be enough to us that we hope that we have that Grace which possibly may bring us to Heaven at last but we should labour to have that Grace that may reign in the Heart now and bring all into a due Order As in a Family when the Governors are Wise you shall have them if there be but the least Disturbance speak but a word and all is quiet And you shall have other Families that where the Reins of Government are loose if there be but a little Disturbance it grows more and more and to such a height that it 's tedious for one that hath a quiet Spirit to be in the Family and so it is in the Heart though the best hath some Disturbance But now where Grace Rules and Governs it stills all presently without any great ado But now in other men though they have some Grace yet if the Heart begins to be in a Disturbance it 's a long time before it can be quieted My Brethren I have gone through these Points briefly and you will say 'T is a harder thing to do this than to speak it It 's true it is yet some of the Saints have done it They have through the Mercy of God been brought to these things that have been spoken and it 's possible to be done Some have attained it and there is strength enough in Christ for the weakest to attain it And He delights as much to Communicate His strength in helping of His poor Servants in the times of Affliction as at any time Consider what hath been said in these several Truths and lay them up against the Day of your Affliction that you may say It is the Lord let Him do what seemeth Him good A Sermon Phil. 1. 21. For to me to Live is Christ and to Die is Gain THis blessed Apostle Paul had in the Course of his Life many things befel him that seem to be very Cross much Opposition great were his Sufferings even unto Bonds And much hard Usage he had not only from open Enemies but from false Brethren whose Spirits were full of Envy against him And who can stand before Envy They were vexed to see how his Ministery prevailed in the Hearts of People to see what great Esteem he had how precious his Name was among the Saints They knew not what course to take to Darken him and therefore among others some of them would set upon Preaching Christ as well as he and see what they could do that way they would be as forward as he Well saith Paul all this makes for my Good and I rejoyce in it so be it I may be any occasion that Christ may be Preached whether of Good-will or Envy I am glad Christ is made known by this and this shall turn saith he to my Salvation to the Glory that I expect from Christ and with Christ That shall be furthered by it so long saith he as Christ is Honoured I shall never be ashamed No matter what becomes of my Body of my Life so that Christ may be Magnified in my Body whether it be by Life or by Death For to me to Live is Christ and to Die is Gain And this is the Coherence of the Words Here then we have a Man of brave Resolution of a truly Noble raised Spirit while other men are Grovelling here in the World in seeking Contentment unto the Flesh Here 's the Spirit of Paul raised above Life and Death To me to Live is Christ to Die is Gain To me to Live is Christ You have it in your English only so To Live and to Die But those that understand the Original know that besides the Word that signifies To Live There 's an Article in the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And besides that word there 's an Article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So that if you would have it Translated according to the Propriety and Elegancy of the Greek it is thus To me the thing that is to Live is Christ and the thing that is Death is Gain As if he should say That thing that you call Life is nothing but Christ If Christ may be Magnified in me if I may be of any Service for Him any way then I am content to Live but if so be that He may be no more Served by me here let me Die and I shall lose nothing by that neither For that same thing you call Death the thing that People keep such a stir about and are so scar'd withal That to Die it 's nothing to me but that which will be Gain So that the words they speak out the frame of Gracious Heart blessing it self in Jesus Christ both in Life and Death To me to Live I 'll not make any curious Definition nor raise more Points than I shall go through at this time and the Points will be nothing but the opening of the Text in both Parts First That a true Godly man accounts Christ to be his Life And Secondly To a Godly man Death is Gain For the First To me to Live is Christ That same thing that you call life It 's Christ all is wrapt up in him I account nothing Life but Jesus Christ As for my natural Life that 's no way considerable but so far as Christ is in it Christ is the life of the Saints It 's more indeed then if he should say Christ is my life 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the thing that is to live is Christ It 's a greater Elegancy than to say Christ is my life Christ is the life of the Saints First in this That they are by him freed from a Legal death Every man by nature is under the Curse of the Law he is a dead man as we say of a man that is condemn'd he is a dead man dead by the Law But now the Saints in Christ are dead to the Law Gall. 2. 19. But they live to God they are freed from that Legal death and so Christ brings life to them Secondly Christ is the principle of Spiritual Life in them It 's Christ that brings me to the Fountain of Life that unites my Soul again to God and puts me in a principle of Life to inable me to live to God and to injoy communion with him I in my self am as a dead Carkass without Jesus Christ To me to live is Christ Thirdly Christ is the preserver of this life of mine Notwithstanding all the corrupt and silthy and dead stuff that is in me yet Jesus Christ preserves this life in me And then in the Fourth place which I take to be the chiefe meaning of what the Apostle intends To me to live is Christ that is the great comfort of my Life that 's Christ A man doth not live except he hath Comfort in his Life For so the Scripture calls Life when a man hath Comfort Joy and Contentment in his Life Psal 38. 19. But mine Enemies are lively so you have it in your Books Mine Enemies are living so you
come with their hearts filled with hope that there are Sons of Peace in that place and there is nothing that can incourage a faithful Minister of the Gospel to spend his time in Studying and Opening of the Mysteries of Grace more then this that he comes with his Heart filled with hope that there are some Sons of Peace in that place O do not frustrate this expectation It is a vile thing for the Ministers of the Gospel to come to any place but to gain Sons of Peace And indeed upon this expectation the heart of a faithful Minister who understands what the meaning of Peace with God is cannot but be drawn forth towards a People why he comes with this expectation and he looks after his Ministery to see what becomes of it O therefore do not frustrate the Expectations of your Ministers in this Do not give them occasion to make their Complaint that they have spent their Strength in vain Yea and further As it is the Expectation of the Ministers that Preach so it is the Expectation of all the Saints of God None of Gods People that know a place that hath Liv'd in Darkness and Blindness before but if they see the Lord by His Providence carrying the Ministry of the Gospel with Power in that place they think thus with themselves Whom is it that the Lord intends good unto Surely the Lord hath a Mercy to such a People And they will wait to see who it is that God will pitch upon O likewise Do not frustrate the Expectation that the Angels themselves in 1 Cor. 11. a place I suppose you know where the Women are to be Covered because of the Angels It doth appear by that Text that the Angels are in Congregations when a Congregation is met together to hear the Word of God Preached and for other Accounts there the Angels are Met And I make no question but this place is as full of Angels as of Men and they are here present and do look upon our Behaviour and wait for the time when God will be pleased to Work upon the Hearts of some or other O to what Family to what particular Soul doth God intend good unto O that we might know it that we might have Joy in Heaven For so the Scripture tells us That at the Conversion of sinners there is Joy in Heaven and surely they wait for it O that we might see the Ministry of the Gospel work effectually upon Souls that so we might joy for it And now let every particular Soul reason thus with it self What is it so that there is hope that there may be some Sons of Peace why may it not be I though vile though a very wretched Creature Yet I hear that the time of Ignorance God winks at only now He calls to Repent If I feel God beginning to jogg my Heart now I may be the Man or Woman that the Lord intended from all Eternity For we are to know that which God doth now in time is no other than He did determine from Eternity And I say if you feel your Hearts stirred and wrought upon by the Ministry of the Gospel you may know that God did intend you in particular And Christ when He did Pray to God the Father for this acceptable time that you were particularly intended in that Prayer of His and you are not excluded to be saved any more than any and therefore it may fall upon you Perhaps in a Family it may fall upon the poor Servant or Child and the others may be left But some or other it is like it will fall upon And my Brethren If this be so if there be hopes when the Gospel comes to be Preached that there are Sons of Peace in that place it is a most Cursed thing for any to stand to oppose the Gospel when it comes to any place It is very seldom but some or other will be Railing and Crying out against it But take heed what thou dost Wilt thou stand against God to cross God in such a blessed End as this is It may be the Lord hath some Souls in that place He intends Eternal good unto And wilt thou stand out against that and cross God But especially take heed you do not oppose the Gospel in any place where there is not only a remote hopes but it comes to be Nearer and Fuller than it was before and there is some real Manifestation that God intends Good unto some O take heed of thy Opposition of it there This was the Reason that Paul was so mightily provok'd when Elimas came to resist his Ministry of which you may read in Acts 13. There was one Sergius Paulus which sent for Barnabas and Saul and desired to hear the Word of God Now this Sergius Paulus was a Chief Man in the place where Paul Preached he was the Deputy and there was good hopes that God would Convert his Soul And Elimas the Sorcerer he stood and opposed and sought to turn away the Deputy from the Faith Now when Paul was in so good a hope that he should gain not only a Soul but a publick Man that might do a great deal of good O the Spirit of Paul was mightily provok'd He looks upon Elimas and sets his Eyes upon him the Text saith and and said O full of all Subtilty and all Mischief thou Child of the Devil thou Enemy of all Righteousness wilt thou not cease to pervert the Right Wayes of God c. Paul was a Man of a very Quiet and Meek Spirit and yet mark how full of Passion he was at this time O this provok'd the Spirit of Paul he was not able to bear it We never read that Paul was so troubled when they Persecuted him when they put him into Prison But as if Paul should say Do with me what you will put me into Prison do what you will with my Carcass but do not frustrate my Expectation in Gaining a Chief Man that may do a great deal of Service for God When he was but in fear that he should be frustrated of his hope he was not able to bear it And certainly nothing can go so near to the Heart of any Faithful Minister as that there should be any to stand to frustrate his hope of Gaining of Souls Perhaps in a Family if one or two doth but go to hear the Word the others will be Scorning and Jeering and one Neighbour will be Scorning at another and all to frustrate the Hopes of God of His Ministers and of the Saints and Angels But know when thou do'st any thing to oppose the Ministry of the Gospel thou do'st set thy self what in thee lies both to frustrate the Hopes of God and His Ministers and His Saints and Angels and thou wilt find this to be a hard work thou do'st but Kick against the Pricks And thus much for this Point we come now unto the next That good Hearers of the Gospel are called the Sons of Peace
in fulness than in other wayes as extremity of heat is harder to bear than cold though it be very cold yet by exercise we may get our selves a heat but when it is extream hot weather that 's very tedious and it breeds diseases And so it is easier to carry a Cup that is but half full steadily than to carry a Cup that is brim-full And a Traveller you know the expression the storm and the tempest makes him to get his Cloak closer together and to hold it faster but when the warm beams of the Sun comes and shines upon him that makes him cast off his Cloak You know the Fable of the Sun and the Wind to get the Travellers Cloak which should do it when the Wind came blustering that could not do it but the warm Sun beams that made him throw it off So many times those that can hold fastest in the time of adversity yet in the time of prosperity they lose the seeming graces that they had before and so let all go Now there are divers reasons that I should give you why it is thus difficult to learn this lesson as First Because we are most of us flesh we are more flesh than spirit of our selves Now because we have so little spirit in us therefore all those things that shall come for to joyn with the flesh I do not now speak of corruption but to joyn with our natural part and sensual part we having so little spirit in us it must needs be dangerous for us to manage those things that joyn with our natural part that is flesh though it were not corrupt yet because we have so little spirit That is First We have lost the Image of God The best of us have but little of the Image of God others have lost is quite and then our very reason is wounded by our fall therefore having so little strength in our spirits all those things that come to joyn with the flesh do very much endanger us and do indeed very much weaken our better part Now adversity that pulls from the flesh that takes from the flesh and many times the spirit is much the stronger but what doth add to the strength of the flesh doth endanger us as it is more dangerous to set a Child upon a pamper'd Horse than upon a Horse that is wearied out with work And so for us that are weak in our spirits to have our flesh to be pampered and satisfied I now speak but of our natural flesh and sensual part to be pampered and fully satisfied there 's a great deal of danger in that And then farther In prosperity there are more duties required than in adversity A man that is in a mean estate and condition there are not so many duties required of him but a man that enjoys a fulness there 's abundance of duties required of such a man every comfort that he enjoys is an obligation to some special duty A poor man that works hard at his dayes labour he hath nothing to do but to bless God when he comes into his Family and look to his own heart and to see that the service of God is in his Family But now take a man that is full that is of an estate in the world God requires of him to look abroad in the publick and God gives him charge Look that my Worship be set up look that Justice be executed I will require these things at your hand look that my Sabboths be not prophan'd look that Godliness be countenanced look that Sin is discountenanced But perhaps you will say Every man that is rich he is not a Justice of Peace or in place I but by your countenance you may make friends to this and the other every one is tied to be a friend to those that are rich There are a great many duties that lie upon you that do not lie upon those that are poor If indeed a man that had an estate had nothing else to do but to sit by the fire side and have his servants to bring him his provision if this were all to be full it were easie for a man to know how to be full but you must know that there is much more lies upon you then so which you must answer for and give an account of before God now this is the thing that makes the difficulty And then the third thing is The variety of Temptations that do attend upon a full condition O abundance of temptations there are in a full estate more than there are in a mean estate I confess extream poverty hath many temptations with it very sore and grievous temptations that do attend extremity of poverty but yet not so many as do attend upon a full estate As the flies come in abundance to sweet things honey and the like so Belzebub that signifies the God of Flies O the Devils that have that name they come in abundance where they see sweetness where they see is much prosperity Rats and Mice come to full Barns not to empty ones and so the Vermin of temptations as I may call them do attend upon full estates A Tree that hath nothing on it the Traveller that comes by will not fling at it but a Tree that is full of fruit a Traveller flings at that so those that are in a mean and low condition the Devil passes by them but he especially labors at those that he sees hath much of the world and he hath more hopes of gaining of them As it 's a very observable place concerning Joseph do but consider the Scripture that speaks of the condition of Joseph and his Blessing we may compare two Scriptures together for it the one is in the Book of Genesis where you have Jacob blessing of Joseph and the other is in the Book of Deuteronomy where Moses's Blessing was chap. 33. 13. and of Joseph he said Blessed of the Lord be his land for the precious things of heaven for the dew and for the deep that coucheth beneath And for the precious fruits brought forth by the Sun and for the precious things put forth by the Moon and for the chief things of the ancient Mountains and for the precious things of the lasting hills and for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof c. Here 's for all his outward blessings what a many precious things are here that Joseph had and the fulness thereof But mark of all the Tribes what is said concerning Joseph Gen. 49. 22. Joseph is a fruitful bough even a fruitful bough by a Well whose branches run over the wall But now mark in the 23. verse The Archers have sorely grieved him and shot at him and hated him There 's none of the Tribes where it is said that the Archers did so shoot at as at Joseph and there is none of the Tribes that is blessed with so many several pretious things as Joseph is blest withal So that by comparing these two Scriptures you see
abundance of hurt in the place where he lives not onely to himself but to others O the evil he may do in a Town and in a Family and in a Kingdom One rich man if God doth not sanctifie his heart and his estate may do more mischief than an hundred other wicked men God doth not so much look at the hurt that base Drunkards that go up and down from one Alehouse to another can do They may destroy their own souls but now a man that is a man of an estate in the place where God hath set him if he spend nights in Chambering and Wantonness if he contemn the wayes of God and Religion O the hurt that comes by that man and the guiltiness that will come upon his Spirit that way O how is the Gospel hindered by such men as they that have outward prosperous estates and yet for all that have not hearts to make use of it whereas I shall shew presently the contrary will be in those that have learned to be full But onely now to shew the danger of a full condition If we have not learned to be full and all to put you upon this that you may beseech God to learn you to be full when God doth give you a fulness least you should contract the guilt of the sins of thousands of others upon you And then If thou do'st not learn to be full thy full estate will endanger thy salvation exceedingly It is easier for a Cammel saith Christ to go thorow the eye of a Needle than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Now Christ doth not interpret at first what is a rich man but at another time he doth those that trust in them Chrysostom hath this passage upon that to the Hebrews He wonders how any Governor can come to be saved The fulness of a mans condition doth much endanger his salvation if God doth not teach him how to be full And then it will make death to be more terrible O Death how terrible will it be to a man that hath not learned to be full When Death shall come and now he must be deprived of all bid an everlasting farewel to his House and Estate and Lands comming in Never such merry meetings as he was wont to have I but now they are gone there 's an end of those dayes he shall never have them more O then I say Death will gnaw upon a man and then a mans conscience indeed will terrifie him If he be afflicted they will come upon him to terrifie him But when he sees that he must bid an everlasting farewel to all those things then Death will terrifie him to purpose O conscience will tell him Now art thou going to give an account before the great God of all that thou didst enjoy in this world It 's a sad message that this will be to some that are full You think because you have money to pay for what you eat and drink and do enjoy you think you shall be called to no farther account O yes you must be called to an account for all the Creatures that you do enjoy Now if men can scarce count the mercies that they do enjoy O then how will you be able to give an account for them Well all this is but to awaken the hearts of people that have the comforts of this world that they may not satisfie themselves with what they enjoy but seek what they can to learn to be full And the Excellency of this Lesson of Learning to be full is very great For first It shews a great deal of ingenuity in the heart of a man Ingenuity in these two regards First Because hereby it appears that this man is not onely for his own turn It 's a sordid spirit for a man to seek to serve his own turn upon others and when his turn is served never to care for any body But now an ingenious spirit when that hath its own turn serv'd it is as careful again to return answerable respect to those that were useful to him as it was desirous to have its own turn serv'd before So it is in those that have learned to be full they have ingenuity they are as careful to return answerable respects to God as they are to receive any mercy from him And their Ingenuity is in this That they are thankful spirits An ingenious heart is a thankful heart and loves to acknowledge whence he had any mercy And then further That 's great ingenuity for one to be moved by good and be moved by mercy 'T is a slavish spirit that 's onely mov'd by necessity and force and violence That 's nothing for a man to be forced to do a duty The basest Slave by a Whip will be put to do that that is his duty I but for one to be wrought upon by love and by goodness this is ingenuity Now if the Lord hath given thee an estate and thou findest it doth draw thy heart to God more and works upon thy heart that thou art affected by Gods mercy O this is a sign of an ingenious heart And then what grace such a man hath is a great deal more conspicuous than others mens graces and more beautiful As a Diamond that is set in Gold there is a beauty in it A Diamond set in a Crown of Gold doth sparkle more gloriously than when it is wrapt up in a dirty Rag. So the graces of many that are poor and mean in the world are as it were wrapt up in a dirty rag as sometimes they wrap up their money But now a man that is eminent in the world and godly too his graces are like Diamonds upon a Crown as it were that are so conspicuous before the world that the world takes much notice of them and gives glory to God for them Thirdly It 's an excellency because it is so rare It 's a very rare thing for a man to be instructed in this Lesson of being full It 's a speech of Bernard Not to be lifted up when a man is put high that is very unusual now saith he the more unusual it is the more glorious thing it is It is a very rare blessing of God upon a man for him to learn to be full I remember the same learned man Bernard writing to Eugenius that was advanced to great favour he speaks of the grace of God towards him and blessing God for it his promotion did not succeed his former estate but was added to his former estate That 's thus The promotion of many men doth succeed their former estate that is the former ingenuity they had and ingenuity that they seem'd to have that 's gone and the promotion doth come and succeed it But the promotion of this Eugenius was not so he continued in the former estate that he was in before that is the former humility and heavenly-mindedness and holiness as he seem'd to have before so he had the same still so that
his life And then he seeks to get riches by communicating of his riches That Scripture you have for this in 1 Tim. 6. 17. Charge them that are rich in this world that they be not high-minded nor trust in uncertain riches but in the living God who giveth us richly all things to enjoy That they do good that they be rich in good works ready to distribute The more good works he doth the richer he makes account himself is Now ordinarily a carnal heart when he is call'd to do good works he cannot for shame but do something I but he thinks he is the poorer by it What will you get away all my estate and make me a begger Why these often Contributions draws away my estate and they think they have so much of their heart-blood drawn away and so they grow poorer and poorer But a godly man he makes account that the more good works he doth the richer man he grows Why God himself accounts his riches to be in the works of mercy In Eph. 2. there you shall find that the riches of God are in the works of his mercy That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards us Why God is not said to be rich in power so much as in grace in the works of his mercy in the works of kindness And so a godly man that hath learned by the grace of God to be full doth account himself made rich in the communicating what fulness God hath given him for the glory of his Name and the good of others This is a second mysterious way of a godly mans learning how to be full And then the Third way of a Godly mans learning how to be full is this He doth learn how to have comfort in his estate by mortifying of his affections to his estate and by moderating of his spirit in the joy that he hath in his estate he comes to receive the greater joy in what he hath given to him This you will say is a riddle for a man to have greater joy in outward things by moderating of his joy and to have a greater fulness in his abundance by keeping himself within bounds This is the way of a godly man the more he keeps himself within bounds the more comfort he hath in his abundance and the more he can mortifie his affections to the comforts of the world the more comfort hath he in these comforts of the world Now because this may seem to be a great riddle and mystery for so it is I will give you one Scripture that will make it out fully and it is in Phil. 4. 4 5. Rejoyce in the Lord alway and again I say rejoyce Here the Apostle puts people to rejoyce to rejoyce in the Lord that is not onely in spiritual things but rejoyce in all Gods blessings in a spiritual way Now the men of the world when they are put upon it to rejoyce and again to rejoyce they think they know nor how to reioyce but by letting out their hearts without any bounds they know not how to keep any bounds But mark the words that follow Let your moderation be known unto all men As if the Apostle should say And would you rejoyce indeed truly and graciously and fully I exhort you to rejoyce and again to rejoyce Well then This is pleasing to the heart of a man we will give our selves liberty to rejoyce we will enlarge our selves in our joy I but saith the Apostle Let your moderation be known to all men though So that in that he adds this exhortation Let your moderation be known to all men it 's apparent that he means the joy in outward things as well as in spiritual things Let your moderation be known to all so that he doth not envy your rejoycing in your estate You may rejoyce in the comforts of this world that God hath given you But would you have true joy that that should glad your hearts indeed let your moderation be known to all men and do so bound your selves in your joy and let your hearts be so mortified to the world as that you may rejoyce in God even while you rejoyce in the outward blessings that God hath given to you And although many men may think this to be a mystery and scarce to be believed yet those who are truly godly find this by experience I appeal to you when have you had the greatest comfort and joy in your estates and comings in but at that time when you have found your hearts mortified to the world and that you could keep your selves in bounds If a man goes abroad and among company if he can keep his appetite in bounds and eat moderately he hath more comfort in his meat and drink than another man hath that eats excessively A man that eats and drinks moderately he preserves his health and by preserving his health he hath more sweetness in his meat and drink in a constant way than those that eat and drink immoderately and when a man hath been abroad among company and let out his heart profusely in way of laughter and merriment and all upon the merry pin why in the midst of this laughter his heart is even sad and when he comes home he comes home with a dead spirit He is like Nabal you know that when he was feasting his heart was merry but as soon as his drunkenness was gone from him his heart died like a stone Many Company-keepers that give liberty to themselves in jollity and mirth why the next day their hearts are even as dead as a stone and there 's a great deal of guilt upon their spirits and their consciences fly in their faces so that they have not so much joy in their spirits as those that can keep within bounds Those that can go in a sober way and meet with their neighbours and rejoyce one with another they when they come home can bless God for this their refreshing that they have had and the next morning their hearts are in a sweet and joyful frame The more we keep our selves in bounds in the use of the Creature the more comfort have we in the use of the Creature That 's the third way of a gracious hearts learning how to abound He learns how to enjoy the world by mortifying his heart to it and by keeping himself within bounds in the use of the Creature And then the Fourth way of mystery of the Godlies learning how to abound it is this He learns how to abound by getting all that he hath to be sanctified by the Word and Prayer It was one way of knowing how to want by having our afflictions sanctified to us and so it is the way to know how to abound Now this is a way that carnal hearts have little skill in they think they know how to abound by their natural wisdom I but the way that a gracious heart hath for abounding is this God
many now in the world that are lower then I and there are abundance in Hell that had more than I. O this will be a meanes to moderate thy heart and help thee to know how to abound when thou considerest of the vanity of the things of the world and of the uncertainty of them I have them now how quickly may they be gone my house bravely furnisht how quickly may God send a Fire O consider the uncertainty of all you have and this will teach you how to make use of what you have in a loose way Charge men that are rich in this world that they be not high minded nor trust in uncertain riches Or if God should not take away your riches why let God but turn some humour in your bodies and bring some pain or disease and what will all your riches do you good Let God but touch me in my brain I shall not know how to make use of my estate or touch me in my body a little in the kidnies or pain in the bowels what 's all the world then O consider of the vanity and of the uncertainty of all things the learning of that lesson is a great help in knowing how to abound And then The learning that all these things are but Talents God gives me them to trade withal and I am but a Steward put them together I am but Gods Steward and God puts me to trade for him in all that I do This will teach men how to abound When you imploy Factors if they be faithful the very consideration of this This is my Masters goods and I am but a Steward and I am to give account and must keep my books even The consideration of this will call off his thoughts from other things and make him look to his books to keep them even O if you would but learn this lesson that all outward comforts are Talents that are given you to husband for God and you are his Stewards it would make you to keep the books even Every day you would be casting over the books Are things even between God and me What doth God aim at why I should have a prosperous estate and others not By searching to know Gods end a mans conscience will presently tell him Surely God did not aim at this that I should have more satisfaction to my flesh there is some thing else that God did aim at Let me learn to know Gods end And then Learn this lesson and it would be a great help to you for the learning how to abound That is That God doth but very seldom trust his own people with these Outward Comforts that we have spoken to in the opening of it but now I bring it in as a lesson that is to be learned and shew you how that will help you how to abound I spoke of it by way of evidence that it is a difficult thing for us to learn how to abound Now this lesson will put us upon this To learn to be so much the more watchful over our selves And then Let not me bless my self in my abundance And then Let me desire proportionable measure of grace to what I have least what I have turn to my hurt rather than for my good Such and many other lessons might be named for the helping of us to abound but the truth is there 's nothing almost will help us to know how to want but it will likewise help us to abound and therefore I do but name these things We come now as briefly as we can to wind up all in a word of Application You have had these six particulars opened to you When a man knowes how to abound And the difficulty of it And the necessity of it And the excellency of it And the mystery of it And the lessons to be learned Now then my Brethren from all that hath been said it serves to rebuke those men who take care onely how they may get fulness in the world and never are satisfied there but to know how they may use this for God and how to manage their fulness it 's scarce in all their thoughts I appeal to you this morning as in the Name of God Have these things been in your thoughts that have been spoken to you I dare not lay it so that every particular should be in your thoughts but in the general hath it been in your thoughts and care as much to know how you should abound as to get your abundance God knows it is otherwise and your consciences may tell you that that 's your care how you may improve and get abundance but how to abound that hath been but little known But by what hath been said out of the Scripture the Lord hath rebuked you for one that hath a carnal heart a sensual and an earthly heart for one that 's little acquainted with the wayes of God and spiritual things O that thou would'st charge thy own soul in thy retired thoughts and meditations and that God would make what hath been said out of this to stick upon thy heart And then Secondly Hence we are taught what an excellent thing Religion is that it helps every way It helps us how to want it helps us how to abound If we be in a low estate there comes in a help if we be in a high estate there comes in a help O Religion is of admirable use Grace and Godliness is of other manner of use then the world thinks for And as it is of use to all so it is above all to rich men O that rich men would believe this That they have the greatest need of Grace O that rich men by this would learn to be in love with Godliness and with those means that might work Grace upon them because there 's nothing can do them so much good as Religion O if Grace be answerable to their Estates then they are happy men indeed If the Lord please to add his upper Spring to the neather Springs then they are happy Creatures God gives you abundance in the neather Springs but doth he give you the upper Springs too O have thy thoughts working thus The Lord hath given me enough for this world to carry me thorow this Pilgrimage of mine O but had I grace added to all that I have then I should be a happy man indeed O learn to know the excellency of Grace and what need you have of it above other men Thirdly Hence upon what we hear me thinks all our desires should be moderated in respect of this world and you poor people you should not be so much troubled for want of abundance for you see there 's a great deal of difficulty in learning how to abound And when our spirits are set upon the things of this world let us curb them in this I see there 's a great deal of difficulty in knowing how to use things and therefore let me be more moderate in my desires after abundance And Fourthly You
themselves evenly with God and graciously with God in variety of Conditions Let the Condition be up and down this way and then another yet Grace helps a Man to lie square any way like a Dye cast it which way you will it lies square So put a gracious Heart into any Condition Full or Empty yet Grace will help him in any Condition whatsoever as the Apostle saith in the Corinthians Through Honour and Dishonour by Evil report and Good report by the Armour of Righteousness on the Right-hand and on the Left We find Use of our Weapons on the Right hand and on the Left the Armour of Righteousness helps not only on the Left-hand to Fence off the evil of Adversity but on the Right-hand to Fence off the Evil of Prosperity Here 's a Christian Souldier that can make use of the Armor of Righteousness both on the Right-hand and on the Left I had thought to have given some grounds Why it is that Grace will help any way as a Watch in a Mans Pocket if it be a good Watch though a Man sit upon it and it is tumbled up and down yet the Wheels they keep a constant steady motion So it is with the heart of a man if there be Grace within and the wheels work aright yet Grace makes the Heart stedfast within let the condition be never so various to be tost up and down this way or that way yet the heart keeps the same The Motto of Queen Elizabeth may be the Motto of every gracious heart Alwayes the same So in a constant way either in prosperity or adversity still he continues in an evenness with God If God casts him upon his Sick Bed there he rejoyces in God and blesses God and you will find savory and spiritual things come from him then and if God deliver him and you find him in prosperity there his heart is heavenly still and gracious and spiritual and raised above the Creatures which way soever he be put I cannot give you the grounds I 'll onely compare a Scripture or two together and so conclude all to see the evenness of the heart of a godly man in all conditions let them be what they will In Psal 57. To the chief Musician Al-taschith Mictam of David when he fled from Saul in the Cave That 's the Title of the Psalm A Psalm that David made in his very great affliction when he fled from Saul for his life in the Cave See what he saith and comparing that same with Psal 60. where it is To the chief Musician upon Shushan-Eduth Mictam of David to teach when he strove with Aram Nahaâ—aim and with Aram Zobah when Joab returned and smote of Edom in the Valley of Salt Twelve thousand David was low when he fled from Saul in the Cave there David had not the Kingdom well but afterwards David was high and had the Kingdom Joab was his Officer and smote of Edom in the Valley of Salt Twelve thousand Now you would think that this different condition of David should have made a different work in his Spirit yet you shall find a great part of that Psalm to be the very same In the 57th Psalm ver 7. My heart is fixed O God my heart is fixed I will sing and give praise awake up my Glory awake Psaltery and Harp I my self will awake early I will praise the Lord among the People I will sing unto Thee among the Nations c. Why you shall find likewise that David in the 60 th Psalm he hath much of this of blessing God as well in his Prosperous state in which he was as in his Afflicted estate Let us compare this with the 108 th Psalm ver 5. Be thou Exalted O God There David was in his Prosperous estate And here 's the same Expression O God my heart is fixed saith he I will sing and give praise with my Glory Awake Psaltery and Harp I my self will awake early I will praise Thee O Lord among the People and I will sing Praises unto Thee among the Nations c. Just he goes on in the very same words But now the 60th Psalm is to be compared with the 108th where it is God hath spoken in his Holiness I will rejoyce I will divide Shechem and mete out the Valley of Succoth Gilead is mine Ephraim also is the strength of my Head Judah is my Law-giver c. Now in the 108 Psalm God hath spoken in his Holiness I will rejoyce I will divide Shechem c. This is the Note from hence and so we have done That David in his various Conditions though at some times more Prosperous than others yet still you find him in the same Spirit and almost the very same words Be he â—n the Cave or when Joab had overcome or be he afterwards how he will in a higher Condition for the 108 th Psalm was made in a time after this Yet Davids heart is the same Praising God Blessing God Believing in his Word Trusting in his Word Now that 's the Note You should observe Whether you can make use of the same Scripture in one Condition as in another Those Scriptures that are comfortable to you in one Condition make use of them in another And whether you can Praise God in one Condition in the same way as in another Why Grace doth so satisfie and strengthen the Heart as the things that are without in the World makes very little alteration There is very little alteration that External things can make in a Gracious heart When a Man or Woman is so that a Prosperous condition puffs him up or Adversity makes him dejected it 's a sign of very little Grace or no Grace But thus much for this Text. A Sermon 1 Sam. 3. the latter part of the 18th Verse And he said it is the Lord let Him do what seemeth Him good THese Words are the Expression of a Gracious Humble Submissive Heart to Gods Dispose The Words of Ely the Priest who when the Hand of God was revealed against his Family he here falls down before Him and saith It is the Lord let Him do what seemeth Him good It is the Lord Whatever the means be that such and such sad things should fall upon my Family yet It is the Lord. Let Him do what seemeth Him good The things seem hard to me but they may seem otherwise to God whatever things seem to me however dark they look yet to God things may seem after another manner and therefore let things be done rather as they seem to God than as they seem to me We have in the Words before you these Four Doctrinal Points The first is That a Gracious Heart looks much to God in every Affliction that doth befal it It is the Lord. Secondly The sight of God in an Affliction is That that causes a gracious Heart humbly to fall down and to submit It is the Lord let Him do what seemeth Him good Thirdly That things seem
Judgments of God shall be abroad in the World they shall be in a secure Condition they shall be free from all they shall be built upon the Rock when Tempests and Storms shall be abroad to Sink others they shall not be stirred for they shall have peace with God Your Peace that is even peace with all Creatures they shall have the blessing of that peace too Whereas before all the Creatures of God were as the Hosts of God His Armies ready prepared to Avenge the Quarrel of God upon them Every Creature as it were crying unto God Lord send me Lord send me that I may strike this Sinner that I may strike this Blasphemer this unclean Wretch and this prophane Wretch and if God would but give Commission to any one Creature it would presently be their Destruction But upon their entertaining of your Message there shall be Peace between them and all Creatures so as no Creature in all the World shall ever be able to do them hurt Though they shall Live in the midst of an evil World yet this shall be their Condition That all good Creatures shall be made useful to them for good and there is no evil Creature shall ever be able to do the least evil to them And again They shall have a peace of Conscience whereas before their Consciences were ready to flie in their faces And they indeed sought many wayes and means to quiet their Consciences but could never get any true quiet of Conscience But upon their entertainment of your Message their Consciences shall be pacified in the Blood of the Messiah therefore bid them be of good comfort their Consciences shall be able to answer all Accusations that can be laid against them For so the Scripture tells us of the Answer of a good Conscience 1 Pet. 3. 21. Thus Let the Devil let Temptation charge upon one that is reconcil'd to God what they can A good Conscience through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is able to answer all Accusations and Temptations This shall be the Peace that shall be upon them And Fourthly The Word of God shall be at Peace with them They shall have Interest in all the Promises that are in the Word of God the whole Word shall speak nothing but good unto them Whereas before the Word of God was full of Terror and came against them as their Enemy but now all that is in the Word shall be Peace unto them If the Son of Peace be there This is the Peace that you shall bring upon them Peace with God and with the Creatures and with their Consciences and with the Word And then O the Blessing that is upon all the Entertainers of the Gospel O the happy Condition that the Entertainers of the Gospel are in This my Brethren is the Reason why there are some that do prize the Gospel and their Hearts are so much upon it Do not blame them they find this good in it They find the Blessing of the Gospel upon them And therefore though you feel not the sweetness and good that there is in it and so neglect it their Souls feel it and they bless themselves in their God and bless the Lord that ever they heard of the Gospel Certainly There are many Thousands this day in Heaven Blessing God that ever they heard of the Gospel because of the Blessings that they do partake of by and through the Gospel Object You will say I but there are many that are the Sons of Peace and the Entertainers of the Gospel and yet they do not feel the Blessing of this Peace they are as much troubled as any are Answ To that I answer They have certainly that which is the Matter for Peace and their trouble comes for want of Understanding it Others have Matter for Terror and their peace comes for want of the knowledg of what Matter for Terror there is It 's true they have not for the present the full sense of this Blessing of peace though they have that which will bring it at last As for Instance When the blustering Tempestuous Winds do cease the Waves of the Sea do not presently cease from their tumultuous Working and Roaring and Noise and yet that which was the Cause of their Working that 's gone So here Those who Entertain the Gospel they presently upon the Entertaining of it have the Tempest over there is no more Tempest of the Wrath of God against them but yet there may be some Trouble in their Spirits but it will be allaid within a while because that which is the Reason of their Trouble that certainly is over And therefore a strong Argument here you have to Entertain this blessed Gospel that is sent among you When you hear it Preached you hear what it brings to you it brings all the Good that Christ hath purchased with His Blood This it offers to you And can the World offer to you as much as this comes to Can there be any thing to draw your Hearts away from it that shall be Equal with this Good Certainly This is the Peace that is Infinitely above all Earthly things What would not we do to purchase a good and sure Peace here in the Kingdom If we account a firm and sure peace to be so sweet would not we be willing to lay down our Lives Certainly That Man or Woman cannot be accounted to be a good Member of a Common-wealth that should not be willing to lay down their Lives in such times as these to purchase a sure and firm peace But now here the Gospel preaches to you another manner of Blessing than this outward Peace The Gospel holds forth unto you that peace that was purchased to you by the Blood of the Son of God It was such a Peace that Christ thought his own Blood not too dear to lay down for the purchase of this peace of the Gospel It is that Peace that passes all understanding a Soul peace an Everlasting peace and therefore you should come to hear the Gospel as the great Ordinance of God that is appointed by Him to bring this Glorious peace unto your Souls Do not come meerly to hear what a Man can say or to hear the Gifts and Abilities of a Man or to get a few new Notions and the like But when you come to attend upon the Gospel come I say unto it as the great Ordinance that is appointed by God to bring peace to the Souls of those that He doth intend Eternal good unto And this is to come in a right way and manner to the Preaching of the Gospel This I say is to have a right understanding of what Good there is in the Gospel And if any of your Souls have had a peace before you have come to a right understanding of the Gospel know that all that peace is Naught it will Undo you you will never have any good by it You have had peace in your own Spirits a great while and you bless God
the Gospel in the Heart and for the Heart to keep it It is a very great and close Mercy a greater Mercy than to have Christ to be Born of the Body of a Woman in Luke 11. 27. And it came to pass as He spake these things a certain Woman lift up her voice and said unto Him Blessed is the Womb that Bare thee and the Paps which thou hast Sucked But He said Yea rather blessed are they which hear the Word of God and keep it Those that when they have heard the Word of the Gospel and shall keep it in their Hearts and not let it Vanish away from them but keep it I say in their Power and Life upon their Hearts they are rather Blessed than the Womb was Blessed that Bare Jesus Christ or than the Paps were Blessed that gave Jesus Christ Suck I suppose there is no Woman here but would account her self a blessed Woman if her Womb had Porn Jesus Christ and if her Paps had given Jesus Christ Suck Now here is a greater Blessedness than this for a Woman to hear the Word of the Gospel Preached unto her and to have this Word of the Gospel to rest in her Heart and for her to keep it in her heart in the Power and Life and Efficacy of it this Woman now hath a greater Blessing than if she had Born Jesus Christ in her Womb. Surely it is a great Blessing to have the blessed things of the Gospel to be kept in the Soul after the hearing of them And further A great Mercy because there is such a wonderful Power in the good things of the Gospel and therefore it must needs be a great Mercy to have those things abide upon the Heart They have such a mighty power to work good upon the Heart a mighty Convincing power they have to Convince any Soul in the World Let a Man or Woman be never so Wicked or Prophane yet there are such blessed Truth in the Gospel that is enough to Convince his Soul I say though it be never so vile and to take his Heart And we have little Cause to fear the working upon the Hearts of People only if we could but procure this that those things that we Speak might but abide upon their Hearts If we were but sure that what we Deliver in the Name of God would but abide upon their Spirits we need not fear the working upon any Soul Living let them be never so Vile there is such a mighty Power and Efficacy in those blessed things of the Gospel when they come to be Revealed And so there is a mighty Comforting power to Comfort the Soul with such Consolation as is Infinitely above all Consolation that ever it was Acquainted withal before There is a mighty Power to resist any Temptation If the Truths of God were but kept in the Soul we might make little of all Temptations in the World The Devil could have little hope to prevail with any Temptations if the Word of the Gospel did but abide upon the Heart of a Man or Woman that doth hear it This is the advantage that the Devil hath at any time when one hath been hearing of the Word if he knows that the Word is past from them and it doth not abide then he can come with Temptations and makes no question of prevailing But if the Devil knows that those Truths do abide and rest upon the Soul the Devil can have little hope to prevail The Peace of God shall keep your Hearts Fro Resi shall Guard your Hearts It shall be as a Troop of Horse to keep you from Temptations from the power and strength of Temptations You complain and say O that you would do better but Temptations are so strong that they prevail upon you Why are Temptations so strong It is because thy Soul is not acquainted with the Blessed and Glorious things of the Gospel and the Power and Life of them doth not abide upon thy Spirit And likewise the Truths of the Gospel O they have a mighty deal of Power to cleanse your Hearts 1 Pet. 2. 20. There you have mentioned the Power of the Knowledg of the Gospel when it abides in one that might be an Hypocrite and therefore not of that Efficasie that the true saving Knowledg is Yet Observe what is said there For if after they have escaped the Pollutions of the World through the Knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Now then If that Knowledg have such a cleansing Power O what Power then hath the true saving Power of the great things of the Gospel and the Glorious things of it to Cleanse the Heart Yea If those Truths do abide upon the Spirits they have a Transforming power they have a power to change the Heart into the same likeness According to that Scripture 2 Cor. 3. 18. But we all with open face beholding as in a Glass the Glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image from Glory to Glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Now this Gospel of the Lord is nothing else but the good things of the Gospel We behold them and that as with open Face as we do behold the Gospel of the Lord. And what then We are changed into the same Image Oh! this is a Blessed abiding it is a Blessed thing for the things of the Gospel to rest upon the Soul Why Because they have such a Power in them to Change the Heart to Transform the Heart into the very Image of them and the Truths of the Gospel have the clearest Image of God upon them the Glory of God is Imprinted upon the Truths of the Gospel Now that these should rest upon the Spirit it must needs be a great Mercy Another is this It is that which makes them indeed to be Saving All those Blessed things of the Gospel that are Revealed they never come to be Saving until they come to rest upon the Soul to be got into the Heart and there to dwell and rest Mark that Scripture in James 1. 21. Wherefore lay a part all Filthiness and Superstuity of Naughtiness and receive with Meekness the Ingraffed Word which is able to save your Souls Mark Receive with Meekness the Word But how The Ingraffed Word which is able to save your Souls The Word of God can never save your Souls till it comes to be an Ingraffed Word Now these things I premise to shew you the Excellency of this that so I might have the more ground for an Exhortation by and by To labour to keep the Word of God I mean those Truths of the Gospel that at any times comes to be discovered to you Now by way of Application as brief as may be First In the First place Hence we see cause the Ministers of the Gospel especially see cause bitterly to Lament the want of this in their Auditory ordinarily It 's true There are few that are faithful Preachers of the Gospel but they do find that
Fourscore Miles one way and but a very little another way except that little Country there was none upon the face of the Earth but worshipped the Devil went according to the Immaginations of their own hearts did not so much as acknowledge God in his worship onely I say there was a little handful of people in Canaan and they were the children of Abraham and Christ came to them they were his own you would think surely if Christ comes to them seeing all the World else are Idolaters they will entertain him No when Christ came Himself the Blessed Son of God taking our nature upon him who was the Brightness of the Glory of his Father yet his own did not receive him And we find it said directly that Christ in his Ministery in Luke 2. should be for a Stumbling-block to many in ver 34. And Simeon blessed them and said unto Mary his Mother Behold this Child is set for the Fall and Rising again of many in Israel and for a Sign which shall be spoken against You have little cause therefore to be Discouraged because you are spoken against And we find that Christ Himself Preaching what poor Entertainment He had no Marvel then if this Supposition be concerning His Disciples If not It may possibly be that some will not receive your Ministry Do but observe what Entertainment Christ Himself had sometimes when He went to Preach Himself in Luke 4. 29. You have there the History of a most Excellent Sermon that Jesus Christ Preached and when He had done His Sermon do but see what requital He had as soon as He had done the Text saith And all they in the Synagogue when they heard these things were filled with wrath and rose up and thrust him out of the City and led him unto the brow of the Hill whereon their City was built that they might cast him down headlong They sought to break his neck as soon as he had done so that you see how he came to his own and his own received him not And in Luke 16. 14 there you shall see his Entertainment upon another Sermon the Text saith And the Pharisees also who were Covetous heard all these things And what then And they derided Him The Greek word is They blew their Noses at Him They Snuffled in their Noses at Him They Scorned Him as we express Scorn and Contempt by Blowing the Nose This is the Propriety of the Word that in your English is Translated They derided Him And who were these The Pharisees that were the most seeming Righteous Men that did live and the greatest Scholars and those that Liv'd the most Honestly among Men. And why did they deride Him But only because they were Covetous You shall have not only Covetous Men but any who live in a way of sin if the Ministry of the Word comes against that sin they will secretly Scorn and Contemn the Word Thus they did to Christ And St. Paul you may see when he came to Preach the Gospel what Entertainment he had St. Paul he was the most Famous Preacher that ever Liv'd upon the Face of the Earth next unto Jesus Christ Austine had three Wishes and one of them was That he might have seen Paul in the Pulpit and heard him Preach because he was a Man of such an admirable Spirit But I shall shew you what Entertainment the Preaching of Paul had who was such an admirable Preacher There are a great many Scriptures to shew the hard Entertainment that Paul had in Acts 13. 44 45. And the next Sabboth Day came almost the whole City together to hear the Word of God There was a strange Preacher came among them and there came a mighty Company the whole City that is the Generality of the City came together to hear the Word of God But mark in ver 45. But when the Jews saw the Multitude they were filled with Envie and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul Contradicting and Blaspheming Just thus it was with the Jews they were filled with Envy and spoke against those things which were spoken by Paul Contradicting and Blaspheming It were endless to shew you all his hard Entertainment how he was put in the Prison and in the Stocks and Whipt as if he had been a very Rogue when as ever since the World began the Lord had never a more Glorious Instrument to shew forth His Praise and yet he was Whipt up and down like a Rogue and scarce a Ragg to hang upon his Back he was accounted the Off-scowring of the World But there is a most Notable thing about Pauls Ministry if you Compare two Scriptures together in Acts 16. 9. with what follows And a Vision appeared to Paul in the Night There stood a man of Macedonia and prayed him saying Come over into Macedonia and help us Paul had a mighty strong Call to go and Preach to Macedonia he had a Vision by Night And it was not a Delusion but even the Voice of God which did call to Paul Come over to Macedonia and help us Therefore saith the Text Immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia assuredly gathering that the Lord had Called us for to Preach the Gospel unto them We were sure that God had Called us and this was a very strong Call Now you will say What Paul Such a Preacher and had such a strong Call Certainly he would prevail with them all and bring them all Home But Mark what the Success of Pauls Ministry was in ver 12. And from thence to Philippy which is the Chief City of that part of Macedonia and a Colony And we were in that City abiding certain dayes Here 's no mention of any Fruit of his Ministry There we sat certain dayes to wait what opportunity we might have to Preach the Gospel there And in ver 13. And on the Sabboth we went out of the City by a Rivers side where Prayer was wont to be made and we sat down and spake unto the Women which Resorted thither Mark It seems he had no Opportunity to Preach in the City they had no mind to hear him But saith he on the Sabboth-day we went out of the City by the Rivers side and we sat down and spake to the Women There were but a Company of poor Women the great ones of the City they would not come but a Company of Women came to us and yet Paul had this mighty Call of God And when he comes to the chief City of Macedonia he was forced to go out of the City if he would Preach and there comes a few Women and among these Women saith the Text ver 14. A certain Woman named Lydia a Seller of Purple of the City of Thyatira which Worshipped God heard us Whose Heart the Lord opened that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul Here 's the fruit of his Ministry A certain Woman Among them all none but the Women would come And among these Women
than by the dreadful Threats of the Law For the Gospel shews that sin makes such a dreadful Breach between God and the Creature that only the Son of God made Man and put under a Curse can make up the Breach again In the Red-glass of the Blood of Jesus Christ that is Preached to you in the Ministry of the Gospel the evil of sin is more fully discerned than in the bright Crystal-glass of the Law that doth discover somewhat but this shews you more It shews you that those beloved sins of yours that you have Imbrac'd and have had a great deal of Sweetness and Gain by O they are such Snakes and Vipers in your Bosom as makes such a Breach between God and your Soul that only the Son of God paying an Infinite price for the Satisfying for these can take away from you And further The Gospel doth discover more to Debase a Man than any thing can possibly be Imagined There is nothing that doth more discover that which may Abase Men and bring them Low and make them Vile in their own Eyes than the Gospel Why The Gospel doth shew unto them that they are by Nature the Enemies to God It is the Gospel doth discover that because it is the Doctrine of Reconciliation and it doth discover that all a Mans Righteousness is nothing his own Righteousness is nothing in point of Salvation for Justification that whatsoever Righteousness a Man hath by common Gifts by his good Nature it will not serve his turn in the Day of Jesus Christ he may perish notwithstanding It takes a Man off from all his Civil Righteousness and so makes him to be as a vile wretched Creature before the Lord and one that must lie upon meer pure Mercy or else must perish to all Eternity whatsoever he thought himself he must be taken from his own bottom even from that which his Soul Imbrac'd and was as dear unto him as his own Soul he must be taken from all O now this is a hard saying and who can bear it The Gospel doth teach Self-denial that we must deny our own Excellency every beloved Lust and to be nothing in a Man 's own Eyes I indeed it is the first Lesson of the Gospel saith Christ If any man will follow me let them deny themselves Now Men naturally are Proud and Haughty and what for them to come and appear before the Lord as vile wretched Caitiffs in themselves and to have all their Righteousness to be counted as filthy Rags now to see that they must be Sav'd by a Righteousness that is above them and beyond them and without them O this is very hard The Gospel requires Conditions that are very hard to Flesh and Blood that we must be willing to Sell and part with all for Christ as the wise Merchant did And besides It is a very high Mystery a thing that is above the reach of any Natural Man living and People Generally are of Slight Vain and Proud Spirits Now being partly Slight and Vain and partly Proud they will not bend their Minds to dive into those things that they are not presently able to read It is that Mystery that the Angels do stoop down to pry into and it requires a great deal of pains to behold the Glory of God in it Now the Vain and Drossy and Proud hearts of Men and Women they pass it over lightly because they see no present need of it They Thrive and injoy their Estates and they are well enough for the Flesh and all things that are Savory to them they have according to their hearts desire and what need have they to trouble themselves Many other things might be named to shew that when the Gospel comes to places why it is not entertained Quest But you will say Why doth God send it God knows it will not be entertain'd it is not with God as it is with us to go to a place at paradventures It is said If they hear them There can be no Ifs with God God knows every thing Now if God knows that before a Man comes it will not be entertain'd why doth God send it Answ 1. To that I Answer First That Gods Wayes and Judgments are Unsearchable and past finding out in this thing For indeed there is nothing wherein God doth appear more Wonderful in His Wayes and Judgments past finding out than in this in sending the Gospel sometimes to a place where He sees it will not prevail and denies it to another place where He sees that if it were among them it would be likely more to prevail You will say This is strange and yet this is certain This is the Administrations of God that sometimes God denies the Gospel to a place where He doth see that if He sent it they would Entertain it more and sends it to another place where He sees they will not Entertain it Now to make this out by Scripture that Text is clear for it in Mat. 11. 21. Wo unto thee Chorazin Wo unto thee Bethsaida for if the mighty Works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sydon they would have Repented long ago in Sack-cloth and Ashes It is a strange Speech almost as any one that is in Scripture Here 's Chorazin and Bethsaida have the Gospel sent to them and they did not Entertain it Saith Christ If the Works that were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sydon they would have Repented and yet I denied it to them and sent it to you Now there can be no Reason given of this but only this The Judgments of God are unsearchable and His Wayes past finding out Gods Mercies are His own the Gospel is His own and He will send it where He pleases Secondly But then Secondly The Lord sends His Gospel For though perhaps it be rejected for the generallity yet there may some one Soul Entertain it among a People that shall so much reject it and for the sake of that one God may send it God may send Ministers to a Congregation to spend their very Heart and Strength and Life and it may be may intend some one or two Souls that are as unlikely as others perhaps some one or two poor Servant or Child and it is worth the Life of any Man if he may be Blest to call home one or two in his Life time You know the Lord lets it Rain and the Intendment of the Rain it is to Water the Earth but abundance of it falls upon Tiles and Stones but likewise it falls upon your Beds in your Gardens and the Intendment I say is for the benefit of the Ground So the Ministry of the Gospel Gods chief Intent is for the good of Souls though God causes the Ministry of it to be generally The Gospel is Preached to Congregations and for the generallity it doth but as it were Rain upon the Tiles and Stones I but there are some Beds that have some good Seeds in them and