Apostle Peter to say 1 Pet. 1.18 Ye were not redeamed with corruptible things as gold and silver but with the precious blood of Christ as of a Lamb without blemlish and without spot now if we look back upon the great righteousness and sufferings of God the Son which were ingredient into our Salvation we need not doubt to call it great Salvation 3 In the third place we come to the third person and to shew what proceeds from that person that proceeds from the Father and the Son towards this great Salvation and that is 1 The Revelation of the spirit It is the spirit of God that hath brought Salvation to light through the Gospel The word is but the letter the spirit is the inditer and penman of it all Scripture being given by divine inspiration 2. Tim. 3.16 And therefore as it is called the sword of the spirit so it may be called the word of the spirit It s true that men were the penmen of Scripture or rather the penns in the hand of a ready writer as the Apostle said he was Gods pen to write Gods Epistle in the fleshly tables of the hearts of the Corinthians 2. Cor. 3.2 3. And therefore it s said that no prophesy of Scripture is of any private interpretation but holy men of God wrote as they were moved by the Holy Ghost 2. Pet. 1.21 And in the beginning of this Epistle to the Hebrews The writer of it saith God at sundry times and in diverse manners spake to our fathers by his servants the prophets c. but especially take notice of the verse that follows my text How shall we escape if we neglect so great Salvation which at first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that hear him God also bearing them witness both with signes and wonders and diverse miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost according to his own will it was the Holy Ghost that sealed up the truth of the Gospel by diverse miracles The Apostle therefore calleth the spirit the great Teacher 1 Ioh. 2.27 Ye need not that any man teach you but as the same anointing teacheth you all things 1. Ioh. 2.27 And the spirit is said to reveale that in the word to the spirituall man which the word without the spirit cannot make the naturall man to understand 1 Cor 2.9 10. Eye hath not seen nor care heard neither hath entred into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him But God hath revealed them unto us by his spirit for the spirit searcheth all things even the deep things of God And the Apostle prayes that God would come in with the spirit of wisedome upon the word of wisedome and with the spirit of revelation upon the word of revelation to his Ephesians Eph. 1 17. 2 The Application of the spirit As this Salvation is from the spirits revelation so hath it its efficacy from the spirits application It s the spirit that must bring our hearts to the word as well as the word to our hearts that must speak us through and say to our blind eyes deafe eares and dead hearts be opened see and hear and understand and be converted and he healed It s the spirit that must perswade us to recieve entertaine and embrace Christ that must say to our understandings and wills and hearts lift up your heads O ye gates and be ye opened ye everlasting dores that the King of glory may enter in when the dead letter of the word and a dead heart meet there can be but dead worke till the spirit of life that free wind that blowes where it lists do blow through that word upon the Soul that spirit that indited the word can make it the savour of life and that spirit that formed the heart and searcheth the heart can say unto dead hearts live In this respect it is that we are said to be drawne to Christ Iohn 6.44 and to be made beleevers by the exceeding greatness of his power and according to the working of his mighty power Eph. 1.19 Now in that the Gospel needed so glorious a revelation and so powerfull an application and both by the spirit our Salvation wrought by it must be confessed to be great Salvation 3. Next we come to things in subordination that do subserve under God in Trinity towards this great Salvation and here I might enter upon a large field of matter but for brevites sake I shall only point out the hid treasures that so knowing where they lie you may digg after them And the things whose instrumentality the great God of our Salvation uses towards the effecting of this great Salvation may be laid before us in two paires 1. The First pair is 1. graces 2. duties 2. The Second pair is 1. ordinances 2. providences I thus joyne them together because God joyneth them together 1. Grace and duty grace being the principle of duty and duty being but the acting of grace 2. Ordinances and providences which usually go hand in hand for our conversion aedification and Salvation 1. We begin with grace The word saith Titus 2.12 The grace of God which bringeth Salvation teacheth us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live holily justly and soberly in this present World where the Apostle teacheth us that it is grace that makes us to abound in duty and therefore to that end that we may abound in the worke of the Lord which the Apostle presses 1. Cor. 15. ult we are taught by the Apostle Peter to abound in grace 2. Pet. 1.5 6 7 8. giving all dilligence adde unto your faith c. and then it follows If these things be in you and abound they make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitfull in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ Note the graces of faith vertue knowledge temperance patience godliness brotherly kindness love must not only be in us but they must abound in us in order to this great Salvation And the fruits of the spirit that the heyres of Salvation must indeavour to abound in are laid downe in another cluster Gal. 5.22 23. The fruits of the spirit are love joy peace long-suffering gentleness goodness faith meekness temperance these and all the rest of the traine of heavenly graces do accompany Salvation and it must needes be great Salvation that is so greatly graced 2. Dutie is the next wherein as you heard before they must no less abound than they must in grace The Apostles exhortation is 1. Cor. 15. ult My bretheren be ye stedfast and unmovable alwayes abounding in the worke of the Lord for as much as you know that your labour is not in vaine in the Lord. And it was not only his precept but his practise to he did not like the Scribes and Pharises bind heavy burdens to lay upon others shoulders but he taught them by his own example to bear them too Phil. 3.13 14. This one thing I
〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 offâ—â—e Saviour can we th◠〈…〉 Devils themselves 〈…〉 gent deceiving of finners to their 〈…〉 they would greedily apprehend the oppâ—â—nity of laying hold upon Salvation Heâ— O heavens and hearken O earth and be astonished at this We may stand amazed and wonder that those prodigies are not every daies news which accompanyed the crucifying of this blessed Saviour and did witness to the world hâ—â— deeply the Lord was displeased with the more than barbarous cruelties th◠〈◊〉 be a God even of invincible patienâ—e and long-suffering and can see and suffer himself to be provoked every day and his Sons blood and righteousness to be trampled on and set at nought by the refusers of mercy yet this is but during the day of grace this will not last alwaies the day of wrath is a coming even at the doors and then righteous judgement shal be dispensed and one high and main end of that great and terrible day is the exaltation of Gods Son that he may be manifested to both worlds of men and Angels to be Gods onely beloved Son in whom he is well pleased Then shall the Lord Jesus be terrible to those that refused him and glorious in them that believe 2 Th. 7.8 3. Reason Because it is wrath inflicted for resisting and vexing of the Spirit of grace The Father and Son have been the matter of the two foregoing Reasons and this third is drawn from the third Person in this great and glorious Trinity This Spirit moved upon the waters in the worlds Creation Gen. 1.2 This Spirit did strive with man in the daies and Ministry of Noah Gen. 6.3 This spirit was prophesied of in the daies of the Prophets Isay 59. â—1 My Spirit that is upon thee shall not depart from thee nor from thy seed nor from thy seeds feed saith the Lord from henceforth and for ever and Joel 2.28 I will poure out my Spirit upon all flesh c. This spirit our Saviour promise when he went to the Father I will pray the Father and he shall give you another comforter and he shall abide with you for ever Joh. 14.16 And this spirit was sent according to promise in the likeness of cloven and fiery Tongues Acts 2.2 3 4. to guid the Apostles into all truth to bring to their remembrance and to teach them more perfectly the things they had heard of Christ to inspire and guide them in perfecting the Scriptures and bearing witness to the truth of them by many wonderfull miracles And this spirit keeps residence in the Church and joyns it self as the spirit of wisdom and revelation with the word of wisdom and revelation to call and draw men unto Christ and to work energetically and effectually in such as are made believers by the exceeding greatness of its mighty power Now as Steven impleaded the Jews so may we lay it to the charge of all such as live within the sound of the Gospel Act. 7.51 Ye stifnecked and uncircumcised in hearts and ears ye do alwaies resist the Holy Ghost as your Father did so do ye When the Spirit of God strives verbis and verberibus in the Word and Rod in ordinances and providences and the Lord may charge it upon us as he doth Pro. 1.24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31. Because I have called and ye refused I have stretched out my hand and none would regard but ye have set at nought all my counsell and would none of my reproof I also will laugh at your calamity I will mock when your fear cometh when your fear cometh as desolation and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind and distress and anguish cometh upon you Then shall they call upon me but I will not answer they shall seek me early but shall not find me c. Therefore they shall eat of the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own devices When the spirit shall be thus unworthily resisted and vexed nothing renders the Lord more inexorable implacable and merciless and leaves the guilty to perish without remedy 4. Reason Because it is prepared for great enemies The very word prepared is a most stinging expression Go ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared c. That wrath into whose preparation the wisedome and justice of so great a God is ingredient must needs be inconceivably and unutterably great But if we take in the great enemies for whom it is prepared â—t will augment it it was prepared for the Dâ—vel and his Angell Mat. 25.41 Those that were discontented with their own angelicall excellency and emulated the Majesty and greatness of God and had an ambition to be like him Tophet is prepared for the King i. e. for the Prince of darkness and God of this world or for the greatest of malefactors be they never so high never so mighty never so noble after the flesh all their number pompe and greatness shall be swallowed up in the bottomless pit Observe what black Catalogues the Scripture makes of that notorious rabble of Rebells Rampant that must descend into the bottomless pit 1 Cor. 6.9 10. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdome of God be not deceived neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor effeminate nor abusers of themselves with mankind nor theeves nor covetous nor drunkards nor revilers nor extortioners shall inherit the Kingdome of God See also Gal. 5.19 20 21. The works of the flesh are manifest which are these adultery fornication uncleanness lascivousness idolatry witchcraft hatred variance emulations wrath strife seditions heresies enyvings murders drunkenness revelling and such like of the which I tell you as I have also told you in time past that they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdome of God And Eph. 5.5 This ye know that no whoremonger nor uncleane person nor covetous man who is an idolater hath any inheritance in the Kingdome of Christ and of God These Scriptures are only exclusive and bar Heaven against such hear one place more that acquaints us which the place that must receive them when Heaven spues them out and that is the very sink of Hell Rev. 21.8 The fearfull and unbelieving and the abominable and murderers and whoremongers and sorcerers and idolaters and all lyars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death It s said in Scripture that those which die in their unbeliefe and impenitency shall have their portion with hypocrites dissemblers of holyness do but double their wickedness and God will double their damnation The persecutors of Gods people that strike at God and Christ and wound them through the sides of the Saints these shall sink deep into the bottomless pit and the dispisers of God and Christ shall go into the same place of torment the damnation prepared for the most notorious malefactors shall be shared amongst the world of ungodly When men are to entertaine their best friends they will do it with a
as ever thou hast the Reason of a man see that thou soberly bethink thee of this matter and rest not till thou canst solidly answer this question How shall I escape Death and Hell are a little before thee if thou be an unsanctifyed person and how wilt thou escape them Neither Policy nor power riches nor reputation formality or false presumptuous hopes will procure thine escape It must be by God the Father by Christ by the Holy Spirit or by none and it must be by a God most dearly loved and by a Christ most highly valued and received and by the Holy Ghost entertained into thy heart and obeyed for a God a Christ a Spirit finally neglected will never save thee Take this warning and additionall Testimony from A Friend of thy immortall Soul Richard Baxter A PREFATORY POEM OF THE AUTHOR' 's GReat Structures should have Porches but you 'l say This Fâ—brick is not great and well you may And yet t is so a Riddle but no Cheat The volum's little but the Title 's great The Workman's low but yet the Building 's tall The Matter great though Modell be but small Much treasure lies in little room and things When it consists in jewells and in rings This work is like the Ocean which you know Is still the same at ebbe as t is at flow Or like the Sun that Magazine of light The same in Clouds as shining in its might Or like a Map where points and lines do stand For Rivers and for Counties Sea and Land Though in Octavo written you must know The Subjects are the largest Folio Though Book and Price be small excuse that wrong The names are short but yet the Things are long Salvation and Damnation Oh the height And depth of these expressions Oh the weight Of what they signify Oh who can tell The height of Heaven or the depth of Hell That 's high that hath no topp you will confess And sure that pitt is deep that 's bottomless Salvation Sin Damnation are not Theames For sleepy sluggards or for men in dreames Sin 's clâ—ath'd in Scarlet like a man of Blouds Damnation doggs it like devouring flouds Cast from the Dragons mouth Salvation stands Like to a Refuge City on all hands Sin like a Sodom to destruct on tends Damnation's like a fire whose smoak ascends Salvation's like a Zoar Soules like Lot Fly for your life make hast and linger not God and your Teachers lowdly call and cry Oh sensless sinners wherefore will ye die Soules stop and turne oh turne oh sweetest breath God sayes and sweares he joyes not in your death O hearken for the Call of this â—ill voice Sets Life and Death before the sinners choice Reader wilt live or die Consider well And then Resolve it 's more than time to tell Thy thoughts to God If he should snatch thee hence Thy best would prove a very poor defence Depart thou must into a state forlorne Will make thee wish thou never hadst been born Eternity will all thy Thoughts confound It 's such a Depth no Intellect can sound We may the World and Witts out-run yet be But at the Entrance of Eternity Now wrastle and prevaile for who can tell But Jacob may be Christened Israel Chaff now is sold for Wheat and every dream Which is but Froth is now nick-named Cream Now Hereticks and each Blasphemer vents And greedy Doggs lick up their Excrements The Presse opprest gâ—ves out like Lotteries Too manj Blanks for one poor single Prize Authors neglected lie and sleep as dead Except than others taller by the head And Bookes in such a crowd of short and long Like London Cries are vended for a Song He 'is the best Artist now that best can tell How to make Bookes and then to make them sell As in Samaria's seige the ruder throng Are fâ—d with Asses heads and Cabbs of dung How often have I dugge to find out Ore In swarming Pamphlets but alas how poore And full of Rubbish little little gaines And often less than nothing for my paines When they should feed and feed and feed agen And hold out Milk for Babes and meat for Men And draw out new and old from their full store And should with Milk and Hony feed the poore Their Entertainments like a Witches feast A shew that feeds not but deludes the guest How should Babes thrive in a Step-mothers lap When Nurses give them poison in their papp Oh that some Zealous powers would conspire To sentence all such Stubble to the fire The whole is out of Order Church and State In my Prognosticks this is Englands Fate The Land will mourne and Men will find it true Till Caesar come who will give God his due Think not kind Reader that its my designe To clowd the Sun that my dim Starr may shine It is a task for Eagles not for Wrens To staine the beauty of deserving Penns This Iron age such Authors can rehearse Whose golden penns deserve a Golden verse Works should commend their Authors this being scan'd As it deserves so let me fall or stand I never lik't those Complements at Feasts That wish the best were better for the guests Those that in midst of plenty w sh for more And guilty of exceedings call it poore I ever thought the worst dish there too much The Coursest Morsell much too good for such If here a Feast of fat things you do meet Give God the praise and eat and drink the sweet If any failing here or leaness be Take you the best and leave the worst to me Christ bids his Shepards feed and feed and feed His Lambs and Sheep lo here is for your need And fill serv'd in First Second and Third Messe All wholesome food though but in homely dresse Eat drink and feast your selves my Friends but stay When that is done do not rise up to play If you will eat to live and live to die Joyne strictest Practise with the Theory Though naked Truth be best yet Fancies quaâ—nt Esteem the face the fairer for the paint And if we will mens queasy palates woo Our meat must wholesome be and toothsome too Most are like Children and refuse to eat Unless the dish be gaudy as the meat Even Curious palates feed as they would wish When wholesome food is in a garnisht dish When pleasure is with profit twin'd it s sed Its like the bristle that draws in the thred Austine delighting Ambrose for to hear His heart was led to Heav'n by his Ear And men must be indulged in this or we Our Books with dust and Cobwebs clad may see If Musick dwell in discords here are three That make a Unity in Trinity Or if Variety delight your braine Trichotomize that Unity againe But I am word-bound starv'd in midst of store My subject is too rich my Muse too poore Reader proceed thou lt not thy labour lose If halting Verse go more upright in prose T is to catch precious Soules to God that I Do
or can they indure everlasting burnings Can the conflict with the wrath of God which is a devouring fire burning to the bottome of Hell dare they provoke the Lord to jealousy oh foolish people and unwise Ah t is a fearfull thing to fall into the sin revenging hands of the living God Can they undergo the curse of that fiery Law that was given with thunder and lightning and the sound of the trumpet or indure the appearing of the Lord Jesus when he shall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angells and in flaming fire to render vengeance to them that know not God and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power Can they grapple with the strong man armed without a stronger then he to their second How will they withstand their sinns when they shall be gathered together in a generall muster and set in battle arey in a most formidable army and armed with the teeth of Dragons and stings of Scorpions to kill their Bodies and Souls in Hell When the numberless number of their notorious provocations shall breake in furiously like a Sea of Billows to drive away the wicked in his wickedness and another sea of wrath shall be tumbling in after it When evills unrepented of like a kennel of Hell-hounds shall hunt the wicked persons to destruction When God shall be so severe to observe euery thing that is done amisse and shall set in order before us the things that we have done how shall we then answer to one of a Thousand Can you give battle to the King of feares or secure yourselves from a heart-quake when death hangs out his black colours and gives you an alarme will not your hearts then die like a stone or fall asunder in your brests like drops or water when your consciences are clamorous and speak bitter things against you will not Belshazzers palsy seize upon your joints and when you think of that judgement that follows death that fire and brimstone which is the second death will not this make you with Foelix to quake and tremple Oh do but forethinke with yourselves that you shall be as unable to stand in the day of the Lords wrath as chaff to stand before a whirlewinde or stubble before a consuming fire O consider this you that forget God least ye be torn in peices and there be none to deliver you 4 USE Is of Consolation to all such as have cordially closed with this great Salvation As the refusers of it deserve to be stigmatiz'd for notorious fooles for so wise Solomon declaims against them Prov. 1.22 How long ye simple ones will ye love simplicity and the scorners delight in their scorning and fooles hate knowledge So such as thankfully accept and embrace this great Salvation deserve the reputation of the wisest of men no foole to the willfull sinner and no wisedome comparable to that that makes wise unto Salvation How was Timothy renowned and his fame rings as far as the Gospel is preached for searching the scripture which were able to make him wise unto Salvation 2 Tim 3.15 To be wise unto Salvation is to be wise indeed all wisedome that comes short of this leaves the possessors of it short of the beginning of wisedome To be wise for the world and wise after the flesh is in Gods esteem to be but fooles and rather a barr to keep men out of Heaven than a door to let them in and therefore our first lesson is selfe-deniall which consists in a denyall of our witts as well as a denyall of our wills and of our worth which the Apostle hints when he saith If any man will be wise let him become a foole that he may be wise As the wisedome of God is foolishesness with the world and God saves men by the foolishness of preaching 1 Cor. 1.21 So the wisedome of the world is foolishness with God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 8.7 The wisedome of the flesh is enmity with God To be wise to do wickedly is the most foolish of all wisedome are not they without understanding that worke wickedness Ps 14.4 This wisedome is not from above but carnall sensuall and divelish To be wise according to art in Phisicks Ethicks Politicks Oeconomicks c. and to want the wisedome from above which Gods word and spirit do teach is but umbra sapientiae the shaddow of wisedome and can make men no better than learned fooles all amounting to no more than erudita ignorantia a finer sort of ignorance but to be wise for God for Heaven for our Soules for Salvation this is to be wise indeed A true Israelite indeed a true Christian indeed and true wisedome indeed are much worth when such as are so in shew are but like cyphers in Arithmetick joyne as many together as will fill a volume and they will signifie nothing O consider that when you have layd out your money for that that is not bread and have spent time and strength for that which cannot profit you will be the first that shall befoole your selves as soon as God shall anoint your eyes with eye salve from above then you will say with David so foolish was I and ignorant even as a very bruit before thee Psal 73.22 And my wounds stinke and are corrupt through my foolishness Psal 38.5 Yea the time is coming when those that thought the children of God to be fooles because they set their hearts upon a wisdome that was above the world shall condemne their own wretched folly and magnify the others wisedome as Wisd 5.4 5. We fooles thought his life madnesse and his end without honour how is he counted among the Children of God and his portion is among the Saints To draw towards a conclusion of this use they shall not only gaine the reputation of wisedome but as Solomon when he desired an understanding and religions heart in the first place had riches and honour given in ex abundanti as more than measure so shall these And therefore they are called heyres of Salvation Heb. 1.14 a title next in dignity and riches unto his who is called in the second verse of that chapter the heir of all things All Gods Sonns are heyres and fellow-heyres with Jesus Christ Rom 8.17 and being received into the glorious liberty of Gods adopted Sonns by their union with Christ they communicate in all the priviledges of Justification reconciliation adoption sanctification and glory They have a right to all the priviledges of the Sonns of God The love of the Father the grace of the Son The Communion of the holy Spirit The protection of the Trinity The guardianship of Angells The comforts of an appeased conscience The comfortable enjoyment of the things of this life and the beleiving expectation of the good things of the life to come We looke upon him as honourably and richly provided for that is a Kings
do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto the things that are before I press towards the marke for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus whereupon one of the Fathers call'd him insatiabilis dei cultor an unsatisfied greedy worshipper of the Lord Jesus Gods workmen should be the best and good workmen can never want worke did not our God lay enough upon them in the duties of holiness righteousness and sobriety which is the Epitome of the morall Law Did not Christ lay enough upon them in charging them to keep his Commandemeuts out of love and that their faith work by love which is the Epitome both of Law and Gospel Their own deceitfull hearts will find them enough The alluring world the enticing flesh and suggesting devill will afford them but a little breathing redit labor actus in Orbem their worke is never at an end till death give them a quietus est blessed are the dead which die in the Lord even so saith the Spirit that they rest from their labours Rev. 14.13 What betwixt reading and hearing and studying and meditating and praying and mourning and searching and watching and praising and all those laborious and painfull duties that are of absolute necessity in order to the attainment of this great Salvation it is plentifully attested to be great Salvation 3. Next for Ordinances what tendency have all these but the furtherance of this Salvation The word that Converting and edifying ordinance is it not the word of life and Salvation May I not say unto you Men and brethren children of the generation of Abraham and whosoever among you feareth God to you is the word of this Salvation sent Is not the gospell our Law of life and the law our rule of life leading to this Salvation doth not Evangelicall grace fit us for legall duty Consult that Scripture Tit. 2.12 and you shall find it so And for the sealing ordinances of Baptisme and the Supper their tendency can be no other but as seales to a deed to the sure-making of this Salvation The Ministry we may say of it as the word doth of the Sabboth that it was made for man and therefore it s reckoned to the Churches charter 1 Cor. 3.22 All things are yours whether Paul or Apollo or Cephus c. And the Apostle to the Ephes speaking of the extraordinary Ministry of Prophets Evangelists and Apostles and the ordinary of pastors teachers tells us that it was for the perfecting of the Saints for the worke of the ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come in the unity of faith and of the knowledg of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ Eph. 4.12 13. Wherefore hath God given us his Sabboth but that we should make it our delight if Salvation be our delight wherefore hath he appointed the ordinance of prayer as a Catholicon as universall food and Phisick for our Soules as necessary as our daily bread and daily pardon as the fourth and fift Petition of the Lords prayer note yea the very discipline of the Church Christian reprooses and rebukes and excommunication it selfe aimes at the reformation of the unruly at the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. 4. Lastly for Providences how strangely doth God worke for the heires of Salvation though the word be the ordinary means for the conversion of a sinner yet how ordinarily is some afflictive providence singled out to set it home to weane unbelevers and such as stick at a halfe conversion like a child in the birth and to make them more then all-most Christians when souls do hang in aequilibrio and do as it were halt betwixt God and the world or flesh it s usually some pinching affliction that turnes the scales and causes the sinner to turne his heart and feet unto Gods testimonies Those that keep Catalogues of providences can draw out choice of experiences out of their full quivers They can tell you with David who delivered them out of the paw of the Lion and Bear 1 Sam. 17.37 and can with Paul record unto Gods glory he hath delivered and doth deliver in whom we trust that he will also yet deliver 2 Cor. 2.10 Cannot Gods people tell you when they were dead and he put life into them as the prodigalls Father said of his Son so can they say of their soules this my soul was dead and is alive againe he was lost and is found Cannot they tell when they were asleep and he awaked them when they were in deepes and he succoured them when they were rushing upon sin like a horse into the battle and he withheld them as he did David from hurting Nabal by the providence of Abigal yea they can record thankfully the very ordinances and providences wherein God appeared to them It were endless to enumerate all let experient Christians supply the rest out of their own store while weaker Christians do make use of those weake helpes to further their understandings in comprehending this truth And now being come to the uttermost of their reason let us look back and gather up the severall branches into one bundle which we need not doubt to call the bundle of life in which all saved soules are bound up 1 The wisedome and love of God the Father who is the God of our Salvation 2 The sufferings and righteousness of God the Son who is the Author and finisher of our Salvation 3 The revelation and application of the spirit who is the furtherer of our Salvation 4 Graces and duties which bear the name of saving graces and saving duties 5 Ordinances and Providences which are all things that do accompany Salvation And none of these can be left out but our Salvation will miscarry they are all of absolute necessity and for all these gospel Salvation must be confessed to be great Salvation and a mighty engine that is carried with so many and mighty wheels 1 USE Shall be of Consideration wherein I shall commend unto your serious consideration this Salvation with its dimensions as great and so great Salvation so that you are to hear 1 What it is 2 How great it is What it is take in this short account which containes the substance of all that goes before It s the dear purchase of our Soveraigne Lord Redeemer freely bestowed upon Gods elect whereby they are by a strong hand and mighty meanes freed from sin and eternall misery and advanced to grace and everlasting happiness You may read a breviary of it Iohn 3.16 God so loved the World that he gave his only bogotten Son that whosoever beleiveth in him might not perish but have everlasting life It s this Salvation that denominates the Gospel to be glad tidings for can there be gladder tidings then life from the dead then eternall life from eternall death judge how
durable profits and lasting pleasures and everlasting honours are made no account of The body and lust and sinne shall be satisfied when the soul and grace and glory are laid aside as not worth the minding we are ready to condemne Adam of monstrous madness that would looss Paradise for an apple and to cry out upon Esau as the foole of all fooles that would exchange his birthright for a mess of pottage and the very name of Judas the traitor in graine stinkes like rotteness that would sell his master for thirty pence but surely the World is full of such fooles and madmen and monsters Those that will please their appetite with Adam though they lose an Heavenly Paradise for so doing Those that will satisfy their craving flesh with Esau though they lose the glorious I berty of Gods Sonns and forfeit all the priviledges of the new birth-right Those that will have Balaams wages the wages of iniquity with curied Judas though they lose Soul and Saviour and Salvation and all If we do but look abroad in the World and take a view of the lives and behaviour of men and women old and young high and low rich and poor one with another We shall see that the multitude is like that heard of Swine possessed of the Legion running headlong to their own damnation Ambition carries away thousands voluptuousness ten thousands worldly-mindedness hundreds of thousands so that Millions are visibly in a perishing condition wickedness recting the wicked man to his teeth 〈◊〉 as Daved saith that there is no fear of God before his eyes and the abounding of iniquity makes proclamation that notwithstanding such great Salvation be brought to light yet there are but few that shall be saved Hell hath enlarged herselfe without measure and all the pompe and all multitude of secure and careless and senseless sinners shall fall into it This oh this is the condemnation that is come into the world that light is come into the world and men love darkness more than light that a Saviour is come into the world and men will not come unto this Saviour that there should be a proclamation of so great Salvation and men will not leave their sinns and close with God through Christ that they may be saved yet let us take a further survey for as yet we have but stirr'd in the stinke of common sinners those that give up themselves to serve the Divell by a sensuall serving the flesh and worldly mindedness these do turne their backs upon God and do in their actions profess against the dominion of Christ that they will not have him â—o reigne over them let us look towards them that seeme to look towards Heaven and observe diligently what we can find there 1 Are not many of them meerly civiliz'd and no more though they will not wallow like Swine in the mire yet they are not carefull to keep clean their garments nor to keep themselves unspotted from the world though they will not tear Gods Name by Ruffian-like oathes yet they will pawae their faith and troth for small matters 2 Some that advance higher than meere Civility yet make a stand at formality and take up with a forme of Godliness short of the power of it knowledge and grace they would have and duty they will do but it is but some knowledge and some grace and some duty that its an easy conclusion that they desire it rather to save their credit than their Soules that they may be in esteem with men rather than in favour with God but our Saviour hath said enough to dash all this Matt. 5.20 Except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes who had but a forme of knowledge and Pharises who had but a forme of Godliness ye cannot enter into the Kingdome of Heaven and Luke 8.18 From him thah hath not from him shall be taken away even all that he seemeth to have 3 Many do stick in halfe coversions like a child in the birth and there is not strength to bring forth like that man in the Gospel that started aside like a broken bow at a forsake all and chose rather to forsake Christ then to forgo his wealth Herod heard John Baptist gladly in many things but would not part with his Herodias and all such as these are but like Agrippa allmost perswaded to become Christians but if they come not up to Pauls measure alltogether such as he true Israelites indeed such in whom there is no guile they are but Godless and Christless and Spiritless and graceless Soules and will be reckoned in the number of the neglecters of this great Salvation How should the servants of the Lord that have his spirit dwelling in their hearts and have the fear of the Lord before their eyes knowing the terror of the Lord against all such as are out of Christ and out of Covenant how should they pitty these poor Soules and intreat and beseech them to pitty their own Soules and to come in and be reconciled to God and to be willing to embrace the things that belong to their Salvation before they shall he hidden from their eyes And if they continue refusers still how should we ply the throne of grace with our earnest intreaties that God would forgive them who know not what they do that he would take away their hearts of stone and give them hearts of flesh That he would deliver them up unto Satan for their Salvation not for their damnations I meane that he would cast them into an Hell of conscience and plead with them there and cause them to see and feel themselves to be the vessells of sin and bondslaves of Satan that they may spend the remainder of their few and evill dayes in mourning that their flesh and body of sin may be destryed and their Spirits may be saved in the day of the Lord. And to help forward this work if God will before I pass from this use afford your attention while I expostulate the case with stubborne sinners on their Soules behalfe that they may be snatcht as brands out of the fire and pull'd out of the paw of the Lion rampant that seekes to devour them if they be not such deafe Adders as refuse to hear the voice of the Charmer charme he never so wisely I will not aske them whether grace and glory be of no reckoning with them which Salvation doth advance unto as you have heard in the second reason I will not ask them if the wisdome and love of God the Father the sufferings and righteousness of God the Son the grace and communion of the spirit be of no account If graces and duties ordinances and providences are nothing set by it s a common thing with those whose eyes the God of this World hath blinded and with such as are wedded to world and enslaved to the flesh to overlook all these as if they were not worth the looking after But can they dwell with the devouring fire
enquiry then what Sodoms sin was that we may judge the more clearly of this Comparison Moses saith Gen. 13.13 The men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly that is they were a most notorious sort of sinners and greater than ordinary Though many of Sodoms sins are enumerated in that black catalogue that stands upon record as an aggravation of the sins of Israel whose sister shee is called Ezek. 16.49 Pride fullness of bread i.e. gluttony and drunkenness and abundance of idleness and uncharitableness Yet there is one sin that is hang'd upon the file that takes its denomination from that place and is called the sin of Sodomy e. i. burning in strange unnaturall lusts not fit to be named without trembling this was that that caused them to be burnt with strange fire even with fire and brimstone from Heaven as they had abused their land and turn'd it into a Hell of sin so God raines down from Heaven upon them a Hell of punishment somewhat may be yet added towards the aggravation of their sin which was monstrous enough without circumstances of guilt from Isay 3.9 They declare their sin as Sodom they hide it not the meaning is they were shameless sinners they did adde a brazen forhead to their stony hearts and added to the extremity of lust the extremity of impudence And if the sin we are speaking of be more monstrous than the sin of Sodom what shall we say to this Surely as the Prophet thundring against the sins of Israel saith hear the word of the Lord ye Princes of Sodom hearken to the Law of our God ye people of Gomorrah Isay 1.10 The Gospel Boanerges may cry lowder against the sins of England and all such Lands as have lived under the sun-shine of the Gospel Hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ ye that are greater sinners than the Princes of Sodom give eare unto the Salvation of our God ye that are greater sinners than the people of Gomorrah 3. It is superlatively the greatest sin except that excepted sin the sin unto death called in Scripture the sin against the holy Gost That it is against the love of God and grace of Christ and revelation and wrastling of the spirit you have allready heard a trinity of aggravations bigg enough to make three superlatives and evidencing it to be a sin against the Holy Ghost of an high nature though not the sin against the Holy Ghost yet it is not to pass thus we have further evidence against it which will prove it to be more than superlatively abominable but we shall modell that which is behind into a few arguments or Reasons which shall make up a convincing and pregnant proofe of this truth that the sin of Gospel-refusing is superlatively great and a most sinfull sin 1. Reason proving it to be exceeding great is because it is an accumulated sin To refuse Gospel-Salvation is to heap sin upon sin we do all by nature through Adams disobedience ly under the Condemnation of the Covenant of workes the wrath of God abiding on us Now Gospel-Salvation is a plaister of Christs blood to heal that wound and a mercifull indulgence provided by our wise and gratious God as a suitable remedy against that malady God gave his only son that whosoeuer beleiveth in him might not perish c. John 3.16 Now they that refuse this mercy do expose themselves to judgements without mercy and they that are regardless of this remedy must be left to perish without remedy and all because they adde to their transgessions of the Law their owne and their forefathers this sin above all that they set light by the Gospel The mercies of Heaven are meted out unto men in Heavens measure that is heaped up pressed downe and running over though we are ready to stand upon niggardly tearmes with God â—e deales not so with us and when God requires of us a proportionable measure of thankfullness and obedience even that we should be abundant in the worke of the Lord who thus abounds to us in mercy and loving kindness for us to make such a wretched retribution unto the Lord for all his mercies as to returne a full measure of our iniquities sinns heaped up and pressed downe and running over this must needs be exceeding provoking to the eyes of his glory Our Righteousness indeed should be a righteousness running over as our Saviour taught his disciples 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 except your righteousness exceed i. e. run over the righteousness of the Scibes and Pharises ye cannot enter into the Kingdome of Heaven Mat. 5.20 Mistake me not I do not hold that the righteousness of the Saints can run over in the sense of Rome by works of supererrogation for being sanctified but in part we must crave pardon dayly for the iniquities of our holy things and say when all is done that we are unprofitable servants but in respect of such as come short and take up with the name and forme and easy part of Religion as the Scribes and Pharises did so it must exceed and run over Now when insteed of a righteousness running over our sin shall run over as it doth when we are guilty of Gospel-refusing where shall such ungodly ones and sinners appear The people of Israel when they had committed that sin of thunder in asking them a King when God was their King when they were awakened and convinc'd by a storme and Son of thunder they made this confession we have added unto all our sinns this evil to aske us a King 1 Sam. 12.19 But those that refuse the Gospel may take up this confession that they have added this to all their other sinns that they have refused them a King yea the King of Kings the Royall King Jesus yea that that more than superlatively aggravates their sin they refuse Jesus Christ in all his offices who offers himselfe in the Gospel as their compleat Mediator in his propheticall preistly and kingly Office and of God is made unto us wisedome and righteousness and sanctification redemption 1. Cor. 1. â—0 And because we are now declaring against this sin as an accumulated sin we shall take a little liberty more than ordinary to make good these 3 charges against the sin of setting light by the Gospel that it is against Christ in his threefold office and this will do the office of a magnifying glass and present that sin which to purblind sinners seemes no bigger than a molehâ—ll in his full propoâ—â—on swelling to a mountaine I know many will be ready to startâ—â— at such a charge and â—he most guilty will be ready to kick first as Judas was ready with his Mâ—steâ— is it I what we Refusers of Jesus Christ no we scorne it we defy them that shall tell us so It is not fit they should live that refuse Jesus Christ do you make doggs or Divells of us that we should do so and thus men are ready to cry peace and plead not
may yet be had be not accessory to your own everlasting undoing do not tire a long suffering God out of patience and provoke him that sweares he takes no delight in the death of a sinner to sweare in his wrath that you shall never enter into his rest Do not make him your judge who is willing to be your advocate nor turne the Lamb of God into a Lion Rampant O grieve not the Spirit which would be your comforter and remember who said when he was waiting upon a rebellious people My spirit shall not alway strive with flesh O send not back Christs Embassadours to their master to tell him with teares that you will not believe their report and put them not upon that diabolicall imployment to be your accusers to God and swift witnesses against you at the barr of Christ make not the word to be the savour of death which was ordained to be the savour of life to the heires of Salvation Let not the Sermons that you have heard and the bookes that you have or might have read and this that you are now reading rise up in judgement against you what should I say more the Lord knows how willing I am to say all that I can possibly invent that may win upon you and all that he shall put into my mouth if he will open your eares and hearts to counsel who opens and none can shutt this may be enough to prevaile with you that hath been allready spoken but if he will shutt or will not open though I could speak with the tongues of men and Angells I should be but as a Sounding brass or a tinkling Cymball O consider this and the Lord give you understanding in all things 2 Let such consider lastly that there is mercy enough revealed in the Gospel even to pardon all such Gospel-refusing as it not finall The Gospel excludes but one sin from pardon and that is because such a sinner cannot be renewed by repentance If the sinner against the holy Ghost could be penitent the sin against the holy Ghost might be pardoned for it is not therefore impardonable because its greater than the mercy of the Father or merit of the Son but because the sinner hath done despight to the holy Ghost and rendred himselfe incapable of the help of the spirit of grace I have allready taught you that Gospel mercy is a present and precious remedy against Law-transgressions but this is a step farther to consider that it s also a soveraigne remedy against Gospel-refusing which is not finall and they may be Gospel-receivers who have been of long season Gospel refusers The bloud of Christ was so savingly soveraigne that it healed those that wounded him and gave life to some of those murderers that put him to death as is evident from that plain Scripture Acts. 2.36 37 38. Peter told them God had made that Jesus whom they crucified both Lord and Christ There we see they were such as had a hand in crucifying Christ The next verse shews that they were penitent and pricked at the heart for that sin and begging directions of the Apostles what they might do to be saved they were directed to repent and incouraged with the hopes of the promise and v. 41. They gladly received the word and there were added to the Church three thousand Soules who continued stedfastly in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and in breathing of bread and prayer And as the merit of Christ extended to his very persecutors so the mercy of the Gospel extends to the refusers of the Gospel That Son that said he would not go into the vinyeard and went was better accepted with the Father than he that said I go Sr. and went not So those that have long stood at a distance from God upon their unfained repentance will be better accepted than such as are forward in profession and shew but have nothing of the power and beauty and reality of Godliness and Christianity in them O what greater incouragement can Rebells have to lay down armes and submitt to mercy than a probability nay a conditionall certainty of their Princes pardon We have heard that the Kings of Israel are mercifull said the servants of Benhadad and therefore got ropes about their necks in token of submission and humbled themselves and found mercy according to their expectation you have heard againe and againe that the God of Israel the King of Kings is mercifull but how mercifull none can tell you he is able to do more exceeding abundantly than we are able to ask or think let us lie in the dust and shame our selves before him and turne from our evill wayes and turne unto the Lord and as sure as he is a God of truth we shall find him to be a God of mercy but if notwithstanding all these allurements we shall persist in our sin of setting light by the Gospel our blood will be upon our own heads and we shall be left to perish without remedy I shall shut up all with that obtestation of the Apostle to the Romans Chap. 12.1 2. Which is my intreaty to you I beseech you brethren by the mercies of God that ye present your selves a living sacrifice holy and acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service c. THE THIRD DOCTRINE The neglect of Great Salvation brings Great Damnation DAmnation is so dreadfull a doome that the very report of it is like a thunderclap to cause a heart-quake in the hearers and speakers of it If Ministers must preach upon paine of Damnation and people must hear and attend upon pain of Damnation the believing entertainment of this truth one would think should be powerfull to work miracles even to make the dumbe to speake and the deafe to hear it s better to hear the roring of the Lion than to come into his paw and its better to hear of the dreadfullness of Damnation than to come under the sentence It s joyous to hear of Heaven but it s the fullress of joy to be invited to it wath a come ye blâ—ssed children of my Father receive the Kingarâ—â— prepared for you So its dreadfull to hear of Hell but it s the most terrible of terribles to be sentenred to it with go yee cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Divel and his Angels You have heard of the amiableness of Salvation to invite you hearken unto the dreadfullness of Damnation to affright you that either you may be drawn or driven to mind the things that belong unto your peace the rule that we proposed was ingentia beneficia ingentia flagitia great mercies abused do aggravate sin and make it sinfull with a witness And now the remainder of it is ingentia flagitia ingentia supplicia those haynous sinns do pull down punishnent with a vengance that sin with a hard heart doth call and cry for judgement with a high hand Now though this be not expressed totidem verbis in express words in the Text