and of thy poor soul let thy meditation run on thy poore soule The heart is untoward unto this duty and as unwilling as a Bear to be brought to the stake the Beare would rather be rambling abroad then be baited so men had rather let their hearts ramble about any thing then bait them for their sinnes yea men scoffe at it saying shall we alwayes be poring on our sins shall wee run mad shall we drive our selves to despaire cannot men keep themselves well while they are well The poore man he hath no time for this tedious duty the rich man he needs it not the wicked they dare not so no man will No man repented him of his wickednesse saying What have I done Ier. 8.6 No man would meditate and thinke with himselfe what is my case how stands my condition before God what evill have I done In the Ark and in the old law if there were any beast that chewed not the cud it was a signe of an unclean beast the word implies the bringing up of their meat into their mouthes again and sitting downe to chew it again But now men like unclean beasts swallow downe the food of their soules unchewed and will not meditate thereof that it may turne to good nutriment but like Cormorants they take it downe by whole-sale and are never the better So the Word is to them as the Quailes to the Israelites while the flesh was yet between their teeth ere it was chewed the wrath of the Lord was kindled against them and smote them with a very great plague Num. 11.33 so the Word of God sticks in their teeth ere they chew it or meditate upon it the wrath of God fals upon them and strikes them with a very great plague of hardnesse of heart and leannesse of soule But the truth is you that will not now see your sinnes nor meditate on them you shall see them and meditate on nothing but on feare Lord when thy hand is lifted up they will not see but they shall see and be ashamed Esay 26.11 Let. 1 Now the Lets of serious meditation are First vain company When Peter saw the people touched Acts 2.37 he said unto them Save your selves from this untoward generation vers 40. as if he should say If you love your selves God hath touched your hearts suffer not Satan and these wicked instruments to steale away these impressions of terror from your soules If ever you love your soules sort not your selves with this untoward generation See as it humbles you so let meditation follow upon it so that it may still humble you Ill company brings a man to the gallowes as the proverb is and ill company will bring a man to hell say It and meditation cannot be admitted to it David would not have a wicked man to abide in his sight when he was to meditate he wisht that there were never a wicked man in the world much lesse would he keep company with them My meditation of him shall be sweet let the sinners be consumed out of the earth and let the wicked be no more Blesse thou the Lord O my soul Psal 104.35 Let. 2 The second Let is multitude of worldly businesse A dream saith Solomon comes through multitude of businesse Eccles 5. Multitude of businesse causeth the mind so to run on them that they do even dream of them in their sleep as Lucretius Seneca Claudian and many others of the heathens have observed He that over-imployes himself his meditations of heaven are dreaming meditations his thoughts dreaming thoughts he can never seriously meditete on the good of his soul Many ingrosse businesse into their hands never thinking they have enough they are so greedy after the world and so carelesse of heaven So they make their hearts like high-way ground the word sown in their hearts is like seed sown in the high-way where is such a through-fare and a broad Carriers road of earthly affairs that all the word and meditation thereof is troden down as the grass in the high-way which cannot grow so neither meditation in a busie-bodied heart For a good meditating mind Nemo ad illam pervenit occupatus saith Seneca no man ever came to it surfeited with imployments David although he had abundance of State affairs both his hands full yet he would not have his hands to be over-charged but that he might meditate in Gods word My hands also not all downe to businesse onely in the world but also up to thy Law will I lift up to thy commandements which I have loved and I will meditate on thy statutes Psal 119.48 Take not too much upon thee like those grasping worldlings that wil have a finger in a hundred things Martha Martha thou art cumbred about many things but one thing is needfull and Mary hath chosen the better part Luk. 10.41 and what was that one thing Mary was sitting and meditating in and pondering Christs words not as Theophylact expounds it as if he would say Martha Martha thou art cumbred about many dishes but one thing is needfull only one dish though indeed so it be yet he here speaks not only of one dish but of many cares which hinder that one necessary dutie of hearing and meditating on the word of God Thirdly ignorance A man cannot meditate of a thing he knowes not nor thou of thy sinnes if thou be not skilfull in Gods catalogue of thy sinnes nor of mercies and promises if thou beest not verst in them nor of his Precepts if thou be not expert in them The Psalmist proveth that he had more knowledge then all his Teachers Why Because he used to meditate I have more understanding then all my Tutors for thy testimonies are my meditation Psal 119.99 Fourthly aversenesse of the heart The heart is like the swine meditation is like the yoke the Hogge would fain get into forbidden fields for to grub them the yoke that hinders him but he cannot abide it every step he takes he lifts up his foot to strike it off if he could so the heart would faine break through hedges and get into forbidden wayes and if thou wouldest meditate it would every moment lift up its heele to put thee besides it If it cannot put thee besids it it will marre it if it can and therefore David praid to God to settle his heart upon the right and put his yoke upon him or it would never be stedfast else upon meditation Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart bee ever acceptable in thy sight O Lord my strength and my redeemer Psal 19.14 This aversenesse of the heart consists in three things First in the carelesnesse of the heart the heart prizeth not meditation nor the things of grace that are to be meditated on it will not be at the cost and charge nor at the paines for them To what end is a price in the hands of a foole seeing there is no heart to get wisedome Prov. 17. â—6 The
saith of them Can the Blockmore change his skin or the Leopard his spots then may they do good that are accustomed to do evill The blacknesse of the Blackmore is only in the out-side of the skin yet all the Art under the heavens cannot blot it out So if once hardnesse possesse thy soule all the preaching of the Ministers and all the means of grace in the world can never bring it unto that frame and temper as to make it melt under the hand of God I tell thee thou that usest to come unto Sermons day after day and refusest to repent living still in thy sinnes there is no hammer nor beetle in the world more hard then thy heart as those men and women that sit under the preaching of the Word and hear the doctrine of life like raine from above beating and knocking on their consciences and on their hearts to awaken them out of their sinnes and yet notwitstanding will not repent at last they prove to be deafe Adders that stop their eares against the Word charme the Charmer never so wisely 2. God may seare mens consciences Doth thy conscience tell thee that thou art a luke-warmling and wilt thou not be reformed Doth thy conscience tell thee that thy prayers and all thy religion is rotten and unsound and that thy repentance is hypocriticall and naught and that for all thy vaine hopes thou art but a dissembler and yet remainest in thy sinnes and wilt thou not be bettered hereby Take heed for that man that runns on in sinne against the voice of his own conscience that man sinnes the sinne of Saul 1 Sam. 13.8 God bid him stay seven dayes untill Samuel came Saul stayes full seven dayes within one houre at last his lust began to bawl What shall I stay for a Prophet thus long Stay sayes his conscience Why sayes Saul I waited for him so long even seven dayes lacking but one houre Stay saith God to his conscience for the Word of God bids thee stay so long he stayed one day and two dayes and six dayes and seven dayes but one houre Stay saith his conscience no hee would not but I forced my selfe saith the Text as if hee should say I hardened my heart to do it though the word of the Lord my own conscience bid me stay and not do it yet I forced my selfe to do it What was this mans sinne Was it his offering of Sacrifice and calling upon God by prayer No the Lord commands us to call upon him in time of distresse and being commanded it was lawfull Was it his sinne to meddle with the Priests office No for he did but appoint the Sacrifice the Priest offered it What was it the breaking of one houres time No for he had sinned more against God then so but this was his sinne that he went against his own conscience when God stood in the way when conscience stood in the way conscience said stay but he would not stay God bid him stay but he would not stay And this is the sinne of many thousands amongsts us mens consciences tel them that they must not be drunkards mens consciences tell them that they must not be worldlings they must not be swearers they must not be luke-warme professors they must pray better then they do and have other faith then yet they have if ever they meane to be saved wilt thou yet against thy conscience force thy selfe to go on in thy sins from day to day and never be reformed take heed lest the Lord be provoked to set thy sun upon thy head and shut up thy heart and tonclude thy eternall destruction Object Suppose I go on in my sinnes and follow my wicked courses now what if I seek him hereafter and humble my soule before him with fasting and prayer and when I lie upon my death-bed I send a ticket unto my Minister to pray for me will all this do me no good Answ Surely no saith God Jerem. 15.1 Though Moses and Samuel stood before me yet my affections could not be toward this people cast them out of my sight Dost thou lie sick upon thy death-bed were Samuel Job or Daniel the Minister of thy Parish and thou shouldst send thy ticket unto them desiring them to remember thee in their prayers if Noah stood in the Pulpit and Job and Daniel were here before the Lord for to plead for thee yet he would not hear thee Object But suppose I humble my self by fasting and prayer will not God hear that Answ No if thou neglect the day of grace Jer. 14.12 when they fast I will not hear them and when they offer oblations I will not accept their cry but I will consume them by the sword by famine and by pestilence You may set up your fastings prayers and humiliations you may lament and mourne and pine away your selves in your sins but it is not all your prayers and fastings it is not all your lamentation and mourning that will do you good so long as the counsell of the Lord is rejected Because I called and ye would not answer therefore you shall call but I will not hear they thought that the Lords eares would alwayes be open and that when they called the Lord would have answered and that the day of grace would ever remain but God saith I will not hear them they would never have sought if they thought the Lord would not hear them but all their seeking was in vain Object You will say at what time soever a sinner repenteth he shall have mercy Answ It is true if thou repent from the bottome of thy heart but thou maiest come with many a degree of repentance and yet never repent whilest thou livest if thou repent from thy heart and root out thy sins then God will put away thy sins but thou maiest go on in repentance and calling upon God and performing many duties of Religion and yet be hardned look how much Religion will stand with self-love so much thou maiest have after the day of grace is gone Selfe-love may make a man flie to prayer and run after Sermons and go on in many holy duties and give over many sins look how far self-love may drive thee unto holy duties so far thou maist go and yet notwithstanding remaine hardned O therefore let us not delay nor put off the time of grace nor let go salvation while it may be had then shall they call but I will not answer he doth not set down when this time is it may be it is now it may be not this seven yeers it may be not till thy death Doct. 2 Doctr. It may be this very day even this very Sermon this very houre may be thy day that art now in thy sinnes that if thou repent not at this very one Sermon thou neglectest eternall life for ever lose the benefit of this Sermon at this time and thou maiest lose eternall salvation and never have it more The thiefe that robd this day
before as Saul went on in duties of Religion as well after Samuel had pronounced the Lords doome upon him how many times was he offering sacrifice unto the Lord after the Prophet told him that he was a man rejected how many good speeches came from him as when Samuel met him he salutes him with these words Blessed be thou of the Lord I pray thee turn again with me that I may worship the Lord. A man would have thought that Saul had been a good convert No no before all this his judgement and doome was set upon him God steals upon him and saies nothing he claps his plague upon their souls and holds his peace Isa 42.14 I have a long time held my peace I have been still and refrained my selfe now will I cry like a travelling woman I will destroy and devoure at once The Lord shews here how he deals with men they go on in their sins but the Lord holds his peace they provoke him every day but the Lord refraines his anger but now all at once his wrath breaketh forth upon them Psal 64.7 God will shoot an arrow at them suddenly their stroke shall be at once The Lord suddenly shoots a swift arrow at thee no sooner it is shot but it enters into thy bowels When the Lord comes upon a man he comes suddenly when he ends the day of grace upon him he doth it suddenly He ended the day of grace on the Scribes and Pharisees even in the very Sermon time while Christ was preaching unto them they were delivered up to hardnesse of heart so many were delivered up to hardnesse of heart in the time of Hosea's prophecie Hos 4.17 Ephraim is joyned to idols let him alone saith God as if he should say Sermon let him alone Preacher let him alone Sirrit let him alone Christ let him alone Beloved if we stand out against God and reject the day of grace the Lord may say Word let such a man alone and never convert him Christ let such a man alone and never redeem him Spirit let such a man alone and never sanctifie him Sacraments let such a man alone and never seal up any comforts unto him a fearfull signe that men are come to this houre do we not see that men come to the Word and the Word lets them alone in their sins do not men come to the Sacrament and the Sacrament leaves them still in their filthinesse men come unto good duties but good duties let them alone and do them no good and this is the condition of many thousands in the world Therefore oh think upon this you that have made a league with your sins and an agreement with hell hear this delivered to you this day that the day of grace may be ended and God may come and clap his curse upon men and never give them any inkling of it at all Reas 3 A third reason is because God reckons upon every houre if God kept not a strict account of time how many Sermons you have had how many mercies you have injoyed how many crosses he hath warned you by if God kept not a true tale and account of every houres time you might rub on many dayes and moneths and yeers and spend much time in fulfilling of your lusts but God keepeth a reckoning of these things yea of every houre and of every minute Acts 17.30 The times of ignorance God regarded not but now he admonisheth all men to repent Alas when men live in their sins through blindnesse and ignorance and know not God the Lord takes no such strict notice of them but lets them go on longer and longer but when the Lord sends them his Word and Gospel and affords them the means of grace he doth the more strictly look unto them and takes the more exact account of them before they had the means of grace the Lord winked at them and did not so narrowly watch them but looked over mens igonrance as the originall hath it but now God sends his Word and Gospel he admonisheth all men to repent he winks at never an houre but sets down how oft thou hast had exhortation from thy Minister how often thou hast had warning by sicknesse and aflictions how often thou hast had checks from thine owne conscience how many admonitions thou hast had from thy friends how many times thou hast had the sound of the Gospel to sound in thy eares to bring thee home unto God John 2.7.11 This is the first beginning of miracles that Jesus did John 4.58 This is the second miracle that Jesus did saith the Text God sets down this is the first this is the second time This is the second Epistle I wrote to you saith Paul Oh this is the third time I wrote unto you 2 Cor. 13. that when I come I will not spare so God sets it downe in his catalogue this is the first time that I have warned this man this is the second time this is the third time that when I come I will not spare the Lord accounts how long he hath sought unto thee and intreated thee by his mercies how long he hath allured thee by his word how long he hath warned thee by his judgements how oft he hath smote thy heart with fears and thy conscience with terrors Now if for all this thou wilt not return just is it with God to cast thee down to hell for ever Reas 4 The fourth Reason and last it is a wonder that the day of grace is not ended already and that thou art not now in hell When a thing in this kind is looked for to be done it is a wonder that it is not done It is a wonderfull mercie of God unto this Kingdome that yet the day of grace is continued amongst us in regard of our long fear and expectation of the contrary For from the highest to the lowest we have highly revolted more and more provoked God to his very face What contempt of Gods word what neglect of Gods Ordinances what prophanation of Gods Sabbaths what scoffing and deriding of Gods servants how doth wickednesse and prophanesse stand up in the highest roome climb up into the highest chambers But as a whore condemned to die being with child is repreived for a time untill her child be brought forth so this Land hath gone a whoring from God yet so long as God hath some children to be brought forth which are not yet come unto the birth he lets his grace and Gospel continue untill these children be brought forth Therefore now beloved if we stick at the birth and come not forth a hundred to one but we shall miscarry When Christ comes first to thy soule he witnesseth grace and mercy to thee if thou wilt repent and amend yea he witnesseth forgivenesse of sins redemption and salvation if thou wilt beleeve but if not he will be a swift witnesse against thee Malachi 3.5 if thou continue and goest on in thy sins Agree with thine adversary
3.20 Beloved in a godly mans heart when a good thought comes it abides and dwels a good while in him and when it goes away it leaves a good impression behind it it leaves a sweet smell and savour in the heart after it is gone It 's made more holy and sanctified by it When a good thought comes into a godly mans heart it leaves the print of it behind when a wicked man hath a good thought he tosseth it up and down and suffers it not to stay but presently puts it away let a thought of the world come in and he can give it entertainment for seven dayes yea for seven yeers yea all his life he sets his heart as a wide gate open to receive them and to entertain them but if a thought of God or of repentance of holinesse and salvation come into his mind he is tyred out with it and it soon vanisheth away therefore so long as thy thoughts are thus vain though for the matter good if thou hast never so many of them yet if they abide not but thou thinkest and unthinkest them again if they come and give thy soule a jog and so away the more I say thou hast of them though thou hast many millions the greater will be thy doom at the last day Thirdly thou thinkest of God but the question is whether thy good thoughts be studied or accidentall thoughts a wicked man that runs gadding in his thoughts here and there over the whole world upon this and that and I know not what in the midst of a lottery of thoughts he cannot chuse but stumble upon some good he thinks on God he thinks on Christ he thinks on heaven but it is by the by these thoughts of his are not naturall but if he think of the world of his pleasures of his outward delights and contentments these thoughts arise naturally out of his heart they are his owne Now it may be a thought of God comes by the way But a godly man not onely thinks of God but he studies how to think of God It is his continuall endeavour to bring his mind to be fixed upon God it is his whole care for to have good thoughts to dwell habitually in him There is an excellent phrase used to set it forth Malac. 3.16 They that feared the Lord spake one unto another and the Lord hearkened and heard it and a book of remembrance was written before him of all them that feared the Lord and thought upon his Name Where I pray you for to mark that thinking upon Gods name and the fear of God are joyned together for thinking on God comes from the fear of God a godly man thinks upon God and fears him he thinks that God is alwayes with him in every place and he trembles before him he thinks God beholds all his thoughts and affections and he trembles at him he thinks as he walks up and down in his way as he is imployed in his calling as he is performing of any duty of Religion that Gods eye is upon him and beholds him and therefore he fears to offend and displease him A wicked man will sweare and blaspheme the name of God and by and by it may be he will cry God mercy and so he thinks of God The man breaks out it may be into wrath and malice fury and passion and then it may be a thought will come into his mind for to cry God mercy for it and thus he thinks of God The man is carelesse earthly dead and luke-warme in the performance of good duties and because his conscience tels him it is not good he will ask God forgivenesse he will be proud vain and rotten in his speeches and then it may be a thought will come into his mind to ask God forgivenesse and so he thinks of God he will think of the world of his pleasures profits and of his lusts and sinnes and then it may be a good thought wil come into his mind and then it may be he will think a little of God too Beloved this is carnall and devillish thinking on God thy thoughts then of God must bee joyned with the fear of God Fourthly and lastly thou thinkest of God but the question is whether thy thoughts of him be profitable or unprofitable thoughts a godly man thinks of repentance and repents upon it hee thinks of calling upon God more faithfully and fervently then he did before and he accomplishes his thoughts for he goes about it and his heart is the better for it Thus it was with David when he said I thought on my wayes and turned my feet unto thy testimonies Psalm 119.59 I thought on my wayes there was his good thoughts and turned my feet into thy testimonies there was the profit of his good thoughts But on the contrary thou thinkest on God but God hath never the more service of thee thou thinkest of leaving of thy good fellowship and merry companions but for all thy thoughts thou retainest them still thou thinkest to give over all thy deadnesse and luke-warmnesse and to get more zeale and fervencie yet day after day and yeare after yeare thy heart is as dead vain and secure as before as ever before Examine thy selfe and see thou hast good thoughts thou saist but where is the profit of them thou thinkest of leaving thy wrath and of bridlling thy filthy passions but art thou enabled by thy thoughts to put up an injury the better It may be thou thinkest on death but is thy life the more holy and sanctified by it Thou thinkest of Christ and his bloud but is thy heart purged by it Oh the wretched misery of the most men in the world because of the unprofitablenesse of their thoughts they have many good thoughts but they want the profitable use of them they get no good by them There is an excellent description of the thoughts of wicked men though it be Apocrypha The heart of the foolish is like a Cart wheel and his thoughts like the rowling Axletree As the Cart wheele goes round all the day and yet remaines on the Axletree so is it with wicked men their thoughts wheele and wheele them up and downe a thousand thousand times their thoughts run upon this thing and then upon another thing and so they rowle up and down continually yet their heart is at the same passe it was still an earthly heart it was and so it is still a profane heart it was and so it is still a carnall proud heart it was and so it remains still But let these know that the time hastens wherein God will judge them even for their very thoughts Where are they then that say thought is free It is true indeed it is free from mens knowledge and from mens Courts but not from Gods they are not free from Gods all-seeing eye and know ledge meâ—â—aith â—aith the Prophet thou understandest my thoughts afarre off Psal 139. Beloved as you are in the Ale-house or gaming
house as you walk abroad in the fields as you are employed in your callings or about any holy duty God seeth all thy thoughts what is going in and what is comming out there is never a thought in thy heart but God sees it how then can thoughts be free God will weigh the thoughts of men Prov. 16.2 Beloved what a fearfull day will that hee when God shall take his Scales and weigh no mans bodies and estates for then it may bee that rich men and fat and grosse men will out-weigh them that are better but he will take mens thoughts and weigh them hee will weigh their soules he will take mens good thoughts and put them into one scale and their bad earthly carnall and unprofitable thoughts into another scale and to try which weighes heaviest Now if thy earthly and sinfull thoughts weigh heaviest then down thou goest into eternall damnation Secondly as thoughts are not free from Gods knowledge so are they not free from Gods Word for Gods word can meet with them for it is lively and mighty in operation and is a descerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart Hebr 4.12 Doth the word of God discern the thoughts of mens hearts Then much more doth the God of this Word and therefore how can thoughts be free Thirdly and lastly they are not free from the condemnation of hell and damnation I am hee saith God that searcheth the hearts and reins and I wil give to every one of you according to his works or as some translations have it according to your thoughts Rev. 3.23 Now if God will so severely punish thoughts take heed then how thou tetainest any evill thoughts I should here give you some means in the use that so you might rid your selves from vain thoughts Means 1 First love the word of God if ever thou wilt come out of them prize the truth of God and labour to get thy mind and thoughts to beâ— set on better things and then the thoughts of the world and all vain things will vanish away This course the Prophet David took Psal 119.113 I hate vain thoughts but thy Law do I love How came it to passe that he hated vain thoughts namely by loving Gods Law if he had not loved Gods Law and those excellent things therein and set his heart on them hee could never have hated vain thoughts The way then to break of thy league with vain thoughts is to be in league with good thoughts Dost thou complain of vain thoughts in prayer in hearing the word in receiving of the Sacraments and art thou stuffed and filled with them that thou canst not think upon God and holy things thou dost here by bewray thine own rottennesse and corruption And therefore know that if thou lovest the Lord and his Word and didst set thy thoughts upon him thou wouldst never have them so much employed about such base things Secondly if ever thou wouldst rid thy heart of vain thoughts especially when thou art in holy action thou must goe unto God by prayer there is no greater bridle to restrain a man from vain thoughts then this consideration that hee is to goe to God I speak not this to the men of this world Carnall men who can rush into Gods presence hand over head without any fear or reverence they can set upon any duty without any preparation but I speak it to the godly man whose heart dreads and stands in awe of God Wilt thou let thy mind rove and run all the day on worldly things how then wilt thou call upon God Dost thou not know that this is the cause of thy dulnesse thy deadnes and wandrings of thy heart when thou art about any good duty namely because thou sufferest thy heart to be lashing out and roving abroad on the world all day no marvell if it keep his haunt at night and therefore thy heart being vain God will never hear thy prayer Job 35.13 God will never bear vanity Comest thou to God with a vain prayer God will never hear it Comest thou with a vain eare to the hearing of the Word God will never hear it or with a vain heart to the Sacrament God will not regard it Lay this seriously to thy heart if ever thou wouldst have thy heart to the duty thou art about busie thy mind upon good things for if thy heart be accustomed to vain and worldly things all the day it is no marvell if it returne to its haunt again at night Thirdly consider that you have not so learned Christ It is the Apostles argument Ephes 3. consider then what you have learned of Christ hath Christ taught you so hath Christ taught you such a love and given you such a liberty that you should love the world more then him and imploy and bestow all your thoughts wholly in seeking after vain things Hath Christ taught you such a faith as this Hath Christ taught you such a repentance as this to have your thoughts more upon the world then upon Christ to repent of sin and yet never forsake sinne Have ye so learned Christ Hath he not taught you such a faith as purifieth the heart such a sanctification as cleanseth the soul and the minde such an obedience as bringeth every thought into subjection unto himself Therefore if now thou shouldst still retain thy vain dead earthly and carnall thoughts it is not to learn Christ Christ teacheth thee no such doctrine nor giveth thee any such licentious libertie but thou learnest of the Devill and of thine owne heart for all evill and vain thoughts arise from these three heads First from the variety and abundance of the thoughts of the world which our Saviour calls the cares of this world Seconly from the fountaine of corruption in mans heart the heart of man being alwayes like a sink naturally running with filthinesse or like a living quickset alwayes bearing so is it with the heart of man alwayes imagining vain thoughts Thirdly from the damned malice of the Devill and his fearfull suggestions and temptations both within and without the Devill is fitly called a tempter and trier for by these suggestions and temptations he feels and tries mens hearts and thereby knowing to what they are most inclined and which way they are soonest overcome accordingly he fits his temptations for to intrap them Now these thoughts are infinitely variable according to the constitution place quality passions affections and conditions of men as of the poor man in his beggery of the rich man in his abundance of the Minister in his calling of the Magistrate in his and so of all other men Now the whole world is not able to fill the heart how then shall we number the thoughts of it But for the better understanding we will rank them into these four heads to show how thoughts become vain 1. Materially mens thoughts are vain when the matter of them is vain 2. Formally when though for the matter they are never
the most righteous sentence of God upon them and they shall sing Hallelujah salvation and honour and power be to the Lord our God for true righteous are his judgements Rev. 19.1 2. Let them goe accursed as they are for it is a righteous sentence passed on them 3. They shall judge the world by their Majestie they shall not only stand against the wicked and consent to and applaud that sentence that Christ shall passe against the wicked but they shall be invested wâ—th robes of majestie and with a diademe of glory then shall the righteous shine as the starres in the firmament and the wicked shall be amazed and astonished at the fight of them as you may read in that platforme of judgement Matth 25. where Christ sets his Saints over against the world that so the world may look upon them and be confounded at their sight 4. They judge the world by their lives and conversations as Ambrose saith rightly then is the world judged by them when as the courses and manners of the world are not found upon them Therefore it is a pretty observation of Hilary if it be the meaning of the Text I will not say it is upon the 2. Psalme Be wise â—ee Judges God hath appointed you to be Judges to sit on his bench with his Sonne learne then to be wise get to be indued with spirituall wisedome and understanding and to shine in all integritie and righteousnesse and then turning his speech to the wicked he say's Kisse the Sonne lest he be angry However it be yet this is a truth that by the lives of his Saints he will judge the world there faith shall judge the worlds infidelitie their repentance shall judge the worlds impenitency their accepting of and taking the Lord Jesus shall judge their rejection and neglect of Christ Jesus their zeale shall judge the worlds luke-warmnesse and their holinesse shall judge the worlds prophanenesse Reas 1 1. Bcause of the misticall union that is betwixt Christ and his Saintâ— He is the head and they are his members now that which the head doth we ascribe to the whole body when the head speakes the whole body speakes when the head sees the whole body sees so when Christ judgeth the world the whole body of Christ may truely be said to judge the world As much as you did it unto one of these saith Christ you did it unto me so in as much as Christ passeth sentence even all the members of the mysticall body of Christ judge with him Reas 2 Secondly in regard of compassion I speak not of the word compassion as it signifies pitie but of compassion of suffering with Christ seeing that Christ was reproched contemned hated misused and condemned by the world the Saints are likewise with him seeing they pertake of the afflictions humiliations and debasements of Christ here they shall also be made pertakers with Christ in his glory Here the wicked judge the Saints and call them hypocrites and dissemblers and laugh and scoffâ— at them and wonder at them as the Prophet brings in Christ speaking Esay 8. Behold I and the children that thou hast given me are for signes and wonders in Israel The wicked count them for wonders and monsters in the world judging them hypocrites and liers which have nothing in them but rottennesse and dissimulation Now the rule of like for like shall take place here and as they were judged by the world so they shall be Judges of the world Reas 3 Thirdly for the great terror to all wicked men at the day of judgement for as it is with a thiefe not only when the Judge shall command to hang him but all the Justices and all the Countrey shall cry out Hang him hang him he is judged the more terrible so God will not onely say of all wicked and ungodly sinners Damne them damne them but he will have all the Saints in heaven and all the Saints on earth to cry out Away with them away with them let them be damned Psal 50.4 5. This will make their judgment so much the more terrible Reas 4 Fourthly the Saints shall judge the world because God will so convince them that their mouthes shall bee stopped they shall have never a syllable to excuse themselves withall when they shall see men flesh and bloud as themselves are when they shall see men and women that have lived in the same towne enjoyed the same Ordinance of God lived in the same family that did partake of the same blessings and of the same crosses and afflictions with themselves subject also to the same corruptions and sinnes as themselves when they shall see these at Christs right hand they shall have never a word to excuse themselves withall As when the Apostles had healed the creeple Acts 3. if the people had judged them for wicked and pestilent men the creeple would have convinced them and shewed that they were of God if they should have cried Root them out the creeple would have condemned them and told them that they did good And when the wicked shall see the Saints at Gods right hand will they call them hypocrites and dissemblers they themselves shall see that they are sincere will they call them Puritans why they shall then see that their purity stands them in good stead then the ungodly shall not stand in judgement nor the sinners in the Congregation of the righteous Psal 1.6 Thus the point is clear Vse 1 The first Use then is for instruction whereby we may learn that the Saints by their now being Saints doe now judge the world if by the lives of Saints then God doth judge the world then there is never a Saint in a town or City or Parish in all the Countrey but he judgeth all the wicked that are about him How By living godly by hating the sinnes of the times by keeping his or their garments clean from the pollution of the world For by doing this he judgeth the world See it in Noah Heb. 11.7 By faith Noah being warned of God as yet moved with feare prepared an Ark for the saving of his house by which he condemned the world Object But some men will say Could Noah be said to condemne the world by making the Ark All the world did not see him when he did it Answ Beloved Noah making the Ark an hundred and twenty years though it was not seen of all yet all the world must needs baar of it it being such a strange thing Now he condemned the world in that the whole world did not come unto Noah to enquire of him in sober sadnesse but rather mockâ— him for building the Ark they thought him to bee a peevish melancholy man and not well in his wits and so scoft at him saying Will he make an Ark to swim upon dry land whereas they should have asked him soberly the cause why he did it and if they had done so Noah no question would have told them that the
wrath of heaven was upon the world and that the floods of Gods vengeance were shortly to bee poured downe upon us and because my heart hath beene naught and I have sinned and provoked the Lords wrath I feare if I get not into this Ark which the Lord hath commanded me for to make I shall perish Now because they would not come unto Noah to ask him this reason therefore the world was condemned by him even so the Saints by making an Ark for their poore soules even by getting into Christ as the Ark was a type of Christ without whom none can be saved the Saints I say by getting into Christ do judge the whole world when they hear there be men â—hat be no swearers and no drunkards and that there bee men that will pray read heare the word conferre of God and of Christ and that weep and mourne for their sins that spend their times in the mortification of their lusts and endevour after holinesse and sanctification the whole world I say is judged by them How why they should say Sirs what is the matter that you doe so run after Sermons that you keep such a stirre about getting faith and repentance more then other men that you pray weep fast and mourne and are so strict in your works If thus men would but come unto Gods Saints and ask them the reason of all these things the Saints of God would tell them that the wrath of God would come upon them if they did not do thus they would never be saved if they did not thus beleeve and thus repent and thus pray and walk thus holily and precisely they should be all damned But the world it falls a mocking and a scoffing at them and never seeks to prevent the wrath of God but it suddenly seiseth on them to their destruction Secondly this teacheth us that when there is any one sinner converted from the wickednesse of his wayes and is become a Saint then all the world may know that there is a new Judge come to sit upon them Seest thou a drunkard a swearer a prophane person converted from his sinnes and now walks soberly holily and purely seest thou a man and a woman struck at a Sermon Then know that unlesse thou comest out of thy sinnes unlesse thou doest repent and walk holily there is a new Judge added to the rest that shall judge thee As our Saviour told the Pharisees If I through Beelzebub cast out Devils by whom do your children cast them out Therefore they shall be your judges Matth. 12.27 where Christ tells them that their children who were his Disciples for some of the Pharisees children did beleeve in Christ and follow him and had power from Christ to doe the same workes that Christ did Now they liked it well enough in their owne children but they could not endure it in Christ and therefore hee tells them that their children whom God had converted and to whom he had given power to doe the same workes that he did even they shall bee their Judges to condemne them And even so may it be with thee thou that art a father or a mother God having converted any of thine own children that child shall be thy Judge and condemne thee if thou repent not It may be God hath converted thy brother and sister and thou art not converted thy own brother and sister shall condemne thee if thou doe not repent and come out of thy sinnes Thirdly we may learn that it concerns all the world to take notice of every grace in Gods children There is never a grace of God in any of his Saints but it shall condemne the world if it be void of it The wayes of the Lord are all judgements because they judge them that will not walk in them Every grace yea the very thoughts of the righteous are called Judgements by Solomon Prov. 12. You may know a crooked thing by laying it to a straight line and by that it is judged to be crooked so the thoughts of the righteous which are right holy and pure shall judge the impure unholy and crooked thoughts of wicked men Is the child of God humble His humility shall judge thy pride Is the child of God meek and patient in suffering of wrong and injuries His meeknesse and patience shall judge thy choler and revenge Hath the child of God saith given him to beleeve in the Lord Jesus His faith shall judge thy infidelity Hath the child of God the spirit of prayer given him It shall condemne thee that praiest only with thine owne spirit Hath he zeale His zeale shall judge thy luke-warmnesse Doth his speech and communication administer grace to the hearers It shall condemne thee that speakest of vaine and idle things Yea all the actions of the godly shall judge the wicked and hence the Saints are said to doe Gods judgements Zeph. 2.3 that is they doe according to Gods judgements whereby he will judge the world Thus they that do mourn do judge them that do not mourne they that bewaile their wickednesse and the sinnes of the times judge them that doe not they that fast weep pray and humble themselves for the miseries of the Church in these dreadfull dayes they judge them that make no good conscience of their duties Fourthly learne hence that all the Texts of Scripture all the whole word of God that is it that begets these Saints and therefore they must needs judge the world the word of God begets mens hearts unto sanctification and holinesse whereby they become the Saints and therefore if they then much more shall the Word it selfe judge the world and hence it is that all the words of God in the Scripture are called Judgments Psal 105.5 And our Saviour saith The word that I have spoken the same shall judge you in the last day Joh. 12.48 The word that I have spoken where mark he doth not say The word which you have heard No there are many swearers and drunkards and prophane ungodly wretches that will not come to Church to hear the word there are many wicked men and dead hearted worldlings and rotten livers that will not bee brought to hear Gods Word it may bee at this present there is many whoremongers drundards and wicked persons that wallow in their filthinesse in the Ale-house Game-house or Drab-house or in the fields or beds or at their sports Well this word that is now a preaching whether they will hear it or no shall judge them at the last day Now all the wicked in Ashford that heare the word of God calling upon them to repent and to come out of their sinnes but will not or out of contempt of Gods word will absent themselves from it this word shall judge and condemne them There is never a drunkard swearer or prophane person though his pew be empty but this word of God that denounceth the eternal wrath and vengeance of God upon them if they come not out of their sinnes
name of God in vain Is there never a drunkard here in this congregation that hath been at the Sacrament Is there never a whoremonger never a covetous worldling Where is the man whosoever hee bee amongst you all that is such a one He is in the state of damnation Is there never a luke-warm and carnall Christian that contents himself with a formall worship and a dead performance of holy duties that hath no zeal for God nor courage for his truth but is carelesse of all Gods commandements whosoever amongst you are guilty of these sins or any other and hath come unto this holy Communion in them they are the persons that how oft soever they have received so oft they have taken this name of the Lord in vain And if I should examine this Congregation from the one end of it unto the other I fear that every pew would yeeld some one If not many that have taken a Cōmunion which is one of Gods names in vain Should I but examine thee that comest unto the Communion this day how by the last Sacrament thou receivedst and the last Sermon thou hast heard thy faith is strengthened thy repentance renewed and thy obedience is increased and thy care doubled for to walk with God whether thou art made by them more zealous for God more forward in his worship and service and every day more holy and heavenly minded if not then thou hast taken this Name of the Lord thy God in vain and the Lord will not hold thee guiltlesse that is the Lord will not take away the guilt from thy conscience but he will let thy sinne lie open and thou shalt not be cleansed from it nor justified by the very blood of Jesus Christ but it shall rest upon thee to thy utter ruine and destruction unlesse thou forsake thy sinnes and so come preparedly unto this holy Table and banquet I know here is a covenant of grace a sweet refreshing for every humbled soul that is hungry broken for his sinnes and for every poore distressed conscience let all such come and lay their sinnes upon Christs crosse and welcome But if there be any that come in their sinnes and will not reforme their live◠but be as they came sinners so they mean for to continue the Lord himselfe will lay this mans sinnes upon his own head and they shall never be taken away from him but Christ shall at the day of judgement pronounce him a guilty person to his eternall condemnation King Belshazzar that abused but the holy vessels of the Temple and the Cups thereof what a dismall plague befell him for it Dan. 5.27.28 God hath numbred thy Kingdome and finished it thou art weighed in the ballance and art found too light thy Kingdome is departed from thee and is given to the Medes and Persians So beloved brethren if any of you shall abuse this Cup of the Lord comming to it with a filthy unclean heart and polluted conscience and earthly affections there is a hand-writing against every soule that thus commeth this day unto the Table of the Lord thou art numbred and weighed and found too light thou O man and woman whosoever thou art that prophanest and contemnest these holy things of God thou shalt be found out and the Lord will keep thee out by his spirituall plagues and thy sinne shall never be done away but be required at thy hands and stand in everlasting record against thee O my brethren that you would but seriously consider of it and look about you it being so weighty a thing that so neerly concernes every one of you But I would not have any poor broken heart and humble soul to mistake me and so-thereby be discouraged but give me leave I pray you for to use the words of the Brophet though spoken in another sense Psal 115. Not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy Name give the glory So let me apply this doctrine unto the comfort of all poore broken hearted sinners and beat off all carnall prophane wretches that live in their sinnes not unto you O drunkards and swaggerers not unto you whoremasters and unclean persons that wallow in ungodlinesse I say not unto you but unto the poor afflicted soul and contrite spirit that lieth bleeding and gasping under the weight of his sin and that trembles and fears being opprest with the sense of its own unworthinesse panting and breathing after Christ Jesus and suing earnestly unto the Throne of grace for mercie and forgivenesse unto thee only belongs this comfort and therefore take it home to thee and know it for thy selfe Art thou troubled with a hard heart and an unbeleeving soule and art even wearied and tired out with thy many sinnes and infirmities Come thou with comfort unto this holy Communion for thou shalt be sure to finde saying good by it to thee it shall be a spirituall medicine to heale all thy diseases and to cure all thy strong and prevailing corruptions and if thou come unto this holy Table of the Lord it shall make thee as it is recorded of Saint Laurence able to suffer Martyrdome and to get victory over all thy unruly affections yea at last thou shalt tread Satan thy arch-enemy under thy feet Therefore be not dismaied for the Lord Jesus invites thee to come What if thy infirmities be many yet the mercies of God which he tenders to thee in this Communion are many more Samson who was the strongest Souldier and Champion in his time that was in Israel to overcome the Philistims he yet began his strength in weaknesse being at the first overcome by a woman So though the Lord intend to make thee a strong Christian he will make thee to begin in weaknesse to perfect thy power to begin in sinne and misery that he may make thee to end in glory I know Gods children here may receive temporall punishments and bring temporall scourges upon themselves as we may see amongst the Corinthians here but it shall be for their good and amendment namely for their correction and not for their ruine and destruction that so being chastened by the Lord they might not be condemned with the world Therefore if thou comest carelesly and unprofitably God will chastise thee with the rods of men as he did Peter who receiving the Sacrament with his Master over night yet the next day thrice denied him but God whipt his soule and scourged his conscience for it and beat him black and blew so that he went out and wept bitterly Nay he could scarce wipe off that sinne and recover himselfe again whilst he lived Wherefore let us take heed of unprepared coming to the Sacrament for God will not hold such guiltlesse Yea if his own sonnes or daughters transgresse thereby hee will make them to feele the smart of it But now to come to all such as come month by month hand over head without any examination and repentance in their uncleannesse and abomination making no conscience