my selfe to differ to wit by the improvement of Nature This Age is full of such proud Monsters But an humble soule sees free grace to be the Spring and Fountaine of all his mercies and comforts he writes free Grace upon all his temporalls and upon all his spiritualls c. The Seventh Direction is Meditate much upon these two 7 Direction things First The great mischiefe that sinne hath done in the World It cast Angels out of Heaven and Adam out of Paradice it hath layen the first corner-stone in Hell and ushered in all the evils and miseries that be in the world It hath threw downe Abraham the best Believer in the world and Noah the most Righteous man in the world and Job the Uprightest man in the world and Moses the Meekest man in the world and Paul the greatest Apostle in the world Oh the Diseases the crosses the losses the miseries the deaths the hells that sin hath brought upon the world Bazill wept when he saw the Rose because it brought to to his mind the first sin from whence it had the prickles which it had not while man continued in Innocency as he thought Oh when he saw the prickles his soule wept So when we see heare or read of the blood misery warres and ruines that sin ha's brought upon us ler us weep and lye humble before the Lord. Secondly Mediate much on this That many wicked men Mat. 23. 15. take more paines to damne their soules and goe to Hell then thou doest to save thy soule and to get to Heaven Oh what paines doe wicked men take to damne their souls and goe to Hell Lanctantius saith of Lucian that he spared Such a mad Devil was Catalin neither God nor man He took paines to make himselfe twice told a Child of wrath It is said of Marcellus the Roman Generall That hee could not be quiet Nec victor nec victus neither Conquered nor Conquerour Such restlesse wretches are wicked men The Drunkard rises up in the morning and continues till Isa 5. 11. mid-night till wine inflame him The unclean person wasts his time and strength and estate and all to ruine his owne soule Theotimus being told by his Physitian that if he did not leave his lewd courses he would loose his sight answered Vale lumen amicum Then farewell sweet light What a deale of paines does the Worldling take He rises up early and goes to Bed late and leaves no stone unturn'd and all to make himselfe but the more miserable in the close Pambus in the Ecclesiasticall History wept when he saw a Harlot drest with much care and cost partly to see one Socrates Eccl. Hist l. 4. c. 28. take so much paines to goe to Hell and partly because he had not been so carefull to please God as shee had been to please a wanton lover Oh Sirs what reason have you to spend your dayes in weeping when you look abroad and see what paines most men take to damne their soules and goe to Hell and then consider what little paines you take to escape Hell to save your soules and goe to Heaven Eighthly Get more internall and experimentall knowledge 8 Direction and acquaintance with God If ever you would keep humble no knowledge humbles and abases like that which is inward and experimentall We live in dayes wherein there is abundance of notionall light many Professors know much of God notionally but know nothing of God experimentally They know God in the History but know nothing of God in the Mystery They know 'T is a sad thing to be often eating of the Tree of Knowledg but never to tast of the Tree of Life much of God in the letter but little or nothing of God in the spirit and therefore 't is that they are so proud and high in their owne conceits when as he that experimentally knowes the Lord is a Worme and no man in his owne eyes As the Sun is necessary to the world the eye to the body the Pilate to the Ship the Generall to the Army So is experimentall knowledge to the humbling of the soule Who more experimentall in their knowledge then David Job Isaiah and Paul And who more humble then these Worthies Seneca observed of the Philosophers That when they grew more learned they were lesse morall So a growth in notions will bring a great decay in humility and zeale as it 's too evident in these dayes Well remember this a drop of experimentall knowledge will more humble a man then a sea of notionall knowledge Ninthly Looke up to a crucified Christ for speciall power 9 Direction and strength against the pride of your hearts 'T is sad in these knowing times to think how few there are that know the right way of bringing under the power of any sin Most men scarce look so high as a crucified Christ for power against their powerfull sins One soule sits downe and complaines Such a Psal 10. 4. It was the the blood of the Sacrifice and the Oyle that cleansed the Leper in the Law and that by them was meant the blood of Christ and the grace of his Spirit is agreed by all lust haunts me I 'le pray it downe Another saith such a sin followes me and I 'le hear it downe or watch it downe or resolve it downe and so a crucified Christ is not in all their thoughts Not but that you are to hear pray watch and resolve against your sins but above all you should look to the acting of Faith upon a crucified Christ As he said of the sword of Goliah None like to that So I say none like to this for the bringing under the pride of mens hearts The weaker the House of Saul grew the stronger the House of David grew The weakning of your pride will be the increase and strengthening of your Humility and therefore what the King of Syria said unto his fifty Captaines Fight neither with small nor great but with the King of Israel So say I if you woulk keep humble if you would lye low draw forth your Artillery place your greatest strength against the pride of your soules The death of Pride will be the resurrection of Humility And that this may stick upon you I shall lay downe severall Propositions concerning Pride and I am so much the more willing to fall upon this work and to make it the subject of our discourse at this time because this horrid sin doth appeare so boldly and impudently and that not onely among prophane persons but Professors also There are ten Propositions that I shall lay downe concerning Pride And the first is this Of all sinnes Pride is most dangerous to the soules of Men. Pride is a sin that will put the soule upon the worst of sinnes Pride is a gilded misery a secret poyson a hidden plague 'T is the Ingeneere of deceipt the Mother of hypocrisie the Parent of envy the Moth of holinesse the
of happinesse but could not come at the Tree of Life the Lord Jesus Christ who is weak Saints compleat happinesse Rev. 14. 5. And in their mouths was found no guile for they were without fault before the Throne of God Though men may accuse you judge and condemne you yet know for your support that you are acquitted before the Throne of God However you may stand in the eyes of men as full of nothing but faults as persons made up of nothing but sin yet are you clear in the eyes of God So in Cant. 4. 7. Thou art all faire my Love and there is no spot in thee There 's none such as are the spots of wicked men nor no spot in mine account God looks upon weak Saints in the Son of his love and sees them all lovely they are as the Tree of Paradise Gen. 3. faire to his eye and pleasant to his tast Or as Absolom in whom there was no blemish from head to foot Ah poor soules you are apt to look upon your spots and blots and to cry out with the Leaper not onely unclean unclean but undone undone Well for ever remember this That your persons stand before God in the righteousnesse of Christ upon which account you alwayes appear before the Throne of God without fault you are all faire and there is no spot in you The eleventh Support is this Your sins shall never provoke Christ nor prevaile with Christ 11 Support so far as to give you a Bill of Divorce O there is much in it if the Lord would set it home upon your hearts your sins shall never prevaile so far with Christ nor never so far provoke him as to work him to give you a Read the 3d Chapter of Jeremiah Out of the most poysonfull druggs God distills his glory and our salvation Gallen speaks of a Maid called Nupella that was nourished by poyson God can and will turn the very sins of his people which are the worst poyson in all the world into his childrens advantage Bill of Divorce Your sins may provoke Christ to frowne upon you they may provoke Christ to chide with you they may provoke him gently to correct you but they shall never provoke Christ to give you a Bill of Divorce Psal 89. 30 31 32 33 34. If his Children forsake my Law and walke not in my Judgements If they breake my Statutes and keepe not my Commandements Then will I visite their transgressions with the rod and their iniquity with stripes Neverthelesse my loving kindnesse will I not utterly take from him nor suffer my faithfullnesse to faile That 's a great Support to a weak Saint That his sin shall never separate him from God nor Christ Thou art many times afraid that this deadnesse this dullnesse this earthlinesse and these wandring thoughts c. that doe attend thee will provoke the Lord Jesus to sue out a Bill of Divorce against thee But remember this Thy sins shall never so far prevaile with Christ as to worke him to give thee a Bill of Divorce Mark There 's nothing can provoke Christ to give thee a Bill of Divorce but sin Now sin is slaine Ergo. I shall open this to you in three things First Sin is slaine Judicially for 't is condemned both by Christ and his people and so 't is dead according to Law A three-fold death of sin which is and may be a singular Comfort and Support to weak Saints that their greatest and worst Enemy Sin is condemned to dye and shall not for ever vex and torment their precious soules 'T is dead Judicially 't is under the sentence of condemnation 1 Cor. 15. 55 56. O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy Victory The sting of death is sin c. Vide Grotium and Voâ—stius on the words c. The Apostle here triumphs over it as a Thief condemned to death Sin is sentenc'd now though not fully put to death it 's dead judicially As when the sentence of death is past upon a Malefactor you say he is a dead man why he is judicially dead so is sin sin is judicially dead When a man that hath robbed and wounded another is taken and sentenc'd judicially we say he is a dead man and it 's often a great refreshing and satisfaction to a man that he is so Sin O weak soule is sentenc'd and judicially slaine and therefore that can never work the Lord Jesus to give thee a Bill of Divorce The thoughts of which should much refresh thee and support thee Secondly Sin is dead or slaine civilly as well as judicially 'T is civilly dead because the power of it is much abated and Rom. 6. 14. its Dominion and Tyranny over-powred as when a King or a Tyrant is whipt and stript of all power to domineere reigne 'T is with sin in the Saints as 't was with those Beasts Dan. 7. 12. who had their Dominions taken away though their lives were prolonged for a season and a time and play the Tyrant is civilly dead even whiles he lives So is sin in this sense dead even while it lives That Text is sutable to our purpose Hos 13. 1. When Ephraim spake trembling he exalted himselfe in Israel but when he offended in Baal he dyed What 's the meaning of these words The meaning is this When the King of Ephraim spake the people even trembled at his voyce such power once he had But when he offended in Baal by serving Baal by giving himselfe up to Idolatry he dyed in respect of obedience not yielded to him as formerly Time was that he was terrible but when he fell to Idolatry his strength and glory came downe so that now he became even like a dead Carcasse Adam dyed civilly the same day that he sinned The Creatures that before lovingly obeyed him as soon as he renounc't obedience to his God they renounc't all obedience to him or his Soveraignty so that he civilly dyed the very same day that he sinned That 's a sweet word that you have Rom. 6. 11. Likewise reckon ye also your selves to be dead indeed unto sin Therefore Christ will never Divorce you for sin O what a support may this be to a weak Saint That sin that he fears above all other Where sinne sits in the soule as a King sins upon his throne and commands the heart as a King commands his subjects there is reigne of sin but grace frees the soule from this things in the world is slaine judicially and civilly the Lord hath whipt and stript it of all its ruling reigning domineering tyrannizing power O therefore Christians look upon sin as dead that is as not to be obeyed as not to be acknowledged no more then a Tyrant that 's stript of all his tyrannizing power People that are wise and understand their liberty look not upon such a one as fit to be obeyed and served but as one fit to be renounced and destroyed Doe
you so look upon your sins and deale accordingly with them Thirdly Sin is slaine Naturally as well as Civilly Christ hath given it its deaths wound by his death and resurrection He hath given sin such a wound that it cannot be long liv'd though it may linger a while in a Saint as a Tree that 's cut at the root with a sore gash or two must dye within a year perhaps a month nay it may be within a week though for a time it may flourish it may have leaves and fruit yet it secretly dies and will very shortly wither and perish The Lord Jesus hath given sin such a mortall wound by his death and Spirit and by the communication of his favour and grace to the soule that sin shall never recover its strength more but dye a lingring death in the soules of the Saints Christ did not dye all at once upon the Crosse but by little and little To shew us that his death should extend to the slaying of sin gradically in the soules of the Saints When our Enemy hath a mortall wound we say he is a dead man his wound is mortall So when Jesus Christ hath given sin such a deadly wound such a mortall blow that it shall never recover its strength and power more we may truly say 'T is dead 't is slaine Therefore cheere up Oh weak soules for certainly sin that is thus slaine can never provoke Jesus Christ to give you a Bill of Divorce Ah that all weak Christians would like the Bee abide upon these sweet flowers and gather Honey out of them c. To proceed The twelfth Support is this Christ and you are Sharers 12 Support The notion of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is best expressed by Chrysostome in these words When mankind fled farre from Christ Christ pursued and caught hold of it and this he did by fastening on our Nature in his Incarnation c. The Ancients use to say commonly That Alexander and Ephâ—stion had baâ— one soule in two distinct bodies because their joy and sorrow glory and disgrace was mutuall to them both 'T is so betweene Christ and his Saints Their names that are written in red letters of blood in the Churches Kalender are written in golden letters in Christs Register in the Book of Life said Prudentius In my life-time said a gracious soule I have been assaulted with temptations from Satan and he hath cast my sins into my teeth to drive me to despaire yet the Lord gave the strength to overcome all his temptations Know this weak Saints for your support and comfort That Christ shares with you and you share with Christ I shall open this sweet Truth to you a little 1 Christ shares with you in your Natures In Heb. 2. 16. For verily he tooke not on him the Nature of Angels but he tooke on him the seed of Abraham And by this he hath advanc't fallen man above the very Angels This is the great Mysterie spoken of 1 Tim. 3. 16. And without controversie great is the Mysterie of Godlinesse God manifested in the flesh c. 2 The Lord Jesus shares with you in your Afflictions In Isa 63. 9. In all their afflictions he was afflicted and the Angel of his presence saved them In his love and in his pitty he redeemed them and he bare them and carried them all the dayes of old It is between Christ and his Church as between two Lute-strings no sooner one is struck but the other trembles 3 He shares with you in all your sufferings and persecutions as well as in all your afflictions Acts 9. 4 5. Saul Saul why persecutest thou me There is such a neer Union between the Lord Jesus Christ and the weakest Saints that a man cannot strike a Saint but he must strike through the very heart of Christ Their sufferings are held his Col. 1. 24. and their afflictions are his afflictions and their reproaches are his reproaches Heb. 13. 13. and their provocations are his provocations Nehem. 4. 4 5. God is provokt more then Nehemiah So Isa 8. 18. compared with Heb. 2. 13. Behold I and the Children whom the Lord hath given me are for signes and wonders in Israel This the Apostle applies to Christ Heb. 2. 13. 4 The Lord Jesus Christ shares with you in all your Temptations Heb. 2. 17 18. Chap. 4. 15 16. Christ was tempted and he was afflicted as well as you that he might he able to succour you that are tempted As a poore man that ha's been troubled with paine and griefe he will share with others that are troubled with paine or grief Ah friends the Lord Jesus Christ hath lost none of his affections by going to Heaven he is still full of compassion though free from personall passion When he was on earth Oh! how did he simpathize with his poor servants in all their temptations Satan sayes Christ to Peter hath desired to winnow thee but I have prayed for thee that thy faith faile not Luther in his Preaching met with every mans temptation and being once askt How he could doe so answered Mine owne manifold temptations and experiences are the cause thereof Oh the manifold temptations that the Lord Jesus hath undergone makes him semable as I may say and willing to share with us in our temptations Secondly As Christ shares with weak Saints So weak Saints share with Christ And this I shall shew you briefly in a few particulars 1 Weake Saints share with Christ in his Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. Whereby are given to us exceeding great and precious Promises that by these we might be partakers of the Divine To be made partakers of the Divine Nature notes two things 1 Fellowship with God in his holinesse 2 A fellowship with God in his blessednesse Nature Not of the substance of the God-head as the Familists say for that is incommunicable But by the Divine Nature we are to understand those Divine Qualities called elswhere The Image of God the Life of God that whereby we are made like to God in wisedome and holinesse wherein the Image of God after which man was at first Created consists Ephes 4. 24. Col. 3. 10. Saints that doe partake of this Divine Nature that is of those Divine Qualities before spoken of they resemble God not onely as a picture doth a man in outward lineaments but as a Child doth his Father in countenance and condition And well may grace be called The Divine Nature for as God bringeth light out of darknesse comfort out of sorrow riches out of poverty and glory out of shame so does grace bring day out of night and sweet out of bitter and plenty out of poverty and glory out of shame It turnes Counters into gold Pebbles into Pearles sicknesse into health weaknesse into strength and wants into abundance Injoying nothing and yet possessing all things 2 Cor. 6. 10. c. 2 Weake Saints share with Christ in his Spirit and Grace In Psal 45. 7. Christ
a treasure of rare abilities in them would as soon part with their hearts as their conceptions I think they are rather Monsters then reall Christians that are of such a spirit The third and last thing to which you are to improve your gifts and graces is To the benefit and profit of your own soules The good of the soule is specially to be minded 1 Because 't is the most Noble part of man 2 Because the Image of God is most fairly stampt upon it 3 Because it is first converted 4 Because it shall be first glorified Not to improve them to your owne internall and eternall good is with a high hand to crosse the maine end of Gods conferring them upon you Ah Christians you must improve them to the strengthening of you against temptations to the supporting of you under afflictions to the keeping under of strong corruptions to the sweetning of all mutations and to the preparing and fitting of you for the dayes of your dissolution I shall content my selfe with giving you this hint because I have before spoken more fully to this head And thus we have done with the Doctrinall part We shall come now to make some Use and Application of this Point to our selves If this be so That 't is the Duty of Christians to improve and exercise the gifts and graces that the Lord hath given them Then in the first place this looks very sowrely and wishly upon all lazie idle negligent Christians that doe not stir up themselves to lay hold on God that doe not stir up the grace of the Lord in them 'T is sad to consider how many Christians Cupid complained He could never â—asten upon the Muses because he could never find them idle No Christians so fâ—ee from Satans assaults as active Christians are nor none so tempâ—ed as idle Christians can stir up themselves to lay hold on all opportunities to make themselves great and rich in the world and yet suffer their golden gifts and graces even to grow rustie for want of exercise 'T is sad to see how busie many men are to exercise and improve a Talent of riches who yet bind up their Talents of gifts and grace in a Napkin By these God looses much honour and praise and themselves loose much comfort and content and others loose much profit and benefit and the Gospel looses much credit and glory But the maine Use that I shall make of this Point shall be To exhort and stir you all up to make a blessed improvement of your graces And indeed it is a Point of most singular use to us all our The Jewish Rabbins report That he same night that Israel de parted out of Aegypt towards Canaan all the Idols Idolatrou Temples in Aegypt by lightning and earth quakes were broken downe So when grace holinesse is set up in the heart all the Idols of Satan which are meâ—slust are throwne downe dayes a truth that is every day of very great concernment to our soules Now there are seven Considerations that I shall propound by way of Motive to stir up your soules to make a blessed improvement of the grace and gifts you have received And the first is this Seriously consider that the exercise and improvement of grace in your soules will be more and more the death and ruine of sin in your soules Take it from experience There is not a choycer way then this for a man to bring under the power of his sin then to keep up the exercise of his grace Sin and Grace are like two Buckets at a Well when one is up the other is downe They are like the two Lawrels at Rome when one flourishes the other withers Certainly the readiest and the surest way to bring under the power of sin is to be much in the exercise of grace Rom. 8. 10. And if Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin but the spirit is life because of righteousnesse The life and activity of Christ and grace in the soule is the death and destruction of sin in the soule The more grace acts in the soule the more sin withers and dyes in the soule the stronger the house of David grew 2 Sam. 3. the weaker the house of Saul grew As the house of David grew every day stronger and stronger so the house of Saul every day grew weaker and weaker So the activity of the new Mat. 21. 12 13 14. man is the death of the old man When Christ began to bestir himselfe in the Temple the money-changers quickly fled out So when grace is active and stirring in the soule corruption quickly flyes A man may find out many wayes to hide his sin but he will never find out any way to subdue his sin but by the exercise of grace Of all Christians none so mortified as those in whom grace is most exercised Sin is a Viper that must be kill'd or 't will kill you for ever and there is no way to kill it but by the exercise of grace Secondly Consider this by way of motive to provoke you Mat. 5. 16. The exercise of virtue will draw I ve from a mans very enemies Tilligny for his â—are virtues was reserved from death by his greatest enemies at the Mâ—ssacre of Paris as you may see in the French History in the life of Charls the Ninth to exercise and improve your Graces The exercise and improvement of your Graces will provoke others to blesse and admire the God of Grace Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good workes and glorifie your Father which is in heaven The light of your Conversation and the light of your graces Oh! how many thousand soules be there now triumphing in heaven whose gifts and graces shin'd gloriously when they were on earth and ah how many thousands are there now on earth that blesse and admire the Lord for the shine of their graces who are now in heaven That blesse the Lord for the Faith of Abraham and the Zeale of David and the Meeknesse of Moses and the Patience of Job and the Courage of Joshua c. Ah Christians as you would stirre up others to exalt the God of grace look to the exercise and improvement of your graces When poor servants shall live in a family and see the faith of a Master and the love of a Master and the wisedome of a Master and the patience of a Master and the humility of a Master c. shining like so many stars of heaven oh how doth it draw forth their hearts to blesse the Lord that ever they came into such a family 'T is not a profession of Religion but the exercise and improvement of grace that contributes so much to the lifting up of the glory of the Lord and to the greatning of his praise in the world Many Saints have had their hearts warmed and heated by siting by other Saints fire by eying and dwelling upon other Saints
of humane doctrines Sixthly Humane doctrines make men servants to the humours and corruptions of men They make men pleasers of men rather then pleasers of God Yea they make men set up themselves and others sometimes in the roome of Christ and sometimes above Christ I hope these few short hints may prevaile with some to fall in with this counsel that so they may the better Preach the Lord Jesus to the people And so much for this Doctrine EPHES. 3. 8. Vnto me who am lesse then the least of all Saints is this Grace given that I should Preach among the Gentiles the Vnsearchable Riches of Christ. HAving spoken much concerning Ministers Duty I shall now speake a little concerning their Dignity and so finish this Text. Vnto me who am lesse then the least of all Saints is this Grace given that I should Preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ This grace this favour this honour is given to me that I should Preach c. I look not upon it as a poor low mean contemptible thing but as a very great honour That I should Preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ The Observation that I shall speak a little to is this That the Office of a Minister or Preacher is honourable For the understanding of this Point Premise with me two things First That by a Minister I understand one that is qualified according to Gospel Rules and that is internally called by God and externally called by the people of God to the Ministeriall Office The second thing that I would have you Premise with me for the understanding of the Point is this That the common Apellation of those that are set apart for the Preaching of the Gospel in the New Testament is DIAKONOI Ministers So in 1 Cor. 3. 5. 2 Cor. 3. 6. Chap. 6. 4. Chap. 11. 15. 23. 1 Tim. 4. 16. And in divers other places the word Minister is a Title of Office service or administration given frequently to the Preachers of the Gospel As for the names of Ambassadors Stewards and the like wherewith they are often honoured they are figurative and given to them by allusion onely These two things being Premised we shall now proceed to the opening of the Point And in the first place I shall prove That the Office of a Minister is an honourable Office And then in the second place I shall shew you What honour is due to them And then in the third place I shall shew you How you are to honour them And then in the last place we shall bring home all by A word of Application Christians Give me leave to tell you this by the way That since the Gospel hath shined in England a godly faithfull painfull Ministry was never more subtily and vehemently struck at by men that make a faire shew and by men of corrupt opinions and wicked lives This Age affords many Church-Levellers as well as State-Levellers Some there be that under that notion of Plucking up corrupt Ministers would pluck up by the very roots the true Ministry But God ha's and will be still too hard for such men if they will be Monsters God will be sure to be Master His faithfull Ministers Revel 2. 1. are stars that he holds in his right hand and men shall as soon pull the Sun out of the Firmament as pull them out of the hand of God Now considering that there is such a spirit abroad in the world I hope no sober serious Christians will be offended at my standing up to vindicate the Honour of a godly faithfull Ministry In order to which I shall first prove that the Office of a Minister is honourable and to me these following things speak it out First The severall Names and Titles that are given to them in Scripture doth speak them out to be honourable They are called Fathers Stewards Ambassadours Overseers and Angels as you all know that know any thing of Scripture To spend time to prove this would be to light Candles to see the Sun at noon Secondly Their worke is honourable Their whole work is about soules about winning soules to Christ and about building soules up in Christ and to these two heads the main work of the Ministry may be reduced The more noble the soule is O anima Dei insignita imagine desponsaâ—a fide donata spiritu c. Bernard O Divine soul invested with the Image of God espouseâ— to him by faith c. the more honour 't is to be busied and exercised about it Jam. 5. 20. Let him know that he which converteth the sinner from the errour of his way shall save a soule from death and shall hide a multitude of sins Let him know That is let him take notice that an honourable and glorious work is done by him The soule is the immediate work of God the soule is the Image of God the soule is capable of union and communion with God the soule is more worth then a world yea then a thousand worlds Christ prayed for soules and wrought Miracles for soules and wept for soules and left his fathers bosome for soules and bled out his heart blood for soules and is gone to heaven to make provision for soules yea he is now a making intercession for soules All which speaks out the excellency of their Office whose whole work is about soules The Jewes say of Moses his soule That it was sucked out of his mouth with a kisse Soules are deare and sweet to God A third thing that speaks out this truth is this They are fellow-labourers with God They are Co-workers with God in the salvation of sinners And this is a mighty honour to be a fellow-labourer with God to be a co-worker with God 1 Cor. 3. 9. For we are labourers together with God Who would not work hard with such sweet company Who Mat. 5. 14. John 5. 35. Maâ— 5. 13. Mark 9. 49 50. would not affect prize love and honour such service Ministers are called the light and salt of the world because they inlighten blind soules and season unsavoury soules and so save them from corruption and perdition Oh! to be joyned in any work with God is an honour beyond what I am able to expresse The Senate of Rome accounted it a diminution of Augustus Caesars dignity to joyne any Consuls with him for the better carrying on the Affaires of the State Oh but our God doth not think it a diminution of his dignity that even his poore despised servants should be fellow-labourers and co-workers with him in the salvation of soules Fourthly The honourable account that the Lord hath of them in this imployment speaks out this truth That their Office is honourable In Mat. 10. 41 42. compared He that Kings and Princes have their Ambassadors in very high account so ha's God his receiveth you receiveth me he that receiveth a Prophet in the name of a Prophet shall receive a Prophets reward And
Luke 10. 16. He that receiveth you receiveth me and he that despises you despises me This honourable account God hath of all his faithfull servants in this imployment The fifth thing that speaks out this truth is this They serve an honourable Master They serve him that is all ear to hear all hand to punish all power to protect all wisedome to direct all goodnesse to relieve and all mercy to pardon They Habet omnia qui habet habentem omnia Aug. He hath all that hath the haver of all serve that God that is Optimum maximum the best and greatest God hath within himselfe all the good of Angels men and universal nature he hath all dignity all glory all riches all treasure all pleasure all delight all joy all beatitudes Mark abstracts doe better expresse God then concretes and adjectives God is being bonity beauty power wisedome justice mercy and love it selfe God is love saith the Apostle in the very abstract God is one infinite perfection in himselfe which is eminently and virtually all perfections 'T is truly said of God that he is Omnia super oâ—nia of the Creatures And Oh then what an honour must it be to those that are imployed under so honourable a Master Sixthly Their very worke and service is honourable Why else did the Apostle cry out Who is sufficient for these things Their maine work is to treat with sinners about eternity c. There is no such Embassage in the world as this is in which they are imployed Ephes 6. 19 20. Pray for me that I may make knowne the Mystery of the Gospel for which I am an Ambassadour in bonds Faithfull Ministers doe represent the person of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords their work is to treat of Peace between God and man or of open Hostility between the Creator and the Creature 2 Cor. 5. 19 20. Seventhly and lastly Their Reward from God is honourable Though the world Crowne them with thornes as it did their Lord and Master before them yet God will Crowne them with honour Dan. 12. 3. They shall shine as the Stars in the Firmament You know Ambassadors have not preferments while they are abroad but when they come home into their owne Countrey then their Princes prefer them and put much honour upon them So will God deale with his Ambassadors 2 Tim. 4. 7 8. I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith henceforth there God will at last highly reward those very services that men don't regard c. is laid up for me a Crowne of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous judge shall give me at that day and not to me onely but unto all them also that love his appearing So in Isa 49. 4 5. I have laboured in vaine I have spent my strength for nought and in vaine yet surely my judgement is with the Lord and my reward with my God Though Israel be not gathered yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord and my God shall be my strength So in 2 Cor. 2. 15. For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ in them that are saved Latimer in one of his Sermons speaking of a Minister who gave this answer why he left off Preaching because he saw he did no good This saith Latimer is a very naughty naughty answer and in them that perish Ministers shall be rewarded according to their faithfulnesse and diligence though some perish It shall be with them as with Vine-dressers you know Vine-dressers are rewarded according to their diligence and faithfulnesse though some Vines never bear nor bring forth fruit at all As Ministers are diligent and faithfull so the reward the Crowne shall be given full at last You know the Barber is as much rewarded for trimming a Black-a-more though all his paines in rubbing him can never make him white as he is for trimming and rubbing of another man that is white and by a little paines is made more white This is many-a-faithfull Ministers grief that he takes a great deale of paines in rubbing and washing as it were to make soules white and clean pure and holy and yet they remaine after all as black as hell but surely their reward shall be never the lesse with God The Nurse looks not for her wages from the Child but from the Parent If Ministers like clouds sweat themselves to death that soules may be brought to life great will be their reward though those soules should perish for ever for whom they have wept sweat and bled God won't deale by faithfull Ministers as Exerxes did by his Steer-man who crowned him in the morning and beheaded him in the evening of the same day No God will set an everlasting Crowne upon their heads who remaine laborious and faithfull to the death The world for all their paines will Crowne them with thornes but God at last will Crowne them with glory he will set a Crowne of pure gold upon their heads for ever And thus you have the Point proved The second thing that I am to doe is to shew you What Honour that is which is justly due to faithfull Ministers Now this I shall shew you in three things there is a threefold honour that is due unto them First Honourable Countenance is due to them that are in so honourable a place and Office as they are in 1 Cor. 14. 1. Let a man so account of us as of the * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Under-rowers to Christ the Master-Pilot helping forward the ship of the Church to the haven of Heaven Ministers of Christ and Stewards of the Mysteries of God 1 Thess 5. 12 13. And we beseech you brethren to know them which labour among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you And to esteeme them very highly in love for their worke sake Or To esteeme them more then exceedingly or more then abundantly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Greek will bear And so in 1 Tim. 5. 17. Let the Elders that rule well be accounted worthy of double honour especially they who labour in the word and doctrine The Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 word that is here rendred Labour signifies not simply 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to labour but to labour with much travel and toyle to labour even to lassitude as he doth that cleaveth wood or that toileth in harvest or that goeth a warfare Preaching is a Our Saviour at little paâ—t â—hirty was â—eckoned by the Jewes to be towards fifty John 8. 57. he had so spent himself in preaching Preaching is a spending painfull work most painfull work and enfeebleth a man exceedingly whence the Prophet cryes out My leannesse my leannesse Isa 24. 16. No paines no labour no work to that of the braine to that of the mind nor none so worthy of praise as those that are most in that labour in that work No mens work is so
example of Christs Humility till your hearts be made humble like the heart of Christ Oh that that sweet word of Christ Mat. 11. 29. might stick upon all your hearts Take my yoke upon you and learne of me for I am meek and lowly and you shall find rest to your soules Bonaventure Engraved this sweet saying of our Lord Learne of mee for I am meek and lowly in heart in his Study It was a good Law that the Ephesians made that men should propound to themselves â—he bâ—st parterns and ever bear in mind some eminent man And oh that this saying was Engraven upon all your foreheads upon all your hearts Oh that it was Engraven upon the dishes you eat in the cups you drink in the seats you sit on the Beds you lye on c. Jerome having read the Religious life and death of Hilaron folding up the Book said Well Hilaron shall be the Champion whom I will imitate Oh when you look upon this glorious example of Christ say The Lord Jesus his example shall be that that my soule shall imitate Sixthly Consider Humility will free a man from perturbations and distempers 6 Motive When there are never such great stormes without humility will cause a calme within There are a great many stormes abroad and there 's nothing will put the soule into a quiet condition but Humility An humble soule saith who am I that I may not be despised Who am I that I may not be reproached abused slighted neglected That which will break a proud mans heart will not so much as break an humble mans sleep In the midst of a storme an humble soule is still in a calme When proud hearts are at their wits ends stamping swearing and swaggering at God and man and providence an humble soule is quiet and still like a ship in a Harbour 2 Sam. 16. 6. to 13. Shimei comes rayling and cursing of David and calls him a bloudy man and a man of Belial that is a Runnagado one who being desperately wicked had shaken off the yoke of Government and would be under no Law So the Hebrew word Jagnal signifies men without yoke or lawlesse Therefore the Septuagint commonly Translate it Paranomos altogether irregular It signifies most flagitious men and notorious and desperately wicked stigmatized Villaines even incarnate Devis and yet David holds his peace though provoked by his mighty men to revenge himselfe Oh! how would this cursing and railing have madded and broken many a proud mans heart and yet it stirres not David Fulgentius after he was extreamly persecuted he had â—n Plura pro 〈…〉 â—ole advantage to seek revenge but he would not for saith 〈◊〉 We must suffer more for Christ then so What though I am thus and thus wronged What though I have an opportunity for revenge yet I must suffer more then so for Christ sayes the humble soule An humble soule when wrongs are offered him is like a man with a sword in one hand and salve in another he could kill but will cure One wondring at the patience and humble carriage of Socrates towards one that reviled him Socrates said If we should meet one whose body were more unsound then ours should we be angry with him and not rather pitty him Why then should we not doe the like to him whose soule is more diseased then ours An humble soule when he meets with this and that wrong from men he knowes that their soules are diseased and that rather moves him to pity then to revenge wrongs offered A proud heart swells and growes bigge when in the least wronged and is ready to call for fire from Heaven and to take any opportunity for revenge of wrongs offered No man so abused as I no man thus stiled as I sayes the proud soule O but an humble soule in patience possesses himselfe in all trialls and stormes Gallesius observes upon Exod. 22. 28. the patience and Willet on Ex. 28. Qu. 51. humble carriage of those three Emperours Theodosius Honorius and Arcadius towards those that spake evill of them they would have them subject to no punishment for they said If it come from lightnesse of spirit it is to be contemned if from madnesse 't is worthy of pity if from injury it is to be forgiven for injuries and wrongs are to be pardoned And this is the true temper of an humble foule and by this he enjoyes peace and quiet in the midst of all earth-quakes and heart-quakes The seventh Consideration is this Consider Humility 7 Motive exalteth He that is most humble is and shall be most exalted and most honoured No way to be high like this of being low Moses was the meekest man on Earth and God made him the honourablest calling of him up unto himselfe into the Mount making knowne his glory to him and making of him the Leader of his people Israel Gideon was very little in his owne eyes he was the least of his Fathers house in his owne apprehension and God exalts him making him the Deliverer of his Israel It was a good saying of one Wilt thou be great begin from below As the Roots of the Tree descend so the Branches ascend The lower any man is in this sence the higher shall that man be raised Mat. 23. 12. And whosoever shall exalt himselfe shall be abased and he that shall humble himselfe shall be exalted God that 's wisedome it selfe hath said it and he will make it good though thou seest no wayes how it should be made good The lowest valleyes have the blessing of fruitfulnesse while the high Mountaines are barren Prov. 18. 12. Before destruction the heart of man is lofty and before honour is humility David came not to the Kingdome till he could truly say Lord my heart is not haughty nor mine eyes lifted up Psal 131. 1 2. Abigall was not made Davids wife till she thought it honour enough to wash the feet of the meanest of Davids servants 1 Sam. 25. Moses must be forty years a stranger in Midian before he become King in Jeshurun He must be struck sick to death in the Inn before he goes to Pharoah on that Noble Ambassage It was a sweet Observation of Luther That for the most part when God set him upon any speciall service for the good of the Church he was brought low by some fit of sicknesse or other Surely as the lower the ebb the higher the tide So the lower any descend in Humility the higher they shall ascend in honour and glory The lower this foundation of Humility is laid the higher shall the roofe of honour be over-laid If you would turne spirituall purchasers of honour or of whatsoever else is good no way like this of Humility We live in times wherein men labour to purchase honour some by their money others by their friends others by making themselves slaves to the lâ—sts of men others by being prodigall of their blood and many by giving themselves up to all manner of
him Heire of all things he refused the Riches that the King of Sodome offered Gen. 14. 21. Chap. 15. 1. him because God was his Shield and his exceeding great Reward The greatest bargaine that a soule rich in Grace will make with God for himselfe is this Give me but bread to eat and cloaths to wear and thou shalt be my God so it was with that brave soul Gen. 28. 21. he desires but Food and Rayment Marke he asks food not junkets Rayment not Ornaments A little will serve a man that is strong in grace much will not serve a man that is weak in grace nothing will serve a man that is voyd of grace Soules weak in grace have their hearts much working after these poore low things as you may see Mat. 18. 1. Who shall be greatest in the Kingdome of Heaven The Question is stated by the Disciples that one would have thought should have had their hearts and thoughts in Heaven but they dream'd of an earthly Kingdome where honours and Offices should be distributed as in the dayes of David and Solomon And 't is observeable in Mark 9. 33 34. they are at it againe And he came to Capernaum and being in the house he asked them What was it that ye disputed among your selves by the way But they So in Luke 9. 46. held their peace they were asham'd to tell him for by the way they had disputed among themselves who should be greatest Saith one I 'le have this saith another I 'le have that c. Or as 't is in the Greek they disputed who was greatest sayes one I am greater then thou no says another I am greatest It is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 T is meâ—â—â—n Who was greatest Argument of a Childish disposition to be taken more with Rattles and Baubles then with Jewels and Pearles That Christian hath little of the power of grace within him whose heart is so strongly carried out to these vanities below Men that are growne up to years of understandiug prefer one piece of gold above a thousand new Counters A soule that is strong in grace that is high in its spirituall enjoyments prefers one good word from God one good look from Christ above all the glory of this world Lord saith he lift thou up the The Philosophers preserâ—ed the Kings countenance before his Coyne light of thy countenance upon me Warme my heart with the beams of thy love and then a little of these things will suffice You see Moses and all those Worthies in the 11 of the Hebrewes who were men strong in grace how bravely they trample upon all things below God they lav'd their Families and their Countreyes where they liv'd like Princes to wander in a Wildernesse upon the bare Command of God So Luther a man strong in grace when he had a Gowne and Money given him by the Elector he turned himselfe about and said I protest God shall not put me off with these poore low things Soules that know by experience what the bosome of Christ is what spirituall Communion is what the glory of Heaven is will not be put off by God nor man with things that are mixt mutable and momentary And to shame many professors in these dayes I might bring in a Cloud of Witnesses even from among the very Heathen who never heard of a Crucified Christ and yet were more Crucified to things below Christ then many of them that pretend much to Christ But I shall forbear onely desiring that those that think and speak so scornfully and contemptuously of Heathens may not at last be found worse then Heathens yea be judged and condemned by Heathens in the great and terrible day of the Lord. Secondly In order to a further deciphering of weak Christians I shall lay downe this That weak Saints doe usually over-feare troubles before they come Yea those future evills that forty to one may never fall out The very empty thoughts and conceit of trouble is very terrible and perplexing to a weak Saint When it was told The Chamelion saith Pliny is the most searfull of all Creatures and doth therefore turne into all colouâ—s to save it self and so 't is often with weak Christians the house of David saying Syria is confederate with Ephraim his heart was moved and the heart of his people as the Trees of the wood are moved with the wind Isa 7. 2. Their heart quaked and quivered as we say like an Aspen leaf It is an Elegant expression shewing in their extremity the basenesse of their feares arguing no courage or spirit at all in them The very newes and conceit of trouble or calamities oh how doth it perplex and vex and grieve and overwhelme weak Christians The very hearing of trouble at a distance makes them to stagger and reele and ready to say Will God now save Will he now deliver It puts them into those shaking fits that they know not what to doe with themselves nor how to performe the service they owe to God or man Now tell me can you call that a stout spirit a strong spirit Pray for me said Latimer in his Letter to Ridley for I am sometimes so fearfull thaâ— I would creep into a Mouse-hole Acts Mon. 1565 that is daunted with the very report and thoughts of Calamity Or that does torment men with immoderate feare of a thousand things that happily shall never fall out as feares of forraigne Invasions or feares of home-bred Confusions fears of change of Religion or being surprised with such or such Diseases or being ruin'd in their outward estate by such and such devises or disadvantages or by falling under the frownes of such a great man or under the anger and revenge of such and such a man and a thousand such like things Now this speaks out much weaknesse in grace Soules strong in grace are carried up above these fears yea with the Leviathan in Job they can laugh at the shaking of the spear Job 41. 29. Psal 23. 4. they can say with David Though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death we will feare no evill for thou art with us thy rod and thy staffe doe comfort us But weak soules are Bucephalus was not afraid of his burden the shadow onely frighted him So weak Christians are afraid of the shadow of the crosse afraid of their owne shadow the very shadow of trouble will exceedingly trouble such soules and oftentimes make their lives a very hell Thirdly Fainting in the day of Adversity speaks out the soule to be but weak in Grace Weak Christians are overcome with little crosses the least crosse doth not onely startle them but it sinks them and makes them ready to sit downe and to cry out with the Church Behold you that passe by see whether there be any sorrow like my sorrow Before trouble comes weak Christians Lam. 1. 12. are apt to think that they can bear much and indure much
What and thou my Son Brutus Is this thy kindnesse to thy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 friend to him that ha's loved thee and saved thee and owned thee c. Then vers 73. Surely thou art one of them for thy speech bewrayeth thee And vers 74. He began to curse and to sweare I know not the man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vide Calvin on the Text. In Rom. 6. 19. There are 3 To 's in the expression of the service of sin To uncleannesse To iniquity and Vnto iniquity But in the service of God there are onely two To 's To righteousnesse and Vnto holinesse To note that we were more prone to sin before Conversion then wearetograce and holinesse after conversion The Greek word that 's rendred Curse imports a cursing and a damning of himselfe an imprecation of Gods wrath and a separation from the presence and glory of God if he knew the man Some Writers say That he curst Christ I know not the man saith he Though it were ten thousand times better to bear then to swear and to dye then to lye yet when discouragement faces him he is so amazed and daunted that he tells the most incredible lye that almost could be uttered by the mouth of man For there was scarce any Jew saith Grotius that knew not Christ by sight being famous for those abundance of Miracles that he wrought before their eyes Neither could Peter alledge any cause why he came thither if he had not known Christ But vers 75. He went out and wept bitterly One sweet look of love breaks his heart in pieces he melts under the beamings forth of Divine favour upon him Once he leapt into a Sea of waters to come to Christ and now he leaps into a sea of tears for that he had so shamefully denied Christ Clement notes That Peter so repented that all his life-time after every night when he heard the Cock crow he would fall upon his knees and weep bitterly begging pardon for this dreadfull sin Others say That after his lying cursing and denying Christ he was ever and anon weeping and that his face was furrowed with continuall teares He had no sooner taken in poyson but he vomits it up againe before it got to the vitals He had no sooner handled a Serpent but he turnes it into a rod to scourge his soule with remorse This truth is further confirmed by the speech and carriage of the Disciples Luke 24. 21 ult We trusted say they that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel but now we cannot tell what to say to it Here their hope hangs the wing extreamly Invalidum omne naturâ querulum Seneca Weak spirits are ever quarâ—elling and contending Weak soules find it as hard to wait for God as 't is to bear evill This weaknesse Christ checks vers 25. O fooles and slow of heart to believe all that the Prophets have spoken c. And John 16. 5. The first newes Christ tells them is of their sufferings and of his leaving of them and upon the thoughts hereof their hearts were so filled with sorrow that they could not so much as say Master whither goest thou vers 6. But now soules strong in grace will hold on in holy and gratious actings in the very face of the greatest discouragements as those in Psal 44. Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of Dragons and covered us with the shadow of death yet our heart is not turned back neither have our steps declined Such a spirit shin'd in Chrysostome when he bid them tell the enraged Empress Eudoxia Nil nisi peccatum timeo I feare nothing but sin from thy wayes And so the three Children they hold up in the face of all discouragements And so those brave Worthies of whom this world was not worthy Heb. 11. their hearts were carried out exceedingly notwithstanding all discouragements to hold on in wayes of holinesse and in their actings of faith upon God in the face of all dangers and deaths that did attend them When Henry the Eighth had spoken and written bitterly against Luther saith Luther Tell the Henries the Bishops the Turke and the Devil himselfe Doe what they can we are Children of the Kingdome worshipping of the true God whom they and such as they spit upon and crucified And of the same spirit and mettle were many Martyrs Bazill affirmes of the Primitive Saints That they had so much conrage and confidence in their sufferings that many of the Heathens seeing their heroick zeale and constancy turned Christians Twelfthly Weake Saints minde their wages and vailes more then their worke Their wages their vailes is joy peace comfort and assurance c. and their work is waiting on God believing in Children mind moâ—e play-â—ayes then they do working dayâ— oâ— Schoâ—dayes 1 Sam 15. 14. God walking with God acting for God c. Now weak Saints minds are more carried out and taken up about their wages about their vailes then they are about their work as experience doth abundantly evidence Ah Christians if you don't mind your wages more then your work what means the bleating of the sheep and the lowing of the Oxen What means those earnest and vehement cryings out and wrestings for joy peace comfort and assurance when the great work of believing of waiting and of walking with God is so much neglected and dis-regarded But now strong Saints are more mindfull of their work then they are of their wages Lord saith a strong Saint doe but uphold me in a way of believing in a way of working in a way of holy walking c. and it shall be enough though I should never have Assurance comfort peace or joy till my dying day If thou wilt carry me forth so as thou mayest have honour though I have no comfort so thou mayest have glory though I have no peace I Rom. 4. 18 19 20. will blesse thee I know sayes such a soule though a life of comfort be most pleasing to me yet a life of believing abstracted from comfort is most honourable to thee and therefore I will be silent before thee Lord doe but help me in my work and take thine owne time to give me my wages to give me comfort joy peace assurance They are none of the best Servants that mind their wages more then their work Nor they are none of the best Christians that mind their comforts and their incomes more then that homage and duty that they owe to God Before I come to the second thing premised give me leave to give you this hint viz. That there is no such way to joy peace and Assurance as this to mind your worke more then your wages Ah! had many mourning complaing Christians done thus their mourning before this had been turn'd into rejoycing and their complainings into singings Christians the high way to comfort is to mind comfort lesse and duty more 't is to mind more what thou shouldest doe then
So in Psal 63. 8. My soule followeth hard after thee I but how comes this to passe Thy right hand upholds me I feele thy hand under me drawing of my soule off after thee Oh! were not thy gracious hand under me I should never follow hard after thee The Lord will put under his everlasting armes O weak Christian and therefore though thy feet be apt to slide yet his everlasting armes shall bear thee up therefore be not discouraged doe not turne aside from those paths that drop marrow and fatnesse though there be a Lyon in the way Secondly Consider this O weak Saint That there is lesse danger and hardship in the wayes of Christ then there is in the wayes of sin Satan or the world Prov. 11. 18 19. 21. 21. That soule doth but leap out of the Frying-pan into the fire that thinks to mend himselfe by turning out of the way that is called holy Oh! the horrid drudgery that is in the wayes of sin Satan or the world Thy worst day in Christs service is better then thy best dayes if I may so speak in sin or Satans service Satan will pay the sinner home at last with the losse of God Christ Heaven and his soule for ever But in the way of righteousnesse is life joy peace honour and in the path-way thereof there is no death Prov. 12. 28. His wayes are wayes of pleasantnesse and all his paths are peace Prov. 3. 17. Thirdly Remember O weak Saint That all those hardships that thou meetest with doe onely reach the outward man They onely reach the ignoble the baser part of man they meddle not they touch not the noble part With my mind I serve the Law of God though with my flesh the Law of sin Rom. 7. 22. And vers 25. I delight in the Law of God after the inward man And indeed many of the Heathen have incouraged themselves for this very consideration against the troubles and dangers of this life All the Arrowes that are Anaxagoras Pla to and others shot at a Christian stick in his Buckler they never reach his conscience his soule The raging waves beat sorely against Noah's Ark but they toucht not him The soule is of too noble a nature to be toucht by troubles Jacob's hard service under Laban and his being nipt by the frost in winter and Gen. 31. 40. scorcht by the Sun in summer did onely reach his outward man his soule had high communion and sweet fellowship with God under all his hardships Ah Christian bear up bravely for whatever hardships thou meetest with in the wayes of God shall onely reach thy outward man and under all these hardships thou mayest have as high and sweet Hos 2. 14. communion with God as if thou hadst never knowne what hardships meant Fourthly Tell me O weake Saints have not you formerly injoyed such sweet refreshings while you have been in the very service of God as hath out-wayed all the troubles and hardships that your soules have met with I know you have and you know that you have often found that Scripture made good upon your hearts Psal 19. 11. Moreover by them is thy servant warned and in keeping of them there is great reward Mark he doth not say For keeping of them there is great reward though that 's a truth But in keeping Austin saith If a man should â—erve the Lord â— thousand â—ears in would â—â—t dâ—serve an boure of the reward in Heaven much lesse an Eternity c. of them there is great reward While the soule is at work God throwes in the reward Don't you remember O weak Christians when you have been in the service and way of God how he hath cast in joy at one time and peace at another c Oh! the smiles the kisses the sweet discoveries that your soules have met with whilst you have been in his wayes Ah poore soules don 't you know that one houres being in the bosome of Christ will make you forget all your hardships heaven at last will make amends for all and the more hardships you find in the wayes of God the more sweet will heaven be to you when you come there O how sweet is a Harbour after a long storme and a Sun-shine day after a dark and tempestuous night and a warme Spring after a sharp winter The miseries and difficulties that a man meets with in this world will exceedingly sweeten the glory of that other world Lastly Consider What hardships and difficulties the men of this world run through to get the world and undoe their owne soules They rise early goe to bed late they goe from one end of the world to another and venture through all manner of dangers Psal 127. 2. Mat. 16. 16â— deaths and miseries to gaine those things that are vaine uncertaine vexing and dangerous to their soules And wilt not thou as a good Souldier of Christ endure a little hardship 2 Tim. 2. 3 4. for the honour of thy Captaine and thine owne internall and eternall good Thou art listed under Christs Colours and therefore thou must arme thy selfe against all difficulties and discouragements The number of difficulties makes the Christians Conquest the more illustrious A gracious man should be made up all of fire overcoming and consuming all oppositions As Chrysostome said of Peter as fire does the stubble All difficulties should be but whet-stones to his fortitude The fifth Duty is this You that are weake Saints should observe how Christ keepes your wills and affections That man is kept indeed whose will and affection is kept close to Christ And that man is lost with a witnesse whose will and affections are won from Christ Weak Saints are more apt to observe their owne actions then their wills and affections and this proves a snare unto them therefore observe your affections how they are kept for if they are kept close to Christ if they are kept faithfull to Christ though thy foot may slide from Christ all is well The Apostle Rom. 7. observ'd that his will and affections were kept close to Christ even then when he was Tyrannically Captivated and carried by the prevalency of sin from Christ With my mind I serve the Law of God sayes he and what I doe I allow not therefore it is no more I that doth it but sin that dwelleth in me My will stands close to Christ and my affections are faithfull to Christ though by the prevalency of corruption I am now and then carried Captive from Christ 'T is one thing to be taken up by an Enemy and another thing for a man to lay downe his Weapons at his Enemies feet I am saith the Apostle a forc't man I doe what I hate I doe what I never intended The heart may be sound when more externall and inferiour parts are not The heart of a man may be sound God-ward and Christ-ward and holinesse-ward when yet there may be many defects and weaknesses in
c. he may be burnt for all that therefore he must be active and stirring he must run from place to place and call out for helpe and must worke even in the fire and bestirre himselfe as for life in the use of all meanes whereby the fire may be quenched so if Grace be not acted it s not all a mans praying and crying c. that will profit him or better him grace must be exercised or all will be lost prayers lost teares lost time lost strength lost soule lost c. 1 Tim. 4. 7 8. But refuse prophane and old wives 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 make a faire excuse fables shift them off as the word is sett them by say thou art not at leisure to attend them make a faire excuse as the word notes tell them thou hast business of an eternall concernment to look after and exercise thy selfe rather unto Godliness or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not to be taken in a sense wherein little signifies nothing at all but as when it is set in comparison and opposition to some greater matter as here in opposition to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for all things Let the Patient take such or such a potion that in its selfe is good yet if it want such or such a particular ingredient it workes not it do's no good 't is so here lay aside thy upper Garments as runners and wrastlers doe to which the Apostle alludes and bestirre thy selfe lustily for says he in the 8 ver Bodily exercise profits little but Godlinesse is profitable unto all things and hath the promise of this life and of that which is to come The Babylonians are said to make 360 severall Commodities of the Palme Tree but what are those hundred Commodities to those thousands that attend holiness that attend the exercise of grace nothing makes a man rich in spiritualls like the frequent and constant actings of grace In the fourth of the Heb. 2. The word did not profit them that heard it because it was not mixt with faith He doth not speake there of unbeleevers but of those that had Grace in the habit but not in the exercise and therefore the word did not turne to their Accounts they heard and were never the better and what was the Ground of it why it was because they did not exercise Faith upon the word the words that fell from the Preachers lips into their ears were a sweete potion but they did not worke kindly because there wanted the Ingredients of faith faith is one of those Glorious Ingredients that must make every Sermon every truth worke for the souls advantage nothing will worke for a beleevers good for his gaine if his graces lie asleepe Sixthly Because it is the end of all the Dignity and Glory that God hath conferr'd upon his people therefore they must exercise and Improve their Grace In the 1 Pet. 2. 9. But ye are a chosen Generation a Royall Priesthood an holy Nation a peculiar people that ye may shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of Darkness into his marvelous light Ye are a chosen Generation that is a pickt people the dearely beloved of his soule such as he first chose for his love and then loves for his choice A Royall Priesthood a holy Nation a peculiar people The Greeke is A people of purchase such as comprehendeth as it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 were all Gods gettings his whole stocke that he makes any reckoning off That ye may shew forth or as 't is in the Greek that ye may hopos tas aretas exaggeilete preach forth that ye may publikely declare the vertues of him that hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light that ye may so hould forth the vertues of him that hath conferr'd all this Dignity and Glory upon you as to excite others to Glorifie your father which is in heaven You know the picture of a deare Friend is not to be thrust in a Corner but in God himselfe is wronged by the injury â—hat is done to his Image The contempt is done to the King himselâ— that is done to his Image or Coyn. As Suetâ—nius wriâ—es some Conspicuous place of the house why our Graces are the very Image of Christ they are his picture and therefore to be held forth to open view These Candles must not be put under a bushell but set up in a Candlesticke Jewels are to ware not to hide so are our Graces It was a Capitall Crime in Tiberius dayes to carry the Image of Augustus upon a ring or coin into any fordid place and shall not Christians be more mindfull and carefull that their Graces which are Christs Image be no wayes obscured but that they be kept alwayes sparling and shining Christs glory and thy comfort oh Christian lies much in the sparkling of thy graces Pearles are not to be thrust in mudd walls or hung in swines snoutes but to be hung on the breasts Seventhly Gratious soules must exercise their Grace because the more Grace is exercised and improâ—ed with the more Psal 40. 7 8 Psal 119. 97 â—8 99 100 103 104 111 112. ease and delight will all religious services be performed When grace is improved and exercised gracious services are easily performed As the more naturall strength is exercised and improved with the more ease and pleasure are all bodily services performed so the more grace is acted and improved with the more ease and delight all Christian services are performed Such soules finde wages in their very worke they finde not Rom. 6. 22. onely for keeping but also in keeping of his commands there is Psal 19. 11. great reward all the wayes of the Lord are wayes of pleasantnesse Prov. 3. 17. Pâ—al 65. 11. to them and they finde that all his pathes drop marrow and fatnesse Ah Christians as ever you would have the services of God to be easie and delightfull to your soules looke to the exercise and Improvement of your Graces and then your worke will be a joy Eighthly You must exercise and improve your gifts and graces because the more grace is improved the more God will be Abrahams saith made him rejoyce and obey Heb. 11. Faith is as the spring in the watch that moves the wheeles not a grace stirs till faith sets it on worke Rom. 4. 3. c. honoured In Rom. 4. 19 20 21. And being not weake in faith he considered not his owne body now dead when he was about an hundred yeares old neither the deadnesse of Sarahs womb he staggered not at the promise of God through unbeleefe but was strong in faith giving glory to God and being fully perswaded that what he had promised he was able to performe He gave glory to God But how did he give glory to God was it a dead habit of faith that set the Crowne of honour upon the head of God no it was the lively actings of his faith
stark naught lâ—ke the Monk in the Fable did his excellent spirit appear in that he was holy and humble in heart though high in place and worth c. Dan. 6. 3-7 Daniel keeps humble and holy when he is lifted high yea made the second man in the Kingdome Malice it selfe could not find any thing against him but in the matter of his God 'T is much to be very gracious when a man is very great and to be high in holinesse when advanc'd to high places usually mens blood rises with their outward good Certainly they are worthy ones and shall walk with Christ Rev. 3. 4. in white whose Garments are not defiled with greatnesse or riches c. Secondly They that have highly improved their graces will comply with those commands of God that crosse nature that are contrary to nature And doubtlesse that man ha's improv'd his graces to a very high rate whose heart complies with those Commands of God that are crosse and contrary to nature As for a man to love them that loath him Mat. 5. 44. They use to say If any man would have Mr. Fox doe him a good turne let him doe him an injury c. to blesse them that curse him to pray for them that persecute him c. 'T is nothing to love them that love us and to speak well of them that speak well of us and to doe well and carry it well towards them that carry it well towards us Oh! but for a man to love those that hate him to be courteous to them that are currish to him to be sweet to them that are bitter to him c. this strongly demonstrates a high improvement of grace Certainly that man is very very good who ha's learned that holy Lesson of overcoming evill with good Such a one was Stephen Acts 7. 55 ult Rom. 12. ult He was a man full of the holy Ghost That is of the Gifts and graces of the Holy Ghost he was much in the exercise of Grace he can pray and sigh for them yea even weepe teares of blood for them who rejoyced to shed his blood So did Christ weep over Jerusalem so did Titus so did Marcellus over Syracuse so did Scipio over Carthage but they shed teares for them whose blood they were to shed but Christ shed teares for them who were to shed his blood So Abraham being strong in faith gave glory to God How Rom. 4. why by complying with those commands of God that were very contrary to flesh and blood as the offering up of his Son his onely Son his beloved Son his Son of the Promise and by leaving his owne Countrey and his near and dear relations upon a word of Command The Commands of God so change the whole man and make him new that you can hardly know him to be the same man saith one Well Sirs Lactant. defalsa sapient lib. 3. cap. â—7 remember this 't is a dangerous thing to neglect one of his Commands though it be never so crosse to flesh and blood who by another is able to command you into nothing or into hell Let Luther hate me and in his wrath call me a thousand times Devill yet I will love him and acknowledge him to be a most precious servant of God saith Calvin c. Thirdly consider this Such soules will follow the Lord fully that have made an improvement of their graces Oh! this was the glorious commendations of Caleb and Joshua in Numb 14. 24. that They followed the Lord fully in the face of all difficulties and discouragements They had another spirit in them sayes the Text they would goe up and possesse the Land though the Walls were as high as Heaven and Veni vidi vici I came I saw I overcame said that Emperour the Sons of Anak were there they made no more of it then to goe see and conquer They followed the Lord fully In the Hebrew it is They fullfilled after me The Hebrew word is a metaphor taken from a Ship under saile that 's carried with a strong wind as fearing neither Sands nor Rocks nor Shelves c. Such have little if any thing of Christ within who follow him by halves or haltingly I remember Cyprian brings in the Devil triumphing over Christ thus As for my followers I never dyed for them as Christ did for his I never promised them so great reward as Christ hath done to his and yet I have more followers then he and they doe more for me then his doe for him O where is that spirit in these dayes that was upon those Worthies Psal 44. All this is come upon us yet have we not forgotten thee neither have we dealt falsely in thy Covenant our heart is not turned backe neither have our steps declined from thy way though thou hast sore broken us in the place of Dragons and covered us with the shadow of death Fourthly Such soules that have improved their Graces to a considerable height will blesse God as well when he frowns as when he smiles As well when he takes as when he gives when he strikes as when he strokes as you may see by comparing the Scriptures in the Margent together When the Lord had stript Job of all and had set him naked upon the dunghill why then Job 1. â—1 Levit. 10. 3. 2 Sam. 15. 25 26. Isa 63. 14 15. sayes Job The Lord gives and the Lord taketh away and blessed be the name of the Lord. Where Grace is improved to a considerable height it will work a soule to sit downe satisfied with the naked injoyment of God without other things John 14. 8. Shew us the father and it sufficieth us The sight Christus est mihi pro omnibus sayes a Christian as he said Plato est mihi pro omnibus of the father without honours the sight of the father without riches the sight of the father without mens favour will suffice the soule As Jacob said It is enough that Joseph is alive so sayes the soule that 's high in Grace 't is enough that Jesus is alive c. Fifthly Soules that have improved their Graces to a considerable height will be good in bad times and in bad places Such soules will bear up against the stream of evill examples in the worst of times and in the worst of places Abraham Though the Fishes live in the salt sea yet they are fresh So though soules eminently gracious live among the wicked yet they retaine their spiritualnesse freshnesse and liâ—e was righteous in Chaldea Lot was just in Sodome Daniel holy in Babylon Job upright and fearing God in the Land of Vz which was a prophane and most abominable superstitious place Nehemiah zealous in Damasco Oh take me a man that hath improved his grace and the worser the times are the better that man will be he will bear up bravely against the stream of evill examples he will be very good when times and all round
31. Then had the Churches rest throughout all Judca and Galilee and Samaria and were edified and walking in the feare of the Lord and in the comfort of the holy Ghost were multiplied The more their graces were increased the more their comforts were augmented If one drop of the joy of the Holy Ghost should fall into hell it would swallow up all the torments of hell saith Austin Oh! who would not then labour to increase in grace that he may abound in joy c. The Promise lyes most fair before their eyes that are rich in grace their interest in it is most clear and rarely that they goe without it unlesse it is by taking part sometimes with Satan against their interest in Christ or somtimes through the power of unbelief which indeed cuts off all the comfort of the soule or by looking after other lovers or by not hearkning to the voyce of the Comforter c. Christians you often complaine of the want of joy and comfort oh doe but abound in grace and you won't complaine of the want of comfort Without delight the soule cannot live saith one take away all delight and the soul dyes Let this that ha's been spoken provoke every Christian to labour to be rich in grace c. But secondly Consider this You have singular opportunities and choyce advantages to be rich in grace There is a price put into your hands but where are your hearts In former times God gave out grace by drops but now by Flaggons Opportunities if not improved will as Cant. 2. 5. that sword that Hector gave Ajax be turned into your owne bowels This will be a sword in thy bowels that there hath been soule-inriching opportunities and thou hast neglected them and turned thy back upon them The thoughts of this will one day be the Scorpions that will vex thee the rod that will lash thee the thornes that will prick thee and the worm that will gnaw thee The Storke saith the Prophet knowes Jer. 8. 7. his appointed times and the Turtle and the Crane and the Swallow observe the time of their coming but my people know not the judgement of the Lord. The Market for your soules is open slip not your season least with the foolish Virgins you Mat. 25. goe to buy when 't is too late The Merchant will not slip his opportunity of buying nor the Saylor his of sailing nor the Husbandman his of sowing and why should you slip yours of growing rich in grace Many men loose their soules as Saul lost his Kingdome by not discerning their time to be spiritually rich Tamarlen at first hung out a white flagge but if they slipt Such â—here have been who by giving a glasse of water opportunely have obtain'd a Kingdome as you may see in the story of Thâ—umâ—stus and King Agrippa c. that opportunity then a red and so death and destruction followed c. The Lord Jesus hangs out the white flagge of mercy in these dayes to intice soules to come in and to share with him in his glorious and unsearchable riches in the riches of his grace and mercy but if you stand out Christ hath a red flagge and if that be once put out you are lost for ever Thrice happy are those that take the first opportunity of closing with Christ and of subjecting themselves to Christ Plutarch writes of Hanniball That when he could have taken Rome he would not but when he would have taken Rome he could not When many men may have mercy they won't and when they would have mercy they shan't Mercy and Prov. 1. 24 â—l Rev. 3. 20. grace is sometimes upon the bare knee Christ stands knocking at sinners doores he is willing to come in and make sinners rich and happy for ever he calls upon soules to open to him Lift up your heads O ye Gates and be ye lift up ye everlasting Prov. 24. 7 8 c. doores and the King of glory shall come in who is the King of glory The Lord strong and mighty the Lord mighty in Battell The King of glory comes not vacuis manibus empty-handed no he comes with his hands and heart full of rich and royal Presents and blest and enricht for ever are those that open to this King of glory c. Thirdly Consider this Soules rich in grace shall have their names immortall Every man naturally would have if it were possible his name immortal now there 's no way in the world to have your names immortal like this of growing rich in grace A man that 's spiritually rich shall live and his name shall live when he is dead In Nehem. 7. 2. 't is said of Hannaniah that he was a faithfull man and feared God above many Or He feared God above multitudes as the Hebrew hath it His Merâ—bbim from Rabâ—b name lives though his body for many hundred years hath been turn'd to dust So in Acts 7. 55. Stephen was a man full of the Holy Ghost Though Stephen were stoned yet his name lives his memoriall is precious among the Saints to this very day So in Heb. 11. 38. They were such of whom this world was not worthy And in the third Epistle of John the six first Verses compared with vers 12. Gaius and Demetrius Ego si bonam faâ—ram servassâ— sat dives ero If I may but keep a good name I have wealth enough said Plaâ—t who were rich in grace have Crownes of honour set upon their heads their names live and are a sweet savour to this very day c. So in Psal 112. 6. The righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance but the name of the wicked shall rot The great mans name and the rich mans name shall rot saith he but the name of the righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance The Persians use to write their Kings names in golden Characters so the Lord writes the names of soules rich in grace in golden Characters Their names are alwayes Heires to their lives believe it there 's no such way in the world to have immortall names like this of growing rich in grace One man thinks to make his name immortall by making himself great another by heaping up silver and gold as the dust of the A good name yields a fragrant smell over Towne Country it puts a shining lustre upon the countenance it fitteth to any publick employment in Ministry or Magistracy it stops many a foul mouth and it makes men live when they are dead earth or the stones of the street and another by doing some strange exploites c. But for all this the Lord will make good his word The name of the wicked shall rot if God be God his name must rot but the righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance they leave their Names behind for a blessing Isa 65. 15. 'T is sad to consider what many poor carnall Creatures have done and suffered to make their names immortall
thread of The very Heâ—then man could say Quando sapiens loquitur aulea animi aperdit When a wise man speaketh he openeth the rich treasures and wardrobe of his mind c. scarlet with talking of nothing but a crucified Christ and thin like a thread not swell'd with other vaine and wicked discourses The old zealous Primitive Christians did so frequently and so effectually mind and talke of the Kingdome of Heaven and of the riches and glory of that State that the Ethnicks begun to be a little jealous that they affected the Roman Empire when alasse their ambition was of another and a nobler nature Psal 37. 30. The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisedome and his tongue talketh judgement for the Law of the Lord is in his heart Prov. 12. 18. The tongue of the wise is health his tongue is a Tree of life whose leaves are medicinable No way to be rich in spiritualls like being much in with such precious soules whose tongues drop marrow and fatnesse Utterance is a gift and dumb Christians are blame-worthy as well as dumb Ministers We should all strive to a holy ability and dexterity of savoury discourse If Christ should come to many of us as he did to his two Disciples in that last of Luke on Sabboath-dayes and other times and say to us as to them What manner of communication had ye or have yee Oh! with what palenesse of face and sadnesse of countenance should we look The story of Loquere ut videam is common Speake that I may see thee said Socrates to a faire Boy When the heart is full it overfloweth in speech we know Mettals by their tinkling and men by their talking Happy was that tongue in the Primitive time that could sound out Aliquid Davidicum Any thing of Davids doing but much more happy is he that speaks out Aliquid Christi Any thing of Christ from experience Seventhly If ever you would be spiritually rich Then take heed of eating or tasting of forbidden fruit This stript Adam of his Crowne of his Jewels and of all his rich Ornaments in a moment and of the richest and Becanus tells us That the Tree of Knowledge was Ficus indica and that it bears many leaves and little fruit and so 't is with those that tast and eat of forbidden fruit c. greatest Prince that ever breathed made him the miserablest Beggar that ever liv'd O take heed of tasting of poyson of eating of poyson A person that hath eate poyson will not thrive let him take never such wholsome food the choycest Cordials will not increase blood and spirits and strength but the man will throw up all Poore soules that have been tasting of poyson are apt to find fault with the Minister and sometimes with this and that as the cause of their not growing rich in spiritualls When alasse the onely cause is their eating of poyson These are like him in Seneca that having a thorne in his foot complained of the roughnesse of the way as the cause of his limping Sirs 't is not the Minister nor this nor that but your eating of forbidden fruit that is the cause of your non-thriving in spiritualls Sin is the souls sicknesse and nothing more prejudices growth then sicknesse Christians if ever you would be trees not onely having the leaves of honour but the fruites of righteousnesse then take heed of sin abhor it more then hell and fly from it as from your deadliest enemy c. Eighthly and lastly Be sure to maintaine a secret trade with God You know many men come to be very rich in the world Acts 10. 3 9. Gen. 21. 33. Exod. 14. 15. 1 Sam. 1. 13. by a secret trade Though many have not such an open trade as others yet they have a more secret Trade and by that they gaine very great Estates as many of you here in London know by experience Take it friends as an experienced truth there is no such way under heaven to be rich in spiritualls as by driving of a secret Trade heavenwards 'T is true it 's good for men to attend upon this and that and the other publick administration for in all Divine administrations God shewes his beauty and glory I but such that delight to be more Psal 63. 2 3. Psal 27. 4. Psal 84. 10. upon the publick stage then in the Closet will never be rich in spiritualls they may grow rich in notions but they will never grow rich in gracious experiences Oh! God loves to see a poore Christian to shut his closet doore and then to open Mat 6. 6. his bosome and poure out his soule before him God hath very discoveries for soules that drive a secret Trade The best wine the best dainties and delicates are for such And I never knew any man or woman in my life that was richer in grace then those that were much in closet communion with God Much of a Christians spirituall strength lyes in secret prayer as Sampson's did in his haire Nothing charmes Satan and weakens sin like this Secret Prayers are the pillars of smoke wherein the soule ascendeth to God out of the wildernesse of this world Secret prayer is Jacobs Ladder where you have God discending downe into the soul and rhe soule sweetly ascending up to God No way to be rich in spirituals like this therefore be sure to maintaine and keep up a secret Trade between God and your owne soules Oh let God heare often of you in secret In Cant. 7. 5. The King is held in the Galleries Oh! in the secret walks the soule meets with the King of glory Oh! there the soule hangs upon Christ there the soule sucks and drawes virtue from Christ and there the soule is made rich with the riches of Christ Christ is much delighted and taken with secret prayer Cant. 2. 14. O my Dove that art in the clefts of the rock in the secret places of the staires that art got into a hole let me heare thy voyce let me see thy countenance for sweet is thy voyce and thy countenance is lovely Secret meales are very fatning and secret duties are very soule-inriching Christians set more close to this work and if you don't thrive by it trust me no more And thus you see by what means you may grow rich in grace The third thing I propounded to speak to was Some Propositions concerning Spirituall Riches Some Propositions concerning spirituall Riches And the first Proposition is this ALL that doe grow rich in Grace they grow rich gradually The Sun ascends by degrees Children Plants and Trees they grow by degrees so doe Saints in spiritualls It 's true many men as to temporalls by the death of some friend or this or that providence grow rich on a suddaine But no soule that 's rich in grace but growes rich gradually In Prov. 4. 18. But the path of the just is like the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day
Seventh of England believed hâ—m not therefore trusted him not with shipping and so lost all the purchase of that faith which purchase may yet be recovered if the Lord shall please to own and crown the just and noble designe of Generall Pen c. that moves all the golden wheeles of obedience In Heb. 11. you read what those Worthies did they left their Countrey their kindred upon a bare command of God Faith hath Rachel's eye but Leah's womb it makes soules very fruitfull in wayes of well-doing Faith is as the spring in the Watch that moves the wheels not a grace stirs till faith sets it on work Faith is like Solomons virtuous woman that sets all her maidens to work Faith sets joy on work Abraham desired to see my day and saw it and rejoyced Faith sets love on work It workes by love Gal. 5. 6. It sets hope on work Rom. 8. 24 25. It sets godly sorrow at work Zech. 12. 10. It sets patience at work I believe that God is wise and loving and what he does is out of some noble designe to doe my soule good this spins out patience Faith fits a man to doe to suffer to waite to walk c. therefore labour above all to be rich in faith And then sixthly Of all graces faith renders the soule most invincible and therefore you should labour above all to be rich in faith It renders the soule invincible and unconquerable under all the hardships and tryalls it meets with in this world Faith makes a man triumph in all the changes and conditions of this life It was their faith that made them invincible in Dan. 3. 16 17 18. O Nebuchadnezzar we are not carefull to answer thee in this matter if it be so our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace and he will deliver us out of thine hand O King But if not be it knowne unto thee O King that we will not serve thy Gods nor worship thy golden Image which thou hast up And so Daniels faith stopt the Lyons mouths it made him too strong for the strongest Beasts of prey as you may see in Dan. 6. Though the Enemies of a believer are very subtile strong and experienced and though the battell be hot and long yet a soule rich in faith shall have the day Faith will render a believer victorious in the close He may suffer death as Mori posse vinci non posse Cyp. Cyprian said to Cornelius but never Conquest Faith renders the soule a Lyon a Rock c. It is reported of some of the Roman and Grecian Captaines that they proved alwayes As may be fully seen in the Book of Martyrs and in Heb. 11. victorious and were never beaten by any Such is the nature of faith it renders a soule victorious in all ingagements In all ingagements faith brings a man bravely off and inables him to keep his ground and triumph Psal 60. 6 7 8 9 10. God hath spoken in his holinesse I will rejoyce I will divide Shechem and meet out the valley of Succoth Gilead is mine and Manasseh is mine Ephraim also is the strength of my Faith alaers the Tenses it puts the future into the present Gilead is mine c. head Judah is my Law-giver Moab is my wash-pot over Edom will I cast out my shooe Philistia triumph thou because of me c. 'T is not great resolutions nor bigge words nor high looks but faith that will make a man stand fast in shaking times No hand can put the Garland upon a Christian but the hand of faith c. And then seventhly Above all labour to be rich in faith because Satan will labour might and maine to weaken your faith Oh! the great designe of Satan is not so much to weaken you in externalls as it is to weaken you in internalls Satan can be contented that men should have their heads full of notions and their mouths full of Religion and their baggs full of gold and their chests full of silver and their shops full of wares so their soules be either voyd of faith or but poor and low in faith Satans greatest plot is to weaken the faith of Christians Luke 22. 31 32. And the Lord said Simon Simon behold Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift Satan knowes that Nihil retinet qui fidem perdidit you as wheat but I have prayed for thee that thy faith faile not Satan hath an akeing tooth at thy faith his designe is upon that he will labour might and maine to weaken that to frustrate that and therefore I have prayed that thy faith faile not And then eighthly Consider this of all graces faith contributes most to the bringing downe of mercies and blessings upon your selves and friends and therefore you should above all labour to be rich in this particular grace of faith Faith contributes to the bringing downe of blessings upon our selves In Dan. 6. 23. Daniel was delivered saith the Text because he believed in his God 'T was his faith and not his prayers 't was his faith and not his teares 't was his faith and not his sighes that stopt the Lyons mouths and wrought deliverance for him So in Psal 27. 13. I had fainted unlesse I had believed to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the Land of the living So in 2 Chron. 20. 20. Believe in the Lord your God so shall ye be established believe his Prophets so shall ye prosper and so they did That 's a very famous Scripture to this purpose 2 Chron. 13. 15 16 17. Then the men of Judah gave a shout and as the men of Judah shouted it came to passe that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel Were men more rich in faith they would be more rich in other blessings c. before Abijah and Judah and the Children of Israel fled before Judah and God delivered them into their hands And Abijah and his people slew with a great slaughter so there fell downe slaine of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men Here was a dreadfull slaughter no wars no slaughters comparable to those the Scripture speaks of And the reason is rendred vers 18. Because they relyed upon the Lord God of their fathers And as faith is the onely way to bring downe a blessing upon our selves so faith is the onely way to bring downe blessings upon our friends and relations Though another man cannot be saved by my faith yet he Gen. 39. may be blest with many blessings upon the account of my faith In Mat. 15. 22. to 29. it was the Canaanitish womans faith that brought a blessing of healing upon her daughter And so in Mat. 8. 6. to 14. the Centurions faith heal'd his servant that was sick of a Palsie and from that very houre he was healed The servant got well by his Masters faith And so likewise in Mark 9. the faith of the father prevailed for the
promises are over-performed 1 Cor. 2. 9. c. Christ upon his word Doe you believe he will give you a Crowne and will you not trust him for a crust Doe you believe he will give you a Kingdome and doe you doubt whether he will give you a Cottage to rest in Ha's he given you his blood and doe you think that he will deny you any thing that is really for your good Surely he will not he cannot Againe Trust him for power against all the remainders of sin in you Hath Christ freed you from the damnatory power of sin Rom. 8. 1. Rom. 6. 14. Heb. 13. 5. and from the dominion of sin and will not you trust him for deliverance from the remainers of sin Psal 65. 3. Iniquities prevaile against me As for our transgressions thou shalt purge them away O excellent faith Againe Trust him to bring you into the Land of rest Doe you think that this Joshua is not able to carry you through all difficulties dangers and deaths Doe you think that he will leave you to dye in the wildernesse who have already had some glimpses of Heavens glory O trust to this Christ for the bringing of your soules into the Promised Land Christ would loose his glory should you fall short of glory c. Againe If Christ be so rich Then don't forsake him don't leave him don't turne your backs upon him Is there Riches of Justification and Riches of Sanctification and Riches of Consolation and Riches of Glorification in Christ Yes why then doe not depart from him doe not You read of no Armes for the back though you doe for the breast Phil. 6. shake hands with him That 's a sad complaint of God in Jer. 2. 12 13. Be astonished O ye heavens at this and be horribly afraid be ye very desolate saith the Lord For my people have committed two evills They have forsaken me the fountaine of living waters and hewed them out Cisternes broken Cisternes that can hold no water Is it madnesse and folly to flye from the fountaine to the streame from the light of the Sun to the light of a candle And is it not greater madnesse and folly to forsake the Creator to run after the creature O say as Peter Whither should we goe thou hast John 6. 68. the words of eternall life To run from Christ is to run from all life peace and joy 't is to run from our strength our shelter our security our safety our Crown our glory Lev. 11. 10. Crabbs that goe backward are reckoned among unclean creatures The application is easie Origen coming to Jerusalem after that he had shamefully turned his back upon Christ and his truth and being exceedingly pressed to preach at last he yields and as he opened the Book he happened to cast his eye upon that place of the Psalmist What hast thou to doe to declare my Statutes or that thou shouldest take my Covenant in thy mouth seeing thou hatest Psa 50. 16 17. instruction and castest my words behind thee Now the remembrance of his owne folly so reflected upon his conscience that it made him close the Book and sit downe and weep Such as forsake a rich a full Christ shall have weeping work enough That is a very dreadfull Scripture Jer. 17. 13. All you that forsake the Lord shall come to be ashamed and they that depart from him shall be written in the dust Can you read this Text backsliding soules and not tremble c. Againe If the Lord Jesus Christ be so rich Oh then all you that have an interest in him labour mightily to clear up your interest and to be more and more confident of your interest in so rich a Jesus My Brethren 't is one thing for a man to have an interest in Christ and another thing to have his interest cleer'd up to him I doe speak it with grief of heart That even among such Christians that I hope to meet in Heaven there 's scarce one of forty nay one of a hundred that is groundedly able to make out his interest in the Lord Jesus Most Christians live between feare and hope between doubting and believing One day they hope that all is well and that all shall be well for ever the next day they are ready to say That they shall one day perish by the hand of such a corruption or else by the hand of such or such a temptation And thus they are up and downe sav'd and lost many times in a day But you will say unto me What Meanes should we use to clear up our interest in Christ I 'le tell you there are six singular Means that you should labour after for the evidencing more and more your interest in Christ And take it from experience you will find that they will contribute very very much for the evidencing your interest in Christ And the Means for the evidencing our interest in Christ First is this Faithfully and constantly fall in with the interest of Christ Holinesse is the interest of Christ the Gospel is the interest of Christ the precious Ordinances are the interest of Christ c. Now the more sincerely and roundly you fall in with the interest of Christ the more abundantly you will be confirmed and perswaded of your interest in Christ Such soules The Primitive Christians did generally fall in with the interest of Christ and they generally had an assurance of their interest in Christ Lam. 1. 16. Phil. 4. 30. Isa 63. 10. Spiritus sanctâ— est res delicaâ—a Psal 77. 2. 1 Thess 5. 19. as fall in with strange interests or with base and carnall interests may justly question whether ever they had any reall interest in Christ Christians did you more sincerely and fully fall in with Christs interest you would lesse question your interest in Christ this would scatter many a cloud Secondly Be kind to the spirit of Christ Doe not grieve him doe not slight him If you should set this spirit a mourning that alone can evidence your interest that alone can seale up your interest in Christ by whom shall your interest in Christ be sealed up O doe not grieve the spirit by acting against light against conscience against ingagements doe not grieve him by casting his cordialls and comforts behind your backs doe not grieve him by slighting and despising his gracious actings in others doe not cast water upon the spirit but wisely attend the hints the Items and motions of the Spirit and he will clear up thy interest in Christ he will make thee say My Beloved is mine and I am his Câ—nt 2. 16 Thirdly Labour more and more after a full and universall conformity to Jesus Christ The more the soule is conformable to Christ the more confident it will be of its interest in Christ 1 John 4. 17. As all good Orators indeavour to be like Demosthenes so all good Christians should indeavour to be like to Jesus Christ for
therein lyes their glory and perfection Herein is our love made perfect that we may have boldnesse in the day of judgement because as he is so are we in this world As he so are we The Child is not more like the father then then we are like our Saviour The Child is the father multiplied the father of a second edition Our Summum bonum consists in our full communion with Christ and in our full conformity to Christ Oh if men were more universally conformable to Christ in their affections ends designes and actings c. they would have abundantly more clear full and glorious evidences of their interest in Christ A more full conformity to Christ in heart and life will make your lives a very Heaven c. Fourthly Interest Christ in the glory of all you injoy and in the glory of all you doe This is a precious way to have your interest in Christ more 1 Cor. 10. 31. and more evidenced to your owne soules Such as are good at this as are much in this will find Christ every day a clearing up more and more their interest in himselfe 'T is not usually long night with such soules O Christians interest Christ more and more in the glory of all your graces interest him in the glory of all your duties interest him in the glory of all your abilities as Christ doth interest you in himselfe in John 1. 16. Rev. 1. 5 6. 1 Pet. 2. 9. his spirit in his graces in his riches in his Titles in his dignities in his offices Ah Christians did you interest Christ more in all you have in all you are and in all you doe you would never be so full of feares and doubts and questions about your interest in Christ as you are Your interessing of Christ in all you have and doe will speak out not onely the The mother that strongly loves her child dâ—es not question the truth of he love to her child truth of your love but also the strength and greatnesse of your love and where men love much where they love strongly there they doe not question the truth of their love The Heathen Gods were contented to divide their honours amongst themselves and hence the Senate of Rome rejected Christ from taking him to be a God after that they had consulted about it For said they if Christ come to be acknowledged a God he will not share with the rest he will have all himselfe And so upon this reason they refused him Christians Christ will not have any competitor he will rather part with any thing then with his glory Isa 42. 8. I am the Lord that is my name and my glory will I not give to another neither my praise to graven Images Christ will rather part with his life then with his honour therefore let every Christian say as David does 1 Chron. 29. 11 12 13. Thine O Lord is the greatnesse and the power and the glory and the victory and the Majesty for all that is in the Heaven and in the earth is thine Thine is the Kingdome O Lord and thou art exalted as head above all Both riches and honour come of thee and thou reignest over all And in thine hand is power and might and in thine hand it is to make great and to give strength unto all Now therefore our God we thanke thee and praise thy glorious name And cleerly friends the more your hearts are led forth to interest Christ in all you injoy and in all you doe the more clear and glorious evidence you will have of your interest in Christ let his honour and glory lye nearer and nearer to your hearts and you shall see that he ha's set you as a seale upon his arme as a seale upon his heart The fifth meanes to gaine the knowledge of your interest in Christ is By cleaving to Christ and whatsoever is deare to Christ in the face of all miseries difficulties and dangers It 's nothing to cleave to Christ in faire weather when every Psal 44. Acts 5. Heb. 11. Dan. 3. Acts 21. 13. one cleaves to Christ when every one professes Christ but to cleave to him in a storme when every one runs from him this speaks out a child-like disposition it speaks out a Jacob's spirit Surely he must needs have much of Christ that nothing can take off from cleaving to Christ When the soule sayes to Christ as Ruth said to Naomi Whither thou Ruth 1. 15 16 17 18. goest I will goe and where thou lodgest I will lodge thy people shall be my people and thy God shall be my God The Lord doe so to me and more also if ought but death part thee and me When neither the frownes of men nor the reproach of men nor the contempt of men nor oppositions from men can take the soule off from cleaving to Christ it will not be long before Christ speaks peace to such a soule Psal 63. 8. My soule followeth hard after thee thy right hand upholds me In the Hebrew 'tis My soule cleaveth to thee or Dabka naphshi is glewed to thee as Jonathan's soule cleav'd to David and as Jacob's soule cleav'd to Rachel in the face of all difficulties and troubles Doubtlesse when the soule cleaves to Christ in the face of all afflictions and difficulties this carries with it Shaâ—nma one of Davids Worthies stood and defended the field when all the rest fled very much evidence of its interest in Christ In temporalls men cleave to persons and things as their interest is in them and so 't is in spirituals also Christ cannot Christ will not throw such to hell that hang about him that cleave to him Sixthly and lastly If you would know whether you have an interest in Christ Then be very much in observing what interest Christ ha's in you Observe whether he ha's the interest of a head a husband a father or no Christ ha's a generall interest in all creatures as he is the Creator and Preserver of them And he ha's a heads interest a husbands interest a fathers interest onely in them that have a saving interest in him The interest of the head the husband the father is the greatest interest 't is the sweetest interest 't is a commanding interest 't is a growing interest 't is a peculiar interest 't is a lasting interest and really if the Lord Jesus hath such an interest in you you may be as confident that you have a reall and glorious interest in him ' as you are confident that you live And thus much for the means whereby you may come to know your interest in rich Jesus Before I close up this discourse give me leave to speak a few words to poore sinners who to this very day are afar off from this Jesus who is so rich in all excellencies and glories A VSE of Exhortation to Christ-less soules Ah poore hearts you have heard much of the riches of the Lord