and satisfied that God hath chosen him to Salvation but whether he apprehend it or no the thing in it self is certain and real consult 1. Thes. 1. 4 5. Knowing brethren beloved your election of God for our Gospel came not to you in word only but also in power and in the Holy Ghost c. Their election of God was the thing to be proved but alas might they say who can know that but God alone It is among the Divine secrets yes saith the Apostle we know it and by this we know it for our Gospel came not unto you in an empty sound but in mighty efficacy effectually opening your Hearts to believe A more clear and certain evidence of your Election cannot be given in this World look again into Rom. 8. 30. Moreover whom he did predestinate them he also called and whom he called them he also justified and whom he justified them he also glorified There are two great and ravishing Truths cleared in this Scripture the one is this That the whole number of the called upon Earth is taken out of such as were predestinated to Life before the World was The other is this That as the whole number of the glorified Saints in Heaven is made up of Souls called and justified upon Earth so the called Soul that is the Soul that savingly opens to Christ by Faith may from that work of the Spirit upon him solidly reason backward to Gods electing love before all time and forward to his glorification with God when time shall be no more Oh how strong is the Consolation flowing out of this glorious work of the Spirit upon our Hearts That 's one thing II. Consolation The opening of the Heart to receive Christ is the peculiar effect of the Divine and Almighty Power of God the Arm of an Angel is too weak to break those strong bars before mentioned Therefore the exceeding greatness of his Power is applied unto this work of believing Ephes. 1. 19. And what is the exceeding greatness of his Power toward us who believe according to the working of his mighty Power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead Here is Power the Power of God the greatness of his Power the exceeding greatness of his Power the very same Power which wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and all this no more than needs to make the Heart of Man open by Faith to receive Christ the only Key that fits the cross Wards of Mans Will and effectually opens his Heart is in the Hand of Christ Revel 3. 7. He hath the key of David he opeâ—â—th and no Man shutteth How long have some of you â—at under able Ministers searching Sermons and roâ—â—ing Providences yet all to no purpose till this Almighty Power came with the Word and then the work was done The people shall be willing in the day of thy power Psal. 110. 3. What a glorious Power was that which opened Christ grave when he lay in the Heart of the Earth with a mighty Stone rouled upon his Sepulcher And how mighty a Power is that which breaks asunder all those Bars which kept thy Soul in the State of sin and death None feel this Power but those only whom God intendeth for Salvation and having once wrought this it is engaged to go through with all the rest which yet remaineth to be done to perfect thy Salvation III. Consolation The opening of thy Heart to Christ is not only an effect of Almighty Power but such an effect of it without which all that Christ had done and suffered had been of no avail to thy Salvation neither the eternal Decrees of God nor the meritorious sufferings of Christ are effectual to any Mans Salvation until this work of the Spirit be wronght upon his Heart The offering up of Christ is in its kind and place â—ufficient to purchase our Redemption but it is the receiving of Christ by Faith that brings home Salvation to our Souls where there be many con-causes to produce one effect that effect is not produced until the last cause have wrought Thus 't is here the moving cause viz. the free-grace of God hath wrought and the meritorious cause the death of Christ hath also wrought but still the Heart even of an elect Man remaineth under guilt and condemnation until the Spirit who is the applying cause have also wrought this blessed effect we now speak of It is Christ in us i. e. in union with our Souls which is to us the hope of glory 1 Col. 27. 1 Cor. 1. 30. Behold then the last stroak given in this opening of the Heart by Faith herein electing Love hath brought home Christ with all the purchases and benefits of his death into the actual possession of thy Soul. Oh how transporting and ravishing a consideration is this IV. Consolation In this work the opening of the Heart by Faith the great design and main intention of the Gospel is also answered and accomplished You behold in the Church a glorious frame of Ordinances set up by Divine Institution Ministers appointed to preach Sermons Sacraments Prayers Singing variety of Ordinances set up excellent gifts given to Men as the fruit of Christs ascension into Heaven Now what was the design of God in the institution of all these things but that by them as instruments in his Hand our ignorant dead unbelieving Hearts might be opened unto Christ in acts of Repentance and Faith and built up to a perfect Man Ministers are sent to open your Eyes turn you from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God Acts 26. 18. They are not sent by Christ into this World to get a living to drive so poor a Trade as that for themselves but to bring you to Faith 1 Cor. 3. 5. When Gods elect are thus brought in and built up in Christ you shall see this glorious frame of Ordinances taken down there will be no more Preaching nor Hearing the end of all these things being accomplished 1 Cor. 15. 24. Then cometh the end when he shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God even the Father c. Now the consideration of the accomplishment of the great and principal design of the Gospel thus far upon thy Heart is matter of transporting joy Ministers may and must dye Ordinances may be removed but this blessed effect of them upon thy Soul shall never dye God will perfect what he hath begun that 's the Fourth Consolation V. Consolation And then Fifthly That day wherein thy Heart is savingly opened to receive Christ that very day is Salvation come to thy Soul. When Zacheus his Heart was opened to Christ he tells him Luke 19. 9. This day is Salvation come to thy House Salvation was come into the World before thou wast born yea Salvation was come to thy doors in the tenders of the Gospel before but it never came into thy Soul till the day wherein thy Heart opened to Christ by Faith
been if wicked Ieroboam and Ahaz had been cut off in their first transgressions The Lord suffers many a wicked Parent to stand for a time under his Patience because Children are to spring from them who will obey and embrace brace that Christ whom their wicked Parents rejected Yea the Wicked do not only propagate the Church but are useful to preserve and defend it as the useless chass is a defence to the Wheat Rev. 12. 16. The Earth shall help the Woman Fifthly To Conclude the Lord excerciseth this long-suffering towards sinners in a gracious condescension to the Prayers of his People Were it not that the Lord had left a small remnant we had been as Sodom we had been like unto Gomorah Isa. 1. 9. The Prayers and Intercessions of the Saints are a skreen betwixt wicked Men and the wrath of God for a time Iob 22. 30. The innocent preserve the Island The World stands by the Prayers of the Saints what multitudes of rebellious Christ-despising sinners swarm this day in every part of this Nation Such as declare by their open practice they will not have Christ to reign over them Who contemn his offers despise his Messengers but blessed be God yea and let them bless him too that there are others mourning to the Lord for them beseeching his forbearance towards them Little do the wicked know how much they are beholding to the Prayers of the Saints These and such like Reasons prevail with the Lord Jesus to stand in waiting patient posture at the doors of sinners Ah. how loath is he to give them up We now proceed to the Uses of this Point by way of 1. Information 2. Exhortation 3. Consolation I. Vse And first this Point will be very fruitful for Information of our Understandings in divers great and useful Points both Doctrinal and Practical wherein every Soul among you is deeply concerned and therefore I beseech you let them be heard and pondred with an answerable attention and seriousness of Spirit and the first Inference shall be this I. Inference If the Lord Jesus do exercise such admirable Patience towards sinners Then hou much better is it for poor sinners to be in the Hands of Christ than in the Hand of the best and holiest Man in the World O sinner t is better for thee to fall into the Hands of the Meek and Merciful Jesus than into the Hand of the dearest Friend thou hast upon Earth no Creature can bear what Christ hears no Patience like the Patience of Christ t is said of Moses Numb 11. 12 Now the Man Moses was meek above all the Men upon the face of the Earth There was never such a Man born into the World for Patience Meekness and Long-suffering as Moses was and yet for all that this mirror of Meekness could not bear the Provocations of Israel You Rebels saith he must I draw Water for you out of the Rock Thus was his Spirit russled with the provocations of Israel and this lost him the Land of Canaan Ionah was a good Man a Prophet of the Lord yet because the Lord would not be so quick and severe with Niniveh as Ionah would have had him In what uncomly Language doth his angry Soul return upon his God Ionah 4. 2. O Lord saith he was not this my saying when I was yet in my Country Therefore I sled before unto Tarshish for I knew thou wert a gracious God and merciful slow to anger and of great kindness and repentest thee of the evil therefore now O Lord take I beseech thee my life from me for it is better for me to dye than to live q. d. Ah Lord I knew it would come to this I knew thy gracious nature how inclinable thou art to mercy and that upon the first appearance of their repentance thou wouldst repent of the evil and so free-grace would make me as a lyer among them Nay give me leave to speak a higher word than all this and let it not seem strange that the Patience of the glorified Saints in Heaven is nothing to the Patience of Christ towards provoking sinners upon Earth Those glorified Souls that be above though they have Patience among other Graces perfected in its kind yet still it is but Created finite Patience and it cannot bear what Christ's Patience bears take an instance of it out of Rev. 6. 9 10 11. I saw under the Altar the Souls of those that were slain for the Word of God and for the testimony which the held and they cried with a loud voice saying How long O Lord holy and true Dost thou not judge and avenge our Blood on them that dwell on the Earth And it was said unto them That they Should rest for a little season Here you see glorified Souls less able to bear the slow pace of Justice towards their Enemies than Christ was 'T is true here was no sinful impatience but yet a patience short of Christs infinite Patience Ah if you were to depend upon the Patience of any creature in Heaven or Earth you had worn it out long ago I will not execute the fierceness of my anger for I am God and not Man. Ah 't is well we have to do with a God if a Man find his enemy will he let him go well away 1 Sam. 24. 19. No no he will reckon before he part with him Sinner the Lord finds thee dayly in thy sins and yet lets thee go yet beware thou try not his Patience too far lest vengeance overtake thee at last and pay the justice of God with all the arrearages due to his Patience II. Inference Hence it follows that convinced and broken hearted sinners need not be discouraged in going to Iesus Christ for mircy seeing he exercises such wonderful Patince towards obstinate and refusing sinners This inference breaths pure Gospel it is a Cordial to chear the Heart that is moving towards Christ with fear and trembling 'T is a great artifice of the Devil to daunt and discourage courage poor convinced sinners by telling them there is no hope of mercy for them that they shall find the Arms of Mercy closed the Bowels of Compassion shut up that the Time of Mercy is now past they come too late O how busie is Satan with such suggestions as these in many of your Souls But I am come to tell you this day that these are but the artifices of the Enemy you are going to the Fountain of Mercy Patience Goodness and Long-suffering go on and you shall find abundantly more than you expect He will not cast off a Soul that comes Mourning and Panting towards him and is willing to subscribe the Gospel articles of Reconciliation No he will not shut out such a Soul whatever its rebellions and provocations have been Sinner thou art going to the meek and merciful Jesus Matth. 11. 28. Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy-laden and I will give you rest take my yoke upon you and learn
born and Baptized Christians and that 's enough they think to save them Matth. 3. 9. We have Abraham to our Father they thought it sufficient that Abraham's blood ran in their Veins though there were not a spark of Abraham's faith kindled in their Souls the Lord forgive the sin of those Men that lead poor Souls into such fatal mistakes O if Men were but aware of the necessity of a greater and further Work to pass upon their Souls than their Baptism common powerless profession or the Similar Works which appear upon formal Hypocrites Heaven and Earth would ring with their cries But ignorance of the nature and necessity of special regenerating Grace like a Dose of Opium casts the Consciences of many into this deep sleep 2ly Freedom from grosser sins and pollutions of the World stills and quiets the Consciences of thousands they have had a civil sober and fair Education and though there be no Grace and Regeneration yet what Saints do they seem to themselves being adorned with sobriety and civility This stilled the Conscience of the Pharisee Luke 18. 11. God I thank thee that I am not as other Men are extortioners unjust adulterers or even as this Publican Thus like delicate Agag they spruce up themselves with moral homilitical vertues wherein many thousand Heathens were more gay than themselves but Justice will hew them to pieces as Agag was for all their moral ornaments and endowments 3ly The strict performance of the external duties of Religion quiets the Consciences of many they question not but those that do so well shall fare well and that God will never damn Men and Women that keep their Church and say their Prayers as they do Thus the carnal Jews deluded themselves crying The Temple of the Lord The Temple of the Lord as malefactors in some of our Neighbouring Kingdoms fly to the Church from the Hand of Justice so do these but God will pluck them from the Horns of the Altar and convince them that the empty name of Religion is no security from damnation 4ly Many Consciences are still'd and quieted in a natural sinful state by misinterpreting the voices of Providence it may be God prospers your Earthly affairs succeeds and smiles upon your undertakings and this you conclude must be a Token of his love and favour But alas this is a great mistake the Lord give you better evidences of his love than these for who prosper more in the World than wicked Men And who are more crost than the people of God Read Iob 21. and Psal. 73. and compare both with Eccles. 9. 1. and you will quickly find the vanity of all hopes built upon such a foundation However by such things as these are the God of this World blinds the Eyes of multitudes II. Inference If every conviction be a knock of Christ. how deeply are all Souls concerned in the success and issue of them Conviction is an Embrio of the new Creature if it go out its full time and come to a perfect new Birth it brings forth Salvation to your Souls if it miscarry finally you are finally lost It is of infinite concernment therefore to every Man and Woman to be tender over those Convictions their Consciences go big with all 'T is true Conviction and Conversion are two things there may be Conviction without Conversion though there can be no Conversion without Conviction The blossoms upon the Trees in the Spring of the Year cannot properly be called Fruit they are rather the rudiments of Fruit or something in order to Fruit if they open kindly and knit or set firmly perfect Fruit follows them but if a blast or a frosty Morning kill them no Fruit is to be expected Thus it is here great care therefore ought to be taken about the preservation and success of Convictions both by 1. The Soul it self that is under them 2. And by all others that are concerned about them 1. What care should the Soul it self have upon whom Convictions are wrought Have a care Friends how you quench them divert or hinder the operations of them lest you hinder as much as in you lies the very conception of Christ in your Soul by them I remember it is said in Exod. 21. 22. If Mâ—n strive and hurt a Woman with Child and mischief follow life shall be given for life The life of your Souls is bound up in the life of your Convictions I know it is hard for Men and Women to dwell with their own Convictions guilt and wrath are sad Subjects for Men's thoughts to dwell upon but yet 't is far better to dwell with the thoughts of sin and wrath here than to lye sweltering under them in Hell for ever You may be rid of your Convictions and your Salvation together be not too eager after peace a good Trouble is better than a false Peace And upon the other side beware that your Convictions and Troubles turn not into discouragements to Faith this will cross the proper intention of them They are Christ's knocks for entrance and were never intended to be bars or stumbling blocks in your way to him not stops but steps in your way to Christ. 2ly Let all others that are concerned about convinced Souls beware what Counsels they give and what rules they prescribe lest they render them abortive and destroy all in the bud There are two errors too commonly committed one in excess perswading Souls under trouble of Conscience that there 's no coming for them to Christ unless they be so and so prepared humbled just at such a degree this is dangerous counsel it over-heats the troubles of Conscience and keeps the Soul from its proper present duty and remedy I am sure Paul and Silas took no such course with the convinced Jaylor nor Peter with the three thousand wounded Consciences Acts 2. Nor do I find where God hath stated the time and degree of Spiritual Troubles so that there must be no adresses to Christ in the way of Faith until they have suffered them so long and to such an height If they have imbittered sin to the Soul and made it see the necessity of a Saviour I think they cannot move too soon after Christ in the way of Faith. Let not Men set bounds where God sets none There is another error committed in defect when Promises and Comforts are presently applied before the nature of Faith is known or one act of recumbency put forth towards Christ These hasty comforts come to nothing they will not they cannot stand 'T is a dangerous thing to apply Gospel cordials and pour out the precious ointment of the Promises upon them that were never Heart-sick for sin When upon every sleight trouble which is but as an early dew the peculiar consolations of penitent and believing Souls are hand-over-head applied to them How many such unskilful Empericks are there in every place Such as the Prophet Ieremy complains of They have healed the hurt of the Daughter of my People
solemn Amen So be it or So it shall be To open this Point distinctly we are to consider that there is a threefold presence of Christ 1. Corporeal 2. Represented 3. Spiritual First There is a Corporeal Presence of Christ which the Church once enjoyed on Earth when he went in and out amongst his People Acts 1. 21. When their Eyes saw him and their Hands handled him 1 Iohn 1. 1. This presence was a singular consolation to the Disciples and therefore they were greatly dejected when it was to be removed from them But after Redemption-Work was finished on Earth this Bodily Presence was no longer necessary to be continued in this World but more expedient to be removed to Heaven Iohn 16. 7. as indeed it was and must there abide until the time of the restitution of all things Acts 3. 21. And in this respect he tells the Disciples Iohn 16. 28. leave the World and go to my Father Secondly There is a Represented Presence of Christ in Ordinances As the Person of a King is represented in another Country by his Ambassadors so is Christ in this World by his Ministers 2 cor 5. 26. We then are Ambassadors for God as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be ye reconciled to God. Christ is about other work for us in Heaven but we stand in his stead on Earth And this speaks the great Dignity of the Ministerial Office whatever abuses or contempts are cast on them they reflect upon Christ Luke 10. 16. He that despiseth you despiseth me It also teacheth us whence the validity of Gospel administrations is Christ ratifies and confirms them with his own Authority It also instructs us how Wise Spiritual and Holy Ministers should be who represent Christ to the Word A Drunkard a Persecutor a sensual Worldling is but an ill representative of the blessed and holy Jesus Thirdly Beside and above the two former there is a Spiritual Presence of Christ in the Churches and Ordinances and this Presence of Christ by his Spirit who is his Vicegerent is to be considered as that from which all Gospel Ordinances derive 1. Their Beauty and Glory 2. Their Power and Efficacy 3. Their awful Solemnity 4. Their Continuance and Stability First From the presence of Christ by his Spirit the Ordinances and Churches derive their beauty and glory Psal. 27. 4. To see thy power and thy glory so as I have seen thee in the Sanctuary Look as the beauty of the Body is a result from the Soul that animates it and when the Soul is gone the beauty of the Body is gone also so the beauty and glory of all Ordinances comes and goes with the Spirit of Christ which is the very Soul of them The Churches are indeed golden Candlesticks but the Candlestick hath no light but what the Candle gives it hence that magnificent description of the new Temple is closed up in this expression Ezek. 48. ult The name of that City shall be The Lord is there Secondly From this Spiritual Presence of Christ all Gospel Ordinances derive all that Power and Efficacy which is by them exerted upon the Souls of Men either in their Conversion or Edification This power is not inherent in them nor do they act as natural necessary agents but as instituted means which are successful or unsuccessful according as Christ by his Spirit co-operates with them 1 Cor. 3. 7. He that plants is nothing neither he that watereth but God that giveth the increase that is they are nothing to the purpose nothing to the accomplishment of Mens Salvation without the concurrence of the Spirit of Christ. For when the Apostle makes himself and Apollos with all other Ministers nothing we must understand him speaking not absolutely but comparatively and relatively they are necessary in their places and sufficient in their kind for what they are appointed to else it would be a reflection upon the Wisdom of God that instituted them but singly in themselves and disjunctively considered they are nothing as a Trumpet or wind Instrument is nothing as to its end and use except breath be inspired into it and that breath modulated by the art and skill of the inspirer like Ezekiets Wheels that move not but as the Spirit that was in them moved and directed their motions If Ordinances wrought upon Souls naturally and necessarily as the fire burneth then they could not fail of success upon all that come under them But it is with them as with the Waters of the Pool of Bethesda whose healing vertue was only found at that season when the Angel descended and troubled them Thirdly This Spiritual Presence of Christ gives the Ordinances of the Gospel that awful solemnity which is due upon that account to them The Presence of Christ in them commands reverence from all that are about him God is greatly to be feared in the Assemblies of his Saints and to be had in reverence of all that are round about him Hence is that solemn caution or threatning Levit. 26. 23 24. If you walk contrary unto me then will I also walk contrary unto you the Hebrew word in that Text signifies to walk rashly or at an adventure with God sine personae discrimine without considering with whom we have to do and what an awful Majesty we stand before And the punishment is suitable to the sin I also will walk at an adventure with you making no discrimination in my Judgments betwixt your persons and the persons of the worst of Men. Oh that this were duly considered by all that have to do with God in Gospel institutions Fourthly 'T is the Spiritual Presence of Christ in his Churches and Ordinances that gives them their Continuance and Stability when ever the Spirit of Christ departs from them it will not be long before they depart from us or if they should not their continuance will be little to our advantage When the Glory of the Lord once dismounted from betwixt the Cherubims when that sad voice was heard in the Temple migremus hinc let us go hence how soon was both City and Temple made a desolation And truly Christ's Presence is not so fixed to any Place or any Ordinances but the sins of the people may banish it away Rev. 2. 5. Who will tarry in any place longer than he is welcom if he have any where else to go But more particularly let us here discuss these two points I. How it appears Christ is thus Spiritually Present with his Churches and Ordinances II. Why it is necessary he should be so First By what evidences doth it manifestly appear that there is such a presence of Christ with his Churches and Ordinances And this will appear by two undeniable evidences thereof 1. By their wonderful Preservations 2. From their supernatural Effects First From their wonderful Preservations for it is wholly unaccountable and unconceiveable how the Churches Ministers and Ordinances should be supported and preserved without it
most satisfying of all Come on poor trembling Soul dont be discouraged stretch out the small weak Arms of thy Faith to that great and gracious Redeemer open thy Heart wide to receive him he will not refuse to come in he hath sealed thousands of pardons to as vile Wretches as thy self he never yet shut the door of Mercy upon a willing hungering Soul. It is a great matter to have the Way beaten and the Ice broken before thee in thy way to Christ. If thou wert the first sinner that had cast his Soul upon Christ I confess I should want this encouragement I am now giving thee but when so many have gone before thee and all found a welcom beyond their expectation What incouragement doth this breath into thy trembling discouraged Heart to go on and venture thy self upon Christ as they did what an Example have we in Manasseh 2 Chron. 33. from vers 3. to 12. An Idolater one that used Enchantments and Divinations familiar Spirits shed innocent Blood in the Streets of Ierusalem a Man might rake the World and hardly bring â—o sight a viler Wretch a greater Monster in sin and wickedness yet his Heart being broken and his Will bowed this Man found Mercy How great a sinner was Mary that came to Christ in the House of Simon the Pharisee Luke 7. 39. So notorious a sinner that Simon took offence at Christ for suffering so vile Wretch to come into his presence If this Man were a Prophet saith he he would have known who and what manner of Woman this is that toucheth him for she is a sinner Yet Maries Heart being broken for sin and made willing to accept of a Saviour what a gracious demonstration of welcom did Christ give her and to all other sinners a singular encouragement in her Example Once more you have an eminent Example of the abundant welcom of another sinner to Christ who owned himself for the greatest of Sinners a Persecuter a Blasphemer Injurious but saith he I obtained Mercy 1 Tim. 1. 16. And the Example of his gracious Entertainment with Christ is recorded on purpose for an encouragement unto all that should hereafter believe How many thousands are there now in Hell that never stood guilty of greater enormeties than the Corinthians did Fornicators Idolaters Adulterers Thieves Covetous Drunkards Revilers Extortioners such were some of them yet Sanctified Washed Justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. If ever Christ would have shut the door of Mercy upon any if ever he would have been coy and shy of coming into any Souls certainly these were the Souls he would have disdained to come near O what a demonstration is here of that comfortable Point before us That Christ will not refuse to come into the Soul of the vilest Sinner when ones it is made Heartily willing to open to him IV. Evidence A further Evidence of this comfortable Truth shall be taken from the Scripture resemblances of the abundant Grace of God and riches of Mercy in Christ towards all broken Hearted and willing Sinners There are some chosen resemblances and excellent Emblems which bring down the Grace of God before the very Eyes of Men amongst which I will single out three glorious Resemblances of Free Grace chosen by his Wisdom on purpose for the incouragement of poor drooping Sinners A Resemblance from the Heavens a Resemblance from the Sun and a Resemblance from the Sea all such as the Wisdom of Men and Angels could never have chosen for such a purpose as this is I. A Resemblance from the Heavens those vast extended Heavens that cover and compass this Earth what an inconsiderable spot is the whole Terrestrial Globe to those high and all-surrounding Heavens and yet these Heavens are not at so vast a distance above the Earth as the pardoning Grace of God is above the guilt yea and the very thoughts of poor Sinners For of the pardoning Grace of God to penitent and willing Souls that precious Scripture speaks Isa. 55. 8 9. Let the wicked for sake his way and the unrighteous Man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon O saith the Soul I cannot think God will ever have Mercy on such a Wretch as I why saith he vers 8. My thoughts are not your thoughts and 't is well they are not but as the Heavens are higher than the Earth so are my thoughts higher than your thoughts You cannot take the height nor sound the depth of my pardoning Grace That 's one Emblem from the unconceivable height of the Heavens above the Earth II. Another is taken from the Sun in the Heavens a Creature of admirable Power and Vertue you know that anon this part of the World will be the Throne of Darkness the Sable curtains of the Night will be spread over all the beauties of this part of the Earth and it may be in the Morning a thick Fog or Mist will cover it thick and dark Clouds may darken the Heavens but behold this glorious Creature the Sun chasing before him the darkness of the Night breaking up the Mists and Fogs of the Morning scattering the dark and thick Clouds of Heaven they are all gone and there is no appearance of them Just so saith God shall it be with thy sins and thy Cloudy fears arising out of sin Isa. 44. 22. I have blotted out as a thick Cloud thy transgressions and as a Cloud thy sins Thy Soul is beclouded thy fears have bemisted thee so that thou canst not see the grounds of thine encouragement but my Grace shall arise upon thee like the Sun in the Heavens and scatter all these dismal Clouds both of guilt and fear and make a clear Heaven over thee and a clear Soul within thee Vnto you that fear my Name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing under his wings Mal. 4. 2. III. Another Resemblance you have from the Sea the great Abyss that vast Congregation of Waters whose depth no line can fadom Veer out as much Line as you will you cannot touch the bottom To this unfathomable Ocean the pardoning Grace of God is also resembled Mich. 7. 18 19. Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage he retaineth not his anger for ever because he delighteth in mercy He will turn again he will have compassion upon us he will subdue our iniquities and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the Sea. If the loftiest Pyramid or highest Mountain were cast into the depth of the Sea it would never be seen more by the Eyes of Men. God hath on purpose chosen this Emblem of his Grace to obviate that common discouragement of Satan taken from the greatness and aggravation of sin and in that case thou art to make use of them and bless the Lord for them he
safety and security lyes in drawing nigh to God Psal. 73. 27 28. They that are far from thee shall perish But it is good for me to draw near to God. 'T is good indeed not only the good of comfort but the good of safety is in it Deut. 33. 12. The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him You know the gracious presence of God is your shield and safety and if you will have the Lord thus present with you in all your fears straights and dangers see that you keep near to him in the Duties of communion For the Lord is with you whilst you are with him 2 Chron. 15. 2. XII Excellency 'T is the Honour of the Soul and the greatest honour that ever God conferr'd on any creature 't is the glory of the holy Angels in Heaven to be always beholding the face of God Matth. 18. 10. Oh! that God should admit poor dust and ashes unto such a nearness to himself To walk with a King and have frequent converse with him puts a great deal of honour upon a Subject but the Saints walk with God so did Enoch so do all the Saints 1 John 1. 3. Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Christ Iesus They have liberty and access with confidence the Lord as it were delivers them the golden key of prayer by which they may come into his presence on all occasions with the freedom of Children to a Father XIII Excellency 'T is the Instrument of mortification and the most excellent and successful instrument for that purpose in all the World Gal. 5. 16. This I say then Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfil the works of the flesh Walking in the Spirit is the same thing with walking in communion with God. Now saith the Apostle if you thus walk in the Spirit in the acting of faith love and obedience throughout the course of holy duties the effect of this will be that ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh he doth not say You shall not feel the motions of sin in you or temptations to sin assaulting you but he saith you shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh sin shall not have dominion over you this will let out the life-blood of sin A temptation overcome this way is more effectually subdued than by all the vows resolutions and external means in the World as a Candle that is blown out with a puff of breath may be rekindled by another puff but if it be quencht in water 't is not so easily lighted again So it is here you never find that power or success in temptations when your hearts are up with God in the exercises of faith and love as you do when your hearts hang loose from him and dead towards him The Schoolmen assign this as one reason why the Saints in Heaven are impeccable no sin can fasten upon them because say they they there enjoy the beatifical vision of God. This is sure the more communion any man hath with God on Earth the freer he lives from the power of his corruptions XIV Excellency 'T is the Kernel of all Duties and Ordinances Words gestures c. are but the integuments husks and shells of Duties Communion with God is the sweet Kernel the pleasant and nourishing food which lies within them you see the fruits of the Earth are covered and defended by husks shells and such like integuments within which lye the pleasant kernels and grains and that 's the food The Hypocrite who goes no farther than the externals of Religion is therefore said to feed of Ashes Isa. 44. 20. to spend his mony for that which is not bread and his labour for that which satisfieth not Isa. 55. 2. He feeds but upon husks in which there is little pleasure or nourishment what a poor house doth a Hypocrite keep Words Gestures Ceremonies of Religion will never fill the Soul but communion with God is substantial nourishment My Soul saith David shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness whilst I think and meditate on thee Psal. 63. 5 6. It would grieve ones heart to think what airy things many Souls satisfie themselves with feeding like Ephraim upon the wind well contented if they can but shuffle over a few heartless empty duties whilst the Saints feed upon this hidden Manna are feasted as it were with Angels food XV. Excellency 'T is the Light of the Soul in darkness and the pleasantest light that ever shone upon the Soul of Man There 's many a Soul which walketh in darkness some in the darkness of ignorance and unbelief the most dismal of all darkness except that in Hell. There are others who are Children of light in a state of reconciliation yet walk in the darkness of outward afflictions and inward desertions and temptations but as soon as ever the light of Gods countenance shines upon the Soul in the duties of communion with him that darkness is dissipated and scattered 't is all light within him and round about him Psal. 34. 5. They looked unto him and were enlightned they looked there is faith acted in Duty and were enlightned there 's the sweet effect of Faith. The horrors and troubles of gracious Souls shrink away upon the rising of this chearful light as wild Beasts come out of their Dens in the darkness of the night and shrink back again into them when the Sun ariseth Psal. 104. 20 21 22. So do the fears and inward troubles of the people of God when this light shines upon their Souls Nay more this is a light which scatters the very darkness of death it self It was the saying of a worthy Divine of Germany upon his death-bed when his Eye-sight was gone being askt how it was within Why said he though all be dark about me yet pointing as well as he could to his brest hiâ—sat lucis here is light enough XVI Excellency 'T is Liberty to the straightned Soul and the most comfortable and excellent liberty in the whole World. He only walks at liberty that walks with God Psal. 119. 45. I will walk at liberty for I seek thy precepts Wicked men cry out of bands and cords in Religion they look upon the duties of goldliness as the greatest bondage and thraldom in the whole World Psal. 2. 3. Let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us q. d. Away with this strictness and precisness it extinguishes the joy and pleasure of our lives give us our Cups instead of Bibles our prophane Songs instead of Spiritual Psalms our Sports and Past-times instead of Prayers and Sermons Alas poor creatures how do they dance in their shackles and chains When in reality the sweetest liberty is enjoyed in those Duties at which they thus snuff The Law of Christ is the Law of Liberty the Soul of man never enjoys more Liberty than when it is bound with the strictest bands of Duty to God. Here 's liberty from enthralling lusts
â—ffigies of Iohn Flavell Aetatis suoe 59 AnÌ„o Dom 1689. Englands Duty Under the Present GOSPEL LIBERTY FROM Revel III. vers 20. Wherein is Opened The Admirable Condescension and Patience of Christ in waiting upon trifling and obstinate Sinners The wretched State of the Vnconverted The nature of Evangelical Faith with the Difficulties Tryals and Means thereof The Riches of Free-grace in the offers of Christ Pardon and Peace to the worst of Sinners The invaluable Priviledges of Vnion and Communion granted to all that receive him and the great Duty of opening to him at the present Knocks and Calls of the Gospel with the danger of neglecting these Loud and it may be last Knocks and Calls of Christ discovered By Iohn Flavell Preacher of the Gospel at Dartmouth in Devon. Rom. II. 4. Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance London Printed for Matthew Wotton at the Three Daggers near the Inner-Temple Gate in Fleetstreet 1689. Licensed Septemb. 29 th 1688. AN EPISTLE TO THE READER Candid Reader THE following Discourse comes to thy hand in that Native plainness wherein it was Preached I was conscienciously unwilling to alter it because I found by experience the Lord had blessed and prosper'd it in that dress far beyond any other composures on which I had bestowed more pains Let it not be censured as vanity or ostentation that I here acknowledge the goodness of God in leading me to and blessing my poor Labours upon this Subject Who and what am I that I should be continued and again employed in the Lords Harvest and that with success and encouragment when so many of my Brethren with their much richer Furnitures of Gifts and Graces have in my time been called out of the Vineyard and are now silent in the Grave 'T is true they enjoy what I do not and 't is as true I am capable of doing some Services for God which they are not In Preaching these Sermons I had many occasions to reflect upon the mystical sense of that Scripture Amos 9. 13. The Plow-man shall overtake the Reaper and the Treader of Grapes him that soweth Seed Sowing and Reaping time trod so close upon one another that in all humility I speak it to the praise of God it was the busiest and blessedst time I ever saw since I first Preached the Gospel England hath now a day of special Mercy There is a wide door of opportunity opened to it O that it might prove an effectual door 'T is transporting and astonishing that after all the high and horrid provocations the Atheism Prophaness and bitter enmity against Light and Reâ—ormation this sweet Voice is still heard in England Behold I stand at the door and knock The Mercies and Liberties of this day are a new Tryal obtained for us by our potent Advocate in the Heavens If we bring forth fruit well if not the Ax lieth at the root of the Tree Let us not be secure Jerusalem was the City of the great King The seat of his Worship and Symbols of his presence were fixed there It was the joy of the whole Earth the House of Prayer for all Nations thither the Tribes went up to Worship the Tribes of the Lord unto the Testimony of Israel For there were set Thrones of Iudgment the Thrones of the House of David Psal. 122. 4 5. These priviledges she enjoyed through the succession of many Ages and had ramained the glory of all Nations to this day had she known and improved in that day the things that belonged to her peace but they neglected their season rejected their mercies and miserably perished in their sins for there ever was and will be found an inseparable connection betwixt the final rejection of Christ and the destruction of the Rejecters Matth. 22. 5 6 7. The contemplation whereof drew those compassionate Tears from the Redeemers eyes when he beheld it in his descent from the Mount of Olives Luke 19. 41 42. Let all that are wise in Heart henceforth depose their animosities sadly reflect on their past follies encourage and assist the Labours of their Brethren in the Lords Harvest and rejoyce that God hath set them at liberty by Law whose assistance in so great an opportunity is so necessary and desirable It is against the Laws of Wisdom and Charity to envy the Liberty and much more the Success of our Brethren 1 Cor. 13. 4. If the Workmen contend and scuffle in a catching Harvest who but the owner suffers damage by it If after so miraculous recent and common a Salvation as this we still retain our old prejudices and bitter envyings if we smite with the Pen and Tongue when we cannot with the Hand and study to blast the Reputations and Labours of our Brethren and still hate those we cannot hurt In a word if we still bite and devour one another we shall be devoured one of another let us not lay the fault upon others we our selves have been the Authors and Instruments of our own ruin and this must be the inscription upon our Toomb-stone O England thou hast Destroyed thy Self I am more afraid of the rooted enmity and fixed prejudices that are to be found in many against holiness and the serious Professors of it and inflexible obstinacy and dead formality in many others the tokens of a tremendous infatuation than I am of all the whispered fears from other Hands or common Enemies upon our borders To prevent these mischiefs and promote zeal and unanimity among the Ministers of the Gospel I have presumed to address to them in the following Epistle I judged it necessary on several reasons to write it in Latin as what allowed me a greater freedom of expression than might seem convenient in the common Language I am conscious of my own unworthiness to be their Monitor and of the defects their Iudicious Eyes will easily discern in the style wherein it is written and yet can promise my self a becoming reception of what is so faithfully seasonably and honestly designed for their good I am satisfied that no candid and ingenuous Person will put Words upon the Rack quarrel a Similitude or expose a Trifle when he finds the design Honest and the matter Good and Necessary As to the Treatise it self thou wilt find it a Persuasive to open thy Heart to Christ. Thy Soul Reader is a magnificent Structure built by Christ such stately Rooms as thy Vnderstanding Will Conscience and Affections are too good for any other to Inhabit If thou be in thy Vnregenerate state then he solemnly demands in this Text admission into the Soul he made by the consent of the Will which if thou refuse to give him then Witness is taken that Christ once more demanded entrance into thy Soul which he made and was denied it If thou hast opened thy Heart to him thou wilt I hope meet somewhat in this Treatise that will clear thy
a draught When they Shall flee as a Cloud and as the Doves to their Windows God now opens a door of opportunity beyond expectation Oh that the Hearts of Ministers and People were suitably enlarged and the People made willing in the day of his Power Fourth Inference Hence we also infer the great dignity of the ministerial Office and the suitable respect and honour due to all Christs faithful Ministers The Lord Jesus himself is represented by them they stand in his stead 2 Cor. 5. 20. his authority is clothed upon them the honours and dishonours given them redounds to the person of Christ Luke 10. 16. The Galathians received Paul as an Angel of Gold even as Christ Jesus Gal. 4. 14. Yet how have their Persons and Office been vilified and despised in this degenerate age How many Learned Pious Laborious Peaceful Ministers of Christ have in this age been hunted up and down the World as wild Beasts been made the filth and off-scouring of all things unto this day I Cor. 4. 13. The Word signifies that dirt and filth which Scavengers rake together in the Streets to be carried to the Dunghil No doubt but Satan drives a great design in this to invalidate their Ministry discourage their Labours and break their Hearts but Jesus Christ will support us under all these abuses wipe off the dirt thrown at us for his Name sake and reserve some of us for better days Fifth Inference Is Christ Present in his Ordinances what a strong engagement then lyes upon you all to attend and wait assiduously upon the Ministry of the Word and to bring all yours that are capable there to wait upon Christ with you We read in the days of Christs flesh when he performed his miraculous Cures upon the Sick what thronging there was after him how Parents brought their Children Masters their Servants pressing in multitudes untyling the House to let down their Sick to him Luke 12. 1. Ah shall Men be so earnest for a Cure for their Bodies and so indifferent for their Souls 'T is true the Spirit of Christ is not tied by any necessity to act always with the World he acts as an arbitrary Agent Iohn 13. 8. The Wind bloweth where it listeth but it is engagement enough to wait continually upon his Ordinances that he sometimes graciously and effectually concurreth with them 'T is good to lye in the way of the Spirit and there is a blessing pronounced upon them that wait continually at his Gates Prov. 8. 34. Oh therefore neglect no season within your reach who knows but that may be the season of Life to thy Soul Sixth Inference What an unspeakable loss is the loss of the Gospel seeing the Presence of Christ comes and goes with it When the Gospel departs the Spirit of Christ departs with it from among Men no more conversions in Gods ordinary way are then to be expected well therefore might the Lord say in Hosea 9. 12. Wo to them when I depart from them The Spirit may in some sense depart whilst the Ordinances are left standing for a time among the People but then expect no such blessings or benefits from them But when God takes away Ordinances and Spirit too wo indeed to that People and are there not Sins amongst us presaging such a Judgment Oh England reflect upon thy barrenness under it where be the fruits answerable to such precious means The Gospel is a golden Lamp the graces of the Spirit communicated by it are golden Oyl as in that stately vision Zach. 4. will God maintain such a lamp fed with such precious Oyl for men to trifle and play by And no less ominous and portentous is that bitter enmity to the Gospel and the serious professors of it which I cannot speak without horror is every where found among us this great hatred brings on the days of visitation and the days of recompence with a swift and dreadful motion upon any people Hosea 9. 7. Seventh Inference If Christ be present by way of Spirit and energy in his Ordinances then there is no reason to despair of the Conversion and Salvation of the greatest of sinners that yet lye dead under the Gospel What though their Hearts be hard their Understandings dark and their Wills never so perverse and obstinate all must give way and open in the day of Christs power when his Spirit joyns himself with the Word This makes it an irresistable Word 't is glorious to observe the hearts of Publicans and Harlots opening and yielding to the voice of Christ Matth. 21. 31. What were those three thousand persons prickt at the Heart by Peters Sermon Acts 2. 36. but the very Men that with wicked Hands had crucified the Lord Jesus And what were the converted Corinthians but Idolaters turned from dumb Idols 1 Cor. 12. 2. Whoremongers Adulterers Effeminate c. 1 Cor. 6. 11. God hath his elect among the vilest of Men The Gospel will find them out and draw them home to Christ when the Spirit of Christ animates and blesseth it Well might the Apostle therefore say that the Gospel preached with the Holy Ghost sent down from Heaven is an object worthy for Angels to behold with admiration 1 Pet. 1. 12. What though Satan have strongly fortified their Souls against Christ with ignorance prejudice and enmity yet the weapons of our warfare are mighty through God to pull down these strong holds Despair not therefore of your carnal and dead hearted relations bring them to the Gospel upon the encouragement of these words of Christ Ioh. 5. 25. The hour cometh yea and now is that the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and they that hear it shall live Eighth Inference Is Christ Spiritually present in his Ordinances oh then what an indeared affection should every gracious Soul bear to the Ordinances of God! They are the walks of Christ and his Spirit the appointed times and places for your meeting and Communion with him there your Souls first met with Christ there you began your acquaintance with him there you have had many sweet converses with him since that day they were the seed of your regeneration 1 Pet. 1. 23. The bread of life by which your Souls have been sustained ever since and therefore to be more esteemed by you than your necessary food Iob 23. 12. Here you have found the richest Cordials to revive and recover your drooping Spirits when ready to sink away in a faint fit under sin within you and afflictions upon you Psal. 119. 50. No wonder Davids Soul even fainted for the Courts of God and that Hezekiah desired a sign on his sick bed that he should go up to the House of the Lord. Here are the choicest comforts of the Saints upon Earth all our fresh springs are in Zion Psal. 87. 7. What a dungeon what a barren Wilderness were this World without them Prize the Ordinances love the Ordinances wait assiduously upon the Ordinances and pray for the
the Soul of Man against Christ is Ignorance that obex infernalis that hellish Bolt which effectually keeps Christ out of the Soul. If Knowledge be the Key that opens the Heart to Christ as its plain it is from Luke 11. 52. where Christ denounceth a wo to them that took away the Key of Knowledge then Ignorance must needs be the shutter that makes fast the door of the Heart against Christ. Upon this ground Christ told the Woman of Samaria Iohn 4. 10. that her Infideliâ—y grew upon the root of her Ignorance If thou 〈◊〉 the gift of God and who it is that saith to thee Give me to drink thou wouldst have asked of him and he would have given thee living water Ah sinners did you but know what a Christ he is that is offered to your Souls in the Gospel did you see his beauty fulness and suitablness and feel your own necessities of him all the World could not keep you from him You would break through all reproaches all sufferings all self-denials to come into the enjoyment of him But alas it is with you as it was with those Cant. 5. 9. What is thy beloved say they to the Spouse more than another beloved that thou dost so charge us Unknown excellencies attract not Ignorance is Satans Scepter which he sways over all his Kingdom of darkness and holds his Vassals in miserable bondage to him Hence the Devils are called The rulers of the darkness of this World Ephes. 6. 12. Alas were the Eyes of sinners but opened to see their woful state and their remedy in Christ he could never hold them in subjection one day longer they would break away from under his cruel Government and run over by Thousands to Christ for so they do as soon as ever God opens their Eyes in the same hour they are turned from darkness to light they are also turned from the power of Satan to God Acts 28. 16. Oh that you did but know the worth of your Souls the dreadful danger they are in and the fearfâ—l wrath that hangs over them the willingness and ability of Christ to save them you could not sleep one night longer in the state you are The next cry would be what shall I do to be saved Who will shew me the way to Christ Help Ministers help Christians yea help Lord these would be the laments and cries of them that are now secure and quiet but the God of this World hath blinded the Eyes of them that believe not No cries for a Phisitian because no sense how their Souls are stabbed by sins of commission and starved by sins of omission Oh that the great Physitian would once apply his excellent eye-salve to your understandings which are yet darkned with gross ignorance both of your misery and remedy The Second Bar. The Second Bar or Lock that shuts Christ out of Mens Souls is the sin of Vnbelief this is one of the strongest holds of Satan wherein he trusteth this is a sin that not only locks up the Heart of a sinner but also binds up the Hand of a Saviour Matth. 13. 58. He could do no mighty works there because of their unbelief It obstructed his miraculous Works when he was on Earth and it obstructs his gracious Works now he is in Heaven A Saviour is come into the World but poor Unbeliever thy Soul can neither have Union nor Communion with him till this Bar of thy unbelief be removed The Gospel is come among us with mighty Arguments to convince and powerful Motives to perswade but little saving effect follows its main design is to many frustrated and all this through unbelief shutting up and hardning Mens hearts under it The Word preached did not profit them because of their unbelief Heb. 4. 2. Ah cursed Bar Which shuts up thy Heart shuts out thy Saviour and will effectually shut thee out of Heaven except the Almighty power of God break it asunder They could not enter in because of unbelief The ruin of Souls is laid at the Door of unbelief t is the damning sin Mark 16. 16. and truly called so because no other sin could damn but in the vertue of this sin That 's the Second Bar to Christ. Third Bar. The Third Bar denying entrance to Christ into the hearts of sinners is Pride and stoutness of Spirit The natural Heart is a proud Heart it lives upon its own stock it cannot stoop to a sincere and universal renunciation of its own righteousness Rom. 10. 3. Being ignorant of the righteousness of God and going about to establish their own righteousness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they have not submitted to the righteousness of God. Pride stiffens the Will that it cannot stoop or condescend to declare their own emptiness discover their own shame and live wholly upon the righteousness of another Proud nature had as live be damned as deny it self in such appoint as this is this makes Faith so exceeding difficult because it involves such deep points of self-denial in it to give up all to Christ to draw all from Christ and to be willing to part with all for Christ what Will can be brought to a deliberate consent to such things as these unless an omnipotent Power bow it 'T is natural to Men rather to eat a brown crust or wear a course ragged garment which they can call their own than to feed upon the richest dainties or wear the costliest garments which they must receive as an alms or gift from another Oh how hard is it to subdue this pride of the Heart even after light and conviction is come into the Soul to convince Men of their undone condition and the absolute necessity of an other and higher righteousness than their own When Souls are in a treaty with Christ and the match is almost made this is the sin that makes the last opposition Feign would they come to Christ ten thousand Worlds for a Christ but yet they think they must not approach him without some qualifications which are yet wanting But Soul if ever Christ and thou conclude the match thou must deny Self even in this the most refined form and interest of it and come as Abraham did naked and empty handed to him that justifieth the ungodly Down with this House-Idol thy self thy righteous self trimmed up like another Agag with such specious pretences of humility Fourth Bar. The fourth Bar forbiding Christs entrance into the Soul is custom in sin Sin hath so fixed it self by long continuance in the Soul the Soul is so setled and confirmed in its course that all arguments and perswasions to change our way are swept away by the power of custom as straws and feathers are by the rapid course of a mighty torrent Ier. 13. 23. Can the Aethiopian change his skin or the Leopard his spots then may ye also do good that are accustomed to do evil Soap and Nitre may as soon make a Blackmoor white or fetch the spots out of the Leopards
Ah sinner how canst thou grieve and dishonour that God that thus feedeth clotheth and comforteth thee on every side Do you thus requite the Lord O foolish people and unwise Yet all will not do neither Judgments nor Mercies can affright or allure the carnal Heart to Jesus Christ. T is his Spirit his Almighty power alone that opens these everlasting Gates and makes these strong Bars give way and fly at his voice I. Inference Behold here the dismal state of nature the woful condition of all unregenerate Souls Christ the Redeemer shut out Sin and Satan shut in This is the horrid state of nature shut up in unbelief Rom. 4. 32. Ah Lord what a condition is this We should certainly account it an unspeakable misery to be shut into a House haunted by the Devil where we should be continually scared and frighted with dreadful noises and apparitions but alas what is an apparition of the Devil without us to the inhabitation of the Devil within us Nay what is the possession of a Body to Satans possession of the Soul Yet this is the very case of the unregenerate Luke 11. 21. The strong Man armed keepeth the Palace till Christ dispossess him by Sovereign victorious Grace Poor wretch canst thou start at a supposed vision of a Spirit and not tremble to think that thy Soul is the habitation of Devils There is a twofold misery lying upon all Christless unregenerated persons Satan is 1. Their Ruler in this World. 2. Their Tormenter in that to come 1. He is their Ruler in this World the Spirit that now worketh in the Children of disobedience Ephes. 2. 3. Look as the holy Spirit of God dwells and rules in sanctified Souls walks in them as in hallowed Temples guiding and comforting the Souls of the Saints so Satan dwells in unregenerate Hearts actuating their lusts inflaming them with his temptations using their faculties and members as instruments of unrighteousness And then 2ly He will be their Tormenter in the World to come He that Tempts now will Torment then Matth. 25. 41. Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels Flee therefore and escape for your lives sleep not quietly another Night in so dismal and dreadful estate If the Son make you free then are you free indeed II. Inference What a glorious and admirable effect of Sovereign omnipotent grace is the effectual conversion of a sinner unto God! If every Heart by nature be secured for Satan under so many Locks and Bars then the opening of any Heart to Christ is deservedly marvellous in our Eyes You all acknowledge that the opening of the Graves at the Resurrection will be a glorious display of Almighty power and so it will it will be a wonderful thing to behold the Graves opened and the dead raised at the voice of the Arch-angel and the trump of God but yet give me leave to say That the opening of thy Heart poor sinner to receive Christ is a more glorious work than that of raising the dead It is therefore deservedly put into the first rank of the great mysteries of godliness that Christ is believed on in the World 1 Tim. 3. 16. He that well views and considers Christ may justly wonder that all the Hearts in the enlightned World do not stand wide open to embrace him and he that shall consider the frame and temper of the natural Heart and how strongly Satan hath intrenched and fortified himself in it may justly wonder to hear of a work of Conversion in an age Oh Brethren consider the marvels of Conversion the wonderful works of God upon the Soul that opens unto Christ by Faith. 1. There 's a new Eye created in the mind The Son of God is come and hath given us an understanding that we may know him that is true 1 John 5. 20. Oh that Eye That precious Eye of Faith which shews the Soul as it were a new World a World of new and ravishing objects Eph. 5. 8. All the Angels in Heaven Ministers and Libraries upon Earth cannot create such an Eye give such an Illumination t is only he that commanded the light to shine out of the darkness that thus shineth into our Hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Iesus Christ 2 Cor. 4. 6. 2ly And what a glorious supernatural Work is the conviction of the Conscience by the powerful stroak of the saving beams of light upon it Now the Conscience that lay in a dead sleep begins to startle and look about it with fear and horror Life and sense is got into it and now it cries ah sick sick sick at the Heart for sin sick for a Saviour 3ly And no less marvelous an effect of the Almighty power is the bowing of the stuborn Will so efficaciously so congruously and so determinately and fixedly to the Lord Jesus The Will is efficaciously determined so as no power of Hell or Nature can resist or frustrate that Mighty power which worketh effectually in all them that believe 1 Thes. 2. 13. Yet it works not by way of compulsion but in a way congruous and agreeable to the nature of the Will Hosea 11. 4. I drew them with the cords of a Man with the bands of love Satan bids for the Soul Christ infinitely outbids all his offers Eternal Spiritual and unsearchable Riches instead of sensitive perishing enjoyments which determin the choice of the Will in its own natural method by the sight of the excelling glory of Spiritual things And thus the mighty supernatural power of God opens that Heart which Satan had secured so many ways against Christ. III. Inference Hence it also follows that Man hath no free will of his own to supernatural good The Will cannot by its own power open it self to receive Christ by faith When it doth open to him it is not virtute innata sed illata not by its natural power but by the power of God upon it The admirers of Nature talk much of the Sovereignty Virginity and Liberty of the Will as if it alone had escaped the fall and that no more but a moral swasion is needed to open it to Christ that is that God need do no more to save Men than the Devil doth to damn them But if ever God make you sensible what the work of â—aving Conversion is you will quickly find that your Will is lame its freedom to Spiritual things gone you will cry out of a wounded Will as well as of a dark Head and a hard Heart You will quickly find That it is God alone that worketh in you both to will and to do of his own good pleasure Phil. 2. 13. That the birth of the new Creature is not of the Will of Man but of God Iohn 1. 13. IV. Inference Learn hence the necessity of Conversion in order to Salvation Christ and Heaven are shut up against you till your hearts be savingly opened unto him
him with his cross of sufferings and his yoak of obedience Matth. 16. 24. Matth. 11. 29. An exception against either of these is an effectual Bar to thy Union with Christ he looks upon that Soul as not worthy of him that puts in such an exception Matth. 10. 38. If thou judgest not Christ worth all sufferings all losses all reproaches he judges thee unworthy to bear the name of his Disciple So for the duties of Obedience called his yoke he that will not receive Christs yoke can never receive his Person nor any benefit by his Blood. V. Mark. Every Heart that opens sincerely and Evangelically to Christ opens to him in deep humility and sense of its emptiness and unworthiness all self-righteousness is given up as dung and dross thus Abraham came unto him as to one that justifieth the ungodly Rom. 4. 5. Now unto him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly his faith is accounted for righteousness Yea here 's the true way of Justification indeed where the imputed righteousness of Christ comes all self-righteousness vanishes before it By him that worketh not understand not an idle lazy believer that takes no care of the duties of obedience no no an idle Faith can never be a saving Faith but the meaning is he worketh not in a Law sense to the ends and intentions of the first Covenant to make up a righteousness to himself by his own working to cover himself-with a robe of righteousness of his own spinning and weaving a home-made Cloth no not a rag of that Thou must receive Christ into an empty naked unworthy Soul or not receive him at all Blessed Paul heartily rejected all his own righteousness cast down that House-Idol to the ground that he might be found in the imputed righteousness of Christ Phil. 3. 8. cast that Idol out of door it stands in the way of a better righteousness There be diverse ways wherein sinners maintain their own righteousness to their own ruin there is a gross and more refined self-righteousness the one more palpable and easily liable to conviction the other much harder to be discovered and cured Ask some Men upon what their hopes of Salvation are grounded And they will tell you they are just in their dealings with Men and constant in their prayers to God that 's all and therefore they doubt not of their Salvation Thus they substitute a righteousness of their own in the room of Christ's blood and are their own destroyers by seeking this way to be their own Saviours But then there is a more refined way of self-righteousness drest up with such pretences of humility that Men are hardly to be convinced of it I pitty many poor Souls upon this account who stand off from Christ dare not believe because they want such and such qualifications to fit them for Christ. O saith one could I find so much brokenness of Heart for sin so much reformation and power over corruptions then I could come to Christ the meaning of which is this if I could bring a price in my Hand to purchase him then I should be in couraged to go unto him Here now lyes horrible pride covered over with a vail of great humility Poor sinner either 〈◊〉 naked and empty-handed according to Isa. 55. 1. Rom. 4. 5. or expect a repulse for Christ is not the Sale but the Gift of God. VI. Mark. Lastly Whatever Soul opens savingly to Christ it opens finally and everlastingly to him the Heart once opened to Christ must stand open for ever to him never to shut out Christ any more And here is a very observable difference betwixt a Man that comes to Christ in a suddain fright of Conscience and parts with him again when that fright is over and a Man that receiveth Christ not to sojourn but to dwell in his Heart by Faith Eph. 3. 17. when Christ comes into the Heart he saith Here will I dwell for ever and Lord saith the Soul So I receive thee this is the day of union O let me never know a day of separation let it never be in the power of Life or Death Angels Principalities or Powers things present or to come to make a separation between thee and me Soul saith Christ thou shalt be mine whilst I am in Heaven and Lord saith the Soul I will be thine whilst I am on Earth I will never leave thee nor forsake thee saith Christ Oh my Lord saith the Soul hold me fast in thy Hand that I may never leave nor forsake thee my Estate Liberty and Life may and must go but it is in the fixed purpose of my Heart never never to let thee go The espousals betwixt Christ and the Soul are for ever Hos. 2. 19. I will betroth thee unto me for ever yea for ever and here lyes another great difference betwixt the Hipocrite that takes Christ with a politick reserve that will venture with Christ at Sea no farther than he can see the shore and the upright Heart that imbarks it self with Christ without reserves come what will that saith to him as Ittai to David when perswaded to go back in a time of danger nay saith he where my Lord Jesus Christ is whether it be in Liberty or in Prison in Life or in Death there also will I be Flesh may perswade to a retreat nay saith the Soul I cannot retreat but where-ever the truths of Christ the interest and glory of Christ are there also must I be for upon these terms I first received him and opened the door of my Heart to him These things are no surprises to me Christ and I have debated them long ago he delt fairly with me and I must deal faithfully with him Now Brethren view over these six Tryals Have your Eyes been opened to see sin in its vileness Christ in his beauty and necessity Have your Hearts been prick'd and wounded with compunction and sorrow for sin Are the loves and delights of sin gone out of your Souls Have you no exceptions either to the cross or yoke of Christ Have you given up all your own righteousness whether gross or refined for dung and dross and received Christ for ever Then thy Heart is savingly opened to him Fourth Use. The last Use that closeth this Point will be Consolation to all those whose Hearts the Lord hath thus opened to receive Christ at his knocks and calls of the Gospel Hath God indeed opened any of your Hearts and made you sincerely willing to receive Christ then there are ten sweet Consolations like so many boxes of precious oyntment to be poured forth in the close of this discourse upon every such Soul. And I. Consolation The first shall be this the opening of any Mans Heart to receive Christ is a clear solid Scripture evidence of the Lords eternal love to and setting apart that Man for himself from all eternity I do not say that every Man whose Heart is opened by Faith is thereupon immediately assured
long-suffering le ts not loose his Hand to cut them off All sins are not of one size some have a slighter tincture and some a deeper called upon that account Scarlet and Crimson sins Isa. 1. 18. double dyed abominations sins in Grain such are sins against knowledge sins committed after Convictions and Covenants and rebukes of Providence I do not only speak of outward gross acts of sin for as the School-men well determine though outwards sins are sins of greater infamy yet inward sins may be sins of greater guilt Even those sins that never took air to defame thee in the World but whatever they be Reader whether outward or inward thy Conscience is privy to them and thy Soul may stand amazed at the Patience of God in forbearing thee all this while under such Provocations and horrid Rebellions against him especially considering how many there be this day in Hell that never provoked God by sinning with such a high Hand as thou hast done III. Evidence Thirdly It is yet a greater Evidence of the Patience of God in bearing with and forbearing us under the guilt of that special sin viz. The slighting and neglecting of Jesus Christ Here 's a sin that goes to the very Heart of Jesus Christ he can bear any other sin rather than that and yet this hath Christ born from every Soul of you You are the Men and Women that have sputned at the yearning bowels of his Mercies slighted his Grace trampled his precious Blood under Foot and yet hath he forborn you unto this day read Matth. 22. 5 and let thy Conscience answer whether thou art not equally deep in the guilt of making light of Christ with those wretches upon whom it is there charged Christ hath suffered the wrath of God in thy room brought home Salvation in Gospel offers to thy door and then to be slighted no Patience but his own could bear it Every Sermon and Prayer you have fat under with a dead Heart every motion of his Spirit which you have quencht what is this but the making light of Christ and the great Salvation Here the deepest project of infinite Wisdom and the richest gift of free-grace wherein God commends his love to Men are vilely undervalued as small things and thus have you done days without number and yet his Hand is not stretched out to cut thee off in thy Rebellion Who is a God like unto thee What Patience like the Patience of Christ IV. Evidence Fourthly The length of time the Patience of Christ hath endured thee speaks the perfection and riches of his Patience towards thee Consider sinner what Age thou art of how many Years thou canst Number and that all this hath been a time of Patience for thou wast a transgressor from the Womb Isa. 48. 8 9. yet for his Name sake hath he deferr'd his anger and hath not cut thee off How soon did the wrath of God break forth upon the Angels when they had sinned in Heaven And how long hath it born with thee whilst thou hast been provoking him on Earth Was there ever Patience like the Patience of God! Many thousands have been sent away to Hell fince thy day but thou art yet spared Oh that the long-suffering of God might be Salvation to thee V. Evidence Fifthly T is a great Evidence of the power of Divine Patience that may be drawn from the grievousness of our sins to God during the whole time of his forbearance T is true there is no proper passion in the Divine Nature no real perturbation his anger is a mild and holy flame yet the contrariety of sin to the holyness of his Nature is what makes his patience miraculous in the Eyes of Men The Scripture speaking in a condescending Language to the understanding of the creature represents God as wounded to the Heart by the sins of Men so in Ezek. 6. 9. I am broken with their whorish Heart which hath departed from me and Amos 2. 13. Behold I am pressed under you as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves when the Axel-tree is ready to crack under the load and 2 Chron. 36. 16 't is said The wrath of the Lord arose against his people till there was no remedy his Patience would bear no longer and therefore when he executes his wrath upon provoking sinners that execution is represented in the nature of an ease or relief to his burdened Patience and Justice Isa. I. 24. Ah saith he I will ease me of my enemies and avenge me of my adversaries Yet observe it comes in with an ah with a kind of regret and reluctancy so in Isa. 1â— 25. Yet a very little while and the indignation shall cease and my anger in their destruction God could have given ease and rest this way to his anger long ago but he chuses rather still to bear with thee than on these terms to ease himself of thee VI. Evidence Sixthly The vast expences of his riches and bounty upon us during the whole time of his for bearance and patience towards us speaks him unconceivable and infinite in his long-suffering towards us Rom. 2. 4 5. Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance q. d. Vile sinner canst thou compute the treasures of bounty and goodness thou hast been riotously spending and wasting all this while Dost thou know what vast sums Christ hath spent upon thee to preserve thee so long out of Hell There be two Treasures spending upon sinners all the time of Gods forbearance of them there 's the precious Treasure of thy Time wasted and the invaluable streams of Gospel Grace running all this while at the waste Spout thy Time is precious the Whole of thy Time which is betwixt thee and Eternity is but little and the most thereof has been wasted in sin and cast away upon vanity but that 's not all the Treasures of Gospel Grace have been wasting all this while upon thee In Zach. 4. 12. it is compared to Golden Oyl maintaining the Lamps of Ordinances so it is set forth to us in that stately Emblem Who would maintain a Lamp with Golden Oyl for wanton Children to play by yet this hath God done while thy soul hath dallied and trifled with him The Witnesses or Ministers of Christ in Rev. 11. 3 4. are compared to those Olive-Trees that drop their precious Oyl their Gifts Graces yea and their natural Spirits with them into this Lamp to keep it burning all this while the Blood of Christ hath been running in vain the Ministers of Christ preaching and beseeching in vain the Spirit of Christ striving with you in vain You burn away Golden Oyl and yet your Lamp is not gone out Oh Marvelous Patience Oh the riches of Gods Forbearance VII Evidence Lastly The riches of Divine Patience towards you are greatly heightned and aggravated by the quick dispatch the Lord hath made of other sinners whilst
he hath spared and pashover you This comparative consideration calls upon you in the Apostles language Rom. 11. 22. Behold the goodness and severity of God on them which felt severity but towards thee goodness if thou continue in his goodness otherwise thou also shalt be cut off Some sinners have been cut off in the beginning of their days many in the very acts of sin and those not greater than thy sins they are gone to their own place and thou still left for a Monument of the Patience and Forbearance of God. The sin of Achan was not a greater sin than thy Coveteousness and the Earthliness of thy Heart is The sin of Nadab and Abihu in offering up strange fire than thy superstition and offering up uncommanded Services to God yet the Hand of God fell upon them and smote them dead in the place in the day and place wherein they sinned they perisht they were taken away in their iniquities but thou reserved Oh that it might be for an instance and example of the riches of Divine Patience which may at last lead thee to repentance Thus I have given you seven Evidences of the wonderful Patience of Christ who hath stood and still doth stand at the door and knock Next we will enquire into the grounds and reasons of this marvelous Patience of Christ this astonishing long-suffering of God towards sinners and there are divers obvious reasons of the long-suffering of God towards Men. First The exercise of his Patience is a standing testimony of his reconcilable and merciful nature towards sinful Man. This he shewed forth in his Patience toward Paul a great example of his merciful Nature for a pattern to them that should hereafter believe on him 1 Tim. 1. 16. The long-suffering of God is a special part of his manifestative glory and therefore when Moses desired a sight of his glory Exod. 34. 6. he proclaims his Name The Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth He would have poor sinners look towards him as an atoneable Deity a God willing to be reconciled a God that retaineth not his anger for ever but if poor sinners will take hold of his strength and make peace with him they may have peace This long-suffering is an attribute very expressive of the Divine Nature he is willing sinners should know whatever their provocations have been there is room for pardon and peace if they will yet come in to accept the terms This patience is a Diadem belonging to the Imperial Crown of Heaven the Lord glories in it as what is peculiar to himself Hos. 11. 9. I will not execute the fierceness of my anger for I am God and not Man. q. d. Had I been as Man the holyest meekest and mortifiedst man upon Earth I had consumed them long ago but I am god and not Man my Patience is above all created Patience no Husband can bear with his Wife no Parent with his Child as God hath born with you that 's one reason of Christs waiting upon trifling sinners to give proof of his gracious merciful and reconcilable nature towards the wrost of sinners Secondly The Lord exercises this admirable Patience towards sinners with design thereby to lead them to repentance that 's the direct aim and intention of it The Lord desires and delights to see ingenuous relentings and brokenness of Heart for sin and there is nothing like his Forbearance and Patience promotes such an Evangelical Repentance All the terrors of the Law will not break the Heart of a sinner as the Patience and Long-suffering of God will do therefore it is said Rom. 2. 4. That the Goodness Forbearance and Long-suffering of God leads Men to Repentance these are fitted to work upon all these principles of humanity which incline Men to Repentance Reason Conscience Gratitude feel the influences of the goodness of God herein and melt under it Sauls Heart relented in this case 1 Sam. 24. 17. Is this thy voice my Son David and Saul lift up his voice and wept And he said to David Thou art more righteous than I for thou hast rewarded me good where as I have rewarded thee evil Thus the Goodness and Forbearance of God doth as it were take sinner by the Hand leads him into a corner and saith Come let thou and I talk together thus and thus Vile hast thou been and thus and thus Long-suffering and Merciful have I been to thee thy Heart hath been full of sin the Heart of thy God hath been gull of pity and mercy This puts the sinner into Tears breaks his Heart in pieces if any thing in the World will melt a hard Heart this will do it Oh how good hath God been to me How have I tryed his Patience to the uttermost and still he waiteth to be gracious and is exalted that he may have compassion the Sobs and Tears the ingenuous Thaws and Relentings of a sinners Heart under the apprehensions of the sparing Mercy and Goodness of God is the Musick of Heaven Thirdly The Lord excercises this long-suffering towards sinners to clear his Justice in the damnation of all the obstinate refusers of Chirst and Marcy Christ waits at our doors now that he may be clear in his sentence against us hereafter This Patience of Christ takes away all Apologies and Pleas out of the Mouths of impenitent sinners the more Christ's Patience hath been the less defence or plea they will have for themselves Think with thy self sinner what wilt thou answer in the great day when Christ shall say Did not I stand at thy door from day to day from Sabbath to Sabbath from year to year calling woing perswading thee to be reconciled and accept Pardon and Mercy in the proper season of them and thou wouldst not Rev. 2. 21. I gave her space to repent and she repented not Well the Lord gives you time now a space of repentance such a space as millions of Souls gone out of Time into a miserable Eternity never had With whomsoever Christ hath been quick and severe to be sure he hath not been so with you This time of Christ's Patience will be evidence enough to clear Christ and condemn you Men and Angels shall applaud the sentence as dreadful as it is and say Righteous art thou O Lord in Judging thus Fourthly The Lord draws forth and exercises his admirable Patience towards sinners for the continuation and propagation of the Church The Church must be continued and propagated from Age to Age and if God should be quick in cutting off sinners as soon as ever they provoke him whence shoul the elect of God rise in this World There are thousands of God's Elect in the Loins of God's Enemies Many that will heartily embrace Christ must rise from such as reject him Now if God should cut off these in the beginning of their provocations how should the Church be continued Where had good Abijah and Hezekiah
the Son of God. Had they not been precious in his Eyes he would never have shed his most precious Blood to ransom them 2. Were they not highly valuable in his Eyes he would never wait with such unwearied Patience to save them as he doth He hath born Thousands of repulses and unreasonable denials from you Sinner Christ hath knockt at thy door in many a Sermon in many a Prayer in many a sickness in all which thou hast put him off denyed him or delayed him yet still he continues knocking and waiting Thou couldst not have made the poorest Beggar in the World wait at thy door so long as thy Redeemer hath been made to wait and yet he is not gone At this day his voice sounds in thine ears Behold I stand at the door and knock Here 's clear demonstration of the preciousness of thy Soul in the Redeemer's Eyes And then Lastly When Christ ends the Treaty and gives up the Souls of Men for lost and unperswadable with what regret and sorrow doth he part with them Never did one Friend part from another with such demonstrations of sorrow as Christ parteth with the Souls of sinners The Bowels of his compassion roul together for the knows what is coming upon them and what that eternal misery is into which their wilful rejection of him will cast them In Luke 19. 22. you find the Redeemers tears wept over obstinate Ierusalend And when he came nigh to the City he wept over it and said O Jerusalem Jerusalem that thou hadst known at least in this thy day the things that belong to thy peace but now they are did from thine Eyes Like unto this is that expression Isa. 1. 24. Ah I will ease me of mine enemies c. Though it be an ease to his Justice yet he cannot give them up without an ah an interjection of sorrow so in Hosea 11. 8. How shall I give thee up Ephraim How shall I deliver thee Judah I must do it but how shall I go about it All these expressions shew the great value God hath for your Souls and did you know it also certainly you would not make Christ wait one hour longer V. Inference Hence it follows That greater is the sin and severer will be the condemnation of them that perish under the Gospel than of all other People in the World. Let me speak freely to you that hear me this day Jesus Christ hath spent more of the riches of his Patience upon you in one year yea in this very day than he hath spent upon the heathen World in all the days of their lives they never heard of Christ and the great Salvation they have had no calls to Faith and Repentance as you have had dont think God hath dealt at this rate with other Nations You have his Sabbaths Ministers Calls he hath not dealt so with other Nations and as for these things they have not known them Psal. 147. 19. God hath dealt in a peculiar way with us and these special favours will make dreadful accounts He told the Iews among whom he had preacht and wrought his Miracles It would be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorah in the day of Iudgment than for them and in his Name I will tell you this day that Barbarous Indians and Americans will have a milder Hell than you Mitius ardent and as the Lord told Ezechiel chap. 3. 5 6. Thou art not sent to a People of a strange Speech and of an hard Language whose words thou canst not understand surely had I sent thee to them they would have harkned unto thee but the house of Israel will not harken unto thee for they will not harken unto me For all the house of Israel are impudent and hard hearted Ah Brethren 't is a sad Truth that the Ministers of Christ have found more fruit of their Labours among the Salvage Americans than in England a People born and bred up under the Gospel Had heathenish People your Sabbaths your Ministers and Bibles they would not deal by Christ as you have done But look you to it for certainly the severity of his Justice will at last recompence the expence of his Patience There are two Glasses turned up this day and both almost run down the Glass of the Gospel running down on Earth and the Glass of Christ's Patience running down in Heaven Be sure of it that for every sand of Mercy every drop of Love that runs down in vain in this World a drop of wrath runs into the vial of wrath which is fitting in Heaven VI. Inference If Christ have exercised such admirable Patience and Long-suffering towards you before he could gain entrance into your Hearts then you have all the reason in the World to exercise your Patience for Christ and account all long-suffering to be your unquestionable duty Christ was not weary in waiting upon you be not you weary in waiting upon him or for him Now there are three things wherein the People of God will have much occasion to exercise their Patience with respect to Christ 1. You will need a great deal of Patience to wait for the returns and answers of your Prayers you knock and wait at the door of Mercy and no answer comes hereupon discouragement and weariness seizeth your Spirits Possibly some of you have Prayers many years agone upon the file in Heaven some upon Spiritual accounts and some upon Temporal and because the answer is not dispatcht your Eyes are ready to fail with waiting for the Lord may bear long with his own Elect Luke 18. 7. The seed of Prayer lyes under the clods and will at last spring up for he never said to the seed of Jacob Seek me in vain none seek God in vain but those that seek him vainly Now you should not be too quick and short breathed in waithing upon God for the returns of Prayer considering how long you made Christ wait upon you 2. You will have occasion to exercise your Patience in bearing the burden of reproaches and sufferings for Christ For to you it is given in the behalf of Christ not only to believe but also to suffer for his sake Phil. 1. 29. Sufferings you see are the Gifts of Christ the Comforts of sufferings is his Gift and so are the abilities to suffer-also and that which will encrease your suffering-ability will be the confideration of Christ's long-suffering towards you and the hard things he endured for you and from you 3. You will have occasion to exercise your Patience for the day of your compleat Redemption and Salvation If you love Christ fervently the time of your separation from him will be born difficultly vehement love needs the allay of Patience 2 Thes. 3. 5. The Lord direct your Hearts into the love of God and into the patient waiting for Christ. Others need much Patience to dye but such will need as much Patience to live but whatever the exercises of your Patience shall be whether in waiting for
Grace but Christ within you by the Work of Grace which must be unto you the hope of Glory Colos. 1. 27. He is not only among you in respect of external Means but he is come into your Understandings and Consciences Yea some motions of his you may feel upon your affections there wants but a little more to make you eternally Happy O what would one effectual touch upon your Wills be worth now The Head-Work is done but O that the Heart-Work were done too You are almost saved but to be almost saved is to be wholly and eternally Lost if it go no further 'T is a sad thing for a Man that hath one Foot in Heaven to slide from thence into Hell. 'T is sad to be Shipwreckt at the Harbours mouth Thirdly Jesus Christ hath an unquestionable right to enter into and possess every one of your Souls Satan is but an Usurper Christ is your lawful Owner and Proprietor thy Soul sinner hath not so full a Title to thy Body as Christ hath to thy Soul. Satan keeps Christ out of his right Christ knocks at the door of his own House he built it and therefore may well claim admission into it it is his own Creature Col. 1. 16. By him were all things made whether they be visible or invisible Bodies or Souls The invisible part thy Soul is his Workmanship a stately Structure of his own raising He hath also a right by Redemption Christ hath bought thy Soul and that at the invaluable price of his own Blood. Who then can dispute the right of Christ to enter in to his own House But alas he cometh to his own but his own receive him not Fourthly Open the door to Christ for a train of blessings and mercies comes in with him a troop of privileges follow him In the same day and hour that Christ comes into thine Heart by a full consent and deliberate choice a pardon comes with him of all the sins that ever thou committedst in Thought Word or Action Will such a pardon be welcome to thy Soul Then let Christ be welcome for where Christ comes pardon comes if you open to Christ you open to peace and who would shut the door of his Soul against Peace If peace be welcome let Christ be welcome for peace follows faith in Christ Rom. 5. 1 Where Christ comes liberty comes Iohn 8. 36. If the Son therefore shall make you free then are you free indeed Are you in love with Bonds and Fetters Satans Laws are written in Blood Christs yoak is easie and his commands not grievous If you love liberty love Christ. In a word where Christ comes Salvation comes for he is the Author of eternal Salvation to all them that obey him If therefore you love Pardon Peace Liberty and Salvation shut not the door against Christ for all these follow him where-ever he goes Fifthly Christ this day solemnly demands entrance into thy Soul he begs thee to open to him 2 Cor. 5. 20. He commands thee to open to him 1 Iohn 3. 23. He denounceth eternal Damnation to those that refuse him entrance Now consider well here is entrance demanded under pain of the eternal Wrath of God this demand is filed and recorded in Heaven at your own peril be it if you shut the door against him only this I will say in my Redeemers behalf if you refuse bear witness Heaven and Earth this day that Christ solemnly demanded entrance into thy Soul and was refused bear witness that the door was shut against the only Redeemer who intreated commanded and threatned eternal Damnation to the rejecters of him O methinks that Scripture Prov. 1. 24. 25. is able to strike terror into the very center of that Soul that refuses the offers of Christ. Sixthly And so I have done my Masters errand if you now refuse the knock of Christ at your Hearts he may never knock more and where are you then There is a knock which will be the last knock a call which will be his last call and after that no more knocks or calls but an eternal Silence as to any overture of Mercy or Grace But if I do open to Christ he will never come into such a filthy polluted sinful Soul as mine is Who saith so Who dare affirm so impudent a falshood in the very face of the Text If any Man open unto me I will come in to him If I open to Christ I must bid farewel to ease and rest in this World reproaches sufferings losses follow him If Christ Pardon and Salvation be not worth the enduring and suffering these small things sure thou valuest Christ and thy Soul at a low rate Oh who can sufficiently bewail the ignorance and folly of Unbelievers that will fell their Souls and hopes of Heaven for such trifles And if Christ and thy Soul must part upon these terms then hear me sinner and let it sink into thy Heart thy Damnation will be both 1. Just and Righteous 2. Unavoydable and sure 1. Thy Damnation will be Just for thou hadst thy own choice and deliberately preferredst the insignificant trifles of this World before Christ and Salvation It was plainly told thee what the issue of thy rejecting Christ would be and yet after sufficient warning thou adventuredst upon it whatever other sinners will plead I know not but as for thee thou must be speechless Matth. 22. 12. If thou dye Christless thou must appear at his Bar speechless and the day of Judgment will be the day of the revelation of the righteous Judgment of God Rom. 2. 5. 2ly It will also be Unavoidable for there is no other way to Salvation but this Acts 4. 12. No Christ no Heaven no Faith no Christ How shall we escape if we neglect so great Salvation Heb. 2. 3. Mercy it self cannot save thee out of Christ for all the saving Mercy of God is dispensed to Men through him Iude vers 21. 'T is to no purpose to cry Mercy Lord Mercy when Christ in whom all the Mercies of God are dispensed to Men is rejected by thee III. Vse for Consolation This Point winds up in Consolation to all such as hearing the knocks of Christ have opened or are now resolved to open their Hearts unto him and that nothing henceforth shall keep Christ and their Souls asunder To such I shall address the following grounds of Comfort I. Consolation An opening Heart to Christ is a work wholly and altogether Supernatural A special work of the Spirit of God never found upon any but an elect Soul. There are common gifts of the Spirit such as Knowledge vanishing Convictions c. but the opening of the Heart by Faith is the special saving and peculiar work of the Spirit Iohn 6. 29. This is the work of God that ye believe Yea it is the effect of the Almighty Power of God the exceeding greatness of his Power is exerted in the work of Faith Eph. 1. 19. it
rises not out of Nature as common gifts do but of this it is expresly said Eph. 2. 8. It is not of your selves it is the gift of God. Where this work is effectually wrought we may reason as solidly as comfortably from it both backward to the electing love of God and forward to our eternal glorification with him Rom. 8. 30. II. Consolation The opening of thy Heart to Christ by saving Faith gives thee interest in Christ the very same hour the relation is then constituted the conjugal tye or bond is fastned betwixt him and thy Soul Iohn 1. 12. To as many as received him to them gave he power viz. right or privilege to become the Sons of God even to as many as believed on his Name You neither need nor may expect an extraordinary messenger or voice from Heaven to tell you that Christ is yours and you are his you have a better foundation in this Word and Work of Faith for my part if God will give me the clear and satisfying experience of this Work upon my Heart I would never desire more satisfaction on this side Heaven I know not but the Devil may counterfeit an extraordinary voice and cheat the Soul by a lying Oracle but if I really feel my Heart and Will sincerely opening to Christ upon Gospel terms I am sure there is no deceit in that III. Consolation The opening of thy Heart to Christ by Faith is a good assurance that Heaven shall be opened to thy Soul hereafter Heaven is shut against none but those that shut their Hearts against Christ by Unbelief Will you bar Christ out of your Souls by Ignorance and Unbelief and then cry Lord open to us No God will open to none but them that open to Christ. Etâ—rnity it self shall but suffice to bless God for this opening act of Faith He that believeth shall be saved Mark 16. 16. IV. Consolation The opening of thy Soul to Christ by Faith makes it Christs habitation for ever in that hour outgoes sin and Satan and incomes Christ and Grace If any Man open unto me I will come in to him saith the Text of such a Soul Christ saith as it was said of the Temple Psalm 132. 13 14. The Lord hath desired it for his Habitation This is my rest for ever here will I dwell for I have desired it Thy Soul now becomes an hallowed Temple to the Lord as he hath said I will dwell in them and walk in them and will be their God and they shall be my people 2 Cor. 6. 16. O what an Heaven upon Earth is here Christ dwelling in the Soul is the glory of the Soul as Gods dwelling in the Temple was the glory of the Temple V. Consolation In a word the opâ—â—ing of the Heart to Christ is that work which answers the great design of the Gospel Wherefore hath God set up Ordinances and Ministers yea wherefore is the Spirit sent forth but to open the Hearts of sinners to Christ by Faith When this is done the main end and intention of the Gospel is attained and answered the union is effected betwixt Christ and the Soul it is now put out of hazard The whole Work of the Gospel after that is but to build up confirm and comfort the Soul ripen it s implanted Graces and make it meet for glory And thus through the assistance of the Spirit I have finished the fifth Observation That every Conviction of Conscience and motion upon the Affections is a knock or call of Christ for entrance into the sinners Heart SERMON VI. Revel 3. 20. Behold I stand at the door and knock c. I stand and knock HEre 's pains and patience all means used by Christ to gain entrance into the Souls of sinners It speaks the earnestness of his suit and vehemency of his desire to be in union with the Souls of Men. The sixth Observation therefore will be this VI. DOCT. That Iesus Christ is an earnest suitor for union and communion with the Souls of sinners This Point lyes directly and fully in the very Eye and intention of the Text. In the opening of it two things must be spoken to in the Doctrinal part viz. 1. The demonstration of this Truth that he is so 2. The marvelous and admirable grace and condescension of Christ that he should be so First For Demonstration of this Truth That Christ is an earnest suiter for union and communion with the Souls of sinners I shall draw down the Demonstration of this Truth from a view and consideration of the dispositions carriages and actions of the Lord Jesus towards poor sinners from first to last And when you have compared them all together and by them seen the temper of his Heart how great and clear a light will shine upon this Point That his Heart hath still enclined towards union and communion with sinful Man will evidently appear by considering him in a fourfold state and time 1. Before his Incarnation 2. In the days of his Flesh. 3. At his Death And 4. At and since his Ascension into Heaven First Consider him before his Incarnation and you will find too things in that state which plainly speak his desires after union with us 1. In the Covenant of Redemption he made with God concerning us before this World had a being for such Covenants and Promises did really pass betwixt him and the Father before all time or else I know not how to understand that Scripture Tit. 1. 2. In hope of eternal Life which God that cannot lye promised before the World began To whom could that Promise be made but unto Christ which bears date before the Creation what else can this mean but the Covenant of Redemption made betwixt the Father and the Son the terms whereof are set down in Isa. 53. 10 11. where you find what Christ was to do Viz. To put his Soul an offering for sin And what should be his reward for pouring out his Soul unto Death viz. To see his Seed to see the travail of his Soul even a Church purchased with his own Blood Whether this be not a great demonstration of the propension and inclination of Christs Heart and Desire towards union and communion with poor sinners let all Men judge O what a value did Christ set upon our Souls that upon such costly terms he would consent to redeem them Unto this agreement God the Father held him Rom. 8. 32. God spared not his own Son. And this very covenant Christ pleaded with the Father Iohn 17. 6. I have manifested thy Name to the Men which thou gavest me out of the World thine they were and thou gavest them me This plainly shews the vehement desire of Christs Heart to be in union with Men according to that Prov. 8. 31. Rejoycing in the habitable parts of his Earth and my delights were with the Sons of Men. Blessed Jesus nothing but the strength of thine own desire and love could ever have drawn thee
pray you in Christ's stead be ye reconciled to God. He did not commissionate Angels to be his Legates their presence would confound and terrifie us but Men cast into the same mould with your selves who may say to you as Elihu said to Iob Iob 33. 6 7. Behold I am according to thy wish in Gods stead I also am formed out of the clay Behold my terrour shall not make thee afraid neither shall my Hand be heavy upon thee Upon these Commission Officers of Christ he poured forth excellent gifts in great diversity and useful variety to fit the capacities and various dispositions of Mens Souls When he ascended up on high he gave gifts unto Men this Ministerial Office is by him established in the Church Till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect Man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ Ephes. 4. 11 12 13. Unto these his Ministers he gives the highest encouragements to quicken them to their labour if one do but one part of the work and another the other one soweth and another reapeth he tells them both He that reapeth receiveth wages and gathereth fruit unto life eternal that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice togther John 4. 36. He tells them that every Soul they win to him shall be as a Jewel in their Crown of glory Dan. 12. 3. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the Firmament and they that turn many to righteousness as the Stars for ever and ever What is Christs intention in all these incouragements to his Ministers Surely it is as if he should say to his Servants Study hard Pray earnestly Plead with sinners affectionately every Soul you win to me shall make an addition to your glory in Heaven Weigh now the force of this second Demonstration from the Life of Christ will you have a proof of Christs earnest suit to gain the Hearts of sinners his whole Life upon Earth was a great proof of it his Doctrin so full of pathetical invitations proves it the Joy of his Heart at the success of the Gospel his Tears and Sorrows for the obstinacy of unbelievers his Labours and Travels to gather sinners to him his admirable Encouragements put into general invitations his dreadful Threatnings to all that reject his motions his commissionating and qualifying continuing and encouraging his Ministers to carry on this suit in his Name All these things make up a full Demonstration that Jesus Christ is an earnest suiter for union and communion with the Soul of sinners which was the thing to be proved Thirdly The Death of Christ is the fullest Demonstration that ever was or can be given of his love to sinners and desire after union and communion with him His Doctrin and Life discovered much but his Death and Sufferings abundantly more in his Doctrin he spent his Breath but upon the Cross he spent his Blood. Here he comes a suiting to the Souls of sinners in his Scarlet robes his Red garments garments dipt in his own Blood You may now propound the same admiring question the Church propounded Isa. 63. 1 2. Who is this that cometh from Edom with dyed garments from Bozrah This that is glorious in his apparel travelling in the greatness of his strength Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel and thy garments like him that treadeth in the Wine-fat Wilt thou know sinner why he cometh to thee in Red garments It is to give thee such a Demonstration of his love as may draw forth all the love of thy Heart to him by this Blood he hath bought and purchased thy Soul for a Spouse for himself Acts 20. 28. Now there are two things in the Death of Christ evidential of the fervency of his desires after us 1. The greatness of the sufferings which he endured 2. The Use and End to which they were designed Both these shew how the Heart of Christ is heated with the vehemency of his own desires after union with our poor Souls 1. The greatness of the sufferings of Christ discover the ardency of his affection Christs sufferings are two-fold 1. External in his Body 2. Internal in his Soul. Both together making up the fulness of his Sufferings When you shall hear what Christ hath endured in both kinds to purchase you to himself then you may guess what value he put upon you what desire he hath after you Now 1. as to the external Sufferings of Christ in his Body they were exceeding great for the Death he died was not a Natural but a Violent Death indeed he could not dye a Natural Death for there was no sin in his Nature to open a door to Death that way His Body was intended for a Sacrifice to God and as a Sacrifice it dyed therefore it is said 1 Pet. 3. 18. He was put to Death in the Flesh his Soul and Body were violently rent asunder in the fulness and perfection of his strength and vigour and this violent Death was also a cursed Death He was made a Curse for us For it is written Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree Gal. 3. 13. A ceremonial Curse was affixed to the Death of the Cross He that is hanged is accursed of God saith the Law The intention of that Death was to shew the person that dyed to be so vile that he was not worthy to touch Heaven or Earth and therefore was hanged betwixt both Moreover this violent Death Christ dyed was a most painful Death full of Torture and very Slow and Lingering the Cross was a Rack to the Body of Christ I may tell all my bones saith he they look and stare upon me Psal. 22. 17. But yet 2. the Sufferings of his Body were but the Body of his Sufferings it were the Sufferings of his Soul that were the very Soul of his Sufferings These inward Sufferings of Christ may likewise be considered two ways 1. In his bitter propassions in the Garden O what Agonies and Conflicts what sharp Encounters and Distresses did his Soul there meet with from the Wrath of God there endured for your sakes Once and again he cried out Abba Father all things are possible let this Cup pass Father if it be possible let this Cup pass thrice he returned to the same place rowling himself on the ground The Sufferings of his Soul cast his blessed Body into a bloody Agony His sweat was as it were great drops of Blood falling to the ground Luke 22. 43 44. 2. In the fulness of his Passions on the Cross there was his blessed Soul for a time deserted of the Father as to any sensible communications of Joy and Comfort from him which occasioned that bitter out-cry Matth. 27. 46. My God my God why hast thou for saken me Never was there such a cry heard since the Heavens were spread over the Earth never had Christ seen one frown in his
see Christ from the Cross casting forth a threefold cord which is not easily broken to draw the Hearts of sinners to him Fourthly to Conclude What mighty Demonstrations of the desires of his Heart towards us did our Redeemer give at and since his Ascension into Heaven As the whole Life of Christ upon Earth was a perswasive Argument to draw sinners to him so his Ascension to Heaven hath many things in it which are mighty attractives to the Hearts of Men. I will only mention two 1. The gifts he bestowed at his Ascension 2. The ends and designs of his Ascension 1. The gifts he bestowed on Men at his Ascension for this very end and purpose whereof the Psalmist gives this account Psal. 68. 18. Thou hast ascended on high thou hast received gifts for Men yea for the rebellious also that the Lord God might dwell among them He alludes to the Roman Conquerors who in the day of their triumph did Spargere missilia scatter their largesses among the people Thus Christ at his Ascension shed forth the gifts of the Spirit in various kinds qualifying Men for the Work of the Ministry to enable them to plead with your Souls and carry on his suit when he should be in Heaven These gifts were extraordinary in the first Age as the gift of Tongues and Miracles c. and ordinary to continue to the end of the World Eph. 4. 8 9. To some he gives depth of Learning and Judgment to others a mighty Pathos a melting influence upon the Affections but all designed to win over your Hearts to Christ. This shews what care he took and what provision he answerably made for the success of his great design to draw the Hearts of sinners to him 2ly The ends of his Ascension as they are declared in Scripture plainly speak the vehemency of Christs desire to draw Souls to him Now the declared ends of his Ascension were 1 to make way for the Spirits coming to Convince Convert and Comfort the Souls of all that come unto him Iohn 16. 7. Nevertheless I tell yon the truth It is expedient for you that I go away for if I go not away the Comforter will not come to you but if I depart I will send him unto you And when he is come he will reprove the World of sin and of righteousness and of judgment Without the Conviction of these things no Man can come to Christ and no such Convictions can be wrought upon the Conscience of any Man without the Spirit and the Spirit could not come to effect these things upon Mens Hearts if Christ had not ascended Iohn 7. 39. But this spake he of the Spirit which they that believe on him should receive for the Holy Ghost was not yet given because that Iesus was not yet glorified Thus Christ provided for the carrying on of his great design upon your Hearts when he was entring into his own Glory The thoughts of that Glory made him not to forget his great design upon Earth 2 Another end of Christs Ascension was to make Intercession with the Father for all and every Soul that should come unto him that their future sins might make no breach of the bond of the Covenant betwixt God and them A Privilege able to draw the Hearts of all sinners to him 1 Iohn 2. 1 2. My little Children these things write I unto you that ye sin not Mark it the intercession of Christ must incourage and embolden no Man to sin that would be a vile abuse of the Grace of God. But if any Man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Iesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins i. e. If sin surprize and deceive any gracious Soul the bent of whose Heart is against it let him not be discouraged he hath a potent Advocate ascended into the Heavens to continue the peace betwixt God and that Soul. O what an encouragement is here to gain the consent of a sinners Heart to embrace Jesus Christ 3 Another declared end of Christs Ascension was to lead captivity captive as in the forecited place Psal. 68. 17. that is to captivate and triumph over Satan as a conquered Enemy who led us captive in the days of our vanity He conquered Satan upon the Cross Col. 2. 15. but he triumphed over him at his Ascension And without such a conquest and triumph no Soul could come to Christ. 4 In a word Christ ascended into Heaven to prepare Mansions of rest and glory for every Soul that should embrace him in the way of repentance and faith in this World Iohn 14. 2 In my Fathers house are many mansions if it were not so I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you q. d. It satisfies me not to enjoy my glory in Heaven alone all that come unto me by Faith shall be with me where I am let them know for their encouragement that the glory which God hath given me I have given them Iohn 17. 22. All these things loudly speak the fervent desires of Christs Soul after union and communion with poor Sinners which was the thing to be demonstrated 2ly Having proved the Point that Christ is an earnest Suiter for union and communion with the Souls of sinners we next come to shew the marvellous and admirable Grace and Condecension of Christ that it should be so And this will appear five ways to the astonishment of every considering Soul. 1. Though Christ be thus intent and earnest in his suit for your consent yet he gaineth nothing by you when you do consent the gain is to your selves but not to him He is over all God blessed for ever Rom. 9. 5. above all accessions from the Creature What doth the Sun gain by enlightning and animating the lower World Or what doth a Fountain gain when Men drink and are refreshed by its Waters If any Soul that heareth me this day should presently resolve henceforth to break asunder all the tyes and engagements betwixt him and sin to subscribe the Articles of the Gospel to give away himself Soul and Body to Christ to live henceforth as an hallowed dedicated Creature to the Lord Jesus this indeed would turn to the infinite and everlasting advantage of such a Soul but yet Christ cannot be profited thereby 2ly And that which still encreaseth the wonder is this that though Christ makes no gain or profit by our Conversion yet hath he impoverished himself to gain such unprofitable Creatures as we are to him He hath made himself poor to make us rich so speaks the Apostle in 2 Cor. 8. 9. For ye know the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ that though he was rich yet for your sakes he became poor that ye through his poverty might be rich He expends his riches makes no advantage unto himself his incarnation impoverished his reputation Phil. 2. 7. How poor was Christ when he said Psal. 22. 6. But I am a worm and no man a
râ—proach of Men and despised of the people How poor in temporal comforts when he said Matth. 8. 20. The Foxes have holes and the Birds of the air have nests but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his Head. Yea how poor was he in Spiritual Comforts when that astonishing outcry brake from him upon the Cross Matth. 27. 46. My God my God why hast thou forsaken me O let it astonish us that Christ should earnestly desire union with our Souls upon terms of such deep self-denial to himself 3ly Though Christ gain nothing by you and impoverished himself for you yet doth he endure many vile repulses delays and denials of his Suit and will not leave it for all that O astonishing grace One would think that the least delay and much more a refusal of an overture from Christ upon such terms as you have heard should make his indignation presently to smoak against such a Soul and that he should say Thou hast refused my offer so full of self-denying and condescending grace never shall another offer be made to so unworthy a Soul and yet you see he is contented to wait as well as knock Behold I stand at the door and knock 4ly Herein the admirable Grace of this heavenly suiter appears that Jesus Christ passeth by millions of Creatures of more excellent Gifts and Temperaments and never makes them one offer of himself never turneth aside to give one knock at their door but comes to thee the vilest and bafest of Creatures and will not be gone from thy door without his errands end Knowest thou not sinner that among the unsanctified there are to be found multitudes of Men and Women of more raised and excellent Parts nimble Wits strong Memory solid Judgments yea Men and Women of cleaner Conversations strict Morality adorned with excellent homilitical Vertues capable if called to do him abundantly more service than thou canst yet these are past by and he becomes a Suiter to such a poor worthless thing as thou art yea and rejoyces in his choice Matth. 11. 24. I thank thee Father Lord of Heaven and Earth because thou hast hidden these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes Here is the triumph of Free-grace 5ly And then in the last place this justly increaseth the wonder That ever Jesus Christ should desire and delight to dwell in such an unclean Heart as thine which from the beginning hath been the Seat and Throne of Satan full of all uncleanness and abominations O that ever Christ should make an overture of love to such a polluted Soul That he should chose to erect his Throne where Satans seat was Look into thine Heart sinner and think what can Christ see here to be desired Thou knowest thy Heart hath been a sink of sin thy Conscience like the common shoar into which all the filth of thy life hath been cast yet Christ passeth by thee as thou liest in thy blood and filthyness and casteth love upon thee and desire towards thee as it is Ezek. 16. 6 8. All these things put together make it justly admirable and astonishing in our Eyes that ever Jesus Christ the Lord from Heaven should become an earnest Suiter for union and communion with the Souls of sinners I. Vse for Information I. Inference If Christ be such an earnest Suiter for union and communion with the Souls of sinners then it follows That sinners can justly charge their damnation upon none but themselves Your blood must be upon your own Heads Salvation by Christ is not only freely offered but you are with great importunity perswaded to accept it Christ offers you life you chuse rather to dye than accept it upon his terms where now can your damnation be charged but upon your own wilful obstinacy Hos. 13. 9. O Israel thy destruction is of thy self Thou art the Author of thine own ruin I would have gathered thy Children saith Christ to Ierusalem but thou wouldest not your ruin therefore lies upon your selves and upon none beside indeed if the Ministers of Christ be negligent in their duty they may come in as accessories to your destruction but that 's a poor relief to you as for my self I hope I may with Paul take God to record this day that I am free from the blood of all Men now consider what a dismal aggravation of your destruction this will be that you perished by your own Hands this cuts off all plea and apology II. Inference Hence it also follows that distressed sinners have no reason to question Christs willingness to receive them when their Hearts are made willing to come unto him It were no less than a blasphemous imputation of insincerity to Christ himself to question his willingness to receive broken-hearted sinners after so many protestations as he hath made in the Gospel of his zeal and earnestness for their Salvation that Scripture Iohn 6. 37. puts it out of doubt He that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out I know guilt breeds many fears and jealousies in the Hearts of sinners will Christ ever accept and receive such a one as I Try him Soul he hath said he will let him have but the deliberate consent of thy Heart to his terms and then if thou be rejected thou wilt be the first Soul in the World that ever met with a repulse from him III. Inference By Christs earnest Suit for the Souls of sinners you may estimate the invaluable worth and precious Nature of the Soul of Man. Were not the Soul a Creature of great value Jesus Christ would never be so deeply concerned about the winning and saving of it Sinners have a vile esteem of their own Souls they will sell them for nought but Christ knows their true worth and his solicitude to save them is answerable to his estimation of them he counts when he hath gained a Soul he hath gained a Treasure Therefore he pleads woos and waits so earnestly and assiduously for the Salvation of them Two things speak the great value of the Soul of Man. 1. That it is a marriagable Creature to Christ now 2. That it is capable of Glory with Christ hereafter I. It is a marriagable Creature to Christ now capable of espousals to the Son of God upon which account it is Christ so earnestly seeks its love and sues for its consent Now this is a dignity beyond all other Creatures in Heaven or Earth no Angel in Heaven no other Creature but the Soul of Man on Earth is capable of espousals unto Christ 't is a dignity above that of Angels for Christ took not on him their Nature and the Hypostatical union is the ground and foundation of the Mystical union They are Members indeed of Christs Kingdom and he is to them a Head of dominion but this honour was never conferred upon Angels to be Members of his Body Flesh and Bones as the Saints are Ephes. 5. 30. II. As the Soul is capable of espousals
injuries thou hast done against him that 's a very considerable Scripture to this purpose in Isa. 55. 7 8 9. Let the wicked for sake his way and the unrighteous Man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways saith the Lord. For as the Heavens are higher than the Earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts Man lies under a double misery one by reason of Affliction another by reason of Transgression concerning both these Gods thoughts are not as ours but far above what we can think either 1. with simple cogitation i. e. we cannot think such thoughts to others under misery in themselves or under transgression against us as God doth towards as Or 2. by way of reflexive comprehension i. e. we cannot conceive what those thoughts of God are towards us when we are under misery or sin just as he thinks them still his thoughts will be above ours as the Heavens are above the Earth such is the altitude of Heaven above the Earth that the vast body of the whole Earth is but a small inconsiderable point to it the highest Cedars Mountains Clouds cannot reach it Gods thoughts are infinite ours finite his thoughts are continued ours interrupted and at a stand his are immutable ours changable his are intuitive ours discursive therefore never measure his by your own the thoughts of pardoning Grace in him are rich plenteous and glorious but when our unbelieving Hearts have practised upon them they are quite another thing Thou saist how can such a Wretch as I obtain mercy Thou knowest not but the Lord knoweth O if we could take in such a proper Idea and apprehension of the mercy and goodness of God as he hath given of them himself in Exod. 34. 6 7. this would bring you to Christ with much incouragement VIII Direction Eighthly Be not discouraged in the work of Faith though no peace or comfort should come in by the first act of it Nay though there should be an increase of trouble for the present the first saving act of Faith certainly puts you into a state of peace but it may not presently produce the sense of peace you may after you have believed and really closed with Christ meet with some discouragements which may make you question whether Christ have received you or no Whether he have any love for your Souls or no Yet held on whether comfort come or come not though Christ and comfort are inseparable yet Christ and the sense of comfort are not so think not that all your troubles shall be over as soon as ever you believe because it is said Heb. 4. 3. We which have believed do enter into rest That Scripture speaks of a state of rest and not of the present or continued sense of rest the Woman of Canaan in Matth. 15. 26 27. did really believe in Christ yet met with sore tryals under the first act of her Faith yet this took her not off from the work of Faith but rather quickned and inflamed her the more she was glad of a word from Christ and she expected deeds O but the words were discourageing It is not meet to take the Childrens bread and give it to Dogs yet this beats not off her Faith the Dog belongs to the Family and crumbs to the Dog. O Woman saith Christ great is thy Faith. If you resolve for Christ you must not be discouraged a resolute Faith overcomes all difficulties You pray you believe and yet no comfort well the vision of Peace is for an appointed time at the end it will speak and not lye IX Direction Ninthly In your treating with Christ have a care of all secret reserves that will spoil the bargain betwixt Christ and you If I regard iniquity in my Heart God will not hear my prayer saith David If there be but a reserve of one lust that reserve will break off the Treaty be honest with Christ and say not of any sin the Lord be merciful to me in this and be sure there be no secret purpose or reserve in thy Heart for a retreat in time of danger but imbark thy self with Christ for Storms and Tempests Troubles and Afflictions as well as Peace and Prosperâ—ty Christ bestows himself wholly upon you and he expects the same from you give up all or you will get nothing from him X. Direction Tenthly Close up your Treaty with Christ by a solemn Covenant with him ingage your selves to be the Lords One shall say I am the Lords and another shall subscribe with his Hand to the Holy One of Israel Here you have two things to do 1. To give your selves up to Christ according to that expression 2 Cor. 8. 5. You gave your selves to the Lord Make over Soul and Body Time and Talents henceforth to be dedicated things to his Service 2. Take Christ in both his Natures and in all his Offices to be yours and to this Covenant you are to stand to the last breath whatever times or troubles shall come this consent of thy Heart to be Christs this choice of thy Will in taking him for thine is but the eccho of Christs choice of thee and I would rather have such an evidence of my interest in him than a voice from Heaven to assure me that Christ is mine SERMON VII Revel 3. 20. Behold I stand at the door and knock if any Man hear my voice and open the door I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me If any Man. THIS expression extends the gracious offer of Christ and brings it home to every hearer 'T is a Proclamation with a Si quis If any Man as if Christ should say I will have this offer of my Grace to go round to every particular person if thou or thou or thou the greatest the vilest of sinners of what quality or condition soever old or young prophane or hypocritical wilt hear my voice and open to me I will come in to their Souls And hereby all objections are obviated as for Example I am the greatest of sinners saith one I have been a self couzening hypocrite saith another I have resisted Grace too long and doubt the time of Mercy is past saith a third the ground of all these and a thousand more objections is taken away by the gracious extent of Christs offer in the Text For who is he that can limit where Christ doth not This gives us a Seventh profitable and comfortable Observation which is this VII DOCT. That Iesus Christ will not refuse to come in to the Soul of the vilest sinner when once it is made heartily willing to open to him If any Man open I will come in to him It is not unworthiness but unwillingness that Bars any Man from Christ thousands have mist of
in the world raises not such a dust as the sins of prophane ones do But certainly it is as abominable in the eyes of God as the sins that stink so much in the nostrils of Nature Civilized persons thus trusting to their own civility and neglecting Jesus Christ will be one day put into the Van of that wretched Crue that are going to Hell a portion with unbelievers as the Scripture speaks III. Consideration Lastly It hath been always found a more rare and difficult thing to convince and bring home to Christ the civilized part of the world than it is to convince and work upon the prophane part of it Matth. 21. 31. Publicans and Harlots go into the Kingdom of God before you Publicans were reckoned the vilest sort of men and Harlots the worst sort of women yet either of these were easier to be brought to Christ than self-righteous Pharisees Well then away with your vain and idle pretensions that your Case is safer and better than others By what hath been said it evidently appears that you stand in as much need of Christ as the most infamous Sinners in the world do III. Vse This point winds up in encouragement to every willing and obedient soul whom the Lord shall perswade to comply with the Call of the Gospel whatever his former Rebellions have been There are some whose hearts the Lord hath touched with a deep sense of their sin and misery and of the all-sufficient remedy that is in Christ but the sense of former rebellions appals and daunts them they cannot hope for acceptance with him Here 's good news for such souls Christ is at the door and former Rebellions are no barr to him provided there be now a hearty compliance with his voice I will come in to him A glorious promise comprising five inestimable benefits or mercies in it 1. This is the most glorious work of God that ever was wrought or can be wrought in this world upon the heart of a poor sinner to open it by Repentance and Faith and put Christ into the full possession of it The power of all the Angels in Heaven Ministers on Earth Duties and Ordinances cannot effect this this is the peculiar work of God 1. Cor. 1. 30. But of him are ye in Christ Iesus Look as it was the marvellous work of God to unite our Nature unto Christ by an Hypostatical Union so it is no less a marvellous work of God to unite our persons to Christ by a Mystical Union to prepare the soul as an habitation for Christ and give him the possession of it 2. This Coming of Christ into the Soul is the very foundation of all our Hopes for Glory till this be done we are without hope But in the same hour Christ comes in to the Soul a solid Foundation of the hopes of Glory is laid in that Soul Col. 1. 27. Which is Christ in you the hope of Glory I know the unregenerate World is full of hope but their hopes are built upon that Sand. Union with Christ is the steady foundation on which the hopes of Heaven are laid 3. I will come in to him that is to dwell in his soul for ever never to leave him more Therefore Eph. 3. 17. he is said to dwell in our hearts by faith not sojourn for a night but abide there for ever Nothing can seperate Christ and that Soul Rom. 8. 35. Thy Soul shall never be an habitation for Satan any more When Christ comes in he saith as of the Temple Here will I dwell for ever 4. This Coming in of Christ intitles the Soul to all Spiritual Priviledges 1 Iohn 5. 12. He that hath the Son hath life and 1 Cor. 3. ult All is yours for ye are Christs 5. This is the highest honour that ever God put upon a Creature I will come in to him O how should the Soul feel it self advanced by such an honour as this What to be the living Temple of Jesus Christ for Christ to dwell and walk in thy Soul as it is 2 Cor. 6. 16. I tell you this is an honour beyond and above the honour done to Angels And how near art thou to all these blessed Priviledges in the day that thy heart is wounded for sin thy thoughts become solicitous about union with Christ and thy Will begins to bowe and yield after a serious debate of the terms of the Gospel in thy most solemn thoughts Now is the door half-open and Christ ready to make his first entrance into thy Soul. God forbid any thing should now hinder the compleating of so great a Work. SERMON VIII Revel 3. 20. Behold I stand at the door and knock if any Man hear my voice and open the door I will come into him and will sup with him and he with me IN the former Sermon Christs free and general invitation to sinners hath been considered in the next place we are to take into consideration the principal means or instrument by which the Heart of a sinner is opened to receive Christ and that is not by the native power of his own Will nor by the alone efficacy of the Gospel preached but by the voice of Iesus Christ which opens the Will and makes the perswasions of the Gospel effectual If any Man hear my voice Hearing is either External or Internal for the Soul hath its Ears as well as the Body He that hath an Ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches Rev. 2. 17. i. e. He that hath a Spiritual Ear to perceive and judge the voice of the Spirit by and it is a sore Judgment when God denies such an Ear to the Soul Isa. 6. 9. Go tell this people hear ye indeed but understand not Spiritual hearing is the Work of the inner Man. And though we have many Auditors yet in this sense no more hearers than believers words of sense do in Scripture connote affections This hearing of Christs voice implies not only the receiving of the sound of the Gospel into the external organ but it notes the work of the understanding which by the Ear trieth words as the Mouth tasteth meat Iob 12. 11. And the work of the affections which receive the truth in love 2 Thes. 2. 10. It also implies the obedience of the Soul to what we hear We cannot be said in this sense to hear what we obey not Our minds may be delighted with the pleasant air and melody of the Gospel and yet it is all one as if we heard it not when obedience doth not follow hearing Ezek. 33. 32. Thou art unto them a very lovely son c. for they hear thy words but they do them not but in this place it especially signifies the vital sound of Christs efficacious internal voice which is the principle of Spiritual Life to the Souls of dead sinners according to that expression of Christ Iohn 5. 25. Verily verily I say unto you the hour is coming and now is when the dead shall hear
knowledge of it but under these things his vain hopes lived and flourish'd until the spiritual sense of the Law came home to his heart by the teaching and voice of the Spirit and then his vain hopes gave up the ghost and his sin and guilt stared in the face of his Conscience VII Character The voice of Christ whereof we now speak is generally and ordinarily conveyed to the Souls of men through the Word preached which is the chosen Organ or Instrument of its Conveyance We cannot absolutely and universally affirm that Christ always speaks to men this way but certainly this is his standing and ordinary course 1 Thess. 1. 5. Our Gospel came not to you in word only but in power and in the Holy Ghost Our Gospel because preached and ministred by us but had that been all it had come to you in word only as it doth to many thousand others in the world who hear and feel nothing in it more than what is human but unto you it came in power and in the Holy Ghost that is our words were the Vehicle or Organ through which the vital power of the Spirit was conveyed into your Souls Providences have their voices as well as the Word and sometimes the voice of Christ hath accompanied the voice of Providence to the conversion of mens Souls but this is more rare and unusual The established and ordinary way of Christ's speaking to the hearts of Sinners is by the Word and especially the Word preached which upon that very account and consideration as it is the Organ of conveying the voice and power of Christ to the Soul is therefore called the power of God to salvation Rom. 1. 16. This Instrument the Lord generally 〈◊〉 and honours for the conveyance of spiâ—itual life into the Souls of men though it be despised and contemned in the world The preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness but unto us which are saved it is the power of God 1 Cor. 1. 18. i. e. the chosen Instrument by which the saving power of God communicates it self to the Souls of men And although God may exert his saving power through Providences yet we seldom or never find he doth so where the Word may be had but is despised and neglected And truly herein God consults our peace and satisfaction for suppose he should make use of another medium as a voice from Heaven c. and after Calling which is an usual case the called Soul should question all and say How do I know bâ—t all this may be a Delusion may not Satan impose upon poor Mortals and this voice from Heaven be a counterfeit voice my Eternal estate depends upon it and I had need to be sure it was the very voice of God himself In such a case as this it would be hard to give such clear distinguishing Characters as might be to the satisfaction of the Soul and clearly difference the one from the other But now when God makes the Word his Instrument in this matter it yield abundantly more satisfaction we have a more sure Word of Prophesie surer than a voice from Heaven 2 Pâ—t 1. 19. And though Paul was converted by a voice from Heaven yet the Lord sends him to Aâ—anias to preach the Gospel to him Acts 9. 17. The Lord will honour his Word Providences may make way and prepare the heart but the Word is the Instrument by which the Lord puts forth his power ordinarily to salvation VIII Character The voice of Christ leaves abiding effects and lasting impressions upon the Soul that hears it The words of men are scattered into the wind but the effects of Christ's voice are durable and lasting things Psal. 119. 93. I will never forget thy Word for by it thou hast quickned me How many hundred Sermons have we heard and all those excellent Truths vanished away as a Dream Oh but if ever thou heardest Christ speaking to thy heart in any Sermon or Prayer to be sure that will stick by thee for ever His words are sealed upon the Soul for ever they are written in the heart Ier. 31. 33. What Iob wished concerning his words that is really perform'd in the words of Christ they are written as in the Rock for ever We have slippery Memories but the weakest Memory will and must retain the words of Christ spoken to the heart by his Spirit for they are sealed upon it Iob 33. 16. He sealeth their instructions and this secures them Thus you have the innate Characters of Christ's voice Fourthly I shall next speak unto the personal Objects unto whom Christ ordinarily directs this his internal efficacious and saving Voice or Call. And although it be true that the Spirit of Christ is a free Agent acting with the greatest liberty and calleth whom he will according to that Iohn 3. 8. The wind bloweth where it listeth And it is true de facto That Christ hath made some of all sorts and ranks of men to hear his voice yet if we consider the way he commonly takes we shall find that it is very rare and seldom that Christ directs this saving voice or call of his to the great and wise of this world 1 Cor. 1. 26. You see your Calling Brethren how that not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called He saith not any but not many Some Christ doth call Lest as one notes the world should think that Christians were deceived through their simplicity and weakness One rich Ioseph of Arimathea one honourable Niâ—odemus but not many Men of the greatest fame and renown in the world have been the greatest and fiercest Enemies against Christ. Gallen the chief Physician Porphyry the chief Aristotelian Plotinus the chief Platonist Lybanus and Lucian the chief Orators were all the professed Enemies of Christ. Two things make a man great in the eye of the world The external endowments of Providence heaping up Riches and Honours upon the outward man and internal gifts and endowments of the mind adorning the inward man as strong Reason sharpness of Wit c. when both these meet as many times they do in one and the same person they make him great in the eye of the world and usually in his own eyes too yea too great to stoop to the simplicity of the Gospel and the humbling self-denying terms thereof These the Lord usually passes by and directs his voice to the poor the poor receive the Gospel God hath chosen the poor of this world rich in faith and Heirs of the Kingdom James 2. 5. And this choice of God Christ blesseth him for Matth. 11. 25. I thank thee O father Lord of Heaven and Earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes even so Father for so it seemeth good in thy sight And indeed the wisdom of God deserves our admiration in this dispensation For 1. hereby the freeness of his Grace is vindicated None can
see that dou don't despise them I think no Age was ever deeper drencht in the guilt of this sin than the present Age is III. Inference What a fearful Judgment is the removing the Gospel from a Nation seeing it is in and by the Gospel Christ speaketh life to the Souls of men The Spirit of God and the Word of God usually come and go together when therefore these are gone no more Conversions are to be expected Dreadful is the case of that people Prov. 29. 18. Where no Vision is the people perish Those are direful Menaces Isa. 8. 16. Bind up the Law seal up the Testimony among my Disciples And Rev. 2. 5. I will remove thy Candlestick out of its place Better the Sun were taken out of the Heavens than the Gospel out of the Church O England provoke not thy God to execute upon thee the Judgment here threatned Think not God hath made such a Settlement of the Gospel that it shall never be removed however you use it Your advocate in Heaven hath obtained it for you for a time upon trial if you bring forth fruit well you and the Generations to come shall be happy in it if not this blessed Tree which hath brought forth so many Mercies to you and yours must and will be cut down Luke 13. 8. yea and even now is the ax laid at the root of the Tree Matth. 3. 10. 'T is an allusion to a Carpenter that throws down the Ax and Saws at the root of the Tree he intends to cut down The only ground of hope which remains with us this day is that there are some Buds appearing some Fruits putting forth and if there be a blessing in the Bud the Lord will spare it according to Isa. 65. 8. But these hopes are balanced with many sad symptoms which may make us tremble to think what God is about to do with such a sinful Nation IV. Inference Those that have heard Christ's voice and call in the Gospel have no reason to be discouraged from going to Christ in the way of Faith. Christ's Call is a sufficient warrant to believe Many poor Souls are stagger'd in their work of Faith by the fear of Presumption an ugly Objection which they know not how to clear themselves of But certainly this above all Considerations in the world enervates this Objection of Presumption Then men presume when they act without a Call or Warrant but if Christ have spoken to your hearts by the voice of his Spirit you have the best warrant in the world to go to him What though you know not the Issue yet your Obedience is due to his Call. By faith Abraham when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an Inheritance obeyed and he went out not knowing whither he went Hebâ— 11. 8. So must you It is not necessary to your going to Christ that you must be ascertained before hand what the Event and Issue thereof shall be Your believing is an act of Obedience to the voice of Christ that calls you When therefore Satan shall object What such a wretched Soul as thou go to Christ canst thou imagine to find entertainment with him whom thou hast so abused and deeply wronged Thy answer should be ready 'T is true I have been a vile wretch and have deeply wronged the Lord Jesus but Christ hath spoken to my heart he hath called me and therefore it can be no presumption in me to go at his Call but contrariwise it would be flat Rebellion against his Soveraign Command to refuse to believe and come unto him yea it would be a greater sin than any of my former sins have been Beside had the Lord Jesus no intention of mercy as thou maliciously insinuatest towards my Soul he would never have spoken to my heart by conviction and perswasion as he hath done V. Inference If no Soul can open to Christ until it hear his powerful spiritual voice then the change made upon men by conversion is wholly supernatural The rise of Faith is from this power of Christ not from the nature of Man Iohn 1. 13. Proud Nature arrogates this power and honour to it self but without any ground for though some things may be done by men in their natural state which have a remote tendency to conversion and spiritual life yet it can never open to Christ savingly without a power communicated from himself There is a total impotence in Nature to produce such an effect as this The Scripture speaks it roundly telling us The Natural man cannot of himself know the things that are of God 1 Cor. 2. 14. Cannot believe for Faith is not of our selves it is the gift of God Iohn 6. 44. Cannot obey Rom. 8. 7. The carnal Mind is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be Cannot speak a good word Matth. 12. 34. Cannot think a good thought 2 Cor. 3. 5. What a poor impotent thing then is the Natural man who can neither believe nor obey speak a good word or think a good thought by any natural power of his own Say not 't is against Reason for God to require men to do what they cannot and then damn them for not doing it For 1. though man hath lost his ability to obey yet God hath not lost his right to command for at that rate any man might shake off the yoke of God's Soveraignty by disabling himself through his own sin for the duties of Obedience 2. Though man hath not a sufficient power yet there is in him an intolerable pride which puffs him up with a conceit that he hath what he hath not and can do what he cannot The Command is therefore of great use to check this pride and convince man of his impotency Rev. 3. 17. 3. Every man can do more than he doth towards his own Conversion And therefore it is good for men to be urged by the Commands to all those Duties in the use and observance whereof Christ ordinarily comes into the Soul by a supernatural power II. Vse for Exhortation This Point gives a loud Call to all that are within the sound of the Gospel especially to such as begin to feel some power accompanying the Word to their hearts diligently to hearken to the voice of Christ and obey his first Call without further delay Rev. 2. 7. He that hath an ear to hear let him hear 'T is a dreadful and dangerous thing to turn away the Ear from him that speaks from Heaven Hebr. 12. 25. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh for if they escaped not that refused him that spake on earth much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaks from Heaven See that ye refuse not the Caution implies the Matter to be very weighty and a neglect or refusal in this matter to be highly dangerous Turn not away your Ear be not guilty of the least aversation sleight or neglect in so great and
in Christ before the world was Ephes. 3. 9. To make all men see what is the fellowship of the Mystery which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God who created all things by Iesus Christ to the intent that now unto the Principalities and Powers in heavenly places might be known by the Church the manifold wisdom of God. The next Intention and Aim of the Gospel is to set open the heart of man to receive Jesus Christ without which all the glorious discoveries of the eternal Counsels and gracious Contrivances of God for and about us would signifie nothing to our real advantage Christ standing knocking and speaking by his Spirit of which we have before treated receive their Success and attain their End when the heart opens it self by Faith to receive him and not till then Hence note IX DOCT. That the opening of the heart to receive Christ by Faith is the great design and aim of the Gospel This is the Mark to which all the Arrows in the Gospel Quiver are levelled the Centre unto which those blessed Lines are drawn Iohn 20. 31. These things are written that you might believe and believing might have life through his Name All those precious Truths that are written in the Scriptures are to bring you to Faith. The great aim of the Spirit in his Illuminations Convictions Humiliations c. are the very same thing Iohn 6. 29. This is the work of God that you believe 'T is not only Opus Deo dignum a work worthy of such an Author but it is that on which God's eye is fixed in his workings upon us the end and aim of his work Great persons have great designs This is the glorious project of the great God and every Person in the Godhead is engaged and concerned in it 1. The Father hath his hand in this work and such a hand as without it no heart could ever open or move in the least towards Christ Iohn 6. 44. No man can come unto me saith Christ except my Father which hath sent me draw him None but he that raised up Christ from the dead can raise up a dead heart unto saving Faith in him 2. The sons hand is in this work he is not only the Object but the Author of our Faith 1 Iohn 5. 20. We know that the son of God is come and hath given us an understanding that we may know him that is true and we are in him that is true even in his Son Iesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life 3 And then for the Spirit he comes from Heaven designedly and expresly to convince Sinners of their need of Christ and beget Faith in them Iohn 16. 9. So that this appears to be the great design of Heaven the drist and level both of the Word and Works of God. Touching this design of the Gospel I shall here speak indeavouring to open this great and glorious project of Heaven in the ensuing Properties of it which are 1. The Greatness of it 2. The Difficulty of it 3. The Instruments imployed in it 4. The Scope and aim of it And First Of the Greatness of this design of God we little understand what a marvellous thing is done in the Earth when the heart of a Sinner is brought to close with Christ by Faith. It would transport us with admiration did we throughly consider it Well may the Apostle place it in the first rank of all the glorious and wonderful works of God as he doth 1 Tim. 3. 16. Great is the mystery of godliness God was manifest in the flâ—sh justified in the Spirit seen of Angels preached unto the Gentiles believed on in the World. Observe with what works of wonder Faith is here ranked and associated It is an astonishing work of God that ever God should be manifested in flesh that he that thunders in the Clouds should be heard crying in a Cradle that he who is over all God blessed for ever should become a man. It is astonishing that when he was taken down dead from the Cross laid in the Sepulchre and the Stone sealed upon it he should rise on the third day from the dead by his own power That ever the Gospel should be preached to such a miserable and sorlorn people as the Gentiles were the scorn and contempt of the Jews And no less marvellous is it to see the hearts of such poor Creatures glued so fast to Idolatry so perfectly dead in sin to open to Christ upon such self-denying terms as to let go all they had in the world for a blessed Inheritance which they never saw And were not this a marvellous work of God indeed there would never be such joy and triumph in Heaven among the holy Angels as there is upon the opening of every Sinners heart to Christ Luke 15. 7. the whole City of God is moved with it Heaven rings again with the joyful tydings as soon as ever the Will begins to bowe and open to Christ the news is quickly in Heaven and all the Angels of God rejoyce at the tydings As when a young Prince is born the Conduits run with Wine there is Joy in every City throughout the Kingdom So also there is in Heaven when Christ hath gotten a new habitation in the Soul of any Sinner upon Earth Moreover the greatness of this design appears from the great Rewards promised by the Lord to every Servant of his who hath but the least hand to help it on God would never reward the Instruments so richly if the success of the work were not of great value in his eyes The Ministers of Christ may be ill rewarded by men perfecuted and reproached for their labour but God will bountifully repay their pains and faithfulness Dan. 12. 3. They that turn many unto righteousness shall shine as the Stars and as the brightness of the firmament for ever and ever All these things be speak it a very great and important design upon which the heart of God is much set Secondly And then in the next place as it is an exceeding great and important design and work of God so it is a very hard and difficult work in it self a work whose difficulties surmounts the abilities of Angels It is certainly a work carried on by the mighty power of God through the greatest oppositions imaginable And therefore it is noted Rev. 3. 7. that it is the peculiar Prerogative of Jesus Christ who only hath the Key of the house of David to open the heart of a Sinner by Faith. Men think it is an easie thing to believe but if you consult the Scriptures you will quickly be informed how grosly you mistake the nature of this work In Col. 2. 12. the believing Soul is said to rise with Christ through the faith of the operation of God who raised him from the dead In the Resurrection of Christ there was a glorious operation of the power of God indeed you know it astonished the
made and yet no breach not one stone moved out of its place you will say that 's a strong Wall indeed Beloved God hath as I may say raised a Mount in the Gospel planted the great Ordinance of Heaven upon it discharged many dreadful vollies of threatnings nay he hath as it were come under the walls of the unbelieving Soul with terms of grace and mercy and yet no opening O prodigious obstinacy We have piped unto you but ye have not danced we have mourned unto you but ye have not lamented Matth. 11. 17. Neither the sweet Airs of Gospel Grace nor the dreadful thunders of the Law make any impression upon you O what an obdurate Rock is the Heart by nature Certainly every Christian may see enough in others and find enough in himself without the help of other Books to confute the Arminian Doctrian which so extolls and flatters the nature of man. It is as possible to make an impression with your finger upon a wall of brass as for the best Sermon in the world in its own strength to make an effectual saving impression upon a sinners Will. III. Inference Is it the great design of the Gospel to open the hearts of men to Christ then wonder not that it meets with such strong and fierce opposition from Satan wherever it is sincerely and powerfully preached As for general and formal preaching which comes not to the quick the Devil is not so much concerned about it he knows it will do him no great damage nay it fastens and secures his interest in the Souls of men But wherever the Gospel comes with spirit and power laying the Ax to the Root shewing men the vanity of their ungrounded hopes pressing the necessity of Regeneration and Faith this preaching quickly gives an alarm to Hell and raises all manner of opposition against it What is it to preach the Gospel said Luther but to derive the rage and fury of the whole world upon us Satan is the God of this world all men by Nature are his born Subjects No Prince on earth is more jealous of the revolt of his Subjects than he and its time for him to bestir himself when the Gospel comes to dethrone him as it doth in the faithful preaching of it Iohn 12. 31. Now is the Judgment of this world now shall the Prince of this world be cast out Now he falls as Lightning from Heaven Luke 10. 18. Now Sinners are made sensible of the cruel tyranny and bondage of Satan's Government and of the glorious liberty offered to them by Jesus Christ. Satan suspecting the Issue of these things bestirs himself to purpose O what showers of Calumnies and storms of Persecution doth he pour upon the Names and Persons of Christ's faithful Ambassadours certainly he owes Christ's Ministers a spight and they shall know and feel it if ever he get them within the compass of his Chain But let this discourage none imployed in this glorious design the Lord is with them to protect their persons and reward their diligence IV. Inference If the opening of the heart be the main design of the Gospel then Christ and Faith ought to be the principal Subjects that Ministers should insist on among their people There are many other useful Doctrins which may and ought to be opened and prest in their time and place Moral duties c. have their excellencies but Christ and Faith are the great things we are to preach Let men be once brought to Christ and the rest will follow but to begin and end with Morality will never make men Gospel Christians Grace teaches Morality Titus 2. 11. but Morality without Grace saves no man. I doubt not but it hath been a grand Artifice of the Devil to confound Grace with Morality and make men believe that nothing more is requir'd unto mens salvation but a civil sober conversation in the world and so lay by the principal part of the Gospel which opens and presses the necessity of Regeneration Repentance and Faith in the Blood of Christ Such preaching as this answers not the end and design of Christ in the conversion of Souls such toothless preaching disturbs not the Consciences of men the Lord help all his Ambassadours to mind the Example and Charge of their Redeemer and laying aside all carnal interest to apply themselves faithfully unto the Souls and Consciences of their hearers not as men-pleasers but as the servants of Christ. II. Vse of Conviction In the next place This Doctrin is of excellent Use to convince men of the dreadful damning nature of the sin of Unbelief A sin which defeats and frustrates the main design of the blessed Gospel of Christ on the Unbelievers Soul. This is the sin that keeps the heart fast shut against him As Faith is the radical Grace so Unbelief is the radical Sin. What shall I say of it it is the Traytors Gate through which those Souls pass that are to perish for ever The Gospel can do you no good the Blood of Christ can yield you no saving benefit whilst your Souls remain under the dominion and power of this sin When we consider the mighty Arguments of the Gospel we may wonder that all that hear them are not immediately perswaded to Christ by them And on the other side when we consider the mighty power of Unbelief how strongly it holds the Soul in bondage to sin we may admire that any Soul is brought over to Christ by the Gospel It was not without cause that the Apostle puts faith in Christ among the great Mysteries and Wonders of the Gospel 1 Tim. 3. 16. Now the intrinsick evil and fearful consequences of this sin of Unbelief will appear in these following particulars 1. Unbelief fixes the guilt of all other sins on the person of the Unbeliever it binds them all fast upon his Soul Iohn 8. 24. For if ye believe not that I am he ye shall dye in your sins Dye in thy sins man it were better for thee to dye in a Ditch What more terrible can God threaten or man feel This is the sin that makes the death of Christ of none effect to us Gal. 5. 4. There is indeed a soveraign virtue in the Blood of Christ to pardon sin but thy Soul cannot have the benefit of it while it remains under the dominion of this sin As it was said of the miraculous works of Christ He could do no mighty works there because of their unbelief Matth. 13. 58. so none of his spiritual works no ordinances can do thy Soul good till the Lord break the power of this sin Hebr. 4. 2. The word preached did not profit them not being mixed in faith in them that heard it If a man were dangerously sick or wounded the richest Cordial or most soveraign Plaister in the world can never recover him unless received and applyed Unbelief spills the most soveraign Cordials of the Gospel as Water upon the ground The greatest sins that ever thou committedst
is a standing mercy never to be recall'd vacated or annulled Rom. 8. 33 34 35. The challenge is sent to Hell and Earth Men and Devils Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect 'T is God that justifies who is he that condemneth It is Christ that died c. Who can arrest when the Creditor dischargeth Who can sue the bond when the debt is paid 'T is Christ that died The Table is spread and the first mercy served in is the pardon of sin Eat O friends drink yea drink abundantly O beloved Now the labouring Conscience that rowled and tossed upon the waves of a thousand fears may drop Anchor and ride quiet in the pacifique Sea of a pardoned State. What joy must stream through the Conscience when the sweetness of that Scripture Rom. 8. 1. shall be pressed into thy cup of Consolation The pardoned Soul may speak and think of Death and Judgment without consternation yea may look upon it as a time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord Acts 3. 19. This is heavenly Manna the sweetness of it swallows up all expression all conceptions no words no thoughts can comprehend the riches of this mercy II. And yet this is not all behold another mercy in consequence unto this brought in to refresh and cheer the consenting Soul and that is peace with God. Pardon and peace go together Rom. 5. 1. Being justified by faith we have peace with God. Peace is a word of a vast comprehension peace in the language of the Old Testament comprehends all Temporal good things 1 Sam. 25. 6. And peace in the New Testament comprehends all Spiritual mercies 2 Thes. 3. 16. the blessings of Heaven and Earth are wrapt up in this word The Soul that opens to Christ hath peace of reconciliation in Heaven the enmity that was betwixt God and that Soul is taken away through the blood of Christ Isa. 12. 1 2. O Lord I will praise thee though thou wast angry with me thine anger is turned away and thou comfortest me This must be an invaluable mercy for the purchase of it cost the blood of Christ Isa. 53. 5. The chastisement of our peace was upon him He made peace by the blood of his Cross Col. 1. 20. and this peace of reconciliation is setled by Christ upon a firm foundation His blood gives it a more firm and steady basis and foundation than that of the Hills and Mountains Isa. 54. 10. And that which makes it so firm and sure is the Advocateship of Jesus Christ in Heaven 1 Iohn 2. 1. 2. If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father There is also peace in the believers Conscience peace as it were by Proclamation from Heaven and this is built upon the peace of Reconciliation We cannot have the the sense of peace till we are brought into a state of peace the latter is the result of the former And this is a special part of that supper Christ provides to entertain the Soul that receives it How sweet this is is better felt than spoken A dreadful sound was lately in the Ears of the Law-condemned sinner but now his Heart is the seat of peace And this peace is 1. the Souls gard against all inward and outward terrors Phil. 4. 7. The peace of God shall keep 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or as the word is guard your hearts and minds The persons of Princes are secured by guards of armed and valiant Men who watch while they sleep Thus Solomon had his royal guard because of fear in the night Cant. 3. 7 8. This peace of God Christian is thy life-guard and secures thee better than Solomons threescore valiant men that were about him Time was when thou wast affraid to sleep for fear thou shouldst awake in Hell Now thou maist say with David I will both lay me down and sleep for thou Lord makest me to dwell in safety Now come life come death the Soul is safe the peace of God is its royal guard 2. This peace is ease as well as safety to the Soul 'T is heart-ease no sooner doth God speak peace to the Conscience but the Soul finds it self at ease and rest Heb. 4. 3. We which have believed do enter into rest It is with such a Soul as it was with the Dove Noah sent out of the Ark that poor creature wandred in the Air as long as her wings could carry her had her strength fail'd there was nothing but the waters to receive her O how sweet was rest in the Ark 3. This peace is news from Heaven and the sweetest tydings that ever blest the sinners Ear next unto Christ Heb. 12. 24. The blood of Christ speaketh better things than that of Abel And you are come to this blood of sprinkling the same day and hour that Christ is come into your Souls This is the voice of that blood Thou hast sinned I have satisfied Thou hast kindled the wrath of God And I have quencht it The Angels of Heaven cannot feed higher their joys are not more delicious than those prepared for believers are whereof this is a foretast whatever circumstances of trouble a man be in this effectually relieves him Paul and Silas were in sad circumstances shut up in the inner-prison their feet made fast in the stocks their cruel keeper at the door their execution designed in a few days God did but set this dish upon the Table before the prisoners and they could not forbear to sing at the feast Acts 16. 25. At midnight they sang c. III. After these two royal dishes Pardon and Peace a third will come in viz. Ioy in the Holy Ghost this is somewhat beyond peace 't is the very quintessence and Spirit of all Consolation The Kingdom of God is said to consist in it Rom. 14. 17. 't is somewhat near to the joy of the glorified 1 Pet. 1. 8. 't is Heaven upon Earth All believers do not immediately attain it but one time or other God usually gives them a taste of it and when he doth it is as it were a short Salvation O who can tell what that is which the Apostle calls The shedding abroad of the love of God into the Heart by the Holy Ghost which is given to us Rom. 5. 5. It is a joy which wants an Epithet to express the sweetness of it 1 Pet. 1. 8. Ioy unspeakable and full of glory It hath the very scent and taste of Heaven in it and there is but a gradual difference betwixt it and the joy of Heaven This joy of the Holy Ghost is a spiritual cheeriness streaming through the Soul of a believer upon the Spirits testimony which clears his interest in Christ and glory No sooner doth the Spirit shed forth the love of God into the believers Heart but it streams and overflows with joy Joy is no more under that Souls command and this will evidently appear if you consider the matter of it it arises from the light of
though the Soul that was sealed should for the present be under new darkness new temptations and fears yet former sealing will give establishment and relief when the thoughts run back to the sealing day and a man remembers how clear God once made his title to Christ Well then open to Christ if ever you expect to be sealed to salvation If you continue to despise and reject the tenders of Christ in the Gospel whilst others that embrace him are sealed to redemption Your unbelief and final rejection of Christ will seal you up to the day of damnation V. And lastly we read likewise in the Scriptures of the Earnest of the Spirit This is three times mentioned in the Scriptures Eph. 1. 14. Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchasad possession 2 Cor. 1. 22. where it is joyned with the former priviledge of sealing Who hath also sealed us and given the earnest of the Spirit in our Hearts And again 2 Cor. 5. 5. He that hath wrought us for the self same thing is God who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 originally a Syriak word The Greeks are supposed to get it from the Phonician Merchants with whom they traded and it notes a part paid in hand to confirm a bargain for the whole There are two things in an earnest 1 It is part of the sum or inheritance If it were a contract for a sum of mony then it was a small part of a greater parcel If for an Inheritance then the earnest is a taking a part of the Inheritance as a twig or turf part of the whole Now the Spirit of God chooses this word on purpose to signifie two great things to his People by it 1. That those comforts communicated by the Spirit to Believers are of the same kind with the Joys of Heaven though in a far inferiour degree 1 Pet. 1. 8. called there Ioy unspeakable and full of glory and Rom. 8. 23. called there The first-fruits of the Spirit The First-Fruits and the Crop or Harvest are one in kind Surely there is something of Heaven as well as Hell tasted by men in this world Hell is begun here in the terrors of some mens Consciences and Heaven also is begun here in the absolution peace and comfort of other mens Consciences 2. As an earnest is part of the sum or inheritance so the use and end of it is confirmation and security as much as to say Take this in part till the whole be paid yea take it for thy security that the whole shall be paid Believers have a double pledge or earnest for Heaven one in the person of Christ who is entred into that glory for them Iohn 14. 2 3. The other in the joys and comforts of the Spirit which they feel and taste in themselves These are two great securities and the design of God in giving us these earnests and foretasts of Heaven are not only to settle our minds but to whet our industry that we may long the more earnestly and labour the more diligently for the full possession The Lord sees how apt we are to flag in the pursuit of Heavenly Glory and therefore gives his People a taste an earnest of it to excite their diligence in the pursuits of it God deals with his People in this case as with Israel they had been forty years in the Wilderness many sore temptations they had there encountred at last they were come upon the very borders of Canaan but then their hearts began to faint there were Anakims Gyants in the Land poor Israel feared they should not stand before them but Ioshua sends Spies into the Land who returning bring the first-fruits of Canaan to them whereby they saw what a goodly Country it was and then the fear of the Anakims began to vanish and a spirit of Courage to revive in the People Thus it is even with the Borderers upon Heaven tho' we be near that blessed Land of promise yet our hearts are apt to faint upon a prospect of those great sufferings without us and those conflicts with corruptions we feel within us But one taste of the first fruits of Heaven like those grapes of Eshcol revive our Spirits rouze our Zeal and quicken our pursuits of blessedness For these reasons God will not have all of Heaven reserved till we come thither And now tell me you that have tasted these first-fruits of the Spirit 1 Is there not something in faith of that glorified Eye by which the pure in heart do see God in Heaven Matth. 5. 8. O that eye of Faith that precious eye which comes as near to the glorified eye as any thing in this imperfect state can come 1 Pet. 1. 8. Whom having not seen ye love in whom though now ye see him not yet believing ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory 2 Is there not something of that glorified love to be felt in an inferiour degree by the Saints in this world What else can we make of that transport of the Spouse Cant. 2. 5. Stay me with flagons comfort me with apples for I am sick of love 'T is true our love to God in Heaven is much more servent pure and constant yet these high-raised acts of spiritual love have a tast and relish of it 3 Is there not something here of that heavenly delight wherewith the glorified delight in God As the visions of God are begun on earth so the heavenly delights are begun here also Some drops of that delight are let fall here Psal. 94. 19. In the multitude of the thoughts I had within me thy comforts delight my Soul. David's heart 't is like had been full of sorrow and trouble a sea of gall and wormwood had overflowed his Soul God le ts fall but a drop or two of heavenly delight and all is turned into sweetness and comfort 4 Is there not something here of that transformation of the Soul into the image of God which is compleat in Heaven and a special part of the glory thereof 'T is said in 1 Iohn 3. 2. We shall be like him for me shall see him as he is This is Heaven this is glory to have the Soul moulded into full conformity with God something thereof is experienced in this world O that we had more 2 Cor. 3. 18. But we all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory as by the Spirit of the Lord. 5 Is there not something felt here of the ravishing sweetness of God's presence in Ordinances and Duties which is a faint shadow at least of the joys of his glorious presence in Heaven there is certainly a felt presence of God a sensible nearness unto God at some times and in some duties of Religion wherein his name is as an oyntment poured forth Cant. 1. 3. something that is felt beyond
and above all the comforts of this world 6 In a word the joys of Heaven are unspeakable Joys no words can make known to others what they are When Paul was caught up into Paradice he heard unspeakable words 2 Cor. 12. 4. And are there not times even in this life wherein the Saints do feel that which no words can express 1 Pet. 1. 8. Rev. 2. 17. Now if such earnests of the Spirit do follow after believing if opening the Soul to Christ do bring it into these Suburbs of Heaven who then would not receive Christ into his Soul and such an heaven upon earth with him And thus I have shewed you what some of those heavenly rarities are with which Christ entertains Believers upon earth the fulness and perfection whereof is reserved for Heaven and hereby secured to the opening or believing Soul which was the first thing to be discovered Secondly Next we shall enquire into the reasons why Christ thus entertains feasts and refreshes the Soul that receives him And First This he doth to express the great joy and satisfaction his Soul hath in the faith and obedience of poor Sinners We read Isa. 53. 11. of the hard travel of Christs Soul and the great satisfaction he hath in the fruit and issue thereof He shall see of the travel of his Soul and shall be satisfied O what pleasure and satisfaction doth it give him to behold the eternal counsels of God and sore travels of his Soul brought to such a birth there is no pleasure like it to the Soul of Christ in this world As it is abundant satisfaction to a man to behold the accomplishment of a design upon which he hath laid out many thoughts and much cost at last happily finished Or as it is to a Woman that hath had a hard labour a sore travel for a Child to behold the fruit of her Womb to embrace and smile upon that Child she travail'd for So and much more than so it is to Christ and therefore as the Father of the Prodigal manifested the Joy of his heart for the return of his Son who was to him as dead and lost by a feast and musick So doth Christ here answerably manifest the content and satisfaction of his Soul by entertaining the Believer with these royal dainties of Heaven 't is the Souls welcom home to Christ. Secondly This Christ doth to relieve and refresh poor distressed Souls who have endured so many fears and sorrows from the time of their first conviction until this day of their union with Christ by Faith. The way of faith is a very humbling way there 's much cutting work in antecedent convictions and humiliations sad nights and sick days with many poor Souls and these things bring them very low They see the Law broken by sin wrath hanging over them in the threatnings the bitter tast thereof they have in their consciences they have dwelt with fears and horrors a long time and they need succour and support which the Lord Jesus is now resolved to give them lest the spirit fail before him Isa. 57. 16. He delights to comfort them that are cast down 2 Cor. 7. 6. Christ is of a compassionate nature he is as ready as able to succour them that are tempted Heb. 2. 18. That word which we render Succour signifies to run in by way of help at the cry of one that is in distress Many emphatical cries have gone up to Heaven from the distressed sin-sick Soul these the compassionate Jesus hears and now comes in seasonably to succour and refresh it He hath rich Cordials for fainting hours the Soul hath had a bitter break-fast and therefore Christ will give it a comfortable Supper I will come in to him and sup with him Thirdly Those that open their hearts to Christ must expect to meet great troubles sufferings and temptations in that new course whereinto they are entred Their way to Heaven lies through much tribulation all our troubles are not over when we are got into Christ nay then commonly our greatest outward troubles begin Heb. 10. 32. After ye believed ye endured a great fight of affliction Carnal relations now scoff frown and cast off the world hates them and marks them out for persecution Now that poor Christians may not utterly be discouraged when they meet with those troubles in the way of their duty Christ will chear and hearten them by these spiritual refreshments This is a stock laid in for a rainy day Christ himself had a voice from Heaven Matth. 17. 5. This is my beloved Son a little before his great combat much more do his poor people need such consolations to support and encourage them The wise God foresees and by this provision forelays the troubles they are to meet with An hour of Sealing fortifies the Soul for an hour of Suffering It hath been the observation of some Christians when they have felt more than ordinary comforts of the Spirit that some great tryal hath been near them and the event hath confirmed it Whatever comforts Christ gives his people at their first entrance into his Service they will have need enough of them all before they finish their course To these first sealings they will need often to run back and have frequent recourse to them and all little enough to support them in after-tryals Fourthly Christ comes in to the opening Soul with such divine Cordials and refreshments to defeat and countermine the plot of Satan who hath so often and so lately been discouraging them by representing the ways of Christ as sad melancholy ways telling them they shall never laugh more never be merry more after they have embraced and espoused the ways of holiness Spiritus Calvinianus est spiritus melancholicus Well their own experiences shall now confute it for they now taste that pleasure in Christ in faith and obedience which they never tasted in the ways of sin thus that scandalous libel of the Devil is experimentally confuted They find they were never truly merry till now Luke 15. 24. All true mirth commences from our closing with Christ and they began to be merry Now these spiritual refreshments are by Christ here called a Supper because the Supper among the Jews was their best meal Luke 14. 17. and because it is the last meal This is not only the best meal that ever a believer made but upon these spiritual comforts though much more refined and perfect they are to feed for ever in Heaven O Christian well maist thou be contented with thine outward lot of providence however it shall fall in this World with respect to thy outward-man Will a King from Heaven come and sup with thee Doth he feed thy Soul with pardon peace and joy in the Holy Ghost Seals an earnest of future glory then thou livest at an higher and nobler rate than any of thy carnal neighbours do Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Iesus Christ who hath blessed us
with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Eph. 1. 3. The same person that thus blesses God with an Heart over-flowing with joy and comfort endured as many Persecutions felt as many wants and straighs as any man. What â—f Providence do but meanly cloath your Bodies so that you cannot ruffle it out in that splendor and gallantry others do yet mayst thou say with the Church I will greatly rejoice in the Lord my Soul shall be joyful in my God for he hath clothed me with the garments of Salvation he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments and as a bride adorneth her self with Iewels Isa. 61. 10. What if thou fare not deliciously as the great ones of this World do yet if Christ will give thee to eat of the hidden manna which he promiseth Rev. 2. 17. Art thou not better clothed and fed than any of the Grandees or Nobles of the World This takes away all grounds of complaint it may be you will say O but we have Bodies as well as Souls if God had created us Angels that we could live without material food it were another case I reply Christ never thus intended to feast thy Soul and starve thy Body he that feeds thy Soul with bread from Heaven will take care for all necessary provisions on Earth Isa. 41. 17. You have sought and found the Kingdom of God and his righteousness fear not but all other things shall be added to you I. Vse for Information The Point before us is full of Uses I shall begin with Information in the following Inferences I. Inference Hence learn That it is a vile and groundless slander upon Religion to say or insinuate that it deprives men of the comfort and joy of life The Devil in design to discourage men from the ways of God puts a frightful mask upon the beautiful face of Religion pretending there is no pleasure or joy to be expected therein but this is abundantly confuted and refelled in the Text I will come in to him and sup with him Solomon tells us Eccles. 10. 19. A feast is made for laughter I am sure that Soul that sits with Christ at such a feast as hath been described above hath the best reason of any man in the World to be merry Religion indeed denies us all sinful pleasure but it abounds with all spiritual pleasure No rational solid mirth can come before Christ the unsanctified rejoyce in things of nought and their joy will be soon ended they are hastning to that place where they will find that to be verified of the wages of sin which they now falsely impute to the wages of holiness they shall never rejoyce more never be merry more But believers shall find that Scripture attested by their dayly experience Prov. 3. 17. All her ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace And that there are such pleasures in the ways of God as they never experienced in the ways of sin for is it a solid ground of comfort to a man to be out of debt and all fears of arrests And is it not much greater to have our debts paid to God by Christ our Surety Matth. 9. 2. Be of good cheer thy sins are forgiven thee Is it matter of joy to have a sufficiency of all things for the supply of every want he that is in Christ hath so 1 Cor. 3. 22 23. All are yours and ye are Christs Is it a joyful life to be a borderer upon Heaven to confine upon blessedness it self Then it is a joyful life to be in Christ for they that are so may rejoyce in the hopes of glory Rom. 5. 2. Is it matter of all joy to have the Comforter himself who is the Spirit of all Consolation taking up his residence in thy Heart cheering comforting and refreshing it with such Cordials as are unknown things in all the unbelieving World Then certainly the life of a Christian and the ways of holiness must be most pleasant and comfortable and therefore let none that are looking towards Christ be discouraged in their way by the slanderous reproaches designedly cast upon Religion for that end Christ and comfort dwell together II. Inference Hence in like manner it follows That Christians usually meet the greatest difficulties at their first entrance into Religion The first work of Religion is cutting work wounding work groaning and weeping work thus Religion usually begins Acts 2. 37. Acts 16. 29. Now the Soul seems to be struck dead in the giving up of all its former vain hopes Rom. 7. 9. When the commandment came sin revived and I dyed but afterward comes pardon peace joy in the Holy Ghost They that go forth weeping bearing precious seed now come back rejoycing bringing their sheaves with them Psal. 126. 6. Now that blessing takes place upon the Soul Matth. 5. 4. Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be conforted Light is sowen for the righteous and joy for the upright in Heart 'T is quite contrary in the ways of sin all the pleasures of sin come first the terrors and gripes of Conscience come after Sin comes with smiles in its face but a sting in its tail Pleasures lead the van Hell and destruction bring up the rear Job 20. 12 13 14. Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth though he hide it under his tongue yet his meat in his bowels is turned into the gall of Asps within him But here conviction and humiliation come first these prepare the way for Christ and after him comes rest and peace Their sorrow is turned into joy John 16. 120. But is this always true Do not the worst things of Religion many times come last How many Christians go out of the world in a bloody winding sheet Whatever the after-sufferings of Christians may be the worst is past when they are once in Christ. Great and sharp sufferings they may endure but the Lord sweetens them with answerable consolations 2 Cor. 7. 4. I am filled with comfort I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation The lowest ebbs are followed with the highest tydes the greatest troubles need not give an interruption to their peace III. Inference Thirdly Hence it follows that no man can be owner of any true comfort till he be in Christ. Comfort and refreshment in the natural order follow faith 't is the vainest imagination in the World to expect solid Spiritual comfort before union with Christ you may as well expect an harvest before a seed-time I do confess there are two sorts of comforts found in the World without Christ. 1. Men may have sensitive and sinful comforts and delights without Christ these are common in the unregenerate World where you may dayly see rich men taking comfort in their riches voluptuous men in their pleasures Iam. 5. 5. You have lived in pleasures upon Earth But these are the pleasures common to bruits and beneath the
Christ unto greater chearfulness in the paths of obedience to Christ. This is another end for which God communicates them that our Souls being refreshed by them we might pluck up our feet the more nimbly in the paths of duty Psal. 119. 32. Then will I run the ways of thy commandments when thou shalt enlarge my heart Now God expects that you pray more frequently meditate more delightfully and perform every duty more cheerfully And this is the way to perpetuate your comforts How many Christians go on droopingly in the ways of duty for want of those encouragements you enjoy SERMON XI Revel 3. 20. I will sup with him and he with me WE have heard the first encouragement or argument of Christ to perswade the Hearts of Sinners to open to him viz. That he will come in to them and that not empty handed He will also Sup with them and to make the encouragement compleat and full he here adds And he with me This last clause sets forth that Spiritual-soul-refreshing-communion which is betwixt Christ and believers begun in this World compleated and perfected in the World to come Hence our tenth Observation is XI DOCT. That there is a mutual sweet and intimate communion betwixt Iesus Christ and believers in this World. Communion with Christ is frequent in the lips of many men but an hidden mystery to the Souls of most men This Atheistical age scoffs and ridicules it as Enthusiasm and Fanaticism but the Saints find that reality and incomparable sweetness in it that they would not part with it for Ten thousand Worlds When the Roman Soldiers entred the Temple at Ierusalem and found no Image there as they used to have in their own Idolatrous Temples they gave out in a Jeer that the Jews worshiped the Clouds Thus prophane Atheists scoff at the most solemn awful and sweetest part of internal Religion as a meer fancy but the thing is real sure and sensible if there be truth in any thing in the World there is truth in this That there are real intercourses betwixt the visible and invisible World betwixt Christ and the Souls of believers which we here call communion 1 Iohn 1. 3. Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Christ Iesus 'T is really and truly so we impose not upon the World we tell you no more than we have felt The life of Enoch is call'd his walking with God Gen. 5. 24. O sweet and pleasant walk All pleasures all joys are in that walk with God. Blessed are the people that hear the joyful sound they shall walk O Lord in the light of thy countenance Psal. 89. 15. The joyful sound there spoken of was the sound of the trumpet which called the people to the solemn Assemblies where they walked in the light of Gods countenance the sweet manifestations of his favour and because the World is so apt to suspect the reality and certainty of this Doctrin the Apostle again asserts it Phil. 3. 20. Truly our conversation is in Heaven We breath below but we live above we walk on Earth but our conversation is in Heaven To open this Point three things must come under consideration 1. What Communion with Christ is 2. That there is such a Communion betwixt him and believers 3. The excellency of this Communion First What Communion with Christ is in the general nature of it To open this it must be considered that there is a twofold Communion 1. A state of Communion 2. Actual Communion The first is fundamental to the second we can have no actual Communion with the Father Son or Spirit till we be first brought into a state of Communion This state of Communion is in Scripture called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our fellowship or partnership with Christ. Such a Fellowship as Merchants have in one and the same Ship and Cargo where one hath more and another less but however a joint though unequal interest one lives in one Kingdom another in another Kingdom but they are joyntly interested in the same Goods This comparison must not be stretcht beyond its intention which is to shew nothing but this that Christ and believers are co-partners or co-heirs in the same inheritance hence they are called Psal. 45. 7. his fellows God even thy God hath anointed thee with the oyl of gladness above thy fellows and again Rom. 8. 17. If children then heirs heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Christ states his people gives then a right and title not only to himself but to those good things purchased by him yea and the very glory he now enjoys in Heaven Iohn 17. 22. The glory which thou gavest me I have given them 'T is true there are some things in Christ which are peculiar to himself and incommunicable to any creature as his eternity consubstantiality with his Father c. neither have we fellowship in his mediatorial Works we have the fruits and benefits of them but no partnership with him in the glory and honour of them that is peculiarly his own and though it be said in the Scriptures that believers are righteous as he is righteous yet the meaning is not that they can Justifie others as Christ doth no they are Justified by him but cannot communicate righteousness to others as Christ doth to them But there are other things wherein there is a partnership betwixt Christ and his people among others they partake with him in the Spirit of Sanctification on Earth and glory in Heaven The same Spirit of holiness which dwells in Christ without measure is communicated by him to the Saints in measure 1 Iohn 4. 13. He hath given us of his Spirit And as Christ communicates his Spirit to the Saints so he communicates the glory of Heaven to them not that they shall be as glorious in Heaven as Christ is no no he will be known among the Saints in glory as the Sun is known from the lesser Stars Thus briefly of the state of communion which is called in Scripture our being made nigh Eph. 2. 13. and indeed we must be made nigh before we can actually draw nigh We must be put into a state of fellowship before ever we can have actual communion with God. Secondly Beside this state of Communion there is also an actual Communion which the Saints have in this World with the Father and Son in the duties of Religion This is that I am here ingaged to open This is our supping with Christ and his with us and for clearness sake I shall open it both 1. Negatively What it is not 2. Positively What it is I. Negatively What it is not for I find persons are hugely apt to mistake in this matter taking that for Communion with God which is not so and here let it be noted First That Communion with God doth not consist in the bare performance of Religious duties I do not say that Men may have Communion with God in this World without duties 't is a delusion
mutual desires after communion betwixt Christ and his people in this World then certainly there is such a thing as real communion between them or else both must live a very restless and dissatisfied life Sixthly The mutual complaints that are found on both sides of the interruption of communion plainly proves there is such a thing If God complain of his people for their estrangements from him and the Saints complain to God about his silence to them and the hidings of his face from them Surely then there must be a communion between them or else there could be no ground of complaints for the interruptions of it But it is manifest God doth complain of his people for their estrangments from him Ier. 2. 5. Thus saith the Lord I remember thee the kindness of thy youth and the love of thy espousals What iniquity have your Fathers found in me that they are gone far from me As if he should say You and I have been better acquainted in days past what cause have I given for your estrangments from me And thus Christ in like manner complains of the Church of Ephesus after he had commended many things in her yet one thing grieves and troubles him Rev. 2. 4. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee because thou hast left thy first love And then on the other side when the Lord hids his face and seems to estrange himself from his people what sad laments and moans do they make about it As an affliction they know not how to bear Thus Heman Psal. 88. 14. Lord why castests thou off my Soul Why hidest thou thy face from me So Psal. 27. 9. Hide not thy face from me put not thy servant away in anger This is what they cannot bear Seventhly The reality of communion with God is made visible to others in the sensible effects of it upon the Saints that enjoy it There are visible signs and tokens of it appearing to the conviction of others Thus that marvelous change that appeared upon the very countenance of Hannah after she had poured her heart in prayer and the Lord had answered her it is noted 1 Sam. 1. 18. She went away and her countenance was no more sad You might have read in her face that God had spoken peace and satisfaction to her heart Thus when the Disciples had been with Christ the mark of communion with him was visible to others Acts 4. 13. Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John they marvelled and took knowledg of them that they had been with Iesus 'T is sweet Christian when the heavenly cheariness and spirituality of thy converses with men shall convince others that thou hast been with Jesus Eighthly We may prove the reality of communion with God from the impossibility of sustaining those troubles the Saints do without it If prayers did not go up and answers come down there were no living for a Christian in this World. Prayer is the out-let of the Saints sorrows and the in-let of their supports and comforts Rom. 8. 26. Say not other men have their troubles as well as the Saints and yet they make a shift to bear them without the help of communion with God. 'T is true carnal men have their troubles and those troubles are often too heavy for them The sorrows of the world work death but carnal men have no such troubles as the Saints have for they have their inward Spiritual troubles as well as their outward troubles And inward troubles are the sinking troubles but this way the strength of God comes in to succor them and except they had a God to go to and fetch comfort from they could never bear them Psal. 27. 13. I had fainted unless â— had believed Paul had sunk under the buffetings of Satan unless he had gone once and again to his God and received this answer My grace is sufficient for thee 2 Cor. 12. 9. Ninthly We conclude the reality of communion with God from the end of the Saints vocation We read frequently in Scripture of effectual calling now what is that to which God calls his people out of the state of nature but unto fellowship and communion with Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 1. 9. God is faithful by whom ye are called unto the fellowship of his son Iesus Christ our Lord. They are called you see in to a life of communion with Christ therefore certainly there is such a communion else the Saints are called to the enjoyment of a fancy instead of a privilege which is the greatest reproach that can be cast upon the faithful God that called them Lastly In a word the characters and descriptions given to the Saints in Scripture evidently prove their life of communion with God. The Men of this World are manifestly distinguished from the people of God in Scripture they are called The Children of this World the Saints The Children of light Luke 16. 8. They are said to be after the flesh Saints to be after the Spirit Rom. 8. 5. they mind earthly things but the Saints conversation is in Heaven Phil. 3. 19 20. By all which it undeniably appears that there is a reality in the Doctrin of communion betwixt Christ and his people We are not imposed upon 't is no cunningly devised fable but a thing whose foundation is as sure as its nature is sweet Thirdly In the last place I shall shew you the transcendent excellency of this life of communion with God it is the life of our Life the joy of our Hearts a Heaven upon Earth as will appear by the Twenty Excellencies thereof following I. Excellency It is the Assimilating instrument whereby the Soul is moulded and fashioned after the image of God. This is the Excellency of communion with God to make the Soul like him There is a twofold assimilation or conformity of the Soul to God the one perfect and compleat the other inchoate and in part Perfect assimilation is the privilege of the perfect state resulting from the immediate vision and perfect communion the Soul hath with God in glory 1 Iohn 3 2 When he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is Perfect vision produceth perfect assimilation but the Souls assimilation or imperfect conformity to God in this World is wrought and gradually carried on by dayly communion with him And as our communion with God here grows up more and more into spirituality and power so in an answerable degree doth our conformity to him advance 2 Cor. 3. 18. But we all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory as by the spirit of the Lord. All sorts of communion among men have an assimilating efficacy he that walks in vain company is made vainer than he was before and he that walks in spiritual heavenly company will be ordinarily more serious than he was before but nothing so transforms the Spirit
of a man as communion with God doth Those are most like unto God that converse most frequently with him The beauty of the Lord is upon those Souls it figures the Spirit of a Man after the Divine pattern That 's the first Excellency of communion with God it assimilates them to God. II. Excellency It is the beauty of the Soul in the Eyes of God and all good men it makes the face to shine No outward splendor attracts like this it makes a man the most desirable companion in the whole World 1 Iohn 1. 3. These things have I written unto you that you might have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with the Son Iesus Christ. This was the great and only inducement the Apostle makes use of to draw the World into fellowship with the Saints that their fellowship is with God. And if there were ten thousand other inducements yet none like this You read of a blessed time Zach. 12. When the Earth shall be full of holiness when the Iews that are now as a lost generation to the Eye of sense shall be called and an eminent degree of sanctification shall be visible in them and then see the effect of this vers 23. In those days ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the Nations even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Iew saying We will go with you for we have heard that God is with you This is the powerful attractive the Lord is with you 't is the effect of communion with God which makes the righteous more excellent than his neighbour Prov. 12. 26. what a vast and visible difference doth this make between one man and another How heavenly sweet and desirable are the converses and company of some men How frothy burdensoin and unprofitable is the company of others And what makes the difference but only this the one walks in communion with God the other is alienated from the life of God III. Excellency It is the Centre which rests the motions of a weary Soul 't is the Rest and Refreshment of a man's Spirit Psal. 116. 7. Return unto thy rest O my Soul. When we attain perfect Communion with God in Heaven we attain to perfect Rest and all the Rest the Spirit of man finds on Earth is found in Communion with God. Take a sanctified person who hath intermitted for some time his communion with the Lord and ask him is your Soul at rest and ease He will tell you no. The motions of his Soul are like those of a member out of Joynt neither comly nor easie Let that man recover his spiritual frame again and with it he recovers his Rest and Comfort Christians you meet with variety of troubles in this World many a sweet Comfort cut off many a hopeful project dasht by the hand of Providence and what think you is the meaning of those blasting disappointing Providences Surely this is their design and errand to disturb your false rest in the bosom of the Creature to pluck away those pillows you were laying your Heads upon that thereby you might be reduced unto God and recover your lost communion with him and say with David Return unto thy rest O my Soul. Sometimes we are setling our selves to rest in an Estate in a Child or the like at this time it is usual with God to say Go Losses smite and blast such a mans Estate go Death and take away the desire of his Eyes with a stroke that my Child may find rest nowhere but in me God is the Ark the Soul like the Dove Noah sent forth let it fly where it will it shall find no rest till it comes back to God. IV. Excellency It is the Desire of all gracious souls throughout the World. Wherever there is a gracious Soul the desires of that Soul are working after communion with God as Christ was called The desire of all Nations so communion with him is The desire of all Saints and this speaks the excellency of it Psal. 27. 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after that I might dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to see the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his Temple i. e. To enjoy communion with him in the publick duties of his worship One thing have I desired that is one thing above all other things such an one as if God shall give me I can comfortably bear the want of all other things Let him deny me what he will if so be he will not deny me this one thing this one thing shall richly recompence the want of all other things Hence the desires of the Saints are so intense and fervent after this one thing Psal. 42. 1. My Soul panteth after thee O God and Psal. 119. 81. My Soul fainteth for thy Salvation Psal. 101. 2. When wilt thou come unto me No duties can satisfie without it the Soul cannot bear the delays much less the denials of it They reckon their lives worth nothing without it Ministers may come Ordinances and Sabbaths may come but there 's no satisfaction to the desires of a gracious Heart till God come too O when wilt thou come unto me V. Excellency As it is the Desire so it is the Delight of all the Children of God both in Heaven and Earth as communion with the Saints is the delight of Christ Cant. 2. 14. Let me hear thy voice And again Cant. 8. 13. The companions harken to thy voice cause me to hear it So communion with Christ is the delight of his people Cant. 2. 3. I sat under his shadow with great delight and his fruit was sweet unto my taste 'T is the pleasure of Christ to see the yearning Countenances the blushing Cheeks the droping Eyes of his people upon their Knees And it is the delight of the Saints to see a smile upon his Face to hear a voice of pardon and peace from his Lips. I must tell you Christians you must look for no such delights as these in any earthly enjoyment none better than these till you come home to glory Communion with God then appears most excellent in as much as it is found to be the desire and delight of all gracious Souls VI. Excellency 'T is the Envy of Satan that which cuts and grates that wicked Spirit O how it grates and galls that proud and envious Spirit to see Men and Women enjoying the felicity and pleasure of that communion with God from which he himself is fallen and cut off for ever To see the Saints embosomed in delightful communion with Christ whilst himself feels the pangs of horror and despair This is what he cannot endure to behold And therefore you shall find in your experience that times of communion with God are usually buisie times of temptations from the Devil Zach. 3. 1. And he shewed me Joshua the high Priest standing before the Lord and
treasures Psal. 119. 14. I have rejoyced in the way of thy commandments as much as in all riches II. It prepares the Soul for Passive Obedience makes a man to rejoyce in his sufferings Col. 1. 24. 'T will make a Christian stand as Porters in London do at the Merchants doors to receive any burden or load they have to lay upon their shoulders and thank them to be so employed This joy of the Lord is their strength Neh. 8. 10. A Christian under the chearful influences of near communion with God can with more chearfulness lay down his neck for Christ than other men can lay out a shilling for him In all these Twenty particulars you have an account of the Excellency of this priviledge but oh How short an account have I given of it What remains is the Application of this point in a double Use 1. Of Information 2. Of Exhortation First For Information in the following Inferences I. Inference How sure and certain a thing is it that there is a God and a state of glory prepared in Heaven for sanctified Souls These things are undeniable God hath set them before our spiritual Eyes and senses beside the revelation of it in the Gospel which singly makes it infallible the Lord for our abundant satisfaction hath brought these things down to the touch and test of our Spiritual senses and experiences You that have had so many sights of God by faith so many sweet tastes of Heaven in the Duties of Religion O what a confirmation and â—eal have you of the reality of invisible things You may say of Heaven and the joys above as the Apostle did of him that purchased it 1 Iohn 1. 1. That which our Eyes have seen and our Ears have heard and our Hands have handled c. For God hath set these things in some degree before your very Eyes and put the first fruits of them into your own Hands The sweet relish of the joy of the Lord is upon the very palate of your Souls to this Spiritual sense of the blieving Hebrews the Apostle appealed Heb. 10. 34. when he said Ye took joyfully the spoiling of your goods knowing in your selves that you have in Heaven a better and an induring substance This knowing in our selves is more certain and sweet than all the traditional knowledge we get from the reports of others 1 Pet. 1. 8. Whom having not seen ye love whom though now ye see him not yet believing ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory There is more of Heaven felt and tasted in this World than men are aware of 't is one thing to hear of such Countries as Spain Italy Smirna by the discourses and reports we heard of them in our childhood and another thing to understand those Countries by the rich commodities imported from them in the way of our Trade and Commerce O did we but know what other Christians have felt and tasted we would not have such staggering thoughts about invisible things But the secret comforts of Religion are and ought to be for the most part inclosed things Religion lays not all open the Christians life is a hidden life II. Inference If such an height of Communion with God be attainable on Earth then most Christians live below the duties and comforts of Christianity Alas the best of us are but at the foot of this pleasant Mount Pisga as we are but in the infancy of our Graces so we are but in the infancy of our Comforts what a poor House is kept by many of Gods own Children Living between hopes and fears seldom tasting the riches and pleasures the joys and comforts of assurance and will you know the reasons of it there are Five things which usually keep them poor and low as to Spiritual Joys and Comforts 1. The incumbrances of the World which divert them from or distract them in their duties of Communion with God and so keep them low in their Spiritual Comforts They have so much to do on Earth that they have little time for Heavenly employments Oh what a noise and din do the trifles of this World make in the Heads and Hearts of many Christians How dear do we pay for such trifles as these 2. A Spirit of formality creeping in to the duties of Religion impoverishes the vital Spirit thereof like the wanton embraces of the Ivy which binds and starves the Tree it clasps about Religion cannot thrive under formality and 't is difficult to keep out formality in a setled course of Duty and much more when Duties are intermitted 3. The business of temptations pestering the minds of many Christians especially such as are of melancholy constitutions how importunate and restless are these temptations with some Christians They can make little comfort or advantage out of Duty by reason of them 4. Heart-apostacy inward decays of our first love is another reason why our Duties prosper so little Rev. 2. 4. Thou hast left thy first love You were not wont to serve God with such coldness 5. In a word Spiritual pride impoverishes our Comforts The joys of the Spirit like brisk Wines are too strong for our weak heads For these causes many Christians are kept low in Spiritual comforts III. Inference How sweet and desirable is the society of the Saints it must needs be desirable to walk with them who walk with God 1 John 1. 3. No such companions as the Saints What benefit or pleasure can we find in converses with sensual worldlings All we can carry away out of such company is guilt or grief All my delights saith David is in the Saints and in the excellent of the Earth which excel in vertue Psal. 16. 3. And their society would certainly be much more sweet and desirable than it is did they live more in Communion with God than they do There was a time when the Communion of the Saints was exceeding lovely Mal. 3. 16. Acts 2. 46 47. The Lord restore it to its primitive glory and sweetness IV. Inference What an unspeakable Mercy is Conversion which lets the Soul into such a state of Spiritual pleasure Here 's the beginning of your acquaintance with God the first taste of Spiritual pleasures of which there shall never be an end All the time men have spent in the World in an unconverted state hath been a time of estrangement and alienation from God when the Lord brings a man to Chris in the way of Conversion he then begins his first acquaintance with God Iob 22. 21. Acquaint now thy self with him and â—e at peace thereby good shall come unto thee This is your first acquaintance with the Lord which will be a growing thing every visit you give him in prayer increaseth your acquaintance and begets more intimacy and humble holy familiarity betwixt him and you And oh what a paradice of pleasure doth this let the Soul into The life of Religion abounds with pleasures Psal. 16. 11. All his ways are ways of pleasantness and
his paths are peace Prov. 3. 17. Now you know where to go and unload any trouble that presseth your Hearts whatever prejudices and scandals Satan and his instruments cast upon Religion this I will affirm of it that that man must necessarily be a stranger to true pleasure and empty of real comfort who is a stranger to Christ and the duties of Communion with him 'T is true here 's no allowance for sinful pleasures nor any want of Spiritual pleasures Bless God therefore for converting grace you that have it and list up a cry to Heaven for it you that want it V. Inference Lastly If there be so much delight and pleasure in our imperfect and often interrupted Communion with God here O then what is Heaven What are the immediate visions of his face in the perfect state 1 Cor. 2. 9. Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard neither have entred into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him You have heard glorious and ravishing reports in the Gospel of that blessed future state things which the Angles desire to look into You have felt and tasted joys unspeakable and full of glory in the actings of your faith and love upon Christ yet all that you have heard and all that you have felt and tasted in the way to glory falls so short of the perfection and blessedness of that state that Heaven will and must be a great surprize to them that have now the greatest acquaintance with it Though the present comforts of the Saints are sometimes as much as they can bear for they seem to reel and stagger under the weight of them Cant. 2. 5. Stay me with flagons comfort me with apples I am sick of love Yet I say these high tides of present joy are but shallows to the joys of his immediate presence 1 Cor. 13. 12. And as they run not so deep so are they not constant and continued as they shall be above 2 Thes. 4. ult Ever with the Lord. And thus much for Information I. Vse for Exhortation The last improvement of this Point will be by way of Exhortation 1. To Believers 2. To Vnbelievers First Is the privileged state into which all believers are admitted by Conversion Then strive to come up to the highest attainment of Communion with God in this World and be not contented with just somuch grace as will secure you from Hell but labour after such an hight of grace and communion with God in the exercise thereof as may bring you into the suburbs of Heaven on Earth Forget the things that are behind you as to satisfaction in them and press towards the mark for the prize of your high calling 'T is greatly to your loss that you live at such a distance from God and are so seldom with him Think not the ablest Ministers or choicest Books will ever be able to satisfie your doubts and comfort your hearts whilst you let down your Communion with God to a so low a degree O that you might be perswaded now to hearken obediently to three or four necessary words of Counsel I. Counsel Make Communion with God the very level and aim of your Souls in all your approaches to him in the Ordinances and Duties of Religion Set it upon the point of your compass let it be the very thing your Souls design let the desires and hopes of Communion with God be the thing that draws you to every Sermon and Prayer Psal. 27. 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after that I may see the beauty of the Lord and enquire after him in his Temple That was the mark David aimed at And Mens success in Duty is usually according to the Spiritual aims and intentions of their Hearts in them both sincerity and comfort lye much in mens ends II. Counsel In all your approaches to God beg and plead hard with him for the manifestations of his love and further Communications of his grace Hear O Lord when I cry with my voice have mercy also upon me and answer me When thou saidst Seek ye my face my heart said unto thee Thy face Lord will I seek Hide not thy face far from me put not thy servant away in anger Psal 27. 7 8 9. How full and thick of pleas and arguments for Communion with God was this prayer of David Lord I am come in obedience to thy command thou saidst Seek ye my face thou bidst me come to thee and wilt thou put away thy servant in anger Thou hast been my help I have had sweet experience of thy goodness thou dost not use to put me off and turn me away empty III. Counsel Desire not comfort for comforts sake but comforts and refreshments for service and obedience sake that by it you may be strengthned to go on in the ways of your duty with more chearfulness Psal. 119. 32. Then will I run the ways of thy commandments when thou shalt enlarge my heart As if he should say O Lord the comforts thou shalt give me shall be returned again in chearful services to thee I desire them as Oyl to the Wheels of obedience not food for my pride IV. Counsel As ever you expect to be owners of much comfort in the ways of your Communion with God see that you be strict and circumspect in the course of your Conversations 'T is the loosness and carelesness of our hearts and lives which impoverishes our Spiritual comforts A little pride a little carelesness dashes and frustrates a great deal of comfort which was very near us almost in our hands to allude to that Hosea 7. 1. When I would have healed Israel then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered So here just when 〈◊〉 desire of thy heart was come to the door some sin stept in the way of it your iniquities saith God have separated between you and you God and your sins have hid his face from you Isa. 59. 2. The Comforter the holy Spirit is sensible and tender he hath quick resentments of your unkindnesses and offences As ever therefore you expect comfort from him beware of him and grieve him not Secondly In the last place this Point speaks necessary counsel and advice to Vnbelievers to all that live estranged from the life of God and have done so from the Womb Psal. 58. 3. To you the voice of the Redeemer sounds a summons once more Behold I stand at the door and knock Oh that at last you might be prevailed with to comply with the merciful terms propounded by him Will you shut out a Saviour bringing Salvation Pardon and Peace with him Christ is thy rightful owner and demands possession of thy Soul if thou wilt now hear his voice thy former refusals shall never be objected If thou still reject his gracious offers mercy may never more be tendered to thee there is a call of Christ which will be the last call and after that no more Take heed what
frowns the Kings of the Earth tremble the Captains and the Mighty Men shrink like worms into their holes if the lesser Executions of it by Providence in this world be so dreadful that men yea good men have desired an hiding place in the Grave till it be past Iob 14. 13. then what is the full execution thereof upon the ungodly in the place of Torments If the threats and denunciations of it against others have made an Habakkuk though assured of personal safety to quiver with his Lips and tremble in his Bowels as you see it did Hab. 3. 16. How much more should those tremble and quiver who are to be the Subjects of it and not the meer Heralds of it as he was And which is more than all if Iesus Christ who was to feel it but a few Hours and had the power of the Godhead to support him under it did notwithstanding sweat as it had been great drops of blood and was sore amazed think with wthy self poor wretch how shall thy heart endure or thy hands be strong when thou hast to do with an incensed Deity II. Motive Till you let your Convictions go Satan will not let you go He binds you whilst you bind them Here is the Command of God and the Command of Satan in competition Let go my Truths saith God which thou holdest in unrighteousness bind and suppress them saith Satan or they 'll deprive thee of the liberty and pleasure of thy Life Now whilst thou slightest the voice of God and Conscience for the voice of Conscience is the voice of God dost thou not avowedly declare thy self the bond-slave of Satan His Servants ye are to whom you obey Rom. 6. 16. Dare not to make one step further in the way of known sin saith Conscience continue not at thy Peril in such a dangerous state after I have so clearly convinced and warned thee of it fear not saith Satan if it be bad with thee 't will be as bad with Millions God will wound the heads of such as go in their Trespasses saith Scripture Psal. 68. 21. Tush others do so and escape as well as the most nice and tender saith Satan Now I say thy Obedience to Satans commands plainly declares thee all this while to be a poor enslaved Captive to him acted and carried according to the Prince of the power of the air the Spirit that now worketh in the Children of disobedience III. Motive Nay further until you obey your Convictions you are Confederates with the Devil in a desperate Plot against your own Souls You joyn with Christs great and avowed Enemy to dishonour him and damn your selves Two things make you Confederates with the Devil against your own Souls First Your Consent to this his Project for your Damnation for so your own Consciences out of the Scriptures inform you it is Consent makes you a Party Secondly Your Concealment of this Plot brings you in as a Party with him Confess thy sin and bewail it saith Conscience not so saith Pride and Shame how shall I look men in the face if I do so Don't you in all this believe Satan and make God a Liar Don't you act as men that hate your own Souls and love death Prov. 8. 36. O 't is a dreadful thing for men to be accessary to their own Eternal Ruin and that after fair warning and notice given them by their own Consciences Satan be his power what it will cannot destroy you without your own Consent IV. Motive Whilst you go on stifling your own Convictions and turning away your ears from its calls to Repentance and Reformation you cannot be pardoned You are in your sins and the guilt of them all lies at your door You may see what the Terms of Remission are Isa. 55. 7. Let the wicked for sake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him turn unto the Lord and he will have mercy on him and to our God and he will abundantly pardon So again Prov. 28. 13. He that hardneth his neck shall not prosper but he that confesseth and for saketh shall find mercy You see by these and may see by many more plain Scripture Testimonies there can be no hope of Remission whilst you go on in this path of Rebellion concealing yea and persisting in your known wickedness There is a necessary and inseparable Connection betwixt Repentance and Remission Acts 5. 31. and Luke 24. 47. And can you endure guilt to be your Bedfellow during Life and your Grave fellow after Death V. Motive You can never have peace with your own Consciences whilst you keep Convictions Prisoners Now a mans Conscience is his best Friend or his worst Enemy Thence are the sweetest Comforts and thence are the bitterest Sorrows 'T is a dreadful thing for a man to lie with a cold sweating Horror upon his panting Bosom Tum pallida mens est Criminibus tacit a sudant praecordia culpâ And this or which is worse Obduration and Stupidity must be the case of them that hold the Truth in Unrighteousness There can be no sounding a retreat to these terrors till Sheba's Head be thrown over the Walls I mean till that Sin your Conscience convinceth you of be delivered up As Israel could have no peace till Achan was destroy'd so thou shalt have no peace whilst thy sin is covered and hid Men may cry peace peace to themselves whilst they continue in sin Deut. 29. 18 19. but the sharpest troubles of Conscience are better than such peace Deliver up thy self Man if thou love peace into the hands of thy own Convictions and thou art in the true way to peace Thy rejoycing must be in the Testimony of thine own Conscience as the Apostle speakes 2 Cor. 1. 12. or thou rejoycest in a dream in a delusion in a thing of nought VI. Motive What dreadful Charges are you like to meet with upon your death-beds on the account of those sins you have lived in against Knowledge and Conviction Conscience is never more active and vigorous than in the last hours and moments of Life Now it will be stifled and over-ruled no longer It whispered before but now it thunders If a Man have a clear and quiet Conscience his Evening is clear and his Sun sets without Clouds See Psal. 37 37. The end of that man is peace In Contemplation of this Felicity it was that Balaam uttered that wish let my last end be like his This peace is the result of a Mans integrity and Obedience to the voice of Conscience this being the Evidence we can most safely rely upon of our Uprightness and Interest in Christ but the result of such violences and abuses to thy Conscience cannot be peace to thy Soul 'T is true some wicked Men dye in seeming peace and some good Men in trouble but both the one and other are mistaken the first as to the good Estate he fancies himself in and the other as to his bad Estate and a few Moments