such conceits that it was but an act of the flesh and not of the minde and therefore as they thought the smaler sin The Apostles words from last to First according to the order of Intention do express first mans duty to glorifie God with soul and body and not to serve our lusts Secondly the great fundamental obligation to this duty Gods dominion or propriety 3ly The foundation of that Dominion Christs purchase according to the order of execution from first to last these three great fundamentals of our religion lie thus First Christs purchase Secondly Gods propriety thence arising Thirdly mans duty wholly to glorifie God arising from both The argument lies thus They that are not their own but wholly Gods should wholly glorifie God aud not serve their lusts but you are not your own but wholly Gods therefore you should wholly glorifie God not serve your lusts The major is clear by the common light of nature Every one should have the use of their own The Minor is proved thus They that are bought with a price are not their own but his that bought them but you are bought with a price therefore c. For the meaning of the terms briefly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vestri as the vulgar vestri juris as Beza and others is most fitly expressed by our English your own ye are bought a Synecdoche generis saith Piscator for ye are redeemed with a price There is no buying without a price This therefore is an Emphaticall Pleonasmus as Beza Piscator and others as to see with the eyes to hear with the ears Or else a price is put for a great price as Calvin Peter Martyr and Piscator rather thinks And therefore the Vulgar adds the Epithet magno the Arabick pretioso as Beza notes as agreeing to that of 1 Pet. 1. 18. I see not but we may supose the Apostle to respect both the purchase and the greatness of the price as Grotius and some others do Glorifie God that is by using your bodies and souls wholly for him and abstaining from those lusts which do dishonour him The Vulgar adds portate q. d. beare God about in your hearts and let his spirit dwell with you instead of lust But this addition is contrary to all our Greek Copies Grotius thinks that some Copies had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and thence some unskillful scribe did put 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 however it seems that reading was very antient when not only Austin but Cyprian and Tertullian followed it as Beza noteth The last words and in your spirit which are Gods are out of all the old Latin Traslations and therefore its like out of the Greek which they used But they are in all the present Greek Copies except our M. S. as also in the Syriack and Arabick version The rest of the explication shall follow the Doctrines which are these Doct. 1. We are bought with a price Doct. 2. Because we are bought to we are not our own but his that bought us Doct. 3. Because we are not our own but wholly Gods therefore we must not serve our lusts but glorifie him in the Body and Spirit In these three conclusions is the substance of the Text which I shall first explain and then make application of them in that order as the Apostle here doth The Points that need explication are these First in what sense we are said to be bought with a price who bought us and of whom and from what and with what price Secondly How we are Gods own upon the Title of this purchase Thirdly How we are not our own Fourthly What it is to glorifie God in Body and in Spirit on this account Fifthly Who they be that on this ground are or may be urged to this duty First For the first of these whether buying here be taken properly or Metaphorically I will not now enquire First mankind by sin became guilty of death liable to Gods wrath and a slave to Satan and his own lusts The sentence in part was past and execution begun the rest would have followed if not prevented This is the bondage from which we are redeemed Secondly he that redeemed us is the Son of God himself God and man and the Father by the Son Acts 20. 28. He purchased us with his own blood Thirdly the price was the whole humiliation of Christ in the first act whereof his incarnation the Godhead was alone which by humbling it self did suffer reputatively which could not really In the rest the whole person was the sufferer but still the humane nature Really and the Divine but Reputatively And why we may not add as part of the price the merit of that obedience wherein his suffering did not consist I yet see not But from whom were we redeemed Answ From Satan by rescue against his will From Gods wrath or Vindictive justice by his own procurement and consent He substituted for us such a sacrifice by which he could as fully attain the ends of his righteous Government in the Demonstration of his justice and hatred of sin as if the sinner had suffered himself And in this sound sense it is far from being an absurdity as the Socinian dreameth for God to satisfie his own Justice or to buy us of himself or redeem us from himself 2. Next let us consider how we are Gods upon the Title of this purchase By God here is meant both the Son who being God hath procured a right in us by his Redemption and also the Father who sent his Son and redeemed us by him and to whom it was that the Son redeemed us Rev. 5. 9. Thou hast redeemed us to God by thy Blood In one word it is God as Redeemer the manhood also of the second person included that hath purchased this right Here you must observe that God as Creator had a plenary Right of propriety and Government on which he founded the Law of works that then was This right he hath not lost Our fall did lose our Right in him but could not destroy his right in us Because it destroyed our right therefore the promissory part of that Law was immediately thereupon dissolved or ceased through our incapacity and therefore Divines say that as a Covenant it ceased but because it destroyed not Gods Right therefore the precâ—ptive and penall parts of that Law do still remain But how remain In their being but not alone or without remedy For the Son of God became a sacrifice in our stead not that we might absolutely immediately or ipso facto be fully delivered or that any man should ab ipsa hostia from the very sacrifice as made have a right to the great benefits of personall plenary Reconciliation and Remission and everlasting life but that the necessity of perishing through the unsatisfiedness of justice for the alone offences against the Law of works being removed from mankind they might all be delivered up to him as Proprietary Rector that he might
may be to men and how loth so ever they are to depart away they must and come before the Lord that made them Death will not be bribed Every man that was set in the vinyard in the morning of their lives must be called out at evening to Receive according to what he hath done then must the naked soul alone appear before its Judge and be accomptible for all that was done in the body and be sent before till the final judgement to remain in happiness or misery till the body be raised again and joyned to it In this appearance of the soul before God it seemeth by Scripture that there is some Ministry of Angels for Luke 16. 22. it is said that the Angels carried Lazarus that is his soul into Abrahams bosom What local motion there is or situation of souls is no fit matter for the enquiry of Mortals and what it is in this that the Angels will do we cannot clearly understand as yet But most certain it is that as soon as ever the soul is out of the Body it comes to its account before the God of Spirits 2. At the end of the world the bodies of all men shall be raised from the earth and joyned again to their souls and the soul and body shall be judged to their endless state and this is the great and generall Iudgement where all men shal at once appear The same power of God that made men of nothing will as easily then New make them by a Resurrection by which he will add much more perfection even to the wicked in their Naturals which will make them capable of the greater misery even they shall have immortal and incorruptible bodies which may be the subjects of immortal woe 1 Cor. 15. 53. Iohn 5. 28 29. Of this Resurrection and our Appearance at Iudgement the Angels will be some way the Ministers As they shall come with Christ to Iudgement so they shall sound his Trumpet 1 Thes 4. 16. and they shall gather the wicked out of Gods Kingdom and they shall gather the Tares to burn them Mat. 13. 39 40 41. in the end of the world the Angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from among the just and shall cast them into the Furnace of fire Mat. 17. 49 50. FOR the sixth particular What Law is it that men shall be Judged by Answ That which was given them to live by Gods Law is but the sign of his will to teach us what shall be due from us and to us before we fell he gave us such a Law as was suitable to our perfection when we had sinned and turned from him as we ceased not to be his creatures nor he to be our Lord so he destroyed not his Law nor discharged or absolved us from the duty of our obedience But because we flood condemned by that Law and could not be Iustified by it having once Transgressed it he was pleased to make a Law of Grace even a new a remedying Law by which we might be saved from the deserved punishment of the Old So we shall be tryed at Judgement upon both these Laws but ultimately upon the Last The first Law commanded perfect Obedience and threatned Death to us if ever we disobeyed the second Law finding us under the Guilt of sin against the first doth command us to Repent and Believe in Christ and so to return to God by him and promiseth us pardon of all our sins upon that Condition and also if we persevere everlasting Glory So that in Judgement though it must first be evinced that we are sinners and have deserved Death according to the Law of pure nature yet that is not the upshot of the Judgement For the enquiry will be next whether we have accepted the remedy and so obeyed the Law of grace and performed its Condition for pardon and salvation and upon this our Life or Death will depend It is both these Laws that condemn the wicked but it is only the Law of grace that justifieth the righteous Obj. But how shall Heathens bejudged by the Law of grace that never did Receive it Answ The express Gospel some of them had not and therefore shall not directly be judged by it but much of the Redeemers mercy they did enjoy which should have led them to repent and seek out after Recovery from their misery and to come neerer Christ and for the neglect and abuse of this they shall be judged and not meerly for sinning against the Law that was given us in pure innocency So that Christ as Redeemer shall judge them as well as others though they had but one Talent yet must they give an account of that to the Redeemer from whom they received it But if any be unsatisfied in this let them remember that as God hath left the state of such more dark to us and the terms on which he will Iudge them so doth it much more concern us to look to the terms of our own Iudgement Obj. But how shall infants be judged by the Gospel that were uncapable of it Answ For ought I find in Scripture they stand or fall with their parents and on the same terms but I leave each to their own thoughts VII FOR the seventh head What will be the cause of the day to be enquired after what the Accusation and what the Defence Answ This may be gathered from what was last said The great Cause of the day will be to enquire and determine who shall dye and who shall live who ought to go to heaven and who to hell for ever according to the Law by which they must then be Judged 1. As there is a twofold Law by which they must be Judged so will there then be a twofold Accusation The first will be that they were sinners and so having violated the Law of God they Deserve Everlasting Death accordding to that Law If no defence could be made this one Accusation would condemn all the world for it is most certain that all are sinners and as certain that all sin deserveth Death The only defence against this Accusation lyeth in this Plea Confessing the charge we must plead that Christ hath satisfied for sins and upon that consideration God hath forgiven us and therefore being forgiven we ought not to be punished To prove this we must shew the pardon under Gods hand in the Gospel But because this pardoning Act of the Gospel doth forgive none but those that Repent and Believe and so return to God and to sincere Obedience for the time to come therefore the next Accusation will be that we did not perform these Conditions of forgiveness and therefore being Vnbelievers Impenitent and Rebels against the Redeemer we have no right to pardon but by the sentence of the Gospel are lyable to a greater punishment for this contempt of Christ and Grace This Accusation is either true or false where it is true God and Conscience who speak the truth may well be
not Believe aâ—d he alâ—o shall be there The godly that waited in hope for that day as the day of their â—ull Dâ—lâ—verance Coronation â—hey shall be there Those that have lain in the dust these 5000. years shall rise again and all stand there Hearer whoever thou art believe it thou maist better think to live without meat to see without light to escape death and abide for ever on earth then to keep away from that Appearance Willing or unwilling thou shalt be there And should not a matter then that so concerneth thy self go neer to thy heart and awake thee from thy security 3. That it is a matter of unquestionable certainty I have partly shewed you already and more would do if I were preaching to known Infidels If the careless world had any just reason to think it were uncertain their carelesness were more excusable Methinks a man should be affected with that which he is certain shall come to pass in a manner as if it were now in doing â— Thes 5. 2. Ye perfectly know that the day of the Lord so cometh c. saith the Apostle 4. This day is not only certain but it is neâ—r and therefore should affect you the more I confess if it were never so far off yet seeing it will come at last It should be carefully regarded But when the Judge is at the door Jam. 5. 9. and we are almost at the barr and it is so short a time to this assize what soul that is not dead will be secure Alas Sirs what is a little time when it is gone how quickly shall you and I be all in another world and our souls recieve their particular Judgement and so wait till the body be raised and judged to same Condition It is not a 100. years in all likelyhood till every soul of us shall be in heaven or hell and its like not half or a quarter of that time but it will be so with the greater part of us and what is a year or two or a 100 how speedily is it come how many a soul that is now in heaven or hell within a 1000 years dwelt in the places that you now dwel in and sate in the seats you now sit in And now their time is past what is it Alas how quickly will it be so with us You know not when you go to bed but you may be Judged by the next morning or when you rise but you may be Judged before night but certainly you know that shortly it will be and should not this then be laid to heart Yea the General Judgement wil lt no be long For certainly we live in the end of world Qu. 4. MY next Question is Whether are you ready for this dreadful Judgement when it comes or not Seeing it is your selves then must be tried I think it concerns you to see that you be prepared How often hath Christ warned us in the Gospel that we be alwaies ready because we know not the day or hour of his coming Mat. 24. 44. 42. and 25. 13. 1 Thes 5. 6. and told us how sad a time it will be to those that are unready Mat. 25. 11 12. Did men but well know what a meeting and greeting there will be between Christ and an unready soul it would sure startle them and make them look about them What say you Beloved Hearers are you ready for Judgement or are you not Me thinks a man that knoweth he shall be Judged should ask himself the Question every day of his life Am I ready to give up my Account to God! Do not you use to ask this of your own hearts unless you be careless whether you be saved or damned me thinks you should and ask it seriously Qu. But who be they that are ready how shall I know whether I be ready or not Answ There is a twofold readiness 1. When you are in a safe case 2. When you are in a comfortable case in regard of that day The latter is very desirable but the first is of absolute necessity this therefore is it that you must principally enquire after In General all those and only those are ready for Judgement who shall be justified and saved and not condemned when Judgement comes They that have a good cause in a Gospel sense It may be known before hand who these are for Christ Judgeth as I told you by his Law And therefore find out whom it is that the Law of grace doth justifie or condemn and you may certainly know whom the Judge will Justifie or condemn for he Judgeth righteously If you further ask me who these are remember that I told you before that every man that is personally righteous by fulfilling the Conditions of Salvation in the Gospel shall be saved and he that is found unrighteous as having not fulfilled them shall perish at that day Qu. Who are those Answ I will tell you them in a few words lest you should forget because it it a matter that your Salvation or Damnation dependeth upon 1. The soul that unfeignedly repenteth of his former sinful course and turneth from it in heart and life and loveth the way of godliness which he hateâ— and hateth the way of sin which he loved and is become thoroughly a New Creature being born again and sanctified by the Spirit of Christ shall be Justified but all others shall certainly be condemned Good news to repenting converted sinners but sad to Impenitent and him that knows not what this means 2. That soul that feeling his misery under sin and the power of Satan and the wrath of God doth believe what Christ hath done and suffered for mans restauration Salvation and thankfully accepteth him as his only Saviour and Lord on the terms that he is offered in the Gospel and to those ends even to Justifie him and sanctifie and guide him and bring him at last to everlasting glory that soul shall be Justified at Judgement and he that doth not shall be condemned Or in short in Scripture phrase He that believeth shall be saved and he that believeth not shall be condemned Mar. 16. 16. 3. The soul that hath had so much knowledge of the goodness of God and his love to man in Creation Redemption and the following mercies and hath had so much conviction of the vanity of all creatures as thereupon to Love God more then all things below so that he hath the cheifest room in the heart and is preferred before all creatures ordinarily in a time of tryal that soul shall be Justified at Judgement and all others shall be condemned 4. That soul that is so apprehensive of the absolute Soveraignty of God as Creator and Redeemer and of the Righteousness of his Law and the Goodness of his holy way as that he is firmly Resolved to obey him before all others and doth accordingly give up himself to study his will of purpose that he may obey it and doth walk in these holy waies and hath so
Country doth so much depend Shall an age of such high pretences to Reformation and zeal for the Churches alienate so much and then leave them destitute and say It cannot be had 4. That right means be used with speed and diligence for the healing of our divisions and the uniting of all the true Churches of Christ at least in these Nations and O that your endeavours might be extended much further to which end I shall mention but these two means of most evident necessity 1. That there be one scripture-Creed or confession of Faith agreed on by a general assembly of able Ministers duly and freely chosen hereunto which shall contain nothing but matter of evident Necessity and Verity This will serve 1. For a Test to the Churches to discern the sound Professors from the unsound as to their doctrine and to know them with whom they may close as Brethren and whom they must reject 2. For a Test to the Magistrate of the Orthodox to be encouraged and of the intoller ably Heterodox which it seems is intended in the 37. Article of the late formed Government where all that will have liberty must profess faith in God by Jesus Christ which in a Christian sense must comprehend every true fundamental or Article of our faith And no doubt it is not the bare speaking of those words in an unchristian sense that is intended As if a Ranter should say that himself is God and his mate is Jesus Christ 2. That there be a publique establishment of the necessary liberty of the Churches to meet by their Officers and Delegates on all just occasions in assemblies smaller or greater even National when it is necessary Seeing without such associations and communion in assemblies the unity and concord of the Churches is not like to be maintained I exclude not the Magistrates interest or oversight to see that they do not transgress their bounds As you love Christ and his Church and Gospel and mens souls neglect not these unquestionable points of his interest and make them your first and chiefest business and let none be preferred before him till you know them to be of more authority over you and better friends to you then Christ is Should there by any among you that cherish a secret Root of Infidelity after such pretences to the purest Christianity and are zealous of Christ lest he should over-top them and do set up an interest inconsistent with his soveraignty thereupon grow jealous of the liberties power of his Ministers and of the unity and strength of his Church and think it their best policy to keep under his Ministers by hindering them from the exercise of their office and to foment divisions and hinder our union that they may have parties ready to serve their ends I would not be in the Case of such men when God ariseth to judge them for all the Crowns and Kingdoms on earth If they stumble on this stone it will break them in pieces but if it fall upon them it will grind them to powder They may seem to prevail against him a while when their supposed success is but a prosperous self-destroying but mark the end when his wrath is kindled yea but a little and when these his enemies that would not he should raign over them are brought forth and destroyed before him then they will be convineed of the folly of their Rebellon in the mean time let wisdom be justified of her Children My Lord I had not troubled you with so many words had I not judged it probable that many more whom they concern may peruse them I remain August 5. 1654. Your Lordships Servant in the Work of Christ Rich. Baxter A Sermon of the Absolute Dominion of God-Redeemer And the necessity of being Devoted and Living to him 1 Cor. 6. 19 20. And ye are not your own for ye are bought with a price therefore glorifie God in your body and in your spirit which are Gods FUndamentals in Religion are the life of the superstructure Like the Vitals and Naturals in the body which are first necessary for themselves and then also for the quickning and nourishing of the rest there being no life or growth of the inferiour parts but what they do receive from the powers of these it s but a dead discourse which is not animated by these greater Truths what ever the bulk of its materials may consist of The frequent repetition therefore of these is an excusable as frequent preaching And they that nauseate it as loathsome battologie do love Novelty better then Verity and playing with words to please the fancy rather then closing with Christ to save the soul And as it is the chief part of the cure in most external maladies to corroborate the vital and natural powers which then will do the work themselves so is it the most effectual course for the cure of particular miscarriages in mens lives to further the main work of grace upon their hearts could we make men better Christians it would do much to make them better Magistrates Councellors Jurers Witnesses Subjects Neighbours c. And this must be done by the deeper impress of those vitall Truths and the Good in them exhibited which are adaequate objects of our vital graces Could we help you to wind up the spring of faith and so move the first wheel of Christian Love we should find it the readiest and surest means to move the inferior wheels of duty The flaws and irregular motions without do shew that something is amiss within which if we could rectifie we might the easier mend the rest I shall suppose therefore that I need no more apologie for chusing such a subject at such a season as this then for bringing bread to a feast And if I medicate the brain and heart for the curing of sensless Paralytick members or the inordinate Convulsive motions of any hearers I have the warrant of the Apostles example in my Text. Among other great enormities in the Church of Corinth he had these three to reprehend and heal First their sidings and divisions occasioned by some factious self-seeking teachers Secondly their personal contentions by Lawsuites and that before unbelieving Judges Thirdly the foul sin of fornication which some among them had faln into the great cure which he useth to all these and more especially to the last is the urging of these great foundation Truths whereof one is in the words before my text viz. the Right of the Holy Ghost the other in the words of my Text which contains first A denial of any Right of propriety in themselves Secondly An asserting of Christs propriety in them Thirdly the proof of this from his purchase which is the Title Fourthly their duty concluded from the former premises which is to glorfie God and that with the whole man with the spirit because God is a spirit and loaths hypocrisie with the body which is particularly mentioned because it seems they were encouraged to fornication by
rule them as his redeemed ones and make for them such new Laws of grace for the conveyances of his benefits as might demonstrate the wisdom and mercy of our Redeemer and be most suitable to his ends The world is now morall dead in sin though naturally alive Christ hath redeemed them but will cure them by the actuall conveyance of the benefits of Redemption or no at all He hath undertaken to this end himself to be their Physitian to cure all that will come to him and take him so to be and trust him and obey him in the Application of his Medicines He hath erected an Hospitall his Church to this end and commanded all to come into this Ark. Those that are far distant he first commandeth to come nearer and those that are neare he inviteth to come in Too many do refuse and perish in their refusall He will not suffer all to do so but mercifully boweth the wills of his Elect and by an insuperable powerfull drawing compells them to come in You may see then that here is a Novum us Dominii Imperii a new right of Propriety and rule founded on the new bottom of Redemption But that this doth not destroy the old which was founded on Creation but is in the very nature and use of it an emendative addition Redemption is to mend the Creature not of any defect that was left in the Creation but from the ruine which came by our defacing transgression The Law of grace upon this Redemption is superadded to the Law of nature given on the Creation not to amend any imperfections in that Law but to save the sinner from its unsufferable penalty by dissolving its obligation of him thereto And thus in its nature and use it is a remedying Law And so you may see that Christ is now the Owner and by right the Governor of the whole world on the Title of redemption as God before was and still is on the Title of Creation 3. By this you may also percive in whit sense we are not our own In the strictest sence there is no proprietary or absolute Lord in the world but God No man can say this is fully and strictly mine God gives us indeed whatever we enjoy but his giving is not as mans we part with out Propriety in that which which we give but God gives nothing so His giving to us makes it not the less his own As a man giveth his goods to his steward to dispose of for his use or instruments to his servant to do his work with so God giveth his benefits to us Or at the utmost as you give cloathes to your child which are more yours still then his and you may take them away at your pleasure I confess when God hath told us that he will not take them away he is as it were obliged in fidelity to continue them but yet doth not hereby let go his propriety And so Christ bids us call no man on Earth Father that is our absolute Lord or Ruler because we have but one such master who is in Heaven Mat. 23. 7 8 9 10. So that you may see by this what Propriety is left us and what right we have to our selves and our Possessions Even such as a steward in his Masters goods or a servant in his tools or a child in his coat which is a propriety improper subordinate and secundum quid and will secure us against the usurpation of another One servant may not take his fellows instrument from him nor one child his brothers coat from him without the Parents or Masters consent They have them for their use though not the full propriety It may be called a propriety in respect to our fellow servant though it be not properly so as we stand in respect to God We have right enough to consute the Leveller but not to exempt either us or ours from the claim and use of our absolute Lord. 4. For the fourth Question What it is to glorifie God in body and spirit I answer in a word It is when upon true believing apprehensions of his right to us and of our great obligations to him as our Redeemer we heartily and unfeignedly devote our selves to him and live as a people so devoted so bending the chiefest of our care and study how to please him in exactest obedience that the glory of his mercy and holiness and of his wise and righteous Laws may be seen in our conversations and that the holy conformity of our lives to these Lawes may shew that there is the like conformity in our minds and that they are written in our hearts when the exellency of the Christian Religion is so appareut in the excellency of our lives causing us to do that which no others can imitate that the lustre of our good works may shine before men and cause them to glorifie our Father in Heaven To conclude when we still respect God as our only Soveragin and Christ as our Redeemer and his Spirit as our Sanctifier and his Law as our Rule that the doing of his will and the denying of our own is the daily work of our lives and the promoting of his blessed ends is our end this is the glorifying of God that hath Redeemed us 5. The last question is who they be that are may be urged to glorifie God on this ground that the hath bought them Doubtless only those whom he hath bought but who are those It discourageth me to tell you because among the godly it is a controversie but if they will controvert points of such great moment they cannot disoblige or excuse us from preaching them Among the variety of mens opinions it is safe to speak in the Language of the holy Ghost and accordingly to believe viz that as by the offence of one Judgement came upon all men to condemnation even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men to Justification of life Rom. 5. 8. And that he gave himself a ranâ—ome for all and is the only Mediator between God and man 1 Tim. 2. 5 6. That he is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world 1 John 2. 2. That God is the Saviour of all men especially of those that believe 1 Tim. 4. 10. That he is the Saviour of the world John 4. 42. 1 John 4. 14. 15. That he tasteth death for every man Heb. 2. 9. with many the like It is very sad to consider how mens unskilfulness to reconcile Gods general grace with his special and to assign to each its proper part hath made the Pelagians and their Successors to deny the special grace and too many of late no less dangerously to deny the general grace and what contentions these two errroneous parties have maintained and still maintain in the Church and how few observe or follow that true and sober mean which Austin the Maul of the Pelagians and his
counsels more likely then for you to over-top the Lord silly worms you know not what God is nor know you any one of his unrevealed thoughts no more then that Pillar doth know your thoughts you know not what you are your selves nor see any further then the superficies of your skin what is thy soul and when didst thou receive it Dost thou know its form or didst thou feel it enter which part didst thou feel it first possess Thou canst call it a Spirit but knowst thou what a Spirit is or rather only what it is not Thou knowest not that whereby thou knowest and how was thy body formed in the womb what was it an hundred years agoe what is that vital heat and moisture what causeth that order and diversity of its parts when will the most expert Anatomists and Physitians be agreed Why there are mysteries in the smallest worm which thou canst not reach nor couldst thou resolve the doubts arising about an Ant or Atome much less about the Sun or Fire or Air or or Wind c. and canst thou not know thy self nor the smallest part of thy self nor the smallest Creature and yet canst thou over-reach the everlasting Counsels 2. And is thy might and Power any greater then thy Policy Why what are the Kings and Rulers of the Earth but lumps of Clay that can speake and go moving shadows the Flowers of a day a corruptible seed blown up to that swelled consistence in which it appears as Children blow their bubbles of Soape somewhat invisibly condensate which that it may become visible is become more gross and so more vile and will shortly be almost all turned into invisible again that little dust which corruption leaves by the force of fire may be dissipated yet more and then where is this specious part of the man Surely now that body which is so much esteemed is but a loathsome lump of corruptible flesh covered with a smooth skin and kept a little while from stinking by the presence of the soul and must shortly be cast out of sight into a Grave as unfit for the sight or smell of the living and there be consumed with rotâ—enness and worm These are the Kings and Rulers of the Earth this is the power that must conquer Heaven and save them that rebel against Christ the Lord They that can not live a moneth without repairing their consuming bodies by food one part whereof doth turn to their vital blood and spirits and the other to most loathsome unsufferable excrements so neere is the kin between their Best and Worst Judge all you that have common reason whether he that cannot keep himself alive an hour and shortly will not be able to stirr a finger to remove the worms that feed upon his heart be able to resist the strengh of Christ and save the soul that God hath said and sworn shall not be saved Ah poor souls that have no better Saviours And well may Christ his Truth aud Cause prevail that have no stronger enemies Vse 1. You have here a Text that will fully inform you how you are like to speed at the Barr of Christ who shall dye and who shall live The great Assize is neare at hand the feet of our Judg are even at the dore go thy way unbelieving sinner when thou hast had all the pleasure that sin will afford thee lye down in the dust and sleep a while the rousing voice shall quickly awake thee and thine eyes shall see that dreadfull day O blessed oh dolefull day blessed to the Saints dolefull to the wicked O the rejoycing O the lamenting that there will be the triunphant shoutings of joyful Saints the hideous roaring cries of the ungodly when each man hath newly received his Doomâ— and there is nothing but eternal Glory and eternall fire Beloved hearers every man of you shall shortly there appeare and wait as the trembling prisoner at the Barr to hear what Doom must pass upon you Do you not believe this I hope you doe believe it Why what would you give now to know for certain how it shall then go with you why here is the Book by which you must be judged and here is the summe of it in my Text the grounds upon which the Judge will then proceed Will you but go along with me and answer the Questions which hence I shall put to you and search and judg your selves by them as you go and you may know what Doom you may then expect onely deal faithfully and search throughly for self flatery will not prevent your sorrow And here you must know that it is the kiss of the heart and not of the lips which we must here enquire after The question will not be at the Great Day Who hath spoke Christ fair or who have called themselves by the name of Christians or who hath said the Creed or the Lords Prayer oftnest or cryed Lord Lord or come to Church for carryed a Bible or who hath held this opinion or who that It would make a mans heart ake to think how zealously men will honour the shadow of Christ and bow at his Name and reverence the Image of the Cross which he dyed on and the names and reliques of the Saints that dyed for him and yet do utterly neglect the Lord himselfe and cannot endure to be governed by him and resist his spirit and scorne his strict and holy waies and dispitefully hate them that most love and obey him and yet belive themselves to be real Christians For God sake Sirs do not so delude your immortal souls as to think your Baptism and your outward devotion and your good meanings as you call them and your righteous dealing with men will serve the turn to prove you Christians Alas this is but with Judas to kiss the mouth of Christ and indeed to fetch your death from those blessed lips from whence the Saints do fetch their life I will shew you some surer signs then these 1. And first let me a little enquire into your subjection to Christ Do you remember the time when yon were the servants of sin and when Sathan led you captive at his will and the Prince of darkness ruled in your souls and all within you was in a carnal peace Do you remember when the Spirit in the word came powerfully upon your hearts and bound Sathan and cast him our and answered all your râ—asonings and conquered all your carnal wisdom and brought you from darkness to light and from the power of Sathan unto God Acts 26. 18. Or at least are you sure that now you live not under the same Lord and Laws as the ungodly do Hath Christ now the only soveraignty in your souls Is his word thy Law which thou darest not pass doth it bind thy thoughts and rule thy tongue and command thy self and all thou hast Hast thou laid all down at the feet of Christ and resigned thy self and all to his will and devoted all
like may Evidence against his Condemnation The drunkard shall Remember In Such an Ale house I was so oft drunk and in such a â—avern I wasted my time The Adulterer and Fornicator shall Remember the very Time the Place the Room the Bed where they committed wickedness The Thief and Deceiver will Remember the Time Place the persons they wronged and the Thing which they robbed or deceived them of The worldling will Remember the business which he preferred before the service of God the worldly matters which had more of his heart then his Maker and Redeemer had the work which he was doing when he should have been Praying or Reading or Catechising his Family or thinking soberly of his latter end A thousand of these will then come into his mind and be as so many Evidences against him to his Condemnation 3. The very effects also of mens sins will be an Evidence against them The wife and children of a Drunkard are Impoverished by his sin His family and the neighbourhood is disquieted by him These will be so many Evidences against him So will the abuse of his own Reason The enticing of others to the same sin and hardning them by his example One covetons unmerciful Landlord doth keep a hundred or many hundred persons or families in so great necessities and care and labour that they are tempted by it to overpass the service of God as having scarce time for it or any room for it in their troubled thoughts All these miserable families and persons and all the souls that are undone by this Temptation will be so many Evidences against such Oppressors Yea the poor whom they have neglected to relieve when they might the sick whom they have neglected to visit when they might will all witness then against the unmerciful Mat. 25. The many ignorant worldly careless sinners that have perished under an idle and unfaithful Minister will be so many witnesses against him to his Condemnation They may then cry out against him to his face I was ignorant Lord and he never did so much as teach me catechize me nor tell me of these Things I was careless and minded the world and he let me go on quietly and was as careless as I had never plainly and faithfully warned me to waken me from my security And so their blood will be required at his hands though themselves also shall perish in their sins Ezek. 33 7. 8. 2. And as these Evidences will convince men of sin so there are many more which will convince them of the Greatness of their sin And these are so many that it would too much lengthen my discourse to stand on them A few I shall briefly touch 1. The very mercy of God in Creating men in giving and continuing their Being to them will be an Evidence for the Aggravation of their sin against him What will you abuse him by whom it is that you are men will you speak to his dishonor that giveth you your speech will you live to his dishonor who giveth you your Lives will you wrong him by his own creatures and neglect him without whom you cannot subsist 2. The Redemption of men by the Lord Jesus Christ will be an evidence to the exceeding Aggravation of their sins You sinned against the Lord that bought you 2 Pet. 2. 1. When the Feast was prepared and all things were Ready you made light of it and found excuses and would not come Mat. 22. 4 5 6. Luke 14. 17 18. Must Christ Redeem you by so dear a price from sin and misery and yet will you continue the servants of sin and prefer your slavery before your freedom and choose to be Satans drudges rather then to be the servants of God The sorrows and sufferings that Christ underwent for you will then prove the increase of your own sorrows As a neglected Redeemer it is that he will condemn you And then you would be glad that it were but true Doctrine that Christ never dyed for you that you might not be condemned for refusing a Redeemer and sinning against him that shed his blood for you How deeply will his wounds then wound your consciences You will then Remember that to this end he both â—yed rose and revived that he might be Lord both of the Dead and the Living And that he therefore dyed for all that they which live should not henceforth live to themselves but to him that dyed for them and rose again Rom. 14. 9. 2 Cor. 5. 14 15. Mat 28. 18. 19. 20. 1 Pet. 1. 17 18. You will then understand that you were not your own but were bought with a price and therefore should have glorified him that Bought you with your Bodies and Spirits because they were His 1 Cor. 6 19 20. This one Aggravation of your sin will make you doubly and remedilesly miserable that you Trod under foot the Son of God and counted the blood of the Covenant wherewith you were sanctified an unholy thing Heb. 10. 26 27 28 29. and crucified to your selves the Son of God afresh and put him to open shame Heb. 6. 5 6. 3. Moreover All the personal mercies which they received will be so many Evidences for the condemnation of the ungodly The very earth that bore them and yielded them its fruits while they themselves are unfruitful to God The Air which they breathed in the food which nourish'd them the cloaths which cover'd them the houses which they dwelt in the beasts that laboured for them and all the creatures that dyed for their use All these may rise up against them to their condemnation And the Judge may thus expostulate with them Did all these mercies deserve no more Thanks should you not have served him that so liberally maintained you God thought not all these too good for you and did you think your hearts and services too good for him He served yous w th the weary labours of your fellow creature and should you have grudged to bear his easie Yoak They were your slaves and drudges and you refused to be his free servants and his Sons They suffered Death to feed your bodies and you would not suffer the short forbearance of a little forbidden fleshly pleasure for the sake of him that made you and redeemed you Oh how many thousand mercies of God will then be reviewed by those that neglected them to the horrour of their souls when they shall be upbraided by the Judge with their base requital All the deliverances from sickness and from danger all the honours and priviledges and other commodities which so much contented them will then be Gods Evidence to shame them and confound them On this supposition doth the Apostle reprove such Rom. 2. 4 5 6. Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long suffering not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thy self wrath against the day of wrath revelation of
that his Service was making more adoe then needs and didst grudge at those that were more diligent then thy self but for the World how heartily and how constantly didst thou seek and serve it and yet wouldst thou now perswade the Judge that thou didst love God above all He will shew thee thy naked heat and the course of thy former life which shail convince thee of the contrary The Second Excuse I lived not in any gross sin but only in small Infirmities I was no Murderer or Adulterer or Fornicator or Thief nor did I deceive or wrong any or take any thing by violence Answ Was it not a gross sin to love the world above God and to neglect Christ that dyed for thee and never to do him one hours hearty service but meerly to seek thy carnal self and to live to thy flesh God will open thine eyes then and shew thee a thousand gross sins which thou now forgettest or makest light of and it is not only Gross sins but All sin great or small that deserveth the wrath of God and will certainly bring thee under it for ever if thou have not part in Christ to relieve thee Wo to the man that ever he was born that must answer in his own name for his smallest offences The Third Excuse I did it ignorantly I knew not that there was so much required to my Salvation I thought less adoe might have served the turn and that if I lookt to my body God would take caâ—e of my soul and that it was better to trust him what would become of me hereafter then to trouble my mind so much about it Had I known better I would have done better Answ If you knew not better who was it long of but your self Did God hide these things from you Did he not tell them you in his Word as plainly as the tongue of man can speak That except you were regenerate and born again you should not enter into the Kingdom of God John 3. 3â— 5. That without holiness none should see God Heb. 12. 14. That you mist strive to enter in at the strait gate for many shall seek to enter and shall not be able Luke 13. 24. That if you lived after the flesh you should dye and if by the Spirit you mortified the deeds of the body you should live Rom 8. 13 That if any man have not the Spirit of Christ the same is none of his Rom. 8. 9. And to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace Rom. 8. 9. That you must not lay up for your selves a treasure on earth where rust and moths do corrupt and thieves break through and steal but must lay up for your selves a treasure in heaven where rust and moths do not corrupt and thieves break through and steal Mat. 6. 19 20. That you must seek first the Kingdom of God and the righteousness thereof Mat. 6. 23. and not Labour for the food that perisheth but for the food that endureth to everlasting life which Christ would have given you John 6. 27. That if you be risen with Christ you must seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God and not the things that are on earth Col. 3. 1 2 3. Yea Your very Conversation should be in Heaven Phil. 3. 19. 20. 21. What say you Did not God tell you all this and much more aud plainly tell it you Turn to your Bibles and see the words and let them witness against you 2. And could you think with any Reason that your souls being so much move precious then your bodies you should yet do so much more for your bodies then your souls could you think all the labour of your lives little enough for a frail body that must lie shortly in the dirt and that your Immortal souls should be no more reâ—arded Could you think with any Reason that your souls should do so much for a life of a few years continuance and do no more for a life that shall have no end 3. And whereas you talk of trusting God with your souls you did not trust him You did but on that pretence carelesly disregard them If you trust God shew any word of Promise that ever he gave you to trust upon that ever an Impenitent Carnal Careless person shall be saved No he hath told yon enough to the contrary And could you think that it was the will of God that you should mind your bodies more then your souls and this life more then that to come Why he hath bid you strive and run and sight and labour and care and seek and use violence and all diligence for the safety of your souls and for the life to come But where hath he bid you do so for your bodies No he knew that you were prone to do too much for them and therefore he hath bid you Care not and Labour not that is Do it as if you did it not and let your care and Labour for earthly things be none in comparision of that for heavenly things You know God can as well maintain your lives without your care and labour as save your souls without it And yet you see he will not he doth not You must plough and sow and reap and thresh for all Gods Love and Care of you and not say I will let all alone and trust God And must you not much more use diligence in much greater things If you will trust God you must trust him in his own way and in the use of his own means The fourth Excuse I was never brought up to learning I cannot so much as read Nor did my Parents ever teach me any of these things but only set me about my worldly business and provide food and rayment for me but never once told me that I had a soul to save or lose and and an everlasting life to provide and prepare for And therefore I could not come to the knowledge of them Answ The greater is their sin who thus neglected you But this is no sufficient Excuse for you Heaven is not prepared for the Learned only nor will Christ ask you at Judgement whether you are good Scholars or not no nor so much as whether you could write or read But consider well was not Gods word so plainly written that the unlearned might understand it Did he not put it into the most familiar stile though he knew it would be offensive to the proud Scholars of the world of purpose that he might fit it to the capacities of the ignorant And if you could not read yet tell me Could not you have learned to read at 20 or 30 years of age if you had been but willing to bestow now and then an hour to that end Or at least did you not live near some that could Read and could you not have procured them to read to you or to help you And did you not hear these things read to
far mortified the flesh and subdued the world and the Devil that the Authority and Word of God can do more with him then any other and doth ordinarily prevail against all the perswasion and interest of the flesh so that the main scope and bent of the heart and life is still for God and when he sinneth he riseth again by true Repentance I say that soul and that only shall be Justified in Judgement and be saved 5. That soul that hath such Believing thoughts of the life to come that he taketh the promised blessedness for his portion and is resolved to venture all else upon it and in hope of his glory doth seâ— light comparatively by all things in this world and waiteth for it as the end of this life choosing any suffering that God shall call him to rather then to lose his hopes of that felicity and thus persevereth to the end I say that soul and none but that shall be justified in Judgement and escape Damnation In these five marks I have told you truly and briefly who shall be Justified and saved and who shall be condemned at the day of Judgement And if you would have them all in five words they are but the Description of these five Graces Repentance Faith Love Obedience Hope But though I have laid these close together for your use yet lest you should think that in so weighty a case I am too short in the proof of what I so determine of I will tell you in the express words of many Scripture Texts who shall be Justified and who shall be condemned John 3. 3. Except a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God Heb. 12. 14. Without holiness none shall see God Luk. 13. 3 5. Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish Acts 26. 18. I send thee to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an Inheritance among the sanctified by Faith that is in me Joh. 3. 15 16. 17 18 19. Whoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life he that believeth on him is not condemned he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not Believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God and this is the condemnation that light is come in to the world and men loved darkness rather then light because their deeds were evil John 5. 28 29. The hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shal hear his voice shall come forth they that have done good to the Resurrect on of life and they that have done evil to the Resurrection of damnation Mat. 25. 30. Cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shal be weeping gnashing of Teeth Lu. 19 27. But those mine enimies which would not that I should raign over them bring hither and slay them before me Mat 22. 12. 13. Friend how camest thou in hither not having on a wedding gatment And he was speechless Then said the King to the servants Bind him hand and foot and take him away and cast him into outer darkness c. Mat. 5. 20. For I say unto you that except your Righteousness exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees ye shall in no wise enter into the Kingdom of heaven Mat. 7. 21. Not every one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven Heb. 5. 6. He is become the Author of eternall salvation to all them that obey him Rev. 22. 14. Blessed are they that do his Commandments that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter in by the Gate into the City Rom. 8. 1. 13. There is then no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus that walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit For if ye live after the flesh ye shall dye but if ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live Rom. 8. 9. If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his Gal. 5. l8 But if ye be Led of the Spirit ye are not under the Law Gal. 6. 7. 8. Be not deceived God is not mocked for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap for he that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap Corruption but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit read life Everlasting Matth. 6. 21. For where your Treasure is there wil your heart be also Read Psal 1. and many other Texts to this purpose of which some are cited in my Directions for Peace of Conscience Dir. 11. p. 115. 116. And thus I have told you from Gods Word how you may know whether you are ready for Judgement which is the fourth thing that I would advise you to enquire after O Sirs what shift do you make to keep your souls from Continual Terrours as you as long remain unready for Judgement How do you keep the Thoughts of it out of your mind that they do not break your sleep and meet you in your business and haunt you every way you go while Judgement is so neer and you are so unready But I shall proceed to say next Question Qu. 5 AND in the last place to those of you that are not yet Ready nor in a Condition wherein you may safe at that day ' my Question is How are you resolved to prepare for Judgement for the time to come Will you do no more than you have done hitherto Or will you now set your selves with all your might to make preparation for so great a day me thinks you should be now past all demurs delays or further doubtings about such a business and by the consideration of what I have said already you should be fully Resolved to lose no more time but presently to awake and â—eâ— upon the work Me thinks you should all say We will do any thing that the Lord shall Direct us to do rather then we will be unready for this final doom O that there were but such hearts in you that you were truly willing to follow the gracious Guidance of the Lord and to use but those sweet and reasonable means which he hath prescribed you in his Word that you may be ready for that day Alas it is no hard matter for me to tell you or my self what it is that we must do if we will be happy and it is no very hard matter to Do it so far ar we are truly willing but the difficulty is to be truly and throughly willing to this work If I shall tell you what you must do for preparation shall I not lose my labour Will you resolve and promise in the strength of Grace that you will faithfully and speedily endeavour to practise it whoever shall gainsay it Upon hope of this I will set you down some brief Directions