of the people he calls it the roaring of Beares The Lord had as lief heare the barking of a Dog or the grunting of a Swine as a man that doth not pray aright with a bleeding heart with contrition of soule and spirit with a spirit of grace and supplication When a man prayes and prayes dot aright his prayer leaves that name it is no more a prayer in Gods account And so preaching it is an admirable action but if a man doe not preach aright if it be flattering with the enticing words of mans wisdome or beating the aire and to shew his owne learning this overthrowes the action of preaching hee preacheth not Christ but himselfe himselfe not the Gospel though the Gospel bee in his Sermon all over yet himselfe hee preacheth the action is marred the circumstance marreth it So in the Lords Supper if a man come not prepared that he have not the Wedding Garment that he be not aright qualified according to the requisites of the Gospel this is not to eate the Lords Supper Saith the Apostle When yee come together this is not to eate the Lords Supper you think you eate the Lords Supper you take the bread and the cup and can say Blessed be God and I pray God to blesse me you may come and doe these actions but the action is altered the action is diversified when it is not done in a right manner So if a man come to reprove his brother if himselfe be faulty do you think this a sufficient reproof No it is hyhocrisie Thou hypocrite Matth. 7.5 his reproof of his brother is hypocrisie So for men to tell one another of their faults and to tell them with a spirit of bitternesse this is not Christian dehortation but biting one another Gal. 5.15 And so for eating and drinking beloved eating is lawfull and drinking is lawfull and marrying and giving in marriage all these are lawfull yet if a man eate not aright and drink not aright and marry in the Lord and eate and drink with title to the Lords creatures that he have interest in the covenant of God if Christ be not in it how shall he have comfort Nay that very nature of his eating is alrered his eating and drinking and marrying is a sinne As our Lord Christ shews of the old world They did eat and drinke and were marrying and giving in marriage till Noah entred into the Arke and the flood came and swept them away Matth. 24.37 He reckons their eating and drinking among their sins among the reasons and causes why the flood came upon them they did eate and drink and marry and give in marriage Object You will say Was that the reason the flood came And was that an argument of their security Did not Noah eate and drink and marry And were not his sons married that were in the Arke and he a grand-father Answ But he did it aright therefore his eating and drinking is not brought in as a signe of security but of the old world that were carnall and wretched people it was because they did not eate and drink aright There be Rules in eating and drinking in talking and discoursing in doing the duties of our callings There be Rules how you ought to buy and sell and to do every good word and worke If these Rules be not observed the Rules of Gods blessed word the actions themselves are altered though the things be commanded of God yet they are cursed and abominable things when the true form and fashion of them is not regarded though they be never so godly A garment though it be never so good if the Taylor handle it not well it is marred in the making if hee bring it not to a right forme and make it in a right manner the man that is to have the garment is disappointed So Timber though it be never so excellent though it be all Oke or Elm or whatsoever tree though it be never so fit for building if the Artificer deale not well in handling it the inhabitant that comes there may curse the day that ever he came there If it be not well built it may fall on his head and kill him and all that belongs to him So it is in all the Ordinances of God and the matters of Religion we must not only do them for matter but for manner too for that either makes or marres them Thirdly another Reason is because only the right manner of doing duties gets the blessing A man may pray a thousand times and never be heard he may hear a million of Sermons and never be converted a man may come to all the Sacraments in the yeare all his life long and never be sealed against the day of redemption A man may do the things and never get the blessing all the blessing lies in the right manner of doing Blessed is that servant who when his master comes shall find so doing Matth. 24.48 He saith not Who when his master commeth shall find doing Christ when he comes to judgement shall finde many doing it may be he will come in prayer time it may be he will come in the morning when many thousands shall be at their prayers in their families it may be he will come at night when all are at prayer in their houses it may be he will come on the Sabbath when all the Countrey is at Church hearing of Sermons hee shall finde many thousands doing and praying But blessed is that servant whom his Lord when hee comes shall find so praying so hearing so receiving the Sacrament He shall find many believing but so believing gets the blessing many professing but it is so professing that gets the comfort I say all the blessings of God are promised to the right manner of doing Now what is it when we doe duties what doe we look for Is it not for a blessing Why doe we doe the duties if we doe not doe them so as we may get the blessing Now except we observe the right manner of doing them all is to no purpose Fourthly another Reason is the example of Jesus Christ Christ hath given us an example that we should doe as he did Now hee did not onely doe that which his Father bid him doe for maâ—ter but for manner both in all the words hee spake and in all the deeds that hee performed For the words he spake As the Father hath said unto me even so speak I Joh. 12. And in Joh. 14.31 As the Father hath given me commandement even so doe I. Mark he did not onely obey his Father in the matter of his command but in the manner of it And as Christ hath done thus so all that are Christs all the servants of God in all ages they have been very carefull especially of the right manner of obeying God As it is said of Noah Gen. 6 22 As the Lord commanded Noah even so did he just as the Lord commanded
drink of that Cup. In these words observe First the matter of the duty commanded that is to eat of that bread and to drink of that cup. Secondly the manner of doing the duty not only to eat of that bread but so to eat and not only to drink that cup but so to drink Thirdly the rule of direction how to come in a right manner to partake of it that is by examining of our selves Let a man examine himself and so let him eate of that bread and drink of that cup. Fourthly and lastly the benefit following that direction and that is in this word But But let a man examine himselfe He had said before He that eats and drinks unworthily is made guilty of the body and bloud of the Lord and he discerneth not the Lords body vers 27. But saith he as if he should say if a man would prevent this if a man would take order that he be not guilty of the body and bloud of Christ that he do not come undiscerningly to these heavenly mysteries but with comfort and title to the promises with hope and confidence and speeding there of the benefits of Christ exhibited then let a man examine himselfe and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. Now I will passe over some of these points namely that we are to eate that bread and drink that cup. There is a necessity that we should receive the Lords Supper I need not stand on this you know it is sufficiently proved by the Sacrament of the Law which was the fore-runner of this Sacrament that soul that did not partake of that was to die the death he was to be cut off from Gods people Num. 9.13 If the Lord was so careful of those Sacraments that were inferior to these and yet they were of the same substance as these that the man that neglected to come to them to partake of them was to be cut off to be excommunicated from the people of God and to be rent off from the Congregation of the Saints then how much more for these heavenly and weighty and glorious Ordinances of the Gospel which are far more glorious then them of the Law But I will not stand upon that I might here take notice too of the frequencie of the duty for so it hath dependance on those words formerly As oft as yee eat this bread and drink this cup yee shew the Lords death and so that is as oft as ye eate do it in this manner This is the command of God that we oft receive the Lords Supper In the Primitive times St. Basil observes that they ate it three or foure times in a week on Wednesdayes Fridaies and on the Lords day but that was a time of persecution I will not stand upon that I think it not needfull But it should bee often wee should not trust it only upon Easter and Whitsontide and Christ tide three or four times in the year Again I might observe here from this mystery received in that he cals it Bread I might observe against the Papists Transubstantiation that the bread received is not transubstantiated it is bread And against that of receiving in one kind So let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup he doth not say so let him eat of that bread only but he directs the command in both kinds But I let this passe and come to the seceond thing that is the manner how we should do this duty So let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. It is not first let him examine himself and then let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup But let him examine himselfe and then SO let him eate implying that examining a mans selfe helps or ought to help a man to a right manner and when he hath gotten a right manner then to eat that bread and drink that cup that he may do not only for matter that which the Lord commands but for manner as the Lords commands Beloved the Lord stands on circumstances as well as duties we are all racers wee run but we must so run that we may obtain 2 Cor. 9.26 So pray that we may speed so hear that we may be converted so reprove that we may be edified so behave our selves in our places and callings that we may glorifie God It is not enough for a man to run but he must so run if he mean to obtain Every man will be speaking and doing good things but so speak and so do Jam. 2.12 The Lord calls upon us to have a care of the manner of duties as well as of the matter of duties It is not enough that a man come to eate of that bread and drink of that cup but so to eat and so to drink of it he must partake of the Lords Table and so as the Lord enjoyns Now the Reasons of this are First because the same Lord that commands the matter commands the manner too The Lord he will have his service well done as well as done he will have the work well performed as well as performed It is not only the thing that the Lord stands upon but the right manner and kind of doing it When David perswaded his sonne Solomon to worship the God of his Fathers he bids him not only do the thing but do it in a right manner And thou my sonne Solomon know thou the God of thy fathers and serve him Is that all No but with a perfect heart and a willing mind 2 Chron. 28.9 He commands him to do it not only for the matter of it but in the right manner of it A man may serve God but if it be not with a perfect heart and a willing minde and with a chearfull spirit if he be not ready to every command if he do not open his eares to every rebuke a man doth not serve God at all The manner either makes all or marres all Secondly another Reason is because circumstances overthrow actions if they bee not rightly and duly observed As for example In Scripture prayer is an action commanded of God the Lord commands us to pray that we call upon his name duly every day in all our needs and necessities upon all occasions continually But now if we pray not aright not in that manner that the Lord hath perscribed if we pray either with a guilty defiled conscience with cold affections with a dead spirit or without departing from iniquity or without a pure heart if a man pray without the right manner of prayer he marres all his prayer it is a howling and not a prayer They did not cry to mee saith God when they howled on their beds that is when they prayed but because they did not pray in a right manner the Lord calls it a howling and not a prayer We roare as Beares in Isay 59.12 the Prophet nicknames it speaking in the person
know our Lords will we must prepare for the doing of it 243 The Contents of the eighth Sermon upon Proverbs 29 1. 1 A double exposition of the Text. 1 Doct. From the first exposition viz. He that reproveth another and is guilty himself in the same kind or in any other kind and hardeneth his own heart in it that man shall be destroyed without remedy 244 7 Reasons First because the office of a reprover bindeth him to be blamelesse 2 Because such a reprover as is guilty himself can never reprove to a right end 250 3 Neither can he do it in a right manner 251 4 Such a reprover is an hypocrite 252 5 Such a reproving of another mans sinne makes him inexcusable in his own 253 6 It is an absurd thing for a person to reprove another for that whereof he is guilty himself 254 7 Such a reproving is a signe of impenitencie 254 Object Shall not a wicked Magistrate or Minister reprove others c. Ans He is bound to reprove in regard of his office â—ut is bound in conscience to amend himself first 155 Use For instruction first Let every reprover take heed lest he make himself inexcusable 256 2 Let him endeavour to walk unblameable and inoffensive 256 Two Doctrines from the second exposition of the Words viz. Doct. 1. The Lord doth not destroy man willingly but for sinne 261 Doct. 2. It is a great mercy for a man to be reproved for his sin 261 Three Reasons of the Second Doctrine 1 Because reproofs primarily come from love 262 2 They tend to the good of a mans soul 264 3 It is brutish not to take reproofs in good part 265 Use 1 First for information that God is bringing destruction upon a Kingdom when he takes away reprovers from them 267 Use 2 For the reproof of those that despise the reproof of the wise they despise not men but God 269 The grievousnesse of their sin who stand out against reproof is aggravated under severall heads 270 Doct. 3 The Lord proportions punishments to mens sins 271 Reas 1 Because hereby a mans punishment appears to be so much the more equall and worthy 271 2 This stops mens mouths and convinceth their consciences 3 All the standers by may see the equity of it when the punishment is according to the sin 273 Use for instruction First to teach men not to complain of Gods dealing with them if their punishment be for the kind of it according to their sin but rather let them learn to see Gods immediate hand in it 274 2 To teach men to consider how God many timeâ— proportions punishments to sins 1 For kind 275 2 For quantity 275 3 For quality 276 4 For time 277 5 For place 277 The Authors Preface upon these ensuing Sermons THE cause of that little heavenlines which is in the profession of Christianity is the want of Meditation Many can meditate cursorily but that is not enough it must be a sticking Meditation that must affect the heart That place in 2 Pet. 2.8 is marvellous pregnant it was the means why Lot was so touched with the abominations of Sodome That righteous man â—welling amongst them in seeing and hearing their ungodly deeds vexed his righteous soul from day to day Many heard and saw too besides Lot and were not vexed Why Other matters stuck in their thoughts they never throughly meditated on it but he vexed himself that is the meditation of those evils and bringing them home to his soul vexed him The word is a fit word implying two things First the searching and examining of a thing his meditating heart examined their sins how many they were how grievous how damnable how likely to pull down some vengeance or other upon them Secondly the wracking or vexing upon trial so it was with Lot he observed all their evils and weighed them in his soul then he wracked his spirit with the consideration of them The Evangelist useth this very word for tossing this word that is here put for vexing he puts for tossing of a ship in the seas Matt. 14.24 The ship was toss'ed with the waves so meditation did tosse his soul with vexation sometimes down to the deep O miserable wretches that we are or How brutish how beastly and how hellish are our sins Sometimes up O that the Lord would humble us and spare us Sometimes over head and eares in the storme O fool that I was to chuse my dwelling amongst such men These meditations vexed hiâ— soul Many have studied meditations and yet are not acquainted with this cordiall meditation Many Ministerâ— that study Divinity all the day that study the Word all the week that study their Sermons all the year may yet for all this be carnall Ministers Why Because their meditation is but inventing and mentall meditation thiâ— meditation is a practicall meditation the thing meditated feeds the heart that meditation is like a fluttering Pheasant that flutters before their eyes it feeds their eyes indeed but never feeds the stomack as long as they neither catch nor eat it The saving mysteries of God flutter before their eyes and before their understandings they feed their eyes with knowledge but never feed their souls unto everlasting life unlesse they fowle for it dresse and digest it in their hearts There is an apt word Gen. 24.63 Isaac went out to meditate in the field the originall hath it to signifie mutuall conference his mind conferred with the truth and the truth with him a mutuall working he wrought upon the truth by meditating of it and it wrought upon him by leaving an impression upon his soul this is a rare practice in the world and yet as necessary as most it is the art of the soul in being heavenly it is the inuring of thee to every good duty for by meditation a man comes to have his mind and heart fixed upon every thing that he would Would he pray he that hath inured his heart to meditate his mind is fixed in his prayer Would he receive the Sacrament He that hath inured his heart by meditation his mind is fixed in the Ordinance David that was excellent at meditation had a fixed heart Psal 57.7 Psal 112. 1.7 A SERMON OF The use and benefit of Divine Meditation HAGGAI 1.5 Now therfore saith the Lord of Hosts Consider your wayes THe Prophet reproveth the people because they could finde in their hearts to mind their own houses and yet were carelesse of the house of the Lord the Lord had sent a drought and a famine and sundry punishments upon them for this thing and yet they laid it not to heart and therefore he sends Haggai the Prophet unto them to call them to repentance and which is an admirable course and little thought of in the world he begins with holy meditation and consideration Now therefore thus saith the Lord consider your wayes that is both in regard of the course of them your wicked wayes and also in regard
their Dogges their bellies and their backes before they serve God in meditation or prayer unlesse it be the mumbling and roting a few Lord have mercy upon us that pray not till after many other businesses it may be not then neirher David prayed and meditated in the morning In the morning thou washest thy face and thy hands but thy soul hath more need which thou washest not in the morning thou puttest thy cloathes on thy body but thou puttest not on afresh the new man upon thy soule in the morning thou shakest off sleepinesse from thine eyes but thou shakest not off drowsinesse from thy soule Thou lookest into the glasse in the morning to see if thy face be as it should be but thy soule is not composedly looking into the glasse of Gods word In the morning look up in prayer look up in thanksgiving look up in meditation Secondly the night too O Lord I meditate on thee in the night watches Ps 63. not as carnal ones do when they cannot sleepe then their mind runnes on their Cow and their Calfe their markets and vanities this neighbour and that neighbour like Petronius his dogge that was hunting while he lay asleepe in his kennell Thirdly in the evening I prevent the night watches that I might meditate Psal 119.148 he did not as wicked men doe sleepe like a horse in the stable on his litter with his neck tied to the manger they goe to bed with their hearts roped to the world worldly thoughts this thought and that thought and God knowes what Fourthly when the heart is touched at a Sermon or Sacrament or observing of any judgement or mercy or act of Gods providence it is best striking when the Iron is hot David when his heart was touched at the reproaches of the wicked then he meditated Ps 119.23 When the Instrument is in tune then it is good playing upon it when a Churle is in a good mood then it is fittest to deale with him Oft will thy heart be out of tune oft churlish and in an ill mood if thou lettest the good opportunity go thou knowst not when thou shalt have such another When the fish is nibbling at the bait then it is good twitching at the angle rod when the heart is a nibbling at grace then give a pluck at it by meditation See Act. 17.11 now while the tide â—asts see thou maist get into the haven Means 3 Thirdly rub up thy selfe and thy memory call as much to mind as thou canst what evill thou hast done ever since thou wast borne what in the womb what in thy cradle childhood youth age what a servant what a Master what as a servant what as a sonne what as a neighbour what as an inferiour what as a superiour either in thought or word or deed how often thou â—ast omitted good duties or done them by â—alves Item for this and Item for that They shall remember themselves and turne unto the Lord Psal 22.27 First they shall remember themselves and say What have I done O wretch how carelesly have I lived Secondly so meditating they shall turn unto the Lord. Many say Oh! they cannot remember their sinnes They lie in a thousand particulars for they can remember to commit them wel enough See Lam. 3.19 20.21 our Greek translation turnes it I spâ—ke to my selfe and meditated as if they should say O what a rebell have I been how unthankfull how unprofitable under all the means of grace I may thank my sins for all the plagues of the Almighty that are upon me if he had damned me I had been well served What followes The heart bowed and was humbled as it is in the text Means 4 The fourth means Rouze up thy heart As it is with the eye of the body so it is with the eye of the soul when a man would look wishly upon a thing as if he would look through it he sets his eyes on it as Paul set his eyes on Elymas Ah thou child of the Devil thou c. Acts 13.9 Meditation is the setting of the eye of the soul upon a thing set thine eye upon thy selfe and say Ah thou child of the wicked why hath Satan filled thy heart O wretched heart whence hadst thou thy self-love hadst thou not it from the Devil God might do well to send thee to the Devill if thou lovest so to bee his Broker Seâ— thine eyes stedfastly upon thine owne wayes and thou shalt see infinite hellish evils in thy sins Vse 3 The third use is for reprehension What is more usuall then this that men make sleight account of their sins Nay when God tells them in their hearts Thou shalt not do this thou shalt not doe that yet they meditate and think Why may I not Samuel bid Saul stay for directions from him before he sacrificed unto God It seemes that God spake to his heart Stay till Samuel comes to direct thee yet Saul forced himselfe to disobey and to doe sacrifice 1. Sam. 13.12 he was bold as Vatable turnes it hee confirmed himselfe as Pagnin translates it hee thrust himselfe upon the doing of it God forbad him he would doe it God urged him in his conscience not to doe it yet he would doe it God again whispered to him to doe it not yet hee forced himselfe to doe it as if he should say I hope I may doe it I have stayed seven dayes wanting an houre or a piece of an houre and a little piece breakes no squares No God rejected Saul for that venture God would have forced him by meditation O no doe it not by no meanes he made him think Oh it is against Gods commandements I may not doe it No but neverthelesse he forced himselfe to doe it Thus God deals with thousands and millions in the world Be not a drunkard God flings the meditation into the conscience yet a drunkard thou wilt be be not a drunkard again a drunkard notwithstanding thou wilt be Be not again they force themselves they will goe to the Ale-house And so of all other sinnes If men will cast oft this work of meditation darted into their soules they cast off their owne mercy God tells them pray not hear not offer not without directions from me they dread not the commandement they will I trust prayers are good I will say them Thus they will not meditate or if they doe they break it off before it comes to any strength or perfection yea Gods owne servants that desire to look towards Sion is not this your complaint oft I cannot find sinne heavie I confesse the word discovers it to me but I cannot be troubled for it Look as it is with men in the world if five hundred pounds weight bee laid upon the ground if a man never pluck at it he shall never feele the weight of it Your sinnes are not many hundreds but many thousands yea many ten thousands selfe-love security hardnesse of heart base fears c. it is impossible to
from the Huntsman it cuts the member for which it is hunted and slings it down and so escapes saith Aesops So pursue thy heart with its sins with the hue and cry of Gods mercies pursue it with the hubbub of Gods judgements let meditation haunt it and let thy soul see it shall never be rid of the haunt at last it will be content to part with its lusts Let meditation say Wilt thou forsake thine own mercies If thou livest thus and thus if thou prayest thus and thus dead-heartedly thou kickest against thine own mercie wilt thou rush upon the pricks This mercie thou maist have if thou wouldst amend that vengeance thou shalt have if thou do not amend Either cut off thy sins or else God will cut off thy soul Return O Shulamite return return it s the voice of Christ to thee Let meditation say Return O my soul return return and thou mayst be saved return or else thou shalt be condemned Now what was the effect of this haunting meditation Or ere I was aware my soul made me like the Chariots of Aminadab vers 12. That is my soul musing and meditating on these and these commandments it so humbled my soul that it made me yeeld yea and made me run as fast as the Chariots of Aminadab freely and willingly to Christ Deal with thy heart as Junius his father dealt with him he seeing his son was Atheisticall he laid a Bible in every room that his son could look in no room but behold a Bible haunted him upbraiding him Wilt thou not read me Atheist Wilt thou not read me And so at last he read it and was converted from his Atheisme So let meditation haunt thy heart hold forth the commandments promises threatnings of the Lord that thy heart may see them let meditation haunt thee in thy luke-warmnesse prayest thou thus luke-warm This prayer will break thy neck one day Repentest thou This luke-warm repentance will cause God to spue thee out of his mouth Hearest thou speakest thou thinkest thou These luke-warm duties will confound thee ere long if thou lookest not to it Let Meditation haunt thee as they haunted Nehemiah with warnings ten times saith the Text they sent to Nehemiah they will be upon thee Nehem. 4.12 Beware of the danger the enemy will be upon thee ten times they warned him never giving over till Nehemiah looked about him vers 13. So do thou haunt thine own heart they will be upon thee this curse this wrath that hardnesse of heart this security will be upon thee Ten times yea a thousand times ten times never give over thine own soul untill thou hast made it to submit Indeed there be some let God send Meditations to haunt them and follow them saying Repent leave this or that sin why wilt thou be damn'd with this sin Oh forsake it presently they will gagge the mouth of Meditation and of conscience and strike them stark dead as Abner when Azahel would haunt him and follow him and turn neither to the right hand nor to the left but follow him at the heels Turn aside saith Abner but he would not turn aside from following him Turn aside from me sayes Abner again or I will kill thee but he would not turn aside he would follow him close Then he up with his Spear and slew him 2 Sam. 2.19 20 21 22 23 So many deal with the meditation of conscience when conscience would dogge them and weary them out of their sins they will not when conscience would haunt them they will not be haunted therewith when conscience would follow them up with their desperate wilfulnesse they gall and wound and murder conscience to be quiet But David haunted his heart and would have it haunted The second duty Let Meditation trace thy heart as it should haunt thee so also let it trace thee in the samesteps So would the Church Let us search and trie our wayes and turn again unto the Lord Lam. 3.40 The word in the originall sayes Buxtorf signifies track or steps step by step this step was in the ditch that in the mire that step awry track them all that we may ungo them all again and turn unto the Lord. Never pray but let Meditation track thy prayer this passage was right that passage was amisse Never keep a Sabbath but let Meditation track thy keeping of it this duty was sincere that was rotten Never do any thing but let Meditation track it This thought this word this action was warrantable that was out of the way track thy heart as the Lord tracted Eliah he tract him in the wildernesse he tracted him under the juniper tree he tract him in the cave What dost thou here Eliah go forth 1 King 19. What dost thou here Eliah go return He tract him in the mount Go return what dost thou here Eliah this is not a place for thee So let Meditation wait thee what dost thou here O sinner what dost thou here O drunkard in thy covetousnesse or in thy prophanenesse what dost thou here this is not a place for thee unlesse thou mean to perish It may be thou art now scard out of these sins and art run into civill honesty let Meditation still track thee What dost thou do here O sinner Civilitie is not a case fit for thee unlesse thou wert better thou shalt be torn in peeces It may be thou art driven out of thy civility and art gone further to the profession of Religion though it be without the power of it let meditation still wait thee What dost thou here O sinner this sorry kind of profession is not a race fit for thee unlesse thou be godlier then so thou shalt be devoured with everlasting fire Meditation is like the coursing of a hare in the snow the hare fearing to be taken by the dogs here she stops there she leaps here she interleaps there she goes backward and forward upward and downward and all to deceive the dogs that they may not find her but they go smelling and maundring winding and turning and track her step by step till they find her so meditation in the coursing of the soul the heart hath a thousand fetches a thousand meanders and labyrinths a thousand crosse windings and compassings and deceits and all to puzle Meditation But Meditation must track the heart as God dealt with Job he counted his steps step by step Job 14.16 Meditation is the souls blood-hound it will never leave howling the wrath of God till it hath taken the hearts sin for a prey Meditation haunts it out of one sin and it runs into another Meditation haunts it out of that and it runs into a third Meditation is a good pursevant it prosecutes the sinner and attaches him Now because the heart is most cunning and hardest to be trackt by its sent when the heart hath taken up abundance of good duties and attained unto sundry graces these good duties and common graces drown the sent of the hearts
to hell what wilt thou say then I never thought of this before that so it would be Mot. 2 The second Motive is Thou wouldest be loth to have the brand of a Reprobate Not to meditate is that brand The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God neither is God in all his thoughts Psal 10.4 He scornes to be so poring upon Bibles to be so wracking his mind with his sins He hath said in his heart God will not require it vers 13. God requires no such scrupulosity nor strictnesse Mot. 3 The third Motive is Thou wouldst be loth to roh God of his honour and the maine part of his service whis is Meditation Thou shalt love the Lord with all thy heart and with all thy soule Matth. 22.38 How can this bee true of them saith Chrysostom who become vain in their imaginations Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart soule and mind And so do I saist thou So dost thou What and not love God with all that is in thy heart Thy thoughts are in thy heart thy meditations are in thy mind If thy thoughts then and meditations be not of God thou dost not love God with all thy heart David did not only pray that the words of his mouth but also that the thoughts of his heart should be ever acceptable to the Lord Psal 19.14 not only that he might be full of heavenly communication in his mouth but also of holy meditation in his heart Behold saith he thou requirest truth in the inward parts Psal 51.6 And meditation is one of the duties of truth in the inward parts Mot. 4 The fourth Motive Thou wouldst be loth that all the worship thou givest to God should be abominable so it will be without meditation meditation before it meditation after it First Thou must meditate before thou goest about a duty of Gods worship consider before thou hear the word of God meditate what thou art going about Hearken O daughter and consider incline thine eare Psal 45.10 First consider and meditate and then incline thine eare This is part of those words often in Scripture Be ready be ready Be ready and come up saith God Exod. 34.2 Be ready against the third day Exod. 19. Gather your selves together Zeph. 2.1 that is prepare to meet thy God O Israel Amos 4.12 Secondly meditate after the duty When men part with men they use to give one another a farewell and not bluntly deliver their mind one to another and so turn their backs one upon another Lysias could not write a letter to Felix and break up abruptly but he gave him a farewell Acts 23.30 Neither may a man when a duty is done go away bluntly from God but give him a farewell by holy meditation It 's an unseemly kicking of a duty as most men do when they are come to the end of their prayers to whom with the Father and holy Spirit be ascribed all praise and glory Amen Come is dinner ready or what news do you hear This is unmannerlinesse towards the ordinances of God A man that hath been at a â—ooâ— dinner will sit a while after it or walke a while he will not presently run to his worke that the meat may digest the better So when thou hast been at Gods dainties sit after it a while pawsing and meditating thereof as often as thou well mayest let it have its working a while What is the reason thou hast so many by-thoughts in prayer Because thou dost not meditate before-hand and after Hence it is that thine eyes are not directed to the duty but like a blind Archer thou shootest but by aim when the good Archer shoots he must have the white in his eye still which he must levell at My voyce shalt thou hear betimes in the morning in the morning will I direct my prayer to thee and will look up â—s â— 3 How came that you may look on his meditations vers 1. By meditation he was wont to direct and levell his prayer to God Wicked men know that God is before them as a blinde man may leâ—rne that the But is before him but they see not God before them to direct their prayers unto him they pray at rovers Thou must use then to meditate of God that thy prayers may bee directed if thou prayest not thus thy prayers are like them in the Prophet who drew neer to God with their lippes but their hearts were far from him like an arrow beside the But or far from the mark either wide or short They have not cried unto me with their hearts when they howled upon their beds Hosea 7.14 They prayed but they prayed not to me saith the Lord as the White may say of a bungling Archer hee shoots but not at me when he shooted he shot another way God counts all such prayers no better then howling of Dragons and wild beasts so the word signifies saith Scindler God would as lief and rather too that a Dog or a Wolfe or Dragon should howl in his hearing then hear such a prayer as this is The onely way therefore to performe duties of Gods worship purely is cheifly meditation meditation meditation THE DANGER of deferring REPENTANCE DISCOVERED In a Sermon preached at Maidstone in Kent Septem 25. 1629. By that Reverend and faithfull Minister of the Word WILLIAM FENNER B.D. Sometime Fellow of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge and late Parson of Rochford in Essex London Printed by T.R. and E.M. for J.S. A SERMON OF Mr. WILLIAM FENNERS at Maidstone Septem 25. 1629. PROV 1.28 Then shall they call upon me but I will not answer they shall seek me early but they shall not find me THere is a good English Proverb amongst us that he that neglects the occasion the occasion will neglect him Solomon wisely begins his Proverbs with it for he bringeth in the Wisdom of his Father in these five particulars first making a generall Proclamation in the 20 verse Wisdome crieth without shee uttereth her vice in the streets He compareth God unto a Crier that goeth up and down the City from street to street and from doore to doore crying his commodity even the richest that ever was which is a Christ a Christ for redemption a Christ for sanctification a Christ to enlighten those that walk in darknesse and in the shadow of death Ho every one that thirsteth here is a Christ for you Secondly here is a mercifull reprehension in the 22. verse O yee foolish how long will yee love foolishnesse and yee scorners take pleasure in scorning Foolish indeed to be without Christ foolish to be without grace foolish to chafer away our souls for sin How long yee scorners will yee take pleasure in scorning will you still persist in your wickednesse and never have done with your sins will you never turn back again but damne your souls for ever O yee foolish how long will you love foolishnesse Thirdly here is a gracious exhortation in
converted the Lord may set it down in his decree from this day forward that thou mayst fumble about thy sinnes but shalt never get victory over them thou mayest ever bee mourning for thy corruptions but never mourne aright for them thou mayest blunder about repentance but never doe the work Ezekiel 24.23 You shall not mourne nor weep but you shall pine away for your iniquities and mourn one towards another There is many a soule for contemning of God and not taking up repentance while they may have it this plague of God is come upon them that they are ever repenting and are never able to repent ever poring upon their sinnes but never able to come out of them they pray and pray against them but their prayers moulder away under them for they shall pine away for their iniquities What is the reason he showeth in the 13. verse Because I would have purged thee and thou wast not purged thou shalt not be purged any more Because I gave thee line upon line precept upon precept motion upon motion Sacrament upon Sacrament Sabbath upon Sabbath and Ordinance upon Ordinance because I used all fair meanes and foul meanes I awaked thy conscience and stirred up the motions of grace in thee but because I would have cleansed thee and thou wast not cleansed thou shalt never be cleansed A fearfull sentence it is if mens hearts were soundly opened to consider rightly of it And as there is a personall day so there is a nationall day if the Nation turne unto God during that time then that nation shall find mercy but if they neglect that day then God will hide those things from their eyes that belong to their peace as Christ saith of Jerusalem Luke 19.42 O Jerusalem if that thou hadst known in this thy day those things that did belong to thy peace but now they are hid from thine eyes in this thy day if thou hadst known it during that day it had been happy for thee but now the day of grace is gone the Lord hath concealed it from thee and thou shalt never perceive it any more Some mens day of grace God endeth even in their very childhood therefore if there be any little ones any children here in this congregation that are of age to know what belongs unto an exhortation to them I speak that they take heed how they rebell against the commandment of a father or a mother or master against the teaching of Gods Word for though you be children yet God may inflict judgements upon your heads for not only the day of grace but also the day of life may be cut off from children as 2 Kings 2.24 Four and twenty children were torn in peeces for mocking the Lords Prophet Some mens day of grace is not shut up untill their youth some not untill their old age some not untill they are a dying and if they refuse then they are alike yea sure to perish for ever I know the day of grace may have several returns but at last Gods Exchequer will be finally shut up Object May not a man be called at the eleventh or twelfth hour of the day The day of grace lasteth alwayes and doth not the Apostle call the day of life the day of grace 2 Cor. 6.2 Answ Is it true the Lord calleth men at the eleventh and twelfth hour but yet look and you shall see in the twentieth of Matthew that they were not called at the first houre nor at the second nor third houre nor at the sixth and ninth houre i. he doth not say he found the same men that he found at the first and third sixth and ninth houres but he saw others standing idle No those that were called at the first houre came in at the first houre and they that were called at the third houre came in at the third houre and they that were called at the sixth and ninth houre came in at the sixth and ninth houre Well doth God call thee in thy childhood in thy youth or in thy middle age now at the first or sixth or ninth houre now come in and labour in Gods Vineyard and worke out your salvation with feare and trembling and make use of the season of grace now whiles it is upon you for if thou be called the first houre the sixth is for another and not for thee if thou be called the sixth houre the ninth houre is for others and not for thee if thou be called the ninth houre the eleventh houre is for others and not for thee The Text saith He came and found others standing idle in the market place and said unto them Why stand yee here idle And they say unto him No man hath hired us as if they should say We never had any means of salvation we have had no Ministers to preach unto us but now God calls upon thee to come in this is thy houre look unto it If God call thee see thou come in whether it be at the first or third houre at the six or ninth houre lest the Lord in his wrath clap bardnesse of heart upon thy soul Object But you will say that the day of life and the day of grace are parallel'd and likened one to another and therefore there is hope so long as a man remaines in the Congregation of the living Answ I answer it is true indeed that the day of grace lasteth so long as the day of life 1. In regard of others for others are so to esteeme of it the Minister is to look to his people as to a people to be converted as long as they live 2. In regard of a mans owne selfe he is so bound to beleeve for the commandment of faith standeth in force on a man so long as he liveth and therefore infidelity and despaire cease not to be sins till a man is actually in hell when he is in hell then they are no sins because then he is not commanded to beleeve but are part of the punishment of the damned but whilst a man lives it is a sinne for men are now bound to lay hold upon Christ and to beleeve at what houre of their life soever 3. It may be said to last all a mans life long because it is bounded within the compasse of life for no man hath a day of grace after this life But what is the meaning of all those Scriptures which show how God doth deliver up men unto the Spirit of giddinesse and unto the Spirit of slumber And what means the hardning of mens hearts and searing of mens consciences but only to show that the day of grace may end unto a particular man ten twenty thirty nay forty yeeres before his death 1. Because God may harden a mans heart Jerem. 13.10 and deale with them as with Israel in the Rock so shut up their hearts that they shall never melt at any Sermon never be wrought upon by any judgement God having closed them up in a rocky heart that he
other abominable sins which mens conseiences startle at bul evill thoughts defile a man Assure thy self that so long as the league of these evill thoughts is not broken thou hast no Christ as yet within thee Hence is that exhortation of the Apostle Colos 3.12 If you be risen with Christ then seek those things which are above Brethren you must remember that there be two kinds of exhortations in Scripture the one if a man do them blessed and happie is he the other if he doe them not yet he may find mercie it will be a greif and a sorrow to him but it follows not that he shall miscarrie But there are exhortations that tye to obedience that must be obeyed or else there is no salvation as this exhortatâ—on of the Apostle it is not left to our choice to do or not to do but if a man be risen with Christ he must doe it he must seek the things that are above that man then that hath his thoughts run habitually on the world that man hath no Christ in him and therefore his end must needs be destruction Reas 3 Thirdly that mans end must needs be destruction that loves not God now so long as thy thoughts run habitually on the things of the world thou hast no true love of God in thee For thus runs the Commandment of love Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soul and with all thy might Matth. 22.37 It is as if Christ should have said thou shalt love God with all thy heart and with all thy heart and with all thy heart for the soul mind and heart are all one that no man might dare to keep any part of their heart from God Every one will say I love God with all my heart I go to Church and serve God with all my heart I hear the Word and pray with all my heart I receive the Sacraments with all my heart Dost thou so and yet let thy thoughts run upon the world dost thou pray and yet let vain thoughts lodge within thee dost thou hear the Word receive the Sacraments and yet letst vain thoughts distract thee Dost thou walk in thy calling and yet lettest vain thoughts steal away thy heart and yet sayest thou I love God with all my heart when thou takest away thy heart from God How dost thou think thy thoughts with thy heels or with thy heart Surely thou sayest with my heart Why then if thou lovest God with all thy heart thou must give thy thoughts unto God God that cals for thy heart cals for all the heart now the heart is nothing but all a mans heart all the affections and desires all turnings and windings all things that are in the heart do but make up the heart and therefore when God calls for thy heart he calls for all the powers and faculties of the soule And therefore the Prophet David would blesse God with his soule and all that was within him Psal 103. So thou must give thy thoughts and all that is within thee to God or els thou givest God nothing therefore that mans end must needs be destruction that loves not God Reas 4 Fourthly that mans end must needs be destruction that never gives over his sinnes and so long as thy thoughts run after the world thou canst never forsake sin thou maiest resolve and think on the contrary yet so long as thy thoughts run habitually on the things of the world thou dost not forsake sin Wicked and carnall men may have the eyes of their consciences opened and their hearts awakened whereby they may see their sinnes and the hellish evill and danger of them whereupon they may resolve and purpose to forsake them and then they will make a covenant with God that they will not do thus and thus I have been touchie and cholerick but I will be so no more I have beene a prophane swearer and blasphemer of the name of God but I will be so no more I have been a drunkard and an unclean person but Lord thou shalt see a reformation in me Nay it may be he will tell his Minister of it and his father and his mother his wife his children and all his friends too of it but when he comes to his cold bloud again and these cold graces which sluttered so come to be cold in him so that his heart comes to it self again then vain thoughts rest in his heart and he returns to his old sins again as the dog to his vomit and the sow being washed to the wallowing in the mire The Apostle excellently describes a man that can never depart from his sins They have eyes full of adultery which cannot cease to sin 2. Pet 2.14 where the Apostle speaks not onely of that adulterie which is a breach of the seventh Commandment but of such an adulterie which is a perfect breach of every Commandment when the heart runneth awhoring after every sin and vanitie when the eye of the soul is full of adulterie the heart cannot cease to sin when the eye cannot see an object of gain or profit but the mind is presently engaged and runs after it when it cannot see an object of delight and pleasure but it is straightway caught by it when he cannot see any wrong or injurie done unto him but presently he is inflamed with revenge and his heart runs after it I say that if thy eye be thus full of adultery that thou canst not see the occasions and hints of sin but presently thou art insnared and thy soul is taken by it thou art the man that canst not cease to sin therefore untill thou turne the eye of thy soule which is the thoughts and affections of thy heart another way thou wilt never cease to sin For wheresoever thou lookest thou wilt be insnared so long as thy thoughts are evill and vicious either upon pride or covetousnesse or ambition or envie or delights thy soul will look asquint on God and untill these vaine thoughts of thine be crucified thou wilt only look upon the satisfying of these vain lusts of thine Prov. 3.6 In all thy wayes acknowledge God and he shall direct thy paths In all thy wayes think on God or else thou mayest go to many duties in Religion but never be direct in thy going thou maiest pray a thousand times but never be established in thy prayer thou maiest go from Lecture to Lecture and yet never be established in thy service thou maiest go about many things and never be established in any thing unlesse God be in all thy thoughts a man may go on in a course of Religion but it is at haphazard he is inconstant and unsteady in his course unlesse in his heart he think upon God and therefore his end must needs be destruction This then may serve first for humiliation to the godly secondly for matter of condemnation to the wicked Vse 1 First for humiliation are vain thoughts thus damnable that when
thou dost pronounce them but not speak them But when thou speakest of earthly things then thou speakest to the purpose because thy heart is set upon them and thy minde and the tongue goe together there is no jarre or discord betwixt them but if thy heart be not pure though thou speakest good things or holy things yet in Christ sense thou speakest them not For say I how can a vain evill corrupt heart think good thoughts An evill tree cannot bring â—orth good fruit saith our Saviour he doth not say that an evill tree cannot be made good for it may be graffed into anotheâ— stock divers wayes there are to make it good but so long as it is a corrupt tree it cannot bring forth good fruit Doe men gather grapes of thorns or stâ—ges of thistles Dost thou goe to a drunkard and thinkest there to finde any religion in him or to a whoremaster to finde grace in him Dost thou goe to a swearer or a prophane person and thinkest thou to find any feare of God in them Indeed sometimes there may be some morall good found in them but they are as a pearle in a dung-hill out of its place Fourthly all mens thoughts come to be vain when the drift and end of the heart and soule in thinking of them is vain But thou wilt say unto mee the end of my good thoughts is Gods glory What is it not to Gods glory that we goe to the Word and Sacraments that we pray and give almes I answer the end of every good work in it self is Gods glory but is it the end of the worker speaker or thinker I make no question but the end of a good action in it self is the glory of God so the end of prayer is the glory of God the end of all preaching and Sermons is the glory of God the end of giving of almes and of all good thoughts is the glory of God but the end of the man that prayes and preaches what is that the end of the hearer and giver of almes what is that the end of him that speaks well what is that Beloved must men have false and corrupt ends which we will branch out into these three heads For the first men will be thinking and plodding from morning till night of their worldly businesse Now because they know they must think on God to make God amends perhaps they will think on him at night when they have dishonoured him all the day So men will swear and swagger drink and be drunk and when they have done say Lord have mercy upon me and so they think to make God amends What beloved will yee sweare swagger drink be drunk and lie be secure and worldly and then ask God forgivenesse to make him amends This is to break Priscians head that you may give him a plaister Will you trespasse your neighbour that you may ask him forgivenesse This is a damned and devilish religion yet this is the religion of many men in the world you shall have them keep daies and weeks and yeares in the observation of the times of Gods worship they will keep the Sabbath in comming to Church they will hear Sermons pray and think of God but all this is to make God amends for the wrong that they have done him they know they have offended God and therefore they will do something to make him amends like those wicked men in Jeremies time who did steale murder commit adultery swear falsly and burn incense unto Baal and walk after the gods whom they knew not and then come and stand before God in his house which was called by his name and said We are delivered though we have done all these abominations As if God should say unto wicked men What will yee swear steal lie and be earthly giving up your selves unto all manner of lewdnesse in the breach and contempt of my commandements and then think by making a prayer unto me and by lifting up your eyes unto me and by giving your eares to hear my word thereby to make me recompence No no I have showed thee O man what is good Micah 8. Secondly the end of mens thoughts is commonly to collogue with God Let a man be under the crosse in calamity pain and misery then God shall heare of him often then he will think of God and of his sinnes nay the beastliest wretch in a whole Parish upon his sick-bed then Oh how will he call upon God then send for the Minister let him pray for me read a chapter or some good book then God shall have service upon service then he shall have the first second and third course But all this is but to be raised up again and then when he hath received a little strength he fall off again like the Jewes who when God slew them they sought him and they returned and enquired early after God neverthelesse they did but dâ—ssemble with him with their mouthes and flatter him with their double hearts Ps 78.34 There is many a man that seeks to God yea that seeks to him with tears and performes many a good duty and yet he doth but flatter with God he doth it but to curry favour with him hee is afraid of sicknesse crosses plagues and death and curses upon him if hee should not doe so and therefore to prevent this he will dissemble some service to God Thirdly to smother and choake their owne consciences their hearts think and tell them they must think of God their consciences tell them that they must have some holinesse some religion that they must keep the Sabbath in some sort that they must pray and goe to Church and hence it is that the drunkard swearer whoremaster will sometimes have thoughts of God and will be performing some outward acts of Religion Why his conscience otherwise would not let him be at rest but it is as the Devils bandog to drive him to it Thus when the Prophet commanded the people to worship the Lord to reverence his name to hallow his Sabbaths their consciences told them that they must doe so or else all the threatnings of wrath and vengeance denounced by the Prophets would come upon them Hence it is that the Lord by his Prophet exhorts saying Arise yee and depart for this is not your rest your mind hath another haunt you have this and that black lust this is not your rest Doth thy heart rest on God and good things If thy heart be good and holy so that it takes up its rest in God and in Christ then it is well but if thou only turnest aside to good duties and fallest as it were by chance upon holy things away away saith God this is not your rest Aristotle saith that the being of a thing consâ—steth in the end of a thing Therefore if the end of thy thoughts and courses be earthly and vain then certainly thy religion is earthly and vain Thou goest up and down what is it that thou lookest after
him he did not onely make an Arke but so hee made all the roomes so hee made it in the same forme and figure and in the same similitude just as the Lord set him downe the patterne even so did he So the Lord sets down the patterne of every good word and work of all our prayers and Sermons and hearing and conference and keeping the Sabbath and speaking holily all our actions have their patterne set downe in the word of God Now as wee are to doe the things so wee are to doe them in the same manner as the Lord commands even so must we doe Fiftly and lastly except we doe it in a right manner except as wee come to the duty so wee come to the right manner wee can never glorifie God The glory of God lies in the manner of doing of things So let your light shine before men that they may see your good workes and glorifie your Father which is in heaven Matth. 5.16 Mark the light must not shine onely in our lives and conversations but so that the duty must be a means to the glorifying of God Now the means must have its proportion and likenesse and nature and mold and frame from the nature of the end Look how the end is that the dutie lookes unto so must the frame and fashion of the duty be Now if the end of all our actions be that God may be glorified that must put a forme and fashion upon every duty that it may be so that he may have glory Suppose a man pray every day in his family and call all his houshold his servants and wife and children and all under his roof about him every morning and evening he may dishonour God by prayer every day on this fashion if a man pray coldly and carelesly for forme and fashion without faith and life he makes all the ordinance of God vile and all the worke of God contemptible his houshold sleeps one snorts it may be another is infinitely prophane it may bee and though there be divers that would fain be quickned and wakened yet his prayer is so cold there is no life nor heat nor warmth in it that God is exceedingly dishonoured and all are thereby rather worse then better So for a mans preaching though it be never so good a duty yet hee must labour to preach so as the Apostle speakes of his preaching and labour in the work of the Ministery how he may edifie others and save his own soule So fight I not as one that beats the â—ire but so as I may get the mastery We must so preach that we may attain the conversion of the people or else we may rather doe as Hophni and Phineas the sonnes of Fli that made the Table of the Lord contemptible and the Sacrifice of the Lord loathsome in the eyes of the people So may we do with the ordinance of God Take any duty of religion if it be not done aright God hath no glory by it Suppose thou wouldest reprove thy brother and tell him of his fault and check him for his backwardnesse or omâ—ssion of some duty and for the commission of some sinne if thou doe not doe it with a spirit of compassion and bowels of Jesus Christ with an humble heart with a feeling and a pure conscience I say thou gettest a blot to thy own selfe and causest God to be ill spoken of and the very way of his name to be dishonored This will be the effect of it and so in every other dutie And so I come to the use Is it so that we must not onely come to the Sacrament but come aright or doe any dutie but we must do it in a right manner This servs to condemne that naturall popery that is in mens hearts that is of opus operatum of the deed done this is the religion of the Church of Rome that so a man doe the duty indeed it is better if it bee done in a right manner but if it be done there is somewhat a man may look for by that If a man come to the Sacrament the very eating of the Host the very partaking of the body of Christ they make it meritorious so the very hearing of so many Sermons the very saying of so many prayers the very performanec of so many duties the very thing it self nakedly considered it is of some validity This is rooted in the hearts of men we see it up and downe people doe the duty and think all is well enough when they consider not how it is done People pray but not with zeale they heare but not with reverence People come to the Sacrament not for the better but for the worse they come not in a right manner and yet every one hopes to speed and builds himselfe on this that God accepts of him But this is the folly of mens hearts it is an evident argument that men goe foolishly to work in the wayes of God It is the brand of a foole not to be able to observe circumstances Aristotle the heathen hee saith it is the part of a wise man to think of and understand the manner of actions as a wise man saith he observes circumstances It is a part of wisdome to observe the right circumstances of every action as it is Ephes 5.15 Walke circumspectly that is accurately as it is in the originall not as fooles but as wise Marke hee perswades them to a right manner of walking not only to walk in a good course in praying and hearing in obedience and sobrietie in temperance faith and diligence in our callings but doe it accurately in a right manner doe it as wise men and not as fooles they doe it in a wrong manner It is the part of a foole I say to doe a thing and to leave the right manner of doing it Now this is nothing with God the Lord doth not esteeme any action though it bee never so frequently done except it bee done with his owne stamp except it have his owne character upon it I remember a story in 2 Kings 17.26 The Assyrians there observed that God sent Lions among them because they did not observe the right manner of the God of Israel they worshipped the God of Israel but because they observed not the right Manner of his word hee sent Lyons among them to teare and devoure them in pieces So though wee pray and heare and read and professe and have a name that wee live and though we be taken for good people heap up duties from day to day and vie performances and though we doe them as many times as the children of God nay though we could do them ten thousands times oftner then they yet if we doe them not in a rightmanner if wee know not the manner of the God of heaven and earth with humble hearts and selfe-denying spirits with holinesse of affection and with puritie of heart if a man doe them not in a right manner the
manner such walking as excluded all unholinesse and prophanesse Flesh and bloud cannot abide this Men they love to pray and be proud they love to hear sermons and to have their profit they love to professe religion and still to carry their secret lusts in their bosomes People love this alife to go up to Gilgall and transgresse to offer sacrifice every new Moon and every morning and to find the labour of their hands this is right but for a man to part with his iniquity that is the thing that goes against the haire The last reason is because the matter of duties bring not the crosse upon a man A man may do all the duties of Religion and never be persecuted for it a man may be as devout as the devoutest man under heaven and yet no body hate him for it except he be devout in a right manner and worship God in a right manner One man may reprove another that is wicked A drunkard may suffer a drunkards reproof and be never the worse A whore master may serve his quean so he may call her so and yet not be spighted because it is not right It is the right doing of it that brings the crosse as in 2 Tim. 2.10 Thou knowest my manner of life It was that that brought afflictions and persecutions We may see to this very day many thousands that seem devout men in the Church they will pray and will hardly misse any time of prayer morning or evening and yet they are farre from being persecuted nay many of them are maine persecuters of the Gospel of God enemies to the crosse of Christ adversaries to the Saints of God We see it plain in Acts 13.5 we read there of devout women that raised persecution against Paul Marke they were devout and because it was not in a right mannâ—r they persecuted the Apostles and set themselves against them that were truly faithfull Though wicked men do not love to pray aright yet many of them are much for praying they care not how much praying they have and when they are at prayers they will pray over from the beginning of the book to the end they love it alife But if they come to a prayer that moves the heart that rifles the conscience that dogges a man into his bosome that laies a man flat on his face before God they gnash their teeth at such a prayer So they love preaching too I it is true if it be preaching that is flaunting and glosing with the enticing words of mans wisdome but if a man preach to the consience if he preach the pure naked word of God and carry it home to mens soules this makes them gnash their very teeth and they could eate the Minister of God for his labour It is the right manner of duty that is accompanied with the crosse Thirdly if we ought to be carefull to performe duties in a right manner Let us be exhorted in the feare of God to go and quicken all our duties to bring a soule into so many bodies we have bodies of praying and bodies of hearing and bodies of receiving the Sacrament and of good duties let us get a soule into them labour to do them in a right manner The bare duty is like a carcasse It is a Proverb of the Jewes Prayer without preparation it is as a carcasse without the soule that is a loathsome thing so is prayer without life and without a right manner of pouring it forth Let us labour therefore in the feare of God to pray and pray aright to heare and to heare aright to seek God and to seek him with all our hearts aright and to do every thing in the right way Let us consider first we doe not pertake of any ordinance at all except we doe it in a right manner I remember a fit place for this in Num. 11.14 It is said there The stranger shall eat the passover and pertake of it according to the ordinance and the manner of it Where the Text puts in the Ordinance of the Passover and the Manner of it For it is all one they are Synonyma's So the Ordinance in every duty Gods ordinance in praying in hearing the Word in the Sacrament in reproof in every good dutie it is all one as the selfe-same thing So that if we pray and doe not pray in a right manner we have not praied we doe not partake of the ordinance So when we come to the Sacrament the ordinance of the manner of it is all one it is one compleat concrete action we doe not partake of it except we partake of both Secondly consider it as nothing but hypocrisie when a man prayes and doth not pray in a right mâ—nner when a man doth any dutie to God and not in the right wise it is nothing but hypocrisie Mark how our Saviour Christ sets forth the hypocrisie of the Pharisee Luke 18.11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himselfe he marks his manner of prayer he doth not say He stood and prayed This these words but Thus he prayed he did not pray in a right manner there was his hypocrisie and that was the reason he went home not justified Thirdly consider it makes the Ordinance of God of no effect Thus they make the Commandements of God of none effect Matth. 15.6 Hee speakes there of their duties that they did in a wrong manner and their expounding the Scripture that they did in a wrong wise and their sacrifice their offerings and tithings their precepts and many things that were all done after another fashion then God had commanded therefore saith Christ Thus they make the Commandements of God of none effect So we make all the duties of Gods worship of none effect Wee know there is never an ordinance of God but it hath great effect if it be rightly performed Prayer is of great effect it is able to rend heaven it is able to pull down God to the soule it is able to wrastle out a blessing to quicken the heart to obtain of God every thing we want but if a man pray not aright a man may pray and go away never a whit the more holy nor more quickned nor neerer to heaven nor comfort So preaching and hearing they are admirable Ordinances what powerfull effects have they wrought when they have beene done in a right kind People have cried out and beene converted at them and many a man hath been pulled out of the power of Satan to the Kingdome of Jesus Christ They had royall glorious effects upon many thousand soules But what is the reason that our hearing is so in effectuall Because wee heare not in a right manner this makes the Ordinance of God of none effect it makes Prayer of no effect the word of no effect the Sacraments and Sabbaths of no effect you see people partake of these things and are never the wiser Lastly it cannot please God it is onely the right
manner of doing duties that pleaseth God as in 1 Thess 4.1 As yee have received of us How yee ought to walke and to please God Mark there is the manner That yee may know HOW to walke and by that to please God It is not enough for a man to walke in good duties that a man may doe and not please God but saith he yee have received the manner HOW to walke and to please God It is the manner How that pleaseth God A man may walke to hell upon heavens ground he may go to hell in the wayes of God it is possible Suppose a man should go and take if it were possible all the surface of ground between this place and York and lay it between this place and Dover a man might go to Dover upon York ground So many a man laies the Ordinances of God in hell way he walkes in the way to hell and there he layes his prayers and there his hearing and his good duties hee prayes every day and hears every day and doth good duties every day and yet walkes to hell he goes to hell on heavens ground The reason is because hee doth the duty and doth not observe the manner how he doth it The third thing is the rule of direction how wee may come to the right manner of receiving the Sacrament that is by preparing of a mans selfe and the preparation is here set downe by the specification of it namely in examining himselfe Let a man examine himselfe and so let him eate of that Bread and drink of that Cup. The generall scope of these words and the Apostles meaning in them is this That Every man must prepare himself before he come to the Lords Table I cannot stand on this I will only name it As in the sacrament of the Passeover there was preparation to the Passeover In Joh. 19.14 it is said of the Disciples of Christ that they made ready the Passeover In Matth. 26. they made the Lamb ready and the room ready and themselves ready and the Table ready and every thing ready So in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper wherein Christ is the true Pascall Lamb when we come to eate of him wee must make every thing ready faith ready and repentance ready and interest in the promises ready and hunger and thirst after these spirituall dainties ready every thing must be ready or else like a man that comes into the field to battle that hath not gotten his sword or his weapons ready that is the way for himselfe to be killed so it is when we come to the Communion and have not all things ready it is the way to be damned The Reasons of this are First because the Sacrament is an Ordinance of God Now all the Ordinances of God require reparation they are all spirituall and naturally a man is carnall and therefore cannot be prepared As it is with wood there is never a tree in the wood but it is unprepared for building Is there any tree in the wood of the fashion of a Chimney or of a Lintell or a Doore It must first be prepared as it is Prov. 24.27 First prepare thy work without and then build thine house So every ordinance is to build a man up in the feare of God in the grace of God and in Religion Now man is naturally unprepared for it First a man must fell his wood and then cut it and hew it even and carve it and plane it fit and prepare it before he build So a man must hew downe his owne heart he must humble his owne soule and qualifie all within him and so be sanctified before hee be fit As for example In prayer a man must bee prepared to prayer before he pray he must prepare his heart and then Gods eares will hearken to it In Psal 10.17 The Lord will have the heart prepared before he heare the prayer So it is with the word of God a man must bee prepared before he heare it As a man that preacheth must be prepared before he preach as Ezra is said to prepare his heart Ezra 7.10 Hee prepared his heart to doe the Law and to teach it So a Minister cannot preach except he be prepared beforehand with a commission from God with preserving knowledge with a coale from Gods Altar with a spirit of wisedome and understanding with a law of kindnesse in his lips with meditation and with a Theam fitted in his mouth for the people hee must be prepared with a burning and a shining light or else hee shall not edifie the congregation So it is with all other ordinances For humbling of a mans soule a man cannot humble his heart except he be prepared to it Amos 4.12 Prepare to meet thy God he speaks of humiliation If a man would humble himselfe before God if he be not prepared if his heart be not prepared to let go the world his worldly profits and vain pleasures and carnall acquaintance his wonted lusts and former delights If hee bee not prepared to let these goe when he comes to keep a Fast or to afflict his soule and goes along to do the dutie to lay himselfe down before Almighty God some lust or other will stick in his teeth and intercept his heart hee shall never be able to doe it as Samuel said to the people If you will turn to the Lord prepare your hearts to doe it 1 Sam. 7. So it must bee in all the ordinances of God and much more in the Sacrament Secondly another Reason is because the Lord Christ hath made great preparations to provide the Lords Supper therefore wee must be prepared to eate it You know what a great deale of adoe there was before this Supper was made Christ must be incarnate and fulfill all righteousnesse he must conclude it upon his suffering he must tread the wine-presse alone and suffer himselfe to be beaten and rejected of God and men and suffer death the cursed death of the Crosse all these things were concluded upon before this holy and blessed Supper was provided Come saith hee I have prepared my dinner Matth. 22. Mark Christ is fain to prepare his dinner he makes a great Feast there was great preparation for it so there must be great preparation of our soules before we can come to this holy banquet It is true among men there may be great preparation for a feast and little or nothing for the eating of it Sometimes there are two or three dayes preparation for a Feast and it is eaten presently The reason is because man naturally hungers after meat and drink and he alwayes provides twice or thrice in twenty foure houres for eating and drinking But the Lords Supper is a spirituall banquet a man is every day and houre and moment naturally unfit for it and there is much adoe to put an edge upon mens appetites and a keennesse upon mens desires that they may bee fitted and prepared for it