what we ought to doe Now let us gather these up together The Lord onely hath right to command us therefore we ought to obey him His rules and directions are such as are most sure and safe therefore most worthy to be observed Lastly He onely can teach the inward man men may teach the care but have no power to bow the soule to buckle the heart to give wisdome and understanding to the simple onely the Lord that dwelleth in heaven is he that must doe it Let us now see what Use we may make of this Doctrine First it is as it were a bill of Inditement falling marvellously heavy upon the practise of many that live in the bosome of the Church those I mean that will heare any thing attend to any thing but to the voyce of Christ Whom they should heare they neglect and those they ought to neglect they will heare whether the Lord will or no The Drunkard hearkeneth to his companions they no sooner say as those Prov. 1.14 Cast in thy lot among us let us all have one purse or as the speech of our good fellowes is Comes let us goe and club it but presently he gives his consent The Adulterer stoopeth to the glance of the Adulteresse and that prevaileth with him he goeth after her straightways as an Oxe goeth to the slaughter or as a Foole to the correction of the stocks Prov. 7.22 The truth is if you mark the ordinary and common course of the wicked and ungodly men of the world you may easily see how every thing is imbraced onely the voice of Christ is refused Nay though Satan whisper not though occasions move not yet mark how the soule of such men yeeldeth to the inclinations of every sinfull lust If a lustfull thought arise in the heart see how the soule sucks the sweetnesse of it by meditation how it is delighted in the contemplation of filthynesse If a covetous thought oh how the man pursueth it he will never be at quiet till he have hatched some sinfull resolution within and brought forth some ungodly practise abroad It is admirable to see in that one place Acts 19. how the voyce of gain sounded so loud in the eares of those covetous Silver-smiths that the voyce of Paul could not be heard Doe but observe how Demetrius reasoneth the case with his follow-craftesmen Verse 25. Sirs saith he you know that by this craft we have our wealth we get our living Moreover you see and hear that not alone at Ephesus but almost throughout all Asia this Paul hath perswaded and turned away much people from entertaining and following this superstitious course saying that they be no gods which are made with hands So that this our craft is in danger to be set at nought When they heard these sayings the Text saith all men with one voyce cryed out about the space of two houres Great is Diana of the Ephesians Truly so it is now in the world there is such a noyse in mens mindes and judgements what the World will have and what Profit will have and what Pleasure will have that the Lord Christ may call till he be hoarse and yet no man will mind him but all stop their cares and refuse to heare the voyce of the Charmer charme he never so wisely Psal 58.4 5. It is evident then that these men are not the Schollers o Christ and certainly therefore the judgement of Christ shall be executed upon them hereafter In the mean time let me wish such to remember that place 2 Thes 2.11 12. When men will not receive the truth in the love of it but have pleasure in ungodliness when they shut out the truth and will not be perswaded to forsake their ungodly courses but suffer their sins and sinfull occasions to prevail with them above the word of God what befalleth them See what the Text saith and the Lord fasten it upon your hearts Read it over and over again That they all might be damned who beleeved not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousnesse Mark I beseech you this is the word of God Who ever he is that hath pleasure in unrighteousnesse and will not hear and receive the truth in the love thereof so as to yeeld obedience thereunto and to frame his course according to it God hath appointed that man to everlasting damnation So that when thy conscience calleth thee to the discharge of such and such duties to forsake such and such courses and the word of God shineth full in thy face and is as clear to thee as the Sun at noon-day when the Lord hath revealed to thee his will and yet thy soul can say within thee notwithstanding all this Thou hast loved those sins which God out of his word hath forbidden thee thou hast had pleasure in those courses which God in his word hath condemned those proud and adulterous courses those ungodly practises thou hast harboured them in thy heart and kept them in thy bosome and taken pleasure in the practise of them Doth thy own soul say this Well then my brethren make the conclusion your selves See I beseech you doth not the Word of God say plainly that the Lord hath sealed such up to everlasting damnation because they had pleasure in unrighteousnesse A Second sort that are here justly to be reproved are those that captivate their own opinions and conceits to the judgement of men There are a poor kind of deluded creatures in the world that have made themselves so far servants unto men that they have pinned their conceits and judgements to the opinions and commands of those upon whom they depend and from whom they expect either profit or preferment That look what their great masters say whatsoever they speak that they account as Gospel and whatsoever these have devised they must desend and maintain it and their judgements must entertain nothing to the contrary These are marvellously estranged from the Lord and are contrary to this truth that hath been taught from the words of this Text. For doth not the Text say Hearken unto me Therefore it plainly reproveth those that can be content to have the word of men to carry weight with them and the commands of men to cast the ballance that whatsoever they will have practised must be yeelded unto let the word of Christ say what it will and they must be content to give up themselves to perform it let it be agreeable to the Scriptures or not This argueth clearly that these are the servants of men and that they have mens persons in admiration for filthy lucres sake because they thinke that their profit or pleasure or preferment is gone if their good will and pleasure be not observed upon whom they depend This is an ordinary and grosse fault The wife she complaineth and saith Indeed it is true the course is good that you wish me to and I am perswaded that God requireth it but my husband is against it and I shall lose the
further then God is pleased by a mightie hand to break open the heart of a man and to enlighten it whether he will or no as a man may say 2 Tim. 3 6 7. this is observed to be the main cause why men are ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth They are very good Churchmen as they say often in the Church alwaies hearing and yet notwithstanding remain as poor ignorant silly sots in the main things of life and salvation as if they had lived all their dayes in the West-Indies What is the reason and ground of this The Apostle complaineth there of a certain company of widdows that were ever learning certainly then you would thinke that they were good Schollars no that they were not What was the cause what alwaies learning up early and down late and yet never come to the knowledge of the truth What is the cause The Apostle telleth you in the sixt verse They are laden with sins and led about with divers lusts And vers 8. They are of corrupt mindes reprobate concerning the faith or as it is in the Margent of your Bibles of no judgement concerning the faith Mark like unto these carnall hearted widdows there is a sort of men in the Church of God that carry the cloak of profession upon them and will run to every Lecture and take hold of every occasion to hear a Sermon and yet alas know nothing but are as silly and ignorant in the main grounds of Religion as blind in the things of God as any in the world Will you know the reason why they thrive not Observe it They are laden with lusts and led about with divers pleasures their hearts cleave close to some corruption they harbour some bosome lust in their souls they have a form of godliness but they take not up the power of Religion because it would remove and dis-place those lusts that they love so well I beseech you observe that place Isa 6.9 10. When the Lord had a purpose to overthrow the people and to bring a desolation upon them for their obstinacie he biddeth the Prophet go and preach to them but to what purpose Not to doe them any good for he would not save them Well what course then must the Prophet take Goe saith God and tell this people Hear ye indeed but understand not and see yee indeed but perceive not Make the heart of this people fat and make their ears heavie and shut their eyes least they see with their eyes and hear with their cares and understand with their heart and convert and bee healed I beseech you observe this Text If they did see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand 〈…〉 God would heal them But God in his just judgement will not have them see nor hear nor understand that they might not convert and be healed and he will accomplish this work by the Ministerie of the Prophet and therefore he sendeth him to harden them by his preaching and how Make their hearts fat and then as it followeth their ears will be heavie and their eies will be shut Now observe what makes an heart fat First continuall glutting of ones self with diet with immoderate eating and drinking and then secondly continuall idenesse these two make men fat Just so it is with the soul of a sinner When as the heart of a man cleaveth to a corruption when as a mans affections are glued unto it so that he takes delight in it let it be what lust so ever it will be you shall ever finde him feeding upon it The proud man continually feeds himself upon his pride his minde is ever taken up with the thoughts of this or that fashion with this or that way of attiring and adorning himself The Adulterer is still feeding on the pleasures of his lust alwaies contemplating on those cursed delights The covetous man meet him where you will assoon as he is up in a morning presently he is talking of buying and selling of bargaining and match-making So the drunkard and the rest of sinners the meat is never out of their mouthes their hearts are continually set upon those sinfull corruptions to which they are addicted And withall mark as there must bee feeding so there must be resting for daily exercise and labour spendeth a man and therefore we know those that will feed any creature fat put it up So when a man is resolved to contiune in that course wherein he is is setled on his lees hath set up his staffe he will go no further but there he will stay such a mans heart is fat and what followeth his eyes will be blind Whatsoever shall come from the Minister to thwart that sinfull disposition of his to crosse that lust which lieth in his bosome any way to disease him or stir him off his dregs though it be never so clear and plain and delivered with never so much evidence and demonstration of the Spirit of God it self yet he cares not for it he is resolved to do what he pleaseth and to take his own course let them all say what they will Hence it cometh to passe that in these daies of light wherein the means of knowledge run through the greatest part of the land and abound as the rivers from the sea and yet men remain stark blind in the mysteries of salvation and altogether unreformed in their lives Doe but observe a little the temper of mens spirits and you shall finde it generally to be this Those truths out of the word of God which they conceive to crosse their quiet and disturbe their peace they will not indure Their heart is resolved to be at peace and at libertie come what come will and therefore whatsoever truth it be that causeth any disquietness or disturbance in them away with it Oh say they I will have none of that I have done with that point Surely it is no marvell that such men are not informed seeing they have shut their eies and will not see Oh say they I see no reason for this I understand not why I may not doc such and such a thing Yea you will not understand it you will not be informed because it will trouble and disquiet your hearts There is many a man my brethren who if he might have his libertie in sinfull courses allowed him and might injoy his credit and contentment and ease in the world together with the Gospel would take up many truths that are now despised by him but the main ground of his contempt lies here he must have his sin he will take his libertie he will enjoy himself what ever is said to the contrary And hence it is that God in his just judgement seeing that such men will not entertain the truth in the â—ove thereof that they might be saved they should be given up to strong delusions that they should beleeve a lie that they all might be damned who beleeved not the
truth but had pleasure in unrighteousnesse Their heart being resolved which way to walk it is just I say with the Lord to give them up to blindnesse of minde to dulnesse of spirit to ignorance and error that they may be hurried on in the waies of destruction for ever It is Gods own word 2 Thes 2.10 Because men received not the truth the whole truth of God in the love thereof Mâ—â—y are loth to have some points to be true as that a man â—hould exactly observe the Sabbath it is just with God to give such up to a profane spirit to deny the Sabbath Others are loth to have this true that they must pray duly every morning and evening in their family it is just with God to give such up to a sottish and stupified course that they can be contended to goe to bed like beasts The like I may say of many other duties The Lord calleth for fasting and prayer and would have his people humble themselves and seek his face now because the duty is tedious and happily the world crosseth it therefore many will fall out with the Ordinance reject it have nothing to doe with it they will have their ease and their quiet their hearts are grown fat and if any thing crosse their corruptions they will not hear with that eare It is fearfull what the Lord speaks against these Rom. 1. 28. and my heart trembleth to think of the hideous curâ—e of God against such courses and his severe indignation against such persons It is said there that because the Heathen delighted not to retain God in their knowledge God gave them over to a reprobate mind to doe those things which are not convenient Mark As they did not like to retain God in their knowledge as who should say Must my mind be inlightned must I be convinced and perswaded that I must lay aside my self and be content in uprightnesse of heart to imbrace every truth of God though it be with the losse of ease and credit and estate yea and of life it self must I doe this well I doe not like it I will not beleeve it all the world shall never perswade me to it And why Because you have taken a sleepy pillow before-hand you have been resolved to keep those things that these truths crosse It is just with God when men doe not love and like to retain the truth he affordeth them to give them up to a reprobate mind that is to a mind void of judgement not knowing the truth not approving the Word And you shall see these men in all their courses and opinions vanishy Why Because the Lord hath given them up to a reprobate mind a mind not able to observe what he revealeth and a heart not willing to entertain what he discovereth to be good Gather up these things This is the last and most speciall argument why the hearts of most men are estranged from God and his truth because they harbour many lusts in their soules and cleave close to some or other corruptions It is a passage worthy observation that is recorded Jer 43. The people that were left behind in the land when the King of Babylon had carried the rest away captive were resolved to goe down into Aegypt but they would first goe to the Prophet and take his advise and he must goe to the Lord and whatsoever the Lord should declare to them by the Prophet that they would doe be it good or be it evill Here was a very fair pretence But their hearts were fully resolved betore to goe down into Aegypt and therefore when the Prophet brought them the answer of God that they should not goe but that they should remain in the Land Thou speakest fatsly say they unto him the Lord our God hath not sent thee to say Goe not into Aegypt to sojourn there but Baruch the sonne of Neriah setteth thee on against us So they obeyed not the voyce of the Lord to dwell in the sand of Judah As if they should have said we had thought thou wouldest have perswaded us that it was lawfull for us to goe down into Aegypt and if thou hadst done so we would have hearkened to thee but because what thou sayest is not as we would have it because it doth not fit us nor stand with that course we are resolved to take we will not yeeld to it whether it be truth that thou speakest or no. I wish this were not so amongst many of us I doe not say carnall and profane ones the world is full of those and their spirits are too too manifest but I say I wish it were not a fault even amongst many that in some measure love and fear the Lord. We are grown sick of our peace and we must have our quiet and ease and contentment therefore though we should appear to be sincere before God in all things and zealous for the cause of the Lord of Hosts we will shuffle in divers practises rather then be disturbed and troubled in that course that we have set to our selves Now I say gather up these and I think the point is clear If it be so that men are blind in their mindes and cannot know the Word if so be they are carelesse and doe not attend to the Word nay if so be they be setled in their sinnes and corruptions from which they will not part it is no wonder that though they have means yet they are not savingly informed in the truth of God answerably to those meanes which are bestowed upon them Let me adde now but one thing for the full clearing of the Doctrine You will say we see the quite contrary For it is cleare and evident that there are many that live in the bosome of the Church that have a great measure of understanding yet are not such as God hath wrought upon effectually yea the Devill himselfe hath knowledge enough and many a man that is nought and carnall hath an abundant measure of understanding happily much more then some godly and holy men can attain to To answer this in two or three words It is true I confesse there is many a cursed hypocrite that hath a great measure of knowledge and yet in very deed hath no true understanding at all For the knowledge whereby such men are inlightned differs much from that information and understanding which the Saints of God have For look as there is wild thime and garden thime both of the same name and both growing after the same manner yet very different in their nature and qualities so it is with knowledge there is a gracious and a sanctifying knowledge garden knowledge as I may say and there is a wild and a common knowledge I will open it a little in two or three words If you goe no further but consider the understanding of both barely you shall cleerly perceive a main difference between a Saint of God and an Hypocrite 1. An Hypocrite and a carnall man like
to doe all he commandeth yet this shutteth not out their endeavour His promise of enabling them is upon this supposition that they doe indeavour in the use of the meanes he shall appoint them The Lord in promising doth not meane that they should be idle and look that he should doe all but his promising includeth their endeavouring and upon their endeavouring in the use of the meanes that God hath appointed he hath promised to enable them to doe what he hath commanded And this is very expresse in that same of the Prophet Ezek. 36. verse 27. and verse 37. laid together In verse 27. there is a promise to make them able to keep the Law of God I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walke in my statutes and you shall keep my judgements and doe them But in verse 37. he commeth in with this caution which I desire you to observe Thus saith the Lord I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of of Israel to doe it for them As if he should say it is true indeed I have promised to enable you to all things I have commanded you but yet know though I have promised to doe all yet I will not doe it without your indeavour you must use the meanes whereof prayer is one and upon your using the meanes I promise then to helpe you If people he still and will not up and be doing God will not be with them it was the speech of David to Solomon 1 Chron. 28. Vp saith he and be doing and the Lord shall be with thee Implying thus much that though God hath promised yet God will not be with us to enable us to any performance except we also be up and be doing This therefore is no incouragement to lazie Christians that rest themselves upon this that when God would have them doe it he will enable them to doe it and so doe not to their uttermost endeavour themselves these are such to whom God will performe none of these promises Well now this caution being added let us come briefly to the Use of the Point And the first Use it is to shew us the truth of that which the Apostle telleth us 1 John 5.3 This is the love of God that we keep his Commandements and his Commandements are not grievous Here is a Paradox what the Commandements of God not grievous this the world cannot beleeve The reason of the Apostles saying they are not grievous is because of our love to God for whom we love none of his Commandements can be grievous to us But this Doctrine sheweth you the truth of it upon another ground Are any of Gods Commandements grievous when God commandeth us nothing but what he promiseth to make us able to doe so farre as shall be needfull for acceptance so we will indeavour our selves Indeed I grant that Gods Commandements are above the power of nature to obey nothing harder to corrupt infirme nature than Gods Commands but yet seeing that God hath promised to enable us to yeeld obedience to every Commandement so we will doe our indeavours what grievousnesse or what unreasonablenesse is there in the Commandement You may conceive it by this similitude A King commeth to one of his Subjects that it may be is not worth a thousand pound and giveth him a commandement to pay ten thousand pound but withall giveth him liberty to goe to his Exchecquer and take it If you look upon the greatnesse of the sum and poverty of the man it is a grievous command but if you consider this qualification that the King hath promised to give him sufficient to pay it there is no grievousnesse in it Thus is it in all the commands of God to his children God commandeth us things above the power of flesh and blood biddeth us doe what is above the abilitie of nature but withall promiseth in the use of meanes to make us able to doe them therefore there is no grievousnesse in the Commands God in this case dealeth with his children as Joab dealt with David 2 Sam. 12.26 27 28. Joab he beseiged Rabbah and when he had in a manner taken it he sendeth a Messenger to David to bid him come and take it that he might have the glory Joab had runne thorough the difficulties he had in a manner done the work but to the end that the glory might be Davids when Joab had done the greatest he biddeth David come and doe it Even thus it is between God and his people it is the Lord that works all our workes for us it is the Lord that enableth us to obedience to all his Commandements he makes it very easie and yet notwithstanding to the end we may have the glory of our obedience and the reward thereof at the last day when the Lord hath prepared it for us he biddeth us come and doe it he putteth the honour upon us but the power that doth it is his own there is no grievousnesse in any of Gods commands Oh my brethren beleeve this that you may be incouraged to put your necks into the yoke of Christ Come unto me saith he in Mat. 11.28 and take my yoke upon you for my yoke is easie and my burthen light Is not this true that Gods yoke is easie and his burthen light when he biddeth us doe no more then he giveth us strength to doe Stand not out against the Lord Jesus Christ doe not refuse to subject your selves to his Commandements because the World the Flesh and the Devill telleth you they are a burthen too great for you to beare I tell you they are easie there is no more commanded then strength shall be given to obey Here is the first Use The Second Use of the Point is to shew us how exceeding unexcusable all the defects and disobedience of Gods people are For why There is nothing commanded them but God hath promised to make them able to doe it if therefore they doe not doe it is not the fault wholly their own God hath commanded his children great things but yet he hath promised to help them to doe it all if therefore Gods children doe not doe it is not the fault theirs and what can they say for themselves Thou art commanded to mortifie thy lusts thou art commanded to deny thy self thou art commanded to keep thy self unspotted of the world thou art commanded to have thy conversation in heaven and abundance of such commands thou doest none of these what canst thou plead for thy self What excuse hast thou to make to excuse thee from the guilt of these sins All that thou caust say is this I am flesh and these Commandements are spirituall I am full of sin and how can I obey the Commandements of God they are too great things for so sinfull a creature as I am to doe True but yet notwithstanding are they to great for God to doe Is not God able to make thee able to doe them Hath not God promised
to make thee able to doe them Yes where is the fault then what is the reason thou doest not doe them but that thou walkest in so many transgressions where is the fault what canst thou say for thy self Is not God able or is not God faithfull Yes God can doe it and God hath promised to doe it Surely then the fault lieth onely in thy self Consider it seriously and you shall finde one of these two things to be the cause of all the sins you live in that are the people of God Either this that you are not willing to bee made whole you are not willing to be rid of your sins or else this that you are not able to beleeve the truth of what God hath said One of these two is the cause of all the sins of Gods people First thou art not willing it may be to be made whole thou art not willing to obey Gods Commandements Truth God hath commanded thee a great many things but thou art not willing to doe them and because thou art not willing therefore God doth not make thee able For my brethren this is a sure rule God never makes any able to obey but they that first of all by God are made willing to obey In Joh. 5. When our Saviour could cure that impotent man that lay at the pool of Bethesda he first asked him this question vers 6. Wilt thou be made whole If so bee he had not been willing Christ would not have healed him Why did Christ ask him the Question To stir up in him a desire of being made whole for God never giveth till we desire Therefore look well and it may be thou shalt find thou art not willing to obey Gods commands thou art not willing to subdue every lust a lust that is suteable to thy constitution a lust that is very sweet to thee through long custome a lust that is dear unto thee by reason of the pleasure or profit that it brings in it may be thou art not willing to obey God in subduing this lust But even as it was with Jacob when he commeth to let Benjamin goe into Egypt he striveth against himself he would let him go and he would not necessitie constrained him that he should go but yet his affection made him unwilling he should go This kinde of strugling there is in Gods people when they look upon the command they know they must obey but yet considering the dearness and sweetness of their sin they are loth to obey And this is the reason God doth not help thee in matter of obedience to his commands because thy heart is false and thou art not willing to it Oh what a shame is this when God requireth no more but thy will not to let him have thy will for thee still to be unwilling to obey when Christ died for this end that thou shouldst obey But if so be thou canst cleer thy self in this Point and canst say thou ant willing to be made whole look into thy self once more and happily thou shalt find that thou art not able to beleeve that God will make thee whole When the father of the possessed child in Mark 9. brought his son to Christ to be cured Lord saith he v. 22. If thou canst doe any thing have compassion on us and help us If thou canst doe it saith Christ If thou canst beleeve all things are possible to him that beleeveth So I say to such of you as are willing to obey Gods commands in all things are you able to beleeve this Doctrine that I have this day preached That God will make you able upon your endeavours to doe all he commandeth if you could be beleeve this all obedience were possible But here is thy fault if it be not in the former thou canst not beleeve God will give thee strength over every lust a lust that is strong in thee by constitution is strong in thee by custome by education a lust that hath so great a rooting in thee that hath so often foiled thee that God will help thee against such a lust Because thou canst not beleeve here is the cause thou canst not obey Gods commands What a shame is this for thee not to beleeve the God of truth not to bee able to take his word when his word is confirmed by his promise when his promise is seconded with his Oath when his Oath is also accompanied with so many seals as thou hast had renewed every time thou hast received the Sacrament of the Supper and yet notwithstanding thou art not able to believe what a shame is this Thus you see how that the sins of Gods people are altogether unexcusable unpardonable they are not mercie there shall bee but yet notwithstanding they are unexcusable All your disobediences whatsoever they are notwithstanding all the frailty of your nature they are without all excuse For the ground of your disobedience is either because you are not willing to obey or else because you are not able to beleeve the truth of what God hath said Therefore learn I beseech you to be ashamed of your selves and of those guilts and disobediences that lie upon you there is great sault in your selves for though you have no power in your selves God having promised to make you able you should have been able if you were not guiltie either in want of a will to be cured or in want of abilitie to beleeve what God hath said Here is the Second Use Again the third use of this point is to teach us what is the onely and ready way to be able to obey Gods Commandements This is a thing which all that are truly godly desire much to know and this point teacheth us The onely way to be able to obey Gods Commandements is to beleeve It ariseth thus God hath promised to make his people able to doe all that he commandeth if God hath promised it then they have no power but from God it were but a slight thing for God to promise that which they could doe of themselves God having therefore promised it it plainly appeareth they have no power of themselves to doe it and God having promised to doe it they must have this power to doe it by laying hold upon the promise and that is by beleeving So that the onely way to attaine to any obedience is by faith to lay hold upon the promise of God In a word all strength to obey commeth by promise the promise is made ours by beleeving there is no way therefore to obey but by beleeving Hence it is that in 1 John 5. 4. Faith is called our victory whereby we overcome the world by the world is meant all sinne faith is our victory that is the instrument of our victory as a sword is called the souldiers victorie because it is the means whereby he gets the victorie Faith is the means whereby we come to have victorie over the world Hence is that also in john 6. 29. They had asked
Angels have the least part in the redemption of a sinner We are the redeemed and the saved and we are they that must be glorified and shall we have no ears to hear no hearts to attend to no desires to imbrace the Word of Salvation Oh what a shame is it that we that have so much interest in mercie should have so great a neglect of mercy What then remaineth but this that we all provoke one another to the performance of this dutie here required of us that we stop our ears to all carnall counsell to all delusions of Satan that we hearken to the Lord onely as our Master resolving to attend to no advice to follow no directions to obey no commands but what he shall give us Oh but will some say what is this which you teach us May not a man hear his carnall friends may we not follow the advice that they give us If we slight their counsell we may be undome their anger may be such against us that wee shall not be able to bear it To this Objection I will reply in a word Will carnall friends be troubled and offended because their words are neglected and will not the Lord Jesus Christ thinke you be horribly displeased when his commands are despised Assure your selves my brethren either you must hear the Lord Christ now as a Saviour or you shall hear him hereafter as a Judge either hear him now so as to obey and doe what he requires or if you refuse to hear his counsel expect to hear an horrible sentence thundred against you when he shall sit as Judge at the last day when all your carnall counsellours shall not be able to acquit you You that are wives and pretend that you must please your husbands by submitting to their commands and desires you that are husbands and alledge that you must give satisfaction to your wives you that are Apprentices and plead that if you observe not your masters wills but walk according to the rule of Gods word you shall be thwarted by your masters and driven to some great inconvenience You that stand upon the humoring of your friends and acquaintance consider it well Will the perswasions and counsels and desires and commands of a Father or friend or husband or master stand you in stead at the day of judgement Will this be a satisfactorie answer at that day my husband intreated me my friends counselled me my master commanded me No my brethren as you are brethren in iniquitie and causes of sin one to another so you shall perish both together Therefore knowing the terror of the Lord let that scare you more then the anger and displeasure of all the friends in the world But the truth is you will answer again they are they that we receive all from and should we goe contrary to them and neglect their advice we must resolve to be poor and base and mean all our daies What a silly imagination is this Put case these carnall friends bear some kinds of respect unto thee and promise thee fair and seem able to doe thee good Can they doe thee good unlesse the Lord Christ blesse what they doe Is not he able to draw their hearts from thee or to move them towards thee Cannot he blesse the means and cannot he curse them also Thinke of this my brethren Whether is better for a man to be inriched or glorified To hear an earthly parent that happily may give him an earthly patrimonie or an heavenly father that assuredly will receive him to mercie in the end of this life Thinke of these things and withall know that the means and helps and supports that we desire are not properly in the power of friends and acquaintance but it is God that boweth the hearts and inlargeth the spirits of men whether friends or no to doe us good I have known many a carnall man that having wicked friends hath been inforced to bestow most upon those whose life and practise he most opposed and hated At leastwise beleeve for a truth what the Lord saith by the Prophet Isa 55.3 Encline your ear and come unto me hear and your soul shall live That is enough me thinks to put to silence all such Objections as these What ever carnall friends shall perswade you to nothing shall doe you so much good as the hearing and obeying the voice of Christ But it may be some will reply and say Alas I have present need of such and such therefore I must either hear them counselling or else they will not hear me intreating Oh my brethren thinke of this Hath a man or shall a man have need of a friend and shall he not also have need of the Lord Jesus Christ Must a friend be obeyed because wee have need of him and shall not the Lord Jesus Christ be much more observed because we have much more need of him Hast thou need of a father or master to bestow some favour upon thee and hast thou not need also of a Saviour that may deliver thee from sin here and from everlasting damnation hereafter Know it know it that howsoever now you may neglect the counsell and advice of the Lord Jesus Christ and thinke that you have no need of him because happily for the present your friends smile upon you yet the time will come when you shall find you have more need of Christ then of all the world When a man lieth upon the bed of death and his eies begin to grow dim and his breath short and his pulse weak and he ready to goe the way of all flesh Oh what good can friends doe him then all of them together can neither restore health nor preserve life in that hour He that now would be our Saviour hereafter will be our Judge and will passe sentence upon us one way or other either of salvation or damnation Shall we not stand in need then of his mercy and saving health when that day cometh The soul will then wish for a dram of mercy more then for a whole world Ask a man my brethren when he is going the way of all flesh what then he most desireth and what he would have at that time especially Oh will he say mercy mercy Oh that the Lord would accept my person and pardon my sins and graciously look upon me in the face of Christ This is all that the poor soul then craveth But if you neglect now to hear the voice of Christ how can you expect that ever he will hear you in that day It is just it is just my brethren that you should then have the same sentence that was past upon the foolish Virgins Matth. 25.12 They came and knocked hard and spake loud Lord Lord open unto us Away saith Christ I know you not I know you not You would not hear me in the time of your pilgrimage upon the earth when I sent all my servants the Prophets rising early and sending them therefore now I will not