Pass-over but they made nothing of the greatest moral pollution that could be of falsly accusing the most innocent person and prosecuting him to the death this they made nothing of and so they scrupled not to give thirtie pieces of Silver as a price for Jesus Christ that they might bring him to death but when they had done they would not cast it into the Treasury The Papists they make much ado it is a grievous offence to violate one of their fasting daies enjoyned by the Pope but to murther Christian Princes under the notion of Hereticks they make nothing of that this is the condition of many a poor creature Mint Annice and Cummin they must tythe these externals and ceremonials a Gnat they strain at but a Camel they can swallow 3. Another thing in their obedience is this an hypocrite he can be contented to take up the easie part of Christianity ordinarily but not the difficult that which is more inward and laborious they can come to heaâ— the word to confer with the people of God to receive c. But the inward part the great duty of self-examination alas they are strangers to it that high duty of spiritual contemplation that of keeping their hearts with all diligence because out of it are the issues of life this they are strangers to they cannot down with these things to forgive injuries from their brethren this is a hard duty to love their enemies yea to love them that think meanly of them despise them as well as those that think more highly of them this is no easie duty here the hypocrite will give others leave to take up this part ordinarily truly Brethren Search and see is it not so with some of us 4. Another consideration is this An hypocrite maketh not Jesus Christ his last end he doth all for self-ends Who do seem to be more Religious then the great Questionists of the times usually yet the Apostle tels us if they consent not to the wholsom words even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Doctrine which is according to godliness he is proud knowing nothing doting about Questions and strife of words whereof cometh envy strife railings evil su 〈…〉 isin 〈…〉 and perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth supposing that gain is godliness there is the root of all this Brethren of all this zeal and contention supposing that gain is godliness was not this the argument whereby the Devil would have proved Job an hypocrite if thou touch all he hath he will curse thee doth he serve thee for nought he hath self-ends in it O surely brethren if our hearts condemn us and tell us We work for our penny in the Vineyard of the Lord we serve for our penny it is not right it may be we may pretend the glory of God and may seem to take a right aim for God and for Christ but like a deceitful bow we turn aside and have somewhat else in our eye that setteth the wheels awork when the glory of Christ will not O this is gross hypocrisie So those in Mat. 7. they prophesied in the name of Christ but not for his name but for themselves and though a child of God may be pestered with such thoughts creeping in upon him yet he suffers them not to lodge with him but whippeth them and giveth them their pass he mourns under them prayeth for pardon of them and healing and subduing of them 5. Another thing is touching the conflict which the soul may have with sin How may we know whether that be right or no An hypocrite may have some regret doubtless in sinning until he hath hardened his conscience so by custom that he is past feeling Do but mind these two things 1. Where the quarrel lies where the battle is fought Is it between the understanding the judgement or the conscience convinced and the will or is it between the will and the will the affections and the affections the former may be in an hypocrite the other is not Peter had this conflict between his will and will he should be carried whether he would not that is to say to be martyred Why then if he were altogether unwilling how could he be a Martyr No he was willing and yet unwilling there is a lusting of the Spirit and a lusting of the flesh it is not for nothing that the Holy-Ghost expresseth it in those terms he doth not say the spirit judgeth one thing and the flesh lusteth after another but there is lusting on both sides the flesh against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and those two are contraries and they are in the will and affections and therefore as contraries they must needs fight until one be subdued the Apostle saith with his mind he served the Law of God and with his flesh the Law of sin but mind there is not meant the understanding as distinct from the will as sometimes it is understood but it is understood of the regenerate part set in opposition to the corrupt part in the soul and the one fighting against the other so that the things we would do we cannot do many times Consider then Is it thus with thee carnal affection carryeth thee out this way but thou hast not only a judgement to the contrary but thy affections and will carryeth thee to the contrary and thou art not alway overcome but ordinarily prevailest O this is a sign of an upright heart 2. Consider in this conflict also another thing Whether you â—e not treacherous alway holding on the side of sin So an hypocrite will be he hath some regret against sin its true but yet he favours it and would willingly excuse for it palliate and plead for it and O how glad such a man is when he hath but any Scripture that will seem to make for it that he may have but liberty for his lust as a covetous man O how he is more then ordinarily pleased with those Scriptures which seem to make for it and such a man holds in with sin and will not come to the light but hates it is willingly ignorant of some things libenter ignorantur ut liberius peccent Is it thus with us brethren believe it if it be we have cause to fear all is not right with us we are unsound at the heart and though we may go far yet the end will be rottenness Again lastly See to it whether we love anything else more then Christ If House or Land or Father or Mother or nearest relations or life it self more then Christ we are hyporcites sure and this is a thing will not be so easily known specially by such as with â—eter denyed him being ashamed of him it may be upon a slight account O happy is he that can afterwards say as Peter Lord thou knowest all things thou knowest I love thee though I dealt so unkindly and unfaithfully with
people Fifthly There is another part of bondage under a slavish obedience that is to say such an obedience to the Law of God as nothing but a slavish fear is the principle of it and truly this puts on men to do many things they know it is written Cursed is he that continueth not in every thing that is written in the book of the Law to do it Now this sticks with the poor soul God requireth me to love him with all my heart with all my soul with all my strength and if I do not I am cursed therefore now he buckles a little to it as far as such terrors will carry him but alas he is not able to do it like a slave that doth his task while his Master stands over him with a rod or because he is sure to be beaten if he do it not not out of any love to the Master nor to his service at all what a grievous bondage is this Let but any Apprentice that hath a hard Master whom he serveth meerly out of fear as the Egyptians did their task because if they did them not they must be beaten and this maketh the yoke very heavy and uneasie also it pincheth exceedingly Now when the Lord Jesus cometh to a soul he breaks this yoke the Law genders to bondage the curse of it hath the very seeds of bondage in it Now I say when the Lord Jesus cometh ariseth upon a soul letteth him see that he hath undertaken for him not only the curse of the Law being made a curse but hath set his love upon him hath paid all the debt will take him to be his son no more as a servant O now when the soul beginneth to be sensible his condition is changed that he is a Son and now hath not a cruel hard Master to serve but a Father that will pity and spare where he falleth short of his duty let him do his best this doth much facilitate the work maketh the yoke easie and the burden light his Commandments are no more so grievous to the soul as they were before Now the Law of Christ is a perfect Law of Liberty to him before it was a Law gendring bondage for alas before it was only preached to the ear and that under the penalty of such a curse now it is written in the heart now there is an eccho in the soul resounding Thy will Lord will I do when he speaks any thing as the Law of love was upon the heart of Christ in the work of our Redemption now his Law is in our hearts and therefore we delight to do his will in some measure I delight in the Law of God after the inward man as the Apostle saith as a Servant it may be for a while under his Master hardly used yet afterward he changeth his manner of dealing with him offers him great immunities it may be to be of a Servant Son in Law to the King O now the Servant will be bored he will now become a willing servant and not be dragged to obedience by terrors and fears any more but willingly yieldeth up his members weapons of righteousness to holiness now the service is hearty and free his people shall be a willing people in the day of his power O saith the Apostle Ye were the servants of sin but now thanks be to God ye have from the heart obeyed the form of doctrine delivered to you from the heart that is to say out of love it cannot else well be from the heart for whom we dread with a slavish fear we hate and while the soul looks upon God as such a Judge as a cruel Master and his Law a cruel bloody Law nothing but blood and ruine to them that come not up unto it there is a hatred of God it is impossible to love him or his service and then the service such a man doth it is not from the heart a man may serve sin and yet do some service to God out of a slavish fear as most unbelievers do therefore they pray and therefore they read and therefore they do many things and yet serve sin but they never obey from the heart until this work be done the Law of love be written in their souls now you shall go forth you shall obey no more out of fear but out of love this is a Fifth Sixthly From the terrors and fears before a mans conversion which usually seize upon the creature in order to it for truly before the Lord hath to do with our hearts we are so dead asleep with the opium of sin that there must be somewhat to rouse us to awaken us usually there is a spirit of bondage which works fear and dread and terror in the soul that is to say when the Spirit of Christ breathing in the Commandment maketh sin appear to be sin exceeding sinfull and opens some of the terrors which sin doth breed in it witnesseth to the poor creature that he is in a state of condemnation that there is no way but one with him O now the soul beginneth to be amazed and startled and knoweth not what to do this runs him to the heart he had many afflictions and troubles in the flesh before never any came so near as this and no marvel because the Spirit of Jesus Christ hath wounded him at the very heart Brethren the Law of God is as I may say an Habeas Corpus or rather Animam apprehends or claps up a soul as I may say puts him in prison and therefore the Apostle useth that expression mind you the Scripture hath concluded all under sin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath shut us up together all concluded under one prison in one dungeon that the promise which is of Faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe but before Faith came we were kept under the Law I pray you minde it we were kept as in a Garrison as the Learned interpret it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and again 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being shut up together unto the Faith which should afterward be revealed it is just as it is with a Prince he proclaimeth Pardon to all his Rebellious Subjects but withall he sendeth out his Messengers his Pursuivants to apprehend throw in prison keep under Bolts and Shakles as many of them as he can apprehend this is not contrary to his mercy nor proclamation of Pardon but in order to it subordinate to it that so his Pardon offered might be accepted they might sue for it So it is here the Law doth thus shut up a soul as I may say as when there is an High-way open for a man to walk in but he will go another way there it is hedged up at last he is so hedged in he cannot tell which way in the world to get out again O then if he could but finde the open way he would go in it So it is in this case the Lord maketh
in the flesh or a greedy wen devours all the strength and yet will by no means let the poor sinner go free Fourthly It is a growing bondage the longer a man continueth in it the faster he is held with the snares and bonds of his sins in the transgression of an evil man there is a snare saith Solomon and every act of sinning doth fasten the snare so much the more upon the soul with bands of iron and brass yea of adamant the longer they are in this dark and filthy dungeon the deeper they sink into the mire and clay where there is no standing the heart groweth more hard through the deceitfuluess of sin O the cup of delights is a bewitching cup and the more a man drinketh of it the more he may every drop of oyl you cast upon the flame maketh it the harder to be quenched every act of sinning doth strengthen the habit as in all other cases and dispose a man so much the more strongly incline him to the same sin again and so there is so much the more ado to get the heart off from these lusts there is many a poor sinner among us I believe can speak by experience what a miserable bondage it is and what a growing bondage it is the further a man goeth in it he goeth still further into the prison binds the yoak upon his neck so much the harder and closer insomuch that a gray-headed-sinner you shall seldom see recovered out of the snare of the Devil though sometimes we may This the fourth Fifthly it is so durable a bondage that it abides in part even where a soul is brought under the command of another principle it doth continue in a great part in many a gracious heart as in this place of the Apostle I am carnal and sold under sin he saith not he was but he is carnal that is to say in part as those in that first to the Corinthians are you not carnal that is to say hath not the flesh a great sway with you when you are so divided and full of strife and emulation and one for Paul and another for Apollo c. and therefore the Apostle did walk heavily under the sense of the chains which were upon him not altogether shakt off O wretched man who shall deliver me I am carried captive by a Law in my members to the Law of sin O strange that in the Apostle so sanctified so mortified a creature yet the Law in his members should have such a strength as this is to carry him captive though the spirit do lust against the flesh yet the flesh doth lust against the spirit so that they cannot do the things they would they are under bondage in part though notunder the reign of sin yet it usurpeth and tyranizeth and laies its commands upon a poor believing soul as if he were altogether his own sin will not let go its hold altogether but if it lose the Cittadel the Tower the chief Fort the Will yet it will lurk in some of the out-works still if it lose the heart it will hold by the heel still and hang about us that we cannot walk at liberty in the waies of his Commandments Sixthly The reward to the service and bondage of sin what is it but bondage upon bondage you have heard how many sad Concomitants there are of this bondage of sin doth it not subject to the curse to the wrath of God it is not only an unprofitable service what fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed that is to say what good had ye by them ye are now ashamed of them that is the reward as you see in the case of Adam it laid him open and naked before the Lord both without covering for the shame and without defence against his displeasure now he wanted somewhat in stead of his innocency to skreen him from the everlasting burnings or the presence of God who is a consuming fire yea the wages of these things is death whose end is destruction saith the Apostle whose glory is in their shame whose God is their belly who mind earthly things a man will hardly believe this that the savouring of earthly things is so dangerous a service being so pleasing as it is to men alas you little think what you do you have heard some of you how many evils do attend it you little know what wounds you get a wound and dishonour shall he get and his reproach shall not be wiped away this is nothing to the wound of the conscience O what pains sinners are at to store up gun-powder at last to blow up their comforts and their souls and all would you not think it a sad servitude where a master should delight in nothing but the cruel wounding and goring of a mans self this is nothing indeed to the service of sin you will one day find sinners the truth of this whether you will believe it now or no that sin is big with terrours and fears and amazement that sin doth nothing but wound the soul the conscience though you feel it not for the present many and many that have been as sensless as many of us are that yet at last mourned and said O how is my flesh and my body consumed O what a wretch was I to serve sin to lay out my self for sin that now hath nothing but woe and misery nothing but racks and woundings to reward me with O what a reward is it Brethren to pass fro m the chains of your sins here to those everlasting chains of darkness Se venthly and lastly it is inextricable as to our selves we cannot open the prison doors nor loosen our fetters the cords of our sins wherewith we are held and bound over as I may say to Judgement O I know the poor creature specially when his eyes are open to see what a condition he is in will be making many an attempt sometimes to break prison sometimes to loose his bonds but it will not be O what resolutions and vows you shall have many a sinner make specially after a passion in their spirits when their eyes are a little open O they will never return to their folly any more and it is the next thing they do O the bands of our own making are too slender to pull a poor creature out of the mire and clay they all break even as a thread of Tow when it cometh to the fire and there the poor soul sticks no nor is it the prayers nor tears of our own that can do it for you shall see and haply some of us know it by experience though it be wonderful to see a man pray and sin and weep and sin mourn and sin go on in the same course of sinning a long time some of our souls I believe know this we pray and are not willing to be delivered as Aug. did and so mourn upon the sight of the grievousness of a
in the Gospel inculcate this upon the Disciples fear not him that can kill the body but fear him that killeth soul and body And so if ye live after the flesh ye shall dye but if by the Spirit ye mortifie the deeds of the flesh ye shall live these threatnings surely would not have been written to Believers except they were to make some use of them to be as an awe upon their spirits to keep them from sinning to be a quickning to their souls Now on the other hand it is true that there ought not to be in us such a fear as to distract us to drive us from to weaken our Spirits to disable us from duty to cloud and drown all our delight in his waies to blot out our apprehensions of his loveliness and compassion and bowels so as to beget hard thoughts in our hearts of God which will produce hatred of him such a fear ought not to be in us and though there may be a spice of it sometimes even in the best when they are not themselves yet this is not the prevailing principle in the soul but an holy fear of offending him which ariseth from a mixture of love towards him and holy reverence and awe of him and of his Majesty and Greatness and truly Brethren this is no enemy to spiritual liberty But I must not dwell so long upon things But secondly the main thing that I know most troubles a gracious heart is that he finds himself so much under the power of sin O I find not this freedom this liberty you speak of I am a wretch then under the power of my corruptions O the sad complaints to Christians to men continually from some poor disconsolate souls and to speak a little for their consolation if the Lord breath in it First Brethren you must know this that as sin hath had a time of settling and rooting there will be a time of unsettling it thou art of yesterday it may be and dost thou think to be so free the first day as they that have many years been wresting and fighting and praying and fasting and mourning and believing down their lusts This is a great mistake it is infinite mercy that thou hast thy hands let loose and thy feet out of the mire and clay and that thou art set upon a Rock that thou hast now a standing and liberty to fight thou must not expect a liberty from fighting and conflicting with sin while thou art in the flesh mind you the Apostles two or three verses of the same Epistle to the Romans he saith the Law of the Spirit of life the powerful working of the Spirit of life hath set him free from the Law of sin and death and yet a few verses before O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of sin and death thou groanest under the burthen whereby it appears thou art delivered in a great part thou art willing to be freed and when the will is disintangled the man is free in a great part Secondly Brethren know this for your comfort that your labour is not in vain striving against sin fighting with it you are sure to overcome though sin lie hard upon you you shall overcome it First the Lord he is able to break all the bonds if he will deliver Peter out of prison what shall hinder his chains shall fall from his hands the Iron-gates shall open of their own accord before him nothing shall be able to hold them It was somewhat hard for Israel to believe that they should be delivered out of Egypt and somewhat a strange Message of Moses at the first even as one should be sent to the great Turk to tell him the God of the Christians commands him to let them go but God tells him and them that he is that he is I am hath sent me the great God who is being it self and from himself he is what he is he is able to destroy the Egyptians dost thou believe this that he can subdue thine iniquities thy strong impetuous violent lusts Secondly then he will do it he heard Israel groaning under bondage and came down to deliver them he remembered his Covenant it was his faithfulness Brethren that brought him out the self-same day the Lord delivered them and the Lord will keep time to a day with thee that groanest under this bondage if thou werâ— but humbled if it had done its work upon thee for that and such like ends he would not suffer sin to prevail upon thee any longer for he letteth not lusts loose upon a soul to woorry it but to humble it make it out of love with sin to drive it to himself to make it for ever cleave closer to him now there is promise upon promise for this you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free he speaks this to his Disciples who did already know it in part know himself the truth the way and the life and the truth in opposition to shadows grace and truth came by Jesus Christ and it shall make you free how many promises are there as in the text therefore surely he will do it Now what an encouragement it is to fight when we are sure to overcome yea to endure hardship in this conflict But thirdly consider it is the very office of Jesus Christ the work which he received of his Father is to destroy the works of the Devil to destroy strong holds to lead captivity captive therefore he came into the world if it had not been for such poor creatures as are under bondage there had been no need of Christ he came to give himself a ransom for many and to preach deliverance to them and the opening of the prison to them that are bound you have heard already and therefore he was annointed of his Father and received the Spirit that he might set open the prison doors Now poor burthened souls if any such whose body ofsin and death presseth them down sore and they walk heavily goâ— to him spread your condition before him put him in mind wherefore he came into the world to set open the prison to loose the prisoners and thou hast an infirmity and haply been bound with it many years beseech him to exercise his Office towards thy poor soul the Lord loveth to hear his people earnest and importunate to plead it thus with him but if thou canst not yet be sure he will do the work which his Father hath given him to do and what is that but to set at liberty such prisoners as thou art that groan under the burthen and bondage of their lusts Fourthly Consider how pittiful a heart he bears to his people labouring under corruption when we are weak it may be sometimes the spirits of a poor creature are spent in labour in other services and he thinketh he should be as lively then as at another time but it is not likly so to be
that have the name of Christians and yet altogether neglect the honest and harmless conversation among men and are altogether taken up with some small duties of Worship and shews of Religion as the Proverb hath it Angels in the Church and Devils in the House Devils in their Callings such were the Idolatrous Iews the Prophets with one voyce do testifie against them for this thy cried The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord are these c. but considered not that they made this Temple of the Lord a Den of Thieves a Sanctuary to defend them a cover and cloak for their wickedness and so the Prophet again This people draw near me with their mouths honour me with their lips but are far from me and the conversation also which answers more to their hearts then to their lips it is the very counterpane of their hearts usually 〈◊〉 this an exact circumspect walking do you think thus to impose upon the holy one of Israel doth not he regard think you what your dealings are between man man and how you carry it in your Families in your Shops as well as in the publike altogether this is very reproof worthy our Saviour thought it so and all the Prophets thought it so and O that he would speak this to every carnal Gospellers heart this day Again secondly There are others that are all for morality and honesty of conversation they give every one their own they are not injurious they are no extortioners with the Pharisee they are no drunkards but for the worship of God they know nothing what it meaneth to worship in Spirit and truth this is not an exact walking with God these things you should do and not leave the other undone else you follow not God fully indeed there is many a Moralist that is rather an Atheist then a Christian but I will not stand upon this Pour out thy c. Again thirdly There are a sort that neither fear God not reverence man and yet will not indure but to be called Christians for the worship of God if they come at it in the publike there are their bodies but their hearts are gone they come to see and be seen to mind faces and fashions and so sin and trifle away the Ordinances of God in their houses nothing but hellishness all their words full of deceit and poyson their accents are oaths it is all the emphasis and grace they think of their speech their lives what are they but rottenness and fraud and pride and over-reaching they have no regard to right or wrong good report or evil report all actions are alike to them being past feeling and under a reprobate sence they cannot judge of good or evil but call evil good and good evil Is this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to walk uprightly exactly Ah surely brethren if it be exactness it is of the devils coyning when men teach their tongues to speak falsly as in Shops many do and make nothing of it and teach their hands to work deceit and wickedness this is to walk exactly with the devil to walk as other Gentiles do whose hearts the God of this world doth mightily work to their own destruction the Lord rebuke this power of sin where ever it is Again It may serve to reprove another sort and those are they who are so far from walking circumspectly or exactly that there is nothing more the object of their scorn and contempt then this it is the drunkards song as David was and so preciseness and strictness of walking is ordinary the world cannot bear the burning and shining conversations of some of the Saints they are so cuttingly reproved by them that with those Heathens they curse the Sun that by its shining doth scorch them It is no new thing the seed of the Serpent did alway persecute the seed of the Woman and he that was born after the flesh persecuteth him that was born after the Spirit even so it is now saith the Apostle and so it is now may we say Ismael mocked Isaac and is it not so still or if it be not so bold a sin as formerly it is because the times not sinners hearts are changed they malign them still watch for their halting report say they and we will report it well remember this you that are scorners at strictness and circumspect and exact walking with God you are set down in in the scorners chair the Lord be mercifull to you for few that arrive to that pitch and take up their rest in sin that are therein setled are brought on to Christ you are the Ring leaders in the way which leads to destruction this is another The next Use then shall be a word of Exhortation to us all If it be a duty so much lying upon us then to buckle our selves to it to walk exactly O see to it I charge you all and the Lord lay the charge upon mine own soul as you will ever lift up your faces without spot and with comfort at the day of your summons and appearing before the Judgement seat so walk circumspectly I know none of our hearts but they do or may accuse us of much unevenness in our walking do you know it brethren and will you dare to continue in it I may not descend to particulars but do not your hearts smite you for looseness of spirit towards God hanging back often neglecting shuffling and cutting with God putting him off with any thing and is not this a cursed thing to do Gods work negligently to bring a female when he have a male doth not your hearts smite you for this you do not take heed to your ways lest you sin with your tongues there is much falshood therein lightness and foolishness if not poyson and destruction there nor to your feet they make haste to vanity you shun not occasions of sin as you would an infected person or family O surely if it were not so an importunate duty the Apostle would not so charge it upon Christians that make Christianity their business to walk so exactly but a little to move us to it I will add some few Considerations and then some words â—f Direction which you may look upon as an Appendix of this Use or else as a distinct Application of this Point First Motive Consider that the way wherein you walk is all overspred with snares and nets to trap you and that your ways 1. To trap you in sin 2. To trap you for sin First To trap you in sin had not the Bird need to he wary and heedfull and make good use of her sences to discover where she may light without danger when every place is full of Limetwigs is there an hook under every fair baite and had not the fish need to take heed how she biteth or nibleth lest she be taken this is the case there is a truth and a great one in it there is nothing we
ever is required I will give if I must take flesh an infinite condescention I will do it as if a Prince should say if I must be cloathed with rags yea with clods yea with worms I will rather then I will go without such a poor worm to be my spouse If I must part with my dearest blood and extend it to the last drop I will Ask me any Dowry yea if I must give my self for them who am God and equal with thee as well as afterward man I will do it my kingdom for them my glory for them my blood for them O brethren the Lord Jesus is worth a hundred thousand worlds well he will buy us he hath done it at a dear rate Indeed David bought Michal at a dear rate by the death of the Philistims and afterward two hundred foreskins of the Philistins it pleased him well what is this brethren If David must have parted with his life for her have been so much debased as to have lived a poor despised contemptible life for her a hâ—wer of wood or drawer of water or ground at a Mill or to have been as Job continually a man of sorrows and upon the dunghil this had been somewhat but nothing to this of Jesus Christ Satan was there spouse bought at so low a rate as the Church of Christ was I have read of some that must not marry a woman until they had killed an enemy and other until they had killed or overcome their Corrivals and happily this might be hard But the Lord Jesus he must grapple with his Corrival the Law the former Husband as the Apostle cals it as it is the strength of sin and slay that and take away the Curse break the commanding power the streaming power of the Law before he could take us to be his And so he must grapple with principalities and powers and spoyl them and lead captivity captive scatter him in his temptations break him in his policies undermine him in his depths and methods over-power him in his malice he must destroy all these enemies Yea more then all this the wrath of his father that was against us and against which there was no standing he must interpose and screen us from it and O! How it scorched him though he quenched it As the Passeover was roasted in the fire so the Lord Jesus our Passeover was even roasted alive in the displeasure of his Father 3. Then he cometh a wooing for when all this is done brethren we are unwilling it may be to have him are well contented to continue with our former Husband to be yet under the Law and the commanding power of sin and see no such beauty in him as to desire him nor any such freedom and comfort in being one with him as to desire that Yea if we be convinced a little of this yet happily our wills or hearts are not towards him and therefore he is fain to wâ—o us when all is done himself came in the days of his flesh and what was his work before his suffering but to wooe poor creatures to accept of him How did he wooe the woman of Samaria If thou hadst known saith he the Gift of God thou wouldst have asked him insinuating there was more in him then she yet saw as appeared when he told her her sins what they had been How often would I have gathered thee Jerusalem Jerusalem saith he O I have been ready to spread my Skirts over you but you would not Sometimes intreating sometimes lamenting their condition sometimes displeased at the hardness of their hearts It is much for a King to come a wooing himself a great King They use to send as David to Abigail Abraham to Rebecca but here he cometh himself a long journey from Heaven to Earth and contented to take on him the form of a servant that we might not be dazled with his glory and no pains doth he refuse How did he go up and down on foot until he was weary Blessed Saviour he was weary at the well there by Samaria and all was that he might everywhere wooe and intreat poor creatures to accept of him And 2 not onely by himself but by his Messengers now he is in his glory now he sends by his Messengers to this end You see Abraham his servant went to take a wife for Isaac and David his servants went to Abigail So brethren do the Messengers of Jesus Christ his paranymphs or pronubi They speak now a good word for Jesus Christ so the Apostle I have espoused you saith he to one Husband Such are friends of the Bridegoom as John was that did what he could to bring the people to Jesus Christ even the people of the Jews and would fain have had all the people to close with him But 4. In this espousal to Jesus Christ we are to consider several things what is done 1. By the spirit he is indeed the great wooer He is sent forth to convince of righteousness and of sin the burthen of the work lyes upon the Spirit and happy it is for us that it doth so for how fruitless would our endeavours be to you else brethren we might spend our selves and be spent and when all is done complain We have spent our strength in vain for Israel is not gathered How sad for you How uncomfortable for us No no the great perswader is the Spirit he cometh and he openeth the eyes and then the poor soul seeth O he is aere alieno obrutuâ— so deep indebted to the Justice of God that whatever he can do or suffer to pay it eternity is little enough to pay it in O now for a Husband now how happy a creature should I be if some that were able to bear the debt would discharge it would take it up for her He then insinuates somewhat further and convinceth of Righteousness that there is enough in Christ if we owed a thousand Talents more O then that I had it saith the poor soul O he is willing he is willing saith the Spirit therefore he is Preached to every creature Thus if this Arm of the Lord were not revealed our report of Christ would never be believed But what then do the Ministers do Yea their word the word of Faith which they preach it is the vehiculum Spiritus It is that wherein the Spirit breatheth It is the spirit brethren ordinarily in the Law which convinceth of sin or the Gospel preached legally as the great aggravation of mens sins and it is the spirit in the Gospel preached Evangelically as that which holds forth a ransom a propitiation for sinners whereby the Spirit convinceth of righteousness Where as in a glass the Spirit of Christ doth hold out The beauty excellency love and loveliness of the Lord Jesus which is most transcendent and ravishing to the soul that seeth it but a little more particularly then 1. The Spirit by their word ordinarily not excluding other
The people of God which are wise to salvation as well as foolish formal professors are lyable to slumber and sleep the best men and women are lyable to it That the Saints may fall into slumbering and sleeping when they had most need to be awake as you see in this case Happily I may handle them distinctly if I see it may not be too tedious For the first that the best of the Saints such as are wise to salvation yet may slumber and sleep I think there needeth not much to be said by way of confirmation you see this is plainly the heart of the Parable we have in hand or else I know not what it is Jonah you know he was fast asleep in the side of the ship it was bodily sleep indeed but it was an effect of this spiritual sleep that was upon him his graces were now sleeping his fear of God against whom he had sinned in running away from him and his self-denyal these were asleep and made him so secure that though they were in a storm he feared it not as a drunkard that sleepeth upon the top of a Mast in greatest danger and seeth it not nor so much as dreameth of it and it is thought by some also that Zachary that good Prophet who had so many visions from the Lord that he was drowsie and sleepy notwithstanding more then was meet his mind as well as his body but there shall be no question made of the Disciples they were the best of men then alive they were first chosen out of the world the world is a wilderness they were as a garden inclosed therefore the best considered in respect of others and yet you find how often our Saviour endeavours to stir them up to watchfulness What I say to you I say to all watch watch and pray And how much in these chapters surely it argues they were lyable to sleep they were prone to it else that lesson would not have rung so much in their ears Or would David have come over so often with that quicken me O Lord according to thy word quicken me according to thy word but that he found himself going napping and nodding But if we will go to the Christian of Christians the flower in the garden inclosed there were three Disciples that were favourites it seemeth that the Lord Jesus took with him as witnesses of his transfiguration before and now to his passion and Agony yet notwithstanding these favourites when they should watch with Christ they fall asleep their souls were asleep in a great part and therefore their bodies also were asleep However our Saviour saith the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak the spirit is in part weak and unwilling else if perfect it would have kept them awake there is a willingness and unwillingness and for an act the unwillingness may prevail against the willingness as in this case Peter should be carryed whether he would not and yet sure he would there his willingness prevailed but I will not stand any longer onely note you here brethren one thing farther is this that they fell asleep the second time and the third time after they had been reproved for it again and again and that sharply that they had nothing to say they knew not what to say saith the Evangelist and yet they fell to it again if these were so apt to fall asleep sure then much more such poor weaklings as we are in comparison of them Well then if any one further enquire What this slumbring and sleeping is By slumber and sleep I understand brethren the unbending the bow of our souls as sleep is a cessation of the animal actions of a living creature by the obstructon of the animal spirits by the abundance of vapours ordinarily there are some other cases but this is not so much for our purpose Slumbring is when there is a little shorter failing or cessation of the actions of a living creature when the senses are binding as I may say but they break through it and so awaken the person doth there is a double principle in man in every child of God I mean there is a corrupt and regenerate part there is flesh and spirit as you have it in that of our Saviour the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak the flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh this flesh this corrupt part we may not unfitly brethren resemble to the vapours that continually arise from the stomach toward the head And the Spirit to the Nerves the instruments of action the graces of the spirit are the nerves of the spirit indeed and by some of them as by the nerves the continual supplies of grace and fulness of Christ the head where the fulness of the animal spirits are is communicated to all the parts to the strengthening of all graces that is to say by our faith Now this being so I take it then a man slumbers and sleeps When his corrupt part doth either with a less or a thicker steam of lusts seize upon as I may say and hinder the graces of the spirit from doing their work from acting specially that grace of faith which indeed doth derive from the head Jesus Christ the spirits lively influences therefore not unfitly is corruption compared to wet moorish places a moorish â—ennish heart that is full of such corruption or a body full of such humors you know is much more sleepy then another Well then to bring it to an issue when sin so fully prevails over us as to damp the graces of the spirit either for a shorter time it being quickly dispelled there is a slumbring or for a longer time there is a sleeping aliquando bonus dormit at Homerus So that brethren when ever we are called to act any grace of the spirit and we do it not though it be but for an act that is as I may say a slumbring though you may quickly recover your selves If it be for more acts or continue any time it is a sleep Thomas his faith was asleep he would not believe his unbelief prevailed much seized upon his faith bound it as I may say and so ignorance and blindness prevailing over the understanding But for faith methinks that is plain When the son of man cometh whether it be to that general day or any particular day of avenging his people shall be find faith upon the earth faith in act to believe this alas people will be asleep their faith surprized and so for love which is another grace it is prophesied of the latter times the love of many shall wax cold the Church of Ephâ—sus had lost her first love she was fallen asleep this is the active grace faith works by it now this action ceased as in a man asleep his members languish and hang down and are not fit for any action so their love waxed cold And so when instead of a holy
must needs perish God will not be merciful to them Isa 27. He hath a controversie because there is no knowledge of God in the Land Hos 4. and where no vision is the people perish they perish for want of knowledge which cometh by vision and yet it is not knowledge alone will stand them instead the Devils are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that for their knowledge and yet are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for their malice thou mayst have enough then to light thy Lamp and yet have no Oyl in thy vessel remember this Secondly A Hypocrite may have not only knowledge but his affections may be stirred also he may be warmed in the Lamp before it be extinguished there was heat as well as light Some have light without heat such are meer notions others have heat without knowledge and this is not good so far but the Hypocrite he may have light and he may have heat and affection also and yet be a foolish Virgin when all is done Let me speak a little to some affections among many others which they may have As 1. They may have sorrow for sin being convinced of it and what it exposeth them unto How doth Darius when he had signed the Decree against Daniel and his kingdom lay at stake his people would rebel if he executed not the Decree he laboured to deliver him he was sorry for what he had done and he could not rest nor sleep that night and early in the morning cometh with a lamentable tone to him O Daniel servant of the living God art thou yet alive There may be a spirit of bondage to fear or witnessing to a man that he is in a condemned state which is not succeeded with a Spirit of Adoption Sinners you may have your Consciences so galled sometimes with the Law that you cannot rest but cry out of sin O sin sin what a bitter thing is sin yea so far may this sorrow prevail that it may make you vomit up your sweet morsel make you make restitution with Judas God may so fire the Coal you cannot hold it in your bosom any longer the fire of Gods wrath upon Judas even melted his pieces they were too hot for him to hold and yet but a Judas still And I tell you brethren this is much a strong effect of those troubles 2. There may be some desires and seemingly earnest desires after things really good and which bring to salvation as those there in that place of John were they not much affected when they cried out Lord evermore give us of this bread As very a wretch as Balaam was yet he had his wishings and wouldings O that I might die the death of the righteous c. O how beautiful are his Tabernacles c. he seemeth to be taken with them or desires to enjoy that communion and fellowship with them in their Ordinances how beautiful are they And the young man in the Gospel had he not good desires and is it not said our Saviour loved him for that good that was in him though not with that special love of pitty to save him that we read of his desires carried him out far and yet never reach heaven I doubt not brethren but many of us this day have sometimes some good desires and you would have it go well with your souls you may cry out sometimes with the multitude O Lord evermore give us this bread you would be loath to part with the Ordinance of Christ it is good but all this may be in you and yet you may be hypocrites foolish Virgins O that you could lay it to heart 3. There may be also some hope we read often in Job of the hope of the Hypocrite he hath certainly an hope for heaven else he would never be at so much pains as many a Hypocrite is at as you shall hear afterward would the foolish Virgins think you have done so much as they did if they had not had a hope when hope expireth all endeavour giveth up the ghost with it 4. There may be also a joy and delight in holy things as those that kindled a fire of their own in that place of Isaiah saith the Text They walk in the sparks of their own fire that is to say they delight themselves in it And surely brethren the Galathians when they would have pluckt out their eyes for the Apostle they had no ordinary rapture upon them and yet alas how did they apostatize some of them And is is not sad to see in our days many that the Ministers of Jesus Christ whom he hath made instruments of God to their souls they have been as dear to them as their eyes and what is it come to with many of them are they not come to cast off all what shall we think brethren of such in such cases According to the hope so is the joy if the hope be sound so is the joy if the hope be false so is the joy which springs from it the Lord hinders it not haply doth not damp and overcast the soul and O how Satan endeavours to water such a plant as that is for what more available to lay a soul asleep then this he hath joy in holy things this is an high attainment indeed they take delight in approaching to God And we read in Heb. 6. that such as fall away may have a taste of the joy of the world to come such a temporary faith the light of it doth convince and shew us things worth the rejoycing in and then a false hope of a title to them when it is no such matter it will raise the spirit to rejoyce Well this is no ordinary pitch of affections and yet but a Hypocrite the stony ground received the word with joy and they rejoyced in John Baptists light for a season Thou art unto them as one that hath a pleasant voice c. 5. There may not onely be those affections and others but the fervor of them a mans affections may seem to be boyled up to a great height Zeal for God seemeth to be much this is Jehu his case how hot and zealous was he for God and so Judas seemed very zealous of good works when he would have had the box of oyntment spilled Ananias and Saphira seemed to have more heat of love then others to sell their possessions to be with the forwardest and yet you see what became of them and so may we brethren Not but that zeal is exceedingly to be commended and lukewarmness is the most loathsom temper to the Lord he will spue such a man out of his mouth yet there may be this fire which is not of Gods kindling The false Apostles did zealously affect those Christians to whom the Apostle writeth they seemed to be men of more then ordinary love and warm affections to their souls but yet they were but false Apostles they did it enviously to work the Apostle
Servants or to deliver all such relations no but it is meant here surely of a spiritual Liberty a freedom of the soul from its thraldom nay himself cometh to be a servant did he not rather sanctifie such a condition and relation then abolish it Secondly Then taking it for spiritual Liberty that is to say a freedom from Spiritual evils the subjection whereunto is a bondage to the poor creature we must know yet further that we may take it either in a larger or in a more restrained sense in a more restrained only for that liberty and freedom which the Saints have ever had through the Lord Jesus since the Covenant of Grace was preached to them and they closed with it for we must know that ever before Christ came in the flesh Believers believed in him to come they had a liberty through him as to the main parts of it and necessarily to salvation though haply not in that degree that now ordinarily Believers indeed have that freedom but there were some yoaks upon them then which now we are delivered from they are broken from off the necks of the Saints yea and such as were pinching yoaks indeed but yet less considerable by far then those from which they were delivered and set free so that now we see there is a larger liberty and more glorious which the sons of God have which will better appear when we come to speak to the parts of it only this I thought good to premiâ—e lost any should think that liberty began only when Christ was revealed in the flesh for it was the smallest part that then was added though I say the other liberty from the sore condemning destroying bondage of the soul they had before haply is now heightned to believers and so much by way of premise For the opening of this spiritual Liberty we shall consider 1. It s Subject 2. Its Causes 3. Its Parts extensive and intensive if we may so speak that is to say the degrees of it First then for the subject of this Liberty they are all Christians that are so indeed therefore it is called Christian Liberty not only from Christ the Author but from the Subjects they are Christians Believers both Jews and Gentiles Bond or Free Male or Female Jerusalem saith the Apostle which is above is free which is the Mother of us all all such then as receive the Gospel as the poor are said to do all those upon whom the Sun of righteousness doth arise they are set free they do go forth for the partial subject of this liberty that will better appear when we come to speak of the parts of this liberty some are for the freeing the minde some the will some the conscience some the whole man but of this afterward Secondly Then for the causes of this liberty which is here promised we shall speak to some of them First then The principal efficient cause is the Father Son and Spirit the work of the Trinity ad extra are individed the Father it is that cals us to liberty Ye are called to liberty saith the Apostle use it not as a cloke to the flesh I marvel saith the Apostle that you are so soon removed from him who hath called you into the Grace of Christ unto another Gospel The Apostle meaneth the calling to liberty which he cals the Grace of Christ and that Doctrine of the false teachers that would subject them again to the Law and Ceremonies and to that bondage subvert their liberty he cals it another Gospel And for the Son we have it If the Son make you free you shall be free indeed and stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free false Brethren came to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus that they might bring us into bondage And for the Spirit it is as clear The Law of the Spirit of life in Jesus Christ hath made me free from the Law of Sin and Death the mighty powerful working of the Spirit is called the Law of the Spirit as the powerful operation of Sin is called the Law of Sin and so in that place where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty and so the Spirit of Adoption it is that succedeth the Spirit of Bondage and setteth us free from that Bondage Secondly The impulsive cause is meerly his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his good pleasure yea his tender mercy his bowels So it is in the Original The bowels of our God whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us there is the arising of the Sun of rightousness upon us and the effect of it you have before That we being delivered from the hands of all our enemies might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness c. It is not misery is the motive only else he would do it for all as well as some for we are all of us in the same bondage naturally one as well as another Thirdly The meritorious cause is the blood of Jesus Christ no less then the blood of the Kings son is the price of the liberty of poor Slaves in bondage this must needs be tender mercy indeed rich love indeed so saith the Apostle That through death he might destroy him that hath the power of death that is the Devil no less then a Kings ransom is paid for the liberty of every poor creature that is made free and therefore he took upon him flesh and blood because the children were partakers of the same that he might die for them and to deliver them that for fear of death were in bondage all their life-time of which more afterward we are now speaking to the meritorious cause the price of his pretious mercy even the blood of Jesus Christ Fourthly The means of conferring or conveiging this liberty to poor Sinners is the Gospel of liberty the Covenant of Grace held out in the Gospel is the means and this is plain in many places As in that of Isaiah The Spirit of the Lord is upon me therefore he hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek to bind up the broken-hearted to proclaim liberty to the Captives if ever any preaching was the Gospel Christs preaching was and the Covenant who himself was given to be the Covenant to the people sure he would preach nothing but that or in subordination to that as he doth preach the Law too as would easily appear but we may not digress and so in thaâ— other place of Luke where either that or some of the fore-cited places in Isaiah are quoted Ye shall know the truth saith our Saviour and the truth shall make you free by truth there I take it is not meant indefinitely any truth whatever no nor a scriptural truth but the Gospel of truth which is called the truth Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ it is such a truth so pure and precious For his word is like
more that spirit then dwells in the heart which is his contrary principle lusting against the flesh the more the flesh must needs go down in a soul But the end is that will make up all O the reward will be according to our works when a man is rich towards God hath been faithful in a little faithful in a great deal hath laid up a good foundation against the time to come O how shall such shine in glory Me thinks our eyes should be a little forward the eye of faith as well as altogether backward to Christ and what he hath done for us to what he hath prepared for us and therefore he himself proposeth himself as a pattern to us in this very respect looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith having laid aside every weight being set free from this bondage then run looking to Jesus the Author of our Faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the Cross despised the shame endured the clouding of his Fathers face from him that was the weight that made him hang the head it is the proposing of the end that sweetens the means health that is aimed at how it sugars many a bitter potion a man will endure any thing in such a case Well though we may have much ado with our froward and backsliding hearts and be many times wearied with them yet give not over but run work and so work as men set at liberty not in chains chearfully and strongly upon all the former considerations and this will be a right use of our liberty indeed Fifthly Then be not brought under bondage unto men that is to say to have our consciences inslaved either through the fear of men or favour of men surely if the Spirit of Christ be in us as it is if we be his it will free and make us go forth from this bondage You have seen it in all experiences when they threatned the Apostles commanded them they should not preach in that name the Spirit that was in them did break all those bonds though it taught them 〈…〉 ot to rebell to be tumultuous for it is pure and then peaceable the wisdom that is from this Spirit yet it taught them not to regard it whether it be fit to obey God or man judge ye they rejoyced the more that they were accounted worthy to suffer for Christ this wind that bloweth where it listeth it bears down all opposition there is no resisting of that Spirit that speaks and acts in them See the Martyrs how it did triumph over their adversaries they overcame their cruelty by the invincible patience and yielding their bodies to a torment rather then their consciences to the cruel commands of sinners which tend to their wounding Was there ever such a slave as Canaan a servant of servants shall he be when another man a great person is a servant to sin and thou for advantage or fear art a slave to him is not this to be a servant of servants to have this curse upon thy soul in the highest degree to be a slave to a slave is the deepest slavery that can be imagined Therefore take heed lest such a bondage creep upon us at unawares for our hearts are deceitful take heed of sinful compliances with the prevailing evils of the times for advantage this is to be a slave to men and to humours and not to be free-men to Jesus Christ But if you would stand fast in this liberty in all these respects then truly we must see to it that we do not grieve the holy Spirit of Jesus Christ for this is the principle of our liberty where the Spirit of Christ is there is liberty and according to the proportion of his presence with and working in any heart is the liberty and freedom of that soul he first works liberty knocks off the bolts of the soul pulls out of the horrible pit he only answers our doubts satisfieth the soul that is in bondage by witnessing love to the soul by applying the blood of Jesus Christ to the soul this the Spirit doth and he only establisheth the soul in this liberty establish me with thy free Spirit indeed somewhat else may loosen a man as to the outward practise from sin but the Spirit only can loosen the heart from sin and only can dissolve the sodering of corrupt affections whereby our hearts and their sinful objects are sodered and glued together and then the heart is broken from sin as well as for sin nor can any thing else keep up the soul in the enjoyment of that liberty by this Spirit and therefore if we would keep up and maintain our spiritual liberty we must be sure to keep in with the Spirit if we grieve him he will grieve us and leave us to fight with our own strength and fall under sin and so come to bondage again in part to the grief and wounding of our spirits some of us alas it may be thought once we had been free but have been brought into bondage again and held under the power of sin in terrours we are ready to wonder when the lusts we thought had been dead and buried do rise up again captive us to them but wonder not at it for how often is this holy Spirit grieved by us which is the principle of our liberty if we consider this well it will put an end to our admiration if we would keep our liberty not return to bondage grieve not the Spirit First he is grieved when he is neglected and slighted his motions to put us on to such a duty we shift and shuffle and make one excuse or another and will not do it either to set upon a duty we never performed or to do it in another manner then we have done at another time this grieveth him as for instance he puts us on to reprove our Brother for a sin not to suffer sin to lie upon him and we smother it we think it more offendeth another then us or else it is an unthankful office it is the way to lose a friend to be accounted a busie-body we see that men for the most part cannot bear a reproof but they will snarl at least if they do not turn and rent us and bear us upon their backs And therefore we neglect our duty and so for any other now alas how often are we guilty in this kind Secondly Take heed of all impurity uncleanness for he is a pure holy Spirit and will lie clean he cannot endure a nasty place this will grieve him if it be pollution of the flesh or pollution of the spirit if harboured in the heart it will grieve the Spirit and then as a man grieved he departeth that is his grieving indeed properly he is not grieved God is not subject to any passion or fears or sorrows c. because all things are alway present with him he seeth what we would be before he had to do
enabled me to surrender you up heartily at the â—earâ—ng of which he lifting up his hands blessed the Lord. To hâ—s wâ—fe he said haste haste Love for my time is very short and withall told his Sister I shall not reach midnight Then lifting up himfelf he said these raptures tell me I must be gone quickly The consideration of his approaching rest did wonderfully revive The Messenger of the Lord whispered him in the ear and told him his Father had sent for him home which happy tidings made his heart to â—eap for joy within him The glimmerings of the white Throne of the Lamb sitting on that Throne and of the glorious troops of Saints and Angels all in white about the I â—rone with the apprehensions and confident assurance of his bearing a part in the Musick of their Hallelujahs caused in him sublime elevations and springing exultings of spirit in a body depressed and bowed down with pinching pains and the agonies of an approaching death He is now in the Cutfields of Emanuels Land and is gotten almost to the top of the Mount and his soul impatient of delaies is ready to leap out of the crazy and declining Cottage of mouldring Flesh Paper being brought he began thus I resign my spirit into the hands of the Father of Spirits and into the bosome of my dear Lord c. To this there were but three or four lines more added for he was in haste and longed to be at home To his wife having in a very short space dispatched his Will he said Bury me in silence without Funeral Sermon I will have no manner of pomp but was perswaded to yeild to the intreaties of his wife as to a Sermon As his children were called for Doctor Winter came in to visit him who unexpectedly seeing death in his face said with a loud and lamenting voice Brother Murcot are you leaving us who with unaltered countenance said Yes and desired him to pray quickly His children being brought he said to his eldest Will Hester be a good child and serve the Lord His son being presented he expressed himself thus The Lord break thy stubborn heart When the little one hanging on the mothers brest was exposed to his sight he lift up his hands and said The Lord bless thee Being put in mind of his servants he affectionately and even smilingly looked up upon one whom he had been instrumental to convert and said Bess hath a better Master the Lord be with thee Bess The children being taken away and his wife coming to take her last leave and final farewel of him he alone lift up himself and kissed her Dr. Winter desiring an interest in his prayers he said The Lord strengthen you for the double work that now lies on you and withal desired him to pray with him which he did in a most pathetical and doleful manner groaning out his requests unto God The people though desired are loath to leave the chamber and hang so thick on the curtains bed-posts hangings doors having not the power to leave their dear and departing friend so that he is in danger of being smothered and dying before his time Drawing near his end his sister said to him Are you in charity with all the Lords people though differing from you Who lifting up his eyes affectionately said Yes She desiring him to manifest it by his last request he lifted up his hands and requested that all the Lords people might be one as his way was one Then stretching out his arms and lifting himself up he said with a loud and shrill voice Lord Jesus draw me up to thee which sweet expressions by a frequent and fervent repetition wasted his spirits so that afterwards he lay in somewhat a silent posture waiting for his change which was now neer at hand About nine of the clock he breathed out his soul into the bosom of Christ and quietly slept in the Lord. The Wednesday following being the appointed time of his interment great was the confluence of people who attended the corps unto the grave The Lord Deputy Fleetwood followed the Body after him the Council then the Maior Aldermen and Citizens in such numerous troops that the like hath not been usually seen in Dublin Dr. Winter preached his funeral Sermon on Heb. 13. 7. Remember them which have the rule over you who have spoken unto you the word of God whose Faith follow considering the end of their conversation Upon the face of the whole Congregation sate a black cloud of sorrow and disconsolation being not able to vent it on that doleful and uncomfortable occasion into showers The Body being brought unto the place of burial the sadned spectators and standers-by sighed him into his grave and mingling his dust with their moist tears departed and left him in his bed of rest Relation I would willing back with Exhortation A few words of spiritual advice in the close of the whole may be of use though from an inferiour hand And first to you my Brethren in the Ministry I address my self and earnestly intreate you in the bowels of Christ Jesus our Lord to remember That you are not only Church-Officers but Christians Spend not your whole time in reading books and studying other men you will do well to study your selves and to be acquainted with the frame of your own hearts The way which you point out unto others walk in your selves and conscientiously practise the duties which you pangatively press Beware of beams in your own eyes whilest you are diligently plucking motes out of your brothers eyes Let not your own cloathes be full of dust when you are brushing other mens backs It s not handsom for us to be alwaies sweeping before the doors of others and picking up the least offensive straw whilest huge heaps of dunghil filth lie before our own doors unremoved It opens the mouths of opposites when we are taken notice of to bind heavy burdens on other mens shoulders we in the mean time refusing to touch them with the least of our fingers Know we not the pleadings of many at the last day Have we not preached in thy name and in thy name cast out Devils whom yet Christ will spurn from his presence and cast forth as an everlasting abhorring What though Judas had the grace of Apostleship so long as he had not grace with his Apostleship It was a wise course that Paul took and deserving imitation who did beat down his own body lest having preached unto others he himself should become a cast-away What though Satan fall down from heaven like â—ightning before us if he be not cast out of our hearts We have more reason to rejoyce in having our names written in the Lambs book of Life then in having the Devils subject to us O whilest we passionately endeavour the salvation of others souls let us have an eye of tender regard unto our own One hint more at parting We cannot be too often put in
Chapter then to love and walking in love not in heart only but it must be expressed actually as Jesus Christ expressed his love to us in giving up himself for us then he dehorts them from several vices as fornication uncleanness covetousness filthiness foolish speaking and jesting which are not convenient yea these are things will exclude from the Kingdom of heaven Let no man deceive you with vain words as if there were no such danger in such a loose walking those are vain words believe it saith the Apostle For these things the wrath of God cometh upon the children of disobedience therefore it is no light matter I deal with you about therefore the Apostle concludeth be not therefore partakers with them partake not of the sins of the children of disobedience lest you taste of the wrath which cometh upon their heads for these their iniquities The Apostle goeth on to back this his Admonition that they be not drawn away with the error of the wicked with many arguments As because now their condition was changed they were men of other principles no marvel if heretofore while they were darkness they walked as children of darkness and did work and had fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but now they were children of the light and therefore must walk as they were and they were fruits of the Spirit now they must bring forth they were goodness righteousness and truth besides it is the part of godly men and good children to approve themselves to God and submit to him in all things besides the works of darkness are unfruitful and shameful it is a shame to speak of the things they do in secret they were such in themselves and they will at last be revealed to the confusion of the authors of them to all which he addeth a testimony from Scripture that God doth generally every where call upon men to arise from their sleep and death in sin and he is ready to enlighten them he speaks no more but what the Scripture of old did speak some difficulty is in this Verse but it is beside our purpose Now the words of the Text are as I may say a Repetition and re-inforcing the general Proposition That the Saints ought to have their conversation adorned with every vertue or grace and the fruits of them and to keep themselves pure and innocent and free from the corruption of the world From all the former Arguments he laies down by way of Inference and Conclusion this charge in v. 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 therefore because so and so as you have heard See to it That you walk circumspectly the Argument inforcing it is in the following words not as fools but as wise It is a part of great wisdom to walk circumspectly And from the general in the 16. verse the Apostle descends to a particular and special piece of this circumspect walking and a notable evidence of this wisdom and that is the redeeming the time and backeth this with a strong argument because the days are evil Without any further stay in the Porch let us now enter the House and view some of the rooms of it there are many things note-worthy in the words the first that I shall take up at this time is this It is a duty Christians are strictly charged with to walk circumspectly Here it will be requisite to enquire what is meant by this Circumspect walking and then Secondly to make it good that it is a duty so strictly charged upon the Saints and Thirdly why it is so and then Fourthly Apply it For the first What it is to walk Cirrumspectly Here we have the Maâ—ter and the Manner of a Christians conversation the Matter that is expressed by a Walking which indeed doth comprehend all the actions of a Christian life in conformity to the Law and Will of Jesus Christ which is the Way nothing more ordinary then to express a Christian course by a walking and sometimes by a running in a race but by a walking here it is expressed and indeed this doth include all a mans actions his spiritual actions towards the Lord they are a part of this walking their praying meditating hearing receiving conferring living by faith all these are his spiritual actions Secondly A mans civil conversation also cometh under this walking for the Rule and Will of Christ hath an influence over that to bound it and limit it There is no calling which is lawfull but a man may therein abide with God if it be never so mean and this is another part of the walking while men are diligently imployed in their particular Callings out of obedience to his holy command they are in their way and walking to heaven as well as when they are in the spiritual part of the walk and so much the more while they have spiritual hearts in this walk ever and anon taking a turn in heaven and having their civil conversation in heaven 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Apostle saith Thirdly even mens natural actions are a part of this way also of the Matter of this walking as eating drinking sleeping c. when they are used with moderation and an end to befit us only for our spiritual and civil conversations when men eat and drink for strength and not for lust for drunkenness and eat in due season as to whet when the Sythe is dull so that even these actions are a part of the walk also and that it is to be taken in this latitude will appear if we consider the particulars the Apostle presseth them too here as parts of that walking Now to walk you know speaks a motion it is opposed to standing or lying or sitting still the whole world lieth in wickedness and moveth not hand nor foot they have their grave-cloaths upon them are bound hand and foot and are melting away in their lusts and therefore they walk not towards heaven there is a sitting in the seat of the scornful when men have taken up their rest in sin and are at the height that they scorn the Travellers Zion-wards with their faces thither indeed there is a contrary walking to this walking in the counsel of the ungodly in the way of sinners a walking with sinners hand in hand having fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but that motion is from other principles even the flesh and this from the Spirit and by other rules the custome of this world to which they are conformed the examples of sinners the commands of their tyranical lusts and for other ends both of the Walk and the Walker in it the Walk the end of those ways is death there is a way which seemeth right to a man but the end thereof are the ways of death and the end of the Walker is to chear his heart and to satisfie his lusts but this walk we speak of is a contrary motion to that of the world 2. There is a terminus à quo from
God would not have sadned God is exceeding tender of his peoples comfort and therefore he hath written somuch the scope of all which is that they might have consolation and their joy might be full and therefore if we by uneven walking grieve the hearts of the people of God surely we are like to smart for it it is a vexation to the righteous soul of Lot to behold the unclean conversation of the wicked but it is a grief and bitterness doubtless much more to the people of God to see the miscarriage of a David a Peter and to hear the reproach wherewith they reproach the way of Christ which fall upon them continually Secondly Not only good men but evil men are indangered to be scandalized by it and to be prejudiced against the ways of strictness and exact walking with God because they that profess it do so miserably miss it we should walk wisely towards them that are without left we fright them away from Christianity as the Papists by their Idolatry are an offence to the Iews to keep them off from coming in to Christ because they are exceeding tenacious now of the second Commandment God having purged that iniquity from them by a seventy years captivity and much longer since and so by their cruelty to the Gentiles where they go to convert them they are an offence to them and little doth a child of God know if he fall as David did how many may stumble upon him and fall head-long into hell never come to Jesus Christ upon this account Thirdly Because we have all of us erring hearts and naturally we love to wander and if the Lord have healed that affection that now it is wrought out of us yet we are apt to wander therefore so often compared to sheep I have gone astray like a lost sheep O seek thy servant c. We all like sheep have gone astray and therefore it is the more needful to be charged upon us home and deeply because we are so prone to turn a side it is a people that have alway erred in their hearts though they were his people in Covenant external yet they erred in heart who can say he doth not find many inclinations in the heart bent to backslide go out of the way and therefore it is needful to be prest upon us so much to walk exactly and see to it Fourthly because there are so many by-paths whereinto they may step awry truth is one but falshood is manifold there is error on the right hand and error on the left and but one straite path before them therefore it is two to one but they miss it and therefore they had need to use double diligence and be pressed to it to walk circumspectly to see they be exact in their ways Now for the Use then First it is to shew us that among the much profession of Chirst that is in the world there is very little power very little exact and circumspect walking men profess to walk with God but it is at a great distance they are strangers to him and he to them and no marvel The second Use and that I will a little insist upon shall be a word of Reproof and that of divers sorts and as the Lord beginneth his rebukes for sin at his own House Judgement beginneth at the house of God so will I first give the alarm to them a word of Reproof to them Alas how far short do the people of God come of this duty it is intollerable pride in the Papists that stand upon their tiptoes and talk of their works of Supererrogation as if they had done more then God had commanded and it is wretchless carelesness in us that we keep not nearer to what he hath commanded I speak not now of the many errors the most vigilant and close walking Christian will alas to his grief find himself guilty of when he maketh a diligent measuring of his actions by that rule but I speak of the carelesness of Christi ans walking wherein doubtless they might come up nearer to God if they did but stir up themselves ever and anon but we are idle we are idle and make many an idle complaint to God that wâ— are unable to do any thing which is true if we consider our selves apart from Christ Without me ye can do nothing but through him we may be able to do all things and if we be renewed in our inward man what is this but a powerful propensity of the Mind and Will towards God and that which is according to God It is not to be doubted but if Saints would but take more pains with their hearts they might have many a better frame to serve the Lord and they should not offer so many tattered sacrifices to him and if men would be but perswaded to the painful part of Christianity they may get their passions of lust more subdued which break out to the dishonour of God and shame of Christianity and therefore justly are we to be reproved if men would a little better cast their occasions and husband their time they need not be in such straits so often to neglect or slubber over their prayers And for civil things do you walk circumspectly as you might if you made it your work and study in things lawfull might not Christians have more regard then they have to the conveniency or inconveniency I am sure the Apostle had and therein he followed Christ and therein he is to be our pattern and so what is of good report and praise worthy me thinketh it is sad when there is no care unto our hearts of these things might not Christians walk at a closer scantling in point of offence the Apostle would deny his liberty in things lawful and haply we would think necessary too as the eating of flesh rather then offend his weak brother and we many times care not so we may have our wills how many we offend and so in natural things eating drinking sleeping Christians I doubt we generally too much indulge the flesh even to the loading of our minds and dulling our spirits for higher things how cometh it to pass Sabbaths are spent so sleepily but because some wil not allow themselves nor theirs competent rest the world incroacheth upon God or else they load themselves with the creatures so that they cannot hold up their heads either they are over-worked or over-charged with surfetting and drunkenness doubtless this is reducible to those great evils well the Lord reprove us for it for we are very guilty we walk very loosely in comparison of the examples of some of the Saints yea I do verily think there is many a poor blind Papist will rise up in judgement against many of us that are Professors that have more light then they 2. It is a word of Reproof of another sort that instead of walking exactly with God following him fully their hearts are devided some there are
when thou hast heaped up Gold as the dust and Rayment as the clay and withall hast gotten a wound in thy Soul a worm in thy Conscience the rot and canker eats into thy soul what hast thou gotten who will be the wiser man when the sins whereby thou hast gotten this beginneth to stare like so many devils in thy face though thou hast builded thee an house a fair house and chambers by wrong and he that dwels in a tent is contented with a meaner condition with a good Conscience when the stone beginneth to cry out against thee out of the wall and the timber out of thy chambers and thy ears are full and thy heart full of the cry of thy sins and guilt whereby this hath been gotten who will prove the wise man then O surely Religion maketh not men fools Secondly It may be a word of retortion and serve to fasten the folly then upon the wisdom of the World Wordlings think the people of God fools for their preciseness but the Saints know them to be fools will ye believe when the Lord speaks do not harden your hearts now and say thou speakest falsly in the name of the Lord. Read that passage of the Apostle and tell me what you think then The Wisdom of the World is foolishness with God is not God the only wise God and do you think the Lord can be mistaken though we that are poor weak creatures like your selves may be mis-judge yet sure the Lord cannot he is wisdom it self and it is foolishness with God he judgeth it so and believe it they are wise whom he maketh wise and they are fools and that is folly whom he accounteth so by the rule of contraries it followeth if to walk circumspectly be to walk as wise men then to walk loosly and at large is to walk as fools according to our Text I will give you but two or three Demonstrations of their folly it may be the Lord will convince some poor creature of the folly of his ways First It is folly for men to pitch upon a wrong end to place their happiness in any thing but the chief good indeed now this is evident enough too plain that men of the world they do place their happiness in worldly things they have their god to worship as well as the Saints The lusts of the flesh the lust of the eye and pride of life to which the Apostle reduceth all that is in the World their pleasures their riches their honours these are their ends to which they drive on all their designs and here they rest and sit down and look no farther many of them now is not this a gross mistake and grievous folly to end so low as the earth and what the would can afford which will appear if we consider 1. That none nor all these things will run parallel with the souls to eternity therefore if they could make a man happy as long as he enjoyed them yet afterward they would then encrease his misery when they leave him fuisse faelicem miserum It is perishing bread uncertain riches many times they make wings and are gone even he himself outlives them a miserable happiness that a poor mortal creature can out-live if not yet the soul out-lives them he can carry nothing away with him saith the Text the poor soul must appear in its nakedness before â—he Lord Judge at that day of appearing after death and soul and body to eternity after the Resurrection shall never be the better for them alas the remembrance then of your pleasures and honours and riches will be but a sting to your souls to eternity that such enjoyments you had and used them no better 2. As they continue not so while a man can keep them they cannot they do not satisfie the soul if any man could Solomon might have pickt out an happiness out of them when he had so much wealth to procure them so much wisdom to improve them so gave himself to find out but the sum is vanity of vanities not only vain but vanity and vanity of vanities and all is vanity the greatest vanity they are empty there is no substance in them they will not satisfie the soul there is no sutableness between such earthy things and a spiritual being nor equality between their greatest vastness and the largeness of a soul they can never fill it and therefore it can never rest but the more a man hath the more he would have still drinking doth but increase their thirst and therefore well might the Psalmist bebeast and befool himself for setting such an esteem upon them So foolish was I and ignorant and even as a beast before thee when he thought them to have more in them then they had and therefore that they were the happy men that flourished and it was in vain for him to cleanse his heart c. Secondly If they should or do propound a right end yet they miserably miscarry in the means towards this end For First There are some that are wise to do evil but to do good they have no knowledge at all and if men make God and Heaven their end is this the way to it will the way to the devil and the way to hell bring a man to Heaven and yet this is the course that most men run as if men would be saved by contraries and were Christians by antiphrases because they are most unchristian surely Brethren the Spirit of God and the Scriptures every where hath determined sin to be folly and calleth sinners fools therefore we read of working folly in Israel so much now if one part of Wisdom be to aim at the right end surely Wisdom agreeth notwith it self if this be another part of Wisdom the Wisdom to do evil which indeed is improperly called wisdom but it is a cursed skill and ingenuity which men have whereby they are more industriously wicked this is so far from Wisdom that it is the very height of folly Again Secondly It is the Wisdom of the World to get a name of Christianity and therewith satisfie themselves take the power who will so they have the name and pass for Saints gain is their godliness and when they have gotten the gain by it the Godliness they care not to walk in but in their pleasures of sin the shew of Religion is profitable but not the reality it is burthensom is not this folly with a witness can the Shadow be profitable and not the Substance the Shell and Husk and not the Kernel can that be profitable whose Praise is of men and not that whose praise is of God Again As the top and crown and quintescence of their folly they are wiser in their own conceit then several men that can render a reason as he spaaks of the sluggard and such are all those that will not be at pains for God and for Heaven if men might devote all the
manner to come with a rod if there were need Again there is much wisdom to be used in the dressing the same truth again and again for the truths which you are necessarily to know they are not for number infinite and you will easily find if you consider the Scripture how the same truths are proposed to us in the Scripture an 100. waies several waies because the Lord knew our frame that naturally we would have somewhat new and were affected with variety therefore he giveth us the same truths under divers dresses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Apostle the Preacher chose not acceptable words though It would not feed that itching humor that is in some yet I would allow as much as love and prudence examined together would advise because of the weakness and frame of men and if one therefore diversly dress the same truths omne tulit punctum will the Lord seal this instruction to such of us as it concerneth And Brethren pray for us that we may be wise-hearted and know how to fit our selves and bait the hook so as it may be most drawing Thirdly It may serve to humble us for our dulness then and those many other defections which are the rise of this necessity to beat the same things upon us again and again Dear friends we swallow much every Sabboth every opportunity how little doth incorporate with us how little abideth with us what pains is the Lord fain to take with us line upon line and precept upon precept here a little and there a little in season out of season and yet Brethren how little the better are we for it May we not all of us lay our hands upon our hearts is it not matter of humbling we should put the Lord and his Messengers to so much pains with us and be yet little the better for all O let us magnifie the long-suffering of God and bless him for the long-suffering of his servants with us that he is pleased to follow us up and down with this and that necessary truth It may be thou hast heard some things which now thy soul hath the experience of thou wouldst not loose for a world and many a time thou hast heard them but it hath been like water spilt upon the ground and at last the Lord hath fastened the nayl to the head if it had had but one blow it would not have stuck Fourthly It may caution us brethren against nauseating Divine truths because they are so often beaten upon us it may be the same things It is safe for you brethren it is good for you if you know the things belong to your peace say not then occidet misâ—ros crambe repetita Magistros What shall the Disciples say to Christ because he so presseth them to watch for his appearing here is nothing but harping upon one string nothing but watching and watching prest upon us we would have somewhat else we are weary of this No but rather continue O sure it is needful our dulness calls for it and it is much tenderness that he will not give us over until he hath wrought it upon our spirits Should the Philippians cast it in Pauls teeth he had told them often of those unruly masters that they had heard enough of that O no now he tels them with tears with more melting then before the same thing in a more affected manner they had no reason to lothe It was the great sin of the Israelites you know they had manna every morning this was their daily bread at last they grew weary of it nothing but this manna our souls loatheth this light bread for a while it was excellent and delightful but after a while they loathed it It seemeth it had not a taste to suite every mans palate what was most delightful to every one as some thought then they would not have loathed it but they might dress it divers waies and yet they loathed it this was a lust which put their mouthes out of taste and so far as that they prefered Garlick and Onions before it It is nothing to be taken with the word when a Teacher is as one that plaies skilfully upon an instrument toucheth every string and in such a manner as the variety maketh sweet melody but this harping upon one string is not so pleasant here is a tryal of your love to the word as it is the word whether in its nakedness and simplicity you can love it and though you have nothing but the word and the word the sincere milk Another Caution shall be this to take heed of that humour which reigns in abundance among us all affecting novelties O such itching ears would not have suited with our Saviour his manner of Preaching they have the same again and again from him A new light though it be but a Comet draweth more eyes after it then the Sun because he daily runneth his course this is a great vanity in mens minds and truly it is so in spiritual things A new Doctrine Oh how it bewitcheth men as that did the Galathians it is more then ordinarily taking with us else the power of darkness and errour had not been so great in our daies as it hath been and truly when we begin to be weary of the eternal Gospel which never waxeth old and cannot away with the same things after we have once heard them which argues we receive not the love of the truth imbrace it not because of it self but its dress or its novelties or some such accident we are in the very high-way to delusion as the Apostle saith I am sure Antiquity was the commendation of the Apostles Doctrine even to the Romans themselves he brought no new Gospel but what was from the beginning Is it not the same spirit surely that works so mightily among us whereby men would commend any thing for its novelty It is horrible pride both in Preachers and Teachers Lucifer-pride and a strong savour of the old Adam that rather then we will be confined to a course and dwell upon such things as have been received as truths in Jesus we will have somewhat new or else we will to our own inventions for it the Lord deliver us from such a spirit And lastly brethren it is necessary that the same things be thus inculcated upon us then surely we may hence learn that there is somewhat more for us to learn still in every truth we hear it may be often we have heard such a duty pressed such a sin descried there is somewhat in it that God meeteth thee it may be everywhere with the same message they spoke with one mouth the same thing to thee Is there not cause to fear Surely that is one consideration and the Lord in mercy to thee will not let thee alone but one Bell in Aarons ring sounds louder then all the rest in thine ears Surely surely there is somewhat unhealed that every one thou comes near
if you could as easily put by the coming of Christ as you can make a shift to smother the thoughts of it your hearts indeed might chear you and your condition were something like But he will come and though you be asleep in the Arms of your lusts know that your judgement sleepeth not and your condemnation slumbereth not And make what haste you can to be rich or to be honourable and such persons are not innocent make what hast you can in your career of sinning it travels as fast you and will be sure to meet you at the gates of death and hell if not sooner But it may be we think we have done this great work we are through grace acquainted with the Lord Jesus and his spirit which hath effectually wrought in us to believe in his name to love him the main is done with us and therefore sure we may have more liberty then others now Is it so but is this all that must go to watch for his appearing do we not find our hearts thrusting away from us that day and our hands fail and security setzeth upon us the Disciples were in danger to be surprized as well as others Is there any of us so liveth as that we could readily and cheerfully meet the Lord Jesus at an hours warning a daies 〈…〉 and who knoweth he shall have so much to set his house in order O there is need to press this duty upon us all brethren be our condition what it will we have yet somewhat to learn of it and shall have let us hear it as often as we can But I will leave what further may be said unto its proper place in the handling the Parable A word or two to the present occasion we are many of us now called to this sealing Ordinance And though we have been often stirrd up and taught our duty concerning it is there not need to chafe the oyl in upon our hearts our affections still Alas how often have we heard that what it findeth it sealeeth And yet do we not dare to come some of us with hard hearts with covetous hearts uncircumcised hearts I would not speak brethren to grieve the heart of any the Lord would not have grieved as they that have least cause will be most sadly assayling themselves with condemning thoughts but the Lord grant there be none found among us guilty kind As often as ever we come we hear how dangerous a thing it is to come unworthily prepared to it and yet the Lord knoweth how often we have thrust in here some of us without a wedding garment And that you have not been bound hand and fooe bound up in our grave-cloaths and cast out of his sight for ever it is unspeakable mercy O that this might melt us and humble us and though blessed be his holy name I believe there are many poor trembling souls who go about these things with trembling hearts least they should miscarry and grieve him and bring his blood upon their heads I doubt there may be some of us found whose hearts are far from such a frame had we not need then to be put in mind and remembrance again and again of these things It may be we have faith and love to Jesus Christ it may be we have humility and self-loathing it may be we have a mourning spirit over our sins that have grieved the Lord Jesus put him to all that grief for us it may be we have a thankful heart but are these graces now in action are they upon the wing how often have we been minded thereof that we must be actually prepared Alas alas haply some of us have not taken the pains with our hearts which we might and which others would have done if they had had the hearts which we have haply some of us have been striving but in our own strength and have done little haply others may have been helped in the preparing our hearts to seek him herein but by our pride or carnal confidence have lost our frame again It may be some of us brethren have not been very negligent but yet not so diligent as we ought O brethren how needful are these things bear with me if I do press you to them it is not tedious to me because I hope it is safe for you O! that I could do it with such a spirit and such bowels as the Apostle did the Lord set it upon all our hearts we are exceeding dull to believe and more dull to practise and do his will revealed to us Though the good be our own the glory onely his But I will not insist any further here the Lord give us understanding and believing hearts Now for the words of the Text. The Kingdom of Heaven is like to ten Virgins which went forth to meet the Bridegroom I shall begin according to the former method And first speak concerning Jesus Christ with respect to his Church And touching him there are many things in this Parable First he is the Bridegroom 2. His delay of his coming 3. The cry before his coming 4. The coming 5. The time of his coming at Midnight To begin with the first The Bridegroom 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 However it be that the scope of the parable be to stir up all men that profess the Lord Jesus to a perseverance in watchfulness to stand ready for his coming which being apprehended there is no necessity of pressing each particular in the parable yet I conceive according to our Saviour His opening of other parables we may insist upon the chief things therein as where HE would let us see what need we had to take heed What or How or Whom we Hear by the parable of the several sorts of Ground receiving the seed of the Word he not onely tells us the difference of the Grounds but what the seed is and who the Sower is or else in that parable of the good seed and the Tares he tells us particularly what is meant by each And therefore I must not here pass over this of the Bride-groom The Virgins went forth to meet the Bridegroom The note will be The relation between the Lord Jesus and his people He is the Bridegroom and stands in that relation to his people that this is so we need go no further then this parable for who else is it that cometh and with whom they that are ready do enter into the Mâ—rriage then Jesus Christ who is our life who appearing we shall appear with him in glory Again the foolish virgins cry to him Lord Lord open to us Who is the Lord but Jesus Christ as will appear by comparing this with that speech of our Saviour Not every one that saith to me Lord Lord shall enter but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven Many will say to me Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy Name in whose name but in the name of Jesus Christ and in
so humble Abigail and from Bâ—az so humble Ruth and shall not this love of Jesus Christ infinitely greater then all humble such poor filthy creatures upon whom he hath set his love Thirdly Let us hence take notice then of the many precious priviledges of the Saints We live much below them because we study them not keep not the relish of them upon our hearts I mean endeavour not so to do the Lord give us hearts now lifted up to him First then As many as by believing are espoused to Jesus Christ they are one with him in the nearest union Surely it is not for nothing that the H. Ghost delights so to set forth the believers relation to Christ by this of a spouse to a husband you know that this is the nearest union among men of one person to another Kindred are near a man his children his brethren they are usually called their bone and their flesh as the men of Judah spake to David we are thy flesh and thy bone but this is aâ— a greater distance but now in Marriage two persons that were strangers one to another never saw the face one of another within a little while by this Ordinance of God are brought to such a nearness as that Father and Mother and Children if they had any before yet they are not so near to them they shall leave Father and Mother and be joyned to their Husband here this union is the stranger by how much greater the distance between the persons were and how much the closer the union is now it is made the distance was great whether we respect the dignity of the person there was no proportion a King and a Beggar are but a shadow and a dark one too to set forth this a King and a worm to take it and lay it in his bosom is nothing to this but chiefly in respect of enmity of mind alas that such as we are at the deadliest feud haters of God and of Christ not only strangers but enemies through evil works that those should be brought so near to Christ as to be made one with him this is something indeed An impotent and weak enemy that could do nothing against him not so much as move any longer then he upheld us and yet we should be look't upon indeed a potent enemy happily in policie may be concerned to such an union but a weak enemy rather would be trampled under foot But then the nearness of the union man and wife are one flesh saith the Apostle but he that is joyned to the Lord is one spirit The union of soul and body is nearer then of man and wife if too bodies could be acted by one and the same soul this were a near union indeed Why the Lord Jesus and the saints are one and the same Spirit whereby they are knit together in love this is a near union indeed Is this a light thing a small thing to be made so near the Lord of life and glory even the Children of Israel a people near to him who is like them that have Christ so near them of that are so near him Secondly There is a sweet Communion and Fellowship ariseth upon this a blessed imparting now of all his fulness to such a soul all that is Christ's is now yours his righteousness yours therefore the Holy City the name of it is called the Lord our righteousness Now his honour is yours where he is King you are Queen as in the old custom with the Romanes they used to say where you are Caius I am Caia saith the woman where you are Lord I am Lady be the poor Creature never so contemptible yet marrying with a noble person it dignifieth her with a rich person it enricheth her because she hath an interest in all But beloved that though this be matter enough to insist upon if I could enlarge things for fear of being too tedious There is fellowship-Communion between the Lord Jesus and the soul that others know nothing what it meaneth the Lord Jesus is more open hearted to them his secrets are with them they are the hidden Manna and they again are most free to power out their souls to Jesus Christ into his bosom to power them out like water as he will hide nothing from Abraham so Abraham will hide nothing from him such a confidence hath the poor Believing soul that he speaks boldly freely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with speaking all so the original word properly imports that which none else in the world shall know they will make known to Jesus Christ they can be more free with him then any other And not only because he already knoweth the heart as I conceive but out of a sweet confidence they have in him and experience of his bowels yerning over poor souls in such a Condition so that if he knew not all that was in their hearts they would out of this freedom open it to him Yea the Lord Jesus he dyed our death and grieves our griefs and we rise his resurrection and rejoyce in his rejoycings he partaketh with us yea indeed bears the heavier end and all indeed of our miseries and we partake of his joys the oyl of gladness we are anointed with But this is the second Thirdly another is the cohabitation of Christ with his people I will dwell with them and I will walk in them when the new Jerusalem comes down from heaven the Church of the Jews shall come in then he will especially dwell in them then the Tabernacle of God is with men but now saith the Apostle that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith though he be absent indeed in some respect at the right hand of his father absent in body yet he is present in spirit as the Apostle saith of himself as he would have us to be in Heaven have our hearts there and so to dwell there to have our conversations there our love there and where the heart is there the man is Animus non est ubi animat sed ub i amat well we then dwell with him and he dwels with us with him will I dwell saith the Lord. It is a Marriage duty to dwell one with another and if a believer have an unbelieving yoke-fellow if he or she will live with the believer they must not put them away they must not depart from them so it is here the Lord Jesus dwels with his people and this is no small priviledge to the Husband the Bridegroom at hand alway ready to pity and compassionate us in our sufferings within or without But this the third Fourthly he nourisheth and cherisheth them No man hates his own flesh saith the Apostle but he nourisheth it and cherisheth it as you have it there in Nathan's parable one poor Ewe Lamb and he laid it in his bosom and it did eat of his bread and drink of his cup by which are meant all manner of supplies
a Mariner near his port rowleth up his sails or as a piece of cloth rowled up one turn more and we are turned into the grave What then It remaineth that they that buy be as if they possessed not and they that have inheritances by Lot also be as if they enjoyed them not they that have wives as if they had none for the fashion of this world the Scheme the Mathematick figure of this world passeth away Was it not this which cast Solomon into such a sleep He offended by women though the wisest King So Mat. 24. 37. They eat they they drank 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as some observe It is a word used most properly of beasts living sensually in the delights of the slesh they feed themselves without fear as the Apostle Jude hath it out of measure and so in time there is a season for all things c. make not provision for the slesh c. O that there were more sobriety brethren and moderation among us appearing among us there would not be so much sleeping 6. Take heed of any sin unrepented of of continuing in it for surely that will damp the soul and cast it into a sleepe as you see in the cafe of Jonas David the brethren of Joseph O specially of such sins as stupifie and seal and harden sins of a high hand and against light against mercy with a high hand these are dangerous 7. Be often stirring up your selves as the Apostle speaks to Timothy stir up the grace of God that is in thee the gift in thee as fire under the ashes A man that is drousie had need to shake himself as Sampson did Ah brethren there is a carnal mind in us all which is death it deadens all that is good within us And except we do often stir up our selves labour to keep upon our hearts some quickning Considerations to press them home to hold them to the soul we shall do what we can we shall sleep or at least slumber And beg with David O quicken me according to thy word Alas life is his and all quickning and renewing grace is his therefore we should lye much before him for this mercy if we would not sleep indeed So much for this Use The next Vse of the Doctrine shall be an awakening word It may be brethren many of us that have this word alas are asleep and had need to be shaken and O that the Lord would even do it for us Alas It is not our word will do it it dyeth in the Ear and goeth no further as a bullet whose force is spent dyeth reacheth not the mark except the Lord add an Almighty force to it it will do nothing But I shall endeavour alittle this work by offering some considerations to you You that lye upon your beds 1. Remember in the first place that if Jesus Christ come while you are in this sleep you will be found unready what do you think that a sleeping will put your hearts into frame to meet the Lord Jesus with Surely no One of these two things will befal you either your works will be quite undone you will have your grace to get when you should enter into glory or never Or else if you have it not to get you will not have it in its brightness and lustre as Ornaments upon you ready to open to him to enter with him either your Lamps will be out or else they will be to trim when you should enter O that the Lord would inforce this Argument and his own exhortation Luke 12. 35. Stand ready therefore with your loyns girded and your Lamps burning wayting for his coming that you may be ready Do you think this can be comfortable to you 2. Do but consider seriously what danger we are in when we sleep when we give sleep to our eys and settle our selves to it when we strive not against it First The Philistims will be upon us as they were upon poor Sampson If Satan and our hearts can but sing us asleep then the Philistims are upon us as they were upon him and at last you see how sadly they destroyed him you see what danger Saul was in when he was asleep David might have taken his life from him And Sisera by a poor woman perished when asleep And so Ishboshâ—th when asleep Surely brethren the devil never lulls us asleep believe it but he hath some desperate design upon us which he cannot do when we are awake What danger were the Disciples in when they were sleeping when they should have prayed they were just entring upon the pikes and they were asleep and see what fearful work there was they were all scattered from him and Peter how fearfully he denyed him Could Satan think you ever have brought Lot to that wickedness if he had not been fast in a deep sleep It was strange sleepiness in him to drink so much of the wine Excess overthrew him Surely brethren if ever there were an hour of temptation this is one If it might be tolerable at any other time yet not at this for hell is broke loose the devil is come down and hath great wrath because his time is short O how he hunts after poor souls and who are so like to be drowned as poor creatures asleep Secondly Then God usually doth for sake a soul if he fall asleep As you see in the Canticles her beloved was gone he wayted upon her a great while she would not awake when she got up he was gone O what a sad case was Saul in When God had forsaken him answered him not by Vrim or Thummim and the Philistims were upon him it made him out of his wits almost Ah dear friends If the Lord being provoked by our unkindness giving our selves to sleep do let loose sin this or that lust upon us to worry us And himself depart and stand and see what the latter end will be this will be sad thou cryest to him he will not hear but is as one asleep to thee because thou wast as one asleep to him O what will you do in this day Thirdly Then he is least able to act grace when he hath most need of it because the spirit is withdrawn from him Jesus Christ is departed from him he cannot resist a sleeping he hath no strength A weak woman may drive a nayl through the Temples of a most valiant General then O what advantage hath Satan against us and sin against us The least temptation then 〈◊〉 too hard for us we have no strength to resist come what will come we are naked to receive the thrust And but that the Lord stays the hand of Satan that it shall not reach the heart how quickly would he give such sleeping souls their deadly wound 3 Consider yet further how we put the Lord Jesus to it to prick us and stir us up lest we should lye sleeping and sleep the sleep of death They say the Eagle will
there may be a sleeping habit of grace though it be not in act the soul is not able to act it for the present As the wise Virgins though it was a part of folly for the wise Virgins to sleep yet we may not without great wrong to them and the grace of Christ in them call them foolish Virgins there is a vast difference between them If a man should have made a judgment of David in his backsliding what would he have thought of him or of the Disciples when they were so heavy at such a time as that was and that after they had been reproved for it and stirred up again and again we would have judged likely O sure it would prove a deadly Lethargy or there were scarce any hope concerning them O no saith our Saviour though he reproved them sharply yet some sugar he mixed with the vinegar the Spirit indeed is willing but the Flesh is weak he did not unsaint them because of their sleepiness no more should we And indeed brethren the difficulty is so great to distinguish between a sleep and death in sin sometimes that we had need to suspend and be exceeding tender in judging Physicians themselves have much ado sometimes to discern whether there be life in the body they are much put to it and yet it appears there is life therefore let us be tender in judging leave it to him who can discern whether the life be within them yea or no. Lastly A word of Comfort to the poor people of God that alas find themselves very apt to fall asleep and shake themselves with Sampson again and again and yet are apt to lie down upon the lap of a Dalilah again they know not what to think of themselves whether they can be alive to God having hearts so desperately sleepy Yea it may be though they have lost the sweet smelling presence of Jesus Christ many times by their sleeping yet they have slept again and cannot keep themselves awake his smiles have been many times turned into sharp rebukes their honey into gall and sometimes by terrible things in righteousness they have been awaked and yet they are sleeping again sometimes they have been confounded and ashamed and have had nothing to say when the Lord hath rebuked them and yet they are asleep again O what can I think of such a Condition as this I do believe the Closets of some poor Creatures can bear witness to many a sad complaint of this kind Well I answer to this Far be it from me brethren to sow pillows under any mans Arm-holes or to make a bed for any to sleep upon the Lord forbid there should be a heart so wicked as to make such an use of what is to be said to such poor discouraged souls We are in a strait indeed we cannot give a Saint their portion but the wicked are snatching at that nor the wicked their portion but the Saints are catching at that specially discouraged hearts and many times applying all to themselves that never was intended for them But if any dare abuse it be it upon them I must speak a word of refreshing to poor souls that are even wearâ—ed with a lazy sleepy heart 1. Then remember this That it is possible for a man or woman that is truly in the state of grace yet to be overtaken with sleep therefore it is a Conclusion without any good premises that sure thou art no Child of God no wise Virgin because thou art so often slumbering and sometimes fast asleep As carnally secure Creatures do deceive themselves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 concluding because the wise Virgins slept therefore they are wise Virgins though they sleep so on the other hand do the people of God deceive themselves by a like false reasoning concluding they are foolish Virgins certainly because they sleep All are not wise that were asleep for some were foolish and therefore the carnal creature may sleep the sleep of the foolish all were not foolish that were asleep and therefore thou mayst be a wise Virgin and yet overtaken with sleep they both agree in sleeping or slumbering it is common both to wise and foolish therefore thou canst not make it a distinguishing or differencing note of thy Condition which is common to both sorts Only the degrees and circumstances the antecedents and concomitants of this sleep are those which distinguish as you have heard and I hope remember the wise if they sleep usually get oyl into their vessels first they sleep but they sleep by candle-light they suffer not their Lamps to go out they sleep but their hearts weak c. Well it is possible though thou sleep thou maist be a wise virgin 2. How knowest thou thou sleepest and how cometh it to pass that it is a burthen to thee Thou complainest of it and to such onely we speak brethren I must tell you such as yield not up to it such as love not sleep but it is tedious to them but whence is this Surely it is because thy heart is awake as the spouse saith this is not a total sleep O thou hast cause to bless the Lord that he hath kept so much as thy heart awake that sleep hath not seized upon all If once the heart be asleep all is gone therefore be thankful for that that there is any thing kept awake thy Will thy Affections 3. I you will say if I could see my heart is awake it were something but my hear sure is asleep my confidence doth not much trouble me for it my will hath been to blame for I have even setled my self to sleep thrown my self upon my bed of security shut the windows winked with my eys put off my cloaths I have slighted and neglected those acts of holiness from time to time of worship or which should have been as my garments upon me therefore sure I am willing to sleep yea more he hath often stirred and moved by his spirit to awake me and I have drowsed and turned like a door upon the hinges with the sluggard ready to cry a little sleep a little slumber a little folding of the hands to sleep O sure my heart is asleep as well as my self I I cannot say with the Church I sleep but my heart waketh O what shall I say or what shall I do I answer however it may be thy Will hath been in fault and asleep in part if it be not awaken in a good part how comest thou to be thus sensible of thy sleeping and slugg shness of it what mean all those sad and lamentable moanes thou makest to the Lord in secret if thou be not sensible of it I hope it is so with some of us Are we not then sensible O sure the Will is not altogether asleep yea the prevailing part is awake 4. Remember this for thy comfort If thou canst not see clearly as happily under distemper thou canst not neither thy heart be asleep or awake yet the Lord
Jesus knoweth it and he will acknowledge it O he is strict to mark what is good if but a little spark in much smoak or under much ashes when to all mens thinking the life is gone he seeth there is somewhat alive and awake within a Seed of God within and he will take notice of it for the comfort of his poor people If ever in any example we would have thought men had slept will and all we would have thought so of the Disciples that notable example that being so often shakt with such sharp and shameful rebukes yet they should forth with be asleep again as if they had not 〈…〉 heeded Jesus Christ at all yet at last when they came to themselves and could sleep no longer for the enemies were upon them Now sleep if you can lest this should too sorely assail them that they had slept so soundly under such awaking means as they had and be swallowed up of to much grief O saith our Saviour the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak he knew their Consciences would be ready to load them and Satan would help forward their overwhelming grief they wist not what to say to him nor for themselves and therefore our Saviour himself letteth them know that there was some willingness within them the spirit was willing but the flesh was weak and that he took notice of it and accepted according to what they had and not according to what they had not where there is a willing mind O here is comfort indeed to have to do with such a Master such a father such a Bridegroom as both knoweth and that little willingness that is in sincerity in his peoples hearts not to sleep though they themselves could not say so he puts an answer into their mouths to Satans accusing and the smitings of their own hearts and a plea in their mouths to himself to prevail with him for pity and sparing of them Remember this that though sleep and slumber and many woful interruptions are in thy service of God yet remember Jesus Christ he hath served without any such slumbrings and such imperfections and this is thine he will render unto man if he do acknowledge to God he hath sinned that is to say freely feelingly faithfully acknowledge it Ah brethren it was a time of prayer and a duty for the Disciples to pray when our Saviour prayed but they were all asleep if now their righteousness peace and salvation had depended upon themselves where had it been or if Jesus Christ had slept as well as they where had it been but he was wrestling and praying for himself and for them in himself at that time he never was heavy in his prayers he never fell asleep nor slumbred neither with this spiritual slumber he fulfilled all righteousness to a tittle O then remember this brethren this must be the ground of our grace and comfort you must have it in another and not in your selves And magnifie this rich grace of God in Jesus Christ that hath laid up for such poor sleeping sinners such a watchful Ordinance 6. Another word may be this though it be true in thy sleep thou art in great danger as you heard before which indeed is enough to alarm us continually yet if we do strive and stir up our selves aâ—d yet are overcome though sore against our wills and so are in danger of some deadly blow are weak and feeble and the least temptation may smite us to the ground much more then dreadful temptations and without all question Satan never lulls us asleep but he hath a design upon us to take away our life our God our Christ our peace our comfort our strength from us Yea to smite us to the ground at once and smite us no more As Abishai said to David and as he begged he might have leave so doth the Devil even beg O how fain he would have leave to smite us then as he moved the Lord against Job so continually this accuser and enemy whose work it is to devour O when he findeth such a prey how edged is his appetite but remember this for thy comfort and say not surely Satan will smite me to the heart at one time or another poor trembling soul the Lord that keepeth Israel and watcheth them he never slumbreth nor sleepeth Indeed if the Lord had slept as we are apt to think he doth when he with-holds from us his quickening or comforting presence for a time and were apt to cry out as I may say to awake him yet he never sleepeth he watcheth and wards many a secret thrust and blow that when we are asleep poor creatures we cannot be aware of and though thou mayest grieve him by a sloathful spirit and he may make thee smart other ways for it yet surely he wiâ—l not give up the life of dear Saints the price of this life of his dear dear Son to the will of Satan No they were bought at too dear a rate 7. Again O what a comfort it is to a child of God that he hath to do with such a Christ such a Bridegroom the wise Virgins belong to are espoused to as when they do sleep is willing to take so much pains to awaken them This indeed it should grieve us so much the more that we should put him to it yet it is a comfort and no weak one neither that he is willing to be at suh pains with us to awake us How long doth he stand at the door and knock before they will open they lye asleep still he cals them with the sweetest compellations My love my dove my undefiled O thou dear and precious soul it is I thy dear Saviour It is I whom thy soul loveth wilt thou rise and open to me I am wet with the dew of the night canst thou finde in thy heart to put me to stand without and induâ—e the cold and the injuries of the night and weather and keep me out of thy heart the place which I have chosen for my habitation and wherein is all my delight O what workings of his bowels are here one would think this were enough to awaken No yet she shifts and maketh excuses and very frivolous ones as people will when they are not very willing of a thing Well now a man would have thought the Lord Jesus might have been justly grieved so as to depart and leave her sleeping No saith the Text He came nearer and put his hand in at the hole of the door Poor souls he s 〈…〉 eth that the spirit is willing the flesh is weak that is to say So far as carnal we are weak the strength of the flesh maketh us weak and nothing else will do therefore he is fain to come and take her by the heart to touch her heart to begin to unbolt the door himself he cometh in some nearer sweeter powerful breathings of his spirit within that now she is overcome and
out of their hearts so to hinder this work among them Well remember this such as are more forward then others are there may be heat as well as light and yet but foolish Virgins but hypocrites when all is done Thirdly An hypocrite he may be careful in avoiding much sin not only in an imperfect will which is overcome by an interest such as Herod and Darius had who were wretches though not so properly hypocrites but an hypocrite may go as far as they surely they may forgo their Idolatry and gross wickedness as Simon Magus left his Sorceries and these virgins therefore they are called virgins though foolish virgins likely though I will not build much upon it but yet we see the unclean spirit may go out of a man for a time and yet enter again he may forsake his gross pollutions and yet return to that folly again wallowing in them as the swine and the dog in that second of Peter there is an escaping the pollutions of the world and yet notwithstanding a returning to them again he that stole stealeth no more I was a drunkard may some one say but now I thank the Lord I am none I was a filthy wretch but now I am filthy no more this is very far and yet all this may be but hypocrisie a profession and no more in the end we may appear to be foolish Virgins Fourthly An hypocrite may have conflict within himself concerning sins that others can take no notice of and this is more then the former there may be an inward regretion and re 〈…〉 ctanâ—y against our secret evils the Conscience being inlightened and di 〈…〉 ng â—hose vain thoughts should be abandoned this pride of heart is loathsom against God it quarrels with the Affections and Will if it be a sin a man would keep and so there is a busle in the soul and many of us may mistake our selves and think it is the lusting of the flesh against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh in us when it proveth nothing so Fifthly They may also do much many duties services be much in action not Napkin up their Talent but act and act much as the foolish virgins you see they went as far as the wise for ought appears step for step Did not Judas act as well as the rest following Christ up and down going forth to preach the Gospel as well as the rest did not Jehu act in an high manner for God Come and see my zeal for God he did much more then many would do And did not Joash reform much in Jehoiadahâ— time he was zealous for the Temple of the Lord and blamed 〈◊〉 Priests they were not so forward as himself was and yet what 〈…〉 d he at the last have we not fearful examples in our own times how many diligent Christians as they seemed to be and yet alas how went they out yea truly I will say one thing more sometimes there may be a doing very great self-denying actions Was not that a self-denying action of Rehoboam and far greater then this of Jehu he had an Army ready to fight with Israel when they revolted 180000 fighting men and yet when the word of the Lord came and told him it was of God and bid him cease he obeys though a kingdom lay at the stake and he was in so fair a posture for it and yet he is but a Rehoboam still and one that forsook the Law of his God when he was strengthened though before he made much of the servants of the Lord. Sixthly An hypocrite may have the assisting inlarging presence of God with him in his service They had preached in the name of Christ his presence had been with them also and yet you see they are cast out It is said of Saul that he had another spirit given him from that day forward a spirit to gift him for the government and when God had rejected him and his service the spirit departed from him and an evil spirit vexed him he had a more then ordinary presence of God with him and yet but a Saul a wretch many a Minister that preacheth your souls to heaven and salvation may perish himself he may have great gifts given and much of Christ his presence with him in the exercises of them and yet perish for all this As the Nurse though for the present eats dainty fare not for her own sake but the sake of the great mans child whom she nurseth So may it be with us the Lord prevent us with his loving kindness And you that are Christians God may give you a gift of Prayer a gift in conferring you may be eminent therein God may assist you much therein It is for his peoples sakes that he will build up thereby refresh thereby your selves may perish notwithstanding O brethren Is not this faâ— that an hypocrite may go Seventhly He may hold out very long and yet in the end prove but an hypocrite and this is the saddest of all the rest and this you see plainly here in the Text the foolish Virgins had well nigh gone to the end when the Cry came they were found with the wise indeed in a sleeping condition but they were as forward as they for externals had not their Lamps gone out it is strange to 〈…〉 der that Judas should be such a rotten creature at the heart and yet should follow him so far many of his Disciples were quickly offended at him and went backward and never walked with him again but Judas went far it may be we may think the better of our selves for our continuance so long in the ways of God it is good if it be right in the root so that it hold oâ—t to the end Hypocrites may hold until they come as I may say within the sight of heaven or the pâ—ice of the Goal and then they tyre and give up Joash how long did he continue following God it was a long passion considering it was not a new nature in it that was the principle a torrent without a Spring to feed it to run very long indeed and so it may be with many a poor soul do but consider under this head two things 1. They may continue and weather out a persecution endure the storm and yet perish in a calm may have indured persecution for Christ his sake for his name and cause and yet alas fall short as for instance the third sort of ground it was not scorched with the Sun when it was up but continued and yet alas brought not forth fruit to perfection for the Thorns choaked it he not only withers like the Bull-Rush before other hearts but sometimes like a tree he continueth and abideth the heat of the Sun Job 8. 17. And that Alexander that indured so much for the Apostle hazarded his life for him Act. 19. 32. is thought by some to be that Alexander which did him much evil of which he complains
seeth not his disease 2. It is so like to uprightness of heart that it is scarce discernable to the Physitian that should be instrumental to heal it Morbus vix sanabilis saith one qui sanitatem imitatur and then when it is discerned there is much more goeth to the healing of an hypocrite then another sinner he must first be emptied of himself whereof he is full he must be untaught before he can be taught any thing of Christ 3. If he do see his disease he is usually unwilling to have it healed he liketh it better to keep his lusts secretly to have the delight of them and pleasure of sin secretly and yet the shew of godliness Like a sâ—urdy Rogue he hath a sore and he knoweth it well enough but he careth not for having it healed because it is his Plow it is that which brings in his profit or advantage by moving others to commiseration but many times such persons as these dye of their wounds and when theâ— would have them healed they are fostred so and corrupted there is no healing of them The Lord grant it prove not the case of our souls Why but you will say how should a man know then If a hypocrite be such an one that may go so far whether he be an hypocrite or no for it may be you will say for ought I perceive an hypocrite is gone so far that I doubt I shall hardly reach it For answer to this I shall say these few things First then for matter of affection for knowledge I think we can hardly make that Characteristicon because it is common to both and when men speak of it as a practical knowledge an humbling knowledge a warning knowledge c. These are the effects of it But knowledge considered as knowledge it is alike though the Spirit of the Lord do shed it abroad upon some mens hearts and affections so that it works there mightily and remaineth imprisoned in some mens heads and understandings Therefore for the Affection I cannot stand to give account of every affection spoken of before but for That of mourning for son which is specially considerable you have heard a heart may be troubled for sin and it is questionless true But how shall we know then whether our trouble for sin be right or no or whether we be hypocritical therein Truly Brethren If ever we could look upon Jesus Christ crucified by his sins and for them with such an eye of faith and so mourn over him crucified by us and yet for us this surely none else can work but the spirit of grace it is a special fruit of it in that 12. of Zach. It may be thou hast been a poor creature much vexed with thy sins and weary by reason of them and weary of thy groa 〈…〉 ing and trouble but hast thou ever had a sight of Christ crucified and mouraid over him whom thou hast crucified This is the bitterness indeed that a hypocrite cannot reach unto Secondly Though an hypocrite may avoid many sins yet he will have some lust some Dalilah some little one and his soul shall live Now if a man regard any iniquity in his heart be it never so plausibly maintained have he never such fair pretences for what he doth that man is a hypocrite and God will not hear such a mans prayers If I regard iniquity in my heart God will not hear my prayers Judas must have his covetousness he could forego all other Herod must have his sisters daughter all else he can forego If there be any one lust wherein thou sparest thy self keepest it under thy tongue be it never so secret thy heart is not right It may be a man would think that the sin of his constitution he may give himself a little liberty in and this is thy plea It is my temper to be vainly merry a mans temper to be wanton to be foolishly jesting and men will plead their nature for it why truly so might Job he made a covenant with his eyes David I kept me from mine iniquity whether the sin of his nature or his present condition that is to say revenge upon his enemy when he had him in his hand So the sins of a mans place Job kept himself from them all he did not oppress wrong his man servant despise his cause oppress the poor when he had his help ready in the gate to have sided with him If men shall in any case though they have never so urgent temptations allow themselves in any sin surely such men are hypocrites and no better Thirdly an hypocrite will do much but he will not do all he never hath respect to all the commandments of God Why but you will say No more can the most upright man upon the earth do all Not Legally but Evangelically he may he may aim at all though the Commandment be exceeding broad he may search after all that he may do them he may endeavour it though he cannot reach it I have a respect to all and where he cometh short that is his burthen that is matter of mourning to him Take it in two or three particulars that I enlarge not too much 1. It may be an hypocrite will be wonderful strict in the duties of the first table which we call ordinarily religious duties as praying reading hearing c. But you shall find him very slight and slack in the duties of the second Those in the 7. of Matth they would Preach and Prophesie in Christ his name but yet they would work iniquity with both hands Judas would pray with Christ Preach for Christ receive with Christ but he would then couzen and defraud made no conscience of secret thievery And it is very plain in that first of Isaiah who were more forward then they in their sacrifices abundant in their worship multitude of their burnt-offerings and solemn assemblies but in the mean time their hands were full of blood they made nothing of that And is it not so with some of us we are frequent in hearing frequent it as much as others and yet notwithstanding make nothing of the duties of the second table drunkenness is nothing though wine be raging make nothing of railing reviling of covetousness which is Idolatry he will hardly make a Covenant with his eyes as Job did maketh nothing of uncleanness if not outward in act yet contemplative of a wandering eye and wandring heart and so of deceit O this is dreadful let not that man deceive himself certainly he is an hypocrite and though he may go far yet he will be sure to fall short 2. An hypocrite in his obedience he will be much about little inconsiderable things Some ceremonious things or the like more then the weighty matters of the Law so the Pharisees they forsooth would not come into the Judgement-Hall because it was the preparation to the Pass-over lest they should be defiled and not fit for the
but yet it shineth more and more the Sun runneth his race though now and then a cloud intercepts his comfortable beams from the earth And that of the Psalmist his leaf shall never wither the leaf is the profession he shall not wither but be green An hypocrite indeed like a Bull-rush will wither as we shall see by and by when the mire and the water fails but a child of God withers not There are two Conditions which usually wither mens profession but the child of God stands it out in both 1. In a prosperous state that useth to choak the word they that will call upon God in the day of distress in their afflictions wil seek him earnestly yet when his hand is taken away they no more remember the Lord their Saviour but a child of God now in his prosperous condition he loseth not his profession altogether though the Lamp may be damped yet not extinguisht And 2. For adversity that indeed is a trying time all this is come upon us yet have we not dealt falsly in the Covenant will the hypocrite alway call upon God he will not call upon God alway nor wait for him Yea the time of affliction usually is an advantage to the people of God if ever their Lamp burn brighter then another it is in the dark and cold night of persecution and affliction a Torch the more knockt against any thing the more it burns Secondly Because they have within them a Spring of oyl that feeds the Lamp therefore it goeth not out It is set forth in another metaphor in that place of John out of his belly shall flow Rivers of water springing up to eternal life Now where there is this within the flame will live while there is oyl to maintain it It is like fire in a mans bosom he cannot carry it so surely but it will discover it self as fire in the bones as the Prophet speaks of the word of God And 3. Because that cruse of oyl is continually supplyed by the Spirit and from the fulness of Christ therefore it never fails If the oyl in the vessel could fail then the Light in the Lamp might fail but it faâ—ls not and why not because it is not perishable in its own nature being but a creature but because it is kept by the power of God we are kept by the power of God to salvation alas if it were in our keeping we should quickly with the Prodigal run our selves out of all as we do in a moment lose the most precious frames the Lord is pleased to put upon us but it is kept by that power none is able to pluck them out of this hand of the Father the Son Sin is strong indeed strong lusts and Satan is strong a Lyon a Dragon a Prince of the power of darkness and Armies of lusts he hath warring in our members a great strength and all these pluck at us but they cannot pull us out of this hand of Christ And thence it is that their Lamps are not put out in obscure darkness O how fain would Satan blow out the Candle that we might walk in the darkness not knowing whither we go but it is held in the hand of Christ and it is above the reach of his poysonous breath to do it A damp of lusts from our own hearts if any thing would do it this would and it maketh them burn very dimly and blew many times but yet cannot overcome the Lamp may want trimming but it is not out For the Application then of this Doctrine If it be so that Believers are subject to such declinings yea when they should be at the best in their latter end when they should bring forth fruit in old age that then they may be ready to wither or in a great part the leaves their profession may change colour and lose its greenness What should this teach us all in the first place but to take heed of placing our confidence in any thing which may fail us If any thing on this side the Lord Jesus himself might be trusted in it might be grace for there is not any other so near approach to God without which Angels were but Devils the very perfection of Saints and Angels And yet because it hath its imperfections therefore it is not to be trusted to Nothing indeed is more spiritual then grace the choisest communications of the eternal spirit to the Creature but yet considered in comparison with the God of grace it is but flesh if it be rested upon the strongest mountain that a man would think should never be shaken yet sin and Satan if the Lord permit can get under it and blow it up Yea if our grace were perfect yet we might not rest in it because yet it hath its comparative imperfections it self being but a derivative and dependent Being upon the God of grace at the best it is but a stream a beam though nearer the Sun and nearer the Fountain and but the water of a Cistern and if whole before yet this resting upon it would make it a broken Cistern Well then bretbren if our profession flourish never so if it be spring time with you trust not in it for there may come a fall after this spring there may come a time of scorching heat may make you wither in a great part at least Though your Lamp burn and shine never so gloriously and the light be great which ariseth from these sparks of Gods kindling you see it may come to want trimming to burn more dimly therefore trust not in it 2. It should teach us then to live by faith in respect hereof Alas brethren we are withering every moment if we have not waterings every moment what would become of us now whence must this come but from the fountain of Israel the eternal spring and fulness which is in Jesus Christ Of his fulness we receive saith the Evangelist What made the difference between the rest of the Disciples their profession of him and Peters all their Lamps were damped in that hour and power of darkness it was so great and gross but his was almost gone and giving up And for those acts the flame was even out but that the Lord blew it in again by the breathing of his spirit O Labour to live by faith in Jesus Christ for preventing grace then that we may not be removed from our stedfastness The Apostle had a strong perswasion that neither life nor death the intisements of the one nor the terrors of the other should separate him from the Love of God in Jesus Christ O it was that love he hung upon You see that grace it self which is the oyl in the vessel which seeds the Lamp is loseable and therefore much more the external fruits and effects of it Now if the power of God do not keep us we are gone therefore we must hence learn to live by the faith of the son of
is called a new creature to shew us the great transcendent power whereby Jesus Christ is formed in a soul It is the Fathers proper work through the Son by the Spirit the Father giveth it the Son purchaseth it the Spirit applyeth it and works it Create in me a clean heart O God renew a right Spirit within me saith David holiness is a creation and peace is a creation he will create the fruit of the lips peace peace a creation is of nothing or somewhat utterly unfit to receive such a form or being so that the fruit of the lips they are weak and cannot reach such an effect it is Gods Almighty power and the same power that raised up Jesus from the dead that must raise a dead soul to believe in Jesus Christ When Rachel would have of Jacob that which was beyond his power to give he saith Am I in Gods stead that I should give thee children So may the people of God and Ministers say to some sometimes who come to them as if they could give them peace or comfort and expect that as soon as ever they speak a word presently all their doubts and fears should be quelled and subdued no no it is too heavy a weight you lay upon them it is a thing above their reach This the second Thirdly If they were able to do it they have no authority no commission to do it and therefore they may not do it Jesus Christ was annointed for this very end to do the thing I come to do thy will O God in the 40. Psal and what is that will Why that none that the Father hath given him should be lost or perish but his blood and Spirit should be given to them grace and glory should be given to them this is the will of God even your Sanctification and this will he came to do it was that the Father designed him to to deliver his people from their sins therefore was the spirit poured out in such a full measure yea without measure upon the head of this our high-Priest that it might run down to the very skirt of his garment to the very lowest Christian that belongs unto him It is not every member in the body nor any other but the head which is made the seat of the animal Spirits to communicate them to the least and lowest member Now it is not what men are able to do but what they have Commission to do that is authentick If they were able there is no Commission the Lord Jesus only came Authorized to open the Prison doors to Preach deliverance and to give deliverance to the Captives This the third Fourthly If all these did concur in men yet they might want a heart when all is done and then all the rest would avail little to us in our necessity and though it be true the Saints do retain bowels of mercy and do put them on and long-suffering and patience yet alas how short-nostrilled are the best of the Saints in comparison of God Moses his patience was at an end yet the weakest man and had often interceded for them yet ye Rebels must we fetch water out of the rock for you though the murmuring was not against him but against God If a sinner put off getting grace and coming to Christ until the last our patience will hardly hold out so long let the power of my Lord be great as thou hast said c. herein our weakness doth much appear we are ready to cast off and give up men if they come not in quickly and if afterward they do come in we are ready to shut our hearts against them But if there were a heart yet there is no power and that will answer all therefore if we go to the creature for grace we are like to have a denyal Before we apply this or else as a part of the Application shall be to speak somewhat by way of satisfaction to a doubt This seemeth to cross the Scriptures are not the Saints bound to communicate one to another to do good forget not is not this of a larger sense then meerly giving a little of our estates to them if in want So again when thou art converted strengthen thy Brethren saith our Saviour to Peter and how can you say then that if we go to the Saints for grace we are like to have a denyal To this I answer the Saints may and ought to communicate their experiences to others as their necessity requireth the humble shall hear hereof and be glad how when his soul made her boast in God And so again the Psalmist as a type of Christ He brought me up out of the horrible pit out of the mierie clay and set my feet upon a rock and established my goings he hath put a new song in my mouth c. And what then Many shall see it and fear and shall trust in God And so saith the Apostle That ye may comfort others with the comforts wherewith your selves are comforted of God this is doubtless a duty to communicate our experiences and also to exhort one another while it is called to day as the Apostle hath it and to reprove one another this is a duty but this is far from giving of grace For the more distinct understanding therefore of this note only two or three particulars 1. For any merit of our works we cannot give for indeed there is none at all If we deserve any thing at the hands of God it is wrath and ruine it is meer mercy we are not consumed every time we approach this consuming fire with our filthy garments upon us because his compassions fail not when we have done all commanded if we could do it we are but improfitable servants but alas how infinitely short do we fail of what is commanded in many things in all things we offend all for who doth any thing as he should our sufferings of this life are not worthy to be compared to the glory there must be a proportion in merit now they are light that is weighty they are for a moment that is eternal and a far more exceeding and eternal weight Now no man can give that which he hath not 2. The glory of our works That we cannot give away that is the Lords that others may see them and glorisie your Father which is in heaven Mat. 5. 16. 3. The influence of them upon others hearts That we cannot give neither we may speak and do plant and water but it it God that giveth the increase the husband-man may plough and sow and harrow but he cannot give the rain of heaven former and later he cannot give power to the seed to dye and rise again it is beyond his reach who can touch the heart but the Lord he is the God of the Spirits whose dwellings are with our spirits especially and he can fashion them as he pleaseth
bottle a broken cistern wherein no water is you shall have a denial from the Creature but Christ never denied any that came in the sense of his wants and waited upon him for supply and so much for this Lest there be not enough for you and us they might well doubt indeed whether there would be enough for themselves and them for even now their own Lamps had need of a supply though the form of words seem to carry a doubtfulness in them there might be enough and there might not yet I cannot believe but the wise Virgins knew full well and so they do know at this day that there is not enough for them and others This is most sutable to the Analogy of Faith in other Scriptures The Doctrinal Note from thence will be this There are none have any surplâ—sage of Grace or more then will serve their own turn They have none to spare lest there be not enough for you and us and that this is so other Scriptures plainly speak If the righteous scarcely be saved saith the Apostle the righteous be he as eminent as he may in righteousness and holiness yet he is scarcely saved so as through many difficulties many a hard pull he hath when all is ready to fail him but that God never fails him else all were gone His flesh and his heart fails him many times Strive to enter in at the strait gate saith our Saviour for many shall seek to enter and shall not be able Suppose that some men strive more then others yet all will be little enough they shall hard and sharp be saved they have none to spare he that gathered much had nothing over saith the Text concerning the Manna though some are more industrious painful Christians then others yet they have nothing over the very Angels in Heaven that have such a fulness as no Creature on earth yet hath yet they cannot spare a jot of their fulness though they be so full not a jot of their holiness how much more we then First Let a man begin never so yong to look towards heaven as young Timothy and young Sam. and yet they shall not have any more then what is necessary for themselves to have a man would think he that beginneth so yong should in time grow to be exceeding rich in faith and good works that if there were any works of supererrogation these should be the men but yet we find not in Scripture any of them in so high a strain 2. If a man be never so earnest diligent and forward zealous for God though he serve the Lord instantly night and day yet shall he have no grace to spare David was a man of strong affections as most Christians and as warm they were toward God as strong were his desires after him and love to him as will appear by his spiritual breathings and was as much in following after God and after grace in so much that when he was debarred from the Tabernacle and Ordinances where he used to behold the goings of God the way of God his glorious power and grace when shut out from these how sadly doth he take on you may see then by the stir and disquietness of his heart in the interruption that he was strongly bent to follow after Christ and yet at the close of all had he any to spare Yea 3. Let a man continue so to the end if it were possible without any interruption in his growth and yet he shall have no grace to spare had the Apostle any to spare who was a man labored as abundantly as any other yea more then they all and yet he was nothing and when all was done he would be found in Christ not having his own righteousness upon him he had not yet attained the resurrection from the dead But then 2. For the opening of the Point let us note this also That though a Christian may have more gifts of Grace then may be sufficient for Salvation yet he never hath more especially saving grace then is needful I mean he hath none to spare a man indeed haply might spare some of his gifts but none of his Grace though it is true whatever Talents the Lord bestoweth to fit a man for his Condition his place he should be answerable to the Lord and so they are necessary to the fruitful carrying on of his Calling or Condition yet to heaven they are not so necessary but all the Grace a man hath is necessary for him so necessary as he can spare none especially that Grace which is more particularly a mans own if I may so call it and that is sincerity and uprightness of heart others do partake with us in the sweet effects of the other Graces of faith and love c. but the sincerity of all without the rest are nothing this is more especially our own and who is there that could ever say that he had so much uprightness of heart that he could spare any of it can a man spare any of his life this is the life of Religion and Grace 3. Another thing to make this out will be this The greatest Grace where it is given usually hath the greatest corruption to wrestle with a spring-tyde of Grace a spring-tyde of Corruption strong workings of the spirit strong lustings of the flesh and strong temptations such as many of us never knew what they meant so that a Child of God indeed that is proved knoweth that he hath little enough for himself though it may be God hath given him more then to many others where sin abounds Grace abounds may there not be temptations to exercise the strongest Faith Some Goliah-lust or another which requireth all their faith and humility and patience to encounter with it we never turned Gods treasuries of temptation to know what he hath in store for poor souls 4. Let a Child of God have never so much Grace here yet he fals short of the resurrection of the dead short of that pitch which he ought to aim at Indeed if men could reach this fulness of the measure of the stature of Christ and go beyond it then there might be some thoughts of having somewhat to spare but until then we are alway on the wanting hand sure alway under emptiness Now though some be so bold as to plead for a perfection in our days we see by a divine hand upon them they are let loose to all manner of wickedness and except that were the perfection I understand not what perfection they are capable of 5. When they have attained to the top and pitch brethren yet alas if God should enter into judgement with us we should never be able to stand as you have it therefore the Apostle would be found in him when he had done all surely then brethren if when all is done there is such an imperfection incompleatness as to justification and eternal life that we must go out of all deny
they come to see to it in some measure 2. Others are ready and know it but are not so thankful for it have not the sweetness of their condition so fresh upon their spirits because they do not oftentimes review their condition 3. There are many that are unready and think themselves ready and O how is it likely it should be better with them until they come to know how the case stands with them will any go to buy Gold that they might be rich or white Rayment that they might be cloathed untill they see they are poor and naked surely no. 4. Others are unready and though their hearts misgive them they are unready yet they care not much for it or else they know not how it is with them and they are contented to be ignorant Now except the Lord perswade us all brethren to look into our state it is never like to be better with us such as we are such shall we be found at the appearing of Christ yea every day farther and farther off Therefore shall I beg of you brethren that you would consider it set some time apart it is the weightiest business you have to do in the world you will have a time for all other necessary things your eating drinking managing your civil affairs and is the soul-concernment the least that you should so slight it Well then wil you this day retire your selves deal effectually with your hearts what if this night you should be taken away or you should never see Sabbath more are you ready for the coming of Jesus Christ I doubt our hearts would answer no alas our work is to do alas how many poor souls that have not a week a moneth haply to live yet have not one dram of Grace O put that question have you this oyl have you the Spirit of Grace and Supplication given to you have you Christ dwelling in you and transforming and changing you into his image from Glory to Glory Ah dear friends what mean our loathsom conversations then what mean the vileness of our hearts the fulness and rottenness and sin that is there are you mortified in any good measure or no It may be you have forsaken the pollutions of the world but is the heart of sin killed hath it its deaths wound out of which continually the life and spirits of sin are emptying are you weary of it do you loath it and your selves for its vileness O do not deceive your selves Again Are your Graces lively It may be thou hast a spark but it is buried in the ashes Indeed I doubt brethren these times of prosperity to the Church bury more Christians alive then any days that ever we saw why now are we ready are our Lamps burning our loins girded O how active and stirring and lively are the Graces of the Spirit in some over they are in others you are so far unready for the coming of Jesus Christ and so far it will be uncomfortable to you besides do ye live by faith above all this for righteousness else we are not ready Is this the top of all that we might be found in him saith the Apostle search and see take heed you have to do with desperately wicked and deceitful hearts Again Are we ready for the abundant entrance how few of us have this perswasion our calling and election is not made sure we do not know what would become of us if God should call for us how can his coming be comfortable to us we are so far from waiting for his coming that every thought of it goeth cold to our hearts that which should most warm us refresh us O brethren let me beg of you for Jesus sake no longer to slight this great and necessary work give your hearts no rest until you see whether you be ready or no. Suppose you shall find your selves unready it is better to know it in time then when it is too late now there is hope if you be not ready you may obtain mercy you may make the more haste to get ready that that day may be a blessed a comfortable day to your souls 3. Then brethren If we be not ready for his appearing shall I beg of you brethren for Jesus sake and for your poor souls sake that you would now resolve whatever business be done you would not leave this at six and sevens It is the one thing necessary you have to do nothing will yield you a dram of comfort nor arm your hearts against the fears of death but this nothing will give you entrance into Glory but this Indeed if riches would be an entrance or he that keeps the doors and openeth and no man shutteth could be bribed with the multitude of gold it were somewhat for men to heap it up as the dust and raiment as the clay if men were admitted according to their glorious apparrel or if the riches of the head and treasuries of humane knowledge would do it Scholars might do well to spend all their time in searching after that and none or little or none to make ready for the appearing of Jesus Christ but surely brethren surely you will find nothing will find an entrance but readiness for his coming The Lord give you believing hearts this day how unwearied are men for other things which are trifles and will not profit and not one hour in an hundred spent seriously with their own souls And though some men have more time then others yet surely brethren he that is most busie must find time for this great work or misearry O therefore labour press hard after it use all means possible you must take pains brethren such unready hearts as we have will not be had in readiness without much and constant pains-taking As a Garden that is quickly overgrown with weeds it must be taken pains with again and again so here c. And so in keeping an house clean and ready there must be pains taken with it Ah brethren except your souls follow hard after Christ you will never find him to your comfort The Lord touch your hearts and then you shall find him Again you will say Why I hope I am ready Well then labour to maintain this readiness Alas how soon is the sweetest frame lost think not I have now done the main work therefore you may take more liberty then other men now you may indulge your selves take more ease more liberty about the world then other men Alas brethren how soon will the world and cares of it overcharge you how hard a thing is it to buy as if you possessed not to use it as if you used it not and if you be overcharged with the cares of the world this day will overtake you at unawares Yea I tell you brethren if that day take you at unawares as I doubt if it should come at any day upon us it would take many of us when we are overcharged O ease your selves of some of your burthen have
many a sight of Jesus Christ sitting with his people at the round table and thou knowest not what thou losest yet if it be meer tenderness of Conscience which keepeth thee off and not perverseness thou hast sure much of the inward fellowship and communion with Christ otherwise he can if he please supply it otherwise but however though not admitted among men thou shalt enter in with Christ unto the Marriage-supper for ever and this will make amends for all Though far be it from me to strengthen any mans hands in the neglect of the Ordinances of Christ on earth and take heed that our excuses will speak loud enough for us in Gods ears whatever they do in mans But if thou canst not be admitted to the pipe Is it not a comfort that thou shalt be admitted to the fountain to the sea O methinks this should put on such above others make a vertue of necessity and so much the more long for his appearing to thee that thou mayst enter in with him to the Marriage-feast Fourthly and lastly It may serve to allay the bitterness of death It is a bitter thing not only to the wicked it is bitter it must needs having the sting of sin in it and being a trap-door as I may say to let them sink or drop into the everlasting flames this must needs be bitter But to the Saints it is in some sort bitter also nature is dissolved by it it is the fruit of sin and we find by continual experience of the Saints that there is a hanging back But methinks this consideration that it is an entrance into this Marriage-feast should much sweeten it to a child of God Our Saviours death was the bitterest that ever was endured O it was a deadly cup but this was it that sweetned it the consideration that he should drink this new wine with his people in his fathers kingdom there feast with him for ever for the joy that was set before him he endured the Cross so brethren do but set before you continually this joy this pouring out of this love of Christ upon your souls those immediate sincere full constant and eternal delights of your souls in the light and love of the Father and of the Son and see if it swallow not up the bitterness of death unto you But so much for this Doctrine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Here is the second Consideration of this coming of the Bridegroom a doleful consideration it is to all such as were not ready for the door was shut what is the sence of shutting the door in the Parable I suppose is easily understood that is to say an entrance is denied to them that were without as well as they that were within were shut in by the shutting of the door But I conceive that is the thing meant here the scope of the Verse being to shew the different end of a believer and an hypocrite the one is received into the Marriage-feast the other is shut out the door is clapt against them The Doctrine will be a sad word it is this That the Gate of heaven or the door will be clapt against all formal Professors and foolish Virgins that are not ready to enter with Christ for this is implied in the other part of the words they that were ready entred with Christ into the Marriage and the door was shut upon whom surely upon them that were not ready for that his coming whatever hopes they are big with now they prove abortive There is a door of entrance into Heaven and an outer door as I may say which I may call a door of hope which the Hypocrite hath not when it cometh to a pinch not a well-grounded hope The wicked is driven away in his wickedness but the righteous hath hope in his death There is a door of hope to him but none to the wicked but his hope which he had before many times at death is like the giving up of the Ghost without are dogs c. either filthy persons such as with the Dog returneth to the vomit again after their sorrow and vomiting up their sweet morsels such as with the Dog are sometimes sin-sick and seem to repent to vomit up the bottom of their stomacks but return to it again with delight after their repentance and tears and prayers these are shut out Dogs also who are they but such barking biting foul-mouth'd false Teachers such as the Apostle speaks of Beware of Dogs evil workers of the concision beware of such as would bring in the circumcision as necessary to Salvation beware of these they are Dogs though they may seem never so zealous and holy have a sheep-skin upon them they are Dogs and Woolves and all manner of workers of iniquity as Sorcerers Whoremongers and Idolaters and whosoever loveth and maketh a lye Why you will say these are not Hypocrites sure they are down-right profane persons brethren a man may live in these sins many of them and yet carry a fair shew but the gate shall be shut against them whoever they be As for Adultery or whoring though men be not guilty of the outward act is there not heart-adultery is there not contemplative wickedness against which Job resolveth I made a Govenant with mine eye why should I think upon a maid he that lusteth after her beauty in the heart commits adultery with her in his heart yea brethren by the thoughts the very spirits as I may say and oyl of sin are squeezed out or extracted as in a Limbeck and that is more deadly and dangerous a man may eat a thing and do him no great hurt but the oyl of it is deadly haply So the Murtherer it may be many a man that hath a form of Godliness never imbrued his hands in blood but his heart hath been steeped in blood full of envious and malicious thoughts he can with wishes and desires of revenge and malice murther and bury all his neighbours And so though it may be we make no pictures of Images or fall down before them to give them any absolute or relative worship yet we have Idols in our hearts we love money are covetous it may be and this is idolatry and fall down to our own parts our own gifts and live in this like it well these brethren shall have the door shut against them and such as love and make lyes though officious lyes to help others nothing more ordinary in mens Callings and Shops then to lye and speak falsly for a little advantage and yet it may be have a colour and a shew of Profession and allow themselves in these things They shall be shut out the door shall be clapt against them many shall seek to enter but shall not be able No marvel for the Gate is not only strait but shut against them it is strait when it stands open in mens lives and they will not strive and therefore fall short
But now this strait Gate is shut against them and therefore they cannot enter But so much for the proof of this Doctrine I shall not stay long upon it nor indeed is it needful having spoken before to their surprizal Only a word or two brethren for the opening of the Point and then to confirm it and then some short application of it to our selves For the opening of it What is meant by the unreadiness here supposed for it is against them that the door is shut And then the shutting of the door what is meant by that First then What is meant by this unreadiness I hope you have not altogether forgotten what was spoken lately to the readiness of a poor creature to enter in with Christ to heaven which if you remember you may easily conceive what it is to be unready we will not speak to the readiness for an abundant entrance but only for an entrance into heaven and you remember they were such things as these 1. There must be a pardon of a mans sins a righteousness of faith in the blood of Jesus Christ else a man is never ready Every unbeliever therefore is unready let him be as specious in his shews and pretences as he may yet he is unready he is in his sins condemned c. Joh. 3. And though the Gate of mercy and the kingdom of Grace â—â—and open for sinners to come to Jesus Christ yet the Gate of Heaven whereby an entrance is made into Glory stands not open to any but such as are pardoned have the robes of their elder Brother the Lord Jesus upon them Ah how sad a word is that of the Jews ye shall die in your sins then surely brethren they are not ready for heaven the door will be shut against them 2. There must be a dying to sin as well as a pardon of sin before we can be ready as you heard the roots must be withered before the wall be tumbled down therefore every unmortified man or woman is unready Hear this word of the Lord ye whose Lusts are yet in their full strength your pride and hardness of heart and sensoriousness your looseness and wantonness you that walk with a froward mouth and perverse lips whose hearts devise mischief whose feet make haste to do evil it is an ill sign that the old man is mortified you are an abomination to God as the wise man speaks and will he not clap the door against all such workers of iniquity no evil can dwell with God Ah brethren you that cherish that old man of sin as I may say rub him and chafe him and pour wine and strong drink into him aqua vitae and spirits into him by your meditations of sin vain thoughts lustful proud passionate thoughts nourish your sins ordinarily and so blow up the coal into a flame you are far from mortifying your lusts instead of bringing water and the blood of Jesus Christ to kill your sins you bring to the flame well all unmortified persons are unready let our profession be what it will the door will be clapt upon such I mean such as are altogether unmortified have done nothing in the work I know a child of God may not be so mortified as he should and sometimes for some acts may cherish sin use the bellows to the fire within but it costs him bitterness afterward he liveth not in such a course If he do it is good for him to be jealous of himself how the case stands with him Thirdly He is unready that hath no real holiness put upon him without it none shall see God he knoweth his prima facie as I may say he can see the image and comeliness upon a soul if it be there If not he will not own any bastards any supposititious children changelings that Satan laies in the lap of the Church as I may say and rocks in the Cradle of security but the Lord will shut the door against them This real holiness you know what it is a conformity to the will of God in our understandings light as he is light and no darkness in him In our wills and affections conformity to his will revealed to us A holy disposition of heart to do his will suffer his will and delight in it which occasioneth our grief when we cannot well this is holiness Hear this then ye that never mind the will of God purblind ignorant creatures stubborn rebellious creatures you that have iron sinnews and brazen faces which refuse to return or to be ashamed though the Lord do blazen your iniquities before you continually by his Heralds which cry aloud and teach Jacob their transgressions and Israel their sins and spare you not nor spare themselves yet you refuse to return and to be ashamed to conform to the will of Christ you never were brought to that sweet submissive frame of Paul Lord what wouldst thou have me to do Well believe it thou art unready the gate will be clapt against thee Fourthly Then others are unready And who are those Such as have received work to do and they have not done it men of no action for Christ then the Apostle was ready and our Saviour when they had done their work he gave them to do Christ had wrought out a perfect righteousness for his people and therefore he went up to heaven and the world seeth him no more and this the Spirit convinceth the world of if he had not done that work perfectly heaven would not have held him Remember this then Brethren they are unready that have not done their work whether Magistrates Ministers or private people He giveth to his servants some five talents some ten some two some one mind you he that had but one haply out of envy at others who had more or dejection and discouragement or thinking he had little and therefore could do little good with it hid it in a Napkin and did not trade with it and therefore was the gate open to him No thou wicked and sloathful servant saith the Master to him c. and so he is cast off the merchandise os wisdom is better then the merchandise of silver and the gain thereof then fine gold that is to say the great gain and improvement that cometh by using the wisdom and knowledge the gifts and graces which God giveth us O the tongue of the just is as choice silver and the lips of the righteous feed many Do we do our work Brethren or have we never set stroke in it God hath given some charge of souls how little have they done in it Masters of Families have the charge of children of servants their souls you have done nothing you have gifts and parts enough for every thing else Well Brethren such shall be shut out also Now to shew you two or three sorts of persons who will likely be unready in some or all these respects First then all such as trisle
turned away either to turn away the affliction or at least the anger which is the sting the inflamation of any affliction whatsoever if it be but an itch a scab if it be fired with the anger of God it shall be enough to consume and destroy the Lord challengeth it as a priviledge See now that I even I am he and there is no God with me I kill and I make alive I wound and I heal I wound their comforts wound their peace lay them a gasping a dying art thou not he that kelled'st Rah and wounded the Dragon So Job he maketh sore and bindeth up he woundeth and his hands make whole Come say they let us return to the Lord for he hath torn and he will heal us he hath smitten and he will bind us up after two daies will he revive us and the third day we shall live in his sight Healing upon the returning of poor sinners is a choice mercy indeed and all from him their returning in order to healing and the healing unto returning Behold I will bring it health and cure I will cure them and return to them abundance of peace after be had threatened to destroy them in his anger by the Caldeans So then it may be Beloved that the trouble of spirit thou hast had for sin God hath laid his hand on thy family on thy person and all little enough to bring down the pride of thy heart and to take away the iniquity of thy covetousness and wean thee from the creature Well he will return if thou return to him he will return he will heal thee or at least take away the anger that inflameth the Visitation which is a kind of healing Brethren though we are kept under it But thus much for these particulars touching healing You see then what it is that is held forth in this Doctrine That Jesus Christ will arise unto them that fear his name with healing under his wings that is to say by his Word and Spirit and other Ordinances conveigh to them pardon and cleansing and peace and comfort and freedom from calamities or the evil of them and I hope it is sufficiently proved by the several particulars there have been many Scriptures produced to prove it in each particular therefore we will not any longer insist on that part but come to the Application which will be divers First we may take notice Brethren hence what a comprehensive evil sin is for if we speak of healing which is the main thing in this Doctrine it must needs lead us being a relative to some distemper or other that is to be healed whether it be a disease or whether it be a wound or both for diseases many times are caused by wounds that its a disease a wound might easily be proved in the first place as by that of the Prophet The whole head is sick and the whole heart faint from the Crown of the head to the sole of the foot nothing but wounds and bruises and putrifying sores O! how loathsom are these sores do we not read of the plague of the heart a hard heart the stone in the heart in that place of Ezekiel where he speaks of his people under the notion of a flock to be fed and guided the diseased have ye not strengthened neither have ye healed that which was sick neither have you bound up that which was brokon diseased and sick I might here by an enumeration of particulars shew that every sin almost according to Scripture analogy is a disease To begin with the head Brethren is not blindness a disease and is not ignorance a blindness of the mind whereby we are alienated from the life of God Dear friends consider it how many among us poor creatures are groping at noon-day the light that is in them is darkness and O how great is that darkness and is there not also a self-conceipt and pride whereby we think of our selves above what we ought and from hence it is that we grow more in the head than in other parts a dangerous disease there is much knowledge among many of us but little heat little warmth on the heart little holy walking according unto it Obstructions between the head and the heart is none of the least diseases among us Is there not corruption of Judgement and is it not a dangerous disease if we had never thought so before our times would have taught us this the leprosie in the head a man of unsound principles is leprous and one of the worst kinds also O what a vertigo hath taken many they run round until they be giddy and fall and break themselves Beloved there are strong carnal reasonings in our heads whereby almost we will make any thing good that we would have forward we shall make it seem reasonable that we may cum rations insanire Go from the head to the heart and see is there not a stone there and that is none of the least diseases is there not a plague there O what hardness of heart and what stubborness and what frowardness of heart there is we might instance in many Brethren are there not eyes full of adultry like fleams grown over them which do blind are there not pearls in the eyes when the world is dear to us what is our covetousness else and what is envy but a blood-shotten eye which proceedeth from a heart full of vexing and is not lust a feavour yea an ulcer on the liver or a dart thrust through it and what is rotten communication which men make no more of and vain and foolish discoursing but the rottenness of a grave but the rottenness of lungs breathing forth continually O how some mens tongues are set on fire of hell can utter nothing but blasphemies and oaths at every word But we might be endless if we should go to particulars How many of us have a dead palsie past feeling commit all uncleanness with greediness saith the Apostle Sinners you little think what you are doing while you are going on in a way of sin as alas are not many of you this day in this condition you are either contracting or strengthening the diseases of your souls making fresh wounds in your consciences Ah! how lamentable were his condition that were wounded head and heart full of sores putrifying that the very sight of him and savour of his wounds were enough to make all others ubhor him yea he is so far from seeking remedy he wounds himself more and more maketh them deeper and deeper increaseth his diseases he careth not how much he inflameth them this is the condition of every poor sinner you see O! what sad creatures are we that have so many sicknesses on us and each of them deadly and how much more many then together and if we feel nothing at all he that is in the most deadly palsie or lethargie feels nothing at all would be let alone cannot endure to
be stirred because that maketh him sensible of his condition O! such a mans condition is very dangerous and is not this the case of our souls Brethren O! what malignity is in sin the poyson and filthyness and hurt of all diseases and wounds are little enough to set it forth by and how sensible are we of a wound of a disease of the body how insensible of the diseases of the soul Well in order to a healing the Lord give us a feeling But this is but the first But a little further to open the nature of sin on this occasion which our Doctrine administers to us that which is to be healed you have heard is sin and that which needeth healing is either a disease or wound they are correlatives that you have heard already it is therefore compared to many sorts of diseases wounds and putrifying sores and bruises But now I will speak a little Brethren to the ill qualities and consequences of sin considered as such which may tend to turn our hearts against it for the time to come First then there is pain and anguish in most diseases and in every wound and bruise and especially in cankerings festered sores this is a proper passion of a disease to have pain and truly Brethren so hath every sin a pain with it first or last it is true the cup of pleasures goeth down merily with Sinners but when it s down it is a cup of trembling to them do but look on Gain when he had sinned in pouring out his Brothers blood he quenched his bloody thirst but kindled a fire in his bowels which did consume him Oh every one that meeteth me will kill me fear hath torment as John saith and see how full of fears a poor sinner is The wicked flee when none pursueth the very stones and beasts being at enmity with them they fear they shall be murthered by each of them And how did Foelix tremble when Paul disputed of righteousness temperance and judgement to come as long as they can keep out the sight of God as they think they are well But bring a Sinner and set him as it were in the face of God let him but look on him as a righteous Judge of all the world and most mighty to execute his pleasure on Sinners and then tell me whether the stoutest hearted-sinner do not quail as usually at the hour of death for truly for the most part men seldom seriously eye their condition before then How did the Jaylour spring in trembling in the Acts Ah the Sinners in Sion are afraid Fearfulness hath surprized the Hypocrites who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire who shall dwell with everlasting burnings Alas the stubble will not endure before the fire no more can sinners endure to look on God as a consuming fire it maketh the very heart ach except altogether hardened from his fear to behold him because they know themselves guilty and lyable to those burnings There is saith the Apostle a certain fearful looking for of judgement and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries Can a poor condemned Prisoner look on the Iudge think on the Tree on which he must be hanged on the fire but with fear and trembling Can Belshazzar read his sentence on the wall the hand-writing but with terrour his knees knocking one against another Ah Brethren methinks Sinners that are yet in their sins should not read a leaf in the Bible each leaf concerneth him is 〈◊〉 doom but he should even smite his thighs together there is so much terrour and fear accompanying sin Memoria testis ratio index timor carnifex saith Bern. As the Saints have some antipasts of Heaven a bunch of Grapes before they come to Cannan an earnest of that joy unspeakable and full of Glory so doubtless Sinners they have some hours of darkness coming on them some wrings and gripes of a guilty conscience that sometimes made some of them run to an halter to a sword for ease none knoweth the hell of a guilty conscience but such as have felt it Oh the wrackings the distortions of the Soul The pulling of the very heart in pieces and the rending of the very Bowels in pieces with these imprisoned passions in the Soul But secondly Even in sinners that repent Brethren though the wound be then healing there is pain also you know Now the Lord Jesus cometh in mercy to rouze the soul to shame it out of its evil courses and is shame nothing a man cannot hold up his head he is confounded ye are now ashamed saith the Apostle of the things which ye have done before can you look back on your former vain and filthy conversation and your hearts not be ashamed your consciences not be ashamed there is inward shame and confusion though it appear not outwardly So in that place of Ezekiel Thou shalt remember thy ways and be ashamed that thou mayst remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame when I am pacified toward thee There will be a godly sorrow which works repentance and never was there any repentance without sorrow there 's a pricking of the heart and pricking in the reins Acts 2. 37. There is no rest in the flesh by reason of the sin and broken bones That the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce Is it not sin that turns away the face of God and what then can arise to the soul but trouble Thou didst hide thy face and I was troubled This is the first thing there is pain in sin and trouble it troubles our hearts and troubles our houses as it did Cains troubles the City and Country troubleth Israel Secondly In sin Brethren or accompanying it there is weakness and indisposedness when it s but growing on us it seizeth on the spirits the vigour first So how lazie and listless are we for divers days befâ—â—e it do appear and much more afterward Morbus is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 How wonderfully doth sin unbefit us for duty we even move to it as an arm or foot out of joynt when a man endeavours to bow it one way it falls quite another way 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lust where they are in prevalency they are like to wens in a mans body which suck up the strength nourishment that which should supply the rest of the members it turns to its own swelling So doth pride turn that which should humble us that which would inflame our hearts and melt us to it self and so weakens us keepeth our love at an under that we cannot so livelily vigorously serve the Lord. We complain of our weak hands and feeble knees our indisposedness to the service of God believe it this is the reason of it sin unmortified this makes men reprobate to every good work men of no judgement no dexterity at all to
go over thee not to wade in the shallows but to be in the depths to be overwhelmed with the displeasure of the Lord and that for Absolom if so it is much but it is nothing to this of Christ therefore this is the truest estimate we can take of his love and surely the higher our thoughts are and deeper of the love of Christ and the larger the greater will be our hatred of sin our loathing of sin which when it is wrought the cure is wrought what shall I play with the knife that hath pierced the heart of my Saviour Shall I harbour that in my bosom that was the sting of my blessed Saviour the poyson whereof-drank up his Spirits surely no. And then Secondly This will heighten our love to him and we shall be loth to grieve him when we love him O he hath indured enough already for me he haâ—h been wounded yea so wounded as to be all over gore for my-my-sins and so much as to be but all one wound and shall I grieve him more I am perswaded that the experiences of all our hearts that ever tasted of his love will subscribe to this that this is the great reason of our so often grieving of Jesus Christ because we have so little impression upon our hearts of his love to us and consequently so little love to him either we never had a strong impression or else by degrees it doth wear out and should be renewed by a serious contemplation of these things which we neglect and that is the reason else we should be very tender and fearful of grieving him after the manner we do daily But then Thirdly our own smart under the sence of his displeasure will do something do you think that the remembrance of the wormwood and gall will not do something make sinners afraid to meddle with sin and all little enough too so the Father when the childe walks frowardly takes him up I le make you remember my fingers a good while saith he so the Lord deals with his people but this is nothing to what the Lord Jesus indured for us he had the brunt he broke the waves of the displeasure of his Father who is the rock of our salvation though we that are lifted up upon that rock may be under water sometimes by those waves yet the force of them is broken upon Jesus Christ else they would dash us to pieces having not co-assistance enough to break them If ever Peter were solicited to deny Jesus Christ again do you think that the remembrance of this O how dear it cost me was not an awe upon him and so for David after those dolefull complaints from him while under the sense of his fathers displeasure do you think he was not more afraid of stollen waters though sweet and bread eaten in secret though pleasant after God had kept him awhile shut him up as I may say in the Chambers of death made him walk there awhile to make him know what he had done in sinning away the light of his countenance But Thirdly That which he himself prescribeth even the bitterest of it it is no more then he enables the creature to bear if he do lance our wounds and put us to some grief withall he giveth a Cordial that stays us from sinking it is true a right hand cannot be cut off nor a right foot a man cannot be dismembred but there will be some anguish and trouble nor a lust mortified but it will cost us some heart-aking but then he quickly stanches the bleeding keepeth the heart from sinking fainting he will not suffer us to be tryed above what we are able but maketh a way to escape he doth not leave us altogether without his presence when we are in the dark though we see him not I say if it were not for this I know the lot of Judas and Cain would fall upon every such sinner nor will he keep it a jot longer upon us then he will lengthen out our patience But what is all this Brethren to what our blessed Saviour hath taken down for us If darkness be so sad to us who never had but a glimpse of the light of his countenance what was it that the Lord Jesus felt then that had it in that fulness the creature was capable of and proportionably greater by how much the more iniquity was laid to his charge So that in a word it is our blessed Saviour that was wounded and we healed all that is done to us is but as a scratch with a pin to those wounds of his he felt all those wrings and pangs and we have the effects of the working of the Physick is not this unsearchable riches of Grace that we should be healed after such a manner as this Seventhly He doth all this most freely expecteth no reward as Physicians you know do the poor woman in the Gospel spent all that she had upon the Physicians but when she came to Christ he asked her nothing only willingness to accept of deliverance to believe his power his willingness to save and this is nothing to a reward yea and it is he himself that giveth the willingness to be healed he went up and down throughout the Synagogues and the villages healing all their diseases was it not the freest gift that ever was given to give himself his life his blood a ransom for poor sinners alas he knew we had nothing to give him and yet he cometh nevertheless freely for all he aimeth at is that his grace may have the glory and be made glorious and the poorsinner may be saved and therefore whether they have any thing or nothing it is all one yea if there be any thing that the creature looks upon as his money the Lord Jesus is so far from taking it as a reward that there is nothing hinders him more then this it is one of the great diseases indeed of the soul this holy self that Jesus Christ cometh to heal poor sinners are full of sores wounds and bruises and putrifying sores full of corruption every one hath his bloody issue now our duties or holiness which sinners sometimes so much stand upon the Apostle thought them gain once they are but as the filthy clouts upon our sores that are â—ull of the runnings of our sores as menstruous cloaths defiled with our bloody issues we think to plaister our wounds with them to salve our consciences with a few duties but alas they come off like filthy clouts from running sores and are these a reward for the Lord Jesus When a Physician cometh to heal a person of the Plague O saith he I will reward you you shall not take all this pains with me for nothing you shall have the rags that come off my sores for your pains Is not the Physician much beholding to him think you So it is here we have nothing but such rags to give the Lord Jesus and alas they must be washed clean in
sins pardoned and healed were back-slidings only thou must be content to endure something for the healing of those fearful wounds thou hast made in upon thy soul for there is no wound cured in a moment nor without any anguish and all that he laies upon thee is nothing the smart is nothing though the plaister lie long upon thee before it be healed to draw the sore to a head to break it to draw it to heal it there will be some time but he will heal thee poor sinner if he have made thee weary of this sin desirous of healing indeed And for you that are crying out of broken bones it may be there are some whose condition this is that do fear the Lord and obey the voice of his servants it is the greatest fear of thy soul to displease the Lord to grieve him happy soul with whom it is thus but thou art over-cast thou art clouded thou seest no light thy bones are broken thy spirit is wounded O who can bear a wounded spirit Be of good chear man remember this hath he not promised it that he will arise upon them that fear the Lord with healing in his wings he will heal those broken bones and the flesh wherein there is no soundness by reason of thy sins he will heal it and he is doing of it though thou art not sensible of it he pittyeth thee and knoweth how to pitty thee for himself was ecclipsed though the Son of righteousness that he might know how to pitty them that suffer in the like kind for the time to come he knoweth thy frame what thou canst bear and he will not let thee sink O thou of little faithâ— though he may fright thee as he did his Disciples the cloud will be over again only thou must wait for him he knoweth what it is to be without the light of his Fathers countenance as well as thou and he knoweth what thou canst bear therefore be not discouraged man and beside thou hast his promise for it only look to it that thou fear him that thou put not forth thy hand to iniquity that thou say not with that wicked King Why should I wait for the Lord any longer he that shall come will come in the best season When the mercy will be most sweet and seasonable himself may have most glory by it and thy soul most refreshing O but saith another I am not healed I doubt then for alas I find though haply I break not out as before to uncleanness actually yet I have eyes full of adultery still I find the dispositions and inclinations and yieldings of my heart strong to mine own iniquity still some to one and some to another â—or answer to this Is this thy burthen thy grief that it is so dost thou loath thy â—elf for it dost thou hate it wouldst thou fain have it rooted up thou art healed in the greatest part there is the core fetched up from the bottom though the wound be not altogether healed up it is the work of longer time then haply God hath been dealing with thy soul but be of good chear man lay thy self under the Sun of righteousness labour to improve the Covenant of grace wherein he shines most gloriously he hath promised he will circumcise thine heart and thou shalt be able to love the Lord with all thine heart and that he will subdue all iniquity for thee and see if he be not as good as his word in his own time which is the best time We have already endeavoured to open the main promise in this bundle and apply it with what advantage the Lord and your own hearts can tell you have heard at large that Jesus Christ is a Sun of righteousness and that he will ariâ—e with healing in his wings upon them that fear him So that there is Christ promised light and heat and healing reviving and quickning promised and through him And now we are come to speak to the liberty which is promised with Christ which is none of the least considerable Appendices of our justification through his blood and though you have not long since heard somewhat upon this subject however if you hear but the same things the Spirit of the Lord may breath where and when it pleaseth we may meet with him sometimes in hearing the same things that at another time he hath not been found in And ye shall go forth This is principally as I told you spoken to the Jew to the Jew first but also to the Gentile as all the Gospel promises they were first preached to the children of the Kingdom when the Gentiles were strangers from the Covenant of promises but now the Lord hath made them nigh in the blood of his Son that were afar off in Christ all the promises are Yea and Amen to them as well as to the Jews I told you at the first that we are not to confine promises made to times and persons except by unavoidable neceâ—sity where the matter promised is such and the promise such as can agree to no other time or person no persons or peoples condition can become like to theirs to whom the promise is made or are not capable of the thing promised as the promise of the Messiah to come of David and that in Abrahams seed all the Nations of the earth should be blessed c. therefore this is a promise concerning all the people of God as their conditions become alike yea all that fear the Lord in any of these senses we have already spoken to By going forth here some understand a going forth of this life or a going out of the grave which is a prison indeed to some though not properly so to the Saints but a place of repose until the appearing of Jesus Christ So Alap citing Tert. and Jer. the reason is because they took that which is spoken of the day of the Lord in the foregoing verse of the day of Judgement That day which should burn as an Oven but I do rather conceive that it is not meant of the day of the last Judgement but the day of the fearfull desolations of Jerusalem out of which yet the Lord did deliver and save his own people and the rather I conceive so because of the growing up like Calves of the Stall promised afterward now if that be the day there is no room then to grow any higher to spread any further but as the tree is cut down so it lies there is then in the words a promise of an inlargement from under restraint wherewith their spirits were bound up as I may say and were imprisoned and this we shall see I hope is very great only take here the note of observation from the words The Lord Jesus rising upon a soul brings inlargement to that soul or people ye shall go forth For the prosecution of this I shall propose this Method First give you the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the quod that it
Silver tryed and purified seven times that is to say his Promise therefore he concludeth That the Lord will keep them he will preserve them for ever and so pretious so confirmed by miracles that all other truth scarce deserveth the name of truth in comparison of it either it is not so pure but hath some dross or else not so pretious O they are pretious Promises indeed as the soul knoweth right-well when he cometh to stand in need of a Promise and the sweetness of it he sucks out and it letteth down the sweetness of it upon the soul but take a parallel Scripture to shew that Gospel is called the truth The Apostle speaks plainly For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven whereof you heard before in the word of the truth of the Gospel and again to the Ephesians In whom also ye trusted after that ye heard the word of truth the Gospel of your salvation in whom also after ye believed ye were sealed with the holy Spirit of Promise So that this is the truth then the knowledge whereof shall make us free where the Spirit of Christ is there is liberty that is clear as you heard before Now how is the Spirit given but by the Gospel Received ye the Spirit by the works of the Law or by the hearing of Faith which is that hearing of Faith by the Word of Truth the foregoing Verse even that which held forth a crucified Christ to them hearing of Faith not the rumour of Faith but hearing is such an hearing as whereby a man believeth and Faith by a Metonymie is put for the Word of Faith as the Gospel is called sometimes because Faith thereby is begotten now by this the Spirit is received and therefore liberty cometh and therefore the Gospel is called the ministration of the Spirit in that place of the Apostle because therewith the Spirit is given and ministred to poor creatures whereas the Law works Bondage and Wrath Therefore Jerusalem is free which is above that is to say the Church builded upon the Covenant of Grace is free is the Mother of us all but enough of this The Gospel is the outward instrumental cause Fifthly the inward instrumental cause or Con. as some will have it which I shall not now dispute that is faith whereby we close with this Covenant it is the Word of Faith and hearing of Faith that is to say of the Gospel so as to work Faith whereby the Spirit is given which brings liberty to the soul Alas many hear the Gospel of liberty which we preach and few do receive it few believe it for it appeareth by woful experience we are yet in bondage we have never gone forth to this day many of us though we have had as much preaching of the Gospel as any other Jerusalem that now is as the Apostle cals it was in bondage then though they had the Gospel preached among them a great while they believed not except the Spirit therein be conveyed the Gospel is but a dead letter as well as the Law and a deadly letter also and so much for the causes of this liberty or freedom which cometh by Jesus Christ The third thing under this head is the parts of this liberty or freedom which we shall consider two ways First Extensively in their latitudeâ— And secondly Intensively in the degrees of each of these parts in its latitude But that we may the better understand it we must know that liberty is a relative and respecteth some bondage some imprisoning or shutting up from which this liberty is a deliverance ye shall go forth and therefore to set off the lustre of this glorious liberty it may not be amiss to run a parallel between them That there is such a bondage under which every poor creature without Christ is held we shall at present presuppose though afterward haply I shall come to prove it I would not here too far digress before we come to speak of the parts of the bondage to which the parts of liberty will be opposite and correspondent I shall say in a few words something to the Author of this Bondage and Tenure of it and but a word or two For the Author of this bondage under which poor creatures are without Christ altogether and in part also many times when they are under Christ and under Grace First Some part of it is to be ascribed to the Lord so far forth as it is meerly vindictive or an inflicting of a just penalty upon Sinners for sin so far we may ascribe it to God as will more plainly appear in the following Considerations The Law which genders to Bondage it is his Law and holy and just and good though it gender to Bondage nor will it follow because we are delivered form it therefore it was an evil in it self but only per accidens by reason of our corruption and so the Spirit of Bondage which in some is vindictive when he binds and hampers a Sinner with the cords of his sin haply never intending that he shall see through those terrors to his comfort this is from him and justly or else if it be in order to a settlement to a peace to an Adoption a Sonship through Christ as preparative to the receiving of Christ this is from him and so several other parts of it are from him under this Consideration Secondly But so far forth as any part of it is sinful there it is from Satan and from our own evil hearts for darkness cannot come from the light nor can any thing unclean come from that which is altogether pure no more then a clean thing can proceed from an unclean as the bondage under sin which more at large afterward we shall discuss Secondly For the tenure for being in bondage we are in bondage to some person properly to some thing improperly and by a kind of Prosopopeia we are said to be in such a bondage now there is some Tenure as I may say wherein they do hold us in bondage there are three or four tenures if I may so call them whereby we are thus held under Bondage until Jesus Christ come to set us free First A Sale Secondly By Birth Thirdly By Captivity or Conquest Fourthly By Tyranny and resignation of themselves up to such a vassallage but a word or two to each of them First then There is a Bondage by Captivity when People are taken Captives this is so common there is none can be ignorant of it What are the Turks Gally-slaves but the prey of their piracies all is fish that cometh to the net so it is in this case This is one Part of the Tenure we are taken captive by Satan even at his pleasure Of whom a man is overcome of the same is he brought in bondage this is the military Law the Prisoners were ever the Conquerours slaves we have seen it but too evidently with our own eyes we have
rules in the hearts of the children of disobedience he rules there setteth up his throne there service to such a Master cannot be a freedom but a bondage a cruel one A Master that delights now naturally in nothing but mischief though it be but to swine yet he would do mischief much more then to poor sinners and therefore he is said to lead captive poor creatures at his pleasure to take them alive and indeed it is the Devil that binds the pinching yoak upon us his loins are laid upon the back of a poor sinner and his being the Tyrant doth help the former prosopopeia whereby bondage is ascribed to foâ— Zech. 1. 15. the heathen helped forward c. Not as if sin would not work and keep the creature in subjection or were a dead Law of it self and must have a Prince a King to put it into act no no if there were no Devil to aggravate our bondage we should find the rage of lust very great and their commands very peremptory but yet however he is not idle he stirreth up and endeavoureth to enrage our lusts more and more the Devil stirred up David to number the people Why alas David had that pride and fleshly confidence in him that was ready enough to provoke him to it but the Devil helped it forward his concurrence with sin maketh it the more powerful as the Spirit of the Lord acting our graces so doth the Devil also though with some difference act our corruption was it not the Devil that filled Ananias and Saphira their hearts he had filled them as his throne and so had laid the commands of sin of their lust of their carnal fears that they were over-born by them and so he entred into Judas after the sop he came to our Saviour and he found nothing in him and yet he would vex him with his temptations notwithstanding but alas for us he can come within us he hath matter enough to work upon and he can come within us to the very fancy and there secretly work now the Saints they are delivered from this Con. which is a part of the bondage also he rules no more in them for they are not the children of disobedience our Saviour saw when the Gospel went forth to be preached Satan falling like lightening from heaven he came down with a witness was dethroned cast out the strong man armed holds all in quiet possession that is to say Satan holds the heart of poor sinners quietly while he hath his armour their ignorance and this carnal reasonings and corrupt affections and stubborn wills while these are his he is safe enough but now let the Lord Jesus come and take away the armour change the heart of a poor creature and then alas he is spoyled of all therefore he is said to spoil principalities powers to make an open shew of them So that he hath led captive taking captivity actively or passively actively he hath led him that did lead his people captive now captive himself or else passively those were led captive by Satan now the Lord Jesus hath captivated them to himself brought them under his own dominion Satan cannot now any more challenge them as his own nor rule over them as his slaves and this is another piece of this liberty to go forth of the paw of this Lyon the jaws of this rouring Lyon that goeth about seeking whom he may devour Secondly another part of this bondage is the guilt of sin which is an obnoxiousness to the wrath and displeasure of God whether the creature â—eeth it or seeth it not he is under condemnation his guilt is the Obligation which bindeth him over to answer it at the great day of Jesus Christ as you see offenders are bound over to answer it at the Assizes or Sessions this is guilts work in respect of the soul now we look upon a guilty person that is bound over as a prisoner if he go under bayl he is under a bondage by reason of this guilt So it is here the Law of God is that which shuts up a sinner as it is in that place of the Apostle so that we are as I may say in prison and a man under guilt whether he sleep or whether he wake he is a guilty person and under bondage specially if it proceed so far as to a condemnation as it is in this case every unbeliever is condemned already in the Court of Scripture for God doth mannage in this liberty concernments of our souls by a Law by a Law he acquitteth or condemneth and so unbelievers are under this bondage also from this now every child of God is set free there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus their guilt is done away their surety hath satisfied justice hath paid the debt laid down the price and therefore all being cleared the poor creature is set free from that part of his bondage Is not this an unspeakable freedom to have all the guilt of our sins that ever we commtited taken away but this is but the second Thirdly another Con 〈…〉 is this the darkness which from sin ariseth and is as I may say chains upon the soul and no small part of this bondage Dungeons you know are usually dark places and therefore darkness is put for the prison sometimes as a Synonyma to bring out the prisoners out of prison in that place of Isaiah and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house and so again that thou maist say to the prisoners go forth and to them that are in darkness shew your selves The darkness you know imprisoned them in Egypt no man stirred out of his place none went forth nor came in by reason of the darkness and so the night imprisoneth men shutteth up their works and employments night cometh when no man can work which is the night of darkness by removing the Gospel or else the night of death Now when the Sun of righteousness ariseth upon a soul he shall go forth of this darkness or prison Here it will be enquired what is meant by this darkness which is a part of this bondage First by darkness I mean a state of ignorance gross darkness covereth the earth saith the Prophet ye were sometimes darkness but now are ye light in the Lord that is to say so dark as that nothing but the abstract would suffice to set forth their condition Now truly ignorance may well be lookt upon as a bondage for it is the very beginning the principal of all our bondage and therefore when the Lord speaks of delivering a poor sinner from the power of sin he saith who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the Kingdom of his dear Son mind you from the power of darkness darkness is the power of Satan he is the Prince of the power of darkness as some render that place were it
this terror and this bondage a means to their inlargement Ah blessed Prison that is only to make poor creatures willing to be at liberty well now this the Lord Jesus when he cometh and revealeth himself to a soul he brings him out of these labyrinths of fears and terrors letteth the poor creature see that himself is the way and the only way he hath undertaken the work for his people only if they will believe though they have no strength in them to do any thing nor to extricate themselves from the difficulties they find themselves in by reason they cannot fulfil the Law yet he is the mighty one upon whom help is laid and withal letteth them understand how his bowels do yern over them and how his heart is open ready to inlarge them and so perswadeth them to close with him and then they go forth when faith cometh so Christ is the end of the Law and the â—aw a School-Master to bring us to Christ But that is but the Sixth Seventhly Another part of this bondage is those after-claps of fears and terrours that after Christ hath been revealed to and in a soul may befall the creature alas you find it so they may be clapt up afterward in the pit of noise the horrible pit and be in the deeps and in darkness and like Jeremiahs dungeon sink in the mire where there is no standing they feel no bottom of their misery their fears are overwhelming or like Jonahs Whales belly they are in the belly of hell and all the waves and billows of God go over them O this is sore bondage however it be true that the Spirit of God is never any more a spirit of bondage to them to witness to them they are children of wrath afterward yet he doth not say but they may have bondage again and all fear hath torment and is bondage to the Spirit it doth fetter it and shut up and contract the spirits exceedingly Now I say the darkness of a mans own heart which doth naturally gender fear and Satan to help and the frowns of Gods displeasure for the present though he do not witness any more that a man is a child of eternal wrath and displeasure these may bring the poor creature into sad perplexities Well yet the Spirit of the Lord Jesus when he cometh brings also liberty with him from this bondage David will tel you so and Heman will tell you so do but consider what conditions they were in how came they to be delivered O lift up the light of thy countena nce upon me Son of God arise upon me shine upon my soul and then I shall be healed O restore to me the joy of thy salvation make me to hear joy and gladness c. Well the Promise doth extend even to this bondage also and to this may we refer the next I will speak of it distinctly Eightly There is another Bondage and that is the fears of death and judgement whereby many a poor creature is kept in Bondage all the days of their lives as the Apostle saith in that to the Hebrews to which I will speak a few words He came saith the Text and took part of flesh and blood that through death be might destroy him that hath the power of death that is to say the Devil and deliver them that through fear of death were all their life-time subject to Bondage Brethren death it self is a terrible thing the Simplex could say but hardly could he tell the reason of it for them that have no fear of God before their eyes but have put out the eye of reason and live like Beasts giving up themselves to commit wickedness with greediness though while they can keep off the apprehensions of death they may go on merrily but when that seizeth upon them it marrs their mirth it maketh a change in their faces and they are not now truly death is not so terrible in it self considered but that the stoutness of a mans spirit specially where there is no other consideration of it he may overcome it and live above the fears of it as the Heathens some of them did but now a man that knoweth indeed what death is not only a dissolution of the union between the soul and body taking down this mouldring Tabernacle but a Serpent with a sting it is where sin and guilt lies upon the soul it is the beginning of sorrows the arrest of the soul to judgement to come to receive its doom for all its bloody evils he hath been guilty of The wordling is not willing to give up his soul O he knoweth he can never answer for his wasting of his spirits and spending his time to lay up treasure here and in the mean time neglecting his soul and Jesus Christ and tenders of Grace he knoweth this well enough and therefore he will not yield up his Spirit they shall take it from him as it is in the Parable This night shall thy soul be taken from thee and so for any other sin and now I say this maketh death terrible and by reason of these fears of death men that have any sight or sense of their condition they are in Bondage all their lives long yea even the people of God themselves are in some measure under this bondage and according to the measure of the discovery of Christ to them and the power of faith in them is this fear and this bondage broken and the Lord Jesus came for this end to deliver them alas before his coming the Saints may be specially meant here who had indeed the knowledge of Christ to be crucified for Sinners and beheld him crucified though darkly in the sacrifices c. and in the promise from the foundation of the world but yet notwithstanding they had not that confidence usually but there was more room for doubtings and fears because they died still without the accomplishing of that promise now though such as had an extraordinary measure of faith and a prophetical spirit might see this clearly and so it might raise them much what above this bondage yet ordinarily I believe it was not so that they had such clear conviction of the freeness of grace and the abundance and riches of it in Jesus Christ and therefore it did not so fâ—lly quiet their Spirits in respect of fears of death and judgement they did not so clearly see the sting pluckt out therefore the Apostle saith those Sacrifices though they did hold out Christ could not make the comers thereunto perfect and therefore they were often repeated But now the Lord Jesus he hath by once offering for ever perfected compleated their salvation and therefore you shall find that the Apostle and others do so triumph over death and the grave and sin as we hardly find any before the coming of Christ and it must needs be so because now the Spirit which is the liberty of the Saints was poured out in a
of God of a lesser nature those with which the spirit is lashed are most sore and therefore the soul might be in danger to depart to iniquity to return to sin again how soon did Israel resolve of making them a Captain to return again Nâ—h 9. 17 If the Prodigal return in such distress to his Father and he should keep him hungring and languishing when he hath not so much as husks to eat surely this were the way to put him upon it to return again to riotous courses the peace of God keepeth them with God c. Sixthly Again because the spirit would fail which he hath made if he did not in due season break the yoak set them at liberty as a tender Father will not lose his child for want of the rod no more will the Father of spirits for want of â—â—shing our spirits yet on the other hand a tender-hearted Father will much less lose him by over-doing of it as he will not spare him indulge him to death so neither will he whip him to death hang â—rons and fetters upon him until they eat into his soul and consume him O no when the Father seeth the spirit of the child to fall and he beginneth to swoon under his rod under the yoak of fear which hath torment be it what it will be then he letteth the rod fall out of his hand fals a kissing of the child to revive him again we must preserve the spirits and maintain nature in Physick and if purgations have wrought the patient off his strength there must be a restoring with Cordials 1 Cor. 10. 13. he will not suffer them to be tempted above what they are able c. he will not suffer his people to perish and sink and go away in prison and bondage and therefore he causeth them to go forth and doth arise upon them to that end For the Application of the point there are several uses to be made of it First then take notice from hence what a grievous bondage the service of sin is this is the principal part of the bondage and all the rest are but the product of sin sin is pregnant it hath the seeds of all those terrors fears sorrows slavishness deadness straitness and all the rest in its womb but it self is the chief and therefore we are said to be sold under sin and sin is said to have dominion over us so many lusts Brethren in strength so many pairs of fetters there are about our legs and how then is it likely that a sinner should run the waies of Gods Commandments but I hope by what hath been said already it will be granted that a condition of sin is a condition of bondage only a little to aggravate this consideration to you and all little enough I doubt to startle sinners who are in this condition First consider it is the basest most sordid thing that can be you know a servile condition is mean and base in comparison of liberty and freedom take it at the best but to serve the basest of men who would not abhor this what spirit would stoop to be a drudge to a Master to rake Channels and cleanse Jakes who would not abhor this Brethren this is nothing to sin to the slavery of sin as it was the greatest honour in the world to be a servant a son of God Moses the servant of the Lord David my servant As you know servants do much bear themselves up upon the honour of their Masters So it is the basest servitude in the world to be in bondage to a lust for a man to sell himself into the hands of sin and Satan for a moments pleasure of sin this is base It is brutish for a man to subject his understanding and will to the passions of his lust dishonourable base passions for beasts are led by their appetites Secondly As it is base drudgery so secondly the poor sinner hath so many lusts and so contrary to serve and satisfie that he must needs be distracted between them one commands him this way and the other commands him that way as now for a man to serve his pride and covetousness or his luxury and covetousness these are contrary and distract and distort the mind and hurry him hither and thither he can enjoy no peace in his own spirit at all you shall see a man that will spend at no aim when he is in company and none seemeth to set less by the world then he at such a time but afterward when he recollects himself then he must run and drudge and hurry himself and all his family and drive faster then they are able to bear and all to make up that which he hath consumed upon his lusts is not this a miserable bondage to be under such contrary lusts Thirdly Yea consider that these lusts are most insatiable in drinking up a mans time and spirits and strength and will never leave a man while he hath any thing to lay out upon them more So you know the Prodigal spent all that ever he had upon his lusts all his patrimony his time and strength and spirits and all and so the wanton doth upon his Dalilah and thou mourn at the last saith the wise man when thy life and thy body is consumed and say how have I hated instruction and my heart despised reproof except it have all the precious workings of the soul it is not satisfied it must have all the thoughts be in them all though God be in none of them all that precious water must drive this mill as for covetousness now how is the soul under the power of that lust as I may say hanged up like a meteor in the air as the Evangelist hath it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be not hanged up as meteors in the â—ir as I may say between heaven and earth and be not careful â—aith our Saviour be not divided distracted in your cares O â—hat they shall eat and what they shall drink how they shall accomplish this and that design what a drudge is any man that is under the power of this lust he doth nothing but root in the world in other servitude if that a servant were maimed or dismembered lost an eye yea or but a tooth they must be let go for their eye-sake or for the tooth-sake but here sin doth nothing but wound the soul breaks a man consumeth him soul and body and yet will not let him go sin doth put a mans eyes out that so it may have the more full compleat command over the poor creature and stops the ears and strikes out the teeth and distasteth the pallate so that any thing of God hath no more relish then a chip to a soul maketh the poor creature lame for any lust harboured in the soul maketh a man go with an uneven pace and halt he cannot go uprightly and so it weakens the hands and maketh feeble knees and indeed like a woolf
sin but it prevails not to for sake it O no if any of all this would have done it what need the Lord Jesus then be annointed for that work to preach deliverance to the captives and the opening of the prison doors to them that are bound surely the Lord would do no nothing in vain but so much for this Application Then it may teach us the vanity of all conceit of liberty or freedom or going forth before the Lord Jesus come and shine upon a mans soul then they shall go forth not before what is the reason that the most of men can satisfie themselves with their condition as they do but they have some conceit they are at liberty were sinners perswaded that they are under the dominion of sin and Satan c. could they eat or drink or sleep what a fearful thing would we think it if the Devil had but power over our bodies to carry them whither he pleased to shatter and shake them at his pleasure but what is this to the having power over the soul over the will the affections the mind by keeping them in blindness and yet sinners do not believe they are in such a bondage but think they are free nor do I think there is any one thing doth keep more poor creatures in bondage then this they think they are free but let us see a little the vanity of such conceits First Some are so gross as to think they are born free when as you heard before We are born the children of wrath we are all born in the house of bondage in the Prison House and therefore we as well as our Parents are under bondage Can a slave bring forth any other then a slave If many of us look to the Rock whence we are hewen as the Prophet speaks we shall find that our very Parents were the servants of sin and it may be lived and died so and what then were they the slaves to Satan and can we be Christ his Free-men by Birth It cannot be surely It is very strange that men that know their Parents to be loose wicked prophane earthly carnal crearuâ—es that yet should bear up themselves with this priviledge they are born free they are Christians by birth such men little know what goeth to make a Christian can the bond-woman bring forth children that are free Secondly Others have a fairer pretence for it then this they think they are free by birth because they had faithful believing parents we have Abraham to our Father and we being his seed how can we be in bondage I must confefs Brethren this is something to me for as Satan hath servants born in his house in his kingdom so the Lord Jesus hath in his if bond-men were born bond-men and servants were born in the house then God hath servants also born to him and his servants are free in that sense that they are his servants and therefore it is remarkable in that of Leviticus they must let their servants go free and their children also for they are my servants saith the Lord whom I brought out of Egypt which was a Type of our spiritual bondage mind you the Lord calls them his servants his children as well as others only note here two or three things for the clearing of it First that this is by grace and not by nature for by nature and natural generation no man can beget nor woman bring forth any child that is free no though they themselves through the riches of grace are made free yet their children by nature are the children of wrath as well as others yea though they belong to the Election of grace and be saved whether they die in infancy or come to the acknowledgment of the truth and believe as the Apostle did yet by nature they are the children of wrath a sad condition our poor children are in by nature if parents did but well lay it to heart but what then doth this hinder but that by grace they may be free though by nature they are bound as the Apostle himself by nature was a child of wrath under the curse of the Law that is to say and in bondage but by grace he was free and why might not the Lord by grace make him free sooner if he pleased as well as later is it not all one with him can he not make children free as well as men if he please are not men purely receptives in the first grace and are not children as passive and receptive as any But secondly there is a freedom invisible and saving and a freedom visible and both by grace the freedom invisible when a soul is actually set at liberty from the power of sin and the bondage of his corruptions or else visible when there is ground for our judging they are so freed now many are visibly free that are not invisibly free at all so there is many an hypocritical professor that carries it so like a free-man of Christ that it would puzzle the most discernable spirit to discover that he is under the bondage of sin or Satan and yet he is so invisibly haply but visibly he is free that is to say appears to be so appears to be in Covenant with God for that is the freedom therefore where-ever Christ is spoken of as to preach liberty it is said still he is given as a Covenant to the people so many appear to be in Covenant and so visibly are such that invisibly are not and so the children of such holy parents who are in Covenant with God are visibly free though invisibly they may be in bondage that is to say they are in visibly in Covenant with God that is to say we have ground to judge charitably and hopefully of them that they are in Covenant with God and if they so die that they are â—aved by vertue of that Covenant there which for my own part I know no other revealed way of salvation and therefore if we deny them this we must either say there is no grounded hope of their salvation and I would be loath to be such a durus pater infanâ—um to deny all visibility of salvation to them Or else we must say the Lord hath left nothing upon record whereby we might have any comfort concerning little ones that die in that condition which what an impeachment it were to the wisdom grace of God in Christ I wish men would impartially consider And if they will say they may be saved can it be without the invisible grace have they not corrupt natures and the seeds of all sin in them and can any unclean thing enter into heaven and therefore sure they must be freed from sin and will we grant them the invisible grace that they come under that which is narrower and shall we deny them that which is larger would you think that man himself that should yield that a man may be in the Kings bed-Chamber but he may
tell you that liberty is sweet it is not to be expressed If Paul had not been free he had had many a lash by those cruel tyrants If the soul be not free it is liable to perish to be whipped to death to eternal death with Scorpions ask but any of the people of God who have been wearied and almost worried with their lusts O the iron entered into their soul they did sit in darkness in the dungeon many a sad day and hour and at last Out of the depths they have called to the Lord he hath set them free O what an Heaven upon Earth they found it when they have been delivered in any measure from this bondage what would they take to be in the same condition again specially under the command of their lusts not all the world brethren the Lord perswade your hearts now now while it is to be had before you be called for out of prison to the judgement that you may go forth and enjoy this glorious liberty O but you would say Alas what should we do in this case we are convinced it may be some poor soul maâ— say of himself that this is a miserable bondage we are in even by sin and the consequents of it and we would fain be set free but we know not which way to go about it we are in a maze a wilderness a labyrinth a duâ—geon we grope and grope and cannot find the way out O what shall we do it may be this may be the case of some of our souls I will tell you what you shall do First Deny your own policy and wisdom know they will not set you free Judas had much knowledge and yet he hanged himself you will rather by depth of reasonings plunge your selves deeper the Gospel is foolishness to them through the pride in their carnal knowledge Secondly Labour to know the Gospel in its tenor and to close with it to believe it you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free truth truly known will set a soul free this truth is the truth of the Gospel for Grace and Truth come by Jesus Christ and it is observable that they are both put together Sanctifie them with thy Truth saith our Saviour thy Word is Truth There are three things here considerable First That there must be a through acquaintance with the bondage that we are under and the better condition of service how much the service of Christ is to be preferred before that of Satan for the truth is while a man knoweth no better he will be content to serve the worse there is never a sinner under the dominion of sin but thinketh he is the freest man and the people of God that are bound up in their Spirits to such a strict way of walking with God he thinketh they are the men in bondage but alas it is because he understandeth not his own condition nor is it a slight hint of such a thing that will usually prevail to a freedom from all sin therefore you must labour to study what this bondage is see what thou art exposed to by reason of it and see what a prfect freedom the service of Christ is O what great reward there is in the very keeping of his Commandments joy is such an inseparable attendant upon obedience that some measure of it followeth every good action as the very heathens themselves acknowledged much more then when the Lord Jesus is the Master and his service the work Secondly Thou must be acquainted with the commands of Christ his precepts are pure and they have an influence upon the heart that believeth them to bring him out of that bondage to set him free I do believe nothing more keepeth many a soul in bondage he knoweth not what the will of Christ is in such or such a particular else he would do it Be acquainted with Christ the summe of the Gospel you shall know the truth that is to say what he hath done to set poor creatures free became a servant obedient to the death was in bondage in prison in the horrible pit how he was put to it to overcome c. Thirdly and principally thou must be acquainted with the promises of the Gospel that are made to this end it is their excellency to help forward our freedom this part of the truth well known so known as to be closed with will make every poor creature free ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free and so this in the text the Sun of righteousness shall arise upon you with healing in his wings and ye shall go forth and so many other places sin shall not have dominion over you for ye are not under the Law but under Grace It is the very tenure of the Covenant and of the promises in Scripture that he will deliver his people save them from all their uncleannesses and subdue all iniquities for them yea though they work iniquity with both hands Vers 3. Either we know not these things or else we make not use of them we act not faith upon them the Lord doth love to have his people use the importunity of faith for nothing is so importunate as faith nor offers as I may say such violence to heaven as that doth O Brethren the Lord help our unbelief and forgive our neglect of our faith in this point if thou canst act it but weakly yet put forth some act of faith hang upon these promises tell the Lord he hath caused thee to hope upon this his Word else thou couldest not hope and thou dost hope in this Word else thy heart would altogether sink within thee and will he now make thee ashamed of his hope hath his promise ever failed a poor creature and will it now fail thee But beside this dost thou find thy heart moved made willing indeed to part with sin Art thou in good earnest in this business O yes saith the poor soul I would rather then my life be set at liberty for what good will my life do me if I must continually serve sin and grieve such bowels of love towards me in Jesus Christ have you searched do you know your hearts in this point it may be thou hast not that heed of trusting thy heart further then thou seest it it will deceive thee then but if thou hast searched it and beg'd of God to search it and thou dost not find but he hath through infinite riches of grace made thee willing to come out if thou couldst tell how I tell you Brethren if this be so the chains are fallen off from your hands and the bolts from your legs your freedom is in a great part accomplished only thou canst not find the way out of the prison O then follow Christ follow his Spirit when he moveth thy heart at any time to search and try maketh thee tender puts thee into a frame to bewail the evils of thy heart take
the hint up and be doing follow him and he will bring thee through one iron-gate and through another and thou shalt find thy self at the last set free and know thy liberty and the things freely given thee of God O beg the Spirit for he is the cause of liberty it depends upon him as light upon the Sun and the Spring upon the Fountain he applyeth what Christ hath done for us knowing the deep things of God he revealeth them he only convinceth and answers objections c. The sixth Vse of the point shall be several admonitions or exhortations to them that are set free from this bondage thou hast had the Sun of righteousness shine upon thee and art gone forth from sin from that bondage those fears terrours darkness and distractions which sin brings upon poor creatures thou rememberest the time when thou couldst do nothing but sin against the Lord and grieve him continually thou couldst not cease to sin thou wast under the command of sin and now through grace exceeding rich grace the gates of the prison are open the Lord hath pluckt thy feet thy affections out of the snare What doth the Lord thy God require of thee this should be the next enquiry of the soul me thinks after so signal mercies First surely he expecteth thou shouldst give him the glory of all praise him and exalt him alone alas what are the calves of our lips they cost us nothing the poorest have this and the richest have no more in effect but this if thou be able to do little for Christ yet thou maist praise him thou maist admire his rich grace make his name glorious Truly Brethren I believe some of us are able to say by experience that our unthankfulness for the freedom we have had hath been an occasion of our being clapt up for all the design of God in Christ in redemption of poor creatures is to make his mercy and grace glorious as he did his power in the creation and wisdom Now how is it made glorious among us but by our acknowledgment of it our lifting up the Lord Jesus not only with our hearts but our tongues art thou brought back again into darkness and into the prison after some refreshing Consider wast thou thankful for what thou hadst we are all sick of the leapers disease in the Gospel ten were cleansed but where are the nine I doubt scarce one in ten of us do praise him according to what he hath done for our souls and those that do yet scarce for one act of his loving kindness in ten in bringing of-us forth it may be he delivereth us ten times from a dead heart before we once give him the glory O this Popish principle of pride that is in us is that which seals up our hearts and stoppeth our mouths from praises but opens it in complaints in discontents when we want such a mercy O if our fâ—eece be dry when others are wet we are ready to question why doth the Lord deal so with me rather then with another why have I not as much enlargement of heart as another as great gifts freedom of speech and utterance as great grace in any kind Why am I not set above these wretched carnal delights as well as others of his people as if God should do any thing for us out of respect to us we had deserved any thing at his hands whereas we may rather expostulate with our selves O why is it not worse with me then it is why am I in no sorer bondage then I am where I am once overthrown it is mercy I have not an hundred times been over-thrown with-my lusts So on the other hand it stops our mouths for returning unto the Lord for what he hath done for us we may many of us thank our selves for much of the bondage that is upon us that we so much complain of O if every time the Lord setteth our frozen spirits a melting every time he setteth our straightned hearts at large we instead of lifting up our selves we could and did but admire that grace magnifie him loath our selves would he not much more delight to enlarge us O therefore look to this Secondly Thèn look to it thà t ye stand fast in that liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free I speak not so much here to the yoak of Ceremonies which the Lord hath taken away altogether but I speak specially to our freedom from the dominion of our sins the freedom from the Law as a Covenant of life and from outward pressures and bondages you know our fears were great when we saw this cloud of blood but hanging over our heads and many of thè precious ones of God I know when I was little and scarce able to take notice of such things yet I have been an eye and ear-witness of the sad complaints made before the Lord of it Now hath God delivered us from this stand we fast in this liberty But first thèn for that of sin and our lusts hath thè Lord broken the yoak of them set thee free when thou didst groan under it O take heed of returning to folly any more hath he spoken peace to thy troubled soul loosed the cords of thy sins wherewith thou wast held and wilt thou be tampering with sin again This was the madness and perversness of Israel they would make them a Captain and return to Egypt again to the house of bondage when they had been but a little tryed in the Wilderness but we have no such discouragement upon us as to put us upon such resolutions but meerly the unfaithfulness of our own hearts and unsteadfastness of our own spirits the Apostle speaks of some who having escaped the pollutions of the world they did return with the dog to the vomit with the swine to the mire the condition of such a soul is worse then ever it was he brings seven other spirits worse then himself and the latter end of thà t man is worse then his beginning O whén the Devil can but fasten upon such a poor creature again that once hath gotten out of the prison like a cruel Jaylor now he will lay more fetters upon him now he shall be even over-whelmed with temptations now his feet his head and his heart and all shall be put in the stocks have their bolts and chains upon them Sinners you never make work for Christ but you make work for your selves lay a grievous foundation for much bitterness to your own spirits a little care a little watchfulness here may prevent heart-breaking afterwards which we do necessitate as I may say Jesus Christ to by our back-slidings to this end therefore flie sin as Moses fled from the face of his Serpent flie youthful lusts make hast away the Devil and sin will pursue hard and cast this golden apple in our way this and that occasion O take heed of them So the Apostle flie fornication and flie Idolatry c. Secondly
all the worst when they have gotten a little peace and therefore though before they walked mournfully before God and were diligent in following hard after him now they slack their pace grow remiss they have their consolations the loaves they would have and now they may take their ease O this is a horrible abuse of this liberty for therefore the Lord speaks peace that we might not return to folly and we quite cross because he hath spoken peace to us therefore give up our selves to folly is not this to walk contrary to him and will he not walk contrary to you is not this to make our liberty a cloak an occasion to the flesh a handle for the flesh to take hold of and so to bring you into bondage again and so make more work for Christ to set you at liberty again Brethren can we make our liberty a cloak to the flesh and do you think the Lord will not pluck that cloak over our ears and shew us our nakedness again and make us know how we come by it again before we have it and therefore take heed of this I beseech you lest your liberty degenerate into licentiousness Maxima libertate minima licentia said that Antient. But yet more particularly take heed of abusing of your liberty in the use of things lawful in themselves and indifferent it is a sign of a heart that hath little fear of offending God that dare walk just at the very brink upon the very line of destruction between sin and lawful liberty if it can be assigned You find the Apostle of another Spirit rather then offend his weak Brother he would never eat meat while he lived why how would he live rather upon herbs and fruits and such things then to eat flesh as long as he lived too I tell you Brethren in our daies though there is much discourse of liberty there is little true use of it when a man will offend all the people of God and his Brethren rather then he will part with an excrement and a woman rather then sorbear her spotting and painting and bedlam nakedness If the things be lawful in themselves which I think they are not or a man will rather grieve all the people of God then cross his humor this is sad Again Brethren one man may have a greater liberty then another in this case and another greater then he in another case as for instance now Abraham might look upon Sodom when it was flaming but Lot might not because there he had his desirable things lest it should draw back his heart from the journey now commanded him and so if a man do but observe when temptations and lusts meet together where his corruption lies what is the scum of his heart and what doth use to fire his lusts there he may not give himself such a liberty as another may whose temptation lies in another thing as if a mans temptation lie to excess in eating in drinking it is not lawsul for such a man now to look upon the wine when red c. to come in the danger of such a temptation and so if a man have eyes full of adultery that cannot cease to sin he may not behold an object that another may whose temptation lies not there In a word look to it Brethren that we serve one another in love this is opposed to using our liberty as a Cloak to the flesh to bear one anothers burdens Brethren we are not at liberty one from another we may not say with Cain Am I my Brothers keeper we ought not to despise the infirmities of the weak because they see not as we see and therefore are grieved and offended at many things that we make nothing of here we ought to bear their infirmities to cover them to labour to inform them and forbear them not despise them become all things to them that we may lawfully as the Apostle became all things but a sinner to gain them this is serving one another in love and the labour of love either to God or men is a free service indeed we are rather ready to serve our selves one of another for ought I perceive generally it is so then serve one another in love Brethren I doubt there is little love for Christ sake though there may be some for our own and then all the liberty we talk of it is but bondage the Law of love is a Law of liberty indeed but enough of this Fourthly Then look to it that we being free from sin we become the servants of righteousness that is to say that you give up your selves yield your selves unto God unto Christ as instruments for the holy Spirit to play upon as instruments tools weapons of righteousness for the Lord to make use of even as he pleaseth this is the end of all that liberty held out in the Covenant of grace that we being delivered from the hands of all our enemies might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness all the daies of our lives Now hath the Lord then set thee free brought thee out of the horrible pit broken off the shakles knockt them off set open the prison what can we do less then this spend our selves now in his service O if men would but consider how much of their strength and spirits sin hath had while we were under that bondage Me thinks it should put us on so much the more earnestly specially considering how our service addeth nothing to him it is for our own good as you heard before and it is all he expecteth for delivering of us What poor Gally-slave would not most willingly yield to a Noble-man to be his servant where his service is honourable and pleasant and delightful so be he would redeem him why this is the very case Beside if we consider the fruit here and the reward hereafter the Apostle puts both together and I will not put them asunder the first-fruits and the harvest they have their fruit unto holiness the more we serve the Lord Christ the more easie pleasant and delightful will his service be the more our souls will shine with the beauty of holiness as the bondage groweth by continuance so doth the freedom by this service I dare say the more acquaintance any poor heart hath with a diligent close humble upright walking with God the more pleasant the waies of God are to him yea and the more holy that man groweth it must needs be so because he hath more communion with the Fountain of holiness even God in Jesus Christ and the Spirit also would you be holy Brethren would you be more and more freed from the remainders of bondage which are upon you Believe it the only way is to lay out your selves more in the service of Christ the Spirit of Christ will delight to be where he is entertained where his motions are received every hint is taken and followed and improved and the
with us at all but then when we do actually thus pollute our selves he takes occasion to depart to leave us to those evils and to fill us with our own back-slidings Thirdly Take heed of sinning against conviction against light this is dangerous indeed you may come to be shut up in darkness for this to be bound in affliction and iron to endure sad things upon your spirits for if the Spirit of Christ who convinceth you this or that is a sin be so far slighted as you heed it not what if he then forbear and is it not righteous he should forbear to shine upon your graces that you should see any thing that is ought in you So that you shall walk in darkness and see no light will not this be a paying of you home in your own coyn David could not be ignorant what his sin was before he committed it and yet you see he ventured upon it and what it cost him Fourthly Take heed of deliberate sinning when a man hath time of consideration of his sin to argue the case pro and con as we use to say and doth revolve with himself O this is sinful if I do it I rebell against God I do what in me lies to undo my self O but saith lust man it shall be satisfied God is merciful there is time enough to repent or it will easily be healed afterward Now upon such deliberations as this if a man will sin there is much of the will in it and so much the more wicked and therefore now the spirit must needs be grieved what can such a poor creature expect but to be brought under bondage as you see it in David his plotting and contriving the death of Vriah these sins in cold blood when a man is not under the sudden violent heat of a temptation and yet will sin O this grieves him much if a pot be on the fire and the scum rise we throw it out we expect it would rise but if no fire be under and yet a scum arise O this is so loathsom it is not to be endured Fifthly Take heed of Ranker and Malice of grudgings of heart one against another as the Apostle saith grudge not one against another prejudices heart-burnings grudgings upon injuries real or conceived and imagined O this grieveth the Spirit who is a Spirit of pure love and will have them that look to enjoy him to be a people of love to cover much bear and forbear and forgive in love for love will cover a multitude of offences Sixthly Take heed then of pride of being lifted up for the Spirit of Christ is a Spirit of humility O he loveth to dwell in the lowly spirit if we be lifted up we rob him of his honour to arrogate that to our selves which he hath been working for us to think we are something of our own of our selves he will let us know to our sorrow that we have nothing in our hearts but darkness and bondage and sin and that all was from him Seventhly Take heed of unthankfulness for what he hath done for us when the Spirit of the Lord Jesus shall be at all this pains with us contest with the quarrellings and disputings of our own hearts against our own peace and comfort and answer all our objections and still our complaints and seal up love upon our hearts remove our trembling and fears dispell our darkness cleanse our loathsom hearts in a great measure of those lusts that did so much prevail against us and we shall forget this now and not return to him the praise but either to grow into carnal security and when we have rest from that which galled us with the nine leapers go our waies never mind whence we received it or else so much pore upon the remainder of our sins as not to exalt that grace whereby we are in so great a part delivered O this grieveth him and therefore he may justly let us step back again or let loose upon us again those lusts that we were delivered from their strength and never prized the mercy that we learn to admire that grace much more might be added but this shall suffice The next use of the point shall be for satisfaction to some doubts since we are delivered and set free from the Law as you have heard from that It may be thought First that the Law was an evil that it is such a priviledge of the Saints to be delivered from it Secondly It may be doubted how far we are set free from it and therefore I will speak a little to each of them for the first First the Apostle meeteth with it or rather prevents it for seeing that carnal reason would be so ingenuous as to find out that cavil among others against the Doctrine of faith and of freedom from the bondage under the Law as the strength of sin specially What shall I say then saith the Apostle is the Law sin that we are said to be delivered from it and that sin hath its strength from it and so deliverance from sin is a deliverance from the Law as the strength of it Or is the Law death since sin by this means doth work death No saith the Apostle the Law is holy just and good the Law giveth no occasion to sin but sin takes occasion sin will not endure to be contradicted it sucks poyson out of that holy and good Law of God meeting with opposition it swells and rageth so that indeed it is sin that is the evil the Law is holy and good O but the Law it works wrath and works death and can this then be good and how can it be such a mercy to be delivered from it is it a favour to be put into golden fetters supposing the Law to be good and holy yet since it is as we may say ginns and fetters and bolts though of gold to hold the poor soul in to keep him in and up as in a prison is this so good then To this I answer It is true by the Law is the knowlege of sin I had not known lust except the Law had said thou shalt not covet whether in the last command or in each command now I will not dispute but the first motions thoughts risings and bubblings of corruption I had not known them to be sin but that the Law hath said thou shalt not covet Why but was that then that was good made death to me saith the Apostle You must know the Apostle speaks here of a death which is the receiving as I may say the sentence of condemnation in his own spirit by conviction for this is all his knowledge of sin that sin by the commandment might appear to be exceeding sinful this is the dying there mentioned sin revived and I dyed which is in order to liberty to make the poor creature see his necessity of Jesus Christ that so he might make out after him to make a pardon welcome therefore he casts poor sinners
and therefore when natural vigour decaies in old age though there may be as much uprightness there cannot be so much vigour appearing in service alway Now men are apt to have sad thoughts of themselves upon this account and so in other cases when wearied out our Saviour is tender and pittiful he takes notice of every groan under it when thou canst not help thy self but art foyled and he pittyeth and spareth O saith he to his Disciples could ye not watch with me one hour and at such a time as that was when our Saviour had most need of their watching wich him alas they were asleep Well saith he I consider your weakness the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak The Lord is ready to make the best of our conditions and therefore be not altogether discouraged though thou hast a weary hand with thy self with thy own base heart Fifthly But some will say O but they are grievous workings of sin that are in my heart whether they rise from within or from without my heart closeth with them and they are very horrid and I know not what to think concerning it But I say was Paul buffeted and canst thou think to escape truly Brethren I take it the Devil befools himself much in putting a soul upon horrid sins because that is the way to settle the soul so much the more fully when the bit is bigger then will down when Egypt dealt more hardly with the Israelits then before it made them cry out and then the Lord heard so it may be a soul was not so fully delivered from a sin but he doth stick as I may say in the skirts of it but now this maketh him cry out more willing more earnest to be delivered Sixthly Take heed lest anguish of spirit so far prevail as that thy soul refuse to be comforted as the Psalmist saith and the Israelites could not believe by reason of anguish of heart when God had sent them a Saviour to deliver them it may be it is so with thee Seventhly There will come a time when thou shalt be altogether free thou shalt never see the Egyptians more which now pursue thee and trouble thee me thinks that the thoughts of this should refresh us and make us desirous and willing to depart Well then whatever thy condition be in respect of the world it may be afflicted it may be friendless it may be in other kinds Oh me thinks one thought of this that thou art free from guilt and hast a free access to the Throne of grace might exceedingly support thy spirit But thus much for this use of the point also And grow up as Calves of the stall We are now come to the last promise in the bundle and it is not the least considerable That bondage under guilt under sin in its prevailing could not but be a hinderance of growth therefore if we lay so much weight upon the order of the words something seemeth to be held forth of that nature that this growth is a Concomitant of that liberty and enlargement promised before but I will not hang too much upon that though it be an undoubted truth yet whether it may be argued strongly enough from the order of words I will not urge Ye shall grow or increase or be multiplyed as some render it and the same word is read for spreading themselves the horsemen shall spread themselves or they shall be multiplyed as others Sometimes it is taken for springing up Gen. 2. 9. Job 31. 40. Our translation is very suitable some read it exilire to spring and leap and wantonize as Calves use to do when loosed from the stall But I rather much adhere to our translation and the meaning is ye shall increase and grow and come on you shall not stand at a stay and be alway at a pass but grow But what this growth is of what it is meant will be the Question whether of a temporal or spiritual growth a taking root in the world growing up and flourishing which is spoken of the wicked and sometimes the word is thus used for increasing though thy beginning were small said Bildad to Job yet thy latter end should greatly increase that is to say his habitation should be made prosperous at the last if thou wert innocent in his sight So Solomon it is said of him that he was great and increased more then all that went before him And so Rovanellus takes it here for an increase of glory dignity riches and prosperity and so in that place of Jerem when the Prophet first concluding however it were yet God was righteous and good to his people yet he would plead with him concerning his judgements Wherefore doth the way oâ— the wicked prosper Wherefore are all they happy that deal treacherously thou hast planted them yea they have taken root they grow yea they bring forth fruit though this be another Metaphor of a tree the other of a sensitive creature In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow and in the morning thou shalt make thy seed to flourish but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow There it is taken for all manner of outward prosperity but indeed me thinks this though it may not be excluded yet should not be the main thing here intended for alas though it be a great mercy to a people to be richly laden with benefits blessed with the abundance of all things so as that they may wax fat yet if this be abused and they kick against God as Jesurun did there is little comfort in it in comparison It is true it doth not necessarily follow because here is the summe of the Covenant of grace therefore earthly promises are to be excluded for they are a part of the Covenant also so far as good for us and all included in that I will be thy God Godliness hath the promise now as well as then of the things of this life as well as of that which is to come yet I shall rather speak to the other the growth in spirituals that is to say the daily renewing of the inward man the increase of their sanctification and holiness and grace this I take here to be meant and specially meant and therefore thus we shall understand it the promise is amplified by a comparison grow ye shall as Calves of the stall the word for stall signifieth an inclosure a coop any place made for to fat Cattle or other creatures in and we know that usually such do grow exceedingly else there is a great deal of cost bestowed upon them in vain and therefore our translators read that in the Proverbs better is a dinner of herbs where love is then a stalled Ox and hatred therewith There may be three things haply couched in the comparison First that they shall grow in quantity as calves calves shoot up and forth very much when they are
Christ when we walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit for a man to pretend to have no condemnation upon him and yet walk after the flesh loosly and vainly wickedly and yet never doubt nor question his condition I say that man is in a desperate security a lethargy it is very great odds but he perisheth in it the Apostle saith such shall die and they say they shall live but they will one day know whether Gods Word or theirs shall stand Well then this much furthers their comfort and this is one of the Lords great designs for our good that we should walk comfortably and therefore he brings oâ— that his work that spark in a great deal of green wood that smothers and smokes and puts out our eyes almost with weeping at it he bloweth it up by his Spirit more and more and bringeth judgement to victory victory over our corruptions through the strength of the Spirit and so victory over our doubtings fears and discomforts O what riches of grace is here but thus much for the Arguments of the point For the Application then First this will speak the sad condition of two sorts of persons and those are First Such as make a profession of Jesus Christ and yet grow not are at a stand we do innovere but not promovere like a horse in a mill go round and are at night where they were in the morning they go round in a formal compass of duty but alas grow not by it at all look upon many professors and consider what they have been and shall you not find they had as much life seven years ago as they have now they are grown in faith nothing their faith is still as a grain of Mustard-seed if they have any at all indeed as they may its true and yet not grow for a time the Apostle speaks of silly women that are alway learning and never come to the knowledge of the truth and there are silly men among us that are alway learning and yet are not come to the knowledge of the truth Some indeed I pitty much there is a natural defect in their understandings by mediation whereof all this growth is perfected and it is so great in some that they will hardly ever be able to apprehend much of the wisdom of God in a mysterie it is well if they understand the main thing without which there is no life but these are not the persons I speak of but such among us have wit and parts enough can understand and manage and improve any thing else they take in hand and yet in the matters of their souls they take up their rest like tyred Jades that will go no further the Apostle reproveth the Hebrews for it sharply that when for the time they might have been teachers of others yet we had need to be taught our selves the first principles of the Doctrine of Christianity truly Brethren me thinks you that have long known Jesus Christ and have gray hairs upon your heads and are found in the way of righteousness when you see young striplings out-grow you and apprehend much of the mysteries of Christ which you do not this should be a shame to you it is a strange sottishness and security that seizeth upon men in respect of their souls they would think shame that a young man of little or no experience should know them to manage their trade better then themselves that are of so long standing and experience but here they are content to be out-stript and content themselves with any thing that your grace should be so small as I may say in the seed still so small as a seed and scarce discernable to this day O what a sad thing is this now your salvation is nearer then when you believed and you are as far from being meet for it as when you believed O how unfit are we for death though we have one foot in the grave already some of us and we do not heed this Surely if this be a truth that those who are planted in Christ do grow and thou canst not find thou growest what canst thou conclude but one of these two things First that either thou hast all this while deceived thy self and thought thou hadst the root of the matter within thee and hadst it not for if thou hadst thou wouldst have grown The Kingdom of God will not be alway as a grain of Mustard-seed and that which is in thee haply appears to be no more and is not this a sad condition Brethren is it not high time for you to look about you when you are grown to such years and never have been planted into Jesus Christ never made one with him to this day I say a man that findeth he groweth not at all he is where he was so many years ago hath cause to fear this and me thinks this should startle us a company of lazie professors that never matter whether they improve or no. Or else secondly which is bad enough that thou hast some sad disease upon thee that hinders thy growth surely somewhat is the matter Brethren it is not right with you if you have a child stand at a stay for two or three-years while it should grow you see it is a living child but it groweth not O surely it hath some disease or another some obstructions hindering the course between the head and heart and the members and you fear such a child will not live O that you would but apply this to your souls sure you have some desperate disease upon you some obstruction or another it may be the world is gotten between you and the root and the head which is Christ and so the communication is hindred you grow not up into him draw nothing nearer to him at all doth it never enter into your hearts to consider this Brethren are you not afraid of perishing in such a condition I am sure your condition is sad that a growing sensible Christian would not be in your case for a world and are you not sensible of it it is so much the worse O how will you answer it Brethren considering how much influence you have had from on high the Ordinances the fat things of his house in abundance the sincere milk of the word you have had in this place for a long time more then most places have had it and yet your souls have prospered no more under it you have had five Talents and yet it may be many that have had but two but one have out-stript some of you where you have had five Sermons five opportunities of grace many a poor soul would have been glad of one and yet such it may be stronger in faith more in humility more spiritual minded then we are can you answer this at the great day But thus much for this first Secondly It sheweth us the sad condition of such as instead of growing in grace alas they grow worse and
worse as the Apostle saith evil men and seducers grow worse and indeed we must know this Brethren we do grow either better or worse as haply afterward we shall have occasion to speak to at large either the house of David groweth stronger or the house of Saul either the flesh or the spirit prevails in the hearts of the people of God there are two sorts of persons whose condition is under this consideration First Such as have profest the name of Jesus Christ and yet alas though they were green for a while now their leaf is fallen their light is gone out they are fallen from their place of standing among the Saints in appearance never was there an age more fruitful in such barrenness then this is alas like a Fir-tree shaken with the wind they lose their fruit yea are turned up by the roots and now are become as a dry stick fit for nothing but to burn the latter end of such men is worse then their beginning they are trees twice dead not only dead by nature but have lost their profession which was a visible life whereby they did appear to men to be alive and is there any hope of such a tree living again truly Brethren very little I have oberved it and I wish I could look upon it with a more trembling heart that such men as these grow worse fall off and decline they are the saddest hard-hearted desperate prophane wretches afterward or the most besotted worldlings and seldom are they recovered I know not whether I may speak to any such at this time I hope the best things of you if there be any such let me tell thee thou art in a more dangerous condition then those that never knew God to this day Secondly Such as never yet had appearance of being planted into Jesus Christ and so no growth in them but are yet in their naturals know this day you are growing worse and worse the Gospel doth not return in vain you are worse every day then other every Sermon then other the Gospel is a savour of death to death to you as there is nothing doth condemn sinners like to the Gospel rejected so nothing doth harden sinners more then the Gospel and those precious promises which men give the hearing to day by day but alas that is all Isaiah the most Evangelical Prophet he cometh with a make you the ears of this people heavy that hearing they might hear and not perceive If the Son be not kissed when he is offered to sinners but they turn their backs upon him he will be angry if the more worthy person be suitor and be denyed and slighted and the heel lift up against him will not this provoke him think you surely it will therefore God doth usually give up such to a reprobate mind yea even for despising the light of nature much more the Gospel and giveth them up to hardness of heart you shall ordinarily see where the Gospel cometh at the first among a people it works more mightily then afterward at first though men are prophane yet they have not had the Sun-shine to harden the Clay into a Brick the Word of God this Gospel and means of growth it is as fire the coals of love and either they do melt or else burn sinners into stones and bricks and sear their consciences that they are even past feeling hence it is we have so many desperately wicked persons among us O how sad a condition is this Brethren to be growing worse and worse under the greatest mercy and love that the Lord manifesteth to any Sinners in good earnest do you think it is the way to heaven to grow worse and worse or the way to the Chambers of death Thou knowest thy self to be a more desperate prophane wretch then formerly making no conscience of that which heretofore thy soul it may be hath trembled at now it goeth down without regret or else if not in open prophaneness if thou meltest away in secret wickedness that no eye takes notice of and art worse and worse what will the end of these things be the Saints that grow they grow up into the likeness and image and glory of Christ they grow up into him and thou growest up into the likeness of the Devil up in t 〈…〉 im What will become of you O that sinners would but lay these things to heart if heretofore thou wast overtaken with a sin it may be it was some trouble to thee now thou wilt work the works of the Devil thy will is ingaged and so much the more haynous the sin is what can you expect Brethren O that God would open sinners eyes that they might but see whether they are going what they are doing and they could but consider what bitterness this will be in the latter end to grow worse and worse The next Vse shall be then Brethren to take an account of our selves whether we grow or go backward yea or no this is not the work of every day Brethren for it will hardly be discernable if we daily should put our selves to the tryal we should do nothing else it would eat up that time and those endeavours to grow which ought to be laid out upon it that so it may afterward appear a man that should spend every day in casting up his whole Books to see how he groweth in his estate would hâ—nder himself of those endeavours to thrive that must be used else he cannot thrive besides this growth is not the work of a day usually though sometimes it may be so but of moneths or a year or so if a man should sit by his tree or set his eye upon his child to behold his motion or growth he would lose his labour it is better seen afterward as in another place afterward shall be spoken besides if we should daily judge of our growth and try it alas what inconstant judgements should we make of our condition for some daies we are up and some daies down it may be some daies under the power of a temptation and other daies set at liberty from them sometimes the Merchant maketh a losing bargain sometimes a winning sometimes his cash cometh in and sometimes he is all in disbursments therefore he must not he cannot judge of his estate whether he prosper or thrive by this or that day but after a while he should look to it cast up his Books see how it standeth Brethren it is impossible to perswade a Merchant except he be Bankrupt and knoweth it is so and therefore hath no mind to look upon his misery else I say you cannot perswade a Merchant but he will take his set times for perusing his Books casting up his accounts and not let it run too long neither for fear of the worst and if any should advise him to the contrary he would take him to be his enemy suspect him for one that would undo him and yet alas how easie
have not heard saith the Apostle And Faith cometh by hearing and therefore it is called the word of Faith and therein the righteousness of God is revealed from Faith to Faith thereby wherein even in the Gospel preached of which the Apostle was not ashamed by the preaching thereof poor creatures were brought to believe in the Lord Jesus and so the righteousness of Christ was revealed therein to them and conveighed to them by Faith I know not what course the Lord holds with the Heathen to whom the Gospel is not preached by men like themselves nor hath the Lord given us a positive account of his dealing with them and therefore I meddle not with it but this is the ordinary way of Gods working of Faith in them who come to be capable of hearing the Word and understanding of it therefore usually if God intend to bring on such a soul or such a soul he will bring them under the Word either to dwell under it or the Word accidentally to be among them It is observable that in Pauls conversion only he himself heard the voice of him that talked with him not the men that were with him because God intended this vision for Paul and not for them they are said in another place to hear a voice but not the voice of God but the voice of Paul and wondered to hear him speak and heard no body speaking to him hearing then of God is hearing him speak in his Word for it is he that speaks therein Secondly By the hearing may also be understood yet further some whisperings and motions and secret workings of his Spirit which many a man hath many times in hearing of the Word the Spirit passeth by and breatheth in the Word upon one soul and upon another putting on the soul to fasten upon such a a truth or such a truth as sweet and precious inwardly speaking to their understandings that they are sure the men concerned in such a threatning in such a promise and this is a part of Gods striving by his Spirit with rebellious sinners that do not believe nor obey Now this is a more inward hearing then the former some sit under the same Sermon and the Sword of the Spirit maketh no more entrance upon them then upon a brazen wall and it must be a sharp sword indeed that must divide an heart of stone many a blow is laid at a sturdy Oak an old grown sinner before his heart beginneth so much as to shake and this is the second Thirdly Then for the learning which is the main thing which goeth before the coming to Jesus Christ this I take to to be when the Lord not only by his Messengers maketh his word plain before us lays it to our Consciences as the Ax to the root of the Tree but when he opens our understandings plucks open our eyes to behold the light teacheth us indeed he teacheth a poor soul in special these two or three things 1. That he is lost a son of perdition for ought he knoweth many a poor Creature in the Ship like Jonas though ready to sink he was asleep if the Ship had sunk it had been all one to him they come and awake him up thou sleeper dost thou not see thou art sinking thou art dying thou art perishing so the Spirit of the Lord Jesus takes a poor sleepy dead sinner by the understanding tels him thou art the man condemned wrath abideth upon thee particularly what dost thou mean wilt thou have the flames of hell about thy ears before thou wilt stir a foot what wilt thou bring the blood of Jesus upon thy head thus the Spirit cometh and shaketh a poor soul out of his sleep in sin he never dreamed what his condition was before this is the Spirits convincing a man of sin setteth his sins in order before him setteth a man upon the search into his condition then represents all his sins in their bloody guilt and condemning nature every one of them with a mouth like hell ready to swallow him up this is a part of the cords of a mans convictions 2. It teacheth him yet further now no longer to lie securely in that condition if he continue here he must perish therefore now he beginneth to look about him O what shall I do to whom shall I turn my self is there no hope of pardon no mercy for me O what shall we do said they in Acts 2. to be saved if the Ship be sinking now it is time to look about for a Plank a Mast something to lay hold upon something to stop the leak if now Brethren granadoes be cast into the soul and be broken and tearing all to pieces the very flames of hell have caught hold upon such a poor creature there is no delay now the Spirit of the Lord working with a mans natural principle for self-preservation puts him on to enquire for somewhat to quench it now he beginneth to cry out fire fire in his soul O he cannot hold it 3. It teacheth yet further and the poor soul learneth this also effectually that there is no help for him in the creature neither in himself nor in any other if he take the quintescence of all his works which we usually before have a high esteem of and temper them together alas they will not make a balsom for this wound now all the Spirits in all the Creatures in the world if they could be extracted I mean the comforts that might arise from the enjoyment of them would not keep the poor languishing soul from fainting and dying waters of the fullest cup let them overflow never so much if a man have rivers of pleasures in the enjoyment of creature-comforts honours relations parts learning gifts whatsoever they be alas the poor creature is now taught they will not quench this spark that is gotten into the conscience I mean they will not allay the trouble of his spirit will not heal the wounds of his spirit so that now he knoweth not what to do the Hart they say if smitten with an arrow goeth to her herb to cause the arrow to fall out and other creatures being poysoned stung sick distempered run to their cure by a natural instinct but now when God hath shot this arrow into a poor soul it wounds too deep sticks too fast for the teeth of any creature to pluck it out or for the vertue of any creature yea they are so far from healing that rather the consideration of them are as oyl to the flame to vex and wound so much the more well this is much to be taught he that learneth this effectually and not in the notion only goeth far there are many convinced of their wounds their bleeding dying condition but they imagine there is help to be had in something else they run to a duty of their own as if a day of fasting would make amends for all run to this or that unfaithful Shepherds that will
displeasure when that cup of trembling and astonishment was to be put into his hand to be drunk off to the very dregs but yet he willingly undertook this took it off to the bottom that nothing might remain of the dregs to his people which potion put him into a bloody sweat filled him with horror and even astonished him but hath he done all this and is it possible he should now slight it by casting out any poor soul purchased with so dear a rate that now cometh to him O surely it cannot be Sixthly Because this would be to undo what the Father hath done For it is the Fathers work to draw a poor soul to teach them as you have heard before they can come to Jesus Christ No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him you could not have a desire towards the Lord Jesus not a breathing after the water-brooks the Fountain of life which is in Jesus Christ but that the Father hath breathed it into thee now the Lord Jesus if he should cast out a poor soul that cometh with such breathings after him would quench the Spirit would put out the light of Israel should destroy the works of his Father instead of destroying the works of the devil therefore surely it cannot be that he should cast out any poor soul that cometh to him that his Father hath drawn with the cords of a man and with the cords of love Is it the work of a Saviour to cut the cords whereby poor creatures are drawn to him and not rather of a murderer a soul-destroyer and can we have such hard thoughts of Christ our dearest Saviour O far be it from us this cannot be Seventhly He would hereby bring upon himself the imputation of delusion and mocking of poor sinners not only because of his Promise and offers of Grace but in two respects among others for I will not dwell too long upon these things First Because of the many invitations that he hath made to poor creatures to come to him O mind how he proclaims it to every one that thirsteth Come come buy wine and milk without money or monies worth you that have no worthiness nor any money to buy an acccptation come to the Waters and what then when they come to the Fountain to the Waters will the Lord Jesus shut them out cast them away is there any such imposture in him Come to me all that are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest what then is a poor soul perswaded of his burthen and where rest is to be had and cometh to Jesus Christ ready to sink at his foot and faint away under his burthen and will he there suffer him to perish and turn away his face from him I beseech you saith the Apostle as if God did beseech you by us to be reconciled to God ye rebels for so we are all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ye run-aways what do you mean why will ye perish Why will ye dye saith he O house of Israel why now if a rebel turn and his heart relent and he would fain close with this Prince of Peace that would fain be at peace with him do you think he will turn his back upon him Surely no he might have done it to the thief upon the Cross that truly repented and believed as to any if he would but if he should do so then sinners had something to answer indeed that there is reason wherefore we should not come to thee who would come to be mocked to be deceived tantalized to have the fountain opened and stand open for any to come that will come and when we are willing then to rowl a stone upon it is not this deceiving the Jews indeed took Christ to be a deceiver and therefore they came not to him I wish we be not many of us Jews in heart though we be Christians in name our conversation witnesseth to our faces for why else do not sinners come to Jesus Christ except they look upon all these invitations of Christ as delusions but take heed that as they perished so we also perish not in the same gain-saying Secondly He would be convicted of imposture if he should reject any poor soul that cometh to him because it is he also that draweth them as well as the Father else they could not come So he saith When I am lifted up I will draw all men unto me that is to say all that the Father hath given me I will draw to me and so he doth objective as the carkass draweth the Eagles together as the willow branch draweth the Lambs after it as a fair lovely object draweth the eye sweet melody draweth the ear and effective also for what the Father doth he doth also for he and the Father are one Now doth the Lord Jesus draw and perswade men send forth his Spirit which is his arm unbared and stretched out to lay hold upon the hearts of sinners to draw them to make them willing to accept of deliverance and salvation in him from the filthiness and power as well as from the guilt of sin and when they come will he shut them out were not this horrible deceit O surely Jesus Christ cannot so deceive poor creatures these are most unworthy thoughts of him Eighthly and lastly It is inconsistent with his bowels and tenderness which naturally he hath to poor sinners specially such as the Father hath given unto him could the Father shut out the Prodigal Son when he returned to him his bowels would not bear it he ran and met him c. Joseph made it a little strange at the first to his Brethren and spake a little roughly to them but mind you he could not hold he was fain to go into a place to weep egerere dolorem to empty his affection into tears for them to see those Brethren of his that had done him so much wrong dealt so hardly with him O when he heard them confess what they had done and their consciences smit them for it then doubtless his bowels were rowled together within him and for a while I say he made a shift to cover it and put some of them into prison but all this while his bowels were moved and was he not a type of Jesus Christ in this haply as I may say in other respects I shall not determine it but when a poor sinner cometh to Jesus Christ that hath sold him for a lust dealt hardly with him crucified him and now he is convinced of it he mourns for it and mourns over him did Josephs bowels yearn and do not the Lord Jesus his bowels is the love of women to be compared to the love of Jesus Christ O surely no he may seem for a while to turn his back upon a poor creature but all this while the fire of love is burning within and will burst out into a flame all this while what workings
grew for Jesus Christ And Hezekiah his pride in the business of the King of Babylon how it tended to humble him so much the more do we find it thus doth sin increase our grace increase even by our falls do we get ground of them yea or no if not it is not well with us And thus much shall serve for the tryal The next Vse then will be for Exhortation to us all If we find that we have none of this we grow not at all we are a company of poor formal professors we are at a stand for proficiency we know not what it means I should advise all such Brethren to look to their standing their being in Christ it may be you have been deceived all this while and except you be in him except the Sun of righteousness be risen upon you it is in vain to put you on to grow as to the event though not as to the discharge of our duty A rotten root will not carry the branches on to any increase they may be at a stand a while but they will wither and rot and perish as well as the root look to your foundation Brethren me thinks I should not need to press this upon you you know for the notion as well as it can be told you that except you be in him you can bring forth no fruit much less can you increase in fruitfulness If you do not shut your eyes Brethren wink with them as they in the Gospel did they stopped their eyes lest they should see with them the Sun of righteousness is ready to arise upon you are you willing to have it so would you have him to arise upon you would you be made one with him would you be found in him as the root the head from whence righteousness and holiness proceedeth deceive not your selves Brethren Christ offers himself to you all every one that will may come and take him for his head for his root and so grow up in him if thou wert willing then what is the reason thou art not in him well surely then thou art not willing whatever thou pretendest he would gather thee under his wings as a Hen the Chickens where they grow apace from the heat they are cherished with but ye would not ye would not look to this in the first place Secondly you that are alive through grace and have this union with Christ and yet it may be find you grow little or haply can scarce see that you have grown now will you be exhorted in the name of Jesus Christ in the Apostles words Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ Labour to improve to come on to be fat and flourishing content not your selves to be babes in Christ no nor young men but grow up to be Fathers The prosecution of this Use the general Exhortation I shall first lay you down some particulars wherein among others specially we are to labour to grow because haply if we rest in generals each hearer hath not his skill to bring it to particulars Secondly the motives to enforce it And thirdly some general helps to growth and then come to some other Exhortations First then for the first wherein specially we are to look to our growth and first in knowledge we must â—ook to it that we grow in the first place as the Apostle hath it in that forecited place Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ Knowledge is not here put by way of contradistinct from grace as if it were no grace but as being that special grace which doth so much promote and further the growth of all grace beside the Papists tell us ignorance is the mother of devotion and that faith is better defined by ignorance then by knowledge but the Holy-Ghost cals faith knowledge by his knowldege shall my righteous servant justifie many that is faith sure and this is life eternal to know thee the only true God now do but observe it they boast themselves so much of Peter and how little they own him in this point for saith he grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ the knowledge of a crucified Christ Now saith the Papists this is the way to errour and schism and ignorance is the mother of devotion just as the Jews made their boast of Moses and our Saviour confuteth them by Moses whom they so much boasted of there is one who accuseth you even Moses in whom you trust for if ye had believed Moses ye had believed me for he wrote of me So there will be one that will accuse them in this point of knowledge even Peter in whom they trust So the Apostle that ye may grow up in him speaking the truth in love the speaking the truth in love is the way to grow up in Christ and so the receiving the truth and the receiving of it in love a well-qualified knowledge of Jesus Christ and him crucified and therefore the Apostle desired to know nothing among them but this if they knew Christ and him crucified this knowledge would produce whatever else is requisite for them not by its own power but the Spirit of grace carrying it on And so the Apostle to the Colossians increasing in knowledge or the acknowledgment of God and strengthened with all might according to his glorious power to all patience and long-suffering with joy So the wise man himself tells us a wise man is strong yea a man of understanding increaseth strength Why but you will say may there not be much knowledge and yet little grace and therefore is this too necessary to grow in knowledge I answer It is true there may be much knowledge where there is little grace as in many an hypocrite and many know much but they know nothing as they ought to know it but yet however there cannot be grace without knowledge a compe 〈…〉 t considerable knowledge of Jesus Christ and him crucified Fuel may be where there is no fire but the fire will not burn nor continue if there be no fuel knowledge is as I may say the very oyl the very fuel wherein the flame of the Spirit liveth in the soul do but observe it grace and truth came by Jesus Christ grace and truth therefore grace aboundeth now in the time of the Gospel he came that they might live and live more abundantly because he came to reveal the truth in a more clear full manner then before when the vail is taken away saith the Apostle that was upon the face then beholding Christ with open face we are changed into his image from glory to glory and truly there is all the reason that can be for it for whereby grace is begotten by the same means it must needs be preserved and increased Now it is by the knowledge of the truth that we are begotten to God therefore the Spirit is promised to be sent
forth to convince the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgement And so saith the Apostle James he hath begotten us again of his own will by his word of truth and therefore by this means grace is kept alive by our keeping this knowledge and increased by the increasing of this knowledge Sanctifie them with thy truth thy word is truth saith our Saviour concerning his Disciples ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free he speaks here of a further progress for they were his Disciples already only he promiseth them further freedom and liberty from sin and this through the knowledge of the truth how do men that are not right escape the pollutions of the world but through the knowledge of the truth as it is in that place the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and how come they to wallow in their vomit again to return to wallow in the mire but by imprisoning and smothering the truth the principles they have received put out the light and then they may do what they please the truth is Brethren all grace is conveyed through the understanding of men and women because the Lord works upon us as reasonable creatures and therefore proposeth things to the understanding that it may Judge of them assent to the truth of them and judge the goodness of them and then propound them to the will to receive them to close with them they that know thy name will trust in thee the great reason wherefore poor sinners are strangers from the life of God is because of their ignorance as the Apostle saith therefore the heathen call not upon God because they know him not and therefore so many of us call not upon him as we ought because we know him not either we neglect it or else do it in a slight slubbering manne 〈…〉 t is because we know not God what a God he is searching the hearts great and glorious and jealous what is the reason that poor creatures trust not more perfectly to the grace that is revealed but because the eyes of their understandings are no more opened to behold the unsearchable riches of the grace which is in Jesus Christ which is able to swallow up all their mountainous sins wash out their spots though never so deep pay their debts though never so deeply charged if poor sinners did but know this they would trust more perfectly what is the reason we are so familiar with sin and make no more of it it is because we know little or nothing of it in comparison Ah poor creatures those that crucified Christ knew not what they did else they would not have done it and poor sinners now that stand it out in this their day and slight the offers of grace alas you know not what you do else you would not do it therefore if you would grow in any grace all graces in faith in love in any thing else you must labour to grow in knowledge O Brethren if we had but a clear understanding of the dimensions of the love of God the freeness and fulness of it that he should set his love upon such vile filthy polluted wretches such as had no comliness but loathsomness upon us and to bring us so near to himself to be one with him to be one Spirit and live and reign for ever with him as Children as a Spouse if the soul did but know this O how would it love 〈◊〉 Lord Jesus again would men be proud if they knew this as they ought to know it O no therefore look that you grow in this there were never more wayes and means to come to the knowledge of Christ and him crâ—cified then now if we be not wanting to our selves shamefully we cannot conclude ignorance of these things this is the way to grow A man of understanding increaseth knowledge learn of any body Secondly Labour to grow in faith the Disciples were sensible of this defect therefore they prayed that he would increase their faith Faith hath a wonderful influence upon the soul in respect of all the Graces of the Spirit Be it unto thee even as thou wilt Mat. 15. 28. saâ—â—h our Saviour to the Woman of Canaan if we were but strong in Faith if women would have their Wils this is the way and if men would have their Wils this is the way to labour to be strong in Faith Faith is that whereby the union and communion with Christ is maintained it is that whereby the soul cleaveth to him and therefore according to the strength or weakness of that Will the growth in other respects be also a strong Faith draweth strongly from him all the nourishment is from him and the supplâ—es of the Spirit whereby it is digested is from him Now a strong Faith draweth these from the Lord Jesus more abundantly to the soul then a weak Faith this is that whereby we suck the milk out of the breasts of consolation the Promises we feed upon Christ Eat his flesh which is meat indeed and drink his blood which is drink indeed no nourishment like to it we do by Faith partake of the fatness of the Olive and therefore accordingly grow in other Graces One saith of it that it is Faith that virtually is all Graces because Faith fetcheth in the supplies of Christ to enable to all whatsoever therefore it is that we are patient in tribulation because we believe and impatiency it proceedeth from the want of Faith he that believeth maketh not haste hence it is that we turn aside from following the Lord that there is so much unevenness in our walking we cannot walk uprightly with God because of the weakness of Faith if a man did believe God to be al-sufficient to have all fulness of good in him and a full defence from evil to be a Son and a shield would men for a little credit a little honour to avoid a little trouble in the flesh turn aside from followin 〈…〉 he Lord surely they would not How often doth our Saviour rebuke his Disciples for the littleness of their Faith they had Faith but it was very little How long shall I be with you how long shall I suffer you saith he in one place where they could not cast out the Devil And will not God take care of you much more then of Sparrows O ye of little Faith had they so much of his presence with them teaching them and yet were but of little faith Our Saviour was displeased with it he knew they could never do much to honour him while their Faith was weak as now in the Gospel and more difficult cases as Num. 11. c. But may he not much rather take us up for this the Spirit was not poured out as now he is and we have more then the bodily presence even the Spirit of Christ and great encouragement to beg that Spirit whereby we should exceedingly