you to rejoyce and lift up your heads before the Lord you are the chosen vessels of the Lord. What! will you hear these things with low Affections and common hearts Do you believe or do you not If you do not why are you called Christians If you do Oh what an extasie of Joy should your hearts be raised too Oh look upon the miserable condition of the perishing world the reprobate world look down and see what burnings do betide them better for them that they had never been born And shall it but a little affect you that God hath seperated you from them all I may say of you as the Apostle doth with thankfulness of his Thessalonians 2 Thess. 2. 13. We are bound to give thanks to God for you Brethren beloved of the Lord because God hath from the beginning chosen you to Salvation Oh how should you bless the Lord for his eternal purpose which he purposed toward you Eph. 1. 4. O let sree grace now be exalted hath God made you I mean believers to be the choice of his heart and will you hear this with little and low affections as if it did but little concern you when you are the people of Gods choise Oh how did Christ bless the Lord for you and should not you for your sâ—…lves he was transported with Joy for this â—…ke 10. 21. He rejoyced in spirit and said Father I thank thee that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hâ—…st made them known to babes And he calls upon his Disciples to rejoyce in this rejoyce not in this that the devils are made subject to you but rejoyce in that your names are written in heaven Your names are written in the lambs book of life while others are written in the â—…rth What! are there but few chosen in the world and are you some of those few and will you not rejoyce in this Oh rejoyce in this God speaks of your priviledges as if they were already come Heb. 12. 22. But you are come to 〈◊〉 Sion to the Church of thâ—… living God the heavenly Jerusalem and to an 〈◊〉 company of 〈◊〉 to the general assembly and Church of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which 〈◊〉 written in heaven and to God the judge of 〈◊〉 and to the spirits of just â—…en â—…ade perfect and to Jesus the mediator of the New Coveâ—… Secondly You are the pillâ—…rs of his name when others are but broken useless pot sheards My brethren God hath raised you up for quite another end than he hath others You know what the Lord speak of Pharaoh Exod. 9. 16. And in every deed for this cause have I raised thee up to shew in thee my power that my name may be declared throughout all the earth That God might shew in him the power of his wrath and severity But now beloved you are raised up for another end that you may bear up the name of God and be the instruments of the glory of God before all men God hath no active glory from the rest of the world But you are the people whom God hath raised up on purpose for his name and for his glory â—… Sâ—… 18. 18. Absolom we read had taken and reared a pillar for himself and he called the pillar after his own name Thus hath the Lord God erected you as pillars to keep up 〈◊〉 name in remembrance For the unreasonable Creatures they cannot but by dumb and silent 〈◊〉 to man praise their Creator For the ungodly they do the contrary they dishonor his name And were it not for you the name of God would not be kept up in the world God would be cast out and the very remembrance of him out of his own world Oh my brethren I may say of you of every one of you that are believers as God speak concerning Paul Act. 9. 15. You are chosen vessels to bear Gods name before the world Alas for others of how little use are they in the world this is a miserable case to be of no use better to have no being than to be of no use How contemptible doth the Lord speak of that wicked King Coniah he calls him a despised broken Idol Such a kind of one is every unsanctified person they are but as broken useless pot-sheards let them be so great as they will yea they are worse than for no purpose they are for bad purposes Oh what cause have you then to bless the Lord that you are the people that must bear up his name Thirdly You are the vessels of his glory when others are the vessels of his wrath you are not as others vessels of wood and stone but you are all vessels of gold and silver vessels not to dishonor but to honor Vessels sanctified and made meet for the Masters use and prepared for every good work 2 Tim. 2. 20 21. Ah brethren read and rejoyce with trembling what is written Rom. 9. 18. onward where the Apostle lively sets forth this great distinction Hâ—… hath mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardeneth Hath not the potter power over the clay to make one vessel to honor and another to dishonor What if God willing to shew his wrath and to make his power known endured with much long suffering the vessels of wrath sitted to destruction and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he had afore prepared unto glory Ah brethren when others are vessels of wrath sitted to destruction you are vessels of mercy vessels of glory made for this blessed use and service that you may be the instruments of Gods glory and mercy before the world that God may take you and single you out at the great day when you shall be severed as a man severeth the sheep from the goats God shall take you and single you out before the world and tell the world what a God can do for a poor creature to make you the monuments of his magnificence and bounty to shew how he could exalt the dust of the earth This is the use you serve for in the world Do not live as if you were made for little things and for little use you are made for this use that you should be vessels prepared to have the infinite fulness of God pouring into you as vessels standing by for the same purpose and runing over to all eternity When you shall be ever full and running over with the glory of God When the Al-sufficiency of God shall be for ever emptying it self into you How is it that God hears no more of you hath he done so for any other no he hath prepared them for vessels of wrath on whom he will be pouring out his wrath to aâ—…l eternity Both of these vessels were made of one sort of clay and yet see what difference here is that free-grace hath made Fourthly You are the Temples of his presence when others are the styes of uncleanness God doth live in
for his vineyard here O remember now O people what the enemy consulted and what the Lord answered they said come let us curse Taunton and let us defie the people of God But who shall curse whom the Lord hath not cursed And 〈◊〉 whom the Lord hath not defied God hath blessed and who shall reverse it happy art thou O people who is like thee O Taunton saved by the Lord the shield of thy power the sword of this excellency The archers have shot at thee yet they have not hurt thee Shall I particularize the mercies of God to Taunton why consider he hath been a Savior to you a shepheard to you a keeper to you 1. He hath been a Savior to you He hath saved your throats from the sword your habitations from the flames your lives from the plague your persons from the prison 1. He hath saved your Throat from the sword have you forgotten that you were a people devoted to destruction by the sons of violence but God disappointed them and gave you your lives for a prey 2. Your habitations from the flames The flames have been set in Ambush against you and yet your habitations are not burnt down to this day 3. Your lives from the plague It hath been devoured by the plague heretofore and yet it hath not devoured you How eminently hath God preserved you in this place in the time of common calamity that hath been among others O think not that it was because those were greater sinners than are in Taunton No but because God hath a peculiar intention of saving you Yet I say to you as Christ â—…o them think not that those upon whom the Tower in Siloam fell were greater sinners than any in Jerusalem I tell you nay but except you repent ye shall all likewise perish We have had the same sins and yet God hath preserved us 4. Your persons from the prison How often hath God preserved you he hath been like the cloud upon Israel and upon all the glory there hath been a defence Once indeed some of you have tasted of a prison but what a mercy was it that it was but once I might tell you what a mercy 't is to you that you have not been troubled with the prelates Courts but Secondly God hath been a shepheard to you Therefore you have not wanted VVho is it that drives you by the still waters though you are as a lamb in a large place 't is because God is your shepheard VVhence is it that you lye down in green pastures 't is because God is your shepheard How hath God provided for you formerly and of late Thirdly God hath been a keeper to you VVhen you were sent to prison God did keep you O do not forget the mercies of a prison I beleive that of all the passages of our lives many of us have no such experience of Gods mercy as in a prison O the provision that God did make for us there O the constant meals the sweet meals that God did make for us there Brethren now let us thankfully commemorate all these mercies Let me call upon you as the Psalmist rejoyce in the Lord ye righteous and again rejoyce O ye people let your voyce be heard on high Let us worship and fall down before the Lord our maker Let it be said praise waiteth for thee a God in Taunton VVell might praise wait for God in Taunton for God hath waited to be gracious to us There was the place that he chose to put his name there There break 〈◊〉 the Arrows and the spear VVho is like our God who rideth on the Heaven for our help and on the sky for our aid Blessed is the people that heareth the joyful sound they shall rejoyce in thee O Lord. The Lord is our deliverance and the holy one of Israel is our King Shout therefore O inhabitants of Taunton for great is the work of the Lord with you And now O Lord Bless them and accept the work of their hands and lift them up and let them lift thee up for ever A Sermon preached in order to the Sacrament on a Sacramental day Luke 2. 10 11. And the angel said unto them â—…ear not for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord. MY Brethren good tidings I know must needs be welcome to you at such a time as this Now God hath sent me to you with the most blessed news that ever came to man that is that to you is born a Saviour You have here the History of our Saviours birth The shepheards they were abroad in the fields watching over their flocks by night v. 8. and while they were thus diligent in attending their slocks then the angel brought this news to them From whence observe by the way how good it is to be following our lawful callings The fruits of these tidings was great fear that fell upon the shepheards when they saw the angel And against this fear the angel bid them be of good comfort Then you have here the news behold I bring you good tidings c. where you have observable First Thâ—…e â—…senger the Angel Secondly The fruits of it great joy to all people Thirdly The matter of this news That to them was born a Savior From the words observe this Doctrine Doct. That it is the blessedest news that ever came to the ears of man news worthy of angels from God to be the Messengers of it that unto us is come a Saviour Brethren I must needs commend the Grace of God to me this day in making me the messenger of such news to you as this is I am unworthy to bring you this news it is for angels to bring this news they were sent with this message as you see yet God hath been pleased to send me as a Messenger with these tidings to you Now I shall shew you that this is the best news that ever came to the ears of man and that First If you consider the deplorable condition that he found man in Secondly If you consider what a great salvation he hath wrought for man First If you consider the deplorable condition that he found us in we were all gone out of the way we had fal'n among theeves and between sin and Satan we were robbed and wounded and this Samaritan found us and he cured us and it cost him no less than his own blood So desperate a disease is sin that nothing will cure us but the death of Christ. He found us shut up in sin and were not able to get out and then he roll'd away the stone for us and knock'd off our fetters and wrought deliverance for us This was the misery of mans condition that he was in a helpless condition Rom. 5. 6. There was no possibility for us ever to recover our selves Neither was there help in any
nâ—…tion above other nâ—…tions anâ—… herein we have cause to blesse the Lord. There is but little of the profession of Godliness in other nations to what there is in this nâ—…tion 〈◊〉 a great glory to any place or people to have a multitude of converts born to God out of it This was the commendation of those places that this and that man was born there Psâ—…lm 87. 4 5 6. This is cause of singular joy and praise which they were wont to sing to the Lord in those days with instruments of Musick Secondly In the honour of her Sabbaths This is that my Brethren where in the Lord hath vouchsafed singular favor to this nation Oh bless God for honoring this nation with his Sabbaths as he hath done that they should be so saâ—…ctisied as they be Nehemiah reckoneth this as a singular mercy of God to them So Isaiah 58. 13. Thou shalt call the Sabbath a delight and shalt honor it If you honour them they will be an honour and blessing to you Thirdly In the Crown of her Martyrs Ah Brethren this is the Crown of glory upon the head of England that God should raise up so many Martyrs in this kingdome of our flesh and kindred that there should be so many caught up like Elijah in siery Chariots to heaven Who can tell of what effect their prayers and blood hath been for our good so that according to that holy prophesic of Latimer when going to the stake God hath lighted up such a light by this as shall never be put out Fourthly In the glory of her ministers Brethren I confess my self not worthy to speak to you of the worth of this mercy However vain men have accounted them the off-scouring of the world c. yet you whose hearts are touched with the sence of spiritual blessings you must needs know and understand the Ministers of Christ not onely to be the glory of the nation but are so far honored as to be said to be the glory of Christ 2 Cor. 8. 23. Oh blesse the Lord this day that he hath blessed this nation with such an unspeaâ—… blâ—…ssing Do not undervalue such a mercy T is a Covâ—…ant-gift of Christ to his Church He gave some Apostles some Pastors and Teachers And 't is part of the grand Legacy that Christ hath bequeathed to believers in the Gospel 〈◊〉 Paul or Apollo all are yours And though God hath now observed this mercy ye we may not forget former mercies Neither hath God lâ—…t them unuseful you know neither to your nor others souls In this respect I may boldly say God hath not dealt so with any 〈◊〉 Those that have had experience intravelling other Countries have sadly bewailed this how little heat and vigor there is in the labor of the Ministers abroad in other nations for the most part Fifthly In her singular and choise deliverances Herein hath God dealt with us signally I would that all those mercies might be remembred by us this day to our fore-fathers for they were our mercies though not in our days Oh what a mercy was it that God did deliver us from the Spanish invasion This mercy was our mercy and therefore we may not forget it And then when they thought to do that by plot what they could not do by force in the powder-plot when they were like to cut oâ—… the 〈◊〉 of our nation at one blow God was pleased you know to prevent it just at the nick of time and bring it upon their own heads Oh what cause have we to bless the Lord who saved us from so cruel a bondage as neither we nor our fathers were able to bear Oh forget not such a mercy wherein God hath broken the yoke and brought in that light that hâ—… hath commanded into the nation Secondly If we com nearer look upon the Place of our desires you shall find that he hath not dealt so with any other place If you consider it in the long 〈◊〉 of your Ministry The powerful success of the Gospel In the peace and unity of its professors In the plenty and variety of its provision In the strange preservation of your liberty In sâ—…ving you by your enemies Counsel In eminâ—…nt and gracious returns of your prayers in keeping you from the Ecclesiastical Courts In your glorious Salvations and deliverances Put these nine things together and tell me whether God 〈◊〉 dealt so with any place as with this place First In the long continuance 〈◊〉 your Ministry Forty years was God striving with Isracl but many more years hath God been striving with Taunton iâ—… the powerful preaching of the Gospel We read of Gods comming the first and sâ—…cond year and 〈◊〉 no fâ—…uit would have cut it down the third had not 〈◊〉 dressor prayed sor it But 't is not three years but threescore years that God hath come waiting on Taunton notwithstanding all their praying and their great unprositableness for the greatest part of them I beseech you think of it Is it a little mercy there are many of you that have been born and bred under the powerful preaching of the Gospel Look upon many other places and how many may you see left to blind guides Oh bless God that you have not been bred up under such Ministers and in such places It was the lot of many and it might have been your lot to have been brought up there How many places may you look upon again where there have been excellent Ministers and they have been flocked to from all about but God hath put out those lights and now if you come there you shall scarce find the very foot steps of Religion And God might have done so to you but God hath sent you one Minister after another one out of one Country another out of another for you Oh blesse the Lord for it Secondly In the powerful success of the Gospel True it is and sadly to be bewailed the Gospel hath not had so desired an efficacy but however we must not forget Gods signal and singular mercy to this place in that he hath brought so many to the profession of his Gospel Oh how many Parishes are there where professors are so thin that they are for signs and wonders to be pointed at Oh bless the Lord that he hath cast your lines in that place where there are so many to strengthen your hands How doth David bemoan himself in the want of this mercy that he dwelt in the tents of Kedar you might have lived out in those places and Parishes where you might have had none to help you Thirdly In the peace and unity of its professors Here in God hath been singular in his mercy This is a mercy not slightly to be valued Do but look abroad into other Cities and Towns and see what work there hath been by the breaches that have been made one upon another Oh do but consider the mischief of strife and contention and you will be raised to praise Jam. 3. 16.
not I am a liar and where then is the honor of my truth but mercy pleaded if he dye where is the honor of my Grace and mercy Why now wisdome puts in a surety and that â—…oes for the principal Righteousness and peace have kissed each other How can this be Gods justice and righteousness did require that man should give satisfaction but this is all reconciled in Christ he reconciled God and man together Fourthly The greatest good coming out of the womb of the greatest evil Sin is the mother of all evil You will say can any good come out of such a womb as this It is true it cannot naturally come but God did so order it that it should be the occasion of it Were it not a wonder to see grapes come of thorns and Olives of thistles such a wonder you may see in Christ. You may see out of the sin of man comes great glory to God and good to man First Great glory to God for had not man sinned neither Gods justice nor mercy had been so magnified His justice had not been seen at all in a manner in punishing the offenders but 't is eminently seen in punishing of Christ who dyed for sinners This is a louder demon stration of the Justice of God than if God had turned all heaven and earth into confusion upon the sin of man Again hereby is way made for magnifying Gods mercy The sin of man as God hath ordered it hath given way to God in the demonstration of his mercy in forgiving and his justice in punishing It could not have bin thought that God had been of so gracious a nature able to put up such great affronts as man had given him had not sin given him occasion to magniâ—… his mercy Secondly Again as the sin of man hath given occasion to the advancing of Gods glory so for the promoting of mans good By this man is raised to a higher state of happiness and felicity than ever he should have been Now there is a nearer conjunction between God and man than ever was before the fall or ever should have been had it not been for the sin and fall of man Before it was said that man was made a little lower than the angels but now it may be truely said that he is so much higher than the Angels more nearly joyned to God Had man continued in innocence he had had onely a lengthening out of his temporal life in paradise but now by his sin Christ hath opened the door of heaven to him O then wonder at the power of Christ Fifthly Perfect justice raging against perfect innocence You know that God is perfect in his Righteousness and justice A God of truth and without iniquity just and right is he And yet notwithstanding his perfect Justice was set against his own son in whom there was nothing but perfect innocence He was the Lamb of God a lamb without spot and blemish full of grace and truth No guile was sound in his mouth and yet you know how the wrath of God brake out upon him It brake out upon him to the very uttermost that if he would but put himself into the room of man he must dye for it tho Justice it self said I find no fault in him yet he must dy all could not save him but if he will stand between God offending man and take our sins upon himself though he had none of his own yet justice takes hold of him Let me say as the Apostle behold the goodness severity of God Goodness to thee but severity unto Christ. O what had come upon you if you had been to bear the blow you see how Justice runs upon the Son of God and fals upon him and tears him to the ground and le ts out his blood and would not spare him though he were the only belovedSon of God O consider how fearful a thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God! You read how when Daniels enemies were cast into the Lions den that they brake all their bones before they came to the bottome of the den O how wouldst thou have been torn had the Justice of God taken hold of thee Sixthly Insinite wisdome at cost upon meer worthlessenesse God expects the blood of his own Son which was of insinite value to redeem worthless man Would you not wonder to see a wise man to be changing Pearls for pebbles yet here it is a greater wonder the wise God redeeming by the death of his own Son sinful man out of the hands of his own justice Why what is man are not all the nations of the world as nothing before him and yet upon this nothing this vanity is Gods insinite wisdome at this cost that he might save us from eternal death Seventhly The Son of the Blessing made to be a curse Gal. 3. 13. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us Observe it 't is not said he was ACCURSED for us but a CURSE for us Christ hath delivered us from the curse but how by taking the curse upon himself You know the curses of the Law that were denounced against sinners all these curses met together upon one Jesus Christ. How is the book of Gods word full from one end to the other with Curses against sinners what a load then was there upon the back of Christ when all these curses met together upon him what a wonder is it that God should be cursing of his own Son to hear God say all my curses shall meet upon thee cursed shalt thou be in thy body and cursed shalt thou be in thy soul. To hear the great God speaking thus to his own Son go thou Cursed I will engage my Justice and wrath against thee to torment thee and put thee to death O what a sight was this yet thus it was with Jesus Christ. He had as many torments as members and all the torments that he endured had the curse of God in them Eighthly The Father of mercy forgetting his Bowels to his own Son VVe read of a very strange thing that was done by the King of Moab 2 Kings 3. 27. When he saw that the Battel was too sore for him c. he took his own Son that should have reigned in his stead and osfered him for a burnt offering what a strange sight was this yet there is a greater wonder than this to be seen in Christ to see God sacrificing his own Son and offering him up for a burnt-offering to appease his wrath against sinful man O shall not your hearts stand a wondering at this to see he that was a God of mercy to have no mercy for his own son he that had bowels of pity for you to have no pity for his Son O behold and wonder By this time I hope you are convinced that Christ is wonderful A SACRAMENTAL Speech grounded on Eph. 3. 19. And to know the love of Christ which