Others say he sinned in numbring all ages whereas he was to number but from twenty years but these are conjectural reasons I conceive the sin of David was because he did it without a lawful call and for an unlawful end Sine causa legitima he sinned in the manner rather than in the matter for there was no cause for him to number the people but curiosity and no end but vain-glory Go through all the tribes of Israel and number the people that I may know the number of my people v. â— Davids heart was lifted up with pride and creature-confidence he begins to boast of the multitude of his people and to trust in an arm of flesh therefore God sends the Prophet to David to prick the bladder of his pride as if God should say I will teach you to number the people by lessening the number of your people Now the burthen of his sin did add much to the burthen of this heavy message vers 13. After David had numbered the people his heart smote him the message smites him and his heart smites him and he said I have sinned greatly in that which I have done now I beseech thee take away the iniquity of thy servant for I have done very foolishly If David had been to suffer this great punishment out of love to God or for a good Conscience he would not have been so distracted There are two sorts of straits in Scripture some suffered for God and a good Conscience and there are straits suffered for sin 1. There are straits suffered for God and a good Conscience Heb. 11.36 37. those Martyrs there were driven to great straits but these were straits for God and a good Conscience and these straits were the Saints greatest enlargements they were so sweetned to them by the consolations and supportations of Gods Spirit a Prison was a Paradise to them Heb. 10.34 they look joyfully at the spoiling of their goods Acts 5.41 They departed from the presence of the Council rejoycing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his Name Straits for a good conscience are greatest enlargements therefore St. Paul glorieth in his strait Paul a Prisoner c. 2. There are straits suffered for sin and these are envenomed by the guilt of sin sin puts poyson into all our distresses and perplexities Now such was the strait into which David was now driven it was a strait caused by fin and that made it so unwelcome and uncomfortable so that from hence I gather this Observation Doctrine That sin and iniquity brings persons and Nations into marvellous labyrinths and perplexities into time real and great molestations and a man free from sin is free in the midst of straits a man guilty of sin is in a strait in the midst of freedom After Adam had sinned in eating the forbidden fruit the whole world was a prison to him Paradise it self was an Hell to him he knew not where to hide himself from the presence of God After that Cain had murthered his Brother Abel he was brought into such a strait that he was afraid that every one that met him would slay him Alas poor Cain how many there was then in the world We read but his Father and Mother yet such was his distress teat he cryeth out every one that met him would slav him Gen. 4.14 Into what a strait did sin bring the old world the deluge of sin brought a deluge of water to drown them Into what a strait did sin bring Sodom and Gomorrah the fire of Lust raigning in Sodom and Gomorrah brought down fire from Heaven to destroy them Sin brings external internal and eternal straits upon persons and Nations 1. Sin brings external straits Sin brings Famine Sword and Plague Sin brings Agues and Fevers Goâ—t and Stone and all manner of Diseases yea Sin brings death it self which is the wages of sin Read Lev. 26. and Deut. 23. and you will see a black Roll of curses which were the fruit of sin Sin brought Sion into Babylon and when the Jews had murthered Christ forty vears after they were brought into that distress when the City was besieged by Titus Vespatian that they did eat one another the Mother did eat her Child that whereas David had a choice which of the three he would have either Famine Plague or Sword the poor Jews had all three concatenated together in the siege Sin brings all manner of external Plagues 2. Sin brought persons and Nations into eternal straits sin brings soul-plagues which are worse then bodily plagues sin brings hardness of heart blindness of mind a spirit of slumber a reprobate sense sin brings a spiritual Famine upon a Land it brings a Famine on the Word Amos 8.11 Sin causes God to take away the Gospel from a people sin brings internal plagues sin awakens Conscience and fills it full of perplexities Into what a strait did sin drive Judas after he had betrayed Christ Into what a strait did sin drive Spira Saint Paul glorified in his tribulations for God but when he speaks of his sin he cryeth out O miserable man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death David a valiant man when he speaks of sin saith they are too heavy a burden for him to bear A wounded conscience who can bear saith the wise Man 3. Sin bringeth eternal straits O the strait that a wicked man shall be brought into at the great and dreadful day of Judgment when all the world shall be on fire about him when he shall call to the Mountains to hide him and to the rocks to cover him from the wrath of God then will he cry out with David I am O Lord in a great strait And when the wicked shall be condemned to Hell who can express the straits they then shall be in Bind them hand and foot and cast them into everlasting darkness Mat. 25. When a wicked man shall be bound with ever lasting chains of darkness then he will cry out I am in a great strait Consider what Dives saith to Abraham he desires that Lazarus might but dip the tip of his finger in water and that he might cool his tongue not his whole body but his tongue but that would not be granted It is impossible the tongue of man should set out the great straits the damned suffer in Hell both in regard of the greatness and everlastingness of them This is all I shall say for the Explication Vse 1. I chiefly aim at the Application Doth sin bring Nations and Persons into external internal and eternal straits then this sadly reproves those that chuse to commit sin to avoid perplexity There are thousands in England guilty of this that to avoid poverty will lye cheat and couzen and to gain an estate will sell God and a good conscience and to avoid the loss of estate and imprisonment will do any thing they will be sure to be of that Religion which is uppermost be it what it will
are very precious dust in Gods account precious dust The Lord locks up these Jewels in the Grave as in a Cabinet The bodies of the Saints lie mellowing and ripening in the Grave till the blessed time of the Resurrection Oh! how precious is the Dust of a Believer though the world mind it not yet it is precious unto God The Husbandman he hath some Corn in his Barn and he hath other Corn in the Ground why the Corn that is in the ground is as precious to him as that is in the Barn the bodies of the Saints in the Grave are Gods Corn in the ground but the Lord makes very precious account of this Corn The bodies of the Saints shall be more glorious and blessed then ever they were at the Resurrection Tâ—rtullian calls them Angelical bodies in regard of that beauty and lustre that shall be upon them As it is with your silks when they are died of a purple or scarlet colour they are made more bright and illustrious then they were before thus it is with the bodies of the Saints they shall be dyed of a better colour at the Resurrection they shall be made like a glorious body Phil. 3.20 thus it shall be well with the righteous their bodies shall not perish 2. It will be well with the Righteous at death as to their souls too Oh it will be a blessed time methinks it is with a Saint at the time of death just as it was with Saint Paul in his voyage to Rome we read that the Ship did break but though there were so many broken pieces yet he got safe to shore so though the Ship of the Believers body break by death yet it is safe with the passenger his soul that gets safe to the Heavenly harbour Let me tell you the day of a Believers death it is the birth-day of his blessednesse it is his Ascention day to Heaven the day of his death it is his marriage-day with Jesus Christ Faith doth but contract us here in this life is but the contract but at death the Nuptials shall be solemnized in Glory they shall see God face to face it will be Heaven enough to have a sight of God saith Austin when the Saints shall enter into joy here joy enters into them but then they shall enter into it they shall drink of these pure Rivers that run from the Everlasting Fountain And thus you see it will be well with the Righteous how ever things go though trouble come though death come yet it will go well with the Righteous And Oh let those that are the people of God comfort themselves in these words Oh what an encouragement is this to all you that hear me to begin to be Righteous this Text may tempt us all to be Godly Say unto the Righteous it shall be well with him when things are never so ill with him yet it is well with him We would be glad to have things go well with our Relations and in our Estates why when the Righteous things go well with us thy person is sealed thou art Heir of all Gods Promises thou art Christs favorite thou hast Heaven in reversion and is it not now well with thee If you would have Happiness you must espouse Holiness Say unto the Righteous it shall be well with them and thus much of the first Proposition the Godly mans comfort in life and death it is well with him But now if all this will not prevail with you to make you leave your fins and become Righteous I must passe in a few words to the next branch of the Text to scare men out of their sin to affright men out of their wickednesse Wo unto the wicked it shall be ill with him This my Beloved is the dark fide of the cloud It may cause in every wicked man that hears me a trembling at the heart Wo unto the wicked it shall be ill with him The Proposition that doth resist out of these words is this Doct. When things seem to be well with the wicked men it shall be ill with them at last though they have more then heart can wish yet it shall be ill with them at last Eccles 8.13 It shall not be well with the wicked nor shall he prolong his daies which are as a shadow because he fears not God it shall not be well with the wicked the God of truth hath pronounced this It is as true as God is true it shall not be well with the wicked Now that I may a little clear this to you I shall demonstrate this to you in these four particulars 1. It is ill with the wicked in this life 2. It is ill with them at death 3. It is ill with them at the day of Judgement 4. It is ill with them after Judgement it shall be ill with the wicked It is ill with the wicked in this life a wicked man that hears me will hardly think so when he hath the affluence and confluence of outward comforts when he eats the fat and drinks the sweet he will hardly believe the Minister that shall tell him it shall be ill with him but it is so For is it not ill with that man that hath a curse yea the curse of God entailed upon him can that man thrive that lives under the curse of God Flouds of bloud and wrath hang over the head of a wicked man he is heir to all the Plagues written in the Book of God All Gods curses are the sinners Portion and if he die in his sin he is sure to have his Portion paid him Wo unto the wicked every bit of bread he hath he hath it with a curse its like poison'd bread given to a dog every drop of Wine he drinks he swallows down a curse with it wo unto the wicked there is a curse in his Cup and a curse upon his Table God saith wo unto him we read of Belshazar Dan. 5.4 5. that he did take the Wine and commanded to bring the Gold and Silver vessels out of the Temple and then they brought the Golden vessels that were taken out of the Temple out of the house of God that was at Jerusalem and the King and his Princes and his Wives and Concubines drank in them Belshazar was very jovial in the midst of his Cups he was merry but wo unto the wicked for in the same hour came forth the finger of a mans hand and reach'd over the Candlestick upon the plaister of the Wall of the Kings Pallace and the Kings countenance changed and he was troubled there was a hand and a woe written on the wall let a sinner live till he come to an hundred years of age yet he is cursed Isa 65.20 his gray hairs they have a curse upon them 2. 'T is ill with the wicked not onely in this life but 't is ill with him at his hour of death and that in these two respects 1. Death puts an end unto all his comforts 2.
the holy Apostles their lives were traduced they went through evil report as well as good report 2 Cor. 10.2 And thus Athanasius who was traduced for an Adulterer by the Arians and so Luther and Calvin are represented and reported by the Papists as if they had been the vilest Creatures in the World The wicked man cavils at and finds spots at least doth what he can to find spots in the Sun and some who are not so wicked do look for an Evangelical perfection in Ministers and all theirs their Wives and their Children and their Servants and their Company How ready are people grosly and uncharitably to censure a Minister for any yea the least they discern in him or his and is this their Vertue nay is it not their Vice and Corruption 2. It is no breach of the Churches peace no argument of a contentious and unquiet spirit in a Minister to speak vilely of vile Ministers and enemies of the Churches peace Why who are they John Baptist tells us he calls them Vipers a generation of Vipers why were they not Preachers Mat. 3.7 And will you say that John Baptist was a man of a contentious Spirit of an unquiet Spirit And who were they whom our blessed Saviour calls a Generation of Vipers Mat. 12.34 38 39. And who were they whom our Saviour calls a Generation of Vipers and an evil and Adulterous Generation were they not Preachers and it is very observable both John Baptist and our Saviour did call those Preachers thus even in the hearing of them who were their ordinary hearers and do but observe what strange terms of disgrace St. Peter gives them 2 Peter 2.12 to certain Preachers in his time verse 14. what strange terms doth the Apostle give to those Teachers whose pernicious wayes many would follow as in verse 2. of that Chapter But did not the Scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses's Chair and did they not preach some good Doctrine insomuch that Jesus Christ bids the people hear them and observe what they said though not what they did as Mat. 23.1 2 3. Therefore may some say It seemeth strange that Christ should thus disgrace the Scribes and Pharisees was not this the way to make their Ministry contemptible First It is very clear and undeniable that there was a Generation of pitiful sorry Teachers as in Mat. 9.36 Why did not the people enjoy the Teaching of the Scribes and Pharisees yes they did but the Scribes and Pharisees were Idol-Shepherds they knew how to feed their Flock and therefore Christ lookt on the people as Sheep scattered abroad for all the Scribes and Pharisees They did not understand that there was heart-murder or heart-adultery until our blessed Saviour instructed them The Scribes and Pharisees they did but strike at the bough only but our Saviour Preached with authority and not as the Scribes did And withal I answer 2. That beyond all peradventure our blessed Saviour saw that although the Scribes and Pharisees did teach some truths yet by their Life and Doctrine they did more mischief than good and therefore the more credit they had among the people the more mischief they were like to do And therefore from hence our blessed Lord and Saviour calls them a Generation of Vipers But I hope you will not count it an argument of the breach of the Churches peace to speak vilely of a vile Ministry It was no more than John Baptist did and than our Saviour did Thirdly No mans sin deserves so sharply to be reproved as the sins of Ministers because his sins of all others are the chief sins committed in a Land at the Sanctuary of prophaneness too too often begins Therefore when Gods people met in their publick Fasts they made solemn Confession of those sins of the first Magnitude by which they had most provoked the Lord they do make Confession chiefly of the sins of their Magistrates and Ministers Neh. 9.33 34. The Jews there bewailed the sins of their Magistrates and Ministers as the particular cause of their plagues Oh the sins of Teachers are the Teachers of sin and therefore no mans sin deserves to be so sharply reproved as the scandalous sins of Min isters Now if you love your souls take heed and beware of a prophane delight in lewd loose dissolute Ministers We sind the Lord complaining of the wickedness of the Prophets and of the Priests and People as Jer. 5 ult the people did take a prophane delight in false Prophets and in polluted Priests and so likewise in the Prophet Micah chap. 2. v. 11. the people although they did oppose the Prophet Micah and other true Prophets yet they did approve of and delight in false Prophets such as were of their own leaven their own way and mould such as would flatter them and promise them wine and strong drink and are there not many such people in the world that had rather hear such a Minister than such as preach close-walking with God and of getting to Heaven under pain of damnation Will you cry up and will you prophanely delight in a Ministry that shall preach peace peace to all prophane rebellious people in short such a one that will poison you in Doctrine or in his example Fourthly Take heed and beware of a sinful Idolizing of godly faithful Ministers the Apostle decries this with much zeal ardency and servency of Spirit what is Paul's planting and what is Apollo's watering 1 Cor. 3.5 6. As excellent gifts parts and graces as these men had yet they look higher so it is your duty to look above mens parts and above mens gifts and graces Paul and Apollo cannot give increase Paul indeed may plant but there is no rooting indeed in these plants but by christ And read v. 7. It is God and he only that can give encrease As Elisha's Servant could carry his Masters staff and lay it on the dead child but the child could not be raised to life until Elisha came himself thus godly faithful Ministers can but lay Gods Message before you but unless the Lord set it to the heart never a dead Soul can be raised from the death of sin to the life of grace and holiness Remember godly and faithful Ministers although they have the Lords Sword yet they have not the Lord Christs arm and alas what can the Lord Christs Sword do without his Arm. Fifthly Take heed of being leavened with prejudice against the Ministry of the Word because of the misdemeanours or miscarriage of the Minister Surely the efficacy of the Word and Sacrament doth not depend on the quality of the Minister It is the Word of the Lord that converts not the person of the Dispenser or Speaker A seed that is fown in a good soyl may yea will grow and thrive although perhaps the Sower had a very dirty hand 2 Cor. 3.2 3. The Apostle tells the Corinthians that they are saith he The Epittle of Christs Ministry by us the hand is Christs Ministers are but
he will command deliverance for you in his own time Snatch not after deliverance by any preposterous and unlawful courses before God holdeth it out to you lest you provoke him to detain it the longer from you To conclude all I shall take leave of you in the words of the Holy Ghost recorded Acts 20.32 Heb. 13.20 21. And now brethren I shall commend you to God to the word of his grace which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among them that are sanctified And the God of peace which brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting Covenant make you perfect in every good work to do his will working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory for ever and ever A Farewel Sermon Preached at Great Ayton in the County of Yorkshire by George Evanke Chaplain to the Right Worshipful Sir George Norwood Baronet at Cleaveland in Yorkshire Matth. 26.39 Nevertheless not my will but thy will be done THe Subject of this Chapter is a sad Story and Tragical Relation of a dying Jesus In the beginning of this Gospel you may see him coming into the World in a Shower Matth. 2.13 And now in the end of it you finde him going out in a Storm Mat. 27.22 Alas that so good a Ghest should find so bad a welcome and that the Lord of Life should so soon be put to death When the Angels those Heavenly Choristers first sang that Christmas Carol of a Saviour that was born into the World Luke 2.10 11 12 13 14. one would have thought the World should have fallen a dancing after such Evangelical Musick and that all hearts should have like the Babe in Elizabeths womb leapt for joy at the news of a new born Prince But it was quite contrary for instead of joyning in that Heavenly Quire in gratulating the happy arrival of this young King into their Country they take the Alarum of his Birth as if an Enemy had landed in their Coasts And hereupon Herod presently heads an Army goes out against him and makes the poor Prince to fly the Country Mat. 2.13 14. But though the meanest of his Birth Extraction and Descent may give them distast at first yet when he begins to display his Divinity among them by working such amazing Miracles as none could work and Preaching such moving Sermons as none could ever Preach Oh then they will recant their Error and own their Saviour and the joyful shout of a King will be heard amongst them as it is expressed in Numb 23.21 Truly one would think that it would have been thus but Oh no! the Rocky hearts of these Marble wretches would not yield nor melt nor thaw nor take impression but still they continue in their unbelief and hardness of heart disowning the Lord that bought them and consulting his death who was contriving to bring them to life All the displeasure he would have done them was to take their sins from them Mat. 11.28 And all the pleasure they meant to shew him was to take his Life from him Mat 26.59 All the hurt that ever Christ did them was to pray for them Father forgive them forgive them And all the good they ever did him was to cry Crucifie him Crucifie him And Crucifie him they did before they could sit down Whose Death and Crucifixion is described and represented to your view 1. By the Antecedents or things before 2. By the Consequents or things following after The Antecedents were 1. The several Preparitories to it Chap. 2. The judicial progress about it Chap. seqr The Prerogatives were 1. The Jews conspiring ver 3 4 5. 2. Judas his Covenancing to affect it 14 15 16. 3. Christs own preparing and fitting himself for it that he might without relucting submit to it and without the least Symptome of disponding encounter and go thorow with it And this is the Argument of the latter part of this Chapter at large and of my Text in short Father if it be possible let this Cup pass from me yet not my will but thy will be done Which words I may call The pious Souls sequestring it self for dying or Our Saviours Preparatory to his Passion Wherein you have two Observables 1. Here 's an humble Petition presented Let this Cup pass 2. Here 's an hearty Resignation promised Not my will but thine be done I. First An humble Petition Let this Cup pass from me Our Saviour was at this time very apprehensive of Death The sorrows of the Grave â—haâ—l â—â—â—â—â—ssed him about and the pains of Hell had taken hold upon him 〈◊〉 â—â—w in this dark condition and Spiritual Damp that his Soul lay 〈…〉 â—e gets himself out into the Garden alone and there he fits weepâ—â—â— â—â—â—â—â—â—ah under the Juniper-tree and like dying Hezekiah he lays 〈…〉 and spâ—â—ads his Condition before the Lord imploring him Samaritan-like to shew him some pity in this his Extremity Father saith he Let this cup pass from me Now in that Christ betakes himself to God for help in this hour of heaviness you may learn hence It 's better to intrust and interest God for our help and comfort than man For man yea the best of men are but men and when they have done the best for us it may be they can do no good to us When the man in the Kings had made his misery known to his Neighbours and cryed to them Help Help you know what an answer he got How can we help except the Lord help When Job had told over the sad story of his great losses to his three friends expecting some redress to so unparalleld grievances you know how long they sate by him without giving him one word of Counsel or administring the least word of Comfort which forced him into that passionate Resolve Miserable Comforters are ye all When Judas lay under the Convulsions and Corrodings of a grumbling Conscience and ran to the Priests for Absolution A look thee to that was all the comfort he could get from them Ah! that mans condition is most to be pitied who runs to none but man for pity When all is done God is our surest stay He is usually the last but always the best Refuge Therefore when we have read over the sad Lecture of our Losses and poured out our wants and wrongs into the bosom of our safest and firmest friends then is this Apostrophe this Turn the sweetest Turn the Soul can take when it can Turn to God as you see Christ doth here say Father if it be possible let this cup this cross pass from me II. Secondly Here 's an hearty resignation in these words Nevertheless not my will but thine be done And if he had said 't is true it 's Ease which this Nature this Humane Nature of mine would have but if thou Lord art otherwise resolv'd to continue me in pain I
wholly flesh totally opposite to the holy Laws of thy Majesty and were it not for thy renuing and restraining grace we should break forth into as vile abominations as the vilest of men our lives have been a continuall piece of rebellion against God who did make us and doth feed and cloath us all thy paths have been paths of mercy to us but we have requited thee evil for thy good and hatted for thy love Oh foolish men and women that we have been I we acknowledge our Gospel-sins are of a deep dye Thou hast not been a VVildernss or Land of darkness to us we have been exalted to heaven in the means of salvation but Oh! how short do we come of knowledge to the time and means we have enjoyed and our obedience comes short of our knowledge we have not walked up to that light which thou hast given us We desire to lay our selves low before thee Oh do thou open our eyes and present us to our selves show us the vilenss of our lives Blessed be thy Name that thou hast laid help upon one that is mighty to save all that come to thy Majesty by him and thou hast promised all that beleeve on him shall not perish but have everlasting life Oh help us to receive him in all his Offices in our hearts help us to give him the keys of our hearts and help us to live and die to him that died for us and let our souls be united to thee by him that his death may be ours and his life ours and his intercession ours Oh let our unity to Christ be demonstrated to us by our communion with and conformity to him in grace and holiness And we pray thee dearest Lord pardon our sins in the Court of heaven and in the Court of our own consciences besprinkle our conscienees in the blood of Christ and say to all before thee at this time that desire to fear thee more and serve thee better Sons and Daughters be of good cheer your sins are forgiven you And do not only justifie us but sanctifie us purge our consciences from dead works inform our understanding conform our wills to thy holy VVill let our hearts and lives be comformed to the Image of thy Son that beholding thereof we may be changed from glory to glory and let us have more knowledge of thy will that we may do thy will und suffer thy will with more patience and be filled with the fruits of Righteousness which are to the glory of God Let us not be empty Vines that bring forth fruit to themselves but let us bring forth fruit to God whereby thou maiest be glorified Oh plant that great grace of Self-denial in our souls and let us take the Cross of Jesus Christ and follow him wheresoever he goes Remember all thine extend thy favour to those thou hast cast on beds of sickness and let there be a saving change wrought in them before that change by death shall come and they that are drawing nigh their time of Travel let the arms of the All-sufficient God be under them and be better to them than their Faith or our prayers and look graciously upon poor children entitle them to an inheritance that fadeth not away make them a blessing in themselves and a blessing to their Parents And those that deâ—re the conversion of Relations that walk in waies of perdition do not let them find peace in any way against thy Majesty and let them know that sin will be bitter in the latter eud Look upon us that are before thee at this time before we go hence and shall be here no more make thy face to shine upon us let our coming together be for the better and not for the worse to any of us let thy poor Servant be able to deliver thy Message plainly and powerfull and give thy People hearing ears and obedient hearts and let us rejoyce that we did wait upo thee in thy Worship this day and all For Christ his sake in whose Name and Words we call upon thee Our Father ' which art in Heaven c. Doctor Manton's Prayer at Covent-garden O Lord God all that we can do is nothing of our selves we can do nothing Oh let us have the gracious Assistance of thy Spirit as this time let thy love constrain us say unto us Thou art our Salvation Do not say that we shall fill up the measure of our Iniquities and there shall be no hope for us O Lord we are ashamed that we have waited so long in thine Ordinannances and have got no more profit to our toor pouls but we have given up our hearts to the pleasures and vanities of this world that are but for a season even those that thou hast drawn out after thee do not walk worthy of thee anseerable to that blessed hope of future Happiness in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation Jesus Christ is to many of us become a stumbling-blook and a reck of offence while our hearts are caried out after the wirld with such strong affections Oh! when shall we carry our selves so as those that profess themselves to be secke's of a better life We come into thy presence now for strength do thou manifest thy self to us thou hast promised to pour out thy Spirit upon all Flesh Oh let it be unto us according to thy promise O Lord our hearts naturally are averse to thee so that of our selves we shall never be able to do any thing that may be wel-plensing to thee but do thou regulate us by thy blessed Spirit that we may observe thy statutes and do them and that thy Commands may not be grievous to us that it may not be burdensom for us to do the work of God O Lord when shall our hearts be made sound in thy statutes we wait upon thee in the use of thine Ordinances that we may have a new supply from thee that at length we may come to see that thou art at work with us to save our soules O help us to be followers of them who with faith and patience do follow thee to do nothing unbecomming our holy Call suffer us not to swerve from thy Commandments but let us have a constant and earnest desire after thee Let the choicest of thy Mercies come down on our Sovereign Charles King of England Scotland France and Ireland let His heart be guided by thee let him always set the before his eyes that under the shadow of his Goverment we may have Peace in all Godliness and honesty Bless him in his Relations in his Councils Teach our Senators wisdom Be with all thy Faithfull Magistrates and Ministers let them be a terrour to evil doers and an encouragement to them that do well Be with us in the way of thy worship we are here met together to hear and handle thy holy Word Oh do thou command it to light upon all our hearts let it come in the evidence and demonstratian
Now give me leave this morning to speak three things to these sort of men and O that my words might prevail with them 1. Consider it is sin only that makes trouble deserve the name of trouble for when we suffer for Gods sake or a good Conscience these troubles are so sweetned by the consolations of Heaven that they are no troubles at all therefore in Queen Maries dayes the Martyrs wrote to their friends out of prison If you knew the comforts we have in Prison you would wish to be with us I am in Prison before I am in Prison saith Mr. Sanders Famous is the story of the three Children they were in a great strait when cast into the fiery Furnace Bind them 〈◊〉 and and foot and cast them into the Furnace but when they were there they were unbound Dan. 3.25 saith Nebuchadnezzar Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire and loe I see four men loose walking in the midst of the fire and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God I have often told you when three are cast into the fire for a good Conscience God will make the fourth therefore I say straits and sufferings for God are not worth the name of straits David was often driven into straits 1 Sam. 30.6 he was sore distressed when his Town was burnt and his Wives and Children taken captives by the Amalekites I but that was a distress of danger not of sin therefore he encouraged himself in the Lord his God Jehosaphat was in a great strait 2 Chron. 20.12 We know not what to do saith he this was a strait of danger not caused by his sin and God quickly delivered him but the strait that David was in was caused by his sin and that made it so bitter I am loath to enlarge here St. Paul was in a great strait Phil. 3.23 but this was a blessed strait an Evangelical strait saith St. Chrysostome He knew not whether to die for his own sake or to live for the Churches sake were best he was willing to adjourn his going to Heaven for the good of the people of God Nay Christ was in a strait Luke 12.15 I have a baptism to be baptized withal and how am I straitned till it be accomplished I am to shed my blood for my Elect this is the baptism he speaks of This was a strait of dear affection to the Elect of God all these were blessed straits but now a strait caused by sin these are imbittered and envenomed by the guilt of sin and sense of Gods wrath It is sin that maketh straits deserve the name of straits therefore you are spiritually mad that commit sin to avoid straits 2. There is more evil in the least sin than in the greatest outward calamity whatsoever this the world will not believe therefore St. Austin saith That a man ought not to tell a lye though he might save all the world from hell for there is more evil in one lye than there is good in the salvation of all the world I have often told you the story of St. Austin saith he If Hell were on one side and sin on the other and I must chuse one I would chuse hell rather than sin for God is the Author of Hell but it is blasphemy to say he is the Author of Sin There is a famous story of Charles the ninth King of France he sent a message to the Prince of Conde a zealous Protestant gives him three things to chuse either to go to Mass or to be put to death or to suffer banishment all his life long saith he Primum Deo juvante nunquam eligo The first God helping I will never chuse I abhor the Idolatry of the Mass but for the two other I leave it to the choice of the King to do as he pleases there is more evil in the least sin than the greatest misery 3. The third thing I would have you consider that whosoever goeth out of Gods way to avoid danger shall certainly meet with greater danger Balaam went out of Gods way Numb 22.22 and God sent an Angel with a drawn sword and he riding upon an Asse verse 26. the Angel stood in a narrow place where was no way to go from the right hand or from the left if his Asse had not fallen under him he had been run thorow by the sword of the Angel Jonah for fear of the King of Nineveh went out of Gods way but he met with a mighty tempest he met with a Whale What do you do when you commit sin you make way to be cast into the eternal prison of Hell you destroy your precious souls to save your perishing bodies Vse 2. If sin be the father and mother of all perplexity and distresses then I beseech you let us above all things in the world abhor sin all the curses of the Bible are all due only to a sinner and all the curses not named in the Bible for that is observable Deut. 28.36 every plague that is not written in the Book shall light upon him there are strange punishments to the workers of iniquity Job 31.3 Is not destruction to the wicked a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity sin it bringeth the sinner to little ease little ease at death little ease at the day of Judgment and little ease in Hell tribulation and anguish the word in the Greek is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 little ease to every soul that doth iniquity O my beloved will you promise me to look upon sin and consider it in all its woful consequence as the Father Mother and Womb out of which come external eternal and internal straits more particularly there are twelve sins I especially command you to take heed of and avoid 1. Take heed of Covetousness the love of the world will pierce you thorow with many sorrows the love of money is the root of all evil the love of the world drowns men in perdition 2. Take heed of the sin of Pride into what a woful strait did Pride bring Haman God crossed him in what he most desired God made him hold the stirrup while Mordecay rode in Triumph and God hanged him on the Gallows which he had made for Mordecay 3. Take heed of Drunkenness Look not on the Wine when it gives its colour in the cup c. Drunkenness will bring you into snares in will bite like a Serpent and sting like an Adder 4. Take heed of Disobedience and Rebellion against the Commandments of God it brought Jonah to the three nights and three days in the Whales belly 5. Take heed of Fornication and Adultery and all uncleanness this brought Sampson to a woful strait this brought David and Solomon into great perplexity 6. Take heed of Oppression and all acts of Injustice this brought Ahab into great straits insomuch that the Dogs licked his blood 7. Take heed of unnecessary familiarity with wicked men this brought Jehosaphat into a
Death is the beginning of all his miseries 1. Death puts an end to all his Comforts no more indulging and pompering the flesh then no more cups of Wine then no more Musick Revel 18.22 The fruits thy soul lusteth after are departed from thee All things that are dainty and good are departed from thee the voice of the Harper Musician and Trumpeter shall be heard no more in thee As it is spoken of the destruction of Rome so you may say of the wicked man no more joy and gladness no more mirth and musick all a sinners sweet Spices his scarlet Robes his sparkling Diamonds they all at death depart from him 2. As death puts an end to a sinners mirth so it lays a foundation for all his sorrow Alas before death begins to close a sinners eyes the eye of his conscience is first opened every sin at the hour of death stands with its drawn sword in its hand those sins that did in life delight him now they affright and terrifie him all his joy and mirth turns into sadness as sometimes you have seen Sugar lying in a damp place it doth dissolve and run to water thus all the Sugar-joys of a wicked man at the hour of death turns into water into the water of tears into the water of sorrow 3. It shall be ill with the wicked man at the day of Judgement when he is seated before Gods Tribunal then he shall leave judging of others and shall stand at Gods Bar and be tryed for his life I read concerning Felix when he heard Paul speak of Judgement that Felix trembled Josephus observes that Felix he was a wicked man and she that lived with him her name was Drusilla whom he inticed from her Husband and lived in uncleanness with her now when Felix heard Paul preaching of Judgement trembled Now if he trembled to hear of Judgement what will he do when Judgement comes when all his secret sins shall be made manifest all his Midnight wickedness shall be written on his fore-head as with a point of a Diamond At the day of Judgement shall be these two things First There shall be a legal Trial. Secondly The Sentence First A legal Trial. God will call forth a sinner by name and say stand forth hear thy charge see what thou canst answer to this charge What canst thou say for thy Sabbath-breaking for thy Murthers and Drunkenness and Perjury for all thy revenge and malice for all thy persecuting of my Members what dost thou say Guilty or not Guilty Thou wretch thou darest not say thou art not Guilty for have not I been an eye-witness to all thy wickedness do not the Books agree the book of thy Conscience and the book of my Omniscience and darest thou offer to plead not Guilty How will the sinner be amazed with horrâ—r and run into desparation Secondly After this legal process of Tryal follows the Sentence Go â—â—câ—rsed into everlasting fire what to go from the presence of Christ in whose presence is fulness of joy to go from Christ with a curse Why saith Chrysâ—stom that very word Depart is worse than the torment it self And remember this you that go on in your sins when once this sentence is past it cannot be reversed this is the most Supream Court of Judicature from which is no appeal Here on earth men remove their Causes from one Court to another from the Common Law unto the Chancery Oh! but at the last day of judgement no appeals to remove the sentence for this is the highest Court 4. It will be ill with the wicked that die in their sins after the day of judgement Oh! then there is but one way and they would be glad they might not go that way any way but to prison Oh! but there is no way but to Hell Luk. 16.23 In Hell he lifted up his eyes Hell 't is the very center of misery 't is the very Spirits of Torments distilled out The Scripture tells us that in Hell there are these three things there is Fire there is Darkness there are Chains 1. Hell is called a place of Darkness Jude 13. To whom is reserved blackness of darkness Darkness you know is the most uncomfortable thing in the world a man that goes in the dark he trembleth every step he goeth Hell is a black Region nothing but blackness of darkness and it must needs be a dark place where they shall be separated from the light of Gods presence Indeed Augustine he thinks there shall be some little sulphurous light there but suppose it be so that light shall serve onely that the damned may see the tragedy of their own misery and see themselves tormented 2. In Hell as there is Darkness so there is Fire it is called a burning Lake Rev. 2.15 Who was not found written in the book of Life was threwn into the Lake of Fire You know that Fire is the most torturing Element it makes the most dreadful impression on the flesh Now Hell is a place of Fire It is disputed among the Learned what kind of fire it is and I wish we may never know what kind of fire it is Augustine and others affirm that it is Material fire but far hotter than any fire upon your Hearths that is but painted fire compared with this But I do rather think that the fire of the Damned it is partly Material and partly Spiritual partly Material to work on the Body and partly Spiritual which is the wrath of God to torment the soul that is the Lake the burning Fire Oh! who knows the power of Gods anger who can dwell with these burnings it is intollerable to endure them and impossible to escape them 3. In Hell there are chains chains of darkness Those sinners that would not be bound by any Law of God such shall have chains of darkness to bind them Quest What should be the meaning of these phrases Chains of darkness Answ I suppose it may be this to intimate unto us that the wicked in Hell shall not have power to walk up and down which perhaps might be a little ease though very little but they shall be chained down fast not to stir they shall be fastned to that stake with chains of darkness Oh! this will be terrible indeed Suppose a man should lie always on a Doun-bed and might not stir out of the place it would be very painful unto him Oh but to lye as the Damned upon the wrack always under the torturing scorchings of Gods wrath and to be tyed and not to move how dreadful are the thoughts of this and this is the condition of the wicked they are under fire and darkness and chains And to add unto the torments of Hell there are these two things more to shew you that it shall be ill with the wicked let them dye when they will The first is the Worm The second is the Serpent First There is the Worm to torture the damned spirits and this is no other than
taken away from the evil to come WE are here met this Evening to perform the last office of Love for an eminent and ancient servant of Jesus Christ and excellent Minister of the Gospel Mr. Simeon Ash one who hath formerly performed this office for many other Ministers and now we are met to perform this office for him and it is not long before others will meet to perform the same office for us so frail so brittle and so uncertain is the life of man Now the Text that I have chosen is suitable for this occasion for this Reverend Minister was first a righteous man he was righteous in an Eva gelical sense he was one that was justified and sanctified Secondly he was a merciful man both in active and passive sense he was one that shewed mercy to the distressed Members of Jesus Christ and he was one to whom God shewed mercy this righteous and merciful man is now perished as to his outward condition not as to his everlasting condition but as to his outward bodily condition he is perished and he is taken away the word in the Hebrew is very emphatical merciful men Colliguntur are gathered it is the same word that is used concerning Josiah 2 Kin. 22.10 Thou shalt be gathered to thy Fathers and go to thy grave in peace and shalt not see the evil that I will bring upon this Nation This godly and righteous man is now gathered as ripe Corn into the Barn of Heaven he is taken away from the evil that is to come from beholding that evil that is to come upon this sinful world he is taken away in mercy that he may not be troubled with the troubles that are comming upon many he is taken away from the evil to come And thus you see how suitable the Text is to the occasion there is only one particular that I desire may prove unsuitable for the righteous and merciful man saith the Text perisheth and no man considers nor layes it to heart These words are verba commentantis objurgantis the words of the Prophet bemoaning the spiritual security of the people of Israel chiding and reproving them for their spiritual Lethargy Now I desire that this part may not prove sutable but that all of you may lay to heart the death of this ancient merciful and righteous man The Observations from the words are these six First That the righteous man must perish as well as the unrighteous Secondly That the perishing of a righteous man is nothing but his gathering to God Christ and the blessed company of Saints and Angels Thirdly A righteous man as long as he lives is the preservative of a Nation and the supporter of a Kingdom the Chariots and Horse-men of a Nation Fourthly The death of a righteous man is a warning-piece from Heaven a Beacon set on sire to give notice of evil approaching Fifthly That God doth on purpose take away righteous men that they might not see the evil that is coming on a Nation Sixthly That it is a great and common sin not to consider and lay to heart the death of a righteous man 1. It is a common fin and therefore it is set down in the greatest latitude the righteous perisheth and no man layeth it to heart that is very few And merciful men are taken away no man considering that is very few 2. It is a great sin and therefore the Prophet Jeremy in the former Chapter calls to all the beasts of the field to devour that is all the Enemies of the Church to destroy the Children of Israel because they drank strong drink filling themselves with merriment and promised themselves happy dayes but did not consider that the righteous were taken away from the evil to come He begin with the first that the righteous perish as well as the unrighteous How is it that the righteous perish not in their soul they cannot perish so nay the truth is they cannot perish properly in their bodies for the bodies of the Saints never totally and finally perish for the very dust of the Saints in the grave is precious in Gods sight and they are asleep in Jesus and by the power of Jesus Christ they shall be raised glorious bodies Nothing perisheth of a righteous man by death totally finally but sin and therefore the meaning of the word is as Musculus and Justin Martyr observe perit perisheth that is not according to the truth of the thing but according to the opinion of the world and the proper language of his expression is this the righteous perisheth that is the righteous must dye and go down to the house of rottenness as well as others and that up upon a fore-fold account First Because the righteous are included within the statute of death as well as the unrighteous statutum est Heb. 9.27 It is appointed for all men ance to dye the righteous as well as the unrighteous it is true Jesus Christ hath taken away the hurt of death but not death it self Jesus Christ hath disarmed death made death like the Viper that fastened upon Pauls hand but did not hurt him he hath made it like the brazen Serpent that hath no sting but a healing power in it Christ hath sanctified death conquered and sweetned death at the present we are all under the statute of death but at last this enemy shall be destroyed 2 Cor. 15. ult 2. The righteous consist of perishing principles as well as the unrighteous the righteous are earthly vessels made of dust I their foundation is in the dust their lives are a vapour as well as the lives of the unrighteous 3. The righteous must dye as well as others because they have a body of sin which they carry about them for there is no man so wise that lives and sins not Eccles 7.10 wherefore there is that which deserves death in a righteous man Lastly and especially The righteous perish upon a peculiar account For if we have hope only in this life saith the Apostle we are of all men most miserable and therefore they must perish to keep them from perishing they must say as Themistocles Perissem nisi periissem they must dye that they may rest from their labour for here is not our rest Mich. 2.10 there remaineth a rest for the people of God there is no rest in this world the word quies wants the plural number 2. The righteous must die that they may have their reward their crown of glory that God hath laid up for them they must first fight the good fight and finish their course and then they shall receive a crown of glory 3. They must dye that they may be free from sin for they shall never put off the body of sin till they put off the body of the flesh 4. They must dye that mortality may be swallowed up of life that corruption may put on incorruption 5. They must dye that they may be perfect in grace Lastly They must dye that
these persons Now see that other Text that speaks as dreadful as this Heb. 6.4 5 6. For it is impossible for those who are once enlightned and have tasted of the Heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and have tasted the good Woâ—d of God and the power of the world to come if they shall fall away to renew them to repentance Seeing they crucifie to themselves the Son of God afresh and put him to an open shame It is the greatest disgrace and affront that man can put upon Christ to Apostatize from him it is not half so much not to own him for by that they crucifie him again and put him to an open shame it is as if they told all the world that this Christ is not worth a believing in and it were but to throw away their time and happiness to believe in him Well then let us that pretend to such enlightnings and say we have tasted of the Heavenly gift and of the good Word of God and of the first Fruits of Heavin let us hold fast lest we come under this upbraid and condemnation But more particularly let us hold fast as we are concerned to do if we consider 1. What we were before Faith 2. What we were by Faith 3. What we shall be at the end of Faith 1. What we were before Faith What were we before Christ waâ— preached and before we believed What were we Why much worse than if we had not been considered in our case and state it is better not to be at all than to be a sinner it were better not to be a people than not to be the people of God Now What were we before Faith Why truly we were not a people so the Scripture tells you They that were not a people are now the people of God so that if we were not the people of God we are as if we were not a people We were What were we before Faith Dark We were the darkness it self as the Apostles expression is in Ephes 5.8 saith he Ye were sometimes darkness The very light that was in us was Darkness corrupting our Understandings and Imaginations the Understanding dark We are dead yea under the worst of deaths dead in sin You saith he that were dead in sins and trespasses hath he quickned How were they dead in sins Did they not live in sin Yes saith he wherein you walked Why what is their Death To live in sin is to be dead in sin all the while the Prodigal lived in his sin the Father said of him he was dead My Son that was dead is alive We were What were we before Faith Why we were children of wrath as well as others Now Beloved consider how many abide thus to this day in darkness Dead in sin and Children of wrath When you are or pretend to be translated out of this Darkness into the marvellous light will not you hold fast You that were dead as well as others and now live is this your requital of God that you will not let it go Oh! I beseech you have a care of that 2. Let us consider What we are by Faith and that will be another obligation upon us We were not so bad before Faith but we are better by Faith We were not in so miserable a case before believing but we are in as happy a case when we do believe Why what are we we are alive and Children of Light and Children of God We are alive You hath he quickened saith he or made alive and My Son that was dead is alive Now what is the work of the Living It is to praise God The Living and the Living they shall praise thee as I do this day Now if this be the work of the Living then consider if we hold not fast our Faith if we Apostatize we are so far from doing the work of the Living that is of praising God that we do all the dishonour we can to God we do the work of dead men Yea we are twice dead We are Children of the Light Ye were in darkness but now are light in the Lord. Now it is very observable what the Apostle speaks concerning the children of darkness and the children of the light 2 Thes 5.5 You Believers saith he are all the children of the light and the children of the day we are not of the night nor of darkness but what follows therefore let us not sleep as do others but let us watch and be sober why for they that sleep sleep in the night and they that be drunk be drunk in the night if any stagger that is the work of the night this is not the work of the day Now every Apostate that wavers he is like a man that is drunk so that he acts clean contrary to the children of the day Saith he They that are drunk are drunk in the night but saith he Let us watch and be sober and let us who are of the day put on the Breast-plate of Faith and for a Helmet the hope of Salvation We are by believing the Children of God Gal. 3.26 For we are all the children of God by Faith in Christ Jesus now Beloved are we weary of so honorable a Title as being the children of God why we are the children of God by Faith in Christ Jesus Will any body part with so great a Title as this why if we are weary of being God's Children whose can we be none but the Devils and had we rather be the Devils Children than Gods there are but these two either you must be Children of God or the Devils children now you are the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus oh therefore let us hold fast the profession of our Faith seeing by Faith we are the Children of God 3. Let us consider what we shall be at the end of Faith why we shall be saved 1 Pet. 1.4 5. and 9. verses compared He hath begotten us to an Inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that fades not away reserved in Heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last times and in the ninth verse saith he receiving the end of your Faith even the salvation of your souls so that it seems to be weary of believing it is to be weary of being saved not to hold fast Faith is not to hold fast Salvation for saith he you are saved by Faith and the end of your Faith is the Salvation of your souls Can you be contented to be damned can you have patience to think of going to Hell Now put all these together and will you not hold fast you that before Faith were but darkness were but dead were but children of wrath who by Faith are made children of light are made alive and the children of God and who at the end of Faith shall receive the salvation of our Souls And shall not we hold fast shall we leave this Faith
Lord and to enquire in his Temple Now love stirreth up the affections as young Cresus though he were dumb yet seeing his Father like to be killed cryed out Do not kill my Father Such is the love of the Saints of God to the Ark that they cannot be silent they cannot but tremble when they see the Ark in danger and for Sions sake the cannot hold their peace and they cannot be silent until the Lord make the righteous thereof go out like brightness and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth 2. The people of God are troubled at this because of the interest they have in the Ark of God Now interest stirreth up affection as when another mans house is on fire as you had a lamentable and sad providence this last week and it is not to be forgotten how suddenly in all our feastings may God dash all our mirth Now consider how were they affected that had an interest in those that were burned so the people of God have an interest in the Ark. God is the Haven of a child of God the portion and inheritance of a child of God and when God begins to forsake them they cannot but be afflicted and troubled The Ordinances of God are the Jewels of a Christian the Treasure of a Christian and the loss of them cannot but trouble them And Jesus Christ is the joy of a Christian and therefore when Christ is departing they cannot but be much afflicted at it 3. The people of God are much troubled when the Ark is in danger because of the mischiefs that comes upon a Nation when the Ark of God is lost woe be to that Nation when the Ark is gone The Heathens had the Image of Apollo and they conceived that as long as that Image was presented among them they could never be worsted but be preserved and the Romans had a Buckler upon which they had a Tradition that as long as that Buckler was preserved Rome could not be taken Shall I give a hint and set it out a little in five particulars 1. When the Ark of God is taken then the ways of Sion mourn and none come to the solemn Assemblies it was the complaint of the Church Lam. 1.4 that is matter of sadness 2. When the Ark of God is taken then the Ministers of Christ are driven into corners And this is matter of heart-trembling 3. When the Ark of God is taken then the souls of many are in danger when the Gospel is gone your souls are in hazard There is cause of sadness 4. Then do the enemies of God blaspheme and are ready to say Where is your God then do the enemies of God triumph Ps 42.10 As with a sword in my bones mine enemies reproach me while they say daily unto me Where is thy God 5. Then is Jesus Christ trampled under foot and the Ordinances of God defiled and trampled on and then Blasphemy and Atheism comes in like an armed man 4. The people of God must needs tremble when the Ark is in danger because of their accessariness to the losing of the Ark this was that which made old Eli so much troubled because he knew it was for his sin that God suffered the Ark to be taken He knew that his not punishing his two sons was one cause of that great slaughter the people of Israel met withal and that made him tremble There is no person here in this Congregation but his heart will tell him he hath contributed something towards the loss of the Ark. None of us so holy but our consciences must accuse us we have done something that might cause God to take the Ark from us And therefore Mr. Bradford that blessed Martyr said in his Prayer Lord it was for my unthankfulness for the Gospel that brought in Popery in Queen Mary 's dayes and my unfruitfulness under the Gospel that was the cause of the untimely death of King Edward the sixth and those that fled in Queen Mary 's dayes sadly complained that they were the cause of Gods taking away the Gospel from England O beloved it is for thy sin and my sin that the Ark of God is in danger and therefore the Lod gave us trembling solicitous hearts what shall become of the Ark. I come now to Application Vse 1. If this be the property of a true child of God to be solicitous when the Ark of God is in danger and to have such a trembling heart for fear of the Ark then this is a certain sign there are but few that are the children of God in truth O where is the man and where is the woman that like old Eli sits watching and trembling for fear of the Ark And that will appear by these reasons First in reference to the many sins in this Nation for let me tell you there is not one sin for which God ever took away the Ark from any people but it is to be found in England Did the Church of Ephesus lose the Candlestick because they had lost their first love And have not we lost our first love to the Gospel and to the Ordinances And did the Church of Landicea lose the Candlestick because of lukewarmness and are not we lukewarm Did the people of Israel as here in the Text lose the Ark because they abhorred the offerings of God and do not you do so are not the sins of Israel amongst us the sins of Germany and the sins of all other Nations about us and can any man here before God this day in this Congregation that considers the great unthankfulness of this Nation the great prophaneness wickedness of this Nation but they may conclude the Ark is in danger God may justly take the Ark from us I might tell you of the Drunkenness Adultery Covetousness Injustice and Uncharitableness c. that doth abound among us and I might tell you of Sanctuary sins prophanation of Sabbath and Sacraments our unthankfulness and unfruitfulness and unworthy walking under the Gospel and you of this place God may very well take the Ark even from you and indeed it was the great interest I had in you the which while I live I shall ever own and that great affection and respect I had to you that I would not send you home this day without a Sermon and let you go without a blessing Now can any of you in this Parish and this Congregation can any of you say God may not justly take the Gospel from you Secondly shall I add the discontents and divisions of a Nation as Christ saith A Nation divided against it self cannot stand but I leave these things to your considerations I believe there is none here but will confess the Ark of God is in danger to be lost But now where are our Eli's to sit watching and trembling for fear of the Ark Where is Phinehas his Wife that would not be comforted because the Ark of God was taken Where are our Moses our Elijahs
while they are in the World they are as Heirs in their minority they have not yet the possession of their inheritances but it is theirs and they shall have it in reversion but hereafter when they shall leave this earthly Tabernacle then they shall have the possession of it Every true and sincere Believer he is an Heir to a Crown even a Crown of glory that fadeth not away Their lines are fallen to them in a pleasant place they have a goodly Heritage the Lord is the portion of their Inheritance Psal 16.5 6. It is the hope of this Inheritance of theirs that carrieth on the souls of the Saints in the whole course of their lives and maketh them joyfully and willingly to wade through all their troubles and difficulties that they meet with in their way to Heaven It is the consideration of this their portion and inheritance which they are entailed to by having God for their Father that makes them forget the things that are behind and press forward towards the mark for the price of the high calling which is in Jesus Christ it is their acting faith upon this and having an eye to the recompence of reward that makes them run with patience the race that is set before them as knowing that when they have finished their course they shall receive a Crown of Life which the Lord the Righteous Judge shall give them at that day Here the godly have the earnest of their inheritance which is the Spirit of God Eph. 1.14 After that ye believed ye were sealed with the holy Spirit of Promise which is the earnest of our Inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possâ—ssion unto the praise of his Glory Here Believers have the promise of their inheritance The Word of God is a Believers Patent for his inheritance in which God doth as it were by promise make over Heaven and Happiness and Glory to true Believers to be enjoyed by them for ever in the Life to come but hereafter then they shall have the fruition and possession of it Would you know what a glorious Inheritance this is that the children of God by believing are entitled to 1 Pet. 1.4 It is an Inheritance uncorruptible undefiled which fadeth not away They are Heirs to a Crown of Glory the are heirs of God and coheirs with Jesus Christ which is the Heir of all things believe it Friends it is such a glorious inheritance that the Children of God are entitled unto that all the Inheritances and Poffessions in the world are but a trifle in comparison of it to set out the beauty and excellency of the Saints inheritance is a task fitter for some Angel than for a mortal Creature For eye hath not seen neither hath ear heard neither hath entred into the heart of man to conceive what the Lord hath laid up for them that fear him Isa 64.4 Thus you see what abundant cause of comfort Believers have upon this consideration that God is their Father and that they are his children in every condition of their lives in every trouble either outward or inward howsoever it be with a regenerate Christian one that is a true child of God he hath cause to take comfort in this First Is a Believer in want here in the World is he in distress and driven to streights not knowing what course to take for the supplying of his natural wantâ— as Gods people are driven to such conditions sometimes he can go to God as unto a Father and make his wants and necessities known to him he both can and will finde out some way or other for a supply for you He that hath promised so large a portion hereafter in Heaven will not deny so much of this World as is necessary for you in your way to Heaven Your Father knows what good things you have need of Mat. 6.8 God which is the Believers Father knows what things they need and he is ready to hear them and knoweth how to help them Secondly Is a Believer in danger is he inviron'd about with his Enemies on every side and compassed about with those that seek his hurt Oh! what comfort is this that he can go to God as unto a Father for help even to him that is Almighty and able in a moment to defend them from their most powerful and politick adversaries is a godly man in danger and hath he Enemies that do wrongfully seek his life as David had Psal 31.13 yet he may have the same confidence that David had in that condition and say as he said in the follownig Verse Yet I trust in thee Oh Lord I said thou art my God my times are in thy hand deliver me from the hand of mine Enemies and from them that persecute me Thirdly Doth a Believer finde his corruption within to rebel against the regenerate part Doth he finde the Law in his Members which is warring against the Law of his minde to lead him into captivity to the Law of sin and death Doth he finde his sins to be very strong within him and that they begin to draw him away from God Oh! what comfort is this to a Child of God in this condition that he can go and complain then to his heavenly Father and be consident that this Father will hear him and hâ—â—◠〈◊〉 and make him more than a Conqueror over all the Enemies of his 〈◊〉 Fourthly Art thou that art a believer in doubt and knowest not what course to take go to thy heavenly Father for direction he is the infinitely wise God and he will be sure to direct thee for the best Fifthly Art thou slandered reviled and reproached in the world and made the common scorn and derision of the Ungodly go to thy Father thy heavenly Father and complain to him he will certainly clear up thine innocency as the light at noon-day and wipe off all the reproaches that are wrongfully cast upon thee Sixthly Art thou that art a Believer wronged by men and knowest not how to right thy self go to thy Heavenly Father he will certainly set all things right one day neither is it all the power and policy of thine adversaries nor their riches nor any thing that shall be able to pervert him and hinder him from redressing thy wrongs and from doing thee right Seventhly and lastly Dost thou finde thyself to be in a state of languishing thou that art a Believer for to such I am speaking all this while Dost thou finde thy natural strength to decay and thy sickness to encrease and thy pains to grow upon thee putting thee in minde that thy body must be shortly laid in the grave telling thee that thou mayest expect with in a few days or hours to lay down thy earthly Tabernacle and to encounter with the pangs of death Oh happy soul then that canst make thy approaches to God as unto a Father and breath out thy soul into the bosome of thy Heavenly Father and say as Christ did when he was on
exposed to the loss of thy place and estate in the World and will not an incorrupted Crown of glory and an eternal inheritance among them that are sanctified make thee amends for those petty losses that thou sustainest here Art thou the off-scouring of the World here and is it not enough that thou shalt be glorified in the presence of Saints and Angels hereafter Art thou slandered and reproached by the World And is not this enough to support thee that thou shalt be acquitted at the bar of Christ Dost thou suffer the loss of liberty And art thou under restraint and imprisonment and is not this enough to comfort thee that thou art free from the captivity and dominion of sinne and art rid of those chains and fetters by which so many thousands in the World are led captive by Satan at his pleasure and that thou art free from the prison of Hell Put case which is the greatest trouble that a godly man can undergoe in the World thou art to lose thy life for the sake of Christ and of a good Conscience however a Believers interest in the Kingdom of Heaven should keep him from being dismayed at that loss an eternal life of happiness and glory will be enough to recompence thee a thousand fold for losse of this frail life Thus you have the third Reason it is irrational for a Believer that hath an interest in the Kingdom of Heaven to be dismayed at those outward crosses and losses that he sustains in the World because they are very little and inconsiderable while their God their portion their heavenly interests is safe and secure to them Lastly One that is an Heir of Heaven and hath a title to the Heavenly Kingdom should be couragious in the ways of God and not be daunted at his outward troubles because of the short continuance of them as the joyes and pleasures of the World are but for a little moment of time so the sorrows and tribulations of the World are but for a small moment of time neither the troubles of the godly though they may be sharp yet they are but short death will quickly put a period to them all all the tryals and tribulations of the Saints will be at an end when they come to enter into their everlasting rest The Saints in Heaven are perfectly freed as from the evil of sin so from the evil of suffering they will be out of the reach of their most powerful and malicious adversaries Now what little reason hath a Believer that hath an interest in the Kingdom of Glory to be dismayed at his worldly troubles which shall so soon be done away when he hath a title to everlasting happiness to support him Who is there that would be dismayed at the sufferings of a few years or weeks if he were assured of an eternal weight of glory to make him amends for it Thus much for the Doctrinal part VSE 1. Is it so that a Believers interest in the Kingdom of Heaven should make him chearful and couragious in the wayes of God and keep him from being dismayed at the sufferings and afflictions that he meeteth withal in the World Is it so that one that hath a title to Heaven hath cause of joy in the midst of his greatest forrows and troubles Then First of all Here is matter of tryal and examination for us to try our selves whether we have a title to Heaven or no We would all rejoyce to have somewhat which might effectually support us and bear us up under troubles and afflictions in the World and it is sad when we are in trouble if we have nothing to support us but if we have secured our heavenly interest and have cleared our title to the Kingdom of Glory we have then the greatest ground of comfort and joy in the World and we may upon right grounds rejoyce under the sharpest tribulations that we meet with from the hands of men I shall therefore give you some marks and characters how we may know whether we have an interest in the Kingdom of Heaven or no. And here I might refer you back to those characters propounded in the application of the former Doctrine if we can truly say that God is our Father by Adoption and Regeneration and that we are his Children then we may safely conclude that we are some of those that have an interest in the Kingdom of Heaven if we are the Children of God then we are coheirs of God Rom. 8. are entitled to Heaven try then whether you can conclude that you are the Children of God But because I know not whether ever I shall have libertâ— to speak to you again from this place I shall propose some other characters also to help us to pass a right judgment upon our selves in a matter of so great concernment First Then whosoever thou art that wouldest try thy title to the Heavenly Glory thou maist try it by this If the design of thy life be to glorifie God and to promote their Heavenly interest then thou art one of those that are intitled to the Heavenly Inheritance if thou drivest a Trade for Heaven and if that the obtaining of Heaven be the principal part of thy care and business and the great design that thou drivest at in all thy actions then by this thou mayest try thy title to Heaven Apply now this home to thy soul what Trade and design art thou now driving in the world Is it thy main business here to promote thy temporal or thine eternal state Art thou striving more after Earth or Heaven If thy design here be after Riches Honour or Greatness in the World and makest all thy actions subservient to thy design then thou art none of those that have a Title to Heaven But if it be the business of thy life and the Trade that thou drivest in the World to advance Gods glory and thine eternal salvation and dost care for no more of this World than may tend to promote Gods glory and thine eternal happiness then thou maist safely conclude that thy name is written in Heaven and that thou hast an interest in that Kingdom It is the grand mistake of Thousands of souls every where that they pretend to seek after the Kingdom of Heaven but they seek it only by the by and their main design in the World is somewhat else as to grow Rich or Great or Honourable here They do not make it their principal business and their great design to secure their Title to Heaven But the look upon Heaven onely as a reserve for them when they can enjoy the World no longer And therefore they will have some glances and some faint endeavours that way But if ever we will enter into Heaven we must first of all seek Gods Kingdom and his righteousness Mat. 6.33 Luke 12.31 Secondly Wouldest thou know whether thou hast a Title to the Heavenly glory or no Thou mayest know it by thy heavenly mindedness They that have an
revealed O my dear friends think solemnly and seriously what answer you intend to give me before I leave you Christ will not always cry Come the Spirit will not always cry Come neither must I the time is at hand when you will say one to another We had a Preacher we had a Teacher we had a well-wisher and a lover of our souls amongst us but we did not improve and profit under him as we might and therefore God hath sent him away from us as he did Jonah to Nineveh when Jerusalem despised him O hear me then while you may and pray with me while you may and accept of the tender of Salvation from me while you may Yet a little while and you that have seen me shall see me no more and you that have heard me as Job saith shall say Where is he It 's but a little and those Seats shall have other Hearers and this Pulpit have another Preacher It 's but a little that you have to hear and I have to speak in this place and shall not my Dying words be Living words to you shall my Farewel-Sermon be a forgotten Sermon and the last request I am like to make to you be repulsed and slighted by you O my dear Neighbours and Friends of whom I travel till Christ be formed in you Awake and live seek the Lord before the Grave and Hell shut their mouths upon you and before the Servant of the Lord sent now to warn you take his last leave of you and see your faces no more I am wounded I am wounded to think this Sermon should be Concluded before all your Souls be Converted and to leave any of this Congregation walking on in Hell Road when I am gone Oh that I knew but what to do to get you to do that to day which must be done or you may be undone to morrow If it were to follow you home and there to beg your Conversion on my bare Knees as a Câ—ild begs his Fathers blessing If it were to go to my Closet 〈…〉 is done and there to wrestle with God as Jaâ—â—â— did 〈…〉 you my loving Parishioners till I get this anâ—â—â—◠〈…〉 â—â—â—ssed them and they shall be blessed Nay though I were sure to go to Prison as soon as I come forth of the Pulpit yet I should think all well bestowed could I but see you begin to turn this Sermon into practice And to follow peace and holiness without which you cannot see the Lord. Oh what a joyful hours work would I esteem this and how heartily would I bless your God and my God that prospered his Word in the mouth of his servant making it a Salvation Word to as many as our Ear-witnesses of it this day This is the first Argument I beseech you for my sake Little do you think what a joy it 's to your Minister to see his Children as St. John speaks walking in the truth And on the contrary what an affliction to see you walk in Error and Sin Little do you think what a comfort it 's to me to think of making this account to God at the Judgment day Here are the Children which thou gavest me and I have lost none And on the other hand what an aking it is to my heart to think of bespeaking God at that time on this manner Here are none of the Children O Lord none of the Souls that thou didst commit to my trust for I have lost them all But I hope better things of you though I thus speak II. Secondly I beseech you for your own sakes Who will have the worse of it if this advice be not followed you or I Alas though it may be matter of Grief to me yet not of Guilt God will reward me according to my labour not according to my success We are said the Apostle A sweet Savour of Christ in them that perish mark in them that perish as well as in them that be saved Though the Patient dye yet the Physitian must be paid So albeit the people dye in their sins yet Gods Ministers may comfortably conclude with the Prophet Isa 49.4 Though I have laboured in vain and spent my strength for nought yet surely my Judgment is with the Lord and my work namely the reward of my work with my God Ah my friends it 's you that will have the worst of it one day if this Sermon be not faithfully followed and obeyed Read at your leasure Ezek. 3.16 17 18 and see whether I speak truth or a lye It 's you that must have the reward of punishment It 's you that must stand or fall that must be the Subjects of the pleasures of Heaven or the Objects of all the pains in Hell and should not you then be as much concern'd for your selves as I am for you Now you enjoy your health and the sad Accents of a dying sinner are not heard in your habitations but will it be always thus Now each of you sit under his Vine with delight and there is no carrying into Captivity nor no crying in your streets but will such times last always Now you can hawk hunt swear and drink and then you think you are qualified like Gentlemen but will this last always Suppose thou hadst a Crown on thy Head how long wouldst thou wear it Suppose thou hadst a Scepter in thy Hand how long wouldst thou hold it They are sick at Rome and dye in Princes Courts as well as at the Spittle yea Kings themselves cannot keep their Crowns on their heads nor their heads on their shoulders but must stoop when death strikes and go as naked to their Beds of Dust as other men and in that day all their thoughts their projects and their pleasures perish with them only their guilt of their sins which were the Ladders by which they did climb up to the top of their pleasures the top of their honors and preferments will dog them into another world Hence said Abner to Joah 2 Sam. 2.26 Know'st thou not that these things will be bitterness in the end You will now have your sweet-meats and your sweet drinks your sweet pleasures and pastimes let the Minister say what he will but do not you know that this will be bitterness in the end In Hell all the Sugar will be melted off wherein the Pill of your sins and temptations is wrapt and then the note you 'l fing will be that of the Emperor O quantum ob quantillum O what an eternity of pain have I for an inch of pleasure or an Ell of sinful delight As the Malefactor said to his Neighbour dost thou envy me my Grapes that I have stolen Alas they I cost me dear I must dye for them Ah envy not at the pleasures of a poor sinner they 'l cost his soul dear one day what doth Dives his Wine-cellar advantage him now in Hell while he cries out for a Cup of cold water and cannot have it O Sirs you cannot now conceive
as fire brands out of the fire Yet I say that where there is one we have need of ten But though our disease is dangerous yet it is not desperate there is one way for us to prevent those heavy judgements that the Lord doth threaten to inflict upon us and that is by Repentance by a serious Repenting of the sins past of our lives and to amend what hath been amiss in us I shall now come to make some Application of what I have formerly delivered unto you Vse 1. In the first place Is this a Truth That Repentance is the only way and means to prevent the Judgements of God that are threatned against a People by God for sin Then first of all I would have you to observe the cursed nature of this cursed thing called sin Sin must be repented of or it will destroy us it will destroy our bodies it will destroy our souls it will destroy our Kingdom this is the cursed nature of this thing called sin My beloved I think it is one of the hardest things that is to understand the exceeding sinfulness of sin to understand that deadly Poyson that is in it it is for want of the true knowledge of it that causeth that deadness of heart that you so much groin under Thus you see that sin that thing which we so much slight what a terrible thing it is Alas what think many of us of a vain word or an idle thought or swearing an Oath what a trifling thing it is to neglect Prayer But let me ask you that think sin to be so slight a matter What is the reason that God is so angry that he made man What is the reason that many a sinful Church hath made God repent that ever he made them a Church I say therefore consider the exceeding venom that there is in sin Oh take heed of sin it is a Child that although it be conceived in joy yet it shall bring forth sorrow in the end Cursed be the day that ever sin was born into the world Sin it is so vile a thing that it makes God for to cry out at it and Jesus Christ for to cry out at it and makes them to say they will be gone If you continue in your sins I will take away my Ministers and leave you in darkness Tush say you what is sin I say it is the venom and poyson of our natures it is that which is as the hand to unsheath the sword and to thrust it into our own bowels Sin it is as a milstone that is tied about our necks that will pull us both soul and body into the bottom of that Sea of the wrath of God from whence there will be no recovery sin is a Plague that will follow our posterity after we are gone out of this world sin it is a worm upon the Tree of life that eats up the fruit of it sin it is that which makes the Lord to take away the Gospel from amongst us sin it is a devilish charm within us that drives away God and Christ and the Gospel from amongst us This is the evil of that cursed thing called sin Oh do not you make a liitle matter of it do not you say when you have been drunk what harm is there that I have drunk a cup too much do not say what harm is there in my telling a lye or swearing an oath Oh my beloved what a sad thing is this sin that it should cause God for to throw Angels out of Heaven into Hell Pride cast Angels into Hel take heed it doth not so by you Sin made God to destroy all the old world sin made God to repent that he had made the world sin made God for to burn Sodom Gomorah sin made God for to threaten Ephesus to remove hiâ— candlestick from among them Therefore I say do not think sin to be a small matter make Conscience of the least of sins believe God that it is a vile thing consider with thy self what a vain labour this labour of sin is it is a vain troublesome work when you commit it you must resolve for to die the death or to undo it again Sin it may well be called the Labour in vain When thou art a doing any thing that is evil thou must repent of it or else it will undo thee Sin is a long thred of the sinners spinning that when he hath spun it out he must sit down in sorrow and labour to undo his work again While thou art a sinning I can compare it to nothing better than to the journey that Joseph and Mary made to Jerusalem and left Jesus Christ behind them My beloved it is a sad journeying without Christ in your company when you go on in sin you must return again or else you will lose your souls This I say is the labour in Vain of sinners they are doing a work that they must undo again they are running a race that they must run back again or else it will undo them You are gathering up of sticks that will help to burn you you are whetting a knife that must cut your own throats you are spinning a thred that must hang you Oh my beloved little do you think that you are doing this when you are sinning Do not you say therefore that sin is a little matter for God will damn thee soul and body for it he that will damn thee for lying he that will damn thee for neglect of praying he doth think that these sins are great matters Will you lay these things to heart I shall speak but a few words more and I shall have done and God knowes whether ever I shall speak to you any more I say take heed of sin and do not you go away with light thoughts of it Vse 2. Is Repentance the onely way and means for to prevent the Judgements of God which are threatned by God for sin Then from hence you may learn the excellency the usefulness of that Grace of Repentance Oh what an omnipotent grace is this it is a grace that can do any thing with God Why what can this grace do what can it not do This grace of Repentance it can redeem your morgaged blessings it can repossess you of those blessings that you have foolishly played away Repentance can make God to stay here in our Kingdom when he is a departing Repentance it is a heart-breaking for sin it brâ—aks the heart of God likewise when thy heart yearns for sin his heart yearns towards thee as thou mayest see in the yearnings of God's bowels towards Ephraim Jer. 31.18 19 20. I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus Thou hast chastised me and I was chastised as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoak Turn thou me and I shall be turned for thou art the Lord my God Surely after I was turned I repented and after I was instructed I smote upon my thigh I was ashamed yea even confounded because I
have done will you take more care of your Family Will you give them an example of a holy heavenly Life Fifthly Have you repented of your Sins as you say you have Then how much are you troubled for the sins of others Do your hearts mourn in secret for the Wickedness and the Abominations of the places where you live And now I beseech you do not you flatter your selves in your wicked sinful courses If you do then I say take heed that God doth not send his Judgments upon you And if you repent not doubtless God will bring some Plague upon England ere it be long Consider this O England and do not provoke God to depart from you For if you repent of your Sins you may expect to live quietly in the Land of your Nativity and go to your death beds in peace and rest But if you will not repent of your sins then I say expect nothing but Cursings instead of Blessings from God If you will repent do it to day God knows how long it may be before you have such another day But I have one word to you this afternoon and it is for ought that I know the last words I have to speak to you I have one Question to ask you before I depart out of this Pulpit with thoughts for all that I know never to return into it any more My Question is this Will you repent The welfare of your souls depends upon it the welfare of the Church depends upon it the welfare of three Kingdoms depends upon it My beloved it is no trifling now Will you repent I ask you It may be hereafter God will give you up to hardness of heart and blindness of mind and if you go on in your wickedness Hell will follow after it Well I say Will you repent I ask you the Question and I ask you no other Question than I have asked my own self before I came into this place I ask you again Will you repent every man woman amongst you For Jesus Christ is angry with you and he takes away many of your Lights from amongst you That God is angry with you it is plain for God would never else have taken away his Ministers from among you I doubt not but God hath made use of some of those that are to speak no more in the Name of Jesus to the snatching of you as fire brands out of the fire and in bringing you from the kingdome of Satan unto the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ Well will you repent If you will not you sins lye at your own dores do not think its a hard Question when I ask you if you will repent There are two places where there is no Repentance the one is in Hell it were a vain thing for me to go to the gates of Hell and câ—y to them Repent for their day of Grace is past and their doom is passed upon them I do verily think that there is more sorrowing in Hell for sin than there is here upon Earth but their sorrow is not sanctified sorrow If the damned in Hell were delivered out of Hell they would sin again if they lived eternally they would sin eternally But I am not speaking to men in hell nor to women in hell but I speak to you that are here upon earth But there are a people to whom the day of Grace is set while they live to whom the Sun of Righteousness is set and their day is filled up with darkness I look upon the Heathen as such I look upon the Jews as such I look upon the Turks as such I dare not say of any man or woman living that can come within the hearing of a Sermon that God hath given any one up to such a reprobate mind Now my beloved if it be not thus with any of you that your day of Grace is not past as I am confident it is not Then I beseech you in the Name and Fear of God that you would repent The dying words of dying men and women do usually prevail with those that hear them The dying words of Fathers and Mothers do use to prevail with their children My beloved if you have any love to God if you have any love to your souls remember my last words I say Repent of your sins It may be God hath made me instrumental to the plucking of some of you as Fire brands out of the fire and in building of some of you up in the most holy Faith Remember what I say I have chosen this as my last words that ever I shal speak to some of you Object But may some of you say You bid me repent how can I do it I can no more repent than the dead man can arise Answ It is true O sinner that thou sayest But though thou canst not repent when thou wilt yet if thou wilt but endeavour to set thy self about the work it is probable that God may give thee a repenting heart therefore I say take heed of shutting thy self out from mercy Object But say you Why do you then press us to such a work when we cannot do it of our selves Answ Mark here when I say unto you will you repent That is will you make use of the means that God hath appointed for your Repentance Will you reckon up all the sins you have committed against God will you reckon up all the times that you have been drunk or that you have sworn an Oath will you reckon up all the sins that you stand guilty of between God and your own souls and will you go to God and beg of him that he would be pleased to pardon them But say you What if we do not If you do not then you are still in your sins and there is no peace to you there is no inward peace to your souls there is no true peace to your Kingdom But that I may prevail with you I shall give you some grounds or motives to press this Argument more home upon your consciences First of all Repent because Jesus Christ hath commanded you under great Penalties if you do not My beloved consider a little with your selves who it is that speaks unto you here in my Text. It is not I but it is Jesus Christ and doubtless Christ would never have perswaded you to this work of repentance if it were not necessary This book is the counsel of the Physitian of your Souls the Physitian of your Church and the Physitian of your Kingdom He that saith unto you repent saith if you do not Your sins shall not be blotted out He that saith unto you repent saith if you do not Eternal death shal follow Repent I say or if thou dost not wo be unto thee wo unto that man that ever he was born wo unto thee it had been better thou hadst never seen the Light Thy Parents that bore thee they may repent that ever thou were born Oh my beloved it is a terrible
keep close unto Christ not running into the vanities glories and sins of this World then are ye comprehended in Love wherewith God loveth his Son Yeâ— see the extension of the Apostles Faith and the firmness of it this is written for our instruction and Jesus Christ is the Author and Finisher of that Faith the issue whereof is this perswasion Therefore look not on it as a thing impossible to be attained it is your priviledge if you seek it Isa 43 23.44 1 2. Thou hast not brought me the smal cattel of thy Burnt-offerings neither hast thou honored me with thy sacrifices I have not caused thee to serve with an offering nor wearied thee with incense Thou hast bought me no sweet Cane with mony neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy Sacrifices But thou hast made me serve with thy sins Thou hast we ariod me with thine Iniquities Yet now hear O Jacob my servant Israel whom I have chosen Thus saith the Lord that made thee and formed thee from the womb which will help thee Fear not O Jacoh my servant and Jesuâ—un whom I have chosen for I will pour water on him that is thirsty and floods upon this dry ground I will pour my spirit upon thy seed and my Blessing upon thy Off-spring This speaketh to us the Gentiles who serve not with Sacrifices If they thirst after this spirit it shall be pour'd out upon them and then shall they be perswaded let the World and the Devil say what they will that they are God's This is the priviledge of every true Christian that hungers and thirsts to be led in the true way of Righteousness and Peace The EXHORTATION If it be thus let it be matter of encouragement and consolation for whatever ye be separated from yet if ye be truly Gods you have something never to be taken from you to wit The love of God in Christ Jesus God will not Man nor Satan cannot I may be separated from you yea from each other body from soul yet 't is comfort to hear there is something that can never be taken from us It should stir up our minds to consider whether I have union with it or no or whether it is attainable by me and this is certain it may be had If you forsake the sin and vanity of the world you will naturally fall into the arms of everlasting love from whence ye can never be removed It is a good thing to have good thoughts of God to be well perswaded of him as the Apostle here who is confident of his goodness Love readily and naturally uniteth to love and good thoughts of God are from a seed of Gods love to us And in order to the establishing of us in this love let us leave with you a few Exhortations 1. In order unto your daily Conversation 2. In order unto the particular Divine Providence now ending of our Ministry unto you First as to your conversation 1. Think not your own Sins little 2. Think not your own Righteousness great 3. Alwayes resigned unto God humbly submitting unto his mercy Think not your own Sins little He is in danget to sin against this love that is not sensible he hath done enough already to separate him from it ye that have done the least sin hath done enough to condemn you for ever Rom. 5.17 For if by one mans offences Death reigned by one c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it may be understood by one offence And if you think thus do not thing any sin little 2. Think not your own Righteousness great This is that we are very apt to do to think our selves less sinful and more righteous than indeed we are But the Church saith All our Righteousness is as filthy rags Consider things thus ye have done enough for ever to forfeit your interest in this Love ye can never do enough to deserve it Therefore 3. Alwayes cast your selves upon it that you may receive it If your lives have been blameless think your selves to want as much Mercy to save you as any prophane one Jew and Gentile wanted one and the same Grace Secondly Consider to be serious in the daily Consideration of 1. Your Thoughts 2. Your Words 3. Your Actions 1. Your Thoughts Live less abroad and more at home I mean in your own hearts a man never cometh to see himself desperately wicked until he cometh to see the heart Christ saith from the heart doth proceed murder adultery c. It may be upon a smal vexation some can wish Death to any this is murder in the heart so for Adultery or the like The sin in Gods sight is there look but in there and you will find that shall make you despair of any thing but the meer mercy and forgiveness of Christ to make you righteous and in beholding of it seek for the cleansing of it from him 2. Your Words It is Christ himself who saith By thy Words thou shalt be justified and condemned Wherefore we pray you think there is more dependeth on words than generally is accounted they are not only wind but of such a nature as either driveth us nearer or wafteth us farther off from this Love from which we are never to be separated The tongue is set on fire of Hell Be careful of thine own words if thou wouldst grow acquainted with the Word of God 3. Your Actions Be not perswaded to live at a venture Consider Christ saith I must work the works of him that sent me for this cause came I into the world Let every one ask himself this Question Why came I into the world Christ said be came not to do his own Will but the Will of him that sent him Remember therefore in all your actions you are moving toward or off from this eternal Love Thirdly Consider how meer a necessity there is 1. Of your Repentance 2. Of your Forgivness 3. Of your becoming a new Creature 1. Of your Repentance Christ saith Vnless ye repent ye shall all likewise perish Do not continue thinking such or such an one hath deservedly met with this or that punishment but still consider Christs words Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish Cast in your mind if you have any thing to repent of or ever had then whether if it be an indifferent thing or no your repenting and if not at what time ye did repent what accidents did accompany your Repentance which you yet remember 2. Of your Forgivness WOE is the portion of any that have sinned and find not forgiveness from the mercy of God you will find then it is more needful to be forgiven than to be either great or rich or the like in this world or for any to go out to condemn another That also you may obtain Forgivness Forgive 3. Of your becoming a new Creature It is not enough to be forgiven but ye must be new Creatures It is the new Man shall never be separated from the love of God in
Christ for Gods Justice accepts of no satisfaction but by and through the Lord Jesus And that 's a fourth Fiftly A fifth Error is There is distinguishing between sins Mortal and sins Venial Mortal sins are Murder Perjury Adultery and such like these say they deserve Death and Damnation but Venial sins such as vain thoughts rash anger concupesence these say they do not deserve Death But we say and affirm That there is no such sins as they call Venial It is true the greatest sins being repented of are pardonable through the blood of Christ but there is no sin of which we can say that do not deserve death and damnation And this I 'le prove by a double Argument 1. If the very least sin be as indeed it is a breach and violation of Gods Law then 't is no more venial than a greater But the least sin is a violation of Gods Law therefore the least sin is no more venial than a greater The minor is clearly proved from Mat. 5.28 Whosoever looks on a Woman to lust after her hath committed Adultery with her in his heart In which place our Saviour makes a lascivious look an impure glance of the eye to be a breach and violation of Gods Law 2. If the least sin expose men to a Curse then they are no more venial than greater but the least sin doth expose men to a Curse Gal. 3.10 Cursed is he that continues not in all things contained in the Law to do them He that faileth in the least iota or punctillio it exposeth him unto a Curse And remember this my brethren That without repentance God hath provided a great Hell for little sins That is the fifth Sixthly A sixth Error in Popery is Their asserting the Doctrine of free-will That Goliah of the Papists Beliarmine saith That mans will is inclinable unto good and that a man hath an inate power to do that which is good but mans will being corrupted and depraved is not inclinable to that which is good but quite contrary And this is evident from our own experience had we no Bible to confirm it When the Rudder of a Ship is broke the Ship is carried up and down to and again which way the wind will even so it is with mans will being corrupted Austin in his Confessions saith That before his â—onversion he did accustome himself to fruit stealing not so much out of a love to the fruit as to stealing Hence is it that men are said to love evil Mica 3.2 Again the will being depraved and corrupt hath no inate power to do that which is good Indeed the Papists say That man hath some seed of good in him but the Scripture doth not say so Man as St. Ambrose well saith hath a free will to sin but how to perform that which is good he finds not Sin hath cut the locks where our strength lay Therefore are we said to be without strength Rom. 5.6 Sinners are said to be in the bond of iniquity and so not in a posture to run heavens Race A man by nature cannot do that that he hath the least bent and tendency to that which is good he is so far from performing a good act as that he cannot so much as think a good thought Hence it is that man is said to have a heart of stone he can no more prepare himself for his Conversion than a stone can prepare it self for the Superstruction Men naturally are dead spiritually In mans will there is not only impotency but obstinacy Hence it is men are said to resist the holy Ghost Act 7. But I go on Seventhly A seventh Error is their Indulgencies They say the Pope hath a power to give a pardon and Indulgence by vertue of which men are freed from their sins in Gods sight Besides the Blasphemy of this assertion what else is it but a cunning trick and sly artifice to get money by This is that indeed brings grists to the Popes Mill. How contrary is this to the Scripture which saith None can forgive sin but God only Mark 2. This Doctrin of Popish Indulgence is a key that unlocks and opens a door to all manner of licentiousness and uncleaness for what need persons care what they do if they for their money can obtain a pardon Mr. Fox in his Book of Martyrs mentions one that at first was a papist and being brought before Bonner said Sir at the first I was of your Religion and then I cared not how I lived because I could with my mony obtain a pardon But now I am otherwise perswaded and do believe That none caâ— forgive sins but God only Eightly An eight Error is The Doctrine of Merits they say that good works do expiate sin and merit glory Bellarmine saith a man hath a double right to glory one by Christs merits and the other by his own And for this he urges 2 Iam. 4.8 Henceforth is laid up for me a crown of Righteousness which the just Judge shall give unto me and not only unto me c. Which is the just Iudge Now Bellarmine saith That God in justice doth reward our Works and if he doth it of right and in Justice then certainly they merit To this I answer two wayes 1. God giving us in Justice a reward It is not for the worthiness of our workâ— but for the worthiness of our Saviour 2. God as a just Judge rewards our works not because we have merited a reward but because he hath promised a Reward and so is just in giving what he hath promised Object I but they say God crowns our works ergo they merit Answ God to speak after the manner of men keep two Courts a Court of Iustice and a Court of Mercy In his Court of Justice nothing may come but Christs Merits but in the Court of Mercy our works may come Nay let me tell you God in free grace crowns those works in the Court of Mercy which he condemned in the Court of Justice Now that we do not nor cannot merit by our good works I 'le prove by a threefold argument and this threefold cord will not easily be broken First of all and I beseech you mind it that which merits at Gods hand must be a gift we give to him and not a debt we owe to him Now whatever we can do for or give unto God it is but a just and due debt 2. He who would merit at Gods hand must give God somthing overplus But alas if we cannot give God the principal how shall we give him the interest If we cannot give him his due how can we give him overplus 3. He who would merit any thing at Gods hand must offer that to him that is perfect But alas can we give God any thing that is perfect are not our best Offerings fly-blown with pride and corruption Beloved Wo to the holiest man alive if God weighs him in the Ballance of the Sanctuary and do not allow him some
not beat folly out of our hearts We have been unprofitable all our days some have done thee more service in one year than we in all our time We have forgotten thee in the day of prosperity and sung a lullaby to our own Souls Oh that we could speak these things with broken and bleeding hearts But as in the time of our ignorance we could sin without reluctancy so now we can sin without repentance Oh that thou wouldst smite the rock that there might flow out tears VVe can do nothing by way of expiation if we would weep out our eyes nothing but the blood of Christ can take away our guilt O that there might be a spring of that blood upon our souls at this time Oh that that blood may at this time bring a report of love and a message of mercy to us Do we beg any more than thou hast promised Oh hast not thou accepted of that satisfaction that Christ hath made in his own person If we had suffered the torments of Hell it could not have made that satisfaction that Christ hath made Give us the witness of thy spirit and thy Love and we will say we have enough give us hearts of flesh crush the head of the serpent in our souls O Lord Christ thou camest into the world to destroy the works of the Devil in our hearts and to build up the Kingdom of the spirit in us Oh when shall we see the old man decay in us and the new man to live more and more O be wisdom to guide us and Righteousness to cleanse us from guilt and redemption to deliver us from the wages of sin let us be nothing in our selves that we may be all in thee our saviour Oh honour us so far that we may honour thee VVe pray thee strengthen our weak saith quiet our consciences we would not live a day longer than that we may honour thee tread Satan under our feet fit us for our places and imployments let not our conditions be so low but that our hearts may be lower we are posting to death Oh let sin die before we die let us know our names are written in the Book of Life before thou take away our life Look upon thy servant our dread Sovereign Charls of Great Britâ—â—â—n France and Ireland King oh inrich his Royal heart with all those saving graces of thy Spirit in order unto a wise and happy Government of these Kingdoms Look upon his Royal Consort his Royal relations the Lords of his Privy Council and make them blessings to this Nation oh sanctifie thy good word oh give thy gracious assistance to us both in speaking and hearing let us hear it as that word by which we must be judged that we may be convinced by it and say it is the power of God to salvation to every soul of us Let our meeting be for the better to all of us that we may be built up in the most holy Faith and let us know we have not sought thy face in vain for Jesus Christ his sake our dear Saviour for whom we bless thy Majesty to whom with thee and thy Spirit be praise for ever Amen Mr. Jenkin's Prayer at Christ Church MOst blessed and holy Lord God thou art infinitely beyond our apprehensions who wast infinitely happy before the worâ—d was made and wantest none of thy creatures nor their services to make thee more excellent than thou art in thy self we daily want thee thou never wantest us thou art pleased to make use of ordinances Ministers Sabbaths as thy Institutions to accomplish and bring about the great work of thy Glory and mans Salvation yet Lord thou dost not need them thy Spirit is not made efficatious by these things but it is that that makes these things efficatious though thou art pleased to tie us to them when we may have them and duly enjoy them yet thou dost not tie thy self to them We desire in these our addresses to eye the happiness of Saints that depends upon him that depends upon none we are here in thy presence by thy goodness and grace O whither should we go but to thee and how should we come but by thee Oh strengthen our faith kill our corruptions inflame our love give us assurance of thy love to our souls oh that God would teach us how to pray that we may taste and see how good the Lord is this day that our souls may be filled as with marrow that we may by our own experience be able to say It is good for us to draw nigh to God and that a day in his house is better then a thousand elsewhere that there may be a communion between us and God let there be a disunion between us and sin we confesse we brought sin enough into the world with us to cause thee to with-drawâ—th blessed self from us and to cast such unproffitable servants as we are into utter darkness we have been a long time in thy school and yet how dull are we we might have been teachers of others but we need our selves be taught which are the first Principles of the oracles of God we love less than we know and we do less than we love we have neither done that good nor received that good which we should or might have done and received We have been trees that have cumbred the ground in thy orchard but we have brought forth no fruit Wo unto us that we have not known the day of our visitation many of us have one foot in the grave and yet we have lived without God in the world we are wise in every thing but in our own Salvation we live as if Hell were a priviledge those of us that have some knowledg of thee have great cause to repent that we have walked so unworthily of God Which of us pray continually and fervently or live the life of saith we confess we neither take our afflictions humbly nor our mercies thankfully nor want our comforts contentedly nor fill up our relations fruitfully We live as if Hell were a scare-crow as if all the threatnings of thy word were an empty noise as if there were neither sweetness in Heaven nor bitterness in Hell When we come into thy presence where are our hearts what earthly dispositions do we bring along with us the sins of our Prayers cry louder then the Supplications of our prayers what hypocrisie and formality cleaves unto us If thou dost not look upon the iniquities of our holy things with an eye of pitty what will become of us O Lord be pleased to smell a sweet savour of rest and peace through thy dear Son O Lord it is only his precious Blood that can sprinkle our hearts and quiet our Consciences and no other thing We do renounce our own Works and we cry out in our selves Undone undone It is through thy beloved Son that we are accepted and therefore to that end bring us to him by a saving operation on thy part
and by our lively trust through the Covenant of Grace on our part let there be such a unity between Christ and us that all the powers of Hell may not be able to separate us from thee speak peace to our hearts still our consciences say I have received a sacrifice for you I shall befriend you I will be just and faithful to forgive your sins my Law is sully fulfilled by another though broken by you my Justice is fully satisfied by another though provoked by you my wrath is ceased by the means of another though incensed by you Oh Lord what a cordial would this be canst not thou amongst this great multitude of people espy some that through the Spirit of thy Son would worship thee in thine own way speak peace to every such soul Is there any soul before thee O Lord to whom thou hast given the grace of desire O lord give them grace according to their desire and thou which didst regard us when we were running from thee do not reject us now we are drawing near thee And thou which bidst us believe by the command of thy Word help us to believe by the operation of thy Spirit draw us that we may be able to follow thee thy loving kindness is better than life Some do say Who will shew us any good But Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us and thou wilt glad our hearts more than in the time when Corn or wine or Oil increaseth Let it be fair above head when it is dirty below let us see one contrary in another let us confute an eye of sense with an eye of faith and when we come to see nothing here that can gratifie our senses let us have something to quiet our souls We would fain be at war with sin that we may be at peace with thee though we cannot return as much as we have received yet help us to return as much as we can give us repentance unto life epentance from dead works a mourning fat greater for the remembrance of sin than we have pleasure in the committing of sin those secret distempers in our souls that no eye sees but thine let us cry out Wretched men that we are who should deliver us from this body of sin And as the fear of condemnation doth decrease so set the fear of transgression increase And because O Lord thou hast not made us to bleed with thy greatness O Lord make us to blush with thy goodness let us as truely desire that Heaven would enter into us into a way of holiness here as we desire to enter into Heaven in the way of happiness hereafter Let us see that our kindness to sin is cruelty to our Saviour let net that live quietly one minuite with us that would not let Christ live let us see there is nothing small by which the great God is offended and an immortal soul is damned We are to be in the world but for a while to take a turn or two and be gone Oh that we might make it the business of our life to get into Christ though it be the scorn of men and burdensome to nature yet this is that which will bring us peace at last Let us be what we profess our selves to be let us love Christ and evangelically keep his commandements let us live by faith let us keep thy Commandements let us be above the world in the world above the love of life and above the fear of death let not the smiles of the world allure us nor the frowns thereof affright us from thee but in all these things let us be more than conquerers through Jesus Christ Let us love him much whom we cannot love too much Help us to be above the power of Hell let us ever say My soul it is good for me to draw nigh to God Let us be willing rather to be faved with a few than go to Hell in a crowd let us live as if Eternity were long and life but short let us thrive in holiness and be brought neerer to thy self by every dispensation let us in this our day know the things that concern our peace before they be hid from our eyes and know the time of our visitation and though God suffer long he will strike at last O Lord bow the heavens and come down among us at this time and be with the unworthiest of thy servants and give unto him a door of utterance and to thin great people a door of entrance and let them be all taught of God and let them truly find that the great God is teaching to the heart when that a weak worm is speaking to the ear let all the work be done by theo and let all he praise redound unto thee and let him that is with us be greater than he that is in the world behold us in the Son of thy love smell aswee savor of rest on these our poor prayers speak peace to our consciences rebuke the tempter tread him under our feet shortly raise us up to newness of life let us remember when that which is perfect is rome that which is imperfect shall be done away Hear us and help us through our dear Redeemer let us live for him here and with him hereafter and all for his sake whom not seeing we love in whom believing we rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory to whom with thee and thy Sprit be Glory and Honour now an for ever Amen Mr. Cradocott's Prayer at St. Sepulchres MOst glorious and most gracious Lord God who art God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hast put thine own Name and stamp upon this Day wilt thou be pleased to appear now and prepare and dispose our unprepared and indisposed souls for holy Observation of this thine holy day Will the Lord vouchsafe us the incomes of his spirit and influences of his Grace whereby we may be inabled to offer up spiritual Sacrifice which may be acceptable to Jesus Christ Lord thou requirest praying hearts but thou hast not commanded us to use Prayer-books and if thou wilt give us the Spirit of Prayer we shall not need them Lord give us praying hearts at this time let us find by experience that the Sabbath is a day of Souls opportunity that thine Ordinances are full of marrow that thou hast not said unto thy Children the seed of Jacob seek my face in vain VVe acknowledge we are unworthy to lift up our eyes to heaven we have cause enough to cry out God be merciful to us sinners undeserving ill-deserving men and women we acknowledge our natures are blots of all wickednesses we are by nature enemies to thy Majesty heirs of death children of darkness slaves to sin captives to lust dead to sins and trespasses how are our understandings darkned and our hearts-hardened what are our hearts but a store house of malicious thoughts a brothel house of adultery a palace of pride we are by nature