who were given to him by the Father Sixthly Believers are Christ's Sheep by Conquest They were fallen into the Enemy's Hand in the Hands and under the Power of most cruel Tyrants who designed to tear them in pieces and devour them They were in Satan's Hand and under the Power of Sin and were meer Bond-slaves and in fearful slavery to these Enemies having their Eyes put out their Fleece torn off or strip'd of their Robes being dangerously wounded And although Jesus Christ to redeem them from Wrath and Misery laid down a great Price as you heard before to satisfy God's Justice yet alas Satan takes no notice of that they were in his Hand who like a strong Man armed keeps the Soul and had Power over them therefore Jesus Christ puts forth his Almighty Hand to vanquish and subdue this cruel Foe and thereby redeems and rescues all his Sheep out of Slavery and Bondage by which means they come to be his by a blessed Conquest of their Enemies and by overcoming them for he subdues their Hearts bends and subjects their rebellious Wills by the Power of Divine Grace before he can have one of them All the Sheep of Christ yield themselves up to him as being conquered by him overcome by his Love and the Power of his Spirit This brings me to the next thing Seventhly and lastly Believers are Christ's Sheep by virtue of a holy Resignation of themselves to him They have chosen him to be their Shepherd other Sheep can't make choice of their Shepherd but Christ's Sheep can do this their Eyes being enlightned to see the Excellency of Christ the Greatness of his Love and what he hath suffered and undergone for them they commit their Souls to his care and keeping that he may watch over them feed and lead them They gave themselves first unto the Lord and unto us by the Will of God First They gave themselves unto the Lord by the Power of his Spirit to be his and no more their own but to be his People his Spouse his Sheep and then gave themselves to his Church to be of his Flock Christ hath no Member no Sheep of his visible Church or Fold on Farth but such who know him I am known of mine They are not ignorant Persons or such who are unable to give themselves up to him Others are not required to give them No no they must be able to give or resign themselves to him as being overcome by his Love and thus they become his Sheep also Secondly I shall shew you what is meant by Christ's Voice There is a Four-fold Voice of Jesus Christ which his Sheep hear 1. The Voice of his Word 2. The Voice of his Spirit 3. The Voice of his Holy Doctrine 4. The Voice of his Rod. First Christ's Sheep hear the Voice of his Word The Holy Scripture is Christ's Word and therefore the Voice of Christ and this Voice his Sheep hear They give full credit to the Truth of the Sacred Scriptures they believe they are of Divine Authority All Scripture is given by Inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness They are none of Christ's Sheep that do not will not hear this Voice of Christ that is do not believe the Truth of the Sacred Scriptures do not hear nor regard what they speak but magnify unwritten Traditions above the Word of God or the Light of Natural Conscience The Sheep of Christ hear Christ's Voice in the Ministry of his Word they attend upon the preaching of the Gospel and look upon the Word delivered in Christ's Name by his faithful Ministers to be the Voice of Christ unto them But how or after what manner Christ's Sheep do hear his Voice viz. the Voice of his Word I shall open under the third Head Secondly There is the Voice of Christ's Spirit and this Voice of his his Sheep hear also and indeed none but they Sirs this is that Voice of Christ which doth the Work and that which discovers who are his Sheep The Voice of Christ's Word without the Spirit is not sufficient the Word will not make Sinners hear though it be spoken a thousand times over except the Spirit 's Voice do accompany it I shall therefore open to you the Nature of this Voice of Christ I mean the Voice of his Spirit 1. 'T is an awakening Voice Sinners are asleep yea in a dead Sleep and sleep they will till they hear this Voice The powerful Voice of Christ awakened dead Lazarus after he had lain in the Grave four days And it must be the like Voice that doth awaken the sleepy and dead Sinner Wherefore he saith Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the Dead and Christ shall give thee Life 'T is sad to see what a multitude of poor People sit day by day under the hearing of the Word and yet remain in their Sins they are asleep the Word doth not awaken them but when the Spirit 's Voice is heard when that works with the Word they are quickly roused up out of that dead Sleep in which they lay 2. The Voice of Christ's Spirit is a convincing Voice Come see a Man that told me all things that ever I did The Spirit of Christ reached her Heart convinced her what a vile Sinner she was We do not read of many things Christ told her she had done but that he she had then was not her Husband ver 18. so that she lived in Adultery with him But now as soon as the Spirit convinced her of this one Sin she is convinced of all her other abominable Evils and therefore cries out Come see a Man that told me all things that ever I did Is not this the Christ Intimating none but Christ can make the Evil of Mens Hearts and Lives appear unto them So 't is none but the Holy Spirit can pierce the Soul or convince the Sinner throughly of his Sin and Misery and discover the Vileness of their Hearts and States unto them They were pricked in their Hearts and said Men and Brethren what shall we do Is there any hope that such Sinners as we may be forgiven and be saved Verily we were guilty concerning our Brother said Joseph's Brethren God's Spirit now convinced their Consciences and brought their Sin to remembrance So there are none that hear the Voice of the Spirit but their Sin appears presently before their Eyes their Sin is aggravated on their Consciences and is most hateful and odious to them 3. Christ's Voice is a Soul quickening Voice Verily verily I say unto you The Hour is coming and now is when the Dead shall hear the Voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live The Voice of Christ doth not only cause the Ear to hear but the Heart to hear also All Mankind naturally are dead in a spiritual Sense they have no divine nor spiritual Life in them Man is not
by Original Sin or by Nature only wounded or maimed but dead The Holy Ghost doth not make use of an improper Metaphor We by Nature were as truly and really in a spiritual Sense dead that is had no more Life spiritual Life Motion Heat Feeling or Strength in us than a dead Man hath natural Life Motion Heat Feeling or Strength in him but when the Soul hears the spiritual and powerful Voice of Christ 't is immediately quickened a Principle of divine Life is infused You hath he quickened that were dead in Sins and Trespasses Thus the Greatness of Christ's Power towards Sinners appears that were dead or destitute of a Principle of spiritual Life Those that assert the Power of the Creature or that every Man is put into a Capacity to be saved if he will certainly do not consider this lay this to heart ponder on this viz. That all Mankind before Grace is infused into the Soul are dead What short of Almighty Power can raise the Dead to Life Power is not in the Dead to quicken himself nor can dead Lazarus resist that Principle of Life infused into him 't is not what the Sinner but what Christ the Saviour will and he quickens not all but whom he will For as the Father raiseth up the Dead and quickneth them even so the Son quickneth whom he will 'T is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in God that sheweth Mercy 4. Christ's Voice by his Spirit is a Soul-humbling and a Self-abasing Voice They that hear his Voice are straitway brought to his Feet loathing and abhorring themselves The Voice of Christ hath the same Effect on the Soul as the sight of God in Christ I have heard of thee by the hearing of the Ear but now mine Eye seeth thee Wherefore I abhor my self and repent in Dust and Ashes After Paul had heard the Voice of Christ saying Saul Saul Why persecutest thou me how humble was he though called to be an Apostle yet esteemed himself less than the least of all Saints Now to be less than the least is to be nothing Man before Grace or before he comes to hear the Voice of Christ is a proud Creature but Grace humbles him to such a degree that he is little nay nothing in his own Eyes 5. Christ's Voice is a Soul-regenerating Voice His Voice is powerful and shakes the old Foundation down all former Hopes and fleshly Confidence is gone It was the Voice of the Spirit that first made us and made this World By the Word of God were all things made and created And 't is his Voice that creates us again or that renews us or forms his Sacred Image in us He that commanded by his Voice Light to shine out of Darkness doth but speak the word and so shines into our Hearts and thereby transforms us and gives us the Light of the Knowledge of the Glory of God in the Face of Jesus Christ 6. 'T is a Sin-killing Voice It lays the old Man a bleeding as it were the Spirit destroys the Body and Power of Sin it breaks down all the strong Holds of Sin Christ slays this Enemy by the Sword that goes out of his Mouth that is by his Word through the Operations of the Spirit If ye live after the Flesh ye shall die but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the Deeds of the Body ye shall live 'T is not enough to forbear the acting of Sin but we must kill and crucify it and this we cannot do without the powerful assistance and help of the Spirit 7. 'T is a Soul-strengthning Voice As Sin dies Grace lives and the Soul receives strength Faith is the Life and Strength of the Soul and this Life and Strength we receive by the Holy Spirit 8. 'T is a comforting Voice 'T is by the Spirit God speaks Peace to the Soul He will speak Peace unto his People and unto his Saints I will speak comfortably to her I will speak to her Heart None can speak to the Heart but God by his Spirit it is the Holy Ghost that is the Comforter And after the Sinner hath been deeply wounded in the true sense of Sin and is dejected grieved and sorely troubled then the Spirit comes with its sweet still and comforting Voice and revives the drooping Soul To comfort the Conscience Luther saith is as great a Work as to make the World 1. Now the Spirit speaks Comfort to the distressed Conscience through the Blood of Christ that is by shewing the Soul that Christ died in its stead and bore the Wrath that was due to us having fully satisfied God's Justice and answered all the Demands and Requirements of the Law being made a Curse for us that the Blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles through Christ Jesus that we might receive the Promise of the Spirit through Faith The Blood of Christ speaks it hath a Voice in it it speaks good things yea better things than the Blood of Abel But it never speaks Comfort to the Soul till the Spirit applies it and sprinkleth it upon the Heart O what Peace and Comfort then doth the Spirit speak to a wounded Spirit 2. The Spirit speaks Comfort to the Soul by applying the Promises of Pardon and Peace unto us causing our Souls to take hold of them and to cleave to God in them This Promise is mine God hath fastened and fixed it on my Heart saith a Believer 3. By opening the Greatness and Preciousness of Christ's Love to us because he hath loved us with an everlasting Love therefore with loving Kindness hath he drawn us and helped us to believe and to receive him 4. The Spirit speaks Comfort to Believers by opening unto them the Nature and Excellency of the Covenant of Grace which is ordered in all things and sure being confirmed by the Oath of God c. 5. By shewing them the Power Mercy and Faithfulness of God c. O Sirs no Voice like the Voice of the Spirit happy is that Soul which hears this Voice and 't is this Voice of Christ that all his Sheep hear Thirdly There is also the Voice of Christ's Doctrine I mean the true Evangelical Doctrine of the Gospel The true Faith of the Gospel or the sacred Doctrine thereof is the Voice of Christ which his Sheep will hear And they will not hear the Voice of Strangers they will not hear the Voice of false Teachers or their pernicious Doctrine they know not the Voice of Strangers they can distinguish between Christ's Voice Christ's Doctrine and the Doctrine of false Prophets and false Teachers they know not the Voice of Strangers that is they approve not of their Doctrine but they know they approve of Christ's Doctrine though never so hard never so difficult and never so unpleasant to others yet 't is approved of by them 't is easy and pleasant to them that are Christ's Sheep They hear what Christ hath
Degree of his Love unto his Saints So that if we can believe that God the Father loved Christ his only begotten Son we may also believe that both Father and Son love those who are really the Sheep of Jesus Christ the Love that Christ hath unto his People is as true certain and abiding as the Father's Love to Christ or Christ's Love unto the Father 2 dly I shall shew you what a kind of Knowledg Christ hath of his Saints 1. Christ knoweth them by Name As 't is said of Moses so it may be said of every true Believer Yet thou hast said I know thee by Name Even in like manner in this Chapter the Lord Jesus shews us that the true Shepherd calleth his Sheep by Name and leadeth them out this denotes the knowledg he hath of them particularly 2. Christ knows their Hearts as he testifies to the seven Churches in Asia And all the Churches shall know that I am he that searcheth the Reins and Hearts c. This shews he is the most High God For who knoweth the Heart but God himself This Jehovah glorieth in as his own absolute Prerogative it being out of the reach of any Creature I the Lord search the Heart I try the Reins Moreover 't is said of Jesus Christ That he needed not that any should testify of Man for he knew what was in Man He needeth not any to bring him Information concerning the Principles Ends Aims Purposes and Tempers of Men and therefore he knows his Sheep his Saints that they are sincere or upright-hearted Ones he knows them from Hypocrites from the Goats from the foolish Virgins 3. Christ knows where they live in what Land City Town or Family I know thy Works and where thou dwellest even where Satan's Seat is He knows the Place where they dwell and how they behave themselves 4. He knows their Works How many times doth he express this in the second and third Chapters of the Revelations even in the beginning of every Epistle to the seven Churches I know thy Works whether they proceed from a renewed Nature from a Principle of Divine Grace or Spiritual Life or not whether from Faith or not whether right Gospel-Works of Obedience or not he hath a Knowledg of Comprehension or Understanding of all But 5. He knows his Sheep his Saints with a Knowledg of Approbation as I hinted before 6. Christ knows their Faith the Quality and Quantity of it that it is true Faith unfeigned Faith the Faith of the Operation of God or of his own Spirit But there are some of you that believe not for Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not and who should betray him Though Faith be an inward secret Act of the Soul yet Christ knows it he knows who hath it wrought in them and also though it be never so small even as a Grain of Mustard-seed whether it be weak or strong great or little growing or decaying he knows it 7. Christ knows the Love of his People whether they love him in Sincerity both the Truth of their Love and the Degree of their Love Jesus saith unto Simon Peter Simon Son of Jonas lovest thou me more than these He saith unto him Yea Lord thou knowest that I love thee And as he knows whether they love him above all or not so he knows whether they love one another or no whether it be with a pure Heart fervently and in sincerity Christ knows it whether it be a Love in Words or with the Tongue only or in Deed and in Truth 8. He knows the Humility of his Saints whether they are clothed with it or not Though the Lord be high yet hath he respect unto the Lowly but the Proud he knoweth afar off He is far off from them though he knoweth such but he is near unto humble Souls he dwelleth with them 9. He knows the Patience of each of his People under all their Sufferings Losses and Disappointments they meet with in this World I know thy Works and thy Labour and thy Patience c. He knows how they carry it under the Rod of Afflictions which will work for the good of all that are patiently exercised thereby In a word Christ knows every Grace of the Spirit in the Souls of his People and whether they are in Exercise or not 10. He knows the Works and Actions of his Saints and of every one of them particularly I know thy Works And again he says I know thy Works 1. He knows what our Lives are whether we walk circumspectly or not whether we make Conscience in all we do and walk uprightly or not He knew Abraham that he would fear and serve him and command his Children and Houshold to keep his Commandments also He knew that Noah was only Righteous in that Generation He knows our up-rising and our down-lying whether we begin the Day with him and end the Day with him or not 2. He doth not only know all our Works and Actions whether Natural Moral or Spiritual but also the Manner of our Actions how we perform all our Duties towards God and towards Men. 3. He knoweth with what Hearts we act whether with Zeal Life and Power or not whether we stir up our selves in Duty to take hold of him or perform Duties of Obedience but with a cold and lukewarm Heart He knows with what Hearts we hear read pray meditate give to the Poor in all these Respects he knows his Sheep 4. He knows the Principle from whence we act the Means we use the Works we do and the End we propound to our selves in all our Actions whether we aim at his Glory or seek our selves self-Profit self-Honour self-Applause all is known to him 5. He knows what we have been and what we now are what we have done and what we do and will do hereafter nothing is hid from him 11. He knows our Carriage and Behaviour in our Families in our own Houses and what our Behaviour is in the House and Church of God whether we know our Places and our Duty in the Station where we are set He knows and will judg between Cattel and Cattel betwixt the fat and the lean Sheep if any oppress his Brother or if the Strong and Rich neglect or wrong the poor and weak Ones of his Flock he knows it He knows whether we make his Word our Rule in all Cases and do not offend nor grieve each other And if any be offended with their Brother he knows whether they proceed against him according to the Directions he hath left us to walk by 12. Christ knows all our Sorrows Troubles and Afflictions And the Lord said I have surely seen the Affliction of my People which are in Egypt and have heard their Cry by reason of their Task-master for I KNOW their Sorrow 13. He knows our Wants Temptations Tears and Poverty I know thy Works Tribulation and Poverty If
made it maintains it as he sits upon the Throne He it was that made it as he is a Priest and he maintains it as he is a King upon the Throne he will never suffer Sin to get such Head in us that we shall cast off God any more or violate our Covenant with him nor will he suffer Satan to do it therefore they who are reconciled shall never perish no not one of the Elect of God Thirdly The Gift of the Holy Spirit is another Effect of the Death of Christ This Jesus hath God raised up whereof we are Witnesses And having received of the Father the Promise of the Holy Ghost he hath shed forth this which ye now see and hear The Father promised unto his Son upon his dying for us that the Holy Spirit should be given to all his Seed I will pour my Spirit upon thy Seed Indeed Christ receiving the Holy Spirit without measure for us in his own Person as Mediator antecedent to our believing is the fullest Security to us imaginable We are blessed with all spiritual Blessings in Christ that is in him as our Head And although Christ received the Spirit before he suffered yet it was upon the account of his Sufferings the Father trusted his Son took his Son's Word and gave him part of his Wages from the beginuing for all the Saints under the Old Testament had the Spirit upon no other Account than as we have it namely as the Fruits and Effects of Christ's Death and Purchase who was to die Now Brethren pray consider what the Work of the Holy Spirit is which is promised to abide with the Saints and Seed of Christ for ever 1. His Work is at first to quicken them You hath he quickned 2. To renew to regenerate to sanctify them this is the Work and Office of the Spirit I will sprinkle clean Water upon you and ye shall be clean from all your Filthiness And hence the Gentiles are said to be sanctified by the Holy Ghost But pray take notice of this the Rock in the Wilderness was first smitten before Water gush'd forth So Christ was first smitten first crucified then the Spirit like Water was poured forth It is Sirs wholly the Effects and Fruits of his Death 3. It is the Work of the Spirit to cause us to walk in God's Ways and to keep his Statutes I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my Statutes and ye shall keep my Judgments and do them We should not do this were it not for the Spirit we could not keep God's Precepts nor walk in his Paths but God puts his Spirit into us that we shall not depart from him that is we shall not finally apostatize from him but shall keep his Precepts to the End 4. It is the Work of the Spirit to help us to pray and breathe forth our Desires to God We know not how to pray but as the Spirit helps our Infirmities and maketh intercession for us with Groans that cannot be uttered Christ having redeemed us from the Curse of the Law it is that this Blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles And because ye are Sons God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your Hearts crying Abba Father 5. The Office and Work of the Holy Spirit is to enable us to mortify Sin Rom. 8. 13. If ye through the Spirit mortify the Deeds of the Body ye shall live And hence it is also that Sin shall not have Dominion over them and therefore Believers cannot perish they having such a Helper He destroys all that Dominion Sin and Satan had in them and Power over them The Spirit utterly spoils Satan's Kingdom in them Because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the World saith John speaking to the Saints This is such a Helper that can never be worsted 6. It is hereby we perform all our Holy Duties By the Spirit Ministers preach to profit and Hearers hear to their profit hereby we read to profit and sing God's Praise to our profit and sweet comfort for as we pray with the Spirit so we sing with the Spirit and the same Measure the same Fillings of the Spirit that enable us to do the one enable us to do the other By the Spirit we are also helped to meditate on God and on his Word and hereby our Meditations of him are sweet to our Souls 7. 'T is by the Spirit we resist and repel Satan's Temptations Or if he doth at any time worst us the Spirit will help us up again 8. It is the Holy Spirit that doth confirm and establish us in the Truth 9. In a word All Grace is from the Spirit and it is by the Aid and Assistance of the Spirit that we are enabled to exercise that Grace for as he first formed the Habit in our Souls so it is he helps us to do the Act also or that doth influence us in the Exercise thereof 10. The Holy Spirit is also the Earnest of the Saints Inheritance 'T is given to them as an Earnest of that Glory they shall one Day absolutely be possessed of 'T is given to assure them that as certainly as they have received the Holy Spirit here and he is in them so certain it is that they shall be saved or have the Eternal Inheritance True I have mentioned this two or three times already yet it is of so great Importance I cannot pass it by here It is no small Matter that God gives us when he gives the Holy Spirit to us for as he is that Principle of Life in us so he gives us a full Assurance of Eternal Life hereafter and it is upon this Earnest-Money a Saint may be said to live whilst in this World nay and it will defray all his Charge and supply all his Need and manifold Wants as long as he lives upon the Earth even until he comes to the full possession of his Inheritance above 11. And as the Spirit is the Earnest of Glory or of Everlasting Life so he is also the Witness of God in our Souls yea such a Witness whose Testimony every Christian may trust to and rest upon The Spirit it self beareth witness with our Spirit that we are the Children of God It witnesseth to us our Adoption that we are Children and so Heirs Heirs of God and joint Heirs with Christ There is a twofold Witness of the Spirit 1. The Spirit witnesseth by a direct Act we taking hold of Christ and of the Promise Saith the Spirit to the Soul I testify that Christ and Eternal Life is yours you believe and therefore you have Christ and shall be saved 2. There is the witnessing of the Spirit by a reflex Act A Man finds such and such gracious Effects of Divine Grace upon his Soul and by these the Holy Spirit testifies he is gracious One that loves God that hates Sin is changed renewed lives
their Bodies to be burned and yet be destitute of saving Grace or of true Love to God and therefore not self-condemned Hypocrites whose Hearts condemn them and yet be far from the State of sincere and renewed Christians APPLICATION 1. O see what Light what Spiritual Light you have received and what Convictions you have had the experience of 2. Which do you account the greatest Evil Sin or Suffering the Torture or Pain you feel or the Sin you have committed Do you groan most under the sense of Sin and want of Holiness or under the presages and fear of Hell and Damnation May be you cry out your State is sad but what think you of your Sin which is the Cause of it 3. Be exhorted to labour after true Spiritual Illuminations and thorow Convictions of Sin Motives 1. Sin will be your Pain and Sorrow first or last either here or hereafter 2. Consider what a good and gracious God you have offended 3. Without effectual Convictions there will be no true Conversion and where the first is indeed wrought the last will follow those that God kills in this respect he will make alive 4. Remember the Word never comes with Power until Convictions come with Power and also abide on the Soul and Conscience of the Sinner 5. Consider that it is better to be broken in Mercy than in Judgment better here than in Hell 6. Remember that true and thorow Convictions tend to let out the Life or Power of your Sin and consider also what Means of Convictions God is pleased to afford you 7. Sinner Christ was wounded for thy Sin look up to him nothing breaks the Soul rightly you have heard but a sight of a broken and crucified Christ HEB. VI. 4 5. For it is impossible for those c. I Have closed with the first Qualification or Attainment of these Persons spoken of in my Text I shall now proceed to the Second And have tasted of the Heavenly Gift 1. By the Heavenly Gift some understand the Heavenly Doctrine In that sense it may be true for Herod had some kind of Taste of the Heavenly Doctrine which John the Baptist preached he heard him gladly or with Joy As the Baptism of John is said to be from Heaven so all the Truths and Ordinances of the Gospel may be said to be but one intire Heavenly Gift 2. Others by the Heavenly Gift understand the Holy Ghost according to that in Acts 8. 20. Thou hast thought the Gift of God may be purchased with Money So Acts 10. 45. That on the Gentiles also was poured the Gift of the Holy Ghost Quest But what Gift of the Holy Ghost is it which these Persons are said to have a taste of Answ 1. The miraculous Operations of the Holy Ghost in the Times of the Gospel in the extraordinary Gifts thereof which are said to come down from Heaven in a way of Eminency as Acts 1. 4 5. and of those Gifts these Persons might have some taste either by their receiving those Gifts themselves for that unsound Persons may do And in thy Name we have cast out Devils so 1 Cor. 13. 1 2. And though I have all Faith so that I could remove Mountains and have not Charity I am nothing or else they may be said to have a taste of those Gifts by being wonderfully affected by beholding the miraculous Operations of this Heavenly Gift wrought by others 2. By tasting of the Heavenly Gift it may refer to the Doctrine of the Gospel it may denote their making some trial by Hearing and diligently attending on the Doctrine of Salvation there is a tasting for trial either to receive or refuse as we commonly do Meats or other things Every tasting is not a digesting Men taste before they eat and digest food These Persons may taste of the Doctrine of Justification taste of the Heavenly Gift or Doctrine of God's Free Grace taste of the Ordinance of Baptism and the Lord's Supper and seem also to like the Heavenly Gift well in all these and in other respects yet may feed all the while on some one Lust or another on the Love of this World or on their carnal and sensual Pleasures and because they were never savingly renewed having no new Nature they could not feed on spiritual Things so as to digest them No doubt it was or is such a tasting as the full Stomach takes sometimes of Food a full Stomach will taste yet refuse to eat they have no Appetite these being glutted with the Love of other things the Heavenly Gift is not so sweet to them as Food is to an hungry Man The Sum then is this these Persons had or may have some Experience of the Holy Ghost in the miraculous Gifts either in themselves or in others their Understandings being enlightned for it is evident that 't is a Taste by Illuminations by what we before shewed and they also might taste the Heavenly Doctrine or Ministration of the Gospel and might find the Truths the Institutions and Worship thereof to be good they making a trial of it so far as their carnal and unsanctified Hearts were capable to do yea they might find the Ways of God better than once they thought before they were inlightned and from thence imbraced them to appearance owned and walked therein for a time Doct. 2. That there is a Goodness and an Excellency in the Heavenly Gift and Heavenly Doctrine of the Gospel which such may taste of that never receive the Truth in the Power and Love thereof Doct. 3. That the rejecting and utter casting off the Gospel and the Ordinance and Worship thereof after some Tastes and Experience of it is an high Offence to God and a fearful Aggravation of Sin and a certain Presage of Damnation So much as to their second Attainment 3dly And were made Partakers of the Holy Ghost This seems to be more than a bare tasting Object Doth not this seem to interfere with your Exposition of the Attainment you mentioned last Answ 1. To this take Dr. Owen's Answer It is saith he ordinary to have the same thing twice expressed in various words to quicken the Sense of them 2. The Holy Ghost is mentioned before as he hints as the great Gift of the Gospel-Times as coming down from Heaven not absolutely not as unto his Person but with respect unto an especial Work namely the changing of the whole State of Religious Worship in the Church of God 3. But here in these words when it is said They were made Partakers of the Holy Ghost it is spoken chiefly in respect unto external actual Operations 1. They partake of the Holy Spirit in the common Operations of it themselves they tasted the Heavenly Doctrine as it was administred by others as it is hinted before but here is a Reception or a partaking of the Holy Spirit whereby it had some great and visible Operations upon their Hearts and Lives though not saving Operations not such
Fire opened in eight Particulars 31 33 33 9. Doctrines raised 33 34 35 The Application 36 37 38 39 Second Sermon Doct. God's Wrath is like to Fire it is intolerable 1. Demonstrated in 2. External and Internal Wrath opened 41 42 43 3. The Nature of Eternal Wrath shewed in Spira and Child 44 to 51 4. Eternal Wrath or Hell-Torments and the Nature thereof opened largely 52 c. Second Text John 10. 27 28. First Sermon 1. The Text opened and Terms explained 75 76 2. The Doctrine propounded viz. All true Believers are the Sheep of Christ 76 The Doctrine opened 1. How they may be called Christ's Sheep shewed in seven Particulars 77 to 80 2. What meant by Christ's Voice shewed in 4 respects 1. The Voice of his Word 2. Of his Spirit 3. Of his Doctrine 4. Of his Rod 80 The Nature of the Voice of Christ's Spirit opened in eight Particulars 81 82 83 3. The chief Essentials of Christianity what shewed in seven Particulars 85 86 Second Sermon 1. How Christ's Sheep hear his Voice shewed in nine Particulars 87 88 89 2. Why False Teachers are called Strangers shewed in five Particulars Pag. 90 3. The Application 91 Distinct Persons in the Godhead proved by five Arguments Christ God and Man 92 93 Third Sermon 1. In what respect Christ knows his Sheep shewed in five respects 98 99 2. What a kind of Knowledge the Knowledg of Christ is shewed in ten Particulars 100 101 All further opened in 13 Parts 101 102 3. The Application 104 105 Fourth Sermon 1. The Characters of Christ's Sheep shewed in 15 Particulars 107 to 11◠2. Christ's Sheep do follow him how in 8 Parts 3. Christ's Sheep have his Mark 118 4. They follow the Footsteps of the Flock 119 The Application 121 Fifth Sermon 1. What kind of Shepherd Christ is 122 to 130 2. What Pastures Christ feeds his Sheep in 130 1. The Word 130 2. The Ordinances 131 3. The Promises 135 4. His Providences 136 3. What the Nature of Spiritual Food is shewed in seven Particulars 137 4. The Application 139 140 Sixth Sermon I give them Eternal Life c. 1. The Text further opened 141 2. How Believers are in Christ's Hand in seven Particulars 142 3. What being in Christ's Hand denotes shewed 〈◊〉 three Particulars 142 143 4. What meant by Eternal Life A threefold Life of Man 143 5. How Christ is our Life in four respects 144 6. Man naturally dead opened and Free-will detected 144 146 147 7. Salvation or Eternal Life wholly of Grace proved 147 to 152 8. Why Salvation is wholly of Grace 152 153 154 9. Why Christ will give Eternal Life to his 〈◊〉 shewed in seven Parts 155 156 10. The Application Seventh Sermon Third Doctrine raised viz. None of Christ's Sheep can so fall away as to perish eternally 1. Something first premised before the Doctrine is proved 2. Believers may fall foully how far shewed pag. 162 163 3. The Causes of the Saints falling opened 164 169 4. The Doctrine confirmed That the Saints cannot fall finally First Argument taken from Election 169 1. The Doctrine of Personal Election proved 170 171 172 173 2. The Objection I am not elected a ninefold Answer 175 176 Eighth Sermon 1. How Election tends to prove the Saints final Perseverance shewed in seven Particulars from 177 to 183 Second Argument to prove the Saints final Perseverance taken from the Nature of the Love of God the Father in four Particulars 184 3. Sin cannot separate a Believer from God's eternal Love demonstrated and many Objections answered from 185 to 190 4. From what Principle Believers do oppose and resist Sin shewed in 10 Particulars 191 192 193 Ninth Sermon Third Argument to prove the Saints final Perseverance taken from the Nature of Christ's Love 193 1. What kind of Love Christ's Love is shewed in many Particulars 193 194 195 Application The excellent Nature of the Knowledg of Christ's Love 200 201 202 Fourth Argument to prove the Saints final Perseverance 1. Taken from the Nature of the Covenant of Grace 2. Which is opened in ten Particulars from 202 to 210. 3. This general Argument summed up 210 211 Tenth Sermon Fifth Argument to prove the Saints final Perseverance taken from their bring the Children of God demonstrated in seven Particulars 212 213 214 215 How they that are born again cannot sin shewed in six Particulars 216 217 The general Argument summed up pag. 218 219 The Application 220 Eleventh Sermon Sixth Argument to prove the Saints final Perseverance taken from their Union with Christ 221 The Nature of that Mystical Union opened in five or six Particulars 222 229 Ten Arguments taken from thence 230 231 The Application Twelfth Sermon Seventh Argment to prove the Saints final Perseverance taken from the Death of Christ 235 Christ died not only for the good of his Elect but also in their stead proved by nine Arguments 236 248 Four Arguments further from thence 241 242 243 Arminian Errors about universal Redemption confuted by 19. or 20 Arguments 249 to 256 Thirteenth Sermon Eighth Argument to prove the Saints final Perseverance taken from the Effects of Christ's Death 257 What the Effects of Christ's Death are largely opened 257 to 266 The Application 267 268 Fourteenth Sermon Ninth Argument to prove the Saints final Perseverance taken from their being in the Father's Hand 269 What is meant by the Father's Hand shewed in three Particulars 270 271 2. From their being in Christ's Hand what it imports or meant thereby 274 275 276 278 279 In what respects the Saints are said to be in Christ's Hand opened in thirteen Particulars 280 281 282 283 The general Argument summed up 284 Fifteenth Sermon Tenth Argument to prove the Saints final Perseverance taken from the nature of true Grace What a Principle of trut Grace is shewed in six Particulars 287 288 289 Weak Grace shall be victorious 290 to 295 Sixteenth Sermon The grand Objection against final Perseverance answered 297 298 1. Christ's Birth matter of Joy to all People answered 2. If none saved but such that are elected what need any look after Salvation answered 3. Doctrine of Election tends to make the Saints loose and remiss in God's Service answered page 299 4. Take beed watch c. answered 5. Some Branches in Christ wither and are cut off answered 226 301 6. If Christ died not for all how can I know he died for me answered 301 302 7. Work out your own Salvation with Fear and Trembling what intended by it and the Objection from thence answered 302 303 304 8. If you abide in me answered 9. Some have made Shipwrack of Faith c. answered 306 10. A righteous Man may turn from his Righteousness answered 307 11. God would have all Men be saved c. answered 12. What need preaching c. if all are absolutely elected to Salvation that shall be saved answered 309 13. Those in every Nation that 〈…〉 are accepted of him answered 383 384
divided amongst themselves what abundance of Chaff is there here also Are there not many amongst these as bad as others viz. People of ill and corrupt principles bitter and censorious Spirits and of scandalous lives What Malice Envy and Hatred do they discover one against another because of their differing Sentiments in and about some principles of Religion rendering their Brethren odious to the World Back-biting Reproaching and Scandalizing each other to the great dishonour of God and shame of their sacred profession one while charging and condemning the Innocent and yet acknowldege not their Evil and at another time striving to vindicate and clear such as are greatly guilty before God both which are abominable and hateful in his sight who will judge righteously and render to every man at last according to his Works Certainly there is sarcely a worse Sin than the Sin of Back-biting he that hates his Brother Robbing him of his good Name out of Malice and Envy is a Murtherer and no Murtherer hath eternal Life abiding in him 1 John 3. 17. such who are destitute of Christian Love and Charity or hate their Brethren clearly shew they act contrary to the divine Principle of Grace nay of Morality and so are void of that sacred Life Nature and Image of God For as love to the Bretheren is an Evidence of our being the Children of God so he that is possessed with Wrath Envy Malice and Hatred shews he is one of the Children of the wicked one who is called the Accuser of the Brethren Clear it is that this is a Diabolical Sin and renders such in whom it is found like to the Devil In this the Children of God are manifest and the Children of the Devil Whosoever doth not Righteousness is not of God neither he that loveth not his Brother Nay this great evil and wickedness is a sad sign that such are given up and left of God as not retaining God in their knowledge as the Apostle speaks of the Gentiles who when they arrived to some degree of knowledge of God yet did not glorifie him as God but violated his Law written in their Hearts Therefore 't is said that God gave them up to vile Affections and they were filled with all Vnrighteousness Fornication Wickedness Covetousness Maliciousness full of Envy Murther Debate Deceit Malignity Whisperers Backbiters Despiteful Proud Boasters c. No doubt but that the Sin of Backbiting Wrath Malice and Envy is as bad if not worse than Fornication Swearing or Drunkenness and lamentable it is to see this Sin found among some who account themselves no small persons for Knowledge Zeal and Piety in these days But alas alas how sad and deplorable is their Condition and vain that profession they make of Religion let them repent of this their great wickedness and get a changed heart Moreover are there not in this floor others who are proud earthly carnal and covetous Persons they are called Nonconformists but 't is not so far as they ought from the Sins and Pollutions of this World they conform to them in their detestable fashions and covetous practices Do not many of them appear to love Sons and Daughters more than Christ or his sinking Interest they can lay out plentifully to feed and cloath their own Children whilst their bowels are shut up against the poor Members of Christ or Children of God they 'll spare more to gratifie the Pride and base Lusts of their Children than they will spare to supply the necessities of the poor Saints or to support the Interest of Christ and his Gospel Many pounds shall go for the first use when a Shilling is thought a great deal with some of them for the second they think nothing too much to enrich and uphold their own Families whilst the Family of God suffers want and the Cause of Christ languishes in their hands O how little does the power of Grace and true Godliness shine amongst this sort what formality and lukewarmness is there in these days amongst such who are called Saints and holy Brethren This it is true may be called Chirists Floor especially but abundance of Chaff no doubt will be found in it when the Fanner comes to fan it Look to it you Sinners in Sion Fearfulness will e're long surprize the Hipocrite Who among us shall dwell with devouring Fire who amongst us shall dwell with Everlasting Burning Isa 33. But so much as to what is meant by Christs Floor Quest 2. What is intended by the Fan Answ A Fan is a certain Instrument which the Husbandman uses to cleanse or purge his Corn from the Chaff evil Seeds and all silth whatsoever And this Instrument he holds in his hands and uses upon his Knees by which he tosses up the Wheat and Chaff together And then shakes it to and fro moving all at once by which a wind is made and the Chaff is blown away and the Wheat separated and purged from it Now John Baptist alludes to such an Instrument as this Quest But what is meant by Christs Fan in a spiritual sense what is signified hereby First I answer By Christs Fan is meant his Word his holy Gospel especially the Doctrine thereof 't is by this he cleanses and purges his floor Now you are clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you Now the unclean person the Traytor Judas is gone out from you Thro' my Word i. e. through my Doctrine you believing in me and receiving me by Faith for Righteousness and eternal Life 'T is said Christ gave himself for his Church that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word Eph. 5. 26. Cleansing here imports the means by which it is wrought or the Instrument namely the Word of the Gospel especially the Promise of free Justification and Sanctification by Christ received thro' Faith which Baptism was a Sign or Symbol of see 1 Pet. 1. 22. Seeing ye have purified your selves in obeying the truth thro' the Spirit c. This was done in subjecting themselves to the Faith of the Gospel to which the purifying of the heart is ascribed principally in Justification whereby the guilt of Sin is purged away as appertaining to the conscience he alludes also to the sanctifying power and virtue of the holy Spirit Compare this with Psal 119. 9. Wherewith shall a young man cleanse his way that is the way of his Heart and also the way of his Life The answer is By taking heed thereto according to thy Word that is let him take heed according to that holy doctrine taught and held forth in God's Word so that he attain unto a right knowledge of God and of the Messiah promised and typified by the Sacrifices of Aaron by whose Blood and thro' whose Righteousness only Justification is to be had for without Christs Blood there is no cleansing from Sin and silthyness neither of Heart nor Life for young nor old It is not only to
either a Talkative or else full of vain Boasts magnifying and admiring himself and lessning the worth and worthiness of others His vain and light Tongue discovers a vain carnal proud and empty heart some unprofitable matter in discourse or another you shall observe these people will be full of May be talk and prate of this Man or that Woman to pick up one thing or another to their reproach who are gracious persons and instead of discoursing of a Sermon they have heard or telling their Experiences may be they will tell you what Garbs Cloaths and Dresses such and such People had on or else they talk of their earthly and worldly Affairs or some Idle Jests Stories or foolish Talk but little of God besure is in their mouths when they are out of the sight and hearing of sober and pious Christians Indeed as our Saviour intimates how can they being evil speak of good things there is much vanity in their unsanctified Hearts and their Tongues discover it For out of the abundance of the Heart the mouth speaketh a good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things But I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak they shall give an account thereof in the day of Judgment For by thy word thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned God will not only condemn men for evil actions but their evil words also shall rise up against them at the great day And as the gracious words which proceed from a sanctified and renewed Christian tends to his Justification especially when the main design and purport of his Speech tends to exalt and magnifie God and his Free-Grace in Jesus Christ so the evil words of the unsanctified Christian tends to his Condemnation and declares him to be but meer chaff or a hypocritical person but if idle Jesting and foolish Talking is the Character of a vain man what is a detracting and back-biting Tongue a Tongue that is set on fire by hell who vilifie and render odious such who truly fear God that are not guilty of those foul things laid to their charge such persons are not like to ascend Gods holy hill nor abide in his Tabernacle viz. That taketh up false and wicked slanders and reports against his Neighbour to lessen his reputation among Men And 't is with the greater aggravation when it is done out of Envy Prejudice or Malice and 't is further aggravated when 't is done to a Minister of the Gospel on purpose to obstruct or hinder unthinking Christians to adhere unto his Doctrine or receive that truth which they see not but set themselves to oppose and gainsay who do not only in an undue manner spread such Reproaches but also raise them It is a great evil to divulge or propagate a fault committed by a Brother by making it publick when it was private they breaking thereby the express Precept of Jesus Christ Mat. 18. But it is far worse to publish false and groundless Slanders and Accusations of him or others And t is an abominable evil in such who are ready to entertain and easily to believe and greedily receive such Reports of him who deserveth it not Such men are by the Lord called vile persons Psa 5. 4. and are contemned by such that fear the Lord howsoever great and honourable they seem to be Moreover if it be so great an evil for men thus to use their Tongues or Pens to speak evil of and to blaspheme innocent men what is the Nature of their Crimes who curse and swear and blaspheme the sacred Name of God and the holy Jesus like as the Pharisees did who said this fellow doth not cast out Devils but by Belzebub the Prince of Devils ascribing that to the Devil that was proper to God alone and wrought by his almighty Power Christians if you would not be found chaff at the great day take heed of a reviling Tongue least you deceive your selves and all your Religion and Profession be vain He either decieveth his own heart saith our Annatotors in thinking himself religious when indulging himself in things contrary to Religion or else deceiveth his own heart being blinded with self love and lifted up with self-conceit which is the cause of his Railing Censuring and speaking evil of others Their Religion is vain empty and to no purpose having no reality in it self and bringeth no Benefit to them O what a Reproach doth the talkative and prating person bring on the Name of God This Man this Woman say they is a Member of such or such a Church and see what vain talk frothy words and frivolous Discourse proceeds from their Lips But much more evil is in such who back-bite revile and defame others as was hinted before This I say may discover such to be but chaff 2. They appear to be Chaff not only by their light vain idle and back-biting Tongues but also by their light Behaviour for the lightness of the heart is as much discovered by a loose and airy Deportment as by loose and vain words their wanton Looks and rowling Eyes or other unseemly and uncomely carriage shews in part what they are they being not of a grave sober and serious spirit but behave themselves as if they had no sense of the Omnisciency of God upon their hearts nor of his holiness not setting the Lord always before them gives cause to all to fear they are but chaff 3. Their light empty and airy Attire Dresses and antick Fashions which they wear and take delight in doubtless too much discovers the Lightness Vanity and Emptiness of their Spirits I am perswaded these high and shameless Head-dresses which some Women appear in that come into Christian Assemblies are but as Tell-tales of the Vanity Pride Emptiness and Haughtiness of their hearts who but they that sell Wine will put forth a Bush I cannot see how a sober serious Christian Woman should be satisfied to wear such Antick Dresses Their Souls sure must needs blush at the Thoughts of them when they consider whose Eyes behold them First Many gracious Men and Women with no little trouble And in the second place their faithful Ministers to the wounding and grieving their Souls Thirdly And a multitude of loose and ungodly People who reproach and laugh at them and cast contempt upon Religion on that account Fourthly And which is more the holy Angels they come into our Assemblies and observe all both Males and Females how they do adorn their Profession and behave themselves Women should cover their heads because of the Angels they ought to be in subjection and therefore before all things their head ought not to be exalted but to lye low and be modestly attired no doubt t is a palpable Breach of the holy Precept for 't is not a modest dress becoming Women
Mint Annis and Commin i. e. about the smaller matters of Religion as concerning Meats and Observation of Days as if in such things lay the great stress of Christianity how many are there who like those false Teachers and deluded People in the Primitive Times plead for Justification some other way than by Faith only and bring in their own inherent Holiness and sincere Obedience and add that to the Merits of Christ in point of Justification before God or exalt the Power and Will of the Creature to the Eclipsing the Doctrine of Free-Grace Sirs tho' I will not deny but many sincere Christians may be shaken by the wind of false and corrupt Doctrine or drawn away through the subtilty of men yet no doubt chiefly they are the Light Formal and Chaffy Professors which are carried away and Tossed too and fro with every wind of Doctrine and this because of the want of Grace a sound Judgment and a good Understanding in the Mysteries of the Gospel A good understanding saith David have all they that do his Commandments Moreover such who seem unsetled in their places in Gods House or particular Churches where they are Members being uneasie and every little difference that may arise in a Congregation is ready to turn them away or seem to be moved and disturbed at the Charges the Interest of Christ or which the House of God calls for these I say give cause to fear they are but Chaff or under great Temptation if Sincere Secondly By Chaff may also be meant Sin Filth and Corruption which cleaveth to the Hearts and Lives of true believers which Christ by the Fan of his Word Spirit and Afflictions as you have heard purges out He shall purify the Sons of Levi and purge them as Gold and Silver that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness This is spoken of Jesus Christ whose Fan is in his hand It shews his Work and Office namely to refine and fan his People not only Members but Ministers also signified by the Sons of Levi that they all may offer acceptable Service unto God Besides our Lord Jesus sometimes makes use of wicked Men as a Fan in his hand to purge his People and thus he did of old fan Israel by the Babylonians and by the Assyrians I will send unto Babylon Fanners as I have sometime fanned and scattered my people by them so will I fan them by the Medes and Persians who shall empty the Land of them After Christ hath fanned or purged away the Chaff and Filth of the Daughter of Zion he will fan their Enemies and they being all Chaff the wind of his Indignation will drive them away Let this be noted that Christ hath many ways to fan and purge his People yet still it is for their good and they shall lose nothing but their chaff their Sin and Corruptions thereby Quest Fourthly Why are the Saints compared to Wheat Answ I answer for many Reasons 1. Wheat is a choice Grain the best Grain so true Believers are a choice People in Christ's sight The righteous is more excellent than his Neighbour they are called the excellent in all the Earth God calls his People his Jewels or choice Treasure they are men of a high and heavenly Birth of a high sublime and excellent Spirit they are espoused by an excellent person act and are influenced by excellent principles and have glorious Ends and Aims in all they do and from hence may be compared to Wheat 2. Wheat hath much pains used with it the ground must be made good it must be well plow'd and manured before the Wheat is sown so the hearts of poor sinners must be first made good and by spirituall Convictions be plowed up before the seed of Grace is sown for like as Believers are compared to Wheat so is also the Grace of God Wheat must be weeded as well as gathered into the Barn and also Threshed fanned and well Purged Believers may be compared to Wheat upon this respect Christ takes much pains to speak after the manner of men with his own Elect not only by Plowing Manuring but by sowing watering weeding fanning and Purging them like Wheat 3. Wheat will endure cold Frosts and Snow and all manner of bitter and sharp Weather better than any other Grain Sow Barly before Winter and you will find but little of it will live but Wheat will live in the sharpest Winter that can come what a good Harvest had we here in England after the last great Frost alas the Wheat was not destroyed thereby but was made better the Weeds and Worms being killed which is found to hurt and annoy it oft-times Even so sincere Christians who are Christs Spiritual Wheat abide faithful under the greatest Trials Persecutions and Afflictions they can meet withal they endure the Frosts and bitter North-Winds of Tribulation and furious Storms of the Wrath of wicked men which kills the false-hearted Professor they die and wither away they can't live and maintain their seeming hope and Confidence when true Believers can a Hypocrite is but Summer Corn or rather Weeds or Tares that spring up with the Wheat tho' they look like it yet are only the product of Natural Conscience or the common Influences of the Sun or Gospel of Jesus Christ 4. An Ear of Wheat when it is near ripe doth hang down its head the Corn being full and weighty when light and empty Ears hold up theirs commonly a light and chaffy Ear stands strait upright in a lofty manner So a true gracious Christian is of an humble Spirit he hangs down his head as it were and is ashamed of his best Duties and Services seeing so great weaknesses and Infirmities to attend him he abhors himself yea loaths himself he knows he hath nothing to glory in but in the Cross of Jesus Christ he sees himself nothing Vnto me who am less than the least of all Saints is this Grace given saith Paul what an humble Person was he what a full and weighty Ear of choice Wheat was this Apostle If you see a Man or Woman proud or of an haughty and conceited Spirit being lifted up you may conclude they are but empty Ears no true Grace being in their hearts 5. Wheat hath its Chaff cleaving oft-times close to it yea it will stick and cleave so to it that it is not easily separated So it is with Christs Spiritual Wheat the filth or Chaff of internal Corruption is very subject to cleave to them and hard it is for them to get rid of it When I would do good Sin is present with me for the good I would I do not but the evil which I would not do that do I. Oh! wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of Death I am as if he should say even wearied with continual Combating I cannot get rid of this dead Body this inward Filth and Corruption the remainders of Sin
torment for a refreshment Fifthly It will be intolerable because the punishment of Hell is to satisfie Divine Justice to pay the just Debt owing to God for the breach of his holy Law true because sin is an infinite wrong and the Creature is but finite they can never pay the Debt nor make a satisfaction for the injury done to God therefore they must suffer eternally they are always a paying but can never fully pay what they owe Justice requiring the utmost farthing Nothing can surely set forth the dismalness of their torment more than this Oh take a view of Divine Wrath in the sufferings of our Blessed Saviour when he stood in our stead and was to satisfie for the Sins of all the Elect how did it bring him down prostrate to the ground and made him sweat great drops of blood and to Cry out My Soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto Death Tho' he was God as well as Man and had the Strength of the infinite Deity to support him Ah Sirs this wrath laid upon finite Creatures will sink them down to the lowest Hell and grind them to Powder Sixthly It will be Wrath-amazing and very terrible Wrath because it will seize on the Soul of the Sinner it will put the Soul into the fire The Soul hath been the chief sinner here and therefore shall be the chief sufferer in those Regions of Sorrow and how unsupportable is that Wrath which is let out on the Soul or Spirit of man you have had a taste in Spira and Child If Sirs a spark of Divine Displeasure when it falls upon the guilty Conscience tears it pieces what will be those floods of Divine Wrath poured forth in Hell on the Souls of Men and Women who can stand here whilst in this World before an Angry God or encounter with Offended Omnipotency such is the sharpness of his Sword the heaviness of his Rod when laid on by the hand of his Wrath that every stroak is deadly and no doubt Satan greatens the wounds on the Conscience he charges the guilt upon their Spirits with all the Soul-killing aggravations and strives to hide Divine Mercy and Rob the Soul of the precious Blood of Christ the only lenitive and choice balm to heal a wounded Spirit O what visions of horror what sence of fear and perplexity were presented to the distressed minds of these two miserable Creatures before mentioned the guilty Conscience turns all Joy into Sorrow all Light into Darkness the sweet Promises of the Gospel that assure of favour and pardon to believing Sinners afford no relief but are turned into arguments of Despair by reflecting on their former Iniquities and abuse of Mercies so that Christ himself they see is become their Accuser ' Whatever the wounded Sinner sees and hears saith a worthy Minister afflicts him whatever he thinks of torments him all the diversions in the World Business Pleasures Merry Conversations Comedies are as ineffectual to give him freedom from those stings and furies in his breasts as the sprinkling of holy Water is to expel the Devil from a possessed Person those who in their Pride and Jollity have despised serious Religion either as a fond Transport and Extasie or a dull Melancholly and Dejection about the Soul c. yet when God has set their sins with all their killing circumstances before their Eyes how changed how confounded are they at that apparition how restless in the dreadful expectation of the doom that attends them ' But alas alas what is internal Wrath let out on the Soul in Hell as he notes for the Aprehensions of the Soul will be enlarged and their spirits work with the quickest activity Here tho' they have no hope at present yet they know not what God may do in a moment to turn their Sorrow into Joy and their Night into Noon-day here are many things to divert their thoughts and they meet with some intermission of their horror and perplexity as Mr. Child intimated but in Hell there 's none of this Seventhly It will be intolerable misery because it shall be Torments on the Body and Soul too not on the Soul only but on both O it will be a dismal Meeting when they two old Companions meet together at the last day I mean the miserable Soul and Body of a wicked man at the Resurrection and hear the dolesom Sentence Go ye cursed Spira and Child had direful Sorrow and Anguish in their Souls but their Bodies were not much tormented they both being in a state of Health as to the outward man but the fire of Gods Wrath will extend to and seize upon the Body as well as on the Soul in that day every Faculty of the Soul and Member of the Body which have been Instruments of Sin shall then be in Pain and under fearful Torture and Misery Now the Spirit of a man may support or sustain his bodily Infirmities and Afflictions but in Hell the Spirit cannot afford any Relief to the Body because it cannot sustain its own misery both must and shall suffer Eighthly All the Perplexing Passions and Faculties will then be let out upon the wicked beyond whatever they have been here whilst in this World 1. The Conscience in a fearful manner shall torment the damned May we not conclude Conscience will terrifie them after this manner O thou Wretch what a God hast thou lost who is a most infinite suitable seasonable and a Soul-satisfying Good what a Christ art thou deprived of who died for poor Sinners how often did he knock at thy Door calling upon thee intreating thee to let him in who stood with his Arms spread open to embrace all that came to him and what a Heaven and endless Joy hast thou contemned and this for one base Lust for bruitish Pleasure for a moment for a little Earthly Profit and sinful Honour How didst thou hearken to thy vile Companions and close in with them rather than adhere to me who accused thee for thy cursed Evils thou wouldst not mind those Checks and Lashes thou hadst from me in thy Bosom did not I tell thee what thy Pride thy Lying thy Swearing thy Whoreing thy Theft thy Cheating thy Covetousness and Cruelty to the Poor or Unmercifulness thy Neglect of the means of Grace and of Gospel or Christian Duties thy Hardness of Heart thy Unbelief thy Hypocrisie and Formality would bring thee to in the End This is the gnawing Worm that dyeth not O how fearfully will Conscience terrifie and torment the Soul of the Damned then now it is Blinded Misled Deceived may be seared with a hot Iron but then it will be throughly awakened and all Vails taken off it will lay unmerciful Blows upon the Soul and make it cry yea roar and none to speak a word to allay or appease its Acclamations and its fearful Outcries You may judge of the Nature of a Tormenting Conscience in Hell by what those have sound and experienced to be
said they hear Christ's Voice i. e. the Doctrine he taught This is my beloved Son saith the Father in whom I am well pleased hear him 1. Not Moses Moses is not our Shepherd our Guide our Law-giver We are not his Disciples his Sheep No no but we are Christ's Sheep Christ's Disciples The Jews said they were Moses 's Disciples 2. They hear Christ's Voice not the Pope's not the Voice of Antichrist 3. They hear Christ's Voice not the Voice of the Light of Nature only or the teaching of Natural Conscience though 't is true they hear and follow that Light yet they know the Light that is in all Men which is in Pagans Turks and Heathens is not the Voice of Christ as he is Mediator and the great Shepherd of the Sheep 4. They hear Christ's Voice follow his Voice not the Voice of General Councils and National Synods they will no further hear any than they hear and adhere to the Voice and Doctrine of Jesus Christ 2 dly They will not receive or embrace any Capital Errors they will not hear the Voice of Strangers but keep to all the Essentials of Christ's Doctrine of the Principles of true Religion Particularly 1. They believe the Holy Scripture is of Divine Authority and that it is the only Rule of Faith and Practice 2. They stedfastly believe the Doctrine of the Blessed Trinity that there are three that bear record in Heaven the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit and that these three are one One in Essence yet three Persons or Subsistences 3. They stedfastly believe the Doctrine of Christ's Divinity or have a right Faith about the Person of Christ not doubting but that he is God by Nature the most High God coeternal and coequal with the Father and the Holy Ghost abominating the Doctrine of Arius who asserted he was not of the same Substance of the Father but rather a created Spirit the first and chief Spirit or Angel God created And the Doctrine of Socinians who affirmed He is a meer Man and had no Pre-existence before he was Conceived and Born of the Virgin They abominate that Voice or Doctrine of Eutychians who maintain that the Matter of Christ's Flesh was from Heaven or that it was a Conversion of the Deity of the second Person of the Trinity into Flesh and that he partook not of the Nature of the Virgin They abominate their Doctrine who declare that Christ doth consist of one Nature only and those who affirm that the Light that is in all Men which is but an inward Quality created of God with which the Soul of Mankind is naturally indued is the only Christ of God they know these are Strangers and the Voice of Strangers they will not hear 4. They hear and stedfastly believe and receive the Doctrine of Christ's Headship over the Church 5. The Doctrine of Satisfaction by Christ in his Expiation of Sin and of Justification by his Righteousness imputed as it is received by Faith alone without inherent Righteousness wrought in us or good Works done by us 6. The Doctrine of Regeneration the Resurrection of the Body and of the Eternal Judgment and World to come In all these Respects they hear Christ's Voice i. e. his Doctrine and in all other respects so far as they receive Light and Knowledg touching any one or all the blessed Truths and Ordinances of the Gospel Fourthly There is the Voice of Christ's Rod also which his Sheep hear The Lord's Voice crieth to the City and the Man of Wisdom shall see thy Name hear ye the Rod and who hath appointed it When Christ's Sheep will not hear as they ought the soft and sweet Voice of God's Word he speaks to them by the Voice of his Rod by Afflictions and sharp Rebukes which by his Providence he brings upon them And though others cannot hear so as to understand this Voice of Christ yet his Sheep do they see his Name and hear the Rod and know whose Voice it is and to what End 't is appointed but this I shall not insist further upon here I should now come to shew you how Christ's Sheep hear his Voice but that must be for the next time APPLICATION 1. Bless God you have Christ's Voice Christ's Word sounding in your Ears Blessed are they that know the joyful Sound for they shall walk in the Light of thy Countenance O Lord. It is not all they that hear the joyful Sound but only such that know it with an experimental Knowledg who have felt the Divine Power of it on their Souls 2. Rest not therefore upon a bare hearing of the Word of Christ take heed that the Gospel comes not to you in Word only but in Power also 3. Labour to hear the Voice of Christ's Spirit in and with the Word or you are undone for ever JOHN X. 27. My Sheep hear my Voice and they follow me DOCT. All true Believers are the Sheep and Lambs of Jesus Christ they hear his Voice and they follow him Beloved we have shewed you in what respects Believers are said to be Christ's Sheep and what is meant by his Voice which his Sheep or such who belong unto him do and will hear Thirdly I shall now proceed to the next general Head of Discourse propounded to you I am to shew you how Christ's Sheep hear his Voice his Word his Holy Doctrine They hear Christ's Voice his Word and Doctrine understandingly He that heareth the Word and understandeth it c. Some tho they hear it yet they are ignorant and know not the Nature Power and divine Excellency of it The sacred Scripture is as a sealed Book to some that are learned with Humane Arts and Sciences they see but the outside of the Book as it were and others they are ignorant Persons neither have Humane nor Divine Teachings then he opened their Vnderstandings that they might understand the Scriptures See how Christ does honour the holy Scriptures He did not open their Understanding without the Scriptures he sends them to that because they testify of him but he knew the Scripture would not sufficiently give them the knowledg of himself without the Influence and Illumination of his Spirit Sirs they hear Christ's Voice aright who are taught of God and by his Spirit to understand his Word Some Men are so far cheated by the Devil that they cry up the Light of natural Conscience and magnify that above the Holy Scripture He perswades them to cast away the Scriptures as a dead Letter in expectation of the Spirit 's Teachings whereas the Spirit teacheth by not without nor contrary to the Sacred Scripture The Word of Christ is full of Mystery its holy and sublime Doctrine is not easily understood nor can it be without the Spirit helps the Understanding In a right and saving manner it is given to Christ's Sheep to understand the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven and to others it is not given 2. Christ's Sheep
hear his Voice with Affection They like love and approve of his Word and Doctrine it is sweet to them Thy Word is very pure therefore thy Servant loveth it They know that there is no Falshood in it it is pure from all Mixture there is exact Purity and Holiness in it which makes unsanctified Persons to like it not but either disbelieve it or else despise and hate it But a godly Man loves it upon the account of its Purity in that it promotes nothing but Holiness both in Heart and Life The Word of the Lord is right and all his Works are done in Truth Therefore I esteem all thy Precepts concerning all things to be right and hate every false Way I do not reject such things that my carnal Reason cannot comprehend or such as are opposite to the Lusts and Corruptions of my Heart or worldly Interest but I approve of all things that come out of thy Mouth Some Men do not receive the Truth in the love of it and therefore are given up to believe a Lie or to strong Delusions 3. They hear Christ's Voice with Attention they hear it diligently He says Hearken diligently unto me and they with the greatest care do so Thus Mary heard Christ's Voice she gave such attention to his Word and Doctrine that she left all her secular Concerns to attend upon him though her Sister was offended with her And thus Lydia heard the Word of Christ Whose Heart the Lord opened that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul None can hear with attention but such whose Hearts the Lord doth open and none can open the Heart and cause the Soul to hear that is dead but Christ only 4. They hear Christ's Voice believingly Others hear it but do not believe it Who hath believed our Report and to whom hath the Arm of the Lord been revealed Christ saith Except a Man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God But O how few stedfastly give credit to this Doctrine certainly if Sinners did believe this but with the same Humane Faith with which they believe many other Things and Reports it would make them tremble but Christ's Sheep or all gracious Persons give full credit to whatsoever he hath said and that not only with an Humane Faith but with a Divine Faith also or Faith of the Operation of God The Man believed the Word that Jesus had spoken unto him The great Doctrine of the Gospel is a Doctrine of Faith 't is to believe He that worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the Vngodly his Faith is counted for Righteousness Mankind are generally for doing to be justified they will not be perswaded that all is done already for them and that they are only to believe and be justified but thus Christ's Sheep hear his Voice 5. Christ's Sheep hear his Voice tremblingly with great Fear holy Awe and Reverence Thus good King Josias heard the Word of God his Heart was tender and he trembled and saith the Lord To this Man will I look even to him that is poor and of a contrite Spirit and that trembleth at my Word They know it is God's Word Christ's Word who hath all Power in Heaven and Earth Who is the only Potentate King of Kings and Lord of Lords Where the Word of a King is there is Power Power goeth along with Christ's Voice to awe all their Hearts that are gracious My Heart standeth in awe of thy Word saith David 6. Christ's Sheep hear Christ's Word universally even all that he saith unto them Him shall ye hear in whatsoever he shall say unto you And those who do not thus hear this great Prophet shall be destroyed from among the People Some will hear Christ's Word which they like of but if any part of his Doctrine sutes not their carnal Hearts or Interest that they will not hear nor comply with but Believers are for hearing the hardest things that are contained in Christ's Word they approve of every thing as you heard before 7. They hear Christ's Voice with Retention they hear and keep his Word they lay it up in their Hearts as it is said of the Blessed Virgin They will not lose it and therefore with David hide Christ's Word in their Hearts 8. They hear his Voice always constantly unto the End they will attend unto his Word and Doctrine as long as they live let what will come they are not offended as the stony-ground Hearers are said to be 9. And lastly They hear Christ's Voice only his Voice and none else They will not hear the Voice of a Stranger that is they will not receive damnable Errors they know the Voice of Deceivers nor will they receive a Mixture in Doctrine nor in God's Worship they will not join Christ and Moses together Works and Faith together Christ's Righteousness and their own together Christ's Institutions and the Inventions and Traditions of Men together Quest May not Believers who are Christ's Sheep be beguiled so as to receive some capital Errors or an Error in some fundamental Point Answ 1. No doubt but they may be seduced I mean a particular Sheep or Saint may be grievously corrupted in his Judgment 2. But if a Believer be drawn away or seduced he shall if sincere if an Elect Person be restored again for it is impossible any of them should finally be deceived If it were possible they should deceive the very Elect but that cannot be Quest Why are false Teachers called Strangers Answ 1. Because a Stranger is one that we know not so a false Teacher is one that knows not Christ nor his true and saving Doctrine they are not acquainted with him are not brought into Union with Christ nor have Communion with him 2. They are Strangers to the Life and Power of true Religion and Godliness 3. The Saints also know them not they approve not of them nor of the Doctrine they preach they can discern between Truth and Error by the Anointing they have received 4. A Stranger is one that is not a constant dweller in one Place so false Prophets and false Teachers are not fixed long in one Opinion Her Ways saith Solomon are moveable speaking of the false Church or adulterous Woman many of these are one day for one thing for one Error and another day for another this shews they are false Teachers or Strangers to the Truth they know it not 5. They are called Strangers because they publish strange Doctrine Be not carried about with divers and strange Doctrines The Doctrine of Christ is one and the same being immutable can suffer no Change or Alteration but these bring in a new Doctrine not known in the Primitive Days not taught by Christ or his Apostles nor received in the purest Times of the Gospel before Corruptions crept into the Church They will not hear the Voice of Strangers or the Doctrine of false Teachers 1. Not
received the saving Graces thereof are Christ's Sheep they have his Mark these he will own and say where eâ—er he find this Seal this Man and this Woman is mine And on the other hand Now if any Man hath not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his he is none of his Sheep he hath no special Interest in him Remember the Spirit of Christ true Grace Faith Love Humility c. is the Ear-mark of Christ's Sheep 3. And why may not inward Sincerity be Christ's Mark also for that I am sure does distinguish them from all others from Hypocrites and all unsound and false-hearted Professors whatsoever 2 dly The Mark in their Foreheads is seen by all that may denote their holy Carriage Behaviour and Deportment in this World to all that behold them 1. It may shew that they hate Idolatry and all false Worship 2. It may signify their holy Conversation for Holiness is written as it were in legible Characters on all their Foreheads There is not one of Christ's Sheep without this Mark for without Holiness no Man shall see the Lord. This shews who they are and whither they are going and to what Country they do belong Sixthly Christ's Sheep follow the Footsteps of the Flock i. e. the Primitive Church in Church-Constitution Doctrine and Discipline They contend for that Faith which was once delivered to the Saints and keep the Ordinances as they were at first given forth they are for no mixture in Doctrine nor Discipline be sure before all things they keep pure the Doctrine of Justification and do not join Work and Grace together Their great care is to exalt the free Grace of God and abase the Creature accounting all their own inherent Righteousness as Dung or Dogs-meat in comparison of Christ and the Righteousness of Christ Seventhly They love to drink in pure Christal soft and gentle Streams Sheep do not love to drink of muddy rough and raging Rivers No more do Christ's Sheep He makes me to lie down in green Pastures he leadeth me beside the still Waters They will not forsake the Waters of Shiloah that run softly and drink of the proud swelling and troublesome Rivers of Babylon Tygris and Euphrates They like the Teachings of God's Spirit in the meanest Instrument tho such who are despised and contemned of Men better than the highest Elegance and lostiest Rhetorick of all the Cicero's and Plato's of the World What are the artificial Flourishes of Demosthenes or exact Method of Aristotle and Galen or all humane Curiosities or itch of Words to the Teachings of the Holy Ghost Paul spoke not in the Wisdom of this World or with the inticing Words of Man's Wisdom but in the Demonstration of the Spirit and with Power These Waters Believers chuse and love to drink of I am afraid some Men are more nice in studying Words than Matter to affect the Ear rather than to work upon the Heart of their Hearers Though Humane Learning is not to be despised yet no doubt Dr. Carlton was in the right That a Lay-man that has the Spirit of God is better able to judg of spiritual Things than a Man in Ecclesiastical Function destitute of the Spirit of God Infelix est sapientia extra Verbum Dei sapere saith Justin Martyr Our Annotators say well viz. 1. Ministers ought to speak Intelligibly so as the People may understand 2. That they speak gravely and decently all other study of Words and Phrases in a Divine say they is but Folly and Vanity Eighthly and Lastly Christ's Sheep do relie upon the Care and Faithfulness of their Shepherd They know on whom they have believed and can and do venture their Souls on him knowing he will keep that which they have committed to his Charge They depend on Christ rest on Christ believe in Christ relie on his Word and Promises for all things they need They can say with David The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want neither any thing for this Life which is really necessary nor for the Life which is to come They leave the Alimighty to chuse for them knowing they are not competent Judges as touching what is best for themselves Though he slay me saith Job yet will I trust in him Let God do what he will with me yet I will rest upon him my hope shall be in him and I will not be offended if I have Poverty Sickness Persecution Reproaches or whatsoever else I know saith a true Christian God sees it good for me and I will not murmur nor complain APPLICATION 1. We may infer from hence that Christ hath but a few Sheep but a few Followers O what a small Number have these Characters upon them 2. It may be for Lamentation Cyprian brings in the Devil triumphing over Jesus Christ after this sort As for my Followers I never died for them as Christ did for his I never promised them so great Rewards as Christ hath done to his and yet I have more Followers than he and they do more for me than his do for him O how blind and deceived are poor Sinners that they chuse to follow Satan rather Jesus Christ What a great Multitude hath the Devil his Flock is a mighty Flock Christ's Flock is a little Flock Fear not little Flock it is your Father's good Pleasure to give you a Kingdom Every Saint shall have a Kingdom a Crown this is Christ's Promise to all his Sheep and yet how few are they that cleave to him that believe in him and follow him 3. By what you have heard you may try your selves O see have you these Characters these Marks of Christ's Sheep certainly if so you have no cause to doubt but your State is happy if not labour for them 4. The way to be one of Christ's Sheep is to believe and to pass under the New Birth JOHN X. 27. My Sheep hear my Voice and I know them and they follow me THE last Day I shewed you who are the Sheep of Jesus Christ by giving you the several Characters and Marks of them Sixthly I shall now proceed to the last General Head viz. 1. Shew you What a kind of Shepherd Christ is 2. What those Pastures are where he feeds them 3. What a Fold he hath for his Sheep First Jesus Christ is a chosen Shepherd No Man hath a right to be a Shepherd but he that is first chosen by the Owner of the Sheep Christ is called the Elect of God My Servant whom I have chosen Again Behold my Servant whom I uphold mine Elect in whom my Soul delighteth He was fore-ordained in the Decree Design and Purpose of God to be our Redeemer and as a Shepherd to take care of feed heal nay to die for the Sheep Secondly And as he was chosen so he was called also to this Work and Office For as the Apostle speaks concerning Christ's Priesthood or touching that Office so I may say
of this No Man taketh this Honour unto himself but he that is called of God as was Aaron He did not intrude himself upon this Service but he had a lawful Call unto it the Father called him and sent him into the World to keep feed and save his Sheep This shews the wonderful Love of the Father he is the first and principal Author of our Salvation All things are of God who hath reconciled us unto himself by Jesus Christ All the spiritual Blessings we have by Christ spring from the Father the Father is held forth as the first Cause first Mover and Contriver of all spiritual Mercies for us The Father also fitted and qualified him or put him into a Capacity to accomplish this Work and Office he prepared him a Body that so he might die for his Sheep Thirdly Jesus Christ is a kind loving and compassionate Shepherd What Shepherd ever loved his Sheep as Christ loved his The greatness of his Love bowels of Affection and Compassion appears 1. By his coming so far as 't is from Heaven to the Earth to seek them For the Son of Man is come to save that which was lost Luke reads it To seek and to save that which was lost My People have been lost Sheep Jer. 50. 6. 1. We were all lost in the first Adam not one Sheep but was lost and had not Christ came to seek and save us we had been all lost for ever 2. We were all lost not only by Original but also by our own actual Sin All we like Sheep have gone astray we have turned every one of us to his own evil way We were all gone out of the way gone far from God and without all hope or possibility of returning had not Christ came to seek us For we were all as Sheep going astray but are now returned to the Shepherd and Bishop of our Souls 3. They also by the Grace of God at length came to see that they were lost they are lost in themselves and in their own sight Jesus sent forth and commanded them saying Go not in the way of the Gentiles c. but go rather to the lost Sheep of the House of Israel The whole House of Israel was lost but there were but a few of them that saw their lost State 2. The Bowels and Compassion of Christ to his Sheep chiefly appears by his dying for them He laid down his Life for the Sheep none could shew greater Love than this As the Father knoweth me even so I know the Father and I lay down my Life for the Sheep 3. His great Love and Affection to his Sheep is manifested by his care to gather them He shall gather the Lambs with his Arms and carry them in his Bosom Gathering implies bringing them Home unto himself by the Arm of his Power or by the effectual Operation of his Word and Spirit To whom hath the Arm of the Lord been revealed Or who hath felt and experienced the powerful Influences of his Spirit and saving Grace thereof on their Souls This must be before any poor Sinners are gathered or brought home to God Jesus Christ must rescue them out of the Mouth of the Lion and Paw of the Bear as David did his Sheep who was a Type of him We were all once in Satan's Hand that hungry Lion had us in his Teeth and was going to tear us to pieces but then comes our Blessed Shepherd and delivers us None but he whose Power is Infinite could gather us or bring us home to God such a miserable State were we in 4. Christ's Love is further expressed by that affecting Metaphor Luke 15. 6. He goes after the lost Sheep leaveth the rest in the Wilderness and never gives over until he hath found it And when he hath found it he layeth it on his Shoulders rejoicing O my Friends how great is the Love of Christ to one poor lost and undone Sinner He will not lose one that his Father hath given him No no though it be but one individual Soul that is missing yet he will go after that seek that leave all the rest to look after that one poor Sheep and when he has found it he sees it cannot go it has no strength therefore he lays it upon his Shoulders Sinners Christ must lay hold of you and take you up and lay you on his Shoulders and carry you home if ever you are saved It is upon Christ's Shoulders Christ's Power that every Elect Soul is brought home 't is not on the Power of their Will their Strength their Faith no but on Christ's Shoulders Moreover it is said He rejoiced and calls upon all his Friends the blessed Angels and Saints to rejoice with him for I have found my lost Sheep This shews his wonderful Love to poor undone and lost Sinners that are his Sheep whatever it costs him whatever Pains Labour or Charge home he will bring them saved they must and shall be I have other Sheep saith he that are not of this Fold them also I must bring and they shall hear my Voice 5. His Love to his Sheep to his Saints also appears in his laying them in his Bosom in his Heart O how near and dear is every believing Soul to Jesus Christ It 's a Metaphor taken from a Father or tender Mother that hugs an only Child in his or her Arms and lays it in their Bosom knowing not how to express the Greatness of their Affections Christ himself is said to lie in the Bosom of the Father which denotes how he is beloved by him how near and dear he is to him Even so this discovers his great Affections to his People 6. He also makes his Love manifest to them by his gentle leading of them He shall gently lead them that are with young He will not lead them faster than they are able to go or lay more upon them than they can bear nay he gives Strength to them and supports their Souls under all their Troubles and Sorrows Jacob was a compassionate Shepherd If I over-drive them saith he all the Flock will die Christ had many things to tell his Disciples but they were not able to bear them He lets out or discovers his precious Truth to his People according as he knows they are able to receive it and take it in You shall not have harder Things Trials Temptations nor Afflictions than your strength is There hath no Temptation taken you but what is common to Man and God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above what you are able but will with the Temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it 7. His infinite Love and Bowels are made known also to his Sheep by his feeding them as well as it is by his leading them He feeds them with choice Food he gives them his own Flesh to eat and his own
Field watching over their Flock by night c. Christ knows his Sheep are subject to sleep and so lie open to many Dangers therefore he watches over them He is always awake he that keeps Israel neither slumbereth nor sleepeth He will not suffer thy Foot to be removed he that keepeth thee will not slumber Behold he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep The Lord is thy Keeper thy Shade upon thy right Hand The Sheep of Christ are in danger by Sin by Satan by Temptation by Wolves by a deceitful Heart by inward Corruption by false and self-seeking Teachers whose Design is to make a Prey of his Flock therefore he watches them like a Vineyard of red Wine I the Lord do keep it I will water it every moment lest any hurt it I will keep it Night and Day I will as if he should say protect my Church my Vineyard my Flock from all Assaults of its Enemies neither Men nor Devils shall spoil ruin or hurt my People And that he may secure his Flock 1. He discovers by his Word the Subtilty Craft and Devices of their Enemies and their Danger thereby 2. By his Spirit also through its quickning Operations he awakens them when their Enemies are upon them and that shews he is a watchful and a wakeful Shepherd 3. He also by his Providences shews he is awake and strives to awaken his People also And this he doth several manner of ways 1. By Wars Perplexities and Distress of Nations 2. By Famine and Pestilence 3. By strange Signs Prodigies and fearful Earthquakes in divers Places 4. By the awakning Providence of sudden and unusual Deaths snatching away one Man here and another there to keep the rest awake 5. By letting out Symptoms of his Displeasure by distressing the Consciences of some by fearful Horror and Desperation as in Spira and Child's Cases to awaken others and to deter them from like Evils 6. He also imploys his Ministers to rouse them up they as his Substitutes are made Watchmen to give his People his Saints his Flock warning of approaching Dangers 2 dly Christ knows that his Flock is not only subject to sleep but also to go astray and therefore he watcheth over them 1. Because he sees our Enemies watch against us to ensnare to catch and to ruin us Deliver thy self as a Roe from the Hand of the Hunter and as a Bird from the Hand of the Fowler Satan is a subtil Fowler a crafty Enemy and is also clothed with great Power He is compared to a Serpent to shew his Subtilty and to a Lion which denotes his Strength and devouring Nature 2. Jesus Christ watches his Sheep that he may give them those Mercies they need in the proper season of them He knows when and how to give us that Good he himself hath promised Sometimes he watches over his People to chasten to afflict and punish them with the Rod when he sees there is need of it He lets out his Dog as I may so say like as a Shepherd doth upon unruly Sheep when his Calls will not do will not reclaim them and reduce them to an orderly and diligent walk But then at another time he watches over them to bestow his Favours and Blessing upon them And it shall come to pass that like as I have watched over them to pluck up and to break down and to overthrow and to destroy and to afflict so will I watch over them to build and to plant saith the Lord. Though there is no Change in God but he doth all things according to the Counsel of his own Will and Eternal Purpose yet there is a Change of his providential Dispensations God here speaks after the manner of Men and as he is diligent to afflict for Disobedience so he is likewise as diligent upon a Reformation to distribute his Blessings when he sees it will make for his Glory and his Peoples Good Seventhly and lastly Christ is a living Shepherd Other Shepherds die and leave their Sheep and know not what Evil may befal them after their departure But Jesus Christ never dies I am he that was dead and am alive and behold I live for evermore He ever lives to feed to heal guide protect and save his People He ever lives to make Intercession for us In this doth the Safety Happiness and Comfort of Believers lie Christ is always the same he changes not and is such a Shepherd that his Sheep cannot lose Death hath no more power over him Death cannot deprive them of this Shepherd 1. O happy Saints blessed Sheep O love your Shepherd trust in your Shepherd say with David The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want 2. Be ruled led and guided by your Shepherd and be content with that Pasture into which he hath put you and with such Commons he is pleased to afford you 3. How doth this reprehend such who repine murmur and are carried away with slavish and distrustful Fear O what a shame is it to be afraid when you have such a Friend such a Keeper such a Shepherd to protect feed and keep you But to proceed Secondly What Pastures doth Christ feed his Sheep in What or which are his Pastures First I answer His Word this is one of his Pastures and a fat one it is yea a most choice and rich Pasture here is precious feeding Some like David can relish God's Word and find it sweeter than Honey How sweet are thy Words unto my taste yea sweeter than Honey to my Mouth The Study Meditation and Obedience of God's Word yields more Satisfaction Joy and Delight than any worldly Men find in their earthly Profits or sensual Pleasures If you cannot find it thus it is because you have lost your spiritual Appetites you do not hunger after heavenly Food nor see the Worth nor Want of it Thy Words saith Jeremiah were found and I did eat them and thy Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my Heart Beloved there is a two-fold tasting of the Word 1. Some taste it but digest it not they have an Apprehension and bear Reception of it and no more The news of a Saviour and deliverance from Wrath seems desirable to them they like the Promises of the Word and flatter themselves with a false Hope of Pardon by giving a bare Credit to the Truth of the Gospel in the declaration of it 2. But there is a farther and better tasting than this a tasting by a special Application and a saving relishing of the Word of God and not the promissory Part only but the preceptory Part thereof also These like and love the Word because of the Purity of it Others have a common but not a special Faith the Jews seemed to rejoice in John's Doctrine but did not receive it into their Understanding and sincerely subject to the Life and Power of it 1. The Word of God feeds the Souls of Believers with
as to be forsaken it cannot intend any kind of asking or begging for David himself desired and received Relief from others Nothing doth more clearly relieve and feed our Souls under Trouble and Distress than those Experiences we have formerly had of God's special Providence and Goodness to us or how he helped his People in their Extremities in the days of old O my God my Soul is cast down within me therefore I will remember thee from the Land of Jordan and of the Hermonites from the Hill Mizar He would call to mind how God had helped him formerly when pursued by Saul or distressed by Absalom and the way his drooping Spirits were revived He that delivered me saith he from the Paw of the Bear and Paw of the Lion will deliver me from this uncircumcised Philistine All Power is given into Christ's Hand he is the great disposer of all things therefore be sure he will order every thing for the Good of his Church If not a Hair of our Heads shall fall without the Providence of God we may conclude he will be concerned for us in greater Matters And if he provide for Sparrows he will provide and take care of his own Children The Covenant of Grace the Love of Christ and that Relation we stand in to him must needs give us ground to believe he will in his most wise Providence order all things for our Good besides the express Promises he hath made upon that Account Doth he hold us in his Hand carry us in his Bosom nay engrave us on his Heart and will he forsake us O this cannot be Hath he took the Charge of his Sheep and will he leave them to Lions or Wolves to be torn to pieces Or shall Sin or the Devil pull Limb from Limb and he look on But I must not further enlarge here Quest What is the Nature of that Food which Jesus Christ feeds his Sheep with 1. I answer in the Negative It is not surfeiting Food some Pastures are naught they will rot the Sheep but Christ feeds not his People in such Pastures 2. 'T is not forbidden Food he hath prohibited us to follow a Multitude to do Evil to walk in the Way of the Heathen or after the Course of this World or according to the former Lusts in our Ignorance and not to touch taste nor handle of the Traditions and Doctrines of Men but he allows us his own Word and Ordinances 1. 'T is costly Food Pastures that were purchased by our Shepherd at a dear Price 2. 'T is sweet and pleasant Food More to be desired than Gold yea than much fine Gold sweeter also than Honey or the Honey-comb 3. 'T is Soul-satisfying Food he satisfies every hungry Soul I will abundantly bless her Provision and satisfy her Poor with Bread Wicked Men eat that which satisfies not what is all the Trash of this World but meer Husks Ashes and Gravel-stones 4. 'T is strengthning Food it strengthens the Soul and strengthens the Graces of the Spirit in the Soul 5. 'T is chearing comforting and reviving Food as I might shew you but must not enlarge 6. 'T is living Food 't is Bread of Life such who feed on it shall never die it gives Life and it continues and encreases Life and will feed the Soul up unto everlasting Life 7. It is Soul-fatning Food Eat you that which is good and let your Soul delight it self in fatness O this Food these Gospel-Pastures fatten the Soul when they meet with God enjoy God in his Ordinances when they have Communion with him and when they find their Sins and Corruptions wither and die and Grace grow and flourish in their Souls ' when they thrive in Holiness in Faith Love Patience and Humility c. Quest What is Christ's Fold Answ He hath a twofold Fold 1. His Church is his Fold Christ built it himself and it is a Fold the Enemy cannot destroy he hath set it upon a Rock 2. Heaven is Christ's Fold Quest What is the Fence of Christ's Fold or Church here on Earth Answ I answer It is threefold 1. The Fence may be said to be that Holy and Primitive Constitution Order and Ordinances which Christ hath appointed 2. That Sacred Covenant Believers enter into when they are admitted Members 3. The Holy Discipline Order and Government Christ hath ordained and left in the Gospel APPLICATION We infer from hence that Believers are in a most happy Condition they having such a Shepherd and such Pastures to feed in Which will further appear if we consider these things following 1. They are Pastures that will feed Multitudes nay they cannot be over-stock'd Christ's Pastures cannot be eaten up 2. Christ's Pastures are always Good always Rich as good in Winter as Summer and so are not other Pastures 3. So well fenced about that the Walls cannot by Men nor Devils be broken down God secures his People and Gospel by his own Almighty Power and Providence he is a Wall of Fire round about besides his Angels encamp about them that fear him also 4. Christ's Pastures have most precious Water in them There is a River that makes glad the City of God c. He feeds me in green Pastures and leads me besides the still Waters The Holy Spirit and Graces of the Spirit may be here intended 1. Water hath a cooling Nature it allays Thirst so these Waters cool the Fire of Lust and every evil Passion and allay that inordinate Thirst after the things of this World 2. Some Waters are of a purging Quality these Waters also purge the Soul of all evil and nauseous Humours 3. Water makes fruitful it makes Pastures fruitful and the Sheep also So these Sacred Waters make the Word and Ordinances fruitful and the Saints fruitful likewise 4. Waters soften so these Waters soften the Heart and make it tender 5. Waters have a cleansing Virtue So have these Divine Waters the Spirit and Graces of the Spirit cleanse the Soul of all Filth and Pollution of Flesh and Spirit 6. Water hath a healing Property The Spiritual Waters heal they are beyond all Waters exceed all Waters For 1. These Waters never fail other Waters may be dried up He that drinks of the Water I shall give him shall never thirst but the Waters that I shall give him shall be in him a Well of living Water springing up unto Everlasting Life 2. These are Waters of Life he that receives the Holy Spirit shall live for ever 3. These are still Waters not rough boisterous Streams they may be called still Waters in respect of their Effects 1. They will keep such that drink of them in God's Bounds and cause them to rest in quiet where he hath placed them 2. They make a still and quiet Soul a still and quiet Family a still and quiet Church when all drink of these Waters nay a still and quiet Nation they allay all Feuds and undue Heats among Christians that
so he hath now According as he hath chosen us in him before the Foundation of the World that we should be holy and without blame before him in Love Vs as such and such particular Persons not such of such and such Qualification viz. as being Believers obedient and holy Persons No no but that they might believe c. Election will produce Faith it is because they are elected that they do believe But ye believe not because ye are not of my Sheep as I said unto you that is not such as were ordained to believe and ordained to Eternal Life And as many as were ordained unto Eternal Life believed As it was hinted before Christ hath elect Persons or Sheep that yet believe not I have much People saith he to Paul in this City Unto these Testimonies I shall add one or two more as that of Paul touching the Saints at Thessalonica Knowing Brethren beloved your Election For our Gospel came not to you in VVord only but also in Power and in the Holy Ghost c. By the evident Operations of God's Spirit the Apostle knew they were elected We cannot know our Election but by special Vocation or as it is manifest in the Fruits and Effects of it There is a Knowledg of Things as our Annotators note on this place à priori when we argue from the Cause to the Effect So à posteriori when we argue from the Effect to the Cause Now what is Election but a chusing some out of others Thus the Angels that stand were elected and the rest were left to the Power they had or passed by or reprobated Peter also confirms the Doctrine of personal Election calling the Persons to whom he wrote his Epistle Elect according to the foreknowledg of God or his Eternal Purpose and therefore were separated unto God by special Grace or effectual Calling through sanctification of the Spirit to Obedience c. The Father Son and Holy Ghost are concerned in our Salvation the Father elects this is principally ascribed to the first Person in the Godhead the Son purchaseth he redeems and the Holy Spirit renews calls and sanctifies Now the Purchase of the Son extends no further than the Election of the Father nor the Sanctification of the Spirit further than the Purchase or Redemption of the Son Sanctification here takes in the whole Work of the Holy Spirit in Regeneration and actual Holiness to the final sitting and making the Soul meet for the Eternal Inheritance So much shall serve to prove that there is an Election of particular Persons Object But may be some will Object If this be so what need any Man concern himself about his Salvation as to seek it or labour after it for if he be elected he shall be saved but if not let him do what he can he cannot be saved he cannot frustrate God's Decree nor alter the thing that is gone out of his Mouth Answ 1. I answer All Mankind are under the strongest Obligation imaginable to God as he is their Creator and they his Creatures as he is their only Lord and Supreme Governour they are bound to fear him and obey his Laws let him do what he will with them Is not that a base and for did Principle in a Servant or Subject to do nothing but for meer Self-profit and Advantage 2. Paul was certain of a Crown of Life yet knew it was his Duty to press towards the Mark for the Prize of the High Calling of God in Christ Jesus and to keep down his Body He strove as strenuously against Sin as if Salvation could be merited by so doing so that his Election took him not off from a diligent Care in use of Means in order to his attaining to Eternal Happiness 3. God hath as well ordained the Means as the End as I newly told you both are appointed of God and equally under his absolute Decree Men are not elected to Salvation but also to Sanctification and Holiness 4. We are not to look upon the Decree of God as a Reverend Minister well observes for a Rule of Life but the Word of the Gospel secret things belong to God c. The Decree can neither be a Rule of Life nor Ground of Hope but the Precept and the Promise c. He that leads an ungodly Life and pursues his filthy Lusts may assure himself so living and dying he shall be damned for ever He that believes not in Christ but rejects him and despiseth all the Offers of his Grace to the End of his Life no Decree can save him therefore if he will go on in Sin presumptuously let him take what will follow On the other hand he that doth believe in Christ and conforms to the Holy Gospel need not doubt of Salvation no Decree can hinder him of Salvation Men ought to endeavour to believe and repent and close with Christ upon a Peradventure If God peradventure will give them Repentance to the acknowledgment of the Truth 5. Because God hath absolutely determined the Time of thy Life or how long thou shalt live And there it a Time thou canst not pass Wilt thou therefore forbear eating or use of Physick to preserve thy Life and say If I eat not I shall live my appointed Time What signify Means of Medicines I will take no Physick no Potion for it the Time is come God hath set in his Eternal Decree I shall die nothing can save my Life Would not all think you were under a fearful Temptation and Delusion of the Devil 6. Did not God absolutely tell Paul that he had given him the Lives of all that were with him in the Ship and that none of them should perish Yet he said Vnless these abide in the Ship ye cannot be saved Whosoever therefore that doth neglect the Means God hath appointed in order to the obtaining the End let it be what it will doth but tempt God and comply with the Devil let his Pretence be what it will 7. No Decree of God necessitates Men to sin for though the Free Grace of God is the absolute Cause of Election and no foreseen Faith or Holiness yet foreseen Wickedness Unbelief and Disobedience is the procuring Cause of the Reprobation and of the Damnation of them that perish O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self but in me is thy help 8. Were any ever damned that did what they could in the use of all Means under the Light of the Gospel to be saved Brethren God may justly and will condemn Men for their not improving their one Talent Nor will it be a good Plea for such to say I knew thou were an hard Man reaping where thou hast not sown c. Thus some Men seem to charge God I am not Elected There is an Election of Grace of special and distinguishing Grace and Man hath no Power in his own Will and God doth not give me Power to believe and
faithfully bestowed upon them of which final Perseverance in Grace and Holiness is none of the least Christ's Will runs none of them shall perish and it is the Father's Will that none that he hath given to his Son should be lost Now the Spirit of God cannot fail it is his Work to regenerate sanctify and preserve and to make meet all the Saints of God for the Eternal Inheritance therefore they cannot perish 6 thly The Covenant is firm and sure and doth secure all Christ's Sheep unto Eternal Life appears further because it is confirmed by the highest Witnesses in Heaven and Earth 1. The Father 2. the Son 3. the Holy Spirit and all those wonderful Miracles that were wrought this was one End of that mighty Testimony viz. That all the Father hath given to Christ or all that believe in him may assuredly know they shall not perish but have Everlasting Life 7 thly This Covenant makes all the Blessings thereof sure to all Believers because it is confirmed and ratified by the Blood of the Testator Jesus Christ That Covenant that is confirm'd and ratified by Christ's Blood must needs be sure to all the Seed and secure all Blessings in it to them We have also as a Sign and Token of this Confirmation of the New Covenant the Ordinance of the Lord's Supper This is the Blood of the New Covenant that is shed for you to make Peace for you to procure Justification Reconciliation pardon of Sin and Eternal Life for you it is sealed to you by the Spirit through my Blood take eat this and drink this in token of it as an Assurance of it 8 thly The Covenant of Grace doth secure the standing of Christ's Sheep or preserve all Believers to Everlasting Life because of the Promise and Oath of God We have 1. The Promise of God to Christ He shall see his Seed And again His Seed shall endure for ever How can that be if any one that is begotten by Christ's Word and Spirit may perish 2. The Promises also are as made to us in Christ This was Abraham's Title to the Blessings of the Covenant To Abraham and to his Seed were the Promises made that is to Christ and to all Believers in Christ For all the Promises of God in Jesus Christ are not Yea and Nay but Yea and Amen to the Glory of God the Father From the Father through the Merits of Christ and the Application of the Holy Spirit Nay God that cannot lie promised them to us in Christ before all Worlds See Paul In hope of Eternal Life which God that cannot lie promised before the World began If Believers do perish what will become of the Promises of God nay of the Oath of God For when God made Promise to Abraham because he could swear by no greater he swore by himself c. Wherein God willing more abundantly to shew unto the Heirs of Promise the immutability of his Counsel confirmed it by an Oath That by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie we might have strong Consolation who have fled for Refuge to lay hold on the Hope set before us This Promise and Oath of God doth respect the Salvation of all the Elect or all that are Believers who are the Heirs of the Promises O let any take heed how they affirm that any one of these may perish since God's Oath is passed that they shall not and 't is to this end that all of them might have strong Consolation 9 thly I might proceed to shew you that the Covenant of Grace does preserve all the Sheep of Christ to Eternal Life and shews us that it is impossible that any of them should so fall away as eternally to perish because they in this Covenant have received the Earnest of the Inheritance and by the same Spirit it is sealed to them also But I shall pass by that having elsewhere spoken fully to it 10 thly and Lastly This Covenant prevents the Saints final falling because it is an absolute Covenant which can never be broken but stands as firm as their Eternal Rock See what the Prophet speaks 't is as absolute as the Covenant God made with Noah For this is as the Water of Noah unto me for as I have sworn the Waters of Noah shall no more go over the Earth so I have sworn that I will not be wroth with thee nor rebuke thee For the Mountains shall depart and the Hills be removed but my loving Kindness shall not depart from thee neither mark it the Covenant of my Peace be removed saith the Lord that hath Mercy on thee And now this Covenant is made with every Sheep and Lamb of Jesus Christ as it appears by what the same Prophet speaks Incline your Ear and come unto me hear and your Souls shall live and I will make an Everlasting Covenant with you even the sure Mercies of David that is then you shall be brought actually into the Bonds of this Covenant which is the Work of the Spirit for who else can make the Dead to hear and live So this Covenant secures you to Eternal Life Let me sum up the whole of this Argument 1. If the New Covenant be a Covenant of Grace and not of Works if it be not according to the first Covenant that was made with Adam but of a quite contrary Nature 2. If it be made with Christ for all his Elect and in him with them before the World began 3. If Christ is the Surety of the Covenant and hath ingaged or obliged himself in this Covenant to the Father to perform all the federal Conditions proposed to him and undertaken by him on their behalf namely to work out perfect Righteousness according as the Law requires of all that can be justified with God and to die in their room to satisfy for their Breach of the Law and to quicken renew sanctify and preserve them all unto Eternal Life 4. If it be an everlasting Covenant well ordered in all things and sure for the Salvation of all that are given unto him it being made upon the unchangeable Decree and Counsel of God 5. If the Execution of all things that are required of Believers in order to their Interest in this Covenant and their perseverance to the End be put into the Hands of the Holy Ghost to work in them and for them 6. If the Covenant is confirmed by such infallible Witness if it be ratified and confirmed by the Blood of Christ 7. If it is also confirmed by God's Promise and Holy Oath 8. If the Earnest of Salvation is given to them 9. And they are sealed unto the Day of Redemption by the Holy Spirit 10. And if 't is an absolute Covenant like that of Noah Then they all and every one of them shall certainly be saved and none of them can fall away so as eternally to perish But all this is true and evidently so therefore
they shall all be saved No more at this Time JOHN X. 28. And I give unto them Eternal Life and they shall never perish neither shall any pluck them out of my Hand BRETHREN I am upon the Proof and Demonstration of the Doctrine which I raised from our Text viz. That none of the Sheep of Christ or Saints of God can so fall away as eternally to perish The last time I spoke to the fourth Argument which was taken from the Nature of the Covenant of Grace I shall proceed to the next Argument Fifthly They who are the Sheep of Christ Believers in Christ or his Elect Ones cannot finally fall away because they are the Children of God begotten of God and born of God Two things I shall do in prosecuting this Argument First Prove that all Believers are begotten and born of God Secondly Shew you how it doth appear from hence that they can never finally fall away and eternally perish First That they are begotten of God appears from several Scriptures Of his own Will beg at he us with the Word of Truth c. Meerly by his own Grace as the original Cause with the Word by the Spirit as the instrumental Means Spiritual Generation is the Work of God the Product of the Will of God and not of the Will of Man Which were born not of Blood nor of the Will of the Flesh nor of the Will of Man but of God Not of Blood as in natural Generation or not of the Blood of Abraham Grace and Regeneration being not the Product of the State or Faith of believing Parents This was the carnal Boast of the Jews We have Abraham to our Father Not of the Power of Man's Will that cannot produce the New Creature in himself nor in a Child or Brother If it was in the Power of a godly Man or godly Minister to convert or to regenerate his Child his Wife or his Brother would he let them perish But alas alas this is out of Man's reach out of his Power he cannot renew himself A Child may as easily beget it self in the Womb before it self was as a Man can form Christ in his own Soul or regenerate himself 't is God that doth it the Holy Spirit begets us Except a Man be born of Water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God and every one that loveth him that begetteth loveth him also that is begotten of him Whosoever hath that efficacious Soul uniting Soul transforming Soul renewing Sin-killing Grace of Faith is born of God 'T is not a bare believing Jesus is the Christ no but such a Faith that works by Love or the Faith of God's Elect For ye are all the Children of God by Faith in Jesus Christ Faith saving Faith the Faith of the Operation of God produceth this glorious Effect through the Spirit in the Soul From all which Scriptures it evidently appears that all Believers all the Saints are the Children of God begotten and born of God Quest Well what of this some perhaps may say How doth this prove they cannot fall away so as to perish 2 dly I answer This is my second Work and you will soon see how forcible the Argument is from hence to prove that none of them can perish See what our Blessed Saviour saith That which is born of the Flesh is Flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit That which is born of corrupt Nature or is the Product of the Flesh is Flesh or of the same Nature of that which did beget it As it is said of Adam he begat a Son in his own likeness that is a depraved sinful and mortal Child The Flesh bringeth forth Effects proportionable to the Cause 'T is thus in the first Birth But if by Flesh you will have our Saviour intend the product of Man's natural Abilities or the Effects of the highest Improvements of his natural Light Understanding Will c. why then it follows still that a Man purely natural can produce nothing but natural Operations for nothing in operation exceedeth the Virtue or Excellency of that Cause which influenceth it So that no Man can by his Abilities however improved produce any divine or spiritual Operation and this shews that Man must be born of the Spirit that becomes or is made truly spiritual and sit for the Kingdom of Heaven And saith our Saviour what is born of the Spirit is Spirit or is of the same Nature with the Holy Spirit that is Spiritual Holy Immortal since every Creature begetteth its own Nature Qualities and Image Such as is the Cause such is the Effect Thus it is in Generation and thus it is in Regeneration it must be from a Divine from a spiritual Cause and not a Natural that the Image of God is formed in the Soul The Flesh cannot bring forth an Heavenly Babe Can Corruption produce or be the Cause of Regeneration Can a Worm or an Ant bring forth a Man sooner than Flesh Or can any Man under Heaven beget or form and bring forth the New Creature in the Soul which is called the forming of Christ or the Image of God in us But now pray consider that such as is the Nature or Quality of the Begetter such is the Nature of that which is begotten of him therefore since the New Creature is begotten by the Holy Spirit it must partake of the Nature of the Spirit Christ saith it is Spirit it is spiritual immortal or incorruptible Hence the Apostle Peter saith Believers partake of the Divine Nature Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious Promises that by these we might be partakers of the Divine Nature Every Child of God is begotten by the Spirit through the Promise as Isaac was I will come and Sarah shall have a Son Compare this with that in 1 Pet. 1. 23. Being born again not of corruptible Seed but of incorruptible by the Word of God that liveth and abideth for ever Pray observe it which liveth and abideth for ever Mortal Seed in Generation begetteth and bringeth forth a mortal Babe a corruptible Child but the Word and Spirit of God begetteth and bringeth forth an immortal or an incorruptible Babe Such is the Babe of Grace or Child of God I speak of the New Creature or the regenerated Part in Man From hence let me draw this Argument viz. Arg. 1. That which is begotten and born of and is brought forth by the Spirit of God or of immortal and incorruptible Seed is an immortal or incorruptible Babe But the New Creature in the Soul of the Regenerate is begotten and born of or brought forth by the Spirit of God therefore the New Creature in the Soul of the Regenerate is an immortal or an incorruptible Babe Now if it be immortal or incorruptible it can never die but liveth and abideth for ever and
nothing it is not such eating as the Idolatrous Papists dream of it is by the Holy Spirit by the indwelling of the quickning Spirit whereby we have a real participation of Christ He is in us by his Spirit as a Vital Principle changing our Hearts and working in us his own Holy Image infusing Gracious Dispositions and Sacred Habits in the Soul and we are in him by Faith in a gracious hidden and mystical manner and this Union cannot be dissolved Secondly This Union must needs be most intimate near and strong if we consider by what Metaphors it is set forth in God's Word 1. It is a Marriage-Union like as a Man and his Wife are said to be one Flesh so he that is joined to the Lord is one Spirit No Man ever hated his own Flesh but nourished and cherished it as the Lord the Church He that loveth his Wife loveth himself a Man and his Wife is but one Mystical Self and what is in Nature as to the Perfection of it is much more eminently in Christ Now since God hath fitted to our Nature a Care of our Body this Care be sure is much more in Christ when the Apostle shews what the Love of the Husband should be unto the Wife and that a Man leaves both Father and Mother and cleaveth to his Wife and they two shall be one Flesh Saith he This is a great Mystery but I speak concerning Christ and his Church or of Christ and every believing Soul The Union between Husband and Wife is near ay but Death dissolves this Union because they can be united or be one no longer than both live But Christ lives for ever and the Soul of a Believer lives for ever Nay Believers have Eternal Life in them and they shall never die therefore it follows this Union abides for ever He hath betrothed his Saints his Spouse unto himself for ever And can any then dissolve this Marriage-Contract and Conjugal Union Is Christ able to preserve his Souse or the Soul that is united unto him Is it in the Power of his Hands Pray Brethren consider it well Will any of you that have a Spouse a Wife that you dearly love suffer her to be torn into pieces and basely murdered before your Eyes if you could prevent it And do any think that Christ who hath all Power in Heaven and Earth Power over Sin the World the Devil yea over Hell and Death will he I say ever suffer his Spouse to be destroyed and murdered by Sin World or Devil Strange did he die for her and has he married her and made her one Spirit with himself and will he leave her to conflict to fight and war with an Enemy that he knows is too strong and mighty for her and not come in rush in to her assistance to save and rescue her from such bloody cruel and barbarous Enemies No doubt but he will rise up with Indignation and Jealousy to save every Soul that is so related and united to him Thirdly This Spiritual Union between Christ and every believing Soul is set forth by that near and intimate Union which there is between the Natural Body and every Member thereof The Head and Members make but one Body even so Christ is the Head of his Saints and they being many are all Members of that one Body Christ and all Believers make but one Mystical Christ Even as the Body is one and hath many Members and all the Members of that one Body being many are one Body so is Christ that is Christ Mystical Now this Relation of Head and Members I say holds forth this Spiritual Union between Christ and every Believer We are Members of his Body of his Flesh and of his Bone And it is from their Head Jesus Christ that every Member receives Divine and Saving Influences of Life Strength Government and Guidance as the Apostle shews From whom the whole Body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every Joint supplieth according to the effectual working in the measure of every part maketh encrease of the Body unto the edifying of it self in Love Our Union with Christ brings us into a fixed Settlement and secures us from all Fears or danger of miscarrying let all Enemies do what they can Can the Members be lost that have such a Head Our Union with Christ cannot consist in the communication of any thing unto us as Members from him the Head But it must be in that which constitutes him and us in this Relation saith a Reverend Minister he is our Head antecedently in order of Nature to any communication of Grace from him as a Head yet not antecedent to our Union it self Herein then consists the Union of Head and Members that tho they are many and have many Offices Places and Dependencies yet there is but one living quickning Soul in Head and Members The same Life that is in the Head is in the Body and in every Member thereof in particular and he that offers Violence to one Member offers Violence to the Body and the Head also And as one living Soul makes the natural Head and Members to be but one Man one Body so one quickning Spirit dwelling in Christ and in his Members gives them their Mystical Union and makes them but one Body As the first Man Adam was made a living Soul so the last Man Adam was made a quickning Spirit It is he that quickens by his Spirit or conveys a vital Principle to all his by which they live spiritually as from Adam all his live naturally Because I live ye shall live also So long as there is Life in Christ the Head there shall be Life in the Members because that Life that is communicated to the Head without measure as Mediator was to this very End that it might be communicated to every believing Soul that is united to him Now then if it be thus if this be the Nature of the Soul's Union with Jesus Christ that it is set out and opened to us by the Union that there is between the Body natural and its Members then I infer 1. That by the Life that is in the Head the Members live and because of that Life that is in him they cannot die it was by that Spirit that is in him that we were first quickned and Life is in us and shall be continued to us 2. I also infer That if Christ be able or can do it he will prevent his losing of any one of his Members And for any one to say it is not in his Power is Blasphemy and to say he can and will not is a like Evil to assert because it renders Christ less tender and careful of his Spiritual Members than we are of the Members of our Natural Body Which of us would suffer his Hand or Foot to be torn from us nay a Toe or Finger if we could prevent it 3. Furthermore I infer That all the Members of Christ's Mystical Body
as they were all given to him so they are all known by him they are so many Members numerically and no more as it is in the Body natural In God's Book are all his Members written as David speaks of the Members of his Body which some conclude refers to Christ chiefly and to the Members of his Mystical Body 4. I infer That if Jesus Christ loses one Member of his Mystical Body then his Body will be an imperfect Body a maimed Body for so we know it is in the natural Body though the loss be but of one of the least Members thereof 3 dly The Union between Christ and Believers is set forth by the Union of a Tree and its Branches Thou being a wild Olive-Tree wert grafted in amongst them and with them partakest of the Root and Fatness of the Olive-Tree Now the Branches have a close and near Union with the Tree and being grafted into it partake of the Juice and Fatness of the Root the Tree and Branches being nourished thereby There is the same fructifying and fatning Virtue in the one that is in the other only with this difference in the Root and Tree it is originally in the Boughs or Branches by way of Communication This is brought by the Holy Ghost to open the Union of Christ and his Saints both he and they are partakers of the same Fruit-bearing Spirit he that dwells in them dwells in him also only it is in him as to them originally in them by communication from him Take a Cyon a Plant a Graft fix it to the Tree with all the Art you can and bind it on as close as possible yet 't is not united to the Tree until the Sap that is in the Tree be communicated to it which Communication states the Union Even so and in like manner let a Man be bound to Jesus Christ by all Bonds of visible Profession imaginable yet unless the Holy Spirit be in him to unite him to Christ unless he hath that Divine Sap and Life communicated to him he hath no real Union with him Object But doth not our Saviour say Every Branch in me that beareth not Fruit he taketh away And again If a Man abideth not in me he is cast forth as a Branch and is withered and Men gather them and cast them into the Fire and they are burned Doth not this prove that such who have real Union with Christ may eternally perish Answ I know this is brought as a grand Proof for final falling away But to give an answer hereunto 1. Some tell you that there is no need to translate the words so but that it may as well be translated Every Branch not bringing forth Fruit in me that is that have not real Union in me For though there can be no true Fruit brought forth without real and saving Union with Christ yet Men may bring forth some kind of Fruit and such that looks like good Fruit it is called Fruit He may pray hear the Word and lead an honest moral and sober Life yea and give to the Poor and yet not bring forth this Fruit in Christ or from a real Union he hath with him for all Acts of an External Profession in Religion may be brought forth without any Divine Principle of Grace or being rooted and grafted into Christ by the Holy Ghost and such a one the good Husband-man will discover for this Man's Fruit will not continue but wither Having not root in himself but endureth for a while for when Tribulation and Persecution ariseth because of the Word by and by he is offended Evident it is that all that received the Seed into good Ground or were sincere Christians brought forth Fruit to Everlasting Life though not all the like Quantity But 2. Let it be considered that there is a twofold being in Christ spoken of in God's Word as Christ also is compared to a Vine under a twofold Consideration 1. There is a Spiritual Real and Invisible being in Christ by Faith and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and these are grafted into Christ the Vine spiritually considered and so have that true Union with him of which we speak 2. There is also an External or Visible being in Christ by an outward profession Hence those that are baptized in his Name are said to be baptized into Christ Paul saith of some that they were in Christ before me How did he know who were savingly invisibly in Christ No doubt he speaks of their visible being in him by that Profession they made of the Gospel and by their being baptized and in this respect Vine is to be taken for the Church which sometimes bears Christ's Name Now evident it is many that thus are in Christ that is by a Profession and Sacramental Implantation may bring forth some sort of Fruit for a while but for want of a real Union with Christ they having not a Supply of Grace and Divine Sap from the Root they abide not in Christ that is in a visible Profession but are cast forth as withered Branches and at last will be cast into the Fire But now whosoever bringeth forth true Spiritual Fruit who is visibly in Christ the Vine him will God purge that he may bring forth more Fruit. And that this is the true meaning of this Text is plain if we consider what Christ saith of all his Elect Ones as hinted to you before viz. That he had not only chosen them but ordained them that they should go and bring forth Fruit and that their Fruit shall remain And this he speaks to his Disciples soon after in this very Chapter to comfort them lest they might fear miscarrying and become like such who are withered Branches And this is sufficient to remove this Objection Thirdly The Union of the Soul with Christ as to the excellent firm and abiding Nature thereof is further demonstrated and strengthened by the consideration of the Union of Christ to the Father and them as it is expressed by our blessed Lord I in them and thou in me that they may be perfect in One 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into one First the Father in Christ the Fulness of the Godhead being in him bodily then Christ in Believers so that from that fulness of Grace Strength c. that the Father communicated to the Son as Mediator by virtue of his Union with him and which is communicable to us all his Members do receive from Christ by virtue of their Union with him Our Lord prayed in Verse 20 That they all may be one as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they also may be one in us c. Now though it be hard to understand the Nature of this Union in some Respects yet this is easy to comprehend viz. that the Union between the Father and Christ is an inseparable Union it is an abiding Union or it is a Union that cannot be dissolved Why then let us consider since Christ
past Christ's Death hath glorious Effects as the Apostle shews For if the Blood of Bulls and Goats and Ashes of an Heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifieth to the purifying of the Flesh how much more shall the Blood of Christ who through the Eternal Spirit offered himself to God purge your Consciences from dead Works to serve the living God To talk of Christ's Death and see no Effects of it alas what 's that All that Christ died for shall see and feel too its Glorious Effects and Operations upon their Souls and Consciences though the Sacrifice be over the Virtue and excellent Causality of it abides for ever Ninthly Christ by his Death redeemeth his People from all Iniquity and this was his End in dying What signifies such a Redemption that leaves a poor Slave in his Chains and Irons without procuring a Release for him In this lies the Glory of our Redemption by Christ 't is not only from the Curse of the Law and Wrath of God but from a vain Conversation also See the Apostle's Words Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all Iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar People zealous of good Works If this was his End and Design in his Death do any think he will see himself frustrated in it Shall any Enemy of the Soul bring Christ under a Disappointment Compare this with 1 Pes. 1. 17 18 19. Tenthly and Lastly Jesus Christ hath by his Death purchased Eternal Redemption or Everlasting Life for all his Sheep and by his Spirit hath also given to them the Earnest of it therefore his Death preserves them to Salvation In whom ye also trusted after ye heard the Word of Truth the Gospel of your Salvation in whom also after ye believed ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise which is the Earnest of our Inheritance until the Redemption of the purchased Possession unto the Praise of his Glory Now I should come to speak more particularly to the Effects of the Death of Christ and inlarge upon some things that I have but a little touched upon but that I must leave until the next Time and shall only speak something by way of Improvement of this Argument APPLICATION First To you that are Believers O praise and bless God for a Crucified Saviour What in Heaven and Earth is cause of greater Wonder and Admiration Christ's Death is the meritorious Cause of all Spiritual and Eternal Joy and Comfort all Grace flows out of the Wounds the Spear and Nailâ— made in his Blessed Body and from the Death and Pangs his Soul underwent Nothing is a greater Evidence of Christ's Love to us than the Death of his Cross 2. Apply his Blood draw Virtue from his Blood fly to his Death see how that stands to save thee from the Justice and Wrath of God in his Death is thy Hope and Succour when pursued by Satan and under all Temptations 3. Triumph in the Cross of Christ thou O Child of God wast crucified with Christ thy Sins were punished in him and thou art acquitted in him and raised in him O labour to know Christ and him crucified Labour to know him and the Power of his Death and the Fellowship of his Sufferings c. 4. And as to you Sinners is not here Ground of Hope for you Christ died for the chiefest of Sinners And whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting Life But wo to such who slight this bleeding Saviour that sin because Grace hath abounded or that make the Death of Christ an Incouragement to them to continue in Sin Tush say some trouble not your self with me Christ died for Sinners O Souls will you crucify Christ again I tell you if you do not feel the Effects of his Death in vain is all your present Hope 5. This may serve also to detect such and severely to reprehend them that say Christ died to save all or for all and every Man and Woman in the World Brethren if he died for all that is in the Stead and Room of all then all shall be saved God will not condemn such whom Christ laid down his Life for or in the place or stead of as I have proved from God's Word But further to detect this Error of General Redemption 1. Consider that Redemption is a Word easy to understand it is the saving of a Person that is in Slavery or Captivity commonly procured or obtained by a Price paid or a Ransom but if the Person is indeed redeemed he is set at Liberty To say a Man is redeemed and yet left in Chains and strong Bonds out of which he cannot come unless the Redeemer break those Chains and Bonds to pieces is to speak untruly or in plain English a Lie Now are all Men redeemed Redemption cannot be more universal than it is in Matter of Fact If ten Men were in Slavery in Argiers and a Sum of Money was paid to redeem them and yet after all care is not taken to make that Ransom to be effectual for their Redemption but six or seven of them are left in Captivity can any Man say all the ten were redeemed out of that Slavery and Thraldom wherein they are held Even so it is here for Men to say that the Redemption by Christ is for all the World and yet the greatest part of Mankind lie in Bonds under the Power of Sin and Satan and have not the Death of Christ made effectual to them is a great Mistake and indeed not true as to Matter of Fact 2. Are we redeemed only from the Curse of the Law and from the Wrath of God and are we not also redeemed from Sin and from being under the Power of Satan That Redemption that is by Christ is you hear from all Iniquity and are all so redeemed The Apostle Peter saith Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as Silver and Gold from a vain Conversation but with the precious Blood of Jesus Christ c. So many as are and shall be redeemed from all Iniquity from a vain Conversation or whom Christ hath redeemed from the Power of Satan he setting them at Liberty who naturally are bound and bringing them out of the Prison-House so many and no more did he die for and no further doth Redemption by Christ extend 3. If there are many left in the Enemies Hand and under their Power and eternally perish then there is no general or universal Redemption but there are Multitudes so left and perish 4. That Grace Love and blessed Price that doth not procure Universal Salvation is not cannot be an Universal Redemption But God never shewed such Grace and Love by the Price of Christ's Blood that doth procure Universal Salvation therefore there is no Universal Redemption for that Price or Paiment which doth not actually pass or terminate in Salvation is no Redemption at all an Attempt to redeem unless it be
a godly Life therefore is in Christ Jesus and shall be saved 12. It is also by the Holy Spirit that Believers are sealed unto the Day of Redemption Also after that ye believed ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of Promise Strange Can these fall away Can such perish that have received the Earnest of Heaven and have the Witness of the Spirit and have it sealed to them No no God hath put his Seal or Mark upon them he by his Seal hath secured them to and for himself and all this is the Effects of Christ's Death and Resurrection 13. The Spirit also thus purchased by Christ's Death and given as the Fruits and Effects thereof to Believers the Promise of the Father is that it shall abide with them for ever it is the great Promise made to Christ in the Covenant My Spirit which is upon thee shall not depart from thee nor from thy Seed henceforth and for ever See the Words Isa 59. 21. there is the Promise of the Father it is an absolute Promise and it runs thus it shall be in Christ and in his Seed henceforth and for ever The Spirit is called the Promise of the Father Also we have a Promise of the constant abiding of the Spirit in all Believers made by Christ the second Person in the Trinity he told his Disciples The Spirit of Truth the Comforter should abide with them and be in them forever Unto these add the Testimony of the Holy Ghost himself for it is he that doth in the Word assure us of his own abiding with us he hath chosen our Souls to be his own Temple and Habitation for ever and also assures us That all the Promises are in Christ yea and amen to the Glory of God So that we have this great Truth sealed and confirmed to us by the Three that bear witness in Heaven Fourthly Pardon of Sin is another Effect and Fruit of the Death of Christ In whom we have Redemption through his Blood that is as the Effects of his Blood even the Forgiveness of Sin True Jesus Christ satisfied God's Justice for our Sins he paid our Debts it is not Remission without a Satisfaction but yet we are freely forgiven we have it of God's Free Grace but it is through the Blood of Christ Remission of our Sins follows Redemption as the necessary Effects thereof Christ hath procured this Favour and Blessing for us and Gospel-Remission or Pardon of Sin is for ever I will remember their Sins no more they are blotted out for ever he hath cast our Sins into the Depth of the Sea put them behind his Back yea he hath put them far away from him as the East is from the West Fifthly Adoption is the Fruit and Effect of Christ's Death He hath redeemed us from the Curse of the Law that we might receive the Adoption of Sons God takes us through Christ or by virtue of Christ's Death into the Relation of Sons which Privilege we have for ever we shall never cease being Sons and Daughters of God Sixthly Free Access to the Throne of Grace or unto the Father is the Effect of Christ's Death Having therefore Brethren boldness to enter into the Holiest by the Blood of Jesus by a new and living Way which he hath consecrated for us through the Vail that is to say his Flesh Christ's Blood His Death opened this Way it is by him we have access to the Throne of Grace Seventhly Another Fruit and Effect of the Death of Christ is Redemption from all Iniquity He gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all Iniquity c. Tit. 2. 14. Therefore this Glorious Effect his Death shall have upon all Redeemed Ones it was not to redeem only from the Curse of the Law as some talk but from the Guilt Pollution Power and Punishment of Sin therefore Believers shall never perish Eighthly Justification is also another Effect of the Death and Resurrection of Christ which is to acquit absolve and to pronounce us Righteous in God's Sight God accepting us Righteous by the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness which is ever the same Now Christ's Death being the Meritorious Cause thereof we are said to be justified by his Blood Rom. 5. 9. And pray see the Apostle's Argument from hence Much more then being now justified by his Blood we shall be saved from Wrath through him It is more to be reconciled and justified than it is to be saved such are justified and Christ's Blood having done the former will much more effect the latter those that Christ justifies he will glorify nay and his Death and Resurrection cannot be without this Effect And by him all that believe are justified from all things c. The Word Justified is opposed to Condemnation those that are justified are justified for ever Justification is not a gradual Act as Sanctification is it results not as the Fruits of our Repentance or inherent Holiness but as the Fruits of Christ's Death and Merits it is never less nor more as our Holiness cannot add any thing to it so the Sins and Infirmities of true Believers cannot diminish any thing from it there may be additions to our inherent Sanctification but not to our Justification Christ rose again for our Justification I may also challenge all the Men in the World to prove that any Man that was justified in the sight of God did ever fall away and come under Condemnation Ninthly Sanctification is another Effect of the Death of Christ You may again read that Text Heb. 9. 13 14. Christ died not only to justify Believers but to sanctify them also Object But some may say A Man may be sanctified and yet be defiled again We read of some that escaped the Pollution of the World through the Knowledg of Christ yet were again entangled and overcome Answ 1. If any sincere Christian be defiled again through any Sin or Corruption they shall be washed and cleansed again 2. Those that Peter speaks of were such that only had escaped gross Pollution through the common Operations of the Spirit it appears their swinish Nature was never changed he therefore saith It is happened to them according to the true Proverb The Dog it turned to his Vomit again and the Sow that was washed to her wallowing in the Mire Such therefore never were sanctified in Heart they never experienced the Effects of Christ's Blood not that Soul-purifying Virtue that is in it they were cleansed from gross Idolatry through the Knowledg of Christ and also from some gross Acts of Prophaneness they had obtained a reformed but no renewed Life of Grace and Holiness therefore such fall into Sin again and are so overcome that the latter End is worse with them than the Beginning As to true Believers see what the Apostle says For by one Offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified By this one Offering our Lord Jesus hath procured our Sanctification
Sin Thrust a Sword into a dead Man's Bowels and he will not stir nor cry out Sin is in wicked Men like a Sword in the Sides of such as are dead but as soon as Life is infused there will be Sense and a crying out Now when they heard this they were pricked in the Heart and said unto Peter and to the rest of the Apostles What shall we do Some of these had been the Murderers of the Lord of Life and Glory yet they found Mercy 2 dly Another Effect is this viz. You will perceive a mighty Famine in your Soul as it was with the Prodigal Son all your old Hopes of Heaven will be gone Poverty of Spirit will overtake you An awakned wounded Sinner despairs of all Supplies or Help in himself he is distressed with pinching Hunger and so flies home to his Father 1. Yet may not get Power over Sin presently 2. But O he trembles at the Thoughts of God's Justice by beholding the Spear in Christ's Side 3. He throws down his Weapons as being conquered and overcome and resolves to do as the four Lepers did 2 Kings 7. 3 4 8 9. 4. He sees nothing but Death if he abides where he is and believes not And if he returns to his old Course he sees he must die and therefore ventures to throw his Soul upon Christ or ventures himself on Christ and lies at the Feet of Christ and says If I perish I perish I can but die and if he will pardon me heal me and have compassion on me I shall live O Sinners that you could but do thus Secondly We may infer from hence that it is in vain for any Person to talk of Christ's Death or to say Christ died for Sinners nay for the whole World and therefore for me unless they come to feel the Virtue and blessed Effects of his Death on their own Souls O see you rest not without finding the Power of the Death of Christ Sirs though the Sacrifice is over yet the Virtue and excellent Causality of it remains and not only to justify and absolve a believing Sinner but also to quicken regenerate and to sanctify and make him Holy also Therefore labour to know and experience the Power of Christ's Death Thirdly From hence also we may infer that this is the only Way to know Christ died for us namely when we find the Effects of his Death that we die to Sin that the Body of Sin is crucified in us with him Hath the Life of your Sins been let out O see to this you that prosess the Gospel Fourthly This shews us also what a dangerous thing it is for any to build their Faith upon the general Love of God to Mankind What say some I believe Christ died for me because he died for all and because for all therefore for me Brethren I am afraid this is the ruin of many Souls because it may be but a false Faith that those poor Creatures have they may not experience the Effects of Christ's Death may be it is not prest upon their Consciences but this of Christ dying for all they think is enough Now pray consider and O that all such mistaken Persons would consider it also 1. That a general Faith viz. to believe that Christ died for all gives no Man any particular saving Interest in Christ's Death for if it did then every Man that so believeth hath a saving Interest in his Death But thousands perhaps so believe and yet are as vile and ungodly People as any in the World Therefore to build on that general Faith without a particular Application of the Promise or Promises of God and experiencing the Effects of Christ's Death is a false Faith and deceives the Soul 2. That that Faith which a Man may have that may leave such that have it and trust in it under the Power of Sin is a false Faith and will deceive the Soul but Men may have that Faith namely believe Christ died for all and therefore for them and yet be under the Power of Sin therefore that may be a false Faith 3. That Faith that doth not change the Heart purify the Heart is a false Faith But many that believe Christ died for all and therefore for them have that Faith and yet it doth not change their Hearts purify their Hearts therefore it is a false Faith 4. From hence I argue that it follows undeniably that all those People that believe Christ died for all must come to a particular Application of Christ's Blood and not trust to that general Application they must feel the Effects of Christ's Death upon their own Souls or else they are undone nor do I doubt in the least but many of them of that Judgment do so divers of them being as gracious Christians as any others and have Experiences that clearly contradict their own Principles Fifthly and Lastly Here is Comfort for Believers O see what the Death of Christ hath and will effect for you and in you 1. God's Wrath is appeased in him towards you 2. Justice is satisfied in him towards you 3. The Law is silenced 4. Peace and Pardon procured 5. Life is infused 6. The Guilt Power Pollution and Punishment of Sin removed and gone for ever 7. You are justified 8. Satan is conquered 9. The World is overcome you are and shall be sanctified and Heaven is opened you are in Christ's Hand and shall not perish but have Everlasting Life JOHN X. 28. And I give unto them Eternal Life and they shall never perish neither shall any pluck them out of my Hand BRETHREN there are but two Arguments more that I intend to insist upon for the farther Proof and Demonstration of the Saints final Perseverance or to prove That none of the Saints or Sheep of Christ can so sin and fall away as eternally to perish I spoke the last Day to the Effects of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ I might proceed to speak to the Intercession of Christ also but I shall take that in the Arguments I shall next enter upon Ninthly The Saints are in the Hand of the Father and in the Hand of the Son considered as Mediator And from hence I shall prove That it is impossible they should so fall away as eternally to perish First I shall shew you in what respect they may be said to be in the Hand of the Father and what is meant by his Hand and how that doth secure them Secondly Shew you what is meant by their being in the Hand of the Son and shew you how that may be said also to secure their firm standing and tends to their final Perseverance Thirdly Shew you in what respect they may be said to be in Christ's Hand First By the Hand of the Father doth intend his Power Behold the Lord's Hand is not shortned that he cannot save As if God should say I am not grown weaker than formerly I am God Almighty still and as Omnipotent
final falling away and that because it is said It is impossible to renew them again unto Repentance 2. It doth intend or comprehend such Persons that have received the Knowledg of the Truth or of the Way of Righteousness according to that in 2 Pet. 2. 20 21. They are such who have not only been enlightned but also are such who had tasted of the Heavenly Gift 3. Yet never were savingly illuminated wrought upon or regenerated by the Spirit and Grace of God Brethren there are great Attainments which Persons may arrive unto without one Dram of true saving Grace as the young Man also the foolish Virgins and those meant by the stony and thorny Ground Mat. 13. I shall now come to the Text it self And First Consider the Words with the Connexion of those things preceding and succeeding Secondly The Subjects or Persons spoken of under their divers Qualifications Thirdly What it is that is said concerning these Persons First As touching the Connexion of the Words with what precedes it is evident that the Hebrew Church or some among them had been slow and dull of hearing or very ill Proficients in the School of Christ viz. they had not attained to that Knowledg and Experience which for the time they had they might have arrived unto Chap. 5. 12. They seemed but Infants or Babes in Knowledg and had need to be taught again which were the first Principles of the Doctrine of Christ And from hence the Apostle acquaints them with the Danger of not persevering in the Knowledg of Christ and of not pressing forward or going on to Perfection And also intimates that this would give just Cause or Ground to fear that they were not sincere Christians and from thence gives them an Account of those that might sin the Sin against the Holy Ghost or of the miserable State and Condition of such who after high Illuminations and great Knowledg of the Divine Truth and a Profession of the Gospel do fall away whose Apostacy though at first it might be but partial yet might they not being truly regenerated end at last in a total and final falling away And that deadness dulness and non-proficiency in Godliness might and would end if their Hearts were not right with God in a final Apostacy Or as a worthy Writer notes he presupposeth Except they study to make Progress they shall go backwards and that going backwards tendeth to Apostacy And that voluntary and compleat Apostacy from known Truth doth harden the Heart from Repentance and cutteth off a Man from Mercy He accounteth our natural Security so great that there is need of most fearful Threatnings to awaken us out of it and that the way to be freed from final falling is to make a good Progression From hence note Doct. 1. That the severest Doctrine is not only useful but exceeding necessary towards Persons that are observed to be remiss and slothful in their Profession Yet Charity becomes a Minister nevertheless and not to censure a People from hence And this we may gather from what he saith with the Connexion of the Words with what succeeds But Beloved we are perswaded better things of you and things that accompany Salvation though we thus speak ver 9. Secondly We shall consider the Persons here spoken of under their divers Qualifications and great Attainments which are five-fold and yet notwithstanding all that they might fall away and perish for ever and if they did fall totally before they were truly regenerated their Apostacy would be final or it would be impossible for them to be renewed again by Repentance either to that State in which they were before or unto a better from whence there is no possibility of their final falling In this general Description of the Persons here mentioned let us consider four or five things more particularly 1 st Consider the Apostle's Design which is to declare or discover the fearful State and just Judgment of God against the Persons here meant or intended 2 dly That those five Attainments he here speaks of are acquired by some who had been Professors of the Gospel and look'd upon as eminent Christians such that had made a Profession of Repentance from dead Works and of Faith towards God and had been baptized and owned all other Principles of the Doctrine of Christ See ver 1 2 3. 3 dly That all those high Privileges and Attainments whereof they were made Partakers by the Gospel they afterwards despised or when under their Apostacy did contemn which loudly proclaims their Destruction from God to be just and deserved 4 thly That all their Privileges and Attainments as Reverend Dr. Owen observes do consist in certain Operations of the Holy Ghost under the Dispensation of the Gospel and therefore not such Persons that never professed it or had been enlightned thereby 5 thly And let it be well and for ever observed that the Apostle mentions not one of those special and distinguishing Marks or Characters of true Believers or Sanctified Christians As 1. Here is not a word of the Covenant of Grace into which they had been received nothing spoken of the Faith of the Operation of God in all those five Attainments they had arrived at 2. Not a word of their having attained to Union with Christ or of the Implantation of the Holy Spirit though they had had some kind of taste thereof 3. Not a word of Regeneration he doth not say It is impossible for such that have been born of God begotten of the Spirit No no nothing of that 4 Here is nothing spoken of their being justified or of Justification unto Life 5. Not a word in all their fivefold Attainments of Sanctification by the Spirit we read not of any effectual Calling they had arrived unto 6. Nothing is mentioned of their Election of Adoption nor of their Love to God or to his poor Saints none of these things are expressed or assigned unto them which do all appertain to every true Christian 6 thly It ought also carefully to be noted that when the Apostle comes to speak of his Hope of the Saints to whom he wrote i. e. that they were not such he lays down or describes by way of Intimation the Characters of true Believers by other distinguishing Qualifications But Beloved we are perswaded better things of you and things that accompany Salvation though we thus speak Now observe if those Persons he mentions that had been once enlightned and had tasted of the Heavenly Gift c. had been true Christians what better things could the Apostle be perswaded was in these Hebrews than was in them Are there better things than Vnion with Christ than Justification than Regeneration true Faith Pardon of Sin Love to God and to his People Sanctification of the Spirit and Adoption No no there are no better things that any Christian can attain unto in this Life than these Moreover 7 thly The Apostle clearly intimates that they were such who
were like the Ground which the Rain falls oft upon that nevertheless brings forth Briars and Thorns and no good Fruit. 8 thly There is one thing particularly noted by the Apostle concerning these Hebrew Christians which they had and which the other had not therefore not gracious Persons See ver 10. For God is not unrighteous to forget your Work of Faith and Labour of Love which ye have shewed toward his Name in that ye have ministred to the Saints and do minister 1. This he mentions as a Reason of his good Opinion of them and why he was so perswaded of them and which was better than all those high Attainments of which he speaks concerning such that are in danger of Final Apostacy Love to the poor Saints in ministring to them for the sake of Christ or because they are the Members of his Body is more than all those five Attainments mentioned in the 4 th 5 th and 6 th Verses Now also let it be considered that if this Fruit of true and saving Grace I mean Charity or Love to the poor Saints as such had been in the Persons he speaks of who were in danger of falling finally how then could this be an Argument of such Confidence in Paul concerning them or of Comfort to those Saints he wrote unto Alas what are common Illuminations What is it to have some transit taste of the Heavenly Gift or to be made Partakers of the common Operations of the Spirit in Convictions of Sin or of Duty to the Inhabitation of the Spirit or unfeigned Love to Christ and to the Children of God Or what is it to have some taste of the good Word of God to a spiritual feeding and digesting it or to be affected with the powerful Doctrine of the Gospel in respect of the World to come or with the Resurrection of the Dead and last Judgment to the gracious Experience of the Power of Christ's Resurrection and so feel in our Souls a Discharge from the Judgment of the Great Day through Faith in Jesus Christ 2. The Apostle was perswaded concerning these Hebrew Christians that they had such things in them that did accompany Salvation that is such things that are inseparable from Salvation i. e. such who have them shall certainly be saved He describes such who are sincere Christians by the Fruits and Effects of true Grace namely the Work of Faith and Labour of Love by which their Obedience unto God did appear 1. He notes the Principle from whence they acted in their Duty to God 2. The Constancy of their Obedience they continued in bringing forth of that good Fruit they had ministred to the Saints and still did minister to them 3. He takes notice of the Principle from whence they acted or did what they did viz. they ministred to the Saints in Love to God and to Jesus Christ it was Love shewed to his Name 4. He adds that in their Preservation in their happy State the Faithfulness of God God is not unrighteous to forget your Work of Faith c. which comprehends his Covenant and Promise to them which for their farther Comfort he enlargeth upon ver 13 to ver 19. to which he subjoins the Promise and Oath of God made to all that are sincere Believers or Heirs of the Promise But to proceed to speak to those five Qualifications or Attainments of the Perso she speaks of in our Text who may fall away and finally perish for ever First The first is their being once enlightned They might be instructed in the Doctrine of the Gospel beyond many or be illuminated not only by learning the literal Knowledg of the Gospel as Men learn Philosophy but also may attain to some supernatural Light by the common Illuminations of the Spirit and may understand many profound Mysteries of the Gospel yet remember Knowledg puffeth up they might have knowing Heads but graceless Hearts Note from hence Doct. 2. That it is a high Privilege and an Attainment for Men to be enlightned with the Knowledg of the Gospel yet nevertheless Men may attain to much Light therein and yet not be savingly enlightned but may finally fall away and perish notwithstanding at last First I shall shew you what the common Illuminations of the Spirit are that Men may fall from Secondly Shall shew you what the saving and special Illuminations of the Spirit are and how they differ 1 st Common Enlightnings of the Word and Spirit may tend to convince the Conscience of a Sinner of Sin 1. As to the horrid Guilt thereof as it exposeth the Soul to God's Wrath Thus was Judas enlightned his Conscience was convinced that he had betrayed the Innocent Blood Thus also Felix was enlightned under Paul's preaching 2. From these Convictions they may also with much horror confess their Sins Cain Judas and many others did this 3. From these Illuminations and Convictions they may reform their Lives and do many things like as Herod did upon his hearing John the Baptist 4. Nay common Illuminations may discover to the Sinner much of that Evil that there is in Sin that God abhorreth it and that it is contrary to his Nature as well as a violation of his Holy Law and this Light they may receive from what God declares concerning Sin and of his abhorrence of it in his Word as also by those fearful Judgments which he inflicteth upon and pronounceth against such that sin live in Sin and make a Trade of it Likewise by the Knowledg they may attain concerning Christ's suffering for Sin and by the Punishment of the Damned in Hell and no doubt but the Devils know the great Evil of Sin in all these respects But pray observe that although these Persons may know that Sin is against God contrary to his Holy Nature and that he doth abhor it yet this Light and Knowledg they have never brings them to loath and abhor it in themselves because of the evil Nature of it and as it is against God 2 dly They also by these common Illuminations may come to know that God is Man's chiefest Good The Heathen found this out by the Light of Nature considering in themselves that nothing in this World could satisfy the Soul c. But these Persons attain unto a farther Sight and Knowledg of it by the Word in a supernatural manner but yet remember that the Light they have never leadeth them to make choice of God as their chiefest Good and only Happiness 3 dly They may attain unto the Knowledg of all the great and essential Principles of the Christian Religion and be able to dispute and contend for them also against Opposers nay may be able Preachers of that Holy Doctrine Have we not prophesied in thy Name c. No doubt but Judas was a great Preacher as well as Peter Yet observe and note it well they may be utter Strangers to that Grace Faith Love and Regeneration which they may open explain and press upon others
that changed them into a State of Grace 2. Nay they partake not only of common Gifts but common Grace also even such Grace that doth reform their Lives bridle restrain and curb their inordinate Lusts and Passions so that through the Knowledg of Jesus Christ they esteeming him as their Blessed Saviour they are said to escape the Pollution of the World as Peter plainly declares though afterwards they are again intangled therein and overcome 3. They did no doubt by the Assistance of the Holy Spirit leave and forsake those evil Ways and prophane Courses and Practices in which they lived before May be they were gross Idolaters Adulterers Blasphemers c. but the Spirit by its common Operations did so far strive and prevail with them that they became other Men As it is said of King Saul The Spirit of God will come upon thee and thou shalt be turned into another Man but not a new Man And God gave him another Heart 4. These Persons may partake of such Grace which the foolish Virgins had to keep their Lamps of Profession burning for a Time Doct. 4. The Holy Spirit may be with Persons nay in them by his common Operations with whom he is not by his gracious Inhabitation they may partake of common but not of saving Grace 4 thly The fourth Attainment of these Persons or these false Professors is this viz. And tasted of the good Word of God Four things I shall do in speaking unto this First Shew what is meant by the Word of God Secondly Shew why it is called the good Word of God Thirdly Shew what a taste an unsound Christian may have of the good Word of God Fourthly And also shew what a taste it is that a true Christian hath of it First By the Word of God is meant the Word of the Gospel Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God Again it is said From you sounded out the Word of God that is the Gospel of Christ Secondly It is called the good Word of God 1. Because it bringeth good News to Sinners the Tidings it brings are good and profitable to all that receive it in Truth 2. Because it is a Declaration of that good and gracious Counsel and Purpose of God in saving poor Sinners by Jesus Christ it is Heavenly Sublime the Nature and Glory of God in all his Attributes is made manifest thereby 3. It is good in the blessed Effects thereof That which is excellent and precious in it self and also doth as much good we esteem very good Now as divine Truth is pure Thy Word is pure therefore thy Servant loveth it so it is precious above Gold in the Effects of it on the Heart 1. It enlightens the Eyes it illuminates dark Minds it is a shining Light Thy Word is a Lamp unto my Feet and a Light unto my Path. 2. It quickens and revives a Soul under Deadness therefore it is good Thy Word hath quickned me 3. It is that which inriches the Soul Let the Word of God dwell in you richly We have this Treasure in earthen Vessels that the excellency of the Power may be of God and not of us Hence Ministers by preaching the Gospel though they may be externally poor yet make many spiritually rich 4. It may be said to be Good because of the powerful Effects it hath on Mens Souls where it comes not in Word only The Word of God is quick and powerful sharper than any two-edged Sword It makes the Dead to live infusing through the Spirit Life and regenerating Grace into the Hearts of Sinners it searcheth and purges out all Corruption by the means of it young and old come to have their Hearts and Ways cleansed Now ye are clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you 5. It is our Sword by which we offend and wound our Enemies and defend our selves against all their Assaults and Temptations 6. It is good in respect of that discovery it makes of God of Jesus Christ and of Salvation as also of future Glory there is contained in it a Revelation of the Incarnation of the Son of God with all the Effects of infinite Wisdom in the glorious Contrivance of our Redemption What doth the Pagan World understand or know of these things who have not the good Word of God with them 7. It hath a comforting a healing and strengthning Virtue in it and it also preserves from Sin therefore it is good Thy Word have I hid in my Heart that I might not sin against thee It gives peace and quiet to a disturbed and distressed Mind when the Promises are set home with Power upon the Conscience How many hath that one Word revived that have been ready to drop into Hell in the sense of their Sin Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest 8. It is our Food I mean the Food of our Souls yea both Milk for Babes and strong Meat for Men of riper Age nay it is sweet satisfying and Soul-fatning Food therefore it is good Sirs if you have never tasted how good the Word of God is your State doubtless is bad but it is not enough to have a taste of it but you must feed upon it Eat O Friends drink yea drink abundantly O Beloved Thirdly I shall proceed to shew you what a kind of taste an unsound Christian may have of the Word of God It is evident that the Apostle here carefully keeps himself to such Expressions as we have in the Text to shew he intends not such Persons who by Faith truly receive and spiritually feed on Jesus Christ therefore it is said have tasted True by tasting sometimes is meant a spiritual feeding O taste and see that the Lord is good Compared with that in Peter If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious Brethren every one that feeds may be said to taste though he doth more than taste but every one that tasteth may not be said to feed no nor be said to love approve of nor digest that which he tasteth of Pray remember to feed is more than to taste I did but taste a little Honey saith Jonathan And it is said of our Saviour When he had tasted thereof he would not drink he tasted but did not drink So Men may taste and yet may not eat not feed upon that they tasted of I shall now come to shew you what a taste they may have of the Word of God 1. As tasting respecteth Experience or simple Knowledg of the Truth of a thing so these Persons may have a taste i. e. may have a simple Knowledg or Experience of the Truth of the Word of the Gospel they may taste in this sense they may believe or be fully convinced in their Consciences by what they have heard and have met with by such Operations of the Spirit that have past upon them that
Righteousness of Christ and also a Righteousness that may declare them to be righteous before Men namely a holy and blameless Life the one is the Righteousness of Justification the other is the Righteousness of Sanctification Others may have a taste of both these they may behold a Worth in and a Want of Christ's Righteousness but do not hunger after it and so accept it as a poor hunger-starved Person on Gospel-Terms and may attain to some degree of inward as well as outward Sanctification 2. These therefore taste and eat also and that too out of pure Necessity If I saith the Soul feed not upon Christ eat not his Flesh and drink not his Blood I shall perish Give me Christ or I shall die is the Voice of this sort Others take a taste as if they cared not whether they eat or eat not 3. A true Believer doth taste eat and also digest the Word 't is that which they live upon and hereby they come to have Union with Christ by Faith The Soul partakes of the Divine Nature But a common Tasting or a common Faith or a bare Credence of the Truth of the Gospel doth not do this which the Persons in our Text only had 4. The good Word of God is to all true Christians as their necessary Food nay esteemed more or above their necessary Food as Job experienced it therefore to these the Word and God in the Word Christ in the Word is exceeding sweet How sweet is Food to a hungry Person O says the Soul the Lord is good his Word is good his Promises and his Ordinances are exceeding good I can relish the Word of God I esteem it above Gold it is also sweeter than Honey or the Honey-comb I have an appetite to it O how love I thy Law it is my Meditation all the Day This discovers to us the goodness of our Condition when there is nothing that we value or esteem love and delight in above God's Word Thy Words were found and I did eat them and thy Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my Heart He did not taste only but did eat and greedily digest the Word also 4. The Word of God without the God of the Word will not satisfy these Mens Souls 't is not a bare Ordinance no no but they must have God in and with the Ordinance 't is not the Shell without the Kernel it is not the Cabinet without the Jewel it is not a Lamp without Oil that will satisfy the wise Virgins Prayer and Preaching will not do with these though they pray and hear every Day except they meet with God and Christ in those Duties the Word and Ordinances without Christ are but like dry Bread and lean Meat that have but little Juice or Nourishment in them they must be delighted with Fatness knowing it is such things God has prepared for them Eat ye that which is good and let your Soul delight it self in Fatness they eat it appears to full satisfaction Others labour for that which satisfies not but of all true Believers David saith They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fat things of thy House and thou shalt make them drink of the Rivers of thy Pleasures And in another place saith he My Soul shall be satisfied as with Marrow and Fatness and my Soul shall praise thee with joyful Lips 5. That which true Believers taste and eat is turned into Spiritual Nourishment in the Heart And in order to this 1. There is required a laying up the Word or hiding of it No Nourishment can be had by Food unless it be received into the Stomach where the Cause of Digestion and Communication are fix'd And if the Word be not received into the Heart by fixed Meditation and Delight it may affect and please a Person for a while but it will not nourish the Soul 2. Every Physician will tell you that Food must be mixed and incorporated with the digestive Humour Power and Faculty of the Stomach whereinsoever it consists or it will not nourish Give a Man never so much Food if there be any noxious Humour in the Stomach hindering it from mixing with the Power of Digestion saith a worthy Writer it will no ways profit the Person But the Word preached did not profit them not being mix'd with Faith in them that heard it Meat nourishes not without Concoction so unless the Soul receives and digests the Word through Faith so that the Word and the Heart are united together all is nothing but a bare taste will never do this And 3. Like as Food when it is well digested is turned into Flesh and Blood and Spirits so where a Person feeds on the Word by Faith or eats and digests it it is turned into a Principle of Life and spiritual Strength As some Men who have for want of Food been brought so low and faint that they were ready to die away but by feeding on good Food and digesting it soon perceive a renewing of their Strength Life and Vigour seems to return to them again so by feeding on the Word the Strength of the Soul abides it communicates abiding Strength Faith and Experience and 't is hereby the Soul grows Day by Day and his Love to God is increased and by the Power of it he walks with God in Holiness and Lowliness of Mind and brings forth all the Fruits of the Spirit like as the Ground bringeth forth by the Showers of Heaven Herbs meet for him by whom it is dressed 4. These are delighted and cheared by the Word as in a Banquet of Wine and get great Power over their Corruptions But such a tasting and eating as this and such blessed Effects of the Word on the Soul did the Persons never attain unto who are said in our Text to have tasted the good Word of God c. Evident it is that the Apostle clearly notes concerning the Persons in my Text that whatsoever taste they might have of the Doctrine of the Gospel called the Heavenly Gift or of the good Word of God yet they were fruitless Souls even like the Earth that the Rain falls upon and yet brings forth Briars and Thorns See ver 7 8. APPLICATION 1. Learn from hence the deplorable Condition of all such who satisfy themselves with the meer Notion of Truth and empty Speculations about it without getting so much as such a taste of the goodness of the Word which may be had by those who are not savingly renewed How many thousands are there at this Day that do not desire so much as a taste of heavenly Things their Hearts are so filled and glutted with the things of this World nay with their abominable and filthy Lusts 2. But for the Lord's Sake take heed you rest not satisfied with a bare taste of heavenly Things or with some seeming relish thereof Such indeed may not be far from the Kingdom of Heaven But alas alas if they
go no further they will never come there and if they totally fall away their State will be worse in the end than it was at the beginning nay far worse than their Condition who never were enlightned at all but remain under the Power of natural Blindness c. 3. You that are Professors may also from what hath been briefly hinted perceive whether you have had a right taste of God and of his good Word or not Whether you have received Christ and do live upon the Bread of Life or not Or whether you have by Faith applied the Word and by Meditation digested it or not 4. Hath the Word changed your Hearts Have you got Power over your Corruptions and Temptations thereby Doth nothing satisfy your Souls short of God and Jesus Christ and it is as well a Likeness to him as an Interest in him Will not the Word and Ordinances quiet you unless you meet with Christ in them 5. This may be for a use of Terror to such who rest satisfied with the common Operations of the Word and Spirit of God they may go far yet fall away nay so fall as it may be impossible for them ever to be renewed by Repentance But 5 thly I shall now come to the fifth and last Thing or Attainment mentioned in our Text concerning these Professors who are in danger of Final Apostacy And of the Powers of the World to come They have not only tasted of the good Word of God but also of the Powers of the World to come Two things I shall propound to do here 1. Shew you what is meant by the World to come 2. Shew what a kind of taste these Persons may be said to have of it 1. Some by the World to come assert is only meant the Gospel-Church-State or Spiritual Kingdom of the Messiah which begun in the Apostles Days Nay I find Reverend Dr. Owen is much of this Perswasion as you may see in his Exposition of the first Chapter to the Hebrews By the World to come saith he the Apostle in this Epistle intends the Days of the Messiah that being the usual Name of it in the Church at that time as the New World which God had promised to create whereof these Powers by Signs Wonders and mighty Works were then wrought by the Holy Ghost according as it was foretold by the Prophets that they should be so Joel 2. Acts 2. These the Persons spoken of are supposed to have tasted either they had been wrought in and by themselves or by others in their sight whereby they had experience of the glorious and powerful working of the Holy Ghost in the Confirmation of the Gospel Yea saith he I do judg that they themselves in their own Persons were partakers of these Powers in the Gift of Tongues and other miraculous Operations which was the highest Aggravation possible of their Apostacy I will not deny this to be intended by the Powers of the World to come But this Exposition seems too much to interfere with the second and third Attainment mentioned of these Persons and if this be granted to be intended hereby yet it must be carried also further I mean to the after-State of Christ's Kingdom for the Kingdom that is now expected and the latter-day-Glory we all allow to be the Kingdom of the Messiah Nor can any doubt of a World yet to come or glorious visible Kingdom of Jesus Christ to be set up in the last Days the Holy Ghost positively affirming That the Kingdoms of this World shall become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ And that when the seventh Angel soundeth his Trumpet and not till then which brings in the third and last Wo upon the Antichristian State and Kingdom Yet I question not but that the beginning of the Kingdom of the Messiah was in the Apostles Days and did commence from the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ being ushered in and established with the miraculous Gifts and Operations of the Holy Spirit Which wonderful Appearance of God's Power doth no doubt appertain to the Kingdom of Christ as such And at the pouring forth of the latter Rain we may expect as great nay a greater miraculous working-Power than ever accompanied it to this Day because the Glory of the latter House shall exceed the Glory of the former And there seems to me to be the like Parity of Reason for those miraculous Operations in the last Days in order to the spreading the Gospel over all the World and the establishment of Christ's more visible Kingdom as there was at first the Appearance of Christ will be with Power and great Glory 2. Therefore let it be considered and not doubted of but that there is yet a World to come and another kind of World than this World is and a more glorious Kingdom of Christ than at present we behold That the World to come will consist of a new Heaven and a new Earth which we look for as the Apostle Peter observes is evident according to God's Promise this present World yea these Old Heavens and Old Earth shall pass away and be dissolved Nevertheless we according to his Promise look for a New Heaven and New Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness It was not then come but expected to be revealed in the last Days 3. It will be a World between this and the ultimate Glory in the Kingdom of the Father I mean when Christ shall give up his Kingdom to the Father that God may be all in all that is Christ will yield up his Rule and Government as Mediator for his Mediatorial Kingdom shall cease and the Kingdom and Glory of God i. e. Father Son and Holy Ghost shall only be magnified Christ shall then as Mediator no longer sit and rule upon his Throne his Work will be done and the Date of his Commission be expired 4. Let it also be considered that the World to come in the Glory of it shall not be revealed until this present World passes away is burnt up and dissolved and therefore cannot be expected until the Resurrection of the Just For Man lies down and rises not till the Heavens be no more This the Holy Ghost clearly shewed also to John And I saw a new Heaven and a new Earth for the first Heaven and the first Earth were passed and there was no more Sea And that the World to come shall begin in its greatest Glory at the Resurrection doth appear by our Saviour's own words But they which shall be worthy to obtain that World to come and the Resurrection from the Dead neither marry nor are given in Marriage Neither can they die any more for they are equal unto the Angels and are the Children of the Resurrection It appears the World to come or Kingdom of the Messiah in its greatest Glory and the Resurrection commence together or at one and the same time And this is further confirmed because in one Place it is
is acted and influenced by the Devil in the Times of his Ignorance 8. It is not the Sin of Unbelief though that be a damning Sin yea the damning Sin as it is a Sin against the Remedy God hath provided and against the highest manifestation of God's Goodness and against the highest Testimony and Witness yet many that thus sin nay continue at present in and under the Power of Unbelief may come to see their horrid Evil and by the Grace of God may believe and be forgiven this as well as other Sins Lastly I have shewed you that no true Believer can commit this Sin He that is born of God cannot commit Sin viz. he cannot sin unto Death So much in the Negative what Sin the Sin against the Holy Ghost is not Secondly I shall shew you in the Affirmative according to that Light I have what Sin this Sin is or open the Nature thereof and what sort of Persons they are who do or may commit it 1. The Persons that may commit the Sin against the Holy Ghost our Text informs us are such who have been once enlightned and that have attained to the Knowledg of the Truth or true way of Salvation by Jesus Christ and have had such a kind of Taste of the Heavenly Gift and of the good Word of God and Powers of the World to come more or less of which I have shewed they have received the Gifts and common Graces of the Spirit 2. And also have escaped the Corruptions of the World through the Knowledg of Jesus Christ or attained to a great Reformation of Life in so much that they were look'd upon as Saints and eminent Christians many of them being Professors of the Gospel and might be great Preachers thereof Tho it seems that others who never professed the Gospel were and may be guilty of committing of this Sin as those Jews no doubt were who said our Blessed Saviour did cast out Devils by Beelzebub the Prince of Devils 3. It is a sinning wilfully after a Person hath received the Knowledg of the Truth or Gospel of Christ For if we sin wilfully after we have received the Knowledg of the Truth there remains no more Sacrifice for Sin Though every wilful sinning is not this Sin yet every one that is guilty thereof doth sin wilfully and that in the highest degree Pray note it 't is a wilful casting off and forsaking the Truth of God and an utter deserting the Church and People of God nay a wilful rejecting the Truth which they before had embraced and tasted some sweetness in opposing and contradicting that which the Holy Spirit testifies to their Consciences is the Truth of Christ therefore they wilfully reject the Motions of the Holy Ghost nay contemn the Operations thereof 4. And as it is a rejecting of the Motions and Operations of the Holy Spirit after those Illuminations they had received so also it is done maliciously or from Spite and Malice And hath done Despite unto the Spirit of Grace They wilfully desert the Assemblies of God's Church and People and esteem the Blood of Christ whereby he was consecrated a Sacrifice unto God or as some whereby they thought once they had been sanctified an unholy Thing and accounting the Motions of the Holy Spirit and his Operations a meer Delusion of the Devil And thus some of the Pharisees sinned Christ healed one possessed of an unclean Spirit a Work wrought by the Power of the Holy Ghost they imputed it to the Devil saying This Fellow casteth out Devils by the Prince of Devils This was a wilful Sin and done no doubt in Malice and against the Convictions of their own Consciences for they could not certainly but know that he was the Son of God by the wonderful Works he did See ver 31 32. Upon this our Saviour doth intimate that they were guilty of sinning the Sin against the Holy Ghost that shall never be forgiven unto Men. 5. It is a treading under Foot the Son of God contemning and vilifying him as these Pharisies seem'd to do and which as it is thought by many Julian the Apostate was guilty of who in difdain when he was wounded threw his Blood up towards Heaven crying Thou Galilean thou hast overcome me or to that purpose he in reproach and hatred seemed to call Christ a Galilean would not call him by any one of his own proper Names 6. And lastly It doth consist in a fatal and utter renunciation of the Christian Religion and all the Institutions Doctrines and Principles thereof and a turning to Judaism or Idolatry or else to perfect Atheism and all this as Dr. Owen signifies with an avowed and professed Enmity to Christ and Christianity and therefore not without the highest Reproach and Contempt imaginable against the Person of Christ as well as against the Gospel imbracing the Love of Sin or of the Riches and Honours of this present evil World valuing their Lusts above the Comfort of the Holy Ghost We have as if they should say tasted of the Spirit and of heavenly Things and do disclaim him and them and witness against him and by that Experience we have had do disown all that pretended Good that some boast of 〈◊〉 be in their Divine Things and contemn that Spirit they glory in and are led by APPLICATION First Take heed of those Sins that tend or lead to this unpardonable Sin 1. Take heed of a malicious Thought against the Holy Ghost don't think it is the Devil that disquiets and disturbs you about Sin Wrath and Hell you convicted Sinners look to it that you charge not these Convictions you have of the Evil of your Sin upon Satan He you may be sure will not trouble you for your Sins but let you go on peaceably in your wicked Ways though when you are awakened he may perswade you that there is no Mercy for you Doubts and desparing Thoughts commonly rise from Satan but not Sorrow and Grief for Sin No no that is from your Conscience a it is influenced by the Holy Ghost 2. Beware of harbouring a malicious Thought of Religion or of praying by the Holy Spirit as I heard lately or a wicked Man who hearing a Minister pray in a most excellent manner that said How doth the Devil help him or to that effect O this is dangerous 3. Take heed of blasphemous Words against the Holy Spirit Will any dare to say that the Devil is in God's People that they are so resolute in their Ways and will not conform to the National Church 4. Beware you that make a Profession of Religion and that have been enlightned how you fall away and turn again to Folly and to your sinful Practices for this is the high Way to the unpardonable Sin or Sin unto Death you know not but that a partial Apostacy may end in a total one at last 5. Above all things look to it that you rest not on a common Work of the
and being fallen into the Hands of Justice it self but meeting with a Friend who paid all he owed he cannot but cry out O great Love and Compassion that would be a Deliverance indeed But it is nothing to this we in a spiritual Sense being delivered from Hell by Jesus Christ who payed our Debts for us each of us owing not less than ten thousand Talents I mean so many Sins and every Sin a greater Debt than ten thousand Pounds And this brings me to the next Demonstration Eighthly The Salvation of the Gospel is a Great and Glorious Salvation if we consider the Way and Means by which this Salvation is wrought out and accomplished for us It could not be effected except the Son of God became Man or without the Incarnation Mediation and bloody Passion of Jesus Christ The precious Blood of Christ must be poured forth or there was no Salvation no Deliverance for our Souls Gold nor Silver could not purchase it nor the best of all earthly things For as much as ye know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as Silver and Gold from a vain Conversation received by Tradition from your Fathers but with the precious Blood of Christ as of a Lamb without blemish and without spâ—t No such Price would be accepted of God so precious is the Redemption of the Soul Quest But may be some may say Could not the Law effect it Could not the keeping the Precepts the Law of the Ten Commandments do it nor the Sacrifices of the Law procure Salvation for us Answ No it was impossible the Law requires perfect Righteousness sinless Obedience besides we have broke it and thereby the whole World is become guilty before God And could the Blood of Beasts the Blood of Bulls and Goats take away Sin or satisfy Divine Justice and so make an Atonement for our Iniquities No no For it is not possible that the Blood of Bulls and Goats should take away Sin Sin cannot be done away without an infinite Price What Influence could the Blood of Beasts have to take away Sin being in their own Nature corporal things they could not deliver us from the spiritual Evil of the Soul nor were they ordained of God to that End and Purpose but to point out the great Sacrifice Besides saith the Text Sacrifice and Offerings for Sin thou wouldst not but a Body hast thou prepared me It must be the Blood of Christ whose Sufferings had a satisfactory and inconceivable Worth in them For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the Flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful Flesh and for Sin condemned Sin in the Flesh Compare this with that Passage of the Holy Ghost in Heb. 1. 3. Who being the Brightness of his Glory and the express Image of his Person and upholding all things by the Word of his Power when he had by himself purged our Sins sat down on the right Hand of the Majesty on High He being God as well as Man or his Humanity being hypostatically united to his Divine Nature offered up himself by the Eternal Spirit a Propitiatory Sacrifice unto God by which Satisfaction and Merits he purged or took away the Guilt and Pollution of Sin and delivered us from that just and deserved Wrath that was due unto it by bearing of it himself in our Nature and stead so that God who was injured and whose Holy Law was violated might be just or that his Justice might appear for he could as soon cease to be God as cease to be just and yet hereby he magnifies his Mercy also What can we desire more than to be delivered from Sin and purged from Sin This was the Way and no other which the Wisdom of God found out in Christ both those Attributes are united so that Justice as well as Mercy says Whosoever believeth in Jesus Christ or lays hold of his Righteousness by Faith shall be justified and eternally saved The Apostle adds his being sat down on the right Hand of God to intimate he hath made our Peace obtained Redemption for us and brought in by his Obedience Everlasting Righteousness and made an end of Sin and as a mighty Conqueror has triumphed and is gone to Heaven and there appears at the Father's right Hand to plead the Merits of his own Blessed Sacrifice and that Atonement he hath made for us by his own Blood on the Tree O consider what our Salvation cost him what did he do to work about this Salvation Why he 1. Became Incarnate or was made Flesh And the Word was made Flesh and dwelt among us and we behold his Glory as the Glory of the only begotten of the Father full of Grace and Truth Though he was equal with God as you lately heard yet he took on him the form of a Servant 2. He became poor Sirs Jesus Christ who was rich that he might accomplish the Salvation of our Souls became poor May not this affect our Hearts We must be miserable for ever or Christ must become poor and seem to be miserable for a Time No Salvation for us useless our Blessed Saviour doth abase himself and take our Nature upon him For verily he took not on him the Nature of Angels but took on him the Seed of Abraham All this was Brethren to bring this Blessed Salvation to his chosen Ones 3. He in his humane Nature must be made under the Law and so become obnoxious or liable to the Obedience the Law required yea he was obliged to keep it exactly in every part thereof When the Fulness of time was come God sent forth his own Son made of a Woman made under the Law The Apostle adds the Reason of this to redeem them that were under the Law He thus became not only bound to do what the Law required but to suffer what the Law threatned and 〈◊〉 on us who had broke and violated it and this in our Nature or in the same Nature that had sinned in which 〈◊〉 the Justice of God required a Satisfaction for the wrong Sin had do 〈◊〉 unto him Which being impossible for sinful Man 〈…〉 and that we might not be exposed for ever unto th◠〈…〉 Wrath and Punishment in Hell which was due to 〈…〉 for us or in our place that we through 〈…〉 Obedience and painful Death and Suffering both in 〈…〉 Body might obtain a gracious Discharge from Siâ— or free Justification unto Life and a full deliverance from Wrath and Eternâ—â— Death 4. Nay and as he must diâ— if he procures Salvation for us so by this means he also was made a Curse for us for we having broken the Law 〈◊〉 under the Curse of it the Law le ts fly its bitter Curses against very 〈◊〉 thereof For as many as are of the Works of the Law are under the Curse and therefore impossible for us to be 〈◊〉 and saved by it Whosoever keepeth not the
Law perfectly is cursed but no Man can keep the Law perfectly therefore all Man naturally are cursed and impossible then to be blessed until delivered from that Curse and this therefore Christ came to do him hath God sent to bless us which Blessing we could not have 〈…〉 Christ puts himself in our place and bears the Curse away from us Christ hath redeemed us from the Curse of the Law by being 〈◊〉 a Curse for us for it is written Cursed is every one that 〈◊〉 on a Tree He that was hanged on a Tree under the Law was hanged for transgressing of it and was cursed of God and when 〈◊〉 is said Christ was made a Curse for us it signifies his bearing that Wrath and indignation of God which was due to us for our Sin and his he must do if ever we are justified and eternally â—â—ved from that Eternal Wrath and Vengeance Sin had brought upon every Soul of us 5. As our Lord Jesus if he procure Salvation for us must die and become a Curse for us so he must also raise up himself from the Dead or be discharged of the Bonds of Death he must destroy Death and be freed out of Prison He therefore rose again from the Dead for our Justification His Discharge was virtually a Discharge for us or for all he died for our Lord Jesus must subdue all our Enemies and bring not Death only but the Devil also and all the Powers of Darkness under his Feet or there could be no Salvation for our poor Souls Forasmuch then as the Children are partakers of Flesh and Blood he also himself likewise took part of the same that through Death he might destroy him that had the Power of Death that is the Devil And deliver them who through fear of Death were all their Life-time subject to Bondage Christ and Believers are of one and the same Nature they are as it were but one Man or are so united as to be considered as one Mystical Body This was held forth in his Incarnation in his assuming our Nature He took not only an Humane Soul but our Humane Flesh into Union with his Divine Nature that both our Souls and Bodies might be brought into Union with him and that our Bodies might also be raised from Death to a State of Life and Glory at the last Day and be fashioned like unto his Glorious Body Who hath abolished Death and hath brought Life and Immortality to light through the Gospel Had not Christ conquered Death and the Devil who had the Power of Death we had been lost for ever He hath not only taken away Sin the Sting of Death but he hath and will be the Death of Death The last Enemy that shall be destroyed is Death The Body as well as the Soul is brought into Union with Christ he is the Head of the whole Believer the Body as well as the Soul Shall I then take the Members of Christ and make them the Members of an Harlot Both Body and Spirit are the Lord's our Body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost Brethren what a Conquest hath Christ made how hath he subdued all our Enemies that so he might work out a full and perfect Victory for us in every respect For this Corruptible must put on Incorruption and this Mortal must put on Immortality 1 Cor. 15. 53. So when this Corruptible shall have put on Incorruption and this Mortal shall have put on Immortality then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written Death is swallowed up in Victory Ver. 54. O Death where is thy Sting O Grave where is thy Victory Ver. 55. 6. And lastly And as Christ must conquer the Devil the World Sin Death and the Grave for us and in our Nature so he must by his mighty Power destroy the Devil and Sin 's great Power in us and vanquish that natural Enmity that is in our Hearts against God and his Ways and thereby restore the Image of God in us which we had lost HEB. II. 3. How shall we escape if we neglect so great Salvation Ninthly GOSPEL-Salvation is great if we consider the Subject thereof or what is delivered and saved for ever namely the Souls and Bodies of his People First The Soul that is it Jesus Christ came to save which is very precious as I shall shew you in a deduction of several Particulars Certainly the Salvation of the Soul must needs be a great Salvation What is it to save our Estates our Liberties our Healths the Members of our Bodies our Eyes Arms Legs or our natural Lives to the saving of our precious and immortal Souls The Soul is more worth than all the World What shall it profit a Man to gain the whole World and lose his own Soul 1 st To demonstrate the great Worth Excellency and Preciousness of the Soul consider that it was first formed in the Image of God in Righteousness and true Holiness Our Souls had a glorious Impression of God's Image stamp'd upon them in the first Creation which we lost by Sin and Transgression But this Blessed Image is restored again as you have heard by the Grace of God in this Salvation 1. Pray Brethren remember that the Soul of Man is capable of a Divine Impression of God's glorious Image it is made I mean of such a Nature that it is capable of this great Blessing therefore to be deemed a very precious thing God will not stamp his Image upon low and base Metal if I may so speak with reverence 2. There are three things I find which the great God glories in as being peculiar to himself or his own glorious Prerogative alone The Burden of the Word of the Lord for Israel saith the Lord which stretcheth out the Heavens and layeth the Foundations of the Earth and formeth the Spirit of Man within him The first is his stretching out of the Heavens O what a great and glorious Work was that The second is his laying the Foundation of the Earth the hanging it upon nothing what a wonderful thing is that considering its great Weight and wonderful Body The third is his forming of our Souls Certainly the Spirit or Soul of Man is a glorious thing that God should account the Creation of it amongst those chiefest Parts of his admirable Handy-work Why is not the forming the Blessed Angels who are glorious Spirits rather mentioned it is worthy of serious Contemplation Our Bodies are fearfully and wonderfully made they are no small part of God's Wisdom and curious Workmanship if the Nature and Order of every Part was considered as some Artists who study Man's Humane Body will shew you But what is the Formation and Excellency of our Bodies to our Souls 3. The Soul is capable of Divine Union with Jesus Christ through a Communication of the Holy Spirit and by Faith of the Operation of God and thereby the whole Man partakes of the like Union also
Blemish 6. Sinners are you bound in strong Chains and in the Prison-house Are you in the Bonds of Iniquity How will you do to come out for you are kept by the strong Man armed if you can conquer this strong and cruel Enemy you may get out but are you a Match for Satan No certainly none can deliver himself none can get out of Satan's Hands it must be done by one mightier than he Well in this Salvation there is Liberty Christ is clothed with Power as you lately heard he is anointed to preach the Gospel to the Poor he is sent to heal the Broken-hearted to deliver the Captives and to set at liberty them that were bound Jesus Christ is stronger than the strong Man armed He hath taken captive Captivity himself O what a blessed what a great and glorious Salvation is this 7. Are you poor and naked and have nothing to cover your Nakedness but filthy Rags Well be it so yet this Salvation brings to you a rich and glorious Robe viz. Christ's Righteousness nay change of Raiment Salvation it self is called a Garment and it is by this Salvation also you have the Robe of Sanctification and Grace wherewith you are clothed Humility is called a Garment I counsel thee to buy of me white Raiment that thou mayst be clothed and that the Shame of thy Nakedness appear not 8. Are you poor hungry Souls and have no Bread nothing to eat but are forc'd to feed on Husks as the poor Prodigal did Soul to thy joy in this Salvation is Bread of Life for thee Eat you that which is good and let your Soul delight it self in Fatness The Gospel Sirs provides a Feast of fat things Have you not read of the Marriage-Supper All things are now ready O what a Banquet doth this Salvation make for hungry Sinners and such who hunger and thirst after Righteousness shall be filled 9. Are you Thirsty and have no Water to drink are all Wells empty and all Springs dry Yet know O Sinner here is the Well of Salvation brim full If any Man thirst let him come to me and drink 10. Are you guilty Sinners and condemned to die by a Holy and just Law The Gospel-Salvation has a full Discharge for you Christ hath died in your stead and here is a Pardon a free Pardon obtained upon his Satisfaction 11. Or Sinner dost thou want a broken Heart dost thou want a penitent Heart in this Salvation Christ has purchased Grace to melt and soften thy Heart Him hath God exalted at his right Hand to be a Prince and a Saviour to give Repentance to Israel and Remission of Sins 12. Dost thou want Faith or more Faith It is to be had in this Salvation To you it is given in behalf of Christ not only to believe c. To believe Grace to believe is given to poor Sinners Christ is the Author and Finisher of our Faith 13. Do you want Peace the Gospel is the Gospel of Peace Christ is the Prince of Peace and as he had made Peace for us so he hath promised to all that lay hold on this Salvation to give them Peace yea great Peace not such Peace that the World gives 14. Do you want Strength it is in this Salvation also In the Lord that is in Christ shall one say have I Righteousness and Strength Nay you shall be strengthned according to his glorious Power Christ is our Strength as he is God's Arm of Power so he is our Arm also I will strengthen thee yea I will help thee yea I will uphold thee with the right Hand of my Righteousness 15. Or do you want Comfort this Salvation hath all Joy and spiritual Comfort in it God is called the God of all Comfort and Consolation but he is so only to us in Jesus Christ Christ hath procured and sent the Comforter himself to us and to abide with us for ever I will not leave you comfortless I will come unto you 16. Do you want Weapons and Armour to ingage your Enemies this Salvation provides these also see Eph. 6. 10 11 12 13. Christ's Souldiers are armed compleatly yea they have Armour of Proof put upon them 17 Do you want a Guide this Salvation provides you an infallible and faithful Guide also 1. To guide us we have God's Word which is that sure Word of Prophecy which if you follow you shall never go astray 2. To guide us we have also the Holy Spirit and Spirit of Truth when he is come he will guide you into all Truth 18. Or do you want a Shepherd to feed you a King to rule you a Priest to sacrifice and make an Atonement for you a Prophet to teach you this Salvation provides all these for you Christ is your Shepherd your Priest your King your Prophet and excels all that ever bore those Names 19. Do you want an Husband would you change your Condition What say you Sinners particularly you young People do you desire a good Match to be well disposed of in Marriage O then receive this Salvation here is a Prince nay the Prince of the Kings of the Earth that desires your Love will you accept of this Offer behold he is now come and knocks at your Doors O open to him say not nay For this Match being once made between Jesus Christ and your Souls this Salvation and all that is contained in it is yours for ever 20. Would you be Rich Great Honourable truly Rich and Honourable here it is receive this Salvation and all these things as you heard the last Day are yours none so Great so Rich nor so Honourable as Believers The Righteous is more excellent than his Neighbour the Saints are the excellent in all the Earth 21. Do you want Health and would you be freed of all your Diseases and Sickness for ever Health is in this Salvation Soul-health and that is the best Health Christ hath born our Sicknesses to cure and heal our Souls 22. Do you want a great Portion this is more than all the other this Salvation is so comprehensible that God himself is contained in it This Salvation gives us Interest in God God hereby gives himself to every Believer to be his Portion Christ hath purchased this Portion for us he restores to us a lost God by this Salvation we come to injoy God again 1. God is a Portion that will supply all thy Wants 2. A Portion that will content and fully satisfy every Soul that has an Interest in him 3. A Portion that can never be spent nor wasted 4. A Portion for thy Soul and a Portion that will last as long as thy Soul shall last and that is for ever Sirs many have great worldly Portions but they are sometimes soon spent and they become poor and miserable Some also have great earthly Portions bodily Portions but have no Portion for their poor Souls O get God to be your Portion i.
are that may be said to neglect it Thirdly Shew you from whence it is that some do neglect it Fourthly Shew you what a great Sin it is to neglect the Salvation of the Gospel First To neglect the Salvation of the Gospel is to neglect the Means of it the Way which God hath appointed in order to our obtaining an Interest in it 2. It imports a slighting of it to omit seeking after the Knowledg of it or to take no pains in order to the obtaining the Grace and saving Blessings thereof 3. Or to seek Salvation some other ways But Secondly Who may be said to neglect it Answ 1. Such who do not think upon this Salvation they do neglect it Some do not regard it at all it is not in their Minds they do not trouble their Thoughts about it though it be so great That which a Person thinks not of let it be Matter of never so great Moment be sure he doth neglect Have you saith a Man to his Friend done that Business I desired of you No truly saith he I never thought of it this discovers he hath neglected it So it is here in respect of this great Salvation 2. Such neglect the Gospel Salvation who do not study it pry into it and labour to find out the great Mysteries that lie hid in it As he that is put out an Apprentice to learn some curious Art or Trade that never studies the Matter or pries not into the Mysteries thereof neglects his Trade So they who do not study the Gospel and the Mysteries of Christ crucified do neglect the great Salvation thereof Paul determined to know nothing amongst the Learned Corinthians but Jesus Christ and him crucified this shews he did not neglect the Salvation of his own and other Mens Souls Without controversy great is the Mystery of Godliness 'T is not easy to understand the Gospel it is so great a Mystery if it were only a Law with Promises annexed to those who lived up in Obedience to the Precepts of it and Threats to such who were disobedient to its Precepts it would not be a Mystery nor would the Learned Greeks have counted the preaching of such a Gospel to be Foolishness for such a Gospel comports with Man's Carnal Reason and with Natural Religion But to preach Salvation by a Man that was hanged on a Tree or by a crucified Saviour that is a Mystery And hence it was contemned by the Greeks they could not understand how they could be justified by another's Righteousness or that Christ could satisfy for their Sins or how our Sins could be made his that his Righteousness should be made ours this is a Mystery and this Mystery some People do not will not study and so neglect this Salvation 3. Such neglect it that will not hear the Gospel preached but either lie at Home or walk in the Fields or content themselves to hear Morality or good Manners only preached which is all the Salvation too many preach in some Places they think they need not trouble themselves about any other Matters of Religion but only to do to others as they would be done unto or to live sober Lives and to do justly This is good and it is in a right manner held forth in the Gospel and preach'd by such that preach this Salvation But if this were all in vain was it that God sent his Son into the World nay if Morality could save Mens Souls or any Righteousness of the Creature or inherent Holiness Christ is dead in vain These Men know not what the Gospel is and those who preach no other Gospel than Morality do but go about to make the People good Heathens for what is this but the Religion of the Heathen Philosophers 4. Such also neglect this Salvation who though they come to hear Christ preach'd yet only come out of Formality Custom or Curiosity or to divert themselves having little else to do they will go and hear what such or such a Man will say it is not to be instructed in the Mysteries of Salvation nay may be some of them may come with a Design to catch up things to improve to the Reproach of the Minister Now be sure these Persons are such who neglect the Salvation of the Gospel 5. Such likewise who are careless Hearers who hear as if the things preached did not concern them or that sleep under the Word these also neglect this Salvation I have heard of one that would go to the Place of Worship because she could sleep sooner and better there than at Home and no wonder since the Devil rocks the Cradle as I may say or hath such Influence upon them and makes them comply with his Temptations and you shall have help no doubt as some who have hanged themselves it has been observed to be strange how they could do it after such a manner alas Satan helped them he knows how to tie the Rope and to choak them too when they enter upon this Work Perhaps some shall have their Thoughts in a wanton manner run out after this or the other Object they have before their Eyes when with Holy Diligence they should attend upon the Word of this Salvation to the profit of their Souls or else have their Hearts and Thoughts run out upon their worldly Affairs some on their Riches Trades and how to order their Business the Week following and others upon their Poverty All these I must set down as Neglecters of this Great Salvation 6. Such who slight or neglect the Convictions of their own Consciences or that strive to stifle their Convictions whilst under the Word or when gone from hearing it like as Felix did when he sent Paul away the Fire the Word had kindled in his Conscience being too hot for him to bear 7. Such who comply not with the Call of the Word and Offers of this great Salvation but resist and quench the Motions of the Spirit out of love to their Lusts and so reject the Word like them of old Lo they reject the Word of the Lord and what Wisdom is in them These seem to say in their Hearts As for the Word spoken in the Name of the Lord we will not do it But we will certainly do whatsoever goeth out of our Mouths c. These also with a witness neglect this great Salvation 8. Such who regard not the Time the Day and proper Season of this Salvation do neglect it Behold now is the accepted Time behold now is the Day of Salvation But this is not their Time they delay the great Matters of their Souls God's Time is not their Time Seek ye the Lord while he may be found and call upon him while he is near saith the Prophet But they will not do this they think it is too soon they resolve to take more of the sweet of Sin and feed on the Vanities of the World a little longer God calls now whilst it is to