with the workers of iniquity but peace shall be upon Israel Psal 125.5 2. Let all the Friends Lovers Well-wishers Well-willers unto the Publick Good and Prosperity of these Churches up and be doing in the Work of Reformation You who are of the passing generation of the first undertakers of this Work of Reformation surviving and who have seen with your eyes and told us what works God did in your dayes as Psal 44.1 who have therefore yet a living remembrance of the gracious Wayes and glorious Works of God to his people in the first beginnings and prosperous progress of the Work of Reformation and so of the House of God of the Churches here in their first glory Hag. 2.3 You have also seen and observed the gradual declension and defection of these Churches and therefore you cannot chuse but be most sadly and sorrowfully sensible of our present necessity of Reformation O then be moved to do what in you lyeth by your Faith Prayer Life and Example to revive the Work of Reformation again before you die You also who are the present standing Generation the next and immediate Successors unto those first Reformers who have been actually betrusted with Church-Order Ordinances and Administrations with the whole Cause of God Kingdome of Christ and Interest of Religion and so with this great and glorious Work of Reformation and who are likely to be found most guilty of this general defection and have too much already endangered the loss of all O be you moved to stand up strongly unto the work under that Charge and all those solemn Obligations and Engagements which God hath laid upon you the weight and burthen of the Work lyeth upon you we have been raised up in the stead of our Fathers as Josh 5.7 to carry on this Work And truly if we should desert or be slight and negligent therein it will soon fall to the ground and sink past recovery and we shall thereby at once cut off the hope of our Fathers and lay the Foundation of the Ruine of Succeeding Generations utterly undo all Posterity O let us therefore make it our Prayer which is in 1 Kings 8.57 58. The Lord our God be with us as he was with our Fathers let him not leave us nor forsake us that he may incline our hearts unto him to walk in his wayes c. And you who are of the Rising Generation Adult Youth and Young men You are many of you if not most of you a Third Generation from those whom God first brought out into this Wilderness You are they who are likely to out-live Joshua and all the Elders of Israel that out-lived Joshua and all that Generation as it is said of them Judg. 2.7 8 9. You cannot many of you remember the works which God wrought for your forefathers You have never seen these Churches in their first Beauty and Glory nor the Worship and Ordinances of God in their first Spiritual Power and Purity It hath been so far your unhappiness that you have been brought forth and lived under the decaying state of these Churches and of Religion and therefore are like to grow up under the prevailing power of a Spirit of Apostacy And alas upon you is likely to fall all the Calamity and Misery of this Apostacy which is begun you will see and feel the sad and lamentable Effects of it O therefore that Youth and Young persons could lay this Consideration unto their hearts and be moved also to engage in this Work of Reformation before it be too late by labouring unto a sound Conversion and a religious Conversation in the dayes of their Youth O that All thus concerned would Vp and be doing True it is there are many great discouragements so that the hearts of those who are most and best disposed unto the Work are ready to fail especially considering that all means of Reformation have hither unto failed nothing hath hither unto done us any good So that God himself may justly complain of us as he did of that people Hos 6.4 O Ephraim what shall I do unto thee c. Jer. 6.29 the bellows are burnt Truly Reformation it is likely to prove a very hard and heavy Work yet we must never despair of Reformation as that people seemed to do Ezek. 33.10 If our transgressions and our iniquities be upon us and we pine away in them how then should we live q.d. You call us to Repentance and Reformation and denounce Wrath and Judgement against us if we do not do it but alas to what purpose for God is resolved to suffer us to pine and die away in our sins And therefore God doth instantly give them an encouraging call to Repentance and Reformation Ver. 11. Say unto them As I live saith the Lord I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn and live Turn ye turn ye for why will ye die O house of Israel Surely God is yet calling of us unto Reformation and waiting upon us for Reformation It is yet a Probation-time with us wherein we are standing before God upon our Tryal God hath repented once more of the evil as Amos 7.3 the unprofitable Tree hath one year more to stand in the Vineyard Luk. 13.8 Yet truly now God seemeth to be limitting of us to a certain day Psal 95.7 To day if ye will hear his voice harden not your hearts O let us take heed then unto this day this limited day which will put a period unto Gods patience and long-suffering lest God swear suddenly and irrevecably in his wrath against us if once our day be past it will be indeed too late witness our Saviours mournful doleful Lamentation which he wept out over Jerusalem Luke 19.42 If thou hadst known even thou at least in this thy day the things of thy peace but now they are hidden from thine eyes And why see ver 44. Because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation therefore I say now now it is high time to reform It is pressed as a present as an instant duty Zeph. 2.2 3. Before before before before that is in all haste speedily Hos 10.12 It is time to seek the Lord that is it is high time more then time the onely time now if ever now or never I do now re-inforce the Exhortation at least by way of allusion to that in Hag. 2.4 Yet now be strong O Zerubbabel and be strong O Joshua the son of Josedech the high Priest and be strong all ye people of the Land saith the Lord and work for I am with you saith the Lord of Hosts according to the word that I Covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt so my Spirit remaineth among you fear ye not So let Magistracy Ministry and People be strengthned and encouraged to this Work believing and hoping that Gods Spirit remaineth among us according to the Covenant which he made with his people when he brought them forth first into this Wilderness
from whence thou art fallen So to the Church of Laodicea Rev. 3.18 Anoint thine eyes with eye salve that thou mayest see that is See and be sensible of thy defection God hath made it the work of divers of his faithful Servants whom he hath of late sent and set to speak upon this Occasion in this general Assembly to Awaken and to Couvince to Plead with us in a way of Conviction to Cry aloud not to spare to lift their voices like a Trumpet to shew New-England their transgressions and this people their sins Isa 58.2 and surely untill we are thus awakened and convinced there will be no hope of Reformation Exhort II. Repent So remember from whence thou art fallen as to Repent It must be a Penitential Remembrance such a remembrance as doth both move and lead to Repentance Ezek. 16.61 Then shalt thou remember thy wayes and be ashamed ver 63. That thou mayest remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame so Ezek. 6.9 20 43. When and where there is such an awakening convincing Remembrance there will be Repentance Surely God expects and calls for a deep thorough general Repentance Repentance in all the parts of it the full exercise of it the whole work of it unto all the fruits effects and ends of it expressed in Confession Contrition Humiliation Supplication from a right Spirit of Repentance God calls for heart-breaking heart-rending Repentance Jol 2.12 Rend your hearts and not your garments God expects to hear New-England as Ephraim bemoaning himself Jer. 31.19 Surely after I was turned I repented after I was instructed I smote upon my thigh I was ashamed yea even confounded It is impossible that we should Reform except we thus Repent for the foundation of the whole work of Reformation is laid in Repentance the work of Reformation is wrought in Repentance and therefore our Lord Jesus Christ layes the burthen of all the work upon Repentance in the Text Except thou repent Exhort III. Do the first works So remember from whence thou art fallen and repent as to do the first works that is Reform And here chiefly lyes my present business viz. in pressing this part of the Exhortation And the rather I shall take leave to insist a while upon it as a suitable and seasonable word because we have been Originally a Reforming and a Reformed people a people separated and set apart by God to be the Subject of a very great and glorious Work of Reformation Reformation hath been the design of New-England and therefore Reformation it is the Profession of New-England This work of Reformation it hath been especially by this Generation not onely much neglected but even almost utterly deserted by a general defection and declension which we are fallen into so that we are now become a declining and declined people There hath been and there is a general Complaint and Cry for want of Reformation it is generally confessed and acknowledged that there is an absolute necessity of a speedy thorough Reformation and that without it we are an undone people We have in our publick Solemnities made many solemn Vows and Promises of Reformation unto God wherein we have too much flattered him with our lips and lied unto him with our tongues whilst our hearts have not been stedfast with him there is yet therefore an utter total neglect and defect of Reformation no kinde no degree of Reformation as little and in some respects less hope and probability thereof then ever before and truly without speedy Reformation our defection is likely to prove irreparable and irrecoverable sin and sinners growing every day more and more incorrigible and incurable and the heart of the Generation more and more corrupted with a Spirit of Profaneness and Apostacy and so bent to back sliding Hos 11.7 insomuch that it is too likely to be a perpetual backsliding And that which is yet more then all and most of all pressing it is the danger that we are in of being given up justly and judicially by God unto a spirit frame and way of Back-sliding and Apostacy if we do not speedly reform Has 4.16 Ephraine back slideth like a back-sliding-heifer Ephraim is joyned to Idols let him alone Psal 81.11 So be gave them up to their own harts lusts Deut. 32.20 I will hide my face from them I will see what their end will be q.d. I will have no more to do with them in a way of grace and mercy I will leave them to themselves to finish their Apostacy to fill up the measure of their iniquity I will see what miserable lamentable end they will bring themselves unto and truly if so then wo unto us we shall soon destroy our selves But yet God is in mercy waiting that he may be gracious Isa 30.13 and therefore that which God is yet calling for looking for yea to speak after the manner of men that which God is longing for it is out Reformation as Jer. 13.27 O Jerusalem wilt thou not be made clean when shall it once be These Considerations may move our Attention unto this Exhortation And here I shall take leave to speak unto Reformation in general and so not onely unto a restitution from our defection but the progress of the Work of Reformation God expects not onely that we should do our first works but that our last works should be more then our first which was the Commendation of the Church of Thyatira Rev. 2.19 I shall therefore propose some general duties to be laboured in in order unto Reformation and endeavour as God shall help to suit my Discourse herein unto the present condition of this people and these Churches First It should be our labour to get a new Heart and new Spirit This is the life and spirit of the work of Reformation Ezek. 18.30 31. Repent and turn your selves from your transgressions so iniquity shall not be your ruine and make you a new heart and a new spirit for why will ye die O horse of Israel When God doth work reforming grace and renew his Covenant with his people upon terms of Reformation he doth first take away the corrupt hard impenitent unbelieving backsliding apostatizing heart and gives them a new heart and a new spirit Jer. 31.33 32.39 Ezek. 11.19 36.26 The foundation of the work of Reformation it must be laid in a new heart because the original of our defection and Apostacy it is in the heart and therefore God every-where complaineth of that backsliding people that they had an uncircumcised heart Jer. 9.26 a whorish heart Ezek. 6.9 that their heart was set upon their iniquity Hos 4.8 Truly so it is the very heart of New-England is changed and exceedingly corrupted with the sins of the Times there is a Spirit of Profaneness a Spirit of Pride a Spirit of Worldliness a Spirit of Sensuality a Spirit of Gainsaying and Rebellion a Spirit of Libertinism a Spirit of Carnality Formality Hypocrisie and Spiritual
Idolatry in the Worship of God Sinners are spâ—â—â—ed unto and with the sins of the Times those sins are even rooted and grounded in the Spirit of the Generation as Jer. 17.1 The sin of Judah it is graven upon the table of their heart so that there is no hope of Reformation except we make us a new heart and a new spirit And truly this is the reason that we do not reform that we cannot reform though we do promise and vow Reformation unto God Deut. 5.29 This people have well said O that there were such an heart in them q.d. the great thing which this people want is an heart Truly so the great thing which New-England doth want it is a new Heart and a new Spirit Here then we must begin and in order hereunto 1. All sincere Christians must begin this work of Heart-reformation by labouring to recover your Souls out of your Spiritual Declensions in grace and in the life and power of godliness This Spiritual Declension it is in the first and most strict and proper sense that having of our first love reproved in the Context and therefore restitution from this Spiritual Declension it is in the first most strict and proper sense Doing of our first works commended in the Text and therefore sincere Christians are first and most properly concerned in this duty of doing of their first works How generally and deeply Christians are thus declined both their hearts and lives do sadly testifie It is the great and general complaint of all sensible Christians O their decayes and declensions hence little of the life and activity of grace hardly enough to evidence the sincerity of it clearly and comfortably either to themselves or others little of the life of Obedience either in duties of Religion or Righteousness much Carnality Formality Hypocrisie in the Worship of God both in publick private and in seeret in all their Converse and Communion both with God and Saints their Souls languishing under a Spiritual Consumption and those things which remain even ready to die Rev 3.2 It is true first of Christians then of Churches in this sense That there is a universal deadness upon the hearts of Churches hence great unprofitableness and unfruitfulness under all Ordinances sin more unmortified then ever their hearts and lives deeply corrupted with the sins of the Times and many Christians fallen into a very dangerous way of Communion with and Conformity unto the wicked World and all this appearing upon some of those whose first life love sincerity purity and eminency in grace and godliness was sometimes a Beauty unto these Churches O how is our gold become dim and our fine gold changed Lam. 4.1 How is our silver become dross and our wine mined with water Isa 1.22 How are Zions Nazarites changed in their visage Lam. 4.7 How are the faces the Countenance the Conversation of many Christians changed O Christians what shall we say what shall we do what will become of us yea what will become of Religion in this next succeeding generation If you live and die under your declensions as truly many Christians are likely to do being fallen into such deep security under their declensions that they are not like to be awakened untill the Cry be made at Midnight The Bridegroom cometh and must bestir themselves very hard to trim their Lamps in time to enter in with him O Christians It is your Spiritual Declension that is the main root of the degeneracy of this Noble Vine Jer. 2.21 It is your leaving of your first love which doth make way for the removal of the Candlestick your Spiritual declension will lead the way unto and lay the foundation for the general and total defection of these Churches in succeeding generations therefore as the defection hath been in part begun by your declension so the work of Reformation it must be begun by your restitution It is impossible that ever these Churches should be restored unto their first Spiritual prosperity and flourishing state unless Christians do first recover their first love life sincerity fervency purity activity eminency in the exercise of grace and in the performance of duty and in all practical piety both in heart and life O how can you hope to lye down in your Graves with peace and comfort before you have done what in you lyeth in the Work of Reformation How can you die in peace under your Spiritual declensions and thereby leave Religion decaying and dying and these Churches and this Generation your poor Posterity sinking under a general and total defection Sure in vain and frustrate will be all your prayers desires hopes of a Reformation except that you Christians do thus begin and lay the foundation of the work in your own hearts before you die 2. The work of Heart-reformation or making of a new heart consisteth in Conversion and Regeneration This is the most full and proper sense of those words Ezek. 18.31 Make ye a new heart and new spirit for why will ye die so Ezek. 33.11 Turn ye turn ye for why will ye die It is a Call to the unconverted when God doth restore his people from any deep and general defection and renew his Covenant with them he doth promise and actually pour out abundance of converting grace and so revive and renew the work of Conversion So Ezek. 36.26 A new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you I will take the flony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh I will put my Spirit within you Let me be hold to say If ever these Churches be throughly recovered it will be it must be by such a dispensation of converting grace unto an unconverted generation It is Unregeneracy that is the radical and total degeneracy of any generation whereby it is wholly turned into the degenerate plant of a strange Vine unto the Lord. Here will be our deepest and most dangerous defection and that which will prove inevitably ruining unto these Churches unless the Lord have mercy upon us O our unbelief and disobedience unto the Gospel our rejection of Christ and his Kingdome It is a most sad and lamentable sign that these Churches and Religion are falling into an irreparable irrecoverable decay That there are so many of the generation growing up under the Ministry of the Word and the improvement of all means of grace in their Vnregeneracy under the prevailing power of Spiritual Apostacy and as we have cause to fear under a dreadful dispensation of divine Justice by Spiritual Plagues and Judgements being justly given up by God unto a spirit frame and way of unprofitableness under a Judicial Ministry sent to make their heart fat lest they should be converted as Isa 6.10 O it is a fearful word Lest they should see with their eyes c. and convert and be healed Observe there is no help no healing for any people if the work of Conversion cease amongst them Truly
holiness of heart in the Worship of God we must be holy pure spiritual Worshippers we must keep up the Worship of God in the internal spiritual power and purity of it in our hearts these pure Churches Worship and Ordinances will not cannot stand without internal spiritual power and purity If we do corrupt the Worship and Ordinances of God by our Carnality Formality Hypocrisie and Spiritual Idolatry and such like spiritual corruptions and heart-abominations in the exercise of it God will take it from us It is our Spiritual and Heart-Apostacy from internal spiritual power and purity of Worship that is the deep and most dangerous defection of these Churches in Worship And although we do yet retain purity of Worship in the external Form of it yet if we do not speedily recover that which we have lost of the internal spiritual power and purity of Worship but persist in our spiritual Apostacy from it whatever our pretended professed zeal for visible and external purity of Worship may be we shall let go lose all pull down all and bury our selves in our own ruines New-England will be no more unto God then any other people Jer. 9.26 Egypt and Judah and Edom and the children of Ammon and Moab for all these Nations are uncircumcised and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart 4. We must labour to recover our first holy Care and Watchfulness against all Will-worship corrupt Worship and Corruptions in Worship Surely it hath been heretofore and almost hereunto the Commendation of these Churches that they have been sincerely fervently stedfastly zealous against all kindes and degrees of Will-worship It was the Commendation of this Church of Ephesus in her declining state Rev. 2.2 6 how thou canst not bear them that are evil Yet this thou hast God grant that these Churches may never lose this part of their Commendation that our Lord Jesus may never have occasion against us to reprove us and threaten us for our carelesness negligence sinful Connivance and Indulgence in this point as he did the Church of Pergamus Rev. 2.14 and of Thyatira ver 20. because thou sufferest It may be we are too secure and not aware of any danger of corrupt Worship let me say The more need we have of this warning for Will-worship doth ordinarily creep into Reformed Churches whilst they are asleep gradually secretly and insensibly and grow up unto a considerable and formidable height and strength before it appears and before Churches are aware thus the Church of Laod cea deeply corrupted with corrup Worship and knew it not Rev. 3.7 O these Churches in this declining scure lukewarm frame are in great danger of it let us therefore remember and receive the Apostles Exhortation Gal. 5.1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free and be not again intangled with the yoke of bondage 1. Let us take heed and beware of all dispositions and inclinations unto Will-worship Watch against the spirit of it Corrupt Worship gets in first by the spirit and principles of it and by the spiritual working of it in the heart of a people It gets first into the heart a people may uphold the pure Worship of God in the visible and external Form of it with much seeming love and zeal and yet their heart deeply corrupted with a spirit of Will-worship When the heart of a people is gone from God and his Worship it argues their heart is corrupted with a spirit of Will-worship as in Isa 29.13 there is a whorish heart Ezek. 69. They have broken me with their whorish heart there is a spirit of Whoredome Hos 4.12 How far the heart of New-England is corrupted with this spirit of Will-worship with prae-dispositions and inclinations thereunto would we may fear too soon and sadly appear under a temptation thereunto 2. Let us watch against all the wayes and workings of it even the secret subtile insensible infinuations and intrusions of it against all the depths and devices of Satan working by the darkest and deepest Counsels of Hell to introduce Will-worship into Reformed Churches We may think our selves secure from it unless over-born by the over-powering violence of some external Temptation but believe it Satan hath divers and various Forms of Will-worship suited and accommodated to the divers constitutions conditions of Churches and the diverse spirit and disposition of people that he hath to deal withall he hath many Antichrists 1 Joh. 2.17 there is a divers working of the spirit of Antichrist 1 Joh. 4.3 This spirit worketh by the power of Satan in a Mystery of Iniquity 2 Thess 2.7 And truly we have had many Antichrists It hath been alwayes Satans design to introduce corrupt Worship into these Churches under the most specious and spiritual Forms of it by a direct contrary Extreme unto gross Ceremony and Superstition the more cause we have to be very watchful against all such wayes and workings of it 3. Let us watch against all Temptations unto corrupt Worship whether more secret or more open There are many Temptations thereunto there is the Temptation of false Teachers corrupting the Doctrine of Worship and teaching of Will-worship Mat. 15.9 Teaching for doctrines the Commandments of men Rev. 2.20 to teach and to seduce There is the Temptation of corrupt Communion tempting Communion Col. 2.18 Let no man beguile you c. There is the Temptation of Division and Dissention tending to drive dividing Parties into Extremes in those matters of Worship which they contend about 1 Cor. 3.4 17. The Interest of a Party it is a very great and strong Temptation a spirit of Division especially when acting and working with a blinde inordinate preposterous superstitious Zeal in matters of Worship and when it is become judicial and incurable never fails to bring in corrupt Worship at one door or another It is the design of Satan to bring in Will-worship in the smoke and smother of the fire of Contentions Divisions do alwayes corrupt Churches There is also the Temptation of an undue Toleration which doth open a way to all the former and lead into corrupt Compliances in wayes of corrupt Worship Rev. 2.20 There is also the Temptation of Persecution and Tribulation O there are many Temptations unto corrupt Worship and these Churches have not been without some of these Temptations thereunto such Temptations are likely to multiply upon us O what cause have we then to be zealously and wakefully watchful more especially against such Temptations which are instant and most urgent and prevalent and of which we do already begin to see and feel the sad and lamentable effects and that confidering there is such a prae-disposition in the very Spirit and Constitution of the Generation to enter into this Temptation and such a powerful working of a Spirit of Libertinism to make way for and lead into this Temptation and also that men of corrupt Spirits Principles and Practises scandalous corrupters and broachers of corrupt Worship
untill the holy Seed will be wholly corrupted and the Purity if not the Constitution of these Churches be greatly endangered if not lost It is sad to consider how much many Churches are already corrupted by the Licentiousness and Profaneness of many if not most of the Children of the Covenant Many if not most of the sins of Youth which are many of them some of the most flagitious sins of the Times are become the sins of Churches and the guilt of them doth lye heavily upon Churches with this heavy aggravation that they are committed through the neglect of duty towards them by the due exercise of Discipline If yet there be any hope in Israel concerning this thing as it is spoken of a very difficult Point of Reformation Ezra 10.2 I say if there be any hope of Reformation in this matter it must be by a holy religious saving Education of the Children of the Covenant and that both in Private and in Publick Doubtless there is an extraordinary obligation upon Covenant-Parents to train up their Children for God and a great motive it is unto all care labour and diligence unto such Religious Family-Education for such Parents to consider that their Children are Children of the Covenant and in this fense Gods Children as Ezek. 16.20 21. and the Children of the Promise Acts 2.39 and so under a special Promise of saving grace and blessing on the one hand it is a very sad and lamentable consideration unto any Religiouâ—â—â—ent to consider that his Children should through his neglect 〈◊〉 â—â—ucation be instrumental by their Profaneness and wickedness 〈◊〉 corrput pollute and defile the Church of God O if ever you would do any thing for the recovery and Propagation of these Churches labour herein The corruption of Churches doth begin in Families and it there be no hope of Family Reformation there is no hope of Church Reformation It is indeed sad to consider how many Families are already grown incorrigible and incurable Labour to imitate faithful Abraham Gen. 18.19 But that which I chiefly intend in this Particular is Publick Eaucation if I may so call it Surely Churches do owe much duty unto the Children of the Covenant commonly styled The Children of the Church they are doubtless the Subject of the especial care and industry of the Presbytery to be watched over warned instructed admonished both Privately and Publickly Churches also are to own them and acknowledge them visibly as they do gradually grow up unto maturity and capacity unto Church-watch and Priviledges If they be in any wise under the Covenant and so of the visible Kingdome of Christ they must needs be under his Rule and Government which is no way rightly administred but by the regular exercise of Discipline in Instituted Churches O they have been very unhappy Controversies to these Churches whereby the vigorous exercise of Discipline unto these hath been so long demurred and delayed that very many of them are grown up unto such an height and strength in Profaneness that they have even broken and cast off the Yoke of Christs Government in his Church and are grown incorrigible and incurable by Discipline And truly this neglect is grown so great and general at least in some Churches that there is very little hope of the recovery of the vigorous effectual exercise of Discipline toward them So that the current of the corruption of the Generation is likely to break in like a flood upon the Churches at this breach and in short time to carry all before it It is one of the most fatal signs which is upon these Churches that this one evil is likely to prove both ruining and remediless and is the more sadly signal because we are no more sensible of it and no more concerned by our Prayers and Endeavours to Reform it Let me say The Progress of the Covenant the Propagation of Churches the Preservation of Churches under their deepest defection in their lowest condition it must be by the succession of an holy Seed Isa 6.13 So the holy Seed shall be the substance thereof If we Vnchurch them either Doctrinally or Practically by the general and total neglect of them and our duty toward them we do thereby lay the foundation of the Apostacy both of these Churches and of the whole Generation 5. Labour unto the promotion and progress of the work of Reformation by a full faithful and religious improvement of your Christian Liberty There is a Spirit and Principle of Liberty in the hearts of all sincere Christians whom Christ hath made free indeed Joh. 8.36 Where the Spirit of God is there is liberty 2 Cor. 3.17 There is a very large and necessary use and exercise of this Spirit and Principle of Liberty in our whole Christian Conversation especially in all our religious converse with God and men Gal. 5.13 For Brethren ye have been called unto liberty Our Christian Liberty is regulated most exactly and strictly by Rules and Precepts in the Word of God there is a compleat directory for the exercise of our Christian Liberty in the Word of God which is the perfect law of liberty Jam. 1.25 Our habitual conformity to this Law of Liberty is the chief Principle of Liberty and our Practical Subjection to the Law of Liberty is the chief Practise or Exercise of our Liberty This Liberty is alwayes acted under the Power and Authority of Divine Truth Joh. 8.22 Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free Jam. 2.12 So speak and so do judged by the law of liberty This Christian Liberty doth not give men leave to believe Profess and Practise what they will as Libertines do vainly suppose and from thence plead for a Licentious Liberty of Conscience and a boundless Latitude both of Profession and Practise in matters of Religion True Christian Liberty holdeth Conscience fast bound to the Rule there are Priviledges and Immunities commonly called Christian Liberties in and about which our Christian Liberty is to be exercised as the proper Subject of this Liberty Those we must hold keep and stand fust in Gal. 5.1 Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free And we must be careful to exercise our Christian Liberty in a way of Gospel-order Liberty and Order are inseparable in the conversation of a Christian it is the Liberty of Order our Liberty is laid out and limitted by Order those therefore that do plead for Liberty unto the subversion of Order are Libertines and dangerous Enemies unto Liberty We must also exercise and improve our Christian Liberty in a way of full subjection unto the Power Rule and Government of Christ Ministerially exercised in his Church in the Administration of all his ordinances as the free Subjects of his Spiritual Kingdome Those who rise up in a way of opposition unto or rebellion against the Power of Christ regularly exercised in his Church under pretence of the defence of their Liberty are no true friends to true Liberty VVe
must also improve and exercise our Liberty in way of Love Peace Union and Communion unto mutual edification and comfort By love serving one another Gal. 5.3 O this is the onely sweet and comfortable life of Christian Liberty It is a very sinful shameful abuse of Christian Liberty to make it an occasion to the flesh to make it subservient to Libertinism to Licentiousness to carnal Reason and Policy to worldly Designs and Ends to the lusts of the flesh the lusts of men in fomenting Divisions Contentions and of making it a cloak of maliciousness 1 Pet. 2.16 Surely it is a great part of our work of Reformation to Reform these Abuses of our Christian Liberty VVe are People highly Priviledged with Christian Liberty and advantaged to the exercise of it O that we better understood it and improved it Let us alwayes remember to keep our Liberty wholly subservient unto our Religion and not set up Liberty above Religion if so we shall lose both our Religion and our Liberty together 6 Labour unto the promotion and progress of the work of Reformation by recovery of your first Love Peace and Vnion O the loss of our first Love Peace and Union hath hitherto been an irreparable loss an incurable wound concerning which we may take up our Lamentation and say Jer. 8.20 21 22. The harvest is past the summer is ended and we are not healed for the hurt of my people I am hurt I am black astonishment hath taken hold upon me Is there no Balm in Gilead is there no Physician there why then is not the hurt of the daughter of my people recovered O are our Divisions become judicial and so incurable If so our state is truly lamentable as Jer. 16.5 Thus saith the Lord Enter not into the house of mourning neither go to lament nor bemoan them for I have taken away my peace from this people saith the Lord even loving kindness and mercies If it should be so well might the hearts and hopes of all our faithful Leaders fail whose labours have hither unto much failed Surely then the recovery of our first Love Peace and Union is a chief part of the work of Reformation and will be found a very hard and difficult part of the work In order hereunto 1. We must remember from whence we are fallen O let the remembrance of the sweetness and blessedness of our first Love Peace and Union convince and humble us under the sin of our Envyings Strifes Debates Divisions Contentions and Emulations c. It was the sad state of the Church of Corinth that although they were lamentably distressed and distracted with Divisions yet they were not sensible of the sin of them but were puffed up and did glory one against another O that it were nothing so with us truly so long as it is so there will be no hope of healing O that we were convinced of the sin of our Division and the multitude of sins that are begotten by it that we might mourn penitentially and bemoan our selves before God with brokenness of heart and earnestly beseech him to pardon and to purge away all that sin and to grant us reforming grace Truly untill we are thus convinced and humbled there will be no Reformation 2. We must labour to recover our first Spirit of Love Peace and Union pray earnestly unto God to pour his Spirit upon us a Spirit of Love to pour out abundance of the grace of Love to create Love Peace and Union for us and to take away the Spirit of Division which we are so deeply corrupted withall 3. We must labour to recover our first New-England Interest that is that Interest upon which this People and these Churches were first founded as to their Religious Constitution which is God and Religion this is the onely uniting Interest our very hearts and Souls will cleave and unite most intirely in Love with Peace and Union in our God and our Religion this Interest will make a people of one heart and of one Soul Jer. 32.39 They shall be my people and I will be their God and I will give them one heart and one way to fear me Observe when a people do cleave close to God and his Covenant and so unto Religion they have one heart and one way that is sweet and perfect Unity and Amity O this is our great mischief and misery and the very original of our defection that we have much forsaken our proper New-England Interest we have committed these two great evils Jer. 2.13 Forsaken our God and hewn out Cisterns We have been changing of our main Fundamental Interest we have been deserting our own Religious Interest espousing another viz. a Worldly Interest we are turning from God after the World the World is becoming the main Interest of N. E. and we are becoming a worldly people a people of a worldly Spirit Principles Practises I do not mean onely nor so much in seeking and prosecuting the things of the World although that be enough to denominate us notoriously Worldly but our turning our very Religion it self into a Worldly Interest by making of it the subject of Carnal Confidences resting trusting and boasting in it and also by making of it the subject of Carnal Contentions and so setting Religion against it self and the Professors of it one against another and so making of it subservient unto worldly designs yea unto worldly lusts and thereby making it in our Profession and Practise of it a meer Worldly Religion yea too many do too much make their professed Confidence in God himself a worldly Interest subservient to their worldly lusts as they Mic. 3.11 Yet will they lean upon the Lord and say Is not the Lord in the midst of us none evil can come unto us When a worldly Spirit worldly Principles worldly Wisdome and Counsels do sway and preponderate in all matters both Civil and Religious then a people are fully and throughly setled upon a Worldly Interest and are truly become a Worldly people And then comes all kinde of Dissentions Contentions Emulations Strifes Debate c. for the World is alwayes a dividing Interest and all our Divisions are carnal and worldly 1 Cor. 3.3 Jam. 4.3 Whatever pretences of a Religious Zeal the Fomentors of Division may make it is a Worldly Spirit that foments all Divisions and it is utterly impossible that ever a worldly spirited people should unite upon sure grounds of Union or that any people should ever unite at all in a worldly Interest And therefore if we can relinquish our worldly Interest and retrive our own onely true and proper Interest which is our God and Religion set and settle our hearts again upon God and Religion this would heal all our Divisions and reform all As a change of Interest hath been the great Cause of our general defection so a change of Interest again would consummate our Reformation It is the Prescription which God gives unto that Backsliding
of Israel who offer themselves willingly to the help of the Lord in the Work of Reformation in this time of general defection And surely this is the greatest Trust that we repose in you and therefore the highest hope expectation confidence and dependance that we place upon you as our Rulers Governours Leaders Publick Benefactors and Fathers That you will by the utmost improvement of your Power and Interest advance and establish the true pure and holy Worship of God and so far as it concerneth you not suffer these Churches no not this People to be corrupted no not this Land to be polluted and defiled with Will-worship A Religious Reforming Magistracy hath hither unto been our Crowning Mercy if God set You over us in mercy he will make you such a Magistracy And therefore our Prayers for you shall ever be That he that is the Light of Israel will be a Light unto you that you may be as the Light of Israel unto us And that you may be abundantly influenced with a Spirit of Government from Him whose all Government is that you may receive a large portion of that Spirit which resteth upon Him even a Spirit of Wisdome and Vnderstanding a Spirit of Counsel and of Might a Spirit of Knowledge and of the fear of the Lord that you may be of a quick understanding in his fear And that in your measure also Righteousness may be the girdle of your loins and Faithfulness the girdle of your reins that so you may feed and lead this people both in the skilfulness of your hand and the integrity of your hearts We also shall pray That you may be kept and carried above all the Temptations and Provocations of our Murmurings Dissentions and Rebellions that God may never be angry with you for our sakes and that it may never go ill with you for our sakes as also above all your own frailties and infirmities that God may never be provoked by our sins to suffer you to fall as once he did holy David that he might punish Israel We wish you all the blessings which those who are just ruling in the fear of God may expect that we might behold you as the Light of the Morning When the Sun riseth a Morning without Clouds that the Anniversary Revolution of this Government by our Annuall Election may be unto us as the rising Sun by which we may receive Influences of Divine Blessing which may cause us to grow up as the tender grass by the clear shining after rain that in your dayes the righteous may flourish and abundance of peace that we may enjoy Prosperity and Tranquility under this Magistracy and that there may be a peaceful and prosperous Succession of it from Generation to Generation that God continuing unto us our Judges as at the first and our Counsellers as at the beginning we may remain to be a City of Righteousness and a faithful City II. I shall take leave to propose this Exhortation unto the Ministry of these Churches nextly concerned as Publick Reformers in the Work of Reformation It is proposed in the Text directly To the Angel of the Church of Ephesus The Angels of the Churches are particularly directed unto and charged with this Work in the several Churches The first Ministry of these Churches it was eminently a Reforming Ministry extraordinarily qualified unto and improved in the Work of Reformation God made them great Reformers and wrought a great Work of Reformation by them and they lived faithfully labouring in that Work unto the death though not without some discouragement and some diminution of their joy and comfort from a prae-apprehension yea from some present appearance of the sad signs of the defection of these Churches before their departure That Ministry those Ministers they are generally departed some few here and there one onely of that Ancient Old England-Ministry remaining with us as the Crown and Ornament of our New-England-Presbytery And truly the remembrance of the departure of that Ministry with the signal Circumstances and said Consequences thereof may justly move lamentation they being divers of them carried away as it were in Chariots of sire I mean by an Anticipation of their translation in the ordinary course of Nature and when in the strength and travail of their Ministerial Labours for these Churches and with this Generation bearing a full clear Testimony unto the great duties and against the great sins of the Times and standing in the Gap before God to turn away impending Judgements Their Praise is yet fresh and flourishing in these Churches being legible in living Epistles of Commendation written not with Ink but by the Spirit of the living God They have a living Memory and a lasting Monument in every godly heart who hath experienced the converting quickning comforting presence and power of the Spirit in their Ministration They are departed and we have wept over their faces with that Lamentation My father my father the Chariots of Israel and the Horsmen thereof The Burthen of the Work of the Ministry and so of this great Work of Reformation in these Churches it now resteth upon you who are the present standing Ministry this New-England Ministry which is Coaevall and Coaetaneous with this New-England Generation Amongst whom I am not worthy to be mentioned as one though with the utmost expression of diminution as less then the least of those whom God hath called forth to take a part of this Ministry and therefore most unmeet and unworthy thus to speak unto you yet I am bold to beseech you to bear this Exhortation from the Lord Jesus Christ in whose Name I speak and say O Labour to be a Reforming Ministry Although there hath been a change of Ministers in most of the Churches yet we hope there is not a change of the Ministry but that the same Ministry is still remaining that is a Ministry of the same Constitution Spirit Principles Minde Judgement and Practise in all things pertaining to the Work of the Ministry in these Churches a Ministry which hath received not onely the Mantle but a portion of the Spirit of Elijah And therefore you are engaged to undertake to uphold and to carry on the same Work of Reformation in all the parts of it and to labour unto the progress of it in the Spirit and Power of it so far as you are concerned respecting either Doctrine Profession or Practise More especially God expecteth that you should promote the Work of Reformation in your several Churches and Congregations by the regular and thorough exercise of the Power of Christ committed unto you in the Administration of Doctrine and Worship which is the great Trust and Charge committed unto you to keep 1 Tim. 6.20 This is the Rod of his strength out of Zion whereby his people are made a willing people in the day of his power Psal 110.2 3. Exalt Christ by the due exercise of his Power in his Name that Christ may reign Ministerially in these Churches The
Now we must set to the Work 1. With one heart No hope of Reformation without Vnion Division hath been one great cause of our-defection and will be a total obstruction unto Reformation if it continue we must unite our hearts our hands our strength O if ever we would unite let it be in and unto the Work of Reformation 2. Set unto it with all your hearts and with all your souls Our very hearts and souls must be engaged unto it and in it we must set to it in good earnest as unto a work that must be done we are now brought unto this Dilemma either a timely speedy thorough Reformation or else there will be a general and total defection either Repent and do the first works or otherwise I will come unto thee quickly and remove thy Candlestick out of its place except thou repent is the voice of Christ unto these Churches O that we understood and seriously and solemnly considered that we are a lost and undone people without Reformation that we are a helpless hopeless people without Reformation that nothing will recover us from our defection and prevent our destruction by the execution of impending Judgements but onely Reformation O then we should stand trembling before God under the apprehension of the instant urgent necessity of Reformation as Ezra 10.9 And all the people sate in the street of the house of God trembling because of this matter ver 12. Then all the Congregation answered and said with a loud voice As thou hast said so must we do Observe they cried out passionately affectionately So must we do q.d. we are a lost undone people there is no hope no help for us without Reformation and then they set to the Work in good earnest O that we could make Reformation our main work and business without delay 3. We must set to it with a right and full understanding of the whole work of Reformation in the parts and progress of it We have been ready to return by way of retortion unto this great Exhortation as that people Mal. 3.7 Even from the dayes of your fathers ye are gone away from mine Ordinances and have not kept them Return unto me and I will return unto you saith the Lord but ye said Wherein shall we return So 8 13. Though they were guilty of a very great and general defection yet they understood not the Work of Reformation Truly so it is our great unhappiness that we do no better know wherein the Work of Reformation consisteth yea that some of the great things of our peace do seem to be even Judicially or in Judgement hidden from our eyes Luk. 19.42 Deut. 29.4 Yet the Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive and eyes to see and ears to hear unto this day and that was the reason that their defection was continued Psal 95.10 Fourty years long was I grieved with this Generation and said It is a people that do erre in their heart and they have not known my wayes Vnto whom I sware c. They were incurable in their defection because they understood not the Work of Reformation It is observable in all these seven Epistles unto the Churches Christ calls for an understanding attention Let him that hath an ear to hear hear c. There is much wisdome and prudence requisite unto the Work of Reformation Hos 14.9 Who is wise he shall understand these things prudent he shall know them for the wayes of the Lord are right and the just shall walk in them O! a want of this wisdome and prudence is one great hinderance we do not we will not understand the way and work of Reformation 4. We must set unto the Work in a way of full and sincere subjection unto Order and carry on the Work according to Rules of Order Breach of Order neglect of Order Non subjection unto Order Disorder and Confusion it hath been one great Cause yea it is a great part of our defection and if ever we do hope or intend to make thorough work in Reformation we must recover Order the Beauty the Harmony the Peace and Tranquility the Regularity the Purity and Simplicity the Power and Efficacy Life and Spirit of Order Gospel-order the Order which Christ hath set and appointed in his Church Although we may have never so good dispositions intentions resolutions and desires unto the Work of Reformation yet if we pursue it not in due Order it will all come to nothing 1 Chron. 15.13 because we sought him not in the due Order Surely there is no case so difficult among us but there is a regular and easie way to an issue if we will acknowledge and apply and follow up Rules of Order in the due improvement of them if we would be set down by Order be ruled and governed by Order but if we will slight neglect reject contemn and despise Order we can expect nothing but Disorder and Confusion and shall be in great danger thereby to run and rush desperately into our own ruine It was the great Expedient which the Apostle proposeth for the Reformation of that distracted Church of Corinth Let all things be done decently and in order 1 Cor. 14.33 40. So 1 Cor. 11.34 5. We must set our selves to the work with a fervent love unto and zeal for the work it self The Cause of God the Kingdome of Christ the Prosperity of these Churches so much concerned in it this is the onely true Principle and Spirit of Reformation O that our first New-England Zeal and Love might be revived and raised under a full clear discovery of the Spiritual Beauty and Glory of that Work and of that Cause that we may labour in it in the heart height and strength of that Zeal and Love This will indeed Spirit the Work and Spirit us unto it It is a sign that there is a glorious work of Reformation near when Gods people do love the stones and favour the dust of Zion Psal 102.14 6. We must labour in it under a sense of our own utter insufficiency to Reform renouncing all our own carnal Confidences and disclaiming our own wisdomes and wills wherein we have too long laboured in vain trust our own hearts no further no longer which have so much so often deceived us but bemoan our selves before God as a hopeless and helpless people as Ephraim did Jer. 31.18 and the Church Jer. 3.22 23 Behold we come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills or from the multitude of mountains for shame hath devoured the labours of our hands from our youth We lie dwon in our shame and confusion covereth us then God will work for us Deut. 32.36 For the Lord shall judge his people and repent himself for his servants when he seeth that their power is gone and there is none shut up or lest So Jer. 30.15 17. Why criest thou for thine affliction thy sorrow is incurable for I