to poor sinners without their using of the means but he won't being resolved that they shall use the means of hearing reading praying and conference c. and when they have done leave the issue of all their labors and endeavors to his good Will and pleasure I have taken the more pains fully and clearly to answer this objection that it may never more have a resurrection in any of your souls Ninthly If ever you would be holy then when you have done all wait Oh hear and wait and wait and hear pray and wait and wait and pray read and wait and wait and read confer and wait and wait and confer watch and wait and wait and watch Oh sirs shall the husbandman wait for a good harvest Jam. 5.7 8. and the Merchant for good returns and the Watchman for the dawning of the day and the Patient for a happy cure and the poor Client for a day of hearing c and will not you wait for Christ and wait for the spirit and wait for pardon and wait for grace and wait for glory c Oh sinners sinners remember you are at the right doore and therefore wait Oh remember that whilst you are waiting for mercy God is preparing of mercy Oh remember that 't is mercy that you may wait for mercy devils and damned spirits can't wait for mercy wait they must but O 't is for more wrath anger and fiery indignation Oh remember your condition bespeaks waiting for you are poor halt lame blinde and miserable creatures Oh remember that mercy is sweetest when it comes after a patient waiting Deut. 32.13 He made him to suck honey out of the rock and oil out of the flinty rock That is he made him to suck water that was as sweet as honey out of the rock out of the flinty rock Oh remember that a patient waiting for mercy is the onely way to greaten your mercy The longer said the Emperors son the Cooks are a preparing the meat the better the chear will be his meaning was the longer he staid for the Empire the greater it would be So the longer a soul waits for mercy the greater and the better it will be when it comes as you may see in that famous instance of the poor man that lay eight and thirty years at the Pool of Bethesda Joh. 5.2.16 Famous was the patience of Elijah's servant 1 King 18.8 who in obedience to his Masters command went seven several times up and down steep Carmel which could not be without danger and difficulty and all to bring news of nothing till his last journey which made a recompence for all the rest with the tydings of a cloud arising Oh so do but patiently wait upon the Lord and that grace that favour that mercy will come at last which will fully recompence you for all your waitings remember that the mercies of God are not styled the swift Isa 55.3 but the sure mercies of David mercy may be sure though it be not presently upon the wing flying towards us And the same Prophet saith the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward Isa 58.8 now this we know comes up last to secure and make good all the rest for where Grace leads the Front Glory at last will be in the Rere Oh do but patiently wait Heb. 10.37 and he that shall come will come and will not tarry not a year not a quarter not a month not a week not a day no not an hour beyond the prefixed time that he hath set of shewing mercy to poor sinners O how sad was it that Saul should lose his Kingdom for want of two or three hours patience but O how much more sad will it be if thou shouldst lose all the prayers that thou hast made and all the Sermons that thou hast heard and all the tears that thou hast shed and all other pains that thou hast taken and all for want of a little more patience yea how woful sad would it be if thou shouldst lose thy God and lose thy Christ and lose thy soul and lose an eternity of glory and all for want of a little patience to wait the Lords leisure O therefore resolve to hold on waiting to the death and if thou must perish to perish in a waiting way which if thou shouldst thou wouldst be the first that ever so perished O remember that if God should come and mercy come and pardon come and grace come when thy Sun is near setting when thy glass is almost out and when there is but a short step between thee and eternity it will infinitely recompence thee for all thy waiting and therefore wait still and to keep up thy spirits and to uphold thy soul in a waiting way O! that thou wouldest make these following promises thy daily food thy daily friends thy daily companions Psal 27.14 Waâ—t on the Lord be of good courage and he shall strengthen thine heart wait I say on the Lord. Prov. 20.22 Wait on the Lord and he shall save thee Isa 30.18 And therefore will the Lord wait that he may be gracious unto you and therefore will he be exalted that he may have mercy upon you for the Lord is a God of judgement Blessed are all they that wait for him Chap. 40. ult But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings as Eagles they shall run and not be weary and they shall walk and not faint Chap. 49.23 They shall not be ashamed that wait for me And Chap. 64.4 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the ear neither hath the eye seen O God besides thee what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him Pro. 8.34 Blessed is the man that heareth me watching daily at my gates waiting at the posts of my doors O how should these precious promises encourage your hearts to wait on the Lord O how should they lengthen and draw out your patience to the utmost But Tenthly and lastly Dwell much upon the memorable judgements of God that even in this life has faln upon unholy persons Remember Lots wife O! remember her sin and punishment that so fearing the one Luk. 17.32 you may learn to take heed of the other Isa 26.9 When thy judgements are in the earth the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness that is they should learn righteousness for so the words may be read they should learn to fear thee and learn to turn unto thee and learn to forsake their sins and amend their lives When thy judgements thy memorable judgements are abroad in the world it highly concerns all the sons of men to look after holy dispositions holy affections and holy conversations that so it may go well with them in the day of the Lords wrath others sense the words thus When thy judgements are on the earth the inhabitants of the world that is sinners as well as Saints
14.4 5 7 8 9 20. compared To know our selves to be holy is very desireable but wo were to many precious Christians if they might not be holy and yet not know it if they might not have holiness in their hearts when the appearance of holiness is hid from their eyes Look as sparks and coals of fire are often hid under the ashes and we see them not and as in Winter the sap and life is hid in the root of the tree and we perceive it not and as precious flowers are hid in their seeds and we discern them not so when it is Winter with a Christian his holiness may be so hid and covered under fears doubts sins c. that he may not be able to see it to discern it or conclude that he hath it As the air is sometimes clear and sometimes cloudy and the Sea sometimes ebbing and sometimes flowing so the holiness of the Saints is sometimes so clouded and at so low an ebb that a Christian can hardly discern it he can hardly say Lo here is my holiness the being of holiness in the soul is one thing the seeing of holiness in the soul is another thing the being of holiness is one thing the feeling of holiness is another thing A Christian may as safely conclude that there are no stars in the sky in a dark night because he cannot see them and that there is no treasure in the Mine because he cannot discern it nor come to the feeling of it as he may conclude that he hath no holiness in his heart because he cannot see it he cannot feel it As the treasures of this world Prov. 2.3 4 5 6. so the treasures of holiness often-times he low a man must dig deep before he can come at them As the babe lives in the womb but doth not know it and â—s the Sun often shines into the house and a man doth not see it so the babe of grace may be formed in the soul and yet a Christian not know it and the Sun of holiness may shine in his soul and yet he not see it O therefore how greatly doth it concern Christians to make a diligent a narrow and a serious search into their own hearts whether they have this Jewel of glory Holiness in their souls or no! And if these arguments will not provoke you to fall upon this work of trial I know not what will But me thinks I hear some of you saying O Sir how shall we do to know whether we have this real holiness or no we see it is our very great concernment to know whether God hath sown this heavenly seed in our souls or no but how shall we come to know this Now to this I answer there are several wayes whereby this may be discovered As First a person of real holiness is much affected and taken up in the admiration of the holiness of God Unholy persons may be somewhat affected and taken with other of the excellencies of God but it is only holy souls that are affected and taken with the holiness of God Exod. 15.11 Who is like unto thee O Lord amongst the Gods Who is like thee glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wonders In this stately description of God holy Moses is most taken up in magnifying and admiring the holiness of God Holiness is that glory of the Creator that holy ones most delight to glory in So Psa 78.41 89.19 c. Isa 43.3 and chap. 49.7 So holy David Psalm 71.22 Vnto thee will I sing with the Harp O thou holy one of Israel So Isa 12.6 Cry out and shout thou inhabitant of Zion for great is the holy one of Israel in the midst of thee The inhabitants of Zion must shout and hollow out as the Hebrew word carries it in token of joy because he that is great and in the midst of them is the holy one of Israel So Hab. 1.12 Art not thou from everlasting O Lord my God my holy one Among holy ones none to the holy One Yea the more holy any are the more deeply are they affected and taken with the holiness of God as you may see in Isaiah 6.3 And one cried unto another or this cried to this and said Holy holy holy is the Lord of Hosts the whole earth is full of his glory The holy Seraphims by trebling the acclamation of his holiness Holy holy holy do denote not only the superlative eminency glory and excellency of Gods holiness but also they do discover how greatly how abundantly they are affected and taken with the holiness of God To the holy Angels the holiness of God is the sparkling diamond in the ring of glory But now unholy persons are rather affected and taken with any thing then with the holiness of God The carnal secure sinner is affected and taken with the patience forbearance and long-suffering of God O saith he what a God of patience is this that hath waited so many years for my repentance that he that might long since have damned me waits still to save me that he who might long since have cast me into hell is still willing that I should go to heaven Deut. 29.18 19 20 21. Eccles 8.11 The presumptuous sinner is much affected and taken with the mercy and goodness of God Well saith the presumptuous sinner though I have sinned thus and thus yet God hath been merciful to me and though I do sin daily thus and thus yet God is still merciful to me and though I should still go on to sin seven-fold more yet he would be merciful to me He doth not delight in the death of a sinner nor in the damnation of souls O what a merciful God is God! The prosperous sinner he is taken with the bounty and liberality of God O saith he what a bountiful God what a liberal God is this who fills my barns fills my baggs who prospers me at home and abroad who hath blest me with a healthful body a fair estate a saving wife a full trade laborious servants and thriving children c. But where is there a sinner in all the world that is affected and taken with the holiness of God! Certainly there is nothing that renders God so formidable and terrible to unholy persons as his holiness doth Isa 30.11 Get you out of the way turn aside out of the path cause the holy One of Israel to cease from before us O that you would not preach so much nor talk so much to us of the holy One of Israel O that you would once cease from molesting and vexing us with message upon message from the holy One Why cannot you as well talk and preach to us of the merciful one the compassionate one the affectionate one the pittiful one c. as be still a talking to us of the holy one the holy one Dan. 5.4 5 6. Hab. 1.13 O we love not to hear it O we cannot tell how to bear it nothing
good a common blessing All fare the better for a holy man all in the family all in the Court all in the City all in the Countrey fare the better for the holy mans sake Gen. 30.27 chap. 19.21 22 23 24. chap. 41 c. All in Labans family did fare the better for Jacobs sake and all in the City of Zoar did fare the better for Lots sake and all Pharoahs Court and the whole Countrey of Egypt did fare the better for Josephs sake Sodom was safe whilest holy Lot was in it 2 Kings 2.12 Psalm 106.23 Holy Elijah was the chariots and horsemen of Israel whilest holy Moses stood in the gap destroying judgements were diverted when holy Phineas took up his Censer and stood between the living and the dead the plague was stayed Numb 26.46 49. Holy persons are publike mercies publike blessings Job 22.30 God will sometimes deliver a whole Countrey for the sake of the inocent c. He shall deliver the Island of the innocent and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands or as some read the words the innocent shall deliver the Island that is the inhabitants of the Island the innocent shall deliver those that are not innocent had there been but ten innocent but ten righteous persons in Sodom Sodom might have been a glorious city to this day had there been but ten righteous souls among them Gen. 18.32 to the end God would never have rained hell out of heaven upon them The guiltless shall deliver the guilty in an Island the guiltless by lifting up pure hands to God in prayer shall stay the hand of God that it destroyes not the guilty It is the holy seed that upholdeth the civil state Isa 6.13 I will seek thy good was holy Davids royal and religious resolution Psalm 122.9 Kings are for Kingdoms not Kingdoms for Kings But yet in it shall be a tenth and it shall return and shall he eaten as a teyl-tree and as an oak whose substance is in them when they cast their leaves so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof The holy seed were the stay and prop of their Land and this the Lord evidences by a very familiar instance or similitude it is as if he should say You see the way or cawsey leading from the Kings house to the Temple spoken of in 1 Kings 10.5 and 2 Kings 12.21 1 Chron. 26.16 17. and 2 Chron. 9.11 how by reason of the oaks and trees on either side thereof the earth between is stayed and held up firm which otherwise would fall to decay and moulder away So saith God it is the holy seed that bears up the whole state and were it not for them desolation and destruction would come in as a flood upon you Prov. 10.25 The righteous is an everlasting foundation the Hebrew Doctors sense it thus The righteous are the foundation of the world which would soon shatter and fall to ruine but for their sakes The whole world fares the better every day for the righteous sake If it were not for this holy seed the chaff of this world would soon be set on fire if the number of the holy seed were but called and converted God would quickly turn the whole world into flames and ashes it is they that bear up the pillars of the earth Psalm 75.3 I bare up the pillars of the earth holy persons are the true Atlasses both of Church and state they are the pillars on whom all do rest the props on whom all do lean do but overturn these pillars and all will fall about your ears as the house did about the Philistines when Sampson shook it let but Kingdoms and Common-wealths wrack these and they shall quickly be ship-wrackt themselves There is not a sinner in the world but enjoyes his estate his relations his outward accommodations yea his very life upon the account of the Saints and therefore they must needs be bewitcht or fools or mad men that are still a lifting and a thrusting at these very pillars that bear them up Look as Sampsons strength did lie in his locks so the strength and safety of the Nation lies in the holy seed they are the Bullwarks and Ammunition of the Nation the safety and felicity of the whole is bound up in them it is not Armies nor Navies nor walled Cities nor fortified Casiles nor golden Mines nor grave Counsells that will secure a Nation if once the people of Gods holinesse be cast by as broken pitchers Lam. 4.1 2. Est 4. and chap. the last compared it is their piety and prayers that keeps off sweeping judgements from a Nation and that brings down variety of mercies upon a Nation Holy persons are the clouds that water the earth as a common blessing and they are the rising Sun that scatters all clouds and darknesse A holy man is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a publke diffusive blessing in the place where he lives look as one sinner destroyes much good Eccles 9.18 so one Saint may save a Land a Countrey Jer. 5.1 Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem and see now and know and seek in the broad places thereof if ye can finde a man if there bee any that executeth judgement If among the rabbâ—â— if among the noble if among the rich if among the fearned a man could have been found that loved holiness that was stout for righteousness and that practised uprightness God would have spared Jerusalem that seeketh the truth and I will pardon it Though Jerusalem was far larger and more populous I say not only then Sodom but then all the other Cities that sinned and perished with it yet God makes so large and noble an offer that if there could be found in it but one man divinely qualified but a man of justice a man of faithfulnesse a man of uprightnesse a man of holinesse the Lord would pardon it that is hee would spare it hee would not destroy it not ruine it God once made an offer to Abraham that if there were but ten righteous souls in Sadome he would save it but here he falls so low as to make an offer that if there could bee but one righteous soul found in Jerusalem hee would not destroy it One Saint may save a City yea a world of sinners from confusion and destruction Luther whilest he lived by Faith and Prayer kept off troubles from Germany but soon after he was gone to his grave in Peace O! the wars the miseries and mischiefs the distractions and confusions that came in like a stood upon them Possidonius in the life of Augustine tells us that the famous City of Hippo could never bee spoyled whilest Augustine lived The flood could not drown the old world till holy Methâ—sâ—lah was laid up in peace O Sirs as ever you would be a publick blessing labour to bee holy But Ninthly Consider the antiquity of holinesse holinesse is of the greatest highest and
Traveller mend his pace when he sees the night comes on and shall the Smiâ—â— strike when the Iron is hot and shall not we take the present opportunity of repenting and turning to the Lord Remembring that there will be a time when time shall be no more He. 12.17 Luke 13.24 27. and when there shall be no place found for repentance though it should be sought carefully with tears and remembring that there will be a time when thy glass will be out when the door will be shut and when there will be no entrance at all And remembring that it is a safer course with prudent Prometheus to foresee a danger and shun it then with foolish Epimetheus to go on unadvisedly and be punished Ah friends it is a dangerous thing to make repentance What madness and folly is it for a man that hath many young strong stout horses and a long journey to go to let these pass by and to lay his carriage and get up himself upon an old feeble jade that can hardly bear himself The application is easie Mal. 1.13 14. which should be the practice of all your dayes to be the task of old Age. Doth not common experience tell us that the longer the Ship leaketh the harder it is to be emptied and that the longer the house goes to decay the worse it is to repair and that the further the nail is driven the harder it will be to get out and so certainly the longer any man defers his repentance the more difficult it will be for him to repent his heart will every day grow more and more hard his will more and more perverse and his judgement more and more corrupted and his affections more and more disordered and his conscience more and more benummed or enraged and his whole life more and more defiled and debauched Friends do not deceive your selves old age is but a sad a sandy a tottering and sinking foundation for you to build your hopes and happinesse upon for you to build your everlasting condition your eternal making or marring upon Are the dog dayes of old age are the trembling hands the wrinckled face the dazeled eyes the stinking lungs the fainting heart the feeble knees and the failing leggs are these a sacrifice worthy of God is a body full of sores aches and diseases and a soul full of sin an offering becoming a God surely no. O what madnesse what wickednesse is this to serve Satan your lusts and this world with full dishes and to put off God with scraps to serve these in the flower in the prime and primrose of you days and to put off God with the dregs of old age Certainly repentance is rather a work for youth then old age it is a work rather for strength then weaknesse and for health then sicknesse O do not let Satan deceive you do not let your own hearts delude you but fall upon the work of repentance presently knowing that as you have one day more to repent of so you have one day lesse to repent in What a piece of vanity is it that while the Ship is sound the tackling sure the Pilot well the Sailers strong provisions laid in and the wind favourable that the Mariners and passengers should lie in the Rode carding drinking diceing dancing and idling And when the Ship is leak the Pilot sick the mariners faint provisions spent and the winds boisterous then to weigh Anchors and hoist up sail to make a voyage into a far Countrey And yet such is the vanity of most men who in the dayes of their youth health and strength who when their memories are strong and their fancies quick and their Reason ripe c. do sin away and fool away and trifle away the day of grace the offers of mercy the motions of the Spirit and the intreaties of Christ and when old age comes when their wits are crackt their souls distracted their senses stupified their hearts astonied their minds darkned and their bodies diseased and distempered O then they think to leap into heaven with a Lord have mercy upon me in their mouthes and though they have lived like devils yet they hope they shall die like Saints and though they never took no care of Gods honour yet they hope that God will take care of their souls but when the thred of their lives is cut the next news that ever you shall hear of these is that they are gone to hell I have read of a young man who being admonished of the evil of his way and course and being pressed to leave his wickednesse and to break off his sins by repentance upon the consideration of Judgement Eternity and Death a coming he answered what do you tell me of these things I warrant you I will do well enough for when death comes I will speak but three words and that will help all so he went on in his wickednesse but in the end coming to a Bridge on Horse-back to go over a deep water the Horse stumbling and he labouring to recover his Horse could not but at last he let go the Bridle gave up himself and his Horse to the waters and was heard to say these three words Devil take all Here were three words with a witnesse And ô that all that think to repent at last with a Lord have mercy upon me would lay this instance to heart The light of thy life may be put out before thou canst once say Miserere mei Deus Lord be mercifull to me a sinner Though the Chariot wheels run all the day long very near one another yet they never overtake one another O take heed of delaying thy repentance for the more thou delayest it the more will thy account be increased thy debt augmented Satan strengthned thy body infeebled thy lusts imboldned thy soul endangered and all the difficulties of conversion more and more multiplied by delaying of thy repentance thou goest the way to gratifie Satan to cozen thy self to lose the opportunities of grace and to damn thy soul for ever and ever Well remember this if thou wilt not repent to day God may swear in his wrath to morrow that thou shalt not enter into his rest and then wo to thee that ever thou wert born And thus much for the preventing of these sad mistakes about repentance which mistakes keep off many a man from looking and labouring after that holinesse without which there is no happinesse Secondly If ever you would be holy O then take heed of a Witch take heed of the world the world often swells the heart with pride â—eut 32.15.22 it makes men forget God neglect Christ slight Ordinances and despise holinesse Ah the time the thoughts the strength That Cardinal was wretched as well as rich that would not leave his part in Paris for a part in Paradise the spirits that this enticing world hath made many to spend and consume whilest their souls have lien a bleeding and
mens hell who sin against a double light c. But Thirdly The neglect of prayer is charged upon wicked persons as their sin as you may see by comparing of these Scriptures together Psal 14.2 4. Psal 10.4 Jer. 10.21 Hosea 7.7 Zepha 1.6 Now doubtless if it were not a duty for unregenerate persons to pray it could never stand with the holiness justice and righteousness of God to charge the omission of prayer upon them as a sin but the omission of prayer is charged upon them as a sin and therefore without all peradventure 't is their duty to pray But Fourthly Wicked and unregenerate persons are againe and â—gaine imprecated against for not calling upon the Lord Psal 79.6 Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not knowne thee and upon the kingdomes that have not called upon thy name So Jer. 10.25 Pour out thy fury upon the Heathen that know thee not and upon the families that call not upon thy name Now certainly if prayer were not a duty incumbent upon wicked men they would never be thus imprecated against for the omission of it to imprecate that vials that full vials that full vials of wrath and fury should be poured forth as water is poured forth suddenly and plentifully upon those kingdoms and families that do not call upon the name of the Lord is so dreadful a thing that it had never been mentioned in the Scripture had it not been to alarme the worst of men to the work of prayer But Fifthly If absolute promises or precious promises of special grace and mercy be made to sinners as sinners then sinners may in prayer plead out those promises and urge God upon making good his promises but absolute promises or promises of special grace and favour are made over to sinners as sinners ergo That such promises are made over to poor sinners as sinners is evident by comparing these Scriptures together Isa 57. 17 18 19. These words drop nothing but myrrhe and mercy if Ennius could pick gold out of a dunghil oh what gold what comfort may be pick't out of these golden promises In these words let us consider two things First the precious promises that are here made Secondly the persons to whom they are made In the words you have four precious promises of special grace and favour they are as so many streames of grace flowing from the covenant of grace First You have here a promise of healing ver 18. I have seen his wayes and will heale him or as you may reade the words though I have seen his wayes and courses and well observed how unworthily how untowardly and how obstinately he has carried it yet I will heale him I will heale his backsliding nature though his disease be dangerous though it be very dangerous yet to an Almightie Physician no disease is uncurable I will heale his inside by pardoning his sin and purging his conscience Psal 103.3 Jer. 3.22 Mala. 4.2 and I will heale his outside by removing of judgements and calamities from him and all this I will doe upon the account of my promise and covenant Hosea 14.4 Jer. 32.38 and 40.2 compared Secondly You have in the words a promise of leading I will lead him also or as the Hebrew hath it and I will lead him I will conduct him in safety to his own Countrey so some sense it but you may understand it doubtless of a spiritual as well as of a providential leading I will lead him by my word and I will lead him by my Spirit and I will lead him by my counsel sutable unto many precious promises of grace that are scattered up and down in the Scripture Thirdly In the words you have a promise of comfort I will restore comforts to him not comfort but comforts that is in the roome of all those discomforts sorrows calamities and miseries that he has been exercised with I will says God lay in abundance of comfort yea I will store him with all sorts of comforts both temporal spiritual and eternal sutable to that word of grace that you have in Isa 40.1 2. Fourthly In the words you have a promise of peace v. 19. I create the fruit of the lips peace peace to him that is far off and to him that is near saith the Lord the gemination of the word Shalom Shalom peace peace imports a large extent of peace it notes true peace firm peace sure peace great peace abundance of peace yea constant lasting peace under the name of peace in the Hebrew is denoted all manner of prosperity and the Geminating of the word always notes a large measure of tranquility plenty prosperity and felicity Oh sirs peace with God and peace with conscience and peace with the creatures are all the products of Gods creating power and grace 2 Eph. 16.17 18. and so must be referred to the Covenant of Grace Secondly Let us consider the persons to whom these precious promises are made and here set us observe these three things First Their sin and this you have in vers 17. For the iniquity of his covetousness I was wroth The sin that is charged upon him is a very great and grievous 't is a very vile and hainous sin 't is called not onely covetousness but the iniquity of his covetousness to shew the height and transcendency of this their wickedness for covetousness is a Mother-sin 2 Tim. 6.10 't is a breeding sin 't is a sin that has all sin in the womb of it 't is a sin not onely against the light and law of grace but also against the light and law of nature for it makes the soul terrene which should be celestial and therefore the Persians though Heathens have a law that no man ought to covet what belongs to any other man And they have another Law that they ought not to be worldly minded No sin lays men under greater woes Wo to him that joyneth house to house and wo to you Scribes Pharisees and Hypocrites Mat. 23 'T is an evil that subjects men to the basest and vilest evils 't is the root of all evil it makes a man a fool Luk. 12.20 Thou fool this night thy soul shall be taken from thee It robes a man of all true peace comfort content and quiet it brings men into snares which drowns their souls in perdition It renders men unsatisfied under all their outward enjoyments though a covetous wretch may have enough to sink him yet he can never have enough to satisfie him first he wishes for a bagg full and then a chest full and then a chamber full and then a Church full c. The plague of unsatisfiedness is none of the least of plagues that covetous men are under Certainly you shall as soon fill a triangle with a circle and a chest with grace and the body with aire as you shall be able to fill and satisfie a covetous mind with money In a word covetousness is a sin that renders a
man unserviceable in his generation a covetous man is like a Swine that is good for nothing whilst he lives the Horse is good to bare and carry the Ox is good to draw the Sheep is good for cloth the Cow is good to give milk and the Dogg is good to keep the house but the Hogg is good for nothing whilst he lives so a covetous man is neither good for Church nor State he is no wayes serviceable in his generation onely when he is dead that Scripture often proves true viz. That the riches of a sinner are laid up for the just Job 27. By all which you may see the greatness of this sin of covetousness that is so closely charged upon them But Secondly He grew worse under the afflicting hand of God I was wroth and smote him and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart They were like pevish froward stubborn children that grow more cross crooked and perverse under all the chastenings of their Father and this was no small aggravation of their sin Lib. de superstitione that they grew worse under the Rod. Plutarch writes that 't is the quality of Tygres that if the Drums or Tabouâ—s sound about them they will grow mad and rend and tear their own flesh in pieces and so 't was with these sinners in the text Oh how did they fret and fume and tear and take on when they were under the rebukes of God But Thirdly He persever'd and went on against all gain-sayings I have seen his ways that is I have seen his obstinacy and incorrigibility in sin Ah poor creature says God he sees not his present misery and slavery he takes no notice of his own folly and vanity of his own frowardness and pevishness he scorns to bend or bow under my mighty hand he is resolved to stand it out to the death he will persist on in his own wayes though he eternally perishes though hell stands at the end of his ways yet on he will Well what is the issue of all this God saith I have seen his ways and will heal him 't is not I have seen his ways and will curse him no but I have seen his ways and will heal him 't is not I have seen his ways and will never have any more to do with him no but I have seen his ways and will heal him 't is not I have seen his ways and will damn him no but I have seen his ways and will heal him Oh the freeness Oh the unsearchableness Oh the riches of Gods grace And thus you see that the precious promises last cited are promises that are made over to sinners as sinners And this is further evident in that Isa 43.22 23 24 25. For sins of omission and sins of commission what can be more charged upon a sinful people then here is charged upon them they were not onely negligent of his worship and service but they were also weary of his worship and service and counted it rather a burden then a benefit a toyl then a pleasure in all their outward observances they did but court the Lord they did but complement with God for whilst they were in his service their hearts were secretly weary of his service and by their sinful commissions Oh how did they grieve vex oppress and burden the Holy one of Israel and yet in vers 25. God does passionately and emphatically proclaim their free pardon I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake and will not remember thy sins The Metaphor is taken from mens blotting out of debts out of their debt-book now when a debt is blotted out of the debt-book 't is never charged upon the debtor more 't is never regarded nor remembered more so when God proclaimes the sinners pardon when he forgives him his transgressions he blots he rases he crosses his books and cancels all bonds so as that he will never object his sins against him and never charge his sins upon him but being once forgiven they shall be for ever forgotten they shall never come into his remembrance more And all this he will do for his name sake and for the praise and glory of his own Free-grace So in Ezek. 36.26 27 28. and 37. compared Now by all these Scriptures 't is most plain and evident that the precious promises of special grace and mercy are made over to sinners as sinners and if so then doubtless sinners may lawfully put these promises into suit Oh sirs don't you know that desire is the soul of prayer and who but such as are witless and graceless will say that a wicked man may not desire the accomplishment of Gods gracious promises that will say an unregeneraâ—e man may not desire to be pardoned sanctified and renewed and that the Lord would bestow his spirit upon him and that by the finger of the same spirit the Law of the Lord may be written in his heart that he may observe his Statutes and do them these are things that God has engaged himself to do for poor sinners and therefore certainly sinners may put God in mind of his engagements But Sixthly and lastly God would never have encouraged and rewarded with temporal favors wicked and unregenerate mens religious duties and services as he has done if he would not have had them exercise themselves in Religious duties now that he has thus encouraged and rewarded wicked and unregenerate men is evident in these instances 1 Kings 21.19 ult Jonah 3.4 ult 2 Chron. 26.5 Vzziah sought God in the days of Zechariah and when he sought the Lord God made him to prosper had he been really godly had he had the root of the matter in him had he been a sincere a throughout Christian he would have sought the Lord all his days he would have held on and held out in well-doing but being carnal hypocritical and unregenerate his Religion dies with Zechariah Another instance you have of this among the sailors that usually are the worst of sinners Psal 107.23 30. And another you have in that known case of Jehu from all which we may well conclude that God expects and looks that wicked men that unregenerate men should be found in the exercise of Religious duties It is an excellent observation of Calvin upon Gods rewarding the Rechabites obedience Jer. 35.19 God saith he oft recompenceth the shadows and seeming appearances of vertue to shew that complacency he takes in the ample rewards he hath reserved for true and sincere piety To conclude It was as easie for Boaz to have given Ruth as much corn at once as would have yielded her an Ephah of Barly so have sent her home without any more ado but he would not being resolved that she should use her endeavor to gather and glean it and beat it out too when she had gleaned it so 't is as easie a thing for God to give his Christ to give his Spirit and to give his Grace immediately
Secondly There are degrees of Torments in Hell and therefore by the Rule of Contraries there shall bee degrees of Glory in Heaven Now that there are degrees of torments in Hell is most evident from several plain Scriptures as from that 10th of Matth. v. 14 15. And whosoever shall not receive you nor hear your words when yee depart out of that house or City shake off the dust of your feet Verily I say unto you Contempt of Christ and his Gospel is worse than Sodomy it shall be more tollerable for the Land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgement than for that City Sodom and Gomorrah shall have an easier and cooler Hell than such Cities shall have that have contemned the tenders of Grace and the offers of Mercy 'T is very observable that the punishments that God in this life hath inflicted upon the Jews for their contempt of Christ and his everlasting Gospel have been more terrible than his raining Hell out of Heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah for on a sudden and in a moment God consumed them and burnt them up but God hath for above this sixteen hundred years been a raining Hell out of Heaven upon the Jews hee hath for a long time vext them with all manner of adversity and to this very day hee hath made them all the world over a spectacle of his dreadful severity but all those plagues and punishments that the Jews have been and still are under are but flea-bitings and scratches on the hand to those dreadful and amazing judgements that God in the great day of account will inflict upon all Christs refusers and Gospel-despisers And so chap. 11.20 21 22 23. Then began hee to upbraid the Cities wherein most of his mighty works were done because they repented not Woe unto thee Chorazin wee unto thee Bethsaida for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes But I say unto you it shall bee more tollerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of Judgement than for you And thou Capernaum which art exalted up to Heaven shalt bee brought down to Hell for if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodom it would have remained until this day The more mercy hath been upon the bare knee intreating sinners to repent the more earnest the Lord Jesus hath been in wooing sinners to beleeve on him and to resign up themselves wholly and only to him the more clearly and sweetly the everlasting Gospel hath sounded in sinners ears and the more neer and the more often Heaven hath been brought to sinners doors and yet they have bid defiance to all and hardened themselves in their sins with the greater violence and with the more dreadful vengeance shall such be plunged into the lowest Hell And so in that Mat. 23.14 Woe unto you Scribes Pharisees and Hypocrites for yee devour Widdows houses and for a pretence make long prayer therefore yee shall receive the greater damnation Hypocrites shall bee double-damned the hottest and the darkest place in Hell is reserved for them Give him his portion with hypocrites for number and weight there are no torments in Hell to the torments of hypocrites Counterfeit sanctity is double iniquity and therefore 't is but justice that the hypocrite should have double torment And so in that Luke 12.47 48. That servant that knows his Masters will and doth it not shall be beaten with many stripes and hee that knew it not and did commit things worthy of stripes shall bee beaten with few stripes Sins against light and knowledge are sins against the noblest remedy they waste and wound the conscience most they most open sinners mouths to blaspheme God and they most harden sinners hearts in sinning against God and every way they dare God most and provoke God most to strike with an Iron-Rod and to whip the knowing transgressor not with Rods but with Scorpions 'T is very observable that the more light and knowledge men sin against in this world Rom. 1.21 22 23. the greater judgements God gives them up to even in this life take a remarkable instance in the most refined and civil Heathens who are presumed to have most light and knowledge who were given up to the most beastly errours about the nature of God as the Romans and Grecians who worshipped Feavers and humane passions yea every paltry thing c. whereas the Scythians and more barbarous Nations worshipped the Sun and the Thunder c. things terrible in themselves Oh how much more then will God in the great day give them up to the greatest judgements who have given themselves up to the greatest sins Certainly the Professors of this age yea of this City whether they go to Heaven or Hell will be the greatest debtors that shall be in either place the one to the Free-grace of God and the other to his Justice that they that have most of Hell in their mouths and most of Hell in their hearts and most of Hell in their lives should have most of Hell in their souls at last is but justice I shall conclude this second Argument with a saying of one of the Antients Augustin Look saith hee as in Heaven one is more glorious than another so in Hell one shall be more miserable than another Now if there be degrees of torments in Hell which I suppose the Scriptures but now cited doth undeniably prove then doubtless there will be degrees of glory in Heaven Thirdly God in this life dispenses the gifts and graces of his Spirit unequally among his Saints to some hee gives two Talents to others five and to others ten Hence 't is you read both of a weak Faith and of a strong Faith Matth. 25. and ch 8.10 26. ch 15.28 Why are yee afraid O yee of little Faith And O woman great is thy Faith And Verily I have not found so great Faith no not in Israel And hence it is that you read both of weak Christians and of strong Christians Hee that is weak in the Faith receive Rom. 14.1 2. 1 Cor. 9.22 2 Cor. 12.10 Heb. 5.13 14 1 Pet. 2.2 v. 1. Another who is weak eateth herbs And to the weak I became as weak that I might win the weak Wee then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please our selves When I am weak then am I strong And hence 't is that you read of Babes and of Children and of young Men and of old Men in the Scripture Saints are of different growths Some are but babes in gifts and grace others are children others young men and others old men That God that distributes the good things of this world unequally among the Sons of men as to some more to others less to some great things to others little things to some high things to others low things that God unequally distributes
comfortable for the Saints to consider that how mean and contemptible soever they may be in the eyes of the world that yet there is a day a coming when they shall sit upon a Throne and be crowned with Glory and reign with Christ to all Eternity But Eighthly If thou art a holy person if thou hast that real holiness without which there is no happiness then know for thy comfort that all things shall be sanctified unto thee Tit. 1.15 Unto the pure all things are pure but unto them that are defiled and unbeleeving is nothing pure but even their mind and conscience is defiled When a mans heart is once sanctified then all things are sanctified to him when a mans Spirit and way is clean and pure then all things are clean and pure to him O Sirs this is so great and so glorious a priviledge to have all things sanctified to us that 't is more worth than a world yea than many worlds Next to a mans interest in Christ hee cannot begge a greater mercy than this that all things may be sanctified to him that is that all things may so work as to make him more and more holy that every cross may make him more holy and that every comfort may make him more holy that every mercy may make him more holy and that every misery may make him more holy that every Ordinance may make him more holy and that every Providence may make him more holy that every Affliction at home may make him more holy and that every Judgement abroad may make him more holy every condition is sweet when it is sanctified to us sickness is as sweet as health when 't is sanctified to us and weakness is as sweet as strength when 't is sanctified to us and poverty is as sweet as liberty when 't is sanctified to us and disgrace is as sweet as honour when 't is sanctified to us and bonds are as sweet as liberty when they are sanctified to us and death is as sweet as life when it is sanctified to us Look as no condition can be a happy condition that is not a sanctified condition so no condition can bee a miserable condition that is a sanctified condition now this is only the holy man priviledge the holy mans mercy to have every estate and every condition sanctified unto him and this indeed is the Cream and Crown of all our mercies to have them sanctified unto us I and every bitter will bee sweet yea very sweet when 't is sanctified unto us what though thy mercies O Christian are fewer than others and lesser than others and leaner than others and shorter than others yet thou hast no reason to complain as long as thy mercies are sanctified mercies and what though thy tryals are greater than others and thy burden is heavier than others and thy sorrows are deeper than others and thy crosses comes thicker than others yet thou hast no cause to complain as long as they are sanctified Art thou a Holy person O then remember for thy comfort that every bit of bread thou eatest is sanctified and every draught of beer thou drinkeh is sanctified and every suit of cloaths thou wearest is sanctified the beds thou liest on are sanctified and the stooles thou sitest on are sanctified the very aire thou breathest in is sanctified and the very ground thou treadest on is sanctified every penny in thy purse is sanctified and every pound in thy shop is sanctified whatsoever thou hast at home is sanctified and what-ever thou hast abroad is sanctified And O! how should the sense of these things sweeten all thy bitters and turn thy Hell into Heaven and wipe all tears from thy eyes and turn thy sighing into singing and thy mourning into rejoycing c. But As those Heathens that have no hope 1 Thes 4.13 Ninthly If thou art a Holy Person if thou hast that real holiness without which there is no happiness then know for thy comfort that thou art a person very high in favour with God thou art one of his peculiar ones Dan. 14.1 Yee are the Children of the Lord your God yee shall not cut your selves nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God and 〈…〉 the Lord hath chosen thee to bee a peculiar people to himself above all the Nations that are upon the Earth All Gods holy ones are his peculiar ones God hath a peculiar respect for their persons Dan. 9.23 O Daniel thou art greatly beloved or as the Hebrew word Chamudoth signifies thou art a man of desires Now Daniel is called a man of desires because the desires of God run out strongly after him as one that was singularly beloved of him and as one that was highly in favour with him and as God hath a peculiar respect for their persons so hee hath a peculiar respect for their duties and services Prov. 15.8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord but the prayer of the upright is his delight God takes more delight to hear the prayers of the upright and to grant the prayers of the upright than the upright takes delight to pray how burdensome and troublesome soever their prayers may bee to others yet they are still delightfull to God but more of this in the next Particular And as God hath a peculiar respect for their services so hee hath a peculiar respect for their tears for hee puts them into his Bottle Psal 56.8 and as hee hath a peculiar respect for their tears so hee hath a peculiar respect for their names for hee writes them in his Book Luke 10.20 And as hee hath a peculiar respect for their names so hee hath a peculiar respect for their blood Psa 116.15 and this Cain found by wofull experience from the cry of his Brothers Blood O Sirs God by making of you holy hath made you like himself like his Son like his Spirit and like his most glorious Angels which excel in strength and what doth this speak out but Gods peculiar favour God makes many rich and many great and many honourable and many mighty and many wise and many noble and many beautifull and many successful whom hee will never make holy Ephes 1.3 in making of you holy God hath made you spiritually great rich honourable wise and beautiful c. and this speaks you out to bee highly in the favour of God Holiness is a singular fruit of Gods special favour and love God hath a common favour and love for all men yea for the worst of men Ephes 2.4 5. witnesse that common preservation and common protection and common provision that hee vouchsafeth to them and God hath a special love and favour and this runs out only to his holy ones holiness is a divine beam a heavenly drop a choice pledge of Gods special favour and love O Sirs though the world may slight you and enemies revile you and friends dis-favour