MEANES TO PREVENT PERISHING OR THE USEFULNESSE OF The Saving Knowledge OF GOD. Discovered in these Particulars I. The blessed tendency the Knowledg of God hath to bring Men to Salvation II. The One-ness of the Father Son and Spirit III. The excellency of Christs Person IV. The excellent nature of Eternal Life By W S. a Servant of the Lord Jesus Hos 4.6 My people are destroyed for lack of Knowledge LONDON Printed and are to be sold by Fr. Smith in Flying-Horse Court in Fleet-street 1658. To the READER Courteous Reader THese following lines are brought to thy view through the desire of some that heard them Preached and could not be satisfied till others had a taste of them as well as themselves It grieves me for thy sake that a subject of this worth hath not been brought forth by some better abilities but seeing it is my lot to be the instrument of its birth I must present a few requests to thee And the first is this that thou wouldst consider the usefulness of these most precious truths how much they will contribute toward the attainment of thine eternal peace Knowledge in general is justified of all her Sons to be of excellent worth but amongst all Knowledge the knowledg of God in Jesus Christ must be confess'd to be a jewel of the choicest worth it is the Corner Stone of all Religion and piety that tends to set thy judgement right in all other points and an excellent guide to the right interpretation of the holy Scriptures It hath likewise a great command over the Conscience and hath a blessed tendence to keep thee from prophaneness unrighteousness and negligence when once thou comest to know God in Christ thou canst not well through despair want incouragement to serve God nor yet through presumption take the boldness to wander from his Commandements but this Grace is such a help to keep thy heart and life in an upright frame that without very much wilfulness thou canst not well go out of thy way to happiness And likewise the knowledge of the worth of Eternal Life tends much to draw thy mind from Eartly vanities to those things that be above A second desire I have to thee is this That thou wilt lay aside that overliness and formality of Spirit wherewith Books of this nature are oftentimes read as if they were things that concerned us not but be so faithful to thy Souls interest as to read this without prejudice partiality and slightness of spirit lay up these truths in thine heart and bring forth the fruit of them and doubtless they will make thy conversation to shine to the praise of the Grace of God in this life and also make thee a meet heir of that glorious inheritance prepared for all them that love the appearing of our Lord Jesus Thirdly I beseech thee if thou meetest with Edification and Comfort as I trust thou wilt in the reading of this Book when thine heart is warm present a request to the Throne of Grace for the Author thereof that he may never be so unhappy as to carve all these sweet dainties away to others from himself but that he may be through Grace inabled to take his own share of them for his saving advantage So commending my poor yet faithful Labours to thy serious consideration and to the blessing of the great God of Heaven and Earth I remain thine in the Lord Jesus W. S. MEANES TO PREVENT PERISHING THE FIRST EXERCISE John 17.3 And this is life eternal that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent IN the words immediately going before you may observe that our Lord Jesus is a speaking by way of acknowledgment unto his Father of that authority and power that he had given him over all Flesh And in particular to give eternal life to a certain number there specified Which words I shall not speak further to now having opened them the last time I spake unto you In the words now read unto you you are to consider in what sence the knowledg of God and of Christ is Eternal Life I shall apply my self to this only at this time and not stand to shew you what is here meant by Eternal Life having done it so lately nor yet stand to shew you in what sence the Father sent Christ nor what to do nor wherefore he is said to be the only true God But I shall leave all this till another time and come to this particular only at this time to consider how the knowledg of God and of Christ is Eternal Life First then let us consider whether the meaning of the words be this That the persons that know the Father and Jesus Christ do indeed possess Eternal Life Or Secondly Whether they that know God and Christ are thereby assured of Eternal Life Or Thirdly Whether those that know the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ have thereby a very excellent means that hath a very gracious tendency in it to bring the persons in whom this knowledg is to Eternal Life Now I shall not stand to oppose the two former Expositions nor undertake to say that in no sence or degree they might be granted to be true yet the latter I take to be the meaning of the words namely this That the knowledg of God and of Jesus Christ is a means of Eternal Life Beloved I pray you observe it when the Scripture saith the knowledg of God is eternal life less than this cannot be in it that it is a means thereof Now therefore I pray you observe this general Conclusion from the words Doct. 1. That the knowledg of God and of his Son Jesus Christ is a glorious means of Eternal Life that hath a very gracious tendency in it to bring persons in whom this knowledg is to that happy enjoyment I shall name you two or three Texts more that speak the same language the first is in the 9 of Ier. 23 24. verses Let not the wise man glory in his wisdome nor the mighty in his might let not the rich man glory in his riches but let him that gloryeth glory in this that he understandeth and knoweth me Mark it beloved let not the wise man glory in his wisdom and yet wisdom is a most excellent gift that might better be gloried in then riches or strenth or any gift of that like nature and yet the spirit of God grants no liberty to glory in it but in this saith the Lord let him glory that he understandeth and knoweth me Now if in this you may so freely glory by the allowance of the Holy Spirit and yet neither in gifts nor parts surely this knowledg is of a most excellent tendency to bring much advantage and good to the Soul Another text you shall find in the 1 of Cor. the 1.21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that
made good by him nay though they should not be freely willing to be made good yet if they do but wait upon him in the use of the means he hath appointed he will work their wills to be good tell them Christ came for that end and purpose to work a cure upon the whole Man even to take away all sin and also all the degress of it yea he will take the strongest enmity that is in the Souls of Men against himself and his wayes from them and work the hearts of his worst enemies to love him and cause those that love sin best to hate it if they do but wait at wisdoms gate and suffer the reproofs and instructions of Christ to enter into their Souls and when you have pressed their Souls with the knowledg of his goodness and see them walk on stubbornly in the way of their own hearts then say to them O my Child Servant Neighbour Friend this path thou walkest in leadeth directly to Hell it is impossible for thee in a course of wilful disobedience to be saved The Lord is Jehovah and gives Being to his Word he cannot lye nor repent Heaven and earth shall pass away but his righteousness and truth endures for ever the word is gone forth of his mouth and can never be altered he is the same forever therefore hearken to his voice or else thou must perish for ever and if you thus instruct your Children and Servants in the knowledg of God you shall by this means bring them to Eternal life or if they miss thereof they shall be altogether left without excuse it is a most excellent service that you will do their poor Souls to direct them thus in the straight way to glory for being thus instructed they cannot well miss of it if they should it would be their grievous sin It is true they may make themselves ten times more the children of Hell than they were before but that is only their own fault if after they have received the knowledg of the truth they shall wilfully turn from it this I confess is a sin of a very dangerous nature and will marvelously aggravate the sin and condemnation of such persons but let not that discourage you Charity binds you to believe that you shall save their Souls and if you do not do it yet the means hath a proper tendency in it to bring about that end and the fault will lye upon themselves only but you have delivered your own Souls and this indeed is the case of all men where the light of the Gospel comes it will prove through their own default the great condemnation of thousands and yet for all that the Gospel is a great mercy and we have great cause to be thankful for it for it hath a blessed tendency to bring us to Salvation if we through our own wickedness do not turn this grace into wantonness I shall leave thus much with you at this time commending what hath been said to the blessing of the most High THE SECOND EXERCISE John 17.3 This is life eternal that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent THese words have been opened the last day and one general conclusion drawn out of them which was this That the knowledge of God and of Christ is the means of eternal life This I hope was cleared to you the last time and in part applied I shall make no repetition but begin where I left and come to the uses that remain Vse 3. And the next use that we are to make of it is this if the knowledg of God be so advantagious toward the atainment of eternal life then I beseech you let us take notice of it and see the necessity of getting the knowledge thereof I wil tell you what great need you have of it Sollomon tels us we cannot be good without it Prov. 19.2 and it is evident that you can have no strength against your corruptions without it it is a most excellent means to help a man against sin yea against those sins he may be most naturally inclined to see Prov. 2.8 to the 17. He keepeth the paths of judgement and preserveth the way of his saints then shall thou understand righteousnesse and judgement and equity yea every good path saith Sollomon Yea but when shal a man have this glorious assistance to walk thus evenly and to know every good path and to be preserved and kept in so even a way it is a blessed condition indeed if a man knew how to attain it why that you shall see in the two next verses When wisdom entereth into thine heart and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul descretion shall preserve thee understanding shall keep thee Take notice I pray you it is knowledge you see that must be the means to keep a man from all those evils froward dark and crooked wayes spoken of in the 12 13 14 15 verses But it may be you will say I do not find it so hard a thing to fight against all those sins I am not inclined to brawling and bitterness it is a lust of another nature that I am troubled withall wantonness is my sin that I am most apt to fall into espescially when I meet with fit companions if I fall into an harlots company then am I presently snared Now read the 16 verse and you shall see what a bulwork the knowledge of God is against the danger of such a sinfull temptation mark it I pray you to deliver thee saith he from the strange woman even from the stranger which flattereth with her words You see Beloved how strongly a man is fortified against the strongest temptation that is furnished with this precious grace Harlots have tricks to speak with their eyes and this is temptation enough to a man inclined to that sin but when she shall be so impudent as to speak plain english and fall to flatter a man with words now the temptation is much stronger but yet you see this means will keep a man in such a time and this is the reason of it the knowledg of God works that faith in a man and that fear of God and brings the soul into acquaintance and sweet communion together with him so that a man will not grieve the spirit of Christ nor break company with him for all the pleasures in the world and look how it is in this so it will be in any other case whatsoever if there be any corruption that a man finds harder to be mortified then ordinary it will help him against it and without this you must not look to get victory over sin specially those sins or that same one curruption that is more then ordinarily strong for you most know that the Divell can tie a man fast enough with one cord and keep him as fast in prison when there is one door locked upon him as if there were twenty now you cannot expect help out of his paw without the
for all that but that is not all I have to say to you take one word more and set it upon your hearts if you do not come to know him it will be more tolerable for Sodom for Turks for Indians and for the brutishest of Men than for you they that do not know him and glorifie him according to the means afforded to them shall not be excused But Oh how inexcuseable shall you be that live in England nay in those places where you have had the Gospel plainly and plentifully Preached unto you temember that when you come before the Judgement seat of Christ it will not be possible for you to find an excuse for your ignorance which of you have humbly and conscionably sought for knowledg and have not found it have you used that direction Solomon gives you Prov. 2.2 3 4. how often have you read the Scriptures over and pondered them in your hearts it may be not twice in all your lives I pray you tell me when Christ shall come to ask you at the day of Account whether you had not a word called a Bible that did testifie of him and of his Father and that gave you direction how you might attain Eternal Life what will you then say to him if you should say that although you had the Scriptures yet you understood them not if you will but give him leave to ask you whose fault that was whether this did not come to pass through your own neglect of his word and minding things of less moment I marvel whether you will not then be speechless yea or no. Again if he shall ask you whether you neither knew nor heard of any man living in the Age with you that was able to direct you in the way to Eternal life will not these questions stop your mouths and let you see that your Condemnation is just upon you Consider this and let it prevail with you to cause you to seek after the Knowledg of God in time but if you will still mind present vanities more than Eternal happiness you cannot say but you had a fair warning and that your Blood is upon your own heads and so much for this time and for this Point THE FOURTH EXERCISE John 17.3 And this is life eternal that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent I Shall now come to this second Head of Doctrine in this Text namely The Lords being called the only true God Now the word Only signifieth one and no more but one but if you further ask what the word True meaneth the answer must be this the Lord by this Word opposeth himself to or differenceth himself from all others that are no Gods by Nature and so no Gods in truth For the right understanding of this one only true God I must shew you that there are two sorts of Gods besides this one only True God I shall shew you who these be wherefore they are called Gods For the first sort of them you must know that there are Gods by Office and that you shall see in Psalm 82. there you shall see a sort of Men called Gods not for their goodness sake but for their Office sake and therefore hath the Lord put this Title upon Magistrates and Rulers that we might learn to obey them in the Lord. A second sort of Gods you may find noted in Deut. 32.17 there they are called by the name of New Gods and in Psalm 81.9 they are call'd by the Name of strange Gods these are Idols the work of mens hands which they make to Worship or at least they make them to Worship God by them these are false Gods even the Work of Error and the fruit of mens folly no way deserving the name of Gods but only to rebuke the foolishness of men for adoring the devices of their own hearts and esteeming so highly the work of their own fingers But now the only true God is he that made Heaven and Earth unto whom the name of God in a proper sence is only due and that is the Point I would have you note Doct. 2. That there is one only true God and there is no other Gods but he I shall intreat you to note how plentiful and plainly this is expressed in the Scriptures Deut. 4.35 39. Vnto thee it was shewed that thou mightest know that the Lord he is God there is none else beside him The words are very plain this is that truth that God would have Israel know and therefore he shewed it to them that there was one God and there was none else beside him and therefore Moses presseth it again in Verse 39. that Israel should know it and consider it that the Lord which had made them hear his voice from Heaven and shewed them his great fire on Earth verse 36. and that had loved their Fathers and chosen their Seed and brought them out of Egypt verse 37. and that had driven out those mighty Nations and given their Land to Israel that this God is God both in Heaven and in Earth and that there is no other God beside him And in the sixth Chapter and fourth Verse Hear O Israel the Lord our God is one Lord and in the 10.17 he is called the God of Gods and Lord of Lords And so it is said also in 1 Cor. 8.4 that there is no other Gods but one and in the sixth verse it is said that to us there is but one God and in 1 Tim. 1.17 he is there noted by such descriptions as do abundantly clear the truth of this First he is therefore called the King Eternal Immortal Invisible Now this Word the King shews plainly that he that is the supream Being is but One and that this one Being is from Eternity and continues to Eternity and is one invisible Spirit more excellent and glorious than can be beheld with the Eye of flesh Again he is there called the only wise God which is as much as to say it implies so much that he and he alone is that one Eternal simple Being who is the well-spring and fountain of all wisdom look also Psal 86.8 10. Isai 37.16 and 44.24 Jer. 10.10 11 12. I might alledg a multitude of places more for the proof of this if need were but these may suffice to evidence it to us that there is one and but one Eternal God that is the only fountain perfect on of all Power Wisdom Goodness yea the cause of all other Beings whatsoever and he from whom all Creatures more and less have their Being and are preserved yea from this Infinite Being that fils Heaven and Earth with his glory Jer. 23.24 but is not contained in them 1 King 8.27 but contains the Creatures within himself Acts 17.28 I say from him all Grace and comfort whatsover deserveth the Name of good is extended and given of free and meer Grace to the whole Creation and therefore this I beseech you hold fast that
to me and hate not his father and mother wife and children brethren and sisters yea and his own life also he cannot be my disciple Mark it beloved here you see how far you must exceed in your love to God above the love that you ought to bear to any even the dearest thing in the whole world unto you our Saviour you see gives us to know that when Parents or Children wife or life the which nothing can be dearer comes in competition with Christ we must be so far from loving any of them above the Lord that we must in comparison of the love we bear to him indeed hate them lesse cannot be in the words then this much if so be as if Christ should say freinds when it comes to that that you cannot enjoy the neer and dearest thing that you have in the world upon which your hearts are most set without doing something that will be contrary to my will and glory rather than you should sin against me or dishonour my holy Name you ought to forsake them and cast them away as if you did not love them at all but rather hate them and all this is to be done through that exceeding love that I look you should bear to me beyond what you ought to have for all those things that are most dear unto you and may in a measure be beloved of you Thus it ought to be but I pray you examine how it is whether you do thus love him or no or whether there be not some relation or else which is worse some vanity or sin that hath stolen the greatest part of your affiections from God look to your hearts I beseech you and take heed that you be not found amongst those men that are lovers of pleasures more then lovers of God or in some other such like sin nay suppose it be a child or some other dear relation that thou preferrest before the glory of God take heed thou pay not as dear for this sin as Eli did his sin was this that he preferred the honour of his Sons before the honour of God and therefore must both his Sons fall by the Sword in one day beside what fell both upon himself and upon his house for ever Mark also what Moses saith to Aaron his brother Levit. 19.3 upon the occasion of the death of his two sons this is it that the Lord hath said I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me and before all the people I will be glorified Which is as much as if Moses should say thy sons have dishonour'd God and therefore for the glorifiying of his own Name he hath out them of and the text saith that Aaron held his place shewing thereby his great respect to the honour of God that if the dearest things he had were taken away if it did but make for the glory of God he had not then one word to say here is a very worthy example I pray you let us follow it and if we see at any time that any thing that is never so dear unto us must be taken away if it make for the honour and glory of God yeeld it up with all willingness and be sure that what ever you give him else give him the heart for with less then that he will not be pleased The next duty that I shall lay before you is the fear of God I pray you consider what a great deal of reason you have to fear this most glorious and only true God and to fear him only for he it is that can do you good or hurt he can do either and none in the World can hinder him if God undertake to be a mans defence all the world cannot hurt him although they put forth their utmost power for the Lord will find out a thousand wayes to deliver a man from the strongest Tyrant in the world likewise if the Lord set himself against a man there is no delivering of him forth of his hand all the power and wisdom in the world cannot do it therefore stand in awe of him and do not let the fear of man cause you to turn out of the way of the Lord it is much better for to make all the men in the world your enemies yea even your dearest Friends and all rather than God But I pray you fear him as God not slavishly but as it becomes Children let the fear and dread of his great Name awe your hearts continually and remember that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God but withall consider his love and compassions to sinners his wisdom and faithfulness as well as his righteousness and power that your fear of him may be mixed with love to him and confidence in him that so a child-like reverence and an humble awe may be continually upon your hearts and take heed that the fear of man do not snare you remember what Isaiah saith to this Isai 51 12.13 Who art thou that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall dye and of the Son of man that shall be made as grass and forgettest the Lord thy Maker that hath stretched forth the Heavens and laid the foundations of the earth here you see how the Prophet reasons us out of this sin First he asketh Who he is that fears man intimating that it is some strange Creature some coward or fool one that hath strangely forgot himself and he shews the Reason First the man shall dye that is feared and therefore a foolish thing to fear him that shall neither live to reward him nor to punish him Secondly he shall be made as grass and what wise man would fear so vain a thing as grass a powerless creature that can neither help nor hurt a man Thirdly and that which makes the sin very great is this that while a man fears man he forgets God Now there be three Considerations more in this thirteenth verse that should keep up the fear of God in the heart and should likewise keep down the fear of man First he is our Maker Secondly He stretcheth out the Heavens Thirdly He layeth the foundations of the earth As if the Prophet should say if a man would consider the workmanship of God when he looks to the Heavens or when he looks to the earth and considers the glorious works that God hath done in both or if a man did but look upon himself and consideringly mind how he is made and who is his Maker he would never be so foolish as to suffer the fear of man so to prevail to the eating out of the fear of God out of the heart but would walk alwayes in the fear of him who is alone to be feared and meet to be had in special reverence of all that comes about him But I shall proceed to the third duty and that is dependance upon this only true God Beloved there is no other that you can trust in but in him you may trust safely a
man can never be disappointed by trnsting in him for he is a Rock on whom you may rest with full assurance all those that trust in him shall never be ashamed therefore trust in him at all times and for all things that your souls stand in need of you may go to him for it not only by Prayer but also by dependance whatever your wants be whether you want pardoning or purging mercy or sanctifying grace or outward things in all cases whatsoever trust perfectly and fully upon him without fear for a supply of all your wants for he is the only true God that is to say he is the fulness and perfection of all power wisdom mercy truth and goodness whatsoever and one that can no more disappoint the soul that trusteth in him than he can cease to be God but I beseech you take heed that you trust in no other person nor thing whatsoever but only in him for if you do you commit Idolatry against him therefore set up no other gods to your selves I pray you see what the Prophet saith to this case Jer. 17.5 Cursed be the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arm and whose heart departeth from the Lord here you may see how this sin is cursed of trusting in man it would make one tremble to fall under the curse of the Holy Spirit what is the matter that procureth this Curse why the sin is trusting in man and that is a very grievous sin for it is a making flesh his arm that is his strength and that is to set up another god as you may see in the words following and whose heart departeth from the Lord mark it I pray you when a man depends upon the Creature for any thing that is proper for God to give this is to ascribe that to the Creature which is due to God and it is a very high degree of sin to depart from the Lord and that in heart and to rest upon the Creature for help instead of God it is plainly to deny him and to honour the Crearure and that in heart with the greatest honour that can be given to the Lord for it is to acknowledg the Creature to have both power and mercy to help in time of need and to deny it to be found in God see Psalm 62.10 11 12. If riches encrease set not your hearts upon them but what if we should wherein lies the sin note it I pray you the sin is great and lies in this that a man saith in his heart there is both power and mercy in Riches to help me and this saith the Prophet only belongeth unto God as it followeth in the next words Now therefore I pray you trust in nothing but in the living God neither for spiritual nor for temporal things Oh I depend neither upon Friends nor Riches no nor yet upon wisdom nor strength nor trade nor any thing in the world that is below the only true God But you will say what is it to trust in these things I would not willingly do it for I know it is a sin I answer when a man promiseth himself comfort from any thing whatsoever he trusteth in it let him say what he will to the contrary as for example when a man thinketh thus in his heart I have a Friend that will not see me want or I have a good Trade or so much Riches or Land therefore it shall go well with me this man trusteth in these things or whosoever promiseth himself Bread to eat or Clothes to put on from any other ground save only this the power mercy and truth of God he having undertaken to provide for him trusteth in that thing whatever it is therefore let Rich men especially remember Pauls charge in 1 Tim. 6.17 and look well to their hearts that they do not trust in their Riches no not for Bread for to morrow but only in the promises of the living and only true God The fourth duty that you owe to this only true God is obedience this use Moses makes of this point Deut. 4.39.40 the Lord saith he s God both in Heaven and in earth there is none else and what follows Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes and his Commandements I pray you observe it his Commandements must be obeyed that is all of them you must obey for if you should obey some of them and leave the rest undone the Lord would never take it well at your hands no Beloved you must give up your selves to walk universally obedient unto all the Commandements He that shall break one of the least of them Mat. 5.19 shall be called the least in the kingdom of Heaven that is that shall allowedly and wilfully break the least of them God looks to be obeyed in all things whatsoever you know to be a duty although it be never so small or never so contemptible you must yeild obedience to it or whatever you can come to know to be a duty hereafter you must have your hearts in a ready frame to obey when you do come to know or can come to know more or whatever you know or can come to know to be a sin you must avoid and mortifie there must be no bearing with any sin no nor with any corruption if it bring never so much profit or never so much pleasure all must be cast away that is contrary to his most holy will and all this is to be done willingly or else the Lord accepteth it not the Lord looks for the whole heart and therefore if you do dot willingly and in love to God yeild up your selves to live to him in all things he will not account it sincere obedience And as you must take heed you obey no sin so likewise you must obey no Creature but in the Lord therefore if the Magistrate or thy Husband Master or Father Landlord or whosoever commandeth thee to do any thing that is not according to the will of God let this be an everlasting Law to thee in all such cases obey God rather than men but if any that hath authority over thee shall command any thing which is lawful and may be done without scruple of Conscience in all such cases thou art to yeild ready and willing obedience unto them as unto Christ And the last but not the least duty that I shall now press upon you is this Take heed that you learn of no man or men what worship you must give unto God nor after what manner it must be performed but learn all this of the Lord himself get a ground from the Scriptures for all the Doctrines that you receive for truth I say get a ground for them in your own understandings and all the wo ship of God both for matter and manner and all the circumstances thereof see that it be grounded upon the word of truth if you would be sure not to commit Idolatry then take heed of being lead by the judgements of men in any of
knowledge of God for if you would have grace and strength to mortifie sin you must go to Christ for it and if you go to him it must be by faith and if that be gotten it must be by the knowledg of God Secondly you will never get such a faith as will stand you in any stead or do you any good in the day of temptation without it for it must be the knowledge of the nature of God that is a God of love and of Free-grace and one that can abound in pardoning and that he sent Jesus Christ to save sinners till a man knows that Christ is a Saviour that he layes both the first and the last stone thereof and that a man cannot be one hairs breadth better then he is by nature till the Spirit of Christ hath mended him and that the first work that a man can do acceptably is to come to Christ for a cure both for his heart and life I say till a man knows this he can never be established in beleeving you shall see the reason of it presently a man that wants this knowledge he gathers such grounds to build his confidence upon that are swept away in the day of temptation it is with his faith just as it is with a house that is built upon the sands where the tide comes when the wind and the tide comes strong away goes the ground and the house together even so is it with an ignorant mans faith for this is one of his best incouragments to beleeve when he considers that his former sinfull prophane life is the road way to hell then he endeavours to leave those courses and falls to prayer and to reading and hearing and this he takes to be such a change that now he thinks he is a child of God and that all the promses belong unto him but then when his old lusts appear again and take hold on him then he falls to utter dispair and concludes that he was but an hypocrite at the best and that there is no hope for him and one day he thinks it is a duty to beleeve and another day he thinks there is no ground for him so to do and thus the poot soul is unstable and tossed like a ship in a tempest one while mounted up to heaven and another while thrown down into the deep and melted a way with trouble But now the soul that knows God and did see in him a ground to beleeve at the first without any works of righteousness done before-hand and that knew Jesus Christ came to save from sin and to give repentance as well as eternall life and did at the first cast himself upon him not as a saint but as a sinner this man if he should fall as low as he was before yet he will see at least the same ground to beleeve us he did see at the first I speak not this to incourage any any to renew there sins I hope you wil not make so bad a use of it but if any should yet is the doctrin of grace a truth that must be preached though some should wrest it to their own destruction Thirdly the knowledge of God will carry a man through the worst of troubles if he should come into Jobs case that his wife should be strange and his children and estate swept away and his godly friends turned his enemies yet would he be able to say with him though he kill me yet I will and I can trust in him for I know my Redeemer liveth Thus when a man can say with Paul I know whom I have beleeved by being able to see the power wisdom truth and goodness of God it will be such a rock for him to set his feet upon that will keep him from sinking in the worst of times Fourthly a man that knows God will serve him with that delight that another man cannot do an ignorant man may be convinced that it is a duty to hear and to pray and the like but he hath no comfort in these ordinances but yet he uses them because he dares do no otherwise but a man that knows God sees such a beauty in God that he goes to seek him with much delight he knows they be means appointed of God to bring him into neerer communion with him and to give him a more glorious sight of God and therefore it is a work well peasing to him and he goes about it with as much content as men use to go to their recreations but the other goes to the same work as one goes to a trade that he is set to against his will he does it untowardly and unwillingly and will get from it if he can and so wil the man from duties that knows not God if he can but find a way to escape the rebukes of his own conscience Now therefore I pray you make it your first greatest work to get the knowledg of God with all diligence seek for it for the prise thereof is greater then silver choice gold or rubies therefore search for it more then for hidden treasures There is two means that I will direct you to make use of for the getting of this knowledge The first is the consideration of the works of God if a man do but humbly and wisely observe his great works they will shew forth much of his glory if you look to the heavens and consider what a great distance they are spread above the earth and compassing it round about and see those glorious creatures the Sun Moon and Stars roul about to serve poor worms and lumps of clay how plainly will they teach you that the creator of them is a God of infinite goodness for before ever he did create either them or the men for whose sakes they were created the Lord did perfectly understand all the wickedness that would in time be commited by every one of them and yet it did not hinder him in this great worke but he hath done it and continues to uphold it notwithstanding all that unworthiness that is found among the children of men and if you look to the Earth and the Seas and see them hang in a round lump in the midst of the heavens cleaving together and the waters not over-flowing the earth this great work will tell you that the Creator thereof is infinite in power wisdom and goodness and if you consider how the Earth and the Seas are stored with variety of Creatures with severall hosts of creatures and yet not a man nor a beast nor a fish nor a fowl no worm nor any creature more nor less but God takes care every day how they shall be fed the wild beasts of the wilderness that no man takes care of have there meat and there drink every day from the hand of God Oh how do these gracious acts of his every day preach the glory of his great name to all considering men that will but set themselves to mind the great wisdom patience power truth
best abilities that these times do afford but only for these reasons I have now done it First I find some such motions flying abroad both in discourse and in print about this subject which in my judgement savours not well Secondly I do not find able men men of knowledg such as I would be glad to provoke to this work so forward to bring forth light as others to bring forth darkness and if they have it is more than I know Thirdly the matter I have spoken to fell in my way and I thought I might do well and it was my duty to bring forth my Mite in such a time as this wherein I find so many casting vails over the Name of Christ and of the Holy Spirit now therefore I do beseech you seriously to consider of that which hath been said unto you take heed of looking upon our Lord Jesus as a meer Creature lest your Faith fail you in the day of Temptation if the work of Redemption be but considered how great it is what a price must be laid down before this work could be done and that Law which in that condition in which man once stood would have been his life now he cannot expect nothing from it as the case standeth but only death but all the life and pardoning Grace that now cometh to poor man comes only through the Blood of the Lord Jesus now except a man know the worth and all-sufficiency of Christ that he is perfectly able to remove all the Curses which his sins have deserved and also able to procure him all the blessings his soul stands in need of it will be very hard if not altogether impossible to rest upon him in the day of tryal and so likewise when a man shall come to see what a great work it is to change the heart of man to subdue sin and to sanctifie the soul and when he shall see the barrenness of his heart in the graces and fruits of the Spirit of Christ also and withall considers what a degree of perfection all those are brought unto that inherit Eternal life and then minds that the Spirit of God is he that hath undertaken to carry on this hard and to man this impossible work If now he be not established in the knowledg and firm belief of this that the Holy Spirit that carries on this work is the only true God I say except a man beleeve and know this he can have little ground to hope or beleeve that ever it will come to perfection but wherefore should any men be so hardly brought to beleeve this me thinks it is for want of consideration the scriptures you know speaks of the Spirit of God in some places and in other places of the Spirit of Christ should we therefore be so weak as to think that the Father hath one Spirit Christ another but now if we must needs understand that the Spirit of God the Spirit of Christ is but one Spirit wherefore should we not as well believe that God the Spirit of God are all one likewise then Beloved if the Spirit of Christ and the Father be one and God and the Spirit of God one then wherefore should we think that the Godhead of Christ and of the Father are more than one but I shall press this no further but come now to make some Use of it Vse 1. And if it be so that there is one and but one only true God who is the fountain and perfection of all Power Wisdom Truth and goodness who alone made Heaven and Earth the seas and all the Hosts of Creatures that are contained in them and on whose meet grace and love depends the happiness and well-being of all things whatsoever whos 's all seeing eye beholds all the secrets of all hearts and whose Eternal invisible unchangeable Almighty and Omni-present Being fills the whole Creation but is not contained in it who is worthy of all honour service praise and worship from all Creatures for evermore I say if this be so then let this God be our God let us have no other but him alone to be our God I shall not trouble you nor my self with that foolish Generation of men that use to picture him up and to set him forth by such vain Images as their hands can make I hope you are past this absurd and foolish practice but I pray you beware that you set up no. Idols of him in your minds Oh do not suffer any thought or imagination of him to come or to rest within your hearts that is low or carnall take heed that you do not liken him to any thing that ever your eyes have seen but let your thoughts be of him acording unto that glorious discription that his own boly records give of him let high reverence and honour love and holy fear accompany every thought that comes into your minds of his most excellent and glorious Name be sure you chuse him for your chiefest good let him be your only Diadem and the Crown which your hearts have chosen for your chiefest treasure be sure that you do not esteem love nor honour any relation or thing whatsoever as you do this most High and only true God for if you do you commit Idolatry against him who is a jealous God and will not give his glory to another and therefore beware for whatsoever any man doth set up and in heart esteeme love or honour above God or equall with him sets up another God and shall be reckoned amongst Idolaters and such as have committed spiritual whoredom against him when Christ shall come to judg every man according to his works But I shall more particularly come to shew you something of the honour that is due to this only true God in setting some of those duties before you which in especial you owe to him First then give him this honour to yeeld up your hearts unto him to love him above all things whatsoever this use Moses makes of this point Deut. 6.45 hear O Israel saith he the Lord our God is one Lord and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy might Here you see what is due to God even love in the very height of it the whole heart soul might is all little enough for God no creature must come between the heart and God neither wife nor child nor pleasure nor profit for if there be any thing in the world that a man loves better than God or as well as he this is no less a sin than the setting up of another God therefore look to your hearts in these two special cases when the glory of God comes in competition either with a mans beloved relations or his beloved sins if he cannot cast them both away for the honour of his God he is unworthy of him see I pray you what our Lord Jesus saith to this point Luke 14.26 If any man come
these things neither do you follow the imaginations of your own hearts in these things but labour to get a distinct understanding in your own souls of whatsoever is to be beleeved for Doctrine or for whatsoever is to be practised in matters of worship for if you walk in darkness you will walk uncomfortably but if you walk in the light and knowledg of his will your walking wil both please him and bring much comfort and peace to your own Soul Vse 2. But I shall now speak one word to provoke those wretched man thet live without God in the world to consider of their condition and so conclude I beseech you my dear friends do not live still so estranged from the life of God neither do you go on to abuse his mercy and loving-kindness from day to day as you have done but let the goodness and long-suffering of the Lord lead you to Repentance you have heard what a God of Holiness power wisdom goodness and faithfulness he is yea what an eternal unchangeable invisible infinite Being he is you have heard something both of his Name and of his Works and much more is to be known and may be known of him in the Word of Truth and will you continue so unthankful and ungodly abusing this grace and love of God who hath manifested himself in his holy Word that you might come to the knowledg of him and so to salvation and do not you think it a most grievous sin to live as many of you do as void of the knowledg of him as those that never heard of his written Word it is a most unthankful abuse of his goodness O where would such men be glad to hide themselves at the great Day even under a Rock if they did know how to get under it and as for many of those that cannot chuse but know something of God how unanswerable to that little knowledg that they have do they walk neither loving nor fearing his great Name having no respect at all to his worship nor to any of his Commandements nor trusting in him at all no more than if he had never made them any promises Beloved how evident be these things notwithstanding all that God hath made known of himself unto men yet how little love have they for him and how little zeal for his glory loving pleasure profit yea sin it self better than God fearing the frowns of men more than the displeasure of him and trusting in the promises of their honest Neighbours yea in a little durty wealth or any vanity in the world rather than in the power and truth of God casting his worship and Commandements behind their backs as if they owed him no service now I pray you bethink your selves how you shall appear before the Lord at the great Day and how he will take it at your hands that you should live so prophane a life being alienated from the life of God and rooted and hardened in all wickedness as if you had never known nor heard of the Name of God Oh Repent in time and thankfully imbrace that means of grace which God in the riches of his mercy doth yet afford unto you and so much I shall commend to your consideration and to the blessing of the Almighty THE SIXTH EXERCISE John 17.3 And this is life eternal that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent I Shall now come to speak to this third and last general Head in this Text namely the Lords sending of Jesus Christ and for this end and purpose that I may proceed both with brevity and plainness I shall proceed in this order First I shall shew you the excellency of the person of Christ even as he is the Son Secondly I shall clear it unto you by the Scriptures how that Jesus Christ had a Being with the Father in glory before the world was and from thence was sent into the world to take upon him our Nature Thirdly I shall endeavour to set before you the ends of his coming into the world And now for the first of these I pray you take notice that the Scriptures in many places do exalt the Lord Jesus above all other Creatures whatsoever I shall name you some few of them look Hebrews 1. the whole Chapter but especially note two or three passages in the beginning he is there said to be appointed heir of all things and to be the brightness of his Fathers glory and to be made much better then the Angels which word made better must needs have respect to his Creature-nature also he is there said to be him by whom God did make all things and doth uphold them And in the Revelations 3.14 he is called the beginning of the Creation of God and in Col. 1.15 16 17. he is called the first-born of every Creature all things are said to be created by him and for him and he to be before them that by him they all consist So that from these and other like Texts I gather that God did first create the Spirit of Christ filled him with his own glory and then by him brought forth the whole creation I say that Spirit of Christ which afterward took flesh of the Virgin Mary and so became true man was the first and the choicest piece of all the workman-ship of God for you must know that Christ had a created Spirit that was set up and brought forth and brought up with the Lord and was by him before any of his other works had a Being Prov. 8.22 to the 30. and this is he that the Lord possessed in the beginning of his way and is the same that talked with Abraham and that Abraham made intercession to for Sodom Gen. 18. and that brought the children of Israel through the wilderness and is the same that God commandeth them to obey Exod. 23.20 21 22 23. But this I shall say no more to now but come to the second particular and that is to shew you that the Lord Christ was sent from the bosom of the Father into the world for us you will see this plain in many places I wil name you some of them John 3 13. No man hath ascended up to heaven but he that came down from heaven even the Son of man The words are very plain the son of man you see came down from heaven and in the 31. ver He that cometh down from heaven is above all he that is of the earth is earthly and speaketh of the earth he that cometh from heaven is above all I pray you mark it Christ is here opposed to all other men in this that they are from the earth but he is from heaven yea as he is the son of man he is from heaven but if he had received his first beginning in the womb of the Virgin as well in respect of his spirit as in respect of his body he could no more have been said to have been sent
from heaven but must have been as truly of the earth as he is man as all other men be but it is very plain that the man-hood of Christ is from heaven as you may see also 1 Cor. 15.47 The second man is the Lord from heaven the owrds be so plain that I need not urge them look also John 6.38 For I came down from heaven not to do mine own will but the will of him that sent me Note it I pray you as he is God he doth his own will but he came down from heaven and yet not to do his own will therefore he speaks here as man it is clear and so in the 62 verses What and if ye shall see the son of man ascend up where he was before How evident is this that the son of man was in heaven before and was sent from thence into the world and Iohn 16.28 Christ saith I came forth from the Father and am come into the world again I leave the world and go to the Father and in this same Iohn 17.5 how earnestly doth our Lord pray the Father to let him enjoy that same glory that he had with him before the world was Now it is very clear this he did not now enjoy at this time that glory that he had enjoyed before the world was and this is now earnestly expected and prayed for as you see a case incedent to the man-hood of Christ but it is that which can never befall the God-head for there is nothing more obsurd and senseless than for a man to think that the God-head can ever be deprived of the full enjoyment of it self now that he took upon him our nature is plain Heb. 2.16 and many other places might be aledged to prove this if need were But I shall now come to the third particular to shew you the ends of our Lords coming into the world and the first end of his coming is to teach us the will of his Father and to manifest his great love to the sons of men according to that promise Deut. 18.15 18 19. and Acts 3.22 and 7.37 Iohn 3.16 17. and 12 16. to the end Secondly he came to be the true High-Priest of which all the other were types and to offer up himself for sinners and to bear all there infirmities according as that whole epistle to the Hebrews witnesseth and many other places also might be aledged to prove it if it were needful Thirdly Christ came to reign over all men yea to reign in the consciences of men and hath power of judging and condemning all those that be found disobedient unto him Psalm 2.8 to the end Luke 19 14 27. Romans 14.9 and 15.12 Iohn 5.22 23 27 29 30. But I shall take a little time more particularly to open some of these things unto you and to shew you what a sweet advantage we have by the coming of the Lord Jesus First he came to redeem us from the curse of the Law and hath born the curse for us and by this means will deliver all the sons of Adam from the misery that the first sin brought upon them yea and from the curses of the Law in general even from the paws of death it self and from all the miseries that procure it so that the ungodliest of men shall rise again from the dead and thus farr he is the Saviour of all men what ever he doth more for them and if they perish eternally it is for sinning against the Gospel either for neglecting their own salvation or for turning the grace of God into wantonness or for some such-like evills as these be Now I beseech you consider by what means Christ is thus a Saviour to you Beloved it is by bearing the Curse for you and undergoing those miseries that are due to you for your offences by his poverty you are rich by his stripes we are healed by his sorrows we have joy and by his death we have life He was made sin for us though in himself he knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him although in our selves we are unrighteous also Jesus Christ hath by his Blood and sufferings for the sons of men purchased a just authority and dominion over them all so that if they refuse to come unto him and when light comes chuse darkness rather and when he calls them to Repent and beleeve the Gospel and sayes look to me and be ye saved all ye the ends of the earth if then I say they shall refuse to come unto him for life yet shall they never be able to refuse to come before his Judgement-seat to receive the just reward of that disobedience but on the other hand the Lord Jesus came to be a Saviour to all those that come unto him yea that when he calls refuse not to hear but are willing to suffer the reproofs of wisdom to enter into their souls yea he will save all these with an everlasting salvation Beloved he came to bring salvation to such in all the parts of it First he justifieth such from all that from which they could not be justified by the Law of Moses yea he hath power to forgive sins and he will justifie them freely through the work of Redemption But further I pray you observe the Lord Jesus will give Repentance to and graciously melt and soften the hearts of poor sinners if they do but hearken to his voice it is the very end of his coming to give Repentance as well as Remission of sins and he will work your hearts to Repentance if you do not oppose the work of his grace and continue to do it yea although you have hearts never so hard he will soften them himself by his own Spirit if you do not harden your own beares but wait at wisdoms gate then shall you see how graciously he will manifest himself at last indeed if so be that a soul were to work Repentance in his own heart or must see that it is wrought there before he might either go for mercy or had a ground to expect it that were enough to break the heart indeed and to discourage a man for ever hoping after mercy but the case is far otherwise for Christ came to work Repentance and to seek and save that which was lost and therefore although a person be never so hard-hearted and unbelieving and although he be never so dead if he have never a spark of life in him if he will but hearken to the voice of Christ Christ will give him life again another work that Christ came to do is to subdue sin and although it be never so strong he will subdue it it can never be too strong for him when a poor soul looks about him and sees a multitude of strong corruptions within him and then looks again and sees another multitude of strong temptations and snares without him round about and withall discerns the weakness of his own heart and sees how
the same thing in the words immediately going before but for the Readers fake I shall bring up that in the rear which should have been in the front if I had had the least thought of writing and for the understanding of this word eternal life you are to know that it is called so by reason of that opposition it hath with that state of death and misery in which the ungodly suffer eternall torments that is called death by reason of the woe and sorrow that must for ever be indured and this is called life by reason of that happiness and comfort that shall eternally be enjoyed Observe then that this word eternal life sets forth unto us the blessedness of that eternal glory which the saints shall for ever enjoy hereafter in the presence of the Lord as you have it Acts 3.19 I shall endeavour to set something of that happiness before you and for that end I pray you take notice that eye hath not seen nor eare heard neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive how exceeding glorious that estate is which the Lord hath prepared for those that truly beleeve but although it is impossible to set forth the glory of it as Pauls words do clearly imply 2 Cor. 12.1 2 3 4. yet the Scriptures do speak very much of the glory of it although it may be when a soul shall come to see it he will say the one half was never told him First then consider what David saith of it Psalm 16.11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life in thy presence is fulness of joy at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore You see whither the path of life will lead a man it goeth directly into the presence of God and there is fulness of joy saith the Prophet mark it that is a full word indeed to express the fulness of a mans happiness Oh the blessedness of a man that knows God and Jesus Christ and walks up to that knowledg he shall have fulness of joy First he shall have nothing to hinder his joy but all sickness sorrow griefe and troubles of all kinds shall be removed a man shall have never an ill neighbour there to vex him nor any creature that shall speak a word to grieve him but all his companions shall be holy and spiritual such as will perfectly love God and love him and rejoice in his happiness with perfect joy there be shall never see nor hear either person or thing that shall minister the least discomfort or trouble to him none that will backbite or speak kinder then his heart thinketh will ever be found in that place no divel shall come there to tempt nor snare to turn the heart aside from God but there shall be perfect freedom from all manner of molestation whatsoever and contrarily there shall be the fulness of all joy and peace holiness and love there shall be no want of any comfort no nor of any degree of comfort that the heart of man can possibly desire Peter speakes of a joy unspeakable and full of glory that beleevers meet withal here 1 Pet. 1.8 and Paul calls that fame sealing testimony of the Spirit the earnest of our inheritance Ephos 1.13 14. now if the Lord do give such tastes of the cup of consolation in this life to some poor beleevers as those texts do plainly intimate he doth what then may we think their portion shall be when they shall come home to their inheritance I shall give you an instance in one poor soul that I knew who being in anguish of spirit for some two years together and having sought the Lord with sorrow and tears many a time at last being in the fields in the night weeping and praying it pleased the Lord to manifest his love wonderfully and by his spirit to open the sweet promises of the Gospel and to seal up his love in the promises with that clearness of assurance and exceeding joy that untill that time that soul could never think that heaven it self would have yeelded that fulness of joy and consolation but doubtlesse that soul never yet nor any other that is this day on earth ever tasted more then an earnest penny of the fulness of that glory that shall be injoyed in the life to come Another note in the text observable is this that these pleasures are to be injoyed at the right hand of God which plainly intimates thus much unto us That the Lord will put forth his wisdome mercy and all sufficiency in the glorifying of those persons that shall be accounted worthy of that kindome for so much the right hand signifieth for there you know the strength lieth and there we use to set the persons we highly favour and would put the greatest honour upon that we know how There is one thing more in this text worth noting and that is this word for evermore that is it that exceedingly adds to the fulness of this glory that it is of an everlasting continuance so that as there shall be a freedome from all sin snare temptation trouble or whatsoever might produce complaint or cause any degree of sorrow and likewise an injoyment of all those comforts that the heart of man can possibly wish or desire So also there shall be no fear no nor ground of fear that ever this blessed estate shall change or fade but remain sure and durable to all eternity Oh consider of the worth and glory of this happy condition when the souls company and injoyments shall both be perfect Another text that I would pray you to mind is in 1 Cor. 15.49 the words are these and as we have born the Image of the earthy we shall also bear the Image of the heavenly Indeed if it were not for that which lies in this promise all the rest of a mans injoyments could not be so exceeding comfortable unto him for what would it be to a man to see all his company holy and spiritual full of love joy and peace being free from all the stain and appearance of evil if he himself should be corrupt and remain still burthened with the same degrees of sin and supjectness to transgression as I fear the best of Saints do find themselves inclined and subject to while they are here But this shall be the great happiness of the Saints that after the resurrection they shall be made fully conformable to their heavenly condition and company bearing the Image of Christ as they have born old Adams image that is they shall bear it as truly and as fully being made as like him as ever they were like Adam Now it is evident unto us all how like Adam we have been having all those lusts in our hearts that ever were in his having as little delight in God and desire of heaven and being as barren and destitude of all spiritual grace as he but then we shall be made fully like our Lord Jesus as free from all carnallity errour and