if all were true the Minister speakes I but the Scripture says it Is all true that is in the Scripture the Lord have mercy upon us and thus like fooles they build with untempered morter therefore I exhort all such as are yet in the gall of bitternesse to listen to what I say Redeeme the time yeild to the motions of Gods Spirit and blesse God for Mercy offered unto you in the meanes and if any affliction be laid on you intreat the Lord that he will doe you good by it If thy Conscience speake or the Spirit work doe as Joseph did who got him into a corner and there wept his belly full so intreat the Lord that he will breake the Heavens and come downe on thee to thy comfort put not off till thou art old A gentleman will not alwayes wait at the gate neither say thou as Felix to Paul I will send for thee at another time but say with Samuel Speak Lord for thy servant heareth Meanes First consider the fearfull condition of such as are given over Suppose one should come from Hell with the fire about his eares you would aske what is the newes the cry is my time my time Oh my people sayes the Minister Oh my Minister sayes the People The young man cries oh my time Doe not make a tush at this lest thou say the word was preached but I scorned it the spirit said this is the way walk in it the means of grace was sent unto me but I refused Mercie and now for ever I am in Hell to be tormented Secondly consider the great danger of putting off If thy will be stubborne to day it will be worse to morrow Thirdly consider the time 1. Pet. 4. 3. It is enough for the time of our life we have lived that we have wrought the works of the Gentiles let us live no longer in sinne it is too much that you have resisted the Gospell so much say then oh that the Lord would break this heart of mine Fourthly and lastly though God should be calling and egging you all the day long yet your lives are but short and therefore crie out with the Psalmist teach me O Lord to number my dayes that I may apply my heart unto wisdome do not say it is too late as one did once say of Prayer doe you thinke that I can pray now which never prayed in my life I am sure it will be too late when God comes to Judgement for then the Divell will stand on tip toe and say what dost thou now thinke to goe to Heaven the Lord did waite on thee untill he was weary but here is a company of Drunkards I did but hold up my finger and they presently followed me Heaven came down to them but they would none of it they could not hear of that ear and would you now go to heaven Therefore goe now for the Lord Jesus Christs sake and when Mercie is offered refuse it not but blesse God for it A SERMON FOR Spirituall Mortification Delivered By WILLIAM FENNER Minister of the Gospel sometimes Fellow of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge and late Lecturer of Rochford in Essex London Printed by E. T. for John Stafford A SERMON FOR Spirituall Mortification COLOS. 3. 5. Mortify therefore your Members which are upon the earth Fornication Uncleanness Inordinate affection evill Concupiscence and Covetousnesse which is Idolatry THE Apostle having in the Chapter foregoing shewed that the Colossians were buried together with Christ in his death and that they were also risen with him maketh two speciall uses thereof First in regard of the resurrection if then yee be risen with Christ seeke those things that are above The second is in regard of their buriall with Christ in these words Mortify therefore your members c. There be many men that look for participation in Christ yet notwithstanding mortifie not themselves they would fain live with Christ yet are loth to dye to sinne but we may say to these men as Paul to the Atheist Thou foole that which thou sowest is not quickened unlesse it first die so unlesse the seed of the word be sowen upon thy heart thou canst not be quickned unlesse thou fist die The things to be mortified are described two manner of waies either in generall the members or else in particular Fornication uncleannesse evill affections c. or as in the tenth verse all the fruits of the old man The words containe in them these three parts or truths First He that ever means to have Christ must have him with a therefore As if he should say if you look to have benefit by the death of Christ looke to have a therefore with it for no man can have Christ without a condition Secondly this condition consists in mortification we must mortifie our earthly members this is the qualification of all those that partake of the death of Christ even mortification Thirdly those that are made partakers of the death of Christ are enabled thereto so as the Apostle may well put this exhortation unto them Mortifie therefore your members c. He doth not say civilize your members many there be that civilize their earthlie members as from mortifying to purifying of them they come out of prophanenesse and enter into Civility and a formall kinde of profession but the Apostle saith mortifie and not civilize your members doe not pare the nailes of your corruptions but cut them quite off and give them their deaths wound that so your sins may breath out their last breath in you Sin may be civilized five wayes First when it is laid asleepe Pharaohs sinnes were asleepe but not dead Many mens sinnes are asleepe in them though they seeme to be dead in them for a time A man while he is asleepe is like a dead man yet he is alive yea and his sinnes are alive in him also but when temptation comes to awaken him out of his sleepe though before he seemed to be patient and meeke and hardly to be provoked yet let a temptation come and rouze him then he will finde his old wrath anger and impatiencie So likewise for a covetous man though he seeme to mortifie that sinne yet it is but asleepe in him for let a temptation come and he will quickly finde out his covetousnesse again so that here sinne is not mortified but it is with these men as it was with Sampson all the while he was laide to sleepe the coards and fetters held him but when they said Sampson the Philistines are upon thee and awaked him out of his sleepe the Pinne and Webbe was not strong enough to hold him Thus it is with many men when temptations are downe and they are not provoked all this while they seeme to have their sinnes mortified and thus the devill is of a good temper when he is not stirred so it is with many whom you would thinke to be good Christians while the windes are downe and the stormes doe not
in the power and sanctification of holinesse then men would say of themselves of a truth God is in these men Christ dwels in them and the Spirit of God leads and governs them indeed If thou wouldest judge the world take heed how the world judgeth thee lest thou with the world be condemned eternally It was said that Herod feared John because he was a just man Mark 6. 23. So if all thy neighbours did know that thou were a just man a holy and conscionable man in all thy wayes and in all thy actions and that cannot endure swearing lying and deceit but did see that thou wast just and one that feared God truly they would all fear thee THE PUNISHMENT Of Unworthy COMMUNICANTS AT THE TABLE of the LORD DELIVERED In a SERMON preached By that Reverend and Faithfull Minister of the Word WILLIAM FENNER B. D. Sometimes Fellow of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge and late Pastor of Rochford in Essex London Printed by E. T. for John Stafford A SERMON OF M. WILLIAM FENNERS Upon this ensuing Text. 1 Cor. 11. 30. For this cause many are weak and sick among you and many sleep THE Apostle in this Chapter taxeth two abuses which were then amongst the Corinthians First the unseemly habit of women in the congregation from the 1 verse to the 17. Secondly the prophane usage of the holy Communion both by men and women from the 17 verse to the end of the Chapter and herein from the 23. verse to the end of the 25 he sets down the Institution of the Lords Supper and thence raiseth a point of Doctrine That whosoever would come to this holy communion they must examine themselves that so they may come worthily else it were better that they never came So we may read in the 28 verse But let a man examine himselfe and so let him eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup As if the Apostle had said Unlesse a man examine himself and search his own heart and find out his sins and dive into the secrets of his soul to bring out his hidden corruptions confessing them and judging himselfe for them before the Lord let them never presume to come to the holy Sacrament And then he proves it by three Reasons The first is taken from the end of the Sacrament for it is the remembrance of the death and passion of Christ so it is in 26. verse So oft as you Eat of this Bread and Drink of this Cup you shew forth the Lords death till he come It is a reason that the men of this world are not acquainted withall and therefore it was a good wish of a Reverend Father that the Sacrament should never be ministred but there should be a Sermon to teach men the nature of it and to instruct them in the Mystery thereof We approach unto the Sacrament hand over head living in our sinnes not shewing by our coming that Christ is dead we say we profess that Christ dyed for our sins and yet not withstanding our sins live in us as if Christ had not died for us or as if we would proclaim that his death had no effect in us For were we dead with Christ then sin and the living occasions of sin would be dead in us also My beloved we should never come to this Sacrament but we should shew forth the Lords death thereby that is that Christ is dead or rather dyed for sin and that sin is also dead in us The second reason is taken from the damned wrong we offer unto Christ if we come in our sins for we are guilty of the body and bloud of Christ as it is in the 27 verse nay thou sinnest against the Lord Jesus Christ not a jot lesse than Pilate that condemned him than Judas that betrayed him and the Jews that cryed out Crucifie him crucifie him yea thou art as much guilty as if thy own hand in thy own person had been imbrued in his bloud Now we know it is a horrible sin to be guilty of the blood and murther of an ordinary man yea of a very rogue how much more is it a great and fearfull sin to be guilty of the body and bloud of the Lord Jesus Christ the onely and eternall Sonne of God Yet comest thou to this holy Communion and bringest no lesse than the guilt of the Body and bloud of Christ upon thy soul The third Reason is taken from the wofull wrong and injury that man brings upon his own soul that comes unpreparedly without examination of himselfe in the 20. verse he eateth and drinketh his own damnation that is he maketh himselfe guilty of and lyable to the same vengeance that the crucifiers of Christ had inflicted on them Good had it been for that man saith Christ of Judas if that he had never been born So may I say Good had it been for that man and that woman if they had never been borne who come unworthily unto the Table of the Lord for when they eat of that Bread they eat their own bane and when they drinke of that Cup they drinke their own damnation Then commeth he to make some uses of this point and first he condemns those that as they come so they goe away from the Sacrament no more holy no more gracious than before but as they come in their sins so they go away in their sins they came drunkards and they go away drunkards they came worldlings and they go away worldlings they came mockers and they go away mockers they came in their wrath anger malice deadnesse hypocrisie and luke-warmnesse and so they goe away still never the better but living in them as they did before As in the â—â— verse You come together saith the Apostle not for the better but for the worse Whereas â—f they would have come worthily they should have gone away the better they should have received more grace and holinesse to walk with God more power and strength against sin and corruption yea the Lord would have ratified and confirmed his Covenant with them whereas living in contention and not coming with preparation they grow the worse by the Sacrament The Corinthians thought that the Apostle would have praised them for their coming to Church and receiving the Sacrament Shall I praise you saith the Apostle in this I praise you not Secondly He makes an use of terror against all those that dare come in their sins unto this holy Sacrament of the Lord for that man that cometh in his sins unto the Table of the Lord 1. Though he may think he receives the Communion yet he doth not for this is not the Table of the Lord but the Table of devils It is true thou receivest the Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ but yet coming in thy sins thou receivest not his body and blood as of a Saviour to save thee from thy sins Indeed thou receivest the body and blood of Christ sacramentally but it is
now can a man stabbe his owne arme through with ease can he cut off his Legg or any other member without feeling any geeat paine no more can a man kill his sinnes and mortifie his lusts with ease It is called mortification to shew that there is a great deal of misery and pain in it The Apostle saith that those that are Christians have crncified the flesh c. Gal. 5. 24. and therfore Repentance is set out unto us by crucifiing which is the hardest of all kinds of mortifying Can a man set his flesh upon the Tenter pierce his hands and feet with nailes laying his whole weight upon the Tenter and yet feele no paine Cicero a wise Heathen saith that crucifiing was a torment that cruelty it selfe had invented to put a man to death it being the soarest kind of death that could be devised And the Apostle to set forth Repentance what it is shews it by crucifying It is an easie matter to cut off the outward act of sinne as of swearing or drunkennesse c. this is an easie matter but to crucifie a mans lusts and to mortify daily the body of death which be beareth about him this is a hard thing indeed A Father saith it it is the hardest Text in all the Bible and the hardest dutie in all Christianity that we can goe about they that can do it can doe all things and therefore let a man resolve with himselfe that unlesse he attain unto this there is no Christ for him How shall we saith the Apostle that are dead to sinne live any longer therein Romans 6. 2. The Apostle makes it a Paradox and wonders that men should be so unreasonable as to thinke that they are crucified with Christ and yet live in their sinnes Is it possible that you can be dead with Christ and yet live in your sinne No no it cannot be But some may object and say what doth the Apostle meane to exhort the Colossians unto Mortification were they not already mortified did he not say a little before that they were crucified and buried together with Christ Yes it is true but they that have mortified their earthly Members must go on and persevere in this Mortification and that for three Reasons First because the very same sinne that hath been killed will live again unlesse it be continually mortified for sinne is strong-hearted it is not every blow that will kill sinne stone-stone-dead no no we may say of sin as some I say of Cats they have nine lives kill sin once and it wil revive again kil it the second time and it will yet live kill it the third time it will yet have life unlesse it be continually mortified it will never be starke dead and therefore the worke must be continued as Christ said of his disciples If you continue in my Word then are you my Disciples indeed So if we goe on in mortification then verily are we Christs Disciples Secondly suppose the sinne mortified doe not rise againe yet if wee goe not on in the way of Mortification there will arise another sinne in the roome of it Sinne is like the Monster Hydra cut off one head and many will rise up in its roome Even so it is in the body of sinne therefore thou must dayly mortifie it or else it will grow again There is a History that speakes of a Fig-tree that grew in a stone wall and all means was used to kill it they cut off the branches and it grew again they cut down the body and it grew again they cut it up by the roote and still it lived and grew untill they pulled downe the stone wall Even so it is with sinne lopp off the branches it lives cut downe the body it will not die digg up the rootes and it will still revive and will never leave growing untill God pull downe the stone wall of this our earthly Tabernacle and lay it in the dust and therefore we must still be mortifying of it Thirdly because as we mortifie so we mortifie but in part as saith the Apostle in another case we know but in part c. so may we say of this duty we mortifie but in part as we may say of a man breathing out his last breath he is a dying but not quite deade so we may say of sinne though it lie sprawling upon the ground yet it is not dead the last gaspe is not past Nay it may be sinne is more striving in the heart of a child of God converted then it was before conversion As an Oxe or an Asse when they have their deaths blow will lash and struggle more then then they did in all their life time before but this is nothing but the pangs of death being giving up their last breath Hence it is that the Apostle saith that the flesh lustâ—th against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh Gal. 5. So that they could not doe what they would verse 17. as if he should say sinne is so mortified that it hath his deaths wound in thee else thou canst not be the childe of God yea such a deaths wound as it cannot possible recover again If a man that hath received his deaths wound should send for all the Physitians in the world and take all the Physicke hee could and use all the meanes under Heaven yet they can never recover him So when a man is converted unto God as soone as ever the worke is wrought in him sinne hath his deaths blow and although the Devill come as Physitian with all the Cordialls Juleps and Balmes under Heaven and use all the shifts and devises in the world yet he shall never be able to recover it again all will not doe why because it hath received its deaths blow it may be with his industrie and cost hee may make the face of sinne loke fresh and faire for a time but it hath it deaths wound and it will down at the last The last Use may be of triall and examination whether sin be living or dead Now that we may know whether we have mortified our sins or no let us observe these markes following First they that have mortified their sinnes live in the contrary Graces Hence it is that the Psalmist saith that They worke no iniquitie but walke in thy pathes Psalme 119. 3. First they crucifie all their sinnes they doe no iniquity Secondly as they doe no iniquity so they take up all the wayes of God contrary to that iniquity as they give up all the wayes of sinne so they take up all the wayes of Grace they walke in all Gods wayes So that here is the question if a man giving over his sinnes doe take up all the Graces contary to those sinnes This is a rule in Divinity that Grace takes not away nature that is Grace comes not to take away a mans affections but to take them up Suppose a man be subject unto anger when he is a little moved grace comes
to faile 357 Three Directions what is to be done in such times 1. Let us shake off the love of all things here below ibid. 2. Let us lay our heads upon the block and be willing that God should doe what he will with us 358. 3. Let us pray and cry mightily to God before we dye even all the time we have to live for mercy peace and truth ibid. The Church of England like the ship of Jonah 359. The Authors Admonition to the People ibid. More then ordinary Faith requisite for these times of danger ibid. The Contents of the five and twentieth SERMON on Heb. 11. 28. THe Coherence of the text with the context 363. Doctr. 1. That it hath heen the property of wicked men and is still to think whatsoever the godly have is to good for them 364. Reasons 1. Because God hath chosen them out of the world ibid. 2. Because the wicked know not the godly ibid. 3. Because the wicked measure others by themselves ibid. 4. Because there is and ever will be a contrariety between the seed of the woman and the Serpent 365. Use 1. This should teach godly men when they are hardly dealt with not to be discouraged ibid. Use 2. Though the world deale hardly with you yet see that you doe not measure like for like ibid. Doctr. 2. The world and the things of the world are of little worth 1. In respect of God 1. Because they can not make us the better esteemed with God 366. 2. They cannot assure us of Gods love ibid 3. They do not make us the more mindfull of God ibid. 2. In respect of themselves 1. They cannot enrich a mans soul with grace 367. 2. They are not able to free a man from any spirituall evill ibid. 3. They cannot give any solid content ibid. 4. We can hove no assurance of them 368. Use To teach us to take off our hearts and affections from pursuing the things of this life 369. Doctrine 3. True beleevers vre persons of great worth ibid. 1. In respect of the worthy names that are given to them ibid. 2. In respect of the great prince that is paid for them ibid. 3. In respest of the consciences of the wicked 370. 4. In respect of the priviledges that God hath been pleased to dignify them withall ibid. Which are these 1. Their Royall descent ibid. 2. Their Royall attendance ibid. 3. Their hig places ibid. 4. Their extraordinary fare ibid. 5. Their Royall apparell ibid. 6. Their freedome from debt ibid. 7. Their free accesse to the throne of grace ibid. 8. All thigs work together for their good 371. 9. They are Gods beloved ones ibid. 10. They have the free use of Gods Creatures ibid 11. They are a safeguard to the places where they live ibid. 12. Great things are reserved for them in the world to come ibid. Use 1. This serves for terror to the wicked who wrong the children of God ibid. Use 2. To teach us to esteem such men as are persons of so great worth 372. Use 3. To direct us how we may be honoured of God scil by honouring such as he honours ibid. Use 4. This serves to comfort the godly however disgraced here ibid. Use 5. To teach us that if we account our selves of that number we be carefull to walk worthy of the Lord 373. The Contents of the six and twentieth SERMON on Gen. 6. 3. THe words opened 377. Doctr. 1. The Lord doth mightily strive with a company of poor rebels 378. Doctr. 2. There is a time when God will strive no more with men ibid. This handled in six particulars 1. Proved by testimonies of Scripture 379. 2. The manner shewn hâ—w God is wont to deale with rebellious people ibid. 3. God at length gives men over to their lusts 380. 4. God hardens such men as he hath given over ibid. 5. God lets such men build upon false bottoms 381. 6. God witholds such means as he had formerly afforded them ibid. What persons they are whom God thus deals with shewn in four particulars 1. Those that have lived long under the means of grace and have not profited by them 372. 2. Those that have had much means and many secret workings of the Spirit and have not made good use of them ibid. 3. Those that have much grieved the good spirit of God in bringing in some sin contrary to the light of conscience and the suggestions of the good spirit ibid. 4. Such as have a vile and contemptible esteem of the Gospell and the Ministers thereof 383. The grounds of this point or why God gives men over and will strive with them no more are taken 1. From the justice of God ibid. 2. From the wisdom of God ibid. Severall Objections propounded and answered 386. Use 1. Seeing that God strives with some men and at length gives them over go home and blesse God that he hath not dealt so with thee ibid. Use 2. Take heed there come not a time when God will strive with thee no more 387. Use 3. Wo to the wicked who are thus left ibid. Their case is miserable in three respects 1. Because if God forsake thee all forsakes thee 388. 2. When God goes restraining grace goes ibid. 3. If God leaves thee common protection leaves thee ibid. The Authors Exhortation Redeem the time and yeeld to the good motions of Gods spirit Four Motives to it 1. Consider the fearfull condition of such as are given over 389. 2. Consider the great danger of putting off ibid. 3. Consider the time past and present ibid. 4. Consider that though God shouldbe all the day long calling and egging â—s on yet our lives are but short ibid. The Contents of the seven and twentieth SERMON on Colos 3. 5. THe Text explained and divided 394. Doctr. 1. If we look to have any benefit by or interest in Christ we must mortify our sins and corruptions 396. Three Reasons 1. Because Christ is a Saviour to save us from our sins 397. 2. Because it is impossible for sin and grace to subsist in one subject 398. 3. Because it is impossible to enter into the kingdom of Heaven if we mortifie not our sins ibid. Use 1. To condemne all such as goe on in their old courses of deadnesse and security 399. Use 2. To teach us that it is not enough to let sin dye in us but we must kill it 400. Use 3. To teach us that the work of our Redemption is no easy worke as many men thinke it ibid. Use 4. To teach us to examine our selves whether we have mortified our sins or no 402. Which may be known by these markes 1. They that have mortified their sinnes doe live in the contrary graces ibid. 2. They that are mortified indeed and in truth are dead to every sinne 403. The Contents of the eight and twentieth SERMON on Isaiah 58. 4. TWo things mainly considerable in the Chapter 1. The prophets Commission 2. The execution of his
unseasonable rains dangerous weather wars rumours of wars What are all the evils under the Sun They are the little finger of Gods justice Thou spiest them here and there in every Town and in every Parish in every Country do they not all witnesse that he is a just God Read Psalm 7. 11 12 13. God hath bent his â—ow already saith David the arrow is ready to flie out of the string It wil not be long before it hit thee if thou meditate not upon amendment God is angry with the wicked every day as an angry man useth to say I will be revenged on thee Wilt thou not give over thy sins I will be revenged on thee Read Psal 11. 5 6 7. Meditate on this he will neither spare King nor subject nor rich nor poor nor noble nor base nor Judges nor Justices yet Judges and Justices may spare but God will not spare they may be bribed to pardon but God will not be fee'd to spare them that go on in their wickednesse and do I think to escape Nay my soul thou canst never escape except thou obeyest The third ground is Meditate on the wrath of God O! what wrath is it Can I stand against it It burns like an oven and all the proud and all that doe wickedly shall be as stubble and the day of wrath shall burne them up Behold this saith the Text Malac. 4. 1. Behold it and meditate on it Can I goe naked in a hot fiery Oven Can I lift up my hands against it My hands will be scorched Can I kick against it My legs will be baked Can I blow upon it with my mouth My mouth is fiered Did I ever see lime burned were I in the limes room could I endure that boyling and yet if I live in my sinnes I shall be as the burning of lime I say 33. 12. Let thy heart meditate terror Who among us shall be able to dwell that is the meaning of it as Montanus sheweth who among us shall dwell with devouring fire who among us shall burn with everlasting burning verse 14. Gods mercie shall say Take him wrath I would have converted him but he would not Gods goodnesse shall say Take him wrath I would have been kinde unto him but he hath abused me Gods patience shall say Take him wrath I have suffered him a great while that he might have time of repentance but he repented not in that time God smote Aegypt in their first born Why For his mercy endureth for ever God overthrew Pharaoh and his hoast Why For his mercy endureth for ever Psal 136. 15. He smote great Kings Sihon a King and Og a King for his mercy endureth for ever So will God damn thee that art a drunkard Why for his mercy endureth for ever God will confound thee that art a worlding Why for his mercy endureth for ever God will be revenged on thee that art a Luke-warmling Why for his mercy endureth for ever This may well make thee â—eare the hair off thy head rather than let thee go on in thy sinnes See Ierem. 7. 29. Meditate on this The fourth ground Meditate on the constancy of God As the Lord was an enemy to wicked men so he continues the same God still a constant enemy to them still As the Lord would not endure sinne heretofore so he is constant he still will not endure it Did the Lord once say Weep and howl ye drunkards Joel 1. 5. he is constant so he saith still Did the Lord say he would burn up sabbath-breakers Jer. 17. 27. he is constant so he saith still Who ever hardned his heart against the Lord and prospered Job 9. â—4 as if he should say I put it to thee to meditate of it canst thou shew me a president did ever any man harden his heart against Gods Word in his sinne that prospered Did Senacherib prosper in his will-worship Did Judas prosper in his covetousnesse Did Jeconiah prosper in his stubbornnesse Where is the Scribe Where is the disputer Where is he that counted the towers Your fathers where are they saith Zachariah Did not my words take hold of them and are they not all now in hell that have ever lived and died in their sin from the beginning of the world Thou canst not shew me one drunkard or one mocker or one prophane person or one formall professor from the day that man was created upon the earth that is not now in hell if he be dead Meditate on this how canst thou expect to be the one onely in all the world that shall escape if thou livest and dyest in thy sins If hell were opened and the bottomlesse pit were lookt into thou shouldest see every soul that ever lived and died in their sins even every soul there is not one soul missing Meditate on this when I dye do I think I shall not be there nay I shall be there too unlesse aforehand I enter in to the strait gate and walk in the narrow way of newnesse of life The Second SERMON OF The use and benefit of Divine MEDITATION HAGGAI 1. 5. Now therefore thus saith the Lord of Hosts Consider your wayes NOw follows the manner how to follow Meditation home to the heart Here are four things to be practised First weigh and ponder all these things in thy heart It 's said of Mary she pondred Luke 2. 19. and kept all these sayings in her heart verse 51. The words signifie two things First she compared these things together Secondly she cast them in the scales together Dost thou know God is mercifull ponder it with his justice Dost thou know that Jesus Christ dyed for sinners ponder it with the true drift of it how that it is not to let men go on in their sins but to save them from their sinnes Dost thou obey God in this or that Commandement O ponder thy life with the rest Ponder the path of thy feeet and let all thy wayes be established Prov. 4. 26. A man that eats his meat well forty morsels well yet one crum going awry throttles him Thou walkest in these and these Commandements yea but there be other Commandments besides these dost thou walk in them too thou must if thou meanest to have thy ways to be established The Jews had their continers talents minaes sicles which were greater weights so they had also their gerahs and agarahs smaller measures and smallest of all so have thou greater and lesse weights great ones to ponder the great Commandements and less to weigh even the least of Gods Commandements and see thou make true Evangelical weight or else all will not be well Suppose a man were to pay a 100 pound of good and lawful money and in weight upon forfeiture of all that he hath if he weigh it not but the Creditor doth and finds it light he is undone If thou ponderest not thy wayes God will ponder them Prov. 5. 21. the word signifies he weighs and ponders them in a ballance or
scales he puts the word of his Gospel in the one and thy goings and obedience in the other Thou art weighed and art found too light thy kingdom is departed from thee saith God to Belshazzer Dan. 5. 27. So if thou be light thou shalt be weighed and so found thou shalt lose the Kingdom of heaven for ever Secondly strip sin and look upon it stark naked sin covers and disguiseth it self with pleasure profit ease and many a whorish garment and so inticeth the heart Even a toad if she were covered over with gold those that saw only the gold would pocket it up if it were naked they would fling it in the kennel Why doe men love covetousnesse Why its hooded with profit Why carding dicing hunting hawking tabring piping and more than the word alloweth Why they are cloathed with pleasure and delight It s the duty of Ministers to unmask and uncase sin and pluck off he vail that covers it from appearing unto men The not doing of this is the cause that men do not meditate on the vilenesse of their sin never are humbled never escape Gods wrath even because they 〈◊〉 discover 〈◊〉 iniquities Lam. 2. 14. Alas the profit of thy sins shall cease the pleasure cease the ease cease and all these goodly suits shall vanish away when the soul comes to dye or to stand before the judgement seat of Christ sin will remain but thy silver and thy gold where will that be then thy laughter and thy merâ—iment what will become of that then thy delight will be gone Meditate therefore with thy self my sin is now gainful and easie and pleasant but what will my sin become when I come to lye on my deathbod what good will it do me when I have most need of succour I will never acknowledge him my friend that will turn against me when I have most need of him Alas I must dye I must come to judgement I I must go either to heaven or to hell the profit that I get now by my sins will it bestead me then the pleasure the ease that I now find in sin will it help me there Alas no it will then be my break neck it will be a Devil unto me the more I have been delighted with it the more it will gall â—e the more I have gotten by it the more it will damne me the sin which I most of all loved will most of all torment me Eccles 11. 9. look thus upon sin The third means Dive into thy own soul and heart There is a tough brain over thy heart that it feels not its sins Now Meditation must look through and come to the heart at the quick and cause the truth to dive into the deep places of the soul When the timber is hard the workman cannot thrust in the nail with the weight of his hand no he must hammer it in Meditation is the hammering of the heart It 's a pertinent phrase Jer. 23 24. Is not my word like a fire saith the Lord and like a hammer that breaketh the rocks in pieces There be two similitudes first of a hammer the Word of God is the hammer meditation is the hand that taketh this hammer and knocks the nail into the rocky heart and makes it enter Wilt thou not feel I 'le make thee feel saith Meditation wilt thou not take notice of thy wretched estate Meditation comes with blow after blow and makes us take notice Secondly of fire the word is like fire Meditation kindles it about the heart A man benummed with cold is senselesse the water frozen with cold though the least pebble would have sunk in it before now a great milstone is able to lye upon it and not sink the water is able to bear it so is the heart be it's sins never so heavy as the hill of Basan yet it bears it and feels no weight but Meditation thawes the heart and then every sin pincheth and oppresseth Is not my word like fire as if he should say think of it and muse of it and meditate of it and thou shall feel it as a fire Meditation is the often smiting of the heart with this hammer so did Ephraim smite upon his thigh Jer. 31. 19. like a man in a miserable agony he thumps his own breast and in a vexation strikes his hand on his thigh Oh miserable wretch that I am So did Ephraim Oh what an unruly Oxe am I how unwilling am I to bear the yoke of the Lord Oh and oh the hardness of my heart oh that I could tell how to beat thee black and blue Many men smite their hearts but they smite them not often enough When Elishah bad Joash smite upon the ground he smote thrice and stayed The man of God said to him in anger Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times for then thou hadst smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed them whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice 2. King 13. 19. So men smite their hearts twice or thrice or so but they will not smite their sins dead it may be they break the head of their sins but they recover again and grow strong upon them as at first Thou must smite five or six times yea fifty times five times till thou hast quite broken the impostume of thy heart Meditate on the mercies of God and with them smite it often and often Meditate on the justice of God and with it smite it again and again Meditate on the wrath of God which is as a consuming fire and with it smite it soundly Meditate on the truth of the Lord this threatning and that threatning this commandement and that commandment this promise and that promise and with all these smite it to powder The fourth means Anticipate and pâ—â—ventthine own heart meditate what thy heart will one day wish if it be not humbled and tell thy Soul as much thou wilt one day wish Oh that I had been humbled under the reproofs of the Lord Oh that I had been wise to have understood my own mercy Cursed be the day that ever I neglected the means of grace so the Lord brings in a foolish obstinate sinner cursing and banning his own soul sobbing and howling at the last O how have I hated instruction and my heart despised reproof and have not observed the voyce of my Teachers nor inclined mine care to them that instruct me Prov. 5. 12 13. I had Ministers to preach to me but I would not come at them or if I did I cared not for their doctrine I had friends that advised me well but woe is me damned wretch I heeded them not Thus thou wilt cast the fool into thine own teeth and fling a thousand curses into thine own face because of thy madness I might have learned but I would not I might have been humbled but I would not I was almost in an evill in the midst of the assembly of the congregation verse 14. I lived where the Saints of God were
Communion in those thy sins thou hast made thy selfe guilty of the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ Therefore I beseech you to look to it and in time to repent and pray with the Prophet David Ps 51. Deliver me from blood-guiltinesse O Lord even from the blood of thy Son lest one day it be laid unto thy charge and required straitly at thy hands For for this cause many are sick among you and many weak Is it so then that the Lord doth so severely punish the unworthy receiver of the Sacrament Take notice I pray you then from whence cometh all sicknesse weaknesse and mortality and the reason why the Lord doth send so many kinde of sorrowes crosses and miseries upon men namely because of the unworthy receiving of the Lords Supper So saith Master Calvin why do you wonder to see such wars and rumours of wars that there is so many blood-sheds so many Towns and Cities ruinated and so many Countries sacked and depopulated so many calamities come upon the Churches abroad and so many plagues and scourges to over-run Christendome at this day is not the cause plain enough men come unto the Table of the Lord carelesly and unworthily And beloved we shall never see the Lord take away his judgements here from the earth until we betake our selves to a more diligent and holy receiving of the Sacrament For this very cause there are so many strange diseases amongst us never formerly known or heard of untill these dayes as the French-Pox the English sweat as they call it that even the Physitians themselves are blunted at them and as Peter Martyr well observs hence are all diseases as plagues pestilences which were late amongst us dropsies bloody-Flux Agues Apoplexies Convulsions burning-Feavers and Impostumes c. and all for this cause One man hath fallen into a Feaver and we wonder at the cause whence he took it but in truth the communion hath cast him into his Feaver and the Lord will avenge himself on him for the same Another is sick and he thinks that a cold hath brought it upon him but it is the unworthy receiving of the Sacrament that is truly the cause of it A third man dyeth before his time even in his full strength before in the course of nature he hath ended half his daies but the cause is unworthy coming to the Communion which hath taken hold on him and cut off the thread of his life Many there be that expound these words in a spirituall sense Many are sick and weak and many are fallen asleep that is to say many have their consciences seared and their hearts hardened c. and this is true also that because men come unpreparedly they have their hearts hardened and their consciences seared and their soul plagued with many spirituall plagues But it is as true also in temporall judgements thou hast had many afflictions and much sickness laid unto thee but thank thy selfe for it namely because thou hast come unworthily unto the communion thou hast had much weaknesse in thy body which hath cost thee much money and weakned thy estate but thy unholy coming unto the Sacrament is that which thou maiest thank for it Thou hast been reproched and contemned and endured much shame but take notice of it that it proceeds from the fore-going cause and that is a speciall reason why the Lord hath brought these and many other evils upon thee Thou canst say the Commandements for the most part by rote but thou didst never know the mysterie of this one Commandement Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain Behold the Communion is one of Gods own names and how many thousands are there in the world that take this name of God in vain Is there never a drunkard here in this congregation that hath been at the Sacrament Is there never a whoremonger never a covetous worldling Where is the man whosoever he be among you all that is such a one He is in the state of damnation Is there never a luke-warm and carnal Christian that contents himselfe with a formall worship and a dead performance of holy duties that hath no zeal for God nor courage for his truth but is carelesse of all Gods commandements whosoever amongst you are guilty of these sins or any other and hath come unto this holy Communion in them they are the persons that how oft soever they have received so oft they have taken this name of the Lord in vain And if I should examine this Congregation from the one end of it unto the other I fear that every pew would yeild some one if not many that have taken a Communion which is one of Gods names in vain Should I but examine thee that comest unto the Communion this day how by the last Sacrament thou receivedst and the last Sermon thou hast heard thy faith is strengthened thy repentance renewed and thy obedience is increased and thy care doubled for to walk with God whether thou art made by them more zealous for God more forward in his worship and service and every day more holy and heavenly-minded if not then tâ—oâ— hast taken this Name of the Lord thy God in vain and the Lord will not hold thee guiltless that is the Lord will not take away the guilt from thy conscience but he wil let thy sin lye open and thou shalt not be cleansed from it nor justified by the very blood of Jesus Christ but it shall rest upon thee to thy utter ruine and destruction unlesse thou forsake thy sins and so come preparedly unto this holy Table and banquet I know there is a convenant of grace a sweet refreshing for every humbled soul that is hungry and broken for his sins and for every poor distressed conscience let all such come and lay their sin upon Christs crosse and welcome But if there be any that come in their sins and will not reform their lives but be as they came sinners and so they mean to continue the Lord himself will lay this mans sins upon his own head and they shall never be taken away from him but Christ shall at the day of judgement pronounce him a guilty person to his eternal condemnation King Belshazzar that abused but the holy Vessels of the Temple and the Cups thereof what a small plague befel him for it Dan. 5. 27 28. God hath numbred thy Kingdome and finished it thou art weighed in the ballance and art found too light thy kingdom is departed from thee and is given to the Medes and Persians So beloved brethren if any of you shall abuse this Cup of the Lord coming to it with a filthy unclean heart and polluted conscience and earthly affections there is a hand-writing against every soul that thus cometh this day unto the Table of the Lord thou art numbred and weighed and found too light Thou O man and woman whosoever thou art that prophanest and contemnest these holy things of God thou
it here translated He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy I desire to speak of both these expositions for fear I should misse the true sense of this Text. For the first it is a truth of God every where confirmed in the Sciriptures that he that reproves another and yet hardeneth his own heart he doth but make a rod for his own back he puls sudden destruction upon his own self Then Secondly there is no hinderance from the context but that this may be the meaning of the text you know the Proverbs have little or no coherence except two or three chapters Indeed there is a coherence in them but generally through the Proverbs there is none so that if the text it self will bear one exposition as well as another indifferently the meaning none can tell but only as it is hâ—t Thirdly and lastly the Text it self favours this exposition for so the word in the Hebrew is A man of reproofs that hardens his own neck shal suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy Now the Question is Whether the wise mans meaning here be of the actuall reproof the reproving of another or of passive reproof this is undetermined which of these is meant A man can have no light from the coherence none in the world and from the text it self there is as much reason why we should expound it one way even almost as the other So that I say for fear I should let go the true meaning of the wise man I desire to speak a little of the active sense He that often reproves another and yet hardeneth his own neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy From hence I may observe that A reprover whether a master or a Minister or a Magistrate or a Father or a private Christian be he what he will be that reproveth another and yet is guilty himself either in the same kind or else in another or in any kind and hardneth his own heart in it that man shall suddenly be destroyed without remedy Take a Preacher that preacheth strict doctrine to the people that is very zealous against their sinnes he is up with hell and damnation against their filthy courses he preacheth for quickning but himself is not quickned be threatneth â—udgement against hardnesse of heart and yet he hath a hard heart himself this man puls destruction upon his own pate He is like the Pharisees that imposed upon others grievous burdens and heavy to be born but would not touch them with one of their fingers themselves Matth. 23. 4. The Reason of this is because First such a reprover of sin does it against his office the office of a reprover binds him to be blamelesse as the Apostle speaks A Bishop must be blamelesse 1 Tim. 3. 2. Every Christian should be blamelesse how much more Ministers that bear the office of reprovers they should be blamelesse Nay if a man though he take not the office of a reprover yet if he bear the person of a reprover as every private Christian must when God calls him to it for every man may be called to reprove though he have no authority over another though he be a private man he may bear the person though not the office of a reprover Now a man must be unculpable and unblameable himself or else he sins against his person If a man reprove another for being carnall himself must be spirituall Gal. 6. 1. If any man be overtaken with a fault ye that are spirituall restore him The reprover the exhorter and admonisher must be spiritual if he would draw another to be spirituall Secondly such a reprover as is guilty himself in that kind or in any other kind he can never reprove to a right end Why seest thou a moat in thy brothers eye and considerest not the beam in thine own eye Matthew 7. verse 3. Why saith he to what end what is that thou lookest at thou art severe to espye faults in thy brothers eye To what end doest thou reprove him What is the reason What is the thing thou wouldest have that thou findest fault with him Why seest thou a moat in thy brothers eye As if he should say thy end can never be good it cannot be to doe thy brother good for then thou wouldest do thy selfe good first It is not because thou hatest sin for then thou wouldest detest thine own sinne It cannot be out of a good principle or to a good end It is either because thou art a busie body in other mens matters or thou art censorious thou lovest to be medling or because thou hatest thy brother and wouldest wreak thy malice on him thou wouldest fain shame and disgrace him and by beating him down get thy self up or thou wouldest get a cover to thine owne conscience it must be some such end it cannot be a good end Christ puts it to a mans conscience why he reproves his brother when he is faulty himselfe Thirdly another Reason is such a reprover can never do it in a right manner as Christ saith Matthew 7. 4 How wilt thou say to thy brother let me pull the moat out of thine eye when behold a beam is in thine own eye How wilt thou do it in what fashion or sort How wilt thou be able to bring this about A man that is a reprover had need to have a very clear sight of his own that sees another mans faults and will set another to rights he had need to have a good judgement to see all the circumstances of reproof and rebuke that deals with another As long as a man hath a beam in his own eye as long as he hath lusts in his own heart that will blind his judgement and darken and cover his eyes and make him that he shall not be able to see to goe about it How canst thou possibly say to thy brother let me pull the moat out of thine eye when there is a beam in thine own eye A man that is to reprove another a Master that will reprove his servant or a Father his children or a Minister that will reprove his people or a Magistrate that will reprove those that are committed to his charge or any brother that will reprove another he must do it with a spirit of compassion with bowels of pity with a sense and feeling there is a great deal of wisedome and discretion to be observed in this act Now when a man hath a beam in his own eye how shall he be able to doe it That man that is faulty and guilty himselfe either he must reprove too harshly and rigorously or too sparingly or too insultingly he must doe it in a wrong manner it can never be sincerely and truly done as long as a man hath a lust in his own heart and he himselfe is guilty and faulty that is a reprover of his brother Nay the party reproved is holpen to retort
us and so falls aboard and he thinks that God must needs sanctifie them unto him and after supper he goes to prayer and so to bed and thinks that he shall be heard for his much babling sake Mat. 6. they think God will have mercy on them But poor souls if they knew how unseemingly they prayed how unfitly and what want there is in seeing their own estate they would say is this to pray for my soul for such infinite mercy Lord how do I abuse the throne of grace how do I abuse thy sabbaths thy house thy name and all the holy ordinances which I go about A man that is importunate in prayer is ashamed but when they think highly of their prayers they are insolent their prayers are damned and they too Secondly as men have high conceits of their prayers so they have mean conceits of their sinnes they think not their sins so bad as they are These men are like Abner who said Let the young men arise and play before us 2 Sam. 2. 15. They account murder a sport and dancing and musiking little worse then Davids playing on the harp Amos 6. 5. And if they commit adultery they say that's but a trick of youth if they tell a lie it is only at a dead lift when they have no other shift That man that doth not think of every sin he commits as David did of his even to make his heart to ake for it that man shall never speed well before God Thirdly as men have mean thoughts of their sins so they have base thoughts of God They cannot think that God should damn a man for drinking a pot with his friend I cannot think God will be so strict No no I love God with all my heart say they and they think that God is of their mind and if they were as God they would not be so strict So Psal 50. They thought I was such an one as themselves they think God will pardon â—â—em and therefore because of this men are not importunate with God God hath sent me a crosse saith one but I hope to rub it off well enough Why God will not keep his anger for ever Jer. 3. 5. Suppose a man be absent from Church or break out into some unsavoury speech will God be angry for this Suppose a man be negligent in a good duty will God require every dayes work Tush tush God will not Psal 10. 13. A company of Puritans say he will but I know he will not and hence it is that men will not be importunate Lastly because they have wrong conceits of importunity If a man knock once or twice or thrice and none answer presently he will be gone this is for want of manners thou wilt knock seven times if thou be importunate with them They within may say Hold thy peace be gone c. but thou wilt not so be answered Beloved men are close-handed they are loth to give and they are close-hearted too they are loth to take the pains to ask of God they are loth others should be importunate with them and therefore they are loth to be importuate with God Examine your selves then in this duty for importunate prayer is evermore the prayer of an importunate man THE EFFICACIE Of Importunate PRAYER The Second SERMON By that laborious and faithful Messenger of CHRIST WILLIAM FENNER Sometimes Fellow of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge and late Ministers of Rochford in Essex London Printed by E. T. for John Stafford THE EFFICACY OF Importunate Prayer LUKE 11. 9. Ask and it shall be given unto you Seeke and you shall finde Knock and it shall be opened unto you TO proceed then There be six signes to know whether our Prayers be importunate or no. First importunate prayer is evermore the prayer of an importunate man and the man is importunate if his praier be importunate but how can a man importune God for mercy when his person importunes God for vengeance It must be the prayer of a godly heart Preserve my soul for I am holy Psal 86. 1 2. David makes a prayer and he was holy when he made it his prayer could tell him that he was one that laboured to work in holinesse Therefore when thou goest to God in praier consider whether thou canst say Lord hear me foâ— I am holy and I would fain be holy but if the saying of these words châ—ak thee tâ—en thy prayer condems thee Of all begging it is a great matter who it is that begs at the door Who is that saith the indweller and when he opens the door and sees it is a thief c. Oh is it you saies he you may stand long enough you shall never have alms of me So in praier it is all in all who it is that prays The woman in the Gospel having an issue touched our Saviour he looking about asked who touched him and when he saw the woman Oh is it you saies he be of good chear Luke 8. 48. So when a man praies to God Who is that saies God that would have these mercies And when the Lord sees it a Drunkard or a covetous man c. is it you saies the Lord you may stay till Dooms day and yet never find mercie The spirit of supplication and the spirit of prayer is called the spirit of grace Zach. 12. 10. If them thou hast not the spirit of grace thou canst not pray The text saith not Whosoever asketh the Father in my name but whatsoever you ask the Father in my name there is many a man may use the name of Christ at the throne of grace but certain it is none but those that are in Christ can pray and with them every thing operates A man that will walk with God in obedience to his lawes must be a holy man hence is that saying of our Saviour John 15. 7. a place fit for the purpose If you abide in me and my word abide in you c. as if he should have said You may ask what you please and intreat God all the daies of your life yet unlesse you abide in me you cannot speed That man that walks not in holinesse of life can never be an importunate orator as was Moses the man of God but a wicked mans prayer as Augustine speaks is tanquam latratus canum c. no better then the barking of dogs or the grunting of swine therefore you whose consciences tell you that you live in sin your prayers never speed at the throne of grace for eternall mercy Secondly an importunate praier is the praier of a pure conscience Suppose a man doth not see that he lives in sin yet if his conscience crie guilty if he have a foul conscience his prayer never prevails with God If I regard wickednesse in my heart the Lord will not hear my prayer saith David Psal 66. 18. that is If I can say or my conscience can tell me that I regard iniquitie in my heart the Lord will not hear
never givest over crying my God my God well here is faith in a confection but it may be it is so compounded with other ingredients that thou canst not perceive it for you must know that there is faith so great it breakes out into a flame and there is faith which is so smal that it does but smoke out a little now whether thy faith be an inflamed faith or a smoking faith be of good comfort thou shalt be healed The bruised Reed shall not be broken Mat. 12. 28. But I am broken all to shatters and I have no faith at all how then can I hope to be cured I answer as thy heart may be broken and yet be a right heart so thy faith may be broken and yet be a true faith For it is sometimes bound up in the whole sometimes it is broken and all to pieces A man that is broken in heart although he have no faith bound up together in one act yet he hath it broken in sunder never a part is missing though no part closing one with another The one whole act of faith is this I beleive that God is my God in Christ Indeed it may be thou hast not this faith in the whole but if thou beest broken in heart thou hast this whole broken in pieces First thou beleevest that God is a God there is one piece Secondly thou beleevest that whomsoever God is a God unto it is only in Christ Thirdly thou beleevest that he that truly repents may say that God is his God in Christ Fourthly thou believest that repentance is a true hatred of sin as it is sin Fifthly thou beleevest and thy conscience tels thee it is so indeed that thou hatest sinne not only as it is able to damne thee but also as it is sin and dishonourable to God now these are the parts of faith in the whole Thou hast all the parts of the whole though thou hast not these parts in the whole Well then thou hast all the parts of true faith as thou câ—nst not deny if thou beest broken in heart Totum non differt realiter a partibus simul sumptis All the parts and the whole doe not differ really sayes the Philosopher he that hath three groats cannot complain he wants a shilling he that hath ruffe and stock and string can he be farre to seek for a band so then if thou have faith in the parts on this fashion it is certaine thou hast faith in the whole though it appeare not yet to be whole Aristotle asketh this question whether the parts be before the whole or no as for example whether a man or a finger be first I will not stand here to determine this question but this is certain that the whole is a relative thing spoken in relation to its parts and it is like the relation begins in the whole for first we say that a whole is that which consists of parts and then the parts are they that make up the whole and therefore if thou verily beleevest in part thou verily beleevest indeed Thus David was a beleever in part my very soul saith he is consumed with grief Psal 31. 9. my strength faileth me because of mine iniquity c. verse 10. I am forgotten as a dead man c. verse 12. he was a vessel of election but yet you may see he was a broken vessell he could not beleeve in the whole for he was afraid that God had cast him out of his mind like a dead and an undone man neverthelesse he was a beleever in part he was Gods broken vessel But I am sure I have no faith I go whining and crying up and down I look upon my sins with horrour I look upon Christ with horror not a minime of faith that I have how then can I be healed Hast thou a grounded resolution to seek after God come what can come of it Dost thou desire and long to be united with Christ Then let me tell thee suppose thou hast no faith yet in being yet thou hast something to secure thee from wrath there is difference between Fides creditura and Fides credens between faith about to beleeve and faith that doth already beleeve It is beliefe beleeving that saves a man But belief about to believe cures a man from being a reprobate Though the fruit in the womb be not yet quickened with a reasonable soule yet it growes in the womb feeds in the womb and yet it hath no other life in it than may be in a beast yet because it is in fieri a man the Mother complains not saying Oh I am afraid I have a beast in my womb no she will wait Gods leisure to quicken it it is secure enough from being a beast for it hath such dispositions as will not long be without the soul of a man in the same though as yet there be nothing in it but what may be in a beast But yet the Mother is secured because she is perswaded she bears a babe in her womb So many poor souls are too hasty to censure themselves for grant thou hast no faith as yet yet if thou beest broken in heart thou art about to have faith only let the word have his full work on thee unto which thou must diligently attend and then fides in fieri will be quickly fides in facto esse Thus the blind man in the Gospell was about to beleeve before he believed he had a time of a fieri of faith he was no beleever at this time for he had as yet no faith neither was he an unbeleever for he was about to beleeve Dost thou believe on the Son of God saith Christ John 9. 35. he answered who is he Lord that I might beleeve on him verse 39. Beleeve yea that I would with all my heart who is he and where is he that I might beleeve I have been hated for his names sake I have been cast out of the Synagogue for his sake Lord thou knowest I would beleeve on him but who is he and where is he â— and he is vanished away from me I have sought him but I cannot finde him Then Christ told him I am he that now talketh with thee and then he beleeved and Saint Chrysostome observes that this blind man was about to beleeve before he did desire it in his soul and so it may be it is now with thee dost thou beleeve in Christ Who is he sayest thou where shall I find that Christ is in me that I may beleeve in him I weep and hunger and I thirst after Christ but who and where is he I have sought him in the word but I find him not I have sought him in prayer and in all other his ordinances but I find him not I would beleeve with all my heart if I could find him Thus the soul may be about to beleeve though it doe not already beleeve hast thou gotten this same about to beleeve be not
the wildernesse for here is neither bread nor water and our soule loatheth this light bread So beloved if we suffer our soules to be discouraged we shall soone come to murmure against God wherefore hath he brought me up to this strictnesse and precisenesse when I was a drunkard a worldling when I followed the lust of my flesh and liberty then I enjoyed onions garlick and the flesh-pots of Egypt pleasures and delights for my soule then I had a good hope in God and a good perswasion that my soul should goe to heaven and then Preachers told me that if I would give over such and such sinnes and look after Heaven a little more and doe such and such things O then I should come to a Land flowing with milke and honey then I should not misse of glory and salvation But alas I see nothing but Gyants and Anakims I am in a wildernesse now now I see a man may have a great deal of repentance and yet be a cast away A man may have a great deal of faith and yet be but a reprobate A man may give over a great many sins and yet perish in hell now I see a man may live civilly and well and have and do a great many good things and yet be damned when he hath done all A man may even go to Heaven Gates and yet the gates be shut against him and he turned into hell Alas my poor soul is in a wildernesse now I know not which way to goe I am ready to lose my selfe I see nothing here now but huge Gyants the sons of Anack strong corruptions inclining and forcing me to evill most fearefull and violent suggestions and temptations of the Devill ready to thrust me into the gulfe of wickednesse and despaire And now the soule begins to thinke that it is good for it to returne again into Egypt to fall to its old courses again for certainly God looks for no such matter he requires no such strictnesse and precisenesse And so it falls a whining and repining at the Word and Ministers of God that have call'd men to it and laid it upon them and hath no heart now to do thus and thus any longer And thus it falls into discouragements because of the way and into a thousand quandaries whether it may not go back again or no. And all these murmurings and repinings are because men suffer themselves to be discouraged Thirdly discouragements will cause thee to think that God hates thee When the soul like Baals Priests 1. Kings 18. 26. hath been crying from morning to noon ten twenty thirty yeeres it may be and yet hath no answer now it will begin to think if God did love me then he would grant me my petitions Then hereupon comes into a mans secret thoughts and feare that God hardly loves his soule So was it with Israel when they were discouraged they said because the Lord hated us therefore he brought us out of the Land of Egypt Deut. 1. 27. Because that they were discouraged and because that their Brethren that went for spies had disheartned them therefore they were apt to say the Lord hated them Beloved it is a miserable thing when the soule calls the love of God into question Consider that as thou canst not have a friend if thou beest suspitious and jealous of his love to thee So thou canst never have the love of God settled on thy heart so long as thou art jealous of his love to thee Fourthly If thou root them not out it is to be feared that they will bring thee to despair Melancholy thoughts and feares and discouragements drive the soul to despaire For when the soul sees it selfe still disappointed of its hopes at the last it growes hopelesse If it have waited one day and the next day too if it have prayed this weeke this moneth this year and yet still it seeth it selfe held off and disappointed it will at last grow hopelesse Take heed therefore I beseech you of all needlesse discouragements to fear because that thou findest not that that thou wishedst or prayedst for to day or to morrow in thine own time that therefore thou shalt never get it that now thou shouldest for ever despaire of the grace and love of God and think that now God will never hear thee that thou shalt never get grace and power over thy corruptions Men think that the preaching of the Word of God brings men to despaire the preaching of such strict points and the urging such precise doctrines makes men despaire men are loth to be at the paines to root out their discouragements It is rather a cold or dead preaching of the Word that is the cause of this for when the soule is instructed by holinesse humbled by holinesse converted by holinesse at the last when it comes to be thorowly awakened when it sees that this and this is required in a true conversion of the soule to God that herein true repentance must declare and demonstrate it selfe by these and these fruits or else it is but false and rotten Why now the soul must needs be brought to despaire because it seeth that though it have been thus and thus humbled though it have praied fasted and mourned in this and this manner yet it sees it hath not a soundesse of grace There is such a grace in it such a worke and such a fruit of Gods Spirit in it that yet he could never finde in himselfe this makes the soule to despaire Indeed Preachers may be to blame if they speake and preach onely the terrours and condemnations of the Law without the promises of the Gospel for these should be so tempered that every poore broken soule may see mercy and redemption for him upon his sound and unfeigned repentance and humiliation But if men doe despaire they may thanke themselves for it their owne sinnes for it their owne discouragements for it because they suffer these to continue in them Cain his heart grew sad his conntenance fell he was wroth and disquiered in his minde and heavily discouraged why Gen. 4. Sin lay at the dore what dore the dore of his conscience rapping and beating upon his heart Beloved when the soule lets sin lie at the dore drunkennesse pride and worldlinesse security hardnesse and deadnesse of heart lie at the dore when a man lets his negligent and fruitlesse hearing of the word lie at the dore when a man lets his vaine and dead praying his temporizing and fashionary serving of God lie at the dore of conscience to tell him that all his hearing of the word of God profits him nothing that his praiers are dead and vain that his mourning fasting and all his humiliation is counterfeit and rotten and that he hath no soundnesse of grace in him but that for all this he may fall into hell when sin lâ—eth thus at the dore thus rapping at the conscience it is no wonder if the soule fall into desperation as it was here Cain let
were but now you cannot help it these things and times are gone and cannot be recalled such a one hath been a drunkard a swearer a worldling c. but he cannot help it now True he might have helped it and because he did not his heart shall bleed for it if he belong to God but doe not stand poaring too much upon it but consider now what you have to doe now you are to humble your selves now you are to strive with God in all manner of prayer for more grace and more power of obedience and assurance and be not discouraged Fourthly If the soule be discouraged it will breed nothing but sorrow What is the reason that many Christians are alwayes weeping and mourning and sighing and sobbing from day to day all their life time and will not be comforted because of these discouragements 1 Thes 4. 13. Sorrow not saith the Apostle as those that have no hope as if he had said sorrow if you will but do not sorrow as they that have â—o hope How is that it is a sorrow with nothing but sorrow from which they have no hope of inlargement or freedome O then my brethren suppose you have dead hearts suppose you want zeale you want assurance suppose it be so yet labour to attain these grace sorrow and spare not weepe and mourne and powre out whole buckets of teares for your sinnes if you can but sorrow not with nothing but sorrow be not discouraged suppose that thou hast a dead heart that thou art an hypocrite that thou hast a rotten heart it is a heavy thing and a fearful case indeed for which thou hast great cause of humiliation and sorrow but yet sorrow not desperately as men without hope be not wholly discouraged but as you sorrow for your sinnes so also labour with incouragement to get cut and be rid of your sinnes Fifthly Discouragements breed and procure a totall perplexity They leave the soul in a maze that it knows not whither to turne it self When men come to be discouraged O what shall I do saith one I am utterly undone saith another I know not what will become of me saith a third Oh I am utterly lost I shall perish one day one day God will discover me and be avenged on me for this and that sin I were as good go to he lat the first as at the last for that will be the end of me I have gone to prayer but that doth not helpe me I have gone to Sacraments but I find no help still my soule lies under the power of sinne still my sinnes are as strong in me as ever Thus the soule is discouraged and cries out Oh what shall I doe I know not what to doe What shall I doe sayest thou Alas thou hast things enough to doe if thou wert not discouraged Utterly undone No man thou mightest see that thou art not utterly undone but that thou art discouraged Dost thou not know what will be come of thee yea poore soule there is mercy grace and peace for thee if thou wilt not be discouraged Sixthly Discouragements whisper within a man a sentence of death and an impossibility of escaping As far as the discouragement of life goeth so far goeth the sentence of death We despaired of life and had the sentence of death in our selves saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 1. 8. 9. he despaired of life in himselfe and therfore had the sentence of death in himself this was good but he did not despaire of life in God for then he should have had likewise the sentence of death from God in his conscience If you despaire in the Lord you have the sentence of death and damnation from God in your conscience take heed of this my beloved be not discouraged in God do not despaire in the Lord that will work a miserable effect in your souls it will secretly whisper a sentence of damnation in your soules It is strange to consider how many poore soules rub on with these whispering sentences in their bosomes suffering their consciences day by day to tell them that they are rotten to tell them that they were never yet converted to tell them that they are yet in the state of damnation and yet they will not root out these discouragements O goe to the Throne of grace begge for grace and for mercie and for power against sinne and bee not discouraged What wilt thou carry thine owne sentence of death in thy breast if thou wilt not rouze up thy soule and pray with more affection and confidence and shake off discouragements take heed least thou carry the sentence of thine owne death and damnation in thy bowels Oh therefore once more let mee beseech you to take heede of these discouragements and now hearken unto the voice of God which calleth upon you Feare not Thou drewest nigh in the day that I called upon thee Thou saidest Feare not THE MISERY OF THE CREATURES BY The Sinne of Man In a SERMON By WILLIAM FENNER Minister of the Gospel sometimes Fellow of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge and late Lecturer of Rochford in Essex London Printed by E. T. for John Stafford They are accusing groanes They are judging and condemning groanes First they are upbraiding groanes Give ears Oh ye heavens and I will speak and hear Oh earth the words of my lips Deut. 32. 1. as if God had said mark O ye heavens and let all the whole world hear what I testify against this people as if the heavens and the earth did upbraid them of their unthankfulnesse God commands the Sun to shine and it shineth the earth to fructify and it obeyeth But this wicked people he commands to repent and forsake their sins and they will not Chrysostome saith wicked men although they have naturall reason in them are more senceless than sencelesse creatures the rocks and the flints the flye and the gnats may upbraid them the rocks rent in sunder but this people will not rent their hearts swarmes of flies were hiss'd for to come and they yielded obedience and the livelesse creatures groan under the slavery of sin but they will not obey they will not be brought to groan for their sins How do all the creatures upbraid man Do ye thus requite the Lord O ye foolish people and unwise Beloved how do the heavens and the earth upbraide thee for unthankfulnesse wert thou ever in sickness and God did not deliver thee wert thou ever in misery and God did not comfort thee wert thou ever in any straight and God did not direct thee in sickness who was life unto thee in poverty who supplyed thee in danger who delivered thee was it noâ— God that hath done all for thee And shall the Lord command thee obedience and wilt thou not grant it him doth he command thee to part with thy lust and crucify all thy corruptions and wilt thou not obey him doth the Lord command thee to be meek humble patient and dost thou refuse then hear O heavens
Christ he must walke as Christ walked Hence observe That a true Christian he walks as Christ walked if he be in Christ Before we make entrance hereupon let me expound to you two things leâ—t we meere with rubs in the way First the conditionall If. Secondly the exemplary As. First for the conditionall If. it is not a precedent condition of life as a condigne preparation unto or a previall disposition for Christ for a man cannot first walk as Christ walked and then be in Christ A graft cannot live the life of the stock and then be inoculated into the stock No but it is a subsequent condition if ever a man be in Christ Christ holds him to these termes to live as he lived to walk as he walked The first act is before the latter act life before the actions of life so walke as Christ walked this notes the actions of life Now a man must first be in Christ before he can walk as Christ walked Indeed this condition is first quoad cognosci to our knowledge but it is not first quoad esse and in its own nature So then to walke as Christ walked being a necessary consequent of being in Christ we cannot be said to be in Christ if we walk not as Christ walked for take away the necessary consequent and you take away the antecedent take away the walking as Christ walked and you take away the abiding in Christ This condition is put in by our Saviour John 15. 10. If ye shall keep my commandements ye shall abide in my love as I have kept my Fathers commandements and abide in his love This was the walk of Christ he kept his Fathers commandements and abode in his love This must be your walke too that looke to abide in Christs love If ye keepe my commandements ye shall abide in my love But if there be any commandement of Christ in all the Gospell that you will not conforme to it is an evident signe that ye abide not in Christs love Secondly for the exemplary As even as he walked Can any man walke as Christ walked is it possible that dust and ashes that is corrupt with sinne can walk as he walked This word as hath a twofold signification there is a twofold as either such an as as importts an equality or secondly similitude As this as imports an equality so it is impossible that any flesh can walk as Christ walked so purely so unspottedly so steadily so effectually as he lived No for our Saviour Christ was filled with the Holy Ghost and of his fulnesse have we all received grace for grace John 1. 16. Marke he doth not say that we receive his fullnesse but some of his fulnesse so that none can walk as Christ walked with an as of equality but there is an as of similitude A scholar writes as his masters coppy directs him he begins every line as his master begins he ends as he ends he sets himselfe to frame every letter as his master framed it to joyne letters and syllables together as his master joyned them together Though there be no equality he cannot write one stroke or dash with his penne so well as his master yet he doth write as his master sets his coppy his hand sollowes his masters hand So it is said of all that are in Christ Revel 14. 4. that they follow the Lamb whither soever he goeth they follow Christ in all duties in all holiness in all his commandments they track Christ in all his steps though they cannot walke with such long strides so steadily so purely so constantly as Christ yet they labour to track him with this as of similitude Doe all that are in Christ walke as Christ walked yea Beloved this is a clause of the covenant of grace so that a man cannot be in Christ unlesse he walk as Christ walked For thus runs the tenour of the covenant of grace Matth. 11. 29. Learne of me for I am meeke and lowly of heart and ye shall finde rest unto your soules Marke there is no rest to the soule no grace to the conscience no assurance of the pardon of sinne Christ gives no comfort to the heart unlesse the heart will learne of Christ follow Christ his coppy be holy as he is holy pure as he is pure walk as he walked This will the better appear if we consider that Christ his life must be the example for our life according to which we must live Now the exemplatum must be conformable to the exemplary saith Aquinas the draught must be according to the copy so it Christs life be the patterne of our life then our life must be conformable to his life and therefore Christ declares his wayes unto us as our samplers Christ was humble and serviceable to all in the dayes of his flesh with this Motto John 13. 15. I have given you an example that you should doe as I have done Thou art of thy master the devill and his coppy thou followest if thou account it an indignity to stoop a disgrace to condescend to thy brother Christ was willing to suffer disgrace with this Motto 1. Pet. 2. 21. Leaving us an example that we should follow his steps Art thou loth to practice Religion for fear of the crosse loth to reproove sinne for fear of a flout or of the displeasure of a great man least thou shouldest procure his ill will it is evident that thou followest not Christ because he hath left us an example that as he suffered so also should we Christ was obedient to the death of the crosse not looking to his owne things so much as the things of others so the Apostle warneth us Let the same minde bee in you that was in Christ Iesus 1. Iohn 2. 5. you that bee in Christ must have the fame minde that Christ had 1. Iohn 3. 3. Hee that hath this hope purgeth himselfe even as he is pure Howsoever the world nick-names and reproaches purity yet if any have this hope indeed he may have other hopes he may have vaine rotten dead hopes and never seeke after purity but he that hath this hope a true saving hope to be redeemed by Christ he purifyeth himself even as he is pure Thou then which art not pure but makest a mocke of purenesse and of conscience of every sin thou canst have no true sound faith in the Lord Jesus Thou must be righteous even as he is righteous Thou happily saiest thou art righteous thou doest this and that righteousnesse this and that good action take thou heed saith the Apostle that thou deceive not thy selfe thou must be righteous as Christ is righteous In a word love is the fulfilling of the law and Gualter carrieth it along through all the law which Christ walked in Christ loved us and gave himselfe for us with this injunction A new commandement give I unto you that you love one another as I have loved you John 13. 34. This was one of the main reasons
judgements upon this Land If a man lie sick and they see death in his face they call it the foretelling signe so the Ministers of God may foresee the death and destruction of a Kingdome I am sure we have better grounds then the Physicians can have And therefore why may not the Ministers which are Gods Physicians doe it The signes of Gods punishments that are coming upon us are these The first is of Gods Ministers which with one voice doe foretel judgements to come Then this is a signe that God hasteneth to battel Amos 3. 7. Surely the Lord will doe nothing but he revealeth his secrets to his servants the Prophets but especially when they agree all in one thing then the Kingdom is dangerously gone Luke 1. 70. The Lord giveth one mouth as he spake by the mouth of all his holy Prophets I will say nothing in this but let me appeale to your consciences whether all good Ministers in the Church of England have not declared by Gods word that judgements are coming out against this Land and us for many yeares together And as our Saviour saith Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in beaven Secondly when sinnes of all sorts doe abound frequently and with a bold face and whorish forehead For when the harvest is ripe then cometh so many sickles to cut it down so when the sinnes of a Kingdome are ripe then it is time to cut that Kinddome down Genes 6. 12. The earth was filled with violence all flesh had corrupted their wayes therefore make an Arke for the end of all flesh is come God will wash away their filthinesse Consider whether it be not thus with England or no. Was ever drunkennesse and blasphemie and scoffing at religion and prophaning Gods Sabbaths nay liberty given so to do was it ever come to that height that now it is were ever great ones as Bishops and Ministers so defiled as now they are our Land hath often been overcome when men were grown desperately wicked then they were destroyed Now what sinnes what blasphemies what hating of God lyeth raging in our times I think there is none in this Congregation but sees and heares how City and Countrey are venomed and benumned and defiled with sinnes of all sorts Thirdly when the devill and wicked men cast bones of dissention that is a signe of ruine When there was a dissention between Rehoboam and the people then God pulled away ten Tribs and much bloud was shed So when King and Commons and all are divided Ephraim against Manasses and Manasses against Ephraim but both against Judah then it is a fearfull signe that that Nation shall be destroyed I say to apply this if ever a Kingdome were divided then this is if we could all accord then we might expect something but now our best bloud is gone and our hearts are gone the Lord in mercie raise us up from dead ashes O consider this I beseech you and lay it to heart Will God deceive his Ministers and make them all blindfold no no. When God puts his Spirit into his Ministers and makes them all with one mouth to call and cry desolation and when all manner of sinnes so fearfully abound and when there is such divisions in the State then let us look for desolation Fourthly the fourth signe of Gods anger on a Nation is when all the hearts of men faile then it is a signe that vengeance is at the door when there is a kinde of Cowardise through the guilt of the conscience Josh 2. 11. It was a certaine signe of destruction when the peoples hearts failed them thus it is with every man almost amongst us every mans heart is faint and sick Iudges 7. 13. When Gideon was to goe against the Midianites being a wonderfull Army one dreamed that a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host and overthrew them Then Gideon said be of good courage for I see that the Lord hath given them into our hands because their hearts were feareful so he took three hundred men and put a trumpet in every mans hand with empty pitchers and lamps and they cried the Sword of the Lord and of Gideon and in the twelfth verse see what followed All the host ran and cried and fled Even so it is with us we faint upon every occasion Gods spirit is gone from England While Sampson had the Spirit of God upon him he was too hard for the Philistins but when the Spirit of God was gone from him he had no heart no spirit no courage then every man was too hard for him and then he was taken and had his eyes pulled out So when the Spirit of God was with this Nation we had courage and got the day but now alas every slavish Nation is too hard for us and every bug-beare scares us O poore England heavy is thy case therefore we may expect nothing but miserie one way or another Now I might set down a Comment or Theame with many teares for this cause that every one may reade his own destruction from this point I am not a Prophet nor the sonne of a Prophet but from the word of the Lord I speak this thing unto you and upon these grounds I can say so That where these signes are destruction and calamities follow at the heeles of them We having all these signes in our State certainely destruction is at our heeles therefore let me giue you some directions what to doe in these dangerous times First let every man knock off the love of the world of houses of lands and corne and flockes they shortly shall leave thee or thou them O therefore cast them quite out of thy heart I would to God I could bring my heart and yours to this pitch that we could give wife and children and all as lost I confesse it is hard so to doe but God will fire us out shortly from these things if we part not from them in these our deepest afflictions Ier. 45. 5. Baruch was so much glued to the world that he began to feather his nest and therefore the Prophet said seekest thou great things for thy selfe seeke them not for behold I will bring evill upon all flesh So let me say to you as the Prophet said to Gehazi Is it now a time to build Therefore at night when thou goest to bed take thy leave of thy wife and children and of thy houses and all and say this house may be mine enemies before the morning or may be set on fire this is not my wife these are not my children As Doctor Taylor said when he was going to his execution when he saw his wife and children he embraced them and blessed them in the name of the Lord and set them down again and made no bones of them and so do you pluck away your hearts from all these things here below and give them all for lost Secondly get divine submission to the will of God let thy heart be
beate but let them heare with Sampson that the Philistines are coming upon them that there is such a gaine such a profit and reputation to be had in the eyes of the world then all the Pinnes and Webbes are broken all their resolutions and all the strong coards of their former purposes are but as fire and towe they breake them all in pieces so then they are but asleepe not mortified Secondly Sinne may bee said to be civilized when it is laide in a swound a man lying in a swound is dead for a while and you would thinke he could hardly be recovered for he can neither heare nor see nor goe nor speake and yet notwithstanding he is not dead onely his vitall heate is gone from his outward members unto the inward powers of the heart Even so a mans sinnes seeme to bee dead when the spirit of his lust is conveighed into a higher lust as for example Suppose here is one that is a covetous worldling this man peradventure is very moderate and temperate he is not given to gaming dicing carding wenching he is not given to building or glorious apparell but what are these sinnes dead in him no but the strength of them is carried up into a higher lust for if he should follow whoring or gaming c. the lust of his covetousnesse would be curbed and his gaine would not come in with such a full Carreere unto him Now all these sinnes forenamed are but attendants and slaves unto this one lust so many men it may be will give over a thousand sinnes yea all except this one yet all those thousand sinnes are not mortified nay it may be hee scarcely thinkes upon any of them Why because they are taken up with a higher lust Even so it is with many civill formall professors they will come to Church misse never a Sermon that they can come unto they will talke of heaven they will not omit any holie communication they will reade the Scriptures pray in their families neglect no holy duties Why then what is their sinne It is not the omitting of these things but the carelesse practise of them in their lives and conversation for although these sinnes be in a swound the strength of them is gone up to maintaine a higher lust for suppose he went not to Church how should he maintaine his profession and if he could not now and then speake of heaven it were impossible he should have his depth of selfe-deceit therefore wee conclude these sinnes are not mortified they onely are civilized Thirdly Sinne may be said to be civilized when the sap of sinne is taken away and no contrary Grace infused as for example Suppose a man give over drunkennesse yet if this man be not filled with the Spirit his drunkennesse is not mortified though he live soberly afterwards all the dayes of his life Again suppose a man give over his intemperate anger he is not touchy nor cholericke nor subject to passion yet if he have not turned his anger against himselfe for every one of his corruptions which breake out against God his anger is not mortified Suppose a man is not given over to worldly griefe but hath given it over yet if his griefe be not turned another way as to grieve for his sinnes his griefe is not mortified Again suppose a man be not set upon a merry pinne ever jesting or telling forth merry tales but now he hath given them over yet if he have not set his joyes on the wayes of God and learned truly to be merry in the Lord it is impossible we can say his carnall mirth is mortified For as the schoole-men say 〈◊〉 there is nothing corrupted till another thing be produced there is no dissolution of wood until it be turned into ashes so sinne is never taken away nor utterly dissolved untill there be contrary grace brought into the heart in stead thereof so then unlesse there be contrary graces wrought in the heart as the contraries of all those sins foregoing they are but onely civilized and not mortified Fourthly Sinne may be said to be civilized when it is overwtharted by a higher principle as when a man is sensible of the wrath of God and hath the flashes of an accusing conscience flying daily into his face lying under the guilt of many horrible sinnes it is impossible for him to goe on with rest and quietnesse in those his unholy courses wherein he useth to walke he may forsake them for a while but yet he cannot mortifie them but as a schoole-boy that playes the trewant while he is under the rodde he will confesse his fault and promise to doe so no more and he verily thinketh so at that time and desires heartily so to doe but it is a desire that he is provoked unto for fear of the rodde and not for love of dutie for when once the rodde is gone and the smart over then he falls to his old trewanting courses againe So we reade in the first of Jonah that when the Marriners were in perill of their lives then every one of them could call upon his God but when the storme and danger was over they quickly left off and cared not for calling on God any longer Fifthly and lastly Sinne may be said to be civilized by Gods giving of positive common grace which he gives unto wicked men as in Mat. 25. God gave unto the unprofitable servant a whole talent which is supposed to be an hundred and sixty and odde pounds so the Lord gives unto wicked men many good graces as softnesse of disposition lovingnesse or easie to be intreated and hereupon they come to Church heare the word and performe many other Christian duties yet all these be but common graces which a man may have and yet his sinnes not mortified and therefore the Apostle saith Mortify your members c. Whence observe That if wee looke to have any benefit by or interest in Christ wee must mortifie all our sinnes and all our corruptions As if the Apostle had said make all your earthly members to be as a dead corpse now we knowin a dead corpse the eyes are there but they cannot see the feete are there also but they want strength for to goe it hath all the members but it hath not life and power to fet them on worke so though sinne be in you still yet let it be like a dead corpse wanting life like a dead Tyrant that can no longer rage and hence it is that the Apostle saith Let not sinne reigne in your mortall bodies he doth not say let it not be but let it not reigne Sinne when it is mortified is like a dead King that can call no more Parliaments but a man may doe for him what hee listeth because his strength lieth in the dust If Christ be in you saith the Apostle the body is dead because of sinne but the spirit is life for righteousnesse sake Rom. 8. 9 10. Againe if a man have not the
Spirit of Christ he is none of Christs now if Christ be in you the body is dead if you consider the body as it hath relation unto sinne Again if you live after the flesh you shall dye verse 13. as if he should have said if your flesh be alive in you if your pride live in you and if your infidelity live in you if your hardnesse of heart live in you if your wrath c live in you and if you walke after these you shall surely die he meaneth not a temporall death for so they must doe howsoever they live but his meaning is they shall die eternally but if you mortify the deedes of the body by the spirit you shall live so then it is plaine there is no life of Christ to bee had so long as you retain your sinnes and therefore sinne must bee mortified First because Christ is a Saviour and hence he is called Jesus Matth. 1. 21. for he shall save his people from their sinnes if therefore Christ doe not save thee from thy sins and if by the power of Christ thou mortifie not thy sinnes and give them a deadly blow assure thy selfe he will never be a Jesus unto thee It is true indeed Christ dyed for sinners but it was not to let them goe on in sinne and therefore if thou goe on in sinne it is for thy damnation and not for thy salvation for he will first save thee from thy sinnes or else he will never save thee from hell so then consider if thy sinnes bear sway in thee if they doe then know thou art delivered up unto the power of thy sinnes and to everlasting darknesse For Christ is the true Physitian of the soule and you know that the Physitian doth not bring a potion to put it unto deaths mouth to kill death and so to save the sicke person alive no but hee putteth it into the sicke mans mouth to kill the ill humours that are in his body that so hee might not fall into the hands of death so Christ came not to quench the flames of hell by his spirituall Physicke but to let his Physicke fall upon the heart and soule of man to save him from hell Therefore unlesse the bloud of Christ doe mortifie thy sinnes and crucifie thy lusts there is no hope ever to get Christ to save thee from hell and everlasting damnation This is a true saying saith the Apostle and worthy to be received that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners 1 Tim. 1. 15. This is a faithfull saying and wicked men like it well indeede For saith the drunkard I am a wicked man yet Christ came to save me The whoremonger saith I am an uncleane person yet Christ came to save me The swearer will say Christ came to save sinners and therefore I hope he will save me too No no Christ came to save sinners that is such as were sinners but now are none they have and doe repent Jesus Christ came to save sinners saith the Apostle whereof I am chiefe I was a blasphemer and a persecuter but now I am not Hence then is the faithfull saying Christ came to save sinners not still sinning No before Paul was injurious a persecuter and lived in ignorance and unbeleefe but now the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ was wonderfully abundant through Faith and love towards him so that the grace of God hath appeared to draw men out of blindnesse and ignorance therefore to say that Christ came to save such as live in their sins and will live in them as in sins of drunkeness prophaness or uncleaness is a rotten saying and this onely is the faithfull saying that Christ came into the world to save sinners in whom the power of sinne is broken therefore if ever we looke to have benefit or interest by Christ we must mortify our earthly members Secondly because it is impossible for sinne and grace to live and subsist in one subject it is impossible that they should ever stand together and be in a man at one and the same time it cannot be that one and the same creature can have the life of a swine and the life of a man for if he have the soule of a swine he cannot have the soul of a man for they are two contrary distinct lives and where the one is the other cannot be It is like hot water and cold if it be cold it cannot be hot if it be hot it cannot be cold Even so the life of sinne and the life of grace are two contraries and therefore they that walke in their sinnes walke contrary to God Now the Lord saith if you walke contrary to me I will walke contrary unto you Levit. 26. and two contraries we know cannot goe together He that walks in sinne walkes contrary unto God but he that goes on in the waies of grace he walks towards God Now it is impossible to walk towards Dover and towards London at one and the same time for every steppe he goeth forward to the one it carries him backward from the other so then if ever we will have the life of grace we must forsake our sinnes as it was with the house of Saul and David Sauls house grew weaker and Davids stronger so must it be with sin and grace as grace growes stronger so sinne must grow weaker as grace goes up so sinne must go down And as Saul told David he would not give him Michal his daughter to wife unlesse he brought unto him an hundred fore-skinnes of the Philistines Even so the Lord saith that he will not marry the Lord Jesus Christ unto any soule unlesse he bring the fore-skinne of every lust hee must circumcise the foreskinne of his pride of his covetousnesse of his prophanenesse this must bee the offering and condition of marriage unto Christ even the circumcision of the heart and the mortification of all the corruptions Thirdly because else it is impossible to enter into heaven if we mortify not our sinnes a man can never be capable of glory hereafter that doth not mortifie his sinnes here in this life Suppose a wicked man should enter into heaven it is impossible that he should delight in heaven if he were there You will thinke this a strange point but give me leave to explain it a little I say that a wicked man if he were in heaven he could finde no delight there As for example take a beast for so is every man by his own knowledge in regard of the life of grace as saith the Prophet Jeremy though a man take an Oxe or an Asse and bring him unto the Kings table and set before him all the delicates which appertain unto Kings let him have a dinner before him that cost an hundred pounds yet he had rather be in the fields among his fellowes eating grasse or set a Crowne of gold upon a beasts head he will not regard it but cast it off into the mire for
not to take away his anger but to take it up from a worldly thing and to set it against sinne which is truly evill that so he may be angry and not sin Grace comes to qualify his anger and to take it from the waies of sin and to set it upon Gods wayes Again a man is subject to be merry Grace comes to temper him not to take away his mirth but to set it upon a right object as to delight in God to be merry in Christ to rejoyce in his Word and Ordinances in his children and in all the waies of Grace Another is given to impatiency Grace comes not to take away his impatiency but to set his impatience against his sins so that when he sees his sins he shall not be able to endure them but his soule will groan for them and his heart will rise against them Another is given to revenge now Grace comes and takes him away from being revenged on his neighbour to be revenged on his sinnes so that with the Apostle we may call revenge a piece of Repentance therefore this is a true triall whether our sins be mortified if our affections be taken away from the wayes of sinne and fast set upon the wayes of Grace and godlinesse Secondly if a man be mortified indeed and in truth then he is dead unto every sin if a man be killed he is dead in every member so if a man be dead to sinne no sinne can ever raigne in him not one lust nor bosome sinne no not the sinne of his trade no corruption though never so deare though it be the sinne of his right hand or right eye yet it can never have dominion over him if he be dead to sinne therefore if a man live in any one sin or sweet lust whatsoever he is a dead man and hath not one jot of Grace if there be but one knowne iniquity in a man that he lives and dies in without repentance that one iniquity shall kill him to the put of hel Ezek. 28. The Schoolemen say that if a Sow doe but wallow in one mirie or dirty hole she is filthy so if a soule wallow but in one sinne it is abominable If a man stab himselfe but with one knife so that he die he is as truly killed as was Julius Caesar who was stabbed with three and twenty knives So if a man should be free from an hundred diseases and should die of one what would it benefit him to be free from the rest in respect of his life surely nothing at all That man that hath his pride his Covetousnesse his usury hatred malice deriding of Gods people all these being dead in him yet if selfe-love and security c. be not dead in him these argue his case to be naught he is not yet qualified for Christ for there is no mortification at all in him There be many sweet meanes to allure us unto mortification but time will not permit us to speake of them but this let every man take notice of that so long as he liveth in sin he is altogether uncapable of Christ The Apostle saith we know that the Law is not given unto a righteous man but for the lawless and disobedient for the ungodly and for sinners for the unholy and prophane and whatsoever is contrary to wholsome doctrine the Law is for such men But the first Doctrine of the of Christ is Repent of thy sins deny thine own wayes take up Christs crosse and follow the Lamb wheresoever he goes Here the Kingdom of Heaven is laid open to all the world Let mens miseries be what they can be and although their sinnes be never so great Christ cometh to redeem them yea though they have a whole Hell of sinne in them yet if they have a heart to entertaine Christ his Grace is so rich and all-sufficient that it will save every man that enterteineth him There is a Proclomation openly made in the Market place Hoe every one that thirsteth come unto the waters Isa 55. 2. As if he should say Hoe every one that hath a mind to Christ come and have him every one that hungers and thirsteth after Christ let his sinnes be never so great and the number never so many here is hue and crie after him Come unto the waters He saith not come unto the water but waters not a little low brook or stream which is not able to wash away all his sins but there is an Ocean of waters ndefinitely waters in the plural number declaring the fulnesse and sufficiency to cleanse the most leprous soule be he never so much stained with corruption It is said by the Prophet Obadiah that the Lord will send unto his People Saviours verse 21. not in the singular number but Saviours in the plurall number not that there were moe Christs then one but to manifest the fulnesse of Christ he is a rich Christ full of salvation for all them that come unto him Therefore if there be any man that mourns and laments for his sinnes let him come unto Christ and welcome for there is a Fountain laid open for Judah and Jerusalem to wash in but let him know upon what terms he must come if ever he meane to have Salvation by Christ observe the strict Conditions and walke by the strait rule of Christ he must resolve with himselfe come what will come to stand or to fall with Christ delivering up all his lusts and corruptions at his command whensoever he calls for them he must not part stakes with Christ to delude him but he must be true and faithfull unto him he must wholly deny himselfe and lie down before Christ to let Christ doe what he wil with him and these onely are the termes he must expect Heaven upon and thus doing he may have Salvation according to the desire of his soule THE SINFULNESSE And Danger OF HYPOCRISIE As it was delivered in a SERMON upon an extraordinary day of Fasting and Humiliation By WILLIAM FENNER Minister of the Gospel sometimes Fellow of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge and late Lecturer of Rochford in Essex London Printed by E. T. for John Stafford THE SINFULNESSE And Danger OF HYPOCRISIE ISA. 58. 4. later part Ye shall not fast as ye doe to day to make the voyce to be heard above YE shall find that there are two maine things in this Chapter First A commission the Prophet hath to doe his duty it is from the Lord. Secondly the Execution of his duty The Commission is in the first verse Cry aloud spare not lift up thy voice like a trumpet and shew my people their transgressions and to the house of Jacob their sins this is his Commission to tell them roundly of their sinnes spare not saith the Lord and it is no other commission than all the Ministers of God have especially upon such fasting dayes as this is to be faithfull to the people to make known unto them all their sins Now in the execution of
shall lye with the Kid and the Calfe and the Lion and the fat beast together and a little child shall-lead them and the Cow and the Beare shall feed their young ones shall lye together and the Lyon shall eat straw like the Bullock and the sucking child shall play upon the hole of the Aspe and the weaned Child shall put his hand upon the Cockatrice hole This is the mighty work of God therefore goe unto Gov and say O God thou that canst thus change the naturall disposition of beasts change my beastly disposition thou that couldest call a Lazarus out of the grave where he lay rotting Oh deliver me from a dead heart that have laine a long time rotting in sin thou that didest make the lame to goe make me to run the way of thy commandements which thou hast set before me thou that didst open the eyes of the blind open my eye that I may see to runne the race that thou hast set before me thou that didst cure the deaf bore my eares that I may heare and learn to feare thee Thus goe to God and pray unto God waite upon God and expect deliverances from him for there is none in Heaven or in earth that can give a deliverane but he alone intreat the Lord according to your need to work on your soules this grace of reforming under the rod goe to God and say father if thou wilt thou canst alter me and change me oh turne me and I shall be turned convert thou me and I shall be converted say Lord thou canst take away all transgression all sin and iniquity doe it for thy mercy sake say Lord thou canst pull out my right eye sin cut of my right hand sin there is no power but the power of an omnipotent God can doe it that can thus pull me out of sin and make me reformed doe it fot thy Goodnesse sake Lastly Are you all willing to enter into a covenant with God seeing we are all under the rod I doe not speak of any particular covenant but of a generall covenant will you now promise the Lord that you will reforme and sin noe more this is that that the Lord expects of us now we are under the rod this it is that the Lord doth both command and commend unto us this let us all bind our selves to performe that so we may with some boldnesse put up our prayers to God as well for others as our selves FINIS â— Doct. 1. Reas 1. Luke 5. 17. Use â— Let. 1. Let 2. â— 3 4 Use 2. Meanes 1. Meanes 2. Means 3. Means 4. Use 3. Object Answer Motive 2. Reason 1. â— Means 1. Manner 1. Manner 2. Manner 3. Manner 4. Manner 5. Object Answer Doctrine Object Answer Reason 1. Reason 2. Reason 3. Reason 4. Object Answer Use 1. â— Use 3. Doctrine 1. Reason 1. Reason 2. Reason 3. Use 1. Use 2. Use 3. Use 4. Object Answer Object Answer The sum of the Text. Observation 1. We must not rush upon the Sacrament Reason 1. Naturally we are not invited guests Simile Reason 2. We are indisposed Reason 3. Solemn preparations required to the Sacrament Use To take heed of rush performance of duties 2 Sam. 15. 17. Parts of the Text. Necessity of receiving the Lords Supper The Lords Supper to be received often Observ The manner of performance of duties to be regarded Reason 1. The Lord commands the manner as well as the matter Reason 2. Circumstances overthrow actions as in Prayer 2 Preaching 3 Receiving the Sacrament 4 Brotherly reproof 5 Eating and drinking Objection Answer Simile Reason 3. The right manner of doing duties gets the blessing Reason 4. Christs example Reason 5. From Gods glory Use 1. To reprove those that barely do duties without looking to the manner Use 2. The reason why men regard the matter and not the manner of duties Reason 1. The matter of 〈…〉 Reason 2. The matter of duties may be done with a proud heart Reason 3. The matter of duties may be done and yet a man be unholy Reason 4. The matter of duties brings not the crosse Use 3. To labour to do duties aright Motives to perform duties in the right manner 1. Motive 2. Motive 3. Motive Simile Observation 1. Eevery man must prepare himself before he come to the Lords Table Reason It is Gods ordinance Simile Reason 2. Christ hath made preparation for us in the Lords Sup Reason 3. Christ looks for good entertainment Observation 1. A guilty hardened reprover shall be destroyed Reason 1. It is against his office Reason 2. He cannot reprove to aright end Reason 3. Not in a right manner Reason 4. It is hypocrisy Reason 5. It mâ—kes inexcusable Reason 6. It is absurd Reason 7. It is impudency Use 1. Use 2. To be unblamable ere we reprove Simile The second exposition The Lord doth not destroy men willingly God destroys not but for sin Simile Observation 1. A great mercy to be reproved Reason 1. Reproofs come from love Prov. 10. 17. Reason 2. They tend to good Reason 3. It is brutish to reprove them Simile Use 1. The misery to want reprovers Or Angel Use 2. Against despisers of reproof The grievousnesse of standing out against reproof Doct. God proportions punishments to sins Reas 1. To shew the equity of punishment Doctrine Objection Answer Use Object Sol. Object Answer Object Answer Obj. Answer 〈…〉 Use Doctrine 1. Object Ans Use 1. 2 Gen. Object Answ Vox conscientiâ— est vox Dei Object Ans Object Answ Doctr. Quest. Answ Use 3. Reason 3. Universalia non operantur Doctrine 2. Reason 1. Reason 2. Reason 3. Doctrine Matth. 19. Use Doctrine Use 1. Use 2. Use 3. Doctrine Use 1. Use 2. Use 3. Doctrine 3. Use Ob. Answ Doctrine 1. Reason 1. Use 1. 2 Doctrine Object Answ Use 3. Doctrine Object Answer Use 1. Use 3. Use 4. Doct. 1. Object 1. Sol. Object 2. Sol. Object 3. Sol. Use 2 Use 3. The Authors Exhortation Parts Doctrine Reason 1. Reason 2. Reasan Use 1. Use 2. Use 3. Object Sol. Use 4. Doctrine 1. Use Doctrine