A HOLY LIFE THE BEAUTY OF Christianity OR An EXHORTATION to CHRISTIANS to be HOLY By JOHN BUNYAN Holiness becomes thy House O Lord for ever LONDON Printed by B. W. for Benj. Alsop at the Angel and Bible in the Poultry 1684. AN INTRODUCTION To the following DISCOURSE WHen I write of Justification before God from the dreadful curse of the Law then I must speak of nothing but Grace Christ the Promise and Faith but when I speak of our Justification before Men then I must joyn to these good Works For Grace Christ and Faith are things invisible and so not to be seen by another otherwise than through a life that becomes so blessed a Gospel as has declared unto us the remission of our sins for the sake of Jesus Christ. He then that would have Forgiveness of Sins and so be delivered from the Curse of God must believe in the Righteousness and Blood of Christ but he that would shew to his Neighbours that he hath truly received this Mercy of God must do it by good Works for all things else to them is but talk As for example A Tree is known to be what it is to wit whether of this or that kind by it's Fruit. A Tree it is without Fruit but so long as it so abideth there is ministred occasion to doubt what manner of Tree it is A Professor is a Professor though he hath no good Works but that as such he is truly godly he is foolish that so concludeth Not that Works make a Man good for the Fruit maketh not a good Tree it is the Principle to wit Faith that makes a Man good and his works that shew him to be so What then why all Professors that have not good Works flowing from their Faith are naught are Bramble-bushes are nigh unto Cursing whose end is to be burned For Professors by their fruitlesness declare that they are not of the planting of God nor the Wheat but Tares and Children of the Wicked one Not that Faith needeth good works as an help to Justification before God For in this matter Faith will be ignorant of all good Works except those done by the Person of Christ. Here then the good Man worketh not but believeth for he is not now to carry to God but to receive at his Hand the matter of his Justification by Faith nor is the matter of his Justification before God ought else but the good deeds of another Man to wit Christ Jesus But is there therefore no need at all of good Works because a Man is justified before God without them or can that be called a justifying Faith that has not for its Fruit good Works Verily good works are necessary though God need them not nor is that Faith as to Justification with God worth a rush that abideth alone or without them There is therefore a twofold Faith of Christ in the World and as to the notion of Justifying Righteousness they both concur and agree but as to the manner of application there they vastly differ The one to wit the non-saving faith standeth in speculation and naked knowledg of Christ and so abideth idle but the other truly seeeth and receives him and so becometh Fruitful And hence the true justifying Faith is said to receive to imbrace to obey the Son of God as tendred in the Gospel by which expressions is shewed both the nature of Justifying Faith in its actings in point of Justification and also the cause of its being full of good Works in the World A gift is not made mine by my seeing of it or because I know the nature of the thing so given but then it is mine if I receive and imbrace it yea and as to the point in hand if I yield my self up to stand and fall by it Now he that shall not only see but receive not only know but imbrace the Son of God to be justified by him cannot but bring forth good Works because Christ who is now received and imbraced by Faith leavens and seasons the Spirit of this Sinner through his Faith to the making of him capable so to be Faith made Sarah receive Strength to conceive Seed and we are Sanctified through Faith which is in Christ. For Faith hath joyned Christ and the Soul together and being so joyned the Soul is one Spirit with him not essentially but in agreement and oneness of design Besides when Christ is truly received and imbraced to the justifying of the sinner in that Mans Heart he dwels by his Word and Spirit through the same Faith also Now Christ by his Spirit and Word must needs season the Soul he thus dwells in so then the Soul being seasoned it seasoneth the Body and Body and Soul the Life and Conversation We know it is not the Seeing but taking of a potion that maketh it work as it should nor is the Blood of Christ a Purge to this or that Conscience except received by Faith Shall that then be counted right believing in Christ unto justification that amounts to no more than to an idle speculation or naked knowledg of him shall that knowledg of him I say be counted such as only causes the Soul to behold hold but moveth it not to good Works No verily For the true beholding of Jesus to justification and Life changes from glory to glory Nor can that Man that hath so believed as that by his Faith he hath received and imbraced Christ for Life before God be destitute of good works for as I said the Word and Spirit comes also by this Faith and dwels in the Heart and Conscience now shall a Soul where the Word and Spirit of Christ dwels be a Soul without good Works Yea shall a Soul that has received the Love the Mercy the Kindness Grace and Salvation of God through the Sorrows Tears Groans Cross and Cruel Death of Christ be yet a Fruitless Tree God forbid This faith is as the Salt which the Prophet cast into the Spring of bitter Water it makes the Soul good and serviceable for ever If the receiving of a temporal Gift naturally tends to the making of us to move our Cap and Knee and binds us to be the Servant of the Giver shall we think that Faith will leave him who by it has received Christ to be as unconcerned as a Stock or Stone or that it 's utmost excellency is to provoke the Soul to a lip-labour and to give Christ a few fair Words for his Pains and Grace and so wrap up the business No no the Love of Christ constraineth us thus to judge that it is but reasonable since he gave his all for us that we should give our some for him Let no Man then deceive himself as he may and will if he takes not heed with true Notions but examine himself concerning his Faith to wit Whether he hath any and if some Whether of that kind that will turn to
which remained was presently scorched and so withered away Secondly Notwithstanding what they had sometimes injoyed yet the grace of the fear of God was wanting in them so wanting that what should hinder but that they should return to go as they came and leave Christ the Gospel and the people of God to shift as well as they can for themselves Thirdly All that they injoyed did not estrange their heart from their lusts though when they were in the power of things they were deader to them than formerly I say than formerly And it is even with such as with them who are for a time taken off from what yet they love by some new imploy in which they are ingaged Saul went out to look for David to kill him but when he came at Naioth in Ramah the spirit of God came upon him and he prophesied But this lasted but for a while Saul soon returned to his old envy against the holy man again Fourthly It comes upon them even of judgment and wrath for since they so soon give way to sin and forget God suffereth them to fall into fear of men and to force their hearts to comply with bad things even as Judas and Demas did till they are swallowed up of that Gulph into which the ungodly descend As for such as turn aside unto their own crooked ways the Lord shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity When once God is angry with a people He can deal with them He can give them up to those lusts in judgment that they will not be separated from by mercy Yea he can make a way for his anger to overtake them that have made a way by the deceits of their hearts to go a Whoring from under him And these are the causes why those that were once inlightned and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come return with the Dog to his own Vomit again and so though they have or do name the name of Christ yet depart not from iniquity Thirdly A third Reason why they that name the name of Christ do not depart from iniquity may be because Grace is weak and corruption strong I speak now of them that are truly gracious for as those that never had nothing but notion did never at all depart from iniquity and as those that never had saving grace though common workings were with them do but a little depart from iniquity so those that yet have the grace of God in them in truth do not as they should depart from iniquity wherefore the exhortation is as much to them as it is to any body else And let them that name the name of Christ with gracious lips depart from iniquity For though there is a great difference 'twixt these and the two sorts that I mentioned before these having the true principles of holiness in them but the other nothing thereof yet they even they also have need of this exhortation for they do not as they should depart from iniquity Their graces as I said are weak and that is the reason thereof That these do not depart from iniquity as they should is clear 1. For that their highest acts of holiness are tainted therewith and made imperfect thereby this is manifâ—st because they sâ—ill are afraid to shew themselves before God in their own works and because they betake them for acceptation with God to the Priestly Office of Christ and pray by him Forgive us our trespasses 2. This is clear also because we are while in this world no where by the word said to have attained to the mark and point of absolute perfection but are bid to grow to follow on to press forward and to perfect holiness in the fear of God Yea the best of us all even the Apostles and Prophets have not only made it manifest by their imperfections that as yet they have not departed from iniquity as they should but they have confessed and denyed not that they were yet in the pursuit of righteousness and had not already attained 3. This is clear also for that the righteousness by the which the best of Saints are justified in the sight of God is a righteousness of another not their own the righteousness of another man for that there is not any upon earth that doth good and sins not And what need we pray forgive us our trespasses approach God in the perfâ—ctions of another and be bid to perfect holiness if we had already attained or were already perfect or were so departed from iniquity as we should 4. Alaâ— the complaints of God concerning this matter doth sufficiently testifie the truth of what I say When God came to his people in Egypt and bid them forsake the Idols of Aegypt they did not But they rebelled against me says he and would not hearken unto me they did not every man cast away the abominations of his eyes neither did they forsake the Idols of Aegypt Well He saved them out of Aegypt and brought them into the Wilderness and said to them there Obey my Laws and my Commandments But the House of Israel rebelled against me in the Wilderness they walked not in my Statutes they despised my judgments Well then he had them from the Wilderness to Canaan and then said to them Keep my Laws But when he had brought them into the Land then they also polluted themselves and sinned against him as before Again when God brought them out of captivity both they and every thing that they did was unclean To be short what says Paul in the seventh to the Romans what says James in the third Chapter of his Epistle And what says John in his first Epistle and first Chapter Do they not all confess though themselves were Apostles and so for Grace and Gifts beyond any that breath in this world that sin and iniquity was yet with them and so consequently that there was not as yet that departing by them therefrom as there should And the reason as I have said is because grace is weak weak in the best and most strong of the Saints of God Hence the greatest Saints use to complain when much assaulted with corruptions or attended with very hard service for God of their weakness and insufficiency as to a compleatness of doing the will of God 1. Moses when God did but bid him nourish and succour Israel in the Wilderness and carry them in his bosom as the Nursing-father beareth the sucking Child was stricken with such fear of miscarrying through the weakness of his graces and the power of his corruptions that he cryed to God saying I am not able to bear all this people alone because it is too heavy for me And if thou deal thus with me kill me I pray thee out of hand and let me not see my wretchedness 2. Job when he was for a proof of his integrity to be exercised awhile with some
of the judgments of God crys out in a sence of his wâ—akness to bear them and to go through as he should Is my strength the streâ—gth of stones or is my flesh brass And again Am I a Sea or a Whale that thou settest a watch over me Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro And wilt thou pursue the dry stubble 3. So Daniel when he was but to stand and talk with the Angel how weak did he find himself There remained saith he no strength in me and O my Lord by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me and I have retained no strength For how can the servant of this my Lord talk with this my Lord for as for me straightway there remaineth no strength in me neither is breath left in me Some may say but this is natural weakness But I ask how came nature to be so weak but through sin the remains whereof abiding still upon the best of Saints make them notwithstanding their graces uncapable to do any thing as they should 4. Paul a man of men who had so much Grace revelation of grace and Communion with Christ that sometimes he knew not whether he was in or out of the body and yet you find him making bitter complaint of the weakness of his grace and of the power of his corruptions I am Carnal saith he and what I hate that do I. How to perform that which is good I find not when I would do good evil is present with me But I see another Law in my members warring against the Law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the Law of sin which is in my members O wretched man that I am c. What complaints what confessions what bewailings of weakness is here And what need was there of any of this if Paul could as he would have departed from iniquity I have instanced in these four men because as to failings and miscarriages they are as free by what the holy record saith as any four of whose lives you shall read in all the Bible but you see that they were too weak to do and depart from iniquity as they would Grace may be said to be weak either when a lower or less degree thereof is compared with a higher and greater degree of the same or it may be said to be weak when in what degree of it you will it shall be ingaged by or ingage it self against sin c. 1. There are degrees of grace in the world some have less and some bigger measures thereof and according to the measure of grace received so is a Christian capable of action He that has little acts but weakly he that has much acts more strongly and he of the Saints that has most acteth best of all but yet none of these three can act so as they should and would and consequently so depart from iniquity as is their duty Witness those four that I mentioned but now for they are among the first rate of Saints yet you see what they did and hear what they said Sin is a mighty Tyrant it is also installed in our flesh and has moreover that in it which suiteth with what ever is sensual in us The flesh relisheth it well though the spirit of the Christian is against it Sin is an Active beast and will not admit that the soul should attempt to put forth it self in any good thing without opposition and contradiction When I should do good evil is present with me Sin is of a polluting and defiling nature and what grace soever it toucheth it staineth and in staining makes it weaker than were it not so defiled it would be Besides not a grace nor an act of grace in the soul can escape untouched Vnbelief stands ready to annoy faith in the grace as well as in the act of faith Hardness of heart will not let love so affectionately and sympathisingly act as it should Sence and reason being polluted will not let hope be so stedfastly fixed upon unseen things as it should Pride will not let us be so humble as we ought nor self so self denying passion often interrupts our patience and angry motions our meekness By these and more that might be named it appears that sin is in us opposeth our graces and letteth them from acting as they should And because this sin has part of our self in its possession therefore though our more noble part be utterly against it yet we depart not from it as we should God chargeth Moses with rash and unadvised words and so he doth Job also Daniel did wear the name of an Idol God and Paul freely confesseth himself unfirm Nor may what hath now been said be applied to those that are weak in faith and so in every other grace for the strongest grace when acted as well as we can cannot cause that we depart from iniquity as we should 1. Because the strongest grace cannot act without opposition 2. Because we that are the actors are lame infirm and made weak by sin that dwells in us 3. Because grace and a state of grace is not that wherein the perfection designed for us doth lie for that is in another world 1. This is a place to act faith in 2. This a place to labour and travel in 3. This is a place to fight and wrestle in 4. This is a place to be tryed in And therefore this is no place of perfection and consequently no place where Gods people can depart from iniquity as they should Now there is a twofold way of departing from iniquity 1. One is when the mind is set against it and withdrawn from the love and liking of it 2. The other is when the practice of it is shunned by the whole man The first of these ways the Saints though they truly do depart from iniquity yet depart not from it as they should 1. Their understanding sees not the utmost baseness that is in it 2. Their judgment is not informed about the vileness of it to perfection 3. The conscience has not yet been convinced of all the evil that is in it Then 1. How should the soul abhor it as it should 2. How should the desires depart from it with that fervency as they should 3. And the will and affections so turn away from it as they should Secondly As to the shunning of the acts of sin there we also come wonderful short We shun not the sins of others as we should This is made appear 1. For that we shun not the company of base men as we should 2. Nor shun or refuse to imitate them in their evil as we should How easily are good men perswaded to comply with bad mens ways Yea Jehosaphat himself said to Ahab that base one Behold I am as thou art my people as thy people my horses as thy horse Joseph could learn in Pharaohs Court to swear by Pharoahs life Peter also when dissembling was in fashion among the
Christ and that departeth not from iniquity to whom may he be compared The Pharisees for that they professed religion but walked not answerable thereto unto what doth Christ compare them but to Serpents and Vipers what does he call them but hypocrites Whited Walls Painted sepulchers fools and blind and tells them that they made men more the children of Hâ—ll than they were before Wherefore such an one cannot go out of the world by himself for as he gave occasion of scandal when he was in the world so is he the cause of the damnation of many The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life but what is the fruit of the wicked of the professors that are wicked why not to perish alone in their iniquity These as the Dragon draw many of the Stars of Heaven and cast them to the earth with their most stinking tail cast many a professor into earthly and carnal delights with their most filthy conversations The Apostle did use to weep when he spake of these professors such offence he knew they were and would be in the world These are the chief of the Engines of Satan with these he worketh wonders One Balaam one Jeroboam one Ahab O how many fish bring such to Satans net These are the Tares that he strives to sow among the wheat for he knows they are mischief to it Wherefore let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity Fifthly Those that religiously name the name of Christ and do not depart from iniquity how will they die and how will they look that man in the face unto the profession of whose name they have intailed an unrighteous conversation Or do they think that he doth not know what they have done or that they may take him off with a few cries and wringing of hands when he is on the Throne to do Judgment against transgressors O! it had been better they had not known had not profest yea better they had never been born For as Christ said of Judas so may it be said of these It had been good for that man if he had never been born And as Christ says it had been good so Peter says it had been better Good they had not been born and better they had not known and made profession of the name of Christ. But perhaps some may ask me what iniquity they must depart from that religiously name the name of Christ I answer first in general Those that religiously profess the name of Christ must depart from all iniquity They should lay aside every weight they should fly all appearance of evil Many there be that are willing to part with some sins some pleasures some unjust Prophets if they may be saved but this selling of all parting with all forsaking of all is a very hard chapter And yet the Lord Jesus lays it there saying so likewise whosoever he be of you of any of you that professeth my name that forsaketh not all that he hath he cannot be my disciple Christ by this Text requireth more of them that are his than to forsake all iniquity Wherefore to be sure every sin is included No less than Vniversal obedience will prove a man sincere A divided heart is a faulty one He that forsaketh not every sin is partial in the Law nor can he have respect to all Gods Commandments There can be no true love to Christ where there are reserves he that will hide any one sin in his bosom or that will keep it as the phrase is under his tongue is a secret enemy to Jesus Christ. He loveth not Christ that keepeth not his sayings To halt between two is nought and no man can serve two Masters Christ is a Master and sin is a Master yea and Masters are they so opposite that he that at all shall cleave to the one shall by the other be counted his enemy If sin at all be countenanced Christ counts himself despised What man would count himself beloved of his Wife that knows she hath a bosom for another Thou shalt not be for another man saith he so will I be for thee Would the King count him a Loyal subject who would hide in his house nourish in his Bed and feed at his Table one that implacably hateth and seeketh to murder his Majesty Why sin is such an enemy to the Lord Jesus Christ therefore as Kings command that Traitors be delivered up to Justice so Christ commands that we depart from iniquity Take away all iniquity is a good prayer and to resist unto blood striving against sin is a good warfare and he that brings every thought to the obedience of Christ gets a brave victory Grace leaveneth the whole soul and so consequently all the parts thereof now where the whole is leavened the tast must needs be the same throughout Grace leaves no power faculty or passion of the soul unsanctified wherefore there is no corner in a sanctified soul where sin may hide his head to find rest and abode without controul consequently he that has harbour for this or that sin and that can find an hiding place and an abode for it in his heart is no Christian man Let them then that christianly name the name of Christ make it manifest that they do not do it feignedly by departing from iniquity But Secondly And more particularly They that name the name of Christ as above let them depart from their Constitution-sin or if you will the sin that their temper most inclines them to Every man is not alike inclined to the same sin but some to one and some to another Now let the man that professes the name of Christ religiously consider with himself unto what sin or vanity am I most inclined is it Pride is it Covetousness is it fleshly lust And let him labour by all means to leave off and depart from that This is that which David called his own iniquity and saith I was also upright before him and I kept my self from mine iniquity Rightly are these two put together for it is not possible that he should be an upright man that indulgeth or countenanceth his constitution-sin but on the contrary he that keeps himself from that will be upright as to all the rest and the reason is because if a man has that grace as to trample upon and mortifie his darling his bosom his only sin he will more easily and more heartily abhor and fly the rest And indeed if a man will depart from iniquity he must depart from his darling sin first for as long as that is entertained the other at least those that are most suiting with that darling will always be haunting of him There is a man that has such and such haunt his house and spend his substance and would be rid of them but cannot but now let him rid himself of that for the sake of which they haunt his house
in faith and morals and iâ— by their lives they gave better conviction to the world that the truth and grace of Christ is in them Sometimes so much iniquity is mixed with good opinions that it prevails not only to hurt men in this world but to drown them in misery everlasting 'T was good that the Jâ—ws did own and allow the ceremonies of the law but since the iniquity that joyned it self thereto did prevail with them to make those ceremonies copartners with Christ in those matters that pertained to Christ alone therefore they perished in them The Galatians also with many of the Corinthians had like to have been overthrown by these things Take heed therefore of that iniquity that seeketh to steal with the truth into thy heart thy judgment and understanding Nor doth one iniquity come without another they are linked together and come by companies and therefore usually they that are superstitious in one thing are corrupted in several other The more a man stands upon his points to justifie himself and to condemn his holy brethren the more danger he is in of being overcome of divers evils And it is the wisdom of God to let it be so that flesh might not glory in his presence His soul that is lifted up to wit with his good doings with his order and methods in religion his soul is not upright in him I have often said in my heart what is the reason that some of the brethren should be so shy of holding communion with those every whit as good if not better than themselves Is it bâ—cause they think themselves uâ—worthy of their holy fellowship No verily it is because they exalt themselves they are leavened with some iniquity that hath mixed it self with some good opinions that they hold and therefore it is that they say to others stand by thy self come not near me for I am holier than thou But what is the sentence of God concerning those Why these are a smoke in my nose a fire that burneth all the day Wherefore as I said before so I say now again take heed of the iniquity that cleaveth to good opinions The which thou wilt in no wise be able to shun unless thou beest clothed with humility But Seventhly Let them that name the name of Christ depart from Hypocrisies This exhortation is as the first general for hypocrisies are of that nature that they spread themselves as the leprosie of the body all over not the faculties of the soul only but all the duties of a man So that here is a great iniquity to be parted from an over-spreading iniquity This sin will get into all thy profession into every whit of it and will make the whole of it a loathsome stink in the nostrils of God Hypocrisie will be in the Pulpit in Conference in Closets in Communion of Saints in Faith in Love in Repentance in Zeal in Humility in Alms in the Prison and in all duties So that here is for the keeping of thy soul upright and sincere more than ordinary diligence to be used Hypocrisie is one of the most abominable of iniquities It is a sin that dares it with God It is a sin that saith God is ignorant or that he delighteth in iniquity It is a sin that flattereth that dissembleth that offereth to hold God as it were fair in hand about that which is neither purposed nor intended It is also a sin that puts a man upon studying and contriving to beguile and deceive his Neighbour as to the bent and intent of the heart and also as to the cause and end of actions It is a sin that perswadeth a man to make a shew of Civility Morality or Christian religion as a cloak a pretence a guise to deceive withal It will make a man preach for a place and praise rather than to glorifie God and save souls It will put a man upon talking that he may be commended It will make a man when he is at prayer in his Closet strive to be heard without doors It will make a man ask for that he desireth not and shew zeal in duties when his heart is as cold as senseless and as much without savour as a clod It will make a man pray to be seen and heard of men rather than to be heard of God It will make a man strive to weep when he repenteth not and to pretend much friendship when he doth not love It will make a man pretend to experience and sanctification when he has none and to faith and sincerity when he knows not what they are There is opposed to this sin simplicity innocency and godly sincerity without which three graces thou wilt be an Hypocrite let thy notions thy knowledge thy profession and commendations from others be what they will Helps against this sin there are many some of which I shall now present thee with 1. Believe that Gods eye is always upon thy heart to observe all the ways all the turnings and windings of it 2. Believe that he observeth all thy ways and marks thy actions The ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord and he pondereth all his goings 3. Believe that there is a day of judgment a coming and that then all things shall be revealed and discovered as they are For there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed nor hid that shall not be known Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in light and that which ye have spoken in the ear in Closets shall be proclaimed upon the house tops 4. Believe that an Hypocrite with the cunning and shrouds for his hypocrisie can go unseen no farther than the grave nor can he longer flatter himself with thoughts of life For the triumphing of the wicked is short the joy of the Hypocrite but for a moment Though his exellency reach up to the heavens and his head reacheth unto the clouds yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung they which have seen him shall say where is he He shall fly away as a dream and not be found yea he shall be chased away as a vision of the night 5. Believe that God will not spare an Hypocrite in the judgment no nor punish him neither with ordinary damnation but as they have here sinned in a way by themselves so there they shall receive greater damnation Of all sins the sin of Hypocrisie bespeaks a man most in love with some lust because he dissembleth both with God and man to keep it For a conclusion upon this seven-fold answer to the question above propounded let me advise those that are tender of the name of Christ to have regard to these things First Be well acquainted with the word and with the general rules of holiness to wit with the moral law the want of this is a cause of much unholiness of conversation These licentious and evil times wherein we live are full of iniquity
hast thou been grieved to see others break Gods Law and to find temptations in thy self to do it For the First 1. There is a soul-polluting evil in iniquity 2. There is a God provoking evil in iniquity 3. There is a soul-damning evil in iniquity And untill thou comest experimentally to know these things thou wilt have neither list nor will to depart from iniquity For the Second I mean not sick with guilt for so the damned in hell are sick but I mean sick of the filth and polluting nature of it Thus was Moses sick of sin thus Jabez was sick of sin and thus was Paul sick of sin For the Third You know that those that are sensible of a sickness will look out after the means to be recovered there is a means also for this disease and dost thou know what that means is and hast thou indeed a desire to it Yea couldest thou be willing even now to partake of the means that would help thee to â—hat means that can cure thee of this disease There are no means can cure a man that is sick of sin but glory and the means to come by that is Christ and to go out of this world by the faith of him There is no grace can cure this disease yea grace doth rather encrease it For the more grace any man has the more is he sick of sin the greater an offence is iniquity to him So then there is nothing can cure this disease but glory but immortal glory And dost thou desire this Medicine And doth God testifie that thy desire is true not feigned I know that there are many things that do make some even wish to die but the question is not whether thou dost wish to die for death can cure many diseases but is this that that moveth thee to desire to depart to wit that thou mightest be rid quite rid and stript of a body of death because nothing on this side the grave can rid thee and strip thee off it And is hope that this day is approaching a reviving cordial to thee And doth the hope of this strike arrows into the heart of thy lusts and draw off thy mind and affections yet farther from iniquity To the Fourth How much hast thou beâ—n grieved to see others break Gods Law and to find temptations in thy self to do it I beheld the transgressors and was grieved said David because men kept not thy word The same also had Paul beâ—ause of that body of sin and death which was in him Professor I beseech thee be thou serious about this thing because it will be found whâ—n Goâ— comes to judge that those that profess Christ and yet abide with their iniquity are but wooden earthy professors and none of the silver or golden ones and to consequently such as shall be Vessels not to honour but to dishonour not to glory but to shame Secondly My next shall be a use of terror Has God commanded by the mouth of his holy Apostles and Prophets that those that name the name of Christ should depart from iniquity Then what will become of those that rebel against his word Where the word of a King is tâ—ere is power and if the wrath of a King be as the roaring of a Lyon what is and what will be the wrath of God when with violence it falls upon the head of the wicked Sirs I beseech you consider this namely that the man that professeth the name of Christ and yet liveth a wicked life is the greatest enemy that God has in the world and consequently one that God in a way most eminent will set his face against Hence he threatneth such so hotly saying And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together and that they that forsake the Lord shall be consumed But what sinners are these why the sinners in Zion the hypocrites in the Church So again The Lord shall purge out from among you the Rebels and them that transgress against him All the sinners of my people shall die with the sword which say the evil shall not overtake nor prevent us For though such do think that by professing of the name of Christ they shall prevent their going down to hell yet they shall go down thither with those that have lived openly wicked and profane Egypt and Judah the circumcised with them that are not for it is not a profession of faith that can save them Whom dost thou pass in beauty saith God wherein art thou bettered by the profession than the wicked go down and be thou laid wiâ—h the uncircumcised This in general But more particularly the wrath of God manifesteth it self against such kind of professors In that the Gospel and means of salvation shall not be effectual for their salvation but that it shall work rather quite contrary effects It shall bring forth as I said quite contrary effects As 1. The preaching of the word shall be to such the savour of death unto death and that 's a fearful thing 2. Yea Christ Jesus himself shall be so far off from being a Savour unto them that he shall be a snare a trap and a gin to catch them by the heel withal That they may go and fall backward and be broken and snared and taken 3. The Lord also will chose out such delusions for such as will best suite with the workings of their flesh as will effectually bring them down with the Bullocks and with the Bulls to the slaughter yea he will lead such forth with the workers of iniquity 4. Such above all lie open to the sin against the Holy Ghost that unpardonable sin that must never be forgiven For alas it is not the poor ignorant world but the enlightened professor that committeth the sin that shall never be forgiven I say 't is one inlightened one that has tasted the good word of God and something of the powers of the world to come 't is one that was counted a brother that was with us in our profession 't is such an one that is in danger of committing of that most black and bloody sin But yet all and every one of those that are such are not in danger of this but those among these that take pleasure in unrigâ—â—eousness and that rather than theâ— will lose that pleasure will commit it presumptously Presumptuously that is against light against convictions against warnings against mercies Or thus a presumptuous sin is such an one as is committeâ— in the face of the command in a desperate venturing to run the hazzard or in a presuming upon the mercy of God through Christ to be saved notwithstanding This is a leading sin to that which is unpardonable and will be found with suâ—h professors that do hanker after iniquity I say it is designed by the Devil and suffâ—red by the just judgment of God to catch and overthrow the loose carnal