Pass-over but they made nothing of the greatest moral pollution that could be of falsly accusing the most innocent person and prosecuting him to the death this they made nothing of and so they scrupled not to give thirtie pieces of Silver as a price for Jesus Christ that they might bring him to death but when they had done they would not cast it into the Treasury The Papists they make much ado it is a grievous offence to violate one of their fasting daies enjoyned by the Pope but to murther Christian Princes under the notion of Hereticks they make nothing of that this is the condition of many a poor creature Mint Annice and Cummin they must tythe these externals and ceremonials a Gnat they strain at but a Camel they can swallow 3. Another thing in their obedience is this an hypocrite he can be contented to take up the easie part of Christianity ordinarily but not the difficult that which is more inward and laborious they can come to heaâ— the word to confer with the people of God to receive c. But the inward part the great duty of self-examination alas they are strangers to it that high duty of spiritual contemplation that of keeping their hearts with all diligence because out of it are the issues of life this they are strangers to they cannot down with these things to forgive injuries from their brethren this is a hard duty to love their enemies yea to love them that think meanly of them despise them as well as those that think more highly of them this is no easie duty here the hypocrite will give others leave to take up this part ordinarily truly Brethren Search and see is it not so with some of us 4. Another consideration is this An hypocrite maketh not Jesus Christ his last end he doth all for self-ends Who do seem to be more Religious then the great Questionists of the times usually yet the Apostle tels us if they consent not to the wholsom words even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Doctrine which is according to godliness he is proud knowing nothing doting about Questions and strife of words whereof cometh envy strife railings evil su 〈…〉 isin 〈…〉 and perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth supposing that gain is godliness there is the root of all this Brethren of all this zeal and contention supposing that gain is godliness was not this the argument whereby the Devil would have proved Job an hypocrite if thou touch all he hath he will curse thee doth he serve thee for nought he hath self-ends in it O surely brethren if our hearts condemn us and tell us We work for our penny in the Vineyard of the Lord we serve for our penny it is not right it may be we may pretend the glory of God and may seem to take a right aim for God and for Christ but like a deceitful bow we turn aside and have somewhat else in our eye that setteth the wheels awork when the glory of Christ will not O this is gross hypocrisie So those in Mat. 7. they prophesied in the name of Christ but not for his name but for themselves and though a child of God may be pestered with such thoughts creeping in upon him yet he suffers them not to lodge with him but whippeth them and giveth them their pass he mourns under them prayeth for pardon of them and healing and subduing of them 5. Another thing is touching the conflict which the soul may have with sin How may we know whether that be right or no An hypocrite may have some regret doubtless in sinning until he hath hardened his conscience so by custom that he is past feeling Do but mind these two things 1. Where the quarrel lies where the battle is fought Is it between the understanding the judgement or the conscience convinced and the will or is it between the will and the will the affections and the affections the former may be in an hypocrite the other is not Peter had this conflict between his will and will he should be carried whether he would not that is to say to be martyred Why then if he were altogether unwilling how could he be a Martyr No he was willing and yet unwilling there is a lusting of the Spirit and a lusting of the flesh it is not for nothing that the Holy-Ghost expresseth it in those terms he doth not say the spirit judgeth one thing and the flesh lusteth after another but there is lusting on both sides the flesh against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and those two are contraries and they are in the will and affections and therefore as contraries they must needs fight until one be subdued the Apostle saith with his mind he served the Law of God and with his flesh the Law of sin but mind there is not meant the understanding as distinct from the will as sometimes it is understood but it is understood of the regenerate part set in opposition to the corrupt part in the soul and the one fighting against the other so that the things we would do we cannot do many times Consider then Is it thus with thee carnal affection carryeth thee out this way but thou hast not only a judgement to the contrary but thy affections and will carryeth thee to the contrary and thou art not alway overcome but ordinarily prevailest O this is a sign of an upright heart 2. Consider in this conflict also another thing Whether you â—e not treacherous alway holding on the side of sin So an hypocrite will be he hath some regret against sin its true but yet he favours it and would willingly excuse for it palliate and plead for it and O how glad such a man is when he hath but any Scripture that will seem to make for it that he may have but liberty for his lust as a covetous man O how he is more then ordinarily pleased with those Scriptures which seem to make for it and such a man holds in with sin and will not come to the light but hates it is willingly ignorant of some things libenter ignorantur ut liberius peccent Is it thus with us brethren believe it if it be we have cause to fear all is not right with us we are unsound at the heart and though we may go far yet the end will be rottenness Again lastly See to it whether we love anything else more then Christ If House or Land or Father or Mother or nearest relations or life it self more then Christ we are hyporcites sure and this is a thing will not be so easily known specially by such as with â—eter denyed him being ashamed of him it may be upon a slight account O happy is he that can afterwards say as Peter Lord thou knowest all things thou knowest I love thee though I dealt so unkindly and unfaithfully with
such as have been as appears by the words following our Rulers and have taught us the Word of the Lord again and again considering the end of their conversation c. for assuredly the living speeches of dying Prophets live for ever Zach. 1. Their word took hold that is it did pursue overtake and seize upon that generation And so will the word of this our dear Brother fasten upon many a soul if not to his salvation certainly to his eternal destruction who if he were alive again would he not speak as now though dead in this present discourse he speaketh Oh! rest not satisfied with the Lamp of profession but get the oyl of saving grace into the vessels of your hearts and go forth to meet the Bride-groom that when he cometh whether at midnight cock-crowing or at the dawning of the day you may not be found sleeping but may enter in with him It s said of Arrius that as his errour with the sad effects thereof spread after his death so his torments were increased in hell for the Lord will render to every man not only according to his doings but according to the fruit of his doings If so as I believe it is a truth O then would we add to this our Brothers Crown and make it more massie and fuller of those choice pearls another day let us remember and forget not what by him was done and taught but say as she said Lord lay up this for me that whenever I have occasion to make use of it as when not I may so remember it as that I may practise and be blessed in my deed But I detain your Lordships too long I shall conclude with my hearty prayers to the Lord that as he hath made you eminently instrumental so he would take pleasure in you both to make you more and more instrumental in the hand of Christ which next to our salvation is one of the greatest priviledges in this life and lengthen out your daies that you may return slowly to heaven which is the humble desire of My Lords Your most devoted servant Sam. Winter The Epistle to the READER Curteous and Christian Reader THou hast here presented to thy view some Sermons os Mr. John Murcot whilst he lived a precious Instrument in the hand of Jesus Christ a Workman that needed not to be ashamed And now being dead yet speaketh by these and his other labours Concerning the Author he was according to his years of an exact judgement which appeared 1. In the choice of apt Subjects with respect to the persons and times wherein he lived as he aimed at the setting up of Christs interest and the welfare of his people so he singled out arguments answerable upon the improvement whereof he spent his best thoughts as might be instanced in these and several other pieces of his 2. In all his undertakings he laboured to discover to poor creatures the vileness of sin Gods free Grace yet ne◠〈◊〉 the prejudice of Gospel-obedience in the promoting whereof he laboured very much knowing the great relactancy of flesh and blood thereto 3. His wisdom appeared in his care and tenderness in that with the discovery of sin he always joyned the nearness of Mercy as he cast down with one hand so he raised up with the other a Bonerges and yet a son of consolation and oh how tender and humble towards poor troubled doubting souls 4. In the healing and preventing of breaches among Brethren he was admirable the Lord gave him wisdom above his years 2 As he was exact in judgement so was he full of affections how warm were they lying in the very bosom of his Master which appeared in his melting frame of Spirit ordinarily and in his thirst to draw down notions that floated in the brain to the heart and feeling wherein he was exceedingly successful 3 As for conversation he was not only spotless but active in good in his studies aâ—dlabours wherein as he was abundant and unwearied which probably helped to shorten his life that when his body came to conflict with the disease he had not strength to overcome at all other times doing or receiving good of whom it may be truly said that he did Epilcopum agere vivere act and live a true Minister of Jesus Christ blessed Bradford connted that hour lost wherein he did not some good with his tongue pen or purse It was the commendation of blessed Hooper that he was spare of Dyet spare of Words and sparest of Time These things being committed to another hand we shall forbear the scope of this Epistle being to acquaint thee with the grounds of publishing these Sermons and to intreat thy candid interpretation and acceptance of our endeavours therein First The satisfying of the longing desires of several some of whom eminent not only in Place but Piety that their hearts may be refreshed their memories strengthened by reading what they formerly heard with much delight 2. The general acceptation of the Author even with all sorts in those places where he lived or was known Secondly The seasonableness of the Subject it being an Antidote against the raigning of that most dangerous evil of the times Formality the most satisfying themselves with the bare Lamp of Profession not regarding the want of oyl in their vessels and the best too apt to be nodding when the cry is made and with the Apostles most sleep when it most concerned them to be watching which renders this Subject not only of present but lasting use and benefit Thirdly The manner of handling which is solid and spiritual so that the ingenuous Reader may find in this Lamp not only light to direct him but heat to warm him when he is a cold and a Cry to awaken him when he is asleep Fourthly The Authors exactness in penning them as if Providence contrary to his approved modesty had designed them for publick view which thou hast here as they were left in his own private notes and you know First That writing and speaking have their several Graces they were publikely delivered with much advantage Secondly They are set forth after his death and you know charity is due to Orphans the Authors more then ordinary growth in a few years assures us that had he lived to have revised this Work it would have been much more digested and refined Thirdly Being left in Characters in the transcribing whereof by the most diligent and exact some mistakes are almost unavoidable so that these may challenge allowance being transcribed by the Authors dearest relation who acquired the knowledge of his Character after his death Wherefore we intreat thee good Reader to bear with what might have escaped upon that or our own accompt which we shall willingly own judging it our duty to prefer the Publike and eternal good of souls to our own names for whose sake as the Pretious Author bestowed much of his oyl in the trimming of this Lamp so we have set it up in
flower of their youth the ripeness of their age and strength to sin and when they come to die have Heaven drop in their mouthes many would be saved but if they must be at such pains for it walk so circumspectly strictly in a frame by rule thus and be exercised in mortification renewing their repentance so much ado with searching and trying their ways they think the wisest course is to sit still it is better sleeping in a whole skin and seven men that can give a reason are not so wise as they let Ministers say what they will they will not believe but they are the wiser men of the two O he that is thus wise in his own conceit there is more hope of a fool then of him well then if the world pass for fools they are the fools indeed in grain and when Saints and sinners the strict walker with God and the formal Hypocrite shall appear before the Lord at the last day then if before you will not believe you shall know who were the wise men and who were the fools Thirdly Then let Wisdm be justified of her children you that are the true sons of Wisdom and not bastards and pretenders justifie Wisdom then though all the world run a contrary course and count it folly to walk thus circumspectly do you count it your Wisdom as the Lord counteth it to be strict and exact in your walkking no matter though the world stigmatize you for fools that you neglect your concernments other wayes sometimes to gain a nearer approach to Christ if the Lord judge you wise men the argument is very strong for what man can bear the imputation of folly indeed every man would be wise Vain man would be wise though he be born like a wild Asses Colt but the Saints methinks that know in some measure what the Wisdom which is from above doth mean should labour to approve themselves wise men indeed by a circumspect walking with God And you that profess the Name of Christ though it may be not all of you in truth you would be wise though you walk not circumspectly shall I bespeak you in the Prophets words how say you we are wise and we have the Law c. when you walk not by this rule Ah take heed you prove not foolish Virgins when all is done it is not Wisdom to dally with Religion and with God he will not be mocked Then you that are wise indeed and do in a good part walk exactly shall I beg of you that you would yet more and more labour to approve your selves wise men and women in a great exactness of your walking avoiding all appearance of evil as the Apostle speaks in following after whaever is comely of good report you know what the Wise man saith A man that is in reputation for Wisdom that passeth for a wise man and a close-walking Saint a little folly is like a dead Fly in the Box of Oyntment that maketh it stink by how much the more the Lord hath done for you this way be so much the more careful O it is this Wisdom that will make your faces shine Brethren so it did the face of Moses and David but a little folly in a David what a blemish it casts upon it and what a reproach and blemish upon the beautiful way of holiness O then I beseech you Brethren Labour to cease from your own Wisdom for indeed this is folly and contrary to the Wisdom of God He that hearkneth to counsel is wise It is a sad thing when the People of God are not advisable are so full of self-will and self-wisdom that they cannot cease from it so David in numbering the people he had good counsel given him though by a man far enough inferiour to himself in spirituals but was not advisable and what a blot did he bring upon himself we profess to give up our wils and wisdoms to him and yet when it cometh to the pinch many times we must have our wils and we must have our own contrivances go forward or else we cannot aquiesce I said in quietness and confidence should be your rest but you would not Again Then beg this Spirit of Wisdom more earnestly greater measure of it for it is he that giveth Wisdom to walk exactly this Wisdom from above which is pure and peaceable and gentle and easie to he intreated so that a child may lead such a man or woman if he present any thing of light and God to them And then Brethren when you have the Spirit walk in the Spirit in the Power of this Spirit of Wisdom let it prevail over your own wils and your own opinions of your own ways subject all to him and you shall find that he will guide you by his counsel and afterwards receive you to Glory Thus much for this Observation These were his last Lecture-Sermons the last words viz. Redeeming the Time because the dayes are evil He stayed not to finish FINIS The Parable of the ten Virgins Mat. 25. from the 1. v. to the 14. v. Then shall the Kingdom of Heaven be likened unto ten Virgins which took their lamps and went forth to meet the Bridegroom And five of them were wise and five were foolish They that were foolish took their lamps and took no oyl with them But the wise took oyl in their vessels with their lamps While the Bridegroom tarried they all slumbred and slept And at midnight there was a cry made behold the Bridegroom cometh go ye out to meet him Then all those Virgins arose and trimmed their lamps And the foolish said to the wise give us of your oyl for our lamps are gone out But the wise answered saying Not so lest there be not enough for us and you but go ye rather to them that sell and buy for your selves And while they went to huy the Bridegroom came and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage and the door was shut Afterward came also the other virgins saying Lord Lord open unto us But he answered and said verily I say unto you I know you not Watch therefore for ye know not the day neither the hour wherein the Sâ—nâ—fman cometh A Parable is a representation of some truth to the understanding under such things as are obvious to to the senses and familiar to us in our ordinary use and experience in the Gospel yea the Scriptures Old and New are full of them I lift not to trouble you to speak much to their Nature but I understand they be a kinde of a similitude as the Parable Chap. 24. 32 33. Learn a Parable of the â—ig-tree when it putteth forth leaves and the branches are yet tender the Summer is nigh ye know it was a thing familiar to them in experience so likewise ye when ye see these things come to pass know it is near even at hand A metaphor is a simile contracted into one
neither of them that are strong men and women in Christ nor yet of such as haply natural incapacity is a great hindrance to But were we not many of us much wanting to our selves in reading meditating on the word of truth we might be much more apprehensive then we are we are in a strait indeed for some are so acute that we can scarce touch lightly enough upon things least they nauseate others are so dull we cannot dwell long enough upon them almost to make them understand something Well this is the first Argument Secondly Because men are exceeding slow to believe things O fools saith our Saviour and slow of heart to believe the things which the Scriptures c. Concerning the Messiah how he must be rejected and cut off and rise again the third day Might he not upbraid our Congregations brethren in the like manner how often have we heard the same things and it may be given assent to the truth of the same but yet are slow to believe And this Argument will stand good against the acutest hearers though they may out-run the speaker haply in apprehension they may be slow-paced enough in believing Now it is true it is not all our inculcating and pressing the same truths upon men that can work their hearts to believe until the arm of the Lord be revealed to them yet we know not when and how far he may reveal his arm It may be a little at one time and a little at another Agrippa hearing Paul once discourse of Jesus Christ was almost perswaded haply if he had had another opportunity to hear the like things again it might have proved a through work Felix trembled at the first Sermon upon Judgement to come if he had heard it the second time who can tell how far it might have wrought This the second Thirdly Alas Brethren our memories are such leaking vessels we are full of chinks hac illac difluxerimus and therefore as from thence the Apostle infers we should give the more diligent heed to the things which are spoken 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 least we run out So should we also inculcate the same truths again who is there that hath not woful experience of this other things evil and vile they have such impression upon our memories O how much ado is it to raze them out injuries are graven upon us even as with the pen of a Diamond vain words wicked speeches we have heard long since we cannot forget but a thing that is good O how much ado there is to remember it had not a riddle need often to be put into the water it will hold nothing else be not forgetful hearers of the word saith the Apostle but doers of the same how many of us are even high-way seed hearers The word is gone from us before we are out of these doors or the most part of it So the fowls of the Aire the evil spirits they steal away the word from us so that we had as much need to hear it again as when we came O saith Peter as long as I live I will put you in remembrance To do good and to communicate forget not saith the Apostle no Question they had been taught that lesson again and again and yet they were apt to forget and therefore the Apostle goeth over it again to them to put them in remembrance Fourthly It is requisite because our affections are so dull they had need to be often quickned therefore whet the word upon your children It is not one whet that will edge a dull knife but over and over with it again and again as many times in Scripture a repetition of a thing in prayer in preaching speaks the affections of him that delivereth it so it stirs the affections of the hearers Phil. 4. 4. saith the Apostle rejoyce in the Lord alway and again I say rejoyce is that a tautology or a vain repetition no sure the Apostle was not guilty in that kind but it was needful to stir the affection to the duty our hearts indeed are like so many dead Seas and it is not a little breath once upon us that will move but when the wind passeth often and strongly over us then it may affect us haply the word is therefore compared to the words of the wise which are like goads not the words of fools who are no orators sensless and know not what belongs to the Art of speaking rightly but the words of the wise are like goads sharp and they are to be often used we are like oxen in duty creatures that will often need to be pricked up therefore the metaphor is used therefore saith the Apostle I put you in remembrance of the things you knew before and were established in even to stir you up there is need of quickening the affections a man may deliver the same truth haply more stirringly one time then another and the spirit may breath in it one time more then in another and then the affections are stirrd indeed to purpose that is a fourth Gutta cavat lapidem non vi sed saepe cadendo Fifthly because of the unconstancy of our hearts if we be a little affected with a truth at one time how long doth such a frame continue upon us David was sensible how fleeting the frame of our hearts are And therefore though himself and his people were in as sweet a frame as any we read of almost when they offered with a perfect heart willingly and so willingly as that David rejoyced in it and blessed the Lord for it that they had hearts so to do this was a precious frame indeed yea David rejoyced at the willingness of others not envied at it saith he that the Lord would keep this frame for ever Keep this upon the imagination or figments of their hearts for ever Alas if he keep it not it is gone presently now upon Eagles wings soring by and by with our bellies cleaving to the earth Psal 119. 24. thy testimonies are my delight and 25. v. my belly cleaveth to the dust And therefore the words of the wise they are as goads and nails nails to take hold and fasten things together that they may abide and if they be driven to the head yet how quickly may it be loosened again is there not need of the same hammer to fasten it again therefore saith the Apostle Peter though you be established in the present truth already yet I Judge it meet to stir you up by putting you in remembrance Sixthly because we are so slow to do what we know which indeed is the main thing we do but build Castles in the Aire Bretheren if we hear and do not and yet who is clear in this point yea how often may we hear a practical truth prest upon us before we practise it yea when we are convinced to do it and resolved we will and yet with the Son in the Gospel
manner to come with a rod if there were need Again there is much wisdom to be used in the dressing the same truth again and again for the truths which you are necessarily to know they are not for number infinite and you will easily find if you consider the Scripture how the same truths are proposed to us in the Scripture an 100. waies several waies because the Lord knew our frame that naturally we would have somewhat new and were affected with variety therefore he giveth us the same truths under divers dresses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Apostle the Preacher chose not acceptable words though It would not feed that itching humor that is in some yet I would allow as much as love and prudence examined together would advise because of the weakness and frame of men and if one therefore diversly dress the same truths omne tulit punctum will the Lord seal this instruction to such of us as it concerneth And Brethren pray for us that we may be wise-hearted and know how to fit our selves and bait the hook so as it may be most drawing Thirdly It may serve to humble us for our dulness then and those many other defections which are the rise of this necessity to beat the same things upon us again and again Dear friends we swallow much every Sabboth every opportunity how little doth incorporate with us how little abideth with us what pains is the Lord fain to take with us line upon line and precept upon precept here a little and there a little in season out of season and yet Brethren how little the better are we for it May we not all of us lay our hands upon our hearts is it not matter of humbling we should put the Lord and his Messengers to so much pains with us and be yet little the better for all O let us magnifie the long-suffering of God and bless him for the long-suffering of his servants with us that he is pleased to follow us up and down with this and that necessary truth It may be thou hast heard some things which now thy soul hath the experience of thou wouldst not loose for a world and many a time thou hast heard them but it hath been like water spilt upon the ground and at last the Lord hath fastened the nayl to the head if it had had but one blow it would not have stuck Fourthly It may caution us brethren against nauseating Divine truths because they are so often beaten upon us it may be the same things It is safe for you brethren it is good for you if you know the things belong to your peace say not then occidet misâ—ros crambe repetita Magistros What shall the Disciples say to Christ because he so presseth them to watch for his appearing here is nothing but harping upon one string nothing but watching and watching prest upon us we would have somewhat else we are weary of this No but rather continue O sure it is needful our dulness calls for it and it is much tenderness that he will not give us over until he hath wrought it upon our spirits Should the Philippians cast it in Pauls teeth he had told them often of those unruly masters that they had heard enough of that O no now he tels them with tears with more melting then before the same thing in a more affected manner they had no reason to lothe It was the great sin of the Israelites you know they had manna every morning this was their daily bread at last they grew weary of it nothing but this manna our souls loatheth this light bread for a while it was excellent and delightful but after a while they loathed it It seemeth it had not a taste to suite every mans palate what was most delightful to every one as some thought then they would not have loathed it but they might dress it divers waies and yet they loathed it this was a lust which put their mouthes out of taste and so far as that they prefered Garlick and Onions before it It is nothing to be taken with the word when a Teacher is as one that plaies skilfully upon an instrument toucheth every string and in such a manner as the variety maketh sweet melody but this harping upon one string is not so pleasant here is a tryal of your love to the word as it is the word whether in its nakedness and simplicity you can love it and though you have nothing but the word and the word the sincere milk Another Caution shall be this to take heed of that humour which reigns in abundance among us all affecting novelties O such itching ears would not have suited with our Saviour his manner of Preaching they have the same again and again from him A new light though it be but a Comet draweth more eyes after it then the Sun because he daily runneth his course this is a great vanity in mens minds and truly it is so in spiritual things A new Doctrine Oh how it bewitcheth men as that did the Galathians it is more then ordinarily taking with us else the power of darkness and errour had not been so great in our daies as it hath been and truly when we begin to be weary of the eternal Gospel which never waxeth old and cannot away with the same things after we have once heard them which argues we receive not the love of the truth imbrace it not because of it self but its dress or its novelties or some such accident we are in the very high-way to delusion as the Apostle saith I am sure Antiquity was the commendation of the Apostles Doctrine even to the Romans themselves he brought no new Gospel but what was from the beginning Is it not the same spirit surely that works so mightily among us whereby men would commend any thing for its novelty It is horrible pride both in Preachers and Teachers Lucifer-pride and a strong savour of the old Adam that rather then we will be confined to a course and dwell upon such things as have been received as truths in Jesus we will have somewhat new or else we will to our own inventions for it the Lord deliver us from such a spirit And lastly brethren it is necessary that the same things be thus inculcated upon us then surely we may hence learn that there is somewhat more for us to learn still in every truth we hear it may be often we have heard such a duty pressed such a sin descried there is somewhat in it that God meeteth thee it may be everywhere with the same message they spoke with one mouth the same thing to thee Is there not cause to fear Surely that is one consideration and the Lord in mercy to thee will not let thee alone but one Bell in Aarons ring sounds louder then all the rest in thine ears Surely surely there is somewhat unhealed that every one thou comes near
thy name cast out devils whose name but the name of Jesus Christ Again who is it that passeth the doom and Sentence upon poor souls but Jesus Christ who shall judge both quick and dead he saith I know you not in this place depart from me for I know you not I never knew you in that place of Matthew Again in the winding up of all in the Application we have an explication of this part of the parable Watch therefore for ye know not the day nâ—r hour wherein Son of man cometh and who is this Son of man that cometh so uncertainly but the Bridegroom for whom the Virgins watched a while but he not coming the time they thou ht they fell asleep and were found unready therefore watch and who is the son of man but the Lord Jesus You know he often calls himself so in the Gospel I suppose this is the most solid and near proof of the Doctrine Which is fetched out of the parable yet a parallel place or two more I will add to it in that place of John where he answereth his Disciples who seemed to envy at it that all the people followed Christ and not their Master O saith he he that hath the Bride is the Bridegroom but the friend of the Bridegroom standeth and heareth his voice and rejoyceth I am not the Bridegroom saith he but onely his friend for I have not the Bride she is not mine but his I have onely prepared a people for Christ being a voice crying prepare ye the Lord his way make his paths straight but he is the Bride-groom who hath the Bride that is to say Jesus Christ for the comparison is between him and the Lord Jesus onely so he giveth the honor to Jesus Christ and is willing to be Out-shone by him as the morning-star by the Son when it ariseth appeareth not any more But one more and that is of Matthew when again the Disciples of John being in a mourning condition as it should seem for their Master now in the Paw of that Lyon that crafty Fox Herod they had cause to mourn and fast if by any means they might prevail for his deliverance as the Church afterward made continua supplication for Peter Now they saw not the Disciples of Christ to fast and mourn and therefore they had a little emulation at them and were quarrellous and complaining to our Saviour Why do we and the Parisees fast often but thy Desciples fast not Our Saviour again answers How can the children of the Bride Chamber mourn while the Bridegroom is with them but the days are coming when he shall be taken from them and then shall they mourn Is it sit or convenient for them to mourn while he is with them for that is meant by they cannot the impossibility set forth interrogatively for the Affirmative interrogation hath the force of a strong Negation Can they that is in no wise they cannot mourn the meaning is it is not suitable it is not convenient so Nazianzen It is reasonable that they should now mourn You all know who are meant by the children of the Bride-Chamber even the Disciples and the Bridegroom is Jesus Christ who yet a little while was with them and ere long should be taken away from them and then should be a time of mourning to them But I will not here stay you longer the rest of the Scriptures we shall consider in the opening of the Point to you The Bridegroom being a relative must have a Correlate and that is the Bride And therefore first we will speak a little to that who this Bride is for it seemeth not to be intimated in the Text but the Bridegroom to stand alone And then a word or two to the person and quality of the Bridegroom For the Bride the Text seemeth not to shew her to our view for here only the kingdom of God the Church visible is compared to ten virgins some wise some foolish and this may seem hardly to be the Bride for the foolish you see they are disowned and Jesus Christ certainly espouseth none to be his Bride but he communicateth of himself to them who is the wisdom of the Father and hath all treasures of wisdom and knowledge in him and therefore his spouse can not be the foolish virgins they have no fellowship with him in his wisdom And for the wise though it be said they entered with him in to the marriage yet they are here spoken of but as virgins which are companions to the Queen as it is in the 45. Psal v. 14. which in weddings it seemeth did accompany the Bâ—ide to bring her to the Bridgr but these were not the spouse and therefore it may seem there is nothing here intimated of the Bride which is the correlate of the Bridegroom We answer In propriety of speech indeed the Bride is the Queen and the Virgins her companions they are not one and the same but in these tropical speeches they may be one and the same and are so doubtless for herein we must know that the Church and people of God admits of notions of divers relations unto divers conditions As in another Parable where the Communications of Christ to his people are set forth by a Marriage Feast as afterward we shall shew you here you know the King prepareth a feast for his Son that is to say for Jesus Christ a marriage feast it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a marriage it self though by that be meant a marriage feast now many guests were invited and they make this and that excuse at last he retcheth them in from the high-way sides and heals the poor scattered contemned Gentiles brought in when the Jews refused here is the communication of himself to them as a Church visible for so it must be understood because there was one there without a wedding garment It seemeth there was a custom to put on their best apparel somewhat suitable to the occasion Well the rest they had such a garment But if this be but a marriage feast for Christ and the Bride What are those Guests then that are invited to it It should seem they are not the Bride her self Why truly here the Answer is the same in this Tropical speech they are one and the same though here they be not considered as such And so in our Text the real believers aand Saints in truth are set forth by the wise virgins and all such have Christ and Christ hath them as the Bride onely here they are considered indeed according to the comparison as the virgins her companions which go forth to meet the Bridegroom Yet indeed and in truth they are the Bride her self And he said in that place of the Revelations Blessed are they who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb and so called as to come to it but if they were not the spouse had not an interest in the Bridegroom as such truly there would be no
to pass that your Churches your Families your hearts are so choakt with tares and weeds What could we answer him should we have a word to say for our selves well the Lord affect our hearts with it so much for this Vse The next use of the point shall be a distinguishing word between the sleep of Formalists sinners and the sleep which is incident to the Saints the people of God the wise Virgins slept their sleep and the foolish theirs and however in the expression there seems to be no difference yet there is a difference sure between them to be found for it may be this may trouble some poor souls who may think because they sleep therefore they are surely of the foolish Virgins And others may be emboldned and their hands strengthened What the best sleep as well as others therefore though this be my Condition yet all shall be well I would therefore add a word or two to this First Then remember this Sinners at the best and Hypocrites at the best their hearts are asleep and the Saints at the worst their hearts are awake indeed in naturals we use to say when a person is ready to drop asleep his heart is asleep already but it is not so in Spirituals with the people of God Judas when he was at the best that ever he was before he discovered his covetousness in the business of the poor he was unsound at the heart his heart was dead indeed it is a dead sleep that is upon their hearts and yet he walkt up and down as men in a deep sleep sometimes will do in a strange manner but his heart was asleep Now Peter he he fell asleep too in the matter of his denial of Christ but his heart was awake though the senses were closed up for a time yet when the Son of righteousness broke forth upon him lookt upon him you see he presently waked so the Church I sleep but my heart wakes in the deepest sleep of the Church of Christ the heart is awake there are divers apprehensions of this Some understand it thus I sleep but my heart wakes that is to say Christ who is as the heart to the Church the seal of life and vital spirits he wakes or else taking the Church Collectively she sleepeth but the heart waketh that is to say she may miscarry in some lesser matters as External but in the main the fundamentals the heart of religion in that she never fals altogether But we shall speak to it as it respects particular persons as wel as the general as doubtless it doth I sleep but my heart waketh the Church was Lazy and drousie slumbred and slept but yet not so but that the heart was awake it was not a dead sleep and this will appear if we consider two or three things 1. The Church then hath a Conscience not altogether past feeling but in fome measure awakened and then 2. The will and affections not altogether lost and gone in such a Condition 1. Then the Conscience that hath yet some stirring and that will appear because 1. The Church here knew the voice of her beloved even when she was asleep when he came and called to her my love my dove my undefiled open to me She now knew the voice of Christ so many a drousie soul that is slumbering and sleeping knoweth the hints and motions of the Spirit which he hath but alas hath not power to obey for sleep hath so overcome them security hath so seized upon them that though they hear yet they do not as me thinks in that very business of Jehoshai which I have thought strange of when his Conscience was awake he would hear the voice of the Lord in Micah he thought all the rest of the Prophets of Baal were false he would have the Word of the Lord from the mouth of a true Prophet a man would have thought now he should have done it presently being an upright hearted man also no yet if you read the text you shall find he went with Ahab notwistanding here he had a Conscience awake plainly but yet he did not obey he was so far engaged now to Ahab not only in affinity but his word was out and his honour at stake and though Conscience likely might check him for the thing as well as put him on to enquire of a true Prophet yet those Lusts now love to his own honour and carnal interest and affection laid him asleep he went up notwithstanding well this is the case in this place Can we not many of us set our seals to this truth how often in a fit of security have we had Convictions and Checks we have heard the voice of Christ open to me my love let my word have rooâ— in thee this thou dost is not pleasing to me O why wilt thou shut me out deal so unkindly with me yet your persons asleep though we hear many things we heed them not much but turn upon our beds as the door upon the hinges and cannot get off 2. Conscience is so awake usually in the people of God as to tell them they are asleep they have somewhat secretly whispering them in the ears that they are not in the right way they are slothful or sluggish David I think was in a deep a sleep as any that we read of yet I can hardly think but David had this within him some grudgings and misgivings that all was not well with him at that time But because happily this may be common to them with Hopocrites except they be very fast asleep indeed therefore I will rather insist upon the third 3. I say usually the People of God as they know they are asleep when they are asleep so they complain of it they rest not so questionless sinners do usually there is nothing disturbeth them so far as to complain of it I sleep saith the Church but my heart is awake it appeared the heart was awake indeed because she complained of it as a man that is droufre and cannot keep his eyes open he naps and nods it may be and wakeneth again or if he apprehend himself in danger to have any pressing business upon him if he sleep longer it is unquietly his mind is troubled with the thing and it wakes him often and he wouldshake it off but cannot laboriosius dormiunt quam vigilant saith one â—o our Annot. So the Conscience might then when asleep lash them stir them up many times tel them they do amiss prick them for it Nowan Hypocrite will hardly complain of his sleepiness not in reality â—f it be a practice that may â—et him off with men to be whining and complaining he will complain happily more to men then to the Lord but this poor Creature that sears the Lord his sleep O it lieth like lead at his heart he groans under it But then for the Will that also is awake in part when a Child of God sleepeth It was so with Paul
springing in and trembling and the three thousand in Acts 2. To such as these the Promise may be applyable That Christ will arise on them with healing in his wings though I know not that it s to be taken in any equal latitude with this fear for there may be such a conviction and fear and yet haply never any healing for them 3. Such as fear the Lord and his Goodness as the Prophet hath iâ— Such as fear his Name though he himself be in Heaven and they cannot see him face to face as Moses did they seek not 〈…〉 t sâ—gns of his presence though they see him but darkly and through a glass though they see him not being invisible â—et by his 〈◊〉 they know him and the greatest part of his name is Mercy as you have it in Exodus and his name speaks his nature the Lord the Lord God gracious and merciful long-suffering c. O! such as these they shall have the Sun of righteousness arise on them if they have but little yet they shall have more Some they have had else they could not be fearing him in such a manner as this is for this indeed is a part of the Covenant of grace made good to them already that he will put his fear into their hearts and this here is nothing else but the displaying of the same Covenant of grace to his people Alas many times the people of God that fear his name are under cloudings sometimes in respect of temptation to sin they are sore pestered with them Sometime the prevailing of sin over them to the darkning and disquieting of their souls Sometime they are in darkness and see no light and yet fear the name of the Lord. Now to such as these the Sun of righteousness will arise with healing in his wings But secondly what is meant by the Sun of righteousness That Christ the Covenant is meant I told you before but for a reason of this title why a Sun you have heard at large But the Sun of righteousness why so called is a further question and for answer to this let me speak a few words First One reason may be because of his perfection there should nothing be wanting in him he should have all perfections which were just and fit for such a Mediator to have and so some think there is a Hebraism in the words the Sun of righteousness the righteous Sun the absolutely perfect Sun and this is a truth in this Sun there was no spot no wrinkle no darkness no deficiency of glory of light of heat of influences of pains in wheeling about his Church continually for their supply and refreshing but this is not all Secondly Because in him the righteousness of God was eminently conspicuous therefore he may be called the Sun of righteousness Some imperfect footsteps of righteousness there are in the creature of holiness and conformity to God some lineaments of his Image but very naked they want their filling up and garnishing with colours and will do while we are in the body and there are so many blots and blurs and stains that it scarce appears many times witness the choicest examples of the Saints as 〈◊〉 Moses if you look on him at the water of Meriâ—ah you would scarce have thought him so meek a man and so David in the matter of Vriah and his dealing with Mephibosheth These were shadows cast on the beauty of Christ in them that it was not so conspicuous the glass is dimmed and defiled and so not so transparent but now the Lord Jesus is a pure glass of divine attributes and perfections and therefore of this righteousness here spoken of And secondly conspicuous in him was the vindictive righteousness of God it is true his justice is manifested in calling sinners to an account as he did the Angels the Sodomites the old world and us in our times his dealings do speak him to be a just God but never any so much as his dealing with Christ though a Son and equal with him in all essential glory yet if he will be surety for poor sinners he must as it were for a time vail his glory with raggs of flesh because the children partake of the same and though the Son of his incomprehensible love yet if he will so appear under the sins of his people he shall find them like a poisoned garment inflamed with wrath he must drink up the cup to the bottom though he were amazed at it and compassed about with fear surrounded with fear as the Evangelist hath it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though it cost him a bloody sweat put him into an agony A strong potion Brethren that casts the Lord of Life and Glory into such a sweat as this though it lay him under reproach and shame cloud Gods face from him cost him the very blood of his heart and all the joy of his soul for a time though he put up strong cries and tears God will not be intreated to let the cup pass from him not spare him at all O! here the Justice of God is conspicuous in him Brethren never was there such a pattern of righteousness in God as this that he would not spare sin though in his dearest Son of his love O then shall sons by adoption think to make bold with sin and not smart for it in some measure Take heed you watchless careless walkers before God O! what shall become of poor sinners then that are never the better for all this whose sins shall be charged on their own account Did it amaze the Lord Jesus With what hearts do you think sinners you shall be able to look an angry God in the face when his flaming indignation shall stream forth on your souls to all eternity O! think on it sinners and tremble but this by the by Thirdly He may be called the Sun of righteousness as I conceive as he is the fulfilling of all the promises that were made of him The Lord made many promises as the seed of the woman shall break the serpents-head and that in Abraham in his seed all the Nations of the earth should be blessed and that a Virgin should conceive and bear a son whose name should be Immannuel God with us signifying the union of natures in his person Now if Christ had not come according to the promise where had been the truth of God his righteousness and therefore saith the Apostle it was to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God when all the Fathers had believed in him to come and to be revealed they dyed in faith not having received the promises that is not having seen Christ come in the flesh for the accomplishment of their redemption though afar off they beheld them and embraced them Abraham saw his day and was glad Now what had become of the faith of all these grounded on the faithfulness of
Servants or to deliver all such relations no but it is meant here surely of a spiritual Liberty a freedom of the soul from its thraldom nay himself cometh to be a servant did he not rather sanctifie such a condition and relation then abolish it Secondly Then taking it for spiritual Liberty that is to say a freedom from Spiritual evils the subjection whereunto is a bondage to the poor creature we must know yet further that we may take it either in a larger or in a more restrained sense in a more restrained only for that liberty and freedom which the Saints have ever had through the Lord Jesus since the Covenant of Grace was preached to them and they closed with it for we must know that ever before Christ came in the flesh Believers believed in him to come they had a liberty through him as to the main parts of it and necessarily to salvation though haply not in that degree that now ordinarily Believers indeed have that freedom but there were some yoaks upon them then which now we are delivered from they are broken from off the necks of the Saints yea and such as were pinching yoaks indeed but yet less considerable by far then those from which they were delivered and set free so that now we see there is a larger liberty and more glorious which the sons of God have which will better appear when we come to speak to the parts of it only this I thought good to premiâ—e lost any should think that liberty began only when Christ was revealed in the flesh for it was the smallest part that then was added though I say the other liberty from the sore condemning destroying bondage of the soul they had before haply is now heightned to believers and so much by way of premise For the opening of this spiritual Liberty we shall consider 1. It s Subject 2. Its Causes 3. Its Parts extensive and intensive if we may so speak that is to say the degrees of it First then for the subject of this Liberty they are all Christians that are so indeed therefore it is called Christian Liberty not only from Christ the Author but from the Subjects they are Christians Believers both Jews and Gentiles Bond or Free Male or Female Jerusalem saith the Apostle which is above is free which is the Mother of us all all such then as receive the Gospel as the poor are said to do all those upon whom the Sun of righteousness doth arise they are set free they do go forth for the partial subject of this liberty that will better appear when we come to speak of the parts of this liberty some are for the freeing the minde some the will some the conscience some the whole man but of this afterward Secondly Then for the causes of this liberty which is here promised we shall speak to some of them First then The principal efficient cause is the Father Son and Spirit the work of the Trinity ad extra are individed the Father it is that cals us to liberty Ye are called to liberty saith the Apostle use it not as a cloke to the flesh I marvel saith the Apostle that you are so soon removed from him who hath called you into the Grace of Christ unto another Gospel The Apostle meaneth the calling to liberty which he cals the Grace of Christ and that Doctrine of the false teachers that would subject them again to the Law and Ceremonies and to that bondage subvert their liberty he cals it another Gospel And for the Son we have it If the Son make you free you shall be free indeed and stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free false Brethren came to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus that they might bring us into bondage And for the Spirit it is as clear The Law of the Spirit of life in Jesus Christ hath made me free from the Law of Sin and Death the mighty powerful working of the Spirit is called the Law of the Spirit as the powerful operation of Sin is called the Law of Sin and so in that place where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty and so the Spirit of Adoption it is that succedeth the Spirit of Bondage and setteth us free from that Bondage Secondly The impulsive cause is meerly his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his good pleasure yea his tender mercy his bowels So it is in the Original The bowels of our God whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us there is the arising of the Sun of rightousness upon us and the effect of it you have before That we being delivered from the hands of all our enemies might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness c. It is not misery is the motive only else he would do it for all as well as some for we are all of us in the same bondage naturally one as well as another Thirdly The meritorious cause is the blood of Jesus Christ no less then the blood of the Kings son is the price of the liberty of poor Slaves in bondage this must needs be tender mercy indeed rich love indeed so saith the Apostle That through death he might destroy him that hath the power of death that is the Devil no less then a Kings ransom is paid for the liberty of every poor creature that is made free and therefore he took upon him flesh and blood because the children were partakers of the same that he might die for them and to deliver them that for fear of death were in bondage all their life-time of which more afterward we are now speaking to the meritorious cause the price of his pretious mercy even the blood of Jesus Christ Fourthly The means of conferring or conveiging this liberty to poor Sinners is the Gospel of liberty the Covenant of Grace held out in the Gospel is the means and this is plain in many places As in that of Isaiah The Spirit of the Lord is upon me therefore he hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek to bind up the broken-hearted to proclaim liberty to the Captives if ever any preaching was the Gospel Christs preaching was and the Covenant who himself was given to be the Covenant to the people sure he would preach nothing but that or in subordination to that as he doth preach the Law too as would easily appear but we may not digress and so in thaâ— other place of Luke where either that or some of the fore-cited places in Isaiah are quoted Ye shall know the truth saith our Saviour and the truth shall make you free by truth there I take it is not meant indefinitely any truth whatever no nor a scriptural truth but the Gospel of truth which is called the truth Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ it is such a truth so pure and precious For his word is like
Silver tryed and purified seven times that is to say his Promise therefore he concludeth That the Lord will keep them he will preserve them for ever and so pretious so confirmed by miracles that all other truth scarce deserveth the name of truth in comparison of it either it is not so pure but hath some dross or else not so pretious O they are pretious Promises indeed as the soul knoweth right-well when he cometh to stand in need of a Promise and the sweetness of it he sucks out and it letteth down the sweetness of it upon the soul but take a parallel Scripture to shew that Gospel is called the truth The Apostle speaks plainly For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven whereof you heard before in the word of the truth of the Gospel and again to the Ephesians In whom also ye trusted after that ye heard the word of truth the Gospel of your salvation in whom also after ye believed ye were sealed with the holy Spirit of Promise So that this is the truth then the knowledge whereof shall make us free where the Spirit of Christ is there is liberty that is clear as you heard before Now how is the Spirit given but by the Gospel Received ye the Spirit by the works of the Law or by the hearing of Faith which is that hearing of Faith by the Word of Truth the foregoing Verse even that which held forth a crucified Christ to them hearing of Faith not the rumour of Faith but hearing is such an hearing as whereby a man believeth and Faith by a Metonymie is put for the Word of Faith as the Gospel is called sometimes because Faith thereby is begotten now by this the Spirit is received and therefore liberty cometh and therefore the Gospel is called the ministration of the Spirit in that place of the Apostle because therewith the Spirit is given and ministred to poor creatures whereas the Law works Bondage and Wrath Therefore Jerusalem is free which is above that is to say the Church builded upon the Covenant of Grace is free is the Mother of us all but enough of this The Gospel is the outward instrumental cause Fifthly the inward instrumental cause or Con. as some will have it which I shall not now dispute that is faith whereby we close with this Covenant it is the Word of Faith and hearing of Faith that is to say of the Gospel so as to work Faith whereby the Spirit is given which brings liberty to the soul Alas many hear the Gospel of liberty which we preach and few do receive it few believe it for it appeareth by woful experience we are yet in bondage we have never gone forth to this day many of us though we have had as much preaching of the Gospel as any other Jerusalem that now is as the Apostle cals it was in bondage then though they had the Gospel preached among them a great while they believed not except the Spirit therein be conveyed the Gospel is but a dead letter as well as the Law and a deadly letter also and so much for the causes of this liberty or freedom which cometh by Jesus Christ The third thing under this head is the parts of this liberty or freedom which we shall consider two ways First Extensively in their latitudeâ— And secondly Intensively in the degrees of each of these parts in its latitude But that we may the better understand it we must know that liberty is a relative and respecteth some bondage some imprisoning or shutting up from which this liberty is a deliverance ye shall go forth and therefore to set off the lustre of this glorious liberty it may not be amiss to run a parallel between them That there is such a bondage under which every poor creature without Christ is held we shall at present presuppose though afterward haply I shall come to prove it I would not here too far digress before we come to speak of the parts of the bondage to which the parts of liberty will be opposite and correspondent I shall say in a few words something to the Author of this Bondage and Tenure of it and but a word or two For the Author of this bondage under which poor creatures are without Christ altogether and in part also many times when they are under Christ and under Grace First Some part of it is to be ascribed to the Lord so far forth as it is meerly vindictive or an inflicting of a just penalty upon Sinners for sin so far we may ascribe it to God as will more plainly appear in the following Considerations The Law which genders to Bondage it is his Law and holy and just and good though it gender to Bondage nor will it follow because we are delivered form it therefore it was an evil in it self but only per accidens by reason of our corruption and so the Spirit of Bondage which in some is vindictive when he binds and hampers a Sinner with the cords of his sin haply never intending that he shall see through those terrors to his comfort this is from him and justly or else if it be in order to a settlement to a peace to an Adoption a Sonship through Christ as preparative to the receiving of Christ this is from him and so several other parts of it are from him under this Consideration Secondly But so far forth as any part of it is sinful there it is from Satan and from our own evil hearts for darkness cannot come from the light nor can any thing unclean come from that which is altogether pure no more then a clean thing can proceed from an unclean as the bondage under sin which more at large afterward we shall discuss Secondly For the tenure for being in bondage we are in bondage to some person properly to some thing improperly and by a kind of Prosopopeia we are said to be in such a bondage now there is some Tenure as I may say wherein they do hold us in bondage there are three or four tenures if I may so call them whereby we are thus held under Bondage until Jesus Christ come to set us free First A Sale Secondly By Birth Thirdly By Captivity or Conquest Fourthly By Tyranny and resignation of themselves up to such a vassallage but a word or two to each of them First then There is a Bondage by Captivity when People are taken Captives this is so common there is none can be ignorant of it What are the Turks Gally-slaves but the prey of their piracies all is fish that cometh to the net so it is in this case This is one Part of the Tenure we are taken captive by Satan even at his pleasure Of whom a man is overcome of the same is he brought in bondage this is the military Law the Prisoners were ever the Conquerours slaves we have seen it but too evidently with our own eyes we have
tell you that liberty is sweet it is not to be expressed If Paul had not been free he had had many a lash by those cruel tyrants If the soul be not free it is liable to perish to be whipped to death to eternal death with Scorpions ask but any of the people of God who have been wearied and almost worried with their lusts O the iron entered into their soul they did sit in darkness in the dungeon many a sad day and hour and at last Out of the depths they have called to the Lord he hath set them free O what an Heaven upon Earth they found it when they have been delivered in any measure from this bondage what would they take to be in the same condition again specially under the command of their lusts not all the world brethren the Lord perswade your hearts now now while it is to be had before you be called for out of prison to the judgement that you may go forth and enjoy this glorious liberty O but you would say Alas what should we do in this case we are convinced it may be some poor soul maâ— say of himself that this is a miserable bondage we are in even by sin and the consequents of it and we would fain be set free but we know not which way to go about it we are in a maze a wilderness a labyrinth a duâ—geon we grope and grope and cannot find the way out O what shall we do it may be this may be the case of some of our souls I will tell you what you shall do First Deny your own policy and wisdom know they will not set you free Judas had much knowledge and yet he hanged himself you will rather by depth of reasonings plunge your selves deeper the Gospel is foolishness to them through the pride in their carnal knowledge Secondly Labour to know the Gospel in its tenor and to close with it to believe it you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free truth truly known will set a soul free this truth is the truth of the Gospel for Grace and Truth come by Jesus Christ and it is observable that they are both put together Sanctifie them with thy Truth saith our Saviour thy Word is Truth There are three things here considerable First That there must be a through acquaintance with the bondage that we are under and the better condition of service how much the service of Christ is to be preferred before that of Satan for the truth is while a man knoweth no better he will be content to serve the worse there is never a sinner under the dominion of sin but thinketh he is the freest man and the people of God that are bound up in their Spirits to such a strict way of walking with God he thinketh they are the men in bondage but alas it is because he understandeth not his own condition nor is it a slight hint of such a thing that will usually prevail to a freedom from all sin therefore you must labour to study what this bondage is see what thou art exposed to by reason of it and see what a prfect freedom the service of Christ is O what great reward there is in the very keeping of his Commandments joy is such an inseparable attendant upon obedience that some measure of it followeth every good action as the very heathens themselves acknowledged much more then when the Lord Jesus is the Master and his service the work Secondly Thou must be acquainted with the commands of Christ his precepts are pure and they have an influence upon the heart that believeth them to bring him out of that bondage to set him free I do believe nothing more keepeth many a soul in bondage he knoweth not what the will of Christ is in such or such a particular else he would do it Be acquainted with Christ the summe of the Gospel you shall know the truth that is to say what he hath done to set poor creatures free became a servant obedient to the death was in bondage in prison in the horrible pit how he was put to it to overcome c. Thirdly and principally thou must be acquainted with the promises of the Gospel that are made to this end it is their excellency to help forward our freedom this part of the truth well known so known as to be closed with will make every poor creature free ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free and so this in the text the Sun of righteousness shall arise upon you with healing in his wings and ye shall go forth and so many other places sin shall not have dominion over you for ye are not under the Law but under Grace It is the very tenure of the Covenant and of the promises in Scripture that he will deliver his people save them from all their uncleannesses and subdue all iniquities for them yea though they work iniquity with both hands Vers 3. Either we know not these things or else we make not use of them we act not faith upon them the Lord doth love to have his people use the importunity of faith for nothing is so importunate as faith nor offers as I may say such violence to heaven as that doth O Brethren the Lord help our unbelief and forgive our neglect of our faith in this point if thou canst act it but weakly yet put forth some act of faith hang upon these promises tell the Lord he hath caused thee to hope upon this his Word else thou couldest not hope and thou dost hope in this Word else thy heart would altogether sink within thee and will he now make thee ashamed of his hope hath his promise ever failed a poor creature and will it now fail thee But beside this dost thou find thy heart moved made willing indeed to part with sin Art thou in good earnest in this business O yes saith the poor soul I would rather then my life be set at liberty for what good will my life do me if I must continually serve sin and grieve such bowels of love towards me in Jesus Christ have you searched do you know your hearts in this point it may be thou hast not that heed of trusting thy heart further then thou seest it it will deceive thee then but if thou hast searched it and beg'd of God to search it and thou dost not find but he hath through infinite riches of grace made thee willing to come out if thou couldst tell how I tell you Brethren if this be so the chains are fallen off from your hands and the bolts from your legs your freedom is in a great part accomplished only thou canst not find the way out of the prison O then follow Christ follow his Spirit when he moveth thy heart at any time to search and try maketh thee tender puts thee into a frame to bewail the evils of thy heart take
and therefore when natural vigour decaies in old age though there may be as much uprightness there cannot be so much vigour appearing in service alway Now men are apt to have sad thoughts of themselves upon this account and so in other cases when wearied out our Saviour is tender and pittiful he takes notice of every groan under it when thou canst not help thy self but art foyled and he pittyeth and spareth O saith he to his Disciples could ye not watch with me one hour and at such a time as that was when our Saviour had most need of their watching wich him alas they were asleep Well saith he I consider your weakness the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak The Lord is ready to make the best of our conditions and therefore be not altogether discouraged though thou hast a weary hand with thy self with thy own base heart Fifthly But some will say O but they are grievous workings of sin that are in my heart whether they rise from within or from without my heart closeth with them and they are very horrid and I know not what to think concerning it But I say was Paul buffeted and canst thou think to escape truly Brethren I take it the Devil befools himself much in putting a soul upon horrid sins because that is the way to settle the soul so much the more fully when the bit is bigger then will down when Egypt dealt more hardly with the Israelits then before it made them cry out and then the Lord heard so it may be a soul was not so fully delivered from a sin but he doth stick as I may say in the skirts of it but now this maketh him cry out more willing more earnest to be delivered Sixthly Take heed lest anguish of spirit so far prevail as that thy soul refuse to be comforted as the Psalmist saith and the Israelites could not believe by reason of anguish of heart when God had sent them a Saviour to deliver them it may be it is so with thee Seventhly There will come a time when thou shalt be altogether free thou shalt never see the Egyptians more which now pursue thee and trouble thee me thinks that the thoughts of this should refresh us and make us desirous and willing to depart Well then whatever thy condition be in respect of the world it may be afflicted it may be friendless it may be in other kinds Oh me thinks one thought of this that thou art free from guilt and hast a free access to the Throne of grace might exceedingly support thy spirit But thus much for this use of the point also And grow up as Calves of the stall We are now come to the last promise in the bundle and it is not the least considerable That bondage under guilt under sin in its prevailing could not but be a hinderance of growth therefore if we lay so much weight upon the order of the words something seemeth to be held forth of that nature that this growth is a Concomitant of that liberty and enlargement promised before but I will not hang too much upon that though it be an undoubted truth yet whether it may be argued strongly enough from the order of words I will not urge Ye shall grow or increase or be multiplyed as some render it and the same word is read for spreading themselves the horsemen shall spread themselves or they shall be multiplyed as others Sometimes it is taken for springing up Gen. 2. 9. Job 31. 40. Our translation is very suitable some read it exilire to spring and leap and wantonize as Calves use to do when loosed from the stall But I rather much adhere to our translation and the meaning is ye shall increase and grow and come on you shall not stand at a stay and be alway at a pass but grow But what this growth is of what it is meant will be the Question whether of a temporal or spiritual growth a taking root in the world growing up and flourishing which is spoken of the wicked and sometimes the word is thus used for increasing though thy beginning were small said Bildad to Job yet thy latter end should greatly increase that is to say his habitation should be made prosperous at the last if thou wert innocent in his sight So Solomon it is said of him that he was great and increased more then all that went before him And so Rovanellus takes it here for an increase of glory dignity riches and prosperity and so in that place of Jerem when the Prophet first concluding however it were yet God was righteous and good to his people yet he would plead with him concerning his judgements Wherefore doth the way oâ— the wicked prosper Wherefore are all they happy that deal treacherously thou hast planted them yea they have taken root they grow yea they bring forth fruit though this be another Metaphor of a tree the other of a sensitive creature In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow and in the morning thou shalt make thy seed to flourish but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow There it is taken for all manner of outward prosperity but indeed me thinks this though it may not be excluded yet should not be the main thing here intended for alas though it be a great mercy to a people to be richly laden with benefits blessed with the abundance of all things so as that they may wax fat yet if this be abused and they kick against God as Jesurun did there is little comfort in it in comparison It is true it doth not necessarily follow because here is the summe of the Covenant of grace therefore earthly promises are to be excluded for they are a part of the Covenant also so far as good for us and all included in that I will be thy God Godliness hath the promise now as well as then of the things of this life as well as of that which is to come yet I shall rather speak to the other the growth in spirituals that is to say the daily renewing of the inward man the increase of their sanctification and holiness and grace this I take here to be meant and specially meant and therefore thus we shall understand it the promise is amplified by a comparison grow ye shall as Calves of the stall the word for stall signifieth an inclosure a coop any place made for to fat Cattle or other creatures in and we know that usually such do grow exceedingly else there is a great deal of cost bestowed upon them in vain and therefore our translators read that in the Proverbs better is a dinner of herbs where love is then a stalled Ox and hatred therewith There may be three things haply couched in the comparison First that they shall grow in quantity as calves calves shoot up and forth very much when they are
in the stalls do grow much more then if at random they run up and down none grow so much as they and therefore this is used to set forth the greatness of the growth Secondly in fatness and sweetness they grow very much a stalled-Oxe is fatted very fat which is much sweeter and better then another so they grow not only in quantity but quality as we shall see hereafter Thirdly the speediness of the growth haply is in this comparison they grow faster then other creatures of the like kind when they are put into the stall and therefore they are said to grow as the Lilly not only in beauty which was greater then Solomon himself in all his glory had but in speediness for they say this flower groweth much and discernably in one night and though it be true sudden growths are the more suspicious yet God can and sometimes doth work them even with truth as in the Miracle he quickly turned water into wine which he doth every year though in greater time by the operation of the Sun In a word then the Holy-Ghost useth this simile to them being rude and weak of understanding that they might the better understand it and have the greater assurance of it that it should be so therefore he propoundeth it so cross saith Calvin But this as well as the other we must look upon as a Concomitant yea an effect of the appearing of the Sun of righteousness to us his arising upon the soul that is the grand promise all things else are promised and given for him and with him to us and this among the rest the going forth out of the prison was one and this growing is another of the genuine and sweet effects of the rising of the Sun of righteousness upon them that fear him so that take it in this connexion and then the note is this That soul or people that are under the influences of Christ of the Sun of righteousness are in a growing condition they shall grow there is not a soul that hath union and fellowship with the Lord Jesus but he shall grow ye shall grow up as c. For the proof of the point we need not so mâ—ch there is a notable place there in the Psalmist they that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the Courts of our God the righteous shall flourish like a Palm-tree and grow like a Cedar in Lebanon Here you have growth promised and flourishing and to whom it is promised and whence it cometh and the comparisons whereby it is set forth in these two verses growth is promised they that are planted they shall grow and flourish a tree flourisheth not except it grow after it is planted when it is planted alas it is little and â—â—ender haply but a â—eed then it groweth up 2. The persons to whom promised they are such as are planted in the house of the Lord that is to say the Temple which was a Type of Christ and the Church of Christ so that they must be in him as afterward we shall speak they shall flourish in the Courts of Gods house by Communion with him in his Ordinances 3. The comparison as a Palm-tree which the Naturalists say though cut down to the ground yet springs up again groweth up again If a tree be out down is there any hope it should grow up again in that of Job Yet this tree will grow again if the Church to take it oâ—f the whole body for so we may as well as of single persons if they be cut down to the very ground so wasted as that there is scarce any visible as in Eliah's daies he thought he was alone the Church then seemed to be all withered or grown over with nettles and brambles to have no plants of righteousness in it but yet then it shall grow again and when persecution rageth and cuts it down to the very ground yet he maketh it grow again or of particular persons though they be brought to such exigencies sometimes as to say their hope is perished from the Lord and their faith seemeth to be extinguisht with the violence of temptation yet they shall grow again and increase But the Palm-tree it groweth upward against the weight that oppresseth it it will not be kept down but groweth through all persecution affliction yea sins and falls as afterward we shall have occasion to mention a little more fully And like Cedars grow tall and strong and abide as the Cedar is not subject to rottenness nor decy with age But for further proof take that in the Psalmist who passing through the valley of Bacah make it a well c. they go from strength to strength from army to army or from strength to strength passing through a solitary valley abounding with Mulberry-trees which they say grow in dry and barren places and so there is much difficulty in the passage for drought and other necessities yet they dig up fountains they make it a Well a Cistern they search the Scriptures fetch up somewhat of consolation from thence and notwithstanding all the difficulties yet they go from strength to strength walk towards Sion all this was typical And so the Apostle whom beholding as in a glass we are changed into his image from glory to glory every degree of grace hath its glory but we are changed from glory to glory from a spark into a coal from a coal glowing to a flame What else is the meaning of those Parables of the Mustard-seed it is the least of seeds or less then others then many others the Cypressfeed is so small as can scarce be discerned and yet a great tree groweth of it but this is small and yet a great tree ariseth from it Tremel writes strange things of the Musâ—ard-feed-tree in those Countries this it is true is meant of the Kingdom of God without us the administration of the Kingdom the Word of God how it grows but that is not all the Kingdom of God within us within the Saints where it cometh with power doth also spread it self more and more as Leven also hid in the midst of the meal by degrees spreadeth it self further and further So then you see the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that it is so that persons under the influence of Christ the Sun of righteousness that have communion and fellowship with him they grow in grace And so the path of the just is as the shining light that shineth more and more to the perfect day or as the morning light as some read it that you know groweth from one degree to another until the perâ—ect day The next thing will be then to open the nature of this Spiritual growth that we may understand what we speak of and then we shall a little further confirm it and apply it And the opening of it I shall deliver in several propositions as distinctly as I can for the right understanding of
dost thou grow in that is thy communication much more seasoned and savoury is it all savoury tending to minister grace to the hearers heretofore thou hadst it may be scarce a thought of God in a day now he is the object of the workings of thy soul the thoughts of him are pleasant to thee this is an high condition it argues thou hast grown thou art in a growing condtition but this is not all Brethren Secondly Is that more fruit you bring forth better then it was before is it more mellow then formerly or if thou bring forth no more in number is it more in weight for God takes not our services by number but by weight and it is a sottishness of the poor blind Papists to think that God is pleased with their much speaking with pattering over so many Avy Maries and Pater Nosters or principles of the Doctrine of Christ I wish our practises be not too like theirs It may be heretofore thou couldest not enlarge thy self in prayer and now thou canst and thou thinkest thou art much grown it may be in bulk but not in goodness are thy prayers now more the breathings of the Spirit of Christ within thee and less of thine own Spirit O how much strange fire mingled with our sacrifices and strange incense strange zeal even our own passions instead of a zeal for God! Now Brethren is our zeal and fire more pure coming down from heaven even from the Spirit of Jesus Christ warming our hearts Look to this do we find that we grow more spiritual in duties in prayer do we act our faith more strongly wrestle with God in spirit more then in words children are apt to be taken with bables and pictures and flowers in the corn and we wâ—th sweet and quaint expressions but now have we learned to worship him more in spirit and in truth to know that the great work of our duties lie in the frame of our hearts toward God in prayer in preaching in hearing of the Word It is childishness Brethren for one never to be well or to place so much in it to be alway upon the lap and dandled do we find that now we would rather be made serviceable to him and do it with more pure hearts more pure ends not for our selves but for his glory we ask not gifts parts grace to spend it upon our lusts as heretofore not â—or our own peace that we might take our ends but that we might be fitter instruments in his hands for his glory not for our own praise and honour among men O look to this I tell you there is nothing sticks closer to us then this now doth this sowrness crabbidness of our fruits wear away by degrees is it better with us in these respects then before this is a sign of growth indeed I will add but one more and that shall be this Dost thou â—ind that thou growest by the opposition thou meetest with in the work of grace either from without or from within or any way whatsoever First I say from opposition without grace will grow and gather strength and this either from men or from the Lood from men when they oppose the way of God wherein we walk we must look to it that we grow so much the stronger for that is the nature of grace Brethren as when Paul preached the faith which once he had destroyed and the people were amazed saith the Text and they spake of him as a changling is not this he that wasted them that called upon his name in Jerusalem but Saul waxed so much the stronger and confounded the Jews that dwelled at Damaseus proving that this was the Christ As the fire they say is hotter by antiperistasis in coldest weather the Palm-trees they grow like as you heard in the proof that raiseth it self up under a weight of opposition Well look to this Brethren I do not mean an Ish 〈…〉 elitish spirit that is against every one and every mans hand against it and that a man should out of a cross crooked disposition do any thing or vex and gall persons that oppose them but grace will then be stirred up as the fire by the wind that bloweth it this way and that way it is in vain to blow it out to offer it for it increaseth the flame there is no resisting that Spirit whereby the Saints a 〈…〉 ted look to it is it thus with us or do we find that opposition from men doth cool us discourage us dishearten us so that we dare not own the Lord Jesus and his truth and way Truly it is to be feared it is not right with us Secondly From the Lord there is some opposition sometimes he wrestleth with us Jacobs wrestling with God implyeth some opposition of God as I may say he wrestled with him let me go saith he this stirreth him up so much the more earnestly to lay hold upon him when the Lord would take his leave of him and you see the poor man in the Gospel when he was rebuked for crying after Jesus Christ he cryed so much the more earnestly and so our Saviour when he was in that great agony or striving under the displeasure of his Father saith the Text he prayed so much the more earnestly So the Lord doth sometimes hang back or hide his face that he might draw out more and more his peoples hearts toward him as a Fisher draweth away his bait to make the fish follow it the more eagerly Well consider this now do we thus grow even by opposition if the Lord say to us we are dogs not fit for childrens bread can we conclude the worst against our selves and yet gather upon him for the crums at the least But then there is opposition from our selves from within and that is from the rebelling of our lusts they rise and swell and many times over-bear us we are foiled do we grow by this this may seem somewhat strange that the acting of sin should tend to the encreasing of grace for that we must know that it is not proper for every act of sin properly doth strengthen the habits of sin and the stronger sin is in the soul the weaker grace is like to be as the more the water cools the less heat there is remaining in it but it is by accident as water cast upon a coal-fire at present it seemeth to put it out but afterward it burns so much the hotter and fiercer So grace takes occasion hereby to stir up it self so much the more to set it self so much the more in opposition to it it maketh a child of God so much the more humble so much the more watchful and full of prayer if it be right with them and neither sin nor Satan gets by this at all So if Peter be tost in that sieve of vanity that temptation and fall O how it humbles him and how afterward it fetcheth him off his own bottom how valiant he
forth to convince the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgement And so saith the Apostle James he hath begotten us again of his own will by his word of truth and therefore by this means grace is kept alive by our keeping this knowledge and increased by the increasing of this knowledge Sanctifie them with thy truth thy word is truth saith our Saviour concerning his Disciples ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free he speaks here of a further progress for they were his Disciples already only he promiseth them further freedom and liberty from sin and this through the knowledge of the truth how do men that are not right escape the pollutions of the world but through the knowledge of the truth as it is in that place the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and how come they to wallow in their vomit again to return to wallow in the mire but by imprisoning and smothering the truth the principles they have received put out the light and then they may do what they please the truth is Brethren all grace is conveyed through the understanding of men and women because the Lord works upon us as reasonable creatures and therefore proposeth things to the understanding that it may Judge of them assent to the truth of them and judge the goodness of them and then propound them to the will to receive them to close with them they that know thy name will trust in thee the great reason wherefore poor sinners are strangers from the life of God is because of their ignorance as the Apostle saith therefore the heathen call not upon God because they know him not and therefore so many of us call not upon him as we ought because we know him not either we neglect it or else do it in a slight slubbering manne 〈…〉 t is because we know not God what a God he is searching the hearts great and glorious and jealous what is the reason that poor creatures trust not more perfectly to the grace that is revealed but because the eyes of their understandings are no more opened to behold the unsearchable riches of the grace which is in Jesus Christ which is able to swallow up all their mountainous sins wash out their spots though never so deep pay their debts though never so deeply charged if poor sinners did but know this they would trust more perfectly what is the reason we are so familiar with sin and make no more of it it is because we know little or nothing of it in comparison Ah poor creatures those that crucified Christ knew not what they did else they would not have done it and poor sinners now that stand it out in this their day and slight the offers of grace alas you know not what you do else you would not do it therefore if you would grow in any grace all graces in faith in love in any thing else you must labour to grow in knowledge O Brethren if we had but a clear understanding of the dimensions of the love of God the freeness and fulness of it that he should set his love upon such vile filthy polluted wretches such as had no comliness but loathsomness upon us and to bring us so near to himself to be one with him to be one Spirit and live and reign for ever with him as Children as a Spouse if the soul did but know this O how would it love 〈◊〉 Lord Jesus again would men be proud if they knew this as they ought to know it O no therefore look that you grow in this there were never more wayes and means to come to the knowledge of Christ and him crâ—cified then now if we be not wanting to our selves shamefully we cannot conclude ignorance of these things this is the way to grow A man of understanding increaseth knowledge learn of any body Secondly Labour to grow in faith the Disciples were sensible of this defect therefore they prayed that he would increase their faith Faith hath a wonderful influence upon the soul in respect of all the Graces of the Spirit Be it unto thee even as thou wilt Mat. 15. 28. saâ—â—h our Saviour to the Woman of Canaan if we were but strong in Faith if women would have their Wils this is the way and if men would have their Wils this is the way to labour to be strong in Faith Faith is that whereby the union and communion with Christ is maintained it is that whereby the soul cleaveth to him and therefore according to the strength or weakness of that Will the growth in other respects be also a strong Faith draweth strongly from him all the nourishment is from him and the supplâ—es of the Spirit whereby it is digested is from him Now a strong Faith draweth these from the Lord Jesus more abundantly to the soul then a weak Faith this is that whereby we suck the milk out of the breasts of consolation the Promises we feed upon Christ Eat his flesh which is meat indeed and drink his blood which is drink indeed no nourishment like to it we do by Faith partake of the fatness of the Olive and therefore accordingly grow in other Graces One saith of it that it is Faith that virtually is all Graces because Faith fetcheth in the supplies of Christ to enable to all whatsoever therefore it is that we are patient in tribulation because we believe and impatiency it proceedeth from the want of Faith he that believeth maketh not haste hence it is that we turn aside from following the Lord that there is so much unevenness in our walking we cannot walk uprightly with God because of the weakness of Faith if a man did believe God to be al-sufficient to have all fulness of good in him and a full defence from evil to be a Son and a shield would men for a little credit a little honour to avoid a little trouble in the flesh turn aside from followin 〈…〉 he Lord surely they would not How often doth our Saviour rebuke his Disciples for the littleness of their Faith they had Faith but it was very little How long shall I be with you how long shall I suffer you saith he in one place where they could not cast out the Devil And will not God take care of you much more then of Sparrows O ye of little Faith had they so much of his presence with them teaching them and yet were but of little faith Our Saviour was displeased with it he knew they could never do much to honour him while their Faith was weak as now in the Gospel and more difficult cases as Num. 11. c. But may he not much rather take us up for this the Spirit was not poured out as now he is and we have more then the bodily presence even the Spirit of Christ and great encouragement to beg that Spirit whereby we should exceedingly
lower thoughts of thy self to see the necessity of an high-Priest the more feelingly this humbleth this emptyeth of self more and is not this a growth in grace Yea and no small improvement But thirdly If thou be put to wait for an answer know it is the excellency of faith to wait upon him to hold out as the woman of Canaan And Jacob wrestled all night with God So Daniel his answer cometh not as soon as he began to pray but he must wait a while he must go through with his duty and afterwards the answer cometh if the Lord give thee a heart to wait upon him to hang upon him not to give him over Brethren you are growing and you are not aware of it it is no easie matter to wait upon God Alas a poor sinner in a mood sometimes and in a flash under a stirring Sermon O he will go and pray and if an answer come not presently there is an end it dyeth but a child of God he waiteth upon God he will have no nay if he will not answer at one time he will to it again and again as Paul sought God thrice for the removing the Thorn before he had an answer And so Elias seven times his servant was sent and brought an answer of nothing appearing and at last but a little cloud and his prayer was fervent too as appears by the story Fourthly You must grow upon God knock harder if he come not at the first cry louder cry out so much the more importunity will overcome him at the last yea if by the delay of an answer as thou thinkest thou be kept praying and more and more fervently there is nothing Brethren wherein we more grow then in prayer it self where the Lord exerciseth us with such occasions as put us on to stir up all our strength to wrestle with him Well the Lord perswade our hearts to a diligence in this duty for we are as averse from it as from any O how our hearts do hang back and if the Lord perswade us not and by the invincible bonds of the Spirit bind us close to it we shall see by woful experience how quickly our slippery hearts will either shift themselves out of it or else into a formality in the service Fifthly Observe your answers also take heed of being alway complaining as if we had received nothing or were nothing grown whereby God loseth the glory of what he hath done for us already this is not the way to procure more this is the way indeed to grieve Gods Spirit which is the Spirit of prayer and then if he be grieved we shall find a woful declining in prayer and then our growth will go on but very slowly I beseech you pardon me for standing so much upon this point to press it upon you I know many of you cannot but see the necessity of it and truly observe it since these times of outward prosperity of the people of God mind it in your own cases lookers on may easily observe it and since our hands have been so full of the world if there be not a declining and indeed I think If I am mistaken I should be glad to be mistaken that this is the main thing wherein we are hurt we are so upon hurries and so thronged our hearts and heads and hands so full of the world that we cannot have those times and seasons to work our hearts up in this duty it is sad when our hearts have most need of pains-taking with them as in such cases they have that we should find least time to do it in What can become of this think you Fourthly Another help to this growth in grace will be this Conscientiously and diligently to use the Ordinances all of them as well as that of prayer I speak to that particular because it is of so general concernment running along with all the rest for sanctification of them to us You heard before that knowledge is the great means whereby our grace doth grow it is conveyed through the understanding the consent of the will to close with Christ it is greater or lesser according to the apprehensions which the mind hath of Christ of his goodness his loveliness the necessity of him c. therefore grace and truth came by Jesus Christ and whom beholding as in a glass we are changed into his image this glass what is it but the Ordinances of God O how fat do men grow that fare deliciously every day is there not great difference between feeding upon husks when the kernel is gone and feeding upon the finest of the wheat how quickly will the weakest man grow strong feeding upon the one and the strongest weak when he feedeth upon the other Alas when it came to that the Prodigal was almost beaten off his leggs Why the Ordinances of God they are a feast a feast of fat things marrow and wines upon the less well-refined in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make to all people a feast of fat things a feast of wines on the lees of fat things full of marrow of wines on the lees well-refined What are these but the Ordinances of God these are the green pastures and still waters with these he promiseth to satiate the soul of the Priest with fatness and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness saith the Lord And my soul shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house there it is and in the 63. Psalm the Psalmist longs after the enjoyment of God in his Ordinances in his Sanctuary O saith he my soul shall be satisfied with marrow and fatness What can be said more Brethren Is not this the way to grow fat to increase and did not God give therefore Pastors and Teachers to dispence the Ordinances for the edifying of the body in that place to the Ephesians Well but all this will not do except we make use of these Ordinances mind you they are the fat things of the house of God we must have them in the stall in the coop in the fold in the house of God that is to say the Church of God if we would flourish indeed as the Psalmist speaks they that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the Courts of our God and therefore the Spouse in the Canticles was so earnest Shew me where thou feedest thy flocks where thou makest them rest at noon Alas many poor Believers may be to seek where the Lord Jesus feedeth his flocks specially in these daies wherein there are so many pretences to the way of Christianity which is but one but at least me thinks this will follow from those Scriptures that the house of the Lord the Courts of his house is the Church of God therefore we should inquire where the flocks are fed that we may walk with them and among them it is the way where the Lord Jesus is found
to chaâ—e it in our hearts 32 Oyl Motives to have it in our Vessels 115 Oyl of grace how to know we have it 118 Oyl in your vessels must surely be had in readiness 217 Oyl they that go to the Saints for it are like to have a denyal 302 P Papists reproved for taking upon them to sell grace 306 Papists are like to foolish Virgins 299 Parable what is it 1 People of God have slept 156 People of God that make profession of Jesus Christ an exhortation to them 232 People of God have considerations to stir them up to cut off all delayes 293 People of God that are guided by the Spirit it is a comfort to them 318 Perfection in this life there is not 192 Plots and Purposes how it comes to pass that many are taken away in the midst of them 213 Prayer we are to be much in it 253 Profession without the enjoyment of the Spirit is but folly 104 Professions all are full of folls 115 Professors formal what such are to know 265 Professors formal a startling word to them 280 Professors real to them a word of Exhortation 282 Professors trifling a warning word to them 316. Their doleful condition 371. See Saints Formalists Promises from them conclude that Christ will not put away any soul 84 Prophecyings they that despise them what to remember 24 Put away from Christ the souls objections answered 85 R Readiness labour to maintain it 337 Reaidness what is meant by it 326 Ready such as are when Christ cometh do enter with him into glory 325 Ready a child of God may be before he desire it and desire it before he be ready 329 330 Ready soul is in a blessed condition 332 Ready are we put this question 333 Ready to enter what need there is to look to it 372 With Directions what to do 373 374 Refuges how hard it is to beat a man off from them 319 Refuges what they should teach those that are brought off from them 321 Rejoyce in Christ the soul must 79 See willing Resurrection of the dead a Saint falls short of this though he have never so much grace here 311 S Saints seeming and real in what respect called and compared to Virgins 10 Saints real and formal the things that do distinguish them 14 Saints priviledges 60 Saints ought to communicate their experiences each to other 305 Saints may have a good esteem of hypocrites 229 Saint-ship what is requisite to it 89 Similitude is the mother of mistakes 271 Sins greatness wherein it lies 151 Sin how to know whether the conflict of it be right or no 238 Sinners hearts are full of self-confidence and presumption 383 Sleep what kind is it 145 Noted by two degrees ibid. Sleep the causes of it 147 Sleep of Formalists and Saints do differ 1â—7 Sleep considerations to stir us up out of it 163 Sleep they that are in it will find no ease 169 Sleep that we are kept from it considerations to heighten our praises 177 Sleep we are apt to be when most need to be awake 187 Sleep what it argues 192 Sleep is matter of deep humiliation ibid. Sleeping the sad effects of it is matter of mourning 155 Sleeping cautions against it 171 Sleepy the end why God leaves his people in such a frame 153 Slumbering and sleeping what is meant by it 12 145 Slumbering and sleeping the time considerable 143 Slumbering and sleeping incident to the best of Saints 144 Slumbering and sleeping argues an hour of need to watch in 196 Sorrow for sin how to know whether it be right or no 235 Souls dejected have arguments set before them to close with Christ 58 Soul of man hath two things in it considerable 106 Souls evil or loss 112 Souls doubting to them a word of encouragement 407 Spirit of Christ is the greatest woer 44 Spirit of grace there is need to keep in with him 195 Spirit must not be grieved when we have his presence 254 Spirits prophane reproved 135 T Teachers false and their waies are to be taken heed of 250 Teachers of God have a pattern set before them 24 Temptation hath an hour See Awaking Things the same inculcated upon Believers bespeaks somewhat more to be learned 28 Time is to be made good use of both by Saints and Sinners 139 140 Time unknown what is it put for 208 Truth for the abusing of it a word for conviction 130 Truths divine have cautions against the nauseating of them 27 V Vessel what is meant by it 15 Virgins why so called 10 Virgins foolish their request to the wise Virgins 262 286 Virgins wise their answer to the foolish Virgins 301 314. See Lamps Vnderstanding in man is very dull 20 Vnion between Christ and his people so sure that it cannot be shaken 87 Vnreadiness what is meant by it 365 Vnready two or three persons likely will be found 367 Vnregenerate estate See Members W Watch what is the end of such men as do or do not 18 Watch the reason wherefore 211 Watch to it men are perswaded 216 Willing to close They whom Christ hath made so should labour to make it sure 75 Wisdom wherein it lies 105 Wisdom for the compleating of it hath three things 106 Wisdom of a pretended and real Saint compared 108 Wisdom of a Saint and a fool wherein it appears 113 Withdrawing between Christ and us their difference 87 World See Church Workers of iniquity what is understood by that 398 Y Yield up themselves to Christ To such a word of comfort 86 The second Alphabetical Table containing the principal heads and matter in the foregoing Treatise of Christ the Sun of Righteousness hath healing in his wings A ACquaintance we gain with God by prayer 625 Afflictions outward from them there is freedom 505 From 1. The fear of them 2. The presence of them 3. The evil of them from 506 to 507 Arise when Christ doth upon a soul he brings enlargement to it 479 508 Arising of the Sun of righteousness on them what is meant by it 434 B Bondage the Authors of it 486 Bondage there is 1. By Captivity 487 2. By sale ibid. 3. By birth 489 4. By tenure and usurpation 490 Bondage to sin its consequences 492 Bondage the guilt of sin is a part of it 494 Bondage sinners that are in it exhorted to close with the promise of going forth 529 Bondage what God requires of them that are set free from it 536 Bondage unto men be not brought under 544 See Sin C Ceremonies of men from these there is freedom 508 Children are made free by grace not by natural generation 518 Children may be free in the account of the Church and yet be the servants of sin 520 Children of Believers can grow 581 Christ is to be valued by us 423 Christ of him there is great necessity 452 Christ is the only pipe through which grace is conveyed 568 Come to Christ considerations so to do 473 Communion of Saints in
owned as eminently as any of the rest and more for his Comfort The lost groat was found again and the lost sheep was found again And so the Prodigal Son he ran far and lavisht away his Patrimony and yet he is restored again the winter may deform the face of the earth but the Spirit of God can renew it again in the Spring now he hath promised to give this Spirit and he sendeth forth his Spirit to find out the lost Child the lost sheep and therefore there is encouragement 2. Consider until this be done you are not fit for Heaven nor to enter with him you are not ready the wise Virgins trimmed their Lamps and then they were ready saith the Text and they that were ready went in with him happy creatures that are found ready with their Lamps burning at that day of his appearing which we know not whether it may be at hand A wicked man is not fit for heaven upon any terms it would be a place of no rest unto him no more then the Air is to the fish or the water to a man they are not con-natural and truly no more is a gracious man fit for heaven while his Lamp wants trimming Heaven is the inheritance of the Saints in light and is he fit for it that is even going out in darkness O no the Lamp must be shining and burning bright or else there is no suitableness to heaven 3. Hereby God will have much more glory by you then otherwise he is like to have for minde you it is the shining of our Lamps the glory of our conversations suitable to our profession that giveth occasion to the men of the world to glorifie him so saith our Saviour Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorifie your father which is in heaven This is all the Lord expecteth that he may be acknowledged and have the glory of all his grace of us we have the sweet and comfort and everlasting advantage of it and it cannot but be upon every believers heart to glorifie God it is indeed the end of our coming into the world now we cannot glorifie him so while our Lamps burn so low we are under declinings but when we are fruitful and abound in it as our Saviour saith herein is my father glorified that ye bring forth much fruit this is that which God is glorified by It may be we have some few good works but they are but a few and so few that scarce any can take notice to glorifie God for them methinks this should stick much with us Specially the nearer we come to glory our selves the more should we mind the glory of God the more zealous should we be for it O begin to lay about us to glorifie him here learn the work of heaven for ever if not before yet at least now we are ready to reap the wages of heaven the glory and joy unspeakable and Rivers of pleasures for evermore 4. Consider Is it not a shame for us brethren whose salvation is much nearer now then when we believed began to believe that our light should not be more dim our heat more abated our zeal for God the fervor of our affections surely it is a very great shame as if the nearer we come to the enjoyment of God the less desirable he were time hath been when we have some of us followed hard after God it is well if we have mended or held on our pace the time hath been haply when our Conversations have been bright and a beauty of holiness appeared in them and others have taken notice of it and glorified God it is well if we be not grown Luke-warm O what a shame is this the nearer we come to the Sun to be the colder hath not the Cry passed and awaked us and do we not finde that our Lamps are dim and we are in our profession very low O look to it that our last days be our best days and we go not out like a snuff But you will ask me what should we do to trim up these Lamps of ours First You must remember from whence you are fallen look up to the top of the hill where once you were and now you are undiscernably tumbled to the bottom you know not how O how much ground have you lost search and try brethren Commune with your hearts Consider your ways as David did and turn to the Lord. It will exceedingly shame us and that shame be a spur to us to consider how far short we are of that love that zeal that diligence and closeness of walking Secondly We must repent of it we must be humbled for our former miscarriages our declining to lose our first love the more love we have received the less we return to him again Is not this unworthy Besides how much might we have honoured the Lord if our light had shone before men if there had been a Majesty of holiness alway upon our conversation such as sometime haply there hath been and is not this matter of humbling Thirdly Then we must do our first works It is not a sorrow only for our miscarriage that is enough but we must do our first works If we have been zealous before and now are become Luke-warm be zealous and amend do our first works we have been more diligent and close in our walking with God now we are more remiss we must remember whence we are fallen and do our first works O why should we not labour to exceed the love of our espousals when we followed so hard after him our souls panted as the chased Hart after the water-brooks and this it may be before we had many hints of his love some sight of him likely else we should not follow him some touch upon our hearts as in Elisha his case and Sauls the people whose hearts God touched they followed but did one taste of his love then draw thee out so earnestly and now thou hast had many a smile many a sweet refreshing from his presence many a Ring broken between Jesus Christ and thy soul and wilt thou not now be as diligent and as earnest in following after him it is the nature of true Grace that as it cometh from heaven it will never cease until it reach to heaven again Fourthly We must beg earnestly of the Lord to work this and all our works in us and for us It is he that restored David his soul when it was even lost and so he doth ours he maketh them to return when they are even giving up O give him no rest until he send forth his spirit and give thee to be filled with that spirit with might in the inner man that thou maist burn and shine and the fulness and fruitfulness the burning and brightness of thy conversation may be a witness to all that behold it that of a truth the Spirit of Jesus Christ is in thee He
is wonderful ready to help in such a case above what we can conceive for it is he indeed in case of such backslidings that puts words into his peoples mouths when they have nothing to say and cannot look up nor hold up the head for shame nor look their God and Father in the sace they have so grieved him and shamed their profession yet then the Lord puts words into their mouths in that fourteenth of Hosea It is the very case of the Prodigal for he was a Son and therefore calls God Father in his return denyeth not the relation nor calls it in question notwithstanding his unworthy carriage towards him but he had mispent all as sadly as thou hast done likely and yet when he came and returned his Eather giveth him the meeting and runs and falls upon his neck and kiseth him and was ready to make up all again therefore go to him be earnest with him and see if he make not your Lamps to shine again gloriously and swallow up that glory in his greater glory his presence for ever Verse 8. And the foolish said unto the wise give us of your Oyl for our Lamps are gone out IN this Verse we have another part of the Parable wherein we have upon the awakening of the conscience of these hypocrites and formal professors and the discovery of their condition their request to the godly their Application of themselves to them and the reason of that request The request Give us of your oyl the reason of it for our Lamps are gone out The reason being first in order of nature as the cause of the other the root from whence the request doth spring we will begin to speak a little to that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They are extinct or they are going out and yet we have not a supply to keep them alive they are gone and for their own part they had no oyl in their vessel to do it with the Note from this Clause is An hypocrites profession will not carry him through all Conditions These foolish Virgins made a shift to satisfie themselves and blind the world with their Lamps which they carryed and went as far with them a great while as the wise did but the end is that which differenceth persons conditions as the Holy-Ghost speaks by the Psalmist Mark the perfect man behold the upright the end of that man is peace he doth not say mark the perfect man for in his life time he hath such a distinguishing Character his life is peace and the other is trouble No but the end whatever his life hath been before his end is peace This is a clear case his profession will not carry him through all conditions and that for these two reasons One of them will be sure to meet with them all for either 1. Their profession fails them before the day of death and so carries them not through or else 2. At death First then ordinarily I think it is a truth that a formality or profession of Christianity if there be no more doth fail a man and is discovered to others and to himself so that though he hath rested upon it and made it his hope heretofore yet now it fails him Here you see it is the very case when the cry came to prepare them to awake them that they might fit themselves for his appearing which is infinite mercy that he did not rather surprise them while they were in this sleep and security Now I say before the Bridegroom himself came actually to fetch them that were ready it is discovered to themselves and they see they are hypocrites And it is discovered to others that their Lamps are gone out they are themselves made the Publishers of their own shame therein You know Judas was discovered unmasked before his death and laid open to be what he was indeed a thief a wretch a traytor And so those many Disciples that followed Jesus Christ he knowing their hearts not to be right delivered such a trying word as gave them offence and they went backward and walked with him no more And the Reason of this is very plain Because they have not a spring within to feed their profession As far as the spring they have or the wet or mire they move by little as far as that will carry them they will go but then not a step further A beast and a servant or a child follow a man the one followeth him for a bottle of hay so soon as he laies that down before him he goeth no further after him but the son followeth him home and will not be shut out by any means As haply now while Religion thrives he will be on the Sun-side of the hedge where it is warmest he is a Summer-bird suppose now a time of tribulation come for the word sake will he abide No he withers as the sandy ground in the 13. Matth. Will he delight himself in the Almighty and alway call upon God No their profession are like Jobs friends deceive him in the day of trouble as a brook and as the stream of a brook they pass away like a loud flood make a great shew run very fiercely carry all before it for a time but it is presently dryed up because it hath no spring to feed it as some note that in Peru there is a diurnal-River which runs in the day with a great stream but in the night the channel is dry because in the day the Sun melteth down the Snow upon the Mountains and that maketh a great stream but in the night it ceaseth In grace now it is otherwise there is a principle within there is the Spirit of grace dwelling in the hearts of Believers and this supplyeth them continually there is a new nature and that is a thing durable But Secondly If it fail not before death as here it doth yet some passions being longer then some Joas◠held out long yet he was discovered before death but suppose they continue longer yet usually they will not carry them through death men may make a shift to live by a form but they cannot dye by a form indeed affliction opens many mens eyes to see that they were but rotten counterfeit gold will not endure the fire or not the seventh fire at least fire is of a searching nature and yet notwithstanding some they pass this tryal and are not discovered until death and then it fails them If Balaam dye his own death and not the death of the righteous what a miserable creature will he be And death doth open many mens eyes O what labouring is there then many times to be spared a little that they may recover strength before we go hence and be no more seen All the life time they thought all was well but now they find they are deceived their Lamps are gone out O brethren the valley of the shadow of death is full of such damps as every Lamp will not
grew for Jesus Christ And Hezekiah his pride in the business of the King of Babylon how it tended to humble him so much the more do we find it thus doth sin increase our grace increase even by our falls do we get ground of them yea or no if not it is not well with us And thus much shall serve for the tryal The next Vse then will be for Exhortation to us all If we find that we have none of this we grow not at all we are a company of poor formal professors we are at a stand for proficiency we know not what it means I should advise all such Brethren to look to their standing their being in Christ it may be you have been deceived all this while and except you be in him except the Sun of righteousness be risen upon you it is in vain to put you on to grow as to the event though not as to the discharge of our duty A rotten root will not carry the branches on to any increase they may be at a stand a while but they will wither and rot and perish as well as the root look to your foundation Brethren me thinks I should not need to press this upon you you know for the notion as well as it can be told you that except you be in him you can bring forth no fruit much less can you increase in fruitfulness If you do not shut your eyes Brethren wink with them as they in the Gospel did they stopped their eyes lest they should see with them the Sun of righteousness is ready to arise upon you are you willing to have it so would you have him to arise upon you would you be made one with him would you be found in him as the root the head from whence righteousness and holiness proceedeth deceive not your selves Brethren Christ offers himself to you all every one that will may come and take him for his head for his root and so grow up in him if thou wert willing then what is the reason thou art not in him well surely then thou art not willing whatever thou pretendest he would gather thee under his wings as a Hen the Chickens where they grow apace from the heat they are cherished with but ye would not ye would not look to this in the first place Secondly you that are alive through grace and have this union with Christ and yet it may be find you grow little or haply can scarce see that you have grown now will you be exhorted in the name of Jesus Christ in the Apostles words Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ Labour to improve to come on to be fat and flourishing content not your selves to be babes in Christ no nor young men but grow up to be Fathers The prosecution of this Use the general Exhortation I shall first lay you down some particulars wherein among others specially we are to labour to grow because haply if we rest in generals each hearer hath not his skill to bring it to particulars Secondly the motives to enforce it And thirdly some general helps to growth and then come to some other Exhortations First then for the first wherein specially we are to look to our growth and first in knowledge we must â—ook to it that we grow in the first place as the Apostle hath it in that forecited place Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ Knowledge is not here put by way of contradistinct from grace as if it were no grace but as being that special grace which doth so much promote and further the growth of all grace beside the Papists tell us ignorance is the mother of devotion and that faith is better defined by ignorance then by knowledge but the Holy-Ghost cals faith knowledge by his knowldege shall my righteous servant justifie many that is faith sure and this is life eternal to know thee the only true God now do but observe it they boast themselves so much of Peter and how little they own him in this point for saith he grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ the knowledge of a crucified Christ Now saith the Papists this is the way to errour and schism and ignorance is the mother of devotion just as the Jews made their boast of Moses and our Saviour confuteth them by Moses whom they so much boasted of there is one who accuseth you even Moses in whom you trust for if ye had believed Moses ye had believed me for he wrote of me So there will be one that will accuse them in this point of knowledge even Peter in whom they trust So the Apostle that ye may grow up in him speaking the truth in love the speaking the truth in love is the way to grow up in Christ and so the receiving the truth and the receiving of it in love a well-qualified knowledge of Jesus Christ and him crucified and therefore the Apostle desired to know nothing among them but this if they knew Christ and him crucified this knowledge would produce whatever else is requisite for them not by its own power but the Spirit of grace carrying it on And so the Apostle to the Colossians increasing in knowledge or the acknowledgment of God and strengthened with all might according to his glorious power to all patience and long-suffering with joy So the wise man himself tells us a wise man is strong yea a man of understanding increaseth strength Why but you will say may there not be much knowledge and yet little grace and therefore is this too necessary to grow in knowledge I answer It is true there may be much knowledge where there is little grace as in many an hypocrite and many know much but they know nothing as they ought to know it but yet however there cannot be grace without knowledge a compe 〈…〉 t considerable knowledge of Jesus Christ and him crucified Fuel may be where there is no fire but the fire will not burn nor continue if there be no fuel knowledge is as I may say the very oyl the very fuel wherein the flame of the Spirit liveth in the soul do but observe it grace and truth came by Jesus Christ grace and truth therefore grace aboundeth now in the time of the Gospel he came that they might live and live more abundantly because he came to reveal the truth in a more clear full manner then before when the vail is taken away saith the Apostle that was upon the face then beholding Christ with open face we are changed into his image from glory to glory and truly there is all the reason that can be for it for whereby grace is begotten by the same means it must needs be preserved and increased Now it is by the knowledge of the truth that we are begotten to God therefore the Spirit is promised to be sent