therefore since the wrath of God shall in such a manner be revealed against such as with-hold the Truth in unrighteousnesse You need no other Argument to shew that the sin is great Againe One Evidence more is in this very Chapter that is from the kinde of punishment for punishments you know where the Iudge is just are according to the measure of the sinne Now marke God punishes this with giving them up to a reprobate sense For this cause saith the Apostle Rom. 1.26 God gave them up unto vile affections And afterwards in the eight and twentieth verse As they regarded not to know God even so or therefore God delivered them up to a reprobate minde that is a minde without knowledge an injudicious minde that cannot judge of things And looke in all the booke of God among all the Armies of sorrow there is not any like this to be given up to vile affections to lusts to an injudicious mind in matters of God and things belonging to their Salvation This punishment shewes the greatnesse of the sin but men slight this as it is the greatest judgement so it is the least felt men lye at rest they are cast into a dead sleepe but it is like the sleepe of them that have crazie braines they wake in a frenzie so these shall wake in an horrible astonishment their sleepe is such a calme as will end in a tempest and such a tempest as shall never be blowne over Therefore let no man blesse himselfe in this I feele none of these things for thou hast the greatest judgement on thee when thou feelest it least And so much for the three things I propounded to you what this Truth is how it is with-holden and the greatnesse of the sin now wee will come to make use of it And the first use we are to make of it is that which is the maine scope of the Apostle here and that for which we pitched on these words and that is to humble us to learne to know our selves to know in what Condition we are for the Truth is revealed to us but we with-hold it in unrighteousnesse This Truth that should rule in the hearts of men that should be as the supreme governour in the soule of which it may be said as it is said of the Peace of God let it rule in your soules that where by men should be acted is by men imprisoned Therefore Rom. 2.9 the Apostle denounceth Tribulation and anguish upon every one that disobeyes the Truth Intimating that Truth is our King that should governe and rule in our hearts now when men disobey it nay goe further imprison this Truth it is as when men imprison their lawfull King or servants their Master and they run riot and at liberty in the meane time And this is our case we doe with it as children doe with their Masters we desire to be rid of it because it watches over us and so we grow enemies to it And this is no small sinne for if we consider whence this comes who puts it into our hearts it will appeare hainous by the Law of man it is death to kill children that are begot by man but this Truth is begot by the Holy Ghost it is put in by the Spirit of God and to extinguish this Truth not to suffer it to live not to nourish it not to bring it forth is the great sin of all Even the Heathen shall rise in judgement against Christians for this who maintained the Vestall fire because they conceived it to come from heaven they for that cause never suffered it to go out But this Truth is a fire which came from heaven a sparke put into the brests of men to guide their feet into the way of Peace when men shall extinguish this Truth let it goe out and not maintaine it the Heathen shall rise against them in judgement as the men of Niniveh should rise up against the men of that Generation among whom Christ lived We were wont to take care of precious things consider the preciousnesse of this Truth what is precious we wil not be willing to destroy as the Prophet said of the bunch of Grapes Destroy it not for there is a blessing in it And what doe you thinke of this Truth is it not a precious thing Yea it is the chiefe thing in a man In a ship a wise man will have an eye to the rudder for that turnes all the rest of the body of the ship Of all things in our selves wee looke to our eye the guide of the body so we should learne to watch and be tender over this Truth as over our eye for the one is the light but of this life the other is the light of the soule to eternall life In Micah 3.5 It is threatned as a great Iudgement when God shal turne their Visions into night and their Divinations into darknesse when the Sunne shall goe downe on their Prophets and the day shall be darke on them and will you bring this Iudgement on your selves They that are guilty of this that have not used this Truth but imprisoned it and laboured as much as they can to cause the Sun to goe downe and rise no more to turne the day into night let them consider what the sin is when you reade the story of the Kings and heare them saying to the Prophets prophesie not imprisoning them as Ahab did Micaiah and slaying them as Ioash did Zecharial you will little thinke you are guilty of the same sinne but when this Truth comes as a Prophet from God and tels you such and such things ought to be done and such and such evils ought to be abstained from and you shall desire it to be silent and shall say Prophesie not when you shall not suffer it to speake freely I say your sins shall be as great as theirs therefore learne to consider of it and be humbled for it men are wont to thinke their Condition better because they know more than others but it is quite contrary for nothing aggravates sin more than that It is an extreme folly in men when they cannot deny the fact they slight the fault and will not acknowledge it It was Adams fault when God came towards him he fled and hides his sinne and it is the fault of all Adams posterity But let men know that the quite contrary way is the way to Salvation It is not with God as it is with men among whom confession makes way for condemnation for with God confession is the way to salvation Therefore be not unwilling to examine your selves consider how much you have knowne what truths have been revealed to you Do this with one eye with another eye looke on your lives and see how short your practise hath beene of your knowledge come willingly and if you confesse you shal be forgiven This wil drive you out of your selves it will be your Schoole-master to bring you to Christ. They that carry this
sinne As David in the one and fiftieth Psalme saith Against thee against thee onely have I sinned repeating it twice in that place he composed that Psalme to set forth his sin but that which wounded his conscience that made him see the hainousnesse of his sinne was this Against thee I have sinned So the Prodigall sonne this is the circumstance by which he aggravates his sin Against heaven and against thee I have offended So learne to know that your sinnes are against god and therefore to presse this Truth a little more Consider well with your selves what is the reason that God hath required such a vast punishment against sinne that is eternall death thinke what eternity is it is that which swallowes up your thoughts it is a punishment the length and depth and breadth whereof you cannto comprehend Thinke why God hath appointed such a vast punishment and you shall find it is because you sinne against an Immense a great and Almighty God the length and breadth and depth of whose greatnesse you cannot comprehend Againe what is the reason God should appoint such a Mediatour to take away the sins of the world that the Son of God must needs take flesh which the Angels themselves wonder at it is such a wonderfull action that they cannot but admire and in heaven we shall stand amazed at it which evidences the greatnesse of sinne Learne to know this put al these foure together and see how these doe hold correspondencie one with another and you shall finde out the nature of your sinne First consider the greatnesse of God his infinitenesse the greatnesse of his Authority the wonderfull vast Soveraignty he hath over all creatures from this greatnesse of God comes the second the greatnesse of sinne I have made knowne this Truth but thou hast with-holden it thence it comes that sinne is so great that the least sinne which thou makest nothing of is a thing of so great moment That is the second which followes on the greatnesse of God Thirdly upon the greatnesse of sinne you see the greatnesse of the punishment if such an one as Aristotle or a stranger from the Truth should heare of this punishment the greatnesse whereof appeares herein that the worme dieth not and the fire is not quenched how would he wonder at it but knitting these together it will not seeme strange Last of all the greatnesse of the punishment causeth the greatnesse of such a Mediatour to take away this punishment and sin So there is a correspondencie in them come from God to sin from sinne to the punishment from punishment to the Mediation or redemption by which this sinne is taken away Learne therefore to know what sin is I know not a truth of greater moment And to all adde that 1 Cor. 15.56 The sting of death is sinne If you look on death it is the most terrible thing in the world You know what the Philosopher said of it of all terrible things it is the most terrible the most fearfull but sin is the sting of death As if he had said Death is a small thing in comparison of sin let a man want sin and death is nothing it is but sleepe it is nothing to have the body and soule separated Againe suppose there were no death but let body and soule remaine together yet sin is a terrible thing it is above all the Terrours in the world as in Iudas see his Terrours though there was no death on him see Adam when he was not in Hell but in Paradise yet how was he Tormented with his sin Therefore weigh not sin in a wrong ballance looke not on it with a wrong light take heed of being deceived for in this of all other things men are most apt to be deceived That is the corruption of Nature that strange darknesse is brought on men by Adam that in the thing that most concerneth him which is sin in that he is most ignorant most apt to be deceived Therefore when the Apostle speaks of sin he comes in still with this caution Be not deceived 1 Cor. 6.9 Be not deceived neither Fornicatour nor Idolaters nor adulterers c. shall inherit the kingdome of God as if men in that were most apt to be deceived So Ephes. 5.6 Be not deceived for for such things the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience And observe when Christ goeth about to show to any man or to any Church what their sins are or what their danger is he addes this Let him that hath an eare heare what the Spirit saith to the Churches his end being to tell them of their sin still that comes in He that hath an eare to heare let him heare As if he had said when I come to speake of matter of sin there be many here that can tell what I say that can understand me well but few have eares to understand indeed As when the Prophet came to Ieroboam he heard the Prophet so as it anger'd him he knew what his sin was but he heard it not to purpose So when Christ pronounceth a woe to the Scribes and Pharisees they heard it well enough but they had not an eare to heare it to purpose Men may heare what flesh and common reason and common men say of sin but not what the Spirit saith of it there is another kinde of sinfulnesse in sin which is the spirituall evill of sin and what the Spirit saith of this they doe not heare Therefore you must even be brought to Christ as the deafe man was who being both deafe and dumbe was brought to Christ that he might lay his hands on him now Christ put his finger into his eares and saith Ephata be thou opened and then the man heard and spake so of all men that heare this Word there is not a man but he is deafe according to this inward kinde of hearing therefore you must be brought to Christ and beseech him to give you eares to heare for few hath eares to heare what the Spirit saith unto the Churches when it discovers their sin and misery Therefore let not this Doctrine be in vain to you but learne from hence to humble your selves to come to God and say to him Lord I am now amazed and confounded I thought before losses and crosses were great matters but now I see they are but flea-bitings to sin I was heretofore troubled at a small crosse but little or nothing at sin Lord I confesse this was my case but I see now sinne is another thing Thus we should learne to humble our selves before God But if any object This is the way to discourage men to make them desperate to make them fly from Religion by telling them sin is so terrible I answer it is not the way to discourage men from comming to Christ but to encourage them and drive them to him This is the way to Salvation Indeed if there were no remedy for sin it were a desperate case but
treasure in him that he is full of all grace Wilt thou goe poore and miserable and naked and in rags having such a full wardrobe there why dost not thou goe and sute thy selfe from top to toe Why doest not thou get grace of all sorts to adorne and beautifie thy selfe withall For all treasures are in him Why doest thou go starved hungry and thirsty drooping all the day If thou hast him he hath fatlings and fined wines he bids thee to a Feast that is there is abundance of comfort in him there be Priviledges there if you consider of them if you will feed on them as a man doth on meat you shall be comforted with them as a man refreshed with wine Consider what is in Christ and make use of it and know there is not only plenty in him but bounty too in him is all fulnesse and why is it in him not for his sake but for ours he hath filled himselfe for us and he is not only full but bountifull he hath an even hand to dispence that goodnesse therefore make use of it Now the second part of this exhortation I told you belongs to them that yet are not in him that they would be content to take the Lord Iesus for their husband for if the being in him be the ground of all salvation it is motive enough to bring you in Now you must know that the Lord offers him to you he is exposed to you if you will but take him You will say in what consists this taking It consists in these two Acts one is a perswasion that the Lord is willing to come to thee to be thy Husband to be thine The second is a resolution on thy part to be his if thou canst be content to give thy selfe up to him to serve him to love him to live no more to thy selfe but to him altogether Now when we exhort men to come into Christ it may be for the first Act you will be content to be perswaded of it that he is willing to take you though there be a difficulty in that yet it may be you will goe so farre but when you come to the second to resolve to give up your selves to him to be his for ever and to serve him in newnesse of life here every man is at a stand here men deale with God as they that were invited to the Marriage they made light of it and went their way one to his Farme another to his Oxen c. So is it here with us for the most part they make light when we offer Christ they goe about their businesse one about this vanity another about that they will not come in and take him and what shall we say to perswade men to come into Christ Indeed it is a dangerous thing to refuse to come in You are the men that are invited and we are messengers sent to invite you every man must apply this to himselfe he must thinke I am the man invited therefore I must consider what answer to give for you shall find of them that were invited and did not come not a man of them shall taste of the Supper not a man of them that was invited must com There were many thousands that were never bidden yea many hundreds that live in the Church were never bidden to the Feast that is Christ was never clearely offered to them but when Christ is propounded to you as you know he hath oft beene this is the very bidding of you to the Supper Take you heed of refusing It may be many others there are that were never bidden but when you have beene bidden take heed not a man of them that have been bidden and refused shall â—aste of the Supper Now you know wee are bid while wee are in this life this is the time of grace but yet when a man refuseth this bidding at this time or at any other time take heed lest he bid you no more he sent no more to them that refused Let them alone and they shall be slaine before me But howsoever our businesse is to compell you to come in that is by strong arguments by reasoning with you by perswading you effectuall to come in Therefore consider these Motives First you shall find rest to your soules Come unto me all yee that are weary and heavie laden and you shall finde rest Matth. 11.28 29. Rest is that which every man would have For Sinne is a wearinesse to the Soule it wearies you with the guilt of it with the taint and corruption of it You shall find rest unto your soules that is if you were in me once you should have your sinnes forgiven you Which David magnified in Psal. 32.1 Blessed is he whose sinne is covered But you will say this is a small mercy you shall have your sinnes forgiven will this move men to come in who cares for forgivenesse of sinnes if we should come and make offer to men that they should be free from crosses and troubles that they shall have present benefit and honours and riches that were a motive indeed to bring men to Christ Thou foole if thy sins be forgiven thee shall not all misery be taken away Is not sinne the first linke of the chaine the first wheele that drawes on all thy miseries If thy sinnes be forgiven all thy miseries shall bee scattered all those clouds shall be dispersed Therefore the Scripture compares Sin to a Cloud What hinders good things from thee but sinne When a mans sins be forgiven him he shall have them in abundance Be of good comfort saith he Thy sinnes be forgiven thee Till then a mans heart is never filled with comfort but as I said it is clouded with many discomforts sorrowes and perplexities therefore they are compared to clouds because they shal be dispersed as clouds when thy sinnes are forgiven thee all thy life after is as a Sun-shine day when all the clouds are scattered Therefore Be of good comfort Againe thou hast boldnesse by it The Innocent is bold as a Lion thou art bold with God For thou commest with boldnesse unto the Throne of Grace and thou hast boldnesse when thou hast to doe with men when trouble and persecution comes then art thou as bold as a Lion when thy sinnes are forgiven thee Againe when thou commest to beare any affliction it is nothing when sinne is forgiven for sinne is the sting of affliction and what is the Serpent when the sting is gone Affliction is nothing death is nothing you see what they were to Saint Paul imprisonment and death were nothing to him because the sting was taken away In a word thou art a blessed man if thy sinnes bee once taken away David saith Blessed is hee whose sinnes are forgiven When David looked round about and considered who was blessed he pitched on this Blessed is the man whose sinne is forgiven If some other had looked about him hee would
that what he hath said and sworne he will performe Heaven and earth shall passe away but his Word shall not passe This indeed is our chiefest consolation that our saith is not built upon perswasions and imaginations of our owne that our sinnes shall be forgiven but it is built upon the sure Word of God And as Saint Paul saith Gal. 1. If any Angell from heaven should preach any other Gospell you should not receive it from him So when you have this sure Word that God hath given you a generall pardon Come unto mee all yee that are weary and heavie laden c. You may build upon this sure Word Now when you put all these together that the Lord hath said it and put his seale to it if he should not doe it the death of Christ should be of none effect no flesh should be saved no man would worship God Againe there is nothing can be an impediment to us not of greatnesse and multitude of our sinnes nor our relapse into sin not our unfitnesse Why should we doubt But now this is the Condition on Gods part Then see the Condition required on our part What is that First it is required that we take the Lord Iesus Christ for though the Lord give him in the Sacrament though he offer him in the Gospell except we take him he is not ours If we beleeve that one will give us a thousand pound that makes not a man rich if he be ready to give it it is the taking that makes us rich If we beleeve that there is such a soveraigne Electuary that is able to heale that beleeving doth not heale it is the taking of it if it be not taken it heales not And therefore there is required a taking of Christ So many as received him Ioh. 1. he gave power to be c. So many as received him If a Virgin beleeve that such a Suitour is willing to take her for his wife except she take him for her husband it is no match And so to beleeve that Christ is ready to forgive and pardon our sinnes to beleeve that God the Father will give Christ to you as he hath To us a Son is given Esay 9.6 To beleeve this except we take him doth not profit he is not ours till then This taking is that which the Scripture cals Faith this is a beleeving in him If you would know what this taking is it is nothing else but the very accepting of Christ for our King for our Lord and Husband So that look what it is among men if you would aske what it is for a spouse to take such an one for her husband for a servant to take such an one for his master for a subject to take such an one for his King it is no more but this the very act of the will whereby they consent and accept such an one for their Husband for their Master or King it is the taking of him and this is the taking of Iesus Christ I say when we shall accept him when we see God hath given him to us and that he hath given himselfe when we take him for our Lord and Master that is the very act of the will whereby we resolve to make him ours and resolve to give up our selves to him as he is given to us That is the first condition that is required we must take him and this the Scripture cals faith Is this all No there is somewhat else required you must take him in deed aswell as in will that is you must so take him as to serve him and only him to turne from all evill wayes and therefore the pardon runnes so though it be a generall pardon as there is a generall proclamation whatsoever your rebellions be it is no matter for all kinde of rebellions there is neither any sinne nor any person excepted but then this condition runnes along with it you must take him for your King Is that all No you must lay downe your armes of rebellion you must renounce the Colours and Tents of the Enemie and come in and be subject to him you must live by his Lawes And therefore besides taking of him there is required that we be ready to obey Christ in deed and not to take Christ onely as a Saviour Every man is ready to take him as a Priest to save them from their sinnes but to take him as a King and a Lord so as to be subject unto him here all the world is at a stand as the young man when he came to Christ and he tels him what he must doe Goe sell all c. He would not take him with this condition here every man is ready to refuse him We are willing to follow Christ thorow faire way but not thorow foule and rough way we are willing to take him with a Crowne of glory but not with a Crowne of thornes we are willing to take the sweet but not the sowre But we must know if we will take Christ we must likewise obey him and take him as an Husband our will must be subject to his will we must take him as a Lord we must be subject to him in all things we must keepe his Commandements and therefore he hath so exprest it If you will suffer with him you shall reigne with him not else If you will obey me and keepe my Commandements then you shall be my Disciples if you will follow me and deny your selves and take up your crosse c. Take up my crosse daily Therefore a second Condition is this which the Scripture cals sometimes repentance and conversion to God sometime obedience But is this all No there is one more required that we doe all this out of love for when a man is in extremity when he is driven to an exigent now to take Christ and to keepe his Commandements perhaps he will be willing to doe to expedite himselfe out of such a strait but will the Lord regard this Surely no except it be from love therefore Gal. 5.5 you shall finde them all three put together Neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith that worketh by love there you have the first Condition which is faith The second which worketh it is not an idle faith but it is a faith that sets you a worke and then you have the third they are workes that come from love A man will be ready to doe any thing to save his life you know a Merchant when he is on the sea casts away his goods when he is in extreme danger not because he and his goods are fallen out but to save his life he will doe it Take a covetous man let him be on the racke he will be ready to doe any thing but yet the man is the same And so for a man to do much for Christ to doe as we are ready to doe in the time of extremity when death comes when sicknesse comes when we are under some great
because that moves not so much being generall you will aske wherein this wrath of GOD is seene and wherein more particularly is this misery in being out of Christ I will name but these three particulars First you shall be subject to Death subject to Him that hath the power of Death You will say this is no such misery for are not holy men subject to death as well as evil men I but there is great difference the evill shall be subject to death as an enemie the last enemie that shall be destroyed is Death which shewes that Death is an enemie I say they are subject to Death as an enemie Death may come to two men and be a friend to the one and an enemie to the other that which he saith Death is the rich mans enemie and the poore mans friend we may better apply it to the godly man and to the evill man And surely it is true Death is the Godly mans friend and the wicked mans enemy the same Death as you know the same messenger comes to call Pharaohs Butler and his Baker he came as an enemie to the one and as a friend to the other he came to call the one to promotion and the other to execution so doth Death Now Death when that comes as an enemie is terrible when that comes with a sting Death indeed without a sting is nothing but Death when it comes with a sting and the sting of Death is sinne this we consider not that Death hath a sting it is a Serpent that often stings without hissing without warning it comes suddenly it comes certainly we see continually how men fall from the tree of life as leaves in Autumne we consider not this but this is among the miseries that we are subject to death and this is a great misery Those that can looke upon other miseries and dangers and out-face them without being daunted when Death comes that appales them that looses the joints that makes them tremble that makes their knees knocke together You know it is said of Saul David professeth that he was valiant as a Lion in his Songs of him when the newes of Death comes he fals to the ground there was no strength in him All are petty miseries to this this is the great Giant that makes the stoutest heart to tremble at his approach But is this all that we are subject to death when we are out of Christ No we are subject to the feare of death likewise which is an hundred times worse that death it selfe Heb. 2.14 He hath delivered us from him that had the power of death he hath delivered us that for feare of death were all our lives subject to bondage I say the feare of death is worse than death it selfe because death continues but a moment it is soone gone but the feare of death continues alwayes a long time like the hand-writing which kept Belshazzer in feare so this feare of death keepes us in a continuall trembling this is that that imbitters all our comforts that sowres all our joy this feare of death they were all their life-time subject to bondage through the feare of death Therefore it is not said that death is bitter to him that lives in pleasure but the remembrance of death all the joyes and comforts that we have in this life what are they when they are accompanied with this I say ther is nothing terrible but so farre as it is mingled with this feare All evill and dangers are so farre terrible as they are harbengers of death as they are crackes to give warning of the fall of the whole house that shall never be repaired againe Whatsoever pleasure we enjoy this is the gall that takes away the sweetnesse of all though the pottage were otherwise good when the Colloquintida was in them there is death in the pot so I may say when death is joyned what sweetnesse is in them That is the condition of every man living out of Christ he is not only subject to death but to the feare of death continually But is this all No there is yet more there is Hell Death hath a Page that comes behinde him that is ten times worse than himselfe Rev. 6.7 8. I looked saw a pale horse and the name of him that rode on him was Death and behinde him followed Hell That is Hell is the hooke that is hid in Death when we are once taken with that hooke we are kept there for ever If Death should come without Hell it were another matter Death is but the lightning it is Hell that is the crack of thunder and shall we like children be afraid of the lightning and not be afraid of the bolt It is hell that is the gate that keeps us for ever Death is but the arrest that carries us thither Therefore consider what it is to be subject to Hell as our Saviour saith What will that availe a man to win the whole world and lose his soule Consider well of that speech What will that availe you to save all things else if you lose your soules as if a man should save the paring of his nailes and lose his finger as if he should save his shooe and lose his foot as if he should save the ship and lose the fraught as if he should save the house and destroy the man that dwels in it so it is to save other things and to lose the soule No it is the terrible thing Hell that followes Death In all other miseries yet this is our comfort that Death will come in the end and put a full point and period to them but this second death Hell is such a death as hath no other death to end it Therefore as wee say But for hope the heart would breake surely there is no hope and therefore there is a breaking of the soule aswell as torment of the body Therefore consider what Hell is what eternity is this is the misery we are in out of Christ you are subject to the feare of death you are subject to Death and to Hell too Death is but the Stalking-horse it is Hell that is the Fowler that hath the peece and the shot to destroy us utterly And therefore consider what case you are in out of Christ what misery you are in out of him that when Hell and Death come as she said Vp Sampson for the Philistims are on thee so when we shall say Hell and Death is on you and your haires are cut off that is Christ is gone from you for the cutting off his lockes was but an embleme that God was departed from him I say when they are on us If Christ be away what a case are we in Shall they not take us and carry us to that prison there to lye for ever Therefore consider this it is certaine the destroying Angell will come and commonly he comes in the night Death commeth when thou least lookest for him as a theefe I say the destroying Angell
reasons we shewed the last day but not to stand to repeate them The last day because they stand so much on Fathers in this point we shewed you the opinion of divers of them Of Origen or Athanatius Ambrose Tertullian Augustine and the rest To that wee will adde but this to cleare that point conâ—erning the opinions of the Fathers You shall finde that Ireneus that lived within seventy yeares after the death of Saint Iohn is cleare in this point That the Bread and Wine are but Sacraments and Figures of the body and bloud of Christ after him thirty yeares lived Clemens Alexandrinus Tertullian and Origen for they lived much about a time Origen was the Scholer of Clemens Alexandrinus these do as evidently explaine it as any of our Divines though not so distinctly because the controversie was not then moved and therfore you must not expect so full and so cleare and distinct expressions as you have in these times when wee have more occasion to doe it I will not trouble you with Citation lest I spend time too much but you shall finde it so in them After their time Augustine expresseth it so fully as that Calvin or Beza hath not done it more clearely as I shewed by some Allegations out of him the last day From his time I doe not finde that this opinion of theirs had any footing in the Church till the time of Damascens that lived in the yeare seven hundred thirty He was the first that began in the Easterne Churches this opinion of transubstantiation Chrysostome hath sore hard speeches but such as may well be interpreted if you looke on him in the tract of his writings you shall see evidently that hee never dreamed of any such reall presence as the Papists affirme But I say Damascene was the first that set this false opinion abroach in the Easterne Churches in the Greeke Churches about a hundred years after In the Western Churches in Italy and those parts it began a little to bee set on foot in the time of Carolus Calvus Emperour who being troubled with that controversie set Bertram a work a Presbyter a learned man one of the most learned of those times and desired him to expresse his opinion in that point Hee writ a learned booke of it and so the controversie continued in good state and condition till two hundred yeares after or lesse betweene one and two hundred And the first man that began to infuse this poyson into the Church was one Lanfranke Arch-Bishop of Canterbury in England a man learned but very pernitious to the Church After his time the opinion began to bee somewhat hot and then Beringarius writ against it who upon his condemnation retracted it but before his death repented the retraction and upon writing his retractation it beganne to bee put upon men by necessity by the Pope which was done in the time of Bernard foure hundred yeares since I have done this that those may bee satisfied that are not satisfied with the Scriptures and with the reasons that were brought but would know the opinion of the Fathers To stand to cite all the particulars were a vaine worke So much for that After we shewed the falsenesse of their opinion we shewed in what manner Christ is communicated to us in the Sacrament Not to stand to repeate it Wee are now to come to those other particular blessings or comforts which we have in Christ which should invite us to come in and take him The next therefore is this you have it in Matth. 11.30 Come to me saith he all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will ease you you shall finde rest to your soules that you shall have to invite you if you will come in and take Christ you shall finde rest to your soules that is looke what the haven is to a Seafaring weather-beaten man looke what a coole refreshing shade is to a man that is scorched with the heate of the Sunne looke what a cover is to a man that is beaten with the storme to the shore such is Christ to those that come in and take him And therefore that we may know what this rest is which you shall finde if you come into Christ. Let us finde out what this wearinesse is Now in sinne you shall finde this wearinesse First there is a wearinesse in the service of sinne there is no bondage to the bondage of tyrannous lusts they are hard masters they set you to hard taskes if they say goe you must goe if they say come you must come Christ sets you at liberty from this bondage by mortifying of sinne and killing it as Moses did the Aegyptian that strove with the Hebrew which is a deliverance farre exceeding that out of the bondage of Aegypt which was so much magnified as much as the substance exceeds the shadow This is one kinde of rest you shall have by Christ you shall be delivered from the bondage of sinne Againe there is a wearinesse in the guilt of sinne committed which haunts us like furies and ever and anon gives secret whippes secret twinges to the soule from this Christ delivers us For being justified by faith we have peace with God Rom. 5.1 That is the conscience is calmed it is quiet which before was full of horrour and vexation Againe there is a wearinesse in the fruits of sinne the losses the crosses the sicknesse the imprisonment disgrace all which are but the fruits of sinne There is a wearinesse in these and from all these Christ delivers us partly in freeing us from many of these that otherwise we should have felt and partly in taking away the venome and sting from those we doe feele For that which is said of Death Oh death where is thy victory c. The sting of death is sinne it may be said of every calamitie The sting of imprisonment the sting of sicknesse the sting of disgrace the sting of all misery is sinne What is the Adder when the sting is away So what are all these when sinne is removed You know what they were to Paul what he endured how many prisons he went thorow how oft he was whipped how oft he was stoned how many things he suffered you have a catalogue of them ten or eleven and yet all was nothing to him he was happier in these than Nero was in his Palace But what should I give you an instance Take Adam in Paradice when he was in Paradice yet when he had but the sting of conscience you know he was filled with horrour Paul againe when he was sore whipped in the day and his feet were fast in the stocks and the sting of sinne was tooke away and he enjoyed a good conscience Silas and he sung that the Prison rung of them I say this condition you shall have in Christ you shall be delivered from sinne from the sting of sinne from the fruit of sinne
againe and so kindle the fire of Gods wrath which shall smoake to our destruction Thus by your words learne to know the sinfulnesse of your natures Lastly see it by your Actions Now sinnes in actions are of two sorts either sinnes of Commission and here you are to goe backe and consider what sinnes you have committed whether drunkennesse uncleannesse inordinate affections or injuries to men what provocations or rebellions against God and when you see them look on the number of them and on the greatnesse of them Consider their circumstances and among the rest the frequencie of them your relapses into them and that will make you with David Psal. 19. to cry out Lord who can understand his faults But we will not stand on this because iâ— is obvious every one knowes that actions are sinnes we will come to the second sort And that is sins of Omission which we are ready to slight and forget as no great matters but they are other things than wee take them to bee nothing hath more cause to humble us than they I say the sinnes of Omission the barrennesse and unfruitfulnesse of our lives may humble us as well as the rebellions and sinfulnesse of them We will run thorow them As first to be idle on the Sabbath-day is a sin of Omission and provokes God to anger as well as polluting it and breaking it with positive Acts. So the restraining of Prayer to neglect it to omit it or to performe it slightly for God takes prayers by weight and not by number this is not a small thing Againe to neglect the hearing of the Word to neglect the Sacraments a fault we have much cause to be blamed for in this place and thing you have often beene admonished to I beseech you learne by our Admonitions for they are the Admonitions of God let them I say learne that are guilty of it So Communion of Saints is a thing we thinke not of But Heb. 10.25 You shall see what a matter it was to neglect that Ordinance So Fasting and Prayer we thinke are not required at our hands and if nothing but the neglect of that were laid to our charge it were nothing But see what that is when the time is that God cals for it I say the very omission of that when God cals for it is a sin saith the Prophet which shall never be purged away by sacrifice but shall remaine to death Besides these omissions of Acts come to the omission of Graces I meane the want of them as the want of Love to Iesus Christ. Yet who confesses this want of love although 1 Cor. 16.22 Hee is pronounced accursed that loves not the Lord Iesus let him be had in execration to the death So the want of Delight in God who thinkes of it Come to our Callings and see our negligence and idlenesse in them shall we give account for every idle word we speake and not for every idle houre wee spend Let young Gentlemen looke to this that passe from vanity to vanity spending their time idly and unprofitably trifling out their Seed-time Consider what this sin of Omission is And so for growing in spirituall graces and knowledge that we gather not more knowledge it being the key of heaven that wee grow not in good workes but are poore in them omitting our times and opportunities Againe our sinfull silence not speaking when we should either out of sluggishnesse or feare of men or by-respects this is no small thing God will call thee to an account for it Consider whether you have let goe occasions of doing good denying of meat and drinke kils a man as well as poison so the neglecting of duties the omission of what tends to salvation shall be death as well as actuall sinnes by which you provoke the eyes of Gods glory to vengeance Therefore in that sentence of Christ he doth not tell them what they have done but what they have not done You have not clothed me you have not visited me Learne therefore to judge aright of these sinnes of omission that they may helpe to amaze us and so much for actuall sins And so much for the Law the first part of our rule wherein we have runne thorow the corruption of the Faculties and so have discovered our habituall sins and now thorow the three kinds of actuall sinnes in Thought in Word and in Action The second rule which I told you we are to observe is the Gospell And here you thinke you shall scape well enough for the Gospell brings damnation to no body But if you consider of it right you shall finde that the Gospell is much more terrible in this case than the Law that it will humble us more and that the sins against the Gospell are much greater than those against the Law Marke this in briefe The refusing of Iesus Christ when God offers him and remission of sins by him that you may have him when you will if you will have him on such consequent conditions as are required which is to deny your selves to take up your crosse and follow him this wee preach continually I say this contempt of the Gospell your unwillingnesse to take Christ is a great sin and that that should humble you above all the rest And that you may know that I have reason to say so consider Christs speech It shall be more easie for Sodome and Gomorrah than for such a people for such a City as when the Gospell of the Kingdome was preached to them neglected it so that the sin of Sodome is not so great a sin as the refusing of Christ. You know the greatnesse of that sin the punishment shewes it yet it is not so great as this Againe it is said of Moses and Christ being compared together That if they that sin against Moses Law are condemned how much sorer punishment shall they be worthy of that breake the Law of Christ that beleeve not the Gospell It exceeds the sinne against the other Againe consider is it a small thing to cause the bloud of Iesus Christ to be shed in vaine to trample it under foot and to count it a common thing But so doth every man that neglects it that hearkens not to it that is not ready to receive it that is not poore in spirit and so doth not hunger and thirst after Christ. Againe consider It is the chiefe Command and the breach of the chiefe Command must needs be the greatest sinne When the Disciples asked Christ what was the great Commandement he said This is the greatest of all To beleeve on him whom the Father had sent So 1 Ioh. 3.23 This is his Commandement that we should beleeve in the name of Iesus Christ. Againe the Gospell is the uttermost the Law makes way for the Gospell therefore the sentence and condemnation of the Gospell is peremptory and terrible and nothing beyond it Againe consider God was angry for the contempt
is one and a principall One even to know the greatnesse of your sins The third and chiefe use of all the rest is this This Corruption of Nature this abundance of Corruption which hath beene shewed to you should drive us to Christ. And that is our end wee doe not preach damnation our end is Salvation Therefore wee would have men to know their condition to know that they bee in state of death For that that keepes men from comming to CHRIST and the reason that so few are saved that so few take the Gospell is they are not poore in spirit And why are they not so Because they see not their sins And for this cause wee have beene thus long in opening this point that you may know your selves And this I dare say If you did know your selves if GOD had kindled a light within whereby to see your Corruptions you would not stand cheapning the Kingdome of Heaven as you doe you come now in a lame and remisse manner but you would then come and give all that you have for it and goe away rejoycing and thinke you have a good bargaine God should not then deny you you would wrestle with him as Iacob did and give him no rest till you have obtained a blessing This would awaken men out of their dead sleepe of security as that is the condition of every man by nature as he is sinfull so he is secure he considers not his sins Therefore to all that I have said you must adde something of your owne what I have said is no more able to shew you the sinnes you are subject to than a little Mappe is to shew you the whole world it doth but point to the sinnes you are subject to as a point in the margent The way to make it profitable is to goe home to your owne hearts to consider these things particularly to see how your minde your Conscience Will and Memorie is out of order to consider how you have offended in thoughts in words and in actions by sinnes of Omission and of Commission and by that meanes you shall reade your Natures in your hearts and make what I have said profitable to you And doe not thinke you may goe too farre Doe not thinke we wrong your nature in saying it is more guiltie than it is for wee doe not so I may boldly say this Take that man that thinkes worst of himselfe hee is worse than he thinkes himselfe to bee and that I may not speake without Ground looke upon the first Epistle of Saint Iohn the third Chapter and the twentieth verse If our Conscience condemne us God is greater than our Conscience and knowes all things That is the Conscience of man hath some light but what is it to the eye of GOD to the light that is in him And so much as his light is greater than ours so much more hee sees what is amisse in us The heart saith Ieremie is deceitfull aboue all things who can know it There is a depth of evill in the heart which no man can search it is deceitfull and puts false glosses on things to hide them from our eyes Therefore doe not thinke thou canst exceed but labour for thy Humiliation to see all these things in a greater measure in thy selfe than as they bee here described and that not nakedly but with all Circumstances The end of the Third Sermon CERTAINE SERMONS VPON HVMILIATION The Fourth SERMON ROMANS 1.18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodlinesse and unrighteousnesse of men which with-hold the Truth in unrighteousnesse AND this is a thing wee are very unwilling to do for the Medicine shews the Disease The Apostles taking of so much pains to perswade men that they shall not be saved by their own righteousnesse is an argument that it is an hard matter to perswade them It is the hardest thing in the Word to perswade a civill man that he must not sticke to his owne righteousnesse till God himselfe puts his hand to the worke for it is not in any mans power to convince him of his sinne or of the deficiencie of his righteousnesse Therefore that use wee should make of all that hath beene said to see the necessity that lyes on us to goe to Christ and that there is no salvation without him Now to make this Doctrine more effectuall to awaken you the more to rouze men out of that sleepe wherein they are by nature we will handle these two points First that the aggravations of sin are more than the sins themselves Secondly we will take away all excuses that so every mouth may bee stopped and when these two are done you will have much adoe to finde any starting-hole to keepe you from comming to Christ. For that is our End And these are very necessary For though you doe consider in your selves all the sins formerly named if it be done negligently without the Circumstances sin is a sword without an edge the Circumstance is that that gives it an edge that sharpens sin that makes it fit to wound us And secondly if the sword be never so keene and sharpe and yet we be forced to keepe it off it will not wound us Therefore we will I say in the second place take away the excuses by which men fence themselves and decline the stroke of truth decline this wound of the Law And so we will conclude this point and hasten to the rest For the first to make all you have heard before effectuall we will adde the Circumstances which is a thing necessary for it is a true rule the Schoole-men have that in moral things the circumstance is more than the thing it selfe Many times in natural things accidents are nothing in comparison of the forme but In moralibus as they say Circumstantia plus valet quà m forma For it is the Circumstance by which an action lookes if you looke round about it and see all that borders on it it will aggravate and make sin out of measure sinfull To run thorow them briefly First Consider this Circumstance in sinnes committed I speake of the corrupt nature of man that every sin committed against God is not only an offence committed against so great a Majesty for I will not stand to enlarge that Circumstance that the sin is greater as the person is greater against whom it is committed but consider the affection with which you commit it and you shall finde all this in a sin committed by a naturall man First an hatred of God in the sin They thinke they love God but if it be so what is the reason that word is put in Rom. 1.30 where the Apostle speaking of the rebellion of mankinde he reckons up particularly that which here he puts up in the grosse in the generall Haters of God You will say you doe not hate God but let me aske you this question Wouldest thou not live at liberty
Wouldest thou not have that removed which restraines thee Couldest thou not wish that there were no such strict law as Gods Law is Couldest thou not wish that there were not any Iudge to call thee to account Every naturall man had rather be at liberty hee wishes with all his heart that there were no such God no such Iudge Now if thou wishest God were not certainely thou hatest God when we wish a man not to be to be taken out of the nature of things out of the subsistence of being this man we properly hate and thus every man hates God Therefore Rom. 5.10 the Apostle speaking generally of mankind sayes When you were Enemies It is the condition of every man hee is an Enemie to God and sins out of Enmity and what obedience he performes is out of a false servile feare that is the first Secondly that is not all but he denies God dethrones him and sets up another god naturall men little thinke they doe so when they follow their Covetousnesse Lusts Honours Ambitions they little thinke they doe it But they doe Tit. 1. ult They professe that they know God but in their workes they deny him When they are charged with this that they thinke there is no God and told of the greatnesse of the fault as it is the greatest Treason to deny the King to be the King this Atheisme every man is ready to disclaime he thinkes it is not so with him But I beseech you consider there be two kindes of Thoughts in a mans heart some we call reflex thoughts when a man thinkes a thing and knowes that he thinkes it other we call direct thoughts which are in the heart but a man knowes it not and these must be found out by the Actions for they are discovered by the fruits But God that knowes the meaning of the spirit knowes likewise the meaning of the flesh Now saith the Text they professe they know him but in deeds they deny him that is in truth they deny God there bee certaine direct thoughts which have not such reflection in the heart of every naturall man by which he denies God for he honours not God as he ought hee denies the Power the Omni-presence the Iustice and Omni-science of God and if you can see this in his workes you may say there be such thoughts in him because he lives as if there were no God But you will object every man thinks there is a God It is true there is naturally some light in them but where there be two different Principles there be two different conclusions there is some light planted in them that teaches that there is a God but take the darknesse that is in their heart set aside from this light there is nothing but Atheisme he sets God aside and puts up something else in stead of him some make pleasures their god some make their riches their god some make their belly their god c. But we cannot stand on this Thirdly they despise God in the Commission of sin see it in the sin of lying wherein a man respects man more than God and so despises God he cares not though God knowes it and is a witnesse to it and so it is an injury to God a contending with God We little thinke it is so but see that place 1 Cor. 10.22 the Apostle speaking there of one particular sin that is of eating meat offered to Idols saith Will you continue to doe it Will you provoke God to jealousie Are you stronger than he It is as if you set your selves against him of purpose to doe him an Injury And these affections are in the sin of every naturall man And that is the first Circumstance A second Circumstance to aggravate sin is when it is committed against Knowledge and indeed no Circumstance does it more than this that a man sins against the light he hath when he knowes it to be a sin and it may be bethinks himselfe of it and yet commits it You know how it is with men An offence committed an Injury offered to a King after Proclamation comes to be a rebellion because his will was made knowne And so it is with God when he hath revealed a Truth to mee that I know this to be a sin and am convinced of it and yet goe on in it this alters the nature of a sin it is not now a bare Transgression of the Law but a Rebellion and so God is provoked in an high degree for in a sinne against Knowledge there is more harme more disobedience more presumption If a Prince be in a place where he is not knowne and findes not respect sutable to his worth hee matters it not hee wiâ—l not take it amisse for he is not knowne but if hâ— be known and taken notice of and yet neglected it is great dis-respect and taken for a great offence So when men sin against light given it aggravates sin exceedingly As in the one and twentieth verse of this Chapter this that the Apostle laid to the charge of the Romans aggravated their sin they knew God but they glorified him not as God as if he had said If you had not knowne him it were another case but to know God and not to practise according to knowledge to know God and not to glorifie him as God this God will not take in good part it shewes you are sinners and in a condition of death Therefore in Acts 17. saith dthe Apostle The times of Ignorance God regarded not but now he admonishes every one to repent that is when the Gentiles walked in their owne wayes before the Gospell came before God published and made knowne his will he wincked at it but now regards it not a yeare nor a day shall now passe without an account for it the axe is now laid to the root of the Tree he will deferre no longer he will take it no more as he did heretofore Therefore the Apostle Paul 1 Tim. 1. 13. saith I was a persecutour and blasphemer but am received to mercy because I did it ignorantly Why doth he adde that Because if he had had knowledge and so had done it wittingly and willingly his sin had beene out of measure sinfull and exceedingly aggravated it Therefore Daniel tels Balthazar as an addition to his sins Thou knowest all this and yet hast not humbled thy selfe if thou hadst not knowne it if thou hadst not had an example if it had not bin revealed to thee thy sin had beene so much the lesse and perhaps God would have suffred thee to live but thou knowest all this and yet didst not humble thy selfe But of all places take that in Rom. 7.13 Was that then which was good made death unto me God forbid But sin that it might appeare sinne working death in me by that which is good that sinne by the Commandement might become exceeding sinfull The meaning is this When a man knowes that the Law of God
suddenly which is enough to awake a man out of his sleepe of security for let him thus reason If GOD meant to save mee hee would give mee no rest in sinne for whom he intends to save hee afflicts before-hand that they may not perish with the world but those that will goe with the world he suffers to goe That is a terrible saying in the first Booke of Samuel the third Chapter and eleventh verse speaking of Hophni and Phinees saith GOD When I begin I will make an end and this is the sentence of all the wicked It is small comfort that you are free it being with you as with them that be seldome sicke that when they be sicke for the most part die for it When all things goe well with the wicked then the wrath of GOD comes like an Earth-quake which by reason of the winds being inclosed in the bowels of the earth hath a calme preceding it and so there is a calme in mens spirits before the Earth-quake of Gods wrath comes and then it is as a theefe in the night who comes when they be in a dead sleepe and least looke for him After this manner comes the wrath of God on the wicked as it is threatned Prov. 1.27 There shall come on them sudden desolation and destruction shall over-take them as a whirlewind it shall surprize them on a sudden and this may make men to tremble when they consider that sinne is attended with destruction when they sinne either GOD punishes them presently and then there is small cause of joy for the bitternesse is more then the pleasure or else he lets them alone and there is nothing in the world worse than to thrive in sin for then destruction will come suddenly The use then you are to make of it is First to teach you to see what sinne is in that it hath the wrath of God for its Concomitant Wee are apt to make a mocke of sinne we are ready to slight sin and to lay it in the light ballance of Common opinion and not in the ballance of the Sanctuary and so we come to be deceived Therefore this word Revealed must bee marked it intimates that we are backward to take notice of it except the LORD reveales his wrath from heaven and take us in hand to convince us of sin to shew us our corruption in its owne colours for we look on these things by a false light Thinke with your selves therefore what that must be which God punishes with eternall punishment See what it is in the punishment of CHRIT our Surety thinke what that is that brought CHRIST from heaven what that is that cast those Angels into hell to bee bound in chaines of everlasting darknesse Againe see it as you use to see it in the day of Death for then men are commonly awake see how it is then presented if it be not then terrible Againe judge of sin as men enlightned doe look to holy men how they judge of sin And which is without exception see how the Scripture presents sinne with this Concomitant the wrath of God as an evill and bitter thing See the Prophet Ieremie the second Chapter and it is certaine that the judgement of the Scripture is right And let all this humble you Secondly make this use of it learne to adde this to your humiliation As you must labour to see your state to have that corruption of nature which is in you discovered So you must labour for a sense of the wrath of God which if you get not you will never be humbled Labour to see God himselfe in his wrath looke not nakedly on an affliction but see God in it If a man hath a sight of him the Creator it will wholly amaze and humble the Creature Eliah was not moved with the wind that tare the rockes nor with the Earthquake though terrible but when God came though in a soft voice yet the presence of GOD humbled him that made him cover his face with his Mantle There be two kindes of Affliction one is that which the Creature is able to beare the other sort is when GODS hand is in it when they are mingled with his wrath These bee like Arrowes dipped in venome that make a deeper wound and such an one as is incurable when you feele the wrath God in any affliction let it be but a light apprehension in it selfe yet when the LORD shall set it on and mingle it with his wrath it will grow insupportable Iudas before his Treason thought thirtie peeces of silver to be a great matter and that he had got much by it but when God did manifest himselfe and revealed his wrath a little so that he saw God and had a feeling of him as every man shall have sooner or later you see what a condition he was in So it was with Belshazzer It was his feare of GOD when hee saw the Hand it was not the hand but the apprehension of GODS wrath that raised his thoughts and loosed his loynes and made his knees knocke one against the other So Paul when he heard the Word of GOD by false Samuel it cast him on his face he cared not for any thing that men did to him you know how David described his valour but when GOD comes to him that humbles him Consider what it is to have the mighty GOD of Heaven and Earth to be thine Enemie who hath all things at his Command and if hee bee thine Enemie all things shall worke together for thine hurt as every thing shall be for thy good if thou be in favour and covenant with him If thou say But I feele nothing for the present Remember though thou feelest it not for the present yet there is wrath laid up for thee God hath it in store Remember Gods dealing with them that sinned against him Shimei had committed a sinne that in Gods sight deserved Death so did Adonijah so did Saul and his seven sonnes that were hanged for breaking their oath with the Gibeonites You see how long these lay as if God had forgotten them but at length he brings them all to death Hee doth not powre out his wrath on the sudden perhaps thou shalt feele nothing of a long time but thou art condemned and when the Gaole-delivery comes thou shalt be executed for God remembers thy sins Cains sin lay at his doore though he saw it not it was not taken away but continued and it not onely continued and kept awake but it cried day and night unto him untill the crie entered into the eares of the Lord. The crie of sinne is like the crie of an Hireling to whom the just Master when the day is finished payes such wages as hee deserves So a sinner when his time comes is remembred before God though wrath hath beene restrained for a time yet now it shall seize on him Wee should learne by this to humble our selves And lastly if wee finde the wrath of God
and no way to scape it then goe to Christ for these two things we must doe First Wee must have our mouthes stopped that so all men may bee culpable before him Secondly Wee must bee shut up in prison hee shuts up all under sinne that the promise might bee to them that beleeve when a man is shut up under the wrath of GOD so that there is no evasion this will bring him in Indeed if the minde of a man can finde any way to get out hee will never come in to CHRIST But when hee shall not tell how to scape the wrath of GOD if hee sinne against man man shall judge him but who shall when hee sinnes against GOD If hee consider the Terrour of GODS wrath if hee shut up and his mouth stopped and hee left inexcusable and shall see himselfe a miserable man I say this will make him goe home to CHRIST And that is the use you should make of it and bee sure hee will receive you if you goe to him Sinne is like the firy Serpent and the Wrath of GOD like the Sting when you are wounded therewith then know there is no way to bee healed but to looke up unto IESUS CHRIST the Brazen Serpent and if a man bee not wounded hee will not looke up GODS promises are generall he hath bound himselfe in his Word Goe and preach the Gospell to every Creature none excepted and let him that is a thirst come and take the waters of life freely Let these drive thee to the LORD CHRIST and thou shalt certainly be accepted And so much shall serve for that point The end of the Fourth Sermon CERTAINE SERMONS VPON HVMILIATION The Fifth SERMON ROMANS 1.18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodlinesse and unrighteousnesse of men which with-hold the Truth in unrighteousnesse AND now wee have almost gone thorow these words the last part of them remains that is which with-hold the Truth in unrighteousnesse Wherein after the Apostle had declared the corruption of mans Nature in generall he now pitches on one particular especially that is such as with-hold the Truth in unrighteousnesse against whom the wrath of God is revealed In these words marke these three things First that there is a truth which God hath written in the hearts of naturall men Secondly that this truth is with-holden by them The word in the Originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies keeping it in Prison it is kept downe not suffered to rise up and shew it selfe in practice and action Thirdly the cause of it is out of love to unrighteousnesse or delight therein that is of unrighteous lusts But we will put all these into this one Proposition It is the condition of the best men before Regeneration to with-hold the Truth in unrighteousnesse That is the point Paul speakes not of the condition of some few but of the condition of men in generall And these be the men against whom the wrath of God is chiefely revealed these be the men that of all other thinke themselves the free civill men that carry themselves soberly deale justly with men that doe well in many things that indeed know much but practise not according to knowledge these I say be the men against whom the wrath c. It may bee you will object here That is strange that the more truth is revealed to men the more knowledge they have the more morall vertues they practise the worser it shall be with them For answer to this you must know that the having of this Truth the bestowing of any of these common graces puts no man into a better condition It is Gods worke and put upon his reckoning only Indeed the using or abusing of them is his owne worke and put upon his owne reckoning And therefore in regard hee may abuse them they may doe him hurt And those that have much of these Truthes but use them not or that if they doe use some of them yet doe it for their owne Ends and not simply for Gods glory are as abominable to God as those that run into the greatest outrages Men that are more civill are like Wolves tyed up others are like Wolves at liberty It is true other men do more mischiefe that is they commit more sinfull actions and consequently run into more guilt and their Condemnation shall be greater but those that are tyed up that by civility have their lusts restrained are no lesse abominable in Gods sight than others a wolfe tied up is as hatefull to a sheepe as one that is at large and so it is with these men for it is the condition of the best men before Regeneration to with-hold the Truth in unrighteousnesse Now in this point wee will handle three things First what this truth is Secondly how it is with-holden Thirdly the greatnesse of the sinne of with-holding the Truth c. For the first what this Truth is you must know there is a three-fold kinde of Truth First a naturall Truth written in the hearts of men to whom the Scripture was never revealed Secondly a common Truth or common knowledge such as they have that live in the Church but are not sanctified Thirdly a spirituall knowledge which sanctifies the heart of them in whom it is the two first whereof natural knowledge and common knowledge naturall men may have Now the thing we have to doe is to shew you what this knowledge here meant is because the difference is not very apparant Now as to understand what an accident is you consider the subject the author and efficient and the extent thereof so consider you these three things and then you shall know what this Truth is First where this Truth is now there is a Truth placed in the speculative part of the mind or understanding which is that by which we know and judge aright concerning God and morall vertues what is good and what is bad what is just and what is unjust whereby many men can discourse learnedly and clearely as Seneca and Tully and others of the Heathen in whom we finde many glimmerings and sparkles of true light As wee may finde Flowers in the waste though the proper place be the Garden The Church is the Garden of God as in Canticles My Sister my Spouse is as a Garden inclosed and it is true these Flowers properly grow there and if you will have them you must seeke them in the Scriptures in the Church of God but we may likewise finde them abroad Secondly this Truth is placed in the practicall part of the understanding and that is when we judge of good things to be done and of ill things not to be done and that as having reference to God that judges or rewards And this is it Divines call Conscience and it differs from the other in this that that judgeth simply whether it be good or bad but this gives lawes and rules and edicts of life it
step to Salvation And so much shall serve for this third use Fourthly if this be the case and miserable Condition wherein every man is before Regeneration to with-hold the Truth in unrighteousnesse Then take heed of putting thy selfe into that Condition consider the danger of disobeying this Truth of offending it of doing any thing contrary to it of restraining and curbing it for it is of that nature that if thou offendest it it will offend thee It is a Truth that God hath set in thy heart and appointed it to rule there if thou oppose it and set up usurpers he will doe as Iehojada did that set up the right King he will even set up this Truth at the day of death to accuse thee and to raigne over thee as a Tyrant It sits in thy Conscience it markes what is done amisse and will be assuredly revenged for every rebellion and offence committed against it as it is said of Truth in generall Magna est veritas praevalet if thou be for the Truth it will be for thee and if thou be against it it will be against thee and it hath God on its side it is attended with the wrath of the Almighty who will be ready to execute upon thee whatsoever this Truth shall alleage against thee though he doth it not presently yet all the while thou art in the way to Damnation as it was with Iudas and Achitophel Therefore be sure to keepe this Truth well that thou offend it not as thou art tender over thy weake stomacke to give what contents it to avoid what may offend it and then it shall be as a continuall feast to thee otherwise it shall be as a sicke stomacke to thee that doe what thou wilt yet whether walking or sitting still it will trouble thee So this Truth thou wilt not be able to deceive it will see what is amisse whether thou wilt or no 2 Cor. 4.2 saith the Apostle Wee commend our selves to every mans Conscience in the sight of God by manifestation of the Truth That is the Conscience within will see thee thorow doe what thou canst there will be an agreement betweene it and the Truth that is presented to it it cannot but observe all the obliquities of thy life all thy errours thou canst not deceive it nor long shake it off But it may be objected May not a man observe this Truth too much may he not be too scrupulous too carefull in regarding it I answer the Conscience may mistake and give that charge that it ought not but as wee say of Thistles they are a bad weed but it is a signe of a good ground where they grow so though scrupulousnesse be not good yet it is a signe of a good heart where it is If a man be to goe thorow a narrow passage or over a narrow bridge it is good to goe in the midst so it is good not to be scrupulous and yet not to give it offence for if thou dost with-hold it imprison it or restraine it thou shalt finde it will be revenged on thee for it is attended with the wrath of God Fifthly if this be the miserable Condition of all unregenerate men thus to with-hold the Truth in unrighteousnesse As there have beene words of Humiliation and reproofe so let mee shut up with a word of exhortation Be exhorted therefore from hence to give this Truth leave to rule and governe in thy heart and life doe not make a bancke against it or an hedge about it restraine it not fetter it not but suffer it to walke freely in every part of thy conversation to rectifie and reforme every facultie speech and action for so it ought to doe and as I said before thou shalt finde it a dangerous thing to restraine it Among men he that imprisons one whom he should not runs into a Praemunire and forfeits all he hath Commonly we faile both these wayes we give Lusts liberty which should be restrained and imprison Truth which should be at liberty therefore our judgement shall be accordingly For letting thy lusts goe at liberty take heed lest God say to thee as he did to Ahab for letting King Benhadad goe Thy life shall be for his life lest on the other side by imprisoning the Truth you forfeit all things and God take advantage of your forfeiture Since the fall of Adam man doth turne all things upside downe according to that which is complained of those Prophets They did slay the soules of them that should live and gave life to the soules that should die So doe men the Truth that should live they slay and the lust that should die they give life unto But you know what Gods judgement was on them Ezek. 13. He would destroy both the dawber and the wall of untempered morter God requires at thy hands that thou give account of the Authority committed to thee and take heed of abusing it If the King send a Privie Councellour or a great man about him to reveale his will to expresse his commandement in this or that particular that so men may know it and be free from the danger of the Law if a man in stead of obeying it imprison him how will the King take it at his hands What then will God doe in this case He hath put his Truth into the hearts of men he hath sent his messengers to shew his will that this he will have done If thou imprison this Truth be assured God will not hold thee guiltlesse therefore let it have liberty let it rule and raigne in thy heart let it doe what it will This benefit thou shalt have Thou sets it at liberty and it shall set thee at liberty Ioh. 8.32 If you continue in my words c. the Truth shall make you free From what or what great benefit hath a man by this freedome a benefit unspeakable thou shalt be free from the feare of Death from the hands of all thine Enemies to serve God in holinesse and righteousnesse from the feare of Iudgement from the feare of hell from the guilt and punishment of sin from the rule and tyranny of sin and is not this to be desired Againe if thou set this at liberty if thou wilt practice and use it thou shalt finde more benefit and sweetnesse from it than from the meere contemplation of it we are deceived in thinking that the knowledge of it is pleasant but the practice hard Indeed that that keeps the world from practice is because it is accompanied with persecution whereas bare knowledge crosses not at all and therefore most men are willing to heare and know but in practice they fall short But in this they are deceived for this Truth brings more pleasure in the practice and use of it than in the knowledge and contemplation of it Instance in Faith suppose thou know all the doctrine of Faith the knowledge is pleasant much more the practise if thou wilt
men to carry themselves towards an Almightie God maker of heaven and earth But secondly the second pretence is but God requires more of mee than that if that were enough to know God that there is an invisible God to acknowledge the Deity and eternall Power it were well but God requires more To this I answer God requires no more of any man than either he doth know or might have knowne goe thorow the whole Vniverse all men of the world that are or have beene and I say God requires of no man more than either he doth know or might have knowne I put that in because there be many men that might know more than they doe spoken of 2 Pet. 3.5 Some there are that are willingly ignorant He meaneth men that are willingly ignorant of some things but it is all one as if they knew them And this makes men of this Nation inexcusable as your ignorant Countrey-people who though they know nothing yet because they might have knowne they are as inexcusable as if they had knowne as much as any for though every Parish have not a preaching Minister which is a thing much to be wished yet there is no Countrey but some light is set up in it whither they may resort if they will and this will make them inexcusable So they that live under much meanes that are ever learning and never come to the knowledge of the Truth and so have brought a sottishnesse on themselves they are inexcusable because themselves are the cause of their not profiting as a man that is drunke though he is not able to understand the commands of his Master yet because he was the first Author of the drunkennesse which caused such sottishnesse he is inexcusable so they that neglect the Word or when the Word enters not into the heart because men delight not in it as you shall finde these put together Prov. 2.10 When wisdome enters into thy soule and knowledge delights thee when the cause that men profit not is because they delight in other things the streame runnes another way and so as the Sunne puts out fire and the outward heat extinguisheth the inward heat so they doe drive out the Word by divers lusts when they might have abstained from those other delights and have attended to the Word with more diligence they are inexcusable So that God requires no more of any man than either he doth know or might have knowne The third pretence is and that is greater than the other two I but wee have no ability to performe the things wee doe know That every man is ready to say Who is able to practice according to his knowledge To this I answer It is false there is ability in every man to do according to that he knows for so farre as light goes so farre there is ability in the will and affections to follow that light there is a common light in men that are in state of unregeneration indeed sanctifying light they have not and they are able to goe as farre as their light goes and I will appeale to any mans experience let him looke backe to the course of his life and examine himselfe was there ever any particular action in all thy life from which thou wast so hindered that thou canst say thou couldest not doe it was there ever any particular sinne of which thou couldst say this sinne I could not abstaine from And howsoever we may make it a matter of dispute in the Schools yet the worst man one in whom we may thinke corruption of nature to be most strong when he comes to die he doth not excuse himselfe but acknowledge he is guilty If you consider the nature of liberty there a spontaneity in beasts by which they are carried to that which their appetite desires but that is not Liberum though Spontaneum But when a reasonable creature lookes on a thing as Elegibile or non Elegibile and not only so but is able to reason on both sides is able to see arguments for both that makes it differ from Spontaneity when there is no outer impediment when you may take or refuse it when you have Arguments to reason and see the commodity and discommodity of it your will is now free so that I may truly affirme every man hath a free-will to doe that for the not doing of which he is condemned marke it But you will object I but a man is condemned for not beleeving for not turning to God for not having his heart changed for not being a new Creature but these no man hath power to doe therefore a man is condemned for something which he is not able to doe To this I answer It is true a man hath not power to performe these but yet withall I say he hath power to doe those things upon the neglect of which God denyes him ability to beleeve and repent So that it is true though a man cannot beleeve and repent and neverthelesse for this is condemned yet withall take this with you there be many precedent Acts which a man hath in his liberty to doe or not to doe by which he tyes God and deserves this Iustly that God should leave him to himselfe and deny him ability of beleeving and repenting which as a necessary duty lyes on him So that though a man hath no ability to doe this yet he hath ability to abstaine from the things by the which he provoks God to anger and by which he deserves this at his hands not to be able to beleeve c. For proofe goe to this Chapter They knew God but they glorified him not as God therefore they having not done the precedent Acts which they should have done saith the Text God gave them up to their lusts He tooke away all ability to repent he deprived them of all the sparkles of common grace and knowledge which before they had but this is a thing which they themselves deserved first So much for the Third when we come to the use we will be more large Fourthly men excuse themselves from this their natures are corrupt and they have strong inclinations strong lusts inclining them to this or that sinne which they cannot resist therefore are excusable To this I answer It is not so none hath so strong an inclination to any sin but he is able to resist it This is the Argument Let a man have hell and death set before him nay let some temporall shame or punishment be set before him which hee shall immediately undergoe when such a sin is committed and see if this will not restraine him when the lust is most impetuous Therfore it is not because he cannot restraine it but because he will not Secondly hast not thou brought on thy selfe that strong Inclination that strange power of sinne Art not thou the cause of it For though there be originall sin in us yet we may intend that originall
the Plague By the late faithfull and worthy Minister of IESUS CHRIST IOHN PRESTON D. in Divinity Chaplaine in ordinary to his Majestie Master of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher of Lincolns INNE LONDON Printed by R. B. for NICHOLAS BOURNE and are to be sold at his shop at the Royall Exchange 1633. A SERMON PREACHED AT A Generall Fast before the Commmons-house of Parliament Iuly 2. 1625. NUMBERS 25.10 11. And the Lord spake unto Moses saying Phinehas the sonne of Eleazar the son of Aaron the Priest hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel while he was zealous for my sake among them that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousie WE are met together you know to sanctifie a Fast to the Lord. I will therefore speake a word or two of that Dutie before I come to the Text which I have read to you But I will doe it briefly the Common place thereof being too large a subject at this time to enter into And first wee will say thus much to you That this duty is a necessary not an arbitrary thing which wee may doe or leave undone at our pleasures You know there be many examples of it many commands for it in Scripture but of them wee will onely repeate two The first is that in Ioel 2.15 a place you wel know Sanctifie to me a Fast call a solemne Assembly When the Lord began to send Iudgement on the Land he straitly enjoyned the performance of this dutie which showes that it may not be left undone at pleasure To which I will adde that in Esay 22.12 13 14. The Lord called in that day to weeping and mourning but because at that time they fell to rejoycing It was revealed by the Lord of hoasts that that sinne should not be purged away till their death When there is a time for Fasting and when there are Iust occasions for mourning and humiliation the Lord doth then so require it that if you doe it not but will doe the contrary the Lord will never forgive it it is a sinne that shall not be purged away till you die You will say then What is a Fast In a word a Fast is nothing else but the sanctifying or setting apart of a day for humiliation reconciliation and reformation I say it is to sanctifie a Day because the day of a Fast must be equall to the Sabbath the very word used in that place of Ioel Sanctifie to me a Fast shewes as much In that day you may doe no servile worke but must keepe it holy to the Lord. That you have to doe in that day is first to humble your selves as in that place of Ioel Turne to me with fasting mourning and weeping Secondly it is for Reconciliation Lev. 23.27 it is called a day of Atonement Lastly it is for Reformation and therefore in the day of fasting the whole people entred into covenant with God as in Nehem the ninth chapter and the beginning of the tenth verse you shall see the Princes and people came altogether and seale a Covenant to the Lord to reforme their sinne of taking strange wives and entered into a curse and an oath to walke in Gods law I will say no more of that but will onely tell you what are the failings which we are most subject to in this businesse for wee may know the disease by the medicine if God takes great care to prevent our falling into a sinne it argues that we are apt to fall into it And first we are very ready to rest in the worke done in opere operato to thinke that the very action will please GOD. Therefore it is carefully added in Ioel 2. Rend not your clothes but your hearts that is when you come to sanctifie a Fast doe not thinke that the very outward performance of the duty moves mee It is the heart that I looke to therefore you must take care that at this time your greatest businesse be with your hearts Lev. 23.29 He who in that day meaning the day of the annuall Fast which was then instituted doth not afflict his soule for so the word is to be translated shall be cut off from his people The outward performance is not the thing that God respects or accepts he doth not regard that for hee is a Spirit and beholds the behaviour of the spirit he considers how we are affected in secret before him A second thing werein we are apt to faile is to thinke that One day is enough and when that is done there is an end of the businesse but it is not so that is but the beginning of it Esay 58.5 Is this a Fast to hang downe your head for a day Is it to bow it downe as a Bulrush Bulrushes you know in a storme hang downe their heads but when faire weather comes they lift them up againe So when affliction is upon us we are apt to humble our soules for a time for a fit but when a little peace or prosperity comes we forget to be longer humbled whereas the end of a Fast is so to begin the worke of Humiliation that we may the better continue it afterwards A third defect is this we are perhaps content to doe the duty and with some affection too but there followes no reformation of life Therefore in the same Chapter see how carefully that is put in Is this an acceptable day to the Lord Will I accept such a Fast as this When you finde pleasure and continue in strife and debate That is the Lord regards not the bare performance of the duty unlesse the end of it be attaynd now the end of it is nothing else but that every man in particular reforme the evils he is subject to yea his particular weaknesses and personall infirmities the mending of which is carefully to bee endeavoured when we sanctifie a Fast to the Lord else we assemble together for Wine and for Oile Hos. 7.14 As if hee should say you have not sought Mee when you howled upon your beds but your Wine and your Oile That is men are affected with the Iudgements of the Lord they desire to have them removed they wish for ease and prosperity and for that they assemble themselves but to Me saith he ye returne not A beast will doe as much when it feeles any evill oppressing it and therefore God cals it howling on their beds an action proper to beasts but the Lord lookes that you seeke him in sincerity and that you labour to make your hearts perfect in him In a word to conclude this remember That there is a double performance of every holy duty one is when we doe the worke as a taske and are glad when it is over when we doe it as servants that doe eye-service to their masters another is when not onely the thing is done but your hearts also are wrought upon for that is the end of the outward performance and
in the world what outward imployment soever wee exercise our selves in yet our maine businesse is in heaven we be ready on all occasions to look to the face of the Ruler of the Physition of men and creatures but we forget that the swaying of the ballance this way or that way is from the Lord When Iacob had prayed earnestly to be delivered from Esau God answers him thou hast prevailed with God and thou shalt prevaile with men so whatsoever businesse you have on earth if you will bring your enterprize to passe prevaile with God and you shall be sure to prevaile with men turne him and all is turned with him for all depends upon him Whatsoever is done on earth is first done in heaven and concluded there and then we feele and taste the fruit of it here From this generall we may descend to particulars and from hence you may learne That it is not our Army by Land nor our Navy at Sea that shall secure us at home or prevaile abroad though it bee well that these things bee done and therefore you doe well in contributing cheerefully to his Majesty for the maintenance thereof for the common good yet still remember that all your businesse is in heaven and that you must trust more to your faithfull prayers then to your preparations for successe in all enterprises It is not our woodden wals that will guard us it is not the Sea wherewith you are invironed nor our policy counsell and strength that will secure us and defend us but it is turning to the Lord and cleansing the Land from the sinnes wherewith he is provoked that will doe the deed Turne to him and then he will turne to you that shall bee a blessing on us and all our enterprises This is to see God in all things this is to sanctifie and exalt him for God in our hearts and without this all is nothing I will end this point with this briefe direction you know there is in every man I speake now of every man that is holy and not of others who are strangers from God the flesh and the spirit there is faith and sense and one of these two every man sets on worke to take a view of the things that are before them If you set faith and the spirit on worke to looke on things they will tell you it matters not what outward things are what the Creature is for it is God that doth all set the flesh on worke set sense and carnall reason on worke and they will bring quite contrary newes like the wicked Spies that were sent into the Land of Canaan who when they did but cast their eye on the state of things there they were first discouraged themselves and then discouraged the hearts of the people Oh there bee Gyants and wals reaching up to heaven Whereas the good Spies that looked on things with another eye brought another kinde of message Iust thus it is with us in sending out our Spies to looke upon the state of things before us if we send forth the Flesh Sense and Reason they bring report of terrible Wals and cruel Giants their power is so great their forces so strong that there is no medling with them but send Faith and the Spirit and the Will like good Spies looke on things with a right Iudgement and indeed that is all the difference betweene an holy man and another the one lookes on things with another eye hee sees a vanity in the Creature which the other doth not he sees an All-sufficiencie in God which the other cannot And therefore he hath onely an eye to the Lord all his care is to serve him and please him in all things So he hath no ill newes from heaven he cares for nothing on earth The other cares not how matters stand betwixt God and him so all things bee well below so his Mountaine stands strong and therefore that we may judge of things with a righteous judgement we must be carefull to see them in their true nature which onely Faith and the Spirit will present And so much shall serve for that point You see then that it is the wrath of God that doth all hurt and the favour of the Lord that doth all the good We come now to the second point which will come in well upon the former That it is sinne that causes wrath sin and wrath are knit together they are inseparable So that as Elisha said when Iehoram sent a messenger unto him to take away his life when he was sitting in the house with the rest of the Elders Shut the doore upon him and hold him fast for is not the sound of his Masters feet behind him So I say to every man If sinne and wrath come together then first shut the doore of sin which is the Messenger suffer it not to come in give it no entertainment for is not the sound of his Masters feet behinde him Doth not the wrath of God follow And shall not that wrath take away our head as Elisha said Therefore if you will keepe out GODS anger keepe out sinne But you will say I feele no such thing I have committed sinne and yet have no experience of his wrath following so close upon it I answer you must know this that as diseases must have a time of ripening so must sinne You know the poison of a disease enters not into the heart at first Sin hath certaine Vestigia which are set downe Iames 1.14 When Lust is conceived it brings forth sinne and when sinne is ripened and perfected it brings forth death The reason why it brings not death presently is because it is not perfect because it is not ripe The sinnes of the Amorites saith God are not yet full Ahab had committed a sinne he had got the Vineyard and slaine Naboth and yet heard nothing of it but when he had killed and taken possession too then came the Messenger of wrath and execution followed God let Iudas goe on till he had made the match taken recompence and betrayed his Master but than wrath came in upon him God stayed a great while till the sinne of Pharaoh was perfected till his hardnesse of heart was come to a ripenesse and then he was drown'd in the Red-sea Therefore in the second to the Romans it is said There is a Treasure of wrath Now in a Treasure there are three things First when a man is once able to treasure up any thing he is still adding to it and by degrees it growes and in that sense the Lord hath a Treasure of wrath as we adde sinnes he addes drops to the viall of his wrath till it be full Secondly it is a Treasure for a Time it lies still a while for else it were not Treasure And thirdly when the time of expence comes then it is opened And so it is with the wrath of the Lord it is gathered by
terrour of all others When a man observes this to be his case to lye in sinne and goe on in sinne and thinke there is no Iudgement nor greater terrour it is an argument that when God begins hee will also make an end As when one that is seldome sicke is seized upon by sicknesse hee is as one that is left by the Physitians there remains nothing but death But you will say to me If this wrath of God be so terrible and it be sinne that brings this wrath what shall we doe I answer It is your wisdome then to meet the Lord Amos 4.12 Therefore saith God will I doe thus unto theee and because I will doe thus prepare to meet thy God O Israel When the Israelites had sinned sayes Moses to Aaron Behold his wrath is gone forth runne quickly with Incense and stand betwixt the living and the dead It is our case Wrath is gone out the Plague is begunne amongst us therefore let every one looke to his owne privates and know that the way to prevent further Iudgement is to meet the Lord. But what is it to meet the Lord It stands in two things First in Humiliation of our hearts Secondly in Reformation of our lives First there must bee Humiliation and indeed till then no man will goe in to God We preach Reconciliation in the Gospell but men regard it not because they be not humbled men will only cheapen the Kingdome of GOD but they will not buy it they will goe through for it till they know the bitternesse of sinne Men doe in this case as the Israelites of whom when Cyrus made a Proclamation that every one that would might goe out of Captivity onely they went whose hearts the Lord stirred up and what should stirre up our hearts to goe out of the bondage of sinne Surely nothing but this sense of sinne Humiliation for and Apprehension of the wrath of God In the Iubile every man would not goe out of servitude some would continue servants still and why They felt not the yoke for if they had they would have gone out So I say this very Gospell that we preach is a generall Iubile every one may goe out from under the yoke of Satan if he will but till men feele the bitternesse of sinne the heavinesse of his yoke till men be humbled they will not goe out but continue servants still And therefore Humiliation is first required for as long as a man hath any thing to trust to he will not come in It was the case of the Prodigall Sonne as long as his goods lasted he thought not of returning home when they were spent he hired himselfe forth and if that could have afforded him a living he would not have come home nay if hee could have got huskes to maintaine life hee would still have stayed abroad but when all meanes of comfort failed him when he had nothing to support him then saith hee I will goe home to my fathers house And so till we be humbled throughout so that we can see no meanes of longer subsistance that our hearts bee throughly touched with the sense of sin we will never come in to God and that is the first thing we must doe Secondly this is not enough but that you may meet the Lord there is required reformation likewise And herein I will say this briefly you must remember that this reformation be generall of greater sinnes and of smaller too You will say I hope there is some difference and every small sinne is not such a matter I will show the danger even of small sinnes and so will end this point You shall see what a small sinne is by that speech of Samuel 1 Sam. 15.23 when the Lord had bidden Saul to goe and slay the Amalekites and destroy them and theirs utterly but Saul did not so for hee spared the best of the flocks and Agag their King Samuel gives him this answer in effect Saul saith he be the thing never so small yet thy not doing of it is disobedience yea it is stubbornnesse and rebellion And so I say to every one be the sinne never so small instance in what you will is it not disobedience Suppose it bee the least Oath yea but a vaine speech suppose it bee carelesse performance of holy duties be they what they will yet is it not disobedience Is it not repugnant to what the Lord hath commanded As the Lord said to Adam the matter was not the action of eating of the Tree but hast thou eaten of the Tree of which I said Thou shalt not eate And if it bee disobedience whether it be in greater or smaller matters see what Samuel judgeth of that Disobedience and rebellion is as the sinne of witchcraft thou hast cast the Lord away by doing it The meaning is this When a man comes under the Lords government hee applies himselfe to him as the Souldier doth to his Generall alwayes to follow him and in all things to obey him now he that disobeyes his Generall hee casts his Generall away and leaves him And thus Saul was said to cast the Lord away because in that particular he would not follow him Againe why doe you cease to follow the LORD but that you set up some other god to follow And therefore Samuel addes stubornnesse and disobedience is as Idolatry that is you never disobey God but you take another god to you therefore it is no small sin because every sinne is disobedience And since God commands exactnesse since hee hath commanded mee to keepe the Sabbath to pray and to be fervent and frequent in it consider it shall I neglect what the Lord hath commanded me If there be a command to this or that duty am not I bound to endeavour to keepe it And if I goe aside ought I not to returne againe for else it is disobedience It is true the best of the Saints are not able to doe all this that we doe not deny yet this they doe they endeavour to doe it they carry a constant purpose of heart to doe it they desire to doe it they never come to give over striving to doe it they never say I must give liberty to my selfe in this I cannot choose but faile in this and so lay aside their wasters they have continuall warre with Amalek they never make peace with Sinne and that 's the difference betwixt spirituall men and others they are as a Spring for if an uncleane thing fall into a Spring the Spring is not uncleane because the Spring workes it out againe Indeed if it fall into a Pond or Pit of water that shall be uncleane because it lies there it cannot worke it out So it is with every godly man in every regenerate heart there is a Spring of grace though hee may sometimes fall into foule sinnes yet hee will worke them out and cleare himselfe againe whereas another man when hee
your Sanctification And if there were no other reason but Gods will that those that be justified shall be sanctified it is enough God hath called you to holinesse he hath appointed it hee wills it and his will is sufficient to enforce it Againe consider when we are ingrafted into Christ it it not simply an ingrafting but wee are ingrafted into the similitude of his death and resurrection Rom. 8. that is no man is ingrafted into Christ but sinne is crucified in him hee is dead thereto that is he is a dead man in regard of the life of sin and is alive to God as Christ rose from the dead so he is raised to newnesse of life If it had beene simple ingrafting into Christ there had needed no further Relation but we are ingrafted into the similitude of his Death and Resurrection Again it was the end of the Lords comming If hee had come only to save men there had beene no need of being New Creatures but he came also to purifie unto himselfe a peculiar people zealous of good workes and to destroy out of man the workes of the Devill and to purchase to himselfe an holy Generation and Royall Priest hood Now whatsoever the Lords end is he never failes of Againe you must consider that to whomsoever Christ is a Priest hee is also to them a Prophet and a King he is annointed to all these Offices And therefore if you will be saved by him by the vertue of his Priest-hood you must take him as a Prophet that is you must take his counsell in all things and not only so but he must also be your King you must not only learne his way but you must also be perfectly subject and obedient to him to walke therein Indeed as a Priest he reconciles God unto us but not us to God except hee come with his other two Offices for man stands out and will not know the way and therefore as a Prophet Hee is to guide our feet into the way of peace and that is not all therefore because our hearts are stubborne and will not come in he exercises his Kingly Office And brings into subjection every thought to the obedience of his will Againe looke to all the meanes as first to Faith the same Faith that justifieth doth also purifie the heart Having their hearts purified by faith Act. 15. And as many as are sanctified by faith that is in me Act. 26.28 And likewise the bloud of Christ not only covers but also heales Hebr. 9.14 How much more shall the bloud of Christ who through his eternall Spirit offered himselfe to purge your Consciences from dead workes c. It hath not onely vertue to take away the guilt of Sin but it is effectuall also to purge the conscience from the power of sinne Againe the Gospell wee preach doth not only offer Christ but likewise cleanseth You are cleane through my Word Ioh. 15. And in the hundred and nineteenth Psalme and the ninth verse Wherewith shall a young man cleanse his way by taking heed thereto according to thy Word The Spirit as it is a Spirit of Adoption so is it of Sanctification making clean the roome where it dwelleth and making it a fit Temple for the Lord. Consider the Sacraments Baptisme doth not only wash from the guilt of sin but from the filth of sin also from the blot and deformity of sinne And so I have done with these two points how Sanctification rises from Iustification and that they cannot be separated Before we proceed to other Observations we will by way of Vse from the inseparability of Iustification and Sanctification draw this consequent that if they be inseparable we should goe to God and beseech him that having given us the first that he would grant us the second also If you have any assurance that your sins are forgiven you let him not deny you this to make you new Creatures they be inseparable and therefore you have just cause to pray him not to separate them therefore you may claime them both as your due seeing you have his promise for both and you must urge him on his promise we desire Iustificatioâ—â—or our owne sake but Sanctification that we may glorifie God and therefore when you come to God with this request Lord make mee a new Creature that I may bring glory to thy Name that I may serve thee and do good in the place wherein I live he will not deny thee Consider but this very Sacrament which we are now going to receive you must know that the Sacrament seales the whole Covenant of God as 1 Cor. 11. This is the New Testament in my bloud that is this Cup is a signe and seale of the new Covenant which I have made with man and which is confirmed with my bloud Now what is that Covenant You shall see it it Ezek 36.26 and it containes three parts all which are sealed by this Sacrament First hee promiseth to wash them from their filthinesse that is from the guilt of their sins which is the first part Secondly A new heart will I give you and a new Spirit I will put into you that is I will make you new Creatures which is the second part of the Covenant Thirdly I will call for the Corne and will encrease it and will lay no famine upon you c. that is hee will give all outward comforts you shall inherit he Earth and be heires of the world and of â—ll in the world for the world is yours 1 Cor. 3. All and all in it is yours This is the whole Covenant of God and this hee seales to every one of you when you come to receive the Sacrament If you receive it worthily for it is the New Testament in his bloud And therefore seeing hee seales it to you that he will give you a new heart and a new Spirit and make you new Creatures you should go to him and claime it of him for you may sue him of his own bond written and sealed and he cannot deny it therefore begge it and you cannot misse of it This is a very comfortable doctrine if it be well considered For what is that that keepes a man from comming to Christ but his discouragements He thinkes it so hard a thing to be a new Creature that he cannot attaine it that he cannot leave such a course of life and therefore he stands off and though he will come in yet he will not as yet because it is a bondage intollerable But you do not consider what it is to have a new Nature If it were to have a new life and an old heart it were otherwise but the Lord will give a new heart and if he will not deny you but make you new Creatures you may be encouraged to goe to him If there be any Rebellion in your heart any untowardnesse in your nature if you goe to him for the removall of it it is
carried the matter fairly but like the Eagle hee had his eye upon the prey this secret eye marres all Doe not thinke that this is but a notion doe not say who is it but doth sinne and we may goe to heaven although we be not so exact as the Preacher saith we should be No it is more than so we may see good reason for it if we observe it well It is a good argument which we have in Philosophie A cup or a dish that is boared thorow is no dish yet there is but one hole in it because it is now of no use which makes it none because it is as good as none Take a dish boared thorow powre water into it it will hold none so take a mans heart for the reason will hold good in that and let there be but some secret leake in it or some secret evill disposition although Saul doth well in every thing else yet if he harbour any sinne or although Balaam doth well in all things else yet if there be respect unto the wages of Iniquity they are both but like a dish with an hole boared thorow that take up any thing there will be an issuing out Therefore deceive not thy selfe thou art no New Creature except thy heart be perfect in all things This which wee deliver unto you take it no otherwise than what with reason you shall finde grounded upon a sure word in Ier. 2. They sought mee not with their whole heart but fainedly When a man seekes God but not with his whole heart God reckons it but a counterfeit seeking of him Therefore I beseech you looke unto your selves see whether you be holy in all manner of conversation I cannot goe thorow particulars but I must leave this to every mans brest who must reflect upon his owne heart Consider with thy selfe if sometimes thou givest libertie to thy selfe in ill or in the duties of new obedience to performe them slightly as good never a whit as never the better if thou doest any duty which thou knowest to be a duty and not truly know it is not accepted If you continue in sinne and will not know it to be a sin as in your inordinate gaming and the vanity of your speeches although thou thinkest them small yet they are able to kill thee the biting of a Viper is as small a thing yet it will bring death with it so if any sin be allowed in thee thou art not a New Creature thou wantest this new moulding thou art not yet cast into a new frame So much for the First part The second thing which we observed in this description of a New Creature is that A man must be cast into a new mould by the infusion of a new quality of Grace A mans heart is not put into a new frame by the transient Acts of the Holy Ghost as in building of an house there is no more for a man to doe but with his hands to joyne one thing with another but it is done by the infusion of a new quality As in Adam there was not onely a defect of weaknesse but of wickednesse so there must be a new quality infused into thy heart else thou art no New Creature In all things in the world that have actions there is a quality as the fire moves upward and there is a quality of heat in it as our Saviour Christ saith of the tree it must be good before it can bring forth good fruit and as in the Heb. 12.28 Wherefore seeing we receive a Kingdome that cannot be shaken let us have grace whereby wee may so serve God that wee may please him with reverence and feare that is there must bee a new quality wrought in the heart whereby we may be enabled to serve the Lord with reverence and feare The question you will aske me will be what is that new quality Not to stand upon generals for it is not that which profits but to pitch upon it I will shew you what it is by two places of Scripture Gal. 6.15 For in Christ Iesus neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor Vncircumcision but a New Creature Compare this with Gal. 5.6 For in Christ Iesus neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor Vncircumcision but Faith which worketh by love Would you know what this new quality which is infused is It is faith and love that is when this is once wrought in thy heart that thy heart is humble and broken which makes thee to know what sin is and what the wrath of God is for sinne and thou desirest Christ and thou hast thy heart calmed againe through beleeving thou doest beleeve that God offers his Son unto thee and thou art willing to take him not as a Saviour only but as a Lord also to obey him not as a Priest only but as a King to bee subject to him not as a friend only but as an husband if this be done it is properly faith Againe consider whether it be done out of love or out of fear lest thy Creditours should come upon thee and cast thee into that eternall prison where thou shalt pay every farthing this is not out of love Againe doest thou take him for his kingdom and his wealth only That is the disposition of an harlot who takes her husband for his wealth and not because shee loves him but thou must take him for love The Virgins love thee Cant. 1.2 The harlots doe not so but the Virgins love thy goodly person Againe thou must not take him in a good mood but till death doe part you thou must love him for ever No man loves a man truely but he is rooted and grounded in his love when thou doest find thy heart so humbled that thou doest reckon sinne the greatest evill and doest hunger after Christ and doest keepe him as thy life when thou doest all this from a love unto him thou art a New Creatures when thou takest Christ with love and such an one as is a working love now be assured that thou art a New Creature for this is that wherein it consists I observe this by the way for those that thinke they never have beene humbled enough the New Creature consists not in that but in faith and love Hast thou faith and love Then thou hast the thing it selfe and if thou hast that thou hast the preparation That is the first expression Another is in Ephes. 4.22 23 24. That yee cast off concerning the conversation in times past the old man which is corrupt through deceiveable lusts and be renued in the Spirit of your minde and put on the new man which after God is created in Righteousnesse and holinesse proceeding from truth There you have the thing named what it is to be a New Creature and what it is to be the old man still To be the old Creature or the old man is nothing else but to bee guided by lust which comes from errour in judgement and understanding But
now dead except it be by the ingresse of this New Creature thou hast little cause to comfort thy selfe for those lusts are but covered and laid asleepe for a time and will wake and rise againe as Sampson when hee was tied with cords rose againe and was as strong as ever he was when the opportunity came And it was told him The Philistims are upon thee Sampson So lusts are laid asleepe till the opportunity comes when all the threed of good purposes breaks and they rise again in their strength therefore if there bee not a New Creature brought within thy soule thy lusts are but laid asleepe they will rise againe Or put case they be dead and rise no more yet except it be by the ingredience of this New Creature they are but dead of themselves and so long as they die of themselves God regards not that death for that which is required of us in Rom. 12.1 is that we sacrifice our selves Now two things are required in the Sacrifice one that it be slaine that it die not of it selfe for that is not a Sacrifice Secondly that it be offered to God and not to any other god Now this we oft finde that lusts die of themselves change of age experience operation of circumstances time place and many things may alter the desires for you must know The world passeth away and the lusts of it that is they are of a transitory Nature A man doth not desire that this yeare which he did the last Doe wee not see many have beene riotous and prodigall in youth yet there is a great change in them not for grace but age and use and experience and many things make alteration These are not slaine to the Lord but they die of themselves so God would not accept them Againe they may be slaine but not to the LORD thou mayest offer them to thy selfe which is the same as if thou offeredst them to another god that is a man may finde much evill and inconvenience much bitternesse in them it may be they have brought shame and misery on thee Againe thou mayst feare Gods judgements and therefore mayest restraine thy selfe In a word If thy selfe be thy end in abstaining from any sin what ever it be there is a Sacrifice thou hast slaine it but not offered it to the Lord it is not done to him It is not because thou lovest the Lord Iesus therefore it is not a fruit of the New Creature for till then every man makes himselfe his end in all he doth but when hee is made a New Creature hee makes the LORD his end This therefore is the use of this there must be two parts of this New Creature Vivification and Mortification an infusion of the new Quality and a weakning of the old Because this is a point of much moment I will presse it a little further and deliver this Rule I say this other Consectary may be gathered If it be so then thou must finde in thy selfe these two things Thou must find in thy selfe something more than Nature and againe thou must finde in thy selfe something lesse than Nature Thou must have lesse than what thy corrupt nature had in it and more than common nature hath in it or else thou wantest this third part of the New Creature this third thing wherein it consists the induction of a new Quality and a weakning of the old We will urge this a little First there must be a lessening and a weakening of that was there before for you must know every man hath some personall infirmities some sinnes more peculiar to his Nature than others something wherein hee is weake every man hath it one of one sort another of another sort every man hath a more inclination to this or that sinne which is bred and borne with him If thou findest that this continues with thee still that thou hast the same running-sore on thee that thou hadst that thou findest no alteration in that that there is no lessening no weakning no destroying and mortifying of that then thou art not a New Creature and consequently thy sins are not forgiven for Iustification and Sanctification are inseparable It thy sins were pardoned they would be healed that is the thing you must consider It is certaine therefore if you doe not find them healed you are not yet in Christ for if thou wert in Christ truly there would a vertue come out of him that would heale thy bloudy-issue for the vertue of his death is never disjoyned from the merit of his death where ever he forgives sin he cures sinne therefore if thou findest that hee hath not cured any sin know it is not forgiven You may see it every where Mary Magdalen as much was forgiven her so she had a great cure wrought in her shee was changed she became another woman you see how exceeding holy she was when Christ said Thy sinnes are forgiven she went away with another heart So it was with Paul when once his sins were forgiven when God sent word by Ananias that hee was a chosen vessell withall he was made a glorious Professour of a raging Persecutour there was a healing of sin as well as forgiving of it So David when his sinne was forgiven when God told him by Nathan so much his sin was cured hee did not commit adultery againe therfore in the one and fiftieth Psalme the cure stands on record that all the world may know that where God forgiveth he healeth likewise So Peter when God had forgiven him that sin of denying his Master he cured it too To adde a little more I say Sinne must be healed if it bee forgiven for it cannot bee otherwise if God take any man to beare his Name and his sins bee not healed his Name should be blasphemed it would redound to his dishonour Againe if he should forgive and not heale us we should have no comfort from him nor he no service from us we should have no comfort from him because of the rage and vexation of ruling lusts Againe he should have no service from us for how can we serve him when we are not healed Can a sicke man doe any service Hee must be healed and restored to health first Now doe you thinke God will put his children in a condition that neither they shall have comfort from him nor he service from them therefore it is of necessity wheresoever sin is forgiven it is healed Therefore in Hosea 14. When I take away your iniquities I will heale your rebellions So in Deut. 30.6 when he will have mercy upon them saith hee I will also circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your seed that you shall love mee with all your soule and with all your strength Hee never pardons but he likewise circumciseth So in Ier. 24.7 I will set mine eye upon you for good that is I will pardon you and receive you to mercy and also will give you an heart to know
off but if it be the changing of a Black-moores skin how wilt thou doe that Can the Black-moore change his skinne Therefore seeing it is a change of Nature bee not too secure Thinke not thus for it is the onely thing that keepes men from comming to God I will come in but it shall be hereafter I will goe yet a little further this is a very dangerous case because it is a changing of Nature that is required and no Creature in Heaven and Earth is able to doe this Therefore when thou commest to die or when any crosse comes thou mayest be willing to change and thou mayest take purposes to thy selfe but doe we not see by experience in such cases the Nature is not altered doe not all returne to their byas there is not one of a thousand but doth it because it is a forced action Now a stone forced upward returnes againe so there be many forced actions in times of Temptation and the houre of death but still the nature is the same therefore men returne againe Therefore know this very heart of thine the very nature of it must bee altered it must bee changed into a light ayrie vapour that may ascend else it will not hold out and thou shalt have no comfort from it and when it is turned into an ayrie vapour it must be done by a light and heat that comes from heaven So must thy heart it is the Holy Ghost that must doe it it is onely the Author of Nature that can change Nature hee that made it can renue it And as only fire begets fire so onely the Spirit begets the qualities called the Spirit the Holy Ghost must breathe this breath of life in thee This is a thing not considered therefore you are bold to put it off if the Holy Ghost were at thy command if hee would breathe when thou listest it were another case but hee breathes when and where he listeth nothing is so free as the wil of the Spirit he breathes where he lists That it is no more in thee to alter him than the winds when they blow to the East canst thou cause it to blow to the West no more canst thou alter the will of the Spirit Therefore take heed of refusing the offer when the Lord will offer it is a dangerous thing to refuse What the Lord bade them in the Gospell to doe he is ready to doe himselfe When you come into a Citie offer peace if they will receive it so it 〈◊〉 let it come on them but if they will not stay not there let them goe shake off the dust off your feet against them such a people shall perish Consider that and see if the Lord be not ready to doe it himselfe If hee make an offer as hee did when hee gave his Disciples this command take heed that he goe not away in anger he knocks at thy heart againe and againe take heed that hee goe not away in wrath It is the Lords manner no man knowes the time of his offer sometimes at the third sometimes at the fifth and sometimes at the last houre the time is not in thy hand but whensoever he offers take heed off refusing for if he growes angry he returnes no more When he shall sweare in his wrath c. Psal. 95. ult that is a place worth considering The Apostle perswades them not to deferre Repentance but to come while it is to day put it not off and he gives them two reasons Lest you be hardned through the deceitfulnesse of sinne that is you will not be able to come in sin will harden you againe lest the Lord sweare in his wrath as he did to the Israelites Now you must marke they offended him once twice and thrice still the Lord bore with them they were rebellious at the Red-sea and presently after yet this the Lord bore with but there was a time when the Lord will beare with them no longer yet they lived many yeares after then he sware in his wrath and then they were destroyed It is true the Lord is not so angry for every refusing and sin which thou committest but when he comes to sweare there is no retracting of it then wheresoever you finde an oath in the Scripture there is no reservation when he sware he never returned againe Therefore take heed of angring the Lord Iesus though he be the Saviour of the world yet kisse the Son lest hee bee angry Take heed of deferring for a change of Nature is required which is a thing that thou canst not doe but the LORD must doe it Againe if it be a change of Nature I will but urge this a little Then we may learne hence to know that all the desires that come from Nature are nothing for that is not to have another Nature they are Flowers that have a beautie in them but they are the Flowers of the grasse subject to corruption as well as the stalke on which they grow therefore GOD accepts them not Againe it is not Morall Vertues for that is not changing of Nature for they may bee got and lost againe Againe it is not the Transient acts of Holinesse which the Holy Ghost workes in the heart when hee comes as a Passenger for a night or as a Sojourner for a moneth or two but he must come to be an Inhabitant and so as the Soule is in the body to make the Nature another Nature Last of all it is not any good Intentions any good Desires any good Purposes but another Nature Therefore take heed that you doe not deceive your selves and that is a thing we are exceeding apt to be deceived in because we have other purposes wee thinke all is well this wee must looke to for there be many times when men are very prodigall of good purposes as when they come to receive the Sacrament or in time of apprehension of death or it may bee you will purpose to leave sinne when you have smarted for some sinne you have committed you then meane to alter all and you thinke you are well because you have other desires and purposes in you but it is not so there must bee another Nature that is these purposes God regards as nothing for indeed they are worth nothing when there are new purposes and the old Nature continues still they come to the birth and when they have done so There is no strength to bring forth that is when the purposes are new and the nature old they are not able to dwell there but it is like a new peece in an old garment that is old nature is not able to sute with new purposes but the peece breaks forth and the rent is greater than it was So usually it is when we have the old nature and take new purposes there is not a sutablenesse and the rent is made greater than it was A man returnes againe to sin and is worse than hee was but when there
have said Blessed is a rich man a man in honour and dignity in credit and that hath health he is a blessed man No saith David but hee is a blessed man whose sinnes are forgiven whose iniquities are covered because such a man GOD sets himselfe to make blessed for blessednesse is the heape of all good things Now who can give that but God who hath the command of all things Can any but he cause all things worke together for thy good And if any thing be wanting thou art not blessed Againe when thy sinnes be forgiven thee God is made thine he is reconciled to thee for thy sinne is taken away and when GOD is thine thou art a blessed man for he brings all good things and hee is the Buckler that keepes off all evill he is the Master of the Creatures Now you know the Master is he who can rate the dogge when he fals on a Guest or a stranger and it is onely the Master that can doe it It is he that can rate any evill and suppresse it thou hast him therefore thou art a blessed man and thou hast him by having thy sinnes forgiven thee that is the great promise that he should save his People from their sinnes he needs say no more when he saith Hee shall save his People from their sinnes for then he saves them from all trouble and misery in the world Therefore this may be a great motive it was CHRISTS owne motive when hee would invite men to come to him he saith Come unto mee all yee that are weary and heavie laden and I will ease you That is thy sinnes that are as an heavie burthen shall be taken off of thee But you will say I feele no burthen of it No but thou shalt finde it a burthen when GOD shall set every man to beare his burthen when GOD shall charge it on thy conscience and it is thy wisdome to have it taken off though thou finde it not a burthen I say guilt is a great burthen which will binde thee over to damnation It is a great burthen when conscience is awaked Againe Corruption is a great burthen for it wearies a man Sicknesse is a wearinesse to the bodie and Sinne is the same to the Soule that Sicknesse is to the body A sicke man is weary of every thing weary of his bed of his chamber of his dyet he is weary of sitting of standing for hee is sicke So it is with every man that hath not his sinnes forgiven him hee is weary not only of the guilt but hee is weary of every thing Put him in the best condition he findes no rest and in that hee is weary of every thing That which they say of Folly it may bee more truely said of every wicked man that every condition is miserable to him he is weary of himselfe he is weary of every thing he hath no rest Further when thou art in CHRIST he will give rest to thy soule that is he will take away the power as well as the guilt of sinne hee will heale thy sicknesse and then the worst condition will bee pleasant to thee thou wilt finde rest in a Prison thou wilt finde rest in sicknesse thou wilt finde rest in death every condition yea the worst will bee sweet unto thee before in the best thou foundest none for there was a restlesnesse within but when thy sinnes bee forgiven thee thou shalt finde rest to thy soule The end of the Seventh Sermon THE EIGHTH SERMON VPON THE NEW CREATVRE 2 COR. 5.17 Therefore if any man be in Christ let him be a new Creature GOD hath planted in every man selfe-love every man seekes his owne happinesse Two things every man would have they would be freed from all evill and enjoy all good things if they could finde these in Christ men would be perswaded to come in Now we can assure you that both these you shall finde in Christ you shall by him be freed from all evil and be compassed about with mercy on every side First I say you shall be freed from all evill for what Christ saith to all his Disciples Luke 10. You shall tread on Serpents and Scorpions and all the power of the Enemie and nothing shall hurt you may be applied to all the Saints though there be many hurtfull things in the world yet nothing shall hurt them It is true indeed they may have to doe with Serpents and Scorpions that is evill things may fall upon them as well as upon others you see the same condition fals to all yet it shall not hurt them according to that in Luke 1.74 That we being delivered from our enemies is that we may serve him without feare Mark that you shall be delivered from all your enemies if you will come in that is there shall not an enemie in the world be able to doe you hurt and you shall live without feare that is the great advantage you shall have as if he should say other men feare a thousand things they feare death they feare sicknesse they feare losse of friends and good name but when a man is one in Christ he shal be delivered from all his Enemies he shall serve the Lord without feare because nothing is able to hurt him for what could hurt him Either it must be the Devill or men or some other Creature but none of these can hurt him Is not God the Governour of the house Is he not the Master Is not he able to rate the Mastives from flying in the face of any of his friends that come to him yea he is able to doe it and none but the Master of the house is able to do it None can keep the Creatures from hurting of you but he that hath the command of all the Creatures therefore if you will come in nothing shall hurt you he is a Buckler and a Shield to compasse you round about He will be your strong fortresse into which no Creature shall be able to shoot an arrow But besides this you shall have all things else that you can desire The Lord himselfe shall bee your habitation from generation to generation Psal. 90.1 That is you shall dwell in the Lord and you shall not dwell in him for a fit as we doe in our houses of clay but for ever and looke what an house doth that doth he he will keepe you safe and defend you from evill he is an house that it shall not raine thorow and such an house he is as will goe with you whithersoever you goe he is our habitation from generation to generation yea an house as will not onely defend you but refresh you with all manner of comforts for houses are made for delight as well as for defence Whatsoever you want he will helpe you to If you be sicke he is able to heale you if you be weake he is able to strengthen you if hungry to satisfie you whatsoever condition you
remission of sinnes or you shall have adoption but he saith Take this is my body By body is meant whole Christ by a Synecdoche we have Christ and all things else What use are we to make of this Surely it is of great use many wayes First we must make this use of it which is the maine end of the Sacrament to confirme our faith in the assurance of the forgivenesse of our sinnes as likewise to renew our Covenant and the Condition required on our part when God hath said he is willing to pardon our sinnes if he had but barely said it it had beene enough God cannot lye But lest it should not be enough he hath not only said it but he hath sworne it Hebr. 6. He hath sworne by himselfe that by two immutable things we might have strong consolation Being willing saith the Apostle to shew to the heires of Promise the stablenesse of his Councell he bound himselfe with an oath but yet lest that should not be enough he hath added seales to it he hath given the inward seale of the Spirit and the outward seale of the Sacrament as if he should say I have promised to forgive you your sinnes let the Sacrament witnesse against me if I performe it not Here by the way observe how difficult a thing it is for us to beleeve you may thinke it an easie thing when you are in health when you are well but when death comes when temptation comes when trouble of conscience comes I say you shall finde it a difficult thing you shall finde a need of all these helpes for certainly God sweares not in vaine he would not have bound himselfe with an oath to be ready to forgive sinnes if there were not exceeding need of such helpes to confirme us and therefore you have need to set your selves more diligently about it make this use of the Sacrament labour to confirme your selves in this assurance So that as the Apostle saith You may have strong consolation that is when the temptations of Satan shall assault you with objections to the contrary you may be strong and not shaken And why should you be doubtfull if we should a little reason with you that you may receive the fruit of this for why should you feare it For first the Lord professeth I would not the death of a sinner as I live And why will you die oh you house of Israel What is the meaning of this but to shew that the Lord hath an exceeding great desire earnestly longs to save the soules of men Indeed he saith not that he will give every one grace to come in but if he doe As I live saith the Lord I will not his death that is I am ready to forgive him Besides this consider what a man is ready to doe consider how tender-hearted fathers and mothers are to their children if we finde so much mercy there consider how much there is in God that mercy that is in us is but a drop to the Ocean it is but a beame to the fulnesse that is in him If you that are evill can give good things to your children how much more shall your heavenly Father doe it Againe consider if the Lord were not ready to shew mercy to you that Christ should not be of none effect that is the bloud of Christ should be shed in vaine And doe you thinke the Lord would send his Sonne to suffer death and to suffer it in vaine and that should be in vaine if he should not be ready to receive men to mercie when they come to seeke it at his hands besides if the Lord should not doe this no flesh should be saved Psal. 130.1 saith the Psalmist there If thou Lord shouldest marke all that is done amisse who could stand The meaning is this if the Lord should not be ready to doe this which he hath given to the Sacrament to confirme namely to forgive sinnes if he should not be ready to doe it if he should mark straitly what is done amisse who could stand that is who should be saved Now certainly the Lord hath made man for that purpose many shall be saved none were made for damnation Besides there is another argument There is mercy with thee that thou mightest be feared Feare is taken for the worship of God that is if the Lord should not receive men none would worship him none would serve him when there is no hope take away all hope take away all endeavour If this will not perswade you consider what the Lord hath done for others how many thousands of others have had their sinnes forgiven and then thinke had he mercy for such and such and hath he not mercy enough for me Hath not Christ taken thy nature as well as theirs If all this will not perswade you consider how mercifull Christ was in the dayes of his flesh he was exceeding gentle easie to be entreated you shall never finde that there was any that asked at his hands but he granted it And thinke you that he is lesse pitifull now to mens soules than he was to their bodies Doe you thinke that now he is in heaven he hath laid aside his mercifull disposition No Hebr. 4. We have a mercifull high Priest that is touched with our infirmities that is ready to forgive Oh but my sinnes are exceeding great what though they be is not the Lords mercy exceeding is it not like the mighty Sea that drownes mountaines aswell as mole-hils My sins are of divers sorts what if they be in the Lord there is multitudes of mercies as many as thou hast sinnes I but they have oft beene repeated I have oft fallen into them againe and againe What if thou hast Is not his mercies renewed every morning And Zachary 15.1 There is a fountaine opened for the house of Iudah and Ierusalem to wash in Not a cisterne but a fountaine that is as there is a spring of sinne in us so there is a spring of mercy in God there is no end of his mercy therefore doubt not in regard of that But againe I am unfit if I were fit and ready for this I might receive fruit from the Sacrament but I am unfit Why If thou thought's thy selfe fit thou shouldest not have it even therefore because thou feelest thy selfe unfit the rather thou shalt be received to mercy the Lord lookes for this aâ— thy hands that we find and feele such â—â—fiâ—resse in our selves the more we are humbled the lesse we find in our selves the more ready the Lord is to receive us to mercy Besides this very unfitnesse I would aske thee but what iâ— is Is it not sinne If all sinnes be forgiven if the pardon be generall then it is contained among the rest and shall not be any impediment And therefore make this use when you come to the Sacrament thinke not that God is backward to forgive that he will not be as good as his word certainly he will and know this
is wisdome to remember our latter end The wisest among the Heathen were wont to say There should bee nothing but a meditation of death that is a wise man though the course of his life should be still fitting and preparing himselfe for death and shall Christians â—me behinde them It was a wise speech of Peter to our Saviour Lord whether shall we goe thou hast the words of eternall life as if hee should say there is no motive to that surely we will not leave thee therefore I say consider here we are but Tennants at will wee may be turned out of doores to morrow therefore let this be a motive to win to Christ you shall have life But you will say I hope death is farre off yet I have time enough well take heed thou be not deceived in that for ther is a collusion there as the Painter by collusion of colours makes a thing seeme farre off when it is neere at hand so wee by our folly and vanity our fansie mis-apprehending of things we looke on death as farre off when it may be it is at our heeles at the next doore thou knowest not how soone thou maist meet with it therefore say not it is farre off but thinke with thy selfe goe sit alone but a little time together and then think with thy selfe I must die it is appointed to mee as to all men once to dye Consider if a man might dye twice or thrice perhaps he would be ready he would be prepared but consider thou must dye but once if thou be not prepared there is not a second oportunity and then consider thy soule is immortall in another place it must live for ever And then remember Christ saith thou shalt have life if thou take him thou shalt live for ever then thou wilt finde it an exceeding blessing worth the having it is that that may wooe you and win you to come in and take Christ to love him and to serve him and to obey him certainly if you will not now be moved with it yet when death shall come then you shall finde that beyond all the treasure to have that white-stone with a new name in it that stone was a signe of absolution that a man was quitted that his sins are forgiven that he hath interest in Christ and eternity that eternall life is for him in heaven this is the first motive to win you to Christ. Secondly if you will come into him you shall have all your debts payd you shall bee under cover that is you shall have all your sins forgiven that when the creditors come with an arrest with a judgement and execution you may be able to say no they are none of my debts goe to my husband hee must pay them and not I I say when you have Christ when Satan shall come and when sin shall come you may put them over to Christ for now you are his and he is yours he hath taken our debts on him is this a small thing Psal. 32.1 saith David Blessed is the man whose sinnes are forgiven and whose iniquities are covered marke Blessed is the man whose sins are forgiven Perhaps if one of us should seeke a happy man we would say that he is a happy man that lives in health and in wealth in credit and abundance of all things he that hath the favour of Princes hee that hath some notable excellencie to make him famous among men some such thing wee take for happinesse But when David comes to looke through the world and all the felicity in it oh saith David Hee is a happy man that his sinnes are forgiven And there is good reason for it because when our sin is forgiven wee are reconciled to God and God onely can make man happy For wherein doth happinesse consist but in a freedome from all evill and in enjoying of all good you know this is happinesse Now sin is it not the first linke in the chaine of ills As the under-wheeles in a Clocke or Watch depends upon the first so all miseries depend upon sin as the Master-ill of all take away that and all the wheeles stand still they move not a jot to doe us the least hurt take away sin take away all this ill in sin is a bar and stops from us all good things take away sin and you shall enjoy all that in abundance that your hearts can desire If you have not your sinnes forgiven what will it availe If you come to a Prisoner and tell him you shall have the best Lodging you shall have a Pallace you shall have Orchards and Gardens to walke in you shall have Gold and Silver as much as you will desire you shall have honour put upon you would not he answer Alas what would all this availe without a pardon So I say to men that magnifie the things of this world so much and remission of sins they thinke not of I say what is all this will it availe without a pardon No therefore this is a great motive to bring us into Christ that our sins may be forgiven Therefore that great promise went of the Messiah that when he should come into the world he should save his people from their sins and this is a mercy which though you may slight now in health and strength yet when the times come that God shall charge sinne upon your consciences that they feele the weight and burthen of it you shall finde no mercy like to this that you may come to have your sinnes forgiven then he that bringeth the glad tydings of peace his feet will be beautifull the thing is the same if wee had hearts to consider of it if we were poore in spirit if we knew what sinne were if wee had ever felt the bitternesse of Satans yoke that wee were weary of it wee would come in and reckon it a great matter to have our sins forgiven this is the second I shall prosecute the rest at some other time The end of the Second Sermon THE CUPPE OF BLESSING DELIVERED IN THREE Sermons upon 1 Cor. 10.6 The Third SERMON 1 CORINTH 10.16 The Cup of blessing that we blesse is it not the Communion of the bloud of Christ The bread that we breake is it not the Communion of the body of Christ THE point you know we have delivered out of these words is this That in the Sacrament there is a true reall Communication or giving or offering of Iesus Chriâ—t of his body and of his bloud to all worthy receivers Wee have shewed you the difference betweene the Papists and us in this point They will have here a reall corporall presence of Christ. We say it is true but it is Spirituall but it is Mysticall but it is Sacramentall We have shewed you the reasons by which wee refelde that opinion of theirs That there is no necessity neither in regard of the thing nor in regard of the words and if there be no necessity we may not grant it other
successe in doubtfull businesse if you need health when you are sicke these riches will fetch them in for you as they did to Hezekias when he was sicke Lord thou knowest that I have served thee with a perfect heart And what then Therefore give me health and hee prevailed it will bring you friendship when you need it from your enemies that can hurt you and are ready to doe you hurt as Iacob you know what a feare he was in of Esau but when hee went to God hee prevailed with him When you are in the jawes of death and would have life this will procure it at Gods hands as it oft did to David Psal. 116. When the snares of death had compassed me about I sought unto thee and thou deliveredst me I say this you shall have by these riches whatsoever you want it will fetch in to you For as it is said sin lyes at the doore to doe you hurt at one time or another So you may say of grace of the good workes you have done they will doe you good one time or another for as it was with Cornelius his prayer and his good workes came into remembrance before the Lord when it may be himselfe had forgotten them So I say God will remember all these and as ye therefore reckon riches precious because they will set men a worke to doe you service to doe you kindnesses and Riches can doe no more than men can doe and they are precious because they set men a worke these set God a worke and they will do as much for you as God can doe Now these are riches indeed as farre exceeding the others as the helpe and power of God doth exceed the helpe and power of man because they set God a worke they will fetch from the Lord whatsoever you have need of But besides this I say they can doe much for you every manner of way Another property of riches is to make a man undependant to make him stand on his bottome as rich men say I can live by you and without you So those that are rich in grace and good workes they may say to the world and to the shop of vanity in it as Paul saith They are drosse I have better things provided I can live by you and without you this you shall have by Christ and there is no way to have independance but this but besides this is our comfort beyond all that these riches will stand you instead in the day of dearth For why doe men gather treasure but for a day of dearth for a time of poverty for a time of necessity for hee saith then my treasure will stand me in stead I say such treasure is this that you have by Christ when death comes which is a time of spending and not of gathering then this treasure shall stand by you to sustaine you to comfort you to uphold you all this you shall have by these riches that Christ gives you and this is a small thing Take two men when death comes when the time of need comes take one that is rich to the world and another that is rich to God and rich in good workes now by good workes by the way know that I meane not almes-deeds onely for that is the errour of Papists but by good workes I meane also the laying up of many faithfull prayers the keeping of simplicity and sincerity in all our conversation the keeping of a cleare conscience to God and men the serving of God with a perfect heart these are the riches I say Take two men the one rich in these kinde of riches another that is rich to the world when these two die which of the two riches would you chuse I say this is a thing that may win you to come in to Christ he will make you rich you shall have treasures layd up you shall bee rich in grace and in all good workes But is this all No you shall be rich in all kinds of blessings in all kinds of comforts in all kinds of priviledges it may bee this will winne you more In 1 Cor. 3.23 Paul is yours and Apollos is yours the world life death things present and things to come they are yours and you are Christs and Christ is Gods Marke there is nothing but a Catalogue an Inventory of a Christians riches saith hee Paul and Apollos What are these all the gifts and learning that they have it is for your sakes they are your servants they are but men that watch over you for your salvation all the excellent gifts that God hath given to the sonnes of men they are but your riches But is this all No the world is yours and all in it You will say we finde not this for who hath the world at will Who amongst the Saints Though you have not yet the misery that you finde in the world the want of wealth as well as the enjoying of it is yours that is it tends to your advantage all is but for you As in the field of wheat we may sow all is for the wheates sake the soyle is for the wheate the Husbandman is for the wheate the stalk the eare the dew the barne the threshing all is to serve the wheate so wee may say of a Christian in this world The world it selfe that is the field is but for the wheate for Christians the Husband-men Paul and Apollos and Cephas are but for you And if you object but alas wee have many bitter â—â—ormes and afflictions for all you make these promises unto us It is very true but all these are for the wheate as you know the wheate must have a summer and a winter it must have frost and snow it must have wet and drie or else it will not ripen no more will you you must have weale and woe you must have affliction as well as prosperity but this is for your comfort all is for you the world is yours Is this all No life is yours death is yours that is this life is nothing but a fitting a preparing a squaring of you for a better life for eternity Why But death is terrible No it is your advantage for you shall dye just then when it is best for you death shall serve but as a servant for your advantage That as a man would have a tree that should grow he lops it just in the time and season but trees that hee would have destroyed he cuts them at any time All the Saints have this comfort that death comes for their advantage God cuts them not downe he lops them not he puts not in the sickle till they be just ripe for death is theirs and lest this should not be enough he saith things present and things to come are yours Men will say you promise for eternity indeed but what doe ye for the present Why godlinesse hath the promise of the present life Yea but if it be well
Master you must take him for your husband so as to bee divorced from all other lovers for this know that Christ and good fellowship that Christ and fornication Christ and swearing Christ and ambition Christ and serving your selves and the times will not stand together you must be divorced from all these If you will have Christ you must take him as a husband to be to him a love to love him to have your wils subject to his will you must take him for better for worse you must take him with all variety of conditions denying your selves and taking up your crosse and following him if you take him thus you shall have him and when you shall have him you shall have all things with him As Christ saith to his father We are one thou in mee and I in thee and then all mine are thine and thine are mine So wee may say every one that takes Christ is made one with him all Christs is yours and yours is his that is hee takes your names hee takes your debts and you beare his name and have interest in all that is his what he hath by nature you have by grace and when you have him once then you may bee bold to come and take these Elements of Bread and Wine but if you have not him then know that you are but intruders upon the Lords Table for his Table is provided for his friends and if his enemies and strangers come in and intrude on it hee will not take it at your hands but command you to be bound hand and foote and to bee cast out I say consider therefore the offers of Christ are large you that are to receive the Sacrament at this time or at any other time I say consider it if you have Christ himselfe then you may boldly come if you have not the Lord you have nothing to doe with these And know if it was such a fearefull thing to touch the Arke which was but a type of Christ and had but a legall holinesse in it that God struck Vzziah with death because he was so bold as to doe it If it were so dangerous a thing to meddle with common fire as we see in Nabab and Abihu that was but a type of this what will it be when wee shall dare to take the body of the Lord Iesus not being worthily prepared Hee is the substance there is the holynesse of which that was but a type therefore take heed of medling with them except you have taken him indeed except you have changed your hearts except you be new Creatures except you have the Lord himselfe you may not meddle with the Bread and Wine the Sacrament of his body and bloud and so I end FINIS THE TABLE A Abilitie MEN excuse their sin from want of Ability Part 1 Page 223 Ability of Christ to sanctifie us 2 31 Accusing Conscience corrupt in the office of Accusing 1 56 Actions Corruption in our Actions 1 73 Actions of carnall men 1 153 Actions of naturall men defective in two things 1 159 Intention of Action in zeale 1 285 Activenesse Activenesse of conscience corrupted 1 56 Adam God just in requiring of us according to that he gave to Adam 1 38 Adams sinne charged on us ibid. Two conditions of Adam 2 38 Our condition in Christ better than it was in Adam 2 154 See Borne Affections Affections corrupted 1 63 Affections must be wrought upon in the performance of duties 1 251 God esteemes us according to our Affections 1 67 What should draw our Affections to God 1 265 Zeale a stirring up of the Affections 1 285 Want of Affections to God argues want of zeale 1 289 Worke of the Spirit upon the Affections 2 12 Afflictions Forgivenesse of sinnes takes the sting out of Afflictions 2 188 Altered Nature cannot be Altered 2 97 Custome hardly Altered 2 123 Alike All sinnes not Alike 1 275 All. Carnall men doe many duties but not All 1 159 Anger Difference betweene hatred and Anger 1 290 Zeale for the Church acceptable to God when hee is Angrie with it 1 293 Apparell Apparell one benefit by Christ 3 93 What that Apparell is 3 94 How to make use of this Apparell 3 97 Apprehesion The Apprehension makes happie or miserable 1 241 Assurance Assurance encreased by humiliation 1 31 Authoritie To preach with Authoritie what 2 163 B Baptisme BAptisme tends to sanctification 2 21 Beleever Beleeving Difference betweene temporarie and true Beleevers 2 47 Beleeving difficult 3 19 Blindnesse Blindnesse of mans understanding 1 44 Why mans understanding is Blinde ibid. Boldnesse Excesse of Boldnesse how prevedted 1 291 Forgivenesse of sin causeth Boldnesse 2 188 Bondage Spirit of Bondage an help against sinfull excuses 1 108 Spirit of Bondage how it works 1 109 Borne Those that are saved by the second Adam are Borne of him 2 18 Burthen Sinne in what respect a Burthen 2 190 Businesse Too much Businesse a great impediment 1 207 C Causes GOd workes by second Causes 1 263 Change How to know we are Changed 2 109 To give God the praise of our Change 2 144 Christ. What keepes men from Christ 1 11.2 23 What makes us prize Christ 1 81 End of our ingraffing into Christ 2 19 Sanctification by the bloud of Christ 2 21 How to take Christ 2 73 What should move us to love Christ 2 156 Before we are new Creatures we are in Christ 2 169 To be in Christ what 2 171 Priviledges of being in Christ 2 174 See Righteous Church Pillars of the Church 1 286 Want of zeale for the Church 1 292 Danger of wronging the Church 1 293 Directions what we must doe for the Church 1 294 Circumstance Consideration of Circumstances helpe Humiliation 1 28 Circumstances aggravating sinne 1 89 Civill Difference betweene prophane and Civill men 1 127 Clearenesse Clearenesse of conscience corrupted 1 55 Cloud Sin like a stormie Cloud 1 174 Coldnesse Coldnesse provokes God as much as sinne 1 284 Combate Combate to be expected of Christians 2 137 Difference of the Combate in Christians and others 2 138 Comfort Comfort the end of the Scriptures 1 2 Sanctification for our Comfort 2 89 Comfort from the change of Nature 2 121 Comming The end of Christs Comming 1.20.2 20 Compell The Spirit Compels men to come in 2 7 Communion Communion of Saints sets the truth at liberty 1 174 Communication Communication of the body and bloud of Christ in the Sacrament 3 2 See Truth Condemnation Imprisoning Truth brings great Condemnation 1 136 God just in the Condemnation of men 1 234 Conflict Conflict in carnall men 1 153 Conflict in wicked men failing in foure things 1 60 Content He that trusts in God is Content with him only 1 258 Conscience Conscience corrupted by nature 1 45 Wherein Conscience is corrupted 1 55.56 Signe of a good Conscience 1 57 Conscience in naturall men may doe many things 1 152 Conscience good in two respects 1 156 Contrary Contrariety Contrariety of
the will to God 1 49 Nature workes out what is Contrary to it 2 111 Conversation Conversation the change in it 2 66 Constant. Hatred Constant. 1 290 What is naturall is Constant 2 110 Constant feast by Christ 3 91 Conviction Convictions of unbeliefe 1 255 Conviction wrought by the Spirit 1 10 Corrupt Wee must have lesse in us than nature Corrupt 2 87 See Nature Covenant Covenant sealed in the Sacrament 2 22 Covenant on Gods part 3 16 Covenant on our part 3 24 Creature Creature cannot doe good or evill 1 261 Creature how to be used 2 268 See God Custome Custome in sinne suppresseth the Truth 1 205 Custome the advantages it hath against us 2 123 D Damned HE that beleeveth not shall be Damned 2 197 Day Sabbath Gods Day 1 256 Debt Our Debt paid by Christ 3 61 Defect Not to bee discouraged for Defects 2 169 Delay Delay when God cals dangerous 1 20 Comming to God not to be Delayed 2 98 Not to Delay when Christ calls 2 156 Delight Delight corrupted 1 66 Deniall Deniall of God in sinne 1 90 Deniall one excuse of sin 1 229 Death Why God punisheth sinne with eternall Death 1 187 Christs Death shewed forth in the Sacrament 3 4 Death of Christ how made void 3 20 Out of Christ wee are subject to Death 3 47 Death how it is ours 3 84 Despised God Despised in the commission of sinne 1 92 Destruction Hatred seekes the Destruction of a thing 1 192 Iealousie of God brings Destruction 1 301 Desires Desires from corrupt nature nothing 2 102 Disgrace Disgrace of good men from the world 2 125 Disease Sinne the Disease of the soule 2 190 Difference Difference betweene men made by God 2 149 Difficultie Difficultie in duties should not discourage us 1 120 Discouragements Discouragements hinder from Religion 2 34 Disobedience Disobedience of mans will 1 51 Disobedience in small things great ibid. Disobedience against God in the least sinne 1 280 Disposition Disposition in man double 1 79 Divinitie See Perswade Dogges Dogges to be kept out of Christs flocke 1 299 Doubting Reasons against Doubting of forgivenesse 3 20 Dutie Performance of Dutie double 1 251 E Earth THe mercy of Christ when he was on Earth 3 22 Effect To see sinne in the Effects of it 1 275 Election See Reprobation Enemie Enemies of the faith what to learne of them 1 296 Enmitie Enmitie of the understanding 1 46 Envie Most men Envie the new Creatture 2 147 End End of God by whom it is crossed 1 146 Evill See Good Ever Salvation and damnation continue for Ever 2 201 Spirituall food endureth for Ever 3 88 Experience Experience shewes God to be the Author of grace 2 151 Experience of Christ helpes to unite us to him 2 180 Excellencie Grace preferred before all other Excellencies 2 38 Grace the proper Excellencie of a man 2 40 Knowledge of Christs Excellencie unites us to him 2 178 Exigent Triall of trust in God is in an Exigent 1 258 Expend Gods wrath in time is Expended 1 273 Excuse Conscience corrupt in the office of Excusing 1 56 Excuses of sinne 1 101.221 Meanes to arme us against these Excuses 1 108 Eye The New Creature lookes on things with a new Eye 2 54 Eye double and single 2 133 F Faculties FAculties in man corrupted 1 43 Faith Faith to be contended for 1 296 Faith sanctified 2 21 Faith workes on the promises 2 26 Faith encreased by the Sacrament 3 5 Transubstantiation against faith 3 12 Fast. Fast no arbitrary dutie 1 248 Fast defined ibid. Falling away Falling away why not to be feared 2 117 Fault Men excuse sinne by slighting the Fault 1 230 Feare Feare corrupted 1 66 Feare to be placed on God onely 1 258 Gods jealousie should make us Feare 1 302 Feare double 1 303 The Word to bee heard with Feare 2 159 Gods children freed from Feare 2 194 Feare put for the worshippe of God 3 21 Feare of a flitting nature 3 28 Out of Christ wee are subject to the Feare of death 3 48 Feast Spirituall things resembled to a Feast why 2 217 Feast promised by Christ 3 86 Feeding Necessitie of daily Feeding on Christ 2 181 Fit What Fits us for mercy 3 22 First-fruits Two things in First-fruits 2 136 Spirituall things wee have in the First-fruits 2 217 Fire Fire from heaven to bee cherished 2 160 Flesh. To eat Christs Flesh what 2 181 Food Properties of spirituall Food 3 87 Forget Memory corrupt in that we ought to Forget 1 53 Men choke the Truth when they labour to Forget it 1 204 Forgivenesse Forgivenesse of sins how it makes blessed 2 187 Confirmation in the assurance of Forgivenesse 3 19 Formality Formalitie argues want of zeale 1 288 Free The worke of the Spirit Free 2 100 Fruit. Hipocrites bring not forth Fruit 2 126 Wearinesse in the Fruit of sinne 3 69 Fulnesse Fulnesse reserved for heaven 2 218 Future Helpes to minde Future things 2 219 G Gifts COmmon Gifts in naturall men 1 152 Giving Giving what 2 172 Glory Transubstantiation against Gods Glory 3 9 Glory appeared in Christs humiliation ibid. Glory one benefit by Christ 3 76 God The law of mans judgement mamanifested by God 1 180.183 None can doe good and evill but God 1 261 If the Creature could doe it it were God 1 262 In all things to looke to God 1 269 Every sinne sets up another God 1 281 Conversion of the heart proper to God 2 9 New Creature the worke of God 2 149 The praise of all good to be given to God 2 161 God how hee is made ours 2 189 Sinne drives the Saints nearer to God 2 206 See Portion Good Men excuse the ill in them by the Good 1 105 Good things in ill men doe them no Good 1 144 God onely doth evill and Good 1 253 Those that are Christs all workes for their Good 2 205 Gospell Gospell shewes mans nature to be corrupted 1 76 Sinnes against the Gospell the greatnesse of them 1 77 Sinne excused by living under the Gospell 1 104 Gospell tends to sanctification 2 21 Iudgement of the Gospell 2 45 Gospell what 3 16 Gospell two parts of it 3 18 Grace Grace desired by carnall men 2 30 Christians rich in Grace 3 78 Greatnesse Wee should labour to see God in his Greatnesse 1 265 Guilt Sinne a burthen as it brings under Guilt 2 190 Wearinesse in the Guilt of sinne 3 69 H Habite WEarinesse in the Habite of sinne 3 71 Happinesse Happinesse a motive to come to Christ 2 193 Mans Happinesse by Christ 2 196 Happinesse what 2 224 Hardnesse Hardnesse of heart in sinning 1 28 Hatred Hatred the properties of it 1 65 Hatred of God 1 89 Hatred of the Truth 1 133 Hatred and anger differenced 1 290 Healeth Where God forgiveth he Healeth 2 88 Health Grace the Health of the soule 2 39 Helpe Supervenient Helpe needfull in two things 2 160 Heart The Heart must be new framed
combate Object Answ. Differences betweene the combate in the New Creature and that fight that seemes to be in naturall men Consect 6. Thinke it not strange that you finde some aukednesse in the wayes of God at first Object Answ. Consect 7. Give God the praise of chanting thy Nature Object Answ. Observ. 4. The New Creature is Gods worke This is proved by foure Arguments Arg. 1. Arg. 2. Arg. 3. Object Answ. Arg. 4. Object 1. Answ. 1. Impediments of two sorts Answ. 2. Answ. 3. Object 2. To what use serveth this doctrine Answ. To foure uses Vse 1. To let us see that our condition in Christ is better than in Adam Vse 2. That it may appeare that God setteth us now about a worke which he doth not inable us to performe Vse 3. To make us love Christ the better seeing how much we are beholding to him Vse 4. To make us take heed of putting off the worke when Christ cals Vse 1. See what the businesse of Preachers is and with whom you have to doe when you heare the Word Learne hence 1 To come to heare the Word with reverence and feare 2 To give the praise of any good you receive by the preaching of the Word to God onely 1 Tim. 1. 3 expect not that the Minister should come with excellency of wisdome or of words Observ. 4. What workes you finde upon your owne hearts in the preaching of the Word Object Answ. In what sense he would be understood when hee affirmeth the wilâ— of Regenerate persons to be free Observ. 5. The order first in Christ and then New Creatures Hence learne 1 Not to be discouraged from going to Christ for any defect or imperfection that is in us Reason 2. From your union with Christ to perswade you to good workes Doctr. To bee in Christ is the ground of all Salvation 1 What it is to be in Christ. What giving is 1 Of what moment this union is Vse 1. Exhortation two-fold 1 Those that have this union with Christ let them seeke to enlarge it more In what sense this is to be understood Object Answ. How it may be done Five helpes to doe it 1 Consider your misery without him 2 Labour more to know the Vertues and excellencies of Christ. 3 Be perswaded of his love to you 4 Get experience of him 5 Pray that the Holy Ghost may draw thee to Christ. Object Answ. 2 Those that want this Vnion let them seeke to get it In what this taking consists In two Acts. Motives Mot. 1. You shall finde rest Object Answ. Forgivenesse of sinne makes a man blessed foure wayes 1 In taking away that which is the cause of all miseries 2 In giving boldnesse 3 In taking the sting out of affliction 4 In making God ours Matth. 1.21 Object Answ. Sinne is a burthen in two respects 1 As it brings a man under guilt 2 As it is a sicknesse or disease of the soule Mot. 2. If you be united with him you shall be free from all evill and enjoy all good In particular consider 1 Mans misery out of Christ. 2 Mans happinesse by being in Christ. Object Answ. If you beleeve you shall be saved if not you shall be damned Salvation and Damnation are matters of great moment 1 They belong to the soule 2 They continue for ever Mot. 3. Your thirst shall be satisfied and healed Quest. Answ. Quest. Answ. Object Answ. Iohn 6. Mot. 4. If you be united with Christ all things shall worke together for your good if not for your hurt 1 Cor. 3.18 Mot. 5. If you be out of Christ you are poore and naked and miserable 1 Poore What that poverty is 2 Naked Nakednesse what 3 Hungry Object 1. Answ. Object 2. Answ. Object 3. Answ. Pleasure what Object 4. Answ. Luke Object Answ. The time when some Fathers lived Why the Fathers are not so distinct in the doctrine of Transubst Damascene set transubstantiation a broach in Grecia 730. yeares after Christ. Lanâ—ranke Bishop of Canturbury 1030 yeares after Christ brought transubstantiation into England Bâ—ringerius lived foure hundred yeares since The benefits by Christ. What the wearinesse of sin is 1 In the service of sinne 1 Rest by Christ. 2 Wearinesse in the guilt of sinne 3 Wearinesse in the fruit of sinne Afflictions without sinne as the Adder without a sting 4 Wearinesse in the habite of sinne Sinne to the soule as sicknesse to the body 5 In all that sinne touches Folly quarrels at the best condition Wisdome makes the worst condition comfortable 4 Benefit by Christ. Kings have 1 Liberty Liberty what Christiaâ—s live as they list because they list not but to doe that which is good 2 Plenty Quest. Answ. 3 Peace To overcome what 3 Glory Object Answ. Object Answ. Object Answ. Object Answ. Object Answ. Object Answ. Object Answ. Object Answ. Object Answ. Object Answ. 6 Benefit a feast Object Answ. 1 Property of spirituall foode it endures for ever 2 Satisfieth Quest. Answ. 7 Benefit apparell