were but now you cannot help it these things and times are gone and cannot be recalled such a one hath been a drunkard a swearer a worldling c. but he cannot help it now True he might have helped it and because he did not his heart shall bleed for it if he belong to God but doe not stand poaring too much upon it but consider now what you have to doe now you are to humble your selves now you are to strive with God in all manner of prayer for more grace and more power of obedience and assurance and be not discouraged Fourthly If the soule be discouraged it will breed nothing but sorrow What is the reason that many Christians are alwayes weeping and mourning and sighing and sobbing from day to day all their life time and will not be comforted because of these discouragements 1 Thes 4. 13. Sorrow not saith the Apostle as those that have no hope as if he had said sorrow if you will but do not sorrow as they that have â—o hope How is that it is a sorrow with nothing but sorrow from which they have no hope of inlargement or freedome O then my brethren suppose you have dead hearts suppose you want zeale you want assurance suppose it be so yet labour to attain these grace sorrow and spare not weepe and mourne and powre out whole buckets of teares for your sinnes if you can but sorrow not with nothing but sorrow be not discouraged suppose that thou hast a dead heart that thou art an hypocrite that thou hast a rotten heart it is a heavy thing and a fearful case indeed for which thou hast great cause of humiliation and sorrow but yet sorrow not desperately as men without hope be not wholly discouraged but as you sorrow for your sinnes so also labour with incouragement to get cut and be rid of your sinnes Fifthly Discouragements breed and procure a totall perplexity They leave the soul in a maze that it knows not whither to turne it self When men come to be discouraged O what shall I do saith one I am utterly undone saith another I know not what will become of me saith a third Oh I am utterly lost I shall perish one day one day God will discover me and be avenged on me for this and that sin I were as good go to he lat the first as at the last for that will be the end of me I have gone to prayer but that doth not helpe me I have gone to Sacraments but I find no help still my soule lies under the power of sinne still my sinnes are as strong in me as ever Thus the soule is discouraged and cries out Oh what shall I doe I know not what to doe What shall I doe sayest thou Alas thou hast things enough to doe if thou wert not discouraged Utterly undone No man thou mightest see that thou art not utterly undone but that thou art discouraged Dost thou not know what will be come of thee yea poore soule there is mercy grace and peace for thee if thou wilt not be discouraged Sixthly Discouragements whisper within a man a sentence of death and an impossibility of escaping As far as the discouragement of life goeth so far goeth the sentence of death We despaired of life and had the sentence of death in our selves saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 1. 8. 9. he despaired of life in himselfe and therfore had the sentence of death in himself this was good but he did not despaire of life in God for then he should have had likewise the sentence of death from God in his conscience If you despaire in the Lord you have the sentence of death and damnation from God in your conscience take heed of this my beloved be not discouraged in God do not despaire in the Lord that will work a miserable effect in your souls it will secretly whisper a sentence of damnation in your soules It is strange to consider how many poore soules rub on with these whispering sentences in their bosomes suffering their consciences day by day to tell them that they are rotten to tell them that they were never yet converted to tell them that they are yet in the state of damnation and yet they will not root out these discouragements O goe to the Throne of grace begge for grace and for mercie and for power against sinne and bee not discouraged What wilt thou carry thine owne sentence of death in thy breast if thou wilt not rouze up thy soule and pray with more affection and confidence and shake off discouragements take heed least thou carry the sentence of thine owne death and damnation in thy bowels Oh therefore once more let mee beseech you to take heede of these discouragements and now hearken unto the voice of God which calleth upon you Feare not Thou drewest nigh in the day that I called upon thee Thou saidest Feare not THE MISERY OF THE CREATURES BY The Sinne of Man In a SERMON By WILLIAM FENNER Minister of the Gospel sometimes Fellow of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge and late Lecturer of Rochford in Essex London Printed by E. T. for John Stafford They are accusing groanes They are judging and condemning groanes First they are upbraiding groanes Give ears Oh ye heavens and I will speak and hear Oh earth the words of my lips Deut. 32. 1. as if God had said mark O ye heavens and let all the whole world hear what I testify against this people as if the heavens and the earth did upbraid them of their unthankfulnesse God commands the Sun to shine and it shineth the earth to fructify and it obeyeth But this wicked people he commands to repent and forsake their sins and they will not Chrysostome saith wicked men although they have naturall reason in them are more senceless than sencelesse creatures the rocks and the flints the flye and the gnats may upbraid them the rocks rent in sunder but this people will not rent their hearts swarmes of flies were hiss'd for to come and they yielded obedience and the livelesse creatures groan under the slavery of sin but they will not obey they will not be brought to groan for their sins How do all the creatures upbraid man Do ye thus requite the Lord O ye foolish people and unwise Beloved how do the heavens and the earth upbraide thee for unthankfulnesse wert thou ever in sickness and God did not deliver thee wert thou ever in misery and God did not comfort thee wert thou ever in any straight and God did not direct thee in sickness who was life unto thee in poverty who supplyed thee in danger who delivered thee was it noâ— God that hath done all for thee And shall the Lord command thee obedience and wilt thou not grant it him doth he command thee to part with thy lust and crucify all thy corruptions and wilt thou not obey him doth the Lord command thee to be meek humble patient and dost thou refuse then hear O heavens
Thirdly from Satan Fourthly from a mans own sluggishnesse For the first The best children of God have corrupt natures and when they have done what they can distractions will fasten on them They would perform good duties better if they were able saying with Paul The good which I would I do not c. Secondly from nature as it is curbed The more grace binds nature to its good behaviovr the more rustling it keeps Even a Bird being at liberty keps no stir but being in a cage it flutters about because it is abridged of its libertie so when thou hast curbed thy corrupt flesh it will be skittish in every good dutie thou goest about and hence it is that the Apostle useth this phrase viz. I find another law in my members rebelling against the law of my mind c. When grace curbs the law of sin then nature rebels Thirdly from Satan as in Job Satan stands at his right hand as a Plantiffe as Aegidius compares it which puts in all Cases to hinder the Defendant Even so the Devil puts in all bie-thoughts that he can devise to hinder a mans suit for going on before the throne of grace But thou must do as Abraham did when he was sacrificing when the birds came he drave them away so must thou do by thy bie-thoughts if thou wilt have fruit of thy supplications before God Fourthly they come from spiritual sluggishness that creeps on the best if they take not heed And this was the reason the Apostle cryed O wretched man that I am c. I speak not now to the children of God who are troubled with bie-thoughts in their praiers For they the more bie-thoughts they have the more earnest they are in prayer they mourn with David in their prayer Consider O Lord saith he how I mourn Psal 55. There was something in the Prophets prayer that did vex him and that made him so much the more to mourn before God But as for you that can have bie-thoughts in prayer and let them abide with you your praiers are not importunate the Heathen shall rise up against you and condemn you I remember a storie of a certain Youth who being in the temple with Alexander when he was to offer incense to his god and the Youth holding the golden Censer with the fire in it a coal fell on the Youths hand and burnt his wrist but the Youth considering what a sacred thing he was about for all he felt his wrist to be burnt yet he would not stir but continued still to the end This I speak to shame those that can let any thing though never so small to disturb them yea if it were possible lesser things then nothing for if nothing come to draw their hearts away they themselves will employ their hearts Baals Priests shall condemn these who did cut themselves with knives and all to make them pray so much the more stronglie What a shame is it then that we should come on life and death to pray for our souls and yet come with such loose and lazie praiers Think you that a male factor when he is crying at the Bar for his life will be thinking on his Pots and Whores c Was it ever heard of that a man at deaths-door should be thinking on his Dogs can he then think on them Do you think that Jonah prayed on this fashion when he was in the Whales belly or the Thief on the crosse or Daniel in the Lions den or the three Children in the fierie furnace or Paul in Prison Do ye think that these prayed thus What shall I be at praier and my mind in the fields No no if I will pray I must melt before God and bewail my sins and be heartily affected in prayer But as long as I pray thus I pray not at all And as God said to Adam where art thou so may he say to thee Man where art thou art thou at prayer and thy mind at mill is thy mind on thy Oxen and art thou at prayer before me what an indignitie is this Should a man come to sue to the King and not mind his suit will not the King say Do you mock me know you to whom ye speak The Lord takes this as a haynous sin when men come into his presence with such loose hearts Now seeing these things are thus take a word of exhortation to labour for importunate Prayer Prayer is the art of all arts it enables a man to all other duties it is the art of Repentance c. Samuel confessed if he had not had the 〈…〉 Prayer he could not have had the art of preaching 2 San. 12. 2â— See the antithesis between these two words God forbid as if he should say God forbid that I should cease to pray for you for then I should not teach you the right way A Minister can never preach to his people that prayes not for his people It is the art of Thanksgiving a man cannot be thankful if he cannot pray Psal 116. 12. It was the means whereby the Prophet David would be thankful to God he would take the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. A man hath not a good servant unlesse he can pray for his master see the story of Abrahams servant Gen 24. Prayer helps to perform all other good duties How dost thou think to have benefit by the Word unlâ—sse thou be fervent in prayer with God to get a blessing upon it We can do nothing but by begging Secondly as Prayer is the art of all arts so it is the Compendium of all divinitie Therefore to call zealously on the name of the Lord is to be a Christian Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord c. It includes repentance humiliation sorrow for sin joy in Gods goodnesse thanksgiving for mercies obedience to his commandements yea the whole dutie man therefore we must labour to be importunate in prayer A Reasonable soul is eminently all souls so Prayer is eminently all good duties Psal 72. The prayer of David the son Jesse that is all his repentance in all passages he did humble himself before God all Davids duties are included by the name of the prayer of David the son of Jesse And therefore thou hadst need to make much of Prayer for thou canst never repent unlesse thou pray well Thirdly Prayer is a mans utmost refuge a man cannot have Christ but only by Prayer 'T is bad enough for a man to be a Drunkard or to live in any other sin but yet after all this if a man have the spirit of prayer there is hope of this man if after all his sinnes committed he can pray to God there is hope But for a man to sinne and not to be importunate in prayer is dangerous What saith the Psalmist They are corrupt and become abominable they have not called on the name of the Lord Psalm 14. 4. Oh fearfull condition Fourthly Prayer is that which Gods
God hath placed that fiery blade of death at the entrance into the Paridise of heaven so that none can enter before they tast of death and all must taste of it yea the most righteous are not exempted from the stroak of death This then should teach us to labour to draw our hearts from the love of this present life and what can better perswade us and wean us from the love of this world than a due consideration of death we know we must all die and therefore we should prepare our selves for it If any prophane person amongst us knew that this night must be his last night and that now he had no longer to live would not this amaze him and make him bethink himself and to prepare for death If rich covetous men which spend the whole course of their life in providing for the things of this life did truely consider of death and that their end draweth nigh would they doe as they do when this life and all the things of this life and all our joyes and pleasures of this world shall shortly have an end for when death comes they shall all be taken from us or rather we from them Oh how excellent a thing is it then for us to be drawn from the things of this life unto a due consideration of death and of those heavenly Joyes and happinesse to come Oh you that look for these things what manner of men ought you to be in holy life and conversation Thirdly seeing we all must die and this present life must come to an end this should teach us to prepare our selves for a better life to provide for a surer building a better estate which shall never perish Philosophers who were but heathen men could meditate on death setting it always before their eyes But this is not enough for us that are Christians we cannot truly prepare our selves for it unlesse we first build a surer foundation in providing for a better life which shall never have an end and this no heathen or wicked man can ever do Oh how wofull would that message be unto a wicked man that was brought unto good King Hezekiah Come set thy house in order for thou must die and not live and why should it be terrible unto him surely because he hath no hope of a better life he hath not provided for a better habitation Consider then with what comfort thou couldest entertain this message with whâ—â— comfort canst thou meet with death for he is no Christian that cannot in some measure willingly meet with death for by it we pas unto a better life for as this our brother spake often he that would have comfort in death must look beyond death he must not fix his eyes on the terrors of death but he must look beyond to that glorious inheritance to which we are passing through death and there shall he behold his Saviour putting forth his hand ready to receive him there shall he see the blessed Saints and Angels whose company he shall enjoy besides an infinite heap of Joyes and happinesse that is prepared for him also O my beloved nothing will make us willingly to entertain the message of death but only the comforts of the life to come Oh let us labour then for these comforts that so we may be provided against death were it not a foolishnesse for a man who being a tennant at will and shortly to be turned out of his house never to take care for another until he is cast out of doors Beloved we are all tennants at will and we are very shortly to be cast out of our dwelling houses of clay and shall we not provide for a surer habitation Death is at hand and our life must shortly have an end let us therefore labour to be assured of a better life when this is ended that so with comfort we may meet with death Now we come unto the second point which is here to be considered taken from the complaint of the Prophet that the people did not consider nor lay it to heart viz. the death of the righteous whence I note That the death and losse of good men must be laid to heart as a speciall cause of grief and sorrow We ought justly to be grieved at the death of a righteous man when God taketh him from amongst us How did the Prophet Jeremy and the people lament the death of that good King Josiah 2 Chron. 35. 23. so devout men made great lamentation for the death of Stephen Acts 8. 2. so all Israel lamented the death of Moses Deut. 34. 8. And Joash the King of Israel wept for the death of the Prophet Elisha 2 Kings 13. 14. and thus we should lament and sorrow for the death of any righteous man yet not in respect of themselves as if their case were worse now then before for they are now more happy But first in regard of Gods glory whereof they were instruments to set it forth for since they were taken away Gods glory is impaired because there are the fewer left which doe truly serve and worship him for as David saith the dead praise not the Lord c. Psal 115. 17. so then they being dead do not praise the Lord among the faithful on earth any longer Secondly in regard of the great losse that others have by their death who have alwayes received much good by them in their life for the godly doe so order and behave themselves in all their wayes that they do good wheresoever they come therefore when they die it must needs be a great losse unto such who might if they had lived been bettered by them Thirdly We ought to lament the death of the righteous in regard of the evil to come for while they live they are as a wal about us to keep Gods judgments from us If there had been but ten righteous men in Sodome it had not been destroyed Gen. 18. 32. If there be any messenger one among a thousand saith Elihu to shew unto man his uprightnesse then is God gracious unto him Job 33. 23. Run ye to and fro in the streets of Jerusalem saith God and see if you can find a man if there be any that executeth judgement and seeks the Lord and I will pardon it Jer. 5. 1. so that if there had been but one righteous man among the people in that city the Lord would have spared them even for that ones sake and therefore the Lord speaking of the righteous saith I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place he shall be as a glorious throne unto his fathers house Esay 22. 23. Oh consider then what a losse we have when the righteous dye we are like to perish when the naile that was in the sure place is removed cut down and falls for then the burden that was upon it shall be cut off Esay 22. 25. You therefore of this Congregation consider and lament for this your losse in that this good man is
of Christs comming into the world to redeem us for our justification and then to be an example of life to us for our sanctification saith Saint Basil Christ was set for a signe to all nations I say 11. 10. A land marke to all people to take their aim how to thinke how to speake how to walke how to live As men at Sea if they see a Land-mark or the Pole-starre thereby know how to guide the Ship so Christ he is a signe to all Nations a signe of zeale in prayer a signe of reverence in the Temple of perseverance in holinesse of piety in life and of unspotted purity and constancy in death Yea to winde it up a little higher to walk as Christ walked is an As of participation We must not onely walke as Christ walked with an as of proportion for so the beasts may walk every creature the Sunne the Moone c. walke according to their rule wherein God hath set them as Christ did walke in his course that God set him in but this is not enough he that is in Christ must walke as Christ walked with an As of participation he must pattake of the same life with Christ and be led by the same Spirit of Christ guided by the same grace of Christ Even as lesse white is like more white though not alike in the same degree yet in the same nature there is the same nature in the lesser that there is in the bigger So we must have the same life obey the same commandements be guided by the same rule swayed by the same motions led by the same Spirit that was in Christ If any man have not the Spirit of Christ the same is none of his saith the Apostle Rom. 8. 9. What saith one can there be any man that is none of Christs doth not he say that every beast in the field and the cattell on a thousand hils are his Psal 50. 10. and doth he say that there are some men that are none of his Yea saith the Apostle If any man be not led by the Spirit of Christ the same is none of his Indeed he is Christs as the beasts are his by creation and preservation c. but thou art none of Christs by grace and redemption unlesse thou hast the same Spirit that was in Christ to live in thee What is it to walk as Christ walked it is to contemne the same gain and pleasures and vanities of the world that he contemned to yield to the same precepts that he obeyed to yield to the same repproaches hatred and persecutions that he endured to take up the same duties to preach the same truths to live in the same rule and in all to be led by the same Spirit Thus you see the explanation of the doctrine come we now to the Reasons which are principally these foure The first reason is taken from the scope and end for which the Lord did send his Son into the world as to justifie the ungodly so also to conforme all those that are justified to the image of Christ You may read that this was Gods purpose that he laid downe in himselfe from all eternity before the foundation of the world was laid when he predestinated that his Son should come into the world he predestinated that all that should be redeemed by him should be conformable to the image of his Son Rom. 8. 29. whomsoever he did foreknow with the fore knowledge of Love and predestination them he did predestinate to be made like unto Christ that looke what Christ was by nature they might be by grace If this be the end of Gods predestination then it is impossible that any man should be in Christ and not have the image of Christ Chrysostome saith that as Christ was holy by nature so those that are predestinate should be holy by grace God shall never be frustrated of his end and purpose If God have purposed it who shal frustrate it Man indeed may be frustrated of his end because of his weaknesse and inability to accomplish by himselfe what he purposeth some other person or thing prevents him of his end But God as he hath a purpose in himselfe so he is powerfull and able to bring his purpose to passe We may conclude that that man that prayeth for mercy and wisheth Oh that I might have redemption by Christ Oh that I might go to heaven and yet lives in his sinnes and slavery to his lusts he prayeth to have benefit by Christ and to goe to Heaven in spight of God against the will and purpose of God Our owne consciences may tell us that God cannot be frustrated of his end and purpose but that thus we must be made conformable to Christ or else we shall never have benefit or salvation by him or else Gods purpose would be frustrated and in vain That thing must be frustrated and in vaine that attains not its end if this be the end that God hath purposed in himselfe in the giving of Christ for life and salvation to the world that all that are redeemed and saved by him should be made conformable to him either all such as are not conformable to the Image of Christ shall never be saved but shall perish for ever without Christ or else Gods purpose must be frustrated and in vaine The second reason is taken from the practice of Christanity saith Leo in vain are we called Christians if we be not imitators of Christ and live as he lived The Disciples are called Christians Acts. 11. 26. The very name tells us that we must be followers of Christ or else we are not in Christ if any man be in Christ he must really be a Christian As a man if he be of a trade he must set up that trade all his layings out and travell and pains must be in that trade why it is his profession so if a man be in Christ all his conversation must be Christian his labours and endeavours must be in the trade of Christianity he must walke as Christ walked He must be a Christian in all his courses in all his ways or else he is not in Christ As the Plaâ—onists are denominated from Plato so are Christians from Christ The Franciscans from Francis the Dominicans from Dominick these were bound to follow the rules of their Order or else superstition would not suffer them to be of that Order much less canst thou be of the Order of Christ if thou observe not his rules if thou live not as he lived Christ hath given thee a law for thy mind for to govern thy thoughts Thou wilt not busie thy thoughts with holy meditations thy heart is not christian Christ hath given a law to thy affections thou wilt be fretful and impatient malitious proud and ambitious and carnal thy passions are not christian Christ hath given a law to thy life that thy life may be holy therefore if thy life be not according to the Gospel of Christ thy life is
Spirit of Christ he is none of Christs now if Christ be in you the body is dead if you consider the body as it hath relation unto sinne Again if you live after the flesh you shall dye verse 13. as if he should have said if your flesh be alive in you if your pride live in you and if your infidelity live in you if your hardnesse of heart live in you if your wrath c live in you and if you walke after these you shall surely die he meaneth not a temporall death for so they must doe howsoever they live but his meaning is they shall die eternally but if you mortify the deedes of the body by the spirit you shall live so then it is plaine there is no life of Christ to bee had so long as you retain your sinnes and therefore sinne must bee mortified First because Christ is a Saviour and hence he is called Jesus Matth. 1. 21. for he shall save his people from their sinnes if therefore Christ doe not save thee from thy sins and if by the power of Christ thou mortifie not thy sinnes and give them a deadly blow assure thy selfe he will never be a Jesus unto thee It is true indeed Christ dyed for sinners but it was not to let them goe on in sinne and therefore if thou goe on in sinne it is for thy damnation and not for thy salvation for he will first save thee from thy sinnes or else he will never save thee from hell so then consider if thy sinnes bear sway in thee if they doe then know thou art delivered up unto the power of thy sinnes and to everlasting darknesse For Christ is the true Physitian of the soule and you know that the Physitian doth not bring a potion to put it unto deaths mouth to kill death and so to save the sicke person alive no but hee putteth it into the sicke mans mouth to kill the ill humours that are in his body that so hee might not fall into the hands of death so Christ came not to quench the flames of hell by his spirituall Physicke but to let his Physicke fall upon the heart and soule of man to save him from hell Therefore unlesse the bloud of Christ doe mortifie thy sinnes and crucifie thy lusts there is no hope ever to get Christ to save thee from hell and everlasting damnation This is a true saying saith the Apostle and worthy to be received that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners 1 Tim. 1. 15. This is a faithfull saying and wicked men like it well indeede For saith the drunkard I am a wicked man yet Christ came to save me The whoremonger saith I am an uncleane person yet Christ came to save me The swearer will say Christ came to save sinners and therefore I hope he will save me too No no Christ came to save sinners that is such as were sinners but now are none they have and doe repent Jesus Christ came to save sinners saith the Apostle whereof I am chiefe I was a blasphemer and a persecuter but now I am not Hence then is the faithfull saying Christ came to save sinners not still sinning No before Paul was injurious a persecuter and lived in ignorance and unbeleefe but now the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ was wonderfully abundant through Faith and love towards him so that the grace of God hath appeared to draw men out of blindnesse and ignorance therefore to say that Christ came to save such as live in their sins and will live in them as in sins of drunkeness prophaness or uncleaness is a rotten saying and this onely is the faithfull saying that Christ came into the world to save sinners in whom the power of sinne is broken therefore if ever we looke to have benefit or interest by Christ we must mortify our earthly members Secondly because it is impossible for sinne and grace to live and subsist in one subject it is impossible that they should ever stand together and be in a man at one and the same time it cannot be that one and the same creature can have the life of a swine and the life of a man for if he have the soule of a swine he cannot have the soul of a man for they are two contrary distinct lives and where the one is the other cannot be It is like hot water and cold if it be cold it cannot be hot if it be hot it cannot be cold Even so the life of sinne and the life of grace are two contraries and therefore they that walke in their sinnes walke contrary to God Now the Lord saith if you walke contrary to me I will walke contrary unto you Levit. 26. and two contraries we know cannot goe together He that walks in sinne walkes contrary unto God but he that goes on in the waies of grace he walks towards God Now it is impossible to walk towards Dover and towards London at one and the same time for every steppe he goeth forward to the one it carries him backward from the other so then if ever we will have the life of grace we must forsake our sinnes as it was with the house of Saul and David Sauls house grew weaker and Davids stronger so must it be with sin and grace as grace growes stronger so sinne must grow weaker as grace goes up so sinne must go down And as Saul told David he would not give him Michal his daughter to wife unlesse he brought unto him an hundred fore-skinnes of the Philistines Even so the Lord saith that he will not marry the Lord Jesus Christ unto any soule unlesse he bring the fore-skinne of every lust hee must circumcise the foreskinne of his pride of his covetousnesse of his prophanenesse this must bee the offering and condition of marriage unto Christ even the circumcision of the heart and the mortification of all the corruptions Thirdly because else it is impossible to enter into heaven if we mortify not our sinnes a man can never be capable of glory hereafter that doth not mortifie his sinnes here in this life Suppose a wicked man should enter into heaven it is impossible that he should delight in heaven if he were there You will thinke this a strange point but give me leave to explain it a little I say that a wicked man if he were in heaven he could finde no delight there As for example take a beast for so is every man by his own knowledge in regard of the life of grace as saith the Prophet Jeremy though a man take an Oxe or an Asse and bring him unto the Kings table and set before him all the delicates which appertain unto Kings let him have a dinner before him that cost an hundred pounds yet he had rather be in the fields among his fellowes eating grasse or set a Crowne of gold upon a beasts head he will not regard it but cast it off into the mire for
benefit of this duty I have known a man that hath bought a ship fraughted it for a great voyage laid out all his stock upon it gone out to Sea dasht it against a Rock and lost all and come home a begger daies of fasting and praier are as ships that we put all our stock and treasure in mark this if they come home empty again if they bring noe mercies nor blessings with them you are undon you had need to get a breif to be gathered for in the parish and all wil be too little to get you up again when you come to enter into covenant with God will you deal deceitfully what ship-wrack do you hereby make of your consciences have ye abused many heavenly opertunities and will you doe this also all the congregations under heaven will not be able to raise your wants be not deceived saith the Apostle What a man sowes that he shall reape so what you sowe in these duties that and no other fruit you shall reape The second thing is this a word of information to informe us how to fast aright First I will informe you of the reasons of it consider this if your soul be not bettered your family not amended the Countrey not reformed superstition not abated the persecuted Church of Christ not releived I will give you the reason I am afraid the hearts of men are not fitted for this great work I doubt that many of the great men of the Nation doe not sightly understand it Ministers are not rightly qualified for it Congregations are not throughly humbled If you heare that things doe miscarry in the Palatinate that things grow worse and worse that the plague encreaseth then remember there was hypocricy in the duties and so you loose the benefit of this day therefore if hypocrisy takes away the life and benfit of the duty then look well to your selves and look well what you doe this day look well what you goe about that so you may enter upon the duty as you should Consider of it for the Lords sake be true to God and your own hearts you know not the danger of a day of fasting ill spent which that you may avoide I will give you some motives and rules Take this for a motive consider your selves upon your death beds It is a sad thing that I shall tell you is it not fearfull to consider that when you are in great distractions full of various thoughts those things that are brought for Cordialls and comforts to your deserted soules should prove troublesome and heart-breakings unto you A man upon his death-bed sends for a Minister he comes unto him and finds him in sad dist empers crying No God no Christ no mercy no comfort what will become of me I know not what to doe why man what is the matter you that have fasted and prayed and been frequent in these duties you that have kept the sabbath regarded Gods people releived the poor there is no man in the Town can pray like you you can make a praier of two houers long what do you think there is no mercy in God no pitty in Christ Oh saith he this is my bane my fasting and praying is the cause of my woe for I have but mocked God in all this I have seen sad experience upon a poor soules heart of this prayer and fasting rightly observed is a flame of all other duties all other are but one duty but a flame of all duties are in this fire Now when a man shall see the grave open the wife stand weeping the child sighing when his eyes grow dimme his lips pale now for him to say I have had a by-respect in all my duties that I have performed I have been a deceitfull man in my trade c. what tell you me of fasting and duties I have fasted my soule to hell and there I shall feele the sad consequence of my hypocrisie Consider of this ye that will pray and cheat pray and be drunk ye that to morrow will goe to a stage play Is this your fasting and praying when you are in hell then it will come to your minde how you have fasted away your God your Christ how you have sleighted these this will make a man teare his flesh from his bones his should move us to be serious in this duty we are now about Take an other Motive and it is this Bring what ever you will to God and bring not this all is nothing and all the services you can performe without this are nothing if you doe not bring a heart sprinkled with the bloud of Christ a sincere honest heart all else will be but dung bring all parts and duties you cannot so much as pray aright without sincerity doe you remember what Simeon said to his father Jacob pray you let Benjamin goe down no I will not take money and Cammels and what else you will but Benjamin shall not goe but saith he unlesse Benjamin goe I will not because else I shall be taken for a spie Soe when ever thou goest to pray to God be sure thou take Bemjamin with thee thou maist carrie all thy parts and duties unlesse Benjamin goe it will not doe Now by Benjamin I meane sincerity you may spend teares about the duty in hand varnish over the duty as much as you can all the eloquent tongues of greatest Orators will not be heard nay if all the Angels in heaven should bring teares and bloud for our deliverance all this will be nothing unlesse we have an honest sincere heart a faithfull heart in which there is no guile a man that hath an honest heart when he confesseth sin it is with a purpose to leave it he doth not confesse and sin sin and confesse but he is in good earnest which that you may doe take a rule or two First Ye that are come to seek God this day study whether the work of this dayspring from living principles or no. There be painted Flowers doe not smell but take Flowers out of a garden and they smell by reason of their sweet principles so there be painted duties which smell not sweet in the nostrels of God therefore consider are your duties sincere doe they smell have ye not only an artificiall weeping like those women in Jeremy that could weep when they would But doe ye weep from your hearts you know painted food it satisfies not study to find out that your duties come from a living principle and not by art labour to have it spring from the blood of the Covenant and thereupon thou goest to duty I could tell you of many deceits one is in the affections what is Christ come to town miracles wrought well I will goe see it and all this while he hath only a little oyle in the Lamp none in the Vessel Oyle in the Lamp I understand to be some smaller work of Gods spirit some outward principle Oyle in the Vessel I understand to be some inward principle that
When he takes away the benefit of both these helps ibid. Use 1. To teach us to cast off security ibid. Doct. It is the importunate desire of the Saints of God still to keep God present with them 255. The presence of God is the particular favour of God which he expresseth in his ordinances ibid. 1. This question is answered Whether a man may be saved without preaching 256. 2. This question is answered who they are that are weary of God 257. Use To rebuke Gods people for their neglect in not striving to keep God who seems to be departing 258. Quest How may we keep the Lord amongst us 260. Answ 1. We must be sure to prepare a room for him ibid. 2. We must give him content 261. 3. We must make him welcome ibid. 4. We must be importunate with God to tarry and account it a great favour if he will stay 262. The Contents of the twentieth SERMON on Lament 3. 5. 7. THe opening of the words in which are three properties of effectuall Prayer 165. 1. The unsatiablenesse of it till it be heard ibid. 2. The sensiblenesse of it whether it be heard or no ibid. 3. The supply it hath against danger and discouragement 166. Doct. 1. An effectuall prayer is an unsatiable prayer ibid. Quest Must a man alwayes pray Answ A man must give over the Act of prayer for other duties but he must never give over the suit of Prayer 267. Rules to know whether our Prayers be unsatiable or no 1. It it an earnest begging Prayer ibid. 2. It is a constant prayer 268. A godly mans prayer is not out of his heart till the grace he prayed for be in ibid. 3 It is a prayer that is ever a beginning ibid. 4. It is a proceeding prayer it winds up the heart higher and higher ibid. 5. It is a prayer that purifieth the heart ibid. It is more and more fervent 169. And more and more frequent ibid. It will take time from lawfull recreations and from the lawfull duties of our calling 270. And it will adde humiliation and fasting to prayer ibid. Use To condemn those who pray for grace and yet sit down before grace is obtained ibid. Such prayers are 1. Endlesse 271. 2. Fruitlesse ibid. Doct. 2. A godly soule is sensible of Gods hearing or not hearing his prayer 272. Quest How can the soul know whether it speed in prayer or no Answ 1. When God gives a soule further and further ability to pray it is a signe that God hears it ibid. But if the soule have no heart to continue its suit it is a signe that God never meanes to hear that mans prayer ibid. 2. The preparednesse of the heart to prayer is a sign that God means to heare 273. 3. Gods gratious looke is a signe that he will heare for sometimes God answers his people by a cast of his countenance ibid. 4. The conscience of a man will answer him whether God hears his prayer or no. 274. But a mans conscience may be misinformed 275. A wicked man may have a truce though no true peace in his conscience ibid. 5. The getting of the grace that a man prayes for is a signe that God hears his prayer ibid. But God may give many temporall blessings and common graces yet not in love but in wrath 276. 6. If à man have Faith given him to beleeve it is a signe that God heares him ibid. Good works are good signes of Faith but they are but rotten grounds of Faith ibid. Object Every Promise runs with a condition ibid. Answ 1. The Promise is the ground of Faith and the way to get the condition 277. ◠Faith is the enabling cause to keepe the condition ibid. Two things do much hurt in Prayer 1. Groundlesse incouragement 2. Needlesse discouragement 278. Doct. 3. God would not have any Christian soul to be discouraged in prayer 279 A definition of discouragement ibid. Four Reasons why we should not be discouraged in prayer 1. Because discouragement hinders the soul in prayer ibid. 2. Discouragement takes away the strength of the soul in prayer 280. 3. If we have fearfull apprehensions of our sins so as to thinke they will never be forgiven we can never pray aright ibid. 4 If we have any secret despaire we can never pray to any purpose ibid. There is a double desperation 1 Of infidelity which draws the soul from God 2. Of extremity which puts life into a mans prayers and endeavours 282. A man never prayes well till he feele himselfe undone 283. We should take heed of discouragements for 1 Discouragements breed melancholinesse in the soul 285. 2. They breed hard thoughts of God ibid. 3. They will cause a man to think that God hates him 286. 4. They will bring a man to despaire ibid. Ministers should not preach the pure law without the Gospell 287. Secret discouragements in the heart 1. They take away the Spirit in the use of the means 288. 2. They drive us from the use of means ibid. 3. They make a man continually to pore on his sins so as he shall never be able to get out of them 289. 4. They breed nothing but sorrow ibid. 5. They leave the Soul in a maze that it knowes not whither to turne it selfe 290. They whisper into a man a sentence of of Death and an impossibility of escaping ibid. The conclusion of the whole 291. The Contents of the one and twentieth SERMON on Rom. 8. 22. EVery creature hath a threefold goodnesse in it 1. A goodnesse of end 295. 2. A goodnesse of nature ibid. 3. A goodnesse of use 296. There be four evils under which every Creature groaneth 1. The continuall labour that the Creature is put unto ibid. 2. The creature sometimes partakes of the plagus of the ungodly ibid. 3. The Creature hath an instinctive fellow-feeling of mans wretchednesse 297. 4 Because they are rent and torne from their proper Masters ibid. Doct. Every creature groaneth under the slavery of sin ibid. Not only under the slavery of sinfull men but so farre as they minister to the flesh of the Saints they groan under them ibid. Object Did ever any man hear any unreasonable creature groane under sinne Answ It is spoken Hyperbolically to declare the great misery the creatures are into serve sinfull man ibid. 2. Analogically in regard of a naturall instinct of blind reason that is in all the creatures ibid. 3. It is spoken by way of supposition if they had reason they would groane 298. 4 Intelligently because a man cannot wrong the creature but he wrongs God in the creature ibid. 5. Specifically because the Godly come before God in the behalfe of all the creatures and mourne for the abuse of the creatures 299. Foure reasons why the Creatures groan 1. Because they are distracted in their service ibid. 2. Because of the unprofitablenesse of their service 300. 3. Because of uncessantnesse of their service ibid. 4. Because of that misery and woe
and am overtaken with my infirmities yet I thank God he hath sanctified my heart For I think of God and of Christ and I oft call upon his name and let my thoughts runne on good things God and heaven are many times in my mind and I am sorry when I do amisse and the Lord hath blest me with a large portion of outward things Besides I see these and these signs of grace in me and therefore I think my case to be haphy And thus securely they live and so they go on and so they dye and so go to hell and perish for ever and ever Here is the misery of it many think of God and of Christ of death and of their last account of heaven of hell of faith and repentance of leaving sinne of crucifying their lusts and practising of holiness Now men think that their thinking of these things is a part of their discharge when indeed they are Additions to and pieces of their talents which increase their judgements God casts in a though of repentance holinesse of the remembrance of death and last account Dost thou find thy heart never the better and holier by them Then know it is only Gods haunting of thy heart and Gods calling upon thee and Gods inviting thee unto repentance to leave thy sinnes to come out of thy deadnesse and formality to prepare for thy death and judgement and therefore I say if thy heart now think not so if thy heart do not repent beleeve and grow more zealous and thou art not drawn the neerer to God I say then that the more of these good thoughts that thou hast had the greater thy doom will be if thou hast had ten thousands of them if they have been only Gods haunting of thy heart think thou then now of grace of God of thy poor soul which is not bettered by them nor made holy then know they are pieces of thy talent and it doth make thy torments in hell the greater Secondly thou hast good thoughts but the question is whether they be fleeting or abiding thoughts Many think of God of grace of heaven of the word of God and when they hear a Sermon they will think of God but these thoughts though they come into their minds yet they go away presently they are in and out at an instant in a trice they passe away and are gone Beloved there are two kinds of vain thoughts 1. vain because the substance and matter of them is vain and so all worldly thoughts are vain 2. or else for their want of durance and lasting and so are all thoughts of heaven of God and grace and of Christ if they vanish away they are all vain thoughts though they seem otherwise Hear what God saith Gen. 6. 5 God saw that the wickednesse of man was great upon the earth and all the imaginations of the thoughts of his heart were only evill continually all the imaginations great is the emphasis of this word all all the thoughts yea all universally are only evill continually But you will say unto me Doth not a wicked man think that there is a God why that is a good thought doth not he think that this God is to be observed and worshipped why this is a good thought doth he not think that sin is to be forsaken that is a good thought doth he not think of heaven and of Christ how then are their thoughts only evil and that continually I answer Because all the thoughts of a wicked mans heart are vain that is vanishing thoughts not vain for the matter which sometimes may be good and Holy but vain because they soon vanish away thoughts that come and carry â—ot that leave no impression in their hearts behind them these are all vain thoughts according to that of the Apostle The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise that they are vain 1 Cor. 3. 20. Beloved in a godly mans heart when a good thought comes it abides and dwells a good while in him and when it goes away it leaves a good impression behind it it leaves a sweet smell and favour in the heart after it is gone it s made more holy and sanctified by it When a good thought comes into a godly mans heart it leaves the print of it behind when a wicked man hath a good thought he â—osseth it up and down and suffers it not to stay but presently puts it away let a thought of the world come in and he can give it entertainment for seven days yea for seven years yea all his life he sets his heart as a wide gate open to receive them and to entertain them but if a thought of God or of repentance of holinesse and salvation come into his mind he is tyred out with it and it soon vanisheth away therefore so long as thy thoughts are thus vain though for the matter good if thou hast never so many of them yet if they abide not but thou thinkest and unthinkest them again if they come and give thy Soul a jog and so away the more I say thou hast of them though thou hast many millions the greater will be thy doom at the last day Thirdly Thou thinkest of God but the question is whether thy good thoughts be studied or accidental thoughts A wicked man that runs gadding in his thoughts here and there over the whole world upon this and that and I know not what in the midst of a lottery of thoughts he cannot chuse but stumble upon some good he thinks on God he thinks on Christ he thinks on Heaven but it is by the by-gone these thoughts of his are not naturall but if he think of the world of his pleasures of his outward delights and contentments these thoughts arise naturally out of his heart they are his own Now it may be a thought of God comes by the way But a godly man not only thinks of God but he stadies how to think of God it is his continuall endeavour to bring his mind to be fixed upon God it is his whole care to have good thoughts to dwell habitually in him There is an excellent phrase used to set it forth Malac. 3. 16. They that feared the Lord spake one unto another and the Lord hearkned and heard it and a book of remembrance was written before him of all them that feared the Lord and thought upon his Name Where I pray you to mark that thinking upon Gods Name and the fear of God are joyned together for thinking on God comes from the fear of God a godly man thinks upon God and fears him he thinks that God is alwayes with him in every place and he trembles before him he thinks God beholds all his thoughts and affections and trembles at him he thinks as he walks up and down in his way as he he is imployed in his calling as he is performing of any duty of Religion that Gods eye is upon him and beholds him and therefore he fears to offend
as the Judge to condemn thee unto the pit of destruction for thy damned impudency in coming so unworthily unto this holy Sacrament For that man cannot eat the body of Christ that is not a member of Christ therefore thou must be a limb of Christ if ever thou wilt receive worthily 2. If a man come unto the Sacrament and come in his sins he cometh to his own destruction for though it be a sweet banquet to refresh an humble and weary soul and to make it walk more cheerfully in the wayes of God all the dayes of his life yet he that cometh unto it in his sins and receiveth it in his uncleannesse speedeth thereby his own damnation and receiveth it as his vâ—aticum to hell The Apostle compares Baptisme to the Red Sea 1. Cor. 10. from which place Crysostome saith that as the Red Sea was a way for the Israelites to passe through to Canaan so it was as a grave to swallow up the Egypptians to their destruction So the Lords Supper is as a grave an open pit whereby many plunge themselves into eternall destruction but as a chariot to the godly to carry them to heaven Thirdly by coming in thy sinnes thou makest thy selfe lyable to Gods temporary plagues and judgements as appears in my Text For this cause many are sick and weak among you and many are fallen asleep For this cause which is not only a note of conclusion but of the cause For this cause namely because they examine not themselves but come in their sins and receive it unworthily One man hath a disease in his body that he liveth not out halfe his dayes another is sick and weak neer unto death a third is fallen asleep Wherefore why saith the Apostle for this cause of receiving unworthily the Sacrament of the Lords Supper Fourthly for instruction that because the people of God as well as wicked men are guilty of unworthy coming to the Lords Table therefore he exhorts them that if they would not have the Lord judge them that they would judge themselves as in the 31. verse For if we would judge our selves we should not be judged of the Lord. If we would sit down and search our own hearts and try our own spirits and pry into our owne bosomes and out with our old corruptions and unclean lusts and enter into a new covenant with God of holy walking before him for after-time if we would thus judge and condemn our selves and mortifie our sinnes comming with grace unto this holy banquet that we might come with comfort unto this blessed Sacrament assuring our selves that we shall escape the judgement of the Lord. For those of the Corinthians whom God struck with sicknesse weaknesse and death it was to instruct others that are well and in health that they venture not to enter upon these holy mysteryes with unholy hearts and unclean hands Fifthly he concludeth with an use of exhortation in the 33 and 34. verses Wherefore brethren when ye come together to partake of the holy Communion tarry one for another As if he should have said Away with all your disorders and come not with a temporall but with a spirituall appetite provide not thy teeth but thy heart for these dainties for this is not a feast for the body but for the soul therefore away with all your disorders and unseemly coming unto this blessed Sacrament take heed and repent of this sin among you and of all other sins which you know your own conscience to be guilty of and so come unto this holy communion Now the verse that I have read to you is a part of that use of terror which the Apostle makes against the unworthy receivers of the Sacrament and it contains Gods severe hand and punishment against those that come unworthily wherein note three things First the cause of their punishment which is the unworthy eating of the Communion For this cause many are sick and weak among you and many are fallen asleep Secondly the punishment inflicted for this sin weaknesse sicknesse and mortality For it seems saith Peter Martyr that the Lord sent a sore plague and pestilence among them to revenge himself of them for their abuse of the Sacrament for this cause Thirdly there is the Delinquents which are you Corinthians Many are sick and weak among you and in them all others that come unpreparedly to the Sacrament Chrysostom notes here that our Apostle doth not fetch here an Argument or example of judgement from others as he had done in the former chapter but he brings it from themselves who sensibly felt the wrath of God upon them for this very sin As if the Apostle should have said How is it O Corinthians that you dare venture to come unto the Communion so unpreparedly and that you have no more regard of so weighty a businesse as is the receiving of the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ See you not the wrath of God upon your dwellings and the curse of heaven to take hold of your town you see it this very time that some are weak and very sick amongst you near unto death and others have been struck with death before your eyes and the wrath of God is not removed but lies yet upon you What will you alwayes goe on and never cease to provoke the Lord to indignation and wrath against you for your sins until his jealousie hath utterly consumed you and clean cut you off and howsoever many of you may think that this sicknesse weaknesse and mortality comes upon you by chance as from the infection of the ayr or other secundary causes I tell you nay but it is for this cause onely even your unworthy coming to the Supper of the Lord. Whence we may observe this point of instruction That God doth most severely punish the unworthy receivers of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper He punished the Corinthians here with sicknesse weaknesse feavers pestilence death temporall and God knows how many with death eternall Theodoret observes that the Apostle told them of a thing that was acted amongst them for if he had told them of such judgements as had been hid from them and not manifest before their eyes as if they had not felt the sicknesse in their bodies and heard the bels tolling dayly in their ears they might have thought that the Apostle had but lyed unto them So the people of Israel as we may read in 1 Cor. 10. 2 3. verses they were baptized in the Cloud and in the Sea and they did all eat the same spirituall meat and drink the same spirituall drink yet as it is in the fifth verse with many of them God was not well pleased Nay God was so wroth with them that within the space of forty years many thousands of them were destroyed by death here and God knoweth how many thousands of them in hell For God speaketh of hell as well as of death and their sin was so great that it made God
will never do so any more I have been wicked and sinfull disobeying and rebelling against all thy holy commandements and respected not thy judgements and thy promises and have been carelesse of thy glory But now Lord as I eat this bread and drink this wine so I covenant unto thee and promise to thee that I wil amend all my sinfull ways and become a reformed Christian And as I ever look that the body and the bloud of the Lord Jesus Christ represented in the elements should nourish my soul unto eternall life so I promise to be disobedient unto the Devill but faithfull and obedient unto thee I will stop my ears against the alluring inchantments of the world and wicked suggestions of the Devil but I wil open them wide to hearken to thy voice that I may obey thy commands But now as thou hast made it so if thou hast broken this thy covenant with God returning to thy former courses of sin and disobedience against him know thou that this covenant of thine which thou hast broken shal stand in full force against thee for God will assuredly require it at thy hands and all the Sacraments which thou hast received thou hast received them but as so many seals and pledges of thy just deserved condemnation But some man may object and say Do all that come unworthily unto the Sacrament eat and drink their own damnation Then many hundreds yea thousands are damned Are all damned that have eat and drunk unworthily Ans No but a man may eat and drink his own damnation three ways First in regard of guilt and liablenesse unto Gods wrath and so he that eateth and drinketh his naturall food his dinner supper or breakfast in his sinnes eateth and drinketh his own damnation yea whosoever thou art that comest unto this holy banquet in thy sins in thy pride choler malice wrath or revenge covetousuesse hypocrisie and deadnesse in Gods service thou never eatest a bit of bread but thou eatest and drinkest thine own damnation that is thou eatest and drinkest that which will witnesse against thee another day Deut. 28. 16 17 18 19. ver c. If thou â—ilt not hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God to observe and do all his commandements then all these curses come upon thee and shall overtake thee Cursed shalt thou be in the City and cursed in the field cursed shall be thy basket and store Now if thy bread be cursed then thou art cursed also that eatest it Secondly in regard of the seal and obligation in the conscience so he that eateth and drinketh the Sacrament in his sins eateth and drinketh his own damnation that is he eats and drinks that which seals up his damnation against the great day of account And thus many amongst us and I fear the most part of this congregation have eat and drunk their own damnation But this seal may be broken off and God grant it may Thirdly in regard of sigillation in heaven and so he that eats and drinks unworthily and will not be reformed he that receives the Sacrament time after time yet still retains his sins and will not be humbled for them nor forsake them he setteth a seal in heaven upon his own damnation that all the whole world can never break off but such an one most certainly is a damned creature And now my brethren God forbid there should be any such here but that this seal may be broken off And O that God would put some strength into this word that it may be broken off by your godly sorrow for your sin and forsaking of them all for if this seal be set on your damnation why do I yet speak unto you and intreat and beseech you in the name of Christ to come home and be reconciled to him and I desire to stand here as Jehoiadah set Porters at the gates of the City and of the house of the Lord to keep off all those that come in their uncleannesse 2 Chron. 23. 19. So I stand this day as the Porter of the Lord to keep the Lords watch that no prophane wretch no proud hearted sinner that means not to enter into a new course of life that no such one come unto this holy communion I charge you as you will answer the guilt of Christs bloud before Gods Throne that you meddle not with it But now if there be any that would absent himself because he will the more freely go on in his sins let him know that such an one excludes himself from the benefits and merits of Christs death and shall never have the benefit of a Redeemer at the day of judgement but shall perish in his sins for his carelesse neglect and fearful contempt of so effectual and powerful means of salvation and purging as is the bloud of Christ truly and really offered in the Sacrament Wherefore if thou comest or comest not woe is thee if so be thou livest and continuest in thy sins and goest on in thy unholy courses And now to conclude as the Cherubin stood before Paradise with a naked sword to keep Adam out that he might not enter and so eat of the tree of life so I bring with me the sword of God to run it up to the hilt in the heart and bowels of every ungodly man every rebellious and impenitent sinner this day that dares presume to rush upon this holy Ordinance of God with a polluted and an unclean heart Therefore let me exhort thee that as thou tendrest the eternall good of thy soul so thou be careful not to eat the body of Christ nor drink his blood in thy sins lest thou eat thine own bane and drink thine own curse Nay so doing thy misery wil be so great as a good man wel weighing and considering of it said I professe I had rather have all my veins cut open and my bloud spilt on the ground than deliver the body and blood of Christ unto a prophane sinner for why should I deliver his own bane and destruction unto him But now my brethren and beloved come out of your sins come and welcome if you part with your lusts and so come you shall be sure to have his bloud to wash your heart and cleanse you his righteousnesse to clear you and cloath you his graces to strengthen you his spirit to heal and to sanctifie your hearts and natures the Lord Jesus Christ to supply all good that is wanting in you But if yet notwithstanding all this that hath been said you will go on in your sins and live as you did in your swearing whoring lying and drinking and all manner of filthinesse and as you came to it unclean so you depart away from it more unclean and never make any conscience of any reformation I pronounce this day before God and his elect Angels that thou shalt surely perish and thy soul and body be damned and tormented in the scorching flames of hell for evermore Therefore
this it not enough This is a solemne Ordinance of God and an ordinary disposition will not serve the turn Though every child of God be ordinarily disposed to every good word and work to pray and to hear the word of God he is prepared and furnished to every well-doing ordinarily and habitually but a man must be disposed farther There is a solemne preparation required to the Communion as in Deut. 16. 15. there were solemn feasts in the Law so there is this solemn feast in the Gospel and there are solemn preparations required thereto When we come to the Communion to eat the Lords Supper it is not eating and drinking in Christs presence for so may any reprobate do and yet Christ may say to him Depart from me thou worker of iniquity It is not to come and sit in your Pewes and wait till the Bread comes and take it and till the Cup comes and drink it so many a Reprobate may doe as the Corinthians did that did eat and drink their own damnation But there must be a solemn preparation to it to be sealed with the Spirit of Promise to be righteous by faith in the body and bloâ—d of Christ For a man to be humble and empty of his sin to be â—â—â—â—sâ—y aâ—â—â—â— the precious bloud of Christ to be fed and built up in the promises It is a weighty thing to come to the Communion a man must be a worthy man or else he hath nothing to do here As Solomon said of Adonijah if he be a worthy man not a hair shall fall from his head but if wickednesse be found in him he shall dye 1 Kings 1. 52. So if we be worthy men and women not a hair of our heads shall fall to the ground none of the curses shall light on us that light on unprepared persons but if wickednesse be found in us if we be guilty of any sin if we live in any lust not mortified if there be any prophanenesse in our lives in our families in our courses and callings though we catch hold of the horns of the Altar though we partake of these holy mysteries yet we shall be so far from having any mercy as that we shall hasten our own ruine we set a seal on our own judgement and make our case worse than it was before Let us take notice of it and never dare to rush on any of Gods Ordinances You know what became of the foolish man in the Gospel that when they were invited to come to the marriage supper he thought it was nothing but to come with them that came to crowd in with them and sit down among the rest he considered not what he went about that he might be prepared accordingly the event was this he was cast out into utter darknesse Matth. 22. 13. It is dangerous rushing on any of Gods ordinances To rush upon prayer for a man to fall down upon his knees and to utter any thing before the Lord hastily with his mouth not considering that God is in heaven and he on the earth A mans word may damn his own soul and pull vengeance on his own pate his prayers may prove a curse his prayer for mercy may be turned into vengeance So the higher the service the greater the danger As the servants of Abigail said to her Consider what you do when evill was determined against them so consider what you do when you come to the Sacrament you come to a weighty thing to that that will either set you neerer to the Kindome of God or hell and condemnation But I let this passe and come to the words themselves Let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup. In these words observe First the matter of the duty commanded that is to eat of that bread and drink of that cup. Secondly the manner of doing the duty not only to eat of that bread but so to eat and not only to drink of that cup but so to drink Thirdly the rule of direction how to come in a right manner to partake of it that is by examining of our selves Let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. Fourthly and lastly the benefit following that direction and that is in this word But let a man examine himself He had said before He that eats and drinks unworthily is made guilty of the body and bloud of the Lord and he discerneth not the Lords body verse 27. But saith he as if he should say if a man would prevent this if a man would take order that he be not guilty of the body and bloud of Christ that he do not come undiscerningly to these heavenly mysteries but with comfort and title to the promises with hope and confidence and speeding there of the benefits of Christ exhibited then let a man examine himselfe and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. Now I will passe over some of these points namely that we are to eat that bread and drink that cup. There is a necessity that we should receive the Lords supper I need not stand on this you know it sufficiently proved by the Sacrament of the Law which was the fore-runner of this Sacrament that soul that did not partake of that was to dye the death he was to be cut off from Gods people Num. 9. 13. If the Lord was so carefull of those Sacraments that were inferior to these and yet they were of the same substance as these that the man that neglected to come to them to partake of them was to be cut off to be excommunicated from the people of God and to be rent off from the congregation of the Saints then how much more for these heavenly and weighty and glorious Ordinances of the Gospel which are farr more glorious than them of the Law But I will not stand upon that I might here take notice too of the frequency of the duty for so it hath dependence on those words formerly As oft as you eat this bread and drink this cup ye shew the Lords death and so that is as oft as ye eat do it in this manner This is the command of God that we oft receive the Lords Supper In the Primitive times St. Basil observes that they eat it three or four times in a week on Wednesdays Frydays and on the Lords day but that was a time of persecution I will not stand upon that I think it not neeedfull But it should be often we should not thurst it only upon Easter and Whitsuntide and Christ-tide three or four times in the year Again I might observe here from this mystery received in that he calls it Bread I might observe against the Papists Transubstantiation that the bread received is not transubstantiated but is bread still and against that of receiving in one kind So let him eat of that bread and drink of that
in the grace of God and in Religion Now man is naturally unprepared for it First a man must fell his wood and then cut it and hew it even and carve it and plain it fit and prepare it before he build So a man must hew down his own heart he must humble his own soul and qualifie all within him and so be sanctified before he be fit As for example in prayer a man must be prepared to prayer before he pray he must prepare his heart and then Gods ears will hearken to it In Psal 10. 17. The Lord will have the heart prepared before he hear the prayer So it is with the word of God a man must be prepared before he hear it As a man that preacheth must be prepared before he preach as Ezra is said to prepare his heart Ezra 7 10. He prepared his heart to do the Law and to teach it So a Minister cannot preach except he be prepared beforehand with a commission from God with preserving knowledge with a coal from Gods Altar with a spirit of wisdome and understanding with a Law of kindnesse in his lips with meditation and with a Theme fitted in his mouth for the people he must be prepared with a burning and a shining light or else he shall not edifie the congregation So it is with all other Ordinances For humbling of a mans soul a man cannot humble his heart except he be prepared to it Amos 4. 12. Prepare to meet thy God he speaks of humiliation If a man would humble himself before God if he be not prepared if his heart be not prepared to let go the world his worldly profits and vain pleasures and carnal acquaintance his wonted lusts and former delights If he be not prepared to let these go when he comes to keep a Fast or to afflict his soul and goes along to do the duty to lay himself down before Almighty God some lust or other will stick in his teeth and intercept his heart he shall never be able to do it as Samuel said to the people If you will turn to the Lord prepare your hearts to do it 1 Sam. 7. So it must be in all the ordinances of God and much more in the Sacrament Secondly another Reason is because the Lord Christ hath made great preparations to provide the Lords Supper therefore we must be prepared to eat it You know what a great deal adoe there was before the Supper was made Christ must be incarnate and fulfill all righteousnesse he must conclude it upon his suffering he must tread the wine-presse alone and suffer himself to be beaten and rejected of God and men and suffer death the cursed death of the Crosse all these things were concluded upon before this holy and blessed Supper was provided Come saith he I have prepared my dinner Matth. 22. Mark Christ is fain to prepare his dinner he makes a great Feast there was great preparation for it so there must be great preparation of our souls before we can come to this holy banquet It is true among men there may be great preparation for a feast and little or nothing for the eating of it Sometimes there are two or three dayes preparation for a feast and is eaten presently The reason is because man naturally hungers after meat and drink and he alwayes provides twice or thrice in twenty four hours for eating and drinking But the Lords Supper is a spiritual banquet a man is every day and hour and moment naturally unfit for it and there is much adoe to put an edge upon mens appetites and a keennesse upon mens desires that they may be fitted and prepared for it Thirdly another reason is Because the Lord Christ when he administers himself in this heavenly mystery he offers to come into the soul and he looks for good entertainment and therefore of necessity there must be preparation for it You see when a mortall man an earthly Prince or a Noble man comes to another mans house what a deal of preparation there is to provide for him there is meat made ready and purging the house and sweeping the yard and trimming up the very pales and every thing and making clean all the Chambers and ridding out whatsoever fills it and every thing that is out of order it set in tune And what will my Lord think and what will his Majesty think he wil think he is slighted and contemned And when he comes in it may be his own children shal serve and his own wife wait at the Table and there is running up and down of errands and a great deal of adoe to give such a one entertainment There is preparation to entertain a man as Saint Paul said to Philemon I will that you prepare me lodging how much more when the eternall God shall come under a mans roof and dine with him Lastly Because the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is a part of Christs last will and Testament Now it is a terrible thing when we know our Lords will and prepare not for the doing of it Look in Luke 12. 48. he that knew it not did things worthy of stripes but in verse 47. That servant that knew the Lords will and prepared not himself neither did according to his will shall be beaten with many stripes that man shall be damned with much damnation he shall be damned deeper than any body Dost thou know the Lords Table that this blessed Sacrament is part of Christs last Testament and wilt thou not prepare thy self for it to get an humble heart and labour for a holy life and seek for a thirsty soul and vow upon new obedience and enter into Covenant with the Lord Jesus Christ for a better kind of conversation for the time to come Wilt thou not go and examine thine own soul and go and reform whatsoever is amisse in thy family in thy place and calling Wilt thou not do these things to prepare for this holy will of Jesus Christ thou shalt be damned deeper than any body else because this is a part of Gods last Will and Testament and thou knowest it and therefore woe unto thee if thou prepare not for it THE DUTIE OF THE REPROVER And the Persons Reproved SET FORTH In a SERMON preached By that Reverend and Faithfull Minister of Gods Word WILLIAM FENNER B. D. Sometimes Fellow of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge and late Pastor of Rochford in Essex London Printed by E. T. for John Stafford THE DUTIE OF REPROVERS And Persons Reproved A SERMON preached by Master WILLIAM FENNER Minister of GODS Word PROV 29. 1. He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck shal suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy THese words by reason of the ambiguity in the Hebrew tongue doe bear two expositions and our English can suffer but one The first exposition is this He that reproveth another and hardneth his own neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy The other is as we have
thoughts thy vain words and thy vain lusts and wilt thou not If God had redeemed us with silver and gold that were but drosse no he hath redeemed us with the bloud of his Sonne if now thou wilt part with the bloud of Christ rather then with thy sinnes that the word of God commands thee to part with how great is thy hatred of the word Bloud it is necessary to the life of every living creature I am sure the Bloud of Christ is necessary to the life of a Christian without it a man can never be washed nor never be sanctified nor made acceptable to God That man that will rather part with his bloud rather then lay down his hatred of such an one whom he hates he hates him for ever he hates him to the death Thou that rather then thou wilt part with thy evill courses from those sinnes that Gods word would have thee to to give over and forsake wilt part with the bloud of Christ I say thou hatest the word and thou hatest a reformation of thy wayes for ever with an everlasting and damnable hatred That man that had rather be damned then leave his sinnes that had rather goe to hell then be a new creature he hates the parting with his sinnes he hates to be a new creature It is truth man is a reasonable creature and therefore cannot reason so in expresse words as to say I had rather be damned then to give over my drunkennesse my lying my swearing my lust I had rather goe to hell then be so pure and so holy c. But every wicked man is so unreasonable in very deed for the word of God tells that wicked men that live and die in such sins and such sins shall be damned yet they will not give over their sinnes Doth not your own conscience tell you that as long as you pray no better as long as you walke no better in your profession God abhorreâ— you and all that you doe and will damn you doth not thy conscience cell thee that yet thou hast no assurance of salvation that as yet Jesu-Christ was never given to thee that as yet you never had the Spirit of Christ to kill sinne in you if that thou wilt goe on in thy sinnes and not get Christ and his Spirit into thy heart as the word of God commandeth thee and thy own conscience perswadeth thee I say if yet thou wilt goe on in thy sinnes then thou choosest to be damned rather then to part with sin Doe we not say such a rogue will be hanged that such a hasty furious man will undoe himselfe doe we not say of a rebellious child that he will be disinherited not that any man reasons so in words I will doe thus and thus and undoe my selfe I will steale and be hanged I wil be a rebellious child and be disinherited I will goe on in my sinnes let the world say what it will and be damned But when a man knows that the wages of sin is death that the end of drunkennesse of swearing of lying of pride security hypocrisie formality in religion c. is death When a man knows that the end of that sinne which he lives iâ— is damnation and yet will goe on in those sinnes he wills to be damned Ezek 18. 31. Turne you turne you why will you dye O house of Israle why were any so madde as to be willing to dye to perish for ever yet saith the Prophet why will you dye as if he should say why will you sin that man that wills to sin he wills to be damned that man that will be damned rather then part with his sinne that man loves sin for ever and so hates the light Beloved be ashamed to carry so many plague-tokens upon your hearts so manny sinnes in your soules so many oppositions and rebellious against the word That man that hates and rebells against the word can never be saved by the word You that have had the preaching of the word look that you give way to it take heed that you withstand not the breath of it I could tel you one thing I pray God to send it home to your hearts commonly when God sneds his word to a people those that are wrought upon for the most part are wrought upon at the beginning generally it is so I will give you a convincing place for it Acts. 13. 48. And when the Gentiles heard they glorified the word of the Lord and as many as were ordained to eternal life beleeved Paul and Barnabas were come to Antioch and had preached one Sabbath day and now had preached another The Gentiles glorified the word of the Lord and as many as were ordained to eternal life beleeved as if he had said all that were ordained to eternall life beleeved at those Sermons as if he should say again all that beleeved not at those two Sermons were reprobates Those that did belong to God they did beleeve and hearkened to the preaching of the word to them on those two Sabbaths All that were ordeined to life they beleeved at these two Sermons the rest that beleeved not are branded and marked out for despisers and wonderers Heare O despisers and wonder and perish c. Agree with thine Adversary whilst thou art in the way Matth. 5. Beloved you are now in the way of salvation your Adversary is the Lord himself til he be reconciled unto you you are in the way while you are under the preaching of the word you know not how soon God may take you out of the way you know not how soon God may take his word away or if that continue yet he may withdraw his Spirit and then if God once take away his Spirit then you may seek to be converted but shall never find it you may seek for grace but shall never get it you may seek for Christ but never obtaine him if men stand out against the word and Spirit of Christ while it is beating upon their hearts and offering them grace then Christ will be a swift witnesse against them Malach. 3. 5. Doth Christ come to thee now obey now beleeve now give over thy sins Doth he bid thee now repent c. O give way to the Words of Christ give way to the spirit of Christ otherwise Christ will come swiftly I will be a swift witnesse I tell you the Covenant of grace will not stay long God is about to put up his wares When no Customers come the Merchant puts up his wares so God will even close up all his graces then Preachers may preach but none shall be converted People may heare but never be turned which the Lord deny from ever being amongst us therefore while it is called to day hearken and the Feare of God be with you GODS IMPARTIALITY IN HIS JUDGEMENTS In a SERMON By WILLIAM FENNER Minister of the Gospel sometimes Fellow of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge and late Lecturer of Rochford in Essex London Printed
Thus you see that the Saints of God are marvellous importunate to keepe God in his ordinances Quest But may not a man be saved without preaching Answ I answer the argument is clear the Saints maintain God in his ordinances the want of which is under the penalty of death and damnation because we have more need of God in his ordinances than of all the gold in the world for all the gold in the world will not satisfy a hungry man It is bread that he must have because he hath need of it so the Saints have most need of God and of Christ for though they have but ragged coats and their bodies pincht with hunger yet God is he that they stand most in need of In Psalme the 73. and the 25. verse David fretted at the prosperity of the wicked but at the last he breaks off kindly saying whom have I Heaven but thee As if he should have said let them have what they will I will have nothing but thâ—e And why so why thou art my strength and my portion for ever mark he saith that God is his strength yea the strength of his heart hereby shewing that all the helps in the word cannot help the heart of man if God and Christ bee wanting you were as good offer a journey to refresh a weary man or the ayre to feed a hungry man as to offer riches honours and ease to help a distressed soul These will never help a man he may well dote upon them but his soule and conscience will be galled and troubled still it must be the God of peace that must speak peace to troubled soules It must be the God of peace that must speak peace to a distressed soul to a soule that is damned in it selfe it is he that must say I will be the strength of their hearts and their portion for ever no marvel then if a poor soul cryes to God when happily the heart is full when the soul gnaws and cries within it selfe I am damned I am damned happily the palate is pleased with delicates when the poor soul for ought it knows must goe down to hell oh then beloved if you will have safety goe where God is for every good gift comes in with him if once a man hath got God into his company he hath all good things with him God blessed Obed Edoms house for the Arks sake now the Arke was a type of Christ and where it came many blessings came with it even so when God comes unto a people they are married unto him in righteousnesse in judgement in loving kindnesse and in mercies for ever Hosea 2. 9. When a man is married to a wife all is his so get Christ and all is thine and then what wouldst thou have more God speaks to the raine and it heares God speaks to the corne and it heares but if thou be in Christ hell and death are thy servants but they that have outward things only as profits pleasures or the like they have their ruine unlesse they have Christ with them get Christ therefore for if he be wanting all outward and inward dangers befall that man or that Nation woe be unto him or them that are without God For though they bring up their children yet will I bereave them that there shall not be a man left yea woe also to them when I do depart from them Ephraim as Tyrus is planted in a pleasant place but Ephraim shall bring forth his children to the murderer Hosea 9. 12. 13. True indeed woe be unto that heart County or Kingdome that God is departed from when God who is the God of mercies and all consolation is departed away who can but pitty that soule County or Kingdome who will not submit to Gods peace consolation and salvation When God parts all miseries follow for that man that makes no conscience in outfacing God in the congregation mark what the text saith Deut. 28. 15. I will forsake them and many miseries shall overtake them and when the floud-gates are once up then come in all evils And then they shal say are not these things come upon us because God is not with us If therefore we would avoid woe and sorrow slaying and killing one another if the wife would not see her husband killed before her tender eyes and the man see his wife snatcht out of the world by the hands of wicked men then leave not God but hold him fast and then evil dayes will depart from us It is our holding of God that keeps miseries from us oh then what shall we think of them that are weary of God and that say to the Almighty Depart from us Job 22. 17. Ob. But are there any amongst us that are weary of God I hope there are none such amongst us I answer Thou art a servant and rejectest the Command of thy Master in it thou doest reject God and all such as have a mean conceit of the worship of God and the word of God and think that prayer or preaching is continued too long I say these men know not what they think or say but certainly it is because they would be freed from the Ordinances of God well God will free thee from them one day I will warrant thee and then thou wilt be in a miserable condition oh that thou wouldest pitty thy poor condition but thou art weary of Gods ordinances and of his mercies his presence and patience know thou that thou shalt be deprived of Gods goodnesse and thy portion shall be with those that hate God in this life here and after this life if thou repent not thy portion shall be with them in Tophet where the worm dyeth not and where the fire goeth not out and then crying will not availe God will be God over thee in destruction yea when he hath spurned thousands and ten thousands into hell such as thou art then shalt thou be the everlasting object of his never dying wrath then notwithstanding all thy shrill cries though thou couldest be heard out of that dungeon yet were thy help never the near for God is God still I advise thee therefore what to do whilst thou art here in this life make thy peace with God in Christ and lay thy self low before him and beare patiently his hand in his wrath which thou hast deserved And mark what I say thou hast deserved to be in hell an hundred times that is the least and therefore be contented with thy condition for thou hast chosen death rather than life and God should wrong himself and thee also if he should not let thee have thy choosing Will not these things move you my brethren Me thinks I see your colours rise I am glad of it I hope it is to a good end you may be wise and happily so wise as to choose life rather than death Now the Lord grant it for he delights not in your destruction I wâ—â—â—dde one word more to leave the more impression in your
hearts my desire is the health of your souls though my meat seem soure yet my mind is the will of God Thou man or woman that canst not abide so much preaching but standest upon thorns whilst it is preaching Too much of one thing you say is good for nothing You do as much as say you will not have God with you you will have a little of God but you will have more of your pleasures Is this your desire your delights Know then whosoever thou art that hast an ill will to God and his Ordinances and wilt not have the gospel in the purity of it thou shalt have thy desires Thou sayest depart Preaching and so it shall thou shalt have thy desires When thou shalt hear the trumpets sound and when thine eares shall tingle with the sound of war then depart for ever you that are weary of God get you down to hell for ever Fulfill your base lusts then will God say for I have fed you on earth this twenty thirty forty fifty nay sixty years and upwards and my mild Word could not rule you nor prevaile with you and therefore now get you to hell and there remain for ever Think thus with your selves will God serve me thus yea that he will for he hath prepared a place for the proudest Kings Princes Monarchs Captains c that are or ever were in the world if they will not be ruled nor guided by God and his word See Isa 30. 33. the Text doth as good as say he delighteth to make bonfires about their ears And must this be the way to glorifie God But some may say Surely Kings and Monarchs are exempted they need not fear that such torments shall come upon them To this I answer that God will say unto them Raign there if thou wilt and then they shall know that there is a King that laughs at their destruction Take notice of this I beseech you and reason thus with your own soules I he a good son that cannot abide the presence of his own father is she a good wife that cannot abide the company of her husband and is he a good Christian that cannot endure the company of Christ in his ordinances This may serve to rebuke Gods people for their neglect You see the gospel is going Christ is departing he is going to seek better entertainment But I marvaile you give no better attendance I pray hearken what I say and have to say stand up and hear and the Lord give you grace to beleeve I will deal plainly with you as sure as God is God God is going from England Shall I tell you what God told me nay I must tell you on pain of my life Will you give eare and believe me I am a poor Ambassador sent from God to do his message unto you and although I be ow yet my message is from above and He that sent me is great and from above and oh that He would grant that this my message might be believed What if I should tell you what God told me yesternight THE SACRIFICE OF THE FAITHFUL OR A TREATISE shewing the nature property and efficacy of Zealous Prayer Together with some Motives to Prayer and Helps against discouragements in Prayer By WILLIAM FENNER Minister of the Gospel Fellow of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge and late Lecturer of Rochford in Essex London Printed by E. T. for John Stafford A DISCOURSE OF The nature of Prevalent Prayer Together with some helps against discouragements in Prayer LAMENT 3. 57. Thou drewest neare in the day that I called upon thee thou saidst fear not THis Book of the Lamentations doth plainely shew what miseries and distresses sin is the cause of As in this people of the Jews who because of their Idolatries their contempt of Gods Ordinances their slighting and misusing the Prophets c. Had their Cities taken their Temple burned their liberties confiscated themselves carried captive out of their own countrey and deprived of the ordinances of their God and the signs of his presence before they were rebellious but now they sought God a long time they prayed but God would not hear Insomuch that many poor soules amongst them were discouraged and almost ready to despaire That had not the Lord put in some inklings of hope they had utterly fainted Now whilst these poore soules were praying and crying and groaning and now ready to give over for discouragement that God will not heare them presently the Lord flings in comfort and beckens to their hearts not to be discouraged but to pray on and feare not Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee thou saidst fear not the words containe in them three properties of effectuall prayer First the unsatiablenesse of it All the prayers of this people though they had been of many yeares yet they counted them as the prayers of one day in the day that I called upon thee They account all their thousands of supplications and praiers as one suite never had they done their praiers till God did heare them Secondly the sensiblenesse of it whereby it is able to know whether God doe heare it or no Thou drewest neare in the day that I called upon thee Thirdly the supplyes it hath against dangers and discouragements God flings in comfort into their hearts giving them inklings of hope to support them against their discouragements thou saidst fear not From the first of these observe That an effectual prayer is an unsatiable prayer A man that praies effectually sets down this in himself as his first conclusion never to cease nor to give over praying till he speed This the first and prime thing that a godly heart looks at as David in his prayers He begins in this manner Heare my cry O God attend unto my prayer Psal 61. 1. So Give eare unto my prayer O God and hide not thy self from my supplications Psal 55. 1. Heare my voyce O God in my prayer Psal 64. 1. As if he should say Lord now I come to call upon thee now that I come to thee to begge these and these graces that my soule wants I beseech thee to heare me for I am resolved never to give over my suit never to give thee rest but for to continue my prayers and supplications til thou give a gratious answer to my soul and heare me This is the first and prime thing that the soule looks after it being the very end of prayer to be heard it is not with prayer as with Oratory for in Oratory a man may use all the perswasive arguments that the wit of man 〈…〉 and speak as cuttingly and as perswasively as may be and yet th◠heart may be so intractable as not to be perswaded it is not so with prayer The end of prayer is to prevaile with God Beloved there is difference between the end and office of prayer the office of prayer is to pray the end of prayer is to prevaile There is many a man