now he hears John gladly and he greedily catches at all the sweet promises which John dropt at any time to such as did obey the truth saying in his heart These are mine and this made him hear with delight Thus the stony ground received the word with joy which must needs arise from some promises misapplyed and some good laid hold on which did not belong to them whereby they apprehended that their condition vvas much advanced they rejoyced in the Heaven and happinesse which the promises held forth to the Saints which they could not do unlesse they had believed them but they were unwilling to go thorow a believers hell to his Heaven therefore in time of persecution they fell away hence it is that some are said to have tasted of the powers of the world to come Heb. 6.5 that is they are convinc'd of the excellent priviledges of the Saints both in this life and especially in that to come as that they shall have communion with God the Father Son and Spirit with Angels and all the Saints They may be perswaded of the excellent state of the Saints then in respect of the glory which shall be put upon their souls and bodies their freedome fâ—om evil and the accession of all good things Now though they have not a true taste of these priviledges and they know not what grace is and the pleasure of communion with God is yet they being perswaded that such things are having found a joy in their false hopes and counterfeit graces which they have judged to be soretastes of Heaven they have been sorc'd to acknowledge that this false joy was yet better then all the pleasures of their sins and hence they have been strongly perswaded of the truth of Gods promises made to his people though they do not belong to them this is the case of many men who by the perswasions of the truth of the threats and promises do not learn to escape the one and to enjoy the other and they say under these perswasions as he did Luke 14.15 Blessed is he that shal eat bread in the kingdom of God yet themselves never come there VI. They may be perswaded of the sweetnesse of Gods ways and that those who follow him have their pleasure yea more pleasure then men can have in sin it is said therefore they received the word with joy Luke 8.13 and Isaiah 58.2 They delighted in approaching unto God hence it is said Heb. 6.5 That they tasted of the good word of God they tasted of the goodnesse of the word and having tasted it they accounted it good Now we know that the taste counts nothing good but that vvhich is sweet though other senses do count bitter things good for they may be beautiful and so good to the eye and fragrant so good to the smelling but the palate commends sweetness The carnal man may esteem the ways of God as pleasant First because the bare performance of some duties and reforming of some sins bath given much ease to conscience and hath procured much rest from the troubles with which they were before overwhelmed so that comparing their lives w th what they wâ—re before they do account the much more pleasant then when they lived in the height of sin because they had then many gripings of conscience which spoiled all their mirth now though they have but a false peace yet it is sweeter then their former life Secondly he accounts the ways of God sweet because he hath not only a cessation from his former troubles but he hath also many times a great presumption of Gods love and of the pardon of sin and of eternal life so that he is as it were wrapt up out of the body and perhaps in a fit out of the world that he can set a low esteem upon these also for a time Thirdly he esteems the ways of God sweet because he finds now an increase of knowledge and of gifts by exercising himself in them so that the knowledge that he gets under the word makes the word seem sweet unto him and he rejoyces in it Joh. 5.35 Knowledge is pleasant even of that which we do not love so that while this increaseth the soul is delighted Isa 58.2 they delighted in knowing but not in doing and as the word may feem sweet for the knowledge which is gotten by it so may prayer because of gifts and parts increased by it Thus he may be convinced of the sweetness of Gods ways so far that he is carried forth sometimes to prefer the ways of God before the ways of men and the people of God before the men of the world as Balaam was Numb 24.5 How goodly are thy tents O Jacob and thy tabernacles O Israel The Lord is pleased to shew carnal men that which they never enjoy yea they feel sometimes that which they soon forget They have some glances of the happiness which the Saints enjoy in communion with God though they have none with him yet some such workings there are sometimes upon hypocrites that they finde something which seems like it and brings them in much comfort which although it be not true and lasting yet it serves to convince them that there is a sweetnesse in the ways of God and they can say Blessed is he that is in such a case yea blessed is he whose God is the Lord upon all these accounts they are in the main perswaded there is a sweetness in the ways of the Saints though they do all the while mistake it and are strangers to that comfort which the Saints find in duties when they think they do enjoy them The ways of God themselves are not sweet but there is a sweetness squeezed out of them which refreshes them so that upon the whole they are satisfied in this that it is a more comfortable life all things considered to live in the strict performances of the godly then in the loose practises of the wicked yet these men that come thus far may not be altogether Christians 7ly They may be perswaded of things that are excellent and may be able to judg betwixt things that differ yea so far skill'd in the nature of things that they may be able to instruct others in spiritual matters they may have some insight into all the ways of God in which his people walk so that they may be able to direct the weak and quicken the dull yea and to set things out with some eminency Rom. 2.18 Knowing and approving the things that are more excellent being instructed out of the Law He may not onely see or shew what is a duty but the excellency of it by which he has the advantage of exciting others to it yea he â—â—ay not only shew how much more excellent grace and the exercise of it is then sin but if any grace more excellent or duty then other he may discern the respective and comparative excellency that is in one more then in another and yet have no true
the same in secret that they are in publick he wil take no notice of it Upon this account he would not know those Formalists mentioned Matth. 6.16 This vvil be enough to prove you to be but Christians in part in that you are not Christians in secret That a man is that he is when he is alone that which a man thinks of designes for and delights in most in private that shews vvhat a man is Thirdly some are perswaded to be Christians but not amongst all persons they will be good amongst the good but not amongst the evil they can swim down the stream vvith the godly but not up the stream like Peter they vvil professe vvhile they are amongst the Disciples that they vvil die with Christ but when they are amongst those that deny him they vvil not know the man They are not able to stand before the breath of a scorner one that scoffs at Religion beats them out of their profession How many be there that vvil professe Christ very far amongst professors where it is a credit to own God who yet vvil be ashamed of this when they fall amongst those who vvill reproach his vvays then either they joyn vvith the scorner and deny Christ or else stand still in a base neutrality and betray profession by their silence as if there were a guilt in it Thus Saul would be a Prophet amongst the Prophets but when he comes into his Family the evil spirit seizeth upon him but surely such as these will be found too light when they are weighed in the scales Observe that of our Saviour Mark 8.38 Whosoever shal be ashamed of me and of my words in that adulterous and sinful Generation of him also shall the son of man be ashamed when he cometh in the glory of his father with the blessed Angels Christ wil own those and those only who have owned him before wicked men before scoffers and scorners and such as labour to bring shame and contempt upon all that own God therefore says Christ it is not he that confesses me now and favours me secretly or openly before these who professe themselves followers of me and my word that shall then be countenanc'd if he be ashamed of me before those who labour to make all men ashamed of me Oh consider this you that would be accounted good amongst them that set an high esteem upon good men but if you meet with those that scoff aâ— goodness you are for them too you are silent at least when the ways and name and people of God are blasphemed or reproached especially if it be a friend or a customer or a great man then you must say as they say or at least say nothing to the contrary Remember what Christ hath said and how he wil look upon you as being the shame of profession and of his name when he comes in his glory how do you expect to be justified before all the world who dared not to be good in all places and all companies IV. Some are so far perswaded that they wil be Christians in respect of the whole visibility of profession but they wil not take up the power and spirituality of it they wil reform so far that they will cleanse the outside abstain from all visible ungodliness yea and take the form of godliness too as the Apostle mentions some who did so 2 Tim. 3.5 Having a form of godliness and yet they did deny the power that is they did refuse to stoop to the power of it there are two parts of Religion the form which is visible and lies open to men this consists in reforming the outward man the denying of ungodliness and worldly lusts this is the negative part It lies also in a performance of all those duties which come under the observation of others as hearing the Word reading conferring of it praying in the publick and in our families with a sober and unblameable conversation towards men All this a man may submit unto and yet be but almost a Christian For there is yet another part of Religion which is the very soul of it and this lies hid from the eyes of others and consists in two things principally First in the performance of secret duties as self-denial self-tryal and examination watchfulness over their hearts and thoughts mortifying of inward corruptions Secondly it consisteth in the frame and bent of the heart in these and all other duties towards God The main of Religion lies here in fearing and loving of God These are things which men may and do often omit and passe over who yet do embrace the whole body and outside of Godlinesse Praying Reading Hearing are but the Cabinet which contain this Jewel But godliness consisteth in a right and true disposition of the heart under these Now if Christianity did imply no more then most men conceive it doth if it were only an abstaining from gross and common pollutions of the world and taking up of all those duties which are commonly confest to be such by men professing themselves Christians they would be Christians altogether But the Lord will finde amongst those that perform the duties which make men visible Christians and submit to all his Ordinances many that are but almost Christians at the most and that upon this account because they never attended unto the spirituality of duties They prayed and heard the word received the Sacraments but they were carnal still their old hearts did continue their practices were changed but their principles and their interests were the same still their faces were turned but not their affections the one stood towards God but the other was toward some lust or other Fifthly Some would be Christians in all things till it come to the beloved sin till it come to profit and losse and when they are touched here they cry out The Lord pardon me in this one thing If the Minister press at any time upon men the necessity of an universal change they mistake it and think that by this universal we mean a general change that is a change in the greater and more visible part A leaving the greater number of known sins and a submitting to the greater number of known duties they think no rule so general but admits of some exceptions in particulars They think one sin may be reserved without prejudice to their closing with Christ and think they may hold fast enough with one hand upon him though they keep the other to take hold of sin and vanity If at any time they apprehend the truth as bent against the toleration of any sin and they see a necessity of parting with Dalilah or Heaven then they say This is a hard saying who can hear it They would willingly be followers of Christ if he would give them a dispensation for some things which they account but smal though the least sin is too bigg to lie with Christ in the heart How many do part with Christ upon this point when he
observing many of the commands of God and appeared very zealous in the prosecution of them but by that time we abate Jehu for his own interest and for the settlement of the kingdom in his own hand we shal find little left standing upon the account of obedience to the command yea when the Lord reckons up what Jehu had done by one of the Prophets with these deductions he cals not what he had done obedience or zeal for the Lord but murder Hos 1.4 such interpretations may those actions have which in themselves are good and carry a great appearance with them of obeying and honouring God when they are weighed with the dreggs or drosse of those false principles and ends which are with those that perform the same Con. 2 If you be not Christians in good earnest all that you do wil but aggravate your sins your complyance with God in some things wil not excuse but aggravate your breach with him in other things this wil bring your sins under other aggravating circumstances which other mens sins do not fal under your sins wil be judged hypocrisies in that they were under a profession and sins against knowledge in that they were under convictions and contempt of Christ and his ways in as much as Christ came so near to you in the word and yet you put him by Consid 3. you have the least or wil have the least to say for your selves of any people Of all men halters in Religion wil have the least excuse We find when the Prophet Elijah dealt with the children of Israel in this case they were all silent before him one man strikes a whole congregation dumb when he charges this sin upon them they who use to have their excuses and pleas at hand in all other cases have none in this 1 King 18.21 The people answered not a word Of all men in the world these wil be left without excuse and of all sins halting and lukewarmness wil appeare in their nakedness 4. You are the greatest dishonour to God of any people you dishonour the Father the Son and the Spirit for men look upon you as men serving and owning God and they judge of God and his worship by you First you dishonour the Father men have low thoughts of his maiesty and holiness when they see those who go under the notion of professors and owners of the ways of God to be slight and cold in his worship when they see the spirits of men that worship God cold in it and stinted and shut up in such and such a compasse of profession setting bounds to themselves this and that they wil do and no more Oh how can men think that the God whom you have to do withall is a holy God Oh the mean and base thoughts men do harbour of God from the beholding the luke-warme conversations of such half christians Secondly dishonour Christ and the gospel under which you live oh my friends is it not a reproach to Christ that it should be said This life which you live in is that life which Christ came to purchase for which he layd downe his life did Christ come to give life yea and abundance of life Iohn 10.10 and is this that life Is that life which many of us live who would be accounted partakers of the life of Christ like that life which Christ came to give the Evan gelist says we receive grace for grace from him but where is it when it is exercised Ah my freinds Christ is reproached in this when we cal and account that the life of Christ which is but an abomination to him Nay this is a reproach to the gospeltimes in which was promised a greater measure of grace to be poured forth and that God would give a more choice and excellent spirit to his people Zachary 12.10 But do not the low and lukewarm tempers of many pretended Christians bring mean thoughts upon the gospel and the times of it while they live much below the professors of religion in the times of the law 3. It is a reproach to the spirit of God whose office it is to sanctifie and renew the heart of his people what honour does the Scripture put upon this it cals it The beauty of holiness Psalm 110 3. as if there were no beauty but this Now what a vilifying of the spirit of God is it to set up a dead cold heartlesse profession without life and vigour instead of the sanctifying work of the Spirit of God as if we should say Loe this is all that the spirit works in the hearts of Gods people Doubtless it is from hence that men and women have such meane and low thoughts of sanctification because they see so little in the lives of those that profess it and many do believe that it is nothing but a pretence and a shadow and a notion taken up amongst men and if they do but go to Church sometimes and say their prayers and beleeve as the Church beleeves they are as much sanctified as any for they see no more in others then in themselves but that some can talk more then they Thus I say the Father the Son and the Spirit they are all vilified and all by reason of those who cal themselves christians but are not and if there be a woe to that man by whom offences come then much more woe to those men by whom all these offences come Cons 5. You are the greatest blots to religion in the world All the Apostasies of Professors which have hardened many mens hearts against Religion have risen from the midst of you There was never an Apostate in the world but he was first a luke-warm professor Look to all the gross and damnable errors which have broken forth and the horrible Apostasies which have been from the profession of the truth and they sprung up amongst those who have been halters with God Some that have seemingly and in part received the truth but have not received it in the love of it These are the people which God hath given up to strong delusions and are swept away vvith abominable errors and these have fallen away in time of temptation because they were not rooted and grounded in the truth but there was never any one did Apastatize and fal away wholly and fully from the truth that was altogether a Christian If you would not be Apostates from the truth pray that your hearts may be sound in the statutes of the Lord Ps 119.80 Consid 6. You are men upon whom the Devil hath the greatest advantage of any men in the world he chooses you out as instruments to carry on all his great works and to further his grand designes in the world by your help it is that he manages all the affairs of his kingdom it is a dreadful thing to think that you should be the chief pillars of Satans throne he choses not out the prophane because they are too gross they wil be easily