sin Rom. 7.8 Now this original corruption may be considered as meerly native or as acquired and improved into evil customes and habits for according to mens tempers and constitutions as they are severally disposed so by the corruption of nature they are inclined to one sin more than another as the chanel is cut so corrupt nature findes a vent and issue every man there in some predominant sin and in every regenerate person some reliques of that sin from whence is the greatest danger of his soul thus David speaks of his iniquity Psal 18.23 Well then this is that sin that doth easily boset us original sin improved into some tyranny or evil custome which doth increase and prevail upon us more and more Now this is said easily beset us for three reasons Partly because it hath a great power and restraint over us and implies the whole man the members the body the faculties of the soul so great an interest hath it acquired in our affections it doth easily beset us it hath great power and command over us Partly because it sticks so close that we cannot by our own strength lay it aside Jer. 13 23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the Leopard his sports c. A man can as soon change his skin as lay aside his customes that are so deeply engraven as the blackness of an Ethiopian or the spots of Leopard And partly because it mingles it self with all our motions and actions Rom. 7.21 c. It easily besets us 't is present with us it impels us and sollicits us and draws us to sin further and further and doth make us negligent in what is Gods we cannot do or speak any thing but it wil infest us in all our duties of Piety Charity Justice on every side it is interposing vexing thwarting the motions of the Spirit and so abates our strength vigour and agility and retards our course towards heaven and glory therefore lay aside as every Weight so every Sin c. Quest Now what is it to lay aside or how can we lay aside since sin sticks so close to us and is engraven in our natures Answ Certainly something may be done by us for this is every where pressed as our duty Ephes 4.22 Put off the old man and 1 Pet. 2.11 we may put it off more and more though we cannot lay it aside Then we are said to lay aside the sin that so easily besets us when we prevent and break the dominion of it that it shall not reign over us Rom 6 12. Let not sin reign c. Though it dwells in us lives in us and works in us yet it should not overcome us and bring us into bondage and so it will not be imputed to our condemnation and at length when then the soul shall be separated from the body we shall be wholy free from it Quest I but what must we do that we may so repress it the question returns that we may break the dominion of it Answ I answer this is the work of the Spirit of God but we must know the Spirit of God doth work the work of mortification two waies by Regeneration and after Regeneration By Regeneration and so he doth immediately without any co-opperation of ours mortifie the deeds of sin gives sin its death-wound that which is left is a thing mortified it broken The Scripture often speaks of this first work of Regenration Rom. 6.6 Colos 2.11 First when we are planted into Christ then we put off the body of sin and though it doth not presently die yet 't is weakned that it cannot reign though it be not destroyed 2. After Regeneration the Spirit doth more and more destroy sin the relqiues of sin this crucified body of sin till it dieth wholly away this he doth in us but not without us Rom. 8.13 Through the Spirit mortifie the deeds of the body Not the Spirit without us nor we without the Spirit but ye through the Spirit What is then required of us 1. Seriously purpose not to sin and promise to God to yeild him unfeigned obedience Especially should we make this promise in the use of those solemn Rites by which the Covenant between God and us is confirmed Take up a solemn purpose not to grive the Spirit nor to break his Law Psal 119.106 I have sworn and I will perform it that I will keep thy righteous judgements This purpose of heart is the root of all good actions therefore in the confidence of Gods help in the sense of thy own weakness Psal 119.32 we cannot lay wagers upon our own strength yet 't is our duty to engage our hearts to God To sin against the light of our own conscience and illumination of the Spirit and the chastening and instruction of our own reins that aggravates our sin but to sin against and besides our fixed purpose of not sinning that lightens sin for then 't is a sin of weakness and infirmity not of wilfulness and malice and then we can say as Paul Rom. 7.19 When the heart is fixedly bent towards God The evil which I would not that do I Two wayes may we be said to sin against purpose either when we are over-born besides our purpose or our purpose still remaines to please God As when the water breaks over the bank the bank remaining in such a case the fault is not in the bank but in the violence of the flood Or 2. when we break off our purpose or consent to do evil as when we cut thorow the band the water may easily make thorow Ther 's a great deal of difference between sin dwelling in us and sin entertained by us between sin remaining and sin reserved when you have a firm purpose against all sin there is sin remaining but 't is not reserved 't is not kept and allowed 2. Watch over thy self with a holy suspicion because thou hast sin within thee that doth easily beset thee therefore consider thy wayes Psal 119 59. Guard thy senses Job 31.1 but above all keep thy heart Prov. 4.23 Conscience must stand Porter at the door and examine what comes in aad what goes out watch over the strategems of Satan and seducing motions of thy own heart 3. Resist and oppose strongly against the first risings of the flesh and the tickling pleasing motions of sin that doth easily beset us when it doth entice us away from God or do any thing that is unseemly contrary unto the duties of our heavenly calling Oh remember we are not debtors to the flesh Rom. 8.20 Thou art tyed to the Lord by all obligations and indulgencies therefore break the force of sin by a serious resistance check it and let thy soul rise up in indignation against it my business is not to pleasure the flesh but to please the Lord. 4. B. wail thy involuntary lapses and falls with penitential tears as Peter went ouâ— and wept bitterly Mat. 26.57 Godly sorrow is of great use for laying
is the fruit of the Spirit and it is only God that is able to convey this peace to us And upon a particular account this Title is given to him by way of eminency and property as 1. He is alone able to allow and dispence this peace unto us for all our sins are injuries committed against him against the Crown and Dignity all the Arrests of Conscience are made in the Name of God and therefore 't is only he that can speak peace As in the civil state it is an Act of Supremacy to give a pardon only he that can condemn is able to speak pardon so it is our God that is our Judge provoked and incensed by us he hath a judicial power to cast Body and Soul into Hell fire is alone able to speak peace and pass a pardon for us in the Court of Heaven and this is experienced by a wounded spirit It is just with such a person as with a Malefactour who stands condemned at the Bar he cannot receive encouragement from any of his spectators till the Judge speak peace unto him So if an Angel from Heaven should come and speak to a wounded Spirit it were impossible unless God did order command and dispence it that the Spirit should receive any peace because our sins are immediately committed against him 2. He is alone able to reveal and discover it there is nothing harder in the World than to calm and quiet a disturbed Conscience it must be the same power that makes light to spring out of darkness that must cause a chearful serenity in a dark and disconsolate Soul I know there is nothing more easie than that false peace which is so universal in the world for the most amongst us cheat themselves with presumption instead of peace with God and security instead of peace with Conscience but that peace which is solid and true can only be revealed by God himself We have an instance of this in David Psal 51. although Nathan had told him from God Thy sin is pardoned yet notwithstanding he saith Make thou me to hear joy and gladness that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce He still addresses himself to God that he would cause him to hear the voice of pardon and reconciliation for his soul could not be quiet by the voice of the Prophet There is so much infidelity in the soul of a man that when he comes to take a view of his sins in all their bloody aggravations only the Spirit of God himself is able to allay the terrors of the Conscience And this he doth by an over-powering Light when he doth in an imperative and commanding manner silence all the doubts of the soul and restablish it in peace with God Certainly he that shall but consider the terrors the faintings the paleness of a wounded Conscience when you shall see a person dis-relish all the things of this World upon this account fearing lest God is his enemy when all discourses that are addressed to him are ineffectual and but like warm cloaths to a dead carkasse cannot inspire any heat into him This shews only God is able to reveal peace So Job If he hide his face who is able to be at peace There needs no other fury to compleat the misery of a man than his own accusing Conscience Conscience is a verier Devil than the Devil himself and able more to torment and lash the creature Therefore if that be once awakened 't is only God to whose Tribunal Conscience is liable which is able to speak peace to the soul Now you see in what respect this Title The God of Peace is attributed to him as he is the Author and Worker of it 2. As he loves and delights in peace This is that which is so pleasing to him that he adopts those into the Line of Heaven who are Peace-makers for they shall be called the children of God Mat. 5.6 This characterizes persons to be his Children to be allied to him God he only delights in the reflection of his own Image for those things that we admire in the World and delight in do not affect his heart He delights not in the strength of the Horse he takes no pleasure in the legs of a man the Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him in thâ—se that hope in his mercy Nothing attracts his eye and heart but his own similitude and resemblance and therefore where he sees peaceable dispositions that is that which endears the soul to him and makes it amiable in his eyes You may judge of his delight in peace by this It is that grace which in an especial manner prepares us for communion with him for we can never really honour or enjoy him unless we bring to him those dispositions which if I may so speak are in himself And therefore it is no wonder that those have little peace of Conscience who make so little Conscience of Peace You know when God appeared to Elijah he did not appear in the storm nor in the fire but in the small still voice and when Elisha was transported with anger he was fain to allay that passion by Musick that so he might be prepared for the holy motions of the Spirit he called for an Instrument and then the Spirit moved in him I bring it for this end to shew how God delights in Peace and he will only maintain communion with those that are of calm and peaceable spirits So much way as we give to anger so much proportionably do we let in the Devil and cast out the God of peace Now the reason why this Title is given to God is upon a double account partly with respect to the Bloud of the everlasting Covenant which made peace between God and us partly with respect to the Covenant it it self which is founded in that Bloud 1. In respect of the Bloud of the everlasting Covenant For it was the bloud of Christ that hath sprinkled Gods Throne and made peace in Heaven You shall read therefore when Christ came into the World 't is said Luke 2.14 that the Heavenly host appeared and sang Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace c. Since the fall God and man are enemies there is a reciprocal enmity between God and man God hates the creature as it is unholy and man hates God as he is just the avenger of sin the Author of the Law Now Christ was the Umpire that composed this difference he was God and man in one person and so being allyed to both he was a fit person to reconcile both He was as Job speaks a days-man between us He hath paid every farthing that was due for he did not compound with God but paid the utmost that was due to him He it is that hath reconciled us to God by the power of his spirit in changing and renewing our Natures and Creating in us those dispositions which are like to God so that his bloud is the foundation of
peace in the worlds power to give and there is a peace of Christs bestowing Now Christ would have us here not to mistake the worlds peace for his for the difference is very great for first the worlds peace is a false peace it is counterfeit coin it hath not the current stamp of Heaven on it but the peace that Christ gives to a Believer is true peace and perfect peace Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee Secondly The Worlds peace is an outward peace it is but skin deep it wets the mouth cannot wash the heart Prov. 14.13 In laughter the heart is sorrowful and the end of that mirth is heaviness The worlds peace is but the shell of peace their Conscience lowers when their countenance laughs but the peace that Christ gives is an inward and spiritual peace Psal 4.7 Thou hast put gladness in my heart more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased Thou hast put gladness in my heart Peace is that gladness or peace smooths the brow but this fills the breast as the finner hath trouble within in the midst of all his peace without In the world you shall have trouble but in me you shall have peace Thirdly The worlds peace has only a neather spring arising out of the Creature out of worldly comforts therefore it must needs be unclean for an unclean fountain cannot bring forth clean water But the peace of Christians has an upper spring it flows from the manifestation of the love of God in Christ it is from the sprinkling of Christs bloud on the conscience it flows upon the workings of Christs Spirit upon the Soul which is first a Counsellor then a Comforter Oh how pure must this peace be in a believers soul that flows from so pure a spring Fourthly The worlds peace is a peace given to sinners it is a peace in sin and it is a peace with sin as the Prophet Isaiah tell us It is a Covenant with Hell and an Agreement with Death God delivers us from that peace Again Christs peace is given to none but believers it is their priviledge onely a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy Prov. 14.10 The heart knoweth his own bitterness but a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy Fifthly The worlds peace is a fading dying transitory thing it withers in the Sand The tryumphing of the wicked is but short and the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment Job 20.5 Solomon doth elegantly liken it to crackling of thorns under a pot which is but a blaze and is gone Eccl. 7.6 so is the sinners peace it is for a spurt and is soon gone but the peace that Christ gives to Believers is a durable and abiding peace Your joy no man shall take from you it appears in life in death and after death first it is our peace in life grace brings forth present peace It is said of the Primitive Christians They walked in the fear of the Lord and in the comforts of the Holy Ghost Act. 9.41 It is a remarkable expression Psal 19.11 In keeping thy Commands there is great reward He don't say for keeping them which respects the end of the work but in keeping them which looks at the work it self My brethren every duty done in sincerity reflects a peace in conscience as every flower carries its own sweetness It is possible I grant a Believer may not always find and feel this peace few do some seldom find it few find it always the remains of corruption bringing forth to interrupt or temptations to hinder and Gods dissertion may darken and hide it and a Believer may seem to be totally lost yet in this condition which is the worst a child of God can be in he hath a double peace first a peace in the promises in this very condition and what you have in Bonds and Bills you account as good as money in your pockets Secondly he hath it in the seed Light is sown for the righteous and gladness for the upright in heart Psal 97.11 Grace is the seed of Peace which Christ hath sown in the furrows of the soul and therefore peace shall spring out of the furrows of the soul Indeed this seed springs up sooner in some than in others yet every Saint shall have a reaping time sooner or later Psal 126.6 He that goeth forth and weepeth bearing precious seed shall doubtless come again with rejoycing bringing his sheaves with him If he staies long for the fruit he shall have a greater crop at last if he reaps not now he shall be sure to reap hereafter Psal 37. Mark the perfect man and behold the upâ—iâ—â—t for the end of that man is peace Secondly by this peace which is the peace of a Child of God it is a peace at death Grace will Minister to us then and that Ministration shall be Peace the sinners peace leaves him when he comes to the grave though in life it fills him yet in death it leaves him A Believer hath a two-fold spring of peace the first is from above him the other from within him That spring that runs with peace above him is from the bloud of Christ sprinkled on his conscience the other that is from within him is from the sincerity of his heart in the ways of Obedience My Brethren when we lye on our death-beds and can reflect on our sincerity in all Gods ways this will be peace at last so it was in Hezekiah Isai 38.3 Remember now O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which was good in thy sight There 's nothing makes a death-bed so hard and so uneasie as a life spent in the service of sin and lust and nothing makes a death-bed so pleasant as a life spent in the service of Christ Grace will bring forth Peace if not in this life yet Thirdly it will be sure after death if time brings not this fruit to ripeness yet Eternity shall Grace in time will be Glory in Eternity Holiness now will be Happiness then whatever it is a man sows in this world that he reaps in the next world be not deceived God is not mocked for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap he that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption but he that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting Gal. 6.7 8. When Sin shall end in sorrow and misery Grace shall end in peace in joy in glory well done thou good and faithful servant enter into the joy of thy Master Mat. 25.21 Whoever shares in the Grace of Christ in this world shall be sure to share with the joy of Christ in the next world that joy is joy unspeakable full of glory I will wind up all in a three-fold Application by way of Exhortation to three sorts of persons 1. To such as have this Grace
healing spirit This Legacy I would leave with you as matter of great concernment Labour mightily for a healing spirit away with all discriminating names what-ever that may hinder the applying of Balm to heal our wounds labour for a healing spirit discord and division becomes no Christian For Wolves to worry the Lambs is no wonder but for one Lamb to worry another this is unnatural and monstrous God hath made his wrath to smoak against us for the divisions and heart-burnings that have been amongst us Labour for an oneness in love and affection with every one that is one with Christ let their forms be what they will that which wins most upon Christs heart should win most upon ours and that is his own grace and holiness The question should be What of the Father What of the Son What of the Spirit shines in this or that person and accordingly let your love and your affection run out this is the tenth Legacy Leg. 11. Be most in the spiritual exercises of Religion Improve this Legacy for much of the life and comfort joy and peace of your souls is wrapt in it I say be most in the spiritual exercises of Religion There are external exercises as hearing preaching praying and conference and there are the more spiritual exercises of Religion exercises of Grace Meditation Self-judging Self-tryal and Examination Bodily exercise will profit nothing if abstracted from those more spiritual The glory that God hath and the comfort and advantage that will redound to your souls is mostly from the spiritual exercises of Religion How rare is it to finde men in the work of Meditation of Tryal and Examination and bringing home of truths to their own Soul Leg. 12. Take no truths upon trust but all upon trial â— Thes 5.21 So 1 Joh. 4.1 Acts 17.11 It was the glory of that Church that they would not trust Paul himself Paul that had the advantage above all for external qualifications no not Paul himself Take no truth upon trust bring them to the balance of the Sanctuary if they will not hold water there reject them Leg. 13. The lesser and fewer opportunities and advantages you have in publick to better and enrich your Souls the more abundantly address your selves to God in private Mal. 3.16 17. Then they that feared the Lord spoke often one to another c. Leg. 14. Walk in those ways that are directly cross and contrary to the vain sinful and superstitious ways that men of a formal carnal luke-warm spirit walk in this is the great concernment of Christians But more of that by and by Leg. 15. Look upon all the things of this World as you will upon them when you come to die At what a poor rate do men look on the things of this world when they come to die What a low value do men set upon the pomp and glory of it Men may now put a mark upon them but then they will appear in their own colours Men would not venture the loss of such great things for them did they but look on them now as they will do at the last day Leg. 16. Never put off your Consciences with any plea or with any argument that you dare not stand by in the great day of your account It 's dreadful to consider how many in these dayes put off their conscience We did this and that for our families they would have else perished I have complied thus and wronged my conscience thus for this and that concernment Will a man stand by this argument when he comes before Jesus Christ at the last day Because of the Souls of men many plead this or that Christ doth not stand in need of indirect wayes to save Souls he hath ways enough to bring in Souls to himself Leg. 17. Eye more mind more and lay to heart more the Spiritual and Internal workings of God in your Souls than the External Providences of God in the World Beloved GOD looks that we should consider the operations of his hand and the despising the works of his hands is so provoking to him that he threatens them to lead them into Captivity for not considering of them But above all look to the work that God is carrying on in your Souls not a Soul but he is carrying on some work or other in it either blinding or enlightning bettering or worsâ—ing and therefore look to what God is doing in thy Soul All the motions of God within you are steps to eternity and every soul shall be bless'd or curss'd saved or lost to all eternity not according to outward dispensation but according to the inward operations of God in your Souls Observe what humbling work reforming work sanctifying work he is about in thy spirit what he is doing in that little world within If God should carry on never so glorious a work in the world as a Conquest of Nations to Christ what would it advantage thee if Sin Satan and the World should triumph in thy Soul and carry the day there Leg. 18. Look as well on the bright side as on the dark side of the Cloud on the bright side of Providence as well as on the dark side of Providence Beloved there is a great weakness amongst Christians they do so pore on the black side of Providence as that they have no heart to consider of the bright side If you look on this black side of the Providence of God to Joseph How terrible and amazing was it But if you look on the bright side his fourscore years reign How glorious was it If you look on the dark side of the Providence of God to David in his first years banishment much will arise to startle you but if you turn to the bright side his forty years reign in glory How amiable was it Look on the dark side of the Providence of God to Job Oh! how terrible was it in the first of Job but compare this with the last of Job where you have the bright side of the cloud and there God doubles all his mercies to him Consider the patience of Job and the end that the Lord made with him do not remember the beginning only for that was the dark side but turn to the end of him and there was his bright side Many sins many temptations and much affliction would be prevented by Christians looking on the bright side of Providence as well as on the dark Leg. 19. Keep up precious thoughts of God under the sowrest sharpest and severest Dispensations of God to you Psal 22.1 2. and 3. My God my God Why hast thou forsaken me Why art thou so far from helping me and from the words of my roaring O my God I cry in the day time but thou hearest not and in the night season and am not silent There was the Psalmist under smart dispensations but what precious thoughts hath he of God under all But thou art holy O thou that inhabitest the praise of Israel though I am thus
we may live with the God of Peace hereafter Mr. Bull of Newington-Green his Farewel Sermon in the Forenoon Joh. 14.16 And I will send the Father and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever THe Observation that I commended to you out of these words was this It is the great work for which the Spirit of Christ is given by God to comfort the hearts of his people You may remember that I have formerly opened the truth to you and have shewed you what this spiritual comfort is that the Spirit of Christ works in the hearts of his Disciples I gave it you in this Description It is that inward spiritual satisfaction that the heart of a gracious person finds in and through Jesus Christ in all the various dispensationâ— of God towards him whereby he is enabled to go on in chearfulness in the way that God would have him whether it be by a way of doing or of suffering And herein I shewed 1. The nature of the spiritual satisfaction 2. The Author of it It is God by his Spirit 3. The Object of it God through Jesus Christ 4. The proper subject of this inward spiritual comfort the people of God 5. And lastly The effects of the spiritual comfort it is to strengthen the heart both to do and to suffer I came the last time to shew you how the Spirit of God doth this 1. He doth it as an enlightning Spirit By shewing where comfort is to be had by opening the eyes of the understanding as he did Hagars bodily eyes to see the Well of Water 2. He doth it as a quickning Spirit bringing the Soul into that capacity to take in the comfort for what comfort can a dead man receiver a Cordial and Puddle is all one to a dead man 3. He works this inward spiritual satisfaction by discovering the truth of his vital Principle in the Soul for a man may have a principle of grace and spiritual life in him and not know it that though he has the spiritual comfort yet it is all one as if he had it not Now this is the great Question that is debated in the heart of a childe of God Whether he be regenerated and born again Whether he hath grace in his soul that grace that will qualifie him for glory and if he was satisfied as to this he would not be a moment without comfort But he is afraid that he is dead in sin that he is a stranger to the life of grace hence ariseth all the Spiritual troubles Now the Spirit of God comes in and resolves the case comes into the soul by his bright reflections and fills our souls with comfort Now we have received not the spirit of the World but the Spirit which is of God 4. The Spirit of God is a comforting Spirit as he openeth the vein of godly sorrow in the soul Truly this is the next way to spiritual comfort when a man can once spiritually mourn for sin Mat. 5.4 Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted Godly sorrow opens the vein and le ts out the matter that hinders comfort and causeth inward trouble in the soul A gracious man takes a great delight in godly sorrow Oh! it 's matter of marvellous comfort to a Child of God when he can kindly mourn for his sins 5. The Spirit of God comforts the soul as he is a mortyfying Spirit Thus he takes away that that is the ground and matter of Believers trouble mortifying that sin that is the cause of his sorrows pride unbelief inordinate love to the World 6. The Spirit of God works comfort in the hearts of his people by setting their own spirit to seek for comfort in Gods own wayes The last thing that I did for the explication of the Doctrine was to add some Propositions and they are such as these 1. Many a gracious heart that hath fellowship with the spirit of God in his sanctifying work may feel and find none in his comforting work The Sun may operate where it doth not shine A man may be in a state of Salvation when it doth not feel the joyes of Salvation Isa 51.3 You shall find those that fear the Lord and had the comforts of the Holy Ghost yet walked in darkness 2. Even those gracious souls that have the fellowship of the comforting spirit to day may want it to morrow This is not daily bread while the Saints are on this side Heaven The Solstice of a Christians comfort doth not last all the day long they are not feasted with this every day they have the night as well as the day there is a night as well as a day in the heart of a gracious soul as it is natural in the common course of nature the Sun may shine to day but it may be clouded to morrow Thus it was with that holy man Psal 30.7 Lord by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong thou didst hide thy face and I was troubled And God doth this in infinite wisdom to put a difference between Earth and Heaven this valley of tears and that state of Glory that so the hearts of Gods people may be kept in frame of longing after the state of Heaven God will have his people be groaning here that his people may groan after that condition when all sorrowing and sighing shall flee away God reserves perfect comfort to be the reward of perfect holiness while our graces are imperfect we must make account that our comfort will be so too Tears will be never wiped from our eyes till sin be quite taken out of our hearts 3. Those that have had this spiritual comfort in their Souls they may lose not only the impression of the Spirits comfort but they may feel the impression of Gods anger Haman complains That the wrath of God did bang upon him and that the terrors of God had out him off A gracious heart hath real grounds of Consolation though he hath not present sensible comforts A child of God hath always that that if he did see he could not be without comfort the Promises are his support he hath the first fruits of the Spirit and right to eternal life A Child of God shall always have so much to keep up his hopes and affiance upon God A Child of God in the darkest condition though he doth not see enough to make him rejoyce in God yet he sees enough to make him trust in God though he walk in darkness and see no light yet he trusts in God Job sayes Though the Lord slay him yet be would trust in him David was in great trouble while he was in that disquiet expostulation Why art thou cast down O my Soul and why art thou disquieted within me trust in God 5. Those that have inward comforts from the Spirit may at the same time have little comfort from Gods outward dispensations It may be dark without when it is light within
So that the Spirit of God is fain to come in and end the controversie before the soul will be satisfied 2. If it be the work of the Spirit of God to comfort the hearts of his people Then all the comfort of Christless and graceless souls is nothing worth there is no true peace for they are not the Disciples of Christ which are the proper subjects of this comfort they will not hearken to Christ nor learn of Christ but they cast his words behind their backs and break his bands asunder Those that do not learn Christs Precepts and follow Christs Canons and obey Christs Commands they are none of Christs Disciples aâ—d to be sure they have not the Spirit of Christ which is the Efficient in this comfort and without the root there cannot be the fruit for this inward peace is the fruit of the Spirit And therefore what comfort they have it is either a sinful comfort which to be sure will end in sorrow or else at best it is but a carnal comfort which will soon vanish like the crackling of thorns under a Pot There is no peace saith God to the wicked there is no peace with God as long as you are at peace wiâ—h sin 3. Here they are stumbled with the Riddle That the people of God should be sorrowing yet always rejoycing As sorrowing yet always rejoycing The carnal world think this to be a contradiction though they be troubled without yet they have peace within though they have maâ—ter of sorrow in respect of outward affliction yet they have fellowship with the Holy Ghost the comforter which gives peace in affliction joy in sorrow light in darkness which fills thee with joy unspeakable and full of glory Secondly If the Holy Ghost be the only Comforter of the hearts of Gods people then let me exhort every one of you to labour for an interest in this Comforter Friends I beseech you be restless till you have got some evidence of the Comforter in your souls by the inhabitation of the Spirit in your hearts without you have an interest in Christ there is no comfort no true comfort to be expected no comfort in prosperity no comfort in adversity no comfort in life nor in death no peace with your consciences Men may make a shift to keep themselves at quiet for the present by lulling conscience they may have a kind of peace from a false principle Ah but what will you do when storms arise what will you do when death and affliction comes Jonas lay quietly asleep till the storm came O my friends we must shortly lye a dying the Lord knows how soon O what will you do for comfort in a dying hour all other comforts may forsake you and before that time you may meet with sorrow and heavy afflictions so that all your friends in the world will not do you good your friends may fail your hearts may fail and then no comfort but the comfort of the Holy Ghost will do you good the time may come that all your friends may prove miserable comforters when God comes to deal with the soul to set sin home upon the conscience to lay sin before us then what will you do We are all guilty of sins of omission and sins of commission when these come to be charged upon the soul what will you then do then no plaister of comfort will stick but those of the Spirits laying on unless the Spirit seal up the pardon of sin the love of God to the soul nothing will quiet and comfort the soul however men may be merry for a time yet there is a time of sorrow that will come when they shall reflect upon their ways when they shall see nothing but sin behind them and terrours before them Oh! what amazement will seize upon their souls they have no interest in God in Christ they have no interest in the Promises there is nothing that will comfort you unless you have an interest in the Spirit But then what shall I do that I may get this comforting Spirit into my soul First Thirst earnestly after it The Promise is made to those that thirst after it Isa 44.3 Thirst after him in his convincings in his humblings in his sanctifying mercy Oh let the desire and longing of thy soul run out this way no matter for an Estate no matter for Friends and outward comforts if thou hast the Spirit of God thou hast that that is paramount to all outward comforts Secondly Pray earnestly for the Spirit You are not so willing to giâ—â— your children that they want as God is to give his Spirit to them that ask it Cry mightily Lord give me thy Spirit and cry to the Spirit and say as Laban to Abicam Come in so pray the Spirit to come in to thy Soul Thirdly If you would have this Comforter to come and abide with you You must resolve to become Christs Disciple It is only for such that Christs prays that God would send the Comforter You must hearken and obey him and follow him wheresoever he goeth You know the terms upon which you must be Christs Disciple Mat. 16.24 He must deny himself and take up his Cross and daily follow Christ He must deny himself There is two selfs in a man nay three selfs and they must de denied but however the first two must be denied if you intend to be Christs Disciple 1. A mans righteous self If any thing that we are that we have or can do from our works or duties any thing of our own all must be denied in point of Justification 2. Sinful self A mans corruptions must be denied pride passion and love to the world 3. Natural self Friends estates relations credit and honour and outward comforts these may be denied you may be called to part with them but if they come in competition with Christ they must be denied 2. You must take up the Cross of Christ rather than forsake his honor or disobey his commands You must resolve to follow Christ wheresoever he shall lead you either in a way of active or passive obedience you must take up Christs load you must undergo his burden Now Christians are you resolved upon this now sit down and consider what it will cost you to be Christians and if you would have the best you must be contented with the worst and if you are resolved upon this then you are the true Disciples of Christ and you are under the promise of his comfort and Christ is praying the Father to send you another Comforter who shall abide with you for ever 2. Vse of Exhortation 2. Vse Is of Exhortation wherein I shall apply my self to the true Disciples of Christ those that have had communion with Christ in his sanctifying Presence labour after communion with him in his comforting Presence To all others that are without the Spirit of God I may say as Jehu to Jehoram What hast thou to do with these things Labour to be
another and if he hath it not from the Spirit of God he will seek it some other way if he hath not comfort from the Spirit of God he will seek some sparks of his own kindling rather than they will sit in darkness without comfort they will light their candle at the Devil's fire And as he delivereth from temptation on the right so he delivereth from temptation on the left hand he that is filled with the comforts of the Holy Ghost what are sufferings to such a man he hath that within will carry him through all danger here is that comfort and that life by Christ which may ease us in our greatest crosses this will make a child of God speak of the sufferings of this world as a light matter Our light affliction which is but for a moment shall work out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory They took joyfully the spoiling of their goods because in Heaven they had a better and more enduring substance Heb. 11.35 Some were tortured receiving no deliverance because in Heaven they had a better substance Oh if you would be kept from the snares of the World let your comforts be above the power and danger of temptation from any thing here below 3. By way of Direction How shall we have communion and aâ—t fâ—ith upon the Holy Ghost as your Comforter the Holy Ghost is designed and appointed by God the Father to this Office now you know none love to be slighted in their Office and if we do not act faith upon the Holy Ghost we slight his Office therefore we should have recourse to him in a way of believing as we should act faith upon Christ for the pardon of sin so we should act faith upon the holy Ghost for a sense of that pardon 2. Go often to Jesus Christ and beg him and beseech him to entreat the Father for you Go to God the Father in the name of Christ and beg it upon the account of Christs Prayer and Intercession that he would send the Comforter and you have a good argument to enforce the Petition the very same as the Disciples That Christ would when he went away Pray the Father and he should send you another Comforter Christ tells them that some there were that would kill them and in so doing think they did God good service therefore Christ in compassion to them in the state that he left them in prays the Father that he would send the Comforter So now we must go to God those Ministers that were wont to comfort us are now to be taken from us our Barnabas's sons of consolation their mouths are to be stopped though Ordinances are now to be damned up the Houses of God made places of defilement our Teachers are removed into corners our Troubles encrease and we have none to tell us how long the light of our eyes the comfort of our hearts in respect of outward means are going from us whither shall we go we want Bread for our Souls we want cordials for our Hearts Blessed Saviour pity us and since thou wilt not come to us in thy own presence as thy Embassadors to come to us by thy Spirit do now in Heaven as thou didst on earth Pray the Father for us do not leave us so many Orphans without Father or Mother but send thy Spirit to refresh our Souls See how we are hated and reviled and we must suffer these things now Let us have thy Spirit 3. If you would have communion with the Spirit of Christ in his comforting work Take heed you do not lay up your comforts in the Creature this is to seek for the living among the dead those that rejoyce in the Creature rejoyce in a thing of nought and you that have an interest in God God will not take it at your hands if you seek it any where else no not in Ordinances though God would have you to seek comfort in Ordinances yet he would not have you to seek comfort from Ordinances 4. Set down and be much in duty Psal 63.5 6. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips when I remember thee upon my hed and meditate on thee in the night-watches If you look at the beginning of the Psalm you shall finde that this Psalm was penned when David was deprived of the Ordinances of God Many a man complains that he lives uncomfortably no wonder when he little thinks on Christ 5. Be much in the exercise of grace Then they that walked in the fear of the Lord when they walked in the comfort of the Holy Ghost 6. Take heed of quenching and grieving the Spirit your Comforter by neglecting his motions or by acting any thing against the minde of the Spirit Do not sin against him as your enlightning Spirit that will hinder him as your Comforter I close with a word of comfort to the people of God If it be one of the great works of the Spirit of God here is matter of great comfort to those that stick close to Jesus Christ Sure your comforts will be satisfying comforts and sufficient because they are comforts of the Spirits working The Lord Jesus hath promised to make up the want of his bodily presence by sending his Spirit He was now going from them and tells them That he could not stay and this was sad news to the Disciples who were ready to break their hearts and the best comfort that he could afford them was to tell them That he would send the Comforter If Christ can comfort his people in the absence of himself surely he can comfort them in the want of all other comfort that relate either to soul or body and so in the want of mercies in the want of outward Ordinances he can comfort the soul It is the Spirit of God that can comfort in the use of these and if he will he can do it in the want of them he can comfort us in the wilderness where no water is when he doth deny the means he can comfort us without where he denies us the stream he can make us drink at the Fountain 7. And lastly The people of God find hereby that their comforts are abiding Your liberty your friends ah Ordinances of and Ministers may be taken from you your Ministers may be banished your Ministers may be imprisoned but here is a Comforter that abides for ever And though they may keep your Ministers out of the Pulpit yet they shall not take the Comforter out of your hearts So that when I shall not preach any more to you I shall pray the Father that he would send you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever Mr. Bull of Newington-Green his Farewel Sermon in the After-noon Acts 20.32 And now Brethren I commend you to God and to the Word of his Grace which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among them that are
faithful laborious Ministers and People I say the abounding of these and such like abominations is a very sad evidence that there are very few that have God for their Heavenly Father in this special and peculiar manner and that are his children by Adoption and Regeneration Lastly wouldest thou know whether God be thy Father and thou his child by this whether thou art couragious in the ways of God and in the practice of Godliness they that have God for their heavenly Father they have a noble and Heroick spirit they are such as will not be ashamed nor afraid to lead a holy life notwithstanding all the mocks and taunts and threats of the world they that are of a base timerous spirit that are afraid of owning the ways of holiness for fear of being reproached reviled or opposed by the prophane world they that are afraid to cleave to the wayes and people of God in discouraging times they are not of the right strain say not then that thou art born of God unless thou canst prove thy noble extraction by thy noble and heroick courage resolution notwithstanding all the trouble calamity persecution thou maist meet with in the world Thus much for Examination 4. Vse for Exhortation Fourthly Is it so c. Then here is a word of Exhortation First Unto those that are Unregenerate that have not God for their Father in this peculiar manner and that is that they would never be in rest till they come to be united unto Jesus Christ and to have him to be their Father by Regeneration it is a sad thing to be void of this when we cannot go to God as to a Father and cannot expect any thing from him as from a Father Oh! how little do thousands think of this whether they are the Children of God and have God for their Father or no they care not for it they make not out after it Or take it for granted when they have no true and real ground so to do Oh! then labour to get into this state of Son-ship close with Jesus Christ by a lively operative heart-purifying faith that thou maist thereby be invested into Gods family and become his Child consider that before thou art thus by faith ingrafted into Christ thou hast woful Parents thou art a child of disobedience Ephes 2.2 A child of wrath Verse 3. A child of Satan John 8.44 Secondly Here is a word of Counsel and Exhortation to the Godly that are the Children of God by Adoption and Regeneration First To those m◠first councel is that you would make it your greatest care and diligence to please your Heavenly Father and have a care of sinning against him consider that the sins of Gods Children are very grievous to him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 said Caesar to his son Brutus when he saw him among his betrayers What and thou my son so will God say to his children when they grieve him by sin what and thou my son my child one whom I have Adopted my Heir what will you sin against me I thought you had had more love have I loved you so much and do you love me so little hath my spirit comforted you and will you grieve it have my bowels yearned towards you and will you kick against them have I been crucified for you and will you crucifie me again afresh by your sins The nearer the Relation is that the soul beareth to God the greater is the aggravation of the sin against God Secondly Labour to shew forth your noble extraction by your noble and raised affections it is beneath the son of a Prince to be taken up with trifles it is beneath one that is heir to a Kingdom to set his affections upon low and base things things of nought So it is beneath the Children of the great King of Kings and Lord of Lords to let their affections run out inordinately after the world and the enjoyments thereof they are born from above and therefore should set their affections upon things above and not on things on earth Colos 3.2 What an unsutable thing is it for a Christian to be taken up with the inordinate love of the world it is a Degradation to the heirs of Heaven to have their minds taken up only or mostly with Earth and earthly Vanities they are ad majora nati born to greater things it is unbecoming such to soil their affections with Earth which are born to an inheritance incorruptible which fadeth not away Oh that the children of God and such as do profess themselves so to be would manifest their holy and heavenly extraction by their holy and heavenly affections and that such as are the Sons and Daughters of God by Adoption and Sanctification would not walk so far beneath that Relation Thirdly Labor to imitate your heavenly Father Be you followers of God as dear Children Ephes 5.1 Be ye mercifull as your heavenly Father is merciful be ye holy as he is holy be ye compassionate as he is in all things labor to imitate your Heavenly Father it is a Christians honor to be like God and to imitate him Fourthly Labour more and more to obey your heavenly Father our natural Parents may require obedience of us and it is our duty to give it them much more may him that is the Father of spirits require it of us and it is much more our duty to give it him Walk as obedient Children 1 Pet. 1.14 Yea you must obey him chearfully too The obedience of Children is herein differenced from the obedience of slaves in that slaves are drawn to their duty out of a slavish fear but children come to it willingly out of a fillial affection Oh therefore let your obedience to God be chearful and voluntary Take delight to do the will of your heavenly Father Lastly Submit to your heavenly Fathers chastisements this is the Exhortation of the Apostle to the Hebrews Heb. 12.5 6 7. My Son despise not thou the chastening of the Lord nor faint when thou art rebuked of him For whom the Lord loveth be chasteneth and scourgeth every Son he receiveth If ye endure chastening God dealeth with you as with Sons for what Son is he whom the Father chasteneth not But if ye are without chastisement whereof all are partakers then are ye Bollards and not Sons Let us not then murmur and faint under our afflictions and chastisements but let us submit to them and labour to grow the better for them Thus much for the first Observation That God is a believers heavenly Father the other observation that I proposed to insist upon from this Text was the last of the five mentioned in the beginning and it contains the chief sum and scope of the whole verse and is most suitable to our Times and to this Occasion you may remember was this Doct. That the consideration of a Believers interest into the Kingdom of Heaven should make him chearful and couragious in the practise of holiness and
great strait 8. Take heed of mis-using the Prophets of God this made God destroy the children of Israel without remedy 2 Chron. 36.15 16. 9. Take heed of coming prophanely to the Lords Table this brought the Church of Corinth into a great distress insomuch as the Apostle saith For this cause many among you are sick and many weak and many fallen a sleep 10. Take heed of loathing the Manna of your souls this brought the children of Israel into woful misery that God destroyed all their carkasses in the wilderness save Joshua and Caleb Take heed of slighting the Gospel this brought Queen Maries persecution as many godly and learned men that fled for Religions sake out of the Land have confessed their thankfulness for and unfruitfulness under the Gospel in King Edward the sixths time brought the persecution in Queen Maries time 11. Take heed of losing your first love that makes God threaten to take away his Candlestick 12. Take heed of prophaning the Christian Sabbath which is much prophaned every where a day that Christ by his resurrection from the dead hath consecrated to be kept holy to God Certainly if the Jewes were so severely punished for breaking the Sabbath which was set a part in memory of the Creation surely God will severely punish those that break the Sabbath set a part in memory of Christs Resurrection May be same will say I have committed many of these sins but am not brought into any strait Remember it was nine moneths after David had numbred the people before he was in this strait but as sure as God is in Heaven sin will bring straits sooner or latter though one sin a hundred years yet shall he be accursed may be thy prosperity makes way for thy damnation and this is thy greatest distress that thou goest on in sin and prosperity Vse 3. If sin bringeth a Nation into marvellous labyrinths learn what great cause we have to fear that God shall bring this Nation into great distress because of the great abominations are committed in the midst of it Our King and Sovereign was in a great strait in the dayes of his banishment but God hath delivered him God hath delivered this Nation out of great straits but alas we requite God evil for good and in stead of repenting of old sins we commit new sins I am told there are new Oaths invented Oaths not fit to be named in any place much less here Certainly the drunkenness and adultery the oppression and injustice the bribery and Sabbath-breaking the vain and wicked swearing and forswearing this Nation is guilty of must of necessity provoke God to say of us as he did of them in Jer. 15.29 Shall I not visit for these things saith the Lord shall not my Soul be avenged on such a Nation as this God will not only punish us but be avenged on us There is no way to avoid a National Desolation but by a National Reformation Lastly Learn what cause you of this Congregation and Parish what cause you have to expect that God should bring you into great straits because of your great unthankfulness and unfruitfulness under the means of Grace you that have so long enjoyed the Gospel you have had the Gospel in this place in great abundance Dr. Taylor he served an Apprenticeship in this place Dr. Stoughton served another Apprenticeship and I through Divine Mercy have served three Apprenticeships and half another almost among you you have had the Spirit of God seven and thirty years in the faithful Ministry of the Word knocking at the door of your hearts but many of you have hardned your hearts Are there not some of you I only put the question that begin to loath the Manna of your Souls and to look back towards Egypt again Are there not some of you have itching ears and would fain have Preachers that would feed you with dainty phrases and begin not to care for a Minister that unrips your Consciences speaks to your hearts and souls and would force you into Heaven by frighting you out of your sins Are there not some of you that by often hearing Sermons are become Sermon-proof that know how to sleep and scoff away Sermons I would be glad to say there are but few such but the Lord knoweth there are too too many that by long preaching get little good by preaching insomuch that I have often said it and say it now again there is hardly any way to raise the price of the Gospel-Ministry but by the want of it And that I may flatter not you you have not profited under the means you have enjoyed therefore you may justly expect God may bring you into a strait and take away the Gospel from you God may justly take away your Ministers by death or other ways Have you not lost your first love Why did God take away the Gospel from the Church of Ephesus but because they lost their first love Are you not like the Church of Loadicea that was neither hot nor cold therefore God may justly spew you out of his mouth what God will do with you I know not a few weeks will determine God can make a great change in a little time we leave all to God but in the mean time let me commend one Text of Scripture to you Jer. 13.16 Give glory to the Lord your God before he cause darkness and before your feet stumble upon the dark Mountains and while ye look for light he turn it into the shadow of death and make it gross darkness Verse 17. But if you will not hear it my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride and mine eyes shall weep sore and run down with tears because the Lords flock is carried away captive Give glory to God by confessing and repenting of your sins by humbling your souls before the Lord before darkness come and who knoweth but this may prevent darkness Dr. Manton's Sermon Hebrews 12.1 Wherefore seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of Witnesses let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us and let us run with patience the race that is set before us IN the former Chapter you have a spiritual Chronicle or a Catalogue of the Lords Worthies and all the eminent effects of their Faith and now the Apostle comes to make use of this History that he had produced through so many successions of Ages of all the holy men of God that excelled in Faith Wherefore seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of Witnesses c. The Text is wholly Hortatory In it observe 1. The Premisses or principle the Apostle worketh upon seeing we are compassed about with c. 2. The practical Inferences which are deduced from thence and they are two 1. One concerning the private part of our duty Let us lay aside every weight c. there is something external and without like to clog us in our way to Heaven every weight
accomplished in your brethren that are in the world So that we have many fellows our lot is no harder than the Saints of God that have gone before us for there is a Cloud of Witnesses 3. Observe the Apostle calls it a Cloud that compasses us round about i.e. We have instances for every Tryal Temptation Duty that we are put upon Here we have examples of those that have fulfilled the commands of Christ on this side with an undaunted courage and the examples of those that have born the Cross of Christ with an invincible patience here we have examples of those that have conquered right-hand temptations that have despised the delights of the world and there are those that have conquered left-hand temptations that have not been broken and affrighted with the terrors of the world all the Saints of God have trodden that way the same paths wherein we are to walk after them we cannot look this way or that way but we have instances of Faith confidence in God and patience we are compassed about c. In short here lies the encouragement that Christians should propound to themselves 1. That there are examples Christians of latter times have more to answer for their infidelity than those of former Ages they that first believed the promises believed without such a cloud of witnesses or multitude of examples many have gone before us that have broken the Ice and that found good success from their own experience they have commended God to us as a true and faithful God and will not you go on When Jonathan and his Armour-bearer climbed up the Rocks of the Philistins then the people were encouraged to go up after so here are some that have gone before you and it hath succeeded well with them 2. These examples are many not one or two that might be supposed to be singularly assisted and to have eminent Prerogatives above the rest of their brethren but many in every Age a whole cloud of them 3. There are examples of many rare and excellent men the best that ever lived under Heaven Take my brethren the Prophets for an example c. Jam. 5.10 4. They are propounded to us not for their words only and for their profession but for their deeds for their bitter sufferings and they abundantly manifest to us that there is nothing impossible in our duty or any thing so difficult but may be overcome through Christs strength enabling us They all had the same nature we have they were of the like passion with us flesh and blâ—od as we are of the same relations and concernments and then on the other side we have the same cause with them the same recompence of reward to encourage us the same God and Saviour to recompence us he suffered for us as well as for them therefore we should follow in their steps and hold fast our confidence to the end for they have shewed us that poverty reproaches death it self and all those things that would look harsh and with a ghastly aspect upon the eyes of the world are not such evils but that a Believer may rejoyce in them and triumph over them I say they have shewed the blandishments of the world have not such a charm but they may be renounced without any loss of considerable joy and contentment and that the duties of Christianity are not so hard but that a little waiting upon God will bring in grace enough to perform them therefore saith the Apostle Seeing we have a cloud of witnesses let us lay aside c. And so I come to the Encouragement to the Second thing and that is the duty here pressed 1. Here is the privative 2. The positive part of our duty Here is Mortification and Vivification Mortification Let us lay aside c. Vivification Let us run with patience c. In both the branches he alludes to terms proper to Races In a Race you know men strip themselves of their cloaths and whatever is burdensome and heavy that they may be the more light of foot and so the Apostle bids us lay aside every weight and they do withal diet themselves that they might have no clog from within 1 Cor. 9.25 Every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things i.e. They took care that they did not clog and indispose themselves for the race they were to run but they verily run only for a corruptible Crown we for a Crown that is incorruptible and glorious so according to this double practice of Races we are to cast aside every weight from without c. So here 's a double object laâ—ing aside every weight and of sin There 's onus externum the weight without that presses us down and hinders our speed and then there 's impedimentum internum there 's sin that which weakens within by reason of the former we make little speed by reason of the latter we are often interrupted and therefore we must do as they that they might be swift and expedite lay aside ever weight and be more temperate in â—lâ— things Herein a Runner in a Race differs from a Traveller a Traveller strengthens himself for his Journey as well as he can his cloaths on sometimes carries a great burden with him but a Runner of a Race makes himself as light as he can But to come more particularly to the words First lay aside every weight By weight is meant those things that burden the soul and make our heavenly progress more tedious and cumbersome and by weight is meant I think the delights and cares of the world the multitude of secular business all our earthly contentments and affairs so far as they are a burden to us hinder us in our way to heaven these must all be put off Luke 21.3 4. saith Christ Take heed to your selves lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness and cares of this life c. The heart that is deprest cannot be so free for God and the Offices of our heavenly Calling when we give way to surfeiting drunkenness and cares of this world 1. The heart may be overcharged with the delights of the World Surfeiting and Drunkenness must not be taken in the gross notion you must not think of spewing reeling vomiting as if to avoid these were a full compliance with Christs direction the heart may be over-charged when the stomack is not there is a dry drunkenness and a more refined surfeiting and that is when the heart grows heavy unfit for Prayer relishes not the things of the Spirit when the delights of the Flesh clog the wheel abate that vigour and chearfulness that we should shew forth in the worship of God and holy Actions when the delights of the flesh withdraw us from that watchfulness and diligence that is necessary in taking care for our souls then the heart is overcharged voluptuous living is a great sin it choaks the seed of Piety so soon as planted in the heart so that
honour in the World they shall be sure of this that abundance of peace and joy and comfort shall possess their souls that keep their garments White they shall walk in the inward White of joy and peace with Jesus Christ and this is a blessed reward Indeed now this joy this White of joy arises in the Soul three wayes 1. From the testimony of their own Consciences O they who have a good testimony from their own consciences walk in White 2 Cor. 1.12 We have this for our rejoycing the testimony of our consciences that in all simplicity and godly sincerity we have our conversation in Heaven that is walking in White this is our rejoycing our conscience speaks well of us and kindly to us and who is able to express the sweetness of this thing None can know what this is but they that have it as it is said of the New Name written upon the White Stone Rev. 2.17 'T is a thing beyond expression what the joy and peace of a good Conscience is Now this I say that our White garments and our walking in White ariseth from the testimony of our Consciences 2. As from the testimony of our Consciences so from that testimony which is greater than our Consciences the Spirit shedding abroad of Divine Love thus it is with those that do not defile their garments but endure any thing rather than defile their garments Rom. 5.3 4 5. And not only so but we glory in tribulations knowing tribulations worketh patience and patience experience and experience hope and hope maketh not ashamed and whence was all this because of the Holy Ghost which was given to us this causeth joy unspeakable The Spirit it self beareth witness with our spirits that we are the Children of God This witness doth cause wonderful joy much more than the witness of our own Consciences 3. This joy doth arise from a well-grounded hope which that soul hath that keeps himself clean hope of enjoying Heaven at last hope of future glory is our present joy Rom. 5.2 By whom also we have access by faith into his grace even we stand and rejoyce in hope of the glory of God Now they who keep their garments white have good ground of hope of the love of God therefore this must needs cause them to walk comfortably as they who have this hope purifie themselves so they who purifie themselves have good ground of their hope and therein great cause to rejoyce 1 Pet. 1.5 6. Who are kept by the power of God through Faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last times wherein ye greatly rejoyce though now for a season if need be ye are in heaviness through many temptations We walk in white in hope we have of that inheritance now lay these three things together If they who keep their Garments undefiled have the testimony of their own consciences and the testimony of the Spirit shedding the love of God in their hearts and a well-grounded hope of future glory how can it be but these must walk in white with Jesus Christ that is in comfort and joy of the Spirit and of their own spirits Thus David walked he had abundance of joy upon his conscience of his own integrity and of keeping his heart and hands clean from those iniquities his enemies charged him with Psal 3. The Lord shall judge his people Judge me O Lord according to my righteousness and according to mine integrity that is in me He appeals to the Lord the Lord shall judge his people Judge me O Lord according to my righteousness Thus he appeals to God himself he had so much confidence and his heart gave him he kept himself from those sins So Job walkt in white though his friends black't him exceedingly yet he walkt in white in his conscience Job 16.10 Behold my witness is in Heaven and my record is on high I have not only a witness in my conscience but my witness is above He walkt in white notwithstanding all his afflictions from God and his friends Hezekiah walkt in this white when death looked him in the face Lord thou knowest I have walkt uprightly with thee I need not stay in the proof of the thing let me make some Use and Improvement of it Vse Is this blessed reward to those who keep their garments white to walk in the white of peace and joy then here we see the happiness of all those who are true to Christ and his ways Psal 119.1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in the Law of the Lord. 'T is just in the language of the Text they indeed shall walk in white it is a great part of our blessedness to have peace of conscience and inward joy Oh how much better is it than the peace and joy of this world and the comforts of this world Prov. 15.13 A merry heart or as another translation saith A good conscience and indeed a merry heart and a good conscience do but one explain the other a merry heart or a good conscience is a continual feast Here is no surfeiting in this feast but a continual musick continual joy and comfort Oh how blessed are they who are undefiled in the way That which Christ said of the Lilly Solomon in all his Glory was not arrayed like one of these so may I say of the Lilly-white soul that keeps himself white in the world who keeps himself white in matter of practice and worship Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these Lilly-white ones Oh the Rivers of Consolations that flows to them that keep themselves out of the puddles of the world if you keep your selves from the puddles of the world from the dung of the world ye shall have rivers of joy flowing into your souls I may say to all such as Solomon saith Eccles 11.9 Go thy way it is a familiar speaking to them Go thy way blessed soul eat thy bread with joy though the world feed thee with the bread of adversity and though the world give thee nothing but the water of affliction yet let thy Garments be always White though the World cloath thee in mourning and cause thee to prophesie in Sackcloth with the Witnesses yet be of good comfort O Lilly-white soul for God now accepteth thy works now drink thy Wine with a merry heart thy labour thy ambitious labour is that whether present or absent thou mayest be accepted of him thou hast the fruits of thy labour the Lord accepts thy works therefore rejoyce in it Here is the happiness of those who keep themselves clean from a defiled and a defiling World 2. This point gives us an account why the servants of Christ stand so strictly upon their terms with the World even while some call it peevishness others ignorance others wilful stubbornness What is the reason the reason is because they understand in some measure and have had experience in some measure what it is to walk in some measure with Christ
only knoweth Do not add affliction to affliction be not uncharitable in judging of us as if through pride faction obstinacy or devotedness to a party or which is worse than all in opposion to Authority we do dissent the Judge of all hearts knows it is not so but it is meerly from those apprehensions which after prayer and the use of all means do yet continue that doing thus and thus we should displease God therefore deal charitably with us in this day of our affliction If we be mistaken I pray God to convince us if others be mistaken whether in a publick or private capacity I pray God in mercy convince them but however things go God will make good this truth to us in this work he will not leave us and our Father will not leave us alone for it is the unfeigned desire of our soul in all things to please God Dr. Bate's Forenoon Sermon August 17. 1662. Heb 12.20 21. Now the God of Peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting Covenant make you perfect in every good work to do his will working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ To whom be glory for ever and ever IT would give light to these words if you consider the scope and design of the Apostle in this Epistle to the Hebrews the summe of which is he writes to them that he might animate their spirits against apostacy from the Doctrine of the Gospel they were liable to this from you and others upon this account because they dare not displease God I may in this caution aim at my self and other of my brethren this upon a double account 1. Partly in respect of those persecutions to which they were exposed for the Jews were filled with a bruitish zeal for the Ceremonies of the Levitical Law and exprest the greatest rancour against those who lest Moses to follow Christ This is the reason why the Apostle lays down so many preservatives against their revolting from Religion and he spends one part of this Epistle in a most passionate Exhortation to perseverance and doth in the tenth Chapter insinuate himself into them You have already tasted the first-fruits of affliction ver 3.4 You took joyfully the spoyling of your goods knowing in your selves that you have in Heaven a better and an enduring substance This is that temper that Martyrs have exprest who have not only parted with their goods but with their lives for the Gospel When they came to the Stake they would not so much as shed a tear to quench those flames wherein they should ascend to God as in a fiery Chariot You took joyfully the spoiling of your goods knowing in your selves that you have a better and an enduring substance Thus he insinuates himself by representing what they had done to encourage them to perseverance and partly he fortifies them against Back-sliding by those terrible judgements which he threatned against Revolters as you read Chap. 6.7 2. As they were liable to this Apostacy upon the account of Persecution so upon the account of the unsettledness and instability of their own spirits There were several of those who had given up their names to Christ who did compare the Ceremonies of the Law with the purity of the Gospel Now the Apostle to secure them from this mixture his great design is to represent the vanity and infectiveness of all the Ceremonial Law and to express and prove the virtue and efficacy of the Lord Jesus his death which was the substance of all the shadows And this takes up one great part of his discourse with them Now in these two verses he sums up by way of Recapitulation all that which he had discoursed of at large and in them you may observe these two things 1. A description of God to whom he addresses this Prayer 2. The substance of the Prayer it self The Description of God that he amplifies by these two things 1. From the Attributes and Qualities of God if I may so express it Now saith he the God of Peace 2. From the effects of his power and love That brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus that great Shepherd of the Sheep And these Titles they are not here set down by the Apostle to adorn his discourse meerly as an ornament but they have all a peculiar efficacy as to the obtaining of the request which here he makes for them I shall begin with the first the Description of God from that Attribute Now the God of Peace the Title that is used in the Old Testament frequently is this The Lord of Hosts but in the New he is called The God of peace There were darker representations of the mercy and love of God than the more full discoveries of his grace were reserved till the coming of Christ Their discoveries under the Old Testament were but as the Day-star which ushered in the Sun of Righteousness Now this title of the God of Peace imparts two things 1. That he is the Author of Peace and works it 2. That he loves and delights in peace First That he s the Author of it And if you consider Peace in all its notions and kinds it is a fruit of God and that which descends from him 1. Peace in Nature is the harmony that is between all the parts of the World the union that is between the disagreeing Elements that is from God for without him the whole Creation would presently disband and return to its first Chaos of confusion 2. Civil Peace which is among the Societies of men that which is so amiable and lovely and which needs no other foil to commend it and set off its lustre than the miseries and cruelties of war this peace comes from God likewise Every rash hand is able to make a wound or to cast a Fire-brand but it is only the God of Peace that is able to heal breaches and to allay those storms that are in a Nation You know those showers which render the Earth fruitful descend from Heaven from God so all the counsels of peace descend from above The fiery Exaltations ascend from the Earth Counsels of War disturbance proceeded from the devilish hearts of men Or 3. If you consider that Rational Peace which is in the spirits of men that is when the understanding exercises a coertion and restraint over our licentious appetites when all our inferior Faculties are under the empire and conduct of Reason this proceeds also from God For since the fall there is a great deal of tumult many riots and disorders in the soul of a man Reason hates a bad Guide and our Appetites those are evil instruments and so many times hurry Reason from its regular actings But 4. much more if you consider Spiritual Peace that peace doth not only import an Agreement of a man within himself but the Agreement of the soul with God This
meat make my Brother to offend I will never eat flesh more while the world standeth Paul was like some tender Mother who forbears to eat those meats that she might for fear of hurting the child that she gives suck to Thus you see he was a spiritual Father made up of love and surely my Brethren this affection in some degree is in all the true Ministers of Jesus Christ they are full of sympathy and bowels unto those over whom the Holy Ghost hath made them Overseers I shall only glance at the Reason why it will be thus and why it should be thus that such flaming affections there should be in all Christs Ministers to their People It will be thus for these two Reasons briefly First From that Principle within that teacheth love Grace doth not fire the heart with passion but with compassion Grace in the heart of a Minister files off that ruggedness that is in his spirit making him loving and courteous Paul once breathed out persecution but when Grace came this Bramble was turned into a spiritual Vine twisting himself about the souls of his People with loving embraces Secondly There will be this ardent love in a Ministers heart from the spiritual relation that is betwixt him and his People he is a spiritual Father and shall we think him to be without bowels 1 Cor. 4.15 Though you have ten thousand Instructers yet have ye not many Fathers for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel Some he begets unto Christ others he builds up in Christ Doth not a Father provide cheerfully for his Children Can a Father see bread taken from his Child and not have his heart affected with it Is it not a grief to a Parent to see his Child put out to a dry Nurse Thirdly There should be this ardent love and affection in all Gods Ministers for this reason because this is the liveliest way to do most good knotty and stubborn hearts will soonest be wrought upon with kindness The fire melteth the hardest metal the fire of love with Gods blessing will melt the most obdurate sinner A Boanerges a Son of consolation who comes in the spirit of Love is the fittest to do a piece of Gospel-chyrurgery to restore and put such a one in joynt again that is taken with a fault Gal. 6.1 Restore such a one with the spirit of Love and Meekness Thus much in short for the Doctrinal part Give me leave now to make some Application And first here are several Inferences that may be drawn from this As First See here the right Character of a Gospel-Minister He is full of love he exhorts he comforts he reproves and all in love he is never angry with his People but because they will not be saved how loath is a Minister of Christ to see precious Souls like so many Jewels cast over-board into the dead sea of Hell a conscientious Minister would count it an unhappy gain to gain the world and lose the souls of his people he saith as the King of Sodom to Abraham Give me the Persons and take thee the Goods Gen. 14.21 The second branch of Information is this are true Gospel-Ministers so full of Love then how sad is it to have such Ministers put upon a people as have no love to Souls The work of the Ministry it is a labour of Lope Oh! how sad it is to have such in the Ministry that can neither labour nor love that are such as are without bowels that look more at Tyths than at Souls it must needs be sad with a people in any part of the world to have such Ministers set over them as either poisons them with error or do what in them lies to damn them by their wicked example How can the Devil reprove sin How can the Minister cry out in the Pulpit against drunkennesse that will himself be drunk Rom. 2.22 Thou that teachest a man should not steal dost thou steal Thou that sayest a man ought not to commit Adultery dost thou commit Adultery We read that the Snuffers of the Tabernacle were to be made of pure Gold Exod. 37.23 those who by their calling are to reprove and snuff off the sins of others they should be pure Gold holy persons In the Law God did appoint the lip of the Leper should be covered he ought to have his lip covered he should not be permitted to speak the Oracles of God who though he be by Office an Angel yet by life is a Leper Thirdly See from hence the happiness of a Minister who is placed among such a people as give him abundant cause of love how happy is he that can say to his people from his heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my dearly beloved And here let me speak by way of encouragement to you of this Parish I find St. Paul commending the good he saw in his people 1 Thess 1.3 We are bound to thank God always for you Beloved because your Faith grows exceedingly Here Paul is commending his People in imitation of the Apostle let me at this time speak a commendatory word to you I have exercised my Ministry now among you for almost sixteen years and I rejoyce and bless God that I cannot say the more I love you the less I am loved I have received many signal demonstrations of love from you though other Parishes have exceeded you in number of houses yet I think not for strength of affection I have with much comfort observed your reverent attentions to the Word Preached you rejoyced in this Light not for a season but to this day I have observed your zeal against Errour and as much as could be expected in a critical time your unity and amity this is your honour and if for the future there should be any interruption made in my Ministry among you though I should not be permitted to preach to you yet shall I not cease to love you and to pray for you but why should there be any interruption made where is the crime some indeed say that we are disloyal and seditious Beloved what my actions and sufferings for his Majesty have been is known not to a few of you but however we must go to Heaven through good report and through bad report and it is well if we can get to glory though we pass through the Pikes I shall endeavour that I may still approve the sincerity of my Love to you I will not promise that I shall still preach among you nor will I say that I shall not I desire to be guided by the silver thred of Gods Word and of Gods Providence my heart is towards you there is you know an expression in the late Act that we shall be now shortly as if we were naturally dead and if I must die let me leave some Legacy with you before I go from you I cannot but give you some counsel and advice for your souls and I hope there is no hurt in that There are
beautiful and glorious thing it is the Angels glory and shall we be ashamed of that which makes us like the Angels there is a time coming when wicked men would be glad of some of that holiness that now they despise but they shall be as far then from obtaining it as they are now from desiring it 17. Think not the better of sin because it is in fashion think not the better of impiety and ungodliness because most walk in those crooked ways Multitude is a foolish Argument Multitude doth not argue the goodness of a thing the Devils name is Legion that signifieth a multitude Hell-road is this day full of Travellers esteem not the better of sin because most go this way do we think the better of the Plague because it is common the plea of a multitude will not hold at Gods Bar when God shall ask you Why did you prophane my Sabbath why were you drunk why did you break your oath to say then Lord because most men did so will be a poor plea. God will say to you then seeing you have sinned with the multitude you shall now go to Hell with the multitude I beseech you as you tender your souls walk Antipodes to the corruptions of the times if you are living Fish swim against the stream dead Fish swim down the stream Ephes 5.11 Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather reprove them 18. In the business of Religion serve God with all your might Eccles 9.10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do do it with thy might for there is no device or work in the Grave whither thou goest This is an argument why we should do al we can for God serve him with all our strength because the Grave is very near and there is no praying no repenting in the Grave our time is but small and therefore our zeal for God should be great David Danced with all his might before the Ark and so should we act vigorously for God in the sphear of Obedience Rom. 12.12 Fervent in Spirit serving the Lord. Take heed of a dull lazy temper in Gods service you must not onely say a prayer or read a prayer but you must pour out your souls in prayer not onely love God but be sick of love to God God in the old Law would have the Coals put to the Incense Levit. 16.13 and why so to typifie that the Heart must be enflamed in the worship of God your prayers must go up with a flame of Devotion I confesse Hell will be taken without storm you may jump into Hell with ease but it is all up-hill to Heaven and therefore you must put forth all your might Mat. 12.11 The violent take Heaven by force Heaven is not taken but by storm do you not see men zealous and very active for the Devil and for their Lusts and shall they take pains for Hell and will not you take pains for Heaven 19. Do all the good you can while you live to others God hath made every Creature useful for us the Sun hath not its light for it self but for us the Fountains run freely and so doth the myrrh drop from the Tree every Creature doth as it were deny its self for us the Beast gives us its labor the Bird gives us its musick the Silk-worm its silk Now hath God made every thing useful for us and shall not we be useful one for another O labor to be helpful to the souls of others and to supply the wants of others Jesus Christ was a publick blessing in the World He went about doing good We are Members of the Body politick nay we are Members of the Body mystical and shall not every Member be helpful for the good of the body That is a dead Member that doth not communicate to the good of the body O labour to be useful to others while you live that so when you dye there may be a miss of you many live so unfruitfully that truly their life is scarce worth a prayer nor their death scarce worth a tear 20. Every day spend some thoughts upon Eternity O Eternity Eternity all of us here are ere long it may be some of us within a few days or hours to lanch forth into the Ocean of Eternity Eternity Eternity is status interminabilis says Boetius no Prospective-glass can see to the end of Eternity Eternity is a summ that can never be numbred a Line that can never be measured Eternity is a condition of everlasting misery or everlasting happiness if you are Godly then shall you be for ever happy you shall be always sunning your selves in the light of Gods countenance if you are wicked you shall be always miserable ever lying in the scalding furnace of the wrath of the Almighty Eternity to the godly is a day that hath no Sun-setting Eternity to the wicked is a night that hath no Sun-rising O I beseech you my brethren every day spend some time upon the thoughts of Eternity The serious thoughts of an Eternal condition would be a great means to promote Holiness 1. The thoughts of Eternity would make us very serious about our Souls O my Soul thou art very shortly to fly into Eternity a condition that can never be reversed or altered how serious would this make us about our Heaven-born souls Zeuxes being once asked why he was so long in drawing of a Picture answered Aeternitate pigno I am now painting for Eternity Oh how frequently would that man pray that thinks he is praying for Eternity Oh how accurately and circumspectly would that man live that thinks upon this moment hangs Eternity The thoughts of Eternity would make us slight and contemn all the things of this World what is the world to him that hath Eternity always in his eye Did we think seriously and solemnly of Eternity we should never over-value the comforts of the world nor over-grieve the crosses of the world 1. We should not over-value the comforts of the World worldly comforts are very sweet but they are very swift they are soon gone the pleasures of the World are but for a season just like Noah's Dove that brought an Olive-branch in her mouth but she had wings and so did presently fly from the Ark so are all outward comforts they bring an Olive-branch but they have wings too with which they flie away 1. The thoughts of Eternity would make us not to over-grieve the crosses and sufferings of the world What are these sufferings to Eternity Our sufferings says the Apostle are but for a while 1 Pet. 5.10 what are all the sufferings we can undergo in the world to Eternity Affliction may be lasting but it is not everlasting Our sufferings here are not worthy to be compared to an Eternal weight of Glory And thus my Beloved I have given you these twenty Directions for your precious souls I beseech you treasure them up as so many Jewels in the Cabinet of your breast Did you carry
sworn to maintain his just Power and Honour and Greatness and now behold a second Trial then I could not forswear my self the God of Heaven keep me that I never may I am apt to think I could do any thing for this loving Congregation onely I cannot sin but since Beloved there is a sentence gone out against us that we that cannot subscribe must not subsist this is the last day that is prefixed to us to Preach I shall now speak to you God assisting me if my passion will give me leave just as if I would speak if I were immediately to die Therefore hearken my Brethren dearly Beloved and longed for my Joy and Crown so stand fast in the Lord my dearly Beloved Paul was now a prisoner at Rome for the Gospel of Christ 't was his second imprisonment and he was not far from being offered up a sacrifice for the Gospel he had preached This Gospel the Philippians had heard him preach and the godly Philippians having heard of his imprisonment they sent so far from Philippi to Rome to visit him and to supply his wants A gracious temper which I hope the Eternal God hath given the Saints in London and for which if for any thing God hath a blessing in store for them Paul is not so much concerned in his own bonds as in the Philippians Estate Epaphroditus tells him that there were Heresies and false doctrines got in amongst them but yet the Philippians stood fast and herein Paul rejoyces writes this Epistle bids them go on stand fast keep their ground and to be sure not to give an inch but to stand fast knowing that at long run their labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. I shall without any more ado enter upon the Text in which you have two things considerable A most melting Compellation and a most serious Exhortation 1. A melting Compellation my Brethren dearly Beloved c. 2. A serious Exhortation and in it first the Matter of the Duty stand and stand it out and stand fast Secondly the Manner First So stand so as you have stood stand fast Second In the Lord stand so and stand in the Lord in the Lords strength and in the Lords cause to stand in your own strength would be the ready way to fall and to stand in your own cause for your own fancy would be the ready way to expose your selves to all manner of Temptations Therefore my brethren dearly Beloved in the Lord stand and so stand fast in the Lord my dearly Beloved In the next place by way of Observation from the words and if there be any wicked Catchers here let them know that I shall speak no more then I shall draw from and is the mind of my Text I would not give occasion to be a greater sufferer then I am like to be But for the words First For the Melting Compellation my Brethren my dearly Beloved Paul was an Apostle and an high Officer in the Church of God and he writ unto the Philippians to all the Philippians to the poorest of them and see how he bespeaks himself to them my Brethren from hence take this observation That the highest Officers in the Church of Christ though they are indeed by Office Rulers over them yet by Relation they are no more then Brethren to the meanest Saint Here we have no such Rabbies to whom we must swear because they say we must swear it Paul calls them Brethren and so writes to them Gal. 1.2 and James a Scriptural Officer one of the highest Apostles Christ ever made saith Hearken my beloved Brethren Jam. 2.5 So Peter an Apostle of Christ Wherefore the rather Brethren and John the beloved Disciple Brethren I write no New Commandment c. 1 John 2.7 Well then 1. If this be so that the highest Officer in the Church such as Christ approves of are but Brethren to the meanest Saint then certainly they are but Brethren to their fellow Officers If no more Relation to the Toe in the Body then no more to the Eyes If there be any of a light Spirit would bear Rule that love to have preheminence I would desire them to read two Scriptures the first is Luke 22.26 the second Mat. 26.27 Doth Christ say whosoever will be chief among you let him be one that will Domineer over your Estates over your Persons over your Consciencs doth not Christ say so no but Whosoever will be chief among you let him be your Minister let him be your servant Even as the Son of man came not to be ministred unto but to Minister and to give his life a Ransom for many You have this also Luke 22.25 And he said unto them the Kings of the Gentiles exercise Lordship over them i. e. over their slaves over their vassals but ye shall not be so but he that is greatest among you let him be as the younger and he that is chief as he that doth serve Sure if Paul be but a Brother to Philip then he is no more to Timothy 2. If the highest Officers in the Church of Christ be but Brethren to the meanest Saint then 't is not for those Brethren to Lord it over their fellow Brethren Lord it over Gods Heritage remember 't is Gods Heritage I hope your Consciences will bear me witness that I have laboured as much as in me lies to be a helper of your joy not to Lord it over your faith 2 Cor. 1.24 to press or cause you to believe this or that because I believe it if this may be allowed then may I turn Papist to morrow Saith Christ to him that would have had him speak to his Brother to divide the inheritance with him Man who made me a Judge over you Luk 12.14 So say I Man who made thee a Tyrant and Lord over thy fellow Brethren 1 Pet. 5.3 Neither as being Lords over Gods Heritage c. 3. If the highest Officers in the Church of Christ be but Brethren and no more then there should be no discord between those Brethren Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity and truly I may comfortably speak that and it is one of the greatest comforts I have in the World I hope we have lived together in love blessed be God Let us not fall out saith Abraham the elder to Lot his younger Cousin for we are Brethren Beloved the discords between Pastor and People have made the best musick in the ears of the Jesuits 4. Are Pastors nay the highest Officers that Jesus Christ hath and doth own in the Church but Brethren Oh! then let those Brethren if they will appear before the Bar of their Father in Heaven with comfort take care of offending the souls of Brethren for at the hand of every Brother God will require the soul of his Brother Ezek. 33.6 His Bloud will I require at the Watchmans hand We that are called by some the Dogs of the Flock what shall we
love to God and as Gods love to us is the sum of all Mercy so our love to God is the summe of all Duty Grace is the new birth of the Soul whereby it takes up another nature a new nature a spiritual God-like nature as Christ was born and thereby took on him the nature of man and was made flesh so man is born by grace and thereby takes upon him the nature of God and is made Spirit and here you have at once the great mystery of Grace in the lowest debasement of a Saviour and the highest advancement of a Sinner for the Lord Christ could not be more debased than to be born it was nothing so great an abasement for Christ to dye as for him to be born for being once made man it is no wonder for to die but being the great God it is a wonder that ever he should be made man Lo here is the debasement of Christ yet if he had been born to a Crown to Honour it had been something but he was born to shame to sorrow and death but man by grace is born to a Crown to a Kingdom he hath a title to all the glory and blessedness of heaven from the first moment of his new birth So it is in the Text Grace be unto you and Peace Peace in Scripture is a very comprehensive term it carries in it all happiness It was the common greeting of the Jews Peace be unto you Thus David by his Proxy salutes Nabal peace be to thee and thy house and the Apostle here alludes to this form of salutation that he might mix new Testament mercy to old Testament manners he first stiles Grace before peace as Jacob did with his Venison he made it a savory meat such as Isaac loved Peace is the glory of Heaven in the bosom of God and brought into the world in the arms of Angels the first peace you read of in the Gospel was peace by the Administration of Angels Luke 2.3 4. And suddenly there was with the Angels a multitude of the heavenly Host praising saying glory be to God in the highest and on earth peace good will towards men And when our Lord Christ first sent out his Disciples this was the Doctrine that he bid them preach Mat. 10.12 13. When you come into a house salute it and if it be worthy let grace and peace come upon it Mark here by the way our Lord Jesus Christ is no enemy to good manners he would not have Christians to be Clowns which is the use of some among us who would have their Religion quarrel with good manners no but In whatsoever city or town you enter salute it and let grace peace come upon it that is wish peace to them saying the peace of God be upon this place upon the head and hearts of all in it So that peace is both a Gospel-salutation when Ministers and people meet and it 's a Gospel-valediction when the Minister and the People parts So did the Apostle and so do I now Grace be with you and Peace I observe in Mat. 10.13 14. our Lord bids his Disciples when they enter into a house If the house be worthy to let their peace come upon it but if they be not worthy let grace peace return unto you Instead of leaving peace with them to shake off the dust of their feet against them that is to shew that God will shake them off as dust and tread them under feet as fuel My Brethren your diligent attendance on the Word at this place hath comfortably prevented that part of my charge to shake off the dust of my feet for how beautiful have the feet of a poor worm been unto you being shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Christ And therefore seeing our Lord Jesus Christ said If they be worthy of their peace abide with them on this account I wish to you grace and peace from God our father and from our Lord Jesus Christ But what is that peace It s the beauty of Vnion the harmony of the Creation the pleasure of Life the feast of a good Conscience 't is that which makes life sweet and death easie Peace sweetens all our possessions and all our afflictions without this the fulness of the world is a burden with this poverty and emptiness is a pleasant Companion without this our bread is gravelled with sourness and our water mingled with bitterness with this green Herbs become a feast and our water is turned into wine peace it is the most beautiful creature in the world And therefore it is beloved of all courted of all many seek her but few there be that enjoy her they do not go the right way to find her for In the ways of Righteousness is peace Peace is the seminary of all blessings temporal as Grace is of all blessings spiritual in grace you have implyed all Holiness in peace all happiness in grace all inward in peace all outward blessings grace and peace are the Alpha and Omega of all blessings as God iâ— of all beings no bleâ—â—ing comes before grace and no blessing lasts longer Then see in this phrase of speech the Apostle wishes upon them as I do upon you all the blessings both of time and eternity and yet he wished not more to them than God promised to give them 1 Tim. 4 8. For godliness hath the promise of this life and that which is to come grace be unto you and peace c. not one without the other though a man may have peace without grace as in a time of dissertion or temptation and a man may have peace without grace as in a secure and unregenerate Condition grace without peace is often found in a troubled conscience and peace without grace is often found in a seared conscience as grace without peace is very uncomfortable so peace without grace is very unprofitable like Rachel beautiful but barren therefore the Apostles desires ye should have both Grace and Peace we say the Sun and Sali are the most useful creatures in the world the one for shining the other for seasoning My Brethren grace and peace are the Christians Sun Salt grace is the light of their souls and peace is the savour of their comforts grace shines through all their faulties and Peace seasons all their mercies The blessings of God are become as twins as Christ said of the Spouse Cant. 4.2 She is like a flock of sheep that are even shorn which come up from the washing whereof every one bear twins and none is barren among them grace and peace here are knit together by the spirit of God in a sacred knot not to be untied as Castor and Pollux when seen together portend happiness to the Marriner so when Grace and Peace are found in a soul together they portend the highest security and blessing to the Believer they are said in Scripture to be bound together where God gives the one he never denies the other
it but our Resurrection and the thoughts of it must be our comfort And oh how doth this encourage us to come unto God though sin be heavy upon us Remember there is a God of Peace that takes to himself his Name for this very end that sinners may know for their encouragement that Reconciliation is wrought out between God and them through Jesus Christ and if they will but come and take hold of the blood of the everlasting Covenant Christ hath said they shall have all the blessings and benefits promised in the Covenant of Grace and that the blood of Christ can procure for them they shall have forgiveness of sins and salvation of Soul Therefore when we consider Christ hath dyed to have a Flock and for saving of the Flock and to make himself the God of Peace through his blood this should comâ—â—â— It remains we come to confider of the matter of the prayer this is very full make you perfect in every good work to do his will working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight c. Here we are to observe two things First The matter of the Apostles desire Secondly The measure of it The matter of his desire is That the Hebrews may be made perfect in every good work to do the will of God i. e. That they may be fully and throughly regenerate sanctified throughout both in soul and body and that they may be furnished with all graces and enabled for every duty Take notice of every one of the Expressions First make you perfect 't is the duty of Christians to perfect every good work to cleanse themselves from all the impurity of flesh and spirit and to perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord 2 Cor. 7.1 Secondly in every good work in matters of Piety Righteousness Charity Sobriety for within these heads most of these things may be comprehended that belong to Christians they will go a very great way to make a perfect Christian but that Christian cannot be perfect that is not sanctified in every one of these Thirdly to do his will that you may be ready cheerfully willing to do his will on all occasions But how is it possible flesh and blood should attain to this that they should be perfect in every good work Why saith the Apostle working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ Working in you You see thereby all our works depend on God and 't is in vain for us to build on any Foundation but this for 't is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure c. Col. 2.12 through the faith of the operation of God working in you or doing in you or causing in you or making in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight Our work is to depend on Gods work our outward working depends on Gods inward working Again that which is acceptable in Gods sight but 't is only through Jesus Christ good works themselves though never so good agreeable to the Law and Gospel yet if God look not on our persons and works through Christ they will not serve the turn ye cannot be accepted working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ Will God be pleased with nothing but only for Christ Jesus his sake and if it do not please Christ it will not please God 'T is truly plainly verily so That which God cannot accept of through Christ he doth not accept at all but now things are so ordered that God hath put all things into Christs hands Christ Jesus hath the ordering of the Worship and Gouernment of the Church he hath the making of all the Articles of the Christians Creed a Christian is bound to believe nothing but what Christ teaches as necessary to Salvation so that in Christ we are compleat if we believe as he teaches us to believe and if we worship God as he teaches us to worship God and have such order and government concerning his house and walk so as we desire in all things to please our Lord and Master and have him before our eyes then are we returned unto Christ the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls But if we present God with any kind of Creed Model of Worship or Government that hath not Christs Image and stamp upon it God will say as Christ concerning the money Whose Image or Superscription doth it bear If we can say Christ's the way of worship we have learned from Christ that Order and Government in the Church we have learned from Christ then the Father and Son will own it If it have Mans superscription upon it not Gods or Christ I cannot tell how we should presume it can be acceptable to God through Christ for God hath so confin'd himself he will not be pleased but through Christ and that all Matters of Religion in the New Testament should be ordered according to Christs mind as the Old according to Moses 'T is necessary we enquire after Christs mind in what we do If we can do any thing and in doing it are sure it will be acceptable to God through Christ well and good otherwise not This is the Apostles prayer That God would make them perfect in every good wark to do his will working in them that which is well-pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ The Doxology Whether we refer it to God or Christ 't is all all one we have no body to honour and glorifie in the Church but God through Christ We cannot tell how to divide those that are so nearly united Therefore when we glorifie God we glorifie Christ And this me must observe God hath ordered all mens concomments so that we have nothing to plead for our Souls salvation but Gods grace the Rule in his Word his Gospel that he hath made known to us and therefore let the Word of God dwell in you richly in all wisdom There is a great deal of Do in Gods Church about This and That he that must determine the business is Christ and there are but two ways the determining things for the present and for the time to come hereafter by questioning the matter of fact for the present by making of our Rule When the question comes concerning the matter of fact there he receives our Rule What hath Christ said how hath Christ provided in things of this nature It 's plainly so and so but in dubious matter and customs and the like I know not how to answer them when we shall come to auswer Christ when he shall put the question Did you not know whom you was bound to fear Did I speak nothing at all in the case neither generally nor particularly Could you not by any means come to understand my mind I doubt we shall not be able to answer this But we must say we found a certain state in the Word but having laws and customs among our selves therein were at a stand Why saith
and thus afflicted yet thou art holy Psal 65.5 By terrible things in Righteousness wilt thou answer us O God of our salvation Leg. 20. Hold on and hold out in the ways of well-doing in the want of all outward encouragements and in the face of all outward discouragements It 's nothing to hold out when we meet with nothing but encouragements but to hold out in the face of all discouragements is a Christian duty Psal 44. Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of Dragons and covered us with the shadow of death yet have we not dealt falsly in thy Covenant our heart is not turned back neither have we declined from thy ways 't is perseverence that crowns all Be thou faithful to the death and I will give thee a Crown of life Rev. 2.10 And he that endureth to the end shall be saved Mat. 24. It 's perseverence in well-doing that crowns all our actions If you have begun in the Spirit do not end in the flesh do not go away from the Captain of your salvation follow the Lamb though others follow the Beast and the false Prophet Leg. 21. In all your natural civil and religious Actions let divine glory still rest in your souls Rom. 7.8 1 Cor. 10 11. In all your hearing in all your prayings let the glory of Christ carry it in all your Closet-duties let the glory of Christ lye nearest your hearts Leg. 22. Record all special favours mercies providences and experiences 'T is true a man should do nothing else should he record all the favours and experiences of God towards him and therefore my Legacy is Record all special favours peculiar experiences Little do you know the advantage that will redound to your souls upon this account by recording all the experiences of the shinings of his face of the leadings of his Spirit many a Christian loseth much by neglecting this duty Leg. 23. Never enter upon the trial of your estate but when your hearts are at the best and in the fittest temper 'T is a great desire of Satan when the Soul is deserted and strangely afflicted to put the Soul on trying work Come see what thou art worth for another world what thou hast to shew for a better state for an interest in Christ a title for Heaven this is not a time to be about this work thy work is to get off from this temptation and therefore to pray and believe and wait upon God and be found in all those ways whereby thou mayst get off the temptation Leg. 24. Always make the Scripture and not your selves nor your carnal reason nor your bare opinion the Judges of your spiritual state and condition I cannot see my condition to be good I cannot perceive it What must your sense and your carnal reason be the Judge of your spiritual state Isa 8.20 To the Law and to the Testimony if they speak not according to his rule it is because there is no light no morning in them John 12.24 The word that I have spoken the same shall judge you at the last day The Scripture is that which must determine the case in the great Day whether you have grace or no or whether it be true or no. Leg. 25. Make much conscience of making good the terms on which you closed with Christ You know the terms How that you would deny your selves take up his Cross and follow the Lamb wheresoever he should go Now you are put to take up the Cross to deny your selves to follow the Laâ—â— over Hedge and Ditch through thick and thin do not turn your backs on Christ the worst of Christ is better than the best of the world make conscience of making good your terms to deny your self your natural self your sinful self your religious self and to follow him and if you do so oh what an honour will it be to Christ and advantage to your selves and a joy to the upright Leg. 26. Walk by no rule but such as you dare die by and stand by in the great day of Jesus Christ You may have many ways prescribed to worship by but walk by none but such as you dare die by and stand by before Christ Jesus walk not by a multitude for who dare stand by that rule when he comes to die Make not the example of great men a rule to go by for who dare die by and stand by this in the great day of account Do not make any authority that stands in opposition to the authority of Christ a rule to walk by for who dare stand by this before Jesus Christ Ah! Sirs walk by no rule but what you dare die by and stand by at the great Day Leg. 27. And lastly sit down and rejoyce with fear Psalm 1. Let the righteous rejoyce but let them rejoyce with fear Rejoyce that God hath done your souls good by the everlasting Gospel that he did not leave you till he brought you to an acceptance of to a closing with and a resignation of your souls to Christ and the clearing up of your interest in him Rejoyce that you have had the everlasting Gospel in so much light purity power and glory as you have had for many years together Rejoyce in the riches of grace that hath carried it in such a way towards you And weep that you have provoked God to take away the Gospel that you have no more improved it that you have so neglected the seasons and opportunities of enriching your souls When you should have come to Church-fellowship any thing would turn you out of the way Oh! sit down and tremble under your barrenness under all your leanness notwithstanding all the cost and charge that God hath been at that you have grown no more into communion with God and conformity to God and into the lively hope of the everlasting fruition of God Here are your Legacies and the Lord make them to work in your Souls and then they will be of singular use to you to preserve you so that you may give up your account before the great and glorious God with joy Labour to make conscience of putting these Legacies into practice of sucking at these breasts which will be of use to us till we shall be gathered up into the fruition of God where we shall need no more Ordinances no more preachining or praying Mr. Collins his Farewel-Sermon Jude v. 3. Contend earnestly for the Faith c. THese words contain two parts 1. A Duty exhorted to 2. The manner of the management of Duty The duty exhorted to is to retain the faith delivered to the Saints The manner of its management is that we should earnestly contend to keep it I opened the terms What 's meant by Faith It is not so much the grace of faith but the Doctrine of faith not special faith whereby we apprehend special mercy upon a promise made to the Elect but the Fides quae creditur the whole substance of the Doctrine of Christ as
condition of the Apostles themselves they were Earthen Vessels they had such weaknesses men subject to the like passions as we Vse 2. Secondly As for the people this may improve in all the notions and considerations of an Earthen Vessel First In regard of the meanness you must not esteem the Gospel according to the Vessel according to the disparagement of the Vessel a Vessel of dishonour in respect of its matter may be a Vessel of honour in regard of the Gold that is in it those members of the body that are weak and in themselves less honorable we afford a great deal of honor upon them in deeking and cloathing them So the Ministers work and employment and the Doctrines they bring are excellent and of great use when all is done we have that we serve for according to the imployment we are put to we are honorable though outwardly mean Wicked and base men are called Filii Terrae they are Sons of the Earth Job 30.8 Children of Fools yea Children of base men they are viler than the Earth i.e. Men of no account as one saith the Earth groans under such ungracious persons but gracious persons are Vessels of honor as it was said of the Giants of old so it may be said of these They are men of Renown and so we shall esteem of them Worldly men look at the outside and so esteem of them so was Christ dealt with Is not this the Carpenters son So those Teachers in Corinth endeavoured to render Saint Paul his presence weak and his speech contemptible 2 Cor. 10.11 that so they might make his Ministry contemptible also But this glorious Treasure is in Earthen Vessels You know saith Paul Gal. 4.13 that through infirmity of the flesh I preached the Gospel unto you at first This was their commendation v. 14. But my temptation which was in my flesh you despised not nor rejected but received me as an Angel of God even as Jesus Christ All his weaknesses and whatever was matter of discouragement they did not despise but honorably entertained him even as Christ himself So it was the commendation of the Thessalonians 1 Thess 2.13 That they received not the word as the word of man but as it is in truth the Word of God looking to the mighty God to make it effectual so should all others do upon this consideration 2. Seeing Ministers are Earthen Vessels in regard of moral infirmities which adhere to them in respect of their corruptions and weaknesses judge of them as men but esteem of what is righteous in them though they have great advantages against sin yet notwithstanding they are not totally exempted and free from sin as they are Ministers so they are men 3. In regard that Ministers are Earthen Vessels in respect of their frailty Seeing then they are so frail and transitory therefore accordingly you should make use of them deal kindly and affectionately with them in that they are quickly broken What is sooner broken than a Glass or an Earthen Vessel Ministers are quickly taken away and therefore you should be tender of them while you have them Where are all the Fathers Do the Prophets live for ever The Word of the Lord indeed indureth for ever but the Preacher of it doth not the Gospel is eternal but the Dispenser is mortal the Calling is lasting but the Minister is transitory and therefore you should carry your selves with all tenderness and respect to them take heed of grieving their spirits seeing they are so soon broken Endeavour also to improve by them and to get as much good as you can by them It is a great argument to work while it is day because the night comes when no man can work whilst God affords means and opportunities make use of them we are but Passengers therefore this is a great ground for you to get all the good you can by Ministers seeing they are frail Lastly By way of Improvement Take notice of the wayes of God as different from mans God puts excellent Treasure into Earthen Vessels we keep treasure in Strong Holds in the strongest Repositories Gods wayes are not as our wayes he goes another way than we do he makes use of the poorest meanest and most frail Creatures sometimes he layes aside many times men of greater abilities parts and quality and makes use of weaker to do this great work Chrysostome makes an Expostulation If it be excellent Treasure why in Earthen Vessels therefore it is a Vessel of Earth because an excellent Treasure Thus Gods wayes are unsearchable this is the Improvement Now besides this interpretation given of it there is another that will not be impertinent Some understand by Earthen Vessels the Expressions Words and Phrases of the Ministry through which the Doctrines and Truths of the Gospel are conveyed this is agreeable to what went before Some false Teachers in Corinth pleased themselves with eloquent and enticing words of worldly Wisdom and so endeavoured to render Pauls preaching despicable in regard of the plainness of it Therefore saith the Apostle we have this Treasure in Earthen Vessels i. e. familiar conveyances that so we may easily understand it Thus I have explained this Earthen Vessel and so have done with the first considerable part viz. the Dispensation it self This Treasure we have in Earthen Vessels I come now to the second viz. II. The account of this Dispensation That the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us Which words may be considered two wayes First Either Absolutely as lying in themselves Or Secondly Connexively to the words before going 1. Take them absolutely as they lie in themselves and two things are exhibited 1. The excellency of the Gospel and Ministry it self called Power 2. The Author and Original of it laid down two ways positively of God and negatively not of us 1. The excellency of the Gospel and Ministry thereof called Power There is a great deal of power and efficacy in the Gospel 't is in its nature powerful and efficacious so the Ministry of it Rom. 1.16 I am not ashâ—med of the Gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one thâ—t believeth See 1 Cor. 2.4 Paul's preaching was in the dimonstration oâ— the Spirit and of â—ower c. 'T is called the Arm of Gods Power the Sword of the Spirit Ephes 6.17 'T is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged Sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of the Soul and Spirit c. Heb. 4.12 and many other places We may conceive it to be so according to the various effects and consequences of it viz. as to 1. Conviction 2. Conversion 3. Consolation 1. 'T is powerful in regard of Conviction 't is a word of Conviction and one part of the work of the Ministry is by the Spirits co-operation to convince the World of sin to open mens eyes to shew them the vileness of their ways to discover such courses to be sinful the
Conscience is awakened by the Spirit in the Ministry of the Word herein 't is powerful and efficacious There are divers instances in Seripture how powerful the Word hath been in point of Conviction in Felix the Apostle Paul preached to him of righteousness and judgement to come c. he trembles The Judge at the Bench trembleth at the Word delivered by the Prisoner at the Bar So powerful is the Ministry of the Word as to discover our sinfulness So the Disciples going to Emaus their hearts burnt within them when our Saviour opened to them the Prophets c. So it was with St. Peters Auditors Acts 2. they were pricked in the heart when they heard this he did preach to them in the power and demonstration of the Spirit and plainly discovered that sin that they were more especially guilty of and when they heard that they were pricked in the heart c. 2. It was a Word of Conversion also Conviction is one thing and Conversion in anoâ—her Sometimes men may be convinced and yet have no change wrought in them therefore Conversion is another work it is a turning men from darkness to light from the power of Satan to God c. To receive an inheritance among them that are sanctified Herein is the Word powerful viz. in Regeneration I have begotten you by the Word to a lively hope c. Of his own will hath he begotten you c. 4. It is a word of comfort and consolation it is a powerful word and able to comfort the heart and the Ministry is very effectual herein when set on by the Spirit to quiet satisfie and pacifie the Consciences of men which declareth the remission of sin and whosoever's sins are forgiven must needs be comforted Indeed it is not in the power of men to forgive sins yet they can speak a word of comfort in season by the administration of the promises the Spirit of God going along with them and then they are not onely declarative but operative Where I say it pleaseth God to bless and sanctifie the Word it is effectual for quieting of the minde for pacifying of the conscience and setling of the troubled soul Thus you see how powerful the Ministry is and seeing it is so this should teach us how to behave our selves under it it is powerful in it self and powerful in its dispensation and hath none of that weakness mentioned before of the dispenser of it 'T was with you saith St. Paul in much weakness and in fear and in trembling 1 Cor. 2 3 4. And my speech was in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power These may seem to be contradictory but 't is answered the Word is powerful in the demonstration of the Spirit though delivered by one of humane weakness as before is declared This spiritual power we should look at and labour after which power doth not consist in matter of elocution the inticing words of mans wisdom nor in matter of voice which indeed is a good thing and suitable to the nature of the matter A quick and powerful delivery is of great efficacy and power for the setting home of truths Yet this doth not make a powerful Ministry for a whisper in the ear may cause a thunder-bolt in the conscience the power lies first in the nature of the matter the matter consists in the nature and condition of Mankinde the certainty of the Judgement the necessity of Christ the Covenant of Graceâ— and the graces and priviledges thereof c. These carry a great deal of power and effiacy with them when they are carefully and frequently dispensed and Gods Spirit going along with them so they become powerful for the Ministry consists not in empty notions and speculations that will onely fickle the fancy but never reach the conscience Moral discourses though they be of great use yet if we rest in them they leave us as they found us Evangelical truths which are manifold are to be delivered in the Ministry Now as the matter of the Ministry must be powerful so the expression must be powerful there should be suitableness of expression to the matter i. e. with gravity sobriety and affection c. Strong lines make but weak preaching and take away the efficacy but delivering truths in the demonstration of the spirit and in power that is most effectual when we speak feelingly and from our hearts it comes then through the blessing of the Lord with it with power This is then to learn us of the Ministry viz. 1. Use Let us be careful that the matter of our Ministry be powerful so that the handling and dispensing thereof be powerful that so it may come home to the conscience thus we should deal with all The words of the wise are as goads and as nails fastened by the Ministers of the Assemblies c. So our words should have a force and power in them This as the Apostle says is mighty and powerful to the beating down of strong holds c. Vse 2. Secondly In reference to hearers seeing the Ministry is powerful you must then submit your selves to the power of it Many people are Sermon-proof and think to stand out against the power of the Word but if it comes in power to the conscience they will not be able to resist it as it is said of them in the Gospel They were not able to resist the Spirit by which he spake viz. Stephen And for those that desire the conversion of others what course should be taken by them for that end but by good counsel instruction prayer and good example to endeavour them and more especially to bring them to the Word and administration thereof which God hath sanctified for this end So much for the excellency of the Gospel viz. The excellency of the power c. I come to the second 2. The Author of it 1. Positively it is of God And 2. Negatively it is not of us First Positively it is of God and that in all the considerations of it in the full extent of it it is of God So the Ministerial gifts the performances of it and the success of it are all from God First Ministerial gifts are from God it is he that makes us able Ministers of the New Testament There are saith the Apostle Paul diversity of gifts to one is given the word of wisdom to another the word of knowledge by the same spirit c. 1 Cor. 12.4 5 6. It is God that bestows every good gift Secondly The performance also is from God his grace concurrs and assists therein the habit and the act are both from him God gives gifts to men and he enables them to dispense them Ministerial employments are not onely for general but particular applications and so need not onely general but particular assistances That I might be enabled saith Saint Paul to fulfill the work c. the Lord stood by me and strengthened me that my preaching might be fully accomplished It is God
the World for their choice the Spirit and Son of God that this is their choice Therefore no wonder c. But how do they chuse God Answer They chuse God as the object of their souls love as the chiefest of ten thousand as the lot of their inheritance as the companion of their souls to converse with him as the Commander of their ways to bt guided by him as a shelter of their hearts as a refuge to fly unto in the time of danger The first Vse was by way of Examination Is God chosen as the chief object of our souls love Can we truly say There is none in Heaven but thee none upon Earth I can desire besides or in comparison of thee Can we say in having God The lines are fallen unto me in a pleasant place yea I have a goodly heritage Is communion with God our Heaven upon Earth Is God the Commander of our ways as well as we hope to be the Saviour of our souls Is God our shield or buckler our retreat in danger The second Vse was by way of Consolation Believers have you made choice of God Happy are the people that are in such a case thou hast the best assurance in the world to come to the best possession in this world peace and joy Peace within if not Peace without And Joy the best Joy in the world Joy unspeakable and full of glory And truly if so be that this be thy portion in having chosen God 't is no wonder thou dost not Apostate from him It is no wonder that whatever comes upon a Believer yet for that his heart is not turned back neither his steps declined from Gods way And this leads to The Fourteenth Sermon Psal 44.18 Our heart is not turned back neither have our steps declined from thy way FRom these words two Observations 1. In times of sufferings and afflictions true Christians are to make a narrow inspection into their hearts to see how they stand affected Thus did the Church here 2. To keep stedfast and close with God notwithstanding all afflictions and sufferings we undergo either from or for God is the duty and commendation of Saints 'T was our duty and 't is our honour Lord c. In prosecution of this point these seven preliminary Theses were laid down 1. When man was first created his heart stood rightly bent towards God as his great centre and mark 2. When man fell his heart immediately drew off and turned back from God 3. Though this be the case of fallen man yet poor creature he sees it not 4. The very Formalis Ratio of sin that wherein the Formality of sin consists is in this not so much in finning against God by outward Acts as in the hearts departing from God 5. All true Conversion to God begins at the Heart 6. It is an Argument of infinite love in God to bring back our hearts to him 7. When once the heart of a Believer is brought back to God no suffering or affliction is able to turn that heart from him Quest When may a mans heart be said not to be turned back notwithstanding all sufferings and afflictions Answ 1. When a man still retains the same esteem and estimate of God that ever he had When Job looks upon God as a God fit to be lessed though God be plundering of him 2. When a man still retains the same affections the same love to him delight in him fear of him as much as ever 3. When we hope and trust in God as much as ever Though he kill me yet will I trust in him 4. When we have the same resolutions to cleave to God as ever If a God in Israel as long as a God in Israel 'T is all one makes not to the God of the Philistims this is for a mans heart not to be turned back from God By way of Vse 1. Learn The heart of man is very apt to turn from God in dayes of affliction our heart is not though theirs were 2. It concerns us in time of affliction and suffering to see if our hearts be not turned back from God But what means shall I use that I may not turn a base Apostate Answ 1. Be watchful over your hearts they are exceeding slippery and deceitful The veriest Thieves in the world 2. Be still bending of your hearts from the world and the flesh unto God as you bend a crooked stick to make it streight 3. Do not only bend but bind your hearts tie them shackle them as you would one that hath broken Prison by holy serious Scriptural necessary vows 4. Converse much with God That man that converses much with God it is not the frowns of men shall bring his heart off from God To spur you on to this duty with these motives 1. If you turn from God the soul of God will turn from you If any man draw back my Soul shall have no pleasure in him 2. Keep close to God in such a time and God will keep close to you Here 's a people that not all their sufferings could make them fall from me God glories in such a people 3. This will be one of the greatest comforts by way of argument of your sincerity that your heart is upright with God This will make an Hezekiah look up to God in the time of sickness with a Lord remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart 4. If you will not turn from God by way of Apostacy you may run to God and find in him a Sanctuary And so you have it in The Fifteenth Sermon Isa 8.14 He shall be for a Sanctuary THe words are an allusion to a City of refuge and from hence this Observation Jesus Christ will be for a sure refuge to all those that make him their fear and dread And the truth is there is the greatest reason in the world Christ should be so Saints stand in greatest need of this Sanctuary They are a poor weak helpless generation of Creatures but they have a Rock of refuge The Conies are but a feeble folk yet make their Houses in the Rocks Christ bears dearest love to them they are most precious to him they are his Jewels what will a man preserve if he will not preserve his Jewels Will Christ be a Sanctuary Then 1. See the true reason why the Saints of God are of such an heroick Spirit even when troubles look them in their faces and ring in their ears they have a God to fly to a Christ to rest on 2. See the reason of that consternation of spirit that seizes on wicked men in times of troubles Hide me from the wrath of the Lamb why they have no refuge to go to and however it is with them now you shall hear nothing but howling and lamenting when God shall come to avenge the blood of his Saints 3. Be exhorted to make Christ your Sanctuary get into this City of Refuge and for Motives
while Stephen sees nothing but blood here below he saw Heaven above And Christ rells his Disciples In the world they shall have tribulation but in him they shall have peace 6. And lastly Though this be one great work of the Spirit of God to comfort the hearts of Christs Disciples yet there are some special seasons wherein the Spirit of God gives out this comfort There are seasons of sadness there is a season of heaviness and there is need of it There is a time to weep and a time to laugh a time to mourn and a time to dance I shewed you some of the Seasons 1. One special season of the Spirits comforting the renewing Soul is presently upon the Souls first salvation After the spirit is become a Spirit of Adoption presently it becomes a Spirit of Consolation after the Spirit hath come into the soul in the Law it then nextly appears a Spirit in the Gospel 2. Another season when the Spirit gives out this comfort is just before the Lord layes upon his people any great affliction When was it that Christ was transfigured and his face did shine as the Sun it was immediately before his bloody passion Christ was first taken into the Mount before he was lifted up upon the Cross When was the voice heard This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased but just before he was led into the Wilderness to be tempted When was Paul lifted up into Heaven it was immediately before Satan was sent to buffet him Thus God gives his people something beforehand to support their Spirits that they may not faint the Disciples were full of comfort Acts 5 41. And when was this immediately just before they were carryed before the Council and whipt up and down like Vagabonds and Rogues for preaching the Gospel 3. Another Season when the Spirit gives out this Comfort is in the time of suffering God comes in the nick of time especially if a man suffer for righteousness sake if this suffering be upon the account of Christ he seldom sails to send the Comforter for the relieving of his Spirit 1 Pet. 4.13 But rejoyce in as much as ye are partakers of Christs sufferings that when his glory shall be revealed ye may be glad also with exceeding joy Bodily confinement and in ward straits are the time of the souls greatest inlargement John had his vision in the Isle of Patmos When a Child of God is brought to a piece of bread then is the season for God to feed him with heavenly Manna Jacob had glorious Visions while he was flying from the wrath of his Brother when he had nothing but a heap of Stones for his Pillow It was in the Wilderness that God speaks to his Church thus I told you of Mr. Glover a Prisoner who found no comfort in the time of his imprisonment but when he was going to the stake he cryed out He is come be is come meaning the Spirit the Comforter 4. Another season of Comfort is after some special exercise of grace godly sorrow-for sin free actions in the pardon of sin and new Engageme â—â—s and Resolutions and Promises of more close walking with God after declining from him 5. Another season of Comfort is After some great Tryals and Afflictions Light is then most pleasant when we newly are come out of a dark place after Thunder comes Lightning after a Storm comes a Calm God led his people first into the Wilderness and then into the Land of Canaan It is often so in Gods Dispensations towards his people their greatest Afflictions go before their greatest Deliverances And therefore let not the Saints of God despair when they are at the lowest when they walk in darkness and see no light yet let them trust in the Lord. 6. Another Season of comfort was when men were conscienciously diligent in their particular Callings then they walk with God To this I gave you an instance in the Shepherds they were faithful and diligent in their Callings they were watching over their flocks by night and then the Angel comes and tells them To you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord Luke 2.11 A company of poor Shepherds keeping of their Sheep God appears unto them and manifesteth his comforting Presence when the Scribes and Phaâ—isees notwithstanding all their long prayers and their strict Rites and Ceremonies hear not a word of him 7. Another Season of comfort is when we are either preparing for or in the spiritual act of some duty When grace is exercised to prepare the heart to pray and in attendance upon such an Ordinance then oftentimes the Spirit of God is with them to let poor souls in their endeavors finde acceptance with God Hannah had been praying to God But what melody did she finde in her heart When Mary sate â—at Christs feet how doth Christ fill her heart with comfort sealing up her salvation to her I now come to close with some Application Vse of Information Use If it be the work of the Spirit of God to comfort the hearts of Christs Disciples then by way of Information I gather this That a poor soul is very hardly setled and satisfied in point of Comfort Sure it is a hard matter to comfort a poor soul when one of the Persons of the blessed Trinity must be employed on purpose to do it This is an office belonging to the Holy Ghost when he is to be the Paraclec the comfort of the Holy Ghost This sure is a hard matter to comfort the wounded spirit when the soul is full of the spirit of bondage Oh! the hesitates the jealousies the doubts and fears the objections that a poor soul makes against his spiritual peace and comfort now it begins to take comfort then it doubts again now he believeth and takes courage but anon he is afraid there is a great deal ado to fasten comfort upon a poor soul 2 Cor. 1.22 23. What a heap of Words are there together and it is all little enough to comfort a poor soul Now he that establisheth us with you in Christ and hath anointed us is God and hath also sealed us and given the earnest of the spirit in our hearts It is not without much tugging and drawing that the soul is first brought to believe and then when it doth believe it is a hard thing to perswade it that it doth believe There is a strange kind of squemishness upon the heart he thinks that there is no comfort to be taken that doth belong to him Luther says It is a harder thing to comfort a troubled Conscience than to raise the dead Surely it must be as hard when nothing but the same power must do it The soul is hardly convinced but all the glad tidings of the Gospel are golden streams and all the Promises are but pleasant Fancies without any Reality but that these things should belong to him this he cannot believe for want of faith
ground while others fall away stand fast in the Faith Be not ashamed to own Christ before all the world reckon upon the reproaches of Christ and count them greater riches than the Treasures in Egypt Do not place Religion in a few shadows when the substance is neglected do not think that God will be put off with the skin without the substance and by your holy Conversation labour to put to silence the foolishness and ignorance of wicked men that men may have nothing to accuse you but in the matters of Jesus Christ that you may cut off occasion from them that seek occasion Let no reproach make you lay aside holiness and say If this be to be vile I will be viler still And love all those that have been instrumental for your spiritual comfort Forget not to contribute to the necessity of the poor Saints think that God hath given you your Estates for such a time as this for this is acceptable to God Bless them that curse you pray for them that despitefully use you so shall you heap coals of sire upon their heads when you are reviled revile not again Do your duty to your Superiors to those that God hath set over you and so carry your selves as it was in the case of Daniel that they may find nothing against you save in the matter of your God In all things let your Conversation be as becomes the Gospel of Jesus Christ That I may rejoyce in the day of the Lord Jesus that we have not run in vain and laboured in vain And labour to keep up that Christian love which in this place hath been more eminent than any where I know I would preach St. John's Doctrine Little children love one another And that my expression may be pathetical I shall speak it in the words of the Apostle in Phil. 2.1 2. If there be therefore any Consolation in Christ if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the Spirit if any bowels and mercies fulfil ye my joy that ye like-minded having the same love being of one accord of one mind I now have but a word more speaking of yours and mine own comfort under this sad Dispensation 1. It is a Minister's comfort that when he is taken from his People he can yet Commend them to God and to the Word of his grace which is able to build them up and to give them an inheritance among them that are sanctified And truly my dearly beloved in the Lord this is my great work now when I am a dying to you as to my publick Preaching My beloved I am very sensible that it is a very sad and solemn thing for a Minister to be rent from a People that he loves as his own Soul that he hath laboured among for to bid adieu to those solemn meetings wherein I have preached to you wherein we have mingled our sighes and our tears before the Lord wherein we have rejoyced and sat down before the Lord at his Table Now to think that I must Minister with you and for you no more in these Ordinances methinks it is a heart-breaking consideration to think that I am now dving in this congregation to think that I now dying whilst I am preaching but this is my comfort under these sad thoughts that I can Commend you to God and to the Word of his Grace to one that is able to keep you and to build you up and to give you an inheritance among them that are senctified Like a dying Father I can commend you to the care of such a Friend infinitely able to supply all that I could not do for you It is the comfort of a dying Father when he sees his children weeping round about him that he can commend them to a Faithful Friend willing to do that for them that he desired to do and a thousand â—imes more I would hope that I have some children that I have begotten to Christ by my Ministry towards whom my bowels yearn but hiâ— is mâ— comfort that I can put them into the Arms of their and my heavenlâ— Father of their and my blessed Redeemer to be keâ—thâ— the powâ—r of God There are many poor souls that are yet in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity and if the Lord had seen good I would sain have seen of the travel of my soul in their salvation but I can commend them to God who knows them who belong to his Eleâ—ion he can either restore or can do it by another hand and you that are in any measure grown in Grace I will be willing to be helpful to your joy and instrumental to your comfort But I commend you to God who is alle to give all grace to you and to keep you sied fast It will be some alleviation of sorrow though I must leave you and dye to you as to my publick Ministry that I hope I may a while go up and down and converse with you to be among you The Lord grant this favour that I may behold your stedfastness 2. This may be your comfort as well as mine this may be the comfort of all those poor Congregations that are like to be made Widows by the Metaphorical death of their Guides and Pastors but I leave you into the hands of all Grace and of all Comfort This is a black day upon Israel when so many faithful Ministers are slain at one blow this is a day of gloominess and darkness in many Congregations for so many Ministers to be beheaded in one day What hath England committed Is it not some high Treason If we look to the cause of it why so many Ministers are as dead in one day as so many Children without a Father And if we look upon this cause what hath caused God thus to deal with us we must complain Oh! our unfruitfulness Our fearful unthankfulness under the mercies of God This will be the Emphasis and sting of our grief and this should be the matter of our grief And then if we consider the sad Prognostick what it doth seem to foretel It is a sign that when God lays aside so many faithful Ministers of some scourge or calamity that is coming upon us But you that can lament this Judgment you that can lament the sad deprivations of these powerful Ordinances Remember that though your Minister be dead God can raise you up others in their stead and where the way of instruments are wanting He can do it without them and those that are begot in Christ shall be preserved and those yet unbrought in who belong to the Election of Grace shall in Gods due time have the effectual work of the Spirit wrought upon their Souls For he is able to build you up and to give you an Inheritance among them that are sanctified And though I take this solemn leave of you as to this publick Exercise yet if the Lord shall open the door and take of those bands of Death that the
that are commanded thee of God Secondly Beg of God to give you such a heart that you may not only say as the people in a good humour once to Moses All that thou shalt speak unto us that will we observe and do but find your hearts such as in Deut. 5.29 O that there were such an heart in them that they would fear me and keep my Commandements always c. it is he by whom the Word is made as James hath it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A fruit-bearing word Begin all your hearing with prayers and conclude them with prayers â—â—â—ause 't is of the greatest concernment â—â—â—â—tly A Vse of Comfort First If we keep this Word this Word will keep us It will keep us in the worst of times yea at all times Prov. 6.22 When thou goest it shall lead thee when thou sleepest it shall keep thee and when thou awakest it shall talk with thee If thou keep his Commands his Commands will keep you if you keep his Promises his Promises will bring you to Glory Secondly If we keep his Word we shall not want present comforts The present gratuities which we have from Christ should be enough to encourage us if there were no future reward Psal 19. Inkeeping them there is great reward Thirdly Jesus Christ promised a blessedness to such persons they shall be a blessed people Rev. 1.3 Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words of this Prophecy and keep those things which are written therein and so in Luke 11.28 Blessed are they c. and with the best of blessings doth he crown them in the Text My Father will love him and we will come to him and will make our abode with him which is the second Observation God and Christ will make their abode with them that keep his Word In which Observation we shall take notice of these three particulars First How God and Christ do make their abode with them that keep his Words Secondly Why God and Christ will make their abode with such Thirdly What an excellent blessing it is to have God and Christ abiding with us First How God and Christ do make their abode with them that keep his Words in which these three particulars must be shewn 1. How God abides with his People 2. How Jesus Christ abides with them 3. How both God and Christ will make their abode with them that keep his Word First How God the first Person in the Trinity is said to make his abode with them that keep his Word And this will be two wayes seen First It is not here to be understood of his common or general presence as he is the infinite God and being Omni-present fills Heaven and Earth for so he abides with all the works of his hands yea so he is with them that fear him not Secondly It is here properly understood of Gods abode by way of special presence as he is a gracious Father therefore Jesus Christ doth first express the Fathers love and then his abode as the product and fruit of his love My Father will love him and we will come unto him c. He will come and abide with his as a God in Covenant with them therefore hath he put it into a promise in 2 Cor. 6.16 I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will be their God and they shall be my People Secondly How Jesus Christ will make his abode with them that keep his Word which will be shewn also First Negatively Secondly Affirmatively 1. Negatively It is not to be understood of a carnal or corporal presence of Christ as Papists imagine as if the flesh of Christ could be in all places whom the Heavens must contain till the time of the restitution of all things for so sayes the Apostle 2 Cor. 5.16 acknowledging If he had known Christ after the flesh yet so he knows him no more 2. Affirmatively He makes abode with his people after a spiritual manner God the Father makes his abode with his Servants as a Father to them Jesus Christ abides with them as the Head of his Church as it is in Eph. 5.25 He is the Head of the Church and the Saviour of his Body God abides with us in Christ Jesus Christ abides with us by his Spirit A learned Author shews four wayes of Christs abode with Believers 1. Politice ut Rex in Regno As a King in his Kingdom and so he gives Laws as the only Head and King of his Church protects them and orders all their affairs 2. Occonomice ut pater in Domo As a Father in his House and so he takes care and makes provision for his people as a Father for his Family 3. Ethice ut Ratio in Howine As Reason in a Man which is the light that directs man in all his actions Jesus Christ directs and leads his people 4. Physice ut Anima in Corpore As the Soul in the Body which animates and acts the whole man without which the Body is a dead and liveless Trunk so Jesus Christ doth quicken our Souls by whom we have spiritual life And that he is the Head of the Church and thus abides with them First Consider he hath all grace and life in him John 5.26 As the Father hath life in himself so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself Therefore the Psalmist sayes Psal 36.9 With the is thee Well of life and in thy light shall we see light Secondly From him is all grace and life conveyed out unto us Joh. 1.16 Of his fulness have all we received and grace for grace Yea whatsoever we receive from the Spirit of God we have from him originally as in Joh. 16.15 For he shall take of mine and shew it unto you Thirdly How God and Christ are both said to make their abode with them that keep his Word And this I shall shew to be three wayes First By their special providence and inspection with them and so we may see them in several Scriptures abiding with them as in Zach. 1.8 9 10. verses There 's Jesus Christ among the Myrtle trees which represent the Church And in Rev. 1.13 He is there in the midst of his golden Candle-sticks And David tells us of his experience of Gods presence with him Psal 73.23 I am continually with thee thou upholdest me with thy right hand And the Apostle Paul 2 Tim. 4.7 The Lord stood by me Indeed the eyes of the Lord are upon the Righteous and he hath said he will not leave them Secondly They make their abode with them in the Gospel and Gospel Ordinances where these be continued in their power and purity there the Tabernacle of God is among men and when these are taken away Ichabod the Glory is departed We may say God hath forsaken us As the Ark was a type and token of Gods special presence with the Jews so the Gospel and Gospel-Ordinances are a signal token of Gods abode with us for
in these we may see him in these we may enjoy him by these we may be made like to him as in 2 Cor. 31.18 But we all with open faâ—e behold as in a Glass the glory of God and are changed into the same Image from Glory to Glory even as hâ— the Spirit of the Lord. Thirdly They make their abode with them in the Spirit which proceeds from the Father and the Son So they may both be said truly to abide with us while we have the Spirit the Comforter which proceeds from the Father and the Son as a pledge of their love Joh. 15.20 When the Comforter is come whom I will send unto you from the Father I will send him says Christ even the spirit of truth which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which proceedeth from the Father There is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Procession of the Holy Ghost from the Father and the Son to the People that keep his Word and thus Believers are said to hold fellowship with the Father and the Son in the first Epist of John 23. It is by the Spirit we are drawn being drawn we come being come we are enabled to walk with God in Christ It is the Spirit that doth for all us As in the Eccho the Aire being moved by the voyce returns the same sound by its own motion So in all our Communion with God and Christ the Soul being moved by the Spirit returns answer by vertue of the Spirits motion in us Come says the Spirit I come says the Soul being taught by the same Spirit All the works wrought on the Souls of men in order to Salvation are wrought of God and Christ in us but by the Spirit As in these three special particulars First By the Spirit they instruct and teach The Spirit is an enlightening Spirit a Spirit of Judgment and of Burning The Spirit reveals the counsels of God the great Mysteries of the Kingdom leads into all Truth makes men wise to Salvation Secondly By this Spirit they quicken and comfort the Souls of men Rom. 5.5 It is by the Spirit that the love of God iâ— shed abroad in our hourts Our cold and frozen spirits are warmed and made fit for action and by this Spirit we are awakened Hence the Church prayes for the breathings of this Spirit Cant. 4.16 Awake O North-wind and come thou South blow upon my Garden that the Spices â—â—â—of 〈◊〉 flow out Thirdly By his Spirit they do strengthen and establish the hearts of men in the ways of Holiness thus they are made strong in the Lord and in the power of his might strong to resist temptations strong to suppress corruptions strong to perform duties by this Spirit they are carried through all difficulties by this Spirit their infirmities are healed they are made to persevere and kept stedfast and unmoveable alwayes abounding in the work of the Lord and sealed up to the day of Redemption Thus God and Christ do make their abode with them that keep the Words of Christ till they come to make an everlasting abode with them in Heaven And according to the workings of this Spirit more or less in the hearts of men God is said to be present or absent from his people Secondly The Reasons why God and Christ will make their abode with them that keep his words First Because of their special love to and care of them that keep his words Indeed all the care of God is concerning his people that he hath in the world therefore in the second Commandement he is said to shew mercy to thousands of them that fear him and keep his Commandments that do not cast his words behind their backs and forsaking his Appointments follow their own Inventions So that if we faithfully keep his Word he will abide with us in our work And this is the great Reason in the Text My Father will love him not but that he loves his Elect from Eternity but he will manifest his Love to them and therefore he will make his abode with them as the people of his Love for in Deut. 32.9 The Lords Portion is his People and Jacob is the Lot of his Inheritance And in Mal. 3.17 they are called his Jewels and men will abide with their Treasure Secondly Because of the near Relation that is between God and Christ and them that keep his Word That is a very full place of Scripture for this purpose Mat. 12.50 Whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in Heaven the same is my Brother and Sister and Mother What nearer Relation can there be than these So near are they to Jesus Christ that keep his Word observe his Will and be true and faithful to his Appointments and sure such near Relations will desire Cohabitations on both sides First God and Christ are said to stand Related in a Paternal Relation Secondly They are said to stand Related in a Conjugal Relation First God and Christ stand in a Paternal Relation to his People First God is their Father and they are his Sons and Daughters And this the Church doth acknowledge in Isa 63.16 Doubtless thou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of us and Israel acknowledge us not thou O Lord art our Father c. And with this the Lord comforted mourning Zion Isai 49.14 15. But Zion said The Lord hath forsaken me and my Lord hath forgotten me But God says Can a Woman forget her sucking child that she should not have compassion on the Sons of her womb Yea they may forget yet I will not forget thee Behold I have graven thee on the palms of my hands c. My abode is with thee Secondly Jesus Christ is their Father Isai 9.6 The everlasting Father Therefore he promiseth his Disciples in this 14 John 18. I will not leave you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Orphans or Fatherless children He is the most affectionate tender-hearted Father Tam pater neâ—â— tam pius nemo None so good none such a Father as he says Terâ—ul Secondly God and Christ stand related to them that keep his Word in a Conjugal relation and God hath laid a special command of co-habitation upon persons in this relation The man must dwell with his own Wife First God is related as a Husband And will not God dwell with his People when he hath espoused to himself I will betrothed thee unto me for ever Hosea 2.19 Yea I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness and judgment and in loving kindness and in mercies I have even betreth thee unto me in faithfulness And in Isai 54.5 6. For thy Maker is thy Husband c. For the Lord hath called thee as a Woman forsaken c. Secondly Jesus Christ is the Husband of his People as we see in the whole Book of Canticles And so in Ephes 5. from the 29. Verse to the end of the Chapter Now where shall God and Christ make their abode but with their espoused Ones Doth Jesus Christ delight to
in mercy to his people Sad providences producing sweet effects Directions and helps how to get the presence of God and Christ with us First Repent and humble your selves because of all your sins that you have at any time rejected the counsels of God and resused grace and mercy and neglected opportunities of doing your souls good and drawing near to God Repentance and resolution against sin come like John Baptist to prepare a way and a place for God and Christ to come to and make their abode in Of the Hearts and Houses of impenitent sinners we may well say God is not there The way to have God to turn unto us is to turn away from sin as Ephraim Jer. 31.18 19 20. He bemoaned himself and repented and God came to him as to his dear Son and to his pleasant Child Secondly Believe in Jesus Christ and by Faith get an interest in him It is by Faith only that we get an entertainment to Jesus Christ It is by Jesus Christ alone that God and man come together No man hath seen the Father at any time but the Son and he to whom he doth reveal him and he that hath the Son hath the Father Rom. 5.1 Being justified by Faith we have peace with God Thirdly Own Jesus Christ in all his offices as your King Priest and Prophet First As your King let him have the Soveraignty of your souls that he may rule over you If Christ be your King God will be your Father God loves to come where Christ hath his Throne Secondly As your Priest that his Righteousness may give you the advantage of communion with God without which we cannot come near to him and he will not come near to us Thirdly As your Prophet that he may shew you the way if his Spirit be your Guide and his Word your Rule you may be sure his Promses shall be your portion even this Promise in the Text They will come to you and make their abode with you even God and Christ Fourâ—hly Seek earnestly after God and Christ in the use of all appointed means till you come to see and enjoy their presence with you Here shall be fhewn these two particulars 1. Where we may seek God and Christ 2. How or after what manner we must seek them First Where we must seek after God and Christ First We may finde them in the works of Creation these will represent God and Christ unto us the power and wisdom of God and Christ by whom the World was made In omni re aspeciabili quaedam extant vestigia Dei In all the visible Creatures there be some prints of the invisible God so that he which lives altogether without God must needs be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without excuse having God so near him Secondly We may finde them in the Word 2 Cor. 4.6 The glory of God shines there in the face of Jesus Christ and to them that are conversant in the Word God hath promised to reveal himself Isa 66.2 To this man will I look even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my word And the Apostle gives this direction Rom. 10.6 7. Say net in thine heart Who shall ascend into Heaven that is to bring Christ down from above or who shall descend into the deep that is to bring up Christ again from the dead But what saith it The word is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart that is the word of faith which we preach Thirdly We may finde them in Prayer Jam. 4.8 Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you If you will be strangers to the duty of Prayer to the Throne of Grace God will be a stranger to you he hath promised to draw nigh to them that draw nigh to him and so in Exod. 20.24 In all places where I record my name I will come unto thee and I will bless thee Fourthly We may finde them in the communion with the people of God Where two or three are niet together in my name there will I be says Christ in the midst of them Therefore Jesus Christ directs us to go up by the soot-steps of the flock and they enquire wisely Cam. 6.1 that say to the Church of Christ Whither is thy beloved gone that we may seek him with thee And when the two Disciples went to Emmaus communing of Christ he came and joyned himself with them Secondly How or after what manner we must seek God and Christ Take these four following Directions First Affect your selves with the worth and excellency of this presence of God and Christ carry a high esteem of them in your hearts think with your selves how safely they are immured as the Prophet said unto his servant There is more for them than can be against them Isa 33.16 Their place of defence is the munition of râ—cks c. O what sweetnesse and satisfaction have they within with whom God and Christ abides as the Spouse doth express it Cant. 1.3 Because of the savour of thy Oyntments thy Name is as Oyntments pâ—ured forth therefore do the Virgins love thee Thy Name of Mercy Wisdome and Faithfulness how doth it refresh their hearts that have the presence of God and Christ O sweetness and satisfaction beyond expression and then conclude Si tanius quaerentibus O quantus pâ—ssidentibus If he be so good to them that seek him how good is he to them that enjoy him Secondly Labour to affect your souls with the great want and need that you have of the presence of God and Christ while men do think in their hearts they can be well enough without God and Christ they will never seek after them but say as in Jer. 2.31 We are Lords we will come no more unto thee that is we have strength enough of our own we need no more of thy support and thus David brings in the wicked priding themselves in Psa 10.4 The wicked through the pride of his countenance as in the Original through the pride of his nose will not seek after God God is not in all his thoughts when these proud Laodicean spirits will not seek the poor hungry desolate soul that sees a need of God and Christ finde them Thirdly Quicken your selves to much diligence in seeking The Prophet complains No man stirreth up himself to seek the Lord. It is a business of the greatest concernment and must not be attended with a cold indifferency but as one set on by a true love and where that is Non quiescit amor sed quaerit amatum Love will be restless in the pursuit of the thing or person beloved See with what heat men seek the world with much more heat seek God and Christ We must do as the woman that had lost her groat she lights a candle sweeps the house seeks diligently so we must set up the light of the Word and to work with the besom of a serious repentance and thorow-reformation and
revealed O my dear friends think solemnly and seriously what answer you intend to give me before I leave you Christ will not always cry Come the Spirit will not always cry Come neither must I the time is at hand when you will say one to another We had a Preacher we had a Teacher we had a well-wisher and a lover of our souls amongst us but we did not improve and profit under him as we might and therefore God hath sent him away from us as he did Jonah to Nineveh when Jerusalem despised him O hear me then while you may and pray with me while you may and accept of the tender of Salvation from me while you may Yet a little while and you that have seen me shall see me no more and you that have heard me as Job saith shall say Where is he It 's but a little and those Seats shall have other Hearers and this Pulpit have another Preacher It 's but a little that you have to hear and I have to speak in this place and shall not my Dying words be Living words to you shall my Farewel-Sermon be a forgotten Sermon and the last request I am like to make to you be repulsed and slighted by you O my dear Neighbours and Friends of whom I travel till Christ be formed in you Awake and live seek the Lord before the Grave and Hell shut their mouths upon you and before the Servant of the Lord sent now to warn you take his last leave of you and see your faces no more I am wounded I am wounded to think this Sermon should be Concluded before all your Souls be Converted and to leave any of this Congregation walking on in Hell Road when I am gone Oh that I knew but what to do to get you to do that to day which must be done or you may be undone to morrow If it were to follow you home and there to beg your Conversion on my bare Knees as a Câ—ild begs his Fathers blessing If it were to go to my Closet 〈…〉 is done and there to wrestle with God as Jaâ—â—â— did 〈…〉 you my loving Parishioners till I get this anâ—â—â—◠〈…〉 â—â—â—ssed them and they shall be blessed Nay though I were sure to go to Prison as soon as I come forth of the Pulpit yet I should think all well bestowed could I but see you begin to turn this Sermon into practice And to follow peace and holiness without which you cannot see the Lord. Oh what a joyful hours work would I esteem this and how heartily would I bless your God and my God that prospered his Word in the mouth of his servant making it a Salvation Word to as many as our Ear-witnesses of it this day This is the first Argument I beseech you for my sake Little do you think what a joy it 's to your Minister to see his Children as St. John speaks walking in the truth And on the contrary what an affliction to see you walk in Error and Sin Little do you think what a comfort it 's to me to think of making this account to God at the Judgment day Here are the Children which thou gavest me and I have lost none And on the other hand what an aking it is to my heart to think of bespeaking God at that time on this manner Here are none of the Children O Lord none of the Souls that thou didst commit to my trust for I have lost them all But I hope better things of you though I thus speak II. Secondly I beseech you for your own sakes Who will have the worse of it if this advice be not followed you or I Alas though it may be matter of Grief to me yet not of Guilt God will reward me according to my labour not according to my success We are said the Apostle A sweet Savour of Christ in them that perish mark in them that perish as well as in them that be saved Though the Patient dye yet the Physitian must be paid So albeit the people dye in their sins yet Gods Ministers may comfortably conclude with the Prophet Isa 49.4 Though I have laboured in vain and spent my strength for nought yet surely my Judgment is with the Lord and my work namely the reward of my work with my God Ah my friends it 's you that will have the worst of it one day if this Sermon be not faithfully followed and obeyed Read at your leasure Ezek. 3.16 17 18 and see whether I speak truth or a lye It 's you that must have the reward of punishment It 's you that must stand or fall that must be the Subjects of the pleasures of Heaven or the Objects of all the pains in Hell and should not you then be as much concern'd for your selves as I am for you Now you enjoy your health and the sad Accents of a dying sinner are not heard in your habitations but will it be always thus Now each of you sit under his Vine with delight and there is no carrying into Captivity nor no crying in your streets but will such times last always Now you can hawk hunt swear and drink and then you think you are qualified like Gentlemen but will this last always Suppose thou hadst a Crown on thy Head how long wouldst thou wear it Suppose thou hadst a Scepter in thy Hand how long wouldst thou hold it They are sick at Rome and dye in Princes Courts as well as at the Spittle yea Kings themselves cannot keep their Crowns on their heads nor their heads on their shoulders but must stoop when death strikes and go as naked to their Beds of Dust as other men and in that day all their thoughts their projects and their pleasures perish with them only their guilt of their sins which were the Ladders by which they did climb up to the top of their pleasures the top of their honors and preferments will dog them into another world Hence said Abner to Joah 2 Sam. 2.26 Know'st thou not that these things will be bitterness in the end You will now have your sweet-meats and your sweet drinks your sweet pleasures and pastimes let the Minister say what he will but do not you know that this will be bitterness in the end In Hell all the Sugar will be melted off wherein the Pill of your sins and temptations is wrapt and then the note you 'l fing will be that of the Emperor O quantum ob quantillum O what an eternity of pain have I for an inch of pleasure or an Ell of sinful delight As the Malefactor said to his Neighbour dost thou envy me my Grapes that I have stolen Alas they I cost me dear I must dye for them Ah envy not at the pleasures of a poor sinner they 'l cost his soul dear one day what doth Dives his Wine-cellar advantage him now in Hell while he cries out for a Cup of cold water and cannot have it O Sirs you cannot now conceive
Christ Jesus Consult with flesh and blood and that will never teach you to believe but an ignorant presumptuous Faith This concerneth me not to have my thoughts plunged about this or that worldly care but to become a new Creature in the renewing of the spirit of the mind Fourthly Consider ever 1. To follow Peace 2. To follow Holiness 3. To exercise Patience 1. To follow Peace Two of these you have in the Hebrews Heb. 14. Follow Peace with all men and Holiness without which none shall see God Do not esteem it your interest to contend Let the Peace of God rule in your hearts Fret not thy self because of evil doers It is an easie matter to sin in our Anger a rare thing to moderate anger against sin so as not to sin in that anger 2. To follow Holiness Refuse Peace that cannot be enjoyed without Holiness It is upon the view of God I shall see what kind of love he is and Christ saith Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Resolve to follow holiness not greatness riches c. And he that will do so Christ saith shall suffer persecution in this present world Wherefore it will be good to consider 3. To exercise patience Let us add upon that account 1. Love not the World 2. Love not your own Wills 3. Value your own Souls 1. Not the World The Text saith 1 Joh. 2.15 Love not the World neither the things that are in the world If any man love the world the Love of the Father is not in him For all that is in the world the Lust of the flesh the Lust of the eye and the Pride of life is not of the Father but is of the World And the World passeth away and the lust thereof but he that doth the Will of the Father abideth for ever The love of this world maketh a man to be in respect of the Prince of this world as a Bird in the Fowlers snare There is no way sooner to sin away their everlasting Love than to love this present World 2. Love not your own Wills That person is neither prepared to do for God nor to suffer for him that nath not learned something of this lesson of Self-denial There is no divine service but in doing Gods Will and that I cannot do but by parting with my own delivering up my self unto him to be led and guided by his holy Spirit Christ saith If any man will be my Disciple let him deny himself take up his Cross and follow me 3. Value your own Souls The great care and consult is for gratifying the body if but part of that time were spent on the soul which is on the needless care of the body it might render it in a far better and more goodlier posture Let every one think I carry that in my bosome is of more value than the whole worlâ— neither can the whole world recompence the loss of it and if we have such jewels let us take care to secure them A careless common spirit doth not become a Christian Let none imploy their time in disputing this or that vain Opinion but spend it on your souls Secondly In order unto the particular divine Providence now ending of our Ministry unto you 1. Whatever happeneth on this account let it be your exercise to cry out for the holy Spirit of Christ he will grant you a greater supply than you may expect from any man whatever So Christ comforteth his Disciples Though I go yet I will pray unto the Father and he shall send you another Comforter and he biddeth them pray for it also Even so as for what concerneth us this we cannot be denyed to pray that God would send out his holy Spirit among you and upon you and while we may speak unto you we desire you to pray for it also Our work did lye but to bâ—ing men to Repentance by conviction of sin to believing by the shewing of Righteousness and to convince of both by Christs conquest over sin This Christ sheweth his holy Spirit the Comforter can do Joh. 16.8 9 10 11. And when he is come he shall reprove the world of Sin of Righteousness and of Judgment Of sin because they believe not on me of Righteousness because I go to my Father and ye see me no more of Judgment because the Prince of this world is Judged This is a suitable and sufficient reply 1 Joh. 2.27 But the Anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you and ye need not that any man teach you but as the same Anointing teacheth you of all things and is truth and is no lye and even as it hath taught you ye shall abide in him That Anointing was the Spirit pour'd out on our Head Christ Jesus and ran down the skires of his garments not that instruction should cease but this Spirit can either fill it administred or supply it being wanting And the withdrawing of this present Ministry may be to cause you to pray more incessantly for this holy Spirit day and night And Christ promiseth The Father will give it to them that ask it 2. Be more frequent in your converse with the Scripture It is the Pillar of Truth and by a frequent converse with it also you will find a pure mind stirred up to remember 3. Be more frequent in Meditation Let not the world swallow up all your time so as not to meditate on your Souls the Scriptures and Heaven The meditation on Gods Law keepeth us from the Counsel of the ungodly from standing among sinners or sitting down in the seat of the scornful Psal 1. It is worthy of our wonder any should read the Scriptures believing them indicted by a holy Spirit and yet scorn Holiness Religion c. 4. Be more usual in personal private and family Duties Devotion God doth call those that know how to address themselves unto him to a more earnest private devotion Jacob was alone when he wrestled for a blessing There are particular seasons in which God calleth his people into a retirement Isaiah 26 20 21. Come my People enter thou into thy Chambers and shut thy dores about thee hide thy self as it were for a little moment until the indignation be over-past For behold the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the Inhabitants of the earth for their iniquities So also Zech. 12.11 12. And in that day shal be a great mourning in Jerusalem as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon And the Land shal mourn every Family apart the Family of the House of David apart and their Wives apart the Family of the House of Nathan apart and their Wives apart the Family of the House of Levi apart and their Wives apart all the Families that remain every Family apart and their Wives apart In that day there shal be a Fountain opened to the House of David and to the Inhabitants of Jerusalem for Sin and for Vncleanness If I
grains I conclude this with that saying of St. Ambrose Good Workes are the way to but not the cause of Salvation Therefore when you have done all say you are unprofitable servants I here is no Angel can merit for he chargeth them with folly much less vile and sinful man Therefore count all your own Righteousness but as dung and dogs meat In a word relie not on our own merits put the crown on the head of Free-grace That 's the eighth Ninthly The ninth Error in the Popish Religion is the Doctrine of Purgatory There is say they a middle and infirnal place called Purgatory Now what is this but a subtile artifice and trick to get money for when they especially those that are rich are about to die and make Wills if so be they will give large sums of money the Priests will pray for them that they go not into Purgatory or if they do that they may be quickly delivered out of it How contrary and repugnant is this to Scripture that holds forth no Middlle place The wicked when they die their Souls go immediately to Hell Luke 16.23 The rich man was buried and in hell he lift up his eyes T is true there is a Purgatory in this life and that is the Blood of Christ 1 Joh. 1.17 If we are not purged by this blood while we live we shall never be purged after by fire Wicked men when they dye do not go into a fire of purgation but damnation And on the other hand Believers when they die pass immediately to Heaven Luke 23.43 This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Christ Jesus was now on the Cross and was instantly to be in Heaven and the penitent Theif was immediately to be with Christ Here is no mention of any such place as Purgatory The antient and Orthodox Fathers were all against Purgatory as Chrysostome Cyprian Austine Fulgentius Tenthly A tenth Error is the Invocation of Angels a praying unto them This is a certain rule that Angel-worship is VVill-worship expresly forbidden in Scripture Col. 2.18 Their distinction of Mediators of Redemption and of Intercession doth not help them Though we pray say they to Angels as Mediators of Intercession yet we pray to Christ as Mediator of Redemption Answ Jesus Christ in Scripture is not only called a Redeemer but also an Advocate and it is a sin to make any our Intercessor but Jesus Christ That it is sinful to pray to Angels is clear from many Scriptures See Rom 5.10 How shall they call on him in whom they have not believed Mark we may not pray to any but them in whom we believe But we cannot believe an Angel therefore we must not pray to an Angel So also in Heb. 10.17 Having therefore boldness to enter into the holiest by the Blood of Iesus He only is to be prayed unto by whom we have entrance into the Holiest but it is by Iesus Christ that we enter into the holiest therefore it is only Iesus Christ that we must pray unto That is the tenth 11ly An eleventh Error is Their VVorshipping of Images they burn Inccense before the Image which is a Divine worship unto the Image Now this is directly contrary to the very letter of the Command Exod. 20.4 5. Image-worship and Idol-worship are terms synonimical God saith of Idols that they speak Vanity Zach. 10.2 And is it not a vain thing to worship those things that are vain and that speak vanitie None can draw the picture of a Spirit who then draw the Picture of him who is the Father of spirits This Opinion of Image-worship hath been condemned and exploded by several Councils and Synods 12ly Another Error in the Popish Religion is They deny Jesus Christ suffered the pains of Hell in his Soul Indeed to give them their due they do aggravate the pains of Christs Body but they deny he felt the Pains and Torments of Hell in his Soul This Opinion doth much lessen the Sufferings of Christ for us the same doth lâ—ssen the Love of Christ to us But it is clear Christ felt the pains of hell in his soul But when we say Christ suffered the Pains of Hell in his Soul we do not mean that he felt horror of conscience as the damned do but we mean he felt that that was equivolent to it he felt the burden and pain of Gods wrath Christ Jesus suffered equivolently the pains of Hell that so he might free us really from the Torments of Hell 13ly And lastly another Error is this The Pope say they hath a power to absolve men from their Oathes Of what sad consequence and how dangerous this may be to Protestant States I leave themselves to judge It hath been often determined by learned Casuists that an Oath once taken the matter of it being lawful persons cannot be absolved from it But no more of this matter I 'le now wind up all in a word or two of application and it shall be in the words of my text VVherefore my beloved flee from Idolatry flee from Popery take heed of that Religion that brings forth so many Monsters And besides these thirteen Errors consider briefly these six or seven Particulars 1. The Popish Religion is an impure filthy Religion they allow of Stewes and Brothel-houses for money nay some of the Popes themselves have been guilty of Sodomy and Simony 2. It is a Superstitious Religion that appears in their Christening of Bels in their using of Salt Spittle and Cross in Baptisme Indeed Paul gloried and rejoyced in the Cross of Christ St. Paul had the Power of the Cross in his heart not the Signe of the Cross in his forehead It is an unspeakable indignity and dishonour to Jesus Christ to use that in his VVorship that he never instituted 3. Popery is upheld by Deceit and Lying How have they belyed both Calvin and Luther They say of Luther that when he dyed the Devils were seen to dance about him and that he dyed with much horror and despaire when as he went severely and sweetly out of the world his last words being those of our blessed Saviours Father into thy hands I commit my Spirit 4. The Popish Religion is an out-side carnal Religion it consists in external things as Whipping Fasting Chringing There 's nothing of Life and Spirit in their Worship it 's but a skeliton and carkass there is nothing of Soul and Spirit in it 5. The Popish Religion is an unedifying religion it doth not build men up in their most holy Faith it doth not carry on the work of Sanctification there is more of Pomp then purity in it 6. It is a cruel Religion it is maintained and propogated by Blood and Cruelty The Pope will have St. Pauls Sword as well as St. Peters Keyes and what he cannot maintain by dint and force of Argument that will he endeavour to maintain by force of Arms. In a word the Romish Church is a Purple VVhore dyed with the Blood of Saints and
not beat folly out of our hearts We have been unprofitable all our days some have done thee more service in one year than we in all our time We have forgotten thee in the day of prosperity and sung a lullaby to our own Souls Oh that we could speak these things with broken and bleeding hearts But as in the time of our ignorance we could sin without reluctancy so now we can sin without repentance Oh that thou wouldst smite the rock that there might flow out tears VVe can do nothing by way of expiation if we would weep out our eyes nothing but the blood of Christ can take away our guilt O that there might be a spring of that blood upon our souls at this time Oh that that blood may at this time bring a report of love and a message of mercy to us Do we beg any more than thou hast promised Oh hast not thou accepted of that satisfaction that Christ hath made in his own person If we had suffered the torments of Hell it could not have made that satisfaction that Christ hath made Give us the witness of thy spirit and thy Love and we will say we have enough give us hearts of flesh crush the head of the serpent in our souls O Lord Christ thou camest into the world to destroy the works of the Devil in our hearts and to build up the Kingdom of the spirit in us Oh when shall we see the old man decay in us and the new man to live more and more O be wisdom to guide us and Righteousness to cleanse us from guilt and redemption to deliver us from the wages of sin let us be nothing in our selves that we may be all in thee our saviour Oh honour us so far that we may honour thee VVe pray thee strengthen our weak saith quiet our consciences we would not live a day longer than that we may honour thee tread Satan under our feet fit us for our places and imployments let not our conditions be so low but that our hearts may be lower we are posting to death Oh let sin die before we die let us know our names are written in the Book of Life before thou take away our life Look upon thy servant our dread Sovereign Charls of Great Britâ—â—â—n France and Ireland King oh inrich his Royal heart with all those saving graces of thy Spirit in order unto a wise and happy Government of these Kingdoms Look upon his Royal Consort his Royal relations the Lords of his Privy Council and make them blessings to this Nation oh sanctifie thy good word oh give thy gracious assistance to us both in speaking and hearing let us hear it as that word by which we must be judged that we may be convinced by it and say it is the power of God to salvation to every soul of us Let our meeting be for the better to all of us that we may be built up in the most holy Faith and let us know we have not sought thy face in vain for Jesus Christ his sake our dear Saviour for whom we bless thy Majesty to whom with thee and thy Spirit be praise for ever Amen Mr. Jenkin's Prayer at Christ Church MOst blessed and holy Lord God thou art infinitely beyond our apprehensions who wast infinitely happy before the worâ—d was made and wantest none of thy creatures nor their services to make thee more excellent than thou art in thy self we daily want thee thou never wantest us thou art pleased to make use of ordinances Ministers Sabbaths as thy Institutions to accomplish and bring about the great work of thy Glory and mans Salvation yet Lord thou dost not need them thy Spirit is not made efficatious by these things but it is that that makes these things efficatious though thou art pleased to tie us to them when we may have them and duly enjoy them yet thou dost not tie thy self to them We desire in these our addresses to eye the happiness of Saints that depends upon him that depends upon none we are here in thy presence by thy goodness and grace O whither should we go but to thee and how should we come but by thee Oh strengthen our faith kill our corruptions inflame our love give us assurance of thy love to our souls oh that God would teach us how to pray that we may taste and see how good the Lord is this day that our souls may be filled as with marrow that we may by our own experience be able to say It is good for us to draw nigh to God and that a day in his house is better then a thousand elsewhere that there may be a communion between us and God let there be a disunion between us and sin we confesse we brought sin enough into the world with us to cause thee to with-drawâ—th blessed self from us and to cast such unproffitable servants as we are into utter darkness we have been a long time in thy school and yet how dull are we we might have been teachers of others but we need our selves be taught which are the first Principles of the oracles of God we love less than we know and we do less than we love we have neither done that good nor received that good which we should or might have done and received We have been trees that have cumbred the ground in thy orchard but we have brought forth no fruit Wo unto us that we have not known the day of our visitation many of us have one foot in the grave and yet we have lived without God in the world we are wise in every thing but in our own Salvation we live as if Hell were a priviledge those of us that have some knowledg of thee have great cause to repent that we have walked so unworthily of God Which of us pray continually and fervently or live the life of saith we confess we neither take our afflictions humbly nor our mercies thankfully nor want our comforts contentedly nor fill up our relations fruitfully We live as if Hell were a scare-crow as if all the threatnings of thy word were an empty noise as if there were neither sweetness in Heaven nor bitterness in Hell When we come into thy presence where are our hearts what earthly dispositions do we bring along with us the sins of our Prayers cry louder then the Supplications of our prayers what hypocrisie and formality cleaves unto us If thou dost not look upon the iniquities of our holy things with an eye of pitty what will become of us O Lord be pleased to smell a sweet savour of rest and peace through thy dear Son O Lord it is only his precious Blood that can sprinkle our hearts and quiet our Consciences and no other thing We do renounce our own Works and we cry out in our selves Undone undone It is through thy beloved Son that we are accepted and therefore to that end bring us to him by a saving operation on thy part
and by our lively trust through the Covenant of Grace on our part let there be such a unity between Christ and us that all the powers of Hell may not be able to separate us from thee speak peace to our hearts still our consciences say I have received a sacrifice for you I shall befriend you I will be just and faithful to forgive your sins my Law is sully fulfilled by another though broken by you my Justice is fully satisfied by another though provoked by you my wrath is ceased by the means of another though incensed by you Oh Lord what a cordial would this be canst not thou amongst this great multitude of people espy some that through the Spirit of thy Son would worship thee in thine own way speak peace to every such soul Is there any soul before thee O Lord to whom thou hast given the grace of desire O lord give them grace according to their desire and thou which didst regard us when we were running from thee do not reject us now we are drawing near thee And thou which bidst us believe by the command of thy Word help us to believe by the operation of thy Spirit draw us that we may be able to follow thee thy loving kindness is better than life Some do say Who will shew us any good But Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us and thou wilt glad our hearts more than in the time when Corn or wine or Oil increaseth Let it be fair above head when it is dirty below let us see one contrary in another let us confute an eye of sense with an eye of faith and when we come to see nothing here that can gratifie our senses let us have something to quiet our souls We would fain be at war with sin that we may be at peace with thee though we cannot return as much as we have received yet help us to return as much as we can give us repentance unto life epentance from dead works a mourning fat greater for the remembrance of sin than we have pleasure in the committing of sin those secret distempers in our souls that no eye sees but thine let us cry out Wretched men that we are who should deliver us from this body of sin And as the fear of condemnation doth decrease so set the fear of transgression increase And because O Lord thou hast not made us to bleed with thy greatness O Lord make us to blush with thy goodness let us as truely desire that Heaven would enter into us into a way of holiness here as we desire to enter into Heaven in the way of happiness hereafter Let us see that our kindness to sin is cruelty to our Saviour let net that live quietly one minuite with us that would not let Christ live let us see there is nothing small by which the great God is offended and an immortal soul is damned We are to be in the world but for a while to take a turn or two and be gone Oh that we might make it the business of our life to get into Christ though it be the scorn of men and burdensome to nature yet this is that which will bring us peace at last Let us be what we profess our selves to be let us love Christ and evangelically keep his commandements let us live by faith let us keep thy Commandements let us be above the world in the world above the love of life and above the fear of death let not the smiles of the world allure us nor the frowns thereof affright us from thee but in all these things let us be more than conquerers through Jesus Christ Let us love him much whom we cannot love too much Help us to be above the power of Hell let us ever say My soul it is good for me to draw nigh to God Let us be willing rather to be faved with a few than go to Hell in a crowd let us live as if Eternity were long and life but short let us thrive in holiness and be brought neerer to thy self by every dispensation let us in this our day know the things that concern our peace before they be hid from our eyes and know the time of our visitation and though God suffer long he will strike at last O Lord bow the heavens and come down among us at this time and be with the unworthiest of thy servants and give unto him a door of utterance and to thin great people a door of entrance and let them be all taught of God and let them truly find that the great God is teaching to the heart when that a weak worm is speaking to the ear let all the work be done by theo and let all he praise redound unto thee and let him that is with us be greater than he that is in the world behold us in the Son of thy love smell aswee savor of rest on these our poor prayers speak peace to our consciences rebuke the tempter tread him under our feet shortly raise us up to newness of life let us remember when that which is perfect is rome that which is imperfect shall be done away Hear us and help us through our dear Redeemer let us live for him here and with him hereafter and all for his sake whom not seeing we love in whom believing we rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory to whom with thee and thy Sprit be Glory and Honour now an for ever Amen Mr. Cradocott's Prayer at St. Sepulchres MOst glorious and most gracious Lord God who art God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hast put thine own Name and stamp upon this Day wilt thou be pleased to appear now and prepare and dispose our unprepared and indisposed souls for holy Observation of this thine holy day Will the Lord vouchsafe us the incomes of his spirit and influences of his Grace whereby we may be inabled to offer up spiritual Sacrifice which may be acceptable to Jesus Christ Lord thou requirest praying hearts but thou hast not commanded us to use Prayer-books and if thou wilt give us the Spirit of Prayer we shall not need them Lord give us praying hearts at this time let us find by experience that the Sabbath is a day of Souls opportunity that thine Ordinances are full of marrow that thou hast not said unto thy Children the seed of Jacob seek my face in vain VVe acknowledge we are unworthy to lift up our eyes to heaven we have cause enough to cry out God be merciful to us sinners undeserving ill-deserving men and women we acknowledge our natures are blots of all wickednesses we are by nature enemies to thy Majesty heirs of death children of darkness slaves to sin captives to lust dead to sins and trespasses how are our understandings darkned and our hearts-hardened what are our hearts but a store house of malicious thoughts a brothel house of adultery a palace of pride we are by nature
of thy Spirit and all for Christ his sake for whom we bless thee to him with thee and thy holy Spirit be Praise and Glory for evermore Dr. Anesley 's Prayer at Giles-Cripplegate HOly and great God of Heaven and Earth suâ—h his the condescention of thy Grace that thou art pleased to manifest thy special presence to thy poor creatures though thou hatest sin with a perfect hatred yet thou lovest sinners with an infinite Love though thou art of purer eyes than to behold iniquity yet thou art pleased to manifest thy Love to sinners that approach to thy service O Lord when shall we admire enough thy Grace and Love how thou art pleased to communicate thy self to a poor man Dear Father raise and fix our hearts help us to mind the business that we come about and to deal very faithfully with our own souls in the matters of eternal moment Oh that we could pray so that our prayers through grace might be returned upon us with a blessing O that we could wait upon thee to hear thy Word as the Oracles of God let us hear what Christ will discover to us for our spiritual benefit Lord grant that our souls may know what it is to be in the Spirit in the Lords day Dear Father thou canst deal with such hearts as ours for the curing of them we pray thee do it we must needs acknowledg hadst not thou laid help upon one that is mighty that is able to save to the uttermost we must have perished to all eternity for we do not know any upon the earth more vile then our selves The very agravations of our sins to render us monstrously abominable the means of grace we have afforded us the stirrings of thy spirit in us the patience and goodness of God towards us makes it a wonder that our hearts do remain so blockish But dear Lord we do find by experience that our immortal souls are much debased all the faculties of our souls are out of tune our understandings are so dark our conceptions of God are so low our consciences are so benum'd that the stirrings of them are scarce discerned or perceived our affections are spent upon the creature that we cannot gather them up again our wills are perverse our memories are apt to retain the dross and let out all that is good we pray thee for Christs sake make an experiment upon our souls what thou canst do what sinners Christ can save what corruptions the spirit of God can subdue in our souls teach all our hearts do not stand behind the wall and look through the latice do so much as may leave us without excuse but good Lord put thy hand in at the hole of the door and let thy fingers drop honey upon the handle of the Lock And oh set open these everlasting Doors that the King of glory may enter in Subdue us intirely to thy self do not ask our wills whether we be willing or no but make us willing do not ask us what we would have but give us what thou knowst is good for us Dear Lord we pray thee deliver us from sin according to thy hatred of it and pour out thy grace upon us according to thy love of grace that our souls may be refreshed that we may find thy thoughts are above ours as high as heaven is above the earth Dear Father it is thy promise that those that wait upon thee shall renew their strengths we have no might the Devil bastles us our own hearts are treacherous to us The world intices us to sin against God oh deliver us from all these enemies especially from the plagues of our own hearts that we may perfect holiness in the fear of God give us spiritual blessings whatsoever thou givest us or whatsoever thou deniest us thou knowest thou art rather willing to give us spiritual blessings than any other mercies and we want spiritual mercies most Oh oh give us spiritual Mercies that we may say This is the way of God in his Sanctuary Where grace is not wrought work it where it is begun increase it Dear father convince those that are not yet convinced Make thy word a quickning word an ingrafted word to the saving of our souls help us to hear as for our lives as those that long after God Hear Prayers for the King bless him in his Royal Relations and grant under him we may live a quiet life in all godliness and honesty Bless the Magistrates and help them to remember that causes one day must be heard over again Help thy Ministers to keep close to thee in ways that are well pleasing Be with us at this time Lord assist the meanest of thy servants let our souls now find that thou dost magnifie thy word above all thy Name do us good receive us quicken us that we may live in heaven upon earth that we may know what it is to be filled with the fulness of God and know the heighth breadth depth and length of thy love that passeth knowledg Communicate thy self to us as thou usest to do to thy people let us feel thy presence let us not think of any thing but the business we are about let us with singleness of heart set our selves to mind thâ— concernment of our immortal souls and all we beg for Christ his sake who hath taught us thus to pray Our Father c. Dr. Bates his Prayer at Dunstans in the West O Lord thou art a most holy high God the Glorious Angels when they stand before thee cover their faces yet they dâ—d never violate thy Laws and if they how much more need have we to do it We are sinful dust and ashes our solemn Services are sin We desire to approach thy presence and to have an eye to thy glory in all our services and addresses We beseech thee give us a serious and a deep sense of our own hearts and vile affections that we may cast our selves down at thy feet with all humility We have infinite reason to be abased in our selves our God help us We came into the world with sin and as soon as we did breath in the air we infected it there is an infection and pollution in all our faculties what coldness is there in our affections and what unbelief in our faith and our wills do stand apopsite against thy holy nature VVe confess we have had ten thousand experiences of those corruptions that are within us for our while lives are full of provocations against God How many vain thoughts and how many rebellious actions Blessed Father we confess we are out of measure sinful we have sinned against the clearest convictions of thy word and the tender compassions of thy Gospel against the most severe promises we have made of our service to God against the checks of our own Consciences we confess the sins of the Heathens who live without God in the world are small in comparison of ours and we fear therefore a greater degree
of wrath will fall upon us O Lord how many ways hast thou used to reclaim us what Arts hath thy blessed Spirit used how many times hast thou approached to our souls and shewed us something of thy glory and the glory of heaven and the terrours of hâ—ll the one to allure us and the other to scare us But Oh! how many times have we grieved thy blessed Spirit who came to seal us and despised thy Son who came from heaven to earth and liv'd a sorrowful life and died a shameful death how often hath he offered us grace and glory if we would how to his Scepter but we have preferred a base lust before that excellency that he hath purchased us Oh how often hast thou condescended so far as to intreat us to be reconciled how easie hast thou been to forgive and how hard have we been to be forgiven VVe confess thou mighâ—est pass an eternal Doom upon us for we are sensible of the dishonour that we have brought upon thy Name Do thou at this time strike upon all these rocks that are in thy presence at this time give us hearts of flesh let our repentance pâ—eprare us for corversion let there be such a through conviction that thy grace and Mercy may be admirable in our eyes VVe intreat thee hear us pardon all our iniquities let us be monuments of thy grace and favour speak peace to our Consciences convey those clear evis dences of thâ—â—â—ve unto us that may inable us to scatter all our fâ—aâ—s that we may rejoice in God and have hope of glory Let the image of thy Son be engraven on all our hearts and let our souls be made subject to him while we are in the world preserve us from the evil of it If thou givest us out ward happiness give us withat inward holiness and if we do suffer help us with patience to bear all knowing we are in our journey and our passage to a better life and let our whole time be spent in a serious Preparation to appear before thy Tribunal and let us consider the unchangableness of that state hereafter Remember thy whole Church make the Name of Christ glorious in the world shed abroâ—d thy light and thy truth heavour back-slidings and love us freely Let thine Ordâ—nances continue among us and let thy blessing descend upon our sovereign Lord the King of England Scot and France and Ireland Defender of the Faith Incline his heart to thy Law make him an instrument of publick good protect his person and give him prosperous affairs Bless his Royal Consort his Relations his privy Counsel let them promote solid Piety and real Godliness Bless the Minister of thy Word and Sacraments Let their labours be precious in thy sight and remember all afflicted ones revive thy Mourners and let thy grace answer all their fears Let thy presence be in the midst of us and help us to hear as our last and let us be raised nearer heaven and make thy word powerful and effectual to all our souls and let thy word subdue our lusts and aâ—l we beg for the sake of Jesus Christ in whose Name and words we sum up our imperfect Prayers Our Father which art in Heaven c. Dr. Jacomb's Prayer at Martins Ludgate BLessed God thou art a God blessed for ever thou givest Mercy to all returning and repenting sinners thou art worthy to be praised by all that draw nigh unto thee Thou hast vouchsafed to us one Sabbath more Oh that we might all of us be in the spirit upon the Lords day that whatever we do we may do it in the strength of God that we may offer spiritual Sacrifices to God this day through our Mediator the Lord Jesus It is a very great condescention that thou shouldst suffer such as we are to come unto thee O Lord we are unclean we are unclean from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot we are overspread with the leprosie of sin all the faculties of our souls are defiled our understandings are darkened our wills are corrupted we have affections but they are carnal we have hearts but they are impure we have consciences but they are seared and as our inward man so our lives are unholy as the fountain is so is the stream besides that our general guilt that we brought into the world we are guilty of innumerable actual transgressions against thy holy Law We think O Lord there are no greater sinners in the world than we our sins are attended with many aggravations We have finned against Prayers against vows and promises we have had as much light shining before us as any in the world have had great is our unbelief Oh that we could lay these things to our hearts We do refuse to come to Christ we go about to establish a righteousness of our own and neglect the righteousness of God by faith in Jesus Christ how are our hearts glewed to the present things of this world Oh! what do we do for thy glory How unreformed are we under all the ways of God that he hath taken to make us a holy people Give us a sight of our sins O Lord we confess sometimes we do make a formal confession but we do not find our hearts melted for sin as they should Oh take away from every one of us this heart of stone give a heart of flesh give us tender hearts make us sensible of all our departing from thee Oh let us look upon him whom we have pierced let us mourn that the Water of penitential sorrow may flow from us we are strangers to our selves we do not see what a hell there is in our nature Oh! how should we put our mouths in the dust and loath our selves if so be there might be hope O Lord convince us of sin give us such a sight of sin as may make us flie to thee give us such a sight of our own guilt that maâ—â— prepare us for the Grace of Godâ— now we are sâ—ung with the fiery Serpents help us to come to Jesus Christ our brazen Serpent give us the holy Spirit to bring us out of the state of nature to let that God that made us Creatures make us new Creatures O Lord we are thine own work but we are dead in trespasses and sins give us grace and speak a word to them that are dead put out thine Almighty Power and draw some sinner to Christ this day and those that have any breathings after thee Oh! thou that gavest them that desire carry on thine own work in them where thou hast begun a good work carry it on let sin as the house of Saul grow weaker and weaker and grace as the house of David grow stronger and stronger Oh! increase our faith O Lord at this time we do not onely stand in need of grace but of a great measure of grace Oh! help us by faith to relie upon God that thou mayest help us at last Bless