15. he is said to be a quickning Spirit he hath life in him and quickens others Joh. 14.6 he is The life he is life emphatically above all others he is a Root he hath life principally and eminently in him 3 The Root you know bears up the tree the branches and the fruit of the tree the Root bears up all Thou bearest not the root but the root bears thee Rom. 11. So it is the Lord Jesus Christ this Root that bears up all Christ bears up the world Christ bears up the Church Christ bears up heaven he bears up all Heb. 1.3 Vpholding all things by the word of his power The Lord Jesus is the Root I say that bears and upholds all the whole Creation Sion it self and Heaven it self are upheld by this Root the Lord Jesus Christ but especially the Church here in this world especially Sion and the members of Sion beleeving souls Joh. 15. I am the Vine that is I am the Root of the Vine the Church is the Vine and Christ is its Root and he bears up the whole Vine and all the branches and all the clusters upon the Vine hee bears them up he is the Root of the Vine so that Christ is a Root that bears up all he did bear up David his family David and his Kingdome he bears up Sion and all the children of Sion 4 Lastly the Root doth convey life and sap and nourishment unto the whole body to all the branches so it is the Lord Jesus Christ that doth convey sap and life and nourishment unto all his body every branch in the Vine receives the vertue from the root of the Vine and all have life from Christ I am come that ye may have life Joh. 10. all life is from Christ and all light is from Christ He is the morning star which we may speak of afterwards and all nourishment is from Christ he is said to be the Head of the Church and the Head of the Church is the Root of the Church in the Scripture sense And from the Head is all influence of light and of direction and counsel and motion and comfort all is from the Head all is from this Root From Christ is conveyed all Without me yee can do nothing unless yee be in me and have vertue from me and derive all from me you can do nothing Thus you see that Christ is a Root the Root of David But there are some disparities What disparities there are between Christ and a Root or things wherein Christis not like a Root First A Root take it in the litteral sense the roots of trees and plants they are of a dying nature decaying nature and wil grow rotten and consume Job 14.8 Though the root thereof wax old in the earth and the stock thereof dye in the ground the root of a tree waxes old and will dye and perish and come to nothing but Christ is not like a root in that sense For Christ he lives for ever Heb. 7. This Root never dyes never decayes Christ the same yesterday the same to day the same to morrow and the same for ever The Root of Sion for ever and the Root of David for ever Secondly A root doth bear but one tree suffices one or two or three bodies at most the root of a Corn it may be will suffice for two or three or half a dosen stalks it cannot suffice for all But Christ is a Root that suffices for all for all Sion for the whole world for the Church for Heaven Hee is the Root of David the Root of Jesse the Root of Abraham of Isaac Hee is the Root of all the Prophets and Apostles of all beleevers of all that have spiritual life in them he is the Root of them all so that this Root is of another nature than those roots Thirdly Other roots are subject to the wills and humors and pleasures of men they can dig up the roots of things they can burn the roots and abuse the roots but Christ is not subject to the wills and humors of any to be spoyled to bee consumed The Scribes and Pharisees thought to root out this Root when they put him to death but when he was in the grave he saw no corruption he laid down his life and none took it from him without his leave And he rose again Rom. 1.4 and mightily declared himself to be the Son of God by the Spirit of holiness he declared himself to be a Root that man hath not power over So then you see for the opening of this word Root these things do clear it Object But here is an Objection You say Christ is the Root of David and the Root of all Why had not Christ himself a Root and was not he from a Root and how can he be the Root of all Isa 11.1 And there shall come forth a Rod out of the stem of Jesse and a branch shal grow out of his Roots This is meant of Christ that Christ should come out of Jesse and Jesse should be the Root of Christ and in the 10. v. it is said In that day there shall be a Root of Jesse which shall stand for an Ensign of the people The same is said to be the Root of Jesse which is said to be the stem or branch of Jesse How will these things accord Ans As I answered before Jesse is the Root of Christ according to his humane nature and Christ is the Root of Jesse according to his Divine nature or if you will Christ as Mediator was the Root of Jesse and of all the godly The words being opened I shall give you this Observation I am the Root of David Observ That the Lord Christ is the Root of Nature the Root of Grace and the Root of Glory How will that appear why he was the Root of David as a man the Root of David as a Saint and the Root of David as glorified David was now in heaven Hee was the root of David as a man Psal Christ thâ— root of Nature 119.73 Thy hands have made me and fashioned me O Lord saith David I did not make my self and my Parents did not make me But thy hands have made me and fashioned me Thy hand hath made me such a creature thy hand did curiously work me when I was in my mothers womb that framed me and moulded me that ordered all my bones and sinews and joynts and parts and faculties and the like Thy hand hath made me the work of nature was from him He was the Root of Nature And so likewise He was the Root of Grace Christ the root of Grace and Glory and the Root of Glory saith David Psal 110. The Lord said unto my Lord Why was Christ Davids Lord because he had given him Grace and made him his servant Why his Lord because he would give him Glory The Lord said unto my Lord sit thou at my right hand Christ was Davids Lord because he
to shed his bloud and to wash us in his own bloud he hath so loved us as he hath laid down his life for us and thought nothing too dear to part with nothing too hard to suffer on our account 6 Christ likewise sparkled in his pity and compassion towards the people when they came to hear him Christ was full of compassion and would not let them go away hungry lest they should faint by the way Christ in the nineteenth of Luke weeps over Jerusalem Christ wept over sinners that would not weep for themselves Christ sparkled in all these and in many other passages of his life and so you see that he is a Star indeed in sparkling and letting out his beams and dispelling darkness Thirdly The morning Star is the most eminent Star one of them in all the Heavens a chief Star so Christ is the chiefest Star the Star of the first Magnitude there is not a more glorious Star in the Heavens than the morning Star and not a more glorious one than Christ In 2 Sam. 16.17 Princes and great ones are called eminent Stars or Lights Thou shalt go no more out with us to Battel that thou quench not the light of Israel why David was a Star of the greatest magnitude in all Israel and so Senacharib or Nebuchadnezzar or both of them they are said to be Lucifer the Son of the morning Isa 14.12 that is a chief Star yet a falling star but now Christ is a Star which is most eminent there is no star among the Sons of Men no Man no Angel that is equal to Christ but he is above them he is of a higher magnitude Psal 45.2 He is fairer than the Children of men he hath more beauty more glory more Majesty more greatness than any of the Children of men Rev. 1.5 Hee is Prince of the Kings of the earth take the Kings of the Earth that are stars and great stars yet Christ is the Prince of the Kings of the Earth so that upon this account he is a bright and a morning Star he goes beyond all the stars and all the lights in the World and all the Lights in Heaven Fourthly Stars you know have their influences and let down their influences here upon the Creatures In Job there is mention made of Pleiades the seven stars and Oryon and the rest that send down their influences and the morning star hath its influences as well as other stars so the Lord Christ he is not wanting this way but le ts out his influences Christ is said to have the seven Spirits the seven Stars and le ts out all the Graces and vertues of his Spirit Of his fulness we receive grace for grace and he sends the Comforter he is the head and hath influence into the whole body This Star lets out vertue into all the inferiour Bodies that are belonging unto him so that the Lord Christ he is a bright morning Star upon this account Lastly Christ is a bright and morning Star especially in that the morning Star brings notice of good tidings that the day is at hand when the morning Star is up then the day is near so Christ hee hath brought good tidings that the day is at hand and that the night is past Luk. 2. At the Incarnation of Christ the Angel said Fear not for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people for unto you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord. And what then Vers 14. Glory to God in the highest on earth peace good will towards men Now the night of Gods anger was past and the day of Gods favour was coming he brought back the Sun of Gods favour and fatherly goodness and love unto us so in Luke 1.76 77. Thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways to give knowledge of Salvation to his people by the remission of their sins through the tender mercy of our God whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us to give light unto them which sit in darkness and in the shadow of death to guide our feet into the way of peace So that here is good tidings come now the day is at hand and Christ hath brought immortality and life again into the world 2 Tim. 1.10 which are now made manifest by the appearing of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who hath abolished death and hath brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel and especially the morning Star in regard of the great day that is a coming which some call the Day of Judgement and others call the Day of Restitution of all things there is a great Day a coming Christ is the bright morning Star that doth fore-run the great Day of which you hear in Zech. 14.9 And the Lord shall be King over all the earth in that day shall there be one Lord and his name one this bright morning Star is the fore-runner of that day in that day this bright morning Star shall be a Sun and vers 20 21. In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses holiness to the Lord and the Pots in the Lords House shall be like the Bowls before the Altar yea every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall bee holiness to the Lord of Hosts and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them and seeth therein and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord of Hosts There is a great day a coming wherein there shall be no more the Canaanite in the House of the Lord and Mal. 4. Behold the day cometh that shall burn as an Oven c. but unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings There is a day a coming a great day which this Day-star is the fore-runner of 2 Pet. 3. Looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of God wherein the Heavens beeing on fire shall bee dissolved and the Element shall melt with fervent heat He is a bright morning Star in regard he goes before that day which shall come Thus you see upon what account and in what sense Christ is resembled to a bright morning Star Now an Objection we have to answer which is this Obj. Are not Saints Stars and Angels Stars and Morning Stars too Is this any great matter in that Christ is called a Star and a morning Star In Gen. 37.9 Joseph in his Dream there saith I beheld the Sun and the Moon and the eleaven Stars made obeysance unto me that was his Brethren And in Job 38 7. When the Morning Stars sang together and all the Sons of God shouted for joy that is interpreted of the Angels who are called morning Stars so that if Saints be Stars and Angels morning Stars is it any such matter that Christ is here called a bright and a morning Star and it is
these things are laid aside but here is the difference between them the true thirst carries thee unto Grace Holiness and Communion with God and makes you look at the excellencies of God whereas the other look for peace ease Salvation and the like Now it is true that men and women who look at Grace Holiness and Communion with God shall have pardon peace and Salvation but these are as Consequences Lord saith the Soul rather make me holy than pardon me for if I be not holy what shall I do in Heaven if I be holy I cannot miscarry in Hell a holy Soul shall never feel pain though it be in Hell and a corrupt Soul shall never finde joy though it be in Heaven so that in this there lies a great difference Of Spiritual Thirst and Thirsters REV. 22.17 Let him that is athirst come WEE now proceed to shew you how you shall know the true Spiritual Thirst by the effects and fruits of it 1 True Spiritual thirst doth cause even fainting in the Soul â—he efâ—cts and â—uits of â—â—e Spiriâ—al thirst as the Natural thirst makes a man or woman to faint as in Judges 15.19 it is said there of Sampson that he drank and revived and his spirit came again his spirit was gone he was ready to faint his thirst was such that it brought him low and in Psal 107.5 Hungry and thirsty their souls fainted in them they were very feeble they were brought low with hunger and thirst and where there is this Spiritual thirst the Soul is brought low it is ready to faint as the Spouse in the Canticles Tell him that I am sick of love O my desires are such after Christ and after my Beloved that I am sick of Love I am ready to faint And so David Psal 42. his Soul panted and thirsted after God as the Hart when it is long hunted wearied and dry pants after the water Brooks so a Soul that hath a Spiritual thirst it is ready to faint with longing after God with longing after Christ with desiring of Grace and the incomes of his Spirit the light of his Countenance communion with God in Christ this is one effect of it 2 This thirst will cause men to stir and to seek out when men are truly and thorowly athirst they will seek out for drink a man that is thorowly athirst he will out of his Bed at Midnight and down to the Seller and get drink to quench his thirst when men are athirst they will run to this Brook and to that Brook for water those in Judg. 7. they down on their knees and lapt water Men at Sea what shifts will they make to get a little water when they are dry so the Soul that is athirst will not sit still but seek out it will seek for Brooks and Fountains it will run to every Ordinance to every Promise run unto Christ look up to God If there bee any means of Grace in a Land it will finde the same out if the Vision be never so rare the Word never so precious it will look out after it a Soul that is thirsty it will seek abroad it will not bee restrained and kept within bounds that is the nature of a Spiritual thirst when their desires were a little stirred at Christs coming how did they flock after Christ and continued with him nights and days You have beon with me saith Christ these two or three days and he works a Miracle now to satisfie them that they might not faint in going home so all night did they sit there with Paul when hee preacht the Gospel that they might drink large drafts of that heavenly Doctin a Soul that is athirst will seek out for releef 3 Again Where there is true thirst there men will part with any thing for to releeve their thirst hungry and thirsty men wil part with any thing for those necessaries which Nature requires when Hagar saw the Bottle empty and the Childe ready to perish the water was spent in the Bottle and she casts the Childe under one of the shrubs and she went and sate her down over against him a good way off as it were a Bow-shot for she said Let me not see the death of the Childe and she sate over against him and lift up her voyce and wept What would Hager have given for a Bottle of water for a morsel of bread and when her eyes were open to see the Well how it did rejoyce her that a Well was near her And Esau when hee was hungry and thirsty he gives away his Birth-right hee sells that for a little Pottage and for Drink hee gives any thing to releeve and help him in that case Gen. 25. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of Lintals and he sold his birth-right unto Jacob for it So in this Spiritual thirst men will part with any thing to have this Spiritual thirst satisfied they will accept of Christ upon his own terms they will pluck out a right eye cut off a right hand or a right foot part with their deerest lusts now to have the thirst of their Souls quenched The young-man that came to Christ Good Master what shall I do to inherite eternal life It was a false thirst in him saith Christ Go and sell all that thou hast and give to the poor and thou shalt have treasure in heaven Now had his thirst been true hee would have parted with his riches for Christ the Disciples parted with all Master we have parted with all and followed thee the Soul that is truly athirst wil let all go to have its thirstsatisfied How can yee beleeve saith Christ when yee seek honour one of another let go your honour let go your pleasures let go the Creatures seek honour of God alone If men were athirst after Divine injoyments and Divine honours they would let these things go Spiritual thirst will cause men to part with any thing 4 Again Those that are truly thirsty things that are bitter seem pleasant unto them that drink which is sower and distaftful unto others is wonderful sweet and pleasing unto them Darius and his Nobles when they were dry drank puddle water and thought that never any Wine was so pleasant as that water was unpleasing things and things untoothsome will be very delightsome unto such Souls and where this Spiritual thirst is there is not any truth in all the Gospel though it seem never so severe never so cross to Nature never so contrary to our wills humours and fancies but we will drink it down let a man deny himself and take up his Cross and follow Christ this will down with a man that is truly thirsty A man to become a fool that he may be wise this will down the Gospel hath many things in it which to flesh and bloud are something hard unsavoury but were we truly Spiritual Thirsters and did thirst after Christ even the most bitterest truths and the tartest cup that Christ
you may see how they sparkle and send out their beams whereby they do dispel darkness so Christ having hid in him all the treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge he doth sparkle and send out his beams of Light whereby he doth dispel darkness and herein he is like to the Stars now Christ he sparkles and expels darkness by his Doctrin by his Miracles and by his Conversation First in his Doctrin the Lord Christ had the Spirit above measure and was full of Wisdom full of Grace full of Knowledge and hee gives out Divine truths sparkling truths truths that are very glorious he gave out the Gospel 2 Cor. 4.4 Lest saith he the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ the Gospel is glorious and full of light and it shines why it is the Gospel of Christ and in 1 Joh. 2.8 The darkness is past and the true Light now shines Christ is the true Light and he gave out the true Light the Gospel and saith he the darkness is past that is dispelled and driven away and the true Light shines Christ is a Star now upon this account that he sparkles in his Doctrin and dispels darkness Christ doth dispel the darkness of ignorance Matth. 4.16 The people which sate in darkness saw a great light when Christ came they saw â—â—en the darkness of ignorance and now this Star scattered the darkness and they saw a great light Hee scatters the darkness of wickedness of malice of corruption and sin in the hearts of men and women and in their lives Ephes 5.11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather reprove them Here is light now brought to scatter the darkness of wickedness and of sin He scatters the darkness of death Luk. 2.29 Lord now lettest thou thy Servant depart in peace according to thy Word for mine eyes have seen thy Salvation saith old Simeon Now I fear no death nor the darkness of death Mine eyes have seen thy salvation Christ he came and he being the Salvation and the Consolation of Israel the darkness of death was no darkness unto Simeon He scatters the darkness of Afflictions 2 Cor. 4. For our light afflictions which is but for a moment worketh for us a farre more exceeding and eternal weight of glory While we look not at the things which are seen but at the things that are not seen when we look at Christ and the glory of Christ afflictions are no afflictions unto us so in 1 Cor. 5. for as the Sufferings of Christ abound in us so our Consolation abounds by Christ afflictions are no afflictions where this Light comes where this Star shineth so that Christ he gives in his Doctrin and expels darkness Christs Doctrin is a convincing Doctrin He shall convince men of sin of righteousness and of judgement so in Mat. 22. there he convinc'd them stop'd their mouthes Give unto Caesar the things that are Caesars and unto God the things that are Gods and they were all amazed at his Doctrin and Wisdom Christs light it was a distinguishing light Joh. 3. Verily verily I say unto you except a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of heaven so in Joh. 8. If Abraham were your Father you would do the works of Abraham but you are of your Father the Devil and his lusts you will do It is distinguishing Light His Doctrin is quickning and converting Joh. 6. The words that I speak are spirit and life His Doctrin is a comforting Doctrin full of comfort and consolation why this Star doth sparkle in the Gospel and there is abundance of glory and light therein so that Christ he is a Star upon that account So Secondly in his Miracles how did this Star sparkle there and fill the world with glory and light there Matth. 4.23 Jesus went about all Galilee teaching in their Synagogues and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people and his same went throughout all Syria and they brought unto him all sick people c. His fame went throughout all Galilee and Syria and all the Countries round about And in Matth. 15. the Woman of Canaan comes to him and he healed her daughter and vers 30 31. Great multitudes came unto him having with them those that were Iame blinde dumb maimed and many others and cast them down at Jesus feet and he healed them insomuch that the multitude wondred when they saw the dumb to speak the maimed to be whole the lame to walk and the blinde to see and they glorified the God of Israel Here is the Lord Christ now sparkling in his power and Miracles and shewed himself to be a bright morning Star to be God indeed Thirdly Christ sparkles in his Conversation O how did this morning Star sparkle there 1 In his Humility how did hee shine there in the thirteenth of John Christ washes his Disciples feet and wipes them when hee had done Go saith he and do as I have done I that am your Lord and Master I have humbled my self to set you down and to wash your feet and to wipe them with a towel here is an example of Humility for you go and do as I have done 2 In his Meekness and Patience O how patient was Christ when they wronged him and abused him every way He was dumb as a sheep before the Shearer and opened not his mouth Matth. 11.29 Learn of me for I am meek and lowly 3 He sparkled in his Self-denial when they came to make him a King he would be no King he refused Honour and Greatness and Glory when they would have trumpeted his Fame hee forbad them and commanded them silence and to say nothing when they would have him to have divided the Inheritance among the Brethren he would not but denies himself yea he denied his own greatness in heaven 4 So likewise in his Obedience There he was a sparkling Star indeed never such obedience as the obedience of Christ Phil. 3. Hee humbled himself to the death of the Cross hee bare our infirmities he bare our sins he bare the wrath of God he was made an open shame and scorn O never such Humility as was in Christ he humbled himself to obey things contrary to flesh and bloud who would have obeyed as Christ obeyed when he had power in his hand and could have commanded twelve Legions of Angels yet he obeys unto death 5 So Christ he sparkles in his love to Mankind was there ever such love as Christ shews to the World Gods Love is set out with a So he loved the world and so hath Christ loved the world so as to dye for it Rev. 1.5 He hath loved us and washed us in his own bloud Did ever any Mother love the Childe so as to wash it in her own bloud Did there ever any Prince love his People so as to wash them in his own bloud But Christ hath so loved us as
evil the thoughts of the heart As God is just and will punish sin so God is powerful to do it God he hath a strong Arm and when he comes to punish he can do it to purpose See what Job saith in chap. 16.12 I was at ease but he hath broken me asunder he hath also taken me by my neck and shaken me to peeces and set mee up for his mark c. Did God deal thus with holy Job what will hee do with sinners Is not God a consuming fire Is not God terrible in righteousness Can any escape the hands of God Yee sinners in Sion can yee escape the hands of God What will yee do in the day of Visitation when God comes Can yee stand it out against the Almighty can yee plead with God and bring forth your Arguments to justifie your selves God will Condemn you he will shake you to peeces God will break your bonâ—s hee will make your reâ—es speak bitter things unto you Now the consideration of Gods Purity of Gods Justice of Gods Power sould make you thirst after Christ who may make you holy and free you from his Justice and from his Power that he might not destroy you The Law Secondly Consider the Law of God the Law of God is in few words in the Ten Commandements there is much forbidden and many things commanded he that is angry without cause he that saith unto his Brother Racha or thou fool is in danger of Hell fire Hee that looks upon a Woman and lusts after her hath committed Adultery and Adulterers shall be shut out of the Kingdom of Heaven you think Thoughts are free and lust free but what saith Paul When the Commandement came sin revived and I dyed the Commandement slew me and if the Law once enter and seize upon your heart it will drink up the moysture of your spirit it will make you restless night and day it will be as an Arrow in your Liver as a hot burning Iron Paul thought himself once that he was righteous blameless civil just and that no man should be saved sooner than himself but he was deceived when the Law came he saw what a sinner he was what vild thoughts vild lusts and practices he had been guilty of and the Law slew him The Law pronounces a Curse over your heads and James tells you He that breaks one is guilty of all therefore do not you see a need of Christ now Have you no thirsting desires after Christ who shall deliver you from the Law who shall free you from the Curse if you have not Christ to do it you will stand and fall by the Law and you cannot be justified the Jews would be saved as it were by the Law but they perished seeking righteousness by the Law and so will all that go that way Sin Again consider something of Sin are you not sinners If there be any here that saith he is not a sinner let him depart but if we be all sinners let us consider the nature of Sin O how doth sin defile us how doth sin black us what ugly loathsome Creatures doth sin make us what Black-a-mores are wee and those that are in their bloud in their filth those that dye in their sin wo bee to them well let us then lay to heart the evil of our sin and I am perswaded there is not one here that hath any understanding about it but sees a great deal of evil at one time or other in sin it is the offence of God it is the death of the Soul it is the breach of the Command Sin is that that separates between God men now what you have in the notion bring it down and reallize it in your hearts follow it with meditation and let meditation bring in the evil of sin bring in the Indictment I am guilty of this and that and the other sin and let Conscience now sit as Judge in you and speak out Conscience will Condemn you and say O thou hast sinned against my Lord and Master I am his Deputy and I sit as a petty god in thy Soul and I tell thee Thou art a Damned lost Creature now when things are brought home thus then will yee thirst after a Pardon then will you look out for Salvation then will you see Christs Bloud Christs Intercession and Christs Merits to bee precious Stout-hearted Sinners and High-way Men when the Sentence of death hath been pronounced over their heads and they have seen that they are Condemned men then they have fallen down upon their knees and have begged mercy so many stout-hearted Sinners if they would but follow home their sin by Meditation and bring the Notion home to their hearts they would see themselves to have need of Christ and to have Mercy and Grace through him Our own Lives Again Consider your own Lives have you any Lease of your Lives as Hezekiah had Do you know you shall live another week another year another night or day Are not your Lives uncertain your breath in your Nostrils Do we not finde in Scripture and in daily experience how suddenly men and women are pulled away by some hand of God or other Senacheribs Army smitten all in a night one hundred fourscore and five thousand men fifty thousand Bethshemites smitten for peeping into the Ark Herod eaten up with Worms the Tower of Shilo fell upon eighteen two Bears out of the Wood tare forty two Children And have we not examples in our days How many are blown up with Powder how many are burnt with fire how many drop down in the streets as they go Why do not you thirst after Christ and his Righteousness There is no way for you but by Christ it is Christ alone that will secure your Souls therefore can you be too early hie forward upon this account If Christ be not yours and you dye wo to you you shall dye in your sins saith Christ This were a sad Sentence to be pronounced over your head to be written upon your doors or hearts Man Woman thou shalt dye in thy sins it had been better thou hadst never been born now unless you get interest in Christ you must dye in your sins Eternity Lastly consider Eternity here you have a being but for a little time but what comes after there is an eternal condition of bliss or wo and the most go the wrong way there is a possibility for thee for eternal Happiness and the way is to thirst after Christ sit down and consider with thy self whosoever thou art that art in the gall of bitterness and hast deluded thy Soul hitherto with an out-side or form of godliness Consider ere long I must go hence and there are thousands go to Hell for one that goes to Heaven well it is time for me now to look to my self I may be gone before next day before next year and is Christ mine what a Swearer a Drunkard a Worldling a Whore-master one that doth rail slander and
are said to be maidens who are sent forth to allure and to draw poore soules in to Jesus Christ So that the great worke of the Ministry is to make knowne the willingness of Christ and to bring sinners unto Christ that they may have mercy from him In the 2 Cor 5.19 20. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himselfe not imputing their trespasses unto them and hath committed unto us the word of Reconciliation now then wee are Ambassadours for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray ye in Christs stead be ye reconciled to God Saith Paul I am an Ambassador of God and God doth beseech you by us God doth beseech sinners and therefore wee beseech you saith he we beseech ye for the Lords sake be ye reconciled to God doe not stand out with God and Christ any longer but come in to God and come in to Christ and so God will receive you and Christ will receive you God doth beseech you by Ministers God doth intreat you The Commission was Goe teach all Nations he commands them for to teach all nations to acquaint them with the riches of Grace by Christ the wonderfull love and kindness of God in Christ and what 's to be had by Christ that people might come to him and have mercy and releife from him Eighthly This willingness of Christ to doe sinners good will appeare yet further in that he doth accept of the least and lowest degrees of Faith and will not discourage the weakest soule that comes unto him Math 12.20 A bruised reede shall he not breake and smoaking flax shall he not quench till he send forth Judgement unto victory Christ will be very tender of a bruised reede very tender of smoaking flax he will not breake one he will not quench the other he will not deale harshly and roughly with them but he will send forth Judgement unto victory He will give them power over all their corruptions over all their feares doubts he will make them to judge all their Enemies and be victorious over their Enemies So in the 45 Isa 22. Looke unto me and be ye saved all the ends of the earth Looke unto me and be saved If I have but a good looke from you saith Christ I will entertaine you looke unto me but with the weakest eye of Faith though it be a dim eye be but halfe an eye looke unto me and be saved In the 40 of Isa 11. He shall feede his Flocke like a Shepherd he shall gather the Lambs with his Armes and carry them in his bosom and shall Gently leade those that are with young See how tender the Lord Christ the good Shepherd will be of those that are weake Hee will gather the Lambs with his Armes as a Shepherd when he goes abroad and a Lamb is newly yeaned and it 's weake and feeble and the weather is cold and frosty hee takes up the Lamb in his Armes and carries it home and gives it milke So the Lord will deale by a poore weak feeble soule he will carry it in the Armes of his providence in the Armes of his Spirit in those Everlasting Armes of his that never faile he will carry the Lambs in his bosom and Gently leade those that are with young Thus will he deale with them Hence he saith in the 14 Rom Him that is weak in the Faith receive ye but not to doubtfull disputations Receive him that is weake in the Faith if there be never so little Faith receive him if there be but one dram of Faith receive him Ninthly The willingness of the Lord Christ to doe sinners good appeares in this That he shutts not up this water of Life though he knowes but few will come unto him for it and those of them that doe come unto him they doe oft abase it and abase him too People doe hasten more to the waters for their bodyes to the Bath Epsum Tunbridge and to new drinkes that they have now they flock to have these for the body and can magnifie them and speak wonderfully well of them but few come to Christ and when they do come they will hardly drinke as I have told you before they speak evill of those doctrines he gives them these are hard sayings Peter himselfe denies Christ his Master denies him once twice thrice Thus Christ is dealt withall by sinners and notwithstanding all this Christ doth not shut up the water nor lock up the water but the waters stand open for any to come let whosoever will come let him come and drinke of the waters of life freely If Christ had not had a minde wee should have these waters he would have taken a course to deprive us of them he could soone dry up the waters dry up the Gospel But the waters are not dryed up they are not taken from us there is freedome for any to come notwithstanding they have abused the waters Tenthly It is strong Evidence that the Lord Christ is willing to save sinners and to doe sinners good In that he is greived troubled and affected very much that sinners will not come to him for these waters ô Jerusalem Jerusalem saith Christ weeping over it how oft would I have gathered thee as a hen doth her chickens and ye would not ô Jerusalem Jerusalem that thou hadest knowne in this thy day the things that belong unto thy peace but now they are hidden from thine eyes Christ is greived at the heart that men and women doe not come to him though they have no money though they have nothing to buy the water with yet that they will not come and fetch the water Christ is greived and troubled at the very heart to see it ô that these publick places should be so empty upon a Lords day so empty upon a week day there 's water of life and none will come and drinke the water how oft how oft may Christ say would I have sav'd such a Towne such a Nation such a people and they would not Christ weepes over soules and familyes and Cities Eleventhly It 's wonderfull perspicuous and cleere that Christ would doe sinners good in that he doth press them with the strongest Arguments that can be to pertake of the good is to be had by himselfe What promises doth he make what evills doth he threaten There are two great Arguments that doe prevaile with all the world yet will not prevaile here he setts lise and death before men If you will come here 's life for you if you will not come you are dead men people will not keepe within doores when these are the Arguments my life is at the stake and if I goe I am a made man if not I am a lost man an undone man Why will ye dye ô house of Israel I am not willing ye should dye why will ye dye why will ye dye turne unto me and live come unto me and live In the 55 of Isa Incline your â—are and come