so Tit. 1.9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught that he may be able by sound Doctrine both to exhort and convince gainsayers holding fast the faithful word as Adversasaries pluck one way so do you pluck another way striving earnestly for the faith of the Gospel So Heb. 10.23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering for he is faithful that promised Prov. 4.13 Take fast hold of instruction let her not go keep her for she is thy life Prov. 23.23 Buy the truth and sell it not buy it at any rate sell it at no rate thus you see this Duty commanded see it commended in one Example most remarkable and imitable because it was in the purest times the Primitive-time of the Church Acts 2.42 And they continued stedfastly in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers For the better explication of this Point it may be demanded 1. How must Christians hold fast the truth they have received 2. Why must Christians hold fast the truth they have received 1. How must Christians hold fast the truth they ave received I answer They must hold it fast these three ways In their Memories Affections Practice and Conversations 1. They must hold fast the truth in their Memories Heb. 2.1 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard lest at any time we should let them slip We should learn of the blessed Virgin Mary of whom it is said That she kept all these things and pondered them in her heart Luke 2.19 It is not the great getter but the great saver that becomes the rich man it is not the hearing but the keeping of Truths that will make us spiritually Rich. 2. We must hold fast the truth in our Affections we must cleave to the truth in love and liking thus did David Psal 119.31 I have stuck unto thy testimonies O Lord put me not to shame and in ver 20 My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy Judgments at all time O how love I thy Law it is my meditation all the day Ver. 97 and ver 167 of the same Psalm My soul hath kept thy testimonies and I love them exceedingly On the contrary when men have not a sincere love to the Truth they lose both the Truth and their own Souls too 2 Thess 2.10 11 Because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved and for this cause God shall send them strong delusions that they should believe a lye that they all might be damned who believe not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness This is the case of many Papists and Atheists at this day they are drawn away to believe lyes lying miracles lying doctrines when God sees men careless and remiss in their love to the Truth he says to such careless wretches Take him Jesuit take him Satan bind him and blind him and lead him to destruction Hence are all those frequent Exhortations which are fcattered up and down in the Scripture to love Wisdom Understanding and Instruction Prov. 3.3 My son forget not my Law but let thine heart keep my Commandments let not mercy and truth forsake thee bind them about thy neck write them upon the table of thine heart Prov. 4.6 Forsake not wisdom and she shall preserve thee love her and she shall keep thee Prov. 7.4 Say unto Wisdom thou art my sister and call Vnderstanding thy kinswoman What a man loves that he will keep carefully if he loves a Jewel he will be careful to preserve it if he loves a Picture he will be careful not to deface it a man will part with that last which he loves best 3. Hold fast the Truth not only in Memory and Affection but likewise hold fast the truth in Practice and Conversation you should yield conscionable subjection to every known Truth without holding any one part of the Truth in unrighteousness the more a man practiseth what he knows the more he shall know what to practice John 7.17 If any man will do his Will he shall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God or whether I speak of my self True knowledg is the mother of Obedience but obedience is thenurse of Knowledg when a Scholar hath taken out one Lesson well it is an encouragement to a Master to teach him another certainly if we would practice more we should know more The secrets of the Lord are with them that fear him and he will shew them his Covenant Psal 25.14 Look as the Widows oyl by laying it out was encreased so knowledg laid out in practice is put forth to advantage therefore put forth every known truth into practice This is the way to hold fast the Truth you have received The second Quaery by way of Explication is this But why must Christians hold fast the truth they have received with Constaney and Perseverance The Reasons are these First Because the Truth hath many Enemies to oppose it corrupt it gainsay it malign it deface it and disgrace it though Truth cannot be ashamed yet it is many times blamed Jesus Christ himself had not more Enemies upon Earth than his Truth hath at this day yea our blessed Saviour had the more Enemies because he did bear witness to the Truth John 8.40 But now you seek to kill me a man that hath told you the truth which I have heard of God this did not Abraham That was the great quarrel they had against our Saviour because he told them the truth Now as Jesus Christ the Way the Truth and the Life was opposed so will his Truth be opposed to the end of the World First The Devil is a grand Enemy to the Truth that Prince of darkness would not willingly have one Lamp of the Sanctuary unblown out the most of his rage is against the faithful Ministers of the Gospel who hold forth the word of Truth to Gods people Secondly Ignorant Unbelieving Atheistical wretches that count Preaching foolishness that will be ready to undervalue it Thirdly Subtile and undermining Priests and Jesuits those Frogs out of the bottomless pit they will endeavour to corrupt it Fourthly Scandalous Protestants which bring not forth fruit these will cast an aspersion and scandal upon the Truth therefore because of these Enemies Christians should hold forth the truth they have received That 's the first Reason Secondly The second reason is this Truth is worth the holding fast because we have many blessed priviledges by it as for Example 1. The truth of the Gospel is our Cap of Maintenance it is the Charter of our Priviledges it is the evidence of our everlasting Inheritance Thy Testimonies have I claimed for my heritage saith David And will you not keep your evidences for a good Inheritance 2. Here is another Priviledg If you will keep the Truth you may be sure the Truth will keep you as we say of a Tradesman If he will
the Popish Religion is a loose and licentious Religion a Sintolerating Religion for the Pope can dispence with murthering of Princes and the like if it will promote his interest forbidding Priests marriage and yet suffering at the same time Stews and Brothel-houses It was a saying of Sir Walter Raleigh Were I to chuse a Religion for liberty and wickedness I would chuse the Popish Religion therefore in Gods fear hold fast the truth against Popery And hold it fast likewise against the errour of Arminianism which advances mans free-Will above Gods free-Grace And hold fast the Truth against Socinians that deny the Divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ In brief be rooted setled and established in the present truth stick close unto the Word of God as David did stand for it plead for it chuse to lose Liberty Estates Comforts Life and all rather than to part with the Truth David made the Truth his Inheritance Now as Naboth said to Ahab The Lord forbid it me that I should give the Inheritance of my Fathers unto thee 1 Kings 21.3 Could he say so of a temporal Inheritance and shall not we say so of a spiritual Inheritance which is transmitted to us by the blood of Martyrs Shall the Ministers of the Gospel have cause to complain as in Jer. 9.3 And they bend their tongue like their bow for lyes but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth Shall we deal with the truth as the Priest and Levite did with the man that went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among Thieves left him wounded and half dead nay dying in the streets Hath God said Buy the truth and sell it not Prov 23 and shall we sell it for our lusts and profits God forbid Consider who it was that abode not in the truth it was Satan a Lyar who hath no truth in him John 8.44 Even so all wicked men are said to be destitute of the truth and to hold the truth in unrighteousness Rom. 1.18 that is they strive against the light of truth in their hearts those common principles of truth which they had in their understandings they suppressed and choaked that so they might sin more freely but God forbid that we should do so Will not this make the Spirit of truth to forsake us when we forsake the truth What an heroical resolution was that in holy Paul 2 Cor. 13.8 For we can do nothing against the truth but for the truth Oh what an honour is it to a Christian when truth hath such soveraignty in his heart that it is dearer to him than his own life Tit. 1.9 Holding fast the faithful Word Hold forth the word of Life and hold fast the word of Truth hold forth the word of Life by a true profession and conversation and hold fast the word of truth by courage constancy and resolution 1. But may be you will ask me What means may we use thus to hold fast the truth I answer briefly 1. Embrace the truth not only in the light of it but in the love of it what you love you will be sure not to part with Oh get your hearts fired with love to the truths of the Gospel that you may say Lord I love thy truth exceedingly 2. Love not the truth for the person's sake but love the person for the truths sake love no mans parts or person to admire him and be a folower of him farther than he follows Christ Be ye followers of me even as I also am of Christ 1 Cor. 11.1 saith the Apostle It was a great fault in Barnabas Gal. 2.13 that he was carried away by Peters dissimulation by his admiring Peters person so much by his resting and relying too much upon Peter he fell into Peters errour 3. Be ever jealous of your own strength and trust not too much to your own ability this will provoke God to leave you to your selves and then you will fall fearfully 2 Cor. 12.10 For when I am weak then am I strong when I am weakest in my self then am I strongest in a Saviour but when I am strongest in my self in my own opinion then am I weakest in a Saviour no man stands by his own strength for by humane strength can none prevail 4. And lastly Get your hearts established with grace Heb. 13.9 It is a good thing that the heart be established with grace be ballasted with grace as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies A Ship that is well balasted is not so ready and apt to reel as one that is not and when the Apostle puts in a caveat against unsetledness and falling from grace what means does he prescribe 2 Pet. 3.17 18 Ye therefore beloved seeing ye know these things before beware lest ye also being led away with the errour of the wicked fall from your own stedfastness but grow in grace and in the knowledg of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ says he O that you and I could grow more in grace O that we could grow more in the practical part of Religion in our hearts and houses in our lives and conversations I beseech you therefore hearken to this first Exhortation and Duty here prest upon you namely to hold fast the truth you have received hold it fast in your memories in your affections and in your conversations so much for the first branch of the doctrine That Christians must hold fast the truth they have received with constancy and perseverance I come now to the second Proposition or second branch of the Doctrine that is this Christians must hold fast that Grace that they have received with constancy and perseverance For the proof of this the Scripture is abundantly plain and pregnant in Psal 119.23 Teach me the way of thy Statutes O Lord and I will keep it to the end Matth. 24.13 He that endures to the end he shall be saved it is not setting our feet in the way of Christianity but it is a continuance in that course that will bring you to the end of your hopes the salvation of your souls So in Heb. 3.14 We are made partakers of Christ saith the Apostle if we hold the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end this will be an evidence that we are partakers of Christ indeed if we persevere and continue in the grace we have received to the end of our days so we are commanded to serve the Lord not some few days but all the days of our lives Luke 1.75 He that puts his hands to the Plow and looks back saith our Saviour is not fit for the kingdom of God Luke 9. ult and in John 8.31 If you continue in my words then are you my disciples indeed without this perseverance we are but nominal not real Disciples But if you ask me Why must Christians continue in grace and hold fast the grace they have received Hear but some Scripture Arguments strongly pleading for this truth First Unless Christians hold fast the grace and holiness
Tryals that are to be endured You have often heard and you will know it at one time or other you will not believe us but you will believe one day your own experience That through many Afflictions you must enter into the kingdom of God And 2 Tim. 3.12 Yea and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution They must look for persecution in one kind or other And in the world you shall have tribulation saith our Saviour You must look for it says he if you be my disciples John 16.33 And says Luther If thou beest not a Cross-bearing Christian thou art no Christian indeed How is it possible now for a man to climb this rocky way if he hath not strength for the way to Heaven is like the way that Jonathan and his Armour-bearer had in climbing up a great Rock a sharp rock was on the one side and a sharp rock was on the other side 1 Sam. 14.4 How is it possible for a man to climb up this rocky way if he have not some considerable strength If Stephen for example had not had a great measure of strength how could he have lookt upon his persecutors so chearfully in the midst of all their threatnings when they were ready to stone him yet then they beheld his face as if it had been the face of an Angel Acts 6.15 And if Saint Paul had not had considerable strength how could he have have said True the holy Ghost witnesseth that bonds and afflictions wait for me in every place in every City where ever I go but none of these things move me neither count I my life dear unto my self so that I might finish my course with joy and the Ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus to testifie the Gospel of the grace of God Acts 20.23 24. What a gallant answer was that which one made to Valentinian the Arrian Emperour that threatned him with Bonds Imprisonment Banishment and death Tush says he Let him scare children with such Bug-bears as these he cannot scare me with them he may take away my life but he cannot take away my love to the truth Here was a strong Christian Now I say if a man have not a considerable strength how can he be able to bear all the afflictions that he may meet with Can you drink of the cup says our Saviour that I shall drink of and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with Matth. 20.22 He speaks there of the baptism of blood Can you be baptized with this bloody baptism can you be content to suffer for my sake Thirdly You have need of a great deal of strength in your souls in regard of the enemies that are to be encountred with spiritual enemies dangerous enemies deadly implacable enemies For example now One of the greatest Enemies you have to encounter with is an invisible enemy namely that Judas which you and I have in our hearts the cursed corruption in our Natures that works us more mischief than either the World or the Devil nay then all the Devils in Hell can do You see the whole world in a manner is subdued by this cursed enemy called Sin the whole World almost is brought into bondage to it and it is an enemy that you and I can never be rid of until our bodies drop down into the dust Then you have a flattering and bewitching World and the lusts and pleasures of it are its baits those baits and allurements of it do so Lime-twigg the soul it is not able to mount up oh how many are bewitched by it to their own destruction Demas hath forsaken me having loved this present World and he loves it because it is present What is the reason of all the Apostacy and Back-sliding and falling from the Profession and Principles and Practice of Godliness but only the love of this present world Men love the world because it is present they prefer a present possession before a future expectation Christs promise is for the future You shall be happy hereafter but say they the world pays down upon the nail You shall have it in hand not in hope says the world If you can but lye swear and cog and flatter and temporize and turn with every wind saith the world you shall have this preserment Now this is that which takes with many men the World is such an enemy while it kisses it kills the World like Dalilah while it dandles you upon its lap it betrays you to Satan How many are there at this day that will sacrifice the peace of a good conscience they will forsake and lose God and Christ and heaven and happiness and all rather than they will part with their present enjoyments Oh that such would consider the pleasures of sin are but for a season but the punishments for sin are for ever Again You have Satan to encounter with who is an implacable enemy a roaring Lion that walks about seeking whom he may devour and the dint of all his malice is against those that desire to walk most strictly most uprightly before God for the greater part of the world I mean them that are unregenerate those that are rockt asleep in the Cradle of security he never troubles them When the strong man armed keeps his Palace all his goods are in peace Satan never molests them these are his own houshold under his own power but the dint of all his malice is against those that have given up their names to Jesus Christ and the more holy and heavenly-minded and unblameable you desire to be in your Conversations the greater will be his rage and enmity against you Fourthly Another Enemy you have to encounter with and that is Death the last enemy that shall be destroyed which is called the King of fears and the fear of Kings of all terribles the most terrible as the Philosopher calls it Now you have all these enemies to conquer and how can you look the King of terrors in the face if you have not this spiritual strength Fifthly You have need of a great deal of strength in regard of the danger of Apostacy that must be prevented Oh great exceeding great greater than I am able to tell you is the danger of Apostacy Oh that I could speak it with all earnestness that if it might be you might take heed of it Those that turn aside to their crooked ways the Lord shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity Oh they are lost and undone for ever Psalm 125.5 And if any man draws back saith God my soul shall have no pleasure in him A dreadful Scripture which may make Apostates quake and tremble God takes no pleasure in such as draw back and it had been better for a man never to have known the ways of God than having known them to turn aside from the holy commandment It s better to be an Atheist a Pagan a Turk an Insidel any thing rather than an Apostate
is born of God and knoweth God He that loveth not knoweth not God for God is love And in ver 12 If we love one another God dwelleth in us and his love is perfected in us 2. We may know the Spirit of God is bestowed upon us by constancy in our profession and stedfastness in the ways of truth this is one certain mark of the Spirit of God when a man can hold fast his profession and that without wavering can keep close to the truth How did Job approve himself to be one that belonged to God My foot hath held his steps saith he his way have I kept and not declined Job 23.11 And how did David prove himself to be one of his sheep I have chosen the way of truth and I have stuck unto thy testimonies Psal 119.30 31. That is a dreadful Scripture in John 2.9 Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God He speaks of transgression in Judgment in running into corrupt Opinions and he that abides not in the Doctrine of God but falls from the Truths of Christ he hath no part in God 3. By a zeal for Gods Glory his Cause his Truth especially in evil times That man that can stand up for God when others forsake him and sin againsthim that man that can be most zealous in maintaining of Gods Truth and can say with David in Psalm 69.9 The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me And Psalm 119.158 I beheld the transgressors and was grieved because they kept not thy word By this may we know the Spirit of God is in us 4. By sympathy and compassion towards our Brethren that are in afflictions and misery if one member suffer all the rest of the members suffer with it when we can sigh in their sorrows and bleed in their wounds and be affected with their miseries and calamities as if they were our own By these effects we may know whether we have received the mark of Christ that is the Spirit of Christ That is the first sign if you have received the Mark of Christ Secondly If thou be a Sheep of Christ thou art returned from thy former wandrings 1 Pet. 2.25 Ye were as sheep going astray but are now returned to the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls Canst thou say there hath been a work of Conversion wrought on thy soul Once thou wast unprofitable but now art profitable once thou wert wandring in the wilderness of sin but now thou art brought home to Jesus Christ Is there a work of Conversion wrought in thy soul canst not thou say now I am not the same man I was the same woman I was Certainly if there be a returning from your ways of wandring and walking in paths of new obedience and keeping in the Fold of Christ then you are the Sheep of Christ Thirdly If thou be a Sheep of Jesus Christ thou mayst know it by thy carriage towards thy Shepherd if thou art a Sheep of Christ thou wilt know thy Shepherd thou wilt know and see so much sweetness fulness and all-sufficiency in him that thou wilt say None but Christ none but Christ thou wilt count all things but dross and dung in comparison of Christ Thirdly Thou wilt hear his voice My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me John 10.27 Now to hear the voice of Christ is to be able to discern his voice from the voice of strangers The Spouse was able to discern the voice of her Beloved Cant. 2.8 The voice of my Beloved The great work he was to do was to work out redemption for me he was to do and suffer much but all could not daunt him But he comes leaping on the mountains and skipping on the hills Then they follow him Christ sheep have not only the Ear-mark to hear his voice but also the foot-mark they follow him whithersoever he goes when Christ calls them they say Lo here we are They follow him by imitating him in his Patience Meekness Humility c. And if thou wilt study how to be like him that thou mayst be made more and more conformable to his Image by thy carriage towards thy Shepherd thou mayst know if thou art his Sheep thou wilt know him hear his voice follow him and labour to be made conformable to him A fourth mark whereby thou mayst know whether thou art a Sheep of Jesus Christ is this Thou mayst know it by thy carriage towards the Flock that is towards thy fellow Servants towards those that are the members of Jesus Christ It is observed of Sheep that they are the most profitable creatures you can name so if thou be a sheep of Jesus Christ thou wilt not be an unprofitable burthen in thy station but thou wilt be fruitful in thy place and profitable to others 1 Cor. 10.33 Even as I please all men in all things not seeking my own profit but the profit of many that they may be saved And sheep as they are profitable so they are innocent and harmless creatures they wrong they injure none so if thou be one of the sheep of Christ thou wilt be harmless Phil. 2.15 That ye may be blameless and harmless the sons of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse Nation The Greek word for Harmless is there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies without Horns not pushing one another if you be the sheep of Christ you will dearly love one another but if you bite and devour one another you are Dogs and not Sheep Fifthly Sheep are contented with their Pasture Oh! if thou be a sheep of Jesus Christ thou wilt bless God in any state and condition whatsoever thou art in thou wilt say If I have gotten Jesus Christ no matter how poor and low and despicable my condition on earth be Sixthly Sheep usually are united one to another they go in Flocks and Herds they do not willingly forsake one another If thou be a sheep of Christ thou wilt keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace Ephes 4.3 Thou wilt not forsake the assembly of Gods Saints Heb. 10.25 Oh my Brethren you should labour to find these sneepmarks upon your souls A third Use it is for Exhortation If Jesus Christ be the blessed Shepherd as you have heard him described that hath the greatest care and love and power and reward Oh! what an invitation might this be to every one to come to Jesus Christ and to stand out no longer many perswasions have been tendered to you many hundred times and yet some of you never brought home to Jesus Christ to this day Oh that this might be that blessed day wherein Jesus Christ and some wandring sheep may be brought together Consider who calls thee it is not a Judg but a Shepherd and consider why he calls not to hurt but to heal thee not to kill but to cure thee not to
certain seasons wherein grace must be especially acted as there are certain seasons of the year in Spring you have buds and blossoms in Summer you have fruits green and growing in the Autumn you have the same fruits ripe and ready to be eaten Every thing is beautiful in its season Eccles 3.11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time so every grace is beautifully acted when it is seasonably acted Fifthly He that hath the least measure of grace must not be discouraged but must be acting it still that in the exercise of it it may be increased nay certainly a man that hath but one Talent Mat. 25.15 that is but a little measure of grace and doth act it well he shall have more comfort a great deal than he that hath five Talents and doth not wisely act them Thus you see the first thing opened what is required of a Christian that he may rightly act his grace The second thing for explication is But why must Christians thus be acting of their graces Let me give you these four reasons First The acting of grace will be a certain evidence of the truth of grace there is no more certain evidence of the truth of grace than the acting of grace it may be there are some poor souls that hear me that will be ready to say O what would I give that I might but have a certain and infallible evidence of the truth of grace though it were but as a grain of Mustard-seed that I could but say that I have true faith and true repentance and true love to Jesus Christ had I an assurance that it were in truth what would I give I will tell thee for thy comfort Here is a rule in the Text If thou walk in Jesus Christ that is if thou be acting that little grace thou hast received it is a certain token of the truth of it A painted fire will not warm a man a painted Cow will give no milk a painted Horse will not move a painted Tree will not grow so here a painted Christian a counterfeit Christian a Hypocrite counterfeit grace will never grow a counterfeit Christian is always a dead and barren Christian but if thou art a fruitful Christian it is a token that grace that thou hast is grace in truth as the Apostle speaks 2 Pet. 1.5 6 7 8 And besides this giving all diligence add to your faith virtue and to virtue knowledg and to knowledg temperance and to temperance patience and to patience godliness and to godliness brotherly-kindness and to brotherly-kindness charity for if these things be in you and abound they make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledg of our Lord Jesus Christ when a man is acting of his grace he is adding to his grace add to your faith virtue and to virtue knowledg c. When a man is acting of his grace then he is not barren nor unfruitful when these two go together then may a man be confident that he is a real Christian a Disciple indeed and not a Disciple in name only There are these two special properties of grace the acting of grace and the growth of grace and you have them both in that place 2 Pet. 1.5 6 7 8 the activity of grace when a man is not barren nor unfruitful in the knowledg of our Lord Jesus Christ And the growth of grace when a man adds to his faith virtue to virtue knowledg to knowledg temperance to temperance patience c. Compare these two places of Scripture together Gal. 6.15 with Gal. 5.6 In Gal. 6.15 says the Apostle For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but a new Creature compare that with Gal. 5.6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith which worketh by love In the former place namely Gal. 6.15 but a new creature there the Apostle speaks of the habit of grace in the latter namely Gal. 5.6 but faith which worketh by love there he speaks of the activity of grace when the habit of grace is turned into the activity of grace when faith worketh by love that is a token of true graceindeed A second reason is this The more you act your graces the more you shall encrease them Tradesmen know the more they trade with their Stock the more they increase their Stock Grace is like the Windows oyl the more it is poured out the more it is increased 2 Kings 4.6 Nay there is a promise made to that man that doth well use his grace Matth. 25.29 For unto every one that hath shall be given and he shall have abundance which place must be rightly understood our Saviour speaks there of gifts of the same kind and same order otherwise we will run into the Pelagian and Arminian opinion which is That the well-using of the gifts of nature will merit the gifts of grace so the Arminian would have the meaning of the words to be he that well uses the gifts of nature to him shall be given the gifts of grace Our Saviour there â—peaks no such matter but he speaks thus he that hath saving-grace shall have more saving-grace that man that hath saving-grace by well-using of it shall have more saving-grace as a man the more he plays upon an Instrument the more dextrous he grows the more cunning and skilful he will be So here the more you act your graces the more a great deal shall you increase them to him that hath shall be given and he shall have abundance Thirdly A third reason is this Because God hath given grace for that very end that it may be acted If God hath given thee grace it is not that thou shouldst hide it like a Candle under a Bushel nor for thee to put in a dark Lanthorn but that thou shouldst set it upon a Table for the advantage and benefit of others But the manifestation of the spirit is given to every man to profit withal 1 Cor. 12.17 And in 1 Pet. 4.10 As every man hath received the gift even so minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God And why are we said to be Stewards of the manifold grace of God because we should be dispensing them as Stewards that have their Masters goods not to put them in their own purses or to convert them to their own advantage but to be dispensing of them and diffusing them for their Masters advantage we are Stewards of the manifold grace of God look as God gives to some more riches than to others because he would have them to be more rich in good works than others so he gives to some more grace than he gives to others because he would have them diffusive of grace making others rich in grace He gives to some more comforts than he gives to others because he would have them to comfort others with the same comforts wherewith they themselves are comforted of God
1.6 Thirdly Consider the time of running is but short but the time of your Reward will be eternal if you do not come short of this eternal Rest but hold out and run to the end of the Race If you can but say with the Apostle 2 Tim. 4.7 I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have been faithful unto the death I have not wickedly departed from my God as David speaks Psal 18.21 If you be not Apostates but hold out to the end know that your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. O the unconceivable Reward O the invaluable and unconceiveable Bliss of all those that come to this eternal Rest The tongue of Men and Angels is not able to express it I beseech you on the one side fear the loss of it and on the other side let the consideration of that eternal happiness quicken you to do the utmost of your endeavours to attain it If you had ten thousand lives to spend in the service of God if you had ten thousand Estates to lay down at his feet if you could do as much as all the Apostles did and all the Martyrs did or suffered let me tell you the fruition of Jesus Christ one day in glory will recompence it all The Lord work these things upon our hearts that every one of us here present may fear exceedingly and continually lest a Promise being left of entring into his Rest we should forsake the Promise and by forsa ing the Promise should come short of eternal Happiness The persevering Saint shall be the Crowned Saint REV. III. 11. Behold I come quickly hold that fast which thou hast that no man take thy Crown THE seven famous Churches of Asia mentioned in the three first Chapters of this Book of Revelations had this honour put upon them to have seven Epistles sent unto them immediately from the Lord Jesus Christ himself and as they were the glory of the World while they stood fast to God and to his Truth so were they after their declining from God and his Truth made the Monuments of his anger and indignation The words I have now read unto you are part of the sixth Epistle written from the Lord Jesus Christ to the Church of Philadelphia wherein as he was a faithful Witness and one that knew their spiritual Estate better than they knew it themselves therefore he sets down in his Epistle something by way of Commendation Consolation Exhortation Something is set down here by way of Commendation in ver 8 I know thy works behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it By open door may be meant either a free and full liberty and opportunity of spreading the Gospel as the Apostle uses that phrase 1 Cor. 16.9 For a great door and effectual is opened to me and there are many adversaries or else by open door may be meant a door of Hope in reference to Eternity that door of Heaven that sin had shut against us is by the merit of Jesus Christ opened to us Oh blessed are they that have this door opened to them by Jesus Christ who is the Door the Way the Truth and the Life but says he Thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name This is by way of Commendation though she had but a little strength yet because she improved it and did not deny the name of Christ was not an Apostate Church this our Saviour puts upon her account of Commendation 2. Here is something also by way of Consolation in ver 9.10 Behold I will make them of the Synagogue of Satan which say they are Jews and are not that is I will discover their Hypocrisie I will make them known to be what they are and reveal to whom they do belong I will make them to come and worship before thy feet and to know that I have loved thee that is I will subdue thy Enemies under thy feet and let them know that I have loved thee and in ver 10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth Here is marvellous comfort Jesus Christ never brings his Children into a Wilderness but he goes with them when they go through the fire and through the water he will be with them I will keep thee and I will uphold thee says he Then in the third place Here is something by way of Exhortation in the words of the Text Behold I come quickly hold that fast which thou hast that no man take thy Crown In which words there are two things considerable 1. A Duty pressed 2. Motives expressed The Duty pressed is Constancy and Perseverance Hold fast that which thou hast The Motives expressed are two the one is drawn from the suddenness of Christs coming to Judgment Behold I come quickly the other is taken from the danger of losing their Crown set before them That no man take thy Crown 1. For the Duty pressed Hold fast that thou hast keep it with might and main use thy utmost endeavour to keep what thou hast What was that this Church had which Christ exhorts to hold fast It had both the profession and possession of true Religion Now this true Religion consisted in two things in purity of Doctrine and in holiness of Life and Conversation both these this Church had she had purity of Doctrine as I shewed you out of ver 8 Thou hast kept my Word and hast not denied my Name thou hast kept my Word Then for holiness of Conversation she had not denied Christs Name in the midst of Persecution Thou hast kept theword of my patience Now says our Saviour that which thou hast that true Religion thou profesest maintain and keep hold fast against all opposition both in profession and practice hold fast the truth thou hast embraced and hold fast the grace that thou hast received So then the Doctrine I shall commend to you hence is this Doct. That Christians must hold fast both the Truth and the grace they have received with Constancy and Perseverance There are two branches in this Doctrine which we might make two Propositions The first this That Christians must hold fast the truths they have received with Constancy and Perseverance The second this That Christians must hold fast the grace they have received with Constancy and Perseverance I begin with the first That Christians must hold fast the truths they have received with Constancy and Perseverance For the proof of this consider that place 2 Tim. 1.13 Hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast heard of me in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Model or that Plat-form of Gospel-Truths those fundamental Truths which the Apostle had wrapt up in a bundle to be received and embraced
To him that hath shall be given he that well useth his Talent shall have more Talents given to him Thirdly Because God doth love to reward his Servants Just as a Master deals with his Factor beyond the Seas when he sees that he deals faithfully with him in smaller matters he intrusts him with more of his Estate so when God sees us faithful in a little he trusts us with more when he sees us to use one talent well he will give us five talents to trade with Fourthly Because the more grace is acted the more it grows and is encreased Remarkable is that Scripture Heb. 5. ult But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil By reason of use have their spiritual senses exercised Use legs as we say and have legs the more a man sets about this Heavenly Employment of acting of grace the more grace he shall have in his heart Now for the Application of this Point and first by way of Instruction it serves to let you see what is the reason of that truth which carnal men will hardly helieve That Godly men are the only wise men and that wicked men though they are never so knowing are errant fools this is a truth plainly set down in this Scripture The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom Prov. 9.10 None are wise but those that fear the Lord none are prudent in Gods account but those that are obedient those that practise what they know practical Christians are the only prudent Christians in Gods account Remarkable is that Scripture Deut. 4.5 6 Behold I have taught you Statutes and Judgments even as the Lord my God commanded me that ye should do so in the Land whither ye go to possess Keep therefore and do them for this is your wisdom and understanding in the sight of the Nations that shall hear these Statutes and say Surely this great Nation is a wise and understanding People But now on the contrary wicked men let them have never so much knowledg let them have as much knowledg as the wicked Angels who are knowing Spirits the Devils are intelligent Spirits if he do not put his knowledg into practise if he be a wicked man he is in Gods account an errant fool he is but a very Sot He is in darkness and walketh in darkness and knoweth not whither he goeth because darkness hath blinded his eyes 1 John 2.11 The second Use it is by way of Exhortation and let it be a powerful perswasion to every one here present and Oh that I could leave this Exhortation warm upon your hearts Oh that I could put you upon the practise of what you have heard I beseech you as ever you desire that Jesus Christ should take you by the hand and kiss you with the kisses of his mouth and manifest his love to you as ever you desire that Jesus Christ should make fuller discoveries of himself to you labour to practise what you know live up to your light do not foster or favour any known sin nor bauk nor decline any known Duty but live up to your light Now that I may press you to it consider First We live in times of Libertinism and loosness wherein many hold the truth in unrighteousness The wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against them that imprison the Truth that sin against the light of their knowledg and Conscience that blow out the Candle lest it should discover truth to them Light is come into the world but men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil John 3.19 And this is the condemnation to them with a witness who shut the light out of their Souls The wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness Rom. 1.18 Let me set on this Consideration with this Motive First Consider how little it is that we know of God The very best of Gods Saints and Servants how little do they know of him To use Jobs phrase Job 26. ult How little a portion is heard of him What a little knowledg is it that the most knowing men have There is a thousand times more excellency and sulness and sweetness and Soul-satisfaction and beauty and all sufficiency in God in the Lord Jesus Christ than ever yet was known or discovered How little a portion do we know of God! The greatest part of our knowledg is the least part of our ignorance we are ignorant of a thousand times more than we know There are unsearchable riches in Jesus Christ as the Apostle calls them Ephes 3.8 There is a thousand times more riches in Christ than ever was discovered Mines of Wisdom and Knowledg that you were never yet acquainted with now if you would know more practise what you do know Secondly Consider the more you know of God the nearer do you come to Heaven for the fulness of the Saints happiness in Heaven will be this when they shall see God as he is and know him as he is 1 John 3.2 Beloved now are we the Sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is Heaven consists in the Beatifical Vision of God a sight of God seeing of him as he is in Heaven David gives you a glimpse of Heaven in one Verse Psalm 17. ult As for me I will behold thy face in righteousness I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness Heaven consists in the Vision of God in conformity to God and in satisfaction in God this is Heaven Vision of God I will behold thy face in righteousness Conformity to God When I awake with thy likeness Satisfaction in God I shall be satisfied then our Knowledg will be perfected Thirdly Consider that this experimental Knowledg that springs from Obedience will make you sound and solid Christians that you shall not take up Religion upon trust but you shall know upon what grounds you believe upon what grounds you have the hope of eternal happiness you shall not have your Religion upon trust or Tradition you shall have a certain evidence of your interest in Jesus Christ and your hope of Eternal happiness you shall be able to read your names written in Heaven On the contrary take away that experimental Knowledg that springs from Obedience and a man may be a Turk upon the same ground that he is a Christian because he takes his Religion upon trust Take away this experimental Knowledg a man may be of any Religion as well as a Christian O get this Knowledg that springs from Obedience then you will know upon what grounds you take up Religion and your hopes of Heaven and happiness will be upon good grounds Fourthly Consider God looks upon all your Knowledg as nothing worth unless