in Heb. 13.17 Obey them that have the rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your souls as they that must give account that they may do it with joy and not with grief for that is unprofitable for you Oh it is a sad thing if one that God sends to watch for the souls of people shall bee forced to return his account to God with sorrow of heart and say Lord thou that knowest all things knowest what desires I have had and what indeavours to do good to the souls of this people how it hath been my study my prayer to finde out what might bee most profitable for their souls how willing I was to venture my life in seeking to do good to their souls but Oh Lord I have spent care and study and strength and even almost my life in vain little good do I finde done to the souls of this people Lord they reject thy word they contemn it they minde it not there are other things that their hearts are upon to follow the lusts of their flesh as if so bee they had no immortal souls to look unto I say if any faithful Minister of God shall go to God and make his moan thus unto God with grief and trouble of heart it will bee very ill for you it will bee a fearful moan in the ears of God against a people when any Minister shall justly make this to God against them therefore saith the Apostle here Obey them that have the rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your souls as they that must give account that they may do it with joy and not with grief Consider so far as any have charge of souls it is a heavy burden that is upon them a heavy weight surely whosoever should take charge of so many thousand souls as belongs to this Congregation would have weight and burden enough upon his shoulders you should pitty them that have this charge over you I remember Chrysostome in his writing upon this very Scripture saith Hee wonders how any of these that are here said to watch over mens souls how any of them could bee saved because the charge is so great that is upon them And I have read of one being called to the work of the Ministery would by any means avoid it and professes that hee would not for all the world have the charge of a soul one day upon him Certainly it is a great work and requires very much seriousness and diligence to have a soul committed to one If a man had a precious Pearl committed to his charge that were worth ten thousand pound that hee must look to it and keep it hee would hardly bee able to sleep quietly after hee had so great a charge committed to him And truly if men are careful that have but beasts committed to them as Jacob said concerning his Unkle Labans cattel that hee look'd to them so as that hee indured the frost in the night and the heat of the day much diligence and care then should they have that have the charge of souls But wee let that pass Yet in the fourth place If souls have such excellency Use 4 then certainly those who have most soul-excellency are the most excellent people wee may judge here who they are that are the most excellent upon the earth The Righteous is more excellent than his neighbour perhaps his neighbour is richer than hee hath a comlier body than hee but yet hee is more excellent why because all excellency must be judged by that that is most proper to the Creature and that that is the chief part of the Creature as if you would judge of the goodness of a knife you will not judge by the haft of it whether it bee good or no but you will judge by the metal of the knife you judge by that wherein the chief of the knife is so if you will judge of the excellency of a man or woman you must judge of his excellency by the excellency of that that is most proper to him Now for Sense for the body why the brute-beasts they have sense they have flesh and blood as well as wee onely wee differ in these rational immortal souls that God hath given to us therefore such whose souls are filled with divine excellency they are to bee most honoured they are indeed the Lords and Ladies of the world therefore the Scripture speaks of those whose out-sides were mean enough in the latter end of the 11th of the Hebrews that wandered in sheep-skins and goat-skins yet they were such as the world was not worthy of them Indeed a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit wee read of the Ark the outside was of Badgers-skins it had a poor and mean outside but within were the Cherubims and Gold was within And so many have very mean outsides but within there is a great deal of excellency and others that have brave outsides and well clad without yet if you look within them oh what vile souls have they the heart of the wicked is little worth saith the Scripture Perhaps his Land may bee somewhat worth and his House but his heart is little worth As many a man that hath perhaps a hand full of sores yet may have a fine imbroidered Glove upon it and a dunghill may bee strewed with herbs and in the winter time filthy dunghills you know are covered with white Snow that in a fair frosty day look as glistering as the Snow that is upon a fine Meddow but still nothing but filth So it is with many a man that hath a fine outside covered over it may bee with a great many outward excellencies but within their spirits nothing but carrion nothing but abominable stuff that is filthy and loathsome in the eyes of God as a sore legg may have a fine stockin oâ— boot upon it and so a sore putrified soul may have a brave outside upon it But that God that is a Spirit that looks unto Spirit and those men that know what spiritual excellency means if they see a man or woman have a filthy defiled corrupt soul they cannot but esteem of them accordingly Whatsoever the body or the out-side bee those are the most excellent in Gods esteem and the holy Angels and the Saints that have the most excellent souls for that is the best part of man Use 5 But fifthly If the soul of man bee so excellent Oh let us bless God for our souls bless God I say that hath given unto you these immortal souls that are of so great a worth Oh what cause have every one of you to bless God that hee did not make you a Toad a Dog a Snake that hee did not make you any vile brute creature but that when you were before him in the common lump out of which God made his creatures that hee would rather choose you to bee one that should have an immortal soul so precious rather than to bee a
lame in thy body yet if thou canst walk in the wayes of Gods Commandements and run there thou art a happy creature It may be thou wantest food I but if God feed thy soul with spiritual Manna feed thee every day with food from heaven and take care for the feeding of thy soul thou art not so miserable as thou thoughtst thy self thou hast tattered cloaths I but if God hath provided the righteousness of his Son to bee a garment to cloach thy soul every time thou appearest before him thou art a happy creature in that therefore when thy heart is ready to murmure that God hath denied thee bodily mercies that hee hath granted to others think with thy self I but hath not God recompenced mee in soul mercies I make no question but there are many souls that bless God that ever they have lived to this time though they have suffered hard things for their bodies many that have lost and been plundered of all yet bless God that they have lived to the time wherein there was so much plenty of the food of souls Oh those truths of God that have been revealed unto us since those times but had those that had the power before had the power still continued wee had never had such truths made known unto us they account all recompenced in soul-mercies in Eph. 1.3 Blessed bee the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Mark what the Apostle saith there his heart is filled with this Blessed bee God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Wherefore that hee hath given us good trading and good incomes that hath given us food and rayment wee are to bless God for this I but the Apostles heart was above this therefore saith hee Blessed bee the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly things in Christ they are the blessings indeed that wee have cause to bless him for spiritual blessings soul-mercies as for bodily-mercies wee know that the Heathens and Reprobates have had as great a share in as any in the world but blessed bee God though wee bee denied these outward bodily favours yet wee have spiritual blessings Oh thanks bee to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ And this now would bee a good argument that you do know the worth of your souls if you can be blessing of God for spiritual blessings in Jesus Christ above all blessings and account your selves rich enough if you have the riches of spiritual blessings And then further Oh if the soul of man bee so precious What great pitty is it that God should not have the honour of mens souls of such a noble and excellent creature it is great pitty that there should bee any creature under the Sun that God should not have the honour of that God should not have honour from every pile of grass from every bit of bread that is eaten from every stone in the street But now that God should give to mankinde such an excellent spirit a soul more precious than all the world and yet that God should not have the glory of this Oh this is an evil thing under the Sun indeed this must needs go to the heart of God for the truth is God hath his glory from all other creatures by the soul of man As for other creatures hee hath his glory but passively from them but for mans soul hee doth expect to have his glory actively from that that man by his soul should come to know this God the infinite first-being of all things should fear him and worship him and serve him and have communion with him and praise him and therefore David in Psal 103. My soul praise thou the Lord and all that is within mee praise his holy name And again hee concludes My soul praise thou the Lord. And so in Psal 104. Now upon the consideration of what hath been said of the excellency of our souls wee should lay a charge upon them that they do honour God and serve God What a sad charge will this bee to many a man at the great day when God shall say Haddest thou been made a Dog I never had had so much dishonour as I have had I should have had more honour if I had made thee a Dog there I should have had my honour passively and no dishonour from thee But now thou being made an immortal soul as it was capable of honouring mee so of sinning against mee the more excellent a thing is the more capable of evil it is as well as of good no creatures but Angels and men are able to sin against God Oh it is pitty that God should not have the honour of thy immortal soul God had more honour from Nebuchadnezzar when hee was driven out among the beasts than when hee sat upon the Throne as a King And then further that should have been another Use to have laboured to perswade you to take heed of dishonouring these souls of yours God hath put a great deal of glory and excellency upon them do not you dishonour them and many wayes should have been said how men do put dishonour upon their souls only for the conclusion Oh that you would but learn to love your own souls To love them It is a strange exhortation you will say to exhort men to love their souls Oh that you would but do it Psal 22. David calls his soul his Darling the souls of men should bee indeed their Darlings not their bodies It was a speech of a Courtier to his friend saith hee I love you as mine own soul Oh saith hee then you love mee not at all if you had said you had loved mee as your body then I should have thought you had loved mee but I see no love you have to your soul It was the prayer of the Apostle St. John in the Epistle that hee writ to his host Gaius I suppose you that know Scripture are not unacquainted with it in his third Epistle Beloved I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and bee in health even as thy soul prospereth I shall close all I intend for the present with this Scripture it seems that Gaius was a holy man but a man of a weakly and sick body and therefore St. John writing to him hee prayes thus Above all things I desire that thy body may but prosper as thy soul prospereth As if hee should say O Gaius thou hast an excellent gracious soul indued with admirable graces of the Spirit of God full of God thy soul is though thy body bee weakly Oh that thou hadst but as good a body as thou hast a soul It seems Gaius had more care of his soul a great deal than of his body but now my brethren consider this Would not this bee a curse to
hee is Now wee see Jesus Christ but thorow a glass and yet our hearts are taken with him and wee wonder at him now but oh how shall wee wonder when wee come to see him as hee is when wee shall behold his face in glory wee see now the Lord Christ in his Ordinances but as in a picture As at the first when there are treaties between one Prince and another about a march the first sight that they have of one another it is but by a picture and if they bee delighted with but seeing the picture one of another much more will they bee delighted and inamoured with the person when they come to see it its self so it is with the Saints here all that the Saints can see of Jesus Christ that makes them so wonder at him and to account him to bee the chiefest of ten thousand all is but by seeing of him by a picture Jesus Christ is in Heaven and hee sends us his picture in his Ordinances so St. Paul saith in Gal. 3. concerning the Ministry of the Word that Jesus Christ had been evidently set forth crucified among them Now are your hearts taken with the sight of Christ when you see him as it were in a picture know as Christ said to Nathanael Because I said unto thee I saw thee under the Figg tree beleevest thou thou shalt see greater things than these So thou shalt ere long see Jesus Christ as hee is Wee are now the Sons of God but it appears not what wee shall bee for when hee shall appear wee shall bee like him for wee shall see him as hee is And thou shalt not onely see him but so see him as hee shall never go out of thy sight thou hast but a little glimpse of him now for the present and thy soul rejoyces in that the time is coming when thou shalt see him and thy eyes shall feed upon him for ever the Lord Christ shall go up and down the Heavens as the wonder of the Angels and all the Saints shall bee following wondring at him to all eternity The luster of the deity shall bee shining thorow the humanity of Christ and men and Angels shall stand gazing and wondring at the glory of Jesus Christ to all eternity Oh let us comfort one another with these sayings and in the expectation of the glorious appearing of Jesus Christ And those that shall long for the glorious appearing of Jesus Christ upon the seeing of him here have a good evidence that they do belong to Jesus Christ and shall bee partakers of the wonderful things that Jesus Christ hath wrought and purchased with his own blood And thus wee have opened to you and applied this glorious wonder of Jesus Christ His Name shall bee called Wonderful hee is wonderful in the Word Oh that hee may bee wonderful in your hearts and in your lives THE CONTENTS OF THE EXCELLENCY of the SOUL Matthew 16.26 For what shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and to lose his own Soul c. THe Text divided into two general parts 1 That there is in every man a Soul a spiritual substance besides what is visible and sensible p. 203 2 That this Soul is more worth than all the world Ibid. The tearms of the Text explained sheweth what is meant by Soul ibid. That every man hath a soul and the necessity of looking to it for five Reasons p. 204 1 Wee see there are Actions in men that are beyond that which concerns the body at all ib. 2 There is a power in man to curb his body to deny himself of that which is most suitable to the body ib. 3 That which the Scripture makes the chief Actions of man to consist in which have any reference to God is such things as are done by somewhat beyond the body ib. 4 When this bodily substance is decaying mouldring away there are many thoughts in a man about his Eternal Estate p. 205 5 For wee know that there are real pains and torments upon a mans spirit ib. Doct. Did they but know the worth of their souls it could not but raise them very high above these empty vanities p. 208 The Excellency of the Soul discovered 1 In its Relations to God p. 208 2 The soul is onely commended by God 209 3 It is under the power of no man to inflict evil upon it ib. 4 It is of large extent and capacity to receive the Image of God ib. For 1 It is that that is capable to have the Image of God stampt upon it ib. 2 It is able to work as God himself works p. 210. 3 It is capable of enjoying communion with God himself ib. 4 It is capable of the communication of those Excellencies that ever God did or will communicate to any p. 211 5 The Contiguity it hath with God himself p. 212 A second Excellency of the Soul discovered in Relation to the Angels p. 213 A third in the Indeavour of it ib. A fourth in the Immortality p. 214 A fifth in the Measure of all other Excellencies p. 215 A sixth in the Price that was paid for it p. 216 A seventh in regard of the Body p. 217 God onely can satisfie the soul p. 219 The Devil himself esteems it p. 220 Use 1 Sheweth that wee ought to look upon every childe of man with some reverence esteem and honour 221 Use 2 How can wee look upon many people without having our hearts raised with the meditation of the dreadfulness of Gods Justice upon men for sin ib. Use 3 It must needs bee an honourable work to bee busied about souls 223 Use 4 Those that have most Soul-Excellency are the most excellent people 226 Use 5 Let us bless God for our souls 228 For hence it is that 1 You are look'd upon by the Angels themselves ib. 2 The Providence of God is more towards you ib. 3 You are such as are capable of all the good Christ hath purchased 229 6 Bless God for Soul-Mercies above all other 231 7 What a pitty is it that God should not have the honour of mens souls 232 8 Take heed of dishonouring these souls of yours 233 Question How may a man dishonour his soul Answer 236 1 When hee lives idlely and makes no use of it ib. 2 When hee emploies it about low and mean things 237 3 When hee defiles his soul 238 4 When hee make it a drudge to his body ib. 5 When hee grudges the time and cost hee spends upon it 239 6 When hee laies not up provision for it against an evil day 240 7 When hee thinks to satisfie it with any thing but God ibid. Next Use shews how to put honour upon our soul ib. And that 1 By having your thoughts often upon them ib. 2 By keeping your bodies under them 241 3 By adorning your souls with beauty 242 4 By providing for them ib. 5 By imploying them in things suitable to them ib. 6 By bringing them to
of spirits Shall wee not much rather bee in subjection to the Fâ—ther of spirits and live As if God did not so much look after and regard your bodies the outward man but hee is the Father of spirits And in Zeck 12.1 There is likewise an expression to the same purpose That God did form the spirit of man within him God accounts it a special part of his glory that hee makes the spirits of men hee is the Father of spirits But now I shall not enter into that controversie of the Generation of the soul thus far these Scriptures with others do evidence that God hath a more special hand in the producing of this spiritual substance than hee hath in other Creatures 2 And further The soul is onely under Gods command No Creature can have power over the soul of a man he may force his body but his soul cannot bee forced by men or Angels 3 Yea And it is under the power of no Creature to inflict evil upon it Fear not them saith Christ that can kill the body and can do no more there is all they can do Mat. 10.28 Luk. 12.4 5 they can but kill the body fear not them but fear him who after hee hath killed the body hath power to cast the soul into Hell yea I say unto you fear him saith Christ So that it appears by the Text that there is no Creature can do hurt to the soul the Devils themselves they cannot do it they can propound objects before the soul but except the soul do consent they cannot force it it is onely God that hath power over the soul therefore saith Christ fear him that is fear God that hath this power all other creatures this is all their do as wee may say they are able to kill the body 4 But further The excellency of the soul of man in reference unto God appears especially in the large extent of capacity that it hath to receive the Image of God and its ability to work according as God doth work himself and to enjoy communion with God and to receive the communication of those choice excellencies that God hath to communicate these things shew the excellency of the soul the large extent I say of the soul in the capacity it hath of good of divine good As First It is that that is capable to have the Image of God stampt upon it Whatsoever the body hath it is but in way of reflection from the soul wee know those Princes that are great and rich Princes except necessity compells them do not use to stamp their Image upon Leather or Brass or Copper but upon the choicest metals upon Gold and Silver So when God would have a Creature upon which hee would stamp his Image hee doth not chuse a mean Creature the brute beasts or any sensitive Creature but hee chuseth the most excellent of his Creatures Angels and the spirits of men that are one as Gold and the other as Silver and the great God stamps his Image upon these two and onely upon these two these are the two Principal Metals Gold and Silver Angels and mens spirits upon which God did stamp his Image in their first Creation Secondly Not onely to have the Image of God upon them but they are able to work as God himself works No other Creature is able to do so but Angels and mens spirits And this is the principal thing that shews the excellency of the soul it is able to understand the first beeing God himself and to make God to bee the last end of all things what is Gods work wherein the very happiness as I may so say of God himself consists but in the understanding of himself as the first beeing and the working unto himself as the last end and the enjoyment of himself that is Gods own happiness Now of such excellency is the soul of man however by sin it is depraved that it is capable of the understanding of an infinite eternal first beeing it is capable of working towards this first beeing as the last good of all which is the same way and kinde of working as God himself doth work Thirdly And it is capable of injoyment of the communion with God himself What is Gods happiness but to enjoy himself as the onely good Now the soul of man is capable of the enjoyment of God of having communion with the infinite first beeing of all things and so hee is capable of living the same life that God himself lives for so the Scripture saith Ephes 4.18 Colos 1.21 That the Heathens were estranged from the life of God so that it appears then that beleevers are not estranged from the life of God but do live the life of God in the injoyment of communion with himself For indeed there could bee no communion except there were living the same kinde of life as thus A man and a beast cannot have communion together why because they live not the same life one with another their lives are of different kindes so were it not that the soul were capable of the same life that God lives it could not bee capable of communion with God Fourthly And further The soul is of such a nature as it is capable of the communication of the choicest excellencies that ever God did or will communicate unto any Certainly there are very glorious excellencies in God in the infinite fountain of all good in the infinite first beeing of all things and this God being an infinite good doth take infinite delight in the communication of his goodness Now I say the souls of men are of such a large extent as they are some way capable of the enjoyment of any good that God hath to communicate which hee hath revealed in his word yea and the truth is when wee hear of Gods communicating of himself to his Son that hath a humane soul as well as a body wee cannot but conceive that a humane soul is of that large extent as it is capable of the highest and excellentest good that God hath to communicate to any Creature We cannot but think that the soul of Jesus Christ hath as much of Gods goodness communicated to it as ever creature had or can have now the soul of Jesus Christ is of the same nature with our souls as his body hee took the same kinde of flesh as wee have onely there was no sin and so the soul it is the same kind of soul that wee have onely it was not sinful as ours are Now if the soul of Jesus Christ bee capable of the highest good that God the infinite good hath to communicate to any creature then the souls of men and women are also howsoever you have look'd after your souls no further but onely to bee serviceable to your bodies to get meat and drink and bee as it were salt Cujus anima est pro sale as the Philosopher saith of the Epicure that the soul serves for no other end to
him but to keep his body from stinking yet know whatsoever thou art though now a sinful wretched vile creature and art deprived of the chief excellency that thy soul is capable of yet that soul of thine that thou hast is capable of the highest good thing that an infinite God hath to communicate Oh that God by your owning of this would a little but raise your spirits to think that you have been deluded and deceived all this while this is the excellency now of your souls in reference unto God Fifthly And yet there is in the next place A further reference that your souls have to God and that is the contiguity as I may so speak with God himself that is of all things that are here in this world the soul of man it is that that is next unto God himself Next to God you will say what do you mean when you say that the soul of man it is contiguous unto God I mean this that God hath made all creatures for himself but hee hath made them all for himself to come to him by man hee hath made all these inferiour things in the world for man and man for himself and so God comes to attain the end of all things in this world by man so that man is next unto God God would have the glory of all the creatures in the world but how by man saith God All these things that I have made I will have them bee in subjection to man for so they were in their first Creation and as I shall appear in all other of my works so shall this creature honour mee and fear mee and admire mee and magnifie mee upon the taking notice of and receiving in that good that there is in any creature All the goodness there is in the creature it comes to mee but how shall I have the glory of it all why I will make a creature that shall bee as it were between mee and other creatures that shall partake of the nature of other creatures but so as hee shall have a certain kinde of divine Beam of my excellency and shall bee able to take notice of mee and to receive in my goodness what hee doth receive in of the sweetness of the creature hee shall receive it in as my sweet and my goodness Incoms from mee and so hee shall reflect it upon my face again so that mans soul is like a Glass as you see a Glass that takes the beams of the Sun that shines upon it and casts it toward the Sun again as upon a wall the beams of the Sun comes into the Glass and then the Glass can reflect it this way or that way So the glory of God shines in the world and mans soul is as the glass and when it was in its first purity was as a clear chrystal glass and received in all the beams of Gods glory all the glory of God I say that did shine in all his creatures was received into mans soul as the beams of the Sun into a glass and now man was able to reflect the glory of these beams upon the face of God again and to return all again to God for as all things that are good come from him so all good should return again to him but now how comes the Lord to have an injoyment as it were of his goodness that hee lets out from himself How comes hee to have it return back again to himself Why the way of his returning it is by the Angels in heaven and the spirits of men these are the two excellent creatures that God doth make use of to fetch in all the glory that hee hath from all his creatures that they in an active way should reflect it all upon the face of God again certainly the soul of man is of an excellent nature then that is contiguous with God himself next unto him It is no matter whether a man bee rich or poor learned or unlearned yet hee hath a soul that is capable of this Yet further For the excellency of the soul The excellency of the soul discovered in its relation to Angels as it is excellent in relation to God so in relation to the Angels It is of the same kinde of nature that they are of they are spirits and so is the soul of man yea it hath the very same name with God himself God is a Spirit and so is the soul of man it is of the very same nature with the Angels and so is able to converse with them as well as with God himsâ—lf but for the way and manner of converse with those spirits that is little revealed in the word and therefore wee can say littâ—e of it And further The excellency of mans soul 3 The excellency of the soul in 1 Indowments of it it will appear in the excellent endowments of it Look upon the soul of man in his fallen estate and what admirable endowments some men have as in the excellent knowledge that some men have of Arts and Sciences the knowledge of the heavens it is a very gâ—orious thing that they are able to ascend up in their understanding and to know all the motions of the heavens and can tell you to a minute of an hour what kinde of motions there will bee as appears plainly by eclipses The arts of Navigation that they can compass the world up and down that way If it were but in these sensible things that wee see so much art in as in these mighty buildings which shows that a man out of a deal of rubbish can raise and erect such a building as this is this shows the excellency of mans soul and if there bee so much excellency in it naturally thâ—t it can do such things then what can it bee raised unto and inabled unto by a divine power What can it do when it is inlarged by grace and made partaker of the Divine nature 4. The souls excellency demonstrated from its immortality Luke 12.4 5. And further The excellency of the soul appears in the immortality of it Fear not them that can kill the body and can do no more Certainly if the soul were mortal as the body is then that man that kills the body kills the soul too and therefore wee may fear a man not onely because hee can kill the body but because hee can kill the soul but saith Christ Fear not them that can kill the body and can do no more The soul is as an Eagle when a man dyes that gets out of the Cage and so it flyes away saith Stephen when hee was to dye Act. 7.59 Lord Jesus receive my spirit Why if so bee that his spirit had dyed with his body he need not have said Lord Jesus receive my spirit Phâ—l 1.23 And so St. Paul I am in a streight and know not what to do whether to live or dye but hee thought it was better for him to bee dissolved it was not to bee destroyed
of the Scripture how doth the hopes of those that shall bee saved arise Why they rise thus either by reading or hearing something out of the Word of God and God darting some light some truths into their souls through his Word they come to receive it and there it lies working in them till at length their souls relish it and they taste the sweetness of the Word and come to have comfort in it and so through patience and comfort of the Scriptures their hope comes to bee raised the Scripture in raising hopes first it works patience it usually beats down the soul first and speaks hard things to it and the soul that God over-powers to himself it is willing to lye under the power of the Scripture and bee patient notwithstanding the Scripture doth reveal such hard things and puts it upon never such hard duties the heart I say yeelds to it and at length the soul comes to finde sweetness out of the Scripture and so hopes comes to bee raised that is the soul sees some eternal truth out of the Word of God the truth of God himself that is eternal a divine truth that it dares venture its eternal estate upon and upon this it doth raise its hope it is able to give an account from some place of the Scripture upon what grounds it doth hope I hope that God will shew mercy to mee and save my soul in the day of Christ will some say I but what ground have you for your hopes Now if your hopes bee right then there is somewhat in this Book of God to bee shewed as the ground of this and indeed you can have but little comfort of your hopes except you bee able to hold forth some Scripture of other upon which you build your hopes for when you say you hope you may not mean that you think and aâ—e perswaded that it is so but what Scripture have you for iâ—â—â— you will say what Scriptures have any to ground their hopâ—s of salvation upon what Scriptures a great many I will give you but this one that many have to ground their hopeâ— upon Rom. 8.1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit Upon this now saith a soul that God brings to himself What doâ—h God say in his Word that word upon which my soul stands and must bee cast one day for eternity that those that are in Christ Jesus shall never bee condemned I but who are they such as walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit such as the bent of whose hearts and the indeavours of whose souls are not after fleshly things the comforts of this world but after spiritual things such whom the Lord hath made to be sensible of spiritual things and such as the Lord doth act and guide by his holy Spirit in their waies and conversations God saith such shall never be condemned then upon this I will build my hopes for I feel that the Lord hath been pleased to work so on mee as to bring mee to Jesus Christ to see him to close with him and to relye upon him and I feel the fruit of the Spirit of Christ in mee that whereas before I walked after the flesh and spiritual things I did not savour now I finde that the lusts of the flesh are mortified and I should wrong the grace of God if I should deny the actings and the guidings of the Spirit in my soul and therefore I will build my hopes and rest upon this Scripture And the more any soul rests upon any Scripture if it rests truly the more shall it finde the power of that Scripture upon it Therefore you shall know the difference between an hypocrites resting upon Scripture and one that rests through the work of Gods Grace an Hypocrite rests upon such a Scripture and conceits that his heart is according to the Scripture but now hee doth not finde that the more hee rests the more his heart is wrought upon by the Scripture and daily grows to bee liker and liker to the Scripture to come nearer and nearer to what is required in the Scripture but now when a gracious heart doth rest upon Scripture it findes that daily it doth grow nearer and nearer to the Scripture and that works daily more and more upon it and indeed this is the way to grow in sanctification and to make our hearts like to the Scriptures Fall upon several places and let your souls rest upon them for eternity and so you will finde your hearts to grow more and more like to those Scriptures and the power of those Scriptures will appear more and more in your hearts and conversations This is the way of the Saints that have hopes to bee saved Secondly Again those hopes that are to be rased are hopes that are not wrought in the soul by the power of the Holy Ghost in the forenamed Chapter The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in beleeving that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost That hope that is right for salvation is such a hope as is wrought through the power of the Holy Ghost Now then that hope that is in men and women which is born with them and hath lived with them all their daies that springs from the root of nature for so that that is born with us and grows up with us all the daies of our lives I say it springs from a root of nature and so the hopes of most people they are no other but such as springs from a root of nature come from one to another and ask them do you think to bee saved I I hope so how long have you hoped so ever since I can remember I thank God I I thought so it is a hope that springs out of the root of nature and therefore you have had it alwaies whereas the true hope of the godly for salvation it is a hope wrought in their hearts by the Almighty power of the Holy Ghost And I appeal to you now what Almighty power of the Holy Ghost have you felt in your hearts to raise up those hopes that you have in you For certainly the grace of hope hath a difficulty in it as well as any grace whatsoever now all people almost finde an easiness in that but here the Scripture makes it to bee the glory of the Holy Ghost to raise hopes in any creature therefore those hopes that arise from a root of nature that are not wrought by an Almighty power of the Holy Ghost in the heart must bee rased down Do but put your souls to this question I have hopes to bee saved but Lord how are they wrought what power of the Holy Ghost hath been in my heart to raise these hopes Suppose there were no Holy Ghost as they said in the Acts that they had not so much as heard whether there were any Holy Ghost or no
Collins of Norwich The sum of practical Divinity or the grounds of Religion in a Catechistical way by Master Christopher Love late Minister of the Gospel an useful piece Heaven and Earth shaken a Treatise shewing how Kings and Princes and all other Governments are turned and changed by J. Davis Minister in Dover admirably useful and seriously to be considered in these times The Treasure of the Soul wherein wee are taught by dying to sin to attain to the perfect love of God A Treatise of Contentation fit for these sad and troublesome times by J. Hall Bishop of Norwich Select thoughts or choice helps for a pious Spirit beholding the excellency of her Lord Jesus by J. Hall Bishop of Norwich The holy Order or Fraternity of Mourners in Zion to which is added songs in the night or chearfulness under afflictions by J. Hall Bishop of Norwich The Celestial Lamp enlightning every distressed soul from the depth of everlasting darkness by T. Fetisplace Excellent 〈…〉 Mathematicks Geometry of Arithmetick 〈…〉 â—nd other Arts or Mechanicks The incomparablâ—â—â—â—atise of Tactometria sâ—â— Tetagmenometria or the Geometry of Regulars practically proposed after a new and most expeditious manner together with the Natural or Vulgar by way of Mensural comparison and in the Solids not onely in respect of Magnitude or Demension but also of Gravity or Ponderosity according to any Metal assigned together with useful experiments of Measures and Weights observations on gauging useful for those that are practised in the Art Metricald by T. Wybard Tectonicon shewing the exact measuring of all manner of Land Squares Timber Stones Steeples Pillars Globes as also the making and use of the Carpenters Rule c. fit to be known by all Surveyors Land-meters Joyners Carpenters and Masons by L. Diggs The unparallel'd work for ease and expedition entituled the Exact Surveyor or the whole Art of Surveying of Land shewing how to plot all manner of Grounds whether small Inclosures Champian Plain Wood-lands or Mountains by the plain Table as also how to finde the Area or Content of any Land to Protect Reduce or Divide the same as also to take the Plot or Chart to make a Map of any Mannor whether according to Rathburn or any other eminent Surveyors Method a Book excellently useful for those that sell purchase or are otherwise employed about buildings by J. Eyre The Golden Treatise of Arithmetick Natural and Artificial or Decimals the Theory and Practice united in a sympathetical proportion betwixt Lines and Numbers in their Quantities and Qualities as in respect of Form Figure Magnitude and Affection demonstrated by Geometry illustrated by Calculations and confirmed with variety of Examples in every Species made compendious and easie for Merchants Citizens Sea-men Accomptants c. by Th. Wilsford Corrector of the last Edition of Record Semigraphy or the Art of Short-writing as it hath been proved by many hundreds in the 〈…〉 â—â—â—don and other places by them practised 〈◊〉 â—â—owledged to bee the easiest exactest and swiftest Method the meanest capacity by the help of this Book with a few hours practice may attain to a perfection in this Art by J. Rich Author and Teacher thereof dwelling in Swithins-lane in London Milk for Children a plain and easie Method teaching to read and write usefull for Schools and Families by J. Thomas D. D. The Painting of the Ancients the History of the beginning progress and consummaâ—ing of the practice of that noble Art of Painting by F. Junius Excellent and approved Treatises in Physick Chirurgery and other more familiar Experiments in Cookery Preserving c. Culpeper's Semiatica Vranica his Astrological Judgement of Diseases from the decumbiture of the sick much enlarged the way and manner of finding out the cause change and end of the Disease also whether the sick bee likely to live or die and the time when Recovery or Death is to bee expected according to the judgement of Hyppocrates and Hermes Trismegistus to which is added Mr. Culpeper's censure of Urines Culpeper's last Legacy left to his Wife for the publick good being the choicest and most profitable of those secrets in Physick and Chirurgery which whilest he lived were lockt up in his breast and resolved never to bee published till after his death The Yorkshire Spaw or the virtue and use of that Water in curing of desperate Diseases with directions and rules necessary to bee considered by all that repair thither Most approved Medicines and Remedies for the diseases in the body of man by A. Read Doctour in Physick The Art of simpling an Introduction to the knowledge of gathering of Plants wherein the definitions divisions places descriptions differences names virtues times of gathering temperatures of them are compendiously discoursed of also a discovery of the lesser World by W. Coles Adam in Eden or Natures Paradise the History of Plants Herbs and Flowers with their several original names the places where they grow their descriptions and kindes their times of flourishing and decreasing as also their several signatures anatomical appropriations and particular physical virtues with necessary Observations on the seasons of planting and gathering of our English plants A work admirable useful for Apothecaries Chirurgions and other ingenuous persons who may in this Herbal finde comprized all the English physical Simples that Gerard or Parkinson in their two voluminous Herbals have discoursed of even so as to bee on emergent occasions their own Physicians the Ingredients being to bee had in their own Fields and Gardens published for the general good by W. Coles M. D. The Compleat Midwives practice in the high and weighty concernments of the body of Mankinde the second Edition corrected and enlarged with a full supply of such most useful and admirable secrets which Master Nicholas Culpeper in his brief Treatise and other English Writers in the Art of Midwifry have hitherto wilfully passed by kept close to themselves or wholly omitted by T. Chamberlain M. P. illustrated with Copper-Figures The Queens Closet opened incomparable Secrets in Physick Chirurgery Preserving Candying and Cookery as they were presented to the Queen by the most experienced persons of our times many whereof were honoured with her own practice True History and Divine Poetry The Tears of the Indians the History of the bloody and most cruel proceedings of the Spaniards in the Island of Hispaniola Cuba Jamaica Mexico Peru and other places of the West-Indies in which to the life are discovered the tyrannies of the Spaniards as also the justness of our War so successfully managed against them Harvey's Divine Poems the History of Balaam of Jonah and of St. John the Evangelist Fons Lachrymarum or a Fountain of Tears the Lamentations of the Prophet Jeremiah in Verse with an Elegy on Sir Charles Lucas by J. Quarles The Admirable ingenuous Satyr against Hypocrites Several other accurately ingenuous Treatises lately printed Themis Aurea The Laws of the Fraternity of the Rosie Cross in which the occult Secrets of their Philosophical Notions are brought
the Law compared with the glory of the Gospel That that which was made glorious now had no glory by reason of a greater glory that is come So I may say in this case the things of the world that were glorious in thine eyes before yet now they are not glorious but all darkned because there is a greater glory that now comes and shines in upon thee If a man had lived in a dark Dungeon under the ground all the dayes of his life and never had the glimpse of any light whatsoever never since hee was born if on a sudden a candle should bee brought to him hee would admire at that glory but now if this man should afterwards bee brought into the world and see the glory of the Sun the glory of the candle would bee nothing to him So the men of the world because they live as it were in darkness they have some comforts in the creature and they think them to bee glorious for they know no better But that soul that hath had a sight of God comes to see that all things in the world are but darkness to him There is nothing can disingage the heart of a man from the creature so as a sight of God You have a notable Scripture for that how a sight of God doth dis-ingage the heart of a man from the creature in Act. 7.2 And hee said Men Brethren and Fathers hearken The God of glory appeared unto our Father Abraham when hee was in Mesopotamia before hee dwelt in Charran and said unto him Get thee out of thy Country and from thy kindred and come into the Land which I shall shew thee And so hee shews how Abraham was content to forsake all his friends and Country Why the God of glory appeared to him it is said upon this when the Holy Ghost would shew what it was that brought Abraham out of his Country that took off his heart from all his friends and Country to go into a strange Country saith the Holy Ghost The God of glory appeared to our Father Abraham Let a mans heart bee never so much glewed to any contentments that are here in the world let but the God of glory appear to that man and all things are vanity then the heart quickly comes off from any thing And indeed though there may bee many arguments that may make men and women to deny themselves very much the use of creature-comforts yet the heart is never throughly taken off till the God of glory appear to the soul A notable example of self-denial it that of Moses Moses that might have had all the riches and glory of Egypt might have been next to the King himself an heir for so some write that Pharaoh had no son and that Pharaohs daughter did adopt Moses to the end that hee might bee an heir to the Crown and yet Moses that had all riches and the treasures of Egypt at command yet hee forsakes aâ—l but though hee forsook all for a while yet you will say did hee not repent him afterward No saith the Text Heb. 11.27 By faith hee forsook Egypt not fearing the wrath of the King for hee indured as seeing him that is invisible that was the thing that did it it made Moses forsake all the riches of Egypt and indure to go on and never repent him for making such a choice What was the great thing that did take Moses off from the creature It was the sight of God that God that was invisible My brethren the sight of God it puts a mighty magnanimicy upon a mans heart there is nothing great to a great spirit nor nothing can greaten the spirit of a man or woman so as the sight of the great God no men and women in the world have such great spirits as those that have seen the great God And the oftner any one hath the sight of the great God I say the greater will such mens and womens spirits bee they are raised to that height that all the world will not satisfie such a soul for the portion of it And this again in the fourth place may bee a Note of Trial whether ever you have seen God alone to bee excellent Hath it taken off your hearts from the creature Hath it ingaged your hearts fully to God himself that you can say There is none in heaven Psal 73.25 nor none in earth that I desire in comparison of thee In the fifth place Is Gods Name alone excellent Oh my Use 5 brethren study to know God then Labour to search into this Excellency so far as wee may and God gives us leave God hath revealed much of himself to us in the Scripture and in the book of the creature and God expects that what is revealed of him in the Scripture and in the book of the creature that the rational creatures Angels and Men should labour and search to know There is nothing so sweet so amiable so lovely so delightful unto a rational creature if it bee purged from the filthiness and corruption of sin as the sight of the infinite first being of all things Why here is concluded all excellent sights whatsoever some men are takeâ— with such a sight to behold fair buildings and others to behold brave pictures one with one thing and another with another Oh but the sight of God hath all sights in it that may delight the soul and give content to the heart of Man or Angel and therefore labour to know the excellency of God You poor creatures that have minded little all this while but meerâ—y to understand your Trades and how you may get a shilling or two to provide for your families Oh but know there is a higher obâ—ect for you to busie your thoughts and hearts about Learn to know this God who alone is excellent and bee not discouraged at those things that have been spoken though they are above thy reach at first yet if your hearts bee pure and cleansed from filthinesse you have the promise in Matth. 5.8 Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God It may bee you that are poor people you can never come to get learning to have the knowledge of Arts and Sciences and such things I but if you have clean hearts you are blessed in this God saith you shall see him Labour to study God and labour to know God more Psal 91.14 Mark how acceptable it is to God for his creature to labour to know him I will set him on high because hee hath known my Name Thy Name O Lord alone is excellent and thy glory above the heavens and earth And I will set him on high because he knows my Name Oh saith God yonder is a poor creature that above all things in the world desires to know mee hee hath had a little glimpse of â—y glory and oh how earnest is his heart to know mee I will reveal more of my self to him and then I wil set him on high because hee
stoop down to pry into those things of the Gospel Great is the mystery of godliness in Christ Jesus Oh there are many glorious mysteries of godliness in Jesus Christ And such things as eye hath not seen ear hath not heard neither can enter into the heart of man to conceive as the Scripture saith in 1 Cor. 2.9 yea they are revealed onely by the Spirit of God that searches all things yea the deep things of God the Spirit that searches the deep things of God must reveal the things of the Gospel unto that soul that ever comes to the knowledge of them It was a work of the Spirit of God to instruct Bezaleel and Aholiab in those Arts of Workmanship to work in Brass and the like it is a work of Gods Spirit to shew a man the reason of the things of nature but now when Gods Spirit comes to reveal Christ to the soul for it is the Spirit of God that searches the deep things of God this puts an emphasis upon it shewing that the things of the Gospel are deep things they are things that onely are revealed by Gods Spirit and not by an ordinary work of Gods Spirit but by an extraordinary work of the Spirit of God that Spirit that searches the deep things of God must declare these things to any soul that comes to the understanding of them His Name is Wonderful Now surely hee that God spake so much of before hee came into the world hee that so many wise men and Prophets did so long to see hee that was the expectation and joy of the whole Church of God from the beginning of the world before hee came hee that was so typified out by all the Sacrifices and Types of the Old Testament by the Temple that was the wonder of the world at that time Hee that when hee came into the world had his birth solemnized by the Angels a heavenly Quire singing Doxologies Hee that had upon his first coming the wise men from the East coming to worship him surely hee must bee some wonderful one some great one and therefore as wee read of the people in Luke 1.66 when they saw and heard of such strange things at John Baptists birth the Text saith All they that heard them laid them up in their hearts saying What manner of Childe shall this bee So when wee hear of these things that were done by way of preparation to the coming of Christ for some two thousand years together and such great things that were done upon his coming surely it must needs bee some wonderful one What manner of Childe is this that is given to us wherefore then as wee read of Moses in Exod. 9.9 when hee saw that wonderful sight in the wilderness the bush burning and not consumed saith Moses I will go and see what yonder great sight is So wee may well say when Christ is propounded thus Wonderful and God himself gives him this Name let us take off our thoughts from all other things and turn aside to see this great sight to see what this Wonder is Therefore for the opening of this Wonder that is in Christ to shew you how Christ is Wonderful and how well hee may challenge this Name and how proper this Title is to him to bee called Wonderful I shall open it in these several particulars First Christ is wonderful in his Natures Secondly Christ is wonderful in his Person Thirdly Hee is wonderful in the manner of his Incarnation Fourthly Hee is wonderful in the wonderful work that hee came for into the world the wonderful things that hee came to do Fifthly Hee is wonderful in his Anointment in his Offices Sixthly Hee is wonderful in his admirable Indowments Seventhly Hee is wonderful in his glorious Miracles that hee wrought Eighthly Hee is wonderful in that great glory of God the Father that appears in him Ninthly He is wonderful in the work of his Humiliation Tenthly Hee is wonderful in his Conquest Eleventhly Wonderful in his Exaltation and the degrees of it Twelfthly Wonderful in his Saints Lastly hee is wonderful and shall bee wonderful in the highest heavens in the Church Triumphant and in all these regards wee shall see what a wonderful Saviour wee have and what kinde of thoughts wee are to have of Jesus Christ As certainly for the want of the right understanding of God and the low thoughts and apprehensions wee have of him the Name of God is little sanctified among us so for the want of the right understanding of Jesus Christ Oh how little is the Name of God sanctified in the mysteries of the Gospel wee have the word God wee can say that God made us and so the word Christ and wee hope to bee saved by Jesus Christ But oh how far are wee either from apprehending God such an infinite and glorious God as hee hath already though very darkly been set out unto you and so before wee have done though it bee but in a Sermon or two you will finde that your thoughts of Jesus Christ have been too low and too mean Oh that wee could by any means heighten your thoughts upon God and Christ that you may know the Lord and his Son whom hee hath sent into the world First Christ is wonderful in his Natures These Heads that I have propounded they all might bee largely insisted on but I think it best at first to give you a short view of things and to present them together as briefly as I may Wonderful in his Natures for hee is God and man our Saviour is God and so hee is set forth unto us afterwards the Mighty God and is not this a wonderful thing that mankinde fallen from God should have no less Saviour than the Mighty God himself If all the Angels in Heaven and men in the world had undertaken to have been the Saviours of one soul they could never have done it they could never have accomplished what they had undertaken such is the state of man as if ever hee bee saved hee must have a Saviour above the Angels above all the strength that there is in all the Angels in heaven and creatures in all the world hee is that God that you have heard of whose Name is alone excellent whose glory is above the heavens and earth but that wee should bee saved onely by God may seem to some to bee no such great wonder who can save us but God I but know that here it is not God putting forth an Attribute to save us but it is God undertaking this relation of a Saviour and God putting himself in another condition as it were and taking upon him our nature therefore that is that indeed that makes the wonder God-Man Theanthropos 1 Tim. 3.16 Great is the mystery of godliness God was manifested in the flesh This is a wonderful mystery that there should be such a word Theanthropos God-Man is the greatest wonder that ever there was in the world that there should bee such a
typifie that Christ as hee was man hee had no Father and as hee was God hee had no Mother and hee had no beginning in his Priestly office it was from everlasting and it shall indure to everlasting So hee is a Priest for ever after the Order of Melchisedeck and not after the Order of Aaron 2 And in the next place All the Priests in the Law did typifie Christ and all did cease in him certainly hee must needs bee a great High Priest that was typified by them and in whom all ceased and vanished As when the Sun arises the light of the stars doth no more appear there was no further Priesthood when Jesus came and took that Office to himself in his humane Nature in this world 3 But further Christ is wonderful in his Priest-hood in this that hee had no need to offer for himself as others had for hee was blameless and without sin 4 Yea and consider what Christ offered and there you shall see him wonderful the Offering that Christ offered it was the blood of God I say it was that that wee may call safely according to Scripture language the blood of God and that will not seem to bee a hard expression if wee understand what the personal union of the two Natures are in Act. 20.28 faith the Apostle to the Church of Ephesus Take heed therefore unto your selves and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers to feed the Church of God which hee hath purchased with his own blood These kinde of phrases wee have that come from the Personal union of the two Natures so that the blood that Christ did shed and offer unto God as a Sacrifice for the sin of man it is that that the Scripture calls the blood of God Now the blood that other Priests did offer was the blood of Goats and Bulls and Lambs and Kids but now what a wonderful Priest have wee that comes to offer Sacrifice to the Father for us and comes to offer blood that is the blood of God Hee is wonderful in his Priestly Office in regard of his Offering 5 Further from this follows that Christ offered a Sacrifice unto God that was sufficient to satisfie God for all the wrong that ever was done him by mans sin they offered poor things unto God you know in the time of the Law things that were worthless But now the Sacrifice that Christ offered unto the Father when hee that High Priest came to offer it was a Sacrifice that did satisfie Gods infinite Justice did make up all the wrong that all the sins of the Elect had ever done to God it was that that infinite Justice said it was well-pleased withall It was worth all that Christ did render it up to his Father for not onely a Sacrifice that was a sweet savour because God would bee pleased to accept of it but a Sacrifice that had in its self such a savour that could not but bee sweet in the nostrils of God the Father for it did fully satisfie the Justice of God the Father for the sins of mankinde here is a wonderful High Priest now that hee should come and offer such a Sacrifice that should bee of such infinite merit and worth as it was 6 Yea and hee was wonderful because that hee did offer himself not onely his blood but himself soul and body hee made himself a Sacrifice none of the Priests did so in the time of the Law was there ever heard of such a Priest that came to offer sacrifice that did offer himself for such as hee would make attonement for Jesus Christ hee was anointed by God the Father as a Priest of his Church to offer sacrifice now hee must have so nothing to offer and Christ saw that whatsoever hee could offer if so bee that hee had offered that that had been the worth of Heaven and Earth whatsoever it had been it could never have been an Attonement for those souls which hee did undertake for therefore Christ offers himself as there is nothing but God can bee a satisfying portion to an immortal soul so no sacrifice but Christ himself could bee a Sacrifice to pacifie Gods wrath for the sins of mankinde if Christ should have said Father Thou hast made mee Lord over all the world and I will give it all for a Ransome for the soul of this poor sinner God would have said It will not do it but it must bee thy self I and Christ yeelds to it A body hast thou prepared mee Isa 53.10 And bee made his soul an offering for sin And a body hast thou prepared for mee both body and soul of Christ was offered to God the Father for a sacrifice that hee might smell a sweet savour of rest even concerning us who are wicked and wretched sinners Either Christ must offer himself soul and body to bee a Sacrifice for thy sin or else thy soul and body must have been offered as a sacrifice to Gods Justice and then it must eternallâ— have been under the stroke of Gods Justice but to that end to free that soul and body of thine if thou beest a beleever to free thee from the eternal Justice of God therefore Christ did offer his soul and body as a sacrifice to his Father 7 And yet further Christ was wonderful in his Priestly Office for hee was not onely the Sacrifice but the Altar It would bee wonderful to hear of a Priest that should offer himself but the Priest to bee the Sacrifice and the Altar too that should sanctifie the Sacrifice it is a greater wonder and because this expression seems to bee very hard I take this out of Heb. 9.14 How much more shall the bloud of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God he offers his body and soul as it were upon his Divine Nature that as the Altar did sanctifie the Offering so the Divine Nature of Christ did sanctifie the offering of his Humane Nature so that he indeed became both the Altar and the Sacrifice 8 And then further Christ is wonderful in his Priestly Office and that is in this That he offered but one Sacrifice and at one time now the Priests in former time they offered many Sacrifices and they offered often but now if you would read of Christs Priestly Office read especially the seventh eighth and ninth Chapters of the Epistle to the Hebrews and there you shall have as much almost as in all the Scripture besides of the Priestly Office of Jesus Christ The Priests in the Law they offered often but Christ offered but once and having but once offered hee sits down in glory upon his offering of himself but once before the Father it was available for ever for so the Scripture tells us in divers places of the Hebrews and hee was able to save to the uttermost upon his once offering of himself And then further Christ is wonderful in his Priestly Office in this which
things of the world those men that have the dullest capacity to understand the reason of things in the world those that are the most ignorant people in the world why Jesus Christ chuses out them and makes them to bee apprehensive of the mysteries of the Gospel such things as Angels themselves desire to pry into 1 Pet. 1.12 Here is a wonder that such poor weak dull ignorant creatures sometimes that can scarce be able to speak two or three sentences in good sense together to a man yet that they should have the clear understanding of the chief mysteries in the Gospel and such things as Angels desire to pry into here is a wonderful work and therefore wee read in Matth. 21.15 when the poor children came to understand somewhat of Christ When the chief Priests and Scribes saw the wondeful things that hee did and the children crying in the Temple and saying Hosanna to the Son of David ☞ they were sore displeased Mark how this is joyned to the wonderful things they saw the wonderful things that Christ did and the children crying in the Temple Hosanna to the Son of David they were displeased It is one of the most wonderful things in the world to see that sometimes poor young children and such as understand but very little in the matters of the world and yet that these shall come to understand the deepest mysteries of godliness those things that exercise the understanding of Angels and shall exercise them to all eternity yet poor children and youths shall come to understand these things further than the great Rabbies and Doctors of the world is not this a wonderful thing in the dispensation of the Prophetical Office of Christ You make this use when you see poor youths come to have understanding in the great things of the Gospel you think surely it is but a conceit Oh but rather make this use let your thoughts bee carried to admire at the wonderful dispensation of the Prophetical Office of Jesus Christ and so in Matth. 11.25 27. you shall see what a wonderful thing it is made even this dispensation of Christs Prophetical Office in vers 25. and so on At that time Jesus answered and said I thank thee 0 Father Lord of Heaven and Earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto Babes Now that the Father did hide them from the wise of the world and revealed them unto babes it was by Christ though hee thanks the Father and that it was done by Christ it appears in vers 27. All things are delivered to mee of my Father and no man knoweth the Son but the father neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son and hee to whom the Son will reveal him All things are delivered to mee so that Christ here makes the revelation of God unto babes to bee the fruit of Gods delivering up all things to him All things are delivered to mee and no man knoweth the Father but the Son and him to whom the Son will reveal him so that Christ having received all power from the Father upon this it is that these babes come to have such understanding in the mysteries of godliness and the wise of the world never come to understand And then that is very remarkable as wee go along that upon this ground Jesus Christ doth invite souls to come to him Come unto mee all yee that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest As if hee should say thus Conceive now as if Jesus Christ were preaching now personally to you and hee were saying thus to you All power is committed to mee by the Father and as a fruit of this that the Father hath committed to mee I do reveal him to whom I please and none can know the Father but by mee I have the dispensation of all the treasures of wisdome and the revelation of all the mysteries of eternal life from my Father Oh therefore come to mee come to mee all yee that labour and are heavy laden you labour under the burden of your ignorance perhaps you complain alas I do not know God nor understand the great mysteries of salvation I pray and hear and yet I cannot come to understand what God is Why come to mee saith Christ for all things are given to mee and if I reveal the Father you shall know him therefore all you that labour and are heavy laden all you that see the need you have of the knowledge of my Father and of the way of eternal life come to mee and I will reveal these things unto you and so will bring rest unto your souls Wonderful is Christ in the way of his Administrations and that is another consideration in the Prophetical Office of Christ 5 But further Christ is a wonderful Prophet in this that hee reveals things many times suddenly hee is not bound to those wayes that any man or Angel is bound to if a man or Angel would come to instruct others in the truths of the Gospel they must instruct them by degrees to understand one thing at once and another at another time and so deduct one thing from another in that way but Christ hee can make known the things of eternal life in an instant to the soul Whosoever comes to Christ must bee convinced of sin and bee emptied of himself and bee humbled all these things are in every soul that comes to Christ now all these things may by one beam of light bee wrought that Jesus Christ shall let into the soul As an Apothecary may get the very quintessence of all herbs in one drop though you cannot see the herbs so Jesus Christ I say sometimes by one beam of light lets in a hundred truths into the soul so that they do apprehend the substance of all those particulars that are spoken of and there is a proportionable work upon their hearts to bring them to Christ is not this a wonderful work of Christ that a man that hath been an ignorant sottish blinde creature a prophane ungodly man hating all godliness perhaps hee comes to hear a Sermon meerly to scorn as many have done this man comes in the very heat of his wickedness so that a man would wonder that some fruit of Gods wrath comes not from heaven to strike him into the bottomless pit yet it may bee at this very Sermon there shall bee some one beam of light darted into his spirit that may work his soul to heaven possibly if hee should dye at that instant though it is true ordinarily God begins to stir first and doth it not all at once but yet sometimes some that come into a Congregation most ignorant and sottish and know no other God but Mammon and lusts and yet coming to the word at one instant God darts in that light into his spirit as this man comes to have his heart turned to God and comes to know his misery and to know the way of
beloved of the Father and equal with the Father Phil. 2.6 accounted it no robbery to bee equal with God yet that he should stand before God the Father with all the sins of the Elect charged upon him so the Scripture tells us 2 Cor. 5.21 For hee hath made him to bee sin for us who knew no sin Hee hath made him to bee sin for us for Christ to bee made a worm was a wonderful Humiliation but for Christ to bee made sin was a greater Humiliation than to bee made a worm surely this must needs bee a wonder to all the Angels in heaven for them to see such a one whom they knew to bee the eternal Son of God equal with the Father to stand before the Father cloathed at it were with all the sins of the Elect. Wee read in Zech. 3. a kinde of type of this in vers 3. of Joshua the High Priest he was cloathed with filthy Garments and stood before the Angel so Jesus Christ stands cloathed with filthy Garments hee that is cloathed with Majesty and Glory yet hee must come and stand cloathed with filthy Garments before the Father For one to bee cloathed with filthy garments and yet to bee in some room alone that no body should see him is no great matter but to see a great Prince to come out before the world cloathed with filthy garments it is a very great humiliation But Christ that was infinitely above all the Princes in the world hee comes and stands before Men and Angels yea before God himself cloathed with these filthy garments For a man to have sin upon him before other men it is no great matter but for him to come into the presence of God with sin upon him it is a terrible thing But now the Son of God must do it hee comes into the presence of the Father and stands with all the sins of the Elect upon him what an object is here of Wonder Luther calls Christ the greatest sinner that ever was in the world I confess that is somewhat hard for it was but charged upon him but his meaning is onely this that I am speaking of Christ had not onely the sins of David his Murther and Adultery and denial of Peter and the like but all the sins of all the elect ones from the beginning of the world to the end of the world which they were or should bee guilty of charged upon him Secondly The wonder of Christs Humiliation it is in this that hee that was so high should bee now brought down so low for the sin of man is not this a wonder that hee that thunders in the heavens should bee crying in a Manger Is it not a great wonder that hee that framed the heavens and earth should work with a Carpenter in his Trade that hee that is the great Judge of all the world should bee accused and should bee condemned as a Malefactor and crucified among Theeves That hee that is the Lord of Life should dye that hee that dwelt in that light that is unapprochable should have darkness to cover him that hee that is the blessed God should bee made a curse for the sin of man are not these things wonderful in Christian Religion and yet all these are things that may bee said of Christ for the Lord of Life to come and dye and that accursed death this was a wonder that all the world seemed to bee affected with the very insensitive creatures for at the death of Christ the Sun withdrew his light as being amazed with this wonder not able to behold it and the earth shaked and trembled and the graves opened at this wonder the very stones clave in sunder at this wonder there was such a mighty concussion of things at this time that it made one that knew nothing of the cause of it One Dionysius seeing the darkness at that time Aut Deus naturae patitur aut mundi machina dissolvetur and such great things which were done cry out Certainly either the God of Nature suffers at this time or the world is at an end So great a wonder it was that the Lord of Life should thus dye an accursed death Angels yea all insensitive creatures they stood amazed at it and seemed to bee exceedingly affected with it And then in the third place Why Christ may dye and yet not suffer so much to make us wonder many of the servants of God have died cruel deaths But then in the third place There is a greater wonder in Câ—â—ists humiliation than in the sufferings of the servants of God because though their bodies suffered yet they had much freedome in their souls they were filled with joy and comfort in the time of their sufferings so it was in the Martyrs Oh but it was otherwise with Christ though hee were the fountain of all consolation yet Christ suffers in his soul hee was sorrowful in his soul to the very death hee gave his soul to bee an offering for sin and indeed the suffering of Christs soul was the soul of his suffering the chief of his suffering when as Christ was in the Garden there hee acknowledges that his soul was compassed round about with sorrows Matth. 26.38 his soul was very sorrowful and in another Evangelist hee began to bee amazed and a third Evangelist saith Mark 14.33 hee began to bee filled with sorrow in his soul and the very trouble of his soul was that that drew forth from him such a wonderful sweat as never was heard of in the world before nor never since nor never is like to bee that a man from distress and trouble of his soul should sweat so Many a man when hee is in fear and trouble of minde hee may sweat but when did you ever hear of a man out of trouble of minde that did sweat blood that blood should come and break through his skin and run down upon him and this through the trouble of his minde for there was no bodily affliction upon Christ then but meerly the trouble of his Spirit and hee knowing what cup hee was to drink and the trouble that hee suffered in his Soul did cause the blood to break through his veyns and come to trickle down and not some thin blood for so I have read of one in Paris that was condemned to dye and the very trouble of his spirit did cause some blood to come out of his body but thin but the Scripture tells us that there was clodders of blood and when was this sweat when hee was abroad in the night time and lay upon the ground and in the Winter season In a Winters night when hee was abroad and lay upon the ground hee sweat this sweat and all from the trouble of his spirit A man may sweat in Summer and in Winter in the day time or in a warm room or in a bed but for Christ in a Winters night and lying upon the ground to sweat such a sweat
of rejection of Jesus Christ must needs bee a dreadful sin because Jesus Christ is so great a wonder as you have heard The Sixth SERMON ON The Excellency of Christ Isaiah 9.6 And his Name shall bee called Wonderful NOw wee come to the Application of all which is the work of this exercise Application First Certainly Jesus Christ is little known in the world if this bee hee this great wonder of the world Oh how little is Christ known Christ is but a meer Notion and Imagination to most people in the world you heard the very sound of this name and how Christ came into the world to save sinners but I appeal unto your consciences when were your hearts taken with the admiration of the glory of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ hath Christ been made the greatest wonder in the world unto you some of you have seen many wondrous works of God some of you perhaps in the Seas or abroad in other Countries or if not there yet you have seen the Heavens and the Earth at which you many times wonder but when did God dart light into your spirits to cause you to see so much of Jesus Christ as made him to bee the great wonder of all his works certainly that soul knows not God nor Christ savingly that knows him not as the wonder of the world it is impossible that such a poor creature as man is should come to understand such great mysteries of godliness as are in Christ in any measure but must needs admire at the glory of that great work and say with acclamation Oh the height and depth and breadth and length of the glory of God his Wisdome and Mercy and Truth and Power Many Notes of Trial there may bee of Faith but I know not any one more familiar than this is at least negatively it must needs bee a true Note that is that there cannot bee Faith without it namely if the heart hath not been taken up with the wonder of Christ so as all the wonders in the world have been darkened in the soul in comparison of Jesus Christ Secondly If Christ bee so great a wonder then O how vile a thing is it for the hearts of men to prefer any base filthy lusts before Jesus Christ when God hath manifested him in that wonderful way unto the children of men and so much of his glory in him yet that their hearts should bee taken off from him and every base lust to bee preferred before him Oh how just must the condemnation of such bee for ever wee may take up that complaint that there was in Psal 106.7 Psal 106.7 Our Fathers understood not thy wonders saith the Psalmist So the truth is as our Fathers did not so few there are that understand the wonders of the Lord in Jesus Christ and therefore every thing is preferred before him with what infinite indignation must God needs look upon that wretched soul that shall prefer every base lust before Jesus Christ I remember a speech of Chrysostome speaking of that Text That our vile bodies shall bee made like unto the glorious body of Christ saith hee were all the world turned into tears yet they were not sufficient to lament the misery of that soul that forsakes Jesus Christ his heart was so much taken with the excellency of Jesus Christ that hee thought it impossible to lament the misery of the creature that should forsake him and so St. Paul having his heart filled with the glorious Mystery of Christ hee breaks forth with this dreadful curse Hee that loveth not the Lord Jesus Christ let him bee Anathema Maran-atha as if St. Paul should say having his spirit filled with the glory of Christ Oh what shall God manifest so much of his glory in his Son and shall base wretched vile creatures prefer their lusts before him and have their hearts taken up with other vain things and not love the Lord Jesus Christ let that soul bee cursed with a bitter curse saith Paul such a soul doth deserve indeed to bee cursed with a bitter and an eternal curse that shall hear so much of Jesus Christ and how God hath revealed himself in that wonderful way in his Son and yet that soul shall not bee willing to forsake a base lust for all the good there is in Jesus Christ let that soul bee cursed with a bitter curse It deserves above all creatures to have the most bitter curse to bee upon it to all eternity certainly the more glory there is in Christ the more dreadful will the condemnation of wicked men bee This is the condemnation that such glorious light is come into the world and men chose darkness rather than light How many hear of Christ and minde little but onely have a noise they hear some strange things of Christ and let them pass by and think there is little reallity in what they hear but the onely real comfort is in satisfying of the flesh in the lusts of it In Act. 13.41 Act. 13.41 wee have an excellent Scripture for the reproof of such that hear the Gospel and minde it not Beware therefore lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the Prophets Behold yee despisers and wonder and perish for I work a work in your daies a work which yee shall in no wise beleeve though a man declare it unto you It is spoken concerning Christ as appears in the verse before And by him all that beleeve are justified from all things by which yee could not bee justified by the Law of Moses Now then it follows Beware therefore lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the Prophets Behold ye despisers and wonder and perish as if hee should say you hear the Gospel about the glorious way that God hath to reconcile sinners to himself to justifie sinners but in the mean time your hearts do close with your own Conceits and your own waies with the Law of Moses and think by your own good meanings and your own good works that you shall do well enough and shall stand before God but saith the Apostle Beware lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the Prophets Behold yee despisers and wonder you perhaps when you hear such things declared unto you you account it strange doctrine and you stand and wonder what the meaning of those things should bee but as you wonder so you do despise you condemn it as a strange thing that you were not wont to hear heretofore and as a thing you cannot understand the reason of this is the usual guize of carnal hearts when they hear any doctrine though there bee never so much of God in it and of the Mystery of the Gospel that is revealed in it yet if they understand not the reason of it if it appear to them as a new thing they wonder indeed but they despise withall and condemn it and slight it and pass it over as they did St.
this Text in the Ephesians Wee must labour to comprehend the heights and depths and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge You wiâ—l say these are too wonderful things for us to know Nay The Apostle praies that they may know that which passeth knowledge Though the fulnesse of the glory of it passeth all knowledge yet still there may bee so much of the knowledge of these things as may help you to sanctifie Gods Name and make your hearts spiritual for saith the Text That yee may know the love of God which passeth knowledge that yee might bee filled with all the fulnesse of God It is a very strange phrase for the creature to bee filled with God and had wee it not in Scripture wee should not have dared to have used such an expression But here it is to bee filled with all the fulnesse of God This phrase is a great deal higher but how comes this to passe by comprehending the height and depth and length and breadth that is by understanding Jesus Christ and the Glory of God in him by this means doth the soul come to bee filled with all the fulnesse of God What is the reason that Christians are so empty in their spirits in their conversations but because they know so little of the Mystery of the Gospel If thou didst but understand the Mystery of the Gospel but how the Lord makes known himself in the face of Jesus Christ this would fill thy heart with all the fulnesse of God those Christians are the Christians filled with excellency indeed that do comprehend the height and depth and length and breadth of this wonderful work of God in Christ There is nothing sanctifies the heart so much as the knowledge of Christ in a right way Seneca hath such an expression concerning the Heavens Oh the Heavens are a wonderful spectacle and a spectacle fit for a reasonable creature to bee imployed about Though wee should get little benefit by knowing the Motions of the Heavens the Sun Moon and Stars yet the beauty and excellency that is there and the wonderful work of God in the Heavens it cannot but take a rational creature Now if the wonderful work of God in the Heavens bee such as it must needs take a rational creature Oh what is the wonderful work of God in Jesus Christ therefore let us make it the chief of our study to study the Lord Jesus Luther hath an expression to the same purpose O saith hee I vehemently I extreamly am displeased with my self and displease my self yea saith hee I hate my self because I cannot get that great benefit that great work that there is in mans Redemption because I cannot get it to bee transfused into my very bones and marrow I would fain get it in there Saint Paul in Gal. 1.15 16. said hee was separated from his Mothers womb and called by Grace and had Christ revealed in him O blessed is that soul that the Lord hath separated for himself that Jesus Christ might bee revealed in it that is a blessed soul You know how Paul accounted the knowledge of Christ The excellent knowledge the excellencie of knowledge and accounted all things dung and drosse in comparison and so David in Psal 119.27 Make mee to understand the way of thy Precepts so shall I talk of thy wondrous works When you come together you can bee talking of this News and the other News but were your hearts filled with the knowledge of Jesus Christ you could not but talk of the wonderful things that God hath done for your souls in Jesus Christ And as wee are to labour to search that wee may know more so to give God the praise of this his wonder that hee hath done In Psal 107.8 Oh that men would praise the Lord for the wonderful things that hee hath done for the children of men It is meant there I confesse of the wonderful works of Gods providence but surely if God bee to bee praised and magnified for his wonderful works of providence much more for the wonderful works that hee hath done for the soul in Jesus Christ And so in Psal 86.9 10. You have an expression there to the same purpose All Nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee O Lord and shall gloâ—ifie thy Name for thou art great and dost wondrous things Oh that this Scripture were fulfilled that all Nations might come and worship the Lord and glorifie God upon this ground because God is great and doth wonderful things The wonderful things of God in his works of Creation and Providence are nothing so much regarded of God himself as the wonderful things hee hath done in Christ and therefore the Lord expects that the Saints should glorifie him more for that than for any thing else And the truth is God reâ—ects all the glory that hee hath from his creatures except hee hath it because of the wonders that hee hath done in his Son And as wee should study Christ and praise and bless God and have our hearts enlarged for Jesus Christ So this is the duty of beleevers to whom God hath revealed Christ as wonderful that in their conversations they should hold out the wonderful Glory of Jesus Christ thou shouldest so walk before men as to manifest to all the world that thy Saviour is a wonderful Saviour And thou shouldest manifest it by thy wonderful change that soul that hath part in Christ whose Name is wonderful honours Christ in this If hee doth manifest that since hee came to know Jesus Christ there is a wonderful change made in him what a change is there made in this youth or childe young-man or neighbour or friend Not long since what an ignorant sot was hee but since hee went to hear the Word Oh the understanding in a little time that such a one hath got in the Mysteries of the Gospel such a one was not able to go into Gods presence to expresse himself in prayer any otherwise but upon a book but now Oh what a spirit of prayer hath God given to such a poor wretch that was so ignorant the other day Now O how can hee pour out his soul before the Lord Such a one that not long since was a prophane and loose liver and sensual and base in his life and conversation now oh how holy how heavenly how spiritual and would not commit the lest known sin if hee might gain a thousand worlds for it such a one that was false in his service before now how trusty one may trust ones life and all that one hath with him now such a one that heretofore was a swearer oh how doth hee reverence the Name of God! such a one that was a froward passionate spirited man or woman now how meek and gentle are they what a mighty change is there in the spirit of such a servant or wife or husband or neighbour And such a one that was altogether for himself and proud and haughty but now
gain that end for which they were made ib. Doct. 2 That the loss of the soul is a most dreadful loss 243 Answers to that Question What Christ means by the loss of the soul ib. Not because they will bee annihilated ib. But 1 The loss of the soul is in the privations of it of all good 244 2 It consists in its departing from God ib. 3 In subjecting it to that misery and evil that is contrary to what good it is capable of ib. 4 In the suckerless and helpless condition it is brought into For 1 Every man and woman as they came into the world are deprived of that glory and excellency that God did indow the souls of men with at their first Creation 2 All our souls do naturally wander away from God 245 3 In its depravity and sinfulness ib. 4 Its being in a succourless helpless condition ib. Wherein consists the loss of the soul in Hell 246 1 In the full rejection of the soul from God ib. 1 From living the life of God 247 2 From having any union with God 249 3 From having any fruition of God ib. 4 From enjoying the presence of Christ 250 5 From being ever exercised in that blessed work of praising God 251 6 From ever living in God as the Saints do ib. A second thing wherein the misery of the souls loss consists in Hell is in its being made very sensible of the loss of its chiefest good 254 Which is 1 To bee cast under the eternal curse of God 255 2 To have all the faculties of the soul to bee filled with wrath 256 1 The infinite power of God put forth in inlarging their natures that they may bee the more capable of evil ib. 2 To uphold their natures that they sink not with those dreadful evils ib. 3 To let out on the soul whatever it can bear to make it miserable 4 To keep all the faculties of the lost soul in its utmost activity 258 3 Its misery appears in its succourless and helpless condition ib. For 1 All the power of God cannot help it 2 There can bee no Mediator between God and the lost soul ib. Several Aggravations whereby the misery of a soul that is lost doth appear As 1 If the soul be lost then the body is and will be lost also ib. Because 1 The body all the time a man doth live is the onely or most immediate instrument the soul hath to work and to sin by 259 2 Because the soul that is lost shall bee united to the body the very extremity of the soul must needs bring misery on the body also ib. 2 When the soul comes into this condition it comes into the most dreadfullest condition that any creature is in ib. 3 It will then have none to pitty it Jesus Christ will not pitty it The Angels will not pitty it The Saints will not pitty it Their kindred will not pitty it ib. 4 It will prove to most that are lost an unexpected loss 260 5 It will prove to bee a dreadful loss because it will prove to bee a wilful loss 261 6 It will bee a great loss for a little matter 262 7 Many will lose their souls that were very nigh the saviâ—g of their souls ib. 8 When they shall consider they have lost their souls and have nothing in lieu thereof 263 9 The shame that shall bee put upon such lost souls as shall perish eternally ib. 10 When they shall see others taken up to Heaven that were as unlikely to bee saved as themselves 264 Use 1 If the souls loss bee so dreadful bless God that your souls are not thus lost ib. 2 Let us bless God then for Jesus Christ 267 3 It must needs then bee a dreadful evil for any to have a hand in this loss 269 4 It rebukes the folly and madness of most people that have no care of their souls 272 Several waies by which men come to lose their souls As 1 Some lose their souls by wandring up and down in darkness all the daies of their lives ib. 2 Others by pawning them away 273 The pawning of the soul is most dangerous of all other 274 For 1 There is no such pawn as possibly can bee laid as this ib. 2 In laying of pawns there is a time prefixed for the redemption ib. 3 You bargain the bringing of somewhat that you have in your own power to redeem it ib. 3 Men lose their souls by wounding of them ib. Quest Wounding them how you will say By that I mean the commissions of sins against conscience 275 4 Men lose their souls by being gull'd of them 5 By selling of them away ib. Men sell their souls 1 When men seek advantage to themselves by any unlawful means 276 2 When men shall resolutely give up themselves to all manner of wickedness 277 6 Men lose their souls by poisoning them ib. And that 1 Either by wicked company Or 2 By wicked errors 7 Others lose their souls by venturing them 279 This a man may do in four cases 1 By rashness 280 2 By doing things that are doubtful ib. 3 By venturing upon Gods patience ib. 4 By venturing upon their own lives 281 8 Many lose their souls by starving them 283 9 Some lose their souls by surfeiting of them 285 10 And lastly By forfeiting of them ib. And that two waies 1 By not tendring that homage to God that is due ib. 2 By breaking Covenant with God 286 Use 5 It concerns us to examine whether our souls bee not in such a condition that if they should depart in they would bee lost ib. But who are they that are no better qualified Answer 287 1 That soul that God hath not convinc'd of the dangerous natural condition in which it is 2 That soul that hath not made it his greatest care above all things to save it self 3 That soul to whom the Lord hath not revealed the glory of the mysteries of the Gospel 4 That soul that hath no other righteousness to tender up to God but its own 289 Quest What other Righteousness is there Answer A supernatural Righteousness 290 5 That soul that God hath not made in some measure at least to feel the weight of sin ib. 6 That soul that walks after the flesh in a course of sin 291 7 That soul that is under the dominion of any one lust 292 Quest What is it for sin to domineer Answ When sin shall set up a kinde of Throne and give Laws as a King 293 8 That soul that hath not had such a change wrought by the Spirit as is a New Birth or Resurrection 294 9 That soul that hath not gone beyond those the Scripture brands for Hypocrites 296 Quest How shall a man know hee is gone further than these Answer 298 1 They could not say because the word is pure therefore they delighted in it 2 That they prized Jesus Christ as a sanctifier 3 That they lift up God as the highest
end Use last Minde that serious question What you shall do to bee saved 299 Object But wee must inquire after all truth Answer Yes but seasonably and in its due time 300 301 Rules about our inquiring how to be saved ib. 1 Do it timely 2 Do it earnestly 202 3 Do it sincerely 4 Do it constantly 203 Reasons why wee should thus inquire ib. Because 1 By nature wee are in a lost condition 2 Salvation is a difficult thing 3 There are but few that shall bee saved ib. The true Question of what wee should do to bee saved Answered 306 1 If you would have your souls saved joyn with God in what hee hath revealed to you concerni g your own condition ib. 2 Break off the acts of thy sin at least 308 309 Wherein is shewed the reason of this Rule 3 Take off your heart as much as you can from the world 310 4 Acquaint thy self with the mysteries of the Gospel ib. Quest What is there in the Gospel and Covenant of Grace wee must inform our selves of 311 Answ 1 Informing our selves of the necessity of satisfaction to Divine Justice ib. 2 Of a necessity of peâ—fect Righteousness 3 Of an absolute necessity of the application of Christs Righteousness 313 4 Of the necessity of Regeneration ib. 5 The fear of God must bee mighty and strong upon your spirits 314 6 Attend upon those means that God hath appointed to save your souls 317 Quest Can wee do any thing towards the working our own salvation Answered 317 318 319 7 Take heed of resting upon false hopes of thy salvation 320 Question What are those hopes Answer 321 1 Such hopes as are not Scripture-hopes 2 Such as are not wrought by the â—pirit 323 3 Such as are not lively hopes 324 4 Such as are not purging hopes 325 Next thing is by laying the foundation sure of salvation Where that Question is answered what it is 328 9 Keep thy soul under the authority of the word 331 2 The authority of conscience 332 10 Take heed of sinning against the price of thy soul against the good of the Covenant and against mercy 333 334 335 11 Take heed of sinning against the Spirit of Grace 336 12 Account the preciousness of the time of your lives to consist in this that it is a day of salvation 337 13 And lastly Bee sure to go with those that go in the streightest and in the safest way 337 338 339 The last thing treats of the transcendency of the Souls loss above the worlds gains 340 Sheweth Three things that may help a natural man to see the things of the world to bee as nothing ib. 1 If God wound his conscience and terrifie him 2 When God laies his hand upon him in afflicting of him 3 Even strength of Reason 343 As 1 Though thou shouldest gain the world and yet bee a man like to perish at last thou hast gotten but little ib. 2 Hee is never a whit the better for any thing in the w rld 346 3 All these are things beneath the soul 347 348 4 They are such things as God hath denied to the choicest of his servants 349 5 They may stand with Gods eternal hatred of his creature 350 6 They have no real good in them ib. 7 There is nothing that can satisfie the heart 352 8 What ever a wicked man hath of the world hee hath it without God ib. 9 All these things turn upon a wheel of uncertainty 353 354 Use It shews us not to envy at the prosperity of the wicked 357 2 Let all those that seek the world in those waies wherein they are like to lose their souls think upon this truth 360 The Souls Excellency The Worlds Vanity 3 It shews the way to answer all Temptations 365 By thus comparing the World with the Soul 365 4 And lastly Incouragement to those that will rather venture all in the waies of God than to hazard their Souls Mr. BVRROVGHS on the BEATITUDES The First SERMON ON The Excellency of the Soul I Have endeavoured to shew somewhat unto you about the Excellency of the Name of God and likewise the Excellency of Jesus Christ and what hee is that so you might have right apprehensions of God and Christ Now in the third place I shall desire to shew you somewhat about the Excellency of your own Souls And to that end attend to Matth. 16.26 For what is a man profited if hee shall gain the whole world and lose his own Soul The Text. or what shall a man give in exchange for his Soul OUr Saviour going himself to suffer tells his Disciples what they must expect in the following of him Vers 24. If any man will come after mee let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow mee These are the tearms saith Christ upon which you must follow mee you must bee willing to deny your selves and to take up your cross to suffer hard things if you follow mee Christ would have his Disciples know the worst at first and not please themselves in a fools Paradise thinking that by following of him they should get great matters to themselves in the world no saith hee expect no such matter but deny your selves and take up my cross But this may seem to bee hard it may bee our cross may bee the loss of all the loss of our lives and must wee take up that yes saith Christ in the verse before my Text bee not solicitous what your cross is like to bee onely bee willing to take it up And the truth is the more willing you are to take it up the better will it bee for you and you will get nothing by seeking to shift for your selves For whosoever will save his life shall lose it and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall finde it Vers 25. It may bee when you meet with sufferings in the world you will think to shift this way or that way but you will get nothing If you would save your lives by forsaking the truth it is the onely way to lose your lives But if you bee willing to lose your lives for my truth you shall save them or what if by forsaking mee and my truth when you meet with suffering you should save your lives and your estates and live bravely in the world do you think you are any gainers by this you are infinitly mistaken If you cast up the account you will finde that you have gotten nothing all For what is a man profited if hee shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul And thus you see how the words come in These words that I have read unto you are of exceeding serious consideration And indeed they should bee as Thunder in every mans ears Some Scripture that a Minister may preach on may concern some particular person in a Congregation more than others But here is a Text concerns every one that hath a soul Man and woman high and
low old and young What shall it profit any one to gain the whole word and to lose their own soul I have read of one that gave counsel to John King of Portugal that hee would repeat this Text to himself and spend one quarter of an hour in the meditation of it What shall it profit a man if hee gain the whole world and lose his own soul and that hee would make the words of this Text to bee the cloze of his prayer continually What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul This was wholesome counsel and certainly the tight meditation and understanding of this Text would bee of admirable use to every soul You have in the words these two things plainly hinted First That there is in every man a soul a spiritual substance besides what is visible and sensible And secondly That this soul of man is more worth than all the world it hath that excellency that if a man gains all the world and loses that when hee hath cast up his account hee may put his gains in his eye hee shall finde himself a miserable creature Wee might make more divisions or subdivisions of the words but I will content my self onely with those two things and speak chiefly to the latter Now to make way for that I will speak a little of the former What is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his soul his Soul Every man hath a soul a rational spiritual substance beyond that that is visible or sensible in Job 32.8 But there is a spirit in man and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth him understanding There is a spirit in man besides the bodily substance that you see there is a spirit in man such a spirit as is capable of the inspiration of the Almighty to give understanding c. And in Gen. 2.7 it is said That God formed man of the dust of the earth and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life Here is another manner of mans-creation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 than of other creatures God did but say of other creatures let them bee Let the earth bring forth creeping things c. And it was so But when hee comes to man hee forms man out of the dust of the earth that is for his body and for his spirit hee breathes into his nostrils the breath of life I have read of a people that would not bee perswaded that there was any difference between beasts and them And truly there is somewhat to do to perswade carnal hearts of any great difference between a beast and them in relation to God or to another life But certainly there is a spirit in man there is somewat beyond that body of thine that is visible which doth infinitely concern thee to look to For first Wee see that there are actions in men that are beyond that which concerns the body at all And therefore surely there is a spirit in man besides what the body is the highest actions of men are such as do not concern the body as thus The knowledge of the heavens the knowledge of Angels of spirits what hath the body to do with such things the knowledge of the mysteries of the Gospel and the conversing with them they are abstracted notions from all kinde of bodily substances the knowledge of God and Christ yea the very knowledge of Mathematical notions many notions there are in Arts and Sciences that are abstract from all bodily things certainly then there is a spirit in man beyond that bodily substance that doth appear common with the brute beasts Yet secondly There is a power in man to curb his body to deny himself of that which is most suitable to the body saith Paul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Subactum seu dejectumpremo in captivitatem reduco vel ut alii contundo Prov. 23.1 2. 1 Cor. 9.27 I keep under my body and bring it into subjection Surely there is somewhat in man that is above the body that hath so much command of the body as it appears the spirit of man hath to beat down the body If thou beest a man given to thine appetite when thou sittest at the table of a great man put a knife to thy throat a man is able to curb his appetite though the body hath never so strong a desire to such and such things yet the soul of man is able to curb his body and deny it Matth. 18.8 9. If thy right hand offend thee cut it off or thy right eye offend thee plâ—ck it out There is a power in man to deny the body that which it desires never so much which a beast cannot that cannot deny that which is suitable to his sense every way except therebe some stronger sensitive thing to take him off But man is able to deny his sense when there is no sensitive object before him to take him off By that dominion that the soul of man hath over his body hee is able to curb his body and to deny his body therefore surely there is a spirit in man 3. Again That which the Scripture makes the chief actions of man to consist in which have any reference to God is such things that are done by somewhat beyond the body Whatsoever a man doth if it bee but onely the body that is exercised and sense it is not acceptable to God 1. Tim 4.8 Bodily exercise profiteth little saith the Scripture and 1 Cor. 13.3 What if I give my body to bee burnt A man may give his body to bee burnt there all the senses may concur in it and yet if there bee not a spirit in man to act this upon any higher ends and grounds than any thing that is bodily can reach unto it is worth nothing it is not regarded Fourthly There is a spirit in man beyond this bodily substance for when this bodily substance is decaying mouldring away there are many thoughts in a man about an eternal estate and more fresh and lively sometimes when the body is mouldring away than ever there was before there are no creatures but Angels and men that take any cognizance of an eternal estate that take any thoughts about what is to come hereafter Now we say Nature doth nothing in vain Deus natura nihil aguâ—t frustra surely God would not have put such kinde of workings in man about another condition after this body shall moulder away but that there is somewhat that doth concern some other part of man besides that bodily substance of his Fifthly and then lastly There is certainly a spirit in man beyond his bodily substance for wee know that there are real pains and torments upon a mans spirit The burdens of conscience in the reflex act that a mans conscience hath upon himself summoning of him to appear before the great God Though a mans body be in never such health and hath all outward accommodations about
him as musick good cheer friends estate yet there is that horror and torment in his spirit sometimes through the consciousness of the guilt of sin that hee is not able to bear nay were there not somewhat beyond this bodily substance certainly this could never bee verily then there is a spirit in man and hence therefore you see that there is somewhat doth concern you all beyond your present outward and bodily condition Let no man think that hee hath provided well for himself when hee hath provided mony and house and lands and good chear and cloaths and such kinde of things do not think that thou art happy in that for these are things that concern thy outward man there is still another substance in thee that thou art to look after that takes little notice of such things as these are Neither do you think that you have provided well for your children when you have provided an estate an inheritance somewhat to leave them know that there is another substance in your children besides that outward bodily substance you look upon Do you see a fine feature comely parts comely countenance and your children finely cloathed I but know there is a spirit in that childe besides that bodily substance that you are to look to Certainly man is very far fallen from God that none scarce takes notice of his own spirit We do not only naturally live without a God in the world so as to know little of that infinite divine Spirit that is the first being of all things but wee live without the knowledge of our own spirits of our own souls Truly few men there are that know their own souls As a man by his eye sees things that are without him but he doth not see his own eye so by the soul wee come to understand many things without us but yet how little do wee understand of our own souls well might the Psalmist therefore complain and say in Psal 49.20 Man that is in honour and understandeth not is like the beasts that perish God did indeed make man at first in honour but now hee is become like the very beasts hee doth minde little or nothing more than the very beasts themselves hee blesses himself if hee hath but content for the body for a while as if there were nothing else concerned him I appeal unto your consciences in this thing whether the uttermost sphere of your thoughts have been any further than meerly within the compass of bodily content If you should come to a beast and talk to it about Trades and titles of honour and Arts and Sciences and such kind of things why what is all this to a beast Give a beast hay or corn and such kinde of things that are suitable to it and it mindes that more than it doth any high notions that you are able to tell it and truly thus it is with sensual men even as the Atheist who saith in his heart That there is no God so a kinde of Atheism there is in their hearts to say they have no souls that there is no difference between them and the brute-beasts hence it is that they savour spiritual things so little Tell carnal men of the excellency of the Name of God Tell them of Jesus Christ how wonderful hee is of the wonderful mysteries of the Gospel and of the things of eternal life they are dry things to such a one hee savours them not Tell him of money and meat and drink and sports and cloaths and such kinde of things they are suitable unto him there is some savour in them but for the great things of the Kingdome of God and of eternal life there is no savour at all in them and thus far is man fallen from God and lives for the most part as if so bee hee were capable of no higher good but meerly to eat and drink and live for a while here like a beast Thus doth the Devil gull and deceive most of us Now my brethren this is a work that I have undertaken and it concerns as much the Ministers of God to shew unto you what you are your selves what God hath made you as to shew you what God is and what Christ is that you may come to understand your selves you can never come to know your reference unto God untill you come to know what God hath made you this is therefore my scope in this Scripture to shew unto you what God hath made you and that you have souls within you and souls of exceeding great worth I will not say infinite for none is infinite but God himself but more worth than all the world than all the creatures that God hath made except the Angels in heaven The souls of the children of men are most excellent creatures did but a man or woman consider seriously that they have souls in them beyond their bodies it would raise them up a little But this next Point that is the main and principal Doct 2 Did they but know the worth of their souls it could not but raise them very high above those poor empty vanities that they have minded all this while Therefore there is in man not onely a soul but that that is more worth than all the world that if it should bee lost that man that gained the whole world would bee a great loser in his bargain Know therefore this that there is not the poorest man or woman living nay not the poorest childe that lyes begging a crust of bread at your door but this childe hath a soul in it that is more worth than heaven and earth this poor ragged tattered childe that lyes in rags I say crying at your threshold and begging a peece of bread it hath a soul in it that hath greater excellency than the Sun Moon and Stars than all the Heavens than the Sea than the Earth put all the creatures in the world together that are under Angels the spirit of this poor childe hath more excellency in it than all these things and that is the thing that I am to make out unto you Why natural life hath more excellency in it than any creature that hath no life I remember Austin saith of a Flye because it hath life that it hath more excellency in it than the Sun its self because though the Sun bee a glorious creature yet it hath no life in it life in the meanest creature hath a greater excellency than any thing else that hath not life But now the soul hath the highest natural life that is and capable of the highest happiness that any creature is capable of and therefore more excellent than all the world But that wee shall come too in its order The excellency of the soul may bee discovered first In the relation it hath to God The Excellency of the Soul discovered 1 In its relation to God God doth challenge a peculiar relation to the spirits of men and therefore in Heb. 12.9 â—od is called the Father
an ill-favouâ—ed dirty leather case but will have a curious silver case for it Now because the Lord did make a curious peece the soul of man which was the master-peece of Gods creation next to the Angels therefore hee puts it into a very curious case this shews the excellency of those spirits that are within us howsoever they are now defiled with sin yet thus they were made at first When we are speaking to men about their own excellency one would think that then they should attend I have spoken of God and Christs excellency they may seem to bee things above you But now I am speaking of your own excellency what you are and what you are capable off Oh remember this you poor people and others for as wee shall shew afterwards you have souls as excellent as the greatest men in the world And there is nothing to the contrary but you may have that spiritual substance of yours filled with so much good as is infinitely more worth than ten thousand thousand worlds if you have hearts to look after it The Second SERMON ON The Excellency of the Soul Matth. 16.26 For what is a man profited if hee shall gain the whole world and lose his own Soul or what shall a man give in exchange for his Soul I Shall adde one thing more which shews the excellency of the soul in the relation that it hath to God and that is this That it is satisfied onely with God himself there is nothing can fill the soul of man to satisfie it but God himself For the true object of mans understanding it is not this truth or the other truth but truth in general and the highest truth and that is God and the object of this soul it is not this or that good but good in general the highest and the chiefest good and that is God Let all the creatures in the world present themselves before the soul of man to bee the portion of him Mans soul would say these are not the things that can satisfie mee saith Austin Lord thou hast made us for thy self and our heart is unquiet till it comes unto thy self and this is the excellency of mans soul it is above all creatures it is a vertue in the soul of man to have a holy kinde of pride to think all creatures in the world to bee too little to bee the portion of it and God takes this well hee likes it well that we should know our own souls so far that wee should have this kinde of pride of spirit as wee may so call it or rather a right elevation of spirit to look upon all creatures in the world as too low and too mean to bee the portion of one immortal soul Many other things were delivered about the excellency of mans soul that so you might know something of your worth that you are too good to bee slaves to the Devil and it is good for you to know your own worth in this thing that so your hearts might bee elevated above those bare things that you sought to have your happiness in all those that ever have had true wisdome have accounted souls to bee very precious I remember Zozomen the Ecclesiastical Historian saith of the Martyrs that they suffered torment in their bodies as if they were other folks bodies and not their own they lookt not upon them as any part of themselves but on their souls as themselves and so you finde it in Scripture that it is the soul of man that is a mans self Compare for this my Text in Matthew with Luke 9. where you have the same speech of our Saviour setting out the excellency of a mans soul In the one it is What will it profit a man if hee gain the whole world and lose his own soul In the other it is If hee lose himself this is all one the losing of a mans soul and the losing of himself for a mans self it is his soul as for the body it is but the case it is but the out-side and so indeed some of the Heathens accounted their bodies Anaxarchus Tunde tunde Anaxarchi follem Anaxarchum enim non tundis when hee was beaten in a Mortar to death by the Tyrants hee calls to them Beat Beat as long as you will you beat but the outward part of Anaxarchus it is but the vessel in which hee is The Devil himself hath high esteem of souls the Devil cares not so bee it hee may gain mens souls what they have for their bodies the Devil doth not envy any wicked man to prosper in this world to have a healthful lusty body and to have stature and strength and beauty But now if hee sees that there bee any means for the good of their souls hee envies that may the Devil have but their souls hee cares not what they have otherwayes But wee come to the application of this first point in my Text Of the excellency of mans soul And the first Use is this Use Surely then wee ought to look upon every childe of man with some reverent respect and honour there is not the poorest childe as I told you the last day that lyes crying at your doors for a crust but hath a soul in it more worth than heaven and earth And the consideration of this should make us look upon the meanest childe servant the poorest body with an honourable esteem and respect how ever the glory of their souls bee darkned for the present yet they have still in them such souls as are capable of a kinde of infinite good more than all the other works that ever God made except the Angels do not look upon your servants that are under you with scorn and contempt do not use them doggedly as if they were brute-beasts Remember though you bee a Master a Mistress a Governour you are a Governour of one that hath an immortal soul more worth than all the world A good man saith the Scripture is merciful to his beast and surely then a good man will bee merciful to one that hath an immortal soul and it may bee an immortal soul better than his Governour how many have more respect to Dogs to brute-beasts than they have to servants and children and poor people who have immortal souls I have read of the Turks that though they bee noted for most cruel people to men as you heard of their cruelty to those in the Gallies yet they are very pittiful to brute-beasts and therefore they will give alms and stipends out of charity to maintain brute-beasts withall and there is a story of a youth that abusing a bird that had a long bill was like to have been stoned to death in the street they did so hate cruelty to those kinde of creatures though they bee cruel to men Many have this Turkish disposition that are dogged and cruel to those of their own kinde to those that have immortal souls together with themselves though pittiful even to brute-beasts
brute creature Bless God I say for this for by this means First You are looked upon by the Angels themselves with honour and with respect till such time as the Angels certainly know your Reprobation and that you bee sent down to hell Though you bee wicked for the present and your souls bee defiled yet the Angels know nothing but that these souls though now much fallen from God may bee such as may live with them to injoy eternal communion with God together with them and therefore they look upon you with honour And the providence of God it is more towards you than towards any other creature in the world Doth God take care for Oxen saith the Scripture True the providence of God it is over all his works there is not the least worm that stirs without his providence I but doth God take care for Oxen that is as if the Holy Ghost there should say the providence of God over other creatures it is nothing in comparison of that it is over the spirits of men over those that have immortal souls When God looks upon the creature that hee hath given an immortal soul too why saith God My Providence shall in a special manner bee over this soul And certainly the thoughts of God have been from all eternity working towards those that have immortal souls in a more special manner than towards any of his other creatures how ever you think of God yet that is certain God hath had his thoughts towards you one way or other from all eternity and intends to fetch out a great deal of honor to his name from you one way or other and therefore his Providence is towards you God observes you and marks you what way you take his eye is upon you for hee intends to bring some great glory out of you God will not lose his creature fully you may lose your own souls but God will not lose the glory that hee might have from you but hee will have glory from you one way or other And if God hath given you immortal souls you have cause to bless him because whatsoever you are now yet you are such as are capable of all the good that ever Jesus Christ hath purchased and therefore it is a happy thing for one to have an immortal soul because they are not out of capacity of receiving that good that the Lord Christ hath purchased for his people the brute beasts are not capable they are capable of no higher good but to eat and drink and live here a while and have their senses to bee pleased and there is an end of them but know whatsoever thou art thou art capable of all the good that ever Christ hath purchased and therefore thy condition is a great deal better in that respect than the condition of all other creatures in the world And thou having a soul within thee God hath made thee for eternity one way or other and hee intends for to have thee to live to all eternity in one condition or other Now it is I say a happiness to bee made such a creature as that God should have thoughts about from all eternity It may bee you will say It were better that it were otherwise with us I confess such is the condition of some through their sin living and dying in it that it were better ten thousand times that they had been Dogs or Toads and Serpents I but that is but through thy wickedness but it cannot bee said of the vildest alive for there is none of you but for ought Angels or men know may live eternally to the praise of Gods grace in Christ you have such kinde of natures as are capable of it Now it is true if you should dye in your sins then it might bee said at that instance when you dye in your sins that it had been better that you had been Toads or Serpents or any thing in the world But were not this a sad thing for a man that hath such an excellent nature to live and dye so that they may wish hereafter that they had been Toads or Dogs how many are there that are willing so they may live like a beast to dye like a beast I but that thou canst not bring thy self to dye like a beast thou must be infinitly worse or infinitly better than the brute beasts But bless God that thou hast a nature capable of so much good whatsoever thou art in other respects though God hath made a great difference between thee and others that are of the same kinde in thy outward estate God hath made a great deal of difference between poor and rich between a poor Alms-body that lives in so mean a condition and between a Noble-man a Prince an Emperour I but this difference is made in the outward estate and body but there is no such difference made in their souls thou hast as precious a soul within thee that is naturally as good as ever any Emperour had in the world so Philosophers say of the souls of men mens souls are equal and one is not better than another by nature what they are better by is afterwards by education or by common gifts of the graces of God but by nature all men are equal And therefore that wherein mans excellency is is in his soul thou art as high as any Emperour in the world and therefore it is that the Scripture would have no difference made between the souls of men in Exod. 30.15 you shall finde there by that Scripture that God would not have difference made of the souls of men it is said in the 14. verse Every one that passeth among you that are numbred from twenty years old and above shall give an offering unto the Lord God would have an offering from every one of them Now mark what hee saith in the 15. verse The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel when they give an offering unto the Lord to make an attonement for their souls There must bee the same attonement made for souls both for the rich and for the poor And as wee spake the last day in opening the excellency of the soul it appears by the price that was paid for it so here they are equal in this that the poor mans soul must have as great a price paid to save it as the richest man in the world And therefore bless God for thy soul in this that hee hath made thee equal with the Kings and Princes of the world in that that is thy more noble and more excellent part And bless God for soul-mercies above all mercies If the soul bee so excellent then I say bless God that hath granted thee soul-mercies though hee hath denied thee bodily-mercies it is no great matter as suppose If so bee that God should take away the sight of thine eyes yet if hee opens the eyes of thine understanding of thy soul thou art happy Suppose that thou art
most men for one to pray thus for them Oh Lord give them such bodies as they have souls it were as much as to say Lord Let that body bee blasted let it bee filled with diseases let it bee filled with rottenness let it consume away let it bee a noysome and loathsome body for his soul is so The souls of most men are filled with diseases are noysome and loathsome in the eyes of God It is a happy thing my brethren to have better souls than bodies that was the happiness of Gaius and so it would bee your happiness if you could say so you have great care of the bodies of your children I but have you a greater care of their souls if you have it would bee an excellent sign that God hath made you to understand what true excellency means It is a great question among Divines and among Philosophers too about the propagation of the soul how it comes in whether by the Parents or immediate creation truly there is one argument that it is not like to come in by the Parents because wee see that there is scarce any Parents that have any care of the souls of their children but altogether caring that their bodies may bee fine and that they may bee brave and as they look at their children so they look at themselves they love their bodies to the uttermost to make provision for the flesh but no further What a deal of do would there bee if when any of your children goes abroad or husband or wife If you should hear that they have gotten a fall and broke their legs or arms but now when you go abroad and fall into sin and get a wound to your souls as every sin it gives a deadly wound yea such a wound as onely the blood of Jesus Christ is able 〈◊〉 cure it and there is nothing made of all this as if wee were nothing but lumps of flesh Oh have a care of your souls and labour to love them and make them to bee your Darling you had need have a care of them for as they are precious so they are tender as it is with Watches and curious Instruments those that are most curious are the easiest hurt the very air will put them out of temper and so the souls of men because they are things so excellent they are things of a very curious nature and a little thing wil hurt them As a little thing will hurt the eye for that is a more excellent member than your finger or leg so the soul is a more excellent part and therefore it is that that is most in danger to bee hurt and mischiefed yea and to perish and if your soul perishes your body will follow after what will become of that if your soul bee lost and perish but the onely way to love your bodies well and aright it is to love your souls The Third SERMON ON The Excellency of the Soul Matth. 16.26 For what is a man profited if hee shall gain the whole world and lose his own Soul or what shall a man give in exchange for his Soul I Shall speak something unto a Use that was mentioned the last day and that was this If God hath given unto us such precious souls Oh then let not us dishonour our souls Dishonour them Why how may a man dishonour his soul 1 Why first when hee lives idlely and makes no use at all of it any more than if hee had but the soul of a Brute Psal 24.5 speaking of him that had not lift up his soul unto vanity I remember the old Latin Arius Montanus turns it Hee that hath received his soul in vain And indeed most people do receive their souls from God in vain or to no purpose they make no more use of them than the Philosopher said of the Swine that had his soul onely as salt to keep the flesh from stinking there is all the use many men make of their souls onely to keep their bodies from smelling and from corruption Secondly Wee dishonour our souls when wee imploy them about low and mean things unworthy of them and make them to bee the chief things that wee imploy them about It is the misery of man so to do that I spake of before and it is the sin of man so to do How many men that have such precious immortal souls as these are know no higher good to imploy them about than to bee it may bee all day or night in shuffling a pair of Cards or casting of Dice or at Tables there is the highest good that they know how to imploy their souls about What a poor mean low thing is this what a dishonour to such a soul as this If so bee any of you have servants that are of good breeding good parentage that are of excellent parts that have lived long with you that have skill in your Trade if you should set them to do nothing but pick straws they would account it a great dishonour put upon them Truly what do you with these precious immortal souls of yours that are so much worth even more than the world but imploy them in such poor things even to pick straws as it were if a man should have pearls that every one of them were worth a Kingdome and hee should know no other use to make of them than to stop holes in Mud walls one would think it as to bee great folly in him so a great dishonour put upon those pearls that are of so much worth why your souls are more worth every one of them than all the Pearls and Kingdomes in the world and for you to do nothing else but spend the strength of your souls about gathering of a little dirt together here in this world it is a great dishonour to your souls Wee have a story of Domitian that was a great Emperour and yet hee had such a low and mean spirit as that hee would spend the greatest part of his time in catching of Flies This is recorded of him as an argument of the lowness and meanness of his spirit unworthy a man of so great a dignity Oh so our souls that God hath made so high and put such glory upon what are they busied about in most people I remember Gregory Nyssen hee tells of some and among others of Origen to bee of that opinion that the souls of men were made altogether at the first Creation and lived glorious spirits till they sinned against God and all those that sinned against God were thrust into the bodies of men as into a prison and those that did not sin they â—ive still with God in glory And Jerome as I remember in his 32. Epist speaks of that opinion that did prevail and wee finde Plato though a heathen hee speaks of the souls of men and thought that they were made altogether before their bodies if not from eternity These men they thought the souls of men so precious as that they could not come
precious souls they have ever more beat down their bodies and kept them low You know Paul that was one of the most precious spirited men that ever lived upon the face of the earth yet saith hee I beat down my body I beat it black and blew lest after I have preached to others I my self become a Reprobate hee did not think his happiness to consist in pampering his body no but hee beat it down and therein hee shewed his love to his soul in that hee made his soul to bee Emperess as it were It is the speech of a learned man upon those words Subdue the earth that is thy body and all earthly things to that spiritual part of thine thy soul If one should tell you what the ancient Martyrs and worthy Instruments of God that were precious men in their time how hardly they used their bodies it would hardly bee beleeved by you but this is certain there was never any that knew the true worth of their souls but they made them the Emperesses of their bodies Ambrose said of Valentinian No man was ever such a servant to his Master as Valentinians body was to his soul Bring your bodies down and therein you will shew the greatest love unto your souls 3. And further Adorn your souls labour to put comeliness and beauty upon them as much as you can and therein you will shew love and respect to them Adorn them with those graces that may make them amiable and lovely in the eyes of God himself in 1 Pet. 5.5 Bee cloathed with humility Those that understand the Greek language know it to bee a word that signifies a dress that Gentlewomen use to have upon their heads with ribands such as they did use to wear in those dayes and so they thought themselves very comely and the Apostle alludes to those kinde of dresses Oh humility is the finest dress for a woman in the world and so for men too The finest cloaths that you can put upon you is the cloaths of humility and so any grace of Gods Spirit it is the cloathing of the soul Oh therefore shew your love unto your souls by labouring to deck and adorn them with such cloathing as this is 4. And shew your love to your souls by providing for them while God affords means labour to understand the want of your souls and bee willing to bee at any charge and cost for the good of them If your head ake or you have any little pain in any of your members how do you seek out and are willing to bee at a great deal of charge that you may have ease for your bodies now seek out for your souls the one is a sign that you love your bodies well and the other will bee a sign that you love your souls as well 5. And then shew love to your souls in the excellency of them in things that are suitable to them in conversing with God and Jesus Christ with the mysteries of the Gospel and with heavenly things 6. Shew your love to them in labouring to bring them to the attaining of that end that they were made for the uttermost happiness that they are capable of then indeed you shew true love to your souls when as your care is to bring them to the attainment of that end that God made them for Certainly when God made a creature of so much excellency hee did intend a glorious end for it And let this now bee your great care and manifest your love to your souls I say in this by labouring to attain the end that God made them for But this shall suffice for the first point of the preciousness and excellency of our souls Wee come now to the second and that is the main Point indeed in the Text that is That the loss of this soul is a most dreadful loss Doct 2 Skin for skin yea all that a man hath will hee give for his life Even the Devil himself could say so The loss of bodily life wee account a great evil and therefore the Scripture calls Death by the name of the King of Terrours and is it so great an evil to lose a bodily life to have the soul and body but separated Is the face of a bodily death so gastly Oh how great an evil and how gastly is the face of the eternal death and the loss of the immortal soul This Point my brethren is a Point of exceeding great concernment to understand wee shall therefore First Inquire what wee mean by the loss of the soul or when may the soul bee said to bee lost The second thing Wherein doth the dreadfulness of the loss of the soul consist And then thirdly I shall discover to you some aggravations of the evil of the loss of the soul Fourthly And then wee shall come to apply all together For the first then What doth Christ mean when hee saith What profiteth it a man if hee gain the whole world and lose his soul First You are to know this That wee are not said to lose our souls because they shall bee annihilated and cease to bee the ceasing of the soul to bee that is not the loss of the soul the ceasing indeed of our bodily lives is the loss of our lives but it is not so with the soul for the soul of no man or woman shall bee lost so Yea and this would not bee the greatest loss for the soul to cease to bee There are two degrees of evil that are beyond the evil of ceasing to bee to bee miserable to bee in pain and torture is worse than not to bee and to bee sinful is worse than to bee in pain and therefore the ceasing to bee is not the greatest evil What is the loss of the soul then First The loss of the soul it is first in the privation of it of all the good and excellency that the soul is capable of the privation of the true good that the soul was made for Secondly It consists in its departing and wandring from God As a sheep is said to bee a lost sheep that wanders up and down in the wilderness so that is a lost soul that wanders away from God the fountain of all good Thirdly It consists in the subjecting of it to that misery and evil that is contrary to what good it is capable of And then fourthly and lastly in the succourless and helpless condition that it is brought into wee use the phrase of Lost to all these things when a man hath lost his estate wee account such a man as a lost man and when a man is brought into a great deal of misery that heretofore was in a great deal of happiness wee account such a man to bee a lost man but especially when a man is succourless and helpless when hee hath no way to help and relieve himself then hee is a lost man indeed And according to the degrees of these four things then a soul may bee said to
is to see him that hath all excellency in him and to see all the good there is in God as the good of the soul The soul is capable of the understanding of the minde of God to have all the glorious Counsels of God about his works and wayes that hee hath had from all eternity to bee revealed unto so far as concerns it and as any way may make it happy To live to see what the wayes of God have been from all eternity and what they shall bee to all eternity and that for the good of this soul that it may bee for ever in his presence and to stand and look upon his face and see him as the portion of it Oh this must needs bee a glorious thing Certainly if the presence of God put such a glory upon the heavens it must needs put abundance of glory upon the soul that shall stand immediately alwayes in his presence To have eternal communion with God that is to have the imbracements of God imbracing the soul and delighting himself in it above all other his works but onely the Angels and his Son delighting I say himself in the soul and imbracing it communicating and letting out himself in all his lustre and glory when hee shall have inlarged the soul to bee able to the uttermost to receive in that glory that hee hath to communicate And for him to converse with the souls of men to all eternity in a familiar way as one friend with another and for the soul to bee letting out its self again to God for that is in communion there is Gods letting out himself to it and its letting out its self again to God now I say it is the greatest delight to what God hath in himself his Son and Spirit and Angels the letting out of himself to the souls of men those that shall bee saved And on the other side it must needs bee an infinite delight to the soul alwayes to bee letting out it self upon God as now what delight do men take in eating and drinking now if there bee such delight from the humour in the palat meeting with a peece of meat in the mouth because of the suitableness between one object and another Oh what delight must there needs bee when this immortal precious soul being inlarged to the uttermost with all excâ—â—â—ency shall then meet with an infinite God the infinite first-being of all things as the most suitable object to it and so bee letting of its self forth to God and God letting of himself forth to it again Again the good that the soul is capable of with God it is to have an union with God for the soul to be made one with God to be united so as to be made one with him Hee that is joyned to the Lord is one Spirit saith the Apostle and saith Christ in Joh. 17. Father I will that those that thou hast given mee may bee one with mee as thou and I are one Spiritual things do most unite one to another there may bee a thousand beams of the Sun united and almost into one point because it is of a more spiritual nature so when the soul shall bee made one Spirit with God it being a Spirit and God likewise a Spirit there will bee an exact union one with another And so the more spiritual things are the more they communicate one to another as in nature the more corporeal a thing is the less it communicates its self the earth doth not communicate its self with any creature the water communicates its self more than that and the air more than that and the fire more than that the Sun that is less corporeal than any of these elements that wee have here and therefore that communicates its self more than the element doth Now God being a Spirit and the souls of men spiritual Oh what a communion will there bee of each to other And then further the soul is capable of fruition of God union and communion and fruition what is that you will say that is to have God not onely to bee united to it but to have a kind of possession of him to have the use of all that there is in God that can make mee happy to have the full use of it when I will then a man doth injoy a thing when hee can have the use of such a thing when hee will Now the souls of the Saints shall enjoy God that is shall have the use of all that glory and good there is in God that can make them happy when they will shall have as much use of God as they will surely they must needs bee happy that shall thus enjoy God If a man had the fruition of the world that hee could have the use of all the good things in the world when hee would you would think him happy but this is the happiness of the souls of the Saints that they shall have such a fruition of God that they shall have all the use of God that they will and when they wâ—ll And further Fruition hath this in it it hath a reflect act A man though hee hath a great deal of riches given him yet if hee doth not know this or if so bee that hee doth know it and yet have not the comfort of it hee doth not enjoy it such a man though hee bee born to a great deal yet if hee have not the reflect act to know that hee hath it hee doth not enjoy it So wee enjoy but little of God now because God though hee bee the portion of a gracious heart yet the heart doth not know this fully But knowledge when it shall bee perfect then the soul shall perfectly know what good there is in God and how far my soul may and is happy in the enjoyment of this God I shall know how to make use of God to the full and shall have continually the comfort of all that good there is in God And yet further the presence and communion with Jesus Christ that the soul shall have besides that of God the Father it shall bee with him where hee is It is a blessed thing here to follow the Lamb whithersoever hee goes but to bee alwaies with him to have alwaies fruition of him and to have communion likewise with all the Saints and Angels and all the blessed spirits that is a blessed thing indeed I remember I have read of Cato when hee was about to dye Oh blessed day saith hee for now I shall go to the souls of wise men and Philosophers and so upon that ground he did account the day of his death a blessed day because hee should go to have communion with the souls of Philosophers and wise men But how blessed is it then for our souls to have communion eternally with Angels and blessed spirits You are come to an innumerable company of Angels Heb. 12.22 23 and the spirits of just men made perfect When a soul is converted it
comes to have some kind of communion with innumerable company of Angels and with the spirits of just men made perfect It hath the assurance of it here and shall have the enjoyment fully and perfectly hereafter And then the continual exercise that the soul shall bee busied in to bee for ever blessing and magnifying and praising and worshipping of God and receiving in from God and letting out its self to God The eternal Sabbath that it shall keep and then the eternal rest that the soul shall have when it comes to God it comes there to its Center there it hath perfect peace and rest and can never have trouble further Yea and it shall live in God not onely God live in it but it shall I say live in God as though the similitude comes short of it the fish swimming in the Sea so the soul shall bee swimming in the infinite Ocean of the excellency of the great God It is said of John Rev. 1.10 Col. 3.3 that hee was in the Spirit on the Lords day so the soul shall live in God Our life is hid with Christ in God But our life shall bee plain and apparent not hidden but apparent before Angels and all the rest of the blessed and so our lives shall bee after another manner than now they are Now to open every one of these things would bee very large so that it suffices now onely to present them to you to shew in a short view the good of the soul in the full enjoyment of God and what it shall have from him that so you may see what the loss of the soul means Now if these things bee true and real Oh what a dreadful thing is it for a man to lose his soul for a man to come to lose all this good that others that have souls like unto him shall come to enjoy and that hee might have enjoyed as well as others If there were no more in the loss of the soul but this to bee cast away from the good that it is capable of it might shew unto us this loss to bee very dreadful It was a speech of Austin long since speaking of that place where Dives did desire Lazarus to come with one drop of water to cool his tormented tongue saith hee If there should bee but one drop of heavenly felicity let into Hell it would quench all the fire of Hell presently And Chrysostome hath such an expression that hee would rather suffer thousands of years in pain and torment in Hell than hee would lose that good that hee might have in the enjoyment of God hee accounted paena damni the loss of God to bee the greater and it were a good sign of a soul that did understand its own excellency and what good it were capable of to fear as well the loss of God and what good it might have in God and to account that as great an evil to it as pain and horrour and torment Why when wee come to express the wrath of God to you and the evil that sin deserves we speak of Hell fire and so the Scripture doth If wee would set out the great evil of punishment when wee speak to men and women that are lead by sense wee would tell them of their bodies being thousands of years in scalding Lead and kept alive there and this would startle and amaze them but certainly the evil of the souls rejection from God and being cast off from the good that there is in God it is as great if not a greater evil and a good sign I say it were that God is going to shew what our souls are to us and the true excellency of them If wee begin to bee affected with the loss of God himself and the good wee might have in God not onely afraid of Hell because of fire and torment there but afraid of having our souls lost because of being deprived of such infinite good as otherwise wee might come to enjoy with God A gracious heart hath more thought about losing the good that there is in God than of the pain that hee should feel in Hell To set it out a little but in this resemblance of the eye being deprived of light An eye that hath beheld the glory of the Heavens and of the Creatures though it should never have any pain but onely there should bee such an ill humour so as to take away all light from it why what hurt is here to the eye it is but onely the absence of a good thing the eye feels no pain but what man in the world but would rather bee willing to have his eyes to see and not to bee blinde all his life time than to have the enjoyment of thousands of gold and silver Now if the bare absence of the sight of a mans eyes bee so great an evil and hee would rather almost endure any pain than to have his eyes deprived of the light then certainly the absence of God must needs bee a most dreadful evil to the soul when the Sun shines in its lustre how beautiful is it ☜ and how pleasant to that it is at midnight when it is dismal dark why what is done it is onely the absence of one Creature one Creature is here now and shines gloriously upon us and at midnight the Creature is gone so what a mighty change and alteration would there bee in the soul if it should bee deprived of the presence of the Lord if the Lord who is infinite in glory bee present with the soul and shine upon it to all eternity Oh how glorious will it bee but Gods withdrawing himself fully and everlastingly from the soul Oh what a dismal night of darkness will there bee and therefore it is a most dreadful thing for the soul of a man to bee lost in regard of this first particular in regard of the privation of that good that it is capable of The Fourth SERMON ON The Excellency of the Soul Matthew 16.26 For what is a man profited if hee shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul NOw for the second Particular Namely wherein consists the eternal loss of the soul it is this when the soul in Hell is so possessed with sin as to bee contrary unto God eternally I say the soul cast away from God is possessed of all the evil of sin so as for ever to hate God and to abhor him and to blaspheme him that is one particular of the condition of a lost soul As every soul here by nature is deprived of all that good in which it was created and secondly as it doth wander from and is at enmity against God so when the soul is lost eternally then it is perfectly against God and doth hate and blaspheme God for ever Thou that art a wicked man thou wilt sin but when God hath cast thee away from him eternally then as I may say thou shalt have thy belly full of sin thou then shalt bee fully
given up unto sin Rev. 16.11 And they blasphemed the God of Heaven because of their pains and sorrows Now that is spoken of the beast of Antichrist but if men here blaspheme God because of pains what shall they do that are damned in Hell they that shall have the vials of Gods wrath poured out upon them But you will ask how doth it appear that for the wicked to bee given up to sin is such an evil unto them whereas here it is their delight to commit sin To which I answer though they love sin and though sin bee their delight here yet hereafter when they are cast off from God for ever then they shall not finde that delight in sin as now they do as to give you it in an example put a fish into a pot of water and the fish doth swim and play and delight therein because it is the proper element of the fish to bee in the water but now if you do but put fire under that pot of water wherein the fish doth play and take delight why then that which was before the delight and element of the fish thereby becomes its pain and torture so though sin in this life is delightful unto wicked men because it is their proper element to bee in sin in this life yet hereafter sin shall bee their pain because then there shall bee mixt with it the wrath of God which will make it pain and torture Again the loss of the soul consists in this when the soul is fully possessed of all the evils that are contrary to all the good it is capable of Thus shall it be with the lost soul eternally That as the Saints shall bee inlarged and made more capable of good which they shall enjoy to all eternity so those that are wicked and lost souls which shall bee opposite to God shall bee inlarged in their capacities and bee possessed and made capable of all contrary evils First To bee cast under the eternal curse of God I say to bee eternally under the curse of the Almighty Secondly To have all the faculties of the soul to bee filled with the wrath of God to have the understanding to bee filled with what may increase torment in that and for the conscience to have the worm gnawing which never dieth and to have the thoughts employed and running upon those things that will bee so hideous unto them and to have the will continually crossed by God himself and to have the heart sinking under the wrath of the infinite God in despair for ever Brethren the soul of man it is a very large vessel and because wee know but little of the large extent of our souls therefore it is that wee are so little sensible of the loss of them or of the pain and torment they are capable of or liable unto But as the soul is larger than the body to take in comfort so is it larger than the body likewise to take in pain misery and wrath we should bee sensible of such an expression as this to have the body in all the members of it to bee filled with fire so as to bee all on a hot fiery burning coale and that to all eternity this you would think could not but bee an extreme misery But the souls capacity is far larger than the bodies And to have the soul filled in every faculty of it with the wrath of God it is far greater pain than to have the body in such a condition which is the condition of a lost soul Further it doth consist in having the power of God stretched forth to bring evil and wrath upon it and that to the utmost Rom. 9.22 What if God willing to shew his wrath and to make his power known endureth with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted unto destruction As thus First The infinite power of God put forth in enlarging their natures that they may bee the more capable of evil Secondly The infinite power of God put forth to uphold their natures that they bee not sunk down with those dreadful evils that God hath to put upon them Thirdly The infinite power of God to let out upon the soul what ever it can bear to make it miserable so as not to bee annihilated therewith which it shall bear for ever And further A lost soul is in this condition also to be continually under the stroak of Gods justice that when it haâ—h lain under its pains thousands of thousands of years saith divine Justice I am not yet satisfied Now that that is required is that the soul should lye under the wrath of God until such time that God may have as much honour by punishing it as hee hath had dishonour by its sinning against him and that must bee for ever because God can never have so much honour by the punishing of it as hee hath had dishonour by its sinning against him And then As the soul should have had eternal communion with God and Christ c. it being lost it must have communion instead thereof with the Devil and the damned spirits in Hell And if this bee the condition of a lost soul in Hell as it is then what shall a man gain in gaining the world if hee lose his soul But further to make this misery appear to bee misery indeed There is required a perfect sense of all these evils for a man or woman may bee in a lost condition as many are now but they do not understand it and therefore are not sensible of it But that soul that is lost eternally the Lord shall so far enlighten its understanding as may make it sensible of all its evil certainly many this day are in such a condition as did they but understand the lost condition they are in it would make them tremble But now when the soul is eternally lost it shall then perfectly understand what its lost condition is and then the thoughts of its mind shall bee so busied about its misery as that it shall not bee able to ease its self one moment but its thoughts shall be busied about its condition so far as may make it miserable And the Lord is able to make a creature as sensible of misery as hee pleaseth For this is the propriety of God to make a creature as sensible of all the evil that is upon him as hee pleaseth and if so then when all these evils come upon the creature and the Lord intends to make the creature fully sensible of it then certainly it must needs bee miserable indeed Further then this loss of the soul consists in this That it must have nothing to support it when the burden of the wrath of the infinite God shall bee thus upon it as also there shall bee no mixture of any good to bring relief or ease nor any intermission of time it must not bee one moment of time out of this condition of misery but must bee in it continually to all eternity Further In this doth
if men had but enlightened and stirring consciences how easie would it bee for men and women to see themselves in a restless condition and to conclude that if these things be the truths of God then I am in such a condition and though I do not know what God may work for time to come yet if I should now die my soul would bee lost eternally and so that other place in Rom. 8. They that live after the flesh shall die that is perish eternally if your hearts bee after the flesh after fleshly things and they are the things that you minde and if you would speak as in the presence of God you cannot but acknowledge that the things of the flesh are the things that do take up your hearts that are the adequate objects of your spirits and you think your great good and contentment lies in them so that if so bee you might but live alwaies in this world and have those contentments to the flesh as you desire you would care for nothing else but your hearts would bee fully satisfied this is living after the flesh now the Scripture tells us clearly that those that live after the flesh thus shall die It is your great care that the flesh bee satisfied and it is Gods threat that when you make it thus your great care to satisfie the flesh that you shall die so that this is a perishing condition unto you Seventhly Yea further what soul soever is but under the dominion of any one lust that soul if it should now depart would certainly bee lost Not onely such as live in all kind of sins that the constant course of their lives is in every kind of sin but if there bee but any one reigning ruling sin if there bee but any one sinful way that God hath convinc'd thy conscience of to bee a sin and yet because of gain or delight or pleasure or honours or respects thou dost go on in a constant course and way and practice of that sin though it bee but one sin so that thou art a slave to any one lust certainly this soul of thine if God works no ootherwise upon it than yet hee hath done will certainly be lost and that is clear out of Rom. 6.14 For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under the Law but under grace I would reason from this Scripture thus what soul soever is not under grace under the covenant of grace and under the mercy that there is in that covenant that soul if now it should depart must perish eternally but whosoever is under the dominion of any one sin is not under grace for the Scripture plainly saith That sin shall not have dominion over us if wee bee under grace If our souls bee in such an estate as they bee under the grace of the Gospel then there must not any one sin have dominion over them there may some sin dwell there but not reign there there is a great deal of difference between sins being in the soul and ruling over the soul Quest You will say then What is it for sin to have dominion Answ When sin shall set up a kind of Throne in the soul and give Laws as a King and thou shalt obey It is one thing for an enemy to come with violence and take possession and hurry one on to do that one would not do and another thing to bee subject and to yeeld to the laws and commandements of sin Now sin hath dominion when it is as a King upon his Throne that thou yeâ—ldest subjection unto it and for the satisfying of thine own lusts thou art willing that this sin should rule over thee Now that you may know a little further for the meaning of this sin and Jesus Christ cannot have dominion both together Then thus far wee may go safely that except Jesus Christ hath dominion over you then sin hath But how shall I know whether Christ hath dominion I will but appeal to you in this plain and familiar kinde of expressing of my self canst thou say as in the presence of God that seeth and searchest thy heart O Lord thou knowest that I have given up my heart to the Rule of Jesus Christ I would put this to every soul here present and I beseech you weigh it for wee are speaking of matters of life and death of salvation and damnation now therefore I put this unto you and think of it canst thou appeal to God in the sincerity of thy heart and say Lord thou art the seer and searcher of all hearts and thou knowest that though I have many weaknesses and infirmities and am often overcome by temptation yet thou knowest that I have given up my heart to the obedience of Jesus Christ and I do give it up and it is that that my soul desires above all things that Jesus Christ may rule in it that Christ may have dominion that his Laws may bee set up and if I knew any more of the mind of Jesus Christ whatsoever it cost mee thou that knowest all things knowest I would submit unto it and if there bee any thing that is against the mind of Jesus Christ if it bee but known to mee thou knowest that my heart is against it and I would rather than a world that I were delivered from the power of it canst thou speak thus as in the presence of God and certainly a Christian though a weak Christian can appeal to God in the sincerity of it and is able to venture its self upon such an appeal to God And if there bee not this dominion of Jesus Christ then there is the dominion of sin and then thou art not under grace therefore if God doth not more in thy soul than hee hath done thou shalt perish for ever and that man or woman that can sleep quietly so hath a strange pillow to sleep upon It is reported of Augustus Caesar that hearing of a Gentleman that was much in debt hee sent to buy his pillow saying Surely there is a great deal of virtue in that pillow that such a man could sleep on who was so much in debt Truly I may say so it is a strange kinde of pillow that men can sleep upon who are in such a condition that if God do no more for than hee hath done would certainly perish Eighthly But further That man or woman that hath not yet had such a change wrought by the power of the Spirit of God as is a new birth a resurrection from death a new creation that soul if it now depart would certainly perish Certainly every one of you as you come into the world as you are by nature your souls are in a lost estate and in such a lost estate as except the Lord make such a change in your heart as is a new birth by which you come to bee born again as is a new resurrection by which you come to bee raised from the dead as is a new creation
many ignorant people that pervert the Word to their own destruction If God bee not merciful to them therefore why should wee pray or read or hear or use any means let us lay aside all wee can do nothing wee are dead in sins and the like Now wee are to know that though nothing can bee done by us till God bring us into a state of grace and salvation that is acceptable so as certainly shall bring us to Heaven yet if it bee but that that shall stop us in the contrary way a little it is worth our labour If it be but that that any way may tend towards the bringing of us unto any means that may do us good why it is worth our labour and all our pains but especially if wee consider this that though wee are not able to do that that shall save us yet God is pleased often to convey his strength to those hee doth intend to save through the use of those means rather at that time when they do improve their natural abilities than at that time when they sit idle and do nothing and therefore you must bee up and bee doing Wee read in the Gospel concerning the young man that I told you came to Christ and inquired what hee should do for eternal life Christ profest to him that hee was not far from the Kingdome of Heaven hee was not so far as others It is true if a man abuses his doing and rests in his doing that sets him as far from the Kingdome of Heaven as prophane ones and therefore Publicans and Harlots may enter into the Kingdome of Heaven as soon as Scribes and Pharisees But there may bee many actions done by a common assistance of Gods Spirit that may bring some nearer to the Kingdome of Heaven than others and the denial of such a thing as that is would bee an extream boldness in any for they are the very words of Christ to the young man That hee was not far from the Kingdome of Heaven and therefore notwithstanding your inability and notwithstanding the things that wee do are not the things that save us yet wee have ground enough to put on men and women to do Now the meaning of this great question is this What is the way that God ordinarily takes to bring men and women to salvation by or how should I follow God on in his way that is a certain truth of the Antients Though God made thee without thee yet hee will not save thee without thee God works upon us as upon rational creatures and therefore it doth concern all the children of men that would have their souls saved to observe the work of God and to stir up what is in them to joyn with the work of God in the way of salvation and certainly whatever conceits there are to the contrary they are not onely foolish but extream dangerous and Satans policy and cunning is exceedingly much seen in them A further thing that I would premise before I come to particulars is this when I speak of any thing that should bee done I prescribe no particular order knowing that the works of God are various And sometimes God stirs up a soul to do one thing and sometimes to do another thing but take them in what order you will yet wee must name them for memory sake in some order and God expects them from you and you are to joyn with God in those works if you would have your souls to bee saved The great Question of what wee should do to bee saved answered First If you would have your souls saved do you joyn with God in what hee hath revealed to you concerning your lost condition labouring to understand those truths clearly that are delivered in the Word concerning the lost condition of souls by nature and to work those truths upon your hearts to bee sensible of them Those whom God intends to save hee shews unto them what this salvation is hee shews them from what it is they are to bee saved that so they may not run away vvith the meer word Salvation and saving of souls now God reveals this in his Word and when hee intends to save a soul hee doth by his Spirit stir it up to joyn with the Word of God and work those things upon its self so as to bee made sensible of them As thus the soul being solicitous how it should come to bee saved it searches the Scripture and there it findes how wee are by nature the children of wrath there it findes that God had made man according to his own Image at first but man hath sinned against God and broken the covenant upon which his eternal state did depend and in the sin of the first man all men have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God and now are conceived in sin and brought forth in iniquity so that there is a most dreadful breach between God and the soul and that man by nature is become an enemy to the Infinite God That now hee hath the seeds of all kind of sin in him and that all his life while hee continues in his natural estate here is nothing else but a fighting against God a flying in the very face of God Hee findes that by sin hee is brought under a most dreadful curse the curse of the Law and that hee is bound over by the bonds of the Law even to death to eternal death as the wages of sin these things the soul findes in Scripture now if thou wouldest bee saved when thou findest God revealing such things labour thorowly to convince thy soul of the truth of them and are these things so indeed is this my condition am I thus and thus naturally Oh what good then will it do to mee to have all the world and bee in such a condition as this is Oh my soul when wert thou sensible of this condition dost thou walk as it becomes one that is sensible of such a lost estate as this is Oh! labour to drink in these truths and to work them upon thy heart and cry to God to set them home upon thy spirit to make thy soul thorowly sensible of them as hee uses to make those whom hee hath a purpose to save Here 's the first thing And yet one thing about this further is That you must come to a conviction not onely of your lost estate but of your inability to save your selves and the inability that there is in all creatures in Heaven and Earth to save them that thy fall from God is so dreadful that all the created power in Heaven and Earth cannot help thee yea and that thou thy self now art unable to help thy self to save thy soul bee convinc'd thorowly of this This was the way that Christ took with the young man hee tells him of the Law first and then afterwards because hee was conceited that hee had fulfilled the Law and done it Christ puts him upon a duty that might convince him
any more that doth it but it is a satisfaction to justice a price paid for the soul no soul is ever saved but it is saved in the way of a price that is paid for it and this thou must acquaint thy soul with which thousands of people are ignorant of yet they hope to bee saved but how they will pray to God that they may bee saved and that God would have mercy upon them and is here all certainly this is not the way of the Gospel but the way of the Gospel it is that that reveals unto the soul the price that is paid for a soul even the blood of Christ That in Christ the great Mediatour of the second Covenant there is a perfect satisfaction to Gods Infinite Justice this indeed is a great part of the Mystery of the Gospel this is the saving truth of the Gospel and thou must acquaint thy soul with this truth if thou bee saved And when thou hearest of this truth perhaps thou canst not understand it for the present Oh then thou hadst need go to God in secret and bee crying to him that hee would reveal this truth unto thee But you will say it is not our crying It is true it is not meerly our crying but there is something of God further But God hath made many gracious promises of answering our cries and now that so hee may make good his promises hee will further reveal this Mystery of the Gospel to thee that there is a necessity of satisfaction to divine Justice for thy sin that hath brought thy soul into a lost condition Secondly And further A necessity of a perfect Righteousness wee will not speak of any thing controversal about it which way it comes to bee applied but this all will grant that there is a perfect Righteousness that wee have need of the way of salvation is a perfect Righteousness thou must have a surety that must have a perfect Righteousness for thee Thirdly And then the way of salvation is this it reveals an absolute necessity of the Application of the satisfaction and Righteousness of Jesus Christ the Application of that that it must bee made thine some way that thou must have thy part and share in it by thy union unto Christ and by being made one mystically with him through Faith so that the soul is not meerly saved through mercy Nor thus that Christ hee hath come and done such and such things and therefore saith God the Father for the sake of Jesus Christ I will save thee for hee hath satisfied mee by what hee hath done No but there is somewhat more I confess it is true in the conclusion wee are saved for the sake of Christ but it is by our union with Christ wee are united to Christ and made one with him and so what Christ hath done for our salvation is tendred up to the Father as ours wee being one with Jesus Christ so that now if thou shouldest know thy miserable estate by nature and thereupon inquire after salvation and cry to God that hee would bee merciful unto thee that is not enough but the Gospel reveals further Suppose thou comest to know more than thou canst understand by the light of nature but yet the Gospel doth reveal to thee that not onely thou must bee saved by Christ but thou must bee united to Christ by Faith there must bee a spiritual marriage between the Son of God and thy soul thou must have Christ to bee a head and thou a member hee thy husband and thou his Spouse thou must inquire after this union and that is the way of beleeving and the substance of the Apostles words to the Jaylor when hee cryed what hee should do to bee saved why saith hee Beleeve in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt bee saved It must bee through Jesus Christ the great Mediatour of the second Covenant by thy beleeving in him and being made one with him that thou must come to bee saved Fourthly And then the Gospel it reveals further as necessary to salvation a necessity of Regeneration of being born again of having the Image of God renewed in the soul by the Spirit of Jesus Christ of being a new Creature the want of which if the soul should now depart it must certainly perish under but now if it come to bee saved it must have this revealed to it for in the Gospel there is held forth the great work of God in begetting that soul anew to himself that hee doth intend to save in putting a new life into it in sending the Spirt of Jesus Christ into it whereby it lives and acts and works being now carried on not by its own spirit but by the Spirit of the Son of God this is necessary to salvation to do acts of Regeneration so Christ tells Nicodomus hee must bee born again and this onely the Gospel reveals and thus our souls should labour to acquaint themselves with the great things of the Gospel and as the wise man saith concerning instruction in Prov. 4.13 Take fast hold of instruction let her not go keep her for shee is thy life So I say of these instructions that are revealed in the Gospel keep them for they are your lives do not think that God though hee is infinitely merciful yet that hee will save souls any other way for God hath set this way and it is an infinite mercy that wee are to admire at and adore and praise his Name for that there may bee salvation any way and if there may be salvation any way oh you poor wretched children of men know that you should be restless till you come to understand further that one way Oh that wee could make it to bee the great business of our lives to search into the Gospel and finde out these things for it is through this that we come to have eternal life Fifthly A fifth rule for the salvation of your souls If God hath put it into your hearts to seek to have them saved you must walk with fear and trembling before the Lord all the daies of your lives the fear of God must bee mighty and strong upon your spirits if you would bee saved and you must labour to keep the fear of the great God upon your spirits that place is famous for this in Phil. 2.12 Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his own good pleasure As if the Holy Ghost should say you had need walk with fear before the Lord for the truth is hee hath you at such infinite advantage as you are not able to stir one foot to do any thing for the deliverance of your souls from eternal wrath without the work of God upon you you had need take heed what you do that you do not provoke this infinite God that hath you under his feet that you are able to do nothing towards your salvation if hee withdraw
inheritance among them that are sanctified by Faith that is in mee Saith the Lord Christ to Paul I will send thee to open the eyes of men and to turn them from darkness unto light and from the power of Satan unto God that they may receive forgiveness of sins and this is the great ordinance that I intend for this end and that I will accompany to those that I purpose to save at any time Therefore when you come to hear the Word you should come to it as the great Ordinance that God hath appointed to save souls by Is there any soul that begins in this Congregation to bee awakened and to think with it self Oh Lord What shall I do to bee saved I tell thee that every time thou comest to hear the Word preached thou shouldest come to it with such thoughts as these Now am I going to that great Ordinance that the Lord hath appointed to convey his power thorow to the salvation of those souls that are appointed to eternal life I am going to the Pool of Bethesda and there will I wait until the Lord shall bee pleased for to send his Angel to stir in my heart and I have begun to feel some power of Christ already which doth incourage mee to hope for further power There is many a soul hath met with Jesus Christ and hee hath brought it from the power of Satan to his own Kingdome of light and why may not my soul meet with the same power of Jesus Christ however I am resolved that as long as I live I will wait upon God in the way that hee hath appointed Oh the Word it hath a great deal of efficacy for the salvation of souls therefore if thou wouldest have thy soul saved attend upon it for that end I shall apply one Scripture which may bee for the preparation to what remains You are about inquiring how you should bee saved and wee are about answering Oh take heed that you bee not found in this like unto those wretched Jews which God forbid that there should bee any one in this place found like unto that would fain have the Prophet Jeremiah be inquiring what the mind of God was concerning them and they profest that whatsoever the Lord should reveal by him that they would do but when it came loe they fling off all and it was to no purpose the Scripture is in Jer. 42.5 Then they said to Jeremiah The Lord bee a true and a faithful witness between us if wee do not even according to all things for the which the Lord thy God shall send thee to us Wee desire thee to go and know the mind of God and tell it us and here wee profess and call God to witness that wee will do what lies in us to perform all that the Lord thy God shall require This was a very fair promise and I hope there are some souls if not generally all of you have such a kinde of disposition Oh let his servant search his Word and finde out what should be done and whatsoever hee shall speak according to his Word that will wee do and God forbid it should bee otherwise it were just with God that our souls should perish if wee should do otherwise but there is a mighty deal of deceitfulness in the hearts of men Jeremiah went and did as they desired him but mark chap. 44. 16. and you shall see what a different disposition there was in them to what there seemed to bee before first you shall finde in chap. 43. they begin to wrangle at what Jeremiah spake to them all the proud men began to wrangle at what Jeremiah spake mark it is all the proud men they are proud spirits that do contend with Gods Word but mark first they wrangle chap. 43.2 and then they grow resolute and stubborn chap. 44.16 As for the word that thou hast spoken to us in the Name of the Lord we will not hearken unto thee why what are these the men that called God to witness that whatsoever Jeremiah should declare in the Name of God they would do it and yet now first they wrangle at what he saith and then they resolve that as for what hee hath spoken to them in the Name of the Lord they will not hear it Now God forbid that ever there should bee found among any of you such wrangling spirits with the Word of God certainly God will justifie the words of his servants that they speak in his Name one day and will make them good upon you and they may lye heavy upon the soul that shall neglect them but then where there is first wrangling at the Word of God there usually grows an impudent proud stubborn casting off the Word of God As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the Name of the Lord wee will not hearken unto thee Why should not wee do what wee have a mind to why should not wee take our liberty on the Lords day as vvee vvere vvont and follovv our business as vvee vvere vvont let them say vvhat they vvill vvee vvill do as vvee vvere vvont to do and vvee vvill keep our company as vvee vvere vvont to do let them speak vvhile their heart akes this vvas the very guize of this people that made such a profession before the Lord but oh the Lord forbid that it should bee so vvith any of you But Seventhly If thou vvouldest have thy soul saved thou must take heed of resting upon false hopes of thy salvation you must rase down even to the very ground all your false hopes of salvation there is nothing in the vvorld hinders the salvation of souls more than false hopes vvhen men dare build their eternal salvation upon every sleight and vain hope that they hold The hope of the Hypocrite the Scriptuie saith is like the Spiders-webb spun out of thine ovvn conceits but every little touch is enough to strike it dovvn again Oh the poor things that people thus venture their souls upon I shevved you in the opening of vvhat did cause the loss of souls that one thing vvas by venturing and their vain hopes vvas one novv these must bee ras'd dovvn you vvill say vvhat are those vain hopes that must first bee ras'd dovvn and vvhat do you mean by rasing of them dovvn That I may speak plainly in this thing that concerns the poorest and meanest that is of the meanest capacity in the world as well as the most able or learned for the poorest hath a soul to save as well as the richest and the weakest as well as the learnedst if such a one should say What are those things that are to bee rased down to that I answâ—â— First Such hopes as are not Scripture-hopes if they bee not Scripture hopes they must bee rased down Rom. 15.4 Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning that wee through patience and comfort of the Scripture might have hope Wee have hope through patience and comfort
give all the respect that may bee to him because hee is the onely Saviour of souls And for the blood of the Covenant take heed you sin not against that let it not bee accounted as a common thing Oh do not prize the satisfying of your own lusts rather than the blood of the Covenant and all the good that was purchased by that blood when any wretched sinner shall hear the Gospel preached to him and yet shall prize the living in any base wicked way of sin I say such a one doth trample the blood of the everlasting Covenant under his feet and the language of his heart and actions is nothing but this whatsoever is spoken concerning the blood of the everlasting Covenant revealed in the Gospel I do prize the satisfying the lusts of mine own heart more than all the good that is in the Covenant now do you think can such a soul as this bee saved now you sin against the blood of the Covenant when you come hand over head to the Sacrament and thereby you come to bee guilty of the body and blood of Jesus Christ People are mighty earnest about coming to Sacraments now do but read 1 Cor. 11. It is a Scripture which I know you that are acquainted with Scripture are not unacquainted with vers 27. Whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily shall bee guilty of the body and blood of the Lord And what then vers 29. Hee eateth and drinketh his own damnation When you would have the Sacrament as the seal of the blood of Christ and yet come in your sin and filthiness and do not discern the Lords body you come to bee guilty of the blood of Christ and so to bee guilty of your own damnation and so many think to seal their souls by eating and drinking the damnation of their souls for there is nothing set out in Scripture that furthers more the damnation of a soul than to sin against the blood of the Covenant I know some make that Scripture their damnation to themselves that is that they are onely to bee reproved and condemned for doing so but wee are to inlarge Scripture to the uttermost that may bee and seeing the Scripture hath made the sin against the blood of Christ in other places so dreadful wee may very well understand that place in the most dreadful sense that may bee Now if in case you come unworthily you hear what the Scripture speaks it is guiltiness of the blood of Christ and eating and drinking your own souls damnation And then take heed of sinning against the mercy of God let not mercy harden you but let it soften your hearts Oh that soul is in a good forwardness to bee saved that every time it thinks of the mercy of God it findes it self to melt before the Lord and mourn bitterly for sin when as it applies the mercy of God to it self I that is a good evidence but now when you think or speak of Gods mercy you finde your hearts the more hardened in sin Oh this is dreadful for how can such a soul be saved that sins against the mercy and love of Jesus Christ for who shall hear and plead for thy soul before God when as thou art guilty of the blood of Jesus Christ and what is it that shall bee thine attonement before the Father It must bee blood Without shedding of blood there is no remission of sin And what blood must bee for the remission of thy sin when as thou tramplest the blood of the Covenant under thy feet and when thou sinnest against mercy what is it that must recover thee but the mercy of God when thou comest to God in the anguish of thy soul Now if thy case bee thus that Jesus Christ shall plead against thee and say Oh Father Father avenge thy self upon this wretch that hath not onely sinned against thy work of Creation but against the work of Redemption that I went into the world to work Father let this soul perish eternally that hath rejected mee and received every base wretched lust before mee now shall that soul bee saved that shall have the blood of the Covenant cry against it and mercy it self cry to the Lord against it Lord avenge my cause for I have been most abominably and cursedly abused by this wretch when not onely the Law of Gods Justice and Satan accuses thee but Christ and his blood and the Gospel it self how shall such a soul bee saved now then if you would have your souls saved take heed of sinning against Jesus Christ against the Gospel and against the blood of God and against the mercy of God Eleventhly If thou wouldest have thy soul saved take heed of sinning against the Spirit of Grace the good Spirit of God that must draw thee to Christ and guide thee in the way of salvation if ever thou beest saved Now take heed of sleighting the motions of Gods Spirit oh do not sleight any motion of the Spirit of God how dost thou know but when there comes in any motion of Gods Spirit it comes in to save thee at this time thou canst not tell but that at any time when Gods Spirit doth assist his Word thy soul may depend upon that time so as God may say had this soul followed on the work at this time it might have been saved but upon it s not following it on it shall not bee saved doth Gods Spirit begin to move thy soul when thou art hearing the Word Oh do not go into wicked company and so lose all again but get alone in thy closet and fall down even upon thy face and cry to God that hee would follow on the work of his Spirit that hee hath begun in thee Oh Lord I lived a long time in a dead-hearted condition never minding the good of my soul but thou hast begun to stir mee and Lord I hope it is the beginning of thy saving work upon my soul Oh that thou wouldest go on with it How many upon their sick-beds and death-beds would give a thousand worlds if they had them that they could have such stirrings of the Spirit of God as sometimes they have felt Oh now when the Spirit stirs and temptation stirs take heed of listening to temptation and rejecting the motions of Gods Spirit but think of that that wee read on of the people of Israel when they were going to Canaan they were very near Canaan and when they were upon the borders of it they refused to go into the Land when God would have them and upon that The Lord did swear in his wrath Psal 95.10 that they should never enter into his rest So when the Spirit of God begins to bring thee near to salvation that it may bee said of thee as Christ to the young man Thou art not far from the Kingdome of Heaven O take heed of hearkening to temptation lest the Lord swear that thou shalt never enter into
Heaven The Spirit of God which is like unto the Dove in the Ark perhaps it comes into thy heart once and it comes in again and thou sendest it out again but take heed of sending it out the third time lest it should never come in to thee again Gen. 6.3 but that the Lord should say Spirit never strive more with such a soul Oh when God begins to stir it doth concern you to say with Samuel Lord speak for thy servant hears You that have been forward heretofore and have lost the work of Gods Spirit you had need look about you for it is a dangerous thing to draw back My soul saith God Heb. 10.38 shall have no pleasure in those that shall draw back And if the soul of God will have no pleasure in thee how shall thy soul bee saved Twelfthly Whosoever would have their souls saved let them take this course account the preciousness of the time of your lives to consist in this that it is a day of salvation account it therefore a mercy of God that your lives are continued upon this reason not because you may get great estates and live and have your pleasures and delights but because God hath appointed the time of mans life here in this world to bee the time to provide for his eternity few men and women in the world know how to judge aright of the preciousness of their time the time of their lives and that man or woman that comes to know aright how to judge of the preciousness of this time of life and of what doth depend upon it such a one is in a good forwardness to salvation Thirteenthly The last thing that I shall Name is this bee sure to go with those that go in the safest way and the straightest way many of you you question about many things that others do whether they need do so or no why can none bee saved but those that do so but I appeal to your consciences do not you think the strictest way of godliness is the safest way for salvation now if it bee the safest if you did but understand the infinite consequence of the salvation of your souls there need bee no other Argument to perswade you to any strict way of godliness but this whatever it bee whether absolutely necessary or no I am sure it is the safest way and I am sure there was never yet any upon his sick-bed that did repent him that hee was too strict and too precise but I have known many that have repented them of being too loose and too careless Now in a matter that is of great consequence you will bee sure to take the safest way If there bee any people in the world that walk so as your consciences tell you they are in a more strict way than others more holy more close to God more self-denying more faithful it doth concern you to inquire after those and to walk after those and joyn with them surely those that go on in the safest way for the salvation of their souls those I will make a pattern to mee I will not look what the common course of the world and the generality of the world doth The Scripture tells us that There are but few that shall bee saved And therefore the fewness of men shall never discourage mee bee they never so few bee they never so mean If I am perswaded in my conscience it is the safest way that is the way that I will walk in and surely it is the way for the soul to have comfort at the great day when it shall appear before the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ I beseech you consider of this if you were all now to appear before Jesus Christ to have your eternal estates determined of in what mens conditions would you wish your selves to be in if it might bee at your liberty and Christ should say now I am to pass the sentence of eternity upon you for your salvation or damnation now what kind of mens estates would you wish your selves to be in who would you rather be like unto who would you venture most upon to be dealt withall according as your consciences do think they are most like to bee dealt with I am perswaded if this were the case most loose and prophane and ungodly men would run and cling unto those that now they scorn and contemn unto those that walk with the most strictness and holiness in their conversations Certainly if you would do so Then it is your wisdome to do so Now that which will bee true then certainly is true now and therefore that is a good way for the helping to save your souls to joyn with those that walk in the strictest and the holiest way to do that now that if you were to die you would wish you had done and to bee with them now that if you were to have the sentence of eternity past upon you you would wish you had been withall But this shall suffice for what is to bee said concerning that great Question about the preventing the loss of our souls and what wee should do to bee saved Now for the conclusion you have heard divers things already about the way and direction for the saving of souls I suppose when first the Question was raised every one of you would bee greedy to hear an answer There was never a one in this place but would fain have his soul saved eternally what do you mean to do now what are your thoughts there hath been a question and I have indeavoured in the Name of God to answer it Now this is that that I desire of you even before you sleep get into the presence of God alone and give in your answer to God what you mean to do are you resolved upon it will you ingage your souls now to God this evening that that little time that hee will let you live in this world that your indeavours shall bee according to those particulars that have been opened unto you Oh blessed bee God if this bee but in any one soul but can any one think that among such a multitude as this is but that the Lord would bee pleased to dart some thing or other into one or more Let mee conclude at this time as the servant of Naaman said to him when the Prophet gave him direction what hee should do to bee cleansed hee began to bee angry and was loath to do what the Prophet bid him why saith his servant to him My Father If the Prophet had bid thee do some great thing wouldest thou not have done it how much rather then when hee saith to thee wash and bee clean So I say to you considering what the worth of your souls is and the danger there is of your eternal miscarrying how if God should have said this That so your souls may bee saved I require of every one of you that you should for forty fifty years lie as a head-block at
the fire burning I and if God should have said thus unto us from Heaven wee had all cause to have fallen upon our faces and have blessed God for his mercy towards us but now God doth not require any such thing as this at your hands but requires the abandoning of your lusts and the attending upon him in his Ordinances and hee requires the keeping of your souls under his Word and Conscience and the following of the motions of his Spirit and the beleeving in his Son such things as these the Lord requires upon which your souls may eternally bee saved and will not you accept well that soul that God intends to save hee will perswade and the Lord perswade your souls in these things that so you may bee saved in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ The Tenth SERMON ON The Excellency of the Soul Matthew 16.26 For what is a man profited if hee shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul NOw then having done with that point wee are to come to the last thing That as the loss is great as in all the respects I opened so it is such that suppose a man to have gained the whole world in a way of the loss of his soul yet that gain will never recompence it Job 27.8 For what is the hope of the hypocrite though hee hath gained when God takes away his soul There are some men that seek the world and yet lose both the world and their souls they neither gain the world nor their own souls and some there are that do gain the world and their souls both But there is no necessary connexion between either gaining the world or losing ones soul or losing the world and gaining the soul but one may bee severed from the other But suppose God should let a man gain what hee will though many men seek for gain by sinful waies and God crosses them in it they have not their gain and yet they are damned eternally for seeking gain but suppose a man had gotten all the world as hee would desire and yet this man wicked and losing his soul hee is a most miserable man Now this is the thing that I have to do to shew unto you what a poor gain a man hath that is wicked though hee hath got the world when hee hath cast up all his reckonings it may bee said of him as wee usually say of men that have got little They may put all their gain in their eye and never see the worse So certainly if thou hast sought after gain in this world in such a way as thou hast not provided for thine own soul when thou comest to summe up all thine accounts thou wilt see that very little is got There are many waies whereby a man may come to see all the glory in the world to bee but darkness By seeing the glory of God the glory of Christ and the infinite consequence of an eternal estate those three things make the spiritual man to look upon all the glittering vanities of this world but as meer darkness and as nothing But now there bee three other things that may help a natural man to see the things of the world to bee as nothing and the gains of it to bee very poor gain I mean one that is not sanctified that hath no grace The first is If God do but please to wound his conscience and terrifie him hee will see all things to bee poor things indeed Or secondly When God laies his hand upon him in afflicting of him upon his sick-bed or upon his death-bed It is reported of Musculus that when hee lay upon his death-bed and his friends coming about him and seeing what a poor condition hee was in that had been an eminent worthy Instrument of God and an excellent Preacher in his time and they mourning for the sad condition they saw him to bee in O quid sumus say they as hee lay in his bed hee over-heard them Fumus said hee that is O what are wee smoak Many a carnal man in the time of his sickness and apprehension of death will say that all this world it is as nothing A third thing that may make even a carnal heart to see all the things of this world to bee as nothing It is strength of Reason though there should not bee terrour of conscience nor any afflictions yet strength of reason may discover the gain of this world to bee as nothing in comparing of it unto the soul and this strength of reason God is pleased sometimes to sanctifie by his Spirit when it is helped by the Word by the sanctified reason that there is in the Word I say when it is helped by that then God blesses it so as to work off the heart from the world to the things that concern the everlasting good of the soul And it is that that I shall speak to at this time to convince you what a poor thing the gain of the world is even by strength of reason and yet such reason as is founded upon the Scripture I have already shewn you the things that may make a spiritual heart see a vanity in all things in the world as the excellency of God and of Christ and the consequences of eternity Now the other two terrour of conscience and afflictions they are Gods work and God when hee pleaseth to shew the vanity of the World â—oth ordinarily bring them upon the creature but now for the third way of God to discover to the creature by the sanctified saving work of his Spirit the vanity of all things I shall indeavour to shew it you by strength of Argument and Reason out of the Word As First Surely though thou shouldest gain the world and yet bee a man that art like to perish at last thou hast gotten but little and it appears first in this that all those that ever came to have true wisdome and that are in Scripture commended for men of true wisdome they have lookt upon all the things of the world as very poor things First What do you think of him that was the wisest man upon Earth meer man even Solomon that had the greatest experience that ever man had of what good the honours or pleasures or profits of the world could do and yet after all his experience see his testimony of all in Eccles 1.2 Vanity of vanity saith the Preacher vanity of vanities all is vanity Observe these five things in it First The things of this world are not onely vain but vanity in the abstract Secondly They are an excessive vanity vanity of vanities Thirdly A heap of vanity vanity of vanities Fourthly All is vanity Fifthly Hee adds his name to this Saith the Preacher Now the word that is translated here Preacher in the Hebrew as those that know the tongue know it signifies one gathered and it is in the feminine gender and so some think it notes the soul of Solomon that gathered wisdome after hee had
do do they make the Carrion to bee less corrupt and putrified than it was truly all the bravery that wicked men have it is at the best but a few herbs and flowers strewn upon a filthy carrion which makes them not to bee the better The things of this world therefore in Scripture are called the things of another mans in Luk. 16.12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another mans who shall give you that which is your own You may know the meaning of it by the verse before If therefore yee have not been faithful in the unrighteous Mammon who will commit to your trust the true riches The riches of this world are called unrighteous Mammon now these are opposite to the true riches as if these were not True riches and then in vers 12. If you have not been faithful in that which is another mans that is in these riches of the world who shall give you that which is your own so that nothing is a mans own to make him better but grace the good things of the soul they are a mans own but the other things they are the worlds things they are not a mans own therefore what doth it profit a man that hee hath gained the world for hee is never a whit the better man Thirdly All these things they are things beneath the soul things of an inferiour nature what good is it for a man that hath gotten never so much food that hee hath laid up for his horses and doggs but hee hath nothing for his children or for himself So if a man hath gotten the world hee hath gotten somewhat for his body his inferiour part I but hee hath gotten nothing for his soul that is above it These are things beneath and under the soul what good would it bee for a souldier if hee have gilt his scabbard but hee hath a broken rusty sword within or but a wooden sword within Therefore I finde in Scripture that the bodies of men and women are called the sheath of their souls Dan. 7.15 I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body So it is in your books translated but those that understand the Original Text they know it is a word that signifies a sheath and so Arius Montanus turns it and likewise in your Margents in the midst of his sheath and by comparing this Scripture with another it is plain that that is the propriety of the word 1 Chron. 21.27 Where the Text saith The Lord commanded the Angel and hee put up his sword again into the sheath thereof Now the word that is here translated sheath I finde by comparing of them together that it is the very same word in the Original that Daniel translates body for the body is but as the sheath unto the soul and what will it gain a souldier to have a brave sheath and in the mean time have nothing within it or that that is of no use at all thus it is with many they seek great things for their bodies but their souls are left in the mean time without any succour or help and in a most miserable condition all things that are in the world should bee servants to thy soul for they are all inferiour to it Wee account it a great disâ—onour to a man to marry his servant a man of estate in the world if wee hear hee hath married his servant which is very mean wee account it a dishonour Now for thy heart to mingle it self with the things of this world as its chiefest good what dost thou but marry thy soul to that which should bee thy servant for all these things are but as servants to the soul and for the heart of a man to bee set upon the things of this world it is to have the curse of Cham to bee upon him A servant of servants shalt thou bee for the things of the world they should bee thy servants and thou art their servant and so a servant of servants the curse of Cham is upon thee when thou art a slave to thy estate or thy honours or to thy brutish lusts a servant of servants art thou Fourthly They are such things as God in his ordinary administration of providence hath denied to the choicest of his servants specially in the times of the Gospel Many of the choice of his servants in former times were in very low and mean conditions but for the times of the Gospel how did Christ himself who was the Son of God live hee had not a hole to hide his head in The fowls of the air had nests and the Foxes had holes but the son of man not whereon to lay his head Jesus Christ that was infinitely beloved of the Father and all the Apostles they were in a poor mean condition every one of them died a violent death but onely John wee have records of their several sorts of death some crucified some stoned and some other kinds of death but all put to death save John and read but the latter end of the eleventh of the Hebrews Those that the world was not worthy of how they wandered up and down In sheep-skins and goat-skins and dens and caves of the earth That was a little before Christs time hee speaks of those in the time of the Macchabes Now certainly if God hath so ordered things in his general administrations towards such as are most dear in his eyes as to deny them these things that they shall have but little of them there is no great matter in them surely if there were any great matter in them God would not deny them to his servants when a wicked rich man shall look upon a poor man that walks humbly before God and would not commit the least sin willingly for a world meethinks such a man should think thus Oh Lord what a difference is there between such a poor man and I and yet my conscience tells mee that God hath more honour from him in one day than hee hath from mee in all my life surely there is no such great matter in the things of the world that God hath denied them him If there were any great matter in them certainly such as walk most humbly with God and most close with God should have them if they were absolutely good And indeed this is one great reason that Gods own dear servants should have so little of the world and others so much it is that hee might hold this forth to all the world that the things of this world have but little in them Fifthly And consider but the next Argument which follows upon this and is of a near kin to it That all the things of this world the pleasures profits honours they surely have no great matter in them for they are no more than may stand with Gods eternal hatred of his creature Now certainly those things that have no higher excellency in them than may stand with the eternal hatred of the Infinite