bridegroom Secondly as redeemed Captives do their deliverer Thirdly as dutiful subjects do their King First As a Bride doth her Bridegroom This I shall open to you in three particulars First Put off the rayment of your captivity Secondly put on the wedding Garment Thirdly trim up all your Lamps First Put off the rayment of your Captivity If the poor Captive woman were to shave her head and pair ber nails and put off the rayment of her captivity c. Deut. 21. 13. before she was to be married to any one of the Tribes of Israel how much more should you put off the old man and your sinful deeds that are to be married to Christ If so be the Children of Israel were to wash and sanctifie themselves and wash their cloaths when the Lord was to come down upon Mount Sinai Exod. 19. how much more should you when the Lord 〈◊〉 comes down to you you know that Children may not come at their fathers Table with unwashed hands neither must you to eat of the dainties spread in the Gospel Secondly You must put on the wedding garment You will say what is this it is a conjugal love to Jesus Christ. And this is compared to a garment for we are bid to put on charity or love And it s set forth as the best part of the Christian rayment and above all things put on Charity for what more fits a marriage than a conjugal affection you should bring forth your most strong and ardent affections and love to him you should meet him with songs and what songs such as the Psalmist doth Ps. 45. title A song of Loves let your eyes be fixed upon Christ in the Gospel till your eyes affect your heart and while your heart is musing the fire will be kindling where will you bestow your love but where the bridgroom is so lovely Thirdly You should trim up all your Lamps you should snuâ—…f all your lights and trim up all your lamps to go forth to meet him And receive him and feed upon him when he is offered he is held out to you on purpose in the Gospel for you to take and receive him Gal. 3. 1. Foolish Galatians who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the truth before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been ardently set forth crucified among you But you will say was Christ 〈◊〉 in Galatia he was in the preaching of the word he was crucified among them Secondly You must meet him as redeemed captives do their deliverer would you know how this is it is with palms of victory in your hands with garments of salvation with songs of deliverance These are the three things wherein this stands you have all together in Rev. 7 9 10. They were in white robes the garments of Salvation and palms of victory and they had the songs of salvation too ver 10. Oh Brethren if you have any sence of your spiritual bondage and captivity to be the servants of sin under the fear of death under the King of terrors then be glad in your redeemer meet him with songs of praise O how should the high praises of God be heard in your mouths you should meet him as the virgins did David at his return from his victory 1 Sam. 18. 6. with singing and dancing with joy c. Thus should you meet your deliverer you should compass him with songs of praise O my Brethren you that are the redeemed of the Lord look down into the horrible pit and then look up and sing songs to the Lord. O it is a glorious salvation that Christ hath wrought for us How welcome was he to good old Simeon how sweetly doth he hug Christ in his arms and much more you must think in his heart now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seen thy salvation This we have seen we have seen Christ coming to us in the Gospel We have seen him like Sampson pulling down the house about our enemies and carrying away the posts and setting them up as Trophies of his victory It was he that was condemned that you might be freed O let your lips praise him and the souls which he hath redeemed let me call upon with the Psalmist Psalm 98. A psalm on purpose to Jews and Gentiles to sing to the Lord for their deliverance versâ—… 3. He hath remembred his mercy and truth toward the house of Israel all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God And what use doth the Psalmist make of this vers 4. make a joyful noise unto the Lord all the earth c. He goes on calling upon all the Creatures to praise God for this If the Sea must roar and the floods clap their â—…nds how much more should you do it that are the redeemed of the Lord. Thirdly Meet him as dutiful subjects do their King This is the news sent to Zion behold thy King cometh Then meet him as a King receive him with acclamation and praise as they did when Solomon was proclaimed King 1 Kings 1. 39 40. They blew the Trumpet and all the pâ—…oplt said God save the King And the people piped with pipes and returned with great joy so that the earth rent with the sound of them O if they met King Solomon with such joy how should you meet Christ It is another manner of King that comes to you than Solomon was you should say to Christ as they did to Gideon Judg 8. 22. Rule thou over us for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian Thus should you say to Christ rule thou over us for he hath delivered you not from the hand of Midian but from Satan But how should we meet our King prepare the way bow the knee First Prepare the way Math. 3. 3. Christ had his fore-runner going before him that was John saying prepare you the way of the Lord make his paths straight How must the way of the Lord be prepared every Mountain must be brought low c. every Mountain of pride and opposition that are in our hearts must be laid low O if there be such preparing for the King where he is to lodge and go how much more should you for the King of glory where he is to lodge Secondly Bow the knee we read of Joseph and you know he was a type of Christ. that when Pharaoh had exalted him from the prison to such dignity he prepares some to go before him and cry bow the knee So God hath set up Christ and exalted him and given him a name above every name now let me call upon you and my self with you that you bow the knee to him I speak not of the bodily knee it is more than your cap and knee that he requireth He will have you to bow before him O then see that you bow before him see that you do him homage Now your King is set up in another manner than he was upon the Crosse behold your King That is
the duty that I would perswade you to now behold your King and look that you bow to him Let your souls and all that is within you bow to him Let your understandings bow to him by a right apprehension of him by a right conceiving of him as worthy to be loved and feared Let your wills bow by an utter rejection of your sins and a most ardent desire to receive Christ. Let all your affections come in and bow and not dare to stir more than his commands give you leave In a word let all that is within you bow before him and give place to Jesus Christ. Now down with the world out with your lusts and make ready for Christ. Let all your worldly business bow before him and give place to Jesus Christ away with this foolish deceitful world let all be at the seet of Christ and let all your souls be in subjection to him This will be an acceptable meeting with him if you so meet him A SACRAMENTAL Speech grounded on Isaiah 9. 6. And his name shall be called wonderful Quest. WHy is it that Christ hath given to him this name of wonderful Answ. There are so many wonders that meet together in Christ that t is no wonder at all that he should have this name wonderful Christ was every way wonderful He was wonderful in his Person wonderful in his Passion Wonderful in his Conception being conceived by the power of the holy Ghost wonderful in his Birth being born of a pure virgin wonderful in his Life wonderful in his death and the effects of it wonderful in his Resurrection that a dead person should be raised and that by his own power wonderful in his Ascension In a word he was every way wonderful wonderful in his Humiliation and Exaltation Ah Christians if you would see a wonder look upon Christ and here see a wonder here is a wonder above all that the world can shew There are two sorts of wonders that God hath to shew the wonder of his power and the wonder of his grace First The wonder of his Power What a wonder is it to see such a fabrick as heaven and earth all come out of nothing by the power of God Christians 't is a great evil in us that we do no more wonder at this great power What a wonder is the Sun in its bigness and brightness flying many Millions of miles in a minute of an hour Secondly But all these wonders are nothing to what his wonder of grace is In Christ you may see all these wonders swallowed up Let me shew you a little of this wonder In Christ are to be seen these following wonders 1. God manifest in the slesh 2 God suffering in the slesh 3. Justice and mercy sweetly râ—…conciled 4. The greatest good coming out of the womb of the greatest evil 5. Perfect justice raging against perfect innocence 6 Infinite wisdome at cost upon meâ—…r worthlessness 7. The Son of the blessing made to be a curse 8. The Father of mercy forgetting his bowels to his own Son â—…irst God manifest in the flesh John 1. 14. And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory c. O brethren this is a wonder indeed The Apostle tells you that without controversie this is a great Mystery that God should be manifest in the flesh Here we may cry out deservedly with wonder and astonishment God is come down to us in the likeness of man God manifest in the flesh why what is flesh all flesh is grass that is fading withering dying What! the word made flesh shall the immortal put on mortality and incorruption put on corruption O what a wonder is this O behold and wonder see if Christ do not deserve the name of wonderful Holy Abraham was ashamed of his meaness in this respect when he came before God because he was but dust and ashes Behold I have taken upon me to speak to the great God who am but dust and ashes O then how is it to see God clothed with the flesh of man This was the wonder of angels O how did they wonder to see their maker clothed with flesh O come to the cross of Christ to the cratch of Christ and there bow and worship Let not the Humble abasure of Christ hinder you from adoring him in his greatness The wisemen found Christ in poverty meanness yet they knew what glory was vailed under this meannesse and fell down and offered gold frankincense myrrhe c. go ye and doe likewise Secondly God suffering in the flesh well may he have his name wonderful upon this account 't is said that the Philosopher observing the unnatural cclipse of the Sun at the suffering of Christ cryed out either the God of nature is suffering or the world is at an end When Christ was suffering it was God that suffered though he did not suffer in the Godhead but in the Manhood Beloved if you should have seen the judgement that befel Korah Dathan and Abiram would you not have been astonished at such a sight as this was much more if hell should have opened and you have seen the torments of the damned would you not have been astonished and wonder at this but in this that God should suffer is more then if all the men in the world should have suffered to all eternity O how did the angels stand by the Crosse wondering to see him whom they adored and worshipped to be mocked and Crucified Thirdly Justice and mercy sweetly reconciled The Justice and mercy of God seemed to be as it were at a controversie about fallen man Darius you know had made a decree that he that did offer any petition to any God or man except to himself within such a time should be cast into the den of Lions Daniel comes within the danger of this decree and what must be done now either Daniel must be spared and then what would become of the Laws of the Medes and Persians or else Daniel must be devoured and then the King would have been cruel to himself Yet providence did so order it that the Law was executed and Daniel spared So here man had sinned and God said that he should dye and now either man must dye or God must be false of his word Now what shall be done The wisdome of God steps in and finds out a person that should dye and so Gods truth be saved and his mercy magnified But where shall this person be found the Angels could not do it nor man could not do it But God would take the humane nature upon him and that should suffer that God and man might be reconciled Mercy and truth are met together righteousness and peace have kissed each other Mercy and truth are met together how can this be it seems they were at a great distance could not be brought together Truth said that man should dye mercy said that man should be saved Truth said if he dye
against the Church threatens that he would remove his Candlestick He would unchurch them as one of his most fearful threatnings Rev. 2. 5. Rom. 1. 23 24 28. The Apostle speaks of some that were under the fearful token of Gods wrath in this This was a fearful token of Gods wrath against them indeed when God should give them up to such spiritual judgments Psal. 81. 10 11. My people would not hearken to my voice so I gave them up to their own hearts lusts O this was dreadful indeed This was the sorest expression of Gods anger that could be against that people so 2 Thes. 2. 11 12. God shall send them strong delusions c. Rom. 11. 7. 8. The elect hath obtained it but the rest were blinded c. O do you see any such souls thus delivered up O let your hearts tremble for such persons This is a shrewd evidence that they are persons given up to great judgements Six Con. Temporal afflictions when they find the people of God straying and wandring and declining from him are evident tokens of Gods anger They are not always tokens of his anger When they find us keeping close to God they are for tryal and not signs of Gods displeasure Job was highly commended by the Lord when the affliction was upon him Therefore we must consult conscience whether it was not for such a sin that God is now afflicting thee And if thou dost find it was for sin thou hadst need run quickly and make the atonement But if otherwise you may conclude it is but for proof and tryal and exercising those graces that God hath given you A Discourse made by Mr. Joseph Alleine on a night of solemn Thanksgiving which he held with his people in Taunton some dayes before the five-mile-Act came in force by vertue of which he was then to leave them MOst dearly beloved Brethren with no little Joy and Thankfulness have I thought of this time when I should once more see your faces together and be so truly glad with so heart contenting a mercy as to rejoyce with the Joy of Gods people and to glory with his inheritance It is a time that to some may seem unseasonable to set up Thanksgivings when our calamities are so near approaching But surely if I had never hopes to enjoy one day with you more the last day should be a day of praise And if I were sure that we were now to take our farwell of Christians and Ministers and of all our former liberties I should exhort you that we might join once more in lifting up hearts and hands in blâ—…ssing God for all the mercies that we have met with together Your Condition is never such but your mercies are infinitely greater and more then your afflictions Neither may the sence of misery at any time surprise you so as to drown the Thankful acknowledgement of Gods mercies God that hath been alwayes good to you hath never been better then since you have had affliction Elijah was never so happily fed at a full Table as when it was a time of great Famine when God sent him every bit of bread and flesh by the mouth of a Raven Oh how sweetly do you think that every bit of this bread did rellish with the man of God when he saw that he received it imediately out of Gods own hand Brethren though it hath been a time of great calamity yet God hath herein heightned his mercy to you you have seen the Bush of God burning and yet not consumed The portion of Gods Children hath been taken away and yet our cheeks have been fat We have been cast with Daniel into the Lyons den but God hath sent his angel and shut the Lyons mouth and we have not been destroyed but are here together to praise the Lord. Methinks there are several periods of time â—…ine the time of our calamities wherein God hath appeared to us when we thought all had bin gone One period was when your Ministers were shut out of publick by the Act of Uniformity Another when we were cast out of our private Meetings by the Act made against â—…ditious Conventicles So called by the iniquity of the times Another by this Act that doth now cast Ministers out of their Habitations And me thinks every period should end with praise We read that when they removed the Ark that when they had passed such a number of paces then they slew a sacrifice so me thinks as we passe thefe periods of time at the end of every period we should offer prâ—…ise What though God hath separated your preachers from you ye as he said if the Souldier dies fighting and the preacher preaching and the swan singing then the Saints should part praising Oh Christians this is the spirit that should be in you that what ever God doth with you for the time to come you should resolve to end in his praise for the mercies past If it were the last day we should have together surely methinks we should end in praise And since the Alarm hath been sounded by the late unhappy Act that saying of Sampson hath run often in my mind let me dye with the Philistines so methinks I would say let me dye with praise And now O God let my hands and heart be lifted up with thy praise that I may touch their hearts that every heart of theirs may sound forth thy heavenly praise But 't is easie to be lost in praise the mercies of God are a deep that cannot be fathomed Where shall I begin or end How shall I reach to the top or when shall I come to the bottom however I will not say nothing because I cannot say all Let me touch a little of the mercies of God a little this Evening to shew the mercy of God to you And let it live upon your hearts as long as you live Consider now what great things God hath done for you whether you are the people of God in general or people of Taunton in particular How great are the mercies of God to you First As you are the people of God in general This is the top of all your mercies In this sayes our Savior rejoyce not that the spirits are made subject to you but in this that your names are written in heaven Brethren we have many mercies to praise the Lord for but this is that should most affect us Gods peculiar mercy to us as we are his chosen generation and peculiar people Consider now what the Lord hath done for you Let me open it to you in six or seven particulars First You are the Election of Grace Secondly You are the first born of God Thirdly You are the first fruits of the Creation Fourthly You are the Remnant of escape Fifly You are the Burgesses of heaven Sixthly You are the Members of Christ. Seventhly You are the living stones of the Temple Blessed is the man you will say whose happiness this is But this damps my Joy and comfort
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
penitently Thus did that woman entertain him and Christ liked better of this than of the Pharisce Luke 7. She received Christ in her heart This is the entertainment that he is well pleased with receive him thus and this will be acceptable to him Though thou hast nothing at all in thee but the sence of thy nothingness Christ will be sure to accept of this Secondly Receive him as â—…cheus did Joyfully When Christ call'd him down from the tree and told him that salvation was come to his house how glad was the mans heart Luke 19. O methinks I see with what unspeakable joy he received him He thought not of Christ's coming to his house his highest ambition was that he might have a sight of Christ and Christ sees and takes notice of it and tels him that Salvation was come to his house O methinks I should see thee looking as he did when Christ will come this way where thou art Why now he is come in his ordinances now receive him joyfully take him into thy heart Let thy joy break out as the waters of Jordan did or as when the Lord broke up the fountain of the great deep Brethren one would think that one should need no arguments to perswade miserable captives to receive a Savior O how welcome would such offers be to them that are in captivity Brethren if ever you have seen your lost condition without Christ you cannot but receive him when he is offered to you O methinks this Name of JESUS should be marrow to your bones and wine to your hearts and Musick to your ears Oh as God hath so do you give him a name above every name This blessed name the name of Jesus methinks it should be as oynment poured forth upon you giving a sweet smell Thirdly Receive him as old Simeon did believingly You must clasp the arms of your faith about him O how sweetly did old Simeon clasp him in his arms but you must think that he did clasp him more gladly in his heart If you will but entertain him Christ and Salvation come to every one in this house Fourthly Take him submissively So as to be subject to him He hath wrought out Salvation for you therefore let him rule over you A Thanksgiving Sermon preached on the 10th of July 1665. at Mr. R. M's by Mr. Joseph Alleine c. Psalm 147. 20. He hath not dealt so with any Nation praise ye the Lord. THe sweet Psalmist of Israel a man skilful in praises doth begin and end this Psalm with Allelujah In the body of the psalm he doth set forth the mercy of God both toward all creatures in general in his common providence and towards his Church in particular So in this close of the psalm He sheweth his word unto Jacob and his statutes to Israel He hath not dealt so with any nation In the original 't is he hath not dealt so with every nation That is with 〈◊〉 nation In the Text you may observe a position and a conclusion A position And that is that God deals in a singular way of mercy with his people above all other people And then the Conclusion praise ye the Lord. Doct. That God deals in a singular way of mercy with his people and therefore expects singular praises from his people God expects of his people return of praise according to the mercy that they have received 〈◊〉 was a man not altogether forgetful of the mercy of God yet he rendred not according to the benefit he had received from God Christ expects that Math. 5. 47. his disciples should do more than others that seeing they do receive more from him in a way of mercy they should return him the more praise and glory The Application my Brethren is unto you If God do expect that his people should do more than others see that you do accordingly Let this be a provocation to you my Brethren to lift up your hearts and voyces in the praises of the Lord. VVhat people doth the Lord expect such returns from as from this people he hath not dealt so with any people therefore he expects praises from you more than from any other people Therefore consider with me what the Lord hath done for you more than for any others If we look upon our selves as common members of the nation and so God hath done more for us than for any others Or if we look upon our selves with reference to the particular place to which we belong and so God hath done more for us than he hath done sor others or if we look upon our selves as to our particular persons God hath dealt with us so as he hath not dealt with any other people First Let us look upon the mercies of God to us and the nation in common Surely we may say with the Psalmist he hath not dealt so with any nation This is a land which he hath set his heart upon and watcheâ—… over it from one end of the year to the other I will not speak of the outward mercies of this nation though we have a Land slowing with milk and 〈◊〉 I will speak to spiritual blessings Oh let it be remembred by us what spiritual mercies we have had how soon did the Lord plant the Gospel with us and how long hath it continued to us what would the world have been without the Gospel what is the world without the Sun but the beginning of Hell as it were I may say of you blessed are your eyes for they see and blessed are your ears for they hear Psa. 89. 15. Blessed are the people that hear the joyful sound they shall walk in the light of his countenance and in his name shall they rejoyce None can tell what a blessing the Gospel is Blessed be God who hath brought to light immortality through the Gospel Oh! think upon our fathers who went into the land of forgetfulness by thousand 's and had none to teach them And how long hath the Gospel continned here we have it from good History that in the primitive times the Gospel was planted here And when the Gospel was again clouded by the invasion of the bloody Saxons that were heathens God was plâ—… to send Ministers again to propagate the Gospel which was about 600 years after Christ when Austin was sent over from Rome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 after God raised up famous preachers of the Gospel And though God was pleased to suffer another cloud to cover the Gospel when Antichrist prevailed God raised up from one time to another some to testifie against him and to seal it with their blood But I 〈◊〉 more particularly speak of these 〈◊〉 mercies of God to our nation God hath made this nation signal in mercy First In the multitude of her converts Secondly In the honour of her 〈◊〉 Thirdly In the Crown of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fourthly The glory of her Ministers Fifthly Her singular and choice deliverances 〈◊〉 In the 〈◊〉 of her converts Herein God hath blessed this
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
his heart and mind to believers And this account he gives to his father when he leaves the world he shews his father that he had taught them and opened his mind to them Joh. 17. 6 8 14. Christ doth open and reveal the fathers mind and will to believers And as he is pleased to converse familiarly with us so he doth let us converse with him My Brethren it is an unspeakable dignity that God doth admit man to in that he will speak with him Herein Moses did commend the people of Isrâ—…l in that there was no Nation like to them that God should speak to them and they speaâ—… unto God This is a glorious priviledge that God will speak to man especially that he will speak to him by his Son Heb. 1. 1. This is more than for God to speak to him out of the fire This is a great condesâ—…ention on Gods part and exaltation on mans part And then not onely that God should speak to man but that man should speak to God Ah brethren this is that should make us stand amazed that we should be admitted to speak to the great God This did astonish Abraham Gen. 18. 27. Behold now I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord which am but dust and Ashes He wondered at this great dignity â—…hat the great God should let him converse with him That his ear should be open to us and we should come and knock at his door and have admission O what a priviledge is this what an honour is this that we should have the honour to speak with the King let him be in what company he wâ—…ll and be carried into his bed-chamber And yet thus it is Oh admire this rich grace of God and cry out with the Psalmist in the text Lord what is man that thou takest knowledge of him or the son of man that thou makest account of him Luk. 15. 23 24. Bring hither the fatted Cals and kill it and let us eat and be merry For this my Son was dead and is alive again he was lost and is found MY beloved this text is so full of mercy on Gods part and so full of comfort for us that methinks I may close the book and have done as soon as I have begun methinks the text might be a Sermon of it self In it you have set before you the joy and triumph of heaven for the recovery of poor dead lost sinners 1. You have heavens joy and triumph for them Bring hither the fatted calf and kill it and let us eat and be merry Under this is signified the Joy that is in heaven over one returning sinner The Angels of God yea the God of the Angels do rejoyce in the conversion of one lost sinner 2. You have the cause of this Joy and that was from that blessed and happy change that had passed upon this prodigal And there is a twofold change that we find upon him In his heart and in his state 1. In his Heart That you have in the verses above When he came to himself he said how mauy hired servants of my fathers have bread enough and to spare and I perish with hunger Here is a great change wrought upon his heart he is now come to his sensâ—…s again An impenitent finner is beside himself none in the world is so distracted as he is All the madness in the world is nothing to this He that throws fire-brands at his head is not in so bad a 〈◊〉 as he that throws fire-brands at God Well the man is now come to his senses and what was the effect 1 He was sensible of his misery I perish with hunger This is one of the first things that God doth for his people when he brings them home to make them sensible of their misery 2 He was sensible of his sin too Father I have sinned against heaven and before thee Not onely misery but the sense of sin must be set home upon the heart of a poor sinner or else the conversion will not be true 3 You have his confession and conversion His confession Father I have Sinned And his conversion he returned home to his Father 2. A change in his State When he comes to his father you shall see what an Alteration it made in his Father 1 From Nakedness to Clothing ver 22. But the father said to his servants bring forth the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet He was now new clothed from top to toe yea not onely for necessity but for ornament a ring on his hand O what a change was here from Rags to Robes And no other but the best Robes 2 From Penury to Plenty Bring hither the fatted calf Alass the poor starveling would have been glad but a little before to have eat of the husks that he fed the swine with but he could not have them But now the fatted calf must be fetched out and killed for him 3 From being lost to be found He was lost and is found 4 From being dead to be alive again There are four Observations that I shall commend to you from the words 1. Observ. That a Sinner in his Natural condition is not onely diseased but dead not onely strayed but lost 2. Obs. That there is a possibility even for dead Sinners to be raised for lost sinners to be recovered Consider this you that are here that are touched with the sense of your misery If any souls are touched with the sense of their misery and undone condition consider this that you may be found It hath been thus with all the saints of God They were dead and lost and yet are alive and are found and why may not you as well as they Oh pray and use the means Why should not you be turned too 3. Obs. That it is a most glorious and blessed change that God doth work in the state of a believer when he bringeth him to himself from the state that he was in no less than from being dead to be alive from being lost to be found 4. Obs. That it is mateer of Heavens joy and triumph when poor dead Sinners are revived and lost Sinners are recovered Bring hither the fâ—…ted calf c. and why so This my son was dead and is alive again was lost and is found It is the third of these Observations that I intend to insist upon That it is a most blessed and glorious change that God doth work in the state of a believer c. I shall open this in its several parts It is a great change that God doth work 1 From being dead to be alive Regeneration is not such a change as doth consist in performing such a duty or leaving such a sin that thou could'st not well live in It is pittiful to think how many take the leaving of one sin to be the new birth No it is no less than from being dead to be alive again 2 It is
Christ would content you you are none of his Can you acquiesse no where but in him do your wils cleave to him is he your setled resolved choice against all competitors if so doubtlesse it is well between you and him Thus it must be Christ must have your assent consent The judgement must prize him and the will must chuse him as the chief good Thirdly Let the bent of your affections be to Jesus Christ. Look upon the height of his stature and the goodlinesse of his countenance and you will say surely he is worthy Surely this is the Lords annointed Frequently and throughly view his excellencies till your eye affect your heart Let me set him among the other objects like Saul among the people and I must say to you as Samuel see you him whom the Lord hath câ—…osen There is none like him O let all your affections be moved at the sight of him and shout with the joyful people let the King live let Christ have all Let Sorrow sit with the melting penitent weeping at her Saviours feet Let your strongest â—…urning love be kindled when you do but think of Christ and fire your hearts and so bring them forth as a flaming sacrifice to welcome him Let fear make her obeysance and with humble reverence and lowliest veneration bow the knee of the soul to Zions King Let Joy be triumphant when you meditate on Christ. And call upon the daughters of Musick to praise and celebrate his excellency Let desire be upon the wing and spread the hands and open the mouth wide and pant for him Let the most lively and pregnant hope sit by the way and look for him and wait for his coming And get up in every Ordinance like Zacheus on the Sycamore-tree that he might see Jesus as he passeth by and big with earnest expectation of enjoying him In a word you must see to it that Christ be chief in your affections That he be your chief desire Your chief joy And this will evidence you to be his and without this all is unsound Fourthly Let the Butt of all your Actions be no other but Christ. Whatsoever you do do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here take your aim Here let all your designs meet Hither let all your motions tend That Christ may be magnified in you Phil. 1. 20. This is a mark undeniable But he that hath more eye to the pleasing of men his own advantage or any worldly good than to the pleasing and honouring of Christ is no better than a Hypocrite I must do as much as I can in a little time 't is time now to close I have given you together in these four heads the highest duties and surest characters of every true believer I must add nothing farther but onely to send my prayers after my papers and to let you know the Lords prison is not without his presence and most refreshing influence And that your prisoner is yours in all Bonds Joseph Alleine To the most endearing and beloved people the servants of Christ in Taunton Salvation Most loving and best beloved YOur late most affectionate lines are now in my hands your hearts cannot but be a most grateful and welcome present to me I return you mine not willingly but thankfully rejoycing to be yours while the Lord will your preacher and while the Lord will your prisoner still yours I acknowledge I am not my own If I have any interest in heaven it is yours to be improved for you If I have any talents of goods they are consessedly yours your claim your stock By the grace of God I am what I am I have nothing but what I have received from above and I have received for your use I love to think how much I am yours Make your claim with freedome nothing can please me mâ—…re My â—…rength is yours my labor my liberty my losses yours Ultimately Christs but nextly yours I accept with all thankfullness your manifold respects May whatever honour you put on me reâ—…lect upon Christ whose I am and whom I serve He is all and therefore I must needs be nothing Let no man set me above my place I am too to selâ—…ish to my shame and grief I acknowledge it may your prayers be the cure of it yet surely I should chuse to be lower so Christ might sit the higher in all your hearts I am onely the friend of the Bridegroom My soul rejoyceth to hear how fast you stand how close you cleave to him my Joy is now fullfilled What greater joy to the friend of the Bridegroom than to hear the Bridegrooms voyce how sweetly he converses with his Bride and she with him and to see the sweet passages of love between them when he hath been a means to bring them together This is my joy it refreshes me I am full of consolation to hear how tender he is of you to see him spreading the skirts of his love the wing of his power and care over you Happy thou Who is like unto thee O people A people saved of the Lord the shield of thy strength the sword of thine excellency My dearly beloved let the name of Jesus be more sweet and precious than ever to you Verily I am but his spokesman Forget me neglect me any thing if you will but love him and adore him and admire him the more I rejoyce as to hear the sweet voice of the Bridegroom to you so to hear of your love and 〈◊〉 to him Surely the Lord hath a singular blessing for you Aâ—… poor and despised dâ—…spised the Butt of humane malice the eye-sorâ—… of thy potent enemies The Archers have shot sorely at thee the Hunters have made thee the deere of the Chase singled from the rest of the 〈◊〉 and design'd for the Game for the prey of the â—…ungry pursuers quick upoâ—… the scent following upon the scent with full cry and yet the beloved of the Lord 〈◊〉 in sasety by him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 covâ—…reth thee all the day long thou dwellest between his shoulders O people of desires hear the â—…rauld of God glorious office Lord how unworthy am I of this strange grace who am not worthy to stoop down and unloose the latchet of thy shooes yet here me as an 〈◊〉 of God unto you O people it is commanded that you kiss the Son That you sall down and worship not the humane Idol but him whom Jehovah hath set up and sworn that every kâ—…e shall bow and every tongue confess to him or be cast into the burning siery surnace os his tormenting wrath seventimes hotter yea seventy times seven than 〈◊〉 was Unto you it is commanded that you receive his mark in your foreheads by open and bold profession in your hands your right hands by suitable works in a holy diligent active conversation above all in your hearts there he must be set as a seal as well as write upon the palms of â—…our 〈◊〉 by most vehement servent affection Let
every one of your hearts be all on fire with strongest burning love to the name of Jesus and offered as a flaming sacriâ—… to him Beloved I am affraid almost to tell you what Christ looks for from you I think of his mercies to you with fear and great joy Know my beloved and remember that he Looks for great things from you you have received much and God will 〈◊〉 much I beseech you be not as other people My mouth is open to you my heart is enlarged but my time is very streight Sleep hath departed from my eyes to write a few lines unto you but I am upon your service when you know it not yet I cannot end without telling you that you had need look to it that you be in all things more than ordinary because the Lord looks for extraordinary prosiciency from you Brethren let your hearts be entire with God be abundant in secret Duties Prayer Meditation Self-examination Watchfullness Self-denial Let none of you be another thing in your Families or Closets from what he is in the Assembly and the open profession that he makes Look to the heart-work See that you be truly thorowly and unreservedly the Lords Beware lest with any of you a secret root of Hypocrisie should spoil a forward and goodly profession Care above all things in the world to approve your hearts to the piercing eye of the â—…lous God Let your good works shine besore men but reckon your selves to be no more than what you are in secret Maintain a holy jealousie of your selves till upon much prayer and tryal and self-observation you have found out by Scripture-marks the certainty of your state But I intrench on other things to wade thus far To my keeper I commend you and with dearest loves to you all in the Bowels of our Lord I remain Your Ambassador in Bonds Joseph Alleine My dear father and brother Norman remembers you tenderly desiring you to hold fast what you have received and heard and that you be holy harmless exemplary and without offence in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation A Practical CASE on Phil. 3. 13 14. This ONE thing I do I press toward the Mark. Q. HOw may we come to make Religion our business Rule 1. You must throughly acquaint your selves with the rule and the compass that Religion steers by Unless the Mariner know every point of his Compass he is like to make but foul work of it The word is a believers Compass Gal. 6. 16. As many as walk according to This rule c. A believer walks by Rule and by this Rule the Rule of the word you can never mannage the business of Religion except you do throughly know and often eye your Rule and put the rule to your work How can you trade religiously unless you know the Rules you are to deal by Or pray rightly if ignorant of the Rules you are to pray by Beloved the commandement is exceeding broad and prescribes you Rules for your whole Man and sor the right behaving of your selves in every part of your conversation Oh hide the word in your hearts lay up the Rules you are to work by and the Rules that you are to give by the Rules that you are to speak by and the Rules that you are to hear by and the Rules that you are to examine your selves by Be sure there be no part of your conversation but that you have some Rules that you doe set to your selves about it How can you carry your selves Religiously in your Relations unless you doe conscienciously observe the Rules that you are to carry your selves by If wives do not know their Rules and husbands their Rules and servants their Rules and children their Rules how can you bring your profession to any thing beloved as ever you would make any thing of Religion know the Rules of your places set it down with your selves you husbands you wives you children you servants these be the Rules that I will walk by and wherein I sail of these Rules I will seé my errour and study to come up to what is lacking Resp. 2. You must have the whole lump of the heart leavened and seasoned with Religion Matth. 13. 33. The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto leaven which a woman hid c. The word is this leaven The heart is this lump in which this leaven is hid now when the whole lump is throughly seasoned then their will be such a suitableness between the heart and the work that Religion will become a pleasure A true Christian hath the law of the Spirit of Life within him he hath a transcript of the word in his soul. Now where the law of Religion is in the heart there will be a love of delight in and propensity to the work of Religion Rom. 8. 2. Heb. 8. 10. I delight to doe thy will thy law is within my heart Psal. 40. 8. who naturally careth for your state Phil. 2. 20. where Religion hath taken deep root in the heart the concerns of Christ will become its natural care Now that which is natural is delightful and when a man loves his work he will be much in it Again that which is natural is constant so that when the heart is naturalized and habituated to Religion the man will constantly follow it To a heart throughly sanctified Religion is the very Element it lives in whereas a carnal heart in holy exercises is like a fish out of the water it cannot away with the strictness of a holy self-denying life when the heart is renewed and made spiritual t will naturally mind the things of the Spirit Rom. 8. 5. Joh. 3. 6. Rule 3. You must have these six Principles inwrought and deeply engraven into your souls Prin. 1. That Religion is the very end of your being that you were made and maintained for This is the end and use of all your powers and faculties That you may serve and glorisie the God that made you He made you for himself Prov. 16. 4. For his pleasure you are and were created Rev. 4. 11. Oh man look upon thy self think whence thou art and for what a little while since thou wast not how camest thou to be hath not the hand of God framed thee Think with thy self wherefore serve all these powers and faculties To what end were they given me what to eat and drink and sleep and sport If I had been a brute I could have done this why should it repent the Lord that he hath made me a man that he hath given me an understanding soul wherefore have I reason above the rest of the Creatures but that I should understand the Law of my Creation and the end of my being and know my makers ends and doe his pleasure Better I had never been born than not to answer my end Better I had been a Brute than a Man unless I glorifie God with my understanding and imploy my powers and faculties in his service