it may be I am glorious in the outward parts of obedience and it may be in Comfort too O but is Christ my foundation is Christ at the bottome of all my comfort It may be I performe a great many duty 's but is Christ at the bottome of all my duties O have I yet the Lord Jesus Christ as the foundation for my soule to looke unto O Christians if ever there was a day now it s a day to looke to your foundation when the Lord is shaking heaven and earth even shaking the world and shaking it to peices he will yet shake more than ever he hath shaken till he hath shaken out all the rotten professors that are not founded upon himselfe the good Lord make you to looke to your foundation what a good thing is it to stand firme upon Christ when heaven and earth and all the things of the world shall be shaken yet we shall not be shaken being upon the right foundation the Lord build all your soules upon his Son if you would be upon this foundation say good Lord doe thou come and build how long have I been building and how long have I been working but good Lord come thou and build O that every one of you would but learne thus much as to goe home and say to the Lord Jesus Christ Lord come thou and build good Lord take the worke out of my hands and build thy selfe I shall lay all beside the foundation but come and take the worke out of my hand and if God will come and settle us upon his Son as the foundation of all then shall we have Joy unspeakable and full of glory then shall we Joy and glory in our God then shall we have that comfort and peace which passeth all understanding then shall our soules have heaven begun here that shall last to all eternitie O the Lord build all upon this foundation and let no poore soule here be discouraged those oftentimes that have least cause to be shaken are most shaken and the hypocrite that hath most cause is least shaken poore troubled soules they are apt to be shaken when they heare these things but art thou convinced Soule that thou hast built upon a false foundation do'st thou say thou art undone for ever that there is no hope for thee no rather say blessed be the Lord I have seene my false bottome now I come to the Lord O Lord doe thou build me O Lord doe thou take my soule into thy hand the Lord doe this for every poore soule here that you may all who meete here together meete with the generall Assembly of the first-borne whose names are written in heaven and then shall you not count it in vaine that you have followed the Lord and laid the foundation not in your selves but in the Son of God which the Lord Grant Here followeth the Prosecution of the Point as it was found in the Authors Notes QVest 3. What is Christ the foundation of Ans 1. Of the Fathers Eternall Election Election is built upon Christ he is the bottome stone thereof Eph. 1.4 5. According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love having predestinated us unto the Adoption of Children by Jesus Christ to himselfe according to the good pleasure of his will Christ is the first of the Fathers Election if I may so say Isai 42.1 Behold my servant whom I uphold mine Elect in whom my soule delighteth and all others are Elected in him Hence the Apâ—stle concludes that the foundation of God standeth sure that is Gods decree of Election cannot be overturned it hath such a bottome Stone Secondly Of the Covenant of Grace The Covenant of Grace is the most blessed thing in the world it s the Magazine of faith Comfort and Holines a Saints strong Tower of defence against all assaults Now Christ is the foundation of this glorious Covenant of grace Hence it s said to be made with him Psal 89.3 I have made a Covenant with my Chosen He is called the Mediator of this Covenant Heb. 8.6 But now he hath obtained a more excellent Ministry by how much also he is the Mediator of a better Covenant which was established upon better promises And Chapter 12.24 And to Jesus the Mediator of the new Covenant his blood is called the blood of the Covenant Zach 9.11 As for thee also by the blood of thy Covenant Heb. 13.20 Now the God of peace that brought againe from the dead our Lord Jesus that great Shepheard of the sheepe through the blood of the Everlasting Covenant Yea he is called the Covenant it selfe Isai 42.6 I the Lord have called thee in righteousnes and will hold thine hand and will keepe thee and give thee for a Covenant of the people for a light of the Gentills Chapter 49.8 I will preserve thee and give thee for a Covenant of the people to establish the earth to cause to inherite the desolate heritages Thirdly Of all the Promises of God this followes upon the other if of the Covenant then of the promises every promise is built upon him Hence observe the promises still run to Christ the first promise that ever was made runs to Christ the Womans seede the promises afterward given to Abraham looke to Christ Gal 3.16 Now to Abraham and his seede were the promises made he saith not And to seeds as of many but as of one and to thy seede which is Christ All the Leviticall Types and shaddowes which were a representation of things to come did looke to Christ the great Sacrifice Hence the Apostle concludes all the promises of God to be in him and because in him to be firme and Immutable 2 Cor 1.20 For all the promises of God in him are yea and in him Amen unto the glory of God by us Fourthly Of all a Saints speciall priviledges as First Reconciliation 2 Cor 5.18 19. And all things are of God who hath reconciled us to himselfe by Jesus Christ and hath given to us the Ministry of Reconciliation To wit that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himselfe not Imputing their Trespasses unto them and hath committed unto us the word of Reconciliation Rom 5.10 11. For if when we were Enemies we were Reconciled to God by the death of his Son much mere being reconciled we shall be saved by his life and not onely so but we also Joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have now received the Atonement Coll 1.20 21 22. And having made peace through the blood of his crosse by him to reconcile all things unto himselfe by him I say whether they be things in earth or things in heaven And you that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your minde by wicked works yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight
stead at all Jesus Christ is a foundation in opposition to this foundation Sixthly Jesus Christ is the onely foundation in opposition to Resolutions Vowes and Covenants that is that which many lay their foundation upon truly these are wayes which many honest hearts have run they have trac't them through and there are false hearts too that have run up with them in these wayes when a soule is troubled afflicted and burdened he will resolve vow and Covenant I will never doe so more and after that they have some ease and are at quiet and so long as they keepe their Resolutions Vowes and Covenants they are in a good condition as they conclude so it was with Saul Returne my Son David I will seeke thy hurt no more I will no more persecute David I will no more walke on in these wayes but afterwards he falls upon him againe and againe and David is forced to fly the land these Vowes Resolutions and Covenants will not hold now Christ is a foundation in opposition to this Christ is the onely foundation Seventhly Jesus Christ is a foundation In opposition to Selfe-revenge in opposition to those Acts of revenge that men are ready to put fotth upon themselves it s a thing that is very ordinary among Christians honest hearts as well as others and that through darknes in the new Testament Administration of Jesus Christ and the Covenant of grace they goe to revenge they will be revenged of themselves if they erre in this way or that way if they erre or exceede in Mirth then they will goe about mourning if they have err'd in the use of the creatures then they will not eate nor drinke at all and so they will be revenged of themselves herein they take too much content and too much comfort and they are apt to thinke that because they revenge themselves thus God is pleased with them and he will pardon them Christ is the foundation in opposition to this is this the foundation that my Justification my Comfort my Joy should lye upon my selfe revenge no though a man should goe never so far in this way doe but consider what those in Micah would have done to revenge themselves Micah 6.6 7 verses Wherewith shall I come before the Lord and bow my selfe before the high God shall I come before him with burnt offerings with Calves of a yeare old will the lord be pleased with thousands of Ram's or with ten thousands of Rivers of oyle shall I give my first-borne for my Transgression the fruit of my body for the sin of my soule As if they should have said will the Lord accept of any thing let the Lord set me the hardest taske I will doe it if it be to give the fruit of my body or to give away â—ll my estate if I may have the pardon of my sin I will doe it thus I say a man may goe a great way in a way of revenge and yet truly this will be sound nothing it will be but a shaddow and a foundation that will soone shake and fall when a day of Tryall comes Eighthly Jesus Christ is a foundation in opposition to our Reformation many there are that goe higher than all this many struggle in their Vowes and Resolutions but never come to Reformation but some there are that come to Reformation they have gotten the power and the victory as they say over their sins and here they lay the foundation of their Comfort for certaine saith such a man I am the child of God but Christ is a foundation in opposition to this if we lay our foundation here we shall be deceived this Herod did he reform'd himselfe and did many things the word of John comes to Herod's heart and his heart is so troubled that he did many things so that there may be a reformation in very many things and yet notwithstanding the soule not upon a true foundation there is a vast difference betwixt Cessation â—f sin and Mortification of-sin there may be a Cesation of sin where there is no Mortification of it it may be the Devill he may let a soule alone that he may settle him the faster upon a false bottome men cease from their Iniquitie they were addicted to when they were young and they are apt to lay a foundation upon this and this may be and yet not a true foundation laid a meere Cessâ—tion from sin or an outward Reformation in respect of the acts of sin this may be and yet the soule miserable Jesus Christ he is a foundation in opposition to this foundation Ninthly Jesus Christ he is a foundation in opposition to all outward Priviledges there is a very great deale of confidence that men lay upon their Priviledges O saith such one I keepe many day 's of prayer I am of such a Church and saith another I am Baptized and saith another I am so and so and they glory much in these outward Priviledges as the Jewes did we are the Church of God we are Abrahams Children we have the Oracles of God can we be amisse but saith Christ ye are of your father the Devill and the workes of your father ye will d ee notwithstanding all your boasting and glorying in your outward Priviledges this not the foundation Christ is the foundation in opposition to this Tenthly Jesus Christ is a foundation in opposition tâ— those good fitts that semetimes a man or a woman is in unto a duty I doe not speake any thing to shake any poore Saint but would have every Saint have a bottome while God is shaking all Nations and the foundations of the earth doe shake if the foundation be upon a rocke it will stand therefore in this shaking day the good Lord helpe us all to looke to our foundation Christ is a foundation in opposition to those good fitts that men are in to a duty a man may be in a good fit to a duty now and then and when men find this they are apt to rest on it and lay much weight upon it and draw much comfort from it now I say Christ is a foundation in opposition to this foundation O what a good fit and a good mood was Saul in sometimes 1 Sam 10. he comes among the Prophets of God at the 9 10 11 verses he prophesies among the Prophets here was a good fit to a duty 1 Sam 10.23 when he was going on in persecuting David he had a good fit therefore Saul might say well I feele God working in my heart what ever others judge of me or censure me Saul went on and prophesied before Samuel and lay downe naked all that day and all that night even then when he was going on persecuting of David I bring this to shew you that this is no foundation it is a good thing a sweet thing to have a heart fit and dispos'd to a duty but when I will build upon this this is no foundation but Christ is a foundation in opposition to
a common stone but a pretious stone and indeed in this respect too he is very meete yea most meete and fit of all others to be a foundation There are two things in Christs being a pretious stone that doe make him fit to be a foundation First Thereby there is an Answerablenes in the foundation to the building if a building be very rich and made all of pretious pearle its fit there should be some answerablenes in the foundation to the building the new Jerusalem it s said of it it was of pure gold and the foundation of the Citty was of all manner of pretious stones there was an answerablenes in the foundation to the building so I may say this blessed building of our Salvation it s indeed builded that is made up all of pretious pearle there 's the blessed pearle of the fathers love there 's the blessed pearles of our Redemption Justification Adoption Sanctification the whole is made up of pretious pearle looke over every peice and part of it every thing that is in this building it s of pretious pearle Now the building it selfe being made up all of pearle therefore the foundation must be some glorious thing there must be an answerablenes in the foundation now therefore we have this pretious Stone laid in the bottome which indeed doth enrich the whole building and add's to every peice and parcell of it And then Christ being a pretious Corner Stone he is most meete for a foundation Secondly In regard That of all Stones pretious Stones are the most durable The Adamant or the Diamond which of all stones is the most pretious of all stones none so hard it will breake other things and will not easily be broken and cut other things and it selfe cannot without difficulty be cut Jesus Christ he is a durable foundation therefore there is not such a foundation in all the world Sixthly Jesus Christ He is a living Stone 1 Pet. 2.4 To whom coming as unto a living Stone disallowed indeed of men but chosen of God and pretious he is a living Stone that is he is such a stone as hath life in it and by that life there is First A Cementing of the building to the foundation therefore a transforming the building into the nature of the foundation Now consider this and of all others Christ is the most fit for a foundation for by this Cementing the building to himselfe this building becomes unmoveable though the building be never so glorious yet if it can be taken off the foundation what would become of the glory of the building this is that that makes the building such a blessed building that it is so united to the foundatiō that there can be no removing of it off the foundation if the powers of Hell come and all the powers in the world come there can be no removing of the building off the foundation this is the blessed state of those soules in Christ herein is Jesus Christ most meete of all others for a foundation because so far as Christ is a foundation he doth unite the building to himselfe fixes the building upon himselfe that there can be no removing of the building from off the foundation Secondly Christ as he doth by this life that is in him Cement the building to himselfe so he doth transforme the building into his owne nature by sending up that life into the building that is in the foundation hereby the soule being transformed into the Image and nature of Christ it doth preserve the soule from rottennes and putrefaction you know how it is with living things they doe not dye they doe not rot and putrefie but they are dead things that rot and putrefie why now the Lord Jesus Christ by conveying of that life that is in himselfe and sending it up from himselfe into the building thereby the building is kept from rotting and putrifying that soule that is in him doth not rot and putrifie but take any other soule in the world and he doth rot and putrifie at one time or other if he doth not stand upon this foundation all his comforts all his enlargements will rot and vanish away at sometime or other Seventhly The Lord Jesus Christ he is one Stone it s not said I lay in Syon for a fountaine Stones but I lay in Syon a Stone one Stone now this add's to the excellency of the foundation if a foundation be of one stone it s a great deale the stronger Jesus Christ is one Stone and so the most meete for a foundation Fourthly The Lord Jesus Christ is called a foundation In respect of beleivers being built upon him all those that are of the fathers building as every true beleiver is are builded upon this foundation Truly there are a great many in the world that goe to build up this building of Salvation and they attempt to build it themselves now what man or woman goes to build themselves it s with them as its with little Children they will goe to Imitate builders get a little dirt and clay together to build a little house but they neglect they never mind the foundation so it s with these soules they build themselves up they build their Justification and build their Comfort and build an obedience of their owne but they regard not the foundation if they can get something of Comfort and conformitie to duties and the like they never looke to the true foundation I am afraid that when the Lord comes to shake the world a great many will be found without a soundation but now all those that are of the fathers building they are built upon this foundation the father he builds like a wise Master-builder when he comes to build a house he takes speciall care about the foundation that that be laid firme and sure for saith he what will ye build if there be not a foundation laid so is it when the Lord comes to your soules to build you man or woman he lookes to the foundation I will lay their soules upon my Son saith God when God takes a soule into his hands the very first worke that he doth is to lay the foundation to see that Jesus Christ be laid as the foundation in the soule so that Jesus Christ may be called a foundation in respect of the fathers building of all beleivers upon him as a foundation Lastly Jesus Christ is called a foundation In opposition to all other foundations to all false foundations there are a multitude of false foundations in the world and in opposition to all the sandy and false foundations that we lay and that sometimes Satan lay's and that are not of the father's laying Christ is the foundation First Christ is a foundation in opposition to those vaine and empty hopes that some sinners have of amendment of life for the future Truly this cannot properly be called a foundation yet because there are a company of poore sinners in the world that goe on in drunkennes swearing whoredome
this Eleventhly Christ is a foundation in opposition to flashes of Joy and comfort that a soule may find and sometimes doth find which yet are not upon the true foundation there may be a good disposition to a duty so there may be some flashes of Joy and comfort in the soule in the duty and men are apt to make high coÌ„clusions from these and yet not upon the right foundation as Herod he heard John and did many things and he heard him gladly there could not be but a Holy raising of heart and Joy when he heard him gladly and yet Herod cut off John's Head for all this so the Stony ground hath Joy in the hearing of the word they heard with Joy and yet was false ground in the Stony ground there was Joy in hearing the word and Joy in receiving the word O therefore looke to your selves sometimes when I heare a Sermon my heart is lifted up it may be with the man more than with the word or it may be with the manner of speaking more than with the word and so a soule may here lay a foundation there may be flashes of Joy in our duty 's and if we lay our foundation here we are under a very great mistake in the 28 of Isaiah those hypocrites at the second verse they did seeke God dayly and delighted to know Gods wayes as a nation that did righteousnes and forsooke not the ordinances of their God they ask't of me the ordinances of Justice they tooke delight in approaching to God yet notwithstanding this the Lord bids the Prophet goe and pronounce his wrath against them a man may have his heart rais'd it may be in speaking the word of the Lord and yet if he make this his foundation he is upon a false bottome Jesus Christ is a foundation in opposition to this foundation Twelfthly Jesus Christ is a foundation in opposition to some high acts wherein the soule puts forth seeming selfdeniall 1 Sam 10. Saul shews great selfedeniall when the people come to choose him King he hides himselfe the men of Belial despised him and brought him no presents but he held his peace he deny's himselfe he takes no notice of their opposition speaking against him and then afterward in the 11 Chapter when the people said who is he that said Shall Saul raigne over us bring the men that we may put them to death Saul said there shall not a man be put to death this day for to day the Lord hath wrought Salvation in Israel He doth not onely deny his owne spirit but the Temptation from others and this was not onely from a Politick ground but from a sudden worke that was upon him at present the Lord hath wrought salvation in Israel a man may be carryed out in some good particular acts to deny himselfe thence conclude I am a childe of God and so happy its true none can truly and rightly deny himselfe but a Saint but there 's the same grace and worke as a counterfeite wrought in a hypocrite that is in the new Covenant in the true Children of God and if men lay their soundation upon these things they will be exceedingly mistaken Jesus Christ is the onely foundation in opposition to these Thirteenthly Jesus Christ is the foundation in opposition to all holy aymes it s a most blessed thing when a man comes to duty 's with holy aymes and holy end 's yet if he will lay his foundation here he may be deceived it s the hardest thing in the world for a man to Judge of his ends and aymes Come saith Jehu and see my zeale for the Lord he thought he had blessed ends and aymes but laying his foundation here what a false bottome had he I doe not say any hypocrite can ayme rightly at the glory of God but a man may ayme at Gods glory when it runs with his Interest he may looke asquint at it when Gods glory and his Interest ly's together this deceived Jehu he thought he had eyed Gods glory when he look't onely at his owne Interest the settling the kingdome upon himselfe and his Posterity and so deceived himselfe Jesus Christ is a foundatioÌ„ in opposition to this foundatioÌ„ Fourteenthly Jesus Christ is a foundation in opposition to giving in of particular words it s a great Trade that some drive of giving in of particular words and what a wonderfull confidence is oftentimes laid in this in the giving in of particular words And truly I doe acknowledge the Lord doth oftentimes make it a sweete dispensation to his Children when his Children are in great straights the Lord is pleased to come into their soules and reward them in this way and yet notwithstanding we are under a very great mistake in this if the Lord be not our light and our guide We may lay too much upon this as upon humiliation or any other duty some soules in distresse they will open their Bibles it may be doe light upon a place that doth suite their condition they thinke this is a giving in of a word I deny not but God doth sometimes speake a word in this way to his Children in great straights yet there 's a great mâ—stake in this the mistake ly's in this when that we doe lay more upon the providence in the giving of the word than upon the word it selfe when I beleive not so much the word for it selfe as for the providence the providence that I should open my booke thus and light upon such a word the providence that I should light upon such a word at such a time when we eye the providence giving in of the word more than the word now note no providence is the ground of our faith therefore if I lay my faith more upon the providence than upon the word then shall I presently be mistaken even in this way which if I had a right understanding of I may have use of and comfort in let Christians observe its ordinary with Christians when they are weak and young and when they begin to know the Lord God doth deale with them as with little Children he traines them up in such a way and gives them in particular words but when soules will alway's goe in this way they may quickly come to Tempt God and they may come to such a passe as not to care for the word of God in the Scripture unlesse it be given in in this way here we lay our foundation upon the giving in of a word lay as much as you can upon the word but take heed of laying too much upon the providence therefore Christians when they are come to more light and experience the Lord would not have them to continue in this way they must not stay till the word come to them but their faith must goe out to the word this way of God with Christians is not the ordinary way when they come to a greater standing I have a word saith one so given in in
that it ly's before God Lord here I am I am nothing I can doe nothing I cannot doe this or the other duty I cannot get up a desire I cannot get up a groane I am a poore miserable helplesse creature and Lord if thou wilt trample upon me Lord here I am thou mayest and if thou hast no pleasure in such a one as I am here I lye tread upon me doe what thou wilt I know not what to doe saith the soule now here 's a soule convinc't of righteousnes so as it s come to see if I had all the righteousnes of men and Angells all were nothing though it were as righteous as Adam in Innocency all were nothing if it were as righteous as Noah Adam Peter all were nothing why this it is for a soule to come to be cōvinc't ofrighteousnes Now if in any thing that yet I have said it is here wherein a true sincere heart goes beyond a hypocrite a hypocrite will goe with a true child of God through all the other doth a true child of God confesse mourn for his sin and repent and revenge himselfe and reforme and hath he joy and delight in duty 's and doth he deny himselfe hath he good aymes and ends hath he particular words given in hath he put forth acts of faith so doth the hypocrite all these things though none of them in truth and in righteousnes yet as to the outward act he will goe as far as the sincere heart and it will be hard to find out the one from the other the hardest thing in the world yet in this step of Conviction of righteousnes the childe of God goes beyond the other When a poore soule comes to this Lord I am here I thought I had abundance of things to rest in I thought I was so rich in my prayers and so rich in my Teares and so rich in my resolutions and vowes I had such good fitts in duty 's I had such glorious comfort and Joy but Lord I am brought to this I am nothing here the childe of God gets a step beyond the hypocrite for the hypocrite is never thoroughly convinc't of righteousnes but when he is convinc't of one peice he goes on upon another and when he is beaten off that he creepes on upon another and he is upon some foundation of his owne but now when the Lord Jesus comes to take possession of a poore soule he beates him off all the peices of his owne righteousnes if he will rest upon his confession of sin and mourning he will beate him off there and if he goe higher to resolutions vowes and revenge he beates him off there and if after this he rest upon his Reformation Christ will goe after him and beate him off from peice to peice till he hath wholly conquered the soule to himselfe and brought him off of all those false grounds and quagmires that the soule would have rested upon and perished till he comes to this thorough conviction of righteousnes when they come to great parts gifts and abilities Christ beates them off of this till they come to settle upon a right foundation or else they will drop off if they come not up to the true foundation hence true and faithfull hearts tremble and feare to see these great ones fall upon this account some assert falling away from grace not considering the distinction betwixt the old and new Covenant and the different truth 's that flow from either and not seeing how the same things in appearance flow out of both rootes when they saw the fruit of the old Adam they thought it had been grace and therefore conclude they fell from grace indeed they fall from the grace they had in the first Covenant a man may loose all that but not the grace of the new Covenant the soule that hath it can never fall from that grace but that soule that is partaker of that grace shall stand for ever O therefore looke that ye be rooted upon the new Covenant if you would stand for ever that you may be throughly convinced of all your owne righteousness as nothing And the Lord brings his people to this conviction many times by letting them fall by some Temptation or Corruption and hereby they come to be be beaten off from it God lets out some Temptations or some Corruptions and the soule struggles and strives withall its resolutions and vowes and all its power yet it s beaten downe and cannot stand and then the soule saith verily there 's no hope for me then the Lord brings it to this now I see I have nothing I can doe nothing Lord thou mightest destroy me and tread me underfoote and if thou wilt doe it I will lye before thee I have no hope nor none to turne to thus the soule is convinc't of righteousness and till such time as the soule is thus convinc't of righteousness it will never be able to stand conviction of righteousnes is the removing the soule off all false foundation the foundation of his workes and the foundation of his faith too as a worke and the soule that hath no foundation at all but onely lookes to the Lord Jesus Christ O be thou my foundation When the Lord hath once brought the soule to this that he hath no foundation in the world there is no sinner in the world but he hath one foundation or other he could not beare up else now when the Lord hath brought him to this that he hath no foundation in the world Lord saith the convinced soule I have no foundation in the world I hang between earth and heaven if the Lord bring not Christ as a foundation to me I am undone then is the Lord bringing in his Son Jesus Christ as a foundation of the soule O therefore let us looke into our hearts Professors Christians Saints and Brethren O how have our hearts been rooted have we not a foundation to stand upon of our owne truly the Lord will shake us out of all our righteousnes whether wrought by the Law or Gospel we may be in a miserable condition Jesus Christ is a foundation in opposition to all false foundations Lastly Jesus Christ is the foundation in opposition to true grace it selfe This conviction of righteousnes lookes to all the blessed graces of the Spirit faith repentance and new obedience and selfdeniall all these things as they flow from the holy Spirit as they are wrought in us by the Spirit grow up out of the new Covenant why of all these Christ is the bottome Christ is the foundation in opposition unto these these are not the foundation though grace is the most blessed thing in the world the most blessed thing of all yet it s not the foundation of our soules but the Lord Jesus onely must be the foundation O that every soule would now looke to Christ O is Christ my foundation you had need to look to your hearts here 's much preaching and much profession
know things by the Spirit of man but by the Spirit of God for the spirit of man will get a great deale of knowledge and let it out againe O that the Spirit of God condemn'd by many in this generation might be honoured by us art thou a poore soule hast thou no strength nor life to duty do'st thou say I come to pray sometimes and would faine have my heart in heaven and keepe my faith up and be full of groanes but I cannot speake a word nor utter a groane but am just like a blocke O come to the Lord and say Good Lord give me of thy blessed Spirit I have sat often and heard in a customary and formall way and so have I pray'd but Lord give me thy Spirit to heare and thy Spirit to pray and thy Spirit to doe all in my soule O then you should finde strength and assistance and helpe and such helpe as the soule cannot Imagine so hast thou not boldnes can'st thou not call God father say now Lord thy Spirit let the Spirit of Adoption come into my heart Lord fill my heart with thy Spirit that I may cry Abba father if thy Spirit come downe into my soule I shall cry father it will helpe my Infirmities and tell me what to say I would goe to God but I know not what to say nor what to lay before God nor what to aske O Lord thy Spirit now to put words into my mouth and thy Spirit to put groanes into my heart so a poore soule that goes about doubting and saith I am undone such and such are happy and blessed they are the Children of God but I shall perish for ever whosoever goes to heaven I shall goe to hell O goe to the Lord and say Lord I cannot see thy seale upon this my affliction good Lord come and give me thy Spirit that earnest of glory and seale my Spirit for glory and witnes by thy Spirit with my spirit that I am thy childe O let every one looke after this every one mind this we are here but a little while we run through the world and little thinke of Eternitie and then at last we cry out O that I had look't after God his Spirit O that I had now the Evidence of the Spirit I have follow'd pride and vanitie and wantonnesse and the world and how I might be rich O that I had now the Spirit of God I would give ten thousand worlds if I had them that I had but the witnesse of the Spirit and the Evidence of the Spirit O Christians doe not mind the great things of God of Religion and of their soules but we have gotten Religion in a forme and as an art like a trade in the world men thinke they do enough if they doe but now then say over a prayer and read one of the Psalmes or the like O you will wish another day O that I had Jesus Christ O that I were sealed with the Spirit of God if you want this the day of Christ will be a bitter day to you so is your heart dry and withering pray to God to come by his Spirit and water you every moment it may be your hearts are a little stirred when you are under a Sermon but you goe away againe and forget all now say soule say to the Lord my conscience is touched now good Lord as I goe out of this place water me and as I goe home water me and all the weeke water me and every moment Lord water me till I come againe there 's need of this beg of the Lord for it and pray to the Lord to give his Spirit for this end for the Spirit of the Lord doth this so hast thou had many sweete promises many times and thou forgettest them cry Lord thy Spirit thy Spirit to bring all these things to my remembrance all the glorious promises O that I might remember them all and that by the holy and blessed Spirit O that day is not farre off that God will come downe with more abundance of this Spirit it will fall upon our hearts O therefore thinke of these things ponder something and goe away with these groanings in your hearts O father give thy Spirit thy Spirit to my poore soule The Lord worke with you I have spent many words but its God that must give you his Spirit looke up for it and if you will helpe all faults heale all divisions cure all distempers in the soule bring the soule to Joy unspeakeable and full of glory get this Spirit it will give such peace to the soule as shall passe all understanding The Lord give more of it to every one of us FINIS The second Sermon ACTS 1.4 Waite for the Promise of the Father THis promise it s no other but the promise of the holy Spirit and our Lord Jesus is pleased to entitle it the Promise of the Father that his Disciples and Children might be as throughly apprehensive of the Fathers willingnes to give forth the Spirit as they were confident of his The last time I shewed you that this promise was a great promise I shall now the Lord assisting goe on and come to the second thing Secondly That the Promise of the Spirit is the great new Testament promise I say the promise of the holy Spirit is the great new Testament promise here are two things to be cleared and proved First That the promise of the Spirit is a new Testament promise Secondly That its the great new Testament promise First That its a new Testament promise my my meaning is not that its a promise proper and peculiar unto the new Testament Times so as that we are to conceive the people of God that lived under the old Testament Administration had not the Spirit we must not so conceive of the thing for the people of God in the time of the old Testament they had the Spirit Holy men of God saith the Apostle Peter spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost and therefore they had the holy Spirit with them and if they had it they had it in a way of promise and therefore it s not a promise so peculiar to the new Testament times as that the Saints of the old Testament had not this promise as well as we nay the Saints and people of God under the old Testament they had that very same Covenant in which this glorious promise of the Spirit is held forth and given that we have the new Covenant it runs downe even from Adam as I may say to the end of all things the new Covenant it runs through all the times of the old Testament and its this Covenant the new Covenant that gives forth the Spirit and they had that Covenant running through all that long time they had therefore the Spirit given forth to them But when I say the promise of the Spirit is a new Testament promise we are to understand it thus That its a promise that
and the world to speak it that this is the sin and evill of the times 2 Take speciall notice and observe that sin with which the most precious Saints and people of God are most taken and drawne away from God by that is the evill and sin of the times For that is usually the sin and evill of the times which the Saints of God are most taken with and embrace for the sin of the times doth not onely run through and run along with the wicked and profane of the world but also the most precious servants of God Moses that meek servant of God and Aaron that Saint of the Lord were catched with it in mistrusting God for the sin of their time did not fasten upon the rude multitude onely but upon those two and many other precious servants of the Lord. So in the building of the Temple the sin of neglecting that work did not onely seize upon the Congregation but also it seized upon those two brave spirited men Zerubabbel and Joshua they were asleep and neglected this work as you may see by the words of Haggai it had seized upon and catched many of the precious Saints of God and doubtlesse if the Lord did not keep us there is none of us now here that are speaking of and against the evill of the times but we should without Gods great mercy and love to us be catched and carried away with it as well as any other 3 Observe what that evill is that though it runs up and downe without the least controule or contradiction from the generality of men yet notwithstanding God hath a little Remnant that will oppose and stand up against that sin and that evill that is the sin of the times For observe it to bear witnesse to his cause in every age God will have a handfull that will oppose themselves to the evill of the times and ordinarily but a handfull When the whole Congregation of Israel rebell'd and Apostatiz'd from God and would have return'd againe into Aegypt and made them a Captain and mistrusted God then there was a little Remnant that stood up for God and spake against that sin Caleb and Jeshua they stand up and plead for God against the whole Congregation Let us say they not rebell against the Lord let us not make us a Captain to goe back again into Aegypt for they shall be bread for us the Lord will deliver them into our hand we shall goe in and possess the Land which the Lord our God hath promised Thus they stand up and plead for God against the whole Congregation And so in their return out of Babylon the Lord stir'd up a little Remnant to bear testimony against the sin of that time the Lord stir'd up the spirit of Haggai and Zechary against their sin of neglecting the building of the Temple and returning out of Babylon and where God stirs up a spirit in a little Remnant to oppose the evill of the times God is there that is I say a clear evidence that God is with them and that God stands for them and will owne them when he stirs up a spirit in them to tell men their owne for so did Haggai and Zechary Is it time for you O yee to dwell in your cieled houses and this house lye wast I instance in those two times because coming out of Aegypt and Babylon being both Types of our deliverance from spirituall Aegypt and Babylon nothing in the word is so pat to us as the example of those Ages I remember the Speech of a holy man yet living That if he were to stand with any party he would stand with that party that was the least and that bore testimony against the sin and evill of the times looking upon this that God was there and with those that stood up against and bore testimony against the sin and evill of the times When there 's a controversie whether there is an Apostacy or no now the generality of men of the proud men they will say no there 's no Apostacy at all and so justifie their Apostacy I but what saith the little Remnant what saith the few they say yes there is an Apostacy they say it 's clear and plain and evident enough to them that there is an Apostacy though the generality see it not will not know it nor owne it yet a little Remnant see it and will declare and bear their testimony against it But the second thing we should speak often one to another of is The speciall worke of God at that time what the worke of God is and what the speciall duty of Christian is in such an evill and Apostatising time Now there are many Duties that in such a day and age lye upon the Saints but I shall name but one or two which are duties that especially lye upon the Saints 1 This is one speciall duty To be humbled before God and to labour to bring others to be humbled and lye low before him for that sin In Ezra's time he makes it his dayes work to be humbled and lye low before God for the sin of the Congregation he goes and spreads their sin before the Lord and lyes low to beg mercy and grace of God for the whole Congregation and he labours also to bring the Congregation to this to be humbled and lye low before the Lord. But 2 It 's a speciall duty of the Saints and people of God in such a day and time of Apostacy whatever others say and thinke of it yet I say it 's the duty of Saints in such a day to appear for God to stand up for God to declare for God against those sins Though others count it rashnesse hastinesse and over-forwardnesse yet certainly it 's the duty of the Saints and is a good Principle to practice in which we should be found if we will shew our love to the Lord Jesus and his name and his cause and interest though all run from it Thus in all ages those whom the Lord hath kept faithfull to himselfe have not onely kept themselves pure from the evill of the times but declared against it in others So it was with Caleb and Joshua they stood up for God and protested for him and declared for him against the sin of the whole Congregation though they were but two they will hazzard their lives for God O say they doe not rebell against the Lord doe not return againe into Aegypt And so Haggai and Zechary they would stand up for God and declare for him against the Congregation and tell them to their very faces That they builded their owne houses but let the house of God lye wast whereas it was their worke and duty to build the house of God They told the greatest of them the chiefest of them their sin and that to their faces they Preached openly against the negligence and sluggishnesse of that Age to Gods work And have not good men of latter times looked upon themselves called to
doe so against the superstitions of the Age before us Saints in all Ages have looked upon it as their duty to bear witnesse against the sin and evill of the Age. Hence Christians are called Witnesses a man that keeps all in his breast is no witnesse but he is a Witnesse that gives forth a Testimony to others And truly I speak this because we may be holy and humble and wise in doing this our duty in bearing witnesse and testimony against the sins of the times O my thinks when a Saint in cold blood shall sit downe and consider that he sees God and his name and his cause and interest blasphemed and trod under foot and abused and dishonoured and shall not stand up for God nor appear for God not have a word to speak for God how will this grieve him and trouble him And may such a one not question his love to Christ It 's to be feared we have but little love to Christ and his cause his name and interest when we cannot speak and appear for him for men to have such a Principle as this I may stand by and look on and see God and his name cause and interest trodden under foot and yet not speak a word but hold my peace and say nothing and another may stand and look on but say nothing no man must speak a word truly this is such a piece of Doctrine that I never heard of and that hath read such Lectures already as I think were never yet read when they themselves that doe such things cannot but know and see and they that look on it's so plaine that they that run may read that there is an Apostacy and yet notwithstanding none must speak of these things and bear testimony against it truly it 's such a Principle and such a piece of Doctrine as never was practiced by the Saints in former times And if the Saints and people of God in former and later times had practiced such a Doctrine and Principle as this is they would never have lost their lives as they did there would not have died so many Saints as there did there would never have been such a large Book of Martyrs as there is we should never have had so many living Testimonies of dying Saints as we have if such a Doctrine and Principle as this had been practiced If any say these men are good men though they have many and great failings Why if it be so this cannot excuse the matter Is a sin the lesse evill because a good man commits it And you cannot but acknowledge that if King Charls or the former Powers had don some things these men have done you would not have put such favourable constructions upon them and why should you think any thing the better of an evill because you think good men commit it It 's not the badnesse of any person that can make a good cause bad nor the goodnesse of the person that can make a bad cause good for though we and all the people of God have many weaknesses and infirmâ—ties yet that cannot make his good cause bad the poor people of God it hath been often upon my spirit that they should be allowed their infirmities in all times and ages they have been allowed their infirmities and truly the allowance now should be larger and greater then ever it was in former times and that upon the account of reason because they and their enemies have been brethren friends together and I speak this to this end that we may not goe and condemne all as I know this is the noise abroad I am perswaded when we come to stand before the Lord Jesus our Judge Christ will make another manner of judgement than now is made and passe another manner of Sentence then now is past upon the Saints by men And I am perswaded if so be that good men would but study things they would see more into them than they doe I mean things by which God is dishonoured and his name blasphemed and they see it not and know it not And they could not in such a day as this but venture hard for God This I am perswaded is the truth of God and many soules that doe not see it God will make them one day ashamed of it that they have not had hearts for God and tongues for God and mouths for God in such a day as this is wherein his cause hath called for it Thirdly Another duty that lyes upon the Saints in such a day as this is is That they endeavour their utmost the reformation of such a thing Ezra did so he endeavoured to bring the Congregation upon their knees and to a reformation of the sin of that Age of taking strange wives he caused the Congregation to enter into a Covenant to put them away Ezra 10. But the third Generall Head is this That the Saints should be often speaking one to another of the precious great and glorious Promises that God hath made of better times to come And we find the Prophets are full of these speakings telling us of glorious times wherein we shall come to enjoy that which will make up all our sufferings afflictions and persecutions God bears up the hearts of his people this way by promising and discovering of better times to come When the Children of Israel were in Aegypt God told them of a better time promises them the Land of Canaan so when his people were in Babylon he made them a Promise of a better time to come he told them then in the time of their Captivity to comfort and chear their hearts that the time was coming wherein all the Kingdomes of the earth and the power and greatnesse of the Kingdome shall be given to the Saints of the most high and with this Christ bears up the hearts of his Disciples I appoint unto you a Kingdome saith he and truly this will sweeten the bitternesse of an evill time this will make up suffering times this will make amends for all the Kingdome that Jesus Christ will give unto those that abide with him in an evill time as the Saints have had a day of Patience so they shall have a day of Power as they have had a day of sorrow so they shall have a day of joy they shall have a day of Peace and Comfort they shall have full peace and full joy yea they shall have joy and peace running over an overflowing of joy and peace they shall have a day of power and rejoycing and therefore saith the Apostle Paul speaking about suffering Rom. 8.18 I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us O the thoughts of that time of glory and power swallowes up all the thoughts of this time of suffering and of evill I reckon and account that the sufferings of this present world are not worthy to be compared unto the glory which shall be
work their ends and designes in spirituall work and so indeed the Truth which lyes before us in these words is this Doctrine That it 's a very good and a very profitable thing for soules to be very inquisitive into their owne ends in all Spirituall Actions Was not this a good work for men to run out into a Wildernesse to hear John Here was a good work yet there was a bad end they had not a holy end a pure end therefore Christ takes this opportunity to shew them their ends What went yee out into the Wildernesse to see We should be much in looking to our ends men are at this day found much in the wayes of God I mean in attending upon the outward Ordinances following of the means for this is growne a thing in fashion why now in such a day as this is wherein it 's so much in fashion for men to have something of Religion every man and woman should look into their heart what our end is Doe I appear holy because I can have no credit if I doe not appear so We should be looking and prying into our ends that Christ puts them upon What went yee out into the wildernesse to see The Grounds and Reasons why we should be inquisitive into our ends they may be such as these 1 Reason 1 Because our ends and our aimes they are secret things they are things that doe lye deep and unseen and therefore we must be very inquisitive as touching our ends and aymes We may be acted very high in the wayes of God and of the most forward in the things of God and yet we may mistake and loose our selves and run upon a false ground if we mistake our ends The more secret and hidden any thing is the more need there is of enquiry into it A man may come and appear with a great shew of Religion O but there may be some end lying at the bottome which we doe not see which makes all filthy and abominable before God therefore we should look to our end 2 Reason 2 Because it's a most certaine truth that a mans heart is where his end is Let his end be where it will there his heart is If a man have the credit of men honour reputation among men or if he have his owne profit or advantage if any of these be his end there his heart is whatever he doth his heart goes not along with it but his heart is rapt up in his end where ever the end is a man shall find his heart there therefore we had need look to our end in such a day as this is If we would find our hearts if we would know our owne hearts then let us search where our ends are for where our ends are there will our hearts be 3 Reason 3 Because a mans heart is as his end is As a mans heart is where his end is so a mans heart is as his end is If so be that the end be good then the heart in the work is good if the end be bad then the heart in the work is bad a mans heart is ever as his end is 4 Reason 4 Because God doth locke at our ends The great thing God looks at in all our addresses to him in any duty is our end God doth not look so much at the outside of the duty as we are apt to think the Lord looks at that but God looks at the end he looks at the heart as the end is so the heart is so God looks at the heart as when Samuel came to the house of Jesseâ— he saith of Eliab Surely the Lords anointed is before me no saith God I judge not as man judges God looks not at the outward appearance but upon the heart Now the heart is as the end is for the heart lyes in a mans end therefore God looks at the end and judges of us and of all our actions as he sees our ends are 5 Reason 5 Because God will overlooke many failings in our obedience if so be our end be right and on the other side God will not accept of whatsoever we doe though it be never so glorious outwardly if the end be false God will over-look failings if the end be right as it is with a father that hath a Child that doth aime and designe at his fathers good name honour credit and profit though the Child doe miscarry very much in labouring to honour his father yet notwithstanding because the father sees the Childs end is that he might honour him the father passes by all his failings Why so I say the Lord when he sees that the end of a soule is to honour God to serve God if this be that that lyes at the bottome if this be our great end though there may be many failings creeping forth as of pride of selfe of passion and of many weaknesses of the Creature yet God will accept of the worke though it have so many failings But on the other side God will accept of nothing though it be never so glorious outwardly if his end be naught Though we may doe some work wherein God may be honoured and glorified yet if our end and designe be not that we may honour God and serve him God will not accept it That which is done as I may say by the bye it 's God glorifying himselfe the Creature not seeking it nor desiring it so God glorifies himselfe by the very sins of men by the very oppositions of his Enemies yet he will judge them for it 6 Reason 6 Because there 's nothing that our hearts doe so much deceive us in as our ends A man is more beguiled here than he is in any one thing for we are ready to think our ends are very good and holy and that when indeed they are very corrupt and wicked How wonderfully was Jehu deceived and how did he loose himselfe in this thing he thought he had had very holy aimes in his zeale against the house of Ahab therefore he cryes out Come see my zeale for the Lord and alas Jehu had no zeal for God onely his heart deceived and gull'd him he was deceived about his ends and so we are many times deceived about our ends we think that which we aime at is Gods honour and yet in this doth our hearts very frequently goe beyond us and this is most common at such times when Gods glory and our interest meet together for when his interest and Gods glory ran together he could run along as moved by his owne interest and yet keep his eye upon Gods glory and make his owne heart believe that that was it that moved him therefore a great deale of deceipt is here and here was the very deceipt of Jehu Gods glory and Jehu's interest did run together and herein he lost himselfe Now the way to discover our ends to be false at such a Time it is 1 To consider whether or no doth my heart willingly run with God in