well come in here Psal 87. 3. Glorious things are spoken of thee O thou City of God Beloved I would fain engage your most serious attention to what shall be delivered upon this Subject and to prepare you for it I beseech you to know that I hope you shall hear some glorious things spoken to you of this City of God in the opening of the excellent Priviledges which this Freedom by Christ brings with it which when you have heard I am sure you will have cause to say of these redeemed ones as Moses once did of the Children of Israel Deut. 33. 29. Happy art thou O Israel who is like unto thee O people saved by the Lord. I shall not spend time in things that are but of a general consideration otherwise I might shew you that there must needs be very precious Priviledges attending this Freedom 1. From the great difficulty that there is to get into this Freedom As you know those places and conditions that have great Priviledges what a hard thing 't is to get into them there must be a great deal of seeking and waiting and much cost and pains laid out and such and such a great person must be made ones friend so 't is no easie matter to get into this Freedom to be made one of the Company If ever you be admitted into it you must strive to enter you must think no pains or labour too much and you must patiently wait upon the Lord till he have mercy on you and you must be sure to get God and Christ to be your friends for they have the power and the disposing of this Freedom they give it to whom they will Now what 's the Reason that there is so much ado amongst men to procure such a Place and to be one of such a Society as many times there is Why 't is because if they were once admitted into it there be such Priviledges to be enjoyed and such profits to be received as will abundantly recompence all their pains So here the difficulty of becoming one of these that are made free by Christ speaks that this Freedom is full of excellent Priviledges 2. From the high esteem that they have of this Freedom who are admitted into it through Grace Say what you will to them you can never bring them out of love with it again they 'l like their Christ and like their Condition tho all the world should set themselves to turn away their hearts from it They 'l part with if for no good They like it so well that they set an higher value upon the worst of Christ than they do upon the best of the World as Moses did Heb. 11. 25 26. Now certainly this is because their condition is full of Priviledges They know they are better here than they can be any where else in the World 3. From the consideration of the Saints being so often called upon in Scripture to praise the Lord. They who observe may frequently find how much they are stirred up to this duty How many Psalms doth David begin and end with this Praise ye the Lord And he says that the People of God should be a singing to him blessing of him rejoycing and giving thanks extolling of the Name of God declaring his wonderful Works towards them Now you shall see that one main thing that he drove at why they should do this was upon the account of the Freedom which God had brought them into Psal 107. 1 2. and 136. 1 2 3. compared with ver 10 11 12 23 24. And in Rev. 5. you read that the Saints were at this work of more than ordinary thanksgivings to God They sung a Song What is it for Oh! for the Freedom they had received Certainly then if God hath such great praises for it there are great Priviledges in it But I shall not go on thus but will bring in a List of the Priviledges so far as I can in particular And here as the Prophet said Isa 63. 7. I will mention the loving kindness of the Lord c. They are a priviledged people For Priviledg 1. Being made free by Christ they are translated out of the Kingdom of the Devil His Prison-doors are now opened that were shut so fast upon them as that none could open them but he that hath the key of David Now their bondage under that great Tyrant over Souls is at an end He shall no more have them captive at his will The yoke of their oppression is broken See Col. 1. 13. Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son They are redeemed from the hand of the terrible Satan hath been forced to yield them up and now he can lay no more claim to them This Priviledg you read of further in Heb. 2. 14 15. That through death he might destroy him that had the power of death that is the Devil and deliver them who all their life-time were subject to bondage Mark he hath delivered them from the Devil by destroying of him not as to his Being for the Devil is not dead 't is not the Nature of a Spirit to die but as to his power over them So he is destroyed he is quite routed as to any slavery that he now keeps them in He may Lord it over his Vassals whose God he is but with these he hath nothing to do but in a way of molestation so indeed he will vex them all that he can and he won't be wanting to follow them with his Temptations and his siery Darts In this kind these redeemed ones must expect a War with him Eph. 6. 11 12 13 c. Christ will have them fight tho he hath made them free and tho the Devil doth cease to be their Owner yet he doth not cease to be their Enemy and he designs all the hurt and mischief to them that possibly he can for they went out of his Kingdom against his will and consent If he could have staid them they should never have gone And therefore his wrath is the more kindled against them and that to such a degree that he is not only compared to an Adversary but to a Lion and this Lion is in the siercest posture of all he is a roaring Lion But notwithstanding all his rage his Dominion is gone Now beloved this is an excellent Priviledg Oh to be loosed from the Chains of Darkness to be turned from the power of Satan to God! In this sense they that are made free by Christ are past the Devil's Quarters And therefore tho they should diligently watch against him yet they should not be slavishly afraid of him Do but keep Gods way and what hurt can he do you See John 5. 18. 'T is a very unbecoming thing for a child of God to be afraid of the Devil What have all the Devils in Hell to do with you for whom Christ shed his precious Blood He himself knows that you
done him no good unless he had been interested in Christ himself Psal 116. 16. 6. No religious or godly Education that you have had It may be you have been brought up in the Families where there hath been much of God and Goodness set up yea perhaps you have spent all your days in the company and communion of the Saints and yet at last you must have your eternal abode and portion with Sinners if you have not a part in this Freedom Ishmael was brought up in a good Family in the Family of Abraham of whom God said I know him that he will command his children and his houshold after him Gen. 18. 19. And yet for want of this Freedom he was rejected and so was Esau 7. No moral Virtues that you have lived in It may be thou hast been a civil Person an honest Person a chast Person a sober Person perhaps never wronged any Body by unjust Dealing never told a Lie never swore an Oath never disguisedst thy self by Drunkenness never defiledst thy Body with Uncleanness it won't do thee a jot of good for the saving of thee from Hell if thou hast no part in this Freedom Matth. 5. 20. Thou must have a righteousness that exceeds this even the righteousness of Christ by Faith or else Heavens door will be shut against thee 8. No profession that you have made of the Gospel of Christ tho to a very high degree Tho thou hast outwardly seemed to be a very zealous and forward Disciple of his hast worn his Livery and hast been baptized in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost tho thou hast often in the Sacrament eaten of that Bread that signifies his Body and drank of that Wine that signifies his Blood yet if thou hast not this Freedom 't is nothing 1 Joh. 5. 12. He that hath not the Son of God hath not life let him profess what he will of him 9. No good thoughts that the People of God have had of you It may be thou hast been taken for a true Child of God no body suspects thee of Hypocrisie thou art current Gold by their Weights yea but if thou hast not a part in this Freedom when thou comest to be weighed in Gods Ballance thou wilt be found wanting 10. No sufferings that you have met with for Conscience-sake Tho thou hast thus suffered yet thou must suffer again and that for ever if thy Conscience be not purged from dead works by the Blood of Christ as Paul saith 1 Cor. 13. 1. that tho he gave his body to be burned if he had not charity it profited him nothing No more would it thee if thou hast not Christ 11. Again No bitter cries or earnest intreaties that you shall at last make to God for the escaping of his wrath Oh! when Christ is just ready to pronounce the Sentence against thee what a lamentable ado wilt thou make that it might not be past but if thou hast not a part in this Freedom all thy wringing of hands and falling upon thy knees will be in vain 12. Once again Not all the mercy that is in God Tho God hath an infinite Ocean of mercy yet it won't be for thee if thou dost not look after this Freedom Luk. 19. 27. As there is no misery to the Saints so there is no mercy to the wicked beyond this life Vse 1. This then sharply reproves the great slothfulness of the World in the matters of their Souls 'T is every ones duty to look after a share in this Freedom and yet almost every body is idle the whole earth is quiet and at rest Oh how little stirring is there for an Interest in Christ What Pharaoh said of the Israelites in their Bondage I am sure may be said of Sinners in this Bondage Exod. 4. 17. Ye are idle ye are idle Oh! what cause is there now that I should preach with tears to bewail the lamentable carelessness of people about their everlasting Concernments The good Lord of his infinite mercy be in the midst of us at this time by the power of his Spirit to convince you that are out of Christ of this great sin and to humble you for it I offer my self now in Gods Name to plead with you about your woful negligence in not looking after this Freedom which you have heard is every ones duty to look after and therefore 't is yours There is Freedom to be had by Christ but pray now you that are in your sins what have you done to get it Oh! what would many of you do to get the World How would you ride and run and rise early and go late to bed for a gainful Bargain or great Estate You are so forward and eager some of you for the things of this World that you are like a high-metall'd Horse you can hardly be held in Christ is fain as it were to call from Heaven to bid you stop Isa 55. 2. Wherefore do ye spend your money for that which is not bread and your labour for that which satisfieth not You 'll try all ways and turn every stone to see what may be done for a part in these uncertain Riches though it may be you shall never get them when you have done your utmost and if you do you may leave them as soon as you have them Why but Sirs is there not another life and are there not better things and have you not precious Souls to look after and is it not high time for some of you by course of nature to think of removing to Eternity and of being in a fitness for Death and Judgment And yet ah Lord you live as to spiritual things as if you had nothing to do Upon these accounts the Scripture sets you forth as persons that are standing still Why stand you here all the day idle Matth. 20. 6. and as persons that have their hands in their bosoms Prov. 19. 24. and as persons that are asleep upon their beds Prov. 6. 9. The children of God if there be any of them that live about you or among you they are as 't were all of a trembling for fear they should fall short of Heaven and fail of the Grace of GOD tho they are not like you to let all run at random Phil. 2. 12. But you tho your Sins be unpardoned and your Souls unconverted and nothing is set at rights between God and you yet you set neither your Hand nor your Heart to any good thing Why now is this the way to do well Dare you think that you are going to happiness under all this remissness Do you believe that strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth to life and few there be that find it What have you no talent to trade with for the glory of God and the good of your own Souls If you have not five nay if you have not two have you not one Sure thou hast one Talent
mankind to perish and if he would have saved any he might have bid his Son go take the nature of Angels and redeem the Devils but that it would not consist with his everlasting purpose and have left Adam and all his posterity under the curse but that he should pitch upon us to be the subjects that should be capable of this Freedom how is free Grace to be admired that God should overlook those that stood nearer to him by their creation then we did to look upon us The spirits of darkness are left in dispair while we are under hope they and we were all miserable creatures by the fall first of one and then of the other but their misery was irrecoverable ours is a recoverable misery 2 Tim. 2. 26. God hath an Election amongst us but he hath none among the Devils and therefore the door of mercy is shut against them never to be opened 2 Pet. 2. 4. Jude vers 6. Oh how are we beholding to God that he would reserve Mercy for us when he reserves Wrath for the fallen Angels there he made quick work they fell into Condemnation and God sealed up their Condemnation there is not so much as a possibility that God will ever be reconciled to them but with us he was willing to renew a better Covenant than that was which we brake there is pity and pardon and peace for us in Christ Now have not we cause to admire this and to say as Heb. 2. 6. What is man that thou art mindful of him and the son of man that thou visitest him 2. That not only men but some of the worst of men should have the benefit of this Freedom I mean not only a temporal benefit for so all have but the saving everlasting benefit of it You read in the Scripture of some of the very worst of men that have been made free by Christ When this Freedom came to them at first it found some of them amongst the Thieves and others amongst the Drunkards and others amongst the Whoremongers and others amongst the Idolaters as it did the Corinthians and others amongst the Persecutors and the Blasphemers as it did Paul and others amongst the Crucifiers of Christ as it did the Jews and have you not heard sometimes of some notorious sinner or other that became a new man and through grace was afterwards as much for God as before he was the for Devil that to ones thinking was come even to the height of wickedness and yet brought home Beloved God will have this Freedom by Christ and the exceeding riches of it glorified even in this World and therefore he gives it sometimes to the very dregs of sinners And who indeed is there of those that have obtained a fellowship in this great Salvation but hath cause to admire that ever it should be given to him And to say Oh! God had mercy upon a grievous sinner when he had mercy upon me It is certain that the loving-kindness of God in Jesus Christ will be admired by every Soul upon whom it lights and such a one is ready to think That never was there any sinner that did more need mercy or less deserve it and the Reason of this is because where this Freedom comes it works such a sense of ones vileness upon the heart that tho indeed there may in some respects be greater sinners than ones self yet one cannot but look upon ones self as one of the greatest Wonders of Mercy that ever was as Paul did 1 Tim. 1. 15 16. And when God shall have gathered all his Children to glory Oh beloved what a wonderful company there will be I don't mean so much for multitude tho that will be innumerable as to think what sinners these were and especially some of them Oh! the stories that might be told of them in Heaven to raise matter of everlasting Admiration that one who had been formerly such a grievous sinner on Earth should prove notwithstanding a glorious Saint in Heaven Oh wonderful Vse 3. Is this Freedom by Christ such an excellent Freedom then here is something for Lamentation and Mourning Beloved we have often through Gods Mercy met together Oh! that we could now mourn together And you that cannot weep with your eyes oh that you would mourn in your hearts Why but you may say What is there here to mouth for This excellent Freedom is cause of rejoycing Yea indeed so 't is â—is glad tidings of great joy if all things about it were well with us but alas the Lord knows they are not I pray therefore consider four things for the piercing of your hearts in this Use of Lamentation 1. That ever we should be the cause of putting the Lord Jesus Christ who purchased this Freedom for us to so much pain and grief as he underwent in the doing of it Oh! what bitter mourning should we make for our sins that laid such a load upon Christ that we could never have had this excellent Freedom if he had not suffered beyond expression We may say those of us that are made free by Christ he hath put us into a good condition but oh into what a bad condition did our sins put him he hath brought us joy but we brought him sorrow he hath brought us rest but we brought him travel of Soul he hath brought us life but we brought him death he hath brought us blessing but we brought him a curse he helped us to a great deal of Mercy but we helped him to a great deal of misery in respect of his sufferings he was the miserablest man that ever lived Now friends this was your sins and my sins that brought him to this that made Jesus Christ to have a very Hell upon Earth and shall we not mourn for this Oh! that the Lord would perform that promise to us this day Zech. 12. 10. And I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and of supplications and they shall look upon him whom they have pierced and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son and shall be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness for his first born 2. That God hath no more Glory from us for all this grace that he hath bestowed upon us This Freedom is actually given to some of us and those Scriptures through the tender Mercy of God may be applied I doubt not to some of you Col. 1. 21. Gal. 4. 13. Eph. 2. 13 19. But will you not say your selves I know you will that you do fall exceeding short of such a walking as this excellent Freedom engages you to Beloved I am glad to see any of you that are in Christ so good but truly the best of us have cause to mourn that we are no better Oh what a people should we be for whom the Lord Jesus Christ laid down his precious Life and shed his precious Blood You do God some