that it is in God in a more satisfying and eminent manner Certainly whatsoever there is in the effect it must needs be in the causes now as all effects are to be resolved into the causes so all causes are to bee resolved into this excellent being that is the first cause of all things for these creaures that are effects they have other causes of them yet those causes are effects of some higher causes at length wee must come to the first cause and all must bee resolved into that nay all excellencies in the creature are more in God than the excellency of the effect is in its causes for the causes when an effect is resolved into them the causes if they bee not united to produce such an effect they cannot do immediately that thing that the effect could do but now all excellency is so in God as look what power any creature hath or what thing it can do by any excellency it hath that God can do look what comfort it can bring by any good it hath in it the same comfort God can bring so that all is to bee resolved into God not that God hath all formally in him as fire air meat and drink but what good there is here what excellency there is here it is eminently in God that is God is able to do of himself by his own being whatsoever any creature is able to do though all the creatures in the world should bee annihilated taken away and thou onely let live God by his immediate power is able to let out to thee all those variety of comforts that all the creatures the world had before could do Now when wee can finde all made up in God as we say sometimes that in some one good dish there is all dishes made up that is but a similitude but here it is really that whatsoever any childe of God loses in the creature such a one can finde it to bee made up in God Indeed this is the art and skill of Religion Godliness doth teach this art and skill to make up whatsoever is wanting in a creature in God himself and that is the chief ground of the satisfaction and contentment of a gracious heart in the want of creature-comforts and because the men of the world have no skill in this mystery they think it a meer notion a conceit of men they are not able to apprehend any reallity in it therefore it is that they vex and fret so much when they want creature-comforts for they know not whither to go to make them up in any other being But the Saints know that all is in God all excellency in all creatures is in God therefore when you look thus upon God as having all good that all creatures have and that in himself and when you come thus to God as such a being so much above all creatures then you have in some measure a right apprehension of God And that is the fifth thing 6 But sixthly The Name of God is excellent above all For not onely all excellencies in the Creature are in him but all those varieties of excellencies that are scattered up and down severally in Creatures are united into one excellency in him for a water may have the quintessence of many herbs in it there are many things in the water at that time though but one drop of water yet there are many things in it So there is such an union of all excellencies in God that I say it is but one in God there is an indivisible union of all variety Things that are various in the Creature they are all united in one in God that must needs be a glorious excellency indeed If one man had all the beauty and strength and all the wisdome that all the men in the world ever had or have and united into one what beauty what strength what wisdome would that one man have now it is so in God that all beauty and wisdome and strength are united into one excellency so that God he is one otherwise than any other Creature can be one other Creatures may bee made one by composition but now God hee is not one by the union of many things together for there is but one thing in God God is but one there is a variety as wee conceive as the Sun when it shines upon different glasses red or blew or yellow it hath a variety I but all this is but one Sun so all the attributes of God that we speak divers times of these are the several manifestations of that one excellency that there is in God all united into one therefore by this the Saints come to be the more happy for they may not onely enjoy all the good that there is in the Creature but injoy
knows my Name the Lord haâ—h a hath account of those that know his Name As for those ignorant creatures let them bee what they will in regard of outward things yet if they bee ignorant of God they are vile and low and base in Gods esteem but take a soul that knows Gods Name the Lord will set him on high such a one is high in the very thoughts of God and the Lord doth take pleasure to make such a soul to bee high Paul in Phil. 3.8 did account all things dung and dross for what for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ For indeed in the knowledge of Christ God is known and if you would study the knowledge of God it must bee in Christ you can never know God but in Christ Matth. 11.27 saith Christ there No man knows the Father but the Son and him to whom the Son shall reveal him It must bee Christ that must reveal the glory of God to our souls or else wee can never come to know him savingly Use 6 Sixthly If God bee thus excellent above all and his glory thus above the earth and heavens hence we are taught to labour to keep the sense of the infinite distance that there is between God and his creatures alwayes in our hearts And this is a point of marvellous consequence the sense of the distance between God and us If God bee infinitely above the creature then God expects that wee that profess any knowledge of him that wee should evermore have our thoughts upon Gods excellency raised in a kinde of infiniteness above what wee think of the excellency of any creature and our hearts then should work after God in a kinde of infiniteness more than ever they did work after any creature as there is an infinite disproportion between the excellency of God and the excellency that there is in any creature I beseech you observe what I am speaking for it is of marvellous use to help us to sanctifie God in all our wayes as there is an infinite distance between the excellency of God and of all creatures so there ought to bee in a kinde an infinite distance between what our hearts are in the working after God and the working after the creature otherwise wee lift not up Gods Name in his excellency and glory And indeed a gracious heart will make it so and in this I conceive the very work of grace consists in that it is such a principle in the soul of a man or woman that is converted that though such a one bee a finite creature yet it hath a kinde of infiniteness in the working of it after God You will say Infinite how can that bee True I confess properly it cannot bee infinite but thus it is infinite in its kinde that is such a creature hath such a principle as it would fain if it were possible work infinitely after God And Further This principle of grace doth cause this in the heart that it will never limit its self in any working after God and therefore hath a kinde of Infinitenesse and here is the difference between one that hath true grace and the most glorious hypocrite in the world An hypocrite hee will ever bee bounding his working after God and think thus much is enough what need any more If I do thus and thus why I may do well and go to heaven at last and so doth bound himself But now where there is the least dram of true grace though there bee many weaknesses in the soul yet such a soul doth never bound its seâ—f in working after God I indeed heretofore have â—et out my heart to the creature but now I would fain if I could let out my heart infinitely after God Why For I see an infinite distance between the good there is in the creature and the good there is in God certainly where this is there is grace and this one note were enough to discern the truth of grace in the heart If the sight of God have wrought this that whereas heretofore thy heart hath been let out after such and such creature-comforts now thou dost desire if it were possible to let out thy heart infinitely after God here is the work of grace and in this thou goest beyond any hypocrite Oh keep this constant in thy soul this is the especial sanctifying of Gods Name in all our wayes when wee see that God gives us leave to let out our hearts towards the creature in some measure then there is a great deal of danger that wee should have our hearts stick in the creature and that we should not have that disproportion in the letting out of our hearts to the creature and to God as ought to bee And this is the ground of all Idolatry in the world when men have seen some excellency in the creature they have been taken with it and there have stuck and have not been carried from the creature to God And that is Heathens Idolatry when they see an excellency in the Sun they think that is God So Christians Idolatry may bee in this If there bee any creature-comfort that thy heart closes withall and there thou dost stick and thy heart is not carried to God yea is not carried to God in such a disproportion as there is between him and the creature I say so far as thou wantest that that thou art capable of in this kinde so far thou art guilty of Idolatry Oh that this one note might stick upon us There is none like unto thee O Lord Canst thou say this out of the uprightness of thy soul as in the presence of God Lord thou that knowest all things knowest that though I have a vile heart that is let out after the creatures more than it ought to bee yet Lord thou knowest that my heart is let out after nothing so much as after thee that would bee a good argument of a gracious work of God upon thee Surely if none bee like unto the Lord then our hearts should bee after nothing so as after the Lord Wee must not content our selves with a little love to God Is there such a disproportion between thy love to the creature and thy love to God as there is between God and the creature Thou sayest thou lovest God I but it may bee thou lovest the creature as well Doest thou think that this will satisfie God When thou hearest that Gods Name alone is excellent God expects that thy love to hâ—m should bee in a kinde infinite above that love of thine to any creature else And there is this one thing further with which I will conclude Use 7 Surely if Gods Name alone bee excellent then in a proportion Gods people alone are the excellent people upon the earth According as a mans God is so is hee as you know men conceive their excellency to bee according to the excellency of him whom they serve according as a mans God is I say so is hee Now if God alone
come out from them and this was a great incouragement unto them to expect mercy from God because they were a people that the Lord would bring the great Saviour of the world out of And then thirdly That by the propounding of so great a mercy as Jesus Christ should bee to the world they might hereby have a help to their faith that surely God would not deny them lesser mercies what great matter was it for them to expect from God deliverance from some outward affliction when as God makes known unto them that love and that infinite compassion those tender bowels of his even to send his own Son into the world for them And then fourthly It was to teach them this that the way of deliverance from any outward affliction it was to exercise their faith upon Christ the Messia that was to come the Lord would teach his Church when it was in afflictions not so much to bee looking at the present affliction that was upon them and so to seek for outward help and means of deliverance but would have them exercise their faith upon the Messia that was to come though many hundred years after and this exercise of faith was so pleasing to God as it was the onely means or the chief means of deliverance from all outward afflictions Nay saith God if so be that they will relye upon mee and exercise their faith upon that great promise of mine to send my Son into the world as for their deliverance out of these outward troubles and afflictions it shall bee but a little matter for mee to do that for them ordinarily when wee are exercised with outward afflictions wee onely think of some natural helps and comforts contrary to those particular afflictions that are upon us whereas the way indeed for us to sanctifie Gods Name to do that that is acceptable to God when any outward affliction befalls us it is presently to exercise our faith upon the great promise of God in Jesus Christ upon the great Covenant of Grace that God hath made with us in him upon that great mercy of God in sending his Son into the world my condition is very sad and I am grievously afflicted I but surely that mercy that would send Jesus Christ into the world that mercy is enough to deliver mee out of any affliction or at least to bless it to mee therefore do not onely cry to God when you are sick or in trouble to deliver you from it but labour to exercise faith upon the Covenant of Grace in Christ upon that glorious mercy of God in his Son that is the way that God would have us to sanctifie his Name in And that is the reason why in times of great affliction there were such clear Prophesies of Jesus Christ as here in my Text For unto us a childe is born unto us a Son is given and his Name shall bee called Wonderful Counseller c. Now in this latter part of this verse wee have Christ set out unto us in five notable and famous Titles of his His Name is 1. Wonderful 2. Counseller 3. The Mighty God 4. The Everlasting Father 5. The Prince of Peace I intend onely to speak of the first His Name shall bee called Wonderful because I would have some kinde of proportion between what I have presented to you about God and what I shall about Christ And as for other things more largely about God or Christ it may bee afterwards but onely now I shall desire to present Christ unto you in this one Title of his His Name shall bee called Wonderful From whence the Point is this Doct Jesus Christ is the great Wonder of the world That is our point of Doctrine God himself above seven hundred years before hee was born gives him this Name Wonderful in the 19. of this Prophecie vers 20. wee read of a Saviour Isa 19.20 a Great one saith the Text surely Jesus Christ hee is a Saviour and a Great one hee is the Wonder of the world Judg. 13.17 18. The story of the Angels appearing unto Manoah Manoah would fain know his name And Manoah said unto the Angel of the Lord What is thy Name vers 18. the Angel of the Lord said unto him Why askest thou after my name seeing it is secret Now the word that is translated in your books Secret it is a word that signifies Wonderful And Austin in his Questions upon this Book of Judges hee is consident that this Angel was Jesus Christ and that his ascending up in the sacrifice that Manoah offered it was to fore-signifie Jesus Christ to bee the onely Sacrifice that should ascend up to the Father for a sweet savour in the nostrils of the Father it was Jesus Christ that did appear here to Manoah and his Name is Wonderful Luther hath such a speech I remember of Christ saith hee the most famous and wonderful and glorious Miracle of all Miracles is Jesus Christ hee is the Wonder of the world God is very wonderful in all his works in the works of Creation Psal 8.1 Oh Lord our Lord how excellent is thy name and in the end of the Psalm Oh Lord our Lord how excellent is thy Name in all the earth yea in that one work of his in making of our bodies Psal 139.14 I am fearfully and wonderfully made saith the Psalmist God hath made our very bodies fearfully and wonderfully it is a wonderful work of God the framing of our bodies in the womb It was a means of the conversion of Gallen from Atheism hee saw the Anatomy of a mans body and beholding the wonderful work of a mans body it did force him to acknowledge the God of Nature that there was a being above Nature Now though God bee wonderful in all his works yet all his wonderful works in the Heavens and in the Earth and in the Seas they must all stand by and give way to this great Wonder as the Stars though they be glorious creatures in themselves yet when the Sun arises all their light is eclipsed you see nothing of them so though God hath many wonders in the world and hath done many wonderful works yet when the Son of Righteousness doâ—h arise when Jesus Christ comes to appear all the other works of God are darkned with the glory of this great Wonder other things are wonderful unto us because of our ignorance because wee are not able to understand the reason of things things are wonderful to children that are little regarded by wise men and understanding men Ignorance makes men to wonder at many things that have nothing in them but Christ hee is a Wondeâ— so as God himself the Father accounted him a Wonder God himself gives unto Jesus Christ this Name Wonderful and no marvel though hee bee a wonder to the Angels themselves in Heaven 1 Pet. 1.12 The Angels are said to desire to look into the things of the Gospel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To pry into them They
manner of his proceedings in bringing forth all the books of Gods forbearance and the books of mens conscience and the book of the word to proceed with men and Angels for their eternal estate in this Christ will appear then to bee wonderful Thus Christ is wonderful in his humiliation and in his exaltation But further a word or two more Christ wonderful in his working towards his Saints and in the high esteem that the Saints have of him Great and marvellous are thy works O Lord God Almighty who would not fear thee O thou King of Saints The great things that Christ doth in the world towards his Churches are wonderful and the great esteem his Saints have of him they account all things as dung and dross for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ And hee shall bee wonderful eternally hereafter in the highest Heavens and there hee will bee the matter of the wonder of all the Angels and Saints and the matter of the admiration and the praises that God shall have to all eternity it shall bee from what the Angels and Saints do see in Jesus Christ therefore surely hee will bee wonderful in Heaven And then wonderful when the understandings of the Saints shall bee elevated to the highest pitch that they are capable of sometimes wee do wonder at things because of our ignorance ignorant people will wonder almost at any thing at the works of Arts and Sciences they wonder because they know but little but now that that the most understanding man in the world shall wonder at certainly it hath some great excellency in it Now Christ shall not bee the wonder of the Saints onely while they are here in in this world but when they shall bee in Heaven and have their understandings enlightened and enlarged to the height that possibly they can bee enlarged to and yet even then Christ shall bee their wonder and they shall wonder at Christ more than they do now abundantly Certainly that hath real excellency in it indeed and great excellency that the more understanding a man is the more hee shall admire at it perhaps poor people they may wonder at some men for their parts yet if they had any great understanding themselves they would see such a mans parts had little in them but if a man had such parts that the more any man came to understand him the higher in degree their understandings were the more they should wonder certainly this man had a great deal of excellency in him indeed So it is in Christ that when the Saints shall bee elevated to the height they shall so much the more admire at him Further In Heaven Christ shall bee wondred at for ever many things are wondred at for the present I but the wonder quickly ceases wee use to say of strange things they are but of nine daies wonder but Jesus Christ is not onely a wonder at first when the soul comes first to embrace Jesus Christ It is true poor sinners at their first embracing Jesus Christ for the very novelty of those things they see in him they do admire at them they never did understand such things before but the truth is if that grace bee true thou shalt not onely wonder when thou comest to Christ at first at the excellency in him but the longer thou continuest a Beleever the more thou wilt wonder and when thou comest to Heaven after thousand millions of millions of years thou wilt wonder as much at him as thou didst the first moment those men that have made profession of Religion and seem'd to come to Christ they wonder at first hearing of the Gospel like the stony-ground that received the word with joy Oh how wonderfully are they affected at the first hearing of the glorious things of the Gospel but now mark their wonder quickly ceases and their joy ceases within a little while they do not now see so great excellency to admire at it neither have they so great joy but where there is true Faith there the soul doth not onely wonder at Christ at his first comming to Christ but still more and more to all eternity And now my Brethren mee thinks that all wonders in the world should lye by a while upon this wonder of Christs being presented to you and as wee read in Dan. 6. of one that came in a vision and said Gabriel make this man to understand the visioâ— so shall I call to a Gabriel no to Jesus Christ to the Immanuel hee that is the great wonder Oh blessed blessed Redeemer make these souls to understand these things to understand somewhat of this wonder wee have many wonders of our own and wee tell this and that news but O that Christ would but shew himself now to your souls that you may understand somewhat of this wonder that your hearts may bee for ever taken off from wondring at any thing in this world I have seen saith David an end of all perfection but thy Law is very broad So wee may say and the heart would say that were brought to Christ Oh Lord I have seen an end of all the great things in the world but Jesus Christ is very great and glorious indeed it is hee that hath darkened all the glory that there is in the world but now I may say of all these things as it is said of Daniel in chap. 12. vers 10. None of the wicked shall understand but the wise shall understand these things that are spoken of Christ the wicked they will not understand those that God hath not given unto Jesus Christ will not understand but they will bee content to part with Christ for any thing for all this O detestable wickedness that there is in the heart of man that after this that hath been revealed to you about Christ so much of his glory held forth for the wonder of the world that after this yet thou shouldest prize thy base lusts before all the good and the glory that there is in Jesus Christ certainly that man or woman must needs have the Angels in Heaven and all the Saints to acknowledge the righteous judgement of God in the condemnation of them that hath lived under the Gospel and hath heard what a wonderful Saviour is come into the world if such a one should yet go away and prize a base filthy lust before all the good and glory that there is in Jesus Christ take heed of this certainly if it bee so if any of you bee found at the great day still going on in the waies of known fins this will bee your charge You lived in such a place wherein you heard that my Son was the great wonder of the world and glorious things were shewed you to allure you to beleeve in him and yet hee was nothing in your eyes but your own vile lusts were more glorious in your eyes O just and righteous is the condemnation of this creature for ever certainly the sin of unbeleef the sin
Pauls Doctrine What will this babler say hee brings us news of a strange God and the like so these are things that people are not acquainted withall and so they cast them off and despise but mark saith the Text Take heed beware lest this come upon you that you shall behold and wonder and despise and perish too for I work a work in your daies a work which you shall in no wise beleeve though a man declare it unto you there shall bee the great Counsels of God revealed in your daies and in your Congregations there shall bee revealed those Counsels of God whereby God intends to save many souls and here and there God will make known these things to save poor souls but you in the mean time being conceited of your own understandings or your own Civil Righteousness that you are not so bad as others and that you are in a good case and in a good condition all this while and upon a conceit you hear and wonder and despise but you shall perish and shall never come to beleeve those great things that God in your daies shall reveal for the salvation of the souls of others and this is a most dreadful curse that is upon the hearts of many men and women that hear the great things of the Gospel as it is said in the second of the Acts that they spake the wonderful things of God and yet there was some that did but mock this is the condition of some that their spirits secretly despise and contemn those things that they should adore such things as upon the hearing they should even fall down upon their faces and adore God in the beholding of them and yet I say slighting of them and resting to their own waies and conceits here is the curse of God upon their hearts that though they hear them yet they shall not beleeve them I work a work in your daies a work that you shaâ—l in no wise beleeve though a man declare it unto you saith the Holy Ghost this Scripture is very much fulfilled in Congregations where the Gospel comes to bee preached Thirdly But further in the third place If Jesus Christ bee so great a wonder certainly then the misery of mankind is very great it follows from hence if there bee such need of so wonderful a Redeemer Oh the dreadful breach that sin hath made between God and man that required such a wonderful work of God to make it up this is that that God would have you have a right understanding of and have serious thoughts about it God would not have sinful wretched man to think the breach between God and him is a light matter a little thing No when the Lord hath sent his Son into the world and hath declared him to bee thus wonderful when the Lord shews what a wonderful glorious work of his there is in his Son for the saving of mankind hee thereby doth declare unto you and would have you know it that the breach that your sin hath made between God and your own souls it is a wonderful breach certainly were the Misery of man no other but such as the power of Angels as the power of any meer creature could help out of Jesus Christ had never come into the world there had never been such a wonderful work of God to redeem man But now when you hear that the way of God to redeem man is so wonderful you have cause to lay your hands upon your hearts and say Oh the depth of misery that my soul is fallen into Oh the desperate disease of my soul that must have such a wonderful cure Oh that ever the great and infinite God should work so wonderfully for the salvation of such a poor wretched creature as sinful man is My Brethren wee do not sanctifie the Name of God in the great thing that God would bee sanctified in except wee have right apprehensions of the dreadful breach our sin hath made between the Lord and our own souls that so wee might have right apprehensions of this wonderful work that God hath done for the salvation of man-kind this is the reason why God so many times doth bring sinful creatures into so great straights into the very gulf of despair oftentimes before hee reveals the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ unto them It is I say because the Lord would have his name sanctified in this wonderful work of redemption by Jesus Christ that the sinner might bee prepared to stand and admire at the wonderful glory of God in Jesus Christ And there is nothing in the world that God looks so much for as this to be sanctified in these wonderful things that hee hath done for man-kind in Christ and if wee have but slight thoughts of the breach that our sin hath made certainly wee cannot but have slight thoughts likewise of the work that God hath done to deliver us from our sin Thou thinkest thy sin to bee a light matter but know that when thou hast sinned against God there must bee the most wonderful work of God to reconcile thee to himself that ever God did from all eternity or will do to all eternity this is the greatest wonder his sending of Jesus Christ into the world know therefore the depth of thy misery by this if God should have devised as it were from all eternity how to have manifested the wonderful misery of man-kind no greater could bee found than this wonderful work of his in the redemption of man-kind This is a third And then Fourthly Is Jesus Christ the great wonder of the world hence then all Beleevers have exceeding cause of rejoycing in the hearing of what Christ is what a wonderful Saviour they have Let the children of Zion rejoyce in their King Rejoyce in this First That God hath so honoured you as that hee hath wrought so wonderfully for your salvation certainly as thy redemption is so art thou that is there is some reflection of the glory of thy Redeemer upon thee how hath Goâ— honoured thee before his Angels and how honourable shalt thou bee hereafter when it shall appear to all the world that the Infinite God did so gloriously work for the saving of thy soul God looks upon all the Kings of the Earth as worms Yea all the Nations of the earth as the drop of the bucket and the dust of the ballance as nothing less than nothing You see how meanly God values all the Nations of the Earth But when hee speaks of his Son that is thy Redeemer His Name shall bee called wonderful saith hee hee is wonderful in the eyes of God the Father thou that hast such a wonderful Redeemer as this is certainly thy condition must needs bee comfortable But Secondly The main comfort that Beleevers may have from this glory of Christ as hath been opened to you is this that hereby they may see Jesus Christ as a full object for their souls to rest upon whatever their condition bee thou hast
as if there were no other saved in all the world but thy self yet Jesus Christ will manifest himself wonderful in thy salvation for indeed that is that that hee aims at to bee wonderful in the salvation of his Saints in bringing them unto glory and that is the comfort of all Beleevers from this title of Christs being wonderful But now then as thy comforts art great from this title so thy duties should bee some way proportionable too thou shouldest therefore honour God the Father of Christ as a wonderful Saviour Labour therefore first to search into this deep mystery of the Gospel Oh what a shame is it that those that do profess themselves Christians should understand so little of Jesus Christ this is that that God expects I say that wee should study the Gospel search into the Gospel that wee may see more of Christ the more wee see the more still wee shall wonder for Christ is an infinite depth and the more wee search into him the more wee shall see cause to wonder In the first of the Ephesians mark what a prayer Paul makes for the Ephesians in the 17 and 18. verses hee told them before that hee did not cease to give thanks for them making mention of them in his prayers to what end That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of Glory may give unto you the Spirit of Wisdome and Revelation in the knowledge of him Hee doth not onely pray that they might have some knowledge of him but that they might have a Spirit of Wisdome and Revelation in the knowledge of Christ and this from the God of our Lord Jesus Christ and from the Father of Glory Mark what titles hee gives to God when hee prayes for them that they might have the knowledge of Jesus Christ it must bee the God of our Lord Jesus Christ that must do it and the Father of Glory God doth never shew himself to bee the Father of Glory so much as when hee gives the knowledge of Jesus Christ to a soul then God doth make himself to appear indeed to bee the Father of Glory And further The eyes of your understanding being enlightened that yee may know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his Inheritance in the Saints and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who beleeve And in the third of the Ephesians from the 14 verse to the 20. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ of whom the whole Family of Heaven and Earth is named that hee would grant you according to the riches of his Glory to bee strengthened with might by his Spirit in the Inner-man that Christ may dwell in your hearts by Faith that yee being rooted and grounded in love All this now is but a preparation to what hee would desire further and that is this That so you may bee able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge that yee might bee filled with all the fulnesse of God This is a most admirable Scripture surely the Spirit of Christ filled the heart of Saint Paul and such kind of Scriptures as these are mighty strong Arguments to evince the Scripture to bee the Word of God when wee read such passages as these that have a spirit in them beyond the spirit of any man certainly it was beyond the spirit of any man to expresse himself in such a manner That hee bowed his knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ that they might comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth length depth and height and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge that they might bee filled with all the fulnesse of God and that is that which I would especially observe that Christians should not content themselves with a little knowledge of Christ but they should labour to comprehend what is the length breadth depth and height they should labour to dive into the Mâ—steries of the Gospel as it is said of Moses when hee saw that wonderful work in the wildernesse saith hee I will now turn aside and see this great sight you have it recorded in the seventh of the Acts and 31. vers There appeared to him in the wildernesse of Mount Sina an Angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush When Moses saw it hee wondred at the sight and as hee drew near to behold it c. Hee had a sight of it at a distance and yet so much as hee wondred at it and then hee drew near and the Lord spake to him So it should bee with us wee have some sight of Christ but is it not at a distance wee hear a Minister speaking of Christ to us the great wonder of the world and it may bee at the hearing wee are ready to think there is somewhat in Christ beyond what wee have apprehended heretofore I but I beseech you Brethren let it not passe away so those things that have been spoken concerning Christ God will require an account of and know it is a dangerous thing to have the glory of Jesus Christ to pass by any soul and to do it no good If wee had been preaching to you of Moral Virtues or any deep discourse about any point save about Jesus Christ there had not been so much danger of letting it passe without profit but when God sets before you the glory of his Son know there is a great deal of danger upon the hearing of such things without profit therefore you had need say upon the hearing of such things as Moses said That you will draw near you will go and pray over these again and beseech the Lord that hee would reveal these things unto you Pray with David O Lord open mine eyes that I may see the wonderful things of thy Law By Law there is meant those things that were revealed in the Word of God and surely upon our hearing what God hath revealed in his Word wee have cause to pray with more earnestnesse Lord open our eyes that wee may see the wonderful things of thy Gospel but mark When Moses drew near Then God spake to him and revealed himself further to him If Moses had stood wondring at this sight and went no further it may bee hee had not had God revealing himself so clearly to him but when hee draws near then God speaks to him So if your hearts bee taken with what you hear of this wonderful Saviour and then you draw near and take pains in your closets by meditation and prayer to see what is the meaning of this wonder Why Lord shall I hear of such things and not understand them they are things that do nearly concern mee and shall I not understand them If you labour to draw near God will speak and reveal further of his mind to you But further of
this Text in the Ephesians Wee must labour to comprehend the heights and depths and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge You wiâ—l say these are too wonderful things for us to know Nay The Apostle praies that they may know that which passeth knowledge Though the fulnesse of the glory of it passeth all knowledge yet still there may bee so much of the knowledge of these things as may help you to sanctifie Gods Name and make your hearts spiritual for saith the Text That yee may know the love of God which passeth knowledge that yee might bee filled with all the fulnesse of God It is a very strange phrase for the creature to bee filled with God and had wee it not in Scripture wee should not have dared to have used such an expression But here it is to bee filled with all the fulnesse of God This phrase is a great deal higher but how comes this to passe by comprehending the height and depth and length and breadth that is by understanding Jesus Christ and the Glory of God in him by this means doth the soul come to bee filled with all the fulnesse of God What is the reason that Christians are so empty in their spirits in their conversations but because they know so little of the Mystery of the Gospel If thou didst but understand the Mystery of the Gospel but how the Lord makes known himself in the face of Jesus Christ this would fill thy heart with all the fulnesse of God those Christians are the Christians filled with excellency indeed that do comprehend the height and depth and length and breadth of this wonderful work of God in Christ There is nothing sanctifies the heart so much as the knowledge of Christ in a right way Seneca hath such an expression concerning the Heavens Oh the Heavens are a wonderful spectacle and a spectacle fit for a reasonable creature to bee imployed about Though wee should get little benefit by knowing the Motions of the Heavens the Sun Moon and Stars yet the beauty and excellency that is there and the wonderful work of God in the Heavens it cannot but take a rational creature Now if the wonderful work of God in the Heavens bee such as it must needs take a rational creature Oh what is the wonderful work of God in Jesus Christ therefore let us make it the chief of our study to study the Lord Jesus Luther hath an expression to the same purpose O saith hee I vehemently I extreamly am displeased with my self and displease my self yea saith hee I hate my self because I cannot get that great benefit that great work that there is in mans Redemption because I cannot get it to bee transfused into my very bones and marrow I would fain get it in there Saint Paul in Gal. 1.15 16. said hee was separated from his Mothers womb and called by Grace and had Christ revealed in him O blessed is that soul that the Lord hath separated for himself that Jesus Christ might bee revealed in it that is a blessed soul You know how Paul accounted the knowledge of Christ The excellent knowledge the excellencie of knowledge and accounted all things dung and drosse in comparison and so David in Psal 119.27 Make mee to understand the way of thy Precepts so shall I talk of thy wondrous works When you come together you can bee talking of this News and the other News but were your hearts filled with the knowledge of Jesus Christ you could not but talk of the wonderful things that God hath done for your souls in Jesus Christ And as wee are to labour to search that wee may know more so to give God the praise of this his wonder that hee hath done In Psal 107.8 Oh that men would praise the Lord for the wonderful things that hee hath done for the children of men It is meant there I confesse of the wonderful works of Gods providence but surely if God bee to bee praised and magnified for his wonderful works of providence much more for the wonderful works that hee hath done for the soul in Jesus Christ And so in Psal 86.9 10. You have an expression there to the same purpose All Nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee O Lord and shall gloâ—ifie thy Name for thou art great and dost wondrous things Oh that this Scripture were fulfilled that all Nations might come and worship the Lord and glorifie God upon this ground because God is great and doth wonderful things The wonderful things of God in his works of Creation and Providence are nothing so much regarded of God himself as the wonderful things hee hath done in Christ and therefore the Lord expects that the Saints should glorifie him more for that than for any thing else And the truth is God reâ—ects all the glory that hee hath from his creatures except hee hath it because of the wonders that hee hath done in his Son And as wee should study Christ and praise and bless God and have our hearts enlarged for Jesus Christ So this is the duty of beleevers to whom God hath revealed Christ as wonderful that in their conversations they should hold out the wonderful Glory of Jesus Christ thou shouldest so walk before men as to manifest to all the world that thy Saviour is a wonderful Saviour And thou shouldest manifest it by thy wonderful change that soul that hath part in Christ whose Name is wonderful honours Christ in this If hee doth manifest that since hee came to know Jesus Christ there is a wonderful change made in him what a change is there made in this youth or childe young-man or neighbour or friend Not long since what an ignorant sot was hee but since hee went to hear the Word Oh the understanding in a little time that such a one hath got in the Mysteries of the Gospel such a one was not able to go into Gods presence to expresse himself in prayer any otherwise but upon a book but now Oh what a spirit of prayer hath God given to such a poor wretch that was so ignorant the other day Now O how can hee pour out his soul before the Lord Such a one that not long since was a prophane and loose liver and sensual and base in his life and conversation now oh how holy how heavenly how spiritual and would not commit the lest known sin if hee might gain a thousand worlds for it such a one that was false in his service before now how trusty one may trust ones life and all that one hath with him now such a one that heretofore was a swearer oh how doth hee reverence the Name of God! such a one that was a froward passionate spirited man or woman now how meek and gentle are they what a mighty change is there in the spirit of such a servant or wife or husband or neighbour And such a one that was altogether for himself and proud and haughty but now
This is the first Use Look upon all that have these souls with an honourable respect considering they have that that is of so much worth Use 2 And then secondly If mans soul bee of so much worth how can wee look upon many people but have our hearts raised in the meditation of the dreadfulness of Gods Justice upon men for sin thus God hath made man an excellent creature and given to every one a soul more worth than the world but now when wee look upon some people that have lost the beauty of their souls and now have no other use of their souls but it may bee all their dayes to bee imployed in scraping of kennels and raking in the dust-heaps in your streets in attending upon horses and swine and this is all that they have to do in their lives Oh what a low condition is man fallen into that hath no other use of such a rational immortal substance that God hath given him but meerly to make him serviceable all his dayes to tend swine beasts horses scrape kennels and such kinde of things as these are But you will say It is lawful for men to bee imployed in these and poor people must bee imployed in them That is true It is lawful to bee imployed in such things but now when men and women have such poor and mean imployment and have no higher thoughts but meerly to get bread by such imployments and their souls busied all their dayes about nothing else but those things this shews the woful fall of man and manifests a dreadful fruit of Gods Justice upon the children of men for their sin Certainly Man that was made in honour is become like the beast that perisheth in this regard And when wee see the condition of men to bee so low so base and vile as they are so beneath the excellency of a rational and immortal soul Oh let us raise our thoughts to the meditation Gods divine Justice it is a fearful fruit of the justice of God upon man for sin what is this the creature that hath an immortal soul made by God more worth than ten thousand worlds that lies scraping from morning to night in a kennel and hath no other thoughts for any higher excellency but onely if it can get a lump of bread to live by there is all they have to do as if they were born for no other end Oh! think then is this the creature that hath such an excellent soul surely sin hath made a great breach between God and man and hath brought man-kinde into a very low and mean condition and yet worse are those than these that have no other use of their souls than to bee drudges to the Devil and slaves unto their lusts but of this wee shall speak to more afterwards but now I onely mention it as to give a hint to the meditation of Gods justice upon man for his sin Thirdly If the soul of a man bee of so great an excellency Use 3 then certainly it must needs bee an honourable work for to bee busied about souls an honourable imployment for God to set one man or more to look to and tend the souls of others Oh! what a difference is there in the imployment between working in Wood and Iron all day long or scraping in the dust heaps as before and in an imployment of attending upon souls to bee used by God as the instrument of converting of these souls and bringing of them to their former excellency in which they were made yea and to raise them to a higher excellency than ever they had in the first Creation If wee prize mens imployments by the subject of their imployment then certainly this is the most glorious imployment that any Creature in the world can bee capable ofâ— what is the reason you account a Gold-smith a better trade than a Black-smith but because of the subject that the one works about rather than the other one works upon Iron and the other upon Silver and Gold therefore one is a more honourable Trade than the other Now if the subject upon which they work makes one to bee more honourable than the other what Trade in the world can be so honourable as the work of the Ministery that works altogether about immortal souls in bringing them to God to live to God and to enjoy communion with him why do wee account a Physician a more honourable Profession than a Horse-leech one looks to the bodies of Beasts and the other to the bodies of Men If there bee such a difference between the body of a Beast and the body of a Man that hee that is imployed about the one is accounted honourable and hee that is imployed about the other is accounted low then certainly the imployment of the Ministery must needs bee honourable for it is about souls The Magistrate looks unto your peace the Lawyer to your estates the Physician to your bodies and the Divine to your souls though outward respects may bee given more and should bee to the Magistrate yet certainly the imployment about immortal souls must needs bee the honourablest in the world It is the honour of the Angels in Psa 91. to take care of the bodies of the Saints If it bee the glory of Angels to take care of Gods people what glory is it that God puts upon the Ministers of the Gospel to look to souls and truly in this thing God hath put more glory upon Men than upon Angels for God hath not made it to bee his set ordinance that Angels should convert souls but hee hath made it so that men should bee made use of to convert souls by preaching the word and let all the Angels in Heaven shew an imployment so honourable as this imployment is You would account it a great honour to have the Body of a Prince to watch over Surely there is no immortal soul but is more precious than all the Princes in the world and if the Lord should give unto you the care of all the Creatures except the souls of men it were not such an honourable work as to give you the care of any one immortal soul saith the Apostle in 2 Cor. 4. the beginning Let a man esteem of us as the dispensers of the Mysteries of Christ Let them esteem of us it is true Ministers of the Gospel should bee willing to lie under the feet of any to do good to their souls but because wee know that it is a great hinderance to the work of their Ministery when brutish carnal spirits have low and mean esteem of their work therefore wee finde that the Apostle would ever bee setting up the honour of this work Let a man esteem of us as the dispencers of the Mysteries of Christ and in 1 Thes 5.12 13. Wee beseech you brethren to know them which labour among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you and to esteem of them very highly in love for their works sake And so
to the contrary which was required in the spiritual meaning of the Law that forbids covetousness and requires that wee should bee willing to part with all for God when hee calls for it Go and sell all that thou hast and follow mee and take up thy cross and follow mee saith Christ I but the young man hee had great possessions but because â—â—e was no swearer nor stealer nor murderer nor lyar hee thought hee had fulfilled the Law but Christ by putting that to him did as much as if hee should say poor young man thou art deceived thou thinkest that thou are able to do what God requires in his Law but didst thou but understand the spiritual part of the Law thou wouldest see that thou art so cast by it that all that thou art able to do in thy obedience to the Law cannot bee sufficient through the sinfulness of thy heart and nature but thou must perish if thou takest such a course as that is to think to bee saved by the Law certainly this it is upon which thousands of souls do perish they think indeed they are sinners but they hope they shall do better and they are able they think though not without God God must help them to do that that the Word of God requires of them whereby they may come to bee saved now certainly thou knowest not thy fallen condition and how far off thou art from God and what thy sinful estate is naturally that hast such thoughts as these But secondly If thou wouldest have thy soul saved break off the acts of thy sin at least you will say why do we speak to men to break off the acts of their sin why certainly wee may well speak for God doth give men power for outward acts very far thou canst not do it of thy self that is true but there is a common work of Gods Spirit that doth inable men and women for outward acts very far Let him that stole steal no more A man now at the day of judgement cannot say Lord I continued in theft because I was not able to forbear it though thou canst not change thy heart indeed yet forbear the outward act thou canst one that is dumb might say if hee could speak Lord I was no swearer because I could not speak otherwise thou art ready to say I cannot help it but God will finde it otherwise at the great day Certainly if thou wouldest but put thy self upon what strength God gives thee thou mayest as well go to a Sermon as to an Ale-house It is a very false reasoning of people that because they have not true grace therefore God inables them to do no outward acts therefore do what in thee lies to break off the outward acts of thy sin Thou that art a company-keeper a Sabbath-breaker a swearer an unclean person take heed of continuing in the outward way of sinning against God resolve this day against those outward acts of thy sin do but do thus much because thou thinkest thou canst do nothing do but profess thus to God in his presence when thou art gone get alone and say Lord it is true I can do nothing-without thee but here I do ingage my self to joyn with whatsoever thou hast given mee or shalt give mee to abstain from those acts of sin which I have lived in and this Lord I ingage my self to do as ever I expect to bee saved in the day of Jesus Christ canst thou not say these words express thy self but thus to God and certainly these things thou mayest say and that is somewhat That man and woman that shall wilfully go on in those vile gross acts of sin that are against the very light of nature and the light of their consciences for them to come and say What shall I do to bee saved and yet still continue in their sins it is but a trifling with God and taking Gods Name in vain except it bee with a resolution to go thus far Thirdly Thou must labour to take off thine heart as much as thou canst from the things of the world from these outward contentments here from seeking after them as thy greatest good that that was thy chief desire heretofore thou must labour to take off thy heart from and possess thy soul vvith the one thing necessary to conclude thus with thy self it is not necessary that I should be rich that I should bee honourable that I should have these and these outward comforts in the world but it is necessary that I should look to the salvation of my soul when God hath a purpose to save hee doth take the heart off very much from creature-comforts Oh if peoples hearts were but taken off from the world to seek after salvation in a constant way as they are at some flashes when they hear some truths that come near to their hearts or when they are upon their sick-beds Oh how far might they have been gone in the way of salvation but the thoughts of the world hath taken their hearts and all other things have vanisht and come to nothing Fourthly If thou wouldest have thy soul saved thy great care and indeavour must bee to acquaint thy self with the knowledge of the Mysteries of the Gospel of the covenant of grace of the way that God hath chalkt out for salvation let a man or woman have never so good meanings never such good desires and affections live never so fairly and civilly in the world yet if they bee not acquainted with the way that God in the Gospel and in the Covenant of Grace hath revealed for the salvation of souls they may perish for all that God hath appointed but one way to save souls and hee is set upon it and determined that whosoever misses that way must perish whatsoever good thoughts and desires they have otherwise The Eighth SERMON ON The Excellency of the Soul Matthew 16.26 For what is a man profited if hee shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul Quest NOw you will say What is it in the Gospel and in the Covenant of Grace that wee must labour to inform our selves in that wee may bee saved Answ First Thou must labour to inform thy self of the absolute necessity of satisfaction to divine Justice that is revealed in the Gospel and that thou must come to know I am a sinful wretched creature my soul is in a damnable condition now that that must save mee must satisfie Gods infinite Justice I may not bee saved meerly by my crying to God for mercy no if there were nothing else but my crying to God for mercy yea put all my good deeds into the scale put what I have done what I can do what I can bee inabled to do all my prayers my cries this will not do It is true there is not enough in mee but will not Gods mercy eke it out No it is neither what thou doest or canst do or canst be inabled to do and put Gods mercy meerly without
yet might not I have such a hope as I have in Gods mercy Oh the hope that will bring to salvation is such a hope as is raised by the power of the Holy Ghost Now if our hopes bee raised by the power of the Holy Ghost then they will have much of the Holy Ghost in them and sutable to your hopes so doth the Holy Ghost come into your hearts and dwell in your hearts and if it comes in and dwells in your hearts then it doth inlighten your hearts it doth act and guide you you are lead by the Holy Ghost in your way Now can you say that in the course of your lives it is the Holy Ghost that guides you that you are carried on by the Holy Ghost and not by your own spirits It is true the best of all may bee acted by their own spirits in some time of temptation but for the course of their lives they are acted and guided by the Holy Ghost their lives are such as those that live by them may say here is one that is acted and guided by the Holy Ghost Now can you say so certainly if you have true hopes for salvation it is raised by the Holy Ghost and if it bee raised by the Holy Ghost it doth act your lives in the waies of holiness Thirdly Those hopes must bee rased down that are not lively hopes and purging hopes I will put them both together That are not lively that you have in 1 Pet. 1.3 Blessed bee the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead Here is a great deal in this Scripture First that the hopes of the Saints are lively hopes that is a hope as is mightily working in them it will not suffer their hearts to lye dead in any way of wickedness Indeed it may bee with the hearts of the Saints as it is with a fountain of living water that may have some dirt cast into it but it being a living spring it works out that dirt so the children of God that have some lively hopes may have some dirt cast in by temptation some sin I but if their hopes bee lively it will work it all out And mark you are begotten therefore you see that the hopes of life and salvation it is that that is not bred with us as I spake before but it is that that follows from our new birth And this is by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead The power and the virtue of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead being in the soul and putting a new life into the soul begets it to this lively hope And then it is a purging hope 1 John 3.3 And every man that hath this hope purifieth himself even as hee is pure Mark you think what need men bee so pure and strict are there none of you that ever have scorn'd at purity and preciseness and holiness if you have consider of this text upon which your souls lies every man that hath this hope that is to see Jesus Christ and bee made like unto him hee doth here in this world purifie himself as Jesus Christ is pure that is hee doth make Jesus Christ to bee his pattern in all that hee doth and aims at no less purity than the very purity of the Son of God hee doth aim at it hee makes it his work though hee cannot come fully to it and that very hope that is in him doth work him to this Now what hopes you have had that are not such must bee rased down to the ground if ever you would bee saved at last The Ninth SERMON ON The Excellency of the Soul Matthew 16.26 For what is a man profited if hee shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul Question YOu will say Rased down to the ground what is that Answ By that I mean this First You should bee willing to seek to God and that earnestly that hee would never let you bee at quiet in any false hope be earnest with God in prayer O Lord I see that the matter of my salvation is a matter of infinite consequence if I should mistake if I should miscarry in it it had been better for mee never to have been born O Lord therefore help mee in this thing above all that I may never rest my salvation upon any false hopes that so I may not at the last bee disappointed of my last hopes bee earnest thus with God and bee willing to know the worst of your selves Lord if thou seest the work bee not yet done let mee know it let mee know it now before it is too late It is better to know that yet the work is to begin while you have time to work than to know it after when the time is gone And then bee willing to examine your hopes to lay them to the rule of the Scripture and that very narrowly And if you finde your hopes cannot stand with the Word then resolve thus with your selves the work is yet to bee done the very laying of the foundation of that great work of the saving of my soul it is to begin I but you will say God forbid this wee have not lived all this while to begin to lay the work for the saving of our souls now that were an ill thing indeed O I would to God it were not so but this very thought that some have that they are not now to begin the â—aying of the foundation in saving their souls is that that doth destroy them whereas though a man or woman have lived many years yea though they have been Professours of Religion yet if upon examination they can finde that the saving work of God is not wrought in their hearts and upon that can conclude Lord it is to begin for ought I know I must begin the work again and better it is to begin twice than bee damned once therefore whatsoever becomes of mee I will begin again this were a good sign Suppose you should begin again and it may bee you thought too ill of your selves for it may bee there was some truth in your hopes or hearts that you could not see yet there is no great danger in this that that was good will hold though you do not see it it is the safest way for men and women therefore to bee willing to begin often yea and sometimes it is the best and the readiest course for people that have lost their evidences for salvation and they can see no clear evidences out of Gods Word to settle their hearts upon for the great matter of their salvation I say it is the readiest way for them to do as if they were to begin again rather than to spend time in looking out their old evidences as a man perhaps that hath lost his evidences may have them renewed with less charge and cost than hee can