in in them Sixthly He that is the Amen the true and faithful one the God that cannot lie gives you many great and precious promises which are founded upon his word that is more firm than the mountains than the foundations of the Earth than the Ordinances of Heaven than the course of day and night in their Seasons That he will abundantly pardon that he will heal your back-slidings and love you freely that he will blot out your iniquities as a thick cloud that he will cast all your Traâ—sgressions into the depth of the Sea even that Ocean of Mercy which hath neither shore nor bottom that whosoever comes to him he will in no wise cast him out And hundreds more of the like endearing and sweetest signification Seventhly As if it were not enough on his part to give us leave to be happy he hath made it our duty to be so and obliged us by the strictest commands to that which will infallibly render us so He commands all men every where to repent Act. 17.30 This is his commandment that we believe on the Name of his Son Jesus Christ 1 John 3.23 and that believing we might have life by his Name John 20 31. And who dare question his sincerity as if he did not heartily desire what he so earnestly injoyns Eighthly He steps down from the Throne of the Imperative Mood to the humble Foot-stool of the Optative 'T is a sign of weakness to fall to wishing and an argument of impotence to cry O si O si to sigh out our Options And yet the Omnipotent God disdains not to appear to us thus to shew and express the pathos of his blessed mind the vehemency with which he desires our good and wellfare Oh that there were such an heart in them Deut. 5.29 Oh that they were wise Deut 32.29 Oh that my people had hearkened unto we Psal 81.13 Oh that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments Isa 48.18 Whose heart would it not break with shame and sorrow to hear an holy God breathing out the longing desires of his heart in this wise that we may he assured of his hearty readiness in accepting us when we perform what he wishes with such assumed passions that we would perform Ninthly He stoops yet lower and does what is infinitely indecent I will not say for him to do but I must say for us to occasion him to do and more to suffer him to continue to do but most of all to suffer him to do in vain that is to intreat us pray us woe us beseech us to accept his mercy to pity our selves to be reconciled to him and to accept his pardon which he offers ready sealed and to touch that Golden Scepter which he reaches out from Heaven to us Abraham sent but once to take a wife for his Son Isaac from amongst his Kindred and a short woing by a servant serv'd the turn when they saw the Bracelets and the Jewels and the Ear-rings and heard the rest reported how soon do they yield and send away Rebeckah Gen. 24. Yet God sends one Embassador one Paranymph and Spokes-man after another to woe to court us to be Brides to the true Isaac the Heir of all things who is become our Kinsman and hath all the right imaginable to claim us to himself and offers more Dower than we can ask to joyncture us in the whole Land of Promise to settle upon us the inheritance which is incorruptible and undefiled which fades not away reserved in Heaven to give us an eternal Kingdom yea the eternal King himself to be our everlasting Portion and is it possible to doubt his willingness to conclude the Match after all this Tenthly But to make all sure beyond all possibility of any rational ground to remain to stick and scruple at his heartiest reality in designing our happiness he adds to all the rest his Oath which puts an end to Controversies God being willing more abundantly to shew unto the Heirs of Promise the immutability of his Counsel confirm'd it by an Oath that by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie we might have strong consolation Heb. 6.17 18. Two things that is his Promise and his Oath upon his promise or two things the two by which he swears his life his holiness as if he had said as true as I am a living God as true as I am an holy God I will pardon you I will yet spare you if yet at last you bring forth good fruit let me never be esteemed a living God never accounted an holy God more if I do not or two things I use this only allusively I urge it not as the proper meaning of the place God swears by the two Sacraments for a Sacrament is an Oath As truly as this water which I now touch and lay my hand upon will wash what is foul and make it clean soak what is hard and make it soft quench what is kindled and put out its burning refresh what is scorched and make it fruitful and slack his thirst who drinks it and chear and revive his spirits so shall the Blood and Spirit of my Son which I will pour out upon all who thirst for it and are willing to receive it do for them proportionably in their Souls cleanse soften quench satisfie and make them fruitful and as truly as this Bread will nourish them who eat it and become the staff of their lives and as truly as this Wine will chear the hearts of them that drink it so truly so certainly shall the Body and Blood of my Son which I here freely and heartily offer to you nourish and cherish you unto eternal life if you will indeed by faith receive it and feed upon it Eleventhly He will make your Estate as happy as if you had come sooner provided you come now in earnest without more delay They received every one a penny and there are last who shall be first Twelfthly He 'll not twit you or upbraid you with your coming late He giveth liberally and uphraideth not Nay he will himself be thy Apologist and against them who reproach thee for labouring but one hour he will plead thy Cause Friend I do thee no wrong is thy eye evil because I am good Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own I will give to this last as unto thee Matth. 20.14 This is a little of the much that might be said upon this Argument a little of that mellow prolifick earth to be laid to your Roots God Almighty set it home by the hand of his own Spirit and in his name I do assure you if either this digging or this dunging these threatnings or those promises either singly or both joyntly prevail to make you yet fruitful God will assuredly spare you and repeal his sentence given out against you But then you must do it quickly Agree with thy Adversary quickly whilst thou art in the way with him Look
becomes of the dispute of the Original of the Soul 'T is without dispute that Grace in the Soul is not by traduction but by infusion and acquisition Secondly Not good Nature or the sweetest disposition I deny not but there is a vast difference betwixt the tempers of men As great as any thing can make but the Soveraign Grace of God Some are such Ishmaels such Nabals Caligulas Others such Jonathans Titus's the darlings and delights of mankind So sweet so affable kind obliging ready to good that nothing below the Image of Christ is more lovely than the impress of such a temper But still the best of Nature is but Nature and the Fruit of the unpâ—un'd Vine will be but wild Grapes and by Nature we are all Children of Wrath. Not Sons of God or Heirs of Heaven Thirdly Not being Baptised and injoying and using all the means of Grace I tell you therefore first 't is a very great Mercy and Favour of God to allow thee these priviledges I tell you secondly 't is thy duty and thou dost very well to attend constantly on them 't is well thou wert Baptized thou dost well to hear the the Word pray to God keep thy Church c. Yet I tell thee thirdly thou mayest go to Hell after all this yea and have a hotter place there than one of Tyre and Sidon than the men of Sodom and Gomorrah who never heard of or injoy'd such things Nay I tell thee fourthly 't is one of the commonest and most dangerous practical errors of them within the Church to think to Compound with God and excuse themselves for the neglect of the Duties those Priviledges oblige them to by a formal using of these Priviledges And therefore there is nothing in which the Scriptures are more express and copious than in warning men against this mistake And that both in the Old Testament and New Jeremiah tells them they trusted in lying words who cryed the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord. And continued in their sins Jer. vii 4. to the 12. and Chap. ix 26. He levels Judah and Israel for being Vncircumcised in heart with Egypt Ammon and Moah who were Vncircumcised in Flesh I beseech you read with attention yea with fear and trembling the second Chapter to the Romans especially from the 17. verse and you will find that Circumcision may become Vncircumcision and so Baptism as no Baptism And that he is not a Jew who is one outwardly but he that is one inwardly And Circumcision which profits is not the outward in the Flesh and in the Letter but in the Heart and in the Spirit And St. Peter tells expresly that the Baptism which saves is not the washing of the flesh but when we can answer with a good Conscience the questions usually propounded in the Administration of it 1 Pet. iii. 21. So for Prayer Isaiah supposes they may make long Prayers whose hands are full of blood And David that some mens Prayers may be turned into sin And Soloman tells you that the Prayer of the wicked and of him that turns away his ear from hearing the Law shall be abomination The blind man John ix 31. could see the truth that God heareth not sinners such as allow themselves in sin And David saith of himself if I regard iniquity in my heart God will not hear my Prayer If thou hast gifts to Pray like an Angel and yet livest like an Incarnate Devil thou mayst indeed be Gods remembrancer But 't is but to put him in mind to take vengeance on thee As the Philosopher said smartly to the wicked marriners who began to Pray when a storm arose Hold your peace hold your peace for the Gods will certainly destroy us if they take notice you are hear Not that I would discourage a Simon Magus to Pray to God Acts viii 22. But then let him repent of his wickedness And take Eliphaz's Counsel Job xxii 23 26. Put iniquity far from 〈◊〉 Tabernacle So mayst thou lift up thâ— Face unto God and Pray unto him aâ—â—he shall hear thee tho sincere Prayer 〈◊〉 make thee leave sinning or sin will make thee leave Praying sincerely Yet many cry Lord Lord who shall never go to Heaven So for Hearing Rom. ii 13. Not the hearers of the Law are just before God but the doers of the Law shall be justified For whosoever heareth Christs sayings and doth them is like to a wise man who buildeth his House upon a Rock But he that Heareth and doth them not is like a foolish man which builds his House upon the Sand and when the Floods beat upon it it will fall and great shall be the fall of it Matth. vii 24 27. For they only are blessed who hear the word of God and keep it Nor will the approving and praising of the Preacher but the practice of his Doctrine render your selves approved or turn to your praise with God see Ezech. xxxiii 31 32. So for the receiving the Holy Sacrament tho that blessed Ordinance be too much and too shamefully neglected yet â—ayst thou eat Christs Body and drink â—â—s Blood Sacramentally and swallow down the pledges of thy own Damnation in so doing 1 Cor. xi 29. and bring upon thy self the guilt of Christs Body and Blood verse 27. Consider well 1 Cor. x. 2.5 For both the Sacraments They were all Baptised unto Moses in the Câ—â—â—d and in the Sea and did all eat the same spiritual meat and did all drink the same spiritual drink for they all drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them and that Rock was Christ But with many of them God was not well pleased And seeing the means are so evidently appointed for the sake of the end and to lead us to the attainment of it 'T is matter of just wonder how men can so impose upon themselves as to rest in the means instead of the end The Stairs are the means by which you ascend to your Lodging Chamber but if any man should therefore strip himself and lye down upon the Stairs he might find both a cold and hard Lodging how warm and soft soever the Bed is which stands in â—he Chamber at the Stairs head Fourthly Not outward Conformity to the Letter of the Law in the practice of Moral Vertues and Duties Not but that this is very amiable and very necessary and cursed be the man that will dispence with himself or others to neglect it and it cannot without great ignorance or greater malice be charged on any because they shew the insufficiency of this and urge you to more I confess an Vngodly honest man is half a Contradiction But I declare a Godly Knave is a whole one For he may be sincerely Just and Honest in his Dealings with men who wants a sence of Religion towards â—od But he is a gross Hypocrite towards God who pretends to Religion and allows himself to deal unjustly with his Neighbour Not that I exclude the Duties of the first
And 't is one part of our Prayer that God would vouchsafe to restore you and afford you more time to perfect your Knowledg your Faith your Repentance and what ever else may make you more fit to dye with safety and with comfort Now if God be pleased to hear our Prayers and to spare you and restore you doth not this lay as great an obligation upon us Ministers as may be to apply our selves to you when you are so recovered to put you in mind of the promises you made whilst you conceived your selves in danger of death And as great an engagement upon you to expect from us and accept at our hands willingly and thankfully our bâ—st endeavours to assist you and provoke you to be such as you wish you had been when you thought you should have dyed If the Vine-Dresser here promise that if God will spare the barren-tree one year more after he had threatned to Cut it down he will on his part do all that Art and Industry can do to make it Fruitful applying his care to it particularly besides the general Husbandry he bestows upon the whole Vineyard I think no inference can be drawn more clearly than that when God hath threatned to cut you down by death and the Prayers of your Minister and others have prevailed with God to defer the Sentence and spare you a little longer it is incumbent on you both to desire and accept his help and on him to offer and afford it you and to do alâ— his Christian Charity and Minâ—sterial-Offâ—ce can help him to do that those ends may be attained for which God spared you If he spared you in his Mercy And you should be as willing to send for your Ministers when you are recovered and they as ready to attend you as when you were in danger how much this is practised I know not but how necessary it is that it should be I appeal both to your Consciences and to this Text. And therefore exhort with earnestness it may But I must give the meaning of this place or expression till I shall dig about it and dung it more particularly because much of the Application I design will have dependance upon it Donec ablaqueavero stercoravero It is an allusion to what is most usual and most useful to be done to barren trees 1. Open the Roots remove the clung Earth and the hungry Loam the cold and binding Clay from about them lay them open to the Weather let in the Sun and Rain and expose them to the influence of Heaven the nourishing Dew and refreshing Air cut the stunted and starved and bark-bound Roots that they may sprout afresh put out young Fibres shoot out new Suckers and draw nourishment to feed them and lay good Mendment mellow Dung some richer Soyl and Earth that 's tender well prepared to warm and nourish them that the Roots may have fit nourishment and may be made fit to attract it and receive it And if any thing can this will make the Tree bear Fruit 't is all that Art and Industry can do and it is capable of What could have been more Isa v. 4. So a Minister that interceeds for a people or person that they may be spared must add to his Prayers all that Spiritual wisdom can teach him and Holy industry can assist him in to make them better that they may bring forth the desired Fruits of Righteousness But to be more particular I find much said concerning both these expressions but I confess nothing which gives me satisfaction I shall therefore passing by all others confine my self to one Interpretation which appears to me most proper and pertinent of any I meet with in others or occurred to my own thoughts But before I name it I must premise one Caveat to prevent an indecency and to preserve a decorum that you may not take offence at the comparison I am about to make as unseemly or rude the word Dung is even of a noysom sound as being in itself a loathsome stinking and defiling thing but it is not to be look'd on under that notion in this place but in a more benign acceptation drawn from its usefulness which is to warm to mellow and communicate a prolifick vertue to the Earth and the Plants to make them Fat and flourishing and exuberant in bearing Fruit. And tho Dung on your Cloaths or Bodies in your Houses or your Walks would be loathsome and a foul annoyance yet in your Fields and Orchards it looks well and smells not ill but is desirable and even comely because 't is necessary and very useful And suppose yet to prevent indecency and harshness to the Interpretation I am about to give we mollifie the very word till I may manure it and lay mendment to it for in the scope of this Parable not the bad but the good quality of the Dung is to be considered not how it marrs by its foulness but how it mends by its fatness This premised to prevent prejudice I now tell you that by Digging and Dunging I conceive may most properly be meant applying the Law and the Gospel the Threatnings and the Promises Gods Judgments and Mercies and the most earnest terrifying sinners impenitent bold and daring sinners by the first to bring them to repentance towards God and the alluring wooing and persuading broken-hearted awakened trembling sinners by the other to Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ First Digging breaks the Ground the Spade of the Law the Plough of the Law breaks up the fallow Ground of the Heart as the Prophets phrase is Gods wrath revealed from Heaven against the unrighteousness and ungodliness of men in his terrible threatnings and awakning Judgments startles the obdurate sinner rends the rock he is planted on tears in pieces his hardned security and bold presumption turns up the tough the cold and clungy Soyl in which the very roots of his Heart are shut up and fastned and which chill and stunt his growth that he cannot thrive or bear Fruit. And then the Dew and Rain then the kind and benign influence of the Sun may reach and cherish him then the good Soyl the fresh mendment the prolifick Manure and the mellow tender Mould may be applyed and come near Even the tender Mercies of God and the warm blood of Jesus Christ and the pretious promises of Pardon Life and Grace by which these are offered and applyed 'T is observed and practised that to apply blood to the Root of a Tree a Vine especially is the best and most proper means to make it fruitful And Historians tell us that the Vallies and Gardens about Jerusalem were rendered Fertile beyond expression almost to a Miracle by the abundance of blood which flowed down by the Vaults made on purpose to conveigh it away under the Temple from the multitude of the Sacrifices which were offered there And I am sure there is nothing comparable to the blood of the great Sacrifice of our Lord