Selected quad for the lemma: world_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
world_n	grace_n	live_v	ungodliness_n	2,081	5	11.6651	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85208	The sacrifice of the faithfull. Or, A treatise shevving the nature, property, and efficacy of zealous prayer; together with some motives to prayer, and helps against discouragements in prayer. To which is added seven profitable sermons. 1. The misery of the Creature by the sinne of man, on Rom. 8. 22. 2. The Christians imitation of Christ, on Ioh. 2. 6. 3. The enmity of the wicked to the light of the Gospel, on John 3. 20. 4. Gods impartiality, on Esay 42. 24. 5. The great dignity of the saints, on Heb. 11. 28. 6. The time of Gods grace is limited, on Gen. 6. 3. 7. A sermon for spirituall mortification, on Col. 3. 5. / By William Fenner, minister of the Gospel Fellow of Pembrok Hall in Cambridge, and lecturer of Rochford in Essex.	Fenner, William, 1600-1640.; Stafford, John, fl. 1658, engraver.	1649 (1649)	Wing F699; Thomason E1241_1; ESTC R210449	136,683	333

us for our justification and then to be an example of life to us for our sanctification saith Saint Basil Christ was set for a signe to all nations Isay 11. 10. A land-marke to all people to take their aime how to thinke how to speake how to walke how to live As men ●t Sea if they see a Land-mark or the Pole-star therby know how to guide the Ship so Christ he is a signe to all Nations a signe of zeale in prayer a signe of reverence in the Temple of perseverance in holinesse of piety in life and of unspotted purity and constancy in death Yea to winde it up a little higher to walk a● Christ walked is an As of participation We must not onely walke as Christ walked with an as of proportion for so the beasts may walke every creature the Sunne the Moone c. walke according to their rule wherein God hath set them as Christ did walke in his course that God set him in but this is not enough he that is in Christ must walke as Christ walked with an As of participation he must partake of the same life with Christ and be led by the same Spirit of Christ guided by the same grace of Christ Even as lesse white is like more white though not alike in the same degree yet in the same nature there is the same nature in the lesser that there is in the bigger So we must have the same life obey the same commandements be guided by the same rule swayed by the same motions led by the same Spirit that was in Christ If any man have not the Spirit of Christ the same is none of his saith the Apostle Rom. 8. 9. What saith one can there be any man Obj. that is none of Christs doth not he say that every beast in the field and the cattell on a thousand hills are his Psal 50. 10. and doth he say that there are some men that are none of his Yea saith the Apostle If any man be not Answ led by the Spirit of Christs the same is none of his Indeed he is Christs as the beasts are his by creation and preservation c. but thou art none of Christs by grace and redemption unlesse thou hast the same Spirit that was in Christ to live in thee What is it to walke as Christ walked it is to contemne the same gaine and pleasures and vanities of the world that he contemned to yield to the same precepts that he obeyed to yeild to the same reproaches hatred and persecutions that he endured to take up the same duties to preach the same truths to live in the same rule and in all to be led by the same Spirit Thus you see the explanation of the doctrine come we now to the Reasons which are principally these foure The first reason is taken from the scope Reas 1 and end for which the Lord did send his Son into the world as to justifie the ungodly so also to conforme all those that are justified to the image of Christ You may read that this was Gods purpose that he laid downe in himselfe from all eternity before the foundation of the world was laid when he predestinated that his Son should come into the world he predestinated that all that should be redeemed by him should be conformable to the image of his Son Rom. 8. 29. whomsoever he did foreknow with the foreknowledge of Love and predestination them he did predestinate to be made like unto Christ that looke what Christ was by nature they might be by grace If this be the end of Gods predestination then it is impossible that any man should be in Christ and not have the image of Christ Chrysostome saith that as Christ was holy by nature so those that are predestinate should be holy by grace God shall never be frustrated of his end and purpose If God have purposed it who shall frustrate it Man indeed may be frustrated of his end because of his weaknesse and inability to accomplish by himselfe what he purposeth some other person or thing prevents him of his end But God as he hath a purpose in himselfe so he is powerfull and able to bring his purpose to passe We may conclude that that man that prayeth for mercy and wisheth Oh that I might have redemption by Christ Oh that I meght goe to Heaven and yet lives in his sinnes and slavery to his lusts he prayeth to have benefit by Christ and to goe to Heaven in spight of God against the will and purpose of God God hath predestinated that all that shall have life glory shall be made conformable to his Son that they shall be holy pure and ●ighteous as Christ was that they shall be lowly humble and mecke as Christ was Our owne consciences may tell us that God cannot be frustrated of his end and purpose but that thus we must be made conformable to Christ or else we shall never have benefitt or salvation by him or else Gods purpose would be frustrated and in vaine That thing must be frustrated and in vaine that attaines not its end if this be the end that God hath purposed in himselfe in the giving of Christ for life and salvation to the world that all that are redeemed and saved by him should be made conformable to him either all such as are not conformable to the Image of Christ shall never be saved but shall perish for ever without Christ or else Gods purpose must be frustrated and in vaine The second reason is taken from the Reas 2 practise of Christianity saith Leo in vaine are we called Christians if we be not Imitators of Christ and live as he lived The Disciples are called Christians Acts. 11. 26. The very name tells us that we must be followers of Christ or else we are not in Christ if any man be in Christ he must really be a Christian As a man if he be of a trade he must set up that trade all his layings out and travell and paines must be in that trade why it is his profession so if a man be in Christ all his conversation must be Christian his labours and indeavours must be in the trade of Christianity he must walke as Christ walked He must be a Christian in all his courses in all his ways or else he is not in Christ As the Platonists are denominated from Plato so are Christians from Christ The Franciscans from Francis the Dominicans from Dominicke these were bound to follow the rules of their order or else superstition would not suffer them to be of that Order much lesse canst thou be of the Order of Christ if thou observe not his rules if thou live not as he lived Christ hath given thee a law for thy mind for to governe thy thoughts Thou wilt not busie thy thoughts with holy meditations thy heart is not christian Christ hath given a law to thy affections thou wilt be fret●ull and impatient malicious proude and

this preaching any longer Secondly in opposition to mercifull Preaing A wicked man loves mercifull Preaching why it takes no union with his heart it is like a Plaister that will never sticke A mercifull Sermon can never sticke on a prophane heart it is likened to a greasie paper that will never fasten so mercifull Sermons they will never fasten on his heart they cannot take away his sinnes from him Ahab he loved his foure hundred meale-mouthed mercifull Preachers well enough but when Micaiah came to him O I hate him for he never Prophesieth good unto me but evill he is alwayes upon hell-strings he is alwayes preaching judgement unto me I cannot claw off one of his Sermons in a month scarse I cannot catch hold on any of his Points to comfort my heart there is not one sentence in all his Sermons to refresh my conscience he never prophesieth good unto me but evill I hate him When a Minister comes to the conscience of a man and tells him this is the truth of God and this is thy sinne and damnation and makes his Sermons sticke as a burre on his conscience and as an arrow shot into his bowells his heart risith against it and hee cannot endure it Thirdly in opposition to Preaching when the Minister is dead A wicked man loves the word when he that preacheth it is dead Why then there is none to urge a union of the Word with his conscience A wicked man loves to read Saint Paul Saint Peter and Saint John c. why these men are not alive to urge a union of the word with their consciences but if Saint Paul or Saint Peter c. were alive to tell them if this be the word of God then thou art a damned man if thou doest not obey it if this be a grace then thou art a cursed man if thou have it not if these men were alive now their Sermons would cut to the quicke So when the Ministers are dead men love to buy their bookes and to read their Sermons Now Master Perkins is dead all the world honours him and men buy up his bookes but when he was alive the drunkards made ballads of him and profane Belials would make songs of him why they could not endure this union of the word If the Minister be by he cannot be drunke but the Minister will preach condemnation to him for it if he repent not he cannot sweare or lie or deceive but the Minister will tell him that this will be a core to his conscience another day Men cannot endure this Saint Paul and Saint Peter c being dead they like well enough but if they were alive they would hate them why they cannot endure an union with the word This was the religion of the Scribes and Pharisees Math. 23. 29 30. they built the tombes of the Prophets and garnished the Sepulchers of the righteous and said if they had lived in the dayes of their fathers they would not have bin partakers with them in the bloud of the Prophets You are the children of those men that killed the Prophets sayth Christ ver 31. Are not you the children of those men doe not you doe those sinnes which the Prophets cried out against and for which the Prophets denounced such fearefull judgements upon them I tell you if the Prophets were now alive they would crie hell and damnation to you if the Prophets were now alive and did see those sinnes you commit they would denounce woe and vengeance to you as they did to their fathers Oh saith one if I had lived in the Jewes time I would never have opposed Christ and his Apostles I would have kissed the very ground that they trod on then wretch why doest thou not doe that which these men preached looke in the writings of these holy men of Paul of Peter c. Dost thou doe that which Paul and Peter have wrote thou shouldest doe doest thou look in their writings and not obey what they have wrote I tell thee if Peter and Paul were alive they would tell thee thou shouldest be damned if thou repentest not if John and James were alive they would tell thee that the wrath of God will take hold on thee if thou yeeld not obedience to that word they preached to thee If Paul were alive he should have many a Tertullus to oppose him if John were alive he should have many a Herod to imprison him if Amos were alive he should have many an Amaziah to banish him and to silence him but now they are dead men can like them well enough A righteous man in the way is an abomination to the wicked Prov. 29. 27. he doth not say an upright man when he is dead ●s an abomination to the wicked for when he is dead they may praise him and love him and love to have his picture amongst them then they will speake well of him and commend him I speake that because I would not be misconstrued Let a man be a godly man indeed a Saint indeed as long as he lives the men of the world will hate him I have chosen you out of the world saith Christ and therefore the world hates you c. It hath beene an old haunt and custome of the world to hate and maligne the righteous to reproach them to call them Puritans c though very heathens have acknowledged that there is no religion without purity Cicero Horace and others describing a man that is religious say that he is an intire man a man pure from sinne If any man will not beleeve it let him trie it let him be holy and gratious and shew forth the power of religion in his life let him contemne the world c. and see whether wicked men will not hate him reproach and disgrace him what they can not as if a godly man could not be godly and religious unlesse he be hated and reproached by the world for it may be First when a man that is truly religious and godly is a great man and all the Countrey are loth to lose his favour or to purchase his ili will then he may be free from hate and reproach Secondly when he is a man of admirable witte and knowledge that the world admires him for his learning and for his understanding and for his parts such a one men will rather admire then revile Thirdly it may so be that God may give a godly man favour in the eyes of the world howsoever the world would hate and reproach them yet God may so strike their consciences that they cannot doe it Otherwise a godly man especially if he be such a one by whose godlinesse and purity a wicked man is judged and condemned in his conscience for his ungodlinesse and prophanesse the wicked will hate him Lastly I put it in opposition to now and then preaching a wicked man loves preaching though never so sharpe and terrible so it come but now and then if the Minister preach never so

set them on worke so though sinne be in you still yet let it be like a dead corpse wanting life like a dead Tyrant that can no longer rage and hence it is that the Apostle saith Let not sinne reigne in your mortall bodies he doth not say let it not be but let it not reigne Sinne when it is mortified is like a dead King that can call no more Parliaments but a man may doe for him what he listeth because his strength lieth in the dust If Christ be in you saith the Apostle the bodie is dead because of sinne but the spirit is life for righteousnesse sake Rom. 8. 9 10. Againe if a man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of Christs now if Christ be in you the bodie is dead if you consider the bodie as it hath relation unto sinne Againe if you live after the flesh you shall die verse 13. as if he should have saide if your flesh be alive in you if your pride live in you and if your infidelity live in you if your hardnesse of heart live in you if your wrath c. live in you and if you walke after these you shall surely die he meaneth not a temporall death for so they must doe howsoever they live but his meaning is they shall die eternally but if you mortifie the deedes of the body by the spirit you shall live so then it is plaine there is no life of Christ to be had so long as you retaine your sinnes and therefore sinne must be mortified First because Christ is a Saviour and Reason 1 hence he is called Jesus Math. 1. 21. for he shall save his people from their sinnes if therefore Christ doe not save thee from thy sinnes and if by the power of Christ thou mortifie not thy sinnes and give them a deadly blow assure thy selfe he will never be a Jesus unto thee It is true indeede Christ dyed for sinners but it was not to let them goe on in sinne and therefore if thou goe on in sinne it is for thy damnation and not for thy salvation for he will first save thee from thy sinnes or else he will never save thee from hell so then consider if thy sinnes beare sway in thee if they doe then know thou art delivered up unto the power of thy sinnes and to everlasting darkenesse For Christ is the true Physitian of the soule and you know that a Physician doth not bring a potion to put it unto deaths mouth to kill death and so to save the sicke person alive no but he putteth it into the sicke mans mouth to kill the ill humours that are in his bodie that so he might not fall into the hands of death so Christ came not to quench the flames of hell by his spirituall Physicke but to let his Physicke fall upon the heart and soule of man to save him from hell Therefore unlesse the bloud of Christ doe mortifie thy sinnes and crucifie thy lusts there is no hope ever to get Christ to save thee from hell and everlasting damnation This is a true saying saith the Apostle and worthy to be received that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners 1 Tim. 1. 15. This is a faithfull saying and wicked men like it well indeede For saith the drunkard I am a wicked man yet Christ came to save me The whoremonger saith I am an uncleane person yet Christ came to save me The swearer will say Christ came to save sinners and therefore I hope he will save me to No no Christ came to save sinners that is such as were sinners but now are none they have and doe repent Jesus Christ came to save sinners saith the Apostle whereof I am cheife I was a blasphemer a persecuter but now I am not Hence then is the faithfull saying Christ came to save sinners not still sinning No before Paul was injurious a persecuter and lived in ignorance and unbeleife but now the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ was wonderfully abundant through faith and love towards him so that the grace of God hath appeared to draw men out of blindnesse and ignorance therefore to say that Christ came to save such as live in their sinnes of drunkennesse prophanesse or uncleanesse is a rotten saying and this onely is the faithfull saying that Christ came into the world to save sinners in whom the power of sinne is broken therefore if ever welooke to have benefitte or interest by Christ we must mortifie our earthly members Secondly because it is impossible for 2. Reason sinne and grace to live and subsist in one subject it is impossible that they should ever stand together and be in a man at one and the same time it cannot be that one and the same creature can have the life of a swine and the life of a man for if he have the soule of a swine he cannot have the soule of a man for they are two contrary distinct lives and where the one is the other cannot be It is like hot water and cold if it be cold it cannot be hot if it be hot it cannot be cold Even so the life of sinne and the life of grace are two contraries and therefore they that walke in their sinnes walke contrary to God Now the Lord saith if you walke contrary to me I will walke contrary unto you Levit. 26. and two contraries we know cannot goe together He that walks in sinne walks contrary unto God but he that goes on in the waies of grace he walks towards God Now it is impossible to walke towards Dover and towards London at one and the same time for every steppe he goeth forward to the one it carries him backward from the other so then if ever we will have the life of grace we must forsake our sinnes as it was with the house of Saul and David Sauls house grew weaker and Davids stronger so must it be with sinne and grace as grace growes stronger so sinne must grow weaker as grace goes up so sinne must goe downe And as Saul told David he would not give him Michal his daughter to wife unlesse he brought unto him an hundred fore skinnes of the Philistins Even so the Lord saith that he will not marry the Lord Jesus Christ unto any soule unlesse he bring the fore-skinne of every lust he must circumcise the fore-skinne of his pride of his covetousnesse of his prophanesse this must be the offering and condition of marriage unto Christ even the circumcision of the heart and the mortification of all the corruptions Thirdly because else it is impossible to Reason 3 enter into heaven if we mortifie not our sinnes a man can never be capable of glory hereafter that doth not mortifie his sinnes here in this life Suppose a wicked man should enter into heaven it is impossible that he should delight in heaven if he were there You will thinke this a strange point but give me leave to explaine

one day he comes the second day and findes the frame standing that he made the first day and then he adds a second dayes worke and then he comes a third day and findes his two former dayes worke standing then he proceeds to a third dayes worke and makes walls to it and so he goes on till his building be finished So prayer it is the building of the soule till it reach up to heaven therefore a godly heart praies and reacheth higher higher in praier till at last his prayers reach up to God It is a signe of a wicked man to pray and to let his prayers fall downe againe upon him And here I appeale to the consciences of wicked men if it be not so with them they pray and pray but their hearts are as dead and deceitfull as proud and vaine as ignorant blockish and rebellious as if they had never praied Thirdly it is more and more a fervent praier if a little praier will not serve the turne if he speeds not to day then he will pray more earnestly to morrow and if that will not serve the turne he will adde more As a man in winding up of a bucket if two or three windings will not fetch it up he will winde it up higher and higher till it comes up for if he should onely winde up once or twise and no more but hold it just at the same pin the bucket would never come up So if a man praies and praies and windes not up his heart higher but holds it just at the same pegge it was praies in the same fashion he did grace will never come up Marke then how thou prayest examine thy heart dost thou pray to day as yesterday with no more zeal nor feeling affection nor sencible desire thou praiest not unsatiably No thou restrainest thy praying from growing an excellent discription of an hypocrite Iob 14. 4. though falsly applied to Job Thou restrainest prayer before God in some translations it is Thou keepest thy prayers from growing thou restrainest thy praiers as a dwarffe is restrained from growing so thou restrainest thy praiers from being more and more earnest and effectuall and fervent unsatiable praier is growing in zeale and affection Fourthly it is a more and more frequent praier so that if twice a day will not serve the turne he will pray three times a day Psal 55. 17. and if that will not prevaile he will pray seven times a day Psal 119. 164. and when that is not enough he will be even ever a praying hardly broken off day or night Psal 88. 1. he cares not how often he praies it may be that thou hast been a suitor for strength and grace against corruptions and hast put up many praiers to the same purpose If now thou stickest at any praiers thy praiers are not unsatiable an unsatiable soul never resteth though it have made ten thousand praiers till it have gotten the grace it is so with other things and therefore we neede not wonder at it when a man doth his worke one day he will do it another and so on as long as he lives till his worke be done so must we doe for heaven and for grace Fifthly it is ever more and more a backt praier if ordinary praiers will not serve the turne a godly heart will cut off time from his recreations and pleasures though in themselves lawfull Beloved it may be with thy soule in its wra●tlings and strivings for grace and power against corruptions that ordinary praiers will not satisfie it but it will be necessary to give over even lawfull delights and give that time to praier so a man will doe for the world if he have a businesse of importance that will bring him in gaine he will be content to part with his delights and recreations and pleasures to follow after it so a man must doe for his soule and if that be not enough then lay aside the duties of thy calling to take time from that If a man have two houses on fire both together the one his mansion dwelling house the other some backe roome or stable if he can he will save both but if he see that by spending his time on quenching the fire on the stable that his great mansion house will burne downe he will then neglect the other and let it burne if it will and imploy himselfe about his house So when the soule is in misery under the want of grace that it cannot live under but must perish eternally if it have it not then the soule being better then the body rather then that the soule miscarry we will neglect the body sometime And if this will not serve abstaine from meate and drinke fast it out thus the people of God are faine to doe many times their lust and corruptions being even as the devill himselfe which cannot be cast out but by praier and fasting there is an excellent place Joel 2. 12. Therefore now turne unto the Lord with fasting weeping and mourning rent your hearts c. Therefore now now your sinnes are so divelish now your sinnes are so deepely rooted in your soules now your corruptions are come to be such plague soares within you doe you not thinke that your ordinary repentance and ordinary praiers and humiliations will serve the turne but now backe them with fasting and mourning Here now thou mayst examine thy soule whether it have praied effectually unsatiably yea or no hath it ever a begging praier that thou praiest as if thou hadst never praied before is it evermore a proceeding praier that thou doest every day draw neerer to God then other is it more and more a backt praier a fervent and frequent praier hast thou taken from thy recreations from thy calling to give to it yea from thy belly and backe and used all meanes for a prevailing with God then are thy praiers effectuall and unsatiable This then condemnes the praiers of most Use men in the world they pray and pray for grace and their praiers come to an end and cease before they have it the angrie fretchard praies for patience and meeknesse and yet sets downe without it the covetous worldling praies to be weaned from the world and his praiers are done before he is so so the lukewarmeling deadhearted and vaine-thoughted professor praies for better thoughts for more zeale and yet comes to his be it so before he have it and so every wicked man praies and he is come to his Amen before the grace is given let all such men know that such praiers first they are endlesse secondly they are fruitlesse First they are endlesse The Philosopher said that that for which a thing is that is the end of the thing now praier is for the speeding with God and therefore he whose praiers speed not with God his praiers are endlesse thou hast praied against thy pride but art as proude still thou hast praied against thy choler and art as teachy still thou hast praied

he that is in Christ Jesus that walks not after the flesh but after the Spirit there is none no not one condemnation to him none neither in Heaven nor in earth no word no commandement no threatning condemnes him But if thy conscience condemne thee and tell thee thou lettest sin lie at the dore rapping at thy conscience day after day and month after month telling thee that yet thou art without Christ that yet thou never hadst any true faith in the Lord Jesus that yet thou hast not truely repented and turned from thy sinnes this will at last drive thy soule into heavie discouragements if not into finall despaire O beloved religion and piety and the power of godlinesse goe downe the winde every where What is the reason of it but because of these discouragements that men live and go in Men pray and pray and their prayers profit them not men run up and downe and come to the Church and heare the Word and receive the Sacraments and use the meanes of grace but to no end they are unprofitable to them they remaine in their sinnes still the ordinances of God bring them not out of their lusts and corruptions hereby they disgrace and discredit the ordinances of God in the eyes and account of the men of the world making them thinke as if there were no more power nor force in the Ordinances of God then these men manifest There is no life in many Christians mens spirits are discouraged these secret discouragements in their hearts take away their spirits in the use of the meanes that though they use the meanes yet it drives them to despaire of reaping good or profit by them Beloved I could here tell you enough to make your hearts ake to heare it First all your complaints they are hut winde Job 6. 26. doe you imagine to reprove words and the speeches of one that is desperate which are as winde Jobs friends taking Job to be a man of despaire they accounted all his words but as winde Doest thou nestle any discouragement in thy heart thou maist complaine of sinne as much as thou canst yet all thy complainings are but as winde thou maist cry out against thy corruptions with weeping and teares and pray and fight against them and yet all thy weeping mourning and praying is but as the winde thou maiest beg grace thou maist seeke after God thou maist heare the Word receive the Sacraments and yet all will be to thee as wind all will vanish be unprofitable not regarded Secondly discouragements drive us from the use of the meanes If ever we meane to come out of our sinnes if ever we meane to get grace and faith and assurance and zeale we must constantly use the meanes 1 Sam. 27. 1. David saith there is nothing better for me then that I should speedily escape into the Land of the Philistims and Saul shall despaire of me to seeke me any more David thought in himselfe if I can make him out of hope of finding me certainely he will give over seeking of me So when the soule hath any secret despaire of finding the Lord that soule will quickly be drawne from seeking of the Lord in the use of the meanes What ever you doe then O be not discouraged lest you be driven from the use of the meanes if you be driven from the use of the meanes woe is to you you will never finde God then Be not driven from praier nor driven from holy conference nor driven from the Word nor driven from the Sacrament nor from meditation nor from the diligent and strict examination of thy selfe of thy heart and of all thy waies for these are the waies of finding the Lord. If you nourish any thoughts and feares of despaire in you if you be discouraged you will be driven from the use of the meanes which is a lamentable thing therefore be not discouraged Thirdly discouragements will make you stand poaring on your former courses thus I should have done and that I should have done woe is me that I did it not it will make a man stand poaring on his sinnes but never able to get out of them So it was like to be with them in the Ship with Paul Acts 27. 20. In the tempest at Sea they were utterly discouraged from any hope of safety now indeed Paul told them what they should have done if they had been wise Sirs you should have hearkned to me and not have loosed ver 21. as if he had said you should have done thus and thus but now doe not stand poaring too much on that you should have hearkned to me and not have launched forth c. but that cannot be holpen now therefore I exhort you to be of good cheare c. So beloved when the soule is discouraged upon these thoughts I should have prayed better I should have heard the Word of God better and with more profit I should have repented better I should have performed this and that religious and good dutie better but ah wretch that I am I have sinned thus and thus it is alwaies looking on this sinne and that sinne this imperfection and that failing when now I say the soule is discouraged it will be alwaies poaring upon sinne but it will never come out of its sinne alwaies poaring upon its deadnesse and unprofitablenesse but never able to come out of it O beloved be of good cheare and be not discouraged it is true you should have prayed better you should have heard the Word of God better heretofore you should have been more carefull and circumspect of your wayes then you were but now you cannot helpe it these things and times are gone and cannot be recalled such a one hath been a drunkard a swearer a worldling c. but he cannot helpe it now True he might have helped it and because he did not his heart shall bleed for it if he belong to God but doe not stand poaring too much upon it but consider now what you have to doe now you are to humble your selfe now you are to strive with God in all manner of prayer for more grace and more power of obedience and assurance and be not discouraged Fourthly if the soule be discouraged it will breed nothing but sorrow What is the reason that many Christians are alwaies weeping and mourning and sighing and sobbing from day to day all their life time and will not be comforted because of these discouragements 1 Thes 4. 13. Sorrow not saith the Apostle as those that have no hope as if he had said sorrow if you will but do not sorrow as they that have no hope How is that it is a sorrow with nothing but sorrow from which they have no hope of inlargement or freedome O then my brethren suppose you have dead hearts suppose you want zeale you want assurance suppose it be so yet labour to attaine these graces sorrow and spare not weepe and mourne and powre out whole buckets of

intreaties can ●●ke off Oh how often have Gods Ministers intreated you and beseeched you to give over your sinnes and yet you will not how often have they besought you to be zealous and meeke and holy and you will not thou art tichie and revengefull in speeches how often hast thou beene sought to leave it thou art proude and stout-hearted how oft hast thou beene sought for to be humble thou art carnall and worldly how often hast thou beene besought to be spirituall and heavenly Thou hast no assurance of Christ in thy soule how oft hast thou beene besought for to get him Ministers beseech thee every Sabboth Ministers intreate thee every weeke They breake their braines and breake their sleepe and spend their lungs and all to invent and speake acceptable words to prevaile with your soules with heart-cutting intreaties they beseech you if notwithstanding all this you will not be intreated to part with your sinnes rhen it is evident you hate reformation If we did not hate a thing we would doe it though we were never besought to doe it if thou didst not hate a reformation of thy sinnes thou wouldest have beene reformed without these beseeches but if beseeches and intreaties cannot woe thee thou hatest it indeed that is hatred indeede which beseeches cannot reconcile The Lord Jesus sent his Ministers in his Name we are Gods Embassadours in Christ his stead we pray you to be reconciled to God We have besought you by the bloud of Christ we have intreated you by the Bowells of Gods mercies to become new men we beseech you in the Bowells of the Lord Jesus Christ to give over your sinnes We beseech you as you love your soules give over your sinnes we beseech you as you are men as you know what is what give over your sinnes we beseech you let the drunkard give over his drunkennesse the swearer his oathes and blasphemies the Idolater his Idolatry and wilworship let the idle talker give over his fruitlesse communication the covetous person give over his covetousnesse the secure Christian and lukewarme professor and deadhearted server of God come out of his security and dead-heartednesse c. I beseech you by the mercies of God saith Saint Paul present your bodies a living sacrifice holy c. Rom. 12. 1. Sacrifice your tongues unto God we beseech you and speake holy conference sacrifice your hearts we beseech you and use holy meditations sacrifice your hares unto God and suffer not idle language to be spoken in your hearing we beseech you doe this yea by all the mercies of Christ we beseech you as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christ his stead and will you not yet Certainly you hate the light if all these beseeches cannot reconcile you we have besought you that there be no disorders in any of your families and yet there are we have besought you that there be no losse of time in your meetings that there be no roote of bitternesse in your hearts and yet there is we have besought you to mende your repentance and to better your obedience and to repent of your rotten formality and to come out of your sandy and quagmire bottomes and not to content your selves with this beggarly form of religion onely but as ever you love your soules and would be loved to get the power of grace and a thousand more things have we besought you Is it done no God knowes all the beseeches and intreaties under heaven have not yet done it Now therefore you must needs stand convinced in your consciences that you hate the light if all these beseeches cannot bring you to it They must needs be sayd to hate one another when neither money nor price nor any thing can make freinds That is inveterate cankerous hatred which can never be out-bought which can never be hired to cease I make no question but that the Damosels Master at the first did hate that his Maide should be possessed with a divell but when he saw that it brought him in great gaine he tooke off his hatred he would then be content that the divell might have stayed in his house so he might have gained by it and therefore we reade that he was angry at the Apostle for dispossesing the divell out of her Act. 16. 19. It must be a greivous hatred that profit cannot mollifie Brethren you know that God offereth you pardon of your sinnes he offers you mercy he offers you a Kingdome if you will come out of your sinnes If thou wouldest rather lose father mother wife and children houses and lands goods and livings rather then shake hands with such a one as thou art fallen out with I am sure thou hatest him with a witnesse and if thou wouldest rather hazard thy owne mercy hazard the love and favour of God hazard the Kingdome of heaven lot Christ goe and mercy goe and heaven goe ●●ther then let thy sinnes g●● surely thou hatest to be reformed I will give you a kingdome saith God if you will be new men I will give thee a Kingdome if thou will take up Christ his Croffe and be pl●●● I will give thee a Kingdome if thou wil● walke precisely and circumspectly But you will not though you might have a kingdome for it Repent faith Christ for the kingdome of heaven is at hand Math. 3. 2. Repent and here is a Kingdome a● hand for thee Downe with thine old lu●t thou knowest what I meane and here is a Kingdome at hand for thee Repent of your formall repentance repent of your fashionary prayers repent of your overly performances of holy duties and behold here is a Kingdome for you Wilt thou hazard the very Kingdome of grace and of glory rather then thou wilt steppe out of thy old wont thou hatest repentance if a Kingdome cannot hire thee to love it They must be sayd to hate one another whom all the dearest love in the world can never ●nite and soder together Love is able to burst all the hatred in the world if the divell be not in it love is more forcible then hatred and therefore that hatred is most cankerous that love cannot overcome What is so pleasing or delightfull to the ●lesh of a man but love may command it the love of God hath given thee the bloud of his owne Sonne if thou wilt part with thy corruptions thou mayest have it That is hatred indeed which the bloud of thy owne Saviour cannot disswade thee from The Apostle Peter thought he had used an excellent argument to perswade men to holinesse when he setteth forth the love of God to us 1 Pet. 18. 19. For asmuch as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vaine conversation received by tradition from your fathers but with the precious bloud of Christ as of a Lambe undefiled and without spotte What doth Christ give his bloud to thee to redeeme thee from thy vaine conversation hath

of vertue Learne then the more you are reviled the more to make your light to shine before men that they may see your good workes and glorifie your Father which is in heaven No man yet ever lived though never so worthy but of some he hath beene despised Fourthly Know this in conclusion that you that are thus despised it is a part of your worth For when all men speake evill of you then blessed are you This speakes terrour to the wicked who wrong Vse 1 the children of God either with tongue or hands either by themselves or by others either by nick-naming them or by circumventing them this I say speakes terrible things against them Will you offer to speake against personages of great worth against the children of a King will the King endure that thou shouldest speake against the bloud royall no no he will be revenged on them that doe so dost thou now wrong a godly man thou shalt one day smart for it for God is able to punish thee yea and he will doe it unlesse thou speedily repent When Saul Acts 8. persecuted the Church of Christ Christ called from heaven and said Saul Saul why persecutest thou me I speake to those that are wicked men and I speake in the bowels of Christ if you did know them you would not doe it for had they knowne the Lord of life they would not have crucifyed him 1 Cor. 2. 8. so if such as doe persecute Gods children did but know their worth and that they were his children they would not doe it Let us esteeme godly men and women as persons Use 2 of great worth the Saints of God have alwaies done so Saint Lawrence being demanded by his persecutors wherein the worth of the Church lay the storie saith he gathered a companie of poore people together and pointed at them and said there lies the worth of the Church so I have read of an ancient King who made a great feast and invited a companie of poore people which were Christians and he bade his Nobles also now when the Christians came he had them up into the Presence-Chamber but when the Nobles came he set them in his hall Being of the Nobles demanded the reason he answered I doe not this as I am their King here for I respect you more then them but as I am a King of another world I must needes honour these because God doth most honour them and then they shall be Kings and Princes with me soe do you esteeme of them according to their worth and shew it If they be persons of such great worth Vse 3 here you may be directed how to get a name of worth in the world to be honoured of God This is the way labour to be beleevers serve God and close with the godly be of one minde and of one heart with them Honour is the thing that all desire according to that of Saul to Samuel Honour me before the Elders of my people so we are all readie to say oh that I could be honoured in the heart of those that I converse with all I say then thou must labour to serve and honour God in thy heart let that be thine honour It is a meere follie for men to think to get honour by swearing by lying by cutting and slashing and drunkennesse c. The sweete ointment of a good name is not compounded of stinking ingredients This should serve to comfort the godly Vse 4 that seeing they are of so great worth what though they be disgraced here let this suffice thee God that knowes the true worth of everie thing he accounts thee worthy what though doggs barke and crie out against thee for thy holinesse let them alone and know thou this that the time will come when never a curre of them all but wil wish oh that mine end might be like his and that they might goe as thy dogge to heaven with thee when they shall see thee sit at his right hand where are pleasures for evermore Lastly you that approve your selves to be Vse 5 of the number of the godly labour to walke worthy of the Lord. Colos 1. 10. Doth God thus advanced you then strive you to honour him with inward and outward worshippe God hath not done these things for you that you may live as you list no you are a chosen generation c. 1 Pet. 2. 19. Ergo you must shew forth the vertue of him that hath called you You that are parents of children the more you doe for them the more you looke they should honour you the more God hath done for you the more you ought to feare him God hath drawn you out of darkenes into a marvellous light and will you yet walk as vassalls of Sathan This was that kept Joseph from committing adulterie even the favour of advancement and how then can I doe this great wickednesse saith he so thou art advanced to honour from a childe of the devill to be the son of God how then canst thou commit wickednesse Consider I say how God hath advanced thee from being a slave of Satan to be his adopted son and shall I now become a covetous person shal I be a companion of Gods enemies when you are enticed by the divell or wicked men to any sinne say what shall such a man as I consent shall I flie from my coulors what a Kings son and flie Consider this THE TIME OF GODS GRACE Is limited GEN. 6. 3. The Lord said my Spirit shall not alway strive with man because he is but flesh and his dayes shall be a hundred and twenty yeares IN this Chapter is continued the History of the decay of the World wherein is described Gods purpose of destroying mankinde in which are these two parts First the meritorious deserving Cause wherein God gives an account what he doth how inexcusable the world is and how just God is unto the 14. vers Secondly a Direction unto Noah to make an Arke where we may see that God in his judgement remembers mercy The meritorious deserving cause is described first from the quantity of those persons in those evill daies a great many vers the first men began to multiply in places populous where there are some good there are many bad Secondly by the quality of those persons the Sons of God when they saw the daughters of men the sonnes of God viz. the posterity of them that maintained Religion they began to be carelesse and carnally confident they did looke after the profits and pleasures of this life and then it was high time for God to enter into Judgement Thirdly by the kind of sinne They lusted after unlawfull Marriages c. and the root of this was originall corruption the Imaginations of mans heart was onely evill and that continually verse 5. These words are a Proclamation of Gods purpose to bring it to an end in which are foure things First the Lords complaint in these words the Lord said Secondly the

Another saith but I hope my time is not Object 3 past for the Lord hath given me a tender heart Hath he so it is well and wilt thou then Sol. harden it thou mayest repent when it is too late and ergo I tell thee that good and holy desires are joyned with honest endeavours neede makes the old wife trot as we say so a soft heart will make thee use all good and honest meanes Seeing that God strives with many and Vse 1 at last gives over goe thou home and blesse God that he hath not dealt so with thee it is enough that the Lord hath brought thee home to himselfe many may say with Paul I was a persecutor I was injurious c. 1 Tim. 1. 14. but I received mercy so thou mayest say the Lord knowes what a deale adoe he hath had with me this heart was as hard as the neather milstone but the Lord in some measure hath mollified it this heart was as proud as the devill but blessed be Gods name he would let me see it at the last goe home and say who am I and what is my Fathers house that the Lord hath brought me hither Oh that God should thus stoope to man the Lord hath stood and knockt thus many yeares and he might have given over but blessed be his name I have received mercie I lived under the meanes but that prevailed not with me the Lord sent such and such sicknes but that wrought not on me at the last I went to heare a Minister and me thought that Minister spake nothing but what he spake to me and then the Lord set conscience on worke and that affrighted me Looke to it the Lord will either breake thy necke or thy heart doe not thinke to goe to heaven by good meanings no it will cost thee somewhat more before thou come there Another time the Lord set on me and then I set on good duties I would have Christ to justifie and sanctifie me and blessed be his name he was not wanting unto me in any meanes the Lord make me thankfull c. I tell thee thou wilt be in deede and God shall have all let the voluptuous man have his pleasures c. what is that to thee so thou have Christ For the just reproofe of all such as are Use 2 yet in the gall of bitternesse and in the bonds of iniquitie there will come a time when God will strive with thee no more the old man thinks he hath time enough to repent in and the young man thinks he need not so much as enter into a Parley with godlinesse Esau went away when he had eate and drunke he esteemed not his birth-right I have heard some goe away with this resolution when they are married then they will live thus and thus c. suffer me first to goe bury my Father c. Master Minister you speake well I like your counsell but I have a rich Unckle and he hath no childe and I am likely to be his heire but he cannot abide a Puritan of all the men in the world and if I doe not humour him I shall never have a foot of his Land let me bury him first when Father and Friends are dead then the children must provide for themselves and then they will seek after God and repent and by this time they grow old and though they cannot make so good a shew as others yet their hearts are as good as the best but soft a while all is not gold that glisters alas poore soules they were given over many yeares agoe this is also the sinne of young men and women for the most part and this is the great sinne of England the sinne of many Gentlemen and Gentlewomen God must pardon when they call and that must not be till they be old and then in all post-haste send they to and for master Priest and he must bring God to them or them to God but the God of Heaven and earth cannot endure this mockerie For terrour to all wicked and ungodly men Vse 3 woe woe woe that ever they were borne that are thus given over and of these there are two sorts Some are insensible and some sensible The insensible are they who die like stones as did Nabal We have many King Harry Protestants Others are sensible God hath opened the eye of their soules and hath let them read the red letters of the Gospell It is a heavie thing for old friends to part so Acts 20. 38. They grieved most in that he said you shall see my face no more so when soule and bodie part it is heavie but when the soule and God part it is lamentable when God takes his leave never to be seene more then whether thou looke upward or downeward there is nothing but amazement and astonishment If thou looke upward there is the anger of God if downeward there is the bottomlesse pit if on the right hand thou shall see all his mercies which could not allure thee if on the left hand all his Judgements which could not terrifie thee if before thee the black day if behind thee the Devills this will be fearfull I remember a Storie of an adulterate woman her Conscience pricking her she determined to repent but God in the meane time did visit her so sore that she lay crying out oh my time my time Another time a covetous woman her House being on fire she to save her goods left her child in the Cradle but a neighbour of hers hearing it crie tooke it away she afterwards remembring her child ran about crying oh my child my child and would not be comforted So when the fire and indignation of the Lord breaks out if not now yet at the last day it will then the parties against whom it breaks will crie oh my soule my soule what will become of thee my soule It had been better I had never been born for neither Mercies Judgements nor the Word could allure mee oh woe is me Now the condition of such is miserable in three respects First because if God forsake thee then all forsakes thee when thou liest a dying thou sendest for the Minister and thou wouldest faine have a word of comfort from him but alas if thou dost not receive comfort from Heaven how can the Minister comfort thee If thy outward Estate faile Friends may help but if they faile there is a God in Heaven and he will help but if He goe away then all help is gone Secondly when God goes restraining grace goes this was Sauls case and you may observe that such as have been enlightn●d and fall away fall into one of these three sinnes either into the hands of the world and that is their Master or else into the sinnes of uncleannesse or into the spirit of Malice to persecute them that are holy Thirdly if God leave us then common protection leaves us we are left to the clutches of all things both in Heaven and earth Ergo