that their Corn and their Wine increased Thou hast put gladness in my heart Peace is that gladness that peace smooths the brow but this fills the breast as the Sinner has trouble within in the midst of all his peace without so a Believer has Peaâ—â— thin in the midst of all his Troubles with 〈…〉 World you shall have trouble but in me 〈…〉 have peace Thirdly The Worlds peace has onely a neather Spring arising out of the Creature out of Worldâ— comforts therefore it must needs be unclean for an unclean Fountain cannot bring forth clean Water But the peace of Christians his an upper Spring it flows from the manifestation of the love of God in Christ it 's from the sprinkling of Christ's Bloud on the Conscience it flows upon the workings of Christ's Spirit upon the Soul which is first a Counsellour then a Comforter Oh! how pure must this Peace be in a Believers Soul that flow from so pure a Spring Fourthly The Worlds peace is a peace given to Sinners it 's a peace in sin and it 's a peace with sin as the Prophet Isaiah tells us It 's a Covenant with Hell and an Agreement with Death God deliver us from that peace Again Christ's peace is given to none but Believers it 's their priviledge onely a stranger don't intermeddle with his Joy Prov. 14.10 The heart knoweth his own bitterness but a stranger doth not intermeddle with his Joy Fifthly The Worlds peace is a fading dying transitory thing it withers in the Sand The triumphing of the Wicked is but short and the joy of the Hypocrite is but for a moment Job 20.5 Solomon does elegantly liken it to the cracking of Thorns under a Pot which is but a blaze and is gone Eccles 7.6 So is the Sinner's peace it is for a spurt and is soon gone but the peace that Christ gives to Believers is durable and abiding peace Your Joy no man shall take from you it appears in Life in Death and after Death First it 's our peace in Life grace brings forth present peace It 's said of the Primitive Christians They walked in the fear of the Lord and in the Comforts of the Holy Ghost Acts 9.31 It 's a remarkable expression Psal 19.11 In keeping thy Commands there is great Reward he does not fay for keeping them which respects the end of the Work but in keeping of them which looks at the Work it self My Brethren Every Duty done in sincerity reflects a peace in Conscience as every flower carryes its own sweetness It 's possible I grant a Believer may not always find and feel this peace few do some seldom find it few find it so always the remains of corruption breaking forth to interrupt or Temptations to hinder And God's desertion may darken and hide it and a Believer may seem to be totally lost yet in this condition which is the worst a Child of God can be in he hath a double peace First a Peace in the Promises in this very Condition and what you have in Bonds and Bills you account as good as money in your Pockets Secondly he has it in the Seed Light is sown for the Righteous and gladness for the upright in heart Psal 97.11 Grace is the Seed of Peace which Christ has sown in the furrows of the Soul and therefore Peace shall spring out of the furrows of the Soul Indeed this Seed springs up sooner in some then in others yet every Saint shall have a reaping time sooner or later Psal 126.6 He that goeth forth and weepeth bearing precious Seed shall doubtless come again with rejoycing bringing his sheaves with him If he stays long for the Fruit he shall have a greater Crop at last if he reaps not now he shall be sure to reap hereafter Psalm the 37.37 Mark the perfect man and behold the upright for the and of that man is peace Secondly by this peace which is the peace of a Child of God it s a peace of death grace will minister to us then and that ministration shall be peace The Sinners peace leaves him when he comes to the grave though in Life it fills him yet in Death it leaves him A believer has a two-fold spring of peace The first is from above him the other is from within him That spring that runs with peace above him is from the bloud of Christ sprinkled on his Conscience the other that is from within him is from the sincerity of his heart in the wayes of obedience My Brethren when we lie on our Death-beds and can reflect on our sincerity in all Gods wayes this will be peace at last so it was in Hezekiah Isaiah 38.3 Remember now O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a prefect heart and have done that which was good in thy sight There 's nothing makes a Death-bed so hard and so uneasie as a life spent in the service of sin and lust and nothing makes a Death-bed so pleasant as a life spent in the service of Christ Grace will bring forth Peace if not in this life yet certainly it will be sure after Death if Time brings not this fruit to ripenesse yet Eternity shall grace in Time will be glory in Eternity Holinesse now will be Happinesse then what ever it is a man sows in this world that he reaps in the next world Be not deceived God is not mocked for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap He that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption but he that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life â—verlasting Gal. 6.7 8. When Sin shall end in sorrow and misery Grace shall end in peace in joy in glory Well done thou good and faithfull servant enter into the joy of thy Master Mat. 25.21 Whosoever shares in the grace of Christ in this world shall be sure to share with the joy of Christ in the next world and that joy is joy unspeakable and full of glory I will wind up all in a threefold Application by way of exhortation to three sorts of persoâ—s First To such as have this grace and peace Secondly To such as have this grace and no peace Thirdly To such as have neither grace noâ— peace First To such as have both grace and peace I l'e speak to them in two or three things First Admiâ—e thankfully the Father and Son the Fathers Grace and the Sons Love for both had a hand in this therefore blesse both the Father for willing it to us and the Son for working it in us Grace and Peace are the fruits ' of Gods eternal Election for this blessing the Father gives but the Aplication of it to us is the fruit of Christs Redemtion and Intercession How can you think of Hell and damnation and see your self freed from it And how can you think of the Dreadfull Fury and Vengence of God your self not under it How can you look on your state
Idol Shepherds they knew not how to feed their flock and therefore Christ lookt on the people as sheep scattered abroad for all the Scribes and Pharisees They did not understand that there was heart-murder or heart-adultery untill our blessed Saviour instructed them The Scribes and Pharisees they did but strike at the bough only but our Saviour preached with authority and not at the Scribes did And withall I answer Secondly That beyond all peradventure our blessed Saviour saw that although the Scribes and Pharisees did teach some truths yet by their life and doctrine they did more mischief then good and therefore the more credit they had among the people the more mischief they were like to do and therefore from hence our blessed Lord and Saviour calls them a generation of vipers But I hope you will not count it an argument of the breach of the Churches peace to speak vilely of a vile Ministry It was no more than John Baptist did and then our Saviour did Thirdly No mans sin deserves so sharply to be reproved as the sins of Ministers because their sins of all others are the chief sins committed in a land at the Sanctuary prophanesse too too often begins Therefore when Gods people met in their publick faâ—â—â— made 〈◊〉 confession of those 〈◊〉 of the first magnitude by which they had most provoked the Lord they do 〈◊〉 confession chiefly of the sins of these Magistrates and their Ministers Neh. 9.33 34. The Jews there bewailed the sins of their Magistrates and Ministers as the particular cause of their plagues On the sins of the Teachers are the Teachers of sin and therefore no mans sin deserves to be so sharply reproved as the scandalous sins of Ministers Now if you love your souls take heed and beware of a prophane delight in lewd loose dissolute Ministers We find the Lord complaining of the wickednesse of the Prophets and of the Priest and People Jer. 5. ult the People did take a prophane delight in false Prophets and in polluted Priests and so likewise in the Prophet Micah chap 2. ver 11. the people although they did oppose the Prophet Micah and other true Prophets yet they did approve of and delight in false Prophets such â—s were of their own leven their own way and mould such as would flatter them and promise them wine and strong drink and are there not many such people in the world that had rather hear such a Minister than such as preach close-walking with God and of getting to Heaven under pain of damnation Will you cry up and will you prophanely delight in a Ministry that shall preach Peace Peace to all prophane rebellious people in short such a one as will poyson you in his Doctrine or in his example Thirdly take heed and beware of sinful idolizing of godly faithful Ministers the Apostle decries this with much zeal ardency and fervency of spirit what is Pauls planting and what is Apollo's watering 1 Cor. 3.5 6. as excellent gifts parts and graces as these men had yeâ— they look higher so it is your duty to look abâ—â—◠〈◊〉 parts and above 〈…〉 and graces Paul and Apollo cannot give 〈◊〉 Paul indeed may plant but there is no rooting 〈◊〉 of these plants but by Christ And read ver 7. it is God and he only that can give increase as Elisha's Servant could carry his Masters staffe and lay it on the dead child but the Child could not be raised to life untill Elisha came himself thus gâ—dly faithful Ministers can but lay Gods Message before you but unless the Lord set it to the heart never a dead soul can be raised from the death of sin to the life of grace and holinesse Remember godly and faithful Ministers although they have the Lords Sword yet they have not the Lord Christs Arm and alas what can the Lord Christs Sword do without his Arm Fourthly take heed of being leavened with prejudice against the Ministry of the word because of the misdemeanour or miscarriage of the Minister Surely the efficacy of the Word and Sacraments doth not depend on the quality of the Minister It is the word of the Lord that converts not the person of the Dispencer or Speaker A seed that is sown in a good soyl may yea will grow and thrive although perhaps the Sower had a very dirty hand as 2 Cor. 2.3 the Apostle tells the Corinthians that they are saith he the Epistle of Christs Ministry by us the Hand is Christs Ministers are but the Pen. Hence it was that the Ministry of the Scribes and Phariseeâ— was not to be rejected but to be esteemed so long as they failed not in the substance thereof and hence the Apostle rejoyceth that Christ was preached of the false Apostles Phil. 1.15 16 17 18. though out of envy take heed therefore and beware of a total separation from disserting of and forsaking Church assemblies and yet I conceive it is a very rare thing for unconverted Ministers to convert some For what saith the Lord by the Prophet Zephania Zeph. 3.1 2 3 4. Oh saith the Lord to Jerusalem that bath such Prophets and such Priests woe to such a City to such a Country to such a Parish and what saith Christ himself in Matth. 15.14 Let them alone oft times it falls out so that it made Archbishop Abbot speak in a Lecture of his and professe that his heart did even bleed within him to think of the precious souls of many people who had such Ministers that if they had not been in the Ministry they would not have been fit Hogherds fâ—r Swine And yet we must remember not to tie the efficacy of the word and Sacraments to the goodnesse or badnesse of a Ministers person Fifthly take heed and beware of being leavened with prejudice against all Ministers because of the vilenesse and monster-like unbeseeming carriage of some Ministers It hath been granted over and over that some Ministers evil licentious carriage and conversations are notorious the Lord knows too many Ministers have Esau's hands with Jacobs voice what then must this redound to the general disgrace of all Ministers Because some professors of the Law live lawlesse must therefore all be censured and condemned for lawlesse livers Because Judas was a Devil and a Son of perdition will you therefore say that all the Disciples of Christ were naught Perhaps you do know some Sir Johns some blind Seers some blind Watchmen who know not Heavens way some blind Droans Or secondly some that carry themselves insolently as Jer. 20.1 2. as Pasher did Or thirdly some that are too too like that evil servant in the Gospel as Luke 12.45 Or perhaps you know fourthly some apostatizing Demusses who embrace this present world and revolt from their principles and profession as 2 Tim. 4.10 Or perhaps yoâ— know fifthly some aspiring and climbing Deatrephes 〈◊〉 3 John 9. Perhaps you know some such as these as I have instanced what then is there any profession as
chosen rather then Suffering not in wicked men onely but in the best of men for as in water face answereth to face so the heart of man to man which lets mee into The fourth Sermon Prov. 27.19 As in Water face answereth to face so doth the heart of man to man IN this Proverb two things 1. The Proposition and that by a Similitude As in water face answereth to face 2. The Redition So doth the heart of a man to man Or in the words these two generals to be observed 1. A Glass 2. An Object to be seen in this Glass 1. A Glass a notable one that 's two fold A dead Glass Water A living Glass the Heart of Man 2. The Object to be seen in these Glasses In the dead Glass the face of man is to bee seen In the living Glass the heart of man There 's all the Species and Complections of the Sons nay of the Souls of the Sons of men to bee seen That as by looking into the water you may discern your own and other mens Countenances and that plainly and clearly So by looking into your own hearts if you could have a Casement into the hearts of other men there may you see of what Spiritual Complection Constitution and Make you are as clearly as a man may see his face in Water As in Water c. From these words this great Truth that the heart of every man in the world is a looking-Glass 'T is such a looking-Glass wherein he may see himself his Condition Constitution special Complection whether it be morally spiritually scripturally good or evil For the right improvement of this looking-Glass three things necessary which are optick principles but clear to those that have either phisical or natural light 1. There must be an Object that must bee seen And oh what visible objects are there in the hearts of men Man is call'd a little world a compendium of the whole world The heart of man is the man The heart of man is like the Ark of Noah which contains all sorts all kinds of clean and unclean Beasts 'T is an Epitomy of Heaven and Hell What is there in the heart of man Who but God can fathom the depth of it There are more objects in the hearts of men then Stars in Heaven or drops in the Ocean 2. There must be light to actuate this object If it were dark we could never see it There must be light both to actuate the eye and object Now this light that actuates the eye and object 't is either the natural light the light of Nature the light of Conscience the light of common Illumination the light of the Word or the light of the Spirit of God By all these lights we come to look into this looking-glass our hearts 3. There must be an Irradiation from the object i. e. a beaming forth from that object some Species or Ideas that carries the object to the eye and clearly makes out to the sence what that object is this beaming is by action from the heart mark it for it may be as necessary truth as was Preached among you that look what the stream is to the Fountain what the beam is to the Sun that the action is to the heart whether the act be manent or transient whether Internal in thought purpose election affection in joy in love in fear or External in the life in the practice and in the conversation So that look as a puddle stream alwaies declares a corrupt Fountain So all your humble holy faithful thoughts speak a clear spiritual heart within a holy Conversation speaks a holy Affection and a holy Affection declares a heavenly Constitution a new Nature Now for the Use of this is the heart of man a looking-Glass 1. See from hence of what concernment the actions of men are whether Internal or External The actions of men are like the streams you may certainly find the Fountain by them they speak the heart as the Root bears the fruit 'T is of infinite concernment 't is the Fountain of what principles within and conversation without descend but into thy own heart c. 2. This shews the sad condition of all natural poor souls your hearts are looking-Glasses but they are looking-Glasses in a Dungeon of darkness there be Toads Vipers and Devils there but thou canst not see them that hast no spiritual Light 4. Here is Consolation to Gods People Is the heart of man a looking-Glass What reason have they to rejoyce in their hearts that are the best looking-Glasses in the world not like our Gallants looking-Glasses that must not bewray their wrinkles sports c. But theirs will represent their Hearts Complexion Condition and Nature to them Nay in that Glass may be seen the face of a God Nay further because thy heart doth answer to another heart and his to his what ever Grace in any Beleevers it is there in thy heart semine there 's the seed 4. By way of exhortation Is the heart a looking-Glass then keep the looking-Glass very chary make much of it above all keepings keep thy heart and that with all diligence in all places at all times and in all things If any thing under Heaven will keep thee holy it is the keeping of thy heart There thou mayest see all thy spots defects desperate Hipocrisies Infernal Atheism all the deliques of thy Soul How prone to commit as vile sins as ever committed by the vilest of the sons of men once more keep it clean and keep it close Look into thy heart and thou shalt find it to bee a Coppy of the Role of Eternity where thou shalt see thy very name written in Letters of Gold or Blood for wee looking into our hearts may and do know that we are passed from death to live and that upon this ground because we love the Brethren And thus I advance to The Fifth Sermon 1 John 3.14 We know that wee have passed frâ—â— death to life because we love the Brethren IN these words five things 1. A supposed Estate in which we are all by nature and that is an Estate of death spiritual 2. A peaceable Recovery or mention of another state an Estate of life 3. A real Transition from this state of death to life we are passed c. 4. An inseparable property of all Regenerate souls in the world they do not hate but love the Brethren 5. A comfortable Conclusion that a Christian may make from that property he may know hee may be assured by this that he is passed from death to life because he loves the Brethren The observation thus a Christian may know his real Conversion and Transition to eternal life by this Character among the rest because he loves the Brethren This proposition was slipt into these two particulars 1. That every Beleever may have an assurance of his Transition from death to life 2. That love to the Brethren is one of the great eminent Symptomes of mans
Regeneration 1. A Christian may know his real Conversion and Translation to eternal life Such a great and real change is there wrought in every Beleever at his Conversion and this wrought by such a great efficient and infinite cause the Spirit of God and this cause working by such real and powerful means and instruments the great Word of God and this done notwithstanding the great opposition that is made by a poor sinner against the word and when wrought it hath such real and grand effects upon a Beleever that 't is impossible but a Beleever must needs know this his transition from death to life Secondly Love to the Brethren is the great symptome of mens Regeneration Love to the Brethren not taken solely singly as if this was the onely Character but concomitantly taken with others but beyond and above all others this is the privy seal of God on the soul if yee have inflamed it with love hee may know hee is passed from death to life The Use was of Confutation of the Papists those grand enemies to Gospel-Truths and Beleevers peace They abhor this Doctrine of Assurance by it their Purgatory would fall down their Popes Kitchin would grow cold They tell us Beleevers cannot attain Assurance in this world no. 1. Why hath God commanded us to make our Calling and Election sure and will God command impossibilities such as cannot be wrought by our or his own power 2. Other Saints have attained this Assurance this New Name and White Stone within them Obj. That 's by extraordinary Revelation Answ This is not upon proof was not the Assurance of Gods people in Scripture grounded upon general promises Had they many of them either extrinsecal signs or marks to assure them of it did it not spring from principles common to all Beleevers Obj. But suppose they have Assurance to day they may lose it to morrow man is a mutable creature hee may be a Childe of God in the morning and a brat of Hell in the evening Answ 'T is true man is a mutable creature yet is hee preserved by an immutable God man is a weak creature but yet is preserved by the power of God unto salvation man as a Creature is no less mutable in Heaven than upon Earth there preserved by God therefore why not here Obj. This is a doctrine that tends to looseness Answ Not so it did not work looseness in Paul Job c. I labour more than they all Nothing under Heaven so soveraign to stave off and preserve from lust as the assurance of Gods love to the soul Such assurance comes from the highest act of faith and one of the great things of Faith is to purifie the heart and life Such an Assurance must needs constrain the soul The love of Christ constraintâ—is Nay so far is it from inclining to looseness that it casts the soul upon its knees lifts up the souls hands sends him to Heaven continually constantly arms it with petitions resolutions never to let the Lord of Heaven and Earth alone gives him no rest begging of him as for other things so especially for this Lord as thou art pleased to give mee the priviledge of enjoying promises so give mee the power to perform duty Thus saith hee thy will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven And so I am come as far as The Sixth Sermon Matth. 6.10 Thy will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven THere is a twofold Will of God 1. Preceptive to be done by us 2. Providential to be done upon us The Minister carried the words in the last sense the will of God be done upon us hence 't was observed Gods Children must not only do but submit to their heavenly Fathers providential will They must not onely do his will the will of his precepts but they must submit to his will the will of his providence Let God do what hee will they must lay down their head upon the block and with patience and resignation say Thy will be done There are two grand Instances wherein Saints ought to shew this submission First When God deprives them of spiritual priviledges and enjoyments they must submit now they must not murmure then and that upon these considerations 1. Suppose a deprivation of publick Ordinances yet the holy Scriptures are left 2. The holy Spirit too that shall bring home the Scriptures to the conscience 3. There are old experiences of former love to live upon 4. Yet none can detain or debar us from making secret addresses unto God 5. 'T is a most noble thing it becomes a Christian exceedingly to live upon pulse yet thrive 6. By the want of such publick Ordinances God thinks fit to convince his people of their folly in sinning away the Gospel Secondly When the Lord makes a breach upon our temporal comforts and estates now for submission and that upon these accounts 1. Come what will come yet no strange thing is or can happen to us no temptation but what is common to man 2. With what comely submission have those old Beleevers behaved themselves to the will of God Eliah Job Samuel Daniel and the Captain of our salvation our blessed Saviour not my will but thy will be done 3. There 's a glorious day coming when God will unriddle all his dark providences and shew you that there is love in the bowels of them 4. God hath made a breach upon some of thy comforts how many comforts hath hee yet left thee 5. Thou art now deprived of thy comforts thou hast enjoyed twenty years thou hast reason to be thankful it was continued so long and not to murmure that 't was taken away now 6. Thou hast some goods the best of goods there 's no plundring a man of his grace no putting of him out of Gods favour 7. God doth thee a kindness in this were it good for thee it should be continued to thee Hee with-holds no good thing hee takes away nothing but what is evil or would be so this life is a transitory vapour and hadst thou enjoyed it thou couldst not long 8. Compare thy self with thy self and others the other day thou was a pittiful poor brat and what shalt thou bee compare thy self with others wee are low how many thousands far beneath us 9. All outward things are not properly formally good or evil as wee fancy them to be good or evil so they are they are but fancies Use Labour after this submissive frame of Spirit get but this and this will evidence that though hee frowns yet hee favours thee this will make thy Faith appear to bee a glorious Faith it will shew that the Kingdome of God is not only come to thee but in thee and rules in thy heart to that end But what shall I do to submit 1. Let not a day of adversity take thee unawares 2. Do not over-value thy self do not think too great of thy self that the wind must not blow onthee 3. Retract the superlative of
out of his own Treasury and redeem us by the Bloud of his Son so that all his Attributes might shine forth in their lustre and glory in our Salvation and that upon sure terms we might be able to challenge an interest 〈◊〉 his favour and love It follows Through the Bloud of the Everlasting Covenant It 's call'd an Everlasting Covenant 〈◊〉 two respects 1 In opposition to the Old Covenant which was made with Adam in Innocency but that Covenant which secures to us the reward of that life eternal did not secure to us the Condition that was perfect obedience And in reference to this Old Covenant sometimes the Gospel is called a New Covenant sometimes a Better Covenant because it supplyes all weakness in the first Covenant not as if the Law of God was weak or faulty in respect of it self for the Law is holy just and good but weâ—k in respect of us for it is impossible that that Covenant by the breach of which Sin and Death came into us should reconcile us to God and appease his Angeâ— and therefore God contrived another Covenant for us a Covenant in the Gospel that was made with us in Christ and this is called an Everlasting Covenant because it remains for ever the renot of it shall not be chang'd for the first Covenant is onely abrogated and made null while frustraâ—ed as to the intent it was first given 2 It 's called an Everlasting Covenant as in brings to those that are parties in it an everlasting glory So the Lord Jesus his Bloud is called an Everlasting Redemption for it ransoms the soul of men from that Eternal Death to which they were liable and gives them a Title to everlasting life for thi Coxenant which now God hath made with us it not onely secures the Reward but the Corditions to which the Reward is made for God saith I will plant my fear in your hearts that you shall not depart from me I have now gone over the Title and that in order to the Prayer which follows Make you perfect to do his Will working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight The general sum of it is this That God of peace who is reconciled to us in his Son as he is the Father of mercies to us so he is the Fountain of holiness to us and in this respect we can onely expect from him the treasures of grace as he is the God of peace for God as he is our Judge dispenses to sinners nothing but revenge there is nothing to be expected but the curse of his Law the execution of that Sentence of death from him For although the World despise holiness as a base and contemptible thing they had rather be ungracious than inglorious in the eyes of men and upon this account they are afraid to be holy lest they should be the publick scorn and contempt of the place wherein they live although holiness is of solow a price in the World yet in Heaven next to God Christ and the Spirit Holiness is the most rich Jewel that God can bestow upon us and therefore we must first look upon him as the God of Peace before we can beg any grace from him And that is the reason why the Apostle represents God by these Titles that he might encourage the Hebrews to believe God would grant this request When Christ dyed for us it was not his Design only to quiet our Consciences but to quicken our Souls not onely to free us from Damnation but from the domination of sin And therefore you shall find these two are joyned together Tit. 2.14 Whâ— gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works The Death of Christ as there was a value in it to purchase God's favour so there was a vertue in it to restore to us God's Image And the account of his dying for us it is that we must expect the highest degree of grace and holiness from God And this is the reason why the Apostle prefaces this Now the God of Peace c. I know you expect I should say something as to my Non-conformity I shall onely say thus much It is neither fancy faction nor humour that makes me not to comply but meerly for fear of offending God And if after the best means used for my Illumination as prayer to God discourse study I am not able to be satisfied concerning the lawfulness of what is required if it be my unhappiness to be in an errour surely Men will have no reason to be angry with me in this World and I hope God will pardon me in the next Master BROOKS His Farewel SERMON ALL that I shall do shall be to answer two or three Quaries and then I shall leave a few Legacies with you that may speak when I am not advantaged to speak to you The first Quaery is this What should be the reason that men make such opposition against the Gospel against the plain powerful conscientious Preaching of it This is not the principal thing that I intend and therefore I shall onely touch upon the reason of it 1 Men's hatred and opposition ariseth against the Gospel because it doth discover their hidden works of darkness Joh. 3. They hate the light lest their deeds should be reproved The Gospel brings their deeds of darkness to light and this stirs up a spirit of hatred and opposition against the Gospel 2 Ground is this because sinners under the Gospel cannot sin at so cheap a rate as otherwise they might do the Drunkard cannot be drunk at so cheap a rate nor can the Opposer and Persecutor oppose and persecute at so cheap a rate as they might do where the Gospel doth not shine in power and glory 3 Because the Gospel puts persons upon very hard service upon very difficult work pulling out a right eye cutting off a right hand offering up an Isaac throwing over-board a Jonas parting with Bosom Lusts and Darling Sins Herod heard John Baptist gladly till he came to touch his Herodias and then off goes his head As they say John 6. This is a hard saying and who can abide it and from that time they walked no more with him this is a hard Gospel indeed and at this their bloud riseth 4 Because of the differing and dissinguishing work that the Gospel makes among the Sons of men it softens one and hardens another that â—â—ts next to him enlightens one 〈◊〉 strikes the other blind it wins on one and 〈…〉 the other The same Sun hath different effects on the Objects on which it shineth The Gospel puts a difference between the precious and the vile and this the Vile cannot bear It was never good days say they since such and such must be Saints and none else we have as good hearts as any and this enrageth them Lastly It is from Sathan Sathan knows that the very tendency of the Gospel is to
c. 8 The strange and wonderful Affections and tenderness that God hath wrought in his Children to the Gospel What meltings and mournings and what a spirit of Prayer hath God put upon his People 9 There are many young tender Plants and Buds of grace such in whom the Spirit of God hath stirred a hungring thirsting and longing after the great Concernments of Eternity I would upon these grounds with others of the like import hope and believe that the Lord will not remove his everlasting Gospel however he may correct his People for their trifling with and slighting the glorious Gospel I have several times thought what a day of darkness was upon the World in respect of Sin and Superstition When Christ brought the everlasting Gospel what a day of Darkness and Superstition was on the whole Earth But you know what the Apostle speaks 1 Cor. 1.21 For after that in the wisdom of God the World by wisdom knew not God it pleased God by the foolishness of Preaching to save them that believe When it is nearest day then it is darkest There may be an hour of Darkness that may be upon the Gospel as to its liberty purity and glory and yet there may be a Sun-shining day ready to tread on the heels of it And so much for the Resolution of those Queries I shall proceed as I said and leave some Legacies with you which may by the finger of the Spirit be made advantageous to you whom we are not advantaged to speak unto you LEGACY 1. The first Legacy I would leave with you shall be this Secure your Interest in Christ Make it your great business your work your Heaven to secure your interest in Christ This is not an Age an Hour for a man to be between fears and hopes between doubting and believing Take not up in a name to live when you are dead God-ward and Christ-ward Take not up in an outward form and outward priviledges They cryed out The Temple of the Lord The Temple of the Lord that had no interest in or love to the Lord of the Temple Follow God leave no means unattempted whereby your blessed interest may be cleared up Leg. 2. Make Christ and Scripture the onely foundation for your souls and faith to build on as the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 3.11 Other foundations can no man lay then that which is layd even Jesus Christ Isa 28.6 Behold I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone a tryed stone a corner stone a pretious stone a sure foundation Ephes 2.10 Since its a very dangerous thing as much as your souls and eternity is worth for you to build on any thing besides Jesus Christ many will say Come build on this authority and that on this saying and that but take heed Leg. 3. In all places and company be sure to carry your soul-preservatives with you go into no place or company except you carry your soul-preservations with you that is a holy care and wisdom You know in infectious times men will carry outward preservatives with them you had need to carry your preservatives about you else you will be in danger of being infected with the ill customs and vanities of the times wherein you live and that is a third Leg. 4. I would leave with you is this look that all within you rises higher and higher by oppositions threatnings and sufferings that is that your faith your love your courage your zeal your resolutions and magnanimity rises higher by opposition and a spirit of prayer this it did Acts 4.18 19 20 21 29 30 31. compared all their sufferings did but raise up a more noble spirit in them they did but raise up their faith and courage So Acts 5.40 41 42. they looked on it as a grace to be disgraced for Christ and as an honour to bâ— dishonoured for him They say as David If thâ— be to be vile I will be more vile If to be found in thâ— way of my God to act for my God to be vile I will be more vile Leg. 5. Take more pains and make more Conscience of keeping your selves from sin than suffering from the pollutions and defilements of the day then from the sufferings of the day this Legacy I would beg that you would consider take more pains and make more conscience of keeping your selves from the evil of sin than the evil of punishment from the pollutions and corruptions of the times than the sufferings of the times Acts 2.40 Save your selves from this untoward generation Phil. 2.15 The Children of God must be harmless and blameless without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation Heb. 11. speaks full to the poin in hand Rev. 3 4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis that have not defiled their garments and they shall walk with me in white for they are worthy White was the habit of Nobles which imports the honour that God will put on those that keep their garments pure in a defiling day Rev. 8.4 And I heard another voyce from Heaven saying Come out of her my people that ye be not partakers of her sins and that ye receive not of her plagues If you will be tasting and sipping at Babylon's Cup you must resolve to receive more or lesse of Babylons plagues Leg. 6. I would leave with you is this Be alwayes doing or receiving good Our Lord and Master went up and down in this world doing good he was still doing good to body and soul he was acted by an untired power be still doing or receiving good this will make your lives comfortable your deaths happy and your accompt glorious in the great day of our Lord. Oh how useless are many men in their generation oh that our lips might be as so many Honey-combs that we might scarter knowledge Leg. 7. I would leave with you is this Set the highest examples and patterns before your face of grace and godliness for your imitation In the business of Faith set an Abraham before your eyes in the business of Courage set a Joshua In the business of uprightness set a Job of meekness a Moses c. There is a disadvantage that redounds to Christians by looking more backwards than forwards Men look on whom they excel not on those they fall short of Of all examples set them before you that are most eminent for grace and holiness for communion with God and acting for God next to Christ set the pattern of the choisest Saints before you Leg. 8. Hold fast your Integrity and rather let all go than let that go A man had better let liberty estate relations and life go than let his integrity go yea let Ordinances themselves go when they cannot be held with the hand of integrity Job 27. 5 6. God forbid that I should justify you till I die I will not remove my integrity from me my Righteousness I will hold fast and I will not let it go my heart shall not reproach
keep their Garments undefiled and live in high favour with Christ they shall walk with Christ we favour those that walk with us Walking with Christ notes to us three things 1. That we have peace with him 2. That we have intimacy with him 3. That his being so much above us we should have this favour from him And hence I noted the great priviledge of the People of God that they shall walk with Christ 1. It notes the great satisfaction of the Saints to walk with Christ they shall be filled with his company 2. How safe it is and what safety there is to walk with Christ he hath a Wing to spread over them 3. What opportunities such have as walk with Christ 4. What liberty such have as walk with Christ 5. Such as walk with Christ may be sure he will communicate his secrets to them he will shew them what they have to do 2. We shewed you the great goodness of Jesus Christ that he would take such Creatures to walk with him such defiled Creatures 3. Then let us take heed of keeping our Garments undefiled lest Jesus Christ cast us out of his company and we can no longer walk with Christ any more Oh! take heed of walking blameless in the ways of Christ These things were spoken from the first Point Now I come to the walking with Christ in white In opening the Text I told you white might be considered two ways 1. As it respects our state and so that by way of Justification and thus they shall walk with Christ but this is not the walking in white the Text means 2. Here is a further walking in white and that is matter of reward to the people of God 1. To walk with Christ in white it is matter of honour white garments are matter of honour Princes great Kings walk in white garments so the Saints of God shall walk in white Christ will honour them and give them honour among them because they have kept their Garments undefiled They shall walk in white like great Princes and honoured Persons A good name is better then precious Ointment They that are good indeed they shall have a good name they shall walk in white To keep the Conscience clean is to keep the Credit clean and they who are careful 〈◊〉 blot their Conversations Christ will take 〈…〉 their Reputations that they be not blotted that they walk with me in honour 'T was worthily spoken in the 11. of the Hebrews They kept their garments undefiled and it was by the power of Faith and they obtained a good report by Faith keeping themselves from the pollutions of the World they kept themselves a good report This honour and good report which we get by keeping our Garments undefiled is sure Abraham had an honourable Title Abraham My Friend and a man after my own heart Isa 45.4 Since thou wast precious in my sight thou wast honourable and not onely so that the people of God are honourable in his eyes but they also sometimes walk in white in the eyes of the men of the World he can give his people room in the opinions of men he moves their hearts to think well of them and he opens their mouths to speak well of them though indeed the honour which they who keep their Garments undefiled have in this World it is most usually from good men from godly men and indeed honour of them is most honourable It is not much to us what others say or think of us what the wicked World judge of us yet I say God can and doth sometimes raise a Testimony of honour for his people amongst carnal men of the World Joseph would not defile his Garments he walked in white amongst men true he was cast into Prison what of that he was respected by the Keeper of the Prison and afterward he walked in white In the whole Persiâ—â— Court Daniel was one that walked in white with 〈◊〉 men of the World first with the Prince of the Eunuchs he had tender favour with him he told him he would not disobey God to please men yet he did not rail against him and call him a stubborn fellow because he would not bow to Baal and afterwards Daniel was as great a man as any in all that Province he walked in white God hath created Testimonies of honour for his people from some men of the World yea they many times put white Garments upon them so it was with Christ Matth. 27.4 common-men put a good report upon Christ a white Garment Truly saith the Centurion this was the Son of God Truly this was a righteous man saith he when he saw how he carryed himself at his death he gave him a good report Thus it doth come to pass God doth sometimes keep up their honour in the World who will not defile their garments nor touch the Sacrifice of Baal and it falls out so with them that the Lord shall clear up their credit and reputation and they shall walk in white in honour before the men of the World Rev. 6.11 where the Souls under the Altar are spoken of who were miserably used in this World white Robes were given them to every one of them that is their Evidences were cleared This may teach us the readiest way to the white Robe to the Robe of Honour it is to keep us from being defiled with sinful practices certainly they who please God he can make he World to honour them if God approves us he can make the world approve us too yet we must not think to have all men speak well of us yet this we may say if we keep our Garments undefiled we shall walk in white in the eyes of men if God see our Garments in the dirt and spotted with the filth of the World it will spoil the honour we should have in the World as it was said of Arius when his garments were defiled they called him Satanarius that is to say devilish Thus it may be for the Lord hath a time to take our good name from us to cause our light of honour to be taken from us And as he hath caused us to walk in the white of honour in the world so he doth sometimes cause us to walk in reproach with the World they who defile their Garments lose their honour with men and they lose their joy they should have hereafter Mal 2.9 You have departed from my Law therefore will I make you contemptible in the eyes of all men It is a design of the spirit of wickedness to draw men to sin that they may upbraid them that I conceive is the sense of the Apostle Gal. 6.13 For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the Law but desire to have you circumcised that they might glory in your flesh saith he Oh there are some of this wicked Spirit that would draw men to such and such wickedness not that they joy in their returning but that they might glory in their flesh
when as they who stand fast do even force a good Testimony from their Enemies So it was the unhappy chance of Cranmer the Papists did perswade him to subscribe and did he get any honour by it No truly they did upbraid him and reproach him and so he had dyed in a raving condition had not the Lord been merciful to him I remember a speech of St. Austin about drinking of Healths Oh! say they 't is upon the King's Birth-day and we cannot avoid it If we deny it say they we shall be reproached and scorned of men He gives them many Answers to it but one as I remember was this God will so work that if you will not comply with them they in their hearts will honour you and whereas if you did comply with them they would dishonour you and say you are base spirited That is one thing of this Point that keeping close to Jesus Christ will get you this Reward you shall walk with him in the white of honour they shall walk in the white of honour with his People and it may be with the World too 2 They shall walk in white in the white of peace and joy and inward comfort I shewed you in the opening of the Text how the Scripture calls that walking in white Then the Point is this What ever becomes of the other white of honour in the World they shall be sure of this that abundance of peace and joy and comfort shall possess their souls that keep their garments white they shall walk in the inward white of joy and peace with Jesus Christ and this is a blessed Reward Indeed now this joy this white of joy arises in the Soul three ways 1. From the Testimony of their own Consciences Oh! they who have a good Testimony from their own Consciences walk in white 2 Cor. 1.12 We have this for our rejoycing the Testimony of our Consciences that in all simplicity and godly sincerity we have our conversation in Heaven that is walking in white this is our rejoycing our Conscience speaks well of us and kindly to us and who is able to express the sweetness of this thing None can know what this is but they that have it as it is said of the New Name written upon the white Stone Rev. 2 1â— 'T is a thing beyond expression what the joy anâ— peace of a good Conscience is Now this I say that our white Garments and our walking in white ariseth from the Testimony of our Consciences 2. As from the Testimony of our Consciences so from that Testimony which is greater than out Consciences the Spirit the shedding abroad of Divine Love thus it is with those that do not defile their Garments but endure any thing rather then defile their Garments Rom. 5.3 4 5. And not onely so but we glory in Tribulations knowing Tribulation worketh Patience and Patience Experience and Experience Hope and Hope maketh not ashamed and whence was all this because of the Holy Ghost which was given to us this causeth joy unspeakable The Spirit it self beareth witness with our Spirits that we are the Children of God This Witness doth cause wonderful joy much more then the witnesses of our own Consciences 3. This ioy doth arise from that well-grounded hope which that Soul hath that keeps himself clean hope of enjoying Heaven at last hope of future glory is our present joy Rom. 5.2 By whom also we have access by Faith into this Grace wherein we stand and joyce in hope of the glory of God Now they who keep their Garments white have good ground of hope of the love of God therefore this must needs cause them to walk comfor ably as they who have this hope purifie themselves so they who purifie themselves have good ground of this hope and therein great cause to rejoyce Pet. 1.5 6. Who are kept by the power of God brough Faith unto Salvation ready to be revealed in â—e last times wherein ye greatly rejoyce though now for 〈◊〉 season if need be ye are in heaviness through many emptations We walk in white in the hope we have of that Inâ—eritance Now lay these three things together â—f they who keep their Garments undefiled have â—he Testimony of their own Consciences and the â—estimony of the Spirit shedding the Love of God â—n their hearts and a well-grounded hope of fuâ—ure â—lory how can it be but these must walk in white â—ith Jesus Christ that is in comfort and joy of â—e Spirit and of their own spirits Thus David walked he had abundance of joy upâ—n the Conscience of his own integrity and keeping his heart and hands clean from those iniquities â—is enemies charged him with Ps 3. The Lord shall â—udge his people Judge me O Lord according to my â—ighteousness and according to mine integrity that is in â—â—e He appeals to the Lord the Lord shall judge â—is people Judge me O Lord according to my â—ighteousness Thus he appeals to God himself he â—ad so much confidence and his heart gave him â—hat he kept himself from those iniquities So Job walkt in white though his Friends blackt him exceedingly yet he walked in white in his Conscience Job 16.19 Behold my Witness is in Heaven and my Record is on high I have not onely a Witness in my Conscience but my Witness is above He walked in white notwithstanding all his afflictions from God and his Friends Hezekiah walkt in this white when death 〈◊〉 him in the face Lord thou knowest I have we upright with thee I need not stay in the proof of the thing let 〈◊〉 make some Use and Improvement of it Vse Is this blessed reward to those who keâ—â— their garments white to walk in the white of peacâ— and joy then here we see the happiness of all thoâ—â— who are true to Christ and his wayes Psal 119. â— Blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in thâ— Law of the Lord. 'T is just in the Language of 〈◊〉 Text they indeed shall walk in white it is a greaâ— part of our blessedness to have peace of conscience and inward joy Oh how much better is it that the peace and joy of this world and the comforts of this world Prov. 15.13 A merry heart or as another Translation saith A good Conscience and indeed a merry heart and a good Conscience do but one explain the other a merry heart or a good Conscience is a continual Feast Here is noâ— surfeiting in this feast but a continual Musick coâ—tinual joy and comfort oh how blessed are theâ— who are undefiled in the way That which Christ said of the Lilly Solomon 〈◊〉 all his glory was not arrayed like one of these so may I say of the Lilly-white soul that keeps himself white in the world who keeps himself white iâ— matter of practice and worship Solomon in all 〈◊〉 glory was not arrayed like one of these Lilly-white ones Oh the Rivers of Consolations that flow to them that keep themselves out of
be but a fancy Wilt thou be able to say at the great Day Lord it was my sad lot and portion to live under the Ministry of such a one who tuned his Fiddle to the times of every one I or lastly Wilt thou be able to say thou livedst under a soul-destroying Discountenancer of all purity and holiness one perhaps though no dunce or drunkard yet a profane scoffer one that preached holiness out of his Pulpit and Parish and House and the like But first of all we can through grace appeal in this case both to the Lord and to your selves that it hath not been so with you 2. Consider how unexcusable you will be if you live and dye in your ignorance impenitency and unbelief 1. Consider we can in this case appeal both to the Lord and 〈◊〉 your selves 1. To the Lord we are able with an humble boldness to appeal to him and say Lord thou knowest we have given this people warning Ezek 3.18 Now blessed be the Lord we can humbly appeal to his Majesty Oh Lord thou knowest we have warned the wicked to turn from his wicked way and the profane from his profaneness and the superstitious from his superstition and the schismatical from his schism and the formal from his formality and the civil honest man from resting in his morality Oh blessed be thyname we have endeavoured to take off this people from all their sandy quagmoiry foundations Lord thou knowest our prayers for them And so 2. To appeal to you And this was a very great comfort to St. Paul that he could appeal to the people themselves as Acts 20.26 27. This was a great comfort to him and blessed be the God of Grace it is a great comfort to us that we can take you to record that we are pure from your blood we have not ceased to declare all that the Father hath shewn to us we have not been affrighted by any man or mens frowns nor debauched to conceal any part thereof by any mans smiles 2. Consider how inexcusable you will be if you live and die in your ignorance impenitency and unbelief Ezek. 3.10 Observe it if you miscarry for Eternity the bloud of your souls will not be charged on us nay it will be on your own heads And there fore the Apostle Paul when the preached Christ to the Jews and they opposed and blasphemed their bloud was upon 〈◊〉 own heads as Acts 18.5 6. Oh consider it if you Ministers have been faithful they are clear and free and guiltlesse the Lord will never charge the bloud of souls on them Considet it therefore how speechlesse will you be at the great day if you live and die in your sins may not the Lord say of this place as he did of Capernâ—um Mat. 11.23 for thou hast â—â—joyed the Ministry of many of my servants Dars any of you meet us in the day of Judgement under whose Ministry you have lived in an unregenerate â—state and say that you have lived under a soul-betraying non-resident one or under a soul-poysoning Innovator or a soul-pining dry Nurse or a soul-misguiding guide or a soul-unsetled Temporizer or a soul-destroying dis-countenancer in 〈◊〉 unregenerate estate The Lord will then make you to know what it was to have a faithful Labourer among you as Ezek. 33.33 Then when you-shall be convinced in your own conscience you shall then say you heard all those things and we cannot say 〈◊〉 were unwarned either in sin or danger we cannot say we were untaught our duty either to God 〈◊〉 Man we had precept on precept but we slighâ—ed all warning and exhortation and direction therefore now are lost and undone everlastingly So much may serve for the first Use 2. Vse of Direction The second Use is a Use of Direction which will fall into many very suitable and practical particulars whereto I do beseech you to hearken unto as the words of a dying man do commonly take the deepest impression 〈◊〉 the surviving hearers Now this may be for all that 〈◊〉 know my last words to you in this place therefore 〈◊〉 beseech you to hear me An interruption a suspension of my weak worthless pains and labour among you there will be for any thing I know from this day but observe it is no Refignation from me or my Reverend Brother and therefore what other dissolution of the property and relation between your Pastour and you there may be as of that mutual intercourse I shall not account or call it a forfeiture of his place whatever others may call it let them call it what they will Then hearken to my words as the words of a dying man yet not dead but alive and perhaps shall nor die but live and declare the Word of the Lord and hold forth the Word of the Lord to you many a time in this place when ever it pleaseth God to set open a door for me If it be so That the Ministers soundnesse in Doctrine and holinesse of life and Conversation do lay a great obligation on a people duely and conscienciously to practice every commanded duty Then from this Doctrine I would suggest and leave with you several words and hints of counsel And oh that the Lord God of Heaven would effectually engrave and set them home on every one of your hearts My first counsel is this That when the Lord taketh away such Ministers whose Doctrine is found and their lives exemplarily holy you would then be duely apprehensive and deeply sensible both of the inflicting cause and also of the meritorious deserving cause thereof 1. For the inflicting cause and that is the Lord himself Isa 3.1 2. Who is it that taketh away from a people the natural staffe and the civil staffe the spiritual staffe saith the Prophet The Lord the Lord of Hosts Whoever it be that is the instrument it is certain it is 〈◊〉 Lord himself that is the principal efficient cause of this judgement on a people and this will appear if we consider 1. The Lord hath threatned his judgement on a rebellious peoply Amos 8.11 12. I saith the L will bring this judgement on them A most dreadful siritual judgement Gods Word is the spiritual food 〈◊〉 our spiritual lives and therefore as the granting of 〈◊〉 is a blessing indeed so the withholding of it is a judgement indeed This ireful dreadful judgement the Lord we see threatens yea that is not all the Lord hath not only threatned it but 2. Inflicted it As the Lord hath taken away his faithful Messengers and Embassadors 1. Sometimes by death out of the world out of the land of the living And thus the Lord took away the Prophet Enoch Gen. 5.24 And 2. Sometimes by removal Thus the Lord took away the Prophet Jonas from Israel and sent him to Ninivie as Jonah 1.2 And thus Paul and Barnabas went away from the Jews and turned to the Gentiles as Acts 13.4 3. Sometimes by deprivation A time there was when the good
as Jerem. 13.17 And that we shall not forget Jeremiah weeping for you And I trust likewise that we shall remember Stephen being on his knees for his Persecutours powring out his life and prayer together Acts 7.60 I doubt not but my Reverend Brother and my self shall remember Pauls willingness to spend and to be 〈◊〉 both in prayer and preaching for you all Though the more abundantly he loved the lesse he was beloved 2 Cor. 12.15 3. Maintain and nourish all tenderness in your Conscience all your dayes Oh go not without much lesse against the dictates of conscience rebel not against the light of it beware of stifling and suppressing a warning conscience lest a warning conscience prove a gnawing conscience and prove a tormenting conscience And consider first Remorse of Conscience hath an eye against all sin past Secondly Tenderness of Conscience which hath an eye to all sin to come Take heed then of all calmness of heart Fourthly Take heed of Apostatizing Chrysostome hath a notable saying namely That Ministers have a greater trouble because they never find their work as they leave it as other workmen do Oh in how short a time doth a poor Minister find all his work put out of frame and order Did not Moses find it so Exod. 32.8 Moses had no sooner turn'd his back as it were but the people were turned out of Gods way of worship And did not Paul find it so Gal. 1.6 The Galathians were quickly removed Paul was but lately gone from them and they were quickly apostatized Now this cometh to passe First It is by reason of a crafty subtil deceitful Devil as in the Gospel we read While men slept the Enemy came and sowed tares Mat. 13.25 And who this Enemy is we may see in Christs expounding the Parablâ—â— ver 39. And Secondly Partly by reason of mens own deceitful hearts as Heb. 3.12 observe it There is an evil heart of unbelief in the best it dwells in the best but it reignâ— in the wicked And what is that one of these evil hearts of unbelief in apostatizing in departing from the living God Thirdly It is partly by Reason of deceitful workers as the Apostle calls false Apostles It is partly by reason of such Then take heed of apostatizing either from truth of Doctrine purity of worship or practice of Conversation 1. From truth of Doctrine Be not weary of old truths take beed and beware of itching after novel Doctrines take heed and beware of admiring this or that opinion which as new lights drop down from heaven but indeed is but as the smoak of the bottomless pit 2. From purity of Worship also Let not your zeal be cold but kindled against every bracelet of the Scatlet Whore How often doth the Apostle call the people adulterers and adulteresses because they apostatize from the Word and Worship of God 3. In practice and Conversation Prize the Gospel love it and live accordingly to it With constancy look on every motion of thy soul and every action of thy life as a step to life or a step to death as a step towards Heaven or a step to Hell Heb. 10.38 To close this Counsel the Author of the Hebrews bringeth in the Lord protesting against apostatizing If any man draw back from Gospel-principle and Gospel-worship or froth a Gospel-conversation saith the Lord If any man draw back thus my Soul shall have no pleasure in him Tremble then at this thou Apostatizer whoever thou art wherever thou sittest or standest My Son shall have 〈◊〉 pleasure in thee I loath and abominate that person faith the Lord. 5. All of you then study peace and particularly you who do unfeignedly set your hearts and faces towards Heaven study peace and follow after it thouâ—â—â— run from you pursue after it You professe youâ— selves to be them that are truly fearing God anâ— truly honouring the King and truly loving one another Oh then seek peace You who do unfeignedly set your hearts and facâ—â— towards Heaven study peace alway and decline all dividing principles and practices among you and that you may not either breed or feed circumstantial differences or substantial divisions consider God 〈◊〉 the God of Peace our Saviour is the Prince of Peace our Comforter is the Comforter of Peace our Calling is the Calling of Peace our Way is the Way of Peace Oh that we may so live in Peace that the God of Love and Peace may dwell with us and that the God of Peace may live with us here that we may live with the God of Peace hereafter Mr. Bull of Newington-Green His Farewell Sermon in the Forenoon John 14.16 And I will send the Father and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever THe Observation that I commended to you 〈◊〉 of these words was this It is the great work for which the Spirit 〈◊〉 Christ is given by Ged to comfort the hearts of 〈◊〉 people You may remember that I have 〈◊〉 opeâ—â—â— the truth to you and have shewed you what this spititual comfort is that the Spirit of Christ works in the hearts of his Disciples I gave it you in this Description It is that inward spiritual satisfaction that the heart of a gracious person finds in and through Jesus Christ in all the various dispensations of God towards him whereby he is enabled to go on in chearâ—inesse in the way that God would have him whether it be by a way of doing or of suffering And herein I shewed 1. The nature of the spiritual satisfaction 2. The Author of it It is God by his Spirit 3. The Object of it God through Jesus Christ 4. The proper Subject of this inward spiritual comfort the people of God 5. And lastly The effects of the spiritual comfort it is to strengthen the heart both to do and suffer I came the last time to shew you how the Spirit of God doth this 1. He doth it as an enlightning Spirit by shewing where comfort is to be had by opening the eyes of the understanding as he did Hagars bodily eyes to see the Well of water 2. He doth it as a quickning Spirit bringing the soul into that capacity to take in the comfort for what comfort can a dead man receive a Cordial and a Puddle is all one to a dead man 3. He works this inward spiritual satisfaction by discovering the truth of this vitall Principle in the soul for a man may have a principle of Grace and spiritual life in him and not know it that though he has the spiritual comfort yet it is all one as if he had it not Now this is the great Question that is debated in the heart of a Child of God Whether he be regener a 〈◊〉 born again whether he hath grace in his soul 〈◊〉 grace that will qualifie him for glory and if he was â—â—risfied as to this he would not be a moment without comfort But he is afraid that he is dead
when death affliction comes Jonas lay quietly asleep till the storm came O my Friends we must shortly lie a dying the Lord knows how soon O what wil you do for comfort in a dying hour all other comforts may forsake you before that time you may meet with sorrow heavy afflictions so that all your friends in the world wil not do you good your friends may fail your hearts may fail then no comfort but the comfort of the Holy Ghost will do you good the time may come that all your friends may prâ—â—â—â— miserable comforters when God comes to 〈◊〉 with the soâ—â— to set sin home upon the conscience to lay sin before us then what will you do We are all guilty of sins of omission and sins of commission when these come to be changed upon the soul what will you then do Then no plaister of comfort wil stick but those of the Spirits laying on unless the Spirit seal up the pardon of sin the love of God to the soul nothing will be quiet and comfort the soul however men may be merry for a time yet there is a time of sorrow that will come when they shall reflect upon their ways when they shall see nothing but sin behind them and terrors before them Oh! what amazement will seize upon their souls they have no interest in God in Christ they have no interest in the Promises there is nothing that will comfort you unless you have an interest in the Spirit But then what shall I do that I may get this comforting Spirit into my Soul First Thirst earnestly after it The promise is made to those that thirst after it Isa 44.3 Thirst after him in his convincings in his humblings in his sanctifying mercy Oh let the desire and longing of thy soul run out this way no matter for an Estate no matter for friends and outward comforts if thou hast the Spirit of God thou hast that is paramount to all outward comforts Secondly Pray earnestly for the Spirit You are not so willing to give your children what they want as God is to give his Spirit to them that ask it Cry mightily Lord give me thy Spirit and cry to the Spirit and say as Laban to Jacob Come in so pray the Spirit so come into thy Soul Thirdly If you would have this Comforter to come and abide with you You must resolve to become Christs Disciples It is only for such that Christ prays that God would send the Comforter you must hearken and obey him and follow him wheresoever he goeth You know the terms upon which you must be Christs Disciple Matth. 16 24. He must deny himself and take up his Cross and daily follow Christ He 〈◊〉 deny him-self There is two selfs in a man nay three selfs and they must be denied but however 〈…〉 two must be denied if you intend to be Christs Disciple 1 A mans righteous self If any thing that we are that we have or can do from our works or duties any thing of our own all must be denied in point of Justification 2 Sinful self A mans corruptions must be denied pride passion and love to the world 3 Natural self Friends Estates Relations Credit and Honor and outward comforts these may be denied you may be called to part with them but if they come in competition with Christ they must be denied 2 You must take up the Cross of Christ rather then forsake his honour or disobey his commands You must resolve to follow Christ wheresoever he shall lead you either in a way of active or passive obedience you must take up Christs load you must undergo his burden Now Christians are you resolved upon this now sit down and consider what it will cost you to be Christians and if you would have the best you must be contented with the worst and if you are resolved upon this then you are the true Disciples of Christ and you are under the promise of his comfort and Christ is praying the Father to send you another Comforter who shall abide with you for ever The second use of Exhortation 2 Use Is of Exhortation wherein I shall apply my self to the true Disciples of Christ those that have had communion with Christ in his sanctifying presence labour after communion with him in his comforting presence To all others that are without the Spirit of God I may say as Jehu to Jehoram What hast thou to do with these things Labour to be convinced of the need and want of Christ but such as have been partakers of the Spirit of Christ as a sanctifying spirit labour after communion with him as a comforting spirit and to this end I shall stir you up to this 1 By way of Motive 2 By way of Comfort First By way of Motive Though you have some comsort it is but little in comparison of what you may have and in comparison of what you may stand in need of though a Saint would not change the saddest hour of his life for the sweetest hour in his former condition If the Saints of God did enjoy the comforts that they might oh what blessed lives might they live but they are so full of trouble as if there were no holy Ghost the Comforter The people of God are oftentimes troubled without a cause as that holy man Why art thou cast down oh my soul He could not render a true account of his trouble he was sad but he could not tell why or wherefore 2 When there is cause they are apt to be troubled without measure In those cases where it is a sin not to be troubled at all the people of God are apt to be troubled overmuch as the Israelites in their bondage in Egypt It were a sin for them not to be troubled but they were so full of troubles that they could not hearken to Moses and Aaron and so the Disciples in the Text it were a sin for them not to be troubled for the absence of Christs body but so to be troubled as if God could not comfort them without him this was their weakness And to come to our case it were a sin to slight this Dispensation of God that is coming upon us if we should not be troubled for the loss of the Ministers of Jesus Christ but to mourn before God under the sense of this Dispensation to mourn so much as to think that when these are gone all is gone to be so much troubled as not to hearken to the words of the Text That we have a Comforter I remember an admirable expression of a child to his mother when his father was dead to shew That out of the mouths of Babes and Sucklings God can manifest his praise Why Mother says the child though my Father be dead yet God is alive May I not say so to you Though your Ministers be as it were naturally dead yet is not God alive is not the Spirit of God alive Though you have some
When Christ was put to death how did his followers lament him Is it not a lamentable sight to behold a poor weather-beaten rotten ship without Mast or Tackling in a tempest Good Lord what will become of the Ship and Mariners Is it not a sad sight to see a flock of sheep invironed with a band of wolves and no shepheard to protect them thus it is with people when their Minister is gone Ministers themselves have wept and lamented when they have thought of departing from their own people and that for these two causes First because they knew they would corrupt themselves suffer others to corrupt them Secondly because they knew they would corrupt themselves suffer others to corrupt them First because they knew they would corrupt themselves Moses he knew this Deut. 31.29 he is there leaving the world and the people thereof Call unto me the Elders of your Tribes that I may speak a word in their audience and call Heaven and Earth to record against them for I am sure that upon my departure you will utterly be corrupted and turned from the way that I have commanded you for behold I being yet alive with you in this day you are rebellious against God how much more then after my death I assure you it is cause of lamentation to think on this Thus it was with Joash while Jehojada that good Minister lived with him and instructed him in the way that he should walk he kept to the true worship of God but after Jehojada dyed he turned Idolater and persecuted the sons of Jehojada 2 Chron. 24.21 Secondly they knew that after their departure they would suffer others to corrupt them This was that that made Paul use these words to the Ephesians Ver. 29. For I know that after my departure grievous wolves shall enter not sparing the flock And therefore well may you mourn when a faithful Minister is taken from you I shall say no more only a word or two to Paul's speech wherein you have First Paul speaking to God for them Secondly Paul speaking from God to them First he spake to them from God and then prayed to God for them I shall divide this speech to them from God into these two parts First he spake something by way of vindication of himself Secondly he spake something by way of exhortation to them First You may observe in Paul's farewell speech something by way of vindication of himself and it is not amisse for a Minister when he is to depart from a people to say something in vindication of himself for there are enow that will when his back is turned lay falshood and scandals to his charge which they never durst do to his face Samuel knew this and therefore provided for it in 1 Sam. 12.1 And Samuel said unto them all Behold I have hearkened to your voice and have made you a King now behold the King walks in and out before you I am old and of grey hairs and must now leave you I have walked before you from a child to this day and now witness against me before the Lord whose Oxe have I taken or whose Asse have I kept whom have I done wrong to or whom have I hurt and of whose hand have I received a bribe to blind mine eyes therewith he stood here upon the justification of his life and carriage towards them that he had not been a self-seeking or oppressing man unto them and thus did Paul vindicate himself to the Ephesians give me leave to divide Paul's vindication into four or five parts First He tells them that he had constantly preached amongst them notwithstanding all the afflictions which encountred him v. 19. Serving the Lord with all humility of mind with many tears and temptations which befel me through the lying in wait of the Jews Secondly He vindicates himself by telling them the manner of his preaching v. 20. I have taught you publickly and from house to house you know I may fitly apply this to my self for I have not only taught you publickâ—â— but in many of your houses also But Thirdly He vindicates himself 〈◊〉 telling them the matter of his preaching and I blesse God it hath been my method ever since I preached among you v 21. testifying to the Jews and also to the Greeks repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ and this is my rejoycing now I may preach no more that I have spent my time in declaring unto you the sundamentals and grounds of salvation and not in frivolous Ceremonies Fourthly He vindicates himself by declaring the impartiality of his preaching v. 27. I have not shunned to declare unto yot all the Councel of God Oh my Brethren though I cannot say I have declared all the Councel of God yet this through grace I can say that I have not shunned to declare any of it Fifthly Paul doth clear his Doctrine and withall himself by telling them he had preached freely v. 33. and 34. I have coveted no mans silver or gold or apparel Yea ye your selves know that these have ministred to my necessities and to those that were with me I blesse the Lord I can with a good Conscience safely say I have covered neither your silver nor gold neither am I a penny the richer for what I received of you it was not a desire of any thing of yours that made me at first accept of this place yet this I shall say for your honour that you have richly and liberally bestowed your favours upon me but as there is something in his own vindication So Secondly there is something by way of Exhortation to them v. 18. Take heed therefore unto your selves c. Paul before he leaves them hath something from God to say to them from whence I note this That the Ministers of God before they quite leave have something to say to them from God it was thus with the holy men of old Jacob when he was dying called all his Soâ—â— before him and to every one he gave counsel and blessing David when he was upon leaving the world he knew he should not live long he calls all Israel unto him sayeth thus unto them 1 Chron. 28.8 9. Now therefore in the sight of all Israel the congregation of the Lord and in the audience of our God keep and seek for all the Commandements of the Lord your God that you may possesse this good Land and leave it for an inheritance to your children after you for ever And thou Solomon my Son know the God of thy Fathers and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind for the Lord searches all hearts and under standeth all the imaginations of the thoughts if thou seek him he will be found of thee but if thou forsake him he will cast thee off for ever Thus you see it â—ath been the custome of holy men of olp when they are leaving the World to say something to their people so now here I am
desire this is the Fourth beware of covetousnesse Fifthly You that have not taken warning yet I beseech you take warning now have a care and avoid evil company Ephes 5.11 Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darknesse but rather reprove them come out from among them and be serarated from them Never go into a wicked mans company if before you go you have not a probability of doing good or getting good Consider with thy self is there any likelyhood that thou by thy wholesome reproofs may do him any good if there be then go onâ— if not draw back avoid them fly from them for their steps tend to perdition By wicked company those two things have been effected Good men made bad Bad men made worse Good men have been made bad by wicked company Jehosaphat that good King is in an example of this who by the company of wicked Ahab was drawn to fight against those whom God favoured and to help Ahab in his wicked enterprise Bad men have made those worse by evil company Ahab was made worse by the instigation of his wicked wise Jezabel Oh can you bear when you are in their company to hear them blaspheme the holy name of God and not repove them Truly if you can it is a sign you are not so good as you should bâ— Sixthly my sixth Caution is this Oh have a care of having the least finger on your hand against a Saint it is dangerous to have a thought word or act against the people of God it is dangerous to have a thought amisse of them Psal 62.3 They imagine mischief against a man that is against a Saint therefore they shall all be slain for their bare imagination they shall be cut off It is dangerous to speak against them How durst thou saith God to Miram to speak against my servant Moses and immediately he smote her with leprosie as white as Snow It is dangerous to act against them and it is forbidden by God Psal 105.5 Touch not my anointed nor do my Prophets no harm Perhaps you would say you would not do them any harm if you thought they were Gods people Oh but take heed lest they prove Gods people and then it were better for you if a milstone were hung about your neck and you cast into the Sea than to offend the least of them Seventhly Let me beseech you all to take heed of complying with this sinful world whoever doth do not you but take up that good resolution of Joshua's As for me and my House we will serve the Lord. Though all else forsake God yet will not I yet let not us I beseech you saith he that you would not conform your selves to the fashions and manners of this wicked world Oh take heed of conforming your selves to the Conversation of this world but walk harmlesse and shine as lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation if we will comply with the world I mean to be as most of the world are that is temporizers timeâ—servers preferring the pleasing of a man before the pleasing of God then we must lie in wickednesse as all the world doth 1 John 2.10 for all that in the world is either the lust of the flesh the lust of the eye or the pride of life and these are not of the Father but abideth in the wicked one the Prince of the power of the air after whom the men of the world walk This is the seventh take heed of Conforming your selves to this world Eightly Take heed of a hasty spirit when you are under sad dispensations when you are under sufferings you are apt to seek and 〈◊〉 with relief come it which way it will and on what terms it will 〈◊〉 spirit Esay 26. v. 18. He that believeth maketh not haste hat is he maketh not haste to get out of his afflictions the people of Israel was of hasty spirits and murmured because they were kept so long in the wilderness for which God slew an innumerable company of them Saul was of a hasty spirit and by it lost his life and Kingdom Jacob's Mother no sooner told him his Fathers intent but he was resolved to have the first blessing though he cheated his Brother and lyed for it and so told his Father that he was his eldest Son but he himself was afterward deceived by a lye with having the eldest daughter given him instead of the younger Take David for your example he waited Gods time the Kingdome was promised to him after Sauls death and when Saul persued him you know David had him twice in his power and with ease might have destroyed him but he would not â—ar be it from me saith he that I should touch the Lords annointed Let God smite him by the hands of his enemies I will not it is far better to be Gods Bond-stave then the Devils Free-man do not use any the least action whatever in an indirect way to deliver thy self but patiently set down and wait Gods good time which when once come thy deliverance will assuredly come with it Take heed then of a hasty and suâ—len spirit under afflictions Some men when God takes away any comfort from them are of so sullen a spirit there is no pacifying of them God will now this day take something from you which I believe you would willingly keep will you therefore be of so sullen a spirit that because you cannot enjoy all you will not enjoy any but will rob your selves of all what though you cannot enjoy your Minister any longer will you not make use of the Ordinances of God I beseech you refrain this spirit and let the deprivation of one mercy be a means to make you make better use of those that are left Ninthly My ninth Caution is this take heed of an ungodly Minister I speak not to any mans person in particular neither can I because I know not as yet who will succeed me but whosoever he be if he be wicked beware of him for if he be ungodly the people will follow him for like Priest like people and I pray God deliver you from such Ministers as for doctrine do teach the traditions of men and cry peace peace when sudden destruction hangâ— over their heads such Ministers may please you but believe me they will never profit you but at last you will find that through the â—ale of Security you are led to the pit of Perdition They will tell you you need not be so strict and diligent in your conversations nor Heaven is not so hard aâ—d difficult to gain as some would make you believe believe them not but remember that without holiness none shall see God and that neither Fornicators Adulterers Idolaters Thieves Murderers Covetous persons Drunkards Reviâ—era nor Extortioners shall inherit the Kingdom of Heaven Gospel only Christ when he was preaching to a throng of People as I am here this day said unto them Take â—eed and beware of the leaven of the
Phaâ—isees which is among you Oh that I had no cause to say the leaven of the Pharisees is among you I mean that there are many here that are but bare professors let me ask you that are only professors this one question Is Religion good or bad if it be not good what is the reason thou art not ashamed to profess it if it be good what is the reason thou dost but professe it by thy bare professing thou losest the love of man by no more then professing thou canst never gain the love of God so that on all sides thou art like to be miserable The world will hate thee for being so good and God will hate thee for being no better What a sad thing is it that thou losest thy comforts in this life by professing so much and thy comforts in the life to come by no more then professing Thus you have heard what I have to say by way of Caution I shall now speak to you by way of counsel The former ten were Negative these shall be Positive First I intreat you all that above all things you would mind the one thing necessary that you would not trouble your selves so much with many things of little concernment but mind the great thing for which you came into the world Oh my friends will you spend your time for that which will not profit you and your money for that which is not bread Look after Grace labour to get an Interest in Christ of which if you be unprovided you will be undone for ever and it will be better for you you had never been born Oh gain Christ and then you will be fitted for all times all troubles and all conditions that can happen unto you you will be endued with all wisdom and with all riches if you gain not Christ all that God doth to you and for you will nâ—ught at all avail you Secondly My second advice and counsel unto you is this That you would live as you would die live to day as if you must die to morrow Let me ask you would you be content to die in the state you are in if my soul doth not desire to be in a better state wheâ— I come to die then now I am in I may very well sit down satisfied if not then surely it greatly concerns me to look after a better would any man be content to die a Drunkard I ask you that are Drunkards I do believe you will answer no why then do you live in drunkennesse How know you that God will spare you when you are drunk until you are sober again we may read of many that have died in their drunken fits God doth not alwayes send his Herauld to warn thee before he sends his Serjeant to arrest thee how knowest thou but Death may strike thee on a sudden what will then become of thy Soul Oh Beloved I beseech you live not in that you are unwilling to die in Balaam waâ— not such a wretch but he could cry out Good Lord let me die the death of the Righteous are so bad husbands but will lay up for a rainy day I mean against a time of sicknesse comes wherein you will be unable to work are you thus careful to maintain your bodies and will you be carelesse of your souls Oh be careful to provide for stoâ—my weathers you have winter garmeâ—s for your bodies to preserve them from cold â—h let patience be your winter garment to preserve and keep your selves warm in afflictions I know that he that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution and that through tribulation and sufferings we must enter into the Kâ—ngdome of Heaven shall I not then provide for them but you may say what doth persecution attend all the godly a man may escape them as well as suffer them put case affliction should not come thou wilt be never the worse for the being provided for them for he that is fit to die is fit â—o live and that man that is fiâ— to suffer afflictions is fit to live without them It was Pauls exhortation to the Ephes 6.10 Finally my brethren put on the whole armour of God that ye may be able to withstand the wiles of the Devil And it is wisdome in a man to provide for a misery before is comes there is mention made of a Nation the Spartans I think that useth to chuse their King as we do our Lord May or every year and whilst they are in their annual Government they live in all abundance of state have all the sulnesse their hearts can wish but when their year is over all their pomp and glory is over too and they banisht into some obscure remoâ—e place for ever Where they spend the remainder of their lives in great want and misery One King knowing this being called to rule over that Nation made such use of his time wherein he reigned as King that by his provident living he heaped up so much treasure and sent it besore him to the place where he knew he should be sent as maintained him all his life time Thus it is God hath appointed to every one a time to live in and that but a short time too and in that time he hath appointed afflictions to attend us if we will live godly in Christ Jesus is it not wisdome in us then to provide for them Take heed then that to avoid suffering you do not commit sin â—o commit sin to avoid suffering is as if a man should run out of the mouth of a barking Dog into the mouth of a devouring Lion what is the wrath of man to the wrath of God Man can but destâ—oy the body and no more but God can destroy both body and soul into hell fire to all eternity Fourthly My fourth word of counsel and direction is this be serious in serious things when you come to perform serious things do â—â—em seriously I do not know that ever I saw a man fall a sleep while he was telling of mony for if he should how could he tell whether it were right or no Yet alas too too many sleep when they should be taking truth not only by natural sleep but also by spiritual sleep they are so caâ—elesse in receiving the word they hear and so laâ—y withal that rather then they will try the word they â—ear they will take all for truth their Ministers tell them Beloved I believe you will scarce put so much coufidence in a man as to receive a sum of money without telling it because he saith it is right and yet will you receive all that your Minister tells you is truth for truth without trying it you must not be sluggish in your working for God but put forth your selves to the utrermost You must make the Kingdome of Heaven suffer violence and take it by force but then Fifthly The fifth Direction which I shall give you is about hearing the Word how you must behave your selves when you
twice have I heard this that power belongeth unto God When God is pleased to strike twice upon the same string it seems hee hath something more than ordinary mind that you should observe the Tune The Doctrine was That it is the Will of Jesus Christ that his Servants should continue in the world though they meet with nothing but trouble in the world I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world let them stay Lord be thou but their Pilot and then keep them at Sea as long as thou wilt God knows his Saints are very serviceable in their generation They are as it were a pillar of fire unto the rest of the world for guide and light by their doctrine and conversation they instruct the godly and convince the wicked God will have his people stay in the world that his power providence mercy and goodness in their preservation may more clearly be discovered that their afflictions here may work out for them an eternal weight of glory These are the reasons why God will have them stay in the world c. Then 1. Saints carry your selves as becomes such in midst of such a world with that wisdome faithfulness carefulness humility that may bring honour both to your selves and to your profession Walk as Lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation walk closely warily innocently patiently submissively c. all these are necessary while you are to converse here in this wicked world 2. â—â—â—m that truth But that thou shouldest keep them from the evil observe preservation from sin is a greater mercy than exemption from suffering Which 1. Informs us of a truth that carnal men will never beleeve till they come to Hell that that is the height of folly which the men of the world count to be the top of wisdome they think it wisdome to chuse sin rather than suffering 2. This will evidence that the people of God are not such fools as the men of the world think they are but the wisest that will chuse the greatest sufferings rather than the least sin 3. This reproves those that will take more care to have their afflictions removed than sanctified 4. Be more afraid of sinning and less afraid of suffering what afraid of a lash my childe no bee more afraid of a dis-inheritance look on sufferings with Scripture Spectacles Labour for integrity and uprightness of heart that preserves when falling Be watchful over thy thoughts and waies Be a resolved Christian if thou be not thou wilt turn an Apostatizing Christian You must set your faces as thornes resolution is absolutely necessary not only under but before a day of suffering Be resolved for God and be resolved against Sin and that for fear least in a day of suffering thou shouldest halt and founder and so lose the things which thou hast wrought which brings mee to The Tenth Sermon 2 John 8. Look to your selves that wee lose not those things which we have wrought but that we receive a full Reward IN these words you have a Warning-Peice discharged to an Elect Lady A serious Item to an Elect Lady and her Religious Family to look well to themselves that they lose not the things they had wrought And this is grounded on a double reason 1. From the Damage of such as begin well and hold not out They lose the things they have wrought That were sad that so much should be done and all should be lost at last 2. From the Advantage and benefit if we do go on then we shall receive a full reward The observation was It much concerns all those that have begun well that are looked upon by Ministers and those that are godly as if they were truly godly that have entertained the Truth and the Profession of the Truth to look well to it how they stand to continue to go on to hold out in their holy Profession and Conversation Look to your self you Elect Lady you her Religious Family look to your selves that you lose not the things you have wrought There 's all the reason in the world it should be so The Election of Beleevers ingages us it should be so we are chosen that we should bee so If we do not look well to our selves we may chance to lose all we have wrought It too too often falls out that after a hot fit of Profession there comes a cold fit of Apostasie this cold fit of Apostasie caused by a sharpe winde of Persecution or by a melting thawing Sun of prosperity either by our natural inconstancy and mutability within wee love new changes we love to be changable or else the subtilty of Seducers from without Again there hath been are and will come trying seasons were you never so sincere think not all the work over and done as soon as converted As soon as come out of Egypt there 's a Wilderness and Red-Sea to passe thorough Mideanitish Women Gyants c. to contest with Therefore no wonder hee writes look to your self Then 1. Here see Election shuts not out the use of means You are an Elect Lady yet look to your self 2. You scandalous Papists the Doctrine of Perseverance we Preach is no Mother of sloth and security Though you shall be saved yet look to your selves you shall not perish yet keep in the Ship 3. Orthodoxness of Faith and soundnesse of Profession is not enough to make a good Christian Elect Lady you make profession you are sanctified but you must look to your self 4. It is not enough to have a well ordered Family Oh Lady look to your self as well as to your Family 5. The business of Religion is not the work of one day As long as you have life look to your self 2. For Exhortation Look to your selves take heed of Apostasy Take heed of that which occasions cold fits after a cold fit comes a death fit as after a hot fit usually comes a cold fit Apostasy is the quartern Ague of the Soul if it be not death t is extream dangerous 3. By way of Direction Would you look to your selves Look up to God begg to bee strengthned with all might in the inner man that hee who hath begun a good work would be pleased to finish it To that end Lord give strength while in begging and begging hearts for continuance of that strengthning Ordinance amongst us that it may be never said as it was said of those precious Israelites the Word of the Lord was precious in those daies there was no open Vision Which leads mee to The Eleventh Sermon 1 Sam. 3.1 The Word of the Lord was precious in those dayes there was no open Vision THe Word of the Lord was precious in those daies Was it not alwaies precious Yes but there is a twofold preciousness 1. Of Worth and Excellency 2. Of Want and Scarcity The Word of the Lord had not been so precious to the Israelites in regard of its Worth and Excellency therefore God made it precious to
should be preserved 'T is necessary Religion should be advanced the power of Godlinesse preserved 't is not necessary I should be in this or that condition 9. Indulge not the least sin else thou wilt never be a Conquerour That man that will not lay down his Lust for Christ will never lay down his Life for Christ A man can never be resolved for Christs waies without if not resolved against all impurity within 10. Harden and anoint your selves with practical improvement of Christs sufferings in Christs death There was an inestimable price to purchase our conquest an infinite merit to strengthen to incourage our Conquest an all-sufficient vertue to cause our Conquest a pledge of our eternal Conquest we are Conquerours already we do but gather the Spoyle Make use of Christs death as the merit pattern and motive of your Conquest 11. Labouring for sincerity 12. Get well acquainted with Divine Attributes and Divine Promises and such especially as may be most suitable for your condition 13. Abhorre the Relicks of Superstition The very Nest the very Cage of the Bird is unclean Not a crum of that old Leaven 't will sower the whole Lump Antichrist is hugely like the Devil let him get in but one paw let him but get in his head hee will quickly get in the whole body If you would avoid the paw of Antichrist avoid as much as you can the very parings of his nails 14. Get an experimental knowledge of Gospel Truths They are your head Professors that turn Apostates 15. Let this be your first and chiefest care your first and last to seek and serve God Which if you do as all other things so this priviledge of Conquest shall be added unto you as your Crown Seek ye first the Kingdome of God and the righteousness thereof and all these things shall be added unto you which opens the door to The Seventeenth sermon Mat. 6.33 Seek yee first the Kingdome of God and his Righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you FRom this Scripture you had a Remedy against Solicitous Thoughts and Fears given in this Proposition that a serious Inquiry and earnest Pursute of the Kingdome of Heaven and the Righteousness thereof is an excellent remedy against distracting cares and fears about Provision and safety Seek First and trouble your selves no more Seek first the Kingdome of God c. Two questions was proposed and answered 1. What is it earnestly to enquire after and seriously to pursue the Kingdome of God and his Righteousness In this Question three things included the Object the Act the Order 1. The Object the Kingdome of God the Kingdome of Heaven and its Righteousness The Kingdome of Heaven that is the Kingdome of Grace and the Kingdome of Glory the Kingdome of Grace as the means to the Kingdome of Glory The Righteousness of this Kingdome that is sanctification sincere holiness in heart and life which is the beginning or the way to and a sign or pledge of our interest in the Kingdome of Glory 2. The Act Seek i. e. bestir your utmost thoughts about your utmost time care and diligence upon these things 2. Seek i. e. set your choicest affections upon these things 3. Seek i. e. strive and labour go forth in utmost endeavours for obtaining of these things 3. The Order seek first seek it first in respect of time begin with God remember thy Creator in the daies of thy youth seek it first with the greatest care acquired diligence industry with the greatest seriousness The Kingdome of God is the most necessary thing indeed that one thing necessary 'T is the most excellent thing eternal all other things are temporal get this and you get all you get above the terrours of the world The best way to have the things of this world sanctified is this seek first the Kingdome of God c. 2. How is this a remedy against distracting cares and fears Answ 1. It is a remedy by divertion 2. Present things seem little when acquainted with eternal things Vse 1. This reproves those that observe not our Saviours direction 1. Those that are drowned in earthly things give them Onions and Garlick take the Kingdome of Heaven and Righteousness thereof who will Let mee have my part in Paris what care I for Paradice 2. Others that are for the Kingdome of God but not for the Righteousness of that Kingdome they are for the end but they do not care for the way they would have the fruit but they will not climbe the Tree 3. Others that could wish they had a portion in it but in a slight and perfunctory way if Heaven could be obtained with a few prayers this they 'd do but further they will not go 2. Is this such an excellent way to cure our carnal fears and cares what advantage hath a childe of God above all other men in the world both in this life and that to come in this life under a watchful providence not a hair of his head shall perish but chiefly the priviledges of an everlasting Kingdome hee hath a bird in the bush and in hand too choice enjoyments in the hand and in hope much more but much more above and this hope of his shall not make him ashamed The vision of his appointed comforts is for an appointed time and it will come will come said I Faith looks out and sees it coming already let but Faith look to Heaven and hee sees his Judge coming which brings mee to The Eighteenth Sermon Revel 22.12 Behold I come quickly and my reward is with mee THe Observation from the words was this The Lord Jesus will certainly and speedily come to Judgement when hee shall give reward equal to every man These two Questions was answered 1. In what sense Christ comes quickly Answ In Gods account with whom a thousand years are but as one day In our account Faith sees him coming though sense cannot Faith makes future things present 't is the perspective of the soul Beleevers receive part of their reward at death and that 's quickly 2. Why doth Christ defer his coming at all Ans 1. To stop the mouths of the wicked they will not have one word to reply they had time and space to repent 2. Out of his dear love hee bears to his Elect There 's many of his Elect not yet born and though born not new born now these must be born and new born and brought all in and when that time is come then hee will come Vse 1. Will Christ come quickly and with a reward then certainly remember this Atheist 't is no vain thing to serve our Lord Jesus What profit is it if wee serve him c what profit infinite profit there 's a reward coming 2. By way of Exhortation will Christ come oh then 1. Prepare for his coming labour to be prepared by his spiritual coming into thy heart that 's the way to be prepared for his last coming get thy understanding enlightened in