When it is done without Temptation or with small Temptation 5 What it is done against Vowes and Covenants 6 When it is done against much meanes 2 To quicken our desires after Christ take away the Excuses of sinne 1 Excuse Good meanings Quest. 2 Excuse Badnesse of nature Answ. 5 The times are times of the Gospell not of the law Object Answ. Object 4 Excuse The good things we doe will ballance the evill Answ. Object 5 Excuse Others are worse Answ. Means to arme us against these Excuses 1 The Word 2 The Spirit of bondage How it worketh this in a man Doct. 2. There is a Revelation of wrath against all unrighteousnesse of men 2 Things to be observed 1 The certaintie of this wrath Proofes of it 2 What this Wrath is Three things observable 1 It is a Treasure 2 The power of it 3 The suddennesse of it Vse 1. See what Sinne is Vse 2. Labour for a Sense of the wrath of God Vse 3. Goe to Christ. Of with-holding the Truth in unrighteousnesse Three things considerable Doctr. Object Answ. 1 What this Truth is A three-fold Truth 1 The subject of this Truth 2 The Author of it 3 The extent of it 2 How this Truth is withholden Quest. Answ. Foure wayes of imprisoning the Light How great a sinne it is to with-hold the Truth in unrighteousnesse Vse 1. Vse 2. Sheweth the misery of thâ—se men that are neare the kingdome of God but not in it Their misery is in three things 1 The good things that they have doe them no good 2 They doâ— them much hurt 3 How farre they goe and yet how farre they fall short of that which is proper to the godly 1 In inlightning 2 In their Conscience 3 In common gifts 4 In their actions 5 In their Conflicts 2 How farre they fall short 1 In light and understanding In two things 2 In their Conscience Note 3 Morall Vertues 4 In Actions In two respects Object Answ. 5 In their Conflict in foure things Vse 3. Men sinne not out of want of information but out of love of unrighteousnesse How the Truth is with-held in unrighteousnesse Vse 4. Consider the danger of disobeying the Truth Object May not a man be too scrupulous Answ. Vse 5. Give the Truth leave to rule 1 The danger of restraining it 2 The benefit of setting it at liberty Object Answ. Means how to set the Truth at liberty Prayer 2 Practice the Truth 3 Communion Saints Act. 21.13 1 That there is such a Truth proved foure wayes Object Answ. 2 That they with-hold the Truth in unrighteousnesse Object Doct. 1. That Truth or Law or knowledge by which every man shall be judged is made manifest by God himselfe 1 What this Truth is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 How it is made knowne Foure wayes 1 By the light of Nature 2 By Gods workes 3 By the Scriptures 4 By the Saints 3 It is God that maketh this Truth evident Hence these Consectaries may be deduced Vse 1. To shew the hainousnesse of mens sinnes against this Truth Object Answ. Vse 2. Be thankfull for the Truth Vse 3. Doe nothing contrary to the Truth Object Answ. Seven Cases wherein men detaine this Truth in unrighteousnesse 1 In the Commission of knowne sins Case 2. In unwillingnesse to increase a mans Knowledge Two sorts of those Case 3. In not acting and practising the Truth by the use of meanes Object Answ. Case 4. In suffocating and suppressing it Two wayes Case 5. In removing impediments Case 6. Case 7. Object Answ. Vse 4. Object Answ. Object Answ. Point 3. There is so much revealed to every man as will make him inexcusable The Excuses whereby men endevour to purge themselves Excuse 1. Thaâ— they know not God Answ. Excuse 2. God requires more knowledge than men have of him Answ. The inexcusablenesse of ignorant Countrey people Pretence 3. We hâ—ve no ability to performe the things we know Quest. Answ. Object Answ. Pretence 4. From the corruption of nature which they cannot resist Answ. 1. Answ. 2. Answ. 3. Pretence 5. From Temptations of company businesse c. Answ. 1. Answ. 2. Pretence 6. From the want of meanes Answ. Other particular Excuses First by denying the Fact Secondly By sleighting the Fault Ob. It is a smal sinne Answ. Ob. I fell into by infirmity Answ. 1. Ob. But I am sorry that I so sinned Answ. 1. Answ. 2. Vse 1. Object Answ. Object Answ. Vse 2. Means whereby men are kept in their old condition First Inconsideration 2 Some Lust. Fastiug is no Arbitrary dutie Which is proved by â—exâ—s of Scripture The definition of a Fast. The defects which we are subject to in performing that duty 1 To rest in the work done 2 To doe it for a fit 3 Not to reforme upon the doing of it There is a double performance of duties 1 When they be performed as Fasts 2 When its affections are wrought upon in the duty Ver. 1.2 The Analysis of the Text. The Israelites disease Sin The consequent of sin is wrath Ver. 3. The effect of Gods wrath the Plague The remedy was the turning away of Gods wrath Which was done by zeale And that for two reasons Five generall points raised out of the text 1 Generall point God only doth good and evill Certaine convictions for demonstrations of the point 1 Conviction The frequency of our sinning A digression touching the Sabbath proving that it ought to be sanctified 1 Because it is a Holy Day 2 It is Gods day It is further convinced 1 From the hazard of Religion by leaving man at liberty 2 From the Antiquity of its celebration 3 From the usefulnesse of a Sabbath 2 Conviction is our neglecting of dutie 3 Conviction is our not fearing and trusting him alone Quest. Answ. Discovering the Nature of trusting in God which is to be content with God alone 2 To rely upon him in Exigents Which is instanced in Hester And Daniel 4 Conviction or not walking perfectly with the Lord. Reason 2. To prove the point Reason 1. If the creatures could do good or evill God were not God Reason 2. The Creature should be God Dan. 5.23 Object 1. From the operation of second causes Answ. 1. 1 The Lord workes by them Reason 1. Which is illustrate by some comparisons By their different effects By places of Scripture Vse 1. To labour to see God in his greatnesse Which would draw our affections to God The want of it carries us to the Creature and brings us upon the danger of Idolatry By advancing the creatures in our opinions Question concerning the use of the Creatures Answ. They are to be used with a subordinate affection To looke to God in all our businesse He doth instance in particulars Vse 3. Set Faith and the Spirit on work to judge of these things Two generall points Sinne câ—uses Wrath. Which he illustrates by a Compaâ—â—â—â—n Object From the
wise to purifie to himselfe a peculiar people zealous of good workes If men might runne out their age in sinne and Christ forgive them in the end when they please to give over sinning then he might have one of his ends made good which is to take away thy sinnes but thou couldst not be a people zealous of good workes neither could he have any service of thee But thou must know Christ hath hired thee for the whole day that is all the Time of thy life When he went out in the morning to call in labourers into his Vineyard they did not make answer Well we will come at noone but when his pleasure is to call whether at one or two a clocke that is his call but if he call thee in the morning that is if thou have the Word preached if he knocke at the doore of thy heart and by his Spirit suggest many good motions in thee to come home if his will be revealed to thee it may bee thou mayest not have such an opportunity againe that is his call take heed that thou defer it not lest so his wrath should be kindled against thee and woe unto thee if his wrath be kindled but a little this is a thing not considered In Ezek. 24.13 Thou remainest in thy wickednesse And why is that He gives this reason for it I would have purged thee and thou wouldst not be purged therefore thou shalt never be purged till my wrath light on thee That is when God makes an offer when the powerfull Word sounds in our eares when he cals and wee cannot deny his knocking at our doores and yet wee will not come in because then and there at that time thou wouldest not be purged therefore thou shalt never be purged till Gods wrath light on thee therefore deferre it not But you will say and that is a thing that keepes men off I have done it already and what need you to presse this I hope I am not now to practise these principles and rudiments I hope I have done this dutie of Humiliation long agoe It is well if thou hast but take heed thou deceive not thy selfe in this case than which there is not a greater evill in the world even to thinke thou hast done it when thou hast not I will give thee one note of it Is it such an humiliation as hath brought thee to Christ To count him the chiefest good to over-goe any thing rather than him to stand out against all persecutions rather than to forsake him canst thou forsake all Syrens all lusts and pleasures which allure thee Art thou thus brought home to Christ to esteeme him above all things that come what will come hadst thou an hundred lives to part with for him all were nothing Art thou thus brought home with Humiliation that thou wilt not let Christ goe for any thing neither losses nor pleasures for Temptations on the right and left hand then thou art come home indeed otherwise thou hast not taken him truely neither art humble for thou must know there is much counterfeit Humiliation there be many light wounds that may trouble thee but not bring thee to the Physitian God awakens sinners but what kinde of awakening is it With such awakning that they fall asleepe againe God may send many messengers of wrath to knocke at the doore of their hearts which perhaps disquiets and troubles them a little but they returne to their rest againe And this God may not only doe outwardly but he may cast many sparkes of his displeasure into their hearts which may there lye glowing for a time but they last not they goe out in the end And this is the condition of most men therefore they make many profers as if they would be saved and come to Christ and this they take for Humiliation But this is not the Humiliation that is required When God means to save a man hee will goe thorow with the worke and never give over till he hath brought him home causing sorrow to abide on his heart As it is Christs office to give repentance to men and remission of sinnes so it is his office Luke 1.79 To guide mens feet into the way of Peace Now when he will save a man he will set it on so that his heart shall never bee quiet till his feet be guided into the way of peace Others may have much Humiliation at time of a Sacrament or under some great sicknesse or crosse or in a good mood or for apprehension of some Iudgement and wrath to come but it is like a flash of lightning that quickly vanishes but when Christ will humble a man he sets a Pillar of fire before him that leads him along from time to time till he be brought home to Christ. A small thing when God hath the setting of it on shall worke and never give over working till our hearts be qualified aright till we beleeve in Christ and embrace the Gospell And such an Humiliation you must have else it is nothing If it be a right Humiliation I say it will bring you home for you must know this is the condition of every man they cannot abide the net no man will come in if he can chuse Now the Gospell is a Net that catches men and as in the taking of fishes if they will take the Fish they beat the sides of the River and will not suffer them to rest in any corner for if they can finde any place to rest in they will not come into the Net So man hath many starting holes and faine would be quiet God humbles him a little but hee gets in a nooke and there hides himselfe that if God beat not the River thorow-out that is if God doe not pursue a man he will not be brought in As it was with them that fled to the Citie of refuge you know if one man killed another at unawares if he could get into the City of Refuge he were safe but were not he pursued by the Avenger of bloud he would not fly thither if God ever give over pursuing a man till he be just at the City he wil step aside and not regard it but when God shal charge sin upon the conscience and pursue him never giving him rest this brings him to the City of Refuge This is exemplified in the Prodigall sonne so long as he had any thing to restraine him while his goods lasted hee never thought of going home to his Father When he had spent his goods so long as he could get worke or had any thing to doe though he hired himselfe in a very meane condition to keepe the Swine yet he was well content but in the end when he came to have Huskes his utmost shift and yet if he could have had huskes he would not have come home when he had no sustenance but must needs perish then he goes home And indeed a man will never goe home till he have no bottome
him off But you will say these things that you speak are wonderfull things how shall we have this wrought in us By being in Christ this wonder is wrought in us when a man is once ingrafted into Christ when hee hath once received him this great worke is wrought in him in his heart hee is made a new Creature But if you adde to this the second way of raising this Sanctification from our Iustification then you will understand it yet more fully and distinctly There are certaine actions wrought in our soules by which this Sanctification followes Iustification and those are these First when a man seeth great reason for it for when a man is once convinced of a thing that it is best for him to doe it and takes a resolution to him to performe it Now when a man hath beene humbled and knoweth what sinne is when he hath had his heart prepared when he comes in once to take Christ that is when he seeth his owne basenesse and Christs excellencie what he was without Christ and what he hath by Christ that when he expected nothing but death then the Gospell came and said Thou shalt live when he seeth that Christ deales with him after this manner then hee thinkes surely It is good reason that I should serve him before indeed we thinke his service to be an hard service and we doe with him as people that are under a tyrannous King they refuse to obey such an one so doth all the world with Iesus Christ they thinke his Law to be an hard Law written with bloud and they thinke him to be an hard Governour such a King as they know not how to be subject unto But when a man is once convinced by the Spirit when he sees reason for it when he is perswaded that Christ will governe him for his wealth that Christ hath suffered for him and freed him from the wrath of God then hee thinkes thus There is reason that I should suffer him to rule over me and when a man seeth reason for it he comes then willingly to submit himselfe to Christ. This is the worke of the Spirit whereby he perswades a man that there is reason for it and it is attributed to the Spirit Iohn 16 The Spirit convinceth of Sinne of Righteousnesse and of Iudgement that is it shewes us that we are sinfull and that there is a Righteousnesse in Christ to heale that And thirdly it convinceth us that there is reason for it why we should serve God in Sanctification and Iudgement The meaning of the word He shall convince is that the Spirit shewes us reason why we should embrace Sanctification and serve the Lord in all things Now when the heart of man is brought to this to see reason and equity in this then a man takes resolution to cleave to Christ to serve him Secondly as he deales with the reason so he doth likewise with the affections for he begets love in us which love sanctifieth us it sets us on worke and turnes the whole heart as the Rudder turnes the Ship for it sits in the sterne of a mans Soule and the reason that when we are justified we love Christ is because when as before a man magnified himselfe setting himselfe at an high rate like a virgin that is coy and curious thinking no man good enough for her now the Law comming and convincing him of the need he stands in of CHRIST and shewing him what he is in himselfe he is hereupon content to marry with the Lord Christ Nay further the Spirit of God not only shews him the need that hee stands in of an husband he being not under covert and deepely in debt the whole weight of his debt lying on himselfe but it goes further and shewes him the beautie of Christ as Ioh. 14.21 To him that loves me I will manifest my selfe that is I will declare my beauty and when the Spirit shewes Christ to the Soule it makes it in love with him We may shew him to you an hundred times over and yet beget not this affection in you but the Spirits shewing is effectuall to that end and when you love him you must needs please him in all things it being the care of the married wife to please the husband So that when the heart is prepared by humiliation and takes Christ love is wrought in the Soule and love sanctifies for Sanctification is nothing else but a setting our selves apart from common uses and keeping of the heart close to God making it peculiar to him and this love makes us to doe when the wife loves the husband shee will be his altogether she will be only to him she will be divorced from all Adulterers and have nothing to doe with them and thus the Lord deales with the affections Thirdly there is wrought not only a love to the Lord but a perswasion that it is good for our selves to serve him in holinesse Indeed many times to satisfie our affections we love a thing too much though wee doe not thinke our selves gainers thereby but in this matter the Lord perswades us that it is best for our selves to sanctifie him in all things to draw neere unto him to sanctifie his Name in our hearts so that now not only love to Christ but even selfe-love also is set on worke to the making us New Creatures for the wayes of God are propounded as good and profitable and pleasing things and when the heart lookes on them it sees them as good for it selfe so that the heart turnes towards them as it cannot but doe to every thing that it apprehends to be good and profitable to it So that when the Holy Ghost shall perswade a man that it is best for himselfe that he shall best provide for himselfe every way by taking Christ hee cannot choose but come in when hee shall see it is best for him to goe to the Citie of refuge that he cannot live else and that if he comes there he shall have life and not only life but a kingdome too and that the way that leads thereto is grace and holinesse hee will goe and goe fast enough When a man is perswaded Christ is the Citie of Refuge to whom I must go else I cannot be safe and that the way to him is to be a new Creature this makes him to goe on and willingly too for it is out of selfe-love Againe when a man is justified and hath taken Christ there is bred in him an holy Ingenuitie which makes him so thankfull to Christ that hee is ashamed to joyne Christ with any sinne As Rom. 6.21 What profit had yee in those things whereof yee are now ashamed you are now ashamed to commit them any more A man will thinke it now an unreasonable thing that Christ should doe so much for him be crucified for him and so give him life being before dead men that he should take flesh for the remission
false grounds may be as secure as another that hath peace on the best grounds and this imitates true faith So a man that is naturally meeke may carry it better than one that hath true meeknesse therefore it is hard to finde the difference But if you looke to the principles whence they come the masters whom they serve you shall finde they may be good all the way but not at the journeyes end they have an ill scope they ayme at a wrong marke Let them have what they will Circumcision nor Vncircumcision availes nothing unlesse they be New Creatures else God regards them not And so much shall serve for Excuses Now adde this to the rest labour to aggravate your sin by removing the Excuses which the nature of man is witty to invent use the ordinance of God which hee hath appointed to humble you and to worke these things on your hearts and that is his Word Ier. 23.29 Is not my Word as fire and as the hammer that breaketh the stones The scope of the place is to shew the power of preaching the Word purely what is the chaffe to the Wheat you shall know my Word and distinguish it from the word of men my Word when it is right is as a fire which melts and thawes the hearts of men and as an hammer to break their strong and stony hearts Come to the Word powerfully preached as it is in its owne nature delivered in the Evidence of the Spirit as it should bee and it will bee a meanes to soften the heart and breake thy stubborne spirit as an hammer and fire not suffering thee to be at rest untill thou commest under the power of it And if with this thou art not satisfied goe one step further to the Spirit of God thou must have a spirit of Bondage else thou canst expect no power All that we have said in drawing this mappe of sin in adding these aggravations and removing these excuses is nothing if God give not a spirit of Bondage to cause you to feare for it is that that makes the Law effectuall as the Spirit of Adoption makes the Gospel no man without it can see sin with a saving and feeling sight But how doth it worke this effect in a mans heart Not by making him feare God as a slave for that the Holy Ghost will not doe therefore that is not an Act we can attribute to him but my meaning is The Holy Ghost by the spirit of bondage enlightens a man to see his sin and the sentence of the Law against it and to judge of his estate with a righteous Iudgement and when he sees things as they are hee knowes and feeles the bondage he was in before though before he felt it not I say the Holy Ghost enlightens us which enlightning discovers to us and convinceth us of sin and then we looke on the Law and there finde Cursed is hee that continues not in all these Commandements to doe them Then observing our hearts and seeing how farre wee are from that rectitude the Law requires our spirits begin to feare like a man in bondage that is shut up in prison and in danger of his life therefore as for the Word so labour for this Spirit the Word is a sharp sword but how can it wound us without an Arme to handle it And when you have done that you will easily doe the thing I have exhorted you to do that is you will then come to Christ you will not stand to cheapen the Kingdome of God but you will buy it though you give all you have for it and yet will thinke you have a good bargaine you will not seeke the Kingdome of God in such a lazie and laxe and remisse manner as you were wont to doe but will take it violently And if you come to God after this manner if you be driven out of your selves and see what your owne righteousnesse is that it will not serve your turne and therefore seeke for a righteousnesse at his hands you may be sure he will not deny you You may see what Paul saith Galat. 3.8 That you may be assured that seeking you shall obtaine saith he If an Angell from heaven preach another Gospell or if I my selfe should doe it beleeve not the Angell and let me accurst As if he had said I have made this Truth knowne that you shall be justified by meere Grace without workes that you are to come to Christ with an empty hand bringing nothing with you If any man now should question this Gospell and thinke to bring something of his owne and will not sticke to this cleare promise nay if an Angell come from heaven and contradict it let him be accursed This is the true Gospell and you may beleeve it If you can therefore doe as Paul did Philip. 3.9 That reckoned all as drosse and dung that he might be found in Christ not having his own righteousnesse of the Law but that which is through faith in Christ. That when you came to see your condition you desire the righteousnesse of Christ with that earnestnesse that he did when he reckoned all as drosse and dung even his own righteousnesse which he knew would not serve the turne If I say thou canst thus goe to Christ knowing that no antecedent condition is required but onely thirsting for him being fully perswaded that thine owne righteousnesse is unsufficient and having a saving and firme knowledge That mans nature is full of all unrighteousnesse and ungodlinesse Christ cannot deny thee he will receive the to mercy We will now briefly come to the next point and that is this There is a revelation of wrath against all unrighteousnesse of men And that is another thing that will humble us for there must be two things to doe it one is to see our sins to know that there is no worth no excellencie no worthinesse at all in us And the second is to have an apprehension of wrath due for sin and so his misery under the same Though a man be never so miserable yet if he have a bottome to stand on he will not goe to Christ but when hee sees his owne nothingnesse and withall that the wrath of God hangs over him so that he must sinke utterly and that there is no way to helpe him when both these concurre a man is humbled Men may have one without the other As the Scribes and Pharisees O yee Generation of vipers who hath warned you to flie from the wrath to come they were sensible of wrath and had so much to humble them but they did not see that viperous serpentine evill disposition that was in themselves Againe many men may see their sins and acknowledge the insufficiencie of all they have but they are not sensible of wrath God hath not charged sin upon their consciences nor revealed his wrath and therefore they goe on in a senselesse manner and are no more moved with the other
suddenly which is enough to awake a man out of his sleepe of security for let him thus reason If GOD meant to save mee hee would give mee no rest in sinne for whom he intends to save hee afflicts before-hand that they may not perish with the world but those that will goe with the world he suffers to goe That is a terrible saying in the first Booke of Samuel the third Chapter and eleventh verse speaking of Hophni and Phinees saith GOD When I begin I will make an end and this is the sentence of all the wicked It is small comfort that you are free it being with you as with them that be seldome sicke that when they be sicke for the most part die for it When all things goe well with the wicked then the wrath of GOD comes like an Earth-quake which by reason of the winds being inclosed in the bowels of the earth hath a calme preceding it and so there is a calme in mens spirits before the Earth-quake of Gods wrath comes and then it is as a theefe in the night who comes when they be in a dead sleepe and least looke for him After this manner comes the wrath of God on the wicked as it is threatned Prov. 1.27 There shall come on them sudden desolation and destruction shall over-take them as a whirlewind it shall surprize them on a sudden and this may make men to tremble when they consider that sinne is attended with destruction when they sinne either GOD punishes them presently and then there is small cause of joy for the bitternesse is more then the pleasure or else he lets them alone and there is nothing in the world worse than to thrive in sin for then destruction will come suddenly The use then you are to make of it is First to teach you to see what sinne is in that it hath the wrath of God for its Concomitant Wee are apt to make a mocke of sinne we are ready to slight sin and to lay it in the light ballance of Common opinion and not in the ballance of the Sanctuary and so we come to be deceived Therefore this word Revealed must bee marked it intimates that we are backward to take notice of it except the LORD reveales his wrath from heaven and take us in hand to convince us of sin to shew us our corruption in its owne colours for we look on these things by a false light Thinke with your selves therefore what that must be which God punishes with eternall punishment See what it is in the punishment of CHRIT our Surety thinke what that is that brought CHRIST from heaven what that is that cast those Angels into hell to bee bound in chaines of everlasting darknesse Againe see it as you use to see it in the day of Death for then men are commonly awake see how it is then presented if it be not then terrible Againe judge of sin as men enlightned doe look to holy men how they judge of sin And which is without exception see how the Scripture presents sinne with this Concomitant the wrath of God as an evill and bitter thing See the Prophet Ieremie the second Chapter and it is certaine that the judgement of the Scripture is right And let all this humble you Secondly make this use of it learne to adde this to your humiliation As you must labour to see your state to have that corruption of nature which is in you discovered So you must labour for a sense of the wrath of God which if you get not you will never be humbled Labour to see God himselfe in his wrath looke not nakedly on an affliction but see God in it If a man hath a sight of him the Creator it will wholly amaze and humble the Creature Eliah was not moved with the wind that tare the rockes nor with the Earthquake though terrible but when God came though in a soft voice yet the presence of GOD humbled him that made him cover his face with his Mantle There be two kindes of Affliction one is that which the Creature is able to beare the other sort is when GODS hand is in it when they are mingled with his wrath These bee like Arrowes dipped in venome that make a deeper wound and such an one as is incurable when you feele the wrath God in any affliction let it be but a light apprehension in it selfe yet when the LORD shall set it on and mingle it with his wrath it will grow insupportable Iudas before his Treason thought thirtie peeces of silver to be a great matter and that he had got much by it but when God did manifest himselfe and revealed his wrath a little so that he saw God and had a feeling of him as every man shall have sooner or later you see what a condition he was in So it was with Belshazzer It was his feare of GOD when hee saw the Hand it was not the hand but the apprehension of GODS wrath that raised his thoughts and loosed his loynes and made his knees knocke one against the other So Paul when he heard the Word of GOD by false Samuel it cast him on his face he cared not for any thing that men did to him you know how David described his valour but when GOD comes to him that humbles him Consider what it is to have the mighty GOD of Heaven and Earth to be thine Enemie who hath all things at his Command and if hee bee thine Enemie all things shall worke together for thine hurt as every thing shall be for thy good if thou be in favour and covenant with him If thou say But I feele nothing for the present Remember though thou feelest it not for the present yet there is wrath laid up for thee God hath it in store Remember Gods dealing with them that sinned against him Shimei had committed a sinne that in Gods sight deserved Death so did Adonijah so did Saul and his seven sonnes that were hanged for breaking their oath with the Gibeonites You see how long these lay as if God had forgotten them but at length he brings them all to death Hee doth not powre out his wrath on the sudden perhaps thou shalt feele nothing of a long time but thou art condemned and when the Gaole-delivery comes thou shalt be executed for God remembers thy sins Cains sin lay at his doore though he saw it not it was not taken away but continued and it not onely continued and kept awake but it cried day and night unto him untill the crie entered into the eares of the Lord. The crie of sinne is like the crie of an Hireling to whom the just Master when the day is finished payes such wages as hee deserves So a sinner when his time comes is remembred before God though wrath hath beene restrained for a time yet now it shall seize on him Wee should learne by this to humble our selves And lastly if wee finde the wrath of God
sinne As David in the one and fiftieth Psalme saith Against thee against thee onely have I sinned repeating it twice in that place he composed that Psalme to set forth his sin but that which wounded his conscience that made him see the hainousnesse of his sinne was this Against thee I have sinned So the Prodigall sonne this is the circumstance by which he aggravates his sin Against heaven and against thee I have offended So learne to know that your sinnes are against god and therefore to presse this Truth a little more Consider well with your selves what is the reason that God hath required such a vast punishment against sinne that is eternall death thinke what eternity is it is that which swallowes up your thoughts it is a punishment the length and depth and breadth whereof you cannto comprehend Thinke why God hath appointed such a vast punishment and you shall find it is because you sinne against an Immense a great and Almighty God the length and breadth and depth of whose greatnesse you cannot comprehend Againe what is the reason God should appoint such a Mediatour to take away the sins of the world that the Son of God must needs take flesh which the Angels themselves wonder at it is such a wonderfull action that they cannot but admire and in heaven we shall stand amazed at it which evidences the greatnesse of sinne Learne to know this put al these foure together and see how these doe hold correspondencie one with another and you shall finde out the nature of your sinne First consider the greatnesse of God his infinitenesse the greatnesse of his Authority the wonderfull vast Soveraignty he hath over all creatures from this greatnesse of God comes the second the greatnesse of sinne I have made knowne this Truth but thou hast with-holden it thence it comes that sinne is so great that the least sinne which thou makest nothing of is a thing of so great moment That is the second which followes on the greatnesse of God Thirdly upon the greatnesse of sinne you see the greatnesse of the punishment if such an one as Aristotle or a stranger from the Truth should heare of this punishment the greatnesse whereof appeares herein that the worme dieth not and the fire is not quenched how would he wonder at it but knitting these together it will not seeme strange Last of all the greatnesse of the punishment causeth the greatnesse of such a Mediatour to take away this punishment and sin So there is a correspondencie in them come from God to sin from sinne to the punishment from punishment to the Mediation or redemption by which this sinne is taken away Learne therefore to know what sin is I know not a truth of greater moment And to all adde that 1 Cor. 15.56 The sting of death is sinne If you look on death it is the most terrible thing in the world You know what the Philosopher said of it of all terrible things it is the most terrible the most fearfull but sin is the sting of death As if he had said Death is a small thing in comparison of sin let a man want sin and death is nothing it is but sleepe it is nothing to have the body and soule separated Againe suppose there were no death but let body and soule remaine together yet sin is a terrible thing it is above all the Terrours in the world as in Iudas see his Terrours though there was no death on him see Adam when he was not in Hell but in Paradise yet how was he Tormented with his sin Therefore weigh not sin in a wrong ballance looke not on it with a wrong light take heed of being deceived for in this of all other things men are most apt to be deceived That is the corruption of Nature that strange darknesse is brought on men by Adam that in the thing that most concerneth him which is sin in that he is most ignorant most apt to be deceived Therefore when the Apostle speaks of sin he comes in still with this caution Be not deceived 1 Cor. 6.9 Be not deceived neither Fornicatour nor Idolaters nor adulterers c. shall inherit the kingdome of God as if men in that were most apt to be deceived So Ephes. 5.6 Be not deceived for for such things the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience And observe when Christ goeth about to show to any man or to any Church what their sins are or what their danger is he addes this Let him that hath an eare heare what the Spirit saith to the Churches his end being to tell them of their sin still that comes in He that hath an eare to heare let him heare As if he had said when I come to speake of matter of sin there be many here that can tell what I say that can understand me well but few have eares to understand indeed As when the Prophet came to Ieroboam he heard the Prophet so as it anger'd him he knew what his sin was but he heard it not to purpose So when Christ pronounceth a woe to the Scribes and Pharisees they heard it well enough but they had not an eare to heare it to purpose Men may heare what flesh and common reason and common men say of sin but not what the Spirit saith of it there is another kinde of sinfulnesse in sin which is the spirituall evill of sin and what the Spirit saith of this they doe not heare Therefore you must even be brought to Christ as the deafe man was who being both deafe and dumbe was brought to Christ that he might lay his hands on him now Christ put his finger into his eares and saith Ephata be thou opened and then the man heard and spake so of all men that heare this Word there is not a man but he is deafe according to this inward kinde of hearing therefore you must be brought to Christ and beseech him to give you eares to heare for few hath eares to heare what the Spirit saith unto the Churches when it discovers their sin and misery Therefore let not this Doctrine be in vain to you but learne from hence to humble your selves to come to God and say to him Lord I am now amazed and confounded I thought before losses and crosses were great matters but now I see they are but flea-bitings to sin I was heretofore troubled at a small crosse but little or nothing at sin Lord I confesse this was my case but I see now sinne is another thing Thus we should learne to humble our selves before God But if any object This is the way to discourage men to make them desperate to make them fly from Religion by telling them sin is so terrible I answer it is not the way to discourage men from comming to Christ but to encourage them and drive them to him This is the way to Salvation Indeed if there were no remedy for sin it were a desperate case but
the Plague By the late faithfull and worthy Minister of IESUS CHRIST IOHN PRESTON D. in Divinity Chaplaine in ordinary to his Majestie Master of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher of Lincolns INNE LONDON Printed by R. B. for NICHOLAS BOURNE and are to be sold at his shop at the Royall Exchange 1633. A SERMON PREACHED AT A Generall Fast before the Commmons-house of Parliament Iuly 2. 1625. NUMBERS 25.10 11. And the Lord spake unto Moses saying Phinehas the sonne of Eleazar the son of Aaron the Priest hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel while he was zealous for my sake among them that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousie WE are met together you know to sanctifie a Fast to the Lord. I will therefore speake a word or two of that Dutie before I come to the Text which I have read to you But I will doe it briefly the Common place thereof being too large a subject at this time to enter into And first wee will say thus much to you That this duty is a necessary not an arbitrary thing which wee may doe or leave undone at our pleasures You know there be many examples of it many commands for it in Scripture but of them wee will onely repeate two The first is that in Ioel 2.15 a place you wel know Sanctifie to me a Fast call a solemne Assembly When the Lord began to send Iudgement on the Land he straitly enjoyned the performance of this dutie which showes that it may not be left undone at pleasure To which I will adde that in Esay 22.12 13 14. The Lord called in that day to weeping and mourning but because at that time they fell to rejoycing It was revealed by the Lord of hoasts that that sinne should not be purged away till their death When there is a time for Fasting and when there are Iust occasions for mourning and humiliation the Lord doth then so require it that if you doe it not but will doe the contrary the Lord will never forgive it it is a sinne that shall not be purged away till you die You will say then What is a Fast In a word a Fast is nothing else but the sanctifying or setting apart of a day for humiliation reconciliation and reformation I say it is to sanctifie a Day because the day of a Fast must be equall to the Sabbath the very word used in that place of Ioel Sanctifie to me a Fast shewes as much In that day you may doe no servile worke but must keepe it holy to the Lord. That you have to doe in that day is first to humble your selves as in that place of Ioel Turne to me with fasting mourning and weeping Secondly it is for Reconciliation Lev. 23.27 it is called a day of Atonement Lastly it is for Reformation and therefore in the day of fasting the whole people entred into covenant with God as in Nehem the ninth chapter and the beginning of the tenth verse you shall see the Princes and people came altogether and seale a Covenant to the Lord to reforme their sinne of taking strange wives and entered into a curse and an oath to walke in Gods law I will say no more of that but will onely tell you what are the failings which we are most subject to in this businesse for wee may know the disease by the medicine if God takes great care to prevent our falling into a sinne it argues that we are apt to fall into it And first we are very ready to rest in the worke done in opere operato to thinke that the very action will please GOD. Therefore it is carefully added in Ioel 2. Rend not your clothes but your hearts that is when you come to sanctifie a Fast doe not thinke that the very outward performance of the duty moves mee It is the heart that I looke to therefore you must take care that at this time your greatest businesse be with your hearts Lev. 23.29 He who in that day meaning the day of the annuall Fast which was then instituted doth not afflict his soule for so the word is to be translated shall be cut off from his people The outward performance is not the thing that God respects or accepts he doth not regard that for hee is a Spirit and beholds the behaviour of the spirit he considers how we are affected in secret before him A second thing werein we are apt to faile is to thinke that One day is enough and when that is done there is an end of the businesse but it is not so that is but the beginning of it Esay 58.5 Is this a Fast to hang downe your head for a day Is it to bow it downe as a Bulrush Bulrushes you know in a storme hang downe their heads but when faire weather comes they lift them up againe So when affliction is upon us we are apt to humble our soules for a time for a fit but when a little peace or prosperity comes we forget to be longer humbled whereas the end of a Fast is so to begin the worke of Humiliation that we may the better continue it afterwards A third defect is this we are perhaps content to doe the duty and with some affection too but there followes no reformation of life Therefore in the same Chapter see how carefully that is put in Is this an acceptable day to the Lord Will I accept such a Fast as this When you finde pleasure and continue in strife and debate That is the Lord regards not the bare performance of the duty unlesse the end of it be attaynd now the end of it is nothing else but that every man in particular reforme the evils he is subject to yea his particular weaknesses and personall infirmities the mending of which is carefully to bee endeavoured when we sanctifie a Fast to the Lord else we assemble together for Wine and for Oile Hos. 7.14 As if hee should say you have not sought Mee when you howled upon your beds but your Wine and your Oile That is men are affected with the Iudgements of the Lord they desire to have them removed they wish for ease and prosperity and for that they assemble themselves but to Me saith he ye returne not A beast will doe as much when it feeles any evill oppressing it and therefore God cals it howling on their beds an action proper to beasts but the Lord lookes that you seeke him in sincerity and that you labour to make your hearts perfect in him In a word to conclude this remember That there is a double performance of every holy duty one is when we doe the worke as a taske and are glad when it is over when we doe it as servants that doe eye-service to their masters another is when not onely the thing is done but your hearts also are wrought upon for that is the end of the outward performance and
in the world what outward imployment soever wee exercise our selves in yet our maine businesse is in heaven we be ready on all occasions to look to the face of the Ruler of the Physition of men and creatures but we forget that the swaying of the ballance this way or that way is from the Lord When Iacob had prayed earnestly to be delivered from Esau God answers him thou hast prevailed with God and thou shalt prevaile with men so whatsoever businesse you have on earth if you will bring your enterprize to passe prevaile with God and you shall be sure to prevaile with men turne him and all is turned with him for all depends upon him Whatsoever is done on earth is first done in heaven and concluded there and then we feele and taste the fruit of it here From this generall we may descend to particulars and from hence you may learne That it is not our Army by Land nor our Navy at Sea that shall secure us at home or prevaile abroad though it bee well that these things bee done and therefore you doe well in contributing cheerefully to his Majesty for the maintenance thereof for the common good yet still remember that all your businesse is in heaven and that you must trust more to your faithfull prayers then to your preparations for successe in all enterprises It is not our woodden wals that will guard us it is not the Sea wherewith you are invironed nor our policy counsell and strength that will secure us and defend us but it is turning to the Lord and cleansing the Land from the sinnes wherewith he is provoked that will doe the deed Turne to him and then he will turne to you that shall bee a blessing on us and all our enterprises This is to see God in all things this is to sanctifie and exalt him for God in our hearts and without this all is nothing I will end this point with this briefe direction you know there is in every man I speake now of every man that is holy and not of others who are strangers from God the flesh and the spirit there is faith and sense and one of these two every man sets on worke to take a view of the things that are before them If you set faith and the spirit on worke to looke on things they will tell you it matters not what outward things are what the Creature is for it is God that doth all set the flesh on worke set sense and carnall reason on worke and they will bring quite contrary newes like the wicked Spies that were sent into the Land of Canaan who when they did but cast their eye on the state of things there they were first discouraged themselves and then discouraged the hearts of the people Oh there bee Gyants and wals reaching up to heaven Whereas the good Spies that looked on things with another eye brought another kinde of message Iust thus it is with us in sending out our Spies to looke upon the state of things before us if we send forth the Flesh Sense and Reason they bring report of terrible Wals and cruel Giants their power is so great their forces so strong that there is no medling with them but send Faith and the Spirit and the Will like good Spies looke on things with a right Iudgement and indeed that is all the difference betweene an holy man and another the one lookes on things with another eye hee sees a vanity in the Creature which the other doth not he sees an All-sufficiencie in God which the other cannot And therefore he hath onely an eye to the Lord all his care is to serve him and please him in all things So he hath no ill newes from heaven he cares for nothing on earth The other cares not how matters stand betwixt God and him so all things bee well below so his Mountaine stands strong and therefore that we may judge of things with a righteous judgement we must be carefull to see them in their true nature which onely Faith and the Spirit will present And so much shall serve for that point You see then that it is the wrath of God that doth all hurt and the favour of the Lord that doth all the good We come now to the second point which will come in well upon the former That it is sinne that causes wrath sin and wrath are knit together they are inseparable So that as Elisha said when Iehoram sent a messenger unto him to take away his life when he was sitting in the house with the rest of the Elders Shut the doore upon him and hold him fast for is not the sound of his Masters feet behind him So I say to every man If sinne and wrath come together then first shut the doore of sin which is the Messenger suffer it not to come in give it no entertainment for is not the sound of his Masters feet behinde him Doth not the wrath of God follow And shall not that wrath take away our head as Elisha said Therefore if you will keepe out GODS anger keepe out sinne But you will say I feele no such thing I have committed sinne and yet have no experience of his wrath following so close upon it I answer you must know this that as diseases must have a time of ripening so must sinne You know the poison of a disease enters not into the heart at first Sin hath certaine Vestigia which are set downe Iames 1.14 When Lust is conceived it brings forth sinne and when sinne is ripened and perfected it brings forth death The reason why it brings not death presently is because it is not perfect because it is not ripe The sinnes of the Amorites saith God are not yet full Ahab had committed a sinne he had got the Vineyard and slaine Naboth and yet heard nothing of it but when he had killed and taken possession too then came the Messenger of wrath and execution followed God let Iudas goe on till he had made the match taken recompence and betrayed his Master but than wrath came in upon him God stayed a great while till the sinne of Pharaoh was perfected till his hardnesse of heart was come to a ripenesse and then he was drown'd in the Red-sea Therefore in the second to the Romans it is said There is a Treasure of wrath Now in a Treasure there are three things First when a man is once able to treasure up any thing he is still adding to it and by degrees it growes and in that sense the Lord hath a Treasure of wrath as we adde sinnes he addes drops to the viall of his wrath till it be full Secondly it is a Treasure for a Time it lies still a while for else it were not Treasure And thirdly when the time of expence comes then it is opened And so it is with the wrath of the Lord it is gathered by
of chaffe preserv'd from burning Is it not because there is some Corne some Wheate mixed therewith If the Corne be once out will not the Lord as men use to doe after winnowing set the chaffe on fire As women with childe are grieved to be delivered so the Lord stayes till the world be delivered as it were of all his Elect ones of all the Saints of all his holy and zealous ones and then shall be brought forth the Iudgement of the great day The World may cast out these men as the Sea doth Pearles among mire and dirt but they are Pearles notwithstanding God knowes them to be so and wise-men know them to be so yea Pearles excelling other men as much as Iewels doe common stones as much as Lilies and Roses doe Thornes and Bryers among which they grow What 's the reason that Elijah is called the Chariot of Israel and the Horsemen thereof but because hee was an holy man that did much for Gods glory that did more advantage the State at home and did more prevaile abroad than all the Chariots and Horsemen And may not we apply this to the zealous among us Therefore when we injury any of them doe not wee cut off the haire from Sampsons head wherein the strength of every Countrey and Nation and every Citie and Towne consists Yea the cutting off of them is like the cutting off of his lockes which the more the grow the more strength a Kingdome hath I say no more but commend it to every man in his place wishing that you would let it be your generall care to encourage true Religion and Zeale the omitting whereof I am perswaded is one of those things which causeth the Lords hand to be stretched forth against us Secondly if it be Zeale that turnes away the LORDS wrath then where is the Zeale that should be among us Are wee not rather fallen into those later times the Apostle speakes of which should have a forme of Religion without the Zeale and Power and Life of it And if Zeale turnes away Gods wrath certainly then this formalitie this overlinesse of Religion this coldnesse without Zeale and Power is it that brings on his wrath It is true and we cannot deny but knowledge abounds amongst us as the waters in the Sea But where is the Salt That is where is that Zeale and holinesse that should season all our knowledge Where is the Fire that should adde practice to our knowledge and make it an acceptable sacrifice to GOD Wee have the light of former Times but not their heat As he complaines Ignis qui in Parentibus fuit calidus in nobis lucidus The Fire which in ancient Times was hot is now onely light We thinke it enough to goe to Church to receive the Sacrament and so to keepe a round as it were to doe as most doe being carried about with the generall course of the World as the Planets are with the rest of the Spheres contrary to that which should bee their proper motion But I beseech you consider it Is this Religion Is this the Power of Godlinesse is this to be Baptized with the Holy Ghost which is as Fire Surely Religion stands not in these outward formalities but in changing the heart in making us New Creatures in mortifying our Lusts and thorowly purging out the love of every corruption Therefore if you will turne away Gods wrath turne your formality into Zeale that is content not your selves with the performance of the duties of Religion externally but get that wherein the power of godlinesse consists else the outside of Duties will not divert Wrath. Againe did Zeale turne away the wrath of the Lord then where are our zealous affections Why are we not zealous for the Lord and zealous against sinne You know Christ died for this end that hee might purifie unto himselfe a peculiar people zealous of good workes Titus 2.14 Men doe good actions as a Taske they are glad when they be over but doe you them with much intention much fâ—rvencie much desire be you a people zealous of good workes Therefore in Rom. 12.11 They are put together be fervent in spirit and serving the Lord implying that the Lord respects no service but as it is joyned with fervencie Therefore know that it is not enough to serve the Lord in an ordinary Tract you must mend your pace to heaven it is not enough to goe but you must runne the way of Gods Commandements And as you must be zealous for him so you must be zealous against evill For you must know this and marke it well it is not enough to abstaine from sinne it is not that alone that God will accept but he lookes that you should hate sinne As it is said of Lot his righteous soule was vexed with the uncleane conversation of the Sodomites that is his heart rose against them there was an inward distaste against them the like you shall see in David and Moses You will say I hope I detest sinne and am angry with it It may be so perhaps you are angry with sinne but Zeale you know is an intention of the affection of hatred and it is required that you hate sinne Revel 2.6 This thou hast that thou hatest the worke of the Nicolaitans which I also hate You will say How doe they differ You shall know hatred by this First it is a constant affection it abides with us Anger goes away as all passions doe it is but for a fit for a flash on some occasion Againe hatred is alwayes of generals the sheepe hates all Wolves we hate all Toads all Serpents I say wheresoever there is hatred it turnes to the whole Species Now doe you hate all sinne all kindes of sinne one as well as another Doe you not only abstaine from them but also hate them of what sort soever they bee Lastly Hatred seekes the utter destruction of the thing hated Anger would have but a proportion of Iustice as Aristotle sayes Now is it so with you Doe you seeke the utter destruction of sinne abstaining not onely from grosse sinnes but from all dalliances from the least touch of sinne cleansing your selves from all pollusions of the flesh and spirit If you will be zealous for the Lord then know that this is required that you not onely doe things but that you doe them zealously that you not onely abstaine from sinne but that you hate it Againe if it be Zeale that turnes away the wrath of the Lord then where is our boldnesse our courage our forwardnesse for the Truth Why are we so fearefull and shie of doing the thing that otherwise we thinke meet to bee done For Zeale hath that prâ—pertie among the rest it makes men bold the Zeale of the Apostles was knowne by their boldnesse But you will say A man may be too bold It is very true when the horse runnes up and downe and is at libertie
unlesse we give him an expected issue It cannot be What shall we then doe The way to stop his wrath is to stand in the gap when a breach is made in the Sea or in a River as long as the breach continues the waters come in upon the Land the way to prevent further inundation is to make up the breach This plague is but a gap a few may yet stand in the gap and stop it you see what Phineas did here alone and it is much what one man may doe therefore let every man for his owne part humble himselfe for his owne sinnes let him turne from them and be zealous with God by prayer by striving and contending with him for there bee but two wayes to stand in the gap one is faithfull and fervent Prayer the other is Zeale against sinne and in defence of that which is good I will say no more of this for I doe but name the point onely remember that except you doe thus this jealousie of GOD shall goe on grow upon us and wax hotter and hotter Now the last point of all is this that the effect of this jealousie if it goes on shall bee utter destruction therefore sayes the Text That I consumed them not in my jealousie as if hee had said else my jealousie should have gone on and that jealousie should have beene confusion It is yet but a plague the Land is yet safe wherein you may see the Lords great patience and long-suffering but if something be not done if this jealousie of his bee suffered to goe on if nothing bee done to prevent its further progresse his wrath will end in utter destruction you know I need not tell you how neare we were to this destruction in Eighty eight the Gunpowder-treason we were brought much nearer the Ax was then laid to the root this was twice I will say thus much unto you take heed of the third time The Lord sayes well let the Tree stand yet a while longer let no more blowes bee yet given it that I may see if it will bring forth any more fruit but as I said and remember it take heed of the third time the Lord hath appointed sinne to destruction and hee expects your execution of it I will put you in remembrance of the story of Ahab and Benhadad It were good that you would reade the whole story 1 Kings 20.26 you know what was Benhadads behaviour to him the LORD delivered him into his hand hee offered him what hee would have hee entred into Covenant with him spared him and sent him away but you shall see what message was sent afterwards Because thou hast spared him that was appointed for destruction therefore shall thy life goe for his life Sin is now in your hands let it not escape execution I doe not speake particularly of punishment that I leave to you to doe according to your wisdome and according to justice according to discretion and observance of all circumstances Onely I say this to you be zealous and remember yea let it remaine with you as an irreversable truth that this jealousie of GODS if it goes on will bee destruction Therefore learne hence to feare Securitie is like a Calme before an Earthquake you know it is said of Laish it was a secure people and you know how they fared They were so secure that when an enemie came against them it was like the shaking of a Fig-tree that hath ripe Figges on it which being shaken the Figges fall into their mouth Be not secure but feare which is both a signe and a meanes of safetie It is true there is a double feare One kinde of feare indeed brings evill on us and that wee shall finde was the feare of Ieroboam who being afraid that by occasion of the peoples going to Ierusalem the Kingdome would returne to the House of David therefore hee falls to indirect policie and out of that feare caused Golden-calves to be set up in Dan and Bethel Indeed a feare that sets us on wrong meanes is unlawfull as that very thing was the destruction of him and of his House for it lost them the Kingdome So Saul had a feare but that feare was his undoing because it set him a worke to use ill meanes for when hee was afraid hee went to the Witch of Endor which was his ruine whereas it may bee if hee had sought to the LORD hee might have obtained helpe But then there is the good feare that I commend to you which is opposite to security that is such a feare as sets you on worke to use good meanes You see David when Zigâ—ag was burnt with fire and his men were readie to stone him what his feare set him on worke to doe to pray to encourage himselfe in the Lord and this feare turn'd away the evill Such a feare was Iehosaphats when hee feared hee humbled himselfe before the LORD by fasting and prayer Let this bee your feare and let it have such an effect among you to use such meanes as shall turne away the Lords wrath And in a word to conclude and it shall be the last word I will speake to you marke it well and harken to it as newes from Heaven as a message from God When Asa came home with that great Victory the Spirit of God came upon Azariah And hee met Asa and said unto him Oh Asa and all Iudah and Benjamin heare mee If you bee with the Lord the Lord will bee with you but if you forsake the Lord the Lord shall also forsake you And this I say to you all If you will be with the Lord the Lord shall be with you and if you forsake the Lord he will reject you But you will say what great newes is there in this Marke it We are apt to thinke that to bee with the LORD is not enough but wee must have other meanes and proppes and helpes No saith hee it is enough for you to sticke close to the Lord and to take no other care for the Lord will be with you who is Almightie and able to defend you Againe we are apt to thinke that though we forsake the Lord yet hee will not forsake us else why are wee so bold in sinne Why are not wee more zealous against sinne Why mourne we not for the abominations that are amongst us But the Prophet answers us for that If you doe forsake the Lord the Lord will also forsake and depart from you Consider it and the Lord give you understanding FINIS THE NEW CREATVRE Or A TRATISE OF SANCTIFICATION Delivered in Nine Sermons upon 2 Cor. 5.17 By the late faithfull and worthy Minister of IESUS CHRIST IOHN PRESTON Doctor in Divinitie Chaplaine in Ordinary to his Majestie Master of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge and sometime Preacher of Lincolns INNE ROMANS 12.2 Be not conformed to this world but be yee transformed by the renewing of your minde GALATH. 6.15 For in
abound The Apostle saith It is impossible that those that are dead to sinne should live any longer therein as if he should say Set aside all your carnall reasonings it is impossible for him that is dead to sinne to live yet therein how can he as if he should say Whosoever is in Christ the Spirit of Christ is sent into his heart that mortifies sin so that he cannot live any more in it there is such a change wrought in him hee is a new Creature if hee be once in Christ that is the first rise as soone as we are justified the Spirit of Christ is sent into our hearts But is not the Spirit sent into our hearts before when he workes faith It is true but the meaning is when wee are once in Christ the Spirit of Sanctification is shed more plentifully and in a greater degree than before for there is a certaine work of the Spirit that begetteth faith and the same worke of the Spirit in its time begetteth the degrees of Sanctification But now that this may not be in notion only we will shew you how the Spirit workes this that you may not think these to be things carried in clouds and to have place only in our understandings but that you may know it in the experience that every man finds in himselfe that after hee hath taken Christ there is indeed such a Spirit shed into his heart that changeth him For the understanding of this know that when wee come to invite men to come into Christ as it is all our businesse to invite men to the marriage all the world stands out and every man gives that answer that they did in the Gospell they have bought farmes and married wives every man is so set on these outward things that his carnall heart carrieth him to that they will not hearken to us so that we may preach in vaine you see to how many Christ himselfe preached in vaine and the Apostles had preached in vaine if there had been no more than their owne preaching So likewise now the Spirit is sent into the hearts of men that when wee come and invite men to come into Christ the Spirit also secretly compels them to come in Wee are indeed bidden to compell men to come in but unlesse there bee another compeller that is except there be the Spirit within to doe it the worke is not done unlesse there be two compellers at the same time the Holy Ghost within preaching to your hearts when we preach to your eares except there be two callers that when wee call men the Lord send his Spirit to call you too it is in vaine And that you may understand this you must know that it is as hard a thing to move a man to leave his pleasures and divers lusts and his vaine conversation as to turne the whole course of nature which I call the instinct that God hath put into every creature to move that way that it goeth as the water to move downward and the fire to goe upward Thinke with your selves now whether there must not be an Almighty Power to turne the course of nature because the heart of man naturally goes downward to sinne it descends downward with the same propensity it hath the same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as we call it the same forwardnesse and pronenesse to evill that any naturall thing hath to goe the course that is naturall to it Now unlesse there be an Almighty Power to turne this course of Nature no man will ever come to Christ. As for example That rectitude of Gods Image that is expressed in the Word come to experience and looke upon every mans heart living and see whether it be not quite contrary to it in all things even as contrary as the motion of the stone is from ascending towards the heavens but when the Spirit commeth he turneth this course of Nature Now when wee come to doe this doe you thinke that any man in the world is able to worke it in the hearts of men It is true a man may goe thus farre It is possible for a King or for a man in authority to set preferments on the one side and punishments on the other to make a man to doe much or to suffer much but all this while here is but a turning of the actions of men but to turne the inclinations of mans heart it is proper only to God man is not able to doe it in any particular If a mans heart be set upon covetousnesse Christ saith it is impossible all the men in the world can change his heart But put the case a man could doe it as no man can if he could turne a mans heart it would be but in a particular or two but to turne the whole frame of the heart to make a generall change to make him another man another Creature It is impossible for any man in the world to doe it Or put the case he could doe so it must be after long reasoning but to do it upon the sudden and at one Sermon as the Spirit sometimes doth to take one word and by it to change the heart of man it must needs be the worke of an Almighty Power Therefore in the 2 Cor. 3. Chap. and the last verse when the Apostle speakes of this great change he saith when we reade or heare the Word we see there the Image of God as one seeth his face in a glasse and are changed into it from glory to glory that is from one glorious degree to another But how is this done It is done saith he by the Spirit of the Lord. As if he should say It is impossible for a man to be turned into the glorious Image of God and not by the Spirit of God A man may as well say I will make a clod of earth a shining Starre as to say he can make the carnall and dead heart of man to be like the Image of God It must be the Spirit of God himselfe that must doe it it is a work above Nature It is therefore done by the Spirit which doth so enlighten the understanding and so bow the will that whereas before there was in man such a strong appetite such a strong propensity to ill such a strong inclination that would over-weigh all the reasons that could be brought to the contrary when the Spirit hath wrought this work there is such a contrary inclination such a propensnesse to God and to that which is good that it over-ballanceth all the temptations that the world the flesh and the Devill can lay against it Is not this a mighty Power that must doe this that whereas there was in a man before such a strong inclination to sin there is a disposition so contrary now such a desire wrought in him such a strong impression that carries him to God to Christ and to holinesse that let all the reasons in the world be brought to the contrary they cannot keepe
your Sanctification And if there were no other reason but Gods will that those that be justified shall be sanctified it is enough God hath called you to holinesse he hath appointed it hee wills it and his will is sufficient to enforce it Againe consider when we are ingrafted into Christ it it not simply an ingrafting but wee are ingrafted into the similitude of his death and resurrection Rom. 8. that is no man is ingrafted into Christ but sinne is crucified in him hee is dead thereto that is he is a dead man in regard of the life of sin and is alive to God as Christ rose from the dead so he is raised to newnesse of life If it had beene simple ingrafting into Christ there had needed no further Relation but we are ingrafted into the similitude of his Death and Resurrection Again it was the end of the Lords comming If hee had come only to save men there had beene no need of being New Creatures but he came also to purifie unto himselfe a peculiar people zealous of good workes and to destroy out of man the workes of the Devill and to purchase to himselfe an holy Generation and Royall Priest hood Now whatsoever the Lords end is he never failes of Againe you must consider that to whomsoever Christ is a Priest hee is also to them a Prophet and a King he is annointed to all these Offices And therefore if you will be saved by him by the vertue of his Priest-hood you must take him as a Prophet that is you must take his counsell in all things and not only so but he must also be your King you must not only learne his way but you must also be perfectly subject and obedient to him to walke therein Indeed as a Priest he reconciles God unto us but not us to God except hee come with his other two Offices for man stands out and will not know the way and therefore as a Prophet Hee is to guide our feet into the way of peace and that is not all therefore because our hearts are stubborne and will not come in he exercises his Kingly Office And brings into subjection every thought to the obedience of his will Againe looke to all the meanes as first to Faith the same Faith that justifieth doth also purifie the heart Having their hearts purified by faith Act. 15. And as many as are sanctified by faith that is in me Act. 26.28 And likewise the bloud of Christ not only covers but also heales Hebr. 9.14 How much more shall the bloud of Christ who through his eternall Spirit offered himselfe to purge your Consciences from dead workes c. It hath not onely vertue to take away the guilt of Sin but it is effectuall also to purge the conscience from the power of sinne Againe the Gospell wee preach doth not only offer Christ but likewise cleanseth You are cleane through my Word Ioh. 15. And in the hundred and nineteenth Psalme and the ninth verse Wherewith shall a young man cleanse his way by taking heed thereto according to thy Word The Spirit as it is a Spirit of Adoption so is it of Sanctification making clean the roome where it dwelleth and making it a fit Temple for the Lord. Consider the Sacraments Baptisme doth not only wash from the guilt of sin but from the filth of sin also from the blot and deformity of sinne And so I have done with these two points how Sanctification rises from Iustification and that they cannot be separated Before we proceed to other Observations we will by way of Vse from the inseparability of Iustification and Sanctification draw this consequent that if they be inseparable we should goe to God and beseech him that having given us the first that he would grant us the second also If you have any assurance that your sins are forgiven you let him not deny you this to make you new Creatures they be inseparable and therefore you have just cause to pray him not to separate them therefore you may claime them both as your due seeing you have his promise for both and you must urge him on his promise we desire Iustificatioâ—â—or our owne sake but Sanctification that we may glorifie God and therefore when you come to God with this request Lord make mee a new Creature that I may bring glory to thy Name that I may serve thee and do good in the place wherein I live he will not deny thee Consider but this very Sacrament which we are now going to receive you must know that the Sacrament seales the whole Covenant of God as 1 Cor. 11. This is the New Testament in my bloud that is this Cup is a signe and seale of the new Covenant which I have made with man and which is confirmed with my bloud Now what is that Covenant You shall see it it Ezek 36.26 and it containes three parts all which are sealed by this Sacrament First hee promiseth to wash them from their filthinesse that is from the guilt of their sins which is the first part Secondly A new heart will I give you and a new Spirit I will put into you that is I will make you new Creatures which is the second part of the Covenant Thirdly I will call for the Corne and will encrease it and will lay no famine upon you c. that is hee will give all outward comforts you shall inherit he Earth and be heires of the world and of â—ll in the world for the world is yours 1 Cor. 3. All and all in it is yours This is the whole Covenant of God and this hee seales to every one of you when you come to receive the Sacrament If you receive it worthily for it is the New Testament in his bloud And therefore seeing hee seales it to you that he will give you a new heart and a new Spirit and make you new Creatures you should go to him and claime it of him for you may sue him of his own bond written and sealed and he cannot deny it therefore begge it and you cannot misse of it This is a very comfortable doctrine if it be well considered For what is that that keepes a man from comming to Christ but his discouragements He thinkes it so hard a thing to be a new Creature that he cannot attaine it that he cannot leave such a course of life and therefore he stands off and though he will come in yet he will not as yet because it is a bondage intollerable But you do not consider what it is to have a new Nature If it were to have a new life and an old heart it were otherwise but the Lord will give a new heart and if he will not deny you but make you new Creatures you may be encouraged to goe to him If there be any Rebellion in your heart any untowardnesse in your nature if you goe to him for the removall of it it is
mee so that you shall be my people and I will be your God For you shall turne to mee with all your heart In a word they are never disjoyned take it for a sure rule as Ezek. 26. I will wash thee from thy Idols that is from thy lusts and idolatry and will give thee a new heart and a new Spirit he never doth one without the other therefore apply it It may be there be many particular sins which thou thinkest are forgiven Sabbath-breaking Swearing Vncleannesse goe thorow any particular sin if they be not healed they be not forgiven and so thou art in a miserable condition Therefore doe not say though I sinne againe and againe yet God is mercifull and I hope ready to forgive It is very true but thou must know that he is never merciful to forgive but he is as ready to heale and cure thy sins likewise therefore deceive not yourselves in that Only before I passe from this point mistake me not my meaning is not that it is so healed that there is not the least vigour left in it that it is so dead and buried that thou shalt never heare of it againe that the Spring of originall corruption is dried up that none of it is left but the meaning is it is healed that is Sinne is pulled downe from his Regency it may assault thee as a Rebell but it comes no more as a Lord as a King it is put out of possession it may creepe in as a Theefe but it comes no more as the owner of the house for that is resigned up to grace and the New Creature Sin creepes in as it were but there is another Master of the house so that now thou mayest say I doe it not but sinne that dwelleth in me that is that creepes in thy denomination is from that that beares rule in thy heart for that is all that is done in Regeneration Sin is put out of possession and Grace is now the Ruler the Lord of the heart therefore we may say it is healed that is it is so shut out that thou hast dominion over it it may assault thee now and then it may overcome thee now and then but it dwels not in thee thou never entertainest as a guest thou never biddest it welcome thou never makest peace with it thou hast perpetuall warre with it as there was with the Amalekites Againe corrupt nature must bee lessened weakned and mortified so there must be more than nature in thee that is thou must be able to doe more than any natural man in the world can doe or then thou wast ever able to doe before this change was wrought in thee for you must know Grace doth not onely mortifie and heale Sin but it goes beyond the power of Nature as we say Physicke helpes where Nature failes and Art helpes where Nature fals short Such a thing is Grace where Nature failes there is use of Grace indeed else what were the efficacie of the Word and the vertue of the Spirit and the power of Christ If they did not enable a man to do more than Nature doth Grace comes from an higher Well-head than Nature therefore it raiseth a man to an higher pitch than Nature can ascend to Therefore consider if thou hast that which goes beyond Nature Sampson had a strength beyond Nature he could doe what a common man could not doe but God being with him he had more than the strength of Nature How do we know that He was able to carry away the gates of the Citie c. which none else could do therefore there was in him strength above Nature Now examine canst thou doe that which no man else can doe that is a meere naturall man Thou must have a strength put into thee which none can reach to that hath nothing but Nature in him that is canst thou love the Lord Iesus and the Saints An Hypocrite can counterfeit many things but not love Againe canst thou delight in the Law of God in the Inner man I aske not if thou canst approve of it but canst thou delight in it counting it as meat and drinke to doe the will of thy Father This is a thing which cannot be counterfeit So canst thou deny thy selfe I aske not if thou canst deny this or that particular sinne but the whole body of sin if thou favourest the things of the Spirit if thou canst mortifie the deeds of the Body and walke according to that Spirit In a word whatsoever it is if thou art a New Creature thou must find thy selfe able to doe that which no naturall man can doe and which thy selfe could'st never doe before for otherwise what wilt thou have to answer for thy selfe when the Destroying Angell shall come if hee finde not in thee more than Nature the Destruction shall passe on thee as it was in the Passeover except there was found bloud on the door-posts they died for it Now the bloud that this Destroying Angell must see when hee shall passe over the world is that which is more than Nature You must know the bloud of Christ leaves an impression Their garments were made white in the bloud of the Lambe that is not onely the guilt of sin is taken away but a new vertue is put on them a new efficacie is put into them and if thou hast not the vertue of the bloud of Christ as well to purge thy conscience from dead workes as to take away the guilt of sin all is nothing you must know all the old world shall be destroyed and the workes of it and whatsoever is in it whatsoever is old shall be destroyed the Lord will spare nothing but what is new he makes a new Heaven and a new Earth and what is new shall be spared when he comes to take an examination of men and findes nothing but old in thee thou art sure to be destroyed if thou be new he will spare thee there is a blessing there this is the marke in the forhead this is that new Name this is that certain watch-word which if a man know not hee is counted as an enemie you have a fashion sometimes to give markes if they have that marke that token in their hand they are knowne to be of them that are allowed So there is a certaine sealing of men to life God gives a new name a white stâ—ne with a new name written on it which none can reade but God and thy selfe I say except thou art a New Creature for that is the new name the Destroying Angell shall not spare thee but thy sinnes shall be cast on thy conscience as usually hee doth when thou are on thy death-bed he never binds the burthen till then you have it before but you never feele it till then but when God shall charge it on thy conscience what wilt thou say if thou findest not these two things a weakning of this old nature an healing of sin and something morethan
this is not a light notion but of great moment for it will make thee love the Lord Iesus Saint Paul puts this among the greatest mercies He hath beene mercifull to mee with faith and love that amazed him that he could never be thankfull enough for it that is he hath wrought in me faith and love therefore gives him the praise It is God that doth it wee are but the instruments we praise not the Trumpet but the Trumpetter we praise not the Pensill but the Painter It is God that doth the worke give him therefore the whole praise of it this is a matter of much use to you For when there is a Minister of God that hath beene an instrument of bringing you to heaven you will love this man prize him and magnifie him in your thoughts and you doe well but remember that you take nothing from Christ alas what is the Pen to him that writes the Epistle What are we my Brethren give not to us what belongs unto him nothing unto us saith Paul we have done thus and thus but it is nothing it is Christ that hath done all and let him have all as the servants of Christ we must be wary that we rob not our Master of mens affections for we are but spokes-men to present you to Christ therefore be exceeding wary give your affections to the Lord to whom they belong If ever you receive any good by any Sermon if you be ever quickned if ever a little enlivened by the powerfull preaching of the Word give glory to Christ and say he hath done it let him have the praise of it love him so much the more for of all graces nothing is like that to worke grace in your hearts Againe if you will say what use is there of it That it is not the Minister but GOD that doth it Then doe not expect from us that we should come with excellency of wisdome or of words that we should come with wit and eloquence and learning Will this make a New Creature No it will not doe it for it is God that makes men New Creatures and if it be so he will doe it by his owne Instruments that is by his owne Word Thus Paul reasons 1 Cor. 2. Wee preach the Gospell not with excellencie of words for then the death of Christ would be of no effect that is no man will be a New Creature and Christ would die in vaine therefore we preach the Gospel in the evidence of the Spirit and Power these go together evidence of Spirit and power What then is this preaching in evidence of the Spirit Certainely it is never evident that the Spirit speakes but when you know the Word speake therefore when any man knowes that this is the Word we preach there is an evidence it is a speech of the Spirit and when the Spiriâ— speakes to the heart there is Power and that was the reason that Christ did so much good He taught with authority and not as the Scribes What is that to come with authority As when a Constable comes in the name of the King he shewes his evidence he hath that which makes evident to him with whom he hath to deale that he comes from the King We preach with authority then onely when wee speake from God to the consciences of men this consisteth not in excellencie of words but so much as there is of God so much authority Therefore come not with affectation of excellencie of words and wisdome If we had al the wit in the world to set Word of God in it it is better than that in which it is set as the Diamond is better than the Gold in which it is set If you were to chuse a Minister chuse not such an one desire it not expect it not the foolishnesse of preaching is wiser than men it will doe more than all the wisdome of man though it is but foolishnesse to some We speake wisdome to them that are perfect saith Paul they that be perfect will recount it wisdome it is foolishnesse to them that are children and unable to discerne Againe though it be but foolishnesse on the out-side yet there be treasures within and God hath hid these treasures under base out-sides that men may stumble at them as men that hide treasure under straw the foolishnesse of preaching saves the soules of men therefore seeing it is God that doth it he will use his own Instruments God workes by it Can words can all morall wit make a New Creature No it is God then why doe we make a question The more the Word is discovered and brought home the better it is because indeed when we preach any thing else you doe but see a Creature and you thinke you have to doe with a Creature for you can answer wit with wit and learning with learning and when you see you have to doe with men though never so excellent yet they are men But when Christ speakes to the conscience now the heart is brought downe when it seeth it hath to doe with God that only hath to doe with the consciences of men therefore expect not the contrary and remember that God is the doer of it it is he that writes the Epistle though we be the Ministers It is therefore not without use that we preach this doctrine to you And to all that I have said adde this one more Therefore if you find there hath not been a mighty work of God wrought in your hearts at any time when you have heard the Word know you have heard in vaine for the labour is lost if there be no more than the worke of a man Therefore you must know there be two Preachers at the same time one that speakes to the heart powerfully that makes you New Creatures that baptizeth you with the Holy Ghost and with fire and then there is a preaching to the eares And there are two hearings one is when you can repeat and recall the Word to memory but there is another saving hearing that is when is it ingrafted And when it is ingrafted even then when it maketh you New Creatures as a graft is then grafted when it changes all the Stocke Therefore consider whether you doe so heare or no that it hath bred such a change in you and know otherwise you have heard it in vaine For what doe we do when we preach the Word we doe as Gehezi did hee came running with Elisha's staffe to raise the childe but he could not doe it for though he had Elisha's staffe he had not Elisha's spirit So we come with the staffe but not with the Spirit therefore thou art not raised to life for there is the staffe without the Spirit therefore doe not thinke thou hast heard to any purpose if the Stocke be not turned if thou findest not the Spirit there What doe we when we dresse up a Sermon never so well it is but the rigging of the sailes and what will all
white and so we say a thing is healed though it be but begun and be not perfectly healed Even so in this case every man that comes to Christ his thirst is healed he thirsts no more because his soule is put into health As if you should say to a dropsie man for when his thirst is healed his disease is cured you shall have the thirst of an healthfull man but this diseased thirst you shall have no more So if you will come in to Christ this may invite you you shall thirst no more you shall be put into that happy condition that your strong lusts that were your thirst before shall be healed in you And besides another thing is you shall not die It is water of life that Christ gives as if he had said you may drinke this Well-water and thirst againe and drinke againe and thirst again and then you die this water will not give life therefore he addes that word Water of life This water that I give you shall make you live for ever it shall give you eternall life I am the living Bread that came downe from heaven he that eats of me shall not hunger and he that beleeves in me shall not thirst but shall live for ever But this I prest in the other and therefore I will not stand longer on it We will name a fourth Motive that you find ordinarily in Scripture If you come not in to Christ all things shall worke together for your hurt and if you take him All shall worke together for your good I say if you doe not all things shall worke together for your hurt This is the misery of every man out of Christ let him be in what condition he will every thing owes him an ill turne and will doe it one time or other Prosperity is bad for him that stayes him and his afflictions come for hurt to him they are like the lopping of a tree out of season which tends to the destruction of the tree but it is quite otherwise with the godly they have afflictions but they are in season which makes the Tree grow better Take the best things in the world the very Word that is preached the enlightnings and good motions they have from the Spirit they all tend to the hurt of the wicked for they encrease their comdemnation every thing works together for their hurt whatsoever they enjoy On the other side if you wil come in all things shal work together for your good that is they shall joyne together for your advantage one thing shall be ready to helpe another and nothing shall befall you but it shall worke for your good because when all is summed up as whatsoever befals the wicked puts them further from God Againe whatsoever befals a good man it drives him nearer to God and that is a sure rule nothing doth good but that which drawes us nearer to the fountaine of all good and nothing doth hurt but that which drives us from God Now whatsoever befals a good man it drawes him nearer to God Sin which of all other seemeth to doe him most hurt yet it drives him nearer to God because it makes him to empty himselfe of himselfe more it makes him see his owne misery more and to prize IESUS CHRIST more though they be in themselves poison yet God turnes them into medicines every thing workes for his good that is the meaning of that All things are yours Paul and Cephas that is every thing in the world doe but serve God life and death are for your advantage that is whatsoever is in life life and all that belongs to it is for your advantage that you may grow rich in good workes the longer you live the better Againe when death comes with all the harbingers of it it is for your good Sicknesses which are degrees thereof they being but the staires by which we descend downe to the chambers of death death and all the precedents of death even all these petty deaths are for your advantage yea whatsoever is in the world is for your good Things present and things to come are yours Even as in the field we say every thing is for the Wheat the stalke the eare the chaffe the sowing the plowing the threshing the winnowing the barne and granary every thing is for the wheat So the Wheat that growes in this great field of the World are only the Saints and every thing in the World is for their advantage Summer and Winter Frost and Snow wet and drie that is weale and woe good and evill affliction and prosperity all is for the advantage of the Saints their winnowings and temptations all their threshings worke together for their good And this you shall have by Christ if you will come in to him every thing shall owe you a good turne you shall looke on nothing but it is for you All men yea the best of them Paul and Apollo and Cephas are for your service whatsoever gifts they have they are all given for your use Let this move you to come in if you will not how ever you may live in this world and enjoy some sweetnesse with them that have their Portion in this life yet they shall doe you hurt and in the latter end so you shall find it The end of the Eighth Sermon THE NINTH SERMON VPON THE NEW CREATVRE 2 Cor. 5.17 Therefore if any man be in Christ let him be a new Creature THere is one motive that remaines and that is this which you shall finde Revel 3.17 For thou sayest I am rich and encreased in goods and hast need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poore and blinde and naked Because we are moved much with sensible things it pleaseth the Holy Ghost to expresse our spiritual misery by that misery which we are sensible of which is outward If you be out of Christ you are poore and naked and miserable If you come in to him you shall have the contrary we will pitch therefore upon these three particulars First if you be out of Christ you are poore What is that poverty It is the want of whatsoever may make the soule rich for you know there is a double riches Charge those that are rich in this world where there is an intimation that there are men that are rich in another world And so Luke 12. So is he that is rich in this world and is not rich towards God And Revel 2. I know thy poverty but thou art rich that is thou art rich in grace and in good works though thou art poore otherwise and therefore there is a poverty that concernes the soule a spirituall poverty which is found in every man out of Christ. Poverty you know it is a thing that every man shuns he would not be poore and you shall find that looke what reasons there are why a man should not be poore in his outward estate here is the
shall live for ever it is water that shall keep life in him for all eternity when she heard this she harkens to heare of water that could keepe life for ever When you reade the story in Genesis that the Angell was set with a sword shaken to keepe man from comming to taste of the tree of life you should thinke with your selves if the Angels were removed now or there were a man so happy that the Angell would give way to him that he might come and eat of the tree and when hee had eaten to live for ever you thinke that man in an happy condition Now the Lord doth say Revel 2. He that overcomes I will give to eat of the tree in the middest of the Paradice of God That is he shall eat of me and live for ever this is the great happinesse we have When Christ would use a compelling argument to move Revel 2.11 Hee that overcomes shall not be hurt of the second death Why is it so great a matter Oh that is all not to be hurt of the second death The first death is nothing the first death is but the doore it is but the gate that leads to the passing thorow the first death is but a going over the threshold the breadth of it is but a step and the length of it is but a moment of time or two But the second death there are the chambers of death as Solomon speakes where you shall be led from one misery to another and where you shall dwell for ever And therefore consider this if you take Christ you shall not be hurt of the second death I beseech you consider seriosuly reckon nothing so sweet if this life be sweet that is but a spanne long is not abundance of life much sweeter It is naturall to every man to desire immortility if you could but have this life continued let every man aske his owne brest what he would give that his life might be continued that he might be immortall If there were such a thing as the Alchymists speake of I could draw out the threed of this life to keepe it firme and even as they dreame of what would you give to obtaine And will you not regard this that will doe that indeed Will you not take Christ which is life indeed which will give you another life of immortality for you must know that it is not immortality simply that man desires The Naturalists were deceived in that for a man had rather not to be than to be in misery And the soule in hell are immortall and therefore it is not immortalitie that we desire simply for death is not the extinguishing of life but the misery of life And therefore where the Scripture speakes of the losse of the soule it is to be meant thus a mans finger or his joynt is lost when it is seized on by any incurable sore So when eternal misery is on the soule then the soule is lost and yet you have the joynt still you have the soule stil you have life still and therefore it is not immortality simply that we desire if we consider what it is but it is happinesse it is such a life as is not only immortall but happy withall this life Christ hath promise we shall live and an happy life such as S. Paul expresseth 2 Cor. 5. saith he We desire not to be unclothed but to be clothed upon that immortality might be swallowed up of life As if he should say consider with your selves you that love this life so well that you neglect that which is to come saith he we love our lives as well as you we are not weary of them no more than you are we desire not to be unclothed no but we desire that immortality may be swallowed up of life how swallowed up as we see a rude draught in a picture swallowed up with the picture when it is perfected as child-hood is swallowed up of manhood as the glimmering light is swallowed up of the perfect light so their immortality is swallowed up of life that is if there be a small poore glimpse of comfort here saith Paul we would not be rid of these we would be content to have these as well as you onely wee would have them swallowed up of perfect life we would have imperfection swallowed up of perfection And therefore Iob saith I will wait till my change shall come he saith not till my destruction come till my perishing come or till my death come but I will wait till my change come and he that changeth doth it for the better If you will take Christ you shall have this immortality and life perhaps you will say but I could be content to have this temporall life continued And haply my brethren if the Lord would make that promise that he would proclaime to men that they should have immortall life here it may be he shall have more followes than now he hath when hee promiseth immortall life in heaven but to take away that in a word I say it is a foolish choice if you might have it For what have you heere Here the body is tormented with diseases the spirit is wearied with vexation and the state is assualted with losses and crosses evill things wound us with sorrow and the good things we here doe but infect our affections and weary us still and yet they whet our tired appetites with a new edge In a word every condition here is pestred and troubled with businesse one invites and drawes on another we are hampred with succeeding fetters and makes this short life more short than it would be with carefull griefe with bitter feares and with corrupt joyes and at last all cut off and end as many men many times spread their branches and flourish their estate over-swallowes their wishes their suceesse excceds their desires now on a sudden this pompe is no where to bee found their desires vanish the floud of their wealth is dried up the owners and their goods perish together they will not see this by experience What is it in this life you would have if there were immortality But I say it cannot be so that is not so you cannot have immortality in this life but as evidently as you see the heavens roll about evey day so plainly we may see if wee will take it into consideration mankinde hurried along with an unwearied motion to the West of his dayes their posterity posting after them by an unrepealeable law of succession our fathers you know are gone before and we are passing and our children shall follow us at our heeles that as you see the billowes of the Sea one tumbe on the neck of another and in the end all are dashed upon the shoare so all generations and ages in the end are split on bankes of death and this is the condition of every man Is it not our wisdome then to provide for another life Certainly if there bee any wisdome in the world it
unrighteousnesse 1 126.179 Truth what 1 127.180 Truth the subject of it 1 128 Truth the Author of it 1 130 Truth the extent of it ibid. Truth how it is with-held 1 131 Truth why men imprison it 1 133 Truth imprisoned a great sinne 1 136 Truth how with-held 1 165 Truth should rule 1 169 Truth the danger of restraining it 1 170 Truth the benefit of giving it libertie 1 171 Truth manifested foure wayes 1 181 Truth the hainousnesse of sinnes against it 1 184 Truth to be thankfull for it 1 192 Truth to doe nothing against it 1 193 Seven cases of detaining the Truth 1 195 Truth should bee communicated to other 1 209 Happinesse and misery attend neglect or observing the Truth 1 215 Want of courage for the Truth shewes want of zeale 1 291 V Vaine GOds Name taken in Vaine how 1 186 Vanity Vanity of mans understanding 1 43 Violence Humbled men take Heaven by Violence 1 16 To take heaven by Violence what 1 17 Vnevennesse Vnevennesse in the best men 2 131 Vnevennesse in Saints and others different 2 132 Vnbeleefe Vnbeleefe keepes from Christ 1 11 Vngodlinesse See Nature Vniversality Vniversality of the new Creature 2 51 Vnion Vnion with Christ the nearenesse of it 2 172 Vnion with Christ of what moment 2 173 Vnion with Christ to be encreased 2 176 Vnion with Christ how encreased 2 177 Vnion with Christ to be sought after 2 185 Vnion with Christ the end of the Sacrament 3 5 Vnwearied That which is naturall is Vnwearied 2 111 Vnderstanding Vnderstanding in man corrupted 1 43 Vnderstanding the vanity of it ibid. Vnderstanding blinde 1 44 Vnderstanding unteachable 1 45 Vnderstanding the incredulitie of it ibid. Vnderstanding the enmitie of it 1 46 Vnderstanding wrought on by the Spirit 2 11 Vâ—teachable Vnderstanding of man Vnteachable 1 45 Vnrighteousnesse Wrath revealed against mens Vnrighteousnesse 1 111 See Truth Vowes Vowes broken aggravate sin 1 98 W Want RIches supply what we Want 2 210 Wearinesse Wearinesse in sinne what 3 69 Whoredome Whoredome to be punished 1 295 Will. Will the depravednesse of it 1 48 Will the contrarietie of it to God 1 49 Will the pride of it 1 50 Will the inconstancie of it ibid. Will the disobedience of it 1 51 Will of God our sanctification 2 19 Will free in men regenerate 2 154 Will of regenerate men how free 2 167 Willing Willingnesse to bee humbled for sinne 1 26 Christ willing to sanctifie us 2 31 Wisdome Wisdome of words not to be expected from Ministers 2 162 Transubstantiation against Gods Wisdome 3 10 Wonder The world Wonders at the Saints 2 124 Word Words corrupted 1 70 Importance of Words 1 71 Word of God a helpe against excuses of sinne 1 108 Workes Gods truth manifests his Workes 1 182 New workes discover a new Creature 2 57 Motives to good Workes 2 170 A Christian rich in good Workes 3 79 World World is a Christians how 3 83 See Disgrace Wrath. Wrath of God how revealed 1 5 Wrath revealed against unrighteousnesse 1 111 Two things in Gods Wrath 1 112 Wrath of God what 1 114 Wrath of God the certaintie of it 1 112 Wrath of God the power of it 1 115 Wrath the suddennesse of it 1 116 Wrath wee should be sensible of it 1 119 Wrath provoked by imprisoning the Truth 1 137 Wrath caused by sinne 1 271 Wrath encreased by our sinnes 1 273 Wrath why it is not felt 1 277 Wrath remedies against it 1 278.283.300 Z Zeale ZEale turnes away wrath 1 283 Zeale what 1 285 Zealous men not to be discouraged 1 286 Convictions of want of Zeale 1 288. FINIS Errata Part 1. PAge 12. line 14. Reade one p. 34. l. 18. r. aside from that p. 66. l. 17. r. not p. 74. l. 18. r. and a thing p. 98. in the margine r. what p. 110. l. 20. r. me be curst p. 113. l. 29. r. contemne p. 120. l. 17. r. Saul p. 131. l. 31. r. Iohn 1.5 p. 231. l. 15. r. condemned p. 296. l. 23. r. Iude. Part 2. PAge 5. l. 24. r. sent p. 19. l. 23. r but it is p. 21. l. 13. blot out to p. 24. l. 10. r. another p. 26. l. 8. r. forget p. 37. l. 24. r. as a grace p. 68. l. 30. r. hard p. 75. l. 5. r. which p. 91. l. 18. r. it as p. 95. l. 3. r. creature p. 121. l. 25. r. this new nature p. 124. l. 20. r. wait p. 136. l. 20. r. third ground p. 139. l. ult r. moats p. 143. l. 17. r. Sun p. 155. in the margine r not p. 163. l. 14. r. to set the word p 174. l. 22. r. 1 Cor. 3. ult p. 195. l. 21. r. such an house p. 197. l. 27. r. and Lord. p. 205. l. 24. r. slayes p. 211. l. 10. r. God Part 3. PAge 41. l. 20. r. may say p. 44. l. 12. r. your case p. 72. l. 25. r. goodly p. 87. l. 15. r. which Treatise 2 Treatise Iohn 3. ult Doct. 1. Mans nature is full of ungodlinesse and unrighteousnesse Doct. Doct. 2. Two things keepe men from comming to Christ. 1 Vnbeleefe 2 Negligence which is two-fold 1 Totall 2 Partiall Two Reasons of it Reason 1. In reference to Iustification Reason 2. In reference to Sanctification Vse 1. Titus 2.14 Object Answ. Object Answ. Helps to humble and afflict the soule for sinne Object 2. Answ. Object Answ. Vse 2. Doctr. Object Answ. The corruption of the Faculties 1 The Vnderstanding 1 The Vanitie of it 2 The blindnesse of it 3 The Vâ—teâ—chablenesse of it 4 The Incredulity of it 5 The Enmitie of it 2 The Depravednesse of the Will 1 Of the Contrariety of the will to God 2 The Pride of the will 3 The Inconstancie of it 4 The Disobedience of it 3 The corruption of the Memory 1 In the things we are commanded to Remember 2 In things we are commanded to Forget 4 The corruption of the Conscience In three Acts. 1 As it is a Râ—membrancer 2 As it is an Instigatour to good or a Restrainer from evill Wherein three Vertues are required 1 Clearenesse 2 Sensiblenesse 3 Activenesse 3 As it is an Accuser or Excuser Object Answ. 5 The corruption of the sensitive Appetite Object Answ. 6 The corruption of the Affections 2 Actuall Sinnes 1 In Thoughts The importance of thoughts 2 In our Words The importance of our words 3 In our Actions 2 Siâ—â—es of Omission 1. Of 〈◊〉 2 Of Graces 3 Of time 4 Of Occasions 2 Rule the Gospell Sinnes against the Gospell Vnwillingnesse to take Christ. The greatnesse of this Sinne. Vse 1. Vse 2. Vse 3. Object Answ. To quicken our desires after Christ. Consider 1 The Circumstances that doe aggravate sinne 1 The Majesty offended 2 The affection wherewith it is committed 1 Hatred of God 2 Deniall of God Object Answ. 3 Despising of God 3 That it is against Knowledge 4
insensiblenesse of wrath Answ. Containing in it the proofes of the Doctrine Gods wrath is a Treasure 1 Because our sinnes adde to his wrath 2 Because it lies still for a time 3 Because in time it is expended Sinne is like a stormie cloud Simile Object 2. From the generality of sin Answ. Yet all sin not alike And therefore are differently punished Vse 1. Of the Point To see sinne in its effects Which is urged from the Terrour of Gods wrath Object From the not present feeling of Wrath. Answ. It is not felt because it is not apprehended 2 Sinne remains on Record 3 And at length God will strike once for all Object The remedy prescribed is to meet the Lord. Answ. Which consists first in Humiliation In Reformation Object The smalnesse of sinne Answ. The least sinne is disobedience against God Instance of the example of Saul The example of Adam Every sinne is the setting up of another God A difference betwixt a godly and a wicked man in regard of sinnes No sinne is small for it is committed against an exact Law Mat. 5.18 The third generall point Zeale turnes away wrath 1 Proved by Scripture and instances 1 Elijah The truth of it appeares from the danger of luke-warmenesse Coldnesse provokes as much sinne Which is a stirring up of affection 2 For the Lord. 3 There must be with it intention of action Vse 1. Not to discourage those that be zealous The frequency of such discouragements The ill effects Zeale and Religion the pillars of Church and Common-wealth They are Gods Pearls though cast out in the world Vse 1. Containing many Convictions of our want of Zeale 1. From the formality of the Times 2 Conviction From our want of affection for the Lord. 2 Against sin Differences betwixt Hatred and Anger 1 Hatred is constant 2 It sets against the whole Species 3 It â—ests not but in uttâ—r deâ—tâ—uction Iudge of our Anger by these â—arkes 3 Conviction From our want of courage for the truth Object From the danger of too much boldnesse Answ. Danger of Excesse must be prevented by a well regularâ—â—g our boldnesse The Objection is prosecuted And more fully answered 4 Conviction From our want of Zeale for the Church Zeâ—le for the Church is acceptable to God even when he is angry with her It is dangerous to wrong the Church Direction what wee must doe for the Church Abroad At home Concerning the Church at home three things are â—â—mmended to â—onsideration Execution of Iudgement Specially against three things 1 Whoredome 2 Idolatry 3 Injustice 2 Contention for the Faith To which we should be provoked by the practise of her enemies Advancement of the Ministery By setting a Candle in every candlesticke By keeping out dogs that will devoure 4 Generall point If we be not zealous Gods jealousie grows hotter And his messenger must have an answer Meanes to stop his wrath is to stand in the gap Which consists in faithfull prayer 5 Generall point Iealousie for the most part shall proceed to utter destruction Two great deliverances we have had Beware the third time The story of Ahab is considerable to this purpose There is a double feare 1 A feare that puts us upon indirect means 2 A feare that sets us to work on good meanes 2 Chro. 15.2 Doct. Iustification and Sanctification are inseparable 1 How Sanctification ariseth from Iustification 1 By the worke of the Spirit Objects Answ. Quest. Answ. 2 By certaine actions in the minde and heart which are the effects of the Spirit in him 1 Vpon the understanding 2 Vpon the affections 3 Selfe-love is sanctified 4 Ingenuitie is wrought 5 Noblenesse of Spirit 6 A strong inclination 2 Sanctification and Iustification are inseâ—â— Reason 1. Reason 2. Reason 3. Reason 4. Reason 5. Vse 1. Pray that seeing God hath justified us he would also sanctifie us Encouragements to pray for Sanctification 1 Gods promise in the Covenant 2 The Covenant sealed in the Sacrament 1 Cor. 11.25 opened 3 The Covenant confirmed with an oath 4 The end whereunto the Sâ—crament is appointed 5 The successe that others have had by Prayer 6 The great importance of it to us Esay 25.6 opened Ephes. 5.18 opened Vse 2. Set Sanctification as high in our esteeme as Iustifiâ—aâ—â—on The excellencie of the New Creature 1 Above old Lusts. 2 Above all worldly excellencies Object Answ. Two conditions of Adam Object Answ. 1 Iohn 3.2 Eccles. 10.5 Prov. 22.4 Vse 3. Take heed of challenging Iustification without Sanctification Iohn 3.18 Matth. 3.8 Object Answ. Signos of a new Creature 1 A Sense of it â—â—ct 26.18 2 The Vniversalitie of it 1 Cor. 5.7 Object Answ. 3 Looking upon every thing with a new eye 2 Cor. 5.16 4 New workes 2 Cor. 4.20 A New Creature what Three things in it 1 The heart must be new moulded or cast into a new frame 1 Principally his inclination is changed Quest. Answ. How this alteration of the inclination may bee knowne 2 This change is in his whole Conversation Vse Answ. 〈…〉 new 〈◊〉 itie of â—odlinesse The new quaâ—â—tie what 2 It must be done by infusion of a new qualitie of godlinesse The new qualitie what Object Answ. Vse 3 There must be a mortification of the old man Vse 2 Vse or Consectary 1 There must be something lesâ—e than corrupt nature Where â—â—od forgiveth hee healeth where he pardoneth he purifieth Reason 1. Reason 2. Reason 3. Caution Note 2 As there must be lesse than corrupt Nature so there must be more than meere Nature Observ. 2. Observ. 3. Observ. 4. Observ. 5. Observ. 1. Those that are in Christ have another Nature When a thing is said to be Naturall Caution Vse 1. Not to deferre comming to God Vse 2. Content not your selves with any thing if this be wanting All the desires that come from Nature are nothing 2 Morall Vertues 3 Transient acts of Holinesse 4 Good Intentions and Purposes Vse 3. Looke that good performances be naturall to you Quest. Answ. Simile Object Answ. Simile Vse 4. To abhor the old nature and to â—â—â—ke to have it chanâ—ed Rom. â— Quest. Answ. Vse 5. Feare not falling away Object Answ. Vse 6. Be not discouraged with the difficultie of any duty Vse 7. A change of nature is a ground of comfort Quest. Answ. Observ. 3. It must be a new Creature Consectaries thence 1 That we are redeemed from old Customes Custome hath many advantages against us 1 It gaines upon our judgements 2 It is troublesome to alter it 3 We plead for it 4 It breeds Senselesnesse Consect 2. Wonder not that the world wonders at thee Consect 3. Pull downe all that is old Object Answ. Quest. Answ. Consect 4. Wonder not at the unevennâ—sse which is found in the lives of the bâ—st men Object Answ. Difference between unevennesse in the Saints and in the wicked Object Answ. Object Answ. Object Answ. Consect 5. Expect a