which they have offended is regularly brought in against them according to the Rule contained in Matthew the offence at first may be against one brother and the offended party is first to tell him his fault between himself and his Brother or Sister that hath offended him alone Whom if he can bring to see and acknowledge his evil it is to proceed no further but if he cannot then he is oblidg'd by the holy Law of Christ to take one or two more and go to him and strive to convince him and bring him to a sight and sense of his iniquity but if he cannot do it then it ought to be brought unto the Church and if he will not hear the Church then the Fan of Excommunication is to be used in the Name of Jesus Christ and they purged out As to such who rend themselves from a Church or violate their sacred Covenant by irregularly withdrawing themselves they ought to be marked and solemnly in the publick Congregation declared to have withdrawn rent and cut off themselves from the Communion of the Church and no longer to be owned nor lookt upon as Members and none to Communicate with them until they have given satisfaction by Repentance The Second part of the Fan of Discipline is that rule laid down by the Apostle of withdrawing from every Brother and Sister that walketh disorderly as such that are Busibodies Tatlers or Idle or such that neglect their Duties in attending on the Church in times of solemn Worship or that make Parties or cause Division in the Church and refuse to live in Obedience to Christ under the due and just Government thereof or to obey them that are set over them in the Lord or who strive to have the prehemience like Diotrophes being Vain-glorious prating against or despising of Dignities or the just Authority of Christs Ministers or Angels of his Churches as the beloved Apostle speaks 3 Joh. 9 10. Wherefore if I come I will Remember his deeds which he doth prating against us with malicious Words and not content therewith neither doth he himself receive the Brethren and forbideth them that would and casteth them out of the Church These are to be marked and withdrawn from 2 Thess 3. 6. Not to be counted as Enemies but exhorted as Brethren Unless they provoke the Church to further and a more severe Censure Some of this sort oft-times strive to draw away disciples after them and seek to disquiet the Peace of the Church and in a fawning and flattering manner to deceive the hearts of the Simple therefore these if they will not hear the Church are to be quite fanned out also by Excommunication and to be looked upon as an Heathen-man or Publican as in the Case of Notorious and Scandalous Sinners or such who are guilty of Heresie Mat. 18. Fifthly Jesus Christ hath also another Fan in his hand to purge his floor or cleanse his Wheat from the Chaff filth and defilement of Sin namely the Holy Spirit and by this means he cleanses and Purifies in a gracious manner the Souls of his own People Suoh were some of you but ye are washed but ye are Sanctified but ye are Justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God What filthy Creatures were those Corinthians before the Lord Jesus by his Spirit had purged and Sanctified them Faith of the Operation of God is a most excellent Grace it is by Faith in the Blood of Christ that we come to be purged from the Guilt of Sin Faith applying his Merits and Righteousness unto the Soul in Justification and such is the Nature thereof that it makes holy the Hearts and Lives of all such Persons in whom it is by the Spirit wrought or infused in Sanctification And hath put no difference between them and us Purifying their hearts by Faith Yea it cleanseth them from all filthyness of Flesh and Spirit that they may perfect Holyness in the fear of God But let me tell you that the Spirit and Grace of Christ in this respect is â—â— a Fan rather to Cleanse the Saints by purging out the Chaff of Corruption which naturally is in their Hearts and Lives than to purge Hypocrites and gross Professors out of the Church and to that I Principally referr here 6. Moreover Christ hath the Fan of Persecution or the Sufferings of the Cross and all other afflictions which he brings upon his People which he uses to purge and purify their Souls and his Churches too And from hence Afflictions are compaired to a Refiners fire He shall set as a Refiners fire and Purifier of Silver He that is the Messiah i. e. our Lord Jesus Christ this is his Work viz. to purge his People who in this Place are compared to Silver and Gold that is refined As in my Text they are likened unto Wheat in this he is compared to a Refiner and hath his Furnace in the other to an Husbandman and so hath his Fan. Both these Texts allude to the same thing and doing the same work namely to sever and separate the clean from the unclean the Gold from the Dross the Chaff from the Wheat And evident it is that Perseoution Trials and Afflictions commonly make a great discovery who are Wheat or pure Gold viz. Sincere Believers and who drossy and chaffy Professors If Wheat Persecution purges and purifies them But if they are Chaff it usually fans them away But he that received the seed in stony places the same is he which heareth the Word and anon with joy reciveth it Yet hath he not root in himself but endureth for a while for when Tribulation or Persecution ariseth because of the Word by and by he is offended Thus the fan of Persecution purges these Chaffy Professors out of Christs Spiritual floor or rather his gatâ—er Namely his Church into which in a day of Liberty they got and had a place but they cannot bear the Wind and blast of Affliction and Tribulation And as it purges out much Chaff so also the Wheat is thereby refined and made more clean and sit for the Lords use Of so great benefit is Persecution to Gods Church that they cannot some times be without it it is if need be that we are in heaviness if we need it not or if Christ sees there is no need of it we shall never feel the 〈…〉 doth it not for his pleasure but for our profit that we 〈…〉 partake of his Holiness And this Jehovah by the Prophet further makes known to us This is the fruit of all the taking away your Sin And thus the Lord purgeth away the filth of the Daughter of Sion and the Blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the Spirit of Judgment and by the Spirit of burning The Rod of Affliction or Furnace of Persecution cannot purge out the filth of Sin that is in the Lords People without the operations of the Holy
but some amazing and fearful Judgments from the Lord unless a National Repentance and Reformation like that of Nineveh doth speedily prevent it Secondly There is another Heap that may be called Christs floor tho' not so big as the former and tho' they seem to be more refined yet if we consider them all together for they are too much divided amongst themselves what abundance of Chaff is there here also Are there not many amongst these as bad as others viz. People of ill and corrupt principles bitter and censorious Spirits and of scandalous lives What Malice Envy and Hatred do they discover one against another because of their differing Sentiments in and about some principles of Religion rendering their Brethren odious to the World Back-biting Reproaching and Scandalizing each other to the great dishonour of God and shame of their sacred profession one while charging and condemning the Innocent and yet acknowldege not their Evil and at another time striving to vindicate and clear such as are greatly guilty before God both which are abominable and hateful in his sight who will judge righteously and render to every man at last according to his Works Certainly there is sarcely a worse Sin than the Sin of Backbiting he that hates his Brother Robbing him of his good Name out of Malice and Envy is a Murtherer and no Murtherer hath eternal Life abiding in him 1 John 3. 17. such who are destitute of Christian Love and Charity or hate their Brethren clearly shew they act contrary to the divine Principle of Grace nay of Morality and so are void of that sacred Life Nature and Image of God For as love to the Bretheren is an Evidence of our being the Children of God so he that is possessed with Wrath Envy Malice and Hatred shews he is one of the Children of the wicked one who is called the Accuser of the Brethren Clear it is that this is a Diabolical Sin and renders such in whom it is found like to the Devil In this the Children of God are manifest and the Children of the Devil Whosoever doth not Righteousness is not of God neither he that loveth not his Brother Nay this great evil and wickedness is a sad sign that such are given up and left of God as not retaining God in their knowledge as the Apostle speaks of the Gentiles who when they arrived to some degree of knowledge of God yet did not glorifie him as God but violated his Law written in their Hearts Therefore 't is said that God gave them up to vile Affections and they were filled with all Unrighteousness Fornication Wickedness Covetousness Maliciousness full of Envy Murther Debate Deceit Malignity Whisperers Backbiters Despiteful Proud Boasters c. No doubt but that the Sin of Backbiting Wrath Malice and Envy is as bad if not worse than Fornication Swearing or Drunkenness and lamentable it is to see this Sin found among some who account themselves no small persons for Knowledge Zeal and Piety in these days But alas alas how sad and deplorable is their Condition and vain that profession they make of Religion let them repent of this their great wickedness and get a changed heart Moreover are there not in this floor others who are proud earthly carnal and covetous Persons they are called Nonconformists but 't is not so far as they ought from the Sins and Pollutions of this World they conform to them in their detestable fashions and covetous practices Do not many of them appear to love Sons and Daughters more than Christ or his sinking Interest they can lay out plentifully to feed and cloath their own Children whilst their bowels are shut up against the poor Members of Christ or Children of God they 'll spare more to gratifie the Pride and base Lusts of their Children than they will spare to supply the necessities of the poor Saints or to support the Interest of Christ and his Gospel Many pounds shall go for the first use when a Shilling is thought a great deal with some of them for the second they think nothing too much to enrich and uphold their own Families whilst the Family of God suffers want and the Cause of Christ languishes in their hands O how little does the power of Grace and true Godliness shine amongst this sort what formality and lukewarmness is there in these days amongst such who are called Saints and holy Brethren This it is true may be called Chirists Floor especially but abundance of Chaff no doubt will be found in it when the Fanner comes to fan it Look to it you Sinners in Sion Fearfulness will e're long surprize the Hipocrite Who among us shall dwell with devouring Fire who amongst us shall dwell with Everlasting Burning Isa 33. But so much as to what is meant by Christs Floor Quest 2. What is intended by the Fan Answ A Fan is a certain Instrument which the Husbandman uses to cleanse or purge his Corn from the Chaff evil Seeds and all filth whatsoever And this Instrument he holds in his hands and uses upon his Knees by which he tosses up the Wheat and Chaff together And then shakes it to and fro moving all at once by which a wind is made and the Chaff is blown away and the Wheat separated and purged from it Now John Baptist alludes to such an Instrument as this Quest But what is meant by Christs Fan in a spiritual sense what is signified hereby First I answer By Christs Fan is meant his Word his holy Gospel especially the Doctrine thereof 't is by this he cleanses and purges his floor Now you are clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you Now the unclean person the Traytor Judas is gone out from you Thro' my Word i. e. through my Doctrine you believing in me and receiving me by Faith for Righteousness and eternal Life 'T is said Christ gave himself for his Church that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word Eph. 5. 26. Cleansing here imports the means by which it is wrought or the Instrument namely the Word of the Gospel especially the Promise of free Justification and Sanctification by Christ received thro' Faith which Baptism was a Sign or Symbol of see 1 Pet. 1. 22. Seeing ye have purified your selves in obeying the truth thro' the Spirit c. This was done in subjecting themselves to the Faith of the Gospel to which the purifying of the heart is ascribed principally in Justification whereby the guilt of Sin is purged away as appertaining to the conscience he alludes also to the sanctifying power and virtue of the holy Spirit Compare this with Psal 119. 9. Wherewith shall a young man cleanse his way that is the way of his Heart and also the way of his Life The answer is By taking heed thereto according to thy Word that is let him take heed according to that holy doctrine taught and held forth in God's Word
and bridle not their Tongues therefore their Religion is vain as the Apostle James shews They are full of vain words and foolish talk The words of the wise are gracious but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself They are offensive to others and pernicious to themselves A fool also is full of Words either a Talkative or else full of vain Boasts magnifying and admiring himself and lessning the worth and worthiness of others His vain and light Tongue discovers a vain carnal proud and empty heart some unprofitable matter in discourse or another you shall observe these people will be full of May be talk and prate of this Man or that Woman to pick up one thing or another to their reproach who are gracious persons and instead of discoursing of a Sermon they have heard or telling their Experiences may be they will tell you what Garbs Cloaths and Dresses such and such People had on or else they talk of their earthly and worldly Affairs or some Idle Jests Stories or foolish Talk but little of God besure is in their mouths when they are out of the sight and hearing of sober and pious Christians Indeed as our Saviour intimates how can they being evil speak of good things there is much vanity in their unsanctified Hearts and their Tongues discover it For out of the abundance of the Heart the mouth speaketh a good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things But I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak they shall give an account thereof in the day of Judgment For by thy word thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned God will not only condemn men for evil actions but their evil words also shall rise up against them at the great day And as the gracious words which proceed from a sanctified and renewed Christian tends to his Justification especially when the main design and purport of his Speech tends to exalt and magnifie God and his Free-Grace in Jesus Christ so the evil words of the unsanctified Christian tends to his Condemnation and declares him to be but meer chaff or a hypocritical person but if idle Jesting and foolish Talking is the Character of a vain man what is a detracting and back-biting Tongue a Tongue that is set on fire by hell who vilisie and render odious such who truly fear God that are not guilty of those foul things laid to their charge such persons are not like to ascend Gods holy hill nor abide in his Tabernacle viz. That taketh up false and wicked slanders and reports against his Neighbour to lessen his reputation among Men And 't is with the greater aggravation when it is done out of Envy Prejudice or Malice and 't is further aggravated when 't is done to a Minister of the Gospel on purpose to obstruct or hinder unthinking Christians to adhere unto his Doctrine or receive that truth which they see not but set themselves to oppose and gainsay who do not only in an undue manner spread such Reproaches but also raise them It is a great evil to divulge or propagate a fault committed by a Brother by making it publick when it was private they breaking thereby the express Precept of Jesus Christ Mat. 18. But it is far worse to publish false and groundless Slanders and Accusations of him or others And t is an abominable evil in such who are ready to entertain and easily to believe and greedily receive such Reports of him who deserveth it not Such men are by the Lord called vile persons Psa 5. 4. and are contemned by such that sear the Lord howsoever great and honourable they seem to be Moreover if it be so great an evil for men thus to use their Tongues or Pens to speak evil of and to blaspheme innocent men what is the Nature of their Crimes who curse and swear and blaspheme the sacred Name of God and the holy Jesus like as the Pharisees did who said this fellow doth not cast out Devils but by Belzebub the Prince of Devils ascribing that to the Devil that was proper to God alone and wrought by his almighty Power Christians if you would not be found chaff at the great day take heed of a reviling Tongue least you deceive your selves and all your Religion and Profession be vain He either decieveth his own heart saith our Annatotors in thinking himself religious when indulging himself in things contrary to Religion or else deceiveth his own heart being blinded with self love and lifted up with self-conceit which is the cause of his Railing Censuring and speaking evil of others Their Religion is vain empty and to no purpose having no reality in it self and bringeth no Benefit to them O what a Reproach doth the talkative and prating person bring on the Name of God This Man this Woman say they is a Member of such or such a Church and see what vain talk frothy words and frivolous Discourse proceeds from their Lips But much more evil is in such who back-bite revile and defame others as was hinted before This I say may discover such to be but chaff 2. They appear to be Chaff not only by their light vain idle and back-biting Tongues but also by their light Behaviour for the lightness of the heart is as much discovered by a loose and airy Deportment as by loose and vain words their wanton Looks and rowling Eyes or other unseemly and uncomely carriage shews in part what they are they being not of a grave sober and serious spirit but behave themselves as if they had no sense of the Omnisciency of God upon their hearts nor of his holiness not setting the Lord always before them gives cause to all to fear they are but chaff 3. Their light empty and airy Attire Dresses and antick Fashions which they wear and take delight in doubtless too much discovers the Lightness Vanity and Emptiness of their Spirits I am perswaded these high and shameless Head-dresses which some Women appear in that come into Christian Assemblies are but as Tell-tales of the Vanity Pride Emptiness and Haughtiness of their hearts who but they that sell Wine will put forth a Bush I cannot see how a sober serious Christian Woman should be satisfied to wear such Antick Dresses Their Souls sure must needs blush at the Thoughts of them when they consider whose Eyes behold them First Many gracious Men and Women with no little trouble And in the second place their faithful Ministers to the wounding and grieving their Souls Thirdly And a multitude of loose and ungodly People who reproach and laugh at them and cast contempt upon Religion on that account Fourthly And which is more the holy Angels they come into our Assemblies and observe all both Males and Females how they do adorn their Profession and
righteous and the wicked between him that serveth the Lord and him that serveth him not There shall not e're long be a Cannanite in the House of God any more 4. Nay and remember my Text The Chaff shall be burned with unquenchable fire into Hell at last all false-hearted light and loose Professors shall be thrown O Take heed for your Souls sake that you rest not upon a bare Profession or on a name of Christians This may inform us also that Christ hath a gracious end in bringing Persecutions and Trials on his People it shews us why he uses the Fan of severe Providences Judgments and Afflictions It is you have heard to purge to purifie them and to separate the Chaff from them O do not then think it strange concerning fiery trials as if some strange thing had befallen you Exhort Let me exhort you to see to it in time that you are not deceived and so prove Chaff and Vain Persons empty and foolish Virgins at last Motives 1. O how far may men go and yet be but almost Christians Remember this 2. Many when Christ comes shall have great Confidence and go forth to meet him and yet be found foolish ones Some deceive their own Hearts and others have Hearts that deceive them by trusting in them and never examine how matters are between God and their own Souls 3. Men may Preach and Prophesie yea speak as if they had the Tongue of Men and Angels and Cast out Devils in Christs Name and yet he nothing they may Preach no doubt to the Conversion of others and yet may not be Converted themselves 4. Wheat is commonly weighed to know the goodness of it so God weighs Men he weighs the Actions of Men Thou art weighed in the ballance and art found wanting Weighed in a Ballance alluding to the weighing of Gold or Goods exactly in Scales God tries Men and Women that all may know he will proceed Justly and Righteously with them he weighs them in the ballance of the sanctuary or trys them by the Touch-stone of his Word and if found full weight or pure Gold then he declares that they are his and he owns them as his People as his Wheat but if too light or not hold weight but are greatly wanting there being no worth in them but are Dross Chaff light and empty Persons unsound and unsanctified ones then he rejects them as none of his but are as reprobate Silver false Coin People of no value with him As he weighs Men so he weighs their Works their Graces their Gifts their Duties to see whether they hold weight whether true and righteous or not whether the Grace be true Grace special Grace not common Grace and their Gifts not Counterfeit Gifts or meer Natural Gifts or only humane and acquired Gifts Some boast of false Gifts which as Solomon tells us is like Clouds and Wind without rain What a stir doth a vain Person make of a strong Memory crying it up as if it was a Spiritual Gift and as if none were true Ministers but such who have a great Memory and can deliver all they have got by their Study by the strength of their Memory alas all men of any sense know that is but a Natural Gift which some wicked men have as well as some good men but let him know God knows what mens Hearts are what their Ends and Designs are what their Gifts are and what their Duties are as well as what the matter of their Worship is which they perform to God that is whether it hath his Image stampt upon it or is of his Authority his own Appointment his own Institution or but Humane Inventions he also weighs the manner how they perform all Divine Worship towards him from what Principle Life Power End and Design whether 't is from a changed Heart from unfeigned Faith and Love to Christ in sincerity with Zeal and to glorify God if not he will discover them weigh them and they will be found wanting and be found no better than Chaff at last Though they may seek ways to hide and cover their Wickedness and false Spirits and base designs yet let them know he that weighs the hill in scales and the mountains in balances doth and will weigh them and find out all their Cursed Deeds their Pride their Malice and put a rebuke upon their back-sliding and detracting Tongues Talk saith Hannah no more so exeeding proudly let not arrogancy come out of thy mouth for God is a God of knowledge and by him actions are weighed Thou Peninnah as our Aunotators note speak no more so insolently and reproachfully of me as thou hast done he knoweth thy Heart and all that Pride Envy and Contempt of me which thy own Conscience knows and thy perverse Carriage towards me God pondereth and tryeth all mens Thoughts and Actions as a Just Judge to give to every one according to their works Oh what a Motive should this be to us all God weighs our Persons our Graces our Gifts our Dutys and all our Services in Scales Take heed you are not found too light found wanting as be sure you will if you be found Chaff when put into the Ballance of the Sanctuary Direction 1. If you would not be found Chaff try and weigh your Spirits your Persons your Faith your Love see if it holds weight by the Kings standard see on what Foundation you are built have you dugg deep and laid your foundation on a Rock what Love have you to Christ is he precious to your Souls the chiefest of ten thousand what Love have you to the Children of God how do you carry it at home and abroad do you feed the Hungry Visit the Sick and Cloath the naked is Christs Family Christs Servants Christs Poor more in your esteem love and affections than Sons and Daughters than Brethren and Sisters that are not his Children if you do not love Christ more than Father and Mother more than Son or Daughter you may justly fear whether you are Wheat or no And if it be so that you do so Love him and his Saints Ministers and People it will appear whilst you live and when you come to die you will not forget Christ then his People and Interest then O think on this 2. And to you Sinners if you would be found Wheat in the day of Christ then receive Christs true Doctrine labour to distinguish between Truth and Error beware of that strange and new Scheme that darkens the Free-Grace of God and tends to destroy the Covenant of Grace Remember to exalt Christ alone in your Salvation How do some turn the Gospel of Gods Free-Grace into a Law by the performance of which as the Conditions of Life and Justification tell thee thy Salvation doth depend See what subtle Opposers of the clearest Gospel are risen up amongst us and labour to avoid them though their Tongues should seem to be tipp'd with Silver yet their Doctrine is Copper 3. Be sure
the root of the Tree think not to say within your selves we have Abraham to our Father so that all their confidence that they had in Abraham's Covenant Temple and Tabernacle and such things are burnt up and so they have no Root left them to stand upon and this is one thing intended by the Root Secondly There is saith he something more in it the Lord by the power of his Spirit doth cut us off from any power of our natural Gifts and Parts and spiritual Gifts also or from any Confidence of our own sufficiency the Lord hath cut us off from hope in the Righteousness of our Parents and from boasting of Ordinances And again he saith This we read of Mat. 4. 1. It is spoken of the Ministry of John the Baptist which did burn as an Oven against all the Scribes and Pharisees and left them neither the Root of Abraham's Covenant nor the Branch of their own good Works He cutteth them off from the Covenant of Abraham c. And by cutting them off from the Root he leaveth them no ground to trust on Thus Mr. Cotton on The Covenant p. 177 and p. 21 22. Now evident it is that nothing but the dispensation of God's Providence or the Expiration of that period of Time determined by the Almighty for the standing of the Church of Israel could cut the Jews off as a Nation from being a Church and peculiar People unto God I mean in respect of that Legal Covenant I deny not but that the Covenant of Grace God made with Abraham and with his true spiritual Seed stands firm for ever and ever and none in that Covenant can be cut off nor fanned away for the Jewish Priesthood Church-state and Church-membership and all their Church-priviledges were to remain until Christ came or until the time of Reformation that is till the Gospel-days and Gospel-dispensation took place and no longer But now that time being come and they not seeing an end put to the old Covenant-Church as it was made with the natural Offspring of Abraham and that their right to legal Ordinances and Church-membership could not give them any right to Gospel Ordinances nor Gospel-Church-membership and they not believing in Christ not accepting of the Terms of the Gospel were all of necessity purged out or fanned away by the Fan of the New Testament-dispensation and so were no longer a people in any sense in Covenant with God Thirdly Christ hath also another Fan in his hand viz. The Fan of Church-Discipline And many persons falling into sin are purged like Chaff out of his floor Hereby 1. Sometimes some evil and corrupt Persons who get among God's people or into his Church and pass a while for Wheat i. e. for gracious Persons yet in time God suffers them to fall into one Temptation or another by which means they are fann'd away the Holy Jesus by his wise Providence makeing a discovery of them and their evil Tempers and Dispositions 2. May be some glorious Truths or Truth of Jesus Christ is revealed or cleared up to his Church in General to which several Persons of the same Congregation may not only want Light in but may be filled with Prejudice against and not only against the Truth but against the Church or Minister for seeking to bring it in and this may rise to such a height through their Pride and Stubborness that they will not abide any longer Members thereof but violently rend themselves by Schism and so are purged out Tho' as 't is observed by an Husband-man some light Corn may be good Wheat may be fanned out with the Chaff which he knows how to recover by fanning the Chaff also afterwards And thus it was with some of those who were called Christ's Disciples they could not would not endure that blessed Truth Christ preached to them of Eating of his Flesh c. but cried out This is a hard saying who can bear it and so went away and walked no more with him O see what the Effects of preaching some Truths may be how many are there who cannot bear in this day sound Doctrine but desert his People and some Truths of Christ and seem to shut their eyes against them caling them Error and false Doctrine and what not And this way God takes in his wise Providence to purge out some rotten Members which possibly were a repoach to his People And altho' may be some Wheat may by this means through Satans Temptations and Corruptions of their own hearts and their great Ignorance be fanned out with the Chaff they being carried away by the Craftiness and Subtlity of such whom Christ hath a mind to sever from the Body yet he knows how to gather up the Wheat again as the Husbandman doth 3. Others whom Christ would have purged out of his Church may be suffered to suck in some evil corrupt and dangerous Principles or Errors in Fundamentals like that of Hymeneus and Alexander whose Errours being discovered were purged out 4. Also others fall into notorious and scandalous Sins and so are purged out 5. Some who are Chaff or unsound Christians may be suffered to take up undue offences against the Church or Churches to whom they belong and by giving way to Temptation they may become unreconcileable magnifying their own Wisdom and Self-conceitedness and so by a secret hand of God be discovered and purged out But it must be considered that the use and exercise of the Keys or Rules of Church-Discipline is appointed by Christ as the proper Fan by which those sorts of Persons last mentioned and some others are to be purged out of the Church or Congregations of the Saints Now the Fan of Discipline is two-fold First The Act of Excommunication In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ when ye are gathered together with my Spirit to deliver such a one unto Satan for the Destruction of the Flesh that the Spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus The Persons Christ by this Fan of Discipline purges out are of three sorts 1. All gross and scandalous Persons who are Guilty of any Act or Acts of Immorality as Theft Swearing Drunkenness Uncleanness Covetousness Lying c. These being publick and reproachful Crimes the Offender ought forthwith upon clear proof to be purged out that the Name of the Lord may not be exposed to contempt and his People villified by the ungodly World and time given to him for the proof and Trial of the sincerity or Truth of his Repentance which in part will be manifested by his Carriage and Behaviour under his Punishment I mean the Righteous Censure of the Church The Second sort that this Fan of Discipline takes hold of are such that suck in Heresies or Capital Errors these after the first and second Admonition ought to be rejected and delivered up to Satan that they may not learn to Blaspheme The Third sort are such who refuse to hear the Church after their case in
behave themselves Women should cover their heads because of the Angels they ought to be in subjection and therefore before all things their head ought not to be exalted but to lye low and be modestly attired no doubt t is a palpable Breach of the holy Precept for 't is not a modest dress becoming Women professing Godliness tho' I dare not say but some sincere Christians may be overtaken with this Evil as well as others yet I hope God will soon convince them of the odiousness of it Yet no doubt it doth clearly discover that some of this sort are loose and vain persons and but meer chaff in Gods sight which the day that is coming will burn up And such especially have cause to suspect themselves who pride it in their own hearts and take delight in those hateful and abominable fashions and cannot bear to be told of it tho' in never so wise and discreet manner nor will they be brought by any perswasions to reform and leave them off tho' it wounds the very Souls of many of them they have Communion with Fifthly O that they that fear God would consider that he beholds them and looks upon them whose eyes are like unto a flame of Fire These Dresses O ye Daughters of Zion know assuredly none but foolish and vain persons do like and approve of even none but the Devil and his Followers is it not sad in such a day of distress sorrow and humiliation when Gods Hand is lifted up upon the Nation and thousands of poor Families want Bread that Christians should thus walk and consume their Substance on their Pride and costly Lust 4. They appear to be but chaff who seem to make it a small matter to grieve the Hearts of sincere Christians what care they who they wound and afflict they 'll have their Fancies their Humours tho' the thing in it self may be doubtful whether a breach of Gods Law or not and so like eating of Meats that was a thing indifferent in it self and might or might not be done Nay that make light of grieving the Holy Spirit in themselves and in others also let the Lord be grieved his Spirit grieved his poor Ministers grieved and his faithful Children grieved they regard it not but set light by it These may also be suspected that i. e. are indifferent in and about Closet and Family-Prayer and other weighty Duties of Religion or are loose and formal in it This shews they bear no weight they are not ponderous but light as Chaff Moreover such may be suspected who set light by Hearing the Word of God alas to go to hear a Sermon is a light thing with some if there be any worldly Loss attending it tho' it be not to the Value of a Groat they can't go or if the Weather be not very good they plead Excuse as not being able to go so far tho' may be the next day in worse Weather they can go about their earthly Business twice as far Likewise such who for every small matter refrain from coming to the Lords Table may be any trivial offence shall hinder them they are offended with this Person and that Person and so cast a slight upon Christ and on his Sacred Ordinance and thus persist from time to time They can go to Church or stay at home Can pray and hear and can forbear Religion is a light and indifferent thing with them This shews such are under fearful Temptations or else loose and light Professors in the sight of God 5. Such are Chaff that only have the husk or shell of Christianity Chaff is the husks of Wheat many Professors please themselves with the external part of Religion having a form of Godliness but are Strangers to the Life and Power thereof Like the foolish Virgins they have Lamps but no Oyl a Name but want the Nature of true Believers can talk and discourse of Religion of the Covenant of Grace and excellency of Christ they may have I grant clear Notions in their heads of the Mysteries of the Gospel and defend it too against opposers yet their Hearts are unsanctified and never felt nor experienced the work of Faith with Power they have the out-side of a true Christian the Shell of the Wheat but if tried and searched there 's nothing but Chaff no Kernil in them they want the root of the Water All true Believers have past through the Pangs of the New Birth they found they were once Dead but are now alive once blind but now they see once lost in their own Eyes but now found once Carnal but now Spiritual once had their affection set on things below but now on things above Sin was once Sweet and Pleasant to them but now 't is bitter and Loathsom in their Eyes because they see it is so in the sight of God Their Judgments are informed their Understandings savingly enlightned Christ and heavenly things are valued and esteemed above all things here below yea above ten thousand Worlds by them and their understandings are not only brought to assent to the truth of Christ to the Glory and Beauty of Christ but their wills also are subjected to him they are brought to consent and yield themselves to the Lord they believe and love believe and obey believe and suffer reproach taking up the Cross putting on the yoke of Christ their affections are so changed and under divine Influences that what they loved once they hate and what they once hated or liked not they dearly love and approve of now But thus it is not with Chaffy Professors They may be changed from open Prophanness to an outward Reformation of life but their Hearts are not changed Sin is not Crucified in them self is not subdued that enmity that was naturally in their hearts or dislike of the Life and Power of strict Godliness is not removed they act only from common Illuminations of the Spirit and so they put a force upon themselves when found in religious Duties and find not a natural Inclination and sweet Propencity in their hearts to heavenly things and this shews they are no more then Chaff 6. And lastly Chaff I told you was Light and every breath of wind will move it this way and that way and if it rises high it will may be blow it quite away there being no Kernel in it whereas the Wheat abides So Chaffy and vain Professors are startled at every small blast of Persecution and presently begin to move out of their place and shun assembling themseves with Gods People Nay every wind of corrupt Doctrine is ready to blow some of this sort a way they are unsettled Persons they want weight or are not rooted in the Truth wanting a good Understanding and a Principle of saving Grace in their Hearts Be not carried away with divers and strange Doctrines for it is good to have the heart established with Grace and not with Meats This sort are soon corrupted from the Simplicity of
the Gospel by the Cunning Craftiness of Men being ready to receive any strange Notion or close in with a New Scheem of Religion some turning to Judaism and add Moses to Christ or joyn to the Gospel their own Works they are commonly corrupt either in Principles or Practices or in both making a stir about the Mint Annis and Commin i. e. about the smaller matters of Religion as concerning Meats and Observation of Days as if in such things lay the great stress of Christianity how many are there who like those false Teachers and deluded People in the Primitive Times plead for Justification some other way than by Faith only and bring in their own inherent Holiness and sincere Obedience and add that to the Merits of Christ in point of Justification before God or exalt the Power and Will of the Creature to the Eclipsing the Doctrine of Free-Grace Sirs tho' I will not deny but many sincere Christians may be shaken by the wind of false and corrupt Doctrine or drawn away through the subtilty of men yet no doubt chiefly they are the Light Formal and Chassy Professors which are carried away and Tossed too and fro with every wind of Doctrine and this because of the want of Grace a sound Judgment and a good Understanding in the Mysteries of the Gospel A good understanding saith David have all they that do his Commandments Moreover such who seem unsetled in their places in Gods House or particular Churches where they are Members being uneasie and every little difference that may arise in a Congregation is ready to turn them away or seem to be moved and disturbed at the Charges the Interest of Christ or which the House of God calls for these I say give cause to fear they are but Chaff or under great Temptation if Sincere Secondly By Chaff may also be meant Sin Filth and Corruption which cleaveth to the Hearts and Lives of true believers which Christ by the Fan of his Word Spirit and Afflictions as you have heard purges out He shall purify the Sons of Levi and purge them as Gold and Silver that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness This is spoken of Jesus Christ whose Fan is in his hand It shews his Work and Office namely to refine and fan his People not only Members but Ministers also signified by the Sons of Levi that they all may offer acceptable Service unto God Besides our Lord Jesus sometimes makes use of wicked Men as a Fan in his hand to purge his People and thus he did of old fan Israel by the Babylonians and by the Assyrians I will send unto Babylon Fanners as I have sometime fanned and scattered my people by them so will I fan them by the Medes and Persians who shall empty the Land of them After Christ hath fanned or purged away the Chaff and Filth of the Daughter of Zion he will fan their Enemies and they being all Chaff the wind of his Indignation will drive them away Let this be noted that Christ hath many ways to fan and purge his People yet still it is for their good and they shall lose nothing but their chaff their Sin and Corruptions thereby Quest Fourthly Why are the Saints compared to Wheat Answ I answer for many Reasons 1. Wheat is a choice Grain the best Grain so true Believers are a choice People in Christ's sight The righteous is more excellent than his Neighbour they are called the excellent in all the Earth God calls his People his Jewels or choice Treasure they are men of a high and heavenly Birth of a high sublime and excellent Spirit they are espoused by an excellent person act and are influenced by excellent principles and have glorious Ends and Aims in all they do and from hence may be compared to Wheat 2. Wheat hath much pains used with it the ground must be made good it must be well plow'd and manured before the Wheat is sown so the hearts of poor sinners must be first made good and by spiritual Convictions be plowed up before the seed of Grace is sown for like as Believers are compared to Wheat so is also the Grace of God Wheat must be weeded as well as gathered into the Barn and also Threshed fanned and well Purged Believers may be compared to Wheat upon this respect Christ takes much pains to speak after the manner of men with his own Elect not only by Plowing Manuring but by sowing watering weeding fanning and Purging them like Wheat 3. Wheat will endure cold Frosts and Snow and all manner of bitter and sharp Weather better than any other Grain Sow Barly before Winter and you will find but little of it will live but Wheat will live in the sharpest Winter that can come what a good Harvest had we here in England after the last great Frost alas the Wheat was not destroyed thereby but was made better the Weeds and Worms being killed which is found to hurt and annoy it oft-times Even so sincere Christians who are Christs Spiritual Wheat abide faithful under the greatest Trials Persecutions and Afflictions they can meet withal they endure the Frosts and bitter North-Winds of Tribulation and furious Storms of the Wrath of wicked men which kills the false-hearted Professor they die and wither away they can't live and maintain their seeming hope and Confidence when true Believes can a Hypocrite is but Summer Corn or rather Weeds or Tares that spring up with the Wheat tho' they look like it yet are only the product of Natural Conscience or the common Influences of the Sun or Gospel of Jesus Christ 4. An Ear of Wheat when it is near ripe doth hang down its head the Corn being full and weighty when light and empty Ears hold up theirs commonly a light and chaffy Ear stands strait upright in a lofty manner So a true gracious Christian is of an humble Spirit he hangs down his head as it were and is ashamed of his best Duties and Services seeing so great weaknesses and Infirmities to attend him he abhors himself yea loaths himself he knows he hath nothing to glory in but in the Cross of Jesus Christ he sees himself nothing Unto me who am less than the least of all Saints is this Grace given saith Paul what an humble Person was he what a full and weighty Ear of choice Wheat was this Apostle If you see a Man or Woman proud or of an haughty and conceited Spirit being lifted up you may conclude they are but empty Ears no true Grace being in their hearts 5. Wheat hath its Chaff cleaving oft-times close to it yea it will stick and cleave so to it that it is not easily separated So it is with Christs Spiritual Wheat the filth or Chaff of internal Corruption is very subject to cleave to them and hard it is for them to get rid of it When I would do good Sin is present with me for the
would have all men to be saved it is true said he God would have all the Elect to be saved he would not have damn'd Reprobates to be saved I am one of that Number I know it for I willingly denyed Christ and I feel that he hardens me and will not suffer me to hope Being asked whether he did believe that Doctrine to be true for which he was accused before the Legate he aswered I did believe it when I denyed it but now I neither can believe that nor the Doctrine of the Roman Church I believe nothing I have no Faith no Trust no Hope I am a Reprobate like Cain or Judas who casting away all hope of mercy fell under despair and my Friends do me wrong that they suffer me not to go to the place of Unbelievers as I justly deserve The mercy of God said he is exceeding large and extends to all the Elect but not to me or any like me who are sealed to Wrath I tell you I deserve it my own Conscience condemns me what needeth any other Judge if Peter grieved and repented it was because Christ beheld him with a merciful Eye and in that he was pardoned it was not because he wept but because God was gracious to him but God respects not me and therefore I am a Reprobate I feel no Comfort can enter into my Heart there 's place only for Torments and Vexings of Spirit I tell you my Case is properly mine own no Man was ever in the like plight and therefore my Estate is fearful And then roaring out in bitterness of Spirit he said It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God Some said with a whispering Voice that he was possessed he over-hearing it said Do ye doubt it I have a whole Legion of Devils that take up their dwelling in me and possess me as their own and justly too for I have denyed Christ Christ will not be denyed no not in a word and therefore it is enough in Heart I never denied him He said when asked that he knew there were worse far worse pains than those that he then suffered for the wicked shall rise to their Judgment but they shall not stand in Judgment this I tremble to think of yet I desire nothing more than that I might come to that place where I may be sure to feel the worst and to be freed from fear of worse to come Being bid to believe the Truths he had denied he replied I cannot God will not suffer me to believe them nor to trust in his mercy what would you have me to do I would but I cannot tho' I presently be burnt for it I find I can neither believe the Gospel nor trust in Gods Mercy I have sinned against the Holy Ghost and God by his immutable Decree hath bound me over to perpetual Punishment God will have mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardneth God hath taken away from me all power of Repentance and brings all my sins to remembrance and guilty of one guilty of all therefore it is no matter whether my sins be great or small few or many they are such that Christs Blood nor the Mercy of God belongs not to me he hath hardened me I find that he daily more and more doth harden me and therefore I am without hope I feel it therefore cannot but despair I tell you there was never such a Monster as I am never was any man alive a spectacle of such exceeding Misery I know that Justification is to be expected by Christ and I have denyed and abjured it to the end I might keep my frail Life from Adversity and my Children from Poverty and now behold how bitter my Life is to me and God only knows what will become of this my Family but sure no good is likely to betide it but worse and worse and such at length as one stone shall not be left upon another Said he The Spirit of God often admonished me when at Cittadella I did as it were set my Seal the Spirit of God often suggested to me Do not write Spira do not Seal yet I resisted the Holy Ghost and did both and at that very time I did evidently feel a wound inflicted my very will c. David was Elected and dearly Beloved and tho' he fell yet God took not utterly away his holy Spirit and therefore was heard when he prayed Lord take not thy holy Spirit from me But I am in another Case being for ever accursed from the presence of God neither can I pray as he did because the Holy Spirit is quite gone and cannot be recalled O that I might feel but the least sense of the Love of God to me tho' but for one small moment as I now feel his heavy Wrath that burns like Torments of Hell within me and afflicts my Conscience with pangs unutterable Very Desperation is Hell it self you perswade me to believe how fain would I do it but I cannot Then violently grasping his Hands together and raising himself Behold said he I am strong yet by little and little I decay and consume and my Servants would fain preserve this weary Life but at length the Will of God must be done and I shall perish miserably I see said he my Damnation and I know my remedy is only in Christ yet I cannot set my self to take hold of him Such are the Punishments of the Damned they repent of their loss of Heaven they cannot amend their ways Now also Belzebub comes to his Banquet you shall see my End and in me an Example to many of the Justice and Judgment of God What Hell can be worse than Desparation or what greater Punishment than the gnawing worm and unquenchable Fire Horror Confusion and which is worse than all Desparation it self continually tortures me and now I count my present-Estate worse than if my Soul were separated from my Body and were with Judas and the rest of the damned therefore I desire to be there rather than alive in the Body God hath taken Faith from me and left me other common Gifts for my deeper Condemnation by how much the more I remember what I had and hear others discourse of what they have by so much the more is my Torment in that I know what I want and there is no way to be relieved Thus spake he the Tears trickling down professing that his Pangs were such as that the Damned in Hell endure not the like Misery That his Estate was worse than that of Cain or Judas and therefore he desired to dye yet Behold said he the Scriptures are accomplished in me They shall desire to dye and Death shall fly from them SOME PASSAGES Of the Fearful Estate of John Child MR. John Child was a Preacher and when he was young a very zealous Asserter of the Doctrine of Gods Free-Grace Namely of Personal Election and of the Saints final Perseverance and was a