Sermon shall ever doe them good hee robs them of all they get in Gods ordinances within three houres after the market the Sermon is ended 4. He is a strong enemy Luk. 11. 21. So that if all the devills in hell are able to keepe men from comming out of their sinnes he will so strong an enemy that he keepes men from so much as sighing or groaning under their burthens and bondage Luke 11. 21. When the strong man keepes the palace his goods are in peace Fiftly He is cast into utter darknesse as cruell Jaylors put their prisoners into the worst dungeons so Sathan doth naturall men 2 Cor. 4. 3 4. they see no God no Christ they see not the happinesse of the Saints in light they see not these dreadfull torments that should now in this day of grace awaken them and humble them Oh those by paths which thousands wander from God in they have no lamp to their feet to shew them where they erre Thou that art in thy naturall estate art borne blind and the Devill hath blinded thine eyes more by sin and God in justice hath blinded them worse for sinne so that thou art in a corner of hell because thou art in utter darknesse where thou hast not a glimpse of any saving Truth Sixtly They are bound hand and foote in this estate and cannot come out Rom. 5 6. 1 Cor. 2. 14. for all kind of sinnes like chaines have bound every part and faculty of man so that he is sure for stirring and those are very strong in him they being as deare as his members nay his life Col. 3. 7. so that when a man begins to forsake his vile courses and purposeth to become a new man Devils fetch him back world enticeth him and locketh him up and flesh saith oh it is too strict a course and then farewell merry dayes and good fellowship Oh thou mayest wish and desire to come out sometime but canst not put strength to thy desire nor indure to doe it Thou mayest hang downe thy head like a bulrush for sin but thou canst not repent of sinne thou mayst presume but thou canst not beleeve thou mayest come halfe way and forsake some sinnes not all sinnes thou mayest come and knocke at heaven gate as the foolish virgins did but not enter in and passe through the gate thou mayest see the land of Canaan and take much paines to goe into Canaan and thou mayst taste of the bunches of grapes of that good land but never enter into Canaan into heaven but thou lyest bound hand and foot in this woefull estate and here thou must lye rot like a dead carkasse in his grave untill the Lord come and rowle away the stone and bid thee come out and live Lastly They are ready every moment to drop into hell God is a consuming fire against thee and there is but one paper wall of thy body betweene thy soule and eternall flames How soone may God stop thy breath there is nothing but that betweene thee and hell if that were gone then farewell all Thou art condemned and the mufflter is before thine eyes God knowes how soone the ladder may be turned thou hangest but by one rotten◠twined thread of thy life over the flames of hell every houre Thus much of mans present miseries Now followeth his future miseries which are to come upon him hereafter They must die either by a suddaine sullen or desperate death Psal. 89. 48. which though it is to a childe of God a sweet sleepe yet to the wicked it is a fearefull curse proceeding from Gods wrath whence like a Lyon he teares body and soule asunder death commeth hissing upon them like a fiery Dragon with the sting of vengeance in the mouth of it it puts a period to all their worldly contentments which then they must forsake and carry nothing away with them but a rotten winding sheet It 's the beginning of all their woe it 's the captaine that first strikes the stroke and then armies of endlesse woes follow after Revel 6. 2. Oh thou hadst better be a toade or a dogge then a man for ther 's an end of their troubles when they are dead and gone they fall now as men from a sleepe they know not where they shall goe now Repentance is too late especially if thou hast lived under meanes before it 's either a cold Repentance when the body is weake and the heart sicke or an hypocriticall repentance onely for feare of Hell and therefore thou sayest Lord Jesus receive my soule Nay commonly then mens hearts are most hard and therefore men dye like Lambes and cry not out Then it 's hard plucking thy soule from the Devils hands to whom thou hast given it all thy life by sinne and if thou dost get it back dost thou thinke that God will take the devils leavings Now thy day is past and darknesse begins to over-spread thy soule now flocks of Devils come into thy chamber waiting for thy soul to flye upon it as a Mastive Dog when the doore is opened And this is the reason why most men dye quietly that lived wickedly because Satan then hath them as his own prey like Pirats that let a Ship passe by that is empty of goods they shout cōmonly at them that are richly loaden The Christians in some parts of the Primitive Church tooke the Sacrament every day because they did looke to die every day But these times where in we live are so poysoned and glutted with their ease that it is a rare thing to see the man that lookes death stedfastly in the face one houre together but Death will lay a bitter stroake on these one day II. After death they appeare before the Lord to judgement Heb. 9. 27. their bodies indeed rot in their graves but their soules returne before the Lord to judgement Eccles. 12. 7. The generall judgement is at the end of the world when both body and soule appeares before God and all the world to an account But there is a particular judgement that every man meets with after this life immediately at the end of his life where the soule is condemned onely before the Lord. You may perceive what this particular judgement is thus by these 4. conclusions 1. That every man should dye the first day he was borne is cleare for the wages of sinne is death in justice therefore it should be paid a sinfull creature as soone as he is borne 2. That it should be thus with wicked men but that Christ begs their lives for a season 1 Tim. 4. He is the Saviour of all men that is not a Saviour of eternall preservation out of hell but a Saviour of temporall reservation from dropping into Hell 3. That this space of time thus begged by Christ is that season wherein onely a man can make his peace with a displeased God 2 Cor. 6. 2. 4. That if men doe not thus within this cut of time when Death hath
dispatched them judgement onely remaines for them that is when their doome is read their date of repentance is out then their sentence of everlasting death is passed upon them that never can be recalled againe And this is judgement after death Hee that judgeth himselfe saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 11. 31. shall not be judged of the Lord. Now wicked men will not judge and condemne themselves in this life therefore at the end of it God will judge them All naturall men are lost in this life but they may be found and recovered againe but a mans losse by death is irrâ—coverable because there is no meanes after death to restore them there is no Friend to perswade no Minister to preach by which Faith is wrought and men get Christ There is no power of returning or repenting then for night is come and the day is past Againe the punishment is so heavy that they can onely beare wrath so that all their thoughts and affections are taken up with the burden And therefore Dives cryes out I am tormented Oh that the consideration of this point might a waken every secure sinner What will become of thine immortall soule when thou art dead thou sayest I know not I hope well I tell thee therefore that which may send thee mourning to thy house and quaking to thy grave if thou dyest in this estate thou shalt not dye like a Dogge nor yet like a Toad but after death comes judgement then farewell Friends when dying and farewell God for ever when thou art dead Now the Lord open your eyes to see the terrours of this particular judgment which if you could see unlesse you were mad it would make you spend whose nights and dayes in seeking to set all even with God I will shew you briefly the manner and nature of it in these particulars 1. Thy soule shall be dragged out of thy body as out of a stâ—â—king prison by the Devill the Jaylor into some place within the bowels of the third Heavens and there thou shalt stand stript of all Friends all comfort all creatures before the presence of God Luk. 19. 27. as at the Assizes first the Jaylor brings the prisoners out 2. Then thy soule shall have a new light put into it wherby it shall see the glorious presence of God as prisoners brought with guilty eyes looke with terrour upon the Judge Now thou seest no God abroad in the world but then thou shalt see the Almighty Jeho vah which sight shall strike thee with that Hellish terrour and dreadfull horrour that thou shalt call to the mountaines to cover thee ô Rocks Rocks hide me from the face of the Lambe Rev. 6. ult 3. Then all the sinnes that ever thou hast or shalt commit shall come fresh to thy minde as when the prisoner is come before the face of the Judge then his accusers bring in their evidence thy sleepy Conscience then will be instead of a thousand witnesses and every sinne then with all the circumstances of it shall be set in order armed with Gods wrath round about thee Psal. 50. 21. as letters writ with juice of Oranges cannot be read untill it be brought unto the fire and then they appeare thou canst not read that bloudy bill of indiotment thy conscience hath against thee now but when thou shalt stand neere unto God a consuming fire then what an heavy reckoning will appâ—are It may bee thou hast left many sinnes now and goest so farre and profitest so much that no Christian can discerne thee nay thou thinkest thy selfe in a safe estate but yet there is one leake in thy Ship that will sinke thee there is one secret hidden sinne in thine heart which thou livest in as all unsound people doe that will damne thee I tell thee as soone as ever thou art dead and gone then thou shalt see where the knot did bind thee where thy sin was that now hath spoiled thee for ever and then thou shalt grow mad to thinke ô that I never saw this sinne I loved lived in plotted perfected mine owne eternall ruine by untill now when it is too late to amend 4. Then the Lord shall take his everlasting farewell of thee and make thee know it too Now God is departed from thee in this life but he may returne in mercy to thee againe but then the Lord departs with all his patience to wait for thee more nor Christ shall be offered thee any more no spirit to strive with thee any more and so shall passesentence though haply not vocally yet effectually upon thy soule and say Depart thou cursed Thou shalt see indeede the glory of God that others finde but to thy greater sorrow shalt never taste the same Luke 13. 28. 5. Then shall God surrender up thy forsaken soule into the hands of Devils who being thy Iaylors must keep thee till the great day of account so that as thy friends are scrambling for thy goods and wormes for thy body so Devils shall scramble for thy soule For as soone as ever a wicked man is dead he is either in heaven or in hell Not in heaven for no uncleane thing comes there if in hell then among Devills there shall bee thine eternall lodging 1 Pet. 3. 19. and hence thy forlorne soule shall lie mourning for the time past now too late amazed at the eternity of sorrow that is to come waiting for that fearefull houre when the last trump shall blow and then body and soule meete to beare that wrath that fire that shall never goe out Oh therefore suspect and feare the worst of thy selfe now thou hast seldome or never or very little troubled thine head about this matter whether Christ will save thee or not thou hast such strong hopes and confidences already that he will know that it is possible thou mayest be deceived and if so when thou shalt know thy doome after death thou canst not get an houre more to make thy peace in with God although thou shouldest weepe teares of blood If either the muffler of ignorance shall be before thine eyes like an handkercher about the face of one condemned or if thou art pinioned with any lust or if thou makest thine owne pardon proclaimest because thou art sorry a little for thy sinnes and resolvest never to doe the like againe peace to thy soule thou art one that after death shalt appeare before the Lord to judgement thou that art thus condemned now dying so shalt come to thy fearefull execution after death There shall be a generall Iudgement of soule and body at the end of the world wherein they shall be arraigned and condemned before the great Tribunall seat of Iesus Christ Iude 14 15. 2 Cor. 5. 10. The heating of Iudgement to come made Felix to tremble nothing of more efficacy to awaken a secure sinner then sad thoughts of this siery day But thou wilt aske me how it may bee proved that there will be such a day I answer
hell fire Oh Lord that 's a torment I cannot beare but if it must be so Lord let me come out againe quickly No depart thou cursed into everlasting fire Oh Lord if this be thy pleasure that here I must abide let mee have good company with me No Depart thou cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devill and his Angels This shall be thy sentence The hearing of which may make the rocks to rent so that goe on in thy sinne and prosper despise and scoffe at Gods Ministers and prosper abhorre the power and practise of Religion as a too precise course and prosper yet known there will a day come when thou shalt meet with a dreadfull Iudge a dolefull sentence Now is thy day of sinning but God will have shortly his day of condemning When the Iudgement day is done then the fearefull wrath of God shall be poured out and piled upon their bodies and soules and the breath of the Lord like a streame of brimstone shall kindle it and here thou shalt lye burning and none shall ever quench it This is the execution of a sinner after judgement Revel 21. 8. Now this wrath of God consists in these things 1. Thy soule shall be banished from the face and blessed sweet presence of God and Christ and thou shalt never see the face of God more It is said Acts 20. that they wept sore because they should see Pauls face no more Oh thou shalt never see the face of God Christ Saints and Angels more O heavie doome to famish and pine away for ever without one bit of bread to comfort thee one smile of God to refresh thee Men that have their sores running upon them must be shut up from the presence of men sound and whole Oh thy sinnes like plague-sores runne on thee therefore thou must be shut out like a dogge from the presence of God and all his people 2. Thes. 1. 9. 2. God shall set himselfe like a consuming infinite fire against thee and tread thee under his feet who hast by sinne trod him and his glory under foot all thy life A man may devise exquisite torments for another and great power may make a little sticke to lay on heavie strokes but great power stirred up to strike from great fury and wrath makes the stroke deadly I tell thee all the wisedome of God shall then be set against thee to devise torments for thee Mich. 1. 3. there was never such wrath felt or conceived as the Lord hath devised against thee that livest and dyest in thy naturall estate Hence it is called wrath to come 1 Thes. 1. ult The torment which wisedome shall devise the almighty power of God shall inflict upon thee so as there was never such power seene in making the world as in holding a poore creature under the wrath that holds up the soule in being with one hand and beats it with the other ever burning like fire against a creature and yet that creature never burnt up Rom. 9. 22. Thinke not this cruelty it 's justice what cares God for a vile wretch whom nothing can make good while it lives If wee have been long in hewing a block and we can make no meet vessell of it put it to no good use for our selves wee cast it into the fire God heweth thee by Sermons sicknesse losses and crosses sudden death mercies and miseries yet nothing makes thee better what should God doe with thee but cast thee hence Oh consider of this wrath before you feele it I had rather have all the world burning about mine eares than to have one blasting frowne from the blessed face of an infinite and dreadfull God Thou canst not indure the torment of a little kitchin fire on the tip of thy finger not one halfe houre together how wilt thou beare the fury of this infinite endlesse consuming fire in body and soule throughout all eternity 3. The never-dying worme of a guilty conscience shall torment thee as if thou hadst swallowed downe a living poysonfull snake which shall lie gnawing and biting thine heart for sin past day night And this worm shall tormēt by shewing the cause of thy misery that is that thou didst never care for him that should have saved thee By shewing thee also thy sins against the Law by shewing thee thy sloth whereby thy happinesse is lost Then shall thy conscience gnaw to thinke so many nights I went to bed without prayer and so many dayes and houres I spent in feasting and foolish sporting Oh if I had spent halfe that time now mis-spent in praying in mourning in meditation yonder in heaven had I beene By shewing thee also the means that thou once hadst to avoid this misery such a Minister I heard once that told me of my particular sinnes as if he had been told of me such a friend perswaded me once to turne over a new leafe I remember so many knocks God gave at this iron heart of mine so many mercies the Lord sent but oh no meanes could prevaile with me Lastly by shewing thee how easily thou mightest have avoided all these miseries Oh once I was almost perswaded to be a Christian but I suffered my heart to grow dead fell to loose company and so lost all The Lord Iesus came unto my doore and knocked and if I had done that for Christ which I did for the Devill many a time to open at his knocks I had beene saved A thousand such bites will this worme give at thine heart which shall make thee cry out O time time O sermons sermons O my hopes and my helpes are now lost that once I had to save my lost soule 4. Thou shalt take up thy lodging for ever with Devills and they shall be thy companions Him thou hast served here with him must thou dwell there It scares men out of their wits almost to see the Devill as they think when they be alone but what horrour shall fill thy soule when thou shalt be banished from Angels societie and come into the fellowship of Devills for ever 5. Thou shalt be filled with finall despaire If a man be grievously sicke it comforts him to thinke it will not last long But if the Physitian tell him he must live all his life time in this extremitie he thinkes the poorest begger in a better estate than himselfe Oh to thinke when thou hast been millions of yeares in thy sorrowes then thou art no neerer thy end of bearing thy misery then at the first comming in Oh I might once have had mercy and Christ but no hope now ever to have one glimpse of his face or one good looke from him any more 6. Thou shalt vomit out blaspemous oathes curses in the face of God the father for ever curse God that never elected thee and curse the Lord Iesus that never shed one drop of blood to redeeme thee and curse God the holy Ghost that passed by thee and never called thee
upon these duties and strivings that have beene but poore Physitians to them Oh looke up here to the Lord Jesus who can doe that cure for thee in a moment which all creatures cannot doe in many yeares What bolts what strong fetters what unruly lusts temptations and miseries art thou lockt into Behold the Deliverer is come out of Sion having satisfied Justice and paid a price to â—anisome poore Captives Luc. 4. 18. with the Keyes of Heaven Hell and thy unruly heart in his hand to fetch thee out with great mercy and strong hand who knowes but thou poore prisoner of Hell thou poore Captive of the Devill thou poore shackled sinner mayst be one whom he is come forâ— Oh looke up to him sigh to Heaven for deliverance from him and be glad and rejoyce at his comming This strikes terrour to them that though there is a meanes of deliverance yet they lye in their misery never groane never sigh to the Lord Jesus for deliverance nay that rejoyce in their bondage and dance to Hell in their bolts nay that are weary of deliverance that sit in the stockes when they are at prayers that come out of the Church when the tedious Sermon runs somewhat beyond the houâ—e like prisoners out of a Jaile that despise the Lord Jesus when he offers to open the doores and so let them out of that miserable estate Oh poore creatures is there a meanes of deliverance and dost thou neglect nay despise it Know it that this will cut thine heart one day when thou art hanging in thy gibbets in Hell to see others standing at Gods right hand redeemed by Christ thou mightst have had share in their honour for there was a Deliverer come to save thee but thou wouldst have none of him Oh thou wilt lye yelling in those everlasting burnings and teare thy haire and curse thy selfe from hence might I have been delivered but I would not Hath Christ delivered thee from Hell and hath he not delivered thee from thine Alehouse Hath Christ delivered thee from Sathans societie when he hath not delivered thee from thy loose company yet Hath Christ delivered thee from burning when thy faggots thy sins grow in thee Is Christs bloud thine that mak'st no more account of it nor feelest no more vertue from it than in the bloud of a chicken Art thou redeemed dost thou hope by Christ to be saved that didst never see nor feele nor sigh under thy bondage O the devils will keepe holiday as it were in hell in respect of thee who shalt mourne under Gods wrath and lament Oh there was a meanes to deliver us out of it but thou shalt mourne for ever for thy misery And this will bee a bodkin at thine heart one day to thinke there was a deliverer but I wretch would none of him Here likewise is matter of Reproofe to such as seeke to come out of this misery from and by themselves If they be ignorant they hope to be saved by their good meaning and prayers If Civill by paying all they owe and doing as they would be done by and by doing no body any harme If they be troubled about their estates then they lick themselves whole by their mourning repenting and reforming Oh poore stubble canst thou stand before this consuming fire without sin Canst thou make thy selfe a Christ for thy selfe Canst thou beare come from under an infinite wrath canst thou bring in perfect righteousnesse into the presence of God This Christ must doe else he could not satisfie and redeeme And if thou canst not doe thus and hast no Christ define and pray that heaven and earth shake till thou hast worne thy tongue to the stumps endeavour as much as thou canst and others commend thee for a diligent Christian mourne in some Wildernesse till doomes day digge thy grave there with thy nayles weepe buckets full of hourely teares till thou canst weepe no more Fast and Pray till thy skin and bones cleave together Promise and Purpose with full resolution to be better nay reforme thy head heart life tongue some nay all sinnes live like an Angell shine like a sunne walke up and downe the world like a distressed Pilgrim going to another Countrey so that all Christians commend and admire thee Die ten thousand deaths lie at the firebacke in Hell so many millions of yeares as there be piles of grasse on the earth or sands upon the Sea-shore or starres in heaven or motes in the Sun I tell thee not one sparke of Gods wrath against thy sinne shall be can be quenched by all these duties nor by any of these sorrowes or teares for these are not the blood of Christ. Nay if all the Angels and Saints in heaven and earth should pray for thee these cannot deliver thee for they are not the blood of Christ. Nay God as a Creator having made a law will not forgive one sinne without the blood of Christ Nay Christs blood will not doe it neither if thou doest joyne never so little that thou hast or doest unto Jesus Christ and makest thy selfe or any of thy duties copartners with Christ in that great worke of saving thee Cry out therefore as that blessed Martyr did None but Christ none but Christ. Take heed of neglecting or rejecting so great salvation by Jesus Christ. Take heede of spilling this potion that onely can cure thee But thou wilt say this meanes of redemption is onely appointed for some it is not intended for all therefore not for mee therefore how can I reject Christ It is true Christ spent not his breath to pray for all Iohn 17. 9. much lesse his bloud for all therefore he was never intended as a Redeemer of all But that he is not intended as a Deliver of thee How doth this follow How dost thou know this But secondly I say Though Christ be not intended for all yet he is offered unto all and therefore unto thee And the ground is this chiefly The universall offer of Christ ariseth not from Christs Priestly office immediately but from his Kingly office whereby the Father having given him all power and dominion in heaven earth he hereupon commands all men to stoop unto him and likewise bids all his Disciples and all their successours to goe and preach the Gospell to every creature under Heaven Mat. 28. 18 19 For Christ doth not immediatâ—ly offer himselfe to all men as a Saviour whereby â—hey may be incouraged to serve him as a King but first as a King commanding them to cast away their weapons and stoop unto his Scepter and depend upon his free mercy acknowledging if ever he save me I will blesâ—e him if he damne me his name is rightâ—ous in so dealing with me But that I may fasten this exhortation I will shew these foure things I. The Lord Jesus is offered to every particular person which I will shew thus What hast thou to say against it
one shall have it Therefore say as those Lepers in Samaria if I stay here in my sinnes I die if I goe out to the Campe of the Syrians wee may live wee can but die however if I goe out of Christ I may get mercy how ever I can but dye and it is better to dye at Christs feete than in thine owne puddle Content not your selves therefore with your bare reformation and amending your lives this is but to crosse the debt in thine owne booke it remaineth uncancelled in the Creditors booke still but goe take offer up this eternall sacrifice before the eyes of God the Father and cry guilty at his barre and looke for mercy from him sigh under thy bondage that as Moses was sent unto the Israelites so may Christ be sent into thy soule Rest not therefore in the sight or sense of a helplesse condition saying I cannot helpe my selfe unlesse Christ doth sigh unto the Lord Jesus in Heaven for succour and admire the Lord for ever that when there was no helpe and when he might have raised out of the stones children to praise him yet he should send his Sonne out of his bosome to save thee So much for this particular The fifth Divine Principle followes to be handled CHAP. V THat those that are saved out of this estate are very few and that those that are saved are saved with very much difficulty Matth. 7. 14. Straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life and few there be that finde it Here are two parts 1. The paucity of them that shall be saved few finde the way thither 2. The difficulty of being saved straight and narrow is the way and gate unto life Hence arise two Doctrines 1. That the number of them that shall be saved is very small Luk. 13. 24. the devill hath his drove and swarmes that goe to hell as fast as bees to their hive Christ hath his flock and that is but a little flock hence Gods children are called Iewells Mal. 3. 17. which commonly are kept secret in respect of the other lumber in the house hence they are called strangers and pilgrims which are very few in respect of the inhabitants of the Countrey through which they passe hence they are called Sonnes of God 1 Iohn 3. 2. of the bloud royall which are few in respect of common subjects But see the truth of this point in these two things First Looke to all ages and times of the world Secondly to all places and persons in the world and wee shall see few men were saved 1. Looke to all ages and we shall finde but a handfull saved Assoone as ever the Lord began to keepe house and there were but two familyes in it there was a bloudy Cain living and a good Abel slaine And as the world increased in number so in wickednesse Gen. 6. 12. it is said All flesh had corrupted their wayes and amongst so many thousand men not one righteous but Noah and his family and yet in the Arke there crept in a cursed Cham. Afterwards as Abâ—ahams posteritie increased so we see their sinne abounded When his posteritie was in Egypt where one would thinke if ever men were good now it would appeare being so heavily afflicted by Pharaoh being by so many miracles miraculously delivered by the hand of Moses yet most of these God was wroth with Heb. 3. 12. and onely two of them Caleb and Iosua went into Canaan a type of Heaven Looke into Solomons time what glorious times what great profession was there then yet after his death ten Tribes fell to the odious sin of Idolatry following the command of Ieroboam their King Looke further into Isaiahs time when there were multitudes of sacrifices and prayers Isay 1. 11. yet then there was but a remnant nay a very little remnant that should be saved And looke to the time of Christs comming in the flesh for I pick out the best times of all when one would thinke by such Sermons he preached such miracles he wrought such a life as he led all the Iewes should have entertained him yet 't is said He came unto his owne and they received him not So few that Christ himselfe admires at one good Nathaniel Behold an Israelise in whom there is no guile In the Apostles time many indeed were converted but few comparatively and amongst the best Churches many bad as that at Philippi Phil. 3. 18. many had a name to live but were dead and few onely kept their garments unspotted And presently after the Apostles time many grievous wolves came and devoured the sheepe and so in succeeding ages Revel 12. 9. all the earth wondered at the whore in Scarlet And in Luthers time when the light began to arise againe he saw so many carnall Gospellers that he breaks out in one Sermon into these speeches God grant I may never live to see those bloody dayes that are comming upon an ungodly world Latimer saw so much prophanenesse in his time that he thought verily Doomes day was just at hand And have not our eyes seene in the Palatinate where scarce one man in twenty that stood out but fell from their glorious profession to Popery as fast as leaves fall in Autumne Who would have thought there had lurked such hearts under such a shew of detesting Popery as was among them before And at Christs comming shall he finde faith on the earth 2. Let us looke into all places and persons and see how few shall be saved The world is now split into foure parts Europe Asia Africa and America and the three biggest parts are drowned in a deluge of prophanenesse and superstition they doe not so much as professe Christ you may see the sentence of death writ on these mens foreheads Ier. 10. ult But let us look upó the best part of the world and that is Europe how few shall be saved there First The Grecian Church howsoever now in these dayes their good Patriarch of Constantinople is about a generall Reformation among them and hath done much good yet are they for the present and have been for the most part of them without the saving meanes of knowledge They content themselves with their old superstitions having little or no Preaching at all And for the other parts as Italy Spaine France Germany for the most part they are Popish and see the end of these men 2 Thes. 1. 9. And now amongst them that carry the badge of honesty I will not speake what mine eares have heard my heart beleeves concerning other Churches I will come into our owne Church of England which is the most flourishing Church in the world never had Church such Preachers such meanes yet have we not some Chappels and Churches stand as dark lanthornes without light where people are led with blind or idle or licentious Ministers and so both fall into the ditch Nay even amongst them that have the
to all the truthes delivered in a Sermon and commend it too but goe a way and shake off all truthes that serve to convince them And hence many men when they examine themselves in generall whether they have grace or no whether they love Christ or no they think yes that they doe withall their hearts yet they neither have this grace or any other what ever they thinke because they want a reflecting light to judge of generalls by their owne particular courses For tell these men that he that loves another truely will often thinke of him speake of him rejoyce in his company will not wrong him willingly in the least thing Now aske them if they love Christ thus If they have any reflecting of light they will see where they have one thought of Christ they have 1000. on other things Rejoyce nay they are weary of his company in word in prayer And that they doe not onely wrong him but make a light matter of it when it is done all are sinners and no man can live without sin Like a sleepy man fire burning in his bed-straw he cryes not out when others haply lament his estate that see a farre off but cannot helpe him Isay 42. 25. A man that is to be hanged the next day may dreame overnight hee shall be a King why because hee is asleepe hee reflects not on himselfe Thou mayest goe to the Devill and be damned and yet ever thinke and dreame that all is well with thee Thou hast no reflecting light to judge of thy selfe Pray pray therefore that the Lord would turne your eyes inward and doe not let the Devill and delusion shut you out of your owne house from seeing what Court is kept there every day Fiftly the understandings impiety whereby it lessens and vilifies the glorious grace of God in another whence it comes to passe that this deluded soule seeing none much better then himselfe concludes if any be saved â— shall no doubt be one Isay 26. 10 11. Men will not behold the Majesty of God in the lives of his people many a man being too light yet desirous to goe and passe for current weighs himselfe with the best people and thinkes what have they that J have not what doe they that J doe not and if he see they goe beyond him he then turnes his owne ballance with his finger and makes them too light that so he himselfe may passe for weight And this vilifying of them and their grace judging them to be of no other mettall then other men appeares in three particulars First they raise up false reports of Gods people and nourish a kennell of evill suspitions of them if they know any sin committed by them they will conclude they be all such if they see no offensive sinne in any of them they are then reputed a pack of Hypocrites If they are not so uncharitable having no grounds they prophesy they will hereafter be as bad as others though they carry a faire flourish now Secondly if they judge well of them then they compare themselves to them by taking a scantling onely by their outside and by what they see in them and so like children seeing stars a great way off think them no bigger nor brighter then winking candles They stand a far off from seeing the inside of a child of God they see not the glory of God filling that temple they see not the sweet influence they receive from heaven and that fellowship they have with their God and hence they judge but meanly of them because the out side of a Christian is the worst part of him and his glory shines chiefly within Thirdly if they see Gods people doe excell them that they have better lives and better hearts better knowledge yet they will not conclude that they have no grace because it hath not that stamp that honest mens money hath But this prank they play they think such and such good men have a greater measure and a higher degree of grace then themselves yet they dare be bold to thinke and say their hearts are as upright though they be not so perfect as others are And so vilifie the grace that shines in the best men by making this gold to differ from their owne copper not essentially but gradually and hence they deceive themselves miserably not but that one starre or sincere Christian differs from another in glory I speake of those men onely that never were fixt in so high a sphere as true honesty dwells yet falsely father this bad conclusion that they are upright for their measure that they have not the like measure of grace received as others have Sixthly the understandings idolatry whereby the mind sets up and bowes down to a false image of grace that is the minde being ignorant of the height and excellence of true grace takes a false scantling of it and so imagins and fancies within it selfe such a measure of common grace to be true grace which the soule easily having attained unto conceives it is in the state of grace and so deceives it selfe miserably Rom. 10. 3. And the minde comes to set up her image thus First the minde is haunted and pursued with troublesome feares of Hell Conscience tells him hee hath sinned and the Law tells him he shall die and Death appeares and tells him he must shortly meere with him And if he be taken away in his sinnes then comes a black day of reckoning for all his privie prankes a day of bloud horrour judgement and fire where no creature can comfort him Hence saith hee Lord keepe my soule from these miseries hee hopeth it shall not prove so evill with him but feares it will Secondly Hereupon hee desireth peace and ease and some assurance of freedome from these evils For it is an Hell above ground ever to be on the wrack of tormenting feares Thirdly That he may have ease he will not swagger his trouble away nor drowne it in the bottome of the cup nor throw it away with his Dice nor play it away at Cards but desires some grace and commonly it 's the least measure of it too Hereupon he desires to heare such Sermons and read such Bookes as may best satisfie him concerning the least measure of grace for sinne onely troubling him grace onely can comfort him soundly And so Grace which is meate and drinke to an holy heart is but Physicke to this kinde of men to ease them of their feares and troubles Hereupon being ignorant of the height of true grace he fancieth to himselfe such a measure of common grace to be true grace As if he feeles himselfe ignorant of that which troubles him so much knowledge will I then get saith he â—f some foule sinnes in his practise trouble him these he will cast away and so reformes If omission of good duties molests him he will heare better and buy some good Prayer-booke and pray oftner And if he be perswaded such a man is a very