unless the power of Sin had blinded Men in the right knowledge of God and of themselves and unless it had pussed up their Hearts in this darkness there had never been any pretence made by fallen Men to Self-Righteousness but now nothing is more common more groundless and yet more rooted in Mens Hearts than that a Sinner can and may if he will bring or do somewhat that may have some interest in and influence on his Acceptance with God A Sinner is needy of a Right to eternal life and this must be bought by another for he can never purchase it for himself He is needy of Safety from the Wrath to come which is so wofully well deserved by him and the Man can do nothing of himself but what deserves it more and further 4. We are needy of the help of Grace as Christians as new Creatures A Christian is a Creature by nature a humane Creature a sinful Creature but made a new Creature by grace Yet there are some springs of constant need of Grace in this new Creature the Christian 1. The necessary and constant dependance of the new Creature on its Fountain and Author makes a Christian to be a very needy Creature The dependance of the Beams on the Sun is not more necessary than the dependance of a Christian on Christ Without me or separate from me ye can do nothing John 15.5 The Christians life is by a continual Eflux from Christ and is to be sought and maintained by a constant dependance on him as Light is from the Sun Never was there nor can there be a Room so full of Light from the Sun-beams but if either the Sun withdraw his Light or if you exclude its light by closing Doors and Windows it immediately becomes dark and that necessarily It is so with all Christians If it were not that the new Covenant hath assured us that there shall be no final and total separating of the Fountain from the Stream there would soon be an expiring of all that Good that is in the best of Saints 2. A Christian is always a needy Creature because he hath much work to do and most necessary Work and all above his strength He that bath most Work and least Strength is most needy of help Phil. 2.12,13 Work out your own Salvation with fear and trembling For it is God which worketh in you both â—o will and to do of his good pleasure If the Exhortation or Command had been without the Argument it had been discouraging What can a Man do about his own Salvation It is God that begun a good work in them and will perform it till the day of Jesus Christ Phil. 1.6 Put hand to your Work for help is near As the Exhortation Work out your own Salvation with fear and trembling hath the height of Duty in it So the Argument for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure doth deeply debase Man's Sufficiency and highly advance both the Sovereignty and Efficacy of his assisting Grace And happy is that Christian who can lay the weight of the Command on his Conscience and can at the same time improve the Encouragement for believing obeying Whoever is void of a sense of his need of God's assisting Grace looks not rightly on the great Work lying before him and seeth not the great weakness that is in him 2 Cor. 3.5 Not that we are sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God 3. In this great work above his strength the Christian meets with much Opposition both from within and from without Not always in the same measure but some always Special measures of opposition make times of special need of which I shall speak But there is somewhat of opposition that is constant Gal 5.17 For the Flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the Flesh and these are contrary the one to the other so that ye cannot do the things that ye would This Flesh and this Spirit is in all Christians if a Man were all Flesh he were no Christian if he were all Spirit he would be perfect as the Saints glorified be This Flesh and Spirit lust and strive on against the other And so they must do for they are contrary one to the other The effect of this lusting and contrariety is that the Christian cannot do the things that he would He cannot do all the Flesh lusts to because of the Spirit 's opposition he cannot do all the Spirit lusts after because of the opposition of the Flesh Of this Combate the Apostle speaks largely from his own Experience Rom. 7. And the more opposition a Christian meets with and I have named but one Head of it the more needy is he of helping Grace 4. The Christians State of absence from the Lord renders him a needy Creature He is made for the Lord fram'd so that as a Christian nothing short of being for ever and immediately with the Lord reigns in his Heart as his Prize and Mark. 2. Cor. 5.2,4 In this we groan earnestly desining to be cloathed with our House which is from Heaven We that are in this tabernacle do groan being burdened not for that we would be uncloathed but cloathed upon that mortality might be swallowed up of life What ails a Believer to groan so oft and so deeply It is to be in Heaven with the Lord. And the more heavenly and holy a Christian be the more frequent and earnest are these groanings He hath the most healthy Soul who is sick of Love whose Heart is sick with desires of being present with the Lord. The Believer that is most assured of Heaven groans deepest Unbelievers run on in Sin and sing to Hell while Hell groans for them and sad will the meeting be We find Paul groaning for himself only for two things The body of sin and death its dwelling in him Rom. 7.24 and his dwelling in the body We do not nor can we know the vast difference that is betwixt the happy State of the Saints in Heaven and the best State of Believers on Earth We do but guess in the dark and our guesses are but Negative that they are removed from all the Evils we find here No Sin no Clouds no Death no Crying or any thing to complain of But these Negatives taken in by Faith and Experience with the foretaste and first fruits of that good Land make Believers groan to be possessed of it though they go as Abraham did Heb. 11.8 not knowing whither Heaven will be a blessed surprize to all the Possessors of it They will find it a far better State than their highest thoughts and largest desires could point forth But besides these Spirings of constant need there are special Seasons of Christians need of God's Grace And they are easily known by this general Rule That time that comes on a Believer wherein he is in great and special danger from which only
lifted up is not upright in him But the just shall live by Faith To bottom Expectations of grace from God on the account of any good real or apprehended in us or done by us is not only destructive of Humility but of Faith also A Boaster is an abominable Creature at the throne of grace but a Pleader for and Expectant of Grace for Grace's sake is an humble Believer and a right Courtier at this Throne Exhort 3. You must not only seek grace when you come to the throne of grace and expect it when you seek it but you must be careful to receave grace when it is given Make room for it What is said by the Lord in the Prophet Mal. 3.10 though spoke in another case is applicable to this I will open you the windows of Heaven and pour you out a Blessing that there shall not be room enough to receave it Felt Want and strong Faith make much room for the grace of God Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it Psal 81.10 It must be a wide-mouth'd Soul that takes in and a well-filled Soul that receaves a fill of God How mighty is that Prayer Eph. 3.17,18,19 We have all need not only to get it by heart but to get it into our Hearts and to send it up to Heaven daily from our Hearts Paul makes a special Preface to that Prayer ver 14 15. In it he prays for the strengthening of the inner man by the spirit ver 16. That Christ might dwell in their Hearts by Faith ver 17. That being rooted in love they might measure the dimensions of Christ's love and know it that passeth knowledge ver 18 19. Can any Man go higher in Prayer Yes one step higher That ye might he filled with all the fulness of God Now who hath room in his Soul for the answer of such a Prayer as this is If we had not these mighty Words in this way we should be tempted to think that it were rather a Prophecy of what is to be enjoyed within the Vail than a Prayer of Faith to be put up by Travellers in the way to Heaven and for Blessings to be enjoyed in the House of their Pilgrimage But a Prayer it is and some good performance is given within time though the main measure of the answer of this as of all the most spiritual Prayers of Saints in this lise is referved for the day of the Lord. It is a greater matter both of Duty and Dimculty than most Christians think to have the everlasting Doors of our Souls lifted up and cast open that the King of Glory may enter with his super-abounding grace Many Believers take much pains and make many Prayers for that grace of God which yet they teceave not when it comes and craves room and admittance Grace comes always in and with Jesus Christ Whatever therefore hinders his Welcome excludes his Grace from entering Grace comes in and by the Promise If the Promise be not receaved by Faith how can the Grace promised be receaved Grace comes always as Grace free and undeserved How can a proud Person receave it And there is Pride often working in the Discouragements of Christians They find they want much of the helping grace of God they ask it they see it in the Promises and in Christ's hand But they think should such as I lay hold on such a precious gift as his grace Why not It is grace grace offered of grace given of grace Do you need it Why do you not receave it and make room for it Some receave not that grace that is tendered to them because it is not the particular grace they sought and expected or because it comes not to them in that way they looke for it in Others receave not nor welcome the grace they beg because they think they cannot receave it They look on Receaving as a great and difficult business far above their ability But is refusing of it hard also Alas that is easie because natural to our Hearts Is not the seed of Receaving in all sincere asking and expecting of grace from God receaving of his grace is no more but a Heart-willingness that his grace may enter in and act like it self upon us And this receaving act of Faith doth greatly glorifie God Some think it very strange and hardly credible that any Believer can ask earnestly that grace which when tendered he is not willing to receave See how it was with some eminent-Saints Job 9.16 If I had called and he had answered me yet would not I believe that he had hearkened unto my voice Why so for he breaketh me with a tempest ver 17. But may not fatherly Love and Correction be together on a Believer Rev. 3.10 Yet the sense of the smart of Correction is a strong Temptation to question the Love of the Correcter David or Asaph Psal 77.1,2 I cried unto God with my voice even unto God with my voice and he gave ear unto me Who would think that this Man refused to be comforted Did he not pray for Confolation Yet he saith My Soul refused to be comforted I remembred God and was troubled I complained and my Spirit was overwhelmed There is a peevishness of Unbelief that Christians should watch against Exhort 4. You must take care to guide this helping grace of God when you have receaved it Guiding of grace is an Art and Mystery that Christians should study diligently The rule of this Art is this Guide the grace of God receaved by you for those ends for which it is given by him Now what ends hath the Lord in giving of his grace They are only two 1. For the Praise and Glory of the Giver 2. For the Benefit of the Receavers Guide his Grace for those ends and you guide and use it well Christians have little of his Grace and complain sorrowfully not because he gives and they receave little but because they guide and manage this richest Talent poorly Dare any Believer forbear to say if I had kept all I had got and guided well all he hath given I had been far richer in Grace than now I am Misguiding of Grace receaved is the greatest Sin because an abuse of the greatest Blessing Watch against it if you love his Glory and your own Weal I come now to the forth and last thing in the Verse about this Grace of God and that is the Seasonableness of its Help It helps always but especially in time of need On this I shall now only note some few things in general Obs 1. Whatever Believers present Case be a time of need may come And they should foresee it Though they know not particular Circumstances yet they should lay their account with it The Lord gives faithful Warnings in the Word Faith should take them We see the times of need that many others come in and we should take warning by their Experience Every Christian hath found times of special need formerly the like may
come again Obs 2. Christians should pray before the time of need come for that grace that may help them when it comes The Prophet speaks of bearing for the time to come Isa 42.23 The Apostle 1 Tim. 6.19 of laying up in store a good foundation for the time to come So here Men must pray for the time to come Is any man afflicted let him pray Jam. 5.13 And because any Man may be afflicted he should pray before-hand 1. Because we know not but we may be surprized by a time of need Our Lord's Argument Mark 13.33 Take ye heed watch and pray for ye know not when the time is The Lord rarely gives particular warning of the time when special need is coming It ordinarily comes by surprize to us Death may but Sickness Losses and Affliction usually come on suddenly And surprizing Tryals are sore and searching ones 2. We should pray before a time of need come for often when that time comes we are thereby disabled for Prayer The distress may be such that even a Believer can do nothing The night may come when no man can work John 9.4 Pray much before it come 3. Because many Prayers have their answers delayed till a time of need comes Christians think that every day and hour of their Life is a time of need and so it is in some sense but there are some special Seasons of great need of which the Lord is the only Disposer and he fits such times with dispensings of that Grace that his People have many a day begged before There may be worse reasoning than this It may be there are some Blessings of Grace that I have oft sought and have not yet got that are reserved for me by the Lord against a time when I shall need them more than now I do Thus you see in the Scope of the Apostle in these Words that there is strong arguing for constant seeking of God's Grace You are either at present in a time of special need or if it be not present it may come Whatever case a Believer is in his Obligation is in a manner equal to this great Duty of coming to the Throne of Grace for Grace to help him as his Matters do require SERMON X. HEB. IV. 16. Let us therefore come boldly unto the Throne of Grace that we may obtain mercy and find Grace to help in time of need YOU have heard that the gracious Exhortation in the Text to coming to the Throne of Grace is directed with respect to the getting of two great Blessings or of one under two Names God's Mercy and Grace Concerning this Grace I have spoken to 3 things 1. What this Grace is 2. What the finding of this Grace is 3. What is the Helpfulness of this Grace so found I also entered upon the fourth and last thing the Seasonableness of this helping Grace The Truth I am to speak to is this The Grace of God is specially helpful in times of special need My Work then is to shew What are those times of need 2. What the helpfulness of grace in them is Only I would usher in this Discourse with a general Consideration of the constant need that all stand in of God's Mercy and Grace And that I would branch into four We need God's Mercy and Grace as Creatures as Men as Sinners and as Christians and that always 1. As Creatures The native Notion of a Creature is that it is a contingent necessitous Being For his pleasure they are and were created Rev. 4.11 The Lord did not make all or any Creature because he needed them but he made them that they might need him He did not build this glorious Fabrick of Heaven and Earth as a House to dwell in or to contain him 1 Kings 8.27 But he made this World as a Stage on which to display his glorious Wisdom and Power and he made some of its Inhabitants Angels in the upper Rooms and Men in the lower to be Spectators and Praisers of his Glory It is not proper to say that Creatures needed their Being before the Creator gave it For when there was nothing but God there could be no need Need and Want is essential to a Creature and springs up with their Being As soon as the Creation receaved its Being by the word of his power it needs upholding by the same power Heb. 1.3 Our Lord Jesus upholds all things by the word of his power The whole Creation would fall back immediately into its Mother Nothing if the same power that gave it a Being did not every moment preserve it Would you have a joyful view of Heaven and Earth Look on all as in our Lord's Hand Why do the Heavens keep their Course Why doth the Sun shine so gloriously move so regularly and influence the Earth so virtuously with his light and heat It is because Christ upholds all things by the Word of his Power He is before all things and by him all things consist All things were created by him and for him Col. 1.16,17 Many are without Christ in the World Eph. 2.12 Man see daily the Works of Creation and Providence and never think on Christ as the Head of all But it is no wonder that Men that have no Eyes to see Christ in the new Creation of Grace cannot see him in the old Creation of Nature We as Creatures are needy of God's helping Grace and Favour for in him we live and move and have our Being Acts 17.28 In his hand our breath is and his all our ways are Dan. 5.23 2. Our need of God's Grace appears yet more as we are such Creatures Men. We are through the Bounty of God the most considerable part of this lower Creation Of Man some understand that elegant Phrase Prov. 8.26 the highest part of the Dust of the world But there is no earthly Creature needy of God's Grace but Man even in his natural Frame abstract from his sinful State The great Former of all things hath given to all a Being and to many of his Creatures no more To some of his Creatures he hath given Life a nobler sort of Being But to all living Creatures but Man he gives no more and they need no more they have not they need not eternal life When the Breath of the other living Creatures goes downward in the Word is Eccl. 3.21 there is an end of them But Man is created in that state that he must be for ever and therefore be eternally happy or miserable This State he is made in makes him vastly needy of God's Grace and Mercy 3. We grow yet more needy as Sinners Sinners are Creatures with this great blemish of Guilt Sin and Corruption A Sinner is needy of a Mediator to deal for him with God for he cannot deal with God for himself A Sinner is needy of the Righteousness of another to recommend him to God's Acceptance for he hath none of his own The Righteousness of a Sinner is a plain Contradiction And
present supplies of grace can preserve him that is a season of special need of Grace and in the prospect of or in such Seasons Christians should ply the Throne of Grace Of such times of Need I would speak to six of them 1. The time of Temptation 2. Of a Spiritual decay 3. Of High Enjoyments and Attainments 4. Of Affliction 5. Of Special Duty and Service 6. Of Dying These are all Seasons and Times of special need of God's Grace And how such render Christians needy of Grace and how helpful his Grace is in such Times is all I mind to say on this Scripture 1. Times of need is the time of Temptation An hour of Temptation Rev. 3.10 A time of Temptation Luke 8.13 A day of Temptation Psal 95.8 But because Temptation is of large signification and of sundry sorts and from various Quarters I shall confine my self to that sort that is from Satan And on this Head would confine my self to these three 1. What Temptation is 2. What need of Grace to the Tempted 3. How Grace helps in time of Temptation 1. What is Temptation As we are concerned in it three things are in a Temptation An outward Object the occasion inward Corruption that is as fuel for the Temptation and Satan's motion to sin and his working on these two to hatch Sin He is but twice called the Tempter first when he came to Christ Matth. 4.3 And again when he comes to Christians 1 Thess 3.5 These three are not necessarily in all Temptations In his tempting the first and second Adam there was only an outward Object and a Motion of Satan But in all Men besides these three are in all Temptations And the Spirit of God in the Word gives the name of Temptation to all of them 1 Tim. 6.9 They that will be rich fall into temptation Few either of the poor or of the rich believe this Jam. 1.14,15 Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed Then when lust hath conceaved it bringeth forth Sin and Sin when it is finished bringeth forth death Hence the difficulty is great in discovering Satan's hand in tempting because there is inward Corruption in Men that acts and works of it self as well as it is fit to be acted upon by Satan If Temptation from Satan came to a sinless Man the Tempter might be easily known but when it comes to a sinner who hath an active Principle of Corruption in him that prompts him to the fame sin that the Tempter tempts unto it becomes very hard to a Man to say This motion is of the Devil and this is of my own corrupt heart And here seldom doth the Devil get his due some blame the Devil more than he deserves and excuse themselves more than they should And some excuse the Devil and blame themselves more than they ought What shall we do here How shall we know when Temptation riseth from Corruption within or from the Devil without There is no very great need to know it exactly as in some Cases it is very hard to know it Temptation is so natural to us that if the Devil be the first Mover it seizeth so quickly on our corrupt Heart that we may justly take the blame to our selves The Workings of the Spirit of God on the new creature and of the Spirit of Satan on the old Man are great Mysteries It is far wiser work to set about resâ—…ing of our spiritual Enemies than to perplex out selves with Questions about their Order Therefore 2. What need is there of the grace of God to help the tempted This is plain Every one that is in this Case knows his great need of grace Yet to make them that are not in it pity them that are and to direct them that are in it to entertain a deeper sense of their need of God's grace I would show how needy a Person under Temptation is of the helping grace of God This appears in these 1. Our Lord Jesus Christ commands us to pray against Temptation He doth not so command us to pray against Affliction In that Pattern of Prayer Matth. 6.9,13 the Words whereof are better known than the deep sense and meaning of the Words is understood there are but two Petitions for spiritual Blessings for our selves one is for the pardon of sin that relates to the State of our Persons the other is for Sanctification and Preservation and that is expressed thus Lead us not into Temptation Sanctification is prayed for in praying against Temptation And much of Sanctification is acted in making such a Prayer But may not a Man enter into Temptation and come well out of it again Yes But in that case more thanks is due to the Lord's grace and mercy than to his own good Conduct Christ would have you to be afraid of Temptation and to pray against it Matth. 26.41 Watch and pray that ye enter not into Temptation Whatever Temptation a man rusheth confidently upon he usually falls by In Temptation no Believer is safe but the self-diffident and fearful and fear of Temptation acts in praying against it Peter failed in his fearlesness his going to the High-priests Hall after the warning his Master gave him was rushing on a Temptation and so came on it It must therefore be a Case wherein one is very needy of grace to help that Christ bids us pray against 2. We find the whole Armour of God is provided and prepared on purpose for the case of Temptation Eph. 6.10,13 The Apostle is sounding the Alarm of War to all Christians he shews them where their strength lyes ver 10. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might He shews them their Weapons of War v. 10 to v. 19. and tells them how to use them Their Armour is that of God No Armour but that that is from Heaven is proof against the Batteries and Assaults of Hell How doth the Devil laugh at despise and pierce thorough that Soul whose Armour is forged and framed on Earth This Armour of God the Christian must put on and take to himself it 's not enough that he know it and have it lying by him it is no Armour to him till it be put on by him And why such Armour and so put on ver 12. Because of such dreadful Enemies as we have to deal with For we wrestle not against flesh and blood Enemies formidable and dangerous sufficiently against them that have no more but flesh and blood to oppose them with but against principalities against powers against the rulers of the darkness of this world against spiritual wickedness in high places What but the whole Armour of God can secure a poor Believer from all the Armies of Hell 3. Our blessed Lord Jesus himself was tempted that he might succour them that are tempted Heb. 2.18 There are several States and Conditions that Believers are in that Christ himself was never in We are oft sick and weak in
complained of Some Professors spend all the little Religion they have upon their Afflictions Take heed to your Hearts under Afflictions It is to be bewailed that many Christians their Afflictions come on them they know not whence they lye on them they know not not wherefore and they go off they know not how that if I may allude to such sacred Words and apply the Phrase to such a sinful Frame Afflictions come on many and they feel the smart of them but know not whence they come nor whither they go They come on them when they are sent and go off when they are called but they neither knew what God meant by them nor did by them No Christian can ever make a spiritual and hearty Song of Praise for Afflictions unless there be some Sense or Hope of Profit thereby If the Profit be seen the Wisdom and Love of God in afflicting will be heartily acknowledged 5. Time of special need of the grace of God is a time of special Duty and Service to God called for All the course of our Life is to be constant Service we ought to live to his Praise we are made as Creatures and as new Creatures for this end Isa 43.21 1 Pet. 2.9 But there are some Seasons in which special Work is called for and then there is great need of grace to help in that Hour It is a mighty Word of the Preacher Eccl. 8.6 Because to every purpose there is time and judgment therefore the misery of man is great upon him And it is only the wise man's heart that discerneth time and Judgment ver 5. I would name four of those times 1. The time that Men are called to believe on Jesus Christ and to secure their eternal Salvation by a full closing with him This is a now a day an accepted time a day of Salvation 2 Cor. 6.2 All that hear the Gospel are bound by the Call of God in it and warranted by the Promise of it to receave by Faith Jesus Christ and eternal Life every time they hear the Gospel But sometimes this Duty is specially called for which if neglected may be of fatal consequence to Men. Hence that Exhortation Isa 55.6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found call ye upon him while he is near When Christ is knocking at the Door of the Heart then it is special Duty to open to him Rev. 3.20 This was the day Jerusalem had and neglected and that that Christ mourned over them for Luke 19.41,42 Unspeakable is Mens need of the prevailing help of grace when their Hearts and Consciences are warmed with the Calls of grace in the Gospel In such Seasons the everlasting Bargain is either fixed by the power of grace working Faith in the Heart or people are left to themselves and are further from Heaven than ever 2. Some special Call to Men to give their Testimony to Christ and his Gospel by suffering The Lord comes and craves Mens Testimony to his Truth and chargeth them thus If thou hast any love to me and my Honour I demand thy Witness venture thy all take up thy Cross Many Christians have neglected such trying Seasons which in vain and sorrowfully they have wished for again There is much of God's Grace needful to discern these Seasons and wisely to improve them 3. There is another remarkable Season of Mens need of God's Grace to help them in and that is The Season of the Lord 's calling them to a Duty-Tryal A Duty called to by way of Tryal The Lord gives the Call to try Men and very great are the Consequences of obeying or disobeying of such a Call Many instances are of this in the Word One is in Numb 14. The Passage is plain and awful When Israel had been above a Year in the Wilderness twelve Spies are sent to view the Land they all bring back an evil Report save Joshua and Caleb the People murmur God threatens them with Judgments They seem to be sensible of their Sin it 's like by the Plague that slew the ten false Spies ver 37. and by what Moses spake to them They acknowledge their Sin and resolve to go up next Morning ver 40. Moses tells them they now sinned again and that the Lord was not among them ver 41 42. What severe dealing is this The Lord was among them vesterday not this morning They were bid go up yesterday they are forbid next morning Because they did not what the Lord bid them do in his time he will not protect them when they do the same thing in their time Thus Saul was tryed twice 1 Sam. 3. Samuel bid him tarry for him seven days at Gilgal Saul tarried six days and part of the seventh and then offered Sacrifice not as I think that he did invade the Priest's Office himself but commanded some Priest to do it Profane Princes never want profane Chaplains What a severe Sentence doth Samuel pronounce against him ver 13.14 Again the same Man is tryed with another Duty 1. Sam. 15. and fails therein and is punished therefore This sort of trying Men by Duty is like that in 2 Kings 13.14.20 which Elisha did put Joash unto How may of the people of God through the want of the present help of Grace in some Duty-Trials have stepped into such Paths and have fallen into such Pits and Snares as they have never got well and clearly out of as long as they lived 4. It is a Season of great need of Grace to help us in when the Lord by his Providence puts several things in a persons choice and leaves them to choose The fullest of this kind was that offer made to David about Judgments 2 Sam. 24.12,13 A hard choice but David did choose wisely His Son Solomon had another Offer but it was of Blessings and not of Judgments 2 Chron. 1.7 Ask what I shall give thee And he chose wisely and by his choice proved that he had already receaved a good measure of Wisdom Moses had a great Offer and things of vast difference were in his Choice and he chose like a Man taught of God Heb. 11.24,25,26 Moses in his last Sermon to Israel Deut. 30.15,19 puts them on choosing I call Heaven and Earth to record this day against you that I have set before you life and death blessing and cursing therefore choose life that both thou and thy seed may live that thou mayest love the Lord thy God and that thou mayest obey his voice and that thou mayest cleave unto him for he is thy life and the length of thy days So did his Successor Joshua when he had setled Israel in the promised Land a little before his death Josh 24.15 Chuse ye this day whom ye will serve Elijah did so with Apostate Israel 1 Kings 18.21 Somewhat like this is laid before Men in the daily Ministry of the Word The Curse of the Law or the Blessing of the Gospel is in Mens Offer And Men get as they
to have a Conscience void of offence toward God and toward Men. Acts 24.16 It is usually seen that times of great Tryals do dart in some Light into Mens Consciences and do make Men look into their Hearts and Ways more narrowly and spy small Faults that they could not see at other times For they are days of darkness in one sense and days of light in another Study therefore to keep thy Conscience clean and pure by holy and tender walking and by daily believing For it is the Blood of Christ that only can purge the Conscience from dead works to serve the living God Heb. 9.14 And let me assure you of this and if you will not believe it I dare say you will feel it and feel it the more then if you believe it not now that such as make all their care about their Consciences to stand in watchfulness about their Hearts and Ways and are utterly estranged from believing Applications to the Blood of Jesus when an evil Day and an evil Conscience meet together and meet they will that they will be in a sad and dreadful Confusion And no better will their Condition be who upon a false Pretence and in this case it is always false of trusting in Christ have no care either of their Conscience or Conversation The Mystery of the Faith is to be held and kept in a pure Conscience 1 Tim. 3.9 We should hold Faith and a good Conscience 1 Tim. 1.19 they cannot be got nor kept but together Whoever suffers Shipwrack of the one loseth the other Christ is the Saviour of Sinners but he is no Minister of Sin Gal. 2.17 He came into the world to save sinners 1 Tim. 1.15 Not to save Saints for there are none in it but of his making and his making Sinners to be Saints is a notable part of his saving 2 Tim. 1.9 The Inheritance is for them that obtain forgiveness of Sins and who are sanctified by Faith in him Acts 26.28 None are saved but the Sanctified and none are sanctified but by Faith in Christ Jesus There may be in an Unbeliever a Picture and shadow of Holiness but it is an Abomination in the sight of God whatever the Man that hath it or they that see it may think of it A holy Vnbeliever or an unholy Believer never was since the World began nor will be while it lasts 5. Multiply your Addresses to the Throne of Grace before the time of need come Happy were that Christian that could cry as earnestly for that Grace that can help him before the time of need come as he will see it needful to have it when that time doth come But it is the weakness of our Minds as Men and of our Grace as Christians that we cannot take up so clear a Prospect of things to come and that they are not so big in our Eyes at a distance as when present Yet by Faith we may foresee times of need and should pray much for Grace to help us when that time comes Suppose you should for twenty years together beg that Grace and Mercy that you should not have occasion for till those years were expired would there be any hurt in it 6. In any special Prospect of an approaching time of need make special Addresses to the Throne of Grace for Grace to help in that time There are two things in these Addresses I recommend to you 1. Let them be Personal Partticular and Secret Our Lord's Direction Matth. 6.6 Many Christians find it an easier thing to keep a day of Prayer with others than to spend an hour in Prayer in secret by themselves It were far easier to know a Man's Frame and State by his secret dealings with God if we were acquainted with them than by all his Professions and Duties besides 2. Let these Addresses be sometimes solemn and long There are some Mercies not to be got as some sort of Devils not to be cast out but by fasting and prayer Matth. 17.21 Secret personal Fasts I am afraid are very rare amongst Christians in our Days Christ commands and directs us about them Matth. 6.16.17,18 as well as about secret Prayer Matth. 6.6,7 Ministers should not load Christians with work above the Strength of their Bodies or Minds or Grace But surely it is but reasonable Service required of you that you should make Addresses to the Throne of Grace in some suitableness to your need of that Grace that is dispensed from it There are four things which if they were the Fruit of my speaking and of your hearing so often from this Text we should both have cause to bless the Lord who teacheth his people to profit Isa 48.17 1. If you learn to pray better and to ply Prayer more David gave himself to Prayer Psal 109.4 The Apostles those extraordinary Officers of the Primitive Church gave themselves continually to Prayer and to the Ministery of the Word Acts 6.4 There are times in which private Christians should give themselves to fasting and prayer 1. Cor. 7.5 If you belong to God he will make you pray and reach you with Briars and Thorns if you will not yield to more gentle Methods How sad is the Reflection that riseth in the Heart under some heavy Tryal This is brought on me for my indulged distance and estrangement from God 2. If you learn to mind Christ more and make more use of him in your Praying He is the King on this Throne of Grace As much as Christ is out of your Minds in Praying so much are you out in Praying and your Praying out of that it ought to be That which we beg is out of Christ's Store In whose Name do we beg it but in his for whose sake but for his Out of whose hand do we receave what we ask and get but out of his It is marvellous that People should pretend to Prayer and think they pray who yet forget Jesus Christ who is all in all in all right Prayer 3. If you learn to mind and plead more God's Free-Grace in Jesus Christ in your praying Free-Grace is the sensible humble Min's Plea he is a proud ignorant Person that seeks or useth any other Plea at God's Throne of Grace Free-Grace is the only thing that Faith can first lay hold on it 's a Plea that any Man may use it is the constant and powerful Plea of a wise Besiever It answers every case and suits every Prayer and the lowest Case and the highest Prayer best 4. If you learn never to leave off improving of christ and pleading for Grace at this Throne of Grace till ye have no more need of Grace And that will never be as long as you live If any Man fall into such a Dream that he is got beyond the need of Grace and so of Praying he is one that never rightly knew himself nor Grace nor Christ nor Praying The Believer knows he stands in need of Christ and Grace and therefore prays as long as he liveth