Conscience accuse thee shew it thy pardon and that will quiet it Secondly He hath sent thee a Patent for heaven this hath Christ given you that are believers he hath made over to you in his Gospel a sirm conveyance of heaven So that I may say a believer hath as true a right to heaven as Christ can make him yea as Christ hath himself You are they that have endured in my temptations and I appoint unto you a Kingdom as my Father hath appointed me c. Now believers can you tell the worth of this token can you cast up the worth of endlesse glory can you tell what God and heaven is worth then you may tell me what this token is worth never was there such a token sent as this is Thirdly He hath sent thee the golden chain of the Jewels and bracelets of thy graces As when the servant of Abraham went to take Rebeckah for wife to Isaac he gave her bracelets c. So hath Christ to you he hath given you the chain of all the graces These are the Jewels he hath adorned you with Dost thou find any faith love c. in thee though it be like a grain of Mustard-seed and like a spark on the hearth O blesse the Lord Christ upon the bended knees of thy soul that he hath given thee this He hath done more for thee in this than he hath done for all the world beside O how thankful should you be that have received such a token from him Christian when ever thou dost feel the operation of the spirit of Christ within thee let this mind thee of the love of him that hath sent thee all this Fourthly He hath sent thee the seal and testimony of his spirit Hast thou received the spirit of adoption teaching thee to cry Abba Father It was he that sent it Hast thou so sure a guide as the sweet compassionate spirit so loving a Counseller as the spirit of Christ in thee O take notice of the love of Christs in sending him to thee Fourthly His testament is the evidence of love beloved it is impossible for me to utter or you to conceive the riches of Christs love expressed to you in his testament his Covenant herein Christian thou mightest read the strange love of Christ to thee in that he hath given thee his testament and delivered it to thee as his act and deed sealed with his own blood O how much did David make of this It was the last words of that sweet singer of Israel Although my house be not so with God yet be hath made with me an everlasting Covenant ordered in all things and sure and this is all my sa'vation and all my desire 2 Sam. 23. He had all that heart could wish sor in this Covenant O Christian hath Christ given thee his covenant O make much of this covenant 't is a sweet token indeed O the great priviledges and sweet immunities that are conveyed to believers here freedome from sin from the guilt and power of sin Freedome from misery from the wrath of God the curse of the law from the sting of death from the evil of the world from the danger of hell And beside all this what legacies hath he given thee in the covenant God for thy Father himself for thy Saviour his spirit for thy comforter and sanctifier his Ministers for thy teachers his ordinances for thy furtherance in grace there he hath given thee thy adoption and assurance for heaven Do but look over this and say if thou canst that Christ hath not loved thee Fifthly His Blood is a stream of love dost thou doubt of the love of Christ do but look upon him on his crosse how his feet and hands and heart are pierced thou mayst see the love of Christ flowing out of every part Use Now since Christ hath so loved you you that are his people do you love him again O where should you bestow your love place your affections fix your hearts but here I shall give you two motives He desires your love and he deserves your love First Consider he desires your love You have seen a little how Christ doth love you and what doth he expect but that you should love him again and can there be any thing less that he could require O methinks thou shouldest give up thy heart to Christ. This is all that he expects for this love that you should love him again This Christ will accept and nothing short of this will he accept Love cannot be satisfied but by love again It must be paid in its own coyn Cant. 8. 7. If a man would give all the substance of his house for love it would be utterly contemned As no Treasure in the world can buy love purchase love so no sufficiency in the world will be sufficient for love unlesse you give love your love again 1 Cor. 13. 3. Now Christian be perswaded then to give away thy heart out of hand to Christ. O bestow thy love upon him wherehast thou such a thing in thee but that thou shouldst love Christ doth any man plant a vineyard and not expect to eat of the fruit of it hath he put love into thee and doth not he expect that thou shouldest love him Secondly He deserves your love I may say of him as they of the Centurion he is worthy thou shouldst do this thing for him for he loveth our nation Worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive honor and strength c. He is worthy to receive all that you can give unto him If there were any thing else that were worthy of your love there might be some excuse that you did not bestow it upon Christ. But alass there is nothing here that doth deserve your love As Paul said was Paul Crucified for you c. so may I say were these things crucified for you but Christ was crucified for you he hath deserved your love This is he that came in to the world to seek and to save That came and found you naked and dead and wounded and then let out his blood and cured you This is he that when he came you spit upon him and refused him yet he would not be put off from you so but he would do you good How often hath he come and refreshed you with the refreshings of his love how often hath he taken you into his galleries and filled you with his secrets you that are believers may remember the places where he hath given you visits and made you tast of the powers of the world to come A SACRAMENTAL Speech grounded on Math. 15. 28. O woman great is thy faith WE have read many noted and remarkable stories of sundry great exploits that have been done by the renowned worthies of the world but there are no exploits nor atchievements so renowned as those that been done by faith The Scripture give us many instances of this kind and shews us how greatly the Lord Jesus Christ was pleased
Idolatry of the land but God doth hear of it again by us before we sleep by Prayer This should be for a lamentation to us that the wounds that are given to God are no more upon our hearts We may say of the glory of God as they of David 2 Sam. 18. 3. 'T is worth ten thousand of us Our estates and names and all that is dear to us yea our very souls are not so much worth as the honour of God And how is it then that we can see God dishonoured and we cannot mourn sor it Gods glory is his Crown that is upon his head and shall we see his Crown trodden down in the dirt and not be affected with it we are far from the disposition of Gods Saints and servants heretofore When Moses saw the Idolatry of the people he was so zealous that he overturned the Tables that God wrote with his own finger And Ezra when the people had taken strange wives he sate down and 〈◊〉 his cloaths Ezr. 9. Bretheren how may we blush to hear and read this and to think how far our hearts are from this frame It may be you do think it enough that you did cry out upon it when you hearâ—… the Blasphemy so that you are free from 〈◊〉 your selves but this is your sin if you do noâ—… mourn over it 1 Cor. 5. 2. 7. No doubt the godly Corinthians did detest this sin but the Apostle tells them that is not enough whilâ—… they did not mourn over it When wicâ—…ness doth raign as if it were the time of 〈◊〉 Devils incarnation as if Hell it self were â—…ken loose upon us to Act its part 〈◊〉 ground and we not mourning ovâ—…r it Thirdly Do not I live in 〈◊〉 that I know or fear to be a Sin If I do thus there is no peace with God or Conâ—… to be hâ—… sor you Psal. 66. 18. If I 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in my heart God will not hear my Prayers It is a sign that God doth not regard thee if thou art one that dost live in the practice or allowance of any sin and he will not own thee for this Rom. 6. 16. If thou dost yield up thy self to any sin willingly that is a manifest sign that thou art none of Gods Thirdly For your hearts Ask several questions First Have I been much in holy ejaculation Thus we ought to Pray continually not onely at our set and solemn times but upon all occasions to step aside and speak a word or two with God in our Journeys and Occupations this is walking with God indeed when we do not onely take a turn or two with him in the morning and so in the evening but all the day long It is said of Mr. Dod that he never got up his Horse but he prayed before he came off Thus did Nehemiah while the King was talking with him he was praying to God Nehem. 2. 4. So I prayed to the God of Heaven this was a Heavenly ejaculation this would keep your hearts a praying all the day long When the hearts of men do naturally bend to God as the sparks fly upward this is a good thing indeed when we cannot go by the door but we must step in and have a turn with God you will take it as a great kindness for a man not onely to come on set times to visit you but when he comes in every time he comes by the door to see you And when thy heart is thus wont to turn into God this will be an 〈◊〉 to thee that thy heart is used to converse with God Secondly Hath not God been out of mind Heaven out of sight put that question to thy heart My Brethren this is our great sin and should be our great shame that the thoughts of God are such strangers to our souls that we are so little in heaven in the day as we are O what a loser is God by this in his glory what losers are we by this in our graces and comforts O were our hearts on all occasions thus thinking of God how holy a frame should we quickly grow into Why should not our hearts be as much with God as the hearts of the Worldlings be with the Creature Doth not God deserve it as much as the Creature His heart is always talking with the World If he come to hear his heart is talking with the world If he come to pray his heart is alway with the World Why should not our hearts be talking with God while our hands are employed about this world It was a Heavenly breathing of a gracious spirit a confounding passage that I met with Lord as formerly I lived without thee in the world so now let me 〈◊〉 without the world in thee If we did but love God as well as a worldly man doth love his wealth and riches we should be so taken up with the love of God as quite to forget the world For the world makes them forget God that he is not alwayes in their thoughts Yea says he we should be taken up always with God My Brethren what shall we say for this How shall we excuse this that we should be so unmindfull of God while the Worldling is so mindful of the world O what a shame is this For shame be ashamed at your selves before we go away hence I profess Christians I have wondred 〈◊〉 God will throw away his kingdome upon some that do care so little for it as we do O shame thy self out of this evil frame Brethren why do not we carry it towards the world as the world doth towards us The world doth carry it towards us as 〈◊〉 and we know not what it will do to us VVhy should not we carry it more strangely towards it O never leave till the thoughts of Heaven be thy natural thoughts O check thy heart ronndly in the Evening for this sin if 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 find thy heart faulty here and never leave till thou haâ—… brought it into a right frame Thirdly Have I been often looking into my 〈◊〉 made conscience even of vian thoughts you know your Rule Keep thy heart with all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of it are the Issues of life Now hast thou been keeping thy heart with all diligence Brethren you may be sure your work will go but badly on unless you look to your hearts and keep your hearts Examine then in the Evening how hath my heart been employed to day hath it not been a thorow-fare of vain thoughts of evil imaginations I fear that many of us do make little conâ—… of this It may be thou dost make conscience of vain thoughts in duty but I fear that few 〈◊〉 do make conscience of vain thoughts at other times Ah Brethren you 〈◊〉 not known what it is to live the life of Christianity if you do not look to this This must be mended Brethren what a blessed thing would this be if we had but once attained this frame If our hearts did but naturally run
of danger And blessed be God he is not behind hand with you he that owned you in your prison state Brethren how hath God owned you in clearing your cause for which you are suffering here If the Kingdome of heaven be promised to them that suffer for righteousness sake then sure it is promised to you for you are suffering here upon that account And then for your call how sweetly and joyfully did we come hither though God knows we had not enquired into what we entended as to our subsistance here yet God sent us all hither joyfully together and I hope God will send us home as joyfully again But let me shew you in some particulars wherein God hath done more for you then for others as you are prisoners First You are better fed then others Who do live upon the bounty of Gods extraordinary providence like you may not God almighty speak to you as the Apostie to them 1 Cor. 9 7. Who of you goeth a warfare at his own charges VVhen our Saviour sent forth his disciples without scrip or shooes sayes he lacked ye any thing they answered nothing May not we say so if he say to us lacked you any thing we must say no he hath poured out his kindness upon us O how sweetly did the holy prophet think you rellish every bit of meat when God provided every bit so extraordinarily for him 1 Kings 17. 6. And the Ravon brought him bread and flesh in the morning and bread and flesh in the evening God doth not send it to us by a Raven but by friends but all he sends bread and flesh in the morning and bread and flesh in the evening without our care And is not God to be observed in this you know there is a kind of a Famine abroad but God will not have it a Famine here VVho ever wants God will be sure that his prisoners shall not want As the King took care of Jeremiah Jer. 37. 21. Then Zedekiah the King commanded that they should commit Jeremiah to the Court of the prison and that they should give him dayly a piece of bread out of the Bakers-street untill all the bread in the City was spent VVhen Jeremiah was in prison God would be sure that he should not want as long as there was any bread to be had in the City So God commands concerning his prisoners though there be a kind of Famine abroad God will not suffer his prisoners to want Secondly You are better taught than others VVho is like to you O people about whose tents the Mannah raineth not every morning onely but morning and evening week dayes and Sabbath dayes God doth open his door to you and make every day as a Sabbath to you Thirdly You have more promises than others Now there are come in to us a whole shoal of of promises that we would not not so properly claim before 1 Pet. 2. 20. If when you do well and suffer for it you take it patiently this is acceptable with God 1 Pet. 4. 13. 14. Rejoyce in as much as ye are partakers of Christs sufferings that when his glory shall be revealed ye may be glad also with exceeding Joy If you be reproached for the name of Christ happy are ye for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you Jam. 1. 12. Blessed is the man that endureth Temptation for when he is tryed he shall receive the Crown of life which the Lord hath promised to them that love him If you suffer with him you shall also raign with him 2 Tim. 2. 12. Blessed are they that suffer for righteousness sake for theirs is the Kingdome of heaven Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsly for my name sake rejoyce and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven Math. 5. 10 11 12. Time would fail me to go over all those promises that are come in now upon us all at once Oh we are an unthankfull people if all these promises do not raise our faith and joy Is it a light thing my brethren that you should be heirs of the promises Fourthly God hath hath honored you more than others To others with you 't is given to believe but to you 't is given to suffer for his sake which the Apostle reckons up as a step higher than others attain to Philip. 1. 29. Fifthly God hath intrusted you with his honor more than others God hath put more into your hands than into the hands of any other Gods glory is trusted morewith the sufferers of Christ than with any others O be infinitely tender of Gods honor O see that you love him more than others praise him more than others A Sacramental speech grounded on Psalm 40. 7. Lo I come IT is my purpose to speak to you of the coming of the Son Lo I come Now concerning this coming I shall shew you First Who it is that is come Secondly How he is come Thirdly Whence he is come Fourthly Why he is come First Who it is that is come This is the first thing that I shall desire you to consider with reference to the coming of Christ. First The bridegroom is come God sends his Ministers to you with that cry Math. 25. 6. Behold the bridegroom cometh O with what joy doth the Bride receive her Bridgegroom so should believers receive Christ. Arise you Virgins then and come away Awake you virgins this is the call of your Bridegroom Cant. 2. 8. The voice of my beloved behold he cometh c. And what was this voice of her beloved that doth so ravish her heart see verse 10. arise my love my fair one and come away and so ver 13. Christ calls again and again and you should come away Secondly Your King is come God sends his Ministers to you with that glad newes that he put in the Prophets mouth Zach. 9. 9. rejoyce greatly O daughter of Zion behold thy King cometh Brethren this is that which should cause you to rejoyce and shout for joy that your King is come And great reason have for he is a great King and hath salvation with him Luke 19. 9. This day is salvation come to this house Thirdly The deliver is come Rom. 11. 26. Brethren I know good news must needs be welcome to you at such a time as this why hear you then the blesseds news that ever came to the ears of man Luke 2. 10. Behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people for unto you is born a Savior which is Christ the Lord. Ah Brethren that the Savior is come the deliverer is come this is the blessedst news that ever man heard Hear what the Lord saith with reference to this in that of the Prophet Isa. 62. 10. 11. He cals upon his people to cast up and prepare the way c. say ye to the daughter of Zion behold thy salvation cometh
c. Ah brethren this is good news for Zion and this is the news God hath sent me with behold the deliverer the Saviour is come O with what a welcome should such as this be received when he comes how welcome was the news to the captives that brought the news of their liberty why such should be the welcome that you should give to the news the Gospel brings you of a deliverer Now is your Jubilee blessed are the people that hear the joyful sound Psa. 89. 15. He alludes to the sound of the Trumpets in the time of the Jubilee but it is to be understood of the joyful sound of the Gospel It is blessed news that Christ the deliver is come Secondly I am to shew you how he is come There is a two fold coming of Christ his gracious and his glorious coming His glorious coming is not till hereafter at the last day This is the coming that he speaks of Rev. 1. 7. He speaks of it as if it were present because 't is as certain as if it were present Every eye shall see him But then there is his gracious coming and that is two fold corporal or spiritual His corporal coming in his admirable Incarnation his spiritual coming in the Gospel Invitation First His corporal coming in his admirable incarnation And this is blessed news to the world at this his coming there were a quire of angels to celebrate his praise Luke 2. 13 14. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God saying glory to Godin the highest and on Earth peace good will towards men We read that the great and glorious works of God they are celebrated by the angels And there are these four great works celebrated by them First The work of Creation So that 〈◊〉 Job 38. 7. When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for Joy It is spoken with reference to the Creation the angels did list up their voices and sang the praise of their Creator Secondly The work of conversion Luke 15. 10. There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth The work of conversion is a great and admirable work and therefore celebrated by angels Thirdly At Christs incarnation so Luke 2. 10 11. Fourthly At the resurrection Then all the angels of God shall appear then shall be a most glorious and general appearance of the angels to celebrate that work heaven shall empty it self of all its glorious inhabitants Secondly There is the spiritual coming of Christ and this is in his Ordinances This is his Chariot wherein he rides on conquering Psa. 45. 3 4. Gird thy sword upon thy thigh and in thy Majesty ride prosperously This is to be understood of Christs going forth in the sound of the Gospel which is his sword whereby he rides on to conquer the world Now in this respect Christ is come exhibiting himself in the voice of the Gospel there Christ doth shew himself and impart himself to his people Thirdly I am to shew you whence he is come He is come from the throne of his glory From the court of his Angels From the hosome of his Father First From the Throne of his glory O what a wonderful descent was this that he should come from the Throne of his glory to the manger among the beasts from the company of the angels to be crucified among the theeves he came among the beasts the world would not receive him but he was thrust out among the beasts Man by his Apostacy had brought himself among the beasts and hither did Christ come to find him But he was humbled more yet from the throne to the cross From the height of his glory to the extremity of shame O how should we think of the strange abasure of Christ that he that was heir to the Crown of glory should become man and viler then any of the Sons of men in some respect this should have your great admiration Secondly From the Court of his angels The Lord Jesus Christ he was the brightness of his Fathers glory the express image of his person that made his angels spirits and his Ministers a flaming fire All the angels you must know were his Messengers And what abasure was here that he should come from the company of angels to be contemned by the basest of men Thirdly From the bosome of his Father The Lord Jesus Christ he was the Son of Gods delight his darling the beloved object of his soul Math. 11. 27. Christ is he that lyes in the bosome of the Father and he alone is able to reveal the secrets of the Lord to the world so John 1. 18. Now that the Lord Jesus Christ should come from the bosome of God to the belly of hell that he should leave the glory of heaven for the torments of hell and all for our sakes what a strange wonder of Love was this hence was it that Christ came for us This is the bread that came down from heaven that a man may eat of and not dye Fourthly I shall shew you why he is come And that is To seek and to Save First To seek That is one end of his coming so Luke 19. 10. And who do you think that he is come to seek It is us that were lost All we like sheep have gone astray now Christ is that great good sheapherd that came to seek and to save that which was lost in Luke 15 you read of the lost groat the lost sheep and the lost Son and who do you think this was this was the lost sinner ver 32. who was it think you that sought us and found us when we were lost It was Jesus Christ it was he that sought us We had never found him had not he sought us I am found of them that sought me not 〈◊〉 65. 1. If Christ had stayed for us till we sought him our salvation had never been wrought The Lord Jesus Christ he sought us not and laid hold on us He took not hold of angels but of the seed of Abraham In effectual calling there he takes hold of the sinner he is fain to run after them and stop them or else they would run into perdition Secondly He is come to save so the Apostle to Timothy 1 Tim. 15. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief He puts in for one Oh brethren this is that should make the coming of Christ welcome to you he came to seek and save you O therefore welcome him at his coming Use. Is it so that Christ is come then go you forth to meet him Math. 25. 6. That was the cry there this is that which God sends his Messengers to call upon you for that you may go forth to meet him But how should you go forth to meet him First as a Bride doth her
will lye heavy at many doors without repentance Repent O Masters of your unnecessary hardnesse and rigor to the bodies but especially of your cruelty to the souls of your servants Have you been as careful to train them up in the knowledge of their Câ—…eator as in the knowledge of your trades have you taught them how to pray as well as how to work and instructed them in the mystery of their salvation as much as in the mystery of their callings have you looked for as good an account of the principles of Religion or or of the Sermon of them as of the task you have set them and the work in which you have employed them O that you had repent O you â—…usbands of your harshness bitterness not dwelling with your wives as men of knowledge Repent you Parents of your fond indulgence to Children sparing their sins neglecting their souls Repent you wives of your wilfulnesse and frowardnesse and disrespectfulnesse to them towards whom the Almighty cals sor your reverence and obedience Repent O Children of your fearful ingratitude in slighting and disobeying your Parents a sin under which the earth do groan Repent you Servants of your slothsulness wastfulnesse unfaithfulneesse and eye-service and disobedience that all families almost are filled with the complaint of O that there might be some way to recover the credit of Religion from the wounds that it hath received by the neglect of relative duties well let every man resolve to mend one O see what hath been amisse in your hearts and in your houses and set upon repenting and reforming VVithout this our prayers will return upon our own heads without an Answer Never think the storm will cease till the Jonas be thrown over Beloved this is that that God doth wait for Throw over the head of Sheba and the 〈◊〉 will be soon broken up I am apt to transgresse I shall conclude my Counsels with my prayers that a spirit of Repentance and Reformation may be poured out upon you and so rest yours in all manner of obligations to serve you and to suffer for you Joseph Alleine To the dearly beloved the flock of Christ in Taunton Salvation Most loving and dearly beloved THE care of you is continually upon me I desire no other felicity than to serve the glory of Christ in you and to enjoy him with you And blessed be his hame he is no stranger neither to us nor you Let all his prisoners praise him let all his people praise him Now is the sweetnesse beauty excellency of Christ to be seen Now may we learn the suavity of his communion the worth of his promises the all-sufficiency of his fulnesse Now taste and see Sit you down under the safest sweetest shadow of his protection and eat of his fruit The tree is good for food and pleasant to the eyes except fully blind And a tree to be desired to make one wise Take of the fruit thereof and eat not as Jonathan who tasted but a little of the honey upon the top of his rod but eat abundantly This is no forbidden fruit Here is no surfeting You must live upon him every day and in every duty May every one of you be able to say as Paul to me to live is Christ then you live like Christians when Christ is the staff of your life When Christ is both its Spring and its end When you take root in him and grow up into him May every one of you be a tree of Righteousness whose roots may spread into him whose aspiring top may be still shooting upward reaching out toward him live as those that have no life but in him And study to be able to say as Paul that it is not you that live but Christ living in you You live in vain while you live not for him without Christ you are dead while you live You are of him and through him and for him From whom shall he have glory if not from you the inanimâ—…te unreasonable Creatures cannot praise him unlesse in a dumb and silent manner as they are the occasion and incentives of our praising him The devils and ungodly will not praise him The silver Trumpet of his praise is found onely in the hands of a few poor believers Ah! sound you forth his praise in the world let your lips sing let your light shine Let your lives be at last as a canâ—…le wasted and burnt out in holding forth the light Now beloved study that you may go out with comfort that you may have your hearts as full as they can hold with joy to think when you are ready to breath forth your last well my daies are run out for Christ and my strength is exhausted in the service of Christ. My time is gone and my labor done but my Oyl is wasted in the work of God I have spent my Fathers allowance in my Fathers business This will make you to arise and say I will go to my Father with boldness and confidence and not as the Prodigal when he had spent the portion of goods which his Father had allotted him with diffidence and fears of his being rejected You know my business is but to bespeak you for Christ. I have four requests to present you for him Thus are my requests but his Commands First Let the ballance be turned by Christ. Let Christ and his interest turn the scale against all the world Let him be the Pearl and the world the dung Let Jesus be King and Mammon as a despised broken Idol or as the stamped Calf Let Christ be the prize the rest but losse Let gain give way to godliness Let credit crack rather than Conscience stretch be no body with the world rather than dishonor Christ to keep up your reputation with men Let all the flowers of pleasures wither the paint fall off this harlots face when set by Christ. Let the silver shrines and great Diana be as Nehushtan 2. Kings 18. 4. And the crown fall from the head of honour and the great Idol to come down into the dust before Jesus Christ and lye like Dagon before the Ark with head and hands broken off upon the threshold Keep the world at your feet as a servant or rather under foot as an enemy But if it hath the heart you are undone Where Christ hath not the swaying-interest all is rotten at the bottom Secondly Let the Byass of your wils be set towards Christ. The needle of the will was at first touched with a magnetick verttue which turn'd it towards God as the needle is turned towards the pole but now by the fall it hath quite lost its vertue and will stand any where but where it should But God by fanctifying grace doth new-touch this needle though it may by an accidental violence be too too easily shakenyet it will never rest at a wrong point but be unquiet and in continual restlessness and agitation till it stand direct towards Christ. If any thing but