have but low and mean thoughts in themselves of Religion and the wayes of Piety which look upon Godliness at least in the power of it but as a needless and superfluous business which doe in their secret minds contemn all such as are any thing eager or zealous for it such as these there are in the world who if they see any more forward then other in doing good despise them and think slightly of them such an one as this was Michol in her carriage to King David when she saw him in the zeal of his spirit to dance before the Lord with all his might it is said she despised him in her heart that is she had undervaluing conceits of him occasionally from from that his carriage Secondly Scorners are such as do not onely slight Religion in others but also decline it in themselves and oppose themselves to those wayes which might tend to the Reformation of them Those that refuse and reject instruction and will not be advised to any thing which might promote them in a way of Salvation and this when it is come to the height of it is joyned to with Derision it self A Scorner ends in a Scoffer if he be not the more carefully prevented which is the worst and highest of all and the very next door to that sin which shall never be pardoned Now Thirdly There is a middle sort as I may betwixt either of these such as have not explicit thoughts in them of the meanness and lowness of Religion nor doe not it may be contemn it with any slight reflections upon it much less which is worse they do deride it or scoff at it but yet as to their practise do carry themselves very carelesly and indifferently to it which do not mind nor heed nor regard their own welfare and happiness nor the Admonitions which are Administred unto them as putting them thereupon These are the Scorners in a degree likewise and such are included also here in the Text not onely which do refuse wisdom in her Invitation but also which neglect her such as these they are said to scorn as well as the other Whosoever he be that is not reform'd by admonition that man scorns Admonition in the Practical Notion of it and as the Holy Ghost himself interprets whatsoever his particular thoughts and habitual apprehensions may be about it Thus we see who they are that scorn Now answerable to these three sorts and kinds of them there are three grounds for them also Scorning it hath a threefold root from from whence it does arise The first is Vnbelief and Infidelity therefore men Scorn Instruction because they do not believe Judgement and Punishment which is threatned against them They think there 's no such great evil in sin as some make of it they are secure and self-presumptuous As that Person there in the Law Deut. 22.18 19. That root that bare gall and wormwood who blesses himself in his heart saying I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of mine heart to add drunkenness to thirst The Lord will not spare him but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoke again that man and all the curses that are written in this book shall lye upon him and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven And the Lord shall sepâ—rate him unto evil out of all the Tribes of Israel according to all the curses of the Covenant that are written in the Book of the law Such an one as this is will Scorn any thing that is sayd unto him for the reclaiming and amending of him and reducing him to that which is good because he does not believe that there is any such danger indeed in sin as is pretended to be in it Secondly Pride and Self-conceitedness that 's another thing breeds scorning The wicked through the pride of his Countenance will not seek after God and as he will not seek after him so neither will he hearken to any that would draw him to him Pride and Scorn they are such as grow up together and the one is the Foundation of the other Those which are swollen and puff't and lifted up in their own thoughts they disdain all seasonable Admonitions which are cast upon them They think themselves too good for the word and the remembrances of it And they usually despise those persons which do tender it unto them let it be in any thing whatsoever which men use to be puff't up withal whether Birth or Wit or Wealth or what ever it be Those that pride themselves in any of these things they doe accordingly Scorn all such means as should make them better and the Dispensers of them A Scorner heareth not Rebuke Prov. 13.1 Heareth it not that is beareth not patiently and meekly Is not willing and content to hear it Nor heareth it not effectually so as to be amended and better'd by hearing it Thus he does not hear it and all because he is a Scorner one that 's high-minded and conceited in Himself Thirdly Thraldom and Addictedness to any particular lust which men are compast withal this makes them to scorn advise He that 's in love with sin will not love him that rebukes him and reproves him for his sin and that because he hinders him and interrupts him in his delightful pursuits Those which are in league with any lust they do not love to be taken off from it which Admonition it does for them it will not suffer them to fin so freely and so heartily as otherwise they would doe Every check is a restraint because it meets with the Conscience of the person upon whom it is fastened who has somewhat within himself joyning with anothers Reproof and taking part with it against himself This makes men in stead of rising up against their own corruptions to rise up against those which warn them and tell them of them Rebuke a Scorner and he will hate thee as it is in the verse before in this Chapter Again He that Reproves a Scorner gets to himself shame And he that Rebukes a wicked man getteth to himself a blot Namely which is fastned upon him by him who is reproved And this now for the opening unto you what is meant here by Scorning with the grounds and occasions of it Now further for the Punishment which is here annext unto it I say it is first of all considerable in its simple evil and inconvenience If thou Scornest thou shalt bear it Scorning is followed with Punishing as belonging unto it And there are three things in this passage which do amplifie and illustrate it unto us First The Indesiteness of it Secondly Vniversality Thirdly The Vnavoidableness The Indefiniteness of it that he shall not know what that punishment is The Vniversality in the Expectation of all punishment The Vnavoidableness in that there is no dispensation but suffer he must First I say there 's the Indefiniteness Thou shalt bear it what shall he bear It is not
Furnace This we may be sure and take notice of for our instruction we are not born Christians but made so Christiani Non nasciuntur sed siunt It is not a business of Nature but a business of Art Nor of Humane Art neither but Divine as we shall see more hereafter out of the following words of the Text The Lord tryeth the hearts And therefore this may discover to us the vanity of all such persons as have other conceits of it which think to be Gold and Silver as they come out of the impure Earth without refining in their pure Naturals No it will not be If we have no other Principles in us than which we brought with us into the World we shall never be Currant Coin in God's Account no such as he will one day take or accept from us But he will reject us and cast us away at the Great Day and time of Payment Therefore I say let us here take notice of our Conditions in this particular and see what we are Take the best of us by nature and there we are nothing but Dross no Gold nor Silver at all in us but such as is counterfeit And take us when Grace has refined us and we have many gross and drossy Intermixtures still adhering to us which will not be removed but by those means which God has sanctified and set apart for such a purpose a these here before us in the Text. These are here under a Double Specification The Fining Pot and the Furnace which have their answerable Preparations even in Spirituals The Fining Pot that is the Word of God And the Furnace that is the Rod of God Either of these does the Lord as he sees sitting take an occasion to purifie his Servants by First By his Word he desires to begin with that The word of the Lord tryed him Psal 105.29 And so it does many more besides This it has a Special Vertue through the power of God's Spirit joyning with it to reform and better the heart and to purge away its dross from it Heb. 4.12 For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joynts and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart This it will shew a man his Corruption of Nature and discover to him the wickedness which is in his heart As we have divers instances hereof in the Disciples that went to Emmaus Did not our hearts burn within us And St. Peter's Converts When they heard it they wee pricked at their hearts And so the Jayâ—oâ— and divers others to whom the Word of God has been instead of a Fining Pot to separate their Corruption from them as to discover it to them Secondly By Affliction that is his Furnace Isa 58.10 I have refined thee but not with silver I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction Affliction is God's Furnace wherein he purges and purifies his Gold and takes away the dross of it And accordingly does the Scripture represent it Therefore it is called the Fiery Tryal which is to try us 1 Pet. 4.12 And the tryal of our faith which is much more precious than the gold that perisheth though it be tryed with fire c. 1 Pet. 1.7 Therefore we should so look upon it and be perswaded of it and of God's Intendments in the imposing of it The Furnace it is not for the hurt of the Gold but for the advantage to make it more pure and useful and precious to form it in some Vessel of Service and Honour sit for the Master's use and so are Troubles and Afflictions to the people of God which should make them the more patiently to bear them when he lays them upon them It is true that this is an harsh Doctrine to Flesh and Blood and we are all ready to shrink at it but Grace it will close with it so far forth as it is prevailing in any measure in us And so it should We should look upon the Furnace not so much in the heat of it but in the improvement the end of setting it up and the effect which follows upon it and then we shall be satisfied exceedingly by it as the Apostle intimates to us Heb. 12.11 There is no chastisement which for the present is joyous but grievous nevertheless afterwards it brings forth the peaceable fruit of Righteousness to those which are excercised thereby This is that which we should look upon such Dispensations as these in the love and Wisdom of God which does appoint them and the blessed and happy Fruit which does arise from them And further labor also to be bettered by every hand of God upon us that so therein we may close with his gracious Ends If God casts us into the Furnace to come out of it better then we went in be sure of that otherwise it will be so much the worse for us Yea if we be true Gold indeed it will be so with us Corruption it is hardened by Affliction but Grace it is refined Take a man that has a wicked heart and crosses they do not make him better but make him worse more impatient and obstinate and Rebellious and standing out against God and contesting with him like that wretched Jehoram 2 Kings 6 ult But a man that hath a true work of Grace wrought upon his Spirit he will be so much the better more wary of himself more compassionate to others more meek and humble tractable and obedient and thankfull These things will follow with it But so much for this as also of the First General in the Text viz. The Propsition The Fining pot c. The Second follows which is the Reddition But the Lord Tryeth c. According to the usual manner of Speech it should not be but but so But we will take it as lies before us where this Adversative Particle hath a Threefold Emphasis in it First an Emphasis of Proportion Secondly an Emphasis of Exception Thirdly an Emphasis of Designment or of Appropriation An Emphasis of Proportion First by taking but for so And so it signifies thus much unto us that the Lord is no less able or carefull to try the hearts of the Sons of men then the Goldsmith is his Silver and Gold As that does the one so does this also the other so the Lord tryeth the hearts When we speak of Gods trying of the heart it may be taken two manner of ways Either first of all in a way of Discovery or Secondly in a way of Purification He tries them to make known what is in them and he tries them to remove that which is corrupt and amiss from them to each purposes he tries them First In a way of Discovery He tries them so as to discern them and make known what they are This the Lord does and this he is said to do in Scripture not only here but elsewhere Thus Exod. 16.4 I
any one else in such a condition As Micah said to the Danites Judg. 28.24 Ye have taken away my Gods and do ye ask me what ayles me That Christian from whom Christ is departed hath very great cause and occasion of trouble upon him As we may see by the complaint which the Spouse her self makes of it Cant. 3.9 And Cant. 5.6 Thus have Christians cause to be troubled for the miseries and afflictions which are upon them And so as for their own miseries so for the miseries and afflictions of the Church which are either felt at any time or seared They have great cause to be troubled for these likewise By the rivers of Babylon we sat down and wept when we remembred thee O Sion c. And Neh. 1.3 4 c. When he heard of the captivity of his brethren he sat down and wept and mourned certain days Yea even Artaxerxes the King himself took notice of it in the sadness of his countenance Neh. 2.2 The Prophet Jeremy wish'd his head were waters and his eyes a fountain of tears that he might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of his people in Jer. 9.1 c. So far have the Servants of God been troubled for the troubles of their brethren and it has become them so to be And thus far as we have now explain'd it is it both lawful and necessary likewise for Christians to be troubled in case both of their own and others sins and miseries which is the first thing here considerable The next is how far it is unlawful and prohibited to them as it is here in the Text Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid As there is a trouble and fear allowed so there is also the same forbidden unto them Now this trouble which is prohibited and forbidden for the better explaining of it to us is considerable three manner of ways First in the measure of it Secondly in the manner of it Thirdly in its effects For the measure of it First Then trouble is inordinate when it is excessive and immoderate and beyond the nature and quality of the thing it self which it is exercised about The rule of all affections is to be suitable and proportionable to the objects which they are carried unto now when this rule is not observed by us in matter of grief or fear or trouble or any such thing it is then otherwise than it should be and to be restrained in us Thus David for his Absalom he was greatly moved 2 King 18.33 And Rachel for her children She refused to be comforted Jer. 31.15 And Hannah for her barrenness She was in bitterness and heaviness of spirit 1 Sam. 1.15 When men are troubled and know no bounds for their trouble then their trouble is inordinate in them Secondly As for the measure so for the manner and circumstance of it When trouble is joyn'd with distrustfulness and despair and questioning of God's attributes whether his Goodness or Truth or Wisdom or Power or All-sufficiency then it is inordinate Thus we may be troubled for sin yea and ought so to be But we must be troubled for it in God's way troubled for it so as to loath it and hate it and abhor it and to depart from it Not troubled for it so as to deny the free Grace of God in Christ and God's readiness to forgive and pardon all those who in truth of heart turn unto him We may be troubled for it but not as Cain was troubled who said his sin was greater than could be forgiven And we may be troubled for it but not as Judas was troubled who run himself upon desperate courses upon the apprehensions of it To be troubled thus is unagreeable to a Christian and gives further occasion of trouble where it is well considered and thought upon So again As for sin so for misery and affliction either our own or the Churches we may as I said be troubled for them and we are accountable there where we are not We ought to be affected and to lay to heart the dispensations of God in the world and his chastising providences to us Shall a Trumpet be blown in the City and the people not be afraid Shall the Lion roar and the beasts of the I orrest not tremble Shall God threaten a Nation at any time either with sword or with samine or with pestilence or with any token of his displeasure and shall not they in the mean time be sensible and apprehensive of it Yes by all means it becomes them to be so God expects it and looks for it from them Whether in regard of publick calamities or in regard of mens private afflictions they may be justly troubled at them But this trouble it must be qualified with Grace and submitted to that with saith and patience and contentation and self-resignation and submission still to God's will in all conditions We may not be so troubled for the World as to think God does not govern the World nor takes no care at all of it Nor we may not be so troubled for the Church as to think God has forsaken the Church and has no further affection to it As Sion sometimes foolishly and pettishly complain'd The Lord has forsaken me and my God has forgotten me c. Isa 49.14 Can a woman forget her sucking-child that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb Yes she may yet will not I forget thee Behold I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands c. We may be troubled and grieved in our selves for the troubles and afflictions of the Church but it must be still with these qualifications and concomitances joyn'd unto it First that we do acknowledg God's Justice and Righteousness in that which he does that God afflicts it not without very great cause and provocation of himself thereunto As Ezra 9.13 After all that is come upon us thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities Secondly that we acknowledg God's Wisdom as one that knows what is best for his Church and what condition is most expedient for it or for any part or member of it Thirdly that we acknowledg God's Goodness and Love and Good-will to his Church as being a great deal more tender of it than we can be that knows its frame and remembers its mould c. Lastly that we acknowledg God's Power and Ability to help his Church and to save it in time of need And so mourn but not without hope Thirdly This inordinacy of trouble is considerable in its consequents and effects which it does work and produce in us As First when it makes us impatient and fretful under the hand of God Thus it has done sometimes with some persons as Jehoram 2 King 6.33 Behold this evil is of the Lord why should I wait on the Lord any longer And Isa 8.21 They shall fret themselves c. Thus Jeremy and Jonah who were otherwise holy Prophets they were
Now that which Christ submitted to for us was the worst and most grievous of any other Now the greater was the suffering by so much greater also was the love Thirdly In the full and perfect Application of this his death unto us It is said That he washed us in his own blood He did not sprinkle us only but bath us He did not only bestow some few drops of it upon us but he did drench us and souse us and immerse us over head and ears in it he did give us a plentiful share and interest in it And lastly There 's an Emphasis also in the word of propriety in that it is said His own blood The Priests under the old Law in the discharge and execution of their office they sprinkled the people with blood and did in a sense and after a sort wash them from their sins in it But that blood it was not their own but the blood of beasts yea but Christ he hath of himself purged us from our sins in his own blood as it is here intimated to us And this is a further inlargement of his love towards us The Use of all to our selves is to inlarge our hearts in all thankfulness and acknowledgment to Christ for his goodness which we should be very much quickened unto Oh it is that which we can never sufficiently prize or be affected withal and therefore we should be often and frequent in the thoughts and meditation of it He hath loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood Oh what an high favour was this and what could he have done more for us It was the highest expression of love that possibly might be And we should be exceedingly ravisnt with it It is a great piece of dulness and deadness in us when it is otherwise with us For it has the perfection of all love in it And we should make it a ground of Incouragement in the expectation of all things else from Christ which are requisite and necessary for us He that has not stuck at this great expression of love which is here mentioned in the Text will be sure not to stick at any thing which is inferiour to it and he that has given us the greater will not stick to give us the less And so the Apostle himself teaches us to reason Rom. 8.32 He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things Again we may also carry it higher as to the expectation of higher things from him and as reason from the greater to the less so likewise from the less to the greater and in particular as to the expectation of Heaven and Glory to come If he has received us he will also actually save us as the Apostle reasons Rom. 5.10 For he that has done the one he will do the other likewise upon it He that hath loved us and washed us in his blood will also love us and set us in his throne and will fully perfect and accomplish the work of Salvation for us And so I have done also with the second General part of the Text which is the Description of Christ from the particular discovery of his Affection Who hath washed us c. The third and last is from the effect and result of it in these words And hath made us Kings and Priests unto God and his Father Wherein there 's a twofold Dignity which Believers do partake of from and with Christ the one is the Dignity of Kings and the other is the Dignity of Priests All true Believers they have a share in each of these Offices First In his Kingly Office all true Believers are Kings This is to be taken not in a Temporal sense but in a Spiritual and so the Scripture still expresses it Thus Luk. 12.32 Fear not little flock for it is your Fathers pleasure to give you the kingdom and Luk. 22.29 I appoint unto you a kingdom as my Father hath appointed unto me This it consists of two Parts which are belonging unto it the one is the state of Grace and the other the state of Glory First For the state of Grace All true Christians they are Kings in this particular namely so far forth as they have power over their spiritual Enemies and all those things which might hinder their salvation A true Believer he has power over his own lusts and the corruptions of his own heart in some kind of measure and degree and so in that respect is a King Take men that are slaves to their lusts and they are the greatest slaves and vassals that are But now a Christian he is free from this slavery through the Grace of Christ which is communicated to him And so as he has power over Sin so in some measure over Satan also the King of the bottomless pit as he is call'd the Prince of the world A good Christian by the help of Christ's Spirit hath some power over him also and at last shall be inabled to trample him under his feet in Rom. 16.20 And then for the World also A good Christian he has power over this also so far forth as all things are order'd and disposed to his good All things are yours c. There 's no Providence whatsoever but he is still getting good out of it if it be prosperity it makes him more cheerful in God's service and if it be adversity it draws him so much the nearer to God All things work together for good to them that love God whether in themselves they be good or evil Take even Death it self which is sometimes called the King of Terrours A true Believer through the Grace and help of Christ is in a sort a King over this as having the sting of it taken out of it to him and of an enemy made a friend unto him as being the passage to Glory Thus is he a King in reference to the state of Grace And then in reference to the state of Glory also so far forth as he is an heir of Heaven and shall reign with Christ for ever and ever Thus he is a King in regard of right and title even here in this life though he be not in actual possession Therefore we should learn so to carry and demean our selves as suitable to this condition we should abhor to conform to the world and the lusts and vanities thereof as considering to what we are appointed we should endeavour to have a frame of spirit suitable to such a noble estate as this is wherein we are And this for the first piece of Dignity which is here mentioned and that is of Kings The second Dignity is of Priests And hath made us Priests c. These were another sort of persons who in times past were anointed and Christians are spiritually thus also in sundry respects First In regard of the Prayers which are continually put up by them both for themselves and others
Thus 1 Pet. 2.5 Ye are an holy Priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ Every good Christian he hath great interest in Heaven and can very much prevail with God through Christ in his approaches to the Throne of Grace And we have frequent instances and examples of it both in Scripture and in daily experience Secondly As to the keeping of themselves from the pollutions and defilements of the world The Priests they were prohibited the touching of those things which were unclean and so are Christians careful to keep themselves unspotted of the world Thirdly As to the teaching and instructing of others in the Communion of Saints The Priests lips should preserve knowledg Mal. 2.7 And so should every Christian also in his way and within his compass Parents and Masters of Families should be thus far Priests in them as with Abraham to teach their children and their housholds after them Gen. 18.19 c. Fourthly As to the offering up of themselves to God they must be Priests in this respect also The Priests they were used and imployed in the killing of beasts so should Christians be in slaying of their lusts and unruly affections And then the High-Priest especially he entered into the Sanctum Sanctorum so should every Christian have his heart always towards the Holy of Holies c. Lastly The Priests they still blest the people so would the mouths of Christians do others with whom they converse 1 Pet. 3.9 not railing but contrarily blessing c. The sum of all comes to this namely to raise the esteem and opinion of Gods people in the world and from hence to set an high price and valuation upon them The world it commonly looks upon the Saints and Servants of God as a base and contemptible generation but see here what names and titles the Spirit of God in Scripture puts upon them namely of Kings and Priests which have the greatest Dignity and Excellency in them of any other whatsoever These they are so to God and the Father howsoever they be to any other that is not only to his service but likewise to his Approbation The Father is here named as the first in order and fountain of the Godhead though the whole Trinity be included and intended in it So much for that And then there is this Use also of it in the close of the verse To him be Glory for ever and ever c. And so I have done also with the third and last Description of Christ in the execution of his Offices And hath made us Kings and Priests to God and his Father Now to him be Glory and Dominion for ever and ever Amen SERMON XLVIII Revel 22.17 And the Spirit and the Bride say Come This Text which I have now read unto you is a further improvement of that Scripture which was handled by us the last day and does contain somewhat in it as additional and accumulative thereunto For there we had propounded to us but only the hope and expectation of Christians as those which looked for the Lord Jesus Christ to come from Heaven out of that place of the Apostle Paul to the Philippians Chap. 3. ver 20. And here we have exhibited to us their desire and earnest importunity so that he comes not before he is welcome and he is not more certainly expected than he is gladly and joyfully entertained For the Spirit and the Bride say Come That is the Church by the secret suggestion and instigation of the Holy Ghost towards her does invite him and call for him and hasten him towards his second Appearing This is the scope and drift of the Text. IN the Text it self there are two General Parts considerable First The Persons mentioned Secondly The action which is attributed unto these Persons The Persons mentioned they are the Spirit and the Bride The action which is attributed to these Persons that is a calling after Christ they say to him Come We begin with the former viz. the Persons mentioned The Spirit and the Bride By the Spirit we are here to understand the Holy Ghost the Spirit of God which is called the Spirit by way of Excellency the third Person in the blessed Trinity And by the Bride we are to understand either the Church of God in general or every faithful and believing soul which is a member of Christ in particular These are the Persons here that speak And we must take them in a mutual reference and connexion of one with another The Spirit speaks in the Bride and the Bride speaks from and by the Spirit And so they both speak together and have the same action ascribed unto them First Here 's mention made of the Spirit and that as considerable of us under a twofold notion First Of his Presence and secondly of his Influence Of his Presence as join'd with the Bride of his Influence as assistant unto her and helping and enabling of her First Here 's the Spirits presence the Spirit and the Bride they are joined both together to signifie and intimate unto us that special residence which the Holy Ghost hath in all true Believers where-ever there is the Bride there 's the Spirit that is where-ever there is any true Christian there 's the Holy Ghost abiding in him And so the Scripture sets it in sundry places of it as 1 Cor. 3.16 Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you And so Chap. 6. v. 19. Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you So again Ephes 2.22 In whom ye also are built together for an habitation of God through the Spirit The Spirit of God resides both in the whole Church at large as also in every particular Believer as the soul is in the whole Body and also in every particular member Therefore we may accordingly know whether we are espoused to Christ or no upon this account and consideration If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his Rom. 8.9 Because where ever there is the Spouse there 's the Spirit It holds both as a discovery of Churches and as a discovery of Persons As a discovery of Churches to distinguish the true from the false and as a discovery of persons to distinguish the sound from the Hypocritical Again as it is distinguishing so it is also comforting It is a great satisfaction to the Church in the present withdrawing and absentation of Christ from her that his Spirit is yet with her that he does not leave her altogether destitute in an orphan-like or fatherless condition as himself hath sometime exprest it Joh. 14.18 but that he does provide for the supply of her I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever even the Spirit of Truth whom the world cannot receive as it is also there in that Chapter And again Chap. 16.