sword and all miseries But the Godly when they are scattered they are scattered as a blessing into what country or town soever they come they come as a blessing they come like a Ship laden with Corn to a Town ready to perish with famine they come as a blessing four ways First they pray down a blessing on the place where they come Secondly they come as a blessing by their holy life and conversation that is a Load-stone to draw others to holiness Thirdly they come as a blessing by their holy advice and counsel that they give to the place where they come Nay fourthly their very presence is a blessing as long as Lot was in Sodom Sodom could not be destroyed so long as Paul was in the ship the 300 could not be drowned So that the godly come as a blessing wherever they are scattered but the wicked are as chaff scattered by the wind and they are scattered as the dust of the earth You know when the dust is scattered it gets into mens eyes and blinds them and falls upon their cloaths and sullies them so the wicked wherever they are scattered they defile the place where they are scattered The godly are as Planets that wander move from one part of Heaven to another carrying light to the world Secondly as the wicked are scattered while they live so when they die they are gathered it is true but how not to God and Christ and his Angels but they are gathered to the Devil and his Angels and to damned spirits not as bundles of Wheat in the Barn of Heaven but as bundles of Tares to be burned for ever in everlasting fire Now if the righteous perish as well as others and if their perishing be nothing but a gathering to God and Christ then First learn hence the preciousness of every righteous man the great God will not gather things of no value great men do not use to gather chaff and straw and therefore when Christ said of Josiah I will gather thee to thy Fathers it was a sign he was a precious Pearl worth the gathering and of a high value and account in the sight of God and so is every true Child of God right dear and precious are they in the sight of God both living and dying they are bought with a great price not with Gold and Silver and other corruptible things but they are bought with the precious blood of the Son of God they are as precious to God as thee Apple of his eye so precious that he hath given Christ for them and to them so precious that he called them his Jewels his peculiar treasure his Jedidiahs and therefore God will not suffer them to perish but gather them to himself before the evil day come as the Husbandman gathers in the Corn before the Beast go out into the field Secondly Learn hear what reason we have to be comforted in the death of a righteous man or woman because their death is not a perishing but a gathering to God and Christ and the society of Saints and Angels The death of a righteous man is no more than if a Merchant that hath abundance of Jewels in a far Countrey he should send for theâ— home Why death to a righteous man is nothing but God sending for his Jewels home Such a phrase there is in Mal. 3.17 In the day that I make up my Jewels they shall be mine In this life they are imperfect Jewels they are like Gold in the Oare mingled with a great deal of dross and death is nothing but a perfection of the Jewels death is nothing more and God doth nothing by death but as a Gold-siner gathers up all his ends of Gold and Silver it is nothing but just as if a Father should send for his Son home that had been a long time absent from him to his own house it is a carrying us to our Fathers house And therefore let us be comforted when our Righteous Friends dye though their death be matter of sorrow to us in regard of the loss that we sustain by their death and because their death is a warning-piece of evil to come yet in regard of them we have no cause to mourn I speak this of those that are related to the righteous when they dye did you ever here of a Husbandman that mourned for the carrying in of his Corn into the Barn or a Jeweller mourn for making up of his Jewels Let us mourn rather that we are lest scattered among the wicked of the earth and from the glorious presence of God and Christ and let us morn for those that are scattered from Christ and from grace and for those that whilst they live are scattered and when they dye are gathered to the Devil and his Angels Let us not mourn for those that dye in Christ but let us mourn for those that live out of Christ let us not mourn over the body the soul hath left but let us mourn over the soul God hath left The third use is of Consolation to all the people of God in reference to evil times that are coming upon us or to the evil of times Whatever befalls a Child of God in this life though he be scattered by wicked men from England into forreign Countries though he wanders up and down in Desarts and Wildernesses though he be scattered from house to prison yet there shall be a gathering time shortly there will a time come when all the Saints shall be gathered to Christ and to one another never to part any more The death of Gods people is not a perishing but a gathering comfort your selves therefore with these words against the fear of death look upon death as a gathering as a gathering to Christ you are here as Daniel in the Lyons Den as Jeremiah in the dungeon yet there will come a gathering and if you dye in a good cause you shall not perish but be gathered to Christ to his Saints and Angels But you will say If I were sure when I dye that I should be gathered to Christ to live for ever with him this would be matter of great consolation to me but you told me the wicked are gathered by death as well as the Godly how shall I know whether when I come to dye I shall be gathered to the Devil and his Angels or to Christ and his Angels How shall I know whether I shall be gathered at death as a bundle of tears to be burned in Hell or a bundle of Wheat to be carryed up into the Barn of Heaven I answer You may know it by four things 1. If you are righteous then you shall be gathered to Christ at death For the Righteous shall go into everlasting life Heaven is entailed upon righteous men by Righteousness I mean the imputed Righteousness and imparted Righteousness of Jesus Christ I wave the explication of them because time will not give leave Know you not saith the Apostle that no unrighteous man
aside of sin as salt potions kill wormes When Children are troubled with wormes we give them salt potions so these bitter penitential tears are the means God hath appointed to mortifie sin that 's the reason the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 7.10 Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repentedoc 'T is not only a part of repentance but worketh preserving durable resolutions a walking closely with God 't is a means God hath blessed to this end and purpose 5. Recover from thy falls renew thy combate as Israel when they were overcome in battel they would try it again and again â—udâ— 20 28. Take heed of ceasing for the present for though thy enemy seems to prevail though the flesh seems to prevail against the spirit in the battel yet thou shalt have the best of it in the war by the power of grace thou shalt have the victory Thus I have gone over the privative part of our duty Let us lay aside every weight and the sin that doth so easily beset us I should have come to the positive Let us run with patience the race that is set before us there is the duty Let us run the race that is set before us and there is the manner of the duty Let us run with patience I should have shown you that a Christians life is like a race from earth to heaven in a way of holiness and exercise of Grace This Race it continues as long as we continue in the world from our Nativity to our death after death the strife is ended Now in this race we must run and o run that we may obtain the crown 1 Cor. 9.24 Running is a motion and a speedy motion there is lying sitting or standing but still there must be running â—e must make a further progress in the way to heaven forgeâ—ting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before Phil. 2 13. The Runner was not to enquire how much of the way already was past but to strain himself to overcome what was yet behind And so should we consider what sin are yet to be mortifyed what duties yet untouched almost untouched what heard conflicts are yet to be undergone and still to hold on our way without wining aside or halting because of difficulties discouragements stumbling blocks And there are fellows and copartners with us that run this Race with whom we may strive in a holy emulation who should go forwardest who should be most forward in the course of pleasing God O Christians there are many contentions amongst us but when shall we have this holy contention Heb 10 24. In a Race there is the Agonetheta the Judge of the sportes so here God observes all no matter what the standers by say the Judge of the sports must decide who must have the Crown 1 Cor. 14.3.4 And then at the end of the Race there is the Crown 2 Tim. 4.7.8 I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith henceforth thre is laid up for me a crown of righteousness c. In a race there are spectators so there are here God Angels and men 1 Cor. 4.9 We are a spectacle to the world to angel and to men c. Thus for the similitude of our Race in our way to heaven Now wherein it differs This is a Race not undertaken out of wantonness but out of necessity God hath called us to this course and if we run not in this Race we are undone for ever And in other Races but one had the Crown here all are crowâ—ed 2 â—im 4.8 though they be not so eminent as the Apostle here all are â—rown'd that run in the manner God hath required Henceforth is laid upâ—o me a crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous Judge shal give me at that day and not to me onely but unto them that love his aâ— pearing For the manner with patience Let us run with patience Patience is necessary 1. Partly because of the length of the Race and the distance between us and the promised reward Our Race cannot be ended but after some degrees of time long waiting is troublesome to the flesh and therefore we â—ave need of patience 2. Because we meet with many impediments troubles and temptations by the way there are spiritual adversaries with whom we must fight for we go on we not onely run but fight therefore Run with patience c. 3. Because the spectators will be ready to discourage us We are set forth not onely as a spectacle to God and Angels but to the world and they will be ready to deride scorn and oppose us for our Zeal to God and out forewardness in the wayes of God to discourage us bâ— bitter mockings c. therefore let us run with patience the race that is set before us Mr. Caryl's Sermon Rev. 3. latter part of Ver. 4. And they shall wall with me in white for they are worthy IN the former part of this Verse you heard the commendation of those few names in Sardis it was this They had not defiled their garments In this latter part you have their encouragement in their reward They shall walke with me in white In which encouragement I told you we might consider two things or take it into two parts First That they should walk with Châ—ist Secondly They should walk in White I have spoken to the former of these â—hey shall walk with Christ and that the Scripture holds forth under a two-fold notion First as matter of duty It is a duty to walk with Christ Secondly it is matter of promise That they keep their garments undefiled and live in thigh favour with Christ they shall walk with Christ we favour those that walk with us Walking with Christ notes to us three things 1. That we have peace with him 2. That we have intimacy with him 3. That his being so much above us we should have this favour from him And hence I noted the great priviledge of the people of God that they shall walk with Christ 1. It notes the great satisfaction of the Saints to walk with Christ they shall be filled with his company 2. How safe it is and what safety there is to walk with Christ he hath a wing to spread over them 3. What opporunities such have as walk with Christ 4. What liberty such have as walk with Christ 5. Such as walk with Christ may be sure he will commuicate his secrets to them he will show them what they have to do 2. We shewed you the great goodnes of Jesus Christ that he should take such creatures to walk with him such defiled creatures 3. Then let us take heed of keeping our garments undefiled lest Jesus Christ cast us out of his company and we can no longer walk with Christ any more Oh take heed of walking blameless in the wayes of Christ These things were spoken from the first point Now I come to the walking with
I know I have attained this confirming grace A. These signs following shew a Christian confirmed and strong in grace which I will name that you may know what to aim at and what to desire There is not so great a difference between a King and a Beggar between the greatest health and fickliest man as between a strong useful Christian and a poor languishing soul c. 1. A confirmed Christian is one that can resist many subtile and strong temptations not onely a single temptation but when Satan assaults on every side with errors on both extreams with importunities of several parties with temptations of prosperity offered of adversity felt or feared strong temptations that seem to lay a necessity of yielding on a weakling that makes him say I must do it to save my liberty family life c. A strong Christian can say there is no necessity he can make light of those temptations that seem to be a necessity to other persons he can confute a subtle Sophister and deal with a cunning Adversary Satan cannot so easily go beyond and out-wit him 2. He can do great excellent and useful work is serviceable to God if he have opportunity in business of greatest consequence he doth not serve God onely in some little and inconsiderable thing but in his place sets himself to the work of God doth the great work of his Majesty faithfully The service of God to him is more easie and deligtful as to go ten miles is more easie to the healthful then one to a sickly person he can go through Gods service with pleasure ease and delight without tiring fainting sitting down or giving over 3. He can digest the hard truths and providences of God that are ready to puzzle perplex and over-set the stomack of a weak Christian he hath laid his foundation to which he reduces all things of difficulty and by the help of those great truths he hath received he can easily see through the difficulties that are yet before him He can tell how to reconcile those things in Scripture that seem contradictions where he meets with a difficulty he can easily discern the cause is in himself and that there is an undoubted way of reconciling them though he hath not attained to it He can easily quiet his soul under the most difficult providences and interpret them so as is consistent with the truths of God which must expound them he reconciles providence with providence and providence with Scripture whereas a weak Christian is ready to say A hard saying who can bear this and that and 't is the difficulty of these kind of truths that makes so many turn their Religion because not able to digest the hardest Truths of God Cross providences makes them question Gods love c. 4. He is one that can exercise various graces without setting one against another destroying or contradicting one another He can do many works believe many truths perform many duties at once He can rejoyce sorrow at once and make his sorrow a help to his joy and his joy a help to his sorrow so exercise both in that nature as will not directly hinder or weaken one another He can tell how in such a time as we are in to rejoyce yet to be humble to be cast down at Gods feet in the sense of the sins we have committed and of Gods displeasure c. yet to rejoyce in the mercies we have and do expect to possess He doth not look all upon sin all upon affliction or all upon mercy but can eye every thing and give every thing its part can exercise graces methodically give Truths Providences their proper place in his meditations and affections and this makes his life orderly beautiful regular and useful whereas a weak Christian let him set himself against one temptation he is taken in another if he humble himself in soul he can do nothing but humble weep grieve fear and be ready to cast away all comfort all sence of the love of God if he set himself to the consideration of the grace of Christ he is apt to forget humiliation and to be puffed up with spiritual pride c. Thus he hath not skill strength and ability to carry on all the whole work of Grace together 5. A strong Christian sinks not under those burthens that would press down and overwhelm a weak Christian he can bear heavy burthens and more easily away with them making it a Recreation to bear some things that another would sink under and cannot bear 'T is thy weakness that makes thee make such a stir when God lays on thee Personal Family publick affections that makes thee shrink under them strength of grace would enable thee to see God and Glory in the midst of them and to say All shall work for my good it would enable thee to get advantage and be bettered by them Hadst thou strength enough to improve them thou wouldst take comfort from them and support thy self under them but when thou hadst not strength enough to understand Gods meaning to see the Duty then called for to improve all for God to do that service to God thou shouldst do in such a condition no wonder if thou have not grace to support and comfort thee in that condition Whereas the confirmed Christian by strong faith love and patience can carry great burthens c. 6. Is helpful to many and troublesome unto few They are the useful persons in the family and place where they live it is they can counsel others in their doubts help them in their straits that can bear up the weak when ready to sink that can hold others by the arm when not able to go up-right that tend Gods little ones and if it were not for these what would Gods little ones do They are so furnished with Patience which God hath given them for the use of the weak ones in his Family and though they are troublesome or do that which might be a disturbance to them they will not thrust them out it is they that comfort the feeble support provide for strengthen and confirm the rest and were it not for these what backsliding hearts should we have c. And they are comparatively troublesome to few though while corruption cleaves to them they shal sometimes It is not they that are censuring their brethren that are stirring up divisions and make all that feud that is in the Church If they might be hearkened unto and regarded there would be quietness and composure for if ever there be peace it will be by the strong ones but weak ones in grace are the burthens and troublers of the Family you may know they are the weak ones in Gods house in that they are those that are always crying complaining making fire-work in the Family back-biting censuring their Brethren quarrelling with one or other c. these peevish troublesome souls are the weak ones c. 7. The strongest in grace are the best able
what 's the danger duty and particular temptation of every condition and in that condition you are most likely to expect a fall into prepare for affliction as the common lot of the Saints take it as no strange thing when it overtakes you know how to abound and how to want A great deal of a Christians safety and comfort lies in this to study the temptations and duty of every condition before it come that so you may have your remedy at hand and fall to your work and commit your selves to God 16. Be as conscionable and strict in the duties of your relations and dealings with men proportionably as in the duties of holiness more directly to be performed to God make as much conscience care study diligence about being just that you wrong no man in buying or selling as you do in duties of holiness hearing praying receiving In your trading make conscience of justice and faithfulness as well as in the Worship of God and in your own personal behaviour in your calling be diligent not sloathful in business c. And so in the duties of your Relations O that Parents knew what a charge lies on them concerning the soul of their children c. so Masters look to your servants be as conscionable in doing your duty for their souls good and being faithful to them and compassionate over them as in your duty to God keep up family duties with life seriousness diligence and vigour the life of Religion in the world must be kept up very much in families 17. Make it your study and care to do all the good you can in the world let doing good be the principal part of your business think that the safest and happiest life in which you can do greatest good suffer not opportunities to slip out of your hands take them where you have them and seek where you may have them look not only where you may get a good but where you may have opportunity to do good to others every Talent must be answered for your knowledge health c. use it as you will answer for it and know 't is one of the greatest mercies in the world for God to give you hearts in doing good with that he hath given Heb. 13.16 not for applause but be good husbands for God and consider which way you may attain your ends best by what you give or do Thus be rich in good works 18. Live still as before the living God approve your hearts to him as knowing you stand or fall unto his judgment Avoid carefully all offences unto men for the Lords sake and their conscience sake take heed of scandal and receive all the good from others you can but stick not too much on mans approbation dis-regard not suspicions or reproofs of godly men but make not mans praise to be any part of your reward it is a small thing for me to be judged of men Be not much troubled at it if you cannot please all the bawlings of the malicious should not disturb a soul that is quietly housed with God that soul is not well stablished in faith that can be so disturb'd and distemper'd by the wrath or words of malicious men Remember God himself pleases not all the most of the world are enemies to their Maker upon the account of his holiness justice c. and canst thou think to please all withdraw from the world and your selves unto God for the consolation of his approbation and for your felicity this will save you from hypocrifie and keep you from the temptations and vexations of the censorious world 19. Be every day as serious in your preparations for death and judgment as those that are always certain that it will come and know not the moment when it will come Mat. 24.29 Use often to think seriously before-hand what death is what thoughts what tryals death will put a man upon what temptations usually accompany our approaching death what you shall most need at such a time as that what thoughts are likeliest to possess you then what you are likeliest to wish for when you must needs dye about spending your time expending your estate conversing with others c. Ask your selves What will I wish I had done or been when I come to dye Think what will be most dreadful to a dying man for thus you have time to escape his judgement Will it not be to think on a life lost in vanity drencht in worldliness unreconciled to God or at least in utter uncertainty of his love God hath not fore-shewed what will be a dying mans terrour to torment thee but to get out that terrour that which will be most terrible at death conquer and destroy it presently They that were ready went in with the Bridegroom and the door was shut Mat. 25.10 Oh happy thou if while the door is open thou be found ready to go in woe if when the door be shut thou hast thy preparation to make thy graces to seek Bethink what you will either wish or fear when you come to dye and when you will say this should have been done c. let it be now done 20. Rise speedily after every fall by sound repentance and a fresh recourse to the Bloud of Christ Covenant of Grace and his intercession Lye not secure in any sin into which thou art lapsed take heed of delaying and trifling when thy particular repentance should be exercised Renew thy Covenant after thy rising deal faithfully with thy self and God favour not thy sin nor flesh go to the quick leave no corruption at the bottom If called to make restitution to shame thy self before men by confession stick not at it take the plainest course that is the way of God And let not any thought of shame dishonour or loss hinder it for the more it costs thee to rise from sin the likelier it is thou art sound in thy Conversion and the more comfort thou wilt have otherwise the fears and pains of thy disease will be upon thee when the thorow cure would have prevented it quarrel not at any mans reproof though they miscarry in it have mentioned thy faults with passion c. take that which is good and be thankful And after every fall sit not down in perpetual distress but as Christ takes the honour of thy cure take thou the comfort of thy cure when recovered See thou art truly risen by repentance and returned to him whom thou hast dishonoured Thy care must be to see thou be sincere in thy-return and then walk comfortably See that Satan make not thee walk so as to rob thee of thy comfort and God of his honour Thus having given you twenty Directions I shall reduce all to these eight Particulars 1. Do not think strength of grace will be got with ease you must do that that in other things is done for the attaining of strength increase and confirmation A man cannot attain knowledge in Law Physick or any Art without
studying diligence unwearied labour and patience through that time that is necessary to attain it Set your selves to the reading of the Scripture and other good Books study good truths think not to attain mastery in a day And if ever such a conceit come in your minds that you are strong confirmed Christians do not easily entertain it there must be time industry and diligence ordinarily suspect the conceit you may have of strength and confirmation you must grow by degrees Gods method is to begin like a grain of mustard-seed we are not born men labour in the proper means with patience infused gifts are given according to the manner of acquitting them God gives as if our acquisition did attain it never think of having this without patience labour and diligence 2. Grow up in the Church of God and under his Officers and Ordinance and among his people Do not transplant your selves from the Garden and Vineyard of the Lord if you will thrive no prospering in the Commons where weeds will choak c. Keep within the Church of God in the communion of his People among his Servants under the guidance of his Ministers for that is the duty of Ministers to bring up train up and help the weak ones till they grow to be strong they are to be Gods Nurses and helpers of the weak in the House of God do not think to prosper by breaking over the hedge under pretence of any right of holiness whatsoever following any party that would draw you to separation 3. Make it amongst others the principal study of your lives to study the love of God in the Redeemer the nature of the New Covenant and the infinite goodness revealed in the face of a Mediatour how it was his design to attract the hearts of men to the love of God by revealing his infinite love in the Redeemer unto which end Christ came for even to represent Gods goodness in sinners hearts of their being reconciled to him and ravishing them with his love Study the glory and ravishing love of God and unspeakable goodness in a Redeemer 4. Live not by sense or upon worldly hopes nor in the exercise of it See that you live a mortifi'd life take heed of glutting your selves with creatures or letting your hearts out to any creature or letting any creature be too dear to you live not too much on any sensible thing or upon any worldly hopes or expectations Shut your eyes to the world let not your desires run out to the world and live as much as you can upon the world to come 5. Let holy self-suspicion always make you fearful of temptation and keep you out of the Devils way Would you keep your standing grow better and strong in grace let not the pride of your hearts or confidence of your strength make you meet among any unlawful communion see any enticing spectacle or thrust your selves upon temptation you are never safe if you thrust your selves upon temptation think with your self my weaknese is great I must not gaze upon this enticing object lest my heart take fire I am not so strong as to be able to stand against such c. 6. When you cannot attain to that heat of internal affection you would be sure you walk uprightly with God sin not wilfully keep your garments clean set his Law before your eyes Sin not wilfully for a world be but found in the way of duty and God will bless you and meet you in that way be as exact in obedience as if you had that frame of soul you desire 7. In a special manner keep all your bodily senses and desires in subjection mortifie the flesh keep under your carnal desires in a due subjection to the spirit let none of your sences take the reins out of your hands keep a dominion over your sences Lastly all your life long be longing to die Let the work of your life be to learn to die Consider what necessity to the safety and comfort of death to consider frequently what assaults will be made upon dying men that you may every day fortifie against it to consider what graces and duties will be most needful and useful then that you may be most conversing with and exercising those graces and duties He that hath well learnt to dye is no weak Christian The strength of your Grace lies in the exercise of these things faithfully practise them and you will stand when others fall you will have comfort when others cast away their comfort you will dye in peace when others dye in horrour Dr. Jacomb's Forenoon Sermon John 8.29 And he that sent me is with me the Father hat not left me alone for I do alwaies those things that please him THese are the words of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ they are spoken by himself and they are spoken of himself though yet in a sober and modest sence they are applicable to all his Members that which Christ here affirms is that the presence of God was always with him and this is first propounded He that sent me is with me and then it is amplified and the Father hath not left me alone and then thirdly the reason of this is annexed for I always do those things that please him I shall speak but very little of the words as they do refer to Christ he tells us where his Father was with him he did not leave him alone in all the troubles and difficulties that he met withal in the finishing the great work of mans Redemption still God was with him It is true there was a time when Christ was without the sensible manifestation of his Fathers presence when he cryed out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Why but yet even then in truth and in reality his Father did not leave him for though he had not the evidences of his Fathers presence yet he had the influences of his Fathers presence It would take up much time to shew you how in all particulars the Father was present with Christ I will onely speak this one word and instance in this one thing Gods assisting presence was always with him both in his active and also in his passive obedience and indeed he had that work to do and those miseries to suffer that if God had left him if he had not been mightily assisted by the Divine Nature Christ as meer man could neither have done nor have suffered what he did but the Father was with him and to support him Isa 42.1 Behold my servant whom I uphold You shall find that Christ did act faith upon this in Isai 50.7 The Lord God will help me therefore shall I not be confounded vers 9. The Lord will help me So to the same effect is Psal 16.9 And you shall find this made good to him in Scripture in his greatest necessities Take a double instance In the first place after he bad been engaged in the combat with Satan you read in Mat. 4.
Hearts hear what the Text saith A New Command I give unto you c. Wherein First you have the Command A New Command I give unto you It is not left to our discretion but we are bound to it by vertue of a Command A New Command I give unto you Secondly This Command is enforced by Gods own example as I have loved you It is called a new Command but Love is an old Command this Law is written in the Nature of Man It is engraven in every mans heart by Nature and it is an old Command because found among Gods antient Statutes the antient Records of his Law I but 't is a new Command too because pressed by a new Example of Christ As I have loved you so do ye love one another Doct. Christians ought to make Conscience of this duty of loving one another Confident I am We shall never see Religion thrive in the World until we see this Grace of Love flourish in the heart of Christians Nor the illustration of this proposition I shall do these two things First shew you the truth of this Love Secondly the extent of this Love First Truth of this Love If you love one another saith Christ see you do it purely not dissembling but from the heart 1 John 3.18 My little Children let us not love in word neither in tongue but in deed and in truth dissembling love is like painted fire that will never warm we must not be like the Bee that hath honey in her mouth but withal hath a sting in her tail we must not pretend to love to have honey in the mouth but withal have the sting of malice in the heart no said the Apostle Let us love in deed and in truth Secondly Extent of our Love this Fountain of Love must run in three streams 1. We must love all men love their persons although we must not love their sins we have all the same make the same lump and mould and therefore must love there is a natural Love that every creature bears to his own species and kind 2. Our love must especially stream out to the Saints of God the houshold of Faith It is with our love as it is with our fire you keep fire all the day upon the Hearth but upon special occasions you draw it out larger so our Love must always burn to all I but to the Saints you must draw out the fire inlarge your affections we must love as God loves he doth especially love the Saints love every creature with a common love but especially the New Creature and indeed there is that in every true Saint that may excite and allure our Love What are the Graces of the Spirit but so many pearls to adorn the Bride of Christ What is holiness in the heart 〈◊〉 the imbroidery and curious Workmanship of the Holy Ghost here is enough to entice and draw out our Love and Beloved if we love the Saints for their Graces then we love all the Saints And here I beseech you consider these six pariculars First We ought to love the Saints in what condition soever they are although they be poor in the world low in their condition for commonly so it is They that have the lowest hearts have the lowest condition too I read of the King of the Moors that he was offended at the Christians because of their poverty and truly when wicked men do fleece the Saints it is no wonder if they be poor methinks grace in a poor man is like a Pearl that lies in the dust or like a cloath of Gold that is hid under Rags you must love the Gold that is the Grace notwithstanding the Rags The poorest Saint alive hath the Angels riches the poorest Believer is a Member of Christ and shall we not love him we love the picture of a friend although it be hung in a mean frame we must love a rich Christ in a poor man Secondly We are to love the people of God although they have many weak infirmities shew me the man that is perfect and let him throw the first stone even the best Saints like the Starrs they have their twinkling they have their blemishes and their failings in some there 's too much pride in others too much censoriousness in others too much rash anger and passion but we must love the Grace that is in them notwithstanding the infirmities that are in them you love Gold though in the oar and mixed with much impurity a Saint on earth is like a Diamond that hath its flaw like to the Rose that is sweet and perfumed but yet hath its pricks The best Saints have some mixture and infirmity and we must love them for the good that is in them this is our great fault we are apt to over-look all the good and so take notice of the stain and blemishes in them as those that see a little stain in a piece of Scarlet despise the cloath for the stains sake so do we But God doth not do so by us he is pleased to over-look many sad failings he seeth the Faith and winks at the failings of his people you that cannot love a Brother because you see an imperfection in him would you have God do so by you would you have him damn you for every blemish of sin Thirdly We must love the Children of God though weak in parts all are not born Politicians But though the Saints of God have not always so good intellectuals as others yet if they have good Vitals and the life of Faith in them love them for that Grace you do not despise your Children because they are weak but you love them because they are your Children Oh! do not despise a Saint because he is of low parts but love him as he is a Child of your Heavenly Fathers Fourthly We are to love the Saints of God though in some lesser things they differ from us if they keep the foundations of Religion and hold the Head Christ yet we are to bear other things one Christian hath more light than another and shall we un-saint all that cannot come up to our light It s great wisdom to separate between the precious and the vile O what a blessed place will Heaven be because there our light shall be clear and our love shall be perfect And that is the fourth Fifthly Love the Saints of God when reviled and persecuted a bleeding Saint should be the object of our love Onisiphorus saith Paul was not ashamed of my chain a sign he loved Christs Graces in Paul Christ Jesus loveth no Saints more than his persecuted Saints his Martyrs have the highest Thrones reserved in Heaven for them we must love to see Christs Livery upon a man though sprinkled with bloud he that is ashamed of a persecuted Saint will never suffer for a crucified Jesus Sixthly We must love the Saints of God though their Graces may eclipse and out-shine our Graces Beloved in the sweetest fruits worms are apt
to breed and in the best heart the worm of pride is apt to be breeding if God doth not keep us we shall not onely envy anothers Graces if they out-shine us but their persons too What though anothers Graces do out-shine yours yet love him because the eminency of his Graces bringeth much honor to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ And thus my Beloved I have shewn you how you must love all the Saints 1 Pet. 2.17 Love the Brother-hood love the whole Fraternity of Beleevers Oh! that this sweet spice of love might send forth its perfume among Christians that we could turn all our heart-burnings into heart-breakings and quench the fire of Divisions and Contentions and keep the fire of love burning upon the Altar of our hearts And my Beloved as we must love all the Saints so we must shew this love by the fruit of it for God doth not value that love that is invisible the fruits of our love to the Saints must be these four Four Fruits of Love to the Saints 1. We must shew love to them by prising their persons above others Psal 15.4 spoken of a man that shall go to Heaven In whose eyes a vile person is contemned but he honoureth them that fear the Lord the wicked are so much rubbish and lumber but the Saints are called the Jewels Mal. 3.1 and we must prize these Jewels above all the Lumber in the World as they said of King David thy life is worth ten thousand of ours 2 Sam. 18.3 so is a Godly man above a wicked man God he will give Kingdons to ransom his Saints Isa 43.3 I gave Egypt for thy ransom Aethiopia and Sheba for thee and thus should we set the highest rate upon the Saints of God for that is to love them 2. We must shew love to all the Saints of God by vindicating of them when they are traduced and slandered it s a great sin to slander a Christian it s to go to pollute Christs Image the wicked their throats are open Sepulchres to bury the names of the Righteous in now you that are Christians must not be ready to receive a false and groundless report of a Saint but rather vindicate them for that is to love them 2. We shew our love to the Saints by praying for them you know not what good your prayers may do them Ministers must pray for their People and the People must pray for their Ministers for prayer commands God himself Isa 45.11 Prayer is the golden Key that unlocks the Heavenly treasure of Gods bowels Oh pray one for another we should not strive one with another as is too frequent but pray one for another 4. Shew your love by being ready according to your abilities to relieve their wants to love one another is to be a well-wisher to him and to do all the friendly Offices we can one for another there are my Beloved many of the dear Servants of God in the Ministry that have been already reduced to misery and want and abundance more are like to be reduced to great necessities Now I beseech you to show your love to the houshold of Faith for that is a sign of your true love to God and to the Brother-hood that when as myrrh drops freely from the Tree so works of mercy drops freely from the heart If Jesus Christ should stand in the midst of the congregation and say shew your Love to me by your good works I believe no heart here would be so hard as to deny Jesus Christ Why remember whatsoever you give Ministers and to his Members he takes it as given to himself That is the second Our Love must extend to all Saints 3. Our Love must reach to our enemies we must love them that do not love us Luke 6.1 Love your enemies do good to them that hate you I confesse a mortal enemy I would be loath to make a bosom friend But though policy teach us not to trust our enemies yet piety teacheth us to love them Christ he did pray for his enemies and he shed tears of compassion for them that afterwards shed his bloud So much for the Doctrinal part Now for a word of Application and I have done VSES And first this may serve to reprove those who seem in other things to be excellent and profess much love toward Christ and his Gospel but have no love to the Saints of God there are some that upon this very account have for these great many years absented themselves from the Lords Supper because they pretend not to be in charity This is a double-dyed sin a sin with a witness it s a sin not to come and its a sin not to be in charity But let me say this to them surely such kind of Christians are a shame to their profession What doth not the Gospel teach you charity and love as well as faith Surely that Christian hath no grace in his heart that liveth out of charity with his Brother for as the Philosopher saith All the vertues are linked together and tyed as with astring and where there is one there is all and where one is wanting there is no vertue so I say of the graces they are linked together and where there is one there is all and where one is wanting there is none at all Saith Augustine Thou braggest of thy faith in Christ but shew me thy faith by thy love to Christ for Faith and love cannot be separated For as in the Sun there is light and heat and these cannot be separated one from the other so faith and love is twisted together and where there is one waning the other is wanting as he that did so engrave his name on the Buckler of Minerva that who ever went about to take out his name spoiled the Buckler so Faith and love are so inseparable that if you go to take away the one you spoyl the other Oh! remember and mourn for it thou that sayest thou art not in charity it 's a sad symptom thou art not in a state of Grace Titus 3. v. 5. For me our selves also were sometimes foolish disobedient deceived serving divers Lusts and pleasures living in malice envy hateful and hating one another that is before conversion we were swelled with poyson of malice and wrath but when once the grace of God came then it was otherwise that man that hath not Love and Charity in his heart surely he hath nothing of God in him for God is Love he knoweth nothing of the Gospel savingly for the Gospel is a Gospel of peace he hath none of the wisdom which cometh from Heaven for that is meek and gentle and easie to be entreated If there be any on the other side that are not in charity and yet will come to the Lords Table remember this you get no good by the Ordinance you do but defile the Ordinance The Apostle calls it the leaven of malice it doth sower all your Holy Duties Sermons Prayers and
my beloved these twenty Directions that I desire you to take special notice of which I would leave as advice and counsel with you about your Souls First I beseech you keep your constant hours every day with God the Godly man is a man set apart Psal 4.3 not onely because God hath set him apart by election but because he hath set himself apart by devotion give God the Aurorae fitiam begin the day with God visit God in the morning before you make any other visit wind up your hearts towards Heaven in the morning and they will go the better all the day after Oh! turn your Closets into Temples read the Scriptures the two Testaments are the two lips by which God speaks to us these will make you wise unto salvation the Scripture is both a glass to shew you your spots and a laver to wash them away besiege Heaven every day with prayer thus persume your houses and keep a constant intercourse with Heaven Secondly Get good Books into your houses when you have not the Spring near to you then get water into your Cisterns So when you have nor that wholsom Preaching that you desire good Books are Cisterns that holds the waters of life in them to refresh you When Davids natural heat was taken away they covered him with warm cloaths 1 Kings 1. So when you find a chilness upon your souls and that your former heat begins to abate ply your selves with warm cloaths get those good Books that may acquaint you with such truths as may warm and affect your hearts Thirdly Have a care of your Company take heed of unnecessary familiarity with sinners we cannot catch health from another but we may soon catch a disease the disease of sin is very catching I would be as fraid of coming among the wicked as among those that have the plague Psal 106.35 They were mingled with the heathen and learned their works If we cannot make others better let us have a care that they make not us worse Lot was a miracle he kept fresh in Sodoms salt water My beloved take heed of the occasions of sin evil company is an occasion of sin The Nazarites in the old Law as they might drink no wine so they were forbidden grapes whereof the wine was made as you read in Num. 6. to teach us that all occasions of sin must be avoided evil company is belluo animatrum the Devils draw-net by which he draws millions to Hell how many families and how many souls have been ruined and undone in this City by evil company many there are that go from a play-house to a Whore-house and from a Tavern to Tyburn Fourthly Have a care whom you hear it is our Saviour Christs counsel Mat. 7.15 Beware of false prophets that come to you in sheeps cloathing but inwardly are ravening wolves Let me tell you the Devil hath his Ministers as well as Christ Rev. 12.15 The Serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood over the woman that is as the Learned expound it Satan by his Ministers and Emissaries cast out the floud of Arian Doctrine to drown the Church There are some who by the subtilty of their wit have learnt the Art to mix error with truth and to give poison in a Golden cup. Take heed who you hear and how you hear be like those Noble Bereans that searched the Scriptures whether the things that they preached were so or not Acts 17.11 Your ears must not be like spunges that suck in puddle-water as well as wine but your ears must be like a Fan that fans out the chaff but retains the pure Wheat you must be like those in the Parable Mat. 13.48 that gathered the good Fish into vessels but cast the bad away the Saints are called Virgins for their wisdom they will not let every one defile their Souls with error they have a judicious ear and a critical palate that can distinguish between truth and error and put a difference betwixt meat of Gods sending and the Devils Cooking Fifthly Study sincerity Psal 51.6 Behold thou desirest truth in the inward part Be what you seem to be be not like Rowers in a Barge that look one way and Row another Do not look Heaven-ward by your profession and Row Hell-ward by your Conversation do not pretend to love God and yet love sin simulata Sanctitas duplicata Iniquitas counterfeit Piety is double Iniquity Let your hearts be upright with God the plainer the Diamond is the richer it is and the more plain the heart is the more doth God value his Jewel a little rusty Gold is far better than a great deal of bright brass a little true grace though rusted over with many infirmities is better than all the glistering shews of Hypocrites a sincere heart is Gods current Coin and he will give it grains of allowance Sixthly As you love your souls be not strangers to your selves be much and often in the work of self-examination amongst all the books that you read turn over the book of your own heart look into the book of Conscience see what is written there Psal 77.6 I commune with mine own heart set up a judgement-seat in your own souls examine whether you have grace or not prove whether you are in the faith be as much afraid of a painted holiness as you would be afraid of going to a painted heaven do not think your selves good because others think so let the Word be the touch-stone by which you try your hearts let the Word be the looking-glass by which you judge of the complexion of your soul for want of this self-searching many live known to others and die unknown to themselves Seventhly Keep your spiritual watch Mat. 13.37 What I say unto you I say unto all watch if it were the last word I should speak it should be this word Watch. Oh! what need hath a Christian to be ever upon his Watch the heart is a subtile piece and will be stealing out to vanity and if we are not careful it will decoy us into sin we have a special eye upon such persons as we suspect thy heart is a suspicious person Oh! have an eye upon it watch it continually it is a bosom Traitor Job set a watch before his eyes Job 31.1 We must every day keep sentinel sleep not upon your guard our sleeping time is the Devils tempting time let not your watch-candle go out Eighthly You that are the people of God do you often associate together Mal. 3.16 They that feared the Lord spake often one to another Christs Doves shall flock together one Christian will help to heat another a single coal of Juniper will soon die but many coals put together will keep life in one another Conference sometimes may do as much as Preaching one Christian by good discourse drops holy Oyl upon another that makes the lamp of his Grace to shine the brighter It is great wisdom to keep up the Trade in a Corporation
love to God and as Gods love to us is the sum of all Mercy so our love to God is the summe of all Duty Grace is the new birth of the Soul whereby it takes up another nature a new nature a spiritual God-like nature as Christ was born and thereby took on him the nature of man and was made flesh so man is born by grace and thereby takes upon him the nature of God and is made Spirit and here you have at once the great mystery of Grace in the lowest debasement of a Saviour and the highest advancement of a Sinner for the Lord Christ could not be more debased than to be born it was nothing so great an abasement for Christ to dye as for him to be born for being once made man it is no wonder for to die but being the great God it is a wonder that ever he should be made man Lo here is the debasement of Christ yet if he had been born to a Crown to Honour it had been something but he was born to shame to sorrow and death but man by grace is born to a Crown to a Kingdom he hath a title to all the glory and blessedness of heaven from the first moment of his new birth So it is in the Text Grace be unto you and Peace Peace in Scripture is a very comprehensive term it carries in it all happiness It was the common greeting of the Jews Peace be unto you Thus David by his Proxy salutes Nabal peace be to thee and thy house and the Apostle here alludes to this form of salutation that he might mix new Testament mercy to old Testament manners he first stiles Grace before peace as Jacob did with his Venison he made it a savory meat such as Isaac loved Peace is the glory of Heaven in the bosom of God and brought into the world in the arms of Angels the first peace you read of in the Gospel was peace by the Administration of Angels Luke 2.3 4. And suddenly there was with the Angels a multitude of the heavenly Host praising saying glory be to God in the highest and on earth peace good will towards men And when our Lord Christ first sent out his Disciples this was the Doctrine that he bid them preach Mat. 10.12 13. When you come into a house salute it and if it be worthy let grace and peace come upon it Mark here by the way our Lord Jesus Christ is no enemy to good manners he would not have Christians to be Clowns which is the use of some among us who would have their Religion quarrel with good manners no but In whatsoever city or town you enter salute it and let grace peace come upon it that is wish peace to them saying the peace of God be upon this place upon the head and hearts of all in it So that peace is both a Gospel-salutation when Ministers and people meet and it 's a Gospel-valediction when the Minister and the People parts So did the Apostle and so do I now Grace be with you and Peace I observe in Mat. 10.13 14. our Lord bids his Disciples when they enter into a house If the house be worthy to let their peace come upon it but if they be not worthy let grace peace return unto you Instead of leaving peace with them to shake off the dust of their feet against them that is to shew that God will shake them off as dust and tread them under feet as fuel My Brethren your diligent attendance on the Word at this place hath comfortably prevented that part of my charge to shake off the dust of my feet for how beautiful have the feet of a poor worm been unto you being shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Christ And therefore seeing our Lord Jesus Christ said If they be worthy of their peace abide with them on this account I wish to you grace and peace from God our father and from our Lord Jesus Christ But what is that peace It s the beauty of Vnion the harmony of the Creation the pleasure of Life the feast of a good Conscience 't is that which makes life sweet and death easie Peace sweetens all our possessions and all our afflictions without this the fulness of the world is a burden with this poverty and emptiness is a pleasant Companion without this our bread is gravelled with sourness and our water mingled with bitterness with this green Herbs become a feast and our water is turned into wine peace it is the most beautiful creature in the world And therefore it is beloved of all courted of all many seek her but few there be that enjoy her they do not go the right way to find her for In the ways of Righteousness is peace Peace is the seminary of all blessings temporal as Grace is of all blessings spiritual in grace you have implyed all Holiness in peace all happiness in grace all inward in peace all outward blessings grace and peace are the Alpha and Omega of all blessings as God iâ— of all beings no bleâ—â—ing comes before grace and no blessing lasts longer Then see in this phrase of speech the Apostle wishes upon them as I do upon you all the blessings both of time and eternity and yet he wished not more to them than God promised to give them 1 Tim. 4 8. For godliness hath the promise of this life and that which is to come grace be unto you and peace c. not one without the other though a man may have peace without grace as in a time of dissertion or temptation and a man may have peace without grace as in a secure and unregenerate Condition grace without peace is often found in a troubled conscience and peace without grace is often found in a seared conscience as grace without peace is very uncomfortable so peace without grace is very unprofitable like Rachel beautiful but barren therefore the Apostles desires ye should have both Grace and Peace we say the Sun and Sali are the most useful creatures in the world the one for shining the other for seasoning My Brethren grace and peace are the Christians Sun Salt grace is the light of their souls and peace is the savour of their comforts grace shines through all their faulties and Peace seasons all their mercies The blessings of God are become as twins as Christ said of the Spouse Cant. 4.2 She is like a flock of sheep that are even shorn which come up from the washing whereof every one bear twins and none is barren among them grace and peace here are knit together by the spirit of God in a sacred knot not to be untied as Castor and Pollux when seen together portend happiness to the Marriner so when Grace and Peace are found in a soul together they portend the highest security and blessing to the Believer they are said in Scripture to be bound together where God gives the one he never denies the other
and Peace 2. To such as have this Grace and no Peace 3. To such as have neither Grace nor Peace First To such as have both Grace and Peace I le speak to them in two or three things First Admire thankfully the Father the Son the Fathers Grace and the Sons Love for both had a hand in this therefore bless both the Father for willing it to us and the Son for working it in us Grace and Peace are the fruits of Gods eternal Election for this blessing the Father gives but the Application of it to us is the fruits of Christs redemption and intercession How can you think of Hell and Damnation and see your self freed from it And how can you think of the dreadful fury and vengeance of God your self not under it How can you look on your state change your heart renewed Grace ratified and reconciled and your Conscience quieted How can you think of these things but must admire the love of the Father in giving this to you and the love of the Son in purchasing this for you All Grace and Mercy that is given to us is by Christ purchased for us Grace and Peace are fruits of the redeeming bloud of Christ purchased Secondly Do not envy the conditions and possessions of the men of the world they have riches and honours profits and pleasures but they neither have Grace nor Peace therefore do not envy their happiness There is a story of a Roman that was condemned by a Court-Marshal to dye for breaking his rank to steal a bunch of Grapes and as he was going to his Execution his fellow Souldiers laughed at him and others envied at him that he should have Grapes and they none Now saith he do not envy me for my bunch of Grapes for you would be loath to have them at the rate I must pay for them My Brethren You that are the children of Grace and Peace do not envy at men of the world at their riches and their comforts their pleasures for I am sure you would be loath to have them at the price they pay for them for the end of these things is death Thirdly do not complain of the worst condition that the providence of God shall cast you into in this it may be you shall suffer hard things but remember so long as thy soul is secure never complain of hard things My brethren as God your Father brought you into a state of Grace and Peace and thereby secured his love to your souls in Christ can you complain of hard things So let the joy of the Lord be your strength Rejoyce in the Lord always and again I say rejoyce Phil. 4.4 The second Use is to such as have neither Grace nor Peace May not I say I speak to many such I would I might not Are there not many that are without Grace and therefore must needs be without peace They may have the worlds peace but they have none of this peace let me beg of you to get out of this Graceless state Oh that you would believe the words of a dying man for so I am to you and such words use to be remembred Oh remember this as a testimony I leave with you that love of Sin and lack of Grace will ruine and destroy every soul at last But you will say How shall I get a share in this Grace and Peace I answer First Break off all your false peace we can never have true peace with God when we content our selves with false peace you will never seek that peace which Christ hath purchased for you while you content your selves with that cursed peace which the Old man hath wrought in you Oh therefore break off all false peace which is not the fruit of grace Secondly Labour to see and be convinced of the miserable and of the naked condition your souls be in for want of the righteousness of Christ for a covering without this soul thou art miserable wretched poor and naked be convinced also what a miserable thing it is to have God our enemy God is the sinners enâ—â—y It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God Oh be convinced of thy nakedness without Christs righteousness and thy emptiness without his fulness Thirdly Labour to go out of your selves to Christ for grace and peace Surely in the Lord shall one say I have righteousness and strength I there it is to be found Labour for a thirsty frame of soul for the promises run far to such That he will fill the hungry with good things go to Christ soul beg pray never leave God till he hath given thee an interest in Christ for none can come to me except the Father draw him there is no pardon for the least sin out of Christ but there is pardon for the greatest sin in Christ one sin can damn the soul out of Christ but no sin can hurt the soul in Christ Oh go to Christ soul never give rest to thy eyes nor slumber to thy lids till thou hast made peace with God in the bloud of Christ One sting of the fiery serpent was mortal without looking upon the brazen Serpent so one sin will damn a soul out of Christ but no sin can damn a soul in Christ Fourthly To such as have grace but no sence of peace this is the counsel I would leave with all such Be much in the exercise of grace frame much believe much use grace much for the exercise and improving of grace will produce peace There are ten duties which are to be the sphere of grace in activity and in performing of them we shall have peace First Make Religion your business the main design of your lives be Christians to purpose be not only Christians by the bye but let your conversation be as becometh the Gospel of Christ Phil. 1.27 Secondly Put forth renewed Acts of Faith on Christ every day and remember it is as much your duty to believe in Christ to day as if you had never believed before O live by faith every day and this will bring peace to you Thirdly Maintain a constant communion with God daily this communion with God is mans chief good the happiness of a Child is in communion with his Father and the happiness of a wife is in communion with her Husband and this is the happiness of a Believers soul communion with God the Father through Christ our Head and Husband The seed of peace it 's true it is sown in the soul in Union but then it takes root downward and brings forth fruit upward Spiritual peace will never be obtained if communion with God be not maintained that gives comfort in the midst of all sorrows and satisfies all doubts and recompences all wants Lo this is the fruit of communion with God Fourthly Be good at all times but of all best in bad times many Christians lose their peace by remitting of their grace and let loose the reins of Religion to avoid
Christ was your Laws and Customs above or below my Word Must your Law be ruled by my Word or my Word by your Dâ—ctrine Did not all Christians hold out this that the Word of Christ was above all authority in the matters of Christ Shall the Members of the Body become greater than the Head Therefore you could not be ignorant in this case your own professing me to be so great in all my Natures and Offices but when you come to practice then you will deny me Shall we be able to answer this We must consider of this that if we would please God it must be through Christ and then we must carry our sâ—lves as directed by Christ Jesus in his Word and nothing can take us off that principle no pretence whatsoever for Christian Religion is such a thing in the nature and substance of it as Jesus Christ is the Author of Therefore if Christ be the Author all that belongs to Christian Religion as to its substance we should account nothing of moment in Religion but only that which we can ascribe to Christ as the Author of it The care of the Church is in the hand of Christ whatsoever providences are let in on the Church to exercise or try the Church all must be born patiently but every Member must worship him God hath made Jesus Christ a Shepherd c. In what he finds fault we must not justifie what he commands we must approve what he calls to be done we must practise what is not his we must not own as his Much may be drawn from this both for instruction and consolation that Christ is the great Shepherd though he die in his Members he shall rise in his Members I may say though he die in his Ministers he shall rise in his Ministers Isa 59.21 As for me this is my Covenant with them saith the Lord my spirit that is upon thee and my words which I have put into thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor cut of the mouth of thy seed nor out of the mouth of thy seeds seed saith the Lord from henceforth and for ever This is a part of the Covenant that the Word and Spirit of Christ shall be continued among the Members throughout all Ages God will provide his children shall not live without a Spirit neither without his Word God hath engaged himself for both for the one as well as the other that there shall be a super-addition and perpetuating of them and herein we must depend upon the faithfulness of the great Shepherd of the sheep Mr. Venning's Farewel-Sermon Heb. 10. Verse 23. Let us hold fast the Profession of our Faith without wavering for he is faithful that promised THat Christians are greatly concerned not only to believe and to make Profession of their belief but to hold fast their faith and the Profession of it is that which I have already proved unto you the several Obligations that lie upon Christians hereunto have been in one or two Sermons handling among you the great Obligation here annexed is for he is faithful that hath promised From whence and from other places of Scripture I have deduced several Arguments and propounded them unto you the last of which was this None can promise us better than God can none can threaten us worse than God can and therefore it concerns us to hold fast If any man can do more for you or against you than God can leave God and cleave to that person but seeing that is impossible let it be as impossible for you to leave God Can any body promise you better than Heaven and that God hath promised to them that do believe Can any threaten you with worse than Hell and that God hath threatned to them that do not believe I shall now proceed to touch the remaining Arguments that are behind and give you a few helps with which I shall conclude this discourse at this time I pray God I may not say Preaching too There are several Arguments to be drawn First From the Subject concerned Vs Secondly From the Object the Profession of our Faith And Thirdly From the Act with the Qualifications Hold fast without wavering First From the subject concerned Vs Let us hold fast whatever others do if they let go Faith and God and Heaven and Souls and All yet let us hold fast Whatever the Apostle speaks of or to Believers there is a very great Emphasis in the word we or us as in the first of Tim. 6.8 saith he Having Food and Raiment let us be content Indeed he might have said let every man be content but the Emphasis lies in the us if no body else will be content yet let us for a Christian lies under more Obligations to all manner of vertue than any other man doth If Nature will not be content with little yet let Grace Let us be content So here let us hold fast our Profession It may be others will let it go I but let us hold it fast let us among whom let us upon whom let us in whom such mighty things have been done by God let us hold fast or else it will be an intolerable upbraid and condemnation to us That it will be both see but two Texts of Scripture the first is in Mat. 11.20 21. Then began he that is Christ to upbraid the Cities wherein most of his mighty works were done because they repented not Wo unto thee Chorazin wo unto thee Bethsaida for if the mighty works that were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon they would have repented long ago in Sackcloath and Ashes but I say unto you it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of Judgment than for you And thou Capernaum which art exalted unto Heaven shalt be brought down unto Hell for if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodom it would have remained until this day But I say unto thee that it shall be more tollerable for the land of Sodom at the day of judgment than for thee Pray do but mark what an upbraid their is and what ground because mightier works had been done among these than among others Now it seems to be a little excusable that they where these mighty works had not been done did not repent and therefore their punishment shall be more tollerable but it will be more inexcusable for them among whom less mighty works have been done If they do not comply with the design of God their condition will be far more intollerable They that have been lifted up to Heaven as it were that have as it were seen Christ crucified before there eyes for them to Apostatize and turn away from Châ—ist of how much sorer punishment shall they be thought worthy Certainly thâ—se very persons that have great and mighty works done among them upon them too great Convictions and strong Resolutions and yet they shall Apostatize Oh! how will God upbraid
healing spirit This Legacy I would leave with you as matter of great concernment Labour mightily for a healing spirit away with all discriminating names what-ever that may hinder the applying of Balm to heal our wounds labour for a healing spirit discord and division becomes no Christian For Wolves to worry the Lambs is no wonder but for one Lamb to worry another this is unnatural and monstrous God hath made his wrath to smoak against us for the divisions and heart-burnings that have been amongst us Labour for an oneness in love and affection with every one that is one with Christ let their forms be what they will that which wins most upon Christs heart should win most upon ours and that is his own grace and holiness The question should be What of the Father What of the Son What of the Spirit shines in this or that person and accordingly let your love and your affection run out this is the tenth Legacy Leg. 11. Be most in the spiritual exercises of Religion Improve this Legacy for much of the life and comfort joy and peace of your souls is wrapt in it I say be most in the spiritual exercises of Religion There are external exercises as hearing preaching praying and conference and there are the more spiritual exercises of Religion exercises of Grace Meditation Self-judging Self-tryal and Examination Bodily exercise will profit nothing if abstracted from those more spiritual The glory that God hath and the comfort and advantage that will redound to your souls is mostly from the spiritual exercises of Religion How rare is it to finde men in the work of Meditation of Tryal and Examination and bringing home of truths to their own Soul Leg. 12. Take no truths upon trust but all upon trial â— Thes 5.21 So 1 Joh. 4.1 Acts 17.11 It was the glory of that Church that they would not trust Paul himself Paul that had the advantage above all for external qualifications no not Paul himself Take no truth upon trust bring them to the balance of the Sanctuary if they will not hold water there reject them Leg. 13. The lesser and fewer opportunities and advantages you have in publick to better and enrich your Souls the more abundantly address your selves to God in private Mal. 3.16 17. Then they that feared the Lord spoke often one to another c. Leg. 14. Walk in those ways that are directly cross and contrary to the vain sinful and superstitious ways that men of a formal carnal luke-warm spirit walk in this is the great concernment of Christians But more of that by and by Leg. 15. Look upon all the things of this World as you will upon them when you come to die At what a poor rate do men look on the things of this world when they come to die What a low value do men set upon the pomp and glory of it Men may now put a mark upon them but then they will appear in their own colours Men would not venture the loss of such great things for them did they but look on them now as they will do at the last day Leg. 16. Never put off your Consciences with any plea or with any argument that you dare not stand by in the great day of your account It 's dreadful to consider how many in these dayes put off their conscience We did this and that for our families they would have else perished I have complied thus and wronged my conscience thus for this and that concernment Will a man stand by this argument when he comes before Jesus Christ at the last day Because of the Souls of men many plead this or that Christ doth not stand in need of indirect wayes to save Souls he hath ways enough to bring in Souls to himself Leg. 17. Eye more mind more and lay to heart more the Spiritual and Internal workings of God in your Souls than the External Providences of God in the World Beloved GOD looks that we should consider the operations of his hand and the despising the works of his hands is so provoking to him that he threatens them to lead them into Captivity for not considering of them But above all look to the work that God is carrying on in your Souls not a Soul but he is carrying on some work or other in it either blinding or enlightning bettering or worsâ—ing and therefore look to what God is doing in thy Soul All the motions of God within you are steps to eternity and every soul shall be bless'd or curss'd saved or lost to all eternity not according to outward dispensation but according to the inward operations of God in your Souls Observe what humbling work reforming work sanctifying work he is about in thy spirit what he is doing in that little world within If God should carry on never so glorious a work in the world as a Conquest of Nations to Christ what would it advantage thee if Sin Satan and the World should triumph in thy Soul and carry the day there Leg. 18. Look as well on the bright side as on the dark side of the Cloud on the bright side of Providence as well as on the dark side of Providence Beloved there is a great weakness amongst Christians they do so pore on the black side of Providence as that they have no heart to consider of the bright side If you look on this black side of the Providence of God to Joseph How terrible and amazing was it But if you look on the bright side his fourscore years reign How glorious was it If you look on the dark side of the Providence of God to David in his first years banishment much will arise to startle you but if you turn to the bright side his forty years reign in glory How amiable was it Look on the dark side of the Providence of God to Job Oh! how terrible was it in the first of Job but compare this with the last of Job where you have the bright side of the cloud and there God doubles all his mercies to him Consider the patience of Job and the end that the Lord made with him do not remember the beginning only for that was the dark side but turn to the end of him and there was his bright side Many sins many temptations and much affliction would be prevented by Christians looking on the bright side of Providence as well as on the dark Leg. 19. Keep up precious thoughts of God under the sowrest sharpest and severest Dispensations of God to you Psal 22.1 2. and 3. My God my God Why hast thou forsaken me Why art thou so far from helping me and from the words of my roaring O my God I cry in the day time but thou hearest not and in the night season and am not silent There was the Psalmist under smart dispensations but what precious thoughts hath he of God under all But thou art holy O thou that inhabitest the praise of Israel though I am thus
but he whose life is correspondent to his light God will never leave to sit in Egyptian darkness 3. By way of preservation God is always present with those to keep them from evil who study obedience to him in that which is good If God's people abstain from drunkenness swearing Idolatry and the like abominable impieties which inevitably drown the soul in perdition let them not rob the Lord of his glory in ascribing it to the goodness of their natures but let them ingeniously acknowledge it to proceed from the goodness of God that preserves them more than others and many times prevents their falling into those fins which by nature they were prone to as well as the rest Thus David was kept from murdering Nabal Noah from partaking with the old world in their wickedness Lot from following after the abominations of Sodom Joseph from consenting to the lude inticements of his impudent Mistris and those three Jewish Worthies from falling down to worship before the golden Image which Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon had set up Dan. 3.16 18. When therefore Gods people consider Judas â—hursting â—aâ—under through black despair Julian dying with revenge and rage against Christ Achitophel dispatching himself for very madness because his oracle was not received one blaspheming another sinfully 〈◊〉 plying with a wicked world and aâ—third running into all excess of riot Oh! let them then also consider the goodness of God and the power of his Grace in preserving them from the like horrie impiettie Every one of Gods people did not the Lord preserve them by his Grace and keep off temptation would soon be a Gain or Achitophel Yea a Devil incarnate Oh then think with your selyes if the Grace of God did not keep off such a sin such a lost such a temptation how had it swallowed us up as the Whale did Jonah 4. By way of Corroboration Those that walk in obedience with God doing what they know the Lord is still present with them essisting them by his Grace and strengthening them in all their weaknesses Whence â—t iâ— that a Christian is able to do duty to resist temptations and to scorn as well the smiles as the frowns of a deceitful world whether seeking by promises to draw into sin or by threatnings to deter from duty but through the Presence of God strengthning him Phil. 4.13 Paul hath as one observes a kind of Omnipotency and to him with every good Christian all things are possible because possible to the Grace of God who is with them The strength of a Christian lies not in himself but in God assisting him the Bird may as well flie without wiâ—gs as he resist a temptation perform duty acceptably mortifie any lust or do any thing prevailing without the Presence of God strengthening As Sampson while God kept him and was present with him no Rhilistine was too strong for him So while God is present with us assisting us by his Grace we cannot fall and when he keeps us not we cannot stand 5. By way of Protection Such as do what they have heard and learned and received with them God is present not only as 〈◊〉 Sun for Direction but also as a Shield for Protection Not only to do them good but also to defend them from evil Psal 84.11 Pharaoh King of Egypt followed Israel but he and his mighty men were drowned and Israel escaped for the Lord was with Israel Saul hunteth David as a Partridge upon the mountains but Saul perisheth and David is made a King For the Lord was with David Haman hateth Mordecai resolving to have him hanged high enough because he would not stoop low enough But Haman himself is hanged and Mordecai is advanced for God is with Mordecai And thus if we study to walk with God he will give us protection and be present with us to deliver us out of all our troubles For the Lord whom we serve is stronger than All and if he be present with us who can be against us Rom. 8.31 Nemo nos loedit nisi qui Deum vincit He only who can overcome God can bring evil upon those that walk in Ocedience with him neither is any man delivered from evil but through Gods protecting him When therefore we see one disgraced another slain One diseased another cut off by the stroke of Death One lose his Estate another his Liberty and we out selves delivered from the like Calamities how can we choose but ascribe it to Gods goodness protecting us therefrom 6. By way of Communication The wicked are estranged from God but the Righteous have access into his Presence and in all the methods thereof he lets out himself communicating of his Grace and Goodness to them Such open to him and therefore He comes in to sup with them that they may sup with him Rev. 3.20 Such are often drawing nigh to him in Duty he therefore draws nigh to them in a way of Mercy and graciou Communication Jam. 4. If they meditate they meet with God and what a blessed Contemplation is that If they hear his Word they meet with God and what a joyful hour must that be If they receive the Sacrament there also they meet with God in Christ and what a soul solacing Feast is that If they how their souls in Prayer there they meet with God And oh what an heaven upon earth is this Oh! Little do any of you that are yet disobedient know what secret Debates what spiritual Incomes what Heavenly Illapses and soul ravishing contentments Gods people find in Communion with him They study obedience with him and therefore he is graciously present with them communicating himself to their souls in every Ordinance So that those who are willing and obedient they eat the fat of Ordinances they have other jâ—yes other pleasures other delights to be feeding upon and solacing their souls withall in the duties of Gods Worship than what the world is aware of Such are satisfied with the fatness of Gods House they sit down under his Shadow with great delight they find his Fruit sweet to their taste and one days communion with the Lord it is better to their souls than a thousand elsewhere 7. By way of Occultation God is an abiding place for his people their Refuge and Fortress in times of trouble Those that keep close to God to do what be loves the Lord will keep close to them to hide them from what they fear In the time of trouble saith David He shall hide me in his Pavillion In the secret of his Tabernacle shall he hide me Psal 32.7 God hath secret Chambers of Providence wherein to hide his people in time of danger and publick calamities Isa 26.20 21. Come my people saith the Lord enter thou into thy Chambers and shut thy Doors about thee Hide thy self as it were for a little moment until the indignation be ever-past When danger pursues Gods people he teaches them to run to himself as a most inviolable Sanctuary
is such as shall endure for ever Your Riches your Comforts your Friends may be with you to day and be gone to morrow but with whom God is once graciously present to them he continues the presence of his grace his love and his favour for ever God may indeed withdraw the light of his countenance for a time but totally and for ever he will never desert those that walk in obedience with him All things without God are full of vanity and change onely the Lord will never utterly absent himself from us if once he be graciously present with us He is a faithful Friend loving at all times his favour is a Sun that knows no setting and his presence a Well of comfort springing up to eternal Life John 4.14 13.1 So that if you regard a Treasure that shall never be taken from you that favour which shall never end in frowns make sure of God's gracious presence by walking in obedience with him according to what you have heard and learned and received from him 9 Consider Such is the presence of God with those that walk in obedience with him that it 's every way suitable and correspondent to their souls necessities What ever the soul can desire what ever it stands in need of may be found in God's gracious presence this is beauty to adorn this is gold to enrich this is balm to heal this is bread to strengthen this is wine to comfort and make glad the soul in the time of heaviness Are we in danger this is a shield Are we disconsolate this is a Sun If in a word we be pursued by any calamity this is like the munition of Rocks an hiding-place against the storm and a Tower wherein we may find safety If then God's gracious presence be thus proper to our wants and so suitable to all our necessities how ought we to labour for it by walking in obedience with him according to what we have heard and learned and received from him 10. And lastly Such is the presence of God with those that obey him according to what they have heard and learned and received that it fit them for everlasting Communion with him in Glory God's people they go from Communion to Communion from Communion with God in a state of grace to Communion with God in a state of glory For with whomsoever God is graciously present here they shall hereafter enjoy his blissful soul-ravishing and beatifical presence to all Eternity If then you desire to be with the Lord for ever where you shall see his glory enjoy his presence and be satisfied with pleasures at his tight hand for evermore then see that you walk in obedience before him For those onely shall enjoy God's presence in a state of glory with whom he is now present in a state of grace There is no commencing Saints either Militant on Earth or Triumphant in Heaven per Saltum If we draw not nigh to God in a way of obedience here we must hereafter be punished with everlasting destruction from his presence and from the glory of his Power Thus by Divine assistance I have shewed you the excellency of Gods presence with all such as obey him according to what they have heard and learned and received from him Now then do not deprive your selves of so glorious a privilege but see that henceforth you walk in obedience with God giving diligence to practise those things you have learned But that you may not at length be disappointed neither finding God graciously present with you here nor enjoying his presence in glory hereafter be sure that in doing what you have heard learned and received you observe these following directions 1. Be sure that of all which you have heard and learned and received tither of me or of any other you practice that onely which you find to be of God and according to the unerring Rule of his Word We have one Heavenly King and must therefore observe one Law we have one God and must Worship by one Rule We have one Shepheard and must be commanded by one Voice We have in a word one Head and must follow upon that account one direction All that builded Noah's Ark builded by one pattern so all that intend to build themselves an Heavenly and Spiritual House to GOD must build by one Rule All Israel travelled to the Land of Canaan by the light of one fiery Pillar So all that will travel to the Heavenly Canaan of God's gracious presence must make his Word a light to their feet and a lanthorn to their paths All the passengers in a Ship sail by one Compass so all that will fteer a right course to the Haven of Eternal Rest must keep close to the unerring Rule of Gods Word as their onely Compass Phil. 3.16 For it 's Gods Prerogative to prescribe and mans duty to conform our service is no service not will God be present with us in any thing that we do farther then we have heard and learned and received it from him Mat. 15.9 Let then every man amongst you that desires Gods presence either in grace here or in glory hereafter be like those noble Bereans examining the ground of their Faith and obedience Oh do not offer to God a sacrifice without eyes your Religion must be Scripture-Religion and all your obedience commanded therein would you ever be accepted of God in what you do 2. Be sure that what ever you have heard received and learned you do it cordially without dissembling The obedience of the life without when integrity of heart and the life of grace is wanting within finds no acceptance with God nor will he ever be graciously present with those who onely draw nigh unto him by an external conformity Obedience without the heart and to practise what we have heard and learned and received but not in sincerity will bring neither glory to God nor comfort to us Do not then dissemble any longer with the God of Heaven Oh be not industrious to plot your own death and through your hypocrisie go to Hell in the way of duty but what ever you have heard what ever you have learned what ever you have received be sure that you do it heartily as unto God 3. Be sure that what ever you have heard and learned and received you do it univerfally without any reservation True obedience is universal doing many things and neglecting others will not save one leak in the ship of thy Soul is enough to sink it in eternal perdition Psal 119. The hypocrite will walk in some of Gods Statutes but with David you must have respect to all his Commandments if you ever desire the Lord to be present with you as he was with David Every duty therefore commanded be sure that you do it and every sin forbidden be sure that you shun it as Hell it self Many wholsom Doctrines have been taught and many soul-saving Truths have been made known among you well of all that you ever
cannot serve God in one way let me not be discouraged but be more earnest in another You may also now think it is a time for you to exercise what you have learned God is calling you to see if you have not lost all the advantages he hath allowed you ye have been a long time learning as if God should say unto you Let me now see if you can do or endure and if you have forgot all yet Christ hath made a promise the Spirit shal bring again to remembrance when there is occasion for it Consider also Christ is touched with the feeling of the infirmities of a people in such a condition Let none of you be troubled in your hearts you believe in God believe also in Christ Jesus He saith In my Fathers House there are many Mansions and in them many wayes of dispensing of his Grace Read the 14 15 and 16. Chapters of John Christ hath promised to give Pastors according to his own heart that shall feed his Flock with Truth and Understanding He can finde one or frame one that shal fulfil his Ministry better than a weak Instrument He is the great Bishop of our Souls and is never non-resident He hath alwayes a care of his Flock Think therefore of his care who hath promised not only to be but to give unto you Pastors The 34. Chap. of Ezekiel is but a Comment on that promise Let not your hearts be troubled but let us commend you yea each other to God and let him do what is good in his own eyes Mr. WATSON's Sermon against POPERY 1 Cor. 10.14 Wherefore my dearly Beloved flee from Idolatry WHen I consider that saying of the blessed Apostle St. Paul I am pure from the Blood of all men Acts. 20.26 And that which made him say so was because he had not shun'd to declare unto his hearers then committed to his charge the whole Council of God Paul had been faithful to the Souls of people he had preached up Truth and preached down Error The consideration of which hath put me at this time upon this Scripture Wherefore my dearly beloved flee from Idolatry From whence I shall by Divine permission and assistance assert the truth of the Protestant Religion against popish Innovation and amongst all the Errors that are levelled against the Gospel none are more gross dishonourable nor dangerous than those broach'd and set a running in the Popish Conclave and therefore there was good reason why the Apostle should say VVherefore my dearly beloved flee from Idolatry Idolatry doth bud and blossome in the Popish Religion It should be the earnest prayer and endeavour of every good Christian that none of those poisonous streams that flow from the See of Rome may ever infest this British Isle My main and principal designe at this time is to shew unto you some few of those many grand Errors that are in popery or in the popish Religion and likewise to fortifie you against them Among many others there are these thirteen grand Errors in popery that every good Christian must take off and flee from The first Error is this The papists do hold That the Pope is the Head of the Church This is diametrically and point-blank opposite to the Scripture Col. 2.9 Christ is there called The Head of the Church Now to make the Pope the Head of the Church is to make the Church monstrous by having two Heads This is to make the Spouse of Christâ—an Harlot I read Rev. 13 1 of a Beast rising out of the sea By the Beast their Interpreters understand the mystical Antichrist i. e. the Pope Now if the Pope be the Beast there and elsewhere spoken of how rediculous yea how impious is it to make a Beast the Head of Christs Church That is the first A second Error which I shall but name is this The Papists hold That the Pope is above Scripture and that his Laws Decrees and Canons bind more than the Scriptures than the Word of God Well may he have that name written upon his Miter that 's mentioned Rev. 13 1. And upon his head was written the Names of blasphemy But I add Their third Error is the Mass which indeed is gross Idolatry there is in it these two Errors 1. Transubstantiation Bellarmine with other Popish Writers say that the Bread the Host after consecration is turned into the very body of Christ Now this is against Philosophy as well as Scripture and Divinitie 'T is against Philosophy for this is clear if Christs Body be in Heaven then it cannot possibly be in the bread But Christs Body is in Heaven Act. 3 22. Whom the Heavens must contain speaking of Christ until the restitution of all things Moreover that the bread in the Sacrament is not turned into the Body of Christ I prove thus the wicked they do not receive Christ 1 Cor. 2.14 But if the bread be the very body of Christ then the wicked when they eat of the bread do eat the very body of Christ This is so gross an Opinion that most of the antient Fathers wrote against it as Cyprian Origen Tertullian Austin Ambrose with many others But 2ly The second Error in the Mass is they do daily offer up Christ in the Mass I grant there are Priests in Gospel times and Sacrifices too but they are as such are spiritual as the sacifice of Prayer of Praise of a broken and contrite heart But that there should be any external offering of Christ by way of Sacrifice is a blasphemy against Christs Priestly Office for it supposeth that Christs Offering on the Cross was not perfect That is notoriously contrary to the very letter of Scripture See Heb. 10.12 That man i. e. Christ God-man after he had once offered a Sacrifice for sin sat down at the right hand of God and vers 14. he saith That by this one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified This Scripture sheweth the compleatness of Christs Sufferings and Sacrifice and that now there needs no offring up any more Sacrifices That is the third But Fourthly A fourth Error is the Doctrine of Popish Satisfaction they hold that we do in our own persons satisfie Gods justice by our Penance VVhippig Fasting Alms-deeds Thus the Council of Trent and the Popish Rhemes But where is any thing of this in Scripture alas what is our confession of sin that is no satisfaction for sin If a Traytor confess his guilt this is no satisfaction for but rather an agravation of his Treason Alas our Repentance Fasting Humiliation the best of our actions are be-leopard and mixt with very much sin our Humiliation is mixt with very much pride our Repentance and Confession with much Hyporrisie and Dissimulation Ther 's much of sin in the cream of our services and sin cannot satisfie for sin This is a sure rule and I pray you mark it that what ever offering we bring to God for acceptation we must lay it upon the Altar Jesus
Christ for Gods Justice accepts of no satisfaction but by and through the Lord Jesus And that 's a fourth Fiftly A fifth Error is There is distinguishing between sins Mortal and sins Venial Mortal sins are Murder Perjury Adultery and such like these say they deserve Death and Damnation but Venial sins such as vain thoughts rash anger concupesence these say they do not deserve Death But we say and affirm That there is no such sins as they call Venial It is true the greatest sins being repented of are pardonable through the blood of Christ but there is no sin of which we can say that do not deserve death and damnation And this I 'le prove by a double Argument 1. If the very least sin be as indeed it is a breach and violation of Gods Law then 't is no more venial than a greater But the least sin is a violation of Gods Law therefore the least sin is no more venial than a greater The minor is clearly proved from Mat. 5.28 Whosoever looks on a Woman to lust after her hath committed Adultery with her in his heart In which place our Saviour makes a lascivious look an impure glance of the eye to be a breach and violation of Gods Law 2. If the least sin expose men to a Curse then they are no more venial than greater but the least sin doth expose men to a Curse Gal. 3.10 Cursed is he that continues not in all things contained in the Law to do them He that faileth in the least iota or punctillio it exposeth him unto a Curse And remember this my brethren That without repentance God hath provided a great Hell for little sins That is the fifth Sixthly A sixth Error in Popery is Their asserting the Doctrine of free-will That Goliah of the Papists Beliarmine saith That mans will is inclinable unto good and that a man hath an inate power to do that which is good but mans will being corrupted and depraved is not inclinable to that which is good but quite contrary And this is evident from our own experience had we no Bible to confirm it When the Rudder of a Ship is broke the Ship is carried up and down to and again which way the wind will even so it is with mans will being corrupted Austin in his Confessions saith That before his â—onversion he did accustome himself to fruit stealing not so much out of a love to the fruit as to stealing Hence is it that men are said to love evil Mica 3.2 Again the will being depraved and corrupt hath no inate power to do that which is good Indeed the Papists say That man hath some seed of good in him but the Scripture doth not say so Man as St. Ambrose well saith hath a free will to sin but how to perform that which is good he finds not Sin hath cut the locks where our strength lay Therefore are we said to be without strength Rom. 5.6 Sinners are said to be in the bond of iniquity and so not in a posture to run heavens Race A man by nature cannot do that that he hath the least bent and tendency to that which is good he is so far from performing a good act as that he cannot so much as think a good thought Hence it is that man is said to have a heart of stone he can no more prepare himself for his Conversion than a stone can prepare it self for the Superstruction Men naturally are dead spiritually In mans will there is not only impotency but obstinacy Hence it is men are said to resist the holy Ghost Act 7. But I go on Seventhly A seventh Error is their Indulgencies They say the Pope hath a power to give a pardon and Indulgence by vertue of which men are freed from their sins in Gods sight Besides the Blasphemy of this assertion what else is it but a cunning trick and sly artifice to get money by This is that indeed brings grists to the Popes Mill. How contrary is this to the Scripture which saith None can forgive sin but God only Mark 2. This Doctrin of Popish Indulgence is a key that unlocks and opens a door to all manner of licentiousness and uncleaness for what need persons care what they do if they for their money can obtain a pardon Mr. Fox in his Book of Martyrs mentions one that at first was a papist and being brought before Bonner said Sir at the first I was of your Religion and then I cared not how I lived because I could with my mony obtain a pardon But now I am otherwise perswaded and do believe That none caâ— forgive sins but God only Eightly An eight Error is The Doctrine of Merits they say that good works do expiate sin and merit glory Bellarmine saith a man hath a double right to glory one by Christs merits and the other by his own And for this he urges 2 Iam. 4.8 Henceforth is laid up for me a crown of Righteousness which the just Judge shall give unto me and not only unto me c. Which is the just Iudge Now Bellarmine saith That God in justice doth reward our Works and if he doth it of right and in Justice then certainly they merit To this I answer two wayes 1. God giving us in Justice a reward It is not for the worthiness of our workâ— but for the worthiness of our Saviour 2. God as a just Judge rewards our works not because we have merited a reward but because he hath promised a Reward and so is just in giving what he hath promised Object I but they say God crowns our works ergo they merit Answ God to speak after the manner of men keep two Courts a Court of Iustice and a Court of Mercy In his Court of Justice nothing may come but Christs Merits but in the Court of Mercy our works may come Nay let me tell you God in free grace crowns those works in the Court of Mercy which he condemned in the Court of Justice Now that we do not nor cannot merit by our good works I 'le prove by a threefold argument and this threefold cord will not easily be broken First of all and I beseech you mind it that which merits at Gods hand must be a gift we give to him and not a debt we owe to him Now whatever we can do for or give unto God it is but a just and due debt 2. He who would merit at Gods hand must give God somthing overplus But alas if we cannot give God the principal how shall we give him the interest If we cannot give him his due how can we give him overplus 3. He who would merit any thing at Gods hand must offer that to him that is perfect But alas can we give God any thing that is perfect are not our best Offerings fly-blown with pride and corruption Beloved Wo to the holiest man alive if God weighs him in the Ballance of the Sanctuary and do not allow him some
not beat folly out of our hearts We have been unprofitable all our days some have done thee more service in one year than we in all our time We have forgotten thee in the day of prosperity and sung a lullaby to our own Souls Oh that we could speak these things with broken and bleeding hearts But as in the time of our ignorance we could sin without reluctancy so now we can sin without repentance Oh that thou wouldst smite the rock that there might flow out tears VVe can do nothing by way of expiation if we would weep out our eyes nothing but the blood of Christ can take away our guilt O that there might be a spring of that blood upon our souls at this time Oh that that blood may at this time bring a report of love and a message of mercy to us Do we beg any more than thou hast promised Oh hast not thou accepted of that satisfaction that Christ hath made in his own person If we had suffered the torments of Hell it could not have made that satisfaction that Christ hath made Give us the witness of thy spirit and thy Love and we will say we have enough give us hearts of flesh crush the head of the serpent in our souls O Lord Christ thou camest into the world to destroy the works of the Devil in our hearts and to build up the Kingdom of the spirit in us Oh when shall we see the old man decay in us and the new man to live more and more O be wisdom to guide us and Righteousness to cleanse us from guilt and redemption to deliver us from the wages of sin let us be nothing in our selves that we may be all in thee our saviour Oh honour us so far that we may honour thee VVe pray thee strengthen our weak saith quiet our consciences we would not live a day longer than that we may honour thee tread Satan under our feet fit us for our places and imployments let not our conditions be so low but that our hearts may be lower we are posting to death Oh let sin die before we die let us know our names are written in the Book of Life before thou take away our life Look upon thy servant our dread Sovereign Charls of Great Britâ—â—â—n France and Ireland King oh inrich his Royal heart with all those saving graces of thy Spirit in order unto a wise and happy Government of these Kingdoms Look upon his Royal Consort his Royal relations the Lords of his Privy Council and make them blessings to this Nation oh sanctifie thy good word oh give thy gracious assistance to us both in speaking and hearing let us hear it as that word by which we must be judged that we may be convinced by it and say it is the power of God to salvation to every soul of us Let our meeting be for the better to all of us that we may be built up in the most holy Faith and let us know we have not sought thy face in vain for Jesus Christ his sake our dear Saviour for whom we bless thy Majesty to whom with thee and thy Spirit be praise for ever Amen Mr. Jenkin's Prayer at Christ Church MOst blessed and holy Lord God thou art infinitely beyond our apprehensions who wast infinitely happy before the worâ—d was made and wantest none of thy creatures nor their services to make thee more excellent than thou art in thy self we daily want thee thou never wantest us thou art pleased to make use of ordinances Ministers Sabbaths as thy Institutions to accomplish and bring about the great work of thy Glory and mans Salvation yet Lord thou dost not need them thy Spirit is not made efficatious by these things but it is that that makes these things efficatious though thou art pleased to tie us to them when we may have them and duly enjoy them yet thou dost not tie thy self to them We desire in these our addresses to eye the happiness of Saints that depends upon him that depends upon none we are here in thy presence by thy goodness and grace O whither should we go but to thee and how should we come but by thee Oh strengthen our faith kill our corruptions inflame our love give us assurance of thy love to our souls oh that God would teach us how to pray that we may taste and see how good the Lord is this day that our souls may be filled as with marrow that we may by our own experience be able to say It is good for us to draw nigh to God and that a day in his house is better then a thousand elsewhere that there may be a communion between us and God let there be a disunion between us and sin we confesse we brought sin enough into the world with us to cause thee to with-drawâ—th blessed self from us and to cast such unproffitable servants as we are into utter darkness we have been a long time in thy school and yet how dull are we we might have been teachers of others but we need our selves be taught which are the first Principles of the oracles of God we love less than we know and we do less than we love we have neither done that good nor received that good which we should or might have done and received We have been trees that have cumbred the ground in thy orchard but we have brought forth no fruit Wo unto us that we have not known the day of our visitation many of us have one foot in the grave and yet we have lived without God in the world we are wise in every thing but in our own Salvation we live as if Hell were a priviledge those of us that have some knowledg of thee have great cause to repent that we have walked so unworthily of God Which of us pray continually and fervently or live the life of saith we confess we neither take our afflictions humbly nor our mercies thankfully nor want our comforts contentedly nor fill up our relations fruitfully We live as if Hell were a scare-crow as if all the threatnings of thy word were an empty noise as if there were neither sweetness in Heaven nor bitterness in Hell When we come into thy presence where are our hearts what earthly dispositions do we bring along with us the sins of our Prayers cry louder then the Supplications of our prayers what hypocrisie and formality cleaves unto us If thou dost not look upon the iniquities of our holy things with an eye of pitty what will become of us O Lord be pleased to smell a sweet savour of rest and peace through thy dear Son O Lord it is only his precious Blood that can sprinkle our hearts and quiet our Consciences and no other thing We do renounce our own Works and we cry out in our selves Undone undone It is through thy beloved Son that we are accepted and therefore to that end bring us to him by a saving operation on thy part
wholly flesh totally opposite to the holy Laws of thy Majesty and were it not for thy renuing and restraining grace we should break forth into as vile abominations as the vilest of men our lives have been a continuall piece of rebellion against God who did make us and doth feed and cloath us all thy paths have been paths of mercy to us but we have requited thee evil for thy good and hatted for thy love Oh foolish men and women that we have been I we acknowledge our Gospel-sins are of a deep dye Thou hast not been a VVildernss or Land of darkness to us we have been exalted to heaven in the means of salvation but Oh! how short do we come of knowledge to the time and means we have enjoyed and our obedience comes short of our knowledge we have not walked up to that light which thou hast given us We desire to lay our selves low before thee Oh do thou open our eyes and present us to our selves show us the vilenss of our lives Blessed be thy Name that thou hast laid help upon one that is mighty to save all that come to thy Majesty by him and thou hast promised all that beleeve on him shall not perish but have everlasting life Oh help us to receive him in all his Offices in our hearts help us to give him the keys of our hearts and help us to live and die to him that died for us and let our souls be united to thee by him that his death may be ours and his life ours and his intercession ours Oh let our unity to Christ be demonstrated to us by our communion with and conformity to him in grace and holiness And we pray thee dearest Lord pardon our sins in the Court of heaven and in the Court of our own consciences besprinkle our conscienees in the blood of Christ and say to all before thee at this time that desire to fear thee more and serve thee better Sons and Daughters be of good cheer your sins are forgiven you And do not only justifie us but sanctifie us purge our consciences from dead works inform our understanding conform our wills to thy holy VVill let our hearts and lives be comformed to the Image of thy Son that beholding thereof we may be changed from glory to glory and let us have more knowledge of thy will that we may do thy will und suffer thy will with more patience and be filled with the fruits of Righteousness which are to the glory of God Let us not be empty Vines that bring forth fruit to themselves but let us bring forth fruit to God whereby thou maiest be glorified Oh plant that great grace of Self-denial in our souls and let us take the Cross of Jesus Christ and follow him wheresoever he goes Remember all thine extend thy favour to those thou hast cast on beds of sickness and let there be a saving change wrought in them before that change by death shall come and they that are drawing nigh their time of Travel let the arms of the All-sufficient God be under them and be better to them than their Faith or our prayers and look graciously upon poor children entitle them to an inheritance that fadeth not away make them a blessing in themselves and a blessing to their Parents And those that deâ—re the conversion of Relations that walk in waies of perdition do not let them find peace in any way against thy Majesty and let them know that sin will be bitter in the latter eud Look upon us that are before thee at this time before we go hence and shall be here no more make thy face to shine upon us let our coming together be for the better and not for the worse to any of us let thy poor Servant be able to deliver thy Message plainly and powerfull and give thy People hearing ears and obedient hearts and let us rejoyce that we did wait upo thee in thy Worship this day and all For Christ his sake in whose Name and Words we call upon thee Our Father ' which art in Heaven c. Doctor Manton's Prayer at Covent-garden O Lord God all that we can do is nothing of our selves we can do nothing Oh let us have the gracious Assistance of thy Spirit as this time let thy love constrain us say unto us Thou art our Salvation Do not say that we shall fill up the measure of our Iniquities and there shall be no hope for us O Lord we are ashamed that we have waited so long in thine Ordinannances and have got no more profit to our toor pouls but we have given up our hearts to the pleasures and vanities of this world that are but for a season even those that thou hast drawn out after thee do not walk worthy of thee anseerable to that blessed hope of future Happiness in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation Jesus Christ is to many of us become a stumbling-blook and a reck of offence while our hearts are caried out after the wirld with such strong affections Oh! when shall we carry our selves so as those that profess themselves to be secke's of a better life We come into thy presence now for strength do thou manifest thy self to us thou hast promised to pour out thy Spirit upon all Flesh Oh let it be unto us according to thy promise O Lord our hearts naturally are averse to thee so that of our selves we shall never be able to do any thing that may be wel-plensing to thee but do thou regulate us by thy blessed Spirit that we may observe thy statutes and do them and that thy Commands may not be grievous to us that it may not be burdensom for us to do the work of God O Lord when shall our hearts be made sound in thy statutes we wait upon thee in the use of thine Ordinances that we may have a new supply from thee that at length we may come to see that thou art at work with us to save our soules O help us to be followers of them who with faith and patience do follow thee to do nothing unbecomming our holy Call suffer us not to swerve from thy Commandments but let us have a constant and earnest desire after thee Let the choicest of thy Mercies come down on our Sovereign Charles King of England Scotland France and Ireland let His heart be guided by thee let him always set the before his eyes that under the shadow of his Goverment we may have Peace in all Godliness and honesty Bless him in his Relations in his Councils Teach our Senators wisdom Be with all thy Faithfull Magistrates and Ministers let them be a terrour to evil doers and an encouragement to them that do well Be with us in the way of thy worship we are here met together to hear and handle thy holy Word Oh do thou command it to light upon all our hearts let it come in the evidence and demonstratian
of wrath will fall upon us O Lord how many ways hast thou used to reclaim us what Arts hath thy blessed Spirit used how many times hast thou approached to our souls and shewed us something of thy glory and the glory of heaven and the terrours of hâ—ll the one to allure us and the other to scare us But Oh! how many times have we grieved thy blessed Spirit who came to seal us and despised thy Son who came from heaven to earth and liv'd a sorrowful life and died a shameful death how often hath he offered us grace and glory if we would how to his Scepter but we have preferred a base lust before that excellency that he hath purchased us Oh how often hast thou condescended so far as to intreat us to be reconciled how easie hast thou been to forgive and how hard have we been to be forgiven VVe confess thou mighâ—est pass an eternal Doom upon us for we are sensible of the dishonour that we have brought upon thy Name Do thou at this time strike upon all these rocks that are in thy presence at this time give us hearts of flesh let our repentance pâ—eprare us for corversion let there be such a through conviction that thy grace and Mercy may be admirable in our eyes VVe intreat thee hear us pardon all our iniquities let us be monuments of thy grace and favour speak peace to our Consciences convey those clear evis dences of thâ—â—â—ve unto us that may inable us to scatter all our fâ—aâ—s that we may rejoice in God and have hope of glory Let the image of thy Son be engraven on all our hearts and let our souls be made subject to him while we are in the world preserve us from the evil of it If thou givest us out ward happiness give us withat inward holiness and if we do suffer help us with patience to bear all knowing we are in our journey and our passage to a better life and let our whole time be spent in a serious Preparation to appear before thy Tribunal and let us consider the unchangableness of that state hereafter Remember thy whole Church make the Name of Christ glorious in the world shed abroâ—d thy light and thy truth heavour back-slidings and love us freely Let thine Ordâ—nances continue among us and let thy blessing descend upon our sovereign Lord the King of England Scot and France and Ireland Defender of the Faith Incline his heart to thy Law make him an instrument of publick good protect his person and give him prosperous affairs Bless his Royal Consort his Relations his privy Counsel let them promote solid Piety and real Godliness Bless the Minister of thy Word and Sacraments Let their labours be precious in thy sight and remember all afflicted ones revive thy Mourners and let thy grace answer all their fears Let thy presence be in the midst of us and help us to hear as our last and let us be raised nearer heaven and make thy word powerful and effectual to all our souls and let thy word subdue our lusts and aâ—l we beg for the sake of Jesus Christ in whose Name and words we sum up our imperfect Prayers Our Father which art in Heaven c. Dr. Jacomb's Prayer at Martins Ludgate BLessed God thou art a God blessed for ever thou givest Mercy to all returning and repenting sinners thou art worthy to be praised by all that draw nigh unto thee Thou hast vouchsafed to us one Sabbath more Oh that we might all of us be in the spirit upon the Lords day that whatever we do we may do it in the strength of God that we may offer spiritual Sacrifices to God this day through our Mediator the Lord Jesus It is a very great condescention that thou shouldst suffer such as we are to come unto thee O Lord we are unclean we are unclean from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot we are overspread with the leprosie of sin all the faculties of our souls are defiled our understandings are darkened our wills are corrupted we have affections but they are carnal we have hearts but they are impure we have consciences but they are seared and as our inward man so our lives are unholy as the fountain is so is the stream besides that our general guilt that we brought into the world we are guilty of innumerable actual transgressions against thy holy Law We think O Lord there are no greater sinners in the world than we our sins are attended with many aggravations We have finned against Prayers against vows and promises we have had as much light shining before us as any in the world have had great is our unbelief Oh that we could lay these things to our hearts We do refuse to come to Christ we go about to establish a righteousness of our own and neglect the righteousness of God by faith in Jesus Christ how are our hearts glewed to the present things of this world Oh! what do we do for thy glory How unreformed are we under all the ways of God that he hath taken to make us a holy people Give us a sight of our sins O Lord we confess sometimes we do make a formal confession but we do not find our hearts melted for sin as they should Oh take away from every one of us this heart of stone give a heart of flesh give us tender hearts make us sensible of all our departing from thee Oh let us look upon him whom we have pierced let us mourn that the Water of penitential sorrow may flow from us we are strangers to our selves we do not see what a hell there is in our nature Oh! how should we put our mouths in the dust and loath our selves if so be there might be hope O Lord convince us of sin give us such a sight of sin as may make us flie to thee give us such a sight of our own guilt that maâ—â— prepare us for the Grace of Godâ— now we are sâ—ung with the fiery Serpents help us to come to Jesus Christ our brazen Serpent give us the holy Spirit to bring us out of the state of nature to let that God that made us Creatures make us new Creatures O Lord we are thine own work but we are dead in trespasses and sins give us grace and speak a word to them that are dead put out thine Almighty Power and draw some sinner to Christ this day and those that have any breathings after thee Oh! thou that gavest them that desire carry on thine own work in them where thou hast begun a good work carry it on let sin as the house of Saul grow weaker and weaker and grace as the house of David grow stronger and stronger Oh! increase our faith O Lord at this time we do not onely stand in need of grace but of a great measure of grace Oh! help us by faith to relie upon God that thou mayest help us at last Bless
wâ—th us all thine remember thy people from one end of the world to the other Thy people are very low this is a time of Jacobs troubles the Bush is burning every day Oh thou the Hope of Israel the Saviour therof shew thy self in mercy to these Nations We bless thee for all thy mercies that thy judgements do not seize upon us every day that thou dost not sweep us away that thou dost not rain Fire Brimstone on England as thou didst on Sodom our sins cry aloud to heaven for vengeance God is greatly provoked every day it is a miracle of patience that thou hast not destroyed us God can pardon the sins of the Nation at once but we are not fit for pardon we do not humble our selves O Lord humble us give repentance to England from the highest to the lowest that we may return unto thee We desire to bless thee that our Eemies have not had their wills over us they said they would pursue and overtake and satisfie their lusts but God did blow upon them and they did sink in the mighty Water and thou hast yet preserved thy Church we pray thee do not leave us nor remove thy Gospel whatsoever thou dost Pour down elle choicest of thy bâ—essings upon our Sovereign Charles by thy Grace of England Scotland France and Ireland Bless him with the Blessing of Heaven and Earth make him a blessing to all of us Bless him in all his Relations the Lords of the privy Councel Look on them that have desired an interest in our prayers known to thee are all of them know their souls in this time of adversity make their beds in their siekness Give Faith to them that complain of unbelief give the Spirit of Prayer to those that complain they cannot pray be a Councellor to those that wan councel in their affaires either by Sea or Land let thy blessig go with them whereever they go Spare the lives of Children if it be thy will Prepare us for thy good and holy Word let it be a savour of lise unto life and let it come with power unto us Oh let us hear it as thy Word not as the word of a poor man but as the Word of God and all for the Lord Christ his sake for whom we bless thee to whom with thee and the Spirit of Grace be given Glory and Honour for evermore Mr. Waltons Prayer in Walbrook O Lord God all our springs are in thee it is good for us to draw nigh to thee through Jesus Christ thou art all fulness thou art the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and in him our Father thou art our light thou givest us these blessed opportunities of enjoying communian with thy self God blessed for ever These mercies are forfeited mercies we have abused the blessings of thy House we have grieved thy blessed Spirit therefore it is just with thee to deprive us of these comforts and to make us know the worth of these mercies by the want of them Lord we desire to judge our selves that we may not be condemned with the world Righteous art thou O Lord and just in all thy judgements we confess we are unworthy to have any converse with so holy a God we are polluted dust and ashes not worthy to tread thy Courts and it is of thy mercy that we are not consumed how often have we pluckt fruit from the forbidden tree we have sinned presumptuously against the clearest Light and the dearest love alwaies have we sinned thy footsteps have dropt fatness thou hast shewen mercy to us but the better thou hast been to us the worse we have been to thee thou hast loaded us with thy mercies and we have wearied thee with our sins when we look into our selves Oh the poyson of our natures whatever the Leper did touch was unclean Thus do we by our spiritual Leprosie infect our holy things our prayers had need have pardon and our tears had need have the blood of sprinkling to wash them how vain are our vows how sensual are our affections we confess we are untuned and unstrung for every holy Action we are never out of tune to sin but alwaies out of tune to pray we give the world our male affections and our strong desires we should use this world as if we used it not and alwies we pray as if we prayed not and serve thee as if we served thee not there is not that reverence nor that devotion nor that activeness of faith that there should be Lord if thou wouldst say that thou wouldst pardon all our sins to this time only judge us for this prayer wo unto us what breathings of unbelief and hypocrisie is there now when we approach unto thee we pray thee pardon us for Christs sake Who can tell how oft he doth offend we can as well reckon the drops of the Ocean as number our sins we have filled the number of the Nations sins but we have not filled thy bottle with our tears This is that that doth exceedingly aggravate our sins that we cannot mourn for sin we can grieve for our losses but we cannot mourn for our unkindnesses we have crucified the Lord of life sin hath not only defiled us but hardned us nothing can melt us but the love of Christ nothing can soften us but the blood of Christ O with-hold not thy mercies from us O help us to eat the Passeover with bitter herbs let us look on Christ weep over him let us look on a broken Christ with broken hearts and on a bleeding Christ with bleeding hearts let us mourn for our dis-ingenuity that we should grieve that God that is always doing us good Oh! humble us for our unkindnesse and for Christs sake blot out our transgressions they are more than we can number not more than God can pardon Though we have lost the duty of children thou hast not lost the goodness of a Father Let us be held forth as patterns of mercy so shall we trumpet forth thy praise to all Eternity Whatever afflictions thou layest upon our bodies let not our sins be unpardoned let not sin and affliction be together upon us let their be peace in Heaven and peace in the Court of Conscience We have found this part of thy Word true In the world we shall have troubles let us find the other part true in Jesus Christ we shall have peace Oh let peace and holiness go together make us new Creatures that we may be glorious Creatures Without Faith Christ will not profit us when we can call nothing in the world ours let us call Christ ours Lord draw thine Image every day more lively upon us a more lively hope and a more inflamed love to Christ let us have a spirit of courage and resolution keep us from the fallacies of our own hearts keep us from the defilements of the times make us pure in heart that we may see God that we may have Gospel spirits humble spirits
meek spirits as Christ did take our flesh let us partake of his Spirit Why dost thou imbitter the brest of the Creature to us but that we should finde the sweetness of the Promises There is as much in the Promises as ever let us live upon God let us cast anchor in Heaven and we shall never sink Shower down thy blessings even the choicest of them upon the head and heart of our dread Sovereign Charles by thy appointment of England Scotland France and Ireland King Defender of the Faith let him see wherein his cheifest interest lies let him count those his best subjects that are Christ's subjects Bless him â—n hâ—s Royal Consort in his Royal Relations the Lords of his Privy Council let them be a terror to eviâ— doers and incouragers of those that do well Bless all thy Ordinances to us make them to be fulness of life to every one before thee we are come this day to partake of them Oh pour in Wine and oyl into our souls let us be a watered garden let this blessed Sacrament be a poyson to our lust and nourishment for our Grace Hear us be our God follow us with mercy crown us with acceptance and all for Christ his sake whom not seeing we love in whom believing we rejoyce to Christ with thee and thy holy Spirit be Glory Honour and Praise now and for ever Amen Mr. Lye 's Prayer at Allhallows Lumber-street O Lord our great God thou canst do all things for thou dost dispose and govern all the wayes and works and words of thy Creature to thâ—ne own praise We thy poor Creatures the workmanship of thy hands the price and purchase of thy Sons blood do desire this morning to fall down and humble our selves at the Throne of thy Grace we desire to lift up an eye of Faith to thee that thou mayest dart an eye of Love to us since thou hast commanded us to come unto thee Oh bless us now we come Let it not be in vain for any of us from the high'st to the low'st from the richest to the poorest that we have sought thy Face this morning Blessed Father pour down a spirit of Prayer a Spirit of preaching a Spirit of Rejoycing a spirit of Practising in the midst of us let us not only be enabled to know what to do but to do what we know Thou that distd cure the eyes of the blind with clay and spittle Oh heel that natural dimness that is in the best of us Thy Rod in the hand of Moses brought water out of the Rock Oh do thou strike upon those rocky hearts that our adamantine hearts being softned may gush out into Rivers of tears Oh drown our sins in the Red sea of our saviours blood help us to smite upon our thigh and to ask our selves what we have been and what we have done and humble us under the omission of any commanded duty and the comission of any for bidden sin sins of thoughts wordes and dieds sins against the Law against the Gospel of youth manhood and old-age sins before under and since conversion sins against prayers vows promises covenants and oaths Oh Lord if thou didst prefer thy Bill against us we could not stand if we were weighed in the balance of the Sanctury we should be found too light but holy Father remember not against us our former sins but rather have mercy upon us according to thy loving kindness cross and blot out our iniquities blot them out so fully and wholly that it may be to us as to Judath in the promise that the sins of Judath should be sought for and not found O bathe our souls in that Fountain that was set open for Judah and Jerusalem though our sins have been as Scarlet let them be as white as Snow though they be red like Crimson let them be like Wool We have read that a flood of sin brought down a deluge of water that they covered the tops of the mountains Oh let thy deluge of mercy cover the tops of the mountains of our sins It is the glory of a God to pardon great sins We desire to turn unto thee with our whole hearts do thou subdue our iniquities let us be not only cleansed but let us have the efficacy of the spirit of Christ to wash us from the guilt of sin because we boast we are not under the Law but under Grace Be gracious to our Soveraign Lord Charles King of England Scotland France and Ireland It is thy promise that Kings shall be Nursing Fathers to thy children grant that under the shadow of his Majesty thy people may be protected that we may live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty Oh let thy people possess the Land from Dan to Beersheba Oh give us Scripture-Magistrates and Gospel-Ministers as long as the Sun and Moon endures Let thy VVord be sanctified to us let it not be only as water to get out our spots but as a Refiners fire to purge our dross and take away our tin And holy Father where thou hast begun a good work do thou go on and bring it to perfection let not the light that is in us be like the glimmering light of the evening but as the light of the morning that shineth more and more to the day Let our best wine be kept to the last let the end of our lives be the end of sinning Thou hast cast our lot in the midst of temptations of all sorts thou hast brought many of us through the red Sea but we are in the wilderness with Zeba and Zalmunna and those that dwell at Tyre the children of Ammon Moab and mount Seir and all the forces that Hell can make against us Oh put upon uâ— all the whole Armour of God Now in these days of Errour gird us with the Girdle of Truth Oh now in these days of falsity give us a helmet of Hope Now the Devil darts at us give us the Sheiâ—d of Faith Oh give us the Sword of the Spirit of the word of God that it may enable us to confute the gain-saying of foolish men Oh help us to pray with all manner of prayer constantly fervently faithfully feelingly that we stand and not fall and that not in our strength but in Gods To this end be with us upon this thine own day our Manna falls every day and it is doubled upon the Lords day Oh let us be as thy servant John in the Spirit upon thine own day let God by his Spirit come into our spirits understandings consciences wills memories and affections that all our conversations without and affections within may be obedient to thy Word Enable thy Servant to deliver thy Word faithfully God forbid thy Servant should stand upon so sandy a foundation as the Wisdome of Man one iota of thy Word hath more wisdome in it then all men and Angels have Good Father give thy people a hearing ear it is too much they have played
it is to be ashamed to sigh over our sins and groan over our iniquities I how few out of tenderness do mouru for sin but as if it were indifferent to us whether we have our sins purdoned or the grace that we beg to be granted and if we do beg to be pardoned where are the souls that desire to be purged If thou shouldst let us have our wills Oh then we should think thou wert a good God whereas it is thy great Love that thou dost deny us our wills we poor wretche we are up and down as the things of this world do come into us and go from us if God give us great things then we think our selves in Paradise and if God take from us then we fall out with God himself Oh! how ill do we take it at thy hands if thou dost not give us what we would or take from us what we would The doctrine of self-denial is a meer riddle to us we would fain spend the strength of our youth in following the lust of the eye and gratifie our sensual affections and when we come to die it may be we would have a Lord have mercy upon us in our mouths and think it strange if God should not give us what we ask O Lord convince us now that we may be willing to be crucified to the world and to die to sin Lord we may flatter with our selves but our hearts do but abuse us while we think there is such contentment in the enjoying of this world what is this when we come to die Alas if we were not besotted content is sooner gained by self-denial than by pleasing our selves Can we think we shall be at ease till we come to God Is it like to be well with us while our wayes are contrary to the wayes of God are not thy waies the waies of peace Oh! how can we be at rest when our waies are contrary to thine Oh! un-lust us we had better part from our idols here that that they should part us from God hereafter Lord if there were no other hell this is damnation to be a sinne for this is the nature of sin to separate us from God Oh help us to account the reproaches of Christ better than the honors of the Cross of Christ better than the Crown of the world O shew us the sinfulness of sin and the emptiness of the world that we may take thy Counsel and mind thy Glory and be ruled by thy Will Oh how happy would it be with us if our souls were brought into such a frame We are Lord as yet great strangers to the life of God Oh! let us know what it is to live with thee and to thee and with thee that we may say For us to live in Christ and to die is gain and that we may say Whom have we in Heaven but thee O Lord We depend upon thee let thy goodness be seen do not put us off with the means of grace but give us grace it self And seeing thou art pleased to make use of such a poor thing as the preaching of the Gospel is and seeing this is the means to bring our souls to eternal life Oh let it be so to us that we may repent from sin and believe in the righteousness of the Gospel Oh Lord thou knowest all our frailties and all our necessities find out them that are dead in sins and quicken them find out the hard hearts and soften them find out the proud hearts and humble them find out the formalists and bring them to the power of godliness and pour in wine and oyl into the wounds of the wounded in spirit and let the administration of the Gospel be in the demonstration of the Spirit that as the truth is delivered to us we may be delivered to the truth that while we touch the hem of thy garment Vertue may come out from thee Thou hast said that mercy pleaseth thee we are sure it will pleasure us Oh let us not loose our time but do thou teach us to profit and supply our wants for the sake of our dear Lord to whom with Thee and thy Spirit be given more Glory from now unto eternity Nr. G. N. his Prayer TO thee O Lord Jesus we commend our selves To thee who judgeth rightly thy poor Servant resigneth and commiteth this Congregation The Lord pardon unto me wherein I have been wanting unto them The Lord pardon unto them wherein they have been wanting in the hearing of thy Word that we may not part with sin in our hearts Unto thee who judgest uprightly I commend them The Bishop of Souls take care of them Preserve them from the love of the World teach them to wait on thee and to receive from thee whatevor any one or Family may stand in need of Provide them a Pastor according unto thine own will only in the mean time give us that Anointing shall lead us out of our own wells and waies that we may walk in the waies of Christ Jesus The Lord Jesus say now amongst them I am your Shepheard you shall not want Say to them as thou didst to thy Disciples Let not your hearts be troubled you beleeve in the Father beleeve also in me So far as we are able we put thy Name upon them we name the Name of the Lord Jesus over them The Lord Jesus bless them teach them to follow Holiness Peace and a Heavenly Conversation The Lord make them usefull to each other The Lord Jesus be a blessing to them and me and all ours The God of Peace and Consolation fill them with blessings according as thou seest every one stand in need of To thee O Lord we commend then do thou receive them that under thy counsel they may be preserved blameless until the day Jesus where we may all meet crowned with Glory Amen FINIS Mr. GEORGE THORNE of Weymouth HIS FAREWEL-SERMON PSAL. 37.34 Wait on the Lord and keep his Way NOt knowing whether ever I shal speak to you more from this place being willing to leave a word in season I shall recommend to you what in answer to prayer I have recived of the Lord for the directing me in my course in this gloomy dark day being well assured that as many of us as work by this rule and fall by this compass how ever we may be scatered by the tewpestuous storms we meet with here in the Sea of this World shall shortly arrive at and meet in our desired Port the Haven of Eternal Rest and Happiness What therefore the Lord hath said to me and that with a strong hand that say I unto you in the Name of the Lord Wait on the Lord and keep his VVay The scope of this Psalm is to direct the People of God and to encourage them to keep on in the course of Godliness at such times as when the Wicked prosper flourish and grow great and the godly are afflicted trouble persecuted and oppressed And there are two