the act of Gods electing love For election designeth men not only to Eternal Glory but to holiness of Life a means thereto And the manner of this connexion of truth is the more to be noted by us because the Apostle seems to conjoyn them in an holy heat of Spirit Saying The foundation of God standeth sure having this seal the Lord knoweth them that are his And and let every one that shall but so much as name the name of Christ depart from iniquity Or as who should say God will be revenged upon them for all or notwithstanding they appropriate unto themselves the benefits of election In the Text we have 1. An Exhortation 2 The Extension of that Exhortation 1. The Exhortation is That men depart from iniquity 2. The Extension of it is to them all of them every one of them that name the name of Christ. And let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity In the Exhortation there are several things to be taken notice of because insinuated by the Apostle The first is That iniquity is a very dangerous and hurtful thing as to the Souls of sinners in general so to them that name the name of Christ. It is very a dangerous and hurtfull thing to men in general For 't is that which did captivate the world at the beginning and that made it a bondslave to the Devil It has also done great hurt to mankind ever since to instance a few things 1. 'T is that which hath stupefied and besotted the powers of mens Souls and made them even next to a Beast and Brute in all matters supernatural and heavenly For as the Beast minds nothing but his lusts and his belly by nature So man minds nothing but things earthly sensual and devilish by reason of iniquity 2. It has blinded and darkned the powers of the Soul so that it can neither see where it is nor which is the way out of this besotted condition 3. It has hardened the heart against God and against all admonition and counsel in the things of the Gospel of Christ. 4. It has alienated the will the mind and affections from the choice of the things that should save it and wrought them over to an hearty delight in those things that naturally tend to drown it in perdition and destruction 5. It has made man odious in Gods eyes it has provoked the Justice of God against him and made him obnoxious to Hell fire 6. Yea It so holds him so binds him so reserves him to this that not he himself nor yet all the Angels of Heaven can deliver him from this deplorable condition 7. To say nothing of the pleasure and delight that it makes him take in that way to Hell in which he walketh Never went fat Oxe so gamesomely to the shambles nor fool so merrily to the correction of the stocks nor silly bird so wantonly to the hidden net as iniquity makes men go down her steps to the pit of hell and damnation O 't is amazing 't is astonishing to consider what hurt sin has done to man and into how many dangers it has brought him but let these few hints at this time suffice as to this I will now speak a word to the other particular namely that as iniquity is dangerous and hurtful to the Souls of Men in general so it is to them that name the name of Christ. As to the so and so naming of him to that I shall speak by and by but at this time take it thus That religiously name his name And I say iniquity is hurtful to them 1. It plucks many a one of them from Christ and the religious profession of him I have even seen that men who have devoutly and religiously professed Jesus Christ have been prevailed withall by iniquity to cast him and the profession of his name quite off and to turn their backs upon him Israel saith the Prophet has cast off the thing that is good But why Of their Silver and their gold they have made Idols The sin of Idolatry drew their hearts from God their love to that iniquity made them turn their backs upon him Wherefore God complains that of forwardness to their iniquity and through the prevalence thereof they had cast him behind their back 2. As it plucks many a professor from Christ so it keeps many a one from an effectual closing with him How many are there that religiously profess and make mention of the name of Chriâ—t that yet of love to and by the interest that iniquity hath in their affections never close with him unto salvation but are like to them of whom you read in Paul to Timothy that they are ever learning and never come to the knowledg of the truth 3. And concerning those that have indeed come to him and that have effectually closed with him and that name his name to good purpose yet how hath iniquity hurt and abused many of them 1. It has prevailed with God to hide his face from them a thing more bitter than death 2. It has prevailed with God to chastize and to afflict them sorely a thing in which he taketh no pleasure 3. It has provoked God to give them over to the hand of the Enemy and to deliver them to the tormentors 4. It hath brought them to question their interest in Christ and whether they ever had grace in their Souls 5. And for those that have yet believed they were in his favour this iniquity has driven them to fear that God would cast them away and take all his good things from them Yea he that would know the hurt that iniquity hath done to them that name the name of Christ let him consider the cries the sighs the tears the bemoanings the bewailings the lamentations the sorrows the confessions the repentings and griefs wherewith they have been attended while they have complained that they have been put in the stocks laid in the dungeon had their bones broken suffered the terours of God been distressed almost to distraction and have been fed with Gravel Gall Wormwood and with the Water of astonishment for days yea years together By all which and many more which might be mentioned it appears that iniquity is a dangerous and hurtfull thing But I proceed and come in the next place to the Extension of the exhortation namely that it reacheth to all those that name the name of Christ. And let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity To handle this a little and First to shew you what the Apostle here means by naming of the name of Christ he meaneth not an irreligious naming of that worthy name nor those that name it irreligiously This is evident because he passeth by their manner of naming of it without the least reproof the which he would not have done had the fault been in their manner of naming of the
their profession of faith in him a holy and blessed conversation Having thus briefly shewed you these things I shall come in the next place to shew you Why some that as to words rightly name the name of Christ do not depart from iniquity That it is incident to men to name the name of Christ religiously and not to depart from iniquity I have proved already and now I must shew you why it is so and the reasons are of three sorts First Some profess him yet have not saving faith in him nor yet received grace from him That some profess him that have not saith in him nor received grace from him I will make appear first And then that they do not depart from iniquity shall be shewn afterwards That the first is true consider Christ saies to his Disciples there are some of you that believe not And again For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not and who should betray him Now if they believe not they have none of his grace in them for faith is the first and head grace the beginning and leading grace he therefore that is destitute of that is empty of all the rest Besides other Scriptures also confirm this truth James calls some of the professors of Christ that were in his day vain or empty men that is men void of grace And the Apostle suggesteth in the very words below the Text that as in Gods house there are Golden and Silver Saints so their are also earthy and Wooden ones For in a great house as Gods is are not only Vessels of Gold and Silver but also of wood and of earth and some to honour and some to dishonour that is some for Heaven and some for Hell Now they are these Wooden and Earthy professors that he aimeth at in the Text to wit that they should depart from iniquity or else their profession would do them no good and these also that he despaireth of in the next words saying But but in this great house of God there will not only be Golden and Silver Christians but Wooden and Earthly ones And if any man purge himself from these from these mens companies and from these mens vices he shall be a vessel to honour sanctified and meet for the Masters use and prepared to every good work From all which it is gathered that there are some that name the name of Christ in a way of profession that have neither faith nor grace in them and so consequently that do not depart from iniquity For First These want that principle that holy and blessed principle that should induce them thereunto to wit the great and principal graces of the spirit and they are four First As I have said They want faith that heart purifying grace for the heart is purified by faith I have shewed you already that departing from iniquity must be with the mind and affections or with the heart but how can that be where the heart is not sanctified and made holy For an unsanctified mind cannot depart from iniquity no more than the Ethiopian can change his Skin but nothing can purifie the heart but faith Therefore nothing can make a professor depart from iniquity where faith is wanting So then when men professedly name the name of Christ without having holy faith in him they still abide by their iniquity they depart not from their iniquity but rather make of their profession a cloak for their iniquity for their malice and for their covetousness and the like It is not profession but faith that bringeth God and the Soul together and as long as God and the soul are at distance what ever profession is made there is not a departing not an heart departing from iniquity Wherefore to these professors James writeth thus Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you cleanse your hands ye sinners and purifie your hearts ye double minded Men far from God cannot think reverently of him nor so speak and profess him as standeth with the nature of Gospel Religion wherefore God saith draw near hither that is by faith and again let them come near then let them speak then let them profess Without faith a man cannot please God because he cannot without it stand before him in the spotless righteousness of Christ nor yet depart from iniquity and live a holy life There are three things in Faith that directly tend to make a man depart from iniquity 1. It apprehendeth the truth of the Being and greatness of God and so it aweth the spirit of a man 2. It apprehendeth the love of this God in Christ and so it conquereth and overcometh the spirit of a man 3. It apprehendeth the sweetness and blessedness of the nature of the Godhead and thence perswadeth the soul to desire here communion with him that it may be holy and the injoyment of him when this world is ended that it may be happy in and by him for ever But without Faith these things cannot be apprehended and therefore those that want it whatever their profession is they will not depart from iniquity Secondly Repentance is another of the great and principal graces which the Holy Ghost worketh in the heart Wherefore without this also there can be no departing from iniquity It is in vain to expect it of any man let his profession be never so stately and great if he is a stranger to found repentance How many are there in our day since the Gospel is grown so common that catch up a notion of good things and from that notion make a profession of the name of Christ get into Churches and obtain the title of a Brother a Saint a member of a Gospel congregation that have clean escaped repentance I say they have catcht up a notion of good things and have through that adventured to name the name of Christ quite forgetting to take repentance with them Repentance should be and is one of the first steps into true Gospel profession but some know nothing of it untill they come to the end of all and their repentance will do them no good Repentance is not but where the true fear of God is yea the fear of God is one ground of repentance Repentance is the scouring grace 't is that which purges Repentance is as I may call it that bitter pill without the taking and sound working of which base and sinful humours will rest unstirred unpurged undriven out of the soul. Can repentance be where godly sorrow is not or can repentance be where the fruits of repentance are not O the fruits of repentance thick sown by preachers but it comes up but thinly Where shall the fruits of repentance be found Confession of sin is one fruit of repentance shame for sin is another fruit of repentance amendment of life is another fruit of repentâ—nce restitution for cousening cheating defrauding beguiling thy neighbour is another
account in the day when God shall judge the world I told you before that there is a twofold Faith and now I will tell you that there are two sorts of good works and a Man may be shroudly guess'd at with reference to his Faith even by the Works that he chuseth to be conversant in There are Works that cost nothing and Works that are chargeable And observe it The unsound Faith will chuse to it self the most easie works it can find For example there is Reading Praying hearing of Sermons Baptism Breaking of Bread Church fellowship Preaching and the like and there is mortification of Lusts Charity Simplicity open-Heartedness with a liberal Hand to the Poor and their like also Now the unsound Faith picks and chuses and takes and leaves but the true Faith does not so There are a great many Professors now in England that have nothing to distinguish them from the worst of Men but their Praying Reading hearing of Sermons Baptism Church Fellowship and Breaking of Bread Separate them but from these and every where else they are as black as others even in their whole Life and Conversation Thus they have chosen to them the most easy things to do them but love not to be Conscionably found in the practice of the other a certain sign their Faith is nought and that these things even the things they are conversant in are things attended to of them not for the ends for which God has appointed them but to beguile and undo themselves withall Praying Hearing Reading for what are these things Ordained but that we might by the godly use of them attain to more of the knowledg of God and be strengthened by his Grace to serve him better according to his moral Law Baptism Fellowship and the Lords Supper are Ordained for these ends also But there is a vast difference between using of these things and a using of them for these ends A Man may pray yea pray for such things had he them as would make him better in Morals without desire to be better in Mortals or Love to the things he prays for A Man may Read and Hear not to learn to do though to know Yea he may be dead to doing Moral goodness and yet be great for Reading and Hearing all his days The people then among all Professors that are zealous of good Works are the peculiar ones to Christ. What has a man done that is Baptized if he pursues not the ends for which that appointment was Ordained the like I say of Fellowship of Breaking of Bread c. For all these things we should use to Support our Faith to mortifie the Flesh and strengthen us to walk in newness of Life by the rule of the moral Law Nor can that Man be esteemed holy whose life is tainted with immoralities let him be what he can in all things else I am of that mans mind as to practical Righteousness who said to Christ upon this very question Well Master thou hast said the Truth For to Love the Lord our God with all the Heart and with all the Understanding and with all the Soul and with all the Strength and to love his Neighbour as himself is more than all whole burn-offerings and sacrifices To love my Neighbour as my self to do as I would be done unto this is the Law and the Prophets And he that is altogether a stranger to these things how dwelleth the Love of God in him or how will he manifest to another that his Faith will save him Satan is afraid that Men should hear of justification by Christ lest they should imbrace it but yet if he can prevail with them to keep Fingers off though they do hear and look on and practice lesser things he can the better bear it Yea he will labour to make such Professors bold to conclude they shall by that kind of Faith injoy him though by that they cannot imbrace him nor lay hold of him For he knows that how far soever a Man ingages in a Profession of Christ with a Faith that looks on but cannot receive nor imbrace him that Faith will leave him to nothing but mistakes and disappointments at last The Gospel comes to some in Word only and the Faith of such stands but in a verbal sound but the Apostle was resolved not to know or take notice of such a Faith For the Kingdom of God saith he is not in Word but in Power He whose Faith stands only in a saying I believe has his Works in bare Words also and as vertual is the one as the other and both insignificant enough If a Brother or a Sister be naked or destitute of daily Food And one of you say unto them Depart in peace be you warmed and filled notwithstanding you give them not those things which are needful to the body what doth it profit Even so Faith if it hath not Works is dead being alone This Faith therefore Satan can allow because it is somewhat of kin to his own Besides What greater contempt can be cast upon Christ than by such wordy Professors is cast upon him These are the men that by practice say The Gospel is but an empty sound Yea the more they profess the louder they proclaim it thus to be to his disgrace while they notwithstanding their prosession of Faith hold and maintain their League with the Devil and Sin The Son of God was manifest that he might destroy the works of the Devil but these men profess his Faith and keep these Works alive in the World Shall these pass for such as believe to the saving of the Soul For a man to be content with this kind of Faith and to look to go to Salvation by it what to God is a greater provocation The Devil laugheth here for he knows he has not lost his Vassal by such a Faith as this but that rather he hath made use of the Gospel that glorious Word of Life to secure his Captive through his presumption of the right Faith the faster in his shackles It is marvelous to me to see sin so high amidst the swarms of Professors that are found in every corner of this Land Nor can any other reason be given for it but because the Gospel has lost its wonted vertue or because Professors want Faith therein But do you think it is because of the first no the word of our God shall stand in its strength for ever the Faith of such therefore is not right they have for Shields of Gold made themselves Shields of Brass or instead of the Primitive Faith which was of the operation of God they have got to themselves a Faith that stands by the power and in the Wisdom of Man And to say no more to this for what is God so angry with this Land but for the sin of the Professors that dwell therein while they have polluted his name with their Gifts and with their Idols God I say
fruit of repentance yea if you would see the fruits of repentance as described by the Holy Ghost and put together for the further conviction and shame of the impenitent professor look into the Second Epistle to the Corinthians Chapter 7. vers 9 10 11. But this is a day that was never read of a day wherein conversion is frequent without repentance such a conversion as 't is and therefore doth the Church of God now swarm with them that religiously name the name of Christ yet depart not from iniquity Alas all Houses all Tables all Shops have hanging up in them the sign of the want of repentance To say nothing of the talk of the beds and the backs of most that profess by which of these is it that one of a thousand for Men and for Women one of ten thousand do shew that they have repentance No marvel then that the name of Christ is so frequently mentioned there where iniquity dwells yea reigns and that with the consent of the mind I would not be austere but were wearing of Gold putting on of apparel dressing up houses decking of children learning of complements boldness in women letchery in men wanton behaviours lascivious words and tempting carriages signs of repentance then I must say the fruits of repentance swarm in our Land but if these be none of the fruits of repentance then O the multitude of professors that religiously name the name of Christ and do not depart from iniquity But Thirdly Love is another of those great and principal graces which the Hâ—ly Ghost worketh in the heart wherefore let profession be never so high yet if Love be wanting there to be sure such professors depart not from iniquity Hence all profession and subjecting to profession are counted nothing where love is not Love is counted a most infallible sign that a man is in a state of Salvation He that loveth dwells in God is born of God and knoweth him Love divideth it self to God and to my Neighbour Love to God is that we keep his savings his commandments his Laws If a man love me saith Christ he will keep my words and he that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings For this is the love of God that we keep his commandments and his commandments are not grievous So then that professor that hath not love cannot depart from iniquity 1. Where no love is men cannot be tender of the name of God they are not afflicted because men keep not Gods Law 2. Where no love is men cannot deny themselves of that which otherwise they might lawfully do lest the weak should fall and the world be destroyed 3. Where love to God is there is hatred against iniquity ye that love the Lord hate evil A man cannot love God that loves not holiness he loves not holiness that loves not Gods word he loves not Gods word that doth not do it It is a common thing to find men partial in Gods Law setting much by small things and neglectâ—ng the weightier matters paying Tythe of Mint and Anise and Cummin and neglecting the weightier matters These turn the Tables of Gods book up-side-down making little Laws of great ones and great ones of little ones counting half an hours bodily service better than a moral life Love Love is gone out of the Conutry Love to â—he doctrine of the first Table Love to the doctrine of the second Table O how many professors in Gods eyes are accounted of no more than sounding brass for want of this ornament love To speak nothing of the first Table where is he that hath his love manifested by the second where are they that feed the hungry and cloath the naked and send portions to them for whom nothing is prepared Where is Paul that would not eat meat while the world standeth lest he made his brother offend Where is Dorcas with her garments she used to make for the Widow and for the Fatherless Yea where is that rich man that to his power durst say as Job does as is recorded in those Chapters quoted in the Margent Love love is gone and now coveting pinching griping and such things are in fashion now iniquity abounds instead of grace in many that name the name of Christ. They want love and therefore cannot depart from iniquity Fourthly Hope is another of those great and principal graces which the Holy Ghost worketh in the heart and without which let a man be never so high in profession and so open in naming the name of Christ he cannot depart from iniquity As was said before of faith so we say now of hope And every one that hath this hope in him purifieth himself as he is pure Here is that excellent office or rather effect of hope made manifest it purifieth it cleanseth a man it makes him make the Lord Jesus his example as well as his Saviour He purifieth himself even as he is pure to wit in soul in body in spirit in life and conversation Hope of life eternal by Christ makes a man purifie himself in obeying the truth through the spirit Hope to be with Christ hereafter will make me strive to believe him here Hope of being with Angels then will make a man strive to live like an Angel here Alas alas there is a company of half-priests in the world and they cannot they dare not teach the people the whole counsel of God because in so doing they will condemn themselves and their manner of living in the world where is that Minister now to be found that dare say to his people look on me and walk as you have me for an example or that dare say what you see and hear to be in me do and the God of peace shall be with you These men had hope and hope purified them to an example till they became patterns to others Is not this now far off from some professors in the world are they purified are they clean that name the name of Christ are they weaned from that milk and drawn from the breasts No nor their profession is not attended with grace they name the name of Christ well but they do not depart from iniquity Let a man believe a lie and according to the reality of his belief such will his obedience be let a man hope for that for which he hath no ground to hope yet his hope will work with him according to the power thereof And yet we have a generation of men that profest the blessed Gospel which yieldeth the most substantial ground for faith and hope yea we have a company of men that will be naming the name Christ which is the sweetest the most taking and desirable name that is named among the sons of men and for all that this Gospel this worthy name nor yet their naming of it doth make them depart from iniquity But what 's the reason why they have taken up a profession but want the
people could learn to dissemble likewise We shun not our own sins or the sins of our own company as we should Christians learn to be proud one of another to be covetous one of another to be treacherous and false one of another to be cowardly in Gods matters one of another to be remiss and negligent in Christian duties one of another Besides If I should go about to shew here how Christians will hide iniquity as David how they will excuse it as did Aaron how they will plead for it as did the men of the City of Joash for Baal and the like I might soon make it abundantly appear that Christians do not depart from iniquity as they should And therefore the exhortation stands good and of use to the best of Saints on earth that they and every of them should depart from iniquity Yea the observation also that they do not do it as they should doth still stand good against us Wherefore as it is true in those that have nothing but notion and that it is true in those that are wrought upon but not effectually so it is true upon those that are truly gracious observation proves it fears of damnation prove it the outcry of the world proves it and the confession of the best men proves it I come now to another observation with which I will present you and that is this namely that every one that in way of profession and religion names the name of Christ should depart from iniquity I say that every one that in a way of profession and Religion nameth the name of Christ should depart from iniquity This truth needs more practice than proof For I think there are none that have either Scripture or reason by them but will freely consent to this Nor is there any thing ambiguous in the observation that we need now to stand upon the explaining of For What iniquity is who knows not That it cleaves to the best who knows not That it is disgraceful to profession who knows not and therefore that it ought to be departed from who knows not But because the motives in particular may not be so much considered as they ought and because 't is Satans design to tempt us to be unholy and to keep iniquity and the professing man together therefore I will in this place spend some arguments upon you that profess and in a way of profession do name the name of Christ that you depart from iniquity to wit both in the inward thought and in the outward practice of it And those arguments shall be of four sorts some respecting Christ some his Father some our selves and some the World First The Christ whom you profess whose name you name and whose Disciples you pretend to be is holy Be ye holy for I am holy This is natural to our discourse for if Christ be holy and if we profess him and in professing of him declare that we are his Disciples we ought therefore to depart from iniquity that we may shew the truth of our profession to the world Secondly They that thus name the name of Christ should depart from iniquity because This Christ whose name we name is loving Those that have a loving Master a Master that is continually extending his love unto his Servants should be forward in doing of his will that thereby they may shew their sence and acceptation of the love of their Master Why this is his will that we depart from iniquity that we throw sin away that we fly every appearance of evil Thirdly They that thus name the name of Christ should depart from iniquity Because of the honour and reputation of their Lord. 'T is a disparagement to Christ that any of his servants and that any that name his name should yet abide by and continue with iniquity A son honoureth his Father and a servant his Master If then I be a Father where is mine honour and if I be a Master where is my fear saith the Lord of Hosts unto you O Priests that despise my name and ye say wherein have we despised thy name Fourthly They that name the name of Christ should depart from iniquity because of his name that his name may not be evil spoken of by men for our holiness puts a lustre and a beauty upon the name of Christ and our not departing from iniquity draws a cloud upon it Wherefore we ought to depart from iniquity that the name of the Lord Jesus may be glorified and not reproached through us Fifthly They that name the name of Christ should depart from iniquity because of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. That the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ which they profess may not be evil spoken of by our neighbours The Gospel is called holy therefore let them be holy that profess it The which they can by no means be if they depart not from iniquity Men cannot serve the designs of the Gospel and their own worldly and fleshly designs But they that profess the name of Christ they should be tender of his Gospel that they keep that in good esteem and reputation in the world The which they can by no means do unless they depart from iniquity Sixthly They that name the name of Christ should depart from iniquity Because the very profession of that name is holy The profession is an holy profession Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord The vessels that is the profession for by that is as it were carried about the name and Gospel of Jesus Christ. We must therefore lay aside all iniquity and superfluity of naughtiness and do as persons professing Godliness as professing a profession that Christ is the Priest of the High-Priest of It is a reproach to any man to be but a bungleâ— at his profession to be but a sloven in his profession And it is the honour of a man to be excellent in the managing of his profession Christians should be excellent in the managment of their profession and should make that which is good in it self good to the Church and to the world by a sweet and cleanly managing of it Seventhly They that profess the name of Christ or that name it religiously should to their utmost depart from iniquity because of the Church of Christ which is holy He that religiously professeth the name of Christ has put himself into the Church of Christ though not into a particular one yet into the universal one Now that is holy What agreement then hath the temple of God with Idols I or any Pillar or Post or Pin or member of that temple One black sheep is quickly espied among five hundred white ones and one mangie one will soon infect many One also among the Saints that is not clean is a blemish to the rest and as Solomon says one sinner destroyeth much good Eightly They that profess the name of Christ or that name that name religiously should depart