that I may be willing now for the present to suffer for the Cause or the Name of Christ Here are divers Directions Directions to suffer for the Name of Christ First Whensoever you do receive any thing from God when you do receive it then ingage your hearts to offer it up unto God when God calls for it again to lay it out for God And if at any time you find your hearts willing then pray to God and say The Lord continue this in the thoughts of my poor heart for ever whensoever you receive then ingage and keep this ingagement fresh upon your hearts Secondly Train up your selves in leaving and forsaking a worldly interest for the Name of Christ the Gospel calls for this work daily for you know the Parable A certain man made a great feast and invited many and sent his servant at Supper-time to say to them that were bidden Come for all things are now ready And they all with one consent began to make excuse One said I have bought a piece of ground and I must go see it Another said I have bought five yoke of Oxen and I must go prove them Another said I have married a wife and therefore cannot come All these were excuses But we should daily be parting with a worldly interest for the Gospel and Name of God It was a true speech of Mr. Greenham He will never be able to suffer by a Papist that cannot suffer from a Protestant Train up your selves every day daily you must meet with one Temptation or another therefore be daily training your selves up in this work of leaving and forsaking your worldly interest for the Lord Jesus Christ Thirdly Use the World as if you us'd it not for the fashion of this world passeth away He that is glewed to the world will never leave and forsake much of the worldly interest for the name of Jesus Christ the more a mans heart is glewed to the world and the things thereof the more unwilling he will be to part with a worldly interest for Jesus Christ Therefore let him that uses the world be as if he used it not he that marries as if he married not and they that weep as if they wept not and they that rejoyce as though they rejoyced not and they that buy as though they possessed not and they that use this world as not abusing it for the fashion of this world passeth away Witness the Revolutions of these latter times Fourthly Study Christ crucified much Let me say this to you and to my self and I pray consider of it the more frequently and seriously we do think on Christ crucified and what Christ did leave and forsake for us the more willing shall we be to leave and forsake any worldly interest for Jesus Christ I should think thus What shall Christ leave his Heaven for me and shall not I leave my Earth for him What shall Jesus Christ leave the bosome of his Father and that sweet Relation for me and shall not I leave the bosome of my Relation for him What shall Jesus Christ suffer for me a cursed death and shall not I be willing to suffer a blessed death for him The Death of Christ hath blessed our death Christ hath suffered a cursed death for us and our death is made blessed by the death of Christ And shall Christ suffer a cursed death for me and shall not I be willing to suffer a blessed death for him Think much of what Christ left for you and then you will be willing to forsake any worldly interest for him Fifthly Get your hearts filled with the divine sweetnesses of the Ordinances O Lord saith Austin when once thy sweetness came into my Soul how sweet was it to me to want my own sweetnesses Oh! when the sweetnesses of God shall come into our Souls this begets Love and much water cannot quench Love Go therefore and labour to get your hearts filled with Divine sweetnesses Sixthly Whatsoever you do now in a way of service do it because your Father wills it If you do therefore serve God now because your Father wills it then when you come to suffer you will willingly suffer because your Father wills it So that now use your selves to this to serve all your service upon this score because my Father wills it Seventhly Take heed that you do not stand lessning of a sin or of an error and greatning of a suffering What 's the reason that many are so unwilling to suffer The reason on 't is this they lessen the error and the sin in the yeilding and they aggravate and greaten the suffering O saith one Is this a great matter to yeild in such a thing as this 't is an indifferent thing but if I don't yeild I am undone for ever But take heed of this that you do not lessen the sin and aggravate your suffering for you will never be willing to suffer for the name of Christ if this be your way Eighthly If you would be willing to suffer for the Name of Christ then go unto God in prayer and pray unto God for boldness and go to your friends and beg of them to pray for you I remember when Latimer was to suffer he call'd upon his friends Pray friends pray for me for sometimes though I am as bold as a Lyon yet at another time I am so afraid as I could run into a Mouse-hole Therefore say Come O my friends I have a cowardly heart of my own and am unwilling to suffer for the Name of Jesus Christ O friends pray for me and go to God and pray for boldness for you see how it was in the 4th of the Acts they told their own Company what the Priests said to them And now Lord say they Behold their threatnings and what did they pray for Grant that with all boldness we may speak thy word And what was â—he issue in the next verse The room was shaken and they were filled with the Holy Ghost and they spake the word of God with boldness God answered their prayer presently Therefore if the Enemies threaten and you are afraid to suffer for the Name of Christ get together and in the midst of all your Petitions put up this to the Throne of Grace O Lord give us boldness Ninthly If you would be willing to suffer for the name of Christ O then read over the sufferings of others and how others have offered up their worldly interests to the name of Christ and by reading their sufferings you will be made willing to suffer as they were Having such a cloud of witnesses saith the Apostle he speaks of suffering-Saints Tenthly Improve all your afflictions to the mortification of your mind and of your will Take this for certain truly the more your own mind and will is alive the more you will be unwilling to suffer for the Name of Christ Well how shall I mortifie my own will Afflictions will help you do it Affliction What 's
near his righteousness and his Salvation shall not tarry And he will place Salvation in Sion for Israel his glory Only for the present let me conclude and leave an Exhortation with you which I will draw up from all which hath bin said The first part on 't is this The Saints and people of God in Anti-Christian times they are Witnesses First therefore be sure that you bear your testimony faithfully Be faithful now in your Witness-bearing Christians Christ will pay all the charge that you are at in Witness-bearing If a man have a Suit at Law and have five or six Witnesses and carry them a hundred Miles he bears all the charge of their Witness-bearing Saith Christ I will give power to My Witnesses they are My Witnesses Ye are Christs Witnesses and look whatsoever charge you are at he will bear the charge he will bear all the charge of your Witness-bearing And if your Faith come not home enough as it should be yet Christ is Faithful though we believe not and therefore be faithful in your Witness-bearing Secondly Though you be but few be not afraid be not discouraged for Christ will alwaies have enough to bear Witness to his truth in the darkest times -Comfort ye one another with those words Thirdly Be fruitful as the Olive tree And be lightsome as the Candlestick O that God would roul away the reproach of a barren heart from every one of you and of a barren life T is time now to be fruitful that you may be as the Olive-Tree and as the Candlestick to hold forth your light to others Fourthly Pray now have a care that you wear your Sackcloth handsomly Truly these Meetings that now we do enjoy they have a Sack-cloth on them there is a Sack-cloth upon the loyns of every such meeting as this Christians you have your Sack-cloth on pray wear your Sack-cloth handsomly for in due time you shall have Robes you shall come forth in white Robes having your Palmes in your hands only for the present wear your Sack-cloth handsomly I mean carry your sad and mournful condition as you ought Fifthly If you find that you be not able for to bear your testimony as you would and as you should Go then to Christ and remember this promise I will give power unto my Two VVitnâ—sses O plead this promise Christians it is a great promise I will give power unto my two VVitnesses Though men take away power from you for Prophesy They will not let you Pray nor Prophesie yet I will give power I will give power in opposition to your own weakness And I will give power in opposition to mens Malice Therefore go to Christ and press this promise Lord I am one of thy poor Witnesses therefore give power according to thy Word for thou hast said I will give power and they shall Prophesie Sixthly Let not your mouth be shut but open in Prayer For it is said here If any man will hurt them Fire proceedeth out of his mouth That was the Prayer of Elijah It brought dovvn fire scorching and blasting Judgments Christians is there a Fire a Fire in your mouth O you that have any credit in Heaven pray now If there were any here that I could speak to I would say thus You that never prayed pray now but I hope there is none such but if there should be any such I would say you that never prayed pray now and you that have any credit in Heaven improve it in this day of tryal for the poor Witnesses And to conclude all If that you should see that the Witnesses shall have done such great things that they have shut Heaven that it rain not that they have turned water into bloud and yet immediately upon it they have bin slain and lye dead If you see all these things come to pass one after another then lift up your heads oh ye Saints and wait and wait for he that doth come will come and will not tarry And when he comes he will not only pay you your principle-money but he vvill pay you all your forbearance money too And therefore what I say to one I say unto you all and to my ovvn soul Let us wait upon the Lord and keep his vvay And thus novv I have done with the first time of the Witnesses their Prophesying time their slaying time follovvs But that you will conjecture at somthing by what hath bin said SERM. V. The uncertainty of the world should take off our Hearts from the Love of it 1 Cor. 7. 30 31. But this I say Brethren the time is short It remaineth that both they that have Wives be as though they had none And they that weep as though they wept not And they that rejoice as though they rejoyced not And they that buy as though they possessed not And they that use this world as not abusing it for the fashion of this world passeth away BUt this I say Brethren the time is short c. In this Scripture we have a great Exhortation to use this World as if we used it not which the Apostle openeth by divers instances and strengtheneth by divers Arguments The general Exhortation brings up the Rear They that use this world as if they used it not or as not abusing it The instances march in the body and middle of the words They that have Wives as though they had none and they that weep as though they wept not and they that rejoice as though they rejoyced not and they that buy as though they possessed not Which are inclosed with tvvo Reasons One in the Front The time is short This I say Brethren the time is short It remaineth c. The other reason in the close or rear of the words Fâ—r the fashion of this World passeth away From all which then I take up this Doctrine or Observation Doctr. That the consideration of the shortness of our time here and that the fashion of this World passeth away should move us to use the World in all our particular concernments as if we used it not For the opening whereof these several things will fall under our consideration First That a good man may make use of the world Secondly Though he may make use of the World yet he must use the World as if he used it not Thirdly What are those particular concernments wherein we are to use the World as if we used it not Fourthly what there is in these Reasons of the Apostle The shortness of the time and the passing fashion of the world that should move us so to use the World as if we used it not Fifthly When a man may be said so to use the World as if he used it not Sixthly What is the issue and the consequence thereof in case he do or do not Seventhly What a man should do that he may get his heart into this holy frame So to use the World as if he used it not First therefore We must grant that
we have too much love to the world Love is the cause of grief the more passionately you grieve for any outward thing the more abundantly you shew your love thereunto and it will in some measure reflect upon your God 'T is a considerable speech that of a child when the mother of the child had us'd to say upon al her losses Yet my God lives when she had lost a child she would say yet my God's alive when she had lost a friend yet my God's alive At last loosing a child she loved much she wept very much and another of her children came unto her and said Mother is your God dead Mother is not your God alive She used to say still yet my God's alive and now weeping much and not saying so the child said Mother is not your God alive Truly this grieving much it hath such a reflexion as this Is not your God alive Christians is not your God alive you know what the Apostle saith Rejoyce in the Lord evermore and again I say rejoyce If that we are to rejoyce in the Lord evermore then surely we are to weep as if we wept not and to grieve as if we grieved not And thus we are to use the world as if we us'd it not in reference to this concernment the matter of our grief Thirdly As for the matter of our joy the Apostle saith And let them that rejoyce be as though they rejoyced not 't is lawful to rejoyce even in the things of the world Rejoyce in the wife of thy youth God hath provided several delightful objects for every sense there 's Musick for hearing and there are smells and sweet smells for smelling sweet things for the taste God hath so ordered things that every Sense hath its delightful object surely therefore it is lawful to take pleasure and to rejoyce in the things of this world But still though we do rejoyce in the things of this world we must rejoyce as if we rejoyced not For why should I joy much in that which I cannot enjoy why now the things of this world I may use but I cannot enjoy them God only is to be enjoyed Who will rejoyce with all his might in the blaze of a Wisp a Wisp of Straw set on fire makes a great blaze but it ends in black ashes who rejoyces much in the blaze of the Wisp why truly the best outward thing it is but the blaze of a Wisp and if we dont take heed it ends in black ashes Who would rejoyce much in that which is but a Tanquam a quasi of good which he cannot satisfie his soul in there is a crack in the finest Christal Glass in this world a crevice what outward thing is there in all the world but hath some crevice in it what beauty but hath some Wart grows upon the face on 't Our Saviour Christ was at a Wedding and when he was there the Wine was spent why for to shew that in the midst of all our fulness and joy there is a deficiency and there is a want bottles will be empty And if it be the great work of a Christian for to moderate his affections then shold we not grieve as if we grieved not and rejoyce as if we rejoyced not The great work of a Christian what is it why the great work of a Christian is not for to know much the great work of a Christian is not to have much he is a Christian indeed that grieves as if he grieved not and rejoyces as if he rejoyced not that moderates his affections that hath the command and the true moderation of his affections I he is a Christian indeed So that thus then we see that we are to use the world as if we us'd it not in reference to this concernment the matter of our joy Fourthly As for the matter of our possessions the Apostle saith And let them that buy be as though they possessed not 't is lawful and very lawful to buy and sell and to possess For else there would be no propriety but there is a propriety in nature the last Commandment Thou shalt not covet thy Neighbours Oxe nor his Ass nor any thing that is his nor any thing that is his The Moral Law the Law of Nature tells us that there is an his that is a propriety and the Gospel tells us and the Law of the Gospel tells us that there must be liberality surely then its lawful to buy and sell and to possess 't is lawful But though we may buy and sell and possess yet we must possess as if we possessed not buy as if we bought not and possess as if we possessed not For else How can we be strangers here 't is said of Abraham by Faith he was a stranger in the Land of Promise A stranger in the Land of Promise certainly if a man would let out his heart â—pon any Land a good man would let out his heart to the utmost upon the Land of Promise What the Land of Promise and yet a stranger to it Yes though it were the Land of Promise yet a stranger to it How can a man be patient in the loss of things If he be not weaned from them while he hath them Surely Job was weaned from what he had by being so patient under his loss And if that good men have other greater things and possessions for to mind and they cannot intensively mind both why then a man must surely so possess as if he possessed not Why now a good man hath higher and greater possessions to mind and inheritance Incorruptible undefiled that fadeth not away reserved in the Heavens And both he cannot mind together but he must love the one and hate the other The intention about the one must be remisness about the other Then surely it is our duty to use the World as if we used it not in reference unto this concernment namely this concernment of our possessions And so you see the thing now cleared by these four instances We are to use the World as if we used it not In the matter of our Relations In the matter of our griefs In the matter of our Joyes And in the matter of our possessions Well but then fourthly In the fourth place What is there in these Reasons of the Apostle The shortness of the time And the Fashion of the world passing away What is there in these Reasons that may inforce this Exhortation To use the World as if we used it not Much every way still I must but touch at things The time is short Use the World as if we used it not For the time is short The time of our life is short 't is but short A great business we have to do in reference to our eternity and our time to do it in is but short Time roul'd and trust up as it were into a little bundle and therefore why should we not use the World as if we used it not If a
us'd it not thereby I say you shall have the world and have it in more abundance Yea thereby you shall have it in a better edition in a better impression the world and the things thereof sanctified unto you use the world as if you us'd it not and the things thereof as if you us'd them not you shall have them in a better edition sanctified to you Yea thereby you shall have that which is better than all you shall have the mind of Christ And we hope we have the mind of Christ saith the Apostle we believe we have the mind of Christ who have the mind of Christ saith David in Psa 119. Lord saith he I am a stranger in this earth hide not thy Commandments from me Here 's his argument in Isa 28. Whom shall he teach knowledge v. 9. And whom shall he make to understand Doctrine them that are weaned from the milk and drawn from the breasts them shall he teach knowledge and them shall he make to understand doctrine I 'le say no more but this thereby you shall be happy indeed use the world as if you us'd it not and thereby you shall be happy Who is the happy man in the world He 's an happy man that can contemn and be contemned saith the Heathen Seneca He 's the happy man in the world that can use the world as if he us'd it not And yet again I le repeat that Thereby you shall be fit to suffer in suffering times Suffering times are upon us and by using the world as if we us'd it not you shall be fit to suffer And therefore again I say As you do desire that you may be fit to suffer in suffering times That you may be happy That you may have the mind of Christ That you may have the things of the world in a better Edition That you may have them in more abundance That you may know how to want and part wiâ—â— all things easily Now use the world as if you used it not And if nothing else will do I beseech you take these two Arguments that the Apostle here uses and lay them with all their weight upon your Souls lay them with your experience Beloved this I must say to you The Holy Ghost doth never spend reasons in vain the Holy Ghost hath no wast of reasons in Scripture Here are two Reasons The time is short Use the world as if you us'd it not For the time is short Use the world for the Fashion of the world passeth away 'T is Scripture reason and there is no waste in it and therefore lay it unto your own experience And if you desire now to get this holy frame of Spirit and to use the world as if you us'd it not go and say unto your own Souls Come O my Soul why should I not use the world as if I us'd it not indeed the time is short Ah the time of our opportunity is short The time of our Spiritual enjoyment is short The time of this life is short The time is short O my Soul and therefore why should I not use the world as if I us'd it not And come O my Soul the Fashion of this world passeth away And this I have experience of witness all the Revolutions of these later times how the Fashion of all things hath past away We have seen in these late Revolutions the Fashion of this world passeth away and therefore come O my Soul why should you not use the world as if you us'd it not You have now Riches it passeth away Relations pass away And Friends pass away And Creature-Comforts they pass away The Fashion of this world it passeth away and therefore O my soul now use the world as if you us'd it not Thus the Apostle speaks this is his Argument and these are his Arguments And so say I Brethren and Beloved The time is short It remaineth therefore that both they that have Wives be as though they had none And they that weep as though they wept not And they that rejoyce as though they rejoyced not And they that buy as though they possessed not And they that use this world as not abusing it For the Fashion of this world passeth away SERM. VI. Mens VVrath against God's People shall turn to Gods Praise Psal 76. 10. Surely the Wrath of man shall praise thee the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain IN this Psalm we have a Declaration of the Majesty and glorious appearance of God in and for his Church and people In Judah is God known his Name is great in Israel in Salem also is his Tabernacle and his dwelling place in Sion ver 1 2. Where God appears as a Captain and General unto his people and as a Judg. As a Captain and General therefore in ver 3. There In Syon brake he the Arrows of the Bow the Shield and the Sword and the Battel Thou art more glorious and excellent then the Mountains of prey At thy rebuke O God of Jacob both the Chariot and Horse are cast into a dead sleep As a Judg at ver 8. Thou didst cause Judgment to be heard from Heaven the Earth feared and was still When God arose to Judgment to save all the meek of the earth But if God do thus appear to and for and with his people why doth he suffer the wrath and anger of men to be so much against his people Why he answers it in ver 10. Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee the remainder of wrath thou shalt restrain Though God do suffer the Enemies of his people to be very angry and wrathful with his people yet that wrath of theirs shall turn unto the praise of God and the remainder of their wrath God will restrain From whence then I take up this Observation Observ Though there be a great deal of anger or wrath in the hearts of men against the people of God Yet God will either turn their wrath unto his own praise or restrain their wrath For the clearing and prosecuting whereof two things will fall under our consideration First That there is a great deal of wrath and anger in the hearts of men against the people of God Secondly That this wrath God will either turn to his praise or restrain the same First of all There is a great deal of wrath and anger in the hearts of men against the people of God A great deal of anger so much anger as doth amount to wrath for wrath is the height of anger Now the men of the world they are wrath with the people of God not only angry but wrathfully displeased Psal 124. Had not the Lord bin on our side when men rose up against us then they had swallowed us up quick when their wrath was kindled against us There is not only Wrath in their hearts against the people of God but such wrath as doth amount to Rage For as wrath is the height of Anger so Rage is the height of
Fourthly We are so to use the world and the things thereof as they are why now truly there is nothing in this world that is either good or evil morally but as it is used prosperity in it self is not good not morally good adversity in it self is not evil 't is not morally evil all the things of this world are but indifferent neither good nor evil in themselves but as they are used Thus then if all the things of this world are but in their own nature indifferent neither good nor evil why should not our hearts be carried out indifferently towards them and so to use them as if we us'd them not All the things of this world they are but to serve a turn they are not to be enjoyed for themselves only for to serve a turn there is nothing that you have to deal withall but is meerly for to serve a turn Cloaths are but to serve a turn to cover nakedness good meat and drink is but to serve a turn to serve our hunger and our thirst money and houses and lands are all but to serve a turn only God is to be enjoyed God is not for to serve a turn but all the things of this world they are only for to serve a particular turn The Schoolmen therefore have a handsome speech of a worldly man they deforibe him He doth enjoy what he should use and he doth use what he should enjoy God is to be enjoyed and he uses him the world is to be used and he enjoys that but 't is God alone that is to be enjoyed for himself all things here are but to serve a turn and therefore why should we not use the world as if we us'd it not Fifthly If the world do use us as if it us'd us not and if the world do care for us as if it car'd not for us why should not we use the world as if we us'd it not Paul reasons after this manner in Gal. 6. 14. God forbid that I should glory save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by whom or whereby the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world The world looks upon me as a man hang'd crucified hanged out of the way why truly I look upon the world so too saith he the world looks upon me as a dry leaf and I look upon the world as a dry leaf Thus now it is the world cares for us as if it car'd not for us and the world uses us as if it us'd us not and therefore why should not we use the world as if we us'd it not Obj. I but Solomon saith Whatsoever thou findest in thine hand to do do it with all thy might Ans True and it is in our band to use the world as if we us'd it not and therefore this we are to do with all our might even to use the world as if we us'd it not And so I have done with the second thing though a good man may make use of the world and the things thereof yet he is to use the world as if he us'd it not 3. I but then thirdly what are those particular concernments wherein we are to use the world as if we us'd it not why the Apostle here doth instance in four In the matter of our Relations it remaineth that they that have wives be as though they had none In the matter of our grief And they that weep as though they wept not In the matter of our joy And they that rejoyce as though they rejoyced not And in the matter of our pâ—ssessions And they that buy as though they possessed not I shall run through them briefly that we may have the clear understanding of the case and the matter before us First As for the matter of our Relations saith the Apostle It remaineth that both they that have wives be as though they had none A man may use his Relations as if he had none His Relations Why but is not a man to provide for his wife and children and family Yes he is worse than an Infidel that provideth not for his Wife and for his Family for his Relations But when a man hath Relations he is very apt to be lost therein a man may be drunk with his own Bear or Wine I have married a Wife and I cannot come therefore he is to use his Relations as â—f he had none in regard of his care to please God as diligent in frequenting the means of grace as if he had no Relations For saith he v. 32. But I would have you without carefulness he that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord how he may please the Lord He that is married careth for the things that are of the world how he may please his wife In reference therefore unto the pleasing of God frequenting of the means of grace let him that hath Relations be as if he had none hindred no more by them than if he had none Let him be as zealous for the truth as if he had none Let him be as apt and ready to suffer for the Cause of Chrâ—st as if he had none We are apt to boggle at sufferings because of our Relations What shall become of my wise and children What shall become of my Family It was a Speech therefore of Origen when he was young unto his Father when his Father was to go and suffer Martyrdome for the Cause of Christ O my Father saith he O my Father Take heed that you do not bauk this suffering for my sake that you may provide for me We are very apt to bauk sâ—fferings for the Cause of Christ upon the account of our Family and upon the account of our Relations but now let him that hath Relations be as if he had none frequenting and using of the means of grace praying reading hearing as if he had none as zealous for the truth as if he had none as apt and ready to suffer for the Cause of Christ as if he had none Thus we are to use the world as if we us'd it not in reference to this concernment I must but touch upon things Secondly As for the matter of grief saith the Apostle And they that weep as though they wept not 'T is lawful to grieve and weep not only for our sins but for the misery of the times O that my head were waters and that mine eyes were a fountain of tears that I could weep day and night for the slaughters Mine eyes run down with rivers of tears saith David because they keep not thy Law God hath a bottle to keep all these Pearls in the tears of his people they are precious and too precious to be lost As God hath a bag for all the sins of the wicked to keep them in so he hath a bottle for all the tears of the Saints but yet we must not weep too much but grieve as if we grieved not Or otherwise it will argue that