believe the Gospel Mark 1.15 And I say so too repent of these vain excuses and put them away repent of minding other things and neglecting the Gospel and Gods salvation therein that God having given Christ for thee and holding him forth to thee and Christ having giving himself for thee for it was for all men 1 Tim. 2.6 and made peace and atonement through his Blood and being filled with all the fulness of God and calling thee by his Gospel and standing ready upon thy compliance to help and save thee to pardon thee and give thee his holy Spirit admit thee into his favour and protection and make an everlasting Covenant with thee yet thou lettest him stand without knocking and dost not take him into thee nor yield thy hand to him to be taken in to him but runnest away from God thy Saviour after lying vanities after the World and the Flesh and the Devil after pride and Covetousness and the like labourest for the bread that perisheth and refusest to seek and labour in listening to and following thy Saviour for that bread that endureth to everlasting life that he would give thee Repent of this thy carriage and so also of seeking Gods favour by any works or ways of thine own or other mens proposing and not by and in listening to him Repent of these and all other like things and believe and obey the Gospel But be sure it be the Gospel thou believest not what any though an Angel saith contrary to or beside the Gospel Gal. 1.6 9. Not those doctrines of men That God hath rejected the most men absolutely before they were born and is not willing they should be saved contrary to 1 Tim. 2.4 2 Pet. 3.9 that Christ Dyed not for all but only an Elect number contrary to 2 Cor. 5.14 15. 1 Tim. 2 6. Heb. 2.9 1 Joh. 2 2. and the like doctrines and so all such as deny the Person Satisfaction Resurrection or Mediation of Christ his Personal appearance the Resurrection of the Dead the last Judgment and the like Repent and believe the Gospel If thou sayest How canst thou believe Is not Faith the gift of God I answer Yes and he gives it in a sober and diligent hearing of his Word not wilfully closing the eye and stopping the ear and hardening the heart against him Rom. 10.17 Gal. 3.2 Incline thine ear then and hearken unto him Hear and thy soul shall live Isa 55.3 yea while it is said or called to day if thou wilt hear his voice harden not thy heart and thou shalt hear and live onely obey in hearing as he enables thee and is in the power of his light and truth by his Spirit working in thee to will and to do of good pleasure Work thou out in his working thine own salvation with fear and trembling Philip. 2.12 13. doing all things without murmuring or disputing vers 14. putting away and not wilfully retaining what he reproves and yielding thy self to God to follow his counsels and instructions waiting upon him is his wayes and looking to him and calling upon him as he enables thee for his help and thou shalt be saved Be but willing to this Consent and Obey and though thou hast been or hitherto art as bad as one of the Rulers of Sodom or as the people of Gomorrha thou shalt eat the fruit of the land the promised land Thy scarlet sins shall be white like snow and thy crimson sins like wooll Isa 1.10 18 19. Be but as industrious in minding and following after the Gospel and after God and Christ as drawing instructing and strengthening thee as thou hast been and others are for the World and for their corrupt desires and lusts and thou mayest lay hold on Eternal life Prov. 2.1 5. 1 Tim. 6.11 12. This is the sum of the instructions given by the Apostle James when having affirmed that every good gift and every perfect giving comes from above from the Father of Lights with whom there is no variableness or shadow of turning and that of his own will begat he them by the word of truth that they might be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures He adds and infers Wherefore my beloved Brethren let every man be swift to hear slow to speak slow to wrath and laying apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness receive with meekness the ingraffed word which is able to save our souls but be ye doers of the word and not hearers onely James 1.17 18 21 22. But then it is to be minded too that having begun to doe thus it in neccesary to go on and to continue in so doing abiding in Christ minding and believing the Gospel and obeying it and him in and by it and exercising our selves to believe on him and following after him that we may know him more and more and so be more rooted and grounded in and united with him walking in him according to our receipt of him and taking heed of what might turn us out of the way of understanding As of 1. High-mindedness as if we were rich enough and knew and had attained enough already Prov 16.18 2. Sloth and what principles tend to that and to high mindedness Such as That that if we have once believed aright we cannot whatever we may do totally and finally miscarry Prov. 19.15 1 Cor. 10.12 3. Taking offence at either Gods ways and providences Psal 73.2 3 12 13 14. Or at those that fear God so as to break Communion with them lest forsaking the Assemblies and sitting alone we grow hardned through the deceitfulness of sin and for want of right exhortation and provocation to cleave to God withdraw from him through an evil heart of unbelief Heb. 3.12 13. 10 24 26 29. or else we fall into the snares of such as would seduce us against which things the minding and delighting in Gods Law will secure us Psal 119.165 and hereto also it 's good and needful to pluck out the right eye where it offends and cast it from us for in fellowship and unity with the fearers of God God doth command his blessing and life for evermore Psal 133.13.4 Eccles 4.9.10 11. Take heed too 4. Of the Love of the World and of the things in the world and of whatsoever doctrine or practice may corrupt us from the simplicity in and single cleaving to Christ Jesus 1 Joh. 2.15 18. 2 Cor. 11.2 3. I enlarge not to these things nor add any other lest I be volumnious 7. Whereas we may be tempted to grow Weary by reason of the many Afflictions Troubles Temptations and Toilsomness to the Flesh that we may meet with in the way of God and of godliness and especially in times and cases of Persecutions here it also incouragement to patience not only because Christ hath faithfully promised to be with his followers in their sufferings and services to help them as is said Isa 41.10 13 14 and that in the taking courage and not cowardly desponding and laying
of men are the happiest men in the world their portion better than any other mens the Heritage of Jacob to be preferred before all the enjoyments of the great Princes of the Earth Isa 58.14 So as it may well be said the righteous they that are in Christ Jesus walking not after the Flesh but after the Spirit are more excellent then their neighbours Prov. 12.26 however Poor Meane Illiterate Afflicted and Despised the Righteous be And however Rich Learned Honoured or otherwise adorned and qualified their neighbours that be not righteous are Yea well it may be said Happy art thou O Israel a People saved by the Lord the shield of their help and sword of their Excellency thine enemies shall be found lyars to thee and thou shalt tread upon as despising their high place Deut. 33.29 O Lord of hosts blessed is the man that putteth his trust in thee Psal 84.12 Blessed at all times blessed in Life more blessed in Death but most blessed in and after the Resurrection of the Dead 3. To commend Piety and Godliness and the exercise thereof to us which hath the Promise of all this great blessedness both of the life that now is and that that is to come 1 Tim. 4.8 6.6 4. To condemn the blind judgment and practice of the world that sleight hate and persecute these things accounting those that are and that dye in Christ especially in a way of persecution to be unhappy and their portion despicable which things I onely mention But besides 5. It directs us whither to flee for shelter and refuge against the fears and feelings horrours and harms of Death the King of Terrours namely to Christ Jesus our Lord who hath both abolished or destroyed its destructive power by his Death and destroyed him that had the power of it the Devil 2 Tim. 1.10 Heb. 2.14 and also hath the keys of Hell and Death Power and full Authority over it and over the dead having dyed rose and revived that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living Rom. 14.19 as he hath that sharp Sickle in his hand so he can cut off with it high or low rich or poor and he can keep it off or back during his pleasure and order the state of it and the persons in it as seems good in his sight And in him there is deliverance from the horrour and harms of it as he is the forgiver of the sins both that occasioned it and that might render it as an inlet into a worser state then it simply of it self containeth and hath both Authority and proclaims himself ready graciously to do it even both to raise out of it and in the interim to secure from harm and mischiefs by it yea and to make it greatly useful and advantagious to us to make the day of it better then the day wherein we were born Eccles 7.1 a Chamber of ease rest and safety to us from the evils either fore-afflicting us or further threatening and abiding the yet dwellers on the Earth or abiders in the land of the living Isa 26.20 57.2 an outlet to our cares fears labours and temptations to sin or toils by such temptations and an inlet safe Port or entrance into peace and security the end of our exile and banishment and beginning of our actual admission in our spirits into our Fathers presence and glorious fruition of our blessed Saviour that wonderful one the unparall'd lover of our Souls and Paragon and Pattern of all divine and heavenly vertue and excellency the Lamb that had mercy on us and dyed rose again and lives for ever for us the Lord Jesus He is that Sun that shining into our hearts the light of the knowledge of himself and of the glory of God in him and being believingly beheld by us will drive out and expel all that darkness of our ignorance and errour that in the night of our unbelief obscures our minds and fills us with frightful fears of Death and its consequents and chases away all those mists and vapours arising out of the muddines of our hearts to the sadding us at the thoughts of its approches and by his warming influences as streaming forth by his Holy Spirit in the Gospel the beams of his love and favour in the forgiveness of our sins and interesting us in his Righteousness and precious promises of blessing and everlasting Life and Happâ—ness and so the lively hope of his Salvation and Glory to be injoyed by us he can and will so chear and comfort us as to make the grim visage of Death amiable to us and the passage through it very desirable Philip. 1.21 22 23. yea and give us hope and joy in Death as the best hour that ever came upon us And he is that and such a shield too that encompassing us about with his favour and defence interposing himself between us and our enemies even Death and all its train and power secures us against their fiercest assaults and sharpest darts being the Death of Death the Destruction of the Grave and Hell Hos 13.14 we being in him and incompassed about with his arms of love nothing shall be able to approch us to hurt or harm us He is such a Fountain of living waters that whosoever drinks of him receiving his Doctrine into his heart and retaining and keeping it there shall not die of thirst Such a Heavenly Medicine being Gods Salvation or saving health that whosoever takes him down and tastes the sweetness of his Love and Grace and keeps it or the relish of it upon his palace shall not taste Death Joh. 4.14 8.51 52. Yea those Waters he gives and the Medicine he affords will spring up and effect in the receiver and taker down thereof Life in Death even Eternal Life The Tree of Life that was in the first Paradise and which being eaten of would have preserved the life of Man for ever is lost and there is no recovering it again Gen. 3.22 23 24. Nor can all the Physicians in the world find out or compose a Medicine that can keep us from Dying But our Lord Jesus Christ and his heavenly Wisdome and Doctrine is that Tree of Life in the midst of the Paradise of God that Sovereign Antidote of Gods own finding out making and propounding which being eaten and taken down will secure us against all the Poison of the old Serpent the evil of this natural Death and carry us safely through it and bring us certainly out of it to immortality and eternal Life Prov. 3.18 Rev. 22.2 3 14. He will both make the Soul live and be happy in Death and raise up the Body to an immortal state of bliss Isa 55.3 Joh. 11.25 26. 2 Cor. 4.14 In vain do men weary themselves and spend their Estates to find out a Philosophers stone that may turn all things into Gold Here is that true Elixir that will turn all to Good and as he hath reconciled all things in himself that are in
in Gods presence and his presence will give them rest Philip. 1.23 2 Cor. 5.8 Exod. 33.14 then the Soul shall have rest in its Husbands house as was prayed for for Ruth Ruth 2.9 then the Body rests in the dust from its Pains Weaknesses and Afflictions and Labours Job 3.13 17. 17.16 and the spirit enters more fully into peace Isa 57.2 and it is said to these Souls That they must rest a little while till the time of their Brethrens sufferings also be accomplished Rev. 6.11 Yea the whole man though parted asunder Soul from Body rests in safety not hearing any more the voice of the oppressour nor assaulted by the tempter Job 3.18 11.18 the small and the great rest there and the Servant is free from his Master Job 3.19 Yea the end of the Adversity and Affliction they have here is that they may rest then from it till the pit be digged for the ungodly Psal 94.12 13. They rest from their Labours 2. And their works follow them or follow with them These Works are something distinct from their Labours their Labours had Pain Sorrow and soil like to the Labour of a Woman in Travail that hath sorrow because her hour is come Joh. 16 21. and their toil and pain proceeds partly from their own infirmity partly from the bondage to corruption under which the whole Creation grones the Curse upon the Earth Gen. 5.29 Rom. 8 20 21 22 23. 2 Cor. 5.2 4. partly from the Badness Wickedness and Oppressiveness of the World and malice of Sathan Gal. 1.4 Exod. 1.13 14. Rev. 2.10 But their works are as the fruits of those Labours the Man-child brought forth as it were the things done by them in the body the fruits or works meet for repentance 2 Cor. 5.10 Philip. 1.22 Matth. 3.8 with Acts 26.20 and these they have with all their strength and courage to endure the labour attending them from Jesus Christ that root of David in whom they are ingraffed rooted and grow Rev. 22.16 Col. 2.7 He is the green Fir-tree from whom all their fruits are found Hos 14.8 the true Vine of whom they are Branches and from whom they abiding in him and his Word in them they derived such sap and juice vertue and spirit as made them bring forth much good fruit so as the Father the good Husbandman is therein glorified Joh. 15.1 4 5 8. being and trusting in him and making him their hope they were like trees planted by the waters side bringing forth their fruit in season Jer. 15 7 8. though we are justified by Faith without the works of the Law yet we are justified too by Works and not by Faith only Gal. 2.16 Jam. 2.24 not by a Faith without works but by a Faith that worketh by Love Gal. 5.6 the believing in which we receive the forgiveness of sins and are justified to life is not a bare speculation of or assent to the Opinion or Doctrine of Truth resting in the brain nor so far onely affecting the Heart as to ease it of and quiet it from its griefs and fears but it is such a believing as is to the saving of the Soul Heb. 10.39 even to the saving it from the power of sin and Sathan as well as in other respects Such a perswasion of the truth of Gods testimony and so that Jesus is the Son of God and Saviour of the World and that all that the Prophets and Apostles have delivered concerning him and the grace in and by him is true as wherein the heart is so affected with him and drawn to him as that it saith of him He is my rock and my fortress my God in whom I will trust So as it comes to him for all direction and guidance Grace and blessing and yield up it self to him to obey and follow him in a confident expectation therein of meeting with his promised Salvation and Blessing And where with the heart a man so believeth it is to righteousness and will not be barren destitute of the fruits of righteousness or of the works of righteousness piety charity all goodness Heb. 11.13 Psal 91 2. Joh. 6.35 37. Rom. 10.9 10 2 Pet. 1.9 10 11. And these works in Death and when dead follow them or follow with them so as they shall be rewarded of God for God is not unrighteous to forget their work and labour of love Heb. 6.10 neither labour nor work shall be forgotten their labour shall not be in vain in the Lord who tells their wandrings puts their tears in his Bottle and keeps account of them in his Book 1 Cor. 15.58 Psal 56.8 and their work shall be rewarded Jer. 31.16 And that 1. In some sort at the time of thier departure hence and in their separated state in that they have in their Consciences the joy and comfort of their Works and comfortable assurance of further reward in the day of the glorious Appearance of the Lord Jesus their works are now estimated of God and laid up in his treasures laid up as it were with them and together with them to be brought forth to open view in the day of Christs glorious appearing And the Reward is also laid up reserved and unalterably appointed for them as was before noted from 2 Tim. 4.8 so that they not onely have hope in their Death but also after their Death there is a Separation of them from others according to their Works so as that whereas others are cast into Prison and reserved as it were in Chains of Darkness against the Judgment of the great Day the wicked is reserved to the day of Destruction and they shall be brought forth to the day of Wrath when the Heavens shall reveal his iniquity and the Earth shall rise up against him and his way shall be declared to his face and he shall be repayed what he hath done Job 21.30 31. 20.27 these that dye in the Lord are at rest and safe for ever quiet from the fear of evil being out of the reach henceforth of Sathan and all his instruments and whatsoever may trouble or disquiet them they that can kill the Body and it may be have killed theirs have no more now that they can do to them their sorrow and sighing is for ever past and they are comforted in Paradise and in Abrahams bosome while others are tormented Luke 16.25 for they are in Paradise with Christ as Christ said to the Malefactor that confessed him This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise Luke 23 43 Their Soul or Spirit dies not as some hold with the Body but returns to God into whose hands they commit it as they pray him to receive it so he doth receive it too Eccles 12.7 Psal 31.5 49 15. Acts 7.59 Philip. 1.23 Yea they may be understood to be those that stand with the Lamb upon mount Sion and that sing the new song with the melody of Harps unto God which no man else can learn they being in a