thoughts of Gods displeasure and thinkes it is at peace with God it is an evident signe that wrath is a comming Nay beloved in that measure you are in carnall securitie in that measure you are under wrath let that therefore be enough to awaken you and say thus with your selves It were better for me a great deale to be among the number of those that complaine and are mourning Christians then to bee in the number of those that are full of jollity and Joviality that rejoyce and sport themselves that put farre from them the evill day I might then escape the wrath of God as they doe Who are they that escape wrath See in Ezekiel 9. Those that were awake when others slept those that mourned when others laughed those that humbled themselves before God when others hardned themselves those were the men that were marked in the forehead by the Angel and they escaped And in the third of Malachie Those that feared the Lord and thought upon his name in those evill times that spake oft one to another there was a booke of remembrance of them and they are Gods jewels he will be sure to keepe them safe But how shall wee come to be awakened I should have told you some helpes for this I will but touch upon a few in a word First I will propound sobrietie as a maine helpe Would you be watchfull and kept from spirituall slumber take heed that you keepe your selves sober I speake not of sobrietie as it is opposed to drunkennesse though that be one thing Bee not filled with wine wherein is excesse but bee filled with the holy Ghost Ephes. 5. As if he should say you cannot be filled with the holy Ghost and with excesse of Wine persons that take liberty in excessive drinking certainly they are destitute of the holy Ghost and so of life and salvation But I meane a further sobriety that is as it is opposed to worldly-mindednesse Take heed that you plunge not your selves too much in the world and worldly pleasures and cares for these are against the rule of sobriety Be sober in your diet in your apparell in your gaining in your spending in your mirth in your company in every thing that is moderate your selves and your affections in these things A man may soone grow to such a drunkennesse by excesse in worldly affections that he may bee in a dead sleepe neglecting Gods judgements and his owne estate as wee see men that plunge themselves in worldly businesse are It takes away the thoughts of those things that concerne our spirituall good I say not that you should leave off the businesse of the world for every man must continue in the calling that God hath set him But I say moderate your affections to the things of the world Doe worldly businesses with heavenly mindes in obedience to God Doe them with waking hearts to repent for the sinnes of your callings to avoide the sinnes of your callings And that that I say of labouring in your callings I say of pleasures and of every thing else we should be watchfull and sober as S. Peter saith Bee sober and watch Secondly if you would be free from security which is a forerunner of judgement be sure to keepe your selves in exercise A man that would keepe himselfe awake will busie himselfe in some exercise and imployment or other What exercise should a Christian use The exercise of grace and of the duties of obedience Be sure to keepe your selves in the exercise of all the advantages that God giveth you in your lives to imploy your graces in In difficulties and straites exercise your faith In provocations to anger and discontent exercise meeknesse In crosses and troubles and afflictions exercise patience In the miseries and wants of others whether spirituall or corporall exercise mercy And what I say concerning grace I say concerning duty Keepe your selves in the exercise of prayer and reading and meditation and conference some one thing or other some holy employment or other that may keepe the soule waking For I tell you you shall find that whensoever you let fall spirituall exercise you will at that very instant fall into carnall securitie in some kind or other Thirdly would you keepe your selves from this dead sleepe of carnall security then keepe your spirits in feare Sorrow and griefe makes a man heavy but feare keepes a man waking when Iacob feared Esau he kept a watch that night Sampson feared the Philistims and it wakened him out of his sleepe Feare makes a man watchfull You may perceive it in your owne experience In that measure that the feare of God prevaileth securitie is expelled Keepe feare therefore Blessed is the man that feareth alwayes but he that hardneth his heart falleth into evill Marke how he opposeth the hardning of a mans selfe in carnall securitie to the feare of God Keepe your heart in a constant feare Reason thus Alas shall I doe this thing and sinne against God Will not God be offended and displeased Shall I goe on in this vanity Would I have the judgement of God find me in this company would I have it seise upon mee in this imployment in this businesse in this action Feare lest God should strike thee in such an act lest Death should seize upon thee in such a place and let that make thee keepe a constant watch against the snares that are in those places Fourthly keepe good company Company you know is a good meanes to keepe men awake Two are better then one and woe to him that is alone saith Solomon I say good company for there are a company that will infect you Keepe not company with a froward person lest thou learne his frowardnesse So keepe not company with drunken and swearing persons these are the Divels instruments to keepe a man in carnall security No keepe company with those that have a charge given them to exhort one another daily and to consider one another to provoke to love and good workes Keepe company with the Saints and make use of all opportunities to provoke others and to be provoked by others That is the fourth helpe Fifthly would you bee kept from this sinfull security then keepe God alwayes in your sight It is a good way for a man that would keepe himselfe awake to fix his eye upon some object Fix your eye upon this maine object God Whether shall I depart from thy presence saith David This is that the Lord would have his people to consider to keepe them from sinne in Ier. 23. 23. Am I a God at hand saith the Lord and not a God a farre off Doe not I fill heaven and earth saith the Lord Can a man hide himselfe from God in any secret place Thinke in thy chamber in thy parlour in thy shop in thy house in thy friends house in the street in the Church in every place wheresoever thou art that there God is also If
sobrietie Every sinne beginneth in impatience when a man cannot beare with that abstinence and forbearance as formerly cannot keepe that strict course in his wayes but groweth impatient against the rule of God he runneth into a course of sinne presently So you see that for the very preserving the soule the subject of grace and grace the treasure of the soule it is necessary that wee should have patience And then againe thirdly It will appeare thus to you that a Christian cannot be perfect without patience because hee cannot doe his worke without Patience he cannot doe the workes of Religion the taske that God layes upon him without Patience Looke in what measure Patience is defective in that measure hee halteth in his dutie in the very actions of Religion hee goeth about Take any one duty of Religion that you can name see whether a man can doe that without Patience Suppose it be Prayer How can a man goe on in the duty of prayer without Patience Sometime God delayeth the grant of a mans petition A man will now sinke and give over in discouragement if hee have not Patience to support the soule The Canaanitish woman when shee came to Christ and spake once to him and hee did not answer a word she had so much Patience as to make her speake the second time to him then he answered her but churlishly but yet her Patience held her to the third tryall at last she received her desire had she not beene patient to goe on with her request shee had lost her petition The Apostle Paul in 2 Cor. 12. for this thing saith he I besought the Lord thrice Hee would have given over at the first seeking of the Lord if he had not had Patience to uphold him to the second and third petition to the renewing of his suit twice nay thrice Come from praying to hearing the Word preached how can a man heare the word profitably without patience therefore the good ground is said to heare the Word and to bring forth fruit with Patience and it is the commendation of the Church of Philadelphia Thou hast kept the word of my Patience There is a necessitie of Patience if a man will profit by the Word For first if a man will obey the Word he shall be sure to have many set against him in the world he had need of patience then or else he will leave the rule of the Word because of the reproaches of the world Againe there are many secret corruptions in his owne heart that will be met with in the preaching of the Word which a man cannot abide to heare of but hee will be vexing and fretting and discontented at it as we see in Ahab and divers others unlesse hee have Patience to keepe him from raging against the Preacher and preaching of the Word You have need of Patience then â—…as the Apostle saith that you may beare the reproofes and exhortations of the Word Therefore saith the Apostle Iames Receive with Patience the ingraffed Word or receive with meeknesse the ingraffed Word that is able to save your soules There is no ingrafting the Word in the heart except those formes of impatience those hinderances of the growth of the Word be taken away But further there is yet a further end the whole life of a Christian is a continuall exercise of Patience there is a necessitie of it for he cannot persevere without Patience it is impossible for a man to begin in the spirit but he shall end in the flesh if he have not Patience to persevere in well doing Therefore saith the Apostle You have need of Patience that after you have obeyed you might receive the promise You have need of Patience for betweene the time of the making of the Promise and the time of the accomplishment of the Promise to the soule there is a great distance many times therefore yee have need of Patience to waite that after you have obeyed the Word you might receive the promise Let us runne with Patience the race that is set before us looking to Iesus the Authour and finisher of our faith Our Lord Jesus himselfe had not perfected the worke of our redemption if he had wanted Patience neither can we finish our course of Christianity wherein we must follow Christ and runne the race that is set before us except we have Patience added to other graces You see then a Christian cannot be perfect without Patience First because he cannot have all the parts of Christianitie that is one thing Secondly because he cannot keepe and preserve the graces he hath that is another thing Thirdly because he cannot act and worke according to the rule that is the third Lastly because he cannot persevere in the course he is in except hee have Patience There is a necessitie of Patience to the perfection of a Christian. Secondly the second point was that it is the duty of a Christian to strive to bring patience to the uttermost perfection to be as perfect in the degrees of patience as he can attaine to to make this the strife of his life that patience may have her perfect worke that there may be no defect in it The Apostle prayeth for the Collossians that they may be strengthned in the inward man to all long suffering And when our Saviour setteth God as a patterne before men Bee you perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect What aymeth he at in that place but this that we should strive to the uttermost extent and highest degrees of Patience for our Saviour intendeth of patience in that place This then is the dutie of a Christian. Why so First because a Christian is to follow the best patterne the best patternes are propounded in the Scripture And God doth not propound examples and Patternes to men in vaine but as he giveth them rules to tell them what they should doe so he giveth them examples and patternes to lead them to that degree and direct them in the manner of doing Therefore yee have God himselfe set as a patterne of Patience Follow God as deare children wherein In all those examples wherein you have a rule For all the examples of God and Christ and the Saints binde no further then there is a rule in the Word There are many things wherein we cannot follow God and Christ and we need not follow every one of the Saints but those things that are injoyned by the rule these examples are set to direct us in obedience to that rule Among other things the Patience of God is set forth as a patterne for us to follow In that glorious proclamation made of him in Exod. 34. 7. 8. Among other of his attributes hee is set out to bee a God long suffering and Patient You see how patient God is saith the Apostle And God that hee might shew his long-suffering and Patience bore with the world saith Saint Peter With
owne soule Secondly consider when a man sleepes and slumbers in sinne how unfit he is for any Christian dutie and exercise for the maine parts of Godlinesse and Christianitie How unfit is a sleepie man for the actions of life and of his calling and how unfit and unable and indisposed is a man that slepes in sinne to the actions of spirituall life There be some maine parts and branches of our generall Calling to which this sleepe makes us unable The first of them is the exercise of godlinesse the maine thing in the profession of a Christian to exercise himselfe in godlinesse how unfit is a sleepie Christian for this who sees a man that is asleepe that workes in his Calling that can doe any good in it So how can a Christian exercise himselfe in the actions of his generall Calling when he sleepes in his praying in his hearing in his reading if these duties be done coldly what are they worth Actions that are done in a mans sleepe they come to nothing so a man that sleepes in sinne let him doe never so many good actions they are of no value A second maine branch of our Christian Calling is the spirituall combate to fight against our corruptions Now alas how unfit is a sleepie man either to expect or to repell an enemie when he is asleepe hee lies open to all disadvantage Sisera himselfe a strong and noble Captaine was so weake that a silly woman Iael slew him when he was asleepe therefore we know this part of our Christian calling cannot hold as long as wee sleepe in sinne Thirdly another part and maine branch of Christianitie is to expect our Masters returne to waite for the comming of our Lord that we may enjoy that sweet blessednesse that he hath promised and made us expect and waite for now how unfit is a sleepie man to waite for his Masters comming to set things in order Thus we see in these particular maine duties of Christianitie they cannot be performed by men that are asleep therfore we had need to wake our selves if we will either honour God or profit our selves if will be fit to doe service to God or to his Church wee must keepe our selves awake especially in the maine duties of Christianitie Thirdly consider while we sleepe and are secure the enemie never sleepes he is then most watchfull against us We may sleep and thinke we doe well enough to take our ease but Satan sleepes not we have a watchfull enemie to deale with And then he hath some advantage by our sleeping in Mat. 13. in that Parable The enemie sowes tares while men slept hee comes into the field of the heart where the word of God the good seed is sowne and what doth he doe there he sowes a croppe of thornes and they make the heart of a Christian like the field of Solomons sluggard Prov. 24. I passed by the field of the sluggard and it was all thornes c. Thus is the heart that is neglected of a man that is sleepie and secure in sinne When doe robbers and theeves assault the house In the dead time of the night when they may take men at advantage in their first sleepe then they come and breake into the house Shall theeves and burglaries watch at midnight to breake the house and cut mens throates and wilt not thou watch to save thy selfe Further consider as the enemie never sleepes so Gods mercy never sleepes Gods mercie is ever watching over us to doe us good and it watcheth to keepe us watchfull for what should all the mercies of God doe to us but keepe us watchfull Our God that we serve is not as Baal the God of Idolaters perhaps hee is asleepe and must be awaked or hee is chasing his adversaries No no the strength that keepes Israel slumbers not nor sleepes Therefore let not Israel slumber nor sleepe because God watcheth over his children let them watch with him and keepe themselves neere to him Fiftly if this will not move thee then consider as Gods mercie sleepes not so Gods judgements sleepe not That man that sleepes in sinne let him know that Gods judgements sleepe not As Balaam when he was out of the way the Angell watcheth him and catcheth him in this corner and in that corner he could goe into no corner but the Angell with his drawne sword was ready to meet him and to slay him And the Apostle saith of those that were led away by false teachers Their damnation sleepeth not Gods judgements are alway waking thou maist sleepe on both sides in sinne but Gods justice sleepeth not And thou that art the Lords if thou sleepe know that correction and chastisement sleepeth not and they will awake thee thou wert better to awake by slighter meanes To conclude all consider that all of us there is no man upon the earth but we are all going to meet the mortall slâ—…epe of death and if we shall when that meets us have our owne consciences tell us that we have also a spirituall sleepe within us that we carrie a spirituall sleepe to meet that mortall sleepe what a miserable and mournfull state will that be when the heart of a man or woman that is comming to die shall say and speake aloude and witnesse against his Master O thou hast beene a sluggish and sleepie Christian thou hast had good meanes but thou hast not kept thy watch thou wouldest sleepe doe what the exhortations of the Word could thou wouldest be a drowsie Christian Hence it comes to passe that so many when on their death-bed they come to grapple with that mortall sleepe and then conscience proclaimes against them then they crie Oh that I had but one day but one houre more that I might waken and strengthen the things that are readie to die and that it might be better with me then it is But alas now their short day is past and one perpetuall night to come and now it is too late as it proves many times Therefore let not time goe but know that that mournfull day must come upon us we must meet that mortall sleepe Let us labour to shake off spirituall sleepe drowsinesse of spirit and make our peace in the meane time that conscience may witnesse with us and for us at the day of death and judgement Let us labour to be watchfull and desire to be readie for the Lord and to have our accounts readie for him This shall suffice for the words Now for our occasion because this is my first occasion of this kind I must enter with a preface and that is this that as I have ever beene in the course of my ministerie so I shall bee very sparing in the praise of the dead because I know that these exercises are appointed for the instructing of the living and the consolation of those that survive and not for the praise and commemoration of the dead Besides I know and see by daily
say in the Lord have I Righteousnesse and strength There are two things likewise in a Christian which are of eminent sufficiencie in order to his salvation and his possession of the Glorious inheritance purchased by this Saviour Faith and Patience often spoken of severally and in particular but withall joyntly and together as might bee manifested by the allegations of Scripture as bee not slothfull but be yee followers of them that by Faith and Patience inherit the promise c. Concerning these two which are so eminent in the called of God and are sufficient in order to their possession of the purchased inheritance as the Scripture abundantly treateth of so most frequently in this Epistle and more especially in the 10. 11. and 12. Chapters In the later end of the tenth Chapter you have the Apostle there first dogmatically handling the doctrine of Faith as the necessary meanes to attaine everlasting life and as the principall conducement to the possession of glory and to the saving of the soule The just shall live by Faith In the beginning of the eleventh Chapter he sheweth the absolute necessitie of Faith to an acceptable walking and well pleasing of God For without faith vers 6. it is impossible to please God and the whole Chapter is further spent in setting downe the glorious Examples of Abel and Enoch and Noah and Abraham and the rest of the Elders eminent for their Faith by which saith hee they received a good report All whom did worthily in their dayes and are now become famous to posteritie standing out to this day as so many living voyces calling upon us to become followers of them that we might together with them bee at length made partakers of the glorious inheritance of the Saints in light The Apostle having spoken much to this purpose goeth on to that other grace we spake of so necessarie to the constitution of a Christian and to the enabling of him to a well and faithfull managing of his Calling and condition and that is Patience Propounded by way of exhortation in the first part of this twelfth Chapter and urged with respect to the necessarie uses of it both concerning duties done and afflictions to be endured in the verses following First with respect to duties which the Apostle propoundeth under the Metaphor of running in a race for such is the course of a Christian life which the Saints of God are called to the finishing of Let us runne the race that is set before us and runne with Patience Secondly it is urged with respect to sufferings and that of two sorts from men from God From men from whom the faithfull are to make account of sufferings in divers kindes in shame and derision in proud and insolent contradictions and according to their power and opportunitie in bloudy persecutions You have not yet resisted unto bloud uerse 4. From God and here the Apostle is more large urging his exhortation to Patience and a quiet applying of our selves to God according to all the states and conditions he is pleased to bring us unto and according to all his severall administrations towards us very strongly labouring to fasten it in the hearts of the Saints of God as a nayle in a sure place first alledging that same passage of Solomon in the Proverbs My sonne despise not thou the chastening of the Lord And then he further strengthneth his exhortation by invincible arguments I doe but touch upon these things hastening on to the maine thing I intend only desiring to give you a plaine and briefe Analasis of this Scripture with the context of it The Apostle I say driveth on this exhortation by strength of argument And that first of all by propounding to the godly that whereas the Lord is pleased to exercise them with afflictions to make them drinke many times of a cuppe of bitternesse yet they have reason to be quiet and patient because this way the Lord giveth a proofe of his love to his children and those that are wise and godly will be glad they have reason so to be that God should take sucha course with them as whereby he may give them a demonstration of his deare love and affection Now herein the Lord evidenceth his love and affection to his people for all the afflictions and chastisements that he exerciseth them withall flow from his love and are as fruits thereof For saith he whom the Lord loveth hee chasteneth and scourgeth every sonne whom hee receiveth verse 6. Secondly he propoundeth it to their consideration as a course wherein the Lord giveth an evidence of his peoples adoption For what sonne is hee whom the Father chasteneth not But if yee bee without chastisement where of all his children are partakers then are yee bastards and not sonnes vers 78. Now the godly should be glad to have the Lord take such a course with them and so to order out his administrations concerning them as that they may have some comfortable evidence to their soules that they are his adopted ones and such as hee will one day acknowledge for to bee his children But thirdly and that which more concerneth our present purpose the Apostle urgeth his exhortation by a comparison that he frameth betweene God the Father of spirits and men that are fathers of our flesh we have had fathers of our flesh and they verely for a few daies chastened us and wee gave them reverence shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live they chastened us for their pleasure but Hee for our profit that wee might bee partakers of his holinesse Wherein you see the comparison is laid out in severall particulars and the preheminencie the advantage of the comparison is given to God for so is the scope and intent of the Text. It lieth thus briefly First Wee have had fathers of our flesh and God is the Father of Spirits if we have beene contented to undergoe the discipline of our earthly fathers much more have we reason quietly and patiently to submit our selves to the proceedings of the Father of our spirits Secondly They for a few dayes chastened us and we gave them reverence it is but a few dayes neither that the Father of spirits meaneth to keepe us under his discipline suppose it be all our time and perhaps it shall be so yet all that is but the time of our minoritie and therefore if we have beene content to submit to our earthly parents theirdiscipline for a few dayes shall we not much more be in subjection to the Father of spirits to his chastisement though it befor our life-time for the disproportion is infinitely greater between the time of this life compared with the state of maturitie and ripe age which the Saints shall come to hereafter and the time of our minoritie and childhood compared with the state of full age and man-hood in this life for alas how short are our dayes they are spent even as a tale
vertues and speciall effects that faith workes in the soule which will inable us to goe through great tryalls and therefore wee should labour to get this grace of faith into our soules First faith gets assurance Secondly breeds submittance Thirdly dependance and lastly conveyance First faith gets assurance it can eye God as our God though the stormes be very great yet God can quiet it When a man though hee sees his outward comfort dead yet Faith sees it in the hand of a living God Faith assures the soule God will put an end to the tryall though there bee a changeablenesse in the outward condition yet there is safetie in God and setlednesse in God Though a man may looke with a dull eye upon his losse yet if hee can looke upon God with the eye of faith as his God the absence of a poore creature cannot so much trouble him as the presence of a gracious and a glorious God can comfort and support him Secondly submittance is another effect of faith which faith workes in the soule our outward condition is subject to many changes and many times we meet with them and we are hindered in our comforts and naturally we grow impatient and murmure and quarrell with Gods providence but now there is a vertue in faith it fashions the heart and the mind to the condition faith makes a man submit to God in all estates to make us stoope to our burthen it is the Lord saith Ely 1 Sam. 3. let him doe what seemes good unto him and in the 39. Psalme saith David I was dumbe and opened not my mouth because the Lord did it Observe this unbeliefe makes a man dumbe and faith made David dumbe Zachary because he beleeved not the word that the Angell spake hee was dumbe and David because he beleeved the word of the Lord he was dumbe unbeleefe procures dumbnesse as a judgement from God but faith makes a Christian dumbe from complaining it quiets the soule in silence from murmuring against God it doth not make a person dumbe as not to pray and to praise God but dumbe in complaint Good is the word of the Lord saith Faith A third effect of Faith is dependance it will make a man trust God in frowning dayes though hee kill me yet will I trust in him saith Faith we can never lose any outward comfort but Faith can find a better in God though an outward losse may come yet Faith can make it up in God in the want of an outward comfort it will trust God Lord what waite I for saith David truly my hope is in thee Though the Christian estate may be at some time monefull yet at no time it is hopelesse A fourth effect that Faith workes is conveyance it can convey something to inable the soule to beare it up in all tryalls as Faith is an active grace to inable the soule to the performance of duty so Faith is a passive grace to strengthen the soule to suffer and beare affliction To yoâ—… saith the Apostle it is given not onely to beleeve but also to suffer for his Name Faith will call in strength enough to beare affliction wee see many times a poore Christian by the strength of faith is able to beare a great losse and undergoe a great tryall God is pleased to exercise a Christian with great affliction but Faith carries the soule along through all remember this Faith beares Gods tryalls with Gods strength there is a power in Faith which exceeds all outward crosses and losses Faith drawes strength from thâ—…â—…mise for there is no crosse nor affliction but Faith can find a support in the promise of deliverance Faith makes a man see the affliction as it were come out of the hand of the Lord out of the hand of Mercy Faith can convey comfort to the soule in affliction by making it see the chastisement delivered from the hand of a wise and loving Father that our chastisement is for our profit for our future advantage and that this is sent for our personall good if thou couldest get but a sensible denyall of thy selfe and by faith see all things measured out by the Lord this would make us with patience take from God what hee imposes upon us Faith will make a man conquer himselfe it will silence all murmuring and make the Soule beare its crosse with patience FINIS THE PRIVILEDGE OF THE FAITHFVLL OR THE JOYNT-INHERITANCE OF ALL BELEEVERS GAL. 3. 9. So then they which be of Faith are blessed with faithfull Abraham ACT. 2. 39. For the promise is unto you and to your children and to all that are a-farre off even as many as the Lord our God shall call LONDON Printed by Iohn Dawson for Ralph Mabbe 163â—… THE PRIVILEDGE OF THE FAITHFVLL OR THE IOYNT-INHERITANCE OF ALL BELEEVERS SERMON XXXIII 1. PET. 3. 7. As heires together of the grace of life TO let passe all by passages you have in this Text the priviledge of Women which is the very same with that of Men especially in relation to the greatest priviledge that belongeth to either of them The very priviledge it selfe as at the first view of the Text may appeare to you affordeth a fit Theame for such an occasion as this is which is the solemnization of the Funerall of a Grave pious and prudent Matron who was indeed while she lived a Mother in Israel in the Church of God who in her life-time testified much love to the Saints of God and in that respect I may say deserved now shee is taken away this respect of Gods Saints and children which by you is now shewed to her in accompanying her to her Bed of rest The forenamed words of my Text doth branch it selfe forth into two parts One setteth out the priviledge it selfe The other the partakers thereof The Priviledge therein you may observe two points First the kind of it Life Secondly the ground of it Grace The partakers of this priviledge are set forth in a compounded Article Ioynt-heires Co-heires heires together having relation to Women The simple consideration of the Word shewes the right they have to the forenamed priviledge they are heires The compound shewes the extent of it Co-heires one with another Men and Women heires together of the grace of life That yet you may a little more distinctly discerne the scope of the Apostle in this Text in a word note the inference of it upon that which goeth before or the connection of it therewith Lift up therefore your eyes but a little higher to the words going before and you may observe the Apostle giving a direction to men to honour Women notwithstanding they are the weaker vessels Vessells they are therefore capable of that which God shall bee pleased to infuse into them his grace they are weake vessells so are men also they are earthen vessells these are the weaker these comparatively may bee said to bee as glassie vessells and yet notwithstanding you have a common saying that
the resurrection Luke 20. 36. So much may suffice for comfort A second Use of the point may be for tryall and examination since we professe to be Christians to be members of Christ let us here trie the truth whether wee be so indeed or no. Christ is the Resurrection he is the Author of the first Resurrection to a spirituall life The first thing that Christ doth in the soule of a sinner is to raise the soule to a spirituall life therefore examine whether thou have feltthis quickning power or no this first Resurrection to a spirituall life When Christ was upon the earth he had power to raise up all those to life againe that died but yet hee raised but few there are but three that wee read of those that we named before The Widowes sonne Iairus Daughter and Lazarus here So likewise Christ now hath power to quicken all those that are dead in sinne to raise them to spirituall life but yet he quickens but few in comparison of those that continue still in their sinnes Therefore let us all examine our selves upon this point whether we have attained the first Resurrection or no. If we be true members of Christ we partake of the first Resurrection for Christ is a fountaine of spirituall life to all his members therefore examine this looke to the first resurrection to the Life of grace thou maist know it briefly by three signes First by forsaking of sinne Secondly by newnesse of life Thirdly by thy continuall progresse in both First by thy forsaking of sinne whether hast thou left those sinnes thou formerly livedst in As in the Resurrection of the body as soone as the soule is united to the body presently the man leaves the Grave he leaves the societie of the dead and comes forth as Lazarus as soone as he was quickned and his soule returned to his body presently hee came forth Vers. 44. Hee that was dead came forth out of his grave Examine therefore whether thou be come forth of the grave of sinne whether hast thou left the societie of sinners of prophane persons and whether hast thou left the grave of thy sinne Is there not some lust some sinne that still holds thee captive in this Grave to which thou willingly and wittingly obeyest If thou live in any one knowne sinne if thou be ruled by any one lust whatsoever it be be it swearing or drunkennesse or uncleannesse or covetousnesse or lying or open and publike prophaning of the Sabbath I say if thou live in the practice of any of these or the like knowne sins this is a plaine case thou art still in the noysome grave of thy sinnes thou art not risen out of the grave of thy sinnes and therefore thou art not quickned by the Spirit of Christ and if thou art not quickned then thou art not a member of Christ thou art not a true Christian. Againe Secondly thou mayest know it by the newnesse of thy life whether dost thou feele a spirituall life wrought in thee and whether doth it appeare outwardly Dost thou feele a spirituall life wrought inwardly That spirituall life that Christ restores to the soule is universally spread through the whole foule As when the soule of a man quickens the body it quickens the whole body every member of it so here the Spirit of grace quickens the whole soule Therefore examine whether dost thou find spirituall life wrought in thy whole soule or no whether dost thou find this change wrought in thy understanding and judgement whether hast thou a new judgement and thoughts and opinion of God and of the wayes of God a new opinion of Christ a new opinion of the members of Christ Whether dost thou find this change in thy heart and affections whether hast thou new desires new affections spirituall inclinations whether are the studies and desires of thy soule set upon heavenly things If yee bee risen with Christ seeke those things that are above Collos. 3. 1. Whether are thy affections and meditations heavenly and spirituall Dost thou feele this change inwardly in thy soule Againe doth this spirituall life appeare outwardly also by thy speeches and actions Doth it appeare outwardly in thy speeches is there a change there canst thou now speake to men in the language of Canaan and to God in the voyce of his Spirit crying Abba Father Againe is there a change in thy outward actions hast thou left the societie of sinners and dost thou converse with living Christians Dost thou love those that excell in vertue and dost thou manifest the graces of the Spirit in the conscionable performance of all the duties of thy generall and particular calling As soone as Lazarus was quickned presently as he left the Grave so he conversed with living men and walked in his Calling so examine if thou have left the societie of the dead and converse with living Christians and delight in them and whether thou walke on conscionably in the place that God hath set thee in making the word of Christ the rule of all thy actions If it bee thus with thee if thou feele this spirituall life wrought in thy soule and it appeare outwardly in all thy speeches and actions this is a good signe thou partakest of the first Resurrection to the life of grace In the third place thou maist know this also by thy progresse in both these First by the progresse of thy Mortification Is sinne daily more and more mortified in thee Dost thou daily get ground of thy corruptions Is sinne in thee like the house of Saul as that waxed weaker and weaker so doth corruption in thee daily Is sinne in thee like an old man as it is in every member of Christ and therefore it is stiled the old man an old man growes weaker and weaker till at the last he dies so it is with sin in every Christian examine if sin be such an old man in you that it growes weaker daily Againe thou maist know it by thy progresse in thy vivification Dost thou grow in grace daily Is grace in thee as the house of David as that grew stronger and stronger so doth grace in thee Is grace like a young man as it is in every member of Christ and therefore it is stiled the New man because it is as a young and lustie man that daily growes stronger till he come to his full strength doth grace in thee grow stronger daily and dost thou goe forward in thy Christian course It is the dutie of a Christian to walke on daily in his Christian course Rom. 6. 4. wee must walke on in newnesse of life If thou find this progresse in thy mortification and vivification it is a good signe indeed that thou hast attained to the first Resurrection of the soule to a spirituall life Therefore let mee intreate you to set upon this worke of examination of your owne hearts diligently and faithfully Let not the multitudes of worldly businesse
God our workes as they are good they are not ours as they are ours they are not good 2 Because whatsoever wee doe in fulfilling the Covenant of Grace wee are bound to doe for the inestimable benefits which we receive by our Redeemer 3 Because wee imploy not our Tallent to our Masters best advantage no man walketh so exactly as hee might doe by the power of grace which would not be wanting to us if wee were not wanting to our selves But because wee may seeme partiall in our owne cause and take these reasons for demonstrations which our Adversaries will not acknowledge to bee so much as probable arguments let the ancient Fathers give in the verdict Saint Austine When the Apostle might truly have said the wages of righteousnesse is eternall life he chose rather to say but the gift of God is eternall life that we might understand that he brings us to eternall life not for our merits but for his mercies sake And Saint Basil There remaines an everlasting rest to those who fight lawfully not for the merits of their workes or verbatim according to the Greeke originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 supple 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Not according to the due debt of their workes but of the grace or by the favour of our most munificent God And Fulgentius To possesse the kingdome prepared for us is a worke of grace for of meere grace there is given not only a good life to these that are justified but eternall life to those that are glorified And Saint Ambrose Our momentarie afflictions are not worthy the glory that shall be revealed therefore the forme or tenour of the heavenly decrees upon men proceed not according to merits but the mercy of God And Marke the holy Hermite The kingdome of heaven is not a reward of workes but a gift of God prepared for his fruitfull servants And let Pope Gregorie conclude all As Eleazar who killed the Elephant yet was killed by the Elephant in his fall upon him so those who subdue vices if they grow proud of their victorie as all doe who conceive they merit heaven by it are subdued by and lye under those vices which they before subdued for hee dyes under the enemie whom he hath discomfited who is extolled in pride for the vice which he conquered The third difficultie was whither the workes follow the dead which may thus be expedited their good workes follow them not to the grave for there there the soule is not nor to Purgatorie for J have already proved there is no such place nor to Hell for none are blessed that come there The workes of the damned indeed follow them thither there they meet with them and with the Divell who seduced them to torment them for them there the swearers and blasphemers gnaw their tongues there the lascivious wantons are cast into a bed of fire there they who swome here in pleasures are throwne into a river of brimstone But the workes of the godly follow them to the place where they receive their recompence for them The fourth difficultie was when the workes follow the dead which may bee thus expedited some of their works follow them immediatly after their death others at the day of Judgement Those workes which they have done by and in the soule only without the helpe or use of the body follow them immediatly after death when the soule receives her reward for them but those which were performed partly by the soule and partly by the body follow them at the day of Judgement When the King shall say Come yee blessed of my Father possesse the kingdome prepared for you for I was hangrie and yee gave me meat I was thirstie and yee gave me drinke I was naked and ye cloathed me I was sicke and in prison and ye visited me Wee have peeled off the rhine let us now taste of the sweet juyce if our workes shall most certainly and plentifully bee rewarded Let us be zealous of good workes let us be filled with the fruits of righteousnesse let us in no case be weary of well-doing let us not cast away our confidence which hath great recompence of reward if a cup of cold water shall be reckoned for what thinke yee of a glasse of hot water to revive many a fainting soule If two mites cast into the treasurie shall be taken notice of what thinke yee of ten talents If Christ hath a bottle for every teare shed for him how much more for every drop of bloud There are infinite motives in holy Scriptures to incite us to good workes I will touch at this time only upon three 1. Our great Obligation to them 2. Our exceeding comfort in them 3. Our singular benefit by them First our Obligation to them is twofold 1. As men 2. As Christians As men wee are bound to serve him with our hands who gave us them As Christians we are to employ them in his service who loosened them after they were manacled and restored unto us the free use of them 2. Our comfort in them is exceeding great they assure us of our spirituall life for as the naturall life is discerned by three things especially 1. The beating of the pulse 2. The letting out of breath 3. The stirring of the joynts or limbes so also is the spirituall if the pulse of devotion beate strong at the heart if wee breath to God in our fervent prayers and lastly if wee stirre our joynts by walking in all holy duties and performing such good workes as are required at our hands we may be sure that wee have spirituall life in us we may build upon it that Christ dwelleth in our hearts by faith and that we live in him by grace 3. Our benefit by them is manifold in this life and the life to come In this life peace of conscience their soule shall dwell at ease 2. Good successe in all we undertake whatsoever we doe it shall prosper 3. The service of the creatures for all things worke for the best to them that love God Lastly a comfortable passe out of this world we are sure our end shall be peace In the life to come the benefits are such as never eye hath seene nor eare hath heard nor ever entered into the heart of man God grant therefore our heart may enter into them quia Aristoteles non capit Eurispum Eurispus capiat Aristotelum because wee cannot comprehend the joyes of heaven let them comprehend us You expect something to be spoken of our deare Sister deceased and much might be said and should by me in her praise but that one of her chiefest commendations was that shee could not endure praise Laudes quia merebatur contempsit quia contempsit magis merebatur Because shee deserved praise shee despised it and because shee despised it shee the more deserved it Silent modestie in her was her crowne in her life and modest silence of her was the charge
the first verse mortalitie is swallowed up of life And therefore you give wrong names to things for while you live you die because your life it is a dying condition and while you die you live because then the cessation of life it is as the river Iordan to the people of Israel no more but a passage to Canaan not a floud to drowne them so it is with the servants of God death is but a passage to heaven it is not destructive to them So that if men did but rectifie their opinions of Death as I told you before when their hearts are right set when they are humbled and not lifted up with worldly things when their faith is strengthned and setled in them when they are made watchfull in a holy course looking for Death when they are established with the assurance of Gods favour then I say they may find that all these naturall feares of death were upon mistake they did not rightly apprehend the thing Other things I should have added but I am loth to hold you too long A word for the occasion and so I will conclude The departure of our Sister here was the occasion as of this meeting here so of this Text in particular Shee gave good evidence to those that knew her more inwardly that she was in Christ that she was delivered not onely from eternall death but from feare of temporall death too It pleased God to exercise her a great while under the feare of death the apprehension of it waâ—… of some terrour to her but neverthelesse when God called her to it indeed then the feare of Death was hid from her and Christ then applied the fruit of his death in freeing her from those feares Shee was not freed from them out of a Stoycall Appethy or want of naturall affection and passion but out of a spirituall and faithfull application of Christ to herselfe upon good grounds Shee looked upon God as her Father and much delighted to expresse her apprehension of him under that notion and shee very often manifested her rejoycing in that interest she had in God as his child no marvell then if the feare of death were taken away we see here in the text that they are children that are delivered from the feare of death When we are in the state of Gods children by adoption and grace then there is rather a desire then a feare of death It is but as our Fathers white Horse so it is called in the Revelation A child at schoole when he seeth one riding post through the streets as if he would runne over him or tread upon him he cryeth out But if he sees that it is his fathers man sent to bring him from schoole to his Fathers house all his feare is past and he laugheth and rejoyceth So when we are the sonnes and daughters of God by adoption we apprehend Death as our Fathers pale Horse sent by him to bring us from a place of prison on earth home to our Fathers house a place of libertie in heaven So it was with her She looked upon Christ as her Husband and though she left a husband upon earth yet it was her owne expression shee was to goe to her Husband in heaven which was farre better for her And therefore I say having these apprehensions of God as her Father and that she was adopted to the state of a child by grace and looking upon Christ as her husband no marvell shee was freed from the feare of Death And that these were upon good grounds those that knew her course best knew that she expressed it by her abundant care to please God by her desire to serve God by her endevour to mortifie and subdue ill in her selfe by her growth in grace in her latter times these good evidences did shew that it was not a rash and groundlesse perswasion but a true and reall apprehension of God and Christ that freed her from this Feare of death Beloved many times the life of Gods servants is uncomfortable to them because for some of those reasons I have spoken of before they are afraid of Death and they apprehend it not with comfort and this they doe because they see not the interest they have in better comforts then Death can take from them I have the rather therefore spoke this of her that you may take notice of it and apply it to your selves And to conclude make this use of all to grow more humble and watchfull and holy to strengthen faith more and by dying daily to prepare more for Death For faith is the rectified apprehension of things Death it is not so fearefull as you thinke it is you lose not so much as you thinke you lose Nay againe because this trouble and this feare dishonoureth God therefore when God calleth us to Death he hideth these feares from us as he did from this servant of Christ at this time before us though she were fearfull before yet she was exceeding comfortable all the time when the apprehension of Death approched upon her So it shall be with thee if thou bee carefull to use the meanss to prepare for Death mind thou the dutie that God enjoyneth thee in thy life and leave the event and issue to him either hee will glorifie himselfe by thy feares or else he will glorifie himselfe by delivering thee from thy feares FINIS THE PERFECTION OF PATIENCE OR THE COMPLEATE CHRISTIAN HEB. 12. 1 2. Let us runne with Patience unto the race that is set before us looking unto Iesus the Authour and finisher of our faith c. JAMES 5. 12. Yee have heard of the Patience of Iob and have seene the end of the Lord. LONDON Printed by Iohn Dawson for Ralph Mabbe 1639. THE PERFECTION OF PATIENCE OR THE COMPLEATE CHRISTIAN SERMON IIII. JAMES 1. 4. But let patience have her perfect worke that you may bee perfect and intire wanting nothing IN the second verse of this Chapter the Apostle perswadeth the distrest servants of God to beare their afflictions chearfully My brethren saith hee count it all joy when you fall into divers tentations This exhortation he presseth in the third Verse by shewing the gracious effects of tentations when God sanctifieth them Knowing this that the tryall of your faith worketh patience Yea but if this be all the fruit of our afflictions and tentations that we shall be made patient what great matter is that what great advantage commeth by patience It is but a dull grace it is meerely passive He telleth them that it is such a grace as is necessarie to the beeing and perfection of a Christian in the words that I have now read to you Let patience have her perfect worke that you may be perfect and intire wanting nothing I shall speake something for the explication of the tearmes and phrases used here and then come to elect such points as shall offer themselves to us from them First I will shew what is meant by patience
Secondly what is meant by Patience having her perfect worke Thirdly what is meant by this that doing of this they shall be perfect and intire wanting nothing Patience in a word it is a grace or fruit of Gods spirit whereby the heart of a beleever willingly submitteth it selfe to the will of God in all afflictions and changes in this life I say it is a worke or fruit of Gods spirit In respect of this worke the efficient is called The God of Patience And long suffering which is the same with Patience is made a fruit of the Spirit Gal. 5. 22. The subject of this is the Heart The act of this Patience is to submit a mans selfe willingly to God in afflictions I say willingly for there is a submission which is by force when God subjects a man to himselfe not by a graciâ—… and sweet inclining of the will but by a powerfull subduing 〈◊〉 the person Now when I say there is such a willing submission to God in afflictions the meaning is thus That there may be in a beleever in a child of God a Velietie an inclination of the will a naturall desire to be freed from Afflictions yet neverthelesse there is in him that willingnesse that is here the Patience of a Christian. There may be a willingnesse and an unwillingnesse in one and the same person arising from divers principles In every renewed soule there is a principle of nature and a principle of grace I speake not now of corrupt nature but of pure nature for we may so speake There is a desire that ariseth from nature and that tendeth to the conservation of a mans beeing and to the conservation of a man in all the comforts and contentments of his beeing This is and may be in a child of God But then it is overswayed by grace which makes a man now resigne up this will of his to Gods hand to be content against his owne naturall desires to bee disposed of according to Gods will This wee may see in our Lord and Saviour Father saith he if it be possible let this cup passe from mee Here is a desire to keepe not onely in his naturall beeing but to keepe in the comfort of nature and life And this is lawfull and a good desire for these affections are the workes of God upon the soule of man The will of man moveth naturally by these affections these desires they are the fruits of nature and so the workes of God in nature and therefore not simply to be blamed But now that which keepeth them within compasse is an over-ruling worke of grace whereby the creature is made to acknowledge his distance from the Creatour and that subjection he oweth to God as the soveraigne Lord of nature and of all creatures And in this sense our Saviour Christ doth check his naturall desires If it be possible let this cup passe from me neverthelesse not as I will but as thou wilt saith he So here is a worke of grace ordering and over-ruling nature that it might not exceed that proportion of the creature and those desires that should be in nature So then you see what kind of willingnesse we meane such a kind of willingnesse as in the issue and close resteth in Gods will The object of this Patience is Afflictions and the changes of this life Affliction is properly any thing that is grievous to a mans sense any thing that crosseth a mans will There are some things that indeed are Afflictions but not to this or that person because heis not sensible of them or because he is not carried with any desires against them But when a man is crost in his will that is an affliction to him but specially when this is set on him with a change when God brings as Iob speakes changes upon him when a man is in another turning and course of life this is an affliction indeed A man that hath tasted the sweetnesse of prosperitie now to be left in affliction this was Iobs case and this is specially the object of Patience You have heard of the patience of Iob. But how did Iobs patience appeare in the Afflictions in the changes of his life That notwithstanding he had felt the sweetnesse of a prosperous estate and the comfort of friends yea and the comfort of Gods favour shining upon his heart and many other particular mercies yet when God turned his hand and tooke away the comforts of his life the comfort and societie of his friends the comfortable expressions of his owne love to his soule and threatned the taking away even of life it selfe Iob could now in this case resolve to rest in the determination and appointment and will of God Here is Patience now Thus briefly you have heard what the duty is to which the Apostle exhorteth It is patience that is a willing resigning of our selves to Gods appointment in the changes of our life But now that is not enough the Apostle contents not himselfe to say Have Patience but let Patience have her perfect worke Hee would have them grow in Patience to grow from one degree to another to abound in Patience as the Apostle speakes of Hope and Ioy in the 15. Rom. 13. that they might not onely have patience but have it brought to perfection which in the 1. Coll. 11. is called all long suffering that there might not be the least defect that they might have a measure of patience proportionable to the measure of Tryals that look as God increased the measure of their tryals upon them so they might have patience to answer those tryals somewhat to support the heart when the greatest weight should be laid upon the soule to presse it downe so the word Hipomene that is translated patience signifieth to beare up a man to support him under a burthen that he be not prest downe by it So hee would have them have such a measure of patience as might beare up the soule in the greatest pressures that though they were afflicted they might not be broken in their afflictions Thus you have the duty opened Let Patience have her perfect worke The reason is that you may be perfect and intire wanting nothing That you may be intire Some understand it thus that you may be intire in respect of every grace in respect of all gracious habits that you may have one grace as well as another that as you have knowledge and faith so you may have patience too that which is so necessary a grace for a Christian as well as any other Others by intirenesse here and wanting nothing thinke that the Apostlemeanes this that they might have that which might supply comfort to their soules in all their wants A man is then said to want nothing when he is content and satisfied with that estate wherein he is as if he had all things So David when Ziglag was burnt his Wives carried away captive his souldiers began to mutinie and threaten
him yet neverthelesse he seemed to want nothing when he could comfort himselfe in the Lord his God Godlinesse is great gaine but how with contentment that is there is such a sufficiency with contentment of heart as if a man had the things he wants So then here is the thing that you may be intire in respect of all gracious habits necessary to the beeing of a Christian that you may have that inward store and supply of comfort that may support your hearts in all outward wants Thus you have the meaning of the words The parts are two An exhortation to duty An argument to enforce that exhortation The duty whereto they are exhorted is that they should bee perfect in Patience let Patience have her perfect worke The Argument whereby they are perswaded to this duty is that they may be intire and wanting nothing that they may have all that is necessary to a Chaistian We will observe two Conclusions hence which we shall follow at this time The first is this That Patience is necessarie to the perfection of a Christian. Or A Christian is not perfect without patience The second is this That every Christian should strive for a perfection of degrees of Patience Or that a Christian must labour to attaine the highest degree and perfection in Patience These two Conclusions we will handle apart in the Explication and proofe and joyne them together in the application and use For the first then that A Christian is not perfect without patience Our Saviour exhorting his Disciples to patience in the fifth of Matth. because they should meet with many enemies and injuries in the world he concludeth bee perfect saith he as your heavenly father is perfect What perfection speakes he of here Such a perfection such a worke of Grace as might inable them to carry themselves as became them in the middest of those many enemies and opposites they should meet withall I will not stand upon this I will endevour to make it appeare to you First it may appeare thus There is a twofold perfection of a Christian There is a perfection of parts and a perfection of degrees A child is a perfect man in respect of parts but not in respect of degrees because it is not come to that measure of strength for that age is not capable of it which a man hath Now there is a necessitie that there should bee a perfection of parts First the perfection of parts in a Christian is but the making up of all those graces which are necessarie to a Christian and without which he cannot obey God nor walke according to the rule All these are necessarie Now Patience is one of those parts one of those habits of grace with which every renewed soule is indowed and without which a man is not truly sanctified without which a man expresseth himselfe not to be regenerate And for this observe what the Apostle Peter saith Adde moreover to your faith vertue to vertue knowledge to knowledge temperance to temperance patience to patience godlinesse to godlinesse brotherly kindnesse to brotherly kindnesse love What is the reason of of it If these things bee in you and abound you shall neither be idle nor unfruitfull in the worke of the Lord. As if hee should say you will bee idle and unfruitfull professors unlesse that these graces bee in you and abound in you Now what are the Graces you shall see the necessitie of every one of them The Apostle exhorteth beleevers there to the giving all diligence to the making their calling and election sure to make it certaine to themselves that they are effectually called But might some say there are many graces necessary to a Christian but there is one principall which we call the radicall and maine grace of all Faith I but saith the Apostle there are many others necessary besides that as you must have faith towards God so you must also carry your selves so as may adorne your profession amongst men therefore adde vertue to faith But they might say vertue that is that that guideth a man in all Morralls in all the course of his life and conversation You shall have many provocations to sinne therefore adde to vertue temperance But we have many discouragements to good therefore adde to temperance Patience But what though you should have both temperance and Patience these are but morall vertues Therefore adde to Patience godlinesse that you may in all things you doe ayme at God and approve your selves to him But when we have carried our selves in a holy manner according to the rule and word of God yet neverthelesse there are many Christians that require offices of love from us and what shall wee doe to these Therefore adde to godlinesse brotherly kindnesse But then againe beside that conversation we have with beleevers theâ—…e are many men in the world that expect certaine duties from us Therefore adde to that Love that extendeth to all men according to their necessities So you see how the Apostle takes all graces as it were into severall parcels and sheweth how they cannot bee without one parcell of grace they cannot goe through the course of Christianitie except they have every thing they cannot carry themselves toward God without faith they cannot adorne their profession without vertue they cannot escape temptations without temperance neither can they be encouraged against discouragements without patience Therefore he bringeth patience in amongst the rest as a necessary part and dutie of a Christian without which hee cannot goe through the worke of Christianitie and religion Againe in the second place as it appeareth by the parts of a Christian and Christianity that a man cannot be perfect without Patience so it appeareth by another argument and that is this A Christian cannot be perfect without that without which hee cannot keepe that grace he hath Looke what ever grace is in the soule a man cannot keepe it without Patience By Patience possesse your soules The soule which is the seate and subject of Grace cannot it selfe be kept without Patience therefore neither can any grace be kept in the soule without Patience because as the riches and treasures in a Castle cannot be kept when the walls are beaten downe so those treasures of grace in the heart of man cannot be kept when once patience which is as the wall of the soule that keepes it from the batterie of tentations from the enemie that would steale them away while men sleepe I say unlesse these walls these supporting graces specially this of Patience be in the soule it cannot stand intire For indeed let impatience once into the soule and you let in all sinne with it impatience is a destroying of all grace a pulling downe of the wall Nay what is sinne indeed but impatience in a sense What is pride but the impatience of humilitie What is uncleannesse but the impatience of chastitie What is drunkennesse but the impatience of
Why should I doe this The reasons he giveth against excessive sorrow are first I can but give you the heads of things because it is a thing against reason Hence I will note this to you That one way to moderate our sorrowes and to regulate them aright is to bring them to the examination of reason and judgement When passions sway when they doe not looke to the commands of reason to bee subject and ordered according to that but usurpe a rule in the soule above reason then there is nothing but confusion and distemper and disorder in a mans affections and actions and in his whole course A man should therefore consider what reason there is for every thing If hee sorrow for a thing what reason have I for it If hee rejoyce in any thing what reason have I for it Is it worth this sorrow or this joy I say this is the way to rectifie and moderate our passions and to order them aright if wee trie them all by sound reason David tooke this course at other times Why art thou cast downe oh my soule why art thou disquieted within mee Is there any good reason for it Reason I say is a curbe and bridle to stop passion when it is running on in its free course If David had done thus would hee have runne out to that excessive expression for his sonne Oh Absalom my sonne my sonne c. What great reason had hee for this that Absolom a rebellious son was tooke away that sought the death of his father that God glorified himselfe in the punishment of a disobedient proud insolent childe in the sight of all the world Was this a matter for David so much to grieve and to be troubled at If Ionah had done thus if hee had considered what reason hee had to bee angrie as GOD putteth the question to him dost thou well to bee angrie Would he not have stopped that Passion If Cain had done thus if he had put the question to himselfe as GOD did Why art thou wroth why is thy countenance fallen Or as that great King said to Nehemiah Why is thy countenance sad So if men would put the question to themselves concerning their affections as concerning love why doe I set my heart upon such and such things and so likewise concerning their sorrow and anger and every thing Why is it thus As Rebecca said when the children did striue in her womb so when there is a conflict of passions in the soule against reason since it is so why am I thus Who art thou that fearest mortall man saith Isaiah to the Church If men I say did thus they would not breake out into such exorbitancie of passions as commonly they doe The way then to order any affection aright is to reduce it to the principles of sanctified and rectified reason and judgement Let reason be guided by the Word of GOD and let the affections be ordered by that reason so rectified Thus it was with man in the state of innocencie and experience telleth us that in the state of corruption all disorder commeth from the want of this subordination of the affections to reason in their severall actions and motions When a man goes hood-winkd up and downe hee is in danger of stumbling and falling into one hole or other this is for a man to walke in darknesse then a man walketh in darknesse when hee is not guided in all his actions and affections by the light of truth shining in his understanding A man should therefore strive to checke himselfe and to suffer others to checke him Why is it thus If a man cannot give a cause and a reason it is a passion to be rejected a distemper to be repented of This is the first thing He saw no reason therefore hee would not doe it The second is this It was altogether bootlesse Why should I fast I cannot bring him backe againe Hee meaneth bring him backe againe to live on the earth So Iob meaneth when hee speakes in the same manner If a man die shall hee live againe hee cannot be brought backe againe to live and converse among men The point I not hence is this That all the actions and opportunities of this life cease in death There is no calling of them backe againe No bringing of a man backe to take new opportunities to enjoy the comforts he hath lost and to make use of the meanes he hath neglected and to redeeme the time he hath slackly let passe When the request was put to Abraham by Dives that some might come from the dead to tell his brethren upon earth where he was No saith he that request shall never be granted that a man should come from the dead to give warning to the living much lesse that a man himselfe should returne from thence to begin upon a new score a new reckoning to have a new time appointed when that time is past over They have Moses and the Prophets let them heare them God hath appointed the meanes and a time to use the meanes Now they have Moses and the Prophets After this life they shall have none of those meanes no time of using them The child shall not come back againe nor the man shall not come backe againe Death is a strict doore-keeper all that passe out that way the doore is shut on them they shall never returne backe Wee reade of many severall Ages that have gone to the place of silence we never read of any that came thence to tell what is done there we never heard of any yet that came backe againe to reforme his course A friend with all his prayers and teares cannot bring backe a friend that is dead It teacheth us a point of wisedome to make good use of our time the time of grace we have We draw neerer death every day then other and when once we are dead we shall never be brought backe againe upon the earth If a man had all the world and would give it to obtaine an houres time upon earth to doe what he neglected before he cannot have it therefore while it is called to day harden not your hearts yet a little while and you shall have the light saith Christ while yee have the light walke in the light Make use of the meanes of grace the time may come when yee may wish as Dives is described to wish that some body much more that you your selves might come from the dead Certainly if those in Hell were to come from the dead againe though it were to live a hundred yeares on earth a holy strict and conscionable life to watch over all their wayes to keepe a good conscience toward God and men they would not omit a duty nor slight a duty they would not omit an opportunity a minute but spend their whole life in working out their salvations with feare and trembling they would sleepe and awake with feare lest they should sinne they would be
is that The time of death the heart of a man is put to it at such a time and now these shrinke nothing can inable a man against feare so much as sincerity and uprightnesse When the Prophet Isaiah told Hezekiah from God that he must die he flieth to this Lord remember how I have walked before thee with an upright heart and done that which was good in thy sight When Death commeth to a wicked voluptuous person and telleth him I am here come for thee thou must appeare before God what can this man say Lord I have lived before thee a voluptuous proud wretched life I was a scorner of thy Word a contemner and persecutor of thy people a swearer c. What though perhaps he can say Lord I have heard so many Sermons I have beene so much in conference and the like will this inable a man against the feare of Death No nothing but this that he hath a sincere heart that his heart is unmixed that sinne is not affected in his soule that there is no sinne that hee would live in no duty that he would not doe Lord remember that I have walked before thee uprightly I say nothing will inable a man more against feare then sinceritie and nothing disgraceth perplexeth the soule in an exigent more then hypocrisie It is sinceritie that takes away the sting of Death The Apostle in Rom. 14. saith he No man liveth to himselfe but if hee live hee liveth to the Lord and if hee die hee dieth to the Lord whether wee live or die wee are the Lords Here is the comfort wee are the Lords saith he How proveth hee that Wee live unto him That is the worke of a sincere heart A true Christian liveth not to himselfe but to Christ Now if thy conscience give thee this testimony I have lived unto Christ then whether I live or die I am the Lords the Apostle concludeth it So right is that of Solomon Riches availeth not in the day of wrath but righteousnesse delivereth from death Thy righteousnesse and sincerity delivereth thee not from dying but from death It takes away the sting and power of Death Death shall not be death to thee it is onely a passage to thee Therefore remember as to get a part in Christ so to get a perfect and sincere heart and then the sting of death is gone But a hypocriticall divided heart a heart and a heart that will sting a man That is the second Thirdly wouldest thou have the sting of death pulled out now Then mortifie thy sinnes now doe it presently Remember what Saint Paul saith but I thinke hee speakes it in respect of afflictions I professe by our rejoycing in Christ Iesus I die daily If it be meant of afflictions yet it should be verified of us in respect of sinne die daily to sinne and then the sting of death is gone Oh beloved our condition will be sad and discomfortable when at once we must enter into the field with Death and Sinne he that dieth daily to Sin hee hath nothing to doe with Death when it commeth Death may come to such a party but it cannot hurt him he may rest quietly when it commeth And observe it so much sinne as thou now sparest so much sting thou reservest for Death and is it not folly in a man to spare sinne that giveth a sting to Death But now as a man is to crucifie every sinne let me put in this caution and remember this advise As the sting of every sin is to be pulled out so pull out especially the sting of that Sin that now stingeth thy conscience that now lieth upon thy conscience for if it worke now it will worke fearfully at death Death doth not lessen the work of sin but inrageth it God wil then present and set thy sins in orderbefore thee perhaps God hath brought thee here to day to heare this Word getthee home and set thy soule in order The love of Sin and the feare of Death seldome paâ—…t and where Sinne is much loved Death will there be much feared Death is never more terrible then where sin is most delighted in Therefore crucifie sinne if thou wilt have the sting of death taken away It may be thou thinkest it is a troublesome worke but remember that those sinnes which thou now so much delightest in and lovest and livest in will then prove the sting of death to thee If a man would spend his time in the mortification of sinne when death commeth he should have nothing to doe but to let his soule loose to God and to give it up to him as into the hands of his most faithfull Creatour and Redeemer And is it not an excellent thing for a man to have nothing to doe with Death when it commeth Lastly here is a use of comfort If it hath pleased God to give any of us the grace to pull out the sting of death it is a great comfort But Death is approching you will say Oh but Death is disarmed the sting of it is taken away what a singular comfort is it then to you that Death is comming Indeed all the comfort that the soule is capable of is this that the sting of death is tooke away Now when Death commeth upon such a man it doth but free him from all that state of miserie hee is in here from all that extremitie of condition that he is put into from all those diversities of occasions pressing occasions of tumbling about in the world Death doth but put an end to all And which is an excellent comfort to a Christian Sin is ended with Death what afflicteth the soule of a Christian but that hee carrieth about him a body of sinne and of death This was a trouble to Saint Paul and is to every true Christian Now when Death commeth there is an end of this Body of sinne thou shalt never sinne more thou shalt never grieve the Spirit of God more thou shalt never be clogged with such imperfections and infirmities in dutie that death that commeth to thee shall passe thee to the fruition of eternall glory and what canst thou desire more then to be happy in eternall glory with God FINIS THE DESRVCTION OF THE DESTROYER OR THE OVER THROVV OF THE LAST ENEMIE PSAL. 9. 6. O thou Enemie thy Destructions are come to a perpetuall end ISAIAH 25. 8. Hee will swallow up Death in victorie LONDON Printed by Iohn Dawson for Ralph Mabbe 1639. THE DESTRVCTION OF THE DESTROYER OR THE OVER THROW OF THE LAST ENEMIE SERMON VII 1 COR. 15. 16. The last enemie that shall bee destroyed is Death DEath is a subject that a Christian should have in his thoughts often and neither the hearing nor thinking nor speaking of it can be unseasonable for any place or person We have heard that the life of Philosophers is nothing but a meditation of Death and certainly the life of a Christian much more should abound in
wee will convince you of this life that it is simply necessary That so without delay every one that is convince that he liveth to himselfe may now begin to leave that course to liue to himselfe and hereafter live to God For the first of these To convince us that there are many amongst us that professe our selves to be Christs and yet are thus disposed and have this sinfull affection to live to our selves Take this first in the generall If there were not such a disposition in mens hearts the holy Ghost would not thus have directed the spirit of the Apostle in expressing this as a note of difference betweene them and others and as an argument that a strong Christian should beare with the weake because they doe not live to themselves The Scripture giveth not rules in vaine But that yet we may see it more clearely you shall find this very thing complained of sometime and sometime forbidden Complained of Phil. 2. 21. All seeke their owne and not the things of Iesus Christ. Such a disposition there was in them that they sought their owne they lived to themselves And forbidden 1 Cor. 10. 24. Let no man seeke his owne but every one another mans wealth A thing expresly and in termes so clearely forbidden as no man can hide himselfe from the light of it Hee is certainly guiltie of the breach of this command that seekes after his owne that seekes himselfe But how shall wee know that wee may bee more sensible of our owne case whether it be thus with us or not whether wee live to our selves and not unto God I will give you two generall rules and tryals whereby a man may discerne whether he live to himselfe or not The first is this Consider when a lust and an occasion meet together how you are I shall shew it in divers particulars Take it thus Sometimes you shall see that a man is put on to a good dutie by incouragement sometimes hee wants those incouragements Marke now how a man determineth and resolveth to act or to cease his action by vertue of these incouragements Sometimes you shall see that there is a command to a dutie but no outward incouragement to that duty that may satisfie the desire of a mans heart in selfe-respects He must obey God in this command but hee shall gaine nothing in the world by it hee shall neither grow rich nor get more esteeme among men or have a more easie or pleasant life in outward things all selfe-respects faile in this action The question is what a man resolveth upon in this If now his heart start aside from God and fall off from the dutie because he wants those incouragements that a man lookes after a way for himselfe fulnesse to himselfe then it is evident thou hast respect to thy selfe Iehu all the while that his zeale to God might further him and the better settle himselfe in the kingdome of Israel he can call others to come up and see his zeale for the Lord but when his zeale had no such baite and allurement to those actions then Iehu turneth against God and falleth to Idolatrie and other sins Iehu is not now the man when these incouragements faile that he was before You have abundance in Iohn 6. 10. seeking Christ that still discovered a living to themselves in it You seeke me saith our Saviour because of the loaves they had some outward advantage by him and therefore so long they sought him So the Lord discovered them in Hos. 7. to bee such as lived to themselves even in holy duties You crie unto me saith God but it is for corne and wine and oyle for this they cryed but when they had corne and wine and oyle what zeale had they then Hee that should have beene upright when hee waxed fat he kicked with the heele as the Lord speakes under the name of Iesurun to Israel That is one case Consider when things come thus that sometime those worldly advantages fall off from a man in the profession and practise of religion if hee fall off from the dutie too he is a man that liveth to himselfe This was the case of the second and third grounds they received the seed with joy that is when they were sensible of comfort they followed Christ but afterward when persecution arose for the Gospell they fell off and tooke offence Such as these live to themselves they seeme to live to God but it is to themselves and therefore when selfe-respects faile they fall off too Secondly take another instance for the clearing of it Suppose that not only sensible advantages faile but sensible disadvantages come in the world A man is sensible that hee shall disadvantage himselfe much if he goe on in the wayes of obedience to God It may be if he make conscience of his wayes hee must make restitution of his estate unjustly gotten Hee must deny himselfe in a greater measure of pleasures that hee hath unlawfully pursued Hee must emptie himselfe in workes of mercie and pietie of a great part of his estate for the good of others that God may be glorified by his substance Hee shall lose some worldly friends some esteeme among men Here are sensible disadvantages to a man Now the Question is what he resolveth to doe Here is the command of God and here is the thing whereupon the heart of man and his affections are set upon disadvantages in the world These come together Here is an occasion for a lust a sinfull affection to expresse it selfe If that bee laid in the ballance and shall prevaile above the other that rather then I will endure disadvantage in the world I will neglect the way of serving God this partie liveth to himselfe whatsoever good he did before in matters of religion all was done to himselfe I say when these two come together as you know when two men walke together and one servant followeth them a man knoweth not whose servant he is till they part but then when they part a stranger may know whose servant hee is hee followeth his owne Master and leaveth the other So when God and the world goe together God and a mans owne advantages goe together when there is nothing commanded but standeth with his owne advantages so long a mans deceitfull heart may flatter and delude and misguide him hee may goe on in a false perswasion and in a strong conceit that hee is in Christ in a blessed estate But when these two part that I shall not onely not advantage my selfe but sensibly disaduantage my selfe in outward things Here now I say the Question is what a man doth If I resolve to cleave to my outward advantages and leave God and leave the wayes of God I live to my selfe A man that liveth to God you shall see it is otherwise with him as for instance David when hee might have had the kingdome of Israel somewhat sooner by sinne
hee would not doe it his heart smo◅e him for cutting off the lappe of Sauls garment though he might have gained the kingdome of Israel by it hee would not lay his hands on the Lords anointed And what was the reason of it because he would not advantage himselfe by disobedience to God he would rather want himselfe What was the reason that Daniel when he saw hee was in an apparant hazard not only of the losse of honour but of his life and that for the performance but of one dutie prayer and that but for a short time yet would not omit it no not for a short time though he might by that not onely have saved his life but kept his honour in the Court he prayed to God even at that time when he was forbidden Why so because he lived to God and not to himselfe Had Daniel lived to and sought himselfe more then God he would have dispensed with this and saved both his life and honour though he had offended God in that particular of omission But this is the disposition of a heart that is faithfull and upright with God it will not dishonour God for the greatest advantage that can come to it selfe it will not neglect a dutie to God whatsoever losse it have in the world Thirdly Take another instance whereby we may see what we intend in this tryall Let the will of God and the bent of a mans owne will come in competition together God will have me leave this I will hold it God will have mee forsake this I will keepe it It is a comfort a worldly benefit I lose my comfort if I part with it He that now liveth to himselfe hee will please his owne will and be disquieted and vexed against Gods will that crosseth his But he that liueth to God will bee content that God should crosse him in his will because he would glorifie God in his owne will in his soveraignty in his puritie in his holinesse and justice c. See it in the case of Abraham Abraham had a strong love to Isaak and good cause yet neverthelesse though hee could see a comfort to himselfe in this sonne when God telleth him thou must sacrifice thy sonne Isaack when he had the revealed will of God Abraham now resolveth to shew that he lived to God and not to himselfe therefore he would part with any comfort of his life for God when he required it So David If the Lord will saith he hee can bring me backe that I shall see the Tabernacle and the Arke if not if he say I have no pleasure in thee lo◅ here I am let the Lord doe with me as seemeth good in his owne eyes When the case is this when the will of God crosseth thy will what now prevaileth Doth the desire of having thy owne will prevaile against the desire of submitting to Gods will Doth it raise murmuring and impatiencie of spirit So farre thou livest to thy selfe Therefore consider this Here is an occasion now for a lust and a sinfull affection to shew it selfe either a man may advantage himselfe in an evill course or he cannot but disadvantage himselfe in a good course or when God crosseth a man in that hee desireth and delights in in the world That is the first tryall whereby a man may know whether he liveth to himselfe Secondly another tryall will be this Consider if there be any part of the truth of God of his revealed will that for selfe-respects thou art willing to be ignorant of lest the knowledge of it should make thee doe somewhat to thy owne disadvantage in this thou livest to thy selfe See this to be true in all that lived to themselves Balaam though he profest that for a house full of gold hee would not goe beyond the word of the Lord yet notwithstanding he was willing not to take notice of Gods will but to goe on rather to curse Iohanan in Ier. 42. professeth deeply that he would obey the will of the Lord but when he understood the will of the Lord when it crost his will then saith he to Ieremy It is not the Lord that hath bid thee say this but Baruch When men cavill against any part of Gods word or hide any truth from themselves and with-hold the truth in unrighteousnesse Here is a man living to himselfe How many points are there in Religion that many men are willingly ignorant of And when they cannot but know them how doe they labour for distinction how doe they dawbe over the matter that they may hide the truth from themselves that it may not worke upon their consciences to make them leave their profitable sins Some would have the keeping of the Lords day according to Judaisme though it bee revealed to them that there is a broad difference between the Iews observation and the Christians keeping of it Another man he will not understand Usurie to be a sinne because his course is usurious he will not know this willingly because he would not disadvantage himselfe Another will not understand what hee is bound to doe to the glory of God with his estate in what measure according to all the good that God hath blessed him with to honour God and give the first fruits of all his increase nor in what manner that he should be ready to every good worke to contribute willingly to the necessities of the Saints what he should doe to pious and mercifull uses what for publike what for private occasions he would not willingly know these things he should have less ease he makes account Thus when a man is not willing to bee informed in any thing to sift the truth to the bottome to the uttermost to know any thing concerning a duty in any kind when he laboureth not to convince his heart to this end that he may be brought in every thing to obey God when he standeth out with God in any one point this man liveth to himselfe and walketh not as he should according to the rule of God Now then beloved let us be convinced of it I beseech you take it home and let every man consider of it with himselfe Sometime in the actions of religion there commeth matter of glory in the world this setteth me forward much when these things are spoken against and when I shal suffer disadvantages I cānot hold out At another time though all things be wel yet if it crosse me in such a course I murmure as if it were an unprofitable thing to serve God And then again when God revealeth his will my froward and rebellious heart hath hung backe and beene unwilling to submit to Gods wil in this point all this while I have lived to my self And if it be true if a man be in Christ he liveth not to himself then it follows if a man liveth to himself he is out of Ghrist If the weakest Christian live to Christ then the best that liveth to himselfe is out of Christ.
out came to passe And I have accordingly pitched uponit not only to satisfie her desire in a just thing but especially because I approve her choyce of a fit Text there being not in the whole Scripture a portion that will afford a fitter Character in my apprehension for her person as you shall understand in the close to which therefore I shall deferre the speaking to the present occasion The truth is I have handled a good part of this chapter formerly and in this place but now wee shall cleane goe another way then then I did and then I usually doe I shall only desire to present so much out of these words without any curious observation or division as may represent to us a perfect character of a sweet Christian-minded man or woman which may bee of singular use and very profitable There be onely two things that I shall observe in the whole words I shall but goe them over briefly taking out the maine points as I conceive for that purpose I shall mention them We have here propounded to to us the compleat dutie of a Christian And wee have here some effectuall motives intimated to stirre Christians up to the performance of that duty There is a generall dutie to begin with that first that belongeth to Christians at all times And there are some speciall duties which concerne Christians in some speciall times Both contained here The generrll dutie I shall not as I said handle it in my former way of observation but only explicate the very words of the Text and that will be enough for me The generall duty I say of a Christian and what should bee the temper of his heart and spirit at all times we may find expressed at least intimated very sweetly with some excellent directions in the Text in these three circumstances First we may see here what is the true Object upon which a Christian soule should be fixed Secondly we may see the Latitude of the Acts which a Christian must exercise upon that Object Thirdly we may take notice of the manner and of the degree in which every one of those Acts must bee exercised I shall but touch these briefly out of the words and then come to the speciall duties belonging to speciall times First to begin with the Object The desire of our soule is toward thee and to the remembrance of thy Name God and the name of God is that which should be printed in the heart of a Christian should be that to which the byas and streame of his whole soule runnes First I say it should be fixed upon God Wee are here in the world placed as it were betweene heaven and earth Now all the matter is how our Byas is set which way that turnes As the Byas is of the heart so the man is Our hearts may bee turned downwards to the earth and to earthly things and so wee shall runne a course of ruine and destruction our hearts againe the Byas of them may be set toward heaven and heavenly things and so we shall runne the right course that wee ought It is God that our soules should breath after Fecisti nos Domine propter te saith a Father thou hast made us O Lord for thy selfe and our soules are restlesse till they returne againe to thee As they say of Circles The Circle the round figure is the most perfect figure and the most capacious figure because there the line that beginneth in one point goeth round till it returne into the same againe So this is the greatest perfection of a man when he returneth to his beginning he had all from God and when he reflects himselfe altogether backe againe unto God hee attaineth his greatest perfection And indeed there will bee no more rest for the soule in any thing out of God then there is for a stone or a weighty body in the liquid ayre Hang a stone in the Ayre and doe but once remove the â—…orce that holds itthere will it nill it give but a way to it and it will cut through and never rest till it come to a sollid substance till it come to the earth if it may to the Center of the earth It is so with the soule of man trie it in all the fortunes and states and conditions in the world as a great Emperour said I have runne through all things and my spirit will rest in nothing and as Solomon giveth us this observation out of all his travell and experiment that he had made Vanity of vanity all is vanity and worse then vanity too vexation of spirit this is the summe of all feare God and keepe his commandenents as he concludeth This is the Object upon which our soule should bee set wee should have an eye to God labouring to approve our selves to him making our approaches and adresses and returnes to him that our soule may reâ—… with him that we may enjoy the light of his countenance here and the fulnesse and brightnesse of his glory hereafter This is the first thing in the Object Now if a soule be carryed toward this Object toward God and we can out-goe and out-grow these worldly things looke abovethem and looke downe upon them with scorne then the very name of God will be sweet and precious to us To thee and to thy name Every thing which is a memoriall a remembrance of God Every thing by which God may be knowne will be taken notice of All his Attributes his Word and Ordinances and all other things which come within the compasse of his Name as I suppose there are not many here but know according to the ordinary explication of Divines of the third commandement Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vaine and the first Petition hallowed be thy name What is meant by the name of God When the heart I say is set upon God it will even leape for joy at the very name of God the very name of God will bee sweet to him To enjoy God is sweet and to have but a glimpse of him to have him but represented by name is sweet too As it is reported of a Father that was a godly man and a Martyr in his time that he was so frequent in roling the name of Christ the name of Jesus in his mouth that when hee died it is reported that in his heart there was ingraven and written the character of that Name in golden letters And as Saint Austin speakes of himselfe Time was saith he that I found infinite sweetnesse it was honey to mee to reade a peece of Tully there was so much eloquence in it but after I came to bee a Christian to be acquainted with God and with Christ then me thought the leaves were drie and the beauty withered I found no such sappe nor rellish in them And he giveth the reason Because saith he I did not there find the
therefore that where there are desires toward God and desires of grace there is somewhat of God formed in that person there is something of grace begun at least the first lineaments thereof are drawne in some kind of truth This is the second Act that Christians should exercise and take speciall care to cherish that they have continuall pantings and breathings of desires toward God their hearts should worke and beate toward him continually But then in the third place there is another thing expressed in the words of the Text and that is these desires are not only according to our Proverbe of wishers and woulders ineffectuall desires desires that are meere gaping to see if the thing will drop into our mouthes or no without any bestirring of our selves but here is joyned with them if wee peruse the words of the Text we shall find it endeavours I have desired thee in the night and I will seeke thee early the soule of a Christian desires God in the evening and his spirit will seeke him early in the morning for those particulars of the time I shall touch by and by but now I only take notice of that third distinct act here mentioned which is our desires must be joyned with inquiries with indeavours to search after God to see if we may grope by any meanes to find him out to learne to know what is the way of his good will and pleasure how we may lead a life that may be acceptable to him and how we may come to the possession and assurance of his favour and be accepted in his sight Except there be endeavours it is a shrewd suspition that the desires are ineffectuall desires and unformed desires and not those that argue any life and truth of grace But when our desires are joyned with these bestirrings of the soule to seeke after God to search him out in his Word in his Ordinances to find his steps and to find his goings and so to maintaine a sweet and holy communion with him that is a sweet act of grace and a certaine ratification and seale of the truth of it But then let me adde the third thing In what height are all these actions to be boyled up or in what manner must we tender these services to God in this kind How must our understandings lay hold upon God and treasure him up in our memories How must our affections and desires worke toward him how must our endeavours be carryed toward God The manner of all these will make this compleat and so make up the full and compleat Character of a Christian in this generall dutie First the soule must be carried intimatly and most inwardly the inward motions and workings of the soule and spirit must bee toward God And therefore the Prophet here expresseth these acts as the acts of the very soule and spirit of a man All outward actions of seeking toward God and making our approaches and addresses toward him they are all such as may be counterfeited a hypocrite may act them There is nothing in the world no shape of any externall thing in the world but a Painter with his pensill can draw the picture of it give a resemblance of the thing and there is no outward action in the world that belongeth to God or to Christianitie but it is possible for a Painter for a base hypocrite to represent them with an artificiall pensill But the inward acts of life that no Painter can imitate a Painter cannot make a picture to have heart and entrailes and lunges to have life and motion and spirits and bloud stirring in the veines all those things a Painter cannot imitate he can make shapes but he cannot put the life into them he can make outward formes but he cannot put the inwards to them Now then this is that intended here all those outward actions must bee animated actions not dead actions actions that have no further bottome then the teeth outwards that grow upon the house toppe a word growing upon the tippe of the tongue that hath no roote in the heart and so for the rest But they must have the roote in the heart and soule of a man that must inwardly be carried towards God And when the heart and soule and spirit of a man all which words are here used by a supernaturall grace that is implanted in them when I say they are thus carried toward God it is an argument of spirituall life that there is some life Secondly they must be carried sincerely not for any by or base respects When a man makes toward any person or thing and professes love to it and doth it not for the thing it selfe but for some by end he doth not love that person he makes to but he loveth that thing for whom he makes to that person As for example A man scrapeth and croucheth and keepes a doe with a man that he never saw or knew one that he is ready it may bee when his backe is turned to curse but yet he will doe this for his almes for his gaine to make a prey a use of him some way this man loveth his almes loveth his prey loveth his bounty but it is no argument of love to the man So it is in this case for a man to make toward God and to seeme to owne him and to be one of the generation of those that seeke his face to addresse himselfe in outward conformitie and many other things by which another may charitably if hee have no other ground judge of him all this is nothing except a man may discerne something that may give him a tast that his spirit doth uprightly and sincerely seeke God that he loveth God for God himselfe that he loveth grace for grace it selfe hee loveth the Commandements of God because they are Gods commandements and because they are beautifull being according to the rule of his Word But otherwise if it be any sinister thing that carrieth a man on toward God it is no argument of the life and truth of grace You know it is so in experience there be many things that move and yet their motion is no argument of life A wind-mill when the wind serveth moveth and moveth very nimbly too yet you doe not say presently that that is a living creature No it moveth only by an externall cause by an artificiall contrivance it is so framed that when the wind setteth in such and such a corner it will move and so having but an externall Moter and cause to move and no inward principle no soule within it to move it it is an argument that it is no living creature So it is here if a man see another move and move very fast in those things which of themselves are the wayes of God see him move as fast to heare a Sermon as his neighbour doth is as forward and hastie to thrust himselfe and bid himselfe a guest to the Lords Table when God
a flash of lightning in the Ayre and gone away againe presently but it must be rooted and grounded in a man so as that it will continue continue so as that the exercise of graces and duties toward God should be frequent and quotidian as it is here in the Text The desire of our soule is to thee in the evening and our spirit shall seeke thee early in the morning Morning and evening frequently daily to have commerce and communion with God to walke with him to set our selves in his presence and to approve our selves to him to make it our constant trade to doe so to be Gods dayes-men to worke by the day with him and withall to be constant to hold out for perpetuity Onely time can discover truth and truth is the daughter of time to us God knoweth it before but wee can never know but by the holding out but by the perpetuity I acknowledge there is a great difference betweene that which the Scripture calleth temporary faith and that which it calleth saving faith there is I say a great difference they doe not only differ in this that the one holdeth out and the other doth not hold out but they differ in their vitall principles by vertue of which one holdeth out because it hath a more noble nature in it and the other because it is a slighter timbered thing it doth not hold out because the one is a reall and true and substantiall beautie of grace the other but a superficiall and painted beautie substantiall beauty that is founded upon nature upon our complexion whether it raine or shine it will hold out in both but painted beauty one feares a little wet will alter the painting another lest a little heate should doe it A painted beauty will not hold but true will hold And they that doe love true love long as our Proverb saith I am certaine it is so here they who doe once love God truly love God for ever I will dispatch the rest in a word There be some speciall duties besides these generalls which make the generall character of a Christian I say there are some speciall duties that doe concerne him according to the speciallity of times Now there is a double time and so a double posture of a Christian in which accordingly he hath severall suites of graces to put on and to exercise There is a double dealing of God which is the foundation of it God dealeth sometime in a way of mercie and favour toward his servants and God dealeth sometime in a way of judgement and wrath and displeasure and he doth so though not as an angrie Judge but as a father that is angrie even with his owne servants Now accordingly as this generall temper and frame of spirit should be at all times so it should shew and discover it selfe in those severall times In the time when God sheweth favour then the servant of God is to serve God so much the more chearfully and so much the more fruitfully to runne the wayes of Gods commandements because God inlargeth his way and giveth him free scope and more opportunities and advantages for it and to improve those favours for the advancement of his glory that gave them But the particular thing that is especially exprest here though that be intimated too and it is noted as a character here of a wicked spirit that they will doe wickedly in the land of uprightnesse that is in the land where God dealeth very gently and graciously and uprightly with them every way and squarely that they can no waycomplaine it is a wicked spirit that doth so But that which is specially meant here in the way of thy judgements will we waite for thee is that Gods servants will not only not start if their temper be right from God when he smiles upon them but they will love him when he frowneth they will even then stoope and kisse the rodde they will then obey him Gods children will acknowledge him to be their Father and Lord and submit to him even when he is angrie Here is a vast difference betweene the godly and the wicked as I shall a little touch by and by As the Father speakes even to this very purpose when sweet oyntment is chafed it smells the more sweet it delivereth the perfume the more excellent but in a dunghill in a filthy place stirre it and the more you stirre the more it stinkes Wicked spirits when God doth but chafe them manifest the filth and corruption that is within them as a man may know money as he saith when it falleth downe whether it be silver or brasse it will then betray it selfe so here their language their speech will betray them then and declare what they are The divell thought that Iob had beene of such a temper that hee would have curst God to his face if hee would lay his hand upon him and touch him but it was farre otherwise because he was of a better mettall and stampe therefore he blessed God in the middest of judgement as he had done formerly in the middest of his mercies And this is that a Christian should doe labour to bee fruitfull in thankfulnesse and chearefulnesse of spirit when God sheweth favour and giveth any case and mercy to him and labour likewise to be faithfull and constant to him even when his judgements are abroad But there be divers particulars in that I will but meerely mention them There be these foure things as so many steps and degrees of the dutie of a Christian in the times of Judgement whether they be impendant or incombent whether they be publike or private that concerne the Church or particular persons First of all the dutie of a Christian in the times of Judgement if he be of a right temper is Perseverance to hold out not to be beaten off for a little storme or shocke but to keepe on his pace to keepe on his way Travellers that goe to sea meerely to bee sicke a little or in sport if there arise but a blacke cloud they presently give over their voyage is at an end they come not to venture shockes and stormes and danger they come for pleasure but the Marchant that is bound upon a voyage whose trade and imployment of life it is every cloud and wind doeth not make him to returne backe a gaine to shoare and to give over but he goeth them through so it is in this case one that is not indeed and in earnest travelling toward heaven he will be easily off upon a little storme arising if God doe but frowne if there be but a wrinckle in his brow all his pleasure in religion is gone for it was some other things he aymed at it was but for pleasure he came in here but a godly Christian who is bound for heaven whose voyage is set for heaven and his course and the bent of his soule lieth that way that like a ship
flesh of the fashions of the world of the wisedome that is from below and earth-creeping Are Christians guided by these rules have they not the God of heaven and earth the Lawes of the Spirit and the wisedome that is from above and customes that are from heaven whereby to regulate them Who are the men of this world are they not those who have the God of this world to raigne in their hearts who are led captive by him whose under standings are darkened their wills obfirmated their hearts hardened their consciences seared their conversation defiled with all uncleannesses their senses open breaches for sinne to enter their tongues blaspheming the name of God and are these conversations fit for the Saints and are they not strangers Are not they strangers that are not capable of honours of possessions in the place wherein they live as being not free Denizens of the place and is not this proper to Christians whose dutie it is to vilifie riches and honours and pleasures in themselves asmuch as they that have these doe others that have them not to account riches the greatest povertie and pleasures the greatest torment and honours the greatest ignominie and power the greatest weaknesse not to possesse the world not to enjoy it not to account any thing good that maketh not the owner better not to admit any thing from the world but so farre as it may advance the true Nobilitie of man the puritie of the Image of God his restitution to his ancient descent his re-estating him in the possession of heaven and the societie of Angels and Archangels to rise up in Armes against this materiall world and to rend himselfe from this faeculent matter and out of the greatnesse of his Spirit and noblenesse of his disposition to be altogether ambitious of the presence of God and of these constant and unchangeable good things This is the dutie of Christians and are not they Strangers Are not they strangers that have double Impost and double customes and the greatest taxations layd upon them is not this peculiar unto the Saints in this life have they not afflictions layd upon them in the greatest measure must they not through many afflictions enter into the kingdome of heaven Have they not teares and that in abundance for their meat and for their drinke Have they not enemies from within and enemies from without Must they not bee conformable to their head Christ their elder brother as he had his double portion this life of afflictions and punishments so must they have as he was sanctified by afflictions so must they also The gold is not pure unlesse it bee tryed nor the water sweet if it have not a current nor the vessell bright unlesse it be scoured nor the Saints fit for heaven unlesse they be prepared by afflictions what man was there that ever set himselfe seriously either to reforme himselfe or others that found not great opposition from himselfe and from others and are not these strangers Are not they strangers that are ad placitum Principis to stay in the Land or to be gone according as hee shall manifest his royall pleasure by his Proclamation and are not we here in the world upon these termes how soone all of us or any of us shall bee dismissed who knowes who dares promise to himselfe the late evening or secure himselfe of the least atome or moment of time hee that dreamed waking of long continuance had scarce libertie to dreame sleeping for that night they tooke away his soule and hee himselfe was branded to succeeding generations with the name of a foole and are not wee strangers Did not the Saints of God whose judgements were most refined those that had the honour to approach most neere unto God himselfe alwayes so repute themselves Doth not the holy Patriarch that wrestled with God and had principalitie over him Did nor hee acknowledge that few and evill were the dayes of his pilgrimage Did not he that was a man after Gods owne heart that had a speciall promise that his house should continue for ever Yet did not hee acknowledge that hee was a stranger as well as his fathers were is it not his earnest prayer unto God I am a stranger upon earth hide not thy Commandements from mee as if hee had said I am a Traveller upon earth I am speeding to Ierusalem which is above I am to passe through this darke calignous world thy Word is a light to my feet a lanthorne to my steps the rule the square the cannon of all rectitude hide not this light from mee lest I runne out of the way or linger in the way or stumble or fall in the way I am a stranger upon earth c. What should I instance in particulars are they not summed up to my hand by the Apostle Heb. 11. 13 All these Patriarkes Prophets Saints all of them did acknowledge themselves to bee strangers Examples have in them an universalitie of Doctrine and instruction especially the examples of the Saints because Praxis Sanctorum is Interpres praeceptorum the practice of the Saints is the best interpretation of the precept Examples have in them a directive force because those that are best disposed in mind and body are a rule for the rest Examples have an incentive force to give life spirits vigour transmining by a kind of Metem Psychosis the soule the spirits the resolutions the affections of the patterne to him that reades it extorting deepesighes and teares and groanes and other alterations at their pleasure And if any Examples have this force have not these much more Other examples have the restimonie of men these have the restimonie of God himselfe hee is not ashamed a wonderfull condiscention of the one and the supreame elevation of the other to bee called their God the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Iacob the Father of the faithfull and the God of the beleevers There are examples whereof men boast but God is ashamed of them corrupt examples of wicked the imperfect examples of heathen men of these God is ashamed but of these God is not ashamed and shall wee be ashamed of them Wee are then strangers Let mee instill into your eares the voyce of that was heard in the Temple before the ruine of it Migremus hinc Let us goe from hence Let mee say unto you with our Saviour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let us goe from hence let us trusse up our fardles and on with our sandals and promote our way to heaven Let us depose and lay downe all burthens and impediments and make our selves expedite and fit for our journey wee are in an Inne let us looke about us and leave nothing behind but carry all with us or send it before us wee have but an instant of our abode here let us imploy it to the best advantage It is the greatest losse it is the most shamefull losse it is the most irrecoverable losse that may bee to lose this
instant upon which eternitie depends eternitie of miserie or eternitie of felicitie let us follow our Saviour let us seeke his face let us ascend with him let us not rest here Sleepe may overtake us a false Prophet may deceive us the snare may intangle us the Armie of the enemie may fall upon us let us be above all these Let us seeke those things that are above What where Sunne and Moone are nothing lesse Where then where God is where Christ who is our house our temple our habitation that wee may be cloathed with him this is the desire of all the Saints and this leades me to the second point That the Saints desire a true and proper house In this we groane earnestly c. What is meant by this house whether the Ioyes of heaven or a Glorified body is hard to determine by the context I incline to Calvins opinion that both are meant as making up that compleat house which the Saints desire the one as the introition the other as the consummation of their blisse and into both these houses I shall labour to introduce your spirits and affections The first house is the Ioyes of heaven a kingdome else-where for the amplitude for the abundant sufficiencie for the honour royaltie of them yet because many in kingdomes see not the face of the King and of those that see his face few are of his house and familie and of those that are of his Court few are familiar with him or converse with him and of those that converse with him few are his sonnes his heires Therefore this kingdome is an house wherein all see the face of God all are of his house all converse with him all stand in his presence all are his sonnes all are his heires a house so scituated as never any upon the brow of that hill which is the beauty of perfection the delight not of the wholeearth but of heaven itselfe in the purest ayre that ever was even puritie it selfe freed from all malignant vapour a place irriguous with the chrystall streames of Paradise it selfe a place inriched with all the precious things the heart of man can desire an house not built by man but by God himselfe not of terrestriall feculent matter not of gold or silver but that which excells all valuation whatsoever the hanging or ornaments of which house are not of Arras or Tissue or cloth of gold or whatsoever is more precious with men but farre above these such and so excellent that Neither eye hath seene nor eare hath heard neither hath the like entred into the hearts of men The delights of this house are such that if all the contentments and delights that ever ravished the hearts of men in their private houses were put together yet were they but as a candle to the Sunne as a drop to the Ocean Oh the statelinesse and magnificence of the Hall of this house wherein are Prophets Apostles Martyrs Confessours Saints Angels the blessed Virgin especially all of them praising and lauding God! Blessed are they that dwell in this house they will be still praising thee Here in this life are varietie of imployments according to the diversitie of mens Callings and their necessities but there shall bee no necessitie there shall bee but one worke the worke of Praise a duty which in this life is performed with fatigation and wearinesse but there it shall be done with all sweetnesse and delight this delight increasing with the continuance of the same No vaine thoughts to interrupt this dutie no wearinesse of the flesh to weaken this dutie no necessitie or indigencie to rend us from this duty but as it will bee our happinesse to love and see God so it will be the exercise of our happinesse to admire and to laud God while wee are here such is the weaknesse of our apprehension that wee cannot with the same act conceive the worke and the workman we cannot thinke of the benefit and the authour of the same then wee shall be enabled to joyne both these together so to admire the worke as at the same time to praise the authour so to contemplate the benefit as at the same time to fall downe before the benefactour Oh the statelinesse of this presence where the face of God the beautie of God the Majestie of God is seene in so glorious a manner that even Angels and Archangels cover their faces not being able to behold stedfastly the great lustre of the same Oh the lovelinesse of the chambers of the King made for the soule to repose her selfe in all spirituall delight after her labour and travell in this miserable world oh the beauty of the Masions of this house prepared by Christ himselfe for the soule to refresh her selfe with all spirituall food and oh the varietie and excellencie of the food of this house the understanding shall have his food morning and evening knowledge a cleare view of all things not in themselves or in their causes but in their exact Ideas subsisting in the essence of God but especially the radiant vision of the face of God the Essence of God the Sunne of righteousnesse The will shall have her food goodnesse joy delectation not by measure but drowned in the full ocean of these with that stabilitie and confirmation that shee cannot will that which is evill The affections shall have their food being fully satisfied beyond their desires The Body shall have his food being made an impassible clarified agill spirituall body defecated and purified from this feculent elementarie food and all other alterations common to it with beasts and which is most wonderfull the King of Kings shall gird himselfe to reach out these Joyes unto us they shall bee administred unto us Ve jad hammelek by the hand by the power of a King Did I say this of my selfe who would give credence unto me but Truth saith it Luke 12. 37. Blessed are those servants whom hee shall find watching verely I say unto you that hee shall gird himselfe and make them sit downe to meate and will come forth and serve them Oh wonderfull dignation who ever heard of the like Stat Catodum Lixa bibit the Lord stands the servant sits the Lord is girt the servant is loosed the Master is reaching out full bowles and the servant is inebriated with the rivers of these pleasures once hee girt himselfe to wash his Disciples feet and the servant was astonished to see so great a Majestie condescending to so meane ministerie shall wee not bee much more ravished with this ineffable dignation when he shall againe gird himselfe to supply the soule with unspeakeable delight as if God himselfe intended nothing in heaven but to heape content upon them that sit downe with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the kingdome of heaven This is the fatnesse the excellencie of this house with the weake adumbration whereof I doubt not but that your hearts are so taken that yee have reduced all your desires to this one with
my Gospell Rom. 2. 16. not onely that looke what he hath spoken of the judgement shall proove true but that in the judgement there shall be a proceeding proportionable and agreeable to what hee hath spoken in that word that he calls his Gospell Therefore take heede how you slight this Word it is a dangerous thing Saith Solomon Pro. 13. 13. he that despiseth the Commandement shall perish Hee that despiseth the Commandement when God hath revealed his will in matter of dutie for the direction of life for that he calls the Commandement there now if a man come to despise this he shall certainely perish saith Solomon When doth a man despise the Commandement You know to despise is when a man accounts a thing of no force that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 despise not prophesying The word is account it not a thing of nothing account it not a slight matter Now you know a man accounts a thing as a thing of nothing when he undervalues it when he gives it lesse acknowledgment then it is worthy of As if a man come to buy a Jewell or a Pearle in the Market and offer a sleight and small matter for it hee had as good bid nothing the undervaluing of a commoditie is as the accounting of it worth nothing In spirituall things when a man accounts the Law of God below it selfe that is when hee makes it not the chiefe direction of his life then hee accounts it as a thing of nothing and despiseth the Law For either the Law is somewhat by Gods appointment or not at all if it be somewhat by Gods appointment then it must have that place that God hath appointed it or else wee give it not any esteeme according to the appointment of God but according to our owne Fancy I say if wee give the Law esteeme according to Gods appointment and by vertue of his Word then wee will give it the esteeme that God hath put upon it that is that it shall rule us in all our actions and that it shall be our supreame rule and guide that a man shall account nothing else as the sufficient direction of his life but the Law Now when men come to this that they will preferre their owne opinions before the Law when they will preferre the opinion of other men before the Text of Scripture when they preferre the customes of the world before the rule of the Word This is now to dispise the Law to make it as a thing of nothing As you see it plaine it is ordinary in Scripture thus to tax men as when they would account the traditions of men above the word In vaine they worship me saith God they become vanitie themselves for accounting the Law vaine So when they preferred the customes of their forefathers equall with the Law they despised the Law this mixture this joyning of other things with it it is that that the Scripture calls the despising of the Law Therefore it is a dangerous thing to despise the Law Is it not dangerous to despise the Judge the Law shall bee your Judge that is the rule whereby the Judge shall proceede You know it is the aggravation of the fault of a Malefactor that he not onely transgresseth and sinneth against the Lawes of the Kingdome but that he hath despised the Law if hee have beene heard to speake any speeches to the contempt of the Law this is a great aggravation of his sinne how much more shall it bee in the day of the Lord Mens Lawes are imperfect and therefore are revoked many times and repealed and reversed but this Law of God is a perfect Law and therefore it shall never bee reversed it shall never be revoked nor altred Now for a man to sleight and neglect this in any point or degree it is a high contempt against God himselfe That as a man might say of the Iewes when Christ came amongst them hee offered himselfe to bee their King but being they would not take him for their King who if they had taken him so would have beene their Saviour therefore the time shall come that he will be their Judge and not their Saviour So I say concerning the Law the Law now published in the preaching of the Word those that will not now take it to be their counsellor shall finde it then to bee their condemner If this be a harsh saying as they speake of the command of Christ Ioh. 6. This is a hard saying who can beare it If the Commandement of Christ concerning obedience seeme harsh then how harsh a saying shall that be depart yee cursed into everlasting fire If it bee so hard a thing to stand to the command of the Law how hard a thing will it bee to stand under the penaltie and censure of the Law Therefore I say let men take heede they shall finde that even that very faith commanded that they have sleighted it shall proove heavie they sleighted it in obedience it shall proove heavie in the judgement and punishment Secondly it may serve for admonition and so to teach us how to carry our selves If the Law of God be the rule whereby hee will judge us First then looke to the law for direction looke to the precept to the command of God for the directing of our lives I know not how but I am sure by the malice of Sathan it is come into the world into the Church that some men upon pretence of giving the doctrine of justification by grace and by the merits of Christ the full vertue of it would put men off from all obedience as if therefore wee were not to be under the direction of the Law because wee are freed from the Law by Christ. They distinguish not betweene the penaltie of the Law and the command of the Law the same Christ that hath freed us from the punishment of the Law as many as are in him by faith hath subjected us to the command of the Law and that in his owne person and not onely so but in his owne precept Therefore he became an expounder of the Law Matth. 5. and shewes that the Law is spirituall that it is a thing that binds the conscience and would have all men looke to the direction of the Law And the Apostle Saint Paul then whom no man ever spake more fully of justification by Faith yet the same Apostle would not have the Law as it is a direction of life abolished but would have men so much the more new as by new arguments and incouragements they are set upon the duties of obedience But I say such is the malice of Sathan as to draw men upon such grounds as these are not rightly understood by them to I know not what course of libertiâ—…sme and though they pretend a course of obedience to the Law yet they will not doe it as to the Law Whereas it is evident that the Law is appointed as a curbe to our
wee have sinnes enough to bring us all thither God grant they bee not so violent and full of ominous precipitations that they portend our sudden ruine portend it they do but O nullam sit in omnia c. I am loath to bee redious Hee should not be tedious that reades a lecture of mortalitie How many in the world since this Sermon first began have made an experiment and proofe of this truth of this sentence that man is mortall and those spectacles are but examples of this truth they come to their period before my speech My speech my selfe and all that heare me all that breath in this ayre must follow It hath beene said wee live to die give me leave a little to invert it let us liue to live live the life of grace that we may live the life of glory and then though we doe die let us never feare it we shall rise from the dead againe and live with our God out of the reach of the dead for ever and ever So much for the Text at this time To declare unto you the cause of this present assembly would be altogether superfluous the dumbe oratorie of that silent object doth give you to understand in a language sufficiently intelligible that we are now met to performe the last rites and dutie that we owe to the memorie of our deare Sister here before us And Christian charitie hath beene so powerfull in all ages that it hath beene retained as a pious and laudable custome at Funerall solemnities to adorne the dead with the deserved praises of their life not for any pompe or vaine-glorious ostentation but that Gods glorie here may bee for ever magnified by whose grace they have beene enabled to fight a good fight and that the surviving may be encouraged to runne the same course when they behold them discharged of this tedious combat and crowned with a crowne of glory and immortalitie This Sister of ours was borne in this parish and hath lived in it some thirtie foure yeares or there-about eighteene yeares a single woman and sixteene yeares a married Wife of whom though upon my owne knowledge I can speake but little yet having credible information from others with whom she had long and private intimacie of many yeares acquaintance I must and will speake That which I told you was recorded of Rachel that shee was fruitfull in procreation of Children may in a great measure bee spoken of her for if the Scripture account bearing but of two children fruite certainly it will make an extraordinarie fruite in bearing of twelve which shee did It is a certaine token of a true and faithfull servant of God to frequent his house to pray unto him to praise him in his Church earnestly to labour to bee instructed in his will out of his Word then and there read and preached to them all which evidences of a good Christian were found in this our Sister For her constant comming to Church I my selfe can now speake upon my owne knowledge I have seriously and strictly examined my selfe and I professe ingenously before God that knowes my heart and you that heare me speeke that I cannot call to mind that ever she mist comming to Church twice a Sabbath day since I came which I would be heartily glad I could speake as well of others of this Parish as of her For some of them have got such a fisking tricke up and downe to goe to other Churches as if there were no rellishable food at their owne that I feare at the last they will come to none at all I pray God they amend this fault It was a vertue in her that deserved commendation and it is a vice in them that deserves reprehension When shee was in Gods house shee did not as too too many doe imploy her time in sleeping or some such ill course but I ever observed her to listen very diligently and attentively to what was delivered for the nourishing of her soule I confesse I doe not remember that ever I saw her take any notes in the Church of Sermons that were preached for it seemes shee did it when she came home for since her death going to her house accidentally I met with a booke of hers wherein shee had written many texts of Scripture with notes the day when they were preached and the persons by whom most of those which I have preached I saw and perused and others of stangers that I my selfe have heard these qualities are not to be past over in silence but are worthy of your serious imitation Neither did she thinke it fit barely to set them downe for her owne instruction only but what she heard upon the Sabbath day that she constantly practised upon the weeke dayes Shee catechised her children in those points spending some time in trayning them up in the knowledge of God and putting them in mind of their dutie to him in whom wee live and move and have our being by repeating Gods word delivered by hearing them reade Gods word printed and by singing Psalmes and hymnes and spirituall songs That she was a most provident and carefull Wife and a most indulgent and loving Mother all that knew her can best testifie and some of them have informed me And this let me speake and I have it from the mouth of some that perhaps did not thinke I would have mentioned it at this time and would have had it concealed but for reasons best knowne to my selfe I hold it very fit to relate shee was ever held to be of a most sweet nature and of a very loving disposition that shee was very charitable and inclined to relieve the poore It is likewise testified of her she was liberall alway but more liberall now then usually having had a consideration of the hard and needie times to which end as if shee had prognosticated her owne death shee layd by some money according to that abilitie that God had blessed her with for the reliefe of the poore Let no man censure me for speaking these things I doe for if I should not have given her her just and deserved praises some that now heare me and knew her from her cradle might justly have censured me for too much remisnesse Thus for her life As for her death I can say little touching it It pleased God not to giue her any long time of sicknesse but to take her away though not unprepared yet on a sudden with a short warning When her bitter pangs first came upon her she called to her Husband and desired him to joyne with her in hearty prayer to Almightie God that he would bee graciously pleased to extend his mercie towards her that hee would be pleased to let her live longer that she might repent of her sinnes and beg mercie at his hands for them that shee might amend her life And if he would not grant this for her yet for those many poore Children that were young that she was to leave behind her
How prove you that By the force of the Argument here that the Apostle useth for this being a part of an Argument and an Hypotheticall proposition he reasoneth thus If in this life onely we have hope in Christ then are we miserable but now for this life onely we have not hope in Christ he doth not set our rest there therefore wee are not of all men the most miserable How prove you that because the most wicked the most wretched so the lesse wicked the least wretched and the most righteous the best blest and the least miserable Not the most not at all Not at all No for as the outward prosperitie of the wicked in this World is no true prosperitie so the outward adversitie of the godly is no true miserie it is not such as doth destitute and dissolute a man utterly but you shall have the faithfull come off with hope I and with rejoycing rather then grudging and repining at it yea they joy in their sufferings and at last are more then conquerours and all this sheweth then that that they are farre enough from miserie Well the knowledge of this lifes miseriâ—… the knowledge of our not being at all miserable thâ—… 〈◊〉 righteous should teach all of us to bee righteous to be religious to strive to be godly if not for the love of vertue and pietie and holinesse and such kinde of Graces as all good Christians and godly persons should be though there were no Hell to punish nor no Heaven to cherish a man in though there were no reward for the good nor revenge against the bad yet notwithstanding the love of vertue should constraine an ingenious Christian to strive after holinesse and pietie but if not for the love of religion let us doe it for the feare of the miserie that may befall us which wee shall prevent if wee remember now our duties that is to bee godly and to be righteous for the righteous man is not cannot be miserable And then lastly this shall serve to shew to us how it ought to keepe off the World from judging rashly there is a great obliquitie and a perverse judgement in the World men censure those that are in any kinde of miserie to bee of all men the most miserable whereas we know that this is no true misery on their part for it is but outward it is but temporall misery it is no true reall miserie And thererore this serveth to rectifie the obliquitie of such mens judgements as doe determine the godly to bee in a miserable conditon whereas the contrary is most true for wee count them sayth Saint Iames blessed that endure Do they endure to the very death Blessed are they that dye in the Lord for they rest from their labours and who would not dye here that hee may dwell with God there in rest who that loveth who that hopeth would not be where his love where his hope is would not have what hee hopeth for Doth not the Lord say to his servant Moses No man can see my face and live Oh sayth a Father let mee dye then for I will dye to see thee who would not dye for the present to dwell ever where his hope is If in this life we had onely hope then were we of all men the most miserable but our hope is not onely in this life of the things of this life therefore wee are not of all men most miserable no not miserable at all I have done with my Text You see the occasion of our present meeting to Interre this little Child in Christian buriall the last service and dutie we owe to deceased Saints I cannot and I know you expect not that I should say any thing of it It is a Child of the Covenant sealed in the Covenant dyed in the Covenant resteth according to the Covenant with the God of the Covenant of whom I doubt no more of a happy rest with Christ the mediatour of the Covenant then I do of the Covenant that Christ hath sealed and so I leave it in that rest and returne our selves to our owne dutie and service to call upon God for a blessing FINIS THE PLATFORME OF CHARITIE OR THE LIBERALL MANS GVIDE DEUT. 15. 11. The poore shall never cease out of the land Therefore I command thee saying Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother to thy poore and to thy needy in the land PSAL. 16. 2. O Lord my goodnesse extendeth not to thee but to the Saints that are in the earth and to the excellent in whom is all my delight LONDON Printed by Iohn Dawson for Ralph Mabbe 1639. THE PLATFORME OF CHARITIE OR THE LIBERALL MANS GVIDE SERMON XXXIX GAL. 6. 10. As wee have therefore opportunitie let us doe good to all especially to them who are of the houshold of faith IN the sixt verse of this Chapter the Apostle begins to perswade these Galatians to whom he wrote to Beneficence and having in the ninth verse the verse before the Text given them great incouragement in this course Bee not wearie saith he of well-doing for in due season we shall reape if we faint not The words I have now read to you are an inference upon that which went before seeing if wee hold out we shall reape in due time then faith the Apostle As wee have opportunitie let us doe good to all c. To speake something for the opening of the words and then to obsere the maine things the Apostle intends in this place As wee have opportunitie Cairos signifieth more then time As wee have time so the old Translation reades it but the word signifieth more there is a Chronos and a Cairos a time and an opportunitie of time There is a time taken in the largest sence there is an opportunitie of time restrained to those advantages of times that a man by wisedome may make unto himselfe for the performing of any dutie that God requires of him This must be understood with a reference to what was spoken of before Wee shall reape if wee faint not Hee shewes there is a time of sowing and a time of reaping and so in Eccles. 3. There is a time for all things there is a time to sow and a time to reape Now while the sowing time lasts for that is the opportunitie that hee now speakes of while the time of sowing lasts let us embrace those times and opportunities for the doing of good Let us as wee have opportunitie doe good to all Doe good is of a large extent it is of as large an extent as the law All is good that is agreeable to Gods will revealed Bee renewed in the spirit of your mindes that you may know what the good and acceptable will of God is But in this place it is restrained to some particular acts of Beneficence towards men towards the servants of God which are then said to be good deedes and good acts when there is a
concurrence betweene the action and the affection with conformitie to the Rule First there must be actions It is not speaking good nor meaning good only but it is doing good Saith the Apostle If a brother be naked or hungrie or cold and you say to him goe in peace warme thee but you give him no fire and goe and cloath thee but you give him no apparell and goe and feed thee but you give him no meate Here are good words now but the deedes are not answerable here are no good deedes at all Solomon compares such complementall charitie that is only verball and in outward expression to Cloudes and windes without raine Not much unlike the boxes of Apothecaries that are adorned with glorious tytles without but open them and examine the insides you shall finde nothing but emptinesse Well that is the first thing there must bee good actions Againe secondly these must have a good rise they must proceed from a good affection too or else they lose the name of good actions Make the tree good and the fruit shall bee of the same condition the actions are not good if the affections bee naught and therefore the same God that requires beneficence hee commands benevolence also and would have men become tender-hearted and put on the bowels of compassion that they should Sympathize with others and be like affectioned to them to mourne with those that mourne and to be with those that are bound as being bound with them This is that which our Saviour calls being mercifull Bee mercifull as your heavenly Father is mercifull Hee saith not only doe workes of mercie but be mercifull doe them from a mercifull heart from bowels of compassion that yearne towards those that are in necessitie That is the second thing But then thirdly these actions and these affections whence they rise they must hold conformitie with the Law There is no good but what is conformable to the rule of goodnesse that is the written word of God and therefore all those will-worships and idle ceremonies made according to the inventions of man as a thousand devices in Poperie wherein they intimate a show of great Liberalitie they are not good deedes because they want that good rule that should uphold and make them so So much shall serve for the opening of it Good deedes then are such actions as rise from a sanctified affection and receive ground and warrant from Gods will revealed in his Word to men Againe there is a third terme yet Doe good to all men What doth the Apostle meane that every man should receive the fruits of our Beneficence There are some men notoriously wicked and rather to be punished than relieved The Apostle meanes not such for hee gives you a Caution If any man worke not let him not eate Relieve him not that hath abilitie to get and will live idlie and unprofitably But doe good to all men that is to all men so farre as you see them in extreme want unable to helpe themselves if their lawfull necessities call upon your charitie in this respect all men must be looked unto but especially To the houshold of Faith By houshold of faith here he meanes the multitude of beleevers and not only those that dwell neere us and about us but those that are dispersed throughout the whole earth the Churches of God The dispersion spoken of through all the parts of the world are this houshold of faith all the Saints of God in what difference or distance soever one from another yet they are of the same houshold together of the same Church of God So the Church of God is called the house of God and sometime it is understood of the Church militant and sometime of the Church triumphant Of the Church triumphant In my Father 〈◊〉 many mansions There it is heaven the place of the blessed Then for the Church militant Moses was faithfull in all his house saith the Text. And Paul exhorts Timothie how hee should carry himselfe in the house of God that is in the Church militant As for those that live above us they need not our good workes and actions therefore it is intended of those that are here in the Church militant that is called Gods houshold because there is such a communion amongst beleevers as amongst those that live in the same house that abide under the same roofe that live under the same government that eat at the same Table c. So then you have the meaning of all which is no more but this Take those advantages of times which you can obtaine or elâ—… many will slip unprofitablie to bee conversant in such actions of mercie which tend to the reliefe of thoâ—… that want them If there be extreme necessitie doe good to all but if you may make choyce of persons to whom you may doe good choose the houshold of faith Thus you have the substance and the meaning of the words In them you may observe briefly these three parts The first is a determination or limitation of time to which the Saints are tyed in the performance of the duties that are injoyned them as you have opportunitie and while you have time Secondly there is a declaration of dutie doe good Thirdly there is a description of the persons to whom this good must be done first more generally Doe good to all and then more particularly and with an especiall note Especially to those of the houshold of Faith Of these in order First for the determination of time to take the words as they lie while you have time therefore or as you have opportunitie the words themselves doe render the maine point It is the dutie of Christians to take their advantages of times to take the best opportunities of their life to doe good I will speake somewhat by way of Explication of the point and something by way of Application and so proceed to what followes First for the Explication what is intended or meant in it when we incite you to embrace times and opportunities Briefly these two things are meant in it First that you should bee sure not to lose the time of life And Secondly that you should not forgoe the advantages and opportunities of estates You shall not alwayes have life to doe good and it may bee if you have life you â—…all not alwayes enjoy meanes and abilitie to doe good Whâ—…â—…ou have life therefore and time doe good or while you enjoy meanes and so power to doe good embrace these opportunities That is the meaning of the Apostle in this place First then there must be a doing good while you have life let your good workes goe before you doe things while you live and deferre not the performance of them till your death Make you friends of the unrighteous Mammon that when you want they may receive you into everlasting habitations Hee calls that unrighteous Mammon not that it is unrighteously gotten only though
commended in practise of the Saints If any of thy brethren among thee be poore saith God thou shalt not harden thy heart thou shalt not shut up thy hand against thy poore brother The not opening the hands to relieve him God accounts that as proceeding from the hardnesse of the heart Thou shalt not harden thy heart against thy brother c. Cast thy bread upon the Waters for after many dayes thou shalt finde it Is not this the fast that I have chosen for a man to give his bread to the hungry and that a man should release those that are in Captivity and to let the oppressed goe free The Apostle wisheth that as they abounded in knowledge and in vertue and in faith and goodnesse so they might abound also in this Grace of God The Grace of God that he there speaks of is the willing readinesse to the doing of good To doe good and to distribute forget not for with such sacrifices God is well pleased You see there by doing good he meanes distribution the latter word doth prove the former and both explaine this Text. You have it likewise commended in the practice of the Saints I need not bee large in discoursing to you the carriage of Abraham of Lot of David of Iob the practice of Cornelius yea of Christ himselfe The Scripture is plentifull in this I and that which is more to bee observed that although Christ himselfe were relieved by others yet out of that hee gave a share to the poore It will appeare likewise in reason that this is a necessarie dutie and these may be taken First from the equity of it for it is equall you should thus employ your time and estate and those advantages of life which God hath made you doner of partly to that purpose and a man commits an injurie in neglecting these holy duties and is not only become an unmercifull but an unjust man and so in the plainest phrase a dishonest man hee is not just that doth not thus Therefore with-hold not the good from the owner thereof sayth God when it is in thy power to give The poore is owner of the estate of the rich so farre as his necessitie requires it and it proves but a matter of justice and equitie to bestow his riches where it ought to bee bestowed and a man is unjust in that respect if hee doe it not Riches are called unrighteous Mammon as hath beene expressed before when they are urighteously with-held from them to whom they should bee given as well as when they are unrighteously gotten So that detaining it from those unto whom it is appointed by Gods direction converts that riches perchance honestly procured into the Mammon of unrighteousnesse Secondly as it becomes a matter of justice so it proves likewise a matter of wisedome a man makes wise provision for the present and the future also by this course And therefore it makes way for the felicitie of the servants of God to employ their endeavours in the execution of this dutie and to lay fast hold on the forehead of opportunitie First it proves a consequent of wisedome for themselves in procuring their owne good Blessed is the man that judgeth wisely of the poore why so the Lord will consider him in the day of evill and he will not give him over to the will of his enemies What is the thing that a man is most subject to feare in this World but that which David sayth concerning Saul I shall fall sometime or other by the hands of some enemie of some mischievous person or malicious person or other You see the Lord hath here promis'd a large assurance of safetie and protection from the malice of his adversaries in the day of evill if hee wisely consider the poore Againe it makes much for the good of his posteritie The good man is mercifull c. and his feed inherits the blessing It may bee he perceives not such sensible and apparant fruits or outward successe in his owne life upon this course yet his seed inherits the blessing and the lesse hee enjoyes the more shall they receive of Gods goodnesse towards them as a recompence for his benevolent kindnesse towards the people of God And what greater legacie can man bestow upon his posteritie then to leave them by his particular meanes in the loving favour of the Almightie And as it is so for the present so it becomes a course of wisdome for the future also Charge the rich men of the World that they be ready to doe good c. laying up a good foundation for the time to come And by this meanes a man may provide well for eternitie Make you friends sayth Christ of your unrighteous Mammon that when you faile they may receive you into everlasting habitations The way for a man to provide for eternall good is to use his tallent of wealth and estate for the present to the good of many Thus wee see the Reasons plainly verified To make use of it briefly and hasten to that which remaines Is it so then that it is writ downe to bee the dutie of Gods servants to mannage the opportunities of this life for this end and in this course of doing good that is of distribution and reliefe Then it serves to reprove those that neglect this dutie and account it not a businesse of their life onely they conceive of it as a matter of praise and commendations a thing that they doe well in performing and not very ill in omitting They conceive it to bee of no absolvte necessitie but voluntary charitie as a matter arbitrarie but not as a dutie necessarie and for this cause they appeare but slack and indifferent they conceive this as a dutie to lay up wealth but never remember the necessity of laying out wealth to bee commanded for a greater dutie then the former they take it for their dutie to get all they can but forget the following precept to doe all the good with that they get as they can And here is the reason why there are such lavish expences bestowed upon every vanitie that the portion of the poore and such as ought to bee relieved with our estates in point of equitie and by vertue of Gods Cōmandement is swallowed up by every vanity It is spent in excessiue apparell for the satisfaction of the vaine fashion-monger in superfluity of dyet for the Glutton and the Epicure in Haukes and Hounds and Dogs to please the humour of the voluptuous person it is consumed in raising up vaine and unnecessarie Buildings by earth-wormes that make their habitations below and lay a foundation for themselves on earth neglecting that goodly building given of God to the re-edifying of their soules in the kingdome of Grace And thus is the portion of the poore consumed and themselves for want of the same exposed to all the miserie that this World can inflict Some cry they cannot doe
Christ lookes for it Wouldest thoâ—… reape liberally in that day then sowe liberally in the meane time Doe according to your severall abilities and opportunities and when you meet with advantage to doe good take it chearefully and make use of it willingly it will much commend thy love to Religion and improve thine owne good in the conclusion So much shall serve now for this point You see in a word the meaning and intent of the Apostle is this that every man according to his estate and abilitie while he hath time and meanes should bestirre himselfe to doe good A word for the occasion in Hand Funerall Sermons saith Saint Austin are not comforts to the dead but helpes to the living It is for their sakes that survive that God hath given us these occasions and for your sakes that are yet living that I have chosen this Text where you have the rule and the example concuâ—…ing together The life of our deceased Sister was but a commentarie upon this Text Shee hath beene amongst those that knew her in her life a lively patterne and example of the performance of every dutie that we have now spoken of It pleased God to translate her as a choyce Plant from a farre Countrey a Nurcerie amongst the Churches in other parts into his Vineyard into his Garden into his Orchard his Church here in England Since she came hither 〈◊〉 hâ—…th beene planted here She became no fruitlesse nor deaâ—… 〈◊〉 bâ—… according to the blessing promised to that man which meditatâ—… in the law of God day and night Shee brought forth â—…uit and had a greene leafe among us Shee brought forth abundance of good fruit and is laid in the earth with the greene leafe of a good name and flourisheth now as a good example to those that live even being dead After it pleased God when she came to England to reveale to her the way of salvation more fully then she knew before to make her understand more clearely of the power of godlinesse and what the practice of Christianitie meant which she before had received only in the Theorie in formes of doctrines but not so heartily and seriously looking into them Shee grew very covetous of good company and the benefit that comes by that good conference and example Shee made great advantage of her time in the large sense of doing good Shee tooke hâ—… opportunities to doâ—… good to her selfe and her soule by the obtaining of the knowledge of God in Christ and yet neverthelesse even towards her later â—…nd not being perswaded that she had done enough that way shee promised to act Maries part more lively if God would spare her longer time on earth and exceed her former 〈◊〉 by her 〈◊〉 endevours and to refraine from Martha's troubles Those opportunities she embraced in health by the providence and goodnesse of God were managed by her with such care and respect that successe followed their conclusions with much advantage Shee increased in love that radicall grace as the sap doth increase in the root extending that love to Christ and to the servants of God ever delighting in their company prizing them at a high rate as the onely excellent ones and some very poore and weake Christians naming them according to the phrase of our Saviour worthy persons and such a one was a worthy man or a worthy woman being the termes wherewith shee expressed her honourable esteeme of those that feared the Lord. Besides in the whole course of her life shee exercised the Scriptures I have seen notes of her own gathering out of the Scripture wherein it seemed shee desired to become a profitable reader in making use of such particular places as struck against such corruptions which shee was more especially desirous to take notice of and such directions to duties and incouragements by promise were likewise inserted therein that I am perswaded I cannot doe better then to commend this duty to the practice of all the servants of God that when they come to peruse the Scripâ—…s they would furnish themselves with pen and inke and then â—…n all occasions they may be noting downe somewhat for theâ—… owne advantage that they may have a manuall or little Booke of observations for their guide and direction in the course of their lives Shee was a hearty hater of sinne and of all evill and the appearance thereof being carefull to doe good so farre as shee was convinced in any thing to her revealed and willing to receive instructions and to be informed in those things that were not revealed Those that knew her may well witnesse with me that shee never neglected the smallest occasion conducing to the improvement of her soule in the wayes of goodnesse But for the second the maine intent of this Text and the reason for which I tooke it in this particular dutie I may resolve you as it is said of the vertuous woman and may speake truly in the simplicitie of an honest heart Many daughters have done excellently but thou surmountest them all I never knew any woman in my life more active and readie to doe the workes of charitie according as opportunitie and her abilitie made way for the same Not onely of her owne wherein she tooke her Husbands consent with her But where shee prov'd unable of her selfe to supply the necessities of others her labours and indevours to incite and stirre up others made full satisfaction in the roome of her benevolence and she became an industrious Christian in that kind That I have observed herein shee was ever large and boundlesse sowing her seed in the morning and her hands ceased not in the evening shee gave a portion to seaven and also to eight and as any came in her way that were in extreame necessitie shee became a present helper of every of them according to their severall necessities Shee was very tender hearted and that which she bestowed to relieve others was done in compassion of heart towards those that endured miserie But as shee saw any of the Houshold of Faith and the servants of God which shee tooke notice of by some infalibile signe shee did not onely relieve them with her Purse but receive them into her heart which was still open and enlarged to give them entertainment She was not straightned in her bowels towards them but was large hearted and large handed full of Almes when that might helpe and when it could not shee provoked others to exercise the like charitie Besides she had other wayes to succour them in speaking for them and stirring up others to speake for them when words might availe them and doe them good relieving them with money and provoking others thereunto when such contributions were needfull and therein shee would not let slippe the least opportunitie but would take the â—…dvantage of great and solemne meetings seasoning those feaâ—… which she frequented with some acts of mercie before they parted that the company and societie she conversed with might savour
Deut. 30. 6. Jer. 32. 4. Obiect Answ. 2. Sam. 3. 1. Obiect Answ. Luk. 20. 3â—… 36. 2. Against the death of the â—…odie Rom 8. 10. 1 Cor. 15. 49. Quest. Answ. Difference in the Resurrection of the godly and wicked 1. In the cause 2. In the end Joâ—… 5. 29. Luke 20. 36. Vse 2. Tryall Signes of the first Resurrection 1. Forsaking sin 2. Newnesse of life Collos. 3. 1. 3. Progresse in both Rom. 6. 4. Vse 3. Exhortation direction Quest. Answ. Joh. 5. 28 29. 〈◊〉 Cor. 15. 52. Joh. 6. 63. Deut. 26. 5. Psal. 115. All men must die 1. To manifest Gods truth Gen. 3. 19. 2. His power 3. Our benefit by Christ. 4. To coÌ„forme us to Christ. Rachel waâ—… 1. Fruitfull Psal. 128. 3. Gen. 20. 18. Gen. 5. Gen. 1. 28. Gen 24. 60. Psal. 107. 41. Deut. 28. 12. Psal. 104. 28. 1 Sam. 2. 6. Act. 16. 14. Gen. 30. 22. Gal. 6. 16. Luke 1 50. 3. Obedient Gen. 31. 11. 2 Sam 6. 23. Philem. 1. 2 4. Her death Coherence Observ. 1. Rom. 3. 18. 2 Cor. 5. Observ. 3. Observ. 4. Doct. 5. There is a change in all that are in Christ as from death to life 1. The analogy betweeene spirituall and naturall life and death 1. In Generall 1. A Generall change 2 The orderlynesse of it Rom. 12. 2. 2. The Analoin particular Death three fold 1 Iudiciall Ezek. 36. 3. 2. Civill 3. Naturall 1. Imperfect Simile Newnesse of life expressed by life in three respects 1. The principle of life Joh. 6. 63. Gal. 2. 20. Joh. 15. 1. Ephes. 2. 1. 2. The actions of life 3. The properties of life Appetitâ—… 2 Propagation Joh. 1. 44. The order Observ. Men first die tosin and then live to God Eph. 4. 22. 24. Zach. 3. Eph. 5. 8. Gen. 1. Rom. 6. 4. 5. 6. Reason 1. From our union with Christ. 2. From the coÌ„trarietie of them Vse 1. Conviction Ier. 5. Vse 2. Exhortation 1 Pet. 2. 24. No losse in dying to sin 1. Not life 2 Not peace 3. Not esteeme 4. Not wealth 5. Not pleasures Sin a needlesse thing 2. The gaine by death to sin Ezra 9 13. 1 The scope The partâ—… 1 Conclusion â—…he faithfull are hopefull Rom. 5. Definition of Hope 1 â—…et 1. 9. Rom. 8. 24. Vse 1. Tryall of Hope Rom. 4. 18. Isa. 21. 16. Hab. 2. 3. Isa. 8. 17. 2 Pet. 3. 9. Pâ—…l 73. 9. Psal. 102. 13. 2 Pet. 3. 3. Iob. 2. 9. Mala. 3. 14. 2 Cot. 6. 8. 2 Sam. 6. 22. Vse 2. Hindrances of hope 1 John 4. 18. Rev. 21. 8. Psal 118. 6. Psal. 91. 5. Psal. 40. 1. Luke 21. 19. 1 Cor. 15. 16. Job 17. 13. Heb. 11. 27 Heb. 11. 35. Phil. 1. 23. 2. Conclusion Christ the object of hope Phil. 1. 21. Psal. 38. 15. Psal. 71. 5. Gen. 49. 18. Job 13. 15. Vse 1. Prov. 23. 5. Psal. 146. 3â—… Psal. 62. 3â—… Vse 2. Phil. 3. 8. Eccles. 1. Isa. 55. 4. 2 Cor. 1. 20. Iohn 14. 6. Job 6. 68. 3. Conclusion This life-time is our hope-time Vse 1. Isa 55 6. 1 John 3. 2. Vse 2. 2 Pet. 1. 3. 1 Thes. 1. 3. Heb. 6. 19. Psal. 84. 7. 2 Pet. 3. 18. 1 Cor. 7. 20. Col. 4. 17. 4. Conclusion Hope is not for the things of this life 2 Cor. 5. 1. Isa 57. 13 Vse 1. Vse 2. 5. Conclusion Our life is a miserie Iob. 14. 1â—… 1 Cor. 7. 29 Iam. 4. 14. Vse 1. 1 John 2. 15. 2. Iohn 11. 25. Psal. 84 Vse 2. 6. Conclusion The hopefull are not miserable Vse 1. Vse 2. Iam. 5. 11. Reve. 14. 13. Exod. 33. 20. Explication Rom. 12. 2. 1 Jam. 2. 15 16. 2. Heb. 13. 3. Rom. 12. 15. Mat. 5. 3. 2 Thes. 3. 10. 1 Pet. 1. Division Doct. 1. It is the dutie of Christians to take the best opportunities of their life to doe good A twofold opportunitie to be taken of doing good 1 The time of life Luke 16 9. Mat. 25. 10. Obiection Answ. Obiection Answ. 〈◊〉 Of outward estates Prov. 23. 5. Eccles. 11. 8. 1 Tim. 6. 17. Job 31. 15. 16 17 18. Vse 1. Prov. 3. 28. Psal. 78. Vse 2. Gen. 18. 19. 2 Sam. 9. 1. Doct. 2. It is the dutie of Gods servants to relieve others Deut. 15. 7. Eccles. 11. 1. Isa. 58. 7. 2 Cor. 8. 9. Heb. 13. 16. Iohn 15. 29. Reason 1. Pro. 3. 26. 27. Luke 16 9 Reason 2. Psal. 41. 1. Psal 37. 6. 1 Tim. 6. 19. Vse 1. Iames 5. Vse 2. Quest. How to give so as to doe good Answ. 1 Give justly Eccles. 11. 1. 2. Give wisely Psal. 1 12. In respect of the quantitie In respect of the qualitie 3. Give in simplicitie Rom. 12. 8. Mat. 6. 4. Give chearefully 2 Cor. 8. 6. The persons to whom good must be done 1. Generally to all Luke 10. Mala. 2. 10. Reason 2. 1 Iohn 4. 20. Vse Obiect Answ. 1 Sam. 25. Obiect Answ. Rom. 12. Object Answ. Eccles. 11. 1. Objection Answ. Obiection Answer Obiection Answer Obiection Answ. Obiection Answ. Obiection Answ. Doct. 1. Doct. 2. 1. There are some poore of the houshold of faith Mat. 25. James 2. 1 King 4. 1. Rom. 15. 26. Luke 16. Reason 1. 〈◊〉 Cor. 8. 9. Mat. 8. 20. Reason 2. 1 Pet. 2. 11. Reas. 3. Luk 9. 53. Reason 4. Jam. 5. Heb. 11. Vse 1. Heb. 10. Vse 2. Job 1. Vse 5. James 2. Doct. 2. The houshold of faith especially to to be regarded Psal. 16â—… 1. Phil 1. Reason Reas. 〈◊〉 Mat. 15. Vse 1 Chro. â—…9 Prov. 19. 17. Psal. 〈◊〉 Prov. 311 Parts of the Text. Doct. 1. A change wil befall all the sonnes of men Death a change and why so termed The change by death must befall all men Reason 1. Reas. 2. Reas. 3. Reason 4. Doct. 2. 1. 1. What it is to waite for death Wherein the preparation for death consists 1 In freeing our selves from sin in our life time How that is done 2. In having our persons qualified How that is done Why we must wayte and be prepared for death Reason 1. Reas. 2. Reas. 3. Reason 4. 5. 1. 2. 3. Vse 1. Vse 2. 1 2. Vse 3. Vse 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Proâ—… in Eccles. Agâ—…oscere nolumus quod ignorare non possumus â—…ypr de Mortal Vid. Vit. Orig. praefix operib Infans nondum loquitur tamen prophetat Serm. de bono pat Cic. primo tusc. In Eccles. chap. 12. 1. The Scope 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cupressus â—…u neria 2 The Coherence Seneâ—… in limine mort is viâ—… sunt avidissimi Aristot. de long breu vitae Cic. de senâ—…ctute 1. 2. The sense Que. 1. Que. 2. Que. 3. Que. 4. Sol. 1. Sol. 2. Sol. 3. Et strepitus iste perdurat quousque pondus idâ—…st ponderosuÌ„ corpus ad terram pervenerit sed corpore in terram projecto statim cessaâ—… tumultus Destructor vit par 4. c. 2. The division The Doct. Quotidiè morimur quotidiè enim demitur aliâ—…ua pars vitae Bern. in