to which of death In them that are saved we are a sweet savour of God unto life in them that perish a savour of death Doctrine 4 Men are to be reckned in a state of being saved or of perishing according as they doe or doe not receive the Ministry of the Gospell according as it is savorie and fruitfull and good unto them or a dead and unsavorie thing upon their spirits so are the persons here distributed God is glorified and our Ministry accepted both when people perish and when they are converted Unto the saved ones we are a savour of life to the other a savour of death and an occasion of their hardning Joh 8.46.47 If I say the truth why doe you not believeme He that is of God heareth Gods words yee therefore heare them not because yee are not of God Here our Saviour distinguisheth them that be of God from them that be not by their different respect and relish of God's word they that are of God and led by his spirit will hearken endeavour to doe his will the rest who are not of God but of Satan hate and resist the truth So doth Christ mark out his own sheep Joh. 10.27 My sheep heare my voice and follow me and I know them and give unto them eternall life So Mat. 7.24 26. He compares his hearers to wise and foolish builders of their owne salvation the one who heareth and doth them is blessed is safe from danger Blessed are they that heare the word and keep it When people rellish life in it they are in the rank of blessed and saved ones when they remaine dead under it hardned in their sins it is a sad fore-runner of their everlasting destruction How can this be so sure an evidence of life and death seeing Hypocrites goe far yea doe all in this kinde that a sound Christian may doe They may doe much as Herod did to John Baptist and Ezekiel's hearers cap. 33. 31. But herein they fall short they doe not yeeld the word a sincere universall respect obedience they heare but doe it not they heare are offended at the word It is the honest heart that heares brings forth fruit with patience an hypocrite may do much but he cannot do this he may make many prayers heare many sermons use fasting cleave to the best side approve of a sound ministrie forsake scandalous sins and be reformed in some measure by the word c. Yet this he cannot doe he cannot with an honest heart bring forth fruit with patience he doth not in all things give the word a divine power over his heart he cannot yeeld universall obedience thereto out of love to God Therefore slight not this doctrine the power of it expressed in your consciences will witnesse your soundnesse true fellowship with Jesus Christ against all temptations Ps 119.161 My heart stands in awe of God's word you dare not resist any truth that yee heare but you will yeeld unto it make conscience of it desire and endeavour to obey it and put it in practise This I say will witnesse with you and for you 1. Th. 1.5 For the Gospell came not unto you in word only but also in power Of Exhortation Therefore come to the Ministrie as to an ordinance wherein life and death are sealed Take these Motives You must live for ever in heaven or in hell and the question must be resolved upon our obeying or not obeying the Gospell Therefore bethinke thy selfe what thou wert best to doe Is not heaven worth all the sins which the word would crucifie in thee And will thy unsubdu'd lusts and the pleasure thereof make amends for all the torments which the disobedient are sure to endure in hell Is thy conscience convinced of this truth If it be how darest thou now goe on in thy common carelesse course against the light of the word in thy own conscience How darest thou live as loosely heare as carelesly Spend the Sabbath as profanely slubber over the worship and service of God as slightly as formerly thou hast done To have this question resolved on thy side me thinkes thy heart should breake through all oppositions scornes and temptations and forthwith set thy selfe wholly about the worke and to cast off every weight and with full resolution of heart to lay thy soule at the feet of Christ and his Ministrie and say Lord here I am what wilt thou have me to doe Doe with my heart and mould it to thine owne minde will Motive 2 Consider the terrour of the Lord against all wilfull people that despise the savour of life depart from mee yee workers of iniquitie into the place of torments you know the Sodomites are in an ill case in hell yet it shall be more tolerable for Sodom then for thee they sinned against the light of nature thou against the light of the Gospell they against the Law thou against the Remedie against the mercy of a Redeemer Heb. 10.29 Of how much serer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy who hath troden under foot the blood of the covenant c. Woe to poore sinners for their madnesse against their own soules Consider your case art thou able to beare the wrath of God for ever When he shall come in flames of fire taking vengeance on them that know him not and obey not the Gospell of his Son 2. Thes 2.10 Thou canst not endure the voice of the Cock of a poore Minister that awakens thy conscience How then wilt thou endure the voice of the Trumpet Arise yee dead and come to judgement Death is terrible sicknesse is painfull thou canst not endure thy finger in the fire one houre how then wilt thou endure everlasting fire The tooth-ake the stone the Gout make thee roar and cry out O Lord help me the torments of hell made Dives cry out Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water to coole my tongue you that will cry out then pity pity a poore tormented soul should doe well to pity your selves now when we cry out unto you to pitty your own soules if thou wilt be entreated to pity thy selfe thouwilt need no man's pity then but here 's your misery our infelicitie you will not believe your own miserie you will not believe our report if you did believe it you would soone cast away every sin that hangeth on so fast you would no longer stand off but deliver up your soules into Christ's doctrine to be transformed renued and moulded by it you would presently enter into a strict covenant with God to be his people you would never content your selves with a cold formall livelesse profession but labour for the life of grace and that too while the day of grace doth last Heb. 3.14 Motive 3 It will torment you one day to remember what yee have lost what blessed opportunities which cannot be recalled to remember how eagerly the world was pursued when your salvation lay at stake if you had spent but one of those yeares to get the knowledge of Christ unto unfeined conversion you had been for ever happy whereas now your miserie is past recoverie and all through your owne fault and doings It will cut you to remember how often did the Minister call upon me how faine would he have had me to be saved to be converted and escape these torments but I would not I counted him mine enimie I made a jest of his compassionate beseechings when he told me 't was not well with me and shewed me my own heart I thought him too busie with other mens estates though he were more willing to save me then I my selfe to be saved How fresh will these things come into thy minde gnaw thy heart like a worme thou wilt be a terrour to thy selfe What will yee doe now upon these Motives resolve for life before God take you away in his wrath FINIS
and not to another Remarkable to this purpose is that Rom. 11.7 But the Election hath obtained it The question is propounded vers 1. Hath God cast away his people No He proves it first in himselfe I am a Jew therefore all are not cast away Secondly God hath not cast away his people whom he foreknew What then how stands the matter Why this is the conclusion the election hath obtained it the rest were blinded the elect have a preeminence above the rest the God of grace doth shine into their hearts the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ But the God of the world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not least the light of the glorious gospell of Christ who is the image of God should shine unto them 2 Cor. 4.4.6 Reason 2 Of the event per accidens occasionally it provesa savour of death to some Quest Now let us consider what those occasions are or what those distempers are in the parties themselves seeing the difference cannot be in the ordinance it selfe which is the same to both it must be sought elsewhere Answer 1 The Gospell therefore proves a savour of death First sometimes on the Ministers part when they doe not deale faithfully when by flatteries they say to the soules that shall die yee shall live This the Lord complaines of Jer. 6.14 They dealt falsely they healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly saying Peace peace when there was no peace Thus it comes to passe that the poore soule is hardned when men preach the free grace of God and mercy without laying before people the conditions whereupon mercy is promised when we promise them life and doe not presse upon them the necessitie of holy walking in the path of life mercy without repentance People must be sound in repentance in faith in puritie of conscience else we can promise them no peace of conscience we must put a difference betweene pretious and vile Jer. 15.19 We must not preach as if all alike should be saved as if the outward ordinances and communion therein were sufficient unlesse yee be circumcised in the heart as well as in the flesh baptized with the spirit inwardly called really converted c. Ye cannot enter into the kingdome of heaven we must deale clearely in this point else we delude the people Wee must tell you that 't is not all your moralities nor all your civilities nor all your formalities in prayer and comming to Church that makes a sound Christian yee must be humbled brought into covenant with Christ whatsoever is short of regeneration is short of salvation Thus Mat. 7.22 profession of Christ's name will not serve the turne A distinguishing Ministry is the savory saving Ministry which lets you see in what state you are whether in nature or in Grace Sheepe or Goates c. A promiscuous preaching of Christ's mercy to all without any other distinguishing markes doth cause a mis-application of the Gospell men that are sons of death thinke themselves Children of life Poore souls are blinded to their destruction through Ministers fault we must not warrant repentance to be true without faith nor faith to be true in any that see not their cursed state in nature that feele not their need of faith by reason of sin and misery Nor can we warrant faith in any Body that is not become a new Creature and the new-borne desire to grow by the sincere milke of the word c. The Gospell preaching mercy to the Lumpe is a truth But that word must be rightly divided and mercy applyed to whom it is promised On the peoples part foure waies 1. By reason of their carelesnesse customarinesse in religion not Examining Trying and Applying to themselves in particular the markes and truths deliver'd when the faithfull Ministers shew the world how their sins are pardoned and how they must get into the Covenant of Grace to have their deadly woe removed people doe not marke it nor take paines about it but esteeme of it as a light matter as if God were beholding to them for hearing the Gospel of Salvation This Customarinesse you discover by carelesnesse in hearing and after hearing some lay them to sleepe others play with their Children others place themselves out of hearing c. people plainly shew that they come not as people that are to deale in matters of salvation and damnation If our Gospell be hid 't is hid to them that are lost the light thereof shines cleare but the fault is in your selves you are content to be blindfolded and holden back from so great a treasure as is cōmunicated in the Gospell O Is it not a sad thing and yet too true that in many houses not one of the familie knowes himselfe to be saved All such saving knowledge is a mysterie to them you think you have repented because you have sorrowed for some particular sin and that you have faith because you hold some doctrines of faith the Divels doe the same But how to know your selves to be the elect of God though it be clearly laid forth by your Ministers yet that heavenly truth is not understood because you are not carefull to trie your selves and to prove your estate to be good All is but a dead and unsavorie thing upon your spirits Whereas the conscionable hearer doth finde spirituall life in such distinguishing truths he is comforted and quickned finding his name to be written in the book of God 2 Secondly it proves a deadly savour to you by reason of the discontent pride self-selfe-love and contentiousnesse of your spirits that will not endure to be reproved or searched you stumble at the word through disobedience be angry with that which should doe you most good quarrell at the Light Now when people be thus settled on their Lees when they have such stumbling-blocks of iniquitie in their hearts now I say that word which brings life to others brings death to you you see no good in it As if you stir a dunghill it stinks the worse so if you rake in a fowle heart the mud and filth that 's in it doth arise and corruption works the more O what reasonings and sidings with sin and Satan ô what anger and opposition against the Light Sin taking occasion by the Commandement saies Paul wrought in me all maner of concupiscence Rom. 7.8 The Law did put no evill motion into his heart but wrought that is did stir it up it was there before it set corruption aworke If the word doe not prevaile to subdue and purge out corruption then it stirs it up and sets it a working and so proves a savour of death to you Whereas the same doctrines reproofes and searching trialls to the saved ones do yeeld a savour of life Good is the word of the Lord I am vile I am uncleane thy word is truth Hic ure hic seca ut in aeternum parcas Let thy word cut
and not spare my heart my dearest corruptions Let it discover my ignorance my hypocrisie my unsoundnesse in repentance my formalitie in duties c. It shall not be unto me as an enimies sword but as a Surgion's knife that cuts to heale my wound my festered soule Although the word puts you to strong fightings to sad feares to doubtings and disputings within your selfe yea to lowd cries through depth of sorrow and bring you into combates with Satan yet you will see there is a savour of life in it you will not let goe your hold of it till it bring forth judgement unto victorie As one in danger of drowning will take hold of a naked sword though it cut him rather then sinke in the water it is better to be cut then drowned so the saved ones will keep and hold fast the word though with some great difficulties rather then give over their soule into the Divel's hands and themselves into perdition Thus the word is a savour of life to them though it cut and smart there is life in it it is good it 's sweet they rellish spirituall counsell in it it proves to them a true and faithfull word Thus by occasion of peoples frowardnesse and discontent at the word it proves odor mortis 3 Thirdly By reason of prejudices and hard conceits of the Preacher many a sound truth is lost and disrellished for the sake of him that brings it as Ahab said of Micaiah Here is one Prophet of the Lord but I hate him c. If the same truths were delivered by other men O how pretious would they be But such a man I cannot endure to heare though they cannot be charged with negligence or unsufficiency in their Ministry nor with scandall and disorder in their lives But some by-respects turnes away our hearts from them and from their Doctrine for their sakes As some are young and have no judgement some are old and they wax childish againe some are rich and they are covetous some are poore and therefore Contemptible and we will not be taught by such some tell the peoples faults in the Pulpit and meddle with that they have nothing to do withall and we doe not like that for they are malitious and at enmitie with us some are not of our side c. And though none of these things be faults yet people stumble at them It therefore much availes with what affections we come to heare The ignorant and scandalous the superstitious and factious are just offences unfit to be Teachers But doe not lay a stumbling-block in thine own way because the person is not in every respect such a one as thou desirest If thou wert on the Scaffold to be beheaded thou wouldst welcome a pardon though brought by the hand of a person not so well thought of so c. 4 Fourthly a savour of death because people doe not heare the words as the word of God but of man People doe not come to it nor look upon it as an ordinance of divine authoritie but an exercise of humane wit and charitie and accordingly they doe not receive it with reverence and faith but with the head with applause or dispraise according as the matter is carried See 1. Thess 2.13 Yee received it not as the word of men but as it is in truth the word of God that 's the right way of receiving heavenly truths not because we say it but because it is God's word and that 's the true way to profit by what we heare for then it worketh effectually in them that believe An ordinary retainer to a Kings Court may tell what the Embassadours message is but that 's of no respect unlesse the Embassadour doe deliver it as from his Master that sent him So c. I have seene it printed and heard it spoken by way of complaint that the ordinances now adaies have lost their converting power And well it may be so when as gifted men are heard with equal respect to God's Ministers Gifted men are like but a retainer to the Court they cannot preach in the name of the Lord they cannot lay obedience upon mens conscience and why Because the Lord hath not sent them the Lord speaks not by them they speake of themselves And since they are cried up and God's messengers decried the conscience of the hearer is at libertie to obey or not obey the word And doubtlesse much is to be laid to their charge for the generall contempt of the Gospell preached it 's made a matter of indifferencie whom we heare c. Beware of that errour See Mat. 7.29 For he taught them as one having autority So must we preach and so must you heare Vse 2 Signe 1 For Conviction Because some gather poyson from the sweetest flowers from the most wholesome truths frō the Doctrine it selfe such is the blindnesse of some and the perversnesse of other mens wits reasonings As for Example the Comfortable Doctrine of Predestination yeelds a deadly savour to some for thus they argue If God have appointed who shall be saved and that none shall be saved but the elect then say some To what end should the Gospell be preached to reprobates In vaine is all prayer preaching and holy Endeavours If we be not elected All our striving is in vaine if we be elected we shall be saved though we doe take such paines about salvation c. This Doctrine you see yeelds a deadly savour to some it 's made a cloack to carelesnesse and security Ans First consider the nature of God's decree it is not a simple absolute peremptory ordayning of an end without meanes God's Act electing is Relative and Copulative with respect unto Christ Eph. 1.4 He chose us in him that we should be holy and without blame before him in love with 2 Th. 2.13 We are bound to give thankes to God for you brethren Because God hath from the Beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit beliefe of the truth 2 Tim. 2.21 If a man therefore purge himselfe from these he shall be a vessell of honour c. These things are conjoyned God's elect are not a profane berren uncleane kind of people good for nothing but holy pure fruitfull and by such good workes is our calling made sure 2 Pet. 1.10 And the proper result of this Doctrine is this I will strive to be holy to purify my conscience from all iniquitie They which make Religion their businesse c. have the seal of Election upon their hearts Hence they thus reason Is not the knowledge of my election unto life worth all the paines that I shall take to attaine it and worth all the sweete sins which I am to relinquish for it will all the world be able to recompence the losse of my soule of my God what stronger motive to Godlinesse can be proposed to an unconverted soule Secondly especially considering that this Doctrine does not tell any man in particular that he
only yet for want of experience when where how to buy sell plant c. he may decay and grow behind hand So the Christian hath not only the rule but the proofe of his knowledge how it hath been effectuall to assure him of his own salvation to change his heart to comfort to overcome temptations how good God is in his waies c. He is the true Christian indeed to the one it 's a dead to the other a lively savour As for example He that only reads in a booke that he is miserable by nature and what his soule stands in need of but never felt himselfe miserable nor felt his severall wants is dead while he liveth He that reads in a book or heares in a Sermon what repentance is what the cleansing of the heart is what striving of the spirit against the flesh is c. But never felt his owne heart purged his owne conscience stricken with feares c. This man hath a rule but not the savour of life in the Gospell To read or heare of comforts is one thing to feele them in the conscience is another 'T is one thing to be of such a judgement in matters of religion to hold such and such principles to be right in his tenets and to hold that men must be religious 'T is another thing to be so to feel our unkindnesse to Christ our deadnesse of heart to him our pantings and longings after Christ A man by the light of Scripture may confesse that God is the best portion that he that enjoyes God hath all that all earthly things are perishing contentments yet will not for Gods sake for conscience sake forsakeany thing This man's judgement saies that God is our chiefe God but his heart and affections never said so But he that can take up a Crosse to follow Christ deny himselfe cut off a right hand for righteousnesse sake he saies indeed and in heart God is my portion God is my chiefe good The savour of Christ's knowledge doth import a sensitive expeperimentall feeling knowledge such as we have of fire that it is hot of honie that it is sweet c. Taste sweetnesse in obedience Conviction 4 Look what it is that does most affect thee in a Sermon What matter what manner of preaching There is much to be discerned by mens praises or dispraises liking or disliking in this kinde Imagine a carnall and spirituall hearer conferring about a Sermon was it a good Sermon Yes What was the doctrine What was the reason what have you learnt by it My memory is short A good sermon and you get no good by it What did most affect you O'twas a deep sermon He did handle the Antinomians notably or he did worthily confute the errours of the times What else did you like His manner of deliverie it was delivered in good language a good stile and I like it well to have good matter cloathed in a good dresse Yea but what was there of Christ in it that might cleanse the heart bring one into pardon of sin crucifie your lusts build you up in holinesse make you sound in repentance Yes it was a morall good sermon O but said the spirituall man may not you heare such preaching all daies of your life and yet be never the wiser for your salvation If you savour that which is but the naturall frothy part that which is least worthy of notice in that work are yee not carnall if you commend and love that which you least understand and be pleased best with that which doth tickle the eare and not rectifie the conscience are yee not carnall your carnall judgement in this point bewraies that the Ministrie is not a Ministrie of life and power to thee but of forme and moralitie of good order that it has not carried you beyond placing your religion in Baptisme in Church Constitutions in outward garbs and the smaller matters or bark of religion your soules all the while being unacquainted with the essentialls of Religion in power puritie in joy in righteousnesse in peace in assurance of salvation Whereas for the matter that sermon is best wherein we manifest the truth and commend our selves to the consciences of men in the sight of God 2 Cor. 4.2 And for the manner that is best which is set forth not in the enticing words of man's wisdome but in demonstration of the spirit and power 1 Cor. 2.3 It is a curse to have the Gospell in a strange tongue and so in a stile frame of words not easily understood by the people 1 Cor. 14 9. Except yee utter words easie to be understood how shall it be knowne what is spoken For yee shall speake into the ayre The Apostle doth reprove their carnall judgement in this point because they so much admired the gift of tongues ver 20 21. It s a childish thing to be delighted with words ver 21. It is a judgement to have the Gospell in a way not understood it is a signe God is not pleased to make the same a meanes of conversion And therefore forasmuch as God doth make use of languages and tongues for a punishment it is not fit matter of boasting or glorying 2 Carnall judgement Come we to their dispraises How doe you like the sermon I doe not like it 't was nothing but ordinary matter yea scarce fit for a Sermon he reproves such petty faults as sleeping and playing with children and dressing our selves c. There 's nothing of study of learning in it He may preach after that rate all day long c. 'T is dead and unsavorie matter Well view it againe such matter was delivered upon what occasion Why his doctrine from the Text was that many heare the word to their hardning and what think you is it not true Yes goe on what kinde of hearers were they that did so Why they were the sloathfull carelesse customary hearers that doe not examine and apply the Truths taught or else heare it as an exercise of wit or else be offended at the reproofes c. And what think you of it Is not all this true Did he not prove it Yes there is spirituall matter in it much morall evill and danger discovered not so much in the action as in the heart Res parva magnum indicium others see spirit and life in that matter an evill heart of unbeliefe to lie at the bottome if you doe compare the doctrine with the reproofes and your soules with both you will be found to be in a wrong course you will be guided into a saving way to walke in all well pleasing before God In their counsell you will finde mercy and peace their paths are paths of peace to deliver you from death You cannot slight Note nor deride religion and yet at the same time live under the saving operation of the word The fourth doctrine followes to the one-to the other But to which of these is it a savour of life