MEANES TO PREVENT PERISHING OR THE USEFULNESSE OF The Saving Knowledge OF GOD. Discovered in these Particulars I. The blessed tendency the Knowledg of God hath to bring Men to Salvation II. The One-ness of the Father Son and Spirit III. The excellency of Christs Person IV. The excellent nature of Eternal Life By W S. a Servant of the Lord Jesus Hos 4.6 My people are destroyed for lack of Knowledge LONDON Printed and are to be sold by Fr. Smith in Flying-Horse Court in Fleet-street 1658. To the READER Courteous Reader THese following lines are brought to thy view through the desire of some that heard them Preached and could not be satisfied till others had a taste of them as well as themselves It grieves me for thy sake that a subject of this worth hath not been brought forth by some better abilities but seeing it is my lot to be the instrument of its birth I must present a few requests to thee And the first is this that thou wouldst consider the usefulness of these most precious truths how much they will contribute toward the attainment of thine eternal peace Knowledge in general is justified of all her Sons to be of excellent worth but amongst all Knowledge the knowledg of God in Jesus Christ must be confess'd to be a jewel of the choicest worth it is the Corner Stone of all Religion and piety that tends to set thy judgement right in all other points and an excellent guide to the right interpretation of the holy Scriptures It hath likewise a great command over the Conscience and hath a blessed tendence to keep thee from prophaneness unrighteousness and negligence when once thou comest to know God in Christ thou canst not well through despair want incouragement to serve God nor yet through presumption take the boldness to wander from his Commandements but this Grace is such a help to keep thy heart and life in an upright frame that without very much wilfulness thou canst not well go out of thy way to happiness And likewise the knowledge of the worth of Eternal Life tends much to draw thy mind from Eartly vanities to those things that be above A second desire I have to thee is this That thou wilt lay aside that overliness and formality of Spirit wherewith Books of this nature are oftentimes read as if they were things that concerned us not but be so faithful to thy Souls interest as to read this without prejudice partiality and slightness of spirit lay up these truths in thine heart and bring forth the fruit of them and doubtless they will make thy conversation to shine to the praise of the Grace of God in this life and also make thee a meet heir of that glorious inheritance prepared for all them that love the appearing of our Lord Jesus Thirdly I beseech thee if thou meetest with Edification and Comfort as I trust thou wilt in the reading of this Book when thine heart is warm present a request to the Throne of Grace for the Author thereof that he may never be so unhappy as to carve all these sweet dainties away to others from himself but that he may be through Grace inabled to take his own share of them for his saving advantage So commending my poor yet faithful Labours to thy serious consideration and to the blessing of the great God of Heaven and Earth I remain thine in the Lord Jesus W. S. MEANES TO PREVENT PERISHING THE FIRST EXERCISE John 17.3 And this is life eternal that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent IN the words immediately going before you may observe that our Lord Jesus is a speaking by way of acknowledgment unto his Father of that authority and power that he had given him over all Flesh And in particular to give eternal life to a certain number there specified Which words I shall not speak further to now having opened them the last time I spake unto you In the words now read unto you you are to consider in what sence the knowledg of God and of Christ is Eternal Life I shall apply my self to this only at this time and not stand to shew you what is here meant by Eternal Life having done it so lately nor yet stand to shew you in what sence the Father sent Christ nor what to do nor wherefore he is said to be the only true God But I shall leave all this till another time and come to this particular only at this time to consider how the knowledg of God and of Christ is Eternal Life First then let us consider whether the meaning of the words be this That the persons that know the Father and Jesus Christ do indeed possess Eternal Life Or Secondly Whether they that know God and Christ are thereby assured of Eternal Life Or Thirdly Whether those that know the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ have thereby a very excellent means that hath a very gracious tendency in it to bring the persons in whom this knowledg is to Eternal Life Now I shall not stand to oppose the two former Expositions nor undertake to say that in no sence or degree they might be granted to be true yet the latter I take to be the meaning of the words namely this That the knowledg of God and of Jesus Christ is a means of Eternal Life Beloved I pray you observe it when the Scripture saith the knowledg of God is eternal life less than this cannot be in it that it is a means thereof Now therefore I pray you observe this general Conclusion from the words Doct. 1. That the knowledg of God and of his Son Jesus Christ is a glorious means of Eternal Life that hath a very gracious tendency in it to bring persons in whom this knowledg is to that happy enjoyment I shall name you two or three Texts more that speak the same language the first is in the 9 of Ier. 23 24. verses Let not the wise man glory in his wisdome nor the mighty in his might let not the rich man glory in his riches but let him that gloryeth glory in this that he understandeth and knoweth me Mark it beloved let not the wise man glory in his wisdom and yet wisdom is a most excellent gift that might better be gloried in then riches or strenth or any gift of that like nature and yet the spirit of God grants no liberty to glory in it but in this saith the Lord let him glory that he understandeth and knoweth me Now if in this you may so freely glory by the allowance of the Holy Spirit and yet neither in gifts nor parts surely this knowledg is of a most excellent tendency to bring much advantage and good to the Soul Another text you shall find in the 1 of Cor. the 1.21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that
there is one and but one Eternal Infinite Unchangeable and Invisible God from whom all things were are for evermore who is alone to be feared and obeyed and to be worshipped in spirit and in truth and to be had in especial reverence of all that come about him But I shall say no more to this trusting none of you will deny it but shall come in the next place to shew you that what is Attributed unto the true God and that which in a proper sence is only meet to be ascribed unto him is also ascribed both unto the Lord Jesus and also to the Holy Spirit Now therefore for the first of these you shall see how pregnant and plainly the Scriptures do acknowledg the Lord Jesus to be God and do give as much honour unto him as is or as can be given to the Father look Isai 6.9 the words are these For unto us a Child is born unto us a Son is given and the Government shall be upon his shoulders Here you see plainly that this is spoken of the Lord Jesus and can be applyed to no other Now you shall see what is there further said of him and what Names and Titles are Attributed to him in the following words and his Name shall be called wonderful Counsellor the mighty God the everlasting Father the Prince of Peace now tell me I pray you what ever was or can be ascribed to the Father more than this to call him The mighty God what can be in that word less than this the acknowledging of him to be the Author and Fountain of might and power likewise to call him The everlasting Father what can it signifie less than his being the first cause of all things and he that by himself alone and his own might and power hath produced them and brought them forth Again look Rev. 1.8 I am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the ending saith the Lord which is and which was and which is to come the Almighty I pray you think of it for my part I cannot see that in these termes beginning and ending first and last as it follows in verse 11. there can be less than the magnifying of himself to be the first cause of all things and the upholder of them to all Eternity and the manifester of himself in them to be even from eternity the only true God for if there had been any other either before him or together with him from Eternity then could he not be called the first and for this word the Almighty it is so full a word to express the Godhead by that I cannot tell where you can find a fuller for if in him be all might then no part of this Almightiness can be found in any other and so much this word the Almighty must needs signifie now if you compare this with vers 17 18. you will clearly see that all this the Lord Jesus speaks of himself and therefore he cannot be less than God Again if you please to look Phil. 2.6 there you will find the Apostle saying that he thought it not robbery to be equal with God but if he had not been truly God indeed it could not have been less than robbery either so to speak or so to think for it is impossible for any created Being that is the Off-spring of God to reckon it self equal with God without committing those most horrible great sins of Pride and Blasphemy and therefore it is most evident that he that thinks it no Robbery to be equal with God cannot be less than God himself and if you please to look in the first Epistle of John chap. 5. Verse 20. there you shall find the name of the True God ascribed to Jefus Christ but no where in all the Scriptures shall you find that the name of the true God is used in a figurative sence but he to whom this honour is given must needs be the most high God Further in John 20.28 there you shall find Thomas acknowledging of him to be both his Lord and his God but if it had not been a Title fully due unto the Lord Jesus both he and Thomas had greatly failed the one in giving and the other in taking this great glory to himself Now I shall come in the next place to shew you that the Holy Spirit also is God and that that which is ascribed unto him in the Scriptures could not be ascribed to him if he were not God First consider what Names and Titles the Holy Spirit taketh unto himself Isai 57.15 Thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity whose Name is holy Mark it spray you for any Man to call himself by the Name of the most High and lofty One that is inferior to the most High it is impossible or to ascribe to himself Eternity or the Name of the Holy One that is not the most High and Eternal God it cannot be but this is spoken by the Spirit and that of himself as you may see by that which follows in the next words I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones Here you see by the gracious work and Office here undertaken who it is that speaks for it is granted of all men that it is the proper work and office of the Spirit to be the Sanctifier and comforter of the people of God and that it is he which doth refresh and revive and comfort the hearts of poor humble contrite sinners but if men should deny it yet the Scriptures do clearly witness it I will name you but one Text for this Iohn 14.16 17 18. there Christ tells his Disciples That he will pray the Father to send them this Comforter this holy Spirit that should abide with them for ever and dwell both in them and with them and they should not be left comfortless whence you see plainly that the in-dwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in the heart is that which doth support and comfort and revive it and he that doth this gracious work for and in the souls of Gods poor people is that high and lofty one that inhabiteth Eternity which must needs be the only true God But some men may say how can the Holy Spirit be God seeing Christ saith that he will pray the Father to send him and when he comes he shall not speak of himself can he be the Messenger of the Father or of Christ to bring their minds unto the understandings of men and yet be the same true and only God For answer unto this you must know that all the mercy that is or that can be extended unto the sons of Men comes unto them through the mediation of the Lord Jesus and therefore it was necessary that Christ should dye and rise and ascend yea I must tell you if Christ had not gone on and finished the work of
Redemption as well as undertook it I say if Christ should have left the work in the midst as his poor Disciples through their ignorance would have had him there could never have been so great a mercy extended neither to them not to any others as the coming of the Holy Spirit and therefore our Lord tells them he must go or else the Comforter will not come now the reason wherefore the Spirit is said to be sent to do so many good Offices for the Saints is not to make us think that he is an inferior Messenger but to let us know that all that joy and comfort peace and sanctification and in a word all that Grace that is extended through the Divine operation of the Holy Spirit it all comes unto us through the blood-shedding of our Lord Jesus Christ and truly my Brethren if you do but consider the work of the Spirit in the hearts of Men me thinks it is enough to convince you or any knowing men in the world that he that doth it must needs be God If a man be but an experienced man and doth but mind the great blindness that is in the mind and the hardness that is in the heart and doth but consider how the soul is in slaved under the power of sin and Sathan living in the love and service of Wickedness being alienated from the life of God being far from the fear and love of him having no delight in his Commandements but being ungodly and graceless dead in trespasses and sins and then on the other hand considers what an Estate the soul must be brought unto before it can be fit for eternal communion with God If a person do but thus mind the greatness of the work the Spirit is to do in taking away the filth and pollution of the heart and cleansing the whole man from all filthiness of flesh and spirit and the renuing of the soul in knowledg and holiness and making it meet to be a partaker of the inheritance of the Saints in light Now I say what man that hath Prayed and fasted and watched and used all the means he can and yet finds in what a frame his heart continueth how far from that purity and God-like-ness that one day he hopeth to enjoy but now which way could a man expect it if he that had undertaken the work were not infinite in Power Wisdom and Goodness for my part I look upon this work as the greatest of all those wonderful works that God hath done or hath promised to do and therefore it is not likely that the greatest of all works should be laid upon the shoulders of him that is less than God Again if you look Psalm 139. there you shall find that the Prophet ascribes both Omni-presence and the searching of the heart unto the Holy Spirit which plainly speaks out his being God and Rom. 9 1. you find Paul calling the Holy Ghost to bear witness of the truth of his heart sorrow for his Brethren the Israelites which plainly proves that he is God See two Texts for this 1 King 8.39 For thou even thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men the same words you have in 2 Chron. 6.30 in both which places you see it is the peculiar prerogative of the only true God to know the hearts of the sons of men and I think no man is or at least should be so weak as to think the Apostle would call him to bear witness of the truth of the heart that doth not understand and know the heart I shall name you but one Text more for this and that is Luke 1.35 And the Angel answered and said unto her the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God Here you see that the Holy Spirit is called the highest and I think a title beyond this is not given any where nor cannot be given to the only true God but besides the Angel tells Mary that the Holy Ghost shall come upon her and by the power of him she should conceive and therefore this Son of hers should be called the Son of God Now therefore me thinks this should put the business beyond all dispute for if the Holy Spirit be the Father of our Lord Jesus sure he cannot be less than the only true God But it may be you will say unto me How shall all this that I have said be reconciled Can the Father be God and the Son be God and the Holy Spirit be God and yet there be but one only true God Beloved I pray you do not cast away an Opinion because it is old neither do I perswade you to receive it therefore but measure all Opinions both old and new by the measuring line of Truth the Word of God unto which I shall leave you for the tryal of this great mystery of godliness and shall commend two Texts more unto you for the reconciling of what hath been said the one is in 1 Tim. 3.16 Great is the mysterie of godliness God was manifest in the flesh Here me thinks the Apostle shews you how all this is reconcileable God was manifest in the flesh saith he not the Godhead of Christ without the Father and without the Spirit but God saith He was manifested in the flesh that is the God-head as it is written Iohn 10.30 I and my Father are one not only in communion as some may think but also in union and One-ness as it is plain Iohn 14 9 10 11. another Text you have in Col. 2.3 9. In whom speaking of Christ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledg Mark it I pray you if all the treasures of Wisdom and Knowledg be hid in Christ then are you like to find none of them out of him but all the wisdom of the Father and of the Spirit it will be all found in Christ as it followeth here in verse 9. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the God head bodily I know not how you can have more express and plain words all the fulness of the Father and of the Spirit if that be the fulness of the God-head you see dwells in Christ that is it hath such a real union an One-ness with the humane nature of the Lord Jesus that in Act. 20.28 his Blood is there called the Blood of God I shall leave these Texts of Scriptures to your serious consideration and proceed no further at this time but leave the Application till the Afternoon THE FIFTH EXERCISE John 17.3 This is life eternal that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent I Have in the morning from these words as you know opened the Doctrine of the God-head unto you a work which I have not been forward in nor should I have medled with it being a work of an high nature and requireth the
best abilities that these times do afford but only for these reasons I have now done it First I find some such motions flying abroad both in discourse and in print about this subject which in my judgement savours not well Secondly I do not find able men men of knowledg such as I would be glad to provoke to this work so forward to bring forth light as others to bring forth darkness and if they have it is more than I know Thirdly the matter I have spoken to fell in my way and I thought I might do well and it was my duty to bring forth my Mite in such a time as this wherein I find so many casting vails over the Name of Christ and of the Holy Spirit now therefore I do beseech you seriously to consider of that which hath been said unto you take heed of looking upon our Lord Jesus as a meer Creature lest your Faith fail you in the day of Temptation if the work of Redemption be but considered how great it is what a price must be laid down before this work could be done and that Law which in that condition in which man once stood would have been his life now he cannot expect nothing from it as the case standeth but only death but all the life and pardoning Grace that now cometh to poor man comes only through the Blood of the Lord Jesus now except a man know the worth and all-sufficiency of Christ that he is perfectly able to remove all the Curses which his sins have deserved and also able to procure him all the blessings his soul stands in need of it will be very hard if not altogether impossible to rest upon him in the day of tryal and so likewise when a man shall come to see what a great work it is to change the heart of man to subdue sin and to sanctifie the soul and when he shall see the barrenness of his heart in the graces and fruits of the Spirit of Christ also and withall considers what a degree of perfection all those are brought unto that inherit Eternal life and then minds that the Spirit of God is he that hath undertaken to carry on this hard and to man this impossible work If now he be not established in the knowledg and firm belief of this that the Holy Spirit that carries on this work is the only true God I say except a man beleeve and know this he can have little ground to hope or beleeve that ever it will come to perfection but wherefore should any men be so hardly brought to beleeve this me thinks it is for want of consideration the scriptures you know speaks of the Spirit of God in some places and in other places of the Spirit of Christ should we therefore be so weak as to think that the Father hath one Spirit Christ another but now if we must needs understand that the Spirit of God the Spirit of Christ is but one Spirit wherefore should we not as well believe that God the Spirit of God are all one likewise then Beloved if the Spirit of Christ and the Father be one and God and the Spirit of God one then wherefore should we think that the Godhead of Christ and of the Father are more than one but I shall press this no further but come now to make some Use of it Vse 1. And if it be so that there is one and but one only true God who is the fountain and perfection of all Power Wisdom Truth and goodness who alone made Heaven and Earth the seas and all the Hosts of Creatures that are contained in them and on whose meet grace and love depends the happiness and well-being of all things whatsoever whos 's all seeing eye beholds all the secrets of all hearts and whose Eternal invisible unchangeable Almighty and Omni-present Being fills the whole Creation but is not contained in it who is worthy of all honour service praise and worship from all Creatures for evermore I say if this be so then let this God be our God let us have no other but him alone to be our God I shall not trouble you nor my self with that foolish Generation of men that use to picture him up and to set him forth by such vain Images as their hands can make I hope you are past this absurd and foolish practice but I pray you beware that you set up no. Idols of him in your minds Oh do not suffer any thought or imagination of him to come or to rest within your hearts that is low or carnall take heed that you do not liken him to any thing that ever your eyes have seen but let your thoughts be of him acording unto that glorious discription that his own boly records give of him let high reverence and honour love and holy fear accompany every thought that comes into your minds of his most excellent and glorious Name be sure you chuse him for your chiefest good let him be your only Diadem and the Crown which your hearts have chosen for your chiefest treasure be sure that you do not esteem love nor honour any relation or thing whatsoever as you do this most High and only true God for if you do you commit Idolatry against him who is a jealous God and will not give his glory to another and therefore beware for whatsoever any man doth set up and in heart esteeme love or honour above God or equall with him sets up another God and shall be reckoned amongst Idolaters and such as have committed spiritual whoredom against him when Christ shall come to judg every man according to his works But I shall more particularly come to shew you something of the honour that is due to this only true God in setting some of those duties before you which in especial you owe to him First then give him this honour to yeeld up your hearts unto him to love him above all things whatsoever this use Moses makes of this point Deut. 6.45 hear O Israel saith he the Lord our God is one Lord and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy might Here you see what is due to God even love in the very height of it the whole heart soul might is all little enough for God no creature must come between the heart and God neither wife nor child nor pleasure nor profit for if there be any thing in the world that a man loves better than God or as well as he this is no less a sin than the setting up of another God therefore look to your hearts in these two special cases when the glory of God comes in competition either with a mans beloved relations or his beloved sins if he cannot cast them both away for the honour of his God he is unworthy of him see I pray you what our Lord Jesus saith to this point Luke 14.26 If any man come
these things neither do you follow the imaginations of your own hearts in these things but labour to get a distinct understanding in your own souls of whatsoever is to be beleeved for Doctrine or for whatsoever is to be practised in matters of worship for if you walk in darkness you will walk uncomfortably but if you walk in the light and knowledg of his will your walking wil both please him and bring much comfort and peace to your own Soul Vse 2. But I shall now speak one word to provoke those wretched man thet live without God in the world to consider of their condition and so conclude I beseech you my dear friends do not live still so estranged from the life of God neither do you go on to abuse his mercy and loving-kindness from day to day as you have done but let the goodness and long-suffering of the Lord lead you to Repentance you have heard what a God of Holiness power wisdom goodness and faithfulness he is yea what an eternal unchangeable invisible infinite Being he is you have heard something both of his Name and of his Works and much more is to be known and may be known of him in the Word of Truth and will you continue so unthankful and ungodly abusing this grace and love of God who hath manifested himself in his holy Word that you might come to the knowledg of him and so to salvation and do not you think it a most grievous sin to live as many of you do as void of the knowledg of him as those that never heard of his written Word it is a most unthankful abuse of his goodness O where would such men be glad to hide themselves at the great Day even under a Rock if they did know how to get under it and as for many of those that cannot chuse but know something of God how unanswerable to that little knowledg that they have do they walk neither loving nor fearing his great Name having no respect at all to his worship nor to any of his Commandements nor trusting in him at all no more than if he had never made them any promises Beloved how evident be these things notwithstanding all that God hath made known of himself unto men yet how little love have they for him and how little zeal for his glory loving pleasure profit yea sin it self better than God fearing the frowns of men more than the displeasure of him and trusting in the promises of their honest Neighbours yea in a little durty wealth or any vanity in the world rather than in the power and truth of God casting his worship and Commandements behind their backs as if they owed him no service now I pray you bethink your selves how you shall appear before the Lord at the great Day and how he will take it at your hands that you should live so prophane a life being alienated from the life of God and rooted and hardened in all wickedness as if you had never known nor heard of the Name of God Oh Repent in time and thankfully imbrace that means of grace which God in the riches of his mercy doth yet afford unto you and so much I shall commend to your consideration and to the blessing of the Almighty THE SIXTH EXERCISE John 17.3 And this is life eternal that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent I Shall now come to speak to this third and last general Head in this Text namely the Lords sending of Jesus Christ and for this end and purpose that I may proceed both with brevity and plainness I shall proceed in this order First I shall shew you the excellency of the person of Christ even as he is the Son Secondly I shall clear it unto you by the Scriptures how that Jesus Christ had a Being with the Father in glory before the world was and from thence was sent into the world to take upon him our Nature Thirdly I shall endeavour to set before you the ends of his coming into the world And now for the first of these I pray you take notice that the Scriptures in many places do exalt the Lord Jesus above all other Creatures whatsoever I shall name you some few of them look Hebrews 1. the whole Chapter but especially note two or three passages in the beginning he is there said to be appointed heir of all things and to be the brightness of his Fathers glory and to be made much better then the Angels which word made better must needs have respect to his Creature-nature also he is there said to be him by whom God did make all things and doth uphold them And in the Revelations 3.14 he is called the beginning of the Creation of God and in Col. 1.15 16 17. he is called the first-born of every Creature all things are said to be created by him and for him and he to be before them that by him they all consist So that from these and other like Texts I gather that God did first create the Spirit of Christ filled him with his own glory and then by him brought forth the whole creation I say that Spirit of Christ which afterward took flesh of the Virgin Mary and so became true man was the first and the choicest piece of all the workman-ship of God for you must know that Christ had a created Spirit that was set up and brought forth and brought up with the Lord and was by him before any of his other works had a Being Prov. 8.22 to the 30. and this is he that the Lord possessed in the beginning of his way and is the same that talked with Abraham and that Abraham made intercession to for Sodom Gen. 18. and that brought the children of Israel through the wilderness and is the same that God commandeth them to obey Exod. 23.20 21 22 23. But this I shall say no more to now but come to the second particular and that is to shew you that the Lord Christ was sent from the bosom of the Father into the world for us you will see this plain in many places I wil name you some of them John 3 13. No man hath ascended up to heaven but he that came down from heaven even the Son of man The words are very plain the son of man you see came down from heaven and in the 31. ver He that cometh down from heaven is above all he that is of the earth is earthly and speaketh of the earth he that cometh from heaven is above all I pray you mark it Christ is here opposed to all other men in this that they are from the earth but he is from heaven yea as he is the son of man he is from heaven but if he had received his first beginning in the womb of the Virgin as well in respect of his spirit as in respect of his body he could no more have been said to have been sent
bring him into acceptation with God but only through the worthiness of the Lord Jesus Again there is that weakness in poor man that he is no way able to help himself he can neither repent beleeve nor obey no nor get any Grace into his own heart nor mortifie any Corruption nor of himself find out the way by which any of all these great works should be done but for ought that he can do for himself he is in a necessity of perishing for ever there is no help for him but only in Jesus Christ and if the Lord had not in the riches of his free Grace provided such a Mediator as was able to save to the uttermost sinful man had never been recovered and therefore the Father sent him that was fully able both to justifie and to sanctifie to open the blind eyes and to purge the Conscience and in a word to lay the first and the last stone in the building of Salvation and if God would any way shew his love to poor lost fallen man then must he take this course for there was no other way to do it let us now come to make some use of this Point And in the first place let it serve to provoke the very worst and wickedest of sinners to come to Christ for help and deliverance Beloved you have heard what a Saviour he is therefore I beseech you do not stand to dispute your own badness but how bad soever you be cast your selves upon him for help and to that end that this work may be done throughly and as it ought to be done labour in the first place to know the worst of your own hearts there is many a poor Soul that is afraid to think the worst of himself for fear he should see so much badness as should take off his hopes and discourage him for going to Christ for mercy But I pray you learn to be wiser than so search your hearts to the very bottom and how bad soever that thou findest it yet be sure that thou dost not fail to go to Christ for a cure although thou hast been never so bad worse than Manasseh or any wretch that ever thou readest of or ever heardest of if thou findest thy self upon due search to be the veriest Hypocrite or the veriest enemy to God and godliness that is in the whole world yet let it not keep thee from going to Christ but make so much the more hast by how much thou findest thy self the more wicked and although thy sins be never so great and never so many there is no sin but he can pardon yea and he will pardon it if thou come unto him I say again there is no sin nor sinners if they come to Christ but he will surely be gracious unto them He that comes to me will I in no wise cast out saith the Lord John 6.37 therefore go unto him and be assured he will receive you whatever your Souls diseases be sear not to go unto him with them for he cures all that come unto him see what woful diseases Christ was sent to cure Luke 4.18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted to preach deliverance to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind to set at liberty them that are bruised Now I pray you let us a little consider of this text he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel and what is the Gospel why the Gospel is free mercy through the blood of Christ pardon regeneration and salvation yea all the happness that comes to a soul by Jesus Christ this is the Gospel and this Christ was anointed to preach and therefore doing it by the spirit it must needs be truth that he preacheth other men may preach lies but so doth not the fountain of truth you may be sure But who is all this mercy to be preached to saith Christ it is to be preached to the poor and who is poor a man is not accounted poor if he have either land or goods or mony and so it is in spiritual things also one altogether destitude of whatsoever might commend him to God one that hath no purity neither in heart nor life no faith no love no knowledg no mortification nor renewing of mind no delight in God nor his word nor having the light of his countenance shining upon the soul now one that hath none of all this spiritual riches he is poor but he that is inriched with any of these spiritual blessings in heavenly things in Christ is not poor now I hope you see who Christ was anointed with the spirit to teach the Gospel to but see what follows in the next words to heal the broken hearted saith he and who is that why one that hides his head for debt and owes more then he is worth this man we account a broken man So likewise when a man is through the sight of his undone condition afraid of Arrests and executions from God dayly and knows not where to hide his head being in fear and anguish of spirit Christ was sent you see to heal this spiritually broken estate In the next place he came to preach deliverance to the captives and this is a worse degree of evil when a man is the divils prisoner taken and kept in his snare this is a very sad condition indeed when a man can do nothing but as the devil his keeper will give him leave how can his condition be worse except he were in hell and yet if such a man will but hearken to the word of Christ he shall be sure to be delivered yea but my case is worse then all this may some poor soul say for I am not only the divels prisoner but I have given my self up so to his will and suffered him so to blind mine understanding that now if Christ should come and throw open the prison doors yet shall I never find my way out Yea saith Christ in the next words but I came to open the blind eyes also and although the divell have put them quite out yet suffer me to put but some spitle and clay upon them and I will recover them again take but my direction turn at my reproof at left do not despise it and set it at nought and then be sure I will poure out my spirit and that will fully cure thee Yea but the soul may further object and say I have waited on the Ordinances and endeavoured to get out of the snare of the divel and he hath fetcht me back and beaten me sore when I have but asseyed to get from him so that I see the more I strive the worse I am bruised and therefore there is no hope for me yes saith Christ I came to set at liberty such bruised ones and to preach the acceptable year of the Lord as it follows in the next words and although thou hast waited
years and been bruised by Satan yet be sure the year of Jubile will come when the trumpet shall sound for the diliverance of such bruised captives as thou art See one text more Isaiah 57.17 18. For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth saith God And I shewed it to for I smote him saith he Yea but it is like it was but a very geritle stroke for if he had smitten hard it is like the man would have repented and turned yes saith the Lord but I did strike hard for I hid me and was wrath that is a great blow indeed beloved when the Lord hides himself that takes away all comfort and all hope sure the sinner will turn now or never there will be some fruit now of this stroke or else he will be given up as one incureable no saith the text he went on frowardly for all that and how does God deal with this wicked wretch now will he not throw him to hell immediately or if he spare him any longer sure it is but for distruction that will be the end of him No saith God I have seen his wayes and will heal him I will lead him also and restore comforts unto him Who would look to hear such gracious words as these from God Oh the riches of his free grace and mercy to old froward wetched sinners therefore fear not to cast your selves upon him although you be never so bad but if you be not able to cast yourselves upon him yet do not run away from him but lie at the Pool I mean the Ordinances and wait on Christ and he will find a time to visit you and to heal you and although you be so lost that you cannot return to him yet be sure you hide not your selves from him and then be sure Christ will not fail to do that good work for which his father sent him namely to seek and to save such lost ones as thou art And in the next place labour to beleeve the promises sir down and consider how many precious promises there be made in the Scriptures to sinners to undodly ones to all the ends of the earth to all comers come whose will and whosoever will let him come and take the water of life freely Revel 22.17 without money or price as Isaiah saith Isaiah 55. that is without any condition of worth on your part in the least degree I have laid many precious promises before you this day already read them over again and say to your selves these promises are held out to me and to such as I am and it is my duty to beleeve them and to apply them to my self do this the very first work you do think not to repent and to humble hy self first but before ever thou goest about that labour to beleeve and be not so foolish as to think to amend either thy heart or thy wayes before thou beleevest It is true I would not go about to perswade you other-wayes but that it is your duty to be humbled and to repent and to cast away all your trangressions and to study to be holy both in body and in spirit and also in conversation but if you think to do any of all these great works before you beleeve you go about a foolish work that will never prosper nor come to any thing for you must receive all that grace and power from Christ by faith through which you are inabled to all that is good and therefore if you would repent or obey or get your hearts changed or your lusts subdued go to Christ and rest upon him for grace to do all these duties And in the third place go to the Lord and ask repentance of him and begg a new heart and what ever else thy soul stands in need of and tell him how great thy wants be and what gracious promises he hath made to sinners and pray him to make them good to thy poor soul But me thinks I hear some poor soul say indeed if I were able to pray it were to be hoped that I might speed but alass I am not able to pray in the spirit and therefore I had as good say nothing I answer no more can young Ravens pray in the spirit and yet God heareth their cry and so he doth hear also the cryes of wicked men else how came Manaseh out of Bahylon 2 Chron. 33.13 also such as are wicked are incouraged to seek the Lord Isaiah 55.6 7. Oh but sayes the poor soul the prayer of the wicked is a bominable therefore how can I pray I answer if indeed thou meanest to go on in the wickedness without any purpose or desire to be better he will not hear in such a case but if thou go to him to be delivered from sin as well as from wrath he will surely hear thy cry and wil help thee Oh but the scripture saith that if I regard iniquity in my heart God will not hear me To this I answer if indeed thou do regard iniquity thou must not look to be heard but the question is what it is to regard iniquity now I will tell you that man that goes to God with a forme of words and with them thinks to please him but hath no desire at all to ask nor yet to receive any help against sin but resolves to live and continue in that still this man regards iniquity but on the other hand that man that hath lusts that he cannot master but yet he would be well content if the Lord would be pleased to subdue them for him and there is no request that he hath more desire to be heard in then in this that he might be delivered from his beloved sin Now this man doth nor regard iniquity although it may be strong in him But if he cry to the Lord for help he will surely hear his cry and will save him But if thou judgest that thou canst not pray yet ask for mercy for all that there is a sweet text in the Prophesie of Hoseah 14.2 the Lord tels wicked men there what they shall say to him for you most know that this Prophesie was sent to Israel in there backslidden and Idolatrous estate and yet the Lords goodness is such that he perswades them to return and seek for mercy but he takes it for granted that they cannot pray for it and therefore he tels them what they shall say take with you words and say untu hom saith the Prophet take away all iniquity and receive us graciously Mark it I pray you if they had had a spirit of prayer the Lord need not have bidden them take words to them and say receive us for where a spirit of prayer is there it helpeth our infirmities and reacheth us to make request according to the will of God as it is Rom. 8.26 27. if we have the spirit it will sufficiently open our minds unto our father but if we have it not then let us take words to us and
the same thing in the words immediately going before but for the Readers fake I shall bring up that in the rear which should have been in the front if I had had the least thought of writing and for the understanding of this word eternal life you are to know that it is called so by reason of that opposition it hath with that state of death and misery in which the ungodly suffer eternall torments that is called death by reason of the woe and sorrow that must for ever be indured and this is called life by reason of that happiness and comfort that shall eternally be enjoyed Observe then that this word eternal life sets forth unto us the blessedness of that eternal glory which the saints shall for ever enjoy hereafter in the presence of the Lord as you have it Acts 3.19 I shall endeavour to set something of that happiness before you and for that end I pray you take notice that eye hath not seen nor eare heard neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive how exceeding glorious that estate is which the Lord hath prepared for those that truly beleeve but although it is impossible to set forth the glory of it as Pauls words do clearly imply 2 Cor. 12.1 2 3 4. yet the Scriptures do speak very much of the glory of it although it may be when a soul shall come to see it he will say the one half was never told him First then consider what David saith of it Psalm 16.11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life in thy presence is fulness of joy at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore You see whither the path of life will lead a man it goeth directly into the presence of God and there is fulness of joy saith the Prophet mark it that is a full word indeed to express the fulness of a mans happiness Oh the blessedness of a man that knows God and Jesus Christ and walks up to that knowledg he shall have fulness of joy First he shall have nothing to hinder his joy but all sickness sorrow griefe and troubles of all kinds shall be removed a man shall have never an ill neighbour there to vex him nor any creature that shall speak a word to grieve him but all his companions shall be holy and spiritual such as will perfectly love God and love him and rejoice in his happiness with perfect joy there be shall never see nor hear either person or thing that shall minister the least discomfort or trouble to him none that will backbite or speak kinder then his heart thinketh will ever be found in that place no divel shall come there to tempt nor snare to turn the heart aside from God but there shall be perfect freedom from all manner of molestation whatsoever and contrarily there shall be the fulness of all joy and peace holiness and love there shall be no want of any comfort no nor of any degree of comfort that the heart of man can possibly desire Peter speakes of a joy unspeakable and full of glory that beleevers meet withal here 1 Pet. 1.8 and Paul calls that fame sealing testimony of the Spirit the earnest of our inheritance Ephos 1.13 14. now if the Lord do give such tastes of the cup of consolation in this life to some poor beleevers as those texts do plainly intimate he doth what then may we think their portion shall be when they shall come home to their inheritance I shall give you an instance in one poor soul that I knew who being in anguish of spirit for some two years together and having sought the Lord with sorrow and tears many a time at last being in the fields in the night weeping and praying it pleased the Lord to manifest his love wonderfully and by his spirit to open the sweet promises of the Gospel and to seal up his love in the promises with that clearness of assurance and exceeding joy that untill that time that soul could never think that heaven it self would have yeelded that fulness of joy and consolation but doubtlesse that soul never yet nor any other that is this day on earth ever tasted more then an earnest penny of the fulness of that glory that shall be injoyed in the life to come Another note in the text observable is this that these pleasures are to be injoyed at the right hand of God which plainly intimates thus much unto us That the Lord will put forth his wisdome mercy and all sufficiency in the glorifying of those persons that shall be accounted worthy of that kindome for so much the right hand signifieth for there you know the strength lieth and there we use to set the persons we highly favour and would put the greatest honour upon that we know how There is one thing more in this text worth noting and that is this word for evermore that is it that exceedingly adds to the fulness of this glory that it is of an everlasting continuance so that as there shall be a freedome from all sin snare temptation trouble or whatsoever might produce complaint or cause any degree of sorrow and likewise an injoyment of all those comforts that the heart of man can possibly wish or desire So also there shall be no fear no nor ground of fear that ever this blessed estate shall change or fade but remain sure and durable to all eternity Oh consider of the worth and glory of this happy condition when the souls company and injoyments shall both be perfect Another text that I would pray you to mind is in 1 Cor. 15.49 the words are these and as we have born the Image of the earthy we shall also bear the Image of the heavenly Indeed if it were not for that which lies in this promise all the rest of a mans injoyments could not be so exceeding comfortable unto him for what would it be to a man to see all his company holy and spiritual full of love joy and peace being free from all the stain and appearance of evil if he himself should be corrupt and remain still burthened with the same degrees of sin and supjectness to transgression as I fear the best of Saints do find themselves inclined and subject to while they are here But this shall be the great happiness of the Saints that after the resurrection they shall be made fully conformable to their heavenly condition and company bearing the Image of Christ as they have born old Adams image that is they shall bear it as truly and as fully being made as like him as ever they were like Adam Now it is evident unto us all how like Adam we have been having all those lusts in our hearts that ever were in his having as little delight in God and desire of heaven and being as barren and destitude of all spiritual grace as he but then we shall be made fully like our Lord Jesus as free from all carnallity errour and
say receive us graciously for the Lord is full of compassion and will hear the cry of misery in an Ishmael Gen. 21.17 and if he will hear it for cold water he would hear it as well and as willingly for better things if he did but cry as earnestly for them In the fourth place attend on the ordinances of Christ for there his walk is and there he will come to seek for lost ones as well as to visit his people and there thou wilt have an opportunity one time or other to lay hold on the skirt of his garment therefore wait on him and know for thy comfort that never any did so and perished no no they shall never be ashamed that wait far him And in the fifth place whensoever thou meetest with any motion from the spirit of God make much of it and close with all the advices it shall whisper into thine ears take heed of slighting or neglecting any of the sweet breathings of it but give it entertainment and what word soever comes home to thine heart consider of it seriously yea although it may be a reproving or a wounding word let it not be neglected for Christ comes both to wound and to heal and therefore what word or motion soever comes from his spirit home to thy conscience entertain it thankfully and walk according to the direction it gives thee humbly And in the last place be sure to be alwayes watching over thy heart and especially against those lusts that are most apt to carry thee away from God and be sure to be found fighting alwayes against them and although thou be not strong enough to overcome them yet do not give over fighting against them but watch and pray hear and read and apply the promises and the threatnings of the word to thy own soul dayly as thou findest there is need either to comfort or to rebuke thy conscience and be assured that although thou be too weak for sin and Sathan yet Christ is strong enough and he will take thy part against them and will come in at last with sanctifying grace and purge thy conscience from dead works to serve the living God Vse 2. A second use that is to be made of this point is this if so be that Christ came to be such a Saviour as to save from the guilt of sin and from the Power of sin to sanctify the soul and to deliver from Sathan and to bear up a soul under troubles and to deliver out of them also then let all beleevers learn to live upon Christ for all these things at all times Beloved in the use of other means forget not to exercise faith in the blood of Christ when you go to read hear or pray look to Christ by faith who hath appointed these as means to make you partakers of his own image and what ever your souls stand in need of whether purdoning or purging mercy or what grace counsel comfort help or deliverance soever you see a ground to aske in prayer labour also to live upon the free grace of God in Christ for and be assured that Christ came for that very end that thou mightest obtain through him a rich supply of all thy wants and if you sin as who lives and sins not make it your first and greatest work to basten to the blood of sprinkling and rest by faith upon the Lord Jesus for a pardon and besure to let a renewed act af faith lead thee to repentance I do not say but it is a duty to repent and to get godly sorrow and shame and holy resolutions to wait on Christ for strength to walk better but if you would do these duties in sincerity and with acceptation let faith be the first of them and if the divel should so far prevail with any of you at any time as to draw you into the snare of fin so far as that you should question your sincerity or if you should see just cause so to do yet be sure you do not cast away your confidence but if the divel or your own consciences do lay more to your charge this way then you do well know how to answer yet be sure at least that as ungodly lost sinners you cast your selves upon the free grace of God in the blood of Jesus Christ Vse 3. Thirdly and lastly here is a word for such as have heard the glad tidings of salvation sounding in your eares but unto this very day have not submitted unto the Lord Jesus and are as farr from having made your calling and election sure as if the Gospel had never sounded in your eares nay I fear you know as little of God and of Christ and of the ends of his coming as those that have had no such means to know him at all but if you do know him yet if you have not given up your selves unto him neither yet are washed nor sanctified but do still remain in your naturall filth and as farr from regeneration as ever your condition is far worse then those that never heard of the name of God except you repent and amend in time Now therefore I beseech you once more before it be too late do not post off your return to God nor refuse to lay hold upon those sweet offers of grace that have been made unto you so often Oh consider when you come to die how little pleasure you will have in remembring all the vain pleasures for which you neglected your own salvation or what profit you will have at that day in all those profits that have stollen your hearts from Jesus Christ Oh consider how it will wound your hearts to think that you were often told what a Saviour Christ would be unto you if so be that you would but come unto him and how often you were invited and intreated in his name to come unto him the sweet promises that are made in the Gospel laid before you but you unkindly and unthankfully refused them and chose rather the vain pleasures and profits of the world and of sin then the justifying and sanctifying grace of Christ Oh when a soul shall remember what promises of pardon and grace of help against sin and deliverance out of the snares of the devil he might and should have had if he had come to Christ and he lovingly intreated to accept of those offers but hath neglected and refused them till it is too late how must this needs wound his soul Oh that this that I now say would prevail with any of you yet to come to Christ that you may have life but if it will not remember at the great day that you had a sufficient warning and this much I shall leave to your consideration and to the blessing of God THE EIGHTH EXERCISE John 17.3 And this is life eternal that they might know thee the only true God I shall now come to speak a word to that which I had thought wholly to have omitted by reason I spake to