End 1. Thoughts are Meterially vain When the matter of them is vain ibid. Such are the thoughts of the world our calling or recreation these are evil 1. When we think of them primarily that is before we think of God 59. 2. When we think of them too usually too often ibid. 3. When we think of them too savourily 60. 4. When we think of them without counsel ibid. 5. When they are thoughts needlesly ibid. 2. Thoughts are vain formally when though the matter of them be never so good yet the manner of thinking them is evill 61. It is possible for a man to go to hell though he perform the same things for the matter of them that a godly man doth ibid. 3. Thoughts are vaine efficiently when the heart that thinketh upon them is earthly and vaine 62. 4. Thoughts are vain when the drift and end of the soul in thinking on them is vain 63. Wicked men will be thinking of God 1. To make God amends for their dishonouring of him by their wicked thoughts ibid. 2. To collogue with God and to flatter him 64. 3. To smoother and choak their own consciences ibid. The Contents of the fifth SERMON 1 Corinth 6. 2. 1. AN Explanation of the Text together with the veses foregoing and following 67. Doctrine The Saints shall judge the world 68. Objection How shall the Saints judge the world 69. Answer 1. By their consent unto Christs Judgement ibid. 2. By their applause to Christs judgement ibid. 3. By their Majesty then shall they shine as stars in the firmament and the wicked shall be amazed at the sight of them ibid. 4. By their lives and conversations their accepting of the Lord Jesus Christ they shal judge the worlds rejecting of him ibid. Three Reasons of the point 1. First because of that mystical union that is betwixt Christ and his Saints so when Christ judgeth the world the whole body of Christ may be said to judge the world 70. 2. In regard of their sufferings with Christ as they are judged by the world so they shall be judges of the world ibid. 3. For the greater terror to all wicked men at the day of judgement ibid. 4. Because the mouthes of wicked men may bee stopped and that they may have no excuse for themselves ibid. Use 1. For information in five particulars 1. Hence we may learne that the Saints by their now being Saints do now judge the world 71. Wherein Heb. 11. 7. is cleared from an Objection 2. Hence let the world learne that when any one sinner is converted there is one Judge more to sit upon them 72. 3. Hence we may learn that it concerns all the world to take notice of every grace in Gods children because there is never a grace in any of the Saints but it shall make for the condemnation of them that want it ibid. 4. Learne hence that if the Saints then much more the word that begets them shall judge the world 73. 5. Learne hence also that the Ministers of God by every Sermon they preach shall judge the world ibid. Use 2. For to condemn the world who see not an amiablenesse in the faces of the Saints who shall one day be their Judges who shall judge both Saints and Angels 74. 2. This sheweth the folly of the wicked who prepare not for these Judges ibid. Lastly it condemnes all those that do not see glory and majesty in the face of Gods Saints he that revileth the Saints revileth his Iudges ibid Who shall judge the World 1. God the Father by way of authority all judgement is originally from him 75. 2. God the Son by way of dispensation ibid. 3. God the holy Ghost by way of conviction 76. 4. The Word of God by way of form it being the platforme according to which Christ will judge the whole world ibid. 5 All the Ministers of God shall sit as Justices in common 77. 6. All the Saints from one end of the world to the other shall assist the just Iudge of Heaven and Earth ibid. So that the wicked shall not be able to plead ibid. 1. Their Ignorance ibid. 2. Nor their Poverty ibid. 3. Neither their sinning at their masters command 78. 4. Neither Callings or Trade ibid. 5. Neither the sinfull times they live in ibid. Use 3. First for the just reproof of many of the Saints of God because they are not so circumspect over their wayes as they ought how will they be able to rise up in judgement against the wicked for such sins as they them selvs live in ibid. 2. It may serve to condemne some of the Saints of God in regard of that little difference that is to be found betwixt the wicked of the world and them in their lives and manners it is hard to tell which is a Saint and which is a Reprobate by their conversations 3. It may serve to condemn the scandalousnesse of many persons in their behaviour and actions 80. The Contents of the sixth Sermon on 1 Cor. 11. 30. Doct. 1. FRom the 18. v. that whosoever will come to the holy Communion they must examine themselves that so they may come warthily 83. The Apostle gives three Reasons of it 1. From the end of the Sacrament 2. From the wrong men offer to Christ if they come in their sins ibid. 3. From the wofull wrong that a man doth to his own soul that cometh without preparation ibid. The Uses of the point are these 1. For the reproof of those that coming unpreparedly get no spirituall strength thereby ibid. 2. For terrour to unworthy receivers 85. 3. To shew they make themselves liable to Gods temporary plagues ibid. 4. For instruction to examine our selves ibid. 5. He concludes with an use of exhortation 86. An Explanation of the Words Doct. 2. God doth most severely punish the unworthy receivers of the Lords Supper 87. Foure Reasons hereof 1 Because Christ himselfe instituted it ibid. 2. Because Christ is the matter of it and therefore the more heynous the defilement 89. 3. Because Christ is the forme of it wherein confirming grace is sealed to the soul 90. 4. Because Christ is the end of the Sacrament ibid. Use 1. For Instruction shewing whence sicknesse weaknesse c. come 91. From whence comes hardnesse of heart c. 92. Use 2. For comfort unto every poor afflicted soul c. 93. Use 3. For terror to those that come unpreparedly 94. Object Do all that come unworthily eat and drink their own damnation Answ A man may eat and drink his own damnation three ways 1. In regard of guilt and liablenesse to Gods wrath 96. 2. In regard of the seal and obligation in the conscience ibid. 3. In regard of the sigillation in heaven ibid. Lastly the conclusion denouncing terror to all those that dare rush upon this holy ordinance 205. But for comfort to all them who with all diligence set upon the preparing of their souls for this great Ordinance ibid. The Contents
Behold I and the children that thou hast given me are for signs and wonders in Israel The wicked count them for wonders and monsters in the world judging them hypocrites and lyers which have nothing in them but rottennesse and dissimulation Now the rule of like for like shall take place here and as they were judged by the world so they shall be Judges of the world Thirdly for great terror to all wicked men at the day of judgement for as it is with a thief not onely when the Judge shall command to hang him but all the Justices and all the Country shall cry out Hang him hang him he is judged the more terribly so God will not only say of all wicked and ungodly sinners Damn them damn them but he will have all the Saints in heaven and all the Saints on earth to cry out Away with them away with them let them be damned Psalm 50 4 5. This will make their judgement so much the more terrible Fourthly The Saints shall judge the world because God shall so convince them that their mouth shall be stopped they shall have never a syllable to to excuse themselves withall when they shall see men flesh and bloud as themselves are when they shall see men and women that have lived in the same town enjoyed the same Ordinances of God lived in the same family that did partake of the same blessings and of the same crosses and afflictions with themselves subject also to the same corruptions and sins as themselves when they shall see these at Christs right hand they shall have never a word to excuse themselves withall as when the Apostles had healed the creeple Acts 3. if the people had judged them for wicked and pestilent men the creeple would have convinced them and shewed that they were of God if they should have cryed Root them up the creeple would have condemned them and told them that they did good And when the wicked shall see the Saints at Gods right hand would they call them hypocrites and dissemblers they themselves shall see that they are sincere will they call them Puritans why they shall then see that their purity stands them in good stead then the ungodly shall not stand in judgement nor the sinners in the congregation of the righteous Psal 1. 6. Thus the point is clear The first Use then is for instruction whereby we may learn that the Saints by their now being Saints doe now judge the world if by the lives of Saints then God doth judge the world then there is never a Saint in a Town or Citie or Parish in all the Countrey but he judgeth all the wicked that are about him How By living godly by hating the sinnes of the times by keeping his or their garments clean from the pollution of the world For by doing this he judgeth the world See it in Noah Heb. 11. 7. By faith Noah being warned of God as yet moved with fear prepared an Ark for the saving of his house by which he condemned the world But some men will say Could Noah be said to condemne the world by making the Ark all the world did not see him when he did it Beloved Noah was making the Ark an hundred and twenty years though it was not seen of all yet all the world must needs hear of it it being such a strange thing Now he condemned the world in that the whole world did not come unto Noah to inquire of him in sober sadnesse but rather mockt him for building the Ark they thought him to be a peevish melancholy man and not well in his wits and so scoft at him saying Will he make an Ark to swim upon dry land whereas they should have ask'd him soberly the cause why he did it and if they had done so Noah no question would have told them that the wrath of heaven was upon the World and that the floods of God's vengeance were shortly to be powred down upon us and because my heart hath been naught and I have sinned and provoked the Lords wrath I fear if I get not into this Arke which the Lord hath commanded me for to make I shall perish Now because they would not come unto Noah to ask him this reason therefore the world was condemned by him even so the Saints by making an Ark for their poor souls even by getting into Christ as the Ark was a type of Christ without whom none can be saved the Saints I say by getting into Christ doe judge the whole world when they hear there be men that be no swearers and no drunkards and that there be men that will pray read hear the word confer of God and of Christ and that weep and mourn for their sins that spend their times in mortification of their lusts and endeavour after holinesse and sanctification the whole world I say is judged by them How why they should say Sirs what is the matter that you do so run after Sermons that you keep such a stirr about getting faith and repentance more than other men that you pray weep fast and mourn and are so strict in your works If thus men would but come unto Gods Saints and ask them the reason of all these things the Saints of God would tell them that the wrath of God would come upon them if they did not thus they would never be saved if they did not thus beleeve and thus repent and thus pray and walk thus holily and precisely they should be all damned But the world it falls a mocking and a scoffing at them and never seeks to prevent the wrath of God but it suddenly seiseth on them to their destruction Secondly this teacheth us that when there is one sinner converted from the wickednesse of his wayes and is become a Saint then all the world may know that there is a new judge come to sit upon them Seest thou a drunkard a swearer a prophane person converted from his sinnes and now walks soberly holily and purely seest thou a man or a woman struck at a Sermon Then know that unlesse thou comest out of thy sinnes unless thou doest repent and walk holily there is a new judge added to the rest that shall judge thee As our Saviour told the Pharisees If I through Beelzebub cast out Devils by whom doe your children cast them out Therefore they shall be your judges Matthew 12. 27. where Christ tels them that their children who were his Disciples for some of the Pharisees children did beleeve in Christ and follow him and had power from Christ to do the same works that Christ did Now they liked it well enough in their owne children but they could not endure it in Christ and therefore he tells them that their children whom God had converted and to whom he had given power to do the same works that he did even they shall be their Judges to condemn them and even so may it be with thee thou art a
the Heavens are black against me and the clouds mourn at me and the Sea groaneth under me seeing I am fled from the presence of the Lord. Thirdly labour never to set your hearts on any creature for then you abuse it to worldlinesse and covetousnesse What greater injury can we offer to the creatures than by making them occasions of turning from God which were given us the more to oblige us to God If you be covetous and earthly the creature must needs groan under this wrong Covetousnesse is Idolatry saith Saint Paul Colos 3. 5. thou turnest the creature into an Idoll every creature is the workmanship of God but an Idoll is a thing dedicated to Divels Fourthly labour to use all the creatures in humility and thankfulnesse There is not a creature but it hath this Motto engraven upon it it is the gift of God In every thing then give thanks 1 Thes 5. 8. A thing and a creature are convertible termes if in every thing then for every creature must we give thanks why because every thing that God doth for us or doth bestow upon us it is a gift and a gift groans under unthankfulnesse there is never a sicknesse that thou hast been delivered from but it groans against thee if thou hast not had thine iniquity purged by it never a blessing but it will groan against thee if thou serve not God the better by it never an ordinance of life and grace but it groans against thee if thou art not sanctified and made holy by it Fifthly use them all as so many Bookes and as so many Ladders or Rises to climbe up with the soule to God When thou seest how kindly and favourably the Sun shineth on thee think are Gods creatures so comfortable how comfortable is the light of Gods countenance When thou tastest the sweetnesse of any creature think then O what infinite sweetnesse is there in God himself still from the creatures winde up thy soul to the Creator use all the creatures as a rise to winde up thine heart to see and know to meditate and conceive of some thing of God Saint Anthony being found fault withall for want of Books answered My Books are Gods creatures and in them I may read as in the silent Oracles of God this is my Book and it hath three pages and as many Letters Heaven Water Earth they are the pages of this book Stars Fishes Fowles and all the Terrestriall creatures they are the letters of this book There are but three main Books in the world to be read all other books are but Commentaries upon them The Book of the Creatures The Book of the Scriptures The Book of every Mans conscience Read but these three and meditate of them and thou shalt have understanding in the wayes of God to know God in all thy wayes Beloved this is rightly to use the creatures and thus using them thou shalt prevent their groanings against thee to behold and see God present in them all It was the saying of an Ancient that that man is blind deaf senseless brutish that knows not God Thou canst not see a creature but thou mayest see God thou canst not feel a creature but thou mayest feel God thou canst not smell nor taste nor meddle with a creature but thou mayest smell and taste God in the creature thou canst not behold a creature but thou mayest behold God in the creature O saith one if I could see God as he appeared to the Fathers then I should obey him and fear him and trust in him and love him I answer God appeares now as he did then How did God appeare to Abraham Isaak c. and to all the holy Patriarches and Prophets Did God appear to them in his own essence and nature No it is impossible that any should see God and live When God appeared to them and shewed himselfe to them he did it in the creatures And I pray you doth not God appeare thus amongst us now God having made man to behold by sense by sight hearing smelling tasting handling that all the knowledge he hath he must have it by these God makes as it were a manifestation of himselfe in the Sunne Moon and starres he takes the Cattle plants and therein he shewes something of himselfe thou never seest any creature but it is a manifestation of God to thee the whole world is an apparition of God to thee God appears in the heavens in the earth and in every creature If therefore when thou lookest on any of the creatures thou makest not an holy use of them beholding God in them using them as a rise to wind up thy heart and soule to God then thou abusest the creatures and makest them to groan against thee For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travelling in paine till this present THE CHRISTIAN HIS IMITATION Of CHRIST In a SERMON By WILLIAM FENNER Minister of the Gospel sometimes Fellow of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge and late Lecturer of Rochford in Essex London Printed by E. T. for John Stafford THE CHRISTIAN HIS IMITATION Of CHRIST 1 JOHN 2. VER 6. He that saith he remaineth in him ought even so to walke as he hath walked THis our blessed Apostle in the beginning of this Chapter doth declare these four things First a generall proposition of an advocate for the sinnes of the world If any man sinne we have an advocate verse 1. 2. Secondly an actuall application of this to all true beleevers who may all know that Christ is theirs and that they are Christs ver 5. And hereby we know that we know him if we keep his commandements We know and are acquainted with this principle that Jesus Christ is the propitiation for our sinnes if we keepe his commandements Thirdly here is the fantasticall presumtion of many men that hope and think and say that they are in Christ when indeed they are not in Christ ver 4. He that saith I know him and keepeth not his commandements is a lyar and the truth is not in him Fourthly here is an universall direction to all men whereby to try and examine themselves whether they be in Christ yea or no. He that saith he abideth in him ought himselfe to walk as he walked These words branch themselvs into a Thesis and an Hypothesis The Thesis is this He that abideth in Christ must walke as he hath walked The Hypothesis is this If any man be conceited of the subject that he abideth in Christ he must be assured of the predicate that he walk himselfe even as Christ walked If he say he is in Christ he must be sure to walke as Christ walked To walke as Christ walked there is a life of a Christian if he walke not as Christ walked it is a plain demonstration that he is not in Christ He that saith he abideth in him ought himselfe also to walke as he walked He that saith as if the Apostle had said If there be any that saith he abideth in
rise up in judgement against thee if thou perform it not Doth the Scripture say Be not drunk with wine wherein is excesse Ephe. 5. 18. It shall judge and condemn the drunkard that drinks excessively Doth the Scripture say Mortifie the members which are upon the earth fornication uncleannesse inordinate affection evill concupiscence and covetousnesse which is Idolatry Col. 3. 5. If notwithstanding these sinnes live in thee this Text shall rise up and condemn thee to hell Doth the Text say That the father to the children shall make known Gods truth Esay 28. 9. Eph. 6. 4. Parents bring up your children in the nurture and information of the Lord It shall rise up in judgement and condemn those parents that have not instructed their children to fear God Doth the Text say Thou shalt teach the word of God unto thy children and that thou shalt talk of it when thou sittest in thy house and when thou goest by the way when thou lyest down and when thou risest up Deut. 6. 7. It shall judge thee because thou makest no conscience of holy conference All these and the like Texts of Scripture shall rise up and stand in rank to condemn thee that hast not swayed thy heart and framed thy life according to the Scriptures 5. All the Ministers of God shall sit as Justices in common from the first preacher of righteousnesse unto the last Moses shall judge thee Joshuah David Esay Jeremy Hosea Daniel Paul Peter c. they shall all judge you just as Gods Ministers judge you here so will God he will take all his Sermons and clap them upon the heads of all rebellious hearers and so damn them for ever Lastly The Saints shall judge you yea all the Saints from one end of the world to the other they shall assist the just Judge of heaven and earth and they shall be interpretative Judges Beloved how can the wicked escape condemnation that have so many thousands of judges so many thousand exhortations and reproofs so many thousand admonitions and invitations so many thousand mercies and proffers of Christ When God the Father Sonne and holy Ghost shal judge them when heaven and all the Angels in heaven and all the Saints on earth shal judge them and condemn them How canst thou escape Is there never a drunkard in this congregation is there never a swearer never a prophane person never a mocker never a railer in this town that refuseth to hearken to the word the men of Niniveh shall rise up in judgement against them and condemn them because they still live in their sinnes notwithstanding they have had not three daies preaching nor forty dayes space only for repentance but many years of grace calling upon them The Queen of Sheba shall condemn many that live in their sinnes who went many hundred miles to hear the wisedom of Solomon for going and coming it was well-nigh two thousand miles but you have the word of Christ preached in your ears and saying The Kingdome of God is come among you but you will scarce step out of your doors to receive it or take any pains for it This one woman shall judge them There will be no way for the wicked to put off their judgement then the sonnes of Eli shall have none to advocate between God and them none to cloak or cover their wickednesse they shall then have no excuses for themselves for would they excuse themselves the Saints shall judge them would they send out excuses the Saints shall cut them off Would they in the first place say Alas I was ignorant I knew not how to pray or to read or to meditate on the Scriptures nor to catechize my family I was dull and blockish to conceive such points as were taught me and if I did live in sinne it was ignorance that taught it me I was never book-learned Saith Augustine this Ignoramus that was as ignorant and as little book-learned as thou he eschewed those sins that thou livest in got the anointing of Gods Spirit to anoint his eys to see and know the things of God which thou hast neglected to get he shall condemn thee A second excuse is poverty I have no means to live on if I should run after Sermons I should beg my bread I have a great charge to keep and nothing but my labour to maintain them and therefore I cannot spare time for meditation I have no while to study the Scripture to pray and to mourn for my sins and to get grace Well the poor Cobler that liveth next door to Saint Anthony shall rise up and condemn thee he was as poor as thou and had as great a charge to keep as thou yet he mourned and wept he got grace and he set time apart for prayer reading meditation holy conference he shall judge and condemn thee Thirdly they shall have no excuse by imployment I am a servant I am commanded to doe this or that I find so much businesse to follow that I cannot find any time for such things Another saith I have great imployment I have many Irons in the fire and therefore God I hope will be mercifull unto me Well then Cornelius that had as many and as great imployments as thou and Eleazar Abrahams servant who was a servant as well as thou yet in as much as they walked with God and waited upon him in his ordinances they shall judge thee Fourthly they shall have no excuse from their callings and trades I am an Inne-keeper and if I should not suffer drinking and swearing and gaming I should not live Another saith I am a tradesman and if I should ask at first just so much as I could take I should never bring customers to my price and so I should not live of my trade Well Rahab was an Inne-keeper as well as thou and yet she lived by faith and did not suffer such wickednesse in her house So many a tradesman that had the same trade and the same imployment with thee and as great a trade as thou and yet have avoyded these sins and evils that thou fallest into they shal judge thee Fifthly they shall have no excuse from the times they live in Alas saith one I live in wretched times all the world is given to sin Therefore if I should be so strict and precise in my wayes if I should run after sermons pray sing Psalms c. all the world would be against me There are no professors of religion but are reproached and miscalled I should lose all my friends I should be hated and opposed yea it may be the time being such I should be accused to Councils and have my life questioned there is nothing but disgrace and reproach and persecution wherefore I was afraid and did dispense with my conscience Ah wretch that man that lived in those wicked times in the same town with thee that had the same hatred and reproach that thou wast afraid of that hath endured all the rebukes of
were but now you cannot help it these things and times are gone and cannot be recalled such a one hath been a drunkard a swearer a worldling c. but he cannot help it now True he might have helped it and because he did not his heart shall bleed for it if he belong to God but doe not stand poaring too much upon it but consider now what you have to doe now you are to humble your selves now you are to strive with God in all manner of prayer for more grace and more power of obedience and assurance and be not discouraged Fourthly If the soule be discouraged it will breed nothing but sorrow What is the reason that many Christians are alwayes weeping and mourning and sighing and sobbing from day to day all their life time and will not be comforted because of these discouragements 1 Thes 4. 13. Sorrow not saith the Apostle as those that have no hope as if he had said sorrow if you will but do not sorrow as they that have â—o hope How is that it is a sorrow with nothing but sorrow from which they have no hope of inlargement or freedome O then my brethren suppose you have dead hearts suppose you want zeale you want assurance suppose it be so yet labour to attain these grace sorrow and spare not weepe and mourne and powre out whole buckets of teares for your sinnes if you can but sorrow not with nothing but sorrow be not discouraged suppose that thou hast a dead heart that thou art an hypocrite that thou hast a rotten heart it is a heavy thing and a fearful case indeed for which thou hast great cause of humiliation and sorrow but yet sorrow not desperately as men without hope be not wholly discouraged but as you sorrow for your sinnes so also labour with incouragement to get cut and be rid of your sinnes Fifthly Discouragements breed and procure a totall perplexity They leave the soul in a maze that it knows not whither to turne it self When men come to be discouraged O what shall I do saith one I am utterly undone saith another I know not what will become of me saith a third Oh I am utterly lost I shall perish one day one day God will discover me and be avenged on me for this and that sin I were as good go to he lat the first as at the last for that will be the end of me I have gone to prayer but that doth not helpe me I have gone to Sacraments but I find no help still my soule lies under the power of sinne still my sinnes are as strong in me as ever Thus the soule is discouraged and cries out Oh what shall I doe I know not what to doe What shall I doe sayest thou Alas thou hast things enough to doe if thou wert not discouraged Utterly undone No man thou mightest see that thou art not utterly undone but that thou art discouraged Dost thou not know what will be come of thee yea poore soule there is mercy grace and peace for thee if thou wilt not be discouraged Sixthly Discouragements whisper within a man a sentence of death and an impossibility of escaping As far as the discouragement of life goeth so far goeth the sentence of death We despaired of life and had the sentence of death in our selves saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 1. 8. 9. he despaired of life in himselfe and therfore had the sentence of death in himself this was good but he did not despaire of life in God for then he should have had likewise the sentence of death from God in his conscience If you despaire in the Lord you have the sentence of death and damnation from God in your conscience take heed of this my beloved be not discouraged in God do not despaire in the Lord that will work a miserable effect in your souls it will secretly whisper a sentence of damnation in your soules It is strange to consider how many poore soules rub on with these whispering sentences in their bosomes suffering their consciences day by day to tell them that they are rotten to tell them that they were never yet converted to tell them that they are yet in the state of damnation and yet they will not root out these discouragements O goe to the Throne of grace begge for grace and for mercie and for power against sinne and bee not discouraged What wilt thou carry thine owne sentence of death in thy breast if thou wilt not rouze up thy soule and pray with more affection and confidence and shake off discouragements take heed least thou carry the sentence of thine owne death and damnation in thy bowels Oh therefore once more let mee beseech you to take heede of these discouragements and now hearken unto the voice of God which calleth upon you Feare not Thou drewest nigh in the day that I called upon thee Thou saidest Feare not THE MISERY OF THE CREATURES BY The Sinne of Man In a SERMON By WILLIAM FENNER Minister of the Gospel sometimes Fellow of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge and late Lecturer of Rochford in Essex London Printed by E. T. for John Stafford They are accusing groanes They are judging and condemning groanes First they are upbraiding groanes Give ears Oh ye heavens and I will speak and hear Oh earth the words of my lips Deut. 32. 1. as if God had said mark O ye heavens and let all the whole world hear what I testify against this people as if the heavens and the earth did upbraid them of their unthankfulnesse God commands the Sun to shine and it shineth the earth to fructify and it obeyeth But this wicked people he commands to repent and forsake their sins and they will not Chrysostome saith wicked men although they have naturall reason in them are more senceless than sencelesse creatures the rocks and the flints the flye and the gnats may upbraid them the rocks rent in sunder but this people will not rent their hearts swarmes of flies were hiss'd for to come and they yielded obedience and the livelesse creatures groan under the slavery of sin but they will not obey they will not be brought to groan for their sins How do all the creatures upbraid man Do ye thus requite the Lord O ye foolish people and unwise Beloved how do the heavens and the earth upbraide thee for unthankfulnesse wert thou ever in sickness and God did not deliver thee wert thou ever in misery and God did not comfort thee wert thou ever in any straight and God did not direct thee in sickness who was life unto thee in poverty who supplyed thee in danger who delivered thee was it noâ— God that hath done all for thee And shall the Lord command thee obedience and wilt thou not grant it him doth he command thee to part with thy lust and crucify all thy corruptions and wilt thou not obey him doth the Lord command thee to be meek humble patient and dost thou refuse then hear O heavens
too good for the world First the world viz. the wicked in the world are very little worth not worth one godly man or woman in it whence observe that Gods Children are worthy persons But before I handle this point I will give the sence and meaning of the words 1. This word World is diversly taken Sometims it is taken for the whole Fabrick of Heaven and earth Iohn 1. 10. He was in the world and the world was made by him and the world knew him not So Acts 17. 24. God that made the world c. 2. Sometimes it is taken for all mankind good and bad So Rom. 5. 12. As by one man sin entred into the world viz. sin entred into the men which are in the world 3. Sometimes it is taken for the elect onely so Iohn 1. 29. Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sinne of the world viz. the elect in the world Again God so loved the world c. Iohn 3. 1. 16. viz. his elect in the world Again we beleeve this is the Saviour of the world Iohn 4. 42. viz. of the elect in the world But why are the godly called the world I answer first because the world was made for them and it is continued yet for their sakes Secondly they may be called the world because they are scattered through the world and that not onely among the Iewes but even among the Gentiles also Thirdly they may be called the world because in themselves they are a world of people but yet compare them with the Devils drove they are few even as the shaking of the Olive tree Isaiah 17. 6. yet in themselves they are as the Starres in number Genesis 15. 5. And Balaam said who can number the dust of Iacob Numb 22. 10. Sometimes it is taken for the reprobates in the world so John 15. 19. If you were of the world the world would love its owne It is plain also in the prayer of Christ I pray not for the world John 17. 9. And they may fitly be called the world First because they are the worlds Citizens they mind the things of the world they follow nothing but the world Secondly because they are the greatest part of the world Sometimes the world is taken for the things in the world those things wherewith the Devill uses to draw men from God as the lusts of the flesh the lusts of the eyes the pride of life 1. John 2. 16. Sometimes for the happy estate and condition the godly shall enjoy after this life So Luke 20 35. They which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world c. Now whereas the Apostle saith of whom the world was not worthy I take it he means wicked men in the world and those are they that are not worthy the company of the godly And because I intend to shew the unworthinesse of the world I will shew first that the things in this world are little worth Secondly that the men in the world are little worth First I will shew you that the things in the world are little worth as Riches Honours pleasures c. they are called deceitfull riches and Christ calls them the Mammon of iniquity Luke 16. 9. trash Luke 8. 14. Snares 1 Tim. 6. 9. They are called uncertain riches Now these base titles must needs argue that they are little worth for were they worth more God would set better Titles on them And Salomon who had best experience of them yet hee termes them vanity Eccles 1 2. and 11. Secondly they are little worth because they are very unprofitable they cannot pofit a man It is plain by the speech of Samuel 1. Sam. 12. 21. Vain things which cannot profit c. Thirdly they are little worth because they cannot further a man in the main thing at which he should aime they may further a man in some trifles but not in the maine thing There is no true good comes to a man by all the riches in the world neither can they free a man from the evill day neither can they make you better either in respect of God or your selves First in respect of God they cannot make you better esteemed with God for he regards not the rich more then the poore Job 34. 19. He doth not account of a man according to his greatnesse but according to his goodnesse Prov. 20. 7 8. Better is a poor man that walks in his integrity then a King that is perverse in his wayes Secondly they cannot better him in respect of God because they cannot assure him of the love of God Thirdly they cannot make a man more mindfull of God nay they corrupt mens hearts they make a man more forgetfull of God It is thus with the greatest part of men in the world that are worldly rich it is with them as it was with the Prodigall who while he had money in his purse never did he think on his Father Fourthly the things of this world cannot make a man more thankfull to God but rather the contrary ut supra Fifthly the things of this world cannot draw a man neerer unto God You see that the more men have the more negligent they are in Gods service Secondly in respect of our selves First all the things of this life cannot in rich a mans soule with grace they cannot make him humble nor mercifull nor constant in the profession of godlinesse and good duties nay it rather makes them the more unmeet to any goodnesse where there is gaine in the chest there is losse in the Conscience he that gets money apace may lose Faith and a good Conscience and they that most cover for abundance of the things of this life are most backward in Grace and this argues that the things of this life are little worth even in respect of a mans selfe Secondly they are not able to free a man from any spirituall evill they may promise freedome but when they come to the triall they will be like a broken staffe nay they cannot free thee so much as from an ague much lesse will they help in the day of the Lords wrath when the rich man shall be called to an account and the Lord will recompence every man according to his wayes So Prov. 11. 4. Riches profit not in the day of wrath True it is they may be as a wall of brasse to keep off the evil of this world yet when the houre of death approacheth they cannot free from that when you are affrighted with the accusation of your owne Consciences and with the apprehension of Gods wrath when the Devill shall set upon you and all your friends forsake you shall the things of this life then doe you any pleasure no no. You wil say to them then as Job to his friends miserable comforters are you all this argues their little worth For God will not examine you how rich you have been but he will consider you as you have honoured him and as
heart Stay till Samuel comes to direct thee yet Saul forced himselfe to disobey and to do Sacrifice 1. Sam. 13. 12. he was bold as Vatable turns it he confirmed himselfe as Pagnin translates it he thrust himselfe upon the doing of it God forbad him he would do it God urged him in his conscience not to doe it yet he would do it God again whispered to him not to do it yet he forced himselfe to do it as if he should say I hope I may do it I have stayed seven days wanting an hour or a piece of an houre and a little piece breaks no square No God rejected Saul for that venture God would have forced him by meditation O no doe it not by no means he made him think Oh it is against Gods commandements I may not do it No but neverthelesse he forced himself to do it Thus God deals with thousands and millions in the world Be not a drunkard God flings the meditation into the conscience yet a drunkard thou wilt be Be not a drunkard again a drunkard notwithstanding thou wilt be Be not again they force themselves they will go to the Ale-house And so of all other sins If men will cast off this work of meditation darted into their souls they cast off their own mercy God tels them pray not hear not offer not without directions from me they dread not the commandment they will I trust prayers are good I will say them Thus they will not meditate or if they do they break it off before it comes to any strength or perfection yea Gods own servants that desire to look towards Sion is not this your complaint oft I cannot finde sinne heavy I confesse the word discovers it to me but I cannot be troubled for it Look as it is with men in the world if five hundred pound weight be laid upon the ground if a man never pluck at it he shall never feel the weight of it Your sinnes are not many hundreds but many thousands yea many ten thousands selfe-love security hardnesse of heart base fears c. it is impossible to reckon them The least vain thought that ever you imagined the least vaine word that ever you uttered were weight enough to presse your souls down to hell Therefore what are so many sins and so great and so often committed What are they they are as heauy as rocks and mountains yet ye feel them not so heavy Why Ye weigh them not if ye did yee should finde them heavier than the sand as David did when his sinne was ever before him Psal 51. 3. that is his sinne was ever in his thoughts and in his meditation his sin was ever like a huge Milstone before him and he was ever tugging and pulling to remove it out of his way I but you will say How shall I come to feel my burden I answer three things are here to be discovered First the ground upon which our meditation must be raised Secondly the manner how to follow it home to the heart Thirdly how to put life and power into it The ground I referre to these foure heads First meditate on the goodnesse patience and mercy of God that hath been abused by any of your sins the greater they have been to you the greater is every sinne this maketh them out of measure sinfull because God is out of measure mercifull There are many sinnes in one when a man sinnes against many mercies See Judg. 2. 2 3. Why have ye done thus I have done thus and thus mercifully unto you why have yee done thus unthankfully to me Why was my mercy abused Why was my goodnesse sleighted Why was my patience despised as if the Lord should say I speak to your owne conscience think of it meditate of it why have ye done this Doe ye thus requite the Lord O foolish people and unwise Is not he thy Father Meditate of it first and tell me then For it is a question put to thy meditation to answer Do ye thus requite the Lord ye foolish people Wert thou ever in want but God supplyed thee Wert thou ever in weaknesse but God strengthened thee Wert thou ever in straits but God delivered thee When thou wert in sicknesse who cured thee when thou wert in poverty who relieved thee when thou wert in misery who succoured thee Hath not God been a gracious God to thee Every soul can tell never poor sinner hath had a more gracious God than I poor sinner have found to my soul All my bones can say Lord who hath been like unto thee This heart hath been heavy and thou hast cheered it this soul hath been distressed and thou hast eased it many troubles have befallen me and thou hast given me a gracious issue This poor man saith David pointing to himselfe this poor man cryed and the Lord heard him Psal 34. 9. And shall I thus reward the Lord shall I sinne against his goodnesse Then what shall I say Hear O heavens and hearken O earth Sunne stand thou still and thou Moon be amazed at this and be avenged on such a heart as this The Oxe knows his owner and the Asse his Masters Crib but here is a heart that will not remember to know the Lord. Hear O heavens this villany cryeth so loud that your ears may hear it Hear all ye Angels add be astonished here is villany to make your ears glow yea hear hell hear Devils if ever there were worse committed by you When men are but ingenuous if they haue received any kindenesse from a friend they were never in want but he relieved them never harbourlesse but he housed them never to seek but he found them Let a man deal thus kindly with a man if this man should deny him any ordinary favour he will be ashamed of himselfe ashamed to come into his presence What will he think his house was mine his cupboard was mine and his purse was mine and his friends were mine and that I should deal thus unkindly with him even nature rebukes me This serious meditation will help to break thy heart The second ground of meditation is to mediate on the justice of God God is a just God as well as mercifull Speak all ye Devils in Hell Doe ye not feel that he is a just God Speak Sodome Speak Gomorrah your fire and brimstone can testifie that he is a just God Speak Adah Zillah and all ye that were drowned in the old world your deluge can testify he is a just God His judgements are all in the world 1. Chro. 16. 14. What is become of drunken Nabal and swearing Saul and covetous Ahab and proud Jesabel and mocking Jehu and envious Shimei What is become of all blind Jebusites and parting cavilling Diotrepheses Justice hath taken hold on them What is povertie What is nakednesse What is famine sicknesse the gout the stone Feaver plague These are the little arrows of Gods justice What is shame disgrace crosses afflictions
unseasonable rains dangerous weather wars rumours of wars What are all the evils under the Sun They are the little finger of Gods justice Thou spiest them here and there in every Town and in every Parish in every Country do they not all witnesse that he is a just God Read Psalm 7. 11 12 13. God hath bent his â—ow already saith David the arrow is ready to flie out of the string It wil not be long before it hit thee if thou meditate not upon amendment God is angry with the wicked every day as an angry man useth to say I will be revenged on thee Wilt thou not give over thy sins I will be revenged on thee Read Psal 11. 5 6 7. Meditate on this he will neither spare King nor subject nor rich nor poor nor noble nor base nor Judges nor Justices yet Judges and Justices may spare but God will not spare they may be bribed to pardon but God will not be fee'd to spare them that go on in their wickednesse and do I think to escape Nay my soul thou canst never escape except thou obeyest The third ground is Meditate on the wrath of God O! what wrath is it Can I stand against it It burns like an oven and all the proud and all that doe wickedly shall be as stubble and the day of wrath shall burne them up Behold this saith the Text Malac. 4. 1. Behold it and meditate on it Can I goe naked in a hot fiery Oven Can I lift up my hands against it My hands will be scorched Can I kick against it My legs will be baked Can I blow upon it with my mouth My mouth is fiered Did I ever see lime burned were I in the limes room could I endure that boyling and yet if I live in my sinnes I shall be as the burning of lime I say 33. 12. Let thy heart meditate terror Who among us shall be able to dwell that is the meaning of it as Montanus sheweth who among us shall dwell with devouring fire who among us shall burn with everlasting burning verse 14. Gods mercie shall say Take him wrath I would have converted him but he would not Gods goodnesse shall say Take him wrath I would have been kinde unto him but he hath abused me Gods patience shall say Take him wrath I have suffered him a great while that he might have time of repentance but he repented not in that time God smote Aegypt in their first born Why For his mercy endureth for ever God overthrew Pharaoh and his hoast Why For his mercy endureth for ever Psal 136. 15. He smote great Kings Sihon a King and Og a King for his mercy endureth for ever So will God damn thee that art a drunkard Why for his mercy endureth for ever God will confound thee that art a worlding Why for his mercy endureth for ever God will be revenged on thee that art a Luke-warmling Why for his mercy endureth for ever This may well make thee â—eare the hair off thy head rather than let thee go on in thy sinnes See Ierem. 7. 29. Meditate on this The fourth ground Meditate on the constancy of God As the Lord was an enemy to wicked men so he continues the same God still a constant enemy to them still As the Lord would not endure sinne heretofore so he is constant he still will not endure it Did the Lord once say Weep and howl ye drunkards Joel 1. 5. he is constant so he saith still Did the Lord say he would burn up sabbath-breakers Jer. 17. 27. he is constant so he saith still Who ever hardned his heart against the Lord and prospered Job 9. â—4 as if he should say I put it to thee to meditate of it canst thou shew me a president did ever any man harden his heart against Gods Word in his sinne that prospered Did Senacherib prosper in his will-worship Did Judas prosper in his covetousnesse Did Jeconiah prosper in his stubbornnesse Where is the Scribe Where is the disputer Where is he that counted the towers Your fathers where are they saith Zachariah Did not my words take hold of them and are they not all now in hell that have ever lived and died in their sin from the beginning of the world Thou canst not shew me one drunkard or one mocker or one prophane person or one formall professor from the day that man was created upon the earth that is not now in hell if he be dead Meditate on this how canst thou expect to be the one onely in all the world that shall escape if thou livest and dyest in thy sins If hell were opened and the bottomlesse pit were lookt into thou shouldest see every soul that ever lived and died in their sins even every soul there is not one soul missing Meditate on this when I dye do I think I shall not be there nay I shall be there too unlesse aforehand I enter in to the strait gate and walk in the narrow way of newnesse of life The Second SERMON OF The use and benefit of Divine MEDITATION HAGGAI 1. 5. Now therefore thus saith the Lord of Hosts Consider your wayes NOw follows the manner how to follow Meditation home to the heart Here are four things to be practised First weigh and ponder all these things in thy heart It 's said of Mary she pondred Luke 2. 19. and kept all these sayings in her heart verse 51. The words signifie two things First she compared these things together Secondly she cast them in the scales together Dost thou know God is mercifull ponder it with his justice Dost thou know that Jesus Christ dyed for sinners ponder it with the true drift of it how that it is not to let men go on in their sins but to save them from their sinnes Dost thou obey God in this or that Commandement O ponder thy life with the rest Ponder the path of thy feeet and let all thy wayes be established Prov. 4. 26. A man that eats his meat well forty morsels well yet one crum going awry throttles him Thou walkest in these and these Commandements yea but there be other Commandments besides these dost thou walk in them too thou must if thou meanest to have thy ways to be established The Jews had their continers talents minaes sicles which were greater weights so they had also their gerahs and agarahs smaller measures and smallest of all so have thou greater and lesse weights great ones to ponder the great Commandements and less to weigh even the least of Gods Commandements and see thou make true Evangelical weight or else all will not be well Suppose a man were to pay a 100 pound of good and lawful money and in weight upon forfeiture of all that he hath if he weigh it not but the Creditor doth and finds it light he is undone If thou ponderest not thy wayes God will ponder them Prov. 5. 21. the word signifies he weighs and ponders them in a ballance or
SERMON preached at Linton in Kent By that Reverend and Faithfull Minister of Gods Word WILLIAM FENNER B. D. Sometimes Fellow of ` Pembroke Hall in Cambridge and late Pastor of Rochford in Essex London Printed by E. T. for John Stafford A SERMON OF M. WILLIAM FENNERS Preached at Linton September 9. 1629. PHIL. 3. 18 19. For many walk of whom I have told you often and now tell you weeping that they are the enemies of the Crosse of Christ whose end is destruction whose belly is their God whose glory is their shame and who mind earthly things THE Apostle in the closure of this Chapter setteth out unto us a two-fold kind of life First the life of the Godly and that 1. by way of Exhortation verse 17. Brethren be followers together of me and mark them which walk so as you have us for an example 2. By way of declaration verse 20. But our conversation is in heaven whence also we look for the Saviour even the Lord Jesus Christ Then secondly he sets forth unto us the life of the wicked which walked otherwise than the Disciples and Apostles of Christ walked in these words read unto you The Apostle warned those wicked men again and again but they would not take warning neither did they think themselves so bad as he made them and therefore they thought they should speed well enough he preached to them in the Pulpit and wrote unto them though he were six hundred miles and more distant from them and that weeping too that they were enemies to the Crosse of Christ whose end is destruction whose God is their belly who mind earthly things These words may be construed two waies either as being meant 1. Of severall wicked men as first of Heterodox walkers such as walk contrary to the Apostles or 2. Of wicked persecutors of the Gospel enemies to the Crosse of Christ 3. Of Drunkards and Hypocrites whose God is their belly 4. Of Ambitious and proud persons whose glory is their shame and 5. Of covetous and carnal-minded men who mind earthly things or as Chrysostom expounds the words and so it seems is the meaning of them to be meant of one sort of men who mind earthly things they are such as walk otherwise than the Apostle walked Who are they that mind earthly things they are enemies of the Crosse of Christ Who are they that mind earthly things Whose hearts and affections run more after the things of this life than after the crosse of Christ Their God is their belly Who are they that mind earthly things and think only how to increase their living and enlarge their estate and make them sure unto themselves their glory is their shame Who are they that mind earthly things that give their hearts the flower of man and their affections the flower of their Souls unto the world and unto the base things of the world still they are they that mind earthly things which set either their loving thoughts or their raking and caring thoughts or their fretting and vexing thoughts or the eager covetous and vain thoughts on earthly things they are they that walk otherwise than the Apostles of Christ walked These are are those that are enemies to the Crosse of Christ whose God is their belly whose glory is their shame who mind earthly things whose end is destruction Hence then will we observe this point That those whose minds and hearts run habitually on earth and earthly things their end must needs be destruction Jeremiah 9. 19. Hear O earth saith God behold I will bring evil upon this people even the fruit of their thoughts because they have not hearkned unto me but rejected my Law Wherein we may see three things 1. That the curse of God is the desert of cursed evil and vain thoughts 2. That the plague and curse of God is the event of evil and vain thoughts evil thoughts do not not only deserve Gods plagues but also bring them 3. Here is notice given to all the world Hear O earth as if he had said here is a reckoning that you little dream of I will bring a plague upon you not only for your idolatry for your whoredom and fornication but even for your vain thoughts Prov. 24. 9 The thoughts of the wicked are sin The Lord doth not only condemn the actions and courses of of wicked men but sets his curse upon their very thoughts Sin is of an homogeneal nature of which every part of a thing is the whole every piece of a stone is stone for it hath the nature of the whole even so it is with sin the least part of sin the least thought of sin the least shiver of sin is sin and abominable before God The reasons why those whose hearts and thoughts run habitually on earth and earthly things must needs end in destruction are 1. That mans end must needs end destruction that never repents Now so long as a mans thoughts run usually and habitually on the things of the world that man never repents repentance not only cleanseth the out-side of man but the inside also even the heart repentance goeth as far as the Law of God â—â—eth where the word of God begins there repentance must noeds begin now the word of God begins and strikes at the heart as saith the Apostle The Word of God is sharp powerful sharper than any two edged sword peircing to the dividing asunder of the soul and Spirit the joynts and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts of the heart Heb. 4. 12. Now then if the word of God strike at the thoughts of the heart then repentance must go and teach so farr to reform and amend the things of the heart or else he never repents Let a man sweep his house never so much yet it is not clean so long as there remains one Cob-web in it so if thy heart be swept from drunkennesse whoring and swearing and yet if the old Cob-web of vain thoughts remain in any corner of thy heart not washed out nor swept down thou hast not as yet repented Oh Jerusalem faith God to his Prophet wash thy heart from wickedness that thou mayest be saved how long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee Jer. 4. 14. Mark how the Lord inforceth his exhortation see how he backs his counsell that thou maiest be saved as if he had said thou canst not be saved unles thou wash thy heart from vain thoughts how long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee He doth not say why do vain thoughts come into thee for they will come into the best and most holy heart but how long shall they lodge within thee If vain thoughts do lodge in man and take up their nest in his heart if a man let his thoughts dwel upon vain things and he give away unto them and use them as his market trade and recreations he cannot be saved it is an emphaticall kind of speech as if the Lord should say O Jerusalem
and am overtaken with my infirmities yet I thank God he hath sanctified my heart For I think of God and of Christ and I oft call upon his name and let my thoughts runne on good things God and heaven are many times in my mind and I am sorry when I do amisse and the Lord hath blest me with a large portion of outward things Besides I see these and these signs of grace in me and therefore I think my case to be haphy And thus securely they live and so they go on and so they dye and so go to hell and perish for ever and ever Here is the misery of it many think of God and of Christ of death and of their last account of heaven of hell of faith and repentance of leaving sinne of crucifying their lusts and practising of holiness Now men think that their thinking of these things is a part of their discharge when indeed they are Additions to and pieces of their talents which increase their judgements God casts in a though of repentance holinesse of the remembrance of death and last account Dost thou find thy heart never the better and holier by them Then know it is only Gods haunting of thy heart and Gods calling upon thee and Gods inviting thee unto repentance to leave thy sinnes to come out of thy deadnesse and formality to prepare for thy death and judgement and therefore I say if thy heart now think not so if thy heart do not repent beleeve and grow more zealous and thou art not drawn the neerer to God I say then that the more of these good thoughts that thou hast had the greater thy doom will be if thou hast had ten thousands of them if they have been only Gods haunting of thy heart think thou then now of grace of God of thy poor soul which is not bettered by them nor made holy then know they are pieces of thy talent and it doth make thy torments in hell the greater Secondly thou hast good thoughts but the question is whether they be fleeting or abiding thoughts Many think of God of grace of heaven of the word of God and when they hear a Sermon they will think of God but these thoughts though they come into their minds yet they go away presently they are in and out at an instant in a trice they passe away and are gone Beloved there are two kinds of vain thoughts 1. vain because the substance and matter of them is vain and so all worldly thoughts are vain 2. or else for their want of durance and lasting and so are all thoughts of heaven of God and grace and of Christ if they vanish away they are all vain thoughts though they seem otherwise Hear what God saith Gen. 6. 5 God saw that the wickednesse of man was great upon the earth and all the imaginations of the thoughts of his heart were only evill continually all the imaginations great is the emphasis of this word all all the thoughts yea all universally are only evill continually But you will say unto me Doth not a wicked man think that there is a God why that is a good thought doth not he think that this God is to be observed and worshipped why this is a good thought doth he not think that sin is to be forsaken that is a good thought doth he not think of heaven and of Christ how then are their thoughts only evil and that continually I answer Because all the thoughts of a wicked mans heart are vain that is vanishing thoughts not vain for the matter which sometimes may be good and Holy but vain because they soon vanish away thoughts that come and carry â—ot that leave no impression in their hearts behind them these are all vain thoughts according to that of the Apostle The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise that they are vain 1 Cor. 3. 20. Beloved in a godly mans heart when a good thought comes it abides and dwells a good while in him and when it goes away it leaves a good impression behind it it leaves a sweet smell and favour in the heart after it is gone it s made more holy and sanctified by it When a good thought comes into a godly mans heart it leaves the print of it behind when a wicked man hath a good thought he â—osseth it up and down and suffers it not to stay but presently puts it away let a thought of the world come in and he can give it entertainment for seven days yea for seven years yea all his life he sets his heart as a wide gate open to receive them and to entertain them but if a thought of God or of repentance of holinesse and salvation come into his mind he is tyred out with it and it soon vanisheth away therefore so long as thy thoughts are thus vain though for the matter good if thou hast never so many of them yet if they abide not but thou thinkest and unthinkest them again if they come and give thy Soul a jog and so away the more I say thou hast of them though thou hast many millions the greater will be thy doom at the last day Thirdly Thou thinkest of God but the question is whether thy good thoughts be studied or accidental thoughts A wicked man that runs gadding in his thoughts here and there over the whole world upon this and that and I know not what in the midst of a lottery of thoughts he cannot chuse but stumble upon some good he thinks on God he thinks on Christ he thinks on Heaven but it is by the by-gone these thoughts of his are not naturall but if he think of the world of his pleasures of his outward delights and contentments these thoughts arise naturally out of his heart they are his own Now it may be a thought of God comes by the way But a godly man not only thinks of God but he stadies how to think of God it is his continuall endeavour to bring his mind to be fixed upon God it is his whole care to have good thoughts to dwell habitually in him There is an excellent phrase used to set it forth Malac. 3. 16. They that feared the Lord spake one unto another and the Lord hearkned and heard it and a book of remembrance was written before him of all them that feared the Lord and thought upon his Name Where I pray you to mark that thinking upon Gods Name and the fear of God are joyned together for thinking on God comes from the fear of God a godly man thinks upon God and fears him he thinks that God is alwayes with him in every place and he trembles before him he thinks God beholds all his thoughts and affections and trembles at him he thinks as he walks up and down in his way as he he is imployed in his calling as he is performing of any duty of Religion that Gods eye is upon him and beholds him and therefore he fears to offend
bridle to restrain a man from vain thoughts than this consideration that he is to goe to God I speak not this to the men of this world Carnal men who can rush into Gods presence hand over head without any fear or reverence they can set upon any duty without any preparation but I speak it to the godly man whose heart dreads and stands in awe of God Wilt thou let thy mind rove and run all the day on worldly things how then wilt thou call upon God Dost thou not know that this is the cause of thy dulnesse thy deadnesse and wandrings of thy heart when thou art about any good duty namely because thou sufferest thy heart to be lashing out and roving abroad on the world all day no marvell if it keep his haunt at night and therefore thy heart being vain God will never hear thy prayer Job 35. 13. God will never hear vanity Comest thou to God with a vain prayer God wil never hear it Comest thou with a vain ear to the hearing of the Word God will never hear it or with a vain heart to the Sacrament God will not regard it Lay this seriously to thy heart if ever thou wouldesst have thy heart to the duty thou art about busie thy mind upon good things for if thy heart be accustomed to vain and worldly things all the day it is no marvell if it return to its hau nt again at night Thirdly consider that you have not so learned Christ It is the Apostles argument Ephes 3. consider then what you have learned of Christ hath Christ taught you so hath Christ taught you such a love and given you such a liberty that you should love the world more than him and imploy and bestow all your thoughts wholy in seeking after vain things Hath Christ taught you such a faith as this Hath Christ taught you such a repentance as this to have your thoughts more upon the world than upon Christ to repent of sin and yet never forsake sin Have ye so learned Christ Hath he not taught you such a faith as purifieth the heart such a sanctification as cleanseth the soul and the mind such an obedience as bringeth every thought into subjection unto himself Therefore if now thou shouldest still retain thy vain dead earthly and carnall thoughts it is not to learn Christ Christ teacheth thee no such doctrine nor giveth thee any such licencious liberty but thou learnest of the Devil and of thine own heart for all evil and vain thoughts arise from these three heads First from the variety and abundance of the thoughts of the world which our Saviour calls the cares of the world Secondly from the fountain of corruption in mans heart the heart of man being alwayes like a sink naturally running with filthinesse or like a living quickset always bearing so it is with the heart of man always imagining vain thoughts Thirdly from the damned malice of the Devil and his fearful suggestions and temptations both within and without the Devil is fitly called a tempter and tryer for by his suggestions and temptations he feels and tryes mens hearts and thereby knowing to what they are most inclined and which way they are soonest overcome accordingly he fits his temptations to intrap them Now these thoughts are infinitely variable according to the constitutions place quality passions affections and conditions of men as of the poor man in his beggary of the rich man in his abundance of the Minister in his calling of the Majestrate in his and so of all other men Now the whole world is not able to fill the heart how then shall we number the thoughts of it But for the better understanding we will rank them into these four heads to shew how thoughts become vain 1. Materially mens thoughts are vain when the matter of them is vain 2. Formally when though for the matter they are never so good yet the manner of thinking them is evil 3. Essentially when the man that thinks them is vain 4. When it is a thought that might become the best Saint upon the earth or a glorified Angel in heaven yet the drift of the soul being carnall and vain the soul thereby becomes vain also First then material vain thoughs are all thoughts of the world of the works of thy calling of thy recreations eating drinking sleeping thoughts of thy wife and children and the like they are vain thoughts not sinful necessarily yet they may come to be sinfull five manner of ways First when we think of them primarily that is in the first place when we think of them before we think of God Tell me then what are thy first thoughts in the morning Hereby a man may know his thoughts whether they be good or evill Consider I say what is that first presents it selfe unto thy thoughts certainly that which the heart is most haunted withall and most taken up with is most naturall unto it If the heart be carnall and earthly it will have carnall and earthly thoughts if it be a godly and gracious heart it will labour to make God the first in his thoughts I know the godly man fails in many things and many unruly thoughts in him may rebell but it is the very grief of his soul and he will never rest nor be at quiet till he hath got Balme from Gilead strength from Christ for the subduing and crucifying of them even of those vain and sinfull thoughts that stick closest unto their hearts and are most prone unto them naturally so that it is the practice of a godly man first in the morning to lift up his heart with his hand unto God and when he is up his thoughts are wholly upon God See this in David who considering that the Lord was present every where made this use of it When I awake I am present with thee Psal 139. 18. His heart was lifted up to God he did endeavovr to shake hands with God as it were in his holy meditations worshipping and adoring God with his first thoughts he would be sure to give God the flower and Maiden-head of his first service and thoughts as soon as ever he was awake his heart was in heaven This shews that the thoughts of men that live in their sins are damnable thoughts Thou that art a drunkard a swearer a prophane person a carnall worlding that never hast repented I tell thee that the very thinking of thy meat and drink is damnable the very thoughts of thy recreations and of thy sleep are damnable thoughts to think of the works of thy calling yea of setting thy foot upon the ground or of any thing that God hath commanded thee to doe are all damnable thoughts Why Because thou givest not God thy first thoughts Wilt thou think of thy belly and back before thou thinkest of God and how to be converted unto him Wilt thou think of thy Markets and Faires before thou thinkest of thy reconciliation with God The first
thing that every soul is bound to doe is to get in with God First seek the kingdom of God saith our Saviour and the righteousnesse thereof Matth. 6. 35. Where our Saviour doth not forbid our taking of thought for the things of this life but that they should not be sought after in the first place so that our first thoughts and endeavours should be after the Kingdom of heaven Therefore all thoughts whatsoever which are conceived before a man be converted and so thinks of God are all damnable thoughts Secondly all worldly thoughts are sinfull when we think of them too usually as Chrysostome speaks because we think of the universality of them Beloved it is lawfull to think of the world and to think of our trade and imployments to think of our corn of our cattell fields barnes wives children For if God have commanded or commended these things unto us then surely he gives us leave to think on them that so we may accomplish our businesse the better but let us take heed they be not too usuall with us for we have souls as well as bodies and there is a heavenly as well as an earthly businesse to think upon thou art not to live here alwayes therefore take heed that thy thoughts be not too usuall and common upon the things of the world let not earth and earthly thinhs have too much of thy thoughts As the Prophet David seeing the thoughts of wicked men wholly to runne after the things of the world he tells them all their thoughts perish and so I tell you if that your thoughts on the world run together with heap and croud and then you bundle them in bundles as it were they all prove damnable and shall perish Thirdly worldly thoughts are sinfull and damnable if thou thinkest of them too savourily a carnall-minded man thinks savourily of the things of the world the thoughts of earthly things are savoury unto him a wicked man wil think of God and of the world but which is the savouryest thought to him He wil think of Christ of Heaven and of the Word of God and of such a Sermon he heard but alas he finds no savour tast nor rellish in them he finds no sweetnesse joy or delight in them but when he thinks of the world of his gold and silver of his lands and livings Oh these are merry thoughts unto him these are sweet unto him and pleasant to him and his heart is now at home in his own nest He can think of these seven dayes nay seven moneths nay seven years together and yet never be weary but his thoughts as full and as fresh as at the first But bring him to a Sermon or to a Prayer and he is jaded presently his heart is empty and his thoughts are at an end For saith the Apostle they that are after the flesh savour the things of the flesh Rom. 8. 5. It is a true note of an earthly carnal fleshly heart to be thinking on earthly and vain things savourily Thou maist think on the world but it must be only with a cast of thy thoughts as one that looks upon a thing with a squint eye but when thou art to think on God or on the things of God then thou must gather all thy thoughts and affections thou must lay all the powers of thy soul together and thou must imploy them only to this work Fourthly worldly thoughts become sinfull when we think of them without counsel then faith Solomon they come to nought when a man considers not afore-hand what thoughts are necessary and needfull and so restreines and keeps off all impertinent thoughts then his thoughts will prove distrustfull carking thoughts caring for the morrow contrary to the rule of Christ Matth. 6. 33. Take no care for to morrow let to morrow care for it selfe He doth not forbid here Christian provident thoughts for godly honest and sober thoughts are fitting and necessary but he seems hereby to cut off all distrusting carking thoughts Fiftly worldly thoughts come to be sinfull when they are thought needlesly And here I will shew how far a man may think of the world namely so far as his necessary businesse requires Suppose a mans businesse be upon merchandise it is lawfull to think of it and of his shop and wares but if thou wouldest know how far why so far as it is for thy businesse But if thou hast so many of them that thy heart is taken up with them and thy mind still on them then they are sinfull thoughts There is many a man that in following of his businesse bestowes more thoughts upon it than his businesse requires he hath ten thousands of superfluous thoughts but let such remember the exhortation of the Wise man establish thy thoughts by counsell counsel wil tell a man when he hath thought enough and what thoughts are fit for his imployment Not that any man can carry himselfe alwayes in that golden mediocrity or mean but a Christians care must be dayly more and more to pare off all superfluous thoughts of earthly things Now we come to the second thing 2. Thoughts are vain formally when though the matter of them be never so good yet the manner of thinking them is evill It is possible that a wicked man goe to hell though he performs the same things for the matter of them that a godly man doth a godly man comes to Church so doth a wicked man a godly man prayes in his family so doth a wicked man a godly man reads the Scriptures so doth a wicked man a godly man repeats Sermons and conferres of good things so doth a wicked man There is no work that comes to the outward act that a godly man doth but a wicked man may doe the same here only is the difference in the manner of working I will set it out to you by a place of Scripture In a great house saith the Apostle there are not onely vessels of gold and of silver but also of wood and of stone some to honour and some to dishonour 2 Tim. 2. 20. Mark how the Apostle here sets out the reprobate and the elect comparing them to vessels of honour and dishonour the vessels of dishonour are of the same matter that the vessels of honour are of suppose it be pewter or silver cast it into an honourable form and it wil be a vessel of honour but cast it into a dishonourable form and it wil be a vessel of dishonour for base and mean service even so it is between a true Christian and a meer formall professor the matter of their service is one and the same suppose it be hearing the Word or receiving of the Sacraments prayer or the like the substance and action is the same but take the same prayer and let a godly man cast it in his form and it is holy and prevails with God let a wicked man take the same prayer and cast it into his dishonourable form
worship they will keep the Sabbath in coming to Church and they will hear Sermons pray and think of God but all this is to make God amends for the wrong that they have done him they know they have offended God and therefore they will doe something to make him ameds like those wicked men in Jeremies time who did steal murder commit adultery swear falsly and burn incense unto Baal and walk after the Gods they knew not and then come and stand before God in his house which is called by his name and said We are delivered though we have done all these abominations As if God should say unto wicked men What will ye swear steal lye and be earthly giving up your selves to all manner of lewdnesse in the breach and contempt of my commandements and then think by making a prayer unto me and by lifting up your eyes unto me and by giving your ears to hear my word thereby to make me recompence No no I have shewed thee O man what is good Micah 8. Secondly the end of mens thoughts is commonly to collogue with God Let a man be under the crosse in calamity pain and misery then God will hear of him often then he will think of God and of his sinnes Nay the beastliest wretch in a whole Parish upon his sick bed then Oh how will he call upon God then send for the Minister let him pray for me read a chapter or some good book then God shall have service upon service then he shall have the first second and third course But all this is but to be raised up again and then when he hath received a little strength he falls off again like the Jews who when God slew them they sought him and they returned and enquired early after God nevertheless they did but dissemble with him with their mouths and flatter him with their double hearts Psal 37. 34. There is many a man that seeks to God yea that seeks to him with tears and performs many a good duty and yet he doth but flatter with God he doth it but to curry favour with him is afraid of sicknesse crosses plagus and death and curses upon him if he should not do so and therefore to prevent this he will dissemble some service to God Thirdly to smother and choak their own consciences their hearts think and tell them they must think of God their consciences tell them that they must have some holinesse some religion that they must keep the Sabbath in some sort that they must pray and go to Church and hence it is that the drunkard swearer whoremaster will sometimes have thoughts of God and wil be performing some outward acts of Religion Why his conscience otherwise would not let him be at rest but is as the Devils ban-dog to drive him to it Thus when the Prophet commanded the people to worship the Lord to reverence his name to hallow his Sabbaths their consciences told them that they must do so or else all the threatnings of wrath and vengeance donounced by the Prophets would come upon them Hence it is that the Lord by his Prophet exhorts saying Arise ye and depart for this is not your rest your mind hath another haunt you have this and that black lust this is not your rest Doth thy heart rest on God and good things If thy heart be good and holy so that it takes up its rest in God and in Christ then it is well but if thou only turnest aside to good duties and fallest as it were by chance upon holy things away away saith God this is nor your rest Aristotle saith that the being of a thing consists in the end of a thing Therefore if the end of thy thoughts and courses be earthly and vain then certainly thy religion is earthly and vain Thou goest up and down what is it that thou lookst after Is it that thou maist have grace or that thou maist follow thy calling and get thy living is it this that thou wouldest have for which thou keepest such a digging and scraping and such a laying up Then thy end is carnall and vain and thy drift and end declareth the truth of thy soul that it is carnall and vain THE JUDGEMENT OF THE WORLD By SAINTS at the last day DELIVERED And learnedly discovered in a SERMON preached By that Reverend and Faithfull Minister of Gods Word WILLIAM FENNER B. D. Sometimes Fellow of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge and late Pastor of Rochford in Essex London Printed by E. T. for John Stafford A SERMON OF M. WILLIAM FENNERS Upon this ensuing Text. 1 Cor. 6. part of the 2d. verse Know ye not that the Saints shall judge the world THE Corinthians though Paul had converted many poor mean men amongst them Chapter 1. 26 27. God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty yet the Nobles the Lawyers the Counsellors the chief men in the City the Apostle had not converted one of them or at the least very few Brethren you see your calling who they are that be converted to the obedience of the Gospel of Christ from the evill of their wayes not many wise men after the flesh not many rich not many nobles some few there be here and there one but for the most part they are a company of poor beggarly Christians now it seems these poor Christians have controversies one with another went to Law among themselves and that before unbeleevers The Apostle condems this their going to Law and would have them cease their suits and quarrels one against another before the unjust and unbeleevers and that by four Arguments First by the shamfulnesse of it verse 5. I speak it to your shame as it he should say Are you such fools that you cannot take up these matters among your selves that you cannot make references of your wrongs to mediate one to another but that you must goe to Law before unbeleevers Secondly from the scandalousnesse of it It is a thing so scandalous and offensive to those that are without that I wonder any of you dare be so bold as to goe to Law one with another What will the world think What Are these the men that professe the Gospel Are these they that have the Wisdom of God in them and that are led by the Spirit of God And have they no more understanding in them than when they have any matter of controversie they cannot end it among themselves but must goe to Law before the unjust and unbeleevers as they term them Thirdly from the unseemlinesse of it in the second verse Doe you not know that the Saints shall judge the earth What hath God made you Judges of the world and do you go to be judged by the world Or as Ambrose speaks hath God appointed you to be Judges of the men in the world and are you not fit to be Judges of the things of
this it not enough This is a solemne Ordinance of God and an ordinary disposition will not serve the turn Though every child of God be ordinarily disposed to every good word and work to pray and to hear the word of God he is prepared and furnished to every well-doing ordinarily and habitually but a man must be disposed farther There is a solemne preparation required to the Communion as in Deut. 16. 15. there were solemn feasts in the Law so there is this solemn feast in the Gospel and there are solemn preparations required thereto When we come to the Communion to eat the Lords Supper it is not eating and drinking in Christs presence for so may any reprobate do and yet Christ may say to him Depart from me thou worker of iniquity It is not to come and sit in your Pewes and wait till the Bread comes and take it and till the Cup comes and drink it so many a Reprobate may doe as the Corinthians did that did eat and drink their own damnation But there must be a solemn preparation to it to be sealed with the Spirit of Promise to be righteous by faith in the body and bloâ—d of Christ For a man to be humble and empty of his sin to be â—â—â—â—sâ—y aâ—â—â—â— the precious bloud of Christ to be fed and built up in the promises It is a weighty thing to come to the Communion a man must be a worthy man or else he hath nothing to do here As Solomon said of Adonijah if he be a worthy man not a hair shall fall from his head but if wickednesse be found in him he shall dye 1 Kings 1. 52. So if we be worthy men and women not a hair of our heads shall fall to the ground none of the curses shall light on us that light on unprepared persons but if wickednesse be found in us if we be guilty of any sin if we live in any lust not mortified if there be any prophanenesse in our lives in our families in our courses and callings though we catch hold of the horns of the Altar though we partake of these holy mysteries yet we shall be so far from having any mercy as that we shall hasten our own ruine we set a seal on our own judgement and make our case worse than it was before Let us take notice of it and never dare to rush on any of Gods Ordinances You know what became of the foolish man in the Gospel that when they were invited to come to the marriage supper he thought it was nothing but to come with them that came to crowd in with them and sit down among the rest he considered not what he went about that he might be prepared accordingly the event was this he was cast out into utter darknesse Matth. 22. 13. It is dangerous rushing on any of Gods ordinances To rush upon prayer for a man to fall down upon his knees and to utter any thing before the Lord hastily with his mouth not considering that God is in heaven and he on the earth A mans word may damn his own soul and pull vengeance on his own pate his prayers may prove a curse his prayer for mercy may be turned into vengeance So the higher the service the greater the danger As the servants of Abigail said to her Consider what you do when evill was determined against them so consider what you do when you come to the Sacrament you come to a weighty thing to that that will either set you neerer to the Kindome of God or hell and condemnation But I let this passe and come to the words themselves Let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup. In these words observe First the matter of the duty commanded that is to eat of that bread and drink of that cup. Secondly the manner of doing the duty not only to eat of that bread but so to eat and not only to drink of that cup but so to drink Thirdly the rule of direction how to come in a right manner to partake of it that is by examining of our selves Let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. Fourthly and lastly the benefit following that direction and that is in this word But let a man examine himself He had said before He that eats and drinks unworthily is made guilty of the body and bloud of the Lord and he discerneth not the Lords body verse 27. But saith he as if he should say if a man would prevent this if a man would take order that he be not guilty of the body and bloud of Christ that he do not come undiscerningly to these heavenly mysteries but with comfort and title to the promises with hope and confidence and speeding there of the benefits of Christ exhibited then let a man examine himselfe and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. Now I will passe over some of these points namely that we are to eat that bread and drink that cup. There is a necessity that we should receive the Lords supper I need not stand on this you know it sufficiently proved by the Sacrament of the Law which was the fore-runner of this Sacrament that soul that did not partake of that was to dye the death he was to be cut off from Gods people Num. 9. 13. If the Lord was so carefull of those Sacraments that were inferior to these and yet they were of the same substance as these that the man that neglected to come to them to partake of them was to be cut off to be excommunicated from the people of God and to be rent off from the congregation of the Saints then how much more for these heavenly and weighty and glorious Ordinances of the Gospel which are farr more glorious than them of the Law But I will not stand upon that I might here take notice too of the frequency of the duty for so it hath dependence on those words formerly As oft as you eat this bread and drink this cup ye shew the Lords death and so that is as oft as ye eat do it in this manner This is the command of God that we oft receive the Lords Supper In the Primitive times St. Basil observes that they eat it three or four times in a week on Wednesdays Frydays and on the Lords day but that was a time of persecution I will not stand upon that I think it not neeedfull But it should be often we should not thurst it only upon Easter and Whitsuntide and Christ-tide three or four times in the year Again I might observe here from this mystery received in that he calls it Bread I might observe against the Papists Transubstantiation that the bread received is not transubstantiated but is bread still and against that of receiving in one kind So let him eat of that bread and drink of that
and a pure conscience I say thou gettest a blot to thy own self causest God to be ill spoken of and the very way of his name to be dishonoured This wil be the effect of it and so in every other duty And so I come to the use It is so that we must not only come to the Sacrament but come aright or do any duty but we must do it in a right manner This serves to condemn that naturall popery that is in mens hearts that is of opus operatum of the deed done this is the religion of the Church of Rome that so man do the duty indeed it is better if it be done in a right manner but if it be done there is somewhat a man may look for by that If a man come to the Sacrament the very eating of the Host the very partaking of the body of Christ they make it meritorious so the very hearing of so many Sermons the very saying of so many prayers the very performance of so many duties the very thing it self nakedly confidered it is of some validity This is rooted into the hearts of men we see it up and down people do the dutie and think all is well enough when they consider not how it is done People pray but not with zeal they hear but not with reverence People come to the Sacrament not for the better but for the worse they come not in a right manner and yet every one hopes to speed and builds himselfe on this that God accepts of him But this is the folly of mens hearts it is an evident argument that men go foolishly to work in the ways of God It is the brand of a fool not to be able to observe circumstances Aristotle the heathen he saith it is the part of a wise man to think of and understand the manner of actions as a wise man saith he observes circumstances It is the part of wisedome to observe the right circumstances of every action as it is Ephes 5. 15. Walk circumspectly that is accurately as it is in the original not as fools but as wise Mark he perswades them to a right manner of walking not onely to walk in a good course in praying and hearing in obedience and sobriety in temperance faith and diligence in our callings but do it accurately in a right manner do it as wise men and not as fools who do it in a wrong manner It is the part of a fool I say to do a thing and to leave the right manner of doing it Now this is nothing with God the Lord doth not esteem any action though it be never so frequently done except it be done with his own stamp except it have his own character upon it I remember a story in 2 King 17. 26. The Assyrians there observed that God sent Lions among them because they did not observe the right manner of the God of Israel they worshipped the God of Israel but because they observed not the right Manner of his word he sent Lions among them to tear and devour them in pieces So though we pray and hear and read and professe and have a name that we live and though we be taken for good people and heap up duties from day to day and vie performances and though we do them as many times as the children of God nay though we could do them ten thousand times oftner than they yet if we do them not in a right manner if we know not the manner of the God of heaven and earth with humble hearts and selfe-denying spirits with holinesse of affection and with purity of heart if a man do them not in a right manner the Lord wil tear him in pieces and he shall have no deliverance for all that Another use shall be what may be the reasons why people are so willing generally to do duties for the matter and care not to do them in a right manner It shall not be amisse a little to shew the mystery of this thing for we see every man is willing to do duties every man will be praying and coming to Church many reprobates and God knows how many carnall hearts are in this congregation some drunkards it may be some adulterers some it may be that committed whoredome the last night some that have been swearing even now and deceiving in their shops there are many carnall hearts yea every man is willing to do duties to hear and to pray Now what may be the reason that people are willing to do good duties and yet are loath to come off with their carnall hearts There are four reasons The first is this Because the matter of the duty is easy but the manner is difficult It is an easie matter to pray to say Lord I have sinned against heaven and against thee Lord I have sworn I have been a drunkard I have disallowed the Sabbath I have done this and that I pray thee pardon and forgive me and give me thy grace it is an easie matter to do this It is easie for a man to come to Church and mark what the Minister saith and follow him from point to point and it may be he go over it to his famimily This is good there are few that come thus farr And so it is easie to come to the Sacrament to take the Bread and the Cup and to pray for a blessing this is easie but when a man comes to do a duty in a right manner here is difficulty when a man doth it with a How Take heed how ye hear He doth not call upon people to hear that is not the matter there needs no great diligence for that but if you will consider How you hear take heed to that Here must be a great deal of circumspection the soul must be marvellous painfull a man must offer violence to his own soul a man must fight against his own will a man must beat down his own spirit he must crucifie his own thoughts must mortifie his own mind and beat down his own soul It is a hard thing to do in a right manner as the Lord commands if we consider how to do it This is certain flesh and blood cannot abide to take pains if it can serve God with ease and pray with ease that it will do but for a man to weep before God for a man to indict his heart before the throne of grace to rend his bowels before his maker to tear the caul of his heart upon his kees for a man to vow to God and pay them for a man to rid his hand of all the wages of iniquity for a man to purifie himselfe as Christ is pure for a man to wrestle with God and to take grace according to the covenant of grace with life and power to do it in a right manner here is religion and this man cannot abide And so for the Sacrament for a man to come in a right manner Oh it is difficult
not judge well of him that reproves him There is an excellent place Prov. 12. 1. He that puts off reproof is brutish he that hates reproof is the brute that man hath no reason in him Art thou a swearer and art reproved for it thy brother tells thee thou wilt be damned for it Dost thou chafe at that man thou art a beast thou hast no more understanding than an Oxe or an Asse As it is with a horse when the Ostler comes to rub him he kicks with his heel when he only beats of the dirt he lifts up his hinder leg on him and it may be wounds him so thou hast no more understanding than a beast that finds fault with one that reproves thee for thy sins So that whatsoe'r thy sin be he that tels thee of it there is no reason in the world but that he should be a dear man to thee Me thinks of all men under heaven godly Ministers that are faithfull in their place and calling should be the dearest men to you upon the face of the earth Why because they reprove you and tell you of your sins and what will become of your souls what will be the issue and Catastrophe of all you wayes You that come to Church every day may read a Lecture in the Word of God what will be your doom at the last day you are told of your pride and adultery of your whoredom and oaths carnall Gospellers of their secure and carnal condition and common professors of their formality and other lusts that men are given to you are told of all I say the feet of Gods messengers should be beautifull you should hug the messengers and put their reproofs in your bosomes and let them have power and efficacy on your souls and go and put them in practice The Use of this is First is it so that it is the infinite mercie of God to reprove men of their sins to tell them of whatsoever is amisse in their hearts and lives let me tell you First see here what an infinite punishment God is bringing upon that kingdom when he is taking away reprovers from them when God takes away reprovers he takes away all mercy and loving kindnesse Therefore God when he threatned to deliver up Judah to curse that Kingdom to plague them for their rebellion and utterly to give them over he saith he will take away the reprover saith he to the Prophet Thou shalt be dumb and not open thy mouth thou shalt not be a reprover to this people Ezek. 2. 26. When the Lord would curse that people and bind them over to a reprobate sense and deliver them to wrath the Prophet shall not be a reprover he silences the Prophet Or as Piscator thinks the anger of God silenced him or confin'd him to his house that he should not prophesie So when God silences his Ministers that he takes them from a place or threatens to take them away it is a sign of heavy vengeance towards such a people It may be wicked people laughed at them and made it a matter of nothing they were glad that Ezekiels mouth was gagged and it were no matter if the country were rid of a company of Puritans though they had no such word then they had as bad they think all is well but the time will come that they will curse the day that ever they provoked God to take away their Ministers we enjoy them by the mercy of God other places have lost them God knows how soon we may lose ours In Hosea 4. 4. the Lord there when he would set out the desperate estate of the children of Ephram delivers them up to such a state and condition that none should reprove them Let none reprove another If they will sinne let them if they will go on in Idolatry let them If they will harden their own hearts let them if they will dye in sinne let them if they will perish and be damned for ever let them Let no man reprove another It is a lamentable state Generally people are glad when the Land is swept of all the good Ministers and the good servants of God they had rather hear a fine song in a pulpit of one that preacheth morally or it may be preacheth his own selfe or the like but the time will come when they shall say as Solomon saith It is better to hear the reproof of the wise than the song of fools Ecclesiastes 7. 5. people love alife to hear the song of fools When a fool comes up and preacheth At what time soever a sinner shall repent him of his sinne And be not just overmuch and what need such a do Here is more puther than need and abuse places and wrest Scripture As for example the thief on the Crosse was saved at the last with a word or two and they bring the example of the Publican that cryed God be mercifull to me a sinner and went justified to his house rather than the Pharisee that made long prayers And rush what need men be so zealous and precise and puritanicall Whosoever calls upon the name of God shall be saved people love alife such songs of fools but the time shall come when peoples eyes shall be opened and their consciences awakened and then they will wish O that we had heard the reproof of the wise The second use makes against those that despise the reproofe of the wise ye despise not men but God ye have despised me Prov. 1. 30. You thinke you despise a poor Minister he is strict and harsh with your souls and presseth these things upon your consciences and it may be more than he hath warrant to do so you think you do not despise God but only the Minister Nay saith Christ you have despised my reproof When you despise them that Christ sends you despise him This is an expresse and an explicite sign of a mans everlasting destruction when he despiseth reproof as in that speech of the Prophet to Amaziah I know that the Lord hath determined to destroy thee because thou hast not hearkened to my reproof 2. Chron. 25. 16. So I may say I know that God hath determined to destroy a Nation a City or people when they will not take counsell of Gods Messengers when they will not hearken to instruction They have been called upon nationall sinnes have been ripped up parochiall sinnes have been spoken of yet when they are told they will not be reproved We that are the Ministers of God know that God will destroy as many as turn not at reproof I let this pass I should now shew the grievousnesse of this ill of standing out against reproof it is expressed two ways First in the sinfulnesse of it to harden a mans heart Secondly in the punishment He shall be destroyd without remedy And in the destruction you may see here First the unexpectednesse of it He shall be destroyed suddenly Secondly the totalnesse of it He
Canaan she sought the Lord God of Heaven and earth she was of the cursed stock of Cham whom the Lord commanded to destroy yet she repented and became of the faith of Abraham to see if the Lord would own her but the Lord seemed to reject her and suffered the devil to possess her daughter Now what might not this poor woman think she had made a sorry change of religion seeing that God the author of it would not own her but suffered the devil to possesse her daughter But see the importunity of this woman she would not be quiet untill she had found Christ Mark 7. 24 25. Christ could not be hid No What could he not hide himself in some corner No. no thinks she there is a Christ and if he be to be had under the cope of heaven I wil have him Even so it is with the soul that is importunate in prayer it is restlesse What if Christ do hide himself in the Word c. and will not own a poor soul yet the poor soul knowes there is a Christ and if he be to be found in the whole world he wil have him I wil saith he turn over all duties I will go to all the Ministers that are neer I will use all the means Now Christ cannot be hid from such a soul that is thus importunate Now as it is a prayer that will take no nay so first it will take no privative nay of silence Secondly no possitive nay of denial First no privative nay of silence A man that is importunate in prayer must and will have some answer he is not like Baals Priests that could get no answer 1 King 18. 26. nor like wicked men that pray in their pewes they know not what nor whether God hears them or no but an importunate prayer will have an answer like the woman of Canaan Have mercy on me O Lord saith she but Christ answered her not a word Hath she done then No she cries so much the more Have mercy on me O Lord yea she was so importunate that his Disciples were ashamed to hear her yet she cried Have mercy on my daughter the devil hath my daughter and misery will have me unlesse thou wilt have mercy on us Christ answered her never a word It was much trouble to her to have her daughter vext with a devil but this troubled her much more that Christ in whom all her hope was would not hear her nor lend her one look What might she think Is this the merciful Saviour that is so ful of pitty compassion Is this he that hath made proclamation to all the world saying Come unto me all ye that are weary c and I am tyred and wearied by reason of the devil that possesses my daughter c. yet he regards me not Thus she might have said yet these discouragements could not put her off but she cried so much the more yea so that the Apostles were ashamed that Christ should let her stand on that fashion yet she stood it out and prevailed Secondly it will take no positive nay of deniall For when she had an answer and that flat against her it was like bellowes to the fire she was so much the more inflamed she doubles her forces Have mercy on me O Lord c. Chist put her off with a deniall I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel I come for sheep not for goats you are of the Canaanites on whom I have set a brand of damnation a servant of servants a slave of hell and darknesse These are all of your blood but I come to save them of the house of Israel But the deniall of an importunate soul is like the stop in a passage of water the more it is stopt the more violent it is so this poor woman is so much the more eager with Christ she did but cry before now she worships him verse 24. 25. as if she should have said Lord help me now I am one of thy lost sheep I confesse I am a Canaanite I am of that damned blood yet Lord help me I am perswaded that thou canst take a course whereby to help me Thou canst cast some mercy on a Canaanite Thus you see an importunate soul will take no deniall but will renew its forces at the Throne of grace Thirdly an importunate Prayer will take no contumelious repulse suppose God should answer never a syllable of thy prayer yet thou wilt pray suppose he do answer and that against thee yet still thou wilt pray Nay suppose he call thee all to naught making thy conscience tell thee of all thy sins and abominations making thee think that heaven is shut up against thee and God hath shut his ears calling thee Dog hell-hound and wretch c. yet nothing can break thee off if thou be importunate indeed So this woman was not beaten off with Christs sending the Devill into her Daughter nor with Christs hiding himselfe when she sought him nor with Christs answering never a word nor with the Apostles frumps nor with his deniall nor contumelious repulse for he called her dog vers 26 Hence dog I had as lieve â—ling my mercy on a dog as on thâ—e What creature but an importunate one could have gone so far But see here the nature of importunity it gets within Christ and takes advantage she confest the cause saying Truth Lord thou hast hit me right I am a dog or a wicked woman let me then have the priviledges that dogs have though dogs may not be equal with children at the cable yet they may wait under the table I acknowledge that thy children are so plentifully fed that some crummes fall from the table therefore let me have the priviledge of a dog Naaman the Syrian was a dog as well as I Rahab the harlot was a dog as well as I Ruth a dog as well as I yet these got câ—ums truth Lord I am a dog yet thy mercy can metamorphose a dog Of these stones thou canst raise children to Abraham Thus it is with an importunate soul though God call it all to naught and cast all ignominious terms upon it as I had as lieve thou shouldest offer me swines blood as to speak in my hearing yet if thou be importunate thou wilt bear any contumelious repulse Fourthly an importunate prayer is impudent in an holy manner And as an impudent begger that is needy counts it no manners to hold his peace from begging although he be bidden Or as a poor petitioner to the King the King bids him hold his peace yet he will not but still he goes on The officers say Thou filthy fellow wilt thou never have done dost thou not see that the King is angry Yet he still cries Help me Lord ô King So the Canaanitish woman or an Importunate prayer is an impudent prayer yet in a holy manner I remember a story of a poor woman in Essex condemned to die she falls to
will never set themselves to work So many there be that if they can get pardon of sin for begging then they wil have it but let such know that the Lord will not give it for such lazie kind of praying but if thou wilt have pardon of sin thou must labour for it thou must get it with thy fingers ends God gives not men Repentance Faith c. by miracles but by means Thou must then use the means and keep watch and ward over thine own soul that so thou maist get the grace thou praiest for Secondly a praier that is not a full praier never speeds with God but an importunate prayer is a full praier it is a pouring out of the heart yea of the whole heart Psal 62. 8. the Psalmist saith poure out your hearts before him trust in him at all times poure out your hearts the addition is made in the Lamentations of Jeremy like water It may be thou powrest out thy praier like tar out of a tar-box halfe sticking by the sides but when thou praiest thou must out with all before God When thou givest thanks dost thou labour to remember all the blessings of God when thou dost petition to God dost thou poure out all thy heart before him dost thou cast all thy care on God Thirdly Snatch-prayer is no importunate prayer when men pray by snatches or peecemeals by breaking off a limme of their prayer because of sluggishnesse or because their hearts are eager about other businesse it is not good to trust fits of devotion 't is a base kind of praying when men gallop over their prayers that so they may come to an end quickly Should I accept this at your hands saith God by his Prophet when they brought a sheep it wanted a lim they were loth to give God a whole offering Mal. 1. 13. Many pray a peece of a prayer in the mornig and then they go after the world he down's on his knees and gives God a rag of a prayer a companie of ragged ends And God counts it an indignitie shall I accept this saith he What a lame prayer No no the Lord looks for a prayer that hath its full grouth it is a shame to speak in the congregation what men do in secret before God which many have confessed after they have been converted how they have gone into Gods presence and have shuffled over their prayers thinking every hour seven untill they had done Fourthly Silent prayers are never importunate I mean by silent prayer when a man is silent in that which God looks he should most insist upon David made a prayer Psal 32. and the Lord looked that he should stand much upon his adultery and murther which he had committed to see what shame he took on him for it but he shuffled it over and what saith the Text When I kept silence what did the Prophet roare and yet keep silence these are contradictions Yea the Prophet roared and kept silence as if he should say the Lord counted his prayer but roaring so long as he laid not open that sinne which the Lord lookt he should have stood on the Lord let him roare and roare he might long enough but saith he I brake my silence I said I will confesse my transgressions and then thou forgavest the wickednesse of my sin So many go to God and tell God they must needs have mercy and fain they would have mercy and yet they are silent in confessing the sinne they should I say the Lord will never hear that man he may pray to God all his life and yet go to hell in the end Hast thou been a drunkard and dost thou think that the Lord will forgive thee for crying Lord forgive me c No no thou must insist on it and say Against thy word I have been a drunkard my conscience told me so but I would not hear I have felt the motions of thy holy spirit stirring against me and I regarded not Now if thou shouldest turn me into hell I were well requited so many Sermons have I neglected I have wronged others in this kind and I have been the cause why many are now in hell if they repented not I have prayed for mercie yet with the dog to his vomit have I returned and therefore for all my prayers thou mayest cast me into hell for ever and now I have prayed yet it is a hundred to one but I shal run into my old sin again yet as I expect forgivenesse so I desire to make a covenant to give over all my sinful courses and I am justly damned if I go to them again Such a kind of prayer the Lord loves Fifthly Seldome-prayer is no importunate prayer when the soul contents it self with seldome coming before the throne of grace an importunate soul is ever frequenting the way of mercie and the gate of Christ he is often at the threshold before God in all prayer and humiliation The reeling'st Drunkard in the world sometimes can do so too the basest Adulterer in the world sometimes can be chast the Devil is quiet so long he is pleased and the wicked may sometime have a fit in prayer But this is the condition of an importunate heart he is frequent at the throne of grace The Prophet David prayed seven times in a day and Hannah continued in prayer night and day Sixthly Lukewarm prayer is not an importunate prayer when a man prais but is not fervent when a man labours not to wind up his soul to God in prayer That man that prayes outwardly only that man teaches God how to denie his prayer Though you make many prayers saith God yet I will not hear you why Your hands are full of blood Qui frigidè or at docet negare They are like luke warme water that never boils out the blood So they have been guilty of murder and abundance of other sins and they did indeed pray against them but they were never but luke-warme they have never boiled away the blood of their sins Thou must pray fervently with a seething hot heart if thou meanest to get pardon for all thy sins as securitie and deadnesse of heart c. And as it is in Jonah 3. let every man crie mightily unto the Lord. Seventhly and lastly Bie-thoughts in prayer keep prayer from being importunate as when a man prayes and lets his heart go a wool-gathering I remember a storie of an unworthy O ratour who being to make an acclamation O earth O heaven when he said O heaven he looked down to the earth and when he said O earth he looked up to heaven So many when they pray to God in heaven their thoughts are on the earth these prayers can never be importunate When a man praies the Lord looks that his heart should be fixed on his prayer for our hearts will leake and the best child of God do what he can shall have bie-thoughts in prayer And that First from corrupt nature Secondly from nature curbed
his providence from them why stayest thou but for a night verse the 8. as if they should have said it is marveilous strange that thou behavest thy self so like a stranger thou seest our sorrowes and dost not help us thou perceivest our troubles and thou regardest us not It is strange it is strange that the God of Israel stands as a man astonished that thou that hast heretofore received us should'st now stand as a man amazed and astonished as if thou wert weary of this thy work and couldst do no more as if thou should'st say Jerusalem cannot be saved and Judah cannot be succoured Secondly they desire that God would not take away his presence from them leave us not to our selves say they let us see thy face though we die yet let it be in thy presence yea though thou help us not yet it doth us good to look upon our Saviour and thou canst help us and thus you see the arguments where with they presse the Lord how sweet they are viz. First thou art the hope of Israel Alas if thou forsake us we are all lost our hope is not in the meanes only but our hope is in thee leave us not for thou art the hope of Israel it is the task that thou hast taken upon thee leave us not therefore Secondly thou hast made thy self a Saviour and now is the time of trouble therefore now performe what thou hast undertaken Thirdly thou art in the midst of us that is thou art a great Commander amongst us always ready to succour us and wilt thou now see us perish thou art more neer to us than the Ark in the midst of the Campe 1 Sam. 4. 6. As if they should say he lives in the midst of us and will he not save us Fourthly we are called by thy name and therefore we have interest in thee to whom should wives go but to their husbands to whom should children go but to their fathers to whom should servants go but to their Masters to whom then should we go but to thee our God and Saviour leave us not therefore and we will meddle with none but thee Secondly though God might leave them yet they beg that he would not that is the Amen to their praiers though thou stand and wilt not help us yet let us die in thy presence and this is the great request of the Saints they desire not to be left of God although God might leave them whence learn that God might cast off a people Israel did fear it and it is that which they prayed against God might leave them I doe not say that God will cast off his elect ones eternally but those in outward covenant see Isaiah 1. verse 2. c. Heare O Heavens Hearken O Earth I have nourished and brought up children but they have rebelled against mee The Oxe knoweth his owner and the Asse his Masters Crib but Israel hath not known my People have not understood c. and verse the seventh see the judgement your cities are burnt with fire strangers devour your land in your presence and it is desolate like the overthrow of strangers There is an out ward Calling as well as an effectuall Calling God may reject for many are called but few chosen saith our Saviour My brethren cast your thoughts afar off and see what is become of those famous Churches of Pergamus and Thyatira and the rest mentioned Rev. 1. verse 11. And who would have thought that Jerusalem should have been made an heap of stones and a vagabond people and yet we see God hath forsaken them shewing us thereby that although God wil never forsake his own electones yet he may forsake such as are in outward covenant with him The Lord is said to dis-church or discharge a people Hosea 1. 9 there God saith call his name Loammi for ye are not my people and therefore I will not be your God And as I may so say he sues out a bill of divorcement as it was in the old Law they that had any thing against their wives they sued out a bill of divorcement against them and so doth God see Hosea 2. 2. Plead with thy Mother tel her she is not my Spouse nor my beloved but let her cast away her fornications out of her sight and her adulteries from between her beasts lest I make her as at the first that is as she was in Egypt poore and miserable As if God should now say to England plead plead with England all ye that are my Ministers in the way of my truth and say unto her let her cast away her rebellions least I leave her as I found her in the day of Captivity and bondage under the blindnesse of popery and superstition Ob. But how doth God cast off a people Sol. I answer first when he takes away his love and respect from a people and as his love so the token of his love which in his word and Sacraments the means of salvation Secondly when he takes away his providence I mean when he takes down his walls that is his Magistracy and Ministery Thirdly when in stead of Councelling there comes in Bribing and in stead of true teaching there comes in daubing with untempered mortar when God takes away the hedge thereof Isaiah 5. 5. or the stakes grow rotten and are not renewed then is God going away Fourthly when God takes away the benefit of both these helps they are signes of Gods departure Use May God un chu ch or discharge a People and cast a Nation off Oh then let this teach us to cast off all security for miseries are night at hand in all probability when we observe what God hath done for us all things are ripe to destruction and yet we feare it not but we promise to our selves safety and consider not that England is ready to be harrowed and yet we cannot entertaine a thought of Englands desolation when there are so many prophesies in it of its destruction yet we cannot be perswaded of it but in our Judgements it must not be it must not be as yet as if it were unpossible that God should leave England as if God were a cockering Father over lewd children God may leave a Nation and his elect may suffer and why may not England Englands sins are very great and the greater because the meanes are great and our warnings are and have been great but yet our mercies are farre greater England hath been a mirrour of mercies yet now God may leave 〈…〉 make it the mirrour of his justice Look how God spake to the people that did brag of their temple Jer. 7. 4. saith God Trust not in 〈…〉 words saying the Temple of the Lord this is the Temple of the Lord but 〈…〉 saith the Lord by the Prophet in the twelfth and fourteenth verse 〈…〉 now to my place which was in Shiloh where I set my name at the beginnâ—â—â— and behold what I did unto it for the wickednesse of my
his sinne lie at the dore there it lay rapping and beating and told him that his carelessenesse and negligent sacrificing to God was not accepted and therefore no marvell if Cain be so cast down in his countenance and that he fall to despaire O beloved when sinne lieth bouncing and beating at the doore of thy heart when thy sinne whatsoever it is search thy heart and finde it out lies knocking and rapping at the dore of thy conscience day by day and moneth by moneth and thou art content to let it lie and art unwilling to use meanes to remove it and art loth to take the paines to get the bloud of Christ to wash thy soule from it or the Spirit of Christ to cleanse thee from it then thy soule wil despaire either in this world or in the world to come But let us take heede then that our conscience condemne us not in any thing or course that we allow in our selves for if that doe then much more will God who is greater than our consciences and knows all things The Apostle hath an excellent Phrase Rom. 8. 1. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus c. As if he should say there is not one condemnation there is none in Heaven God doth not condemne them there is none in earth their own heart and conscience doth not condemne them to him that is in Christ Jesus that walks not after the flesh but after the Spirit there is none no not one condemnation to him none neither in Heaven nor in earth no word no commandement no threatning condemns him But if thy conscience condemn thee and tell thee thou lettest sinne lie at the doore rapping at thy conscience day after day and moneth after moneth telling thee that yet thou art without Christ that yet thou never hadst any true faith in the Lord Jesus that yet thou hast not truly repented and turned from thy sins this will at last drive thy soul into heavy discouragements if not into final despaire O beloved religion and piety and the power of Godlinesse goe down the wind every where What is the reason of it but because of these discouragements that men live and go on in Men pray and pray and their prayers profit them not men run up and down and come to the Church and heare the Word and receive the Sacraments and use the meanes of grace but to no end they are unprofitable to them they remaine in their sinnes still the ordinances of God bring them not out of their lusts and corruptions hereby they disgrace and discredit the ordinances of God in the eyes and account of the men of the world making them think as if there were no more power nor force in the Ordinances of God than these men manifest There is no life in many Christians mens spirits are discouraged these secret discouragements in their hearts take away their spirits in the use of the meanes that though they use the meanes yet it drives them to despaire of reaping good or profit by them Beloved I could here tell you enough to make your hearts ake to hear it First All your complaints they are but winde Job 6. 26. Doe you imagine to reprove words and the speeches of one that is desperate which are as winde Jobs friends taking Job to be a man of despaire they accounted all his words but as wind Doe thou nestle any discouragement in thy heart thou maist complaine of sinne as much as thou canst yet all thy complainings are but as winde thou mayest cry out against thy corruptions with weeping and teares and pray and fight against them and yet all thy weeping mourning and praying is but as the winde thou maiest beg grace thou maiest seek after God thou maist heare the Word receive the Sacraments and yet all will be to thee as wind all will vanish be unprofitable not regarded Secondly discouragements drive us from the use of the meanes If ever we meane to come out of our sinnes if ever we meane to get grace and faith and assurance and zeale we must constantly use the meanes 1 Sam. 27. 1. David saith There is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the Land of the Philistins and Saul shall despaire of me to seek me any more David thought in himself if I can make him out of hope of finding me certainly he will give over seeking of me So when the soule hath any secret despaire of finding the Lord that soul will quickly be drawn from seeking of the Lord in the use of the meanes What ever you doe then O be not discouraged lest you be driven from the use of the meanes if you be driven from the use of the meanes woe is to you you will never finde God then Be not driven from prayer nor driven from holy conference nor driven for the Word nor driven from the Sacrament nor from meditation nor from the diligent and strict examination of thy selfe of thy heart and of all thy wayes for these are the wayes of finding the Lord. If you nourish any thoughts and fears of despaire in you if you be discouraged you will be driven from the use of the meanes which is a lamentable thing therefore be not discouraged Thirdly discouragements will make you stand poaring on your former courses This I should have done and that I should have done woe is me that I did it not it will make a man stand poaring on his sinnes but never able to get out of them So it was like to be with them in the Ship with Paul Acts 27. 20. In the tempest at Sea they were utterly discouraged from any hope of safety now indeed Paul told them what they should have done if they had been wise Sirs you should have hearkned to me and not have loosed verse 21. as if he had said you should have done thus and thus but now doe not stand poaring too much on that you should have hearkned to me and not have launched forth c but that cannot be holpen now therefore I exhort you to be of good chear c. So beloved when the soul is discouraged upon these thoughts I should have prayed better I should have heard the Word of God better and with more profit I should have repented better I should have performed this and that religious and good dutie better but ah wretch that I am I have sinned thus and thus it is alwayes looking on this sinne and that sinne this imperfection and that failing when now I say the soule is discouraged it will be alwayes poaring upon sinne but it will never come out of its sinne alwayes poaring upon its deadnesse and unprofitablenesse but never able to come out of it O beloved be of good cheare and be not discouraged it is true you should have prayed better you should have heard the word of God better heretofore you should have been more carefull and circumspect of your wayes than you
and hearken O earth Secondly the groans of the creatures are witnessing groanes I call heaven and earth to record against you know that you shall shortly perish said Moses to the Israelites Deut. 4. 26. So beloved let me say to you I call heaven and earth to record against you that woe and damnation shall be to that man that obeys not the commandments of God Cursed be that man that goeth on still in his wickednesse The heavens write his curse and the whole earth do witness his vengeance that will not give over his lust at the commandment of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ As Joshuah said unto all the people Josh 24. 27. Behold this stone shall be a witnesse unto us for it hath heard all the words of the Lord which he spake unto us it shall be a witnesse c. so may I say unto you the walls of this house shall cry the timber of the Church shall answer this Sermon that you have heard this doctrine that hath been preached unto you if you will not repent if you will not humble your selves and obey the voyce of your God all these shall witnesse against you another day that you had a time that you had a day to repent in you had the word of God calling you to it but you would not Dost thou commit a sinne and none by but the stones in the streets even they see thee like Joshuah's stone with seven eyes and they shall witnesse against thee Dost thou pray thy lazie prayers unto God thoughtlesse of God and none by but the walls of thy Closet or thy bed or thy hangings they shall witnesse against thee Dost thou swear and blaspheme the King of Heaven though none were present but the fowles of the aire they shall carry thy voyce and declare the matter Eccles 10. 20. If the creatures groan against thee then they are sensible in some sort to witnesse against thee Beloved mens hearts are so stubborne that we the Ministers of God may do as the Prophet did 1 King 13. 2. who cried O Altar Altar thus saith the Lord. What was the Prophet sent unto the Altar had the Altar eares No he was sent unto Jeroboam his message was to him but he knew that he would not hear nor believe nor obey therefore he turned from the King and spake to the sencelesse Altar So may we say for all the hearing some will afford us O walls walls thus saith the Lord cursed is the man that obeyeth not O House of the Lord witnesse against this rebellious generation So Jeremy he cried out O earth earth earth hear the Word of the Lord this saith the Lord write this man a cast-away that shall never prosper Jer. 22. 29. he meant wicked Jeconiah the King but because he was a deaf Adder he preacheth to the dead earth as being more likely to listen than he O fearfull doom When Jeconiah will not hear God he roars so loud that he makes the dead and sencelesse earth to hear Beloved in the fear of God take heed if there be any dead worldly-hearted Professor here if there be any loose prophane sinner here any impenitent wretch that hath not repented if after the Lord hath sent his Ministers to thee his Word and Gospell to thee and thou wilt not hear take heed lest the Lord direct his speech to the dead earth and say O earth earth earth hear the Word of the Lord write these men men that shall never prosper they will still covet and lie they will still fret and chafe they will still content themselves with forms of godlinesse they will still be lukewarm or key-cold they do still pray as they did rub on as they did seven years ago no more holy no more zealous no more heavenly they will not be bettered O earth earth earth hear the Word of the Lord write them a people that shall never prosper a people that shall never be converted write them men damned for ever let them come and hear Sermon after Sermon but write them men that shall never prosper let them pray and let their prayers never prosper let them go on in their dead-hearted profession but write them men that shall never prosper Beloved God forbid that it should so be written against you but woe be to you if ever it be for if once the earth hath wrote this eternall decree of God upon thy soule it can never be altered I will warrant thee thy damnation sure Thirdly they are accusing groanes they shall accuse thee for casting thine eye upon a creature without taking notice of God They shall accuse thee for thy touching tasting handling using any of the creatures without adoration of God Dost thou think of a creature speak of a creature meddle with a creature or take possession of a creature they shall accuse thee if thou dost not live to the glory of God the Creator Fourthly these groans are judging and condemning groans He shall call the Heavens above and the earth to judge his people Psal 50. 4. The creatures groan why then dost thou not groan the creatures account themselves oppressed and fore afflicted because they are constrained to serve sinne why then dost thou injure them If the King should build him a stately Palace and one should willingly deface it or abuse it or pull it down would not the very Ravens judge him a Traytor The creatures are Gods Palace and thou demolishest their beauty by making them the instruments or abettors or matter or incentives of sinne thou shalt be adjudged of High treason against the King of Kings for we know that every creature groaneth with us and travelleth in pain together untill now Now we come to a third use Of Exhortation doth the creature groan to serve sinne take heed then you do not abuse the creatures of God There is not any one of them but if it be abused to sin or by sin but it will presently make its complaint like a little child to his Father with groans unto God Labour to be a true Convert unto God otherwise if thou beest not regenerate and a Convert every creature that thou hast is in bondage under thy hands and it groans unto God against thee till God recover it out of thy hands again I will recover my wooll and my flaxe saith God Hosea 2. 9. the creature groaned under thraldome because it was possessed by them that were carnall and therefore God sayes he would recover it Secondly labour not to sinne against God For if thou sinnest against God thou canst not meet with a creature but it groanth against thee When Jonah had sinned against God the Sea roared against Jonah and he at last knew it well enough for when the Marriners askt what he was I am an Hebrew saith he and I fear God the God of Heaven which hath made the Sea and the dry Land Ionah 1. 9. as if he should say I fear the Lord for now I see
you have made good use of your riches if you have been faithfull you shall enter into your Masters joy He will not consider you as you are or have been in great Offices or places in the world but as you have been faithfull in them not as you had crouching and bowing to you but as you have faithfully and frequenly bowed your knees unto the Lord in Prayer God will not account of you a straw the better for your wealth but he will passe sentence on you as you have used or abused your talent Thirdly they can give no content He that desires Riches shall not be satisfied therewith Eccles 5. 9. Object O but I desire but a competent living Sol. It is well done A little spring running from the head runnes shallow at the first but at the last many other falling into it it is become great so you may say you desire but a competency but the world comes on you then there is craving and having till your desires are as large as hell Habbac 2. 5. riches make men sick of a dogs disease what is that why dogs are alwaies eating but never satisfied so if a man immoderately love the things of this life he shall not be satisfied Lastly the things of this world are nothing worth because we have no assurance of them they are of no continuance they either leave us or we them doe you not see that after a man hath risen earely and late eating the bread of carefulnesse and hath gotten a little pelfe is he not thereof deprived in a moment of time Prov. 12. 27. The slothfull man viz. the worldly man rosteth not that which he tooke in hunting viz. after all his travaile he is swept away and taketh not the profit of them Is not this then a worthlesse world but suppose it doe stay with you yet one day you must part with it Psalm 49. 6 7. and you must carrie nothing with you naked you came and naked you must returne even like a sumpter-Horse which carries all the day abundance of Treasure but at night it is all taken from him and he is put into a stable for his labour all the benefit he gets by the Treasure is he onely feeles the weight of it Even so many rich men are Sumpter-horses to carrie the things of the world who either for ill-useing or ill-getting them are put in a filthie stable viz. Hell and their pay is everlasting torment These things shew the little worth of this world Now you shall see that worldly men are little worth First it appears that they are little worth because of the names and titles that the Spirit of God laies on them it calls them Sonnes of Beliall 1 Sam. 2. 12. Vile persons Psal 15. 4. Children of iniquity Hosea 10. 9. 11. A reprobate stock John 8. 44. Children of wrath Ephes 2. Now if there were any great worth in them think you that the Spirit of God would not better stile them Secondly they are little worth in respect of their actions their best actions are but glittering sinnes Isaiah 66. 3. If they pray or heare c. God accounts of it no better then the sacrificing of Swines flesh they stink in Gods nostrils Isa 1. 13. If then the men of the world and the things of the world be little worth how doth this discover the madnesse and folly of men in these dayes who so much mind the world no paines nor travaile too great or too dangerous to get the world nay they will hazard life and health even to the back-bone to get the world goe to bed late rise early not caring if they lose both body and soule to get the world and when their consciences are thus set on the tenters to get it they set their hearts on it and keep it as their God Secondly let this informe our Judgements that seeing the world and the men of the world are so little worth let us judge of them no better then they deserve it is a false glasse or crooked rule that men goe by who judge themseves men of worth if they be rich and we use to say there is a man of good credit let us see our folly in thus judging I will discover it thus The things of the world are given to the worst men wicked men have many times the greatest share in them Esau hath foure hundred at his heeles when Iacob had but a few The Scribes and Pharisees sate in Moses chaire when as the Disciples of Christ were carried before Rulers so for Riches proud Dives fared deliciously every day when poor Lazarus was faine to snap at a crust so the false prophets were fed at Iesabells table when Elias was in commons with the Ravens Now if the things of this life were of such great worth think you that God would keep his children so sparingly with them no no they are but gifts of Gods left hand Prov. 3. 16. Length of dayes are in his right hand and in his left hand riches and Honour Instruction to teach us to take off our hearts and affections from pursuing things of this life You see they are little worth doe not in affection love the world nor yet in action too much seek the world but when Heaven and earth are laide in the ballance esteem earthly things as dung in respect of Christ and shew your little esteem of earthly things by your seeking them in the second place and Gods Kingdome in the first place Let wicked men account the things of this life as their summum bonum but let us be crucified to the world let us be as dead men to the world and the world as dead to us not that I would have you utterly to reject the things of this life but not to set your affections on them we must use the things of this life as Travailers doe their provision if they have too much it will hinder them so let us be content whether it be much or little it is best to lay up treasure in Heaven as Christ told his Disciples Thus of the first point the second follows OF whom the world was not worthy as if he should have said they are too good to live in the world hence observe That true Beleevers are persons of very great worth The world is not worthy of them I need not spend much time to prove this they are called excellent persons Psal 16. 3. Againe the righteous is more excellent then his neighbour Prov. 12. 26. againe they are called the glory of God Isaiah 4. 5. They are called a chosen people a Royall Priesthood 1 Pet. 2. 9. Now wherin lies the worth of a godly man not in the outward man for alas the outward man of a child of God is the same with another man Their chiefe worthinesse lies in the inward man which after God is created unto righteousnesse and true holinesse Ephesians 4. 24. The Kings daughter is all glorious within Psalm 45.
know them you would not doe it for had they knowne the Lord of life they would not have crucified him 1 Cor. 2. 8. so if such as doe persecute Gods children did but know their worth and that they were his children they would not do it Let us esteem godly men and women as persons of great worth The Saints of God have alwaies done so Saint Lawrence being demanded by his persecutors wherein the worth of the Church lay the story saith he gathered a companie of poor people together and pointed at them and said there lies the worth of the Church so I have read of an ancient King who made a great feast and invited a company of poor people which were Christians and he bade his Nobles also now when the Christians came he had them up into the Presence Chamber but when the Nobles came he set them in his hall Being of the Nobles demanded the reason he answered I doe not this as I am their Kyng here for I respect you more then them but as I am a King of another world I must needs honour these because God doth most honour them and then they shall be Kings and Princes with me soe doe you esteeme of them according to their worth and shew it If they be persons of such great worth here you may be directed how to get a name of worth in the world to be honoured of God This is the way labour to be beleevers serve God and close with the godly be of one minde and of one heart with them Honour is the thing that all desire according to that of Saul to Samuel Honour me before the Elders of my people so we are all ready to say oh that I could be honoured in the heart of those that I converse withall I say then thou must labour to serve and honour God in thy heart let that be thine honour It is a meere folly for men to think to get honour by swearing by lying by cutting and slashing and drunkennesse c. The sweet ointment of a good name is not compounded of stinking ingredients That should serve to comfort the godly that seeing they are of so great worth what though they be disgraced here let this suffice thee God that knows the true worth of every thing he accounts thee worthy what though dogs bark and crie out against thee for thy holinesse let them alone and know thou this that the time will come when never a curre of them all but will wish oh that mine end might be like his and that they might goe as thy dogge to heaven with thee when they shall see thee sitte at his right hand where are pleasures for evermore Lastly you that approve your selves to be of the number of the godly labour to walke worthy of the Lord. Colos 1. 10. Doth God thus advance you then strive you to honour him with inward and outward worship God hath not done these things for you that you may live as you list no you are a chosen generation c. 1 Pet. 2. 19. Ergo you must shew forth the vertue of him that hath called you You that are parents of children the more you doe for them the more you look they should honour you the more God hath done for you the more you ought to feare him God hath drawn you out of darkenesse into a marvellous light and will you yet walke as vassals of Satan This was that kept Josoph from committing adultery even the favour of advancement and how then can I doe this great wickednesse saith he so thou art advanced to honour from a childe of the devill to be the son of God how then canst thou commit wickednesse Consider I say how God hath advanced thee from being a slave of Satan to be his adopted son and shall I now become a covetous person shall I be a companion of Gods enemies when you are enticed by the divell or wicked men to any sin say what shall such a man as I consent shall I flie from my colours what a Kings son and flie Consider this THE TIME OF GODS GRACE Is limited In a SERMON By WILLIAM FENNER Minister of the Gospel sometimes Fellow of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge and late Lecturer of Rochford in Essex London Printed by E. T. for John Stafford THE TIME OF GODS GRACE Is limited GEN. 6. 3. The Lord said My Spirit shall not alway strive with man because he is but flesh and his dayes shall be a hundred and twenty yeares IN this Chapter is continued the History of the decay of the World wherein is described Gods purpose of destroying mankind in which are these two parts First the meritorious deserving Cause wherein God gives an account what he doth how inexcusable the world is and how just God is unto the. 14 verse Secondly a direction unto Noah to make an Arke where we may see that God in his judgement remembers mercy The meritorious deserving cause is described first from the quantity of those persons in those evill dayes a great many verse the first men began to multiply in places populous where there are some good there are many bad Secondly by the quality of those persons the Sons of God when they saw the daughters of men the sonnes of God viz. the posterity of them that maintained Religion they began to be carelesse and carnally confident they did looke after the profits and pleasures of this life and then it was high time for God to enter into Judgement Thirdly by the kind of sinne They lusted after unlawfull Marriages c. and the root of this was originall corruption the Imaginations of mans heart were onely evill and that continually verse 5. These words are a Proclamation of Gods purpose to bring it to an end in which are four things First the Lords complaint in these words The Lord said Secondly the proclamation it selfe in these words my Spirit shall not alwayes strive with man Thirdly the reason because he is but flesh Fourthly the limitation of the time a hundred and twenty years in which time if they repent I will repent but if they will not my Spirit shall not alway strive As if the Lord had said I have tried all conclusions and used all means partly by Mercies to allure them partly by Judgements to terrifie them partly by my word to recall them and by all meanes possible to bring them to my selfe yet they remaine incorrigible I now am resolved to strive with them no more From the words thus opened there will naturally arise these two points First that the Lord of Heaven and earth doth strive mightily with a company of poore Rebells and all to bring them unto himselfe but on this I intend not to insist The seond is this viz. that there is a time when God will strive with men â—o more and that in this life The scope of this aimes at the whole world but what is said in generall may also be said
maist say The Lord knowes what a deale adoe he hath had with me this heart was as hard as the neaher mil-stone but the Lord in some measure hath mollified it this heart was as proud as the devill but blessed be Gods name he would let me see it at the last goe home and say Who am I and what is my fathers house that the Lord hath brought me hither Oh that God should thus stoope to man the Lord hath stood and knockt thus many yeares and he might have given over but blessed be his name I have received mercie I lived under the means but that prevailed not with me the Lord sent such and such sicknesse but that wrought not on me at the last I went to hear a Minister and methought that Minister spake nothing but what he spake to me and then the Lord set conscience on worke and that affrighted mee Looke to it the Lord will either breake thy necke or thy heart doe not thinke to goe to heaven by good meanings no it will cost thee somewhat more before thou come there Another time the Lord set on me and then I set on good duties I would have Christ to justifie and sanctifie me and blessed be his name he was not wanting unto me in any meanes the Lord make me thankfull c. I tell thee thou wilt be in deede and God shall have all let the voluptuous man have his pleasures c. what is that to thee so thou have Christ For the just reproofe of all such as are yet in the gall of bitternesse and in the bonds of iniquity there will come a time when God will strive with thee no more the old man thinks he hath time enough to repent in and the young man thinks he needs not so much as enter into a Parley with godlinesse Esau went away when he had eat and drunk he esteemed not his birth-right I have heard some goe away with this resolution when they are married then they will live thus and thus c. Suffer me first to go bury my Father c. Master Minister you speak well I like your counsell but I have a rich Uncle and he hath no childe and I am likely to be his heire but he cannot abide a Puritan of all the men in the world and if I do not humour him I shall never have a Foot of his Land let me bury him first when Father and Friends are dead then the children must provide for themselves and then they will seek after God and repent and by this time they grow old and though they cannot make so good a shew as others yet their hearts are as good as the best But stay a while all is not gold that glisters alas poor souls they were given over many years ago this is also the sin of young men and women for the most part and this is the great sin of England the sin of many Gentlemen and Gentlewomen God must pardon when they call and that must not be till they be old and then in all post-haste send they to and for master Priest and he must bring God to them or them to God but the God of Heaven and earth cannot endure this mockerie For terrour to all wicked and ungodly men woe woe woe that ever they were borne that are thus given over and of these there are two sorts Some are insensible and some sensible The insensible are they who die like stones as did Nabal We have many King Harry Protestants Others are sensible God hath opened the eye of their soules and hath let them read the red letters of the Gospell It is a heavie thing for old friends to part so Acts 20. 38. They grieved most in that he said you shall see my face no more so when soule and body part it is heavie but when the soul and God part it is lamentable when God takes his leave never to be seen more then whether thou look upward or downward there is nothing but amazement and astonishment If thou look upward there is the anger of God if downward there is the bottomlesse pit if on the right hand thou shalt see all his mercies which could not allure thee if on the left hand all his Judgements which could not terrifie thee if before thee the black day if behind thee the Devils this will be fearfull I remember a Story of an adulterate woman her Conscience pricking her she determined to repent but God in the mean time did visit her so sore that she lay crying out oh my time my time Another time a covetous woman her House being on fire she to save her goods left her child in the Cradle but a neighbour of hers hearing it crie tooke it away she afterwards remembring her child ran about crying Oh my childe my childe and would not be comforted So when the fire and indignation of the Lord breaks out if not now yet at the last day it will then the parties against whom it breakes will crie Oh my soul my soul what will become of thee my soul It had been better I had never been born for neither Mercies Judgements nor the Word could allure me oh woe is me Now the condition of such is miseracle in three respects First because if God forsake thee all forsakes thee when thou liest a dying thou sendest for the Minister and thou wouldest faine have a word of comfort from him but alas if thou dost not receive comfort from Heaven how can the Minister comfort thee If thy outward Estate faile Friends may help but if they faile there is a God in Heaven and he will help but if he go away then all help is gone Secondly when God goes restraining grace goes this was Sauls case and you may observe that such as have been enlightened and fall away fall into one of these three sinnes either into the hands of the world and that is their Master or else into the sinnes of uncleannesse or into the spirit of malice to persecute them that are holy Thirdly if God leave us then common protection leaves us we are left to the clutches of all things both in Heaven and earth your houses are left unto you desolate Matth. 23. 38. All the creatures are up in armes against us the stiles we goe over look up to Heaven and say Master shall we break his neck the Horse we ride on says Master shall I throw him down to destruction thou knowest that he hates thee and thine So the aire we breath in and all Creatures are readie when the Lord gives the watchword to lay us in the goal Conscience will witness against us oh what will become of such men I will tell you either the world heales them up or else some carnall companion saith you have been a good neighbour you have kept a good house amongst us c. tush tush man it may prove a lye for all this I but the Minister tells me so pish pish as
done iniquity I will doe it no more Secondly In reformation under the rodde you must be sure to have your worke guided by God himselfe as Isa 2. 3. He will teach us his ways and we will walke in his paths so Psal 86. 11. Teach me thy way O Lord and I will walke in thy truth knit my heart unto thee that I may feare thy Name Thirdly in the worke of reformation under the rodde you must be carefull to reforme in one particular as well as another you must go through stich with this businesse that which I doe know and may know to be blame-worthy and have borne chastisements for in that I will offend noe more and if any thing further shall be made knowne unto me I will stop in my course and if it can be found out that therein I have sinned I will doe so no more For know assuredly he hath not reformed in anie thing aright that doth not reforme in every thing blame-worthy as Hosea 14. 2. saith the Prophet Thou hast fallen by thine iniquity what followes then saith he ver 3. Take unto you words and turne to the Lord and say unto him Take away all iniquity and receive us gratiously Take away all spare none every eye that offends every hand that sins every lust that provokes though never soe deare unto thee foregoe all manner of profit and credit in regard of thy temporall calling if it prove to be a sinne beare with one and in Gods sight thou bearest withall live in the breach of one of Gods commandments and thou art guilty of the breach of all Fourthly in reformation under the rodde you must not onely reforme in what you your selves doe or may understand to be amisse but you must take direction to know what is blame-worthy be eager and earnest to understand wherein you doe amisse say Good Lord if I doe amisse in relation to others as a husband as a wife as a Father as a child as a Minister as a hearer as a servant as a Master as a doer as a sufferer Lord shew it me Lord shew me my fault that I may reforme Make an earnest desire to God and say Good Lord if any thing be blameable let it have no shelter in me search me if any way of sinne try me if any way of wickednesse be in me and lead me in thy way for ever as it is Psal 139. 23 24. Thus make your requests to God this practice will prove the sincerity of your hearts thus praying you may know what is out of order when you compare your life and the word which is the rule together Mark what he Prophet Jeremy saith Lament 3. 39 40. Wherefore is a living man sorrowfull Man suffereth for his sin let us search and try our wayes and turne again to the Lord Let us looke to our wayes this hath been my opinion my practise my way are they answerable to scripture consonant to the rule the word of God this we 〈…〉 labour to know when we would reforme our wayes Fifthly a Christian under the rodde should be so wrought upon with a Resolution to reforme that he should by solemne covenant binde himselfe to God for the future even all his life long marke the text Surely it is meet to be said to whom to our selves no to be said to God I have borne chastisements c. say Lord thou that hatest every evill way heare me what I have to say that have run out of the way Thou that art privy to all my sinfull affections help me to be reformed I resolve by thy help for the time to come to be more exact in my obedience to thy law that knowest my trouble and affliction make me reformed under the crosse This was Davids care Psal 66 13 14 I will goe into thine house with burnt offerings and will pay thee my vowes which my lippes have promised and my mouth hath spoken in mine affliction When he was in trouble and under the rod he promised something to God and now he resolves to be carefull to pay it Sixthly and lastly Christians under the rod must severally and personally not only joyntly in companie and assemblies reforme what is amisse according to the forementioned rules He doth not speak in the plurall number It is meet for Cities Countries and Kingdomes or Nations but It is meet for me that is for every particular man and woman of what degree estate or condition soever this must be my work my task my care husband apart wife apart child apart servant apart Minister apart people apart For usually that is done to best purpose which is done single in a way of secrecy The souldiers come to John and say What shall we doe the Publicans and sinners What shall we doe every one of them in particular desired to know what belonged to them in reforming this lieth plainly in the text Seventhly There is something else that I meant as a seventh help it is that Christians should not only looke upon their reformation under the rodde as a taske necessary and as a duty commanded but they should looke upon it as an imployment comely and lovely meet saith the text what a beautifull and beseemingthing is it in a Christian resolving to be reformed under the rudde And thus we have done with the first thinge propounded viz. what kinde of reformation it is we should resolve upon under the rod. The second thing propounded is what arguments may prevaile with Christians according to the latitude of this Text thus to reforme under the rodde There are arguments of two kindes that I shall suggest First some in relation to God Secondly some in relation to our selves First in relation to God I shall name six or seven whereof five I shall finde in this chapter First because God that calleth for Reformation under Correction is the author of every blow of every scourge he it is that breaketh the bones that teareth the skin that bruiseth the flesh this you may see in the 13 14 15. v. Who hath given him a charge over the earth or who hath placed him over the whole world If he set his heart upon man speaking of God and gather unto himselfe his spirit and his breath All flesh shall perish together and man shall returne unto dust he doth not say if they will breake themselves to pieces or if infectious aire or unseasonable times will produce a pestilence to sweepe them away but if he shall doe it that is God he is the author of it Consider that place Jer. 5. 3. where the Prophet speakes thus by way of complaint O Lord are not thine eyes upon the truth thou hast stricken them but they have not sorrowed thou hast consumed them but they have refused to receive correction they have made their faces harder then a stone and have refused to returne should not the childs care under the smarting rod be to give content to the angry father know the Lord is the
shall lye with the Kid and the Calfe and the Lion and the fat beast together and a little child shall-lead them and the Cow and the Beare shall feed their young ones shall lye together and the Lyon shall eat straw like the Bullock and the sucking child shall play upon the hole of the Aspe and the weaned Child shall put his hand upon the Cockatrice hole This is the mighty work of God therefore goe unto Gov and say O God thou that canst thus change the naturall disposition of beasts change my beastly disposition thou that couldest call a Lazarus out of the grave where he lay rotting Oh deliver me from a dead heart that have laine a long time rotting in sin thou that didest make the lame to goe make me to run the way of thy commandements which thou hast set before me thou that didst open the eyes of the blind open my eye that I may see to runne the race that thou hast set before me thou that didst cure the deaf bore my eares that I may heare and learn to feare thee Thus goe to God and pray unto God waite upon God and expect deliverances from him for there is none in Heaven or in earth that can give a deliverane but he alone intreat the Lord according to your need to work on your soules this grace of reforming under the rod goe to God and say father if thou wilt thou canst alter me and change me oh turne me and I shall be turned convert thou me and I shall be converted say Lord thou canst take away all transgression all sin and iniquity doe it for thy mercy sake say Lord thou canst pull out my right eye sin cut of my right hand sin there is no power but the power of an omnipotent God can doe it that can thus pull me out of sin and make me reformed doe it fot thy Goodnesse sake Lastly Are you all willing to enter into a covenant with God seeing we are all under the rod I doe not speak of any particular covenant but of a generall covenant will you now promise the Lord that you will reforme and sin noe more this is that that the Lord expects of us now we are under the rod this it is that the Lord doth both command and commend unto us this let us all bind our selves to performe that so we may with some boldnesse put up our prayers to God as well for others as our selves FINIS â— Doct. 1. Reas 1. Luke 5. 17. Use â— Let. 1. Let 2. â— 3 4 Use 2. Meanes 1. Meanes 2. Means 3. Means 4. Use 3. Object Answer Motive 2. Reason 1. â— Means 1. Manner 1. Manner 2. Manner 3. Manner 4. Manner 5. Object Answer Doctrine Object Answer Reason 1. Reason 2. Reason 3. Reason 4. Object Answer Use 1. â— Use 3. Doctrine 1. Reason 1. Reason 2. Reason 3. Use 1. Use 2. Use 3. Use 4. Object Answer Object Answer The sum of the Text. Observation 1. We must not rush upon the Sacrament Reason 1. Naturally we are not invited guests Simile Reason 2. We are indisposed Reason 3. Solemn preparations required to the Sacrament Use To take heed of rush performance of duties 2 Sam. 15. 17. Parts of the Text. Necessity of receiving the Lords Supper The Lords Supper to be received often Observ The manner of performance of duties to be regarded Reason 1. The Lord commands the manner as well as the matter Reason 2. Circumstances overthrow actions as in Prayer 2 Preaching 3 Receiving the Sacrament 4 Brotherly reproof 5 Eating and drinking Objection Answer Simile Reason 3. The right manner of doing duties gets the blessing Reason 4. Christs example Reason 5. From Gods glory Use 1. To reprove those that barely do duties without looking to the manner Use 2. The reason why men regard the matter and not the manner of duties Reason 1. The matter of 〈…〉 Reason 2. The matter of duties may be done with a proud heart Reason 3. The matter of duties may be done and yet a man be unholy Reason 4. The matter of duties brings not the crosse Use 3. To labour to do duties aright Motives to perform duties in the right manner 1. Motive 2. Motive 3. Motive Simile Observation 1. Eevery man must prepare himself before he come to the Lords Table Reason It is Gods ordinance Simile Reason 2. Christ hath made preparation for us in the Lords Sup Reason 3. Christ looks for good entertainment Observation 1. A guilty hardened reprover shall be destroyed Reason 1. It is against his office Reason 2. He cannot reprove to aright end Reason 3. Not in a right manner Reason 4. It is hypocrisy Reason 5. It mâ—kes inexcusable Reason 6. It is absurd Reason 7. It is impudency Use 1. Use 2. To be unblamable ere we reprove Simile The second exposition The Lord doth not destroy men willingly God destroys not but for sin Simile Observation 1. A great mercy to be reproved Reason 1. Reproofs come from love Prov. 10. 17. Reason 2. They tend to good Reason 3. It is brutish to reprove them Simile Use 1. The misery to want reprovers Or Angel Use 2. Against despisers of reproof The grievousnesse of standing out against reproof Doct. God proportions punishments to sins Reas 1. To shew the equity of punishment Doctrine Objection Answer Use Object Sol. Object Answer Object Answer Obj. Answer 〈…〉 Use Doctrine 1. Object Ans Use 1. 2 Gen. Object Answ Vox conscientiâ— est vox Dei Object Ans Object Answ Doctr. Quest. Answ Use 3. Reason 3. Universalia non operantur Doctrine 2. Reason 1. Reason 2. Reason 3. Doctrine Matth. 19. Use Doctrine Use 1. Use 2. Use 3. Doctrine Use 1. Use 2. Use 3. Doctrine 3. Use Ob. Answ Doctrine 1. Reason 1. Use 1. 2 Doctrine Object Answ Use 3. Doctrine Object Answer Use 1. Use 3. Use 4. Doct. 1. Object 1. Sol. Object 2. Sol. Object 3. Sol. Use 2 Use 3. The Authors Exhortation Parts Doctrine Reason 1. Reason 2. Reasan Use 1. Use 2. Use 3. Object Sol. Use 4. Doctrine 1. Use Doctrine