vanities of this world and the letting of the golden oppertunities slip in which you should make sure eternal life Beloved the most lawful and the most excellent injoyments that you can meet withall under the sun what are they but very husks and doggs-meat nay drosse and dung in comparison of that eternal inheritance which is surely kept for all them that love the appearing of our Lord Jesus Think of it I pray you and be not so wilfully foolish and mad as to lose this blessed and rich portion for any present pleasures or profits whatsoever although they may seem never so sweet if you should see a man in the time when his harvest is ripe run up and down to catch butterflies or go every day to the woods a nutting till his corn were loft would you not think this man to be worse then a fool beloved so foolish yea ten thousand times more foolish is that man that shall gain the whole world and all the glory of it with the losse of eternall life now therefore once more I beseech you as you love your own poor souls mind what I have said unto you Beloved your own happiness and comfort only is concerned in it as for the Lord you cannot hurt him neither will he lose any glory although you should be eternally condemned and parish and as for me althovgh I should be glad and exceedingly rejoice that you might reap the fruit and comfort of all my labours and that upon this account we might all rejoice together in the day of Christ yet if you do not but foolishly and wickedly forsake your own mercies I pray you take notice that I know the losse will be your own and I shall receive my reward according to my labour 1 Cor. 3.8 whether you profit by it or no and although Israel be not gathered yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord saith the Prophet Isaiah 49.5 Now therefore consider that your own eternal welfare meerly is concerned in it and if that which I have said will not prevail with you I cannot help it I shall to this text speak no more but commend you and what I have said unto you unto him that is able to blesse you and that also delighteth to pour down blessings FINIS Signes of a Dying Christian Signe I. WHen you are so indifferent to assemble that you can come or you cannot come Signe II. When in your purest worship you are quickly weary Signe III. When you care not to hear one matter often though sutable truth Signe IV. When few Sermons will please you either you like not matter or manner or man Signe V. When you think that you know enough you may think hat you know enough upon these deceivable accounts 1 When you measure what you know by your own oyes or light you think that you know enough not measuring what you know by the rule of Knowledge the word of God 2 When you measure what you know by what once you did know not considering that further light forceth further knowledg cals for proportionable practise 3 When you measure what you know by what you see others that profess to know do what they do 4 When you measure what you know by what you are disposed to practice or do picking or choosing such commands of God as like you 5 When you measure not what you know by what God in his word calls you to do Signs how you may know you are clothed with this spirit of Deceit 1. When you have a low value of that meanes that under God first brought you to know 2. When you are mighty prodigall of what you know thinking no matter well managed that you have not most voice in 3 When you please your selves with the thought that few or none outstrip you in knowledg having a secret scorn to compare your selves with any 4 When in all things material you are not careful to take counsel of God before you bring matters to action Signe VI. When a smal offence will keep you from Christs Table Signe VII When you have no great mind to prayer in which there is necessity and excellency lets helps Necessity 1. from Command 2 From the Example 3 The Provision 4 The importunity 5 The Danger 6 the Advantage It s Excellency First it engageth Gods strength 2 It holdeth with holy reverence Gods hands 3 It makes every condition savory or sweet 4 In no condition we can be barr'd from it Letts 1 Wandring thoughts 2 Presumption in an unreverent adventuring before the Lord 3 Bosom fin or pleasant delight in some secret Lust 4 VVant of reconciliation to Brethren 5 Despairing doubts of being answer'd Helps to Prayer for say some I would but I cannot Pray I want words when I go to my Knees all I can do is but to sigh 1 From the necessity and excellency of Prayer labour to get a feeling of the necessity and excellency so as that thy heart goeth under a grievous burden because thou canst not pray 2 Study much to be sensible of your great want of Gods daily help 3 Consider God hath provided no way for you to acqualnt him with your wants but Prayer and if you cannot pray how will you make your Complaints to God 4 Consider that all your mercies become blessings to you no other way but through Prayer 5 Consider what a miserable condition wil yours be if cast into the Lyons Den VVhales Belly or the Stocks 6 Intreat Jesus Christ to teach you to Pray Signe VIII VVhen you have no great delight in reading the Holy Scriptures ignorance whereof brings these six Calamities 1 It makes you in a wilderness when sickness and affliction comes because you will not know how and why they come 2 Ignorant that your uneven walking with God may bring upon your selves death before its time 3 Ignorant how to ask in Faith the things you want for soul or body 4 Ignorant wherein you may prevent the presence and comforts of Gods Holy Spirit 5 Ignorant that there is a Legion of evil Spirits waiting hourly to take advantage against you 6 Ignorant that you may hinder Gods holy Spirit from doing any effectual work upon your souls Signe IX VVhen you are mighty inquisitive after novelties rather than wholsome Doctrine Signe X. VVhen you can hear of foul miscarriages in others with little or no heart remorse Signe II. VVhen in your comings together your talk is not savory and Heavenly Signe XII VVhen you are so little prepared for the solemn Assemblies as that they come before you think of them or long for them Signe XIII When you come to the Assembly more for fear of Brethrens eye than Christs eye Signe XIV VVhen the decay in Christs house less troubles you than the decay in your own house Signe XV. VVhen you can see Christs Children stoop with trouble and you not sympathize with them Signe XVI VVhen you will rather betray the Name of Jesus and the credit of his Gospel by your silence than appear for it to your own suffering and disparagement Signe XVII VVhen at a smal offence you are so impatient that you commit great sin Signe XVIII VVhen you are more careful to get the words of Christs people than the Spirit of Christs people the form than the power Signe XIX VVhen you are not much troubled at your own miscarriages while they are kept from publick view Signe XX. VVhen you love least those Brethren that deal most faithfully with you Signe XXI VVhen under more than ordinary troubles you are not more than ordinary in Prayer Signe XXII VVhen you are mighty careless to enquire after the spiritual cause of affliction and mighty careful to enquire after the natural cure Signe XXIII VVhen you pray more for afflictions being removed than sanctified Signe XXIV VVhen under Gods calamity you can neither find necessity nor excellency to humble your selves by fasting Signe XXV VVhen Gods Rod worketh so little upon your hearts that you can neither tell wherefore it s come nor what good it hath done Signe XXVI VVhen you have an evil eye to your fellow Brethren because they outgrow you Signe XXVII When the thoughts of your dearest Lust or any sin is pleasing to you Signe XXVIII When you are mighty curious about the lesser matters of Gods Law but mighty careless about the weightier Signe XXIX When the Holy Spirits help to the great work of Mortification seems not of absolute need to you XXX When you are so ignorant of your spiritual standing that you know not whether you grow or decay FINIS
made good by him nay though they should not be freely willing to be made good yet if they do but wait upon him in the use of the means he hath appointed he will work their wills to be good tell them Christ came for that end and purpose to work a cure upon the whole Man even to take away all sin and also all the degress of it yea he will take the strongest enmity that is in the Souls of Men against himself and his wayes from them and work the hearts of his worst enemies to love him and cause those that love sin best to hate it if they do but wait at wisdoms gate and suffer the reproofs and instructions of Christ to enter into their Souls and when you have pressed their Souls with the knowledg of his goodness and see them walk on stubbornly in the way of their own hearts then say to them O my Child Servant Neighbour Friend this path thou walkest in leadeth directly to Hell it is impossible for thee in a course of wilful disobedience to be saved The Lord is Jehovah and gives Being to his Word he cannot lye nor repent Heaven and earth shall pass away but his righteousness and truth endures for ever the word is gone forth of his mouth and can never be altered he is the same forever therefore hearken to his voice or else thou must perish for ever and if you thus instruct your Children and Servants in the knowledg of God you shall by this means bring them to Eternal life or if they miss thereof they shall be altogether left without excuse it is a most excellent service that you will do their poor Souls to direct them thus in the straight way to glory for being thus instructed they cannot well miss of it if they should it would be their grievous sin It is true they may make themselves ten times more the children of Hell than they were before but that is only their own fault if after they have received the knowledg of the truth they shall wilfully turn from it this I confess is a sin of a very dangerous nature and will marvelously aggravate the sin and condemnation of such persons but let not that discourage you Charity binds you to believe that you shall save their Souls and if you do not do it yet the means hath a proper tendency in it to bring about that end and the fault will lye upon themselves only but you have delivered your own Souls and this indeed is the case of all men where the light of the Gospel comes it will prove through their own default the great condemnation of thousands and yet for all that the Gospel is a great mercy and we have great cause to be thankful for it for it hath a blessed tendency to bring us to Salvation if we through our own wickedness do not turn this grace into wantonness I shall leave thus much with you at this time commending what hath been said to the blessing of the most High THE SECOND EXERCISE John 17.3 This is life eternal that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent THese words have been opened the last day and one general conclusion drawn out of them which was this That the knowledge of God and of Christ is the means of eternal life This I hope was cleared to you the last time and in part applied I shall make no repetition but begin where I left and come to the uses that remain Vse 3. And the next use that we are to make of it is this if the knowledg of God be so advantagious toward the atainment of eternal life then I beseech you let us take notice of it and see the necessity of getting the knowledge thereof I wil tell you what great need you have of it Sollomon tels us we cannot be good without it Prov. 19.2 and it is evident that you can have no strength against your corruptions without it it is a most excellent means to help a man against sin yea against those sins he may be most naturally inclined to see Prov. 2.8 to the 17. He keepeth the paths of judgement and preserveth the way of his saints then shall thou understand righteousnesse and judgement and equity yea every good path saith Sollomon Yea but when shal a man have this glorious assistance to walk thus evenly and to know every good path and to be preserved and kept in so even a way it is a blessed condition indeed if a man knew how to attain it why that you shall see in the two next verses When wisdom entereth into thine heart and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul descretion shall preserve thee understanding shall keep thee Take notice I pray you it is knowledge you see that must be the means to keep a man from all those evils froward dark and crooked wayes spoken of in the 12 13 14 15 verses But it may be you will say I do not find it so hard a thing to fight against all those sins I am not inclined to brawling and bitterness it is a lust of another nature that I am troubled withall wantonness is my sin that I am most apt to fall into espescially when I meet with fit companions if I fall into an harlots company then am I presently snared Now read the 16 verse and you shall see what a bulwork the knowledge of God is against the danger of such a sinfull temptation mark it I pray you to deliver thee saith he from the strange woman even from the stranger which flattereth with her words You see Beloved how strongly a man is fortified against the strongest temptation that is furnished with this precious grace Harlots have tricks to speak with their eyes and this is temptation enough to a man inclined to that sin but when she shall be so impudent as to speak plain english and fall to flatter a man with words now the temptation is much stronger but yet you see this means will keep a man in such a time and this is the reason of it the knowledg of God works that faith in a man and that fear of God and brings the soul into acquaintance and sweet communion together with him so that a man will not grieve the spirit of Christ nor break company with him for all the pleasures in the world and look how it is in this so it will be in any other case whatsoever if there be any corruption that a man finds harder to be mortified then ordinary it will help him against it and without this you must not look to get victory over sin specially those sins or that same one curruption that is more then ordinarily strong for you most know that the Divell can tie a man fast enough with one cord and keep him as fast in prison when there is one door locked upon him as if there were twenty now you cannot expect help out of his paw without the
the same thing in the words immediately going before but for the Readers fake I shall bring up that in the rear which should have been in the front if I had had the least thought of writing and for the understanding of this word eternal life you are to know that it is called so by reason of that opposition it hath with that state of death and misery in which the ungodly suffer eternall torments that is called death by reason of the woe and sorrow that must for ever be indured and this is called life by reason of that happiness and comfort that shall eternally be enjoyed Observe then that this word eternal life sets forth unto us the blessedness of that eternal glory which the saints shall for ever enjoy hereafter in the presence of the Lord as you have it Acts 3.19 I shall endeavour to set something of that happiness before you and for that end I pray you take notice that eye hath not seen nor eare heard neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive how exceeding glorious that estate is which the Lord hath prepared for those that truly beleeve but although it is impossible to set forth the glory of it as Pauls words do clearly imply 2 Cor. 12.1 2 3 4. yet the Scriptures do speak very much of the glory of it although it may be when a soul shall come to see it he will say the one half was never told him First then consider what David saith of it Psalm 16.11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life in thy presence is fulness of joy at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore You see whither the path of life will lead a man it goeth directly into the presence of God and there is fulness of joy saith the Prophet mark it that is a full word indeed to express the fulness of a mans happiness Oh the blessedness of a man that knows God and Jesus Christ and walks up to that knowledg he shall have fulness of joy First he shall have nothing to hinder his joy but all sickness sorrow griefe and troubles of all kinds shall be removed a man shall have never an ill neighbour there to vex him nor any creature that shall speak a word to grieve him but all his companions shall be holy and spiritual such as will perfectly love God and love him and rejoice in his happiness with perfect joy there be shall never see nor hear either person or thing that shall minister the least discomfort or trouble to him none that will backbite or speak kinder then his heart thinketh will ever be found in that place no divel shall come there to tempt nor snare to turn the heart aside from God but there shall be perfect freedom from all manner of molestation whatsoever and contrarily there shall be the fulness of all joy and peace holiness and love there shall be no want of any comfort no nor of any degree of comfort that the heart of man can possibly desire Peter speakes of a joy unspeakable and full of glory that beleevers meet withal here 1 Pet. 1.8 and Paul calls that fame sealing testimony of the Spirit the earnest of our inheritance Ephos 1.13 14. now if the Lord do give such tastes of the cup of consolation in this life to some poor beleevers as those texts do plainly intimate he doth what then may we think their portion shall be when they shall come home to their inheritance I shall give you an instance in one poor soul that I knew who being in anguish of spirit for some two years together and having sought the Lord with sorrow and tears many a time at last being in the fields in the night weeping and praying it pleased the Lord to manifest his love wonderfully and by his spirit to open the sweet promises of the Gospel and to seal up his love in the promises with that clearness of assurance and exceeding joy that untill that time that soul could never think that heaven it self would have yeelded that fulness of joy and consolation but doubtlesse that soul never yet nor any other that is this day on earth ever tasted more then an earnest penny of the fulness of that glory that shall be injoyed in the life to come Another note in the text observable is this that these pleasures are to be injoyed at the right hand of God which plainly intimates thus much unto us That the Lord will put forth his wisdome mercy and all sufficiency in the glorifying of those persons that shall be accounted worthy of that kindome for so much the right hand signifieth for there you know the strength lieth and there we use to set the persons we highly favour and would put the greatest honour upon that we know how There is one thing more in this text worth noting and that is this word for evermore that is it that exceedingly adds to the fulness of this glory that it is of an everlasting continuance so that as there shall be a freedome from all sin snare temptation trouble or whatsoever might produce complaint or cause any degree of sorrow and likewise an injoyment of all those comforts that the heart of man can possibly wish or desire So also there shall be no fear no nor ground of fear that ever this blessed estate shall change or fade but remain sure and durable to all eternity Oh consider of the worth and glory of this happy condition when the souls company and injoyments shall both be perfect Another text that I would pray you to mind is in 1 Cor. 15.49 the words are these and as we have born the Image of the earthy we shall also bear the Image of the heavenly Indeed if it were not for that which lies in this promise all the rest of a mans injoyments could not be so exceeding comfortable unto him for what would it be to a man to see all his company holy and spiritual full of love joy and peace being free from all the stain and appearance of evil if he himself should be corrupt and remain still burthened with the same degrees of sin and supjectness to transgression as I fear the best of Saints do find themselves inclined and subject to while they are here But this shall be the great happiness of the Saints that after the resurrection they shall be made fully conformable to their heavenly condition and company bearing the Image of Christ as they have born old Adams image that is they shall bear it as truly and as fully being made as like him as ever they were like Adam Now it is evident unto us all how like Adam we have been having all those lusts in our hearts that ever were in his having as little delight in God and desire of heaven and being as barren and destitude of all spiritual grace as he but then we shall be made fully like our Lord Jesus as free from all carnallity errour and
eternal life and hinder you from walking in the path that leades unto it and so deprive you of it as unavoidably as sin it self can do it and as you are to avoid these evils on the one hand so on the other it will be meet to wait on the Lord Jesus for the sweet tastes of his love the which when you have once experience of you wil by that earnest penny know something of the riches worth of eternal life now for that end I beseech you wait attentively for the Lord in the use of al his Ordinances for there he wil be found in them in the assemblies of his people you may expect to find him because it is his walk but take notice I pray you that a negligent formal overtly use of them I do not call for but be sure you make it your business to look for him and to injoy communion with him and to tast and see as David saith Psalm 348. how good the Lord is if you look for him with that intention and desire as the Church did Cant. 5.8 you will be sure to find him he will not long hide himself from such a soul but among all other duties I could wish that you would watch to meet with him alone and there open your hearts to him freely and tell him the very worst you know by your selves and that with an intent and an indeavour to shame and humble your selves before him and be you assured that he will exalt you in due time let him know what you would have and be sure to follow him dayly consider what counsel he gives you himself Mat. 7 7 8 9 10 11. Luke 11. from the 5. to 14. the 18. the 8 first verses and if you follow this counsel you may be sure that the Lord will graciously open his heart unto you at last and give you such a taste of the water of life that will set your souls a longing for your fill thereof and that wil make you both do and suffer for Christ with much chearfulness and willingness Vse 2. The second use is this if it be so that there is so rich a portion attainable as eternal life then be sure to take a speedy course for the getting a clear assurance of your own interest in that happy injoyment do not trifle your time away any longer but set upon the work without delay and to that end that you may make sure work observe the counsel of the Apostle Peter in his second Epistle 1.5 to the 12 you shall find two things minded by Peter in this text in order to the getting of a full assurance The first of these is to lay the foundation of Christianity in true beleeving that is clear in these words Add to your faith vertue implying that faith must needs be there for it is impossible to ad vertue to it else Now therefore in the first place although you be never so impenitent and wicked yet rest upon the grace of God in Christ yea if you think also that you have attained some vertue patience or love or other fruits of the Spirit yet do not as Saints but as sinnets rest upon the blood of Christ remember I pray you that neither works done nor grace received is to be rested on for Justification but we are justified in and through beleeving and resting upon the blood of Christ who freely justifieth men as they are sinners ungodly ones and therefore note it well neither their repentance nor love but faith is imputed for righteousness look Rom. 4. And by faith are we become the sons of God Galat. 3.26 I do not say but there are some promises made to the saints as they are saints such as are in Psal 34.10.17 19 many other like there be and with these the godly may comfort themselves and none but those that are saints can claim an interest in them yet notwithstanding that translating act as I may so call it in and through which a man is made of a child of wrath a child of light I say again that thing or means that maketh him a Son of God that was none before is this act of beleeving and resting on the blood of Christ as a man considereth himself a sinner and ungodly without the least degree of worth in himself and as a beleever resteth on the blood of Christ for justification so likewise he expecteth from the free grace of God in and through the same blood sanctification glory outward things and in a word all things appertaining to life and godlyness for true faith desireth and resteth upon the Lord for the accomplishment of all the promises that he hath made as well as for any of them The second means that Peter directs us to use for the getting assurance of eternal life is to add to our faith vertue knowledg temperance patience godliness brotherly kindness and charity under which heads are concluded all the graces and fruits of the Spirit of Christ these saith he you must add to your faith these you must abound in and as it is in the 3 chap. and last verse grow in and then if you grow in grace and persevere in well-doing and abound therein more and more you shall saith he never fall but have an abundant enterance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour ver 10 11. As if he should say by this means you shall be able to keep and injoy a clear and constant assurance of eternall life and this is to be done by giving dilligence ver 10. I pray you observe it my brethren dilligence must be used it is not a lazy formal profession and an overly careless performance of duties that will either give or keep assurance of salvation a man must be ready to open to the spirit when he knocketh and to hearken to his motions and take heed of rebelling against him and labour to avoid all those unworthy courses that tend to grieve and to quench the spirit and if you thus do you may be assured the spirit will not fail to do his office but he will give unto and maintain in the soul assurance of eternal life and that will be a most sweet injoyment the man that hath it may want friends riches health and outward contentments but he cannot want comfort joy and peace his soul shall be full of consolation however the world goes with him or against him and he shall be able in the worst of times to say that both life and death shall be to him advantage Vse 3. And in the last place this may serve to reprove the folly of all those that spend all their time and strength in the pursuit of the things of this present life with the neglect of the life that is eternal and therefore well might Solomon term wicked men fools for indeed their courses are madness and folly and indeed there is no folly to be compared to this of running after the trifles and empty