when as they who stand fast do even force a good Testimony from their Enemies So it was the unhappy chance of Cranmer the Papists did perswade him to subscribe and did he get any honour by it No truly they did upbraid him and reproach him and so he had dyed in a raving condition had not the Lord been merciful to him I remember a speech of St. Austin about drinking of Healths Oh! say they 't is upon the King's Birth-day and we cannot avoid it If we deny it say they we shall be reproached and scorned of men He gives them many Answers to it but one as I remember was this God will so work that if you will not comply with them they in their hearts will honour you and whereas if you did comply with them they would dishonour you and say you are base spirited That is one thing of this Point that keeping close to Jesus Christ will get you this Reward you shall walk with him in the white of honour they shall walk in the white of honour with his People and it may be with the World too 2 They shall walk in white in the white of peace and joy and inward comfort I shewed you in the opening of the Text how the Scripture calls that walking in white Then the Point is this What ever becomes of the other white of honour in the World they shall be sure of this that abundance of peace and joy and comfort shall possess their souls that keep their garments white they shall walk in the inward white of joy and peace with Jesus Christ and this is a blessed Reward Indeed now this joy this white of joy arises in the Soul three ways 1. From the Testimony of their own Consciences Oh! they who have a good Testimony from their own Consciences walk in white 2 Cor. 1.12 We have this for our rejoycing the Testimony of our Consciences that in all simplicity and godly sincerity we have our conversation in Heaven that is walking in white this is our rejoycing our Conscience speaks well of us and kindly to us and who is able to express the sweetness of this thing None can know what this is but they that have it as it is said of the New Name written upon the white Stone Rev. 2 1â— 'T is a thing beyond expression what the joy anâ— peace of a good Conscience is Now this I say that our white Garments and our walking in white ariseth from the Testimony of our Consciences 2. As from the Testimony of our Consciences so from that Testimony which is greater than out Consciences the Spirit the shedding abroad of Divine Love thus it is with those that do not defile their Garments but endure any thing rather then defile their Garments Rom. 5.3 4 5. And not onely so but we glory in Tribulations knowing Tribulation worketh Patience and Patience Experience and Experience Hope and Hope maketh not ashamed and whence was all this because of the Holy Ghost which was given to us this causeth joy unspeakable The Spirit it self beareth witness with our Spirits that we are the Children of God This Witness doth cause wonderful joy much more then the witnesses of our own Consciences 3. This ioy doth arise from that well-grounded hope which that Soul hath that keeps himself clean hope of enjoying Heaven at last hope of future glory is our present joy Rom. 5.2 By whom also we have access by Faith into this Grace wherein we stand and joyce in hope of the glory of God Now they who keep their Garments white have good ground of hope of the love of God therefore this must needs cause them to walk comfor ably as they who have this hope purifie themselves so they who purifie themselves have good ground of this hope and therein great cause to rejoyce Pet. 1.5 6. Who are kept by the power of God brough Faith unto Salvation ready to be revealed in â—e last times wherein ye greatly rejoyce though now for 〈◊〉 season if need be ye are in heaviness through many emptations We walk in white in the hope we have of that Inâ—eritance Now lay these three things together â—f they who keep their Garments undefiled have â—he Testimony of their own Consciences and the â—estimony of the Spirit shedding the Love of God â—n their hearts and a well-grounded hope of fuâ—ure â—lory how can it be but these must walk in white â—ith Jesus Christ that is in comfort and joy of â—e Spirit and of their own spirits Thus David walked he had abundance of joy upâ—n the Conscience of his own integrity and keeping his heart and hands clean from those iniquities â—is enemies charged him with Ps 3. The Lord shall â—udge his people Judge me O Lord according to my â—ighteousness and according to mine integrity that is in â—â—e He appeals to the Lord the Lord shall judge â—is people Judge me O Lord according to my â—ighteousness Thus he appeals to God himself he â—ad so much confidence and his heart gave him â—hat he kept himself from those iniquities So Job walkt in white though his Friends blackt him exceedingly yet he walked in white in his Conscience Job 16.19 Behold my Witness is in Heaven and my Record is on high I have not onely a Witness in my Conscience but my Witness is above He walked in white notwithstanding all his afflictions from God and his Friends Hezekiah walkt in this white when death 〈◊〉 him in the face Lord thou knowest I have we upright with thee I need not stay in the proof of the thing let 〈◊〉 make some Use and Improvement of it Vse Is this blessed reward to those who keâ—â— their garments white to walk in the white of peacâ— and joy then here we see the happiness of all thoâ—â— who are true to Christ and his wayes Psal 119. â— Blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in thâ— Law of the Lord. 'T is just in the Language of 〈◊〉 Text they indeed shall walk in white it is a greaâ— part of our blessedness to have peace of conscience and inward joy Oh how much better is it that the peace and joy of this world and the comforts of this world Prov. 15.13 A merry heart or as another Translation saith A good Conscience and indeed a merry heart and a good Conscience do but one explain the other a merry heart or a good Conscience is a continual Feast Here is noâ— surfeiting in this feast but a continual Musick coâ—tinual joy and comfort oh how blessed are theâ— who are undefiled in the way That which Christ said of the Lilly Solomon 〈◊〉 all his glory was not arrayed like one of these so may I say of the Lilly-white soul that keeps himself white in the world who keeps himself white iâ— matter of practice and worship Solomon in all 〈◊〉 glory was not arrayed like one of these Lilly-white ones Oh the Rivers of Consolations that flow to them that keep themselves out of
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 has a title to all the glory and blessedness of Heaven from the first moment of his new birth So 't 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 savoury 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 2.13 14. And suddenly there was with the Angels a multitude of Heavenly Host praising and 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 Matth. 10.12 13. When you come into a house salute it and if it be worthy let grace 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 also a Gospel-valediction when the Minister and the People part So did the Apostle and so do I now Grace be with you and peace I observe in Matth. 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 fewel My Brethren your diligent atteddance on the Word at this place hath comfortably prevented that part of my charge to shake off the duâ— of my feet for how beautiful have the feet of a pooâ— Worm been to you being shod with the prepâ—ranon of the Gospel of Christ And therefore seeing our Lord Jesus Christ said If they be worthy of thâ—â— 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 this Peace It 's the beauty of Union the harmony of the Creation the pleasure of Life the feast of a good Conscience it 's that which makes life sweet and death easieâ— 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 sowrness and our water mingled with bitterness with this green herbs become a feast and our Water is turned into Wine Peace it 's the most beautiful Creature in the World and therefore it 's beloved of all courted of all many feeâ— her but few there be that enjoy her they do not go the right way to find her for in the ways of rightâ— ousness is peace Peace is the seminary of all blessingâ— Temporal as Grace is of all blessings Spirituâ—l In Grace you have implyed all holiness in Peace all happiness In grace all inward in peace all ouâ— ward blessings Grace and Peace are the Alpâ— and Omcga of all Blessings as God is of all Beingâ— no blessing comes before grace and no blessing lâ—â— longer Then see in this phrase of speech the 〈◊〉 postle wishes upon them as I do upon you all 〈◊〉 blessings both of Time and Eternity and yet 〈◊〉 wished no more to them then God promiseâ— 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 grace without peace as in a time of desertion 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 Apostle desires ye should have both grace and peace and we say the Sun and Salt are the most useful Creatures in the World the one for shining the other for seasoning My Brethren grace and peace are the Christian's Sun and Salt grace is the light of their souls and peace is the savour of their comforts grace shines through all their faculties 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 came up from the washing whereof every one bears 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 untyed As Castor and Pollux when seen together portend happiness to the Mariner 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 denyes the other If he gives you me Upper Spring of grace he will give you the other Spring of peace for they go both together If be gives you the Dew of Heaven you need not question the fatness of the Earth If his right hand be full of merey his left hand shall not be empty Therefore Grace and peace be with us from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ Grace has a double sense either for the grace of God to us that justifies us or the grace of God in us that sanctifies us Now there is a distant peace flowing from each of these but still its grace and peace First justifying grace has a peace attending that Rom. 5.1 Being justified by Faith we have peace with God So far as we have confidence in justifying grace there remains no Conscience of condemning sin As there can be no bitterer War then between Conscience and the
changed your hearts 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 the 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 or possessions of the men of the world they have Riches and Honours Prosits and Pleasures but they neither have Grace nor Peace Therefore do not envy their happiness There is a story of a Romane that was condemned by the Court-Martial to die for breaking his ranke to steal a bunch of Grapes and as he was going to his Execution his fellow Souldiers laughed at him and others envyed at him that he should have Grapes and they none Now sayes he do not envy me for my bunch of Grapes for you would be loth to have them at the rate I must pay for them My Brethren You that are the Children of Grace and peace don't envy at the men of the world at their Riches their Comforts their Pleasures for I am sure you would be loth to have them at the price they pay for them for the end of these things are Death Thirdly Don't complain of the worst condition that the Providence of God shall cast you into in this world 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 alwayes and again I say Rejoyce Phil. 4.4 The second Use is to such as have neither Graâ—s nor Peace May I not say I speak to many suchâ— I would I might not Are there not many that are without Grace and therefore must needs be without Peace They may have the world's peace but they have none of this Peace let me beg of you to get out of this graceless condition if you love your Souls don't live one day nor one hour nor one moment longer in a 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 the love of Sin and lack of Grace will ruin 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 fâ—lse peace we can never have true peace with God when we content our selve 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 has 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 oh 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 Enemy 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 's to be found Labour for a thirsty frame of Soul for the promises run farr to such that he will fill the hungry with good things Go to Christ oh Soul begg 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 will 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 Thirdly To such as have grace but no sense of peace this is the counsel I would leave with all such Be much in the exercise of grace pray 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 〈◊〉 Christ every day and remember it 's as much your duty to believe in Christ to day as if you had never believed before Oh 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 manâ— chief good the happiness of a Child is in communion with his Father and the happiness of 〈◊〉 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 its true it is lowâ— 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 recoâ—pences 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 their reins of Religion to avoid the censures of a crooked generation A Christians zeal should be like the Winter fire that burns the hottest when the Air is coolest or like the Lilly that looketh beautiful though among Thorns so should a Child of God though among sinners Fifthly In all conditions chuse sufferings rather then sinning If ever you would have peace choose suffering rather then sinning he that valueâ—â— peace with God or peace with Conscience he must make this his choyce thus Daniel rather chose to be castâ—o Lions then to lose the peace of his Conscience the three Children chose rather to burn in the Furnace then bow to the Image One said He would rather go to Hell free from sin
the truths you would hold to God in Prayer and begg of God to hold you that you may keep his truth Put up those Requests to God that David doth Psal 15. Hold up my goings in thy paths that my foot-steps slip not and in the 119. Psalm Be Surety for thy Servant for good hold thou me up and I shall be safe and I will have respect unto thy Statutes continually And thus my Brethren I have done with this Doctrine and this Sermon and as far as I know with my Preaching in this place The day is at hand wherein I and many others of my Breâ—hren shall be though not naturally dead yet civilly dead dead in Law dead as to the work of the Ministry And as I told them of this particular Congregation the last Lords day so I tell you know what I would be willing to speak to you if I lay on my Death-bed and had that exercise of Reason and Memory that I have now look I say what I would say to you if I now lay on my Death-bed the same I shall speak to you now through Gods assistance and first I would and in some measure do give thanks to God the God of the spirits of all flesh that hath called me a poor unworthy Creature not onely to the knowledge but to the preaching of the Gospel of his Son Jesus Christ and that in this place and in this part of the Land and hath pleased in mercy to continue life and liberty to me in my work here almost 26. years Secondly I would be and I hope I am in some measure thankful to God and to his people both of this Town and of the Neighbour-hood for a great deal of love and respect and encouragement that they have given to my Person and Ministry here and particularly I do acknowledge my self to be greatly obliged to my Reverend Brethren the neighbour-Ministers for the much love I have received from them their readines to help me in supplying my place in the time of my sickness or absence and sweet society I have had with them I believe you think it is no easie thing for me to speak or think of parting with such an Auditory and Society the like to which I never look to have on Earth again But seeing for my sins and your sins God will have it so we must submit and lye at his feet that which he hath made crooked who can make straight But before we part give me leave to speak a few words to you something by way of Request and something by way of Advice by way of Request I would speak this First That if any of you have found any benefit by my poor Ministry that if any of you have been inlightened or awakened or strengthened and built up in the truth and incouraged in the wayes of holiness by any thing that God hath put into my mouth to speak to you let God have the prayse and let me have some room in your hearts and prayers however God shall deal with me My second Request is That wherein soever you have seen any failings in me or any failings in my Ministeriall duty that you would please to passe it by and to help me in Prayer to God for the forgiveness of them These are my Requests of you and that which I have to say to you by way of Advice is much the same with what I said to this particular Congregation the last Lords day Take it in these particulars 1. I would advise you and intreat you that we may all of us lay to heart this present Dispensation of God towards us and the Nation in this respect that we may be sensible of it I remember when I was young and my famous Predecessor Mr. Rogers was taken off from his Ministry in this kinde though but for a few weeks these parts were wonderfully sensible of that Providence and laid it to heart and were much in Humiliation and in Prayer and I think I may say they received an answer again within some weeks Now Brethren though he was worth some hundreds of us yet now it is not the laying by of one man but of multititudes fifty in one place and threescore in another and fourscore in another and this not by a single Bishop but by an Act of Parliament which makes the wound the wider and the more uncapable of cure and shall we not be sensible of this Shall so many pretious vessels be laid by as vessels of no pleasure and none take it to heart Shall so many burning lights be quenched together so many wells of the Water of life be stopt up together and this not be laid to heart I beseech you consider and be sensible 2. In the deepest and saddest sence you have of this Providence of God watch over your own spirits that you lay the blame of it no where so much as upon your selves blame none so much for this as your selves Some blame the times and charge it on their iniquiâ—ies others are apt to blame us Ministers and charg it on our nicenesse and singularity Might my Advice take place with this people I would desire that every one of us might lay the blame no where so much as on our selves For certainly we have procured these things to our selves I find our Predecessors the Martyrs when by a Law Religion was changed in the Nation and Idollatry set up they laid the blame not on the Law-makers but on themselves and their own hearts One of them saith All this is come upon us because we did not live the Gospell we were Gospellers in lip but not in life Much more doth it become us whose sufferings are farre lesse to blame our selves more then we blame any others 3. My third Aduice is this and I beseech you take it in love for it is out of love that it is given you if you should perceive at this time a differnce in opinion and practice among us that are the Ministers of the Gospell in this Nation standing and sticking at things that others can digest and doe and others doing things that some of their Brethren cannot come up unto Be not offended thus it hath alwayes been from the beginning it is no new thing Thus it was in King Edwards dayes If there be any of God's Servants that are Learned and Holy and Faithfull that do now for the enjoyment of their Ministry yield a conformity to all that is injoyned I doubt not but many of them are grieved that they cannot have the exercise of their Ministry without this and we who cannot come up to this are grieved that we cannot come up to it the one and the other have griefe enough adde not your censures to this griefe that is already upon them It hath been all along a Mercifull Providence of God that when some of his servants could not satisfy their consciences and come up to the things that have been imposed upon them without injuring their
earth at clear day Good Ministers they are called the Light of the world and they are called 3. Stars as in Revel 3.1 And who are meant by the seven Stars Rev. 1 ult they are the Angels that is the Ministers of the seven Churches Now the Stars are said to affect those inferiour bodies 1. By their influence And thus godly and faithful Ministers by the influence of their lips they feed many with the bread of life 2. By their regular motives of their lives they confirm many 3. By the light of both they confirm many one while their employment is to instruct poor souls and so they are like Stars shining in a dark winter night another while they are to converse in their courses Judg. 5.20 Now to enjoy and live under the Ministry of such Stars and yet to walk in darkness and to have fellowship with the works of darknesse to remain unconvinc'd unconverted unhumbled unmortified unfruitful this is woful this is a very lamentable state 4. They are called the Lords Messengers and Embassadours Mal. 2.7 And the Ministers of the Gospel for indeed the Ministers of the New Testament they are no where called Priests they are called Embassadours for Christ 2 Cor. 5.20 Godly faithful Ministers are the Lords Messengers and Embassadours in matters concerning the soul the precious immortal never dying soul of man not in the matterâ— of this life but for the soul Now this is no mean employment to treat with God for the soul 5. They are called the Lords Husbandmen Gods Church is his husbandry 1 Cor. 3.9 And Ministers are Gods Husbandmen naturally we are like a barren wilderness now the Lord sends his Husbandmen to those barren wildernesses to make it a fruitful Paradisâ— Now for Gods Husbandmen to plow fow and 〈◊〉 row and yet no fruit no crop Isa 5.6 When Gods Vineyard brought forth no fruit I will take away all their rainy clouds saith God you shall have clouds but you shall have clouds without rain you shall have Ministers still but such as shall never do your souls any good Well you see the titles given to them in Scripture they are câ—lled the Salt of the Earth and the Light of the World and Stars and the Lords Messengers and Embassadours and Husbandmen all which doth import a very great obligation lying on a people who live under such a Minister and who live under and practice every commanded duty 1. Inference 2. Dangerous and fearful is the estate of those who have enjoyed and lived under and have not been wrought upon by such a Ministry And this will appear if we consider 1. How fearful a sentence the Lord Jesus Christ hath given to those that live under but despise and proâ—t not by the Ministry of his faithful servants Mat 10 14 15. And do not think that Christ said this touching the Ministry of the Apostles only certâ—inly the Lord Christ would have it to be understood of the Ministry of all his faithful servants whom he fâ—ndeth to teach his people John 13.20 whomsoever he sends and 16 He that despiseth whomsâ—evâ—◠〈◊〉 send desâ—iseth me Then is the message of the Lords faithful Messengers received aright when people do not only â—eaâ—â—â— but receive it and bring forth fruit as our blested Loâ—d speaks of good hearers Mark 4.20 Those are they that hear and receive the fruits â—own in good ground â—nd thus our blested Lord expounds himself Mat. 11 24. He telleth us there that they of Caperâ—â—um shall be in a worse case than they of Sodom and Gomorrah and why because they repented not at Christs Sermons and Miracles they were not to be seen in their lives notwithstanding Christs Ministry notwithstanding Christs preaching and his thiracles among them they did not amend their hearts and ways Oh how fearful a sentence hath our Lord Jesus Christ denounced against such 2. If a people be not wrought upon by such a Ministry what hope can such a people have that any thing shâ—â— do their souls any good for is not the Ministry of Gods faithful servants the power of God to salvation and the ministration or the Spirit 2 Cor. 3.8 That is that Ministry whereby the spirit of grace and holiness is infused into the hearts of the Father 's chosen ones in Christ Jesus The Poet speaks of excellent Musicians who by power of their musick made stones to leap into a wall A godly faithful Ministry hath done more it hath taken the stone out of mans heart and hath given them new hearts it hath made all the commandments of God easie to many a poor soul because it loves its Father its Redeemer and â—omforter There is a kind of obedience in a godly faithful Minister and if this will not do nothing will as in Luke 16.31 3. Is not the cause of the non-proficiency of such a people under such a Ministry in themselves Oh men do hinder the fruit of the word of their own souls the powerful operation and working of the word on their own souls the Lord prophecies that sentence on the Jews Matth. 13.14 He layes all the blame on themselves and assigns their own sins and the reason and cause of it as in Verse 13. And thus our blessed Saviour expounds the Parable of the Sower shewing how many that hear the word are never the better for it and be layâ—th the blame on themselves as in Luke 8.14 what then hast thou not profited under the Ministry of the Lords faithful servants Oh lay the blame on thy 〈◊〉 4. Consider hath notâ— the Lord himself a hand in 〈◊〉 proficiency or non-proficiency under such a Ministâ— surely the Lord hath a chief hand in making the Minâ—â—stry of his servants fruitful or not fruitful to them 〈◊〉 enjoy it Now to enjoy and not enjoy is it not a feaâ—ful sign that ye are not of God as Joh. 8.47 Is it not a sign that thou art not of Gods Elect at least of Regeneration But you will say did not the Jews hear Gods word Yes they did with their bodily cars but they heard it not with faith submission and fruitfulnesse and therefore our blessed Saviour tells them they were not of God that is they were at least in 〈◊〉 unregenerate if not in a reprobate condition And so John 10.26 Ye are those Goats saith Christ that must stand at my left hand in that great day And then Unbelievers shall teflect on themselves not on Christ Ministry by the mouths of his servants But if any should say what then will you say thâ—â— all of us are Reprobates that are not wrought on by your Ministry I say not so for that seed which hath been sown on you may do your souls good hereafter though â—t hath done them little or no good as yet But secondly this I may boldly say that if any of you die in your present state unconverted unregenerate you will carrie with you to your grave as fearful marks of reprobation as any we can find
Priests and Levites were forced to flee their own places and possessions 2 Chron. 11.13 14. 4. Sometimes by Suspension Thus a time there was When it was said to the Seers see not and to the Prâ—phets prophesie not Isai 30.9 10. Thus a time there was when People would have Pastors but would not endure faithful Jeremiah and a time there was that there was a Law made Look ye speak no more in the name of Jesus Acts 4.18 And a time there was when Paul and Timotheus and Silvanus were forbid to preach to the Gentiles as 1 Thes 2.15 16. Thus we see the Lord hath inflicted this dreadful Judgement on a people and the Lord hath divers wayes and methods and meanes to inâ—â—â—â— it 3. Consider The Church and people of the Lord hath been very sensible of the Lords hand in this Judgement as we may see in Psal 74.1 and 〈◊〉 verses compared Why what is the matter as if they have said God was wont heretofore to give us signes and tokens he would even work miracles for us the Lord would send us some Prophets to converse with and instruct us we had those that could tell us how long our troubles should last but now we see no sign the Lord leaveth us as it were to the wide world and how sensible was the Lords Church in this judgement as ver 1. of that Psalm This is the first endeavour We are to he duely sensible and deeply apprehensive of the inflicting cause of such a Judgement and that is the Lord himself 2. Of the meritorious Cause and that is Sin Say not we it is long of such or such but it is long of our selves we may thank our selves for this and we appeal to your selves whether this judgement may not be charged 1. From the general unflexiblenesse untractablenesse of people under the Ministry of the Word For this very cause the Lord plagued and poured his vengeance upon the Ten Tribes as in 2 Kings 17 from ver 13 to 19. The Lord testified against Isâ—ael by all the prophets and by all the Seers saying Turn you from your evil wayes notwithstanding they would not hear And for this very cause did the Lord afterwards plague all Judah as Jer. 29.17 18 19. And for this very reason did the Lord Jesus Christ remove Paul from Jerusalem because the people ware a stâ—ff necked people and they would not receive Paul's estimony concerning Jesus as Acts 22.18 Paul had a great desire to stay at Jerusalem as appeared by his reasoning with the Lord ver 19 20. But what saith the Lord Christ ver 21. Nâ—w can England can London plead not guilty of this hainous provocation a generval unflexiblenesse untractablenesse under a Conscience-ransacking a Conscience-searching Ministry 〈◊〉 shall the Lord do with such a people under 〈◊〉 Ministry Is it not just with God to let them alâ—â— that are prophane and superstitious let there beâ—â— people like Priests let the blind lead the blind 〈◊〉 let the wicked rebellious Minister lead a wicked loâ—â—â— people that both may perish together everlastingly 2. The unfruitfulnesse formality luke-warmnesse declining of Gods own people and for this the Lord threatens the Church of Ephesus Rev. 2.4.5 I have saith Christ somewhat against thee thou hast left thy first love though not absolutely for nature yet eminently for measure And can England can London plead not guilty of this sad provocation Now indeed we cannot but observe and approve of your flocking to the Lords Ordinances as Doves to the holes of a window but did you do so some moneths agon Oh your voluntary and fearful distractions avocations diversions from the worship and service of God! And is it not just with the Lord to take away that bundance and choice of spiritual helps a people had when they approved not of them yea when thâ—â— undervalued and despised and abused them 〈…〉 Lord God help us all to affect our souls and to â—ay our selves low before his all-seeing Majesty for our provoking him to do this and endeavour to be duly apprehensive and deeply sensible of the inflicting cause and meritorious cause thereof 2. Take heed of a prophane delight in loose lewd wicked dissolute Ministers And here we will premise two or three things 1. Too many people are too ready to cavil at many Mâ—â—sters without a cause The life of our blessed Lord and Saviour was it not traduced did not some say that he was a friend to Publicans and sinners We 〈◊〉 Christ was cavill that and 〈…〉 And thus the holy Apostles their 〈…〉 they went through evil report as well as good report 2 Cor. 10.2 And thus Athâ—nasius who was traduced for an Adulterer by the Ariant and so Auther and Calvin are represented and reported by the Papists as if they had been the vildest creatures in the world The wicked man cavils at and finds spots aâ— least do wâ—at he can to find spots in the Sun some who are not so wicked do look for an Evangelical perfection in Ministers and all theirâ— their wives and their children and their Servants and their company how ready are people grosly and uncharitably to censure a Minister for any yea the least they discern in him or his and is this their vertue nay is it not their vice and corruption 2. It is no breach of the Churches peace no argument of a contentious and unquiet spirit in a Minister to speak vilely of vile Ministers and enemies of the Churches peace Why who are they John-Baptist tells us he calls them vipers a generation of vipers why were they not Preachers Mat 3.7 and will you say that John Baptist was a man of a contentious spirit of an unquiet spirit And who were they whom our blessed Saviour calls a generation of vipers as Mat. 12.34.38.39 who were they that our Saviour calls a generation of vipers and an evil and adulterous generation were they not Preachers it is very observable both John Baptist our Saviour did call those Preachers thâ—â— even in the hearing of them who were their ordinary hearers and do but observe what strange tearms of disgrace S. Peter gives them 2 Pet. 2.12 to certain Preachers in his time ver 14. what strange tearms doth the Apostle give those Teachers whose pernicious wayes many would follow as in ver 2. of that chap. but did not the Scribes Pharisets sit in Moses Chair and did they not preach some good Doctrine 〈◊〉 much that Jesus Christ bids the people hear them and observe what they said though not what they did as Mat. 23.1 2 3. Therefore may some say It seemeth strange that Christ should thus disgrace the Scribes and Pharisees was not this the way to make their Ministry contemptible First It is very clear and undeniable that there were a generation of pitiful sorry Teachers as in Mat. 9.36 Why did not the people enjoy the teaching of the Scribes and Pharisees yes they did but the Scribes and Pharisees were
it were but it hath a certain skum why then in the face of some who through grace are free from these miscarriages take heed and beware of being leavened with prejudice against all Ministers because of the vileness and miscarriage of some Sixthly Be earnest with the Lord for a godly faithful Ministry whose labour and pains among the people the Lord useth to blesse The Lord Jesus Christ is the great Patron of all Livings as a Reverend man now in Heaven once said He can present whom he will to a Parish and he can restore whom he will to their people as Acts 12.5.6 7. As he did Peter out of prison by the peoples prayers And thus when Paul was in prison at Rome observe how he writes to Philemon in Ver. 22. of his Epistle And thus when the Author of the Hebrews was restrained from preaching observe what an Exhortation he useth Heb. 13.18.19 Oh pray therefore pray for godly faithful Ministers their pains their labours the Lord useth to blesse among a people as Malachy 2.6 we read that the Lord blessed the labours of Levi so that he was an Instrument in the Lords hand to turn wicked men from their iniquity and Verse 5. Lo it was said of Barnabas that by his Ministry much people were added to the Lord. Acts 11.24 And if we would have godly faithful Ministers as we must pray for them so we must first repent us of our sins Jer 3.14.15 Repent we must of our sins and particularly our contempt of the Ordinances and Worship of God Secondly We must prize the Gospel more then we have done the Gospel loves to come and to stay where it is welcome Of all the seven Churches of Asia â—he Church of Philadelphia was the best that Church used the Word best and that Church enjoyed the Word longest Be earnest with the Lord for godly faithful Ministers whose pains and labours among the people the Lord useth to bless and prosper 7. Be earnest with the Lord that the refining work of a National-Reformation a City a Countrey a Family Reformation a Personal-Reformation may begin at the refining and purging of Ministers None will deny but that there is great need of Reformation there is none of you but will confesse that the seed of leaven had need sometimes to be winnowed out from among us as 2 Chron. 29.48 Hezektab began at the Priests and Levites Hezekiah began his Reformation at them and thus at our first Reformation the Protestants did then affirm that there could never be any good Reformation unlesse they began at the Court of Rome And it is very observable that when the Prophet speaks of the Lord Christs coming as a refining fire and as Fullers soap this also is prophesied of refining the Sons of Levi Malachy 2.2 When he shall purifie the Sons of Levi when he shall purge them as gold and silver As it was in Judah in that good Reign of that good King Hezekiah 2 Chron. 29 34. The Priests were too few there And as it was in Judah then whether it be not so in England now I affirm not but leave you to judge But a Minister soundness in Doctrine and holiness of life and conversation should lay a great obligation on a people duly and conscientiously to practice every command to duty And this may suffice for the second Doctrine Come we now to the third Doctrine deducible to be handled from this Text and that is this That in the due practice of commanded duties Gods people may warrantably and confidently expect much of the gracious presence of the God of peace even in the worst of times These things think on saith the Apostle Ver. 8. These things doe saith the Apostle in the Text and what then the God of peace shall be with you In the due practice of commanded duties Gods people may confidently expect much of the gracious presence of the God of peace in the worst of times Then take counsel fron this Doctrine that you may have the gracious presence of the God of peace with you and if this pulpit were my death-bed I should give such counsel as these following to you First Crown the Prince of peace the Lord Jesus Christ in your hearts and lives I say Crown the Prince of peace the Lord Jesus Christ in your hearts and lives receive him as your Lord and King set a Crown on his head here in your hearts and lives and he will Crown you with peace in this life and set a Crown of glory a Crown of immortality on your heads in the life to come If you have Christ you have all things all heavenly graces all spiritual comforts all temporal blessings if you have Christ God will God can then give you all things that are good for you without Christ you are not and you can do nothing that is acceptable with God Therefore this is my first counsel to you Crown the Prince of peace the Lord Jesus Christ in your hearts and lives Secondly Then maintain a constant and conscientious intimate communion with the God of peace It was good counsel which Eliphas gave to Job Job 22.21 Would you have much of the presence of the God of peace Oh then frequently fall down and lye at thâ— foot-stool of the Lords Throne for grace and for peace and when you do so be not unmindful of us who have often been your mouths to God and Gods mouth to you And to engage and encourage you herein consider First The Lord Jesus Christ hath promised to be with his poor Ministers always even to the end of the world Mat. 28. ult If alwayes not in the Pulpit only no the Lord hath promised to be with his faithfull servants out of the Pulpit as well as in the Pulpit in the Prison sealing the truth as well as in the Pulpit preaching the truth Oh then will you put this in suit by prayer that the Lord Christ will be with his poor Ministers to the end of the world 2. We shall not sail to pray for you 1 Sam. 12.23 Our sequestring from our preaching work from you will give us advantage to lay out more time to fetch sighs from our hearts in praying-work for you and I trust the Lord will give us hearts so to improve our time for you as Samuel said so God forbid we should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you As Peter did to the people with a promise as 1 Pet. 5.10 And not only for you but Secondly Even for such as have treated us somewhat uncivilly and unkindly to say no more of them although the number of them are very inconsiderable but for such I trust we shall not forget in our prayers As Moses fell down on his face for the Children of Israel when they treated him very unkindly and spit in his face I trust we shall not forget Moses's prayer for the people And so when they danced before their Idol Jeremiah wept for those in his time
God and to the Word of his grace which is able to build them up and to give them an inheritance among them that are sanctified And truly my dearly beloved in the Lord this is my great work now when I am a dying to you as to my publick preaching My Beloved I am very sensible that it is a very sad and solemn thing for a Minister to be rent from a people that he loves as his own soul that he hath laboured among for to bid adieu to these solemn meetings wherein I have preached to you wherein we have mingled our sighs and our tears before the Lord wherein we have rejoyced and sat down together before the Lord at his Table now to think that I must minister with you and for you no more in these Ordinances methinks it is a beart-breaking consideration to think that I am now dying in this Congregation to think that I am now dying whilst I am preaching but this is my comfort under these sad thoughts that I can commit you to God and to the Word of his grace to one that is able to keep you and to build you up and to give you an inheritance among them that are sanctified Like a dying Father I can commend you to the care of such a Friend infinitely able to supply all that I could not do for you It is the comfort of a dying Father when he sees his children weeping round about him that he can commend them to a faithful friend willing to do that for them that he desired to do and a thousand times more I would hope that I have some children that I have begotten to Christ by my Ministry towards whom my bowels yearn but this is my comfort that I can put them into the arms of their and my heavenly Father of their and my blessed Redeemer to be kept by the power of God There are many poor souls that are yet in the gaul of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity and if the Lord hath seen good I would fain have seen of the travel of my soul in their salvation but I can commend them to God who knows them who belong to his Election he can either restore me or can do it by another hand and you that are in any measure grown in grace I would be willing to be helpful to your joy and instrumental to your comfort but I commend you to God who is able to give all grace to you and to keep you steadfast It will be some alleviation of sorrow that though◠must leave you and die to you as to your Ministry 〈◊〉 I hope I may a while go up and down and converse with you to be among you The Lord grant this favour that he may behold your steadfastness 2. This may be your comfort as well as mine the may be the comfort of all those your Congregations that are like to be made Widows by the Metaphorical death of their Guides and Pastors but I leave you in the hands of all grace and of all comfort This is a black day upon Israel when so many faithful Ministers are slain at one blow this is a day of gloominess and darkness in many Congregations for so many Ministers to be beheaded in one day What hath England commanded is it not some high Treason If we look to the cause of it why so many Ministers are as dead in one day as so many children without a Father And if we look upon the cause what hath caused God thus to deal with us we must complain Oh! our unfruitfulness our fearful unthankfulness under the mercies of God! This will be the Emphasis and fling of our grief and this should be the matter of our grief And then if we consider the sad Prognostick what it doth seem to foretell It is a sign that when God layes aside so many faithful Ministers of some scourge and calamity that is coming upon us But you that can lament this judgement you that can lament the sad deprivation of these powerful Ordinances Remember that though your Minister be dead God can raise you up others in their stead and where the way of instruments are wanting he can do it without them and those that are begot in Christ shall be preserved and those that are yet unbrought in who belong to the Election of Grace shall in Gods due time have the effectual work of the Spirit wrought upon their Souls For he is able to build you up and to give you an Inheritance among them that are sanctified And though I take this solemn leave of you as to this publick Exercise yet if the Lord shall open the door and take off those bands of Death that the Law hath laid upon my Ministry in regard of Conscience who cannot conform for which our publick Ministry is suspended I shall chearfully and willingly return to you in this place But now though your dying Minister in respect to the Exercise of his publick Ministry is leaving of you yet I commit you into a safe hand I commend you to God and to his Grace Amen Mr Pledger 's Farewell Sermon Rev. 2.9 10. I know thy works and tribulation and poverty but thou art rich and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews and are not but are the synagogue of Satan Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer behold the devil shall cast some of you into prison that ye may be tried and ye shall have tribulation ten days be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life IN the former verse you have the superscription and description of this Epistle the superscription by the mouth and hand of John to the Angel of the Church of Sinyrna that is the Ministry of the Gospel or 〈◊〉 Colledge of Presbyters As the whole Tribe of Levi in Malachy is called the Angel of the Lord so here the whole Tribe and office of the Ministry is called the Angel Angel is not a term that signifies a single person but a name of Office Then for the Description These things saith the first and the last which was dead and is alive He is described by his eternity by his suffering and by his reviving I shall not speak of this nor of the verses following the Text. I shall speak of the Inscription or Narration of the Epistle in these two verses wherein you have 1. A Commendation 2. An Admonition a piece of heavenly Counsel 1. You have a Commendation I know thy works c. I like it well the pains thou takest in my service for my servants sake I know how thou hast suffered I take 〈◊〉 well I consider all the reproaches that are vomited out against thee 2. Then you have the Counsel 1. Fear none of these things 2. The Arguments to set it on 1. 'T is the Devil that shall trouble you he is the prime Agent he that never took a good cause Thou hast certainly God for thee if
There is a difference between the afflicting of Gods people and judging their enemies In the intention and extension one is for ruine the other in proportion one is a light affliction the other a load And then for extention one is for ever and the other is for time for ten dayes Then our afflictions shall have an end I and a comfortable end Are not these two ends comfortable the end of our sins and the end of our sorrow God will restore comfort to his mourners let us be mourners during the time of mourning God will quickly cloath us with garments of praise there shall be an end of our sufferings never an end of our joy and glory Pro. 8. To conclude in a word Be faithful to the death Be faithful in your promises in your vows and purposes your covenants of obedience and reformation persist in the doctrine of the Gospel and the worship of the Gospel and the Ministry of the Gospel and office Christ hath fixt in his Church be faithful by your most earnest zealous desires before the Lord Be faithful to the death He will never let you see death till all your fears are conquered He can presently take them away He will certainly be present with you in all your trouble And remember God in tender mercy and faisfulnesse for the present accepts the unfeigned purpose to be constant and saithful to him to the death Mr. Beerman's Farewell Sermon At St Thomases in Southwark August 17. 1662. BEloved I know you are not ignorant that I am called by Authority to depart from you which for Conscience sake we must obey and were it not for the breach of Conscience I think I could be content to undo my self to stay with you I shall now in love and tendernesse take my leave of you all with that large portion of Scripture in the twentieth of the Acts from the seventeenth verse to the end they were Paul's parting words to the Ephesians Ver. 17. And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the Elders of the Church and when they were come unto him he said unto them Ye know that from the first day that I came into Asia after what manner I have been with you serving the Lord with all humility of mind with many tears and temptations which befell me through the lying in wait of the Jews and how I kept back nothing that wâ—â— profitable unto you but have shewed you and taught you publickly and from house to house testifying to the Jews and also to the Greeks repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ and now behold I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem not knowing the things thâ—â— shall befall me there save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every City saying that bonds and afflictions abide â—e but none of these things moveth me neither count 〈…〉 life dear unto my self so that I might finish my 〈◊〉 with joy and the Ministry which I have received of 〈◊〉 Lord Jesus to testifie the Gospel of the grace of God and now behold I know that ye all among whom I have gone preaching the Kingdom of Heaven shall see my face no more Wherefore I take you to record this day that I am pure from the blood of all men for I have not shunned to declare unto you all the Counsel of God Take heed therefore unto your selves and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood for I know this that after my departure grievous wolves shall enter not sparing the flock also of your own selves shall men arise speaking perverse things to draw away Disciples after them therefore watch and remember that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears And now Brethren I commend you to God and to the Word of his grace which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all those that are sanctified I have coveted no mans silver or gold or apparel Yea your selves know these hands have ministred to my necessities and to those that were with me I have shewed you all things how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak remembring the words of our Lord Jesus how he said it is more blessed to give then to receive And when be had thus spoken he kneeled down and prayed with them all and they all wept sore and fell upon Paul's neck and kissed him sorrowing most of all for the words which be spake that they should see his face no more and they accompanied him unto the Ship BEloved I have read unto you the words of a departing Minister to his Hearers The case being my own I thought I could not pitch upon a more fitter place to take my farewel withall I shall not stand to open all these words only speak a word or two at parting as Paul did to the Ephesians and I shall only hold forth something to you by way of Analysis to it and thereby you may judge of the Analogy of it In this parting speech of Pauls you have two parts First Pauls theirs carriage to them Secondly Pauls theirs carriage to him First Pauls behaviour towards them that was very pious as you may read from v. 17. to v. 37. Secondly the peoples behaviour towards their departing Minister which you have in the two last verses Wherein is observable First their love Secondly their sorrow First their love expressed by kissing him and accompanying him unto the ship Secondly their sorrow expressed by their weeping they could not part with such a Minister with dry eyes but saith the Text They all wept sorely sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake that they should see his face no more They wept and they all wept and they all wept sorely a sore weeping when this Minister and this people parted From whence I note this That there is occasion and matter of great sorrow when people loose a godly Minister Paul was not the first Minister that ever parted with a people nor the Ephesians the first people that ever lamented the losse of a faithful Minister See how the people lamented Samuel 1 Sam. 25.1 And Samuel died and all Israel was gathered together and lamented Samuel O that brave that powerful preaching Samuel is gone How did Elisha lament Elius catching hold of his garments and crying out My father my father the Chariots of Israel and the Horsemen thereof Christ himself when he saw the Children of Israel scattered abroad upon the mountains as sheep without a shepheard how did his bowels yern towards them but to name no more take St. Stepen Acts 8.2 when Stephen was departed dead and gone devout mâ—â— carried Stephen to his grave and made great lamentations over him they could not but lament to think that that noble couragious and heart-daunting Minister should never preach more before them
desire this is the Fourth beware of covetousnesse Fifthly You that have not taken warning yet I beseech you take warning now have a care and avoid evil company Ephes 5.11 Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darknesse but rather reprove them come out from among them and be serarated from them Never go into a wicked mans company if before you go you have not a probability of doing good or getting good Consider with thy self is there any likelyhood that thou by thy wholesome reproofs may do him any good if there be then go onâ— if not draw back avoid them fly from them for their steps tend to perdition By wicked company those two things have been effected Good men made bad Bad men made worse Good men have been made bad by wicked company Jehosaphat that good King is in an example of this who by the company of wicked Ahab was drawn to fight against those whom God favoured and to help Ahab in his wicked enterprise Bad men have made those worse by evil company Ahab was made worse by the instigation of his wicked wise Jezabel Oh can you bear when you are in their company to hear them blaspheme the holy name of God and not repove them Truly if you can it is a sign you are not so good as you should bâ— Sixthly my sixth Caution is this Oh have a care of having the least finger on your hand against a Saint it is dangerous to have a thought word or act against the people of God it is dangerous to have a thought amisse of them Psal 62.3 They imagine mischief against a man that is against a Saint therefore they shall all be slain for their bare imagination they shall be cut off It is dangerous to speak against them How durst thou saith God to Miram to speak against my servant Moses and immediately he smote her with leprosie as white as Snow It is dangerous to act against them and it is forbidden by God Psal 105.5 Touch not my anointed nor do my Prophets no harm Perhaps you would say you would not do them any harm if you thought they were Gods people Oh but take heed lest they prove Gods people and then it were better for you if a milstone were hung about your neck and you cast into the Sea than to offend the least of them Seventhly Let me beseech you all to take heed of complying with this sinful world whoever doth do not you but take up that good resolution of Joshua's As for me and my House we will serve the Lord. Though all else forsake God yet will not I yet let not us I beseech you saith he that you would not conform your selves to the fashions and manners of this wicked world Oh take heed of conforming your selves to the Conversation of this world but walk harmlesse and shine as lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation if we will comply with the world I mean to be as most of the world are that is temporizers timeâ—servers preferring the pleasing of a man before the pleasing of God then we must lie in wickednesse as all the world doth 1 John 2.10 for all that in the world is either the lust of the flesh the lust of the eye or the pride of life and these are not of the Father but abideth in the wicked one the Prince of the power of the air after whom the men of the world walk This is the seventh take heed of Conforming your selves to this world Eightly Take heed of a hasty spirit when you are under sad dispensations when you are under sufferings you are apt to seek and 〈◊〉 with relief come it which way it will and on what terms it will 〈◊〉 spirit Esay 26. v. 18. He that believeth maketh not haste hat is he maketh not haste to get out of his afflictions the people of Israel was of hasty spirits and murmured because they were kept so long in the wilderness for which God slew an innumerable company of them Saul was of a hasty spirit and by it lost his life and Kingdom Jacob's Mother no sooner told him his Fathers intent but he was resolved to have the first blessing though he cheated his Brother and lyed for it and so told his Father that he was his eldest Son but he himself was afterward deceived by a lye with having the eldest daughter given him instead of the younger Take David for your example he waited Gods time the Kingdome was promised to him after Sauls death and when Saul persued him you know David had him twice in his power and with ease might have destroyed him but he would not â—ar be it from me saith he that I should touch the Lords annointed Let God smite him by the hands of his enemies I will not it is far better to be Gods Bond-stave then the Devils Free-man do not use any the least action whatever in an indirect way to deliver thy self but patiently set down and wait Gods good time which when once come thy deliverance will assuredly come with it Take heed then of a hasty and suâ—len spirit under afflictions Some men when God takes away any comfort from them are of so sullen a spirit there is no pacifying of them God will now this day take something from you which I believe you would willingly keep will you therefore be of so sullen a spirit that because you cannot enjoy all you will not enjoy any but will rob your selves of all what though you cannot enjoy your Minister any longer will you not make use of the Ordinances of God I beseech you refrain this spirit and let the deprivation of one mercy be a means to make you make better use of those that are left Ninthly My ninth Caution is this take heed of an ungodly Minister I speak not to any mans person in particular neither can I because I know not as yet who will succeed me but whosoever he be if he be wicked beware of him for if he be ungodly the people will follow him for like Priest like people and I pray God deliver you from such Ministers as for doctrine do teach the traditions of men and cry peace peace when sudden destruction hangâ— over their heads such Ministers may please you but believe me they will never profit you but at last you will find that through the â—ale of Security you are led to the pit of Perdition They will tell you you need not be so strict and diligent in your conversations nor Heaven is not so hard aâ—d difficult to gain as some would make you believe believe them not but remember that without holiness none shall see God and that neither Fornicators Adulterers Idolaters Thieves Murderers Covetous persons Drunkards Reviâ—era nor Extortioners shall inherit the Kingdom of Heaven Gospel only Christ when he was preaching to a throng of People as I am here this day said unto them Take â—eed and beware of the leaven of the
Regeneration 1. A Christian may know his real Conversion and Translation to eternal life Such a great and real change is there wrought in every Beleever at his Conversion and this wrought by such a great efficient and infinite cause the Spirit of God and this cause working by such real and powerful means and instruments the great Word of God and this done notwithstanding the great opposition that is made by a poor sinner against the word and when wrought it hath such real and grand effects upon a Beleever that 't is impossible but a Beleever must needs know this his transition from death to life Secondly Love to the Brethren is the great symptome of mens Regeneration Love to the Brethren not taken solely singly as if this was the onely Character but concomitantly taken with others but beyond and above all others this is the privy seal of God on the soul if yee have inflamed it with love hee may know hee is passed from death to life The Use was of Confutation of the Papists those grand enemies to Gospel-Truths and Beleevers peace They abhor this Doctrine of Assurance by it their Purgatory would fall down their Popes Kitchin would grow cold They tell us Beleevers cannot attain Assurance in this world no. 1. Why hath God commanded us to make our Calling and Election sure and will God command impossibilities such as cannot be wrought by our or his own power 2. Other Saints have attained this Assurance this New Name and White Stone within them Obj. That 's by extraordinary Revelation Answ This is not upon proof was not the Assurance of Gods people in Scripture grounded upon general promises Had they many of them either extrinsecal signs or marks to assure them of it did it not spring from principles common to all Beleevers Obj. But suppose they have Assurance to day they may lose it to morrow man is a mutable creature hee may be a Childe of God in the morning and a brat of Hell in the evening Answ 'T is true man is a mutable creature yet is hee preserved by an immutable God man is a weak creature but yet is preserved by the power of God unto salvation man as a Creature is no less mutable in Heaven than upon Earth there preserved by God therefore why not here Obj. This is a doctrine that tends to looseness Answ Not so it did not work looseness in Paul Job c. I labour more than they all Nothing under Heaven so soveraign to stave off and preserve from lust as the assurance of Gods love to the soul Such assurance comes from the highest act of faith and one of the great things of Faith is to purifie the heart and life Such an Assurance must needs constrain the soul The love of Christ constraintâ—is Nay so far is it from inclining to looseness that it casts the soul upon its knees lifts up the souls hands sends him to Heaven continually constantly arms it with petitions resolutions never to let the Lord of Heaven and Earth alone gives him no rest begging of him as for other things so especially for this Lord as thou art pleased to give mee the priviledge of enjoying promises so give mee the power to perform duty Thus saith hee thy will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven And so I am come as far as The Sixth Sermon Matth. 6.10 Thy will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven THere is a twofold Will of God 1. Preceptive to be done by us 2. Providential to be done upon us The Minister carried the words in the last sense the will of God be done upon us hence 't was observed Gods Children must not only do but submit to their heavenly Fathers providential will They must not onely do his will the will of his precepts but they must submit to his will the will of his providence Let God do what hee will they must lay down their head upon the block and with patience and resignation say Thy will be done There are two grand Instances wherein Saints ought to shew this submission First When God deprives them of spiritual priviledges and enjoyments they must submit now they must not murmure then and that upon these considerations 1. Suppose a deprivation of publick Ordinances yet the holy Scriptures are left 2. The holy Spirit too that shall bring home the Scriptures to the conscience 3. There are old experiences of former love to live upon 4. Yet none can detain or debar us from making secret addresses unto God 5. 'T is a most noble thing it becomes a Christian exceedingly to live upon pulse yet thrive 6. By the want of such publick Ordinances God thinks fit to convince his people of their folly in sinning away the Gospel Secondly When the Lord makes a breach upon our temporal comforts and estates now for submission and that upon these accounts 1. Come what will come yet no strange thing is or can happen to us no temptation but what is common to man 2. With what comely submission have those old Beleevers behaved themselves to the will of God Eliah Job Samuel Daniel and the Captain of our salvation our blessed Saviour not my will but thy will be done 3. There 's a glorious day coming when God will unriddle all his dark providences and shew you that there is love in the bowels of them 4. God hath made a breach upon some of thy comforts how many comforts hath hee yet left thee 5. Thou art now deprived of thy comforts thou hast enjoyed twenty years thou hast reason to be thankful it was continued so long and not to murmure that 't was taken away now 6. Thou hast some goods the best of goods there 's no plundring a man of his grace no putting of him out of Gods favour 7. God doth thee a kindness in this were it good for thee it should be continued to thee Hee with-holds no good thing hee takes away nothing but what is evil or would be so this life is a transitory vapour and hadst thou enjoyed it thou couldst not long 8. Compare thy self with thy self and others the other day thou was a pittiful poor brat and what shalt thou bee compare thy self with others wee are low how many thousands far beneath us 9. All outward things are not properly formally good or evil as wee fancy them to be good or evil so they are they are but fancies Use Labour after this submissive frame of Spirit get but this and this will evidence that though hee frowns yet hee favours thee this will make thy Faith appear to bee a glorious Faith it will shew that the Kingdome of God is not only come to thee but in thee and rules in thy heart to that end But what shall I do to submit 1. Let not a day of adversity take thee unawares 2. Do not over-value thy self do not think too great of thy self that the wind must not blow onthee 3. Retract the superlative of