are not moved themselves and therefore this does not move them neither when people can see through a Minister that hee does not preach out of his owne heart this deadeth their hearts God bade Ezekiel eate the Book c. Secondly The manner of preaching is cold when the Sermon is not delivered in a lively manner when hee preaches dully and bluntly The Apostle shews in the first of the Colossians that Epaphras did a great deale of good in his Ministery at Colosse Now in the fourth of the Colossians and the 13 verse the Apostle saith hee was a zealous Preacher I bear him record saith hee that hee hath a great zeale for you But when a Minister hath a cold delivery this is a great hinderance to the Word You will say how can this bee Is it not the same word whether preached coldly or with heat Yes it is But the Word hath two things in it first the bare naked truth secondly the fatherly affectionatenesse of God in the same Now a zealous Minister le ts the people in some measure see both But a dull Ministery holds out the one and hideth the other Again though the Word onely convert it is not the Minister that works but the Word yet the Minister is appointed of God to bee a meanes to draw peoples attentions to the word Now when hee does it in a cold manner the people are the more apt to let fall their intentions and not mark it Thus you see how a Minister may bee guilty of the deadnesse of his people two waies first by his not preaching at all Secondly by his dead manner of preaching There is one more yet remaines and that is Thirdly by his dead life and conversation an evill life in the Minister makes preaching seem vile When hee makes it appear by his course that hee makes no conscience of framing his life according to his own teaching Is strict in the Pulpit and dissolute in the street I confesse many are ready to quarrell with the lives of their Teachers without cause as the false Apostles with Paul as though hee were carnall 2 Cor. 10. 2. But when a man will bee a Minister and yet walk like men hating to bee reformed and running into the same excesse of riot with others how doth this harden peoples hearts and deadeth the Doctrine it self it makes preaching seem but a â—oy When a man will seem to perswade to that which hee neglects himself and to cry out against that of which himself doth make a common practise Let no man despise thee sayes Paul unto Timothy You will say how shall that be Be you an example unto them that Beleeve 1 Tim. 4. 12. But I am prevented of time There is nothing that more deads a mans Ministery then this when the people know in their Consciences that the Minister is as vile as one of them Let him preach never so excellent things they will say alas alas wee know hee loves his penny hee loves the pot hee is not right no more then one of us But I am forced to give over The use of this is First Is it so that a Minister may be the cause why the people are dead Then here we see the reason why the Devill is so busie to poyson Ministers He knowes if he can poyson Them he can quickly poyson all the Parish well-neare Simon Simon Satan hath desired to sift thee Luc. 22. 31. when Joshua was exercising the office of the High-Priest Satan stood at his right hand Zach. 3. 1. The Devill is like the Syrians O sayes he fight neither against small nor great save only against the King of Israel If they could slay him they knew they should quickly take his Armie so if the Devill can take the Minister he cares not If he can make him a worldling or a drunkard or a Drone or a Pluralist that is it he desires The deading of one Minister deads a 100. others if he can be a lying spirit in a Ministers mouth he is able to deceive 200. at once Secondly Here we see that Ministers of all men should have a care to be quickned For if we be not quickned Brethren our guiltinesse is very great we shall involve many others in our sinne It will go hard with every private person that is dead to all goodnesse He cannot be saved he cannot escape the second death How then can a dead Minister escape that hath not onely his owne deadnesse to answer for but also the deadnesse of all his people What sayes the Lord to the Ministers of the dead Churches of Sardis Repent Repent sayes he lest I come against thee as a theefe in an hower before thou art aware Rev. 3. 3. And therefore let vs be awakened that wee may be quickned Beloved the times now are very dead and it is wee that are the Ministers of the Church have let this deadnes in our not being watchfull our not being lively and stirring in our places our not being quickened O what wrath hangs upon us if we doe not labour for life that we may communicate it unto our people The common deadnesse up and downe should be an argument unto us to excite us When Elisha saw the badnesse of the Church in his dayes he was very earnest to have the spirit of Elias doubled upon him 2 King 2. 9. We have need of a double spirit of the good Ministers of God that were before us the dayes doe require it never was there more deadnesse then now is There are not many that professe holinesse at all but of them that doe O how many are dead and without life now who should bee a meanes to quicken people but wee Thirdly This should teach good people to pray for their Ministers the more quickned the Ministers be it is the better for them But if they be dead the infection will descend downe into you When Paul and Silas went out to preach the Text sayes They were Commended by the Brethren to the grace of God Act. 15. 40. Fourthly This should be an exhortation to us of the Ministery that wee would take heed unto our selves and to all the Church of God that is committed unto our charge that we would rouze up our selves and specially now when there was never more need When the children of Israel were about to goe backe againe into Egypt the Text sayes how Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the Congregation of Israel to beseech them to forbeare Num. 14. 5. They were so mightily affected with the peoples sinne that they fell upon their faces before them q. d For the Lords sake and for your own soules sake Take heed of this sin What! will you pull all Heaven about your eares Will you provoke the living God against you O my Brethren take heed what yee doe so wee should doe we should labour to be affected with our own and our peoples deadnesse Wee should call upon them to be quickned
Asia Now hee speaks of the Holy Ghost in the same number because that one and the same Holy Ghost is severally and intirely powred upon them all The Spirit of God was in Ephesus and the Spirit of God was in Smyrna and the Spirit of God was in Pergamos and so in Thyatira and so in Sardis and Philadelphia and Laodicea and therefore hee calls him the seven Spirits of God though hee bee but one and the same Spirit Thirdly hee calls him the seven Spirits of God by a common Metalepsis of putting the effects for the cause because there bee many and sundry gifts and graces of the holy Spirit of God the number seven being put to signifie the perfection of them and the universallnesse of them Now that the seven spirits of God are nothing else but that one and the same holy Spirit of God is plain out of Rev. 1. 4 5. John to the seven Churches in Asia Grace bee unto you and peace from him which is and which was and which is to come and from the seven Spirits which are before his Throne and from Jesus Christ which is the faithfull witnesse Which words are Saint Johns saluting of the seven Churches in Asia wherin hee wishes them all grace from the blessed Trinity q. d. Grace bee to you and peace from God the Father and from the holy Spirit of God and from the Lord Jesus Christ the faithfull and true witnesse Calling the Father which was which is which is to come and the Lord Jesus Christ the faithfull and true witnesse and the Holy Ghost the seven Spirits of God It is the very self same salutation that Paul uses in all his Epistles in effect saving that this is more full and more lofty and august Now then by the seven Spirits of God hee cannot mean any creature or creatures as Angels or so but hee must needs mean the Holy Ghost because hee prayes for grace from the seven Spirits of God which no creature is able to give Yee know God onely can give grace God onely is the Authour of all grace Hee onely can justifie and sanctifie and quicken and give a man eternall life as James Every good and perfect gift commeth from above Jam. 1. 17. It were Idolatry in John to wish to the Churches grace from the seven Spirits of God if hee meant by them any Angels or any other creatures Wee might worship the Angels if they were able to give us grace wee might pray to them and serve them and feare them and adore them if they could bee the Authours of grace to us Now this is Idolatry Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serve Matth. 4. 10. Of him and through him and to him are all things to whom bee glory for ever Amen Rom. 11. 36. Yee know it is the glory of God to bee the Cause of all grace Now what saies God I am the Lord that is my Name and my glory will I not give to another Isa 42. 8. Well then you see what is here meant by the seven Spirits of God even the holy Ghost himself that one the same holy Spirit of God These things saith hee that hath the seven Spirits of God that is these things saith Christ that hath the holy Spirit of God to give him to whomsoever hee pleases Not as though that were all that Christ hath the holy Spirit of God for so Paul had the holy Spirit of God I suppose also that I have the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 7. 40. so Peter and David and all the Saints all the people of God have the holy Spirit of God nay a man is dead in trespasses and sins and is a meer carcasse like a dead body without a soule that hath not the holy Spirit of God therefore that is not all the meaning of it that Christ hath the holy Spirit of God for so all the children of God have him and are quickned by him up to all goodnesse But Christ hath the holy Spirit of God that is hee hath him to give to whomsoever hee pleases But it may be objected is it not God the Father that gives the holy spirit to all his poore children I Answer Yes it is very true Hee hath him to give to whomsoever hee is pleased to give him for the Holy Ghost is his Spirit as well as Christ hee flowes from them both And therefore saith our Saviour How much more shall your Heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to them that ask him Luk. 11. 13. so that the Father gives the holy spirit to whom hee will but it is in Christs name Christ is the store-house of this gift When the Father gives his holy spirit unto any man it is onely in Christs name as himself speaks The Comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my name Hee shall teach you all things Joh. 14. 26. Mark it is onely in Christs name Well now wee see the point That Christ onely hath the Holy Spirit of God to give to whom hee pleases If any poore creature would fain have the holy spirit of God to be in him hee must come to Christ for him Though the barrell bee never so full of good Wine yet when it is hoopt round about if one would have any hee must draw it at the tap so Beloved the Lord hath hoopt himself up from men hee hath closed himself up from all men by reason of mens sins hee hath shut himself up no man can have any of his holy spirit but hee must come and draw it at the tap hee must come to Jesus Christ the Lord vents himself onely in him as Christ saith hee that beleeveth on mee as the Scripture hath said Out of his belly shall slow rivers of living water What is that this spake hee of the spirit which they that beleeve on him should receive Joh. 7. 38 39. Mark Christ is the tap yee must come to him by true beleeving or yee cannot receive any of Gods holy Spirit Hee only hath him to give to them that doe imbrace him From him proceed all the graces of the Spirit that any men doe injoy This is his Roialty as being the only King and Head of the Church and the opened fountain that all that would bee saved must repaire unto Hee is the beginning of the Holy Ghost the Holy Ghost proceedeth from him as hee is the Son of God and as hee is man hee is anointed with him The Spirit of the Lord is upon mee saith he Luk. 4. 18. Ho every one that would have him come unto mee for him Away with your sins and take mee abhorre all your own waies see what damnable creatures yee are in your selves whether your lusts and corruptions carrie you what will become of you if yee goe on in your own paths if yee would have grace and mercy and life and salvation come to mee The Spirit of the Lord is upon mee to powre him upon
but now the Lord hath put a vaile of flesh upon himselfe by incarnating his owne Son now we may make bold The use of this is First Is it so that Christ hath the seven Spirits of God Then what hath he not He is an all sufficient Saviour He is Gods Steward God hath put all his goods into his hands No man can be assured of any thing that is good but by comming unto him All things are delivered to me of my Father Mat. 11. 27. That is I have all my fathers goods in my hand Favour Pardon Mercy Grace Comfort Heaven it selfe yea and his holy Spirit and all I have the distributing of them all He is the store-house whither all needy soules are to goe He is full of all manner of good things as John saies Of his fulnesse have we al received Joh. 1. 1â— Looke what grace any of the Saints have they have it all of him he is Gods Conduit-pipe the Lord opens himselfe only in him he is the tap he lets out Gods Blessings and Graces and Spirit like a sluce Hee is the Lord Treasurer of Heaven and Earth As Joseph in Egypt if any one would have Corne they must goe to Joseph for it if they came to Pharaoh but for a pecke or a gallon presently he sent them to Joseph so the Lord sends all that will have any drop of mercy to his Sonne if yee will not goe to my Sonne yee shall not have one drop yee shall dye in your sinnes This is my welbeloved Sonne sayes hee looke yee heare him hearken to him obey him be ruled by him bow down unto him doe as he bids you if ye anger him and will not stoop unto him if your hearts will not burst if your minds will not off from the world and other things and be wholly intent unto him if yee slight him and suffer vain things to draw away your affections and thoughts and meditations from him there is no redemption for you No Salvation but onely by beleeving in his name he hath all the seven Spirits of God no Spirit of Grace at all can be had but onely of him he was the Rocke that Moses must stand on that the glory of Gods goodnesse might passe before him Secondly Another use is hath Christ the seven Spirits of God then wee are without excuse if wee be without the Holy Spirit of God Christ hath him to give and yet how few will seeke him of Jesus Christ as Christ sayes Yee will not come unto me that yee might have life Joh. 5. 40. That is if yee would come unto me I would make your dead hearts to live I would quicken you to all goodnesse I would powre my Holy Spirit upon you But you will not come unto me for it This makes us without excuse That Christ hath the Spirit in him for all that have a minde to him and wee have no minde How few among you to this very day have gotten yet Gods Holy Spirit Yee pray but yee have not the spirit of supplieation to pray by to lift up your hearts to enliven your desires to be able to wrestle with God to any purpose no Spirit of grace stirring in you When ye come to the house of God ye heare Sermons but the Holy Ghost does not fall upon you to make them effectuall and mightie in operation to convert you to God to knocke off your base lusts yee are dead in all holy duties voide of all Heavenly graces dull to every good thing even as the Body without the spirit is dead Nay the Spirit of the world dwelleth in most men tying and glving them to the things here below and will not let them savor and rellish the things of Heaven Whereby they cannot cease from sinne nor work the works of God Rare is that man now-a-dayes that hath the Holy Spirit of God remaining in him in any measure nay if people were asked whether they have the Spirit of God yea or no their owne Conscience could answer No they have not they never felt any such Divine ghuest their earthlinesse and lumpishnesse of heart in all the ordinances of God their unaquaintednesse with God their unsettlednesse and nakednesse and blindnesse in all the wayes of peace plainely does declare it and yet they will not come unto Christ that they might have life he hath the seven Spirits of God and yet they cannot finde in their hearts to be instant and earnest with him when Pharaoh appointed Joseph to distribute corne to all comers Goe to Joseph sayes he Gen. 41. 55. the Text sayes all Countries came to Joseph for Corne because the famine was sore in all lands But God hath appointed his own Sonne to be a dispencer of the Spirit and there is a sore want of the spirit every where in all Townes and Parishes and yet hardly any will come in Certainely this is the condemnation that men intend their pleasure and their profits and every outward thing and never seeke to Jesus to have the Holy Spirit of God For First many of us have hard hearts that cannot melt at our owne sinnes nor the publike provocations whereby God is provoked nor the generall calamities of the Church our hearts are like a stone and wee are not affected nor can be affected no relenting at the Word no bleeding in any other good dutie nothing moves us the spirit could soften yea and take the stone away and Christ saies hee would give him unto us if we did desire him I will put a new Spirit within you and take the stony heart out of the flesh Ezek. 11. 19. Hee hath spirit enough in him to doe it and yet we will not sue to him but in a feigned manner and so a hard heart possesseth us still which marres all our familie-duties and all that wee doe in the publike assemblies nothing comes of all that wee doe If our foolish hearts would come downe to be fervent after Christ this might be be remedied He hath the seven Spirits of God for the nonce But a spirit of slumber bewitches us and and nothing can awaken us to this very day Never was there a more hard-hearted time never more hard-hearted Christians nummed and past feeling wishing indeed the things mought be mended but never putting forth our hand to have them mended Secondly scarce any of us can pray but in a blunt-hearted-wise our prayers never stirre Heaven never give so much as a lift to any of our lusts neither are they any whit answerable to the miseries that are on us whether Personall or Nationall the spirit could helpe us and enlarge us as Paul saies of the good Romans Yee have received the Spirit of Adoption whereby yee cry Abba Father Rom. 8. 15. and Christ hath this Spirit in his hand to give But we would rather sit woulding and yawning then be downe on our knees before God Every one almost hath heavy things that he is consciencious of terrible guiltines horrible
us weary But still wee should goe on a seeking of the holy Spirit of God Thus as wee know where to have the Spirit of God namely in Christ so wee know how too and therefore wee are without excuse if wee suffer our selves to bee void of Gods holy and blessed Spirit this is the second use Thirdly another Use is to you that doe indeed complain of great want of the Spirit here you see where yee may have supplies even from our Lord Jesus Christ hee hath the seven Spirits of God They labour to know Christ more and more this is the way to have more and more of the Spirit as the Apostle saith That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of glory may give unto you the spirit of wisdome and revelation in the knowledge of him Ephes 1. 17. Get the knowledge of Christ more and more and thus the spirit shall come to thee more and more It is said of the Indian Gymnosophists that they would lye all the day long looking upon the Sun in the firmament so should Christians doe they should lye looking upon Christ the more spirit still they shall have if they doe so First May be ye want spirit to make you know the Lords will you finde your selves backward from day to day little or no heart to Gods Commandements look up to Christ and say Lord there is enough spirit in Christ and hee hath it for all them that doe want and would have the same O give mee some together with him as hee sayes I will put my Spirit into you and cause you to walk in my statutes Ezek. 36. 27. q. d. look up to mee I will doe this for you Secondly May bee yee want strength yee have many temptations and you have no strength to resist them they come in upon you like the breaking in upon you may bee yee are tempted to deny all and to say yee have nothing in you sometimes yee are tempted to give over all saying it is but a folly I shall one day bee damned and I were as good give over now as to doe it afterwards when it will bee worse and yee have no strength to hold out sometimes yee cannot meditate yee cannot pray yee are fain to break off in the midst with base feares with security and vain hopes you are tempted to doe as the world does and yee have no strength to oppose them Look up to Christ yee know the Spirit of Christ is a spirit of power and strength 2 Tim. 1. 7. and hee hath him for you Look up to him then and cry for his strong spirit Who knowes may bee you may bee able to say in the end as Paul does I can doe all things through Christ that strengthens mee Thirdly May bee yee want boldnesse to call God your Father yee are in a quandary whether yee should call him so or no yee are afraid hee is none of your Father and that yee are none of his adopted ones yee shall but blaspheme him to call him your Father or to expect of him a childes portion Look up to Christ hee hath such a spirit in him whereby yee may cry Abba Father Gal. 4. 6. Fourthly May bee yee want life and quickning you finde your selves very dead even as the Church of Sardis in this place I know thy works that thou art dead Look up to Christ as here hee does bid thee hee hath the seven Spirits of God and hath that which will quicken thee Christ himself when hee was naturally dead hee was quickned by his own spirit 1 Pet. 3. 18. That very spirit can quicken thy spirituall deadnesse to every good word and work His spirit is life and that will make thee lively though thy heart bee little better then a Timber-logge in duties yet if that spirit get within thee it will make thee agile and active in every good thing It is a horrible thing to see how little Christians know of Jesus Christ though they have been thought to know Jesus Christ so long a time yet they doe not know him Christ takes this very ill as hee told Philip Have I been so long time with you and hast thou not known mee Philip Joh. 14. 9. Christ could bee even angry with him for learning him no better what little spirit is there in Christians now adaies a signe though they have been a long time a learning Christ yet they hardly know him For if wee knew him Brethren wee could not bee at enmity with the holy Spirit Wee doe not look up to Christ You will say what is it to look up to Christ in all your wayes I Answer It is to follow Christ as where John said Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world The Text sayes That two of his Disciples went away and followed after Jesus Joh. 1. 36 37. O thought they is hee the Lamb of God does hee take away the sins of the world wee will follow him then John bade them look at him and they followed after him that is they lookt at him indeed as a man looks at one whom hee follows when a man so looks up to Christ that hee follows him when a man sees him his onely meanes to bee happy and godly and in the favour of God the onely meanes to doe well and to bee well and desires indeed to follow after him this is to look up to Christ when a man labours sincerely to follow the counsell and direction of Christ in all his wayes Hee bids him to deny himself and that is the thing that hee labours for Hee bids him to repent of all his sins and to ply himself to all Gods holy paths and to rely upon him for strength and acceptance and mercy and pardon and every blessing What-ever thing hee looks for at the hands of God hee sets himself to follow Christs counsell and to expect it in him If hee see his sins hee looks up to Christ and there hee sees his death to defray them when hee sees what power they have over him hee looks up to Christ for his Spirit to subdue them in the use of all those meanes that hee hath appointed Prayer Meditation Watchfulnesse Striving Purposing Endevouring and Fighting against all the lusts of his flesh And wherein soever hee failes hee labours to bee humbled and yet to look still up to Christ for forgivenesse and more help against another time This is to see the Son of God Every one that sees the Son hath everlasting life Joh. 6. 40. This is to look up to Christ to beleeve in Christ to have Christ to bee in Christ to dwell in Christ and Christ in him But you will say I am afraid I never lookt up to Christ then I never yet had him for I have not his holy spirit how shall I know whether I have the holy spirit I Answer first I will tell thee what bee not signes and then secondly what bee signes First What bee
heare with life use the ordinances in publike and private with life the naturall life that is in the soule it turnes it to God it turnes the man about as a ship is turned on the Sea that sayled before towards North now it sayles towards South So when grace comes into the soule ye know the man had life afore but it sayled towards the world and the things of the world but when grace does come in it makes it row and sayle and steere towards God so that when a Christian is dead he is as no Christian at all Secondly a dead Christian hath not Christ dwelling in his heart by faith he is no Christian indeed that hath not Jesus Christ dwelling in him by a truly and a lively faith It is the indwelling of Christ that makes one a true Christian now when Christ does dwell in any man Christ is a quickening spirit as the Apostle speakes the second Adam was made a quickening spirit 1 Cor. 15. 45. that is Christ he is the second Adam he is a quickening spirit where ever he dwels he quickens all the soule He makes it dead to that which by nature it was alive to and alive to that which by nature it was dead to he inclines the soule unto God he infuses a principle into it to shine with life towards God he does more and more hale the strength of the soule towards him though he doe not doe it at all once yet he does it more and more now when a man is still dead to God and all goodnesse he hath not Christ dwelling in him by a lively faith for if he were in once though the soule may complaine still of deadnesse as commonly those that are alive complain most of deadnesse yet it hath a supernaturall quickening and it shall have more and more Thirdly a dead Christian was never yet soundly wrought upon by the word the word of Christ is a word of life and it quickens where it doe effectually work and therefore though such a one have heard a 1000 thousand Sermons he never fed upon them in all his life as Christ sayes If any man eat of this bread he shall live for ever Joh. 6. 51. it is better then ordinary bread ordinary bread indeed if a man have a naturall life it will feed it and preserve it But if a man be dead it will not revive him But the word of God is such a bread that as it feeds a spirituall life in them that have it so it is able through the eternall spirit to quicken the dead it is able through God to put life into men that never had any and it does so to all that are of God sooner or latter now when a man is dead it 's a plaine signe that the word hath not yet wrought upon that man it may be it hath shaken him many a time yea but if he be yet dead it never wrought upon him soundly the oracles of God are lively oracles as Steven cals them Acts. 7. 38. they make their hearts lively that they come to worke soundly on though they were never so dead to God and good things afore yet now they waxe lively they make their hearts to receive a divine strength that now they waxe able in some measure to live towards God to hunger and thirst after God to delight in the seeking of him be their lusts never so mighty now they can compose themselves to oppose them and to swimme against the streame now they can pray and they cannot abide to have blockish hearts in that nor in any other duty they have a life that resists that same deadnesse that dwelleth in them So then this is another reason that a dead Christian is as good as no Christian at all the word hath never wrought soundly on that Man The use of this is first if the dead Christians in Sardis be as good as nothing what are the riff-raffe in the Towne that are not so much as Christians in name if a dead Christian be rejected of God what 's a dead drunkard a dead whormonger a dead prophanling if one that walkes in good courses be refused because he is dead in them then what shall become of them that will not follow good courses at all if such that are Saints to them cannot be saved where shall they appeare it is said that Christ loved the goodly fine carriaged young man Mark 10. 17. Christ is never said to love a drunkard a prophane wretch no he regards one that carries himself in a sayre civill honest way more then all the world besides except onely his own children and therefore if he counts meer civill men stark naught how much more does he thee that art a very beast compared with them thou art so vile that we that are men doe know thou art in a fearefull estate nay the Lord pronounes a woe upon them that dare speake well of thee these sinnes are to be punished by the Iudges if thou hast lived in Israel thou shouldst have been put to death a drunken Son should have been stoned an adulterer a fornicator should be burnt a blasphemer should be brained to death Thy sinnes are so palpable that pillaries and stockes and prisons and gallowes should be thy fare if thou wert well served Thou art not onely dead for the manner of thy life but for the matter too not onely the Saints doe abhorre thee but all that have any civility in them doe loath thy filthy doings and would not doe as thou doest no no for a world as Solomon sayes such as thou art are not onely dead but in the depth of hell Pro. 9. 18. There be many though they be not right yet they are so much reformed that the Saints of God cannot say but that they may be good Christians But thou art so foule that he that hath but one eye may see the devill leads thee there be some that a man may be to blame for judging them wicked but he that judges thee other wise hates his own soule poor creature does thy foolish heart promise thee hopes to finde mercy alas the devill does but lead thee in a string he knowes well enough though he will not let thee see it there is no mercy for them that goe on still in their wickednesse Thou hast not so much as a name that thou livest how dead then art thou Thou art dead and rotten and stinkest not onely in the nostrils of God but of all that have any common grace in them Others may be in a damned condition for all their profession but to be sure thou art in a damned condition there 's nothing between thee and hell but onely the poore thread of thy life How canst thou keep out of hell that canst hardly keep out of the Ale-house O heare this ye that have not so much as any face of Religion See the word of the Lord and thinke upon it for your good if ye have any
give you an acquittance when ye pay in onely wash duties clipt obedience if ye served God with life conscience would give you an acquittance when ye have prayed it would give you an acquittance when ye have done a dayes worke in his harvest it would acknowledge the receipt of it well done good and faithfull servant it is well done in some measure This made Paul full of life every day Herein doe I exercise my selfe to have always a conscience void of offence towards God and towards men Act. 24. 16. that is I doe not onely goe on in good duties both towards God and towards men but this I doe always I do even exercise my selfe that I may have an acquittance from mine owne conscience when I have done that my conscience may give me a true discharge well done I have done well in some measure now as long as we are dead-hearted and hollow in Gods wayes our conscience can never give us a discharge no marvell that so few of us have Peace of conscience when we are so dead-hearted as we are if we would stirre up our selves to serve God with all heart and life we should have Peace but till this will be once we can never looke to have Peace and comfort Fourthly Though we have comfort in time of prosperity yet we cannot have comfort in affliction if we be of a dead heart how many are there that seeme to have comfort while they are well but when they come to be sick and at deaths doore then they are all to peeces then they see they have no grace no faith no good cards to shew then they are stript stark naked then their conscience sees what they are O I am a wretch how have I deceived my self so beloved though we have comfort in time of prosperity yet if we be dead-hearted we can have no comfort in affliction As David sayes this is my comfort in affliction thy word hath quickened me Psal 119. 50. when the word of God hath quickened our hearts and made us lively in all manner of goodnesse this will yeeld us comfort in affliction But if we be dead to all spirituall wayes though we scramble up hopes now they will not hold when affliction comes now what a fearefull thing is 't we shall all come to affliction ere long for man is borne to trouble as the sparks that fly upward as Job speakes nay we know not how soone man knoweth not his time as Solomon speakes but as the Fishes are caught in an evill Net so are the Sonnes of men snared in an evill time when it falleth suddenly on them And God onely knowes what sore afflictions we may have the Cup of affliction is in Gods hand and he tempers it and powres it out as his pleasure is I say what a fearfull thing is it not to have comfort then then we have most need of comfort and if we have not comfort then we are utterly undone now my brethren it is not a dead dull profession will yeeld us comfort then Let us thinke of this as God sayes What will ye doe in your day of visitation to Whom will ye flye for helpe then Isa 10. 3. so may I say though ye can be quiet and comfortable enough now in the dayes of health and peace your deadnesse does not trouble you now but what will ye doe in the dayes of visitation doe but consider what a sorry comfort ye shall have then assuredly a dead heart will assord not a syllable of true comfort then Fifthly we can never blesse God with a dead heart a dead heart is not able to affirme upon any good ground that God is his or that the promise is his or that Christ is his the soule knowes Christ is a quickening spirit and they that have him are quickened up by him the promise is a promise of life and they cannot be dead that are the possessors of it we cannot blesse God either for love or mercy or grace or any thing else when we would blesse God for any of these things the deadnesse of heart it will be objected to us O I am so dead that how can I hope that these things belong unto me Let my soule live and it shall praise thee Psal 119. 175. when the soule is alive towards God then it can praise God then it knowes all the good it hath it hath it in mercy doubting and deadnesse doe ever goe together or it 's a great marvell And indeed what is deadnesse of heart towards Christ and all his holy Gospell but a secret doubting whether it have any part in it or no as when a poore man sees a rich treasure it does but dead him the more because he sees no interest he hath in it if he could see he had an interest in it this would quicken up his heart and put it out of it's dumps And is not this now a miserable condition when a man cannot praise God if he pray it is but in a sorry manner no life no heart at all But for blessing and praising of God that he cannot doe at all except he be in a fooles paradise and dreame of a false gift This is a dreadfull condition when we are hindred from that which God most delighteth in what is there that more delighteth God then to blesse him and praise him The Lord sayes we never honour him otherwise who so offereth me praise he glorifieth me Psal 50. 23. now we can never offer God praise except our heart live Sixthly Religion is a very irksome thing unto us as long as we are dead-hearted what is it that takes away the grievousnesse of it but a lively heart when the heart is dead it must needs be very tedious very tedious to be thinking of God to be meditating of death or the world to come to be imployed in prayer to be constant in the humbling of the soule or the abstaining from our naturall inclinations to be discoursing of repentance or studying of Gods heavenly Kingdome to be imployed in the word or to goe through dirty and frozen wayes to it to goe and repeate it in our Families or to urge it upon our hearts O what weary tedious duties are these when the heart is a dead heart This is the reason why the world lets them all generally alone and never troubles their hearts with them at all because they have no life in them and many that are better minded fend them very tedious because they are dead-hearted as Solomon sayes correction is grievous to him that forsaketh the way Prov. 15. 10. now as long as we are out of the way of life while we are dead-hearted we forsake the right way and therefore correction is grievous unto us nay all the commandements of God are grievous unto us does a dead heart rejoyce to goe to Prayer nay generally he is loth to goe to it is he glad that the Sermon Bell rings is he glad at an opportunity
should be so Fourthly we began to shew you the uses of this point First how wide then are they that are profanely wicked if they that are Christians and do the things contained in the Gospell are rejected because they doe them with a dead heart where shall they appeare that will not doe them at all Secondly another use was to condemne these times of ours wherein for the most part people are dead There be not many that doe live like Christians at all in outward appearance and yet how many of that little number are even dead and without life they draw neere unto God with their outward man but their hearts are farre from him Matth. 15. 8. Thirdly another use was to shew you the danger of being a dead Christian I shewed it in seven things But I will not name them againe In the fourth place we are come to shew you what it is to be alive Christian a Christian quickened up towards God and here I shewed you First who is the principall and prime cause of this life and quickening and that is God who quickeneth the dead God the Father quickens whom he will God the Son he quickens whom he will and God the Holy Ghost he is the spirit of life Secondly I shewed you what is the Instrument of this life and that is faith this faith when it is a true and a lively faith it makes a man adhere to the fountaine of life That thou maist cleave unto him for he is thy life Deut. 30. 20. Faith is the having of God for our God as the Apostle sayes He that hath the Sonne hath life Thirdly I shewed you the parts of this life and the parts of it I shewed you were three The first is the life of justification Rom. 5. 18. The second is the life of sanctification Eph. 2. 5. The third is the life of consolation or comfort Psal 85. 6. Now because the life of sanctification is here principally intended when a man is quickened up towards God and all his holy wayes therefore I descended downe to the branches of this life and quickening in all the powers of the soule The last day we began to search about the understanding what is the life and quickening of that towards God And first we shewed you that bare knowing is not it a man may know God all his ways contemplatively yet not be quickened up to them as Israel said my God we knowledge thee Hos 8. 2. and yet as it followes they were not quickened up for all that the Gentiles knew God Rom. 1. 21. I but they did not glorifie him as God it was dead knowledge nay we shewed you that bare knowledge is not so much as the light of the understanding much lesse the life of it as our Saviour Christ sayes if the light that is in thee be darknesse how great is the darknesse Matth. 6. 23. that is a man may have that light and yet be in darknesse and therefore much more in deadnesse Secondly I shewed you that approving of God and his wayes is not the quickening of the understanding neither Saint Paul shewes that a man may approve the best things and yet be dead Rom. 2. 18. The Devill approved admirably of Jesus Christ I know thee who thou art even the holy one of God Mark 1. 24. suppose thou provest and allowest of all goodnesse O sayes the Apostle Happy is the man that condemneth not himselfe in that which he alloweth Rom. 14. 22. so may I say thou mayest allow of strictnesse and of all the strictest orders of God and yet have a dead minde and condemne thy selfe I but I am not strict though Thirdly I shewed you that thinking of God and of heavenly things this is not the life of the minde neither a man may thinke of them all now and then and yet be dead to them all notwithstanding nay this may increase thy condemnation therefore when a sinner sins it may be he thinkes of Gods word at some time Gods word forbids this and yet he does it though this increases his condemnation Fourthly I shewed you that studying of God and of faith and all the Doctrine of life this is not the life of the minde neither and this is that which deceives indeed when a mans studying is practicall this is an argument of life the heart of the righteous studieth to answer Prov. 15. 28. Schollers because their minds are not of the world may be all the day long but from morning till night their mindes are about God and all Divinity And they think it may be they are heavenly minded alas no their mindes may be as dead towards God for all this as the worldlings that is musing on his pelfe as long a time Then I came to shew you affirmatively what the life of the minde is the life of the minde is when it is stirred up towards God and all his gracious wayes as Peter sayes I will stirre up your pure mindes 2 Pet. 3. 1. that is I would quicken up your mindes when the minde is stirring towards God it was stirring towards other things before but now it is stirring towards heaven towards repentance and amendment of life and Christ and how to please God and the like now it is quickened up towards him I shewed you there be six stirring acts of the minde The first is the applying of the minde when the minde does not onely know a thing but it applyes it to ones selfe this is a stirring Act of the minde looke where the minde of man is alive if it be alive towards the world if it know any way unto profit or preferment or the having of what it likes presently it will apply it so when a man is alive towards God now his minde hath a applying disposition looke what he knowes about God he applyes it to himselfe for his owne edification instruction humiliation direction and guide as Eliphaz sayes so this it is heare it and know it for thy good Job 5. 27. that is doe not onely know it but be quickened up to apply it to thy selfe hath thy minde an applying disposition doest thou apply the word of God to thy selfe to make it thine owne Thou knowest what God is I but hast thou a disposition in thy minde to apply him to thy selfe this is a quickened minde a man will not let his knowledge lye swimming in his minde but he turnes it upon himselfe and makes it his owne 2. The meditating of the mind the minding of the minde a naturall man may thinke of God and his commandements as ye heard I but doest thou minde them if thou doest minde them from day to day now thy minde is quickened indeed carnall men think it may be of heavenly things alas that is nothing but frigus socordia as Calvin speakes I sayes as Saint Paul but they minde earthly things looke what a man is alive unto his minde
life of Eloqution so I may say of preaching affections are the life of preaching now by affections I doe not meane feigned and forced affections they are no affections indeed but when a man preaches so for the matter and manner indeed affectionate matter and with a true affected heart that he may move the hearts of men as one says the world is now full of knowledge as a drunkard is full of wine that his stomack is not able to digest so I say people have more knowledge then they can well digest the stomack wants heat to concoct it for their good as Rodolphus Agricola speakes any man that hath learning may teach but to move the heart and affections it requires more a great deale This is lively preaching when a Minister sets himself to be in mens bosoms what alively preacher was the Apostle Paul you may see by his dealing with Agrippa he made the Kings heart even yearne againe with his speaking the King confest how his speaking worked within his bosom almost thou perswadest me to be a Christian Act. 26. 28. so you may see by the Galatians his preaching did not onely convert many of them but those whom he did not convert he did wonderfully work upon their hearts that they could have be contented to have pluckt out their eyes have given them to him Gal. 4. 15. such a lively preacher was he in the second of Judges that when he preacht he set all the people a melting a weeping like little children that had been beaten Judg. 2. 4. 5. I grant it may be the best and liveliest Ministers under heaven cannot do so now peoples hearts are more hardned But yet though we cannot undertake to move any one mans heart that 's the worke of God yet our Ministry may be lively First by labouring to make the things that we preach as it were lively before peoples eyes as the Apostle preached Christ crucified even as if he were crucified before his peoples eyes Gal. 3. 1. so Moses had a very lively Ministry the Text sayes he set before them life and death he laboured to preach with that evidence as if he had set before their eyes life death heaven and hell good and evill when a Minister preaches in the evidence and the demonstration of the Spirit 1 Cor. 2. 4. when he labours to bring the Gospell plainly to mens hearts a man may teach the Gospell but it is not preaching except he set it lively forth and labour to make people see it this is the truth and this is your sinne against that truth this is the doctrine and thus you faile in the doctrine this is the threatning of God and thus you lye under the threatning otherwise they heare a Sermon as if it did not concern them Secondly coming to particulars generals are but dead we see they leave people dead people have a hundred tricks to put them off but when a preacher comes to particulars he either quickens or slayes he convinces either to life or to death when a Minister layes the truth at every mans doore he presses it upon every mans heart he meets with many a put off he makes every conscience say I am the man except they be asleep or their minds are a wooll-gathering he darts into his hearers faces a view of their particular estates he toucheth their copy-hold he confutes their false pleas and knocks off the fingers that would be applying of a promise when it does not concern them puts it onely upon the soule to whom it does belong This is lively preaching that gives to every soule his due terror to whom teror comfort to whom comfort belongs milk to the Babe strong meat to the grown oyle to the bruised and a sword into the hard heart a whip for the Horse and a Bridle for the Asse and a rod for the fooles back Prov. 26. 3. application is the life of preaching this serves to condemne such a one this serves to confute such a one this serves to comfort such a one when a Minister does as Paul sayes divide the word aright 2 Tim. 2. 15. Thirdly by worrying of people out of their sinnes when a Minister will not let people be quiet in any of their sinfull courses when he labours daily to vex their guilty consciences and to turne them from day to day as the two witnesses did Rev. 11. 10. that they may say we cannot be quiet for this man he makes me sit upon thornes when a Minister labours to make hell to have every vile wretch and heaven and the promises to have every honest heart c. Fourthly by being pittious and affectionate towards the poore people to let them see how we pity their condition as we should doe what we can to make them feele their damned estate as also with bowels and compassion labour that they may see we doe pity them therefore preaching sometimes is called lamentation in Scripture Ezek. 19. 1. it may be people then may say what a beast am I how does our Minister pity us he mourns over us and bewayles us what a wretch am I that I doe not bewayle mine own case O beloved what a wofull thing is it that any of us should perish to be damned for ever in hell to lye in eternall paines what a pity is this is it not much better ye should embrace the good word of God and beleeve and take Jesus Christ and be willing to doe any thing he would have you to doe then to lye by it for ever in the paines of hell for the pleasures of sinne for a season alas it is for want of bowels that we doe no more good Fifthly by being deeply affected with the word of God laying nothing on peoples backs but what we lift up upon our owne shoulders speaking the truth from the bottom of our hearts uttering the word of God with feeling and with a contrite spirit O if we could drop our Sermons as dew down from heaven on our people this would be lively preaching indeed as the Prophet Ezekiel did he dropt the word of God upon Ierusalem Ezek. 21. 2. so if our Sermons did come droping downe from us as if they dropt downe from heaven O how coldly doe our Sermons come from our mouthes we doe not preach as if the word came downe from heaven as if our hearts were no higher then our pulpits Lastly by getting the Lord to goe along with our Ministry for it is not our preaching it self that hath any life no it is but a dead letter as Micha sayes I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord Mich. 3. 8. REVEL 3. 2. And art Dead THese words as ye heard have a twofold relation one to the Angell of the Church in Sardis thou art dead thy Ministry is dead there 's no life nor heat at all in thy Ministry it is no stirring Ministry thou art dead another to the Church it self thou art
how apt are people to forget any thing that is good to put off any thing that should pull them downe before God and therefore we should labour to help our poore people that if it be possible we may stop them from going downe into the pit Fifthly we should labour to make the things that we preach as if it were lively before peoples eyes as the Apostle preacht Christ crucified to the Galatians even as if he were crucified before their very eyes Gal. 3. 1. so Moses had a very lively Ministry the text sayes he set his points before their very eyes I call heaven and earth to record against you this day that I have set before you life and death blessing and crusing Deut. 30. 19. marke he set before their eyes life and death heaven and hell he preached so evidently that the people might see as it were with their eyes the things that he preached this is lively teaching as the Orator sayes Hypotyposis is an excellent meanes to perswade when the speaker does as it were point before the hearers eyes when he represents the things he speakes of this is preaching in the evidence and the demonstration of the spirit 1 Cor. 2. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when a Minister demonstrates his points and this it is this is the sinne and this is the case and this is the misery and thus it stands with you when he labours to make people see it and they must needs see it unlesse they be wilfull and shut their eyes otherwise people heare a Sermon as if it did not concerne them there 's a man in the pulpit and they heare what he says but they never consider how deeply it concernes them Sixthly we should be truly affected with the word of God our selves laying nothing on our peoples shoulders but what we lift upon our owne we should speake the truth from the bottom of our hearts uttering the word of God with feeling and with a contrite heart we should be heavenly as the word is that lip and heart and word may be all a like O if we did drop downe our Sermons as dew downe from heaven on our people this would be a lively preaching indeed as the Prophet Ezekiel did He dropt the word of God on Ierusalem Ezek. 21. 2. if our Sermons did come dropping downe from us as if they dropt downe from heaven O how homely doe our Sermons come from our mouthes as though they never were higher then the pulpit we doe not preach as if the word came dropping down from heaven and therefore people doe not look up to heaven while they heare their mindes are no higher then our pulpits whereas if we had heavenlier hearts and lippes it would more quicken a thousand times or at least be a sitter instrument to quicken Seventhly and lastly we should get the Lord to goe along with our Ministry for it is not our preaching it selfe that hath any life nay it is but a dead letter as it issues from us if we were such men that had the Lord going along with us throughout all our Ministry what a deale of profit would there be in our Ministry as Micha sayes I am full of power by the spirit of the Lord Micha 3. 8. But I let this point passe thus ye have heard the words as they have relation to the Ministry of the Church in Sardis Thou art dead that is thy Ministry is dead Now I come to the words as they have relation to the Church it selfe Thou art dead Thou art a dead people though thou hast a name to live yet thou art dead that is thou art outwardly reformed thou hast goodly order'd congregations good sober civill and faire carriaged people all professing the true religion and frequenting the good Ordinances of God yet thou art dead that is thou art even as good as nothing the doctrine hence is a dead Christian is as no Christian at all Ye know we are all dead by nature in trespasses and in sins that is we are alive to the workes of the flesh and to the world but dead towards God And a true Christian is he that is made dead unto sinne and the world but alive unto God as the Apostle Paul sayes Likewise reckon ye your selves to be dead unto sin but alive unto God through Iesus Christ our Lord Rom. 6. 11. this is a true Christian that so leaves his sinnes and so takes up the worship and service of God that he is dead to his sinnes and alive towards God now when a man it may be leaves his sinnes after a manner and takes up the profession of Gods Service and yet he is alive still unto the flesh and dead towards God this is just nothing By dead I meane things first deadnesse of guilt when a man is guilty of any offence that is death by the Law he is said to be a dead man therefore every man hath sinned against God which is death by Gods Law so that every man is dead by nature when a man is pardoned of God then he is alive again and therefore it is called justification of life Ro. 5. 18. now when a man is not pardoned of God he is dead though he have never so many hopes and conceits of forgivenesse thought to apprehend himselfe to be pardoned yet as long as God hath not pardoned him indeed he is a dead man Secondly deadnesse of minde when the minde is Ignorant of God in regard of saving knowledge when a mans minde is without saving understanding then his minde is said to be dead true saving understanding is the life of so many mindes as David sayes give me understanding and I shall live Psal 119. 144. then my minde shall be alive sayes he then I shall know thee aright now let a man have never so much knowledge and learning yet in divine things is otherwise and have nothing his minde is still dead he is a dead man to all the things of God he cannot see God in all his wayes no more then a dead man he cannot minde God he may minde earthly things but he cannot minde God nay though he can mind learning divinity learning learning about God yet he cannot minde God his minde is dead to such savoury knowledge even as dead as a dead man he knowes not how to pray to God as a childe to his Father he knowes not how to doe any duty in a godly gratious manner his minde is as dead to these things as a simple Country-mans is to Latin or Greeke or Hebrew Thirdly deadnesse of heart when the heart is not inclined towards God then we say it is dead towards God and all goodnesse though he goe to good duties every day yet as long as the heart is not inclined to them it goes about them in a dead manner when a mans heart is once inclined towards God now it begins to be alive towards him as David sayes the heart
CHRISTS ALARM TO DROWSIE SAINTS OR Christs Epistle to his Churches By WILLIAM FENNER B. D. sometimes fellow of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge and Minister of Rochford in ESSEX REVEL 2. 7. Hee that hath an eare to hear let him hear what the spirit saith unto the Churches LONDON Printed by J. D. R. I. for John Rothwell at the Sun and Fountain in Pauls Church-yard M DC XLVI Insigni Eruditione Pietate V THOMAE HILL S. T. D. Acad Cantabrigienss Dignissimo Procancellario Coll Trin in eadem Acad Magistro Posthumum hoc GUILLIEL FENNERI Opusculum In Debitae observantiae Testimonium D. D. D. J. R. Bibliopola TO THE READER THE Author of these ensuing Sermons was a Minister of God famous in his Generation a burning and shining light one to whom if ever to any God had given the Art of winning of Soules whom I have often heard Preaching and alwaies in the demonstration of the Spirit and power and not in the inticing words of mans wisedome He was as Nazienzen saith of John Baptist Tota Vox all Voice A voice in his habite in his gestare and in his life and conversation as well as his Doctrine and being now dead he is still a voice by his Works which he hath left behinde him And in particular by these Sermons Printed according to a Copy written with his own hand which handle a Subject very necessary for these times wherein there are many that have a name to live but are indeed dead and many that are spiritually alive but yet full of deadnesse and unactivenesse to that that is good Now this Treatise will be usefull if God give a blessing to it to make the dead Christian living and the living Christian more active and lively in all godlinesse which that it may effect is the prayer of Thy soules friend in Jesus Christ ALAMY The Contents THE Coherence Page 1 The Division Page 2 1 Observ That Ministers are to be Angels Page 7 1 Vse The Ministery no base office Page 10 2 Vse If Angels they must be holy Page 11 3 Vse If Angels they must be ready to preach and labor in the word Page 13 4 Vse If Angels they are mainely for Gods Elect. Page 17 5 Vse If Angels with what reverence ought wee to hear them Page 19 2 Observ All true Ministers as one ibid. How Page 21 What unity Page 24 Ministers ought to preach often Page 32 The reasons of their unity Page 39 1 Vse Ministers not to envy one another for the faithfull discharge of their duty Page 41 2 Vse Ministers must labour to be of one minde Page 42 3 Vse Good for Ministers that they preach one for another Page 44 Ministers may be in fault the people are no better Page 46 People a cause of the Ministers deadnesse Page 48 Particular Preaching does good Page 51 Generall preaching hartfull seven Reason ibid. Morall preaching does no good Page 57 Not enough to professe onely the name of Christ Page 61 The more the word â—onvinces the more subtleties the heart aeviseth Page 63 Cold preaching of the word is unsutable to the nature of the word Page 64 It is cold two wayes Page 66 Evill life causeth thâ— Preacher seem vile Page 67 1 Vse A Minister may be the cause why the people are dead Page 68 2. Ministers of all mâ—n should care to be most quickned ibid. 3. People should pray for their Ministers Page 69 4. Ministers should take hâ—ed of their charge â—â—â—irable Royalties of Jesus Christ ibid. 1 That he hath the Seven Spirits of God Page 72 Gives the spirit to whom he pleases Page 75 The Reasons why Page 77 Vse 1. If Christ have the spirits what hath he not Page 80 2. We are without excuse if we want the spirit when Christ hath him to give Page 81 How we may obtain it Page 86 3. Those that want the spirit may have supplies from Jesus Christ Page 89 Signes of it Page 93 Second Royalty of Jesus Christ he hath the seven Stars Page 96 Ministers why Stars Page 97 Every Parish should have one Page 98 Vse 1. A Miserable thing when a Land is darkned Page 100 2. We are to blesse God when the Starres shine ibid. 3. Take heed those few Stars we have set upon us Page 101 Six fignes when they are about to vanish ibid. Why God will take away his Stars Page 105 Christ hath seven Stars in five respects Page 107 Vse 1. They have their Mission from him therefore t is comfort to true Ministers ibid 2. They must doe his Message Page 108 3. They must give him account Page 109 4. A great mercy Christ should send unto them ibid. The heads of their Commission their Authority Page 120 Vse 1. If their Commission be from Christ they are the greatest Embassadors that are or can be Page 121 2. They must take heed how they discharge their Function Page 122 3. To condemn them that obey not the Ministery Page 124 4. God takes it not well at our hands that Ministers should be vilipended Page 126 5. They must preach no mercy at all to them that stand out wilfully Page 129 6. They that fear God must obey the voyce of his Servants Page 131 Ministers had need of many rare gifts Page 133 1. To open the Scriptures ibid. 2. To deduce from them Page 134 3. To Convince Page 135 4. To move affections ibid. 5. To speak Pro Re Nata Page 136 6. To chuse speciall Texts for speciall occasions Page 137 Vse 1. A Minister had not need to be a foole Page 139 2. They are not Christs Ministers that are not gifted ibid. 3. They must goe to Christ for gifts Page 140 4. Stir up those he gives them Page 141 5. They must rely on Christ ibid. 6. People should pray for their Minister Page 142 Meanes to enlarge the Ministers hearts and gifts to the people ibid. Christ hath the prospering of his Ministers Page 149 The Reasons 1. Because Ministers are nothing in the World Page 151 2. Conversion is supernaturall Page 152 Vse 1. The Ministers can onely make try all whether they can convert the people or no. Page 153 2. They must waite though they have not successe presently Page 154 3. It may condemn the World that lets not Ministers have successe ibid A Minister hath all good successe from Christ Page 156 Vse 1. Why some Ministers now adayes have so little successe Page 157 Carnall Ministers may sometimes convert Page 159 2. Christ doth blesse true Ministers Page 161 3. If they have not successe they ought not to be discouraged Page 162 4. The greatest hurt to Ministers is to deprive them of the joy of their labors ibid. Christ disposeth continueth or removeth them Page 163 Reason 1. Because no man is a Pastour that entereth not at the doore Page 164 2. None can be placed in a Parish but by this Bishop Christ the Archbishop of our Soules Page 165 3. He payes them
be holy Let thy Urim and thy Thummim be with thy holy one Deut. 33. 8. so that our very calling will testifie against us if we be not holy We of all men should labour to be holy What a Minister and yet a drunkard a Minister and yet a whoremonger a Minister and yet without the feare of God a Minister and yet have a dead heart O consider what God sayes What hast thou to doe to declare my statutes or that thou shouldst take my covenant within thy mouth seeing thou hatest instruction and hast cast my words behind thee Psal 50. 16 17. With what face can we here stand in a Pulpit and preach against sin and teach our hearers to make conscience of all their wayes and denounce the judgements of God against them that doe evill if we that condemne another do the same things or as bad How inexcusable are we if we can preach the straitnesse of heavens gate and the narrownesse of the way and the strictnesse of the account the people shall be forced to give at the last day and lay heavie burdens on other mens shoulders and we our selves not touch them with one of our fingers Teach precisely and live loosely teach graciously and walke broadly This is grosse hypocrisie act zeal and goodnes in the Pulpit and be heartlesse and luke-warm in our private duties unto God Again we can never look to doe good if we be not holy as Jet will not draw if it be not clean For how can we hope our people will follow our exhortations if they see we doe not follow them our selves When S. Luke had shewed how Barnabas exhorted the Christians to cleave close unto God Acts 11. 23. presently he gives a reason why he might well exhort them to do so For he was a good man full of the holy Ghost and of Faith v. 24. When our hearers are met with for any of their sinnes when wee rub their consciences with our Sermons presently their eye is at us and if they see us to be vain and worldly this heals them again though the word wounded them yet this is an ease to them O think they he is as bad himselfe and we see no such holinesse in him and we are as faire for heaven as he he loves his peny as well as we he is as ready to quarrell as we he is as proud and ambitious and fearfull and idle as we he loves to sleep in a whole skin what wil not hee doe rather then lose his living hee 'l break the Sabbath and teach others to doe so Now my brethren how should we abhorre this O it should prick and spur us up to study holinesse of life that so our Ministery may be powerful Thirdly are Ministers Angels Then they should be apt to teach ready to preach and to labour in Word and Doctrine It is said of the Angels that they have wings One of the Seraphims came flying unto me Isa 6. 6. They are ready prest to doe any thing that the Lord gives them in charge so should we be or else how should we beare the name of Angels We must labour that we may be fruitful in our labour among our people You know the Angels are called Reapers and so are Gods Ministers I sent you to reap John 4. 38. When a man reaps he gathers nay Christ chuseth good Ministers for this end that they should bring forth fruit in their places I have ordained you that yee should goe and bring forth much fruit John 15. 16. Nay our Saviour Christ supposes that all his true Ministers are fruitfull upon some Every sower though he have some high-way ground to sow in and some thorny ground and some stony ground yet he hath some good ground or other For first a good Minister it is the desire of his soul to see the fruits of his labours As a Hen many a Hen will hardly ever off from her egges till she see a young chickens bill peep nay she will sit stil till she die before she will off What made Paul so desirous to come to the Romans Was it onely to see them and to be among them or to take his tythes or his maintenance No it was that he might have some fruit Rom. 1. 13. And certainly this is the study of every true Minister that he may see his preaching fruitfull in the conversion and salvation of some that some are awakened by his means that some are quickned some are made to leave their sinnes and to become new creatures unto God Secondly does not every man count it a misery to be unprofitable The Lord names it as a brand upon wicked men that they are unprofitable Rom. 3. 12. What a wofull brand is this when we can live two three seven ten twenty yeares in a place and our services are unprofitable no man delivered out of ignorance no man purged from his filthinesse by our means when our Ministery is a dead letter we preach without life and no man is translated from death unto life by it I say this is to bee unprofitable like salt that hath lost his savour I confesse the best Ministers may have little takings as the best tradesman may have little vent for his wares when his trading growes dead Nay thirdly this is the end of our gifts that wee may profit with them as the Apostle sayes The manifestation of the Spirit is given unto every man to profit withall 1 Cor. 12. 7. Hath he given us knowledge He hath given it us that we should profit others with it Hath hee given us skill in the opening and applying of the Scriptures He hath given it unto us that we may doe good with the same And therefore O how earnest should we be that our Ministery may profit that our pains may be profitable and successfull that we may say with the Prophet Esay Lord behold I and the Children whom thou hast given me Fourthly this is the best argument that God hath of a certain called us to bee Ministers in his Church If we have called our selves and run without sending then no marvell if we be fruitlesse and doe little or no good But if we find that God blesseth our labours this is the best seal of our ministery as if the arrow hit it 's a good sign it was sent out of the bow it may fall out of the bow of it own accord but then it never hits but when it is sent out of the bow ye know he that sends it will aim and therefore now when it hits that 's a signe it was sent indeed so when a Minister converts peoples soules this is a good signe that God sent him when a Minister can say to his people as Paul to the Corinthians The seale of mine Apostleship are ye in the Lord 1 Cor. 9. 2. though I be not an Apostle unto others yet doubtlesse I am unto you For the seale of my Apostleship are ye in the
as occasion was offered bring forth out of their Treasuries new and old Who are they that cry down often preaching whatever colour they would seem to have be such as would cover their own shame by backbiting the diligence of any of their brethren Like the Fox in the Fable that because he wanted a taile himselfe to hide his own filthinesse perswaded the other beasts to cut off theirs too pleading forsooth O it is cumbersome and weighty and ye were better be without but the truth was it was onely to hide his own deformity which were it once in fashion to bee without tails should never be espied A worthy Divine cites an excellent admonition of Hierom to Calphurnius upon the like occasion to this That if he wanted teeth himselfe hee should not bee envious against them which were able to eat Beloved I doe urge an equality of labour upon all but this is most certain that we are bound every one of us to honor the Lord with all our strength and to study the edification and salvation of our peoples souls with all our might It is a shame that ever our people should meet together at Church and wee not take compassion upon them to quicken them with some word of exhortation or other The Evangelists note of our Saviour that when he saw a company about him he had compassion on them and taught them Mar. 6. 34. Whereupon was his Sermon in the mount but because hee saw a company about him Whereupon was that Sermon of our Saviour Matth. 13 It was because there was a company of people before him Certainly if we had compassion on our people we would doe so too If we were not too worldly and dead hearted our selves as we are we would never plead against it Many talk much of the Fathers O the Fathers the Fathers and they doe not love these upstart Divines but it were well they would learn of the Fathers Tertullian sayes there was never any publick meeting in his dayes but before the Congregatiō was dissolved they were fed with a Sermon Nay Babington a reverend Bishop among us That a Minister can no more enter into the Congregation without a Sermon and not be guilty then Aaron could enter into the Congregation at any time without death in case hee sounded not his Bells when he entred I might adde many other particulars concerning the manner of preaching wherein all Ministers should agree but these shall suffice for feare I want time 1. They should preach in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power 2. They should preach differencingly putting a distinction between the pretious and the vile 3. They should preach constantly and to the utmost of their endeavours This is the fourth thing wherein all Ministers should agree Fifthly they should agree in seeking of the Lord for a blessing on their labours they should be earnest with God in the behalfe of the people Alas how else doe they expect to convert any men unto God For when we preach what doe we doe We doe but as Gehezi who brought Elisha's staffe to raise the dead child Poore man he could not raise it for though he had Elisha's staffe he had not Elisha's spirit So my brethren we do but bring our Masters staffe and therefore we should intreat him to send down his Spirit otherwise the dead cannot stand up We trim up a Sermon put we trim it well nevertheles what is this but as the rigging of the sails and what will that doe except the wind blow So we should pray that the wind should blow upon our sails then the ship shall goe indeed as our Saviour Christ sayes The wind bloweth where it listeth Joh. 3. 8. The wind is free When we have preached all that ever we can yet the wind is free whether it will blow or no. The Spirit of God is not tied to blow upon our endeavours that they may have good successe What are Organs without breath What is Pauls planting or Apollos his watering without Gods giving of the increase The Apostle tels us it is just nothing 1 Cor. 3. 7. As a Divine makes the similitude when one heard what admirable victories Scanderbegs sword had wrought he would needs see it and when he saw it sayes he This is but an ordinary sword alas what can this doe Scanderbeg did him word I have sent thee my sword but I have the Arm that did all by it So beloved we have Christs sword but we have not Christs arm and therefore let us pray him that he would together with our preaching reach forth his arm and that will doe our people good without this poore Preachers are we all wee may cut at mens sins but they will never off without him wee may shew people the great things of the Gospel we may invite people to come in to lay hold on eternall life but O for Christs arme and therefore we should study as much how to pray as to preach The want of this is that which marres all May be we preach well but we are not earnest with God to give a blessing we doe not bewail the sins of our people we doe not lay to heart the things that provoke Almighty God wee doe not get into the case wherein God may prove all our pains Sixthly Ministers should all agree in the watching over the souls of men Preaching to and praying for our people is not the whole of a Ministers duty but wee should observe our people watch over them as the Apostle sayes Obey them that have the rule over you submit your selves for they watch for your souls Heb. 12. 17. And indeed how can we preach unto the purpose except we watch them that are committed to our charge as Solomon sayes Be thou diligent to know the estate of thy flockes and look well to thy Herds Pro. 27. 23. This was Pauls course to enquire into the estate of people how it fared with them This was the newes that he asked after his desire was to know how grace went forward in the Ephesians hearts I heare of your faith sayes he Eph. 1. 15. It seems he had been asking of it Thus Epaphras told him of the Colossians estate Thus he learned by some of the house of Chloe the state of the Corinthians Nay all men will enquire and hearken after the health of their friends parents if their children be at the University they will listen after them how they goe on in learning So should the Angels of every Church they should listen what courses are in their Town what sinnes break out what corruptions appeare what proficiency the good ones make who grow who decline who stand at a stay who goe aside and wax worse and worse that they may shape their preaching accordingly that their words be fitted in their mouth that they may apt their rebukes their exhortations their uses answerably For then will their Sermons be like Apples of Gold in Pictures
wee desire to doe what wee are commanded to doe wee shall have enemies enough in the world Our Tribe is a hated Tribe Of all Offices the office of a reprover is the most unwelcome Paul was counted an enemy because hee told the Galatians the truth Micaiah was hated because hee dealt truely with Ahab people love their lusts as their members yea as themselves Ergò of all men wee are most hated Every man is beleeved in his own profession but wee People do not hate Taylors that make them a good garment nor a Shoo-maker that makes them a good Shooe nor a Cook that makes them a good Feast nor a Phisitian that makes them a good potion nor a good Lawyer that makes them a good suite though these doe but provide for the body and yet wee that provide for peoples soules if wee make them a good Sermon that would save their soules for ever so they would obey it wee are hated for our labour Ergò when Moses came to speak of Levi that were the Ministers of Israel hee prayes God that God would deliver them out of the hands of their enemies Lord smite through the loynes of them that hate him Deut. 33. 11. I say wee have many enemies in the world and therefore wee had need to hang together who ever bee at oddes wee should stick close Our message is hardly beleeved and therefore wee had need to bee all of one minde The word which wee preach is adverse to flesh and blood and therfore wee had need all joyntly to obey it otherwise how doe wee think that wee shall perswade any others Force the more united the more strong O if we would all joyn forces in one wee might make all our Parishes quake all the wicked round about their very hearts would bee ready to faile them if every Pulpit did rowze them If they could come in no Church but they were made to sit upon thornes I verily beleeve few would have any heart to goe on in their evill doings Thirdly another Use is how wee see it is a very usefull and a profitable thing that one good Minister should now and then come and help another and preach for another that our people may see our consent that wee all preach the same thing and that is not our private preaching but all the Ministers that are of God are just of the same mind This made the Apostle whensoever hee was to write to a people that hee knew would bee somewhat backward to beleeve them hee would joyne other Ministers with him as consenting together with him Indeed when hee wrote unto Timothy he would not doe it for hee knew that hee did not need hee knew the faithfulnesse of his heart But when hee writ to the Corinthians where false Apostles had been and had made many of them to doubt hee joyned Sosthenes with him as it were confirming the same thing 1 Cor. 1. 1. when hee wrote to the Galatians hee told them hee had Peter on his side and Barnabas and Titus and James and John and how the Apostles gave unto him the right hand of Fellowship Gal. 2. 1. 9. Hee writing to the Philippians hee joynes Timothy with him Phil. 1. 1. And so writing to Philemon about a thing that though hee hoped Philemon would doe yet because hee knew he might have many carnall reasons against it hee joyns another with him Philem. 1. This is of very good use when one good Minister comes and backs anothers Ministery For as it is with men-pleasing Ministers that make as if the way to heaven were easier than it is people hope that other Ministers will come and confirming it make it good Ezek. 3. 6. O they love such a Doctrine alife and they hope there will be moe of that minde So when they heare a strict Minister that delivers the Word to them as it is and as they shall finde it at last day tush this is so uncooth that they hope that it is but the opinion of their precise Minister and that no body else is of his minde Now when God shall bring a cloud of witnesses it is I say of very good use I confesse that when a Minister speaketh the truth though no body else come to set it on besides him hee shall bee a witnesse against all the people that will not beleeve and vext at the voyce of his preaching Noah condemned all the world albeit there were none but hee But yet symphony and agreement and the consent of the Ministers of God is an Ordinance of God when it may conveniently bee had Thus I have spoken of this second point of Doctrine of the unity of Ministers To the Angell of the Church in Sardis I acknowledge this point is not so much for the generall profit of you all But you must bear with me for handling of it Wee shall come now to you ere long For I am sure if any portion of Scripture may doe us good in these dead times the Treating of this Epistle may And yet it is not lost time to speak unto the Ministers if by any meanes I may provoke my self and my Brethren to the abounding in the unity of the Spirit and of Faith and heart and minde for the further spreading and enforcing of good Revel 3. 1. And unto the Angell of the Church in Sardis write these things saith hee that hath the seven Spirits of God and the seven Starres I know thy works that thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead And unto the Angel of the Church in Sardis write YEE have had two Doctrines from hence concerning Gods Ministers I told you there is one more and then I have done and so will proceed The Doctrine is this That a Minister may bee in fault that the people are dead that they have no more heart to good things that they are so ignorant so cold so ungodly so worldly so vain as they are I say the Minister may bee in the fault The point is very clear from this place The Lord being to reprove the people here of Sardis for their deadnesse in Religion he directs his reproof to their Minister To the Angel of the Church in Sardis write I know thy works that thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead Hee accuses the Minister for the deadnesse of the Church that was committed to his charge hee meanes the Church but hee speakes to the Minister You will say how doe yee prove that hee means the Church I Answer there be three places that doe manifest the same The one is Revel 1. 4. There John tells us that hee indeed writes to the Churches for that in the inscription of every Epistle the Minister onely bee named John to the seven Churches in Asia So that this latter is sent to the Church that is in Sardis John meanes it to the Church and not onely to the Minister A second place is Rev. 1. 11. what thou seest write to the seven
more and more As Solomon saith Where there is no vision the people perish Prov. 29. 18. that is where preaching is defective the people die they are spiritually dead in trespasses and in sins Can a man live without bread or without food no more can people live without constant preaching The Word is the bread of life now when this is not broken unto people they must needs dye Mark how Zachary describes them that are without preaching They are such as fit in darknesse and in the shadow of death Luk. 1. 79. that is they are blinde and ignorant and livelesse dead while they live they are wicked and abominable in the power of Satan under the wrath of God strangers from the life of God such Ministers as doe not preach constantly they are soule-murtherers they are guilty of their peoples blood they doe not give them that which should quicken them up unto eternall life they should quicken them up unto newnesse of life but they doe not they should powre in the words of eternall life into their hearts but they doe not people are naturally dead to Prayer and dead to communion with God and dead to all holinesse they have no heart to purenesse and righteousnesse of walking and such Ministers doe not study to revive them Secondly as a Minister may bee the cause of his peoples deadnesse by his not Preaching so he may be the cause of their deadnesse by his Preaching when the manner of it is dead Preaching may be dead in the manner of it 7 waies First When it is too generall when they preach onely in generall That which wee say is very good for the generall but wee doe not apply our selves to every particular mans Conscience this â—eads peoples hearts Beloved it is particular Preaching that does people good When Nathan told David Thou are the man 2 Sam. 12. 7. this stirred Davids heart When Peter had said to his hearers Yee have crucifyed Christ Act. 2. 36. This prickt them to the heart Generall preaching cannot quicken First because generalls cannot act Actio est singularium as wee say It s onely a particular works Let a man preach home and in particular and this will work on the hearers This made Michah a powerfull Preacher when hee preached particularly to his peoples Conscience Truely I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord and of judgement and of might to declare unto Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin Mich. 3. 8. this made him a powerfull Prophet to quicken up his people because hee told every man his sin and smote every man conscience for his transgression No man is stirred till hee feeles his case laid open till hee sees the Minister beates upon him and hit him till the Minister treads hard upon his toes hee will never cry out Secondly Generall Preaching leaves the Sermon to the people to apply it now the people will never apply it while the world stands Nay David himself would not apply as long as Nathan dealt with him in generall as long as Nathan was speaking of a man in the clouds a rich man that had wronged a poore man Davids heart was as whole as a fish till hee came to Thou art Him Now hee cries out I have sinned Nathan was fain to make application For David would never have done it else Will a truantly Boy ever whip himself the Master may lay the rod before him but except the Master lay it on hee will goe scot-free if hee can The words of the wise are as goods and as nailes fastened by the Masters of Assemblies Eccles 12. 11. Mark the Masters of Assemblies must fasten them into the post lay the nailes by the post it self will never knock them in So though the Sermon bee never so good a naile yet hee must knock it in the people will never doe it The Prophet Jehu must come and say to Jehosaphat Shouldst thou help the ungodly Wrath is upon thee from the Lord 2 Chron. 19. 2. Hee fastened in the naile though Jehosaphat were a good man yet the Prophet knew he would not do it Nay people are so farre from applying the word unto themselves that they will apply it to any body else rather than to themselves the Minister met with such a one to day there was a lesson for him But none will say this was for mee and I am a vile wretch and vengeance hangs over mee unlesse I doe amend and therefore certainly generall Peaching is a dead manner of preaching Thirdly Generall Preaching is confused when Ministers tell people they must repent and beleeve and serve God and bee godly and carry themselves well in all their places and callings When they doe thus in generall this is like as if the trump should give an uncertain sound like the noise in a battle a confused noise as the Prophet speaks Esa 9. 5. Like the confusion in Ephesus Great is Diana of the Ephesians they kept a great stirre Act. 19. 32. the Text saith The assembly was confused and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together so while wee preach onely in the generall Great is the Lord Jesus Christ and wee are great sinners and great is the need of repentance but wee neither tell the people how nor when nor who nor what may bee our Sermons may keep some pudder in mens Consciences but people have no distinct edification they goe away and say O it was a very godly Sermon I pray God give us grace to follow it But no man is the better They heare admirable things about repentance but they are not taught how to goe about it there they are at a losse They remember gracious things about the serving of God and about a good Conscience and the like But they know not how in the earth to set about these things to any purpose if ever wee would quicken our peoples hearts wee must let them see distinctly the will of God concerning them the particular means and helps and signes of it the particular motives and Arguments to it the particular circumstances of it the particular hinderances lets and impediments of doing of it and you can never doe the will of God as long as yee doe thus and thus and this course will break your neck this practise of yours will bee your utter undoing when people heare distinct Preaching this doth them good if any thing will Generall Preaching is like the setting of good Physick before the Patient without giving him directions for the taking of it Fourthly Generall Preaching is deceitfull Est dolus in generalibus as wee say there is deceit in the generalls wee Preach that people must love God and feare him and thank him and they must bee new men and they must leave their sinnes and they must Pray and hear the Word and they must doe every thing to Gods glory Now mark what deceit there is in such preaching as this this is in the generall People goe away and
about it and dig deeper and deeper Still as the heart beares it selfe he is to come with more and more supplies out of the Word against it It is a strange thing to see how deepe Ministers have gone and yet people arme themselves against the Word of God and are not converted by it Tell them they must be new Creatures they confesse it and though they be none yet they have many faire colours to hope they are Tell them of Communion with God and fellowship with his sonne Iesus Christ and Heavenly-mindednesse and hatred of all sin love to universall obedience plucking out their right eyes looking at the Glory of God not to trust in their performances to go out of themselves People make a shift to have something to answer all All these things they hope they have done in some measure Now when Ministers goe on and on and do not goe further and further this leaves such people dead It is said of a Preacher that is wise that he still teaches the people knowledge Because the Preacher was wise he still taught the people knowledge Eccles 12. 9. That is people could never come to him but still hee made them know more and more You will say how can a Preacher doe thus I Answer if a Preacher bee well studied in his own heart and in the Book of God this will help him to doe it For still as hee sees further into his own heart still hee will see further into the Word of God and let out more and more light It is said of Christs Ministery That in it the light did spring up Matth. 4. 16. So this is a true Ministery indeed when the light springs up in it Yee know in a Spring the water springeth up more and more now when a Minister goes on in a track and does not doe thus this is a deading Ministery This is the third thing Flat Preaching leaves people dead Fourthly Cold Preaching too when a Minister preaches coldly when the Word floweth coldly from his mouth When a man hides the affectionatenesse of the Word from the people by the coldnesse of his uttering of it Beloved the Word is full of affections what a deale of affection is there in all the Truthes of the Gospel they are all steept in the warm blood of the Son of God there is affection in the promises they proceed from the tender bowels of God Affection in the threatnings they all issue from the infinite wrath of God against sin The Word of God is as fire Jer. 23. 29. Now when a Minister shall preach the Word coldly hee preaches the Word otherwise then it is Hee does as much as in him lies to hide the affectionatenesse of the Word from the peoples hearts Suppose the Town were all on fire would yee not count the man a ridiculous man that should come to us and tell us a cold story Sirs let mee tell you a thing there is a great fire in the Town and I verily think it may burn all the Town and you should doe well to goe and quench it This man tells us so indeed but would not you count him a fool for telling us such a thing in a cold carelesse manner as if it were a small matter Nature teacheth us another course in such a case Fire fire help O help for the Lords sake water water in all haste Alas alas wee are undone quickly quickly run for ladders run for buckets run for wet cloathes ah you lazie villaine run apace for iron hooks and the like Thus nature teaches to deliver such a truth that does so neerly concern us affectionately So it is here Brethren what weighty things does the Word contain Truths that our very bowels should yern and wee should powre out our affections in the Pulpit that wee may shew by our delivery what they are Now when this is not done this deads peoples hearts They fit as quiet at a Sermon though they heare of matters of life and death eternall life salvation and damnation Yet they sit like blocks in their seats as though it were no great matter Why they hear one standing in the Pulpit as though hee were saying his lesson wicked people will not beleeve they are going to hell though wee tell them they will not beleeve the waies of Jesus Christ are so good as they are though wee tell them It is a pretty story of Demosthenes when one told him that hee was beaten and mis-used by such a man it seemes hee told it very dreamingly and coldly shewing no affection at all Why saith Demosthenes hath hee beaten thee I doe not beleeve it No saith the man and so the man was as it were in a great passion I am sure thus and thus hee did to mee and doe not you call this beating Nay saith Demosthenes now I beleeve hee hath beaten thee indeed Now you speak as yee had been beaten as yee say So when a Minister preaches unto people in a dreaming manner though the things bee never so weighty yet they will not beleeve them He saith in a cold manner that Drunkards are in a bad case and such and such persons are in a sad condition and saith yee must repent or you will all perish But people heare him speak so frigidly of these things that they will not enter into their hearts If these things were preached as they should bee it would make people quake It is said of our Saviour That when hee was teaching the Disciples hearts burned within them Luk. 24. 32. Did not our hearts burn within us when c. Keckerman makes that to bee the meaning of St. Matthew where hee saith that our Saviour Taught with Authority and not as the Scribes that is saith hee hee did not preach coldly but with life and zeale and this went with Authority Now the manner of Preaching is cold two waies and so dead First When it flowes not from the heart for then it is unlikely that ever it will goe unto the heart Pectus facit esse disertos The heart is the best Oratory as Paul saith What doe you weeping and breaking my heart Act. 21. 13. they spake so heartily and affectionately and meltingly to him this burst his very heart In the 17 of Acts the 16 verse it is said Pauls spirit was stirred in him to see all Athens given to Idolatry Hee was inwardly moved in his own heart in his preaching unto them Now if you look into the 34 verse of that Chapter how this quickned some there Dionysius and Damaris and some others cleaved unto him that is hee preached so movingly that he made their very soules cleave unto him Why hee spake from his heart There bee many clamorous Preachers saith Galvin who declame against the sinnes of the people and thunder against them make as though they had a great deale of zeale and yet never move a jot because themselves have a dead heart and a secure heart the people see through their actings that they
unto the Angell of the Church in Sardis write these things saith hee that hath the seven Spirits of God and the seven Starres I know thy works that thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead These things saith hee that hath the seven Spirits of God and the seven Starres THese words contain the Description of our Lord Jesus Christ from whom this Epistle is sent unto the Church in Sardis and in particular to the Minister there who is here called the Angell of the Church in that place And the description does instance in two royalties of our Saviour Jesus Christ First That hee hath the seven Spirits of God that is he hath the Holy Ghost and all his spirituall graces in his hands to give to whomsoever hee pleases for the quickning of them and the sanctifying of them that if any of his members want spirit or any spirituall good hee hath it for them These things saith hee that hath the seven Spirits of God This wee handled the last day Now wee proceed to the second Royalty of our Lord Jesus Christ That hee hath the seven Starres hee speaks of the seven Churches of Asia Christ hath all their Ministers in his hands and hee calls them starres First because the starres doe direct It s a great help when Mariners can see a starre in a dark night When Paul and they that sailed with him could see neither Sun nor Starre the company were without all hope of comming safe to Land Act. 27. 20. they knew not what to doe when there was not a starre to bee seen The starres serve for direction in the night So good Ministers are for direction unto people they serve to direct people to Christ Like the starre in the East When the Wisemen saw the starre they rejoyced with exceeding great joy Matth. 2. 10. that starre directed them to Christ it went before them all the way and shewed them where to finde Christ so a poore soule rejoyces to finde a godly Minister O thinks hee he is a starre to direct mee to Christ Secondly Because the starres doe shine so good Ministers doe shine forth and hold out a light to give light to them that sit in darknesse and in the shadow of death Yee are the light of the world sayes Christ Matth. 5. 14. when a man sits in a dark house hee cannot see to doe any thing but if one come and open a window or a casement and letteth in light now hee may see to goe about his businesse so Beloved people that dwell in dark Parishes where no sound Ministery of the Word is they know not what to doe to bee saved they erre they wander they grope they stumble and fall they see not how to bee godly and happy for evermore But when a faithfull Minister comes now light is let in and those that have a minde to goe to Heaven now they may see the way thither so that in this sense too Ministers are starres Thirdly Because starres have influence upon these inferiours bodies as God sayes of the Pleiades and Orion which are a company of starres in the heavenly Orbe Canst thou binde the sweet influences of the Pleiades or loose the bands of Orion Job 38. 31. the starres have influences into things here below The Pleiades open the earth they make herbes and flowres grow the spring is when they arise once Trees begin to sprout and the plants do waxe green Orion it produces cold the Winter comes when that shews it self the starres have a great influence into sublunary bodies so it is with Ministers Bad Ministers are like the starres of Orion they serve to coole peoples hearts and dead them to all goodnesse But good Ministers are as the starres of Pleiades no soule can have any minde in him to that which is good but they doe exceedingly help and further they quicken the heart they warme and fructisie the soules of Gods Elect. Againe the Starres doe hang high so the Ministers of Christ are set high they hang high that all the people may have the benefit of their glistering Zachany calls them the Prophets of the most High And thou childe shalt bee called the Prophet of the most High Luk. 1. 76. But I have handled this Point in effect when I spake of Ministers being Angels and therefore I will omit it now Thus yee see the Ministers are starres Now hee calls them seven because hee speaks of seven Congregations Ephesus Smyrna Pergamos Thyatira Sardis Philadelphia and Laodicea Seven Churches seven Congregations and every one had their severall stars Whence wee see that every Parish should have a particular faithfull Minister Paul appointed Titus to ordain Elders in every City Tit. 1. 5. The Apostles ordained Pastours and Elders in every Church Act. 14. 23. So it was in the time of the Law as the Text sayes Moses of old time hath in every City them that Preach being read in the Synagogues every Sabbath day Act. 15. 21. The Reason is first because those Towns that have not a faithfull Ministery in it generally doe all perish I doe not deny but some soules in such blinde places may come otherwise to bee converted and saved but generally they perish for ever that live in such places as the Evangelist sayes of Galile True they had sorry Priests but they had not a faithfull Ministery sayes hee The people sate there in the region and shadow of death Matth. 4. 16. that is till they had a better Ministery they were in a damnable estate So that it is a pitifull thing when any Town or Parish are without a faithfull Ministery no starre of Heaven shining among them Secondly because when people have no faithfull Minister of their own generally they care not for removing of their dwelling neither will they goe a mile or two for the meanes they content themselves with what fare they have at home though it starve them to death Like the people under the false Prophets they liked them well enough My people love to have it so Jer. 5. 31. Nay they love such prophets better than them that would deale plainly with them Nay there bee many that when they have a faithfull Minister at home will bee sneaking out to a drunken Minister abroad they would rather live under such a one Thirdly Another Reason why every Church should have its particular Starre every congregation had need of a faithfull Ministery of their own Because if there be any godly Soule or any one that desires the salvation of his Soule and lives under a blinde guide hee cannot goe out without giving very great offence it will bee thought a giddinesse and a flighting of their own Minister at home now if every Parish had a sound Ministery in it this would not bee When people came out of every Parish round about unto John they had no Pastour of their own but they came flocking unto John no question but this bred heart-burning against John I and ill-will against those
enough to strike terrough into the hearts of men to put off any Sermon any rebuke any exhortation of Christs Ministers when they know the Lord sends them May bee the Minister is as poore a creature as one of you O but remember who sends him as Christ sayes hee that heareth you heareth mee and hee that despiseth you despiseth mee and hee that refuseth mee refuseth him that sent me Luk. 10. 16. Revel 3. 1. These things saith hee that hath the seven Spirits of God and the seven Starres I Have begun to handle this Epistle wherin I noted foure things First the inscription declaring to whom this Epistle is sent To the Angel of the Church in Sardis write that is to the Minister of the Church and to the Church it self Secondly The Subscription declaring from whom it is sent These things saith he that c. Thirdly The Substance or subject matter of the Epistle I know thy works c. Usque ad ver 4. Fourthly The Conclusion He that over-commeth c. ver 5 6. I have already Analysed all this whole Epistle and Paraphrased upon every part of it and shewed you the meaning of it and the scope of it and have made some entrance upon it namely to reprove their deadnesse and coldnesse in Religion and to quicken them up unto life lest the judgement of God fall upon them I have dispatcht the Inscription And to the Angel of the Church in Sardis write and so I passe on to the second Namely the Subscription These things saith c. These words as ye heard contain a description of our Lord Jesus Christ from whom this Epistle is sent The Description is not a whole and an entire description of him but only accommodated to the businesse in hand And therefore it describes him onely from two admirable Royalties that are in him The first is this That he hath the seven Spirits of God that is he hath the Holy and quickning Spirit to give him to whomsoever he please q. d. if ye would be quickned hearken unto me come unto me I have all the graces of the Spirit to quicken you withall Secondly That he hath the seven Starres that is as I told you he hath all the Ministers of the Church in his hand and at his dispose These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God and the seven Starres That is Christ hath all the Starres all the Ministers of the Church they are all in his hand I told you he is said to have them in five respects 1. They have their Mission from him 2. They have their Commission from him 3. They have their Abilities from him 4. They have the successe of their labours from him 5. They have their protection from him he opens their mouths as long as he lists and shuts them when hee seeth fit so to doe I have spoken of the first The Ministers of Christ have their Mission from Christ he hath the sending of them As my Father hath sent me so send I you Joh. 20. 21. it is Christ that sends Ministers to the Church as he told Jerusalem Behold I send unto you Prophets and Wisemen and Scribes Matth. 23. 34. He called the twelve and began to send them forth by two and two Mark 6. 7. So he called the seventy and sent them also Luk. 10. 1. so it is Christ that sends all true Ministers to this day True the Church does Ordain them I but if they be not sent by him too they are intruders Now when he sends them they are his Ministers though the Church put them into Orders As it is with a true Constable though the Parish choose him yet he is the Kings Officer and does things in the Kings name So it is with every true Minister Christ hath the sending of him He is the Minister of Christ as the Apostle sayes Let a man so account of us as of the Ministers of Christ 1 Cor. 4. 1. And therefore look what we do in our Office we doe it in his name As Peter said In the name of Jesus Christ rise up and walk So we say unto Gods Elect rise up and walk in the name of Jesus Christ repent of all thy wicked wayes and beleeve and though the world will not stirre at our speech yet they that are elected of God doe stirre they are none but the reprobate that lye still in their sins Sometime or other we get home all the Elect they hear us they obey us they submit to our Doctrine in the name of Jesus Christ The Use of this is first for comfort of the poore Ministers of Christ may be we meet with many wolves in the delivery of his errands We meet with sowre faces and wry lookes suspensions oppositions and such like wolvish dealings for doing of our message what need we care for all these as long as Christ sends us Certainly if he send us he will be with us as God said to Moses I send thee certainly I will be with thee Exod. 3. 12. he will be with us for the good of his chosen in all the course of our Ministery be it short or be it long We shall be usefull unto them though the reprobate world will not obey any of our words Christ will be with us in the Pulpit in the prison in a dog-hole if the wicked put us in it as Christ said Goe and teach all Nations and loe I am with you to the end of the world Matth. 28. 19 20. This is our comfort Christ will be with us and this is the Elects comfort they shall be sure to finde him with us in our Ministery if we be in the Pulpit there they shall hear us teaching of them if in the prison there they shall have us sealing of the truth to them Secondly if Christ hath the sending of us wee must be sure to doe his message that we performe the work he sends us to doe Every messenger should doe thus I seek not mine own will saith Christ but the will of the Father which hath sent mee Joh. 5. 30. if a Merchant should send a servant beyond the Seas to be a Factor for him if that servant should goe and trade for himself to get money for himself and an estate for himselfe and neglect his Masters businesse he may look for a cold welcome home So when Christ sends us to bee Factors for him to see what Soules wee can gain unto him if we should now seek our selves how to be rich how to be some-body in the world how to get preferment and so leave his businesse undone wee may look for a cold welcome home Certainly if Christ sends us we should minde his work we should glorifie Christ labour to reveale Christ to win Soules to Christ This is our businesse to doe Thirdly If Christ hath the sending of us wee must give him account when wee have done When Christ had sent his Disciples to preach they returned again and gave
company of hypocrites and teachers of vanities what are these Preachers wee see little good they doe what becomes of all their Preaching factions and odde opinions in one Towne and dissolutenesse and all manner of licensiousnesse in another If the whole world should let us alone I verily feare God himselfe would put us down immediately in the end So many scandals so many thousand offences are given every day that its a wonder wee stand as we doe That the Lord of heaven lets any Minister in England come into a Pulpit more nothing but pride and self-conceits and selftrustings and feared consciences dead hearts and profanenesse unlesse it be a very little handfull O Beloved if where preaching is it were honoured as it ought to bee and obeyed as it should if people would doe as we teach I dare be bold to affirme wee might Preach long enough If our Townes would sweetly reforme set up good Government root out all disorders and cursed abuses live like Christians indeed be humble and sober and loving and dutifull to God and Man Giving to Caesar the things that are Caesars and to God the things that are Gods If we would feare God and honour the King Reverence Gods Courts obey the voyce of his servants love Christ and his word above our appointed food this would lengthen the Ministery of the Land this would bee a meanes for the establishing of Gods Kingdome among us Christ would never repent that ever hee sent his Gospell unto us where wee have some wee should have more where we have more wee should have a hundred times more as the Apostle Peter sayes Who is he that will harme you if yee be followers of that which is good 1 Pet. 3. 13. Thirdly Another Use is is it Christ that takes away Ministers either by death or restraining or by any other way Then let it bee a meanes to exhort us to repent of our sinnes that Christ may still give a doore of utterance to his Ministers that they may still speak in his name This should move us to seek God When Peter was cast into prison O what fasting and crying and praying was there to God for him till hee was restored again Act. 12. 5. they did not goe to Herod to restore him No they knew Christ was hee that tooke him from the Church whoever were the instrument therefore they sought to Heaven for him again if any peoples Ministery bee gone this is the best way to fetch them again Paul knew this to bee true and therefore when hee was in prison at Rome hee writes to Philemon thus I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you Philemon v. 22. Nay hee is so confident that if people would but cry hard for him to God that hee should quickly bee enlarged Nay sayes hee prepare mee a lodging for I trust that through your prayers I should be given unto you q. d. I make no question but I shall out of prison if you will but bee earnest with God So also it seems the Authour to the Hebrews was restrained from Preaching Now mark what an exhortation hee uses Pray for us sayes hee and I beseech you the rather to doe this that I may bee restored unto you the sooner Heb. 13. 18 19. Thus I have finished this part of the Description of Jesus Christ That hath the seven Starres in his hand and the whole Subscription too These things saith hee that hath the seven Spirits of God and the seven Starres I come now to the Epistle it self I know thy works that thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead but of this more c. REVEL 3. 1. And unto the Angel of the Church in Sardis write These things saith hee that hath the seven Spirits of God and the seven starres I know thy works that thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead I know thy works c. Revel 3. 1. I know thy workes c. YE have heard two things concerning this Epistle First the Inscription that declareth the person to whom it was sent To the Angel of the Church in Sardis write That is it was sent principally to the Minister of the Church in the Town of Sardis and also to the Christians that were in that Church Secondly the subscription that declareth from whom it was sent These things saith hee that hath the seven Spirits of God and the seven Stars that is it was sent from Jesus Christ Now we come to the third thing and that is the subject matter of this Epistle which consists of three things First a Reprehension of the sins of the Minister and the body of his congregation Secondly a Direction or the shewing of the remedy for the curing of their sins Thirdly a Commendation of some particular persons in that Congregation that were not carryed away with the sins of the times The reprehension is either in generall I know thy works that is I know them all and I know them to be stark nought for the most part what-ever they seem they may seem to be very good but I tell you plainly I know them all what they be q. d. Generally they are stark nought And then in particular hee instances in two first the sin of hypocrisie or seeming to be good Thou hast a name that thou livest Secondly the sin of deadnesse of heart But thou art dead This is the reprehension or the reproof Then follows the Direction or the shewing of the remedy for he does not reprove them out of any ill will but for their good And therefore he prescribes them a remedy and the remedy is twofold The first is to strengthen the things that remain that are ready to dye v. 2. q. d. as many of you as are not quite and clean dead stir up your selves quicken up your hearts and this is first illustrated by shewing how they should doe thus Be watchfull sayes he q. d. that 's the reason why ye languish on this fashion and ye will languish more and more because yee are not watchfull therefore be watchfull and then it is urged by rendring a motive to use this remedy For I have not found thy workes perfect before God that is thou art hardly sincere a jot thou art full of hypocrisie and formality and thou wilt lose all thy labour if thou dost not look well about thee therefore shake up thy self and strengthen the things c. this is the first remedy The second remedy is to repent v. 3. and this is amplified by shewing how and that is two wayes 1. Remember how c. i.e. consider how thou hast been taught and bewail thy declinings for thou art horribly departed from what thou hast heard out of the Word 2. Hold fast i.e. so bewaile thy warpings and degeneratings that thou mayest get up again and hold thee fast there when thou art up Now lest they should neglect the using of this remedy the Lord Jesus sharpens his speech with
detect us at last before others and then what a shame will this bee as David sayes of Doeg the Lord would discover him Hee would make all the good people round about say of Him Lo this is the Man that tooke not GOD for his strength Psalme 52. 7. So hee will doe with us Lo this is the Man that had such a Name to Live Lo this is the Man now wee see here 's a wretch now wee see how hee deceived his owne soule hee never truely sought GOD in all his life hee was not the Man that wee tooke him for hee built upon the Sand hee did not lay a good foundation and therefore now hee is tumbled downe and what is become of his name Now hee shewes himselfe in his Colours now wee see hee is an Enemy of GOD hee can side with the Times hee can embrace this present VVorld hee hath no eternall life abiding in him Nay the Lord will not onely doe thus with us if wee rest in a Name but also hee will pour his Wrath upon us otherwise too yee may read how that this was the reason why the Lord drowned all the old World not onely the wickednesse of them that were without for if they that professed Religion had beene sound they might have prevented the Deluge and prayed it away But they that professed Religion had only a Name The Sonnes of GOD saw the Daughters of men that they were faire Genesis 6. 2. That is the Sonnes of God they were onely so in Name their workes plainely shewed that they were onely so in Name therefore the Lord swept them all away So the Lord will pour bitter things on us if wee bee Christians onely in Name and the servants of CHRIST onely in Name if wee bee not so indeede nay this is not all but wee shall have a deeper Portion in Hell too then Pagans or Papists or any in our owne Land the more wee have borne of his Name the surer shall our damnation bee if wee doe not really answer the Holy Name wherewith wee are called Wee may see this in the Man in the Gospell Friend how camest thou in hither Binde him hand and soote cast him into utter darkenesse where is weeping c. Matthew 22. 12. 13. Come Friend how came you in hither marke hee had the Name of a friend of Jesus Christ therefore the Text sayes hee was speechlesse hee had nothing to say for himselfe his damnation had nothing to lessen it other people shall have something to say for themselves to lessen their damnation but those that have a Name to live shall not have the least syllable Thirdly then let another use bee to humble our hearts let us goe to God in humiliation of heart as the poore prodigall Sonne did and downe on the knees of our soules and bodies and say Lord I have sinned against Heaven and before thee and am no more worthy to bee called thy Sonne Luke 15. 21. So as many of us as are guilty of this sinne as who almost is not and that in a horrible manner let us say Lord I have beene called a Christian I have beene called a child of thine I have had the Name a good while but O what a Wretch have I beene I am not worthy of this Name I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight I have not answered the Name I have had and therefore it were just with thee to cut mee asunder with Hypocrites and so fling mee downe to Hell REVEL 3. 1. And art Dead THese words are a part of the Epistle that Christ sent to the Ministers and Church of Sardis Ye have heard the inscription to the Angel of the Church in Sardis write Ye have heard too of the subscription These things saith he that hath the seven spirits of God and the seven Starres We are come to the Subject matter and therein first to the reproof in generall I know thy workes and secondly to the partculars of the reproof The first particular was this Thou hast a name that thou livest all these have been delivered already now followes the second particular reproof And art dead Here the question is what Christ meanes by dead By dead he does not mean dead in errors and heresies though these be called deadly poysons and may make a Church dead For the truth is called the word of life Phil. 2. 16. and wholesome Doctrine as the Apostle cals it and ergo errors and heresies these poyson dead any people that drink them in But this cannot be the meaning here for we see no such thing here laid to their charge it should seeme this Church was an orthodox Church neither by dead does he meane prophane wicked manners though they make a people dead too as we see the prodigall Sonne that had been given to prophane and dissolute courses his Father sayes he was dead in those dayes Luke 15. 24. Yet this cannot be the meaning neither for this Church had a name to live and it had this name among the Churches of Jesus Christ which had more wit then to Judge them to be alive if they had been so palpably wicked no it seemes they were an excellent Church to see to a good Ministry to see to but both dead so then this is the meaning For all their seeming to be alive they were indeed dead as the Apostle sayes of himselfe before he was quickned by Christ Jesus He was dead sin revived and I dyed Rom. 7. 9. yet he was as jolly a good man as any other and yet he confesses he was dead so they were dead for the most part and those that were not all out dead yet they were dead-hearted and without life in Gods wayes For as it was with the Moraller Heathen they did the things contained in the Law yet they were dead so a people may doe the things contained in the Gospell too and yet be dead people may beleeve yet as Iames sayes their saith be dead saith Jam. 2. 26. namely when their faith is without works so people may have goodly works for the morall part of them and yet doe them with a dead heart to be sober and temperate and loving and chaste and civilly humble and meek and diligent in their calling and known to frequent all the ordinances of God in publik in private these are outwardly good works and yet may be in the number of those works that the Apostle cals dead works Heb. 6. â— namely when there is no life of God in them Thousands deceive themselves in this when they have a kinde of faith and a kind of particular faith and such works as these flowing from their faith they think this to be a lively faith no no a man may be dead for all that This truth will not sink into mens minds fancies fancies say they these are nothing but the whimses of a company of giddy â—raines what would they have if this be not true religion we wonder what
and the Starres which thou hast ordained then I say Lord what is man Psal 83 4. you see how stirring his minde was when he considered the heavens and the earth it wrought mightily on him it made him the more humble Others see the Heavens every day and it does not move them one whit to Humiliation before God But when the minde comes once to consider then it shakes off its dulnesse and remissnesse then it growes busie such a man will not goe to Prayer but he considers what he goes about what a great God he is to speake to what a vile creature himselfe is that is to pray to him he will consider how he may pray with faith and hope and feeling of his wants how he may rise up from his knees not without profit Now he will not goe to the word but he will consider what it is he repaires to now all his mind is how he may get good now he is busie in every duty when he is tempted to doe as others doe he considers what the issue will be and this makes him forbeare Beloved this is the life of our mindes when they consider things when we consider our latter end when we consider Gods promises when we consider his threatenings when we take his commandements into our deep consideration when we consider the danger of sinne we doe not onely know all these things but we consider them Though we know neere so much yet except we consider what we know our mindes are lumpish and dead consideration is the activity of the minde and therefore if we would prove our selves to be alive towards God let us put on consideration a dayes Fourthly the remembring of the minde when the minde forgets it selfe every day this is nothing but the deadnesse of the minde for if it be alive to a thing it will be sure to remember it selfe of that if it oan Can a maide forget her ornaments or a Bride her attire yet my people have forgotten me dayes without number Jer. 2. 32. that is my people are dead-minded to me if they regarded me they would remember themselves every day to serve me looke what a man is alive to the minde will be sure to remember us of that we can have no journey to take but our mindes remember us of it no businesse to doe to feed our Cattell to milke our kine every morning and evening to sheare our sheepe every Lammas if we forget any thing in this kinde presently it 's a 100. to one but we remember our selves now when a man is alive to the best things in some measure he will remember himselfe of them every day so David did I remembred thy name O Lord yea in the night too and so I kept thy Law Psal 119. 55. I remembred my selfe and I would be sure to doe what God bid me do it may be his heart began to arise but presently he remembred himselfe and beat it downe againe it may be some other lust began to be up but by and by he remembred him and checked his owne soule when the minde is alive towards God the knowledge of the word does not lie dead in that man but still he remembers it at every need when the Sabbath is coming then thinkes he I remember what God bade me doe Remember the Sabbath day to keepe it holy when the Sacrament comes then he remembers himselfe O thinkes he let a man examine himselfe and so let him eat of that Bread and drinke of that Cup now the minde thinkes I will labour to remember God continually what ever I forget I will not forget him when I rise up when I lie downe still I will set my selfe to remember him when I goe out when I come home what ever the Devill say what ever the flesh whisper I will labour still to remember God if I be tempted to wrath then I desire to remember what God sayes give not place to the Devill when I feel spirituall lazinesse then I will unfeignedly endeavour to remember what God speakes unto me cursed is he that does the worke of the Lord negligently c. Fifthly the inventings or the devisings of the heart where the minde is naturally bent and alive there it is witty if riches if preferment if pleasure if learning be a mans lust that he lives in there he is witty so when a man is a live unto God his wit will have that way it's vent as Christ sayes I finde out witty inventions Prov. 8. 12. he speakes not onely of himselfe But of his grace in every one that is this when the minde is alive set towards Christ it will finde out witty inventions nay it 's a strange thing though men have no parts yet if they be worldly how witty they are for such matters and so for good people whose mindes are turned towards God though they be of very weake parts yet how witty they will be in good things what pretty ways they will have to doe good to shunne offences to break occasions of sinne as a Minister in his preaching as Paul sayes I caught you with guile 2 Cor. 12. 16. so let man have a liberall minde the Prophet sayes he will devise liberall things Isa 32. 8. mercy and truth shall be to them that devise good Prov. 14. 22. whence comes the blockishnesse of our mindes but from this that our mindes are so dead if our mindes were more alive towards God it would make us more graciously witty we should devise good things finde out admirable inventions it would teach us plots against Satan plots against the flesh as the wicked their mindes are full of sinfull devises fetches stratagems policies a man would wonder to see how witty the devill is in them to carry them headlong to hell c. Sixthly and lastly the judging of the minde But I spake of this not long agoe and therefore I will let it alone now thus I have shewed you what a lively Christian is in regard of his minde Now the next is that we shew you what a live Christian is in regard of the heart c. And then in regard of the conscience c. and then in regard of the affections c. REVEL 3. 1. And art Dead THe point we are in is this That a dead Christian is as good as no Christian at all First we have opened the meaning of this point and shewed you what is meant by a dead Christian Secondly we have shewed you that this is so by going over all the graces of Gods spirit a man hath near a one of them all that is dead againe by going over all the duties of Christian Religion ye heard a man does neare a one of them all as long as he does them onely in a dead hearted manner Thirdly I shewed you the reasons of this point why a dead Christian is even as no Christian at all there be many reasons of it it stands with good reason that it
pleasing in his eyes though it may be people doe not feele this same feare as long as they are well and lusty but let but conscience be awakened or let death seize upon them then a feare will appeare O how afraid are they to goe before God But let a man have such a living conscience as this this gives a man boldnesse The righteous are as bold as a Lyon Prov. 18. 1. thy conscience is an admirable thing without this all a mans boldnesse is nothing Thou maist hold up thy head very high and out face all the world for a time as bold as can be tush thou art well thought of among all thy neighbours but what sayes thy conscience if that cannot say thou art a gracious man I tell thee thou canst have no boldnesse But now if thou hast this same living conscience now thou maist be as bold as a Lyon though the world doe accuse thee yet what sayes thy conscience if that excuse thee thou maist shew thy face where thousands shall be confounded when Austin was accused by Secundinus to have come from the Maniehees for feare of losse and for hope of preferment he comforted himselfe with his conscience I esteeme not sayes he what Secundinus thinkes of me so long as my conscience approves me before God so also Paul when the false Apostles accused him O sayes he it is a very small thing with me that I should be judged of you 1 Cor. 4. 3. Thus ye see for good what is the livingnesse of conscience towards good This is the second thing Thirdly now about Poth both sinne and goodnesse when is the conscience alive about both namely when it does instruct a man and not onely so but it guides a man to shun the one and to imbrace the other This is a living conscience indeed when it is a mans privy counsell from day to day This is a Divine Counsell it s like a little privy Counseller in a Childe of Gods bosome that the Lord in mercy hath placed there to direct him as David sayes I will blesse the Lord for giving me Counsell my reines instruct me in the night seasons Psal 16. 7. By his reines he meaneth his conscience now that did instruct him not onely in the day time but also in the night if he were tempted to sinne his conscience instructed him nay I must not yeeld to that if he found himselfe backward to any good duty nay still his conscience advised him nay I must be forward to that I confesse a dead conscience may give admirable counsell and Instruction to the wicked I their conscience proves it unto them But it does not do its duty for it does not make them to doe theirs Thus ye see what a living conscience is when it so does its duty that it makes us to doe ours But it may be humbled conscience is paedagogus animae it is the soules Schoole Master as Origen cals it now a Schoole-Master may doe his duty though he doe not make his Scholler doe his for if he be diligent in teaching and doing of his office the Scholer may be a dunce for all him the best Schoole-Master may have a block head and a dunce in his Schoole I answer the reason is not alike First a Schoole-master teacheth another But conscience is a Schoole-Master not to another but to a mans selfe and therefore if the conscience doe its duty indeed it must needs make the man to doe his because his conscience is a Schoole-Master to himselfe Secondly againe a Schoole-Master is not alwayes by his Scholer sometimes his back is turned but conscience is ever by a man and therefore if it did alwayes doe its duty it might make the man to doe his Againe Thirdly a Schoole-Master it may be his Scholer is duller then himselfe and then though himselfe be never so learned yet he cannot put his learning into his Scholer But it is not so here here the Scholer and the Schoole-Master is all one one is no more dull then another for looke how dull the one so dull the other look how active the one is so active is the other because conscience and the man is all one it is very true the conscience by accusation is eagerer then the man for God may take a dead conscience and sur it exceedingly and he does so ordinarily in men but these stirrings of conscience are none of consciences stirring but Gods my spirit shall not alwayes strive with man Gen. 6. 3. they are his strivings with men But the consciences own quick enings and the mans are all one you will say how shall I know whether the quickening that is in my conscience be my consciences or onely the Lords stirring in my conscience I answer First when thou art glad that thy conscience is so busie with thee it is very welcome unto thee then the Lord hath made thy conscience alive then God does not onely strive in thy conscience but thy conscience it selfe is alive as we see there in David I will blesse the Lord for giving me counsell my reines doe instruct me Psal 16. 7. when his conscience did instruct him he was glad of it he blest the Lord for it his conscience was alive But now in a wicked heart the more his conscience accuses and condemnes and checks the more buisie it is with him the more unwelcome it is and therefore he labours to still it may be he will stop it with some thing may be some little reformation for the time may be with Prayer or some yeeldings thereunto nay there be some labour to drown it out right they will goe to the Ale-house or to Cards or among their boone companions and so shake of those dumps therefore my Brethren if ye would have a signe that your conscience is alive be glad at its dictates give them all their deare intertainement ye can Blesse the Lord for them and make very much of such they are the sweet motions of Gods holy spirit quench them not doe not stop the mouth of them by halfe payments let them have their full sway Secondly when thou callest upon thy conscience to be buisie when thou usest to stirre up conscience every day wind it up as a man does his Clock that it may be in continuall motion So the Prophet did Why art thou so heavy O my soule why art thou so disquieted within me hope thou in God Psal 42. 11. marke he took his conscience and stir'd up himselfe with it a wicked man does not thus his conscience comes before it is sent for it is like an unbidden guest And therefore if thou wouldst know whether thy conscience be alive doe but consider whether this be thy course if thou doest daily awaken thy conscience if thou doest set it a worke this is a signe of life in it as Paul did here in doe I exercise my selfe that I may have a good conscience voyd of offence Act. 24. 16. He laboured
for his conscience he called it up every day he was active about it so that the stirrings that are in wicked men they are none of theirs but Gods meerly to pull them out of the bottomlesse pit if it might be in the meane time his conscience is as dead as himselfe Thus ye see what the life of the conscience is First there is a relative life of conscience the conscience is alive when the man is alive Secondly the conscience is alive when it makes duty so that it makes the man do his duty too when it does not onely check for evill and accuse for evill and condemne for evill and prompt a man that he should take heed of evill but it make a man doe his duty in all these so also when it does not onely urge a man to that which is good and excuse him and approve him but in all these it makes him doe his duty too so likewise when it counsels it does not onely counsell and dictate what is to be done and what not but it so does all these particulars that it makes the man to doe his duty in sincerity from day to day This is alive conscience Now that this is the live conscience I prove it unto you by five Arguments 1. Because conscience was made not onely to doe all these acts but to make a man to doe his so that when conscience does its own acts never so much that 's nothing to the life of conscience does thy conscience check thee and smite thee does it whisper never so much in thee this is no Argument it 's alive except it make thee to be obedient unto God Conscience was given man for this purpose and therefore then onely is it alive when it is for this purpose in thy Bosome when David would get up out of his temptations you may see how he got up by conscience I communed with my owne heart and my spirit sayes he made diligent search Psal 77. 6. that is he communed with his conscience what he knew about God and so got himselfe up this is thy consciences office to tell thee what thou hast heard out of the word and that is not all but to lead thee guide thee as the helme does the Ship It is given thee to be thy keeper as he sayes J was upright before him and I kept my selfe from my iniquity Psal 18. 23. that is this is my iniquity this is the sinne that I am most inclined to I must keepe my selfe from that Thus his conscience was his keeper under God Secondly another argument is because this is the way whereby godly people doe their duties their conscience makes them doe their duty it makes them beleeve it makes them feare God it makes them eschew evill and doe good from day to day Blesse the Lord O my soule and forget not all his benefits Psal 103. 2. when the Prophet would doe this duty he made his conscience presse it soundly upon him to doe it so when he would waite upon God he set his owne soule and conscience upon him to make him to doe it waite on the Lord be of good courage he will strengthen thy heart waite I say upon the Lord Psal 27. 14. Thirdly another argument is this is the description of those that have a live conscience they are such as make themselves doe their duties continually as the Apostle sayes He that hath this hope in him purisieth himselfe even as he is pure 1 Joh. 3. 3. that is he is a man that makes himselfe doe his duty his owne soule and conscience sayes thus unto him Christ is a pure Christ and I must be like him as ever I hope that he will bring me into his kingdom and this makes him doe his duty he purisieth himselfe even as he is pure I could quote abundance of places to prove this Fourthly another argument is when God speakes to any that are alive from the dead to doe their duties towards him he bids them make themselves to doe their duties on this manner so Saint Paul sayes Having these promises let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the sight of God 2 Cor. 7. 1. that is goe and aske your owne soule and conscience what have I not these and these promises why then I must labour to be cleansed from all manner of sinne I must perfect holinesse in the feare of God now sayes he let us make our selves doe our duties thus Nay fifthly when God speakes to them which are yet dead and would turne them home unto him he bids them doe thus in regard of the meanes turne your selves and live you Ezek. 18. 32. that is Let your owne soules and consciences consider this is the way to live ye cannot be saved without turning as ever I would live for ever I must be turned from all my sinfull courses make your selves doe your duties in this manner that is use all the meanes that the Lord hath given you to use make your selves goe about it not as though any man hath free will to turne himselfe But he speakes of the use of all meanes that he puts into your hands make your selves to use them nay no soule can ever look to be saved except he doe not onely let his conscience check him and tell him thus and thus his duty is but also let his conscience make him doe his duty too so that this must needs be the life of the conscience when it does not onely doe its owne duty to check and to whisper but also it makes a man to doe his The use of this is first then we see here how few have live consciences for people have consciences that doe onely tell them they should be more carefull they should give over such and such sins they should beleeve and they should be zealous and they should be more setled but O how few have consciences that make them doe their duties Numb 15. 40. that ye may remember and doe all my commandements and be holy unto your God REVEL 3. 1. And art Dead WE are come to speake of this necessary point when is a man quickened up towards God and all his holy wayes We have shewed you three things concerning this already First what the life of the minde is Secondly what the life of the heart is Thirdly what the life of the conscience is Now there remaines two more the one is the life of the memory the other is the life of the affections Fourthly then what is the life of the memory for the memory too may be dead and the memory may be alive First the memory may be dead when a man may be remembers if ye aske him a thing he can tell it aske him of a Sermon he can tell the Text and the points and the particulars that were delivered in the Sermon but here 's all it 's a dead memory he never remembers it to
their wages therefore must set them on work ibid. 4. They cannot otherwise look for his assistance Page 166 5. Nor have peace of Conscience ibid. 6. The people can have no pleasure under such a Ministery Page 167 Vse 1. Ministers ought to look for Christs placing ibid. 2. It condemnes intruders Page 168 3. Use to them that have Ministers of Christs placing among them ibid. 4. Never complain of gracelesse Ministers Page 168 2. What is the reason there is no more able Ministers every where Page 169 5. God hath the placing of Ministers then we know whether to goe for good Ministers Page 170 The Reasons Page 171 Vse 1. Ministers should not feare to bee deprived of their liberty Page 173 2. A Reason why the Gospel continues any where when the world cannot abide it Page 174 3. Christ hath the continuing of his Ministers Page 175 4. Reason to be earnest with God to have his Gospell continued Page 176 Christ hath the removing of Ministers And how Page 177 Vse 1. If Christ remove Ministers we ought to mourne before him Page 178 2. Look to the meritorious cause our sins Page 179 3. Christ takes away Ministers we ought to repent of our sinne Page 180 Doct. 1. The Lord knows every mans ill courses Page 185 How Page 186 Why. Page 188 Vse 1. If God knows all mens sinfull courses then men cannot dawb before him Page 192 2. To condemn those that doe not consider of this truth Page 194 3. A terrour to all that goe on with a selfe-condemning heart Page 195 4. Comfort to good people that if he see sins he sees goodnesse much rather Page 196 5. It should make us affraid at any time or place even the secretest Page 198 Doct. 2. The knowing that God knows our works is the powerfull meanes to all Gods Elect to quicken them Page 199 Reasons 1. Gods knowing our works is not a meer knowing but a marking Page 200 2. God sees our sins with a pure eye ibid. 3. He records them in a book Page 201 4. If God see them all one as if the world should see them too ibid. 5. Our disposition we cannot indure any should know of our Wickednesses that cannot indure them Page 202 Vse 1. They that this point cannot work on are gracelesse Page 203 2. If such meanes can work on our hearts let us not harden them ibid. The Reasons why God knows all our works Page 210 What is meant by dead Page 214 A horrible thing to rest in the name of being Religious Page 215 The Reasons Page 216 An unexcusable thing not to be alive Page 217 The Uses Page 218 2. What is meant by dead Page 219 Doct. 1. A dead Ministery none at all Page 222 2. The Scripture calleth it no Ministery in effect Page 223 3. It doth little or no good ibid. 4. God seldome goes along with it Page 224 5. It prophanes the word of God ibid. Vse 1. We see a reason why a dead Ministery is applauded in the world Page 225 2. To reprove Ministers that are no more lively in the Ministery Page 226 3. Of Exhortation to labour for a quickning Ministery Page 228 Motives ibid. 4. How to get a Ministery to be quickning Page 240 What meant by deadnesse of guilt Page 245 What by deadnesse of minde Page 246 What by deadnesse of heart ibid. What by deadnesse of conscience ibid. What by deadnesse of affection Page 247 Doct. 1. A dead Christian as good as none at all ibid. 2. All duties of Religion must be done with life Page 250 Reasons why a dead Christian none at all Page 253 Vse 1. If dead Christians be none what then that are not Christians in name Page 255 2. How dangerous to be a dead-hearted Christian Page 267 For 1. All we doe with a dead heart is nothing ibid. 2. It does not please God Page 269 3. It cannot yeeld us any true comfort Page 271 4. Though it comfort us in time of prosperity it cannot in adversity Page 272 5. We can never blesse God with a dead heart Page 273 6. So long Religion is irkesome to us Page 274 7. If a dead heart take it up it will soon be weary of it Page 276 Causes of living Christianly 1. Efficient God Page 278 2. Instrumentall Faith Page 280 The parts of it 1. Justification Page 281 2. Sanctification ibid. 3. Joy and Comfort Page 282 2. What is the life of man Page 283 Six stirring acts in the mindes of men Page 289 1. Application ibid. 2. Meditation Page 291 3. Considering Page 292 4. Remembring Page 294 5. The Inventing of the heart Page 295 6. The judgeing of the minde Page 296 Vse 1. How rude or profane wicked Christians are rejected for deadnesse Page 297 2. Condemnation of the sins wherein most part of the people are dead Page 298 3. What to be a living Christian ibid. Every act of an heart not an argument of the life of it Page 304 No not her wouldings Page 306 When wishing is an argument Page 308 The same proved Page 310 The acts of the heart living if converted to God Page 312 Five other acts of life in the heart towards God Page 319 What the life of a Conscience Page 327 1. A Conscience some what awakt may like of God and his wayes Page 328 2. It may oblige a man to all manner of good things Page 329 3. It may be troubled about his sins Page 330 4. It may urge one to good things Page 332 5. It may be very eager in urging Page 333 6. It may prevaile far by its cagernesse Page 334 7. It may make one look a great way as it prevaile ibid. But these cannot be the life of conscience and why Page 335 Signes of a living conscience Page 341 Two kindes of Conscience in a godly man Page 346 Foure effects of a lively Conscience Page 351 Effects of a good conscience Page 355 What is an humbled Conscience Page 356 How to know quicknings of Conscience Page 358 Arguments of a live conscience Page 360 Vse 1. How few have live Consciences Page 362 When the memory is dead Page 363 When the memory is alive Page 364 Memory a great blessing Page 367 And that for 8 Reasons Page 368 There must needs be the office of the memory Page 370 Vse 1. The onely living memory that remembers God Page 378 2. We can never retain Gods Commandements without some memory ibid. 3. The want of this cause of sin ibid. Seven causes of an alive memory Page 379 CHRIST'S ALARM To Drowsie SAINTS REVEL 3. 1. And unto the Angel of the Church in Sardis write These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God and the seven Starres I know thy works that thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead SAint JOHN being banisht into the Isle of Patmos though the persecuters of the Gospel thought to doe him a displeasure yet the Lord turned it unto his great good
For the place of his exile was like Pauls third Heaven unto him he was ravisht in the Spirit on the Lords day and had abundance of revelations vouchsafed unto him of the things that should occurre in the Church and out from thence unto the end of the world Before which he hath a charge given him to write to the seven Churches of Asia chap. 1. the Church of Ephesus the Church of Smyrna and of Pergamus and of Thyatira these foure are written unto in the second Chapter the other three are written unto in this the Church of Sardis and the Church of Philadelphia and the Church of Laodicea Now that which I have chosen to handle and if God afford liberty I desire to goe through it is the Epistle unto the Church of Sardis wherein we may consider foure things First The Inscription containing a specification whom the Epistle is specially directed unto And to the Angel of the Church in Sardis write Secondly the Subscription containing a description of the Lord Jesus Christ the King of the Church These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God and the seven Starres I call it a subscription because in our letters we use to subscribe our names or to write our names beneath at the latter end But it may be called rather a suprascription as Kings write their names above for honours sake so does Christ the King of Sion write his Name above Thirdly the substance or matter of the Epistle I know thy works that thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead Be watchfull strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die for I have not found thy works perfect before God c. vers 1 2 3 4. Fourthly the conclusion He that overcommeth the same shall be clothed in white raiment c. v. 5 6. First I say the Inscription And unto the Angel of the Church in Sardis write In which words Saint John is directed whom to inscribe this Epistle unto and that is unto the Church which is in Sardis but especially unto the Angel of it that is the Minister or Ministers of it for that 's the meaning of Angel in this place Secondly for the Subscription or rather suprascription that contains the description of the Lord Jesus Christ from whom the Epistle is sent and he is described by two Royalties the first is in having of the seven Spirits of God These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God that is that hath power to send the holy Ghost unto all the Elect for so the holy Ghost is called the seven Spirits that are before the Throne Rev. 1. 4. He meanes there the holy Ghost not as though there were seven holy Ghosts but he is expressed in the plurall number in regard of the abundance of graces that he infuses into his Churches and the number seven is rather taken then any other number partly because this number is put for a perfect number as implying the perfection of his influence partly because of the present businesse in hand for here he writes to the seven Churches of Asia Now the Lord Jesus Christ hath Spirit enough to send forth into them all This is his first Royalty that he hath the seven spirits of God Another Royalty of his is that he hath the seven Starres that is the seven Pastors of these Churches Christ hath them all in his hand it is he that preserves those Ministers that are faithfull he hath power to raise them up to gift them to protect them to defend them and they are called Stars because they are to shine in the firmament of the Church Thirdly for the substance and matter of the Epistle it containeth three parts First a Reproofe and the reproofe is in these words I know thy works that is I know them all and they are stark naught for the most part what ever they seem they may seem to be very good but I tell you plainly I know them all what they be q. d. generally they are stark naught and then he instances in particular as for example thy deadnesse of heart in Religion Thou hast a name to live but thou art dead that is thou goest for an excellent Minister and and excellent Church ye doe professe Religion very fairly and in a goodly manner that to see to thou art alive and thou art taken so too of all thy Neighbour-churches they all think and hope thou art alive but the truth is thou art dead the grace of life is hardly in thee at all This is the first the Reproof Then secondly here 's a remedy annexed for he does not reprove them out of any ill will but for their good and so he prescribes them a remedy and the remedy is twofold The first is To strengthen the things that remain that are ready to die q. d. as many of you as are not quite and clean dead stirre up your selves quicken up your hearts and this is amplified by shewing how they should doe thus O be watchfull sayes he q. d. that is the reason why ye languish in this fashion and yee will languish more and more because yee are not watchfull therefore Be watchfull and also by rendring a motive to presse this remedy For I have not found thy works perfect before God that is thou art hardly sincere a jot thou art full of hypocrisie and rottennesse and formality and thou wilt lose all thy labour if thou dost not look well about thee therefore shake up thy selfe and strengthen the things that remain This is the first remedy The second remedy is to repent and this is amplified by shewing how and that is two wayes First Remember how thou hast received and heard that is consider how thou hast been taught and bewaile thy declinings for thou art horribly departed from what thou hast learned in the Ministery of the word Secondly Hold fast that is so bewail thy warpings wanings and degeneratings that thou mayst get up againe hold thee fast there when thou art up Now lest they should neglect the using of this remedy the Lord Jesus sharpens his speech with a threatning telling them the danger if they will not be awakened If therefore thou shalt not watch I will come on thee as a thiefe and thou shalt not know what houre I will come upon thee This is the second part of the matter of this Epistle the Remedy Thirdly another part of the matter of this Epistle is a commendation of some particular persons in the Church that were not carried away in the deadnesse of the times and these he does praise very much and he gives them an excellent promise the praise is in these words Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments that is there be some among you though they be but a few that have not been sutted and soyled with others bad examples though others be dead yet they are not dead too for company
gifts by meanes but then if we would trust Christ for his present assistance and â—erne up to him for prompting it would make our Ministery more lively When a Sermon is an act of Faith that 's it that does most good then Christs Spirit Preaches and not wee then then God speaks and not our notes as the Prophet David sayes The Spirit of the Lord spake by mee 2 Sam. 23. 2. Sixthly this should teach the people of God if they would have their Ministers inabled indeed to doe their soules good to pray for them that Christ would more furnish them How often does the Apostle tell the people that Ministers might have greater gifts if they had a heart O sayes hee Pray for mee that I may have utterance and that I may speak boldly c. Ephes 6. 19. q. d. if yee have a heart to pray I doe verily think that I shall bee the more assisted a great deale The truth is God uses to punish people thus because they are dead and dull and have no heart and are weary of the Word therefore hee with-holds from his Minister on purpose to plague them as God told Ezekiel Son of man thou shalt bee dumb and when thou wouldst reprove thou shalt be tongue-tyed thy tongue shall cleave to the roof of thy mouth now mark the reason why for they are a rebellious house Ezek. 3. 26. But I will recapitulate no more of what I have delivered Thus ye have heard the third thing how Christ hath the gifting of his Ministers They have their gifts and abilities from him Now I proceed on to the fourth That he hath the prospering of them They have the successe of their labours from Iesus Christ Christ bids us preach Repent repent but it is he that must give the Repentance So Paul preached to Lydia and had good successe for the text shews how she was converted by his Ministery But it was God that opened her heart As Rebeccah cookt the Venison but Isaac gave the blessing So we may cooke the Word for you but the blessing is in Christs hands as the Apostle sayes We are Ministers by whom ye Beleeved even as the Lord gave to every man 1 Cor. 3. 5. that is when wee preached among you we had good successe you beleeved What as we would our selves No Alas we would faine have had you all to Beleeve but even as the Lord gave to every man the successe was as he would soto some he gave only conviction by the word to some onely knowledge to some good reformations to some a true faith It was as he was pleased to give to every man So when he preached unto other Gentiles he confesses looke what good successe he had he had from Jesus Christ I will not dare to speake of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me to make the Gentiles obedient by Word and deed Rom. 15. 18. that is as who should say that the Gentiles did heare me that they were brought to obedience in word and deed that I had so good successe in my labours God forbid I should say or thinke it was my doing I dare not say so for a world No no It was Christ and hee alone that did worke by me as his poore Instrument I have all my good successe from him The successe is meerly as he will If he will be pleased to give so good successe Peter shall convert 3000 at one Sermon But if he be pleased to deny a good successe the Prophet Esay shall preach in the reigne of 4 Kings about fourescore yeares and convert hardly one as he sayes to Israel as the Apostle quotes him All the day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and a gainsaying people Rom. 10. 21. All successes are of God and therefore much more successe here Let it be in any calling As for example fishing that when a man goes a fishing he sindes good successe this is of God Simon and his company toyled all night and tooke nothing But when Christ came and gave them good successe then they inclosed a great multitude of fishes two shipfull of fishes at one draught Luk. 5. 5. So when a man runnes who shall get the Goale the man may runne but whether he shall get the Goale that he cannot tell When a man fights the man may fight and be the better man of the two but whether shall overcome that is uncertain unto them the successe is of God as Solomon sayes The race is not to the swift nor the battaile to the strong nor riches to the wise time and chance happens to them all Eccle. 9. 11. that is not as though the swift doe not sometimes get the race and the strong the Victory and wise men riches yet they doe many times namely when God gives successe otherwise they doe not How many times doe men goe about businesses and in all likelihood they might hit well yet how often doe they not the Lord will have us see that successe is from him Now if it be so in outward things how much more here in other things the work is more in the mans hands and the thing is traceable to him but it is not so here VVee may labour to convert Soules but this work is not in our hands the using of the meanes the Lord Jesus Christ puts that into our hands but the doing of the deed the successe is onely from him First Because we are nothing in this worke We may be something at other workes we may study and in an ordinary providence we may make a Sermon But when we come to preach it is not an ordinary providence that will make us to convert soules no here we are nothing Paul may plant and Apollos may water Now marke what followes he does not onely say it is God that gives the increase Paul may plant and Apollos may water but God gives the increase 1 Cor. 3. 6. that is all their successe and all the fruit of their labour is from God That is not all he sayes But in the seventh verse sayes he Neither is he that planteth any thing nor he that watereth any thing but God that giveth the increase As if he should say as excellent gifts as these men had they did nothing in this worke the whole successe is of God Beloved we can but set before you life and death we can but tell you thus ye will be damned and thus and thus ye may be saved But it is God that must blesse this unto you Otherwise we can doe nothing We may preach our hearts out and yet you 'l to hell doe we what we can except the Lord break your careere Elisha's man could lay his Masters staffe upon the child but the child stirred not till Elisha came himselfe and then the child was raised So we can but lay our Masters staffe upon your dead soules But except our Master come himself ne're a dead soule will stand up what
is all our preaching and dressing up of our Sermons like the riging of the sayles that 's nothing except the wind blow The Spirit of Christ is the winde except hee blow upon you we are nothing the tampering on the Organs is nothing but when the breath comes then there is musique So we may keep adoe to turne your hearts but till God breath into you there is nothing done True the preaching of the Gospel is a very powerfull thing I when Christs arme goes along with it it is the sword of the Spirit but if the Spirits arme be not with it we may brandish it here every week and doe little as Scanderbagge said One hearing what mighty feats Scanderbagges sword had done sent for it and when he saw it he made nothing of it Is this the Sword that hath done such great exploits what 's this Sword more than other swords O sayes Scanderbagge I sent thee my sword but not my arme that did handle it So my Brethren the word which wee preach is but Christs sword God sends you his sword many times when he keeps his arme to himself and so nothing is done So then we are nothing and therefore all successe is of Christ First our wills are nothing to doe it we may will to doe you good but Converts cannot bee made by our wills as the Evangelist sayes Joh. 1. 13. Secondly our paines and labours are nothing we may labour and take paines but look Esa 49. 4. Thirdly our gifts are nothing who had better gifts than Christ had as hee was man and yet that would not doe it Joh. 12. 38. Fourthly our Prayers are nothing they may doe something sometimes but except God be pleased to give successe they are nothing Jeremiah prayed Jer. 14. 7 8 9. yet the Lord told him that should not doe it ver 11. Secondly the Conversion of Soules is a supernaturall work we that are Ministers preach to make men new creatures to turn Leopards into Kids as if we should preach to make Blackamores white the dead alive which is a work for God alone to doe and therefore the successe must needs be from him Alas what are we able to doe as the Apostle sayes You are Gods wormanship in Christ Jesus created to good works Ephes 2. 10. we are his instruments that 's true indeed but yee are his workmanship you are the Epistle of Christ administred by us Writen not with Inke but with the Spirit of the living God 2 Cor. 3. 3. The Epistle of Christ but ministred indeed by Christ his is the hand wee are but the pen when we bid you repent and beleeve and be holy and godly and heavenly minded men deny your selves be dead to the world and alive to God come out of Satans power come into Christs Kingdom it is like Ezekiels bidding of the dead bones to gather flesh and stand up living men All the successe must needs be of God And therefore what does this teach us The Use of it is First That we that are the Ministers of God can but make tryall whether we can convert our people or no as the Apostle speaks proving if at any time God will give them repentance 2 Tim. 2. 25. so it is in some of your Bibles so we must make proofe we must try come into the Pulpit every week and try sharpen our nailes as sharp as we can and strike them as farre in as we can and so try often try as the wiseman speaks in another case In the morning sow thy seed and in the evening let not thy hand rest for thou knowest not whether shall prosper this or that or both Eccle. 11. 6. So Jeremiah did hee would try first hee went to the poorer sort to see whether they would hearken unto him when he had no successe there then thought he I will try the great men I will get mee to the great men Jer. 5. 5. we should make assayes we doe not know may be God will give us good successe we must make assayes as it is said of Paul and Silas That they assayed to goe into Bithynia but the Spirit suffered them not Act. 16. 7. O thought they here bee a great many soules in this Countrey we will try whether there be any for Christ yea or no. Indeed they found that they had no successe in their attempt But they made an assay though Secondly This teacheth us to wait though we have not successe presently yet we should wait all successe is from Christ and therefore it is fit we should wait for it and therefore a Minister is commanded to be patient The servant of the Lord must be gentle to all men apt to teach patient 2 Tim. 2. 24. q. d. he hath not the successe in his own hands to have it when he will no though he doe no good yet nor yet hee must be patient He is not apt to teach poore people else except he be patient as he is not fit to teach a dull Schollar that is over-hasty And therefore my Brethren though we have lost all our labour hitherto on the most of you yet now again we speak to you come will ye yet go to heaven come are ye yet in the minde to hearken and obey wee come to you once more will ye yet c. as Jeremiah sayes Woe unto thee O Jerusalem wilt thou not bee made clean when shall it once be Jer. 13. 27. Beloved wee are dull Schollars in Religion and people are hard to take their learning in this kinde and therefore if we would be apt to teach wee must be patient what though we see no good yet this must not make us out of heart or to grudge our paines we must bee patient still wee are to think may be the next time I preach God will give me good successe Isaiah and Paul gave not over though they had cause to complain Thirdly This may serve to condemn all the world whether the Gospel comes and specially us hereabouts that doe not let Ministers have any good successe you will say how doe I make this use of it If all the Ministers successe be from Christ then one would think this were an excuse unto people I answer no the meaning of the Doctrine is this that the people are so contrary to the Word such enemies to the wayes of Jesus Christ that a Minister can look for no successe except the Lord turn their hearts This is the meaning of the point Does this excuse any what does your enmity against Christ and all goodnesse afford you any excuse nay this aggravates your sin Now this is the meaning of it As Saint Paul when he spake how little successe he and all the rest of his fellow-Apostles had hee layes the blame upon the people All the day long I have stretched out my hands against a disobedient and a gainsaying people Rom. 10. 21. So the Prophet Isaiah from whom these words are taken complaines of the unfruitfulnesse