29. and said unto them This is the work that is the Will of God that ye believe on him whom he hath sent Accordingly in the 40. verse This is the Will of him that sent me that every one that believeth on the Son should have everlasting life Now if this be his Will that believing on him we have everlasting life then 't is his Will that we believe on him in relation thereunto so that as well believing on him for everlasting life as everlasting life to believing on him is the Will of God Yea you have it in expresse termes 1 John 3.23 This is his Commandment that we should believe on the Name of his Son Jesus Christ so that you see 't is not barely that which we call good works that is to be understood by the doing of the Will of God but believing in or on the Lord Jesus Christ also this is the Work this is the Will this is the Command of God And beloved I ground it further on this rule which is an undeniable one and for not attending whereunto we have had so many needless groundlesse and unprofitable disputes in the world The rule is this that the Scripture doth often yea very usually put particular duties for all Religion and therefore annexeth salvation to distinct graces Sometime 't is He that believeth shall be saved Elsewhere He that calleth upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved Here 't is He that doth the Will of God Now all these and the like are complex comprehensive Propositions and contain more in them then they make shew of for God spcaks much in a little acts and duties of Religion being as Moralists speak of their vertues inter se connexae linked together in a golden chaine Religion is not this or that piece but the whole which is usually expressed in a word or sometime two * The Apostle comprehends the whole counsel of God under repentance and faith Acts 20.20 21 27. versescompared as in that of Solomon Fear God and keap his Commandments for this is the whole of man Eccl. 12.13 So that if you could suppose a man to be a believer and to be a believer alone it would not save him as the Apostle James saith ch 2.14 What doth it profit my brethren though a man say he hath faith and have not works Can faith save him No no more then saying Be ye warmed will warme any or Be ye filled will fill any for faith without works is dead And what is said of this may be said of the rest so that when the Scripture speaks of salvation as annexed to any one thing it supposeth that to contain the rest The reason is evident for the graces of God as saving are not parted There is no believing to salvation without repentance nor no repentance to salvation without believing there is no calling upon the Name of the Lord will save without departing from iniquity nor can they savingly depart from iniquity that call not on the Name of the Lord. 'T is not any one thing but things that pertain to the Kingdome of God Acts 1.3 'T is not thing but things that accompany or as it may be better read containe salvation Heb. 6.9 and he that takes one for all without all will finde it nothing at all A part is no portion The great fallacy with which Satan deludes many men is that which Logicians call à bene compositis ad malè divisa when he gets them to take Religion into pieces and then takes one piece for Religion One cries up God another cries up Christ another faith another love another good works but what is God without Christ or Christ without faith or faith without love or love without works but now take God in Christ by faith which worketh by love to the keeping of the Commandments of God and this is pure Religion 'T is the whole that is the whole of man Yet again though I have spoken thus much to it let me make it clearer then a demonstration that one is put for all and as containing all by comparing these places of Scripture in 1 Cor. 7.19 you reade that Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing but keeping the Commandments of God What 's that why that is all in all in Gal. 5.6 'T is neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith which worketh by love that 's that which availeth or is all in all Yet in Gal. 6.15 he saith Neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but a new creature that 's all in all and yet for all this as if all this were nothing he tells us in Col. 3.11 that Christ is all and in all cashiering both Circumcision and uncircumcision as formerly Now my beloved if you should take any one of these though each be said to be availing I say if you should take any one and lay the stresse of your salvation upon it you were undone 'T is not keeping the Commandments of God nor faith working by love nor the new creature no nor Christ himself considered alone and apart that availeth any thing but these in conjunction He names one only because whereever one is it is not only one there is more then one whereever one is savingly there are all in their respective places as far as they are to be in relation to salvation Thus you see that faith as well as works and works as well as faith every one in their own order are to be taken in or we shall not be taken into the Kingdome of Heaven And this may suffice for the quid sit as ye call it or the opening of the Point As to the quod sit or proof of the Point that it is so that they and none but they who do the Will of God in the sense explained shall enter into the Kingdome of Heaven though I might say Ipse dixit Christ himself hath said it what need we any further witnesse seeing we know and are assured that his witnesse is true yet we shall give you a whole cloud of witnesses the harmony and consent of Scriptures to clear up this point to evince and evidence the truth thereof to be past a contradiction and without controversie To say nothing of the connexion between the two petitions in the Lords Prayer Matth. 6.10 Thy Kingdom come and thy Will be done Nor of that in Heb. 10.36 For ye have need of Patience that after ye have done the Will of God ye might receive the Promise viz. of the Kingdom of Heaven or eternal life for this is the Promise which he hath made 1 John 2.25 and but to mention that in 1 John 2.17 He that doth the Will of God abideth for ever I say not to insist on these I shall proceed to prove the Point 1. From the testimony that God hath given of the persons already gone to Heaven viz. that they were such I shall instance only in two The first is Enoch
THE WAY TO TRUE HAPPINESSE Or the WAY TO HEAVEN Open'd In a SERMON before the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of the CITY of LONDON Jan. 28. 1654 5 By RALPH VENNING GAL. 6.15 16. For in Christ Jesus neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but a new Creature and as many as walk according to this rule peace be on them and mercy and upon the Israel of God LONDON Printed by T. R. and E. M. for John Rothwel at the Fountain and Bear in Goldsmiths Row in Cheap-side 1655. PACKE Mayor Tuesday Jan. 30. 1654. ORdered that Master Venning be desired from this Court to print as fully as he can his SERMON at Pauls on the last Lords day SADLER To the Right Honourable CHRISTOPHER PACKE LORD MAYOR And the Right Worshipful the ALDERMEN of the CITY OF London Honourable and Honoured THat I print this Sermon and that I print it more largely then I preach't it is in obedience to your Order which having resolved a former scruple of mine will warrant me for so doing without making any further Apologie though I hope that the Readers advantage also will be the more That my preaching then was not and that my speech now is not with the enticing words of mans wisdom but I hope in the evidence and demonstration of the Spirit and Power The reason is that your faith should not stand in the wisdome of words but in the words of wisdome or as the Apostle phraseth it not in the wisdom of men but in the Power of God and that the heavenly treasure might not taste of the earthen vessel Certainly there was never more need then in our dayes of preaching and pressing that of our blessed Saviour Labour not or work not for the meat which perisheth but for that which endureth to everlasting life and if any say to me as they to him What shall we do that we may work the Work of God I refer them to the ensuing Discourse for their Answer Concerning which I only desire that the Scriptures may be search't which do abundantly witnesse thereunto To the Law and to the Testimony if it speak not according to that rule there is no light in it but if it appear as I beleeve it will to be the voice of God and not of man I hope none will quarrel with it lest they be found fighters against God and why should we provoke the Lord to jealousie unlesse we were stronger then he Solomon tells us that of making and reading many books there is no end and when we have read if at least we could read all that are made this will be the Conclusion of the whole matter Feare God and keep his Commandments for this is the whole we reade it duty the meaning is the whole content and Happinesse of man this is all that 's profitable to man it being opposed to all the rest under the Sun which is but vanity and vexation of spirit and verily we may as well finde ease in hell as finde Happinesse any other way and that we shall know however we judge now when as he saith God shall bring every work into judgement with every secret thing whether it be good or whether it be evil How much then doth it concern us to look about us and to work out our salvation with feare and trembling here lest then we feare and tremble because we had not done it Knowing therefore the terrour of the Lord we perswade men as they love their salvation and as they will answer it at the great and terrible day of the righteous judgement of God that they abstain from fleshly lusts which war against their soules that they leane not to their own understanding nor walk in the wayes of their heart and in the desire of their eyes but that they consider to know and do what is the good and acceptable Will of God that they may be found without blame and that when he shall appear ye may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming Watch therefore for you know not what houre your Lord doth come but if any servant say in his heart My Lord delayeth his coming and shall beat the servants and eat and drink with the drunken the Lord of that servant will come in a day when he looks not for him and at an houre when he is not aware and will cut him in sunder he will cut him off and appoint him his portion with unbelievers and that servant which knew his Lords Will and prepared not neither did according to his Will shall be beaten with many stripes I hope none will say as he that had a book brought him which treated of Happinesse I am not at leisure What not at leisure to minde thy soule and thy Happinesse are the world and sin such excellent pieces are they so lovely that thou shouldest set thine heart upon them Oh why wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not 't is not what it seems to be 't is not that which thou lackest nay 't is not that which thou thinkest 't is 't will prove the greatest cheat that can be and though thou gain the whole world what will it profit if thou lose thy soul Well you see the world tottering and tumbling about your eares the fashion of it the lustre thereof doth And Oh that therefore the lust thereof did passe away We are also making haste to our grave if they be not taken from us yet we shall be taken from them and who knows only God knows hovv soon To day then let us hear and obey the voice of God that vvhen the Lord cometh he may finde us so doing as to say unto us Well done good and faithful servants enter ye into your Masters joy Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome That this may be your portion and the portion of them that heard it and of them that read it is the hearty Prayer of him who is 12th Moneth or Febr. 20. 1654. Honourable and Honoured Ingaged and willing as he is able to serve you RALPH VENNING THE WAY TO TRUE HAPPINESSE Discovered From the words of our Blessed SAVIOVR MAT. 7.21 Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdome of Heaven but he that doth the Will of my Father which is in Heaven THough there is nothing more natural to man then to seek after happinesse yet there is nothing that the nature of man is lesse able to finde out then his happinesse Mans hungring desire to attain happinesse is not abated though his ability for the attainment thereof as of and by himselfe be quite lost Since he did eat the forbidden fruit that is since he sinned ever since he was banished from the well-watered Garden of God he poor man hath wandered up and down like a fugitiye and a vagabond in the land of Nod seeking rest in dry places but findeth none Alas how is poor silly man bewildred in
the pursuit of his chiefest good he walks in darknesse and knowes not whither he goes he stumbles and falls yea in seeking to save he loseth himself It is with him as it was with the blinde Sodomites who groping to finde the doore went further from it then they were at first Or like the Dove when it left the Ark alwayes upon the wing ever flying and fluttering up and down but never found where to fix the sole of her foot just thus 't is with man since he left God he knowes not where to rest the foot of his soule Nunc hîc nunc vertitur illîc he goet forward and then back again to the right hand and to the left as Job in another and Solomon in thi◠case to see if he can finde out what is that good for the soules of the sons of men which they should do under the Heaven all the dayes of their life that after this life of dayes is ended they may enjoy life eternal with God in Heaven But alas I must say it again Man is still at a losse Now man being in this pitifully sad and miserable condition it pleased God who is a lover of the souls and the Preserver of men in tender mercy to mankinde to speak * Heb. 1.1 at undry times or by peece-meal and in divers manners unto the Fathers by the Prophets but in the fulness of time to send and in these last dayes to speak to us by his Son he hath discovered his Will fully and wholly by him so that we may not look for another there being no name under heaven but him by which we can be saved whither then should we go for the discovery seeing he only hath the words of eternal life him I say hath God sent to guide our feet into the way of peace yea that he might be the way and the truth and the life unto us He sent Christ from Heaven to earth that Christ might send men from earth to Heaven Accordingly Christ hath acquitted himself like a faithful Steward he hath finished the work which his Father gave him to do He hath done and suffered all that was commanded him for the good of men so that he is pure from the blood of all men having declared unto them the whole counsel of God and chalked out the way wherein they are to walk that they may be happy The summe whereof he hath given us in the text and that is the doing of his Fathers Will. Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the Will of my Father which is in Heaven Christ Jesus having in the thirteenth verse exhorted them to enter in that is as Luke expounds it chap. 13. verse 24. to strive to enter in at the strait gate with forcible arguments to provoke thereunto he doth in the fifteenth verse advise them to beware of false Prophets that they might not be misled and miscarry in a businesse of so great importance to them and therefore tells them verse 16. which is again repeated verse 20. how they may know them viz. by their fruits by their works not by their words happily they may speak as others so that they may not be known by their words but saith he by their fruits ye shall know them Having done this he layes down this position in the text as of greatest concernment not only to them but to all Not every one that saith Lord Lord c. I shall a little open the expressions and then draw the Point which I intend to handle Not every one that is not any one Non omnis est ne unus not every one is as much as if he had said no not one 't is a universal negative without exception Not any one that saith and doth not that saith I go Sir but goeth not that saith and but saith Lord Lord. Lord Lord admits of a threefold explication Not every one that saith Lord Lord 1. By way of Profession 2. By way of Prayer 3. By way of Appeal 1. Not every one that saith Lord Lord by way of Profession that professeth me to be his Lord as Joh. 13.13 Ye call me Lord and Master and ye do well that is so far ye do well for so I am but if I am your Lord and Master where is mine honour or as he saith Luke 6.46 Why call ye me Lord Lord and do not the things which I say Why that is to what end and purpose viz. to none in vain do ye professe me to be your Lord unless you practise obedience to me your Lord. 'T is not Profession but practice at least not Profession without practice It will not do any man any good to be but a Pretender to Religion He that in words confesseth Christ and in works denieth him hath but a forme of Godlinesse without the power and such a man will not be justified by his good words but condemned by his bad works What will it avail to have the name to live and to be dead while we live to have the name of a Christian and not to be as our name is Many a ship hath had the name of Safeguard and Good speed that yet hath miscarried and been cast away Many a man hath had a good name and yet alas hath made a bad end a very bad end whose end hath been to be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of him whom they have called Lord Lord for not every one that saith c. 2. Not every one that saith Lord Lord by way of prayer as they Matth. 25.11 Lord Lord open to us and they Luke 13.25 Lord Lord open to us Though it be and be truly said that every one that calleth on the Name of the Lord shall be saved yet you see that a man may call upon the Name of the Lord I and that again and again he may call Lord Lord and yet be damned His repetitions will be in vain because they are vain repetitions A man may adde prayers to his Profession and yet notwithstanding all his Professions and his Prayers may go to hell for Not every one that saith Lord Lord either by way of Profession or Prayer or both shall enter c. 3. Not every one that saith Lord Lord by way of Appeal as in verse 22. Many shall say to me in that day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy Name have we not we make our appeal to thee we call thee to witnesse and make thee our Judge Thus the Name of the Lord is often called too too often called upon as by them in Jerem. 42.5 The Lord say they be witnesse between thee and us But Appeales made for Justification do not alwayes justifie nor are they justified For saith Jeremiah to them Ye did at that time at that very time when you appeal'd to God ye did dissemble in your hearts And saith Christ at this time though you say unto me
Lord Lord by way of appeal yet I professe unto you I never knew you I never approved of you I know the way of the righteous but the way of the wicked shall perish Depart from me ye workers of iniquity So that 't is not Profession nor Prayer nor Appeal that will give a man entrance into the Kingdome of Heaven Not every one that saith Lord Lord c. By the Kingdome of Heaven is to be understood that state of blessednesse after this life called elsewhere salvation glory and eternal life Which indeed is begun in this life for * Joh. 17.3 This is life eternal to know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent and therefore the dispensation of grace by Jesus Christ is often called the Kingdom of Heaven Repent for the Kingdome of Heaven is at hand but I think the future state to be here principally if not only intended For Then shall the righteous shine forth as the Sun in the Kingdome of their Father Matth. 13.43 But I purposing to speak to the latter clause shall wave this first having given you two or three Observations from the text and context 1. From the connexion of this text with the foregoing verse I shall observe That men are better known by what they do then by what they say Even a childe saith Solomon Prov. 20.11 Even a childe is known by his doings whether his work be pure and whether it be right So saith Christ By their fruits ye shall know them Not every one that saith c. Men are better known by their doings then by their sayings If a man speak well and do ill Charity it selfe cannot speak well of that man as to men God indeed judgeth of their words and their works by their hearts * God judgeth the out-side by the in-side but man judgeth the in-side by the out-side but men cannot judge of men but by their works By their fruits ye shall know them Not by their Profession for they may professe like Saints nor by their Prayers for they may pray like Saints nor by their Appeales for they may appeal like Saints they may say Lord Lord but by their fruits ye shall know them 'T is not the words but the works of men that tell us what they are Indeed saith he they come to you in sheepes cloathing but they are ravening wolves They have as one sayes on the place Jacobs smooth tongue but Esaus rough hand Audi nemo meliùs specta nemo pejùs They speak like Angels of light but they act like Angels of darknesse They defie the devil in words but deifie the devil in works they deifie Christ in words but defie him in works God likes not this Court-holy-water of faire Professions and deep Protestations when mens hearts are not with him when there is not the power of Religion and the practice of Godlinesse By their fruits ye shall know them Not every one that faith c. 2. Good words without good works will never turne to a good account holy sayings without holy doings will never admit into the holy place Not every one that saith Lord Lord c. there will little come of that 3. God is a very curious observer of what men say and of what men do in the world Jesus Christ here observes that they say Lord Lord but withal he observes that they do not the Will of his Father but are workers of iniquity Men indeed may but God will not God cannot be put off with complements Shall not he that made the eye see shall not he that made the eare heare shall not he that made the heart know what is therein Surely saith David Psal 139. thou understandest my thoughts and there is not a word in my tongue but lo thou knowest it altogether And as for the works as he saith to the Church of Ephesus I know thy works But I proceed to the second clause He that doth the Will of my Father which is in Heaven Whence I lay down this Conclusion That they and none but they who do the Will of God shall enter into the Kingdome of Heaven For the clearing of this there is this Querie to be made as to the termes What are we to understand by the Will and by the doing of the Will of God which being answered we may more safely proceed to prove the truth of the Proposition But before I can do this 't is requisite to premise these two things 1. That the Will of God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ are one The Father and he are one and agree in one and indeed 't is in him and by him that we know the Will of God No man saith John chap. 1.18 hath seen God at any time the only begotten Son which is in the bosome of the Father he hath declared him And as the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 2.16 Who hath known the minde of God but we have the minde of Christ wherein and whereby we have the minde of God The Father saith of the Son as Pharaoh did of Joseph Gen 41.55 Go unto Joseph what he saith unto you do And as his Mother said to the servants at the wedding Iohn 2.5 Whatsoever he saith unto you do it Just so his Father saith This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased heare ye him So that whatever Christ saith unto you is his Fathers Will and therefore verse 24. he calleth them his sayings and pronounceth them blessed that hear and do them for they are his Fathers Will. 2. As to the termes I premise this also That these phrases the Will of God the Word of God the Work of God the Commands of God c. are all equivalent and signifie the same thing So then I answer that by the Will of God we are to understand 1. The Credenda Faith 2. The Agenda Holinesse Good works or the * Rom. 16 26. obedience of faith not either but each of them not one or the other but both one and the other the doctrine of faith or things to be believ'd and the doctrine of holinesse or things to be done and practised As faith excludes not doing with respect to salvation so doing excludes not faith for as faith without works is dead so works without faith are dead also as 't is impossible that faith without works can please God so no lesse impossible for works without faith to please God and therefore what God hath joyn'd together man should not put asunder Yea you shall finde that believing is expressely called the Will of God John 6.27 c. Labour not saith Christ for the meat which perisheth but for that which endureth unto everlasting life which the Son of man giveth you Whence by the way observe that Gods giving and mans labouring are not inconsistent free grace and full duty may joyne hearts and hands But say they ver 28. What shall we do that we may work the works of God Jesus answered v.
strengthening him do all things Phil. 4. â—3 tells us also in 2 Cor. 3.5 Not that we are sufficient of our selves and he doubles it as of our selves to think much lesse to do any thing but our sufficiency is of God Oh what need is there then of Christ Jesus to enlighten and enliven to quicken and strengthen us that we be able to do his Will When the Apostle had prayed Col. 1.10 that they might walk worthy of God to all well-pleasing he prayes v. 11. in relation thereunto that they might be strengthened with all might according to his glorious power * We are made willing in the day of his power we cannot pray unlesse the Spirit help our infitmities viz. that whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himselfe and that whereby he raised Christ from the dead as the prayer is Heb. 13.20 21. Now the God of Peace that brought again from the dead the Lord Jesus make you perfect in every good work to do his Will working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight 'T is a good rule that of Luther We must always observe God commanding us with an eye to Christ Serva mandata scil in Christo Keep the Commands or do my Will viz. in Christ or by Christ for without him we can do nothing 2. We do not only need Christ that we may do but we need Christ also when we have done the Will of God We have need not only of patience but of Christ that after we have done the Will of God we may inherit the Promise for my beloved we are but unprofitable servants when we have done our duty because we have done but our duty but alas how much more then are we unprofitable seeing we have not done our duty and if we sin what think you have we not need of an Advocate with the Father and such an one as yea the very Jesus Christ the righteous who is the propitiation for our sins I think and am confident let men talk at what rate they please that when the best in the world come to die they will say with the great Cardinal Tutius est 'T is safer to ground our hopes upon what Christ hath done and suffered then upon what we have done for alas our all is too little our best is too bad our most perfect obedience is too imperfect to relie upon yea I adde that 't is the Will of God we should do so as is evident from 1 John 2.1 2. Yet 5. I infer this without derogation from or contradiction to the former that Christs doing the Will of God doth not exclude our or exempt us from doing the Will of God Though he have done the Will of God yet we also are to do the Will of God though not to the same ends * To all the same ends Farre be it from me to undervalue what Christ hath done and suffered I must live by it if I live for ever but yet beloved I say this God forbid far be it from us let it not it must not by any meanes be that any of us should think that the obedience of Christ doth free us from obedience nay it strongly engageth us thereunto I come to do thy Will saith he and by that Will we are sanctified of which he speaks John 17.19 after this manner For their sakes I sanctifie my selfe that they also may be truly sanctified 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being as much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sanctified in truth or as we reade it by the truth Shall we then live in sin because Christ hath died for sin because Christ hath fulfilled the righteousnesse of the Law and delivered us from by putting an end to righteousnesse by the works of the Law shall we neglect to do righteous works did Christ do his Fathers Will that we might do our own that we might live as we list God forbid be not deceived notwithstanding what Christ hath done we may go to hell if we be found Workers of iniquity Are not we his Workmanship created that is new created unto good works Is not he that is of God made to us righteousnesse made sanctification and redemption from all iniquity Can we think that he will take our sins from us and not take us from our sins Beloved let me tell you Christ died as much to sanctifie as he did to save you yea to sanctifie that he might save you Christ doth not only deliver his people from eternal condemnation but he delivers them also from a sinful conversation and to this end that he may deliver them from eternal condemnation This is the blessing with which he is sent to blesse you to turne you away from your iniquity The same grace that hath appeared bringing salvation doth also teach us Titus 2. to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and live godlily righteously and soberly in this present world and where graces teaching is not learn't graces salvation will not be bestowed Why not why because he gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works These things hath the Apostle in the Name of our Lord and Saviour charged me as I will answer it at his appearing to speak exhort and rebuke with all authority and if any man despise it at his peril be it He will one day finde that it did concern him Let me then tell you again that he is become the Author of eternal salvation to them and only to them that obey him Hebr. 5.9 Though he be the Saviour of all yet the special salvation is to them that believe 1 Tim. 4.10 And these things saith he command and teach In a word to make short of it Though Christs satisfaction not our sanctification be the ground of our justification yet whereever he is justification he is sanctification also or else there could be no salvation for as I told you before I tell you still Without holinesse no man shall see God I beseech you to consider it 6. A sixth Information is this which I should have put in before if Gods Will must then our will must not be done the doing of Gods Will implies the denying of our own Christ came to do not his own Will but his Fathers i. e. not only his owne but we must not at all do ours but all as Gods Man should not leane to his own understanding but in all his wayes acknowledge him in the things of this life we may not confer with flesh and blood not with our own Wills nor do any thing because 't is our but because 't is the Will of God Whatever you do saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 10.31 from the highest duty of grace to the lowest of nature whether you hear pray buy sell eat or drink do all not only one or two things or one or two kindes of things but all to the glory of God that is to please God which is when