I say or write I will to the best of my understanding make it to be a righteousness neither more nor less than what Jesus Christ hath made it nor will I shew thee any thing but what I will give thee sufficient Scripture-proof for What sayest thou now wilt thou promise What dost thou stick at man Remember what thou hast confessed already Didst thou not confess just now that thou didst verily beleeve that thou canst not possibly bee saved except thou shalt become more righteous than any Pharisee and doest thou now doubt whether it is best for thee to endeavour to exceed them What art thou resolved to sit down short of heaven Ah sinner this is not ignorantly but wilfully to destroy thy self Tell mee then wilt thou resolve to live a more righteous life or wilt thou not thou dying man or woman either resolve or read no more I profess I did not write these lines to dally with thy soul if I had thought that all my Readers would have proved so obstinate I would not have lost that little time I spent in writing what thou now art vewing nor created thee the trouble of so much reading Let God bear witness betwixt thy soul and mine whether I am not more desirous to have thee saved than thou art to save thy self The Sinners Resolve Why then I do resolve as God shall help mee I will endeavour for the future with all my soul and strength to seek that righteousness what ever it bee you shall discover from the Word of God to bee his Will and so my duty Nay I further do resolve That neither flesh nor blood nor any sin nor lust or worldly interest whatever shall hinder mee from seeking a portion in the Kingdome of my Saviour Bear witness O God I am in as good earnest as ever I was in all my life I sayest thou so Let mee then tell thee for thy comfort thou art not far from the Kingdome of God But to keep thee fast to thy resolution that thou mayest neither give thy God nor mee the slip I do here adjure thee by thy God and Saviour by thy immortal and precious soul by Heaven the Crown and all the weights of glory that are there yea by every thing that is or should bee dear and precious to thee not to dare to draw back and eat thy words again And to tye thee yet up faster to thy resolved vow read Heb. 10.38 But the just shall live by faith and if any man draw back my soul shall have no pleasure in him Oh that now it might bee spoken of thee what follows in the next verse 39. But wee are not of them who draw back unto perdition but of them that beleeve to the saving of the soul Mark finner if thou drawst back from so just righteous and holy resolution thou hast made thou wilt fall into perdition if thou holdest on thou art passing forward to the salvation of thy soul if hell doth not affright thee let heaven perswade thee to keep fast to what thou hast just now promised The second part of the Text lyes in the discovery of two particulars 1 Wherein did the righteousness of the Pharisees consist which thou must resolve to exceed 2 What is that righteousness of life that will set thee above the Pharisees and put thee into a saving condition Of the first What the Pharisees righteousness was 1 The Pharisees was one of the strictest sect or the most precise society of men among the Jews they were most nice observers of all the outward points of worship according to the Law of Moses and therefore had the esteem of their Country-men for the most Religious people amongst them I know thou wilt beleeve the Apostle Paul if hee tells thee so much for hee was one of them himself before hee left them by being converted to Jesus Christ Take his own words Act. 26.4 5. My manner of life from my youth which was at first among mine own Nation at Jerusalem know all the Jews which knew mee from the beginning if they would testifie that after the most straightest sect of our Religion I lived a Pharisee Mark that well the Pharisees sayes Paul were Religious yea straightly Religious yea most straightly Religious that is as to the outward parts of the Jewish Religion which consisted in being natural-born Jews children of beleeving Abraham admitted into the visible Church by Circumcision the eighth day in being constant Preachers or Hearers in their Synagogues But all this was not enough to speak them righteous enough for the Kingdome of heaven for remember Except thy righteousness exceed theirs thou canst in no case enter Christ hath said it and thou must beleeve it 2 The Pharisees were right in their judgements in many or most of the practical truths in Religion they held that the onely true God of Israel was to bee worshipped That it was a most hainous sin to theeve to commit murder or adultery or to forswear a mans self to lye or bear false witness against a neighbour or to bee drunk or to bee a glutton This must bee all true of them that they held these things as sins yea and that they did forbear those grosser sins I prove it thus 1 Because Jesus Christ permitted his own followers to hear them preach yea and bid them do what they taught Matth. 23.1 2. Then spake Jesus to the multitude and to his Disciples saying The Scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses seat the meaning is that they were Preachers of the Commands of God delivered by Moses all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe that observe and do but do not after their works But secondly I prove that they abstained from grosser sins at least to the outward act 1 They abstained from drunkenness and gluttony I gather from that blasphemous reproach they cast upon our blessed Saviour in calling him a Winebibber and a Glutton which speaks that they accounted them most disgraceful sins 2 If they had not abominated the act of murder adultery perjury with drunkenness and the like and so refrained from them in their lives it were impossible they could ever have got that repute amongst the Jewes of being the most strict religious sort of people in all their Country who would ever have thought a society of Drunkards or Gluttons or Whoremongers or perjured persons a strict religious sect as the Apostle Paul confesseth they were reputed From this that hath been said thou mayest easily see that thou mayest bee neither Rogue nor Whore nor Theef nor Drunkard nor Lyar and yet bee out of a state of salvation as these Scribes and Pharisees were though guilty of none of these sins 3 These Pharisees were more righteous yet for they were strict observers of the Sabbath day so far as to abstain from all bodily labour and to attend on the worship of God in reading praying preaching or expounding the Word of God this was their Sabbath dayes imployment in their
first make bold to press thee to a revew of the text I say unto you Except your Righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees yee can in no case enter into the Kingdome of Heaven This verse is a part of that Bible that thou and I and all the Christian world do take to bee the word of God which is as free from any lye or falshood as the Sun-beams are from darkness I shall not therefore injure thee so much as if I did mistrust thee to ask whether thou beleevest this portion of Scripture to bee true or false but rather dost thou beleeve that it is so written there as here it is transcribed if thou doubtest take thy Bible and turn to the Chapter and the Verse if thou wilt take it for granted on my word I profess I have not I would not deceive thee for a world The first part of the Text opened I say unto you To you Who are those Why those that were present at that time in which Christ was preaching this Sermon they were his Disciples his followers such as owned him for their Saviour and called him Lord and Christ in a word they were such as thou professest thy self to bee that art my Reader 2 I say unto you who is this I It was heâ— that preached the Sermon Jesus Christ it was Christ and not Matthew that did record it it was Christ and not I that am about to plead withthee at this time for thy life And now thou knowest the Author I presume the Text will have some authority upon thy heart I hope thou wilt not say of Jesus Christ as the prophane worldlings say of us his Ministers that wee are a company of prating sawcy fellows and they hope that all is not true that wee say and they are confident that God is more merciful than wee Preachers would make them beleeve But think Reader it is not I nor any Minister on earth that is the Preacher in my Text it is Jesus Christ the Master of us all and canst thou hope it is not true that Christ here tells thee were not this all one as to hope Jesus Christ is a lyar and is not this to make thy self a blasphemer or darest thou bee so impudent to say or think that God is more merciful than Christ hath made him what canst thou think thy gracious Saviour would deceive thee or that the Son of God would make false reports of God his Father he tells thee the contrary if thou hast a minde to beleeve him Joh. 12.49 I have not spokex of my self but the Father which sent mee hee gave mee Commandement what I should say and what I should speak And wilt thou dare yet to unsay all his sayings though hee tells thee hee sayes nothing but what God his Father commanded him If hee tells thee plainly Except thy righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees thou shalt in no case enter into the Kingdome of heaven Wilt thou boldly contradict all and say that notwithstanding what ever Jesus Christ hath said I yet hope to bee saved yea though thou hast no righteousness at all or such as falls short of what the Pharisees had wilt thou give the lye both to God the Father and the Son No sinner no I know thou hast not such hard thoughts of the Saviour of the world to think hee is a lyar Thou callest him Jesus Christ and confessest him to bee the Son of God and that it is impossible hee should lye yea I know thou wilt confess hee here speaks true and what hee speaks hee speaks to thee That except thy righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees thou canst by no means bee saved Doest thou beleeve it Answer mee Doest thou verily beleeve That except thou A. B. by name provest a more righteous man or woman than ever any Scribe or Pharisee was thou canst in no case enter into heaven Come Come I know thou beleevest it as thou lovest heaven then and thine own soul I intreat thee pronounce these words after mee but speak them seriously to thine own conscience I A B Who am reading this book do in the presence of God that searcheth my heart and will judge mee at the last day do unfeignedly beleeve that except I am by the power of the Spirit through the preaching of the Word made a more righteous man or woman than ever any Scribe or Pharisee yea and this before I dye I never hope by any means to enter into the Kingdome of heaven but must assuredly as now I am reading within a few dayes bee in everlasting torments where I shall weep and wail and gnash my teeth without all remedy Hast thou confessed so much yea and unfeignedly yea as in the presence of God the searcher of thy heart Yea. Well said Now let mee tell thee thou hast taken one step towards heaven thou art half way there already Ah sinner bee not so much thine own enemy as to withdraw thy foot and recall thy words why shouldest thou repent that step that is taken towards a Kingdome that is so blessed or draw in that breath that hath filled thysails and will make thy voyage to heaven both quick and easie if it continue For know Reader that when thy soul is once throughly convinced of that righteousness that is absolutely necessary to salvation half the work of thy conversion is done the new creature is half formed in thee and thy soul half saved but when that righteousness is attained that is when it is brought down into thy conversation and thou livest righteously then is conversion finished the new creature perfected thy salvation secured and thou art made a blessed man or woman But thou wilt say What am I the nearer for all this if I neither know how righteous these Pharisees were nor what a righteousness it is wherein I must exceed them pray will you tell mee how righteous they were and how much more righteous I must bee than they Answ I will tell thee but if I do I must have another promise from thee and I profess as in the presence of the living God if I thought that thou wouldest not grant it to mee I would not tell thee what those things mean but rather out of pity to thee suffer thee to lie and dye in thy ignorance tell me wilt thou promise God and mee that when I have told thee what the righteousness is that thou must seek wilt thou by the help of God endeavour with all thy soul and strength to live that righteous life this Doctrine will call for But stay sayest thou There is no haste tell mee what it is first Answ What doest thou scruple Art thou afraid I will deceive thee and make it harder than it is Reader to put thee out of doubt from that I protest solemnly as I shall answer it before the Judge of quick and dead before whom I am confident I must give an account of what
of his highest Wisdome that sees into the secrets of their hearts and sees into every corner of them what truth or falshood lodgeth there 2 And it yeelds him the glory of his Omnipotency whereby it is acknowledged hee is able to punish the perjured 3 It honours his Justice and Mercy because thereby men acknowledge that hee will infallibly defend truth and bee a revenger of falshood Lastly It is the bond of politick order and humane society neither of which can long continue without faithfulness and truth nor could there bee that dispatch of strifes and controversies Exod. 22. Heb. 11.6 To condemn therefore every Oath seems to detract from Gods glory and to destroy humane society and wee may bee sure the Son of God would neither bee the Authour of the one nor of the other 6 Can it bee thought without madness that Christ would condemn the commended examples of the Saints in Scriptures not onely of the Patriarchs but also of the Apostles yea and God himself their solemn Oaths so frequently recorded as signs of their great zeal and devotion that it were endless to enumerate them see that of Pauls Gal. 20. before God I lie not And so 2 Cor. 12.19 7 I might adde as farther proof that the Prophets very often foretold that God by his new Church under the reign of the Messiah should bee honoured by the Oaths of his people as Isa 65.16 Hee that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth Isa 19.15 In that day shall five Cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan and swear to the Lord of Hosts And can it yet bee imagined that when Jesus Christ gave birth to all other Prophesies hee should render this abortive and render that unlawful which was foretold to bee one of the glories of his Kingdome But to conclude Reader after all that hath been said this is plain that all manner of Oaths except in the aforesaid cases are unquestionably sinful and must bee refrained if thou intendest to excel the Pharisees which is certain that thou must or forgo all thy hopes in Heaven 5 The Pharisees paid Tythe most justly for the maintaining the outward form of service to God but in their more ordinary civil matters they were most unconscionably unjust and fraudulent witness the poor widows houses they devoured and to hide the matter from the world they made long prayers But if thou wouldest bee more righteous than they let thy purse bee open for the promoting the service of thy God but seek not to repair thy layings out by unjust oppressive cousening ways of trading this is to rob Churches to build Hospitals or to pick thy Customers pocket to make an oblation to God or to steal a sheep to make a sacrifice bee not such an one lest God send thee to hell for thine offering 6 The Pharisees as thou hast heard were strict observers of Sabbaths but their covetous proud lives spake them disobedient to the God of Sabbaths so that if thou conscientiously wilt endeavour to live over in the week dayes what thou learnest of God on the Sabbath day thy righteousness excels theirs 7 They gave alms but with an intent to bee seen and praised of men Give thou thine alms but out of an unfeigned love to God and thy needy brethren and still thy righteousness is greater 8 They beleeve the immortality of the soul and the resurrection of the dead but yet their earthly sensual living spake as if they understood no higher life than this that is meerly mortal But if thou wilt beleeve thy soul shall never dye and therefore alwayes live here on earth as if thou wert upon the borders of Eternity expecting a departure into another world in all temperance justice mercy faithfulness there is then as much difference betwixt thy righteousness and theirs as betwixt the clear Sun or the brightest star and a clod of clay or dirt 9 Lastly This rotten frame of external righteousness they thought sufficient to answer the severest Law of God and to bring them off acquitted and fully justified at the final judgement they dreamed not of a Saviours blood or any necessity for the bloody sacrifice of the Son of God for the expiation of sins But if sinner thou wilt resolve for thy part to rowl thy faith and all the garments of thy inward righteousness in the blood of Christ and never hope to finde acceptance for the most precious life of faith and holiness that can bee lived by thee but by the mediation of a Saviour then hast thou hit the mark and answered fully the expectations of thy Saviours call who called thee to a righteousness above the Pharisees here it is and here thou must resolve to live and dye And now I have shewed thee what a man or woman thou mayest and must bee if ever thou hopest to bee saved remember now the Vow thou madest to God before I shewed thee what that Righteousnesse is that thou must seek And I now claime thy promise and challenge thee on thy Vow to tell mee what thy purpose is to do in these particulars that I shall ask thee Art thou resolved from thy soul to love the Lord Jesus with all thy heart and strength Wilt thou reckon neither of sin nor lust nor life dear to part with for him and in a way of obedience wilt thou trust to him for his free remitting all thy sins Wilt thou endeavour to live a more strict life and more spiritual than ever Pharisee did Wilt thou not onely account of Murder to bee a sin but wilt thou abhor all unlawful anger against thy brother or the calling of him Fool without a cause and wilt thou think so doing a degree of Murder Wilt thou condemn Adultery not onely in the act but likewise in the eye and heart and bee rather willing to pull out thy right eye than wound thy conscience and offend thy God wilt thou keep the Sabbath not onely in the letter but in the spirit and in truth In a word wilt thou resolve to pray unto thy God and bring thy heart in to thy prayers wilt thou conscientiously endeavour in thy calling to maintain thy self and family and to bee able to relieve thy poor brother by thy charity and wilt thou do both out of pure love to God and thy neighbour and not for the love of praise from men wilt thou beleeve the immortality of thy soul the resurrection of the dead and the blessedness of those that dye in the Lord and wilt thou endeavour a fellowship in that Resurrection by walking with God and living a holy innocent humble chaste sober heavenly beleeving life What sayest thou man What amazed Sin Ah I cannot I dare not I will not promise any such thing Here is a task indeed enough to break any mans heart and to make mee live miserably all my dayes I would your book had been burnt before it came into my hands or within my
Synagogues or Churches and Christ permitted as I shewed before his own Disciples to hear them and to observe their Doctrine and do it but as for doing any servile work on this day they reckoned it a greevous sin yea if it were but dressing any provision to eat and therefore you have them quartelling with the Disciples of Christ for pulling ears of Corn on this day and rubbing them in their hands to satisfie their hunger Luke 6.1 And iâ— came to pass on the Sabbath after the first that Jesus went through the Corn-fields and his Disciples plucked the ears of Corn and did eat And certain of the Pharisees said unto them Why do yee that which is not lawful to do on the Sabbath day Mark Reader See how strictly righteous they were Sabbaths must bee kept strictly kept nothing must take up the day with them but reading preaching praying expounding no one must dress meat on that day though to satisfie his hunger thou wilt say perhaps Is it possible for men to bee more righteous Nay stay there for I will shew thee presently wherein thou must exceed them in all this or in no case shalt thou enter into Heaven 4 Yet farther they were a sort of men that for the encouragement of Religion and upholding the external form oâ— worship in paying Tythes commanded by God in the Law of Moses were precisely just or righteous and Jesus Christ confesseth as much unto them Matth. 23.23 Wo unto you Scribes Pharisâ—es Hypocrites for yee pay tithe of Mint and Anise and Cummin These were the least of herbs that were titheable and it was disputable by many of their Lawyers whether they were titheable or not yet the Pharisees for their part lest they might seem to â—ob God and his Church in the least resolved to pay them and Christ approves of them in that particular bâ— telling them These things yee ought to have done but hee adds withall by way of reproof Yee have omitted the weightier matters of the Law Judgement Mercy and Faith and here their righteousness fell short So Reader think thou mayest bee an incourager of Religion in the place where thou art mayest give freely and liberally to the maintaining of a godly Minister where thou livest which the Lord Christ approves of and commends yet except thou doest somewhat more this will not do thou mayest still remain in a state of perdition 5 They were charitable to the poor This likewise thou hast acknowledged from the mouth of Christ Matth. 6.2 When thou doest thine alms do not sound a trumpet before thee as the Hypocrites do meaning the Pharisees in the Synagogues and in the streets that they may have praise of men verily I say unto you they have their reward that is the value of many a penny or shilling they threw into the poors box at Church and many peece of bread at their doors many a penny or teaster they distributed by the high wayes and streets and many a beggar cryed out after them God bless you Master and yet they were all this while but Pharisees and curst of God for the text is plain that they shall never bee saved it sayes They have their reward already Oh therefore Reader dare not to sit down here unless thou intendest to bear them company to the gates of hell where thou mayest easily enter with them but it is impossible ever to get out 6 They were more righteous yet for they were a praying people and Christ confesseth as much Matth. 6.5 And when thou prayest thou shalt not bee as the Hypocrites are meaning still the Pharisees for they love to pray standing in the Synagogues and in the corners of the streets that they may bee seen of men verily I say unto you they have their reward See here again the Pharisees pray love to pray and yet Christ is peremptory that they shall have no reward but that on earth which speaks him resolved to deny them heaven Reader still consider thou mayest bee one that prayest in thy Family to stop the mouthes of thy friends and servants thy godly neighbours and Minister that none of them may think or say thou art an ungodly man or woman thou mayest come to Church and clap thy hat or hand before thy face to bee seen of men to pray yet thou mayest bee no better than an hypocritical Pharisee out of a state of salvation 7 Lastly The Pharisees beleeved the Resurrection of the dead the blessed or miserable state of souls after this life wherein they exceeded the Sadduces who beleeved no Resurrection yea and hoped or were confident if it fared well with any at the Resurrection it would with them Concerning their beleeef in the great Article of the Christian faith I mean the resurrection thou needest no other proof of it than their taking the Apostle Pauls part against the Sadduces Acts 23.6 7 8. sayes Paul I am a Pharisee the son of a Pharisee of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in Question Object But was Paul a Pharisee How could Paul then bee saved if no Pharisees are saved Ans Paul calls himself a Pharisee because he was one his father was such an one till hee was converted to Christ But sayes hee I am still such an one Answ True hee was so but not absolutely in all parts for hee preached Christ whom the Pharisees crucified but in this single point hee kept still a Pharisee in holding the Refurrection of the dead which the Sadduces denied and therefore the Pharisees strike in with Paul against them saying vers 9. Wee finde no evil in this man but if a Spirit or Angel hath spoken to him let us not fight against God Who would but think that such men as these were good 1 How tender do they seem to bee in opposing God in any revelation of his will and minde 2 They take an Apostles part for teaching the true doctrine of the Resurrection 3 They express much zeal in opposing the Sadduces for their Heresie 4 They make a clear profession of their faith in the point of Angels Spirits and the Resurrection and consequently of the immortality of their souls and their hope of a blessedness after this life yet still remember they were Pharisees and that Christ hath said it Except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees yee can in no case enter into the Kingdome of God Oh Reader take warning and do not dare to venture thy eternal life upon such a shallow sandy righteousness as the Pharisees did Thus have I finished the first particular in shewing thee what the righteousness of the Pharisees was Now Reader pull up thy spirits and gird up thy loins like a man I will shew thee now the mark that thou must shoot at the Garland thou must run for and the Crown thou must fight for the righteousness that will bear thee up above the clouds and set thee safe in the Kingdome of Heaven
doors What no hopes of entring heaven without such a righteous life It is better you were hanged and the whole generation of such Preachers as you are Answ But sinner Ah sinner why so impatient I am not thine enemy I tell thee but the truth I speak the truth in Christ I lie not Christ hath said it and I dare say it again Except thy righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees thou canst in no case enter into the Kingdome of heaven If this single Text is not a witness sufficient thou shalt have it confirmed by the mouths of one or two more read Heb. 12.14 Follow peace and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. So 1 Joh. 3.2 3. Beloved now are wee the Sons of God and it doth not yet appear what wee shall bee but hee that hath this hope purifieth himself as hee is pure I could adde an hundred Scriptures more but here are witnesses enough to arraign and condemn thee What sayest thou now What wilt thou now yet wish mee hanged for telling nothing but what Christ and Paul and John hath told thee No no thou wert but in a passion I do freely forgive thee But oh that my hanging could keep thee from damning how far better that I were hanged and a hundred such Preachers as I am so wee could expiate thy sins and prevent the ruine of thy soul and body for ever Were I tyed to a Gibbet I should bee quickly out of my pain but if thou goest to hell thou wilt never bee out of thine I should be quickly dead but thou wilt never dye as to thy torment Sinner beleeve mee nothing but love to thy precious soul makes mee deal so plainly with thee Sin But how can I perswade my self you love mee when you would put such a yoak of righteousness upon my neck that I nor my Fathers could ever bear Answ It makes no matter whether thou thinkest I love thee or not if I do not I am sure thou wilt confess that Jesus did why man it is not I but hee that doth thus endeavour to put this holy yoak upon thy neck and doth intreat thee to wear it for his sake Matth. 11.29 30. Take my yoak upon you and learn of mee for I am meek and lowly in heart and you shall finde rest to your souls for my yoak is easie and my burden is light And what is this yoak but the holy righteous nature and life which I have been all this while explaining to thee But sayest thou Do I in conscience think that the Commands of Christ may be thus obeyed such a righteous life lived Answ Yea in my very conscience I do think it that both this life may and is lived by thousands yea by all that are in a present state of salvation Nay I verily think that all the Commands of Christ may and are by all sound Christians obeyed excepting some particular acts that with them are not ordinary yea and with such an obedience that quoad speciem though not quoad gradum is perfect that is their love or fear or faith to God and Christ have the true genuine nature of these graces and such as the Command calls for yet I confess none loves or fears or beleeves so much but there might bee several cubits added to the stature of these graces But Reader it is not my desire to trouble thy head with speculations I have got unto thy heart and there I will keep If thou wilt then have thy question answered whe her the Commands of Christ may bee obeyed in thy life look 1 Joh. 5.2 3. By this wee know that wee love the children of God when wee love God and keep his Commandements for this is the love of God or herein it consisteth that wee keep his Commandements and his Commandements are not greevous See how the Apostle tells thee they may not onely bee obeyed but that to them that love God they are not greevous if thou wilt neither beleeve Christ nor his Apostles I despair of finding credit with thee but I will not cherish so hard an opinion of thee I know thou beleevest them both mee thinks I see thy heart relenting and about to yeeld the cause Dâ—th not thy heats begin to cool and thy anger to mee abate Dost thou not begin to see how much thou hast been deceived in the matters of thy soul and to tremble to think how many of thy neighbours have been deceived with thee Art thou not ready to say to mee as King Agrippa once did to Paul Thou hast almost perswaded mee to bee a Christian Mee thinks I see thee kiss the book bedew it with thy tears and hear thee bless God that directed it to thee or thank the friend that put it into thy hand Tell mee then What is thy resolution I cannot must not let thee go I have thy promise already and God will have the performance or will have thy life I have already told thee wherein a greater better and far more noble righteousness consists than ever the Pharisees understood I expect thy answer Sinner Oh Sir Pray have mee excused I am convinced there is truth in what you say but I have such a Trade such a Family to look after such company and wayes I have been many years ingaged in I can have neither time to read or pray or fast to think of God or Christ or heaven or hell or death judgement or any thing else my pride my passion is so strong and I so used to it I cannot master them If I lie not nor equivocate if I cheat not nor overâ—reach my brother I cannot trade and so I cannot live though I have a good minde to what you say and am convinced it is my duty yet I do not think for my part I shall ever attain to live no not so righteously as the Pharisees did Answ Is this thy last and utmost resolution Will no reason nor Scripture prevail with thee Can neither man nor God perswade thee then no more sinner but expect thy doom these excuses shall not must not serve thy turn read it in the last clause of my Text Thou shalt in no case enter into the Kingdome of Heaven Canst thou read so sad a sentence and finde no tear to drop nor groan to fetch the poor Rogue at the Bar is more tender of his life and affraid of the Gallows than thou art of thy soul or hell What is thy heart a rock or thy eyes flint Art thou past all sense or feeling Thou shalt not enter into heaven is that nothing But perhaps thou dost not understand what shutting out of heaven means lest thy ignorance should undo thee I will instruct thee The third part of my Text showing the misery of being shut out of heaven in three particulars 1 TO bee shut out of heaven means all this Thou shalt not see thy God in heaven nor behold his glory thou shalt neither love him
speaks more sadness than I have acquainted thee with 3 Lastly Consider this if thou wilt not resolve to live more righteously than ever any Pharisee did Assure thy self that Jesus Christ that shuts thee out of heaven shall shut thee up in Hell that tongue that pronounceth the righteous blessed shall pronounce thee cursed and hee that bids them enter into the joy of their Master shall command thee to descend into torments with the Devils there shalt thou receive the stroak of his iron rod that shall dash thee in peeces and bear the stroaks of his revengeful arm for thy abusing of his tender and long-suffering mercy There shalt thou feel the worrowings of an inraged conscience and suffer the tortures of devouring flame and this for ever and ever Reader If thou art obstinate deceive not thy self God will not bee mocked and in his punishing thee for sin hee will not seem to bee in jeast for as the Lord liveth and as thy soul liveth there is not a tittle of what I say but what is contained in thy Bible if I shew it thee to bee there thou wilt not sure question whether it bee true Read then and let thine own eyes bear witness Matth. 25.41 Then shall hee say unto them on the left hand Depart from mee yee cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels Mark 9.47 And if thine eye offend thee that is thy sin as dear as thy eye hinder thee in the way to heaven pluck it out that is cast it away and leave that sin It is better for thee to enter into the Kingdome of God with one eye yea with no eye than having two eyes to bee cast into hell fire where their worm dyeth not and the fire is not quenched Rev. 21.8 but the fearful that is such as fear to part with sin and life and all for Christ and unbeleeving and abominable and Murderers and Whoremongers and Sorcerers and Idolaters such are covetous men and all lyars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone this is the second death Rev. 20.10 And the Devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of the fire and the brimstone where the Beast and the false Prophets are and shall bee tormented day and night for ever and ever 2. Thess 1.7 8. When the Lord Jesus shall bee revealed from heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall bee punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power Now thou hast read all these Texts I cannot think thou wilt unsay them all thou hast the witness both of John and Paul and Christ himself I am sure their testimony will passe in the Court of Heaven and there it is and onely there that thou must take thy trial receive thy sentence and bee sent to this dreadful punishment what hast thou more to say The Sinners last Refuge I have here read sayest thou That there is no salvation without I live an exceeding righteous life it is plain Scripture I cannot deny it and surely my drunkenness my swearing lying whoreing neglect of praying reading do not speak mee an exceeding righteous man What shall I do shall I think my self in so miserable estate that if I dye before I change my life I must go to hell Oh I dare not what then to leave my sins I will not but how then shall I keep them if I do the Scripture is plain I cannot go to heaven truly I know not what to say but perhaps there may be some way to heaven that the Scripture doth not tell us of I resolve to venture it at least and I know I shall have many to bear mee company and thus I will satisfie my self and continue as I am Answ A poor shift Thou hopest God will finde a way to save thee that hee hath not revealed that is in plain English thus thou hopest that God hath told thee by Jesus Christ that except thou art more righteous than the Pharisees thou canst not bee saved yet hee intendeth the quite contrary and will save thee and others though thou livest more wickedly than ever the Pharisees did What is this but to put God the Father and Jesus Christ at variance and make them contradict each other yea to think so impudently of God that hee sent his onely Son into the world to deceive and cheat it in a company of untruths as this would bee one if it should ever bee as thou art bold to hope But I have somewhat in my Text still behinde that will spoil thy hopes and convince thee of this wicked imagination sayes my Text Yee shall in no case enter mark that in no case what do those three words mean Do they not plainly signifie that God hath shut up all other wayes to heaven or that there are no means left by which thou canst possibly scape the misery of the damned but onely this of becoming righteous 1 Perhaps thou thinkest to hide thy self in the Grave and to lurk close in the corner of that dark room But Fool never think of it for the doors of those chambers of death shall all flye open the Trumpet shall sound and thou amongst the rest shalt arise and stand up before him 2 Perhaps thou conceivest a way to escape by crying for mercy Ah sinner that will not do neither for then it will bee too late there is no room for repentance nor for mercy when thou hast once left this earth 3 What dost thou think to plead the blood of Christ It will bee answered by Christ that shed it that hee shed it only for the penitent beleeving godly sinner and thou art none of those 4 Dost thou think then to flye from the Justice of God the Son to the Mercy of God the Father and if thou shouldest I tell thee hee would send thee back again unto Christ his Son and with all acquaint thee that hee hath committed all Judgement to his Son and is resolved to spare none that his Childe Jesus will not save and thou art sure already of this that Christ his Son will save none but such whose righteousness hath exceeded that of the Pharisees Read my Text hath he not there said it and canst thou think that upon his Judgement-seat hee will deny this Sermon or this part of it that hee preached upon the earth Shall so great a Judge as Christ make a Law and publish it on the earth and then upon the Bench deny hee never said so or then repent it no no Sinner it is impossible hee should deny himself or his word Now Reader if thou bee a man or woman whose heart and life is not yet changed if thou hast not a righteousness above the Pharisees in what a sad case dost thou see thy self or at least thou mayest if thou