Wife M ris Elizabeth Stephens R. W. wisheth all happinesse both in this world and in the world to come IN the Sermon following there are lapped vp right Worshipfull some twelue points of diuine inspiration which are most needfull in this corrupt age wherein we liue of all mens due and deepe consideration The first is that Christ and his Church are contracted together in a thrise blessed marriage The second is that the Church doth beare a tender hearty loue towards Christ her bridegrome The third is that the estate or condition of Gods childe is the best estate or condition in all the world The fourth is that Chirst himselfe is there teaching of men where his word is truly taught deliuered vnto men The fift is that the fruit benefit of Gods word is imparted onely vnto the Saints The sixt is that the best that are are to be taught and schooled in the wayes of God The seauenth is that Christ doth loue his Church and people well The eight is that the Church of God is faire and beautifull in the eyes of Christ The ninth is that holy Christians need not the mediation of Angels or Saints departed this life for the oblation of their prayers vnto the Almighty The tenth is that the spouse of Christ is sometimes too carelesse of Christ and falls a sleepe in the bed of carnall delights The eleuenth is that Christians must not continue in their sins but arise from the same leaue them The twelft and last is that all that doe belong to Christ must leaue this world goe after Christ These points are handled seauen of them more at large exprofesso by way of doctrines but the other fiue more succinctly vpon certaine accidentall occasions At your leasure I pray you consider of them I doubt not but that you haue your portions in them The text from whence they are drawne may well be applied vnto you for euery word therein doth fit you well One part of it you may speake with the Church of Christ and the other part of it you may heare with the Church from Christ. And as some things in it may comfort you so other things also in it may excite you The Appellations may be your consolations and the exhortations may be your excitations In the world there are many euils yea in the congregation of the righteous there are too many infirmities Our loue to Christ is too cold it must be kindled Our attendance at the gates of wised me is too seldome it must be doubled Ourfailing in our duties is too great it must be lessened Our sight in seeing the loue of Christ towards vs is too Diuine it must be cleered Our beauty in the inner man is too small it must be increased Our drowsines in good things is too heauy it must be lightned Our continuance in sinne is too long it must be shortned Our cleauing to this world is too strong it must be weakned Finally our following afte Christ is too slow it must be hastned To further this heauenly work this little booke may help vs for most of the things therein are touched and vrged vpon vs with forcible reasons of perswasion In token of my good will and the vnfained loue which I beare vnto you both I here present it vnto you both consecrate it to your Worships The God almighty giue it a blessing and make it effectuall vnto the soules of men I will not trouble you with many words but draw to an end As you haue begun well so proccede let your good works be more at the last then at the first Be still for God in all his wayes and God will still be for you in all your wayes Aduance him and hee will aduance you protect his Saints and shelter them refresh the deare members of Christ and nourish them so shall you heare this sweet sentence pronounced vpon yount the last Come ye blessed of my Father inherit ye the kingdome prepared for you from the foundations of the world And so I end and commit you and all yours to the gratious protection of that good God that doth watch ouer you beseeching him so to multiply his graces vpon you that you may see many good and happy dayes in this wretched world and enioy euerlasting blessednesse in the blessed world to come Your Worships in all holy duties to be commanded Richard Webb THE FIRST SERMON OF CHRISTIAN LOVE Canticles 2. verse 10. My welbeloued spake and said vnto me Arise my loue my faire one and come thy way AS I was pondering with my selfe what text I might best take for this time and for this place it pleased the good and gracious hand of our God to direct me to this portion of Sacred Writ as containing in it matters most correspondent to the day now celebrated to this worthy assembly now congregated For as the day is now kept for the honor of Christ in memoriall of his Ascention from the earth to the heauens and as this assembly is an assembly of Christians who must arise after Christ so this text in hand is a text of Christ and of his Church Of Christ as it were alreadie ascended yet in mercie speaking to his Church of the Church yet below yet in dutie to ascend after Christ In regard whereof I doubt not but that those things which shall be now spoken will be vnto you most sweet and profitable like apples of gold with pictures of siluer according to Salomons Aphorisme in Prou. 25.11 where he saith A word spoken in his place is like apples of gold with pictures of siluer But not to insist any further vpon other matters by way of Preface I will descend vnto my Text. In the verses next going before it is declared what mercie the Lord Iesus Christ did shew vnto his Church in comming vnto her notwithstanding all her sins Though her iniquities were like to hils mountains which might iustly haue staied him from comming vnto her yet he in the multitudes of his cōpassions towards her was cōtent like a Roe or yong Hart to leape or skip ouer them all and in kindnesse to draw neere vnto her notwithstanding the same And howsoeuer he did not as it were come openly into her house disclosing himselfe vnto her plainely and fully as it were face to face yet he did stand behinde her wall and there looked in vpon her through the grates and windowes of his Gospell reueiling himselfe so far vnto her as was needfull and conuenient both for her present consolation and also for her future saluation The which that wee might the better conceiue shee her selfe giues testimonie of him and shewes what words he did vse vnto her and this shee doth in this present verse which now we haue in hand In which if we consider of all matters well we shall finde two principall points concerning that Gospell spoken off before by which our Sauiour did discouer himselfe vnto his Spouse
FOVRE SERMONS The two first OF GODLY FEARE On Hebrewes 4. Verse 1. By Robert Cleauer The two last Of Christian Loue and Life On Canticles 2. Verse 10. By Richard Webb 2 Chronicles 15.2 The Lord is with you while you be with him LONDON Printed by THO. SNODHAM for ROGER IACKSON and are to be sould at his shop neere to Fleetstreet Conduit 1613. THE FIRST SERMON OF GODLY FEARE HEBREVVES 4. VERSE 1. Let vs feare therefore least at any time by forsaking the promise of entring into his rest any of you should seeme to be depriued THese wordes doe depend vpon the former Chapter where the writer of this Epistle proposeth vnto the HEBREVVES the example of their forefathers shewing how they rebelled in the wildernesse and hardned their hearts and refused to yeeld obedience vnto the word of the Lord for which cause he swore that they should not enter into his rest viz. into the land of Canaan and therein vvas as good as his word for they all perished in the wildernesse The like hee declareth to haue fallen out in the time of Dauid to wit that they refused to hearken vnto Gods voyce and therefore were excluded from the heauenly rest albeit they inhabited the land of CANAAN which was a Type thereof Herevpon the Apostle enforceth an exhortation by way of application wherein we may obserue 1 First the duties which they ought to looke vnto which are these two 1 First to the intent they may not be like the rebellious Israelites they must get an holy feare into their hearts 2 Secondly they must lay holde of the promise and not forsake or reiect the same 2 Secondly the reasons to moue them therevnto which are also two 1 The first whereof is taken from the miserable successe of them that were formerly disobedient to wit that their carkasses fell in the wildernesse Chapter 3.17 Let vs feare therefore that is considering what sinnes they committed and what fearefull iudgements they incurred let vs looke better to our selues 2 The second is drawen from the danger that would ensue vnto themselues if they did not follow his exhortation they might seeme to be depriued of that rest which God promised vnto his people Let vs c. Here we may note whom he doth admonish in this word vs which importeth thus much let vs Hebrewes let me that am the writer of this Epistle let all that are in CHRIST IESVS euen euery one of vs feare c. Now in that hee ioynes himselfe with those to whom hee giues this caueat the Doctrine is that Hee that doth faithfully instruct others Doct. 1 will also instruct himselfe with his owne precepts Faithfull Teachers will teach themselues Rom. 1.23 The neglect of this is greatly condemned by the Apostle Paule who speaketh vnto the Iewes in this manner Thou that teachest another teachest thou not thy selfe and thou that preachest a man should not steale dost thou steale c. In which place he sheweth that it is a fearefull and inexcuseable sinne for a man to take vpon him to be an informer of others and in the meane time to be vtterly vntaught himselfe in respect of any working and sauing instruction neither was this holy Apostle more ready to censure the omission of this duty in others than he was carefull to practise it himselfe for 2 Cor. 7.1 hee saith Let vs clense our selues from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit and grow vp vnto full holinesse in the feare of God where wee see that hee maketh himselfe one of the number So also Rom. 7. when hee dilates at large of the corruption that is inherent in mans nature he still layes load vpon himselfe and speakes as if no body were in such case as he was What I would saith he that doe I not Rom. 7.15 but what I hate that doe I and Ver. 18. I know that in me that is in my flesh there dwelleth no good thing and Ver. 24. O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from the body of this death And as in the matter of humiliation so likewise in the matter of consolation hee speaketh in his owne person seeking to apply the comfort to himselfe as well as to offer it vnto others I thanke God through Iesus Christ our Lord v. 25. q.d. He it is that must deliuer me and all his elect from the bondage of sinne and that by Iesus Christ for which I render humble and heartie praises vnto his Diuine Maiestie And againe Phil. 1.21 he saith Christ is to me both in life and in death aduantage So that in matters of exhortation and of instruction of humiliation and of consolation hee includeth himselfe within the number of those with whom hee hath to deale And it stands with reason that Ministers and Gouernors and all such as are to admonish others should take this course First because their need requireth it Reasons 1 for haue not they as well as others corruption in them that needs to be repressed haue not they many failings that ought to be reformed haue not they much diffidence and distrust in them against which they must be strengthned If it fare thus with them as none can deny meet it is that they should take their part with others when they eyther reproue or exhort or comfort or the like and indeed the Lord allots them a portion together with the rest of his seruants euen as good householders doe allow their Baker and Bruer and Cooke and other officers that makes prouision for the whole family their stint of vittailes as farre foorth as any other for whom they prepare the foode Secondly this is a great incouragement and singular motiue vnto them that are instructed or exhorted c. to cause them to make vse of that which is spoken when they see men to take vp the like burdens themselues as they lay vpon their shoulders and that they doe not deale hypocritically as the Pharises did who imposed heauy burdens vpon others when as they themselues would not so much as touch them with one of their fingers This I say makes mens words to be regarded and followed when they require no more of others then they labour to doe themselues when they minister no medicines vnto others but they will first take them themselues and on the contrary part this causeth men to be esteemed Physitians of no worth when they will take vpon them to cure others of those faults which they neuer seeke any redresse or reformation of in themselues He that will make boast that he hath a soueraigne remedie against the Stone or the Gowre or any the like maladie and yet in the meane time be miserably tormented with the same himselfe shall cause both himselfe and his skill to be little set by Thirdly it is dangerous and burdenous for mens soules not to ioyne themselues with those whom they doe instruct for the things which they deliuer are eyther true or false If false how dare they
vnto vs out of the word of God that must wee take as proceeding from God and thinke that God euen then doth speake vnto vs himselfe from heauen as indeed he doth according to that in 2 Cor. 5.20 For this cause must we hearken with reuerence beleeue with stedfastnes and practise with obedience whatsoeuer the Lord our Gâ—d shall make knowne vnto vs. But now alas many doetake that which is spoken as the word of man and cast it behinde their backes as a matter not much to be respected but those that doe so doe despise God himselfe Lâ—k 10.16 As this may teach vs what to iudge of preaching of the Word so it may allure our soules to come vnto it For shall Christ like a Schoole-master come to teach vs and shall not we like good schollers draw neere to heare him If the Kings Maiestie should set vp a schoole and reade Lectures vnto men would not we flocke vnto him and presse vpon him with great companies But behold here is one greater then the King that doth come to teach vs it is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords euen the very wisedome of God it selfe And therefore let vs hasten vnto his house and attend at his gates to heare what he shall say vnto vs. In the last place wee haue here a caueat and a comfort for the Minister in that he is but the voice and mouth of Christ and the Word that he doth speake is not his owne A caueat that hee doe vtter nothing but what he is sure doth come from Christ A comfort in that he is so highly aduanced as that Christ is content to speake vnto men by him and in him Hee is no lesse honored hereby then an ambassadour is when hee is made the mouth of his King Yea much more honored then he But to leaue Christ teaching let vs come to the person whom he taught It was his Church My welbeloued spake and said vnto me Hee doth direct his words to her and not to others But why to her Was shee now at this time ignorant and so to be instructed Or was she in trouble and so to be comforted Or was she in a fault and so to be corrected or was shee negligent in her dutie and so to be quickned vp for which of these foure causes did he now speake vnto her for the last as the words following in the text it selfe doe shew where she is willed to Arise and to come away Here I might take an occasion in that Christ doth thus direct his words vnto her to shew vnto you that the word of God is a treasure bestowed onely vpon the Saints It is proper to Gods children onely and not common to the wicked For howsoeuer the sound thereof be gone through out the world and all people haue heard the same according to the letter yet the sauing fruit and benefit thereof hath redounded onely to them that are of the house-hold of Faith This I might easily confirme vnto you to be true in three respects The first is for the knowledge of it the second for the faith of it and the third for the practise of it For howsoeuer the wicked haue a certaine kinde of knowledge and a certaine kinde of faith and a certaine kinde of practise yet they haue neither the sanctifying knowledge of it nor the iustifying faith of it nor the vniuersall practise of it The God of heauen hath kept these three as proper and peculiar Iewels for his owne alone But this point I will passe ouer Doct. The onely thing that I will now vrge is this that the best that are are to be taught and schooled in the wayes of their good as the Church here was by our Sauiour Dauid was a man according to Gods owne heart yet Mathan must come vnto him to schoole him for his fault which hee committed with Vriahs vvife as it is in the beginning of the twelfth Chapter of the second booke of Samuell Asa was a reformed King ruling with his good and remaining faithfull with his Saints yet Azariah the sonne of Obed must come vnto him to stirre him vp to seeke the Lord as it is in the beginning also of the fifteenth Chapter of the second booke of the Chronicles Zerubbabel vvas a valiant Prince and couragious for the honour of his GOD yet Haygay the Prophet and Zachariah the sonne of Iddo must come vnto him to set him forward about the building of Gods house at Ierusalem as it is also in the beginning of the fift Chapter of Ezra In a vvord to pretermit many examples Timothie was a rare youth being more like an Angell descending from heauen then a man ascending from the earth hee did so spend himselfe like a candle for the good of Gods people yet Paul must vvrite vnto him two Epistles to admonish him of his dutie and to teach him how to behaue himselfe in the Church the house of God which is the ground and pillar of truth 1 Tim. 3.15 The reasons hereof are three First Reason because they are ignorant in many points and doe not know all those things that concerne the Lords vvorship and their owne peace Here we know in part and here wee Prophesie in part 1 Cor. 13.9 And howsoeuer Dakid was a deepe scholler knowing more then all his teachers Psal 119.99 yet hee was so blind in some things that hee was more like a beast therein then a man as hee doth confesse of himselfe in Psal 73.22 when he saith So foolish was I and ignorant I was a beast before thee Secondly because they are delinquents and doe not performe all that which they know but faile exceedingly therein In many things saith Iames Chapter 3.2 wee sinne all And although Saint Paul were a sanctified man farre aboue many others yet hee bewayleth his owne estate in this regard very much especially when hee saith in Rom. 7.9 I doe not the good thing which I would but the euill which I would not that doe I. Thirdly because they are faint-harted and are ready oftentimes to giue ouer their goodnesse chiefely in the time of presecution As for me saith Dauid Psal 7â— 2 My feete were almost gone my steps had wel-neere slipt And albeit Ehab was a rare man one of 1000. yet in the anguish of his soule hee desired that hee might die and said It is now enough O Lord take my soule for I am no better then my fathers 1 King 19.4 In all these respects they are to be taught and schooled that so they may not erre in iudgement but hold all things according to the truth that so they may not wander out of the path of righteousnesse but walke still in the same that so lastly they may not faint vnder any crosse or affliction but be constant therein to their dying dayes So that continuall teaching is necessarie for them in regard of determination in matters of faith of conuersation in matters of workes and of consolation in matters of triall The