us 1 Cor. 1.14 The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned It may they will tell you a natural man may love God with his heart really as so and savingly whereas the Apostle tells you Rom. 8.7 The carnal mind is enmity against God for it is not subject unto the Law of God neither indeed can be Remember it in all those doctrines wherein we agree with those whom we call Pelagians and Arminians so far we agree with the Jesuits and the worst of Papists 3. As you would avoid Hell avoid all those doctrines that would lift up self-righteousness and debase the righteousness of Christ I fear I shall never be in that capacity that I would to stand you in stead in this particular I confess I am against forty things in Popery but my soul is here engaged if that doctrine be a truth I never expect salvation by God either I must be saved by Christ alone or else I must never be saved by Christ at all though Christ will never save me without sanctification yet Christ never intended my sanctification should merit his salvation be as holy as you can as if there were no Gospel to save yet when you are as holy as you can you must believe in Christ as if there were no Law at all to condemn you Come and tell me of the merit of Saints c. I will believe that truth when I believe the Whore of Babylon to be Christs Spouse see Phil. 3.9 2 Cor. 5.21 8. Why should you stand you must be praying Christians I confess when most of my strings are broken there is yet one holds there is a Spirit of Prayer remember Atheist among the Saints of God I can pray yet and I had rather stand against the Canons of the wicked than against the prayers of the righteous Oh! pray that you enter not into temptation or if we enter into temptation Lord let not the temptation enter into us pray if possible let this cup pass from me but if not let it not poyson me but let me be bettered by it and in due time deliver me from it I believe it would be a great temptation to you if it should be said to you you shall trade with no man any more c. you have enjoyed these and these comforts bid them adieu for ever you shall have no more to do with them this would be a temptation Temptations and Tryals are great and certainly where they are so prayer should be strong There is no relief to be expected on earth all our relief is to be expected from God and that 's to be obtained by prayer Pray that God would be pleased above all things in the world to make you sincere would you be stedfast in your profession you must be sincere in your practice To him that hath shall be given that is a comfort to him that hath but truth of grace to him shall be given growth of grace Would you be steaddy Christians then make it your great work to attend the Ordinances that God hath prescribed to make you steady Christians you were told of this many years ago concerning attending the Ordinances of God Quest Pray what are those Answ 1. There are secret Ordinances it may be thou canst not be so much in the Pulpit as thou wouldst Oh! be more in thy Closet it may be thou shalt not have so many opportunities to hear so many Lectures be more conscientious in thy meditations in secret it may be thou shalt not have that freedom with God in publick be more earnest with God in private 2. Mind your families more than ever you have your Children and Servants call aloud upon you How many grave faces do I see at this time that can tell me Sir I remember some twenty or thirty years ago you could not pass the streets but here was one Family repeating the Word of God another singing the praises of God another praying to God another conferring concerning the things of God at that time we had not so much foolish absurd excursion into streets and â—ields as now O! for the Lords sake begin to take them up now let the Amorite Perisite and Jebusite do what they will but oh for you and your children and your servants do you serve the Lord up again with those godly Exercises when we cannot hear a Sermon then read a Sermon if we cannot hear a Sermon well Preached our Godly Parents would engage us to read a Sermon well Pen'd if nothing new let the word repeated and meditated call to mind what you have heard Oh! reduce your selves to your Christian frame let the debauched Atheists know that they have something among you to be feared that 's your prayers let them know that though you have not those opportunities you have had yet you will improve those you have And you Masters of this Parish for Gods sake keep in your Servants on this day more than ever you are to be accountable for their souls and they will give you a thousand thanks when they come to age especially at the day of judgement Oh! then blessed be God I had such a Master blessed be God I had such a Mistriss blessed be God I had such Parents Quest But then for publick Ordinances what would you have us do Answ 1. Where evere Christ doth find a tongue to speak I am bound to find an ear to hear and an heart to believe I would not be mistaken I bless the Lord I am not turned out of my Ministry for being a Scismatick I know Schism is a sin nor know I any of my Brethren that are so do not mistake us therefore do not go and tell the Jesuits we are Schismaticks for we are none But this I would advise I speak as though I were dying do whatsoever lies in your yower to hear such whom you think to be godly beg of God be earnest with him that he would give Pastors after his own heart and whom God hath sent not such as may daub with untempered mortar and not such as may prophecy lies in the Name of the Lord not such as may be clouds without water but such as may be guides of the blind burning and shining Lights faithsul Stewards What shall you do what did you twenty or thirty years ago what did the good old Puritans do they were not Schismaticks But as much as lies in you possible hear them whom in your conscience God doth hear Oh! then expect the Word of God should come to your hearts when you have ground to believe it comes from your Pastors heart I must confess I intend to do the same when put into the same condition with you I acknowledge I am bound in Conscience to hear the Word of God but I must take care whom I hear hear those by whom God speaks I hope God will grant several such
them not sink within us Secondly I argue from the abundance of praying people that are in this Nation there are many that night and day pray unto God that the Ark may not be taken and let me assure you God did never forsake a praying reforming people When God intends to destroy a Nation and take away the Ark he takes away the Spirit of Prayer but where God gives the Spirit of Prayer there God will continue the Ark. You all know that if there had been but ten good men in those five Cities God would have spared them We have many hundreds that fear God in this Nation that do not give God rest but night and day pray unto God for this Land And who knows but for their sakes God will spare the Ark. Thirdly another ground of comfort is this that God hath hitherto dealt with England not by way of Rule but by way of Prerogative we have had un-churching sins all the Reign of Queen Elizabeth and of King James and the godly Ministers have been threatned ruine from year to year but God hath hitherto saved England by way of Prerogative God hath spared us because he will spare us according to that Text I will be graciâ—us to whom I will be gracious God will not be tyed to his own rule and who knoweth but God will deliver us Fourthly another ground of comfort is that God is now pouring out his Viols upon Antichrist and all this shall end in the ruine of Antichrist God is pouring forth his Viols upon the Throne of the Beast and all these transactions shall end in the ruine of Antichrist though some drops of these Viols may light upon the Reformed Churches and they may smart 〈◊〉 a while and God may severely punish them yet it will be but for a little while but the Viols shall be poured out upon Antichrist God may scourge all the Reformed Churches before these Viols be poured out and persecution may go through them all the which I call drops of these Viols but the Viols are intended for Antichrist and shall end in the time of Antichrist and whatsoever becomes of us yet our children and our childrens children shall see the issue of the Viols poured out upon the Whore of Babylon This I speak for your comfort Fifthly I am to exhort you that you would all of you contribute your utmost endeavour to keep the Ark of God from being taken and here I shall shew you 1. What the Magistrate should do 2. What the Minister should do 3. What the People should do First what the Magistrate should do I shall say but little of them because I am not now to speak to them they are to use their Authority for the settling of the Ark for the Ark of the Covenant will be like the Ark of Noah always floating upon the waters until the Magistrates settle it Thus David 2 Sam. 6.12 he gathered together all the chosen men of Israel thirty thousand to fetch home the Ark. So Solomon he assembled the Elders of Israel and the heads of the Tribes the Nobles the chief of the Fathers of the children of Israel to Jerusalem with a great deal of pomp to bring up the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord into its place O that God would encourage our Nobles Magistrates that they might be solicitous to settle the Ark Magistrates must not be as the Philistine they had the Ark but what did they with it they set it up in the house of Dagon but Dagon and the Ark could never agree where false Religion comes in at one door the true Religion goes out at the other you must not put the Ark and Dagon together Secondly what must the Ministers do to keep the Ark from losing They must endeavour after holiness the Ark wil never stand steddy nor prosper upon the shouldiers of Hâ—phni Phinehas A wicked prophane drunken Ministry will never settle the Ark it must be the sober pious godly Ministers that must do it How holy must they he that draw nigh to the God of holiness Thirdly What must the people of God do that the Ark may not be lost there be five thing I shal comemnd unto you then commend you to God 1. You must not Idolize the Ark. 2. You must not undervalue the Ark. 3. You must not pry into the Ark. 4. You must not meddle with the Ark without a lawful Call 5. You must keep the Covenant of the Ark. First You must not Idolize the Ark that was the sin of the people in the Text they thought the very presence of the Ark would excuse them and keep them safe and therefore they carried the Ark into the Camp though they reformed not and repented not yet they thought the Ark would save them So many there be that think the Ark will save them though never so wicked but nothing will secure a Nation but repentance reformation Secondly Do not undervalue the Ark this was Michal's sin 2 Sam. 6.14 15 16. When David danced before the Ark and Michal mocked him and despised him in her heart but saith he it was before the Lord and if this be vile I will he more vile Some men begin to say what need we any preaching will not reading prayers serve Others say what need so much preaching will not once a day serve Now this is to undervalue the Ark therefore let us say as David if to preach the word if to fast and pray for the Nation If this be vile then I will be more vile Thirdly We must not pry into the Ark this was the sin of the men of Bethshemesh 1 Sam. 6.19 They looked into the Ark and God smote them and cut off fifty thousand and threescore men Be not too curious in searching where God hath not discovered or revealed For example there be great thoughts of a heart when God will deliver his people and set his Churches at liberty and many men talk much of the Year 1666. that shall be the year wherein Antichrist shall be destroyed And there are strange impressions upon the hearts of many learned men as to this Year some go to the Year 1669. and others pitch upon other times but truly if you will have my judgment and I am glad of this opportunity to tell you This is to pry too much into the Ark Remember the Text Acts 1.17 It is not for you to know the Times or the Seasons which the Father hath put in his own power And thus to conclude upon any particular time if you find you are deceived it is the way to make you Atheists and that afterwards you shall believe nothing And those Ministers do no service or rather ill service to the Church of God that conclude of the Times and Seasons A Popish Author saith that in the Year 1000. there was a general belief over the Christian World that the day of Judgment should be that Year but when theâ— saw it happened
and by our lively trust through the Covenant of Grace on our part let there be such a unity between Christ and us that all the powers of Hell may not be able to separate us from thee speak peace to our hearts still our consciences say I have received a sacrifice for you I shall befriend you I will be just and faithful to forgive your sins my Law is sully fulfilled by another though broken by you my Justice is fully satisfied by another though provoked by you my wrath is ceased by the means of another though incensed by you Oh Lord what a cordial would this be canst not thou amongst this great multitude of people espy some that through the Spirit of thy Son would worship thee in thine own way speak peace to every such soul Is there any soul before thee O Lord to whom thou hast given the grace of desire O lord give them grace according to their desire and thou which didst regard us when we were running from thee do not reject us now we are drawing near thee And thou which bidst us believe by the command of thy Word help us to believe by the operation of thy Spirit draw us that we may be able to follow thee thy loving kindness is better than life Some do say Who will shew us any good But Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us and thou wilt glad our hearts more than in the time when Corn or wine or Oil increaseth Let it be fair above head when it is dirty below let us see one contrary in another let us confute an eye of sense with an eye of faith and when we come to see nothing here that can gratifie our senses let us have something to quiet our souls We would fain be at war with sin that we may be at peace with thee though we cannot return as much as we have received yet help us to return as much as we can give us repentance unto life epentance from dead works a mourning fat greater for the remembrance of sin than we have pleasure in the committing of sin those secret distempers in our souls that no eye sees but thine let us cry out Wretched men that we are who should deliver us from this body of sin And as the fear of condemnation doth decrease so set the fear of transgression increase And because O Lord thou hast not made us to bleed with thy greatness O Lord make us to blush with thy goodness let us as truely desire that Heaven would enter into us into a way of holiness here as we desire to enter into Heaven in the way of happiness hereafter Let us see that our kindness to sin is cruelty to our Saviour let net that live quietly one minuite with us that would not let Christ live let us see there is nothing small by which the great God is offended and an immortal soul is damned We are to be in the world but for a while to take a turn or two and be gone Oh that we might make it the business of our life to get into Christ though it be the scorn of men and burdensome to nature yet this is that which will bring us peace at last Let us be what we profess our selves to be let us love Christ and evangelically keep his commandements let us live by faith let us keep thy Commandements let us be above the world in the world above the love of life and above the fear of death let not the smiles of the world allure us nor the frowns thereof affright us from thee but in all these things let us be more than conquerers through Jesus Christ Let us love him much whom we cannot love too much Help us to be above the power of Hell let us ever say My soul it is good for me to draw nigh to God Let us be willing rather to be faved with a few than go to Hell in a crowd let us live as if Eternity were long and life but short let us thrive in holiness and be brought neerer to thy self by every dispensation let us in this our day know the things that concern our peace before they be hid from our eyes and know the time of our visitation and though God suffer long he will strike at last O Lord bow the heavens and come down among us at this time and be with the unworthiest of thy servants and give unto him a door of utterance and to thin great people a door of entrance and let them be all taught of God and let them truly find that the great God is teaching to the heart when that a weak worm is speaking to the ear let all the work be done by theo and let all he praise redound unto thee and let him that is with us be greater than he that is in the world behold us in the Son of thy love smell aswee savor of rest on these our poor prayers speak peace to our consciences rebuke the tempter tread him under our feet shortly raise us up to newness of life let us remember when that which is perfect is rome that which is imperfect shall be done away Hear us and help us through our dear Redeemer let us live for him here and with him hereafter and all for his sake whom not seeing we love in whom believing we rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory to whom with thee and thy Sprit be Glory and Honour now an for ever Amen Mr. Cradocott's Prayer at St. Sepulchres MOst glorious and most gracious Lord God who art God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hast put thine own Name and stamp upon this Day wilt thou be pleased to appear now and prepare and dispose our unprepared and indisposed souls for holy Observation of this thine holy day Will the Lord vouchsafe us the incomes of his spirit and influences of his Grace whereby we may be inabled to offer up spiritual Sacrifice which may be acceptable to Jesus Christ Lord thou requirest praying hearts but thou hast not commanded us to use Prayer-books and if thou wilt give us the Spirit of Prayer we shall not need them Lord give us praying hearts at this time let us find by experience that the Sabbath is a day of Souls opportunity that thine Ordinances are full of marrow that thou hast not said unto thy Children the seed of Jacob seek my face in vain VVe acknowledge we are unworthy to lift up our eyes to heaven we have cause enough to cry out God be merciful to us sinners undeserving ill-deserving men and women we acknowledge our natures are blots of all wickednesses we are by nature enemies to thy Majesty heirs of death children of darkness slaves to sin captives to lust dead to sins and trespasses how are our understandings darkned and our hearts-hardened what are our hearts but a store house of malicious thoughts a brothel house of adultery a palace of pride we are by nature
meek spirits as Christ did take our flesh let us partake of his Spirit Why dost thou imbitter the brest of the Creature to us but that we should finde the sweetness of the Promises There is as much in the Promises as ever let us live upon God let us cast anchor in Heaven and we shall never sink Shower down thy blessings even the choicest of them upon the head and heart of our dread Sovereign Charles by thy appointment of England Scotland France and Ireland King Defender of the Faith let him see wherein his cheifest interest lies let him count those his best subjects that are Christ's subjects Bless him â—n hâ—s Royal Consort in his Royal Relations the Lords of his Privy Council let them be a terror to eviâ— doers and incouragers of those that do well Bless all thy Ordinances to us make them to be fulness of life to every one before thee we are come this day to partake of them Oh pour in Wine and oyl into our souls let us be a watered garden let this blessed Sacrament be a poyson to our lust and nourishment for our Grace Hear us be our God follow us with mercy crown us with acceptance and all for Christ his sake whom not seeing we love in whom believing we rejoyce to Christ with thee and thy holy Spirit be Glory Honour and Praise now and for ever Amen Mr. Lye 's Prayer at Allhallows Lumber-street O Lord our great God thou canst do all things for thou dost dispose and govern all the wayes and works and words of thy Creature to thâ—ne own praise We thy poor Creatures the workmanship of thy hands the price and purchase of thy Sons blood do desire this morning to fall down and humble our selves at the Throne of thy Grace we desire to lift up an eye of Faith to thee that thou mayest dart an eye of Love to us since thou hast commanded us to come unto thee Oh bless us now we come Let it not be in vain for any of us from the high'st to the low'st from the richest to the poorest that we have sought thy Face this morning Blessed Father pour down a spirit of Prayer a Spirit of preaching a Spirit of Rejoycing a spirit of Practising in the midst of us let us not only be enabled to know what to do but to do what we know Thou that distd cure the eyes of the blind with clay and spittle Oh heel that natural dimness that is in the best of us Thy Rod in the hand of Moses brought water out of the Rock Oh do thou strike upon those rocky hearts that our adamantine hearts being softned may gush out into Rivers of tears Oh drown our sins in the Red sea of our saviours blood help us to smite upon our thigh and to ask our selves what we have been and what we have done and humble us under the omission of any commanded duty and the comission of any for bidden sin sins of thoughts wordes and dieds sins against the Law against the Gospel of youth manhood and old-age sins before under and since conversion sins against prayers vows promises covenants and oaths Oh Lord if thou didst prefer thy Bill against us we could not stand if we were weighed in the balance of the Sanctury we should be found too light but holy Father remember not against us our former sins but rather have mercy upon us according to thy loving kindness cross and blot out our iniquities blot them out so fully and wholly that it may be to us as to Judath in the promise that the sins of Judath should be sought for and not found O bathe our souls in that Fountain that was set open for Judah and Jerusalem though our sins have been as Scarlet let them be as white as Snow though they be red like Crimson let them be like Wool We have read that a flood of sin brought down a deluge of water that they covered the tops of the mountains Oh let thy deluge of mercy cover the tops of the mountains of our sins It is the glory of a God to pardon great sins We desire to turn unto thee with our whole hearts do thou subdue our iniquities let us be not only cleansed but let us have the efficacy of the spirit of Christ to wash us from the guilt of sin because we boast we are not under the Law but under Grace Be gracious to our Soveraign Lord Charles King of England Scotland France and Ireland It is thy promise that Kings shall be Nursing Fathers to thy children grant that under the shadow of his Majesty thy people may be protected that we may live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty Oh let thy people possess the Land from Dan to Beersheba Oh give us Scripture-Magistrates and Gospel-Ministers as long as the Sun and Moon endures Let thy VVord be sanctified to us let it not be only as water to get out our spots but as a Refiners fire to purge our dross and take away our tin And holy Father where thou hast begun a good work do thou go on and bring it to perfection let not the light that is in us be like the glimmering light of the evening but as the light of the morning that shineth more and more to the day Let our best wine be kept to the last let the end of our lives be the end of sinning Thou hast cast our lot in the midst of temptations of all sorts thou hast brought many of us through the red Sea but we are in the wilderness with Zeba and Zalmunna and those that dwell at Tyre the children of Ammon Moab and mount Seir and all the forces that Hell can make against us Oh put upon uâ— all the whole Armour of God Now in these days of Errour gird us with the Girdle of Truth Oh now in these days of falsity give us a helmet of Hope Now the Devil darts at us give us the Sheiâ—d of Faith Oh give us the Sword of the Spirit of the word of God that it may enable us to confute the gain-saying of foolish men Oh help us to pray with all manner of prayer constantly fervently faithfully feelingly that we stand and not fall and that not in our strength but in Gods To this end be with us upon this thine own day our Manna falls every day and it is doubled upon the Lords day Oh let us be as thy servant John in the Spirit upon thine own day let God by his Spirit come into our spirits understandings consciences wills memories and affections that all our conversations without and affections within may be obedient to thy Word Enable thy Servant to deliver thy Word faithfully God forbid thy Servant should stand upon so sandy a foundation as the Wisdome of Man one iota of thy Word hath more wisdome in it then all men and Angels have Good Father give thy people a hearing ear it is too much they have played
and turn again unto the Lord Sin is aversio a Deo conversio ad creaturam Reformation is a turning again from the creature to God 3. Frequent and fervent prayer let us lift up There 's the frequency let 's do nothing else but pray let 's be continually lifting up our prayers make our houses houses of prayer Thus David Thou foughtest against me without a cause Did he take counsel against Princes to be disloyal to take up arms No. But I gave my self unto Prayer Psal 109.4 Therefore if you prayed before now do nothing else it notes habitual and constant prayer Our hearts with our hands to crave and as it were to pull down mercy as if we would wrestle with God and say Nay nay I will not let thee go until thou bless me Gen. 32.26 it notes our fervency And for our encouragement it is Unto God in the Heavens which expresses his Soveraignty Omnisciency Omnipotency Everlastingness c. 4. Judging our selves or confessing of sin We have transgressed 5. Aggravating our sins and have rebelled i.e. we have turned sin in-into rebellion rebellion hath been the aggravation of our sin we have sinned against the clearest light dearest love c. Neh. 9. Ezek. 9. Dan. 6. 6. Justifying God thou hast not pardoned A word not of murmuring complaining or accusing God of hard dealing but by way of justifying God we have transgressed therefore thou hast not pardoned Why shouldest thou repent of the evil of punishment when we have not repented of the evil of sin Thou hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve So in the Text Do thy first works Sin is a departure from God Repentance a coming back again to God Turn thou to him from whom the Children of Israel have deeply revolted The soul hath many turnings and windings but there 's the best motion of all when the soul with the Dove returns to God from whom it came Apostacy is the loss of our first love Repentance is the recovery of it and Reformation is the doing of our first works I have not time to enlarge as I desire I shall only offer a few things that might help to quicken you to this great duty My Brethren we have no great cause to boast of Englands first love Never so good as it should be yet many can remember when England hath been much better than it is Time was when Doctrines have been more sound Discipline more exercised for the suppressing of sin and prophaneness Ordinances kept more pure from sinful mixtures when London kept Sabbaths better than now loved their godly Ministers more than now honoured them that were set over her for their works sake would have thought nothing too good for a faithful Minister when Christians loved one another with a dear hearty fervent love when there was less complement but more real love and affection among Christians when Christians improved their meetings converse Christian Conference and other soul duties to better purpose than now not to foolish disputations or wanton sensual excess but to their mutual edification when they improved their times for comparing their evidences communicating their experiences and building up one another in their most holy faith when there was more industry in Professors than now to bring in Converts when private Christians thought it their duty to be subservient to the works of their Ministers to bring in others to Christ especially their family Time was when more care of young Converts than now when none could have looked out after Religion but some or other ready to lend them their hand and shew them the way explaining it clearly to them but now young Converts may be snapt into separation and error and none look after them Time was when more care of the truly godly poor when error was more odious when Popery was more hated than now when the name of a tolleration would have made Christians to have trembled when Christians were better acquainted with their Bibles when more time spent in secret prayer when more tender of one anothers names and honours would heal one anothers reputations and would spread the lap of charity over those mis-reports and scandals that might be cast upon then when Christians rejoyced more in one anothers good and mourned in one anothers sufferings when Christians did more earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the Saints c. Oh do you not only your first works but our fore-fathers first works be as zealous for God and his truths as tender mutually careful of one another as they Our fears be very great and truly our provocations be greater our dangers are great but our sins greater yet here is a word here is matter of encouragement that yet there is Balm in Gilead Physick of Christs own composition for the reviving and healing of a back-sliding people Christians Christ Jesus is become your Physician he hath prescribed you a potion made up of these three ingredients Self-reflection Holy Contrition Thorow Reformation Christiians now take this Receipt Christ advises you if you will not there is no way but one Or else I will come unto thee quickly and will remove thy Candlestick There is yet a means or two I find in Scripture for the preventing of threatned ruine that hath been very near that God hath prescribed for a people or person in great danger when ready to be cut off and destroyed Now that which I would commend to you in reference to what you would beg of God for England is First in your addressing your self to God for that mercy your souls are set upon and you wrestle with God for that you would make some special vow to God I find the Saints have done so when reduced to great straits not knowing what to do Thus Jacob vowed a vow saying If God will be with me and will keep me on this way that I go and will give me bread to eat and rayment to put on so that I come again to my Fathers house in peace then shall the Lord be my God And this Stone which I here set for a pillar shall be Gods house Gen. 28.20 21 22. The special thing Jacob vows is that he would continue in the pure worship of his fore-fathers that he would still honour God as his God in that way he would be worshipped the speciaâ— thing is that he would build a house for the worship of God here he would erect a place of publick worship And thus Israel vowed a vow unto the Lord and said If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand then will I utterly destroy their Cities Numb 21.2 They vowed they would not spare any of the enemies of God if he would deliver them into their hands Thus Jeptha Hannah David c. Judg. 11.31 1 Sam. 1.11 Psal 132.1 2. Certainly in times of great distress 't is nor improper or uncomely but that which God may expect and take well that you make some special vow if God
our places and kneel down as some people do and fall a praying And I cannot but wonder that they that do so much cry up Uniformity and Sanctity of places that yet they should consure their judgment by their practice that they should pray secretly when the whole Congregation is a praying vocally and it may be the Congregation is singing a Psalm or the Minister Preaching and then they go to their Prayers I pray where is the Uniformity Decency and Order they so much stand for Lastly I grant that after the performances of holy duties in places wherein we meet for the Worship and Service of God it is our duty to abstain not only from filthy and indecent actions of a natural or moral filthiness unseemly as looked upon by men against Gods Laws but from all those civil moral lawful actions at other times they may reflect any dishonour upon the work that hath been done or upon the work that shall be done or that may render the place unmeet for Religious Services afterwards And this is that that one calls a Negative or private reverence a reverence or not doing something not because the place is more holy but for decency and order considering the Religious Duties performed in that place So that things subservient to Religion call for a Negative reverence and are not so to be used as that the Religious Services which are there performed and transacted should be made disgraceful and dishonourable as the Bread of the Sacrament after the Sacrament is done is not lawful to be cast unto unreasonable creatures because it reflects dishonour upon the Religious Service which we were before doing so dirty water is not to be put into the Communion-Cup not that the Cup is holy but because it is a reflection of disgrace upon that holy Service wherein that Cup is made use of and that Cup is not to be made use of to drunkenness But in all this bear me witness that I say all this is but a civil reverence and so due to any place where there is any Honourable Convention as in the Parliament-House or Presence Chamber or the like Having yielded this 2. I must come now to deny what must not be granted and I likewise deny four thing 1. It is not now in the times of the Gospel in any mans power to set apart a place for Religious duties so as that it should be unlawful upon a due occasion to use it for civil employments or that it should be always unlawful to alienate to other uses besides those uses that are Divine the Bread and Wine sanctified by Gods own institution by the Minister after the publick use and administration of them in the Ordinance are not now holy but they may be eaten in a civil use and way as our ordinary and common food The Synagogues among the Jews were as holy as our Churches they were for Holy duties as Prayer Preaching and the like and dedicated to Gods Worship and yet you must know there were Civil employments used in those places after the Religious Worship was done and therefore in Mat. 23.34 saith our Saviour Some of them you shall scourge in your Synagogues Hence we use to keep Courts and Consistories in Churches amongst us and some of them none of the best and we use here among us in this City constantly in our Churches and I doubt not but it is lawful for an Alderman in his Ward to meet about secular business as to chuse Common-Council-men or the like But where there hath been a dedication of a place to Gods Worship it is onely God that can make it so holy as that it should be sinful to imploy it to other uses and if the Governours of the Church upon due occasion and reason shall substitute other places more fit than the former for Divine Worship then the former places may return to their former proper uses but it is not so in things consecrated by God If the Font Table or Pulpit wax old they may be layed aside and looked upon as common things and may be used for other employments and suppose the Surplice be a lawful Garment in Gods Worship which yet I am perswaded none of you believe doubtless it is not to be burned when it is old and past wearing and the ashes put into a pot or some such like thing and be buried under the Altar but it may be used as other linnen may And so the common Utensils as the Cup and the like when they are come to be old they may be used for other employments without fear of sin And therefore it is an excellent speech of one saith he So to Consecrate moveable or immoveable goods as that it should be a sin for the Church to use them in any secular employments it is an execrable and abominable superstition God hath not consecrated any thing in the Gospel so as that it is a sin to use it otherwise It was a sin in them to make use of the Cups in the Temple in any secular way but it is not so for us the reason is because those things were set apart by Gods own institution but there can be nothing so consecrated by men as that it may not be made use of in secular things without sin 2. A second thing I deny is That no place now in the time of the Gospel hath such an holiness either from Institution or Use as to sanctifie or make more acceptable or effectual the Services therein performed This is not in the time of the Gospel God is present at places of Religious performances not with respect unto the place but the performance by him instituted and enjoyned and therefore he doth not say Where two or three are met together I will be in the midst of that place but among them God will be present in the place for the Duties sake not among them for the Places sake but the Duties sake in the place to bless the Ordinance for his own Institution sake Prayers and other Duties in the Ceremonial Law were regarded for the Places sake but now we must abhor this piece of Judaism For a man to set a place apart by Consecration that this place makes the Duty any thing the more excellent or acceptable to God this is to make the Traditions of men equal to the Institution of God The Temple sanctified the Duty but not the Synagogue and the Altar did sanctifie the Gift and the Person and Service because it was by Gods Institution and so the Temple and Altar did add efficacy and worth to the work but for men to Consecrate the Church it is to make the appointment of men equal with the Institution of God Our Churches and Meeting-places are not holy if they be holy at all without relation to the Duties performed but our Duties are holy without relation to the Church or the Place None but God can Consecrate a place to be an effectual means of Worship The Jews worshipped God
Nation to worship No my Brethren no Land no ground is now unholy as famous old Doctor Reynolds said every place is now a Judea no Coast but is a Judea every house is a Jerusalem every Congregation is now a Sion See here the goodness of God in indulging of us so far as to take any service done by us in a solemn and real manner as if it had been done in those places which were formerly appointed for it to be done in Thirdly I infer hence there are several persons to be reproved 1. We find hereby that all the holiness of Relicks of Saints doth fall to the ground and we see the folly of those that make Pilgrimages unto Saints and Reliques as the Papists do there was a time say they when such a Saints Relicks were laid up in such a place and these are more holy then other places so that this you see falls to the ground in its self I might tell you concerning their lying about their Relicks as one said that there were as many Reliques as would fill an hundred Carts but supposing so all that would not make that place the more holy 2. Hence the superstition of those is to be reproved which put holiness in place of Burial and make it more holy to be buried in one place then in another it is more holy say they to be buried in the Church then in the Church-yard and more holy under the Communion-Table then in any other part of the Church 3. This reproves them which cannot pray any where but in the Temple and they that use private prayers in Churches if you have houses and Rooms at home what is the reason that if Pauls or any other Church stand open you must run in thither and drop down behind a Pillar to say your Prayers 4. This reproves them that have reverence towards any place more then another as if they did deserve more holiness in one part then another as bowing to the Altar or Communion-Table or the like 5. It reproves those that have reverence for scituation of these places they must stand East and West and why not North and South All these things fall off like Fig-leaves if what I have said be true that there is no holiness in places and this I have made known to you not only as my judgment but as my duty Now for exhortation I shall desire you to take notice of four things and I have done and shall leave you to God and commit you to the word of his grace If this be so that there is no holiness in places then first of all bee the more encouraged to serve God in your Families in those places where God hath set you where God is as well pleased with your service as in publick places serve God upon your knees with devotion humility and reverence And therefore though I am against Superstition and Popish practices and those wicked cursed traps of innovations that the men of the World have disturbed the Church of God with yet I am against putting on your Hats in prayer and sitting in Prayer Those that are for holiness of places do not with Abraham in every place they come build God an Altar But let us in every closet and room build God an Altar let no morning nor evening go without a Prayer in thy Family pray often and pray continually let your houses be as so many Churches as you read in Rom. 16.5 Likewise greet the Church that is in their House and in the second verse of Philemons Epistle To the Church that is in thy Hovse There the Houses of the Saints are called Churches This will bring a blessing upon your Families And if you be not willing to have that curse denounced against you in Jer. 10.25 Pour out fury upon the Heathen that know thee not and upon the families that call not upon thy Name then neglect not Family-Prayers be much in Prayer and pray with frequency and encouragement because God binds you to no place The second Exhortation is this labour to promote personal holiness as well as Family Devotion I am against local holiness As one said that I heared once when I was a Youth Happy are those garments that can carry away any of the dust of the Temple but they think not that any of their Garments are unclean in wallowing in the mire of sin But I say do you labour to promote holiness in your lives in your hearts and conversations The Holy Ghost saith Vnless you be pure in heart you shall not see God And therefore put away sin for if you regard iniquity God will not hear your prayers It is not your ducking or bowing or cringing never so much or your going with your Hat off through the Church that will make God hear your Prayers these will but dishonour you because you live not accordingly 3. Love the holiness of the living Members be not so much in love with the Holiness of Wood and Timber Bricks and Stones but wheresoever you see the Image of Christ be in love with that soul where ever the Presence of God shines and where ever thou seest one that gives up himself to God in holy duties do thou say Oh! my soul delight to come into the company of these men The Righteous is more excellent then his neighbour If there be a Heaven upon earth I tell you it is in the company of godly men I remember a famous man hath this expression saith he When I was in the company of the Saints and people of God I was as a living coal but when I was separated from them and was among the wicked Swearers and Drunkards methoughts there was a spiritual coldness and frozenness went over my soul Though the People of God are best company in Heaven yet they are very good company here on earth And Christians should stir up one another and be provoking one another to love and good works and where ever you have grace be sure to impart it to others Endeavour to love the holiness of Saints and be willing to impart your experiences to others for this is your duty Do not make a Monopoly of Holiness but carry company with you to Heaven Lastly to name no more labour to preserve the holiness of Gods true Institutions those things which are of divine Consecration What is humane Consecration without divine Institution The Sabbath day is of divine Institution labour to keep it holy this is a Holy day indeed and this labour to keep your families from profaning of but for other holy dayes and holy things they are much alike for holiness The Lords day is a holy day indeed and for shame do not let your children gad abroad on this day Truly I do verily believe that though here be a great company of people in the Congregation yet they are but a handful in comparison of what are drinking in Ale-houses and whoring and walking in the Fields that one can hardly get home to
because God will make it appear to all the World that he puts a difference between them that desire to please him and other men God hath a value for such do but see how Mases argues the case with God Exod. 33.13 and so on where he comes to God with a great request that God will shew him his way that he might know it Why saith God to him My presenes shall go with thee Mâ—ses said unto him It is well thou art pleased to promise so great a mercy If thy presence go not with me carry us not hence for wherein shall it be know that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight It is not in this that thou goest with us Observe Moses pleads with God how his favour and love and mercy should be with them unless he were present with them and so God he walks with his people in trouble for how should the world see God regarded them and did favour them unless he manifested his presence unto them in a time of trouble and affliction Dr. Jacomb's Afternoon Sermon John 8.29 And he that sent me is with me the Father hath not left me alone for I do always those things that please him I Was upon these words in the morning having spoken something to them as they refer to Christ who spake them here of himself I then brought them down to his Members Believers and so propounded this observation from them That whoever they are that desire to please God to do the things that are pleasing to him God will be with such and the Father will not leave such alone especially in a time of suffering and trouble In the prosecuting of this point I spake to four things which I shall not now repeat but come to the mark which I intend at present and that is to make some Application 1. Let me endeavour to prevail with every one of you so to carry your selves in your several places and capacities that whatever you do you may please God It was a blessed testimony that was given of Enoch Heb. 11.6 Before his Translation he had this Testimony that he pleased God Oh! how happy will they be at the great day of Judgment which shall be singled out by Christ before Angels and Men and Christ shall say of them This was the man or this was the woman that pleased God! There is a great deal of pleasing in the world but there are but very sew that make this their business to please God therefore I would have you shun that which is sinful and press after that which is matter of Duty 1. There are some that mind nothing but to please themselves to promote their own interest to love their own ease to indulge themselves in their own carnal delights but they never mind the good of others or the pleasing of God the Apostle speaks of and against these Rom. 15.1 2 3. 2. There are others that look no farther then the pleasing of men if they can but keep fair with men and shun the displeasure of men that is all they aim at but my Brethren what a poor thing is it to have man to be your friend and God to be your enemy to have the smiles of a poor dying perishing worm and to lye under the frowns of the great God! Indeed there is a good pleasing of men to please them for their Edification as the Apostle speaks Rom. 15.2 and so the Apostle speaks of himself 1 Cor. 10.32 Even as I please all men in all things that is in all things that are of an indifferent nature not simply evil nor simply good in all things This Apostle was of a yielding and complying spirit that he might thereby the better insinuate himself into the affections of men and be more instrumental to the glory of God in the work of the Gospel 1 Cor. 9.22 To the weak became I as weak that I might gain the weak I am made all things to all men that I might by all means save some and this I do for the Gospel sake But now in matter of Duty such things as are expresly determined by God and so are either good or evil in these things the Apostle would be no pleaser of men If I should please men I should not be the servant of Christ Gal. 1. It is good to please others to their Edification but we must not please others to their own ruine and condemnation It is good to please men when we can so do and not grieve God Instead of pleasing men let it be your constant care and best endeavour in all things to please God my Brethren this is a duty of so great importance that was I now to take my leave of you and should certainly know that I should never speak to you more as we are come very near to it for though I speak to you as a living man yet I speak to you as a dying minister this I say is a duty of that weight and importance that I know not what to press upon you more material then this consult but two places of Scripture Col. 1. For this cause we do not cease to pray for you What was the thing the Apostle in this his constant Prayers did beg of God for them It was this That they might please God and when he was taking his leave in the winding up of his Epistle to the Hebrews Now the God of Peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant make you perfect in every good work to do his will working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight I need not go beyond the Text for Motives to stir you up to these Endeavours For Motive 1. First consider what that God is which I would have you endeavour to please He is that God which made heaven and earth that God before whom all the world is as nothing but as a little dust in the ballance and as a drop of water to the bucket that God whom Angels adore and worship that God who by a word from his mouth is able to bring the whole Universe into nothing will you not study to please this God But further consider what this God is to you He is the Fountain of your being he is the God of all your mercies he is your Creatour and Sovereign he is your Maker and Law-giver It is he that by a smile can make you happy and by a frown can make you miserable it is he that hath Heaven and Hell at his disposal who openeth and none can shut who shuts and none can open He that must judge every one of you either to eternal blessedness or else to eternal torments it is he in whose hands your breath your life your soul your All is will you not endeavour to please this God as the Prophet argueth in point of fear Isa 51.12 Who art thou that art afraid of a
to breed and in the best heart the worm of pride is apt to be breeding if God doth not keep us we shall not onely envy anothers Graces if they out-shine us but their persons too What though anothers Graces do out-shine yours yet love him because the eminency of his Graces bringeth much honor to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ And thus my Beloved I have shewn you how you must love all the Saints 1 Pet. 2.17 Love the Brother-hood love the whole Fraternity of Beleevers Oh! that this sweet spice of love might send forth its perfume among Christians that we could turn all our heart-burnings into heart-breakings and quench the fire of Divisions and Contentions and keep the fire of love burning upon the Altar of our hearts And my Beloved as we must love all the Saints so we must shew this love by the fruit of it for God doth not value that love that is invisible the fruits of our love to the Saints must be these four Four Fruits of Love to the Saints 1. We must shew love to them by prising their persons above others Psal 15.4 spoken of a man that shall go to Heaven In whose eyes a vile person is contemned but he honoureth them that fear the Lord the wicked are so much rubbish and lumber but the Saints are called the Jewels Mal. 3.1 and we must prize these Jewels above all the Lumber in the World as they said of King David thy life is worth ten thousand of ours 2 Sam. 18.3 so is a Godly man above a wicked man God he will give Kingdons to ransom his Saints Isa 43.3 I gave Egypt for thy ransom Aethiopia and Sheba for thee and thus should we set the highest rate upon the Saints of God for that is to love them 2. We must shew love to all the Saints of God by vindicating of them when they are traduced and slandered it s a great sin to slander a Christian it s to go to pollute Christs Image the wicked their throats are open Sepulchres to bury the names of the Righteous in now you that are Christians must not be ready to receive a false and groundless report of a Saint but rather vindicate them for that is to love them 2. We shew our love to the Saints by praying for them you know not what good your prayers may do them Ministers must pray for their People and the People must pray for their Ministers for prayer commands God himself Isa 45.11 Prayer is the golden Key that unlocks the Heavenly treasure of Gods bowels Oh pray one for another we should not strive one with another as is too frequent but pray one for another 4. Shew your love by being ready according to your abilities to relieve their wants to love one another is to be a well-wisher to him and to do all the friendly Offices we can one for another there are my Beloved many of the dear Servants of God in the Ministry that have been already reduced to misery and want and abundance more are like to be reduced to great necessities Now I beseech you to show your love to the houshold of Faith for that is a sign of your true love to God and to the Brother-hood that when as myrrh drops freely from the Tree so works of mercy drops freely from the heart If Jesus Christ should stand in the midst of the congregation and say shew your Love to me by your good works I believe no heart here would be so hard as to deny Jesus Christ Why remember whatsoever you give Ministers and to his Members he takes it as given to himself That is the second Our Love must extend to all Saints 3. Our Love must reach to our enemies we must love them that do not love us Luke 6.1 Love your enemies do good to them that hate you I confesse a mortal enemy I would be loath to make a bosom friend But though policy teach us not to trust our enemies yet piety teacheth us to love them Christ he did pray for his enemies and he shed tears of compassion for them that afterwards shed his bloud So much for the Doctrinal part Now for a word of Application and I have done VSES And first this may serve to reprove those who seem in other things to be excellent and profess much love toward Christ and his Gospel but have no love to the Saints of God there are some that upon this very account have for these great many years absented themselves from the Lords Supper because they pretend not to be in charity This is a double-dyed sin a sin with a witness it s a sin not to come and its a sin not to be in charity But let me say this to them surely such kind of Christians are a shame to their profession What doth not the Gospel teach you charity and love as well as faith Surely that Christian hath no grace in his heart that liveth out of charity with his Brother for as the Philosopher saith All the vertues are linked together and tyed as with astring and where there is one there is all and where one is wanting there is no vertue so I say of the graces they are linked together and where there is one there is all and where one is wanting there is none at all Saith Augustine Thou braggest of thy faith in Christ but shew me thy faith by thy love to Christ for Faith and love cannot be separated For as in the Sun there is light and heat and these cannot be separated one from the other so faith and love is twisted together and where there is one waning the other is wanting as he that did so engrave his name on the Buckler of Minerva that who ever went about to take out his name spoiled the Buckler so Faith and love are so inseparable that if you go to take away the one you spoyl the other Oh! remember and mourn for it thou that sayest thou art not in charity it 's a sad symptom thou art not in a state of Grace Titus 3. v. 5. For me our selves also were sometimes foolish disobedient deceived serving divers Lusts and pleasures living in malice envy hateful and hating one another that is before conversion we were swelled with poyson of malice and wrath but when once the grace of God came then it was otherwise that man that hath not Love and Charity in his heart surely he hath nothing of God in him for God is Love he knoweth nothing of the Gospel savingly for the Gospel is a Gospel of peace he hath none of the wisdom which cometh from Heaven for that is meek and gentle and easie to be entreated If there be any on the other side that are not in charity and yet will come to the Lords Table remember this you get no good by the Ordinance you do but defile the Ordinance The Apostle calls it the leaven of malice it doth sower all your Holy Duties Sermons Prayers and
Sacraments it is a little gall imbitters a great deal of honey So where there is a little of this Gall of malice and hatred it imbittereth and spoileth all the honey of your Graces and Duties The Apostle bids us in prayer to lift up pure hands without wrath 1 Tim. 1.2 I will therefore that men pray every where lifting up pure hands without wrath and doubting What the Apostle speaketh of the duty of Prayer I may say of the Lords Supper when you come to see the Body and Blood of the Lord Lift up pure hands without malice bitterness and wrath That is a sad speech of Augustine He that is full of rancor and malice he is a man-slayer Nay the Apostle saith it in the first Epistle of John 3.15 Whosoever hateth his Brother is a murderer and ye know no murderer hath Eternal life abiding in him Do not think this Ordinance will profit you if you do not come in love to the Saints suppose a man drinketh down poison and afterwards taketh down a Cordial surely this Cordial will do him but little good so thou that drinkest down the poison of wrath and maliceÌ„ into thy soul and comest afterward to drink down the Cordial of Christs bloud in the Sacrament why certainly this Cordial will do thee but little good EXHORTATION Therefore to conclude by way of Exhortation I beseech you in the Lord that you would remember this Text this day when you come to the Lords Table read over this Lesson A new Commandment I give unto you that you love one another as I have loved you come to the Sacrament in love to Jesus Christ and in love one to another be not full of bitterness but full of bowels the primitive Saints were of one heart you all expect I know one Heaven and will you not be of one heart this I believe is a great reason why the Sacrament hath no more profited many receivers you know if there be a stopping at the stomack the meat taken in will never concoct and nourish why thou that hast wrath and anger and malice at thy heart there is an obstruction as it were at the stomach and therefore it is that the bread of life doth not nourish thy Soul Why Christians are not we all Souldiers under one Regiment under Jesus Christ the Lyon of the Tribe of Judah and Captain of our salvation Are not we all Branches of the same Vine and are we not all Members of the same Body and shall there be a schism or rent in the Body I shall only say this we should do all as the Serpent Naturalists observe the Serpent that before he goes to drink at the waters he casts up his poison so before you come to the Table of the Lords Supper cast up your poison of bitterness wrath and malice and then Christs bloud will be both a Medicine to heal you and a Julip to refresh you Mr. Watson's Afternoon-Sermon Aug. 17. 1662. 2. Cor. 7.1 Having these promises dearly Beloved let us cleanse our selves IT is the Title that I intend now by the help of God to insist upon that sweet Parenthesis in the Text Dearly Beloved wherein you have the Apostle breathing forth his affections unto this people he speaks now as a Pastor and he speaks to them of his spiritual Children Dearly Beloved where you have First the Title Dearly Beloved Secondly the Exhortation to Holiness Let us cleanse our selves Thirdly the means how we should be cleansed and sanctified Having these Promises It is the first of these that I intend the Title that the Apostle gives to his Children Dearly Beloved From hence observe this Doctrine That the affections of a right Gospel-Minister towards his People are very ardent Dearly Beloved there are two things in every Minister of Christ that are much exercised his Head and his Heart his Head with labour and his Heart with Love his Head with labour in the work of the Ministry if done aright it is a work fitter for Angels than for men it is our work to open the Oracles of God even those sacred profound things that the Angels search into and if God did not help us we might soon sink under the weight of such a burden and as a Ministers head is exercised with labour so his Heart is exercised with Love and it is hard to say which of the two exceeds his Labour or his Love Thus is it here in the Text My Dearly Beloved In these words we have St. Paul laying fiege to these Corinthians and labouring to make a happy victory to conquer them with Kindnesse Dearly Beloved St. Pauls heart was the spring of Love his lips were the Pipe the Corinthians were the Cistern into which this spring did run this Holy Apostle was a mirrour and a pattern of Love towards the sinning Corinthians Pauls tears did drop towards the praying Corinthians his Love did burn Holy Paul was a Seraphin his Heart did burn in a flame of affection to his People How many passages do we find scattered in his Epistles he tells his People which sometimes he did write to and sometimes he preached to he looked after their souls more than their silver 2 Cor. 12.14 We seek not yours but you as a tender Nurse cherisheth her child with the Brest so St. Paul gave his People the breast-milk of the Word in 1 Thess 2.7 this man of God did not onely bestow a Sermon upon his People but was willing to impart his very soul to them if it might save theirs 1 Thess 2.8 We were willing to have imparted to you our own souls because you are dear unto us Such was St. Pauls affection to his people that without a complement he loved them more than his life Phil. 2.17 and if I be offered upon the sacriâ—â—ce and service of your Faith I rejoyce with you all that is as if he had said if it be so that my bloud be poured forth as a sacrifice if my death may be any way serviceable unto you if it may help forward the strengthening and confirming of your Faith I am willing to die I rejoyce to do it so full of affection was this Apostle that he could not choose but love his people though the more he did love the less he should be loved In 2 Cor. 15. Oh! how did Paul sweeten all his Sermons with Love 2 Cor. 12. if he reproved fin yet he was angry in love he dipt the Pill in Sugar Gal. 4.9 10 11. How turn ye again to weak and beggarly Elements ye observe days and moneths and years I am afraid of you lest I have bestowed on you labour in vain Brethren I beseech you be as I am See how St. Paul chides their sins and yet at the same time courts their souls no sooner did he lanch the wound but presently he poured in Wine and Oyl into it so did Paul love his People that he would not justly give any offence to the weak Believer 1 Cor. 8.13 If
which the Apostle uses by way of insinuation for Audience are contained in the words of the 20. verse wherein we have a very large description of the Person prayed unto The God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus c. He describes him under such notes and marks as serve much for enlargment and enforcement in the matter of prayer But here a Question may arise Seeing Grace is the thing the Apostle principally desires and 't is usual with holy men both under the Old and New Testament to chuse out such Attributes as sure most with their particular occasions and are most agreeable to those requests they have why he doth not apply himself to God as the God of all grace but rather the God of Peace Therein first the Apostle seems to make use of that same liberty which belongs to holy men As there is in the General a Liberty left to Gods People from God himself Paul in this place makes use of that liberty he had as to the manner of prayer using such a description of God as seemed good to him at present But secondly if he be the God of Peace it follows he is the God of Grace If God hath glorified himself so far among the Hebrews as to reconcile them to himself by the blood of Christ then there is no question God will proceed further and having provided for those things which appertain to their Justification no question but he will for those things that are necessary to their Sanctification Therefore the Apostle argues plainly from Justification to Sanctification He that justifies his people through the Blood of Christ Sanctifie you by the spirit of Christ make you perfect to do his will working in you that which is wel-pleasing in his sight c. So desires we should be Sanctified on the consideration of our Justification having provided for Justification by the blood of Christ followes Sanctification by the spirit of Christ 1 Thes 5.23 And the very God of peace sanctifie you wholly c. that God who is ally'd to you the God of peace and hath provided for you Peace I desire he would further provide Sanctification for Sanctification is nothing else but the effect of that grace which is procured for Believers through the blood of Christ There is no access to God for Sanctification of our Natures until we prevail with him for the Justification of our persons and he first shews himself to be a God of peace by way of Justification before a God of Grace and Sanctification But to proceed First for the description of the person wherein take notice of him 1. By one of his Attributes 2. By one of his special works whereby he hath manifested that Attribute 1. The Attribute of God is implyed under those words that he is called the God of peace The Gracious God that provides for reconciliation between himself and sinners that finds out ways and means to win those who are by nature Children of wrath to be the Children of God There is no peace but God is Author of whether natural peace or civil peace or political peace he is pleased to provide for them but there is a transcendent kind of peace which doth with a peculiarity belong to Gods people i.e. Spiritual peace between God and sinners and that inward peace that we enjoy if our conscience hath been troubled with terrour of sin Wrath c. Peace belongs so to God as none of the Creatures can have any Glory of it Psal 4.7 The peace is Gods peace none can effect it or devise it but God and with respect to this he is more especially called the God of peace because he hath found out a way to make reconciliation between God and his sinful perishing Creatures 2 Cor. 5.19 Ephes 2.14 c. Col. 1.13 2. There is a special Work of God attributed to him that the Apostle takes into consideration i.e. That he brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus that Great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting Covenant wherein we have many words and every word its weight and we shall scarce be able to weigh every one so as to take the full sense and emphasis of them In the words there is 1. Something implyed 2. Something expressed 1. Something implyed namely That the Lord Jesus Christ was sometimes in the state of death and that being in the state of death it was not any ordinary power way or means could ransom him He was in the state and condition of the dead he was for a while under the power and dominion of Death his body for the space of three dayes lay in the Grave and in that sense he was under the dominion of death as all dead men are The Great Shepherd of the sheep could not have his own life in some sense no interest he had in God by vertue of Sonship or any of his Offices could save him from death though the Son of God and Head of the Church and Christ looked upon it so far from being below him as he thought it necessary for him and it was his glory Jâ— 10.11 12. I am the good Shepherd the good Shepherd gives his life for the sheep but he that is an Hireling and not the Shepherd whose own the sheep are not seeth the Wolf coming and leaveth the sheep and fleeth c. Hirelings they have no spirit or principle in them that they should lay down their lives for the sheep but he so much respected his Fathers glory and good of his flock finding there was no way to bring them to salvation as he denyed himself in all other respects for their good so in this respect lays down his life for them And herein the Church of God seems to have a deadly kind of wound to be at a deadly loss Zach. 13.7 I will smite the Shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered But herein lies the wonderful goodness and wisdom of God he is pleased to improve as the life so the death of Christ for the good of his Church Luk. 24.16 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things it was very expedient that seeing the sheep could not otherwise be saved but by the Shepherds dying that the Shepherd should lay down his life for the sheep and seeing no other way to make reconciliation to God it was very expedient Christ should die Therefore 't is to be taken notice of that it doth not mis-become the Head therefore not the members of the body They must be content to lay down their lives for the Flock for so did the great Shepherd 2. Something expressed Where take notice First of the person spoken of Secondly of that which is given us to be taken notice of in particular 1. The Person to be taken notice of is our Lord Jesus Christ That which we have considerable is First The Title that belongs to him in his Church in this regard called The Great Shepherd of
are two things to name no more that are hugely obliging in this very act with its qualification first it is a manly act to hold fast that which is good and it is a childish act to let it go I say it is a manly act it argues something of a great soul and of a great understanding and of a manly resolution to hold fast that which is good but it is childish to let it go and therefore see how the Apostle puts these together Ephes 4.13 14. saith he speaking there That God hath given some Prophets some Apostles and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for edifying of the work of the body of Christ till we all come in the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ Now he comes in the 14 verse to add That we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of Doctrine by the slight of men and cunning craftiness whereas they lay in wait to deceive it is not for a man to be tossed to and fro with every wind of Doctrine for a child to be bought out of a Pearl with a bauble is no great matter but for a man what a shame is it why we should be men not children tossed to and fro with every wind of Doctrine now beloved you know the Scripture calls upon us in such Language as this Be couragious and quit your selves like men be not children that will dance after every pipe tossed to and fro and always unstable Secondly It is not only a manly act to hold fast that which is good and childish to let it go but it is a Christian act a proper Christian act a right Christian act it is that which doth distinguish a true Christian from a hypocrite and a counterfeit you know it is a character of a Godly man he is a praying man there went up two men into the Temple to pray the one was a hypocrite the other a Publican now what is there then in prayer that doth distinguish these two men why faith Job will the hypocrite pray always no not he I will warrant you that is well he held out in the profession of God and of his Worship and Service the Sains are always said to pray but as for the hypocrite will be pray always no not he for here the true children of God they will hold fast but Hypocrites and Formalists they will let go Now mark here the Apostle makes this distinction Heb. 10. ver last But we are not of them who draw back to perdition but of them that believe to the saving of their souls that is of them that believe to the end for the end of our Faith is the salvation of our Souls now pray you mark by the way what you draw back to when you draw back you draw back to perdition they that go backward go to Hell How saith he We are not of them that draw back to perdition but of them that believe to the saving of their souls that is of those that believe to the end and this is the difference he makes between them that are the People of God and them that are not that to the end holds fast the other lets go Thus I have given you an account of the Arguments that are couched in these words drawn from the Subject the Object and the Act with its qualifications I think I promised you a few helps with which I shall conclude take them in these three or four particulars First Would you hold fast I cannot but believe it to be all your desires well then if you would hold fast let me beseech this of you take heed of all and every sort of men that make Religion a Trade to get mony by which perhaps you will say are there any such in the world Oh I would there were not See that 1 Tim. 6.3 4 5. where the Apostle acquaints you with such men saith he If any man teach otherwise and consent not to wholesom words even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the Doctrine which is according to godliness the wholesom Doctrine the healing Word what then in the 4. verse saith he he is proud knowing nothing but doating about questions and strifes of words whereof cometh envy strife railings evil surmisings perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the Truth supposing that gain is Godliness or as most read it that godliness is a gain a meer trade to get mony by from which withdraw thy self If you be not baptized they will tell you you are not a Christian and baptized you shall not be unless you pay for it they will tell you cat flesh you must not at such and such times but if you will pay for it you may they will tell you you must not sin by no means but if you will pay for it you may and have a pardon for it when your have done such a one as they can give Oh I beseech you when ever any make use of Religion to get money by take heed of them faith the Apostle from those that make godliness a Trade to get money by withdraw thy self and know that godliness with contentment is great gain Doubtless godliness is the best Trade in the world if closely followed but the worst if worldlily followed but to take up a Profession of the Christian Religion meerly for pomp and state and to get gain Oh rueful Is Christian Religion made use of for such ends as this Oh! take heed therefore as ever you would stand fast in the Faith and hold fast the profession thereof take heed of all and every sort of men that makes use of Religion to get money by Secondly Take heed of the error of the wicked lest you fall from your own stedfastness this advice you have from the Apostle Peter 2 Pet. 3.17 Ye therefore Beloved seeing ye know these things before beware lest you also being led away by the error of the wicked fall from your own stedfastness the error of the wicked is like to make one as wicked as they pray what was this error of the wicked It was this there were a generation of wicked men that said It was in vain to serve God for say they Where is the promise of his coming Only Beloved it was as much as to say there was no reward for godliness nor no wages for ungodliness Oh! take heed of this error of the wicked it is a wicked error and none but wicked ones hold it to wit That it is in vain to serve God therefore keep this still in your hearts that Verily in keeping his Commandments there is great reward if there were no more but the very work it is great honour to us that we may be servants to such a God but Beloved
the Father of all comfort and there are many gracious promises God hath made to this purpose that they may be as so many Aquavitae pledges of Consolation to his people So that this will appear That it is the best Office of a Minister both to Minister and People to commend them to God 1. To Ministers it is the highest expression of their love What greater testimony of their love can they shew to their people to do all that for them that he would willingly have done and ten thousand times more Is it not an expression of love from a dying Father to his children Dear Children I am now dying I can provide for you no more I shall leave you such a Friend that shall provide for you in a more abundant measure than if I had been with you It is the best demonstration of their Faith 1. That he will not leave them to the wide world and then 2. He will not take any one he will trust his people with none but God who is able and willing to give account of them 3. It is the greatest satisfaction to his heart A Minister leaving his People can never be satisfied in his own breast that he should leave them and commit them and not to know to whom but when he knows with whom he hath committed them when he hath delivered them over to God that first committed them to him this is a great quietment and satisfaction to a Minister's spirit God layes the people as a depositum and will require an account of them at the last day Now when a Minister is taken from his people he cannot be satisfied till he hath delivered back his trust to God Lord here they are and while I was with them I did what I could but now I am taken from them here I surrender them back into thy hand when I was in the world I kept them in thy Name And so it is best for the people to be left to such a one who will keep them in all their Dangers and comfort them in all their Afflictions 3. How should a people be commended to God 1. By Exhortation 2. By Prayer First By Exhortation Thus the Apostle before and after my Text. And then by Prayer for so doth Saint Paul Calvin looks upon those Words as a Prayer brought in Always making mention of you in my Prayers Rom. 1.19 Phil. 1.4 Col. 1.3 And I trust that I shall not only now at this solemn departure but as long as I live still recommend you into the hands of God though I shall not preach to you yet I shall still make mention of you in my Prayers that God would stablish and comfort and preserve you to his heavenly Kingdom 4. Why doth the Apostle commend them to the Word of his Grace For these two Reasons First Because all the good that any people can look for is from God it is declared and laid up in the Promises and in the Gospel there is the Treasure of God it is in the Gospel The grace of God which hath appeared to all men bringeth salvation Tit. 2.11 We could never have known of the glorious mysteries of Salvation had it not been for the grace of God we could never have expected good but from the Gospel that is the great Magna Charta wherein God hath made over whatsoever concerns the eternal good of his people We have nothing to shew for grace and comfort and heaven and glory but his Gospel That is the great deed of gift that God hath given to his People poor sinners might look a Saviour if the Word of God had not revealed it those people have no ground to expect Salvation if God had not declared it in his Gospel to bestow it upon them 2. The Gospel is the only instrument by which God brings and conveys all that good to the Soul that it stands in need of all spiritual and temporal good that accompanies salvation God works nothing immediately to the Soul but by the Gospel First If any soul be converted to God it is by the grace of God And as Conversion so Sanctification that is effected by the word of God so likewise is Edification Salvation and Preservation Vse I come now to the Application It may be I have been too long already but Gods knows that it may be the last time that I may trespass in this kind and I have the Apostles example who preached at Troas till midnight but I promise to have done in a great deal less time Vse In the Application I shall in the Apostles example Commend you to the grace of God My Brethren and dearly Beloved and longed for now God by his providence is taking me away from you in the exercise of my publick Ministry I commend you to God and to the word of his Grace This I shall do First By exhorting and counsel and then by Prayer First By way of Exhortation 1. In reference to God and then 2. In reference to the Word of his Grace First of all my Exhortation in reference to God is That you would commit your selves to God If it should be so much a Ministers care to commend his people to God it 's good reason they should commend themselves 1. A Ministers commending you to God will be to no purpose if you do not commit your selves I shall alwayes make mention of you in my prayers as long as God shall continue me in this valley of tears I shall pray that God would build you up and sanctifie you I shall pray for you but God will not hear my Prayers if you do not hearken to my counsel To commit your selves to God 2. Consider if you can so commit your selves to God as to get God to take charge of you you are made for ever 1. God will be an All-sufficient God in stead of all the friends in the world you shall not need any that shall provide for you to protect you God will be All in All in stead of Father in stead of Mother Houses Lands Relations God will be better to you than ten Husbands than ten Ministers Ah better than ten thousand Worlds God can sweeten all your enjoyments God can provide for you and make you happy in the midst of the wants of Creature-comforts God is a Sun and a Shield He will give grace and glory and no good thing will he with-hold from them that fear him God contains all in himself Eminenter get God and you get all Let the World frown or smile let it turn upside down Though the Mountain be thrown into the midst of the Sea though the World be set on fire yet a Soul that is in Gods keeping is happy God is a present help in time of trouble 2. As God is an All-sufficient Friend so he is a firm and fast Friend to them My Father and Mother forsook me but the Lord took me up Psal 27.10 My flesh and my heart fails but God fails me not though
they dare to venture their life that have no ground of a better life but for those that have a well grounded hope of the mercy of God they say We reckon these light afflictions which are but for a moment to work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory Fear not any of these things which you shall suffer Prop. 7. Christ does limit Satan he hath him in a string him and all his instruments The Devil shall cast some of you into prison c. Every word hath its weight who shall do it the Devil What shall he do cast you into prison How far some of you How long ten dayes For what use that you may be tryed Christ as he hath Satan in a chain of providence so he hath a chain of Restraint it is Christ that sets a circle about him he cannot cause a hair of thy head to fall he is in the hand of Christ they are as truly under him and his hand as they are against him If God let alone his Enemies what shall they not do If God let alone his People what shall they do 2. God has a special Providence about the things of his Church by way of Eminency by way of Premission and ordination 3. You will not deny but there 's power enough in God to destroy all that are against him and to limit and all shall make to the praise of God and to his peoples good 4. The Lord is exceeding merciful he cannot hold when the Enemy comes to insult to blaspheme and revile Now will I arise saith God and set him at liberty from him that puffeth at him there is not only a judging of their Enemies hereafter but a judging of them here the world shall say Verily there is a God that rewardeth righteousness verily there is a God that judgeth the earth 5. God hath a special design in hand therefore just so far as he will carry on the design God hath towards his people which is always a design of Faithfulness just so far shall the enemy go Isa 10. The Enemy means not so he means to cut off people not a few but Gods end was otherwise and he will over-rule them this is the comfort there is a set time there is an end There is a difference between the afflicting of God's people and judging their Enemies in the intention and extension one is for ruine the other in proportion one is a light affliction the other a load And then for extension one is for ever the other is for a time for ten dayes Then our affliction shall have an end I and a comfortable end the end of our sins and the end of our sorrows God will restore comforts to his mourners let us be mourners during the time of mourning God will quickly cloath us with garments of praise there shall be an end of sufferings never an end of our joy and glory Prop. 8. To conclude in a word Be faithful to the death Be faithful in your Promises in your vows and purposes your covenants of obedience and reformation persist in the doctrine of the Gospel and the worship of the Gospel and the Ministry of the Gospel and Offices Christ hath fixt in his Church be faithful by your most earnest zealous desires before the Lord Be faithful to the death he will never let you see death till all your fears are conquered he can presently take them away he will certainly be present with you in all your troubles And remember God in tender mercy and faithfulness for the present accepts thy unfeigned purpose to be constant and faithful to him to the death Mr. Philip Lamb's Farewel Sermon Preached at Beer-Regis in the County of Dorset Aug. 17. 1662. Joh. 14.23 Jesus answered and said unto him If a man love me he will keep my words and my Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him THe departure of Jesus Christ unto his Father from whose bosom he came into the World was very sadly resented by his Disciciples whose mixt passions produce a very great disturbance and trouble upon their Spirits The inward Anxiety and unconcealed grief of the Disciples move the Bowels of their more affectionate Lord to pity their case and provide for their relief and give them instructions how to express their love unto him in his absence not so much in carrying blubber'd eyes and heavy hearts as by remembring and observing the Counsels and Instructions that he hath given to them while he was present with them So that this whole Chapter is fill'd up with Counsels and Comforts Directions and Consolations First Directions and Counsels especially in the 1.13.15 verses First To the exercise of Faith verse 1. Ye believe in God believe also in me And this is the life even a life of Faith which we must live till we come to the enjoyment of Christ by which we fetch comforts in all troubles and strength against all tentations from Jesus Christ Secondly To the duty of Prayer ver 13. which is the proper duty of an afflicted State as Jam. 5.13 Is any afflicted let him pray By Prayer the Soul empties his Complaints in Gods bosome and finds ease by telling him of all the trouble and grief that attends his state Prayer hath that divine excellency that like a heavenly Charm it speaks away trouble and speaks in comfort as 't is said of Hannah 1 Sam. 1.18 She prayed and went away and did eat and her countenance was no more sad And thus our Prayers alwayes speed when they be made by the help of the Spirit and offered up to God in the name of Christ 13 14. verses Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name that you shall receive Thirdly To obedience in the 15. verse to do the work committed to them If ye love me keep my commandements You cannot better express your love to me than in keeping my words Nor is there a more certain way for men to find comfort than this by keeping his commands for then though they cannot enjoy his Person yet they shall not miss his Promise Secondly The Consolation which he gives them in the 2. ver c. the 16. ver c. and the 23. ver c. First In the 2 3 4 ver c. From the place whether he was going to his Father and their Father his Home and their Home whence he did intend to come again to them So that his going from them was but a Recess or with-drawing for a time until he came For in ver 3. I will come again and receive you to my self as rendred in the Greek I come again in the Present Tense to intimate the certainty of his coming to them again as if he were already come which in ver 28. of this Chapter Christ tells them should be matter of great joy to them If ye loved me ye would rejoyce because I said I go unto the Father Secondly From ver 16.
did bear the reproach of my youth Is Ephraim my dear soâ— is he a pleasant child for since I spake against him I do earnestly remember him still therefore my bowels are troubled for him I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. Ephraim that was a Tribe one of the Tribes of Israel you hear hath the voice of a penitent sinner he smites upon his thigh which is a sign of great anguish of spirit here you have the penitent here you have the weeping shame-fac'd sinner But in the verse following you have God standing and looking on saith God Is Ephraim my dear son is he a pleasant child for since I spake against him I do earnestly remember him still therefore my bowels within me are troubled for him I will surely have mercy upon him If thy heart breaks thou seest that God's heart will turn towards thee Oh the excellency of Repentance that doth so much prevail with the God of heaven It is these dews and heavenly showers that must revive your almost dying withering blessings Repentance it is that holy Oyl that must recover our Lamps that are going out Oh the excellency of Repentance From hence you may gather what an excellent priviledge a penitent heart hath with God It is the mourning lamenting sinner that is like to do England good these heard hearted sinners they cannot recover an almost lost Gospel they cannot fetch God again but a penitent heart can My beloved how can you live without such a Grace your Souls want it your Families want it three Kingdoms want it the great want in England is broken-heartedness Vse 3. Is Repentance the only way to prevent the Judgments of God Then you may from hence gather That when God either hath his Plugues upon a people or continues in threatning his Judgement upon a People it is a sign that those people are very guilty of impenitency and that this people have not yet repented of their sins If God threatens thee O England Scotland and Ireland If God threaten thee to give thee up to hardness of heart and blindness of mind doth God do it at this day then I say O England Scotland and Ireland you are impenitent people at this day If you see a Kingdome groaning under the Judgments of God it is a sign that they have not made use of those remedies that would have cured them This is my Charge against England we have been a stiff necked People Oh London London how long shall God wait on you before you repent how often hath God threatned to remove the Gospel from among you how often hath God visited you with great and grievous Sicknesses how many thousands have been killed by the Sword how many Widows and Fatherless Children have there been left desolate God hath visited you this year with Mercy and yet you repent not Oh my beloved is not this sad If God come to punish you after you have received so many mercies from him take heed that God doth not rid his hands of you Why fit you as if you had no hand in these things you careless Masters that never pray in your Families nor never teach your Families to pray It is for your sins that God doth threaten to remove the Gospel and to take away his Ministers Will you repent of your sins If you do not sad will be your ends God mâ— cut you off from the face of the Earth and raise up unto himself a generation out of your loyns that may serve him better than ever you have yet done and God may cause you to die in a wilderness Oh the hard heartedness of the People of England Oh the Swearing the Wickedness the Superstition and Prophaness that is grown up amongst us That I may say as the world was once drowned by water so it is now almost filled with wickedness Oh you sinful wicked Generation is this your requital to God for all his Mercies Deut. 32.6 Do you thus requite the Lord O foolish People and unwise Is not he thy Father that hath bought thee hath he not made thee and established thee May I apply this to you Is this the thanks you return to God that hath been as a Father to you that hath bought you and made you When your sins grow so high do not you think but that the wrath of God will grow high too Objection I But you say Why do you speak to us of these sins speak to them that commit such sins Answer My beloved have you repented of your sins Are not you grown hard hearted with the rest of this generation Let me ask you Have you repented of those sins that you are guilty of Yes say you we hope we have Let me try you a little with these few things First of all Have you thought upon the wickedness of your wayes Have you set your sins in order before you Have you called to mind the manner of your Lives and Conversations Sin is never left until it be soundly laid to heart A repenting Man is one that the World sayes is a moplâ—g Man or Woman he is one that will look himself in the face of the Gospel an hour to find out his spots and when he hath found them he falls a weeping Secondly If you have repented as you say you have what hath been your mourning for Sin You came crying into the world your mother said Since the first tears that you shed how many tears have you shed for your sins When were you alone in your Chambers When have you done as Ephraim did How often have your Cheeks been wet with your Tears how many Handkerchiefs have you wet with your Tears for your Sin Oh my Beloved do you think that God will not humble you for your sins God will humble you before he exalt you God will bring you to the brink of Hâ—â—â— before he brings you to Heaven Thirdly If you have repented of your Sins as you say you have Then what Reformation is there in your lives what sin have you left What sins are they that you have forsaken Have you observed that you are more humble than you were heretofore Do you observe that your hearts are more in Heaven than they were before Do you observe that you pray more and delight in prayer more than you have done It may be you are ready to try out that you are well Well but have you repented Alas you talk you have repented of your Sins when it may be that you know not one sin that you have left Didst thou once Swear by the holy Name of God and art thou now afraid for to take his Name into thy mouth but with great reverence and adoration Fourthly Have you repented of your sins as you say you have done Then what Resolutions have you taken up for your future obedience Is it your resolution for to seek God more in prayer than ever you have yet done Will you watch your hearts in prayer â—â—â—re than you
not beat folly out of our hearts We have been unprofitable all our days some have done thee more service in one year than we in all our time We have forgotten thee in the day of prosperity and sung a lullaby to our own Souls Oh that we could speak these things with broken and bleeding hearts But as in the time of our ignorance we could sin without reluctancy so now we can sin without repentance Oh that thou wouldst smite the rock that there might flow out tears VVe can do nothing by way of expiation if we would weep out our eyes nothing but the blood of Christ can take away our guilt O that there might be a spring of that blood upon our souls at this time Oh that that blood may at this time bring a report of love and a message of mercy to us Do we beg any more than thou hast promised Oh hast not thou accepted of that satisfaction that Christ hath made in his own person If we had suffered the torments of Hell it could not have made that satisfaction that Christ hath made Give us the witness of thy spirit and thy Love and we will say we have enough give us hearts of flesh crush the head of the serpent in our souls O Lord Christ thou camest into the world to destroy the works of the Devil in our hearts and to build up the Kingdom of the spirit in us Oh when shall we see the old man decay in us and the new man to live more and more O be wisdom to guide us and Righteousness to cleanse us from guilt and redemption to deliver us from the wages of sin let us be nothing in our selves that we may be all in thee our saviour Oh honour us so far that we may honour thee VVe pray thee strengthen our weak saith quiet our consciences we would not live a day longer than that we may honour thee tread Satan under our feet fit us for our places and imployments let not our conditions be so low but that our hearts may be lower we are posting to death Oh let sin die before we die let us know our names are written in the Book of Life before thou take away our life Look upon thy servant our dread Sovereign Charls of Great Britâ—â—â—n France and Ireland King oh inrich his Royal heart with all those saving graces of thy Spirit in order unto a wise and happy Government of these Kingdoms Look upon his Royal Consort his Royal relations the Lords of his Privy Council and make them blessings to this Nation oh sanctifie thy good word oh give thy gracious assistance to us both in speaking and hearing let us hear it as that word by which we must be judged that we may be convinced by it and say it is the power of God to salvation to every soul of us Let our meeting be for the better to all of us that we may be built up in the most holy Faith and let us know we have not sought thy face in vain for Jesus Christ his sake our dear Saviour for whom we bless thy Majesty to whom with thee and thy Spirit be praise for ever Amen Mr. Jenkin's Prayer at Christ Church MOst blessed and holy Lord God thou art infinitely beyond our apprehensions who wast infinitely happy before the worâ—d was made and wantest none of thy creatures nor their services to make thee more excellent than thou art in thy self we daily want thee thou never wantest us thou art pleased to make use of ordinances Ministers Sabbaths as thy Institutions to accomplish and bring about the great work of thy Glory and mans Salvation yet Lord thou dost not need them thy Spirit is not made efficatious by these things but it is that that makes these things efficatious though thou art pleased to tie us to them when we may have them and duly enjoy them yet thou dost not tie thy self to them We desire in these our addresses to eye the happiness of Saints that depends upon him that depends upon none we are here in thy presence by thy goodness and grace O whither should we go but to thee and how should we come but by thee Oh strengthen our faith kill our corruptions inflame our love give us assurance of thy love to our souls oh that God would teach us how to pray that we may taste and see how good the Lord is this day that our souls may be filled as with marrow that we may by our own experience be able to say It is good for us to draw nigh to God and that a day in his house is better then a thousand elsewhere that there may be a communion between us and God let there be a disunion between us and sin we confesse we brought sin enough into the world with us to cause thee to with-drawâ—th blessed self from us and to cast such unproffitable servants as we are into utter darkness we have been a long time in thy school and yet how dull are we we might have been teachers of others but we need our selves be taught which are the first Principles of the oracles of God we love less than we know and we do less than we love we have neither done that good nor received that good which we should or might have done and received We have been trees that have cumbred the ground in thy orchard but we have brought forth no fruit Wo unto us that we have not known the day of our visitation many of us have one foot in the grave and yet we have lived without God in the world we are wise in every thing but in our own Salvation we live as if Hell were a priviledge those of us that have some knowledg of thee have great cause to repent that we have walked so unworthily of God Which of us pray continually and fervently or live the life of saith we confess we neither take our afflictions humbly nor our mercies thankfully nor want our comforts contentedly nor fill up our relations fruitfully We live as if Hell were a scare-crow as if all the threatnings of thy word were an empty noise as if there were neither sweetness in Heaven nor bitterness in Hell When we come into thy presence where are our hearts what earthly dispositions do we bring along with us the sins of our Prayers cry louder then the Supplications of our prayers what hypocrisie and formality cleaves unto us If thou dost not look upon the iniquities of our holy things with an eye of pitty what will become of us O Lord be pleased to smell a sweet savour of rest and peace through thy dear Son O Lord it is only his precious Blood that can sprinkle our hearts and quiet our Consciences and no other thing We do renounce our own Works and we cry out in our selves Undone undone It is through thy beloved Son that we are accepted and therefore to that end bring us to him by a saving operation on thy part
of thy Spirit and all for Christ his sake for whom we bless thee to him with thee and thy holy Spirit be Praise and Glory for evermore Dr. Anesley 's Prayer at Giles-Cripplegate HOly and great God of Heaven and Earth suâ—h his the condescention of thy Grace that thou art pleased to manifest thy special presence to thy poor creatures though thou hatest sin with a perfect hatred yet thou lovest sinners with an infinite Love though thou art of purer eyes than to behold iniquity yet thou art pleased to manifest thy Love to sinners that approach to thy service O Lord when shall we admire enough thy Grace and Love how thou art pleased to communicate thy self to a poor man Dear Father raise and fix our hearts help us to mind the business that we come about and to deal very faithfully with our own souls in the matters of eternal moment Oh that we could pray so that our prayers through grace might be returned upon us with a blessing O that we could wait upon thee to hear thy Word as the Oracles of God let us hear what Christ will discover to us for our spiritual benefit Lord grant that our souls may know what it is to be in the Spirit in the Lords day Dear Father thou canst deal with such hearts as ours for the curing of them we pray thee do it we must needs acknowledg hadst not thou laid help upon one that is mighty that is able to save to the uttermost we must have perished to all eternity for we do not know any upon the earth more vile then our selves The very agravations of our sins to render us monstrously abominable the means of grace we have afforded us the stirrings of thy spirit in us the patience and goodness of God towards us makes it a wonder that our hearts do remain so blockish But dear Lord we do find by experience that our immortal souls are much debased all the faculties of our souls are out of tune our understandings are so dark our conceptions of God are so low our consciences are so benum'd that the stirrings of them are scarce discerned or perceived our affections are spent upon the creature that we cannot gather them up again our wills are perverse our memories are apt to retain the dross and let out all that is good we pray thee for Christs sake make an experiment upon our souls what thou canst do what sinners Christ can save what corruptions the spirit of God can subdue in our souls teach all our hearts do not stand behind the wall and look through the latice do so much as may leave us without excuse but good Lord put thy hand in at the hole of the door and let thy fingers drop honey upon the handle of the Lock And oh set open these everlasting Doors that the King of glory may enter in Subdue us intirely to thy self do not ask our wills whether we be willing or no but make us willing do not ask us what we would have but give us what thou knowst is good for us Dear Lord we pray thee deliver us from sin according to thy hatred of it and pour out thy grace upon us according to thy love of grace that our souls may be refreshed that we may find thy thoughts are above ours as high as heaven is above the earth Dear Father it is thy promise that those that wait upon thee shall renew their strengths we have no might the Devil bastles us our own hearts are treacherous to us The world intices us to sin against God oh deliver us from all these enemies especially from the plagues of our own hearts that we may perfect holiness in the fear of God give us spiritual blessings whatsoever thou givest us or whatsoever thou deniest us thou knowest thou art rather willing to give us spiritual blessings than any other mercies and we want spiritual mercies most Oh oh give us spiritual Mercies that we may say This is the way of God in his Sanctuary Where grace is not wrought work it where it is begun increase it Dear father convince those that are not yet convinced Make thy word a quickning word an ingrafted word to the saving of our souls help us to hear as for our lives as those that long after God Hear Prayers for the King bless him in his Royal Relations and grant under him we may live a quiet life in all godliness and honesty Bless the Magistrates and help them to remember that causes one day must be heard over again Help thy Ministers to keep close to thee in ways that are well pleasing Be with us at this time Lord assist the meanest of thy servants let our souls now find that thou dost magnifie thy word above all thy Name do us good receive us quicken us that we may live in heaven upon earth that we may know what it is to be filled with the fulness of God and know the heighth breadth depth and length of thy love that passeth knowledg Communicate thy self to us as thou usest to do to thy people let us feel thy presence let us not think of any thing but the business we are about let us with singleness of heart set our selves to mind thâ— concernment of our immortal souls and all we beg for Christ his sake who hath taught us thus to pray Our Father c. Dr. Bates his Prayer at Dunstans in the West O Lord thou art a most holy high God the Glorious Angels when they stand before thee cover their faces yet they dâ—d never violate thy Laws and if they how much more need have we to do it We are sinful dust and ashes our solemn Services are sin We desire to approach thy presence and to have an eye to thy glory in all our services and addresses We beseech thee give us a serious and a deep sense of our own hearts and vile affections that we may cast our selves down at thy feet with all humility We have infinite reason to be abased in our selves our God help us We came into the world with sin and as soon as we did breath in the air we infected it there is an infection and pollution in all our faculties what coldness is there in our affections and what unbelief in our faith and our wills do stand apopsite against thy holy nature VVe confess we have had ten thousand experiences of those corruptions that are within us for our while lives are full of provocations against God How many vain thoughts and how many rebellious actions Blessed Father we confess we are out of measure sinful we have sinned against the clearest convictions of thy word and the tender compassions of thy Gospel against the most severe promises we have made of our service to God against the checks of our own Consciences we confess the sins of the Heathens who live without God in the world are small in comparison of ours and we fear therefore a greater degree
wâ—th us all thine remember thy people from one end of the world to the other Thy people are very low this is a time of Jacobs troubles the Bush is burning every day Oh thou the Hope of Israel the Saviour therof shew thy self in mercy to these Nations We bless thee for all thy mercies that thy judgements do not seize upon us every day that thou dost not sweep us away that thou dost not rain Fire Brimstone on England as thou didst on Sodom our sins cry aloud to heaven for vengeance God is greatly provoked every day it is a miracle of patience that thou hast not destroyed us God can pardon the sins of the Nation at once but we are not fit for pardon we do not humble our selves O Lord humble us give repentance to England from the highest to the lowest that we may return unto thee We desire to bless thee that our Eemies have not had their wills over us they said they would pursue and overtake and satisfie their lusts but God did blow upon them and they did sink in the mighty Water and thou hast yet preserved thy Church we pray thee do not leave us nor remove thy Gospel whatsoever thou dost Pour down elle choicest of thy bâ—essings upon our Sovereign Charles by thy Grace of England Scotland France and Ireland Bless him with the Blessing of Heaven and Earth make him a blessing to all of us Bless him in all his Relations the Lords of the privy Councel Look on them that have desired an interest in our prayers known to thee are all of them know their souls in this time of adversity make their beds in their siekness Give Faith to them that complain of unbelief give the Spirit of Prayer to those that complain they cannot pray be a Councellor to those that wan councel in their affaires either by Sea or Land let thy blessig go with them whereever they go Spare the lives of Children if it be thy will Prepare us for thy good and holy Word let it be a savour of lise unto life and let it come with power unto us Oh let us hear it as thy Word not as the word of a poor man but as the Word of God and all for the Lord Christ his sake for whom we bless thee to whom with thee and the Spirit of Grace be given Glory and Honour for evermore Mr. Waltons Prayer in Walbrook O Lord God all our springs are in thee it is good for us to draw nigh to thee through Jesus Christ thou art all fulness thou art the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and in him our Father thou art our light thou givest us these blessed opportunities of enjoying communian with thy self God blessed for ever These mercies are forfeited mercies we have abused the blessings of thy House we have grieved thy blessed Spirit therefore it is just with thee to deprive us of these comforts and to make us know the worth of these mercies by the want of them Lord we desire to judge our selves that we may not be condemned with the world Righteous art thou O Lord and just in all thy judgements we confess we are unworthy to have any converse with so holy a God we are polluted dust and ashes not worthy to tread thy Courts and it is of thy mercy that we are not consumed how often have we pluckt fruit from the forbidden tree we have sinned presumptuously against the clearest Light and the dearest love alwaies have we sinned thy footsteps have dropt fatness thou hast shewen mercy to us but the better thou hast been to us the worse we have been to thee thou hast loaded us with thy mercies and we have wearied thee with our sins when we look into our selves Oh the poyson of our natures whatever the Leper did touch was unclean Thus do we by our spiritual Leprosie infect our holy things our prayers had need have pardon and our tears had need have the blood of sprinkling to wash them how vain are our vows how sensual are our affections we confess we are untuned and unstrung for every holy Action we are never out of tune to sin but alwaies out of tune to pray we give the world our male affections and our strong desires we should use this world as if we used it not and alwies we pray as if we prayed not and serve thee as if we served thee not there is not that reverence nor that devotion nor that activeness of faith that there should be Lord if thou wouldst say that thou wouldst pardon all our sins to this time only judge us for this prayer wo unto us what breathings of unbelief and hypocrisie is there now when we approach unto thee we pray thee pardon us for Christs sake Who can tell how oft he doth offend we can as well reckon the drops of the Ocean as number our sins we have filled the number of the Nations sins but we have not filled thy bottle with our tears This is that that doth exceedingly aggravate our sins that we cannot mourn for sin we can grieve for our losses but we cannot mourn for our unkindnesses we have crucified the Lord of life sin hath not only defiled us but hardned us nothing can melt us but the love of Christ nothing can soften us but the blood of Christ O with-hold not thy mercies from us O help us to eat the Passeover with bitter herbs let us look on Christ weep over him let us look on a broken Christ with broken hearts and on a bleeding Christ with bleeding hearts let us mourn for our dis-ingenuity that we should grieve that God that is always doing us good Oh! humble us for our unkindnesse and for Christs sake blot out our transgressions they are more than we can number not more than God can pardon Though we have lost the duty of children thou hast not lost the goodness of a Father Let us be held forth as patterns of mercy so shall we trumpet forth thy praise to all Eternity Whatever afflictions thou layest upon our bodies let not our sins be unpardoned let not sin and affliction be together upon us let their be peace in Heaven and peace in the Court of Conscience We have found this part of thy Word true In the world we shall have troubles let us find the other part true in Jesus Christ we shall have peace Oh let peace and holiness go together make us new Creatures that we may be glorious Creatures Without Faith Christ will not profit us when we can call nothing in the world ours let us call Christ ours Lord draw thine Image every day more lively upon us a more lively hope and a more inflamed love to Christ let us have a spirit of courage and resolution keep us from the fallacies of our own hearts keep us from the defilements of the times make us pure in heart that we may see God that we may have Gospel spirits humble spirits