the creatures lye under ibid. Every creature hath 1. A specificall end 301. 2. An ultimate end ibid A wicked man hath no right unto the creature ibid. But he hath 1. A civil right ibid. 2. A providentiall right ibid. 3 A vindicative right 302. 4. A Creatures right as he is a creature ibid. But he hath no filiall right no son-like right in Christ ibid. Use To shew that wicked men have little cause to be merry at any time because there is nothing neare them but groaneth under them 303. All creatures groane to God for vengeance to be poured upon the wicked ibid. And these groanes are 1. Upbraiding groans 305. 2. Witnessing groans ibid. 3. Accusing groans 307. 4. Judging and condemning groanes ibid. Use For exhortation 1. To take heed how we do abuse the Creatures of God ibid. 2. Take heed of sinning against God by the Creatures ibid. 3. Take heed of setting thy heart upon the Creature ibid. 4. Use all the Creatures in humility and thankfulnesse 308. 5. Use the Creatures as so many Ladders to helpe thee to climb up towards heaven ibid. The Contents of the two and twentieth SERMON on John 2. 6. THE opening of the words in foure particulars 313. Doct. A true Christian walkes as Christ walked 314. A man must first bee in Christ before hee can walke as Christ walked Object Can any man walk as Christ walked 315. Answ None can walk as Christ walked in regard of equality but in regard of similitude they may ibid. The life of Christ should be the Example of our life ibid. Christ came into the world to redeeme us for our justification and to be an example of life unto us for our sanctification 316. This Question answered viz. What it is to Walke as Christ walked 317. Foure reasons of the point 1. Because as Christ came into the World to justifie the ungodly so he came to conforme them to his Image ibid. 2. Because in vain we are called Christians if we be not imitators of Christ and live as he lived 318. 3. Because all that are in Christ are Members of his body therefore they must have the same life and bee quickened by the same Spirit 319. 4 Because of that neer relation that is betwixt Christ and every one of his Members 320 Use 1. To shew that all men that live not the life of Christ do blaspheme the name of Christ 321. Of all sins under Heaven God cannot endure the sins of them that take the name of Christ upon them ibid. Doctr. Every Minister is bound to preach home to men in particulars 322. Reas 1. Particulars are most operative ibid. 2. Particulars are most distinct and most powerfull 324. 3 Particulars are most sensible ibid. Doctr. Every Minister is bound to preach so as to make a difference betwixt the pretioas and the vile 325. Reas 1. Because otherwise a Minister prophanes the holy things of God ibid. 2. Otherwise he cannot be the Minister of Christ 326. 3. Otherwise he is like to doe no good by his Ministery ibid. The Contents of the three and twentieth SERMON on John 3. 20. THe Context opened in foure particulars 1. What mans naturall estate and condition is without Christ 331. 2. Gods gracious provision for mans salvation ibid. 3. The condition required viz. Faith 332. 4. The reprobation of the world if they do not believe ibid. But Christ is neither the efficient nor deficient cause thereof ibid. But the cause of their damnation is from themselves proved 1. By their own conscience ibid. 2. By experience ibid 3. By reason 333. In the words are two parts 1. The wickeds rejection of the word of grace ibid. 2. The cause of that rejection ibid. viz 1. First from the qualification of their persons ibid. 2. From the disposition of their Nature ibid. Doctr. A wicked man hates the word of Gods grace yea grace it selfe ibid. This hatred is 1. An actuall hatred ibid. 2. It is a passion of the heart ibid. 3. It causeth the heart to rise up against an union with the word 334. This union of the word is set in opposition 1. To generall preaching ibid 2. To mercifull preaching 335. 3. To preaching when the minister is dead ibid. If the World doe not hatâ— a righteous man it is either 1. Because he is a great man 337. 2. Because he is a man of admirable wit and knowledge ibid. 3. Or because God gives him favour in the eyes of the world ibid. 4. This hatred causeth the heart to rise against that which is repugnant to its lust ibid. A wicked man may love three kinds of preaching 1. Eloquent preaching that savours more of humanity then of Divinity 2. Impertinent preaching ibid. 3. Now and then some preaching to satisfie the cravings of his Conscience ibid. Reason 1. A wicked man hates the word because he hates all truth even the very being of the word 339. 2. Because he hates the very nature of the word 340. Because he cannot endure the knowledge of the word ibid. All naturall men hate the word 1. Because no entreaties no beseeches can possibly reconcile them 341. 2. Because neither money nor price can make them friends ibid. 3. Because all the love in the World cannot unite them together 343. 4. Because neither the love of God nor the bloud of Christ will soder them together ibid. Every naturall man had rather be damned then leave his sinnes rather go to Hell then be a new creature 344. The Contents of the four and twentieth SERMON on Isaiah 42. 24. THe words contain five things 1. The Author of the destruction 350. 2. The causes of it ibid. 3. The judgement it self ibid. 3. The people on whom it was inflicted ibid. 5. The effects of it ibid. Doctrine 1. God is the Author of all judgements that befall a Nation 351. Use 1. For comfort to Gods children seeing God is the orderer of all events ibid. Use 2. For terrour to the wicked that God whom they hate shall be their judge ibid. Use 3. To learne in all calamities to look up unto God 352. Doctrine 2. Sinne and disobedience against the Law of God is that which brings down punishments and judgements upon a Nation Church or People ibid. Use 1. To discover the weaknesse of our Land in what a poor condition it is by reason of sinne 353. 2. To shew who be the greatest Traytors to a kingdom ibid. 3. To teach all of us to set hand and heart Prayer and tears on work against sinne ibid. Especially it concernes thâ—se that are in places of Authority 354. Doctrine 3. The Lord often times brings fearfull and unavoydable judgements and punishments upon his own professing people 335. Four signes of Judgement a coming 1. When the Ministers of God with one voyce foretell judgements to come 856. 2. When sins of all sorts do abound ibid. 3. When the Divell and wicked men cast in bones of dissention ibid. 4. When all mens hearts begin
not Christian neither will Christ own thee for his but will slay thee with curses as an enemy of his crosse and not as a follower of his death These mine enemies that will not that I should reigne over them saith Christ Luke 19. 27. Bring them hither and slay them before me Thou canst not look for a Saviour to have mercy on thee if thou wilt not be ruled as a Disciple of Christ but thou shalt be damned in the presence of Christ Slay them before me saith Christ Christ Jesus which is the Saviour of the World will damne thee and see thee confounded before his face he himselfe will see thee in hell thou mayest cry for mercy and for the blood of Christ yet if thou wilt not live as Christ lived but wilt rebel and sin against Christ Christ will see thee in hell and though he look on thee yet he will destroy thee without mercy If ever thou beest in Christ thou must walke as Christ walked thou must be a Christian like to that good Martyr who to all demands answered that he was a Christian When they asked him what his name was he answered it was Christian his thoughts were Christian his words and actions Christian his countrey his hopes his aime all that ever he did they could get nothing out of him but all was Christian and so he gave testimony to the Lord Jesus So I tell thee thou must be a Christian all over a Christian in thy thoughts in thy words a Christian in thy calling and in all thy imployments being swayed by the Gospell of Christ or else thou art not in Christ The third reason is taken from the essentiall or rather rather from the integrall union that is between Christ and all these that are in Christ they are all members of his most gracious body Ye are the body of Christ and members in particular 1 Cor. 12. 27. now we know that all the members have the same life and are quickened by the same soule the soule is whole in the whole body and whole in every member of the body so if Christ be our head we are his members and the christian life of Christ must be diffused thorough us so that one man cannot be a drunkard another a worldling another an Epicure another a swearer another a whoremaster another a lyar another a lukewarmeling another a mocker another a vaine-Jester another a man-pleaser and yet be a member of Christ All the members of Christ must have one life As in a mans body there be veines arteries and nerves that are the channels to convey life and motion and sense to every member that all the members may have the same life dispersed through the body So it is in the body of Christ every member of Christ hath faith for his veines to convey the same life and the same spirits and the same gratious motions to all the body that it is not now the member that lives but Christ that lives in it Gal 2. I live not saith the Apostle but Christ liveth in me As in the body it is not the eye that seeth if we speak proporly but the man that seeth with the eye it is not the ear that heareth but the man that heareth with the ear so in the body of Christ it is no more the man that speaketh but the truth of Christ speaking in him We have the minde of Christ saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 2. 16. if we be in Christ Christ thinkes in us Christ speakes in us Christ walkes in us Christ doth all in us As in the same body the soule rules and quickens every member The body of Christ cannot be a monster like those Locusts spoken of Revel 9. 7. that had shapes like horses heads as it were like crownes of gold and their faces like the faces of a man and had haire like women and teeth like Lyons this is a monster and not a simple body such a one cannot the body of Christ be a mocker for one member an ignorant sot for another an hypocrite for another a carnall gospeller for another a covetous worldling for another As in the body of a man every member in this mans body must be this mans member and not the member of another man As for example Peter must have Peters legs and not Simon Magus his legs Peter must have Peters eys not Alexanders eyes Peter must have Peters hands and not Judas hands you cannot take the eye of an Horse the leg of a Dog and the paw of a Beare and put them together and say here 's a man no this would be a monster every perfect body must have its own members So it is in the body of Christ every member in Christ his Body must have Christ his Members every member in a mans body acts with reason so every member of Christ acts with direction of Christ it is informed by Christ his minde is quickened by Christ his life so that a man cannot be a member of Christ but he must walke as Christ walked I know the best Christian may fall seven times a day though he be in Christ it doth not therefore follow that every particular action savours of Christ but as every member in the body lives the life of the whole body or else it is a dead member so thou must live the life of Christ or else thou canst never be saved You know that all the actions of a man are guided by reason yet there are some particular actions that he doth and not by reason as it may be he shakes his head or moves his hand and jogs his foote and considers not what he doth they are the actions of a reasonable man though not reasonable actions so there may be many actions that are the actions of Christians though not Christian actions The sinnes of the godly they are the actions of a Christian but they are not Christian actions there may bee stoppings in the body though the same life and quickening runnes through the whole body yet through the stopping of the liver and the pipes distempers and ill humours may be raised in the body so it may be in the body of Christ and so many a Christian may fall through infirmity but the course of a Christian the life of a Christian the ordinary trade of a Christian the walke of a Christian is to live with the same spirit that lived in Christ to walke in the same way that Christ walked in The last reason is taken from the neere relation that is to be betweene Christ and every member of Christ They are not onely the Servants and Disciples of Christ but they are the children of Christ by his begetting of them If all that are in Christ are the children of Christ they must needs walke as Christ walked Like begets the like Indeed a godly man may beget a wicked child a gracelesse sonne the reason is because he begets his sonne not as he is a godly man
beate but let them heare with Sampson that the Philistines are coming upon them that there is such a gaine such a profit and reputation to be had in the eyes of the world then all the Pinnes and Webbes are broken all their resolutions and all the strong coards of their former purposes are but as fire and towe they breake them all in pieces so then they are but asleepe not mortified Secondly Sinne may bee said to be civilized when it is laide in a swound a man lying in a swound is dead for a while and you would thinke he could hardly be recovered for he can neither heare nor see nor goe nor speake and yet notwithstanding he is not dead onely his vitall heate is gone from his outward members unto the inward powers of the heart Even so a mans sinnes seeme to bee dead when the spirit of his lust is conveighed into a higher lust as for example Suppose here is one that is a covetous worldling this man peradventure is very moderate and temperate he is not given to gaming dicing carding wenching he is not given to building or glorious apparell but what are these sinnes dead in him no but the strength of them is carried up into a higher lust for if he should follow whoring or gaming c. the lust of his covetousnesse would be curbed and his gaine would not come in with such a full Carreere unto him Now all these sinnes forenamed are but attendants and slaves unto this one lust so many men it may be will give over a thousand sinnes yea all except this one yet all those thousand sinnes are not mortified nay it may be hee scarcely thinkes upon any of them Why because they are taken up with a higher lust Even so it is with many civill formall professors they will come to Church misse never a Sermon that they can come unto they will talke of heaven they will not omit any holie communication they will reade the Scriptures pray in their families neglect no holy duties Why then what is their sinne It is not the omitting of these things but the carelesse practise of them in their lives and conversation for although these sinnes be in a swound the strength of them is gone up to maintaine a higher lust for suppose he went not to Church how should he maintaine his profession and if he could not now and then speake of heaven it were impossible he should have his depth of selfe-deceit therefore wee conclude these sinnes are not mortified they onely are civilized Thirdly Sinne may be said to be civilized when the sap of sinne is taken away and no contrary Grace infused as for example Suppose a man give over drunkennesse yet if this man be not filled with the Spirit his drunkennesse is not mortified though he live soberly afterwards all the dayes of his life Again suppose a man give over his intemperate anger he is not touchy nor cholericke nor subject to passion yet if he have not turned his anger against himselfe for every one of his corruptions which breake out against God his anger is not mortified Suppose a man is not given over to worldly griefe but hath given it over yet if his griefe be not turned another way as to grieve for his sinnes his griefe is not mortified Again suppose a man be not set upon a merry pinne ever jesting or telling forth merry tales but now he hath given them over yet if he have not set his joyes on the wayes of God and learned truly to be merry in the Lord it is impossible we can say his carnall mirth is mortified For as the schoole-men say 〈◊〉 there is nothing corrupted till another thing be produced there is no dissolution of wood until it be turned into ashes so sinne is never taken away nor utterly dissolved untill there be contrary grace brought into the heart in stead thereof so then unlesse there be contrary graces wrought in the heart as the contraries of all those sins foregoing they are but onely civilized and not mortified Fourthly Sinne may be said to be civilized when it is overwtharted by a higher principle as when a man is sensible of the wrath of God and hath the flashes of an accusing conscience flying daily into his face lying under the guilt of many horrible sinnes it is impossible for him to goe on with rest and quietnesse in those his unholy courses wherein he useth to walke he may forsake them for a while but yet he cannot mortifie them but as a schoole-boy that playes the trewant while he is under the rodde he will confesse his fault and promise to doe so no more and he verily thinketh so at that time and desires heartily so to doe but it is a desire that he is provoked unto for fear of the rodde and not for love of dutie for when once the rodde is gone and the smart over then he falls to his old trewanting courses againe So we reade in the first of Jonah that when the Marriners were in perill of their lives then every one of them could call upon his God but when the storme and danger was over they quickly left off and cared not for calling on God any longer Fifthly and lastly Sinne may be said to be civilized by Gods giving of positive common grace which he gives unto wicked men as in Mat. 25. God gave unto the unprofitable servant a whole talent which is supposed to be an hundred and sixty and odde pounds so the Lord gives unto wicked men many good graces as softnesse of disposition lovingnesse or easie to be intreated and hereupon they come to Church heare the word and performe many other Christian duties yet all these be but common graces which a man may have and yet his sinnes not mortified and therefore the Apostle saith Mortify your members c. Whence observe That if wee looke to have any benefit by or interest in Christ wee must mortifie all our sinnes and all our corruptions As if the Apostle had said make all your earthly members to be as a dead corpse now we knowin a dead corpse the eyes are there but they cannot see the feete are there also but they want strength for to goe it hath all the members but it hath not life and power to fet them on worke so though sinne be in you still yet let it be like a dead corpse wanting life like a dead Tyrant that can no longer rage and hence it is that the Apostle saith Let not sinne reigne in your mortall bodies he doth not say let it not be but let it not reigne Sinne when it is mortified is like a dead King that can call no more Parliaments but a man may doe for him what hee listeth because his strength lieth in the dust If Christ be in you saith the Apostle the body is dead because of sinne but the spirit is life for righteousnesse sake Rom. 8. 9 10. Againe if a man have not the
people have though they have nothing else it is the beggers dish as I may so call it A begger hath no way to live but by begging therefore he had need beg hard so we have nothing to live on but praying I mean nothing that is to be done on our side all the promises of God are to be gotten by prayer Suppose a man have nothing to live on but his fingers ends no house nor land nothing left to maintain his wife and children but his fingers ends will he not be toyling all the day he is a day-labourer as we use to say So to pray earnestly is a Christians fingers ends When a house stands but upon 〈…〉 will not a man be fearful and carefull of that pillar why 〈…〉 falls all the hope of salvatio◠〈…〉 unprofitable servants that Mercie will not meddle with us unlesse it be commanded Patience is loth to bear we have so provoked God that Mercie is loth to make or meddle with us for unlesse it have command from God it will not admit of any soul When David begged for loving kindnesse he was importunate else mercie and loving kindness would not look on David Psal 42. 8. Sixthly Prayer is Gods delight The supplication of the wicked is abomâ—ation to God but the prayer of the upright is his delight Prov. 15. 8. The Lord must have something to please him Kings you know must bâ—â—leased so the King of heaven would be pleased by all that come unto â—im Now nothing is more pleasing unto him than prayer Seventhly Importunate prayer is a willing praier There be many that pâ—â—y to God for mercy and yet they are loth to have it why because tâ—y are not importunate When a mans lust runs on the world and worldlâ— pleasures c he speeds not When the woman of Canaan was importunâ—â—e Christ saith unto her Woman be it unto thee as thou wilt she had a â—â—l to grace Matth. 15. 28. Eighthly Importunate prayer is the only faithfull prayer A begger never â—es away from a gentlemans door so long as he believes he shall have â—alms so as long as a soul is importunate with God it is a signe that it 〈…〉 a believing soul O woman saith Christ great is thy faith Why Because her importunity was great therefore Christ concludes her faith was â—â—eat The means to get importunity in prayer are these First Labour to know thine own misery See Ephes 6. 18 19 20. They â—ould not have praied importunately unlesse they had known how it had stood with Paul so unlesse thou know thy misery thou canst not be â—mportunate If a Drunkard or Whoremaster or Sabbath-breaker or Swearer c. knew that they should be damned they would get out of their sins Secondly You must be sensible of your misery Simon Magus knew his miserie yet because he was not sensible of it he sayes Pray ye to the Lord for me Acts 8. 24. If he had been sensible he would himselfe have fallen down before the congregation and he would have confessed how he had committed that sin in a more apprehensive manner Thirdly Observe the praiers of Gods people as here the disciples of Christ did they hearing Christ pray say unto him Master teach us to pray they were so affected with Christs prayer that they said Oh that we could pray thus Oh that we had such a spirit Master teach us to pray So I say consider Gods people how they pray they can pray as if they would soâ—re up to God in supplication they pray as if they world read the heavens If men did but consider this it would quicken them Fourthly Get a stock of prayer That man must needs be rich that hath a rock in every market So if a man have a stock of prayer it is a signe he is â—ke to speed as 1. Cor. 4. 2. If God did lend his ears to the Corinthian when they were crying for Paul then certainly Pauls prayers were importunate Fifthly If thou wilt be importunate labour to be full of good works Qui benè operatur benè erat as Acts 10. Cornelius his alms and prayers were come up to God now if he had committed drunkennesse that had ome up to God with his prayer therefore was it happy for Cornelius tâ—at he was full of good works so thou canst not be importunate unlesse thâ—u be full of good works take heed that swearing and lying c. crie no louder in Gods ears then thy prayers Sixthly If thou wilt be importunate in prayer labour to reform thy â—oushold When Jacob was to call on God he said to his houshold Put away your strange gods Gen. 35. THE SOVERAIGNE VERTUE OF THE GOSPEL In a SERMON By that laborious and faithful Messenger of CHRIST WILLIAM FENNER Sometimes Fellow of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge and late Minister of Rochford in Essex London Printed by E. T. for John Stafford THE SOVERAIGNE VERTUE OF THE GOSPEL PSAL. 147. 3. He healeth them that are broken in heart and bindeth up their wounds HEre are two things contained in this Text the Patients and the Physitian First the Patients the broken in heart Secondly the Physitian Christ it is he that healeth and bindeth up their wounds The Patients here are felt and discerned to have two wounds or maladies First brokenness in heart Secondly woundednesse He binds up such Brokennesse of heart presupposeth wholenesse of heart Wholenesse of heart is twofold either wholeness of heart in sin or wholenesse of heart from sin First wholenesse of heart from sin is when the heart it without sin and so the blessed Angels have whole hearts and so Adam and Eve and we in them before the fall had whole hearts Secondly wholenesse of heart in sin so the devils have whole hearts and all men since the fall from their conception til their conversion have whole hearts and these are they that our Saviour intends The whole need not a physitian but they that are sick The hearts that are whole need not the physitian but they that are broken and sick Sinne is in the godly and they are sick of it even as when poyson is in a man it makes him sick why because the poyson is contrary unto him But sinne is in the wicked and they are not sick of it as poyson is in a toad and the toad is not sick because a toad is of that nature which the poyson is and therefore he needs not a Physitian Will a Physitian go to cure a Toad surely no he will rather kill it he will not cure it So as long as a man is not sick at the heart of his sin Christ will rather kill him than cure him When a man sayes he is sick and yet can sleep eat drink and work and look as well as ever he did feels no pain nor any thing to trouble him what need hath this man of a Physitian So when a man lives in sin yet never breaks his sleep for it but minds his pleasures his
Spirit of Christ he is none of Christs now if Christ be in you the body is dead if you consider the body as it hath relation unto sinne Again if you live after the flesh you shall dye verse 13. as if he should have said if your flesh be alive in you if your pride live in you and if your infidelity live in you if your hardnesse of heart live in you if your wrath c live in you and if you walke after these you shall surely die he meaneth not a temporall death for so they must doe howsoever they live but his meaning is they shall die eternally but if you mortify the deedes of the body by the spirit you shall live so then it is plaine there is no life of Christ to bee had so long as you retain your sinnes and therefore sinne must bee mortified First because Christ is a Saviour and hence he is called Jesus Matth. 1. 21. for he shall save his people from their sinnes if therefore Christ doe not save thee from thy sins and if by the power of Christ thou mortifie not thy sinnes and give them a deadly blow assure thy selfe he will never be a Jesus unto thee It is true indeed Christ dyed for sinners but it was not to let them goe on in sinne and therefore if thou goe on in sinne it is for thy damnation and not for thy salvation for he will first save thee from thy sinnes or else he will never save thee from hell so then consider if thy sinnes bear sway in thee if they doe then know thou art delivered up unto the power of thy sinnes and to everlasting darknesse For Christ is the true Physitian of the soule and you know that the Physitian doth not bring a potion to put it unto deaths mouth to kill death and so to save the sicke person alive no but hee putteth it into the sicke mans mouth to kill the ill humours that are in his body that so hee might not fall into the hands of death so Christ came not to quench the flames of hell by his spirituall Physicke but to let his Physicke fall upon the heart and soule of man to save him from hell Therefore unlesse the bloud of Christ doe mortifie thy sinnes and crucifie thy lusts there is no hope ever to get Christ to save thee from hell and everlasting damnation This is a true saying saith the Apostle and worthy to be received that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners 1 Tim. 1. 15. This is a faithfull saying and wicked men like it well indeede For saith the drunkard I am a wicked man yet Christ came to save me The whoremonger saith I am an uncleane person yet Christ came to save me The swearer will say Christ came to save sinners and therefore I hope he will save me too No no Christ came to save sinners that is such as were sinners but now are none they have and doe repent Jesus Christ came to save sinners saith the Apostle whereof I am chiefe I was a blasphemer and a persecuter but now I am not Hence then is the faithfull saying Christ came to save sinners not still sinning No before Paul was injurious a persecuter and lived in ignorance and unbeleefe but now the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ was wonderfully abundant through Faith and love towards him so that the grace of God hath appeared to draw men out of blindnesse and ignorance therefore to say that Christ came to save such as live in their sins and will live in them as in sins of drunkeness prophaness or uncleaness is a rotten saying and this onely is the faithfull saying that Christ came into the world to save sinners in whom the power of sinne is broken therefore if ever we looke to have benefit or interest by Christ we must mortify our earthly members Secondly because it is impossible for sinne and grace to live and subsist in one subject it is impossible that they should ever stand together and be in a man at one and the same time it cannot be that one and the same creature can have the life of a swine and the life of a man for if he have the soule of a swine he cannot have the soul of a man for they are two contrary distinct lives and where the one is the other cannot be It is like hot water and cold if it be cold it cannot be hot if it be hot it cannot be cold Even so the life of sinne and the life of grace are two contraries and therefore they that walke in their sinnes walke contrary to God Now the Lord saith if you walke contrary to me I will walke contrary unto you Levit. 26. and two contraries we know cannot goe together He that walks in sinne walkes contrary unto God but he that goes on in the waies of grace he walks towards God Now it is impossible to walk towards Dover and towards London at one and the same time for every steppe he goeth forward to the one it carries him backward from the other so then if ever we will have the life of grace we must forsake our sinnes as it was with the house of Saul and David Sauls house grew weaker and Davids stronger so must it be with sin and grace as grace growes stronger so sinne must grow weaker as grace goes up so sinne must go down And as Saul told David he would not give him Michal his daughter to wife unlesse he brought unto him an hundred fore-skinnes of the Philistines Even so the Lord saith that he will not marry the Lord Jesus Christ unto any soule unlesse he bring the fore-skinne of every lust hee must circumcise the foreskinne of his pride of his covetousnesse of his prophanenesse this must bee the offering and condition of marriage unto Christ even the circumcision of the heart and the mortification of all the corruptions Thirdly because else it is impossible to enter into heaven if we mortify not our sinnes a man can never be capable of glory hereafter that doth not mortifie his sinnes here in this life Suppose a wicked man should enter into heaven it is impossible that he should delight in heaven if he were there You will thinke this a strange point but give me leave to explain it a little I say that a wicked man if he were in heaven he could finde no delight there As for example take a beast for so is every man by his own knowledge in regard of the life of grace as saith the Prophet Jeremy though a man take an Oxe or an Asse and bring him unto the Kings table and set before him all the delicates which appertain unto Kings let him have a dinner before him that cost an hundred pounds yet he had rather be in the fields among his fellowes eating grasse or set a Crowne of gold upon a beasts head he will not regard it but cast it off into the mire for