Absalom to live in Jerusalem if he might not see the face of the King It is not enough to a Christian of Christs making to live in a Church if he does not see the face of a Christ Divine withdrawings are Soul-troubles now Soul-troubles are the saddest and the sorest Troubles Psal 30.7 Thou didst hide thy face and I was troubled What loss next the loss of the Soul to the loss of the Face of God and Christ Hath God forgotten to be gracious will he be favourable no more A Christian thorough Grace knows in some measure how to bear other losses but he knows not how to bear this loss a loss of the Face of God Is not that a strange strain Wherefore hidest thou thy face Job 13.24 and holdest me for thine enemy Is not now a time of Desertion a time of Need and do not those who are Christs stand now in need of fresh and full supplies from the God of Grace of the Grace of God A time of Duty is a time of Need. The chiefest and choicest Saints have no exemption from Duty Mercy exempts not from Duty Mercy is so far from giving a dispensation unto Duty as that it layeth under the greatest obligation for Duty Two things here fall under discussion the Duty to be performed and the indifferency of spirit to perform this Duty The Duty to be performed There are varieties of Duties incumbent upon those who are Christs there is meditating and mourning preaching and praying hearing and reading but I shall single out one Acts 9.11 and that is Prayer Go for behold he prayeth Prayer is natural worship and incumbent it is upon every creature to look unto the Creator Consider the indifferency of spirit to perform the duty Indifferency of spirit is a malignant disease a disease full of malignity where is the man or the woman that is not more or less at some time or other tainted with it The Church was not without this Plague-sore I have put off my coat Cant. 5.3 how shall I put it on I have washed my feet how shall I defile them Had she not then too great indifferency of spirit whether she should open to Christ or no whether she should maintain a converse with Christ or no whether she should be found in a way of Duty or no Ye have said it is vain to serve God Mal. 3.14 and what profit is it that we have kept his Ordinance and that we walked in black before Jehovah of Hosts If persons be indifferent whether they meditate and pray or no whether they hear and read or no whether we keep up Family and Closet Duty or no it is very dangerous for if a person take leave of Duty he is like to take leave of Christ too The safety and mercy of a Soul are in a way of Duty Thy Safety is in a way of Duty He that hearkneth unto me shall dwell safely Prov. 1.33 and shall be quiet from fear of evil He shall not onely be quiet from the evil of fear but also quiet from the fear of evil Jonah was safe while he kept with God Thy Mercy is in a way of Duty Oh that thou hadst hearkned to my Commandments what then Isa 48.18 what not then Then had thy peace been as a river and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea Then there had been more Peace and more Grace too There is a twofold Obedience Active and Passive now Grace for both is laid under promise There is a twofold Obedience Active and Passive now Grace for both is laid under promise Grace for Action is laid under promise Oh that I could do more for a Christ is the Cry of every Soul in Christ Oh I tremble to think least my day should be at an end before my work be done Oh saith the Soul my Glass is almost out and little of my work is done But Soul Grace to do is laid under promise Verily Verily John 14.12 I say unto you he that believeth on me the works that I do shall he do also and greater works than these shall he do because I go unto my Father Grace for Passion is also laid under promise As there must be doing so suffering according to the will of God Oh saith the Soul there may be a Storm at hand a Shower of Blood at hand and I know not how to weather it Oh saith the Soul for ought I see there may be a Rack for me a Stake for me and I know not how to weather these But Soul Grace to dye as well as do is laid under promise It is given unto you in the behalf of Christ Phi. 1.29 not onely to believe but also to suffer for his sake Are not now these times times of need and do not now those who are Christs stand in need of fresh and full supplies from the God of Grace of the Grace of God Thus of things present Those actually Christs are Heirs of things to come As Heirs of things present so there are things to come of which they shall be Heirs But Qu. what are those things to come of which those who are actually Christs shall be Heirs Those actually Christs Sol. 1. shall be indulged hereafter a perfect knowledge Knowledge is imperfect here it will be perfect hereafter Ignorance is so far from being a Virtue Multi multa sciunt se autem nome as that it is a Vice and so far from being the Mother of Devotion as that it is the Mother of Destruction whatever the blind and the bloody Papists say It was the usual Speech of Henry IV. That many know many things but no man himself It is deservedly accounted a piece of excellent knowledge to understand the Law of the Land and the Customs of a mans Countrey how much more to know the Statutes of Heaven and the Laws of Eternity It was the saying of One To know thy self is very difficult for as the Eye can see all things but it self Basil so some can discern all faults but their own We should be thankful for the little that we know and humble that we know so little We should use our knowledge as much as we can Nosce teipsum but know it as little as we can unless in the using of it To know for our Good is onely good knowledge To know God and our selves is the sum of all knowledge God doth not know him that knows not himself It is said of a holy and learned man that in the midst of his Learning Bishop Vsher he would still cry out of his ignorance of Christ. Empty Vessels sound most and shallow streams make the greatest noise in passage It was said by the Ancients That it is impossible to know God without God We must learn all that from God Ex puris negativis nihil concluditur which we know of God unless God be our Tutor we shall never be
is mans time The good Emperour not hearing a Cause or doing some charitable Act in the day would complain at night unto his Courtiers Sirs I have lost a day 2 Cor. 6.2 Hoc Nunc nullum habet crastinum Aug. Delays are dangerous yea Delay is the Mother of Danger Delay is almost as bad as Denyal There is a word which is the Lords Adverb and the Devils Verb Early say God stay sâ—y the Devil Now is the accepted time behold now is the day of salvation This Now saith one hath no to morrow Take heed of playing the Courtier with thy Soul the Courtier do all things late he riseth late dineth late goeth to bed late and repenteth late Henry the fourth asked the Duke de Alva if he had seen the great Ecclipse of the Sun which had lately been no said the Duke I have so much to do upon Earth that I have no leisure to look up to Heaven Let thy Thoughts be taken up with Death Ambrose I have not saith one so lived that I am afraid to die or ashamed to live longer Death is a Theam worthy the most serious and solid the most spiritual and sanctified meditation Be much through Christ in prayer Multiply cries and cry mightily unto Christ that Heaven may be thy Haven that Paradise may be the Port for thy Soul Prayer is the first and should be the last Dish If ye be Christs ye must Pray while ye live and Pray when ye die ye must live and die Acts 7.59 praying Thus Stephen did They sloned Stephencalling upon the name of the Lord and saying Lord Jesus receive my Spirit Yea thus a greater than Sephen Luke 23.34 the Lord and Life of Stephen the Lord Jesus Christ did Father forgive them for they know not what they do When the Heart-blood of Christ was comming forth then was the heart-prayer of Christ also comming forth Rev. 8.3 4. Gen. 48.16 Father forgive them for they know not what they do We read of an Angel that stood at the Altar The Angel is Christ the Angel that redeemed Jacob from all evil the Angel of the Covenant The Altar is Himself who sanctifieth prayer as the Altar did the Gift This Angel which is Christ had a golden Censer his own Body Mal. 3.1 To him was given much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all Saints or that he should add to the prayers of all Saints upon the golden Altar which was befere the Throne Christ by his Intercession perfumes the prayers of his being the only High Priest of the New Testament And the smoak of the Incense which came with the prayers of the Saints ascended up before God out of the Angels hand It is such a prdyer that I intend a pure prayer a Gospel prayer a prayer that passeth a Christ that passeth out of the Angels hand that passeth through the hand of the Son 1 Sam. 1.15 Rom. 8.26 to the heart of the Father Now what is this Prayer but a pouring out of the Sonl to God what is pure prayer but a breathing out that before God which was first breathed in by the Spirit of God As Fear is so principal a Grace that it is sometimes put for all grace Now I know that thou fearest God Gen. 22.2 seeing thou hast not with-held thy Son thine only Son And as Faith is so principal a Grace that it is sometimes put for all Grace Heb. 12.2 Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our Faith so Prayer is so principal a part of Worship that it is sometimes put for all worship Mat. 21.13 Luk. 18.1 1 Thes 5.17 My house shall be called an house of prayer but ye have made it a den of thieves Pure Prayer is imposed therefore incumbent Christ spake a Parable that men ought alwaies to pray and not to faint To pray alwaies is not to faint in prayer Pray without ceasing Pray there is the Act without ceasing there is the Duration of that Act. As it is the duty of a Christian of Christs making to pray so it is the property of this person to pray A living Child is a crying Child Until the Child come out of the womb it cannot cry but when it come into the World it cry So long as a a man is in the womb of a natural state Gal. 4.6 he cannot cry Father Father Because ye are Sons God hath â—sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts Act. 9.11 crying Father Father Was Paul ever said to pray until converted from his Pharisaical state Go for behold he prayeth He who was a Persecutor before is a Prayer now Soul if God design thee for Heaven he will put thee upon prayer yea Mat. 6.6 upon closet-prayer But thou when thou prayest enter into thy closet 'T is death to a living man long â—o hold his breath If we breath we live if we breath not we die Thus 't is death as it were to a truly gracious soul long to be kept from inward and intimate converse and communion with God and Christ with God in Christ. A declining of this Duty will prove a drawn Flood-gate unto great Iniquity Where is that man like to stop who declines this Duty Eph. 6.18 Praying alwaies there 's the Duty with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit there 's the Direction If we would prepare for death we must be much in prayer To this end reflect the Income of prayer and Influence of prayer Be much in the reflection of the Income of prayer A Soul in Christ would not lose his Incomes of prayer for a world for a thousand worlds if there were so many Oh what have thy Tears and thy Triumphs been in a Closet Oh what have thy Sighs and thy Sights been in a Closet O what have thy Shines and thy Smiles been in private prayer Oh how melted have thy Soul been and mortified have thy sin been when thou hast been engaged and enlarged in private prayer Have not thy Soul been sent away with more of the sanctifying and with more of the sealing work of the Spirit too Davids Incoms of prayer were great and he valued them greatly I love the Lord why because he hath heard my voice Psa 116.1 2. and my supplications because he hath enclined his ear unto me therefore will I call upon him so long as I live What an estimate is set upon the Income of Prayer Be much in the reflection of the Influence of Prayer Prayer hath a great Influence for instance Pure Prayer through Christ had an Influence and Command over the four Elements Aire Fire Earth Water Over the Air. Elias which was Elijah praved earnestly in prayer he prayed Jam. 5.17 18. so the Greek That is he prayed earnestly for the ingemination hath this force that it might not rain and it did not that it might rain and it did Over the Fire Thus it had in
into a Chamber into a Closet and give vent to thy Soul there and is not this a great mercy when thy Soul hath been like a troubled Sea and thou hast cryed forsaken and forgotten out of the hand of God and out of the heart of God too thou hast gone to thy knees and told Christ of thy sins and sorrows who sends not away sad from his presence and is not this a great mercy Heb. 4.16 Let us therefore come boldly to the Throne of Grace that we may obtain mercy and find Grace to help in time of need Leigh The Cherubims or Mercy-seat saith one was a Type of the Throne of Grace unto this Throne of Grace may those actually Christs have Access they may come as the Sons of the New Testament and are not to come as the Servants of the Old If they come believingly they may come boldly or according to the Greek with boldness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with liberty and confidence of speaking all our mind but this Access and obtaining mercy is thorough Christ Jesus the Lord their High-Priest Rom. 5.2 and Intercessor Those actually Christs have a Gospel-Propriety in Audience from God at the Throne of Grace Is it nothing to have mans ear but what is it then to have Gods Ear who is all Ear as well as all Eye hearing all things as if he had but one thing to hear as well as seeing all things as if he had but one thing to see God heareth not Sinners but he heareth Saints I sought the Lord Psal 34.4 6 15. and he heard me and delivered me from all my fears Christ by those actually his may be consulted as an Oracle and have his Ear. This poor man cryed and the Lord heard him and delivered him out of all his troubles Is it not a great mercy to have Christs Ear especially when thou hast none other Ear to hear thy cryes The eyes of Jehovah are upon the righteous and his ears are open unto their cry Those actually Christs have a Gospel-Propriety in Assistance from God at the Throne of Grace For a poor Soul to go to the Throne of Grace and be ammated there to go to the Throne of Grace and be assisted there is not this a great mercy Oh says the Soul though it is my duty to pray at all times and hath been my mercy to pray many times yet I cannot pray now my heart is like a Wâ—â—derness now like a Desart now my heart is dark and drad and down now that I cannot pray Is it so yet let there be no declining of duty for there shall be assisting in duty Like wise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities Rom. 8.26 for we know not what we shâ—â—ld pray for as we ought but the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered Is not this a Metaphor taken either 1. from one that lifts a piece of timber which he cannot do alone but as he is at one end so he hath one at the other end that helps him to lift it Thus must the Spirit help thee in Prayer or thy Prayer will never pass thorough the hand of the Son unto the heart of the Father Or 2. from a Norse that takes hold of the Child to assist it in gâ—â—ng and prevent its falling Thus the Spirit must take hold of the Soul in Prayer Prayer being a breathing out that before God which was first breathed in by the Spirit of God Or 3. from an old Man that leans upon his staff and cannot go without it Thus thou mayst go unto duty but thou wilt not go unto God in that duty without the Spirit Those actually Christs have a Gospel-Propriety in Acceptance with God at the Throne of Grace Oh saith the Soul I fear I have lost all my Prayers and all my Tears He hath a Bag for my Sins but I fear he hath not a Book for my Prayers and a Bottle for my Tears But Soul art actually Christs then person and performance then Soul and Service are accepted with God thorough Christ Jesus Eph. 1.6 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To the praise of the Glory of his Grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved Or according to the Greek wherein he hath freely made us free or freely accepted us Those actually Christs are Heirs of Gospel-Promises Are not the Promises great things Bilney Glover and Spira thought them so yet those actually Christs are Heirs of the Promises Are not the Promises great things when the Soul cryes for a Promise as the Woman for Children Children or I dye A Promise saith the Soul or I dye Christ in a Promise or I dye Does the Soul say I do not know that ever God brought and blessed any Promise to my Soul But Soul hast a Propriety in the Prince of Life then thou hast a Propriety in the Promise of Life for 2 Cor. 1.20 All the Promises of God in Christ are Yea and in Christ Amen to the Glory of God by us But what are those things which are laid under Promise Quest Eternal Life that is laid under Promise Sol. 1. Is Life nothing Natural Life nothing This is Spiritual yea this is Eternal Life Eternal Life is made up of Grace and Glory and yet this is laid under Promise In hope of Eternal Life Tit. 1.2 Non ab aeterno sed ante multa saecula Grotius which God that cannot lye promised before the world began Before the world began not from Eternity saith one but before many Ages Either God decreed from Eternity to promise Eternal Life or he did promise Eternal Life from the beginning of Ages in that famous promise Gen. 3.15 of the blessed Seed Is not Eternal Life worth the hearing worth the heeding worth the having worth the holding and yet this is laid and left under promise Pardon of sin that is laid under promise Ask a desponding doubting drooping Soul and he will tell you that pardon of sin is a singular mercy of the plural number What would not a cast man a condemned man give for a Pardon What would not a Soul cast down with the sight and sense of sin give for a sight and sense of the pardon of it Is not that a sweet word I will be merciful to their unrighteousness Heb. 8.12 their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more Power against sin is laid under promise Oh saith the Soul I am not a match for this Achan for that Goliah of Gath for these sons of Zerviah within Oh saith the Soul I find a Law in my members warring against the Law of my mind Oh I find fleshly Lusts warring against the Soul Is it so with thee so it is with me but power against sin is laid under promise As the way of the Lord is strength to the upright so they that wait upon the Lord and keep his way shall renew their strength Isa 40.31
Christ can But with the precious Blood of Christ. There is the positive part What Silver and Gold cannot do the Blood of Christ can do for that is precious Christs Blood is pure Blood Though to be sinless cannot be asserted of man yet it may be asserted of God-man Heb. 4.15 In all points tempted like as we are yet without sin Though Christ was tempted to sin yet not into sin 1 Pet. 1.19 Christ is called a Lamb and so he is for harmlesness for meekness for silence for sacrifice He is a Lamb without blemish and without spot Aquinas Free saith one from all sin original and actual He is without blemish sound within and without spot right without The Apostle here alludes to the Paschal Lamb and to the Lamb for the daily sacrifice both which were to be without blemish and without spot The Paschal Lamb. Your Lamb shall be without blemish Ex. 12.5 Joh. 1.29 a male of the first year Now this Lamb was a Type of Christ Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world The Lamb for the daily Sacrifice This is the offering made by fire Num. 28.3 which ye shall offer unto the Lord two Lambs of the first year without spot day by day for a continual burnt-offering This Lamb also was a Type of Christ Purge out therefore the old leaven 1 Cor. 5.7 that ye may be a new lump as ye are unleavened For even Christ our Passeover is sacrificed for us Was it thus with the Type then it was thus with the Antitype Christs Blood is purifying Blood It is the Blood of Jesus Heb. 9.14 that purgeth the conscience from dead works It is Christs Blood that purgeth from dead works in a state of death and from liveless works in a state of life Joh. 13.8 Rev. 1.5 It is Christ must wash If I wash thee not thou hast no part with me Yea it is Christ must wash from sin in his own blood As the merit of Christs Blood Balnaeum coeleste doth pacifie God so the virtue of Christs Blood doth purifie man Christs Blood is the Bath of the King of Heaven Christs Blood is a Laver to wash in it washeth a crimson-sinner milk-white The blood of Christ cleanseth us from all sin The word of Christ is a Looking-Glass to shew us our sins the blood of Christ is a Fountain to wash them away Christ's blood is purchasing blood Christ hath bought his out of the hands of Justice of Sin of Satan Ye are bought with a price 1 Cor. 6.19 20. be ye not the servants of men Ye are not your own for ye are bought with a price There was little paid for the Saviour there was much paid for the Sinner Christ was sold did not Covetousness set him to sale But for what was he sold for 30 pieces of silver the price that a Slave was valued at The Prophet stands as it were amazed and amused at this price A goodly price Zech. 11.13 that I was prized at of them And I took the 30 pieces of silver and cast them to the Potter in the house of the Lord. There was little paid for the Saviour but there was much paid for the Sinner The Saviour was bought with silver but the Sinner is bought with blood yea with the blood of Christ. Feed the Church of God Acts 20.28 which he hath purchased with his own blood Christ's blood is pardoning blood It is by the blood of Christ that we have a lasting yea an everlasting pardon of all our sins If Christ had never dyed Sin had never been pardoned Heb. 9.22 for without shedding of blood there is no remission Art a believing Soul then thou art a pardoned Soul Christ doth not onely give Pardon to him that believeth but also giveth Faith to believe that Pardon Art a repenting Soul then thou art a pardoned Soul Christ doth not onely give remission of sin to those that repent but also repentance for remission of sin and gives them repentance of the sins remitted Art in the Church and in Christ too thou art then a pardoned Soul though the tears of Repentance stand in thine eyes that thou canst not read thy Pardon Luther Lord saith One now do what thou wilt with me for thou hast pardoned me The pardon of sin is such a mercy that a man cannot be happy hereafter nor yet happy here without it Though a Soul may have Grace yet he cannot have Peace that is without a sight and sense of Pardon Now Pardon of sin is an effect of Christs blood Eph. 1.7 In whom we have redemption thorough his blood the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his Grace Pardon of sin is a complicated mercy Christ's blood is pleading blood Satan the Law and Conscience plead against us cry to God against us and as it were say this man and woman have commiteed multiplied forbidden Iniquities and omitted multiplied imposed Duties these Persons have so many vain Thoughts so many dead Prayers have neglected so many precious Ordinances sinned after so many signal deliverances c. But no sooner can these Indictments be put in against those who are Christs but they are cast out of the Court of Heaven by Christ for his blood is pleading blood The Cry of Sin is a loud Cry grievous Sins make great Cryes Jehovah said because the cry of Sodom Gen. 18.20 21. and Gomorrah is great and because their sin is grievous I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it which is come unto me and if not I will know There is a loud voice in the Cry of Sin but there is a louder voice in the Cry of Blood And to the blood of sprinkling Heb. 12.24 which speaketh better things than the blood of Abel It is called the blood of sprinkling in allusion to the Passeover where the bloods saith One of the Paschal Lamb was sprinkled on the posts of the door M. Hildersam to save the house from the stroke of the revenging Angel The blood of Abel did plead against the Offender but the blood of Christ doth plead for the Believer Abel's blood cryed for vengeance Christ's blood cryeth for mercy Christ's blood is procuring blood The holy place the holy of holiest and the holiest of all are one and the same Into the holy place was the High-Priest only to go and that not without blood Aaron Lev. 16.3 was to come into the holy place with a young Bullock for a sin-offering and with a Ram for a burnt-offering Into the second Tabernacle went the High Priest alone once a year not without blood which he offered for himself and for the errors of the People Now the holy place and the holy of holiest were a Type of Heaven and the blood the High-Priest went with was a Type of Christs blood Christs blood was Christs way to